Chapter - 308 Willingly Disfigure a Handsome Face (2)

Another hoarse voice replied, "Yes!"

Zhang Wuji sent his strength to the point of his finger and gently pushed the crack to make it wider. He saw that He Taichong was holding a wooden sword; its body was wrapped in cloth. It was a soft and blunt sword; could not possibly injure anybody. Standing in front of him was a burly foreign monk. In his hand was a steel blade, flickering its bluish ray under the light. One weapon was sharp, the other blunt. It was clearly no competition; it was so easy to see who was strong and who was weak. But He Taichong was not discouraged; he shook the wooden sword in his hand and said, "Please!"

'Swish!' his sword hacked down swiftly and fiercely, sending out a secret move from the Kunlun Sword technique. That foreign monk, Mokopas, was big and tall, but his movement was very agile; his blade flashed back and forth, aiming He Taichong's vital points.

Zhang Wuji only need to watch several moves before he was shocked, "How come Mr. He's footwork is unstable, utterly discomfited, as if he doesn't have any internal energy at all?" he thought.

He Taichong's sword technique was exquisite, but without internal energy, he did not differ much from an average person; the swiftness and fierceness of his sword could not be unleashed to the fullest. Fortunately that foreign monk's martial art skill was two levels beneath his, so although the monk launched several fierce attacks, He Taichong always managed to counterattack thanks to his wonderful moves.

After about fifty moves He Taichong shouted, "Gotcha!" His sword slashed to the east and turned back to the west, slanted to the rear and then back to the front, with a light 'bang!' the sword hit the monk's armpit. If it was a real sword, also if his internal strength was not gone, then the sword would have already penetrated the monk's flesh and bone.

"Back off, Mokopas!" that cold voice said, "Unwol, your turn!"

Zhang Wuji turned his attention to the owner of that cold voice. He saw a dark face, as if this person's face was covered with a layer of black smoke, with graying grizzled beard; he was one of the Xuanming Two Elders. He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes were partly open, as if he was indifferent to whatever was happening in front of him.

Moving his eyes forward Zhang Wuji saw a short stool covered with brocade, on which rested a pair of feet, wearing a pair of yellow satin shoes, with a pearl on the tip of each shoe. Zhang Wuji's heart was beating faster, because he recognized these delicately beautiful feet with round anklebones; this pair of feet belonged to Zhao Min, which he had grabbed in his hands in the Green Willow Manor. When they met at Mount Wudang, they faced each other as enemies. This time he saw this pair of delicate feet resting on a brocade stool, somehow his face turned red and his heart was beating fast. He saw Zhao Min's right foot tap the stool lightly, as if she was deeply engrossed in the martial art contest between He Taichong and Unwol.

After about the time needed to drink tea has passed, He Taichong shouted, "Gotcha!" Zhao Min raised her right foot as Unwol was defeated.

That black-faced Xuan Ming Elder said, "Unwol, back off. Helin Pohu, your turn."

Zhang Wuji heard that He Taichong's breathing was getting heavier; he knew that Mr. He must be extremely exhausted after he successively battled two people. A short moment later the fight began. Helin Pohu was using a long and big, heavy steel staff as his weapon. The gust of wind from his weapon filled the hall and the candles flickered, creating a dancing shadow like a cloud on Zhao Min's shoes. Suddenly a black shadow swept across the floor, a red candle on top of a small table on the right side of the hall was extinguished. 'Crack!' the wooden sword snapped. He Taichong heaved a long sigh and threw the sword on the floor. At last he lost the match after staking everything he got.

"Mister Iron Qin, do you surrender?" the Xuanming Elder asked.

He Taichong boldly replied, "I said I won't surrender. If I have my internal energy, how can this foreign monk be my match?"

The Xuanming Elder coldly said, "Cut his left ring finger; take him back to the pagoda."

Zhang Wuji turned his head toward Yang Xiao, and Yang Xiao shook his hand; his meaning was obvious: 'If we break into the hall to save people, then our own important matter will fail.' They heard the finger got cut, medicine applied to stop the bleeding, and the wound wrapped. He Taichong was really unyielding; he did not even utter a single grunt. The group of yellow robed men took the torch and took him back to the pagoda.

Zhang Wuji and the others shrunk back to hide behind the corner wall. Under the torch light they saw He Taichong's face was white as a sheet, his jaws were clenched, he looked really angry.

After the group walked far, a gentle and charming clear voice was heard in the hall, "Mr. Lu Zhang [lit. deer staff], Kunlun Sect's sword technique is really profound. In the stance with which he stabbed Mokopas, first he slashed to the left like this, and then turned to the right like this …"

Zhang Wuji put his eyes back on the crack and saw that it was indeed Zhao Min. She was talking and walking toward the center of the hall, with a wooden sword in her hand, imitating He Taichong's movement earlier. The foreign monk Mokopas brandished his blade to block her sword.

That black-faced Xuanming Elder, which Zhao Min called 'Mr. Lu Zhang', short for 'Lu Zhangke', praised her, "Master's intelligence is matchless. This stance was absolutely correct."

Zhao Min practiced again and again, every time she hit Mokopas' armpit. The sword was a wooden one, but each stab hit the same spot over and over again, causing quite a bit of pain. Mokopas turned all his attention to spar with her; he did not dare to complain or try to evade her stabs. She practiced this move until she mastered it, and then called Unwol and practiced the stance He Taichong used to defeat him earlier.

Zhang Wuji understood; it turned out Zhao Min imprisoned the experts from various sects here and drugged them to suppress their internal energy and force them to surrender to the royal government. Naturally these people would not surrender; so she ordered her people to fight with them, while she observed from the side. That way she could steal various sects' exquisite moves. Her intention was really evil; her scheme wicked, making other people's blood boil.

While she was sparring with Helin Pohu, toward the very last several stances Zhao Min hesitated and asked, "Mr. Lu Zhang, is it like this?"

Lu Zhangke hesitated without answering; he turned his head and asked, "He Xiongdi [lit. Brother Crane], did you see it clearly?"

From the left corner a voice replied, "Ku Dashi [lit. grand master 'bitter/painful' – Reverend Ku] must have seen it clearly."

Zhao Min smiled and said, "Ku Dashi, I will have to bother you; please come here and give me directions."

From the right corner came a 'tou tuo' [Buddhist monk with hair]; his hair was so long that it draped over his shoulder like a cape. His stature was big and tall, his face was full of scars so that it was difficult to tell what his original face would look like. His hair and palm looked red, like he was a middle-eastern man. Without saying anything he took the sword from Zhao Min's hand and 'swish, swish, swish, swish' he repeatedly swung it toward Helin Pohu, using Kunlun Sect's sword technique.