The six now understood that the man was not her husband, but had been captured as a living target for the purpose of her practice. The woman must be 'Iron Corpse', Mei Chaofeng.
She stopped laughing, stretched out her hands and tore at the dead man's clothing. In the north, where the weather was extremely cold, everyone wore thick leather coats. Yet she tore these very resistant clothes as if they were paper, without any effort. Then she plunged her hand into the poor wretch's chest and withdrew the internal organs one by one, which she examined attentively in the moonlight. Afterwards she threw them on the ground. Even from a distance, the six could see that all the organs, heart, lungs, liver, spleen, had been completely destroyed. They now understood the intent of this practice: she had hit the body of this man with nine palm strokes and had succeeded in smashing the internal organs without breaking the bones of the skeleton. By examining the damaged internal organs, she could see the progression of her strength.
Very angry, Han Xiaoying wanted to attack immediately. She raised her sword ready to attack, but Zhu Cong silently restrained her.
"For the moment," the 'Magical Hands Scholar' thought, "'Iron Corpse' is alone. Although she seems dangerous, the seven of us should be able to make an end of her. If we get rid of her first, it will be easier to take care of 'Copper Corpse' later. We would be absolutely incapable of facing the two of them at the same time... But 'Copper Corpse' might be hidden, ready to fall on us unexpectedly. Older Brother knows well the habits of these two monsters; it's better to follow his instructions and wait for him to launch the first attack..."
After inspecting the internal organs, Mei Chaofeng seemed satisfied. With a smile on her lips, she sat down cross-legged facing the moon, and began to practice the regulation of breathing. With her back turned to Han Xiaoying and Zhu Cong, they could see her shoulders rising and falling as she inhaled and exhaled.
"If I use the stroke 'The Lightning Illuminates the Big Sky'," Han Xiaoying considered, "I am nearly certain I'll be able to pierce her right through. But if I miss my stroke, our entire plan will be compromised!"
She was unable to decide what to do and her body trembled.
Zhu Cong didn't dare move either; he felt a trickling sensation down his back as he broke out in a cold sweat. Raising his eyes, he noticed that the black clouds coming from the west had covered half the sky, like a sheet of rice paper that someone had spilled ink on. Inside the dark clouds lightning flashed, increasing the anguish and fear in the hearts of the Six Freaks. The thunder roared dully, as if it was suppressed by the thickness of the clouds.
After practicing the breathing exercises for a period of time, Mei Chaofeng arose; then she dragged the dead man behind her towards the grave where Ke Zhen'E was hidden. She bent down to raise the stone slab.
The six Freaks tightened their grip on their weapons, ready to attack her as soon as the slab was removed.
Mei Chaofeng, hearing a rustle of leaves that didn't seem caused by the wind, turned her head suddenly and saw a human shape at the top of a tree. Releasing a long scream, she leaped in that direction.
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IRON BLOODED HEART (Book 1 of Legend Of The Condor Heroes)
Historical FictionHighest Ranking #218 in Historical Fiction 6/22/2017 [ Iron Blooded Heart is the first book of three books in the story of Legend Of The Condor Heroes. The story itself is the first part of the Condor Trilogy. Historical background : The Song Dyna...