You... will you help us in this danger or not?”
“I’ve thought about it for a little while,” the Taoist answered after an moment of silence, “but I don't understand how her fingers can be this powerful... As says the proverb: ‘Those that wish you well don't come to find you, those that come to find you don't wish you well’! Since she dares to come to take revenge, she is very sure of her chances.”
“What reason did she have for arranging the skulls here? Won't we be extra cautious after seeing them?”
“I imagine that it must be a part of the ritual of practicing the ‘Nine Yin White Bone Claw’...
Because it is so difficult to climb, she must think that no one comes to the summit of this cliff. By sheer luck, we stumbled on it!”
Fearing that Mei Chaofeng might already be going to fight his masters, Guo Jing said, “I am going to warn my Shifus.”
“Well thought,” the Taoist approved. “Tell them that you pass on a message from a good friend; they are to keep themselves aside for a while and take time to find the best solution... There’s no reason to face her needlessly.”
Guo Jing agreed; but at the very moment he was going to let himself slip down from the cliff, the Taoist grabbed him and jumped behind a large rock where they hid themselves. Guo Jing was going 160
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to ask him what was going on when the Taoist put his hand over his mouth. He shrank against the rock, not daring to make a sound, only risking a quick look.
A short time later, a shadow moved up the other side of the cliff. In the moonlight, long hair floated in the wind: it was Mei Chaofeng. The other side of the hill was even steeper than the cliff; because she was blind, she probably wouldn’t have noticed the difference. That was a stroke of luck, because the ‘Six Freaks’ were hidden on this side. If she had come up here, she would not have failed to meet them, and they would be fighting already!
Mei Chaofeng turned around suddenly; a frightened Guo Jing lowered his head quickly. Then he remembered that she was blind, and he stood up slowly. He saw that she was sitting with her legs crossed on the big rock where he trained every day. Then she began breathing exercises. He now understood that this way of breathing and mastering the breath constituted the practice of the neigong. He felt a sudden appreciation for the Taoist’s teaching.
A little later, he heard crackling coming from the body of Mei Chaofeng; at first occasional, then faster and faster, just like when one grills peanuts in a wok and they explode. The noise came from the inside of her body that remained immobile. Guo Jing didn't know that it was a strange and superior form of the neigong, but he was still very impressed. The crackling lasted for a long time.
Then the rhythm slowed until it stopped completely. Guo Jing saw her rise slowly, her left hand took something from her waist that she swung like a long silver snake. Startled at first, he then saw that it was a very long whip. The Golden Dragon Whip of his Shifu Han Baoju didn't exceed six feet, but this one had to be more than twenty feet long!
She turned around slowly and the light of the moon illuminated a face that still was very pretty.
With her long hair and her eyes closed, she seemed sinister and frightening. In the silence, one could hear her sigh and whisper, “My bastard husband, could it be that in the Hell, you also think of me every day?” Holding her whip by its middle section, she quietly laughed and began to train. This whip seemed to dance in a curious way; the movements were slow and didn't make any noise. She made a stroke to the east, followed by an astounding one to the west; every strike more unbelievable than the last. Suddenly her hand slipped and caught the end of the whip so that all of its length reached a big rock. It wrapped around and raised it, as if it was a hand. Guo Jing was stunned by this. The whip, after flinging the rock far away, moved back towards his head. In the moonlight, he could see distinctly that the end of the whip held about ten very sharp hooks.
Guo Jing was already holding his knife. Seeing the whip coming his way, he was going to avoid the stroke, without even thinking about it. Then he felt his arm go numb and a hand pushed him to the ground. Like silvery lightning, the end of the whip passed above his head. Covered with a cold sweat he thought, “If my Taoist friend had not stopped me in time and my knife touched it, the whip would certainly have smashed my skull!” Fortunately, the Taoist did it efficiently and quietly and Mei Chaofeng didn't notice anything.
She trained for a while, and then replaced the whip at her waist. From her bag she took a piece of cloth or leather that she unfolded and spread on the ground. She touched its surface, thought, then stood up to sketch some movements. She knelt again to feel the thing and to think again. Finally, she put it back in the bag and went away to the other side of the hill. Guo Jing sighed and stood up.
“We’ll follow her,” the Taoist said in a low voice. “Let's see what mischievous plan she’s preparing for us!” He caught the young man by the belt and the two slowly slipped down from the hill. When Eagle Shooting Hero
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they reached bottom, they saw Mei Chaofeng already far away to the north. The Taoist put his arm around Guo Jing who immediately felt a lot lighter and the two of them went at a great speed across the steppe, following ‘Iron Corpse’. As dawn began, they saw a camp of several score large gers far away. Mei Chaofeng’s shadow soon disappeared among them.
They accelerated their pace, avoiding the sentries and patrols, until they arrived at a big yellow ger.
Guo Jing dropped to the ground and raised the flap of the ger slightly to take a look inside. He saw a man draw his large knife and strike a huge man, who collapsed to the floor. As he fell, his face was in the field of vision of the Taoist and Guo Jing. Guo Jing recognized him; he was Temujin’s personal bodyguard! He was stunned. "How could it be that he came to be killed here?" He wondered raising the flap of the ger a little more. At this moment, the murderer turned around and Guo Jing recognized Senggum, the son of Ong Khan.
Senggum wiped the blade on his shoe’s sole and said, “Now you don’t have any more doubts, do you?”
“My brother Temujin is intelligent and courageous,” answered a man, “this plan will not be easy to achieve.” Guo Jing recognized him; it was Jamuka, Temujin’s sworn brother.
“Since you like your sworn brother so much,” Senggum sneered, “you could go and warn him!”
“You,” Jamuka said, “are also my sworn brother. Your father has treated me with kindness, I won’t betray you. Besides, Temujin has ambitions of absorbing my soldiers into his army, this I know very well. It is only because of our oath of brotherhood that I haven’t broken our relationship yet.”
"Could they be plotting against Temujin?” Guo Jing wondered. “How is it possible?”
“The one that takes the initiative always has the advantage,” another man said. “If you wait for him to attack you, you are lost! After the victory, all of Temujin’s goods, his herds, his wives, and his treasures, will come to Senggum. His men, on the other hand, will be incorporated into Jamuka’s army. Accomplish that, and you will receive the title of ‘Conqueror General of the North’ from the Jin Empire.”
Guo Jing could only see his back, so he crawled in a little further in order to see him better. He was clothed in a sumptuous yellow brocade tunic covered with sable. He knew the man, but he took a little time to remember his identity. "Ah yes, he’s the Sixth Prince of the Jin Empire.”
Jamuka seemed convinced by his words. “If my adoptive father, Ong Khan, gives me the order,” he said, “I will obey.”
“Since you put it like that,” a very happy Senggum said, “if my father doesn't give the order, he will offend the Jin Empire. In a little while, I will ask him, he won't be able to refuse the Sixth Prince.”
“Soon,” Wanyan Honglie continued, “the soldiers of the empire are going to descend on the south to conquer the Song. At that time, each of you, at the head of twenty thousand men, will be able to participate in the invasion. After the victory, others rewards will await you!”
“I’ve always heard,” Senggum exclaimed joyfully, “that the south was a marvelous world, paved with gold, and where all women look like flowers. If the Sixth Prince takes us along, it would be perfect!”
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“Nothing could be easier,” Wanyan Honglie said, smiling, “I only fear that there might be too many beautiful women in the south and you won’t see all of them!” They exploded in laughter.
“Now,” pursued the prince, “tell me how you intend to take care of Temujin... In fact, I already asked him to help us to destroy the Song, but he refused. He’s a clever man; we can’t give him any reasons to doubt us. That is why we need to double our precautions.”
At that moment, Guo Jing felt the Taoist pull him by the sleeve. He turned around, and saw Mei Chaofeng a little way off. She had caught someone and seemed to question him. "Whatever this witch's intentions,” he thought, “my Shifus aren’t threatened for now. First I am going to find out more about the plot against the Khan and then decide what to do.” Then he turned again to the ger.