Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber Book 3

by Jin Yong

  Jin Hua Popo waited until Xie Xun had gone far. She turned around and stared at Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min. "Get lost!” she barked.

  Pulling Zhang Wuji’s hand, Zhao Min immediately went down the mountain, returning to their boat. "I want to see Yifu,” Zhang Wuji said.

  "When your Yifu left, Jin Hua Popo stared at him viciously, didn’t you see that?” Zhao Min asked.

  "I am not afraid of her,” Zhang Wuji replied.

  "There are so many surreptitious matters on this island,” Zhao Min said, "How could the Beggar Clan people come into this island? How did Jin Hua Popo know your Yifu’s whereabouts? How could she find the Bing Huo Island? There are so many unanswered mysteries here. It’s not difficult for you to kill Jin Hua Popo, but then we will never find out the answers to these questions.”

  "It’s not that I want to kill Jin Hua Popo,” Zhang Wuji said, "It’s just that Yifu misses me so much; I must go and see him.”

  Zhao Min shook her head, "You haven’t seen each other for more than a dozen years,” she reasoned, "Why can’t you wait one or two more days? Zhang Gongzi [young master Zhang], let me tell you something: no doubt we must guard against Jin Hua Popo; but more importantly, we must guard against Chen Youliang.”

  "That Chen Youliang?” Zhang Wuji asked, "This man’s ‘yi qi’ is very deep; he is a true gentleman.”

  "Do you really believe it in your heart? Or are you merely making fun of me?” Zhao Min asked.

  "Why would I make fun of you?” Zhang Wuji wondered, "This man was willing to die in place of that Zheng Zhanglao; a man of his quality is truly rare.”

  Zhao Min stared at him for a moment and sighed. "Zhang Gongzi, oh, Zhang Gongzi,” she said, "You are the Ming Cult’s Cult Leader; you are commanding of I don’t know how many fierce and wild warriors and heroes, executing I don’t know how many important matters, yet you are this gullible? How can that be?”

  "I am gullible?” Zhang Wuji asked.

  "This Chen Youliang was obviously swindling Xie Daxia,” Zhao Min said, "You were witnessing it with your own eyes; how can you not see it?”

  "He was swindling my Yifu?” Zhang Wuji jumped.

  "Xie Daxia was wielding the Tulong Saber,” Zhao Min said, "Four of the Beggar Clan’s masters

  were killed. Even if Chen Youliang’s martial art skill were higher, he might not necessarily be able to escape from the Tulong Saber’s cut. In this situation, he could charge forward staking everything he got and die, or he could kneel down for mercy. But just think about it, Xie Daxia does not want anybody to know his whereabouts; even if Chen Youliang knocked his head three hundred times, he might not necessarily be able to gain pity from Xie Daxia’s tender heart. Other than pretending to be someone with thick ‘yi qi’, do you think he would have a better way?”

  While she was speaking, she took Zhang Wuji’s hand and applied ointment on the bite-wound, and wrapped her own handkerchief over it.

  Listening to her analysis of Chen Youliang’s plight, Zhang Wuji thought she was right; but thinking back about Chen Youliang’s heroic and vehement attitude, also his manner of speaking, Zhang Wuji could not detect any falseness; hence, he was still unconvinced.

  "All right,” Zhao Min said, "Let me ask you this: when that Chen Youliang was speaking to Xie Daxia, what were the positions of his hands and his feet?”

  When he was listening to Chen Youliang, Zhang Wuji only occasionally looked at his face, while the other times looked at his Yifu; he had not paid any attention to Chen Youliang’s hands and feet, but actually Chen Youliang’s posture was projected in his mind. If nobody mentioned this, he would not remember; this time hearing Zhao Min’s question, the scene came back in his brain. He said, "Mmm, Chen Youliang’s right hand was slightly raised, his left hand across the body; that was the ‘shi zi bo tu’ [the lion catches the rabbit]. What about his feet? Mmm, right! That was the ‘jiang mo ti dou shi’ [devil-subduing kicking style]. Both were part of Shaolin Pai’s fist techniques; nothing special about them. Could it be that he was asking a favor from Yifu, but actually he was going to launch a sneak attack? That can’t be right; these two styles are not very effective.”

  Zhao Min coldly laughed, "Zhang Gongzi,” she said, "You really do not have any understanding about people’s hearts, do you? Even if that Chen Youliang wanted to stealthily attack Xie Daxia, do you think he has the ability? This person is so cunning, he is a first class smart person; he understands people very well. Supposed his feigned ‘yi qi’ did not work; Xie Daxia could see through his scheme and was not willing to let him go, then with his posture, whom would he kick with the ‘devil-subduing kick’? Whom would he catch with the ‘lion catches the rabbit’?”

  Because Zhang Wuji had always thought people everywhere were kindhearted, he had never thought deeply about Chen Youliang’s scheme. Now that Zhao Min brought it up, his mind was churning. Cold sweats started to trickle down his back; with a trembling voice he said, "He . he was going to kick Zheng Zhanglao who was lying on the ground; and he was going to grab Miss Yin.”

  Zhao Min smiled sweetly. "That’s right!” she said, "He was going to kick Zheng Zhanglao toward Xie Daxia. He would also grab that childhood sweetheart of yours, that Miss Yin whose hand you bit, and shove her toward Xie Daxia, with the hope that they would slow him down a little bit. Then he would use the opportunity to escape with his life. Even though Xie Daxia’s ability is matchless and he was holding a precious saber in his hand, Chen Youliang still had a slim chance of escaping; other than that, he did not have any other choice. If it were me, I’d do the same. Up until now, I still have not found a better way. This man was able to think such a clever method in a short moment; he is truly amazing.” She could not stop praising him.

  The more Zhang Wuji thought, the more upset he became; he had never thought that people in this world could be that ruthless. Ever since he was little, he had experienced countless hardships, yet he had never seen anything of Chen Youliang’s caliber. After half a day he said, "Miss Zhao, you were able to see through his intentions; I am afraid you are not inferior to him.”

  Zhao Min’s countenance turned dark. "Are you ridiculing me?” she asked, "Let me tell you something: if you are afraid of my wicked scheming, then stay far away from me.”

  "That is not necessary,” Zhang Wuji said with a smile, "You have already used a lot of deceit against me, I can guard against all of them.”

  Zhao Min showed a faint smile and said, "You can guard against my deceit? How come you don’t know I applied some poison to the back of your hand?”

  Zhang Wuji was startled; he did feel a bit of itch and numb, a rather unusual feeling. Hastily he tore the handkerchief down and brought his hand to his nose. "Aiyo!” he could not help exclaiming. He knew it was the ‘qu fu xiao ji gao’ [flesh/muscle decomposer ointment], an external medication, which could erode rotting flesh from a wound. Although it was not a poison, applied to the bite-marks it would deepen the wound. This ointment actually carried a pungent smell, but Zhao Min had mixed some rouge in it; she also used her own handkerchief to wrap the wound, so the smell was somewhat obscured that Zhang Wuji was not able to detect it.

  Zhang Wuji hurriedly ran to the stern to wash his wound with some fresh water. Zhao Min followed behind him; helping him washing the wound while laughing and giggling.

  Zhang Wuji pushed her shoulder away and said angrily, "Stay away from me! What kind of joke is this? Do you think it didn’t hurt?”

  Still giggling Zhao Min replied, "It is truly ‘the dog that bites Lu Dongbin’; you are unable to recognize other’s kindness. I was afraid you are in so much pain that I used this method.”

  [Translator’s note: ‘the dog that bites Lu Dongbin’ is a Chinese proverb, which means an inability to recognize goodness and repay kindness with vice. Lu Dongbin was one of the Eight Immortals (ba xian) in Taoist legends.]

  Zhang Wuji ignored her remark; he furiously went back to his cabin and closed his eyes.

  Zhao Min followed i
n and called, "Zhang Gongzi!” Zhang Wuji pretended to be asleep. Zhao Min called him two more times, but Zhang Wuji simply snored even louder. Zhao Min sighed, "If I knew you would be like this, I would have spread a real poison to take your dog’s life then I wouldn’t have to deal with you anymore.”

  Zhang Wuji opened his eyes and said, "How can I be the dog that bites Lu Dongbin; unable to recognize other’s kindness? You tell me.”

  Zhao Min smiled and said, "If I tell you, then what are you going to do?”

  "You are always able to present a strong argument on everything; naturally I can’t argue with you,” Zhang Wuji said.

  "You haven’t heard what I am going to say and you admit defeat already?” Zhao Min said with a smile, "You knew all along that my intention was good.”

  "Pei!” Zhang Wuji spat, "Good intention indeed! You bit my hand, but did not apologize. Fine! But why did you have to spread poison on my wound? I’d rather not receive your kindness.”

  "Hmm,” Zhao Min said, "Let me ask you this: which one was deeper, my bite on you, or your bite on Miss Yin?”

  Zhang Wuji blushed. "That ... that was a long time ago,” he stammered, "Why do you have to bring it up?”

  "I want to bring it up,” Zhao Min insisted, "Just answer my question; don’t talk in circles.”

  "Granted that my bite on Miss Yin was deeper,” Zhang Wuji admitted, "But at that time she was grabbing me, while my martial art was inferior to her; no matter what I did, I could not shake her loose. As a child, my heart was anxious, and I just bit her. You are not a child; I did not grab you and want you to come to the Ling She Island, did I?”

  "That’s strange,” Zhao Min laughed, "So she grabbed you and wanted you to come to the Ling She Island, but you’d rather die than come with her. Presently nobody invited you to come, yet you willingly came without any fuss? After all, when people grow, their hearts also grow, everything changes.”

  Zhang Wuji’s entire face turned red. "You are the one who wanted me to come!” he said with a smile.

  Hearing this, Zhao Min’s face also turned red, but she felt an indescribable sweetness in her heart. It was as if Zhang Wuji was saying, ‘She wanted me to come, I’d rather die than come. You wanted me to come, I immediately came.”

  Two people looked at each other for half a day without saying anything then suddenly they averted their gaze from each other. Zhao Min lowered her head and said, "Very well, I’ll tell you: it was a very long time ago that you bit Miss Yin, yet she has never forgotten you. I heard the way she talked; I am afraid she won’t ever forget you for the rest of her life. The reason I bit you is so that you also won’t forget me for the rest of your life.”

  Only upon hearing this last sentence did Zhang Wuji finally understand her profound meaning; his heart was moved and he was speechless.

  "I saw the tooth marks on the back of her hand,” Zhao Min continued, "Your bite was very deep; I thought that you bit her really deep, her memory of you is also deep. I wanted to bite you really deep, but I did not have the heart to do so; but if I bit you lightly, I am afraid you will forget me in the future. I thought about it left and right, then decided to bite you first, then spread the ‘qu fu xiao ji gao’; so that those tooth marks will be deepened.”

  At first Zhang Wuji thought it was funny then he thought that although with this act she was indulging in fantasy, in the end it was a demonstration of her deep affection to him. He sighed and softly said, "I don’t blame you. I was truly the dog that bites Lu Dongbin; I was unable to recognize your kindness. You are treating me this way, as such; there is no way I’m going to forget you.”

  Initially Zhao Min felt vulnerable after revealing her tender feelings, but after hearing his words her eyes flashed mischievously; she smiled and said, "You said, ‘you were treating me this way’; are you saying that I treated you badly, or I treated you well? Zhang Gongzi, my bad treatments to you is actually numerous, but my good treatment is none.”

  Zhang Wuji said, "Later on your treatment to me will be somewhat better.” Grabbing her hand, he brought it to his mouth. "I want to also bite you really bad, so you won’t forget me for the rest of your life,” he said with a laugh.

  Zhao Min suddenly felt very bashful; she shook his hand and rushed out of the cabin. As she opened the cabin door, she almost bumped into Xiao Zhao. Zhao Min was startled. "Damn it!” she

  silently cursed, "If my conversation with him was heard by this girl, I would die of embarrassment.” She could not help but blushing profusely while she ran to the upper deck.

  Xiao Zhao came to Zhang Wuji and said, "Gongzi, I saw Jin Hua Popo and that ugly girl went that way; they were carrying a big sack together. I don’t know what kind of crafty trick they are planning to do.”

  "Hmm,” Zhang Wuji mumbled. He realized his conversation with Zhao Min had turned intimate; to have Xiao Zhao suddenly appear, he was unavoidably ashamed. He stared blankly for a moment before finally asking, "Are they going toward that small mountain hut on the northern side of the island?”

  "They are going north alright, but they are not going to the mountain,” Xiao Zhao replied, "It seemed like they were in a deep argument with each other. That Jin Hua Popo looked very angry.”

  Zhang Wuji went to the stern. He saw Zhao Min was standing at the bow with her eyes gazing toward the ocean. She did not turn her body around. He heard the mighty waves of the sea pounding the hull of the boat. He felt that his heart was as tumultuous as those fluctuating waves; he tried with great difficulty to calm it down.

  The sun gradually set toward the western horizon in what he felt like a very long time; the trees on the island turned darker and became a blur in his eyes. Finally Zhang Wuji returned to his cabin.

  During supper that night he told Zhao Min and Xiao Zhao, "I am going to visit Yifu. It would be better for the two of you to stay and guard the boat, so that we won’t scare Jin Hua Popo away.”

  "Then I think you’d better wait for another night watch,” Zhao Min said, "Wait till the sky turns really dark before you leave.”

  "Yes,” Zhang Wuji replied. His heart was boiling with anxiety over his Yifu’s safety; this one night watch was indeed unbearable to him.

  With great difficulty he waited until he could not see anything anywhere he looked. Finally he stood up, smiled faintly at Zhao Min and Xiao Zhao then he walked toward to the cabin door.

  "Zhang Gongzi,” Zhao Min called while loosening the Yitian Sword on her waist, "Take this sword for self defense.”

  Zhang Wuji was startled; "You’d better keep it with you,” he said.

  "No!” Zhao Min refused, "This time I am worried about you.”

  Zhang Wuji smiled, "Why?” he asked.

  "I don’t know,” Zhao Min replied, "Jin Hua Popo’s surreptitious craftiness is unpredictable; Chen Youliang is a bag full of tricks. Also I don’t know whether your Yifu will be convinced that you are his ‘child Wuji’ ... Ay, this island is known as the ‘Spirit Snake’, perhaps there are highly venomous vipers everywhere; besides .” Speaking to this point, she suddenly stopped.

  "Besides what?” Zhang Wuji asked.

  Zhao Min raised her hand toward her mouth and made a biting motion. She giggled and her cheeks blushed. Zhang Wuji knew she meant to say his cousin, Miss Yin. He waved his hand and

  went out the cabin door.

  "Catch!” Zhao Min called out, tossing the Yitian Sword to him.

  Zhang Wuji caught the Sword; his heart was touched. "She trusts me this much to the point of letting me borrow the Yitian Sword,” he thought. He tied the Sword on his back and walked toward the mountain peak on the northern end of the island. Keeping in mind what Zhao Min said he always stepped on bald rocks fearing there were venomous snakes among the grass.

  In about the time needed to drink a cup of tea, he reached the base of the mountain. He looked up and saw that the hut where his Yifu lived was completely dark, without any light. "Has Yifu gone to bed?” he thought. But then he remembered, "His eyes are bl
ind; why would he need any light?” Right at that moment he faintly heard voices from the left-hand side of the mountain. Quickly he crouched down, turning his attention towards the direction of the sound, but by that time the voices were gone.

  It was the beginning of the month and the north wind was blowing over the trees and bushes. Zhang Wuji moved quickly along the rustling noise of the blowing wind toward the source of the voices. Soon he heard Jin Hua Popo’s low and throaty voice about four, five ‘zhang’s ahead, she said "Still don’t want to do it? What are you waiting for?”

  "Popo,” Yin Li replied, "Why are you doing this, as if ... as if you don’t care about the old friendship? Xie Daxia and you have known each other from dozens of years; he trusted you and thus agreed to leave the Bing Huo Island to return to the Central Plains.”

  "He trusted me?” Jin Hua Popo laughed coldly, "What a joke. If he did, why didn’t he let me borrow the Saber? He returned to the Central Plains because of his ‘yi zi’ [adopted/foster child]; what does it have to do with me?”

  In the darkness Zhang Wuji vaguely saw Jin Hua Popo’s hunched back. Suddenly he heard a ‘clink’ noise as she pounded a metal nail with a mountain rock in front of her. A moment later the same noise was heard again. Zhang Wuji felt very strange; but he was afraid he might be detected by these two women, so he did not dare to move forward to take a closer look.

  He heard Yin Li say, "Popo, if you want to take his treasured weapon away then fight him with a saber or a spear; that won’t be considered a hero’s misdeed. If the present matter is known, how can you not be the laughingstock of the heroes and warriors of the world? Besides, that Miejue Shitai has already died; what use is the Tulong Saber to you?”

  Jin Hua Popo was angry; she straightened up her back and said in a stern voice, "Little girl, who rescued your insignificant life from the hands of your father? Now that you are a grown up, you don’t want to listen to Popo anymore! This Xie Xun is neither your friend nor your relative, why are you so adamant in protecting him? Give Popo a good reason.” Although her tone was grim, but her voice was actually low; apparently she was afraid Xie Xun on the mountain peak might hear her. Actually, the distance between that place and the peak was very far, it was a slim chance Xie Xun might hear her as long as she did not shout using her internal energy.