The Quest of Heaven and Earth

[Goofy]

Chapter 31
Spider, Scorpion, and Snake

Character List (not in any particular order):
Bai Chang (Joey Man Yi Man)
Miao Li (Jackie Lui Chung Yin)
Hua Bingzhu (Mariane Chan Miu Ying)
Hua Wuxie (Angie Cheung Wai Yi)
Hua Xue-she (Carmen Lee Yuek Tung)

Bai Chang questioned her martial brother curiously. “Aren’t we going to the Juchen Kingdom?”

Miao Li nodded. “Yes, but we have one stop to make. I need a good introductory gift after our long separation. Widow Mansion has been a nuisance for both Mongol and Juchen soldiers. I will destroy it and present the three widows’ heads to my royal father.”

Bai Chang frowned with worry. “But I heard from Grandpa that those women are very powerful. Besides, there are many mazes around the mansion to prevent outsiders to enter it.” She clung on the other’s hands. “It is too risky. I don’t want you to go.”

Miao Li patted her hand. “All right. I will think about it.” When they reached a town, they found an inn and rented a first-class room.

At late hours, Miao Li still could not fall asleep. He tossed and turned until Bai Chang asked him sleepily what was the matter.

Miao Li sighed gloomily. “I am merely thinking of our future. To tell you the truth, I am not at all confident in meeting my father. Twenty-five years ago, he banished my mother and his baby son cold-bloodedly. Although I have now two sabers that are the proof of my identity, I am not sure if he will accept this long-lost son. He still might not want me. That’s why I thought of going to the Widow Mansion first and gain some credits there. But as you said, how can I get pass those mazes by myself.” He laughed at himself. “It is just a crazy idea. Forget it.”

Bai Chang was awake now. She gave her husband a hug. “Martial Brother, I don’t care if you cannot be the prince. I am happy enough to be with you everywhere.”

Miao Li let out another sigh. “I know, my love. However, I have a lot of enemies, and without having protection from my father’s armies, we might not live long. For myself, I am not afraid of death, but I don’t want to leave you and our child to face the world alone.”

Bai Chang quivered in his arms. “You are a skilled martial artist. You Sun Saber is invincible. Martial Brother, you are the best and you will never die.” She whimpered, and Miao Li fingered her long flowing hair assuredly.

“I am sorry to frighten you, Chang-er. It is true that I have the Sun Saber style, but your grandfather taught Shu Qiuyang Moon Sword. Sun Saber and Moon Sword are like yin and yang. They can either complement or against each other. If Shu Qiuyang comes after you, it is hard to tell the result. His inner power is not so great, but he knows all about my Sun Saber’s weak points.”

Bai Chang shuddered. “I would rather die to go back to that beast again!” She cried and immediately made a decision. “Martial Brother, you have to practice Moon Sword so that you can protect me from that villain.”

Miao Li looked hesitated. “But it is wrong to learn new arts without permission from their owner. Moreover, we don’t have the manual with us.”

Bai Chang smiled and assured him. “That is no problem. Although I never practice the Moon Sword, I have read the manual before and memorized it all. Therefore, as your wife, it won’t be odd to recite it to you. Also, since we are married, you are automatically the only heir of my grandfather and should be the one to receive his top skills by right in the end. Besides, Grandpa has known for a long time how I love you. If he had not wished you to learn Moon Sword someday, he would not have let me look at the manual. By all means, I think it is all right for you to train this technique. Grandpa would hardly blame you if he knows that you do this for my safety.”

Miao Li weighed his wife’s words carefully then finally nodded. “I will do as you say. We will start tomorrow.” He sounded pleased. “Xiaomei, I am so lucky to have you.” He rewarded her with a long kiss, which she promptly responded. “I will do everything for you.” She murmured; her spirit soared high in clouds of happiness.

For a week, Miao Li had worked hard on his new skill and, as the result, he progressed quickly. With the Moon Sword technique added, Miao Li again brought up the plan of attacking the Widow Mansion. He promptly mentioned his idea to Bai Chang who was against the idea, but he was determined.

“The Widow Mansion is a good place to try out both my Sun Saber and Moon Sword skills. Also, I just can’t go to my father with empty hands. Chang-er, have you ever heard your Grandpa talked about the Widow Mansion’s mazes?” He questioned his wife with an attractive smile, and bits by bits, he got all the information he needed.

Miao Li smiled at her with satisfaction. He planted a light kiss on her nose. “Don’t worry, my dear. I won’t be gone long. Just take care of yourself for me.” His reassuring voice calmed her down.

“Martial Brother, be careful. You have to come back to me.” She made him promise to return to her and watched him disappeared from her sight. Then she sighed forlornly and slowly walked back to her room, feeling very lost and lonely.

At the Widow Mansion, Hua Xue-she was at the ice pool, freeing her second sister, Hua Wuxie. “Almost a month passed, and Bingzhu still wouldn’t release you. I can’t just stand seeing you die here, so I am taking you away from the Mansion. Bingzhu has ordered our secret exit behind the waterfall to be sealed, so we have to fight our way out against her guards.” She gave her elder sister a new gown and an herb pill to stimulate blood. “This will help get rid of chill from your system.”

Hua Wuxie changed clothes and obediently took the medicine. She then looked at her younger sister gratefully. “Thank you, Xue-she, but I don’t want you to get into trouble for me. I think I can go out by myself.” She walked a few paces and reeled. Hua Xue-she caught her sister and chided the other. “You can’t even walk straight, so how can you get pass our guards? But, my pill should give you back some energy pretty soon.”

She sighed softly. “I should confess to you that I also want to leave the Mansion to find one person. However, I won’t go without you, Wuxie. Don’t worry. Bingzhu would not dare to harm you in front of me.” She assured the other confidently, and Hua Wuxie nodded understandingly.

“You want to see Ke Jing, and I want to meet De Pang. Sister, we both have the same fate, loving the men whose hearts belong to somebody else’s.”

Hua Xue-she murmured. “Is this love? I thought I could forget him but I kept thinking of him. He appears in my dreams and is everywhere that I go. Wuxie, my heart races when I recall his voice. Then it pains when I remember his words. How can I get rid of this feeling?”

Hua Wuxie hugged her sister lovingly. “My dear sister, only time can heal this kind of wound. For now, enjoy the sweet memories and try not to think of the bitter moments.”

They went through numerous corridors, heading toward the exit. Surprisingly, there were considerably lacked of guards. As the two maidens approached one corner, a severely injured woman ran into them. She whispered, “invader…an enemy…” Then she died in Hua Xue-she’s arm.

The two sisters looked at each other and rushed toward the gate. There, they saw dead bodies of the guards; all were stabbed by a saber. Hua Xue-she touched one corpse and said thoughtfully. “The body is quite warm, so the murderer could not be that far from here.” She thought of her eldest sister and exclaimed. “Bingzhu is in danger!”

Hua Wuxie said as a matter of fact. “We have to go back and help her.” There was no question in that, and the two maidens dashed toward their eldest sister’s quarter. By now, Hua Wuxie’s strength had returned as Hua Xue-she had predicted; therefore, she was able to keep up with the other’s light kung fu. The two sisters passed many passageways and saw corpses everywhere. Their worries increased and when they reached the main hall, they found that Hua Bingzhu was fighting furiously with a tall man with a black saber.

Hua Wuxie and Hua Xue-she lost no time in joining their eldest sister against the stranger. Hua Xue-she threw her poisonous snakes at him to distract his attention while Hua Wuxie attacked the man from the left with her Mist Scorpion Claws. Hua Bingzhu took a glance at her two younger sisters and doubled her force toward the opponent’s right side.

Miao Li bent backward to dodge the coming palms from both sides, while the black metal of his saber contrasted against the silvery skins of poisonous snakes. Simultaneously, he dropped down to the ground and rolled away. Then he sprang up while pulling another saber from its sheath on his back. “Three beautiful heads are just what my Yin-Yang sabers need.” He roared madly; his eyes were intense with killing instinct.

Hua Bingzhu called out, “Ice-Mist-Snow Formation!” At the same time, she leaped forward, casting her skeins of black thread toward the enemy with Ice Spider Energy. Concurrently, Hua Wuxie extended her poisonous claws and went for Miao Li, while Hua Xue-she employed her white belt to strike at him in Snow Snake Style.

Miao Li felt a net of cold energy surrounding him. Not only that, the force was thick of toxin. Within a few minutes, he was just about to collapse from poisonous effect. Luckily, he still had some sense left, so he cut himself with one of the sabers in order to stay awake. The weapon drank his blood, and his head seemed to clear up somehow. Quickly, Miao Li renewed his attack. His right saber slashed Hua Bingzhu’s black energy field, and his left saber encountered Hua Xue-she’s weapon, while his body moved agilely, evading Hua Wuxie’s long nails. He then brought the two sabers together in the middle against Hua Wuxie’s inner power. The latter was still weak, so when she received his more superior energy head-on, she was thrown away from the formation circle immediately. Hua Wuxie cried out once and passed out.

Hua Bingzhu screamed with rage and emitted poisonous energy from her palms. Miao Li swiftly shifted his upper torso to the left and aimed his right blade at the other’s chest. Hua Bingzhu saw only the ray of the saber in the other’s hand as it traveled rapidly toward her. Instinctively, she evaded the sharp blade to discover that the last strike was a scheme to herd her to the direction of the other saber. Suddenly, she felt excruciating pain on her right shoulder blade. Happened that Miao Li had just cut off her right arm with his jade green saber in his left hand.

Hua Xue-she who had reeled backward immediately rushed to help her eldest sister a minute too late. Her cold eyes once was void with emotion flickered with hatred as she released more white cloth, and Miao Li destroyed it all with his sharp sabers. In the end, she was forced back until she could go no further. Miao Li smiled cruelly as he was ready to chop down. At that moment, he heard whizzing sound from the back and turned around in time to intercept the projectiles thrown by Hua Bingzhu. He narrowed his eyes annoyingly at the one-arm woman on the floor and blasted his force at her. Just then, Hua Wuxie, who had just come around, slid herself to the front of her elder sister and was hit directly instead of Hua Bingzhu. She could only croak out her sisters’ names before fading from this world.

Hua Bingzhu clutched her second sister’s dead body numbly. She forgot her own physical pain for the moment for her heart ached more. “Wuxie!” She yelled as Miao Li stabbed once more right at her stomach.

Hua Xue-she was too weak to rescue her sisters but she gathered her last strength to destroy the mechanic of the Widow Mansion’s gates hidden behind the three thrones. Instantly, tremendous noise roared from afar, and sand began to seep down from the roof. The room seemed to rock, and Miao Li looked up with surprise.

Hua Bingzhu laughed madly. “Ha-ha. You can take our heads, but you will never get out of here alive. We will die here together. Ha-ha.” Blood continuously gushed down from her wounds onto Hua Wuxie’s white skin, but she paid no attention to it. “Ha-ha, ha-ha.” Her laughter shrilled to the other’s bones.

Miao Li grunted and hastily retreated to the hallway. He realized that the place could tumble down any minute, and the best way was to get out of here while he could. He grabbed Hua Bingzhu’s right arm from the floor and ran as fast as he could to the exit.

The room after the fight was in a mess. Debris was everywhere, and the ceiling looked as if it was about to fall down. However, Hua Xue-she was only concerned of her two sisters. She staggered weakly to them. “Bingzhu, Wuxie, how are you?”

Hua Bingzhu looked at her youngest sister with tears. “Wuxie is dead, and I am dying, but you have to live. Go away from here quickly and start your own life.” Her voice was faint but steady.

Hua Xue-she shook her head repeatedly. “No! If you don’t go, I will die here with you and Wuxie.”

Hua Bingzhu touched her third sister’s pale face with love. “Silly girl, what the use for me to leave this place when I know that I am at my last breath. I am the master of the Widow Mansion, so it is right to stay here with my disciples and Wuxie.” She looked down at her second sister and smiled dreamily. “Besides, I have to catch up with Wuxie to apologize to her. We have so much to talk about.”

She pushed her youngest sister toward the door. “Xue-she, I am sorry that I won’t be able to look after you anymore, but you have to be brave. You are free now. Do whatever your heart desires.”

Hua Xue-she wept; tears streaked her face. “Who is that man? I will revenge him for you.”

Hua Bingzhu shook her head. “Don’t. His martial uncle has very high kung fu, and you alone will never get pass his sabers. Xue-she, you are not a real widow; therefore, you should not stop your life just now because of Wuxie and me. Bury all memories under the sand and build up the new one. You have been a good sister, so please obey me for the last time. My little sister, this is my dying wish.” Strength was gradually receding, and she felt so light.

Hua Xue-she wrapped her arms around her two older sisters and stumbled away, sobbing. Hua Bingzhu blurrily watched her youngest sister disappearing then peacefully closed her eyes. “Wuxie, wait for me. I am coming.” She murmured into the other’s ears.
------------------------------
Happy New Year. <IMG SRC="smilies/alien.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/twirl.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/rockband.gif" border="0">

[Goofy]

Chapter 32
A New Heir and An Old Crime

Character List (not in any particular order):
Ke Jing (Julian Cheung Chi Lam)
Tian Xin-er (Vivian Leung Siu Bing)
Bai Chang (Joey Man Yi Man)
Miao Li (Jackie Lui Chung Yin)
Jiaping (Fiona Leung Ngai Ling)
De Pang (Liu Kai Chi)

Bai Chang sat restlessly in her room at the inn; her eyes fixed at the door, hoping that Miao Li would appear any minute. Finally, she heard the knock and joyously rushed to open the door to face a stranger in foreign costume. The other must have sensed her disappointment for he smiled kindly at her.

“Are you Madam Miao?” He asked, and Bai Chang nodded.

The foreigner bowed lowly to her. “His Royal Highness the Prince has ordered me to escort Madam to Juchen.”

Bai Chang’s face lit up. “So Martial Brother is all right. Where is he now? What is he doing? Why isn’t he here in person?” She shot out questions, and the minister replied patiently.

“The prince was heading toward the Ming’s border to invade China for our king. He has shown himself a worthy warrior and is sent to accomplish this expedition.”

Bai Chang was delightful, but her mood changed when she learned that she was not going to meet her husband right away. “I want to meet him.” She announced stubbornly.

The minister secretly shook his head. “But your condition…”

Bai Chang didn’t seem to hear him. “Unless you take me to him, I won’t budge from here.” Her voice was final, and the other didn’t dare to cross her.

“As you wish.”

Bai Chang smiled once more. She was going to see Miao Li soon, and that was all matter to her.

Miao Li frowned slightly at the sight of Bai Chang, but he didn’t bother to admonish the minister for failing the task. He knew his martial sister’s temper too well; therefore, he greeted her with a warm grin and related to her his adventure.

“…because of the heat, I decided to continue on to see my father first. I presented the arm to him and showed him my sabers. The king recognized the weapons right away, and he said that I have his look with my mother’s eyes. He has fallen ill, so I volunteered to lead the army for him against the south. He agreed after witnessing my martial skills.” He concluded complacently. If he had magnetic personality before, he looked all the more god-like now partly from his princely clothing and high self-confidence. Bai Chang could not help feeling awed and was glad that he belonged to her. ‘I am really a lucky woman.’ She thought proudly.

Her eyes danced merrily, and Miao Li in turn gazed at her admiringly. ‘Although she is not as gorgeous as Xin-er is, she is quite pretty. Besides, my own blood is inside her.’ Miao Li looked at the world around him blissfully. Everything seemed so perfect, all his wishes were fulfilled – power, wealth, and beautiful maiden. Now, it was time to revenge. His hand reached for a full-bloomed rose in a vase. Then he leisurely crushed the flower. “The Tian family will end up like this rose.” He laughed shrilly; his eyes were fierce.

He caught Bai Chang’s waist and lifted her up from the floor. She screamed with delight as he carried her to his bed. Outside, the wind was sighing softly as if to mourn ahead for an inevitable bloodshed. Even the pale moon blinked her eyes as an omen. A meteor was sighted from afar, and someone immediately tied a knot while whispering her wish to the falling star.

Jiaping turned around to Ah Yu and said with a happy smile. “In Mongol, I often looked through a window at the vast field and blue sky during the days and at the shining moon and stars at night. Whenever there was a falling star, I’d make a wish. I had always wished for a real home, and now it has come true. Ah Yu, I must have done something good in my past life to be with you in this lifetime.”

She leaned against him shyly, and he fingered her hair tenderly. Then he paused before slowly informed her. “Jiaping, we are leaving the cottage tomorrow for Wu Dang Sect. I figured that Miss Tian and Master Ke might be there. I’d like to ask a favor from them.”

Jiaping did not understand his intention at first, but finally she smiled widely. “You are afraid that your mentor might come here and hurt us, so you are asking Xin-er for help, right?”

Ah Yu sighed inwardly. He would rather she thought that way. He humphed. “Hmm.”

Meanwhile, Tian Xin-er and Ke Jing had just arrived at an inn closest to Wu Dang. They agreed to stop there for a night before hiking up Mt. Wu Dang in the morning. Each separated to his/her room to freshen up before meeting downstairs for supper. They sat at a small table in one corner and were consulting about the food when a group of soldiers came in the restaurant. They went to one table and sat there noisily, calling for wine and food. The waiter at Tian Xin-er’s table immediately rushed to the new guests to take their order respectfully. Then, he started serving wine and food to the soldiers before eventually turned to the waiting Tian Xin-er and Ke Jing.

“I beg you pardon, Sir. Those soldiers come everyday, and if I don’t serve them first, our inn would be in troubles.” The young waiter apologized with shaky voice.

Tian Xin-er scrutinized his face and saw his blacked-eyes. She frowned. “Have those soldiers punched you before?” She glanced toward the group of drinking men angrily and was about to get up when Ke Jing’s hands touched hers. “Xin-er, let’s see what is happening first.”

Ke Jing then talked to the waiter kindly. “That is all right. We are not in a hurry. You can serve the other customers first. By the way, do you know what those soldiers are doing in this part?”

The waiter smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Sir. I don’t know exactly, but my uncle said that they have come because of the Wu Dang Sect. There are a large army surrounding Mt. Wu Dang at the moment, but they are doing nothing except bothering us people who live in the area.”

Tian Xin-er could by now control her temper. She questioned the waiter. “Why are they here?”

The young waiter scratched his head. “One of them said that they were after a murderer, but how could that kind of criminal hide himself at Wu Dang?” He sighed. “The five brothers of Wu Dang have been very good to us, so we hope that they will be all right.”

His information left Tian Xin-er and Ke Jing in puzzlement. They looked at each other then at the soldiers and conceived a mutual plan. The young couple smiled naughtily, feeling like children with new toys. For a while, they ate in silence. During this period, another group of soldiers had arrived and was no less noisy than the other was. After the meal, Tian Xin-er quietly left the diner first. After that, Ke Jing paid the bill and went casually outside.

Half an hour later, one drunken soldier staggered out of the inn toward a bush. He sleepily untied his pants when a hand froze his pressure points and snatched him out of the bush. A fierce voice spoke severely in the dark. “The Death Lord is here, so you’d better confess all your sins before I throw you in boiling oil.” Under the pale moonlight, the speaker looked very ferocious with two horns on his head.

The drunken man almost died from fright. He instantly wet his pants without knowing then passed out. ‘The Death Lord’ shook her head and grunted. “What a chicken! Hmm, maybe this mask was a bit too terrifying. I have to hurry, otherwise Jing-er will win the bet for sure.” Tian Xin-er chuckled and took off her horns then waited patiently for the next victim. She knew that someone would surely come out soon either to release himself or to look for his friend.

Within an hour, she caught about a dozen soldiers more with the same trick before she heard Ke Jing’s whistling. She whistled back, and a minute later, Ke Jing appeared before her. “I have got twelve of them.” He reported.

Tian Xin-er’s face fell, then she smiled craftily. “I have got thirteen although my first one fainted on the spot, so I just left him in a bush. He is probably too scared to talk anyway.” She explained by way of an excuse.

Ke Jing grinned good-naturedly. “Xin-er, you won the bet then. Let’s get them together and quiz them.” He suggested softly.

Tian Xin-er agreed. She pulled the string that chained her twelve prisoners and snarled. “It is time for you to travel to hell. The liar will be thrown in a large pan full of boiling water.”

Ke Jing almost chortled aloud but managed to keep his face straight. He helped Tian Xin-er push her captives through bushes into a small cave. Inside, twelve more men were lying paralyzed. Their eyes widened fearfully at the sight of another ‘Death Lord’.

Ke Jing under a similar mask roared, and the soldiers trembled. “Please! We don’t want to die yet.” They howled.

Tian Xin-er stepped forward. “No, our place seems to be too quiet lately, so we want to take you with us as our companies.”

One of the soldiers immediately whimpered. “Please, don’t take us for there will be a lot of dead men for you in a few days.”

Tian Xin-er pretended to be annoyed. “Liars! I haven’t heard that there is any plague around this area. How can I get that many dead people?” She lifted up a sword in a manner of an executioner, and the poor man babbled quickly. “The imperial army is going to destroy Wu Dang in two days. We have surrounded the sect for weeks now. When they get weak from starving, we will rush in and capture the red cloak murderer and get rid of Wu Dang at the same time.”

Tian Xin-er was taken aback but calmed herself. “Hmm, but Wu Dang is full of top martial artists. What can a mere troop like you do to them? I think you are just making things up.” She lowered the sword in her hand to rest at the other’s neck. “Shall I cut out your tongue first or shall I slash your throat then slice your arms later?”

The soldier’s already pale face was now whiter than a sheet of paper was. Tears ran down his face as he pleaded for his life. “I swear that I am telling the truth. I heard everything from the general himself who received the direct order from Eunuch Cao. I know a lot of details because my sister is the general’s third wife.”

Tian Xin-er took a brief glance at Ke Jing. He nodded and, with great speed, sealed all their captives’ mute points. Then he walked out of the cave. Tian Xin-er took away the sword from the relieved victim then swung it down without warning. The latter saw the flashing blade above his face and was unable to handle the shock; he fainted right away. The other soldiers wanted to scream but no sound would come out, so they only closed their eyes, thinking their turns would come next.

Tian Xin-er grinned mischievously as she spoke sternly. “I have all your names written in my dead book. I will go out and investigate the matter. If it is true, I will come back and release you all. If not, I will take you to the underworld with me. If any of you step out of here during my absence, I will rip your body into pieces.” She ended the threat with vicious laugh and left the cave.

Outside, Ke Jing asked her in low voice. “What did you do to that man?”

Tian Xin-er giggled softly. “I just shaved his beard.” She showed him the sword that still had some hair on its blade and threw it away in a bush. Then she turned serious. “Jing-er, Wu Dang is in danger. We need to get there as soon as possible.” She wondered if her father was still at Wu Dang.

Tian Xin-er started to run with light kung fu, and Ke Jing was by her side. He pondered the situation and shook his head. “I don’t think we should go up Wu Dang yet. First of all, we need to pass the surrounding soldiers, which if it is that easy, Master Tian or Master De would have done so. Secondly, the fact that the army doesn’t dare to attack Wu Dang outright means that everyone there must still be fine. They probably have good defense to hold the soldiers back for so long. Our going there would only place us in their spots. I think we should try to disband the army from the outside instead.”

His suggestion cleared her cloud of worries. She nodded. “You are very right, Jing-er. We shall remain here to plan a rescue.” She stopped and sat down on a tree root, thinking hard.

Ke Jing then proposed to kidnap the general but Tian Xin-er turned it down after some contemplation. “My father could have done that so, but since he did not make a move, there must be some mysteries behind this affair. Wait, that soldier mentioned about the red cloak murderer, so it is probably another red herring to lure the army to Wu Dang like Shu Qiuyang did at the Medicine Forest.”

Tian Xin-er continued her thought aloud. “However, this troop sounds larger than the one at the forest. Also, Eunuch Cao was mentioned. Shu Qiuyang alone could not have that much influence with the Imperial Court, however much his tribe has a dealing with Minister Chen. Also, Shu Qiuyang has no past dealings with Wu Dang, so he cannot be the culprit. So, is Eunuch Cao really behind this attack? He must have done this to revenge for the event that happened three years ago, but if so, then why Wu Dang and not Emei or Sword South School? Father should know if there is any army moving that far south to the school or my master would at least send message to the Medicine Forest, asking for help in that case.”

The longer she pondered, the more she was puzzled. She turned to Ke Jing who was also deep in thought. “Do you think it was Miao Li?” She questioned then answered it herself. “It is not possible because at the time, he was at the Medicine Forest, injured. Then, it must really be Eunuch Cao.” She concluded and suddenly thought of her master. “Hope that Emei is all right.”

Ke Jing spoke up. “I think we are looking in wrong angle here. Although Wu Dang might have many pugilists, technically, they cannot withstand the entire army like this. Also, it sounds too idiotic to suspend the large troop here just to starve a handful of people on top of mountain. Wu Dang naturally should have enough provisions to last them for at least a year. It is impossible to starve them out within a few weeks.”

Tian Xin-er agreed. “I heard that Eunuch Cao is a very crafty person. How can he plan such silly strategy? There has to be another intention behind this farce.”

Ke Jing continued. “I think this army was used as a trap to lure everyone to Wu Dang then keep those people up there more or less as prisoners. But for what purpose?”

Tian Xin-er said. “If we can smell the rat, then no doubt Wu Dang people probably can too. However, they did not try to escape, so there is something wrong here. I think we should investigate the army to see its real condition before deciding the next step.”

Ke Jing concurred, and the two youngsters donned themselves in black outfits then sprinted toward the location of the royal troop. They moved noiselessly like shadows, surveying the army camp then was about to leave the area when someone yelled out. “Invader!”

Ke Jing and Tian Xin-er immediately leaped up to hide in a nearby tree. A few minutes later, a small figure rushed out from one tent. His red cloak billowed around as he was surrounded by a group of soldiers. Ke Jing and Tian Xin-er thought in unison. ‘Red cloak murderer!’

The invader in red cloak looked around at the blockade of soldiers and tossed numerous projectiles toward them. At the same time, a sergeant called out. “Shoot him! Don’t let him escape alive!”

Shower of arrows flew forward. At that moment, two hands from out of nowhere reached out and grabbed the coming arrows. A new masked stranger appeared and used his bare hands to capture all arrows. He shouted to the red cloak person. “Go!”

The red cloak person hesitated a second then sprinted away. Ke Jing hurriedly made a sign to Tian Xin-er then he floated after the mysterious figure, using his light kung fu technique. The new stranger seemed to detect Ke Jing’s presence, so he hit forth his palms, sending many soldiers to fall down. Then he quickly somersaulted upward, chasing the red cloak stranger.

Below, the chaos reigned. The sergeant yelled out for his subordinates to capture the two strangers, while the soldiers ran amok, trying to search for dangerous invaders. Tian Xin-er pulled out some leaves from the tree and flung them down, aiming at each soldier’s pressure point. Then she jumped down lightly, snatched one torch from one of the motionless soldiers, and threw it toward the biggest tent in the area. Then she soared away during the commotion in an attempt to put off the fire.

When she arrived at a clearing, Ke Jing was fighting with the red cloak person. The other masked man had just arrived and was about to help his friend when Tian Xin-er dashed in front of him. “Hero De, we are friends.” She took off her mask and bowed to the man in front. “Your ‘Ten Thousand Palms’ really deserves its frame. I am so lucky to witness it.”

Ke Jing paused at her voice and turned around at the mentioning of De Pang. The red cloak stranger then took an opportunity to get away. Ke Jing turned and was going to follow him when De Pang called out grimly. “That is all right. Please let him go.”

He took off his mask and nodded at the two youngsters by way of greeting. “Let’s find a safer place to talk.” His eyes looked sad. The young couple looked at each other and silently walked after him to a cave hidden behind a big boulder. De Pang paced back and forth, sighing forlornly.

“This cave used to be my private hangout with my martial brothers. We often came here to play after long hours of studying. Happy times always pass by so quickly.” He took deep breath as if to swallow back the old memories. Then he addressed Tian Xin-er.

“Master Tian has just talked about you this evening. He was worried that you might leave the Medicine Forest before receiving our message.” He explained that Tian Fei had sent an eagle to Tian Bao, warning Tian Xin-er not to come to Wu Dang.

“When Master Tian and I arrived at Wu Dang, we found that the sect has already been besieged by the imperial troop, but strangely, the army only remained at the foot of Mt. Wu Dang, leaving our disciples alone at the sect. We have a lot of wounded people from arrows although the buildings were unharmed. So, we decide to stay put and heal the injuries first. Tonight, I offered to spy on the army camp. Luckily, I happened to run into you.”

Tian Xin-er rubbed her nose thoughtfully. “Hmm, it is odd that they neither killed nor kept the Wu Dang’s disciples prisoners. It is just as nonsense as their plan of starving you out.” She then asked De Pang about the red cloak murderer.

De Pang did not answer her right away. He heaved a sigh and stared moodily at the cave wall then finally replied. “The reason the army came here at the first place was to capture me. Not long after we had separated on our trip to the north, there was a murder happened at an escort house. I was sighted leaving the scene of the crime in that evening. It was possible that I might just have been there right before the murderer. Anyhow, I have promised the guard leader that I will find the real murderer and made an appointment to meet him at Wu Dang in three months. I was in a hurry to go to the Widow Mansion then and thought that the chief would at least give Wu Dang some face.

Well, the three months are not up yet, but a large army was ordered to come to Wu Dang, demanding for my presence. My martial brothers than had an argument with the general thus the battle started. Not wanting to become the Imperial Court’s enemy, they tried to avoid hurting their opponents. As a result, Mu Zhen was hit by an arrow at his fatal point. He is now lying on the bed, unconscious.” De Pang’s eyes were clouded with worries, and his forehead added another line.

He continued gloomily. “Of course, the first thing we did was trying to drive out the troop from Wu Dang area. However, turned out that the army from the Medicine Forest has moved from there to here, enlarging the former force. Fortunately, they didn’t plan to attack us the second time, merely intended to hold us up at Wu Dang. With our kung fu, we won’t have a problem leaving the place, but we are rather concerned of those who were injured. We can’t leave them here alone, and we cannot take them along either. Moreover, I have to fulfill my promise, so if I don’t deliver the real culprit, I will have to surrender myself. For these reasons, we still are looking for a way to dissolve the army without further bloodshed.”

Tian Xin-er inwardly thought. ‘It is strange that he used the word ‘don’t’ instead of ‘can’t’. He also obviously let the masked person in red cloak escape, knowing that he is putting his own life at risk.’ She could only assume that De Pang knew the identity of the murder and intentionally tried to protect that person.

Nevertheless, she refrained from voicing her thought out loud but talked instead of the result of her survey. “You have said that the troop is supposed to be a large one, but from what I saw, it is quite opposite from your description. What is your opinion on this?”

De Pang stroked his chin. “Hmm, I realized that too. The easiest explanation would be that a large part of the troop has already left, which should be good news for us since with your help, we can easily get rid of those soldiers.”

Tian Xin-er nodded. “I am sure that all questions will be answered soon. For now, let’s think of a way to defeat the entire army with the least energy.” She turned to Ke Jing, and he simply proposed a formation. “It is said that to win the battle before there is one is a real victory. I think we can make a trap to capture the whole troop. How about that, Xin-er?”

Tian Xin-er smiled. “That is a brilliant idea. I already have something in mind.” She drew a diagram on the ground and explained to De Pang who listened attentively. “This formation will protect the injuries during our fighting. It will also serve as our bait.” She went on narrating her plan. “Let’s meet again tomorrow night. Meanwhile, start making a lot of straw men.”

Ke Jing in turn explained about his trap, and De Pang smiled satisfactorily. “You two are a good match; both are as smart as Kong Ming and as able as Zhang Zhiyi.” He praised, and the young couple turned pink.

De Pang winked at Ke Jing. “I will put good words about you to Master Tian.” Tian Xin-er reddened at his hint while Ke Jing beamed with delight. “Thank you, brother Ke.”

De Pang laughed for the first time during the last five days. He waved at his juniors and disappeared into a mist of dawn.

Left alone, Ke Jing glanced at Tian Xin-er and yawned. “It is almost morning. Let’s take some rest first.” He suggested and started preparing the ground for her. “It might not be safe to return to the inn at this hour, so we just have to sleep here.”

Tian Xin-er sleepily nodded. She lay down and went to sleep instantly. Ke Jing watched her with loving eyes, drinking her innocent beauty before settling himself next to her. He soon dozed off.
---------------------------
thank you for reading. <IMG SRC="smilies/catroar.gif" border="0">

[Zhen Yu Cao]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ December 31, 2002: Message edited by: Zhen Yu Cao ]

[Goofy]

<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 Zhen Yu Cao:
<STRONG>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ December 31, 2002: Message edited by: Zhen Yu Cao ]</STRONG></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

is that good or bad??? <IMG SRC="smilies/confused.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/tongue.gif" border="0">

[Zhen Yu Cao]

GOOD!! (YAY, i brought the story into the new year <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">)

[Acidbeastonfire]

I'm running out of Superlatives for your story Goofy.

I must say the chapter titles themselves are very interesting. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

Happy New Year!!

[Goofy]

salamat tahun baru = happy new year in Indonesian. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/catroar.gif" border="0">

I have the most difficulty thinking up the appropriate titles. <IMG SRC="smilies/blush.gif" border="0">

acidbeastonfire, you can always repeat the praise, I don't mind. <IMG SRC="smilies/tongue.gif" border="0">

[Goofy]

one more thing, actually in the last chapter, I was worried that I might not be detailed enough but I also didn't want to bore the readers either. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

hope I can inspire some silent readers to make comments.

[Bubeng]

Hi Goofy! Selamat Tahun Baru!
Love your last 2 entry of the story. I thought that you'd forgotten about the widow mansion. Glad that you referred to it again, but sooooo sad. snifff.......
I kept thinking about the story even long after finished reading it. I have a question, is Miao Li's kungfu now so much better than Xian-Er and Ke Jing? I hope not.
The reason I asked, is because it seems that Miao Li had such an easy time defeating the Widow Mansion, while on the other hand, Xian Er and Ke Jing got defeated very easily, and that's only by 1 sister, not 3 of them.
Waiting for your reply <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

[Goofy]

well, Xin-er was attacked unexpectedly and Miao Li was also aiming at her life at the same time too.

I feel that Ke Jing although probably has the best skills, was always cautious in fighing people. He was too nice to just fight anyone head-on just like ah yu who would try to avoid physical encounter first.

If I recall correctly, Ke Jing was being poisoned then too.

If fighting one on one, Xue-she would never beat them.

Miao Li's kung fu advanced greatly from the new Moon Sword that bai chang taught him. Also, his two sabers are very powerful. They gave him more strenght and viciousness as you will witness their roles afterward.

as for who is better, we will have to see. <IMG SRC="smilies/naughty.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/evillaugh.gif" border="0">

<font size="1">[ January 03, 2003: Message edited by: Goofy ]</font>

[Bubeng]

Thanks Goofy, looking forward to more updates <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

[Goofy]

Good wish for new year to all readers. <IMG SRC="smilies/bow.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/catroar.gif" border="0">

Chapter 33
The Sky-Earth Formation
Character List (not in any particular order):
Ke Jing (Julian Cheung Chi Lam)
Tian Xin-er (Vivian Leung Siu Bing)
De Pang (Liu Kai Chi)
Tian Fei (Adam Cheng Siu Chow)
Ah Qing (Au Yeung Pui San)
Li Renying (Tony Leung Chiu Wai)
Huang Jiwen (Howie Wong Man He)
Man He (Simon Yam Tat Wah)

Tian Xin-er woke up from appetizing smell of roasted chicken. She inhaled the air deeply and went outside. She found Ke Jing sitting on a flat stone, tending the chicken on a stick above the fire. He turned around upon hearing her footsteps and smiled brightly. “No flowers for breakfast today because we need to fill our stomach for the whole day. The trap has to be done by sunset.”

Tian Xin-er walked over to the fire and sat next to him, accepting the chicken eagerly. While she was chewing the succulent meat, she went over her plan in mind to find any flaws. Ke Jing was also busily mapping out their tasks for the day. During the meal, the two youths discussed the situation, and both arrived at the same conclusion – that De Pang knew who the red cloak murderer was and that there was an ulterior motive behind the invading of Wu Dang Sect.

The gravity of the situation did not lessen their appetite, however. The two youths finished the whole chicken between themselves then got up, licking their fingers contentedly, ready for the heavy work ahead. They chose a suitable location and started digging eight deep pits approximately thirty meters apart from one another at eight directions. Next, they built a low wall made of mud and sticks circling each hole. Then they stacked piles of rocks around the entire area, setting up the Eight Gates Formation. After that, they sat down and took a nap, waiting until the appointment time.

The person who came that evening turned out Tian Fei instead. He was also with Huang Jiwen and Li Renying. Tian Xin-er exclaimed with surprise and dashed to welcome her father and martial brothers. Tian Fei gave his daughter a big hug then received a bow from Ke Jing. After an initial greeting, everyone got into work. While Ke Jing directed Huang Jiwen and Li Renying to set up the straw men they had brought from Wu Dang inside the walls, Tian Xin-er gave Tian Fei a tour of the formation. The latter examined everything and was pleased. After every task was done, the group got together and went over the plan in details again.

Tian Xin-er explained to the others. “As soon as the soldiers get past our Eight Gates Formation, they won’t be able to leave the area. I think it might rain tonight, and it is all the better for there will be thin mist to add to the confusion. These eight pits are placed according to eight trigrams as inner doors, and their low walls act as outer doors. These straw men are baits to lure the soldiers into each pit. In addition, both inner and outer doors have layers of formation to prevent our captives to escape at all.

Tian Fei nodded approvingly. “Well done.” His brief praise brought a smile to Tian Xin-er’s face and caused Ke Jing to blush. Tian Fei chuckled and asked if the youths had named their new invention yet. Ke Jing shook his head and humbly asked his senior to do the honor. Tian Xin-er agreed and begged her father to name the new formation for them.

Tian Fei thought for a moment then replied. “Well, Xiang-er and Ah Yi created the Yong-Yi technique, so since you two thought of this formation together, why not name it the Sky-Earth Formation?” (Tian means sky, heaven, while Ke means earth – Author.)

Crimson hue deepened Tian Xin-er’s face. She realized that her father had subtly hinted that he did not object to their love, and she bashfully ran to the cave. Tian Fei laughed. “I think she approves of the name.”

Ke Jing thought for a minute then finally understood the hidden meaning. He hastily bowed to Tian Fei before going after Tian Xin-er.

Meanwhile, Li Renying had built a fire, and Tian Fei sent Huang Jiwen to fetch the pair of lovebirds from the cave for a late meal. Around the fire, he handed out buns to everyone. The night was quiet saved for the sound of nature; for a short time, each felt peaceful, and consequently, the conversation turned into less serious topics.

Tian Xin-er recounted her adventure the night before, and Tian Fei had to shake his head. “I thought Ke Jing could make you less mischievous, but turn out you become the bad influence on him.” He jokingly slapped Ke Jing’s back. “Young man, you just have committed yourself to a lifetime work, taking care of my Xin-er.” He teased.

Xin-er stuck her tongue out, pouting. “Well, but he will gain a cook, a seamstress, a playmate, and a maid at the same time, so he should be glad for such a bargain.” Warm feeling spread through her heart; she felt very happy.

Ke Jing beamed; his heart was overwhelmed with undying joy. “Thank you Sir. I will do my best, caring for Xin-er.” He kowtowed his future father-in-law, kept repeating the same sentence for a lack of words.

Tian Fei watched his daughter and was reminded of his wife, Yue Feng. “Ah Feng, keep watching over her. She has found her love at last.’

Toward dawn, Tian Fei left with Tian Bao’s bag of herbs that Tian Xin-er gave to him. “Ah Bao has foreseen correctly. His medicines are really needed. Good luck, Father.” She hugged him and bowed to her two senior martial brothers. “See you all tomorrow.”

The morning came, and the army general received a strange report from his scouts. “The people at Wu Dang have disappeared overnight.”

Lividly the troop leader ordered a search. “We were told to keep a close look on them. If we let them escape, we will be heavily punished. There are many injuries, so they could not travel very fast. They must still be in this area.”

They tore down Wu Dang Sect, looking everywhere but did not find any trace of living. It was as if the entire group had been swallowed up by the earth or had turned into the air. In truth, Tian Xin-er had instructed De Pang to use the 32-direction formation to conceal the injured people from the soldiers’ eyes.

32-direction formation was a camouflage technique that used elements from natural surroundings to form a ring that pointed in 32 different directions to conceal their subjects. To people outside the formation, the ring would look like part of the background setting. The formation’s border would be seen as a solid wall, a dead end. Only those who understood this diagram could distinguish the real wall from the false one. Then it was a matter of knowing how to penetrate the formation. However, since this diagram was based on 32 compass points, there are in total four layers of interchanging formations within one another. Each pointed in increment bearings from 4 to 8 to 16, and finally to 32, which was the outermost part. Therefore, even when one knew how to enter the outer part of the formation, he still had to figure entryways of three other layers. In addition, all entrances were dynamic, which meant that they constantly switched their locations with one another. So, using one way to get inside the maze didn’t necessarily mean one could use the same method to get out. In the other words, only the maze creator knew the true ins and outs of how the 32-direction formation was mapped out.

The soldiers scattered about, searching for any slightest trace of their targets and at long last sighted furtive movements ahead. It was now late afternoon and the sky was cloudy, signaling a coming rainstorm. As the troop advanced further into the gloomy wooded area, mysterious fog suddenly descended on them, preventing them from seeing one another. In the misty cloud, the soldiers blindly and clumsily groped forth, wishing heartily to get out of this unhealthy environment soon.

Rain drizzled and the air was humid. The troop was wet, miserable, and lost. They saw dust rising around them and thought that they were being ambushed. However, after a while, the dust was gone and the air seemed to clear up a little. They decided then to march back to the camp, but the trails seemed to change position for they could no longer find the path

Frantic, some happened to see dim light ahead, while some caught a glimpse of shadows behind what looked like a wall. Consequently, each took hold of his nearby neighbors and unwittingly fumbled into the waiting trap. As soon as they tiredly stepped past the walls, they seemed to be surrounded with thunderous sound. They heard hoofs of horses and wind screeching eerily next to their ears and frighteningly rushed out toward the exit. However, whichever direction they turned, they either seemed to end up at the same spot or fell into a pit. Moreover, those who were in the pits couldn’t seem to get out of there for those holes had also another layer of formation. Belatedly, they had just realized that they had been trapped inside strange formations with no way out.

In this manner, Tian Xin-er and Ke Jing successfully captured the whole army within a night. The next morning when the fog was all gone, the two youngsters appeared inside their formation with Tian Fei, De Pang, Man He, Huang Jiwen, and Li Renying. They found the army general in one pit and brought him up along with a couple of his subordinates.

One of his aides grunted angrily at the sight of De Pang. He pointed his fingers at the first brother of Wu Dang and rebuffed disdainfully. “I thought Wu Dang is a righteous sect, and its disciples are hero, but I am definitely wrong. You resorted to a mere trick to catch us and now you are going to kill us to cover up your evil crime.”

De Pang flushed but remained calm. He bowed down politely. “I recognize you as the head guard I have made promise with. Honestly, I never intend to break my words, but I cannot let your army destroy my sect either. I realize that there is another intention behind your coming here for my head, but whatever it might be, I hope to solve the problem in peaceful way. When you first arrived at Wu Dang, you have injured my junior martial brother despite their civil welcome to the imperial guards. Then when I have tried to meet you to talk in person, you constantly avoided me yet would not give up harassing my people. I have no other way left but to use a trap to capture you and your boss. However, the trap is merely to hold your force hostage, not to kill them, so it should not be called an evil art.”

The army general growled. “You can say anything now that you have us in your hands, but even we are defeated today, we will send another army to destroy Wu Dang tomorrow.” This was exactly what De Pang feared.

At that point, Tian Xin-er interrupted. “If my memory is correct, I recognize Sir as the chief protector of a Great Walls gate at the northern border. To catch a murderer is usually a work of local guards, so I wonder why you would leave your post and come all the way here.”

The general saw a young maiden stepping from behind Tian Fei and was stunned with her beauty. Then his admiration turned into embarrassment and then fury. He turned red then green. “A pretty girl like you should not mess with grown ups’ business.” He sneered but cringed under Tian Fei’s glare. The cat had already been out of the bag, however, and he realized that he had to come clean.

Tian Fei spoke graciously, but his eyes held the other’s compellingly. “Now that my daughter has mentioned it, to abandon such important duty could cause a disaster to the nation. You could probably receive a three generations’ execution.”

The general’s voice couldn’t help trembling. Sweats ran down his forehead. “I only followed the order from the Royal Court to join force with the chief guard to capture De Pang for it has been confirmed that he is the murderer of an escort house. And since he is a prominent figure in the martial realm, His Excellency fears that he might think of rebelling. I can’t afford to disobey Eunuch Cao’s command.”

Tian Fei and De Pang glanced at each other. So, Eunuch Cao was really the mastermind who simply made use of the situation to his advantage. However, there are still many unanswered questions; the two older heroes sensed that destroying Wu Dang was just a tip of iceberg, and Eunuch Cao’s real motive was probably more sinister than they could assume. At that moment, Ke Jing stepped forward. He bowed to the two elders and asked permission to question their captive.

Tian Fei and De Pang nodded, and Ke Jing turned to the chief guard who was standing sulkily next to his boss.

“The general has just mentioned that it had been proven Master De was the real culprit. Is that right?”

The chief guard regarded the young man for a moment then replied curtly. “Correct.”

Ke Jing bowed. “Then could you please show us the evidence?”

The other glanced at De Pang and answered. “There are several witnesses saw him leaving Green Dragon escort agency at the time of the crime.”

Ke Jing showed an interest. “But how come you called Master De the red cloak murderer?”

“That’s because one witness saw a person in red cloak entered the escort house right before the murder.”

“So, I assume that Master De must be wearing the red cloak when he left the escort house?”

“Naturally.” The chief guard answered then paused. He looked puzzled then corrected himself. “No, those witnesses described De Pang’s robe as gray color.” He frowned then smiled winningly. “You are just trying to trick me. Of course, after he killed off everyone, he would take off his cloak in order to avoid being recognized.”

“But if so, then why would he wear the red cloak to be seen entering the escort house in the first place?” Ke Jing pointed out, and the other looked confused but still tried to give an answer.

“That’s because he didn’t know he would be observed by that witness.”

Ke Jing knitted his eyebrows. “So you mean that Master De did not know that he had been observed by witnesses?”

The chief guard nodded. “Right. Otherwise, he would probably kill them too.”

Ke Jing clapped his hands. “Exactly! He didn’t know that there were witnesses seeing him going in and out of the escort house. Therefore, he has no reason to take off the red cloak if he really had it on earlier, and since he was seen without the red cloak, he could not have been the red cloak person you want.” Ke Jing deduced.

The chief guard scratched his head. He considered the other’s statement over and realized that it made sense. However, he was not ready to accept defeat yet. “All right then. Even if De Pang and the red cloak person are two different people, it still doesn’t disprove the fact that he was the last person to be seen at the crime scene.”

Ke Jing cupped his hands. “With all due respect, did you compare the time from the witnesses’ statements? If Master De is innocent, his leaving should happen right before the appearance of the red cloak person. Have you ever taken a look at this factor?”

The chief guard was taken aback. “I…” He was lost for words.

Ke Jing concluded. “Therefore, your evidence is not sufficient enough to call Master De the murderer.”

The other was silent for a while but finally replied glumly. “Young man, you have talked me into the corner, but there is one thing that you have forgotten. Master De has promised me to deliver the real murderer in three months, otherwise he would surrender himself. Well, his time was almost up. And although he is not the one who committed the crime, he still had to keep his words.” He looked at De Pang challengingly, and the latter nodded.

“Yes, I have to keep my promise. Since I cannot bring out the person you want, I will go with you as your prisoner. But I would like you to vouch for the safety of my friends.”

The chief guard nodded, relieved. “Sure. My goal was to capture you. I had no hands in raiding Wu Dang, so the army affair is no concern of mine.”

The general swore at his colleague. “You traitor!”

Out of the blue, a projectile launched at his throat. De Pang instantly pulled the other aside, but he was a second too late. The sharp projectile had been dipped in deadly poison, so its victim died as soon as it touched his skin. There, in front of them, was a figure in red cloak. His face was covered with thick veil. The stranger looked at everyone unconcernedly and icily made an announcement.

“I am the one who took thirty-one lives of Green Dragon escort agency. If you can, then catch me!” He then somersaulted away. Ke Jing lost no time in going after the murderer, following with De Pang. The rest also ran after them.

The red cloak stranger led them to the top of a cliff and turned around, facing Ke Jing. He laughed. “Do you want to catch me for reward?”

Ke Jing shook his head. “No, but my friend was wrongly accused because of you. I only want to invite you to see the chief guard so that my friend’s name will be cleared.”

The other shrugged. “I have already admitted my crime in front of everyone. Isn’t that enough? Anyway, I will only go back in dead body.”

He suddenly cast needles toward Ke Jing who nimbly twisted his torso aside, dodging the projectiles. Simultaneously, Ke Jing leaped forth, hitting out at the other. The red cloak stranger evaded Ke Jing’s palms, while pulling out two knives from his belt. Then he fiercely slashed at Ke Jing with fast speed. Ke Jing encountered the daggers with his bare hands, moving even faster than the other did. In short time, he knocked one knife off from the opponent’s left hand. Then he followed with another grab. The red cloak stranger twisted his upper body to shield his right arm and immediately brought the knife toward his own throat. Without thinking, Ke Jing reached over to intercept the knife that unexpectedly changed its direction and stabbed downward at its opponent’s stomach. Turned out that the earlier move was a trick to distract Ke Jing who instinctively moved away in time. Instantaneously, he sent his palms, striking at the other’s shoulder. The stranger in red cloak lurched backward then fell to the ground.

At that moment, someone caught Ke Jing’s wrist. Ke Jing looked up and saw that it was De Pang. The latter looked at the former pleadingly. “Please, let her go. I will take all the responsibility myself.” He then rushed to the figure on the ground. “Ah Qing, why are you here?” He asked sadly.

The person in red cloak coughed and replied faintly. “So, you knew that it was me all along.” She nodded to herself. “Maybe that is a good thing. At least, I don’t need to lie anymore.” She touched De Pang’s face. “I know that you will know the truth one day. I…I am sorry that I haven’t been completely honest to you, but my love for you is true. I swear.”

De Pang nodded. “I know. I love you too.”

Ah Qing rambled on as if she could not stop. “I am the second widow Hua Wuxie’s disciple. Three months ago, I was sent to bring you to our Widow Mansion. When you tried to send me away, I had no choice but to eliminate that option in order to continue being with you. I…I didn’t mean to cause you trouble. Moreover, I didn’t expect that we could ever live together. We have to thank my mistress for that. Not only she didn’t tell you about me, but she also let me leave the Widow Mansion against the rule.”

De Pang held her tightly. “Ah Qing, you don’t need to explain further. I realized that you were the murderer when I found my jade pendant on your clothes. I remembered that I had left it as a payment at the Green Dragon escort agency. However, nothing matters anymore. I have decided to surrender myself, and I don’t want you to try anything like this again.”

Ah Qing laughed softly. “My life doesn’t worth that much. Why do you have to risk everything for me?”

De Pang replied her tenderly. “Silly, you are the most important person in my life. I am your husband, and I have a duty to protect you. Besides, how can I live without you?”

Ah Qing put her hand over the other’s mouth. “Don’t say that. Even if I am not with you, you will live on. You can do that. I know that you can. The time is brief, but I have been so happy. We have had many good memories together.”

At that point, everyone else had arrived. The chief guard rushed forth, calling the others to help him catch the criminal. De Pang hugged his wife protectively, whispering to her. “Don’t worry. No one is going to harm you.”

Ah Qing gazed through her veil at her husband gratefully. “Thank you very much.” She lifted her hands to take away the veil and suddenly hit at De Pang’s chest with all her might. Then she jumped down the cliff. De Pang was pushed away several meters before he realized her intention. He quickly got up and ran forward, but Tian Fei intercepted him.

De Pang shouted wildly. “Step aside! I want to be with her!” He sobbed, madly attacked the other.

Tian Fei dodged the other’s palms while signaling his daughter to stop the grievous man. Tian Xin-er nodded and picked up two stones then flicked them to De Pang’s back. The pebbles hit De Pang’s pressure points, and he immediately collapsed.

Tian Fei then turned to the chief guard and spoke grimly. “You have heard with your own ears that Master De is innocent and have witnessed the red cloak murderer’s death. Therefore, the case is considered closed. Do you agree?”

The chief guard looked down at the deep abyss below and finally nodded. “All right. Since the culprit is death, my task is ended. Hence, I have no longer business here.”

He cupped his hands and walked away.

----------------------------------------
hope the story is not too confusing and no significant loop-holes in the plot. thank you for reading and please leave comments.

[Kara]

WOW! As excellent as always. However, i feel really sad after witnessing Ah Qing's death. It's not fair that she should die like that. I also feel sorry for Hua Xue, she lost Ke Jing and she lost both her sisters and her home. I hope she has a happy ending. She deserves it because she has a kind heart.

Keep on going Goofy, i want to find out more about that Eunuch Cao.

[Bubeng]

Boy, that was an unexpected twist of the story. It caught me by surprise, I didn't expect Ah Qing to be the red cloak murderer. Great job as ever, Goofy! Very well done! <IMG SRC="smilies/bow.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/bow.gif" border="0">

[Goofy]

xue she will go on living although she will not appear in this story again.

as for ah qing, I am just in Judge Bao's mood so since she was the murderer, she had to die to clear de pang's name. <IMG SRC="smilies/crying.gif" border="0">

but her death should make de pang stronger.

[Acidbeastonfire]

Bravo!!!! The descriptions of the formations are great!

I realized tht Ah Qing was the red cloaked person by the last chapter. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

Good to see Ke Jing & Xin-Er getting on very well romantically.

Still waiting for Ke Jing to kick Miao Li's *** !!!!!!!!!!

[Goofy]

<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 Acidbeastonfire:
<STRONG>Bravo!!!! The descriptions of the formations are great!

I realized tht Ah Qing was the red cloaked person by the last chapter. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

Good to see Ke Jing & Xin-Er getting on very well romantically.

Still waiting for Ke Jing to kick Miao Li's *** !!!!!!!!!!</STRONG></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>
You will make a good detective then. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

well, miao li should meet ke jing next chapter but I am not sure who will wind. <IMG SRC="smilies/naughty.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/evillaugh.gif" border="0">

sometimes heroes are not always the main characters.

[Acidbeastonfire]

well, i don't mind miao li winning the upcoming encounter, so long as ke jing gets the final laugh. Just hoping Ke Jing beats the crap out of miao li b4 the story ends.
<IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[Goofy]

hope this is worth all your waits. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

Chapter 34
The Yin-Yang Sabers (1)

Character List (not in any particular order):
Ke Jing (Julian Cheung Chi Lam)
Tian Xin-er (Vivian Leung Siu Bing)
Bai Chang (Joey Man Yi Man)
Miao Li (Jackie Lui Chung Yin)
Jiaping (Fiona Leung Ngai Ling)
De Pang (Liu Kai Chi)
Tian Fei (Adam Cheng Siu Chow)
Li Renying (Tony Leung Chiu Wai)
Huang Jiwen (Howie Wong Man He)
Huang Yitao (Felix Wong Yat Wah)
Shu Xiayue (Maggie Siu Mei Kei)
Man He (Simon Yam Tat Wah)
Mu Zhen (Sean Lau Ching Wan)
Ah Zhu (Yeung Pan Pan)
Ruyu (Rain Lau Yuk Chui)

“Ah Yu, are you all right?” Jiaping asked anxiously as Ah Yu started his convulsion. She watched him with concern but he motioned her not to touch him. After a while, Ah Yu got up, wiping his sweats.

“I am fine. Don’t worry.” He reassured her, but she was still worried.

“Ah Yu, don’t take that medicine again. It had to be poison to give you this much pain. That old man is so childish that he might pay a joke on you.” She begged him, but Ah Yu had a confidence in No Name.

“I believe that he has good intention, otherwise he wouldn’t have given me his energy. Moreover, I have my words to keep. I shall have to finish this bottle of medicine even if it kills me.” He stated determinedly, and Jiaping sighed softly. “You have soft heart but strong mind. If we were in Mongol, you would have made a good leader of my country.”

Ah Yu grinned at her tenderly. “We are already king and queen in this green forest.” He looked around and bounded up lightly, picking a wild orchid from a tree. Then he donned it on Jiaping’s hair. “And this is your crown.” He stared at her with bright eyes. “Jiaping, you look so beautiful.”

Jiaping fingered the flower shyly. She gazed up at him and surrendered herself in his embrace.

In the meantime at the Sun-Moon Cult, Huang Yitao was seeking audience with the new leader. He walked hurriedly into the room and informed her. “I have heard from your men that the northern border is without any defense, and the Juchen troops are moving southward to attack China, so I have to leave. I have to go warn our soldiers.”

Shu Xiayue was stunned. At first, her eyes flashed angrily then turned sad. “I know that I don’t worth much to you, but at least, why didn’t you ask me to go with you?”

Huang Yitao seemed confused. “I did mean to, but I don’t want to selfishly take you away from your people.” He admitted. “I have been thinking about you these past few days, and I realize that I have been too narrow-minded. I call myself a man, but I behave like a scum. Xiayue, aside from alerting the Imperial army about Manchu, I also decide to fight the invaders along with others. I might not be back and I don’t want you to abandon your position just because of me.”

Shu Xiayue ran to him and pounded her small fists on his chest. “You still haven’t changed – always being silly.” She spoke coyly. “You should know that as long as your dagger is with me, I will never let you go.”

Huang Yitao wrapped his arms around her gratefully. He inhaled her fragrant hair and murmured dreamily. “Xiayue, as long as you are willing, we will always be together.”

Shu Xiayue nodded. “Always.” Then she departed from his warm hug and started packing. Huang Yitao watched her with love, but he still had a question. “What would your cult’s elders say?”

Shu Xiayue smiled at him reassuringly. “Everything has been arranged. I told them that I want to be with you instead of being their master. For these last few days, I have been busily selecting a qualified elder to take care of the tribe.” She sighed softly. “I am just a woman, so I choose love over duty. I don’t know whether it is right or wrong, but I will never be sorry.”

Huang Yitao reached for her hands and kissed them gently. “Xiayue, I will do my best to make you happy, compensating your sacrifice for me.”

Back at Wu Dang, Tian Fei had just finished questioning the captured soldiers and discovered that the missing force had gone to Emei. At that moment, Tian Xin-er rushed into the room with a message from Ah Yi. “Father, Ah Yi sent an eagle message to ask us to go to the northern border immediately. He wrote that the Juchen army is approaching the Great Walls, and we have to stop it.”

Tian Fei asked, “where is Ah Yi now?”

Tian Xin-er replied. “He wrote that he has gone to Emei and is now hunting some foreign spies of Manchu.”

Tian Fei released a relieved sigh. ‘Well, if Ah Yi was at Emei, surely everything should be all right. I’d better not worry Xin-er unnecessarily about Emei then.’ He decided.

Aloud, he gave an order to Huang Jiwen, Li Renying, and Ruyu to get ready to leave. Then he turned to Man He. “How about you?”

Man He replied unhesitatingly. “I and my family will go with you too. We may not have Wu Dang, but we still have our country to protect.”

Ah Zhu agreed with her husband. “Yes, to live or die, we will never separate again.”

Someone coughed from a corner. It was Mu Zhen. “I am going too.” He stared at his martial brother unwaveringly. “Remember our conversation three weeks ago? You told me to go to Emei to protect Ah Ju, and I said that I could not abandon Wu Dang. I love Ah Ju equal with my life, but I value Wu Dang more than myself. And above Wu Dang is our nation. If I am to die, I prefer to die in the battle instead of on a sick bed.”

Man He knew better than to argue with his martial brother. “We two brothers will fight sides by sides.” He smiled, and De Pang’s voice rang. “How come you forgot me?” He appeared at the door and spoke to Tian Fei. “Include me in your army too.”

Man He and Mu Zhen looked at their first brother. De Pang smiled grimly at them. “Don’t worry about me. Duty comes first.” He said sharply as if to remind himself then ordered those wounded disciples to remain at Wu Dang. “The rest can choose either to go with us or to stay behind to care for the sick.”

His disciples looked at one another and sang in unison. “We will follow you to fight the Juchens.”

De Pang nodded satisfactorily. He then advised Tian Xin-er to go to Emei. “I am concerned about your master’s safety.”

Tian Xin-er bit her lips. “Even three brothers of Wu Dang don’t care about their lives, how can an Emei disciple like me be lesser than you? Master will scold me if I would leave everything for her. Besides, Ah Yi is with her.” She reasoned to comfort herself before announcing. “Ke Jing and I will join you, Father.”

Tian Fei smiled. “Xin-er, you really have grown up, my good daughter.” Tian Xin-er’s heart swelled with delight. At last, her father had shown his approval of her.

Thus, a group of martial artists left Wu Dang that day; leading an army to the north.

On the same day, Ah Yu and Jiaping arrived at an inn and went upstairs to freshen up for a meal. There, Ah Yu finished dusting his clothes and was about to leave the room first when he discerned some uniformed soldiers coming up the stairs. Not wanting to face trouble, he quickly closed the door and motioned Jiaping to be still, while listening intently for their departure.

Ah Yu heard their footsteps past by and their conversation that caused him to change his destination.

“Did you hear the rumor that the Juchen army is coming?” One soldier asked his mates.

“No doubt it is the truth. Good thing we are ordered to march to the capital to reinforce Imperial troop. I heard those Juchens are very fierce, so we are lucky to escape death this time.” Other voice replied.

“Pfui, we still have to die anyway for they will definitely go to the royal palace next. I think we should just run away from the army and go back to our families to spend our last days with them. Even our general is terrified of Manchu, so how can he expect us to be brave?” The third voice suggested.

Ah Yu knitted his eyebrows. It sounded very grave indeed. Then he made up his mind. “Jiaping, we are going to the border instead. Somehow, I have to prevent the war.” He said softly. Hence, the couple changed their direction and headed northward.

Tian Fei’s group traveled hurriedly and arrived at the northern gate about the same time as Huang Yitao and Shu Xiayue. The two parties exchanged only brief greetings as a heavy task loomed ahead of them. Tian Fei immediately reinstated his captured army but kept the general in prison after confiscating the other’s command tablet for the coming of foreign army was no longer a mere rumor.

From the high wall, Tian Fei could see thick cloud of dust rolling afar, indicating large number of cavalries and foot soldiers. Without delay, he consulted De Pang, Tian Xin-er, and Ke Jing for a strategy to fend off the enemy.

De Pang suggested closing the fort until the reinforcement arrived, but Tian Xin-er disagreed. “I don’t think help will come from the Imperial Court, so it is best to try to end the battle quickly to increase our soldiers’ morale.”

Tian Fei asked his daughter what she had in mind, and she proposed the Eight Gates Formation. “Although we don’t have much time to train our soldiers, it should be a good enough defense until we can think of something else better.”

Tian Fei nodded, releasing a sigh. “There is no other way except to fight until our last drop of blood.”

The next day, Ah Yu and Jiaping arrived, and Tian Xin-er was delighted. “Ah Yu will be a good asset to our force.” She told her father who questioned thoughtfully. “Did he tell you about his mentor?”

Tian Xin-er nodded. “Yes, he has just told me everything. His mentor is Light Shadow, Black Devil’s senior martial brother, and Miao Li is Black Devil’s disciple. Light Shadow and Miao Li plotted to kill the Tian for revenge and in the process took over the martial realm.”

“How do we know that he would not think of revenge like Light Shadow and Miao Li then?” Tian Fei queried.

Tian Xin-er was dauntless. “I am confident that he wouldn’t. Ah Yu has a simple and kind heart. In the past, he was used by his mentor to assassinate Ke Jing and me, but he purposely disobeyed Light Shadow for strangers like us. Besides, he came all the way here with the same goal as ours. I am sure that we can trust him.”

Tian Fei grunted. “Hmm, it might not be that black and white. Many things that have happened since the Wu Dang tournament pointed toward Light Shadow, but he is only a commoner, no authority to move soldiers from one area to another. However, Eunuch Cao can.”

Tian Xin-er understood immediately. “You mean that Light Shadow is hands in groves with Eunuch Cao.” She pondered. “But does he willingly betray his country just for personal revenge? And how about Miao Li? What is in it for him?”

Tian Fei shook his head. “I don’t know their real motive, Xin-er. Evil hearts are like snake’s tongue – without sincerity and full of toxin of hatred.”

Tian Xin-er sighed. “I felt sorry for Miao Li. He has a great personality with leadership character. If he had been truthful to me from the start, we would probably have still been friends.”

Tian Fei humphed. “I don’t know about that, Xin-er. Both Miao Li and Ah Yu have connections with Light Shadow, but they are so different from each other like heaven and earth. I can only see ambition from Miao Li, whereas Ah Yu looked kind and humble.”

Tian Xin-er conceded. “You are right about Ah Yu, but I still hope that Miao Li would stop thinking of vengeance. At least, he was once my friend, and I want to avoid our encounter if possible.”

Tian Fei echoed. “I hope so too.”

A couple days later, it was beyond doubt that China was being attacked as the enemy was sighted advancing not far from the fort. Tian Fei glanced at the others in the room and sighed heavily. The soldiers that he had dispatched to the capital to ask for reinforcement came back with the bad news. The emperor was now ill, and all affairs are under Eunuch Cao’s care. Tian Fei read the returning decree from the royal court and informed his colleagues bitterly.

“Eunuch Cao accused us of rebelling. According to him, we have besieged the fort in order to open the gate for Manchu. If we lose this battle, we will forever be called the traitors to our country. But if not, then we will have to answer to this unfound charge from the emperor.”

Man He lost his temper for the first time. “That is unfair. First Wu Dang and then this. I want to stranger both the turtle eunuch and the weak emperor right now!” He burst, and De Pang stared at him admonishingly.

“No matter what, the most important thing is to protect our country from the invaders. Real gold is not afraid to be melted. On the same token, the truth will always be the truth. I am sure that the heaven will not desert us this time.” De Pang said firmly.

Tian Xin-er supported him. “Master De is right. However, our force is too small to fight against a large army.” She turned to Ke Jing. “If my Eight Gates Formation doesn’t work, what else do you have in mind?”

Ke Jing nodded. “Well, I think that the most important thing is to defeat the other side’s leader. If we can get rid of him, then we won’t have to worry about the main army as wise man said that a snake without its head could not move. However, he is probably heavily guarded, so I think we should not be too careless.” He looked at Tian Fei for permission and the latter nodded kindly.

Ke Jing then continued. “This is called Seven Stars Formation.” He arranged several teacups at the middle of a table. “These are Juchens.” Then he surrounded the cups with seven oranges. “These are us.” He explained to the interest audience. “Wu Dang’s Five Elements Formation is suitable for this position to keep all guards at bay.”

De Pang sighed. “It is too bad that there are only four of us, even including Ah Zhu.”

Ke Jing smiled. “That is no problem. I will ask brother Li to help you out.” Li Renying stepped forward and solemnly cupped his hands to De Pang. “Elder please advise.”

Ke Jing pointed at two oranges in the east and west. “Master Tian and the two Huang brothers are to come from these two directions when Xin-er and I attack from the north. Finally, Ah Yu will be our guard in the rear.”

Tian Xin-er interjected. “But we are still missing this position.” She pointed at an orange next to Ah Yu’s position.

Ke Jing smiled mysteriously. “That place is reserved for the backup.” He called out. “Elder, please come out now. I have a new game for you to play.” He lifted one eyebrow at Tian Xin-er, warning her not to say anything carelessly.

Tian Xin-er glanced at the door and was shocked to see No Name (Chun Wong) there, beaming at her with pink cheeks. She blushed as he presented a bouquet of flowers to her. “I want you to have this.” He spoke shyly.

Tian Xin-er had to accept his gift while sending a questioning glare to Ke Jing who immediately explained with twinkle eyes. “Elder heard that you are here so he just wants to pay you a visit, so I took a liberty to ask him to help us out.”

No Name nodded. “My apprentice nephew’s medicine is very good. I don’t have to stay at the Mud Island anymore, so I decide to roam the world a bit before finding a drier place to live.” He went to Huang Yitao and slapped the young man’s back. “Xiaobai really misses you, so I hope that you can visit him sometimes.” He then scrutinized Tian Xin-er adoringly. “You look just tiny bit older. Hopefully this battle can help you age more quickly.” He sounded very serious.

Tian Xin-er did not know if she wanted to laugh or cry. Her trick was now backfiring on her, and she could not blame anyone but herself. However, she could not reveal the truth for she did not want to upset Ke Jing’s formation and did not wish to hurt the old man.

She stammered out a thank you, and No Name flushed with pleasure. Ke Jing then wisely propelled him to the table and explained to him his task.

After everyone else had left, Tian Xin-er turned to Ke Jing crossly. “I know you intentionally tricked No Name to stay. Poor man! I have half a mind to put on my silver wig and become an old grandmother for him.” She teased him.

Ke Jing smiled then turned grim. “Then I have to fight him out for you.” He caught her hands. “Xin-er, even you are a hundred years old, I won’t let you out of my sight.”

Tian Xin-er giggled. “When I am an old woman without teeth or hair, you might want to throw me into No Name’s lap with no second thought.”

Ke Jing shook his head. “Never. If you lose your hair, then I will shave my head. If you have no teeth, then I will pull mine out too. For me, you are always pretty for my love for you is eternal.”

Their sweet moment was brief, however, for scouts came back to report that the enemy was now right outside the fort. Tian Fei instantly sent signal to gather the troop then went outside the fort to meet their opponents. They were shocked to see Miao Li in a general garb on a horse at the head of the Juchen army. By his side was Bai Chang exquisitely dressed in white with gold trim.

Miao Li was no less surprised to see them. With many martial arts experts on site, he told himself to act cautiously, but when he spotted Ke Jing and Tian Xin-er holding hands, he turned green with jealousy. Consequently, he gave a roar and signaled his soldiers to attack immediately. Tian Fei then waved his flag for his soldiers to form a new array.

The Ming army rearranged its pattern into the ‘Dragon Tail’, a variation of Eight Gates Formation. Then it cut through the Juchen army like the dragon that soared past clouds in sky and dove through waves at sea. Soon, the Juchen soldiers were on a defense and had to retreat but due to their strong discipline, they were able to do so in orderly manner. On the opposite, although the formation was powerful, the Ming soldiers were weak and lacked practice; therefore, they could only manage a tie with the opponents in this round.

Miao Li watched his soldiers backing away furiously. His dream of witnessing the Great Walls being taken down suddenly vanished. Frustrated, he leaped from the horse with palms stretching out, aiming at the nearest target, Ruyu. Tian Fei shouted out, “be careful!” At the same time, he bounded toward to intercept the other’s attack. Their palms met, and Tian Fei was thrown away a short distance, while Miao Li reeled backward many steps. De Pang instantly sounded a gong for a retreat, and Tian Xin-er and Ke Jing immediately escorted Tian Fei back to the fort. The Juchen counselors also assisted Miao Li onto his horse and galloped off to their camps.

At the Ming fort, Tian Xin-er watched her father anxiously as he meditated to heal himself. “What happened, Father?”

After a moment, Tian Fei opened his eyes and let out a sigh deeply. “After some rest, I shall be all right. Hmm, the kung fu he used is really strange. At first, I felt the coming force was so weak that I didn’t think to use all my power. Then, as our palms touched one another, his force had surprisingly increased tenfold. If my energy weren’t so refined, I could have died out there by now. I blame myself for being too careless.” He sipped the tea that his daughter offered then closed his eyes tiredly and continued meditating.

Tian Xin-er and Ke Jing looked at each other with the same thought. Tian Fei’s description undoubtedly was the same martial art that Ke Jing had experienced before. The two youths left the room silently; each tried to think of a way to encounter Miao Li’s kung fu.

Ke Jing broke the silence. “Aside from this technique, Miao Li also has the Sun Saber style. From what I observed today, his martial skills seem to advance into another step.”

Tian Xin-er nodded gloomily. “The Sun Saber style can penetrate seven fatal points of its opponent at the same time. It is fast and powerful.”

They passed a kitchen, and Ke Jing suddenly pulled the puzzled Tian Xin-er inside. He then picked up a carrot in one hand while grabbing a head of cabbage with another hand. Next, he showed Tian Xin-er the two vegetables.

“If both are weapons and I attack you with them at the same time, which will arrive at you first?” He questioned her.

Tian Xin-er examined the two kinds of vegetables thoughtfully. “Well, the carrot is longer, so it will reach me first, but the cabbage will do more damage because it is bigger in size.” She replied.

Ke Jing put down the cabbage and the carrot and picked up a whole bunch of carrots instead. “How about these then?”

Tian Xin-er pondered. “Well, then it is hard to say because it would be like being stabbed in several places at once.” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. A perception began to dawn on her.

“Do you mean that although the Sun Saber can attack at several points at the same time, the force at each point doesn’t have to be the same?”

Ke Jing nodded. “For instance, it takes more energy to stab at a belly than at a forehead. Besides, I think the technique of Sun Saber has a similar strategy to my Seven Stars Formation.” He placed a cucumber on the ground and placed seven peanuts around it. “If I am to attack this cucumber, I will use this peanut to first distract it then use the other six to do the real work. Likewise, I think Miao Li’s Sun Saber’s weak point must be that trick move. Speed should be able to overcome his Sun Saber, so I will use my Double Swords style tomorrow. As for his other technique, Xin-er, you can use the Net of No Way Out to absorb the coming energy then bounce it back, using the owner’s force to destroy itself.”

Tian Xin-er clapped. “Ah Jing, that is a genius idea!”

At that moment, Ah Yu stepped inside the kitchen. He greeted them quietly and uttered a question. “I just wonder if there could be a way to avoid bloodshed tomorrow.”

Tian Xin-er frowned. “Not unless Miao Li would leave us alone. Ah Yu, do you feel awkward because he is your martial brother? If so, you don’t need to go out with us tomorrow.” She said sympathetically.

Ah Yu shook his head. “No, I only don’t want to see either side get hurt. Although Miao Li has done a lot of bad things, I can’t be angry at him for he must have collected a lot of bitterness in his heart to turn out like the present. I wish I could do something for him to lessen that hatred of his.”

Ke Jing smiled understandingly. “Ah Yu, you are a kind person. Miao Li was also our friend, and we want to avoid a battle with him too. However, now that he has become the Juchen’s prince and intended to invade China, it is our duty to prevent him from accomplish so.”

Ah Yu suddenly felt sad. He sighed softly then walked away with forlorn expression. At his room, he found Jiaping looked out of the window in misery, so he gently touched her shoulders. She turned around and faced him with tearful face. She leaned on him and starting crying. After a while, she dried her tears.

“Ah Yu, I have told myself repeatedly that everything was just my nightmare, but when I see him again today, what he did to me all came back to haunt me. Ah Yu, I don’t want to be here. Can we go back to our cottage and stay there forever?”

Ah Yu combed her hair with his fingers. “Jiaping, I’d love to but I can’t. I feel as if I have some unfinished business with Miao Li, and I need to see it through. Forget the past, Jiaping for you have me in your present and in your future. It was all my faults that you became his victim. Be angry with me if it will help you feel better.”

Jiaping sighed. “I can never be mad at you, Ah Yu. Nonetheless, I have a premonition about tomorrow, and I am scared.” She stared at him. “Ah Yu, let’s get married tonight for whatever happens tomorrow, I will face it with you as your wife.”

It was Ah Yu’s turn to sigh. “Jiaping, you are forever my wife. Marriage is a special occasion, not something to be done hastily. Everyone here is worried about tomorrow, so we should not selfishly make merry alone. I promise you that after tomorrow, I will ask Master Tian and Miss Tian to organize our wedding for us. Didn’t you say that Miss Tian is your mentor?”

Jiaping sulked at first but relented in the end. “A wife shall obeys her husband, so I will listen to you. I’ll wait for your return tomorrow.” She said submissively and prepared the bed for Ah Yu.

The morning had arrived, and the two armies met again. By now, there was no doubt that holding up a fort without fighting was not an option. Therefore, everyone woke up and looked at the sun with the most grateful heart. How many would see the sunrise again tomorrow?

Again, the Ming army formed the Dragon Tail formation, but today Miao Li brandished one saber from its scabbard and countered back, starting from the tail of the formation. His saber cut through bodies like a piece of paper and in short time destroyed the entire formation.

Miao Li laughed. “Is that all? What other toy do you have?”

Tian Fei frowned. “Master Miao, we have known each other before, and for our soldiers’ sakes, is it possible that we decide this affair among ourselves?”

Miao Li lifted his eyebrow. “Do you mean a duel?” He glared at the other side with an evil smile. “You seem to have many pugilists there, but I am not afraid for I have someone here who can wipe out everyone in a blink of an eye.” A tall figure stepped out, and Ah Yu uttered, “Master!”

Light Shadow (Kenneth Tsang Kong) glanced at his opponents and rested his eyes at his apprentice. “Ah Yu, are you going to fight against me? Did you forget your promise in front of the cave that day? Your life is no longer yours to decide, so if you still have some regard for me, keep out of this business.”

Ah Yu looked down at his feet and slowly knelt down. Light Shadow snickered but knitted his eyebrows at the sight of No Name. “Crazy fat man like you should not be too nosy if you want to live to a hundred.” He sneered, and No Name instantaneously spat out his saliva.

The saliva shot toward Light Shadow forcefully, aiming at a major acupuncture point at his stomach. Quickly, Light Shadow grabbed the nearest soldier and used him as a shield. The saliva hit the hapless soldier and he suddenly laughed crazily.

No Name jumped up and down, making a funny face at Light Shadow. “An old fat man like me is surely cuter than a pale bony ghost like you. Oh, I forgot that White Ghost was the name of your eldest martial brother’s, not yours.” He guffawed at the other’s livid face. “Light Shadow, despite being the second martial brother, in the past, you have lost to both White Ghost and Black Devil. That’s why you shut yourself in a stinky cave and waited for their deaths before daring to show your turtle bottom.” He knew that he had hit at the right spot as Light Shadow chew his teeth with fury. He was angry beyond words.

Growling, Light Shadow flipped into the air; his claws stretched out, aiming at No Name’s throat. No Name ducked and rolled over the floor then somersaulted away agilely despite his fatness. “Catch me if you can.” He taunted, and Light Shadow went after him like lightning.

Miao Li called his martial uncle, but both elders had already gone far. Left alone, Miao Li decided to finish the battle very quickly. So, he signaled his army to move forth. He himself charged toward Ke Jing. Tian Fei waved, and his force launched into the battlefield. Huang Yitao, Huang Jiwen, and Ruyu joined him in the fight, and whenever Wu Dang’s Five Elements Formation went, the enemies could not help but scattered away.

Miao Li used his Sun Saber style, and Ke Jing countered him with his Double Swords technique. Miao Li’s saber was fierce; each moved intended to kill, while Ke Jing’s swords were so fast that only their shadows could be seen.

Meanwhile, Bai Chang was fighting with Tian Xin-er, who used only half of her strength because she did not wish to hurt a pregnant woman. However, as Bai Chang relentlessly attacked her with long white cloth, Tian Xin-er had to defend herself using the Maiden Sword for the more vicious the other was, the gentler her kung fu was like an old saying – soft won hard, gentle defeated violent. Each maiden defended and attacked, moving heavenly-like.

Suddenly, Bai Chang lowered herself and moaned aloud as if her baby was kicking, and Tian Xin-er immediately stopped and instinctively rushed forward to see the other’s condition. Just as she approached the pregnant woman, rain of tiny needles flew at her without warning. Turned out it was Bai Chang’s trick for she realized that she could not defeat her opponent by force. As the needles were about to touch Tian Xin-er, who was unable to dodge them in time, a hand reached forth and caught all the needles between its fingers. Laughter followed, and No Name reappeared. Close on his heels was Light Shadow.

No Name laughed again and flicked his hand, sending the captured needles toward his chaser. Light Shadow then intercepted the coming projectiles with his inner power, blasting them midway. No Name immediately cheered out sincerely.

“Wow! Your bony body is not too weak after all.” He praised.

Light Shadow took it as the other being sarcastic, so he lifted his palms, circulating his energy and sent the force forward. Tian Xin-er could guess what he meant to do and turned to counter the other with Emei’s Net of No Way Out. Light Shadow’s steam of energy was like sea wave, weak and gentle at first then grew more violent and doubled in power. By the time it reached Tian Xin-er, it was in its full force.

At that moment, Bai Chang struck again, and No Name effortlessly pulled white cloth from her, tearing it into pieces, while giving a lecture. “It is not very nice to attack people’s backs.” Then he nimbly grabbed her arm and turned her upside down. Next, he proceeded to give her three hard spankings before releasing her. “Little girl, I am doing this in name of your grandpa so that your little baby will behave in the future.”

Bai Chang was humiliated beyond description. She wanted to get up and scratch the old man’s eyes out, but by then, the baby inside actually moved. So, she could only sit on the ground, waiting for the pain to go away and her strength to return.

Tian Xin-er’s energy web absorbed Light Shadow’s powerful energy then released it back to its sender. Taken by surprise, Light Shadow was hit by his own energy. As a result, he was thrown back several meters and lay still on the ground.

In the meantime, Miao Li’s saber was still trying to penetrate Ke Jing’s lightning speed. Ke Jing equally had a difficult time to avoid the other’s powerful weapon. Originally, Miao Li’s Sun Saber style was already formidable. Now, with his mighty saber, it was almost impossible to defeat it. As Ke Jing fought, he was wrecking his brain to find a way to overcome the other. After a while, he changed his technique. He purposely slowed down, and as expected, Miao Li thrust forth his saber. Simultaneously, Ke Jing brought down his two swords on either side of the other’s saber. Then, with all his might, he sent force downward, causing the three weapons to fly away and lodged firmly onto the ground.

Miao Li yelled out a curse and punched forth. His fists met Ke Jing’s palms, while his feet kicked out. Ke Jing immediately kicked back while his palms busily countered the other. Miao Li generated his inner power against his opponent, and Ke Jing met it with his refined energy.

Palms against palms; feet against feet; inner force against inner force – Miao Li’s only thought was to take the other’s life. Suddenly, Ke Jing shifted his energy from right to left and then left to right. Each time, the force continued to grow and struck forth at its opponent. Miao Li instantly shielded his body with his inner power just in time but still had to lurch backward with certain amount of internal injury.
-----------------------------------
thank you for reading.

[Acidbeastonfire]

Bravo. The much anticipated duel between Ke Jing & Miao Li finally came to fruition.

Its looking like we hv a lot of top rank fighters now. Ke Jing, Miao Li, Ah Yu, Xin-Er, the wudang brothers esp De Pang, Tian Fei & Ah Yi.

Instead of us the readers trying to speculate, as their creator Goofy, how would you rank them?

I esp like Ke Jing because of his ability to retain his composure during duels although he doesnt hv a lot of experience. Coupled with his wits, he is a handful for anyone although they may be higher skilled. He kinda remind me of Chu Liu Xiang who may not be the best in terms of skill but is peerless when it comes to wit.