Chapter - 37 Pale Shoulder As Though Adorned By Beautiful Plum Blossoms (2)

Zhang CuiShan asked, "Do you know who killed the people in the Dragon Gate Escort agency?" That young woman said, "I made it clear to Du DaJin for him to take good care of Third Hero Yu. Should there be any problems…" Zhang CuiShan said, "You said you'd kill everyone in his agency." That young woman said, "That's correct. He didn't protect Third Hero Yu, so it's his fault. You can't blame others."

Those words sent a chill down Zhang CuiShan's spine, and he said, "So you're saying that everyone… everyone was killed by…" that young woman said, "Killed by me!" Zhang CuiShan's ears trembled. He couldn't believe that this incredibly beautiful young woman could be such cold-blooded killer. After a while, he said, "What about those two Shaolin monks?" That young woman said, "Also killed by me. I originally didn't want to bother with them, but they used poisoned darts on me first, so I didn't have a choice." Zhang CuiShan said, "Then… then why did they say that I was the killer?" That young woman said, "Oh, I planned that."

Zhang CuiShan fumed, and yelled, "You planned for them to wrong me like that?" That young woman laughed, and said, "That's correct." Zhang CuiShan yelled angrily, "Surely we're not enemies. So why would you do that to me?"

That young woman waved her hand, and entered the cabin. Zhang CuiShan obviously couldn't stop asking now, yet he's too far from the boat to jump on it. So he grabbed two thick branches from a nearby willow tree and threw them onto the river. With the branches as his stepping-stones, Zhang CuiShan jumped onto the head of the boat. He then yelled, "How… how did you plan it?"

No sound came out from the dark cabin, so Zhang CuiShan planned to go in. But at the last moment he changed his mind, thinking, "It's rude to barge into a young lady's room like that." As he pondered about what to do, he saw a light appearing in the cabin, as a candle lit up. That young woman said, "Please come in."

Zhang CuiShan organized his robe, closed the umbrella, and walked inside. He immediately froze as he saw a young scholar inside, wearing a green robe, holding a fan, his expression quite colorful. For that young woman had taken this time to change into man's clothing. At first glance, she looked quite like himself. Zhang CuiShan obviously needed no more words to answer his question. In dim conditions, anyone would mistake them to be the same person. No wonder Monk Hui Feng and Du DaJin were both so certain that he was the killer.

That young woman said, "Please sit, Fifth Hero Zhang." She then picked up the teapot and poured some tea into a cup. Then she reached out to give him the cup. She said, "Sorry we don't have wine here. Let me use tea instead of wine to serve my honored guest."

After hearing such a mannerly speech, Zhang CuiShan could not find a way to release his anger. He finally said, "Thank you." That young woman saw his whole body soaked wet, and said, "I have some clothing in the cabin here. Do you need one? You can change in the back." Zhang CuiShan shook his head and said, "No need." He immediately applied some inner power, and a wave of chi exited his body, releasing much body heat. The water on his robe quickly evaporated. That young woman said, "I forgot that Wu Dang's inner power is one of the best in the martial world. It really was improper of me to ask you to change clothing." Zhang CuiShan asked, "Would you mind telling me which sect you belong to?"

That young woman immediately turned towards the window when she heard the question, her face filled with worry.

When Zhang CuiShan saw this, he stopped pressing further. But after a while, he couldn't help but ask again, "Who injured my third brother Yu? Can you tell me?" That young woman said, "Not only did they fool Du DaJin, they also fooled me. Actually, I should've realized that the seven heroes of Wu Dang would be very elegant and valiant, not crass and unmannerly."

Zhang CuiShan realized that she didn't answer the question, but when she said 'elegant and valiant', he felt his heart jumped, and his head a bit feverish. But he's still not sure what her words meant.

That young woman sighed, and then suddenly lifted up her left sleeve, revealing an arm as white as white-jade. Zhang CuiShan quickly turned around to avoid her arm. That young woman said, "Do you recognize these hidden weapons?"

When Zhang CuiShan heard this, he finally turned around to look at her, only to see three needles on her left arm. Her arm's white as snow, but the area by the needles are black as ink. The tails of all three needles are shaped like plum flowers. Zhang CuiShan immediately stood up, and yelled in shock, "These are Shaolin's Plum Flower Darts. Why… why are they dark?" That woman said, "Exactly. These are Shaolin's Plum Flower Darts. They are poisoned."

Zhang CuiShan said, "Shaolin's a very reputable upright sect. Their darts would never have poisons on them. But other than Shaolin disciples, who else can use them? How long have you been poisoned? We need to remedy this immediately."

When that young woman saw the deep concern in his face, she said, "I've been poisoned for over twenty days now, but I have temporarily stopped them from spreading with some medicine. However, I can't pull them out either, since then the poison would spread."

Zhang CuiShan said, "But if you don't pull them out soon, your arm might… your arm might… be much harder to cure. It might leave a nasty mark." Actually, he wanted to say that the arm might become useless.

That young woman began shed some tears, and said faintly, "But I've done all I can… Last night I couldn't find the antidote from those monks… I can never use this arm again." As she spoke, she covered up her arm again.

Zhang CuiShan felt a surge of warmth in his chest, and said, "Ms. Yin, do you trust me? Although my inner power is ordinary, I am still confident that I can cure your poison." That young woman smiled innocently, and her cheeks turned pink, as if she's incredibly happy. Yet she said, "Fifth Hero Zhang. I know you have many suspicions. If I don't tell you everything, you might regret this decision later." Zhang CuiShan said, "Saving people is what I'm suppose to do. Why would I regret it?"

That young woman said, "It's already been over twenty days, so I won't mind waiting a while longer. Here's what happened. Once I gave Third Hero Yu to Du DaJin, I followed him from behind. There were quite a few people who wanted to take Third Hero Yu away, but I took care of them. Funny thing is, Du DaJin didn't know any of this." Zhang CuiShan said, "The disciples of Wu Dang will never forget your kindness, Ms. Yin." That young woman said coldly, "Don't thank me just yet. Soon, you'll be hating me." Zhang CuiShan doesn't know what to make of that statement. That young woman continued, "I kept changing my clothing along the way, sometimes dressed as a farmer, sometimes a businessman, until I followed them to the bottom of the Wu Dang Mountain, where the incident occurred." Zhang CuiShan bit his teeth and said, "You mean you saw those six beasts? Unfortunately, Du DaJin and his people do not know who they are." That woman sighed again, and said, "Not only did I saw them, I also fought them. Unfortunately, I also could not tell you much about them either." She picked up a cup of tea and drank some. Then she continued, "That day I saw these six people come down from the top of the mountain. Du DaJin kept calling them 'Six Heroes of Wu Dang', and those six people did not seem to mind. I watched from far away, and saw them take the carriage that carried Third Hero Yu. At first I was relieved to see him arrive safely, but after a while, I realized that things didn't make sense. The Seven Heroes of Wu Dang treat each other as brothers. They should've all gone up to examine his injury, yet only one person took a look, and without any expression too."