Horizon, Bright Moon, Sabre

by RWX

  “Hmm..”

  “You are certainly here for a life and death duel, I can tell from one look.”

  “Hmm..”

  “You have a murderous aura.”

  What did this small slip of a girl know about murderous auras?

  “I also know that the person you are waiting for is certainly Du Lei”, Ni Hui said confidently. “Because within a few hundred li of this area, the only one who can match up with Fu Hongxue is Du Lei.”

  This girl indeed knew quite a bit.

  Fu Hongxue looked her two lively eyes and coldly said, ” Since you know, you should leave quickly.”

  Although his voice was cold, the emotion in his eyes wasn’t quite as cold. In fact, the outline of his eyes showed some hint of tenderness.

  Ni Hui smiled again, gently, “Are you starting to care for me?”

  Fu Hongxue immediately lowered his face. “The reason I want you to go is that I don’t kill for others to watch.”

  Ni Hui curled her lips, “Even if you want me gone, there is no real hurry. Du Lei wouldn’t be here that soon.”

  Fu Hongxue lifed his head, the sun was already in the middle of the sky.

  Ni Hui, “He would let you wait, let you till wait you are agitated. When you are agitated, his chances would increased.”

  She smiled and continued, “This is also a kind of battle strategy, a man like you should had thought of it a long time ago.”

  She shook her head, “No no, you wouldn’t have thought of it, you are a gentleman. I am, however not one, so I can teach you a method that is used especially to deal with such villain.”

  What method?

  Fu Hongxue did not ask but did not refuse either.

  Ni Hui, “He let you wait, you could also let him wait.”

  An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

  This is an ancient method, an ancient method is usually a very effective method.

  Ni Hui, “We could take a walk before coming back. We could even play two games of chess, drink two cups of wine. Let him wait for you here, let him wait till he is anxious.”

  Fu Hongxue showed no reaction.

  Ni Hui, “I could bring you to my family wine cellar. If we are lucky, we might even find a couple jars of maiden’s blush wine that was left when my aunt got married.

  She was in high spirits. But he still did not show any reaction, so she reached out for his hand - the hand that held the sabre.

  Nobody can touch that hand.

  Her soft delicate fingers merely brushed his hand, but she could feel a strange and powerful vibration.

  This powerful vibration actually sent her whole body flying away.

  She was trying to remain standing but she couldn’t steady herself and finally she fell down, a heavy fall!

  Although she didn’t cry, her eyes were already flushing red. With a choking voice, “I only wanted to make friends with you and help you with such a small matter. Why did you treat me like this?”

  She rubbed her nose and looked to cry any moment.

  She looked just like a small, tiny girl, so pitiful and cute.

  Fu Hongxue did not pay her any attention, did not look at her, not even one look. He however coolly said, “Get up, there are snakes in the grass.”

  Ni Hui felt even more wronged. “How could I stand up when all bones in my body were nearly broken just now?”

  She used the hand that was rubbing her nose to rub her eyes, “I might as well be bitten to death by the venomous snake.”

  Fu Hongxue’s pale face still had no emotion, but he already started to walk to her.

  He knew how much power he had used just now.

  That strength did not come wholly from his hand. His hand was holding the sabre and the sabre too had its own strength.

  In his hands, the sabre seemed to have a life of its own.

  With life, it has strength.

  The power of life.

  This kind of strength is powerful, almost as powerful as that kind of sword-qi that can cut through everything.

  He indeed shouldn’t have used this sort of strength on her.

  Ni Hui sat dejectedly upon the grass, with her face buried in her hands.

  Her hands are white and small.

  Fu Hongxue couldn’t help but to reach out and pull her up - naturally with the hand which is not holding his sabre.

  She did not refuse or avoid him.

  Her hand was soft and warm.

  Fu Hongxue had not touch a girl’s hand for a long, long time.

  His control over his own lust is almost thorough and complete.

  However, he is still a man. One who wasn’t too old, yet.

  She obediently stood up, softly groaning. He was just about to support her, but her whole body unexpectedly fell into his embrace.

  Her body was so warm, so soft.

  He could feel his own heartbeat, and she of course could feel it too.

  Oddly, at the same time he suddenly had another very unnatural sensation.

  He suddenly felt a rush of a murderous aura.

  At this very moment, she had pulled out a dagger. A seven inch dagger. The dagger stabbed at the weak point on the his armpit.

  Her face was still that of a small, tiny girl, but her hands were as deadly as the venomous cobra.

  Sadly, her stab still missed the mark.

  Fu Hongxue’s body suddenly contracted, and the blade that was clearly aimed for his flesh and blood merely grazed his skin.

  In the same moment when she realised that she had missed, she had already sprung up!

  Just like the kind of venomous snake which could suddenly sprung up from the ground, the second she sprung up, she somersaulted away.

  One somersault after another in mid-air resulting in her feet being on the eaves of the hexagonal pavilion.

  With her feet firmly planted, she sent herself flying 50 feet away into the trees with another flip.

  She had intended to flee further but Fu Hongxue didn’t give chase. So, she didn’t have to flee either. Amazingly, with just one foot on a thin tree branch, she could hurl abuse.

  Her lightness skill was high, but her ability to hurl abuse was higher.

  “Now I know why that woman in the past jilted you. It is because you are simply not a man. You are not only crippled in the leg, but crippled in the heart as well.”

  Her curses were not very vuglar, but every word was like a needle, piercing Fu Hongxue’s heart.

  Fu Hongxue’s pale face suddenly had a kind of red blush, his hand was already holding tight.

  He almost couldn’t help but to draw his sabre.

  However, he didn’t move because he realised the pain in his heart wasn’t as intense as he had thought.

  In the past, his pain was like a hot brand on livestocks, forever clear and fresh.

  Her every smile, her every tear, every bit of emotion, every little lie was deeply etched in his heart.

  He had always hidden it very well.

  All until the moment he saw Mingyue Xin - all the deeply hidden painful memories, all came alive in front of him.

  No one could have imagined the pain he had borne then.

  But unexpectedly to him, after that shocking hurt, his pain lessened. The unthinkable pain had became more bearable.

  The hurt of the heart is sometimes like a festering wound. If you do not cut it out, it would rot even more; if you steeled your heart and cut it out, allowing the blood and pus to flow out, the wound might begin to heal.

  When Fu Hongxue lifted his head again, he had completely recovered his composure.

  Ni Hui was still on the tree branch, staring at him in surprise. He didn’t draw his sabre, but he softly said two words, “You. Leave!”

  This time Ni Hui obeyed. She left very quickly.

  …

  The sun had already moved to the west, and the hexagonal pavilion was already casting a shadow.

  Fu Hongxue had not moved, not even his posture had changed.

  The sha
dows grew longer and longer.

  Fu Hongxue still did not move.

  When the body is calm, the heart is also calm.

  To a man who had long since grown accustomed to solitary and loneliness, waiting was no longer a painful thing.

  To draw his sabre for the very first time, he had waited for seventeen years. However, that draw of his sabre was both meaningless and unnecessary!

  He waited seventeen years to kill a person, to avenge his parents.

  But when he drew his sabre, he already discovered that he wasn’t a descendant of that family, and had nothing to do with that affair.

  That was more than ironic.

  No matter how you looked at it, this kind of irony was too cruel and malicious.

  But he had accepted it, because he had no choice.

  He had, henceforth, learned to endure.

  If Du Lei could understand this point, perhaps he wouldn’t make him wait.

  while you are making others wait, you are also waiting yourself!

  In this world, many matters were like a double edge sword.

  When you are trying to hurt others, many a times you would end up hurting yourself the same way. Sometimes, you hurt yourself more than you hurt others!

  Fu Hongxue softly breathed out, feeling totally calm.

  The time was already 15 minutes past 2 PM.

  …

  This dark gloomy house was at the end of a long, dark and gloomy street. The original owner was a sickly and stingy old man. It was said that only when his body started to smell was his corpse was discovered.

  Peacock didn’t rent this house because he was stingy.

  He had the ability to live in the best inns, but he preferred it here.

  For him, the name “Peacock” was an irony.

  His personality was definitely unlike that of the proud, gorgeous showbird. It was more like that of the bat which never saw the light of the day.

  When Thumb entered, he was lying on that cold and hard wooden bed of his.

  The only window of the house was also nailed shut, so it was really not unlike a bat’s cave.

  Thumb sat down and exhaled. He could never understand why Peacock liked to live in this place.

  Peacock did not even take a single look at him. Only when his breathing quieted down, did Peacock asked, “What about Du Lei?”

  Thumb, “He is still waiting.”

  Peacock, “When we parted ways, it was exactly 2 PM.”

  He added, “How long is he prepared to let Fu Hongxue waited?”

  Thumb, “I already told him to wait till at least 4 PM before setting off.”

  Peacock broke into an evil grin, “Standing in that ghastly place and waiting for four hours is certainly no joke.”

  Thumb however raised an eyebrown, “But I am worried about something.”

  Peacock, “What is that?”

  Thumb, “Although Fu Hongxue is waiting, Du Lei himself is also waiting. I only worried that he might it more unbearable than Fu Hongxue.”

  Peacock softly said, “If he died under Fu Hongxue’s sabre, do you suffer any loss?”

  Thumb, “No.”

  Peacock, “Then, there is nothing to worry about.”

  Thumb laughed and wiped off his sweat with his sleeves, “I have good news for you.”

  Peacock listened on.

  Thumb, “Yan Nanfei is not only poisoned, but seriously as well.

  Peacock, “Where did you get this piece of news?”

  Thumb, “Bought it with five hundreds taels of silver.”

  Peacock’s eyes shined, “News that is worth five hundred taels is usually very reliable.”

  Thumb, “So, now we can go and kill him anytime.”

  Peacock, “Let’s go now.”

  The time was exactly 15 minutes past 2 PM.

  …..

  Noon had long passed, and the sun’s rays were getting harsher and hotter. Spring had gradually tapered off, and the long summer season would arrive soon.

  Fu Hongxue disliked the summer.

  Summer belonged to the children. During the day, they would frolick about naked in the ponds, roll in the grass, pick strawberries, and catch butterflies. During the night, they would sit under the melon shed, eating sweet melons chilled with well water. They would listen to the adults tell tall tales and trade gossip. They would catch a bag of fireflies, putting them into gauze pouches and exchanging them with young ladies and girls for a few pieces of candy.

  The golden summer, the golden childhood, a time of everlasting joy and no pain.

  However, Fu Hongxue never had a summer that truly belonged to himself.

  In his memories, summers were full of sweat and blood. Hiding in the hot woods, drawing the saber; under the hot desert sun, drawing the saber!

  Drawing the sabre!

  Again and again, the never ending draw!

  This simple action had already transformed into the most important part of his life.

  When is the next time he draw his sabre?

  The sabre itself is death

  When the sabre is drawn, death comes.

  When he draw his sabre this time, who would die?

  Fu Hongxue lowered his head, gazing at the hand that held the sabre. The hand is cold, the hand is pale, the sabre pitch black.

  At this moment, he heard the footstep of Du Lei.

  The time was exactly 45 minutes past 2 PM.

  Chapter 7 - The Duel

  There was a small door at the corner of the back garden.

  Fu Hongxue walked in from that door, and so did Du Lei.

  They didn’t climb over the wall.

  The path was swallowed with weeds, the distance would be shorter if one cut across the grass.

  However, they rather walked on the winding path.

  They were walking very slowly, but once they started, they definately would not stop.

  From certain angles, they looked to share many similarities.

  However, they were definately not the same type of people, you can tell simply from their sabre.

  Du Lei’s sabre was richly bejeweled and glittering!

  Fu Hongxue’s sabre was pitch black.

  But these two sabres did share one thing in common.

  The two sabres are both sabres, sabres that kill.

  Did these two men share something in common?

  The two men are both men, men that kill!

  It wasn’t 4 PM yet but it was already time to draw the sabre.

  Once the sabre was drawn, there would be death!

  If it was not yours, than it was mine!

  Du Lei’s footsteps finally stopped, faced Fu Hongxue and also faced the peerless sabre in his hands.

  He was determined to have this person killed under his sabre, but deep in this heart, the person he respected most was also him!

  Fu Hongxue however seem to be staring at the horizon, on the horizon a dark cloud had cover up the sun.

  The sun was gone, but the sun would forever not die.

  What about man?

  Du Lei finally opened his mouth, “I am Du, Du Lei.”

  Fu Hongxue, “I know!”

  Du Lei, “I am late.”

  Fu Hongxue, “I know!”

  Du Lei, “I purposely made you wait, let you wait till you were anxious. Only then would I have a chance to kill you.”

  Fu Hongxue, “I know!”

  Du Lei suddenly laughed, “Too bad I had forgotten one point.”

  He laughed bitterly, “While I was making you wait, I myself was waiting as well.”

  Fu Hongxue, “I know!”

  Du Lei laughed coldly again, “So, you know everything?”

  Fu Hongxue, “At least one more thing.”

  Du Lei, “Let hear it.”

  Fu Hongxue coldly, “When I draw the sabre, you die.”

  Du Lei clenched his hand tightly and his pupils contracted. After a long while, he asked, ” You are confident?”

  Fu Hongxue, “Yes!”

 
Du Lei, “Then, why have you not draw your sabre?”

  It was just after 2.45 PM. The dark clouds had just covered the sun, and the wind had just carried a little cold draft.

  This was the most appropriate time for killing.

  Mingyue was at the Bright Moon Mansion, while the bright moon was at the Bright Moon Lane.

  When Thumb and Peacock stepped into Bright Moon Lane, they felt a gust of a breeze.

  What a refreshing breeze.

  Thumb took a deep breathe and smiled, “Today’s weather is great for killing, and now is also a great time for killing.”

  Peacock, “Oh.”

  Thumb, “After killing now, we still could take a unhurried, relaxed bathe and then have a comfortable drink.”

  Peacock, “After that, find a woman to sleep with.”

  Thumb laughed with slited eyes, “Sometimes, I even get two or three.”

  Peacock also laughed, “You said before Mingyue Xin is also a whore.”

  Thumb, “That’s what she is!”

  Peacock, “Then, would you like to get her tonight?”

  Thumb, “No.”

  Peacock, “Why?”

  Thumb didn’t directly reply to the question but slowly said, “There are many type of whores!”

  Peacock, “What type is she?”

  Thumb, “She happens to the type I dislike!”

  Peacock asked again, “Why?”

  Thumb signed and bitterly said, “Because of all the woman I had seen, she is the most formidable. If I were to shut my eyes, she would kill me.”

  Peacock, “What if you don’t shut your eyes?”

  Thumb signed again, “Even if I don’t shut my eyes, she still could kill me.”

  Peacock, “I know your martial arts is pretty good.”

  Thumb, “But there are at least two women who could kill me in this world.”

  Peacock, “She is one of them?”

  Thumb signed and nodded.

  Peacock, “Who is the other one?”

  Thumb, “2nd Miss Ni, Ni Hui.”

  As he finished this sentence, a pearl of laughter was heard. Crisp and clear, as lovely as silver bells.

  The lane had high walls on both sides, and on top of the high walls were some foliage.

  Spring was deep, as was the foliage.

  The laughter came from deep within the foliage.

  “Bad Fatty, how did you know I am eavesdropping”