Chapter - 196 Coming And Going of a Messenger Brings a Laugh (3) (1/2)

”Have you met her?” the peasant girl asked.

”She is the Emei Pai Zhangmen [Sect Leader], how can she be an ordinary person?” Zhang Wuji replied, ”I can't walk yet, you'd better run away quickly.”

”Humph,” the peasant girl was angry, ”How can I abandon you and escape alone? You think my conscience is that bad?” Creasing her eyebrows, she thought hard for a moment. She took several pieces of stiff firewood from the pile and twisted the flexible ones as the ropes to build a snow sled. Carrying Zhang Wuji in her arms, she helped him sit on the sled with his legs stretched out straight; and then she pulled the sled toward the northwest direction.

Zhang Wuji only saw her slender figure sway, just like a lotus leaf blown by the early morning breeze; her back looked graceful, her posture beautiful. She towed the sled just like a breeze of wind flitting across the snowy ground.

She sped along without pausing for about thirty, forty 'li'. Zhang Wuji felt bad for her. ”Hey, let's get some rest first!” he called out.

The peasant girl laughed. ”Who do you called 'hey'?” she said, ”Don't I have a name?”

”You don't want to tell me; what can I do?” Zhang Wuji replied, ”You wanted me to call you Miss Chou, but I think you are attractive.”

The peasant girl scoffed; she let out a mouthful of breath then halted her steps. Pushing a stray hair, she said, ”Very well, there is no harm in telling you. I am called Zhu'er.”

”Pei!” the peasant girl spat, ”Not 'Zhu' of pearl [zhen zhu], but 'Zhu' of spider [zhi zhu].”

Zhang Wuji was stunned. ”Who would have used this 'spider' character as a name?” he mused.

”That's my name,” Zhu'er said, ”If you are scared, don't call me.”

”Did your Papa give you that name?” Zhang Wuji asked.

”Humph,” Zhu'er said, ”If my Papa gave me that name, do you think I would want it? It was my Ma. She trained me the 'qian zhu wan du shou' [hand of a thousand spiders ten-thousand posion], so she said for me to use that name.”

Hearing the five characters 'qian zhu wan du shou', Zhang Wuji shuddered inwardly.

”I have started training since I was a kid, yet I still have far to go,” Zhu'er said, ”When I have mastered this skill, I will not have to fear this old thief nun Miejue. Do you want to see it?” While saying that, she took a glistening yellow gold case from her bosom. She opened the lid and showed two spiders, about the size of a thumb, squirming inside.

The spiders' back were spotted with bright, multi-colored dots, dazzling the eye. Zhang Wuji immediately remembered that Wang Nan'gu's Poison Manual did mention that the spotted spiders were the most poisonous insects; once a human was bitten, he would be beyond help. Zhang Wuji could not help but feel very scared.

Looking at his serious expression, Zhu'er laughed and said, ”You know the benefit of my precious spiders. Just wait a moment.” As she said that, she leaped onto a large tree and looked around. Then she leaped back down to the ground and said, ”Let us go a little bit farther; we can leisurely talk about spiders later.”

Pulling the sled along, she ran about seven, eight 'li' until they arrived at the edge of a canyon. She helped Zhang Wuji out of the sled and she put several large rocks in his place. Pulling the sled, she ran toward the canyon. When she got to the edge of the canyon, she abruptly halted her steps, while the sled continued its journey into the canyon below. The sled, along with the rocks on it, crashed into the canyon with a loud, resounding sound, which continued for a long time.