THE SMILING PROUD WANDERER by Jin Yong

In Love Part 3

"I see. So two of them are from the Shaolin School, and the third one is from the Kunlun School," Linghu Chong thought. "The Shaolin School has always been the most reputable school in the Martial World even since the early Tang Dynasty. Just the Shaolin School alone already enjoys a much more renowned name than the entire alliance of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, and their strength perhaps was stronger as well. And furthermore, the Head Master of the Shaolin School, Abbot Fang-Zheng, is well respected by the entire Martial World. As regard to the Kunlun School, Master mentioned many times before that the sword arts of the Kunlun School fly its own colors and have qualities of both power and speed. When these two schools have joined forces, the combined power can be devastating. Most probably they are only vanguards, and more reinforcement are just on their way. But why did Master and Master-Wife have to avoid them?" Then he thought better of it, "I got it. Master is the Head Master of a reputable orthodox school. It would be embarrassing for him to be seen mixed up with people like Huang Boliu who don't have a good reputation."

"Didn't we just hear someone playing the zither a moment ago? Where is that one hiding then? Brother Xin and Brother Yi, there's something odd here," the man named Tan from the Kunlun School spoke again.

"That's right! Brother Tan, you are so attentive. Let's search around and ferret him out," the man with the thunderous voice suggested.

"Senior apprentice brother Xin, I'll check out that shack over there," another voice replied.

From these words, Linghu Chong could tell that the man's surname was Yi, and the man with the thunderous voice had a surname of Xin and was the man's senior apprentice brother. Then he heard the man named Yin walking toward the shack.

"I am alone by myself. It's already late at night; it would not have been appropriate manners for a female to greet male visitors," a clear voice of a female rose from inside the shack.

"She's a woman," Xin uttered.

"Was it you who played the zither earlier?" the man named Yi asked.

"That's right," the granny answered.

"Why don't you play a few notes for us?" Yi proposed.

"I did not know you before; how could I play the zither for you, sir?" the granny replied.

"Who cares," Xin let out a disgruntled snort. "So many excuses. I bet there's something odd inside the shack. Let's get in there and find out."

"What is a woman, alone, doing on the Five-Tyrant Ridge so late at night? Most likely you are of the same kind as those heterodoxy devils. We are coming in for a search," Yi exclaimed and walked toward the shack door.

"Hold it!" Linghu Chong stepped out from his hiding place and yelled, blocking the entrance to the shack.

Having not expected this at all, the three men were slightly taken aback. But when they saw that it was only a young man, they didn't care much.

"Who are you, young man? What are you doing hiding so sneakily in the dark?" Xin yelled loudly.

"I am Linghu Chong, an apprentice of the Huashan School. I am here to pay my respects to senior masters of the Shaolin School and the Kunlun School," Linghu Chong replied, bowing deeply toward the three.

"Oh, you are from the Huashan School. What are you doing here?" Yi let out a snort and inquired.

Linghu Chong glanced at the three men. The man named Xin was not particularly tall, but his chest protruded out like a drum; no wonder he had such a thunderous voice. Another middle-aged man wore the same type of dark reddish brown long robe; then he had to be the one named Yi from the same school. The man named Tan from the Kunlun School carried a sword on his back. With a loose robe with long sleeves, he dressed with negligent grace.