Vol 2 Chapter 12 (1/2)

Chapter Twelve: assassins

For every hundred feet, Linghu Chong had to take a break and lean on the door bolt to catch his breath After about an hour of struggle, he ed to cover somewhat close to a quarter of a olden flickers circle around him and suddenly the entire world swirled around hi froht in front of him

“Who’s there?” Linghu Chong asked, stunned

“Is that brother Linghu?” the ! Ouch! Whew!” He was obviously in great pain

“Tian…brother Tian? What…happened to you?” Linghu Chong asked in shock

“I ao ahead and kill roaned as he spoke, but his voice remained loud and clear

“Are…you…you…wounded?” Linghu Chong asked But in the ave out He fell down and rolled to the roadside

“Are you wounded too?” Tian Boguang asked in shock “Ouch! Ouch! Who did it to you?”

“That’s a long story Tian…brother Tian, so who did that to you?”

“Alas, I don’t know!” Tian Boguang answered

“How co asked

“I was just walking on the road, and suddenly soround I couldn’t even see who did it…,” Tian Boguang answered

“So it’s the Peach Valley’s Six Fairies again… Why, brother Tian, aren’t you in the sarinned

“What do youwas at a loss

“You cao see little apprentice sister…Yilin They…they also ca

Tian Boguang crawled slowly out of the bush

“God da swore as he shook his head angrily “They cauy was So I asked the for But they said that since they caught et to ask theet to ask the They…ouch…they said that if I’ve got skills, it would be totally fine for me to lift them up, and then…then it would be my turn to ask them questions”

Linghu Chong laughed out loud But only after a few laughs he was already out of breath and had to stop

“At that ti down How the heck could I lift the was that?”

“So what happened next?” Linghu Chong asked

“I said, ‘I never wanted to ask you You are the ones asking here Put me down’ Then one of them said, ‘Since we’ve already lifted you up, if we don’t rip you into four pieces, wouldn’t it look real bad for us six great heroes?’ Another one asked, ‘Will he still be able to talk after we rip hi paused to catch his breath

“Those six guys always resort to sophistry and tangle things in a hu Chong said

“Hu cursed and went on

“Then one of theuy in four pieces can’t talk The six of us have ripped hundreds of people into four pieces before When did you ever hear any of them talk after we ripped them apart?’

“Another one argued, ‘The reason why a guy in four pieces doesn’t talk is because we never asked hi, I am sure he wouldn’t dare not to answer’

“Then a third one mocked, ‘He is already in four pieces What’s there to be afraid of? There’s no point for hiht pieces?’

“The previous one said, ‘Rip hi Fu is no s Fu, but we otten it already’”

Tian Boguang told the story in a disjointedthat heinflicted with serious injuries

“Those six brothers are surely the rare kind in this world They…they got h

“So brother Linghu, they wounded you too?” Tian Boguang asked in astonishment

“Unfortunately so!” Linghu Chong heaved another sigh

“To tell you the truth, when I was hanging in mid-air, I was really scared So I shouted loudly, ‘If you rip ue is still capable of talking, I would be so pissed in my heart that I definitely wouldn’t talk’

“One of theue is on one piece, and your heart is on another piece How can you still relate what your tongue is gonna say hat you feel in your heart?’

“That hen I decided to throw nonsense right back at them So I shouted, ‘If you want to ask your question, better ask it quick If you don’t put as now’

“One of theas? What do you mean?’

“I said, ‘My farts stink like hell Once it reaches you, you would not only lose your appetite for at least three days and three nights, you would also throw up so badly that even the stuff you ate three days ago would come back out of youryou ahead of time’”

“Hey, good point,” Linghu Chong remarked with a weak smile

“Yep,” Tian Boguang replied, “as soon as those four guys heard my words, they all cried out in unison and threwback I ju old folks, each covering his nose tightly with his hand, obviously afraid of hu, did you say that those six guys are called so like Peach Valley’s Six Fairies?”

“That’s right! Alas, too bad that I am not as s-fart…stratageee used that scared away Sima Yi’s army”[1]

Tian Boguang let out a few hollow laughs and spilled out so on with his story

“I knew that those six guys are not to be trifled with, but as luck would have it, I left ured that I’d better uys had already stood in front oftheir noses, and blocked my way like a wall made of flesh Ha-ha, none of the that there was no way I could h, I turned around iuys could hosts and soain I turned a couple et rid of them, so I walked backwards step after step until my back touched the precipice wall The six freaks burst with joy and chortled as they asked again and again ‘Where is he? Where is that guy?’

“I asked, ‘Who are you looking for?’

“Those six freaks said in unison, ‘We have surrounded you You’ve got nowhere to go You must answer our question’

“One of theot nowhere to go, then you could ask us and ould have to answer your question’

“Another one argued, ‘He is only by himself Hoill he be able to surround the six of us?’

“The previous one said, ‘What if he had superb skills and could beat the six of us all by himself?’

“The second one said, ‘Then he is capable of beating us, not surrounding us’

“The previous one said, ‘But what if he drove us into a cave and blocked the entrance so none of us could get out? Wouldn’t you call that surrounding?’

“The second one argued, ‘That’s called blocking, not surrounding’

“The previous one said, ‘Then what if he extends his arms and embraces all of us into his ar’

“The second one argued, ‘First, nobody in this world has ar Second, even if there are really people who have aruy here does not Third, even if he could e, not surrounding’

“The previous one pulled a long face and didn’t kno to argue that, yet he didn’t want to ad, he suddenly broke into loud laughter ‘That’s it! If he keeps farting and surrounds us with his stinky gas so we couldn’t run away – wouldn’t you call that surrounding?’

“The other four freaks applauded and agreed in laughter, ‘He’s right! This chap surely can surround us’

“An idea suddenly struck , ‘I…I a you now’

“I figured, since they are so afraid of o after htning fast speed Only after a few steps, they had already grabbed hold of ht grips and forcedrock, so that even if I did fart, as wouldn’t come out”

Linghu Chong couldn’t help but burst into loud laughter Only after a few laughs, he felt great uneasiness fro abruptly

Tian Boguang went on

“After those six freaks placed their tight grips on as come from?’

“Another one answered, ‘Gas cos to the Yang-Ming Intestine Channel I’d better seal his Shang-Yang, He-Gu, Qu-Chi, and Ying-Xiang those points’

“Right after those words, he had already sealed those four points with a si fast yet extre! I couldn’t help but admire him After he sealed my points, all six freaks let out of a breath of relief as if relieved of a heavy load They said, ‘This stinking…stinking…stinking fart tank won’t be able to release his stinking gas now’

“The one who sealed uy? If you don’t tell us, I’ll never release your sealed points Think about it, having gas yet not being able to let it out You are gonna feel really bloated!’

“I thought toFu skills came to Mount Huashan, it’s obvious that they wouldn’t be looking for any ordinary person Brother Linghu, at that time your respectful Master, Mr Yue, and his eren’t on Mount Huashan Even if they had come back, then of course they would be back in the ‘House of Integrity’ and would be very easy to locate I thought about it back and forth and could only coical answer Those six freaks ”

Linghu Chong felt a shock in his heart “Did you tell them?” he asked in a hurry

“Bah! What kind of person do you think I a was very displeased “I have already pro’s whereabouts Are you saying that I, a gallantout of my ass?”

“Pardonapologized

“If you still look down upon me, we’d better just sever at one blow –from now on, we are no friends”

Linghu Chong reht to himself, “You are the evil rapist that everyone in the Martial World holds in contempt Who would ever consider you a friend? But since you could have killed uess I do owe you a debt of gratitude”

In the darkness, Tian Boguang couldn’t get a good look at Linghu Chong’s expression assu’s silence meant his compromise, he continued on

“Those six freaks just kept asking me I said loudly, ‘I know the whereabouts of this person, but I will never tell There are countless of peaks and valleys and caves on Mount Huashan I a to tell you, and you will never find him in this life?’

“Those six freaks were enraged They tornored the Fu skills are very eccentric You’d better go tell Grandh his sword skills are splendid, it’s still better prepared than getting surprised”

Tian Boguang mentioned that “The six freaks tor could easily iine how much cruel and brutal tor pain and suffering he had to endure The six freaks had good intentions when they tried to heal his wounds, and what happened? Even noas still suffering fro the answer, it was not hard to i quite sorry for Tian Boguang, he said to him

“You are a true man who keeps his words You would rather die than let out ’s whereabouts But…but those Peach Valley’s Six Fairies were really looking for ”

“Looking for you? Why are they looking for you?” Tian Boguang felt a big shock going through his entire body

“They are just like you and were asked by little apprentice sister Yilin to inviteanswered

That left Tian Boguang co cauang finally caain

“If I had known those six freaks were looking for you, I would have told theht away Once those six freaks invite you over, I can just follow behind instead of rotting here on Mount Huashan dying froot you, how coo see the little Sister?”

“That’s really a long story,” Linghu Chong heaved a deep sigh “Brother Tian, did you say so from the poison?”

“Didn’t I tell you earlier that so poison inyou over within one month to meet that little Sister? Only after I completed the ive me the antidote But I could neither invite you over, nor take you there by force, and ended up having wounds all overof those six freaks It’s only like ten days away from the date the poison is scheduled to activate”

“Where is little apprentice sister Yilin? How hu Chong asked

“You are willing to go now?” Tian Boguang asked

“You spared h you had many improper behaviors, I can’t just watch you die of poison for ht in front of my eyes On that day when you tried to coerce , of course I would not bend But it’s a co answered

“The little Sister is in Shanxi Province Alas…if ere still fit, it wouldn’t take et there on fast horses But since we are both in such bad shape, forget about that,” Tian Boguang commented

“I a for o with you Who knows? Maybe God will give his blessings, so ill be able to hire soons that will take us into Shanxi Province within ten days,” Linghu Chong suggested

“I have committed countless crimes in ive rinned

“H to die anyway There’s nothing to lose for trying it out”

“That’s right! What’s the difference whether I die on the road or on Mount Huashan?” Tian Boguang applauded “I think the first thing we need to do is to go down theto eat Ever since I was duround I aet up? Let ive you a hand”

He offered to “give a hand,” yet couldn’t even get up hiive hith either The two of theress whatsoever Suddenly, both of thehter

“I’ve been wandering in the Martial World for years, yet to find any bosoether with brother Linghu What a joy it is!” Tian Boguang said

“Later when my Master sees our corpses, he probably would assume that the two of us have ended in a couessed that ere still calling each other brothers before we kicked the bucket?” Linghu Chong let out a grin

Tian Boguang reached out with his hand “Brother Linghu, let’s shake hands before we die”

Linghu Chong hesitated Obviously Tian Boguang wanted to be intimate friends with him and share a common destiny But Tian was the notorious evil rapist, and he was the disciple of a reputable sword school How could he make friends with someone like Tian? That day when he beat Tian several times in the contests and spared his life each time, he could still attribute that to the fact that Tian spared his life le up with hihts, he reached out with his hand but stopped half way

Tian Boguang only thought that Linghu Chong’s wounds were too severe that he sith to hu, you are my intimate friend now If you die because of your wounds before I die, I swear that I will not stay living alone”

Touched by the sincerity in Tian Boguang’s words, Linghu Chong thought, “He surely deserves to be called a true friend” So he reached out with his hands and held Tian’s right hand “Brother Tian, at least on’t be heading to the underworld alone and die a lonely death,” Linghu Chong said with a smile

Before his words even faded, he suddenly heard a gloomy sneer rise from behind his back Then a voice said, “Who would have expected the Head Apprentice of the Huashan Sword School Qi-Branch to have sunk so low and made friends with a notorious evil rapist?”

“Who are you?” Tian Boguang yelled out

Linghu Chong couldn’t help but groan inwardly, “It’s no big deal that I aonna die from my severe wounds, but now I’ve just put Master’s reputation in jeopardy How terrible!”

In the darkness, he could vaguely see a shadow standing next to hi sword in his hand The blade flashed diht

“Linghu Chong, it’s still not too late to take back what you said Take this sword and waste that Tian-na friends with him,” the shadow said with a sneer as he threw his sword dohich cut into the ground and stood by its own

Linghu Chong noticed that the blade of the side and broad – it was the type of sword used by the Songshan Sword School So he asked,

“Which respectful shan Sword School are you?”

“You surely have sharp eyes I ashan Sword School,” the man answered

“So it’s apprentice brother Di We haven’t had et to know each other What respectful business are you tending here on Mount Huashan?” Linghu Chong asked

“Head Uncle-Master[2] gave o on a trip of inspection to check if apprentices of the Huashan Sword School are really having bad conducts as the ruht froht after I cli at all!” Di Xiu answered

“You God dashan Sword School is any better? Why don’t you go check on your own ill behavior before poking your nose into other people’s business?” Tian Boguang cursed

Di Xiu raised his foot and threw a heavy kick at Tian Boguang’s head “Humph, your end is imminent and you still won’t shut your dirtyout streams of abuses non-stop It would have been a walkover if Di Xiu had wanted to kill Tian Boguang, but he decided to give Linghu Chong a good amount of humiliation first

“Linghu Chong,” he sneered, “since the two of you find each other’s stinks congenial, I suppose you’ve made up your mind not to kill him?”

Linghu Chong was furious He yelled loudly, “Whether I kill him or not, it’s none of your business Give uts, then get your tail between your legs and get your ass off Mount Huashan”

“So you are sure you won’t kill hiood friend?” Di Xiu asked

“Noyou as a friend,” Linghu Chong answered

“Right on! Way to go!” Tian Boguang cheered loudly

“You just want to enrage le blow It’s not going to be that easy I aether naked Then I’ll seal your Mute Point[3] and put on a tour of display around the Martial World I’ll tell everyone that I caught atheir illicit dirty stuff Ha-ha, your Master Yue Buqun of the Huashan Sword School always pretends benevolence and righteousness, and puts on a face of a Confucian moralist to fool people After today, would he still dare to call himself ‘Gentleman Sword’?”

These words er explode, which knocked him out cold

“Go to hell you…” Tian Boguang cursed, but his voice halted abruptly when Di Xiu sealed his pressure point around his waist with a swift kick

With an evil grin on his face, Di Xiu reached out to start untying Linghu Chong’s robe Suddenly, a soft and brisk female voice rose behind his back

“hello, big brother, what are you doing here?”

In great surprise, Di Xiu turned his head around for a glance In the diuely make out the shape of a wo here?’

Tian Boguang iirl’s voice It was none other than Yilin’s voice With a tremendous amount of joy, he shouted

“Little…little Sister, it’s you! That’s wonderful This God dahu”

He was going to say, “This God daht came upon him: Yilin wouldn’t care about the “ brother Linghu”

Hearing that the reatly worried Wasting no tihu, is that you?”

Noticing how preoccupied Yilin was and how she put on no guard against hihtly and jabbed toward her pressure point under her rib cage with his index finger His finger was just about to touch her clothes when suddenly his back collar tightened up as soround Terrified, Di Xiu elbowed back with his right ar He i his left foot, but it hit nothing either Horrified, he grabbed back with his hands when a huge hand carip Instantly, he could hardly breathe and lost all his strength to struggle

By the tiained his consciousness, the first thing he noticed was a girl’s worried voice calling out, “Big brother Linghu! Big brother Linghu!” It sounded vaguely like the voice of Yilin He opened his eyes, and sure enough, under the diht in front of his eyes was no other than Yilin’s

A thundering voice suddenly exploded, “Lin’er,[4] is this cripple the Linghu Chong you have mentioned?”

Linghu Chong looked up toward the origin of the voice, and what he saw shocked hiiant monk stood there, more like an iron tower than a human The monk was at least seven feet tall He extended his left arround Di Xiu’s ar still by his side It was hard to tell if he was still breathing or not

“Dad, he…he is big brother Linghu But he is not a cripple,” Yilin said She never took her eyes off Linghu Chong when she spoke and her eyes were filled with care, concern, and affection It almost looked as if she really wanted to reach out to caress Linghu Chong’s face but was afraid to do it

Linghu Chong was astounded He couldn’t help but think to hiiant , nohen his daughter is actually a nun is si!”

The giant hter “You yearned for this Linghu Chong days and nights I thought he uy It turned out he’s just a tiny loser who couldn’t even fight back when bullied and had to pretend to be dead on the ground What a cripple! I’d never want hio”

“Who said I yearned for hireat embarrasso, you can go by yourself You don’t ant…” She simply couldn’t repeat the words “don’t want him as son-in-law”

Hearing that this ain as a “cripple” and a “loser,” Linghu Chong became furious “Go as you wish!+ Who asked you to stay?” he scorned

“You can’t go! You can’t go!” Tian Boguang shouted in worry

“Why can’t he go?” Linghu Chong asked