Book 8 Chapter 10 – Siren[1] or Saint?

Kou Zhong’s Moon in the Well was like a storm filling the sky; when he warded off the two broadswords from his left and right, Qu Ao’s third disciple Genggehu’er stepped over in large stride, thrusting the sword in his hand straight toward Kou Zhong’s face. Before the sword even arrived, cold air already shrouded the entire area in front of Kou Zhong.

Kou Zhong knew that this one sword strike carried Genggehu’er’s entire strength, taking advantage while he was blocking his two subordinates’ attack, he watched for a gap in Kou Zhong’s defense and went straight in; it was an unusually formidable attack. However, Kou Zhong felt immense delight instead; his saber swiftly moved to parry the sword.

Yellow light flashed everywhere, carrying with it an ear-splitting noise.

Kou Zhong concentrated his strength as he stood still like a mountain, while Genggehu’er subsequently took two steps back.

Two sabers attacked again, making it difficult for Kou Zhong to pursue and attack.

Although these two Tiele martial art masters’ skill was exquisite, Kou Zhong knew that if fighting one-on-one, he would be able to subdue any of them within three moves. However, when the two men joined hands and fought together, in terms of timing and angle of attack, they prevented him from dealing with just one of them with all his strength; therefore, he was feeling that he had the power but could not carry out his attack. Also, obviously the two men were using some kind of mysterious fighting technique, so that by fighting together, the two of them would be able to deal with a much stronger opponent.

However, Kou Zhong remained calm without any sign of fear; his heroic spirit was swelling. Weaving left and right, his shenfa was as fantastic as swimming fish, as he dodged the enemy’s sabers.

‘Whoosh!’

Genggehu’er’s sword pierced; just like before, the sword went straight toward Kou Zhong’s head.

Although it was an incomparably simple sword strike, Kou Zhong felt helpless to evade, hence he sent his Moon in the Well to strike back.

‘Dang!’

The yellow light from Kou Zhong’s Moon in the Well intensified as he blocked the enemy’s sword once again.

This time Genggehu’er was shaken and had to take three steps back, but Kou Zhong was also forced to take half a step back.

Both men were shocked.

Kou Zhong’s shock was because he felt that for no reason at all Genggehu’er’s power suddenly increased; it was far stronger than the first one, so that his own qi and blood was churning. If the power behind the next sword strike increased proportionately, it would be strange indeed if Kou Zhong were not defeated.

Genggehu’er’s shock was because of Kou Zhong’s resilience. It should be noted that his so-called ‘Seven-Turn of Violent Wave’ was his school’s unique skill, one of the Three Amazing Skills created by Qu Ao himself. Each strike was capable of absorbing a little of the opponent’s power, and turned it to enhance the power of his own sword; it was an extremely strange and crafty skill. Who would have thought that not only Kou Zhong’s power was well stored-up and did not leak at all, it was also incomparably cold? Although he barely managed to suck in a bit of breath, he was actually feeling incomparable discomfort, so that the second time he exchanged blows, he was forced to take one step more than the first.

It was only then did he realize why with his ability, Qu Te, who assumed the name Ren Shaoming, still had to succumb under the opponent’s saber.

This moment Kou Zhong heard the sound of saber blade splitting the air behind him. His mind was churning at the speed of light, he knew that if this situation continued, he would be stuck in a completely passive situation where he was at the enemy’s mercy; so he cooked up an action plan.

Following his body, the saber in Kou Zhong’s hand also spun around, seemingly blocking the saber attacking from his left. But suddenly he crabbed sideways to face the saber chopping down from his right. Exuding a strong qi, the Moon in the Well sliced diagonally at the enemy.

The Tiele master felt the yellow glow from the opponent’s strange saber suddenly flared up, the saber qi rushed down directly at him with a ‘magnificent army with thousands of men and horses’ power. Scared out of his wits, he stopped right on his track, not knowing whether to advance or to retreat.

The originally invulnerable fighting formation immediately revealed a gap, which ought not to be revealed.

With a long laugh Kou Zhong suddenly straightened up his waist and back, his bearing became even more intimidating without equal; his confidence soared. Like a thunderbolt the Moon in the Well struck down on the Tiele master.

‘Dang!’

The man raised his saber to block. Who would have thought that with a yellow flash, Kou Zhong’s saber chopped down on both the saber and the man, throwing him outward, that he breathed his last even before his body touched the ground?

By this time, Genggehu’er had just managed to regulate his qi, indicating the intensity and the swiftness of the fight between these four men. Upon seeing this, he was greatly alarmed. Immediately he stepped forward and hacked down his earth-shattering third surge of violent wave.

Meanwhile, the situation at the battlefield intensified, the fighting was concentrated around the elevated platform. There was continuous flow of people splashing their blood and falling to the ground, it was an extremely bitter fight.

Another sword attacked from the left side.

Kou Zhong struck a pose as if he was going to block; the Moon in the Well feigned a strike, but when the enemy’s sword was about to arrive, he shifted half a step sideways. The enemy’s sword flit across right in front of his nose; a hairsbreadth closer and his body would be cut open.

Effortlessly the Moon in the Well swiped horizontally sideways.

‘Dang!’

The martial art master was jolted by him that he spurted a mouthful of blood. He staggered back, and momentarily had no more power to attack.

Having the pressure on him reduced, Kou Zhong let out a long laugh and took a stride forward. The Moon in the Well shook, like raging wave crashing onto the shore it attacked Genggehu’er.

For Genggehu’er, it was the very first time that he encountered someone who was able to overcome his ‘Seven-Turn of Violent Wave’ by receiving it head-on. His courage was shaken, unexpectedly he did not dare to take the saber, but flew back instead.

Kou Zhong laughed aloud. He did not pursue, but went toward Xu Ziling to provide support.

Xu Ziling had just landed on the edge of the elevated platform. Over a dozen Tiele people guarding the platform divided themselves into two groups. One group swarmed forward to intercept, the other group positioned themselves around the post where the woman in yellow was held captive, tightly defending this ultimate target.

Xu Ziling knew that if he failed to use lightning fast trick to knock down the Tiele people guarding this last defensive line, if that Tiele beauty had time to rush over, forget about saving people, there would be no guarantee that he could save his own life.

Not to mention that the Tiele people currently attacking him obviously had significantly superior martial art skill compared to the Tiele warriors he encountered in the battlefield a moment ago, especially the huge man in the middle wielding a spear. Before the spear even arrived, the spear qi was already pressing down on him, powerful and harsh to the extreme.

Not daring to underestimate the enemy, he soared to the air. As he reached approximately three-zhang altitude, unexpectedly he was able to apply his qi to make a somersault toward the wooden pole in the middle of the platform.

The Tiele people underneath had never expected that Xu Ziling would be as nimble as an eagle in the air, and was able to flip over and fly. Momentarily they were caught off-guard and their formation became chaotic. The worst thing was that Xu Ziling was able to borrow the reaction force as he made contact with the post, and would be able to land anywhere he wished, so that they were unable to anticipate how to guard against him, and thus were at a loss on what to do.

Chapter 10, Part 2

As they were still thinking about it, Xu Ziling struck the pole with his palm, grabbed it, and slid down the pole. With unequalled ferocity his qi pressed down on the heads of the six Tiele warriors guarding around the pole.

This time, even if they wanted to kill the beauty tied on the pole, they did not have the ability to do so.

Amidst the tender shout, the outstanding Tiele beauty has arrived on the platform. But the wooden post suddenly disintegrated into cun-size fragments.

It was only then did the enemy realize that it was the handicraft of Xu Ziling’s palm. Even more, they now realized how formidable Xu Ziling’s palms were.

But the realization came too late.

The beauty in yellow was suddenly loosened from the pole, but as she was falling backward, Xu Ziling caught her. Soaring at an angle to the sky, he let out a long whistle, calling out to Kou Zhong, who had just caught up with him on the stage, to leave together.

With Kou Zhong leading the way and Xu Ziling carrying the woman in yellow, they ran for more than twenty li at a stretch before reaching a small hill and came to a halt.

Setting down the lady in yellow on the grass, Xu Ziling knitted his brows. “That’s weird,” he said, “Her acupoints must be sealed; but no matter how I sent my qi to stimulate her blood flow, she remains unconscious.”

Copying him, Kou Zhong also squatted on the ground. As he reached out to push aside her beautiful hair, the two boys were dumbstruck.

My Niang! How could there be such a classy, stirring beautiful woman like this in the world? If behind her closed eyelids she had beautiful eyes that matched her exceptional flower-like countenance, then those beauties like Song Yuzhi, Shen Luoyan, Shan Wanjing and the likes would have to yield to her somewhat.

Staring at her figure, which was as elegant as the undulating mountains and rivers, her skin and flesh, which was as sparkling and translucent as the snow, so smooth and supple [orig. brimming with elastic energy], Kou Zhong breathed a mouthful of cold air and said, “Beauty that is capable of causing the downfall of a country is probably no more than this. No wonder those two troops were fighting a life and death battle over her.”

Xu Ziling took a deep breath and said, “Looking at her jet-black hair, her snow white skin, I feel like this is how the beauty of the nature ought to look like. I have never seen such beautiful, captivating hair and icy muscle; so beautiful that it is almost unnatural.”

Kou Zhong responded in amazement, “You are right. But when I see beautiful women, usually my heart warms up, how come just now there was a chill in my heart?”

Xu Ziling looked at her from head to toe, but was unable to find on this incomparably well-proportioned figure anything that was enough to spoil her perfect and without the least bit of blemish body; on the contrary, the more he looked at her, the more he felt that she had a hard-to-describe, the kind that borders magical, out-of-this-world, beauty.

Kou Zhong sighed and said, “Could it be that she is basically not a human? Looking at her along, looking at her across, she looks more like a fairy than human; how could a human be this beautiful?”

Xu Ziling’s voice turned cold, “You seem to forget why you squatted down to examine her!”

It was only then did Kou Zhong remember that he was supposed to find a way to unseal her acupoints. Embarrassed, he said, “It was because her beauty is too shaking to the core. Huh? How come your countenance is so unsightly?”

Touching his face, Xu Ziling pondered and said, “Perhaps because when I was trying to unseal her acupoints just now I used too much true qi!”

Kou Zhong secretly signaled Xu Ziling with his eyes, but his mouth said, “That must be it!”

Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong were connected at a deep level; standing up, he said, “Let me look around to see if there is any enemy pursuing us. You stay here and think of a way to wake her up!”

How could Kou Zhong not understand his meaning? He also stood up and said, “It’s better for us to look together!” Reaching out to Xu Ziling’s shoulders, he sent his true qi into Xu Ziling’s channels.

The two boys distanced themselves from the peerless beauty for at least thirty zhang before Kou Zhong said in low voice, “Extremely not right. Before, even after fighting with all your might, your countenance would not turn white suffused with green, and only after I transmitted my true qi the green disappeared.”

Xu Ziling nodded and said, “This woman not only has scary beauty, even her person is very scary; I seem to hit the right spot, but how could there be any acupoint sealing technique that we cannot unseal? Could it be that the person sealing her acupoint is stronger than Ba Fenghan? That’s impossible.”

Kou Zhong replied with a wry smile, “If the person sealing her acupoint was Qu Ao? Don’t forget that Qu Ao is just a tad inferior to Bi Xuan.”

“Have you come across Qu Ao?” Xu Ziling blurted out.

Kou Zhong was upset, “If I have come across Qu Ao, do you think I would still be alive and debate with you in here whether we should help this siren [see chapter title’s footnote]? Ay! Such a beautiful siren, she made me feel that even if I was killed by her, I would be most willing.”

Noticing Xu Ziling’s ferocious stare, he busily added, “Those bunch just now are Qu Ao’s men; that guy wielding a sword, and his skill in using the sword is not bad, called himself Qu Ao’s third disciple Genggehu’er. The other side was Duba Village. Just listening to the name, I know they are not good people.” [Reminder: duba means sole hegemony/domination.]

Frowning, Xu Ziling said, “Why would they fight over this siren?”

Kou Zhong shook his head, indicating that he had no idea. Wrapping his arm around Xu Ziling’s shoulders, he took him down the sloping hill and said, “Looking at her eerie beauty, I was having a panic-stricken feeling. Perhaps femme fatales are this kind of touching rarity. Tell me, have you ever imagined that there are women more beautiful than Shan Wanjing, Shen Luoyan, Li Xiuning, and the likes?”

Xu Ziling shook his head, indicating that he had not. Agreeing with him, he said, “Our only option is: if everything else fails, retreat! Huh? How come you are walking slower and slower?”

Kou Zhong sat down dejectedly. Holding his head in his hands, he said, “Xiao Ling! Tell me! Supposing we are actually good people who acted like thieves, that Miss is blameless, but because we are overly suspicious, we let her be captured back by Tiele people, or perhaps be eaten by wild beasts, would there be peace in happiness in our conscience?”

At a loss, Xu Ziling also sat down on another rock at the bottom of the hill; he said, “But how do you explain why my face was turning green then?”

Kou Zhong asked, “Before you rescued her, did you clash with any formidable opponent?”

Xu Ziling nodded, “I encountered that Tiele beauty who wields double-dagger,” he replied, “But she is not yet qualified to injure me.”

“Qu Ao’s martial art is strange,” Kou Zhong said, “Take Genggehu’er for example, he was able to use strange technique to enhance his strength. Perhaps that Tiele beauty injured you surreptitiously. Therefore, there is still the possibility that we wrongly accused her as a siren.”

Taking a deep breath, Xu Ziling said, “She is either a weak woman who does not know any martial art, or her martial art skill is so superior that we can’t