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

Luan And Feng Exchange Nests Part 2

After Duan Yu's interference, his internal energy did not flow smoothly. Although his steel cane sagged, it still carried a tremendous force and he involuntarily pressed downwards. Crown Prince Yanqing secretly cried out, "Not good!" He hurriedly lifted his cane, but at the point where the seventh vertical and eighth horizontal lines intersected, a small indentation had already appeared.

When experts played chess, they had to make sure that they would not regret making even a single mistaken move. Much less in this game, a large stone was the chessboard and indentations and circles served as the pieces. How could a move be taken back? But the move he had just made, at the point where the seventh and eighth lines intersected, was where one of his 'eyes' were. As anyone who knows even a little bit about chess would know, having a safe pocket of two eyes meant those pieces were safe, but a single eye by itself was doomed. Crown Prince Yanqing had long ago turned that part of the board into a pocket of two eyes, making it a safe base of operations from which he could launch attacks at the Yellow Browed Monk's pieces. What sense would there be for him to kill one of his own eyes and doom his position? And yet, he had already made the move. Although it was totally counter to the logic of chess, the move was made due to his own internal energy being weakened and unstable.

Crown Prince Yanqing secretly sighed. "A single failed move will result in defeat across the entire playing field. Is this truly the will of heaven?" He was a person of extraordinarily high status and dignity. He definitely would not get into a dispute with the Yellow Browed Monk over this matter. He immediately rose up, pressing both of his hands down against the blue stone chessboard, staring at it and not moving for a long time.

Most of the heroes present had never seen him before. Upon noticing his strange appearance, everyone's attention was drawn towards him. He stared at the chessboard for a long time. Suddenly, without saying a word, he propped himself up with his steel canes. Their tips pressed against the earth as though he was stepping on the ground. Each step he took was very large, and he quickly departed.

Suddenly, a series of cracking sounds could be heard. The blue stone trembled, then split into six or seven pieces. And so this brilliant game of chess, the likes of had never been seen before and which might never be seen again, was erased from the world. The group of people couldn't help but let out cries of surprise. Aside from Emperor Baoding, the Yellow Browed Monk, and the three remaining Evils, everyone present thought to themselves, "That person seemed neither like a human being, nor like a ghost. That living corpse who wore green had such an amazing level of martial arts."

The Yellow Browed monk managed to win this game of chess by sheer chance. Both of his hands rested against his knees, and he himself was entranced in a daze as he replayed the thrilling events in his mind. He couldn't understand at all why Crown Prince Yanqing, just as victory was within his reach, would suddenly harm his own side and seal off one of his own eyes. Could it be that upon seeing Duan Zhengming and other experts arrive, he feared coming under attack and thus conceded the match? But he had many helpers on his side as well. He wouldn't necessarily have been defeated.

Emperor Baoding, Duan Zhengchun, and Gao Shengtai also did not understand what had happened. But luckily, Duan Yu had been safely recovered, and the pure name of the Duan family was not damaged in the slightest. With Crown Prince Yanqing having conceded the match, a total victory had been achieved. Although there were many details of this encounter which they did not understand, at the moment it was not necessarily to thoroughly investigate everything.

Duan Zhengchun smiled towards Zhong Wanchou. "Gorge master Zhong, now that your daughter has become my son's concubine, in the coming days, I will send someone to escort her to our palace. We will naturally take good care of these two lovebirds and treat her as though she were our own daughter. Set your mind at ease."

Zhong Wanchou was already in the middle of an uncontrollable fury. Upon hearing Duan Zhengchun speak in such a mocking tone towards him, he pulled out his sabre with a 'shua' sound and chopped at Zhong Ling's head with a loud shout. "I'm dying of anger! I'm going to kill you first!"

But suddenly, a long shadow flashed by. With matchless speed, it seized Zhong Ling, then it flew away like a gust of wind, floating tens of feet away. With a 'ta' sound, Zhong Wanchou's sabre connected with the ground. He saw that the man holding Zhong Ling was none other than 'Thoroughly Cruel and Evil' Yun Zhonghe. He angrily said, "What...what are you doing?!"

Yun Zhonghe laughed. "You don't even want this daughter anymore. Just pretend that she's dead and that you chopped her to death. Let me have her." Even as he spoke, he further flew tens of more feet away. He knew very well that aside from Emperor Baoding and the Yellow Browed Monk, whose martial arts were far above his own, even Duan Zhengchun and Gao Shengtai were incredible figures. And so, as soon as he hatched the scheme to kidnap Zhong Ling, he immediately fled. Seeing that Ba Tianshi was not present, he knew that as long as he could utilize his qinggong, not a single person present could catch up to him.

Zhong Wanchou knew that his qinggong abilities were incredible. He was so worried that he was literally hopping mad, jumping up and down as he cursed. Emperor Baoding had seen Yun Zhonghe run around in circles with Ba Tianshi the other day. Today, seeing Yun Zhonghe move as though he were unburdened despite carrying Zhong Ling, he knew that there was nothing he could do either.

Duan Yu suddenly had a idea flash by his head. "Yue Number Three! Your master has an order for you! Quick, get this young girl back!" The Divine Crocodile was startled, then angrily replied, "Bastard, whaddya talking about?" Duan Yu said, "You accepted me as your master, and even kowtowed to me. Are you going back on your words? Are your promises worth nothing more than a fart? You must really want to be a bastard son of a turtle!"

The Divine Crocodile furrowed his eyebrows as storm clouds gathered across his face. He thundered, "Of course I won't go back on my words! So what if you are my master? If you piss me off, I'll even kill you, my 'master'!" Duan Yu replied, "It's good that recognize me as your master! Miss Zhong is my wife. That makes her your master-wife. Go get her back for me! If Yun Zhonghe disgraces her, then he's disgracing your master-wife! You'll lose so much face that you won't be able to be considered a hero or a real man!"

The Divine Crocodile was startled. He thought to himself, "Huh, these words make a lot of sense." But he suddenly thought to himself that Mu Wanqing was Duan Yu's wife. How was it that this little girl surnamed Zhong was also his wife? He asked, "How many master-wives do I have, anyhow?" Duan Yu replied, "Stop asking! The bottom line is, if you aren't able to get back this master-wife, you'll lose a huge amount of face. All of the heroes present have seen with their own eyes that you can't even overcome the Fourth Evil, Yun Zhonghe. That drops you down to the position of being the Fifth Evil. Heck, maybe you'll become the Sixth Evil!"

To the Divine Crocodile, being ranked beneath Yun Zhonghe was literally a fate worse than death. He'd feel less miserable if he were killed. He let out an insane roar, then rushed towards Yun Zhonghe. He screamed, "Put down my master-wife right now!"

Running and leaping forwards, Yun Zhonghe called out, "Yue Number Three, you really are a gigantic idiot! You've fallen for his trick!" The Divine Crocodile loved more than anything else to think of himself as an awe-inspiring person. Hearing Yun Zhonghe claim in front of so many people that he had been tricked only infuriated him all the more. He loudly roared to the heavens, "How could I, Yue Number Two, fall for someone else's tricks?" He immediately sped up his pursuit. In the blink of an eye, the two of them, one in the front, the other in hot pursuit, passed outside the gorge.

In the middle of his earlier, blind rage, Zhong Wanchou had chopped towards his daughter. But at this moment, seeing his daughter being abducted by a thug, he was greatly agitated. After all, the love between a father and his daughter was deep. Not to mention, he realized that if his wife asked him what had happened, he would be incapable of giving her an answer. In a fit of desperation, he, too, chased after them.

Emperor Baoding quickly bade the crowd of heroes farewell, and with the rest of his party also left the gorge. They returned to the city of Dali and returned to the South-Subduing Palace. Hua Hegen, Fan Hua, and Ba Tianshi emerged from the palace to welcome them. Next to them was a bright and beautiful young lady, dressed in the most gorgeous of clothes and ornaments. It was Mu Wanqing.