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Thread: The History of the Tang Dynasty Two Dragons (大唐双龙传) - Huang Yi

  1. #221
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    We have to stop discouraging Xlandhenry. This book is still interesting even if I don't live to see it finished.

  2. #222
    Senior Member kyss of the sword's Avatar
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    the story is quite interesing, a good mix of martial arts and warfare plus the characters are interesing, a mic of wei xiaobao and yang guo and some zhang wuji. street urchin and heroic nature.
    THE KYSS OF THE SWORD IS DEADLY BUT EXQUSITE
    he's the strongest in history but he's the disciple.
    http://www.mangafox.com/manga/histor...ciple_kenichi/

  3. #223
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    Quote Originally Posted by Anh Nam View Post
    We have to stop discouraging Xlandhenry. This book is still interesting even if I don't live to see it finished.
    Not discouraging at all. I'm too persistent to be discouraged.

    Quote Originally Posted by kyss of the sword View Post
    the story is quite interesing, a good mix of martial arts and warfare plus the characters are interesing, a mic of wei xiaobao and yang guo and some zhang wuji. street urchin and heroic nature.
    Glad you like the story.

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    Default Book 3 Chapter 4 Falling into the trap(1st half)

    Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, together with Qin Shubao, had run atop a hill. At their back were a series of mountains, while in front they could see a boundless plain, where River Si flows at around 5 li away. It was a total wilderness without any inhabitants.

    Qin Shubao slumped down and said :"Let's get some rest here and recompose ourselves."

    The two also sat down on the lawn with him.

    "Who the hell is that Lu Miaozi, to have made such delicate nets!"Exclaimed Kou Zhong.

    Qin Shubao shook his head. "Haven't heard of him! Gee!How can you have the leisure to think about these?"He sighed.

    He pondered for a while and turned to them, asking :"You had helped her against our Sui army, why did you let go of this golden opportunity and refuse to join Wagang Army?"

    Exchanging glances with each other, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were both reminded of the day they saw Zu Junyan allying with some outsiders to ambush his master Zhai Rang, which was still clinging on their nerves.

    The latter spoke :"We saw a few dirty things of Wagang Army lately, and lost interest in them."

    Qin Shubao didn't question further. "Shen Luoyan is the top counselor under Li Mi and is extremely wise, it's very unlikely that she just boasted about capturing us alive."He thought aloud.

    "To play this game, we split up and run, and make it difficult for her to track us all."

    Kou Zhong shook his head. "I'm not going to leave Xiao Ling, neither is he leaving me. That's the way we rolled since childhood."

    Qin Shubao nodded. "Then let's split into two groups."

    Pointing towards the plain below, he said :"To capture us, they must first track and locate us. I will run down the plain, and you two shall remain here and observe. Try to find out how she tracks me. Once we know that, we may figure out a scheme to avoid being tracked."

    Xu Ziling frowned. "But how do we communicate with you, when you're down on the plains."

    Qin Shubao took out a little copper mirror from his pocket and gave it to the brothers.

    "Reflect the sunlight to me, works like the lantern signals at night."He said.

    After explaining how to use it, he said :"Three days later we shall meet at the east gate of Pengcheng. If we succeeded to beat that ***** in this game, then let's go and have a ****in' big feast!"

    With a laughter, he ran down the hill.

    As Qin Shubao ran further away, the two carefully watched, detecting any traces of their enemies.

    Yet even when Qin Shubao turned into a black dot at the edge of the plain, they had not seen anyone else.

    "Turns out that ***** was just boasting!"Kou Zhong laughed and said.

    Xu Ziling also felt relieved."Send out the safe signal!"He nudged Kou Zhong.

    Rejoiced, Kou Zhong raised the mirror and sent out the signal.

    In the distance, Qin Shubao stood there in idle for quite some time, before starting to run again, disappearing from their view.

    Kou Zhong said :"6 hours to go until dark. How about we take the waterway once again, and give that ***** a surprise!"

    "In my opinion,"Xu Ziling suggested, "We should hide in the highest mountain during these three days. When we come across people we run. "

    Kou Zhong disagreed. "Don't forget our light-body technique is still far from perfection, we won't be able to outrun that ***** and her men. We must go to a big city like Pengcheng, then even when the ***** found us, we can yell on the street 'Wagang army trying to kill people!', leaving the job to the government officers and soldiers, while we can escape easily."

    Convinced by Kou Zhong's idea, Xu Ziling didn't bother to raise further conversations and followed Kou Zhong towards River Si.

    Crouching low and jumping high, they deliberately made their way across hills and mountains. They went upstream along River Si, where it was more than 30 li away from the place they met Shen Luoyan.

    Probably because of the wars, they had come across few boats on the river.

    And no matter how hard they tried, threatening or baiting, not a single one was willing to carry them.

    They didn't want to take a boat by force but watch the river in dismay.

    Walking along the river for another hour or so, a harbor showed up ahead.

    A small fishing boat was moored at the harbor, yet they could see no one on the boat.

    Overjoyed, the two hurriedly ran towards it.

    Approaching it however, they heard a loud snoring sound coming from under the canopy of the boat.

    Peeping inside, they saw an old fisherman sleeping soundly.

    Kou Zhong said :"If this were her trap, then we'd lose knowingly."

    Xu Ziling drew out his sabre and muttered :"I don't trust him. He must be one of her men."

    Then he winked at Kou Zhong.

    Kou Zhong understood and also drew out his sabre.

    He jested :"I'd rather be sorry to him than the other way around."

    He leapt down and thrust the sabre at the fisherman's back.

    The sabre didn't stop until it slightly touched the man's skin.

    Kou Zhong laughed and sheathed his sabre, gesturing towards Xu Ziling that everything was fine.

    At that moment, the snoring sound suddenly stopped.

    Awakened, the old fisherman got up slowly with his half-open eyes.

    Kou Zhong had yet to greet him, before the fisherman screamed in terror and crawled out the canopy, crying :"You bandits!"

    Then with his trembling hands and legs, he crawled up the river bank and ran away for life.

    They watched as he disappeared into the woods like two dumb-headed birds, while Kou Zhong guiltily spoke :"He must've been robbed by bandits before, that's why his reaction was so intense."

    Xu Ziling shrugged and said :"The fishing boat could probably be his only property. We can't just say sorry and take it."

    Kou Zhong peeped twice more at the boat, before reluctantly jumping back onto land. Smiling wryly, he said :"Then let's count on our light body technique instead."

    The two sadly left and continued to walk along the river.

    Before they had gone ten zhang away however, the old fisherman snuck out of the woods again, making towards his boat.

    They were glad that he had returned so soon. "Old man!"Kou Zhong yelled,"We're not bandits!"

    The old man was startled into a hop. He stumbled quickly onto the boat and tried desperately to loosen the mooring string.

    He was so anxious that when the two run back, the knot was made even tighter.

    Kou Zhong knelt down and untied it for him, as he called:"Old man! Do we look like bandits?"

    The old fisherman was apparently not so afraid anymore. Panting he replied with a coarse voice :"Gentlemen, what do you want from me ?"

    Xu Ziling respectfully asked :"Where are you going old one? If you're going upstream, could you give us a ride? "

    The old fisherman embolden himself and said :"You wanna take the boat you have to pay."

    "We don't have a penny on us, could you do us a favor?"Kou Zhong begged.

    Frowning, the old fisherman asked :"Where do you want to go?"

    Xu Ziling said :"Our destination is Pengcheng, but all depends on whether it's convenient for you."

    The old fisherman objected immediately :"No way! It takes a whole day to get to Pengcheng! How can I spare any time to do fishing! No money no talk!"

    Then he eyed them for a while before he said with a smile:"How about this? Your sabres look worthy a few taels of silver, just pay me with those!"

    Kou Zhong muttered :"A few taels of silver? Our sabres are of the best quality..."

    The old fisherman became impatient and said :"If you're not willing to pay then I'm leaving now."

    Xu Ziling pulled Kou Zhong aside and whispered :"It seemed somewhat odd. This old man might really be Shen Luoyan's man. Why else is he not a bit afraid of irritating us? And he even want our weapons? "

    Nodding in agreement, Kou Zhong said :"We could give him another test. If he passed it, then just give him the sabres. Getting two more is a piece of cake."

    After discussing, Kou Zhong waved at the old fisherman said :"We're not taking your boat! Please go!"

    The old Fisherman grunted, then steered the boat away from the harbor, not paying any attention towards them.

    Now they suspected no more.

    Leaping up and swooping across the river, they landed on the boat. Scared, the fisherman went utterly pale and was unable to mutter a sound.

    "Please don't misunderstand us, we just changed our mind. When we arrived Pengcheng, these two sabres will be yours."Kou Zhong explained, smiling.

    The old fisherman heaved out a relieving sigh and said :"I dare not want them anymore. When we reach the Blue Dragon Beach, help me with the fishing and then deliver the fish to Pengcheng."

    ========================To be continued===============================

  5. #225
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    Thanks Xlandhenry

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    Thanks XlandHenry!

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    Thanks!! Love your translation!

    Is there any comic that go along with this? I want to read and see comic at same time

    For "A step into the past", I found this audio download. This guy tells the story for each radio session in Cantonese. I listen to the entire thing and it was good. Each session is like 20 min and there are over 250 session lol. I know that this guy been doing story telling on a Chinese radio channel for a very long time. I just don't know if he did it for "history of the tang dynasty two dragons"

    I was wondering if there is an audio one for for "history of the tang dynasty two dragon" too? I can't read Chinese so i can't look for it in Chinese sites

    Can someone please help me find it?
    Last edited by herman285; 05-23-13 at 10:14 PM.

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    Hi all, I am new here. Here is a link for comics. http://www.dm5.com/manhua-datangshuanglongchuan. Its all in Chinese unfortunately, I can only understand a few hundred characters total. Been a fan of Wuxia since childhood, and Twin Dragons of Tang is so far my favorite.

    Thank you for translations, looking forward to new chapters, hopefully one day I will remember enough Chinese Characters to help translate.

  9. #229
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    Quote Originally Posted by herman285 View Post
    I was wondering if there is an audio one for for "history of the tang dynasty two dragon" too? I can't read Chinese so i can't look for it in Chinese sites

    Can someone please help me find it?
    As far as I know, there is none.

  10. #230
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    Quote Originally Posted by herman285 View Post
    Thanks!! Love your translation!

    I was wondering if there is an audio one for for "history of the tang dynasty two dragon" too? I can't read Chinese so i can't look for it in Chinese sites

    Can someone please help me find it?
    You need to do it yourself. Get a text to speech program. Mac OS 9 had it built in, Windows 95/NT use a SAPI 4/5 interface. Newer Windows uses the Microsoft Speech Platform v11.0. *nix systems are more complicated. You save the files as unicode text, then pick a language w/ corresponding voice and then pass it thru it. The resulting *.wav file should be further compressed into MP3 or AAC. A batch conversion loop should process the 800 or so files after many hours. Then load up the MP3/AAC on your iphone/ipod/ipad and enjoy.

    edit: just checked, most Chinese text to speech synthesis software are NOT faster than real-time... hence, it'll take between 24 to 48 hours to batch process this entire novel.
    Last edited by szfong; 05-24-13 at 11:27 PM.

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    Default Book 3 Chapter 4 Falling into the trap(2nd half)

    As the boat slowed down a bit, the old man instructed Xu Ziling to handle the scull and Kou Zhong to the pole.
    "The turning ahead is 'Ghostrock Canyon', currents there are rapid and unpredictable. "He said anxiously, Strains my nerves every time I went through that canyon. That's why I seldom went there, even knowing it has the most fish."

    Looking ahead, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling found the banks were gradually rising up and the river was narrowing down quickly. If their enemies had prepared an ambush there, it would be extremely difficult to deal with. So they started to pay attention to both banks while steering the boat.

    As the boat made a sharp turning, the cliffs on both sides immediately clammed down at them. The currents became riptides as they ran past the hundreds of stones that stuck above water, rushing into every direction like horses without their reins, sending the boat into a wild wobble. And the invisible waves beneath the surface were even more terrifying.

    The trio were trying their best. Xu Ziling steering the boat at the stern, Kou Zhong thrusting his pole against the stones to stop the boat from crushing into one, while the old fisherman was adjusting the sails to keep the boat on its course.

    The boat marched forth with arduous efforts.

    As the boat made another turning, it somehow suddenly sailed sideways, leaning towards a giant stone.
    Kou Zhong laughed and yelled :"Behold!"

    He jumped to the front of the boat , and thrust the pole hard at it.

    It was either because of a violent current or Kou Zhong exerting his strength too hard, the boat started to spin then flip to its right.

    Water instantly flooded in and the boat began to sink.

    The trio let out cries of surprise as they simultaneously fell into the water.

    Kou and Xu were not afraid even in the sea, much less this River Si. They emerged from the water quickly, only to find the old fisherman being carried by the river flowing downstream, drifting up and down as if he had lost consciousness.

    Shocked, they swam madly towards him.
    In mere minutes they had caught up with the fisherman, and lifted him up from the water.

    Just when they started feeling relieved, the old fisherman suddenly opened his eyes which were now shining with a fearsome aura. That instant they knew something was wrong. But before they could react, their body had already gone numb as the old fisherman seized the main acupoints at their costal region.

    The fisherman let out a laughter, and then swam towards the left bank carrying them under his arms.

    After throwing the two on the ground, he said :"I'm Mo Cheng the Wild Elder, here I have captured you at the order of my lady. Please go now!"As he spoke, he stood taller and straighter, no longer having a humpback. "But this time you will only have 6 hours to run and hide."
    Finishing, he left with a loud laughter.

    Regaining their strength, the two sat up, looking at each other with forced smiles.

    "It doesn't make sense. How on earth did they know we're here?"Kou Zhong complained.

    Xu Ziling sighed :"This old thing had been pretending really well."

    "If we couldn't find out how they track us, sooner or later we would fall into their trap again. "Kou Zhong muttered.

    Looking around, Xu Ziling said in a low voice :"I wonder if Qin Shubao is also defeated like us."
    Kou Zhong answered impatiently:"Qin Shubao is Shen Luoyan's primary target, she will of course deal with him personally and make sure he end up no better than us." Gee! Brainstorm it quickly! It's getting dark."

    Frowning, Xu Ziling gazed at the sun which is slowly sinking below the horizon as he said :"She must have left some markings on us in order to track us so efficiently."
    Both boys shuddered as they came to realization.

    Kou Zhong slapped on his lap and said :"It must be something on Lu Miaozi's fishing net."

    Then he examined himself carefully, and as expected he found some barely noticeable powder clinging onto his limbs and clothes. Even washed in water, there is still a lot left on his clothes.

    Xu Ziling warned :"Don't examine it any more! Maybe someone is watching us secretly!"

    "What the hell is this?"Kou Zhong panicked, "I can't brush it off! It smells nothing and looks like nothing. This beauty is really cunning. She proposed this game because she's prepared it!"

    Xu Ziling whispered to him :"We can remove our clothes but not chop off our limbs and hairs. How can we get rid of these powder? The enemies may come in any minute."

    Kou Zhong snuff heavily for some time before he confirmed :"This powder does not leave any scents. Even if they could track us by smell, they would lag behind us instead of setting up a trap ahead of us."

    "We were too careless to not have noticed these. "Xu Ziling regretted, "So let's assumed they have a lot of men on high grounds, and that they have a way to see these powder whether night or day. But in order to lay a trap in advance like they just did, they must use a very efficient way to commune with each other. Ideally it's lanterns at night, but how could they hide that from us?"

    Kou Zhong lay down on the lawn, feeling dispirited. Looking at the evening blaze decorating the sky, he murmured :"Then that assumption is wrong. Remember when we watched as Qin Shubao left? We couldn't see anything strange on him. If the powder glows at night, then we should all be able to see it. And the part to have men monitoring on high posts, is too difficult and impractical." "If we hid in the mountains, or as you suggested, on the highest peak, they would have no way to see us. So they must have used some other brilliant trick befitting her name."

    Under the pressure posed by their enemies, they once again were forced to fully utilize their wisdom and swear to stand to the end of it.

    In fact, since they cultivated Secret of Immortality, their lives changed drastically, faced with new challenges every day. They are like two pieces of hoarse jade constantly polished, gradually revealing their beautiful nature.

    Xu Ziling lied down beside Kou Zhong, and caught glimpse of a blue bird, which circled twice above them, before swooping down towards a forest. Intrigued, he said :"The powder may not be visible to men. It could be for trained birds, like how a trained hawk help its hunter master find a prey. Even if we cover ourselves with cloth or hide in a cave, the bird could recognize us."

    Kou Zhong sat up alarmed. "You're right. This is the most reasonable explanation so far." He looked around and said. "I just saw a lonely bird acting strangely in the sky, Damn it, I will shoot it down and swallow it with wine!"

    "It may be too late to shoot it down, "Xu Ziling laughed flatly and said, "Wise as Shen Luoyan, certainly she knows we would find out her trick by now. Don't forget that old man had also touched us, maybe they have left other markings on us. If we are that stupid to waste our time at the birds, it will just amuse her."

    Kou Zhong stared dumbfoundedly at Xu Ziling for a while, before scratching at his scalp and said :"You barely had as many little tricks as I do, I never expected you to think more thoroughly than me under such situation. Great Counselor Xu, now what do we do?"

    Xu Ziling sat up and whispered to his ears: "This time we will not lose again. To track us, they use either men or animals. Yet however cunning that ***** is, however formidable her men are, they do not know that we are able to swim underwater without taking breaths."

    Kou Zhong nodded. "If we hide ourselves in the river, we will be invisible, unless the damn bird can fly underwater!" Gee! But there's still around thirty li away from Pengcheng, we will certainly be exhausted if we swam there."

    Xu Ziling jested :"How have you become such a dumbass? We can wait in the water and attach ourselves to the bottom of any boat passing by. Let's go and take a free boat ride!"

    Kou Zhong slapped on the lap for his brilliant suggestion. The night had fallen then. The two boys suddenly leapt up and started to run along the river. After passing through a forest, they dived into the river, swam downstream taking advantage of the currents and further away from Pengcheng.

    A strange bird flew out of nowhere, hovering in circles above the river, then chirped and flew away, disappearing into the forest.

    Then they saw a trio of five masted ships sailing up the river. Overjoyed, the two swam up and attached themselves to one of them.

    Not long after their departure, three men, including the one called Mo Cheng emerged from the forest. They came to the point where the two boys had jumped into water, and swept their gazes across the river. Of course they couldn't have known the two boys escaped in such an unbelievable way.

    Even well-trained martial experts who process the ability to breathe underwater cannot possibly sustain that long. In Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling's case, they could stay in the water for as long as those top experts like Du Fuwei, Yuwen Huaji and Zhai Rang, thanks to the nature of their innate breath.

    Which is the also a feat of Secret of Immortality. Once succeeded to cultivate without backfired, the cultivator begins with the most advanced breathing method, similar to those of first class internal energies.

    So although barely trained in fighting skills, their mental cultivation methods were at a master level. Which laid a solid foundation for their future development.

    This time Shen Luoyan had made her miscalculation. Not because she lacked wisdom, but because such things were too absurd and unheard of.

    Mocheng's squad were still searching along the river as they came across those three colossal ships. They immediately halted and watched.

    As the ships passed and faded away in the distance, Mo Cheng's expression became solemn. He whispered to the other two, "The ships bear banners of Li Clan. If it were Li Yuan on the ship, then something significant would take place in Pengcheng. We must report this to the lady."

    As he finished, all three of them vanished into the darkness by the river.


    =========================End of Chapter====================================

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    Default Book 3 Chapter 5 A Bargain

    Today I decide to post a quick and small update, enjoy!

    ================================================== ========


    One by one Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling emerged from the water and breathed in the fresh night air over River Si.

    Previously, they found their palms could produce a suction force at will, allowing them to attach to the ship easily. Even they themselves wondered how they had done it.

    Kou Zhong whispered into Xu Ziling's ears, "This time we won a fuxking big victory! Haha, to hell with that bixch!" He said, elated.

    Xu Ziling said :"Don't grow complacent yet. There's still half a day to go before we could claim victory. Becoming too complacent will only make you too careless."

    Kou Zhong nodded. "I know. He said,
    "We were stupid. When we agreed to play the game, there was only a term on when we lose, not one on when we win. It would be wonderful, to think of just caressing her once or twice."

    Xu Ziling sniggered. "Forget it!" He said, "That bitxch has stings all over her body, untouchable!
    I am worried that Brother Qin may have lost to her!"

    Kou Zhong said :"Better that way. Otherwise he might be executed by the emperor later.
    Hey! It seems these ships belong to some rich dude, how about we borrow two suits and some money from him? At least we'll be better off than the two beggars we are."

    Xu Ziling muttered :"Be careful of what you're suggesting. Owner of such big ships is either a noble family or some government official. We may have to pay with our lives if not careful."

    Kou Zhong frowned. "So do it or don't?"He asked.
    Xu Ziling chuckled. "We're not afraid of even o'daddy. Let alone this no-name noble. Come with me, this future martial expert!"

    He then slowly climbed up the ship.

    They had a lot of experience of sneaking and hiding by then.
    By holding their breaths and essence, they could make it utterly silent, undetectable.

    The deck and the masts were all well lit by lanterns. Luckily, out of the twenty or so windows scattered over the three stories on this side of ship, only half were bright.

    Xu Ziling chose a dark one on the second storey and climbed towards it.

    As they passed by one of the lit windows, it came a gentle female voice speaking.

    The two were still teens after all. Stopping by the windows, they pushed their ears against it, trying to listen what she was saying.

    Suddenly the female voice rose, right beside their ears. "Second brother you must not persuade daddy any more. Uncle Duan has been talking to him many times, and he didn't take in a single word. He has been so loyal to the government."

    The two were startled almost into a hop.

    Now realizing the female had come beside the window, they dare not move a bit any more.

    A troubled voice of a young man rose :"Father is most reluctant to cut the tie with Dugu Clan. Yet he doesn't know Dugu Feng is the cunning old fox. He sees us like a sting in his eyes.
    In this time of conflicts, people suffer and complain. And the Turks are salivating at our land. There's nothing we can do to save Sui.
    We occupied Taiyuan, with abundant provision and soldiers. But when Liu Wuzhou and Liang Shidu of Yingyang School allied with the Turks and rose up against Sui, they had since fallen Loulan and Dingxiang. Should they take down Yanmen next, our Taiyuan would be at risk.
    If father hesitates still, we'll all be doomed together with that muddle-headed emperor."

    Outside the window, the two boys shivered.
    Who's the father they were talking about? Even Dugu Clan and the emperor of Sui are involved. They were too frightened to move now.

    The man's voice was full of strength, indicating that he was a highly skilled martial expert.

    The female voice spoke :"Have you discussed this with elder brother?"

    The man answered :"More times than I could remember.
    He couldn't figure out a way either. Xiuning, you know father well. Sometimes his stubbornness is just staggering."

    The girl called Xiuning said :"Can you have Madam Dongming to talk to him? Daddy has been most obedient to her. Alas!She sighed, If only mom still lived. She would've persuaded him."

    Outside, they nearly fell off into the river in shock.

    =============================To be Continued===========================

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    Default Book 3 Chapter 5 A Bargain

    ================================================== =========
    Outside, they nearly fell off into the river in shock.

    They finally knew that the ship they were clinging on belonged to Li Clan. They were too scared to listen more. Slowly and quietly they resumed climbing upwards.

    They didn't noticed however, that the conversation in that room had suddenly stopped.

    Pulling open a window, they crawled inside after making sure there was no one. Only then did they let out a sigh of relief.

    Glancing around, they found it was an extremely large bedroom with a splendid decoration. Besides the chairs and the bed, there was also a big trunk, supposedly for storing clothings.

    Kou Zhong whispered into Xu Ziling's ears, saying :"We are the most honorable thieves. We take only two suits. And if we found some silver, we only take what's enough for a few days' food and one brothel visit."

    As he was talking, a man's head popped out from the opened window. Hearing what Kou Zhong said, the man retracted back down again.

    Xu Ziling said :"Never imagined we will be stealing something from Li Yuan! Hey, the lad from Dugu Clan, he plotted against Li Yuan didn't he? How about we set him up this time? We'll leave a warning message for Li Clan, to pay for what we steal from them."

    Kou Zhong sniggered :"Since when have you become so righteous! Haha! Maybe we are the only ones in this world who can make Li Yuan rebel. We don't know whether he is a decent man though."

    "Cut the crap. Be quick, get what we need and be done. If someone found us it would be awful!"Xu Ziling muttered.

    They crawled beside the trunk swiftly.
    "Shhh!"
    Just as they were about to lift up the lid, the sound rose up from near the window. It seemed the coming man didn't wish them to make any noise.

    Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling instantly turned towards the window. Frightened, their souls almost shattered into pieces.

    A black figure silently entered from the window and stood before them.

    They calmed down a little as they found the coming guy was a young man few years above their age. He had a square face and a pair of fleshy ears, a powerful look indeed. His eyes were energetic, like two dots of reflective black ink written on his face. They were impressed by his overpowering aura as he stood there, indifferently.

    While Kou and Xu sat there speechless, the young man introduced himself :"I'm Li Shimin, the third son of Li Yuan, the Warden of Taiyuan. You two bros have really extraordinary looks. May I have your names please?"

    They exchanged a wink with each other and both had settled their minds. At the same time they started wondering why he didn't arrest them, while being so polite as if they were just two uninvited but important guests.

    They stood up and paid him respects.

    Kou Zhong smiled and commented :"Shimin is such a nice name! Haha! Saving the world and nourishing its people. Maybe you're destined for the throne."

    Li Shimin smiled mildly. "Please don't praise me too much. This name do have a background story though. Let's sit down and have a chat, shall we?"He said.

    Then Li Xiuning's voice rose from the room beneath. "Second brother!"She called, "What's going on?"

    Li Shimin moved near the window and sent his voice below :"I'll explain to you later."

    Then he turned and invited the two to seat, with an absolute politeness.

    The two had now vaguely guessed his intention, and they knew it would be impossible to make past him through the window. So they reluctantly sat down in the two chairs lined up against the wall. Still wet all over, they felt very awkward.

    Li Shimin smiled and sat down beside the window. "When I was four, a famous fortune teller visited my family. When he saw me he said 'At 20, you'll save the world and nourish its people'. Mom loved me the most then and named me thus."

    He brought along the match and lit up an oil lamp on the small table as he spoke.

    Xu Ziling saw that his eyes were filled with remembrance when he mentioned his mother, and was reminded of Fu Junchuo. "You must be missing your mother then."He sighed.

    Nodding, Li Shimin peered down at the water they had left on the ground, muttered in a low voice:" What's your relationship with Madam Dongming from Liuqiu Isles? Why would your hearts skipped a beat when you heard her name? Had you remained silent, I wouldn't have noticed your presence."

    Only then they'd realize how they exposed themselves.

    Meanwhile they were secretly amazed by Li Shimin's delicate thoughts, to have concluded that they have some relationship with Madam Dongming from such a trivial thing.

    Kou Zhong sniggered:"Of course we're heavily related! Shall we make a bargain? If we could somehow make your father rise in rebellion, you would give us two suits of clothes and ... Err. and twent...oh! Thirty taels of silver! How's that?"

    This time it's Li Shimin's turn to be amazed. "Thirty taels of silver?"He guffawed.

    Xu Ziling was shocked. "If that's too much, how about twenty-five?"He mended.

    Staring at the two with a suspicious look, Li Shimin reached in his gown and took out a money pouch, threw it to Kou Zhong without hesitation, and said :"Just see how much you've got."

    Kou Zhong grabbed it and untied the knot binding. He breathed out deeply, "By the name of my great grandmother's great grandfather! These are real gold nuggets!"

    Xu Ziling hurriedly popped his head over to look. "Worth at least a few hundred taels of silver!"He cried out.

    Kou Zhong's eyes were literally lit when he hurriedly hid the pouch in his pocket. Taking a deep breath, he said :"We have your money, you have our word. You can count on us brothers to see to this matter."

    Being more conscientious, Xu Ziling spoke embarrassedly:"Zhong, return the money first. Well claim it after we've done it."

    Li Shimin waved his hand. "Take it!" He said, "That's just for our friendship, whether you'll make it or fail. It will be enough for a hundred brothel visits for you."

    His words were totally astounding.

    Thumb up, Kou Zhong commended :"We shall make you our friend then."

    Li Shimin muttered :"Don't be too loud. I don't want others to know you're here."

    Kou Zhong blushed and said, in the lowest volume he could make :"I'll tell you a shocking secret! Madam Dongming has got a ledger that records the weapon purchases your father had made, with his signature on it. Let's assume this precious item is suddenly lost to theft. What will happen?"

    Li Shimin was immediately aroused. Naturally he knew they were not lying. As a matter of fact, he mission is to go to Pengcheng and order another batch of weapon from Madam Dongming.

    Since his father was assigned the Warden of Honghua and Millitary Commander of Eastern Counties two years ago, in order to suppress the uprising started by Yang Xuangan, Li Yuan had finally accepted his suggestion to purchase large amount of weapons from Madam Dongming. All was done without the consent of the Emperor Yang of Sui. As long as this matter were to be leaked with solid evidence, it would be the oddest thing for the suspicious emperor not to deem Li Yuan treacherous.

    Li Shimin found himself speechless for quite some time before he frowned and said :"Madam Doming is one of the top martial artists in this land. Moreover, all four guardian angels of hers have unique abilities. Only Ning Daoqi the Reverend San may have a chance. Who else could steal such a precious item from their ship?"

    Xu Ziling laughed and said :"We may now leak another secret to you, for the hospitality you showed us. But you promise you will not use it against us, or harbor any ill intents towards us, like the others had before."

    Li Shimin seriously swore :"If I, Li Shimin, were to do anything despicable to you, let me die a horrible death. Humph! You actually considered me as such a person."

    Kou Zhong explained flatly :"As the old saying goes, 'Once bitten by the snake, for ten years you'll dread the ropes' and caution is the mother of safety'. Once we established a mutual trust, any plans would go well."

    Li Shimin saw that Kou Zhong was apparently the more dishonest one, so he turned to Xu Ziling and said : "You will tell me!"

    At that moment there was someone walking past outside. After the footsteps faded away, Xu Ziling asked :"Whose room is this?"

    Li Shimin laughed and said :"This is exactly my room. The storey beneath us is for the ladies and maids. You've come to the right place to steal clothes! I have a similar stature as you!"

    Hearing this, they somehow found it quite amusing.

    So Xu Ziling started, from the night Seasand Gang assaulted the flagship of Dongming Sect. When Li Shimin heard the names of Yuwen Huaji and Dugu Che were involved, his eyes immediately shot out cold flares.

    At last Kou Zhong summarized :"That's why only we could get onto that ship unsuspected. They thought lowly of us, so they will not put too much guard on us. Of course the truth is, we had hidden our abilities well. We will not fail you and your money."

    Li Shimin had gotten adapted to the way he talked. Naturally he wouldn't mind if he had any hidden ability at all. Instead, he pondered :"How may I distract Madam Doming from the ship? I have to figure this out later."

    Then he got up, took out two suits of clothes from the trunk and gave them. "Get changed first and then have some sleep. When we reach Pengcheng at day break I will wake you up. Now I have to go downstairs and explain it to my sister."

    Kou Zhong said :"We can sleep on the floor."

    Li Shimin laughed. "The bed is big enough for all three of us! Why sleep on the floor?"He said, "We are not just some business partners, but true friends and brothers. Haha! You two have really been through the most incredible things."

    Finishing, he climbed out of the window and left.


    The next day when the two strode into Pengcheng, they were filled with pride and satisfactory.

    Wearing warrior suits clean and tidy, with the nice blades Li Shimin gave them hanging at their waist, and most of all, pockets full of money, they have never been in higher spirits since the day they left the womb.

    Xu Ziling was taller and gentler, while Kou Zhong stronger and wilder.

    They strode shoulder to shoulder, frequently drawing a lot of eyes of admiration.

    Kou Zhong let out a laughter, held Xu Ziling by his arm and said :"All we are short of now are two stallions and ten odd followers. Otherwise we can go straight into a brothel pretending to be some rich childes."

    Xu Ziling gladly replied :"Brothel visit is a reserved program for tonight. Now let's find a tavern and have a feast of meat and wine first. Meanwhile we will discuss the plan to fulfill the bargain. We've accepted his money, we're bound to do the job for him."

    Kou Zhong ran his eyes around, across the restaurants and taverns that stood on both sides of the street, then said :"Never expected Pengcheng to be such a prosperous place. The strangest of all is, there seems to be no refugees who have run here from the wars! Look! What a herd of pretty girls!"

    Xu Ziling turned and saw the girls, to whom Kou Zhong was flattering with what he believed to be his most attractive smile. To his surprise, the girls didn't shy away and paid them back with more alluring smiles.

    This was the first time they received such warmth. As the girls went past them, the two cheered and turned into a well-populated tavern on their right.

    Because of their nice dressing, as they went up the second floor, they were immediately greeted warmly by the waiter, who referred them as childes, and led them toward a table by the windows overlooking the street below. Out of the ten odd tables on the second floor, most were already seated with people.

    Kou Zhong generously paid the tips and ordered the dishes, before he exclaimed excitedly:" Those sweet girls we saw just now have pointy noses and big blue eyes. They must come here from outside the central plains. I heard they are born ****ty and easy to lay with! Haha! Maybe this time we don't have to go to brothel after all!"

    Xu Ziling couldn't help worrying :"Why did you ordered two kilograms of wine? Are you accustomed to drinking? I can only drink a little."

    Kou Zhong wound his arm around Xu Ziling's shoulder, and said :"Let's toast and sing and enjoy our lives for the time! We started as lowly rogues in Yangzhou, now we are two big rogues in the martial world. How fortunate we are! Isn't it something that worth drinking for?"

    Then he pointed out of the window for Xu Ziling to see the crowded street below. "Look!" He excalimed, "How wonderful this is! We should celebrate this happy hour with wine, one kilo for me and the other for you. You never become a man until you get drunk once."

    Xu Ziling watched at the street and somehow a complicated sensation welled up within him. He thought of Fu Junchuo, then Li Jing and Susu. He finally nodded."Okay then, one kilo for me!"

    Suddenly Kou Zhong was whispering to him :"Look, the pretty man on our left has been peeping you all the time. He must be a gay."

    Startled, Xu Ziling turned around. Across three tables near the stairs, three men were sitting at a larger table. One of them was extremely good looking. Clad in a blue scholar robe, the man was eyeing them continually. Noticing Xu Ziling's gaze, he even replied with a smile.

    Xu Ziling was reminded of what Kou Zhong just said and immediately felt sick. He hurriedly turned away from that man and whispered :"It seems to me that he knows us. Could it be a second trap? Don't forget the bitxch's game lasts until tonight!"

    Kou Zhong nodded."I almost forgot. Did you notice his throat?"He asked.

    Xu Ziling was puzzled. "Why his throat?"

    Kou Zhong stroke on his own, sniggered. "Have you seen a man prettier than him? And he doesn't have this bit, so you tell me, what is he?"

    Xu Ziling was shocked. "You're not suggesting she is Shen Luoyan in disguise, are you?"

    Kou Zhong said :"Unlikely. Oh she's coming!"

    When Xu Ziling turned around, the girl who disguised as a male scholar had already come to their table. Besides the pair of vivid eyes engraved on her 'handsome' face, the most impressive feature were her long legs, which graced her man disguise with a straight and tall stature.

    As both of them stared her with dumbfounded expression, the girl revealed a mild smile and greeted them :"All men from across the country are brothers. You two have extraordinary looks, may I have your names please? "

    Kou Zhong sniggered and said :"My name is Zhang Shan, his is Li si. If what you said about brothers is true, then there will be no refugees all over the country! Pretty one, please excuse us."

    Since he suspected it might be Shen Luoyan's trap, he turned her down immediately.

    Xu Ziling eyed towards Li Zhi's two companions. Unlike Li Zhi, they were all real men with strong stature and energetic eyes. They looked like the bodyguard type with their swords hung at their waists.

    Li Zhi apparently didn't expect such a cold reject. Her face went from red to pale and then pale to red. Her eyes cold as ice. She intended to leave at once, yet she seemed too embarrassed to. She shot an angry look at Kou Zhong, then turned to Xu Ziling and asked,

    "Your name is Li Si? I...."

    "Of course I am. Don't you feel ashamed, 'flirting' with two strangers in front of the public?"

    Li Zhi's delicate body shuddered as her eyes shot out murderous intent, while her expression remained calm and solemn.

    Here it comes, they thought, their hands slid on hilts of their sabres.

    Now they were even surer she was sent by Shen Luoyan.

    Suddenly Li Zhi retracted her furious gaze, and spoke slowly :"You'll remember what you've said to humiliate me."

    Finishing, she turned around in a flash, walking down the stairs. Her two squires hurriedly paid their bills before following her out. Not long after they left, the dishes came. Then they were too busy feasting to even think of her again.

    Cups and cups of wine consumed, before long they started to feel drunk and reached the paradise every drunkard dreamed of.

    Kou Zhong, a cup of wine in his hand, laughed and said :"The first cup of wine was spicy, awful. But then the second cup felt like drinks from the heaven! Wine actually tastes thaaat good!"

    Looking into his cup which is still full with wine, Xu Ziling surrendered :"We'd better not get fully drunk. Shen Luoyan might ambush us the moment we step out of the tavern. Alas! I'm feeling extremely sleepy right now. Li Shimin the lad put his leg on mine all night, I had barely slept."

    Kou Zhong grabbed Xu Ziling's shoulder, whispering into his ear in a laughable manner :"How about we walk straight into the biggest brothel in the city, and sleep with the two most popular chicks! Enjoy the pleasure while you can! Come on, get the waiter to come and provide us with a detail guide to the local brothels."

    Xu Ziling gladly nodded. As he was about to summon the waiter, the voice of a man sitting at the next table suddenly rang in :

    "Brother Zhang, if you haven't been to Yihong Abode, haven't met the two popular chicks Bai Yun and Qiu Yan, you haven't truly been to Pengcheng."

    What a coincidence, they secretly thought, and focused their attention trying to overhear more.

    The other man said :"Brother Chen, are you referring to the Yihong Abode, the one just around the corner, on the left? Of course I've been there! Since it's still early, the *****s may not have risen yet. Let's go together tonight! Haha! They were really tasteful, wet easily."

    The man surnamed Chen laughed. "It's already Noon. Yihong Abode opens at Wei hour(1:00 -3:00 p.m.) , let's go after we finish the drinks!"He said.

    Kou and Xu were secretly amazed. They gave each other a meaningful kick under the table, and determined that tonight, they would finally have a taste of women.

    For a teen of their age, what could be more attractive and exciting than the secrets of the other sex?

    =============================End of Chapter============================
    Last edited by xlandhenry; 06-04-13 at 10:54 PM.

  16. #236
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    Thanks Xlandhenry

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    Thank you Xlandhenry ... will wait for the next installment patiently

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    Quote Originally Posted by Icefrog View Post
    Thank you Xlandhenry ... will wait for the next installment patiently
    Right!
    Thanks XLandHenry, looking forward to the anticipated next installment on July 4th(?).

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    Default Book 3 Chapter 6 A Narrow Escape

    A gust of autumn wind blew over as they stepped out of the tavern,making them even dizzier. Dragging Xu Ziling along, Kou Zhong stumbled towards Yihong Abode's direction for no more than ten steps, before he paused and said, "It seems somewhat odd. Their conversation came up just too timely. And it was also too detailed, as though they're afraid we don't know how to get to Yihong Abode. They must be Shen Luoyan's men, a fail-safe plan of hers."

    Heavily intoxicated, Xu Ziling was still sweeping his eyes across the busy street, when Kou Zhong's word brought him to a shudder wake. "What you said definitely makes sense."He muttered, "Since she had sent Li Zhi, the two guys may be her men as well. Alas! Now where shall we go? Maybe it'd be better to find somewhere to hide."

    His mind still itching, Kou Zhong joked, "If not Yihong, then let's go to Yilu instead."

    He suddenly called out to a passerby, asking in all politeness :"Excuse me, is there a brothel other than Yihong Abode in the neighborhood? You know, a big one, with the prettiest chicks?"

    The men he stopped was a middle-aged scholar. Hearing these words he frowned with contempt all over his face. "Bah!"He spat and went on walking.

    Xu Ziling laughed out loud. "What do you think you're asking? Where to take imperial exams? "He jested, "To ask for direction to a brothel, you must choose one of those spoiled childes, by whose look you can tell they've indulged in too much wine and sex."

    Looking around, they saw a splendid horse carriage just stopped behind them. Off it came a young childe with his two followers. Aged around twenty three, the young man had a rather good looking face, though tinted with an unhealthy, pale hue. Exactly the type of person described by Xu Ziling.

    Kou Zhong suddenly pushed Xu Ziling, who stumbled forward, right in front of the young man.

    His two followers were immediately alerted, their hands on hilts.

    Embarrassed, Xu Ziling bowed and politely asked :"Noble childe, I have something to inquire. Please will you excuse my abruptness."

    Interested, the young childe sized him up, smiled and said :"Brother please speak your mind."

    Xu Ziling leaned closer and asked, with the lowest voice so that others cannot hear :"We brothers wished to know, besides Yihong Abode, whether there are any decent brothels in the neighborhood?"

    The man was initially startled for a moment. But then he immediately revealed a smile of understanding. "You've asked the right person."He exclaimed, "My father actually runs a brothel called Emerald House, on the neighboring Hongyuan Street. Speaking of size and the quality of *****s, Yihong Abode is far behind. But it's still too early at the moment. You can go somewhere else and come back at around You Hour(5 - 7 p.m.) As long as you say you're the friends of mine, Xiang Yushan, nobody dare treat you badly. I must run some important errands now, please enjoy yourselves."

    After Xiang Yushan walked away, they felt as if they had heard an imperial decree and rejoiced in excitement. Arm in arm, they strode along the street in such high spirits that almost made them sing.

    All kinds of shops lined up on both sides of the street, including meat shop, pie shop, grochery store, cloth powder shop and fish shop etc.

    The wine they had earlier had taken in. The whole world around them became unreal. Under the autumn sunlight, the stone pavement was glittering with mysterious rays.

    The street, the buildings and pedestrians, horses seemed to blend into each other, making a indivisible unity.

    Kou Zhong unconsciously laughed, half his body leaning onto Xu Ziling's shoulder. He sighed in satisfaction :"At this moment, I think don't want to join the rebel or the government army any more. After we kill Yuwen Huaji, we can pick up our salt business. When we have spare time to spend, just find a brothel and drink and sleep, and live our lives happily thereafter."

    Xu Ziling drank less and was soberer. "Didn't you always talk about making accomplishments?"He asked in curiosity, "Why all of a sudden you want to be a greedy profiteer instead?"

    Kou Zhong sniggered :"Even if I become a greedy profiteer, I will be the most decent one. When others are suffering, how could chivalries like us put another boot in them? But one thing our beautiful mentor had it right, we are no one and we have no ability now, to meddle in others' affairs. Hey! When our martial skills reach perfection, we can kill anyone we dislike with a single swing of sabre and do good to the society."

    Smiling bitterly, Xu Ziling said :"If only it were that easy. No matter what, we must kill Yuwen Huaji the vulture first."

    As they were talking, suddenly a figure bumped in the way with a gust of fragrant air.

    They looked at the new comer more carefully, and it turned out to be a procuress who had an above average look."Two childes, have you walked the wrong way?"She called with a flattering smile, "Yihong Abode is over there. We've just opened. If you're the first guests, the girls will surely serve you with all their hearts and please you more."

    They took a glimpse where she pointed and saw it was exactly Yihong Abode's giant banner, just on their left. They immediately understood that they had unknowingly walked past the entrance, and this procuress who had been ordered to wait for them had to intercept them midway.

    Borrowing some courage from the wine, Kou Zhong popped his head over and peeped lecherously at her voluptuous breasts, before winking towards her, saying :"Dear pretty one, please tell your cunning mistress Shen Luoyan that the same trap works only once. If she had the guts, just come in person to arrest us. But don't she forget she is a criminal wanted by the government!"

    The procuress was struck speechless, while the two left, walking away staggeringly.

    Kou Zhong woke Xu Ziling from the bed with his coarse and excited voice :"It's almost You hour, let's go to the Emerald House and be their first guests! Maybe they'd give us a 50% discount!"He urged anxiously.

    His head still heavy, Xu Ziling slowly got up, complaining :"This painful side effect of wine! If you were someone sent by that bitxch, then it's game over now."

    Kou Zhong laughed. "I'm the most responsible man in this world. Who else would've guarded you so well? A waiter had come just now asking this and that, but I wouldn't allow him in. Haha! Just a few hours to go before that bitxch admit her failure. I wonder how does Brother Qin end up now?"

    Xu Ziling took out his sabre hidden under the pillow. "Let's go and check if he had left us any secret markings at the eastern gate first."He said, then reminded,

    "And don't forget what we promised to Li Shimin."

    Kou Zhong answered, impatiently :"How can I forget that? Didn't the rich lad say, Dongming's flagship won't return from Luoyang until tommorrow?

    Tonight is such a great opportunity to enjoy ourselves!"

    Xu Ziling was slightly moved. "This is kind of ironic. Back in Yangzhou, we were chased away like beggars by the guards of brothel. Now even the brothel owner's son lends us his name." But you must know, my virginity won't be spent easily. It must be for some girl at least as beautiful as that Qingqing from the Fragrant Lodge, who repaid our kindness with ingratitude!"

    Kou Zhong slapped on his money pouch and said :"When you have money you have everything. Add that onto Xiang Yushan's name, you'll have whichever girl you pick. Come on, get your *** off the bed now!"

    Xu Ziling drew up his Qi, only wanting to exhibit his agility. To his surprise, he rose up like a balloon, somersaulted in the air, and landed quietly like a feather.

    They were both bewildered, staring unbelievingly at each other.

    "Holy shit!"Kou Zhong exclaimed, "How did you do that? Can you try it again? "How could you draw up your Qi while you were sitting?"

    Scratching his own scalp, Xu Ziling was confused. "It may not work this second time. Why don't you try it yourself?"

    When they used to leap, they had to exert strength through their legs first, before drawing up Qi to help it. Drawing up their Qi while being still like that was the first time.

    With a strange expression, Kou Zhong stood there like an idle log, unmoving.

    Xu Ziling urged :"Are we going to the brothel now? Quickly try it and move out!"

    Kou Zhong blushed. "I've tried ten odd times already, none of my toes is moving."He answered, embarrassed.

    Xu Ziling stayed silent for half a minute before he sadly admitted :"Now it doesn't work for me either. Alas! Maybe we should really find a mentor. When we come across problems like this, there would still be someone to turn to."

    Shaking his head, Kou Zhong disagreed :"What good is a mentor for? What we studied is the strangest Kung fu in Secret of Immortality. No one in this world knows a bit about it, we have to explore it ourselves." Maybe the problem lies with our virginity. Pure Yang grows slower. After we lose it we will reach perfection! Haha! It must be the case!"

    Xu Ziling sniggerd. "Cut your crap, get out first!"

    Kou Zhong was also laughing hard. "Okay, I get out! I get out!"

    He stumbled across the room towards the door, still wavering in laughter. The next instant he pulled open the door, he was faced with an icy, stingy object being thrust at his forehead.

    Without hesitation, Kou Zhong drew up his Qi like what Xu Ziling just did, flying backward at a incredible speed.

    The ambusher apparently didn't anticipate to miss the attack and uttered a surprised sound, before shifting into the room like a bolt of lightning.

    Xu Ziling strode forth, drew out his sabre and struck head on. He completed the series of action in a single flawless move, his most excellent strike till now.

    Ding!

    The ambusher forcefully deflect Xu Ziling's fierce attack, with a long, golden hairpin in her hand.

    For a mere second, both parties were unable to carry out any consecutive moves.

    Peng!

    Kou Zhong hit the bed and bounced off from it, yelling :"Holy shit! I did it!"

    Her sleeves fluttered as the coming one drew back her weapon and retreated out of the room, revealing a face as beautiful as the faeries. It was no other than Shen Luoyan the Smart Counselor.

    Xu Ziling stumbled back two steps due to the repelling force, leaving the entrance unguarded. She was about to give chase to Xu Ziling, when Kou Zhong shot forward again with a ferocious gust of wind created by his sabre.

    Shen Luoyan grunted and blinked through the fans of blades. Using close-combatting techniques, she blocked Kou Zhong's blows more than ten times. Yet each time it had been a close shave. Failed to repel Kou Zhong, and seeing that Xu Ziling had rallied again to join in the fight, she was forced to retreat out of the room for the second time.

    The two of them stood inside the room, their minds racing with thoughts. They could never imagined to have exerted the ten forms to its essence in such abruptness. Even they themselves had no idea which form they carried out. They could only feel that their limbs executed the commands exactly as their mind gave it, and their strength erupted as they slashed the weapons.

    While Shen Luoyan was in shock. Her "Life rending Hairpin" was a family martial art which was named one of the Most Innovative Martial Techniques.

    By using this technique which she barely had chance to use, she had hoped to catch the two lads in a single attempt. How could she have imagined being forced to retreat twice in a row by them, who seemed to have made drastic improvements. If the incident here were spread out, it would instantly make them famous in Jianghu.

    Kou Zhong assumed a funny posture and laughed :"Beautiful Counselor, please get inside and taste my blade!"

    Invigorated, Xu Ziling reminded, "You must remember that you can't hurt even a single slice of our skin, otherwise you lose the game."

    Shen Luoyan was mad with rage. Suppressing her anger, she forced up a smile and said :"There's plenty of space in the courtyard, why don't you get outside and fight here?"

    Kou Zhong jested :"And to be surrounded by your men? Haha! Don't you know that I learned Lion's Roar? If I shout aloud, the mayor of Pengcheng will surely hear it clearly."

    Shen Luoyan's pretty face became icily cold for a brief moment, before melting down into a alluring smile. She spoke tenderly :"How about this? If I can make past you, entering this room, then I win the game, and you must yield to me obediently."

    Xu Ziling flatly replied :"Which means you no longer have confidence to capture us alive, you lose!"

    Kou Zhong was thrilled to continued the fight since his confidence soared. "Don't be frightened, as long as there's a time limit. I'll counter down from ten, if you fail to pass us after that, you lose."

    Shen Luoyan put her hairpin back, smiling :"So be it. You can start counting now!"

    Finishing, she strode directly through the opening.

    As the two were still wondering what to do, she had already walked past them, unhindered, and sat down at their bed, smiling back at them.

    All this time both their sabres were raised high up in the air, yet they simply couldn't chop down at her. They were still staring at her speechlessly as she turned to face them.

    Shen Luoyan sniggered at their weird expression and clapped her hand. "Well, I won!"

    Xu Ziling returned the blade into its sheath and sighed :"We will not yield. Like the last time, you just make use of our kindness."

    Shen Luoyan blurted :"Don't you know other ways of subduing people without using a blade?"

    Kou Zhong lowered his weapon and replied, beaming :"We didn't lose. Although you've got into the room, you didn't 'make past' us, the word implies that you have to fight your way through."

    Shen Luoyan shot him a playful look and said :"Shall we all sit down and have a talk? Hmm.. You two look much better now."

    The two sat down in the chairs left of her. Glancing at her alluring eyes, Kou Zhong spoke :"Say what you will quickly, we've got to visit the brothels later!"

    Shen Luoyan eyed him with contempt, "Do you know the girls in brothels are pitiful people? Don't you feel ashamed, to think that you can play them rightfully with some money?

    Xu Ziling was startled and said :"We didn't think of this earlier. But if nobody visited them, they would never make enough money to buy themselves freedom. Isn't that even more pathetic?"

    Kou Zhong jested :"Isn't that Yihong Abode run by your Wagang Army? Why blame us now?"

    He gave a cold snort and continued :"And every thing exists because there's a need for it. Just like how soldiers need to kill people, or sacrifice themselves on battlefield."

    Frowning her brows, Shen Luoyan said :"What are you talking about? Yihong Abode had always been a Du Fuwei's spying agency here. How is it related to us Wagang Army?"

    Hearing this, their countenance suddenly changed.

    Smiling, Shen Luoyan said :"So much for the brothel issue. Now that Qin Shubao has sworn his loyalty to me, what about you?Do you guys have a plan?"

    Kou Zhong sprung up and moved beside the window. Peeping outside, he asked curiously :"How come nobody came after all the fighting noise?

    Shen Luoyan said nonchalantly :"Have you forgotten that I wished to capture you alive? You're heavily surrounded now. Impossible to fly away even if you had wings."

    Xu Ziling smiled bitterly. "You pay our kindness with this?"

    Shen Luoyan smoothly argued :"I only do this for your benefits. The land is now besieged by conflict. The only one who can right the order is Master Li Mi. If not for the great favor you've done me, I wouldn't waste all the effort in persuading you to join us."

    She's becoming more impatient :"Decide quickly! I don't have much time to waste !"

    The two were seriously disappointed by the tone she spoke. Xu Ziling snorted and said :"Then leave us alone and waste no more time! We brothers are enjoying the freedom we have."

    Shen Luoyan's eyes glittered with a murderous intent as she rose up abruptly and moved to the doorsteps in a flash. With her back facing them, she said :"If you're of no use to me, then I must kill you. You can forget about leaving here in a piece today."

    In another flash, she vanished from their view.

    The two stared at each other in astonishment. Only now did they realize how this beautiful counselor was also referred to as a Serpent Beauty.

    They anxiously waited for quite some time, yet they didn't hear anything unusual happening outside. Kou Zhong took in a deep breath and suggested :"Now what? Shall we rush out?"

    Xu Ziling shook his head and calmly replied :"If we rush out, it will be the same as sending ourselves to the enemies. There is a good chance that the moment we step out the door, a giant web would capture us like two dumb heads.

    He muttered in a voice as low as possible and continued :"With her keen observation, how is it possible that she didn't even ask a question when we were shocked at hearing ol'daddy's name? Apparently she must've discovered our identities and background. That's why she has paid so much effort to recruit us, because she want us to willingly give them the Yang's Treasure."

    Kou Zhong said with surprise :"You're are really formidable, to have made so many conclusions just from her reaction. Haha! I have an idea now. Do you remember the architecture lessons Chen Laomou from Whale Gang taught us? This inn is made up of eight quadrangles. We are now on the western side of the eastern quadrangle. Outside the door is the little courtyard of this quadrangle, while across wall is the main garden where a lot of great trees were grown. If we could manage to get there, we'd have a better chance escaping."

    Eying the wall beside the bed, Xu Ziling smiled bitterly :"We are not Zhai Rang, how can we escape through the wall? Then he turned his gaze upwards and sighed :"If I'm right about my guessing, there must be enemies guarding on the roof too."

    While Kou Zhong was very confident. He closed the door and said :"Keep your guard on, I'm going to dig loose a few bricks." Finishing, he drew out his blade and jumped onto the bed.

    Xu Ziling moved by the door and looked out through the windows. Ten odd strong men jumped down into the little courtyard from the roof of the other room and fanned out along the corridors on both sides, closing in to their room.

    As he was about to give out alarm, the tiles of their roof suddenly rained down with a thundering noise. Down it came a giant figure with a pair of hammers in his hands.

    In an instant, Xu Ziling realized he was wrong about the assumption that Shen Luoyan only wished to capture them alive. She definitely intended to kill them.

    At the same moment, he was like reliving the scene when the band of gangsters charged towards him.

    Everything around him became crystal clear.

    He instantly calculated the speed and time of the men's descending, and even his consecutive moves.

    The only difference from last time was that he knew how to deal with this man now.

    He completely understood that, should he let the opponent begin swinging the pair of hammers which weighed at least a hundred kilos, he would be forced to retreat out of the room, and Kou Zhong would be cornered against the wall unable to escape.

    At this critical moment when their life and death hung by a thread, his mind became extremely translucent. He threw his fear back into oblivion and mustered all his will and strength. He dashed forth in full strides, with his blade slashing down like a bolt of lightning, just the instant before his opponent could reach the floor.

    Exactly as Xu Ziling assumed, the man had planned that as soon as he rebounded from the floor, he would use the pair of hammers to strike Xu Ziling with thundering might, forcing him out of the room. His cooperators waiting outside could then cut Xu Ziling into pieces, so that he could spare his hands to unleash his wrath upon Kou Zhong. How could the man have anticipated, as he was about to make the next move, his entire torso had already been engulfed by waves of blades. He felt so limited that he could neither dodge nor block, let alone counter the attack.

    He had underestimated his enemies when he chose to jump down from the roof, arrogantly believing that the two lads wouldn't stand a chance before him. He couldn't have expected that, no matter by the timing or the handling of striking angles, Xu Ziling's sudden attack had reached the standard of a first-class expert. Too busy to distinguish whether it was his opponent's true prowess, or just an accidental inspiration, the man was so shocked that he hurriedly hurled the pair of hammers at Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, while simultaneously pressing down his palms. By utilizing the counterforce, he clumsily fled through the hole from which he just came.

    Kou Zhong turned around and was about to assist his brother, when he saw the great hammer flying towards him. "Excellent move!" He exclaimed and dodged aside.

    The iron hammer crushed into the wall and flew out from the other side with a bloom, followed by the splashing of fragmented bricks.

    Xu Ziling also easily dodged the other hammer, which shattered the wooden door into splinters and landed in the courtyard. Letting out a loud cry, he focused internal energy at his forehead and rushed towards the broken wall.

    Kou Zhong immediately understood his intention and followed suit to crush himself into that wall.

    Boom!

    Together with shattered bricks and sands, they bumped into the next room. Outside its door, the large courtyard surrounded by the eight quadrangles was almost at hand.

    They sprung up again and broke out through the door.

    Their escaping route had obviously caught the enemies by surprise, for there were no one guarding here, while the sound of clothes fluttering came from the roof behind.

    They dared not stay there for another second. Fully utilizing the birdy style, they shot into the courtyard like two arrows, escaping into the trees.


    ======================END OF CHAPTER=======================

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