Book 1 Chapter 20 - Tianfeng s.h.i.+si Lang

Bai Yumo's eyes were flickering; he said with an evil laugh, "Are you still waiting for someone to rescue you? Aren't you dreaming?"

Qiu Lingsu looked up to the sky as if she was checking the time of the day. Sighing grimly, she said, "Until now, I am afraid no one would come to rescue me … Death, I wonder how does it feel to die?"

Holding the urn tightly in her bosom, she was ready to jump.

Chu Liuxiang suddenly leaped out and shouted loudly, "Bai Yumo, I have never killed anyone, but as soon as your hands move, I am going to kill you."

Bai Yumo's wolf-teeth mace was already high in the air, but he was startled that it stopped midair.

Chu Liuxiang did not give him any time to think; amidst his shout, he already swept past, pulling Qiu Lingsu far away from this ten-thousand-fathom precipice.

It was only then did Bai Yumo come to his senses. "The one surnamed Chu!" he bellowed angrily, "Why are you meddling in other people's business?"

Carrying a strong gust of wind, the heavy wolf-teeth mace swept across both Chu Liuxiang and Qiu Lingsu.

The wolf-teeth mace was a long weapon that was normally being used to charge and break through the enemy lines on the battlefield, the weapon to be used in b.l.o.o.d.y battle involving magnificent army with thousands of men and horses; its power was strong, its momentum violent, absolutely could not be compared to the weapons most commonly used by Jianghu's warriors. But unexpectedly Bai Yumo was born with such a divine strength that he was able to move such a heavy weapon with ease [orig. what the heart wishes, the hand accomplishes].

Who would have thought that not only Chu Liuxiang did not dodge, he met the attack head-on instead?

When he reached out to pull just now, he discovered that Madame Ren Qiu Lingsu unexpectedly did not know martial art at all; naturally he could not let her suffering any harm.

Therefore, he had to take risk.

Twisting and turning his body around, he charged into the crisscrossing shadows of the wolf-teeth mace. Suddenly he made his move to strike at Bai Yumo's elbow.

Bai Yumo's arm was swinging horizontally. As his elbow was. .h.i.t, involuntarily his arm sw.a.n.g upward! Chu Liuxiang's palm then reached toward his flank and gently sliced down.

Bai Yumo only felt half of his body went numb, the wolf-teeth mace left his hand and flew out. 'Whoos.h.!.+' it flew straight to the sky; the clouds covering the mountain peak was immediately smashed to pieces.

Although Chu Liuxiang's palm 'slice' seemed to be ordinary and mediocre, but at that time he was taking a big risk; his technique was extremely strange, no one could really explain it.

Bai Yumo had never expected that he just launched one strike, and his weapon already flew off his hands. He had roamed the Jianghu for several decades, yet he had never encountered such thing. Unconsciously he was dumbfounded.

He saw Chu Liuxiang was standing in front of him, speaking with a smile, "You haven't left?"

Unexpectedly Chu Liuxiang did not seize the opportunity to attack, but lightly and easily let Bai Yumo go.

Bai Yumo never expected even more that there was such thing in the world. Because he himself was vicious and merciless, naturally he had never expected, not even in his dream, that other people could be this magnanimous. Momentarily he did not know whether he should be shocked? Or happy? "You … are you …" he stammered.

Chu Liuxiang replied indifferently, "If you think carefully, you ought to wonder why you haven't died yet? But you also ought to know how to conduct yourself in the future."

Bai Yumo no longer speak. He turned around and headed straight out.

Only at this time that there was a 'Splos.h.!.+' sound from the bottom of the cliff, as the wolf-teeth mace reached the bottom.

Chu Liuxiang turned around toward Qiu Lingsu and spoke with a smile, "Was Zaixia too late?"

"But in the end you came," Qiu Lingsu replied, “In the end you still did not disappoint me."

She sighed softly and went on, "I can see at the first glance that you are an intelligent man, surely you are able to understand my words and would undoubtedly come back. Therefore, when that Bai Yumo came looking for me, with a thousand ways, a hundred plans I tried to hold him back, and slowly came here. Hearing that I was going to jump down the cliff, he did not immediately make his move."

Chu Liuxiang smiled and said, "Were it not for Madame's manner and appearance, how could the bloodthirsty Bai Yumo not dare to lay a finger on Madame? Were it not for the hairpin Madame left behind, how could Zaixia find you here?"

Both were exceptionally intelligent persons, unexpectedly they happened to meet together.

Qiu Lingsu seemed to be smiling; she spoke indifferently, "You must know that I am doing all these things, it is not because I value my life more than anything, but if I don't tell the secret in my heart, I would die with regret."

"So, can Madame tell the secret of your heart now?" Chu Liuxiang asked.

Qiu Lingsu sighed and said, "If I don't tell it now, I am afraid I will never have any time later … But this is a plethora of things to tackle, where do I start?"

Without even thinking, Chu Liuxiang immediately said, "Letter! Naturally you must start from those four letters; Zha Muge, Zuo Youzheng, Lingjiu Zi, Ximen Qian, all received the letter. I wonder if they were written by Madame?"

"It was me …" Qiu Lingsu replied, "I brought disaster to them!"

"Why did Madame write those four letters?" Chu Liuxiang asked, "What might Madame's difficulty be?"

Qiu Lingsu sadly said, "You may have heard the story of 'attire imperial order' [? 衣帶詔] of Emperor Xian of Han [(181-234), the final Han emperor, set up by Dong Zhuo, reigned 189-220, forced to abdicate 220 by Cao Pi]. He was the emperor, but was no different than a puppet; not only he could not do anything, he was even incapable to preserve his own life."

Emotionally moved, Chu Liuxiang said, "Could it be that Ren Lao Bangzhu was also …"

"For the last three years," Qiu Lingsu said, "Ren Ci's situation was identical to that pitiful emperor. Although in name he was the Beggar Clan's Bangzhu, but everything was actually under someone else's control."

Chu Liuxiang could not help asking, "Who's controlling him?"

Qiu Lingsu replied word by word, "NanGong Ling!"

Stomping his foot in anger, Chu Liuxiang said, "Indeed it's him … indeed it's him."

Qiu Lingsu continued, "He was an orphan. It was Ren Ci who raised him up since he was little until he is a grownup and taught him martial arts. He is actually very intelligent; whatever Ren Ci taught him, he only needed to learn it once and he already knew how to do it. Not only that, he had the potential of green surpa.s.sing the blue."

Chu Liuxiang said, "But with Ren Lao Bangzhu's martial art skill …"

Qiu Lingsu interrupted him by sighing and then said, "Although Ren Ci was already old, his martial art skill did not diminish, his physique usually was very st.u.r.dy. But in the last three years, for some unknown reason, he unexpectedly caught some kind of strange illness. Not only his body grew increasingly thinner and weaker, even his limbs were gradually paralyzed; practically he became a handicapped person."

Heaving a deep sigh, Chu Liuxiang said, "Heroes are most afraid of disease wearing them down; it has been so since ancient times!"

"But his illness did not come naturally," Qiu Lingsu said.

"Madame is saying …" Chu Liuxiang blurted out, "Someone poisoned him?"

"Precisely!" Qiu Lingsu replied.

Although Chu Liuxiang already knew who it was, he still could not help asking, "Who?"

"Only one person had the opportunity to poison him," Qiu Lingsu replied, "NanGong Ling! Before his true colors were revealed, everybody knew that he was the most filial person in the world. Not only he strived wholeheartedly to resolve any challenging affair within the Gang, he even meticulously took care of Ren Ci's food and drink and everyday necessities that I nearly had nothing to do. Originally I was so grateful of his filial piety; unexpectedly he did that for the convenience of putting poison in him."

Smiling wryly, Chu Liuxiang said, "Yet he was afraid to arouse other people's suspicion, hence he did not dare to poison Ren Lao Bangzhu to death. This man's intention is sinister, his conduct is impenetrable; unexpectedly even I was unable to see through it."

Qiu Lingsu sighed and said, "You are not the only one who failed to see his viciousness. By the time I found out about it, it was already too late, Ren Ci was already powerless against him. In everything, he simply had to obey him. Not only he did not dare to reveal his malicious scheme, he still had to see his face, still had to make a supreme effort to touch him, so much so that he had to curry favor from him …"

Speaking to this point, her tranquil, serene and elegant voice quivered. Those days, the days where she had to contain her suffering and endure the disgrace, must be full of bitterness and tears of blood.

Listening to her, righteous indignation filled Chu Liuxiang's breast; he angrily said, "He acted like that, how come other people in the Gang were not concerned?"

Qiu Lingsu replied, "In front of others, he was still full of respect toward me and Ren Ci, and was totally submissive; who could possibly see through his true malicious face?"

Qiu Lingsu sighed and said, "To the last days, Ren Ci and me were practically put under house arrest; without his permission, n.o.body could see us. Externally he just said that Ren Ci was seriously ill, therefore, he would not let anybody to disturb him. Who'd dare not to believe his words? All the Beggar Clan disciples were hoping that Ren Ci would recover soon, so who'd come to bother him?"

"In that case," Chu Liuxiang asked, "How did Madame send those four letters out?"

"NanGong Ling sent them out for me," Qiu Lingsu replied.

Astonished, Chu Liuxiang asked, "NanGong Ling?"

Qiu Lingsu explained, "Although sending letters to Ximen Qian and Zuo Youzheng was not difficult, but Lingjiu Zi and Zha Muge, one lived in seclusion in the coastal area, the other lived far away in the desert. Except for NanGong Ling ordering Beggar Clan disciples all over the world to deliver the letters, who would have the capability of delivering the letter to them quickly and properly?"

Chu Liuxiang clapped his hands and said, "Oh, that's right. I was originally wondering, Zha Muge, Lingjiu Zi, Ximen Qian, Zuo Youzheng, those four men lived far and near, the difference was enormous. If you sent those letter at the same time, by the time Ximen Qian and Zuo Youzheng arrived, perhaps Zha Muge and Lingjiu Zi have not even received the letter yet. But those four clearly arrived at the same time; wasn't that extremely strange?"

He sighed and went on, "Now I understand that turned out NanGong Ling had calculated the timing accurately; he calculated accurately the time Zha Muge and Lingjiu Zi received the letter and set out, and only then did he send the letters to Zuo Youzheng and Ximen Qian. He calculated accurately that the four men would arrive at the same time, and he made them die at the same time as well."

Once he figured out this logic, the more he felt that NanGong Ling was very thorough in his conduct; it was really terrifying.