by Jin Yong
Liu Zhengfeng grabbed at Qu Feiyan’s arm. “Hurry up! Go now!” he said hastily. But because the shock from the Songshan style inner energy had broke his heart arteries, and the play of the “Smiling Proud Wanderer” had also used up his last bits of strength, the grab became so weak. With an easy pull, Qu Feiyan had freed her arm from Liu Zhengfeng’s hand.
Suddenly, reflections flashed in front of her eyes and Fei Bin’s long sword was already on its way toward Qu Feiyan’s face. She blocked the thrust with the left short sword and immediately thrust out the right short sword.
Fei Bin sneered as he circled his sword tip back and smacked it against Qu Feiyan’s sword in her right hand. A stream of numbness and pain shot through Qu Feiyan’s right palm and her entire right arm; the sword in her right hand flew out of her grip instantly. Fei Bin shook his sword in an angle and then poked backward. “Clank!” The sword in Qu Feiyan’s left hand was also knocked out and flew dozens of feet away. Before Qu Feiyan even had any chance to react, Fei Bin’s long sword was already pointed at her throat.
Fei Bin turned to Qu Yang, a cold grin on his face.
“Elder Qu, how about I first prick out your granddaughter’s left eye, then cut off her nose, and then cut off her two ears….”
Qu Feiyan screamed loudly. She jumped forward and threw herself at the long sword.
Fei Bin retracted the sword swiftly as he poke out with his right index finger, and Qu Feiyan fell to the ground like a rock.
Fei Bin burst into loud laughter. “You wicked demons,” he yelled, “with so many crimes you have committed, I am not going to let you die this easy. Let me first prick out your left eye.” He raised his sword and pierced it down toward Qu Feiyan’s left eye.
“Hold it!” someone shouted from behind him suddenly. Astounded, Fei Bin quickly turned around and waved his sword about to block any possible attacks. He had no idea that Linghu Chong and Yilin were actually hidden behind the rocks even before he arrived; otherwise, with his outstanding Kung Fu skills, nobody could have sneaked behind him without him noticing it. Under the dim moonlight, he saw a young man standing still, his hands on his hips.
“Who are you?” Fei Bin asked in a yell.
“Linghu Chong of the Huashan Sword School here shows his respect to Uncle-Master Fei,” Linghu Chong answered. He bowed to salute, but his body started shaking and he had a hard time keeping himself balance.
“Fine! So it’s the senior apprentice of apprentice brother Yue.” Fei Bin nodded. “What are you doing here?”
“I was injured by a Qingcheng apprentice, and was healing my wounds here, thus having the honor to meet you, Uncle-Master Fei.”
“Hmm, it’s perfect that you’re here.” Fei Bin snorted. “This little girl is an evil member of the Demon Cult. She deserves being executed. If I have to finish her off myself, it would look like a senior bullying a junior. You go ahead and kill her.” He pointed at Qu Feiyan.
Linghu Chong shook his head. “This little girl’s grandpa calls Uncle-Master Liu of the Hengshan Sword School a brother. So that would make her even one generation lower than I am. If I kill her, people would say that a Huashan Sword School senior bullied a junior. Once the news gets out, it probably wouldn’t do much good for our reputation. Besides, this senior master Qu and Uncle-Master Liu are both badly wounded; to bully a junior of theirs right in front of them wouldn’t be the right kind of behavior for a true gentleman. Our Huashan Sword School certainly wouldn’t do anything like that. Uncle-Master Fei, will you please pardon me?”
He had clearly implied that if the Songshan Sword School did the thing the Huashan Sword School disdained to do, that would obviously make the Songshan Sword School far less graceful than the Huashan Sword School.
Fei Bin knitted his brows, and a ferocious look appeared in his eyes.
“So you are secretly collaborating with the Demon Cult, too!” he bellowed in a stern voice. “That’s right, Liu Zhengfeng mentioned earlier that this Demon Qu had helped with your wounds and saved your life. I certainly did not expect an impressive Huashan apprentice to have submitted himself to the Demon Cult so quickly.”
The sword in his hand started to vibrate, and cold reflections flashed from the blade. He was about to thrust his sword at Linghu Chong.
“Nephew Linghu, you have nothing to do with this. There’s no need for you to mix yourself up in this. You should leave quickly to avoid getting your Master into an awkward position,” Liu Zhengfeng urged.
Linghu Chong laughed. “Uncle-Master Liu, we all consider ourselves part of the Chivalrous Side and irreconcilable with the Evil Side. What does the word ‘chivalrous’ really mean? Is it considered chivalrous to bully someone who has severe injuries? Is it considered chivalrous to kill an innocent little girl? If we were capable to lower ourselves to commit such deeds, what makes us different from the Evil Side?”
“Even our Demon Cult doesn’t do things like that,” Qu Yang said with a sigh, “Little brother Linghu, why don’t you leave now? If the Songshan Sword School likes to do such things, then just let them do as they wish.”
“I am not leaving!” Linghu Chong refused, a broad grin emerging on his lips. “‘Great Songyang Palm’ Hero Fei enjoys a great reputation in the Martial World. He is one of the best Masters in the Songshan Sword School. I am sure he was just trying to scare the little girl with harsh words. How could he actually commit such shameless deeds? Uncle-Master Fei is not that kind of guy.” He folded his arms in front of his chest and leaned onto the trunk of a pine tree.
A strong wish to kill washed over Fei Bin, and he grinned hideously.
“You think you can just tie me up with your words, so I have to let these three devils walk free? Keep on dreaming! Well, since you have submitted yourself to the Demon Cult, what difference does it make for me to kill four instead of three?” He took a step forward.
Seeing the hideous look on his face, Linghu Chong was astounded, yet he kept the same face as he pondered hard for an idea to get out of trouble.
“Uncle-Master Fei, you are thinking about killing me to rid the witness, aren’t you?” he asked.
“Hey, you’re smart. That’s right!” Fei Bin had no intention to deny. He took another step forward forcefully.
Suddenly, a young nun walked out from behind the rocks.
“Uncle-Master Fei, the sea of bitterness has no bounds; repent and the shore is at hand. You only have the intent to commit a crime, yet the crime has not been committed. It’s still not too late to rein in at the brink of the precipice.”
That was Yilin. Although Linghu Chong had instructed her to hide behind the rocks and not to let anyone see her, seeing the danger Linghu Chong was in, she immediately walked out without much thinking, hoping to convince Fei Bin to stop with her sincere advice.
Fei Bin was caught in great surprise. “You are from the Heng-Shan Sword School, right? Why are you hiding here in such a sneaky way?” he demanded.
“I…I….” Yilin blushed and could only murmur.
Qu Feiyan lay on the ground still. She could not move any of her limbs because of her sealed acupoints, but she could still talk.
“Sister Yilin,” she shouted, “I knew you’d be together with big brother Linghu. So you did heal his wounds. Too bad…too bad we are all going to die soon.”
“No, we won’t.” Yilin shook her head. “Uncle-Master Fei is a renowned hero in the Martial World. How could he hurt a severely wounded man or a little girl like you?”
“Is he really a renowned hero, a true man?” Qu Feiyan only sneered.
“The Songshan Sword School houses the Alliance Chief of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, the leader of the Chivalrous Side of the Martial World. They would, of course, follow the chivalrous rules first no matter what they do,” Yilin emphasized.
She had really said those words sincerely and honestly, but in Fei Bin’s ears, it all sounded like sarcastic ridicules. “In for a penny, in for a pound,” he thought secretly. “If I let anyone of the
m leave here alive, my reputation would be ruined forever. Even though I am killing demons of the Demon Cult, killing wounded people and prisoners is not the kind of act of a true man, and will surely be looked down upon by others.” At that thought, he pointed his sword at Yilin.
“You are neither severely wounded, nor a little girl that cannot move; I guess it’s alright to kill you then.”
Greatly stunned, Yilin took several steps back.
“Me…me…me? Why do you want to kill me?” in a trembling voice, she asked in disbelief.
“You ganged up with the demons of the Demon Cult. That little devil even called you a sister; you are obviously taking the demons’ side. Of course I won’t let you go.” He took another step forward and was ready to thrust his sword at Yilin.
Linghu Chong hurriedly rushed in front of Yilin, hiding her behind him. “Apprentice sister, run! Quick! Ask your Master to come save us,” he shouted loudly. He knew clearly that water a mile away wouldn’t extinguish the fire close by. Asking Yilin to go seek help was just another excuse to get her out of here, staying away from danger.
Fei Bin waved his sword and thrust the tip of the blade toward Linghu Chong’s right shoulder, which Linghu Chong dodged by turning to the side hurriedly, then, Fei Bin thrust out three more continuous moves, which Linghu Chong was only able to escape barely.
Yilin was extremely worried. She drew the broken sword by her waist in a hurry and thrust it at Fei Bin’s shoulder.
“Big brother Linghu, you have injuries. Stay back!” she shouted.
“I see. The little nun has forgotten about all the prohibitions. After seeing a handsome lad, she doesn’t even care about her own life any more.” Fei Bin let out a stream of laughter. He slashed his sword straight down. “Clank!” The two swords collided and Yilin’s broken sword was instantly knocked out of her grip. Fei Bin pushed his sword forward, and the sword headed straight toward Yilin’s heart.
Fei Bin figured that he had as many as five people to kill. Even though none of them could really put up a decent fight with him, but a long delay would mean many hitches, and he couldn’t afford to let any one of them escape, otherwise, there would be endless trouble. That was why he was so determined to use deadly moves.
Linghu Chong jumped on Fei Bin, poking two fingers of his left hand at Fei Bin’s eyes. Fei Bin pushed the ground with his toes and leapt backward, slicing his sword conveniently following his body movements, which left a long cut on Linghu Chong’s left arm.
Linghu Chong’s fierce attack with disregard to his own life saved Yilin from being stabbed, but it also exhausted all his strength that he could hardly breathe, his body trembling hard, as if he could collapse any second.
Yilin rushed forward and held onto his arms. “He will have to kill the both of us!” she exclaimed in a sobbing voice.
“Run…run away now…hurry up…!” although totally out of breath, Linghu Chong managed to squeeze out these words.
“You dummy!” Qu Feiyan grinned. “Don’t you understand what she wants? She wants to die with you…!” Before she could finish, Fei Bin’s sword had already penetrated her heart.
Qu Yang, Liu Zhengfeng, Linghu Chong, and Yilin all screamed in disbelief.
With a hideous grin on his face, Fei Bin slowly took a step toward Linghu Chong and Yilin, then another step, then another. Blood dripped down from the tip of the sword one drop after another.
Linghu Chong’s mind fell into a state of chaos: “He…he actually killed the little girl. How vicious! I am going to die, too. Why does apprentice sister Yilin want to die together with me? Yes, I’ve saved her before, but she has saved me, too, and has repaid the favor she owed me. I had never known her before. We are just apprentice brother and sister of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance. There is of course the code of honor in the Martial World, but she doesn’t have to sacrifice her life for that. I’d never thought an apprentice of the Heng-Shan Sword School would take brotherhood of the Martial World so seriously. Sister Dingyi must be a remarkable person. Ah, it’s this apprentice sister Yilin who will die together with me, not my little apprentice sister Lingshan. Talking about Lingshan, what is she…doing right now?” With a gentle sigh and a slight smile, he shut his eyes tight and completely ignored the dreadful face of Fei Bin that was getting closer and closer.
All of a sudden, several faint sounds of a huqin came into his ears. The tone was filled with sadness, almost sounded like a sigh, yet also sounded like a sob. The sounds quivered, like drops of rain falling on leaves. Very surprised, Linghu Chong opened his eyes.
A shock went through Fei Bin’s heart: “‘Night Rain of Xiaoxiang’ Great Mr. Mo is here.”
The music played by the huqin became even more depressing, but Great Mr. Mo remained behind the trees.
“Great Mr. Mo, why don’t you come out?” Fei Bin yelled.
Music from the huqin stopped. A thin figure walked out from behind a pine tree. Linghu Chong had long heard of the fame of “Night Rain of Xiaoxiang” Great Mr. Mo, but he had never seen him in person before. Now in the dim moonlight, he could see a man standing in front of Fei Bin. He was so thin that he was mere skeleton, and his back arced badly. He looked almost like someone who was so ill that he could collapse down and die any second. Who would have thought that the well-known Head Master of the Hengshan Sword School had such a wretched appearance?
Great Mr. Mo cupped his hands toward Fei Bin, still holding the huqin in his left hand. “Apprentice brother Fei! How is Alliance Chief Zuo?” he greeted.
Seeing that Great Mr. Mo hadn’t come with any ill intentions, and also knowing that he didn’t get along with Liu Zhengfeng, Fei Bin answered, “Thanks for asking, Great Mr. Mo. My apprentice brother Zuo is just fine. Liu Zhengfeng of your respectful school collaborated with the Demon Cult and had plotted against our Five Mountains Sword Alliance. Great Mr. Mo, what do you think we should do?”
Great Mr. Mo took two steps toward Liu Zhengfeng and said in a chilling tone, “We should kill!” Right after the word “kill,” a thin and narrow long sword appeared in his hand out of nowhere. Cold reflections flashed when he thrust the sword hard backward; the tip of the blade went straight toward Fei Bin’s chest. His sudden attack was so fast and swift that it almost looked unreal. That was one of the unique moves of the “Magical Thirteen Phantom Stances of Hengshan Mist.”
Fei Bin had fallen for this unique style of Kung Fu from Liu Zhengfeng earlier in Liu House, and now he fell for it again. In great astonishment, he jumped back as quickly as he could, but it was still not quick enough. In a tearing sound, the sword sliced across his chest; his robe was cut open and a long cut appeared on his chest. Although the wound was nothing serious, because of his surprise and anger, he had lost his edge in spirit.
Fei Bin immediately started his own attack, but Great Mr. Mo had taken control of the initiative with his first move, and his attacks poured out continuously, one wave after another. The thin sword twisted and vibrated like a serpent, flying swiftly in between Fei Bin’s sword flashes. Fei Bin was forced to retreat back a step, then another, without a chance to utter a cry or swear.
Qu Yang, Liu Zhengfeng, and Linghu Chong were all taken aback by the magical and ghost-like sword moves of Great Mr. Mo. Liu Zhengfeng had studied with him in the same school, and had been his apprentice brother for decades, but even he did not expect such outstanding and magnificent sword skills out of him.
Drops of blood splashed out between the two swords. Fei Bin jumped and dodged and ducked, trying his best to block away the attacks, but he still couldn’t escape the cage of light created by Great Mr. Mo’s fast sword. The splashing blood gradually made a red circle around them.
Suddenly, Fei Bin uttered a long scream and jumped high in the air as Great Mr. Mo took a few steps back. Shoving his sword into the huqin, Great Mr. Mo turned on his heels and strolled away. A song of “Night Rain of Xiaoxiang” rose from behind the pine trees, and soon the music fainted into the distance.
Fei Bi
n collapsed onto the ground after his jump. Blood sprang out from his chest and up into the air like a fountain. In the fierce fight, he had loaded the Songshan style inner energy. When his chest was stabbed, the inner energy was still circling inside his body, and started pumping blood out from the wound. Such a scene was strange yet horrifying.
Yilin held onto Linghu Chong’s arm, her heart thumping like a drum. “You didn’t get injured again, did you?” she asked in whisper.
Qu Yang heaved a sigh. “Brother Liu, you had mentioned before that you don’t get along with your apprentice brother. Who would have thought that he would save us when we are in danger.”
“My apprentice brother always behaves in such odd ways. I really have no idea beforehand what he might do. We don’t get along. It has nothing to do with the fact that I’m rich and he’s poor. It’s just that our temperaments don’t agree with each other,” Liu Zhengfeng explained.
“His sword skills are so outstanding, but the music he played with his huqin only showed sadness and depression that will move the audience into tears. His music play is too vulgar; he still cannot get rid of the sordid street tone in his music.” Qu Yang shook his head.
“Exactly!” Liu Zhengfeng couldn’t agree more. “Apprentice brother’s huqin play has no circulation in the chords, and the tone always goes far too deep into the sadness. Good poems have regards about joyful but not fancy, sad yet not depressing. What’s so different about music? Every time when I hear his huqin play, all I want to do is to run as far away as possible from it.”
Linghu Chong couldn’t help thinking to himself, “These two are simply obsessed with music. Even in such a life threatening situation, all they could think of are ‘sad yet not depressing’ and ‘vulgar versus graceful.’ If it weren’t Uncle-Master Mo who got here in time, we would all be dead. What a pity that the little girl Qu had to be murdered by Fei Bin.”
