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Thread: Tale Of A Falling City (Qing Cheng Ji)

  1. #61
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    Cool

    oh, then hong's mentor is really not a good man? <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  2. #62
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Nono Goofy! Chen Xu is Hong Zheng Tian's mentor, while Bai Shi Yue is Han Qing Feng's mentor.

    Chen Xu is bad all throughout. Bai Shi Yue was an ambitious man at first, but he corrected his ways after Yang Ji Fan pardoned him. However, he got what he deserved when his daughter and her Bf teamed together to upsurp the position. <IMG SRC="smilies/alien.gif" border="0">
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  3. #63
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    I understood it now, sorry for all name confusion. <IMG SRC="smilies/redface.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/blush.gif" border="0"> never good with names. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

    good job connecting everything together. <IMG SRC="smilies/hatoff.gif" border="0">

    I wish there is more of qiu ning's student though. She seems the lead female at first then kind of disappearing from all actions.

    [ August 20, 2002: Message edited by: Goofy ]
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  4. #64
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    She comes back out in the last three (or maybe two) chapters
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  5. #65
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    Hey Charbydis, so you are the whirpool on Winglin <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/thumbsup.gif" border="0"> this is a very good story <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

    Keep on writing Charbydis! <IMG SRC="smilies/beerchug.gif" border="0">

  6. #66
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    <IMG SRC="smilies/alien.gif" border="0">Arhhh! My identity has been discovered! Thanks andrea anyway! <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  7. #67
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Talking

    Chapter Fifty-Eight: Traitor Traitor

    “Zhao Yin!” informed Yang Ji Fan, “We already know the truth. There is no antidote. Li Bing Xin has already told us that when the King of Five Poisons died, all of his experiments were messed up and to prevent applying poison instead of antidote, his antidotal experiments were all burned and never seen again. But there is still one person in this world that can cure the poison – Qiu Ning. I have been cured a long time ago, but just played you along.”

    Zhao Yin gritted his teeth and throwing the fake antidote on the rocks, he let off the orange flare that he had been hiding behind his back, and immediately, a loud roar of shouting came from all directions as hundreds of men and women charged up to the two cliffs.

    Ni Qiu Ning exclaimed, “They are all from the Immortal Exterminating Network!” and Yang Ji Fan quickly threw a mirror into the air. Its reflecting surface got caught in the rays of the sun and let of a bright glare. Soon, another horde of fighters entered the scene and ignited a fierce battle.

    Leading an army of four hundred, Ou Yang Hua, Qiao Kong Chao, Miao Shi Zhong and Qu Wan Quan rushed up to rescue their Cult Master. But as if they had predicted that they were coming, the assassins arranged themselves into small groups and formed formations and traps around this new enemy. But for every mantis behind a fly, there is always a bird preying on it. Ni Qiu Ning and Li Bing Xin had already informed them off all traps and formations that may be used against them and after a long discussion; they finally concluded with pages of strategies on how to break those formations.

    For the Flying Stars Formation where most of the assassins jumped around throwing small silver darts around to confuse the enemies trapped inside, while the remaining shoved their swords inwards right after their colleagues have leapt up into the air. This was countered by dividing the group trapped into three. One was responsible to catch all the darts being thrown around, one to form an outer ring around the rest by crouching low and using their swords to deflect any approaching blades, while the remaining one threw small unpoisoned needles at the legs of their attackers.

    Another was the Fake Snake Formation, in which the assassins curled ropes around their opponents’ limbs and body, immobilizing them before finishing them off by pulling the ropes real tight. But this formation was easily dispersed when real snakes were used to fight the fake snakes. The assassin wriggled and jumped around in fright as the slimy snakes squirmed in and out of their clothes.

    Yang Ji Fan battled with Zhao Yin and two other top fighters fiercely on the cliffs, but watched satisfactory at the gradual overpowering by his Xuan Yuan Sect. Ni Qiu Ning leapt over to untie and pull up the frightened pair who was still dangling over what seemed like a bottomless pit. But just as she had started to pull up the pair, a red leather whip came lashing at her hand and while avoiding it, she let slip the silk strands that were holding Qi Qian Yu and Zhuang Jian Cheng above the ground. The eyes of the pair looked upwards in fright when they accelerated downwards at a great speed. Then their bonds choked them in mid air, as up on the cliff, Ni Qiu Ning managed to catch hold of the end of the strands after rolling off the precipice and lodging her feet between rocks on the cliff’s vertical surface.

    But Hua Bing Rong would not let them be and continued to attack her with her whip. Under all this pressure and danger, Ni Qiu Ning knew that she could not hold on any longer and in a moment of fright and tension, she unleashed her golden lash and wrapped it around the approaching whip of Hua Bi Rong. The two locked together despite Hua Bi Rong pulling her whip and using this, Ni Qiu Ning pulled herself and the two up. But they were heavy and it was a slow process. Up on the cliff, Hua Bi Rong pondered over whether or not to let go of her whip. If she did, then her enemy would be dead, but she would also lose her love. But if she didn’t, then she might fall into the ravine below due to the great weight pulling upon her.

    Then all of a sudden, Ni Qiu Ning let out a cry as the end slipped out of her hand again. But this time, Li Bing Xin and Hong Zheng Tian jumped down the ravine, and holding them in place by lodging their swords and daggers along the side of the cliff, they caught hold of the pair and ascended by stepping on the weapons they had impaled. Without the burden of the pair, Ni Qiu Ning quickly leapt back onto the cliff, and kept Hua Bi Rong at a distance by a shower of Mystery of Leaves. During this time, the other four arrived safety on top. Using the golden lash to break open their bonds, Ni Qiu Ning was surprised to see them not having any response.

    “Their immobilization pressure points have been sealed!’ cried Hong Zheng Tian, who was then distracted by Hua Bi Rong looking longingly at Li Bing Xin. “What are you looking at he?” he shouted angrily.

    “Bing Xin,” she exclaimed with joy, “You have not died! Zhao Yin lied to me! Where is he? I’ll kill him! And for Fang Qiu too! Oh Qiu Er! But come back to me now and I will make you the new leader of the Immortal Exterminating Network! Come!”

    But Li Bing Xin clutched tightly onto to Hong Zheng Tian and replied harshly, “I am not a weirdo like you. I will not go back with you. Get lost!”

    Meanwhile, Ni Qiu Ning quickly unsealed their pressure points and asked concernedly, “Are you two alright? Qian Yu, are you two hurt?” Zhuang Jian Cheng and Qi Qian Yu looked at each other in such an unfeeling way that made Ni Qiu Ning shudder. Then without a word, they both released their palms and pushed Ni Qiu Ning off the cliff.

    “Qiu Ning!” cried Yang Ji Fan from a distance and during that moment of shock, one of his opponents kicked him down into the ravine as well.
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  8. #68
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Unhappy

    Chapter Fifty-Nine: Kiss Of Death

    “Qiu Ning! Yang Ji Fan!” cried Hua Bi Rong, throwing herself over the edge of the cliff ash her two loves fell down.

    “What are you doing?’ cried Hong Zheng Tian to the evil pair, “Have you two gone mad?” And the four began fighting intensely. However, Qi Qian Yu and Zhuang Jian Cheng’s martial arts have improved so much that Li Bing Xin and Hong Zheng Tian were finding it hard to keep up the defense.

    Suddenly, a loud cry came from the distance, calling, “Mentor!” Li Bing Xin and Hong Zheng Tian turned around found two silhouettes against the horizon. They were both riding on horses, which were galloping towards them at a great speed, with dust rising behind them as they dashed forwards. Were they friend or foe? But that was not the problem. What had scared them most was that the two riding on the horses had the exact identical face as the two murderers standing in front of them. “Two Qi Qian Yu and two Zhuang Jian Cheng?”

    The two on the cliff smiled at each other and ripped off their masks and revealed themselves to be from the Immortal Exterminating Clan. The real Qi Qian Yu and Zhuang Jian Cheng somersaulted onto the cliff and began attacking the two impostors.

    The Xuan Yuan Sect members had won all the fight on the opposite cliff that Zhao Yin and his two sidekicks quickly leapt over to avoid being pursued by Han Qing Feng, Ou Yang Hua and Qu Wan Quan who shortly followed, just before the front part of the cliff collapsed after a missed blow by Han Qing Feng’s Green Silk Sword. Zhao Yin quickly came and grabbed one of the girls and held her hostage – Qi Qian Yu.

    Han Qing Feng and Hong Zheng Tian immediately pleaded, “Please, let her go! This is a matter of the men. Please do not concern the women. Let her go! I will be your hostage instead!’ The two looked at each other in surprise. Did they both love Qi Qian Yu enough to die for her? Li Bing Xin watched and felt her heart go sour. On the opposite cliff, unable to get across, Lian Le Yi had the same feeling. It was all so meaningless. Everything she did for Han Qing Feng was meaningless. She would always be inferior to Qi Qian Yu in his heart, that he no longer had the will to continue fighting it. Both women looked at each other and immediately knew what the other’s heart was thinking.

    “Go away! Let me leave or I’ll wring her neck!” yelled Zhao Yin at the circle of people around him. Qi Qian Yu was choking hard as the fingers around her neck clasped together tighter and tighter. She took one last look at Zhuang Jian Cheng and her body went limp.

    “You killed her!” cried Han Qing Feng, “I’ll kill you!” and he rushed up to Zhao Yin and his men with a body of bursting internal energy, waiting impatiently to be released. The Green Silk Sword in his hand began to glow bright green and with several slashes, the accomplices of Zhao Yin all turned into ice statues.

    Zhao Yin released the corpse of Qi Qian Yu in fright when suddenly; she elbowed him in the stomach and ran sideways from him. She was not dead! She was not dead! Hong Zheng Tian rejoiced at this and concentrated to finished of Zhao Yin. Then all at the same time, everybody on that side of the cliff attacked him at the same time, and to avoid them all, Zhao Yin fell backwards, into the ravine.

    Meanwhile down the ravine on a protruded piece of rock half way down the cliff, three bodies lay almost still. Hua Bi Rong had landed on top of Yang Ji Fan and Ni Qiu Ning, so was the least injured. With a mouthful of blood, she laughed in their faces and exclaimed, “You two may have scorned my love for you, but I will be merciful and let you go. But I only will let one of you go. Which one will it be?”

    Ni Qiu Ning wanted to say something put with a shaky hand, Yang Ji Fan pressed her mute pressure point and answered, “ I will die!” Ni Qiu Ning looked at him with her eyes, pleading in silence for him to refuse but he did not listen.

    Hua Bi Ring looked at him suspiciously and asked again, “Are you sure? Once my Immortal Killing Palm is in effect, no one can survive. Are you sure?”

    Yang Ji Fan nodded his head with earnest and answered, “Yes. Let me die. But before I die, I would like something from you.”

    This pleased Hua Bi Rong. “Really?” she exclaimed, “What?”

    “A kiss.” He replied.

    Hua Bi Rong smiled happily. At least before she died, one man she loved was willing to kiss her of his own free will. And she slowly moved her lips up to his, and pressed down.

    Suddenly, she flew backwards, as three silver needles exited from the back of her head, and she landed lifeless on the rocky ground, in a pool of blood. Yang Ji Fan had always had a habit of keeping needles in his mouth, and today, it was of great use to him.

    “Ahhhhhhhhh!” came a loud cry from above, and looking up, he saw Zhao Yin’s growing figure coming down right on top of them. Quickly snatching Ni Qiu Ning away, Yang Ji Fan just missed being squashed by Zhao Yin’s landing.

    Zhao Yin survived the fall, but was severely injured just like them. “You two!” he cried out in spite while spitting out some blood, “Even if I die, I will not let you two live!” and he lunged at them with two blades in his hands. The piece of rock was small and did not have much space to move about. Besides, Yang Ji Fan and Ni Qiu Ning were so heavily injured that they could not use Lightness Skills to escape. There was no way out!

    Zhao Yin leapt at them, with the blades pointing outwards, but instead of finding their sheaths in Yang Ji Fan and Ni Qiu Ning, they lodged into a body of red that flew at their holder with great force.

    Yang Ji Fan and Ni Qiu Ning were shocked when they found Hua Bi Rong flying onto Zhao Yin with her ripped red clothing trailing behind her. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! You killed my son! My son!” She pushed him off the edge screaming while attaching herself to him, crying, “Qiu Er! Mother is coming to see you!” And thus, the two disappeared into the darkness of the deep ravine, never to be let out into daylight again.

    Fang Qiu was actually her illegitimate son with Chen Xu from a business deal many years ago. But he inherited the worst traits from his parents, arrogance from his mother and an eye for pretty women from his father. He too, had an eye for Li Bing Xin, who he grew up with but she was cold to all. Even though he was not the best person in the world, he was respectable towards his mother and she loved him dearly. During the three months she had been kept as a hostage by Zhao Yin to control the organization, she had only continue the will to live, in hope that she would get a chance to avenge her son. Now that she had, she had died in peace, hoping that in her next life, there would be someone there to love her, and for her to love.
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  9. #69
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Chapter Sixty: Final Decisions

    “Well, I grabbed a great big fish that just swam by and luckily, the arrows got the fish instead of us. Seeing the blood coming out of the fish, they thought that we had been hit. We swum to the other side of the boat as they climbed down to fish us out and we climbed back on board. And thus, we took a free ride back to the mainland without them noticing, and stole food to sustain ourselves.” narrated Zhuang Jian Cheng proudly of his terrifying escape three months ago.

    “We stole a small boat and went immediately to No Dust Island to warn you, Grandmother,” continued Qi Qian Yu, but she stopped, and looked every embarrassed at Ni Qiu Ning, and then continued “or should I say Mentor, for she is too young to be called a “Grandmother. So we went to warn Mentor and Cult Master Yang but we found no one there. Then the cannibals told us that you left with Cult Master Yang, so we went back to the Central Plains to look for you all.”

    “We looked everywhere for you but found nothing. We were about to give up when we suddenly remembered hearing on the Immortal Exterminating Network’s ship that you and them had a meeting here three months later so we rushed here to find you. Luckily we did, or else we didn’t know where to go.”

    Ni Qiu Ning smiled kindly at Qi Qian Yu and pulled her closer, whispering something in her ear. Then in a louder voice, she announced, “I feel very tired now. I need some rest. Thank you for telling what had happened to you. I was very worried.”

    “Okay!” replied Qi Qian Yu happily as she bade her mentor a good night’s rest and walked out of the room, followed by Zhuang Jian Cheng and the other youngsters who had come to hear about the tale.

    Hong Zheng Tian looked at Qi Qian Yu, all smiling and happy, and so affectionate. But what was he going to do now? Li Bing Xin or Qi Qian Yu? He did not know. It was the same with Han Qing Feng; Lian Le Yi had done a lot for him but why did seeing Qi Qian Yu again make him so happy.

    Suddenly, Qi Qian Yu appeared beside him, and clutching onto his hand, she said with a soothing voice, “Brother Han, I have something to ask you.” And she looked at him with her big eyes that he knew he could not refuse. But then, he also grabbed onto Hong Zheng Tian who was nearby and repeated, “Brother Hong, come with me also!” and she led them to the pavilion where all was quiet and no one was around.

    It was a silent night, almost too silent. The birds had gone to rest early and so had the people. It had been days after the incident at the Gu Su cliffs. Many people had been injured and tired, and fell unconscious after the fighting. These included Yang Ji Fan and Ni Qiu Ning, who just woke up from their deep sleep.

    “Brother Han, Brother Hong. We three are very good friends aren’t we, and we had sworn to brave all difficulties together, right? So you won’t lie to me, right?” The two men answered with a nod.

    “Well, I have something to ask you two and I want a true answer. Well… well, I was wondering… do you two like me? And would you two want to marry me” she ended the question quickly and blushed while lowering her eyes.

    The two froze with shock at her direct method and even more at their own answer. Of course they liked her, but was it she they loved the most? Even if they both loved her like nothing else in the world, they couldn’t both marry her? And what about Lian Le Yi and Li Bing Xin? They gave no answer.

    Seeing the confused look upon their faces, Qi Qian Yu continued, “Mentor just told me to ask you two. She said that she knew that you two had Lian Le Yi and Li Bing Xin, but yet she felt that you felt a special bonding towards me. She says it is important to choose quickly and correctly about these things and hopes you two make the right choice, or forever regret it.”

    But their answer was interrupted by a flying projectile aimed at Han Qing Feng; who caught it before it hit him in the eye. A small note was attacked to the projectile. “Who is it?” they called out anxiously, still intense from all the action at Gu Su. But no one answered.

    Han Qing Feng opened the note and read it. His face turned pale as he read the letter and sweat began pouring from his brows. Then he let out a cry, “Le Yi, don’t go!” and he somersaulted over the trees to stop the dark silhouette moving further and further away from them. Sensing that something was wrong, Hong Zheng Tian told Qi Qian Yu to stay there while he followed to help his friend.

    “Le Yi, don’t go!” cried Han Qing Feng as he caught up with the escapee.

    “Let go of me! And leave me alone!” she cried as she picked up her luggage bundle. “What do you want with me anyway? I am not Qi Qian Yu, why are you so concerned about me? I am only the second place in your heart, no, only a mere figure of mist that can be dispersed easily with a wave of the sleeve.”

    “You can’t go, you can’t go!” he cried anxiously as his mind couldn’t think of anything else.

    “Get lost! You want a fight? I may not be the best girl in the world but I will not be content to be with a man who thinks of another woman all day long. The world is large and I am sure that amongst the vast population, I can find someone who will put me as the first! But that person is not you!”

    “Miss Lian, “came Hong Zheng Tian voice from behind, “I can see why you are so angry, but why are you leaving your own home? Isn’t that a stupid thing to do?” And he landed beside them, just in case they started fighting physically.

    “Shut up! What do you know! No one is as stupid as you. Li jie jie is one of the best girls I have met and you let her you. She feels the exact same way as me now, and if she was smart, we would have left Black Demon Peak already, rather than stay and watch you droll over Qi Qian Yu!”

    “Oh no! Bing Xin!” thought Hong Zheng Tian as he quickly headed towards her room. He had totally neglected her these few days except for the occasionally “Good morning!” or “Hello”. He hoped it was not too late.

    With his friend gone, Han Qing Feng was no longer embarrassed to say the romantic stuff and grabbing onto her arm, he cried, “Le Yi, don’t go! If you, I am afraid that I will no longer live! I need you, I need your constant bickering or the silence will deafen me. I need you to be always around me, to make me feel important. I need you. You can’t go!”

    Lian Le Yi hesitated for a movement, before pulling her arm out of his grip. “I cannot stay. Even if you feel that way about me, I cannot help but feel jealous when I know you and her will have a chance of meeting. If you really want to be with me, then leave with me, and never see Qi Qian Yu again. Can you do that?”

    Han Qing Feng stopped to think for a moment but it was all too long for Lian Le Yi to wait for. She turned around to leave when suddenly, he hugged her tight and agreed, “I will leave with you tomorrow after bidding goodbye to Cult Master Yang and never come back here unless you want to!”

    Back behind the dense trees, a dark figure moved behind Qi Qian Yu and grabbed from behind. “They all know who their partners are to be, do you know who yours is?”

    Qi Qian Yu playfully pounded Zhuang Jian Cheng’s chest and replied, “I thought you already knew on the Immortal Exterminating Network’s ship!” and they moved together into a close embrace.

    The next day, three people left Black Demon Peak. Han Qing Feng and Lian Le Yi left to roam the world, leaving behind the Ten Thousand Poison Manual to Yang Ji Fan as a token of thanks and gratitude, as well as the marriage proposal gift for Lian Le Yi. While this couple left happily, Hong Zheng Tian left solitude, as he vowed to find Li Bing Xin even if it took him to walk to the ends of the earth. He will find her.


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    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  10. #70
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Chapter Sixty-One: The Last Confession

    Some days later, late at night, a maid came running into Yang Ji Fan’s study with the new that Fan Jing Ping was doing poorly and wanted to se Ni Qiu Ning.

    “Then why don’t you go and as Miss Ni herself? Why come to me?” and he continued to read his manuals.

    “Cult Master!” the maid replied in a timid voice, “I have already gone and asked Miss Ni but she won’t go. But when I got back and told Old Mistress, she wouldn’t believe and threw tantrums. We didn’t know what to do so we came to ask you.”

    Yang Ji Fan let out a sigh. “Fine! I will go and see Miss Ni now! Tell the old hag that Miss Ni will be there in the morning. Go and sleep now!” The maid thanked him and went back to report to her mistress while Yang Ji Fan went over to Ni Qiu Ning’s quarters to see what was the matter.

    They had not seen each other since the day at Gu Su. Both had recovered finely form their injuries but yet, they avoided each other, she stayed in her part of the house while he confined himself to the main hall and the study.

    Ni Qiu Ning was seated at her small table and looked out of the window that night and just stared. Not at the stars, not at the moon, but at nothingness. It was as if she had been frozen, completely still except for the occasionally blinking, which made a weight of ten thousand tones fall upon Yang Ji Fan that instant.

    Yang Ji Fan hesitated. What should he say? How should he start? But casually, he commenced the conversation with, “So everything is over now! Chen Xu, Hua Bi Rong and Zhao Yin are all dead, even Chen Ming Jun has been disposed off.”

    “Yes. That is good. Now the whole of Wu Lin can be at peace. No more struggles, no more plans.” Ni Qiu Ning did not seem surprised that eh ad come and stayed still on her seat.

    “Han Qing Feng has left with Le Yi, while Hong Zheng Tian has gone after Miss Li. Jian Cheng and Qi Qian Yu are getting married next month. That leaves only us.”Oh no! What had he said?

    Ni Qiu Ning looked up and met the strong gaze of his eyes, glaring brightly at her, as if a bright fire existed inside them, never to be extinguished. “But what can we do?”

    Both became uncomfortable by this question, and immediately broke the locking of gaze that had existed before. Feeling awkward by the silence that filled the room, Yang Ji Fan changed the topic and exclaimed, “Your grandmother is not feeling very well. I am afraid that she will not survive till morning. She wants to see you right away. She wants to tell you something.”

    Ni Qiu Ning stood up and turned away from him. She hesitated before saying, “Tell her, I don’t want to see her.”

    “What? Why?” asked Yang Ji Fan startled by her answer. Ni Qiu Ning had always been the perfect model of a junior, always showing respect for her seniors, and obedient to their every command. But was this the same person standing in front of him that gave him this perturbing answer?

    “Because, because …” she said with her voice getting deeper as she hesitated, “Because if it wasn’t for her, you and I would not be put into this pool of troubles and despair today.”

    Ten thousand arrows immediately struck Yang Ji Fan’s heart at that instant. “So she too has not yet put this matter down!’ he thought. Then something caught the attention of his eye. It was a face in the mirror, her face, reflected back to him with all her facial details: her eyes, her nose, and her mouth. But something else was also there. Her tears.

    Yang Ji Fan put his arm around her for comfort and she gladly took refuge on his shoulder. “I am scared. I don’t know what will happen to us in the future,” she sobbed and the streams that were originally flowing turned to torrents. “My mind and heart are all muddled up, I don’t know what I want and how to get it. I don’t know what decision I would make and what further damage it could do to us! I don’t want to see her. I am scared of what she would say to me. I am scared. I am very scared!”

    Yang Ji Fan wanted to hold her as tight as possible, and never let her go, but he dared not, lest he aroused the moral obligation in her again, causing her recoil. Instead, he let her rest on his shoulder and comforted in a gentle voice, “Don’t be scared. I feel the same way. And if not for her, we would have been married now, probably having two or three children running around us, living a life of no regret, as husband and wife, not as uncle and niece. I would gladly give my life, even just for one hour of being in the same position as we were twelve years ago.”

    Ni Qiu Ning looked at him with her teary eyes, as if to ask him if what he had just said was all true, but then for some reason, closed and continued to cry on his shoulder. He hesitated, before continuing, “Our positions can never be changed, but we can put it aside. Just for tonight, we will not uncle and niece.” Ni Qiu Ning immediately pushed away and refused bluntly.

    “Don’t’ worry,” he assured, “I will not do anything inappropriate to you. I just want to hold you tightly for the night, then after that, we can drop our past and continue as a happy pair of uncle and niece.” And he took hold of her hands. She just looked up at him and said nothing. “Was it possible?” thought Yang Ji Fan when he seemed to just have seen a slight downward movement of her head. But it was all confirmed minutes later when she removed her hands from his, and slowly slid behind his neck and laid her head on his chest. Finally, Yang Ji Fang relaxed and did what he wanted, and encircled her shoulders protectively, like a vine would do to a branch.

    Hours had passed, but to them, it seemed like minutes. It was not enough. They did not move, nor loosen their grip and silently lay on the bed, fearing to sleep lest they waste their valuable time.

    “Qiu Ning. Actually, we don’t have to stay apart. We can leave Black Demon Peak and go somewhere where no one else knows of. We don’t have to get married. I only want to be with you. We can…” but he was stopped by her hand upon his mouth.

    “Shhh. Stay silent. I don’t want to spend this time hearing about things like that. Tell me tomorrow. Go to sleep. I want to see the sleeping you.” And after memorizing her twinkling eyes, he obediently fell asleep.

    The sun rose high above Black Demon Peak but yet, the peak stayed misty and damp. But Yang Ji Fan awoke anyway, only to find himself alone on the bed. He touched the empty spot next to him and wondered where he would be. But there, on the pillow, was an envelope addressed to him. “This is not going to be good news,” thought he as he ripped open the envelope with impatience. The moon pendant dropped onto the bed along with two pieces of folded paper. He opened one, and found it was the martial art stances of the powerful Yin kung fu she had formed on No Dust Island. He opened the other one and read:

    “Yang Da-ge,

    Thank you for comforting me last night and understanding me thought this situation. I had originally really planned to live on as your niece, but after last night, I finally understood that I could never achieve that even if you were able to treat me as your niece. I surprised myself this morning when I decided to leave. It was hard enough twelve years ago to separate myself from you, but even more this morning. I don’t know if I can do it a third time.

    Please do not blame me! This is for the best, a method that would allow you and me to always retain our wonderful memories without spoiling them with our present and future. Do not look for me, for even if you find me, I will not be the same person anymore!

    Farewell Forever,

    Qiu Ning

    Yang Ji Fan rushed out towards the courtyard to descend the peak, only to be stopped by Zhuang Jian Cheng, who protested, “Cult Master, the Old Mistress has asked to see you. She will die at any moment but insists that you see her, or else you will regret it for the rest of your life!”

    “Regret?” shouted Yang Ji Fan angrily at this obstruction, “ I have already regretted many years before for being born! Get lost!” and he shoved Zhuang Jian Cheng aside. But then eh stopped and thought, “Maybe she knows where Qiu Ning is.’ So he changed his direction and sped towards her room.

    The door flung open with so much force that it fell off it’s hinges and toppled onto the floor. The servants and maid cowered with fright and quickly ran out when ordered roughly by Yang Ji Fan.

    He rushed over to the bed, where a sickly looking Fan Jing Ping lay, smiling at him. “You have finally come. Come nearer and I will tell you of my life’s deepest regret.”

    “I don’t want to know! I only want to know where Qiu Ning is!”

    But acting as if she didn’t hear him, she continued, “I have been keeping this secret for many years, and it has been a difficult task. A pair of lovers was deeply in love but was separated by their parents and masters. The girl was forced into marriage with another; however, she did not love her husband and continued to see her lover. In the end, she became pregnant with his child and brought it up as her husband’s child without his knowledge.” And tears began running down her old, wrinkled cheeks.

    Yang Ji Fan frowned at this story. Why was she telling him this? It had moved him a little and calmed him down, but what use was this to him? And somehow, the way she spoke to him seemed different, a lot gentler, a lot softer and a lot kinder than she had ever been to anyone fro a long time.

    “Is this girl you?” he asked suspiciously.

    “No!” she answered bluntly. His hopes of Ni Qiu Ning not being his nice were dashed. “The girl is not I. Her name was Lu Cai Yi. Her husband was called Ni Cao, and her lover, Wan Neng. Qiu Ning is Wan Neng’s true daughter.”

    Yang Ji Fan felt as if a thousand tones had been lifted off him. She wasn’t his niece. They have a chance together. They have a chance together! But then, he became suspicious of her words and asked, “If you knew your daughter-in-law as carrying another man’s child, why did you help keep it a secret?”

    Fan Jing Ping sighed and replied, “I did it because I knew I would have no grandchild if I didn’t do it. Your brother was a mischievous little brat, he would climb everywhere once he could walk, and many a times, it took us hours just to find him. But once when he was three, he fell down the well. He survived but the doctor said he could never be a father due to the fall. I panicked when I heard of that. I could have no more children due to an earlier miscarriage the previous year, and he was my only hope of keeping your father.”

    “And because of this reason, you tried to kill my mother and me?”

    “Yes.” She admitted shamefully. “My son was the best thing that ever happened to me. I couldn’t let you and your mother take everything away from him. I dared not inform your father of the news, fearing that he would divorce me and mistreat my son. And I could nto let my son know, lest he think of himself as inferior. So I killed the doctor. And by the time, he was old enough to be married; I hid my conscience and arranged Lu Cai Yi, to be his wife. I remember both families forcing Wan Neng and her to take deadly vows to never marry in this lifetime, or else every male generation would be slaves, and every female generation would be prostitutes. After the marriage, I thought everything was going to be just fine, but then Lu Cai Yi became pregnant. She confessed everything to me fro the safety of her child, and I agreed to help keep it a secret, on condition that no one else, even Wan Neng, was to know of this. With a tear-stained face, she agreed.”

    With slow movements, Fan Jing Ping lowered herself to the ground and fell at Yang Ji Fan’s feet. Yang Ji Fan immediately recoiled, but her gnarled fingers clenched onto to his clothes and wouldn’t let go.

    In a soft voice, she said with the floor getting moister by the minute, “Yang Ji Fan, I know I have ruined a lot of lives in this existence of mine. I was selfish and heartless when I ordered your mother and you to be put onto that raft. I should have kept my promise and let you two into the family instead of casting you two out and leaving you to die. I ruined both your mother’s and your lives. You can kill me, hit me or even insult me. But please, grant me your forgiveness and let my soul rest in peace! I beg of you! Please1” A tears of remorse and sincerity dampened his shoes.

    Yang Ji Fan stared at this frail woman on her deathbed. Could a person about to die have any reason to lie? Fan Jing Ping had been like a monster to him in the past, but now, she was just one elderly woman who wanted to die in peace. But his mother, who died even murmuring the name of his biological father, had spent her remaining lifetime thinking about the happy life she could have led, and caused her will to live to diminish and fade away. And what about himself, growing up in an environment where nearly everybody despised him and called him a “bastard”? Could he forgive her for that too?

    Fan Jing Ping got up on her knees and exclaimed, “I now kowtow three times to you in apology.” And suddenly, she started banging her forehead very hard on the solid, cold floor. Bang1 Bang! And just before she banged her head for the third time, two hands reached out and stopped her. Yang Ji Fan lifted her back onto the bed and tenderly wiped the blood from her bruised forehead.

    “Thank you!” she gasped, “ I can now die in peace. After I die, could you please take my body and cremate it in the Silent Moon Nunnery. Qiu Ning said that she would take care of me there for the rest of her life.”

    “What?’ cried Yang Ji Fan suddenly. His fingers clutched the edge of the quilt tightly as he asked, “She said that? Did you see her this morning?”

    “Yes!” she answered calmly, “She came very early this morning. The roosters hadn’t even risen yet. She sat by my bed and told me that she was going away again. I tried to tell her what I just told you, but she left before I could open my mouth.”

    Then, suddenly, she clutched his hand and cried, “She will be in the Silent Moon Nunnery. Go after her! And tell her the truth! Don’t let me sink down to the eighteenth level of Hell with another sin! Go!”

    Yang Ji Fan thanked her hastily and rushed down the peak to the nunnery. Birds flew beneath the newly risen sun as the loud chimes of the nunnery’s bell filled the air. Silent Moon Nunnery was built on the eleventh mountain from Black Demon Peak, isolated from the world and left amongst the tranquility of the wilderness. Yang Ji Fan pushed open the heavy wooden doors, studded with metal bearings and inside, were five rows of nuns seated on the ground as a single file of young girls, still with their hair intact, lined up for their heads to be shaven. He shifted his gaze from one to one, where was she? Suddenly, a nun walked up to him and in a quiet voice, warned, “Mister. This is a quiet place for Buddhism, as well as a nunnery. This nunnery has strict rules to prohibit male visitors from entering. May you please leave.”

    Yang Ji Fan turned to her to protest, but before any sound could come out of his mouth, his pupils enlarged in shock as a familiar face appeared in front of him. That same face, those same eyes, that same mouth – but it couldn’t be. Her shiny newly shaven head glistened in the morning rays as her rosy lips curved into a smile. “My Buddhist name is Duan Chi, meaning that one should sever all longing infatuations in order to attain peace. I think that is also applies to you Mister, apart from me. Take care!” and she turned around so coldly and walked back to her place amongst the new nuns.

    Yang Ji Fan wanted to call out to her but yet, stayed quiet. Was it really predestined that this would be their ending? He did not shift his gaze until her slender body was hidden by the mass of nuns walking about, and until two more senior nuns ordered him to exit. He walked out of the nunnery and each step he took seemed like a terrible descent into Hell. The sky started raining and thick layers of clouds and mists once again hid the bright sun. Who knows how long it would take for the sun to reveal itself again, and whether a rainbow would rise after it? He took one last glance at the nunnery, then turned around and left.

    THE END

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  11. #71
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    Cool

    <IMG SRC="smilies/blob.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/rockband.gif" border="0">

    A happy ending at last!! However, I am a bit disappointed with the new generations matching. Their characters were not talked as much.

    But I like the old generation pair. The couple are both likeable and unlikeable at the same time. They are interesting and complicated figures. <IMG SRC="smilies/hatoff.gif" border="0"> Great work on them.

    Anyway, what was the significant of the first scene on a man and a girl? Who are they?
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  12. #72
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Thank you Goofy.

    The girl was Wan Qiu Ning and the guy was Yang Ji Fan. That scene was when she found out that he was her uncle so she left the city.

    I put that scene in just to create a bit of mystery, which must have not worked. I put the new gentration in to contrast the steadiness and depth of the love in the older generation. So i didn't plan to make them as likeable.
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  13. #73
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    Cool

    I thought at first that wan's disciple would be the lead character for the new gen for sure, but she kind of disappeared toward the middle of the story. Her love story with the new bf would have been nice (or maybe I didn't read the story carefully enough. <IMG SRC="smilies/redface.gif" border="0">)

    Anyway, glad that the story turned out well - it sure gave hope for I thought this would be another sad ending. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/clap.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/clap.gif" border="0">


    When are you going to start another story? <IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0">
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  14. #74
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    What? That's not a happy ending? Why do you define as a happy ending?

    Epilogue

    The sun was shining high in the sky so brightly that its rays penetrated the thick clouds and the friendly winds dispersed them away. It spread its light and warmth all over the vast forest woodlands below, over the hills and into the valleys. The birds in the forests chirped happily as the sunlight up the fruit for them to eat and even the snakes crawled out to sprawl and heat up their cold-blooded bodies. Nearly every living organism was satisfied and happy, all except four.

    “I hate this horse!” cried a young girl, kicking her chestnut steed lightly on the sides, “It is so slow and eats so much!” But she wished she didn’t say that for as soon as the last word came out of her mouth, the horse reared up unexpectedly and she landed backwards onto the grass.

    “Ow!” she cried out in pain, rubbing her backside, which hit the ground hard, “You stupid horse! Hey! Come back! I haven’t finished scolding you yet! Hey!” The horse turned a deaf ear and trotted cover to tear a mouthful of lush green grass.

    “Come on! Get up!” came a male voice from behind her as two hands grabbed hold of her and pulled her up. “No use shouting at it. It doesn’t care about you like I do!”

    “Han Qing Feng,” she exclaimed, “Aren’t you embarrassed to be talking in the open like that? Even if you aren’t, I am.”

    Han Qing Feng laughed and replied, “So what if in the open? There are no other people here? No need to be embarrassed. I’ll say even more! I love you! I need you! I will follow you to the ends of the earth and …” Lian Le Yi blushed red but smiled shyly at him, making his heart beat with glee.

    “Ah Hum!’ came a cough form behind the slope. The lovebirds jumped at this sudden sound and quickly shouted in alarm, “Who is it there? Who is it? Come out now! Or we’ll be nasty!” Han Qing Feng slid the Green Silk Sword off his back and held it in front, ready for defense.

    And behind the slope, stepped two people, one male and one female. The female smiled and teased, “I know you two are very much in love but you don’t need to display it so publicly. Others might vomit to death!”

    The male who has been accompanying her put his hand on her shoulder affectionately and exclaimed, “Bing Xin, don’t tease Sister-in-law Han! Brother Han might get mad!”

    Lian Le Ye’s face turned completely red and pushing Han Qing Feng away from in front of her, she replied, ‘Why are you two only talking about me and him? What about you and him? What …”

    At this, Han Qing Feng grew serious and asked, “By the way, Brother Hong, when did you find Miss Li again?”

    Hong Zheng Tian smiled and explained, “Yes, I finally caught up with her in Luo Yang two months ago. I followed her for ten whole days and she finally was moved by my sincerity, and accepted me.” And he slid his hand around her waist.

    But Li Bing Xin hit the back of his hand with the hilt of her sword, and warned, “I am warning you! I only said I would let you travel with me, but I have forgiven you yet!”

    “Oh come on!” he pleaded, putting on a pitiful face and stared at her with his eyes, hoping to gain her sympathy. But she just looked away. Lian Le Yi exploded with laughter, and then finally, all four off them had stitches in their sides.

    But Han Qing Feng was the first to get a hold of himself. But still with a hint of laughter in his voice, he asked, “So Brother Hong, Miss Li, what brings you here to this area?”

    Li Bing Xin explained, “Last month in Wei Zhou, me and Zheng Tian were looking for a place to stay for the night but it was well into the night and all inns were closed. But we still knocked on the closed door of one, hoping that there would still be rooms left for us. A very sleepy innkeeper came to the door and yawning badly, he told us to leave, even though we offered to pay him double the fees. And so we left for another inn to stay, but when we walked away for about two minutes, he called out for us to stop and came running after us.”

    “What a funny innkeeper!” cried Lian Le Yi, “What happened next?” and moved closer near Li Bing Xin, as she anticipated the story to get more interesting.

    “He ran in front of us, panting heavily and opening two rolls of paper, he then looked carefully at us and then looked back at the paper. He did this quite a few times before inviting us into his inn, and that all expenses were paid. We asked him why, and handing us a letter, he told us that a few days ago, a man all dressed in black came to his counter and gave him a hundred taels of gold, and asked him whether a person of mine and his description have arrived. And when he said no, the man took out another gold ingot of hundred taels and ordered him to let us stay when we arrived, and that the ingot would cover all expenses. Then he left the two portraits of me and him and also a letter for us. He also said that if he did not arrive within two months that he had to burn the letter or else bear the consequences. Then he left. ”

    “What did the letter say? Who was it from? It was Cult Master Yang, wasn’t it?” asked Lian Le Yi with earnest.

    “Yes!” cried Li Bing Xin surprised, “It was from Cult Master Yang. How did you know?”

    “Hehe!” laughed Lian Le Yi, playing with her hair, “of course I know, I am a seer and can see many other things as well. So Brother Hong, you better not do anything that wrongs Li Jie Jie or else… hehe!” and she zoomed her head towards him with a mean look on her face.

    Hong Zheng Tian turned pale and recoiled from her, and then somebody called out, “Le Yi! That is enough! Don’t bother Brother Hong anymore!”

    It was Han Qing Feng. Lian Le Yi smiled happily and spun behind him, and playfully hit him on the head. Han Qing Feng smiled back at her and grabbed her hand while he turned to the other two and explained, “We received a similar letter at about the same time. We bumped into a follower of the Xuan Yuan Sect in Xian Yang. He quickly gave us the letter and told us to get there as fast as possible. When we asked him what was the matter, he replied that although the problem of rivalry between the northern and southern clans had been solved by the death of Imperial Concubine Yang and the coronation of the new emperor, but some northern clans still remained hoping to gain fame and status. He said that followers of these clans might be around and it was unsuitable to talk. He reminded us to read the letter and then bid us farewell.”

    “Oh. So you got the letter too!” exclaimed Hong Zheng Tian. “Did it tell you two to come back to Black Demon Peak as soon as possible, but didn’t state the reason?”

    “Yeah, that’s right.” he replied, “It said exactly that. I wonder what is the problem at Black Demon Peak? A large scale attack about to happen?” The other three were about to attribute their thoughts when suddenly, a large gust of wind blew the sound of chanting into their ears.

    “What is that?” gasped Li Bing Xin and she put her pal behind her ear and listened for more.

    “It sounds like praying and chanting!” added Hong Zheng Tian.

    “Ah! I know what it is!” cried Lian Le Yi, “It must be those Buddhist nuns at Silent Moon Nunnery. It is built not far from here.” And jumping on to a large rock, she leapt up and down, pointing to a black spot in the distance and cried, “There it is! There it is!” The other three joined her on the rock.

    “Ah! I see it!” exclaimed Han Qing Feng, “But why is there white paper flying around above it? Let’s go and see!”

    But they never arrived at the nunnery. At least the place they arrived at was nothing like a nunnery. It was just a half ruined building with charred walls. And it wasn’t white paper that was flying about the ruins, but small but long flags of white streamers planted around the black earth that the nuns all sat in front of. The nuns had their palms put together and chanted together in prayer. Only a few walked around, greeting the guests that had arrived.

    “There must have been a fire here!” deduced Li Bing Xin as she noticed the burnt pieces of wood lying on the ground. And walking up to one of the serving nuns, she greeted, “Shi Tai, may I ask what has happened here? I noticed that there was a fire here. May I be rude to ask why?”

    The nun bowed her head and replied, “Miss. About two months ago, some men set our nunnery on fire in the middle of the night. Our entire north wing had been burnt to the ground and thirty of our colleagues had perished in the flames. Today is the forty-ninth day of praying for their souls, hoping that they will be at peace.”

    “What?” cried Lian Le Yi who had come over, “What kind of crazy men are those, to set fire on a nunnery and kill so many people? What was the reason?” Han Qing Feng tried to shush her but she ignored him and kept on asking.

    Tears began to flow from the nun’s eyes and wiping them gently with her sleeve, she explained, “Ten mountains from here, is a peak called Black Demon Peak. It is inhabited by the Xuan Yuan Sect, an evil sect that is very famous in the Wu Lin world. It is headed by the great demon, Yang Ji Fan. He has a lover called Wan Qiu Ning.”

    After hearing the nun call her mentor “great demon”, Lian Le Yi clenched her fist and was about to raise and punch the nun in the face, but luckily Han Qing Feng held onto it tightly and she gave up.

    “The northern clans whose headquarters had been destroyed by the horrible Turkish army, tried to reconstruct their clan. But they wanted to gain fame by eliminating a powerful clan in Wu Lin and they chose the Xuan Yuan Sect. But they couldn’t get onto the peak so they tried to lure Yang Ji Fan to surrender by capturing Wan Qiu Ning. At the same time, Wan Qiu Ning had just entered our nunnery as a nun so they came to kidnap her, and during the process, they burnt our nunnery.”

    Li Bing Xin turned pale at the knowledge that her senior martial sister had become a nun and left Yang Ji Fan, but became even paler when the nun said she was kidnapped. In a shaky voice, she asked, “Shi Tai, so what happened to Wan Qiu Ning? Did she get saved from those clans?”

    The nun shook her head and sighed deeply, which gave the impression that her ending was not a happy one. “Wan Qiu Ning never got kidnapped by those clans. She was my junior martial sister, Duan Chi. Six months ago, she became very depressed and received a very severe bout of illness. Duan Chi wouldn’t eat then so soon, she fell into a deep sleep. We had to force water and congee down her throat to keep her alive. The night of the fire, everybody was so occupied with putting out the flames and saving the sutras that nobody remembered about her. And when we did, the flames had engulfed the whole side of the building and we couldn’t get in. She was burnt to death.”

    Lian Le Yi could feel the tears coming down her face. Li Bing Xin clutched Hong Zheng Tian’s hadn so tightly that her nails had begun to dig into his flesh. Han Qing Feng asked anxiously, “Would she have woken up and escaped by herself?” and hoped that the answer would be yes.

    The nun sighed again and said, “Duan Chi didn’t even move in all these months. How could she have left her bed without assistance? But…” the nun stopped in the middle of the sentence, looked around suspiciously around her then motioning for them to come closer, she whispered, “But there are mysteries surrounding this matter. Thirty-one of our colleagues had gone missing but only thirty charred corpses were found. Also…” she looked around again, “…when I was drawing water from the well that night, I saw the guard of hell coming for her soul.”

    Hong Zheng Tian recoiled in fear, “Are you joking? You really saw that?” He could feel the grip of Li Bing Xin on his arm getting tighter and tighter.

    The nun continued, “I really did! I saw it with my own eyes. I couldn’t see his face but he was dressed all in black and had a long cloak on. I saw him fly from the singeing flames and disappear into the night sky like dispersing mists. I told my seniors but they won’t believe me. You will believe me, won’t you?”

    Then a loud and serious voice called out, “Duan En! What are you doing? Stop talking and go and serve the other guests!” The voice came from an older nun, who seemed to hold a higher position that the nun that they had been talking to. Duan En bowed to her senior and left hurriedly while this senior nun invited them to pay their respects to the deceased.

    “Shi Tai,” asked Han Qing Feng, “May I ask whether Yang Ji Fan has arrived yet?”

    The senior nun looked at him with a weird expression and snapped, “Why do you want to know that for?”

    Han Qing Feng said nothing but just nodded and smiled politely. The nun shook her head and exclaimed in a haughty manner, “Why should holy and righteous nuns like us welcome a great demon like Yang Ji Fan to this praying ceremony? We sent him off when he arrived during the fifth day of the ceremony! It was surprising that he came at all since word got out that he was getting married!”

    All four were shocked at the news of Yang Ji Fan getting married. Who was the bride? Did he really manage to forget Wan Qiu Ning?

    Li Bing Xin grabbed onto the elbows of the nun and shouted, “He is getting married? When? With who? Tell me?”

    The nun shook her off and snapped, “What do you think you are doing? Anyway, who are you and why are you concerned?”

    Li Bing Xin hurriedly answered, “I am …” but Hong Zheng Tian quickly pushed her mute pressure point without the nun noticing and explained, “Sorry. My sister is not feeling so well. I will talk for her. We just heard about the unfortunate Duan Chi of your nunnery and how her life had been ruined by the evil demon. My sister is just concerned that another innocent girl has fallen into the hands of that evil demon. Please, Shi Tai, please tell us!”

    The nun seemed pleased with his reason and answered, “He was married six days ago on Black Demon Peak. No one knows who his bride is or where she came from. But I heard that her surname was Chang or Zhang or something like it. I am sure she is either an innocent girl that he kidnapped or one of those evil ****s from his clan. Either way, it is all too late. Duan Chi had made the right decision to avoid him and thus save herself from eternal condemnation. I am pleased with you all and it must be fate that brings you here. Please stay for this bit of fate and pray for the lost souls of our fallen colleagues!” and she led them inside.

    They stayed for the remaining hours of the ceremony. It all ended just before sunset. They had spent the last six hours in silent prayers and chants with a calm appearance, but inside, they were all bursting with fury.

    “So he is getting married!” yelled Li Bing Xin when they left the nunnery after bowing to Duan Chi’s plaque. No wonder he called so urgently for them to come back. It was all for his wedding ceremony. And why all the secrecy? It was all because he was afraid that others would know that his is a hypocrite!” A loud slap came across her face and she screamed both in surprise and pain as she spun downwards onto the ground.

    “How dare you call my Mentor a hypocrite? The matter hasn’t even been confirmed yet? Maybe the nun just wanted us to have inner conflicts?” It was Lian Le Yi.

    Hong Zheng Tian quickly went to help his lover up, who pushed him away and screamed at her attacker, “Why would she do that anyway? This is a stupid excuse to cover for your heartless hypocrite of a mentor!”

    “Say that once more and I’ll hit you!”

    “Calm down, Bing Xin.” Pleaded Hong Zheng Tian, “Although I don’t quite accept Cult Master Yang marring another girl, but he has every right to do that since he and Ni Qiu Ning are still uncle and neice. It is good that he can forget the past and move on!”


    Li Bing Xin gave him a cold glare that silenced him and then screamed loudly, “Hypocrite! Hypocrite! Hypocrite! Hypocrite! Hypocrite!”

    Swords were unsheathed and the sound of swords clashing filled the still air. Pieces of grass were sliced off and flew into the air like green snow, and terrified birds left their nests in fear of getting sliced in half. The two men tried to interfere but the two women did not appreciate for the two to join their fight and stopping their duel for a while, they teamed up together and attacked the two men until they retreated.

    They resumed their duel again which was mingled with curse words and insults. Suddenly, a loud “Stop!” came through the air and the sound of ten men landing on the soft grass could be heard.

    “Brother Zhuang! So good that you are here! Could you …” exclaimed Han Qing Feng and he ran over to Zhuang Jian Cheng. He was about to continue his sentence when he saw the figure next to Zhuang Jian Cheng. “Ahhh. Miss… No… Sister-in-law Zhuang, nice to see you!” Qi Qian Yu smiled and greeted him with a slight bow of the head.

    “Zhuang Jian Cheng, Qi Qian Yu, Uncle Wan!” cried Lian Le Yi with a pout on her face, “You must have stopped our fight to save Mentor’s reputation. Tell this thing here that Mentor is a good man, and that he didn’t get married with another girl!”

    Qi Qian Yu and Zhuang Jian Cheng looked at each other and smiled without saying anything, even though Lian Le Yi tugged on her sleeve like a little kid. Wan Neng started laughing so Lian Le Yi immediately went to annoy him childishly by pulling on his clothes and asked him repeatedly, “Tell them! Tell them! That I am right and they are wrong!”

    Wan Neng looked at her, then at the eager faces of the other three and laughed again. “What do I have to say? I certainly agree that Cult Master is a good man but I cannot lie that he didn’t not marry recently.”

    “What?” shouted Lian Le Yi walking back from him, “So its all true? And you let him do that? So why did you stop us fighting anyway? So you can humiliate me?”

    “No! No!” soothed Qi Qian Yu, “We never had that intention. Cult Master and the new Mistress are over that hill, admiring the scenery. They said that your fighting was too loud and spoiled the serenity of the scenery!”

    ‘What?” screamed Lian Le Yi in protest. But Li Bing Xin stayed silent and somersaulted over them and onto the next hill. She had to have a reasonable answer from Yang Ji Fan, or else, she wouldn’t eb abel to control herself from not killing him, even if it meant that she would die in the process. On No dust Island, Ni Qiu Ning never mistreated her and was a great friend to her. Besides, her life was too tragic already, and she hope that it was not all because of a worthless man who changed his heart easily.

    But the truth was in front of her now. For standing at the top of the slope with his back towards her, was Yang Ji Fan with a woman held tightly in his arms. Her long black hair had been combed into an elegant hairstyle of a married woman, decorated with silver ornaments and hairpins. Dressed in a flowing light blue dress, the woman seemed to float on the ground she was standing on, and lodged her head safely in the embrace of her husband’s strong arms.

    The sight of this made Li Bing Xin burn with rage and before anybody could stop her, she pointed her unsheathed sword at them and yelled, “Yang Ji Fan, you heartless dog! How could you do this to my senior martial sister? I dare you to face me!”

    Slowly, Yang Ji Fan turned around and so did the woman in his arms. Li Bing Xin dropped her sword at the sight of her face and exclaimed “Senior Martial Sister?”


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    <IMG SRC="smilies/clap.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/clap.gif" border="0"> I like the romantic part <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> more of romantic scene please <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

  16. #76
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    Just finished reading your story, Charbydis.

    And was that the ending??

    So how did Yang Ji Shan get his girl in the end??

    Did he really have to burn the nunnery down??
    When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity.

    George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

  17. #77
    Junior Member Giant Eagle's Avatar
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    Question

    More burning questions from the Squawking Thunderbird (Giant Eagle)

    What period is your fan fic set in?
    Which area of China?

    Sorry for bombarding you with too many questions.

    Some comments for you: Sorry if you find them offensive <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

    (1) The narrative between Wan Qing and her "uncle" very nicely done.

    (2) I personally thought that the meeting between these three were a bit too fast and too shallow. I mean Han had only met Qi and Hong for the first time, what made him trust them?

    And why is Hong is eager to wash his own dirty linen in public? If I were chased out of my own sect/clan etc, I wouldn't blare it out to the world even if I was the wronged one. <IMG SRC="smilies/exhibit.gif" border="0">Rather I would keep it secret. <IMG SRC="smilies/noidea.gif" border="0">

    (3) Loved the appearance made by Yang Ji Shan, reminds me so much of Huang Yao Shi of "Condor Shooting Heroes" <IMG SRC="smilies/kiss.gif" border="0">

    (4) Too many characters appearing at once. I found it abit difficult to follow the story as so many characters were appearing at once and I occasionally got Zhao Yin confused with Hua Bing Ro. I even got their gender confused.

    Overall a very well done tale.
    Keep practising!
    When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity.

    George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

  18. #78
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Talking

    <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#dcdcdc" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10" bgcolor="#DCDCDC"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee"><font size="1">Originally posted by Giant Eagle:
    <STRONG>Just finished reading your story, Charbydis.

    And was that the ending??

    So how did Yang Ji Shan get his girl in the end??

    Did he really have to burn the nunnery down??</STRONG></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>


    Well, Giant Eagle, I think you have been a bit confused about the ending.

    The nunnery were burnt down by the northern clans who tried to capture Wan Qiu Ning to threaten Yang Ji Fan. Wan Qiu Ning was unconscious at the time when fire broke out.

    As Duan En said, she said a black figure rise out of the flames with something in his arms. It was Yang Ji Fan who happened to be nearby (he always stays near the nunnery hoping to make her change her mind)and rushed in to grab Wan Wiu Ning and left in the midst of chaos without anybody really noticing them.

    He used this chance to make everybody else believe that Wan Qiu Ning had died so that even if she woke up and left again, she would not be in danger from the northern clans. Also, the northern clans knew that without her as a hostage, they would never be able to defeat Yang Ji Fan so they gave up.

    But she woke up after she had been rescued and finally finding out that they were not related, she agreed to stay with him. But she could not use her original name lest the nuns found out. Although all of the nuns put together could not defeat Yang Ji Fan, Wan Qiu Ning felt it bad to make them feel angry and disappointed because they did protect adn treat her well when she was there.

    <IMG SRC="smilies/alien.gif" border="0">
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  19. #79
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Smile

    <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#dcdcdc" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10" bgcolor="#DCDCDC"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee"><font size="1">Originally posted by Giant Eagle:
    <STRONG>More burning questions from the Squawking Thunderbird (Giant Eagle)

    What period is your fan fic set in?
    Which area of China?</STRONG></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

    As hinted by the invasion of the Turkish An Lu Shan, this fanfic was set in the late Tang dynasty.

    <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#dcdcdc" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10" bgcolor="#DCDCDC"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee"><font size="1">Originally posted by Giant Eagle:
    <STRONG>
    Sorry for bombarding you with too many questions.

    Some comments for you: Sorry if you find them offensive <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0"></STRONG></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

    Not at all Giant Eagle, I don't get comments much. By asking questions, it at least shows that you have been reading my work.

    <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#dcdcdc" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10" bgcolor="#DCDCDC"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee"><font size="1">Originally posted by Giant Eagle:
    <STRONG>
    (1) The narrative between Wan Qing and her "uncle" very nicely done.

    (2) I personally thought that the meeting between these three were a bit too fast and too shallow. I mean Han had only met Qi and Hong for the first time, what made him trust them? </STRONG></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

    (2) Han Qing Feng's immediate trusting of Qi Qian Yu and Hong Zheng Tian just displays his open, gulliable and naive nature, which lead him to be fooled by Bai Fang Lian.

    Anyway, he had nowhere to go after everybody from his school has died and he had nothing to lose. So he just went along with them anyway and helped them cos they were kind to him and saved him from Bai Fang Lian.

    Han Qing Feng grew up isolated from the pugilistic world cos Bai Shi Yue promised Yang Ji Fan to never enter the Central Plains again, so thus Han Qing Feng's naivety.

    He was too young to remember Song Yang rebelling against Bai Shi Yue so he has never seen a reason for betrayal amongst his school. Plus, Bai Shi Yue had become very guilty at Yang Zai Sheng death and very grateful at Yang Ji Fan for not killing him. So, he turned a new leaf and didn't teach his students how ambiguous and dangerous people could be.

    So thus, Han Qing Feng's nature and personality is constructed.

    Hong Zheng Tian saw how powerful Han Qing Feng was with the Green Silk Sword and needed powerful friends fro him to safely arrive at Black Demon Peak. So thus, he allowed him to come along with him. And after some time, he saw that Han Qing Feng wsa not a bad person and sincrely accepted him as his friend.

    He met Qi Qian Yu a bit before Han Qing Feng in Luo Yang and he saw her naivety and ignorance of the Wu Lin world. Besides, he had a crush on her so naturally, he trusted her.

    Although skilled in the use of cruel weapons and traps, Qi Qian Yu is of an innocent nature. She grew on a stranded island with only Wan Qiu Ning to talk to. Not wantign to be reminded of Yang Ji Fan, Wan Qiu Ning would have not talked much about the Wu Lin world to protect her from being hurt.

    The natives she grew up with, all feared yet respected her cos of Wan Qiu Ning, so naturally, they would not harm her. Thus, Qi Qian Yu had never learnt that peopld can be devious.

    <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#dcdcdc" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10" bgcolor="#DCDCDC"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee"><font size="1">Originally posted by Giant Eagle:
    <STRONG>
    And why is Hong is eager to wash his own dirty linen in public? If I were chased out of my own sect/clan etc, I wouldn't blare it out to the world even if I was the wronged one. <IMG SRC="smilies/exhibit.gif" border="0">Rather I would keep it secret. <IMG SRC="smilies/noidea.gif" border="0"> </STRONG></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

    When did Hong Zheng Tian tell everybody? Al the start, he only told Han Qing Feng and Qi Qian Yu that he had to find his Mentor-uncle, but didn't tell the reason. He only told them cos:

    (1) They are his friends and it seemed fair that he told them hsi story since they already told him theirs.
    (2) He needed their help to get him to Black Demon Peak. And Han Qing Feng was quite lost at the time and wanted to know what exactly was going on why they were being chased by killers. So he had to tell them to get their help.
    (3) It is hard to keep a secret.

    What happened in the Howling Forest was just a burst of despair. The Holy Snake Clan was goign to kill him and Yang Ji Fan was the only one who could save him. You can't expect someoen to do you such a great favour (not to mention that Hong Zheng Tian belonged to the enemy's clan) unless you give them a reason.

    At that intense time, his brain was not calm so he could not make up a credible story, so he had to tell the truth.

    But except for Chen Xu, Hong Zheng Tian never really told arny other person abotu the affair of Yang Li Shan and Chen Ming Jun, and the true parentage of Chen Bai An. By doing this, he has already retaine dteh face of his mentor and the clan.

    He blurted all of it out to Chen Xu in a whisper before Chen Xu died because after all, Chen Xu treated him pretty well and even though he tried to kill him, he was his Mentor. He felt that it would be wrong to let Chen Xu die without knowing that his son was not really his and pass on his leadership position to someone who did wrong to him. <IMG SRC="smilies/sigh.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/alien.gif" border="0">
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  20. #80
    Junior Member Giant Eagle's Avatar
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    <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#dcdcdc" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10" bgcolor="#DCDCDC"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee"><font size="1">Originally posted by charbydis:
    (1) They are his friends and it seemed fair that he told them hsi story since they already told him theirs.
    (2) He needed their help to get him to Black Demon Peak. And Han Qing Feng was quite lost at the time and wanted to know what exactly was going on why they were being chased by killers. So he had to tell them to get their help.
    (3) It is hard to keep a secret.

    What happened in the Howling Forest was just a burst of despair. The Holy Snake Clan was goign to kill him and Yang Ji Fan was the only one who could save him. You can't expect someoen to do you such a great favour (not to mention that Hong Zheng Tian belonged to the enemy's clan) unless you give them a reason.


    But except for Chen Xu, Hong Zheng Tian never really told arny other person abotu the affair of Yang Li Shan and Chen Ming Jun, and the true parentage of Chen Bai An. By doing this, he has already retaine dteh face of his mentor and the clan.

    He blurted all of it out to Chen Xu in a whisper before Chen Xu died because after all, Chen Xu treated him pretty well and even though he tried to kill him, he was his Mentor. He felt that it would be wrong to let Chen Xu die without knowing that his son was not really his and pass on his leadership position to someone who did wrong to him. <IMG SRC="smilies/sigh.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/alien.gif" border="0">[/QB]</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

    OK that seems logical enough.

    I see that Hong Zhen Tian must have planned to meet Yang Ji Shan. He must have known how much Chen and Yang hated each others' guts after all he had stayed long enough with the Holy Snake Clan to know Chen and Yang's sour history.

    To gainYang's sympathy and trust, Hong must have a plausible story lest Yang Ji Shan suspects him of being a spy. ( which he turned out to be anyway)

    was that your aim?

    Sorry if I questioned your train of thoughts.

    Speaking of thoughts, when you were writing about the Highlanders in the 2nd Chp, i had this image of Scotsmen in Kilts attacking. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

    I understand you mean the inhabitants who lived in the highlands but the Braveheart theme song was playing at that time so my imagination was contaminated...

    Finally a question. Why the title Qing Cheng Ji (傾城&#32000 <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">﹖ Is that the correct chinese term I wrote here?
    When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity.

    George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

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