Chapter 3
In the Martial World, I Alone Am the Honored One
The mountain wind was getting stronger.
Peng Zeng reclined leisurely on his soft gold silk thread couch and ate a bright red Sweetjuice Vermilion Fruit.
This Vermilion Fruit only bloomed every ten years, and only bore fruit once every ten years. Though it didn’t increase one’s internal force as much as the Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruit, it was still a delicious rare fruit.
He looked like a majestic thearch out on an inspection tour, his loyal subordinates packed in on either side of him.
Carrying the couch were four young girls dressed in light apricot clothes.
If someone were to say the girls looked to be dead and dumb, no one wouldn’t believe it.
How could there be four girls as pretty as flowers and jade that were all deaf and dumb at the same time?
But that’s really how it was.
Their eardrums had been pierced and their tongues cut out.
This wasn’t Peng Zeng’s doing.
He had always felt “protective” toward girls, and would never do such a thing.
It was “Gutripper Gou” who had rendered them deaf and dumb!
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Gutripper Gou was a person’s nickname.
He was only known by a nickname in the Black Killer Gang. He didn’t have a given name, not even a surname.
Within the Black Killer Gang, Peng Zeng was a stately ruler, but the one who truly inspired fear in the members was Gutripper Gou.
Was Gutripper Gou a man?
No.
She was a woman.
I woman with a moving laugh, but in many years she’d only laughed once.
She was old now.
She was already twenty-nine.
Was a twenty-nine-year-old woman really considered old?
No, in fact, this twenty-nine-year-old woman was a rare mature, beautiful and alluring creature.
But she was also an innately hateful woman.
In the Black Killer Gang, no one dared offend her.
Anyone who dared make her angry would not be able to keep his head.
These four pitiful girls had angered Gutripper Gou half a year ago and thus became deaf and dumb.
—One day in the middle of the night, Gutripper Gou felt that they were misbehaving toward Peng Zeng.
—Actually, they were just laughing at a joke that Peng Zeng had told, and everyone was laughing together.
But Gutripper Gou felt that they were getting too fresh and were clearly flirting with the chief, so she immediately rendered the four girls deaf and dumb.
Peng Zeng was dumbfounded.
He was the gang’s chief, and Gutripper Gou’s actions were excessive, even presumptuously arrogant.
But Peng Zeng didn’t do anything.
Gutripper Gou might have been cruel and callous, but she was Peng Zeng’s most beloved woman.
Peng Zeng had never truly loved any other woman besides Gutripper Gou.
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Peng Zeng arrived at the foot of Lotus Peak.
He’d led nearly all the Black Killer Gang’s top masterhands to the foot of the mountain.
Wasn’t this overkill just for one Shen Qianxiao?
Actually, no.
Shen Qianxiao was Daosenior Bitterbuddy’s disciple, and he had mastered the Five Superb Soulsnatching Sword, so his martial arts was not even comparable to Daosenior Firenurture’s.
But Peng Zeng was extremely well-informed. He had learned that in addition to Shen Qianxiao, the Eight Route Commandos were also on Lotus Peak.
The Eight Route Commandos were the crack masterhands of the Eight Major Martial Arts Schools of the Martial World.
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The Eight Major Martial Arts Schools were Shaolin, Wudang, Kunlun, Emei, Mount Hua, Diancang, Kongtong, and Mount Huang.
Even though Mount Huang had suffered and unprecedented catastrophe, not all of the Mount Huang School people were dead.
At least, Daosenior Deficient North was the Mount Huang man with the best martial arts.
Even though he had already “returned to lay life”, Peng Zeng believed that that was only a cover.
Daosenior Deficient North seemed to have gone mad, but he was very respectful of his master.
Right now he had “returned to lay life”, but in the future he would definitely become a renunciate once again.
He had penetrating insight on this point.
However, what he was most worried about wasn’t Shen Qianxiao.
Shen Qianxiao’s swordplay was outstanding, but he believed that he had a way to handle it.
Also, even though the Eight Major Schools had united to annihilate the Black Killer Gang, the Eight Major Schools were Peng Zeng’s actual target.
Even one against eight, Peng Zeng had no fear. Even though he was not at all sure he could win, he believed he had a seven-tenths chance to completely wipe out all of the Eight Major School’s crack masterhands.
The only thing he hadn’t counted on was King Wu, Wu Qiying!
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Roaming the jianghu for twenty years.
Invincible throughout the land.
King Wu had written these ten words for Peng Zeng to see.
Peng Zeng wasn’t stupid, he obviously knew that those ten words were a serious provocation directed at him!
This insult was one Peng Zeng couldn’t swallow.
And Gutripper Gou? What did she think about this?
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The beautiful Lotus Peak had been enveloped by an invisible murderous aura.
The wind was up, but this murderous aura would not be dispelled.
Peng Zeng was a wicked scoundrel, but his “courage” was somewhat astonishing.
He knew full well that danger lied waiting on all sides of Lotus Peak, but he still had no fear and was willing to use the power of his gang to resist the Eight Major Martial Arts Schools.
Such mettle was something only an “ambitious cutthroat” could possess.
If he were a “cowardly black bear”, then even he had three heads and six arms twelve leopard gallbladders, he would never dare barge into Lotus Peak and speed to his death.
However, everyone has a different way of thinking.
Peng Zeng was simply not afraid of the Eight Major Martial Arts Schools. His only misgiving was the martial world alliance head, King Wu.
The former martial world alliance head had been a great bold champion of the martial world from Shandong province, Hundred Blades God Sima Du.
But Sima Du suddenly withdrew from the martial world and selected Wu Qiying as the new martial world alliance head.
Sima Du’s actions were obviously very surprising to the rest of the martial world.
No one could understand why Sima Du wanted to do this? Or why he had selected Wu Qiying to be martial world alliance head.
Because the position of martial world alliance head was no small matter, for hundreds of years many in the martial world had turned heaven and earth upside vying for the throne, even harming countless lives and destroying countless innocents’ homes.
The post of martial world alliance head had a term of office of ten years.
During the term of office, should the alliance head retire for some reason, he could select someone to take his place, but the candidate must accept any challenge for the next month, and should the candidate lose, then a new martial world conference must be convened to elect an alliance head.
Of course, the newly selected martial world alliance head must receive the approval of the Eight Major Schools in order to succeed the post. Otherwise, should some wicked scoundrel ascend to the throne, wouldn’t there be great chaos throughout the world?
As a result, there was another surprise.
Wu Qiying stayed in Jinan in Shandong for a month, but no one dared to challenge him.
The reason was simple: there were scant few masterhands in the martial world who were Wu Qiying’s match.
Peng Zeng was the chief of the Black Killer Gang, so he was not qualified to be alliance head, so he didn’t go to Jinan to challenge Wu Qiying.
Wu Qiying thus became the martial world alliance head without a hitch.
But why had Sima Du suddenly withdrawn from the jianghu?
On this point, opinions varied.
But very few aside from Wu Qiying and Shen Qianxiao knew the real reason.
Turns out that ever since Sima Du assumed the post of alliance head he had been continuously colluding with pirates. Who knows how many people along the eastern seaboard were tormented.
But Sima Du’s fine deeds were finally inadvertently discovered by one person.
That person was Shen Qianxiao.
Shen Qianxiao hated nothing more than a hypocrite.
He was no longer polite and took action against Sima Du.
The Mount Huang School was famous in the jianghu for its swordplay, but in addition to his swordplay, Shen Qianxiao was also a master of poisons.
Why was he so good at using poisons?
He had a younger cousin who twenty years prior had married into the Tang Sect of Shu.
The Tang Sect’s skill with poisons was famed throughout the world.
Shen Qianxiao was infinitely resourceful and managed to learn from his younger cousin many of the Tang Sect’s poisoning skills.
This time, Sima Du was out of luck.
Shen Qianxiao carried three different poisons on his person. Without the antidote that he had made himself, maybe not even Tang Sect people would be able to remove the poison from Sima Du’s body.
Shen Qianxiao spent eighty-five days before finally finding an opportunity to poison Sima Du.
Shen Qianxiao was good at seizing opportunities. Sima Du never dreamed that in the end, the one who had harmed countless people in his lifetime would have the same done to him by another.
During Sima Du’s more than thirty years in the martial world, the impression he gave others was that of a great fair and unselfish hero who had no fear of death, a bold outstanding champion.
But in fact, he was more selfish than anyone, and feared death more than anyone.
Others couldn’t see through him, but he couldn’t fool Shen Qianxiao’s keen eyes. After he poisoned Sima Du he was sure that this martial world alliance head would obediently announce that he was “washing his hands in the golden basin and withdrawing from the martial world”.
Shen Qianxiao’s estimation was right on the mark.
He and Sima Du secretly made a “deal”.
The requirement:
Sima Du was to hand the alliance head throne over to Wu Qiying and henceforth withdraw from the martial world.
Sima Du agreed.
Although he didn’t actually want to give the martial world alliance head throne over to Wu Qiying, he was helplessly forced into it and had no alternative.
But did Wu Qiying want to ascend to the martial world alliance head throne?
No!
He had no interest at all ll in the alliance head throne, but he couldn’t refuse Shen Qianxiao.
Because Shen Qianxiao told him:
“If you don’t become the martial world alliance head, this old fellow will hang himself!”
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When he was serious about something he was more serious than the most intolerant person in the world.
That was his “peculiarity”.
Wu Qiying had quite a few friends in the jianghu, but the one who was the biggest headache was none other than Shen Qianxiao.
Shen Qianxiao was very serious about forcing Wu Qiying into ascending the martial world throne.
Wu Qiying at first just laughed it off.
But Shen Qianxiao kept a straight face and admonished him in a severe tone, “If you don’t become the martial world alliance head and lead the masterhands of the Eight Major Schools to go deal with the Black Killer Gang, then this old fellow will hang himself. If I go back on my word may I stand condemned by heaven and earth!”
For him to suddenly make such a grave vow startled Wu Qiying.
He knew that Shen Qianxiao wasn’t trying to threaten him.
That’s how Shen Qianxiao’s temper was, and he knew it better than anyone.
After a full day and night of thinking it over, he finally agreed with a nod to Shen Qianxiao.
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When Wu Qiying first went out into the jianghu, no one respected him.
But after twenty years in in the stormy jianghu, Wu Qiying had proved that he could withstand whatever trials he faced.
The sectmasters of Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, Diancang, etc, all had a good impression of Wu Qiying.
They all addressed him respectfully as King Wu.
Once he became martial world alliance head, his prestige throughout the jianghu was even better.
The Black Killer Gang’s flames of arrogance were too large, so the leaders of each sect hoped King Wu could lead the righteous masters of the jianghu in a decisive battle against the Black Killer Gang.
Everyone had a hunch that a battle was unavoidable.
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Hunches aren’t always accurate.
Even so, this was one absolutely accurate.
From the south side of Lotus Peak to Rivers & Lakes Loft one had to pass through Stone Lotus Town.
On Stone Lotus Town’s north side was a level bed of stone on which there were two granite carvings of lotus flowers.
The two stone lotus flowers were said to have been carved one evening 300 years ago by the god of Lotus Peak.
This had been a legend for a full 300 years.
About half of the people who heard the legend believed it.
In other words, the other half didn’t believe it.
Many of the believers pilgrimaged to to every year to burn incense and worship before the stone lotuses.
On this day, it wasn’t the pilgrimage day, but surprisingly there were people before the stone lotuses burning incense and candles, and others were chanting the name of Buddha.
They were monks.
Not ordinary monks, but eminent monks from Shaolin Monastery.
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Greatmaster Mystic Aurora and Greatmaster Mystic Mist, Greatmaster Mystic Cloud, and Greatmaster Mystic Rain were all highly venerated eminent monks of Shaolin Monastery.
They were chanting and piously praying.
Just as their prayers reached their most pious point, a mass of black from the foot of the mountain swarmed up like ants.
However, they weren’t moving nearly as slow as ants.
They were advancing incredibly swiftly and without making a sound at all!
Behind the four monks there was another slightly chubby but very old monk.
In his hand he gripped an As-You-Wish Zen staff.
He was the current abbot of Shaolin Monastery—Greatmaster Mystic Downpour.
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Greatmaster Mystic Downpour had personally led the Shaolin monks to Stone Lotus Town. You could say he greatly respected King Wu and took very seriously King Wu’s great plan to vanquish the demons.
The monks dispatched from Shaolin were few in number, but they were the monastery’s crack masterhands.
All were monks of the “Mystic” generation, and along with Greatmaster Mystic Downpour, they came to five.
Once Peng Zeng from his couch saw these eminent Shaolin monks, he surprisingly put on a smug smile.
His expression seemed to say, “Old monks, you all are courting death!”
That face was really offensive.
Of the “Mystic” generation monks, the one with the poorest cultivation was Greatmaster Mystic Aurora.
If Greatmaster Mystic Aurora’s cultivation had been better than Greatmaster Mystic Downpour’s, he would already have become abbot of Shaolin Monastery.
But he couldn’t’ take the look on the Black Killer Gang chief’s face.
He surreptitiously gathered his palm force, as if he’d decided to chop Peng Zeng to death once the fighting started.
But Peng Zeng didn’t go over, he just lay on the couch like a cripple with no thought of getting personally involved at all.
In fact there was no need for him to.
There were plenty of subordinated willing to deal with the Shaolin monks.
Gutripper Gou said nothing.
She seemed not to think anything at all of these eminent Shaolin monks, as if dispatched a few men would be enough to get rid of them.
Seeing their expressions, Greatmaster Mystic Downpour couldn’t help but knit his white brows.
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Gutripper Gou didn’t bat an eye.
She was not only Peng Zeng’s most beloved woman, she was also the most authoritative person in the Black Killer Gang.
Of course, the most authority to command everyone lay in Peng Zeng’s hands, but he never went against Gutripper Gou’s views.
There was a group of Shaolin monks outside Stone Lotus Town acting as the first line of defense.
Peng Zeng didn’t issue any orders.
The one responsible for issuing orders was Gutripper Gou.
She suddenly waved her hand gently and five blackgowned old men beside her said:
“Kill!”
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The old blackgowned men held five wrought-bronze cudgels.
Anyone who saw these five bronze cudgels ought to know that they were the Six Bronze Cudgel Spirit Elementals who had been running amok throughout the martial world for the past twenty years.
There were now only five of them, but they still called themselves the Six Elementals.
One of them had died by someone’s sword eight years ago.
That person was King Wu.
After Old Fifth died, the other five cruel and merciless old demons threw in with the Black Killer Gang.
Within the Black Killer Gang, their status was even higher than the blackbelt protectors’.
The Black Killer Gang’s arrogance grew within the jianghu, chiefly because Peng Zeng had recruited many crack black path masterhands to submit to the Black Killer Gang’s command.
Of course, this was not a simple feat.
But people often played up to the powerful, especially black pathers. Whoever was the strongest would always expand their power.
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The Six Bronze Elementals’ wrought-bronze cudgels were not just cudgels, they could also shoot hidden weapons.
Each end of the cudgel could shoot out for kinds of vicious hidden weapons, including poison sand, poison needles, poison darts, and poison pellets.
Their cudgel technique was extremely sinister, plus these hidden weapons, and they naturally seemed unstoppable.
Shaolin’s martial arts was orthodox Buddhist martial arts, but facing these old sinister, vicious, and incredibly skilled martial arts demons was not going to be easy going.
Greatmaster Mystic Aurora’s cultivation was the poorest, but his stamina lasted a long time.
But he seemed to have left out someone.
He had kept his attention on the Six Bronze Cudgel Elementals when suddenly Gutripper Gou attacked.
Gutripper Gou was like a spirit, lightly flitting around behind him.
Greatmaster Mystic Downpour cried out, “Second Senior Brother, careful…”
Greatmaster Mystic Aurora’s status was actually higher than Greatmaster Mystic Downpours; he was Greatmaster Mystic Downpour’s second senior brother.
Mystic Downpour cried out and at the same time his As-You-Wish staff came down on Gutripper Gou with overwhelming force.
But Gutripper Gou just sneered, and in a flash disappeared before Greatmaster Mystic Downpour’s eyes.
Greatmaster Mystic Downpour’s surprise was no trifling matter.
He was the abbot of Shaolin Monastery, and for a great many years Shaolin had held the bull’s ear plate of command1 among the martial world, and for them now to get all turned around and our of sorts by a woman, may we ask what face was there in that?
Though Greatmaster Mystic Downpour was a Buddhist, an enlightened eminent monk, but right now he couldn’t help being unsettled and short-tempered.
He forced himself to calm down and suddenly Greatmaster Mystic Aurora was right in front of him, a sad look on his face.
Greatmaster Mystic Downpour was shocked.
“Second Brother, you…”
Mystic Aurora smiled sadly. “Your foolish senior brother was hit by a palm…”
He staggered and nearly fell.
Greatmaster Mystic Downpour hurriedly help support him.
But just then, Mystic Aurora’s sad smile suddenly changed.
His sad smile became a hideous grin.
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Greatmaster Mystic Downpour was dumbfounded.
He still didn’t know what was going on when he felt a sharp pain in his sides.
The expressions of Mystic Downpour, Mystic Cloud, Mystic Rain all changed at the same time as well.
Mystic Rain, heedless of everything, threw himself at Mystic Aurora immediately.
Turns out that when Mystic Downpour went to help Mystic Aurora, the latter shot both palms out and struck Greatmaster Mystic Downpour on either flank.
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Mystic Downpour fell victim to Mystic Aurora’s secret plot, it was true, but it was really hard to believe.
But whether you believed it or not, it was absolutely true.
Why had Mystic Aurora done that?
In fact he’d always wanted to be abbot of Shaolin Monastery, but because Greatmaster Mystic Downpour had everyone’s support in the monastery, so the position of sectmaster that ought to have gone to Mystic Aurora in the end went to Greatmaster Mystic Downpour.
Mystic Downpour had no intention of vying with Mystic Aurora for the position of sectmaster, but he certainly did was the popular favorite.
On the outside, Mystic Aurora was calm.
But actually he had long since begun colluding with the Black Killer Gang.
Furthermore, he had set up an opportunity to kill Greatmaster Mystic Downpour.
Of course, Greatmaster Mystic Downpour’s death at the hands of Greatmaster Mystic Aurora would make the latter the number one enemy of Shaolin Monastery.
But he didn’t care.
Because he had already joined the Black Killer Gang.
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After succumbing to Mystic Aurora’s two palm strikes, Mystic Downpour’s face immediately went the color of gold paper and he tottered.
Mystic Rain pounced on Mystic Aurora to avenge the abbot, but he had just taken to the air when Gutripper Gou ripped his guts out.
Mystic Rain smiled sadly and, wounded, struck back.
Whoosh!
The force of his palm was still mighty.
But Gutripper Gou had already fluttered away.
In her hand was a glittering gold short hook.
The gold hook was short and small, but it was more than enough to rip out someone’s bowels.
Mystic Rain gazed blankly at Mystic Downpour.
Mystic Downpour squeezed his eyes shut and suddenly fell on his back, breathed his last and was dead.
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There was internal strife among the ranks of Shaolin’s first line of defense. This was a really surprising matter.
The Black Killer Gang swarm continued to push ahead.
Peng Zeng had won one battle, but he immediately was met with a wave of strong resistance.
It was the tight formation set out by Wudang, Emei, and the other major schools.
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Just as the intense battle was underway, where was the martial world alliance head, King Wu?
He was the leader of the group of white path heroes, the battle couldn’t do without him, otherwise they would be leaderless.
Even though all the sectmasters and masterhands of the Eight Major Schools were gathered at the foot of Lotus Peak, the one they trusted the most was King Wu.
In Rivers & lakes Loft, Shen Qianxiao was already locked in combat with the Black Killer Gang’s blackbelt protector, Huangfu Ji.
But King Wu didn’t step into help.
Why?
Could it be that King Wu didn’t care if Shen Qianxiao lived or died?
No.
King Wu hadn’t forgotten about Shen Qianxiao. He was his good friend.
He didn’t team up with Shen Qianxiao to fight the enemy together because Shen Qianxiao already had strong support.
Kongtong School’s sectmaster, the Fire & Thunder Bladesmen Mr. Gan the Second had already led the Twelve Fiends of Kongtong in a charge into Rivers & Lakes Loft.
The Fire & Thunder Bladesman, Mr. Gan the Second, had never gotten along well with the Mount Huang School.
In the past, Daosenior Firenurture even got into it one time with the Fire & Thunder Bladesman and almost came to blows.
But back then there were several martial world heroes present and they stepped in and resolved it before a fight broke out.
After that, Mr. Gan the Second ordered his disciples not to have anything to do with the Mount Huang School.
But Daosenior Deficient North was an exception.
Mr. Gan the Second and Daosenior Deficient North had always been friendly with each other. Even when the latter returned to lay life, they still often got together to drink wine and talk about martial arts.
Now Shen Qianxiao was besieged by Black Killer Gang killers, and Mr. Gan the Second was more nervous about it than anyone.
He was worthy of being called Shen Qianxiao’s old buddy.
With Mr. Gan the Second and the Twelve Fiends of Kongtong assisting him, Shen Qianxiao not only wasn’t in any danger, he could kill Black Killer gangsters with relish.
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In Stone Lotus Town, the air was filled with the roar of battle.
The Black Killer Gang’s numbers were not at all inferior to the Eight Major Schools’.
And the strength of the gang’s masterhands was beyond expectations.
Even just the martial arts of the Six Bronze Cudgel Elementals, those five demons, was enough of a headache for the group of heroes.
Shaolin was the number one major school in the world.
But unfortunately, the first to fall apart in this battle was Shaolin.
No one knew how the battle would end, and no one was assured of success.
But the group of heroes quickly discovered an even more frightening adversary.
Gutripper Gou.
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Gutripper Gou rarely smiled.
But today she was smiling much more than usual.
But her smile was not a charming, moving smile, but a cold, callous smile brimming with murderous intent.
Every time she smiled coldly, someone died by her hook.
Her force of attack was unbelievable.
She didn’t seem like a woman but like a ferocious tigress. Anyone who got close to her would be bitten by her.
A tiger bite wasn’t necessarily fatal, but right now anyone who bumped into her would be on the road to death.
No one was an exception, including Wudang’s number-one masterhand, Perfected Roving Trigger.
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Perfected Roving Trigger’s martial arts was known to all.
Even Wudang’s sectmaster couldn’t handle more than ten moves from his sword.
Perfected Roving Trigger, like Daosenior Deficient North, had no interest at all in the position of sectmaster, otherwise he would be Wudang’s sectmaster for sure.
But Perfected Roving Trigger’s personality was a lot different than Shen Qianxiao’s.
Shen Qianxiao treated life as a game and did absurd things, but Perfected Roving Trigger was a reticent senior, serious in speech and manner.
The one Wudang disciples revered the most was not the sectmaster but Perfected Roving Trigger.
But in Stone Lotus Town, Perfected Roving Trigger unexpectedly died under Gutripper Gou’s hook.
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Perfected Roving Trigger got all the Wudang disciples indignant.
Perfected Roving Trigger’s disciples were especially frenzied, disregarding everything to pounce on Gutripper Gou.
They had studied under Perfected Roving Trigger for more than a decade, and be it internal force, swordplay, or lightness skill, they were proficient in all of them.
However, Perfected Roving Trigger was no match for Gutripper Gou, so how could they be?
They had just charged ahead when two were immediately cut down by Gutripper Gou’s bloody hook.
Her gold hook was no longer glittering gold but was instead speckled with blood, a heartpounding sight.
Not even she herself could say how many heroes she had killed here in Stone Lotus Town.
All this time Peng Zeng had been lying on his soft couch.
But now he was no longer idle.
The group of heroes risked life and limb, vowing not to be satisfied till they had slain Peng Zeng.
Peng Zeng finally displayed his martial arts.
His martial arts was not only extremely good, he was also good at using Hundred Poison Iron Weiqi Stones.
As soon as he attacked, several Emei School female disciples met their death.
The Emei School’s sectmaster, Abbess Still Void, and her two senior sisters brandished their swords and attacked Peng Zeng.
Peng Zeng was unarmed, but his palm and finger techniques were more threatening than any weapon.
Emei’s swordplay was famed throughout the world, to the point that some felt it was better than Wudang’s swordplay.
But Peng Zeng had Abbess Still Void and the others beset by peril an in a hard-up situation.
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Among Perfected Roving Trigger’s several disciples, the most slowwitted but also the most favored by his master, was a big, ugly pockmarked fellow.
His stature was frightening. When seated her was still taller than most people standing.
He was dullwitted and his swordplay was naturally not as good as his sectbrothers’ but he was kind and honest and was innately dauntless, so it made sense that Perfected Roving Trigger took special interest in him.
He was called Ge Da.
Ge Da was respectful of his teachers and got on well with others. Not seeing his master die by Gutripper Gou’s hook, not only did his eyes redden, even his nose reddened.
Of course he wasn’t about to let Gutripper Gou off.
But his swordplay was really no good.
He only got halfway through his sword move when Gutripper Gou’s hook snagged his belly.
Rip!
Ge Da’s expression didn’t change, even though he knew full well that his intestines were about to be pulled out by this woman’s hook. His sword still continued to attack, hacking right at Gutripper Gou’s neck.
But as a result, the skin of his belly was torn, though his intestines were not pulled out.
His sword also didn’t cut into Gutripper Gou’s neck but chopped air instead.
Because at that split second, a sword came and saved Ge Da’s life.
It was King Wu’s sword.
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Roaming the jianghu for twenty years.
Invincible throughout the land.
Undefeated for twenty years, King Wu at this moment appeared before Gutripper Gou.
Gutripper Gou smiled again.
This time the smile was still cold and callous, but it also carried a hint of sadness.
Wu Qiying stared at her face, then after a while said, “You’ve changed!”
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Ge Da swung his sword again. But his acupoints were immediately sealed by Wu Qiying, then a palm strike knocked him five staves away.
Wu Qiying sighed. “Though you’re a very dutiful disciple, unfortunately you are not match for her.”
Ge Da’s nose immediately went from red to ashen.
He wasn’t hurt, but his nose changing colors was really weird.
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“You’ve changed!”
Those two words out of Wu Qiying’s mouth were like a booming peal of thunder in Gutripper Gou’s ears.
Gutripper Gou was cold and callous, and heartless. She hated Wu Qiying bitterly, even more than she hated Peng Zeng.
Over the years, Peng Zeng had treated her well.
Peng Zeng gave her everything she wanted, including money and power.
But Gutripper Gou never gave him anything, not even the faintest trace of a smile.
Peng Zeng didn’t demand anything of her.
He was a demon king with wild ambitions, but the patience he showed Gutripper Gou surprised everyone.
Peng Zeng had never really loved any woman except for Gutripper Gou, but her? What about her?
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Gutripper Gou never loved any man. The only exception was WU Qiying.
But unfortunately, Wu Qiying was in love with another girl. She was called Feifei. But five years ago, Feifei died.
Feifei’s death was caused by Gutripper Gou’s hook.
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Wu Qiying didn’t avenge Feifei, because the one who killed her was Gou Binghu.2
Gou Binghu was Gutripper Gou’s real name.3
Why didn’t he kill Gou Binghu to avenge Feifei?
It was complicated. The first man Go Binghu ever had was Wu Qiying.
That time, Wu Qiying was drunk. But he never knew that Gou Binghu had put knockout drops in his wine.
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Gou Binghu really had changed. But even if she hadn’t changed, she was fundamentally a woman who loved to resort to schemes.
Over the past five years, she had become cold and callous, heartless, very much unlike a flesh and blood person.
She became a beautiful venomous snake.
After she killed Feifei, Wu Qiying drove her out of a wineshop.
“Don’t let me see you again, or else I’ll tear you to pieces.”
Gou Binghu’s heart was also torn to pieces.
Henceforth, in her heart there was only incomparable hate and incomparable resentment.
She blamed all of heaven and man. But she never blamed herself, and never felt a bit of remorse for Feifei.
X X X
Now Wu Qiying had once again run into Gou Binghu.
The second thing Wu Qiying said to her was, “Now I will kill you!”
Gou Binghu wasn’t surprised.
Wu Qiying was the martial world alliance head now. A demoness like here must be wiped out.
But she never considered how much pain Wu Qiying felt in his heart when he killed her. It pained him just as much as when Feifei had been killed.
Splotch!
The blade passed clean through Gou Binghu’s chest.
She didn’t resist at all.
Though she bitterly hated Wu Qiying, amazingly, when Wu Qiying’s sword stabbed her chest, this cruel and merciless demoness was unexpectedly willing to die.
Gou Binghu smiled once more.
In that split second everything that happened not even she could believe, or explain.
She really did hate Wu Qiying. But behind the hate there was an even more intense love! That intense love made her accept Wu Qiying’s sword.
Gou Binghu’s body slowly slumped down.
She knew she had committed many wrongs, but she surprisingly felt a bit proud. Wu Qiying was the first man of her life. And he was also her last.
X X X
Gutripper Gou’s death by Wu Qiying’s sword hit Peng Zeng like a bolt of lightning.
The Emei sectmaster and the others were beset by peril by Peng Zeng, but Abbess Still Void suddenly grasped a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Just as Gutripper Gou was stabbed, Peng Zeng felt a sudden jolt and in that moment was dumbstruck.
It was just a split second, but for a martial world masterhand like Abbess Still Void, it was enough to send Peng Zeng to his death.
Abbess Still Void didn’t miss this opportunity.
Her sword stabbed Peng Zeng’s throat like lightning.
Blood sprayed and Peng Zeng was once again struck dumb.
His life, in that split second, was at an end.
X X X
The Eight Major Schools had been met with a frightening disaster.
Even so, the Eight Major Schools fought hard and eventually won, and in one day the Black Killer Gang was wiped out and collapsed completely.
Huangfu Ji fought a bitter battle with Shen Qianxiao, but in the end he ended up the same as Xu Zuanming and paid with his life.
Some people suggested tearing Gutripper Gou’s body to pieces.
But when they went to find Gou Binghu’s body, they discovered her body was missing. King Wu was also gone.
No one knew where they, the living and dead, had gone.
Only Lil Leopard knew.
Because King Wu was driving an old, dilapidated horse carriage, heading east.
Old Cat Burglar’s secluded home was on the eastern side of Lotus Peak.
Lil Leopard was in the carriage, staring at Gou Binghu’s body in a daze.
Such a beautiful woman, how could she die?
Lil Leopard didn’t know.
he just had a feeling that she had been a beautiful, very kind and decent woman.
X X X
The human heart is wicked and treacherous. You can judge by appearances.
But what did Lil Leopard knew?
THE END
Notes
- In ancient times, when the vassal lords convened to form an alliance, the one who held the plate containing the bull’s ears to be used in a blood smearing oath-taking ceremony was the alliance head, and thus the one in charge. They would take the blood let from the ears and smear it on their lips as symbolic of drinking the blood to swear an oath. The word for such a blood oath, 盟 “meng”, is now the word used for “alliance” and thus “alliance head” 盟主.
- Gou is 勾, which sounds the same as and is cognate with 鈎, hook.
- What I’ve translated as Gutripper, 斷腸, also means “heartbroken”. It literally means “sever intestines”.