Chapter - 21 Who Am I? (1/2)

Several people have lived on the island of heroes for tens of years, they were bewitched to unravel the mystery of these martial art. They couldn't believe that the island is going to be destroyed and the cliffs are already gone and deeply regretted it all. Some people on the other hand repented and deep regretted that why didn't they left it all and returned to their family. Several people sat on the boat but everyone had huge regrets and some of them even started beating their chest in despair but most of them were thinking that at least they all are returning alive to their home which was not exactly what they were thinking when they were coming to this island.

Shi Potian looked at the island of heroes as it merged with the horizon. Suddenly he remembered the incident and cannot help but started sweating, he stamped his foot to call out: ”it's bad, it's really bad! Grandpa, now ......Today is several day ......after we left…what is the date today......what is the date?”

Bai Zizai was startled, he yelled: ”Oh!” He shivered for a moment and said: ”I ......I do not know ......Do not know now ......actually a lot of days have passed.....lot of days?”

Ding Busi too was sitting on the same boat, he asked: ”A lot of days have passed, so…so what?”

Shi Potian asked: ”Grandpa Ding Busi, do you remember how many days we have spent on this island of heroes?”

Ding Busi said: ”100 days is also good, 200 days is also good; who remembers...who cares?”

Shi Potian was hugely anxious, he almost came to tears and a streak of tear came out of his eyes, he came to Gao San Niangzi and said: ”We came here on the 8th day of last month, is it the third month now?”

Gao San Niangzi counted on her fingers and said: ”We have gotten out of the island on the 115th day, Today it's the fifth day of fourth month…no…it is the 6th day of fourth month.”

Shi Potian and Bai Zizai called out in alarm with one voice: ”the fourth month?”

Gao San Niangzi said: ”Naturally it is the fourth month!”

Bai Zizai beats his chest to yell: ”it's terrible…terrible!”

Ding Busi laughed and said: ”terribly sweet!”

Shi Potian got angry: ”Grandpa Ding, grandma Shi said that if we don't return back by 8th day of third month then she will throw her in the sea and die….you ......What funny do you see here? A'Xiu also said that he will also throw herself in the sea ......”

Ding Busi said: ”She said that she will throw herself on the 8th day of third month? Now ......Today it is fourth month ......”

Shi Potian cried and said: ”Yes, so …so what?”

Ding Busi said in anger: ”Xiaocui threw herself o the 8th day of third month, by now she is already dead for twenty days, why are you are you crying now? Her temperament was much hard, if she said that she will jump in the sea on 8th day then it won't be 7th day or 9th day…it will be 8th day! Bai Zizai… damn you…old bastard…you animal, you ......Why didn't you go back early? You raised this old thief too…even he didn't go back!”

Bai Zizai beats his chest and called out: ”Good, I am an old bastard, I am the old thief.”

Ding Busi again scolded: ”You Gouzazhong…you Gouzazhong …why don't you go back earlier?”

Shi Potian cried and said: ”Good…I seriously a Gouzazhong.”

They suddenly heard a harsh voice of a female: ”Shi Xiaocui dies…that is good… why are you scolding other people…it's good that this matter is closed now? Why do you curse at people?” She was of course that lady surnamed Mei.

Ding Busi was ashamed and did not dare to scold again but still talked incessantly.

Bai Zizai actually blamed Shi Potian: ”You already know that your grandma was throwing herself in the sea on the 8th of third month then why didn't you tell me earlier? You are a bastard too ….I ....I will wrench apart your neck.”

Shi Potian was already sad and was not willing to argue and didn't say anything.

In the meantime the southern wind started to blow and the sailors hoisted the sails and the navigation was really fast now. Bai Zizai was wild and crazy, he not only scolded Shi Potian but also started scolding Ding Busi and both of them actually started fighting on the boat itself and even managed to hit several other people, everyone intervened and stopped them from fighting.

By the evening of third day, they were able to see the first sight of land. As they reached closer to the shore of the South China Sea, several people cheered. Bai Zizai actually kept his both eyes on the shore or looking at the ocean waves, as if trying to seek for the corpse of Grandma Shi and A'Xiu.

As the ship moved closer to the shore, Shi Potian looked as far as the eye can see, he was able to vaguely see the sea shore, it was exactly similar to when he left from the same place, there were a row of palm tree on the beach, a cliff on the right hand side and three coconut trees nearby throwing three long shadows. He remembered that four months ago, Grandma Shi and A'Xiu were standing there to see him off and hoping that he will return well but now Grandma Shi and A'Xiu are actually already buried in some fish's abdomen, they can't even save their skeleton and could not restrain himself from crying.

As the boat came close to shore, suddenly someone shouted to draw their attention towards the cliff. The people looked together at the cliff; they only saw the silhouette of two people, one person in grey and other in white leaping from the cliff in to the sea.

Shi Potian remotely Grandma Shi and A'Xiu leaping from the cliff in to the sea, he was pleasantly surprised, in reality it was no small matter, he already assumed that they are dead but suddenly he saw them alive but also at the same time leaping towards the sea to die. He immediately gathered his entire body strength on his foot, made a crouching stance and jumped to leap high in the air. His body came out of the ship like an arrow streaming out of a bow.

The profound internal strength he learnt at the island of heroes supported him enormously to make this incredible jump. He saw with his own eyes that the moment he jumped the deck beneath his left foot deck gave up fell in the sea and the one under his right flew back several feet.

He approached towards A'Xiu from her left side; he stretches his left arm to grasp her body. He lost his momentum with the added weight of two people and started to fall in the sea but the impact of the fall was minimal. As the two legs Shi Potian sinked in to the sea, she saw that Grandma Shi dropped in the left, he immediately moved his hand to search for her and as soon as he got a grasp at her, he immediately transferred his strength and executed the move ”silver saddle and white horse” to throw the body of Grandma Shi body towards the boat in a very steady pace.

On the ship the people shouted loudly with one voice. Bai Zizai and Ding Busi were already ready at the bow of ship to grasp her as they saw Grandma Shi flying towards the boat. The two people simultaneously put out a hand to grasp her.

Bai Zizai shouted loudly: ”Make way!”

Ding Busi was pushing people to get ahead and catch Grandma Shi as she comes, unexpectedly that female surnamed Mei extended her palm to push, this technique was really strange and Ding Busi immediately fell in to the sea.

Bai Zizai immediately secured a position as per her flight and immediately caught Grandma Shi pretty easily but he didn't expect that the internal energy of Shi Potian will be so strong. He drew back one step and his both feet skidded back and broke the deck but he still firmly grasped Grandma Shi as they sat in the big hole, he hugged Grandma Shi and put her out of that hole.

Shi Potian held A'Xiu and took support of the fallen deck to propel himself back to the boat along with A'Xiu.

Ding Busi was well versed with swimming luckily; he controlled his fall in the water and at the same time shouted abuse. The sailors on the ship threw the rope and pulled him up. Everybody was jabbering at once and people were in great confusion.

Ding Busi came back to the deck, water dripping out from his whole body and looked at that woman in veil and called out suddenly: ”You ......You are not her younger sister, you are she…you are …!”

That woman wearing the veil sneered and said: ”Your courage is really big, you dare to hold Shi Xiaocui in front of me!”

Ding Busi said: ”You ......You are! You pushed me to that sea ......This move of ”flying in to high peak”, there is only one person in the world who can do that.”

That female said: ”You know well.” She put out a hand to uncover the veil over her face and revealed her wrinkled face, her skin color was extremely white as if it was covered by the veil for a really long time and had not seen the sunlight.

Ding Busi said: ”Wenxin…Wenxin…is it really you! Why did you deceive me saying that you have died?”

That woman with veiled face was in fact Mei Wenxin, she and Ding Busi were lovers in the past. They had a daughter Mei Fanggu but Ding Busi was deeply in love with Shi Xiaocui and he abandoned Mei Wenxin but after dozens of years unexpectedly they had this reunion.

Mei Wenxin moved her left hand and seized the ears of Ding Busi firmly and said in a grating voice: ”You only hope that I have already died, that would have been good…isn't it?”

Ding Busi felt ashamed after listening her and did not dare to struggle, he forced a smile and said: ”leave it…there are numerous heroes here, it doesn't look good.”

Mei Wenxin said: ”I want you to look bad in front on everyone. My Fanggu…can I come to search her?”

Ding Busi said: ”Leave it quickly! Long Daozhu have said that she is on mount Xionger. We will look for her, let us find her.”

Mei Wenxin said: ”if I found my child then I will forgive you but if I didn't then I will rip out both ears down!”

In all these noise and confusion, the boat already approached the shore. The Shi Qing couple, Bai Wanjian and snow mountain disciples Cheng Zixue and others came forward to welcome them as they saw with their own eyes that Bai Zizai and Shi Potian have returned well and have also saved Grandma Shi and A'Xiu from drowning.

Shi Qing couple and Bai Wanjian were genuinely happy, on the other hand the snow mountain sect disciple Cheng Zixue, Qi Zimian and Liang Zijin were all disappointed but still came forward with smiling face and hurried forward to congratulate.

On the ship the numerous heroes were impatient to get back to their families now, as soon as they came to shore. All of them leapt to the land and everyone quickly went on in their respective directions. Fan Yifei, Lu Zhengping and Gao San Niangzi said there farewell to Shi Potian and returned to Guangdong immediately.

Bai Wanjian said to his father: ”Father…as mother said earlier that she will throw herself in the sea if you don't return by 8th of the third month. When she saw that you haven't returned by the end of day then she decided to throw herself in the sea to commit suicide. She knew that I might try to stop her so she locked my acupuncture point unexpectedly suddenly. Thank God, if you were late then even if you have come back…you might not have saved her.”

Bai Zizai said: ”What? You said that today is 8th of third month?”

Bai Wanjian said: ”Yes, today is 8th.”

Bai Zizai also asked: ”Its 8th of third month?”

Bai Wanjian nodded and said: ”yes…its 8th of third month.”

Bai Zizai cannot restrain himself to put out a hand to scratch his head and said: ”We reached the island of heroes on 8th of last month. We stayed for more than 100 days in the island, how can it be 8th of third month today?”

Bai Wanjian said: ”You might have forgotten, this year we have an intercalary second month…we actually had two second months this year.”

Bai Zizai suddenly remembered and was more than happy. He said to Shi Potian: ”Young boy, why didn't you me earlier? Ha, ha! This year has an intercalary in second month. This was good!”

Shi Potian asked: ”What is this intercalary second month? Why do we have two second month this year?”

Bai Zizai said with a smile: ”To have two second month is actually good….if there would have been three second months then also it would have been good…. so long as my wife is alive even if there are 100 second month still it won't be any problem!” The people loudly laugh.

Bai Zizai turned his head to ask: ”Well, didn't that old thief Ding Busi was with us…where he sneaked. He has disappeared without a trace?”

Grandma Shi said with a smile: ”What do you want to do with him? Mei Wenxin had turned his ear and they have left to look for their daughter Mei Fanggu!”

The complexion of Shi Qing couple changed as soon as they heard the words ”Mei Fanggu”. They asked with one voice: ”You said Mei Fanggu? What place are they looking?”

Grandma Shi said: ”I listened to that female surnamed Mei to say in the ship a moment ago that they must arrive at Mt. Xionger and look for their daughter Mei Fanggu.”

Min Rou said: ”Thank God, finally ......Finally after inquiring this female's whereabouts, senior fellow-pupil! We ....We must catch up.”

Shi Qing nodded and said: ”Yes.” Both people said there farewells and moved to leave immediately.

Bai Zizai shouted: ”Everybody is lively, we have met after so much time…what's the hurry….we should be together for at least a fortnight; then only you must leave.”

Shi Qing said: ”Elder Bai, you did not know about this Mei Fanggu. She is out big personal enemy. She killed our new born child. We have been looking for her for last 18 years in the martial art world but didn't find any information about her. Today unexpectedly we know about her so we can't delay, I am afraid that she will hide again if she gets another opportunity.”

Bai Zizai said: ”That female killed your son? Absurd…then let me come with you too, I will tear her to shreds. Your matter is my matter, Let us move all together. That old thief Ding Busi and that female thief, Mei Wenxin are their too. That old lady's family martial art ”plum blossom fist” is quite fierce; you must need some helpers to avenge your enmity.”

Once Bai Zizai saw that Grandma Shi and A'Xiu are safe then his mood was really happy, at this time, he would have consented to any matter.

Shi Qing and Min Rou thought that Mei Fanggu has Ding Busi and Mei Wenxin so it would be difficult for them to hold against them but if Bai Zizai and rest of them come with them than it would be quite easier. He could not have wished for anything else. Their fellow disciple from Shan Qing temple was coming on the next ship but Shi Qing and Min Rou were more interested in taking revenge so they left immediately on the journey to mount Xionger with Shi Potian and other people.

They reached Mt. Xionger after some days. That Mt. Xionger and surrounding area was spread in several hundred miles and they did not know where exactly was Caoling area that Long Daozhu mentioned at island of heroes is. They looked for several days but found no trace at all.

The search tested the patience of Bai Zizai too. He asked Shi Qing: ”Brother Shi, you are a famous and chivalrous person in the central plains. You are also such skilled in martial art, how did she manage to kill your son. What enmity that female thief had with you that she actually killed your son?”

Shi Qing sighed, said: ”This matter is of previous generation retribution, I don't know how to mention.”