Chapter - 84 Endless Joy At the Reunion of the Seven Swordsmen (10)

That man got up and yelled, "Wu Dang punks. Don't be so smug. You're all about to die!" Despite talking this way, the man ran away as fast as he could. However, he must've been injured, for he kept staggering while running.

Yu LianZhou saw the whole event, but didn't say anything. At dusk, Zhang CuiShan said, "Second brother, lets go!" Yu LianZhou said, "No. We stay tonight. Let's leave tomorrow." Zhang CuiShan paused for a second, then realized his brother's intentions. He said, "You're right. We're only two days away from the mountain. Even though the seven brothers are not together, we still cannot let down our sect's reputation. How can we hide from others at the bottom of Wu Dang Mountain?"

Yu LianZhou smiled lightly and said, "Since our tracks have already been exposed, I want to see just how we're about to die."

The two walked over to Zhang CuiShan's room, sat by the fire and meditated. That night, seven or eight people kept walking around their room, but none dared to go in. Yin SuSu slept through the entire night, not knowing what's going on. Zhang and Yu simply ignored the people.

The three of them left after finishing breakfast. Yu LianZhou told the driver to take off the cover on his cart, so he could see outside.

After traveling a few miles out the town, three riders caught up from behind, and followed the mule-carts. They kept about thirty meters back, and didn't try to get any closer. After a while, they found four riders in front. After the mule-carts passed them, these four riders joined with the previous three. A few miles later, four more riders caught up, with eleven total now. The cart-drivers began to panic, and whispered to Zhang CuiShan, "Sir, these people don't look right. Perhaps they're bandits. You should be careful." Zhang CuiShan nodded.

By noon, six more people joined up. These riders all looked different. Some dressed in expensive, silk robes, while others look like beggars. But all carried weapons. None of them spoke, so one can't tell their dialect. However, all of them are short and have dark skin. So they're likely from the south. By the afternoon, twenty-one riders had gathered behind them. Some of the more daring riders got as close as about ten meters, but wouldn't dare get closer. Yu LianZhou simply meditated in the cart, ignoring them.

By dusk, two riders came from the front. The first rider is an empty-handed old man. The second rider is a colorfully dressed married woman, holding a pair of sabers. The two horses stopped in the middle of the road, blocking their path.

Zhang CuiShan held down his anger, and said courteously, "Wu Dang's Second Yu, Fifth Zhang, says hello. May I ask the elder's name?" That old man said, "Where is Gold-Haired Lion King: Xie Xun? If you tell me, I will let you through." Zhang CuiShan said, "I cannot answer this question. Allow me to ask master for permission first."

That old man said, "With Second Yu's injured, you're only one person. Don't think you can defeat all of us." As he spoke, the old man took out a pair of judge's brushes. The tips of the brushes are in the shape of serpent heads.

Zhang CuiShan uses a judge's brush himself, so he's familiar with all of the famous brush users in the martial world. Upon seeing this serpent-like brush tip, he recalled that his master once said, there's a sect in the Gao Li [3] region who specializes in judge's brushes. Their brush tips are in the shape of serpent heads. They also use different moves and pressure point techniques compared to brush users in the central plains. Perhaps due to the serpent head tip, their techniques are quite vicious. The sect is called the 'Green Dragon Sect'. The most renowned member is someone with a surname of 'Quan'. But master did not know of his name. So Zhang CuiShan put together his fist and said, "Is elder a member of Gao Li's Green Dragon Sect? How do you refer to Elder Quan?"

That old man froze, thought, "This person looks to be thirty-some years old. How could he know my background?" This old man is head of the Gao Li's Green Dragon Sect. His name is Quan JianNan. Sourthern Ling region's 'Three River Clan' leader requested his help, and even offered large amounts of gifts. Quan JianNan hasonly been in the central plains for a short while, and had not fought. So he was very surprised when Zhang CuiShan pointed out his origin. and said, "I am Quan JianNan."

Zhang Cuishan said, "The Green Dragon Sect never associates with people in the central plains. What had Wu Dang done that angered Old Hero Quan? Please enlighten us." Quan JianNan said, "I have nothing against you. I also know about a Wu Dang Sect back in Gao Li. And that the Seven Heroes of Wu Dang are all righteous men. I just have one question, 'Where is Golden-Haired Lion King: Xie Xun?'"

Although these words didn't seem disrespectful, they showed clear hostile intentions. At the same time, Quan JianNan waved his judge's brush. The riders behind them quickly scattered, surrounding the carts. Their intentions are obvious. If Zhang CuiShan did not reveal Xie Xun's location, they will attack.

Zhang CuiShan said, "What if I don't want to say the location?" Quan JianNan said, "I know Fifth Hero Zhang's kung fu is formidable. Even though we have many people, I doubt we could keep you here. However, Second Hero Yu is injured, and your wife is ill. Given such an opportunity, we'll have to take advantage, and capture them. But you are free to leave."

Zhang CuiShan did not like his tone at all, and said, "Fine. If so, then let me see just how good Gao Li martial arts is. What if Elder Quan loses?"

Quan JianNan said, "If I lose, then everyone will attack at once. We're not going to use that stupid one-on-one rule here. If Wu Dang had more people, you can also try to win through numbers. Back when Sui YangDi, Tang TaiZong and Tang GaoZong [4] invaded Gao Li, didn't they also win through numbers with their large number of troops? Since the beginning of history, people had been using numbers to their advantage."

Zhang CuiShan knew he couldn't talk out of this situation. He figured that capturing Quan JianNan might get them to back off. So he got off the horse, and took out a silver tiger hook with his left hand, and an iron judge's brush with his right. Zhang CuiShan said, "After you." Zhang CuiShan's previous judge's brush fell into the sea. After returning, he bought a new one. Although it's not as good as the previous one, it was the best available.

Quan JianNan also came down the horse, and attacked. His right brush pointed gently, while his left brush still hasn't came out, as his body had already reached the opponent. Zhang CuiShan thought, "Today I'm fighting for my sworn brother. As his sworn brother and sworn sister, my wife and I can die for him. But this doesn't concern second brother at all. And he shouldn't get hurt because of this." As Quan JianNan's right brush nears, the hook came up to block, which used twenty percent of Zhang CuiShan's power. As the hook and brush met, Zhang CuiShan's body shook.

Quan JianNan thought happily, "The Three-River Clan kept saying how powerful Wu Dang is. But this guy's nothing. They must've been exaggerating." He quickly followed up with his left brush. Zhang CuiShan had trouble blocking, but still hung on. Quan JianNan thought that should he defeat Fifth Hero Zhang, his fame would rise dramatically. With this thought, his brushes came even faster, each attack pointed at Zhang CuiShan's vital area.