DEMI GODS AND SEMI DEVILS Book 2 of 5 (Shrouding Screen In Suzhou) by Jin Yong

Sadness Remained At Yanmen, With No Words Left Part 3

Surprised, A'Zhu said: 'You don't know him either? Then why was he willing to risk saving you from an extremely dangerous place? Ah, of course, every great hero who saves people in danger is just like that.'

Qiao Feng sighed and said: 'I don't know who I should take revenge on, and don't know who I should pay my debt of gratitude either. I don't know if I'm Han or Hu and don't know if in the end my conduct and deeds are right or wrong. Qiao Feng ah Qiao Feng, you're really a man for nothing.'

Seeing his miserable expression, A'Zhu could not help putting out her hands and holding his hands. She soothed him: 'Great master Qiao, why do you have to make yourself suffer? There'll be one day when everything will come to light. As long as you have a clear conscience, and act and behave according to the law of Heaven and Earth, that's good enough.'

Qiao Feng said: 'But I myself have a guilty conscience. Because of it I feel very sorry. That day in the apricot forest I flicked the saber and took a vow that I'd never kill a Han, but... but...'

A'Zhu said: 'At Juxian Manor, those people disregarded rights and wrongs to jointly attack you, if you hadn't struck back, could it be that you'd have confusedly let them cut you into 17 or 28 pieces? There's no such thing under heaven!'

Qiao Feng said: 'You're right.' He was a broad-minded brave man therefore he only felt grieved and lonely for a limited time; after a while, he cast these feelings aside and said: 'Zhiguang dashi and Zhao Qiansun both said there were words written on this stone wall, but someone has scraped them off.'

A'Zhu said: 'Yes, I guessed you'd definitely go out of Yanmen Pass to see the words left behind on this stone wall, that's why after I escaped from danger I went to here immediately to wait for you.'

Qiao Feng asked: 'How could you escape? It's also Elder Bai who saved you?' A'Zhu smiled: 'No, it isn't. You remember that I once disguised as a Shaolin monk, right? Even his shixiongdi (apprentice younger and older bros) couldn't discover it.' Qiao Feng said: 'Yes, this mischievous skill of yours is really good.' A'Zhu said: 'That day, when the condition of my injury was already very good, Divine doctor Xue said there was no need to treat the injury anymore and after resting for 7 or 8 days I'd fully recover. The stories I made up gradually had more and more flaws. Also, I already got somewhat bored with making them up and was worried about you, so in the evening of that day, I disguised as a person.' Qiao Feng asked: 'Disguised again? Who did you disguise as?'

A'Zhu said: 'I disguised as Divine doctor Xue.'

Slightly startled, Qiao Feng said: 'How could you disguise as Divine doctor Xue?' A'Zhu said: 'He met me every day and talked to me the most so I was familiar with his appearance and manner the most. Besides, he often stayed with me alone. In the evening of that day, I pretended to fall in a faint. He came to feel my pulse. I then turned my hand over and grabbed the inner surface of his wrist. He could no longer move, and had no choice but to let me arrange.'

Qiao Feng could not help but burst out laughing and thought: 'This Divine doctor Xue only focused on treating illness. He didn't expect to be fooled by this imp at all.'

A'Zhu said: 'I blocked his acupuncture points, removedhis clothes and footwear. As my acupuncture point blocking skill isn'tfirst-class, I feared he would unblock the acupuncture points, so I torn thebed sheet, tied up his limbs then put him on the bed and used the quilt tocover him. If someone looked in from outside the window, they'd only think thatI was sleeping deeply with my head covered by the quilt. No one would suspect.After I put on his clothes, shoes and hat and piled wrinkles onto my face, Ialready looked 70% similar to him, but I lacked a beard.'

Qiao Feng said: 'Oh, Divine doctor Xue's beard is half black half white, it'snot easy to fake it.' A'Zhu said: 'It was impossible to make a copy, so in theend I used the real one.' Qiao Feng asked in surprise: 'The real one?' A'Zhusaid: 'Yes, the real one. I took out a small knife from his medicine chest andshaved off his beard, then stuck every single thread on my face. There wasn'tthe slightest difference in color and appearance. Divine doctor Xue must'vebeen extremely angry, but what could he do? Treating my injury wasn't his truegoal so me shaving off his beard doesn't count as requiting kindness withenmity, let alone the fact that after having his beard shaved off, it seemed hebecame younger by more than 10 years, looking very handsome.'

As she spoke to here, the 2 of them looked at each other and burst outlaughing.

A'Zhu continued after she finished laughing: 'After disguising as Divine doctorXue, I swaggered out of Juxian Manor. Of course no one dared to ask meanything. I asked people to prepare horse and take silver for me then went off.When I was 30 li (0.5 km) away from the manor, I pulled off the beard andchanged into a young guy. Those people must have discovered it no sooner thanthe early morning of the next day. But on the way I already changed myappearance, they certainly wouldn't be able to find me.'

Qiao Feng applauded and said: 'Brilliant! Brilliant!' Suddenly he recalled thatat Shaolin Monastery when seeing his own back in the copper mirror in the BodhiInstitute he had been dumbfounded and vaguely felt uneasy about something. Atthis moment, when he heard her talking about how she had disguised and escapedfrom danger, not only did this uneasy feeling suddenly emerge again, but it wasalso more intense than it had been that day at Shaolin Monastery. He consideredand said: 'You turn around for me.' A'Zhu did not understand what his intentionwas but she still turned around.

Qiao Feng considered for a long while then took off his coat and wrapped itaround her body.

Blushed, A'Zhu turned her head around, looked at him affectionately and said:'I'm not cold.'

When Qiao Feng saw her being wrapped in his coat, his mind suddenly becameclear. He turned his hand over, grabbed her wrist and said sternly: 'It turnsout to be you! Who incited you? Quickly tell me.' A'Zhu was frightened and saidin a trembling voice: 'Great master Qiao, what's the matter?' Qiao Feng said:'You once disguised as me and pretended to be me, right?'