Heaven-relying Sword And Dragon-slaying Sabre

"No, no!" Zhu'er hastily said, "You said you wish to take me as your wife, you will treat me well for the rest of my life, I love to hear it. Can you say it one more time?"

Zhang Wuji indignantly said, "Since you cannot forget that man, what else can I say?"

Zhu'er reached out to grab his hand. "Ahniu Gege," she said in a soft voice, "Please don't be angry. I offended you. My mistake. If you really take me as your wife, I might prick your eyes blind, I might kill you."

Zhang Wuji shuddered. "What did you say?" he asked in shock.

Zhu'er said, "If you are blind, you won't see my ugly face, you won't look at that Miss Zhou from Emei Pai. If you still cannot forget her, with one finger I will stab you dead, with one finger stab that Miss Zhou from Emei Pai dead, and with one finger stab myself dead." She said those strange words with ease, as if what she was going to do was in accordance with the heaven's law and the earth's principle.

Hearing her ruthless words, full of maliciousness, Zhang Wuji's heart skipped a beat. Right this moment, suddenly from a distant came an old voice, "In which matter did Miss Zhou of Emei Pai give you trouble?"

Zhu'er was startled, she leaped up and said in a low voice, "It's Miejue Shitai!"

Her voice was so low, but the person outside could still hear her. "That's right," she said sternly, "It is Miejue Shitai."

When the person outside spoke the first few words, the voice sounded from a far, but the second time she spoke, she was already outside the little hut.

Zhu'er knew their situation was far from good, but it was too late for her to pick Zhang Wuji up and hide; she had no choice but holding her breath without saying anything.

"Get out!" they heard the person outside said with a cold voice, "Do you think you can hide inside forever?"

Zhu'er opened the straw curtain and walked out holding Zhang Wuji's hand. She saw about two 'zhang' outside the hut stood an old nun with white hair and dreary face, she was none other than Emei Pai's Zhang Men [sect leader], Miejue Shitai. Behind her, about a dozen people, divided into three groups, came rushing in. As they arrived, they stood on either side of Miejue Shitai. Half of those people were nuns, the rest were men and women in civilian clothes. Ding Minjun and Zhou Zhiruo were among them. The male disciples stood at the back row. Miejue Shitai had never favored male disciples, Emei Pai male disciples had never learned the most advanced of their school's martial art, their status was somewhat lower than the female disciples.

Miejue Shitai coldly looked at Zhu'er to size her up without saying anything for half a day. With trepidation, Zhang Wuji was crouching behind Zhu'er. He had made up his mind that if Miejue Shitai attacked Zhu'er, he would do his utmost to help her, although he knew he was not Miejue Shitai's match. He heard Miejue Shitai humph and she turned toward Ding Minjun.

"Was it this baby girl?" she asked.

"Yes," Ding Minjun replied respectfully.

Suddenly they heard 'Crack! Crack!' twice, Zhu'er uttered a muffled grunt, while she was thrown about three 'zhang' backward with broken wrists. She fainted on the snowy ground.

Zhang Wuji only saw a grey shadow flashed as with inhuman speed footwork Miejue Shitai dashed toward Zhu'er, with inhuman speed hand technique she broke her wrist bones and threw her out, and again with inhuman speed footwork she returned to her previous position, and stood loftily like an ancient tree. She looked so ghostly yet also grand standing in the night breeze. Each one of her actions was nimble yet so clear. Zhang Wuji could see each movement clearly, yet her speed was unfathomable. He was so astonished by her speed that he was paralyzed in fear.

Miejue Shitai stared at Zhang Wuji with a piercing-heart-and-soul vision. "Get out!" she sternly said.

Zhou Zhiruo took a step forward. "Shifu," she reported, "This man's legs are broken; he cannot walk."

"Make two snow-sleds, take them go," Miejue Shitai said. The disciples complied at once.

The dozen or so male disciples with quick hands and feet built two sleds. Two female disciples carried Zhu'er, two male disciples carried Zhang Wuji. They put them on the sleds and pulled the sleds behind Miejue Shitai who had already sped to the west.

Zhang Wuji focused his attention, trying to hear or see if Zhu'er was astir. He did not know the severity of her injury. After travelling for about a 'li', he heard Zhu'er groan softly.

"Zhu'er," Zhang Wuji called out loudly, "How's your injury? Have you received an internal injury?"

"She broke my both my wrist bones," Zhu'er replied, "But my chest and abdomen seem to be fine."

"No internal injury, that's good," Zhang Wuji said, "Use your left elbow to bump your right arm three 'cun' five 'fen' [1 cun is approximately 1 inch, 1 fen is approximately 1/3 of a centimeter or a little over 1/8 or an inch] below the bend, and use your right elbow to bump your left three 'cun' five 'fen' below the bend. That should lessen your pain somewhat."

Before Zhu'er could respond, Miejue Shitai had already exclaimed, "Ah!" She turned her head toward Zhang Wuji, stared at him and said, "This kid is proficient in medical skill. What's your name?"

"Zaixia [lit. under/below, the humble one] surnamed Zeng, called Ahniu," Zhang Wuji replied.

"Who is your Shifu?" Miejue Shitai asked.

Zhang Wuji said, "My shifu was a nameless country doctor of a small town; Shitai would not know him even if I mentioned his name."

"Humph," Miejue Shitai snorted, but no longer paid him any attention.

The party travelled straight until the dawn before they stopped to eat their rations. Zhou Zhiruo took out several cold steamed buns and gave them to Zhang Wuji and Zhu'er. As she gave the buns to Zhang Wuji, she looked up at his face for a second before turning her head away.

Zhang Wuji's heart was shaken; he could not bear it any longer. "Your kindness in feeding me on the Hanshui River boat, I will never dare to forget," he said softly.

Zhou Zhiruo's whole body trembled; she quickly turned around and looked at him. This time Zhang Wuji was clean-shaven. She looked at him for a while. "Ah," she suddenly exclaimed with a pleasantly surprise expression. "You … you …" she stammered. Zhang Wuji knew she finally recognized him, he slowly nodded his head.

"The cold poison in your body, is it healed?" she quietly asked. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito that it was almost inaudible.

In the same soft voice Zhang Wuji replied, "It is healed."

Zhou Zhiruo's face blushed, and she walked away.

All this time, Zhu'er was behind Zhang Wuji. She saw Zhou Zhiruo could not contain her joy; her lips quivered, her face also appeared bashful, but her eyes brightened. Zhu'er waited until Zhou Zhiruo left before she asked Zhang Wuji, "What were the two of you talking about?"

Zhang Wuji's face reddened. "What? No … nothing," he said.

"Humph!" Zhu'er snorted, "Barefaced liar!"

They rested for about an hour and a half before continuing their journey in haste to the west, and continued in the same manner for three days. Apparently they had some important matter to attend to. Along the way, whether when travelling or resting, neither the male nor female disciples opened their mouths to talk, unless it was absolutely necessary; it was as if they were a bunch of mute people.