Smiling Proud Wanderer Vol 02, page 10
“Master,” Linghu Chong answered, “that was a long story. Please allow me to explain in details.”
“How long has Tian Boguang been on Mount Huashan?”
“About half a month.”
“During the half a month, was he on Mount Huashan all the time?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you report to me?” Yue Buqun asked in a stern voice.
“Master and Master-Wife weren’t here at the time,” Linghu Chong answered.
“Where were we then?”
“You were in Chang-An Town chasing Mister Tian.”
Yue Buqun let out a snort. “Mister Tian? Humph, Mister Tian! You knew he committed countless of cruel crimes; why didn’t you slay him with your sword? Even if you couldn’t beat him, you should have died fighting him, why did you make friends with him in fear for your life?”
“I didn’t want to kill him. What could he do? Kill himself with his own sword because he couldn’t beat me in a fight?” Tian Boguang interrupted. Still not able to stand up, he remained sitting on the ground.
“What makes you think you are allowed to talk in front of me?” Yue Buqun retorted. He said to Linghu Chong, “Go kill him!”
“Father, big apprentice brother has severe wounds. He shouldn’t fight anyone!” Yue Lingshan couldn’t help but interrupt.
“Wasn’t that evil rapist seriously wounded, just as well? What are you worrying about? I am here. Do you think I will allow that villain to injure my apprentice?” Yue Buqun said.
Yue Buqun knew that Linghu Chong was cunning and crafty, and hated evil as if it were his personal enemy. In addition, Tian Boguang had wounded him just recently, so for sure, he would not make true friends with that evil rapist. Perhaps he resorted to a battle of wits after failing the batter of strength. At the moment, Tian Boguang had been seriously wounded, and probably that would have attributed to Linghu Chong’s effort, already. That was why when he heard that Linghu Chong had made friends with the evil rapist, he wasn’t angry for real, and only ordered Linghu Chong to kill the villain. That would not only rid the people of a scourge, but also make a name for a young apprentice. Yue Buqun was sure that at Tian Boguang’s current state, even if he could still fight Linghu Chong to a tie, he would stand no chance against even a slight snap attack from Yue himself. But to his surprise, Linghu Chong replied,
“Master, this brother Tian has promised me that he will sincerely mend his ways starting from now on and never harm any innocent woman. I know that he is a man of his word, why don’t we…?”
“What…what makes you believe that he is a man of his word? How can one discuss word of honor with such a villain who has committed crimes for which even death cannot atone? How many innocent lives have perished under his murderous knife? What good is it that we martial people practice martial arts if we don’t slay this type of evil? Lingshan, hand your sword over to your big apprentice brother,” Yue Buqun yelled, in a stern voice.
“Yes!” Yue Lingshan replied. She unsheathed her sword and handed the sword to Linghu Chong, handle first.
Linghu Chong found himself in a very awkward situation. He never dared to go against his Master’s orders, but earlier on the verge of death, he had already shaken hands with Tian Boguang and made friends with him. In addition, Tian Boguang had promised to correct his errors and make a fresh start. Although Tian Boguang committed countless crimes before, he was one who would truly keep his words. If Linghu Chong killed him now, it wouldn’t feel right. He took the sword from Yue Lingshan and started stumbling toward Tian Boguang. After a dozen steps or so, he pretended that his legs were too weak because of the several wounds of his. Bending his left knee all of a sudden, he threw himself to the ground, and with a thud, the long sword in his hand penetrated his left shin.
No one had expected that to happen, and all cried out in shock. Yilin and Yue Lingshan both dashed toward him, but Yilin halted only after her first step, thinking to herself that how could she, a member of the Buddhist order, show her care and affection to a young man in public.
“Big apprentice brother, are you alright?” Yue Lingshan rushed by Linghu Chong and cried out.
Linghu Chong did not answer, his eyes shut tight.
Yue Lingshan grabbed hold of the sword handle and gave it a pull. The sword came out as blood gushed out from the wound like a spring. She hurriedly took out some medication of the Huashan School and applied them onto Linghu Chong’s wound on his leg. When she looked up by chance, she suddenly noticed the worried pale face of Yilin that was covered by care and concern. Yue Lingshan felt a thump in her heart as she thought to herself, “This little nun surely cares for big apprentice brother very much!”
“Dad, let me slay that evil villain.” Yue Lingshan stood up with her sword in hand.
“If you kill that villain, you would stain your reputation for nothing. Give the sword to me!” Yue Buqun directed.
Tian Boguang was such an infamous rapist that his name was well known by many. Yue Buqun worried that when the news spread out later that Miss Yue had killed Tian Boguang, it was destined that some rascals would cook up many stories about how there was an attempted rape, so on and so forth.
Hearing her father’s words, Yue Lingshan handed the sword over, but Yue Buqun did not take the sword, instead, he flicked his right sleeve, which wrapped the sword inside.
“No!” Monk No Commandment shouted when he saw the scene. He quickly took off his two shoes and held them in his hands. Yue Buqun swung his arm with a chop stance; the long sword shot toward Tian Boguang, who was in a distance of a hundred feet or so, like a missile. That was well expected by Monk No Commandment. He threw hard with both of his arms; the two shoes also shot out in great speed. The sword was heavy and the shoes were light, plus that the sword was thrown before the two shoes, but somehow the two shoes were able to fly in front of the sword in an arch and circled back. Each shoe hooked onto one side of the sword handle and actually was able to send the long sword back toward where it was thrown. The sword flew a couple dozens of feet back and then finally lost its momentum and fell to the ground. The sword tip penetrated the soil and kept the sword standing. The two shoes were still hooked on the handle and swayed back and forth.
“That was terrible! Terrible!” Monk No Commandment shouted. “Lin’er, your daddy spent too much inner energy on the son-in-law’s internal wounds today. That’s why the sword fell only half way through. It should have flown to only two feet from the son-in-law’s Master and give him a good scare. Alas, your daddy monk has really lost face this time. This is so embarrassing!”
Throwing a glance at Yue Buqun’s unhappy face, Yilin whispered, “Dad, enough.” She hurried forward and removed the two shoes off the sword handle. Pulling the sword off the ground, she hesitated. She knew that Linghu Chong didn’t want to kill Tian Boguang. If she had given the sword back to Yue Lingshan, and she went to kill Tian Boguang again, wouldn’t that break Linghu Chong’s heart?
When Yue Buqun swung his arm and shot out the long sword with his sleeve, he thought that for sure the sword would cut through Tian Boguang’s heart. Who had expected that Monk No Commandment was actually able to put so much strength onto his two shoes with such a clever maneuver? This monk kept yelling out loud, referring himself as the little nun’s father and calling Linghu Chong his son-in-law, full of nonsense. Obviously he was just a mad monk, but his Kung Fu skills are indeed outstanding. Didn’t he say that he just spent a good amount of his inner energy to heal Linghu Chong’s internal wounds? If it hadn’t been so, wouldn’t he be even more exceptional? Although he didn’t use the Divine Art of Violet Twilight when he flicked with his sleeve, and he was sure he wouldn’t lose to the monk if he had actually used it, still, it wouldn’t be appropriate for a renowned master to strike again once the first strike had missed. So he cupped his hand and said, “Very admirable! Great Master, since you are determined to take this villain under your wings, it would be inappropriate for me to intervene today. What do you think?”
Hearing him say that he wouldn’t kill Tian Boguang today, Yilin held the long sword in both hands and walked in front of Yue Lingshan. Bowing slightly, she said, “Sister, you….”
Yue Lingshan snorted as she grabbed hold of the sword handle. Without even looking, she returned the sword back to its sheath. The shove appeared to be neat and swift.
Monk No Commandment chortled. “Miss, that was a handsome trick!” He turned to Linghu Chong and said, “My little son-in-law, let’s go. Your apprentice sister is very pretty. I’d be nervous to leave you and her together.”
“Great Master, I know you like to kid around. But remarks like that would damage the reputation of both the Heng-Shan and the Huashan sword schools. Will you please stop that?” Linghu Chong demanded.
“What? When we finally found you and saved your life after so much trouble, now you don’t want to marry my daughter?” Monk No Commandment was astonished.
Linghu Chong put on a solemn face. “Linghu Chong dares not ever forget the kindness Great Master has shown by saving my life. Apprentice sister Yilin’s Heng-Shen Sword School has very strict school rules. If you keep making such meaningless jokes, it wouldn’t look good for the two senior sisters Ding Xian and Ding Yi.”
“Lin’er, what…what…what’s up with this son-in-law? I…I don’t get it!” Monk No Commandment scratched his head hard.
Yilin covered her face with both hands and cried, “Dad, enough! Enough! He does his things and I do my own. Why…why…why mix us together?” Tears burst out from her eyes as she dashed down the mountain path.
Monk No Commandment was even more confused. He dazed for a moment and then muttered, “This is so strange! Before seeing him, she would give up everything to see him, but once she sees him, she didn’t want to see him anymore. She is just like her mother. It’s simply impossible to understand what a little nun might be thinking.” Seeing that his daughter was getting further and further, he chased after her.
Tian Boguang managed to stand up after some struggle. “The green mountain will always be green and the blue river will continue to flow. I’ll see you around,” he said to Linghu Chong and then turned around and stumbled his way down the mountain path.
Yue Buqun waited till Tian Boguang had gone far before speaking to Linghu Chong again, “Chong, you are treating that evil villain well. You would rather stab yourself than kill him.”
Linghu Chong’s face showed some shame. He knew that Master had seen through his act with his sharp eyes. He lowered his head.
“Master, he did have many bad conducts, but he has promised to mend his ways and do good. He has shown mercy and spared my life multiple times when he had me in his hands.”
“Talking morality with such a brutal and cold-blooded skunk, sooner or later, you will have to pay for it,” Yue Buqun sneered. He had always favored this Head Apprentice of his. Seeing that he had survived such severe wounds had already brought him great joy. When Linghu Chong pretended to fall and stabbed himself in the leg, he knew very well that it was an act, but he also knew too well that Linghu Chong had always been crafty since he was only a child, so he decided not to investigate further. Besides, Linghu Chong’s words to Monk No Commandment were very effective and appropriate, just the way he wanted it, therefore, he chose to set the case of Tian Boguang aside temporarily.
“Where’s the booklet?” Yue Buqun stuck out his hand.
Linghu Chong had guessed that Master and little apprentice sister must have come back because the “crime” was discovered and the “criminal” identified, that was why Master came back to Mount Huashan after the book. And that was exactly what he had wished for.
“Sixth apprentice brother has it. Little apprentice sister only did it to save my life. Her intention was all good. Master, please don’t blame her. Without Master’s permission, I would never dare to even touch the manuscript, not mentioning reading about any formula or technique off the booklet,” Linghu Chong swore.
Yue Buqun’s face immediately turned into a smile, kind and pleasant. “You did it right. It’s not that I don’t want to pass it on to you, but since our school is facing some serious events at the time and I could not spare any moment to give you detailed instructions. If I just let you study by yourself, I am afraid that you might go the wrong way, and that would lead to unpredictable trouble.” He paused for a while and then continued, “That Monk No Commandment acted like a lunatic, but he does have brilliant inner energy techniques. Did he dissolve those six unorthodox energy streams inside you? How do you feel right now?”
“I don’t feel nauseated any more, and all the burning pain and freezing pain are gone too. But it feels like I’ve run all my strength out,” Linghu Chong answered.
“You have just recovered from severe internal injuries. It’s natural that you feel weak. We have to repay Great Master No Commandment for saving your life one day,” Yue Buqun said.
“Yes, Master!”
Ever since Yue Buqun came back to Mount Huashan, he worried that they might meet the Peach Valley’s Six Fairies again. But so far he had seen no trace of them, which relaxed him a bit. But he still didn’t want to stay long.
“Let’s meet with Dayou and then go to Mount Songshan together. Chong, do you think you are fit to make a long journey?” he asked.
“Yes, I am. Yes!” Linghu Chong replied with sheer joy.
Soon, the Master and the two apprentices arrived at the little hut next to the “House of Integrity.” Yue Lingshan rushed forward with a trot and entered the hut after pushing the door open. Suddenly, she started screaming, her voice filled with terror. Yue Buqun and Linghu Chong both dashed forward to look inside, and they saw Lu Dayou lying on the floor, motionless.
“Little apprentice sister, don’t be frightened, I sealed his acupoints earlier,” Linghu Chong explained with a smile.
“You sure scared the wits out of me. Why did you seal his acupoints?” Yue Lingshan asked.
“Since I refused to read the manuscript, for my good, he decided to read the scripts in the manuscript for me to listen,” Linghu Chong explained. “I couldn’t convince him, so I had to seal his acupoints. How come…?”
Suddenly, Yue Buqun uttered a cry of surprise. He bent down to check on Lu Dayou’s breathing and also checked his pulses before speaking in shock, “How come…how come he is dead? Chong, which acupoint did you seal?”
Hearing the sudden news that Lu Dayou was dead, Linghu Chong was scared out of his wits. His body started shaking and he almost fainted. “I…I….” he muttered in a trembling voice as he reached out to touch Lu Dayou’s face. The face was chilling cold. Apparently Lu Dayou died a long while back. Tears burst out from his eyes. “Sixth…sixth apprentice brother, are you really gone?” he cried.
“Where’s the booklet?” Yue Buqun asked.
Linghu Chong looked with his teary eyes, and in the blur, he didn’t see the “Violet Twilight Manuscript” either. “Where’s the booklet?” he couldn’t help but ask himself. He checked Lu Dayou’s pockets in a hurry, but there’s no trace of the manuscript. “When I sealed his acupoint, I remember seeing the manuscript turned open on the desk. How come it’s not there anymore?”
Yue Lingshan looked all over the room, on the bed, next to the desk, behind the door, and under the chairs, but still, there was no trace of the “Violet Twilight Manuscript” whatsoever.
This manuscript was the ultimate Kung Fu manuscript of the Huashan Sword School. Now when it suddenly disappeared, Yue Buqun was utterly apprehensive. He examined the corpse of Lu Dayou carefully but found no fatal wound. He examined around the little hut, including the top of the roof, but found no traces left by any outsiders.
“If no outsiders had come, then it couldn’t have been the Peach Valley’s Six Fairies or the Monk No Commandment who took it,” Yue Buqun thought inwardly. He asked Linghu Chong with a stern voice, “Chong, which acupoint did you seal?”
Linghu Chong knelt down in front of his Master. “I was afraid that I did not have much strength with my fingers, that’s why I sealed the vital acupoint Tan-Zhong Acupoint. I had no clue…no clue that it would have killed sixth apprentice brother accidentally.” He extended his arm and drew the long sword by Lu Dayou’s waist quickly, and without hesitation, slashed it toward his own neck.
Yue Buqun flicked his finger, which sent the long sword flying far. “Even if you want to die, you’ll have to find the Violet Twilight Manuscript first. Where on earth did you hide the manuscript?”
Linghu Chong felt a chill in his heart. He thought to himself, “Master is actually suspecting that I hid the Violet Twilight Manuscript.” He dazed for a moment and then spoke again, “Master, someone must have stolen the manuscript. I will chase it back at all cost and return it to you, Master, not even leaving one page behind.”
“If someone makes a copy or memorizes the entire thing, then even if we get the manuscript back, intact, the high level Kung Fu of our Huashan School would no longer be the ultimately unique technique.” Yue Buqun’s mind was as confused as a tangled skein. After a short pause, he said to Linghu Chong with a gentle tone, “Chong, if you took the manuscript, as long as you give it back, I won’t blame you.”
Staring at the corpse of Lu Dayou blankly, Linghu Chong said loudly, “Master, I swear with all my heart. If there are people who peeped at the ‘Violet Twilight Manuscript,’ then I will kill all of them. If there are ten of them, I will kill all ten, and if there are a hundred of them, I will kill all one hundred. If Master still thinks that it was I who stole it, please kill me now. I have no complaints.”
“Get up. You said it wasn’t you, then I believe you.” Yue Buqun shook his head. “You are very good friends with Dayou, of course you would never kill him intentionally. Then who on earth stole the manuscript?” He stared outside of the window blankly, lost in thought.
“Father, it’s all my fault. I…I thought I did a great thing by stealing Father’s manuscript. Who would have thought that big apprentice brother would refuse to read it and sixth apprentice brother would lose his life because of it. I…I will find the manuscript back no matter what,” Yue Lingshan exclaimed in a sobbing voice.
