ive, for the situation has left me with no alternatives.” With that, he sent the sword forward five times, killing the two Taoists from the Kunlun School, the remaining monk from Shaolin and the two men from Haisha.

After that, he gave Ding Minjun a slash on the shoulder, scaring the woman out of her wits. Unable to fight back because of her injuries, she shouted, “Crooked baldy, do not torture me. Just stab me once and be done with it!”

Peng Yingyu laughed and said, “I do not dare to kill an ugly, yellow-skinned and wide-mouthed woman like you. If I did, you will go to Hell and give the evil ghosts there such a terrible fright that they will all escape into the world of men. You will also scare the King and Judge of Hades so badly that he will erupt in vomit and diarrhoea. Would that not be horrible?” He laughed three times and threw the sword on the ground. Then, he hugged Bai Guishou’s body and wailed loudly before walking away.

Ding Minjun sat and breathed deeply for a long time. Then, she put her sword back into its scabbard and hobbled slowly out of the woods.

Chang Yuchun and Zhang Wuji huddled in silence, seeing and hearing every single thing that transpired during the battle that had taken place so unexpectedly in the night. When Ding Minjun left, they finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Zhang Wuji spoke first: “Brother Chang, Auntie Ji is my Sixth Uncle Yin’s fiancée. That Ding woman said that she … she had a baby with someone else. What do you think? Is it true or false?”

“She is spouting nonsense,” answered Chang Yuchun. “Do not believe her.”

“Right,” said the boy in agreement. “When I see Sixth Uncle Yin, I will tell him about it and ask him to teach this Ding Minjun a good lesson. This will also help Auntie Ji to vent her anger.”

“No, no!” said his companion at once. “Never ever mention this matter to your Sixth Uncle Yin. Do you understand? Once you mention it, things will become worse.”

“Why?” asked the boy, totally puzzled by this unexpected word of caution.

“These statements are very unpleasant,” answered the man, “so you do not need to repeat them to anyone else.”

Zhang Wuji mumbled an “Mm!” in acknowledgement. After a while, he said, “Brother Chang, are you concerned that the matter is true?”

Chang Yuchun sighed and replied, “I really do not know.”

At first light the next day, Chang Yuchun stood up, placed Zhang Wuji on his back and strode off once more. His strength had returned after the night’s rest, so his movements were more nimble than the day before. After several li (1 li = 500 metres), they rounded a bend and came upon a main road.

Chang Yuchun was surprised: Uncle Hu lives in isolation in Butterfly Valley. The place is very remote, so why is there a main road here? Did I take a wrong turn?

Just as he was about to look for a villager and ask for directions, hoofbeats sounded. Four Mongolian soldiers appeared on horseback, waving their sabres and shouting: “Walk quickly, walk quickly!” They rode right up to Chang Yuchun, waved their sabres menacingly and rode off again.

I have finally fallen into the mouth of the tiger again, the man thought, only to drag Brother Zhang along as well.

His injuries had left him without any ability to fight. He could not even defeat an ordinary Yuan soldier, so he had no alternative except to trudge forward. Soon, he noticed that many other people had appeared along the road, driven by the soldiers as if they were beasts. A glimmer of hope appeared in Chang Yuchun’s heart: These barbarians seem to be oppressing the common people, so they may not necessarily be looking for me.

He walked along with the crowd until they arrived at a fork in the road, where a Mongolian army officer waited on horseback. There were sixty to seventy soldiers with him, each brandishing a huge sabre in his hand. The common people bowed at the officer as they passed by, while a Han-Chinese man demanded their surnames. A number of the people were let off with a kick or a slap each after they reported their surnames. When one man said that his surname was Zhang, a Yuan soldier seized him at once. Another man had a newly-bought vegetable knife in his basket, so he was stopped too.

Realising that something fishy was going on, Zhang Wuji whispered into his companion’s ear: “Brother Chang, you had better fake a fall, roll into the long grass and leave your sabre there.”

Chang Yuchun understood his purpose immediately, so he bent his knees, stumbled into the grass and discarded his sabre. Then, moaning and groaning in pain, he hobbled towards the army officer.

“Ruffian! Do you not know the rules?” the Han-Chinese man scolded. “Bow before the officer quickly!”

Recalling the horrible deaths that his former master, Zhou Ziwang, and his entire family had suffered under the sabres of the barbaric Mongolians, Chang Yuchun refused to do as he was told. His stubbornness caught the eye of the soldiers and one of them kicked him in the knee. The rebel lost his balance and sank to the ground.

“What is your surname?” asked the Han-Chinese man loudly.

Before Chang Yuchun could answer, Zhang Wuji said, “Our surname is Xie. He is my older brother.”

The Yuan soldier gave the man a kick in the buttocks and said, “Get lost!”

As Chang Yuchun scrambled to his feet in anger, he swore a silent oath: If I do not chase these barbarians back to the northern deserts in my lifetime, I, Chang Yuchun, am not a man! Placing Zhang Wuji on his back once more, he headed north. But he had only gone a few steps when blood-curdling cries filled the air. Turning around, the two of them saw that the people whom the Yuan soldiers had seized earlier were dead, their heads separated from their bodies.

It turned out that the ruling government had been so brutal in its administration of the land that many rebels had risen among the common people. Consequently, the Mongolian ministers came up with the idea of having all the Han-Chinese killed. It was an impossible dream, of course, so the Chief Advisor, Ba Yan, eventually issued a cruel order to have all the Han-Chinese with the surnames of Zhang, Wang, Liu, Li and Zhao killed. The Zhangs, Wangs, Lius and Lis were the most numerous among the Han-Chinese, while the Zhaos were seen as the descendants of the imperial family of the Song Dynasty. If people with these five surnames were wiped out, the power of the Han-Chinese would be greatly reduced. As time went by, the number of people with these five surnames who declared their loyalty to the Yuan Dynasty and became its officers increased. Eventually, someone among the Mongolian ministers advised the emperor to withdraw the order of slaughter. By then, the victims of this horrible decree were already beyond count.

Chang Yuchun increased the pace of his walk and headed into the wilderness. He knew that Hu Qingniu’s home was nearby, so he began looking out for it. By and by, the man and boy came upon vast stretches of red and purple flowers that filled the hills with a wonderful fragrance. Unfortunately, the earlier incident with the Mongolian soldiers was still so fresh in their minds that the beautiful scenery was entirely lost to them. After several turns and bends, they found themselves at the foot of a sheer cliff. They had reached a dead end.

Stumped, they soon noticed several butterflies flitting through a gap in the flowering shrubs. An idea popped into Zhang Wuji’s head. “Since the place is called Butterfly Valley,” he said, “perhaps we should just follow those butterflies and see where they lead us.”

Chang Yuchun agreed.

Squeezing through the bushes, they found a tiny path. As they proceeded down the path, more butterflies appeared. These butterflies came in a variety of patterns and colours, including white, black and purple, but none of them seemed afraid of human beings. Dancing through the air, they even landed on Chang Yuchun and Zhang Wuji’s heads, shoulders and hands. The two companions were comforted that they had entered Butterfly Valley at last.

“Please let me walk on my own!” said Zhang Wuji.

Chang Yuchun agreed and lowered him to the ground.

A little past noon, they came upon seven or eight huts on the bank of a clear stream. Flowers and plants grew in profusion around these huts. “We have arrived,” Chang Yuchun declared. “These are the gardens where Uncle Hu grows his herbs and medicinal shrubs.”

Walking over to the huts, he said in a loud but respectful voice: “Disciple Chang Yuchun greets Elder Uncle Hu.”

A page emerged from one of the huts and said, “Please come in.”

Chang Yuchun took Zhang Wuji’s hand and followed the page indoors. A dignified-looking middle-aged man stood on one side of the hall, watching over another page who was fanning the flames under a boiling pot. The entire place smelt of medicine.

Chang Yuchun knelt before the man, bowed and said, “How do you do, Uncle Hu.”

He must be the Healing Sage of Butterfly Valley, Hu Qingniu, thought Zhang Wuji, so he clasped his fists in salute and said, “Mr Hu.”

Nodding at Chang Yuchun, Hu Qingniu replied, “I have heard about Zhou Ziwang. That is destiny, because the time of the barbarians is not over yet, and the day of our Sect’s rise has not arrived.” He reached for Chang Yuchun’s wrist and felt his pulse. Then, he opened the man’s shirt, took one look and said, “You have been struck by the foreign monks’ Heart-Splitting Palm Technique. It is not really a big deal, but you used too much strength after being hit, so your heart is now seriously affected by a cold and deadly toxin. It will take quite a while to heal you of this.” After that, he pointed to Zhang Wuji and asked, “Who is this child?”

“Uncle, his name is Zhang Wuji,” answered Chang Yuchun. “He is the son of Wudang’s Zhang the Fifth.”

Hu Qingniu was taken aback. “He is from Wudang?” he asked angrily. “Why did you bring him here?”

Chang Yuchun quickly explained how he had been tasked to escort Zhou Ziwang’s son to safety, and how Zhang Sanfeng had rescued him after he had been caught by Mongolian soldiers. “My life was saved by his grandteacher,” the man went on, “so please make an exception and help this boy.”

“Well, you were very generous to make such an offer,” said Hu Qingniu sarcastically. “Hmmph! Zhang Sanfeng rescued you, not me. When have you ever seen me making an exception?”

Chang Yuchun fell on his knees and bowed several times. “Uncle, this brother’s father would rather commit suicide than to betray a friend,” he said. “He was a good man.”

“A good man?” said Hu Qingniu with a cold laugh. “How many good men are there under the sun? Can I heal them all? It would have been fine if he is not a member of the Wudang School. Why should someone from a renowned and upright organisation seek assistance from a heretic outsider like me?”

Nevertheless, Chang Yuchun persisted: “Brother Zhang’s mother is the daughter of the White-Browed Eagle King, Sect-Leader Yin, so half of him can be considered a member of our Sect.”

Feeling somewhat moved, Hu Qingniu nodded and said, “All right, get up. Being the maternal grandson of the Eagle Sect’s White-Browed Yin does make things different.” Walking over to Zhang Wuji, the physician explained in a warm and pleasant voice: “Child, I have always had the rule of not providing treatment to any member of the renowned and upright clans. Your mother is a member of our Sect, so I will not be breaking this rule if I treat you. Your maternal grandfather, the White-Browed Eagle King, was originally one of the Four Protector Kings of the Ming Sect. Due to some disagreements with the other brothers, he founded the Eagle Sect. However, he is not a traitor, for the Eagle Sect is considered a branch of the Ming Sect. You must promise me that you will join your maternal grandfather’s organisation when you have recovered from your injuries, for you must no longer be a Wudang disciple.”

Before Zhang Wuji could say anything, Chang Yuchun remarked, “No, Uncle. Mr Zhang Sanfeng has said that you cannot force the boy into our Sect. Furthermore, if he is indeed cured, his Wudang School will also not appreciate our kindness.”

“Hmmph! What is so great about Zhang Sanfeng?” Hu Qingniu roared in anger. “He despises us, so why must I work for him? Child, what decision have you made?”

Zhang Wuji knew that the toxins in his body had entered all his internal organs and there was nothing his grandteacher could do about it despite the richness of his internal strength. His life now depended entirely on the willingness of this eccentric physician to treat him, but his grandteacher had warned him against joining the Evil Sect and placing himself in an inextricable web for the rest of his life. Although he did not understand how bad the Evil Sect was and why his grandteacher and uncles hated it to the core, he believed with all his heart that the grandteacher whom he respected greatly could not be wrong.

Therefore, he thought: I would rather die from his unwillingness to treat me, than to violate Grandteacher’s instructions. So, he raised his voice and said, “Mr Hu, my mother was a Hall-Master in the Eagle Sect, so I think that there must be something good about the organisation. But I have promised my grandteacher not to enter the Evil Sect, so how can I go back on my word? I cannot help it if you refuse to treat me. If I were to cling on to life for fear of death and agree to your condition, the world would gain nothing but another untrustworthy and unfaithful man. What good would there be in that?”

So the little monster wants to talk and act like a great hero! Hu Qingniu sneered in his heart. I will just go ahead and refuse him, and watch him beg on his knees. Turning to Chang Yuchun, he said, “Since he is unwilling to enter our Sect, Yuchun, ask him to leave. How can there be people who die of illness within the doors of Hu Qingniu’s abode?”

Chang Yuchun knew that this older uncle-at-arms of his was particularly stubborn, so there was no purpose in begging him for something that he had clearly refused. So, he turned to Zhang Wuji and said, “Little Brother, although the members of the Ming Sect and the upright clans do not see eye-to-eye on many matters, our Sect has produced many heroes and outstanding men since the Tang Dynasty. Futhermore, your maternal grandfather and mother are the Leader and Hall-Master of the Eagle Sect respectively. Do agree to Uncle Hu’s condition, and I will bear full responsibility for it before Mr Zhang.”

Zhang Wuji stood up and replied, “Brother Chang, you have done your best, so my grandteacher will not blame you for anything.” Then, he headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” asked Chang Yuchun in surprise.

“If I die in Butterfly Valley, would the reputation of the ‘Healing Sage’ not be damaged?” the boy said in return.

Hu Qingniu laughed coldly and said, ” The One who Ignores the Dying is renowned all over the world. Those who fall dead outside the ‘cow-sheds’ of Butterfly Valley are not limited to this child alone.”

Turning a deaf ear to his uncle’s words, Chang Yuchun dashed out, grabbed Zhang Wuji and brought him indoors again.

“Uncle Hu, are you absolutely unwilling to rescue him?” asked Chang Yuchun as he gasped for breath.

“You know that I am also called ‘The One who Ignores the Dying’,” said Hu Qingniu, “so why do you ask?”

“But you are willing to treat my injuries?” asked the man again. “That is right,” answered his uncle.

“All right then!” said Chang Yuchun. “I have promised Mr Zhang to have this brother treated, so I cannot allow the upright clans to say that the members of the Ming Sect are untrustworthy. I do not want you to cure my injuries any longer. Please treat this brother instead. If we make this one-for-one exchange, you will lose nothing.”

Hu Qingniu looked him in the eye and said in a serious voice: “You have been grievously wounded by the Heart-Splitting Palm Technique. If I start your treatment at this very moment, you will recover completely. A delay of seven days will save your life, but not your martial arts abilities, while a delay of fourteen days will render your injuries totally incurable.”

“This is the work of my uncle, the one who ignores the dying,” said Chang Yuchun. “I will depart with no resentments.”

Suddenly, Zhang Wuji shouted, “I do not want you to save me! I do not want you to save me!” Then, he turned to Chang Yuchun and added, “Brother Chang, do you think that Zhang Wuji is an unscrupulous scoundrel? You offer your life in exchange for mine, but a life gained in this manner is terribly meaningless to me.”

Chang Yuchun did not argue further with him. Undoing his belt, he grabbed Zhang Wuji and tied him tightly to a chair. “If you do not release me, I will start cursing people!” the boy shouted. When Chang Yuchun ignored him, he hardened his heart and yelled: “The One who Ignores the Dying, Hu Qingniu, is really as stupid as a cow! He cannot be compared even to a beast!”

Surprisingly, the physician, whose name Qingniu meant Black Cow, was not angered. He just stared coldly at the upset boy.

“Uncle Hu, Brother Zhang, I take my leave,” said Chang Yuchun. “I am going to look for another physician!”

“There are no able physicians in this province of Anhui,” said Hu Qingniu coldly. “But you are unlikely to cross the borders Anhui within seven days anyway.”

Laughing loudly, Chang Yuchun replied, “I have an uncle who ignores the dying, so it is only fair that you have a nephew who should suffer death!” Then, he strode out of the door.

“When did I agree to your one-for-one exchange?” asked Hu Qingniu in a loud voice. “I am not treating both of you!” He picked up a broken piece of pilose antler (lu4 rong2) from the table and threw it at an acupoint on Chang Yuchun’s knee, causing him to crumple into a heap on the ground.

Then, Hu Qingniu untied Zhang Wuji, gripped both his wrists tightly and proceeded to throw him out of the door, so that the two hapless patients could live and perish together in due course.

“What are you doing?” Zhang Wuji shouted in fright. Just then, the toxins in his body rushed to his brain and knocked him out.