The Black Dragon Swordsman

It is a glorious evening in Chongqing, a thriving transportation and industrial centre of Southwestern China, on this the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the year of 1410 AD. This period is the rule of Emperor Yongle during the Ming Dynasty. Tonight is the Spring Lantern Festival marking the end of the New Year celebrations. The streets are full of bustling people. Sounds of music and joyous laughter fill the evening air. Zithers, flutes, and huggins can all be heard. Endless rows of bright peach blossom coloured lanterns hang high above the main street. Short bundles of firecrackers dangle by the sides of walls. Loud cracking sounds echo back and forth through the crowd as they are lit. Brightly decorated lanterns of all colours, shapes, and sizes are hung aloft shopfronts.

An old street vendor in his late 80s can be heard yelling at the top of his lungs trying desperately to be heard above all the commotion, “Flower lanterns for sale! Brings good fortune all year round! Just two taels! Very cheap! Flower lanterns for sale! ….”.

A young crafty merchant on the opposite side of the street can be heard yelling frantically trying to compete for customers, “Jade lanterns for sale! Guarantees longevity! Fate lanterns for sale! Guarantees everlasting love! Dragon lanterns for sale! Guarantees protection from demons and ghosts! Get them here now! Just 4 taels! Jade Lanterns for sale! …”.

About half the people who had lined up by the old street vendor in his 80s, moved to the other side of the street to buy a lantern from the young crafty merchant upon hearing his sales pitch. They were all thinking the same thought. The good fortune only lasts a year, but longevity and everlasting love lasts a lifetime. For the more superstitious, guaranteed protection from demons and ghosts is a far better than just mere good fortune. So even though the lanterns cost double the money, it was well worth it.

For those on low incomes 4 taels was just too much for a lantern no matter what the supposed benefits were. So half of the people had remained in line to purchase a flower lantern of the old street vendor in his late 80s.

Thousands of people continue to pile into the town centre from the river. Some rush about hurriedly here and there in search of a last minute bargain. Others gather to enjoy the atmosphere and watch the various street dancers, performers, and musicians. Fortune tellers are busy reading palms. Little kids run about stuffing their mouths with the sweet rounded little dumplings in the shape of a moon. They come in all flavours and colours. The many restaurants, taverns and inns are full. A sweet romantic flagrance fills the air. Couples can be seen walking shoulder to shoulder into the night carrying a lantern in hand. Lovers swear oaths of faithfulness, play rhyme chimes and exchange small gifts. Some propose under the clear moonlight down by the lake.

A man in his early thirties and a young woman in her early twenties rush hurriedly among the crowd. They are husband and wife, travellers from afar who had just arrived at Chongqing by the Yangtse River from the port of Kuizhou. They are on the way to the city of Chengdu and are just stoping to rest for the night.

The young woman has a soft oval face and rose red cheeks. A head full of long black silky hair hangs down to the middle of her back. White and pink ribbons tie her hair neatly into two small bundles at the front. Apart from a few specks of dirt on her face and arms obtained during the long journey, her skin is as white as snow. She looks very peaceful but yet weary.

A closer look reveals that she is wearing a light pink dress showing off her slim figure and smooth curves. In her left hand is a long sword resting in its white sheath. Two butterflies are carved into the hilt of the sword. The handle of the sword is made out of white ivory. A white belt is worn around her waist. At the centre is a black insignia in the shape of a butterfly. A piece of jade that has been carefully handcrafted into the shape of a butterfly hangs down by the side. This is no ordinary woman. Her surname is Lok and first names are Gum Fa. She is the senior apprentice of the ‘Iron Maiden’ Cheung Cum, and one of the renowned “Three Flower Maidens” of the Divine Butterfly Sect of Shaanxi province, an orthodox clan. It is rumoured throughout wulin that Lok Gum Fa’s beauty is unmatched and unrivalled on the central plains of China, though no one really knows for sure. For it is a custom for maidens of the Divine Butterfly Sect to wear a veil covering the lower portion of their face until they are married. Other than the many heroes who had gathered at Taishan about a year and a half ago for her wedding, along with those that have seen her during her travels, no one else in wulin has actually seen her beauty first hand. But rumour and news spreads like wild fire through wulin.

The man is very rough and rugged looking. He is of solid built and very muscular around the chest and arms. He was once a handsome man but there are now four deep sword scars on the left and one long scar on the right side of his face. He wears a black patch over the right eye. Obviously these injuries have been inflicted through the many battles and duels that he has fought over his lifetime. His face carries a serious disposition. He does not appear to be at ease. He is wearing a torn and weathered black robe with a red cape that is flustering in the evening breeze. A black dragon is embodied on the back of the cape. A bamboo rain hat rests on his head, helping to shield his rugged face from sight. Underneath a single left eye as sharp as an eagle’s can be seen. His hair is all messed up and hangs down by the shoulder underneath the rain bamboo hat. A gold belt is wrapped around his waist. A black dragon insignia lies its centre. A short black sabre hangs by the side of his right leg. A small black dragon is carved into the hilt of the sabre.

This is no ordinary man. His last name is Yeung, first names are Tin Lung. He is none other than the infamous “Black Dragon Swordsman”. He is one of the most feared swordsman throughout wulin. The other being “Sword Saint Unrivalled East”, Kim Mo Dik. No one really knows whether he harbours good or evil intentions. He has a very eccentric personality and is easily offend by others. In the past he had lived as he pleased and does as he pleased, although the times are now changing. He has been a loner all his life until recently. It is rumoured that he was once part of the “13 Ghost Mountain Assassins” of Chengdu, an unorthodox clan with allegiance with the Demon Cult. Over 353 orthodox clans members, unorthodox clans members, Demon Cult members, government officials, war generals, scholars, and commoners alike, both good and evil, are said to have died under the blade of his black sabre. His swordsmanship has reached such an advanced level that he has never lost a battle in his lifetime and is now considered to be invincible. Hailing from the western regions of China he also carries the nickname of “Sabre Saint Invincible West”.

He is carrying a large rectangle bamboo basket over his shoulders. A newly born baby is sleeping soundly inside amongst the straw. A red silk scarf is wrapped around the baby. A black dragon is embroiled on the left-hand corner.

Turning his head slightly to face his wife, Yeung Tin Lung remarked, “It’s been a long journey, but we’re finally here. Chengdu and the Ghost Mountain are near. We must be on extreme alert from now on. We have many orthodox enemies pursuing behind us, and many Demon Cult enemies ahead.”

“Why should we fear them. Shouldn’t they be fearing you instead? You have a well earned reputation ‘Sabre Saint Invincible West’.” Lok Gum Fa said smiling affectionately at her husband as she spoke those last four words.

She continued, “Even my master the ‘Iron Maiden’ who has been following us for months dare not come to close. She is afraid that she will meet you head on. She has already had a taste of your power first hand at Taishan”.

Yeung Tin Lung gave a long sigh, “The current situation is different from before. We should be careful never the less”.

Lok Gum Fa glanced back lovingly over at her husband who at that moment was concentrating his “Divine 9 Dragon” inner energy to scan through the crowd of people for signs of potential hidden danger. It is rumoured that the “Divine 9 Dragon” inner energy can detect an opponent’s source of internal energy, its flow, and many variations at a 300 metre radius. So it would be very difficult for any martial artist in wulin to be able to catch Yeung Tin Lung off guard and gain advantage in combat by launching an ambush attack. It is also impossible for elite martial artists to disguise themselves as common folk and hide themselves amongst a crowd, as they would be detected by the “Divine 9 Dragon” inner energy. This would enable Yeung Tin Lung to distinguish a simple commoner from a martial arts expert. He would thus be prepared for any potential ambush or surprise attack. A slight smile suddenly appeared on Tin Lung’s face and he finally appeared to be at ease.

“There are 24 Beggar Clan members, 8 members of the Lion Prestige Escort, 5 nuns from Emei Sect, and 3 swordsman from Qincheng Sect, this side of the city within a 300 metre radius of us”, said Yeung Tin Lung as he glanced over at his wife with a slight smile.

“What truly amazing skills ‘Sabre Saint Invincible West’!”, praised Lok Gum Fa with her right thumb raised.

Casting an another affectionate glance at her husband, she continued, “It is not unusual for such a large number of Beggar Clan members to be gathered over a small area in a large city such as this”.

Nodding in agreement Yeung Tin Lung continued, “Also, it is well known through wulin that members of the Lion Prestige Escort always travel in groups of 8 when they are couriering an important cargo down the Yantse River”.

“And it is not unusual for nuns from Emei Sect to be wandering about through the city when their headquarters, Emei shan, is located in this province”, agreed Lok Gum Fa.

Counting with her fingers to eliminate all the possibilities of danger that lie ahead, Lok Gum Fa continued “Also it is not unusual for swordsmen from Qincheng Sect to be here given that their headquarters Qincheng shan lies near”.

“But why only 3 of them? Could it be them?…”, she said after a momentary pause.

“You guessing that these 3 swordsmen are the renowned ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’, Priest Tin Moon, Priest Tin Do, Priest Tin Chi?”, remarked Yeung Tin Lung as he strode casually down the street. They were now about a 15 minute walk to the lake on the other side of the main town centre but could already see that thousands of people had gathered for the fireworks. Because it was Lantern Festival, Yeung Tin Lung wanted to take his wife there for the celebrations as well.

Lok Gum Fa nodded before replying, “My master told me that, although Qincheng Sect are a large clan and have many apprentices, none other than the Head Master of Qincheng Sect dare to travel by themselves”.

“The ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’ travel in 3s, and all other swordsmen from Qincheng Sect travelled in groups of 9 or more”, she continued confident that she had guessed correctly.

“This is very unusual indeed. I have never heard of anything like that before about the Qincheng Sect. Why do you suppose that is?”, remarked Yeung Tin Lung as he took a big stride to his right down a small back street behind the shops to avoid the crowd celebrating ahead.

He had always disliked walking through crowded places and today was going to be no different. Besides had they continued down the main street they would have been required to slow down their pace somewhat and be late in getting to the lake for the fire works. Even though they both possessed good lightness kung fu, it is almost impossible to be able to glide through the masses of people walking almost shoulder to shoulder, obstructing their way forward. They could have forced their way through but would have ended up injuring many innocent people. Not that Yeung Tin Lung would have cared at all. He has never worried about offending other people, but takes great care in trying not to offend his wife, whom he loved with all his heart. He knew that his wife was a gentle soul and would not forgive him for many days had he injured one, let alone a large number of the many innocent people before them. So he decided that taking a detour was the best way to proceed ahead.

The width of he back street was so narrow that only one person could comfortably walk down it. Lok Gum Fa followed closely behind her husband before continuing, “My master says that the kung fu skills of Qincheng Sect have deteriorated over the generations, mainly as a result of the elite fighters and masters who fought and died to protect China during the Mongol invasion. Many of them died without being able pass on their expertise to the younger generations”.

“This is very tragic indeed”, interrupted Yeung Tin Lung. He did not have a particular liking for swordsmen from the Qincheng Sect, but he couldn’t help but praise them inwardly upon hearing about their heroic deed in trying to defend their country from invasion all those years ago. Although wulin labelled him as a ruthless and senseless killer, he has done his country a good deed by murdering a number of corrupt officials and war generals who secretly collude with the jurchens on the borders of China.

He remained silent in thought before continuing, “Yes, not only have the skills of Qincheng Sect deteriorated, but those of Huashan, Songshan, Taishan, Kunlun shan, Zhongnan shan, Emie shan and various other sects including the Beggar Clan share that same fate. Only the various skills and sword arts of Wudang and Shaolin have remained intact over the generations”, remarked Yeung Tin Lung.

“You have missed one other major clan who’s many skills and sword arts have remained intact over many generations”, giggled Lok Gum Fa.

Yeung Tin Lung knew that his wife was very intelligent and knowledgable. But for the time being he could not guess the identity of the other great clan that was comparable to the great Wudang and Shaolin clan. So he quizzed, “Fa yee, I am dumbstruck. Which great clan are you referring to? Surely you don’t mean the ‘Divine Butterfly Sect’?”. Fa yee, was what he called his wife when they were lovers. Even though they are now married, he had become used to calling her that way.

A wide smile appeared on Lok Gum Fa’s face as she heard her husband mentioning her own clan, the Divine Butterfly Sect. She knew he had good intentions but at the same time she loved teasing and poking fun at her husband. She couldn’t stop herself from laughing childishly inside. Yeung Tin Lung would have been slightly embarrassed had he seen the mocking expression on his wife’s face behind him.

“Your sword skills are brilliant but you’re as dumb as a cow, do you know that big brother Yeung?”, she mocked.

Lok Gum Fa was feeling very affectionate at this point. She had been used to calling her husband ‘big brother Yeung’ for a very long time now. That was what she used to call him when she first fell in love with him. It was actually by chance that they had met each other all those years ago. At that time she was only 16 and very naive. She had been sent on a mission on the outskirts of Chengdu valley with her two junior apprentice sisters Lin Chun Fa and To Guk Fa, collectively known as ‘3 Flower Maidens’, to eliminate the senior apprentice of ‘7 Vixens’, Fung Lau Yin. Not only did they fail to kill Fung Lau Yin, but Lok Gum Fa, fell for the devilish trickery of that Vixen, suffering a serious injury along with being poisoned by a “13 Phantom Venom” needle. During the battle she had been separated from both her junior apprentice sisters. At that point she was facing death alone and thoughts of being horribly eaten alive by the wolves in the valley had crossed her mind. In her darkest hour, Yeung Tin Lung, who had been travelling through the valley to return to the Ghost Mountain found her scared out of her wits. He personally sucked the poison from her veins and bandaged up her injuries. He kept her company for over two days and nights, to make sure she had food to eat and protected her from the wolves lurking in the valley. He never spoke much or looked at her that first time, and disappeared without a trace on the third morning. That was when her master the ‘Iron Maiden’ Cheung Cum had found her. She has always loved him since that time, but did not know who he was. It was not until she was 18 did they meet again, when they both fell in love with each other.

Yeung Tin Lung was aware that his wife was poking fun at him from the previous comment and did not reply. They have been travelling for many days without rest. So he was feeling pleased knowing that his wife had regain her witty spirit.

Having not heard a rebuttal from her husband, Lok Gum Fa continued whilst still giggling, “Dummy, I was referring to the Demon Cult”.

Yeung Tin Lung glanced over his shoulder. Looking at his wife with a touch of surprise, he enquired, “Demon Cult? Why Demon Cult?”.

“The Demon Cult have been renowned for their many skills and arts in deception and trickery. They are cruel and ruthless, do wicked deeds, and kill by the thousands without reason. Yet after many generations, this has not changed. So why can’t they be compared to Shaolin and Wudang?”, protested Lok Gum Fa with a glowing smile.

Yeung Tin Lung had no rebuttal and nodded to indicate that he agreed. He also realised there were merit in those comments. For generations the Demon Cult had been blamed for every wicked deed known in wulin and yet after many generations this view has not altered. Although the Demon Cult is by no means as wicked as their reputation, it was said that members of that clan should not be taken at face value. This was a long standing tradition in wulin, and comparable to the long standing tradition that Shaolin and Wudang have always been perceived as the ultimate good guys. Having gone down this line of thought a smile flashed across his face as he realised that his wife had attempted to cheer him up and was actually was referring to him and their present situation.

“What were you saying earlier about those Qincheng Sect swordsmen?”, said Yeung Tin Lung, trying to change the subject.

He had long been a member of the 13 Ghost Mountain Assassins who were in alliance with the Demon Cult. Even though he has expelled himself from that clan to marry his wife, he still believed the Demon Cult members to be more heroic and chivalrous than the so called orthodox clans. Shaolin and Wudang were the only two clans he had any amount of respect for. So he did not want to discuss the Demon Cult any further with his wife, who is an apprentice of an orthodox clan, so was a little bit biased the other way.

“I was going to tell you earlier but you interrupted me! So I won’t tell you unless you apologise!”, demanded Lok Gum Fa.

Yeung Tin Lung knew his wife’s behaviour very well. She is now 22 and he was 31. She has been acting like this ever since he met her. That was a very long time ago. He was 27 then and had just finished attending the Chancellor of the Demon Cult, Tit Hit Wong’s 60th birthday in the Henan province on behalf of his master. He made a detour through the Shaanxi province to throw off his various enemies from the orthodox clans before attempting to travel back to Chengdu down the Jailing River. Just when he was about to board a boat and set off, around 20 members of the ‘Divine Butterfly Sect’ led by an 18 year old Lok Gum Fa had surrounded him. His “Divine 9 Dragon” inner energy had warned him that there had been attackers hiding nearby so he was well prepared in advance. But he could not have guessed it would had been led by that same 16 year old girl that he had saved in the valley’s of Chengdu two years ago. So naturally he was shocked and but managed to seize Lok Gum Fa as a hostage and made off down the Jailing River. The other members of the Divine Butterfly Sect could do nothing to prevent him from escaping. At that time Lok Gum Fa was both angered and pleased to see Yeung Tin Lung. She could not forget the incident in the valley of Chengdu, so was pleased that Yeung Tin Lung had escaped the danger. But at the same time she pretended to be angry on the outside for being captured as a hostage. So she rained down numerous curses to insult Yeung Tin Lung, who could do nothing but endure it all the way to the port of Shunqing. It was not long after that they fell in love and caused a major stir in wulin.

Yeung Tin Lung knew that his wife wasn’t really that short tempered, but just wanted to play little games to know that her husband loves her dearly. So he cupped his hands together, turned around, and bowed politely whilst saying, “Empress Dowager Lok, your humble loyal servant sincerely apologises for all offences to your highness”.

Kneeling down, he said, “Your loyal subject kneels here before you to await punishment”.

Lok Gum Fa couldn’t help but giggle at this gesture. It was lucky that they were walking alone in a back street and there was no one to see this act. Otherwise she would have felt slightly embarrassed. But she was pleased in her heart to know that her husband thought all the world of her. He was a simple man and very up front. He did not care at all about adhering to any of the customs and traditions about how a man and a wife should behave in public.

“That’s a good humble loyal servant. You can get up now”, she said with a smile as she bent down to help her husband back onto his feet.

“The main reason why the swordsmen of the Qincheng Sect often travel in groups of 9 is that their individual sword skills are no match for a highly skilled fighter. But the combined forces of 9 swordsmen together in the renowned Qincheng Sect Dipper Formation is formidable force for any opponent to deal with”, she continued.

Yeung Tin Lung smiled as he said, “Oh! I have never noticed before”. Not that he would have cared. Even if there were over 36 Qincheng students together he wouldn’t have been afraid of them. His swords skills were far too superior for any sword formation.

The path they had taken through the back street led them down another main street. They have been walking for around 5 minutes and are now about two blocks away from the main town hall. A flamethrower was entertaining a small crowd of locals that had gathered a short distance away. Loud claps and praise suddenly erupted from the crowd as they cheered his every move.

Taking a step in the general direction of the main town hall, Yeung Tin Lung remarked, “The ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’ do not concern me at all. What worries me is that I have been unable to detect any Demon Cult members”.

“Is it possible that your ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy is only able to the detect orthodox inner energy streams?”, sounding a little concerned, Lok Gum Fa remarked.

“Not possible. I am able to detect all forms of inner energy”, replied Yeung Tin Lung. He knew full well that the ‘13 Ghost Mountain Assassins’, ‘7 Vixens’, and ‘Red Wolf Fang’ were in alliance with the Demon Cult, and were all based in the Sichuan province. So it is strange indeed that he was unable to detect a single clan member, including a scout, from any of those clans. He was deeply concerned about this, though he never would reveal this to his wife.

“Do you know why we won’t have to fear the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng’?”, said Yeung Tin Lung, trying to change the subject upon noticing the deep look of concern on his wife’s face.

Lok Gum Fa was still in deep thought, so just shook her head and said, “No. Why?”.

“Everyone in wulin knows that my 3rd senior apprentice brother Kiu Pin Fok of the 13 Ghost Mountain Assassins resides here in Chongqing. Those ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’ would do well to avoid him”, replied Yeung Tin Lung

“They have a previous grudge? How come I have never heard?”, remarked Lok Gum Fa in surprise.

“There are usually 4 Aces in every deck of cards. Did you know that there were actually ‘4 Aces of Qincheng Sect’?”, replied Yeung Tin Lung.

Lok Gum Fa was a person very knowledgable in the matters of wulin, but was still a little bit inexperienced compared to her husband. She once heard her master mention that the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’, are now in their 40s. So it may have been possible that in their younger days they roamed and gained fame in wulin as a foursome before some tragic misadventure.

“So it was your 3rd senior apprentice brother who made the once renowned ‘4 Aces’ into ‘3 Aces’?”, speculated Lok Gum Fa. This was a good guess according to her.

“In a way you can say that”, replied Yeung Tin Lung, feeling rather proud. It was actually the first time that his wife had failed to correctly guess an event that had occurred in wulin.

“In a way? I thought your senior apprentice brother murdered the 4th Ace?”, said Lok Gum Fa in amazement.

A large grin appeared on Yeung Tin Lung’s face as he remarked, “Kiu Pin Fok, was actually once known as Priest Tin Juk…”.

“Ah Ha! So your senior apprentice brother was actually the 4th Ace of the Qincheng Sect!”, Lok Gum Fa jumped in. She was filled with joy having guessed correctly, even though she needed some clues from her husband.

“How very clever!”, praised Yeung Tin Lung.

Casting a glance at a lantern street vendor ahead of them, Yeung Tin Lung continued, “I’ll buy you a special gift if you can correctly guess the reason behind him leaving the Qincheng Sect”.

Lok Gum Fa thought to herself, “Priest Tin Juk was a toaist and dedicated his life to the study of Taoism. At that time he must have been a very young man. Could it be that he left the Qincheng Sect because he found true love?”. She smiled thinking that this was a correct answer.

She had another thought, “Even if he had found true love, there’s no need to leave the Qincheng Sect. Like many of the other toaist clans they accept secular apprentices as well. So all he had to do was abandon his studies and resume a secular life. But why…”.

Seeing the beaming smile on her husbands face, the answer struck her like lightning, she said, “You owe me a pressie, big brother Yeung. I am guessing your senior apprentice brother was expelled from the Qincheng Sect for falling in love with a female of the Demon Cult!”.

“Very good. Very good indeed”, replied Yeung Tin Lung as he led his wife over to the lantern street vendor by the side of the street.

Hung aloft the tiny little store were brightly decorated lanterns of all colours, shapes and sizes. There was a large red one with a rounded base with gold trimmings. Next to it was a rectangle peach blossom coloured lantern with black trimmings fitted with wood. One each side were painted the images of the “Four Beauties”. Apart from the big ones there were a few medium sized ones in the shape of a pear. There was also square jade lantern with a painting of the “Moon Maiden”. There were also a couple of tiny small lanterns in the shapes of tigers, and lions. These were intended for children. Small windmills were also available for sale here.

“I’d like that one please”, pointing to a medium sized lantern to the right hand corner of the store, Lok Gum Fa said to the street vendor. It was a simple choice. The lantern was a rounded lantern matching the colour of her husband’s cape. A big dragon was painted on either side.

By now the street vendor had fetched the lantern. Presenting it to Lok Gum Fa, he said with a smile, “Excellent choice madam. This lantern will protect you from all demons, ghosts, and evil spirits. It will give you good fortune this evening. 4 taels please”.

Yeung Tin Lung paid for the lantern before saying with a grin, “I promised you a present, yet all you wanted was a dragon to accompany you. If I had known that earlier I would have saved 4 taels”.

Yeung Tin Lung’s comments brought out a smile from Lok Gum Fa. She held the lantern out with her right hand and continued walking. Still smiling she said, “So which devilish woman made a toaist priest abandon his religion?”.

“Can you guess? I’ll give you a clue! Your beauty is said to be unrivalled and unmatched on the central plains of China, but who ranks as number 2?”, said Yeung Tin Lung full of praise.

Lok Gum Fa knew that in terms of beauty, it was rumoured that her two junior apprentice sisters Lin Chun Fa and To Guk Fa were not far behind her. In fact even her master, Cheung Cum, who is now in her late 40s was still considered by many to be a beauty. That’s because her master had practiced the ‘Divine Maiden Butterfly’ inner energy, which preserved her youthful appearance. But all these women on her mind were members of her own orthodox clan. In terms of beauties from the Demon Cult, rumour has it that none could match the beauty of the ‘7 Vixens’. They used their looks to seduce many men before sucking them dry of blood when they let their guards down. She herself had once fought with Fung Lau Yin, the senior apprentice of the ‘7 Vixens’ so knew that the rumours about the ‘7 Vixens’ were indeed true. In terms of beauty none were comparable to Fung Lau Yin’s 3rd junior apprentice sister, Fung Ching Mun. But it is well known in wulin that Fung Ching Mun died of poison many years ago at the valley of Chengdu near Ghost Mountain.

Finally after a long pause, Lok Gum Fa said, “Your senior apprentice brother must have fell in love with, Fung Ching Mun!”.

“You were very close with that guess, but it wasn’t Fung Ching Mun. It was Fung Lau Yin!”, remarked Yeung Tin Lung.

Surprised, Lok Gum Fa replied, “It was rumoured in wulin that Fung Ching Mun died because she had sacrificed her life to suck deadly poison from an orthodox clan member. I thought...”.

“Fung Ching Mun did indeed love and sacrificed her life for Priest Tin Juk. But he loved Fung Lau Yin only”, concluded Yeung Tin Lung.

“Is it because of the sacrifice of Fung Ching Mun that Priest Tin Juk decided to leave the Qincheng Sect, changing his name to Kiu Pin Fok and became a 13 Ghost Mountain Assassin”, quizzed Lok Gum Fa.

“He never did mention the real reason to me. But he has vowed to kill the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’ to avenge the death of Fung Ching Mun”, replied Yeung Tin Lung

“Obviously there is more to this than we know. But why is it that he and Fung Lau Yin never married”, still puzzled Lok Gum Fa decided to ask.

“It’s because Fung Lau Yin was in love with another…”, said Yeung Tin Lung, not wanting to finish the sentence.

“Look we have reached the main town hall”, interrupted Lok Gum Fa as she pointed to the great hall of Chongqing before them.

Yeung Tin Lung had totally lost track of time. He could see the lake ahead. Thousands of people had set up camp for the firework display. They still have around 10 to 15 minutes before the firework show. Turning his head left and right to observe the surroundings. He could see not far ahead of them an old stocky street vendor selling bowls of rice noodles. The vendor was set up in a clearing next to a large tree not far from the side of the lake. It was a perfect out of the way place to observe the fireworks. A dozen or so of small tables were laid out underneath the old tree. Most of the tables were full with local fishermen and their families, who did not have enough money to be eating in the larger restaurants on either side of the main town hall.

“Fa yee, you haven’t eaten all day. Let’s go over there and get something to eat”, said Tin Lung as he stepped in the direction of the street vendor.

Lok Gum Fa nodded indicating that it was a good idea. But she remained silent in deep thought about what her husband had said to her earlier. She thought to herself, “I wonder who this Fung Yin Lau possibly could have fallen in love with”.

Yeung Tin Long approached the short stocky street vendor and ordered, “One bowl of steamed black duck rice noodles, and one bowl of vegetarian rice noodles please”, before handing over two small coins.

He then led Lok Gum Fa to an empty table right next to the where the stocky street vendor was standing. He removed the bamboo basket from his back and gently placed it down next to him. Lok Gum Fa placed her sword on the table and the tip of the pole of the lantern into the ground. That way the lantern stood upright and provided them with much needed light. Though there was a small candle on the table, they could not see each other’s face clearly under the blanket of darkness. Sitting down they noticed that a large number of people were still walking about through the main street around the town hall. It was still early in the evening. Picking up a pair of chopsticks they both started to eat the bowls of rice noodles that had been served and placed before them.

The many local fishermen, towns people, and merchants sitting on other tables were starring directly at them. To an outsider it was truly an unusual sight to see someone as beautiful as Lok Gum Fa be with a rugged and rough looking fellow like Yeung Tin Long. So they were attracting a lot of unwanted attention. This made Lok Gum Fa particularly uncomfortable. She knew what they were thinking and wished they could just mind their own business. But these same people dared not stare at Yeung Tin Long for too long, particularly when they noticed the many scars on his face and the short black sabre by his right leg. But they could not help themselves from keeping a fix gaze on Lok Gum Fa. She was as beautiful as a deity was and they were caught in a trance. Just at that moment a band of street dancers and actors floated pass, capturing the attention of all the people sitting at the tables nearby.

Lok Gum Fa felt at ease again upon seeing this. She knew that her husband has a touch of bad blood. No one could guess what he was capable of doing at any given moment in time. Had the gazes of the various people remained fixed on them any longer, he would surely have lashed out and killed at will.

“How could the hundreds or so people on this main street possibly defend themselves against the ‘Sabre Saint Invincible West’ had he made up his mind to kill them all?”, she thought to herself as stream of cold sweat ran down her back.

There would have been an unspeakable blood bath on the streets of Chongqing for sure. The situation has been avoided for the time being. Lok Gum Fa was aware that the reputation of her husband had been widely exaggerated throughout wulin. He has had his moments however, and the rumour about him murdering over 40 people in Luoyang because a merchant had refused him entry into the “Divine Gods and Goddesses Inn”, based on his rugged appearance was indeed true. That day that same merchant, his servants, wife, children, and various unlucky guests all died under the blade of his black sabre. He left none alive, including 2 swordsmen from Huashan and 5 members from the Red Wolf Fang clan who had no previous feuds with him. She also noticed that her husband’s temper with outsiders has gotten worst over the past year because of losing his right eye in that fated duel against “Sword Saint Unrivalled East” on Taishan. He would always treated her with love and affection of course. But not even she could guess what was on her husband’s mind most of the time.

“An excellent bowl of noodles”, praised Yeung Tin Lung as he finished eating, before turning to the street vendor to order another bowl.

The stocky street vendor took out an empty bowl. Scooping into the big pot to his right he soon filled it with yellow rice noodles. Scooping into another pot to his left he filled the bowl with black duck stew and black duck meat, completing the simple dish.

“Here you are. Another bowl of black duck rice noodles”, said the street vendor as he picked up the finished bowl from the table, and replaced it with another hot bowl of noodles.

Yeung Tin Lung motioned to pay for the meal when he suddenly remembered his newborn child quietly sleeping in the bamboo basket. He enquires, “Street vendor, is it possible to get some cow or goat milk? I need to feed my son”. As he did this he picked the red bundle and placed his son on the table. The small baby was still in deep sleep.

“I can take care of that”, replied the stocky street vendor. He took the coins that Yeung Tin Long had given him and gave a signal to a small child on the opposite side of the street.

The boy was only about 7-8 years of age. It was unfortunate that even at such a young age the small boy was force to live on the streets and beg for a living. Such was the current state of affairs in China were poverty was still rampant in various regions. Even Lantern Festival could not hide this fact in Chongqing.

The young boy raced up to the stocky street vendor with an enthusiastic look on his face. He was wearing a grey top and a pair of grey pants. They were very old and torn. His face, and hands were covered in dirt. He looked thin and weak, but had an air of pride about him.

The street vendor gave the small child a couple of small coins, pointing with his index finger to Yeung Tin Lung, “The master here needs some milk for baby”.

The small child reached out to take the coins, nodded, and disappeared down the street.

“China is a trouble placed, when all the Emperor cares about is raising his taxes to build another grand palace, having no thought for the suffering of the people”, sighed the old stocky street vendor as he resumed to serve his other customers.

Yeung Tin Lung looked at his son. He was quietly asleep without a care in the world. He couldn’t help but give a long sigh. A wave of depression overcame him. He though to himself, “We have many enemies pursuing us. Even if I am invincible and can escape the lions den. My wife and child won’t be able to. Should they be captured as hostages I will have to admit defeat immediately”.

He started eating his noodles again, but then lost his appetite. Another thought ran through his mind, “If Fa yee, and I were to die, what should happen to our son? The way the government is, he would surely end up like that small beggar boy that has gone to fetch some milk. I have no relatives or close friends who I can entrust to take care of him”.

He made up his mind, “Before I die, I will kill my son with my own hands to spare him from the suffering of the world. Even Fa yee, will understand my reasons for doing such a thing”.

By now Lok Gum Fa had finished eating her bowl of vegetarian rice noodles and had already signalled to the stocky street vendor for another. She saw her husband starring at the new born baby in a daze and couldn’t help but ask, “Big brother Yeung, have you finally thought of a name for our son?”.

Yeung Tin Lung awoke from his daze and hadn’t heard what had just been said, so he replied, “Fa yee, what did you say?”.

“I saw you starring at our son, and it appeared to me that you had finally made up your mind about something. So I was thinking that you had thought of a good name for our son”, replied Lok Gum Fa.

A smile crept back onto Yeung Tin Lung’s face as he said, “Yes. It’s been nearly a month since he was born and I still haven’t been able to think of a good name yet”. He was glad that his wife did not know what he had actually been thinking at that moment.

“What on earth were you thinking about just now then?”, quizzed Lok Gum Fa in amazement. She was slightly annoyed at her husband for not having come up with a good name for the baby. It’s been nearly a month now. She was determined to settle this matter right now.

Jokingly she said, “Why don’t we call our son, Yeung ‘Mo Ming’!”.

Yeung Tin Lung laughed at this prospect, knowing full well that his wife was poking fun at him. Because he hadn’t been able to come up with a name, his wife had now suggested that they call their son ‘Mo Ming’ meaning ‘no name’.

“Don’t be ridiculous. ‘Mo Ming’ is definitely not a good name for our son”, he replied.

“Your name means ‘Heavenly Dragon’. Why don’t we call him ‘Divine Dragon’?”, joked Lok Gum Fa once again.

“Definitely Not. I don’t want him to follow in my footsteps. Such a powerful name is a bad omen”, replied Yeung Tin Lung.

Not satisfied, Lok Gum Fa suggested, “Tonight is Lantern Festival, so let’s call him Yeung Yin Siu in memory of this!”.

Yeung Tin Lung thought to himself, “Yin means ‘first’, and Siu refers to ‘night’. My son is indeed first born and he was conceived at night. The character ‘Siu’ by itself means happy. Tonight might also be the last night that we are ‘happily’ together as a family, so indeed it is a good name. Let’s name him after Lantern Festival night”

“That’s settled, let’s call him Yeung Yin Siu”, he said grinning back at his wife.

At first Lok Gum Fa was a bit taken back, as she had only been joking, and did not really want her son to be called ‘Yin Siu’, but after thinking for a moment, she felt that the name was correct.

“Big brother Yeung, I agree to the name if you insist”, said Lok Gum Fa.

“It’s settled then”, replied Yeung Tin Lung as he began eating his bowl of noodles.

Just then the small child had returned with a container carrying goat milk. Yeung Tin Lung grabbed the bottle and feed his son. Looking back at the small child he said, “Boy, take this 20 taels and buy yourself some good clothes. Whatever is spare you can use for food”.

The small child had a lot of pride in him so refused to take the 20 taels. He replied, “Sir, the stocky street vendor has already rewarded me for my services”.

Looking down at the small boy’s hands Yueng Tin Lung could see that he was holding a bowl of hot steamed black duck rice noodles.

A smile flashed across Yeung Tin Lung’s face as he thought, “This boy has probably been an orphan all his life and has learnt to look after himself. Although he is thin and his clothes are torn. He is alive and in good spirits. I may be able to give him 20 taels of silver and he would probably make the most use of it. But what happens after that? 20 taels cannot really make a significant change to one’s life. Should he spend the rest of his life hoping for a thousand good natured men to give him 20 taels of silver a day? One has to be able to change themselves in order to achieve a better life.”

Changing his tact Yeung Tin Lung said, “Boy, we need a room to rest for the night. Once you have finished eating, take this 20 taels of silver to rent a room for my wife and I at the ‘White Horses Inn’ which is located 3 blocks to the left from the town centre”.

Handling the 20 taels of silver to the boy, he continued, “Remember. We are staying for one night only and whatever change left is yours to keep, okay”.

“Yes Sir. Let me take care of that for you. Thank you for your kindness”, the small child said as he took the 20 taels of silver.

The small child was just about to leave when Yeung Tin Lung suddenly had a thought and said, “When you book the room, the manager will ask for a name. You can say that the room is for the Lin couple”.

The boy nodded his head and said, “Yes Sir, I understand”. With that he left the couple, still clutching the bowl of noodles in his hand.

The stocky street vendor had overheard the conversation when he returned with a second bowl of vegetarian rice noodles for Lok Gum Fa. He said, “So you guys are the Lin couple of Kunlun shan, a pleasure to meet you both. How is ‘Heroine Lin’?”.

Lok Gum Fa knew that her husband had used the good reputation of her junior apprentice sister, Lin Chun Fa and had claimed them to be her brother Lin Man Tung, and his wife Yip So So to avoid unwanted attention. She replied on her husband’s behalf, “Heroine Lin is well. Thank you for asking. She is with her master Cheung Cum in the Shaanxi province right at this moment I believe”. She knew very well that Lin Chun Fa and her master Cheung Cum were actually most probably pursuing them at this moment. So she would likely be in Chongqing this evening. But she thought that was too much information to reveal to a common street vendor.

“That’s good news. Heroine Lin’s deeds are famed in this region. She has helped a good number of local fishermen and farmers, by ridding Chongqing of the those two nasty young vixens, Siu Wan and Siu Foon. If it wasn’t for Heroine Lin, who knows what might have happened”, he said with full praise.

“Thank god she’s not here in Chongqing tonight”, said the stocky street vendor with a sigh of relief.

Obviously this person was knowledgable in the affairs of wulin. But as Yeung Tin Lung did not detect anything unusual about him, he maintained a good disposition and kept on eating. Leaving his wife to carry on the conversation.

Lok Gum Fa was a little surprise, so asked, “Why? What is happening tonight?”.

Grabbing a seat from the nearby table the stocky street vendor sat down to join the couple. He had a serious look of concern on his face. He continued, lowering his voice to almost a whisper, “I know you guys are a decent couple, so I don’t mind being up front. Something big is about to happen tonight and no one can know of the consequences. It is best if you leave Chongqing immediately”.

“Leave? Why?”, rebutted Lok Gum Fa.

The old stocky street vendor gave a long sigh before continuing, “I have opened my little store here every single day and night for the last 2 months. I have heard and seen a great number of things. Believe me when I say this. You two are no match for that couple who will pass through here tonight”.

“With our skills. What have I and my husband to fear. Which couple can be so deadly to force us to run like cowards”, replied Lok Gum Fa, forgetting that they are now pretending that they are the Lin couple of Kunlun shan. In fact by now she had already guessed what the stocky street vendor’s reply would be.

Glancing nervously, the old stocky street vendor leaned forward and said, “The man. They call him ‘Black Dragon Swordsman’, and others say he is ‘Sabre Saint Invincible West’. The woman is none other than Heroine Lin’s expelled apprentice sister ‘Divine Deity’ Lok Gum Fa. It is rumoured that they will pass through here tonight. A big trap has been set to capture them. They are sure to die a horrible death!”.

Lok Gum Fa was about to ask further when suddenly the fireworks erupted. Lighting up the Chongqing sky line with various spectacular colours. Deafening cheers and cries can be heard from the lake. One after another, the fireworks shot high in the sky before exploding with sprinkling starlight. Some opened up in the traditional shape of a sphere. Others twirled around like a windmill. It was a delightful sight that lasted over 15 minutes.

Both Yeung Tin Lung and Lok Gum Fa had been observing the fireworks in the sky, they hadn’t noticed that the old stocky street vendor and the people around them had suddenly dropped dead. They both broke out in cold sweat. Yeung Tin Lung had not been able to detect anything unusual for the past 15 minutes. So at no time did he put up his guard. He quickly circulated his internal energy. He became a little calmer. He hadn’t been poisoned. But the situation had changed somewhat.

Looking directly forward he noticed that his wife had been preoccupied with watching the thousands of people fleeing the lake and the main town hall upon seeing the sight of the dead people by the street noodle vending store.

Placing a hand on the shoulders of his wife to calm her down he said, “Within a 300 metre radius of us there are now, 32 Beggar Clan members, 3 swordsmen from the Qincheng Sect, 2 swordsmen from Kunlun shan, 15 people from the Divine Butterfly Sect, 2 monks from Shaolin, 1 woman from the ‘7 Vixens’, and one lone swordsman from the 13 Ghost Mountain Assassins”.

It was obvious to Yeung Tin Lung who all these people were, but he didn’t have time to explain to his wife. 32 of them were the Beggar Clan members led by Chief Yik Fei Hung. 3 Swordsmen were the ‘3 Aces of Qingcheng Sect’ indeed. 2 swordsmen from Kunlun shan were most likely the real, Lin Man Tung and his wife Yip So So. 15 people from the ‘Divine Butterfly Sect’ were most likely led by Cheung Cum, Lin Chun Fa and To Guk Fa. 2 monks of Shaolin were Guy Hung and Guy Jang, who had come to keep the peace. The lone 13 Ghost Mountain Assassin, he figured to be his 3rd senior apprentice brother Kiu Pin Fok, and the lone 7 Vixen must have been Fung Lau Yin. He knew he had a fight on his hands and had no time to think.

“No doubt about it. Master has caught up. They’re all here for us”, replied Lok Gum Fa as she picked up her sword from the table and the dragon lantern from the ground.

“Caught up? You’re wrong. They arrived here before us to set a trap. Didn’t you hear what that stocky street vendor had said earlier?”, cried Yeung Tin Lung as he stood up.

Yeung Tin Lung, placed his son Yeung Yin Siu back in the rectangle bamboo basket and swung it over his shoulder. He grabbed his wife by the hand and said, “Let’s leave this place now. No time to waste”.

“Don’t you want to check the bodies to see how they had died?”, shouted Lok Gum Fa staying where she was. At this point Yeung Tin Lung was a little distance away. She had a kind heart and wanted to know how these people had died. She also wanted to give them a good burial as the stocky street vendor seemed to be a very gentle and kind person.

“No time to waste! Let’s charge out of here before its too late!”, said Yeung Tin Lung shouting back to his wife. A little bit of fear had gripped him. He sensed that something was not right although he could not put his finger on it. On top of this he had not been able to detect the presence of the ‘Gentlemen Sword’ Bak Fung Wan or the ‘Sword Saint Unrivalled East’ Kim Mo Dik. He was sure these two would still be pursuing them after the events of Taishan. After all he did prevent Lok Gum Fa from marrying Bak Fung Wan. Also he did chop off Kim Mo Dik’s right arm, even though he lost his own right eye, in that fated duel. If these two were to arrive at this moment and join forces with the others, he and his wife would surely be doomed. So his heart was racing fast and he wasn’t thinking all that clearly at this moment. He grabbed his wife by the hand and ran towards the main get to leave the city. As they turned the left corner of the main town hall, a sly smile rose across his face.

Lok Gum Fa had now resumed running by his side. She glanced across at her husband and noticed the sly smile on his face, and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the matter big brother Yeung?”.

“I don’t think those 3 swordsmen from Qincheng you referred to earlier are the ‘3 Aces of the Qincheng Sect’!”, replied Yeung Tin Lung casting a quick glance at the rooftops.

Lok Gum Fa was shocked. She took great pride in her intelligence, so she rebutted, “Big brother Yeung, I am afraid you are the one that is wrong here. Its definitely them”.

“3 Aces from the Qincheng Sect! Blah!”, replied Yeung Tin Lung mockingly whilst signalling to Lok Gum Fa to have a look at the roof tops to the left. Lok Gum Fa now understood and remained silent in thought.

“They’re nothing more than three old dogs from the Qincheng Sect barking up the wrong tree, looking for an early death. They must be tired of living”, continued Yeung Tin Lung with an insult. He knew very well that the ‘3 Aces from the Qincheng Sect’ had followed them when they first arrived in Chongqing. He just wanted them to come out of hiding and get it over and done with now.

“We have no previous feuds, there is no need to insult us Hero Yeung”, an old taoist priests in his late 40s said as he glided down from the rooftop above them. He leapt backwards upon reaching the ground and stood about three arm lengths away from the couple.

Yeung Tin Lung cast a glance at the old Taoist priest and noticed that he was wearing a yellow robe with black trimmings. He carried a sword on his back tied to a sash. In his hand was a dust pen. He recognised from these features that the old Taoist priest who stood before him was none other than Priest Tin Moon of the Qincheng Sect.

“Hero? I am afraid you must have recognised the wrong person. I have never been referred to in that way! What do you want. Speak now!”, snickered Yeung Tin Lung. His voice was full of hatred. Different to the tone of voice he had used earlier with his wife.

“Brother Yeung, no need to be hostile. I am here for advice and counsel”, said Priest Tin Moon changing his tone slightly.

“Advice? Counsel? I am afraid I won’t be requiring any meditation, fortune telling, or ghost busting services today”, mocked Yeung Tin Lung.

“Why don’t the other two old dogs come out to greet us. Sneaking about in the dark. How shameful!”, growled Yeung Tin Lung, as he rained down another insult.

“Insulting us. How dare you!”, cried two Priests in their mid 40s as they both jumped down from the rooftop. Upon landing they immediately leapt back several paces. Yeung Tin Lung could now observe that they both wore yellow robes similar to that of Priest Tin Moon. They were both carrying a long sword and no dust pen. Both swords had been drawn ready for a battle.

“Big brother Yeung, isn’t it a little weird? That two elite fighters of the Qincheng Sect would be sneaking about in the dark and appear before us smelling like the sweet flagrance of perfume. Obviously they have been up to no good”, mocked Lok Gum Fa. As she was saying this she was looking towards the right side of the main street where the “Phoenix Inn”, a renowned brothel in Chongqing stood. That’s were the two old Taoist Priests had just leapt down from.

Beaming with a wide grin, she continued, “No wonder they didn’t want to come out and face us! What would the people in wulin say if they suddenly heard a rumour, ‘What the 3 Aces of Qincheng Sect attacked the Black Dragon Swordsmen in Chongqing? Where did it happen? At the Phoenix Inn? What could three old Taosits possibly doing there?’, I am afraid the reputation of Qincheng is going to be ruined forever from this evening forward”, mocked Lok Gum Fa once more, as she glanced with a sly look at the Priest Tin Do and Priest Tin Chi.

Priest Tin Do and Priest Tin Chi could no longer hold in their fury. Unlike Priest Tin Moon these two were rather rash and hot tempered. They had also disliked Yeung Tin Lung and members of the Demon Cult. At once they stepped forward to launch an attack at Lok Gum Fa. Their swords tips pointed forward to strike Lok Gum Fa’s ‘adam’s apple’ pressure point.

“Brothers. Please stay calm”, cried Priest Tin Moon in an urgent rush to keep the peace. He then signalled to Priest Tin Do and Priest Tin Chi to put away their swords and to stand behind him. They both did as they were told.

Getting more annoyed at the ‘3 Aces of Qingcheng Sect’ by the minute, Yeung Tin Lung, raised his voice and shouted, “Priest Tin Moon, what do you want? Speak quickly or die!”. As he said the word ‘die’, he drew his short black sabre. He had been prepared to defend his wife from the potential attack. Had Priest Tin Do and Priest Tin Chi continued to lunge forward he would have used the move ‘slashing hidden dragon’, from his ‘Black Dragon’ sword art to cut off both their right arms before they could complete the strike on his wife.

“Big brother Yeung, don’t get upset. Priest Tin Moon has done us a great deed today. Don’t you remember! He was afraid that the 20 or so people down by the lake would spoil our festive mood, and so decided to rid them for us. Thank you Priest Tin Moon for your good intentions but I am afraid we have done nothing to deserve it”, mocked Lok Gum Fa. She had been upset that a number of innocent people had died down by the lake. So she was accusing the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’ for those murders. In this kind of mood she wouldn’t have minded if her husband had lashed out and killed these three old Taoists to avenge those local fishermen and the stocky old street vendor. Besides these same three old Taoists were standing before them and blocking their escape from Chonging

“Little Witch! What are you saying? What dead people?”, protested Priest Tin Do and Priest Tin Chi simultaneously.

“I suppose you’re going to tell me that you do not know anything about those dead people down by the lake?”, replied Lok Gum Fa.

“What dead people? Where? How did they die?”, Priest Tin Moon cut in looking serious.

Yeung Tin Lung and Lok Gum Fa glanced at each other in amazement. It was obvious that these ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’ really had no clue as to what had happened.

Lok Gum Fa broke the silence, “Apologies Priest Tin Moon, there are over 20 dead people by the lake. They were ambushed and we thought you were in league with those that had undertaken that devilish act”. She decided that Priest Tin Moon owed and apology, as he was polite to them. She did not apologise to the other two because they had been rude.

“We swordsmen of Qincheng Sect are chivalrous and would never do such a thing! How dare you compare us to members of the Demon Cult”, protested Priest Tin Do and Priest Tin Chi once more.

“One can never be sure. Wasn’t Priest Tin Juk once an elite swordsman of the Qincheng Sect? Is he not that same person who goes by the name of ‘Kiu Pin Fok’? Do you consider someone who has killed over 400 innocent people chivalrous”, rebutted Lok Gum Fa.

Both Priest Tin Do and Priest Tin Chi were shocked. They could never have guessed that a young girl in her early 20s would know about the shameful past of the ‘4 Aces of Qincheng’ This incident probably happened before her birth they figured. Even though they were both shocked slightly, they could still manage an insult.

“Dam bitch! What do you know? Don’t meddle in past events you cannot possibly know about!”, they both cursed simultaneously.

“Brothers. Please stay calm”, cried Priest Tin Moon once more to keep the peace.

Yeung Tin Lung noticed that Priest Tin Moon did not have carry any ill intentions towards them. He decided to lead them down by the lake to have a look. He too wanted to investigate how those people could have suddenly died, when he wasn’t able to detect anything strange.

“Follow me if you want to see the dead bodies by the lake”, said Yeung Tin Lung as he grabbed his wife by the hand and led the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’ back the way they had come.

The ‘3 Aces of Qincheng’ followed them back to the lake. Priest Tin Moon, Priest Tin Do and Priest Tin Chi checked the bodies for the cause of death. They could find no wounds on any of the bodies. They didn’t show signs of being poisoned either.

Suddenly Priest Tin Moon could be heard crying out in pain, “Ah Ya! They’re not dead. It’s a trap!”.

Before he could say anything more they had been surrounded by over 20 members from the Red Wolf Fang wearing yellow robes with red trimmings. They had been taken by such a great surprise that none of them, including Yeung Tin Lung, had a chance to react and defend themselves. Yeung Tin Lung, Lok Gum Fa, Priest Tin Moon, Priest Tin Do and Priest Tin Chi all had their woo gun and chun kwang pressure points sealed. None of them could move for the time being.

“Great. What a mess you’ve gotten us into now senior apprentice brother Tin Moon. We told you not to meddle in this affair but you insisted. We warned you these people from the Demon Cult are wicked. Coming up with such a devious plan to capture us”, cursed Priest Tin Do and Priest Tin Chi. Obviously they had been against Priest Tin Moon’s idea of being the peacemakers between the orthodox clans and Yeung Tin Lung.

“Who would have thought that the elite fighters of the Qincheng Sect are scared of death. Who asked for your help in the first place? We’re certainly not in league with these people!”, protested Lok Gum Fa.

Members of the Red Wolf Fang had now caught them. One of the District Commanders of Red Wolf Fang was now standing before them in a very arrogant manner. He glanced at Yeung Tin Lung and Lok Gum Fa before saying, “Ha! Ha! I have already warned you two to run away and leave Chongqing! Why have you come back to die?”.

Both Yeung Tin Lung and Lok Gum Fa were shocked. It was none other than the stocky street vendor who had sold them noodles earlier. They could have never suspected that he was none other Feng Ting Ching of the Red Wolf Fang. He had taken off his disguise, along with everyone else who had been laying on the ground. They had only pretended to be dead to lure their opponents close so they could seal their pressure points.

Earlier Lok Gum Fa and Yeung Tin Lung had rushed off in a hurry to leave the scene that they had not bothered to check the bodies for the cause of death. So they did not fall into the trap the first time.

Now Lok Gum Fa understood. When those people had been starring at them earlier they had only been looking for clues as to their real identities. She thought inwardly, “Dam! How could I have been so stupid as not to know”.

Yeung Tin Lung was even more surprised by the fact that he could not pick up over 20 members from the Red Wolf Fang with his ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy. It was because he did not detect anything strange that he let his guard down. Leaving him totally defenceless. He was speechless. For once in his life, he thought, his internal energy had failed him. He cursed himself for not listening to his natural animal instincts that warned him of the danger, but had instead relied totally on his ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy.

“Feng Tin Ching! You bastard! You’ve caught us now. What do you want?”, cursed Yeung Tin Lung.

“Who would have thought the great ‘Sabre Saint Invincible West’ would have fallen into this simple trick of ours. Caught by a bunch of fameless people in wulin. How embarrassing!”, mocked Feng Tin Ching.

Yeung Tin Lung was greatly annoyed at having fallen into their hands so easily, so started to channel his ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy to unseal his pressure points.

Lok Gum Fa knew that her husband would be trying to free himself so wanted to buy him some time. She asked, “Feng Tin Ching, it’s obvious that you want my husband’s ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy and the ‘Black Dragon’ sword art manual. But before we give it to you, you’re going to have to tell us how you managed to capture us without us being able suspect a single thing. Then I’ll be able to die contently”.

A proud and arrogant smiled appeared on the face, Feng Tin Ching, he couldn’t hold back any longer and said, “We pretty much guessed who you two people were when you first stoped by my shop to buy something to eat. We saw your white sword and his black sabre. Also everyone in wulin knows that the ‘Black Dragon Swordsman’ wears a red cape with a black dragon on his back”.

He scoffed before continuing, “Really arrogant! Even though you knew there would be trouble in Chongqing, you did not even attempt to disguise yourselves!”.

“So why didn’t you act right away and capture us then? We really had no idea that you people belonged to the Red Wolf Fang. You could have done as you pleased and we wouldn’t have suspected!”, replied Lok Gum Fa.

Feng Tin Ching glanced at Lok Gum Fa before continuing, “We had to make certain that you were who you were. We couldn’t afford one mishap or the trap would not have worked”.

“So when were you sure we were who we were?”, quizzed Lok Gum Fa.

“A strange thing happened two nights ago”, replied Feng Tin Ching.

A wide smile appeared on his face, before continuing, “Two nights ago the Lin couple stopped by my shop to buy some noodles. Last night Heroine Lin and your master Cheung Cum stopped by here. Weird isn’t it?”.

Lok Gum Fa now understood. That’s why the stocky street vendor had enquired about Heroine Lin, when they had said they were the Lin couple. Obviously the stocky street vendor had seen through their cover all that time. She couldn’t help but groan inwardly, as she thought, “Also no one in wulin has ever called me ‘Divine Deity’. How could I have been so stupid”.

“So you saw through our cover and that’s how you knew we were who we were! But how did you manage to escape detection from big brother Yeung’s ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy”, asked Lok Gum Fa, having not been content that they had been captured so easily.

Rolling up his right and left sleeve for Lok Gum Fa to see, Feng Tin Ching said, “Here! Take a good look for yourself! Do you understand now?”.

Both Lok Gum Fa and Yeung Tin Lung were shocked. The 20 of some people from the Red Wolf Fang had actually made themselves crippled in the chi area of the arm and had therefore released all of their ‘Red Wolf’ internal energy. They were now basically no different than just common people. That’s how they escaped detection from the ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy.

“A bold move indeed, even, for a District Commander of the Red Wolf Fang! The chances for success was low and yet the risks were high”, remarked Lok Gum Fa.

“That’s why we had to be certain. Now where’s the ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy and the ‘Black Dragon Sword Art’ manual? Stop talking and give it to me now!”, demanded Feng Tin Ching.

“Do you really think it’ll make any difference? Even if you get your hands on the ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy and the ‘Black Dragon Sword Art’ manual? You people are now cripple!”, remarked Lok Gum Fa. She wanted to know what their intentions had been with the two kung fu manuals.

Stroking his short black beard proudly, Feng Tin Ching said, “You don’t know that much. Yes we are cripple. But to be able to learn such a superb inner energy such as the ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ required us to release all of our ‘Red Wolf’ inner energy in the first place. One is ‘yin’ and the other is ‘yang’. If we don’t do this we would have died a terrible death. So you needn’t be concerned about us Mrs Yeung”.

“The earlier we ridded ourselves of the ‘Red Wolf’ inner energy, the sooner we can learn the ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy. Such a simple logic! Yet even someone as intelligent as you couldn’t understand? How disgraceful! Ha! Ha!…”, laughed Feng Tin Ching. He was feeling quite proud of himself as he had actually taken a great risk to capture them. Now that he had succeeded he became over confident.

“Aren’t you afraid that Miu Tit Sei, Chief of the Red Wolf Fang, will take the kung fu manuals for himself and kill you?”, asked Lok Gum Fa. She really couldn’t care less if he did, but was doing this to stall Feng Tin Ching from taking immediate action to kill the 5 of them.

Feng Tin Ching laughed out loud, before replying, “He doesn’t know and besides we won’t be afraid of him after learning the ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy. After we’ve learnt it, we will form our own ‘Divine Dragon’ clan, won’t we. Ha! Ha!”.

A sly look appeared on Feng Tin Ching’s face when he suddenly said, “Why Mrs Yeung! You seem to care a lot about my safety. You’re so pretty! Hmm… Maybe it’s because you have true feelings for me! If so you won’t mind if I give you a tender little kiss?’.

He was about to lean forward when he heard Yeung Tin Lung roar out loud, “If you touch her. I swear you’ll die a most horrible death”. His voice shook the tree above them. Leaves and bits of loose old bark landed on the men.

Although his pressure points had been sealed, Feng Tin Ching dared not offend him. Besides he had been cautious about the power of the ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy and had not yet obtained the manual. So he thought he would get it first before acting rashly.

Feng Tin Ching said, “Mrs Yeung. I’ll ask you for the last time. Where is the ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy and the ‘Black Dragon’ sword art manual. We know you have it!”.

There was a rumour spread through wulin that Yeung Tin Lung had given his Black Dragon sword art and Divine 9 Dragon manual to Lok Gum Fa on their wedding for safe keeping shortly after exchanging vows. Giving away those kung fu manuals would be like giving away his life.

Noticing that her husband hadn’t freed himself, Lok Gum Fa said hurriedly, “Hold it! I’m still not satisfied! If you’ve crippled yourself of your kung fu, how did you manage to seal our pressure points? You must tell me or I won’t die contently, and will come back as a ghost to take revenge”.

She knew there were various ghost stories in this province because of the ‘Ghost City’ of Chengdu. So she knew that her threat wouldn’t be taken lightly by Feng Tin Cheng. The last thing he would want is to be haunted for the rest of his life. Also Feng Tin Cheng wasn’t particularly clever. So this trick worked like magic.

In fact Feng Tin Ching hadn’t even realised that Lok Gum Fa had just been using delay tactics to stall him. So without a thought Feng Tin Ching replied, “Obviously we no longer have the strength to be lethal, but have to rely on our brains. See this!”.

He held out a small black needle. It was strong and carried enough force to seal pressure points of even a great kung fu master. He continued, “Who on this earth would suspect that the dead would come back to life? All we had to do was lay there, pretended to be dead, and wait until some fools come to investigate what had happened. And then! Gotcha”.

It had indeed been a ingenious plan that had captured them so Lok Gum Fa was content. Even the wise and most experience fighters of wulin would have fallen for this little devious trap. Just at that moment a thought ran pass Lok Gum Fa, “Hmm. We’ll have to rely on our brains, hey!”. She had come up with a plan.

“Unfortunately I don’t have ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy and the ‘Black Dragon’ sword art manual with me. So your plan is in vain”, Lok Gum Fa said with a big wide grin.

She knew this would cause great alarm for Feng Tin Ching and the other Red Wolf Fang members. Because they had crippled themselves of all kung fu, they needed to obtain the kung fu manuals immediately. They could not wait for it to be delivered or even travel far to find it. In their current state if they had ran into an enemy they would be defenceless and surely die. Their plan had been perfect so far. So all they needed now was to obtain the two kung fu manuals. Then they could hide in a secret place to study the various arts. In a few years time they could return to conquer wulin.

But now Lok Gum Fa had just mentioned that the manuals were not on her. Feng Tin Ching’s face now turned pale. He was no longer cocky or arrogant as he had been before. Stammering a little, he asked in total disbelief, “What… What do you mean you don’t have the ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy and the ‘Black Dragon’ sword art manual? Where… Where is it?”.

Grinning even more, Lok Gum Fa replied, “Did you really think that I would be so stupid as to carry ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy and the ‘Black Dragon’ sword art manual with me on such a dangerous journey. Did the rumours not mention that I have hidden both of them in a secret place in Shaanxi province?”.

“You… You did what?”, mumbled Feng Tin Ching. Many thoughts now ran through his mind. He was in a dangerous position at this moment. Even a small boy would be able to ambush him and take his life. He lost his wits and was unsure what to do.

“Ha! Ha! Ha! You are indeed a great man for thinking up this trap to capture us. But you should have scouted for better news before undertaking such a bold and risky plan”, laughed Lok Gum Fa.

At this point even Priest Tin Moon and the other’s couldn’t help by laugh inwardly. Feng Tin Ching had gone to such painful undertakings to capture the couple, only to end up on the wrong end.

“Brother Feng, is that little witch telling the truth?”, quizzed a member from the Red Wolf Fang. Under the moonlight even one could see that his face had taken on a total white complexion.

Feng Tin Ching was motionless. He was scared out of his wits that he dared not move. Cold sweat was running down his back and dripping off his forehead. All of the Red Wolf Fang clan members had guessed that Lok Gum Fa had indeed been telling them the truth.

Seeing the big bright smile that had emerged on Lok Gum Fa’s face, Feng Tin Ching became outraged. As the emotions of anger overtook fear, he shouted, “Someone search that bitch’s body. I don’t believe it when she says that she doesn’t have it on her”.

A member of the Red Wolf Fang immediately walked towards Lok Gum Fa. His hands were just about to reach out and grab her on the shoulder when suddenly he leapt back, yelling in pain, “Ah Ya! You bastard, you cut off my right arm”.

“That’s not all I am going to do to you! This is were your miserable lives will all end”, howled Yeung Tin Lung like a mad animal that had been caged up for years and had just been set free.

In a flash he unsealed Lok Gum Fa’s, and the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’s’ pressure points. He then charged into the crowd of Red Wolf Fang members. He used a move called the ‘dragon whirlwind’, were he spun in endless cycles to create a small hurricane using his chi energy. That knocked most of the fleeing Red Wolf Fang members of their feet. They no longer had the inner energy to withstand such a great force. He then used the move called ‘spinning dragon’. Underneath the moonlight one could observe his black dragon blade spinning like a top at the end of his hands. The blade met the necks of around 10 Red Wolf Fang members in one stance and sliced their heads off directly above the shoulders. The bodies hit the ground with a bang. His blade continued to slash to the left where another 5 Red Wolf Fang members heads met his blade and rolled along the ground.

He howled like a mad beast once more. That sent shivers down the spines of Lok Gum Fa and the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’ who stood on the sidelines to watch the display. Continuing his offence he sliced to the right hand side and caught another 3 Red Wolf Fang members darting to escape. A thud sound could be heard as their bodies hit the ground. In the distance Yeung Tin Lung could just make out a one armed man running away. That was the person who wanted to hand search Lok Gum Fa’s body for the ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy and the ‘Black Dragon’ sword art manual. His anger grew. Using a stance called the ‘boomerang dragon’, he flung the blade forward with his chi energy. The black blade shot out in amazing speed. It cut that member of the Red Wolf Fang’s head off at the shoulders. The blade rotated horizontally, before returning in the direction from where it came from.

Yeung Tin Lung reached out to grab the blade and amazingly the head returned with it. He smashed down with the left fist, breaking the head into thousands of pieces. Bits of blood and skull flew in the air hitting the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng’ squarely in the face. Their clothes became stained with death. Lok Gum Fa knew how brutal her husband could be so managed to glide behind a small tree in time not to be hit by the flying flesh. Though he was wild with fury and hovering around like a mad beast, he could tell that he had not yet killed Feng Tin Ching. He knew he could not use his ‘Divine 9 Dragon’ inner energy to detect his presence, but he was sure that Feng Tin Ching would still be close by. He immediately went to search the dead bodies on the ground. He was certain that Feng Tin Ching would be hiding amongst them to pretend that he was dead. But to his surprise Feng Tin Ching was no where in sight.

“Could he have escaped by the river. Or did he escape on foot through the main town hall?”, Yeung Tin Lung thought to himself. He scanned the town hall and the river slowly with his razor sharp right eye. But he could see nothing. Suddenly he thought he had seen a shadow move towards the east end of the town hall. He immediately dashed forward thinking that it was the villain Feng Tin Ching. He felt humiliated for being so easily captured, and had therefore wanted all those involved to die tonight. He did not want anyone in wulin to hear about the events that had just taken place. His image would be tarnished forever.

“Big brother Yeung, wait!”, cried Lok Gum Fa, seeing that her husband had suddenly dashed off into the night.

But Lok Gum Fa’s cries were too late. Yeung Tin Lung had already travelled a great distance ahead of her. He possessed ‘Ghost Mountain’ lightness kung fu, and could thus come and go as he pleased. Just like a ghost. The ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’, gave chase. They were a little terrified after seeing the awesome display earlier. Even though members of the Red Wolf Fang were defenceless during the battle, they still had to be in awe of the power and sword skills of the ‘Black Dragon Swordsman’. But they dared not follow too closely, afraid that they may upset the eccentric ‘Black Dragon Swordsman’. He had been howling and growling like a wild uncontrollable beast. To the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’, Yeung Tin Lung had appeared to have gone mad with rage and had loss control of all his senses.

But how could respectful members of the orthodox clans possibly know about the sword arts and skills of the Demon Cult. In combat, orthodox clan members relied on being at peace and in a good frame of mind in order to gain an upper hand. It was totally different for the Demon Cult members. The more angrier and out of control, the more unpredictable they were. Thus they had the advantage, as the opponent would not be able to guess what their next moves were. But if one knew the origins of an orthodox clan member’s sword arts and kung, they could easily guess how they would attack and defend. This was the main reason why ‘Sword Saint Unrivalled East’ Kim Mo Dik had lost his right arm to Yeung Tin Lung in that fated duel at Taishan about 1 and a half years ago.

Seeing that the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’ had darted after her husband. Lok Gum Fa did the same thing and followed them. She knew that her husband wasn’t that wise and feared that he might fall into another trap. Her heart pounce as she remembered that her newly born son was with her husband. Though Yeung Tin Lung loved his son very much. Sometimes he acted too rashly without thinking. A sudden thought crossed her mind, and she increased her speed using the ‘Divine Butterfly’ inner energy. She soon glided pass the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect. It had now become a very urgent matter and she sensed that she needed to locate her husband immediately. She knew there were many dangers that lie ahead of them. Many kung fu experts had gathered in Chongqing, but many of them had yet to reveal their true intentions. She turned left from the main town hall. She somehow sensed that her husband had gone this way. She knew now that the ‘3 Aces of Qincheng Sect’ had come to be peacemakers. But what are the motives of the other people. There were so many ‘hidden dragons’ in the night. She was greatly worried.

For one thing, Lok Gum Fa knew her master the ‘Iron Maiden’ Cheung Cum will never forgive her for falling in love with a member of the Demon Cult. It was when her master had uncovered the secret relationship that she was betrothed to the ‘Gentleman Sword’ Bak Fung Wan of Taishan, who is also the son of the Chancellor of Wulin, Bak Tin Fei. This event caused great trouble in wulin as many guests had been invited to attend the wedding at Taishan. Even the loner, Kim Mo Dik, ‘Sword Saint Unrivalled East’ made an appearance. So when Yeung Tin Lung showed up at Taishan to swear his love to Lok Gum Fa in front of all the heroes that had gathered, and ruined Bak Fung Wan’s wedding, many of the heroes of the orthodox clan’s made him their number 1 enemy. Cheung Cum was humiliated by the act of her senior apprentice and thus lost a lot of respect and face in wulin. So now she wanted nothing more than to capture the couple for revenge. Also Cheung Cum had fought and lost miserably to the ‘Black Dragon Swordsman’ that day. They have been on the run ever since that event.

Secondly, Lok Gum Fa, also knew that the ‘Gentleman Sword’ Bak Fung Wan had lost great face that day when she ran off with Yeung Tin Lung on their wedding day. Making matters worst was the fact that his father, Bak Tin Fei had attempted to stop them from leaving Taishan. That led to a duel between her husband the ‘Black Dragon Swordsman’, and Bak Tin Fei. Though her husband had shown great mercy by not killing Bak Tin Fei after gaining victory. Bak Tin Fei committed suicide several months later out of great shame. So although Yeung Tin Lung was not personally responsible for the death of Bak Tin Fei, many in the world of wulin still held him accountable for the death. Bak Tin Fei had been such a great hero, and had done such great deeds during his life, that everyone was sadden by his death. Bak Fung Wan had pursued them to avenge the humiliation he suffered at Taishan and also to avenge the death of his father.

Finally, Kim Mo Dik ‘Sword Saint Unrivalled East’ had been pursuing them to challenge Yeung Tin Long to another duel. At Taishan, the respected Chancellor of Wulin, after losing his duel, pleaded with Kim Mo Dik to assist them in that matter. So he challenged Yeung Tin Lung to a duel. That was the first time the sabre saint and sword saint had ever fought. Both possessed exceptional skills. Though no definite win/loss outcome had been reached when Yeung Tin Lung fled Taishan with his wife, many in wulin considered that Kim Mo Dik had lost. This is mainly due to the fact that when Kim Mo Dik had unleashed his most deadliest move the ‘unrivalled tiger guarantees death’, he was expecting Yeung Tin Lung to defend the move with all his might. He could not have guessed that Yeung Tin Lung, who was in a rage at not having been able to gain the upper hand in over 300 moves, to suddenly launch an attack with the ‘slashing hidden dragon’. So Kim Mo Dik lost his right arm when unleashing the strike and Yeung Tin Lung lost his right eye because he did not counter that particular move with defence. Kim Mo Dik, after many months of thinking about the duel, was not content with the defeat. So he was determined to right the past wrong and prove that he was better than the ‘Sabre Saint Invincible West’, even though he only has one arm left.

Lok Gum Fa had run all the way down the main street to the east of the town hall and still do not manage to find any signs of her husband. She thought to herself, “Did I go down the wrong path? Where could big brother Yeung have gone?”.

She stood still under the clear moonlight. Looking up at the sky, she noticed that it was getting quite late. In normal days, they would have been in bed resting for the long journey ahead. The red lantern her husband had brought her earlier lit up the street with a red glow. Looking at the two dragons painted on the side, she suddenly missed her husband. She closed her eyes tightly and concentrated on listening to the evening wind. Perhaps it would bring her some news of her husband’s whereabouts. It was very quite now. Suddenly she heard the sounds of swords clashing not far from where she stood. She was still standing facing eastward of the main town hall. She had come from the west. The sounds seemed to have been coming from the north east end of the city. Moving without a thought she headed towards the sound of the clashing swords. She thought to herself, “Dear heavens. Let’s hope I’m not to late to assist big brother Yeung”. With that she disappeared into the night. And followed the sounds of battle.

End of Chapter 1.