ard him with the bamboo basket in her hand.

“Ugly freak,” she said with a laugh, “You have not died yet?”

Zhang Wuji also laughed. “Most of me have died of starvation, a little part of me is still alive,” he said.

The peasant girl giggled and sat by his side. Suddenly she extended her foot and kicked his broken leg, asking, “Is this part dead or still alive?”

“Aiyo!” Zhang Wuji cried out, “Don’t you have any conscience?”

“What conscience?” the girl replied, “What did you do to me that I should be good to you?”

Zhang Wuji was taken aback. He said, “Three days ago you hit me really bad, but I don’t hate you. In fact, I have been thinking about you often these past two days.”

The girl’s face reddened, she was angry, but forced herself to bear it. “Who wants to be thought by you, an ugly freak?” she said, “Most likely you did not think good things about me. In your belly, you must be cursing me as ugly and evil girl.”

“You are not ugly at all,” Zhang Wuji said, “But why must you hurt others first before you can be happy?”

With a chuckle the girl said, “If others do not suffer pain, how can I be happy?” She could see the disagreement in Zhang Wuji’s expression, but she also noticed the half-eaten cake in his hand, which after three days he had not finished eating. She said, “You keep that cake until now? Won’t it taste awful?”

Zhang Wuji said, “This cake was given by Miss, I hate to part with it.” Three days ago, he said those words half-jokingly, but today he was very sincere.

The girl knew he was not talking empty words, her face blushed slightly. “I have fresh cake,” she said, while taking many more food from the basket. Other than cakes, there were a roast chicken and a roast mutton leg.

Zhang Wuji was very happy. He had been eating raw eagle meat these days; it was dripping with blood, smelly, and tough. The roast chicken was delicious; it was still hot that it burned his hand somewhat, but in his mouth it was delicious beyond measure.

The girl watched his appetite while she chuckled and sat down, hugging her knees. “Ugly freak,” she said, “You are eating happily, it’s fun watching you eat. Apparently you are different; I don’t have to hurt you for me to be happy.”

“Others are happy, you are happy. Now that is the real happiness,” Zhang Wuji said.

“Humph!” the girl sneered and said, “Let me tell you first: right now I am happy, so I won’t hurt you. There will come a day when I am not happy. I can’t say for sure; perhaps I will torture you until you are neither dead nor alive. At that time you must not blame me.”

Zhang Wuji shook his head, “Bad people have been torturing me since I was little until I am a grown up. The more I was tortured, the stronger I became.”

With a cold laugh the girl said, “Don’t be so sure of yourself. We’ll see.”

Zhang Wuji said, “In that case, as soon as my legs are healed, I am going to go far away from you. Even if you want to torture me, hurt me, you won’t be able to find me.”

The girl said, “Then I am going to cut your legs first, so you won’t be able to leave me for the rest of your life.”

Hearing her icy-cold voice, Zhang Wuji could not help but shiver. He believed that she was capable of doing whatever she said. Those words were certainly not an empty threat.

The girl stared at him for half a day. She sighed and then her expression changed suddenly, “Do you think you deserve it? Ugly freak! Do you think you deserve me cutting your dog legs?” She leaped up, grabbed the half-eaten roast chicken from Zhang Wuji’s hand, the mutton leg, and the cakes, and tossed them all far away. Lastly, she also spat on Zhang Wuji’s face.

In shock Zhang Wuji looked at her. He felt that she was not actually angry with him, nor did she hold him in contempt; yet her face revealed her deep misery. Apparently she bore an unspeakable burden in her heart. He wanted to comfort her, but in that instant he was not able to find any appropriate words to say.

Seeing the expression on his face, the peasant girl suddenly shouted, “Ugly freak, what are you thinking?”

“Miss,” Zhang Wuji said, “Why aren’t you happy? Would you tell me?”

Listening to his gentle words, the girl could not throw a tantrum anymore. She dropped herself next to him, holding her head in his hands, and sobbed uncontrollably.

Looking at her shaking shoulders and her waist as delicate as a bee, Zhang Wuji felt sorry for her. “Miss,” he said in low voice, “Who bullied you? Wait ’till my legs are healed, I am going to vent your anger for you.”

The girl was sobbing continuously. After a while she said, “Nobody bullies me. It’s just that I have been unfortunate ever since the day I was born. I always think of one person, and cannot forget him.”

Zhang Wuji nodded and said, “He is a young man, isn’t he? Was he cruel to you?”

“That’s right,” the girl replied, “He is very handsome, but also very arrogant. I wanted him to come with me and be with me forever, but he did not want to. That was all right, but why did he have to scold me, hit me, and even bite me bloody?”

Zhang Wuji angrily said, “This man is so rude and irrational. Miss, from now on, forget him.”

The girl burst into tears and said, “But … but I can’t forget him. He ran far away; I have been looking for him everywhere without ever finding him.”

Zhang Wuji thought, “This love affair between a man and a woman is indeed difficult to resolve. Although this miss’ appearance is somewhat lacking, but it is obvious that her love is genuine. Her temperament is rather strange, that is because of the grief in her heart, because of her deep disappointment. It’s hard to imagine that that man’s heart is this callous toward her!” In soft voice he said, “Miss, don’t be sad. There are plenty of good men in this world, why do you have to worry about this man, who do not have any conscience?”

The girl heaved a deep sigh. Her eyes gazed toward a distant place, as if she was in a trance. Zhang Wuji knew that she would not be able to forget this boyfriend, the desire of her heart. He said, “That man scolded you, hit you; but the misery I suffered was actually ten times worse than Miss’.”

“What is it?” the girl asked, “Have you been cheated by a beautiful girl?”

Zhang Wuji replied, “At first, she did not intentionally cheat on me; I was stupid, seeing her beauty, I was captivated by her. Actually, how could I deserve her? In my heart, I have never had any vain desire. But she and her father have arranged in secret a treacherous plan to inflict an unspeakable harm on me.” While saying that, he pulled his sleeve to show the countless scars on his arm. “These teeth marks were from the bites of her vicious dogs,” he said.

Seeing that many scars, the girl flew into a rage. “Was it that girl Zhu Jiuzhen who harmed you?” she asked.

“How do you know?” Zhang Wuji wondered.

“Everybody within the surrounding area of several hundred ‘li’ knows that that lowly girl loves to raise vicious dogs,” the girl replied.

Zhang Wuji nodded. “Yes, it was Miss Zhu,” he said indifferently, “But these scars have been healed a long time, I no longer feel the pain. I am fortunate to be alive, I don’t need to hate her anymore.”

The girl stared at him for half a day, but she could not see any trace of anger, he looked at ease; she felt this was rather strange. “What’s your name?” she asked, “Why are you here?”

Zhang Wuji mused, “All the way from the Central Earth, people keep asking me about Yifu’s whereabouts. They threatened, swindled, committing all manners of crimes that I had to suffer countless sufferings. From now on, Zhang Wuji is dead, nobody in this world knows Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Xun’s whereabouts. Supposing I meet with someone ten times more cunning than Zhu Changling, I won’t have to worry about falling into his trap and unintentionally cause trouble to my Yifu.” Thereupon he said, “I am called Ahniu [lit. cow/bull].”

The girl slightly smiled. “What’s your surname?” she asked.

Zhang Wuji thought again, “I can’t say Zhang, Yin, or Xie; those are all not good. ‘Zhang’ and ‘Yin’ combined sounds like ‘Zeng’.” Thereupon he said, “I … My surname is Zeng. What is Miss’ surname?”

The girl’s body shook, she said, “I don’t have any surname.” After pausing for a moment, she slowly said, “My birth father did not want me; he would kill me if he sees me. How can I take Father’s surname? My Mama was killed by me, I also cannot use her surname. I was born ugly. You can call me Miss Chou [lit. Ugly].”

Zhang Wuji was stunned. “You … you killed your Mama?” he asked, “How can that be?”

The girl sighed and said, “It’s a long story. Mama was my father’s first wife. She had never given birth to any son or daughter; hence Father took Er Niang [Second Mother]. Er Niang gave birth to my two (older) brothers. Father doted on her very much. Later on Mama gave birth to me, her only daughter. Relying of Father’s love, Er Niang had always bullied Mama. My two older brothers were also very bad; they helped their mother in bullying my Ma. My Ma could only cry in secret. Tell me, what should I do?”

“Your father should have been more neutral” Zhang Wuji replied.

The girl said, “Because Father constantly shielded Er Niang, I was unbearably angry. I took a blade and killed my Er Niang.”

“Ah!” Zhang Wuji exclaimed in shock. He always thought that people kill people in the Wulin world was nothing strange, but that this peasant girl unexpectedly could kill someone with a blade was beyond his expectation.

The girl continued, “Seeing I was in deep trouble, Mama told me to run away at once. But my two brothers pursued me to take me back. Because Mama was helpless to stop them, she slit her own throat to save me. Tell me, didn’t Mama lose her life in my hands? When my father saw me, is it possible for him not to kill me?” When she said all these, her intonation was light, without the slightest degree of excitement.

Zhang Wuji, however, listened to her story with his heart thumping madly; he thought, “I am unfortunate that my parents are dead, but Father and Mother loved each other and they loved me very much. Compared to this Miss’ bitter experience, I am actually ten thousand times luckier than she.” Thinking to this point, his sympathy for the girl grew. With a tender voice he said, “Have you left home for a long time? Have you been always alone out here?”

The girl nodded slightly. Zhang Wuji asked again, “Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know,” the girl replied, “The world is very big, it doesn’t matter if I go to the east or to the west. I will be all right as long as I don’t bump into my father or brothers.”

Zhang Wuji’s heart burst with compassion because he felt they shared the same fate. He said, “Wait ‘till my legs are healed, I will accompany you to look for that … that Dage [big brother]. We’ll ask him what he thinks about you.”

“What if he scolds me or bites me again?” the girl asked.

“Humph,” Zhang Wuji boldly said, “If he dares to harm a single strand of your hair, I will not rest until I deal with him.”

The girl said, “What if he simply ignores me, will not speak even one word to me?”

Zhang Wuji was dumbfounded. He thought that he could not force a man to love a woman he did not have any affection to even if he possessed stronger martial art skills. After being silent for half a day, he said, “I will try my best.”

Suddenly the girl bent over in laughter, as if she had just heard the funniest joke ever. “What’s so funny?” Zhang Wuji asked.

“Ugly freak,” the girl said, “Who do you think you are? Will others listen to you? Besides, I have been looking for him everywhere and did not even see any sign of him. I don’t even know if he is dead or alive. You will do your best? What kind of ability do you have? Ha ha ha ha …!”

Zhang Wuji was about to open his mouth, but because of her laughter, he blushed and closed his mouth immediately.

The girl saw him opening and closing his mouth, she stopped laughing and asked, “You are going to say something?”

“You laughed at me, I won’t tell you,” Zhang Wuji said.

“Humph,” the girl coldly said, “A laugh is a laugh. At worst I will laugh at you again. You won’t die because of my laughter, will you?”

In a loud voice Zhang Wuji said, “I have nothing but good intentions toward you, you should not laugh at me!”

The girl said, “I am asking you: what is that you were going to say?”

Zhang Wuji said, “You are all alone, without friends or family. I am of the same fate. My father and mother have died; I have neither brothers nor sisters. I was going to say that if that wicked man still pays no attention to you, there is no harm in us traveling together as companions. I can accompany you and talk to you to relieve boredom. But since you said I am not fit, I might as well not say it.”

The girl said angrily, “You certainly are not fit! That wicked man is a hundred times more handsome than you; he is a hundred times smarter than you. It is really bad luck that I hang around with you in here, engaging in idle conversation.” While saying that, she madly kicked the mutton leg and the roast chicken lying on the snowy ground, and then she ran away while covering her face.

Being on the receiving end of such unreasonable fit of temper, Zhang Wuji did not get angry. He thought, “This Miss is truly pitiful. It’s not surprising, considering she has been through many sufferings.”

Suddenly the girl rushed back and fiercely said, “Ugly freak, you must be upset with me. You must be thinking that my own face is so ugly yet I am looking down on you. Am I right?”

“No, it’s not that,” Zhang Wuji shook his head, “Your face is not very good-looking, but as soon as I see you, I feel we can get along well. If you have not turned uglier and looked the same as before …”

The girl suddenly cried out in alarm. “You … did you say I do not look the same as I was before?”

Zhang Wuji said, “Compared to the last time we met, your face today looks somewhat more swollen, your skin also darkened somewhat. That is unnatural.”

The girl was startled. “I … I did not dare to look into the mirror these past few days,” she said, “Did you say I am getting uglier?”

Zhang Wuji gently said, “For a person, the most important thing is good character. Who cares if one is beautiful or ugly? Mama told me that the more beautiful the women, the worse their conscience and the more they are capable of deceit. She told me to carefully guard against such women.”

The girl was not interested in listening to whatever his Mama said. She pressed on, “I am asking you: when you saw me the last time, I was not this ugly, yes or no?”

Zhang Wuji knew that if he answered ‘yes’, than she would be unbearably heart-broken, therefore, he only stared at her with a blank expression on his face, his heart full of compassion.

Seeing his expression, the girl knew what his answer would be. She covered her face and cried. “Ugly freak, I hate you! I hate you!” she screamed and ran away madly. This time she did not turn back.

Zhang Wuji lied down for two more days. During the night, a wild wolf crawled near him, attracted by the smell. Zhang Wuji struck the wolf dead with his fist. Instead of feeding on Zhang Wuji, the wolf became his dinner instead.

Several days later, his broken legs had healed for the most part. In ten more days at most he would be able to walk again. He thought that henceforth the peasant girl would not come again. He regretted that he did not even ask her name. “How can her face turn uglier?” he mused, “This is indeed a mystery.” After pondering this matter for half a day without finding any answer, he gave up and tried to get some sleep.

Around midnight, in his sleep, he heard the footsteps of several people walking on the snow. He woke up immediately and sat up, turning his head toward the direction of the noise. That night the new moon looked like an eyebrow. Under the soft moonlight, he saw that seven people walked in. The silhouette of the one in the front appeared graceful, apparently it belonged to that peasant girl. When these seven people were near enough, he could see that it was indeed the girl with the ugly face. The other six people were walking in a fan formation behind her, as if they were guarding against her running away.

Zhang Wuji was greatly astonished. “Has she been captured by her father and brothers?” he wondered in his heart.

Before he finished this thought, the girl and the six people behind her had come near. As soon as Zhang Wuji looked, he was even more shocked. Turned out these six people were his old acquaintances; they were Wu Qingying, Wu Lie and Wei Bi on his left, and He Taichong and Ban Shuxian, husband and wife, on his right. The one on the extreme right was a middle-age woman. Her face looked somewhat familiar. Turned out she was Ding Minjun of the Emei Pai. “How did she know all these people?” he mused, “Could it be that she is one of the Wulin people who knows my real identity so she is taking all this people to capture me and force me to reveal Yifu’s whereabouts?”

Thinking to this point, the suspicion in his heart was gone and anger rose in its place. “I have no enmity no grudges, but you come here to bring harm to me!” he mused. He thought further, “Presently I cannot move my legs. There is not a single weakness among these six people; the peasant girl’s martial art may not be weak either. I’d better submit to them and agree to take them to look for my Yifu. When my legs are healed, I will deal with them one by one.”

If it were five years ago, he would rather lose his life than submitting to the enemy. No matter how the enemy tortured or intimidated him, he would simply clench his teeth refusing to say anything. But now, first of all he was older, his mind was more open; second, after mastering the Nine Yang Manual, his confidence grew, he was able to deal with dangerous situations calmly. In the presence of powerful enemies, he did not feel the least amount of fear. The only unexpected thing was that the peasant girl would betray him. In his resentment, he could not help but be grieved. He lied back down and used his arms as a pillow, no longer paying attention to these seven people.

The peasant girl stopped in front of him. She quietly looked at him for a long, long time before slowly turning around and walking away. Zhang Wuji could hear her sigh. The sound was extremely soft, but it was full of grief. He sneered in his heart, “I don’t know what malicious intention you have in your heart, but since you already planned it, why fake compassion on me?”

He saw that Wei Bi was swinging the sword in his hand back and forth and he said with a cold laugh, “You said you want to see someone before you die. I thought it must some young man whose appearance was as handsome as Pan An; turns out it as an ugly freak. Ha ha … funny! Very funny! The two of you are really a pair made in Heaven.”

The peasant girl did not get angry. “That’s right,” she drily said, “I want to see him again before I die. I want to ask him clearly about one thing. After I know his answer, I will die with closed eyes.”

Zhang Wuji was greatly astonished, he did not understand what these two people were talking about. The peasant girl said, “I have something I’d like to ask you. You must answer me honestly.”

Zhang Wuji said, “Anything about me, I can answer truthfully; but if it is about another person, it may not be easy to tell you.” He was guessing the peasant girl would ask him about Xie Xun’s whereabouts. He had decided to yield to their wish for now, therefore, he stated his condition first so that later on he would have some leeway in the negotiation.

“Why would I want to know other people’s business?” the peasant girl said, “I am asking you: that day you said that both of us are all alone, without friends or family; therefore, you are willing to be my companion. Did you say that with a sincere heart?”

What Zhang Wuji heard was beyond his expectation. He sat up at once, and saw that her eyes showed the grief she bore in her heart. “I did. I was sincere,” he said.

“You really do not mind my ugly appearance, and willing to stay together for a lifetime?” the peasant girl asked.

Zhang Wuji was taken aback. He had never expected this ‘staying together for a lifetime’ in his heart, but he could not bear to see her forlorn look, as if she was about to cry; thereupon he said, “Ugly or not, pretty or not, I don’t care at all. If you want me to accompany you, to talk and laugh together with you, as long as you don’t mind me, of course I will be happy to do so. But if you are thinking of deceiving me …”

“Then are you willing to marry me, to take me as your wife?” the peasant girl asked in a trembling voice.

Zhang Wuji’s body shook, and he was speechless for half a day. “I … I have never thought … to take a wife …” he mumbled.

He Taichong and the others, six people broke out in laughter. Wei Bi laughed and said, “Even an ugly bum don’t want you. If we don’t kill you, what good is it for you to continue living? You’d better hit your head against the rock and die.”

Hearing the laughter of the six people and Wei Bi’s mocking, Zhang Wuji was convinced that this peasant girl was not in cahoots with these people, and that Wei Bi and the others meant to kill her. The realization that the peasant girl really did not come to harm him, Zhang Wuji’s heart grew warm. He saw her hanging her head, with tears dripping down her face, obviously her sorrow was unbearable, only he did not know whether she was sad because she was going to die soon, or because she was ugly, or was it because Wei Bi’s mocking was like a blade cutting deep into her heart?

Zhang Wuji’s heart was greatly moved, recalling that after his own parents’ death, he himself was wandering about in desperate plight, and was the victim of countless others’ bullying. This peasant girl was also alone and weak, she was a few years younger than him; she was also more unfortunate than he. Now that she came to him and asked that question, how could he let her broken-hearted to the point of shedding some tears, and suffer disgrace from others? Much less her question showed her sincere devotion to him. “In all my life, other than my parents, Yifu, Tai Shifu and all martial uncles, who else would show such loving care to me? If I treat her well, and she also treats me well, we are bound by a common destiny, what harm can that bring?”

He saw that her body trembled, she was about to go away. Immediately he reached out to grab her right hand. In a loud voice he said, “Miss, with all my heart I sincerely desire to marry you. I only hope you will not regard me unworthy.”

As the girl heard this, her eyes immediately lit up, with a low voice she said, “Ahniu Gege, you are not lying to me, are you?”

“Of course not,” Zhang Wuji said, “From now on, I will cherish you with all my might, I will look after you. No matter how many people come to make things difficult for you, no matter how many fierce people come to bully you, I don’t care if I’ll have to lose my life, I will protect you. I want you to be happy, I want you to forget your past sufferings.”

The peasant girl sat down on the ground, leaned against his body, and grabbed his other hand. “I am really happy that you are willing to treat me like that” she said with a tender voice. Closing her eyes, she said, “Please say those words again, let me hear it and remember each word in my heart. Tell me, how are you going to treat me?”

Zhang Wuji was also grateful to see her so happy. Holding her soft and silky smooth hands he said, ” I want you to live in safety and joy, I want to make you forget all sorts of past suffering, I don’t care how many people come to bully you, to give you trouble, I will protect you without any regard of my own life.”

With a tender and sweet smile the peasant girl leaned on his chest and said with a gentle voice, “I asked you to come with me, but you not only refused, you hit me, scolded me, and bit me … Now you told me those things, I am really happy.”

As soon as Zhang Wuji heard her words, his heart turned cold. Turned out this peasant girl was talking with her eyes closed, she was imagining that he was the boyfriend of the past.

The peasant girl felt his body tremble; she opened her eyes and looked at him. Her expression changed suddenly; she looked disappointed and angry, but there was also a hint of regret and tender feelings. Calming herself down, she said, “Ahniu Gege, you are willing to take me as your wife; you did not turn your back to me even though I am an ugly woman. I am very grateful. But several years ago I have given my heart to someone else. At that time he already had not paid me any attention. If he saw me now, he would not even cast me a glance. He is such a heartless and short-lived little rascal …”

She was cursing that man as ‘heartless and short-lived little rascal’, yet her voice was full of longing and tender sentiments.

Wu Qingying coldly said, “He has agreed to marry you, and you two have spoken words of love to each other. Can we start now?”

The peasant girl slowly stood up and said to Zhang Wuji, “Ahniu Gege, I am going to die soon. But even if I live, I cannot marry you. I want you to know that I am very happy to hear what you have just told me. Please do not be angry with me. If you have some free time in the future, please remember me.” Her voice was extremely tender and sweet.

Zhang Wuji’s heart ached. He heard Ban Shuxian’s hoarse voice say, “We have kept our words by letting you see this man. Now you must keep your words by telling us who the killer was.”

“Alright!” the peasant girl said, “I know for sure that the killer had once hidden in his house.” While saying that she pointed her finger to Wu Lie.

Wu Lie’s countenance changed slightly. “Humph!” he shouted, “Nonsense!”

Wei Bi angrily said, “Tell us the truth quickly. You killed my Biaomei, who ordered you to do so?”

This time Zhang Wuji’s shock was indeed not small. With a trembling voice he said, “Killed Zhu … Miss Zhu Jiuzhen?”

Wei Bi turned his stare toward him; he asked fiercely, “You know Miss Zhu Jiuzhen?”

“The name of Two Beauties of the Snowy Range shook the heavens, who hasn’t heard?” Zhang Wuji replied.

A faint smile appeared on the corner of Wu Qingying’s mouth. “Hey!” she loudly called the peasant girl, “Are you or are you not going to tell us who sent you?”

The peasant girl said, “I was sent to kill Zhu Jiuzhen by Kunlun Pai’s He Taichong, husband and wife, and Emei Pai’s Miejue Shitai.”

Wu Lie roared, “You attempt to sow dissension among us is in vain, what good is it for you?” With a loud shout his palm struck toward the peasant girl. This shout carried an impressive power, the palm also created a strong gust of wind causing the snowflakes rise on the ground that snow fluttered in the air.

The peasant girl moved sideways to evade, her movement was fantastic. Zhang Wuji’s mind was chaotic, “She … she is indeed a Wulin character. She killed Xhu Jiuzhen, that must be because of me. I told her that I was deceived by Miss Zhu, and was bitten by the vicious dogs she raised. But I have never asked her to kill anybody. I only know that because she is ugly and has been through a misfortune in her family, her temperament turned strange. Who would have thought that she really is capable of killing people without a strong reason?”

Wei Bi and Wu Qingying, each with a sword in their hands, attacked from left and right. The peasant girl dodged to the east and escaped to the west trying to evade Wu Lie’s palm force. Suddenly her slender waist twisted, she turned toward Wu Qingying’s side and slapped her on the face, while her left hand reached out and snatched the sword in her hand. Wu Lie and Wei Bi cursed and came together to her rescue. The sword in the peasant girl’s hand shook and she called out, “Got you!” as she inflicted a short cut on Wu Qingying’s face.

Wu Qingying cried out in fear and leaped backwards. Her injury was actually very light, but she cherished her appearance very much, so when she felt a slight pain on her face, she was frightened out of her wits.

Wu Lie swept his left palm, pressing down on the peasant girl. The peasant girl leaned sideways to dodge. ‘Clang!’ the sword in her hand crashed with Wei Bi’s sword. Right this moment Wu Li’s right index finger trembled and sealed the ‘fu tu’ [subduing rabbit] and ‘feng shi’ [windy city(?) – I am sure Jin Yong was not talking about Chicago?], two acupoints on the outer side of her left leg. The peasant girl uttered a soft groan as her leg gave up and she fell onto Zhang Wuji’s body. She felt her body was comfortably warm, but she could not exert an ounce of strength or the least bit of ‘chi’, even trying to lift a finger felt like hoisting a thousand-catty load for her.

Wu Qingying raised her sword and hatefully said, “Ugly girl, I won’t let you die a quick and painless death. I am going to cut your arms and legs first and I’ll leave you here to feed the wolves.” She swung her sword down to chop the peasant girl’s right arm.

“Hold it!” Wu Lie said, while reaching out to grab his daughter’s wrist and pushing her sword away. To the peasant girl he said, “Tell us who sent you and I’ll let you die a quick death. Otherwise, humph, humph! I’ll say you won’t enjoy rolling around on the snow without your limbs.”

With a smile the peasant girl said, “Since you insist, I cannot hide the truth anymore. Miss Zhu Jiuzhen wanted to marry a man. Another pretty woman also wanted to marry this man. This other pretty Miss then gave me five hundred taels of silver, telling me to kill Zhu Jiuzhen. Actually, I should have kept this matter in the strictest confidence …” Before she finished talking, Wu Qingying’s pretty face had turned pale from anger; with a flick of her wrist the sword went straight toward the peasant girls’ chest.

The peasant girl was good at observing people and evaluating their situations [orig. ‘inspect appearance disting