506 Mines (1/2)
Han Fen's greatest pleasure was arguing with Han Xuan because she was able to say whatever she wanted. She dreamed of thisfor many yearsand finallyhad a chance to achieve it.
She did not care even if it meant being locked up in a dark and abandoned mine surrounded by nervous tribal soldiers.
”What about Maid Lotus? Wasn't she coming to save people? It's almost a day past, why isn't she here yet?” Han Xuan carried the Miss in her arms as she looked warily at the soldiers afar. The three of them, including the other disciple from the New Moon Hall, were the only ones there.
Han Fen was not worried at all and said, ”the Managing Master couldn'thave forgotten if he didn't have something occupying him.”
”Forgotten? Then we'll die here?” Han Fen asked incredulously.
”Isn't itgood here, where even the graves have been saved.”
Ming Zhen trembled. Han Fen hugged her tightly and glared at Han Fen saying, ”you are not allowed to scare the miss, besides the words you spoke at the New Moon Hall do not count at all. You are traitors.”
”If what was said counted, wouldn't we be tired?” Han Fen said looking steadily back without flinching, her eyes ratherfilled withcheeriness than anger and asked,”I said that I was going to have noodles in the afternoon. I'm changing it to rice now, can't I?”
”This... this is not the same,” said Han Fen who was a little reckless but her mindset however, the same as most people's. She continued,”we are not going to have rice because The Maid Lotus treats you like a meal. Are you happy now?”
”Happy,”Han Fen answered.Other people might have thought that Han Fen was taking advantage of the situation, but after allthose days of getting along, Han Fen had understood that the only disciple who was fond of talking, had not understood what lying meant. She said,”this means that I am still of some use to the Managing Master. It would only be upsetting if she didn't lookat me or find me when she needed help. The Managing Master I tell you, shelikes me. When practising her kungfu, she was very strict with me to the extent that there are still some scars left on my body by her. Do you want to see ?...”
Han Fen's happiness seemed to come from her heart butHan Xuan pursed her lips because she would turn against her immediately if the Miss dared use that method to express her ”love”. She turned her head to look at a disciple of the New Moon Hall who wassilent and asked, ”Is she speaking the truth?”
The disciple did not expect that she would be speaking to anyone as she looked very awkward.She swept a lateralglance, before she nodded her head in silence.
”You two. One of you never stops talking yet theother is like a mute. Are you both disciples at all?” Han Xuan was very interested in the New Moon Hall but nowfelt like backing out.
”Of course,” she said. Only Han Fen would reply. ”She was a disciple butwas eliminated. She is no mute. She just doesn't like to talk. I was almost eliminated too beforeI left her, butthe Managing Master brought me out. More proof that she bears preference for me.”Han Fen added.
”You are so good at the martial arts, do you also want to be eliminated?” she asked, surprising Han Xuan. The other party's kungfu was not only better, but the occult sciences that she dabbled in were incomprehensible to others.
”I love to talk. The masters dressed in red said I didn't follow the teachings and almost threw me into the pit of corpses. Have you smelled the pit? It's strange, a bit like...”
”Shut up.” Han Xuan ordered angrily as the Miss in her arms trembled. A few soldiers around them looked on embarrassingly. It was thanks to the defence of Wu Zongheng and Long Fanyun that they had not dashed over.
The assassination plan the previous night had not seemed to differ too much from what had been agreed in advance.
Han Fen and his companions sent the Miss out of the house andtold the guards that they were sending the general to his residence. They passed the border successfullyand whateverhadgone on was history.
Han Xuan did not kill Wu Zongheng like according to plan. After forcing him to scream, she took him into the hut where outside, Long Fanyun had already slain a few guards. Seeing Wu Zongheng wasstill alive, he could not help but be dazed.
On the other side, the Maid Lotus pushed Shangguan Fei to Shangguan Yun yetshe herself had run away and disappeared.
There were two other disciples of the New Moon Hall and onthe orders of the Managing Master, instigated some soldiers to revolt. This was very easy. Saying ”Fort Jin Peng” would prompt the three young masters to hide in a mine. Moreover, Ha Chilie was also killed by Shangguan Yun.
Facts had proven that the disciples of the New Moon Hall were not always gloomy as ghosts. As long as they had orders, they would do something out of the ordinary, including winning the trust and favour of others.
Afterwards, these two disciples, including Chu Nanping, who also had another task, along with Maid Lotus, never appeared again.
The two disciples of the New Moon Hall though, were only in time to gather a small number of troops. Shangguan Yun had made preparations early andimmediately ordered guards to seal the entrance, and kill the dissidents outside.
Most of the soldiers were in the blue of what went on around them. They wereunable to know the facts and to decide thus whether to join the mutiny, before they were stuck inthehole.
Han Xuan and the others had also entered the cave andinitially, had wanted to merely seek shelter from the wind, they did not expect the enemy to react so quickly.
The cave was blocked by boulders that had been prepared earlier on andlater rammed with earth. Unlessthey werea deity, no one would be able to open it.
Wu Zongheng hoped that he could be able to be a small official in peace and quiet because he had revealed his leadership urgings early on in front of the rioting crowdandhence had been picked by the Dragon King. But from then on, he had had to face unexpected events which caught him off guard everytime and this time, he was forced into a life-and-death situation.
This army was made up of tribes from Wushan and small groups of mine thieves. The formerwasloyal towards the Ha familybut not the Dragon King and the latter, only to profit. Wu Zongheng hadn't been deeply involveddespite taking over the task. There were over four thousand troops in total,with several hundreds of hiddenspies so even though he felt something wasn't right, he did not have any solution at all.
When the mine was first sealed, the troops had treated him as a vice commander of the thousands. However, notmuch later, someone from outside shouted. ”People on the inside, Ha Chilie is already dead. He was killed by the guard Maid Lotus, who was beside the Dragon King. Before he died, Ha Chilie had already pledged allegiance to the Dragon King. I'll let you out if you make the same decision as he did, killing everyone loyal to the Dragon King.”
This was an obvious attempt to sow discord and was indeed effective. The troops descended into panic, not even knowing who the Cloud King was. They separated themselves into factions and were eager toget towork.
Wu Zongheng could only stand up, and persuade others not tokill each other. He said,”Shangguan Yun wouldnever let us out. Listen, the people outside are still filling the hole. He would not reopen the hole even after killing one person.”
”What should we do? Die?” They asked angrily.
”I'd rather die early andbe happier.”