Very angry, Han Xiaoying wanted to attack immediately. She raised her sword ready to attack, but Zhu Cong silently restrained her.
“For the moment,” the ‘Magical Hands Scholar’ thought, “‘Iron Corpse’ is alone. Although she seems dangerous, the seven of us should be able to make an end of her. If we get rid of her first, it will be easier to take care of ‘Copper Corpse’ later. We would be absolutely incapable of facing the two of them at the same time... But ‘Copper Corpse’ might be hidden, ready to fall on us unexpectedly. Older Brother knows well the habits of these two monsters; it’s better to follow his instructions and wait for him to launch the first attack...”
After inspecting the internal organs, Mei Chaofeng seemed satisfied. With a smile on her lips, she sat down cross-legged facing the moon, and began to practice the regulation of breathing. With her back turned to Han Xiaoying and Zhu Cong, they could see her shoulders rising and falling as she inhaled and exhaled.
“If I use the stroke ‘The Lightning Illuminates the Big Sky’,” Han Xiaoying considered, “I am nearly certain I’ll be able to pierce her right through. But if I miss my stroke, our entire plan will be compromised!” She was unable to decide what to do and her body trembled.
Zhu Cong didn't dare move either; he felt a trickling sensation down his back as he broke out in a cold sweat. Raising his eyes, he noticed that the black clouds coming from the west had covered half the sky, like a sheet of rice paper that someone had spilled ink on. Inside the dark clouds 114
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lightning flashed, increasing the anguish and fear in the hearts of the Six Freaks. The thunder roared dully, as if it was suppressed by the thickness of the clouds.
After practicing the breathing exercises for a period of time, Mei Chaofeng arose; then she dragged the dead man behind her towards the grave where Ke Zhen’E was hidden. She bent down to raise the stone slab. The six Freaks tightened their grip on their weapons, ready to attack her as soon as the slab was removed.
Mei Chaofeng, hearing a rustle of leaves that didn't seem caused by the wind, turned her head suddenly and saw a human shape at the top of a tree. Releasing a long scream, she leaped in that direction.
The man hidden in the tree was Han Baoju. Taking advantage of his small size, he had hidden himself perfectly in the foliage, but, as he got ready to jump, he made a slight move which alerted Mei Chaofeng. Her leap at him came with irresistible force! Han delivered a stroke ‘The Black Dragon Inhales Water’, slashing down with his whip at Mei’s wrist. The woman, contrary to all expectations, did not try to avoid the stroke, but instead seized the tip of the whip. Han Baoju, who was very strong, pulled her quickly toward him. This was to her benefit since it brought her nearer and she counterattacked with a lightning palm. Han Baoju felt the power of that stroke arriving and, knowing that he could not resist it, released his weapon and somersaulted down from the tree. ‘Iron Corpse’ didn't let him escape and followed right behind him, aiming her claw-like hands at the small man’s back.
He seemed to feel an icy breath on the nape of his neck and made an extraordinary effort to move faster. At the same time, Nan Xiren and Quan Jinfa, hidden at the bottom of the tree, threw their nearly invisible projectiles at the pursuer. A ‘Piercing Bone’ awl came from the first and a dart [fei biao] hidden in the sleeve from the second. She swept them away with a flick of her left hand, while her right hand tore off a piece of clothing from the back of Han Baoju. The small man touched the ground with his left foot and rebounded away immediately. However Mei, as agile as wind, was already in front of him.
“Who are you?” She shouted. “What did you come here to do?” At the same time, she planted ten fingers in his shoulders. Han felt the lightning flash of pain, as if ten iron awls had suddenly pierced his flesh. He sent a kick toward ‘Iron Corpse’s’ stomach that she avoided while delivering a stroke with her right hand, nearly breaking his ankle. Barely escaping from her, he threw himself to the ground and rolled to clear himself.
As Mei was about to trample him, a heavy black rod struck her foot; it was Nan Xiren, the ‘Wood Chopper of the Southern Mountains’.
Abandoning Han, Mei Chaofeng quickly moved back to avoid the rod. In an instant, she found herself surrounded by enemies. A scholarly looking man, holding an iron fan, tried to hit the vital points on her meridians; while a girl handling a sword attacked from the right.
A big strong paunchy man armed with a large knife and a small skinny fellow with a weird weapon came from her left; facing her was a vigorous looking peasant-type moving his iron rod. The sound of footsteps behind her had come from the man with the whip. All these people were completely unknown to her, yet they seemed to be eminent experts in martial arts.
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“They are too numerous,” Mei Chaofeng thought, “It will be necessary to use strong methods and eliminate some of them without delay. No matter what their names or their origins... Aside from my beloved master and my bastard of a husband, I will kill anyone in this lowly world!” She jumped, all claw-like fingers extended, at Han Xiaoying. Seeing the power of this attack, Zhu Cong, fearing for her, jumped forward pointing his iron fan at her vital point ‘Sinuous Pond’ situated in the hollow of her elbow. However, it didn't seem to bother her. She stretched out her right hand while Han Xiaoying defended herself with the stroke ‘White Mist on the Stream’, with the intention of hitting her arm. But ‘Iron Corpse’ turned her wrist, trying to catch the sword with her bare hand, as if she didn't fear the blade. Han Xiaoying was afraid of this and moved back. At this moment, the fan of the Scholar accurately hit her ‘Sinuous Pond’ accupoint. This is a very important vital point on the human body and Mei’s arm should have been paralyzed immediately. Zhu Cong was delighted at having succeeded with his stroke until he saw her arm suddenly move down and her dangerous nails were practically on his head! He moved back at the last moment and escaped death by a hair!
“Doesn't she have any vital points?” he wondered, surprised and afraid. Han Baoju had collected his whip by now, and the Six, moving their weapons, surrounded Mei Chaofeng. However, she didn't seem at all impressed. Her bare hands, with which she tried to seize their weapons, appeared as efficient as claws made out of steel. The Freaks were particularly worried since it seemed that their adversary's nickname was not exaggerated. ‘Iron Corpse’ appeared to have, effectively, a body of iron! She had just received two strokes on the back, inflicted by the weighing scales of Quan Jinfa, without apparently causing her any injury. They knew that she had succeeded in pushing the resistance of her body to an extreme. Apart the sharpened tip of Zhang Ahsheng’s large knife and the sword of Han Xiaoying, she seemed to not fear any of the other weapons. She didn't even try to avoid them! Her only desire was to attack.
She increased speed and seized Quan Jinfa’s arm who was too slow trying to escape. The other five moved quickly, but were too late; Mei, with a violent stroke, pulled a piece of flesh from his arm.
“All those that practice the iron body technique,” Zhu Cong thought, “must possess a nodal practice location which is impossible for them to protect using this technique. This point is particularly vulnerable and a small touch is sufficient to severely wound or kill them... Where could this shrew's nodal location be?” He bounded to the right, to the left, moving the fan, trying successively to touch the meridian point ‘Meeting of the Hundred’ on the top of the head, the point ‘Screen of the Spring’
on the throat, then the point ‘Tomb of the Mind’ in the hollow of the navel, followed by the point
‘Hollow of the Middle’ on her back... He tried about ten points, all the while thinking that, if she takes particular care to defend a point…that will be her nodal location.
The significance of his back and forth movements didn't escape Mei Chaofeng. “Lowly ‘Scholar’,”
she shouted, “my technique is perfect to the point that I don't have a nodal location!”
She struck and seized Zhu’s wrist. Although surprised, this man fortunately had a quick mind and agile hands. Before Mei could plant her nails in his flesh, he had pulled back his wrist and slipped his fan into his adversary's hand while whispering, “Careful, there’s poison on the fan!”
Suddenly feeling a hard object in her hand, Mei Chaofeng, speechless and afraid of the poison, threw the fan to the ground.
Zhu Cong used this opportunity to escape and move several steps back. He looked at his hand, the back of which showed five bloody grooves, and felt a flush of cold sweat. The fight had only lasted 116
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a short time and not only had the Freaks not finished her off, but three of their number were already wounded. If ‘Copper Corpse’ arrived, they would all lose their lives. Zhang Ahsheng, Han Baoju and Quan Jinfa were already quite tired and covered with sweat. Only Nan Xiren, whose neigong was more powerful, and Han Xiaoying, lighter bodied, didn't seem tired; whereas their enemy became more and more violent. Zhu Cong suddenly saw, in the pallid gleam of the moon, the three heaps of skulls on the left. He shivered, and then had an idea; he hurried towards the hole where Ke Zhen’E was hidden, while shouting. “Run for your lives!” The other understood and moved back while still fighting.