This concludes Book 1. I will try to catch up during Christmas break.
Hurriedly he pulled the other two aside to hide behind a big tree in an alley across the street. By this time Kou Zhong and Susu have also seen the men. They all held their breath in fear.
"Why haven't Li Dage returned?” Susu said, "With him here, we have nothing to fear.”
The two boys were also wondering, Li Jing only wanted to buy some blades, there was no reason he would take such a long time.
Overwhelmed with horror, Xu Ziling said, "Within this bunch of hooligans, there are two or three that look like they belong to the same gang, plus they carry weapons. I am afraid they don't have any good intention.”
Kou Zhong said in a low voice, "If we have sabers, we need not fear them, but we must never take their blades. Although our martial art skill is high, I am afraid the first level of Nine Mysteries Power is not enough to withstand weapons, especially necks are so frail.”
"Don't say that!” Susu shrieked, "Ay! Where is Li Dage?”
Right this moment, from the other end of the alley someone staggered along in their direction, it was precisely Li Jing.
The three people were scared out of their wits and rushed over. As soon as Li Jing saw them, his legs gave up and he collapsed to the ground.
Like an arrow Kou and Xu, two boys darted forward and propped him up from left and right.
Susu nearly threw herself into Li Jing's bosom, but when her hands touched his clothes, she was aghast to find that her hands were soaked with blood.
Li Jing's face was completely devoid of any blood; strenuously, he said in low voice, "Five men from Du Fuwei's team of martial art masters ‘Law Enforcement Regiment' have come. I killed four of them, but one escaped. You don't have to worry about me, just run away immediately, otherwise it will be too late.”
Susu waved her hands and feet frantically, "Where is the blood-clotting powder? We must stop Dage's bleeding first.”
Kou Zhong knew the situation was critical, he pointed to one of the backdoors nearby. Together with Xu Ziling they helped Li Jing toward the door, pushed the door open by force, and took refuge in someone's rear courtyard. Susu quickly pushed the wooden door closed again.
The courtyard was overgrown with weed, apparently the residents of this house have left earlier.
By this time Li Jing has already fallen into a semi-conscious state. The three people did not have time to observe propriety. They broke into the house, lay Li Jing on a long table, and took off his clothes. To their surprise they found out that he had at least seven wound, the deep ones reached his bones, the shallow ones cut into his flesh. Fortunately, except for the most critical saber cut on is torso, the other cuts were either on his back, arms or thigh. Apparently the battle was very dangerous and very intense.
In this critical situation Kou Zhong was not flustered, "Xiao Ling, go find blood-clotting medicine, I will try to get a horse cart. Either by stealing, robbing or swindling, don't care about it too much. We'll leave as soon as it is dark.”
Susu was busy examining and cleaning up the wound with tears streaming down her face. The three people looked at each other, they all determined to save Li Jing's life. Then the two boys left separately.
With great difficulty Xu Ziling managed to find a drugstore and bought some blood-clotting powder. When he was rushing back, he came face to face with the group of thugs they saw earlier. Xu Ziling noticed that every single one of them carried either a sword or a saber; they looked fierce and menacing. Busily he raised his collar and continued walking briskly with head hung low.
As they past each other, he was recognized by one of the men who received a beating from him. "It's him!” the man shouted.
‘Qiang! Qiang!' the sound of the evil thugs' sword leaving its sheathe lingered in the air, the other pedestrians were so scared that they scattered like flying chicken or running dogs.
Xu Ziling did not have even a cun of weapon in his possession; even if he did, he would not dare to fight so many people. He yelled and ran like mad along the street.
The evil thugs ran after him in hot pursuit.
Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong could be considered experts in running away. When they were in Yangzhou, every time they were defeated, they had to rely on their two feet to save their lives. This time, turning to the left and winding to the right, fully utilizing the other pedestrians as barrier between him and the pursuing troops, he ran faster and faster away.
He felt the warm stream inside his body was circulating endlessly. The sole of his left foot was steaming hot, while the sole of his right foot was icy-cold. The more he ran, the more he felt comfortable. His mind was as calm as the still water; he even nearly forgot the enemy.
By the time he rounded a bent and entered a small alley, he had left the bunch of thugs far behind that he could not even see them.
Xu Ziling made another circle before returning to their safe house. When he arrived, Susu was waiting for him while her heart was burning with anxiety.
The two of them scrambled with their hands and feet to apply the blood-clotting powder onto Li Jing's wounds and wrapped the wounds well. By the time they finished dressing the wounds, it was already dusk. They also put clean clothes on him.
Although Li Jing was still unconscious, his breathing was slow and even, so that they were a bit relieved.
Susu said, "Fortunately Li Dage's wounds have the capability to automatically shrink to stop the bleeding, otherwise it would be even worse. Ay! Why haven't Xiao Zhong come back yet?”
Xu Ziling did not say anything. He took out the treasured saber that Li Jing carried. Walking to the middle of the room, he practiced the saber technique Li Jing taught him on his own initiative, the one Li Jing names ‘Bloody Battle Ten Styles'.
When Li Jing first taught them the saber technique, he did not have too deep of comprehension and perception. But now that Li Jing was seriously hurt and powerful enemy loomed outside, his heart was boiling with grief, indignation, and desperation. He only felt that each step each chop was a move with which he fought for his life. Temporarily he was in a no-self, no-consciousness state.
From the first move, ‘Two Armies Encamped Face-to-face', followed by ‘Exposing the Tip of the Fire Beacon', ‘Light Cavalry Charges Ahead, ‘Feeling the Pocket and Taking Something Out', ‘One Battle and Success is Achieved', ‘Acting on Overbearing, Stirring Emptiness', ‘Troops without Regular Power', ‘Life or Death, Exist or Perish', ‘Unyielding and Escaping', until the tenth style, ‘Ruler Overlooking the World'; he felt that every move was going smoothly and easily.
From the tenth style he was going to start over from the first one when suddenly Susu yelled at him, "Xiao Ling, stop it!”
Xu Ziling was stunned and stopped abruptly. He saw Susu was standing in front of Li Jing, shielding him; her face was blue her lips white. "Your saber seemed to emit hot wind; it's extremely frightening.”
Xu Ziling stared blankly in amazement; why didn't he feel it, he wondered. It seemed that his Nine Mysteries Great Method could be considered progressing a bit more. Only if he really met an enemy, would he be able to put it to good use?
‘Bang!' Kou Zhong slammed the door open and came in. "Mule cart is here, let's go!” he cried out.
The two people were greatly delighted. Without even asking how he managed to get a mule cart, they lifted Li Jing up using belts wrapped around his body, and loaded him onto the mule cart waiting in the courtyard, on top of piles of straw. Susu embraced him in her arms.
Kou Zhong drove the mule cart, from the back door they followed the alley and turned into the street, just as more than a dozen other mule carts and horse carts, carrying men, women, young and old, were heading toward the county town gate. Kou Zhong was greatly delighted, he steered the cart into the middle of the pack, hoping to ‘pass off fish eyes for pearls', and slip out of the county town.
Xu Ziling had Li Jing's treasured saber inside its scabbard lying on his knees. He said in a low voice, "Just now I practiced Li Dage's ‘Bloody Battle Ten Styles'; it was really fun. Jiejie even said that my saber emitted hot wind!”
"Looks like the Nine Mysteries Skill Niang taught combined with those ghost diagrams from the Secret to Long Life can become formidable martial art,” Kou Zhong commented, "Ay! Too bad we only have one saber. Otherwise with a pair of sabers working together in harmony we could be matchless under the heavens.”
Xu Ziling laughed, "Go to your Niang!” he swore, "Oh, no! Won't that be go to my Niang as well? You, this kid, always love to boast and to praise yourself. Compared to Niang and Yuwen Huaji, our skills differ too far. Handling a few bullies is still alright, but if …”
Kou Zhong laughed bitterly and said, "Precisely like you said. Look! The bullies are coming. Shall we go or not?”
Following his gaze, Xu Ziling saw close to twenty local ruffians were mingling among the county officers by the county town gate, inspecting the carts and pedestrians going out of town, but they had not seen them.
The two boys' countenance became very ugly.
Gnashing his teeth, Xu Ziling said, "I'll draw them away!”
Kou Zhong was shocked, "If you die, what am I going to do?” he asked.
Xu Ziling's eyes flickered with cold rays. "I won't die,” he confidently assured him, "You go about half a li outside the city and wait for me.”
Kou Zhong knew it was the only way. "I won't leave without you,” he said grimly, "If I don't see you, I will go back and stake my life with them.”
By this time Susu also knew something was not right; terrified, she said, "No, we'd better find a place to hide!”
Xu Ziling shook his head resolutely, "If we tolerate these thugs, we lose a good opportunity to deal with them. If that bunch of Du Fuwei's law enforcement murderers came, we will lose our lives. So this is our only chance.”
"Be careful!” Kou Zhong said.
Xu Ziling took out the treasured saber, left the scabbard behind, and jumped off the cart.
Kou Zhong and Susu watched as Xu Ziling courageously dashed toward the enemy; the two people's heart almost got caught in their throat.
The evil thugs also caught sight of Xu Ziling. Shouting and yelling, they drew their weapons and swarmed forward.
Carrying Li Jing's treasured saber, Xu Ziling turned toward the big street by the city wall.
The convoy of carts and carriages immediately increased their speed to get out of the county town as quickly as possible. Kou Zhong and Susu felt as if their heart was twisted and was set on fire as they had to endure quietly and urged their mule to get out of town.
As they watched those nearly twenty evil thugs chasing Xu Ziling, eventually Kou Zhong and Susu could not hold back their tears.
The instant they passed the city gate, they saw Xu Ziling turned around and charged wildly toward the pursuing enemy.
Susu screamed. The mule cart was out of town.