THE SMILING PROUD WANDERER by Jin Yong

Grief Part 2

Lin Pingzhi hummed. Lao Denuo went on, "Both of my respected master's eyes were harmed, so he's secretly staying on Songshan's west peak. On the west peak, there are more than ten other people whose eyes are also bad. They were harmed by Yue Buqun and Linghu Chong. Brother Lin, come with me to see my respected master. You're Fuzhou's Lin family sole heir to the Evil Resisting Sword School, so you're the headmaster of the Evil Resisting Sword School. My respected master of course will treat you with respect. If both of your eyes can be cured then that would be best, otherwise, you can secretly hide with my respected master and together plan your revenge. How can that be not wonderful?"

These words excited Lin Pingzhi. Both of his eyes had been poisoned and he himself knew that there was no hope for a cure. All these talks of curing his eyes were only to cheat and comfort himself. Zuo Lengchan and he were both blind, they both had the same problem and the same enemy, so this was already very good. But he knew Zuo Lengchan's methods tend to be very fierce, so when Zuo Lengchan suddenly turned nice toward him, there was bound to be another plan behind this. Lin Pingzhi said, "Headmaster Zuo has a very good idea. But I don't know how I can repay him for this. Can Brother Lao please tell us more first?"

Lao Denuo laughed. "Brother Lin is an unequivocal person. Once everyone has joined forces, then everything will become clear. My master and I were duped by Yue Buqun with an incomplete sword manual. So of course I'm not resigned to it. Along the way, I saw Brother Lin's immense power and wonderfully matchless sword art in the killing of Mu Gaofeng, and the execution of Yu Canghai and the Qingcheng's clowns. They were all scattering away at the mere sight of you. It's obvious you have the real Evil Resisting Sword Art. I really admire you and really find you interesting......."

Lin Pingzhi understood his intention so he interrupted, "Brother Lao wants me to let you and your master have a look at the real Evil Resisting Sword Manual?"

"This is the Lin family's secret and outsiders mustn't peep into it. But from today onwards, we'll form an alliance in blood to kill Yue Buqun. If Brother Lin's eyes are cured, you're still young and have a lot of energy, so you wouldn't be afraid to face him by yourself. But looking at the situation today, if my respected master and I learn the Evil Resisting Sword Art, then the three of us can join hands, and only then will we have a hope of killing Yue Buqun. Brother Lin, please don't blame me," Lao Denuo said.

Lin Pingzhi was thinking in his heart: 'Both of my eyes are blind and I actually don't know how I'll be able to survive. Moreover, if I didn't promise this, then Lao Denuo will kill both him and Yue Lingshan. If Lao Denuo has spoken sincerely, then his proposal has more benefit than harm.' He replied, "I'm flattered that Headmaster Zuo and Brother Lao wish to be allied with me. My whole family has been broken up and decimated, and I'm already a handicapped person with no sight. Even though my misfortune was mainly because of Yu Canghai, Yue Buqun's plotting was also the main reason for this. So I have the same idea as you and your master to execute Yue Buqun. Once we're allies, I wouldn't dare to keep this Evil Resisting Sword Manual as a secret. I'll take it out and give it to you and your master to peruse."

Lao Denuo was exultant. "Brother Lin is very generous. My master and I are very appreciative to be able to look at the real Evil Resisting Sword Manual. From today onwards, Brother Lin will forever be our Songshan School's honoured guest. You and I will be like brothers, and we'll share everything."

"Many thanks. I'll follow Brother Lao back to Mount Songshan. After that, I'll immediately recite the real Evil Resisting Sword Manual out for you and your master."

"Recite it out?"

"That's right. Brother Lao doesn't know that the real Evil Resisting Sword Manual was actually recorded by my great grandfather Yuantu on a Buddhist robe. This Buddhist robe was stolen by Yue Buqun so he could pry into my family's sword art. Later on, he made a mistake and this Buddhist robe fell into my hands. I was really afraid that Yue Buqun might find out so I memorised this sword manual and quickly destroyed that Buddhist robe. If I had hidden that Buddhist robe on my body, and with my worthy wife besides me, how could I still live till today?" Yue Lingshan had been staying quiet and listening from the side all this time, but when she heard him ridiculing her, she cried again. She sobbingly said, "You... You..."

Lao Denuo was already inside the carriage listening to their dialog before so he knew Lin Pingzhi was telling the truth. "That's very good, why don't we go back to Songshan together?"

"Very good," Lin Pingzhi replied.

"We must abandon the carriage and get some horses to ride through the small roads. Otherwise, if we meet Yue Buqun along the way, we won't be his match at all," Lao Denuo said. He then turned his head slightly and asked Yue Lingshan, "Little martial sister, are you going to help your father? Or are you going to help your husband?"

Yue Lingshan stopped weeping and said, "I'm not helping anyone! I'm... I'm a cruelly fated person. I'll become a nun tomorrow. I'm finished with my father and husband. I won't see any of you again from now on."

Lin Pingzhi coldly said, "It really befits you to become a nun at Heng-Shan."

Yue Lingshan angrily replied, "Lin Pingzhi, when you had nowhere to go, my father helped you. If not for him, you'd have died under Mu Gaofeng's hand and would not be still alive today. Even if you reasoned my father was rude to you, I wasn't being rude to you. What do you mean by those words?"

"What's my meaning? I want to make everything clear to Headmaster Zuo." His voice sounded very fierce. Suddenly, Yue Lingshan cried out miserably.

Linghu Chong and Yingying cried out at the same time, "Oh, no!" They immediately leapt out from the field of tall sorghum. Linghu Chong shouted, "Lin Pingzhi, don't harm little martial sister."

At this time, the two people Lao Denuo was most scared of were Yue Buqun and Linghu Chong. When he suddenly heard Linghu Chong's voice, he was startled out of his wits. He quickly grabbed Lin Pingzhi's left shoulder and jumped onto one of the Qingcheng disciples' horses. Then he put his heels to the horse and galloped away in a mad rush. Linghu Chong was worried about Yue Lingshan so he had no time to chase the enemy. He saw Yue Lingshan lay slumped on the driver's seat with a sword sticking out of her chest. He looked for her breath and found it to be slow and faint. Linghu Chong shouted, "Little martial sister, little martial sister."

"Is... Is it big martial brother?" Yue Lingshan asked faintly.

Linghu Chong happily replied, "Yes... it's me." He extended his hand to pull the sword out, but Yingying hastily stopped him. "You can't pull the sword out."

Linghu Chong saw the sword had penetrated half a foot deep into her body and it was a fatal injury. If he pulled the sword out, she would die straight away. He didn't know what to do and his heart was grieved. He started to cry and called out, "Little... little martial sister!"

"Big martial brother, it's already good that you're here with me. Brother Ping... Brother Ping, has he gone?"

Linghu Chong gritted his teeth and with tears running down his cheeks, he said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely kill him to avenge you."

"Don't, don't! His eyes are already blind. If you want to kill him, he wouldn't be able to fight back. I... I... I want to go to mom."

"Alright, I'll take you to Master-Wife." Yingying heard Yue Lingshan's voice was becoming fainter and fainter, and knew that she only had a very short time left in this world. She couldn't help shedding her tears.

"Big martial brother, you've always treated me well," Yue Lingshan said. "I... I'm sorry. I... I'm going to die."

Linghu Chong shed his tears. "You can't die, we'll think of a way to cure you."

"I'm... I'm hurt... deeply. Big martial brother, I want to ask you for something, you... you must promise me."

Linghu Chong gripped her left hand and said, "Say it, say it, I promise."

Yue Lingshan sighed. "You... you... don't agree... I've... asked too much of you..." Her voice was becoming softer and softer, and her breath becoming even weaker.

"I promise, say what you want."

"What did you say?"

"I promise, what do you want me to do? I'll do it for you."

"Big martial brother, my husband... Brother Ping... his... his... eyes are blind... he's pitiful... do you know?"

"Yes, I know."

"He's all by himself in this world. Everyone bullies him... bullies him. Big martial brother... after I die, please take good care of him, don't... don't let him be bullied..."

Linghu Chong was startled. He never expected Yue Lingshan to still hold on to the feelings she had for Lin Pingzhi when Lin Pingzhi was her violent killer. At that moment, Linghu Chong really detested Lin Pingzhi, and all he wanted to do was to chop him into thousands of pieces. In the future, it would already be almost impossible for him to spare his life, so how could he agree to look after this bastard?

Yue Lingshan slowly said, "Big martial brother, Brother Ping... Brother Ping, he didn't really want to kill me... he's afraid of my father... he wanted to gain Zuo Lengchan's trust, so... so he stabbed me first..."

Linghu Chong angrily said, "That selfish, ungrateful bastard. You... you still care for him?"

"He... he didn't deliberately try to kill me, it's just that.. it's just that his hand slipped. Big martial brother... I beg you, beg you to look after him..."