Song of Exile

Chapter 98: Black Zombie

The two of them were pressed together, Wenchang laying over him, furtively speaking, their heads nearly touching; he only needed to raise his hand to strike. He knew the monk was extraordinary. He had put all his strength into that punch, even a boulder would have cracked from the blow, much less a head of flesh and bone. On the side was his temple, a deadly spot if hit there, and even a peasant farmer’s finger could do the trick. His punch was strong enough to crack a stone and break a stone tablet, so even if the monk were made of steel he’d been seriously hurt if not outright killed. It was a vicious punch.

At the same time, as a precaution, he wanted to grab the steel alloy staff on the table, but he couldn’t, so he could only lift the table and press down on the monk. These two things all at once was too much even for such an incredible monk, and even if he could handle it, he wouldn’t be able to counter immediately. He respected the monk’s ability and wasn’t about to get close and try for another deadly blow. If the monk had reached the level where he was strong and hard enough for that not to hurt him then his own life would be in danger.

The force of the punch knocked the monk down and the table pressed down on top of him.

Three-eyed Immortal raised his hand and waved and ran out from under the canopy with his buddies, leapt onto their mounts and galloped at full speed like stray dogs.

Black Iron Pagoda ran to his horse as well and leapt up and led the other two horses, holding Chai Feng before him on the saddle, and as he galloped off he called out, “Dear brother, don’t be long.”

The man and the two girls were stunned. The girl reached for her sword but the man stopped her and said in his secretive voice only she could hear, “No need! That fellow will likely be fine. Don’t get involved unless absolutely necessary, clever child.”

They leapt outside but didn’t leave.

Blissful Monk, sure enough, was extraordinary. The punch only made him dizzy for a second, but it didn’t hurt him. He pushed off with his hands and feet and the table went soaring. It punched a big hole through the canopy as bits of straw and wood from the supports rained down. He roared like a tiger and rolled on the ground, smashing the wooden benches and all the bowls and plates he rolled over, and he managed to grab his steel alloy monk’s staff and sweep it along the ground, knocking down one of the canopy supports as he raged, “Little pup, His Holiness will flay you alive and eat your heart and liver and drink your blood.”

He swung his staff and shook the canopy and he chased like mad after Wenchang, all the way to the public road.

Wenchang saw that the monk wasn’t hurt in the slightest and just about shit himself. Heavens! He had cultivated to the point he was impervious. If he had punched him again, Wenchang would not have been able to get away and would have been crushed by the monk. Too dangerous!

He high-tailed it out of there all the way to the public road where he saw that the two girls had not left! He got anxious. “What the hell! Do you damn girls haven’t fled yet? If you fall into that lecherous monks’ hands, consider your life over.”

Odd! The girls curled their lips at him in a faint smile and hmphed, but they didn’t flee.

The monk originally was chasing Wenchang like mad, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks and made for the girls, shouting, “You can’t run away boy. Let His Holiness break off these two heavenly cranes’ wings first so they don’t fly away.”

He dashed up to the girls and, holding his staff in one hand, reached out to press the girls’ Cycle Gate acupoint on their ribs. The girls screamed and dodged left and right like a winter lotus blown about by the wind. Strange! The monk’s moves were quick as a windstorm, but he couldn’t touch them. They dodged like they were scurrying and darting away in a panic, no seeming order to it at all, but the monk tried the best he could, just about to touch one of them when she suddenly darted out of his reach.

Wenchang didn’t think it odd at all though because he was busy panicking. He roared and turned back, charging ahead, and grabbed a broken piece of the canopy support beam and struck with it. “Eat this stick you bald ass.”

The monk didn’t move out of the way, he just turned and swept his staff across. “Down you go!”

Wenchang’s strike was only a feint. He flitted like an apparition ten feet away and called out while running, “Lecherous monk, come on, come on, your disciple, Jade-faced Tiger, was run out of Chang’an by me with no place to go. Hee hee! You were also knocked down by a punch from me, The Fugitive Cai Wenchang. How can a worthless sack of pus like you be one of the Thirteen Greats? Pooey! False reputation, so undeserved.”

When Blissful Monk heard that he was The Fugitive Cai Wenchang, he was consumed with an indescribable rage. He forgot about the girls and came at Wenchang like a ferocious tiger out of its den, ignoring Wenchang’s makeshift club and advancing on him with overwhelming force, like Mount Tai bearing down on an egg. He held his staff in one hand and intercepted the club. he pointed with his left hand a few times and an imperceptible force shot out one after another, whistling through the air more than eight feet.

But Wenchang knew the monk was extraordinary. He wasn’t about to get within that staff’s reach. He spun left and right, trying to lure the monk away from the rest area.

Blissful Monk was in a frenzy, madly giving chase while rumbling like thunder, “Little son of a bitch, I don’t think you can escape in broad daylight. His Holiness’ hatred won’t be quenched until he’s flayed your flesh, pulled out your tendons, and scooped out your heart.”

Wenchang feinted and retreated from the rest area. He had got a good look of the place before he had entered the rest area. To the right was a surging river valley and the ruins of King Yu temple. This was the deepest, most violent part of the river and was about 100-200 feet from the public road. If he could make it there and jump in the water it would be easy to get away. He didn’t think the monk was as good a swimmer as he, plus with his Lightning Bolt in the water, the monk would be a goner for sure.

This middle-aged guy was killing him, though, recklessly bringing those two girls back, what the hell? He shouted, “Girls, why are you making things harder on me, Cai Wenchang?”

They didn’t answer. He was so irritated he was about to spit up blood and he cursed to himself.

The three people in black concealed under the trees took a shortcut behind the wine shop and went along the riverbank, following the intense fighting, hiding themselves in the tall grass so that no one noticed them. The leader of the three was tall and thin with a swarthy complexion, 八-shaped eyebrows, and sharp, triangular shaped eyes that gave him a sinister look. He had a flat nose and thin lips and a grizzled goatee. His gray hair was done up in a Daoist bun. From a distance one clearly got a sense that he was not a person, but a corpse fluttering forward, as if he were using some ultra high-level lightness skill so that his feet barely even touched the ground, his black robes flapping. He carried no weapon, though one of the others carried a white cane.

Wenchang gritted his teeth and ran for the riverbank, shouting, “I have to get out of here, you ladies take good care of yourselves.”

“Where are you going? Hee hee hee” Blissful Monk laughed maniacally and shot ahead, making a beeline for it. Wenchang would be a step too late.

The three in black were appeared out from dead grass by the riverbank, blocking Wenchang’s path.

The middle-aged man was the first to see the danger. He said in a low voice, “Oh no! Black Zombie. I’ll go first.”

He suddenly sped up like a flash of lightning.

But he was a step too late. Black Zombie’s appearance was too sudden.

Wenchang didn’t know if the man was friend or foe, but Blissful Monk was hot on his tail. He could already feel the force of the wind from his qi attacking him. He could only turn and fling his club, then shouted, “Take this and this!”

The wooden club shot out like a thunderbolt, and two throwing knives followed. From behind someone suddenly shouted, “MAster Magnanimous, my friend, leave him to me.”

He wanted to dodge to the side and draw his sword to defend himself, but it was too late. Black Zombie floated forward and shot his palm out and a stench reached Wenchang from more than ten feet away.

“Eek!” Wenchang cheeped, and his upper body stiffened and he fell to the ground like a sick tiger shot with an arrow. Before he blacked out he heard a young lady scream, then he lost consciousness as a wave of darkness overtook him.

Blissful Monk dashed up. “Old Nangong, I want him alive, ah!”

As he shouted he brought down his monk’s staff and the club Wenchang had thrown was smashed to splinters, which shot out out to the side from the force of the blow. The throwing knives still flashed in, though, to his belly, ripping through his clothes before dropping lightly to the ground. He was shocked that the knives had penetrated his robe. It was rare for someone’s concealed weapon to be able to get close to him, but he had never had his robe torn by one before!

Suddenly the dazzling light off a sword flashed, the air it pushed out cold against his skin. He swept his staff out in a silver arc without thinking. Behind him, a girl’s cry of fear was ear-splitting.

The sword clashed three times, whizzing through the air like a dragon’s moan, sparks flying as it connected with the steel alloy staff three times, so fast that no one could make it out clearly.

“Who’s that?” the monk roared and began a fierce attack, his monk’s staff lashing like a sudden thunderstorm, circling in a silver arc in all directions, cutting down withered weeds and sending mud flying. He roared violently with a huge burst of air ready to fight, but there was no one willing to get within thirty feet of him. The afterimage of the staff and the light off the sword were frightening.

Black Zombie had not come forward to capture Wenchang yet when the two girls arrived. One of the girls stepped over Wenchang and said, “Xiaolan, save him.” Then she yelled and intercepted Black Zombie.

The dragon moan of her sword whizzing through the air came on like a tempest, dark light flashing, white light soaring, transforming into an odd black and white rainbow as it whizzed by, shooting straight for Black Zombie.

Xiaolan was the girl with her hair done up high. She grabbed Wenchang and stepped back. She cried, “Miss, he might be beyond saving.”

The two in black behind Black Zombie stole forward, white bone cane in hand. “Boss, take your weapon.”

Black Zombie backed away quickly, startled. He flourished his big sleeves to defend himself as he cried harshly, “Stay your hand! Nangong Lang has something to say. Stay…”