Heaven-relying Sword And Dragon-slaying Sabre

He saw the pictures were splattered with blood, a reminder of the bloody battle between Xie Xun and Cheng Kun during the day, making the pictures more forlorn and terrifying.

Looking at the third picture on the western wall, he saw Xie Xun was sitting, and Zhou Zhiruo was attacking him from the back. There was a crowd of beggars of the Beggar Clan lurking outside the room. This scene was exactly the same as was depicted in the tableau sponsored by Zhao Min during the 'Tour of the Imperial City' at Dadu.

When he was about to look at the fourth picture, the torch in his hand suddenly went out. "Min Mei," he called out, "Could you come down and let me use your fire?"

Zhao Min lighted her torch and jumped down. As she saw the drawings, she understood immediately. The fourth picture depicted Xie Xun was being taken by several men. There was a woman peering from behind a tree in a distant. The stroke of these drawing was excellent; however, other than Xie Xun's own face, the other people's faces were indistinct, Zhang Wuji could not tell who the woman was.

He pondered about it for a moment and then he understood, "When Yifu became blind, I have not even been born yet. He recognizes Min Mei, Zhiruo, Biaomei, and me by our voices, but actually he does not know what we look like. Naturally he could not draw our faces." Pointing to the young woman, he asked, "Was it you, or Miss Zhou?"

"It was me," Zhao Min replied, "When Cheng Kun snatched Xie Daxia away from the Beggar Clan, he had someone else to take Xie Daxia to be imprisoned in the Shaolin Temple. He himself went around leaving the Ming Cult's mark along the way, leading you on a wild goose chase around a big circle. I did try to seize Xie Daxia by force several times, but I failed every time. In the end I had to stop you from being the bridegroom. I am truly sorry."

At that time, Zhang Wuji's heart was filled with extreme remorse. He stared blankly at Zhao Min, looking at her wan and sallow countenance, and her thin cheeks; knowing that in the last several months she had endured suffering beyond any normal person can bear. Overwhelmed by compassion, he reached out to embrace her, and said in a trembling voice, "Min Mei, I … I have wronged you." As soon as he embraced her, the fire went out and the dungeon turned into a pitch-black cave.

He continued, "If not because of your intelligence and quick-thinking, the muddle-headed Zhang Wuji would have killed you; wouldn't that be terrible?"

Zhao Min laughed and said, "Do you have a heart to kill me? You insisted that I was the murderer, yet when you saw me, why didn't you kill me?"

Zhang Wuji was silent with a blank expression on his face. After a moment, he sighed and said, "Min Mei, my feelings toward you have made me lose control over my own actions. Supposing you did kill my Biaomei, I still do not know what I should do. Now that the truth is being gradually revealed, even though I feel sorry for Zhiruo, I must say that deep in my heart I am happy."

Zhao Min could hear the sincerity in his voice; she leaned on his bosom. For a long time nobody said anything. When she looked up, she saw that the crescent moon was hanging low on the eastern horizon, while all around them nothing was astir.

"Wuji Gege," Zhao Min said in a tender voice, "When we first met at the Green Willow Manor, we fell into the dungeon together. Don't you think our circumstance today is more or less the same as the one we were then?"

Zhang Wuji snickered. He reached down to grab her left foot and then took her shoe off.

Zhao Min laughed. "A big man like you bullying a weak girl like me," she said.

"You, a weak girl?" Zhang Wuji replied, "You are so crafty that even ten grown men are not your match."

"Thank you for your praise, Zhang Da Jiaozhu [Big Cult Leader Zhang]!" Zhao Min laughed, "Little girl does not dare to accept."

Speaking to this point, both of them broke out in laughter. The exchange between them was exactly what they were saying when they were trapped in the Green Willow Manor's dungeon together a few years ago. Only, the first time they said that, the words were filled with hostility, while this evening, the words were full of unbounded tender love.

Zhang Wuji smiled and said, "Aren't you afraid I might scratch the bottom of your foot again?"

Zhao Min laughed and said, "No, I am not!"

Zhang Wuji grabbed her foot again, but suddenly they heard faint shouts from the direction of northwest. Leaning their heads to listen, they heard clashing gusts of wind; obviously, there were people fighting in the distance.

"Let's go take a look!" they said to each other.

Taking Zhao Min's hand, Zhang Wuji leaped up from the dungeon. Following the direction of the noise, they saw three shadows speeding away to the west. Their feet were exceptionally swift; they were definitely first class martial art masters. Zhang Wuji held out his arm to grab Zhao Min's waist, and then unleashing his 'qing gong' he dashed on a chase. From the distant he noticed that the one in the front was running away, while the other two in the back were pursuing vigorously.

Zhang Wuji picked up his speed trying to close the distance. Under the moonlight he saw that the pursuers were two old men. They were none other than Lu Zhangke and He Biweng. He saw He Biweng wave his left hand, throwing a crane-beak pen forward toward the one in the front. The one in the front swept a sword backward to parry. 'Bang!' the crane-beak pen was thrown to the sky.

Because of this slight delay, Lu Zhangke was able to leap nearby that person, and immediately thrust his deer-antler staff forward. That person leaned sideways to evade and counterattacked with a palm. The moon shone onto that person's face. Her face was pale, her loose long hair fluttered in the wind. Turned out she was Zhou Zhiruo. Zhang Wuji was startled. Hastily he took Zhao Min and hid behind a tree.

He Biweng caught the crane-beak pen as it fell from the sky. He circled toward Zhou Zhiruo's left and launched a converging attack together with Lu Zhangke.

Clenching her teeth, Zhou Zhiruo said, "Why do you, two old ghosts, painstakingly chase me?"

Lu Zhangke replied, "Today we have seen it with our own eyes; Zhang Wuji of the Ming Cult managed to seize the Tulong Saber and Yitian Sword, but the secret martial art manual inside the Saber and the Sword was already gone. It must be in Mrs. Song's possession."

Zhang Wuji was shocked. "Turned out when I was snatching the blades and saving others, these two old chaps were close by. But why couldn't I know their presence?"

He heard Zhou Zhiruo say, "There is indeed a secret martial art manual, but I destroyed it as soon as I finished training."

With a cold laugh Lu Zhangke said, "Did you say 'finished training'? That easy, huh? These Tulong Saber and Yitian Sword were known as 'the most treasured in Wulin world'; how can the secret hidden inside them be that superficial? Although Mrs. Song's martial art skill stands out above the others, I don't think you have reached the pinnacle yet. Otherwise, with one wave of your hand you would have killed us, two brothers. Why would you run away?"

"If I said I have destroyed it then I have destroyed it," Zhou Zhiruo said, "Who has so much spare time to chat with you? I am taking my leave now!"