HEAVEN SWORD DRAGON SABRE - Book 1 Of 2

Eternal Delight As The Seven Heroes Reunited Part 3

Yu LianZhou said, "There are some decent fighters on the shore. Enough talk, let's break through." Zhang CuiShan nodded, and ordered the boatmen to just keep going. When they sailed near the six small boats, Yu LianZhou picked up those four men, unsealed their pressure points, and threw them over to the other boats. Oddly enough, no one on the other boats made a sound. Even the people on the shore remained silent, as if they're all mute. The four men Yu LianZhou threw went into the cabin.

Just as their boat passed by the six opposing boats, one of their boatmen suddenly threw something with his hand. After hearing two 'ping' sounds, the wood on their boat started flying everywhere, and an explosion destroyed the rudder. The boat itself suddenly turned horizontally. That sailor had thrown two fish bombs, which fishers use to catch fish. However, the one he used had much more explosives than a typical one. So it could destroy parts of the boat.

Yu LianZhou remained calm, and quickly jumped to the neighboring boat. Confident of his abilities, Yu LianZhou went empty-handed.

The boatman did not react as he landed. Yu LianZhou yelled, "Who threw that fish bomb?" The boatman did not respond. Yu LianZhou walked into the cabin, and saw two men sitting inside. Neither reacted upon his entrance. Yu LianZhou grabbed one of them, yelled, "Where's your scoop to throw out water?" That person did not respond. Yu LianZhou didn't want to force him, and returned back out. He saw that the Zhang family had already made it to this boat.

Yu LianZhou snatched away the oar, and began to paddle this new boat. After a moment, Yin SuSu yelled, "They've scuttled the boat!" as they saw water seeping through the bottom. There was a hole on the bottom of the boat, which was covered by a cork. But now that the cork has been removed, water flooded in. Yu LianZhou jumped to the second boat, and saw a small pool of water on the deck. He turned around and said, "Fifth brother. Since they're forcing us to land, let's grant their wish!" Those six boats are perfectly positioned as stepping-stones, allowing them to easily jump to shore.

The remaining ten-plus hooded figures positioned in a semi-circle, surrounding them. The majority held long swords, but a few held double sabers, or whips, but no heavy weapons.

Yu LianZhou looked around, but didn't say anything.

The person in the middle gestured with his hand, and the crowd split apart. All of them bowed, their weapons facing the ground, opening a path. Yu LianZhou returned a bow, and walked through the opening. Just as he left, the people returned to their positions, surrounded the remaining three people.

Zhang CuiShan laughed, and said, "Oh, so you are all here for me. I'm quite honored that you've spent so much effort to capture me." That middle person thought for a moment, and the crowd opened up a path again. Zhang CuiShan said, "SuSu, you go first!"

Yin SuSu, carrying WuJi, began to walk out, when suddenly the sound of wind surrounded her, as five swords came right at WuJi. Yin SuSu retreated in shock. Those five people continued to pursue her, the sword tips continuously vibrated, but always near WuJi.

Yu LianZhou leapt forward, and flew toward the battle. His two hands quickly shot out four times, each time hitting one of the hooded person's wrist. In a flash, their four swords flew up into the air. Yu LianZhou quickly followed the four strikes by grabbing the fifth person's wrist, and sealed that hand's pressure point. The hand he struck felt quite soft, like that of a woman, so he quickly let go. That person's hand became numb, and immediately dropped the sword.

With no swords in their hands, all five hooded figures retreated. Two more sparkles appeared under the moonlight, as another two swords came at Yu LianZhou. The sword edges pointed horizontally, the tips slashed from left to right, both attackers used the technique 'Calm Desert Sand'. But there's not much force behind the technique, as if they didn't want to hurt him.

Yu LianZhou thought, "Kun Lun Sword Art! These are from the Kun Lun Sect!" When the swords reached about a feet from his chest, his chest contracted, two arms swept down from above, striking the flat area of the two swords.

These two strikes applied Wu Dang's inner power. Normally, this should result in both swords dropping from the hands. However, during the moment of contact, Yu LianZhou felt a soft force coming out of the sword, which neutralized part of his power, and allowed the swords to remain in hand. But even so, Yu LianZhou's power still pushed back the two attackers. One couldn't maintain balance, and fell to the ground. The other let out a cry, and coughed out some blood.

This was the first time any of these people let out a sound. The cry sounded like a woman's voice.

The middle hooded person waved the left hand, and everyone retreated away. Most of these people looked quite lean, most likely women dressed in men's clothing. Yu LianZhou said, "Second Yu, Fifth Zhang, wish to apologize to 'Mr. Iron Zither', for causing all this trouble." Those hooded figures did not respond, but one of them chuckled ever so slightly, in a woman's voice.

Yin SuSu put down WuJi, grabbed his hand tightly, and said, "The majority of them should be women. Second brother-in-law, are they from the Kun Lun Sect?" Yu LianZhou said, "No, they are E Mei disciples." Zhang CuiShan asked in surprise, "Then why did you mention 'Mr. Iron Zither'?"

Yu LianZhou sighed, and said, "They covered their own faces, unwilling to speak a word. So they obviously wished to hide their identity. When the five swords attacked WuJi, they used Kun Lun Sect's 'Winter Plum Sword Formation'. The technique against me was 'Calm Desert Sand'. I played along, went ahead and apologized 'Mr. Iron Zither' He TaiChong."

Yin SuSu said, "But how do you know they're E Mei disciples? Did you recognize someone?"

Yu LianZhou said, "No. None of their martial arts abilities are deep. Probably two generations removed from E Mei's Master Mie Jue. Or perhaps some of her latest disciples. I don't know any of them. However, they did indeed use E Mei's inner power to neutralize my two strikes against their swords. It's not hard to copy someone else's techniques. But you can't cover up your inner power."

Zhang CuiShan nodded, said, "When you struck their swords, they should've let go to avoid serious injuries. E Mei's inner power is quite powerful. However, they didn't have the ability to utilize it to full potential. Had second brother been fighting for real, both of them would've been dead by now. But E Mei and Wu Dang had always been on friendly terms."

Yu LianZhou said, "E Mei founder Heroine Guo helped out our master in his youth. For this reason, he always told us not to offend E Mei Sect, for old times sake. When I realized those two people were E Mei disciples, I tried to retract my inner power, but was too late. I didn't mean to hurt them, but nonetheless disobeyed master's orders."

Yin SuSu said, "Thankfully, you pretended that they're Kun Lun Sect. So you didn't officially offend the E Mei Sect."

The boat they were on kept sailing during this whole time. By now it's long gone. The six smaller boats have sunk. Its occupants all swam ashore. Yin SuSu said, "Are these also E Mei disciples?" Yu LianZhou whispered, "Most likely Lake Chao's Grain-Boat Clan." Yin SuSu looked at the five swords on the ground, and wanted to examine them. Yu LianZhou said, "Don't touch these weapons. If they have names on them, we'd have trouble claiming ignorance on the matter. Let's just leave now!" Yin SuSu nodded in agreement and said, "You're right." She grabbed WuJi's hand and walked towards the road.

After walking for a while, they saw three horses tied to a tree. WuJi yelled happily, "Horses! Horses!" WuJi had always wanted to ride a horse since coming to the mainland. But because they kept traveling by boat, he never got the chance.

When the four got close to, they saw a note stuck to the tree. Zhang CuiShan took down the note, and read it, "Please accept these three horses, as an apology for inconveniencing you." The characters were written in charcoal, very delicately, in a lady's writing style. Yin SuSu said with a smile, "Looks like this E Mei lady wrote to Heroes of Wu Dang using a charcoal pencil for drawing eyebrows." Yu LianZhou said, "Well, they're certainly quite courteous." He untied the horses, and everyone got on. WuJi sat in front of his mother, feeling very excited.

Zhang CuiShan said, "Since everyone knows our movement anyway, we might as well ride horses. Yu LianZhou said, "You're right. There will surely be more troubles ahead. If we must fight, don't be too ruthless." He still felt quite uneasy for hurting those two E Mei disciples.

Yin SuSu felt ashamed, thought, "Second brother-in-law only used a bit too much force. He didn't even intend to hurt anyone. They only sustained injuries because they wouldn't let go of the swords. We really shouldn't let second brother-in-law get further involved in this matter." So she said, "Second brother-in-law. These people came for my family. If we encounter any trouble, my husband and I will take care of it. If we can't handle them, then we can ask you for help." Yu LianZhou said, "Do not treat me as an outsider. After all, we brothers live together and die together. Your problems are my problems."

Yin SuSu stopped discussing this matter, and asked, "If they knew you were with us, why did E Mei just send some younger disciples to block our way?" Yu LianZhou said, "They probably didn't have time to gather the more powerful disciples."

Zhang CuiShan figured these disciples came because of Xie Xun, and said, "Looks like my sworn brother is also an enemy of E Mei. How come he never told me back on Fire-Ice Island?"

Yu LianZhou sighed, and said, "E Mei's a very strict sect, with mostly female disciples. Master Mie Jue doesn't let her female disciples wander around freely. So even we used to find it strange that E Mei would go against the Heavenly Eagle Sect. However, we recently found out the reason. One night, 'Golden Hammer' Fang Ping, Old Hero Fang of the Kai Feng City in He Nan province, was killed. The words 'The murderer is Lightning Fist of the Originating Formation: Cheng Kun' were written on the wall." Yin SuSu asked, "Is Fang Ping a member of the E Mei Sect?" Yu LianZhou said, "No. But Master Mie Jue's surname was 'Fang' before becoming a nun. That Old Hero Fang was Master Mie Jue's brother." Both Zhang CuiShan and Yin SuSu gasped at the same time.

WuJi suddenly asked, "Second uncle, is that Old Hero Fang a good person or a bad person?" Yu LianZhou said, "I heard that he was a recluse, and spends his days farming and reading. So he should be a good person." WuJi said, "Oh, godfather really shouldn't be killing so recklessly." Yu LianZhou was overjoyed, reached out for WuJi's arms, and took him from Yin SuSu. He said, "Son, your second uncle's very happy for you, since you know to not kill recklessly. A person who dies cannot be resurrected. So even if your opponent is the most devious, vicious person in the world, you still shouldn't automatically kill him. Try giving people a chance to reform."

WuJi said, "Second uncle, can you do something for me?" Yu LianZhou asked, "What?" Wu Ji said, "If they really do find godfather, can you tell them not to kill him? His eyes are now blind, and can't beat these people." Yu LianZhou thought for a moment, then said, "I don't have the power to do this. But I myself will promise not to kill him." WuJi did not speak further, but tears came down his eyes.

The next day, they've arrived at a town. After sleeping for a while in an inn, they continued in the afternoon. Sometimes Yin SuSu and Zhang CuiShan would ride together, so WuJi could get a taste for riding alone. As a child, WuJi forgets his worries quickly. After riding alone for a while, he quickly forgot about Xie Xun's problems.

Following a day of riding, they almost reached the city of An Lu. Suddenly, ten or so merchants hurried past them. When they saw Yu LianZhou, one quickly shook his hand and yelled, "Turn round quickly! Mongolian soldiers are killing and pillaging ahead." Another said to Yin SuSu, "You are one brave lady. But you really shouldn't let the soldiers see you." Yu LianZhou asked, "How many soldiers?" One merchant said, "Ten-plus. All looked really mean." He quickly ran away as he spoke.

The Seven Heroes of Wu Dang hated cruel Mongolian soldiers more than anything else. Zhang SanFeng is very strict about combat. Unless it's absolutely necessary, his disciples should never get into fights. However, if the opponents are Mongolian soldiers acting viciously, then they have the go-ahead to kill. For this reason, if the seven heroes see large contingents of soldiers, they'll simply hide. But if they meet only a few soldiers, then they'd eliminate the soldiers. So when Yu and Zhang heard that there are only ten or so soldiers, they immediately galloped ahead.

After riding for another mile, they heard loud cries ahead. Zhang CuiShan went in front, and saw over ten soldiers holding spears and sabers, terrorizing a group of civilians. The ground is filled with blood, as seven or eight civilians were already dead on the ground. Only to see one soldier picking up a child of about three or four, and then kicked him into the air. When the child came down, another soldier kicked him up again, like kicking a bouncing ball. After a few kicks, the child's breathing stopped. Filled with rage, Zhang CuiShan flew off the horse. Before hitting the ground, his fist struck one of the soldiers, who instantly fell to the ground. At this time, another soldier came at him with a spear.