by Jin Yong
‘Clank, clank!’ Yin Li threw the bag she was carrying on the ground, and then she moved three steps backwards.
"Well?” Jin Hua Popo sternly said, "Your wings have grown, and now you want to fly, don’t you?” Although watching from the darkness, Zhang Wuji could see her eyes shine with an intimidating
power, like a cold piercing thunder.
"Popo,” Yin Li said, "It’s not that I dare to forget your great kindness in saving my life and teaching me martial arts. But Xie Daxia is his ... is his Yifu.”
Jin Hua Popo let out a hollow laugh. "Surprisingly there is such an idiot like this in the world,” she said, "That boy surnamed Zhang has fallen into a ten-thousand ‘zhang’s ravine in the Western Region. You have heard it with your own ears from Wu Lie and Wu Qingying. If you don’t believe me, just capture those people and torture their confessions out. They have told us clearly; don’t tell me you think they were lying? That boy surnamed Zhang’s skeleton has turned into ashes by this time, and you still cannot forget him?”
"Popo,” Yin Li said, "I cannot cast him aside from my heart. Perhaps, this is what you said about some ... some debt from the previous life.”
Jin Hua Popo heaved a sigh and said, "Let’s not talk about that boy was not willing to come with us to the Ling She Island; even if he agreed to marry you, he’s dead now. What are you going to do? Luckily he died early; if he did not die and see your appearance, how could he love you? You would helplessly see him fall in love with some other woman; how would you feel then?”
The tone of these last few sentences was greatly moderated. Yin Li was silent; obviously she could not give her any answer. Jin Hua Popo continued, "Let’s not talk about other women, even our captive, that Emei Pai’s Miss Zhou, is very pretty. If that boy surnamed Zhang saw her, his heart would have been stirred. Would you then kill Miss Zhou, or would you kill that boy? Hm, hm, if you didn’t practice this ‘hand of thousand spiders ten thousand poison’ [‘qian zhu wan du shou’], you were actually a beautiful woman; but now? There is nothing we can do.”
"He has already died, my face has already been destroyed; what else can I say?” Yin Li said, "But Xie Daxia is his Yifu. Popo, we cannot hurt a single strand of his hair. Popo, I beseech you on this matter only; otherwise, I will listen to you.” While saying that, she bent her knees to kneel down.
Zhang Wuji was secretly astonished, "I became the new Ming Cult’s Jiaozhu and have already caused quite a stir in the Wulin; how come these two actually know nothing about it?” he thought, "Hmm, that’s right; it must be that they went to the far away Bing Huo Island to get my Yifu. The round trip journey took a really long time. This time they came back to Dadou without having any communication with anybody; no wonder they have not heard about me.”
Jin Hua Popo hesitated a moment before answering, "Very well, you stand up!”
"Many thanks, Popo!” Yin Li happily said.
"I promise you not to harm his life, but I must take the Tulong Saber from him ...” Jin Hua Popo said.
"But .” Yin Li said.
"Don’t fuss and make Popo angry,” Jin Hua Popo cut her off. Her hand moved and a ‘clink’ noise was heard again.
Zhang Wuji saw Jin Hua Popo’s hands were moving swiftly; successive ‘clink, clink’ noises were heard nonstop, farther and farther away. Yin Li sat on a rock with her head in her hands, sobbing softly. Zhang Wuji was very appreciative seeing, unexpectedly, that she has such a deep feeling toward him.
A moment later Jin Hua Popo shouted from about ten ‘zhang’s away, "Bring them here!” Yin Li had no choice but to take the two sacks and bring them to Jin Hua Popo.
Zhang Wuji crept forward several feet and looked; he was greatly shocked for he saw steel spikes seven, eight inches long were planted on the ground, among the rocks, about two, three feet apart. The sharp points of the spikes were facing upward; they looked very sharp, flickering with dim rays. The more Zhang Wuji thought about it, the more he was shocked. Apparently Jin Hua Popo was going to fight the Golden Mane Lion King, but she was afraid she might not be his match. If she launched secret projectiles, Xie Xun would be able to hear and evade; but steel spikes scattered on the ground were without noise and without movement. All she needed to do was lure him into the trap; how would a blind man like him be able to withstand the spikes?
Zhang Wuji’s anger flared up; he was about to reach out and pull the steel spikes and unmask her plot, but he changed his mind. "This wicked Popo calls my Yifu ‘Xie San Ge’; in the past they must have had unusual friendship,” he thought, "I’ll wait till she fights Yifu face to face, then I’ll expose her trick. Today the Heaven has led me, Zhang Wuji, to this place, so that Yifu may not suffer any harm.” Thereupon he sat on a rock, hugging his knees, waiting quietly for what would happen.
Suddenly he heard a rustling noise amidst the blowing wind, like a falling leaf on a rock. He knew a martial art master with high ‘qing gong’ [lightness skill] was quietly coming near. Turning his head around he saw a shadow moving stealthily; it was no other than the Beggar Clan’s Elder, Chen Youliang. He had a curved saber in his hand, with its blade wrapped in cloth to avoid it from reflecting any light. Zhang Wuji mused how accurate Zhao Min’s prediction was; this man was indeed not a good person.
"Xie San Ge!” Jin Hua Popo shouted, "There is a dog thief who is not afraid of death coming here looking for you!”
Zhang Wuji was startled, he thought Jin Hua Popo was very good; could it be that his presence had already been detected? Reasonably said, it would not be the case. He saw Chen Youliang was crouching among the tall grass, without daring to make any movement. Zhang Wuji crept carefully several more ‘zhang’s forward; he wanted to get as close as possible to his Yifu, to guard him against Jin Hua Popo’s deceit and to offer his assistance as quickly as possible.
Not too long afterwards, a shadow of a big and tall man appeared from the hut on the mountain
peak. Xie Xun walked slowly down the hill, and stopped several ‘zhang’s away from Jin Hua Popo.
All along he did not utter a single word.
"Hey, hey,” Jin Hua Popo said, "Xie San Ge, you are utterly suspicious toward an old acquaintance, yet you readily believed a total stranger. This fellow Chen Youliang, whom you let go today, has come looking for you.”
Xie Xun coldly replied, "An open spear is easy to avoid, a hidden sword is hard to guard against.
All my life Xie Xun has often suffered under those people close to me. That Chen Youliang is looking for me; what does he want?”
"This kind of treacherous lowly man, why would we want to care about him?” Jin Hua Popo said, "This afternoon you spared his life; do you know what position did his hands and feet take? His hands were in the ‘shi zi bo tu’ [the lion catches the rabbit] position, while his feet were in the ‘jiang mo ti dou shi’ [devil-subduing kicking style]. Ha ha ha ha ...!” Her speaking voice was clear and crisp, pleasant to the ears; but her laughter was sad and shrill like those of a crying owl in the deep of the night.
Xie Xun was startled for he knew Jin Hua Popo was not lying. Because of his blindness, he had fallen into Chen Youliang’s scheme. He wryly said, "It was not the first time I was taken advantage of by others. Lowly people like that are a dime a dozen in the Jianghu; I kill one more or one less, what difference does it make? Mrs. Han, you can be considered my good friend; you saw it, but chose to ignore it, and only now did you come and tell me. Are you trying to incite my anger?” Having finished speaking, he suddenly jumped toward Chen You Liang with an unbelievable speed.
Chen You Liang was shocked; he brandished his saber to hack. Xie Xun bent his left hand and snatched the saber away. ‘Slap, slap, slap!’ He successively slapped Chen Youliang’s ears three times; then his right hand grabbed the back of his neck and lifted him up. "If I want to kill you now, it would be as easy as killing a chicken,” he said, "But Xie Xun has given his words, letting you go and come back in ten years. If I see you again before that time on this island, I am
going to take your dog’s life away.” Waving his hand, he threw Chen Youliang away.
Right away Chen Youliang’s body flew toward the spikes on the ground. If he fell down to the ground, the spikes would certainly pierce his body; and then Jin Hua Popo’s all-night effort would be wasted. Immediately Jin Hua Popo flew forward and hit Chen Youliang’s waist with her walking stick, sending him off several more ‘zhang’s to the side.
"If you dare to tread your feet even for one step on my Ling She Island, I am going to kill a hundred of your Beggar Clan disciples,” she shouted, "Jin Hua Popo has always been true to her words. Today I’ll let you enjoy one of my golden flowers [‘jin hua’] first.” With a wave of her left hand a golden light streaked by. ‘Puff!’ a golden flower pierced the ‘jia che xue’ [jawbone acupoint] on Chen Youliang’s left cheek, rendering him unable to speak momentarily, so that her secret plan would not be revealed.
Pressing his left cheek with his hand, Chen Youliang scurried downhill. By this time Xie Xun was only several ‘zhang’s away from the spikes. Zhang Wuji was crouching behind him. Only Zhang Wuji’s internal energy was much higher than Chen Youliang’s; he was able to regulate his breathing in such a way that Xie Xun and Jin Hua Popo were not aware of his presence.
Jin Hua Popo turned around and praised, "Xie San Ge, your ears are as sharp as your eyes were. Hereafter you can arouse your heroic manner and wander unhindered in the Jianghu for twenty more years.”
"I was not able to see the ‘shi zi bo tu’ and the ‘jiang mo ti dou shi’,” Xie Xun replied, "As long as I know what really happened to my child Wuji, I will die with my eyes closed. The blood debts Xie Xun bears on his body are as high as the mountain. I deserve to die a miserable death, why would I want to wander unhindered in the Jianghu?”
Jin Hua Popo laughed and said, "For a Ming Jiao Hu Jiao Fa Wang [The Protector King of the Ming Cult], killing several people is nothing. Xie San Ge, let me borrow your Tulong Saber.” Xie Xun shook his head without saying anything.
Jin Hua Popo said again, "This place is no longer a secret; you can’t stay here any longer. Let me find another safe place for you to stay for a few months. Lend me the Tulong Saber so I can defeat my archenemy from the Emei Pai; and then I will seek Zhang Gongzi [young master Zhang] with all my might. Based on my skill, finding Zhang Gongzi and bringing him to your presence should not be a difficult matter.” Again Xie Xun shook his head.
Jin Hua Popo continued, "Xie San Ge, do you still remember the ‘si da fa wang, zi bai jin qing’ [four great protector kings, purple white golden and (dark) green], these eight characters? Remember how the four of us were under Yang Jiaozhu’s [Cult Leader Yang] command, the ‘Ying Wang Yin Er Ge’ [Eagle King, Second (older) Brother Yin], ‘Fu Wang Wei Si Ge’ [Bat King, Fourth (older) Brother Wei], and the two of us, ran amuck in the world, nobody could stop us? Today our great aspirations have grown old; can you let your ‘zi shan lao mei zi’ [purple robe old (younger) sister] being bullied without you lending a hand?”
Zhang Wuji was greatly surprised, "Listening to her, is it possible that she is unexpectedly the chief of our Cult’s Four Protector Kings, the ‘zi shan long wang’ [Purple Robe Dragon King]? Could there be such a coincidence in the world? How can she call Wei Fu Wang [Bat King Wei] ‘si ge’ [fourth (older) brother]?”
He heard Xie Xun sigh and say, "Those are all past events; why do you raise them up? Old, we are all old!”
"Xie San Ge,” Jin Hua Popo said, "My old eyes are not blind yet; do you think I cannot see that in these last twenty years your martial art skill has advanced greatly? Why be so modest? In our whole lives we haven’t had too many good days. I’ll say before the Ming Jiao Si Da Fa Wang die, we have to join hands and attempt to achieve a great undertaking in the Jianghu.”
Xie Xun sighed said, "Yin Er Ge [second (older) brother Yin] and Wei Si Di [fourth (younger) brother Wei] might not necessarily still alive today. Especially Wei Si Di; the cold poison in his body was difficult to eliminate. I am afraid he is no longer alive.”
Jin Hua Popo laughed and said, "This time you might be wrong. Let me tell you honestly, at this time Bai Mei Ying Wang [White-browed Eagle King] and Qing Yi Fu Wang [Green-winged Bat King] are both on the Brightness Peak.”
"They went back to the Brightness Peak?” Xie Xun wondered, "What are they doing?”
"This Ah Li has seen it with her own eyes,” Jin Hua Popo said, "Ah Li is Yin Er Ge’s granddaughter. She offended her father and he wanted to kill her. The first time it was I who saved her; the second time it was Wei Si Ge. Wei Si Ge was taking her to the Brightness Peak, but along the way I stole her away. Ah Li, tell Xie Gong-gong [grandfather, a respectful term to address a senior] how the six major sects besieged the Brightness Peak.”
Thereupon Yin Li narrated briefly what happened in the western region. Only she was taken away by Jin Hua Popo before reaching the Brightness Peak, so that she did not have any recollection of the later incidents.
The more Xie Xun listened to her, the more anxious he became, "What happened next? What happened next?” he asked repeatedly. In the end he got angry, "Mrs. Han,” he said, "Although you did not get along with our brethrens very well because of your marital issue, our Cult is in difficulty, how could you stand as a spectator? Yang Jiaozhu was your Yifu. Have you forgotten how he treated you? Look at Yin Er Ge and Wei Si Di, Wu San Ren [the five wanderers] and the Five-Element Flag; didn’t they all come to the Brightness Peak to fight?”
Jin Hua Popo coldly said, "Without the Tulong Saber, I was defeated by Emei Pai’s Old Nun Miejue. Even if I went to the Brightness Peak, I still didn’t have a face to fight her; then why should I have gone?”
The two of them were silently standing facing each other. After a while Xie Xun asked, "How did you find out where I was? You have always been unwilling to speak plainly. Was it the Wudang Pai people?”
"How would the Wudang Pai people know?” Jin Hua Popo said, "When pressed by people of various sects, Zhang Cuishan, husband and wife, would rather kill themselves than revealing your hiding place, naturally Wudang disciples did not know. All right, I am not going to conceal anything from you today: in the western region I met by accident someone by the name of Wu Lie. He is a descendant of Wu Santong, a disciple of Duan Family from Dali. Quite by chance I overheard him talking to his daughter; from which I deduced the subject of their conversation. Thereupon I tortured him to tell me everything.”
Xie Xun was silent for half a day before saying, "This man surnamed Wu has met my child Wuji, hasn’t he? I believe he deceived that child to reveal my secret.”
Listening to this point, Zhang Wuji was really ashamed, remembering how he was cheated at the ‘Zhu Jia Zhuang [Zhu Family Village], how Zhu Zhang Ling and Zhu Jiu Zhen, father and daughter, had used deceit to obtain the secret from him. If his Yifu had suffered any harm because of him, he would never atone for that guilt even if he had to die ten thousand times. Although his Yifu was blind, his ability to see things through was like those of seeing people.
Xie Xun continued, "The Six Major Sects besieging the Ming Cult is not a small matter; what happened to our Cult next?”
Jin Hua Popo replied, "The rise or fall, prosperity or decline, of the Ming Cult has nothing to do with Lao Po Zi. In the past, everybody on the Brightness Peak made things difficult for me. You might not remember that, but Lao Po Zi will never forget it. At that time only Yang Jiaozhu and you, Xie San Ge, who were good to me; that also I will not forget.”
"Ay, personal grudge is a small matter, protecting our Cult is important,” Xie Xun said, "Mrs. Han, you are rather narrow-minded.”
Jin Hua Popo was angry, "You are a real man, I am only a narrow minded, unethical woman. When I left the Cult, I swore that I would have nothing to do with the Ming Cult. How could that Hu Qingniu treat me as an outsider if this was not so? Why did he compel me to return to the Ming Cult before he would be willing to treat the poison from Yin Ye Xiansheng [Mr. Silver Leaf]? I was the one who killed H
u Qingniu. Zi Shan Long Wang has violated the Ming Cult’s major law. How can I have any relation with the Ming Cult?”
Xie Xun shook his head. "Mrs. Han,” he said, "I understand what’s in your heart. You want to borrow my Tulong Saber; you said you wanted to deal with the Emei Pai, but actually you want to deal with Yang Xiao and Fan Yao. You have never forgotten your desire to enter the Brightness Peak via the secret passage. That gives me even more reason not to lend the Saber to you.”
Jin Hua Popo coughed several times. "Xie San Ge,” she said, "How was your martial arts compared to mine in the past?”
"Four Great Protector Kings, each one has their own strengths and weaknesses,” Xie Xun replied.
"But now you have lost your eyes; how would you fare compared to Lao Po Zi?” Jin Hua Popo asked.
Xie Xun fearlessly said, "You want to take the Saber by force, don’t you? With the Tulong Saber in his hand, Xie Xun will overcome the loss of his eyes.” Exhaling a long breath he moved one step forward; the pupils of his blind eyes were aimed at Jin Hua Popo imposingly.
Yin Li was intimidated; she withdrew several steps backward. Jin Hua Popo, with her hunchback,
was standing up supported by her walking stick; occasionally she would let out one or two coughs, as if as soon as Xie Xun stretched out his hand, the Saber would be able to chop her into two pieces. But she stood motionless, as if she completely ignored Xie Xun.
Zhang Wuji had seen her in action several times; her speed was truly unbelievable. Probably she was slightly inferior to Wei Yixiao, but her movement was very strange, like a demon or a ghost; totally unpredictable. This moment Xie Xun and she were facing each other; one was like a drawn sword or bent bow, ready to spring into action; the other was like an enlightened sage, totally calm and at ease in the face of danger.