Chapter 4

Zheng Hong Tai snapped his fingers and said, “That’s right. She’s here.” A tremor jolted through Zhuo Yi Hang’s whole body as an idea suddenly flashed through his head. Could it be that the Lian Ni Chang he encountered in the cave would actually turn out to be this “Yu Luo Cha”? But that couldn’t possibly be, he thought, for Yu Luo Cha must be this incredibly vicious and hideous Demoness while Lian Ni Chang was an extremely enchanting and charming young girl. How can they possibly be confused with each other? Observing that Zhuo Yi Hang’s head was lowered in deep thought, Zheng Hong Tai decided to purposely provok him again by saying, “Why is it that as soon as you hear Yu Luo Cha is around here, you would suddenly become so chicken?” Zhuo Yi Hang retorted, “Who said I was scared? It’s true that there are some conflictive issues between the two of us, yet it is still not over very serious matters. Why should I make such a big deal over it and purposely seek her out in revenge?” Zheng Hong Tai scolded, “So you’re not even going to do anything despite how she robbed your grandfather?” Zhuo Yi Hang replied, “My grandfather has already returned home safely. The little bit of money that was lost is not much of a big deal.” Zheng Hong Tai persisted, “But what about how she humiliated your martial art brothers? This is a matter that concerns the Wu Tang sect’s honour and reputation, are you just going to let that pass too?” Zhuo Yi Hang countered back, “Concerning matters of my sect, I will only listen to my ShiFu’s commands.” Zheng Hong Tai shouted, “Fine! Then even if Yu Luo Cha comes barging through our door, you won’t need to concern yourself with it. Just let the fame and honour of the Wu Tang sect be disgraced and shamed through your own hands.” Zhuo Yi Hang replied, “But she hasn’t come knocking on our door.” Zheng Hong Tai then coldly stated, “To tell you the truth, I will be dueling with her tomorrow night. Don’t forget you’re with me right now, can you really just ignore and stay detached from all this?”

Zhuo Yi Hang’s eyebrows knitted together as he thought to himself how although Zheng Hong Tai and him can not be considered as close acquaintances, yet they were nonetheless traveling companions. Furthermore, this Yu Luo Cha was indeed an adversary of their sect. Zheng Hong Tai criticizing and condemning him may not be much of big deal, yet if he didn’t lend out a helping hand this time, acquaintances of the martial arts world might all think that he was indeed a coward that was too chicken to meddle with Yu Luo Cha. He then also thought: my third martial arts uncle also has intentions of seeking her out for a battle in order to settle their scores. So I’m sure ShiFu won’t reproach me even if I did lend out a helping hand to this Zheng Hong Tai to combat Yu Luo Cha. Thus, Zhuo Yi Hang said, “Elder Zheng, since this Yu Luo Cha is causing you trouble, then I also want to have a look and see exactly what she is made of. But I’m afraid that I am too young and incompetent to be of much help to you.” Zheng Hong Tai’s eyebrows were raised towards his forehead, his expression filled with jubilation while he bellowed out with laughter and said, “You’re much too humble! Now you’re finally displaying the true colours of a gutsy man. Let me now introduce you to a few of my friends. Tomorrow night we will all combat the Demoness together.” Zheng pulled Zhuo to his feet as they then jumped out the door and ran towards the wilderness.

Under the wan moon and sparsely dispersed stars, there were traces of Will O’ Wisps glowering from afar. Suddenly a strange sounding cry was heard as Zheng Hong Tai immediately halted and clapped his hands together twice. From the untamed wilderness and amongst the uncultivated graves, a few people suddenly leapt out. Zhuo Yi Hang focused his eyes to discover that it was a cluster comprised of tall, short, old and young people, combining to form a group of four altogether. Zheng Hong Tai asked, “I already know that the younger Brother Fan has an emergency and will not be able to make it. But is Brother Ying not coming as well? This won’t work without him!” One of the people responded, “He is purposely calculating his time of arrival so that he may suddenly emerge tomorrow night to scare the Demoness.”

One by one, Zheng Hong Tai introduced each of the mysterious men to Zhuo Yi Hang. The first one was called Zhao Ting, and he was the famed fighter of the Song Yang Sect. The second person was called Fan Zhu and was renowned throughout the martial arts world for his Golden Steel Heavy Hands. The third man was a youngster around twenty six or seven years of age, and was known as the Jade Faced Demonic Fox. His name was Ling Xiao and though it may have only been a few years since he first made his appearance within the martial arts world, yet he has already established a reputation as a ferocious bandit. The fourth person was a Taoist Priest, known as the Green Pine Priest. The four men were all considered as established fighters within the martial arts world. Zhuo Yi Hang thought to himself: that Zhao Ting and Fan Zhu are sill relatively acceptable and I’m not familiar with Green Pine Priest’s past. However, this Jade Faced Demonic Fox was definitely not considered as a member of the orthodox sects. Why would Zheng Hong Tai be mixed up with such a motley crew of people?

Zheng Hong Tai said, “Brother Zhuo, tomorrow night we will be battling with the Demoness on top of Hua Shan’s highest peak. But let us now first practice the steps to our formation.” Zhuo Yi Hang asked, “What formation?” Zheng Hong Tai replied, “We had originally intended to meet up as a group of seven, but each of us is from a different school of training with our own unique and distinctive style of martial arts. We are planning to bring together our various skills when we battle Yu Luo Cha to complement and correspond with each other, thus facilitating and benefiting each other through the process. Because we are all trained in different martial arts, we must practice in advance in order to be perfectly coordinated with each other. Right now, amongst the men who are supposed to be here tonight there is one who will not be able to come here due to a sudden crisis. This is why we need Brother Zhuo you to join us in order to comprise the right number of fighters.” Zhuo Yi Hang then said, “But even including me you have only six people.” Zheng Hong Tai replied, “Our brother will show up here at exactly the right moment. This formation was conceptualized by him, therefore we need not wait for him.” Zhuo Yi Hang thought to himself: Alright. I may as well see how they practice this formation.

Zheng Hong Tai arranged them all into a circle with everyone facing the middle as he said, “The essence of martial arts lies in the ability to time your attack so that it may be executed at exactly the right moment. For example, lets say that your stance was originally supposed to be very deadly and powerful, yet if you execute it too early your opponent might have the chance to counter that attack. However, if you execute your stance too late, the positions might have already changed and your opponent can take advantage of your slow execution to retaliate. This is what they mean by the phrase ‘The difference of centimeters can lead to the discrepancy of a thousand miles.’ Although this theory may sound very simple and straightforward, yet to be able to actually implement it is not at all easy. If one’s martial art abilities has not achieved a skillful level akin to the intensity emanating from the blue tip of a burning flame or if it has not transcended beyond the stages of divinity to extend into the pinnacle of sublimity and perfection, then how can it really be as easy as it sounds?”

“Even though the seven of us can all be considered as first-rate fighters, yet Yu Luo Cha strikes with the speed of lightning so we must get enough practice in advance. Combining the powers of the seven of us, to win her may not be hard, but I’m afraid that if we wanted to take her life it will still not be enough. That is why our Brother created this formation that is called the ‘Seven Greats Exterminating the Demon Formation’ which requires three fighters to act as primary attackers while three fighters remain as defensive guards. One person will remain positioned in the center to act as the commander and orchestrate the formation from all sides. The attackers and guards can mutually interchange positions thus transforming and revolutionizing the arrangement to form a formation of unpredictable and unbelievable power. This alternating strategy of where three fighters attack while three fighters defend will cause the attacks to succeed each other like lapping waves. Plus, with somebody remaining in the center to issue instructions, the opponent will undoubtedly be forced to the point of where even the act of finding the time to gasp for help would prove to be a difficulty. Even if Yu Luo Cha can suddenly grow three heads and three pairs of arms, she most definitely won’t be escaping this time.”

“Right at this moment, our Brother is not here yet and so we are momentarily lacking a commander. But the six of us can first practice coordinating the configuration of our offensive attacks.” Thus after he had finished relating the strategies of the attack, he signaled with a wave of his hands and they started to implement the moves of the formation. As the three attackers each executed a stance, the guards immediately advanced to replace their mark. The structure of the formation was radically fluctuating from a round shape into a square outline, where at one moment it will resemble the dead straight figure of a long snake while another minute it will suddenly transform into two dragons upsetting the seas. Although the attack may initially envelop from all four directions, yet it can suddenly change to flanking the opponent from the left and right sides. However, despite the radical shifts, the steps of the formation continues to remain in methodological and structured control while the power of the formation’s attack comes to resemble the astonishing force of the Yangtze River’s rushing currents.

Zhuo Yi Hang had always been smart and thus required not much time before he was able to comprehend the dynamics of the formation. He thought to himself: now the so called “Brother” hasn’t even arrived yet and already the formation is so powerful. When he comes, that means that there will be someone to strategize in the middle. By that time, the formation can really be said to be the Heaven’s net and the Earth’s web, as even if one can grow wings they will never be able to escape. I wonder what scores of vengeance these people can possibly have with Yu Luo Cha that would make them to so determined to kill her?

Having observed that everyone has familiarized themselves with the formation, Zheng Hong Tai ordered to halt the action before smiling and saying, “Brother Zhuo, your Wu Tang’s Sequential Chain-linking Swords when synchronized with Brother Zhao’s Song Yang Sect Wind Dispersing Sword really causes this formation to be adorned with much colour.” He then continued to talk about the various atrocities of Yu Luo Cha, which turned out to be the usual run of how she maliciously harms the people of the martial arts world. Zhuo Yi Hang was thinking to himself that since this Yu Luo Cha was indeed so brutal and inhuman, then it would be a good thing to eradicate her.

The moon was slanting towards the West as the sparse stars were becoming increasingly pallid while Zheng Hong Tai said, “Why don’t we all go back now. Tomorrow at midnight, we will gather together again at the Jade Maiden peak of Hua Shan.” But before he could even finish his words, not far from where they were standing a sound of chilling laughter suddenly rang through the air. With a commanding shout from Zheng Hong Tai, the six of them immediately dashed towards the direction of the laughter.

The gust of icy wind came rushing by while the illumination of the Will O’ Wisps flickered and flared. The leaves descended within the sparsely populated forest and the inhabiting birds fled in startled flight. Yet not a human shadow was to be seen anywhere. The six of them arranged themselves in the formation in preparation for battle, yet nothing happened. Golden Steel Hands Fan Zhu asked with alarm, “Could that have been Yu Luo Cha messing around with us?” Priest Green Pine remarked, “But it doesn’t sound like a girl’s laughter.” The Jade Faced Demonic Fox Ling Xiao asked, “Could it have been a ghost? But even ghosts can’t move that fast.” The Song Yang swordsman Zhao Ting also asked, “Could it be that we were merely imagining things?” Zheng Hong Tai was secretly petrified even though he didn’t utter a single word. Zhuo Yi Hang was thinking to himself: for what purpose could this person have come for? If this person turns out to be Yu Luo Cha’s helper, then we’re finished.

When Zheng Hong Tai saw how the enthusiasm of everyone was dulled as their concentration was also shattered, immediately bellowed loudly, “Regardless of whether that person was a friend or foe, if they dare to step foot into our Seven Greats’ Formation, then even if they don’t die they will most definitely be severely injured. What’s there to be afraid of?” Though in truth, he was terrified himself. As the six of them departed from each other, Zheng Hong Tai and Zhuo Yi Hang were both returning to the inn when Zheng Hong Tai sighed and said, “If only your ShiFu was willing to grace us with his presence, this whole thing would be easily taken care of.” Zhuo Yi Hang remarked, “My ShiFu never interferes into other people’s business.” Zheng Hong Tai said, “Observing your sword skills a while ago, its exquisiteness and intricateness can without a doubt be readily observed. Tomorrow night you and the Song Yang swordsman have to cooperate together for we will be all be depending on the two of you.” Zhuo Yi Hang noticed that Zheng Hong Tai’s manner seemed to be betraying his anxiety over the possibility that Zhuo would refuse to lend out a helping hand. Therefore Zhuo scowled with resentment, “Since I’ve made you a promise, despite how great Yu Luo Cha’s abilities may turn out to be, I most definitely won’t retreat at the last minute.” Zheng Hong Tai immediately assured, “Brother, please do not misunderstand. Faced with a big fight, your brother I just can’t help but feel anxious and worried.”

The two of them rested for a day, finished their dinner and then immediately ascended Hua Shan. The night was still in the dark forest as the mountain streams trickled down from the tall hills to reach fathomless depths. The crawling vines obscured the paths and the thatch grass grew to waist height, making the act of ascending the mountain ten times more difficult that it was during broad daylight. Luckily, both Zheng Hong Tai and Zhuo Yi Hang possessed supreme martial arts. By tugging on the vines and leaning against the coarse foliage, they arrived at the JadeMaidenPeak. By that time, the moon still has not fully risen yet.

Priest Green Pine and the other four men were already waiting for them, the expressions on their faces betraying their nervous anxiety. They all stared at the moon that was slowly inching across the sky, as sweat erupted all over Zheng Hong Tai’s palms. Suddenly, he jumped up and shouted, “Look at the moon!” By then, the moon has already fully risen above their heads. However, all around them was still only silence. Priest Green Pine said, “Yu Luo Cha still hasn’t shown her face.” Zhao Ting said, “Yu Luo Cha will always keep her word. I’m only worried that Brother Ying won’t arrive here in time.” Zheng Hong Tai retorted, “Brother Ying most definitely will not miss our engagement.” Hearing them continually repeat the name “Brother Ying,” Zhuo Yi Hang couldn’t stop a certain idea from surfacing in his head. He was just about to say something when the mountain breeze suddenly carried the sound of a cold laughter towards them. Words are often slower than words, as a young girl dressed in white and looking very much like the Heavenly Immortal Ling Buo gradually came into sight. She then suddenly soared straight from the adjacent peak towards the JadeMaidenPeak. The six men all got up immediately. Zhuo Yi Hang was stunned speechless by what he saw.

Even in his dreams Zhuo Yi Hang would not have dared to imagine that he would see what he now saw. This Yu Luo Cha actually turned out to be Lian Ni Chang, the same young girl that he had encountered yesterday within the Hua Shan’s YellowDragonCave. At that moment, all kinds of eccentric thoughts and suspicions were flooding into his mind. Dazed and confused, he felt as if he was immersed in a dream. Could yesterday’s frail and delicate young girl who impels others to take her under protection and shelter actually turn out to be the infamous Yu Luo Cha? The same Yu Luo Cha who kills others without batting an eye and where within the martial arts world, just a mention of her name is enough to cause others to completely abandon all traces of their courage? He remembered how he had promised her the day before that they can be friends, and if they ever reunite again he will treat her as a sister. He couldn’t have predicted that over just a separation of a day, they will not only reunite together here, but would actually become fatal enemies.

Originally, Yu Luo Cha was calm and composed, with her head lowered in a faint smile. But like the lapping waves of the autumn springs, her expression suddenly changed as her face blanched and an extreme sorrow filled her heart. Two drops of tears rushed out beyond her control. Zheng Hong Tai was standing in the front and could discern everything very clearly. Yu Luo Cha actually cries? That truly was even more unbelievable than witnessing the Tai Shan collapse and the Yellow River dry up! What made it even more unbelievable was that this wasn’t just a rumour, but was something he was witnessing with his very own eyes!

The Jade Faced Demonic Fox Ling Xiao was naturally born with a lewd disposition. Furthermore, he had never met Yu Luo Cha before and was therefore never afforded with the chance to encounter a taste of Yu Luo Cha’s deadliness. He only laughed and said smugly, “Those who don’t arrive at the Yellow River will never give up and those who don’t see their coffin will never know to cry. Yu Luo Cha, why don’t you surrender like a nice little girl and we can perhaps let you off the hook.” Yu Luo Cha’s face changed colours and a slight smile suddenly appeared on her face as she said, “Thank you for your heartfelt concern.” Zheng Hong Tai quickly blurted out, “Yu Luo Cha, you have to respect the rules and honour of the JiangHu. It’s still not time yet and we’re still waiting for all our people to arrive so don’t you dare to make a move yet!”

But before Zheng Hong Tai could even finish his words, the Jade Faced Demonic Fox Ling Xiao suddenly flew up more than ten feet into the air, clutching his abdomen while screaming out in pain. Yu Luo Cha’s specialty projectiles the Immobilizing Needles had already ripped through the air. She first feigned an attack towards Ling Xiao’s San-Tai acupoint located on the waist area. Because Ling Xiao’s levitation skills were incredibly apt, when he observed the slight quiver of Yu Luo Cha’s slender hands, he immediately jumped out of the way. But he couldn’t have anticipated that it would be so impossible to differentiate between the feigned and authentic attacks of Yu Luo Cha’s projectiles. She had already predicted that he would jump to evade and therefore with a flick of her two fingers, the sharp needles immediately pierced into the “bubbling springs” acupoint located on his heel. Immediately a pain that was both aching and excruciating seared through him as his tears poured out and spilled over like the waters of a bubbling spring. Priest Green Pine immediately extracted the needles from him and massaged his wound for a while before Ling Xiao felt better.

Yu Luo Cha laughed coldly and said, “And I thought that he was supposed to be some kind of tenacious and hardboiled man that never cries. Who would have guessed that he would turn out to be such a useless sac of puss?” The Jade Faced Demonic Fox Ling Xiao was completely mortified and no longer dared to say anything else while Yu Luo Cha continued, “Did you know that I was merely mourning for all of you at your funeral wake? It’s a pity that the new friend I had just made will also end up selecting the path of death for himself.” Zhuo Yi Hang knew that Yu Luo Cha was referring to him, as he was also commiserating within his heart. He thought: I also pity the fact that despite being the peerless Beauty of your era, you would actually be willing to become a bandit. The Seven Greats’ Formation is so incredibly lethal, regardless of how great your martial arts may be, today you would also be ushered onto this path of death.

Seeing how Zhuo Yi Hang’s eyebrows were knitted closely together, Yu Luo Cha gazed at him intently with an expression that appears to be brimming with emotion while also being completely void of feeling. Her voice was filled with hatred as she uttered, “You … you …” before her voice started choking up, disabling her from continuing on. Zheng Hong Tai and Priest Green Pine knew that Yu Luo Cha’s happiness and sorrows have always unpredictable and erratic. Thus even though they didn’t know who she was referring to, they didn’t find her behaviour to be particularly unusual. On the other hand, the other three people were all confused and bewildered.

The Song Yang Swordsman Zhao Ting hurriedly nudged Zheng Hong Tai, trying to prompt him to prepare the initiation of the formation incase Yu Luo Cha would suddenly attack unexpectedly. Zheng Hong Tai was just about to reassure him that Yu Luo Cha will never attack anybody surreptitiously, but he wasn’t aware that Yu Luo Cha was becoming increasingly filled with hatred the more she thought about this. She was angry over how Zhuo Yi Hang had purposely deceived her the other day when he was obviously determined to be her enemy from the very beginning. When she saw how everyone was preparing to situate themselves into the formation, she suddenly ripped out into a long and icy laugh. The cold blade of a glinting sword was already within her hands. She shouted, “Fine! It’s midnight now! I’m not going to wait any longer!” and with a slight stir of her body, she flashed by like a spark of lighting. With a swipe of her sword she headed straight towards Zheng Hong Tai. Zheng Hong Tai’s weapon was the Sun and Moon Wheels and by using his Sun Wheel to lock and his Moon Wheel to thrust out, he initiated the Seven Greats’ Formation.

Priest Green Pine’s sabre [1] attacked from the left side as Ling Xiao slanted his Scholar’s brush [2] in attempts to seal off Yu Luo Cha’s “Guan Yuan” acupoint. As Yu Luo Cha flitted by Ling Xiao, the three rear guards advanced in criss-cross fashion and substituted the empty place. Yu Luo Cha suddenly flipped her body over as the tip of her sword glided past Zhao Ting’s shoulder just when the Golden Steel Hands Fan Zhu extended his hands into the grappling technique to clamp down on her. Yet he was unable to grasp her as she darted past and like a soaring bird plunged straight towards Zhuo Yi Hang. Zhuo Yi Hang hastily executed the sequential linking sword skill’s defence technique “Jade Band Clasping Waist,” to ignite with his sword a blaze of light. This was a stance that garnered one the capability to simultaneously defend and attack at the same time. The air was immediately filled with a frosty and chilling current as a streak of silver headed straight towards Yu Luo Cha’s face.

Using the stance “Plucking the Stallion in Dry Land,” Zhuo Yi Hang hastily leapt into the air as the tip of Yu Luo Cha’s sword glazed over the bottom of his feet. This was in reality a result of Yu Luo Cha purposely holding back on her attack, otherwise Zhuo Yi Hang would most definitely have been hurt. In just a blink of an eye, Yu Luo Cha had already struck out to attack all six skilled fighters, forcing Zheng Hong Tai to shout loudly, “Pay attention!” and the formation immediately transformed to trap Yu Luo Cha within the core of the configuration.

Yu Luo Cha’s every stance was deadly, while the speed and potency of her attacks were all something that has never been seen before. She continued to execute one obliterating stance after another, but because the six fighters were corresponding their attacks with each other, they were thus able to closely seal off the combat circle while defending and rescuing each other. Thus even though Yu Luo Cha continued to attack successively, she was still unable to escape out of the formation’s containment.

Attacking while wedged within the middle of the formation was Zhuo Yi Hang, though for some reason he just couldn’t bring himself to fall into annihilation mode. Using the 72 hands of the Sequential Linking Swords, he was only concerned with protecting himself but did not exert much effort towards his attacks. As for Yu Luo Cha, although she did indeed feel extremely hateful towards Zhuo, yet for some reason whenever she struck out towards him, she would always try to not aim for his vital areas.

Like tidal waves, the six fighters advanced and retreated, moving back and forth while constricting the size of the circle, forcing the fervor of the formation to heat up and become increasingly intense. Yu Luo Cha’s prior decision to withhold her attack on Zhuo Yi Hang by not using her most powerful moves to obliterate him had actually in result caused her to be continually placed in situations of danger. She was enraged and thus with a determined grind of her exquisite teeth, she thought to herself: Since you are being this way, there’s no need for me to be concerned about you any longer. The force of her sword’s attack immediately transformed as it suddenly struck out without a single intention of holding back. It was at this moment when a strange howl was suddenly heard from the top of the peak as an emaciated old man suddenly jumped down from the cliff to bellow loudly, “Yu Luo Cha! How dare you not keep your word of honour?”

With a signal from Zheng Hong Tai, and the six people receded like the tidal waves as Yu Luo Cha also retracted her sword and jumped out of the combat ring before stating clearly, “How can you say that I didn’t keep my word? It was you who messed up on the time.” The old man tilted his head towards the sky to discover that at that moment, the moon had just rotated past the center of the sky. He cackled loudly and said, “I’ve already been waiting a long time for you, but you weren’t even able to break out of the entrapment guarded by my six brothers, what chance do you have if I join them too?” Zhuo Yi Hang thought: this person was truly a cunning and sneaky crook. He was here all along, waiting and observing the battle and then coming out only when he knew that everything would be perfectly secure.

Yu Luo Cha suddenly laughed coldly and said, “Old Crook Ying, did you really think that nobody would ever discover that it was you who murdered Hero Luo Jin Feng? Are these small crooks following you out of their own will or were they all deluded by you?” Upon hearing this, both the Priest Green Pine and the Song Yang Swordsman Zhao Ting were immediately shocked to the core. But the emaciated old man hurriedly shrieked, “Don’t fall prey to the wench’s strategies! She’s just trying to incite disharmony and tension amongst us. The acquaintances of the underground world in the Chuan-Shaan area have already had enough of her bullying. She was also the one who injured the head escort of the Song Yang sect and the disciples of the Wu Tang sect. This woman is the public enemy of the whole martial arts world. If we don’t eradicate her right now, the consequences will soon be irreparable!”

The old man lifted his tassel whip and Zheng Hong Tai immediately changed the composition of the formation to once again enclose Yu Luo Cha within the center. The “Seven Greats’ Formation” has finally gathered the proper number of fighters, with the emaciated old man standing within the center to orchestrate the movements. Attached to a shaft, his tassel whip was suddenly wielded as a five-element sword that also has the dual function of sealing off acupoints, comprising a truly mystical and unbelievable attack. Her attention now fully concentrated on combating her opponents, Yu Luo Cha could no longer divide her attention to retort.

Priest Green Pine and Zhao Ting were both acquainted with Luo Jin Feng in the past. After hearing Yu Luo Cha’s words, suspicions started to surface within them. But when they thought to how deadly Yu Luo Cha’s ways can be, they were also petrified within their hearts. Their situation right now was akin to riding on top of a tiger, [3] they had no other choice but to fight. The variations of the formation were unpredictable and each one of the seven first-rate fighters were performing their specialty skills, forcing an aromatic sweat to erupt all over Yu Luo Cha’s body.

Yu Luo Cha had always been proud and arrogant, therefore she originally thought that even if the seven of them combined their efforts to attack simultaneously, she could still manage to not lose. But to her surprise, they actually came up with some kind of peculiar formation to attack. The pace of the fighting got increasingly faster, the movements were becoming increasingly risky, and the situation grew to be increasingly dangerous. She knew that it would be very difficult for her to escape this time. But she has also observed that amongst the seven people, there was only Zhuo Yi Hang who hasn’t exerted full force, nor has he thrown all his efforts into the battle. With a few quick swipes of her sword, she deflected the weapons that were coming towards her and waited for the moment when Zhuo Yi Hang’s sword would strike towards her. Using her inner energies and her sword as a guide, she drew Zhuo Yi Hang towards her and flitted past him, whispering lightly by his ears, “Are you truly content to help the villain succeed in his schemes?” A suspicion suddenly struck Zhuo Yi Hang before the emaciated old man quickly swept his metal like tassel whip to swiftly disband for him Yu Luo Cha’s attack.

Yu Luo Cha wasn’t sure whether Zhuo Yi Hang heard her, but she did observe that he has visibly decelerated his attack while his footwork has also become lethargic. Considering Yu Luo Cha’s abilities, she was experienced enough to take full advantage of the fact that the formation has not yet been restored to full force by striking out with her sword to wound the Golden Steel Hands Fan Zhu. With a coil of his tassel whip, the emaciated old man immediately sealed off Yu Luo Cha’s escape route as Zheng Hong Tai gave a lock and thrust with his two wheels to replace the vacant spot, further tightening the circle. Even though Fan Zhu was injured, but with a thunderous roar of fury he continued to barge forward.

The emaciated old man grew suspicious having noticed the hesitation in Zhuo Yi Hang’s attack when he had just previously witnessed himself the brilliance of Zhuo’s sword skills. He was just about to question him when Zhuo Yi Hang drew a few stances with his sword to ward off Yu Luo Cha’s attack and then suddenly whispering by the emaciated old man’s ear, “Elder Ying Xiu Yang!” At the time when the emaciated old man suddenly heard Zhuo call out his name, he was engaged in intense battle and very instinctively responded to Zhuo Yi Hang’s call. He thought that because Zhuo was one of Zheng Hong Tai’s men and has never met him before, he was thus hereby addressing him by his full name in order to express his respect. He was just about to remind him to pay attention to his attack when Zhuo Yi Hang unexpectedly turned around to attack him instead.

Ying Xiu Yang was quite taken back as he immediately dodged with his body and screamed, “Have you lost your mind?” Zhuo Yi Hang was wielding his sword with the swiftness of wind as he shouted loudly, “I’m going to kill you first, traitor!” A tremor jolted through Ying Xiu Yang’s body as his metal-like tassel whip coiled towards Zhuo Yi Hang. Yu Luo Cha shouted in a severe tone, “So you’re really the fool that’s conspiring with the Manchurians!” Her sword suddenly pierced out with a force that extended like a rainbow. Zheng Hong Tai and Zhao Ting hurriedly approached to help Ying Xiu Yang ward off the attack while the two Scholars’ Brushes of the Jade Faced Demonic Fox Ling Xiao immediately advanced to seal the “Zhi-Tang” acupoint located on Zhuo Yi Hang’s back. Zhuo Yi Hang flipped his sword around to thus engage into an intense battle with Ling Xiao.

The formation had now lost all sense of control and organization. The situation was completely turned around as Yu Luo Cha and Zhuo Yi Hang joined their powers and fought back to back, combatting the six fighters comprising of Ying Xiu Yang and Zheng Hong Tai. Zheng Hong Tai yelled loudly, “Zhuo Yi Hang, you are the descendant of a respected official’s family, how can you turn around to help a bandit? How are you going to face the Crown Prince again?” Yu Luo Cha laughed and said, “You yourself call Ying Xiu Yang brother. While one of you is running around outside the country’s borders, the other one stays behind to act as a contact within the palace. Since he’s conspiring with the Manchurians, you undoubtedly can’t be free from any blame.” With a thrust of her esteemed sword, cold lightning shot out and the shadow of Yu Luo Cha suddenly erupted in every direction and on every side. Zhuo Yi Hang’s stances were linked with each other sequentially and under the cover of the light showered from Yu Luo Cha’s sword, he forcefully attacked with every stance.

Due to his injuries, after battling a while the Golden Steel Hands Fan Zhu was about to forfeit when Yu Luo Cha suddenly sliced off four of his fingers with one swipe of her sword, leaving him howling in pain. He hastily tried to retreat but Yu Luo Cha immediately lurched high into the air and twisted full circle while carrying a sword in her right hand. Then with a brush of her sword, the weapons of Zheng Hong Tai and the others all flew out of their hands. Her left hand then grasped down like a wild eagle that was preying upon a rabbit as she quickly swiped up Fan Zhu, while laughing and saying, “I’m afraid your Golden Steel hands can’t compare with mine.” Finally, with a fling of her hands, the body of Fan Zhu was actually tossed right over the cliff, falling from the highest peak of Hua Shan all the way down towards the bottom. Amongst the howling wind and the angry shouts, his terrified and fatalistic screams can still be faintly discerned. Even though the weather was not cold, Zheng Hong Tai and his crew were still trembling uncontrollably.

Yu Luo Cha struck towards the East and slashed towards the West, she swung towards the left and swiped towards the right, while stroking towards the front, she also stabbed towards the back. Every stance executed was deadly and fatal. On top of all this, there was also Zhuo Yi Hang’s 72 Styles of the Wu Tang Sequential Linking Swords that was striking out even in the midst of its retreat, each stance supporting and supported by the subsequent stance and thus also comprising a very powerful attack as well. Although Ying Xiu Yang and his men were all first rate fighters, yet at this moment they only had the ability to defend and not to retaliate. Just when the outcome of the battle was gradually becoming obvious, Yu Luo Cha suddenly shouted, “There’s going to be a huge bloodshed here today! Green Pine and Song Yang Swordsman, since the two of you were originally considered as decent people, let me warn you: if you don’t know enough to retreat right now, then be prepared to be exterminated as well!” This warning from Yu Luo Cha was equivalent to having a path to survival being pointed out to them. Priest Green Pine and Zhao Ting immediately picked up their weapons and jumped out of the combat ring before expressing their gratitude and hurriedly scurrying down the mountain. Ying Xiu Yang’s face was a ghostly white while Zheng Hong Tai was trembling from the bottom of his heart and the pits of his stomach. Each stance that Yu Luo Cha was executing grew to be faster than the previous one, and just when Ying Xiu Yang was falling backwards he simultaneously gave a wave of his hands and five little daggers were released, charging towards Yu Luo Cha with the speed of lightning.

Yu Luo Cha laughed loudly and said, “What are these pieces of scrap metal good for?” With a sweep of her long sword, the advance of the five little daggers were all halted and immediately deflected back towards Ying Xiu Yang. But though Ying Xiu Yang appeared to be attacking, he was in actuality using this attack as a shield. After he released the little daggers, he immediately wrapped his outer garments around his body and actually rolled downwards from the highest peak of Hua Shan.

Zheng Hong Tai retracted his two wheels and immediately jumped up more than ten feet into the air in his attempts to escape by following after Ying Xiu Yang’s footsteps. Yu Luo Cha shouted, “Where do you think you’re going?” On the other side was the Jade Faced Demonic Fox Ling Xiao who also feigned an attack before his silhouette flitted by and darted in the opposite direction of Zheng. In terms of martial art skills, the Jade Faced Demonic Fox was below the likes of Zheng Hong Tai. However, in terms of levitation skills he was above Zheng Hong Tai. Because Yu Luo Cha was a skilled expert, she was able to discern all this with just a single glance. Furthermore, she was also displeased with the lewd attittude that the Jade Faced Demonic Fox had taken towards her earlier, therefore Yu Luo Cha immediately decided to chase after him. With a wave of her jade hands, three long Immobilizing Needles were projected, every one of them piercing through Ling Xiao’s acupoints. Ling Xiao howled out in pain as he tottered about and was just about to fall down when Yu Luo Cha added another slash with her sword and then with a flying kick, drove his corpse over the cliffs. Zhuo Yi Hang shouted, “Miss Lian, it’s more important to capture Zheng Hong Tai!” Yu Luo Cha was suddenly reminded, but by the time she grabbed her sword and chased after him Zheng Hong Tai had already rolled to the bottom of the mountain. From afar, only a black spot could be seen.

Yu Luo Cha immediately shouted, “Let’s go!” when suddenly a voice from halfway down the mountain said, “There's no need to worry, I've already captured him for you!” Although no figure could be seen, yet a voice can still be heard with utmost clarity. Yu Luo Cha was taken back as this practice of internal energy cultivation was called “Transmitting Sounds Through the Impenetrable” and was indeed a truly extraordinary skill. It should be understood that if one was to direct his voice from the top of the mountain towards the bottom, the people situated near the bottom would still be able to hear the voice very clearly. However, to project one’s voice from low places to higher places, the people situated on the higher altitude would have a very hard time discerning what was being said. This mysterious person’s voice was not particularly vociferous or forceful, but was instead as calm and composed as if the person was merely speaking casually to somebody who was situated right beside them near the middle of the mountain. Furthermore, every word was heard with precise clarity forcing Yu Luo Cha to have no choice but to be secretly impressed.

When she converged her gaze, she was suddenly greeted with a glimpse of a silhouette that flashed by with the speed of a shooting comet. The person had arrived with the termination of his voice. It was a young man around thirty years of age with large ears and a square face. He was clutching a person under his arms, a person whom he let go of as soon as he got to the mountain’s highest peak. Of course the person this man was carrying would turn out to be Zheng Hong Tai. The man looked over at Yu Luo Cha and asked, “Are you Yu Luo Cha? Who is this other person?” Even though Lian Ni Chang had made herself famous within the martial arts world by using the title of Yu Luo Cha, yet she really doesn’t like it when people calls her “Yu Luo Cha” to her face. She laughed coldly and said, “And what if I am?”

Zhuo Yi Hang replied with courteous respect, “Your humble brother am Wu Tang’s sect-leader Taoist Priest Purple Sun’s disciple. My name is Zhuo Yi Hang, may I be bold enough to inquire about your name and sect?” The person replied, “My unworthy name is Yue Ming Ke, but let us first take care of business before we disclose our personal background. What do you guys propose we should do with this person?” Yu Luo Cha said, “Since he was captured by you, then it’s up to you to decide.” Yue Ming Ke smiled and said, “We need not follow the rules of the Black societal clans. I don’t know much about this person, is he a co-conspirator of Bandit Ying?” Yu Luo Cha was becoming increasingly unhappy, for even though she was indeed a female bandit, yet she really doesn’t like it when people label her as a female bandit. But by openly disclosing that she was speaking in accordance to the “rules of the black societal clans,” Yue Ming Ke really was touching on her deepest insecurities.

Zhuo Yi Hang replied, “Yes, he is now the Crown Prince’s attendant. However, before he was working as the most skilled fighter within the Western Coalition!” After studying Zhuo Yi Hang for while, Yue Ming Ke suddenly laughed and said, “So Brother Zhuo, you were the person that was meeting with them last night in the wilderness, no wonder you’re so acquainted with their background.” Zhuo Yi Hang’s faced turned red for now he realized that Yue Ming Ke was the mysterious person who emitted the chilling laughter last night in the wilderness. He then said, “Your unworthy brother got involved with the wrong kind of people. I am truly filled with tremendous shame. Since that Ying Xiu Yang was secretly conspiring with the Manchurians, then Zheng Hong Tai must also be the Manchurian’s spy as well.” Zheng Hong Tai was rolling around on the ground until Yu Luo Cha suddenly issued a kick towards him. Because Zheng Hong Tai knew that he was not going to be escaping this time, he was therefore trying to bite through his tongue in an attempt to commit suicide. But Yu Luo Cha was well experienced with the JiangHu’s ways and therefore with a hook of the tip of her shoe, she immediately shattered his lower jaw. His mouth then dropped open. No longer was he able to close his mouth.

Yu Luo Cha then ignored Zheng Hong Tai for the time being and turned towards Zhuo Yi Hang to ask instead, “How did you know that Ying Xiu Yang was conspiring with the Manchurians?” Doubts and suspicions caused Zhuo Yi Hang to hesitate as he dared not answer immediately. Yu Luo Cha nevertheless continued, “I have always suspected that he was conspiring with the Manchurians, which was why within the last two years, I had already paid a visit to his lair three times, forcing him to have no choice but to link up with his helpers to meet with me here on the peak of Hua Shan for a duel. Hmph! But I never would have expected you to also belong to his group as well.” The soulful expression in Yue Ming Ke’s imposing eyes studied Zhuo Yi Hang as well. Zhuo Yi Hang thought to himself: this was really turning out to be a huge misunderstanding. But though this Yu Luo Cha’s ways were deadly and merciless, yet at least she can still differentiate between black and white to understand what is wrong and what is right. Not to mention the valorous sense of strength that she exudes. This young man Yue Ming Ke was similarly courageous, striking and spirited, possessing of a righteous demeanour and emanating a powerful aura demanding of respect. He most definitely must be an extraordinary person. Since they now harbour suspicions towards me and coincidently already know about some of the details to this incident, I may as well just tell them about everything. Therefore, he related to them the secret that the martial arts instructor Meng Can revealed to him in his last words and also detailed how he ended up with Zheng Hong Tai as a travelling companion. It was only after hearing this explanation did Yu Luo Cha finally flash a relieved smile as she said, “I knew you weren’t that kind of person, otherwise I would have taken your life from the very beginning.”

After Yu Luo Cha had clarified everything with Zhuo Yi Hang, she then turned to Zheng Hong Tai with a dazzling smile and said, “So? Not feeling very well are you? Would you like me to make it better for you?” Her voice was incredibly soft and gentle, sounding as if she was extremely concerned. Zheng Hong Tai’s eyes rolled towards the back of his head as he fainted with fear. Yu Luo Cha lifted her leg and gave a light tap at a certain spot on Zheng’s back. Zheng Hong Tai really couldn’t withstand this attack as he only felt as if there were thousands and millions of sharp needles that were stabbing into his five solid and six hollow organs. [4] He wanted to commit suicide by biting off his tongue, but was unable to close his mouth. Yu Luo Cha continued to say, “Well? Are you going to talk yet? I know you can’t speak now, but your fingers can still move. Quickly write out the names of your co-conspirators, otherwise there will be some even better stuff coming up!”

Zheng Hong Tai was the head of the Western Coalition, and when he had to question criminals he would often use all sorts of torturous methods in order to get them to talk. But he wouldn’t have expected that the karmic loop would come full circle for him, as today he would end up as the one being questioned by Yu Luo Cha and the pain that his body has to sustain was even greater than any torture he had ever administered. He had no choice but to reveal all that he knew. Using the tips of his fingers, he wrote quite a few wobbly words on the ground. Yu Luo Cha then asked, “What are the positions of these people?” Zheng Hong Tai wrote beneath the first three names the four words, “Guards within the palace” while writing behind the last two names the four words, “Bandits of Underground world.” Yu Luo Cha shouted, “Who else?” Zheng Hong Tai’s forehead was drenched in sweat as he wrote the three words “There’s no more.” Yu Luo Cha said, “I don’t believe you. What about regional governors and the government’s high ranked officials?” Zheng Hong Tai wrote, “I really don’t know. The Lord of Manchuria only ordered me to contact these five people.” Yu Luo Cha shouted, “Hmph! You dare to keep secrets from me?” and gave another kick towards a spot on his waist area. Zheng Hong Tai was filled with so much pain, he felt as if he had already arrived at the hellish underworld to experience their torturous torment. He continually thrashed about on the ground for quite a while before extending a finger to write. But even after a very long time, he still was unable to actually write anything. In fact, he looked as if he was debating with great difficulty over the exact names that he should reveal.

Zhuo Yi Hang blurted out, “Miss Lian, I believe he really doesn’t know any more. If you keep torturing him, I’m afraid you’ll only force him to bring out innocent names and thus drag a whole bunch of guiltless people into this mess with him.” Yu Luo Cha asked, “How did you know he wanted to frame other people?” Zhuo Yi Hang replied, “Observe his expression, he is obviously debating over which crowd of people are off on the worst terms with him in order so that he may slander their name. Miss Lian, his expression really scares me, why don’t you just give him a clean kick and end off his life right away?” Yu Luo Cha said, “You’re much too humane.” But nevertheless, she finally gave Zheng Hong Tai that last obliterating flying kick to concretely impact him on the acupoint of his back that can immediately end one’s life. Zheng Hong Tai spew out a mouth of fresh blood, while his eyes closed and he finally stopped breathing. Zhuo Yi Hang whispered lightly by Yu Luo Cha’s ears, “I don’t like it when you are so violent, and I especially don’t like how your emotions fluctuate between happiness and anger with such unpredictability. When you act like this, who would dare to come close to you?”

Yu Luo Cha was stunned. Had it been somebody else who had uttered these words to her, she most definitely would have been angered. But now, hearing Zhuo Yi Hang say these words, it was as if somebody had emptied a whole bucket of ice-cold water over her head. She thought to herself: no wonder everybody is so afraid of me. My temper really isn’t good, causing others to be so terrified of me while leaving me to be without much pleasure as well.” Therefore, she replied in a low voice, “Thank you for your honest and sincere words.”

Zhuo Yi Hang was staring at Zheng Hong Tai’s corpse when he suddenly cried, “Oh no!” Yu Luo Cha asked, “What’s wrong?” Zhuo Yi Hang said, “Him and I both departed from the capital and was supposed to arrive in the Northern Shaan area together. Now that he died here without a suitable explanation, when the Crown Prince finds out, the blame would be linked to me!” Yue Ming Ke laughed out loud and said, “That’s easily taken care of.” He then took out his sword and with a clean swipe decapitated Zheng Hong Tai’s head and placed it into a leather sack before saying, “Your humble brother and Xiong Jing Lue [5] are old family friends. Xiong Jing Lue has received orders to patrol the borders and therefore sent a letter ushering me to accompany him in order to assist him with his military duties. Therefore, I have to journey to the capital and report to the authorities before I can accompany Xiong Jing Lue outside the country’s borders. When I arrive at the capital, I will be able to find a way to explain everything to the Crown Prince.”

Relieved, Zhuo Yi Hang joyfully expressed his gratitude and was then about to impart his intentions to depart when Yu Luo Cha suddenly asked, “Hey, exactly which sect’s famed fighter are you? I would like to take a look at what your martial arts are like.” Yue Ming Ke chuckled out loud and said, “You’ve just finished an intensive battle. Would you like to rest for a while?” Yu Luo Cha replied with displeasure, “I can easily combat with you for three or five days.” Thus, Yue Ming Ke flipped over his sword, smiled and then said, “If I wasn’t interested in witnessing your martial arts for myself, I wouldn’t have come here to Hua Shan today. Brother Zhuo, you were asking me a while ago which sect and school I’m belong to. Just observe Yu Luo Cha and you will see in a moment.” Zhuo Yi Hang exclaimed with startled bewilderment, “Where in the world did this sudden desire to compete sword skills come from?” Yue Ming Ke just replied, “When the chess player encounters a worthy opponent, its inevitable that they will have the itch to compete in a match. [6] Brother Zhuo, if you don’t have anything urgent to do right away, why don’t you stay and watch this match?” Yu Luo Cha was silently displeased in her heart as she was thinking: Who does this kid think he is? What makes him think that he will necessarily be a worthy opponent for me? She then immediately took the lower position and prepared herself into a fighting stance, purposely giving Yue Ming Ke the advantageous position. With a dazzling smile, she lifted up her sword and addressed Yue with a, “Please.”

Yue Ming Ke and Yu Luo Cha stood there facing each other, each focusing their full concentration on the other person. Nobody moved for a very very long time. Suddenly, with a stir of his sword Yue Ming Ke shouted, “Watch out!” as the tip of his sword zipped towards Yu Luo Cha’s shoulder, all the while radiating sparkling cold light. With a diverting slash of her sword, a stance that was originally heading towards the left was suddenly changed to turn full circle and head towards the right. With a whoosh, Yue Ming Ke had already flipped around while simultaneously performing “Coiled Dragon Blasting Twist” with his treasured sword. Yu Luo Cha’s sword skinned past the top of his head, while with a rotate of his body the edge of Yue Ming Ke’s blade also arrived exactly at the right moment and in exactly the right spot against Yu Luo Cha’s heart. Zhuo Yi Hang was frightfully startled, but Yu Luo Cha only struck out with the speed of lighting as her valued sword brushed downwards to ward off Yue Ming Ke’s attack. Then with a vibration of her sword’s handle, her whole sword stirred and actually shot up to pierce towards Yue Ming Ke’s eyes. Zhuo Yi Hang was again startled, but little would he have expected Yue Ming Ke to change his stance with a speed that cannot even be discerned, much less described. With a swipe and a push of his sword, he also deflected Yu Luo Cha’s blade. Zhuo Yi Hang heard the both of them simultaneously exclaim with a surprised, “Hey!” but immediately the two swords had engaged into battle again.

The duel continued on while still no observable winner can yet be ascertained. Zhuo Yi Hang was so transfixed by the battle, his eyes were sticking out and he felt as if his whole soul was shaken when he suddenly heard Yue Ming Ke exclaim, “Go!” as Yu Luo Cha’s body leapt up high into the air. Yet, not only were her sword stances not the least bit affected, but she continued on to execute a “Soaring Phoenix Diving into Forest” to bring her whole person along with her sword plunging downwards from mid air. Yue Ming Ke retaliated with the stance “Raising Torch to Scorch the Heavens,” causing the two swords to fiercely impact against each other. Relying on the forceful shock projecting from the two sword tips impact, Yu Luo Cha propelled her whole body forward as her rare sword blasted through with the force of a tornado. With two brushes of her sword, her blade immediately headed straight towards Yue Ming Ke’s back. How can this in any way be considered as a “sword skill competition”? This was even more dangerous, more fatal and more frightening than the intense battle within the Seven Greats Formation!

Zhuo Yi Hang attempted to approach in order to stop this battle but Yue Ming Ke immediately swept back with his sword to prevent Zhuo Yi Hang from advancing, rendering himself unable to retaliate when he turned around only to be met with a succession of attacks from Yu Luo Cha. Yue Ming Ke was situated in the centre and was thus able to calmly and steadily deflect these stances while piercing sword after sword towards Yu Luo Cha’s heart. In just a blink of an eye, the battle had again returned to an equally matched state.

Yu Luo Cha’s stances were all incredibly erratic and bizarre, for though you may observe her attack from right in front of you, she would suddenly appear from behind. And even when you watch her come from the right, she would unexpectedly emerge from the left. Resembling a fierce hawk soaring through the air at one moment at then resembling a ferocious tiger’s squatting ambush at another. Like a water snake slithering away one moment while also like a dragon leaping from a bottomless abyss at another. Her weightless body was like the flowing streams and floating clouds, while the force of her sword was like a light spirit soaring high above the air. But Yue Ming Ke was not at all afraid, and his sword’s attacks were not at all affected or disorganized. When he encountered a stance, he would dismantle that stance. His attacks were like the raging claps of thunderstorms, while his defences were as unperturbed as the congealed image reflected off a calm river’s tranquil surface. The peak of Hua Shan was encased in a haunting cold light as the moon has lost her luminosity and the stars robbed of their sparkle. All that can be seen was the ruling force of the sword blades, the blinding spectrum of sword energy that pierced into one’s eyes. The two fighters attacked and retaliated, while the counts of their stances already reached three hundred in number.

Zhuo Yi Hang was the prized disciple of the world’s number one swordsman, but when watching this battle, even he couldn’t help but be truly amazed. The fantastical exquisiteness of these two fighter’s sword skills seemed to extend beyond that of even the Wu Tang sect’s. After observing a while, he suddenly recognized a certain principle about their attacks and couldn’t help himself from repeatedly exclaiming with surprise.

At first glance, the styles of the two fighters’ combat were completely different from each other. But after one studies it for a while, similarities would start to appear between the two styles. Yue Ming Ke’s sword skills were incredibly eclectic, as it would seem to include within it sword stances from the E-Mei sect, Song Yang sect, Shaolin sect, as well as his own Wu Tang sect. The most complex and superior moves were extracted from each sect and then slight changes would be applied in such a way so as to modify and enhance it to be even more ingenious than the original. To be able to witness this fight here today really played a huge part in the benefits that Zhuo Yi Hang would profit from in the future. But this concerns a subsequent incident.

As for Yu Luo Cha, her style of sword art also seemed to be an eclectic mix of the most famous schools, but yet her every stance would go in the opposite direction of the original stance. For example, Hua Shan sect’s “Golden Condor Extends Wings” should originally be initiated from the left side and then proceeded towards the right. But in Yu Luo Cha’s hands, it went in the opposite direction of right to left. As for Wu Tang sect’s “Erratically Seizing Life,” it was supposed to proceed from the top towards the bottom, thus attacking the opponent’s lower body. But in her hands, it went from bottom to top, attacking the opponent at mid level.

At first, to counter Yu Luo Cha’s advances, Yue Ming Ke would utilize stances from other sects to dismantle her attacks. For example, when Yu Luo Cha used Wu Tang sect’s “Erratically Seizing Life,” he would use Xue Shan sect’s “Famed Camel Travelling a Thousand Miles” to evade her stance while also attacking at the same time. But after a while, he would actually employ the stances that she imitated to disassemble her attacks. For example, when she switched the directions of the stance “Golden Condor Extending Wings,” to attack, he also used the original, but slightly modified “Golden Condor Extending Wings” stance to ward off her attack. What was even more odd was how he seemed to be able to predict her every move ahead of time, and therefore when she actually implements that stance, to counter her he would use exactly the same original stance that she imitated.

The two fighters continued to struggle amidst their intense battle, neither of them able to come out as the winner. Zhuo was transfixed by the battle when he suddenly heard Yue Ming Ke shout “Back!” as Yu Luo Cha flew back more than ten feet, and was just about to approach and resume her attack when Yue Ming Ke loudly shouted, “There’s no use in fighting anymore, where is your ShiFu right now? Did she relate to you the complete set of the sword skill she created? Hurry, go and tell her that the Tian Du Philosopher is waiting for her, highly anticipating their reunion.”

Yu Luo Cha suddenly retracted her sword and said, “Your ShiNiang has already passed away three years ago.” Yue Ming Ke was severely taken back and with an angry swipe of his esteemed sword, he shouted, “Who was the villain that dared to murder her?” Yu Luo Cha replied, “She died when she fell into a death seizure through incorrect exertion, nobody could be blamed.” Yue Ming Ke then asked, “Where are her remains now?” Yu Luo Cha replied, “Within the Yellow Dragon Cave’s inner stone rooms. Once you move away the cave’s two screen-like slabs of rocks, you will be able to find it. Her last orders to me was that three years after the day of she died, I was to report the news of her death to Taoist Priest Zhen Qian. The original intention was to have Priest Zhen Qian deliver this message to your ShiFu, but since you’ve come now, go find it yourself!”

Yue Ming Ke then said, “Please lead the way.” Yu Luo Cha laughed coldly and said, “Equally matched first rate fighters should not exist together on the same grounds. Ten years from now, I’ll seek you out for another fight!” And with a wave to Zhuo Yi Hang, she used her supreme levitation skills to descend the mountain. Yue Ming Ke sighed and said, “Yu Luo Cha’s temper is truly very similar to my ShiNiang’s!” Zhuo Yi Hang said, “Her martial arts truly are extremely skilled, but she’s also too proud!” Yue Ming Ke suddenly asked, “I wonder where the YellowDragonCave is located? Amongst the five peaks of Hua Shan, where could I find it?” Zhuo Yi Hang said, “I know where it is” as he then led Yue Ming Ke from the Jade Maiden Peak towards the Cloud Stand Peak.

While Yue Ming Ke was walking, he narrated to Zhuo Yi Hang the whole history of his ShiFu’s romantic tragedy. Yue Ming Ke’s ShiFu was a famous swordsman named Huo Tian Du, whose fame had already spread beyond the four seas more than thirty years ago. His wife Ling Mu Hua was also a famous expert in the art of the sword. The two of them lived on the peak of E-Mei Shan, together establishing a home and studying together, passing the years in the lifestyle of immortals. But what was not expected was how extremely competitive Ling Mu Hua would turn out to be as she was continually experiencing contempt towards her husband’s success.

Huo Tian Du spent half a lifetime trying to gather together the sword manuals of the various famous sects of the world and fixated his full attention on a complete study of them. One day, he was suddenly enlightened by an inspiration and boasted to his wife, “Twenty years from now, I will be able to congregate the essence of a hundred schools of sword art together into one theory, thus forming my own unique sect. By then, I can be undefeated within the world. You better entreat me to take you as my disciple right now so that we can practice swords together. Otherwise, I won’t relate to you the intricacies of my theory.” This was originally intended as a joke that is dropped in causal conversation between two spouses that are teasing each other. But he couldn’t have predicted that Ling Mu Hua’s character would be so stubborn and headstrong, as she only laughed coldly and stated, “Do you think that only you can form your own unique sword skill? I can also do that. I won’t call you ShiFu. Twenty years from now, we can compete together once again, then we can see whether it’s you who’s stronger, or me.”

At that time, Huo Tian Du was only teasing his wife and therefore after having a laugh over it he took no further notice over her words. But he couldn’t have predicted that when he woke up the next morning, he would discover that his wife has departed over the night without a single word and taken along with her all the manuals that Huo Tian Du collected over the years. Huo Tian Du was incredibly devastated, and even after roaming through the main seas and major mountains of the world, he still could not find her. [7] In the midst of his sorrows, he no longer desired to return to his abode on E-Mei Shan and instead seized his sword and travelled by his solitary self towards the Northwest regions. When he fell in love with Tian Shan’s vast and overwhelming scenery, he decided to settle down on the Tian Shan’s high Northern peaks thinking to himself: since my wife has already decided to establish her own school, I should also continue on with my studying so that when we meet up again in the future, we can each be the judge of the other. Though the manuals were lost, yet he has already completely memorized them within his heart and thus spent twenty years time to examine and form a style of sword art that exceeded the common to approach the heavenly. Henceforth, the sword skill was titled, the “Tian Shan Sword Art.”

Yue Ming Ke was the disciple Huo took the third year he arrived at the Tian Shan. Through Yue Ming Ke’s progression from childhood to adulthood, he also was to practice the art of the sword as the ShiFu and his disciple would often use their newly created sword stances to spar with each other. Therefore the fact that the Tian Shan sword skill could be completed, Yue Ming Ke should also be noted for his key contribution. Two years ago, Huo Tian Du suddenly heard from the friends of the martial arts world that in the Northern Shaan area there suddenly appeared a young girl whose martial arts were incredibly exceptional and possessed of a sword skill with a mysterious background and unbelievable power. Upon calculation, Huo Tian Du realized that the span of twenty years had passed. At that time, Yue Ming Ke had already descended the mountain but Huo Tian Du called him back and told him all about the incident that happened twenty years ago. He then instructed him that when he passes by the Shaan Xi area, he must look for this Yu Luo Cha.

Having gotten to this point, Yue Ming Ke then said, “When I was just duelling with Yu Luo Cha, I noticed that her sword attacks were executed in exactly the opposite fashion as the stances that my ShiFu uses. Therefore, based on this I was able to ascertain that she was my ShiNiang’s disciple.” The two of them talked as they walked and before they knew it, they had already arrived at the YellowDragonCave. Zhuo Yi Hang entered the cave first and was immediately greeted with the remnants of a fragrant aroma that still remained behind. Much beyond his control, the slender and enchanting image of Yu Luo Cha emerged within his mind, mixed in with an inexplicable and befuddled sense of disappointment and regret. The two of them entered further into the deeper portions of the cave and found that there were indeed two slabs of stone that were arranged together to resemble a screen. Yue Ming Ke generated his inner energy and with two whooshes of his palms caused the slabs of stone to wobble about, and with another pull with his hands he was able to move apart the two stones to emit a small opening. The two of them then entered inside and immediately saw the skeleton that was sitting amidst the centre of a stone shrine.

Yue Ming Ke knelt down on the ground and knocked his head on the floor three loud times as a sign of reverend respect. When he lifted his head, he found that etched along the stonewalls were various sword stances. He lighted a fire and looked around everywhere, yet still was unable to find the sword manual. He figured that his ShiNiang must have destroyed it once she has familiarized herself with it. He then lifted his head towards the heavens and stated solemnly, “Reverend ShiNiang, today your disciple dares to bring you to Tian Shan to be reunited with ShiFu. Please give me your blessings so that your remains may remain undisturbed along the journey.”

He then took down the skeleton and immediately discovered that amongst the shrine there was a scroll made of lambskin. Recorded within the manual were the various sword stances that were similar to the ones etched along the walls. When he arrived at the end of the manual, he found words that were written in blood. Yue Ming Ke studied these words closely and found that it was actually a broken up account of his ShiNiang’s memoirs. The first two entries talked of the deep remorse that would plague her in the late nights after she departed from her husband, causing her to often jolt up from her dreams in the middle of the night. She would then bite through her fingers and then use her own blood to write down these words in the hope that twenty years later, she may use this journal to prove the profundity of her love to her husband. The following few entries talked of her progress in the development of the sword skill and then there was one section that said:

“Since Tian Du collected manuals from all over the world, he must therefore study and discover the essence of each skill in order to create an original sword art. I will purposely create a sword skill that is antagonistic towards his so that I may always be able to have the upper hand. The thunderstrike that attack first rules as lord, from now on, the swordsmen of the world would know of the authentic and the false, allowing for my sword skill to be undefeated within the world.”

After a long sigh, Yue Ming Ke then jumped over a section before he suddenly came upon an entry that read:

“Last night, a hungry pack of wolves were howling ravenously outside. I exited the cave with my sword in hand when I suddenly heard the cries of a little girl. Once I dispersed the pack of wolves, I found that amongst the wolves’ pack there was a little infant girl. Her whole body was completely naked and was only about three or four years old. Once she saw me coming, she became incredibly alarmed and extremely petrified, as she immediately shot up and flew in fright while screaming sounds of ‘ee-yah’ which stood for something that was not understood by humans. Hmmm, this girl infant was raised on wolves’ milk, is that not very strange? I arrived at the wolves’ lair and searched around to find a piece of cloth that was already beginning to putrefy and corrode. Upon closer inspection, writings can be vaguely discerned and it can be finally ascertained that this girl’s surname was Lian. Her father was a destitute and poverty-stricken scholar who had no choice but to escape to this place during hard times. After her mother died when gaving birth to her, her father abandoned her amongst the bushes by the foot of the Hua Shan. She was then adopted by the monks of the Ji Shan to be reared, but was unexpectedly abducted by a mother wolf. Surprisingly, she didn’t die and would actually come across my path. Can it be predestined fate? Thus I seized this girl and brought her back to the cave as I am determined to take her as my disciple. By building on her inborn endowment, strengthening her foundation and coaching her in martial arts, she may be able to emit a beacon or two of light in the future thus also glorifying our sect.”

Yue Ming Ke waved his hands and beckoned Zhuo Yi Hang to come and read as well, while remarking, “It says here that Yu Luo Cha was actually suckled by a mother wolf.” Reading further, there was another entry that said, “Today Lian had completely shed off all her fur [8] and I descended the mountain to visit the market in order to make her some clothes. She has already begun to speak human words and could even say ‘mama’ which really filled me with so much remorse that I couldn’t stop myself from crying. Since this girl departed from the wolves’ lair, her untamed wildness has gradually subsided and she was no longer biting at people and snapping at objects. I gave her the name ‘Ni Chang’ to commemorate the day when I first tailored a new set of colourful clothing for her.”

Further down, there were a few more entries that detailed Lian Ni Chang’s progress in her sword training. The final entry was filled with a disarray of chaotic writing that said:

“Last night I was sitting in meditation, cultivating my inner energy reserve. But suddenly I fell into a dark nightmare that projected an endless number of demons and ghosts to struggle with me. I exerted full force in combating the swarm of demons and when I woke up, my lower body was completely crippled and I could no longer move. My upper body was also starting to experience the loss of sensation. I was never able to elevate my training to the most proficient levels, thus leading to this cataclysmic misfortune of seizure through incorrect exertion. Pity that I will no longer be able to see the day when I can reunite with Tian Du.”

Yue Ming Ke sighed and said, “My ShiFu once said that the progress of inner energy cultivation must not be rushed or forced, and it most definitely must not be a competition to arrive at or attain something. It’s hard to imagine that even an expert like ShiNiang will also fall prey to this calamity.” After Yue Ming Ke finished reading, he then placed the lambskin manual back within his possession and said, “This manual is my ShiNiang’s heart and soul, I want to ask somebody to bring it back to my ShiFu.” In the midst of their conversation, a blaze of fire suddenly flashed from outside the cave.

The two of them were both startled and immediately shot up just to see Priest Zhen Qian calmly step in. Yue Ming Ke let out a sigh of relief as he heard Zhen Qian explain, “I happened to be very good friends with the Tian Du Philosopher and Priest Purple Sun. Two days ago, Yu Luo Cha came and implored me to take her ShiFu’s remains back to E-Mei Shan. But unfortunately she came upon Ying Xiu Yang and his pack of cronies, thus coming up here to battle with them instead. Only now is everything finally taken care of. Coincidently I would come across the two of you, that’s truly wonderful indeed.” Yue Ming Ke said, “There’s no need to bring the remains back to E-Mei, my ShiFu is now residing on Tian Shan.” Priest Zhen Qian said, “I was informed of that a long time ago, only your ShiNiang was never aware of this fact.”

The Taoist Priest Zhen Qian had brought with him a wooden box, which he had placed outside the cave. Yue Ming Ke placed his ShiNiang’s remains into the box and then suddenly said, “Priest Zhen Qian, I also beseech you to bring this manual roll to Tian Shan and place it into my ShiFu’s hands. But you must take extreme caution not to lose it.” The slight traces of displeasure appeared on Priest Zhen Qian’s face causing Yue Ming Ke to hurriedly add, “Your humble student is not trying to be disrespectful, but this manual concerns extremely important and serious matters. If it lands into the wrong hands, the repercussions will be terribly severe.” Zhen Qian thus opened the manual and looked over it before finally saying with a smile, “Then I will do anything and everything I can in order to protect this manual. But are you not afraid that I will steal it?” Yue Ming Ke repeatedly insisted, “I dare not.” With a long laugh, Taoist Priest Zhen Qian thus placed the manual within his possession.

Yue Ming Ke inspected the whole area once again and then suddenly took out his sword and drew wildly all over the stonewalls. In just a short lapse of time, the sword stances that were etched on the stonewalls have been all removed. Priest Zhen Qian then said, “The sword art that your ShiNiang created is much too cruel and deadly. It really isn’t a good idea to let it remain in this world.” Zhuo Yi Hang then said, “The sword skill is indeed very deadly, but if used for the right causes, it can also play a large role in eradicating the villains and instilling the peace.” Zhen Qian thus laughed and said, “It seems that you and Yu Luo Cha are quite understanding towards each other.” Zhuo Yi Hang quickly added, “Please do not tease me Elder Priest.”

After the three people had finished their final words, they all departed and each went on his separate way. After a few days of travelling during the day and sleeping through the night, Zhuo Yi Hang had finally returned home. When his old servants saw him, they were all filled with joyful tears as they said, “Young master, after praying for thousands and millions of times, we are finally able to see you return to us. Old master has missed you so much that he has fallen ill from anxious concern, he’s waiting to see you right now!” Zhuo Yi Hang immediately ran into the inner rooms and when he saw his grandfather, he immediately bowed down in tears. When Zhuo Zhong Lian saw him, his illness was immediately alleviated quite a bit as he said, “Why are you crying? Has your father returned as well?” When Zhuo Yi Hang saw how sick his grandfather was, how could he possibly dare to tell him the truth? Therefore he only made up some excuses saying that since his father was an important official within the capital, he was not yet able to resign his position. Zhuo Zhong Lian murmured, “The world of officialdom is much too dark and deadly. It’s probably better to resign soon.”

After a few days, Zhuo Zhong Lian’s sick body started to gradually strengthened. He even began to talk about the day when he encountered Yu Luo Cha, all the while displaying the residual traces of fear. When he came to ask about Geng Shao Nan’s background, Zhuo Yi Hang could only relate to his grandfather the truth. It was only then that Zhuo Zhong Lian knew that his grandson was so accomplished in both the literary and martial arts, and was even a disciple of the great Wu Tang sect. Although he was shocked, he was also delighted as he said, “It is a good thing to know that you are so proficient in both your martial and literary studies. But even though you are the disciple of the Wu Tang sect, you must take caution to not run around the JiangHu world recklessly. If you ever happen to come across Yu Luo Cha, there would undoubtedly be trouble because Yu Luo Cha seems to be particularly hateful towards Wu Tang’s disciples.” Zhuo Yi Hang dared not to mention his encounter with Yu Luo Cha and only said, “After everything is properly taken care of, your grandson I will study in order to attain a proper position within the government and continue our family legacy.” Zhuo Zhong Lian said, “That would be even better” and then continued, “To tell you the truth, Yu Luo Cha really cannot be considered a bad person. Even though she has taken away my money, yet I am not the least bit angry or hateful towards her.” Hearing his grandfather say these words, Zhuo Yi Hang didn’t know why, but he secretly felt joy within his heart.

From then on, Zhuo Yi Hang kept himself within his house, dedicating himself to studying books and practicing his sword skill. After the passage of two months, the capital sent two imperial emissaries over to their house requesting to see Zhuo Zhong Lian. Zhuo Yi Hang was in his room when he heard his grandfather’s anguished cries. He immediately dashed out only to see that his grandfather had already crumbled to the floor.

Such is: Cruel sea of officialdom renders tides of heartbreak, arrival of one letter brings sorrow to shatter the soul.

 

 

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[1] Sabre: Original text says “Jie Dao” which could possibly be translated as “Knife of Interdict” which one online source states is a knife used by Buddhists. But due to inadequate information to confirm this usage, thus the word “Sabre” was used instead.

[2] Scholar’s brush: the “Pan Guan Bi” is also known as the “Ghost Judge (Pan Guan) Pen” although Scholar’s brush seems to be the term that is more commonly used.

[3] “Their situation right now was akin to riding on top of a tiger”: A common phrase that describes how one is left with no options. Although riding on top of a tiger is very dangerous act, and therefore one must get down from the tiger. Yet the act of descending the tiger itself is also equally dangerous. Thus you can move forward, and you can’t turn back.

[4] Five solid and six hollow organs: “5 Zang, 6 Fu” where the 5 Zang organs consisted of the liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidney and are Yin in nature. The gallbladder, small intestine, stomach, large intestine, Urinary Bladder and San-Jian (triple warmers – upper, middle and lower) comprises the 6 Fu organs that are Yang in nature.

[5] Xiong Jing Lue: “Jing Luo” was a military position that was translated by someone as the “managing governor.” There was indeed a real historical figure called Xiong TingBi, who resided in the position of the Supervisor of Military Ministry

[6] When the chess player encounters a worthy opponent, its inevitable that they will have the itch to compete in a match: Fun fact: Liang Yu Sheng was a fanatic of Chinese Chess. His passion for Chess can even be said to extend beyond his love for Wuxia, as even now in his old age he remains to be very interested in studying and playing a game or two. Before he wrote wuxia, he made a name for himself by writing many essays that would describe the steps and dynamics of a chess match. Many people praised his writing style for these match summaries as being even more exciting and entertaining than witnessing the actual battle in person. Traces of wuxia’s elements can be discerned throughout these writings, leaving many readers feeling as if they were immersed in the cold glint of the swordplay in a wuxia battle when reading about a chess match written through the pen of Liang Yu Sheng.

[7] The story of Huo Tian Du and Ling Mu Hua/Ling Yun Feng is mainly narrated in LYS’s “Lian Jian Feng Yun Lu.” However, what should be noted is that Liang wrote “Lian Jian” about 4 years after he wrote “Bai Fa Mo Nu Zhuan”, thus the characters and incidents that were outlined here in “Bai Fa” would turn out differently in “Lian Jian.” What was detailed in “Lian Jian” was a relationship between two well matched people who has gone through a lot together and who loved and cared about each other very much, but due to personality differences and further disagreements and misunderstandings, they had to eventually separate from each other. The relationship between Huo and Ling in “Lian Jian” would turn out to be a very sophisticated exploration into the disintegration of a marriage, and not the fragile and childish separation that would seem to be portrayed in this passage. The character of Ling Mu Hua (who later renamed herself as “Ling Yun Feng”) would also be very different than what seems to be portrayed in the brief summary that appeared in “Bai Fa.”

[8] “Today Lian had completely shed off her fur,” According to an age-old myth, it was said that an infant who was raised by nursing on wolf’s milk will end up growing fur all over its body.