The Deer and The Cauldron

[crydee]

Hahaha...I sure don't want to make enemy out of WXB....you will end up like Zheng Keshuang.
That fate is worse then a stab wound...U get frame everywhere..

[tweety365]

How else can he compete with a hero? He can't win in looks or martial ability, but he is the number one master in cunning.

You have a point there. But had JY wanted WXB to get the lady by honest methods, it can be done. Zheng Keshuang is a despicable coward, so Ah Ke can eventually turn to WXB after seeing ZKS's real personality. Of course JY can turn it into a tragedy like in the case of You Tanzhi, nice guy finishing last. Anyway, I'm not liking Ah Ke very much and would rather have Shuang'er show up more. I miss Shuang'er.

[Anh Nam]

Thanks Foxs

[Ace High]

Seems to me that Zheng Keshuang left his followers without giving it a second thought.

[crazee]

i actually found it quite hilarious that he was using a dead hand to do all those tricks...especially admidst the danger they were in...

Well, he's still a young boy after all and hence it's not surprising that he will love to play tricks especially on his enemy.... no no I'll never get involved with some like wxb if i'm aware...way too dangerous

Thanks Foxs.... I think comparatively its cheaper to fly for US citizens then Malaysians...
The currency and earning power in US beats us here...heh heh heh

However would really love to visit the states sigh.....other priorities comes first.

[KChill]

How else can he compete with a hero? He can't win in looks or martial ability, but he is the number one master in cunning.

IMO Grundle....he shouldn't be trying to compete...the girl may be beautiful but she's mean-spirited and shallow (not to mention a bit slow) and that's just not worth the trouble. If she's so hung up on ZK, who obviously has little other than his lineage to recommend him, that would be even more reason to dump her - bad taste.

[foxs]

Grundle, I have to agree with sky and tweety; granted that he grew up in a brothel, where he saw men groping women all the time, but he should at least have a little decency. Other than that, I am with you. Wandering, I agree, his quick-thinking and his guts are quite admirable. Smurf, is Xiang Shaolong lecherous? Crydee, Ace, Jin Yong deliberately made Zheng Keshuang shallow; to match Ah Ke? Crazee, but I have my wife and kids ... KChill, I don't recall this part being in Minford's work.

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Zheng Keshuang was just crawling up from the ground, he had not stood firm yet. A lama pounced on him and grabbed his arms. Another lama pulled his clothes apart, ‘rip, rip!’ his outer garment, his undergarment, were torn to pieces; the gold, silver and jewels in his pocket were thrown to the ground, but how could there be any sutra? Anh, you are welcome.

“Zheng Gongzi,” Wei Xiaobao called out, “Where did you hide the sutra? Why don’t you tell them? It’s not such a precious object anyway.”

Zheng Keshuang was furious, “I don’t have it!” he loudly shout.

A lama slapped him hard that he almost passed out. “Will you speak or not?” the lama shouted, while giving him another slap.

Seeing Zheng Keshuang’s cheeks were immediately swollen, Wei Xiaobao’s joy was unspeakable. “Zheng Gongzi,” he called out again, “Why don’t you get that sutra for this Buddha masters? I saw you digging a hole in that inn; did you hide the sutra in there?”

Sangjie happily said, “Right, the little kid must be telling the truth; take him back to the inn.”

“Yes!” the lama complied. He slapped Zheng Keshuang’s face again.

Ah Ke could not bear it anymore, she scrambled out of the haystack and called out, “This little kid is an expert liar, don’t believe him. This Zheng Gongzi has never seen any sutra.”

Wei Xiaobao turned his head around and said in a low voice, “I am trying to save Shitai and you, let Zheng Gongzi lead them away.”

“I don’t want you to save me,” Ah Ke said, “You have wronged Zheng Gongzi, you will make him lose his life.”

Wei Xiaobao said, “Shitai’s and your lives are ten thousand times more important than Zheng Gongzi’s.”

Sangjie said to the lama grabbing Zheng Keshuang, “Don’t kill him.” Turning his head around, he said, “Little Nun, come out. And these two babies, take them with us to find the sutra.”

Ah Ke angrily said, “You are the one who is afraid of death, yet you said you want to save Shifu. If you have guts, go fight these lamas.”

The hot blood in Wei Xiaobao’s heart welled up, he thought, “You despise me like this, so what if I’ll let myself be killed by these lamas?” He said, “You want me to fight? Fine. My death is not a big deal, it’s just that I won’t be able to save Shitai and you. But what if I win?”

“Humph,” Ah Ke snorted, “Even if you reincarnated you won’t win. If you defeat one lama, I will obey you forever.”

“What do you mean defeat one lama? Didn’t I kill seven lamas?” Wei Xiaobao said.

“You used trick to kill,” Ah Ke said, “It does not count.”

Wei Xiaobao said, “If I defeat one lama, you will marry me and be my wife.”

“Nonsense!” Ah Ke angrily said, “You are a little monk, you are also a little eunuch, how can … how can …”

“Little monk can return to normal life, little eunuch can quit being an eunuch,” Wei Xiaobao said, “In short, I must marry you and take you as my wife.”

“Shifu,” Ah Ke anxiously said, “Did you hear that? In situation like this he is still foul-mouthed and talks nonsense.”

The nun in white sighed; she thought that the situation was seriously critical. She might be forced to cut her own channel[6] and die, to avoid being humiliated by the lamas. “Xiaobao,” she called in a low voice, “Stretch your hand into the haystack.”

“Yes,” Wei Xiaobao replied. He stretched his left hand backhandedly into the haystack. He felt a small paper packet in his hand; he heard the nun in white said in a low voice, “This is the map hidden inside the sutra. You don’t need to care about me, you must escape alone. If you could obtain the other seven sutras in the future, perhaps our great Han people’s rivers and mountains will have a hope of recovering. It is much more important than my, one person’s life.”

Wei Xiaobao saw how high she regarded him; she did not entrust this matter to her own disciple, but gave it to him instead, immediately his spirit rose. Suddenly he had an idea. Right now he did not have time to think about it in details, but he loudly said, “My Shifu is a martial art expert of this age, she is unwilling to fight with you. Just appoint one person to have a match with me. Only if you can beat me will my Shijie go into action. Humph, humph! I’ll say you won’t dare. Just know your own limitation, you’d better run away quickly with your tails between your legs.” While saying that, he put the paper packet into his bosom.

The five lamas laughed aloud. Although they were quite afraid of the nun in white, why would they take this little kid seriously? One lama laughed and said, “I only need to send you one palm strike, I guarantee you will roll around seventeen, eighteen times, and have a match in farting!”

Wei Xiaobao took a step forward and said in a clear voice, “Alright, let you and I have a match then.” Turning his head toward Ah Ke, he said, “After I win, you will be my wife, you can’t deny.”

Ah Ke said, “You won’t win. No matter what you won’t win.”

Wei Xiaobao said, “A man stake out everything he has, ten thousand men can’t stop him. In order to win you to be my wife, I have no choice but to stake everything I have.”

The lama took several steps forward and said with a laugh, “You really want to have a match with me?”

“Why would I lie to you?” Wei Xiaobao replied, “The two of us will have a one-on-one match. Don’t worry, my Shifu will not personally go into action. Those four martial brothers of yours, are they going to help you?”

Sangjie burst into loud laughter. “Naturally we won’t help him,” he said.

Wei Xiaobao said, “Supposing that I kill him with a single blow, will you go together, relying on numbers to gain victory? Let us agree up front: if all of you swarm together, I won’t be your match, my Shifu will have to personally go into action.”

Sangjie was actually afraid that the nun in white would personally go into action. He thought about his several martial brothers who died without clear reason, he did not know what kind of martial art this nun possessed, he thought it would be greatly advantageous to him if he let his martial brother have one-on-one match with this little kid, so that he could see the nun in white’s martial art school and her background. Thereupon he said, “The two of you will have a one-on-one match, neither side is allowed to help you two.”

Wei Xiaobao said, “Whoever helps is a turtle son of b1tch.”

“That’s right,” Sangjie said, “Whoever helps is a turtle daughter of b1tch.”

Not only Sangjie had a high martial art skill, he was also very smart. He saw that the nun in white and Ah Ke were women, thereupon he changed the ‘turtle son of b1tch’ into ‘turtle daughter of b1tch’, because since in any case the opponent would not be ‘turtle son of b1tch’, they might go forward and help anyway.

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “Very good. You, big lama, is exceptionally astute, Zaixia [myself (humble)] is full of admiration.”

“Move forward several steps more,” Sangjie said. He saw Wei Xiaobao was standing very close to the haystack, and was afraid the nun in white might put her hand onto his back and secretly transfer her internal energy to him, then his martial brother would not be able to withstand.

Wei Xiaobao said, “We, Han people, are frank and upright, if we win, we will win honorably, if we lose, we will lose gracefully; how can we practice fraud?”

The nun in white said in a low voice, “Xiaobao, you won’t win, just pretend you are having a martial art match, then grab a horse and escape.”

“Yes,” Wei Xiaobao replied. He took three steps forward, so that the distance between him and the haystack was a bit more than a zhang.

Seeing that the nun in white would no longer able to help in secret, Sangjie nodded. The lama also took several steps forward until he stood face to face with Wei Xiaobao, and then he said with a laugh, “How do you want to compete?”

Wei Xiaobao said, “We could have either soft match, or hard match[7].”

The lama laughed and said, “How do we have a soft match? And how do we have a hard match?”

Wei Xiaobao said, “In soft match, I punch you once, you also punch me once. I will punch you again, and you also punch me again. We punch each other seventy, eighty times, until one of us fall down. When you punch me, I must neither dodge, nor lift my hand to block; I can only stand still, transporting my internal energy to receive your punch head on. When I hit you, you will do the same. In hard match, we can either fight with weapons or barehanded. Naturally we can dodge, block, run or leap.”

Sangjie thought, “This little urchin is nimble; supposing he jumps around, I am afraid Shidi won’t be able to hit him. He is so full of confidence, he must have some other trick up his sleeve. Most probably he will jump toward the haystack, enticing Shidi to chase him, and then that nun will suddenly launch a sneak attack from inside of the haystack. If they fight a soft match, his fist is so small, seventy, eighty of his punches landed on Shidi’s body would be no more than scratching an itch.” Thereupon he shouted in Tibetan, “Have a soft match with him, but don’t injure him. The longer you let him fight the better, so that we can see his martial art school and background.”

“Your Shixiong is scared,” Wei Xiaobao said, “He is afraid that you can’t beat me, and thus telling you to surrender, isn’t he?”

The lama laughed and said, “Little demon speaks nonsense. Shige feels sorry for you, he told me not to kill you in just one strike. Since you are so young, your weapon, as well as punching and kicking skills must be limited. I don’t want to take advantage over you either, so let’s have a soft match.”

“Good!” Wei Xiaobao said. Sticking out his chest, he put his hands behind his back and said, “You may hit me first. If I evade or block, just consider me not a hero or a warrior.”

The lama laughed. “You are a little kid,” he said, “Naturally you must go first.” While saying that, he copied Wei Xiaobao’s manner: he stuck out his chest and put his hands behind his back. Compared to Wei Xiaobao, he was a good one head taller. He was giggling incessantly, obviously he did not take this little urchin seriously.

Wei Xiaobao stretched out his left fist, it barely reached the lama’s lower abdomen. Seeing his small fist, the five lamas burst into laughter. “Alright,” Wei Xiaobao said, “I am sending my first strike.”

The lama did not dare to be too careless; afraid that Wei Xiaobao might have some unusual skill, he gathered his internal energy and sent it all toward his lower abdomen. Wei Xiaobao suddenly flicked his right sleeve, with his fist inside it; noiselessly the punch landed on the left side of the pit of the lama’s stomach. Seeing such a powerless punch, Sangjie and the others burst out laughing again.

The sound of laughter had not ceased, they saw the lama’s body swayed. Wei Xiaobao said, “Now it’s your turn to hit me.” The lama suddenly dropped down, crouching on the ground, and then stopped moving altogether. Sangjie and the others were greatly shocked; they rushed forward at once.

Wei Xiaobao withdrew to the haystack and called out, “Halt! Whoever helps is a turtle lama son of a b1tch.”

The four lamas halted; they saw the lama was still unmoving, not because his breathing was constricted due to serious injury, but because he had died. The four lamas’ jaws dropped in endless surprise; they were all speechless. Wei Xiaobao raised his clenched fists high above his head and said, “My Shifu has taught me unique martial art called the ‘Splitting Mountain Striking the Ox Divine Fist’ that I am able to strike a big ox dead with one punch, much less just a little lama. Whoever refuses to accept may come forward to try it!” With a low voice he continued, “Ah Ke, my wife, will you renege on your promise?”

Ah Ke saw that the fist technique that she looked down was actually a superior martial art; a tall and sturdy lama being hit, unexpectedly could not withstand it and had to lie prostate on the ground without able to stand up again, his life and death was unknown; she was also very surprised. Hearing Wei Xiaobao, unexpectedly she forgot to reprimand him.

“Ha, ha,” Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “You complied. My good wife.”

Ah Ke angrily said, “I am not.”

“You blatantly reneged on your own promise, you are not a hero or a warrior,” Wei Xiaobao said.

“So what if I am not?” Ah Ke said.

The nun in white actually saw that after Wei Xiaobao hit the lama’s heart, blood was seeping out of the lama’s chest before he swayed and fell face down on the ground. After thinking about it for a moment, she knew that Wei Xiaobao had hidden his dagger in his sleeve; actually, he did not send out a punch at all, rather, he thrust his dagger into the opponent’s heart. The dagger was sharp beyond compare, even steel would be penetrated by it, let alone human flesh. Wei Xiaobao used his left hand first to let everybody know that he was using a fist; after using the dagger, he hid it immediately, and then lifted his fists high above his head, hence other people did not suspect him even more.

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[6] Orig. Jing Mai – channel of traditional Chinese medicine, the passage through which vital energy (qi or chi) circulates.
[7] Orig. ‘wen’ and ‘wu’, literary and martial art.

[Gubrak]

Xiao Bao really smart and has gut.

Thanks Foxs

[SkyWalker]

Thanks foxs.

Gotta give credit to WXB. He's a quick thinker and has tons of courage. Hopefully his infatuation with Ah Ke will end soon.

[Ace High]

Despite being the weakest, WXB already killed his eighth lamas. Ah Ke & ZKS zero whlie the nun in white with just 1 kill.
WXB really pulled his weight whilst ZKS was just a freeloader with nothing to offer. No wonder the nun in white gave him the cold shoulder.

[KChill]

Foxs, you are correct. The entire soft vs. hard bet as well as him making Ah Ke promise to marry him, was omitted from Minford's translation. Why, I haven't the slightest idea -- makes no sense to me.

[tweety365]

Foxs, you are correct. The entire soft vs. hard bet as well as him making Ah Ke promise to marry him, was omitted from Minford's translation. Why, I haven't the slightest idea -- makes no sense to me.

Because Minford is lazy?

[Anh Nam]

Thanks Foxs This is the only way most of us will know what Jin Yong really wrote. Movies are always changed and now I know Translations are too.

[crazee]

Really gotta admire XB. He actually thought way ahead.... after killing the lama, the others are not to help or interfere....therefore slowing them from finding out his knife trick.

Well, it might not be really a gentlemanly act but with huge bullies around, you gotta use whatever in your disposal.

He's no coward....inspite of the princess's proding for him to leave them.....

Thanks Foxs... yes, it was enlightening as the details are finally revealed.

BTW, the same here too....got a wife and 2 kids.....too ex to travel far or near!!!
Really envy those who travels yearly to far away places and then shows me the beautiful photos.....

[foxs]

Gubrak, Sky, Ace, you got that right. KChill, Tweety, not to mention the books were three years apart ... Anh, most of the translation work in here will tell you whether it is abridged or full. Crazee, I thought people in Asia made a lot of money ...

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Sangjie called the lama several times, but did not hear any response; he was bewildered and did not know what to do. A thin lama pulled his jiedao out and shouted, "Little demon, so what if your boxing skill is superior? Your Buddha master wants to try your blade technique." He thought that this little kid had received teaching from brilliant master, his internal energy cultivation and fist strength were indeed not a small matter, but if he fought him using weapons, his fist strength would be useless.

"You want to have a match with blades? Yes, you can. Come!" Wei Xiaobao said.

The lama did not dare to come near, he shouted, "If you have guts, you come!"

Wei Xiaobao echoed, "If you have guts, you come!"

The lama said, "One, two, three, we both take three steps forward."

"Alright!" Wei Xiaobao said, "One, two, three!" And he took three steps forward.

The lama also took three steps forward, while brandishing his jiedao into a circle of white ray to protect himself, afraid that Wei Xiaobao might suddenly launched his 'splitting mountain striking ox divine fist'."

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, "Don't be afraid, I won't use the divine fist against you."

How could the lama believe him? He still brandished the jiedao, creating 'whoosh, whoosh' noise. "Quickly pull your blade!" he shouted.

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, "I have trained and mastered the divine skill to protect my head from 'Jin Ding School' ['golden crown of the head' - see Chapter 10]. You can try chopping my head with your saber, I guarantee that that big saber will bounce back and chop your own bald head. I am telling you this in advance, so that you won't be fooled.”

The lama was half believing and half doubting; but after seeing him killing his martial brother with one punch without extra trouble, his martial art skill must be deep and immeasurable. Momentarily he did not dare to go forward rashly; he did not dare to lift his saber to chop Wei Xiaobao’s head even more.

"Your martial art is too low," Wei Xiaobao said, "I won't hit you back. But you can only chop my head, you must not chop my chest. I am still young, the divine skill to protect my body has not been trained to perfection. If you chop at my chest, I will definitely die."

The lama looked at him with squinted eyes; he asked, "Your head really does not afraid of saber chop?"

Wei Xiaobao took off his cap and said, "Just look, my braid is already gone, the more I train, the shorter will my hair be; the divine skill of the top of my head and of my neck has been trained to perfection. By the time I train until not a single hair on my head remains, my chest won't be afraid of your saber chop as well."

Because he became a monk in Shaolin Temple and Qingliang Temple, the hair on his head was shaved clean. By this time his hair was only less than a cun long. At that time, other than Buddhist monks and people who were bald by nature, all males had to have their hair in braids. Someone with a cun long hair like him was indeed unheard of. As for the story that the more he trained the shorter his hair and so on, Wei Xiaobao recalled it from what he saw and heard in Prince Kang’s mansion, when he met Wu Yingxiong’s escorts from Jin Ding School.

The lama saw his head, and believed several points. He had also heard that there was indeed a school called Jin Ding in Wulin, whose hard head martial art skill was very formidable. “I don’t believe your head can withstand my saber chop,” he said.

“I suggest you’d better not try it,” Wei Xiaobao said, “When the saber bounces back, the eating apparatus of your body cannot be guaranteed.”

“I don’t believe you!” the lama said, “Stand still, I am going to chop your head.” While saying that, he raised his jiedao high.

Seeing the flickering blade, Wei Xiaobao’s fear was unspeakable; he thought that if the lama realy chop his head, not only his skull would be split in two, his body would also be split like split bamboo. It’s just that: one, he could not fight the lama for real anyway, other than resorting to trickery, he did not have any other way of escaping; two, gambling had become his second nature, he was betting that when the lama heard his threat, he would not dare to chop his head or neck. In a way, he was gambling with his own life as the stake.

By now his life and death lay in this lama’s mind, but win or lose, it was no different than throwing dice; much less in this case he had no other alternative to gambling anyway. If he did not gamble, this lama would raise his saber and chop randomly, then in the end he, as well as the nun in white and Ah Ke would be hacked to death. Moreover, right now the eyes of the beautiful girl Ah Ke were steadily fixed on him. Thinking to this point, he could not help but cast a glance toward Zheng Keshuang, who was still lying on the ground; he said in his heart, “You are a young master of a prince’s mansion, compared to me, the son of a wh0re, who is more heroic? Damn it, do you dare to stand here and let others chop your head with a saber?”

Sangjie called out in Tibetan, “This little demon knows witchcraft, don’t chop his head or neck.”

“What did he say?” Wei Xiaobao asked, “He told you not to chop my head, didn’t he? You are all treacherous and crafty, you don’t keep your own words; that won’t be good.”

“No, no,” the lama said, “Da Shixiong told me not to believe your bragging; he told me to chop your head into two halves.” As the word ‘halves’ came out of his mouth, the saber chopped down from the air.

Wei Xiaobao was so scared that his soul flew to the outer sky, in a twinkling his heroic spirit disappeared without a trace. Hastily he pulled back his head while groaning in his heart, “My life stops here!”

Unexpectedly when the saber was still three chi away from his head, it suddenly changed direction; the jiedao made a half circle turn in a different move ‘embracing moon in the bosom’, the saber swung from outside to the inside, ‘stab’, it hacked on Wei Xiaobao’s back.

The saber carried a tremendous force, Wei Xiaobao felt severe pain on his back, he was unable to stand and tumbled down into the lama’s bosom. Immediately the dagger in his right hand stabbed the pit of the lama’s stomach three times, and then he ducked down and crawled underneath the lama’s crotch, while calling out, “Aiyo, aiyo, you did not keep your words!”

The lama made some ‘he, he, he’, gurgling noise, his jiedao turned back and hacked his own face. His body curled up, twisted several times, and then he lay down motionless.

Wei Xiaobao was hoping that the lama would hack his chest; since he was wearing the treasured vest to protect his body, he would not lose his life, hence the four lamas would be scared and run away. Who would have thought that the lama did not hack his chest but his back instead? By doing so, Wei Xiaobao was pushed toward the lama. Seizing this opportunity, Wei Xiaobao stabbed his chest several times. It’s just that by crawling under the opponent’s crotch he looked to be in a very desperate situation. His near escape this time did not differentiate him as hero or a coward.

“Shifu,” he made such a big fuss, “The divine skill on my back has also been trained to perfection. Did you see that? Cough, cough … the saber bounced back and killed him. Wonderful, wonderful!”

Actually, the lama only suffered minor injury from the bouncing saber, it was the three stabs of the dagger that killed him; yet Sangjie and the other, three people, could not see that. They assumed it was indeed the bouncing saber that killed the lama. They were so scared that they withdrew several zhang away, while loudly called the dead lama’s name.

The nun in white was already aware that Wei Xiaobao was wearing the treasured vest to protect his body. She knew that Ah Ke had chopped him twice without injuring him, hence this time she was not surprised. However, seeing that he dared to bet with his own head against the saber, she could not help but admiring his guts. Actually, Wei Xiaobao was so frightened a moment ago that he peed in his pants; his crotch was dripping wet, only no one else knew about it.

The lama’s saber carried such a tremendous force that as it hit Wei Xiaobao’s back, his ribs were almost broken. Leaning against the haystack, he could not bear not to groan. The nun in white said, “Quickly give him the ‘snow ginseng jade toad pill’.”

“Where is the pill?” Ah Ke asked Wei Xiaobao.

“In my pocket,” Wei Xiaobao replied, “I might not be able to live.”

Ah Ke took the jade bottle from his pocket, pulled the cork, and tipped one pill out of the bottle. Then she put the cork back, and returned the jade bottle into Wei Xiaobao’s pocket. “Quickly take it!” she said.

Wei Xiaobao reached out to take it, but he pretended that he could not lift his hand. Grudgingly Ah Ke brought the pill to his mouth. Seeing her snow white, tender and delicate little hand, as soon as the pill entered his mouth, Wei Xiaobao puckered his lips to kiss it. Ah Ke hastily pulled her hand, but his lips brushed the back of her hand. “Ah!” she cried out.

Wei Xiaobao said in loud voice, “Shifu, these lamas speak like releasing dog fart. They said they were going to chop my head, but they chopped my back instead. And now only three left, let disciple strike them dead with the ‘splitting mountain striking ox divine fist’!”

When Sangjie and the others heard this, they withdrew several steps back. The three of them talked among themselves for a moment, and then they took out some flints to light up several stalks of hay, and tossed the burning stalks onto the haystack. The first three stalks fell on empty space. Sangjie lighted another stalk and ran several zhang forward, and then threw the stalk as hard as he could, while clapping his palms in front of his body as a shield. Afraid that Wei Xiaobao would attack him with the ‘splitting mountain striking ox divine fist’, he immediately leaped back.

As soon as the haystack met the fire, it was burned instantly. Wei Xiaobao pulled the nun in white out of the haystack. Looking all around, he saw a cave on the rocky hill to the west. Having not enough time to check, he said, “Ah Ke, quickly help Shifu to that cave over there to hide, I am going to block these lamas.”

Taking two steps toward Sangjie, he called out, “You are too brazen; unexpectedly you are not afraid of Xiao Ye’s [young master] ‘splitting mountain striking ox divine fist’ and ‘protecting head golden crown divine skill’. Sangjie, you are the leader, quickly come here and take two punches from Xiao Ye.”

Sangjie was cautious; momentarily he really did not dare to pursue, but then he thought about the importance of the sutra, plus the ten of his martial brothers who had lost their lives. If he gave up just like that, what would remain of his illustrious name? He saw the nun in white was walking slowly with the help of that young lady; if she was not injured, then she must be sick. It was indeed a golden opportunity for him, could it be that he could not even beat the little kid in front of him? It’s just that his martial art was so strange that those who got hit died instantly. Hence he hesitated and momentarily did not know what to do.

When Wei Xiaobao turned his head, he saw the nun in white and Ah Ke had almost reached the cave. He turned back and shouted, “You don’t dare to have a martial art match with me, laozi is going to come forward to kill you; why haven’t you run away?”

These words actually revealed the ‘horse’s leg’. Sangjie thought, “If you really have the ability to kill me, why didn’t you simply charge forward? You told me to run away, that means you are scared of me in your heart.” Laughing maliciously, he stretched out both hands, the bones in his body were cracking as he took two steps forward.

Wei Xiaobao groaned inwardly, “Bad; what trick can I use this time to kill him?”

By this time the haystack behind him was roaring with fire, the tongues of the fire almost licked his body; he mused, “Laozi better hide in the cave first, and then think of some other way slowly.” Thinking about hiding in a cave, his heart was immediately happy. If the cave was so dark that they could not see anything, he might be able to grope around Ah Ke’s body. He stooped down to pick Hubayin’s hand from the dead lama’s grip and put it into his pocket.

Seeing Sangjie took several more steps forward, he called loudly, “It’s too hot in here, laozi’s divine skill cannot be used. If you have guts, go over there and have match with me.” Finished speaking he turned around and ran toward the cave. When he entered the cave, he saw the nun in white and Ah Ke had already sat on the ground. This cave was actually only a cavity on the mountain wall, there was not enough place to hide at all; the cave was not dark either, plus Ah Ke sat leaning on the nun in white, hence it was impossible for him to grope around. He could not help but feeling a bit disappointed.

Sangjie and the two lamas slowly walked toward the front of the cave, and stopped when they were about three zhang from the cave. Sangjie called out, “You have stepped onto a dead end, there is no way out. Get the torches!” The two lamas picked the stalks and handed them over to him.

Wei Xiaobao said, “Very good, quickly throw the torches over, and see if you can burn us to death. I am afraid the Forty-two-chapter sutra will also be burned very quickly.”

Sangjie held the burning stalk high, he was just about to hurl it toward the cave, but when he heard that, he felt that Wei Xiaobao was right; if he wanted to burn the three of them to death, he would also destroy the sutra. Thereupon he tossed the torch aside and called out, “Quickly hand over the sutra, your Buddha master is merciful, I will let you walk the path of life.”

Wei Xiaobao said, “You kowtow eighteen times in front of my Shifu, my Shifu is merciful, she will let you walk the path of life.”

[tweety365]

he could not help but cast a glance toward Zheng Keshuang, who was still lying on the ground; he said in his heart, “You are a young master of a prince’s mansion, compared to me, the son of a wh0re, who is more heroic? Damn it, do you dare to stand here and let others chop your head with a saber?”

So very true! WXB has courage, but it doesn't last very long. Plus, like he said, he doesn't have any other choice but to bet with his life.

Actually, Wei Xiaobao was so frightened a moment ago that he peed in his pants; his crotch was dripping wet, only no one else knew about it.

LOL

Thank you, foxs!

[KChill]

This part also omitted. Very funny. You have to say WXB has guts, regardless of what you think about his vices.

So very true! WXB has courage, but it doesn't last very long. Plus, like he said, he doesn't have any other choice but to bet with his life.



LOL

Thank you, foxs!

[smurf120]

I recall reading several parts in ASTITP there were passages that XSL seduced with his eyes then stuck his hand in [female, lady, whomever]'s shirt, something bosom heaving, powerless to stop him, ripping off clothes - yeah it was straight out of a Harlequinn novel. Also kept on mentioning his knack for bathing with his dozen wives and maids - so yeah, WXB's accidental grab and molesting Ah Ke with a fake hand is joky and playful compared to XSL.

So in WXB's mind, he won the bet with Ah Ke therefore Ah Ke will obey him forever [be his wife]. By his own code of rules he will always abide by the outcome whether winning or losing.

Do you guys think that (at this point of the story)?
1) Ah Ke is reneging on the deal [refusing to acknowledge or marry him]
or
2) WXB is in the wrong completely and totally, there was no deal in the first place

[Grundle]

I recall reading several parts in ASTITP there were passages that XSL seduced with his eyes then stuck his hand in [female, lady, whomever]'s shirt, something bosom heaving, powerless to stop him, ripping off clothes - yeah it was straight out of a Harlequinn novel. Also kept on mentioning his knack for bathing with his dozen wives and maids - so yeah, WXB's accidental grab and molesting Ah Ke with a fake hand is joky and playful compared to XSL.

So in WXB's mind, he won the bet with Ah Ke therefore Ah Ke will obey him forever [be his wife]. By his own code of rules he will always abide by the outcome whether winning or losing.

Do you guys think that (at this point of the story)?
1) Ah Ke is reneging on the deal [refusing to acknowledge or marry him]
or
2) WXB is in the wrong completely and totally, there was no deal in the first place

I think WXB considers it a deal done, especially since he used her own words to trap her. If she does get out of being his "wife" it will be accompanied by tremendous shame, since everyone in Jiang Hu seems to place such a high importance on keeping one's word.

[tweety365]

“Humph,” Ah Ke snorted, “Even if you reincarnated you won’t win. If you defeat one lama, I will obey you forever.”

Per Ah Ke's own words, she did agree to the deal. She has already experienced WXB's wit and courage, so had she used her brain, WXB wouldn't have the chance to use her words against her. WXB is definitely not a gentleman and now has a valid reason to make Ah Ke his wife. Beauty without brain and a bad personality .