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The noise from the collapsing wall was still continuing. Xu Ziling saw eight people came out of the tunnel in single file.

‘Bang!’

He knew that the building outside was completely gone. But naturally the bandits outside could not find anybody inside, because Shang Xiuxun had moved her troops over here.

The Third Manager Tao Shusheng’s voice was heard below, “I wonder what is Liu Zhishi doing? How come he has not arrived to lend us a hand?”

“Shut up!” Shang Xiuxun coldly snapped, “Liu Zhishi and his troops must avoid the enemy’s main force to come here according to our plan. This ruse to mislead the enemy is not working. Who told us to miscalculate the enemy’s strength? Now we have no room to advance or to retreat.”

“Someone’s coming!” Big Sister Fu’s voice was heard.

Everybody hastily held their breath and calmed their qi.

Outside, the sound of broken doors and shattered windows was still resounding. Xu Ziling peeked down, and saw the eight people have divided themselves into four groups, with each group looking out from one window on each side of the building.

Shang Xiuxun and Big Sister Fu were standing behind one window, Tao Shusheng occupied one window alone, the other five people appeared to be Shang Xiuxun’s personal guards.

Xu Ziling could imagine that Shang Xiuxun’s troops must have fallen into an ambush, and this group of people must have fought their way out of the siege while protecting Shang Xiuxun, and reached this small village, which was designed by Lu Miaozi, from which they sent out a signal to Liu Zongdao to lead his troops over here to rescue them. Who would have thought that for some unknown reason, the Four Big Bandits had clear information of their whereabouts and personally pursued them? And now they were trapped in this predicament.

Tao Shusheng suddenly turned his head around to look at the other people. After making sure that everybody’s eyes were focused on the outside, his right hand swiftly reached into his pocket and took out something. When he started to move his hand to throw that thing outside, Xu Ziling no longer care about anything, he shouted in low voice, “Stop it!”

The eight people inside the shed were greatly shaken; they all looked up to the beam. Tao Shusheng hastily put that thing back inside his pocket without anybody noticing.

Shang Xiuxun and the others knew very well that there was someone up there, but they did not dare to make any noise.

Xu Ziling stuck out his head and called out softly, “I am absolutely not with the thieves, and I don’t have any ill-intention. I am coming down now!”

Shang Xiuxun was indeed a capable Commander-in-Chief. She knew this mysterious person’s power was definitely not inferior to hers; even more, his internal energy was incomparably strange, if she had to fight with him, they would only alarm the bandits. Thereupon she waved her people to make some room to show him her good faith.

Xu Ziling slid down along the pillar. But before his feet touched the ground, Tao Shusheng rushed one step forward and stretched out his finger to jab on his chest.

The finger created a loud swishing noise.

Shang Xiuxun wanted to stop him, but it was too late.

Xu Ziling knew that Tao Shusheng was afraid he might expose him as the traitor; letting out a cold laugh, unexpectedly he let Tao Shusheng’s fingertips jabbing on his chest, but fast as lightning his right palm shot out.

Tao Shusheng was greatly delighted, thinking that even if you have your true qi protecting your body, it would be hard to resist my fierce finger power. Who would have thought that as soon as his finger touched Xu Ziling’s skin and he was about to send out his power, a burst of strange and incomparably hot true qi had already penetrated his own body via his fingertip, straight toward the meridians in his hand? Not only it neutralized and scattered his own true qi, it still had enough power to burst into his channels.

Tao Shusheng’s entire body shook; while his soul flew away and scattered, Xu Ziling’s right palm changed from slapping to sweeping, it swept his lower abdomen.

Tao Shusheng slumped down immediately, but Xu Ziling quickly grabbed his belt and gently set him down on the ground.

Originally, he thought that at least he would have to use eight to ten moves, but had never expected that there was such a strange powerful qi in the world that he would succeed as soon as he and the enemy met face-to-face.

Including Shang Xiuxun, everybody was dumbstruck. Nobody expected that based on Tao Shusheng’s power, he would be this easy to be subdued by the opponent. Fortunately, this man did not seem to bear any evil intention and only sealed Tao Shusheng’s acupoint to make him temporarily lose consciousness.

Shang Xiuxun raised her sword and pointed to this majestic looking man, brimming with wild and free charms. “Who the hell are you?” she shouted coldly.

Focusing his power in his ears, Xu Ziling listened carefully for any activity near and far; he knew that the bandits have temporarily moved their troops elsewhere to search, hence he heaved a sigh of relief.

Looking deep into Shang Xiuxun’s beautiful eyes, he assumed a heroic, uninhibited manners as he said nonchalantly, “Just now your humble servant blindly spoke out and alarmed everybody. Does Changzhu know the reason?”

Shang Xiuxun coldly sized him up and down several times; she also looked at Tao Shusheng who was lying on his back under his feet. She spoke indifferently, “If friend won’t state your identity clearly first, we can forget about having a civil conversation.”

Xu Ziling stepped back to where Tao Shusheng was originally standing. He said, “As soon as Changzhu sends someone to search your respected subordinate’s pocket, you will understand what I am talking about!”

Startled, Shang Xiuxun stared at him for a moment. Her pretty eyes shooting sharp gleams, she said in heavy voice, “Is friend saying that he is the traitor?”

Just by hearing this, Xu Ziling knew that she has already had doubt, but she merely did not dare to affirm that he was indeed the traitor! Because this month happened to be the month where it was Tao Shusheng’s turn to assume the heavy responsibility of intelligence gathering.

Xu Ziling replied indifferently, “Just now I saw him about to throw something like fireworks or flares out of the window. Huh! Someone’s coming!”

The sound of something splitting the air suddenly arose in all directions.

※ ※ ※

Open country by the pasture at the mouth of the gorge.

Kou Zhong was hiding on a tree, focusing his attention on Li Tianfan, Shen Luoyan, and the others, a total of fifteen people’s activities. Looking at those wearing the Ranch’s uniform, he saw one whose body shape, as well as appearance, looked a lot like the old man Shang Zhen. He even dressed like Shang Zhen, so that unless one was very familiar with Shang Zhen and was scrutinizing him at close distance, one would not be able to tell that this old man was a fake. Otherwise it would be very easy to pass off fish eyes for pearls [i.e. fake from the genuine].

This moment the man was lifting up his tobacco pipe and puffing smoke like swallowing clouds and blowing out fog; even Kou Zhong was very impressed.

The other people were dressed as Shang Zhen’s personal guards. To Li Xiuning and those outsiders, especially with Yuan’er covering up on the side, it would be strange indeed if they were not deceived.

The most formidable part of this scheme was that Li Xiuning was lured away from the Castle, plus although Li Xiuning had the power, she could not bring a large number of her men to go to a meeting. If the fake Shang Zhen plus Li Tianfan, Shen Luoyan and their numerous martial art masters rose together in rebellion, their chance of success would be quite high.

The one posing as Shang Zhen was actually the one they called ‘Teacher Chen’. In terms of martial art skill, he was second only to Li Tianfan and Shen Luoyan. In addition, there was also a thirty-something man surnamed Bai and a thin man called Ma Fang, who seemed to be the martial art experts within this group. The former had double axes on his back, while the latter had a sword hanging from his waist. The other dozen or so men appeared to be between twenty and twenty-five years old, and all of them had protruding taiyang acupoint [on the temples]. Just by looking at their skill in climbing the mountain and scaling the ridges while they stole into the pasture, it was clear that these people were not ordinary fighters.

Shen Luoyan looked cold and detached; it looked like she lost a bit of weight, but was still very beautiful. She wore a hat to conceal her long hair, and was dressed in a man’s clothes, which increased her attractiveness.

From time to time there was the sound of horse neighing breaking the tranquility of the pasture.

Right now all the Ranch people were concentrated on both entrances to the gorge and in the Castle, the pasture was left with only about a dozen guards, which was akin to leaving it unguarded at all. Plus this place was part of sparse forest near the eastern gorge, and it was very late at night with only the hazy moon and dim stars providing illumination. If anything should happen here, nobody would know.

The entire plot was so perfect [orig. seamless heavenly clothes].

The only flaw was Kou Zhong.

Shen Luoyan was still briefing her men on the timing and the method of their operation when Li Xiuning arrived.

Kou Zhong applied more power to his eyes and looked at the direction of the Green Ring Courtyard. He saw seven [sic] figures appeared at the edge of the sparse forest. Li Gang and Dou Wei took the lead, followed by Li Xiuning and Yuan’er in the middle, and Chai Shao and another young martial art master closing the rear; they quickly came near.

Kou Zhong had a thought; he quietly slid down the tree.

Chapter 4 - Part 2

Shang Xiuxun’s countenance changed, “Into the tunnel!” she ordered, while her palm pressed on Big Sister Fu’s back, pushing her beloved maid to enter the tunnel first.

The others hurriedly followed.

Grabbing Tao Shusheng’s belt, Shang Xiuxun hesitated a moment. And then she turned to Xu Ziling and said, “Friend, get down!”

Xu Ziling smiled slightly and said, “I’ll stay to deal with the enemy. Changzhu, don’t forget to close the entrance.”

Shang Xiuxun was grabbing Tao Shusheng and jumping into the tunnel; hearing him, she looked at him in shock.

By the time the two sets of eyes met, the door shattered and someone charged in, brandishing his saber.

Xu Ziling shouted loudly and with all his strength concentrated on his fist, he sent out a punch over the empty space.

‘Bang!’

Unexpectedly, the man was unable to withstand at all and was thrown back with his body, along with his saber, spun like a windmill, knocking down five or six bandits who were following behind him; all had their bones broken and their viscera shattered. No survivor. And thus the power of the fist was proven.

Watching this, Shang Xiuxun was dumbstruck. It was not until Xu Ziling urged her again that she went down the tunnel and closed the entrance.

Two windows on the left and right shattered at the same time, two spears shot in like the tongue of a viper.

Xu Ziling waited until he heard the sound of the tunnel door closing, and then his hands spread out to the left and right to grab the two spears; shook and broke them. Brought by their own momentum, the two spear-wielders stumbled toward him.

Xu Ziling pulled his hands back. Using his elbows he struck left and right toward the two men’s chests. They spurted fresh blood and fell to the ground.

Without even looking, Xu Ziling proceeded by throwing the two broken spears backwards and hit a man who had just leaping in through the window right on his chest. The man fell onto the window frame without uttering any noise, the upper part of his body was knocked out of the window that he was hanging face up on the window will, he died a horrifying and bizarre death.

Outside the building suddenly fell silent, except for the crackling noise of the torches, and nobody else dared to charge inside.

Suddenly Cao Yinglong thundered from the outside, “Shang Xiuxun, if you have guts, get out and compete real skill with the ol’ Cao.” Apparently Xu Ziling’s blitzkrieg method has provoked his ferocious character.

A ten-thousand-zhang heroic feeling welled up in Xu Ziling’s heart; he laughed aloud as he walked out the door leisurely with his hands behind his back.

Tangled bodies lay outside the building, dead bodies in all odd conditions that were difficult to describe.

Led by Cao Yinglong, the Four Big Bandits were standing in a row, while their men spread out in crescent moon formation behind them, while all kinds of weapons, spears, bows and arrows, sabers, axes, swords and lances, flickering incessantly under the torches’ light, with thick murderous aura filling the air, plus more than a hundred pair of eyes, all focused on Xu Ziling.

When the crowd of bandits saw the one walking out was not Shang Xiuxun, they were all stunned.

“Who are you?” the ‘not even a blade of grass grows’ Xiang Batian roared.

Xu Ziling calmly replied, “Who I am, you are not even worthy to ask!”

The crowd of bandits roared in anger; more than a dozen arrows were immediately shot toward him.

※ ※ ※

The two groups slowly came toward each other.

Li Xiuning was also a prudent and cautious person; she slowed down and stopped at approximately three zhang from the fake Shang Zhen and the others. Raising her cupped fist, she greeted, “Housekeeper, how are you?”

The fake Shang Zhen took a step forward and led the others to return the courtesy. He said, “These are all my trusted subordinates who have been with me for many years. Princess Ning may set your heart at ease.” This man could even imitate Shang Zhen’s voice with seventy, eighty-percent similarity. Added to that, he was speaking in low voice, so that anybody who was not familiar with him would find it hard to tell the difference.

Li Xiuning cast a sidelong glance toward Yuan’er first before saying, “Xiuning apologizes for pulling back Housekeeper from your duty at the eastern gorge. Why didn’t you all ride instead of walk?”

The fake Shang Zhen putting an air of sighing and said, “Naturally it’s to conceal our movements from the enemy. Ay! Huh?”

Footsteps were heard from behind Li Xiuning’s group. Both groups turned to look in astonishment.

They heard someone yelled, “Princess! Sorry, I am done [the word here refers to ‘relieving oneself’] now! It feels good!”

Li Xiuning’s delicate body shook severely, because she recognized Kou Zhong’s voice.

Under everybody’s watchful eyes, a full-bearded man with boorish appearance and a nose like a hawk, appeared from among the trees, rushing over, while rubbing his hand over his tummy, skipping and leaping.

Chai Shao and the others knew this guy was formidable, their countenance changed; but as they were about to pull their weapon out, Li Xiuning signaled them to stop. “I said you don’t need to come,” she called out in tender voice, “Why didn’t you obey me?”

Kou Zhong nodded. Changing his voice, he said, “Princess, don’t be angry! Princess, don’t be angry!”

On the other side, the fake Shang Zhen, Li Tianfan, Shen Luoyan and the others were watching with knitted eyebrows; they were all confused.

With Li Xiuning’s respectable status, how could her subordinate be that rude by saying ‘relieving himself’ right in front of her?

Kou Zhong acted as if he did not see Li Xiuning; swaying to the left and swaggering to the right, he walked over under Chai Shao and the others’ angry glare toward the space between the two groups. Clearing his throat, he said, “Princess, please forgive me, let Xiaoren do the introduction first, hey!”

Pointing to Li Tianfan, who was standing behind the fake Shang Zhen, he spoke as if he was reciting a poetry, “This is Li Tianfan Gongzi, the Wagang Fort’s Duke Mi’s only son.”

Li Xiuning and the others’ countenance immediately changed greatly.

In a flash Kou Zhong was already standing by Yuan’er; with ‘hee, hee, ha, ha’ he said, “And this pretty madam is Housekeeper Zhen’s new concubine; her former status, however, was Li Gongzi’s wom … Ah!”

Knowing her identity was exposed, Yuan’er could not stay calm anymore; she reached inside her sleeve and pulled out a poisonous dagger, with which she stabbed Kou Zhong and Li Xiuning.

As soon as Kou Zhong exposed Li Tianfan’s identity, Li Xiuning was already on guard against Yuan’er. With a tender humph her green-jade sleeve swept across the stabbing tip of the dagger.

Kou Zhong pretended to be horrified and jumped back to evade, while shouting and yelling, “Murder! Murder!” and rushed toward the fake Shang Zhen.

Seeing Kou Zhong was no longer there to stop her, Yuan’er pulled her dagger away from Li Xiuning’s sleeve. She was just about to leap back when Chai Shao noiselessly pressed his finger onto her back. Yuan’er immediately slumped down to the ground.

Ignoring the fake Shang Zhen and his men’s murderous look, Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, “This gentlemen who impersonate the Housekeeper is called Chen Laoshi, as for his great name … humph!”

A young man standing next to Li Tianfan was unable to hold back; he rushed forward while brandishing his saber to hack Kou Zhong’s left shoulder. His saber technique was swift and precise.

‘Ring!’

The Moon in the Well left its scabbard.

Everybody was stunned with the yellow glow’s sudden appearance; but before they could see clearly what it was, ‘Dang!’ the attacker and his saber were flying backward in swirling motion. Even after landing on the ground, he was still rolling away for a zhang or so, and stopped only after crashing against a tree, and died on the spot.

Such an overbearing and fantastic saber power, nobody had ever seen it before. Those in Li Tianfan’s side who wanted to make their move immediately changed their mind.

Acting as if he had done nothing unusual, Kou Zhong nonchalantly put the saber back into its scabbard as he stepped over toward Shen Luoyan, who was standing on the other side of the fake Shang Zhen. But before he said anything, Shen Luoyan already spoke coldly, “Stop dressing up as a god, playing the devil. Where is your good Xiongdi?”

Kou Zhong leaned over; with a brazen face he said, “He is afraid of you, hence he is hiding!”

Everybody in Li Tianfan’s side was stunned; they had never expected that these two people were old acquaintances. But they could not remember which formidable Wulin figures had appearance like he did.

Shen Luoyan’s beautiful eyes exuded a singularly complex expression; she said softly, “Tell him to come out and kill me!”

Kou Zhong backed off and laughed aloud, “Who will have the heart to kill Shen Junshi whose beauty captivating even the birds and beasts?” [Orig. chen (shen) yu luo yan - fish sink, goose alights, an idiom from Zhuangzi, which was a play of words on Shen Luoyan’s name.]

‘Qiang!’

The Moon in the Well left its scabbard again.

Kou Zhong straightened up his back; immediately an overbearing aura of total annihilation [sweeping a thousand armies] filled the air. He sternly shouted, “Other than Shen Junshi, nobody will be spared!”

The cold light from his eyes shrouded Li Tianfan. The Moon in the Well slashed out, its power fierce and strong beyond compare, yet it also carried a swift and nimble, fantastic feeling with it.

The spiraling power enveloped the entire battlefield.

Li Xiuning’s charming body trembled lightly, knowing deep in her heart that she would never forget Kou Zhong’s overbearing and moving spirit in front of her eyes. Stealing a glance toward Chai Shao, who was standing by her side, she saw his frightened look as he fixed his gaze on Kou Zhong. Her fragrant heart could not help feeling slightly guilty.