Twin Heroes

Chapter 12

The gold knob began to turn. The golden wall began to shift, and indeed revealed a doorway. Before they had even started to enter, a sliver of glittering brilliance was already visible. Behind this golden wall, naturally there must be all sorts of treasure, countless precious items, beyond anyone’s dreams!

Jiang Yulang stood there, stunned. On his sheet-white face suddenly there appeared a flush of crimson. His fingertips betrayed a fine tremor.

Xiao Yu’er’s eyes, on the other hand, merely swept a casual glance across the hoard. His gaze came to rest on Jiang Yulang’s face which was trembling with emotion. With a slight smile Xiao Yu’er asked him, “You like all this?”

“I…I…” was all Jiang Yulang could get out. His Adam’s apple began to move up and down(?), and he forced a casual laugh: “I mean, who wouldn’t, in all the world?”

Xiao Yu’er snorted, “If you want it, go ahead, it’s yours!”

Jiang Yulang stared at him in surprised delight, then abruptly lowered his head. He smiled, “Well, you found this treasure first, of course it should be yours, I…I…even if I could have a little share, I would be most grateful.”

“I don’t want it,” Xiao Yu’er stated flatly.

Jiang Yulang’s head snapped up, his voice cracked: “You don’t want it?” But then he lowered his head again, and laughed: “My life is already a gift from you, even if you didn’t want to share the treasure, I have no complaints.”

Xiao Yu’er laughed. He said, “You think I’m trying to test you, trick you? You can’t eat these objects, they’re no good to drink. They’re heavy and tiresome to carry, and you always have to worry about them being stolen. Why would I want them?”

Jiang Yulang was shocked into silence and could find no words to reply.

Xiao Yu’er paid no further attention to him, and instead began circling the room. He sighed and murmured, “Another dead end, the exit surely would not be here.”

Suddenly Jiang Yulang’s laughter broke into his thoughts. He kept giggling and giggling.

“What, did you see a ghost?” Xiao Yu’er said.

Still laughing, Jiang Yulang said, “All these things, I don’t want them either.”

In surprise, Xiao Yu’er asked, “Oh, that’s strange, why not?”

Jiang Yulang pointed out, “I don’t even know if I can make it out alive, why should I bother with them?”

Xiao Yu’er applauded him, saying: “I guess you’re not so hopeless, after all. You are a clever person. I have seen others who have lost their lives because they could not bear to forsake these riches. Don’t you think they must be a little sick in the head?”

They left. Next, Xiao Yu’er tackled the bronze knob.

In this way, he was able to see more weapons than he had viewed before in his lifetime. Every kind and every type of weapon, and even many styles of hidden projectiles. Some specimens were definitely familiar to Xiao Yu’er. But there were yet some types of weapons that he had never seen before, and he did not even know their names.

The air of steel, so cold it seeped into the bones…the weapons threw off a chilling light, and reflected off their faces so that they had a metallic glow about them(?). Despite himself, Xiao Yu’er could not help drawing his neck into his shoulders.

They looked at the spears. The longest exceeded four metres(?), and the shortest did not reach three feet in length. Next the swords. The longest span resembled that of a tree branch, and the shortest were like chopsticks(?). Long spears and short swords, were all arranged neatly in rows. Although these were not living beings, they all exuded an aura of death, and urged a man to kill(?).

It really did seem as if all the different types of weapons and instruments of violence in the world, were all gathered in this room.

Xiao Yu’er chose a sword at random, and drew it out. It sounded with a sharp ring and its deathly air caused him to flinch involuntarily(?). He cried aloud: “This is a good sword!”

Jiang Yulang said glumly, “It is a good weapon, but in this room, it’s nothing special.” He grasped another weapon, and said, “Do you know what this is?”

At first glance, this appeared to be a golden dragon. Its horns(?) stretched out to the right and left, and its mouth was open, revealing a brilliant green tongue.

“Hmm…I’d say it was a Gold Dragon whip,” Xiao Yu’er surmised.

“Correct,” Jiang Yulang said. “It is a Gold Dragon whip. But this Gold Dragon whip, is different from ordinary whips. It is also called ‘The divine dragon takes nine forms, bane of the spirits’ (?). This one weapon has nine different uses.”

Xiao Yu’er said, “Sounds interesting, tell me about it.”

Jiang Yulang went on, “The whip is covered in barbed dragon scales(?), which can attach to an attacker’s weapon and pull it out of their hands. It can also grip onto hidden projectiles as well.

The forked horns can neutralize all sorts of soft weapons (1). The outstretched tongue of the dragon is used to seal acupoints. The open mouth bites down on an enemy’s sword easily. Furthermore, the pair of dragon’s eyes contains explosives and flammable materials(?). From within the dragon’s mouth, the user can fire thirteen ‘Heart Withers at Noon’ darts (?). Once you see the blood bubbling from the throat, the person will not live another twelve hours(?). And, if needed, the dragon scales can also be fired as projectiles.

If you didn’t know all the background of this weapon, even a god would not be able to escape unscathed.”

The words came fluently from his lips, as if he were describing a familiar family heirloom.

Xiao Yu’er sighed, “Aptly named, Bane of the Spirits, what a weapon.”

Jiang Yulang went on, “Alas that in the entire world, there are only two copies of this weapon. I wonder how this one ended up here.”

“There is another replica?” Xiao Yu’er asked.

“This weapon has vanished from wulin for so long, that the whereabouts of the other one are unknown…if it appeared in wulin once again, who knows how many people would lose their lives to it!” Jiang Yulang said.

Smiling faintly, Xiao Yu’er remarked, “Despite your young age, you seem to be quite familiar with ancient, long-vanished weapons.”

Jiang Yulang’s eyes darted back and forth, as if he suddenly realized that he had said too much. With a false laugh he said, “Oh, I was just repeating the words of others. You know how my father had many social contacts, among them were some savants and wise men.”

Still Xiao Yu’er looked at him with a slight smile. Slowly he said, “Well then, I suppose you would know how to use this weapon properly!”

Jiang Yulang laughed along and protested, “If…if only I knew.”

His entire attitude seemed to be indifferent, and he casually laid down the weapon. But in reality, his eyes were staring at Xiao Yu’er’s hands without blinking. Xiao Yu’er also seemed to be laughing and chatting in a carefree manner, but he too was ceaselessly watching the Bane of Spirits in Jiang Yulang’s grasp.

Although you could still consider these two to be children, but their craftiness and caution went well beyond that of three hundred and eighty seventy year old men put together(?).

Xiao Yu’er spoke again, “According to you then, no matter what weapon I chose from this room, I could instantly make a name for myself in wulin. Especially this Bane of Spirits. Ai, I wouldn’t even know how to use it, you may as well take it.”

Jiang Yulang hadn’t even waited for him to finish speaking before he quickly distanced himself from the weapon. Laughing, Jiang Yulang said, “Such a vicious weapon, I wouldn’t want it.”

Xiao Yu’er smiled, “Actually, weapons are dead, while men are alive. As long as you are strong, it doesn’t matter which weapon you use. It’s probably better not to use this type of weapon.”

Suddenly he drew out a sharp sword, so keenly forged that you could blow a hair onto its edge and the hair would be severed. Light shimmered down its length, and in a flash, the Bane of Spirits, most vicious of unorthodox weapons, broke asunder into useless fragments (?).

Of course Jiang Yulang was smiling. He said, “Wonderful, it’s best to destroy it, we wouldn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands and harm people…” As he spoke, he turned his head, and his eyes flashed as though he could spit fire.

Xiao Yu’er gently stroked the sword in his hand, and smiling he murmured, “Sword, good sword, I originally intended to bring you out of here by my side, but on second thought, I’d better leave you here. People like me, even empty-handed, could…”

“Look!” Jiang Yulang’s shrill cry cut him off. “Over there…”

Under the cold glow of the metal weapons, a skeleton could be seen bobbling gently in a corner. Not only had its clothes rotted away, but its bones which should have been white, were as black as a raven’s feathers. Seen under the metallic light, this was truly a disturbing sight.

Jiang Yulang muttered, “That’s odd. How did this person die here, and avoid getting thrown into the mass grave?”

Xiao Yu’er mused: “Well, anyone who could enter this room, must have been one of the masters of this place. The masters must have been top martial arts experts.”

His brow wrinkled, he said, “But why would the master die here? Was he killed by someone? He doesn’t look as if he were in a struggle. Perhaps he was killed by a single stroke!”

Jiang Yulang added, “Judging from the colour of his bones, I’d say he was poisoned to death.”

Xiao Yu’er said, “I agree.”

Their eyes roamed the scene. Suddenly they cried out together: “So he was killed by a stealth projectile!” They noticed that the skeleton’s blackened bones were impaled by countless tiny silver needles. It was quite surprising that such small needles could pierce through skin, flesh and still embed themselves deeply in the bone.

Xiao Yu’er said, amazed, “What a brutal and vicious style of weapon.”

Jiang Yulang cried aloud: “This is…I…I wonder what did it.”

Xiao Yu’er fixed him with one eye and growled: “You don’t need to pretend. You’re not the only one who recognizes this weapon. I know it as well.”

Hastily smiling, Jiang Yulang said, “These ‘Destroying Heaven, Obliterating Hell, Heart-Piercing and Bone-Penetrating’ needles, are indeed the number one stealth projectile on earth…” From the corner of his eye, suddenly he recognized a weapon from among the pile. It was golden and glittering, a small round tube. Immediately he shifted his body slightly to block it from Xiao Yu’er’s view. As he coughed, he subtly moved toward it.

Xiao Yu’er laughed: “If you keep coughing much longer, I’ll be infected by you.” He suddenly did break into a fit of sneezing, and doubled over. Jiang Yulang waited for his waist to bend over, then swiftly snatched up the small round tube. He could not know that Xiao Yu’er had simultaneously appropriated something gently from the skeleton’s grasp and hid it in his sleeve.

The object was merely a bamboo tube. Xiao Yu’er had in fact not figured out its use, but felt that if the dead person had grasped it tightly with his dying breath, there must be something important and useful about it.

Jiang Yulang was having trouble suppressing his joy. He drew his brows together on purpose and grumbled: “If this person was the master of this place, how could he succumb to a sneak attack here? And yet if he were not the master, he could not be in here either.”

Xiao Yu’er agreed, “Mmm, if you weren’t the master of this place, you could not enter this place.”

“So what happened?” Jiang Yulang wondered.

“Presumably there are still many secrets to this place,” Xiao Yu’er said.

Jiang Yulang sighed, “Yes, and many terrifying secrets.”

Laughing, Xiao Yu’er joked, “There are no such things as terrifying secrets on this earth. All secrets are interesting…”

Side by side, they exited that terrifying yet interesting room. Both of them intentionally used both hands to carry their torches, to show that they hadn’t taken anything from the room.

Now the steel knob shifted and the torchlight showed a chilling steel room.

Jiang Yulang went ahead first. His roving eyes suddenly stopped and he gave a horrified yell, then stumbled backward. His expression resembled a rabbit that had been shot by an arrow.

His brow furrowed, Xiao Yu’er asked, “Now what?”

Jiang Yulang stammered, his face pale, “Have you ever seen a skeleton that could stand upright by itself?”

Laughing aloud, Xiao Yu’er cried: “A skeleton that can stand by itself, now here’s some fun.”

With big strides he crossed over. Then his laughter died on his lips. He noticed that the steel room was especially large and high. The four walls contained nothing. If you stood in there, you would feel like you were standing alone in a wasteland(?).

In this empty room, two solitary skeletons stood alone. Two deathly white shapes tightly embraced each other. Although their flesh and blood had long ago decayed, still they stood erect.

Looking at them, Xiao Yu’er actually felt the hairs raise up on his skin. But he only smiled and said, “I suppose this is a man and a woman, look at them, even unto death they can’t bear to let go! Their affection for each other must have been deep.”

Jiang Yulang disagreed: “If their relationship was so close, they wouldn’t be standing like this.”

Xiao Yu’er laughed, amused: “Ah, I didn’t think of that. In this area, your experience is definitely superior to mine. But if these two people are male, why are they holding each other?”

As he spoke, he wandered over, and stood in front of the two skeletons, as if in a daze. After a deep sigh, he said, “These two are indeed male.” (2)

Jiang Yulang suddenly laughed. He joked, “Well, sometimes the affection between a male and a male can be quite strong.”

Xiao Yu’er said, “How do you know?”

Jiang Yulang said, “Come over here and you’ll know.”

In actual fact the pair of skeletons were not embracing each other. The one on the left had penetrated the other’s ribcage with his hand. To break through bone with his bare hand, this person’s martial arts must be terrifying, what strength! But his own ribs had been broken in seven or eight places, and his neck had been snapped by his opponent. His skull hung floppily to rest on the other’s shoulder.

The two people had died together from lethal injuries inflicted on each other during violent combat!

Jiang Yulang cried out hoarsely, in awe: “What a fearsome Eagle’s Claw; what impressive strength! I see that these two must be superb martial artists, I wonder how they came to die in this place.”

He had hardly finished speaking, when with a “wa-la-la” sound, the two skeletons shivered into fragments from the mere force of his voice. Two superb martial artists, now turned into a pile of bones.

Xiao Yu’er muttered, “Judging from their martial arts, these two should also be among the masters of this place. Since they were living together here in this secret place, away from the rest of the world, their relationship must be very close. But then why did they try to kill each other? Perhaps we will never know.”

As he spoke, he picked up two objects from the pile of bones.

Jiang Yulang wondered aloud: “But what about the other original occupants of this palace? Where did they go, did they all die?”

Xiao Yu’er postulated, “Not only did they die, but they must have all died together, or else their skeletons would not have remained here until now.”

Jiang Yulang persisted: “So even if they all died together, who could have killed them?”

Sighing, Xiao Yu’er said, “As I said before, there must be some big secret behind this.”

Jiang Yulang mumbled, “And a very interesting secret.”

“Ah,” Xiao Yu’er teased him. “Very good, you are finally learning.”

It was only then that they noticed five short tables, on which were piled books, brushes and ink.

“There is even a study in this place,” chuckled Xiao Yu’er. “Interesting, indeed.”

He went over, and casually flipped through the books. Instantly his expression changed. Noticing this, Jiang Yulang also hurried over to pore over another of the books.

Upon a single glance, his face also transformed. Inside the soft, handbound pages, were recorded complex and brilliant martial arts techniques.

Although both of them had been trained by talented teachers, at this moment cold sweat ran down their bodies. They knew, all of a sudden, that compared to this, all the martial arts they had learned in their lifetime, were worthless. They gripped the texts in their hands, unwilling to let go.

After a long while, Xiao Yu’er took a breath, and said: “I know. There must have been five extraordinary martial arts experts here. They trained here together. And when they got an idea, they would rush to a table to write down the inspiration(?).”

Jiang Yulang said, “That sounds right. If they trained here, no wonder the room is so huge.”

Xiao Yu’er went on, “Of the five, three we have already found dead. If I am not mistaken, the remaining two rooms should contain the bodies of the other two masters.”

“I think that must be so,” Jiang Yulang agreed.

Xiao Yu’er said, “Come then. Let’s go see.”

Jiang Yulang raised his eyes from the books, and cried in disbelief: “Go? You…want to leave?”

“When did you lose the ability to understand what I said?” Xiao Yu’er said.

“But these…what about these martial arts texts?” Jiang Yulang sputtered.

Xiao Yu’er said, “Leave them here, they can’t run.”

With his head down, Jiang Yulang said: “Fine. Whatever you say…”

Suddenly he drew out the gold-coloured tube from his clothes, and laughed wildly: “Do you know what this is?”

Xiao Yu’er appeared shocked. He said, “The ‘Destroying Heaven, Obliterating Hell, Heart-Piercing and Bone-Penetrating’ needles.”

“That’s right,” sneered Jiang Yulang. “Your eyesight isn’t bad. I originally wanted to wait until we had escaped outside, before using it on you. But now, I can no longer tolerate you!”

Xiao Yu’er asked him, “If you kill me, wouldn’t you be scared all alone here?”

Cackling loudly, Jiang Yulang answered: “Here there are unimaginable martial arts for me to learn, riches beyond compare, and they all belong to me. When I find the exit, I will instantly be the foremost person in the world, what else would I fear?”

Xiao Yu’er sighed, disappointed. He said, “Very well. If you insist, then kill me.”

With a hideous laugh, Jiang Yulang said, “You aren’t afraid?”

Suddenly Xiao Yu’er also began to laugh. He declared, “Your blow-tube is empty, why should I be afraid?”

Jiang Yulang’s expression changed. He cried: “Empty!”

“Didn’t you bother to wonder,” Xiao Yu’er said, still chuckling, “if this blow tube were not empty, why would someone drop it on the floor…the Bone-Penetrating needles inside it were used to kill that person. After the murdering his enemy, the user just carelessly tossed it aside. Such simple reasoning, how could you not figure it out?”

“You…you…” Jiang Yulang hissed.

Xiao Yu’er added, “Earlier you faked that coughing spell, and swiped that blow tube. Of course I noticed it; if I didn’t know that the blow tube was empty, how could I let you take it?”

He snickered again, then went on: “Besides, these ‘Destroying Heaven, Obliterating Hell, Heart-Piercing and Bone-Penetrating’ needles, are extremely difficult to make. In ancient times, the only one who could make them was ‘Divine Hands Craftsman’. He has been deceased for a long time. Your empty tube is thus nothing but rubbish….ha ha, it is worth even less than rubbish.”

Jiang Yulang’s face was covered in chilly sweat. He stuttered: “I…just now I wasn’t really trying to…to kill you…only…” With a “dong” sound, the blow-tube in his hand hit the floor.

Xiao Yu’er laughed heartily. “I know,” he said, “you were only pulling a prank.”

Jiang Yulang said hurriedly: “I have always thought of you as an older brother, I can swear to it.” His words sounded so sincere, his face did not even contain a hint of red.

Xiao Yu’er smiled at him, amused. He said, “Now, I presume we may leave?”

“Of course,” Jiang Yulang replied. He went out with his head down.

Xiao Yu’er laughed loudly, “Jiang Yulang oh Jiang Yulang, what a good boy you are!”

Now Xiao Yu’er was moving the knob made of tin.

He reflected: “The stone room was a grave. The steel room was a training room. The gold room stored treasure, and the bronze room held weapons. All this is logical, now as for the tin room, can you guess what it contains?”

Blinking a few times, Jiang Yulang proposed: “Could it be their private chambers?”

Xiao Yu’er chortled loudly: “Sleeping in a tin room, that would be strange indeed.”

As he spoke, the tin wall moved aside. Before his words had finished, suddenly a fierce lion sprang out from within, almost landing on Jiang Yulang who was standing right outside the entrance. He leapt backward seven or eight feet.

They took another look. Although the lion had retained its fur, its flesh was gone, with only a skeleton to keep its terrifying shape. Xiao Yu’er chuckled in relief: “This lion must have been really hungry, it wanted to escape but had died of starvation upon reaching the door. Alas that it gave our young master Jiang quite a scare.”

He then strolled inside. Abruptly he cried out: “So this was the reason!”

Jiang Yulang approached, and the ashy-white room filled with colours and scattered baubles everywhere, so that they bewildered the eye. It seemed that this was another treasure room.

Upon closer examination, however, he could only see many different colourful objects, which were not necessarily treasure. There was a multitude of different small vials and bottles. And the appearance of each bottle was strange and unusual.

Xiao Yu’er said to Jiang Yulang, “Surely you should know what are in these bottles?”

Jiang Yulang took a deep breath: “Poisons!”

“That is correct,” Xiao Yu’er agreed. “And this lion was meant to guard the poisons.”

Unexpectedly he bent his waist, then said, “The fourth person’s body is indeed here!”

Jiang Yulang watched him pick up some bones. Jiang Yulang thought further and his face paled. He said, “His…his body, was it eaten by the lion?”

Xiao Yu’er sighed, “This person was really unlucky; not only was he murdered here, but even his corpse was devoured by a lion…”

Jiang Yulang suddenly broke into a fit of cackles- “ge ge”.

“Why are you so happy?” Xiao Yu’er asked him.

Still giggling, Jiang Yulang told him, “Turn your head and look.”

In his hand, who knows how long it had been there, he held a dark object which resembled a bamboo tube. He chortled, “Well my luck is certainly not bad, I’ve managed to find a real treasure.”

Blinking, Xiao Yu’er asked, “What is it?”

Jiang Yulang retorted: “If you can’t recognize this, you must really be ignorant. The foremost swordsman of ancient times, ‘Reverend Jue Chen’, died with this object in his hand.”(1)

Xiao Yu’er said, amused: “I still don’t recognize it.”

With a mocking laugh, Jiang Yulang sneered: “Let me tell you, this is the ‘Celestial Dew of the Five Poisons’, from the ancient ‘White Water Palace’; you merely place a drop of this on someone. No matter who it is, within half an hour, they will die from generalized whole-body necrosis.”

Laughing lightly, Xiao Yu’er quipped, “Well then, you’d better put that far away somewhere, you wouldn’t want to spill it on me.”

Jiang Yulang hissed: “Don’t even think about escaping this time. I have already checked it and I know it is full, a full vial of ‘Celestial Dew’. I only have to move my hand and you’re finished.”

Xiao Yu’er smiled bitterly: “You really must kill me no matter what?”

“If you had minded your own business just now,” Jiang Yulang spat out, “and left me free to take that martial arts text, I could have left you to live a while longer yet. But now you must die!”

“Don’t forget,” Xiao Yu’er reminded him, “I could have killed you before, but I didn’t.” Suddenly he laughed: “But, why don’t you take a look at what I have in my hand first?”

In his grip, was the blow-tube for the ‘Destroying Heaven, Obliterating Hell, Heart-Piercing and Bone-Penetrating’ needles which Jiang Yulang had discarded earlier. Jiang Yulang giggled: “I see that you have been scared to the point of madness, you’re even trying to threaten me with that empty blow-tube…”

Smiling, Xiao Yu’er said, “Empty blow-tube? Who said it was empty?”

With a shock, Jiang Yulang stuttered, “You…didn’t you just say…”

Xiao Yu’er interrupted him with a laugh: “Oh yes, I did claim that the tube was empty just now. That was merely a lie; think about it- what else could I do? You should know that because it is so time-consuming to craft them, every blow-tube contains three sets of Bone-Penetrating Needles.”

With another laugh, he added: “If each blow-tube could only be used once, after each use you would have to find the ‘Divine Hands Craftsman’ again. If it was this bothersome, who would value these Bone-Penetrating Needles? Could you not figure out such a simple concept as this?”

Jiang Yulang’s hands once again began to shake. He stammered, “You…don’t think you can trick me again, you don’t even know…”

Laughing coldly, Xiao Yu’er repeated: “I don’t know? I was raised in the Valley of Evil. When it comes to this sort of vicious stealth projectile, would I not know more than you?”

Jiang Yulang’s hands became soft and weak. He laughed, and said in a trembling voice: “Big brother, of course you would know far more, little brother here is not your equal.”

As he spoke, he returned the ‘Celestial Dew’ back to its original place.

Xiao Yu’er said slowly, amused, “If I don’t kill or hurt you, then I deserve whatever comes to me, right?”

Jiang Yulang said, “Little brother here is young and ignorant, speaking nonsense. Big brother, please…please forgive me.” During his speech he slowly backed away.

Sighing, Xiao Yu’er said, “You are indeed an intelligent person. You know a lot, but alas that you are not as clever as I. You are just inferior by a tiny bit…”

With a light flick of his finger, the blow-tube in his hand made a “hack” noise.

Jiang Yulang’s entire body went soft, and he started to swoon from fright. But nothing had been fired from the blow-tube.

At that point Xiao Yu’er had the vial of ‘Celestial Dew’ in his grasp. Laughing - ‘ha ha’- loudly, he cried: “Let me tell you, that blow-tube is in truth empty. ‘Destroying Heaven, Obliterating Hell, Heart-Piercing and Bone-Penetrating’ needles- with one shot there are one hundred and thirty needles. In such a small tube, how could you fit three sets of needles? Such a straightforward principle, how could you not have thought of it?”

With a thump, Jiang Yulang really did fall over unconscious. This time he collapsed from anger, rather than fear.

The fuel in the bronze torch was almost used up.

Jiang Yulang obediently crawled back to his cave and added more oil to it. He also brought back more clean water and food, and subserviently placed these in front of Xiao Yu’er. Only when Xiao Yu’er had finished eating did he begin to devour the leftovers. His own father, if he had been there to witness it, would have died in a fit of anger- because Jiang Yulang had never served even his father in such a filial way.

Xiao Yu’er wiped his mouth. He murmured, “Only one room left. The exit must lie in this room. Mmm…right, to put an exit in their private chambers, this makes sense.”

At last, he twisted the silver knob. Behind the silver wall, there lay an entirely different world!

Here was the true underground palace. Xiao Mimi’s section was certainly extravagant, but when compared to this area, it was practically a pit in a coal mine.

The tunnel beyond the silver wall had a floor covered with a thick and soft carpet. On either side of the tunnel there was a total of six doors covered in jewels and precious stones. The two of them passed through the tangled beams of light shining off the walls, as if they were walking in a paradise.

Xiao Yu’er hardly even glanced at all the splendor. He merely muttered to himself: “Strange…five people, but why are there six rooms, perhaps there was a sixth person here? There must be a sixth person, who probably didn’t practice martial arts. Otherwise, why would there only be five tables in the training room?”

As he thought aloud, he had already entered the first room.

The interior décor clearly identified this as the private chamber of a lady. The dressing table to the side held a complete set of cosmetics and grooming paraphernalia. In fact there was even a chamber pot behind the bed.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yu’er was truly stunned. His eyes grew wide and his voice cracked: “A woman’s room? This place has a female master…you can kill me, I still won’t believe it.”

An embroidered curtain swished down. Xiao Yu’er drew it open and saw a skeleton lying on the bed. Hair, jewelry, all lay neatly on the pillow. Clearly this was a female.

They saw that the next room belonged to a woman as well. On the bed lay its female owner. In the third, and also the fourth, it was the same.

Throughout all this, Xiao Yu’er could only shake his head, laughing and bemused: “So in this place there were more than five people, or even six. The martial arts experts had brought their wives here too. When they were murdered, the wives were naturally killed as well.”

Jiang Yulang suggested, “It appears that these women all had their acupoints sealed, and then were left to slowly die of hunger.”

Sighing in agreement, Xiao Yu’er commented, “This kind of death, would be about the most tortured way to die. The perpetrator presumably would have been even more heartless than you, and his methods far crueller.”

Although Jiang Yulang lowered his head, his cheeks did not redden in shame.

Jiang Yulang went into the fifth room and whipped aside the bed curtains. He sighed: “People are really bizarre; you know that on the bed there will be a woman’s bones, and yet you still can’t resist opening the curtains to look…”

His words were cut short as he realized his mistake. The bed contained two corpses. One male, one female. They looked down and saw that the man’s spine had been shattered. Clearly he had died under a single stroke.

Xiao Yu’er quickly expelled a breath, then said, “This one is actually the fifth person.”

Jiang Yulang said, “The sixth room, could it be his…”

Xiao Yu’er pushed aside the door to the final room. One look was enough to freeze his body in shock.

Under the light, wearing a jeweled cap on his head, sat a man with an impressive beard all over his face. His hand pressed down on the table, as if he would break it. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes glared, his entire attitude was violent and threatening. Fresh blood had seeped out of his eyes, nose, and all of the other seven orifices, except that now the stains were old and dried and indistinct.

Once again, Xiao Yu’er sighed. “This person is dead after all.”

Jiang Yulang had taken down one of the jewels and threw it at the bearded man. They heard a “duk” sound- the precious stone had bounced off the body.

This person’s body was hard as stone.

Xiao Yu’er said: “Maybe this is only a wooden statue.”

“No,” Jiang Yulang argued, “this is a person. A dead person.”

Sighing, Xiao Yu’er said, “No, definitely he is a person, but if he is, then how could he be so much like a piece of wood?”

Jiang Yulang made no reply, but instead crossed over to flick aside the bedcurtain.

On the bed, there indeed was a person. A woman, and an exquisitely beautiful one. Her body was exactly the way she must have looked while alive, not one bit of decay. If it weren’t for her deathly pallor(?), you could without exaggeration call her one of the rare beauties of this earth.

In fact, Jiang Yulang had never in his life laid eyes on such a lovely creature. From her colour, he knew she was dead. But having had a single glance, he involuntarily fell into a dazed dream.

Sighing, Xiao Yu’er broke into his thoughts: “When this woman was alive, she must have had countless men under her spell. Next to her, Xiao Mimi is almost an ugly pig. I don’t understand how her body could still be intact…”

“These two people died in a different manner from the others,” Jiang Yulang said in a low voice. “They succumbed to a strange sort of poison which was able to preserve their bodies indefinitely.”

He took a breath, then slowly added: “Apparently, her beauty was really important to her…this naturally was worth cherishing.”

Xiao Yu’er asked, “You mean that she killed herself on purpose?”

Jiang Yulang pointed out: “If someone else killed her, why would they bother to use such a valuable poison on her?”

Nodding his head, Xiao Yu’er agreed, “That makes sense. Only…what about this man? Even ten or more years after his death, this man still has such a noble air. In life, he must have been really important.”

“Perhaps he was the true master of this place,” Jiang Yulang guessed.

Once again, Xiao Yu’er concurred: “Right, he appears the type to have had such great ambition.”

Jiang Yulang began to think aloud: “Let’s say the other five people were killed by him. Then how did he die? And what drove his wife to suicide? I wonder what his relationship with the other five people was, and why he wasted so much effort and riches to create this underground palace. Why did he have to hide here so secretly?”

With a wry laugh, Xiao Yu’er said, “When you talk like that, you give me a headache.”

The two of them were certainly extremely clever. Yet after thinking and thinking, they could not penetrate the mystery of this palace. By this time their eyes were huge. But still neither of them had glimpsed the book by the side of the pillow. If they had missed this book, then they would never have figured out this puzzle, not in their lifetimes.

Luckily, Xiao Yu’er did eventually catch sight of it.

He flipped a couple of pages, and suddenly cried out: “In here…all of the secrets are in here!”

On the light yellow pages, there were words in delicate and elegant script. It was definitely written in a lady’s hand.

These, indeed, belonged to the beautiful lady now lying on the bed- her entire life’s tragedies and woe. Her miseries were almost impossible to believe. While dying, she unraveled the secrets of the underground palace.

Of course, her thoughts were not written for Xiao Yu’er to read, nor anybody else, for that matter. She had merely wished, in her final moments, to vent her sorrows. Only, when she died, there was no one left alive. Thus she could only express herself on ink and paper.

This is what she said: Her name was Fang Lingji.(2) Her family was from one of the dying tribes of Jiangnan. They had four generations living together under one roof, and their days were originally peaceful and happy. As for herself, however, she would never enjoy such fortune.

At four years of age, her mother brought her to Suzhou to visit relatives. When they returned, her family’s entire property had been laid waste. More than three hundred people, old and young, had all been slaughtered.

Their enemies would of course pursue all survivors. (3) She and her mother were forced to flee for their lives, wandering everywhere in fear. Although Fang Lingji did not describe this part of her life in detail, one could imagine that it was full of hardship and bitterness.

In the midst of such troubled and anxious times, she eventually managed to discover the name of her nemesis!

Ouyang Ting.

‘Hero among men’, Ouyang Ting! Her enemy, of all people, was one of the heroes of wulin, a man of solid reputation and upstanding character. (4) He was one of the strongest martial artists of his time, and his family was among the richest as well.

Abandoned and alone, mother and daughter sought revenge despite not knowing a shred of martial arts. Plagued by hatred and anger, her mother eventually fell ill and lost her life.

Three years later, she actually plotted a way to marry her enemy. The only thing left that she could use as a weapon of vengeance was her undeniable beauty.

However, Ouyang Ting, an eminent hero of his generation, would naturally be hard to trap in a sneak attack. Fang Lingji therefore had to endure much agony and suffering, bitterly awaiting her opportunity.

Unfortunately Ouyang Ting had one fearsome habit. He would never fall asleep with another person. Although they were husband and wife, she never knew where he slept.

At this point, Xiao Yu’er’s eyes darted over to the bearded man. He remarked, “I bet this rascal must be Ouyang Ting.”

Jiang Yulang sighed: “This man must truly be a hero of his time. Even though Fang Lingji hated him to the bone, you can read between the lines. Despite herself, she did grudgingly admire him.”

Xiao Yu’er teased him: “Oh, give it time, and eventually you too will become an Ouyang Ting.”

Not daring to respond to that, Jiang Yulang changed the subject. “The odd thing is, since this Ouyang Ting had such a great reputation and influence, why did he need to construct this underground palace? What drove him to spend the rest of his life hiding from the light of day?”

“Well, read on, and no doubt you’ll find out,” Xiao Yu’er said.

They continued to read.

She had written: [To build this underground palace, you could say Ouyang Ting spared no expense or effort. He took three months to plan and oversee the construction(?).

Next, by methods unknown to me, he lured the top five martial artists in wulin to his palace. He claimed that he admired them, and together he wanted to create an earth-shattering set of martial arts, never seen before and that would never be surpassed. He told them that once they passed on this set of martial arts, they could, through this legacy, leave a name through the ages.

The words ‘Leave a name through the ages’, clearly rang through to their hearts. The five of them combined their accumulated wisdom and experience to explore the most complex mysteries within martial arts.

But none of them had imagined that the moment of their success would also mark their execution date.]

She had written this description of it: [Once we settled into the ‘Diling Palace’, he no longer slept alone. Because he had no suspicions toward me whatsoever, he could never have imagined that I was, in reality, his sworn foe. Although I did have chances to kill him, I did not make my move, because I still had to wait.

He had another ambition. In the records and annals of wulin, from ancient times to now, there have been many ephemeral heroes, valiant though they were. But never has there been one person whose martial arts could truly dominate all others. He wished to be a hero with an everlasting name, ‘never seen before, and never to be surpassed’!

It was a shame that those five experts known throughout wulin as ‘the Five Ultimates of Heaven and Earth’, would be sacrificed on the altar of his ambition. Each of them had their own weak points, and taking advantage of someone’s weak points was precisely Ouyang Ting’s specialty. The five of them would never have fallen for his plan, if it weren’t for the fact that he had the noble air and reputation of a true hero.

He had long ago crafted a plan to murder them all. Although I did not know the details of it, Ouyang Ting’s schemes have always been seamless. I had a mind to expose his vile plot, but I could find no evidence. If I voiced my accusations, no one would believe me. Thus I had to be careful.

But I also had long ago made my own preparations to kill him. I only waited for him to succeed in his plan.

At this moment, the date of his success is fast approaching, he will soon reach the pinnacle of what no one before him has achieved.

And now…there is a cup of poisoned wine awaiting him, to be drunk for our celebratory toast…]

It appeared that Xiao Yu’er’s eyes were slightly wet. Suddenly he flung the book far away from himself. He cried: “Why did she have to write these things down and make others suffer by reading them? Women…oh d*mned women!”

Jiang Yulang seemed to be in a daze, and mumbled: “… ‘pinnacle of what no one has achieved’… ‘never seen before, and never to be surpassed’…ai, what a shame, a real pity!”

Gazing at Ouyang Ting’s body, Xiao Yu’er said, “After he killed the ‘Five Ultimates’, he was just settling down for a drink with his beloved wife. Little did he know that the wine meant for toasting his success was actually laced with poison….ha ha, amusing, what a laugh!”

“That Fang Lingji was quite an impressive character as well…only, after avenging herself, why did she then follow him in death?” Jiang Yulang wondered with a sigh.

Xiao Yu’er eased into a long stretch at the waist. He replied, “I’ve already told you, the hearts of women are the hardest to fathom. Whoever wastes his efforts to guess at their inner thoughts, is a madman if not an idiot. Ai…women…”

Jiang Yulang mused, “She could not avoid killing him. But afterwards, her heart was also in agony, and she could only join him in death. She had not thought of how she would live her life alone.”

With a long sigh, he went on slowly: “Fang Lingji and Ouyang Ting, they are rather like Xi Shi and the king of Wu. (5) Ai, rivalry between nations, or romantic love, which should be more important? I’m afraid not many people would be able to tell.”

Peering at him, Xiao Yu’er suddenly smiled. He joked, “Sometimes you are really strange; I wonder if you are a man or a woman?”

Jiang Yulang broke into startled laughter: “What, you don’t know if I’m a man or a woman?”

Xiao Yu’er observed: “Sometimes you are cruel and vicious, you would hurt even your own family. At other times you would become melancholic, or full of sympathy. Men are rarely like this. Only a woman’s heart can change so quickly from moment to moment, and from one extreme of passion to another.”

He added, laughing loudly, “If I didn’t hear Xiao Mimi call you ‘little pervert’ with my own ears, I would really think you were a girl disguised as a man.”

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