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Thread: Legend of the Sword and Saber (Book of Destiny)

  1. #61
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    shirley, wow! thank you for sticking with it for 3 days. Big hug to you... <IMG SRC="smilies/love.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/smooch.gif" border="0">

    thanks for feedback and on li renying, it has to depend on his wife. <IMG SRC="smilies/tongue.gif" border="0">

    he will not appear in this one, but I might use him in the sequel (if I do write one.) <IMG SRC="smilies/catroar.gif" border="0">
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  2. #62
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    meant to ask if Di Bao's identity is a surprise element or something that so obvious? I have left a lot of hints though along the way.. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/wiggle.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/blob.gif" border="0">
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  3. #63
    Senior Member Shirley's Avatar
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    No, it was actually a surprise, though I had suspect one of the men have to be the dragon twin.
    Beauty is not in the face;
    beauty is a light in the heart.

    -It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart.

  4. #64
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    Shirley, luckily I found the term dragon-phoenix twin somewhere and used it for the effect. <IMG SRC="smilies/redface.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/wiggle.gif" border="0">

    Hope the plot (if there is one) is not too outrageous and not too cheesy. I try to maintain the wuxia style, but it is hard to make a perfect hero. I am more to make a woman the main lead. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> And I am not a hero material myself. I would like to identify myself more with LHC type.

    Anyway, here is the first installation of the combat. <IMG SRC="smilies/starwars.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/ninja.gif" border="0"> Enjoy..

    Part III: Book of Destiny

    Chapter 59
    Grand Battles (1)

    The gathering at Wu Dang was a big event of the year. The invitations had been sent early enough for all sects far and near to prepare for the meeting. As a result, large number of people was heading toward Henan from every direction.

    The general atmosphere there was festive. Flags representing various martial groups danced cheerfully on their poles in the company of the spring breeze. Rows of wild flowers were seen along the path uphill, and sound of small brooks running could be heard along with bird callings.

    The hosts for this event were consisted of three outstanding clans of the era, Wu Dang Sect, Emei Sect, and Sword South School. Tian Fei and his party joined Zhong Xi Shi Tai of Emei and the Wu Dang brothers a week prior to the actual schedule to discuss the ‘list’.

    Tian Fei read the documents that Zhong Xi Shi Tai put in front of him and knitted his eyebrows in contemplation. Finally, he pulled out a piece of paper and read through it again.

    “This is very serious matter indeed. Almost half of the so-called ‘righteous’ sects in the martial realms have been bought over by the Love Palace. That’s probably why there never was an intent movement against the Love Palace Sect these past years. I’m sorry to see many of my acquaintances listed here. Hmm, Hua Shan Sect for instance. So, the death of the former leader was really not from illness. Then, this friend of mine…”

    He sighed. “I agree to your plan and will do our best. It is also probably a good idea not to tell the kids much since there are so many people involved.”

    Zhong Xi Shi Tai hesitated a little before mentioning. “I don’t know if this is the right time to tell you, but sister Chu has repeatedly asked me to relay this message to Master Huang. On the other hand, I don’t want to raise his hope for nothing. You see this bundle of paper was delivered to Chu Lianhua mysteriously. The cloth that wrapped the package was recognized as Lu Tingli’s handkerchief. That can mean two ways; either she is alive and wants to return the documents to sister Chu or she is dead and has asked someone to deliver them for her.”

    Tian Fei rubbed his nose. “Hmm, it is indeed complicated. However, if she is alive, then…” He was about to say something but changed his mind.

    “You did right by telling this to me first. Right now, Huang Yitao is beginning to accept his lost. I’d rather let him be for the time being instead of stirring his hope now and having to see him grieved later. After this business, I will investigate this matter in details. Until then, I would appreciate that you say nothing to him concerning Lu Tingli.”

    Zhong Xi Shi Tai nodded. “I thought as much also.” She sighed, and Mu Zhen’s heart pounded. He thought that she was thinner and looked tired. His heart ached to be her aid. He closed his eyes painfully. Sometimes, reality was hard to live with.

    The subject then turned to more pleasantries. De Pang congratulated Tian Fei on the find of his family. “Eighteen years is a long time to be separated from your loved ones. I’m glad for your happiness.”

    Tian Fei cupped his hand and gave his thank. “Yes, it has been long wait, but it is worth every minute to have all three children with me.” He turned to the Emei priestess and casually mentioned the engagement between his son and Zhan Zhiying.

    Zhong Xi Shi Tai smiled at the subject. “I have no objection in this match whatsoever. The youths like each other, and young Master Tian is a bright talented doctor. My junior martial sister is a lucky girl. After this meeting, I will be waiting for your visit. Is your son here today? I have yet to thank him for his good care in the Medicine Forest.”

    Tian Fei shook his head a little. “He is staying home, taking care of my sister-in-law. She has just come down with the cold, so Ah Bao wanted to be near her in case of any complications. He has been with her since childhood, you know. So, she is almost as if his mother.”

    His voice hinted of pride when he mentioned his son’s doctoring skills, and his tone was gentle when he talked about Yue Ling. Mu Zhen, having learned of Tian Fei’s relationship with Yue Ling, was sympathy.

    He thought, ‘actually, it is not odd to marry a sister-in-law as the second wife, especially if the first wife has passed away. They have a grown daughter together, so she should at least enter a ceremony with him in order to keep her good name.’

    He didn’t know that Tian Fei did propose the same thing with the same reason to Yue Ling but received the indifferent reply from her.

    “Big Brother, I am a no name person. So, I don’t mind what other people think as long as our actions are pure. Xiang-er said that she doesn’t care, and Ah Yi is not worried about her birth, so why bother about it? If people ask, just say that she is another daughter of sister Feng. She can even be passed as Xin-er’s twin. I am satisfied to be just an aunt or a second mother to your three children. I have never thought otherwise.”

    Tian Fei just shook his head sadly and had to accept her decision.

    Zhong Xi Shi Tai touched her whisk absentmindedly. “Then, sister Zhan will be disappointed. She is looking forward to meet him so.”

    The talk then turned to the youngest member of Wu Dang, and Man He proudly called his wife to show off their infant son.

    “He has good backbones, he will be a great martial artist one day.” Tian Fei praised, and Man He beamed.

    Zhong Xi Shi Tai fussed with the boy and was reminiscing with Ah Zhu, her third martial sister, of their old days. For once, she relaxed and was more like Ah Ju than the serious master of Emei.

    Meanwhile, the youths were greeting one another outside the building. Zhan Zhiying was indeed disappointed not to see Tian Bao but was consoled upon receiving his letter from Tian Xiang-er. She sat on a stone chair under a pavilion and read it eagerly, oblivious of others.

    Tian Xin-er was glad to meet her sister and Ah Yi again. She inquired about her second mother and her twin brother and was relieved to hear that they were quite well. Then, she chatted about her life in Emei.

    “Practicing Kung Fu is rather different from what Xiang-er taught me. I have to learn everything from the start in a right way. Zhiying is a very hard task master.” She stuck her tongue out and whispered to her sister. “Actually, I have to call her ‘Martial Uncle’ in front of others, but she allows me to call her name in private. I wonder what shall I call her when she is married to Ah Bao. Sister-in-law or Martial Uncle?” She giggled, and Tian Xiang-er laughed along.

    Di Yi then brought out the Book of Four. “I want to return this to Emei. Could you give it to your master, please?”

    Tian Xin-er nodded and put the book in her pocket. Her outfit was changed into style of Emei – a light color dress. In her case, it was light yellow garment. Her martial skills were strengthened from the arduous practice at Emei. Coupled with her high energy and her basic from the Book of Four, she was now on top rank fighters along with her sister and Di Yi.

    Tian Xiang-er in turn described in details of her and Di Yi’s accomplishment in the Kung Fu training. She then brought out the saber technique manual and gave it to her sister.

    “Since this manuscript belongs to all heirs of Saber Lord, it is fair that you have a share in it too. You now have necessary inner power and enough strength for the moves. Also, here is our Shadow technique, which is developed from the Yong Yi Sword. We are trying to incorporate both saber and sword into one form with the basic of Yin and Yang Sword. My saber and Ah Yi’s sword complements and supports each other, covering the other’s weak points and adding to the other’s strength.”

    Tian Xin-er kept a thin booklet in the same pocket and promised to herself that she would diligently strive for perfection so that Ah Yi would not be disappointed in her.

    Huang Yitao then approached her. He wanted to apologize for their duel at the Medicine Forest, but she told him not to think of it.

    “I only want to beat you by myself this time.” She said laughingly, and Huang Yitao smiled back.

    “No need to do that because your sister does that so often. She said that she has to defeat me twice, one for you and one for her.” He didn’t seem to mind losing.

    Tian Xiang-er grinned from his words. “Xin-er, everyone has been picking on me since you left, so I have to defeat brother Huang a few times to intimidate him. Good thing that Xing-xing is always on my side.”

    Everyone laughed. Humor seemed to come easily with the touch of spring air.

    For the next three days, they helped preparing the site for a big gathering. Ruyu was especially looking forward to meet Dr. Ma, her grandparents’ grand apprentice. To her disappointment, a servant from Dr. Ma’s had arrived and notified them that Dr. Ma had left for a long journey since winter and would not return for any time soon.

    Tian Fei shook his head somberly at the news and called his company to listen to the outline of the plan then assigned each person a specific duty.

    The next day, guests started to arrive. Each was escorted to the designated quarter to await for the big meeting two days from now.

    In the middle of that night, a scream of Ruyu’s could be heard. “Old Turtle! Let me go! I’m going to kill you. You the evil murderer!” There was a thud, and Ruyu shrilly cried. “Don’t you dare hurt him. Otherwise, I’ll bite my tongue, killing myself this instant.”

    Her captor relented and seized her shoulders then bounded out of the room. Like wind, he traveled. Yet, someone was chasing him relentlessly. Black Devil scoffed.

    “Must be some busybody friends of yours. Let’s see how long they can run.”

    He sped up, and the pursuers increased their speeds. They continued until the morning. Black Devil could not help admiring the other side’s inner power.

    They came to a stop at a lush waterfall. Under the orange ray of the morning sun, Black Devil (Luo Le Lin) discerned two youngsters, a woman and a man. He recognized the young woman as the one he had met in front of Wang Shan’s prison cottage. He smiled dryly and greeted her.

    “Well, well. So, it’s you again. Just because you took me by surprise last time, don’t think that you can touch me this time. You two are but infants. Even if I beat you, it will be just a punishment to you kids. There is no real honor in it. Don’t waste your lives here. Turn back and I’ll spare you.” His white hair flowed in the wind. His thin frame was in black robe, and his eyes rested on his opponents vigilantly.

    The two youths were Di Yi and Tian Xiang-er. As soon as they heard Ruyu’s voice, they rushed out of their respective rooms in time to follow the intruder. Tian Fei was also right behind them, while others went to inspect Huang Jiwen’s condition.

    Di Yi saw an old man with cloudless eyes and recognized him as a great pugilist, so he bowed to the other politely and requested Black Devil to release his friend.

    Black Devil scoffed. “She is Sword God’s granddaughter. I need her to lure him out in the open. I want to have a duel with him, but he is a coward, hiding in a hole.”

    Di Yi was angry. “Grandpa is not like that. He just doesn’t care about the worldly matter, so he sees no need to feign a useless fight with you.”

    Black Devil narrowed his eyes. “You can Sword God ‘Grandpa’? What is your relationship with him?”

    “He is my mentor, so if you want to challenge him, I will act as his representative.”

    The old man looked down at the young man and laughed. “Ha-ha. You will be sorry later for this arrogant statement. However, since you are a student of that old man’s, you must have learned a few things or two from him. If I have you in my hand in addition to his granddaughter, Ding Wan had to come out for sure.”

    He pointed at Tian Xiang-er and asked her who she was. “What is your relationship with White Ghost, my martial brother?”

    Tian Xiang-er shook her head. “I don’t know anyone with that name. My name is Tian Xiang-er, a daughter of Tian Fei’s, a granddaughter of Yue Gao’s.”

    Black Devil grunted. “I see you have the Tiger Killing Saber. So, that means you are Saber Lord’s heir.” He lifted his hand and laughed. “Good, good. I now have three descendants of my four enemies with me. If Sword God won’t appear now, then don’t say that I’m cruel to the children.”

    He pushed Ruyu aside and circled his palms, generating his black energy.

    Meanwhile, Tian Fei was on his way back to Wu Dang. He had realized that it could be a trick, so he had tried to call back the two youths. However, they were traveling like whirlwind and were long gone by that time. Tian Fei waited a few moments but saw no one, so he retraced his steps hurriedly uphill when he encountered Zhang Tin.

    Back at Wu Dang Sect, the chaos was taking place. Zhang Xinlang was there with Chu Lianhua as his hostage, demanding for the surrender of Emei and Wu Dang. In the light of torches under the starlit sky, he looked gruesome with red gown and a heavily powdered face. His eyes were red and sinister, and his voice was high-pitched. His look was comical, but no one dared to laugh.

    De Pang stepped forward. “How do you think that you will leave here alive? There are many skilled martial artists that wouldn’t let you come and go easily. If you return Miss Chu to us, I’ll guarantee your safe passage.”

    Zhang Xinlang snickered. “He-he. If I’m afraid of the like of you, I wouldn’t have come today.” He shot a fireworks signal to the sky, and a group of armed people appeared. The leader was the current Hua Shan’s master. Zhang Xinlang waved his hands, and the Wu Dang and its guests were surrounded.

    “You want to gather heroes to uproot the rest of our Love Palace, but you have no idea that some of them are already our servants. Kill them all.” He ordered sharply, and his troop advanced.

    De Pang looked at Zhong Xi Shi Tai and whistled. Another group of armed men appeared from the inner building, led by Huang Yitao and Mu Zhen.

    “We have a list of those people who chose to betray their country and accordingly planned for their capture. Tonight, either you or us that will live.” He waved his hands for his people to charge forth.

    Zhang Xinlang paled a little but recovered himself. He was still confident of his formidable poisonous palm. With one hand at Chu Lianhua’s throat, he leaped at the nearest target, Zhan Zhiying.

    Zhan Zhiying felt an icy palm coming forward and immediately lifted her sword to fend off the attack. Unexpectedly, the palm caught her sword and shattered it into pieces then descended on her head. At that point, Zhong Xi Shi Tai’s whisk lashed at Zhang Xinlang’s palm and created a web around him.

    The priestess of Emei had been practicing the ‘Net of No Way Out’ together with Tian Xin-er for these last three months. Although her inner power was not as strong as that of her former master’s, she had a strong foundation of Emei arts and a lot of experience in sword skills. With the help of Tian Xin-er in saber technique part, she began to grasp the principle of the Book of Four. Her martial prowess had now advanced into another step.

    As for Tian Xin-er, she was blessed with Xun Ci Shi Tai’s high inner force from the start. With her intelligence and natural talent in learning martial arts, she picked up Tian Xiang-er saber technique, Di Yi’s sword skills, and Emei’s basic Kung Fu with fast paces. However, due to the restriction of the rule, Zhong Xi Shi Tai had asked her first disciple not to practice the ‘Net of No Way Out’ any more. Tian Xin-er promised and turned her attention to perfect the other skills.

    Therefore, in this martial realm, there were only two people who had trained a full version of the ‘Net of No Way Out’, Zhang Tin and Zhong Xi Shi Tai. The former actually perfected the skill, whereas the latter was still working toward it. This was due to the fact that Zhong Xi Shi Tai had lost a lot of energy from the poisoning and had to recuperate for some time before able to use her Kung Fu again.

    Zhang Xinlang was undaunted. He pressed more force, and the whisk seared when met the fiery energy. The numbness ran through Zhong Xi Shi Tai’s arm, and she had to let go of her whisk. She retreated three steps and swayed.

    At that moment, Zhan Zhiying quickly moved out of Zhang Xinlang’s target and quickly pulled the priestess to a safe area. Upon observing a black spot on the priestess’ hand, she immediately told her senior martial sister to purge the poison from the body by meditating. She grabbed another sword and stood guard next to Zhong Xi Shi Tai.

    Tian Xin-er saw Zhang Xinlang pursuing her master and flew to the rescue. She sent her sword to intercept the venomous palm in a move ‘Wielding in all Direction’. This was one of Emei’s basic stances.

    Zhang Xinlang’s hand grabbed out but was unable to catch the sword. There seemed to be several blades at once moving in fast speed around him. Then, the stance was changed to one of the Butterfly Sword’s styles, ‘Raindrops from the Sky’. Numerous thrusts skipped over Zhang Xinlang’s various vital points. They were actually test moves to engage the opponent into defending himself in order to evaluate the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.

    Tian Xin-er’s motives were to force Zhang Xinlang to release Chu Lianhua and to find his weak point. However, his Five-venom Palm was very formidable, and so far, she had been unable to discover any flaw. Although he could not hurt her, she could do nothing to him either. Zhang Xinlang of today was far more powerful than the one she met at the old stable. Realizing that speed was her asset, she shifted the stance to ‘Scholar Writing Poem in a Garden’. Immediately, her sword danced forward, slow then fast, fast then slow, randomly. These were trick moves to lure the opponent into thinking that she had faltered. However, turned out that Zhang Xinlang did know a few thing or two about Emei sword arts. His mother, Ah Mei, had taught his father most of her sword techniques, and Zhang Tin in turn imparted a few stances here and there to the two sons.

    Thus, he didn’t fall for this move but continued guarding his vital points, and at the same time, was ready to strike out at his opponent at her first sign of fatigue. He assumed that he would last longer in a lengthy fight and intended to tire her out before making a kill.

    Meanwhile, Huang Yitao and Mu Zhen were heading the patriotic pugilists in a combat against the Love Palace’s followers. De Pang (Liu Kai Chi) at that moment was battling with the leader of Hua Shan Sect, Master Fan. The first Wu Dang brother’s Buddha Palm collided with the other’s Violet Twilight Divine Art. The paving path shook from the tremendous force from the two martial experts.

    At that time, Ah Zhu was inside her room, defending her little son from the third and last division leader of the Love Palace, Leader Du. This person was in fact a monk, who had been expelled from Shaolin many years ago from breaking some rules. He then was recruited by Zhang Tin as a special branch leader, working as a liaison between the sect and other unorthodox groups on the borders. Hence, he traveled most of the time and was kept on the background as a backup. His existence was not well known. After Zhang Tin had accomplished his training, he went about issuing this subordinate of his to gather an army to destroy Wu Dang and other righteous sects. Leader Du had just got back from Yunan at the time and without delay mustered a large force for this special party from the previous alliance. Of course, those orthodox clans were not all bound by wealth or power but rather from being blackmailed on their dark secrets in the past.

    Leader Du was at that point directing his heretical groups to attack Wu Dang from the back. On his way, he happened to hear a baby’s cry, so he took a detour to the nursery for he had an unusual taste for a raw heart of an infant. That was when Ah Zhu (Yeung Pan Pan) came upon him and had tried to prevent him from eating her son.

    In the meantime, Man He (Simon Yam Tat Wah) was assisting the injured Huang Jiwen to the inner building. “My wife, Ah Zhu, was with our baby at the moment, and she will take care of you while I go out and help the others.” He then heard Ah Zhu’s cry and hurriedly brought his guest toward the sound.

    There, he saw his wife holding their child tightly, refused to give him up to a giant man. She was wounded at both shoulders with claw-like weapon the intruder used. This stranger was a big man with extraordinary height about two meters tall. His waist span was also wide, full of muscles. He dressed in a traditional monk robe, but his hair was long. He had no beard or mustache, but his eyebrows were bushy. His eyes were hollowed as if he were a sick man although his skin was tanned and shriveled from weathering harsh seasons. In all, his appearance was menacing, and his Kung Fu was no less terrifying.

    Man He dashed forth with his hook in the left hand and his sword in the right hand. He aimed the hook at the opponent’s right shoulder while his sword attack the other’s abdomen. This was a technique in Yin Yang Sword called ‘Right Divide, Left Conquer’.

    Leader Du turned to counter his new opponent and met the coming hook with his weapon, which was a thick metal rod with claw hand shape at the end. Expertly, he caught the hook in the metal claw, rendering it to be still, while he reached forward with his left hand and seized Man He’s sword.

    Man He felt as if a huge boulder sat on top of his sword. Not only that he could not move his hands, but his entire body was also anchored to the floor with the other’s super human’s strength. Man He then applied a principle of Tai Chi, using small force against stronger source. He circulated his energy and redirected the oppressive force from his hands back to its owner.

    Leader Du felt he was being hit by powerful force and was surprised at the other’s strength. He instantly stepped back then realized Man He’s technique and boomed out in praise. “Wu Dang’s Kung Fu is very impressive!”

    At the end of the sentence, he attacked Man He viciously with his claw-weapon. This metal rod was thick and heavy enough to kill a person at one go. Coupled with its user’s strength, it was indeed a fearsome weapon.

    Man He was more cautious this time and was able to hold against his opponent for fifty moves or so with his agility and his excellent sword skills. Then, Leader Du changed his tactic. Instead of using only one end of his weapon, he put his hand in the middle of the rod and used it as his staff. Shaolin Temple had many well-known styles for this type of weapon, and Leader Du had learned quite a few stances during his early days at Shaolin.

    Suddenly, Man He cried. He was just hit by the rod on the right arm. The sounds of his bone cracking and the sword clanging on the ground happened simultaneously. With one arm injured, Man He feebly defended himself with the remaining hook although he was the verge on losing.

    At that minute, Huang Jiwen, who was leaning on the wall in one corner of the room, cried out. “Careful!” At that split second, a knife flew toward Leader Du’s heart. Because he didn’t like to attack on the sly, he called out a warning before throwing a knife.

    Leader Du instinctively twisted his torso and lifted his weapon to intercept the dagger. However, his large body remained a big target. Before he could have fended the flying projectile, the knife had lodged itself on his left arm. He felt his blood froze and realized that the knife was poisoned, so he quickly pressed two acupuncture points on the shoulder to block the flow of poison and leaped out, leaving a sarcastic laugh.

    “Using the poisoned weapon but shouting a warning before an attack is indeed a way of a hypocrite gentleman. I’ll return for this debt one day.”

    Huang Jiwen was embarrassed by that statement. It was obvious to him that his wife did have a hand in poisoning all his weapons again. “Ruyu!” He murmured frustratingly then crawled forth to see how Man He was doing. Ah Zhu’s knees suddenly weakened, and she dropped beside her husband with relief, crying hysterically at the same time. After a minute, she came to her sense and went about mending her husband’s broken arms, forgetting her own flesh wound for the time being.

    Huang Jiwen helped her with the process then sprawled on the floor, coughing up some black blood. Black Devil had hit him once on the chest, inflicting on him an internal injury. Just a while back, he had summoned his utmost energy in throwing a knife to rescue the Man family. Now, he felt weak and drained.

    Man He was more concerned of his guest’s condition, however. He called his wife to take a look at Huang Jiwen then suggested that she should take their guest to the secret chamber for safety. Huang Jiwen then entreated that Man He went along with them too.

    “Otherwise, I will go outside with you, fighting the enemies till our death!”

    Ah Zhu screamed at the two idiotic men then. “You two can hardly stand; how can you fight? You’d better off staying with me to protect my child from harm as real heroes.”

    Her reason was not logical, but she was worried that her husband would really go out and die. With no more words, she put the baby in Huang Jiwen’s shaking arms and helped her husband up. Then, she walked him toward Wu Dang’s secret hiding and motioned Huang Jiwen to follow them. With a baby in his arms, Huang Jiwen had no choice but to stagger after her gingerly, afraid of dropping the little thing, who was asleep through the danger.

    Outside, the fighting was raging. Blood was added to the colors of the twilight. Death was inevitable.
    -------------------------
    thank you all readers. I am touched by your supports. <IMG SRC="smilies/bow.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/touched.gif" border="0">

    [ July 16, 2002: Message edited by: Goofy ]
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  5. #65
    Moderator Suet Seung's Avatar
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    Whoa! Did u write all this only today? I'm in the middle of writing the next chapter now. Hopefully I can finish another chapter or the more the better before I go to Canada. <IMG SRC="smilies/blob.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/cringe.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/handball.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/typin.gif" border="0">
    I just love how you Captivate My Mind

    Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.

  6. #66
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    Not really. I had the parts in my mind for a long time. I had things start up when I was done with the last chapter. Been sick lately so vent out my cough on these actions. <IMG SRC="smilies/spit.gif" border="0">
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

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    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    Part III: Book of Destiny

    Chapter 60
    Grand Battles (2)

    The ground shook and the remaining snow tumbled down from its trees as the clashing force between De Pang (Liu Kai Chi) from Wu Dang and Master Fan from Hua Shan intensified. Their faces changed color. De Pang became paler, whereas Master Fan turned dark purple.

    Although De Pang’s palm style was named ‘Buddha’, his martial arts were Taoism in nature. He once made a bet with a friend and was lost, so he had to name his new technique at the time according to his friend’s request. According to basic of Wu Dang’s Kung Fu, De Pang knew how to preserve his inner strength and release it in small quantity against the powerful force, using the theory of ‘a piece of wood moved a large boulder’. In this manner, he was able to endure longer in the prolonged battle.

    When he felt the opponent began to feel tired, he increased his strength and forced Master Fan to retreat backward. With the stance ‘Incense to Heaven’ in the Buddha Palm series, he sent the continuous stream of energy through his palms like the white smoke coming out of incense toward Master Fan. The gentle force hit the Hua Shan leader squarely on his chest, and he felt as if he had fallen into the powerful jet of waterfall. He felt lack of air and could not breathe. He took fewer steps back and tried to grasp for air. Then, all of a sudden, he was hit again with the brick-like palms. These were called ‘Stone Palms’. The contrast in strength surprised him. He reeled backward and choked out blood then collapsed.

    De Pang, on the other hand, only jumped back a few paces from the impact of the opponent’s force. Then, he stood still and instantly went forth to help his junior brother, Mu Zhen, and Huang Yitao in a losing combat.

    Mu Zhen and Huang Yitao were gaining upper hands when a new wave of odd characters appeared from the back hill of Wu Dang. These people were from heretical sects that Leader Du had brought with him. Without a guidance of their leader, they fiercely marched forward, exterminate every living thing in sight.

    Both sides that were fighting were thrown in upheaval when these new enemies came into the picture. Not only that they had to defend themselves against their opponents, but now they also had to evade the attack from these newcomers.

    Zhan Zhiying, at that point, was in combat with a short man using a trident as his weapon. She was about to be stabbed by him when Zhong Xi Shi Tai, who had just eradicated the slight trace of poison in her system, somersaulted forward and fended off the short man’s trident with her palms.

    The short man started and paused for some seconds then recharged at the priestess who countered him with her ‘Net of No Way Out’. Although her version was not as refined as that of Xun Ci Shi Tai’s, it was fatal for middle rank martial artists. The short man was thrown back and bumped into one of his friends. He died instantly, and his friend suffered an internal injury.

    Zhong Xi Shi Tai and Zhan Zhiying then joined their comrades in the intense battle.

    Halfway to Wu Dang, Tian Fei was battling with Zhang Tin. Each had been using the sword arts that had been taught by their respective teacher/master. As a matter of fact, their Kung Fu originally came from the same root which was Sword God’s sword manual. However, Wang Shan had never taught his disciples much due to his suspicious nature. Even during his ten-year imprisonment, he managed not to impart his whole knowledge to Zhang Tin and Lu Peng. The latter was more interested in saber art, so he paid only attention to inner power cultivating technique, whereas the former was more to form and style of sword displays. Because they were afraid of being given wrong information, they usually test the theory with a servant first before practicing it themselves. Wang Shan realized of their precaution and could not deceive Lu Peng on the inner energy technique but maliciously gave the wrong form of sword display to Zhang Tin. As a result, Zhang Tin’s sword technique was far from perfect, whereas Lu Peng quickly advanced in his internal strength.

    Conversely, ever since Wang Shan had stolen the sword manuscript from his father, Sword God had revised the whole manual in order to find counter styles for those techniques. Thus, he created the additional 11 stances from the original 15 moves of the Maiden Sword. The new Maiden Sword was to counter the White Wind stance, the highest technique in the stolen sword manual. He taught this skill to his second student, Tian Fei.

    Then, Sword God invented the ‘Tiger’ and ‘Eagle’ sets for Liu Tong, his third student. These techniques were meant to subdue the original 15 moves of the Maiden Sword, which was the top sword style of Sword South School.

    In doing this, Sword God had hoped that his two students would fight together hand in hand against Wang Shan in the future. However, he had never explained his thought to them. Instead, he merely told them to use each special skill to complement each other.

    Tian Fei was now using the Maiden Sword to counter Zhang Tin’s White Wind stance. With the new energy resulting from the Book of Four, Zhang Tin’s White Wind became very destructive and formidable. However, Tian Fei’s internal power was not much less than that of his opponent’s. With the last eleven moves of the Maiden Sword series, he managed to destroy the power of White Wind.

    Undaunted, Zhang Tin changed to other sword forms, and Tian Fei countered them. They fought for hours, using hundreds of moves. Tian Fei’s sword skills were actually better than those of Zhang Tin’s although his inner strength was a little behind that of the other’s. Hence, sometimes Tian Fei seemed to gain advantage over the other, and sometimes Zhang Tin would be the one to get the upper hand.

    They battled on in the darkness, under the sky full of glistering stars. Only the weapons clashing and heavy breathings could be heard. Toward the morning, spring rain sprinkled down. Then, the wind joined in, and the drizzle became downpour. The two men were drenched to their skins, but neither would give up. It seemed only when the shower turned red, the fight would end.

    Tian Fei was in a dire strait at the moment. Zhang Tin was using his last and most powerful technique, the Net of No Way Out. Intense energy encased Tian Fei in all direction, and he could not find a way out. The more he fought against it, the tighter the net closed in on him, and the weaker he became. Zhang Tin smiled wickedly at his succumbing enemy.

    “This morning will be your last one.”

    At that moment, they heard an eagle cry. As if the birdcall triggered some lost memory, Tian Fei instantly recalled a passage that he had learned. ‘Circulate the energy around. Divide it into small channels. Let the force come and move with it. Energy lost in energy, force absorbed in force, emptiness pulled into void.’

    Enlightened, he stopped seeking the exit but emptied himself of energy and let the opponent’s force flood in. Then, he divided it into smaller channels, moved them around, and absorbed it into his void force field. Immediately, Zhang Tin felt that his net was losing its power. He added more energy, but the result was the same. His opponent seemed to be protected with an empty trench that he was unable to fill. Enraged, he increased the power till he felt his bones crack from the overuse of energy. But, however much powerful his net be, he could not do anything to his opponent. The Net of No Way Out’s formation wavered and collapsed.

    Then, that void field turned to Zhang Tin. It enveloped him then became alive. Small amount of force gushed toward him continually, leaving him no time to counter it. In no time, Zhang Tin’s channels were full of energy with no way out. His body bloated, and he exploded into pieces.

    The rain was tainted with crimson blood. Another battle concluded.

    Tian Xiang-er and Di Yi, at that point, were also wet, but not from the rain. They were fighting with Black Devil in and out of the curtain of the waterfall. Each was using all the skills each processed to beat the opponent.

    For Tian Xiang-er, it was almost like coming home to fight amid the jet of waterfall. At the White Pearl Island, she had been trained at a waterfall, using the raging current as her opponent. Therefore, in this battle, she cleverly adopted the power of the stream as her aid to increase her power against the opponent.

    Together with Di Yi, she executed the moves in the Shadow serial, the technique that combined the arts of sword and saber. She was the saber, powerful and precise. Di Yi was the sword, swift and complex. Together, they were a pair and worked as a team to complement each other’s strength and weakness.

    Black Devil discovered that he could not find a flaw from the youths’ display as the sword constantly danced in front of him, dashing in and out, luring all the time. The saber then attacked and defended with zest with the sword as its cover. The more he fought, the more worried he became. The opponents seemed to grow stronger with the help of the water stream, whereas he became weaker. He blamed it on his old age and increased his Black Cloud energy toward the flowing shower of the waterfall.

    The black force hit the water and sent it to spurt at the two youngsters. Tian Xiang-er was thrown back violently since she was the closest to the stream. Di Yi flew after her, grabbing her in time before her body shattered to the ground. Tian Xiang-er spat out blood and breathed faintly.

    “Xiang-er, are you all right?” Di Yi asked her anxiously.

    Tian Xiang-er looked into the other’s eyes and smiled. “I think I have been injured. I was too careless up there, forgot that my weapon could be used against me.” She referred to the mighty waterfall.

    Di Yi helped her up gently and whispered. “Don’t worry, dear. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He shielded her fragile body in his arms and turned to face Black Devil who alit opposite him.

    Black Devil stroked his beard and grinned. “You two were pretty good but still not entirely unbeatable.” He shouted to the sky. “Sword God, Saber Lord, Dragon Lady, and Medicine Man, did you see how powerful I am? I am invincible. I am the greatest among you all!” He laughed with mirth.

    Birds scattered from their nests with fright at his sinister tone. The world was quiet for a second as if to bow down to this old man’s power.

    Di Yi gazed at his betrothed. “Xiang-xiang, Are you afraid of death?” His tone was calm.

    Tian Xiang-er rested her head on his chest and replied, “no, as long as we are together.” She understood what he meant and handed her heavy saber to him. Try using the White Wind stance, let the force pass around you, and send it back with the saber.” She whispered and clutched Di Yi’s light sword tightly in her hand. Death brought their hearts closer than ever.

    Di Yi nodded and lifted the saber up then shouted a challenge to the old man. “Black Devil, we will beat you yet. You are not worthy enough to meet my grandpa for today I’ll vanquish you for him and the other three elders.”

    Black Devil was incensed. His face was dark with anger. “I was going to cripple you two before letting you go, but now, seem that this place will be your graves.”

    He gathered his black force and shot it to the young couple. Di Yi followed Tian Xiang-er’s advice, using his refined force to reflect the other’s energy onto the saber and lashed it back to the opponent.

    A web of pure energy overwhelmed Black Devil and knocked him over. Tian Xiang-er then released her sword with all strength she could muster. Her mind dwelled on Di Yi. ‘I love you.’ Then, she fainted.

    The thin sword slit through the air like lightning, gathering speed as it traveled. It became like light bolt when it reached Black Devil. It struck right at his heart, and Black Devil cried out. At the same time, Ruyu, who had gone unconscious but now regained her sense, cast a handful of tiny needles at him. They buried deep in his flesh, and their poison spread throughout his body. He clutched his throat but could no longer cry. Blood spurted from his chest in contest with the white spray from the waterfall. Rainbow came out at the first ray of the morning light, and Black Devil’s soul departed his body.

    Di Yi let his weapon fall weakly. He looked down at Tian Xiang-er and found her unconscious. He was alarmed and started transferring his energy to her. After a while, she woke up and smiled at him. He smiled back, glad that she was with him still. “Xiang-xiang,” he called her with the pet name and held her tight. In frenzy, he sought her lips and kissed her like storm.

    Tian Xiang-er brushed but relaxed in this state of bliss. She embraced him and let his love engulfed her. Above the love pair, the nature was watching them curiously. Birds sensed that the danger had passed and started to return home. They sang out a sweet song as a token of gratitude, and the waterfall for once mellowed its tune to accompany the cheerful melody.

    Ruyu closed her eyes intentionally at the amorous scene in front of her. She breathed out at the thought of her two grandparents. “Thank you for protect me.”

    At Wu Dang, the rain soaked the fighters to the bones but only deterred them a little. In the thick sheet of water, the slaughter went on. With the help of Zhong Xi Shi Tai and De Pang, Mu Zhen and Huang Yitao’s party was back to the winning side again. Then, they had to slow down due to the downpour. Afraid of hurting their own people, they hesitated before striking, and their opponents use this factor to the advantage. Disregard of any identity, the enemies raged forward with murderous intent. Some fell, but many marched on, all the more bloodthirsty from the gory scene. The earth turned red, and the wet floor was littered with bodies.

    This was the army that Leader Du and Zhang Tin had trained to defeat the Imperial troop. All soldiers were rough and tough, had no mercy and only knew the work ‘killing’. The group was not large but full of experts in strange martial arts. They resorted to all tricks and had no qualm in using poisonous projectiles.

    Just then, a piercing eagle call drew near, and its listeners suddenly felt pain in their internal systems. Those that belonged to Sword South School were not affected, and those outside the school but with high inner power were able to endure this strange force. Those with lesser energy, however, collapsed to the mud ground with blood flowing from their noses and their mouths, feeling as if their insides were about to burst out.

    Zhan Zhiying was one of the few people, who felt no effect from the high-pitched sound. She had spent time with Tian Bao and his white eagle for a while in the Medicine Forest and had learned and got used to this strange tune from the bird. She took a glance at her senior sister and was relieved that the priestess seemed all right. Then, she turned her attention to Chu Lianhua, who was a captive in Zhang Xinlang’s hands.

    While Zhang Xinlang was bracing himself against the shrill noise, Zhan Zhiying dashed in his direction and thrust her sword at his upper body. Zhang Xinlang did not expect this attack, so he had only time to twist his torso slightly to evade the stab. The sword missed its target by an inch and left a hole on his gaudy red robe. Zhang Xinlang snorted and turned to attack the scar-faced girl.

    Tian Xiang-er intervened and intercepted the coming palm with her sword. At the same time, she shouted to her future sister-in-law to stay away. ‘Clang,’ the sword shook and broke by the powerful force from its opponent. Zhang Xinlang followed this advantage with one stance of Five-venom Palm series, ‘Viper Movement’. His hand was in claw-like position, and his nails extended. His claw snatched forth as fast as light and as deadly as a poisonous snake.

    Tian Xiang-er dodged the fatal grasp in time and somersaulted backward. Zhang Xinlang followed relentlessly. Without weapon, Tian Xiang-er could only avoid the coming claw left and right with her agility. At that minute, she tripped on a dead body and slipped. The claw immediately came upon her. In that split of second, her hand found a pile of mud, and without thinking, seized it and threw it right at the opponent then rolled out of his grip miraculously.

    Zhang Xinlang halted his attack and looked down at his muddy gown distastefully. He winced at the state of his robe and tried to brush off the dirt. His reaction gave Tian Xiang-er a new idea. She grabbed a sword from a corpse with one hand and gathered black mud from the ground with another. Then, she hurled the mud at the opponent with all her worth. It landed on his face and his clothes. Roaring annoyingly, Zhang Xinlang busily wiped his face with a red handkerchief.

    Tian Xiang-er didn’t let the roots grow under her feet, however. She moved quickly and with basic Butterfly Sword, managed to add more damage to Zhang Xinlang’s outer garment. Since she intended only to frustrate the opponent and avoided the face-to-face encounter, Zhang Xinlang was unable to catch her, which further resulted in his fury.

    She also taunted him while his attention was divided. “Pity that your beautiful dress wears so many holes! Look at your face! It is so pale without all the thick makeup. I could even see several pores on the skin! And touch your tangled hair, so sloppy! Big sister, why do you need to hide yourself in that awful dress even though you can no longer be a man?” She kept mocking them with glib tongue, and Zhang Xinlang fell for her words. He worriedly touched his cheek and realized that the makeup on his face had been washed away by rainwater, leaving only few streaks of red on his lips.

    His hand on Chu Lianhua’s relaxed a little, and she saw a chance to act, so she reached slowly for the brooch on his bosom. To her sorrow, she had just discovered the answers to her puzzlement. During the trip to Wu Dang, she had been sleeping on the same bed and in the same room with Zhang Xinlang, but nothing had happened between them. He had explained to her that it was necessary for her own safety. Chu Lianhua, of course, had braced herself against the other’s indecency, but half to her disappointment and half to her relief; he had never tried to take advantage of her. Instead, he often examined her body with strange eyes and started to question her about the cosmetic and the accessories for women.

    She did inquire him about her senior martial sister, Gu Xiaofei, but he would curtly change the subject or ignored the questions. She felt apprehensive from his action but could not believe that he would harm his own wife in the pregnant state. Today, when his outer robe was ribbed, she noticed a silver brooch belonged to Gu Xiaofei and realized with chill heart that her senior martial sister was no more in this world.

    Gu Xiaofei loved this brooch so because it was the only heirloom she had left from her dead mother. She would never allow anyone to touch it, let alone wearing it. This piece of jewelry had always been a part of her, and she even announced once that she would have to die first before parting with it. Chu Lianhua remembered teasing her that she would have to give the brooch to her daughter to continue legacy, and Gu Xiaofei replied proudly and stubbornly.

    “No, I want to keep it with me always till my death. I won’t give it to anyone. Besides, my husband will be rich enough that he can afford buying our daughter several new pieces of jewelry.”

    Tears filled Chu Lianhua’s eyes as her hands shakily touched the brooch. With all her might, she wrenched it from his chest and stabbed at his neck with its sharp point. At the same time, she kicked out and wriggled from his hold. Tian Xiang-er aided her with a thrust at his side and rapidly pulled her out of the embrace of the death.

    Drops of red blood trickled down from his throat, and Zhang Xinlang howled with wrath. His palms went out to capture Chu Lianhua again, but Tian Xiang-er countered him with her Butterfly Sword moves. With more confidence, she renewed an attack at the injured man who had gone wild from wound pain and rage.

    Huang Yitao, at that moment, leaped to her side. He pointed his sword at Zhang Xinlang and yelled with hatred. “You murdered Tingli in cold blood. I’ll kill you to revenge her today.”

    He executed his ‘White Jasmine Sword’ and assailed the opponent ferociously. Zhang Xinlang eluded the coming stab and cried out, “Tingli!”

    Turned out he saw a vision of Lu Tingli in Huang Yitao’s sword stance, coupled with a face of Chu Lianhua’s from afar; he began to hallucinate that Lu Tingli’s ghost was materializing in front of him. In his bewilder state, he lost control of his energy. The fire deviation caused his face to turn hideous again, and when he felt the change in his body, he went berserk.

    With loud scream, he charged at some hapless fiends and killed them on spot. Then, he soared out of sight and became but one red spot in the sky. Huang Yitao was about to follow, but Tian Xiang-er held him back.

    “We are no match for his powerful palm even if he is now injured. He looks like a mad beast, and it will be too risky to encounter him at the moment. He is more devilish and more formidable now than when he was sane.”

    They had no time to discuss the issue as their enemies surrounded them, and Huang Yitao went back to his battle, while Tian Xiang-er rushed to Chu Lianhua, who was shaken by the happening but gained her composure soon. Together, the two ladies joined in the melee, and soon only sounds of weapons and cries of agony were heard amid the thundering rain.

    At that point, a chant of Sutra approached from afar. The next second, an old monk with long, flowing white beard appeared. He traveled as if he was a part of air; his movement seemed leisure, yet his speed was incredible. In a matter of minutes, he disarmed Leader Du’s army and sealed their pressure points. Of the group led by the deceased Master Fan, everyone was killed during the combat.

    Huang Yitao kneeled down, and De Pang made an obeisance to the old monk. “Sword God, it is my honor to meet you today.”

    The once legendary pugilist shook his head. “I’m no longer Sword God Ding Wan but ‘Without Shadow’. I have broken my vow today because I do not wish further bloodshed. Buddha, be merciful to the death.” He sat down under a tree and started his Sutra prayers.

    At that point, Tian Fei arrived. “Teacher!” He bowed to the old monk with utmost politeness; tears of happiness flowed on his cheeks. He didn’t dare to disturb his teacher, so he stood aside patiently.

    Ten minutes later, Di Yi and Tian Xiang-er turned up with Ruyu. Di Yi caught sight of the old monk and happily went to greet him. The old monk stopped his chanting and looked at the young man.

    Then, his eyes rested at Ruyu. “Greeting to you, my granddaughter.” He sighed. “My wish is fulfilled.” He called Huang Yitao to come near him. “I have a message to deliver to you from Lu Tingli. She is still alive but wants to be alone for the time being. You will meet her soon when she is ready.”

    He put his hands together and closed his eyes again, chanting a Sutra in soft voice then quieted. Nobody dared to move. Suddenly the eagle screeched, this time the tune was sad. The wind rushed by, and Ruyu instinctively rushed forward at her grandfather. She touched him gingerly, but he didn’t respond her. Fearfully, she put a finger under his nose and felt no breathing.

    Tear-stained, she looked up at Tian Fei who instantly understood her message. He staggered forward and hugged his teacher’s body in sorrow. “Teacher!”

    All kneeled down in respect to the departure of the last legendary martial artist.

    ‘There were once four Greats; Dragon Lady from the west, Medicine Man from the east, Saber Lord from the north, and Sword God from the south.’

    The rain turned to drizzle, and the sun came out from the cloud. It reflected spray in the air and created a big rainbow across the sky. Birds came out from their shelters and sang the food-searching song. The nature stirred anew. The cycle of fate never ceased regardless of any death. Such was a truth of life.

    Zhang Xinlang, at the present, was at the back of Wu Dang Mountain, staring into a clear pool. He kept seeing an ugly face in the water looking back at him, so he yelled abuses at the face in the pool. Undauntedly, the face in the pool was still there, as horrible as ever.

    He screamed as he realized then that it was his own reflection. Then, a flash of idea ran through his mind, and he took out a sharp dagger from his waist. Next, he started stabbing at his own face to destroy the revolting mask that was covering his handsome face right now. Madly, he slashed at himself till blood filled the pool.

    A sound of eagle was above in the sky, and he mistook it as Lu Tingli’s call for him. ‘Tingli,’ he thought of her sweet face and innocent smile and fell into the crimson pool.

    Back at the battle scene, Ruyu had just made the diagnosis that these strangers were poisoned with exotic drug extracted from a poppy plant.

    “This type of flower only grows in high mountains in the north. The powder extracted from its juice can used as medicine, but at the same time, can be fatal for human mind. There seemed to be a medicinal expert who exercised the control of people’s mind by way of this drug.”

    De Pang inquired her if she knew the antidote for this poison, and she nodded. “I once read it in Grandma’s journal, but it is a long process.” She looked at those people disgustedly.

    “I think it is a waste of time to save their lives, but if you insist, I will give them the first antidote. Then, they have to go to their places, never to return here. After that, if they refrain from using a lot of force and live healthy in clean air, the drug will lessen its effect and will not harm them anymore.”

    De Pang listened attentively and turned to ask the defeated if they would agree to her conditions. All of them said yes, and he turned to entreat Ruyu to prepare the antidote. Ruyu nodded and brought out some ingredients from her pockets and went to work, while Mu Zhen entered the building to search for Man He.

    He met his third martial brother halfway. Despite Ah Zhu’s protests, Man He decided to come out after a good rest. He held a hook in his good hand and left Huang Jiwen in the care of his wife.

    The two martial brothers greeted each other gladly. Then, they went back to the hiding chamber to inform Ah Zhu of the present situation. Upon hearing that, she sighed with relief but reported to the two men that Huang Jiwen had not wakened yet. He lost consciousness some time last night, not long after he had swallowed Wu Dang’s Red Lotus pill. As for Ah Zhu’s wounds, Man He had taken care of them with the Wu Dang’s medicine. After an undisturbed night, the husband and wife were more refreshed. Ah Zhu, at that moment, was busy with her baby.

    Mu Zhen then moved the unconscious man to one of the rooms and went to fetch his first martial brother. Tian Fei for once left his teacher’s body and joined De Pang in examining Huang Jiwen’s condition. They found a black print of hand on the young man’s chest and agreed that high energy was needed to rid of that black palm. Di Yi offered his help as well, so the tree men made a circle around him and started the process of healing.

    Ruyu had just finished brewing her antidote and instructed Zhan Zhiying and others to feed it to the prisoners. “Until the antidote takes effect and they began to feel drowsy, don’t release their pressure points though. The drug in their bodies has changed them into half-beast already.” She made a wise precaution.

    She wiped her face tiredly and began to make an inquiry on her husband. When she learned of his condition, she became agitated. She would have dashed to see him if Zhan Zhiying had not caught her hand in time.

    “Madam Huang, you can’t go in there just yet. Master Tian and the others were helping your husband with their inner force. The process is very delicate and should not be disturbed else the healers would get fire deviation.”

    She reasoned with the worried wife, and Ruyu had to admit that the other was right. She sat down dejectedly and waited for most of the day, during which, some scouts had brought back a corpse without a face. By the clothing and the body build, they concluded that it must have been Zhang Xinlang.

    Chu Lianhua stared at the lifeless body on a stretcher and sighed with pity. All the sacrifices for power came down to nothing. She murmured a prayer for his soul silently before asking someone to bury him along with other dead bodies.

    After some rest, the survivals went around, helping the wounded ones and burying the decease. Wu Dang’s two brothers, Mu Zhen and Man He busily distributed medicine and directed the weary warriors to their sleeping quarters, while Ah Zhu was relating her experience with a strange monk to the two Tian sisters.

    Late in the afternoon, Tian Fei, De Pang, and Di Yi came out of the room with grave expressions. Tian Fei was the one who informed Ruyu.

    “We succeeded in erasing the black print from his chest, but we could not wake him up. I think that Jiwen needs to be examined by Ah Bao right away.” He motioned Di Yi to take Ruyu to see her husband while he went about preparing for the journey home.

    Inside the room, Ruyu rushed to her husband’s bedside and shook him hard. “Jiwen, you can’t leave me like this. You have to wake up to see our bay. Did you hear me, Jiwen? I’m pregnant!” She cried tearfully to no avail and sat by him till the departure time.

    When two stretchers were constructed and mean of transportation was ready, Tian Fei and his party took leaves of the Wu Dang brothers. Although they managed to defeat the villains, they did not entirely come out victoriously. Like most wars, bloodshed was common, and merit was few.

    With heavy hearts, they marched homeward to the Sword South School.
    -------------------------------

    thank you for reading. Please leave your comments. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  8. #68
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    Cool

    Just wonder if anyone wants to read more about Tian Xin-er or not. I am planning on making her a star of my sequel. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0">

    Thank you for all your supports. <IMG SRC="smilies/touched.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/love.gif" border="0">

    Part III: Book of Destiny

    Epilogue

    Tian Bao could not do anything about Huang Jiwen. “He looks healthy. His pulsation was normal, yet he would not wake up. We could only wait for him to come to, and during the time fed him ginseng to keep him in good health.”

    Ruyu screamed, “when will that be?” She knew the answer without her junior apprentice brother’s reply. “Jiwen, I’ll wait for you till you get up.” She embraced her unconscious husband.

    Tian Fei sighed heavily and went out to organize the cremation for Sword God, his teacher and the founder of the Sword South School.

    Months passed, and lives more or less became routines. Ruyu became heavy now with a glow of maternal beauty. Every day, she would visit her sleeping husband, informing him of the happenings in the house and of their baby. She would hold his warm but unmoving hands and chatted on, believing that he could hear every word of hers.

    “Jiwen, our baby kicks today! I was so exciting. Ah Bao said that I will deliver soon.” She patted his big hand fondly. “Today is the double blessings occasion. Both Ah Bao and Xiang-er are getting married this evening. I helped making a wedding gown for Xiang-er too.” Tears ran down her face. “I am a good housewife now. I can cook and sew very well. Xing-xing taught me that. Jiwen, I’m so lonely. Please wake up to be with me. Our baby needs you. I swear, I will never touch any poison again if you would only open your eyes.” She begged him and waited with hope. When silence only answered her, she sighed again before leaving the bedroom to prepare for the double weddings.

    Huang Yitao was directing the servants to decorate the house when he was informed that a nun came to request his audience. Curiously, he walked to the guest chamber and bowed politely to the figure in white costume. Then, his heart skipped when he saw the nun’s face.

    “Tingli!” He cried, stepped forward, then stopped confusingly.

    The nun smiled a little. “My former name was Lu Tingli, but now, I have left the illusion world and entered the realm of Buddha. I am actually in debt with the old monk, who rescued me from the cliff and took care of me the whole winter.” She presented a basket to Huang Yitao.

    “I have decided that the road of Dharma suits me best, but I have a task to finish. This baby is our daughter. Would you please take care of her for me? I hope that she will have a happier life than her mother did.”

    Her words shook a little, but she regained calmness. “Please pass my best wishes to the marrying couples.” She looked at him with clear eyes. “Please let me go from your heart. Forget Lu Tingli and start your love anew with someone else. Farewell.”

    She bowed to him serenely and slowly departed. Huang Yitao was stunned. He took a step after her but realized that he could no longer catch her. They belonged in a separate world now. Sighing remorsefully, he lifted a cover and was greeted by a sweet smile. “My daughter,” he exclaimed and lifted the infant to his bosom. “Father will take good care of you.” He promised to the grinning girl.

    He took her to see Yue Ling who was talking with Tian Fei about their children. Tian Fei was wondering why Yue Feng and she felt so sure that they could identify whether Lu Tingli was his daughter or not even before they had learned the truth about Di Bao.

    “Well, all the females from my mother’s family have a distinct birthmark on their right shoulders. Sister Feng and I have it, also do Xiang-er and Xin-er. Therefore, it is logical to assume that Lu Tingli would have the mark too if she were really Xin-er’s twin.”

    She explained to Tian Fei and turned toward the baby noise. “Who is that baby? Can I hold it?”

    Huang Yitao had just entered her room. He gently laid his daughter in Yue Ling’s arms. Yue Ling cooed and talked to it in tender voice. Then, her unseeing eyes looked up in the direction of Huang Yitao.

    “Whose child is this? What is her name?”

    Huang Yitao held his breath. He mentioned the name lovingly. “Her name is Tingli, Huang Tingli. She is my daughter.” He told the two elders about his visitor.

    Tian Fei glanced at his martial nephew then nodded. “I suspected as much when I examined her pulse that night at Love Palace in Xiangyang. I’m glad that she is alive and gave birth to a healthy child – a good addition at that.” He trickled the baby, and she chuckled.

    “She is a beautiful child. She will grow up as sweet and as kind as her mother is.” He blessed her.

    Huang Tingli quickly became the angel in everyone’s heart. She was a good-tempered baby and ready to play with all strangers. Tian Xin-er especially fell head over heels over this young infant. “Aunt will teach you good Kung Fu when you grow up.” She was at home for her siblings’ wedding. Zhong Xi Shi Tai, her master, and Chu Lianhua were also here, acting as maternal host for Zhan Zhiying.

    Wu Dang had sent Mu Zhen, Man He, and Ah Zhu with wedding presents to witness the nuptial. Man He’s arm was healed, and Ah Zhu had with her their baby son, who became the second popular child in no time. Laughter and smile were abundant that day. Happiness and joy were everywhere. Soon, the ceremony began, and four figures in red wedding gowns stepped forward with red bows connecting each pair of young lovers.

    The music played a lively tune, and the air filled with sweet aroma of incense and late summer flowers. It was the heavenly moment for everyone.

    The brides and grooms went through the ceremony then were sent to their respective chambers. After a while, all was quiet. The brides were shy, and the grooms were tongue-tied, but their loves were pure. They all passed the night with sweet and memorable moments. New roads of life had been chosen, and the newlyweds would travel together till death parted them.

    Destiny worked on…

    The End.
    ----------------------
    thank you...

    [ July 18, 2002: Message edited by: Goofy ]
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  9. #69
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    Cool

    funny piece I wrote in boring moment. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

    Interview:

    This is an interview of the writer, Gigi, from her fan, Goofy.

    Goofy: Where did you get the pen name ‘Gigi’?

    Gigi: From my handsome white cat. His name is Gigi, and he is my love and my life. He motivated me to continue writing. (Take out pictures of Gigi and show them to Goofy.)

    Goofy: Humph, a very cute cat. I have one like him too. By the way, can you give us a brief history of a making of the Legend of the Sword and Saber?

    Gigi: Well, I was first inspired to write a story from reading Tu Vi’s ancient fan fiction ‘Destiny’. I have always loved writing, and have practiced with a round robin fanfic at Spcnet forum for a while before seriously considering my own fanfic. I am a fan of Jin Yong’s and Gu Long’s wuxia novels, and I am an addict of ancient Chinese TV series, so it seems inevitable that I started out with wuxia fan fiction. I got the title right away, and it just formed inside my mind with new ideas and certain details popping up for some time before I really had courage to put everything together. You see, I don’t know Chinese, and I was so afraid that I would mess up names and such. However, I was a little down during Christmas 01, so I just wrote to vent out some frustrations. I think I had about 6-7 chapters before I decided to post them at Winglin site. Then later on, I posted the story at Spcnet forum, where I usually serf when I’m on the internet. Since then, I couldn’t stop and went on writing a short story and co-writing another fanfic with two other friends.

    Goofy: Your posters are very nice. Do you have someone make them for you? Why three posters?

    Gigi: Thanks to the two great poster makers. The first two posters are made by MeTeOrLuv, and I asked her specifically to do them because I like her work on Tu Vi’s Destiny. The last poster (the current one) is produced by the kind NiteDream, whom was recommended by White Rain, another fanfic writer. White Rain was very helpful finding pictures of actors and actresses for me. The both artists did excellent jobs. Thanks to all who had helped.

    The reason that there are three posters because I divided the story into 3 volumes or 3 books. It is not a trilogy per se, just a way to make it look neater. I have to confess that I love looking at posters. I wanted to make one myself but lack program knowledge and artistically talent. So, when I have an excuse to have someone make a poster for me, I can’t decide just on only one poster. Each poster has different set of cast. For instance, the first book focuses on the parents’ generation. So, older artists like Adam Cheng and Angie Chiu’s pictures were portrayed there. The second poster showed the four major characters, and the third one included the other main characters. Sometimes, I feel that I could just write for the sake of getting posters made. (Wink)

    Goofy: What do you think of this fanfic of yours? What is your like and dislike?

    Gigi: Naturally, I like it as I wrote it myself. I didn’t mean to make it this long (meaning over 40 chapters) but got caught with multi-cast I created. I enjoyed writing it, and I am glad that there are readers who found it entertaining. I’ve learned a lot from this fanfic – English writing, Chinese names, China’s geography, facts about martial arts, etc. I found that I need to do some research along the way to make the plot more possible. In fact, it could have turned into full fiction easily if I had been less lazy and worked more on details. My dislike would be when I ended up with very soapy chapter or some cliché plot. Sometimes, it couldn’t be helped. Also, I am always worried about my characters. I was too greedy and wanted to throw a lot of my favorite stars together in this story. (I thought that I was writing only ONE fanfic at the time.) Therefore, I constantly tried to develop all characters so that they could have some depths. I felt too wordy sometimes. Good thing that I have very understanding readers whose support was much appreciated. My like was when I could imagine all my favorite artists acting out the plot, and I’m satisfied with my English ability. English is not my native language, and I feel that I did pretty well with it. I like to read a story with correct grammars, and I hope that I did achieve at least 80% of that. Also, I have to confess that I was rather uncomfortable writing love scenes and such, being a single girl myself. (Hint..)

    Goofy: Which is your favorite character?

    Gigi: I like all my characters. It’s hard for me to kill any of them because I only chose the main cast from the artists I like, either from their acting or just sheer infatuation with their looks. (blushing) They all grew on me as I wrote. I cried for every character that died. That is probably why I would not make away with Tian Fei or Yue Ling. Adam Cheng and Angie Chiu are my favorite couple and I couldn’t bear be their character’s murderer. However, I don’t mind giving hard roles to them. My theory is that the better actors/actresses are in acting, the more challenge roles they will get. If I have to choose one that I like the least, I’d have Zhang Xi-nan. Kent Tong is my least favorite actor in the whole cannon.

    Goofy: What is the message of this story?

    Gigi: I wrote this fanfic for fun and had no definite moral in mind. Probably just basic Buddhism belief like good deeds versus bad deeds because I’m a Buddhist. General idea would be ‘be good’.

    Goofy: I like your descriptions of fighting and those interesting names for moves. Where did you get those ideas from?

    Gigi: Well, I usually imagine a fight taking place in my mind and used my little knowledge of Kung Fu, mainly from TV series of course, to create the scene. As for name, I borrowed some from the wuxia novels, but mostly I thought of them myself. All martial art stances and names are purely from my imagination, not to be taken as real things.

    Goofy: You mentioned about other writings. What are they?

    Gigi: I wrote a short funny piece, using my cat as a model. Then I co-wrote a fanfic with White Rain aka WhiteKrane and Charbydis (or Whirlpool in Winglin site); the title was Tale of Vengeance. They both are posted in Spcnet forum and are wuxia stories.

    Goofy: There is a rumor that you might be doing a trilogy.

    Gigi: Yes, I’m thinking of it. However, it depends on free time I’ll have in the future. At least, I’m planning on writing a sequel of this fanfic. The new story will have some carried over casts as well as other artists like Jackie Lui, Maggie Siu, and Deric Wan. Of course, Noel Leung will be one of the main characters.

    Goofy: Thank you.

    Gigi: It’s my pleasure and thank you for reading my story.
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  10. #70
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    Cool

    I would like to thank (not in particular order):
     Jin Yong and Gu Long, the two greatest masters of contemporary wuxia novels. I love their books and was inspired a lot from their stories.
     Moinllieon, Lanny Lin, and other English translator of wuxia novels. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a chance to read my favorite stories again.
     Tu Vi, my fan fiction sifu. Your fan fiction indeed started my fanfic writing career.
     White Rain aka WhiteKrane. You introduced fan fiction reading to me thus made me a fanfic addict.
     MeTeOrLuv and NiteDream for splendid posters. You two are artists!
     Odie. Your support is much appreciated, and I love the background you made for me on the Siubing Library. Thanks for hosting my story.
     Charbydis in Spcnet forum or Whirlpool in Winglin for bouncing ideas back and forth with me. You are a great author too!
     Rinda, swordmaster87, and TK for hosting my fanfic and putting up with my multiple emails.
     Spcnet and Winglin for archiving and hosting my story.
     Posters from Jin Yong forum and Spcnet forum for the materials of the story.
     Readers from Spcnet forum, Siubing Library, and Winglin fanfic site. All your feedback are my treasure. Hope you will continue supporting me. (bow)
     Lastly, all the artists that participated in my fanfic. Because of you, my story became alive. I salute these great actors and actresses with all my heart.
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  11. #71
    Senior Member Shirley's Avatar
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    <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/clap.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/clap.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/clap.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/clap.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/clap.gif" border="0"> Great Job!!!! You are a very hardworker. I hope you will do a sequel to this because I want to see the future. PLEASE DO A SEQUEL.
    Beauty is not in the face;
    beauty is a light in the heart.

    -It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart.

  12. #72
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    I don't know what to say. Your story is excellent. But i'm sad that Lu Tingli and Huang Yitao are not together....I'm also sad that now it's finish the anticipation of another chapter is gone...
    I hope you do a sequel or even better a story where Barbara and Felix get together!!!! <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">
    Read the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud now. I swear that you won't regret meeting someone like Bartimaeus. Ever.

  13. #73
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    how about a participation for a new story? <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

    I decided to start a new one - the sequel of this fanfic. Huang Yitao will be in there with some new casts like maggie siu, jackie lui, fiona leung, and derek wan. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

    anyone care to give me the full chinese name of these artists? <IMG SRC="smilies/help.gif" border="0"> Thanks...

    Kara and Shirley, hope you will continue supporting my fanfics. Thank you very much. <IMG SRC="smilies/bow.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/kiss.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/smooch.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/love.gif" border="0">
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  14. #74
    Moderator Suet Seung's Avatar
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    Goofy:

    Here are their full names.

    Maggie Siu Mei Kei
    Jackie Lui Chung Yin
    Deric Wan Siu Lun
    Fiona Leung Ngai Ling

    Have you thought of a title for the sequel?
    Just curious!

    <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/tongue.gif" border="0">
    I just love how you Captivate My Mind

    Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.

  15. #75
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    No, care to help? <IMG SRC="smilies/catroar.gif" border="0">

    the story will be the adventure of tian xin-er (vivian leung).

    I am thinking of Journey something but I am never good at title (especially wuxia one). <IMG SRC="smilies/redface.gif" border="0">

    thanks WK for quick reply. Appreciate it. <IMG SRC="smilies/bow.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/love.gif" border="0">
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  16. #76
    Moderator Suet Seung's Avatar
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    Talking

    Goofy: It's the least I can do to help you. Here in the wulin world of Spcnet. We'll always be here to help each other right? <IMG SRC="smilies/naughty.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/naughty.gif" border="0">

    "No, care to Help?" What do you mean? Are you asking for a co-writer? Hehe I'm afraid I'm a bit preoccupied with my oncoming new modern fanfic after my ancient fanfic. I still have to find time to catch up with this fanfic of yours. I'm sure if C Monster, Kara, TKL, or Charbydis if she's still around would be glad to help you out if that's what your asking for.

    <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/tongue.gif" border="0">
    I just love how you Captivate My Mind

    Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.

  17. #77
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    I mean the title for the new fanfic, not the co-writer. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  18. #78
    Moderator Suet Seung's Avatar
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    Wink

    How about we keep it simple and go with "The Adventures of Tian Xin-Er".
    I just love how you Captivate My Mind

    Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.

  19. #79
    Senior Member Goofy's Avatar
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    Cool

    hmm, I'm looking for a more intrigue title but will keep that one in mind. thanks anyway. <IMG SRC="smilies/catroar.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/twirl.gif" border="0">
    "History's third dimension is always fiction."
    -- The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse

  20. #80
    Moderator Suet Seung's Avatar
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    Well, that's all I could come up with..when I don't know anything about the sequel or what theme or item will be talked about in it. So until then...heheh perhaps your better off coming up with the title since you know how it's going to be. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> Keep up on writing! <IMG SRC="smilies/thumbsup.gif" border="0">
    I just love how you Captivate My Mind

    Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.

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