DEMI GODS AND SEMI DEVILS Book 1 of 5 (Adventures of The Youth) by Jin Yong

Adventures In The Mountain Part 1

A flash of green, a dark green sword is thrusted out, pointing right at the left shoulder of a middle-aged man. The young man with the sword in his hand didn't wait for the move to grow old before suddenly tilting the sword sideways as the blade swipes towards the right shoulder of the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man holds up his sword to parry. "Zeng"! The two swords meet, each individual sword vibrates, creating a slight hum. The humming did not stop before the flashes began again, another three moves have been exchanged. Suddenly, the middle-aged man's sword sliced straight down, heading towards the young man's forehead. The young man stepped to his right to dodge the blow while leading his opponent's sword on with his left hand, and then the green sword is thrusted toward the thighs of the middle-aged man.

Both fighters are quick as a flash, fighting with all of their skills.

On the east side of the atrium there sat 2 people. One is a Taoist nun of around 40 years of age, face as cold as iron, mouth closed shut. The other is an old man a bit over 50, stroking his beard with his right hand, face full of pride. They are seated about 2 meters apart, behind each stood about 20 or so male and female disciples. The west side is occupied by about 10 guests. Everyone's complete attention is on the two people fighting in the middle of the atrium.

The fight has gone on for about 70 exchanges now, the moves keep on getting faster and tighter, but no winner has emerged yet. Suddenly the middle-aged man thrusted his sword out again with great force, too much force, and he started to teeter as if he was going to fall. A young man wearing green in the west of the atrium couldn't help but let out a little laugh. However, he immediately realized that it was very out of place and quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

Right at this time, the young man in the atrium sends his left palm out, aiming for the back of the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man took a step forward to avoid the strike. He swung his sword in a circle close to the ground and shouted: "Gotcha!" The young man's left leg was hit and his leg gave out. However, he pointed his sword at the ground and used it like a crutch as he balanced himself and seemed ready to continue. The middle-aged man has already sheathed his sword, saying with a smile: "Brother Chu, thanks for letting me win, are you hurt bad?" The young man's face turned white as a sheet, biting his lips, he replied: "Thanks for pulling back, Brother Gong."

The old man with the bearded face is alit with pride. He smiled and said: "The East Faction has won three rounds, looks like the 'Sword Lake Palace' (Jian Hu Gong) is going to belong to the East Faction for another five years. Sister Xing, shall we continue with the match?" The middle-aged nun barely controlled her anger: "Brother Zuo's disciples are worthy of his name. But has Brother Zuo made any progress on the 'No Measure Jade Cliff' (Wu Liang Yu Bi)?" The bearded man shot her a look and said in a serious voice: "Has martial sister forgotten the rules of our sect?" The nun hmphed, but did not reply.

The old man's surname is Zuo, first name ZiMu, he is the head of the No Measure Sword (Wu Liang Jian) sect's East Faction. The nun's surname is Xin, Taoist name is ShuangQing (double clear), is the head of the West Faction.

No Measure Sword sect used to be in factions of East, North, and West. The North Faction in the last decades has weakened much, while the East and West has flourished. No Measure Sword was started in the No Measure Mountains in southern China during the reign of the 5th Emperor of Tang. The head of the sect resides in the Sword Lake Palace. Ever since the factions started during the rule of the Emperor Ren Zong (Benevolent Ruler) of Sung, there has been a contest every 5 years during which the disciples of the 3 factions compete in the atrium of Sword Lake Palace. First faction to three wins is declared the winner and wins the rights to reside in the palace for 5 years. In the 5 years between contests, the losing factions study and trains hard in hopes of avenging the shame of losing last time. The winner, of course, does not slack off either. The North Faction won 40 years ago but was immediately beaten in the next contest 5 years later. The head of the faction, in a fit of rage, moved disciples to the west side of the mountain range, never to compete again, as well as losing all contacts with the other 2 factions. In the 35 years since, both factions have won and lost with the East winning 4 times while the West winning twice. That round between that middle-aged man named Gong and the young man named Zu is the fourth round of this year's contest. The win by Gong is the third for the East in four matches, thus making the fifth match unnecessary.