Chapter - 8 Hiss of the Tiger, Moan of the Dragon (1/2)

Within the warm pavilion of the South-Subduing Palace, the Marquis of Virtuous Enlightenment Gao Shengtai, returned and reported that Zhong Wanchou, his wife, and Qin Hongmian had departed the palace grounds. The South-Subduing Princess Dao Baifeng, concerned about her son, said, ”Emperor, do you know the location of the so-called Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge?” Duan Zhengming, also known as the Emperor Baoding, replied, ”Today isn't the first time that I've heard of this place. But up until now, it has had no interactions with Dali”.

Dao Baifeng worriedly said, ”From what Zhong Wanchou said, it seems this place is very remote and hidden. I'm worried we might not be able to find it. If Yu'er remains in enemy hands for too long...” Emperor Baoding let out a small smile. ”Yu'er has been sheltered all his life. He doesn't understand how dangerous and sinister the world can be. For him to undergo some hardships and gain some endurance and experience may not necessarily be an altogether bad thing.” Dao Baifeng's mind was filled with anxiety, but she did not dare rebut him.

Emperor Baoding said to Duan Zhengchun, ”Little brother Chun, could I trouble you to have some wine and dishes brought out?” Duan Zhengchun said, ”Yes!” He sent the orders, and in a short amount of time an entire banquet was prepared with all sorts of exotic delicacies. Emperor Baoding ordered everyone present to partake of the banquet, feasting and drinking.

Dali was a small, rustic nation of the south where hundreds of minorities lived. The Han people were not necessarily in the majority. The South-Subduing Princess, Dao Baifeng, was herself of the Baiyi tribe. The people of the country accepted the teachings of the central plains as profound, but even the daily rituals of the imperial court were much more casual and simpler than that of the far away Song dynasty. In addition, Emperor Baoding had a very compassionate, gentle character. Aside from when he was visiting monasteries or temples, he never liked to stand on ceremony. Thus Duan Zhengchun, his wife, and Gao Shengtai sat next to him at the head of the table and kept him company.

While eating and drinking, Emperor Baoding refused to bring up the previous matter. Dao Baifeng's eyebrows were tightly knit with worry. To her, the food had no taste at all. At dawnbreak, the guards outside said, ”Minister Ba has come to pay his respects to the Emperor.” Duan Zhengming said, ”Enter!” The curtain screen was parted, and a short, skinny black man entered. He knelt before Emperor Baoding and said, ”Reporting to your majesty, to arrive at the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge, one must first pass the 'Benevolent Man's Crossing', then go through the 'Iron Rope Bridge'. To enter the gorge itself, one needs to pass through a hole in a gigantic tree.”

Dao Baifeng clapped her hands and laughed. ”If I had known that Minister Ba had been sent out, why would I possibly have worried about being unable to locate the enemy's lair? I wouldn't have had to be worried for so long either!” That black man bowed slightly and said, ”Princess, you flatter me. Ba Tianshi is embarassed and not deserving of such praise.”

Although the skinny black man, Ba Tianshi, had a rustic appearance, he was an extremely intelligent and capable person. He had gained great merit from accomplishing many tasks for Emperor Baoding. Presently, his position was that of the 'Sikong', Minister of Soil and Water. The three ministerial positions of 'Situ', Minister of Education, 'Sima', Minister of War, and 'Sikong', Minister of Soil and Water, were the foremost positions in the imperial court, of exceeding glory and honor. Ba Tianshi's martial arts were absolutely outstanding, and he was an expert in qinggong. This time, he had been sent out by Emperor Baoding's decree to locate and investigate the enemy's base of operations. He secretly followed behind Zhong Wanchou's party and actually managed to find the location of the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge.

Emperor Baoding smiled a little. ”Tianshi, sit down and eat your fill. Then we'll go together.” Ba Tianshi knew that the Emperor hated when others acted too worshipfully or formally towards him, and that he loved and addressed his subjects and his officials as though they were his brothers or friends. If he acted too formally or respectfully towards the Emperor, he might actually cause the Emperor to be angry with him. He immediately assented.

Lifting up his rice bowl, he began to eat. He didn't touch a single drop of wine, but the quantity of food he ate was astonishing. In a twinkling of an eye he consumed eight large bowlfuls of food. Duan Zhengchun, Gao Shengtai, and himself had known each other for a long time, and so the other two weren't surprised at all. After Ba Tianshi had finished eating, he stood up and wiped away the grease from his lips. ”Your vassal, Ba Tianshi, will lead the way.”

He left, taking the position of vanguard. Emperor Baoding, Duan Zhengchun, his wife, and Gao Shengtai followed behind him. After leaving the South-Subduing Palace, they found the Four Imperial Guards, Chu, Gu, Fu, and Zhu standing outside the door, waiting for them with horses already prepared. Dozens of swordsmen who had sworn to follow Emperor Baoding were there as well.

Before founding their country, the Duan family was originally part of the wulin of the central plain's. In the past hundreds of years, their descendants had never lost the customs and manners of their ancestors. Although the two brothers Duan Zhengmin and Duan Zhengchun had boundless riches, they often strolled about incognito in plain clothes. If any members of the wulin community came to visit or to carry out a vendetta against them, they always treated the visitors according to the rules of the wulin, never putting on imperial airs.

Thus, everyone present was long since used to the sight of Emperor Baoding was personally leading an expedition, and weren't startled. From Emperor Baoding on down, everyone changed into ordinary clothes. They no longer appeared like gentry, dressed in fine red silks, but rather just a group of ordinary people roaming about.

Dao Baifeng saw that out of the people whom Ba Tianshi had selected, twenty or so of them were carrying large hatchets and long saws. Laughing, she asked, ”Minister Ba, are we disguising ourselves as carpenters on our way to building a large house?” Ba Tianshi replied, ”We're sawing down trees and tearing apart houses!”

The party were riding on fine stallions, and thus moved like the wind. They arrived at the forest outside the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge before noon. Ba Tianshi ordered his men to chop down the obstructing trees one at a time. Arriving at the mouth of the gorge, Emperor Baoding pointed at the large tree upon which was painted the words, ”Any person surnamed Duan who enters this gorge shall be mercilessly killed.” He laughed. ”What a great enmity the master of the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge has with our family!”

But Duan Zhengchun knew that Zhong Wanchou was afraid that he would enter the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge to seek out Gan Baobao. He glanced at his wife out of the corner of his eye, and saw that she only smiled coldly.

Four men carrying large hatchets rushed over to that large tree. In a short period of time, that large tree, with a trunk so wide that many people would be needed to wrap their arms around it, was felled.

Ba Tianshi ordered everyone present to wait with their horses at the mouth of the gorge.

The Four Imperial Guards, Chu, Gu, Fu, and Zhu led the way. Behind them was Ba Tianshi and Gao Shengtai. Following them was the South-Subduing Prince and Princess. Last of all was Emperor Baoding. Upon entering the gorge, they noticed that everything was quiet and still. No one came to greet them. According to the rules of the jianghu, Ba Tianshi, holding the name placards of the two brothers Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun, strode boldly forth and made his way to the front of the main house. In a clear voice, he said, ”The two brothers of Dali's Duan dynasy have come to pay a visit to the gorge-master Zhong!”

Just as the sound of his voice was dying away, a long shadow suddenly appeared from the trees to the left. It rushed towards Ba Tianshi with rapid speed, extending his hand and snatching at the two name placards in Ba Tianshi's hands. Ba Tianshi retreated three steps to the right and shouted, ”Who are you, honored sir?” It was none other than 'Thoroughly Cruel and Evil', Yun Zhonghe! His first snatching attempt having missed, he sped up even more, once more pouncing towards Ba Tianshi.

Ba Tianshi saw that his qinggong was exceptionally formidable and wanted to compete with him a bit. He immediately rushed forward three more steps, and Yun Zhonghe pursued for three steps. With a kick of his feet, Ba Tianshi begin to run quickly, with Yun Zhonghe chasing directly after him. A short man, pursued by a tall man. In the blink of an eye, they had circled the room three times. Yun Zhonghe's stride was unnaturally long, but Ba Tianshi kept jumping and leaping about. The rise and fall of his footsteps were much quicker than that of Yun Zhonghe. Throughout the race, a distance of a few meters was maintained between the two. Yun Zhonghe knew that he would not be able to catch up, but Ba Tianshi, in turn, knew he wouldn't be able to shake him off. Both of them had long fancied themselves as having the best qinggong in the world. At this moment, upon meeting such a formidable opponent, both of them were secretly startled. Their movements became faster and faster. The lapels of their clothes fluttered in the wind, releasing a series of 'hu' sounds. Although there were only two people chasing after each other, from an outsider's perspective, it looked as though five or six people were running around in a circle. As the contest continued and as the distance between their two bodies grew slightly, it turned into a circular race around the room. No one could tell if Yun Zhonghe was chasing Ba Tianshi, or if Ba Tianshi was chasing Yun Zhonghe. If Ba Tianshi managed to catch up to Yun Zhonghe, then he naturally would have won this qinggong competition. But with a burst of strength, Yun Zhonghe once more increased the distance between himself and Ba Tianshi.

But suddenly, the main door opened with a cracking sound, and Zhong Wanchou walked out. Ba Tianshi did not stop. Secretly generating his internal energy, he shot out with his left hand. The name placards smoothly flew towards Zhong Wanchou.

Extending his hand, Zhong Wanchou received the placards. He roared, ”You! The one surnamed Duan! Since you have come to visit me in accordance with the rules of the jianghu, why did you destroy the trees that served as my gate?”

Chu Wanli called back, ”How could a person of the Emperor's stature lower himself to tunnel his way through the hole in that tree?”

Dao Baifeng was worried for her beloved son the entire time. She couldn't help but call out, ”Where's my son? Have you hidden him here?” Suddenly, a sharp female voice came out from the room. ”You came a bit late. We've already ripped apart the stomach and torn the chest of that kid surnamed Duan, and fed his body to the dogs!” This woman gripped a blade in each hand. The blades were as thin as a willow leaf and gleamed with a blue light. It was the deadly Asura Sabres, which would quickly take the life of any person whose blood it tasted!

Eighteen years ago, these two women hated and were jealous of each other, laying down a deep enmity and a strong feud. Dao Baifeng knew that Qin Hongmian was lying, but upon hearing her claim that her beloved only son had died in such a miserable fashion, felt the flames of her old hatred rise and stir anew. She coldly replied, ”My question was directed towards gorge-master Zhong. No one will speak with such a cheap s.lut as yourself, to avoid lowering their own dignity!”

Suddenly, with two 'dang' sounds, Qin Hongmian struck out with her twin sabres, her attack coming as fast as the wind. This attack, the 'Character Ten Chop' [the Chinese character for 'ten' is a cross, so this would be a cross chop], was her finest skill with which she had become famous in former days. No one knows how many heroes had died under this venomous stance of her Asura sabres. Dao Baifeng pulled out her flywhisk and hurriedly moved backwards, spinning around as she did so and sending the tail of her flywhick towards Qin Hongmian's heart.

Duan Zhengchun felt extremely awkward and conflicted. One was his current beloved wife; the other was his former sweetheart. His love towards Dao Baifeng was truly deep and profound, but was also unable to forget what he and Qin Hongmian had once shared. He knew that if the two women started fighting, they would be using vicious, life-taking techniques. No matter who was harmed, he would have hated the outcome. He called out, ”Stay your hand!” Slanting his body, he quickly moved closer, pulling out his sword and trying to separate the two women.

As soon as Zhong Wanchou saw Duan Zhengchun, his belly had filled with anger. With a clattering sound, he pulled out his large ringed sabre and chopped towards him. Chu Wanli called out, ”Prince, no need to personally deal with this. I'll take care of him!” Striking out with his iron staff, he attacked Zhong Wanchou's neck. His previous iron staff had been broken in two by Ye Erniang, so he had ordered a new one be forged.

Zhong Wanchou cursed at him. ”I always knew that the one surnamed Duan only knew how to rely on winning via superior numbers!” Duan Zhengchun laughed. ”Wanli, stand down. I was just about to test out gorge-master Zhong's martial arts!” His long sword struck out, deflecting Chu Wanli's iron staff. At the same time, he dragged his sword down the back of Zhong Wanchou's large-ringed sabre, nicking his fingers. In one stroke, he 'deflected,' 'dragged down', and 'nicked', not revealing even half of a flaw or opening. Zhong Wanchou was startled. ”What a formidable sword skill this thief surnamed Duan has!” He immediately clamped down his anger. In front of such a powerful opponent, he dared not be careless or reckless.

Duan Zhengchun's straight sword continued to attack. Zhong Wanchou saw that the power in his attack was lively and powerful, difficult for him to block. He leapt three steps backwards. Duan Zhengchun had only wanted him to stop intervening, and with him gone, moved sideways to stand next to Dao Baifeng and Qin Hongmian. Qin Hongmian's sabre techniques were becoming slightly disorganized, and Dao Baifeng kept advancing and pressing onwards. With a series of 'chi' sounds, Qin Hongmian suddenly shot out three poisoned quarrels. Her quarrels were identical to those shot out by Mu Wanqing, but her skill in shooting them out was much higher.

These quarrels were aimed to three parts of Dao Baifeng's body; the left, the right, and the center. This was an extremely difficult attack to dodge. Dao Baifeng leapt into the air and all three quarrels passed by underneath her feet. But just as her body was in mid-air, three more quarrels were shot out. The first was aimed at her abdomen. The second was aimed between her two legs. The third was aimed at her foot. At the moment, Dao Baifeng was unable to ascend any higher, and as her body descended, these three quarrels were perfectly positioned to strike at her head, chest, and stomach. This attack was vicious to the extreme.

Fear filled Dao Baifeng's heart and she attacked hurriedly with her flywhisk, managing to deflect the first poisoned quarrel. Her body was descending rapidly, and it seemed as though the second and third quarrels, aimed at her chest and stomach, would be impossible for her to dodge or deflect. Suddenly, a white light flashed, and the hilt of a long sword flashed by her face, chopping these two poisoned quarrels into four pieces. At the same time, someone placed his own body protectively in front of hers. It was Duan Zhengchun who had rushed over and saved her life. If he had been even slightly slower and been unable to chop the quarrels in half, then they would have struck his own body instead.

Upon seeing those, both Dao Baifeng and Qin Hongmian were so terrified that their faces turned pale, and their hearts thumped frantically. Dao Baifeng called out, ”I don't want your help!” She sidestepped past her husband, striking towards Qin Hongmian with her flywhisk. She despised the venomous, cruel techniques which Qin Hongmian employed, and her flywhisk attacked with extreme speed. It swept towards Qin Hongmian, preventing her from using those poisoned quarrels again. Moments ago, Qin Hongmian had almost hit Duan Zhengchun with those poisoned quarrels and saw him protect his wife's body without a care for his own life, showing extreme bias in this fight. In her heart, panic had intermingled with bitter misery, and for the moment she was unable to block the attack of the flywhisk.

Dao Baifeng's flywhisk technique, ”Phoenix Alights on the Parasol Tree”, descended towards the crown of her head. Qin Hongmian hurriedly dodged to the right, just as Dao Baifeng struck out with her left palm in that direction. It seemed as though she was about to be struck right on the pit of her stomach and suffer a severe enough injury that she would vomit blood. The palm was only inches away from her abdomen, but suddenly a male palm appeared and blocked, diverting Dao Baifeng's palm. It was Duan Zhengchun who had saved her. He said, ”Dearest phoenix, don't be so fierce against her.”

Qin Hongmian was startled, then angrily replied, ”What's with the 'dearest phoenix', 'beloved peacock' crap? You're so affectionate towards her!” Her left sabre chopped towards Duan Zhengchun's neck. Dao Baifeng was also furious at her husband rescuing his former mistress. She withdrew her attacking flywhisk, redirecting it and sending it sweeping towards Duan Zhengchun's face.

The two women struck at the same time, and saw each other's attack at the same time as well. They simultaneously cried out, ”Oh no!” Both of them wanted to protect their lover. Dao Baifeng's flywhisk changed direction once again to block the Asura sabre; Qin Hongmian, on the other hand, sent out a flying kick towards Dao Baifeng, wanting to force her to retract the flywhisk.

Duan Zhengchun slanted his body to dodge, but with a 'peng' sound, Qin Hongmian's kick landed on his buttocks. Dao Baifeng angrily said, ”Why are you kicking my husband?” Qin Hongmian said, ”My darling Duan, I didn't do that on purpose! You...are you hurt?” Duan Zhengchun decided to put on an act, and loudly cried, ”Ouch! Ouch!! You kicked me to death!” He squatted down.

Zhong Wanchou, seeing the situation, thought to seize the advantage and raised his sabre to hack at Duan Zhengchun. Dao Baifeng called out, ”Stay your hand!” Qin Hongmian cried out, ”Hit him!” The flywhisk and the Asura sabres struck out at Zhong Wanchou simultaneously, forcing him to retract his strike to defend against them. He loudly shouted out, ”The stinking thief surnamed Duan! You useless pretty boy, you're relying on women to save your life! What type of hero are you?” Duan Zhengchun burst out into loud laughter. He suddenly leapt up, and with three 'shua' sounds, sent out three sword attacks that forced Zhong Wanchou to stumble and stagger backwards.

Qin Hongmian was startled, then angrily called out, ”You aren't injured at all! You were faking it!” Dao Baifeng was also angry. ”This bastard excels at scamming others. How could you have believed him?” Qin Hongmian cried out, ”Beware my sabres!” Dao Baifeng also cried out, ”Hit him!” The two women joined together to attack Duan Zhengchun.

Emperor Baoding, seeing his brother getting entangled in the dispute with the two women, turned his head away and laughed secretly. He said to Chu Wanli, ”Go inside and check the place out.” Chu Wanli replied, ”Yes sir!”

The Four Imperial Guardians Chu, Gu, Fu, and Zhu rushed into the room. Right as Gu Ducheng's left foot crossed over the threshold, he felt a cold wind rush towards the crown of his skull. Before his left foot had touched the floor, his right foot had already leapt backwards. He saw an extremely thin but broad sabre slice downwards in front of his face. The distance between him and the blade was but a few inches. If he had been but a moment slower to dodge, even if he had lucked out and his head wasn't split in twain, his nose would have been sliced off at the very least. Cold sweat trickled down his back. He saw that the hidden figure was a middle aged woman with elegant features. It was 'No Evil Left Undone', Ye Erniang. Her thin sabre was rectangular in shape. In all four directions, the blade was surpassingly sharp. Holding on to the short sabre-handle, she brandished it about, forming a circular halo about her.

Gu Ducheng was extremely startled at first. After calming himself, he let out a loud cry, then with a wave of his broad axe, chopped towards her thin blade. Ye Erniang's thin sabre continually spun around, not daring to directly meet such a heavy weapon as an axe. Gu Ducheng executed the seventy two strokes of his ”Chaotic Whirlwind Hatchet” technique, his twin axes chopping upwards and downwards towards her. Ye Erniang was possessed of a weird temperament, and alternated between gently cooing towards Gu Ducheng and speaking boldly towards him. Zhu Dancheng, seeing how leisurely she fought and how strange her sabre techniques were, conjectured that if the battle went on for too long, Gu Ducheng wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. Immediately, he struck out with his twin judge's pens in a pincer attack towards her.

At this time, Ba Tianshi and Yun Zhonghe were still happily running around in circles. Their qinggong abilities were on par, and it would take a long time before victory or defeat could be determined. At this time, what they were really competing in was the relative superiority of their internal energy. After having ran over a hundred circles, Ba Tianshi knew that although Yun Zhonghe's skill in his lower legs was abundant and graceful, he was unable to center himself perfectly. In this respect, Yun Zhonghe was inferior to his own movements, with its elegant and perfectly executed leaps and bounds which had no left-over energy. All he had to do was to come to a sudden halt and strike with three palms, and Yun Zhonghe surely would not be able to take it. But Ba Tianshi was determined to defeat Yun Zhonghe solely through superior qinggong, and not through superior fighting ability. Thus, he continued to run with all his might.

Suddenly, a coarse voice let fly a stream of curses. ”Goddamnit, you guys are kicking up such a racket that your old man here can't even sleep. What type of rabbit whelp has come?” The Divine Crocodile of the Southern Seas suddenly appeared, Crocodile Maw Scissors in hand, as he leapt closer and closer.

Fu Sigui called out, ”Your master's father has come!” The Divine Crocodile yelled back, ”What are you talking about, 'my master's father'?” Fu Sigui pointed towards Duan Zhengchun. ”The South-Subduing Prince is the father of young lord Duan. Young lord Duan is your master. Are you trying to deny it?” Although the Divine Crocodile had done many vile things, he had one good quality. He never reneged on anything he said or agreed to. Upon hearing these words, he was so angry that his face turned bright yellow, but couldn't deny them. He angrily replied, ”What ****ing business is it of yours, you son of a turtle, with regards to what goes on between me and my master?” Fu Sigui laughed. ”I'm not your son. Why are you calling me the son of a turtle?”

The Divine Crocodile was confused. Only after a long moment had passed did he realize that the other person had insulted him and called him a turtle in a roundabout way. After coming to this realization, with a series of loud 'wa' cries, he repeatedly opened then chomped closed the two sides of his Crocodile Maw Scissors, then attacked Fu Sigui. He was a dim-witted person, but truly capable in martial arts. The Crocodile Maw Scissors were filled with a forest of white 'teeth', similar to the sharp needles on top of a wolf's fang cudgel. Fu Sigui received three of his attacks using his copper truncheon, and already felt his two arms turn sore. Chu Wanli waved his long pole, flourishing the soft steel-wire whip attached to the top of the pole and attacking the face of the Divine Crocodile. The Divine Crocodile drew his Crocodile's Tail Whip and blocked the attack.

Watching the battle scene, Emperor Baoding felt that none of his people were in any real danger. He said to Gao Shengtai, ”Stay here and watch over things.”

Gao Shengtai replied, ”Yes sir!” He stepped aside.

Emperor Baoding entered the room and called out, ”Yu'er! Are you here?” But no one responded. He opened the door to a side-room and called out again. ”Yu'er! Yu'er!” Only to see a fifteen or sixteen year old girl come out from behind the door and ask, ”You...who are you?” Emperor Baoding replied, ”Where is Duan Yu?” The girl replied, ”Why are you looking for him?” Emperor Baoding replied, ”I'm going to rescue him.”

The girl shook her head. ”You won't be able to rescue him. He's been locked inside a stone house, and sealed in with a large boulder. Someone is guarding him too.” Emperor Baoding replied, ”Take me to him. I'll knock down the guard and push aside the boulder. Then I'll rescue him.” The girl shook her head again. ”I can't! If I took you there, my daddy will kill me.” Emperor Baoding asked, ”Who is your father?” The girl replied, ”My surname is Zhong. My daddy is the master of this gorge.” The girl was Zhong Ling, who had escaped from Mt. Wuliang.

Emperor Baoding nodded. He thought that for such a little girl, using words to threaten her or martial arts to force her to reveal the secret would be degrading to his stature and position. Since Duan Yu was definitely in the gorge, it wouldn't be too hard to locate him. He immediately exited the room, intending to find someone else to take him to Duan Yu.

Inside the stone room, upon hearing that the freak in green was actually the most vile man in the world, he who was known as 'Evil Beyond Human Capacity', Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing were terrified. In their shared fright, they rushed over and embraced each other. Duan Yu said in a low voice, ”So we fell into the hands of 'Evil Beyond Human Capacity', the most evil man in the entire world. This is really, really bad.” With a 'wu' sound, Mu Wanqing rested her head against his chest. Duan Yu gently stroked her hair. He consoled her, ”Don't be afraid.”

Both of their clothes were moist with sweat, as though they had just climbed out of a pool of water. Their bodies were burning hot, as though filled with steam. Smelling each other's breath, they were even more attracted towards each other. One was a healthy and vigorous male youth; the other was a young woman filled with deep love. Even if they hadn't been excited by the aphrodisiac, it would be difficult for them to control themselves. Much less now, having eaten the 'Yin and Yang Conjoining Powder', which had an abnormally powerful effect and possessed a despotic might. It was enough to turn an honorable scholar into a lewd lowlife, a chaste woman into a prostitute. It bewildered minds, turning even virtuous sages into beasts. At this moment, everything depended on one thing remaining bright in Duan Yu's mind; the pure and honorable reputation of the Duan dynasty. Only this allowed him to restrain himself.

The man in green was extremely pleased. His strange voice laughed. ”You two, brother and sister! Hurry up and become husband and wife. The sooner you two have a baby, the sooner you will escape your imprisonment. I'm leaving!” After speaking, he leapt over the tree wall.

Duan Yu yelled loudly, ”Yue Number Three! Yue Number Three! Your master is in trouble! Hurry up and help out!” He called out for a long time, but how could there be any response?

Duan Yu thought to himself, ”We're in such a critical state. I can't even accept him as my master now, even if I wanted to. If I had made a wrong choice and accepted an evil man as my master, that would only be my personal business. I wouldn't have implicated my uncle and my father in this.” Following this train of thought, he loudly shouted, ”Divine Crocodile of the Southern Seas! I'm willing to accept you as my master now! I'm willing to be the heir of the Southern Seas sect! Quick, come and rescue your apprentice! If I die, you won't have a student anymore!”

He wildly shouted and cried out for a time, but never heard the Divine Crocodile's voice. He suddenly thought to himself, ”Oh no! Not good! The one person whom the Divine Crocodile fears the most is his superior, the most evil person in the world, 'Evil Beyond Human Capacity'. Even if he heard me shouting, he wouldn't dare to come rescue us.” His heart was filled with pure bitterness.

Mu Wanqing softly said, ”My darling Duan, after we become husband and wife, do you want for our first baby to be a boy or a girl?” Duan Yu replied, in a dazed voice, ”A boy!”

Suddenly, the sound of a female voice drifted in from outside the stone house. ”Mr. Duan, you're her big brother! You definitely can't marry her!” Duan Yu was startled. ”You...are you Miss Zhong?” That girl was indeed Zhong Ling. ”Yes, it's me! I eavesdropped on what that evil man in green said. I'll definitely find a way to rescue you and Miss Mu!” Duan Yu was ecstatic. ”That's great! Quick, find and steal the antidote to the poison for me!” Mu Wanqing angrily shouted, ”Zhong Ling! You little devil, scram! Who wants you to save us?” Zhong Ling said, ”It'd be best if I first thought of some way to push this boulder away and rescued you two.” Duan Yu replied, ”No, no! You go find the antidote. I...I can't hold on much longer. I'm...I'm about to die.” Frightened, Zhong Ling cried, ”What's wrong? What do you mean, you can't hold on much longer? Does your tummy hurt?” Duan Yu replied, ”It isn't my stomach that hurts.” Zhong Ling asked again, ”Is it your head that hurts?” Duan Yu replied, ”That isn't it either.” Zhong Ling asked, ”So where exactly do you feel uncomfortable?!”

Duan Yu was filled with uncontrollable lust. How could he possibly explain this to the little girl? He only replied, ”My entire body is uncomfortable. Just think of a way to steal the antidote for me.” Zhong Ling wrinkled her forehead. ”If you can't tell me the symptoms, I won't be able to find the antidote for you. My father has lots of antidotes, but I need to know if it is your stomach that hurts, your head that hurts, or your heart that hurts.” Duan Yu let out a sigh. ”I'm not hurting, precisely. I just...I was poisoned by something called the 'Yin and Yang Conjoining' powder.” Zhong Ling clapped her hands. ”Since you know the name of the poison, it'll be no problem at all. Big brother Duan, I'll go and get the antidote from my daddy right now!”

She hurriedly climbed over the tree wall, intending to go find her parents and convince them into giving her the antidote for the 'Yin and Yang Conjoining' powder. The 'Yin and Yang Conjoining' powder actually belonged to the man in the green, but as soon as Zhong Wanchou heard the name of it, he knew what type of thing it had to be. His horse-like face stretching in disapproval, he said, ”Little girl, why are you asking about such inappropriate things? If you keep on talking such rubbish, I'll grab you by the ear and give you a spanking.” Zhong Ling hurriedly replied, ”I'm not talking rubbish.”

Just then, Emperor Baoding and the rest of the party had entered the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge. Zhong Wanchou had hurriedly rushed out to confront the enemies, leaving Zhong Ling by herself in the room. She heard the sounds of a ferocious fight brewing outside, with weapons clashing, but ignored them. She focused her energies on rummaging through her father's secret medicine cabinet. Zhong Wanchou had over a hundred medicine bottles with the names of the medicine written on them, but none of them were the antidote for the 'Yin and Yang Conjoining' powder. She had no idea what to do. Suddenly, she heard someone entering the house. Exiting the room to see who it was, she had run into Emperor Baoding.

Emperor Baoding looked for someone to lead him to Duan Yu, but couldn't find anyone at all. Suddenly, he heard someone running towards him from behind. Turning his head, he saw Zhong Ling rushing towards him. He immediately stopped and waited for her. Zhong Ling ran towards him and said, ”I couldn't find the antidote! I guess it'll be best to take you there. I wonder if you can push the boulder aside.” Emperor Baoding was baffled. ”Antidote? Boulder?” Zhong Ling said, ”Just follow me. As soon as you see everything, you'll understand.”

Although the pathways within the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge were complex and winding, with Zhong Ling leading the way, Emperor Baoding arrived at the tree wall in a matter of moments. Emperor Baoding grasped Zhong Ling's arm. His body did not jump or flex, but suddenly levitated into the sky, smoothly and steadily flying past the tree wall. Zhong Ling clapped her hands excitedly. ”Wonderful, wonderful! You fly so wonderfully! Wait! Oh no!”

Someone was in front of the stone house. It was the man in green!

Zhong Ling was absolutely terrified of this half-dead, half-living person. She whispered, ”Hurry, let's leave. We'll come back after this person has left.” Upon seeing this freak, Emperor Baoding was also extremely astonished. He comforted Zhong Ling. ”With me here, you don't need to be afraid. Duan Yu is inside this stone house, right?” Hiding behind him, Zhong Ling nodded.

Emperor Baoding casually strolled forward. ”Honored sir, please step aside.” But the man in green seemed to have neither heard nor saw him, sitting there unmoving.

Emperor Baoding said, ”Honored sir, if you refuse to move, then please do not blame me for offending you!” Leaning sideways, he flashed past the man in green from the left. Slanting his right palm, he pressed it against the side of the boulder. Just as he was about to exert his energy to push it aside, he saw the man in green take out a thin steel cane and point it at his 'Quepen' acupoint. When the steel cane reached within a foot of his body, it came to a halt, then began to quiver. If Emperor Baoding exerted any energy on the boulder, the steel cane would immediately attack, and he would be unable to dodge it at all.

Emperor Baoding's heart was filled with cold fear. He thought to himself, ”This man's acupoint sealing technique is extremely brilliant. Who can he be?” His right palm fluttered slightly, then chopped towards the steel cane. His left palm snaked underneath his right palm, resting itself against the boulder once more. The man in green shifted the position of his steel cane. It was now pointing at his 'Tianchi' acupoint. Emperor Baoding's palm moved as swiftly as the wind, shifting positions seven times. But each time, the man in green would simply move his cane to point at a different acupoint, adapting to the situation.

The two exchanged many stances. Each time, the man in green's threatened attack would prevent Emperor Baoding from exerting any energy to pushing the stone aside. His knowledge of the various acupoints on a persons body was extremely accurate. Emperor Baoding felt that it was on par with his own, and above that of his brother, Duan Zhengchun. Suddenly, he turned his palm into a finger, and with a 'chi' sound, exercised the power of his 'Solitary Solar Finger'. He pointed at the steel cane. If his attack managed to connect with it, the cane would definitely be bent and warped. But suddenly, a 'chi' sound came from the cane as well as it pointed back. Their energy streams met in the middle of the air. Emperor Baoding moved one step back while the man in green's body trembled. A red light flashed across Emperor Baoding's face. At the same time, a faint layer of even distributed blue light appeared on the man in green's face as well.

Emperor Baoding was astounded. He thought to himself, ”Not only is this man's martial arts extremely high, but he definitely must have some sort of past relationship with me. His cane technique is clearly related to the 'Solitary Solar Finger.' Immediately, he cupped his hands towards him. ”Senior, what is your respected name? I hope you can tell me.” Only to hear a voice sound out. ”Are you Duan Zhengming, or Duan Zhengchun.” Emperor Baoding saw that he was able to speak without his lips moving and was all the more flabbergasted. He replied, ”I am Duan Zhengming.” The man in green let out a 'hngh' of contempt. ”So you are the current Baoding emperor of the country of Dali?” Emperor Baoding replied, ”Exactly so.” The man in green asked, ”How does your martial arts compare with mine? Who is superior, who is inferior?”

Emperor Baoding hesitated for a long moment, then said, ”In martial arts, you are slightly better than me. But if the two of us are really to fight, I can defeat you.” The man in green replied, ”Correct. After all, my body is crippled. Sigh! I would never have thought that after becoming an emperor, you would have continued to practice martial arts so assiduously and not slack off in the slightest.” Although the voice which emanated from his abdomen was extremely strange, one could still discern a sense of anger and despair.

Unable to guess the origins of this person, countless questions flooded into Emperor Baoding's heart. Suddenly, he heard an urgent cry from inside the room. It was Duan Yu's voice. Emperor Baoding called out, ”Yu'er! Are you alright? Don't panic, I've come to rescue you!” Zhong Ling cried out in fear, ”Mr. Duan! Mr. Duan!”

Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing were suffering the powerful effects of the aphrodisiac. It was become harder and harder to resist their lustful desires. As time passed, Mu Wanqing had become so dazed that she had long-since forgotten that Duan Yu was her elder brother. She cried out, ”My darling Duan, hold me. Hug me.” She was a virgin, and thus had only a smattering of knowledge with regards to conjugal relations between men and women. All she knew was that her body felt so very dry and hot, and that only Duan Yu holding her would make her feel better. She threw herself at Duan Yu. Duan Yu cried out, ”I can't do that!” He dodged sideways, his feet unconsciously moving in the pattern of the 'Graceful Steps Upon the Waves'. Mu Wanqing, having missed her mark, fell onto the bed and fainted.

Duan Yu walked a few more steps, and his internal energy automatically began to flow along his meridians. He walked faster and faster. An incredible suffocating feeling welled up in his stomach, making him feel as though he could hardly breathe. He couldn't help but let out a loud cry. Suddenly, the feeling of suffocation diminished. He immediately walked a few more steps, then let out another cry. The feeling of lust diminished a bit. He heard but ignored the conversation between Emperor Baoding and the man in green, as well as Emperor Baoding's exhortations to him to not panic.

The man in green said, ”This kid's self control is not bad. After taking my 'Yin and Yang Conjoining' powder, he can actually hold out for so long.” Emperor Baoding was startled. ”What type of poison is that?” The man in green replied, ”It isn't poison. It's just a very strong type of aphrodisiac.” Emperor Baoding asked, ”What are your intentions, for you to feed him something like that?” The man in green replied, ”Inside the room, there is a female as well. His sister!”

As soon as Emperor Baoding heard this, he immediately understood this person's treacherous plot. Even if his level of self-cultivation were much higher, he wouldn't have been able to control the huge surge of anger he felt. Waving his sleeves, with a 'chi' sound he struck out with a finger towards the man in green. The man in green blocked that attack with his steel cane. Emperor Baoding struck again with a second finger, this one aimed at his 'Qitu' acupoint, right beneath his larynx. That was a fatal acupoint, and he expected the man in green to fiercely defend and counterattack.

Who would have thought that the man in green only let out two cold chuckles. He neither defended nor dodged. Emperor Baoding, seeing him ignore the attack, felt the situation was extremely strange and retracted his attack. He asked, ”Why are you willing to die?” The man in green replied, ”It couldn't be better if I died under your hands. Your sins will become yet another level deeper.” Emperor Baoding asked, ”Who are you?” The man in green whispered a single sentence.

Upon hearing that sentence, the color of Emperor Baoding's face changed. He said, ”I don't believe you!” The man in green switched the steel cane in his right hand to his left hand, then with his right hand, pointed at Emperor Baoding with a 'chi' sound. Emperor Baoding slanted his body, dodging the attack, then returned a finger. The man in green then struck out with his middle finger. Emperor Baoding's countenance grew heavy, and countered the attack with his own middle finger. The man in green's third attack came with a sweeping motion from his ringer finger, then his fourth attack came from his pinky finger. In each case, Emperor Baoding countered with the exact same stance. When the time came for the fifth attack, the man in green pressed forward with his thumb. The thumb is the shortest of all fingers, and thus is the most ineffective and clumsy of them as well. But the power from this finger of his was the strongest yet. Emperor Baoding dared not to ignore it, and struck out with his own thumb as well.

Watching from the side, Zhong Ling felt quite curious and baffled. She forgot how afraid of the man in green she was. Laughing, she said, ”What are you guys doing? Playing rock, paper, scissors? He's pointing at you, then you're pointing at him. Who is winning?” While speaking, she walked closer to them. Suddenly, a powerful gust suddenly appeared, pushing at her. Startled, Zhong Ling suddenly felt her left shoulder hurt, so badly that she almost fainted. Turning his hand over, Emperor Baoding waved his palm towards her, smoothly pushing her body backwards, then leapt backwards as well and supported her. He said, ”Stand here and don't move.” Startled, Zhong Ling asked, ”Is he trying to kill me?” Emperor Baoding shook his head. ”No. We're competing martial arts. Other people can't get close to us.” Stretching out his hand, he gently patted her on the back a few times.

The man in green said, ”Do you believe me yet?” Emperor Baoding rushed forward, then bowed towards the person. ”Zhengming pays his respects to his senior!” The man in green said, ”You only refer to me as your senior. Are you refusing to fully recognize me, or is there still doubt in your heart?” Emperor Baoding replied, ”I, Zhengming, am the guardian of an entire country. My words and actions must therefore be correspondingly serious and certain. I, Zhengming, have no sons. A heavy national responsibility is therefore laid upon the shoulders of this boy, Duan Yu. I ask for you, senior, to please release him.” The man in green replied, ”I want for Dali's Duan dynasty to collapse and engage in evil, incestuous acts, then come to an end. Such a rare opportunity as this, do you expect me to so easily let it slip away?” Emperor Baoding said in a stern voice, ”I, Duan Zhengming, definitely will not allow it!”

The man in green laughed. ”Heh, heh. You claim you are the emperor of Dali, but in my eyes, you are nothing but a rebel who coveted and stole the throne. If you have the courage to do so, feel free to go back and call out the national army and the imperial bodyguards. Let me tell you this. My influence is vastly less than yours, but for me to kill Duan Yu first would be accomplished as easily as turning over my hand. If you want to fight with me, you might be able to overcome me after several hundred stances. But if you want to actually kill me, that will be an incredibly difficult thing for you to accomplish. And as long as I am not dead, you will not be able to rescue Duan Yu.”

The color of Emperor Baoding's face alternated between blue and white. He knew that this man's words definitely were not false. There was no need to call for the national army or the imperial guards; all he needed was a single helper, and this man in green wouldn't be able to hold out against them. But this would badly injure the reputation of the Duan family, and would not be in keeping with his own station. He couldn't kill this man either. He said, ”What do you want, before you are willing to release him?” The man in green said, ”Something that is easily done, very easily done. All you need to do is to go to Tianlongsi, the Heavenly Dragon Monastery, and become a monk. Give the title of emperor back to me, and I will dissolve the drugs in Duan Yu's body. I will return to you your good nephew, who is utterly without moral flaw or deficit, a rare dragon amongst men.” Emperor Baoding replied, ”How can I casually discard the inheritance which my ancestors have passed down to me?”

The man in green laughed. ”Heh, heh. So it was meant to be your inheritance, and not my inheritance? To return a possession to its original owner cannot be considered as 'casually discarding' it. For me to not pursue the matter of you conspiring to seize my throne is already a sign of my magnanimousness. If you aren't willing to do as I suggest, then you might as well wait for a while. After Duan Yu and his sister have a son together, I'll release them.” Emperor Baoding replied, ”Better that you kill them instead!”

The man in green replied, ”Aside from this, there are two more options.” Emperor Baoding asked, ”What are they?” The man in green said, ”The first option is to come up with a devious plot to murder me. Then, you can let him out.” Emperor Baoding said, ”I cannot plot against you.” The man in green said, ”Even if you wanted to scheme against me, you might not succeed. The second option is for you to call out Duan Yu and have him fight me himself, using the 'Solitary Solar Finger'. If he is able to defeat me, then he can leave, of course. Hah hah.”

Emperor Baoding felt his temper rising, and almost flared out. Only with a powerful effort did he manage to curb it. ”Duan Yu doesn't know a single shred of martial arts, much less know the 'Solitary Solar Finger'.” The man in green replied, ”The nephew of Dali's Duan Zhengming doesn't know the 'Solitary Solar Finger?' Who can believe that?” Emperor Baoding replied, ”Ever since he was young, Duan Yu studied the classics and Buddhist texts. He has a merciful character, and steadfastly refused to learn martial arts.” The man in green said, ”Yet another hypocrite putting on airs of false righteousness. If a person like this becomes the monarch of Dali, it definitely will not be a good thing. Better for me to kill him first!”

Emperor Baoding asked forcefully, ”Senior, are there truly no other options available?” The man in green replied, ”Years ago, if other options were available, would I have fallen to such a state? Half living, half dead. Others gave me no options back then. Why should I give you other options now?”

Emperor Baoding lowered his head and hesitated for a long moment. With a powerful effort, he raised his head. A resolute, unyielding expression was on his face. He called out, ”Yu'er, I'll think of a way to rescue you. Never forget that you are a scion of the Duan family!”

Only to hear Duan Yu call out in reply, ”Uncle, you...come in and kill me with a single finger.” At this time, he had halted his footsteps, and was resting against the large boulder which was blocking the doorway. He clearly heard the second half of the conversation between Emperor Baoding and the man in green. Emperor Baoding said in a stern voice, ”What? Have you acted in a way which would destroy the reputation of my Duan family?” Duan Yu replied, ”No! No, I haven't. Your nephew...your nephew is suffering from extreme heat. I won't be able to live much longer.”

Emperor Baoding sighed. ”Life and death are determined by fate. Let things take their course!” Grasping Zhong Ling's arm, he ran across the open plains, then flew over the tree wall. He said, ”Little girl, thank you for leading the way. In the future, I will definitely repay you.” Retracing his steps, he returned to the main building.

Emperor Baoding saw that despite Chu Wanli and Fu Sigui teaming up against the Divine Crocodile, victory or defeat was still yet to be determined. But Zhu Danchen and Gu Ducheng, under the pressure of Ye Erniang's rectangular sabre, were find it difficult to cope. To the side, although Yun Zhonghe's feet movements hadn't slowed in the slightest, he was panting heavily, as though he were feeling weary. But Ba Tianshi showed great ease and relaxation with his ceaseless leaps and bounds.

His hands folded behind his back, Gao Shengtai was casually strolling about as though he were utterly indifferent to the life-and-death battles which were being played out before him. But in actuality, his senses were keenly attuned, and he was keeping track of the entire overall situation. So long as no one appeared to be in imminent danger, there was not yet a need for him to intervene.

Duan Zhengchun, Dao Baifeng, Qin Hongmian, and Zhong Wanchou had disappeared.

Emperor Baoding asked, ”Where is younger brother Chun?” Gao Shengtai responded, ”After the South-Subduing Prince chased away gorge-master Zhong, he left with the princess to locate young lord Duan.” Emperor Baoding called out loudly, ”At this moment, there have been unexpected developments in the situation. Everybody, withdraw!”

Ba Tianshi suddenly halted in his footsteps. Yun Zhonghe directly rushed towards him, and immediately, with a 'peng' sound, Ba Tianshi sent out a palm towards Yun Zhonghe, who blocked with his own twin palms. Yun Zhonghe felt as though his mind, his qi, and his blood were all thrown into turmoil, and almost vomited blood on the spot. He forcefully suppressed the urge, but his vision had turned blurry. He was unable to see clearly where his opponent had gone. Ba Tianshi, however, did not follow up on his victory and press home the attack. With a clear, cold laugh, he said, ”Thanks for the lesson!”

Suddenly, Duan Zhengchun's voice could be heard from behind the copse of trees to the west. ”He isn't here either. Let's return to the back of the house and check again.” Dao Baifeng's voice followed. ”Let's just find someone and interrogate them. Can it be that this place really has no servants at all?” Next came Qin Hongmian's voice. ”My martial-sister told them to all go into hiding.”

Emperor Baoding, Gao Shengtai, and Ba Tianshi exchanged incredulous glances and smiles. All three of them felt that the South-Subduing Prince's ability truly was vast and godlike. None of them had a clue as to what brilliant technique he used to cause these two women, who previously had been locked in a battle of life and death, to set aside their differences and work together to search for Duan Yu.

Only to hear Duan Zhengchun say, ”Then let's go find your martial-sister. She certainly knows where Yu'er has been imprisoned.” Dao Baifeng angrily said, ”I won't allow you to go see Gan Baobao! You scheming bastard!” Qin Hongmian said, ”My martial-sister has already sworn to never see you ever again.”

While chatting, the three of them exited the tree line. Seeing Emperor Baoding, Duan Zhengchun said, ”Elder brother, did you resc-...did you locate Yu'er yet?” At first, he was going to ask if Duan Yu had been rescued, but seeing that his son wasn't here, he changed the sentence midstream. Emperor Baoding nodded. ”I found him. Let's talk about it when we get back home.”

Chu Wanli, Zhu Danchen, and the others had heard the emperor's order to cease fighting, and had every intention of doing so, but Ye Erniang and the Divine Crocodile were enjoying the battle. They had no intention of stopping, and continued to embroil their opponents in this deadly battle. Emperor Baoding's brows furrowed slightly. ”Let's go.”

Gao Shengtai replied, ”Yes sir!” He withdrew his iron flute from his breast pockets, and with a 'ting' sound, pointed it at the Divine Crocodile's throat. Following that, he raised his arm and flipped his hand, sweeping the flute against Ye Erniang. These two attacks with the flute were both aimed at critical cracks in the enemy's defense. The Divine Crocodile managed to dodge by somersaulting away. With a clapping sound, the iron flute repeatedly struck Ye Erniang's left arm. Ye Erniang let out a loud cry, then hastily glided away, beating a retreat.

Actually, Gao Shengtai's level of martial arts wasn't that much superior to these two. But he had been watching the fights progress for a long time, and had long since devised masterful strokes to deal with those two. Although his attack seemed as though it was meant to deal purely with the Divine Crocodile, it was actually a feint. His fierce, unexpected, genuine attack was actually aimed towards Ye Erniang, repaying her for the injury that palm of her had inflicted upon him. Although it appeared as though he executed these strokes as casually as another might write a few lines of free verse, in actuality, he had contemplated this attack in his heart many times. He had gathered all of his power, then struck out with full force with this attack.

The Divine Crocodile's bean-like eyes widened. He felt both alarmed and respectful. ”Sonufa*****, what a guy! I couldn't tell that you...” He didn't complete the line of thought, but the meaning was naturally, ”I couldn't tell that you're actually this fearsome. Looks like your old man here isn't your match, kid.”

Dao Baifeng asked Emperor Baoding, ”Emperor, how is Yu'er?” Emperor Baoding's mind was filled with worry, but didn't allow a single flicker of it to show on his expression. He said, in a voice devoid of passion, ”He's fine. This is an excellent opportunity for him to build up his self-discipline and to temper his character. He'll come out in a few days. We'll discuss this at length when we return to the palace.” After these words, he turned and immediately left.

Ba Tianshi took the front and led the way, while Duan Zhengchun and his wife stayed behind the emperor. Following them was Chu, Gu, Fu, and Zhu, the Four Imperial Guards, with Gao Shengtai bringing up the rear. With that outstandingly brilliant attack earlier, he had managed to cow those two people. Although the Divine Crocodile was violent and ferocious, he didn't dare to go up and challenge him.

After walking thirty or so meters, Duan Zhengchun couldn't help but turn his head and gaze back at Qin Hongmian. Qin Hongmian was also watching his receding figure. Their two pairs of eyes met, and both of them were struck dumb.

Suddenly, Zhong Wanchou brandished his large-ringed sabre and rushed out, flustered and exasperated, from the back room. He called out, ”Duan Zhengchun! On this visit, you weren't able to see my wife. Consider that your good fortune! I won't give you trouble on your way out. My wife has already sworn an oath that she will never see you again in the future. But...but...but I can't rely on that alone! If she sees you again, maybe she'll ****ing...she'll...bah, to put it briefly, you aren't allowed to come here again!” After fighting with Duan Zhengchun and being unable to achieve victory after many stances, he had immediately retreated, going back to guard his wife, so as to prevent Duan Zhengchun for coming for her and seducing her. After hearing his wife swear an oath that she definitely would never see Duan Zhengchun again, he was hugely relieved, and then hurriedly ran out again to make this demand towards Duan Zhengchun.

Duan Zhengchun's heart was saddened. He secretly said to himself, ”Why? Why is it that you refuse to see me in the future? You are already another man's wife. How could I possibly act to ruin your chastity? Although the second son of Dali's Duan dynasty is dissolute and lascivious, he isn't a shameless, contemptible thug. Just let me see you again. Even if the two of us stood far away from each other and didn't say a single word to each other, I would be happy.” Turning his head, he saw that his wife was gazing at him coldly. His own heart suddenly trembled, and he sped up his footsteps, leaving the gorge.

The party returned to Dali. Emperor Baoding said, ”Everybody, let us discuss the situation at the palace.” Arriving at the royal study in the imperial palace, Emperor Baoding sat on a chair covered with leopard fur in the middle of the room. Duan Zhengchun and his wife sat on the ground next to him. Gao Shengtai and the others cupped their hands, awaiting further orders.