Heaven-relying Sword And Dragon-slaying Sabre

Zhang Wuji was secretly astonished, "I became the new Ming Cult's Jiaozhu and have already caused quite a stir in the Wulin; how come these two actually know nothing about it?" he thought, "Hmm, that's right; it must be that they went to the far away Bing Huo Island to get my Yifu. The round trip journey took a really long time. This time they came back to Dadou without having any communication with anybody; no wonder they have not heard about me."

Jin Hua Popo hesitated a moment before answering, "Very well, you stand up!"

"Many thanks, Popo!" Yin Li happily said.

"I promise you not to harm his life, but I must take the Tulong Saber from him …" Jin Hua Popo said.

"But …" Yin Li said.

"Don't fuss and make Popo angry," Jin Hua Popo cut her off. Her hand moved and a 'clink' noise was heard again.

Zhang Wuji saw Jin Hua Popo's hands were moving swiftly; successive 'clink, clink' noises were heard nonstop, farther and farther away. Yin Li sat on a rock with her head in her hands, sobbing softly. Zhang Wuji was very appreciative seeing, unexpectedly, that she has such a deep feeling toward him.

A moment later Jin Hua Popo shouted from about ten 'zhang's away, "Bring them here!" Yin Li had no choice but to take the two sacks and bring them to Jin Hua Popo.

Zhang Wuji crept forward several feet and looked; he was greatly shocked for he saw steel spikes seven, eight inches long were planted on the ground, among the rocks, about two, three feet apart. The sharp points of the spikes were facing upward; they looked very sharp, flickering with dim rays. The more Zhang Wuji thought about it, the more he was shocked. Apparently Jin Hua Popo was going to fight the Golden Mane Lion King, but she was afraid she might not be his match. If she launched secret projectiles, Xie Xun would be able to hear and evade; but steel spikes scattered on the ground were without noise and without movement. All she needed to do was lure him into the trap; how would a blind man like him be able to withstand the spikes?

Zhang Wuji's anger flared up; he was about to reach out and pull the steel spikes and unmask her plot, but he changed his mind. "This wicked Popo calls my Yifu 'Xie San Ge'; in the past they must have had unusual friendship," he thought, "I'll wait till she fights Yifu face to face, then I'll expose her trick. Today the Heaven has led me, Zhang Wuji, to this place, so that Yifu may not suffer any harm." Thereupon he sat on a rock, hugging his knees, waiting quietly for what would happen.

Suddenly he heard a rustling noise amidst the blowing wind, like a falling leaf on a rock. He knew a martial art master with high 'qing gong' [lightness skill] was quietly coming near. Turning his head around he saw a shadow moving stealthily; it was no other than the Beggar Clan's Elder, Chen Youliang. He had a curved saber in his hand, with its blade wrapped in cloth to avoid it from reflecting any light. Zhang Wuji mused how accurate Zhao Min's prediction was; this man was indeed not a good person.

"Xie San Ge!" Jin Hua Popo shouted, "There is a dog thief who is not afraid of death coming here looking for you!"

Zhang Wuji was startled, he thought Jin Hua Popo was very good; could it be that his presence had already been detected? Reasonably said, it would not be the case. He saw Chen Youliang was crouching among the tall grass, without daring to make any movement. Zhang Wuji crept carefully several more 'zhang's forward; he wanted to get as close as possible to his Yifu, to guard him against Jin Hua Popo's deceit and to offer his assistance as quickly as possible.

Not too long afterwards, a shadow of a big and tall man appeared from the hut on the mountain peak. Xie Xun walked slowly down the hill, and stopped several 'zhang's away from Jin Hua Popo. All along he did not utter a single word.

"Hey, hey," Jin Hua Popo said, "Xie San Ge, you are utterly suspicious toward an old acquaintance, yet you readily believed a total stranger. This fellow Chen Youliang, whom you let go today, has come looking for you."

Xie Xun coldly replied, "An open spear is easy to avoid, a hidden sword is hard to guard against. All my life Xie Xun has often suffered under those people close to me. That Chen Youliang is looking for me; what does he want?"

"This kind of treacherous lowly man, why would we want to care about him?" Jin Hua Popo said, "This afternoon you spared his life; do you know what position did his hands and feet take? His hands were in the 'shi zi bo tu' [the lion catches the rabbit] position, while his feet were in the 'jiang mo ti dou shi' [devil-subduing kicking style]. Ha ha ha ha …!" Her speaking voice was clear and crisp, pleasant to the ears; but her laughter was sad and shrill like those of a crying owl in the deep of the night.

Xie Xun was startled for he knew Jin Hua Popo was not lying. Because of his blindness, he had fallen into Chen Youliang's scheme. He wryly said, "It was not the first time I was taken advantage of by others. Lowly people like that are a dime a dozen in the Jianghu; I kill one more or one less, what difference does it make? Mrs. Han, you can be considered my good friend; you saw it, but chose to ignore it, and only now did you come and tell me. Are you trying to incite my anger?" Having finished speaking, he suddenly jumped toward Chen You Liang with an unbelievable speed.

Chen You Liang was shocked; he brandished his saber to hack. Xie Xun bent his left hand and snatched the saber away. 'Slap, slap, slap!' He successively slapped Chen Youliang's ears three times; then his right hand grabbed the back of his neck and lifted him up. "If I want to kill you now, it would be as easy as killing a chicken," he said, "But Xie Xun has given his words, letting you go and come back in ten years. If I see you again before that time on this island, I am going to take your dog's life away." Waving his hand, he threw Chen Youliang away.

Right away Chen Youliang's body flew toward the spikes on the ground. If he fell down to the ground, the spikes would certainly pierce his body; and then Jin Hua Popo's all-night effort would be wasted. Immediately Jin Hua Popo flew forward and hit Chen Youliang's waist with her walking stick, sending him off several more 'zhang's to the side.

"If you dare to tread your feet even for one step on my Ling She Island, I am going to kill a hundred of your Beggar Clan disciples," she shouted, "Jin Hua Popo has always been true to her words. Today I'll let you enjoy one of my golden flowers ['jin hua'] first." With a wave of her left hand a golden light streaked by. 'Puff!' a golden flower pierced the 'jia che xue' [jawbone acupoint] on Chen Youliang's left cheek, rendering him unable to speak momentarily, so that her secret plan would not be revealed.

Pressing his left cheek with his hand, Chen Youliang scurried downhill. By this time Xie Xun was only several 'zhang's away from the spikes. Zhang Wuji was crouching behind him. Only Zhang Wuji's internal energy was much higher than Chen Youliang's; he was able to regulate his breathing in such a way that Xie Xun and Jin Hua Popo were not aware of his presence.

Jin Hua Popo turned around and praised, "Xie San Ge, your ears are as sharp as your eyes were. Hereafter you can arouse your heroic manner and wander unhindered in the Jianghu for twenty more years."