Chapter - 466 Graceful Movements of Three Pines In the Lush Green Forest (7)

Du E and Du Jie's black ropes also moved that together they drove the remaining seven people to fall back. In the meantime, Du Nan focused his attention to deal with the black-bearded old man, which was a notch inferior to him both in terms of martial art and internal strength. He fought sitting inside the pine tree, and did not stand up at all. His ten fingers slapped, pierced, plucked, hooked, pointed, brushed, captured and seized, so that after several moves, the black-bearded old man repeatedly fell into dangerous situations. Seeing his seven companions were not in a better situation than what he was facing, the old man bellowed and leaped out from the loop.

Zhang Wuji handed the black rope back to Du Nan, and then bending down, he used the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi again to push the giant rock another foot. He looked down into the exposed underground cave and called out, "Yifu, Child Wuji is late in rescuing you. Can you come out?"

"I am not going out," Xie Xun replied, "Good Child, get out of here, quick!"

Zhang Wuji was surprised. "Yifu," he said, "Is your acupoint sealed? Or are you bound in shackles?"

Without waiting for Xie Xun to reply, he jumped down the dungeon. 'Splash!' water splashed out. Turned out the several hours of heavy downpour had flooded the dungeon that the water reached his waist. Half of Xie Xun's body was submerged in water.

Zhang Wuji's heart ached. He reached out to carry Xie Xun up. His hands groped around Xie Xun's hands and feet, but did not feel any shackles. He then massaged Xie Xun's several main acupoints, but again, he did not find any signs of anybody sealed his acupoints. Hence, he wrapped his arms around Xie Xun's body, leaped up and out of the dungeon, and sat Xie Xun on top of the giant rock by the cave opening.

"This is the best time to escape," Zhang Wuji said, "Yifu, let us leave." As he said that, he pulled Xie Xun's arm, with the intention to leave immediately. But Xie Xun kept sitting on the rock, refusing to move. Hugging his own knees he said, "Child, the gravest sin I have ever committed in my life was killing Kong Jian Dashi. If your Yifu fall into other people's hands, I would certainly fight bravely to the end. But today I become a prisoner of the Shaolin Temple, I am willing to receive the harshest punishment to pay for Kong Jian Dashi's life."

Zhang Wuji anxiously said, "But you killed Kong Jian Dashi by mistake. It was Cheng Kun, that wicked thief, who engineered such a sinister plot. Besides, Yifu's entire family's blood debt has not been restituted, how can you die under Cheng Kun's hands?"

Xie Xun sighed and said, "Everyday for more than a month, in this dungeon, I heard the three eminent monks chant their prayers, I heard the morning bell and the evening drum from the temple at the bottom of this hill, which has made me think about my past. Your Yifu's hands reek with too much innocent blood that even a hundred deaths cannot redeem it. Ay, all sorts of wickedness caused too much sin. I am more sinful than Cheng Kun. Good Child, don't mind me, just quickly go down the hill."

The more Zhang Wuji listened to him, the more anxious he was. "Yifu," he shouted, "If you don't want to go, I will force you." As he said that, he turned around and grabbed both of Xie Xun's hands; he was going to carry him on his back.

They heard clamoring noise of people coming up the mountain path, there were several people shouting, "Who dare to cause trouble at Shaolin Temple?" A dozen or so people were coming up the hill, amidst the noise of feet splashing in the water.

Zhang Wuji was just about to grab Xie Xun's legs, ready to take him go; but suddenly the 'da zhui xue' [big spine acupoint] on his back went numb. It was Xie Xun. Zhang Wuji's hands lost their strength and he did not have any choice but to relax his grip. In his anxiety he almost cried. "Yifu," he called out, "You … why are you being this difficult?"

"Good Child," Xie Xun replied, "The wrong I have received, you have already explained it clearly to the three eminent monks. The sins I have committed, I have to pay the retribution myself. If you are not leaving, who will avenge my grievances for me?"

Zhang Wuji's heart turned cold; but he saw the dozen or so Shaolin monks wielding Buddhist staff or saber had already attacked the eight people. 'Bing, bing, bang, bang!' the noise of the close combat can be heard.

The black-bearded old man with judge pens realized that if the battle was prolonged, not only they would fail their mission at the last minute; they may find it difficult to escape alive. He was enraged that a nameless young man had spoiled their important business. With a clear voice he shouted, "I beg to know the honorable surname and the great given name of the young man in the middle of the pine trees. Hao Mi and Bo Tai of Hejian [a city in Hebei province] want to know which expert has interfered with our business today."

Raising his black rope up, Du E said, "The Ming Cult's Zhang Jiaozhu, the number one martial art expert in the world; how can the Hejian Shuang Sha [twin evils of Hejian] not know?"

"Ah!" the judge pen wielding Hao Mi exclaimed. He raised his pair of pens up and then walked out of the loop. The other seven followed him. The Shaolin monks were about to stop them, but those eight's martial art skill was considerably higher than the monks; side by side they proceeded going down the hill.

Du E and the others, three monks, had heard everything Xie Xun and Zhang Wuji said. They also knew that Zhang Wuji did not take advantage of their precarious situation, he simply stood on the side, did not help either side. When Bo Tai broke through their 'Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan' defensive line, based on the Twin Evils of Hejian's cruelty, the three monks would have lost their lives by now. The three monks laid down their black ropes, stood up, and put their palms together in respect. "Many thanks for Zhang Jiaozhu's benevolence," they said in chorus.

Zhang Wuji hastily returned the propriety and said, "Such an insignificant deed; is it worth mentioning?"

Du E said, "In today's business, although Lao Na would not allow Xie Xun to accompany Zhang Jiaozhu, but Zhang Jiaozhu has just saved our lives, Lao Na would be powerless to stop you from leaving. Only Lao Na, three martial brothers, have received order from our temple's Abbot to watch over Xie Xun. We have established a heavy oath before Buddha's presence, unless the three of us lose our lives, we will never let Xie Xun escape. This matter concerns our Sect's thousand years of glory or disgrace; we beg Zhang Jiaozhu to understand of our difficulty."

"Humph," Zhang Wuji snorted, but did not say anything.

Du E continued, "About the animosity of Lao Na losing an eye, we can consider it over today. If Zhang Jiaozhu wishes to rescue Xie Xun, you may come back anytime. As long as you can break Lao Na, three martial brothers' 'Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan', you can take Shi Wang [lion king] go. Zhang Jiaozhu may bring as many helpers as you wish. You can take turn fighting us, or you can fight us as a group; we, three martial brothers, will accept the challenge by ourselves. Before Zhang Jiaozhu's return, Lao Na, three brothers, will guard Xie Xun carefully. We will not let Yuan Zhen to insult him even for half a sentence, or harm a single strand of his hair."