Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber Book 3

by Jin Yong

  The tall old mean wanted to purposely gave Zhang WuJi a hard dilemma. So Zhang WuJi would back off, and they won’t have to fight. However, Zhang WuJi smiled instead, and responds, "This is a strange weapon. Are you trying to test my strength?” As he spokem he walked over to the rock and lifted it with his left hand. He then yelled, "Let’s start!” Immediately, he flew to where the two old men stood with the rock in hand. The audience could not help but stare in shock, even forgetting to cheer on. The tall old man yelled, "This. this is impossible!” The short old man realizes that today’s opponent is much more powerful than anyone he has ever seen. Afer he calmed down and collected himself, the short old man yelled, "I’m coming!” Green light sparkled, as the saber advanced forward, aiming towards Zhang WuJi’s right arm. The tall old man asked, "Brother, are we really going to fight?” The short old man said, "Of course.” The saber slashed a semi-circle before changing directions, aiming for Zhang WuJi’s left shoulder. Zhang WuJi moved away, only to see another green light, as the tall old man also began his attack. Zhang WuJi said, "Good move.” Turned around and blocked with his rock, causing sparks to fly. In a smooth motion, Zhang WuJi then pushed the blocking rock forward, onto the tall old man. The tall old man stared in awe, saying, "You can use techniques with a rock?” The short old man then yelled, "Brother, watch out!” Then slashed the sword in a reverse manner, creating a crescent image, curving towards Zhang WuJi. The two old men continuously attack in synchronization, while Zhang WuJi gathers his Jiu Yang Shen Gong to roll the rock left and right. Although the reverse double sabers’ powers are great, this rock is simply too big. No matter what, they cannot strike past it. The tall old man then yelled, "Wait. You’re getting too big of an advantage in terms of weaponry. This isn’t fair.” Zhang WuJi chuckled, saying, "In that case, I won’t use it then.” and threw the rock up into the air. As the two old men stared at the rock, Zhang WuJi quickly dashed forward and sealed their pressure points. So the two old men can only stare helplessly as the rock falls towards them.

  The masses all let out a collect gasp. But at the last moment, Zhang WuJi came back and pushed the rock away. He then gently tapped the chest of the two old men, and said with a smile, "Sorry about that. It was just a little joke.” The short old man’s face turned gray, and sighed, "Forget it, forget it!” But the tall old man shook his head and said, "This doesn’t count.” Zhang WuJi said, "Why?” The tall old man said, "You only won because of your superior strength, not techniques.” Zhang WuJi said, "Fine. Then let’s play some more.” The tall old man said, "Of course, but we have to switch it up a bit. Otherwise, if you keep getting all these advantages, it would be quite unfair for us, don’t you think?” Zhang WuJi nodded, "Yes, of course.”

  Xiao Zhao had been watching intently on the side, but now stepped up, scraping her cheek with her hand, yelling, "Shame on you! Look at how long your beard is. And yet you keep saying about being at a disadvantage when the truth is the opposite?” The tall old man laughed, said, "What does a girl like you know? I’ve eaten more salt then you have rice. I’ve walked across more bridges than you have roads. Oh, be quiet, little kid.” He then turned around and said to Zhang WuJi, "If you don’t want to, we don’t have to compete. After all, you didn’t win or lose. Perhaps we can wait

  a few years before dueling again.” The short old man became increasingly annoyed at his martial brother. As a respected elder, who could he say such unreasonable things to a youngster. So he cut in, "We admit defeat. We’ll do what you say.” Zhang WuJi said, "I simply wish for there to be peace between the Ming sect and the six major sects. That is all.” The tall old man then cut in loudly, "What are you talking about? We haven’t competed with the new method yet. Are you trying to back out of that now?” The short old man stopped talking. He knows that although his tall brother acts foolishly, his thick face just might save them this time. Although it’s not righteous to do such a thing to a youngster, but at least if the plan succeeds, they won’t look too bad.

  Zhang WuJi said, "So what is the elder’s suggestions?” The tall old man said, "We have a Reverse Double Saber Art. You’ve already seen it. But Kun Lun also has a Forward Double Sword Art, which is also exquisite. They match up perfectly with our sabers. Should we combine our strength, two forms turn to four, four turns to eight. A mixture of Ying and Yang.” When he said this, he shook his head and said, "Too powerful, too powerful! There’s no way you can block it!” Zhang WuJi turned to the Kun Lun sect and said, "So who would like to come out from the Kun Lun sect?” The tall old man cut in and said, "Obviously, only the Iron Zither Couple are worthy of fighting with us. I just don’t know if Master He has the courage.” The members of the six sects all thought happily, "This old man really isn’t stupid after all. He’s seeking the help of the top two fighters of Kun Lun.” He TaiChong and Ban ShuXian looked at each other. They don’t know who these two old guys are, but since they’re the martial uncles of XianYu Tong, they must be respected elders. Besides, since they don’t live on the central plains, they don’t know too many people anyway. The couple thought, "They can’t beat this little kid, so want to drag us into it. This way, if we win, then can also save some face.” Only to hear the tall old man say, "I’m not surprised that they won’t come out. Although their Forward Double Sword Art is great, it’s still not quite as good as our Reverse Double Saber Art.” Ban ShuXian yelled angrily, "Who are you?” The tall old man said, "My surname is also He, Let’s go, Mrs. He.” His little joke prompted the crowd to start laughing*.

  *I’m not too sure about the joke here. But his words are suppose to be very funny. So let’s just assume that it is.

  Ban ShuXian has power in Kun Lun sect is near that of the master. Even He TaiChong has to defer to her sometimes. For years, she has acted like the queen on the Kun Lun Mountain. So how can she stand for this? Out comes the sword, aiming directly at the tall old man’s left arm. This all went in a blur. One moment, her hands are empty, the next, a sword appeared in her hands and is only inches away from the tall old man’s left shoulder. The tall old man quickly blocked turned his saber to block, ‘Dang’, the sword and the saber struck each other. Ban ShuXian used the ‘Plunder with the Golden Needle’ move, while the tall old man countered with the ‘No Plunder Will Succeed’, one goes forward, the other in reverse. The forms really are the exact opposites. As both fighters stepped back after the blow, they deeply became impressed with the other person. Both began to respect each other more. They thought, "These two techniques really do complement each other perfectly.” This is like a lonely person suddenly finding a friend. Ban ShuXian thought, "Their Reverse Saber really is something. If we fight together, our powers would grow exponentially. Besides, if they can’t beat this little kid, we might not either. Although it’s really terrible for four famous people like us to fight together, at least we can say that it’s the Hua Shan sect’s idea.” So she called out to He TaiChong, "Hey, come over here!” Although He TaiChong would never disobey his wife, he still has to act like a master of a sect in front of so many people. "Humph.” He called out to four servants. As one carried a sword, one carried an iron zither, the other two servants carried Buddha symbols, the five of them walked out into the arena. The servant with the sword then handed it over to He TaiChong, who took it, and promptly called off the servants. Ban ShuXian said to He TaiChong, "Hua Shan’s Reverse Double Saber Art isn’t too bad. Let’s go ahead and play around with this little kid. See just how powerful this combination can be.” As she finished and turned around, Ban ShuXian suddenly said "Huh?” upon seeing Zhang WuJi. "You. you.” She has only been apart from Zhang WuJi for five years, so although he has grown up

  these years, she still can see the resemblance from their last encounter. Zhang WuJi said, "Do you really want to talk about the past? My name is Zeng AhNuo.” Ban ShuXian realizes the meanings behind his words. If she reveals his identity, then he will reveal all those things her husband and her did to him in the past. So she said, "Young Hero Zeng’s skills
really have advanced quite a bit.

  I congratulate you. Let’s see how well you’ve progressed.” Zhang WuJi said, "I’ve long known the fame of the couple’s mystical sword arts. I hope you’ll be lenient on me.” He TaiChong said, "What type of weapon would you use?” When Zhang WuJi saw him, he immediately thought of the poison-sucking snake, which died when he fell off the cliff. He also thought of that day when they went to Wu Dang and forced his parent to commit suicide. The, he remembered when He TaiChong forced Yang BuHui and him to take the poison. Thankfully, Yang Xiao was luckily there to save him, or he would’ve died that day in the mountains. With all these things in mind, Zhang WuJi’s temper flared, thinking, "Although I can’t kill you today, He TaiChong, I am going to give you a thorough beating.” He then flew towards a nearby plum tree, and took down a plum branch before floating down. He carried the branch towards the four people, and said, "I’ll use this as my weapon to test out Hua Shan and Kun Lun’s high arts.” No one could believe what they just heard, thinking, "How can he possibly fight against swords and sabers with this little thing?” Zhang WuJi said, "I heard father say that former master He ZuDao was the master of zither, chess, and sword, and was known as the Three Saints of Kun Lun. Too bad I was born so late, unable to meet this great gentleman.” Everyone can see that by praising the former master, he’s belittling the He couple. Suddenly, a person came out yelling, "Little twerp. Who do you think you are, speaking that way about my mentor and master-uncle.” Only to see a longhaired Taoist appear from the crowd, holding a sword aiming towards Zhang WuJi’s back. This attacks is quite silent, and done while he’s talking. So despite the appearance of a warning, it’s really a sneak attack. Zhang WuJi did not turn around. Just as the sword is about to reach his shirt, Zhang WuJi’s left foot kicked to the right. By the time the foot came back down, the sword has been stuck between his foot and the ground. That Taoist tries to pull it out, but couldn’t. Zhang WuJi turned around, and saw that this was the person he met on the ship as a child, Xi HuaZi. Zhang WuJi remembered that this person has a bad temper, and repeatedly insulted his mother. His own temper flared, and asked, "You are Taoist Xi HuaZi?”

  Xi HuaZi, whose face is now bright red, did not respond. He only kept on trying to pull out the sword with all his strength. Zhang WuJi suddenly released his foot while applied some chi to the sword point with his left foot. Since Xi HuaZi didn’t expect this, he immediately fell backward on his butt. Only to hear some ‘ding ding dang dang’, as his sword broke into pieces, leaving only the handle in his hand. He’s the student of Ban ShuXian, which is why he calls He TaiChong Master-Uncle. So when he saw his mentor’s face filled with rage, he knew he had disgraced her big time.

  Xi HuaZi hurriedly got up, and then said, "Little bastard.” Zhang WuJi originally planned on letting him go, but when he heard Xi HuaZi disparaging his parents with the word ‘bastard’, he could not hold down his anger. In a flash he swept the branch across Xi HuaZi’s chest, sealing three of his major pressure points. Then he said to the two old men and the He couple, "Let’s start!” Ban ShuXian whispered to Xi HuaZi, "Get out of here, you think you haven’t disgraced me enough already?” Xi HuaZi said, "Yes!” But he still doesn’t move. Ban ShuXian then yelled, "I told you to scram, did you not hear?” Xi HuaZi said, "Yes, mentor, yes!” Although his voice sounds respectful, he still did not move. Ban ShuXian thought, "How come he’s not listening to me?” Although she saw Zhang WuJi touch him with the branch, she couldn’t imagine that Zhang WuJi can seal pressure points through objects. So she pushed Xi HuaZi hard on the shoulders, and yelled, "Get out of here, stop disgracing yourself.”

  Xi HuaZi said, "Yes, I know, mentor.” His body moved a bit, but his arms and legs didn’t. At this point, The He couple realized that Zhang WuJi had sealed his pressure points somehow. He TaiChong walked over and tried to unseal him, but for unfortunately, his inner power isn’t enough. Xi HuaZi still could not move. Zhang WuJi pointed to Yang BuHui, and said, "Five years ago, you sealed her pressure points, then made her drink down the poisoned wine. Today I’m simply returning the favor.” When the masses heard this, they all looked at Yang BuHui, seeing only a young girl. Five years ago, she must’ve been a little kid. It really is quite terrible for a leader of a sect to do such a disgusting thing. Ban ShuXian saw that it isn’t a good idea to keep this up, so she immediately raised her sword, and began to attack Zhang WuJi. The two Hua Shan elders and He TaiChong immediately followed.

  Zhang WuJi moved in a blur, passing in between the sword and saber blows, his branch almost hitting He TaiChong’s face. Then Zhang WuJi’s left hand flicked the short old man’s saber, while his branch aimed at He TaiChong’s sword. He TaiChong thought that no matter how good he is, the branch could not possibly block my sword. But Zhang WuJi’s turned the branch sideways a bit, and skimmed the side of the sword. At this instant, Zhang applied inner power to the branch, shooting out a wave of chi that propelled the sword to the side, and incidentally hit the tall old man’s saber.

  The tall old man yelled, "What are you doing, helping the enemy, He TaiChong?” He TaiChong’s face turned red, but he couldn’t say that his sword went off course because of Zhang WuJi’s inner power. So he snapped back, "That’s ridiculous!” and then turned his attention back to Zhang WuJi.

  As He TaiChong attacked, Ban ShuXian waited from behind to cut off any escape possibilities. The two old men also utilized their reverse double sword techniques at the same time. Although they are the opposite, the sword and saber forms still follows the 8 diagrams of the Book of Changes.

  So they can position themselves perfectly to complement each other. As the match went out, they only attacked faster and faster. Zhang WuJi knew that this would be a tough fight. And it proved correct as the formation gave him no weaknesses to exploit. Many times, he came close to losing.

  If he had a real weapon in hand, he might have blocked them. But unfortunately, his attitude is too peaceful, so he just used a plum branch. Suddenly he saw the short old man’s saber coming straight at him. Just as Zhang WuJi dodge it, Ban ShuXian’s sword came from his back, skimming the back of his leg before he got out of the way. At this time, He TaiChong’s sword once again came straight at him, while the tall and short old men attacked from top and bottom. Thinking quickly, Zhang WuJi immediately sneaked behind Xi HuaZi, forcing Ban ShuXian and He TaiChong to withdraw their next attacks. Since he couldn’t figure out a way to counter this sword formation, he could only spin around Xi HuaZi, using him as a shield against oncoming attacks. In his heart, he yelled, "Zhang WuJi, oh Zhang WuJi. You really should not have been so overconfident. As they say, the arrogant is bound to lose. You really need to keep that in mind from now on. You just thought that there is indeed no inner power kung fu better than Jiu Yang Shen Gong. No kung fu technique more exquisite than Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi. But there are always someone better than you.” Laughter came from the viewers, as they see Xi HuaZi only could stare helplessly in the middle of the battle, with swords and sabers coming at him. Ban ShuXian especially felt angry, as many chances of killing Zhang WuJi were wasted because of Xi HuaZi. Then the tall old man said, "Mrs. He, if you won’t kill him, I will.” Ban ShuXian snickered, "I can’t exactly control you, can I?”

  The tall old man then immediately aimed his saber at Xi HuaZi. Zhang WuJi thought, "Oh no. If he dies, then I would no longer have a shield. Plus, how can I let someone die for me?” So he waved his arm, and the wind carried by his sleeves guided the tall old man’s saber away. At the same time, the short old man came from the back, his saber moving silently. Zhang WuJi immediately got out of the way, but then found that his Saber is still continuing in the same direction. So he turned back and shot out his palms towards the short old man, prompting him to stop the attack. Xi HuaZia, grateful that Zhang WuJi saved his life twice, thought, "If I live past today, I’ll make sure to get back at these two old men.” When He TaiChong and Ban ShuXian saw Zhang WuJi protecting their student, their thoughts weren’t gratitude, but rath
er annoyance that Xi HuaZi is still around. Hence, their attacks became even more aggressive. Although it’s nearly impossible for them to aim for Zhang WuJi in this situation, they can aim for Xi HuaZi instead, and use him as bait to make Zhang WuJi help out. Then they can take the opportunity to attack Zhang WuJi straight on. When E Mei, Wu Dang, and Shaolin saw their methods, they can only shake their heads and feeling ashamed. As the battle went on, Zhang WuJi thought, "If I can’t beat them, then it’s no big deal for me to die. But why drag down the innocent with me?” He pushed back the tall old man’s attack and then used his branch to unseal Xi HuaZi’s pressure point. The short old man came from behind aiming for Xi HuaZi, but didn’t realize that his pressure point has been unsealed. Suddenly, he felt a fist hitting his nose, and blood poured out. Although the short old man’s kung fu is much better than Xi HuaZi’s, this blow came unexpectedly. So he couldn’t dodge. When the others saw this, they all started to laugh loudly. Ban ShuXian suppressed a laugh of her own, and ordered, "Xi HuaZi, get out of here!” Xi HuaZi said, "Yes. But I still owe that tall old man a punch.” But as he tried to attack the tall old man, the short old man immediately delivered a palm blow to his chest, prompting him to retreat, blood came out of his mouth. He TaiChong then came over, grabbed the back of his robe, and threw him back out into the crowd.