Coming and going of a messenger brings a laugh.

Zhang Wuji and the peasant girl turned their gaze toward the northeast. It was already dawn. They saw a green shadow walking on the snowy ground with steps as light as a feather. When the shadow was about a dozen of ‘zhang’ away, they could see clearly that it was a woman wearing a green robe. She talked with Ding Minjun for a while, and then turned her head toward Zhang Wuji and the peasant girl, before finally she walked towards them.

Her clothes fluttered in the wind, her movements were light and graceful, her steps were dainty, but in an instant she was already four, five ‘zhang’ away from the two people. They saw her style was simple yet elegant, her countenance beautiful, she could not be older than seventeen, eighteen years of age.

Zhang Wuji was amazed; listening to her whistle and looking at her movements, he would have thought that she was a lot older than Ding Minjun, but it turned out that she looked even younger than him. He noticed a short sword hanging on the young woman’s slender waist, yet she did not draw her weapon but approached them barehanded.

Ding Minjun warned her, “Zhou Shimei [younger martial sister], this witch girl’s martial art is very demonical.”

The young woman nodded. With a refined and polite manner she asked, “May I know your honorable surnames and great given names? For what reason did you injure my Shijie [older martial sister]?”

When she was near enough, Zhang Wuji thought she looked quite familiar. As soon as she spoke, he remembered immediately, “Turns out she is the Hanshui River boatman’s little girl, Miss Zhou Zhiruo. Tai Shifu took her up the Wudang Mountain, how did she become Emei School’s disciple?”

His heart warmed up; he wanted to ask her about his Taishifu, but then he changed his mind. “Zhang Wuji is dead. Right now I am a bum, the ugly freak Zeng Ahniu. If I am not able to control my emotions, I would only invite inexhaustible calamity in the future. I simply must not reveal my true identity to avoid bringing harm to Yifu, so that my Papa and Mama’s death would not be in vain.”

The peasant girl laughed coldly and said, “With the ‘pushing the window to look at the moon’ your honorable Shijie’s palms struck my back. She broke her own wrists because of that. How could you blame me? Go ahead and ask your honorable Shijie, did I attack her even for half a stance?”

Zhou Zhiruo flashed a questioning look at Ding Minjun. Ding Minjun angrily said, “Take these two to see Shifu, let the Senior punish them.”

Zhou Zhiruo said, “If these two did not offend Shijie intentionally, in Xiao Mei’s [little sister – referring to self] opinion, it’s always better to let it go, turning an enemy into a friend.”

“What?” Ding Minjun angrily shouted, “Are you siding with the outsiders?”

Looking at Ding Minjun’s expression, Zhang Wuji remembered one night a few years ago, when Monk PengYingyu was besieged by enemies in the forest, in which Ding Minjun showed hostility toward Ji Xiaofu. History repeated itself today. Ding Minjun again was forcing her will to her young martial sister. He could not help but secretly worry for Zhou Zhiruo. But Zhou Zhiruo was very respectful toward Ding Minjun.

“Xiao Mei will follow Shijie’s instructions, will not dare to disobey,” she said with a bow.

“Alright,” Ding Minjun said, “Seize this stinky girl, break both of her hands.”

“Yes,” Zhou Zhiruo replied, “I am asking Shijie to help watch my back.” Turning around toward the peasant girl, she said, “Please forgive Xiao Mei for being rude; I want to request Jiejie’s [older sister] expert instructions.”

The peasant girl said with a cold laugh, “Where did this wordy girl come from?” While in her heart she said, “Do you think I am afraid of this little girl?”

Without relying on Zhang Wuji’s help, she sprang up and fast as a lightning launched three palm strikes in succession. Zhou Zhiruo leaned sideways and rushed forward, her left palm tried to capture the girl’s hand. She had used an offensive strike as a defensive mechanism, her gambit was rather ingenious.

Although Zhang Wuji’s internal energy was strong, his knowledge of movements in martial arts had not reached the level of complete comprehension. As he watched Zhou Zhiruo and the peasant girl fight a fast-paced battle; Zhou Zhiruo’s ‘mian zhang’ [soft palm] from Emei Pai was agile and swift, while the peasant girl’s palm technique was weird and mysterious, he was very impressed, but also concerned about the two combatants. He did not care who would win; he only hoped that neither one of them would be injured.

The two women fought for more than twenty stances; each had fallen into dangerous situations several times. Suddenly the peasant girl called out, “Got you!” Her left palm hacked down on Zhou Zhiruo’s shoulder.

‘Rip!’ Zhou Zhiruo flipped her hand and pulled the peasant girl’s sleeve. Both of them leaped back immediately. Their faces were red.

“Good ‘Qin Na’ [grab and capture] technique!” the peasant girl shouted. She was about to jump back into the arena when she saw Zhou Zhiruo wrinkle her brows with her hand pressing her chest. She staggered two steps and swayed as if she was about to tumble.

Zhang Wuji could not stop from calling out, “You … you …” His face showed a very deep concern.

Seeing this man with long hair and long beard show deep concern toward her, Zhou Zhiruo was secretly astonished.

“Shimei, how are you?” Ding Minjun asked.

Placing her left hand on her martial sister’s shoulder for support, Zhou Zhiruo shook her head. Ding Minjun had suffered pain from the peasant girl, she knew the peasant girl was very fierce. It was just that their Shifu often praised this young martial sister, saying that her perception was wonderfully deep, her progress was amazingly rapid. She would most likely play a very important role on the advancement of their Sect in the future. It was hard for Ding Minjun to accept, therefore, she told her to give it a try, with the hope that she would also suffer some pain under the peasant girl’s hands. Seeing her Shimei was able to fight the peasant girl for more than twenty stances without suffering any defeat, which exceeded her by a large margin, Ding Minjun was very jealous in her heart.

Feeling the hand leaning on her shoulder was without any strength, she knew her Shimei’s injury was not light. Afraid that the peasant girl would attack, she said hastily, “Let’s go!” Supporting each other, the two of them walked toward northeast.

The peasant girl noticed Zhang Wuji’s expression. “Ugly freak,” she said with a cold laugh, “Seeing a beautiful girl makes your soul fly to the heavens.”

Zhang Wuji wanted to explain, but he thought, “I won’t be able to explain this matter clearly without revealing my history. I might as well not say anything.” Thereupon he said, “Whether she is beautiful or not, what does that have anything to do with me? I was concerned about you, I was afraid you might be injured.”

“Are you telling me the truth?” the peasant girl asked.

Zhang Wuji thought, “Actually, I was concerned about both of you.” He said, “Why would I lie to you? I am surprised that such a young girl from Emei Pai can possess such an excellent martial art skill.”

“Fierce! Very fierce!” the peasant girl said.

Zhang Wuji turned his gaze toward Zhou Zhiruo’s back, thinking that she came with light and graceful steps but left staggering. He remembered how on the boat on the Hanshui River she helped feed him, gave him towel to wipe his tears. He wished her injury was not heavy.

Suddenly the peasant girl laughed coldly and said, “You don’t have to be worried, she was never been injured. When I said ‘fierce’, I was not talking about her martial art skill, but she is such a young girl, yet her quick thinking and scheming ability is this fierce.”

“She was not injured?” Zhang Wuji wondered.

“That’s right!” the peasant girl said, “When my palm hacked on her shoulder, her shoulder produced internal energy reaction, which diverted my palm. Turns out she has trained the Emei Jiu Yang Gong [Nine Yang energy/power], with which she shook my arm that it went slightly numb and painful. Where did her injury come from?”

Zhang Wuji was greatly delighted; he thought, “Could it be that she is highly favorable in Miejue Shitai’s eyes that unexpectedly she passed on the Emei Pai treasured skill, Emei Jiu Yang Gong, to her?”

Suddenly the peasant girl heavily slapped Zhang Wuji’s face with the back of her hand. Her action was so sudden that Zhang Wuji was caught off guard and his cheek turned red and swollen at once.

“You … why did you do that?” he angrily asked.

The peasant girl hatefully said, “Seeing that beautiful girl, your soul fly to the heavens. I said she was not injured, why are you this happy?”

“I am happy for her, what does it do to you?” Zhang Wuji replied.

The peasant girl swung her palm again, but this time Zhang Wuji ducked that she missed. The peasant girl angrily said, “You said you are going to take me as your wife. It is still less than half a day and you already changed your mind as soon as you saw that pretty girl.”

“You have said it early on that I am not fit to marry you,” Zhang Wuji retorted, “You also said that your heart has already belonged to this boyfriend of yours, so you cannot marry me.”

“That’s right,” the peasant girl said, “But you have promised me that you will treat me well for the rest of our lives, that you will take a good care of me.”

“Of course I will keep my promise,” Zhang Wuji said.

The peasant girl was angry. “If that’s the case, why did you lose your soul as soon as you saw this good-looking young woman? That is very aggravating to those who look at you.”

Zhang Wuji laughed. “I did not lose my soul,” he said.

“I forbid you to like her,” the peasant girl said, “I forbid you to even think of her.”

“I’ve never said I liked her,” Zhang Wuji said, “But why do you always have another in your heart, and never forget him?”

“I met him first,” the peasant girl said, “If I know you first, then all my life I would be good to you only, and would not think about other people. This is called ‘faithful unto death’ [Confucian ban on widow remarrying]. The Heaven will not tolerate a double-minded person.”

Zhang Wuji thought, “I knew Zhou family girl long before I met you.” But it was inappropriate for him to say so, thereupon he said, “If you are good to me only, then I will be good to you only. If you remember another in your heart, I will also remember another in my heart.”

The peasant girl was silent for half a day. Several times she seemed to open her mouth to speak, but each time she stopped. Suddenly tears started to flow from her eyes. She turned around so Zhang Wuji would not see her wiping her tears with her sleeve.

Zhang Wuji could not bear to see her crying. He grabbed her hand and said in a soft voice, “Why did we say these things without any reason at all? In a few more days my legs will be healed, and then the two of us will travel everywhere to have fun, won’t that be great?”

The peasant girl turned her head; with an anxious look on her face she said, “Ahniu Gege, I want to ask you one thing, but you must not get angry.”

“What is it?” Zhang Wuji asked, “As long as it is within my power, I will do it for you.”

“You must promise me not to get angry first before I tell you,” the peasant girl said.

“Alright, I won’t,” Zhang Wuji promised.

The peasant girl hesitated for a moment before saying, “With your mouth you said you won’t get angry, but I also want you not to be angry in your heart.”

“Alright, I also will not be angry in my heart,” Zhang Wuji said.

The peasant girl flipped her hands so that she was holding Zhang Wuji’s hands now. “Ahniu Gege,” she said, “The reason I travelled for tens of thousands ‘li’ from the Central Plains to this remote Western Region was to look for him. Before, I still heard news about him; but as soon as I arrived here, he vanished just like a stone sank in the ocean and I have never heard anything about him anymore. After your legs are healed, help me to find him, and afterwards I will accompany you roaming the mountains and playing on the rivers, will that be alright?”

Zhang Wuji could not restrain from feeling unhappy. “Humph,” he snorted.

The peasant girl said, “You promised me not to get angry; aren’t you angry right now?”

Feeling uncomfortable, Zhang Wuji said, “Alright, I’ll help you find him.”

The peasant girl was delighted. “Ahniu Gege,” she said, “You are very kind.” Looking toward the distant horizon, her heart was beating fast with the memory of ‘him’, she said quietly, “When we find him, he will know that I have been looking for him for such a long time that he won’t be angry with me. I will do whatever he says, I will obey whatever he tells me to do.”

Zhang Wuji said, “Tell me, what is so good about this boyfriend of yours that you always keep him in your mind like this?”

The peasant girl smiled slightly and said, “How can I explain how good he is? Ahniu Ge, do you think we will be able to find him? When he sees me, will he beat me, scold me?”

Seeing how childish her affection was, Zhang Wuji could not help but feel sorry for her. He said in a low voice, “I don’t think so. He will not beat you or scold you.”

The peasant girl’s cherry lips quivered; tears welled up in her eyes. Also in a low voice she said, “That’s true, he will love me and pity me that he won’t beat me or scold me anymore.”

Zhang Wuji thought, “This girl loves her boyfriend this much. If only there was someone in this world who loves me and misses me like her, I will be happy even if I have to suffer more hardships and pain.” He turned his gaze to the pair of footprints Zhou Zhiruo and Ding Minjun left on the snow, thinking, “I wish Ding Minjun’s footprints were mine; if I could walk side by side with Miss Zhou …”

“Aiyo!” suddenly the peasant girl called out, “Let’s go, quick! It will be too late if we tarry.”

“What?” Zhang Wuji was awakened from his daydreaming.

The peasant girl said, “That Emei girl was not willing to fight with me so she feigned injury. But that Ding Minjun insisted on her to take us to see their Shifu. Miejue Shitai must be somewhere near. This old thief nun always loves to outdo others, how can she not come over?”

Zhang Wuji recalled how Miejue Shitai struck Ji Xiaofu to her death without showing any mercy; he could not help from shuddering. “This old nun is very fierce,” he said in fright, “We are definitely not her match.”

“Have you met her?” the peasant girl asked.

“She is the Emei Pai Zhangmen [Sect Leader], how can she be an ordinary person?” Zhang Wuji replied, “I can’t walk yet, you’d better run away quickly.”

“Humph,” the peasant girl was angry, “How can I abandon you and escape alone? You think my conscience is that bad?” Creasing her eyebrows, she thought hard for a moment. She took several pieces of stiff firewood from the pile and twisted the flexible ones as the ropes to build a snow sled. Carrying Zhang Wuji in her arms, she helped him sit on the sled with his legs stretched out straight; and then she pulled the sled toward the northwest direction.

Zhang Wuji only saw her slender figure sway, just like a lotus leaf blown by the early morning breeze; her back looked graceful, her posture beautiful. She towed the sled just like a breeze of wind flitting across the snowy ground.

She sped along without pausing for about thirty, forty ‘li’. Zhang Wuji felt bad for her. “Hey, let’s get some rest first!” he called out.

The peasant girl laughed. “Who do you called ‘hey’?” she said, “Don’t I have a name?”

“You don’t want to tell me; what can I do?” Zhang Wuji replied, “You wanted me to call you Miss Chou, but I think you are attractive.”

The peasant girl scoffed; she let out a mouthful of breath then halted her steps. Pushing a stray hair, she said, “Very well, there is no harm in telling you. I am called Zhu’er.”

“Zhu’er, Zhu’er,” Zhang Wuji said, “You are truly a precious pearl.” [Translator’s note: ‘zhu’ of ‘spider’ and ‘pearl’ sound the same in Chinese, and ‘pearl’ is a more common name for girls.]

“Pei!” the peasant girl spat, “Not ‘Zhu’ of pearl [zhen zhu], but ‘Zhu’ of spider [zhi zhu].”

Zhang Wuji was stunned. “Who would have used this ‘spider’ character as a name?” he mused.

“That’s my name,” Zhu’er said, “If you are scared, don’t call me.”

“Did your Papa give you that name?” Zhang Wuji asked.

“Humph,” Zhu’er said, “If my Papa gave me that name, do you think I would want it? It was my Ma. She trained me the ‘qian zhu wan du shou’ [hand of a thousand spiders ten-thousand posion], so she said for me to use that name.”

Hearing the five characters ‘qian zhu wan du shou’, Zhang Wuji shuddered inwardly.

“I have started training since I was a kid, yet I still have far to go,” Zhu’er said, “When I have mastered this skill, I will not have to fear this old thief nun Miejue. Do you want to see it?” While saying that, she took a glistening yellow gold case from her bosom. She opened the lid and showed two spiders, about the size of a thumb, squirming inside.

The spiders’ back were spotted with bright, multi-colored dots, dazzling the eye. Zhang Wuji immediately remembered that Wang Nan’gu’s Poison Manual did mention that the spotted spiders were the most poisonous insects; once a human was bitten, he would be beyond help. Zhang Wuji could not help but feel very scared.

Looking at his serious expression, Zhu’er laughed and said, “You know the benefit of my precious spiders. Just wait a moment.” As she said that, she leaped onto a large tree and looked around. Then she leaped back down to the ground and said, “Let us go a little bit farther; we can leisurely talk about spiders later.”

Pulling the sled along, she ran about seven, eight ‘li’ until they arrived at the edge of a canyon. She helped Zhang Wuji out of the sled and she put several large rocks in his place. Pulling the sled, she ran toward the canyon. When she got to the edge of the canyon, she abruptly halted her steps, while the sled continued its journey into the canyon below. The sled, along with the rocks on it, crashed into the canyon with a loud, resounding sound, which continued for a long time.

Zhang Wuji turned his head back and saw the firewood sled had left a pair of tracks, snaking on the snowy ground, as far as his eyes could see. Following the tracks with his eyes, he saw the tracks disappeared at the edge of the canyon. He thought, “This girl’s thinking is so thorough. If Miejue Shitai followed us here, she would think that we fell into the snowy canyon below, and died with none of our bones survived.”

Zhu’er stooped down and said, “Get on my back!”

“Are you going to carry me? You will be too tired,” Zhang Wuji said.

Zhu’er rolled her eyes and said, “Do you think I won’t know it if I am tired or not?”

Zhang Wuji did not dare to talk too much, he quietly got on her back and very lightly hugged her neck.

Zhu’er laughed and said, “Are you afraid you will choke me to death? Your hands and feet are very light; you are only tickling me to death.”

Seeing she was so innocent and without any apprehension toward him, Zhang Wuji was delighted; he hugged her neck tighter. Zhu’er leaped up suddenly and brought him flying to a tree. The row of trees extended toward the west, so Zhu’er leaped from one tree to another, also heading west. Her stature was small and delicate; Zhang Wuji was big and tall, but her feet were nimble and did not show the least bit of being over-burdened.

After leaping about seventy, eighty trees, she jumped to a mountain wall and then leaped down to the ground. She gently lowered him to the ground, and said with a laugh, “We are going to build a cowshed in here. This is the perfect place.”

“Cowshed?” Zhang Wuji wondered, “Why would we build a cowshed?”

“For the bull and the cow to stay, of course,” Zhu’er laughed, “Aren’t you called Ahniu?” [Translator’s note: The ‘niu’ character of Ahniu means ‘cow/bull’.]

“That’s not necessary,” Zhang Wuji said, “In four, five days, my broken legs will be healed completely. Actually, if I am forced to walk, I think I can manage without problem.”

“Humph!” Zhu’er said, “Forced to walk? Right now you are already an ugly freak, if your cow legs are lame, will you look good?” While saying that, she took a strip of branch and swept the snow accumulated beside the mountain rock.

Hearing her say, ‘Will you look good if your cow legs are lame?’ Zhang Wuji suddenly realized that she had a deep concern toward him; he could not help his heart from being touched. He heard her humming a tune while pulling and breaking branches and twigs to build a canopy in between two boulders, so that the thatched roof and the boulders formed a hut, an attractive little cabin which they could use to take shelter.

As soon as the hut was finished, Zhu’er scooped piles and piles of snow and spread the snow on the roof. Working hard for half a day, she got the hut completely hidden in snow that it was not visible from the outside. Only then did she stop, took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her face.

“Wait here,” she said, “I am going to find something to eat.”

“I am not that hungry,” Zhang Wuji said, “You are too tired. Why don’t you take a short rest before going again?”

Zhu’er said, “If you want to treat me well, you must treat me really well. If you only sweet-talk me, what good would that bring?” Without waiting for an answer, she entered the woods in quick steps.

Staying on the mountain rock, Zhang Wuji recalled Zhu’er’s tender voice and her graceful manners, which was the style of a refined woman. Her face might be ugly, but he remembered how just before her death, his mother had admonished him, ‘The more beautiful that woman is, the better of a manipulator she will be. You must take more caution.’ Zhu’er was not pretty, yet her treatment to him was fabulous; he had a mind of spending the rest of his life with her. However, her heart had already belonged to another man; she had no regard of him in her heart.

Zhang Wuji’s heart was like a tidal wave as his mind raced in myriads of thoughts. Shortly afterwards Zhu’er returned with two snow birds. She built a fire and roasted the birds; it was tasty beyond comparison. Zhang Wuji ate one bird clean to its bone, but it was not enough for him. Zhu’er pursed her lips and laughed then she pushed her two bird legs, which she saved earlier, to him. Actually, she saved the legs because it was her favorite part of the chicken.

Zhang Wuji was about to decline when Zhu’er angrily said, “If you want to eat, just eat. Whoever speaks to me with pretense, saying something without meaning it, I will stab three holes on his body with a knife.”

Zhang Wuji did not dare to talk too much, he ate the two bird legs. Because his mouth was greasy, he picked up a handful of snow from the ground and wiped his face, then used his sleeve to dry it up. Zhu’er happened to turn her head and saw him wiping his face clean. She could not help from being startled and stared at him.

Zhang Wuji was embarrassed; “What is it?” he asked.

Zhu’er said, “How old are you?”

“Twenty one,” Zhang Wuji replied.

“Hmm,” Zhu’er said, “You are only three years older than I am. Why do you have such a long beard?”

Zhang Wuji laughed and said, “I lived alone in a remote valley deep in the mountains, I have never met anybody else, so I have never thought of shaving.”

Zhu’er took out a knife with golden handle from her side and raised it to his face to shave him slowly. Zhang Wuji felt the blade was very sharp; everywhere the knife touched, hair immediately fell. Feeling her soft and tender palm and fingers, Zhang Wuji could not stop his heart from beating faster.

The knife slowly arrived at his neck. Zhu’er laughed and said, “If I exert a little bit more force, your throat will be cut and you’ll become a ghost. Are you or are you not afraid?”

Zhang Wuji also laughed, “To die under Miss’ jade-like hands, I will become a happy ghost.”

Zhu’er flipped the knife and pressed hard on his throat with the back of the knife. “Then be a happy ghost!” she shouted.

Zhang Wuji was scared and wanted to jump, but her movement was swift, the knife was also very close. As he was about to jump, the blade had already slashed. He was powerless to resist, but the Jiu Yang Shen Gong inside his body reacted automatically and shook the knife sideways. It was then that he knew she was only using the back of the blade.

Zhu’er felt a jolt on her arm. “Aiyo!” she cried out, but then giggled immediately. “Are you happy?” she asked.

Zhang Wuji laughed and nodded his head. His natural disposition was rather serious, but in front of Zhu’er he somehow felt free and unrestrained. It was as if he had known her since childhood and they grew up together; he felt unexplainably at ease and even had an urge to joke around with her.

Finished with shaving him clean, Zhu’er stared at him for half a day. Suddenly she heaved a deep sigh.

“What is it?” Zhang Wuji asked.

Zhu’er did not reply, she trimmed his hair a little bit, combed it, and tied the hair into a bun. She carved a hairpin from a tree branch and stuck it into his bun. After he was tidied up, although his clothes were tattered and unsightly (as a matter of fact, the clothes were too short and a few sizes too small for him, as if they were stolen clothes), his countenance glowed; the ugly freak has turned into one handsome young man.

Zhu’er sighed again and said, “I have never thought you are such a handsome man.”

Zhang Wuji knew she was disheartened by her own ugliness; thereupon he said, “I am not that handsome. Besides, among the beautiful things in this world, oftentimes there is some bad thing hidden inside. The peacocks are adorned with beautiful feathers, but their gallbladders are extremely poisonous. Manchurian cranes’ crest are bright red, very pretty, who would have thought that it was the most lethal poison? Within the various snakes and insects, oftentimes the more beautiful it looks, the more venomous it is. Aren’t those two spiders of yours beautiful? What good is it to have a handsome appearance? A good heart is more desirable.”

Zhu’er sneered and said, “What good is it to have a good heart? Why don’t you explain it to me?”

Zhang Wuji could not find the answer right away. After being silent for a while, he said, “A man with a good heart will not harm others.”

“What good is it in not harming others?” Zhu’er pressed.

Zhang Wuji said, “If you don’t harm others, you will have a peaceful heart, you will be calm and composed.”

“I don’t feel happy if I don’t harm others,” Zhu’er said, “If I can make others miserable beyond words, then my heart will be happy and peaceful, and then I will be calm and composed.”

Zhang Wuji shook his head. “You are forcing anarchy and robbing justice,” he said.

With a cold laugh Zhu’er said, “If not for the purpose of harming others, why would I want to train this ‘qian zhu wan du shou’? I have to endure vast and limitless pain and suffering, do you think it was all for fun?” While saying that, she sat cross-legged on the ground, and after circulating her internal energy for a while, she took the small golden case from her bosom, opened the lid, and stuck her two index fingers into the golden case.

The pair of colorful spiders inside the case crawled slowly toward her fingers and then the spiders bit the tip of her fingers separately. She took a deep breath, her arms slightly trembled as she used her internal energy to resist the poison. The colorful spiders fed on her blood, but in turn Zhu’er sucked the spiders’ venom into her body by reversing her blood flow.

Zhang Wuji saw her face was solemn while at the same time a faint black layer appeared on the center of her eyebrows and both of her temples. She clenched her teeth to endure the pain with all her might. A moment later, beads of perspiration started to form on the tip of her nose.

Zhu’er trained this special skill for almost an hour, until the spiders were full with blood, with their belly bulged that they looked like a couple of furry balls; they dropped on their belly inside the case and fell asleep. Zhu’er continued circulating her internal energy for a good while. The blackness on her face gradually disappeared and the blood returned to her cheeks. When she exhaled, Zhang Wuji could smell that her breath was fragrant, but he felt dizzy immediately. Obviously her breath contained a violent poison.

Zhu’er opened her eyes and smiled slightly. Zhang Wuji asked, “How do you train to reach perfection?”

Zhu’er said, “Each colorful spider must turn to black, and then from black turn to white, then the venom is exhausted and it will die, while the poison inside the spider is completely transferred into my fingers. I need at least a hundred spiders to reach small success. To really reach perfection, a thousand or two are not considered too many.”

Hearing her saying so, Zhang Wuji could not restrain the hair on his back from standing up. “Where did you get these many spiders?” he asked.

“One way is to raise them, they can produce little spiders,” Zhu’er replied, “Another way would be to catch them in their original habitat.”

“There are so many different martial art skills in the world,” Zhang Wuji exclaimed, “Why must you train this kind of poisonous skill? The spiders’ venom is extremely violent; granted that you have a way to withstand it if it enters your body, but in the long run it won’t give you any benefits.”

With a cold laugh Zhu’er said, “No doubt there are many different martial art skills in the world, but which one school’s skill is superior to this ‘qian zhu wan du shou’ in terms of fierceness? You may rely on your strong internal energy, but when I reach perfection, you may not necessarily able to withstand one poke of my finger.” While saying that, she concentrated her ‘chi’ into her fin