Book 13 Chapter 5 – Psychological Warfare

When the two boys heard Wanwan’s voice, their anxiety was not over their own safety at all, but they were worried over Duan Yucheng and the others, four men.

The reason Wanwan was able to wait for them here must be because she managed to extract information by torturing Duan Yucheng, four men, about their secret markings. Thereby for Duan Yucheng and the others, everything boded ill, with no positive signs.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged glances; both discovered astonishment in the other’s countenance.

Unlike before, this time the enemy was waiting with stored up energy; she even laid out meticulous arrangement to deal with the two boys. Based on Wanwan’s talent and strength, she definitely would not give them any chance to escape.

Wanwan’s tender and sweet voice sounded again from the outside, but it had changed position. This time it came from the west window, as she spoke softly, “Ziling Xiong and Zhong Shaoye must be so shocked that your legs must be weakened! Why haven’t you run like two dogs into the wilderness like before?”

Although her voice was incomparably gentle and soft, but the substance of her remark was filled with detest, a gnashing of teeth toward the two boys.

Kou Zhong signaled Xu Ziling with his eyes, and then he spoke in mock surprise, “Whenever the enemy is happy, I, Zhong Shao, want to fight with all my strength instead. Besides, everybody is entitled to remain in his own warm home to enjoy the precious life! Ah! Please forgive Xiaodi for not having any interest in running away!”

Xu Ziling was of the same mind; he knew that they were going to fight to the death inside this house, and that albeit slim, they still had an opportunity to live. So he rose up to his full height and stood in the middle of the hall. Focusing all his power on his ears, he listened to the sound of activity in four sides eight directions.

In that instant, he forgot about life or death, his mind and spirit concentrated on the fantastic world of his sense of hearing.

And then he sensed that other than Wanwan, there was another person nearby.

It was an inexplicable feeling.

As a matter of fact, the opposite party did not make the least bit of sound, yet Xu Ziling knew clearly that he was in the rear courtyard.

Plus he was certain that if this person was not Qu Ao himself, then he must be a top martial art master of Qu Ao’s level.

This moment Kou Zhong had just finished speaking, ‘Pfft!’ Wanwan burst out giggling and said, “It was me who actually rent this house! Wanwan has never been married to you, yet you came to reap where you have not sown [orig. the magpie made a nest, the turtledove dwells in it]; where’s the logic in that?”

This time her voice came from the east window, creating a weird, indescribable feeling as if she was able to transform herself into an omnipresent being that existed in different places at the same time, heavily surrounded the house, and that several different incarnations of her were speaking to the two boys from different locations.

The amazing demonic technique of Tianmo [demonic/devil] Secret was indeed out of the ordinary.

Kou Zhong’s heart was shivering in fear, but when he looked at Xu Ziling, he saw that Xu Ziling’s expression was tranquil, as calm as the surface of the lake without any ripple on it. Xu Ziling was signaling Kou Zhong with his hand, telling him that there was another person at the rear courtyard.

Kou Zhong spoke in heavy voice, “If any unexpected misfortune befell my four subordinates, I don’t care if you are a demoness from the Demon Cult, or you are the old man Emperor of Heaven himself, I will require your blood to atone for their blood.”

Like a gentle breeze Wanwan’s tender laughter entered their ears, “After a man gets out of his mother’s womb, he strives and works hard, until finally enters rest in death. Since sooner or later he has to die, won’t dying earlier save him a lot of suffering? Your four subordinates are a lot luckier than you are! They are able to be one step ahead of you in lying down to rest. I have been kind enough to let them rest in peace by building four new graves in the backyard. While you still have breath, why not go out to pay them your respect?”

Kou Zhong took a deep breath, forcing out the anger and hatred filling his heart.

It could be said that this time they had the best chance to die since their debut. Their only way to survive was to rely on their real skill; therefore, now he simply had to use up his real skill, to enter the empty-spirit, the ethereal realm of the moon in the well.

The person at the rear courtyard was definitely not Qu Ao, because with the great hatred he had against the two boys for the death of his son, he would never be this patient.

His heart moved, Kou Zhong relaxed his body and slumped back into the chair; he said, “Bian Bufu, since you’ve come here, why be sneaky like a turtle who withdraw its head?”

Wanwan’s voice came from the roof, “You, this kid, indeed have a bit of skill; but Bian Shishu does not like to talk to stranger. Whatever you say, he is not interested in giving you any answer.”

Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, “You are going back and forth outside, other than absurd, you are tiring your legs. Why not come in here and drink some tea?”

There was neither wind nor rain, but the front and rear doors of the hall suddenly opened at the same time, and the entire room was suddenly permeated by some eerie ghostly aura.

Xu Ziling stared fixedly at Kou Zhong, his face revealed a hint of smile, while his eyes exuded profound feeling. He signaled Kou Zhong with his hand, telling him to run away.

Kou Zhong’s tiger-body shook severely.

Xu Ziling had decided to sacrifice himself so that he could escape, not only to continue his beautiful dream of vying over the world, but also to avenge him.

‘Qiang!’

The Moon in the Well left its scabbard on Kou Zhong’s back.

At the same time he rose up to his full height, threw his head back and let out a long laugh. “Today we, two brothers, will leave this place hand-in-hand, or fight together to our death. There is no other possibility.”

Chapter 5 - Part 2

With the sound of fluttering sleeves, the beauty that was not possible to exist in ordinary human, the plain white clothes, the bare feet Wanwan appeared at the main gate; smiling gracefully, she said, “The thing that Wanwan appreciate the most is your, two kids’ heroic spirit, hence killing you will be extraordinarily satisfying. If it were common mortals, even if they craned their necks, nujia won’t be interested in chopping it down!”

Laughing involuntarily, Xu Ziling said, “I am afraid Female demon Wan is simply showing strength while you are actually weak inside! Which encounter with us did not cause you a minor injury or some degree of suffering? Furthermore, we are getting more formidable with each encounter. This time you are willingly coming to help us train our skill, this is what we seek but fail to get.”

Without even casting a single glance toward Wanwan, Kou Zhong had his gaze fixed on the Moon in the Well in his hand; he sighed and said, “Xiao Ling! This is the first time ever that I have the feeling that you are really angry; your murderous aura is really strong!”

Wanwan slightly shrugged her shoulders; with her tender and graceful demeanor that would shake any man’s heart, she walked pass the two boys toward a small table standing by the rear door. Acting like a wife who had deep love toward her husband, she calmly said, “Forgot to tell two gentlemen! I have prepared a pot of Bieli Tea especially for you; while it is still hot, why don’t you drink it?”

The two boys looked at each other in astonishment; the same question appeared on both men’s heart: did Wanwan deliberately open up an escape route for them?

But then they immediately realized what was going on.

Right now Wanwan was using some kind of psychological tactics. As soon as they harbored any intention to escape, their ‘viewing death as returning home’ momentum and their formidable confidence will immediately fall apart.

And the moment that happened would be the moment Wanwan would make her move.

This woman was indeed worthy to be called Devil Cult’s successor who could rival Zhu Yuyan. Aware that the state of mind was the most important realm of the amazing skill of the ‘Secret to Long Life’, she intentionally entered from this aspect to break their ultimate art.

The saber blade reflected the sunshine from the outside, golden rays flickered gloriously.

In that instant, Kou Zhong has entered the ‘moon in the well’ realm.

This has been forced out. But it has also proven that as long as they were able to maintain the Secret to Long Life realm, even Wanwan would have some degree of apprehension; hence the reason she has not made her move until now.

Whether she told them that she had killed Duan Yucheng and the others, four men, or, like now, she was deliberately opening up an escape route, her true intention was to break their ultimate art.

Right this moment, just like Xu Ziling, Kou Zhong suddenly sensed Bian Bufu’s position.

He has jumped onto the roof.

An odd, indescribable feeling welled up in Kou Zhong’s heart, because right this instant he really understood the profound logic behind ‘Yijian Technique’.

Previously, his Yijian Technique was only aimed at the chess pieces’ offensive and defensive, while neglecting the overall situation.

The chessboard was precisely the directly tangible or perhaps the indirectly perceived empty space before his eyes. The chess pieces were precisely himself, Xu Ziling, Bian Bufu and Wanwan, two groups of hostile opponents.

No matter which chess piece moved, it would directly affect the overall situation.

Since he was one of the pieces, if he moved, the opponent’s chess piece would also have to react.

For example, if he moved to the main gate, pretending to run away, how would the enemy react?

If he was able to anticipate the enemy’s reaction, wouldn’t it be consistent with the spirit of ‘using the man to play the sword, using the sword to play the enemy’? [Reminder: ‘yi’ is the ancient name for Chinese chess.]

Thinking to this point, Kou Zhong had a flash of understanding on the relationship of Yijian Technique. A formidable-beyond-understanding confidence and fighting spirit bubbled forth in his heart. After signaling Xu Ziling with his eyes, he giggled and said, “Unless your cup of tea is joyous harmony tea [合歡茶– not sure what it is], I would have to ask Miss Wan to enjoy it yourself! Ah! I forgot to buy something, I must go out. Would Xiao Ling be enough to wait upon you?”

He walked toward the main gate in large strides.

Xu Ziling knew the time to make their move was at hand; smiling slightly, he stored up his power and waited quietly.

He has already obtained deep understanding of the Tianmo Gong, which was the constant permutation that was beyond human being’s ability to comprehend.

Wanwan was pouring hot tea into four empty cups. With her back against the two boys, she said indifferently, “How about we just have a nice discussion? As long as you agree to tell Wanwan the whereabouts of the ‘Duke Yang’s Treasure’, the gratitude and grudges between us will be hereby written off at one stroke. Later on everybody will not interfere with one another [orig. river water does not mix with well water]. Gentlemen, what do you say?”

Well-composed, Xu Ziling spoke calmly, “I wonder if Miss Wan will be willing to realize that you have missed both the time and the opportunity to kill us; therefore, no matter what you say right now, or what crafty scheme you use, it will work to no avail.”

Although with this remark Xu Ziling has exposed her ruse, Wanwan remained unmoved. Holding up the tray with four cups of green tea in her hands, with such a wonderful and hard-to-described manner, she turned around to face the standing-still-like-a-mountain Xu Ziling and the just-about-to-step-out-of-the-front-door Kou Zhong’s back. Her pretty brows slightly knitted, she said, “I spoke out of the sincerity of my heart, yet that is how you look upon me, you have just broken nujia’s heart.”

Her voice was filled with strong sincerity and moving emotion that provoked sympathy, so that even Kou Zhong nearly stopped his steps and turned around.

Unmoved, Xu Ziling looked at her and said indifferently, “Miss Wan needs not waste your time. The ‘Secret to Long Life’ and ‘Demonic Secret’ [tianmo mi], one upright the other heretical, the natures are in opposition to each other. You are speaking around and around like this, how can it be effective?”

At this point Bian Bufu’s voice came from outside the door, “Wan’er! The Chinese peony you bought has bloomed five stems of flowers!”

Kou Zhong had just stepped over the threshold of the door. He saw on the sun-drenched open space in front of the door stood the tall and suave Bian Bufu, wearing scholarly attire, with his hands behind his back, examining the flower bed by the main gate of the courtyard.

An amazing feeling welled up in Kou Zhong’s heart, which came from the realization that he had completely grasped the essence of the Yijian Technique.

If he had not anticipated that Bian Bufu would intercept him outside the courtyard gate, this moment he would have stopped and then decide whether he should advance and attack, or he should retreat and defend.

But now, of course, was another matter altogether.

Carrying the Moon in the Well across his shoulders, he kept going, while said with a giggle, “Ol’ Bian, turns out other than being old without the respect that comes with age, you are a man with voracious desire for flowers. No wonder you wanted to pluck the fresh flower, your Wan Shizhinu [martial niece]!”

Bian Bufu and Wanwan’s hearts were shaken at the same time.

Chapter 5 - Part 3

It should be noted that this matter was a shady secret between Bian Bufu and Wanwan that must not be exposed in the light, yet Kou Zhong just blurted it out. Naturally the two people’s mind was disturbed as they were caught off guard.

For Bian Bufu, obtaining Wanwan’s body was the deepest longing of his heart, yet until today he has not been able to get it; therefore, Kou Zhong’s remark has brought the load on his mind up to the surface.

Wanwan was pondering how could Kou Zhong know this secret? She immediately remembered her dialog with Bian Bufu that night by the deep water in the small valley. No doubt Kou Zhong and the others were hiding nearby, yet she failed to detect their presence, and in that crazy way she missed the golden opportunity to kill the enemy.

On the other hand, by lucky coincidence Kou Zhong’s seemingly fleeting remark has shaken the two people’s spirit, exposing the gap in their thought that must not be revealed.

Two hostile forces facing each other, from the beginning they have been using all kinds of psychological tactics to disturb the opponent’s no-gap-can-be-found mental state. The end result was Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling’s side gained the upper hand.

Such an opportunity, how could the two boys be willing to let it slip by?

With a loud shout Kou Zhong’s Moon in the Well shot out from his shoulder, creating a streak of yellow rays, chopping down on Bian Bufu.

Xu Ziling flashed toward Wanwan’s left flank.

Bian Bufu and Kou Zhong clashed first.

Seeing the swift and fierce momentum of the Moon in the Well, Bian Bufu remained calm without any sign of fear; focusing his attention, his right hand deftly swept across to meet the attack.

The long sleeve of his broad robe slipped off, exposing the flickering, silvery circular iron hoop, about a chi and a half in diameter, which moved to completely sealed off the Moon in the Well’s attack path.

Kou Zhong’s saber strike was imbued with the power he has already stored up for quite a while. Seeing Bian Bufu fell into defensive position, he was unwilling to miss this golden opportunity.

‘Dang!’

Saber and ring collided.

Both combatants staggered two steps back.

Although on the surface it appeared that they were even, Kou Zhong was well aware that even after sending out his stored-up energy, plus he was on the offensive, he still failed to gain much advantage. He knew instantly that in term of power, this devil head was at least two, three notches above him.

Precisely like Ba Fenghan said, he could only outsmart this man, but he must not try to overpower him.

In this move the Moon in the Well had not achieved anything.

Inside the house, Xu Ziling and Wanwan were also engaged in a dangerous battle of life and death.

While Xu Ziling was moving toward Wanwan, his mind traveled at the speed of light, he suddenly understood something.

During his several encounters with Wanwan in the past, this woman did not seem to mention anything about the ‘Duke Yang’s Treasure’, yet this time she plainly bring it up. Obviously she had forced out a confession from Duan Yucheng and the others that they were going to Guanzhong for the secret of the ‘Duke Yang’s Treasure’, hence a feeling of covetousness started to appear in her heart.

This information was extremely useful; it also explained why Wanwan was using all kinds of psychological warfare to break up their fighting spirit and confidence, because her goal was to capture them alive, and then using the Devil Cult’s secret method she wanted to extract the location of the treasure from them.

Having this thought, Xu Ziling twisted around and sent out a punch toward Wanwan.

Maintaining her charm, Wanwan revealed a moving expression with ‘hidden bitterness, secret grudge’. Swinging the tea tray, the edge happened to meet Xu Ziling’s fist.

A sudden burst of violent vortex of energy blew her clothes up, her beautiful hair fluttered.

It was as if Xu Ziling already anticipated that she was going to resort to this move. With a cold laugh he said, “You have fallen into a trap!”

His fist suddenly appeared floating and powerless, as it gently brushed against the edge of the tea tray.

Even with Wanwan’s brilliance, she was shocked.

She has already sent out the Tianmo Gong at full power; using the tray as the medium, she wanted to completely suck the vortex of energy from Xu Ziling’s fist, and then seized the opportunity to regain the initiative, in order to kill Xu Ziling in ten, or perhaps eight, moves, and then helped Bian Bufu to capture Kou Zhong alive.

This time they were planning on dealing with Kou and Xu, two boys, without informing Qu Ao. They thought that their combined power was more than enough to defeat the two boys, but more importantly, they were hoping to obtain the secret to ‘Duke Yang Treasure’ without having to share it with him.

However, what she and Bian Bufu did not anticipate was: after being separated for only a few days, in terms of wisdom, scheming and martial art skill, the two boys were progressing substantially.

Only when the tray hit the fist did Wanwan suddenly realize that Xu Ziling’s attack was not directed to her, but to the teacups on the tray; but by this time she already lost the decisive opportunity.

Xu Ziling’s spirit and mind were clear and bright, his entire vigor and willpower were focused on the power of the fist he sent into the tea tray.

In that instant, he felt that his spirit and inner qi had merged into one entity, there was no longer separation between the two.

In the past, he could only send out fist power. The best he could do was to control the magnitude of the force

But this time it was completely different.

First of all, he could feel the condition of the unleashing and the flow of the true qi in the meridians all over his entire body in details, as well as the accumulation of qi in every single one of the vital acupoints. Just like the Commander-in-Chief of the army defending a city has a clear understanding of the strength of every storehouse, every unit of soldiers and every city gate tower.

It was an amazing, indescribable feeling.

He let his true qi to grow and multiply without end from the yongquan acupoint on his right foot entered and circulated through his whole body, and coalesced at the ocean of qi on his dantian. Afterwards, via the two meridians, ren and du, it supplied the true qi necessary for fighting.

The magnitude and speed were completely under his control.

It was the reason he was able to change at the last moment by sending out a move that Wanwan had never anticipated.

Only this moment did he gain a deep understanding on why in his effort to fight the world, Ba Fenghan had to temper his willpower and skill.

Were it not for several times after sustaining heavy injuries they willed themselves to fight exhaustion, their willpower would never reach such a level that even these two top characters from the Devil Cult were unable to sway the least bit.

Were it not for Wanwan and Bian Bufu exerting so much pressure on them that they threw everything else and only had the raw determination of fighting to the death, there could never be a breakthrough in the martial art cultivation that they would never even dream of achieving.

The spiraling energy changed from fast to slow as it entered the four teacups.

Xu Ziling made a somersault and leaped over Wanwan.

The teacups tilted over first, the fragrant tea inside the cups turned into four streams of water arrow, shooting toward Wanwan’s out-of-the-world beautiful face.

‘Bing!’

Bian Bufu’s ‘Devil Heart Chain’, a consummate skill that he has always been proud of, met Kou Zhong’s saber head-on, as if it was delivered to the door and let him hacked down on it.

The demonic skill’s basic principle has always been ‘harming others for one’s personal benefit’; Bian Bufu was no exception.

His ‘Devil Heart Chain’ was second only to Zhu Yuyan and Wanwan’s ‘Tian Mo Dafa’ [great method of the devil]; it was capable to borrow the opponent’s energy and sending it continuously, an extremely vicious and formidable skill.

Like just now, after blocking Kou Zhong’s saber strike, the silvery ring in his hand swung around, both to neutralize Kou Zhong’s spiraling energy, and to borrow the strength to counterattack as well. Taking advantage of the opponent exhausting his strength, before he managed to refresh his force, Bian Bufu would swiftly counterattack and grab the initiative back.

Afterwards, using a chain of attacks, which flowed out swiftly like mercury, no-hole-did-not-get-penetrated continuous attack, he would subdue the enemy.

Who would have thought that Kou Zhong, as if he ‘knew the enemy like a deity’, sent out a saber strike to crush his wishful thinking?

Like a rushing current the silvery saber flew away.

Kou Zhong giggled and said, “Ol’ Bian, aren’t you going to see your daughter?”

Moving one step sideway, he gathered his power into his left palm and chopped down, with the edge of the palm, on the never-ending ring in Bian Bufu’s left hand.

‘Bang!’

Even with Bian Bufu’s ability, he lost the momentum and was forced to take a step back.

Kou Zhong understood that whether the two brothers were dead or alive today, rested entirely in his hands.

He knew that no matter how much Xu Ziling has progressed, he was definitely not Wanwan’s match; hence all Xu Ziling could do was to buy them some more time.

Therefore, the only way to survive now was to fight life-for-life, trying to injure Bian Bufu, and then turned around to help Xu Ziling dealing with Wanwan. At that time, they would have a much better chance either to continue fighting or to run away.

As he was having this thought, the three energies of Chinese medicine [精氣神i.e. essence, pneuma (breath, energy, vital force), spirit] in Kou Zhong’s entire body rose up to an unprecedented level, like flashing lightning his gaze enshrouded the opponent.

Chapter 5 - Part 4

He felt as if he was able to penetrate deep into Bian Bufu’s being, inside out. He was even aware that when he mentioned Dong Ming Princess, Bian Bufu’s mind fluctuated slightly.

For a top-notch martial art master like Bian Bufu, he had to guard his heart and mind tightly, and must never reveal the slightest flaw or negligence.

In fights between combatants of comparable skill, often time this kind of slight difference was enough to influence the outcome of the battle.

Seeing this slight opportunity he could exploit, Kou Zhong did not hesitate at all; after taking half a step back, he strode forward forcefully, carrying with him a dense, chilling-to-the-bones, powerful momentum. Recovering the knocked away saber, he seized the opportunity to attack, straight and earth-shattering that no one can withstand, with the awe-inspiring authority of the ruler of the world.

This time Bian Bufu was really shocked, realizing that just now he underestimated the enemy too much, which made him repeatedly missed key moments.

With an angry shout he brandished the pair of silver rings in his hands, creating silvery shadows dancing in the air, which the rushed forward to meet the enemy head on to prevent Kou Zhong from gathering enough power in his saber.

Kou Zhong laughed aloud and changed his style. Now his saber hacked down and swept across in straightforward manner, no more feign attacks.

His target was, surprisingly, the center of the dancing rings, where the momentum was the strongest.

The tea tray was thrown upward, fast as lightning Wanwan traversed sideway, while also sending out ten streams of finger wind to attack Xu Ziling, who was still leaping in the air, while at the same time evading the four streams of water arrow.

In this critical situation Xu Ziling remained calm; with a cold sneer he even said, “You fell into a trap again!”

His toes kicked on the tray, ‘Bang!’ it flew through the roof and fell to the yard outside.

Wanwan has always been extremely shrewd; neither delight nor anger ever appeared on her face. But this time she was so angry that it showed.

Speaking about real skill, she was highly confident that within ten to twenty moves she would be able to take care of Xu Ziling. However, after fighting to this point, she was always at a disadvantage, all because Kou Zhong’s tiresome remark has divided her mind.

Moreover, Xu Ziling’s amazing moves have been growing without restraint, making her unable to regain the initiative, so that in the end she was forced to free herself and ran away.

But when she was rushing toward the front yard to take care of Kou Zhong first, hundreds and thousands pieces of roof tile rained down on her, making it difficult for her to evade.

‘Boom!’

The ring shadow dissipated.

A bold and powerful beyond imagination spiraling energy hacked down on Bian Bufu, forcing him to withdraw two chi back.

Finally, when he was facing a life and death situation, Kou Zhong understood the ‘Escaping One’ concept that Lu Miaozi taught him.

Such a martial art master of Bian Bufu caliber, whether it was the movement of the hands or the feet, there was no gap that could be exploited.

But regardless of the style, any move would have a point where the potential for attack was the strongest. If this point was broken, all the subsequent forces and changes could be broken as well, and thus the potential was lost.

Kou Zhong was able to grasp this strongest point. By concentrating his entire power, with one saber strike he was able to break Bian Bufu’s ring shadow filling the air, which was actually difficult to differentiate between the real ring and the mere shadow. However, if his saber did not carry the extremely strange vortex of energy, it would not be that easy for him to force Bian Bufu to retreat.

Naturally Kou Zhong would not hesitate at all. Taking a stride forward, with a powerful momentum that could easily chop down three armies, he brandished his Moon in the Well again.

This moment Xu Ziling’s long laughter came from high in the air, “I slaughtered Wanwan!” he said with a loud laugh.

An incredulous look appeared on Bian Bufu’s eyes, yet he could not deny the fact that Xu Ziling, with no sign of damage at all, jumped down from the roof above. His spirit was greatly shaken, the Moon in the Well have arrived in front of his chest.

Having failed to guard his heart and mind, Bian Bufu did not dare to block head-on. Urgently he backed off; crashing against the wooden door that it exploded into pieces, he disappeared from the two boys’ sight.

Xu Ziling landed by Kou Zhong’s side. Shaking his head, he said with a sigh, “Only demonic school’s people could be that selfish.”

The two boys turned their head around to look at the house.