by Jin Yong
Branch Leader Cheng yelled, "Be careful!” He then swung the rope, XiHua Zi’s body flew back over twenty meters, then this momentum was used to send him over to the other boat.
XiHua Zi let go of the rope, and landed on the boat’s deck. His had just lost his sword to the sea, and was about to go berserk. Only to hear thunderous laughter coming from the Heavenly Eagle Sect’s boat. XiHua Zi quickly grabbed Wei SiNiang’s sword and was about to go duel with them. But then realized that the two boats are too far apart now. So other than cursing loudly, he couldn’t do anything else.
Yu LianZhou saw exactly how Yin SuSu ridiculed XiHua Zi. He felt that this woman is quite cruel, not a good match for fifth brother, and then said, "Hall leaders Yin and Li. Please tell your sect leader that should he have time, we welcome him to the Yellow Crane Restaurant gathering. Now let us part. Fifth brother, are you coming with me to see master?” Zhang CuiShan said, "Yes.”
Yin SuSu knew that Yu LianZhou wanted to separate her and Zhang CuiShan. She looked up at the sky, then down on the deck.
Zhang CuiShan knew what she meant, ‘On Heaven or in Hell, never to part’. So he said, "Second brother, how about I take your sister-in-law and nephew to see our master. Then, with his permission, we would then go see my father-in-law. Is that alright?” Yu LianZhou hesitated, but knew that he can’t truly separate this family of three, and nodded.
Joyous at his approval, Yin SuSu turned to Li TianYuan, said, "Martial uncle, please send these words to my dad. Tell him his daughter can’t visit him right now. I will go back home as soon as I can.”
Li TianYuan said, "That’s fine, I’ll wait surely wait for you. He then stood up, and waved goodbye to Yu LianZhou.
Yin SuSu asked, "How is my father’s health?” Li TianYuan said, "Excellent! He’s more energetic than ever.” Yin SuSu then asked, "How is my brother?” Li TianYuan said, "Also excellent! His kung fu has accelerated greatly these past years. Not even this martial uncle is his match now. Pretty ashamed of myself, really.” Yin SuSu smiled, and said, "Oh, you’re just joking with me.” Li TianYuan said seriously, "Actually, I’m not kidding. Even your father’s said that his son would soon surpass himself. Don’t you think that’s amazing?” Yin SuSu said, "Oh, I can’t believe you’re gloating like this in front of outsiders. You’re not afraid that Second Hero Yu would laugh at you?”
Li TianYuan said with a smile, "Fifth Hero Zhang is now our leader’s son-in-law. How could Second Hero Yu be an outsider?” As he spoke, Li TianYuan bowed with his fists together, and walked out the cabin.
Yu LianZhou felt quite annoyed upon hearing these last words. He raised his eyebrows, but did not speak.
o0o
After the people from the Heavenly Eagle Sect had left, Zhang CuiShan asked in a hurry, "Second brother, what happened to third brother afterwards? Did he.recover?” Yu LianZhou sighed, but did not respond for a long time. Zhang CuiShan waited in suspense. He kept examining Yu LianZhou, afraid that he’d say the word ‘died’.
Yu LianZhou then said, "Third brother’s still alive. But quite frankly, he’s not much different from a dead person. His whole body’s permanently crippled. There is no longer a Third Hero Yu in the martial world now.”
Zhang CuiShan was happy that Yu DaiYan was alive, but cried at third brother’s crippled condition. He then asked, "Have you found out who injured my third brother?”
Yu LianZhou didn’t respond. Instead he turned toward Yin SuSu. His eyes glared like lightning, and asked, "Miss Yin, do you know who injured my third brother?” Yin SuSu shuddered and said, "I heard his joints were broken by Shaolin’s Golden-Steel Finger.” Yu LianZhou said, "That’s correct. Do you know who did it?” Yin SuSu shook her head, said, "I don’t know.”
Yu LianZhou then ignored her, and said to Zhang CuiShan, "Fifth brother, Shaolin said that you killed everyone in the Dragon Gate Escort Agency, including servants and relatives. Plus you killed several Shaolin monks. Is this true?”
Zhang CuiShan said, "Well.” Yin SuSu cut in, "This doesn’t concern him. I killed all of them.”
Yu LianZhou glanced at her, with eyes full of hatred. But after an instant, his expression quickly returned to normal, then said, "I knew fifth brother would never kill mindlessly like that. Because of this matter, Shaolin came to Wu Dang Mountain three times. But since everyone knew fifth brother disappeared, they can’t really do anything. We kept saying that Shaolin injured third brother. They kept saying that fifth brother murdered all those people. Thankfully, the Shaolin Abbot Kong Wen is a cautious person, and quite respectful of our master. He told his disciples not to view us as enemies. So we never had any open conflicts with Shaolin these ten years.”
Yin SuSu said, "This is all due to the mistakes of my younger days. But since I’ve already killed them, let’s just not tell them the truth. They can’t figure it out anyway.”
Yu LianZhou showed an astonished expression, and glanced at Zhang CuiShan. He thought, "How could you marry a woman like this?”
Yin SuSu saw Yu LianZhou’s cold expression toward her, including calling her ‘Miss Yin’ rather than ‘sister-in-law’. Frustrated, she said, "I will take responsibility for my own actions. Don’t worry, Wu Dang will not get dragged into this. If Shaolin wants revenge, then they can seek my Heavenly Eagle Sect.”
Yu LianZhou said, "Nothing in the martial world is above the word ‘reason’. Even if we’re not dealing with the powerful Shaolin, but rather a lowly farmer, one still cannot be unreasonable.”
If this had been ten years ago, Yin SuSu would’ve drawn her sword in anger. But she heard Zhang CuiShan say, "Second brother’s words are quite right,” and thought, "Do you think I really care about your righteous crap? I just don’t want to burden my husband by arguing with you.” She then grabbed WuJi’s hands and walked out the deck, said, "WuJi, let me show you around this boat. You’ve never seen one, right?”
After his wife and son left the cabin, Zhang CuiShan said, "Second brother, in the past ten years, I.” Yu LianZhou held up his hand, said, "Fifth brother, you and I closer than even blood brothers. No matter what you did, I will stand by your side. As for your wife, there’s no need to explain everything. Just tell master everything when we return. Should he truly oppose this marriage, us seven brothers will get on our knees and beg him. After all, even your son’s grown up now. Surely master would not separate you and your wife.” Exhilarated at these words, Zhang CuiShan said, "Thank you, second brother.”
Yu LianZhou is cold on the outside, but warm inside. Among the seven brothers, he is the most stern and jokes the least. Although the younger brothers respect him a great deal, they also fear him much more than their eldest martial brother, Song YuanQiao. In reality, Yu LianZhou’s also incredibly caring of his brothers. When Zhang CuiShan disappeared, his heart was broken. But on the surface, he maintained the same, cold expression. Seeing his long, lost brother today is one of the happiest moments of his life. Yet he still carried that cold expression, and even scolded Yin
SuSu. Only when alone with his brother, did Yu LianZhou speak his true feelings. He’s mostly afraid of one thing, Yin SuSu’s murder of those Shaolin disciples. Nonetheless, Yu LianZhou made a promise in his mind. He would protect fifth brother’s family with his life.
Zhang CuiShan then asked, "Second brother, how did we become enemies with the Heavenly Eagle Sect? Did my wife and I cause the conflict?” Yu LianZhou did not respond, instead asked, "What exactly happened on Wang Pan Island?”
Zhang CuiShan told the whole story, from going to the Dragon Gate Escort Agency, till Xie Xun forced them out to sea. Then Yu LianZhou inquired about Kun Lun’s Gao ZeCheng and Jiang Tao.
Afterwards, Yu LianZhou pondered for a long time, before saying, "So that’s what happened. If you hadn’t came back, I doubt we’d ever find the truth.” Zhang CuiShan said, "Yes, my sworn brother. Sigh. Second brother, Xie Xun really isn’t as terrible as everyone thinks. He only did so many bad things because of a terrible tragedy. Now, he is my
sworn brother.” Yu LianZhou nodded, thought, "This is another troubling issue.”
Zhang CuiShan continued, "When my sworn brother howled, he turned everyone on the island insane. That way, no one could reveal his secret.”
Yu LianZhou said, "Although Xie Xun’s actions are very brutal, he is, undoubtedly, a very ingenious person. However, despite his careful planning, Xie Xun forgot one person.” Zhang CuiShan asked, "Who?” Yu LianZhou said, "Bai GuiShou.”
Zhang CuiShan said, "Heavenly Eagle Sect’s Branch Leader Bai?” Yu LianZhou said, "That’s correct. You said that his internal power was the best among the people there. He fainted when Xie Xun shot him with the poisonous wine. Had he been awake, I doubt he could’ve withstood the howl.”
Zhang CuiShan said, "So that’s what happened. Bai GuiShou was still unconscious during the howl, so he kept his sanity. My sworn brother never realized this.”
Yu LianZhou sighed, said, "It seemed that only Bai GuiShou was able to make it out of Wang Pan Island unscathed. Although Kun Lun inner power is quite strong, Gao and Jiang had only rudimentary knowledge of it. They have since become mentally retarded. When others ask them who made them this way, Jiang Tao simply shook his head, while Gao ZeCheng kept repeating a single person’s name, Yin SuSu.” He paused a moment, then added, "Now I know that it’s because he couldn’t forget sister-in-law. Humph, the next time XiHua Zi utters such nonsense, I’ll certainly give him a piece of my mind. Obviously it’s the Kun Lun disciples who are unruly, yet he had to blame it on someone else.”
Zhang CuiShan said, "If Bai GuiShou was fine, then he should’ve explained everything.” Yu LianZhou said, "But he won’t say anything. Do you know why?” Zhang CuiShan thought for a moment, realized the reason, and said, "That’s right. The Heavenly Eagle Sect wants the Dragon Saber. They obviously don’t want anyone else to know about this.” Yu LianZhou said, "That’s how the conflict started. Kun Lun Sect kept saying that Yin SuSu destroyed Gao and Jiang. We thought the Heavenly Eagle Sect killed you.”
Zhang CuiShan said, "Did Bai GuiShou tell you that I went to Wang Pan Island too?” Yu LianZhou said, "No. He wouldn’t say anything. Fourth brother, sixth brother, and I went to Wang Pan Island. We saw you wrote those twenty-four characters. That’s how we knew you went to that ceremony. When we couldn’t find you on the island, we asked Bai GuiShou. He didn’t respond, and instead attacked us. I managed to injure him with my palm. Later on, Kun Lun Sect started sought the
Heavenly Eagle Sect out, but lost pretty badly. Then things started to get more and more out of hand.
Zhang CuiShan was quite remorseful. He said, "I feel so awful, knowing my wife and I had caused so much problems in the martial world. After reporting to master, I’ll personally apologize to each sect.”
Yu LianZhou sighed, said, "Actually, it’s just all a coincidence, rather than your making. Remember that day ten years ago? When master asked seventh brother and I to go protect the Dragon Gate Escort Agency? On the way, we encountered an unjust situation. We just had to stop and take care of the matter. And in the process saved more than ten innocent lives. But by the time we got to Lin An, the murder at the Dragon Gate Escort Agency had already occurred. Actually, you and your wife only caused the hostilities between Wu Dang, Kun Lun against the Heavenly Eagle Sect. But since the Heavenly Eagle Sect wanted the Dragon Saber, they never brought up Xie Xun’s name. So Sea Sand Sect, Huge Whale Clan, and Divine Fist Sect all believed that the Heavenly Eagle Sect killed their leaders. As a result, the Heavenly Eagle Sect developed quite a bad reputation.”
Zhang CuiShan sighed, said, "Actually, the Dragon Saber is hardly anything remarkable. Why would my father-in-law sacrifice so much for it?”
Yu LianZhou said, "I had never seen your father-in-law. But I do respect his strong, fighting spirit, as he fought off waves of enemies.”
Zhang CuiShan said, "Shaolin, E Mei, and these other sects did not go to the Wang Pan Island ceremony. How did Heavenly Eagle Sect offend them?” Yu LianZhou said, "This concerns your sworn brother Xie Xun. In order to get the Dragon Saber, the Heavenly Eagle Sect continuously sent ships out to sea, hoping to find Xie Xun. You can’t contain a fire by wrapping it with paper. No matter how tight Bai GuiShou’s lips, the secret eventually got out. Your sworn brother committed over thirty crimes using ‘Lightning Fist of the Originating Formation’ Cheng Kun’s name. Countless people in the martial world want him dead. Do you know about this?”
Zhang CuiShan whispered, "They finally figured out that he did it.” Yu LianZhou said, "Every time he commits a crime, he’d write ‘The murderer is Lightning Fist of the Originating Formation: Cheng Kun’. At that time, we all investigated into this matter, but couldn’t find any leads. Things changed once people knew that Heavenly Eagle Sect is seeking Xie Xun. They remembered that Xie Xun is Cheng Kun’s only disciple, and that Xie Xun despised his master. Obviously, the killer framing Cheng Kun is likely Xie Xun. Think about just how many people Xie Xun killed, and how many people it affects. Just the murder of Shaolin’s Reverend Kong Jian alone, was enough to make him a very wanted person.”
Zhang CuiShan sighed, said, "My sworn brother has changed his ways. But too much blood covers his hands. Second brother, I really don’t know what to do.”
Yu LianZhou said, "Wu Dang became the Heavenly Eagle Sect’s enemy due to you. Kun Lun due to Gao and Jiang. Huge Whale Clan and others due to revenge for their leaders. In addition, countless groups and people, led by Shaolin, sought out the Heavenly Eagle Sect due to Xie Xun. In the past years, there had been five major battles, and countless minor skirmishes. The Heavenly Eagle Sect lost every single major battle, but still hung on despite everything. Your father-in-law has truly done a remarkable job. Of course, the major sects like Wu Dang and Shaolin did not attack with full force. One, we didn’t want to act rashly before finding out the truth. Two, the Heavenly Eagle Sect didn’t look to be the main culprit. This time, we got information that their Heavenly City Hall’s Hall Leader Li headed out to sea, to look for Xie Xun. So we tried to follow them. But Hall Leader Li saw us, told us to leave. Kun Lun Sect then attacked them. Had you two
not been here, both sides would’ve have suffered many more casualties.”
Zhang CuiShan remained silent, while examined his second brother. Only to see his hair beginning to gray, and his face full of wrinkles. Zhang CuiShan said, "Second brother, you’ve been through a lot this past ten years. After surviving through these years, I was finally able to see you. I. I.”
Yu LianZhou saw the tears on Zhang CuiShan’s face, and said, "It’s fantastic to have the seven brothers united again. After third brother got injured, and you disappeared, everyone renamed us ‘Five Heroes of Wu Dang’. Now we can changed it back to seven heroes again.” He then thought of Yu DaiYan’s crippled condition. Even though there are seven of them again, no longer can all seven roam the martial world together. Yu LianZhou’s heart saddened upon this realization. o0o
After sailing southward for about ten days, they arrived at the mouth of the Yangtze River. They switched to riding a riverboat, and rode up the river.
Zhang CuiShan and Yin SuSu changed into robes, looked no less amazing than ten years before. WuJi wore a new shirt, and a new pair of pants. He looked very cute with two pigtails tied on his head.
Yu LianZhou spent his whole life on martial arts, never married or have kids. So he was very fond of WuJi. But due to his aloofness, Yu LianZhou’s face remained cold. However, WuJi knew this cold-faced uncle is quite nice to him. When he has spare time, WuJi would ask Yu LianZhou all sorts of questions. Grown up on a deserted island, WuJi knew almost nothing about the mainland, and found everything interesting. Yu LianZhou didn’t find WuJi annoying, and often hold him up on the front of the boat, to observe the river scenery. WuJi would ask nine or ten questions, and he’d just give a short answer to one.
This day the boat arrived at the foot of the Tong Guan Mountain, in the An Hwei province. At dusk, the boat docked at a nearby town. The b
oatmen left the boat to go buy food. Zhang CuiShan, Yin SuSu, and Yu LianZhou stayed on the boat to chat.
WuJi played by himself at the head of the boat. He saw an old beggar on the dock, sitting on the ground and playing with a snake. A green snake rested on his head, while a black snake danced on his hands. That black snake quickly jumped onto his head and slithered its way down the man’s back. WuJi had never seen a snake on the Fire-Ice Island. So he found it very interesting. When that old beggar saw him, he smiled, and flicked his finger. That black snake suddenly jumped up, did a flip in midair, and dropped into the beggar’s chest pocket. WuJi stared intently. That old beggar gestured at him, hinting that he has more tricks should WuJi get closer.
WuJi quickly jumped off the ship toward him. The old beggar took out a sack, opened it up, and said, "There’s something really fun inside. You want to see?” WuJi said, "What’s inside?” That old beggar said, "It’s very interesting. Take a look and you’ll see.” WuJi put his head close to look, but still couldn’t see anything. He moved even closer, when that old beggar suddenly flipped his hands, covering WuJi’s head in the sack. WuJi let out an ‘Ah’, but the old man quickly covered his mouth. Afterwards, WuJi felt his whole body being lifted up.
WuJi’s scream within the sack was hardly loud. But both Yu LianZhou and Zhang CuiShan heard him. They were quite far away, sitting inside the cabin. But upon the scream, they immediately rushed out to the front of the boat. Only to see the old beggar holding WuJi.
The two was about to jump off the boat, when that old beggar yelled, "If you value the child’s life,
then stay where you are.” As he spoke, he tore off a piece of WuJi’s shirt, and put that black snake next to WuJi’s skin.
By now Yin SuSu also arrived. In a hurry to save WuJi, she immediately tried to throw the silver needles. But Yu LianZhou stopped her and said, "No!” He recognized that this black snake is called ‘Shadow Star’, a very famous breed of poisonous snake. The shinier its body, the more poisonous it is. This black snake shined brightly. Its mouth opened, aimed at WuJi’s skin. Due the poison’s potency, WuJi would die immediately if bitten. Even if the old man has the antidote, it would still be too late. Yu LianZhou’s expression remained unchanged, and said, "May I ask. Why you are holding this child?”
