Chapter - 468 Graceful Movements of Three Pines In the Lush Green Forest (9)

"Only a flesh wound," he laughed, "Nothing to worry about."

As he turned his head and pulled the knife out, he saw Du Baidang and Yi Sanniang curled up on the corner of the room. Ignoring the blood oozing out of his wound, he rushed to look; the couple had died for a while.

Zhao Min was scared. "They were still fine when I went out," she said.

Zhang Wuji nodded. As Zhao Min wrapped his wound, he took up the short knife and examined it. It was precisely the weapon the Du couple used. He looked around the room, and saw on the beam, on the pillars, on the table, on the ground, everywhere, there were short blades scattered around. Apparently, the enemy engaged the Du couple in fierce battle, forcing them to use up their blades one by one, and then began to injure them.

"This person's martial art is very fierce," Zhao Min said in amazement.

If Zhang Wuji was not quick enough in the battle in the dark just now, that person would have had gouged his eyes. Not only he would have been a blind man, but most likely Zhao Min and he would be lying on the ground, dead. He looked back at the bodies of the Du couple. Dozens of ribs on their chests were broken, as were ribs on their backs. It was obvious that the martial art which killed them was very cruel, with a very powerful palm strength behind it. He had fought countless archenemies, undergone many dangerous situations, yet thinking back about the quick-paced, three-stance close combat in the dark room, he could not restrain from shivering in fear. He had fought two vicious battles tonight; the first was one against three, which lasted for a long time. But speaking of soul-stirring and hair-rising battle, it was nothing compared to the second one, which lasted for a twinkling of the eye.

"Who was that?" Zhao Min asked again.

Zhang Wuji shook his head without answering. Suddenly Zhao Min understood. Her eyes grew big in fright. After staring blankly for half a day, she threw herself into Zhang Wuji's bosom and wept in fear. They both knew that if Zhao Min did not hear Zhang Wuji's whistle and came out amidst the heavy rain to welcome him, and thus escape the great catastrophe, right now on the corner of the room there would not only be two corpses, but three.

Zhang Wuji gently patted her back and consoled her in gentle voice. Zhao Min said, "That person's target must be me; she killed the Du couple first, and then hid to set up an ambush against me. She simply did not mean to harm you."

"You must not leave my side these next several days," Zhang Wuji said. After thinking for a while he muttered, "How could her internal energy and martial art skill advance so rapidly in less than a year? I am afraid nobody in this world other than myself will be able to protect you."

The next morning, Zhang Wuji took Du Baidang's hoe and dug a deep hole to bury the Du couple. Together with Zhao Min they kneeled and bowed to express their respect. Recalling how Yi Sanniang had treated the two of them with loving care, they could not help but feel grief.

Suddenly from far away, from the direction of Shaolin Temple they heard a faint continuous 'dang, dang' sound. It sounded very urgent. At the same moment, from the east a blue-green rocket shot to the sky; from the south a red rocket, from the west white, and from the north black, while from several 'li's away they saw yellow smoke rise up. These five rockets and smoke encircled the Shaolin Temple in the middle.

"The Ming Cult's Five-element Flags have arrived!" Zhang Wuji called out, "And they are going to deal with the Shaolin Pai frontally. Let's go quickly." Hurriedly they changed their clothes, washed the mud from their hands and faces, and walked quickly toward the Shaolin Temple.

Walking for only a few 'li's, they saw a company of white-clothed Ming Cult army, with small yellow banners in their hands, going up the mountain.

"Is Yan Qi Shi [Flag leader Yan] here?" Zhang Wuji called out.

As the leader of the Hou-tu Qi [thick earth flag/banner], Yan Yuan heard the call, he turned around and saw his Jiaozhu. In his delight, he quickly came forward to pay his respects. The people serving under him were also expressed their delights in thunderous voices and bowed down together.

Yan Yuan reported: As the leaderships of the Ming Cult learned about Xie Xun's whereabouts, they held a discussion and decided that if they waited for the Duan Yang Festival to ask for Xie Xun, all the heroes under the Heaven would have flocked to the Shaolin Temple, then the Ming Cult would have to face the world's heroes as their enemies. Since they were not able to report to their Cult Leader, they were forced to take the matter into their own hands. Thereupon, ten days before the Duan Yang Festival, Yang Xiao and Fan Yao led the masters of the Cult to the Shaolin Temple to ask for Xie Xun. They expected an open war would be unavoidable, but after looking everywhere, they could not find their Cult Leader, so the group of warriors felt like a dragon without a head.

The Ming Cult people blew the bugle, announcing the arrival of their Cult Leader; so not too long afterwards, Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Yin Tianzheng, Wei Yixiao, Yin Yewang, Zhou Dian, Peng Yingyu, Shou Bude, Priest Tie Guan, and the others came one after another, while the Rui Jin [acute gold/metal], Ju Mu [gigantic tree], Hong Shui [flooding water], and Lie Huo [blazing fire], four banners were surrounding the Shaolin Temple on all sides. As they saw each other, everybody broke into delightful chatter.

Yang Xiao and Fan Yao admitted their guilt for acting without authorization. Zhang Wuji said, "You don't have to be too modest. Everybody with one mind join forces to rescue Xie Fa Wang. That shows our Cult's brethrens have a strong spirit of brotherhood [yi4qi4]. Everybody appreciates what we are doing, why do you feel guilty?"

He told everybody briefly how he went undercover and mingled among the Shaolin Temple's workers, and how last night he battled with Du E three monks. As they heard Cheng Kun was behind everything, plotting and scheming, they were all furious. Zhou Dian and Priest Tie Guan shouted some curse words.

Zhang Wuji said, "Today our Cult is paying a formal visit to ask Shaolin Fangzhang [Abbot] to release the prisoner. It is best if we do not injure our friendship. We will fight only out of absolute necessity. Our goal first and foremost is saving Xie Fa Wang, next, we want to apprehend Cheng Kun. Other than that we should not harm the innocents." The people acknowledged the order in one voice.

"Min Mei," to Zhao Min Zhang Wuji said, "In order to avoid more trouble, it will be best if you would be in disguise, don't let the Shaolin Temple monks to recognize your true identity." Since she took the Shaolin monks prisoners to Dadu, she had sowed an extremely deep enmity with Shaolin Pai.

Zhao Min laughed and said, "Yan Dage [big brother Yan], let me pose as one of the brothers under your command!"

Yan Yuan immediately ordered one of his men to get the uniform for Zhao Min to wear. She quickly went to the woods behind the mountain and hurriedly put on the uniform and applied black grease onto her face. When she went out of the woods, she turned into a mean and ferocious thin man with a black face.

The bugle sounded again, the Ming Cult warriors went up the mountain in neat formation. Earlier that day, the Shaolin Temple had received the Ming Cult's visiting card. Eminent Monk Kong Zhi, leading a group of monks, had been waiting at the pavilion in front of the Temple.