THE SMILING PROUD WANDERER by Jin Yong

Annihilation Part 3

"I heard her husband didn't manage to find her when he was searching for her," Linghu Chong added. When he said till here, the Peach Valley Six Fairies walked up the stairs giggling. No Commandment looked like he didn't see them, both of his hands grabbed Linghu Chong's arms and stammered, "Re... really?"

"She told me, if her husband find her and kneel in front of her, she wouldn't change her mind at all. That's why once you release her, she will run straight away. This lady's movement is really fast, you just have to blink and she'll be gone," Linghu Chong said.

"I won't blink at all, I won't blink at all," No Commandment said.

"I also asked her, why is it that she doesn't want to meet with her husband," Linghu Chong said. "She said her husband is the world's number one heartless, perverted and lascivious man, so she didn't want to meet him and that he's also in the wrong."

No Commandment cried out and turned around wishing to go. Linghu Chong grabbed a hold of his arm and whispered in his ear, "I'll teach you a secret, she won't run away again." No Commandment was startled but he was also happy. After being dumbfound for a little while, he suddenly kneeled down and, 'boom, boom, boom' he kowtowed three times. With a loud voice, he said, "Brother Linghu, no, Headmaster Linghu, ancestor Linghu, Master Linghu, quickly tell me the secret, I'll take you as my teacher."

Linghu Chong couldn't help laughing as he said, "I don't dare, I don't dare, please get up." Pulling him to get up and then whispered in his ear, "Help her down from the tree but don't release the ropes or unseal her acupoints, then carry her to an inn and get a room. Think about it, she's a woman and a Buddhist, how do you prevent her from running away from the inn?"

No Commandment scratched his head then he hesitated and answered, "I... I don't really get it."

"You take off her clothes first then unseal her acupoint. Since she's now naked, would she dare to run away from the inn?" Linghu Chong whispered.

No Commandment was very happy and he called out, "Good plan, good plan! Master Linghu, your benevolence..." He didn't finish his sentence before he shouted happily and went out through the window. Once he hit the ground, he immediately flew out.

"Yi, this monk is really weird, why did he go?" Peachtree Root Fairy was perplexed.

"He must've wanted to pee and can't wait anymore," Peachtree Branch Fairy answered.

"Then why did he kowtow to brother Linghu and started calling him Master? Could it be that he wants someone to teach him how to pee even though he's so old already?" Peachtree Leaf Fairy asked.

Yingying knew these six people most likely would speak some vulgar words as they went on, so she cast a glance at Linghu Chong and went down the stairs.

"Brothers, I've long heard the six of you have wine capacities like the ocean and you're matchless in this world, so drink slowly. My capacity is shallow so I'm going to take my leave first," Linghu Chong said.

When the Peach Valley Six Fairies heard him praising their wine capacities, they were all happy and all thought that if they didn't drink a few jars they might lose a bit of reputation, so they called out, "Bring out six jars of wine!" "Your wine capacity is of course much lower than ours." "You go first, if you wait for us to drink our fill, I'm afraid you'll have to wait till tomorrow."

Linghu Chong only had to say one sentence and he had managed to get away from these six people and went down the stairs. Yingying pursed her lips smiling and she said, "You reconciled a husband and wife, what a boundless benevolence. But this method you taught him, it's rather... rather..." When she said till here, her face became red and she turned away her head. Looking at her, Linghu Chong giggled but didn't say a word.

The two of them walked outside of the town. After walking for a stretch of the road, Linghu Chong was still smiling and was continuously looking at her. Yingying got angry and shouted, "What are you looking at? Never seen me before?"

"I was just thinking, this evil granny hanged both of us on the ceiling's beam, so we repaid her back by hanging her on a tree. She shaved my head, so I taught her husband how to take off her gown, this is also repaying her back," said a smiling Linghu Chong.

Yingying smiled and said, "This is also called repaying back?"

Linghu Chong laughed before replying, "I'm only hoping Great Master No Commandment isn't rash and that this husband and wife get together again."

Yingying giggled and said, "You should be careful, you're going to be in trouble when that evil granny see you next time."

"I helped her to reunite with her husband, so it won't be too late for her to thank me then," Linghu Chong smiled. After he said this, he again took glances at Yingying and laughed to himself with his expression looking odd.

"What are you laughing at now?" Yingying asked.

"I was just thinking Great Master No Commandment being reunited with his wife, I wonder what they'll be saying to each other," Linghu Chong replied.

"Then why do you keep looking at me for?" Yingying queried. Suddenly, she understood what Linghu Chong meant. This loafer was thinking of Great Master No Commandment in the inn taking off his wife's gown. His mind was thinking of this but his eyes kept looking at her, it could be imagined how hard he was holding himself in. All of a sudden, her cheeks were bright red and she wielded her hand to hit him.

Linghu Chong dodged it and laughed. "A woman hitting her husband is an evil wife!"

At this time, they suddenly heard light hissing sound from somewhere far. Yingying recognised this was her sect's whistling to summon people. She raised her left hand and put her fingers to her lip, her right hand made a movement and she whistled towards that direction.

They then went forward for dozens of feet before seeing a woman running from the west towards the east. The ground was spacious and vast and there was no where for them to hide. That person saw Yingying and was startled, then she quickly went up to them to pay her respect. "Divine Sect's Heaven Wind Hall's Fragrant Master Sang San Niang, paying my respect to Sacred Lady. Long live to Chief, unify the Jianghu."

Yingying nodded her head a few times. After that an old man came out from the east and walked quickly towards Yingying. He bowed before Yingying to pay his respect. "Qin Weibang also pays my respect to Sacred Lady. Chief revives the sacred sect and benefits the common people."

"Elder Qin, you're also here," Yingying said.

"Yes!" Qin Weibang acknowledged. "Your lowly servant received Chief's order to find information in this area. Fragrant Master Sang, what news have you found out?"

"Reporting to Sacred Lady and Elder Qin, early morning today, subordinate was at Linfengyi and I saw sixty to seventy people from Songshan School on their way to Huashan," Sang San Niang reported.

(Translator's note: Linfengyi is some kind of transit depot for exchanging horses)

"Of course they're going to Huashan!" Qin Weibang said.

"Why are Songshan School's people going to Huashan for?" Yingying asked.

"Chief obtained the news that after Huashan School's Yue Buqun became the Five Mountains School's Headmaster, he didn't want to be in a disadvantageous position compared to our sacred sect. So later on he gathered all the disciples of the Five Mountains School to Huashan. It seems like he's going to attack the Dark Wood Cliff," Qin Weibang answered.

"Is this true?" Yingying inquired while she was thinking, "This old traitor Qin Weibang is really sly. The capture of the Heng-Shan School's people is most likely the order he received from dad. He's probably the one in charge but he's distancing himself from this matter. But the words of that Sang San Niang didn't seem to be made up. It seems there's something else going on here." She continued, "Master Linghu is the headmaster of Heng-Shan School. Why didn't he know of this matter? That's really strange."

"Subordinate already checked Taishan and Hengshan School, and they're already moving towards Huashan. Heng-Shan School is the only one which hasn't moved yet. Left Protector Xiang sent us an order. He said Elder Bao Dachu is leading some underlings to go to Heng-Shan's Other Courtyard to investigate their movements. He also ordered me to stay close to liaise with him. Subordinate is still waiting for the message from Elder Bao," Qin Weibang said.

Yingying and Linghu Chong looked at each other and they were both thinking, "Bao Dachu going to Heng-Shan's Other Courtyard is most likely true. This Qin Weibang isn't concealing anything, could it be he's telling the truth?"

Qin Weibang bowed towards Linghu Chong and said, "Your lowly servant is just following orders. I'm asking for Headmaster Linghu's forgiveness."

Linghu Chong cupped his fist returning the propriety. "Young lady Ren and I are going to get married within the next few days..." Yingying gasped in surprise and her whole face turned red, but she didn't deny it. Linghu Chong continued, "Elder Qin received the order from my wife's father, so we as juniors should carry the burden."

Qin Weibang and Sang San Niang turned happy and they happily said, "Congratulations!"

Yingying turned around and walked away.

"Left Protector Xiang urged Elder Bao and I repeatedly not to be rude towards the Heng-Shan School's people. We only have to find the information and we don't have to play rough. Subordinate has followed this order," Qin Weibang said.

Suddenly, there was a girl's voice behind him laughing and saying, "Master Linghu's sword art is matchless in this world. Left Protector Xiang told you not to resort to violence for your own good."

Linghu Chong lifted his head and saw a lady came out from among the trees. She was the Five Poison Sect Chief Blue Phoenix. He laughed and said, "Big sister, you're well."

"Big Brother, you're also well," Blue Phoenix said to Linghu Chong. She then turned her head towards Qin Weibang and said, "If you're saluting me then salute me, why do you need to wrinkle your eyebrows for?"

"I don't dare," Qin Weibang replied. He knew there were poisonous things all over her body and she was not to be trifled with. He rushed forward for a few steps and said to Yingying, "I'd like to ask Sacred Lady for what we should do next."

"Carry on according to Chief's order," Yingying ordered.

Qin Weibang bowed and replied, "Yes." Then Sang San Niang and he gave their proprieties to the three people and left.

Blue Phoenix waited for those two people to walk far before saying, "The nuns from Heng-Shan School have all been captured, you're still not going to rescue them?"

"We just came from Heng-Shan trying to catch up to them, but we haven't seen any sign of them along the way," Linghu Chong replied.

"You're not going towards Huashan, so you're going the wrong way," Blue Phoenix told them.

"Going to Huashan? They've been captured and sent to Huashan? You saw them?" Linghu Chong questioned.

"Early yesterday morning at the Heng-Shan's Other Courtyard, I drank some tea when I tasted something strange but I didn't say anything. Next thing, I saw people falling down one by one so I pretended to be knocked out too," Blue Phoenix said.

"Using drugs against the Five-Sylph Sect's Chief Blue, isn't that just asking for trouble?" said a smiling Linghu Chong.

Blue Phoenix smiled captivatingly. "These bastards really don't know what's good or bad."

"You didn't offer them their poison back?" Linghu Chong asked.

"Why be so polite? There were two bastards who thought I've really been knocked out, so they came over to me and they died on the spot from my poison. The other people were frightened so they didn't dare to come over. They just said that I'm dead and my whole body is very poisonous," After she said this, she giggled and laughed.

"What happened after that?" Linghu Chong queried.

"I wanted to look what they were doing and have been pretending to be unconscious from the beginning. Later on, these bastards took many little nuns down from the Xianxing Peak. The one leading these people was none other than your master, Mr. Yue. Big brother, I see your master is very awful. You're the headmaster of Heng-Shan School, but he actually led people to capture your disciples, grand disciples, old nuns, and little nuns. Isn't this deliberately trying to shame you?" Linghu Chong was quiet. Blue Phoenix continued, "I could only look on in anger and was thinking of killing him with poison right there. But I kept thinking and wasn't sure what you would think. If I really wanted to poison and kill him, it would after all only take a moment."

"You took into consideration my feelings, thank you very much," Linghu Chong said.