East and west are forever apart like Orion and Antares.

After singing that song, Yin Li continued singing another tune. This time the song was unspeakably weird, the melody was totally different from songs of the Central Earth. If one listened closely, they would be able to discern the words, which were also similar to the song Xiao Zhao used to sing, ‘Coming like the running water, departing like the wind; wonder where it came from, and where it will end!’

She sang these two songs over and over again, while her voice getting softer and softer, until finally her voice was drowned by the noise of the wind and the waves. Everybody pondered how life and death was not eternal; one came into this world lightly, just like the flowing water of the river, without knowing where it came from. It does not matter if you are a hero or a warrior, death is inevitable in the end, coming out of this world also lightly, just like the blowing wind, without knowing where it would go. Zhang Wuji felt that Zhao Min’s delicate fingers in his hand were as cold as ice, and they slightly trembled.

Xie Xun suddenly said, “This is a Persian song; Mrs. Han must have taught her. One evening twenty years ago, I heard this song at the BrightnessPeak. Ay, I can’t believe Mrs. Han could be that heartless to hurt this child with a cruel hand.”

“Laoye Zi,” Zhao Min asked, “How did Mrs. Han know about a Persian song? Was it a Ming Cult’s song?”

Xie Xun replied, “Ming Cult’s origin is from Persia, so this Persian song is somewhat related to the Ming Cult; but it is not a Ming Cult song. This song was written by the most famous Persian poet Omar Khayyam more than two hundred years ago; it was said that every Persian could sing this song. When I heard Mrs. Han sing this song, I was touched; thereupon I asked her the story behind this song, and she told me everything:

There was a great Persian philosopher by the name of Imam Mowaffaq Nishapuri; among his disciples, there were three outstanding students: Omar Khayyam, who was a master in literature studies, Nizam-ul-Mulk, who was an expert in political studies, and Hassan-i-Sabah, who excelled in martial arts. These three were good friends and bound themselves in an oath, to face fortune and adversity together, and not to forget each other in riches and honor.

Later on because of his accomplishment, Nizam-al-Mulk became Vizier to the Seljukid Empire. His two old friends came to seek shelter. Nizam entreated the Shah, and Hassan was granted an official position. Omar was not willing to be a government official; he only asked for annual provision so that he could research and study astronomy, almanac and mathematics, also to drink wine and write poems in peace. Nizam generously granted each of his friends’ requests.

Unexpectedly, Hassan was ambitious; he was unwilling to be someone else’s subordinate for long and thus staged a rebellion. His attempt was foiled and he fled to a mountain. Later on he became the chief of a sect whose prestige shook the world. This sect specifically took murder as their service, and was called the Hashhashin Sect. During the Crusades, whenever someone in the western region mentioned the name of The Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan, no hearts would be exempt from shaking in fear. Many of the western region’s rulers lost their lives under the innumerable assassins under The Old Man of the Mountain.

Mrs. Han told me that in the far west [i.e. Europe] there is one great nation called England. This country’s King Edward has offended The Old Man of the Mountain, so he dispatched a band of assassins. The King was wounded by a poisoned blade. Luckily, the Queen sacrificed herself to save her husband by sucking the poison from his wound. As a result, the King survived.

In spite of the kindness he received in the former days, Hassan dispatched his men to assassinate the Vizier, Nizam-al-Mulk. At the point of his death, the Vizier uttered Omar Khayyam’s verse; these two lines ‘Coming like the running water, departing like the wind; wonder where it came from, and where it will end.’

Mrs. Han also told me that afterwards, the martial art from The Old Man of the Mountain’s Sect was practiced by the people of the Persian Ming Cult. The Persian Three Emissaries’ martial art was odd in a strange way; I suppose it stemmed from The Old Man of the Mountain’s martial art.”

“Laoye Zi,” Zhao Min said, “This Mrs. Han’s character is similar to that of The Old Man of the Mountain; you treated her with utmost kindness, yet she plotted to harm you.”

Xie Xun sighed, “It is common for people to repay kindness with evil; what’s so strange about that?” he said.

Zhao Min lowered her head and was silent for half a day before saying, “Mrs. Han was the chief of the Ming Cult’s Four Kings, but her martial art skill is not necessarily superior to Laoye Zi. Last night, why didn’t she use the deathly stances of ‘qian zhu wan du shou’ [hand of thousand spiders ten thousands poisons] when she fought with the Persian Three Emissaries?”

“Qian zhu wan du shou?” Xie Xun asked, “Mrs. Han does not know that skill. She is a woman of an outstanding beauty, and she cherishes her appearance more than her life; how could she be willing to practice this kind of skill?”

Zhang Wuji, Zhao Min and Zhou Zhiruo were startled; they thought Jin Hua Popo was ugly. Looking at her present appearance, even if she was thirty, forty years younger, it would be very difficult for them to say that she possessed an outstanding beauty. Her nose was crooked and her lips thick; her face was oval-shaped, her ears as big as a pair of fans. Certainly these features would not change over time.

Zhao Min laughed and said, “Laoye Zi, I’ll say Jin Hua Popo’s beauty is nowhere near ‘outstanding.’”

“What?” Xie Xun said, “Zi Shan Long Wang’s [purple-robed dragon king] beauty is similar to deities’. Twenty some years ago she was the Wulin World’s Number One Beauty. Granted that she is advanced in years now, but her gracefulness in the past should still be there … Ay, too bad I cannot see her anymore.”

Listening to him speaking seriously, Zhao Min had a vague feeling that something was wrong; this ugly, hunched back and sickly woman was the Wulin World’s Number One Beauty? Nobody would buy that. “Laoye Zi,” she asked, “Your name shook the Jianghu, your martial art skill is high, so nobody would doubt you. Bai Mei Ying Wang [white-browed eagle king] founded a cult. He managed to stand equally with the six major sects, and even fought valiantly against them for over twenty years. Qing Yi Fu Wang [green-winged bat king] comes and goes like a ghost. That day at the Wan An Temple he threatened to destroy my face; hereafter if I think about it, I am still shivering in fear. On the other hand Jin Hua Popo to have a position above the other three is rather unsuitable although her martial art skill is also high and quite resourceful. I wonder why?”

Xie Xun replied, “That was because Yin Er Ge [Second (older Brother Yin], Wei Si Di [Fourth (younger) Brother Wei) and I, three people were willing to yield to her.”

“Why?” Zhao Min asked. Suddenly she chuckled and said, “Because she was the most beautiful woman in the world, three great heroes were willing to submit under her skirt?” She was a Mongolian woman, who did not confine herself to senior-junior propriety; whatever came into her mind, she would unscrupulously blurt it out as a joke toward Xie Xun.

Surprisingly, Xie Xun was not angered. He sighed and said, “Do you think only three people who willingly submitted under her skirt? If I say there were a hundred people inside and outside the Cult who hoped to attain Taj-kis’ favor, I am afraid that number is still too few.”

“Taj-kis?” Zhao Min wondered, “Is that Mrs. Han? How come her name is so strange?”

“She is a Persian,” Xie Xun said, “That is a Persian name.”

Zhang Wuji, Zhao Min and Zhou Zhiruo were stunned; “She is a Persian?” they asked almost simultaneously.

“Can’t you all see?” Xie Xun was surprised, “She was born of a mixed marriage between a Chinese and a Persian. Her hair and eyes are black, but her nose is high and her eyes deep; her skin is as white as snow; greatly different from the women of the Central Plains. It is so easy to distinguish.”

“No, no!” Zhao Min said, “Her nose is low, her eyes are like a pair of slits on her face; completely different from your description. Zhang Gongzi, isn’t that right?”

“That’s right,” Zhang Wuji said, “Could it be that she is like Ku Toutuo, deliberately destroying her own face?”

“Who is Ku Toutuo?” Xie Xun asked.

“He is the Ming Cult’s Guang Ming You Shi [right emissary of the brightness], Fan Yao,” Zhang Wuji replied. Thereupon he briefly told him how Fan Yao had destroyed his face and entered the RuyangPalace as a spy.

Xie Xun sighed, “This act by Fan Xiong [brother Fan], done in pain and suffering, was a great merit to our Cult; not everybody is capable of doing that. Ay, part of it was also because of Mrs. Han’s affair.”

“Laoye Zi,” Zhao Min said, “Please don’t keep us in suspense. Why don’t you tell us everything from beginning to the end?”

“Hmm,” Xie Xun raised his head up and was lost in thought for half a day before he slowly said, “Twenty some years ago, the Ming Cult was quite prosperous under Yang Jiaozhu’s leadership. One particular day three Persian foreigners suddenly appeared at the BrightnessPeak, to deliver the personal letter of the Persian Central Cult’s Jiaozhu addressed to Yang Jiaozhu. The letter said that the Persian Central Cult had a Jing Shan Shizhe [lit. clean and virtuous emissary], who was Chinese. He had lived in Persia for a long time; joined the Ming Cult, and rendered quite a few meritorious services. He married a Persian woman and had a daughter. This Jing Shan Shizhe passed away a year ago. On his deathbed he remembered his native land and wished his daughter be sent to China. The Central Cult’s Jiaozhu honored his wish and thus dispatched some people to escort his daughter to the BrightnessPeak; hoping that the Central Earth’s Ming Cult would look after her.

Yang Jiaozhu readily agreed and invited the daughter to come in. As that young woman entered the main hall, immediately it was as if the hall was filled with a glorious light; nothing could describe her glaring beauty. As she knelt down to pay her respects toward Yang Jiaozhu, there wasn’t any one who was not shaken among everybody in that hall, including the Left and Right Brightness Emissaries, the three Protector Kings, the Five Wanderers and the Five-Element Flags.

The three Persian escorts only stayed at the BrightnessPeak overnight; they took their leave the very next day. Since then, this glamorous Persian girl, Taj-kis lived at the BrightnessPeak.”

“Laoye Zi,” Zhao Min said with a laugh, “At that time you were also mesmerized by this glamorous Persian woman, were you not? Come on, don’t be shy; admit it honestly.”

“No!” Xie Xun shook his head, “At that time I was a newlywed; I loved my wife dearly, and she was pregnant. How could I think about another woman?”

“Oy,” Zhai Min muttered, silently scolding herself for making an indiscreet remark. She knew that Xie Xun’s wife and son were killed by Cheng Kun. This time she inadvertently brought it up, she knew she would unavoidably bring grief to Xie Xun’s heart; hastily she said, “That’s right, that’s right! No wonder Mrs. Han said that when she married Yin Ye Xian Sheng [Mr. Silver Leaf], everybody on the BrightnessPeak opposed her, except Yang Jiaozhu and you, who treated her very well. I bet Jiaozhu’s wife was not only beautiful, but also an expert in martial arts, so she won over her husband’s heart.”

“Yang Jiaozhu was generous, brave and chivalrous,” Xie Xun said, “Taj-kis’ age was appropriate to be his daughter. Besides, the Persian Central Cult has entrusted her to him, so Yang Jiaozhu always treated her with utmost respect; definitely he did not have any inappropriate thoughts against her. Mrs. Jiaozhu was my Shifu’s shimei [martial (younger) sister], she was my Shigu [martial aunt]. Yang Jiaozhu loved his wife very much.”

Cheng Kun had killed his entire family; Xie Xun bore a long and deep hatred toward him but when mentioning Cheng Kun’s name, Xie Xun said it lightly, as if he was mentioning other people’s name.

Zhao Min asked, “I heard when he was young, Ku Toutuo Fan Yao was a very handsome man. Did he fall in love with Taj-kis?”

Xie Xun nodded; “It was love at first sight,” he said, “Later on it became a kind of infatuation written-in-his-heart and engraved-on-his-bone. In fact, I am afraid I seldom find a man whose heart was not moved by Taj-kis’ beauty. But the Ming Cult’ religious law is strict; everybody maintained self-control and propriety. In the end, only bachelors dared to show their admiration toward Taj-kis. Who would have thought that Taj-kis’s heart was as cold as ice; she was also a no-nonsense, unpretentious kind of person. Whoever revealed even a slight cordiality toward her would receive her harsh reprove; to the point of humiliating him so that he would fall from his honored position. My Shigu, Madame Jiaozhu, wanted to be the matchmaker between her and Fan Yao. Taj-kis flatly declined. Later on, she went as far as swore publicly, with a sword horizontally across her body, saying that she would never get married, and that she would rather die if anybody forced her. Because of this, everybody’s heart also turned cold towards her.

One day about half a year later, somebody from LingSheIsland came to the BrightnessPeak. He said his surname was Han, given name Qianye [lit. thousand leaves], a son of Yang Jiaozhu’s enemy of the former days. He came to avenge his father. Admittedly, nobody thought this youngster surnamed Han’s appearance was astonishing. Seeing his surprising boldness in coming to the BrightnessPeak to challenge Yang Jiaozhu, everybody burst out in laughter. But Yang Jiaozhu’s expression was serious; he received him as an honored guest and prepared a banquet to welcome him.

After the feast, Yang Jiaozhu explained to the brethrens how in the past due to a misunderstanding he had seriously injured this lad’s father using the ‘da jiu tian shou’ [great nine heavenly hands] that his father fell on his knees and was unable to stand back up. At that time the father said that he was going to avenge this enmity; only realizing his martial art skill would not advance anymore, he promised that he would send his son or his daughter.

Yang Jiaozhu said that whomever he would send, whether a son or a daughter, Yang Jiaozhu would yield to him or her for three stances. That man replied that he would not expect Yang Jiaozhu to yield, but he would ask that if they were to have a martial art duel, to have his son or daughter choose the method on how they would fight. At that time Yang Jiaozhu gave his consent.

A dozen or so years had passed; Yang Jiaozhu had already set this matter aside from his mind. Who would have thought that the man surnamed Han did indeed send his son to seek revenge. Everybody thought that it would be well if he did not come; but once he came, nothing good would happen to him [善者不来，来者不善 -‘shan zhe bu lai, lai zhe bu shan’]. This man dared to come alone to the BrightnessPeak, he must have had an astonishing skill. But Yang Jiaozhu’s martial art skill was very high; it could be said that nobody in this present age could be compared to him. Other than Wudang Pai’s Zhang Sanfeng Zhenren [lit. real/true man, a term of respect to address a Taoist priest], nobody would be able to take his one stance or half a form. How old could this man surnamed Han be? Yang Jiaozhu did not have anything to be worried about even if he was three times or five times his age. We were anxious only over how they were going to have their duel.

On the next day, in front of everybody Han Qianye first explained the agreement of the past, cornering Yang Jiaozhu so that he could not deny his promise, and then he presented his request. To everybody’s surprise, he wanted to fight against Yang Jiaozhu inside the ‘bi shui han tan’ [bluish green water cold pool] on the BrightnessPeak to decide victory or defeat.

As he said that, everybody was shocked. The water of ‘bi shui han tan’ was really cold, penetrating the bones. Even in the heat of the summer nobody dared to enter in, much less in the middle of the winter?

Although Yang Jiaozhu’s martial art skill was high, his water skill was only so-so. If he went into the ‘bi shui han tan’, , he would be frozen to death, or drown to his death inside the water without even contending in martial arts. At that moment, all warriors and heroes in the Sheng Huo Ting [holy fire hall] opened their mouths to denounce the young man.”

“That was a very difficult dilemma,” Zhang Wuji said, “Once a word left a real man’s mouth, four horses would not be able to chase it. Yang Jiaozhu had made a promise to that man surnamed Han that he would let his son or daughter to pick the way they would fight. That Han Qianye Lao Qianbei [senior, older generation] picked water battle; reasonably speaking, Yang Jiaozhu could not refuse.”

Zhao Min reached out to the back of his hand and pinched it lightly; she laughed and said, “That’s right! Once a word left a real man’s mouth, four horses would not be able to chase it. What kind of man was the Ming Cult’s Jiaozhu? How could he swallow back his words, break his own promise to the world? Once he gave his consent regarding other people’s matters, then he should fulfill his promise.”

She was saying that to Zhang Wuji, reminding him about the oath of honor between them; but of course Xie Xun did not know that. “That’s exactly so,” he said, “That day Han Qianye clearly said, ‘I am going up the BrightnessPeak alone, I am not hoping to go down this mountain alive. The heroes and warriors can simply kill me; nobody in the Jianghu will find out. I am only a nameless lowly character. What difference does it make if there is one less of me? If you want to kill me, go ahead.’ When everybody heard what he said, they could not say anything anymore.

Yang Jiaozhu was silent for half a day before he finally said, ‘Han Xiongdi [Brother Han], I have made an agreement with your honorable father. A hero must be frank; I already lost this duel. I am going to comply with whatever you have in mind.’

Han Qianye flipped his wrist and produced a brilliantly gleaming dagger; he pointed the dagger to his own chest and said, ‘This dagger is Xianfu’s [late/departed father] legacy; I am only asking Yang Jiaozhu to kowtow three times to this dagger.’

As the warriors heard him, there wasn’t anybody who was not angered; how could a Ming Cult’s Cult Leader take this humiliation? But Yang Jiaozhu has admitted defeat; according to the Jianghu custom, he had no choice but comply with the opponent’s wishes.

The situation was clear; Han Qianye came staking everything he got, as soon as Yang Jiaozhu kowtowed three times, he would immediately thrust the dagger into his own chest to avoid being killed by the warriors of the Ming Cult.

In that instant, the main hall was awfully quiet. The Brightness Left and Right Emissaries, Xiao Yao Er Xian [Xiao and Yao, two immortals], White-browed Eagle King Yin Er Ge [second (older) brother], Peng Yingyu Heshang [Buddhist monk], and the others are all excellent strategists, but facing this difficult problem, they were at their wits’ end. It was obvious to them that Han Qianye intended to humiliate Yang Jiaozhu the same way his father was forced to fall on his knees; and then he would kill himself.

In this critical moment, Taj-kis suddenly stepped forward and said to Yang Jiaozhu, ‘Father, he is a good and filial son; but don’t you also have a good and filial daughter? This Master Han is seeking revenge on behalf of his father, so it is only appropriate if your daughter fight him on your behalf. The older generation dealt with the older generation, the younger generation deals with the younger generation; no confusion in generational gap here.’

Everybody was surprised, ‘Why did she call Yang Jiaozhu ‘tie-tie’ [dad, father]?’ But straight away they understood, ‘She is pretending to be his daughter to help him out of this distress.’ They also thought, ‘Looking at her pretty and delicate features, does she know martial arts? Even if she does, her skill is certainly not too high, so to have a water battle in the ‘bi shui han tan’ is even more out of question.’

Yang Jiaozhu has not replied, Han Qianye has already laughed coldly and said, ‘It’s certainly all right if Miss wants to fight on behalf of your father; but if Miss loses, I am still going to insist that Yang Jiaozhu kowtow three times toward my Xianfu’s dagger.’ He has noticed that Taj-kis was a pretty and delicate girl, of course he did not consider her a threat to him.

Taj-kis replied, ‘What if Sire loses?’

Han Qianye said, ‘You want to kill me or chop me, it’s entirely up to you.’

‘Good!’ Taj-kis replied, ‘Let us go to the ‘bi shui han tan’ then.’ As she said that, she had already preceded him walking toward the pool.

Yang Jiaozhu hastily waved his hand, ‘No,’ he said, ‘This matter does not have anything to do with you.’

‘Father,’ Taj-kis replied, ‘Don’t you worry.’ And she respectfully knelt down to him. It was as if with this kneeling down, she acknowledged Yang Jiaozhu as her Yifu. Yang Jiaozhu saw that she had high confidence; other than that, he did not have any other idea. Hence, he was obliged to listen to her proposition.

Immediately everybody went to the ‘bi shui han tan’ on the northern side of the mountain. By that time the northern wind was blowing intensely, as we arrived by the pool side, the cold air attacked us furiously. Those whose internal energy was somewhat lower had already felt discomfort. The water in the pool had turned into ice for quite a while, below the surface the water looked deep blue, we could not see the bottom.

Yang Jiaozhu did not want Taj-kis to risk her life for him, he boldly said, ‘Dear Daughter, I accept your good intention, but let me fulfill Han Xiong’s wish.’ As he said that, he took off his outer garment, and with a single dagger in his hand he was ready to jump in; this time he had made up his mind not to back off.

Taj-kis smiled and said, ‘Father, your daughter grew up by the sea; since I was little my water skill has been very good.’ Immediately she unsheathed her sword and leaped to the middle of the pool. Standing on the ice she turned her sword to make a circle about two feet in diameter. With her left foot she treaded on the ice, ‘crack!’ the round ice broke and she jumped into the water.”

At that moment a gust of sea breeze from the north brushed their clothing. Xie Xun continued his narration, “Each time I recalled the scene by the ‘bi shui han tan’ that day, it always seems like yesterday to me. Taj-kis was wearing a lavender gown. Standing on the ice that day, she looked like the ‘ling bo xian zi’ [Immortal/Deity/Goddess Ling Bo]. Silently and instantly she disappeared into the water below; the crowd of warriors was amazed.

As Han Qianye watched the way she entered the water, the haughty expression on his face disappeared. He followed, jumping into the pool with the dagger in his hand.

The pool was dark green; nobody could see the battle raging underneath the surface from above the water, but the water was bubbling continuously.

After a while the bubbling gradually ceased. But before long the water started to bubble again. The Ming Cult warriors were extremely anxious. Those two had been in the water for a long time, how could they survive underwater for that long?

A moment later a wisp of dark red blood appeared on the green deep water. Everybody was even more anxious, not knowing if Taj-kis was injured. Suddenly ‘splash!’ Han Qianye jumped out from the water, gasping for breath, panting heavily.

Seeing him jumping out first, everybody was shocked; they surged forward and asked, ‘Where is Taj-kis? What happened to her?’ But then they saw that his hands were empty, his dagger was actually stuck on his right chest, while there was a long scar on each of his cheeks.

While everybody was still in shock, Taj-kis flew up from the water like a flying fish, with her sword in front of her body as a shield. She made a flip in the air and lightly landed on the ice. The warriors broke into loud cheers. Yang Jiaozhu went forward to grab her hand; he was speechless from extreme delight. Nobody would guess that this cute and tender girl possessed such magnificent water skill.

Taj-kis looked at Han Qianye and said, ‘Father, this man’s water skill is not bad. Taking into account that he was a filial son seeking revenge for his father, could his rudeness toward Jiaozhu be forgiven?’ Naturally, Yang Jiaozhu granted her request; he ordered Shen Yi [Divine Doctor] Hu Qingniu to treat his injury.

That very evening there was a huge banquet on the BrightnessPeak; everybody agreed that Taj-kis has rendered a great service to the Ming Cult. If not for her stepping out to take the matter over, Yang Jiaozhu’s reputation would go down the drain. Immediately a position in the Cult was arranged. Madame Yang bestowed to her the title ‘Zi Shan Long Wang’, and given her the same authority as the Eagle King, Lion King and Bat King. We, the other three kings, were most willing to let her hold the chief position among the four kings; since her great merit that day easily surpassed the other three kings’ merits of the past. Afterwards the three ‘hu jiao fa wang’ and she, four brothers and sister, agreed on how to address each other; hence she called me ‘Xie San Ge’ ever since.

[Translator’s note: ‘hu jiao fa wang’ (‘hu’ – protect, ‘jiao’ – Cult, ‘fa’ – law, ‘wang’ – king) has been translated as ‘Protector King’ throughout this novel. I believe the more accurate translation should be ‘Protector of the Cult, Law Enforcement King’, or ‘Judge’. (The same ‘fa wang’ was translated ‘imperial priest’, as in Jin Lun Fa Wang, in Shen Diao Xia Lu – RoCH) I am going to keep using the term ‘Protector King’, interchangeably with ‘fa wang’ for the remainder of this novel; I want the readers to be informed that the term carries a broader sense than simply ‘Protector King.’]

The battle of ‘bi shui han tan’ has brought another repercussion beyond anybody’s anticipation. Han Qianye was defeated in the battle, but somehow he won Taj-kis’ heart. I don’t know whether it was because she visited him on his sick bed everyday, or love grew out of pity, or passion out of regret; but when Han Qianye recovered, suddenly Taj-kis reported to Jiaozhu that she wanted to marry this man.

As we heard this news, some were grieving because their hopes were shattered, some deeply resented it; because this Han Qianye had forced our Jiaozhu to be under an extremely difficult situation. How could our own ‘hu jiao fa wang’ marry this man? Some of the more temperamental brethrens spoke insultingly to her face.

Taj-kis was adamant. Holding a sword in her hand, she stood at the hall entrance and loudly said, ‘From this day forward, Han Qianye is my husband. Whoever insults Han-lang [a term of endearment for ‘husband’], will have to face Zi Shan Long Wang’s sword!’ Seeing this turn of event, everybody could only disperse bitterly.

On the day she wedded Han Qianye, most of our brethrens did not come to drink the celebratory wine. Only Yang Jiaozhu and I, who were appreciative for what she did, strived to help her and mediate for her, so that she could have a safe marriage, not lacking anything.

When Han Qianye wanted to enter the Ming Cult, the opposition from the brethrens was too strong; it was also inconvenient for Yang Jiaozhu to disregard the public opinion.

Not too long afterwards, Yang Jiaozhu husband and wife suddenly disappeared together. The BrightnessPeak was in panic. Everybody went everywhere to track them down. One evening Guangming You Shi Fan Yao unexpectedly saw Mrs. Han Taj-kis come out of the secret passage.”

Zhang Wuji’s heart was moved. “She came out of the secret passage?” he asked.

“That’s right,” Xie Xun replied, “The Ming Cult’s law is very strict; other than Jiaozhu, nobody is allowed to enter the secret passage. Fan Yao was shocked and angered; immediately he asked and reproached her. Mrs. Han said, ‘I have committed a grave offense to our Cult; you want to kill me or chop me, it’s entirely at your convenience.’

That very evening we had a general assembly. Mrs. Han kept repeating those words. When asked for what reason she entered the secret passage, she said she was not willing to tell lies, but she was also unwilling to tell the truth. When asked where Yang Jiaozhu had gone; she said she did not know. As for the matter of her entering the secret passage, she said she alone had done it, she alone was responsible; there was no need to say too much.

According to our law, she either had to kill herself or cut off one of her limbs; but first of all, Fan Yao had not forgotten his feelings of the past, he did his utmost to cover up for her, secondly, I also pleaded on her behalf. Finally, the general assembly agreed to punish her by confining her for ten years, so that she could consider her crime. Who would have thought that Mrs. Han said, ‘Yang Jiaozhu is not here, nobody can punish me.’”

“Yifu,” Zhang Wuji asked, “Why did Mrs. Han enter the secret passage?”

“That’s a long story,” Xie Xun replied, “In the Ming Cult, only I alone know the reason. At that time everybody suspected it had something to do with the missing Yang Jiaozhu, husband and wife; but I am convinced it wasn’t related with that matter in any way.

In the Holy Fire Hall of the BrightnessPeak that day, there was a strong argument among the warriors, and it resulted in Mrs. Han leaving the Cult, saying that from that day on, she would have nothing to do with the Ming Cult of the Central Earth. She was the very fir