Fortunately, there weren’t many obstacles on the arid plain and they could see him from afar.
Arriving at the bottom of the cliff, he climbed it without slowing down. By this time, Guo Jing had made huge progress in his lightness technique. Since he climbed the cliff every evening, he didn't need the help of the Taoist anymore and went to the top very quickly. Zhu Cong and Quan Jinfa were more and more astonished and stood for a long time in silence until the other ‘Freaks’ arrived.
Afraid of falling into the hands of enemies, they brought their weapons and their hidden projectiles.
Zhu Cong explained that Guo Jing was already up the cliff.
Han Xiaoying raised her head and saw the summit of the cliff lost in the clouds and shivered.
“We’ll have a difficult time getting up there,” she said.
“Let's hide in the bushes,” Ke Zhen’E said, “we’ll wait for them to come down again.” The other five agreed. Han Xiaoying thought about the night ten years ago when they fought the ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’. She and her six brothers hid, waiting for enemies. It was as cold a night as this one and the wind cut to the bone. The lonely moon, the desolate hill, the swirling of sand, and the silence of the night only broken by some distant sounds... The only difference was that now she wouldn’t see Zhang Ahsheng and his always smiling face. She felt sadness in her heart.
The hours passed and they didn’t notice any movement on the cliff. Day broke and there was still no trace of Guo Jing or of his mysterious teacher. They tried looking up but couldn’t see anything.
“Sixth brother,” Zhu Cong said, “Let’s see what’s up there.”
“Will we be able to climb it?” Han Baoju asked.
“I’m not sure; we’ll only know after we try,” Zhu Cong said. After running back to the ger, he returned bringing back two long ropes, two axes and several big nails. Quan Jinfa and Zhu Cong Eagle Shooting Hero
157
attached themselves to each other with the rope and began the climb. They dug some holes and planted the nails in them in order to provide sure hand and foot-holds. Sweating, they finally arrived on the summit. Hardly had they put their feet on the top of the cliff when they exclaimed loudly and became pale with fear.
Next to a big rock, they saw nine white skulls perfectly stacked - five at the base, three in the middle and one on the top. It was identical to the arrangement once made by the ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’. Examining the skulls, they saw that each also had the five holes in the forehead.
The edges of the holes were very clean and without any breaks as if cut with a blade. Obviously, the power of the fingers of the ‘Killer’ had increased considerably when compared to the ones they had seen ten years ago. With their hearts thumping like drums they cautiously examined the surroundings, but saw nothing else unusual. Then they climbed down to tell the others what they had seen. Seeing the look on their faces, Han Baoju was worried.
“It’s Mei Chaofeng!” Zhu Cong said. The other four froze.
“And our Jing’er?...” Han Xiaoying asked.
“They must have come down the other side,” Quan Jinfa answered. Then he told them what they had seen.
“Who would have guessed,” Ke Zhen’E sighed, “that for eighteen years, all of our efforts only served to feed a snake amongst us!”
“Jing’er is an honest, straight-forward boy and good as gold,” Han Xiaoying disagreed, “he would never betray us.”
“Honest and straight-forward?” Ke Zhen’E sneered. “How could he learn those martial arts from that witch for two years and not tell us anything?” Han Xiaoying stayed uneasily silent, not Knowing what to say.
“Unless,” Han Baoju said, “a blind Mei Chaofeng wants to use Jing’er to harm us?”
“That’s probably what she’s planning,” Zhu Cong confirmed.
“Even if Jing’er has bad intentions,” Han Xiaoying protested, “he would never agree to betray us like that!”
“Maybe,” Quan Jinfa suggested, “the witch hasn’t decided when the moment to inform him has come.”
“Ok, let's admit,” Han Baoju said, “That Jing’er’s lightness technique is good and he has a good basis in neigong; but what of martial arts? He still is far behind us. Why didn’t the witch teach him any techniques?”
“The witch only uses him,” Ke Zhen’E explained, “She doesn't want to make him good! Didn't her husband die by Jing’er’s hand?”
“That’s it! That’s it!” Zhu Cong exclaimed. “She wants us all to die by Jing’er’s hand, and then she will kill him. That way full vengeance will be gained!” They all shivered, struck by the logic of this 158
Eagle Shooting Hero
reasoning. Ke Zhen’E struck the ground with his staff and quietly said, “Let’s go back and act as if we don’t know anything. When Jing’er arrives, we will eliminate him. Afterward, when the witch arrives to train him, we will take care of her. Even though she may have become stronger than before, she can't see anything; with the six of us together, we should be able to get rid of her once and for all.
“Eliminate Jing’er?” Han Xiaoying exclaimed, frightened. “And what of the challenge we made with Qiu Chuji?”
“Which is more important,” Ke Zhen’E replied coldly, “to keep our lives safe or to go to that challenge?” All remained silent.
“No,” Nan Xiren suddenly said. “We can’t do it.”
“What can’t we do?” asked Han Baoju.
“We can’t eliminate him.” Nan Xiren said, shaking his head.
“I agree with the opinion of Fourth brother,” Han Xiaoying said. “It’s necessary to interrogate him in depth in order not to make an irreparable mistake.”
“The problem is too serious,” Quan Jinfa said. “If we hesitate and show the slightest weakness and he benefits from that to secretly betray us, what will happen to us?”
“If we don’t make the right decision,” Zhu Cong said, “the consequences may be terrifying. Do not forget that our adversary is Mei Chaofeng!”
“What do you think, Third brother?” Ke Zhen’E asked.
Han Baoju wasn’t sure which way to decide, but he saw tears in the eyes of Han Xiaoying. She seemed so sad: “I’ll take Fourth brother’s side,” Then he said, “I won't ever be able to kill Jing’er.”
Thus, three ‘Freaks’ were of the opinion to use violence on Guo Jing; the other three wanted a more measured approach.
“If Fifth brother was still among us,” Zhu Cong sighed, “it would be possible for him to break this deadlock...”
Hearing him mention Zhang Ahsheng, Han Xiaoying was heart broken again. Holding back her tears, she quietly said, “How could we not want to avenge our Fifth brother? Let's obey our elder Brother’s wish!”
“In that case,” Ke Zhen’E said. “Let’s go back to the camp.”
Back in their ger, they stayed silent, the air of death surrounding them.
That night, when Guo Jing arrived at the summit of the cliff, the Taoist was already there. Seeing the young man, he spoke to him in a low voice and showed him something next to the big rock where they usually trained.
“Look!”
Eagle Shooting Hero
159
Guo Jing approached and saw in the moonlight the pile of nine skulls. He jumped back. “The ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’!” he said with a trembling voice. “They’ve come again!”
“You know of the ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’?” the Taoist asked. The young man told him of the terrifying fights that night, in the course of which his Fifth Shifu lost his life. He also told of how he frantically struck out with his knife and killed Chen Xuanfeng. The visions of that night were so vivid in his mind that he could not stop himself from shivering. When he stabbed ‘Copper Corpse’, he was very young, but the terrifying images had been engraved deeply in his memory.
“‘Copper Corpse’ caused so much suffering,” sighed the Taoist, “yet he died by your hand!”
“My Shifus often speak of the ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’. My Third Shifu and Seventh Shifu say that ‘Iron Corpse’ should be dead... But Eldest Shifu always says: ‘Not for sure! Not for sure’!
For these nine skulls to be here, ‘Iron Corpse’ can’t be dead...” He shivered. “Did you see Mei Chaofeng?” he asked.
“I arrived here not long ago,” the Taoist answered, “And I immediately noticed this pile of skulls.
Has ‘Iron Corpse’ come here to take revenge on your Shifus and you?”
“The Eldest Shifu made her blind,” Guo Jing said, “we are not afraid of her.”
The Taoist took a skull in his hand and carefully examined it. “This person has a kung fu of terrifying power,” he said while nodding his head. “I fear that your six Shifus are not strong enough to face her. Even if I lend them some assistance, we still may not defeat her!”
He was so sure of what he was saying, that Guo Jing was stunned. “Ten years ago,” he said, “she was not blind and yet she did not succeed in defeating my seven Shifus. Today, we are eight...