The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Sabre
Chapter 18 : Disaster strikes when the screen wall breaches the impregnable fortress. Zhang Wuji was

Disaster strikes when the screen wall breaches the impregnable fortress.

Zhang Wuji was brought by the man leaping high one more time. Suddenly he heard someone calling out from a distance, “Shuo Bude, why are you this late?”

The man carrying Zhang Wuji replied, “I had to take care of a small matter along the way. Has Wei Yixiao arrived?”

“I haven’t seen him!” the man in the distance answered, “This is strange, even for him to come this late. Shuo Bude, have you seen him?” They were talking back and forth while the man walked closer.

Zhang Wuji was inwardly surprised. “Turns out this man’s name is Shuo Bude [can’t say],” he mused, “No wonder when I asked his name he said, ‘Can’t say’. Even when I asked him again why he can’t say it, his answer was ‘ Shuo Bude is just Shuo Bude; why should I explain to you the reason?’ How can someone have such a weird name?” He thought further, “It seems like he has an appointment with Wei Yixiao to meet in here. I wonder how is Zhu’er? He is a good friend of Wei Yixiao; I wonder how are they going to deal with me?”

He heard Shou Bude say, “Tieguan Dao Xiong [Taoist brother ‘Iron Hat’], let us go seek Wei Xiong [brother Wei]; I am afraid he met some kind of trouble.”

Priest Tieguan said, “Qing Yi Fu w.a.n.g is astute and intelligent, his martial art skill is superb, what kind of trouble might he meet?”

“I just feel something is not right,” Shuo Bude replied.

Suddenly from the valley below a voice came, “Stinky monk Shuo Bude, old mixed-up hair [a derogatory term to call a Taoist priest] Tieguan, come here quick! We need your help! It’s bad! It’s too bad!”

Shuo Bude and Priest Tieguan were shocked. “It’s Zhou Dian,” they exclaimed together, “What might be so bad?”

Shou Bude added, “Sounds like he is injured; why does his voice sound so weak?” Without waiting for Priest Tieguan’s answer, he carried Zhang Wuji and leaped down the peak.

Priest Tieguan followed behind him. “Ah!” suddenly he said, “Zhou Dian is carrying someone on his back; who could it be? It’s Wei Yixiao!”

“Zhou Dian, don’t panic,” Shuo Bude called, “We are coming to help you.”

“Panic your Mama’s fart!” Zhou Dian called back, “Why would I panic? The blood-sucking bat’s old life is about to return to Heaven!”

Shuo Bude was startled, “What happened to Wei Xiong? What kind of injury does he suffer?” he asked, while quickening his pace.

Inside the sack, Zhang Wuji felt like he was mounting the clouds and riding on the mist; he could not help but saying in a low voice, “Qianbei, let me down for the time being, helping people is more important.”

Shuo Bude suddenly lifted up the sack and tossed it in the air three times. Zhang Wuji was shocked; if Shuo Bude let his hands off, the sack would be thrown away, the consequences would be really hard to imagine. He heard Shuo Bude say in a calm and throaty voice, “Kid, let me tell you: I am the Bu Dai Heshang [cloth sack (Buddhist) monk] Shuo Bude; the one behind us is the Tieguan Daoren Zhang Zhong. The one speaking down below is Zhou Dian. The three of us, plus the Leng Mian Xiansheng [Mr. Cold Face] Leng Qian and Peng Yingyu, Peng Heshang [monk Peng], we are the Ming Cult’s Wu San Ren [Five Wanderers]. Do you know the Ming Cult?”

“I do,” Zhang Wuji replied, “Turns out Das.h.i.+ [reverend] is also Ming Cult member.”

“Leng Qian and I do not kill people too often,” Shou Bude continued, “But Tieguan Daoren, Zhou Dian, Peng Heshang, they usually kill people without batting their eyelids. If they knew you are hiding inside my ‘Universe Air Pocket’, they might pounce on you just for fun and then you’ll become minced meat.”

Zhang Wuji said, “I have never offended your honorable Cult, why …”

Shuo Bude cut him off, “When Tieguan Daoren and the others kill people, do you think they would ask first whether you have offended them or not? From now on, if you still want to be alive, do not say even a single word from inside my sack. Do you understand?”

Zhang Wuji nodded.

“Why you don’t answer me?” Shuo Bude asked.

“You told me not to say even a single word,” Zhang Wuji replied.

Shuo Bude smiled. “It’s good if you know that …” he said, “Ah, what happened to Wei Xiong?” The last sentence was directed toward Zhou Dian.

Zhang Wuji heard Zhou Dian’s hoa.r.s.e and throaty voice, “He … he … the disaster has reached its peak.”

“Hmm,” Shuo Bude said, “Wei Xiong’s chest is still a bit warm. Zhou Dian, was it you who helped him?”

“B**lsh*t,” Zhou Dian said, “Do you think it was he who helped me?”

“Zhou Dian,” Priest Tieguan said, “Are you injured?”

“I saw the blood-sucking bat was lying stiffly by the roadside,” Zhou Dian replied, “He was so frozen that he was not even breathing. Contrary to my nature, I showed him the kindness of my heart and transferred my ‘chi’ to help him. Who would have thought that the cold poison inside the blood-sucking bat was so fierce that this is what happened.”

“Zhou Dian,” Shuo Bude said, “This time you indeed have done a good deed.”

“What good deed or bad deed?” Zhou Dian said, “This blood-sucking bat is not only ruthless, he is also very strange. Usually I don’t like to see his face, but this time he has done something very much to Zhou Dian’s liking, so Zhou Dian decided to help him this time. Who would have thought that this blood-sucking bat is incorrigible? The cold poison inside his body attacked me instead and wanted to take Zhou Dian’s old life.”

Priest Tieguan was startled. “Your injury is that heavy?” he asked.

“Retribution, retribution,” Zhou Dian said, “The blood-sucking bat and Zhou Dian have never done any good things in all our lives, and now by doing one good thing we brought disaster to our own lives.”

“What kind of good thing did Wei Xiong do?” Shuo Bude asked.

Zhou Dian replied, “Whenever he excites the poison inside his body, the cold poison flares up and he has to suck someone’s blood to suppress the poison. There was clearly a baby girl by his side, but he would rather die than sucking her blood. Zhou Dian was surprised, so he said, ‘Aiyo, not right! The blood-sucking bat is doing something against his nature. Zhou Dian better also do an act of sacrilege by trying to save him.”

Hearing that Wei Yixiao did not suck Zhu’er’s blood, Zhang Wuji’s delight was not light. Shuo Bude slapped the sack with the back of his hand while asking, “Who is that baby girl?”

“That’s what I asked the blood-sucking bat,” Zhou Dian replied, “He said she is Bai Mei Lao Er’s [Second Old White Brow] granddaughter. He said presently the Ming Cult is facing a disaster, everybody must be united in a concerted effort; therefore, he must never suck her blood.”

Shuo Bude and Priest Tieguan applauded together. “That must be so,” they said, “If White Eagle and Green Bat, two Kings join hands, the power of the Ming Cult will rise.”

Shuo Bude took Wei Yixiao from Zhou Dian; he was shocked. “His body is ice-cold,” he said, “What can we do?”

“That’s right,” Zhou Dian said, “I’ll say it’s too soon for the two of you to be happy. The blood-sucking bat’s old life has 90% gone. One dead bat joins hands with the Bai Mei Ying w.a.n.g; what good does it bring to the Ming Cult?”