Chapter 7

Translator: wuxiasociety

Xiu Wen stood there before saying, “I’m not a naughty boy”, and trying to chase the girl at the same time. He saw that the girl was younger than him by two, three years; her steps aren’t very large and he should catch up with her very soon. Though he used his lightness kung fu, the girl’s steps were very fast, and in a flash a distance of ten feet was between them. The girl hurried a few steps and then shouted back, “Hey, can you catch me?” “Of course”, replied Xiu Wen and immediately stepped up his efforts. The girl turned and ran, and then hid behind a tree. Wu Xiuwen followed. As soon as he was near, she suddenly stretched out her left foot, and tripped him up. He didn’t anticipate this and fell forward. He wanted to use the “Iron Tree Stump Stance” but the girl stuck out her right foot and kicked him fiercely in the behind. Wu Xiuwen fell down, his nose hitting a stone as he fell, causing a nose bleed and blood poured over his clothes. When she saw the blood, she stopped, and wanted to run away and leave the boy there. Suddenly, a voice from behind said, “Fu’er, you are bullying again, aren’t you?”

“Who says? He just tripped by himself, what does it have to do with me? Don’t listen to what father says.” she replied without turning back.

Wu Xiuwen stood up and held his nose. Although it didn’t really hurt, the blood made him nervous. As he heard the voice talking to the girl, he turned around and saw an old man holding a metal walking staff. The hair on the man’s temple was like frost, his appearance was strange, his eyes where white, he was a blind man. He heard the man laugh and say, “Just because I’m blind doesn’t mean you can lie to me, I can hear everything. You act terribly now, so what’s going to happen when you get older?”

She walked over to the man and held his hand, and gently said, “Grandpa, don’t listen to what father says, okay. He tripped and he’s got a nose bleed. Can you stop the bleeding?”

The old man walked forward and grabbed Wu Xiuwen’s arm, then stretched out his right hand and used his finger to press on the “Wen Xiang Xue” (Smell Fragrant) pressure point by the nose. Wu Xiuwen’s nosebleed was beginning to slowly stop, and as he touched his nose a few times, it did. He felt the man’s fingers were like iron pliers, long and stiff, holding his arm tightly. He was scared, and didn’t move; as soon as his hand was released, he used the grabbing hand kung fu taught by his mother, he pushed out a palm in a semi circle to repel the man. The old man wasn’t anticipating this kid would strike out, and was hit by a sweetly timed palm. The man didn’t react and gave out an approving sigh, while holding to his wrist. Wu Xiuwen tried to distribute his chi in case he can’t escape and has to fight. The old man said, “Little fella, don’t be scared. What’s your name?”

“My name is Wu.”

“Your accent is not local. Where are you from? Where are your parents?” As the man said this he released his wrist. When he mentioned parents, Wu Xiuwen remembered that he has been away from his parents for a night and didn’t know how they were. He wanted to cry. When the girl saw his expression she sang, “Ashamed dog, eyes are red, ready to cry!”

Wu angrily replied, “I’m not going to cry again!”

The family was waiting at the Lu home for the enemy, when his father came and took him and his brother away; he spent a night alone in the forest. He was getting aggravated, his words were jumbled but the old man managed to make out seventy or eighty percent of it. They were from Dali, his father’s name is Wu Santong; his most refined kung fu was the “Solitary Yang Finger”.

“Your father is a disciple of Reverend Yideng, correct?”

“Yes, you know our emperor? You’ve seen him? I’ve never seen him,” said Wu Xiuwen.

Wu Santong was the head of the Imperial Wood Transport, when the Emperor was Duan Zhi. The emperor became a monk, with the new name “Yideng”. But Wu Santong couldn’t let the past go and still called him Emperor. That’s why his sons also refer to him as Emperor.

“I haven’t yet had the luck to meet the legendary “Southern Emperor”. This girl’s parents were the receivers of great kindness from him. That means we are not really strangers. Do you know who your mother’s enemy is?”

“I heard from mother and master Lu that it’s Scarlet something, something Chou.

The old man raised his head and mumbled, “Scarlet something?” He slammed his staff and said loudly, “Could it be the Scarlet Serpent Deity, Li Mochou?”

“Yes! It’s the Scarlet Serpent Deity!”

The old man’s complexion changed completely. He said, “You two play here. Don’t leave. I’ll go and take a look.”

The little girl said, “Grandpa, I want to come.”

“Me too,” added the boy.

The old man said, “No! Never! That witch is really powerful; I can’t beat her. But when there are friends in need, one must go. You must listen.”

He walked away, his staff digging into the ground as he took each step.

Wu Xiuwen said respectfully, “Old Grandpa is blind and lame, yet he moves so fast.”

The girl bent her lips and said, “What’s so strange? If you saw my father’s and mother’s lightness kung fu you would be even more shocked.”

“Your father and mother are also blind and lame?”

The girl angrily replied, “Your parents are blind and lame!”

It was now deep into the day, the farmers are in their fields; every man and woman was singing folk songs. He was originally from these parts. Though he was blind, he walked and asked for help at the same time, and in not too long he had reached the home of the Lu’s. From afar he heard the exchange of blades, the “ping ping pang pang” clashing indicating some ferocious stances. The Lu Zhanyuan family is a famous family in this area and he’s just commoner. Although he is now a fairly famous martial artist he didn’t approach and he also knew that he wasn’t the Scarlet Serpent Deity’s match. He knew that rushing in would just produce another corpse. But the matter involved a disciple of the Reverend Yideng and his debts to him were too many to measure (not exactly his debts, but what the girl’s parents owed Yideng), he couldn’t just stand by. He used more energy, and hurried to the village.

He heard fierce fighting on the roof involving four people. He turned his ear to one side to listen more carefully. From the breathing and sword clashing sounds, he could tell it was one versus three, though the three couldn’t fend off the enemy and were losing.

Last night Wu Santong had carried off his sons, and the Lu couple wondered what he was up to now.

Madam Wu’s spirits raised and said, “Though my husband acts wildly, when in danger he thinks clearly.” Mistress Lu asked what she meant by this. Madam Wu replied, “I don’t know if I’ve guessed correctly. Let’s just wait and see.”

As the night went on, Lu Wushuang fell asleep in her father’s arms. Cheng Ying also eventually fell asleep. Mistress Lu wanted to take the children into their rooms.

Madam Wu said, “Leave them for a little longer.” At that moment, someone shouted from the rooftop, “Throw them up here!” It was Wu Santong. His lightness kung fu was superb, mistress Lu didn’t even notice he was on the roof. Madam Wu took Cheng Ying outside and threw her up to Wu Santong who caught her. The Lu couple swallowed, as Madam Wu threw Lu Wushuang up to Wu Santong as well, who then took them away.