by Jin Yong
"Father originally sent second martial brother to go to Fuzhou,” Yue Lingshan replied. “It was me who wanted to go down the mountain to play, to follow second martial brother."
"Your father controls the school's disciples so strictly. If he believed it was inappropriate, even if you kneeled and implored him for three days and three nights, he still wouldn't allow you to go. Naturally, it was because he couldn't trust second martial brother that he also sent you to watch over things."
Yue Lingshan was quiet, looking like she felt Lin Pingzhi's conjecture wasn't completely unreasonable. After a little while, she said, "You can believe me or not, but before I got to Fuzhou, I've never heard of 'Evil Resisting Sword Manual'. Father only said, big martial brother had beaten up the disciples of Qingcheng so there's a dislike between the two parties. At that time, the Qingcheng School was carrying out a large operation and was moving to the east. So he's afraid it would be disadvantageous to our school. That was why second martial brother and I went to Fuzhou to investigate."
Lin Pingzhi let out a sigh. It seemed he had softened up as he said, "Fine, I'll believe you this time. But I've already changed into this. Why are you still following me for? You and I are only husband and wife in names only, we're not real husband and wife. You're still a virgin, you can just go back... go back to Linghu Chong!"
When Yingying heard 'You and I are only husband and wife in names only, we're not real husband and wife. You're still a virgin', she couldn't help being surprised, and she thought, "What's the reason for that?" She immediately became bashful and her whole face turned bright red. Even her neck was feeling hot. She thought, "For me to listen to the private conversation of a husband and wife of another family is already very inappropriate, but to think of a reason for that, that's really... that's really..." She turned around to go, but she only went for a few steps before her curiosity got the better of her and she halted to listen for more. But she was afraid of being discovered so she didn't dare to return to her previous hiding spot, and now she was further away from the two of them. However, the conversation between them could still be clearly heard by her. She heard Yue Lingshan quietly said, "After we had been married for three days, I already knew you really hate me. Even though we were in the same room, you didn't want to be on the same bed with me. Since you already hate me so, why did you... did you... marry me?"
Lin Pingzhi sighed. "I don't hate you."
"You don't hate me? Then why did you pretend to be very caring towards me during the day, but at night when we got back to our room, you didn't even want to talk to me? Father and mother have already repeatedly asked how you were treating me. I’ve always told them you treated me very well, very well, very well... sob..." She said till here when she suddenly bawled her eyes out.
Lin Pingzhi leapt up onto the carriage and holding both of her shoulders, he then severely said, "You said your father and mother asked you repeatedly wanting to know how I treated you, is this true?"
"Of course it's true,” Yue Lingshan answered in sobs. “Why do I need to lie to you about this?"
"You know I didn't treat you well, I didn't even share the same bed with you. So how did you answer them?" Lin Pingzhi inquired.
"I was already married to you, so I belong to the Lin family. I was hoping you would have a change of feeling soon. I treated you genuinely, how can I... how can I lay out my own husband's fault?"
Lin Pingzhi gritted his teeth and did not answer her for a long time. After a long time, he slowly said, "Hng, I thought your father was worried about you so he was showing mercy towards me. Who would've thought the entire thing was covered up by you? If you didn't answer like you did, I would've died on Mount Huashan a long time ago."
"How can that be?” Yue Lingshan sobbingly asked. “Newly married couples can be a little bit at odds with each other, how can the father-in-law kill the son-in-law just because of that?"
Yingying heard till here when she advanced forward a few more steps.
Lin Pingzhi said with hatred in his voice, "He wants to kill me not because I don't treat you well, it was because I learned the Evil Resisting Sword Art."
"I really don't understand this. These last few days, the sword art that father and you have been using is really strange, but its power is incredibly powerful. Father defeated Zuo Lengchan and snatched the Five Mountains School's headmaster position, while you killed Yu Canghai and Mu Gaofeng, could it be... could it be that sword art is the Evil Resisting Sword Art?"
"That's right! That really is my Fuzhou's Lin family's Evil Resisting Sword Art! Years ago, my great grandfather Yuantu used this seventy two groups of sword moves to intimidate the demonical and created the 'Fortune Prestige Escort House' business. All the heroes in the realm respected and feared him because of this." When he talked of this matter, his voice became louder and it was full of pride.
"But, you've never told me you've learned this set of sword art."
"How could I dare? Linghu Chong tried to snatch that Buddhist robe in Fuzhou but he couldn't do it, but this sword manual written on the Buddhist robe instead fell into your father's hand..."
"No, it can't be!” Yue Lingshan sharply interrupted. “Father said, big martial brother was the one who snatched the sword manual. I begged him to return it to you, but he wasn't willing at all." Lin Pingzhi snorted and laughed coldly.
Yue Lingshan continued, "Big martial brother's sword art is very formidable and even my father isn't his match, could it be the sword art he's using isn't the Evil Resisting Sword Art? That it wasn’t learned from your family's 'Evil Resisting Sword Manual'?"
Lin Pingzhi again laughed derisively. "Even though Linghu Chong is sly and deceitful, he’s nothing compared to your father. Also, his swordplay is a mess, how can it be compared to my family's Evil Resisting Sword Art? During the fight besides the place of worship, he couldn't even compete with you and was injured heavily under your sword, hng hng, so how can his sword art be compared to my family's Evil Resisting Sword Art?"
"He deliberately let me win," Yue Lingshan quietly mumbled.
Lin Pingzhi laughed coldly. "His love for you is so deep!" If these words were heard by Yingying the day before, she would've gotten enraged even though she knew already Linghu Chong deliberately lost that sword fight. But after spending the night together in the same carriage and talking clearly besides the lake, they knew each other's hearts, and she now felt sweetness in her heart instead. "He treated you really well before, but right now, he treats me much better. You can't blame him for this, it's not because he had a change of heart toward you, but it's because you've been bullying him too fiercely."
"So big martial brother's sword art isn't the Evil Resisting Sword Art,” Yue Lingshan concluded. “Then why did Father always say he stole your family's 'Evil Resisting Sword Manual'? That day when Father expelled him from the Huashan School, he declared this to be one of his big crimes. Then, I've... I've been wrongly blaming him."
Lin Pingzhi laughed mockingly. "What wrongly blaming? Linghu Chong also wanted to rob my sword manual. He had actually already stolen it. But that bandit met with the grandpa bandit, so after he got injured and fainted, your father took it from his body and took the opportunity to lay the blame on him to cover his track. This is called thief crying thief..."
"What thief crying thief!” Yue Lingshan angrily retorted. “You're saying such a horrible thing!"
"The things your father did, aren't they horrible? The things he did, am I not allowed to say them?"
Yue Lingshan let out a sigh. "That day in Xiangyang Lane, that Buddhist Robe was stolen by the bad people from Songshan School. Big martial brother killed these two people and took the Buddhist robe back. This is not necessarily because he wanted to get it for himself. Big martial brother is a very bighearted person. Ever since he was small, he'd never been greedy and never coveted other people's things. When Father said he took your sword manual, I doubted it. But since Father said it, and I also saw how Big Martial Brother had suddenly
advanced a lot in his swordplay to the level above that of my father, I believed everything was true."
Yingying thought, "You can say these words now, then Chong-lang's6 love for you wasn't in vain."
Lin Pingzhi sneered coldly. "He's so good, why didn't you go with him?"
"Brother Ping, even until now, you still don't understand my heart. Big martial brother and I have grown up together since we were little. In my heart, he's just like my real brother. I love him dearly like a family member and regard him as my big brother. I've never regarded him as my lover. Ever since you came to Mount Huashan, you and I have matched really well. If I don't see you for some time, then my heart becomes unhappy and uneasy. My feeling towards you will never change."
"Your father and you are somewhat different, you're... you're like your mother." His voice had become softer as he said this; it was clear his true feeling towards Yue Lingshan was being moved. The two of them didn't speak another word for a long time before Yue Lingshan broke the silence, "Brother Ping, you have such a deep hatred toward my father, so it won't be easy for the two of you to reconcile. I'm already married... I... I will definitely always follow you. Let's go somewhere far and find somewhere secluded to pass our days happily there."
Lin Pingzhi laughed coldly and replied, "What you thought is quite good. But the whole world would've known by now that I killed Yu Canghai and Mu Gaofeng, so your father naturally knows that I've learned the Evil Resisting Sword Art. How can he let me keep on living in this world?"
"You said my father sought your sword manual. Based on the fact, there's nothing I can do to defend him,” Yue Lingshan dejectedly said. “But you keep on saying that he’s going to kill you after you've learned the Evil Resisting Sword Art. What's the logic in that? The 'Evil Resisting Sword Manual' belongs to your family, so it's perfectly justified and totally natural for you to learn this sword art. There's no reason at all for my father to want to kill you, and he won't kill you just because of this."
"You can say this because you don't understand what kind of person your father is. You also don't understand what this 'Evil Resisting Sword Manual' really is."
"Even though I'm totally devoted to you, I still don't understand what's in your heart."
"That's right, you don't understand! You don't understand! Why do you want to understand?" He became really irritable at this point.
Yue Lingshan didn't dare to speak too much, so she said, "En, let's go!"
"Go where?"
"Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you. I'll go with you even to the edge of the world."
"What you're saying is true? No matter what happens in the future, you won't regret it?"
"I've made up my mind to be with you, to marry you. I've long ago decided to be with you forever. How can I regret it? Your eyes' injury, whether it's going to heal or not, I'll accompany you always, attend to you, and be together until both of us died."
These words were said sincerely, and Yingying was moved on hearing them. Lin Pingzhi snorted sounding like he didn't believe her. Yue Lingshan softly said, "Brother Ping, you still don't believe me. I... I... tonight I’m going to give you everything, you... so you will trust me always. Tonight will be our wedding night, and we'll become real husband and wife. From today onwards, become... real husband and wife..." Her voice became softer and softer as she spoke, at the end it was barely audible.
Yingying became terribly embarrassed, and she thought, "If I still listen to what they're doing now, how can I still be a person?" She slowly moved away while secretly scolding, "This Miss Yue really is shameless! They're in the middle of a major road, how can... how can... pei!"
Suddenly, she heard Lin Pingzhi ferociously crying out. His voice was extremely sad and shrill, followed by him shouting, "Scram! Don't come over!"
Yingying started and thought, "What's going on? Why is this Lin being so fierce?" This was followed by Yue Lingshan weeping loudly. Lin Pingzhi shouted, "Go away, go away! Quickly go far far away, I'd rather be killed by your father, I don't want you to come with me."
"You're being so mean to me... what... what did I do wrong..." Yue Lingshan cried.
"I... I..." Lin Pingzhi stammered. After a pause, he went on, "You... You..." But he stopped talking.
"Say what your heart wants to say,” Yue Lingshan said. “Did I do something wrong, or maybe you're blaming my father and don't want to forgive me. Just say it clearly once and then you don't need to do anything, I'll immediately kill myself with my sword." With a hissing sound, she drew her sword. Yingying thought, "She's going to be forced to die by Lin Pingzhi, I have to save her!" She quickly walked back and got very near to the carriage so she could rescue her.
Lin Pingzhi again stammered, "I... I..." After some time, he let out a long sigh and said, "It's not your fault, it's me who is no good."
Yue Lingshan cried mournfully. Lin Pingzhi relented and said, "Alright, I'll tell you."
"You can hit me, kill me, but don't leave me not understanding anything," Yue Lingshan said between sobs.
"Since your feeling towards me isn't fake, then I'll tell you everything so your heart can die over this."
"Why?" Yue Lingshan was perplexed.
"Why? My Lin family's Evil Resisting Sword Art is very famous throughout Wulin. Yu Canghai and your father are both headmasters of a school, their own sword arts are already strong, but they still planned on stealing my family's sword manual. But my father's martial art is useless, and other people can just bully and humiliate him without him being able to fight back at all, now why is that?"
"Maybe because father-in-law wasn't suitable to learn martial art, or maybe his body was weak,” Yue Lingshan guessed. “From among the school's disciples in Wulin, it's not necessarily true that every one of them has strong martial art."
"You're wrong. Even though my father's swordplay was no good, it was only because he didn't study it enough. His internal energy was weak, and his attainment of the sword art was also poor. But the Evil Resisting Sword Art that he taught me, the foundation was wrong, and from the beginning to the end, it wasn't right."
Yue Lingshan hummed deeply and said, "This... This is really strange."
"Actually, it's not strange,” Lin Pingzhi said. “Do you know what my great grandfather Yuantu originally was?"
"I don't know."
"He was originally a monk."
"So he was a Buddhist. Some heroes of Wulin do a lot of outrageous things in Jianghu, but when they got older, they got quite worn out from all the things happening in the world, so they become Buddhists. This can happen," Yue Lingshan said.
"No. My great grandfather didn't become a Buddhist when he got old. He was a monk first before returning to secular life again."
"There were also heroes who were monks when they're young. Our founding ancestor of the Ming, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, he was a monk before he became the emperor."
Yingying thought, "Miss Yue knows her husband is narrow-minded. Not only does she not dare to offend him, she keeps trying to reassure him."
She then heard Yue Lingshan went on, "Father-in-law must've told you that your great grandfather Yuantu was a monk when he was young."
"My father never talked about it, I don't think he knew about it. My house at the Xiangyang Lane has a Buddhist hall in it; we went in there together on that night."
"Yes."
"Why was this 'Evil Resisting Sword Manual' recorded on a Buddhist robe? It was because he was originally a monk, and when he saw the sword manual, he quickly wrote it down on his Buddhist robe and got out. Once he returned to secular life, he built a Buddhist hall at home and didn't dare to forget about Buddha."
"Your guess is very reasonable,” Yue Lingshan agreed. “But, it's also possible that the sword manual was given to Grandfather Yuantu by an eminent reverend, and that the sword manual was originally written on the Buddhist robe. So Grandfather Yuantu may have obtained this sword manual frankly and uprightly."
"It's not like that."
"Your conjecture isn't necessarily right."
"It's not my conjecture; it's what Grandfather Yuantu wrote on the Buddhist robe."
"Ah, so that's how it is."
"He wrote this at the end of the sword manual. He was originally a monk, but because of an especially lucky chance, he heard of this sword manual from other people's mouth and wrote it down on the Buddhist robe. He warned that this sword art is too cruel and sinister, and once you learned it, you'll die without an heir. It's already unsuitable for even nuns or monks to learn as it violates the compassion of the Buddha, so for secular people, they shouldn't learn this even more."
"But he had already learned it himself."
"At that time, I also thought the same thing as you. This sword art is said to be cruel and sinister, and inadvisable to be practised, but after Grandfather Yuantu studied it, didn't he still manage to take a wife and get an heir?"
"That's right. But it could be that he took a wife and got an heir first before studying this sword art."
"It can't be,” Lin Pingzhi said. “Everyone who studies martial art in this world, no matter how heroic you are, or how powerful your martial art already is, once you see this sword manual, you couldn't possibly not practice it because you want to see how the first move goes. Once you've tried the first move, you'll definitely try the second move. Once you've tried the second move, you cannot not try the third move. Even if you haven't seen a sword manual before, once you've seen it then you'll definitely go crazy about it and it's very difficult to free yourself from it, and you'll practice it from top to bottom. Even if you know there's an enormous disaster tied to practising it, you still won't care about it."
Yingying heard till here when her thoughts turned to her father. "Daddy once said, this 'Evil Resisting Sword Manual' actually has the same root as our sect's 'Sunflower Manual' and they have the same fundamental principle. It's no wonder Yue Buqun's and Lin Pingzhi's sword art actually looks very similar to Dongfang Bubai's." She also thought, "Daddy said, there's something harmful in the martial art contained in the 'Sunflower Manual'. He knows that once a person who studies martial art sees the content of this martial art secret, he would definitely fall under its trap and would find it hard to free himself from it even if he knows it'd be disastrous to study it. So he simply refused to look at the Manual, which was the most sensible thing to do." A thought suddenly flashed in her mind, "Then why did he give it to Dongfang Bubai?" She thought till this point, and she automatically deduced, "So at that time Daddy already saw Dongfang Bubai harbouring an ill intention, so he gave him the Manual to harm him. But Uncle Xiang didn't know anything about this, and Dongfang Bubai was also ignorant of this and was still blissfully unworried. Actually, my father is such an astute and formidable person. How could he have been muddled headed for so long? It's just that a person's thought isn't as good as the thought of heaven. Dongfang Bubai unexpectedly struck first, captured daddy, and imprisoned him under the West Lake. But his heart wasn't especially bad. If at that time, he were to have killed daddy, or may have given an order not to give him food and drink, how could Daddy have the opportunity to take his revenge? Actually, it was a really lucky thing that we were able to kill Dongfang Bubai. If not for Chong-lang's help, Daddy, Uncle Xiang, Shangguan Yun and me, the four of us would've been killed by Dongfang Bubai at that time. Also, if it weren't for Yang Lianting messing with his heart, Dongfang Bubai would still be undefeated." She thought till here, and she couldn't help feeling that Dongfang Bubai was somewhat pitiful.