Book 42 - Chapter 3 – Despicable Assassination
The two boys turned into the Vermillion Bird Boulevard, only to see the pedestrians were like sand perch; vehicles and horses were vying for the road, quite a crowded grand occasion atmosphere where it was difficult to move a cun. The big ceremony of the founding of the Bohai Kingdom, which would hold the fate of the Mohe tribes, down to the entire peoples of the prairie – would be held three days later, a meeting that as long as the sun is still rising and the land is still flat, those who should come are already coming.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling walked shoulder to shoulder, rubbing shoulders with everybody else enjoying the delight of the flourishing capital. All around were clamorous, as if they were at the gate of the market; it was such a magnificent and unprecedented event. People of different tribes spoke different languages, creating lively atmosphere of a big melting pot of various ethnicities.
Leaning close to Xu Ziling’s ear, Kou Zhong said, “You said that this morning you saw three people; one was Shi Feixuan, one was Yin Xianhe, who was the third one?”
“It was Meiyan Furen, ay!” Xu Ziling replied.
The last sigh was due to what Liexia told them, so that Xu Ziling was unsure whether Meiyan Furen was really evil, or like Liexia said, not only a big swindler, but also Funantuo’s woman.
Kou Zhong understood his feeling, he himself was apprehensive and was quite edgy after listening to Liexia. Such a young woman with a thousand tenderness and a hundred charms, unexpectedly was a viper and scorpion beauty! It was such a pity. But of course this matter would have to be verified first.
Knitting his brows, Kou Zhong said, “Unexpectedly it was she. I wonder if it was a coincidence, or was she intentionally looking for you?”
While continuing his steps in the direction of the Wang Cheng [king city] and the foreign guesthouse, Xu Ziling replied, “I was on my way home when she caught up with me and wanted me to come on board. She wanted me to give the Five-Colored Stone back to her, and I had no choice but to return it to her.”
“What?” Kou Zhong blurted out.
After brief explanation, Xu Ziling said with a wry smile, “Both the feeling and reason were on her side at that time, what could I do?”
“This woman is really not simple,” Kou Zhong said, “No Five-Colored Stone then no Five-Colored Stone! As long as Gunatai brothers succeed in seizing that batch of bows and arrows, we won’t have to worry that Bai Ziting will not bend his head down.”
And then he said, “It’s been a long while, how come Old Ba has not returned yet?”
“He must have a lot of reasons,” Xu Ziling commented, “Unless he came across Bi Xuan, no one can do anything to him. If he is not a match for someone, he could have just run away. No need to worry about him.”
A peal of children’s happy laughter came from the left side, the two looked in the direction of the voice, turned out it was a group of about seven or eight children, about twelve or thirteen years old, playing in the crowded street, weaving left and right among the crowd, running and chasing each other, goofing off in their direction.
Smiling, Xu Ziling said, “In the past, we were also running through the crowd like this in Yangzhou, with only one target, which was someone else’s money purse. I hope this group of innocent, lively kids are not like our disciples and grandchildren.”
Kou Zhong laughed and said, “They seem to take a fancy to our money purse!”
Before he even finished speaking, the children were already by the two boys’ side. One of them was hiding behind Kou Zhong, letting out a kid’s innocent, loud and clear laughter, grabbing the back of Kou Zhong’s outer robe, while gasping for breath and said with a laugh, “You can’t catch me! You can’t catch me!”
The other kids swarmed around them, surrounding the two boys, you catch me, I chase you, going in and out the crowd. The situation was chaotic, plus the children constantly pulling their clothes.
Crowded by the happy children, the two stopped. Their childish heart was aroused, they looked at each other and laughed.
Right this moment, they both felt something was not right.
From ahead, behind, left and right, there were people coming toward them. Murderous aura suddenly flared up.
The two boys were veterans of a hundred battles. Under such circumstances, although they had fallen into a heavy siege by mistake, they could always grab the initiative either to attack or to defend to deal with the enemies. However, currently there were seven, eight innocent children around them, completely sealing their room to maneuver, so much so that leaping up might cause harm to the children, not to mention they practically did not have time to do so.
The assassins pulled the weapon hidden inside their outer robe; in total disregard of the children’s safety, blade lights sprang up from all directions to attack the two boys in perfect coordination.
Since everything happened too quickly and too suddenly, the rushing along pedestrians did not know what happened; seeing the flashing blades, they instinctively scattered away in all directions, making the chaotic situation even more chaotic.
Within this lightning-flashes and sparks fly moment, the two boys realized that this was the enemies’ meticulously arranged trap, with despicable means of using children as distraction, telling them to entangle the two boys and to play around them, and then launching their attack from four sides, eight directions.
Some of the children suddenly felt the crisis, involuntarily they either threw themselves into the two boys’ embrace or held on to them even tighter in order to seek protection, so that even though the two boys had the power, it was difficult to move. They could only sigh inwardly.
Saber light was flashing continuously.
Kou Zhong looked at one bright and shiny point of the saber blade coming from right ahead following an arc, stabbing at him right on his face, the saber qi was shrouding him completely. If there was nothing impeding his movements, he could simply flash out of the way to the side, but now there were two kids holding on to his legs tightly. Unless he had the heart to shock and injure them, otherwise, even if he could get away from them, it would still slow him down.
The face of attacker from straight ahead looked unfamiliar, but the saber technique has reached the first-class saber master level. However, this saber strike still did not pose any problem for him. The problem was that there was another saber slashing at his neck from the right, and a long sword stabbing at his back from behind. The most terrifying thing was that the swordsman behind him, which he could not see, was actually Kou Zhong’s most formidable opponent. The sword blade was still about a chi away from his back, but he felt as if his entire spine was immersed in cold, freezing iced water, a clear sign that even if this person’s power might not be in Kou Zhong’s level, the difference was hardly any.
Due to the enemy’s attack, Kou Zhong did not have time to pull out the Moon in the Well. Sighing inwardly, he threw himself forward, bringing the two children with him to the ground.
Xu Ziling’s situation was worse than Kou Zhong’s. A panic-stricken child was holding tightly in his bosom, while two others were pulling the hem of his outer robe from behind. The remaining two children fell on their butts between he and Kou Zhong, while one kid rolled down to his left.
Before his eyes, saber light was surging like rolling wind and violent cloud. The one attacking from the front had daggers in each hand, with the tip of the dagger gleaming red from the poison. This person’s figure was not tall. Although she was dressed in men’s clothing, Xu Ziling knew it was the second time that he fought with the opponent.
Although she made her originally ought to be bewitching-beyond-compare jade countenance appeared to be swarthy and rough, in just one glance, Xu Ziling could still recognize her from her technique as Shen Mohuan’s wife, Mu Ling. She was vicious and ruthless, in total disregard of the child in his bosom’s safety.
There were still three other men attacking him at the same time. Two were attacking from behind; he was sure that one of them, if it was not Shen Mohuan, then it must be a martial art master of his class. He was using a pair of short-handled axes, in wheel-like movement, violent and ferocious without equal. If he got hacked, his muscles would split, his bones would shatter for sure, any true qi protecting his body would be unable to withstand.
The other man, although his skill was few notches inferior, he could still be considered a first-class martial art master. Wielding a double hook, he was attacking the side of Xu Ziling’s neck and the right side of his waist, consecutively.
The remaining saber wielder was sealing his left side, aiming at his flank. Among the attacks from the front and rear, this attack posed the greatest threat to Xu Ziling.
In a blink of an eye, both boys were forced into a cannot-advance-or-retreat desperate straits. The most unbearable thing was that certainly none of the innocent children drawn into this assassination assault would be able to luckily escape. The enemy’s cruelty made one’s hair stand up in anger.
Shen Mohuan’s operation this time could be said very thorough. Because they knew that the boys would come to their meeting at noon, he executed the cruel trick of using children to pester them. By the time the children were playing around the two boys, they moved to the strategic position and launched the ten-thousand-jun-thunderbolt sudden attack in order to put them to death by all means.
Xu Ziling roared and unleashed his divine power.
He was fully aware that under such circumstances he would undoubtedly be wounded, his hope was that he would only be injured but not dead, while also helped the children to avoid great catastrophe.
The sheepskin robe shattered into pieces and shot toward the enemies.
‘Ding! Ding!’
When he was falling to the ground, Kou Zhong suddenly twisted his body around so that he was facing up. Both hands waved and struck, he simultaneously hit the blades attacking from ahead and from the right side, while also striving to evade the long sword stabbing from behind by a hairsbreadth.
The children hanging on his legs rolled on the ground, so that even if he had a thousand-kind-of-consummate-skill martial art, momentarily he was unable to put any to good use.
Two saber wielders let out a stifled grunt and fell back. The vortex of energy entering their sabers was the culmination of the power that Kou Zhong cultivated all his life, how could it be easy to withstand?
Who would have thought that the sword wielder attacking from behind was very powerful? The ingenuity of the changes was greatly beyond Kou Zhong’s expectation. Unexpectedly it flew up above Kou Zhong, and then without changing the sword’s original style it swiftly stabbed down, straight toward the vital part, his heart.
Although the other side changed his appearance, even put on fake beard, but from the expression showing in his eyes, which could not be changed, Kou Zhong was 90% sure that this vicious assassin was Han Chao’an of Gaoli.
Momentarily Kou Zhong did not have enough time to pull his hands back to block, plus because his legs were wrapped in the children’s arms, he could not use his martial art skill, and could only struggle to use the strength of his waist to twist his torso to the right.
The long sword was piercing straight into his chest.
The upper half of Xu Ziling’s sheepskin robe was shattered by his qi power and shot toward the enemies like bullets, each piece contained fierce and severe true power, enough to hurt the enemy. If it cut through the enemy’s eyes, nose, or other weak body parts, it could also cause permanent damage, hence he was not afraid that the enemy would not be without apprehension.
The best part was that when the lower part of the robe fell off, it made the two children ‘Bonk!’ fell to the ground, which also made them avoid the double axes and double hooks attacking from behind.
The saber wielder and the hook wielder, whose skill was slightly inferior, hastily flashed to the side to evade the sheepskin pieces, before changing their move to attack again. Mu Ling and Shen Mohuan still continued their attack without changing style. Relying on their qi power they used their mouth to blow away the pieces of sheepskin attacking their faces, while against the other pieces of sheepskin attacking the other part of their body, they relied on the true qi protecting their body to cope.
It was a subtle change, but from the desperate straits, Xu Ziling found a ray of hope of survival.
Xu Ziling secretly performed the Motionless Fundamental Image; twisting his body, he moved the child facing Mu Ling’s poisonous dagger out of the harm’s way, while his mouth spat out an incantation, ‘Lin!’, like an icy-cold snowball being cast into the blazing-like-great-furnace battlefield, so that no matter how dauntless and ferocious Mu Ling and Shen Mohuan were, hearing that, they could not stop their mind from being greatly affected. Their body shook, their attacking hands slowed down a little.
Xu Ziling was precisely fighting for this tiny gap.
Mu Ling’s left and right poisonous daggers changed to attack his ear and slash down his rib, the style was exquisite, amazing, and mysterious. Even in one-on-one duel without any constraint he still had to be careful in dealing with it, not to mention Shen Mohuan’s double axes from behind changed direction to attack him like rolling wheel from the left side.
Xu Ziling’s hands flew separately to meet the attack from both sides head on. And then relying on his right leg to maintain his balance, his left leg curved up, fast like lightning it flew toward Shen Mohuan’s genital.
In the blink of an eye the two sides made contact and suddenly separated.
Mu Ling’s left dagger successfully stabbed the vital part under his right flank, while Shen Mohuan used the axe handle to intercept the leg that could potentially send his old life away, while with the other axe he sealed Xu Ziling’s retreat path.
Xu Ziling’s true qi burst out, so that before it was able to cause great harm, Mu Ling’s poisonous dagger ricocheted away from his flank, but he could no longer evade the single saber and a double hook that were attacking close behind.
His blood splashed, the saber pierced his left arm, the hook aimed at his neck failed, but the other hook managed to slash a deep blood trace on the back of his left shoulder, his clothes were torn and shattered.
This was due to Xu Ziling rapidly swayed his upper body in succession so that he could avoid fatal wound.
Mu Ling and Shen Mohuan’s second round of attack arrived.
With a tragic scream, the saber wielder was swept on the shoulder by Xu Ziling’s palm counter strike, he was sent tumbling sideways, and thus the saber was pulled out before it had any chance to go deeper, carrying with it the blood splashing from Xu Ziling’s body.
On the other side, Kou Zhong was also at the juncture of life and death. The enemy’s sword was still a chi away from touching his back, it suddenly changed direction to thrust straight into his chest. He put both hands together and was barely able to clamp the enemy’s sword going about two cun into his chest, fully aware that if this swordsman, who presumably was Han Chao’an, shot his power inside his body, then Kou Zhong’s heart meridian might be shocked and broken, hence he hastily sent out the true power from his hands, fiercely attacking the opponent. The enemy’s imposing body was severely shaken, he was unable to send out his inner power; seizing this opportunity, he pulled the sword and flew back.
Kou Zhong used one hand to prop himself on the ground, while struggling hard to endure the bone-crushing-heart-breaking pain in the pit of his stomach. With his other hand he pulled the Moon in the Well. By the time he carried the two children to spring back into upright position, the treasured saber swept in a full circle. ‘Ding! Ding!’ he swept away the second round of attack from the enemies’ two sabers.
The Moon in the Well turned into yellow light, it swiftly shot toward Mu Ling, who was attacking Xu Ziling.
‘Bang!’
One after another Xu Ziling’s double palms slapped Shen Mohuan’s attacking double axe, shocking the opponent’s left and right, two axes so that he was unable to continue the attack. With his other foot he kicked sideways at the hook wielder, forcing him to retreat in panic. But Xu Ziling did not have time to deal with Mu Ling’s dagger.
Fortunately, ‘Qiang!’ with a clear noise Kou Zhong’s Moon in the Well arrived and Mu Ling was forcefully pushed back.
Kou Zhong recklessly rushed his true power out, blood immediately gushed out of the wound on his chest like a spring.
The chaotic battle was like the waves rippling outside with the two boys as the center. Passersby raced each other to get away, some ran across the street, over the vehicles and horses’ lane, throwing the traffic into a great mess, with horses neighing and people shouting.
A squad of patrolling troops shouted and galloped from the direction of the King City, heightening the already intense chaotic situation.
With the blood flowing out freely from his left arm, the pain made Xu Ziling unable to raise his arm. His right punch shot out, the Treasured Vase Qi exploded. This move was sent out in anger. By the time the hook wielder sensed that something was amiss, the highly concentrated Treasured Vase Qi already hit the pit of his stomach, the hand holding the hook met the fist, he spurted blood and flew away, landed on the vehicles and horses’ lane.
The swordsman, who was suspected to be Han Chao’an, immediately darted toward the hook wielder to help him up before letting out a shrill whistle.
Responding to the whistle, the enemies scattered to escape, some flew to the roof, some fled into side alleys; in the blink of an eye they all disappeared, neat and clean.
Xu Ziling felt the dizziness after a burst of blood lost and strength exhaustion. Only this moment the children were starting to wail, but he was relieved instead, knowing that they were not injured.
Passersby gathered around them, pointing and gesticulating. Some of the braver ones came over to pick up the children and took them away.
Kou Zhong struggled hard to stand; he applied his inner power to stop the bleeding. He came over to Xu Ziling’s side and spoke in low voice, “Any muscles and bones injury?”
Xu Ziling came back to his senses. He saw the wound on Kou Zhong’s chest was still seeping out blood; if the wound were about a cun farther to the left, definitely his life would be gone. Shaking his head, he replied, “Still won’t kill me. Mu Ling’s dagger was dipped in highly toxic poison; if it were someone else, he would undoubtedly die.”
Kou Zhong spoke in low voice, “We definitely must not show weakness!”
Xu Ziling nodded in agreement. This moment, where the enemies were lurking around them, if any enemy’s side knew that they had been seriously injured, they would certainly lose their life before returning to the Central Plains.
Only Shi Zhixuan would never let them off.
The onlookers were beginning to talk to them, they unanimously praised the two boys for their righteous deed in risking their life to protect the children.
The patrolling troops arrived. The captain shouted loudly, “Who dares to fight in the street?”
Kou Zhong put the saber back into its sheath, with powerful countenance he laughed and said, “We are Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling. Even if there is any violation of the law, we will explain it personally to Da Wang tonight.”
The patrolling troops were intimidated by the two boys’ reputation, immediately they changed their attitude and asked them instead what they could do to help.
Seeing himself and Kou Zhong were covered all over with blood, Xu Ziling smiled and declined the other side’s good intention. Pulling Kou Zhong aside to continue their trip, he whispered in Kou Zhong’s ear, “Do you think Xiao Shiyi is involved in this assassination ambush?”
Enduring the pain on the pit of his stomach, Kou Zhong sighed and said, “It’s difficult to say. Let’s find a shop to buy new set of clothes first; this way, we will be presentable when we see the enemy.”
Looking at their covered-in-blood-from-head-to-toes appearance, anybody coming in their direction immediately got out of the way in shock. Needless to say, the two boys felt even more upset.
Since their debut, they had never experienced miscalculation and a difficult situation like this.
They suffered multiple injuries, with Kou Zhong’s most serious injury on his chest, and Xu Ziling’s most serious injury on his flank and left arm.
Even though they had the Long Life Qi, which had an extremely divine efficacy in healing, they could forget about recovering fully in a short period of time.
All the opponent’s weapons were filled to the brim with destructive qi power, which invaded their meridians. External and internal injuries plus considerable blood loss, were it not for these two boys’ internal power was out of the common run, they would have collapsed on the ground and were unable to get up early on.
In this city, where danger lurks on every side, the days after the fight would definitely not easy to pass.
Xu Ziling said, “The enemy must be sending people to observe our current situation. If we reveal the inside information, the consequences will be too horrible to contemplate.”
Kou Zhong laughed aloud. Deliberately raising his voice, he said, “This time it could be said that our boat is capsized in the ditch, fortunately it’s just skin and flesh injuries; we definitely must seek justice.”
Xu Ziling halted his steps in front of a ready-made garment shop. Outside the mouth of the street was precisely the foreign guesthouse where Fu Junqiang was staying. Laughing calmly, he said, “After changing into new clothes, we will go seek them to give them bad luck.”
Kou Zhong took the lead to enter the garment shop, knowing full well that if Shen Mohuan and the others dared to strike at this moment, they would find that the two boys would be unable to withstand a single blow.