Heaven-relying Sword And Dragon-slaying Sabre

The masters, husband and wife, talked with three young people for a while. "Pa, Ma," Zhu Jiuzhen said, "I am going out to play with Biaoge and Qing Mei [younger sister Qing]!" Her voice carried a thirty-percent little spoiled girl's tone. The masters smiled and nodded.

Mrs. Zhu said with a laugh, "Take good care of Wu Jia Meizi [little sister of the Wu family], you, three teenagers, must not quarrel among yourselves in this New Year's Day."

Zhu Jiuzhen laughed. "Ma," she said, "Why don't you tell Biaoge not to bully me?"

The three young people were talking and walking toward the rear courtyard. Without realizing it, Zhang Wuji followed from a distance. That day the servants had the freedom to do whatever they liked; some went out to play, some went out to gamble. By this time Zhang Wuji had seen clearly that the young man was quite handsome, his body was as beautiful as jade. Even in a cold day like this, he was only wearing thin yellow satin clothes; obviously his internal energy was not weak.

The other girl was wearing a black sable coat. Her figure was slender and graceful, her words and actions were refined. Speaking of grace and beauty, she was comparable to Zhu Jiuzhen, but in Zhang Wuji's eyes, she was nothing compared to the Miss he venerated as a goddess. All three of them were about seventeen, eighteen years of age.

The three of them were walking and talking and laughing toward the rear courtyard. "Zhen Jie [older sister Zhen]," the other girl said, "Have you trained your Yi Yang Zhi [solitary yang finger] skill to the second level? Would you demonstrate it to broaden Meizi's [younger sister] horizon?"

"Aiyo!" Zhu Jiuzhen said, "You don't want me to look good, do you? Even if I trained for ten more years, I would never surpass one stroke of your Wu family's 'lan hua xue shou' [orchid acupoint brushing technique]."

The young man said with a laugh, "The two of you need not to be modest. The great name of 'Xue Ling Shuang Shu' [Two Beauties of the Snowy Range] possesses an impressive power and prestige."

Zhu Jiuzhen said, "Being alone in my home, I blindly think through this, how can I surpass your rapid advancement, Shi Xiong Mei [martial (older) brother and (younger) sister], who can consult and discuss between the two of you? Today you came to see the stance, tomorrow you compare notes, doesn't that mean 'a thousand 'li' in one day'?"

The other girl could hear the vinegar [meaning 'jealousy'] in her voice; she simply pursed her lips without saying anything, but in doing so, she tacitly agreed with what she was saying.

The young man was afraid Zhu Jiuzhen would get angry for real. "That's not necessarily true," he quickly said, "You have two Shifus, with Jiufu and Jiumu both teaching you, won't you be stronger than we are?"

Zhu Jiuzhen angrily said, "What do you mean by 'we'? Humph, of course you love your Shimei more than your Biaomei. Whenever I am playing with Qing Mei, you are always in her side." While saying that, she turned her head away, no longer paid any attention to him.

Accompanied by a smile, the young man said, "I love my Biaomei, I also love my Shimei. My palm is part of my body, as much as the back of my hand, there is no difference between one and another. Biaomei, why don't you take me to see those guard generals of yours? Certainly you have trained those generals to be fiercer and fiercer."

"Alright!" Zhu Jiuzhen started to feel happy; she led them toward the Ling Ao Ying.

Zhang Wuji was following them from afar; he saw them talking and laughing, but he did not hear a word they were saying. Presently he also followed them into the dogs' courtyard.

Turned out Zhu Jiuzhen was a descendant of Zhu Zhiliu. The girl surnamed Wu was Wu Qingying, she was Wu Santong's descendant from Wu Xiuwen's line. Wu Santong and Zhu Zhiliu were disciples of Yideng Dashi [Reverend 'One Lamp'], so their martial art skills came from the same source. But after more than a hundred years, each of the family developed their own variations. The two brothers Wu Dunru and Wu Xiuwen were under the tutelage of Da Xia [great hero] Guo Jing. Although they also learned the Yi Yang Zhi, their martial art style was closer to the 'hard' and 'fierce' way of Jiu Zhi Shen Gai [Nine-finger Divine Beggar] Hong Qigong.

The young man, Wei Bi, was Zhu Jiuzhen's [maternal] cousin. Not only he was handsome, his temperament was also gentle and easygoing, and thus both Zhu Jiuzhen and Wu Qingying's hearts were captivated and both secretly fell in love with him. The two girls, Zhu and Wu, were approximately of the same age, they were both beautiful and glamorous. Just like the spring orchid and the autumn chrysanthemum, each had her own strength; the martial art skills they inherited from their respective families were also comparable.

About two, three years ago, the Wulin community around the Kunlun region gave them the title 'Xue Ling Shuang Shu'. Ever since then, these two women had been competing against each other in secret. This situation had put Wei Bi on the hot seat; it was as if he had to choose between the bear paw and the fish, a very difficult choice indeed. Consequently, each time the three of them were together, although outwardly they were polite, the two girls were actually fighting a battle of words, nobody was willing to yield to the other. Only Wu Qingying was more introvert and was not quite outspoken. Besides, Wei Bi and she were of the same school, everyday, day and night, they saw each other a lot; therefore, she had a distinct advantage over Zhu Jiuzhen.

Zhu Jiuzhen ordered the servant in charge of the vicious dogs to release them out. The dogs followed orders to the letter, not one missed its intended target. Wei Bi did not stop voicing his compliments. Zhu Jiuzhen was very proud of herself.

Wu Qingying pursed her lips and laughed. "Shige," she said, "I wonder which one will you be in the future, 'Guan Jun' [lit. head of the army, champion], or 'Piao Qi' [lit. rider of the white horse]?"

Wei Bi was taken aback. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Wu Qingying said, "You are so obedient toward Zhen Jie [older sister Zhen], won't she bestow to you the title of 'General Guan Jun' or 'General Piao Qi'? Only, you must be very careful toward her whip."

Wei Bi blushed deep red; there was a slight sign of anger in between of his eyebrows. "Pei!" he spat, "Rubbish! Are you cursing me as a dog?"

Wu Qingying smiled and said, "The 'generals' are always by a beautiful woman's side, shaking their tails and begging for affection. They have a very amusing life. What's not to like?"

Zhu Jiuzhen was angry. "If he were a dog," she said, "What does that make his Shimei?"

Listening to this, Zhang Wuji could not stop laughing, 'Ha!' escaped from his mouth. He realized immediately of his rudeness, so he covered up his mouth quickly.

Wu Qingying felt anger was boiling inside her stomach, but she knew it was inappropriate to explode in front of Zhu Jiuzhen, so she stood up and said, "Zhen Jie, your mansion's servants are truly well-mannered. We are chatting here and this servile kid unexpectedly eavesdropping on the side, and still dares to laugh once or twice. Shige, I am going home first."

Zhu Jiuzhen suddenly remembered that Zhang Wuji was able to strike dead her 'General Zuo' with his palm; his strength was actually not small. She laughed and said, "Qing Mei, you do not need to be angry, and do not underestimate this little servant either. Although your Wu family's martial art is strong, if you are able to flatten this servile kid within three moves, I will truly submit to you."