veryone, stop fighting,” he yelled. “My wife and I will end our lives here and let that be the end of it.” Raising his spear, he stabbed it towards his heart. With a “pu” sound, blood splattered in all directions and he fell backwards.

Bao Xi Ruo felt no sadness. With a bitter smile, she pulled the spear out from her husband’s body and propped it on the floor, saying to Wan Yan Kang: “Child, you still don’t believe he’s your real father?” She leaned forward and sank into the tip of the spear.

The color flew from Wan Yan Kang’s face in his horror. “Mother!” He cried, rushing forward to save her. Upon seeing this astonishing development, Qiu Chu Ji and the others stopped fighting. Reaching her side, Wan Yan Kang saw her soft and dangling body and the spear piercing through her chest, and he started sobbing without restraint. Qiu Chu Ji went forward to inspect the couple’s wounds and saw that the spear had struck at fatal points of their bodies. There was no room for hope. Wan Yan Kang held his mother and Mu Nian Ci held Yang Tie Xin; the two of them wept in grief.

Qiu Chu Ji said to Yang Tie Xin: “Brother Yang, tell me if you have any wish and I will see that it gets done. I… I still didn’t manage to save you in the end, I… I…” He felt a dull ache in his heart and choked in sorrow.

At this very moment came the sound of footsteps. Everyone turned and saw the 6 Freaks of Jiang Nan hurrying over with Guo Jing. On seeing Sha Tong Tian and the others, the 6 Freaks immediately pulled out their weapons. Going closer, they saw a man and a woman on the floor and looks of surprise set in to their faces. They turned around and saw Ma Yu and Qiu Chu Ji, and were surprised even further.

Guo Jing saw Yang Tie Xin lying on the floor with blood all over and hurriedly went to his side. “Uncle Yang, how are you feeling?” He asked.

Yang Tie Xin was barely alive and broke into a smile when he saw Guo Jing. “Your late father and I had a pact, if we bore a son and daughter then they would be married,” he said. “I don’t have a daughter, but this foster daughter is like my own…” He turned his gaze to Qiu Chu Ji. “Priest Qiu, help me see to this marriage and I… I will go in peace…”

“That’s easy. Don’t worry,” Qiu Chu Ji assured him.

Bao Xi Ruo was lying beside her husband and clutched his arm with her left hand, afraid that he would leave her again. In a haze, she heard him mention the betrothal agreement from years ago. She fought to retrieve a dagger from her robes and said: “This… this is the token of remembrance…” She then said: “Brother Tie, we are finally dying together, I’m… I’m so happy…” With that, she gave a small smile and passed away peacefully, looking warm and enchanting as always. Qiu Chu Ji received the dagger and saw that it was none other than his gift to them at Ox Village in Lin’An; the words ‘Guo Jing’ were carved on its handle.

Yang Tie Xin said to Guo Jing: “On… on account of your late father, I hope you treat my daughter well…”

“I… I can’t…” stuttered Guo Jing.

Qiu Chu Ji said: “I will see to everything, go… go in peace!”

Yang Tie Xin had initially given up hope of finding Guo Xiao Tian’s descendent, and so arranged the ‘joust for a spouse’ for Mu Nian Ci. Today he was not only reunited with his beloved wife, but also found his sworn brother’s son so his daughter would have a husband to rely on. With that, he had no further regrets and closed his eyes for the last time.

Guo Jing was both sad and confused, thinking: “Rong’er has deep feelings for me, how can I marry someone else?” At this thought, his mind suddenly turned to something else and he was further taken aback. “How could I have forgotten Hua Zheng? The Khan has betrothed her to me, this… this… how could this do?”

All this time he had often kept his good friend Tolui in his thoughts, but seldom did he think of Hua Zheng. Although the 6 Freaks had felt this wish to be difficult to fulfill, they couldn’t bear to say so in front of Yang Tie Xin, a dying man.

Wan Yan Hong Lie had gone through lengths of scheming to be able to marry Bao Xi Ruo, but in the end she was still unable to forget her husband. For over ten years he had loved and labored for her, but at the end of it all, things still unfolded this way. Though she was dead, Wan Yang Hong Lie saw true happiness and contentment in her face. In all their 18 years of marriage, when had she ever looked at him this way? He might be a prince, but in her heart he was much, much inferior to a village peasant. Despondent and heart-broken, he turned to leave.

Though the three priests from Quan Zhen were injured, the arrival of the 6 Freaks meant that Sha Tong Tian and the others wouldn’t necessarily win. Since the Prince had already turned to leave, they followed also.

“Hey, San Hei Mao,” shouted Qiu Chu Ji, “leave the antidote behind!”

Peng Lian Hu laughed. “Your Stockade-Chief goes by the surname Peng, people in the pugilistic world call me the Butcher With A Thousand Hands. Priest Qiu, have you lost your eyes?”

Qiu Chu Ji went cold, thinking: “No wonder this person is so powerful, so it is him.” On seeing that the poison had penetrated deep into his Elder Martial Brother’s body and only the unique antidote from Peng Lian Hu could save him, he said aloud, “Who cares if you’ve got a thousand hands or ten thousand? If you don’t leave the antidote behind, don’t hope to leave this place.” Maneuvering his sword exquisitely, a flash of brilliant light advanced towards Peng Lian Hu.

Though only left with one brush, Peng Lian Hu was not afraid. Brandishing it, they clashed head-on.

Zhu Cong saw that Ma Yu was seated on the ground, working his internal energy. One of his palms had gone all black.

“Priest Ma, how did you get hurt?”

Ma Yu sighed. “I was shaking hands with that fellow Peng, and he hid poison needles in his palm.”

“Ah. He’s not that great.” Turning to Ke Zhen’E, he said, “Elder Brother, pass me a caltrop.” Not understanding his intentions, Ke Zhen’E retrieved a poisonous caltrop from his bag and handed it to him. Zhu Cong turned to look at the fight between Qiu Chu Ji and Peng Lian Hu – the fight was intense, and it would be impossible to break it up with his level of kungfu alone.

“Elder Brother, let’s go and break them apart. I have a plan that can save Priest Ma,” he said. Ke Zhen’E nodded.

“So it is the Butcher with a Thousand Hands, Chief Peng!” shouted Zhu Cong. “We’re all on the same side, stop fighting. I have something to say.” Pulling Ke Zhen’E along, the two went forward and broke them apart – Zhu Cong with his fan and Ke Zhen’E with his staff.

Both Qiu Chu Ji and Peng Lian Hu felt surprised upon hearing Zhu Cong’s remark and thought: “How come we’re ‘on the same side’ now?” Seeing the 2 Freaks come forward, they broke apart and waited to hear how exactly they were ‘on the same side’.

Laughing cheerfully, Zhu Cong said to Peng Lian Hu: “18 years ago, the 7 Freaks of Jiang Nan and Priest Qiu had a small dispute that landed 5 of our brothers injured. On the other hand, the famed Priest Qiu also sustained heavy injuries that nearly left him dead. This dispute has yet to be resolved…” Zhu Cong turned to Qiu Chu Ji. “Am I right, Priest Qiu?”

Qiu Chu Ji was enraged, thinking: “Fantastic, you’re going to take advantage of my precarious situation.” Aloud, he retorted: “That’s right, now what?”

Zhu Cong continued, “But we also have a small feud with Dragon King Sha. One inept disciple of ours once single-handedly defeated Dragon King Sha’s top four disciples. We’ve also heard that Dragon King Sha and Chief Peng are the fastest of friends. Since we’ve offended Dragon King Sha, then we’ve also offended Chief Peng.”

“Heh heh, how dare I?” said Peng Lian Hu.

Zhu Cong laughed. “Since Chief Peng and Priest Qiu both have feuds with the 7 Freaks of Jiang Nan, won’t you then be on the same side against a common enemy? Haha, what are you still fighting for? Won’t Chief Peng and I also be on the same side? Come, let’s get to know each other.” Zhu Cong stretched out his hand for a handshake.

Having listened to this warped nonsense, Peng Lian Hu thought: “Quan Zhen Sect saved the 7 Freaks’ disciple, so they’re obviously in it together. I won’t fall for your trickery. Want to cheat the antidote from me? Not so easy.” Seeing Zhu Cong’s outstretched hand, Peng Lian Hu laughed and said: “Splendid!” He tucked his Brush back into his waist and slipped on his Poison Needle Ring.

Startled, Qiu Chu Ji said: “Brother Zhu, be careful.”

Zhu Cong ignored this and stretched out his hand. With a slight crook of his little finger, he had hooked down the Poison Needle Ring from Peng Lian Hu’s finger. Peng Lian Hu did not realize this and went ahead with the handshake, both parties exerting strength.

Suddenly, a small pain assaulted Peng Lian Hu’s palm and he struggled to let go. Raising his hand, he saw three holes in his palm that were much bigger than that of his Poison Needles, with black blood oozing from it. Instead of pain, the wound felt both numb and itchy and the sensation was rather nice. He knew that the more potent the poison, the less painful the wound would be because the numbness would be overpowering. Both angry and frightened, he had no idea how he had fell into this trap.

Looking up, he saw Zhu Cong hiding behind Qiu Chu Ji, holding up an object in each hand. In between two fingers on his left hand was Peng Lian Hu’s Poison Needle Ring. In between two fingers on his right, however, was a black object shaped like a chestnut with a sharp tail, and it was stained with blood.

Nicknamed the “Scholar with Nimble Hands”, Zhu Cong’s skill with his hands was near magical and impossible for any human to detect. To first pick Peng Lian Hu’s ring then pierce his palm with the poison caltrops was child’s play to him. Fuming, Peng Lian Hu attacked.

Qiu Chu Ji raised his sword and warded off the blow, shouting: “What are you going to do?”

Zhu Cong grinned. “Chief Peng, these poisonous caltrops are my Elder Brother’s specialty projectiles. Once you’re hit, it doesn’t matter if your name is tiger [Peng Lian Hu – ‘hu3’ means tiger], lion, leopard, pig, dog or any other beast on this earth. You will still not live beyond 4 hours.”

“Big Brother Peng, he’s insulting you,” said Hou Tong Hai.

“You talk too much,” Sha Tong Tian reproached. “Do you think Big Brother Peng hasn’t realized that?”

Zhu Cong chuckled and quipped: “Good thing Chief Peng has 1000 hands. Allow me to give you a piece of friendly advice – why not chop off this hand that has been poisoned? You’ll still be left with 999. It’s just that you’ll have to alter your nickname a bit to become the ‘Butcher with 999 Hands’.”

By this time, the numbness had already spread to Peng Lian Hu’s wrist. Panic-stricken, he couldn’t be bothered with Zhu Cong’s taunts. Beads of cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

“You have your poison needles, I have my poison caltrops; these are two completely different poisons that require completely different antidotes. If you can’t bear to give up the nickname of “Butcher with 1000 Hands”, how about we exchange antidotes?” suggested Zhu Cong. “We’re on the same side, after all.”

Before Peng Lian Hu could reply, Sha Tong Tian said quickly: “That will do. Hand the antidote over.”

Zhu Cong said, “Elder Brother, pass him the antidote.” Ke Zheng’E retrieved two small medicine packets from his robes and handed them to Zhu Cong.

“Brother Zhu, don’t fall for his trap,” warned Qiu Chu Ji. “Let him hand over the antidote first.”

Zhu Cong said cheerily, “We are all men of honor, I’m not afraid.”

Peng Lian Hu reached into his robes and felt for the antidote, and his expression changed at once. He said in a low voice: “Oh no, the antidote is gone.”

Qiu Chu Ji flew into a rage. “Hmph, up to your tricks again! Brother Zhu, don’t give it to him.”

Zhu Cong laughed. “Take it!” He said. “We said we’d give it to you. The Quan Zhen 7 and the 7 Freaks of Jiang Nan are all men of our words.”

Sha Tong Tian knew that Zhu Cong was skilful with his hands. Not wanting to be taken advantage of, he extended his iron stick horizontally. Zhu Cong placed the antidote on the stick and Sha Tong Tian fetched it. Bystanders were all perplexed, not understanding why Zhu Cong gave him the antidote so casually without forcing him to handover his. Suspecting that the antidote was not genuine, Sha Tong Tian said: “The 7 Freaks of Jiang Nan are renowned figures in the pugilistic world. Surely you mustn’t use bogus medicine to harm others?”

Zhu Cong laughed, saying: “Of course, of course.” He then returned the poison caltrops to Ke Zhen’E and started leisurely fishing out item after item from his robes. There was a handkerchief, some notes, a few pieces of loose silver and a white snuff bottle.

Peng Lian Hu was dumbfounded. “These items are all mine! How did they end up with him?” he thought.

What happened was that Zhu Cong, while using his right hand to shake hands, employed his ‘empty magical hands’ with his left. As a result, all the items in Peng Lian Hu’s robes had long been picked.

Zhu Cong uncorked the snuff bottle. It was divided into 2 compartments; one side contained red powder, the other side contained grey powder. “How is this applied?” he asked.

Though sly and aggressive by nature, Peng Lian Hu’s life now hung on a thread and he dared not be crafty. “The red is for consumption, and the grey for topical application.”

Zhu Cong said to Guo Jing, “Hurry and fetch some water, and two bowls.”

Guo Jing bolted into the inn and fetched 2 bowls of clean water. He gave one bowl to Ma Yu and aided him to drink the antidote. He then applied the grey powder on Ma Yu’s palm and was just about to give the other bowl of water to Peng Lian Hu when Zhu Cong said, “Hold it. Give the other bowl to Priest Wang.”

Though confused, Guo Jing followed Zhu Cong’s instructions and gave the water to Wang Chu Yi. Wang Chu Yi also did not understand, and accepted the bowl of water.

Sha Tong Tian said, “Hey, how is your antidote applied?”

Zhu Cong replied, “Don’t be anxious, nobody will die in such a short while.” He reached into his robes and took out over 10 packets of herbs.

Guo Jing was delighted. “Yes, yes, that’s the medicine for Priest Wang!” He opened all the herb packets and laid them in front of Wang Chu Yi. “Priest Wang, you pick the ones that you need.”

Wang Chu Yi recognized the herbs and picked out “Tian Qi”, “Xue Xie” and two other herbs. He chewed on them and swallowed with water.

Liang Zi Weng was both furious and impressed, thinking: “This dirty scholar has truly remarkable skill with his hands. All he did was dusted my sleeve, and actually managed to steal the packets of herbs in my robes.” Turning around and brandishing his spade, he shouted: “Come, come, let’s see who the real winner is in a weapon fight!”

Zhu Cong laughed. “At that, I am definitely not your match.”

Qiu Chu Ji said, “So this is Chief Peng Lian Hu, what about the others? I do not know your names yet.” Sha Tong Tian declared himself in a hoarse voice. Qiu Chu Ji said, “Great, all of you have renowned reputations! There has been no clear winner between us today, and it’s a pity both sides now have injured parties. Looks like we’ll have to arrange a gathering another day.”

“That couldn’t be better,” said Peng Lian Hu. “If we don’t meet the Quan Zhen 7, it will be the big regret of our lives. Priest Qiu, please set the date and venue.”

Qiu Chu Ji considered: “Elder Martial Brother Ma and Younger Martial Brother Wang have both been severely poisoned, and will need at least a few months to recuperate. Younger Martial Brothers Tan, Liu and the rest are all scattered and we will need some time to notify them.” So he said aloud: “Six months later in August on Mid-Autumn Festival, we’ll admire the moon while discussing wugong. Chief Peng, what do you think?”

Peng Lian Hu thought: “With all of the Quan Zhen 7, and plus the 7 Freaks of Jiang Nan, we will be heavily disadvantaged by numbers. We must gather more allies. Six months would be sufficient. Prince Zhao wants us to head to Jiang Nan to steal Yue Fei’s manual, so we can take the chance and meet there.” So he said: “How tasteful of Priest Qiu to arrange a martial gathering of friends on Mid-Autumn Festival. But we must also find a tasteful venue – let’s make it the hometown of the 7 Freaks of Jiang Nan.”

Qiu Chu Ji replied, “Excellent. We’ll meet in the Jia Xing Prefecture amid the South Lake, at the Misty Rain Inn. Everyone is welcome to invite a few more friends.”

“It’s a deal.”

Zhu Cong said, “Looks like us 7 Freaks of Jiang Nan will have no choice but to play host and foot the bills! Of all the places both of you had to pick Jia Xing so you can feast on our expense, how sly. But since it’s so rare that all of you grace Jia Xing with your presence, we will be able to afford it. Chief Peng – about the medicine – the white is for consumption and the yellow is for topical application.”

By this time, half of Peng Lian Hu’s arm had already gone numb. It took him great effort to bear with it and converse with Qiu Chu Ji, and then he had to put up with Zhu Cong’s incessant and useless chatter. The anger boiled in his chest but he dared not be impolite while his life was still in their hands. Finally he heard Zhu Cong’s last sentence and hurriedly swallowed the white antidote.

“Chief Peng, for forty-nine days you will not go near wine or women,” said Ke Zhen’E coldly. “It will be a shame if we do not see you at the gathering in Jia Xing.”

Peng Lian Hu replied angrily, “Thanks for your concern.” Sha Tong Tian applied the yellow antidote on his palm, and supporting him, turned to leave.

Wan Yan Kang knelt on the ground and kowtowed 4 times to his mother’s dead body. Then he turned and kowtowed a few times to Qiu Chu Ji. Raising his head, not uttering a single word, he walked away.

Qiu Chu Ji said sternly, “Kang’er, what is the meaning of this?”

But Wan Yan Kang did not answer. He did not join Peng Lian Hu and the others, but took another turn and went on a separate path alone. Qiu Chu Ji was stunned for a while, then turned and bowed to Ke Zhen’E and Zhu Cong.

“If not for the help of the 6 Heroes, my Martial Brothers and I might have lost our lives. Besides, my disgraceful pupil has turned out to possess such a wicked character. He cannot hold a candle to your virtuous pupil. For us martial arts practitioners, character and integrity is of foremost importance; wu gong is secondary. I’m ashamed to have a disciple like this. The duel at Jia Xing’s Drunken Fairy Inn has reached a conclusion – I admit defeat. Word will henceforth spread throughout jiang hu that Qiu Chu Ji has been trounced by the 7 Freaks of Jiang Nan, and I have sincerely and gladly admitted my loss.”

The 6 Freaks swelled with pride as he spoke – their 18 years of effort in the deserts of Mongolia had finally paid off. Ke Zhen’E uttered a few words of humility. But the 6 Freaks then thought of their Fifth Brother Zhang Ah Sheng who died in the desert, and sadness descended upon their hearts. It was regretful that their Fifth Brother did not live to hear Qiu Chu Ji admitting defeat.

After they had helped Ma Yu and Wang Chu Yi back into the inn, Quan Jin Fa went and bought coffins to prepare for the Yang couple’s funeral. Qiu Chu Ji saw Mu Nian Ci grieving sorrowfully and felt awful himself. He said, “Miss Mu, how did your father spend the last few years?”

Wiping her tears, Mu Nian Ci replied, “My father and I have been wandering for over ten years, never settling at one place for more than a month. Father said he wanted to look for a… a Brother by the surname Guo…” Her voice trailed off and she slowly lowered her head.

Qiu Chu Ji glanced at Guo Jing, then said to Mu Nian Ci, “How did your father end up adopting you?”

“I came from Lotus Pond village in the Lin’An Prefecture,” she replied. “About ten years ago, father took refuge at my place to recover from his injuries. Soon after, an epidemic broke out, killing my parents and brothers. Father then took me in as a daughter and taught me martial arts. To find this Brother Guo, we roamed all over and started… started the ‘joust for a spouse’.”

“Ah. Your father’s surname is actually Yang, not Mu, so you should change your name accordingly.”

“No, I won’t take the surname Yang. I will still use Mu.”

Qiu Chu Ji said, “Why? You don’t believe me?”

Mu Nian Ci replied softly, “How would I dare to doubt, Priest? But I’d rather my surname be Mu.”

Qiu Chu Ji saw that she was stubborn and dropped the matter, thinking that she must be too traumatized by the sudden loss of her father to understand. Little did he know that he was the one who did not understand. Mu Nian Ci was actually thinking of something else – she had already committed her life to Wan Yan Kang. Since he was her father’s real son, he must of course take the surname Yang. If she had the same surname, how could they marry?

Wang Chu Yi was gradually recovering his energy after taking the antidote and lay on the bed, listening to their conversation. There was one thing he failed to understand, and so he asked, “How come your wu gong is so much better than your father’s?”

Mu Nian Ci replied, “When I was 13, I met a strange person and he taught me wu gong for 3 days. It’s a pity I was born unintelligent, and so didn’t manage to learn much.”

Wang Chu Yi said, “He taught you just 3 days of wu gong and you managed to defeat your father? Who is this expert?”

“Priest, I wouldn’t dare to hide anything on purpose but he once made me vow that I will never reveal his name.”

Wang Chu Yi nodded and did not question further. Instead, he recalled her stances and moves during her fight with Wan Yan Kang and tried to conjecture, but still failed to tell which School her wu gong came from. The more he thought about her moves, the more he felt it was peculiar. He asked, “Elder Martial Brother Qiu, you have taught Wan Yan Kang for about 8 to 9 years, right?”

“Exactly 9 years and a half,” Qiu Chu Ji replied, sighing. “I never thought he would turn out so rotten.”

Wang Chu Yi said, “That’s strange!”

“Why?”

But Wang Chu Yi did not reply. Ke Zhen’E asked, “Priest Qiu, how did you manage to find Brother Yang’s descendent?”

Qiu Chu Ji replied, “It was such a coincidence. After we laid down the bet, I traveled widely for news of the Guo and Yang families. Years passed and still there was nothing, but I did not give up. That year I went again to Ox Village for some clues to their whereabouts, and incidentally saw a few government officials moving objects from Brother Yang’s old home. I tailed them, eavesdropping on their conversation. These officials were actually guards of Prince Zhao of the Jin Empire. They were under orders to move each and every item from the house – broken chairs or iron spears, none could be left behind. I suspected that there was something much more to it, so I followed them all the way to Zhong Du.”

Guo Jing had seen Bao Xi Ruo’s living quarters in the Palace, and now he fully understood.

Qiu Chu Ji continued, “To find out why Prince Zhao had moved all these old and broken things all the way from Ox Village, I sneaked into the Palace at night to investigate. What I saw made me both furious and upset – Brother Yang’s wife had become a Consort! In my great anger I initially thought of killing her, but then I saw her living in the old house and caressing Brother Yang’s spear, sobbing all night. I felt she wasn’t totally heartless after all and hadn’t forgotten her dead husband, so I spared her life. Later, I found out that the little Prince was actually Brother Yang’s flesh and blood. When he was a few years older, I started teaching him martial arts.”

Ke Zhen’E said, “So all along he was none the wiser about his roots?”

“I did sound him out a few times, but found that he hankered after riches,” he replied. “He was not a person of integrity, so I never once revealed the truth to him. Every time I tried to teach him important moral principles, he would always behave apathetically and retort with his slippery tongue. If it wasn’t for our wager, why would I even waste my time on him? Initially I had hoped for both sides to reconcile no matter who won the duel, and I would tell him the truth about his birth. We would then rescue his mother from the Palace and settle down in a quiet area. How was I to know that Brother Yang was alive still? But both Elder Martial Brother Ma and I were injured by those scoundrels, and still failed to save him and his wife… hai!” Hearing this, Mu Nian Ci hid her face and started weeping softly again.

Guo Jing then explained how he met Yang Tie Xin, and how he had seen Bao Xi Ruo in the night. Everyone agreed that though Bao Xi Ruo had lost her virtue in Zhao Palace, she was, after all, under the impression that her husband was dead. In the end she still followed her husband in death, and there was no one present that did not admire her loyalty and sigh at the tragedy.

The conversation then shifted to the Mid-Autumn duel. Zhu Cong said, “But the Quan Zhen 7 will be assembled there. What have we to worry?”

“It’s just that they might bring along a multitude of good fighters to outnumber us,” said Ma Yu.

Qiu Chu Ji said, “Which other good fighters can they bring along? Are there that many good fighters in the world?”

Ma Yu sighed. “Younger Martial Brother Qiu, your skills have improved greatly in the past few years and brought glory to our Sect. Yet, you still haven’t been able to curb the arrogance of youth. You…”

Qiu Chu Ji laughed and completed, “I must know that there will always be a higher person, like there will always be a higher heaven.”

Ma Yu smiled. “Isn’t it so? The people we met just now really possess skills that are no lower than ours. If they invite more fighters of their caliber to Misty Rain Inn, then it’s hard to tell who will win.”

Qiu Chu Ji cocked his head proudly and said, “Elder Martial Brother, you worry too much. Is it even possible that Quan Zhen Sect would lose to that bunch of thugs?”

Ma Yu replied, “Nothing is certain in this world. If not for Brother Ke and Brother Zhu, the decades-old reputation of Quan Zhen Sect would have been ruined in the hands of us three Martial Brothers.”

Ke Zhen’E and Zhu Cong declined modestly. “It was just because the opposition employed dirty tricks. How can it be taken into account?”

Ma Yu sighed again. “Martial Uncle Zhou was taught personally by Teacher, and his skills are ten times better than ours. Alas, because of his stubborn and competitive nature, he has gone missing for over ten years. We must take this as a lesson and always remain cautious.”

Now that Ma Yu phrased it this way, Qiu Chu Ji did not dare to rebut. The 6 Freaks never knew the Quan Zhen 7 had a Martial Uncle. From Ma Yu’s words, they deduced that this matter was not something that Quan Zhen Sect was proud of. It would not be tactful to make any comment and so they refrained, but nevertheless they were curious. Wang Chu Yi listened to their dialogue but remained silent, mulling over something.

Qiu Chu Ji glanced at Guo Jing and Mu Nian Ci. “Brother Ke, you have nurtured a fine and gallant disciple. With such a son-in-law, my Brother Yang will be able to rest in peace.”

Mu Nian Ci’s face reddened and she stood up. Lowering her head, she walked out of the room. Seeing her stand up and take steps, a notion flashed through Wang Chu Yi’s mind and he got out of bed, sending his palm straight at her shoulder. This move was swift and by the time Mu Nian Ci sensed it, his palm had already reached her right shoulder. He paused there for a moment, waiting for her to exercise internal energy to resist. At the moment where the energy was just about to reach – but not yet – Wang Chu Yi yanked her shoulder. So distinguished a character was the Iron Footed Fairy, Jade Sun Wang Chu Yi – even though he had not recovered from his heavy injuries and his arms devoid of internal energy, he was still able to pinpoint the void in her circulation passage. With this push and pull, Mu Nian Ci swayed and instantly fell forward. Wang Chu Yi extended his right hand to support her right shoulder and she was upright again, beyond her control. Her lovely eyes widened with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment.

Wang Chu Yi laughed and said, “Don’t be frightened Miss Mu, I was just testing your kungfu. The senior expert who taught you for three days – did he dress like a beggar and have just 9 fingers?”

Mu Nian Ci said in surprise, “Eh? Yes, that’s right. Priest, how did you know?”

Wang Chu Yi smiled. “This 9-Fingered Divine Beggar, Elder Hong, goes about things in a truly mysterious manner. It’s just like seeing the heavenly dragon’s head but catching no hint of the tail. To have been taught personally by him is your great fortune and a cause for celebration.”

“It was a pity he was busy and only taught me for 3 days.”

Wang Chu Yi let out a sigh. “You should be content. You have gained more in those 3 days than what others can teach you in 10, 20 years.”

Mu Nian Ci said, “Priest is right.” After a brief pause, she continued, “Priest, do you happen to know where Elder Hong is?”

Laughing, he replied, “Now you’ve had me stumped. I last saw him at Mount Hua over 20 years ago, and have never heard from him since.” Disappointed, Mu Nian Ci walked slowly out of the room.

Han Xiao Ying asked, “Priest Wang, who is this Elder Hong?”

Wang Chu Yi smiled and seated himself on the bed. Qiu Chu Ji said, “Heroine Han, have you heard of the Eastern Heretic, Western Poison, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar and Central Divinity?”

Han Xiao Ying replied, “I’ve heard people say these are the five strongest martial artists in the world, but I don’t know if it’s true.”

Qiu Chu Ji said, “It is.”

Ke Zhen’E said, “So this Elder Hong is the Northern Beggar?”

Wang Chu Yi said, “That’s right. The Central Divinity refers to