Chapter 47
Jiang Bie He sat there quietly for a while, and stared at Yan Nan Tian with large eyes. Hua Wu Que was lying on the table, also unmoving.
Jiang Bie He can only hear his own heartbeat, getting louder and louder…
If he wants to rule the martial arts realm, now would really be the opportunity.
But this chance, has come too easily! He clenched both his fists tightly, his palm in cold sweat. “Jiang Bie He oh Jiang Bie He, if you miss this chance, then there would never be another opportunity like this. If you do not kill them today, you will die in their hands sooner or later, what are you afraid of? Why are you hesitating? The two of them are already drunk, why aren’t you striking?”
Once he thought of this, he suddenly stood up, but sat down again with a plonk! “No! I must not think of it as luck, there will never be something so easy in this world!”
His palms were shaking badly, that he had to grab hold of the chair tightly!
“But this kind of thing, even I do not believe it, naturally they would not believe it even more. Just because they do not believe, that’s why they are not on their guard at all.”
Jiang Bie He’s eyes gleamed!
“That’s right, Hua Wu Que and Yan Nan Tian would never think that I would kill them, this really is a rare opportunity… Jiang Bie He oh Jiang Bie He, why can’t you make up your mind now…? You just have to strike now and the world would be yours!…”
Jiang Bie He no longer hesitated, and stepped towards the table in one step, his palm aiming straight down!
Just at this instant, Hua Wu Que suddenly jumped up and shouted, “Jiang Bie He, I’ve finally seen your true colors, Jiang Xiao Yu really did not malign you!”
As he shouted, he jumped over.
Who would have expected that Yan Nan Tian would actually be faster than him.
Jiang Bie He’s palm was aiming down, Yan Nan Tian’s iron palm is already aiming up!
With a ‘pak’ sound, Jiang Bie He’s body was thrown back by the force and knocked heavily against the wall. He only felt all the joints in his body seemed to have cracked and could not stand up at that moment.
Yan Nan Tian laughed loudly, “These few cups of wine, how can they make me drunk? I also want to see why this person is drinking and puking, puking and drinking, what his intentions are?”
He suddenly stopped laughing and roared, “Jiang Bie He, what do you have to say now?”
Jiang Bie He laughed bitterly, “Forget it… the martial arts that I’ve practiced for twenty over years cannot even withstand a palm attack from Yan Nan Tian, what else do I have to say?”
Yan Nan Tian asked fiercely, "I have no enmity with you, why do you want to sneak an attack on me?”
Jiang Bie He deliberately heaved a long sigh and said, “Two heroes cannot stand together, you and I cannot live together, with a ‘hero’ like you still living in the world, where can a ‘hero’ like me still stand!”
He clenched his teeth, and continued loudly, “Just now when I saw how those people, after seeing you, did not even bother about me, I made up my mind that I must get rid of you! Since now my martial arts cannot win you, what revenge can I speak of?”
Yan Nan Tian said angrily, “Even if your martial arts are unparalleled in the world, just with that thinking of yours, you cannot live up to the words ‘hero’.”
Jiang Bie He asked, “You… what do you want?”
Yan Nan Tian replied fiercely, “You have the false name of a hero, but your heart is so vicious, your methods so unscrupulous. If I do not get rid of such an evil in the martial arts world, I wonder how many more people will die in your hands in future!”
“You want to kill me?”
Just as Yan Nan Tian shouted “Exactly”, his palm struck out like lightning.
Jiang Bie He avoided his attack and suddenly laughed loudly, “If you kill me, then no one else in the world will know Jiang Qin’s whereabouts… you can forget about finding him for the rest of your life!”
Yan Nan Tian was shocked, and asked hoarsely, “You… you know Jiang Qin’s whereabouts?”
Jiang Bie He stood up slowly, and said calmly, “Exactly.”
Yan Nan Tian rushed forward and grabbed him by his collar, and hissed, “Where is he?”
Jiang Bie He stood there, not avoiding, and said slowly, “You can kill me, but you cannot make me reveal his whereabouts.”
Yan Nan Tian raised his palm and roared angrily, “Do you want to try?” Jiang Bie He smiled, “You are a hero, if you’re thinking of torturing me into talking, won’t it be unbefitting of your reputation as a hero?”
Yan Nan was stunned, and his palm lowered unconsciously.
Jiang Bie He continued with a smile, “If you really want me to tell you, unless you promise me two things.”
Yan Nan Tian angrily asked, “What else do you want?”
Jiang Bie He said slowly, “I want you to promise, not only must you let me go today, you cannot harm even a hair on me in future!”
Yan Nan Tian was silent for a while before roaring, “Fine, I promise you… I don’t believe that besides me, there is no one else in the world who can hurt you!”
Jiang Bie He smiled, and said, “Also, after I have revealed Jiang Qin’s whereabouts, you must keep it a secret, and never let a fourth person know where Jiang Qin is.”
Yan Nan Tian raised his voice, “This is originally my business, I want to kill him with my own hands, why would I let others know.”
The corner of Jiang Bie He’s mouth tilted up into a sly smile, and said “Very good, but what if you cannot kill him?”
Yan Nan Tian hurriedly said, “If I cannot kill him with my own hands, all the more others cannot kill him!”
Jiang Bie He turned around and asked, “What about you Master Hua?”
Hua Wu Que heaved a long sigh and said, “This is originally Hero Yan’s business. Since he has agreed, of course I would not oppose it.”
Jiang Bie He looked heavenward and laughed loudly, “Good, very good.” Yan Nan Tian asked, “Where exactly is Jiang Qin?”
Jiang Bie He slowly stopped his smile, looked at Yan Nan Tian, and said each word slowly, “Right here!”
Yan Nan Tian’s body shook, and stammered, “You… you…”
Jiang Bie He laughed loudly, “I am Jiang Qin, but you have already promised, never to hurt me!”
Yan Nan Tian felt as if he had been whipped, and took a few steps back, his fists clenched, his whole body shaking. Even Hua Wu Que can’t help but feel astounded as well.
Jiang Bie He laughed madly and said, “You were intent in finding out Jiang Qin’s whereabouts, therefore you promised me. Although now you already know Jiang Qin’s whereabouts, but you can never kill him.”
He was laughing himself hoarse, as if he felt that there is nothing funnier than this in the world. Yan Nan Tian’s gaze turned red, and suddenly dashed out with a roar, “You… you wicked thief, how can I allow you!”
Jiang Bie He stared at him and said fiercely, “A reputable hero like Yan Nan Tian, could he be one who goes back on his word!”
Yan Nan Tian was shaken, and stood there in a daze.
His hair was angrily messy, the corner of his eyes seemed to be cracking, all the bones in his body unconsciously shaking, and he finally staggered a few steps back and fell sitting on the bed, and said with grief, “Jiang… Fine… I promised you, go.” Yan Nan Tian suddenly jumped up again and hissed, “If you still do not leave, be careful that I may change my mind!”
Jiang Bie He clasped his fists in a bow and said smilingly, “Since that is the case, I shall make a move. Thank you, thank you. Goodbye, goodbye.”
He laughingly walked out with large strides, and a dead silence immediately fell upon the room, and only Yan Nan Tian’s heavy breathing was heard. Even the roof seemed like it’s about to collapse from the weight.
After who knows how long, Hua Wu Que suddenly heaved a long sigh and said, “Hero Yan, now I really yield to you.”
Yan Nan Tian laughed bitterly and said, “I defeated you twice with fists and swords but you did not yield to me. With a roar from me, I made all the thieves fear me but you do not yield to me as well. Now that I am seeing my enemy walk calmly away and yet cannot do anything about it, you yield to me instead?”
Hua Wu Que replied with a straight face, “It’s exactly because I saw you let Jiang Be He leave, that I know that Yan Nan Tian is really worthy of being called the hero of our times. It would have been easy for you to kill him, there’s not a lot of people who can kill Jiang Bie He in the world, but to be able to let him go like this, I’m afraid only Yan Nan Tian can do it!”
He continued after another long sigh, “So, even though there may be others whose name would cause more fear than yours, there may be others whose martial arts are better than yours, but only you is fit to use the word ‘Hero’.”
Yan Nan Tian laughed bitterly and replied, “But do you know, if a person wants to keep the word ‘Hero’, how much suffering and loneliness he will have to endure…”
Hua Wu Que gave a long laugh and said, “I finally know now that it’s really not easy if a person wants to live up to the word ‘Hero’. Not only must he be able to do what others cannot do, he must also tolerate what others cannot tolerate…”
His eyes looked at Yan Nan Tian, and said with a wide smile, “But no matter what, it would be worth it, right?”
Once Jiang Bie He walked out the courtyard, he was unable to continue laughing immediately. He knows that although he was able to cheat Yan Nan Tian today, but there would be more troubles in future.
The wind was blowing at the bamboo leaves, which rustled. Jiang Bie He hid into the bamboo woods in a flash, with the intention of taking a look at Yan Nan Tian and Hua Wu Que’s intentions.
He thought, these two people must be extremely vexed and furious right now, and he can’t wait to see Yan Nan Tian perish of anger, for only then will he feel happy.
But after a while, Yan Nan Tian’s booming laughter actually emitted from the house. This might be a great setback, but Yan Nan Tian did not seemed to have taken it to heart at all.
Amidst the laughter, Yan Nan Tian and Hua Wu Que could be seen walking out with arms over each other’s shoulder, and with a jump and a flash of a shadow, they disappeared into the dark night.
Where are they going? To look for Jiang Xiao Yu? The three of them should be enemies, but is it that they seem to be on the same side now.
Jiang Bie He may not be able to guess the real reason, but ‘suspicions’ are making him even more uneasy, more agonized. He bit his lips and thought for a while, but could not come to a decision.
Suddenly a shadow flickered, an eerily green copper mask, was shining in the night. Mr Copper is actually back again.
Jiang Bie He was ecstatic and was about to rush over, but right at this time, he saw clearly the person next to Mr Copper, turned out to be Xiao Yu’er! Jiang Xiao Yu’s face was red from the wine, his face full of smiles, as if he’s very happy…
Mr Copper is actually with Jiang Xiao Yu, and these two looked as if they had just finished a drinking session!
His only thought was to rely on this mysterious Mr Copper to deal with Yan Nan Tian and Hua Wu Que, and this is almost his only hope of winning.
But he never would have thought that Mr Copper would be with Jiang Xiao Yu. These two old and young weirdoes, when did they become friends? Mr Copper originally wanted to kill Jiang Xiao Yu, but why have he changed his mind now?
Could it be he had been affected by Jiang Xiao Yu’s honeyed words?
Jiang Bie He was surprised, angry, worried and terrified. Even when Mr Copper and Xiao Yu’er had walked into the house, he was still there in a daze.
He suddenly felt that he is totally alone, there are his enemies everywhere, and not a friend whom he can trust.
He has always had a suspicious streak, and now that he has witnessed it himself, he is sure that Yan Nan Tian, Jiang Xiao Yu, Hua Wu Que, Mr Copper, these four persons are now in cahoots to deal with him. By now the night is dark, the dew on the bamboo dripping down in droplets, dripping on his body, face, and even onto his neck.
But he did not realize it at all, only muttering quietly to himself, “I want to defeat those four, how should I do it? Naturally with only me, it’s not enough, I need to find helpers, but who can I find?”
Suddenly a worm on the bamboo leaf suddenly dropped down, and landed on his head. Jiang Bie He reached out and caught it, and saw the worm wriggling on his palm, like a little snake.
His face suddenly revealed an expression of joy, and said hoarsely, “That’s right! Why didn’t I think of him! With him alone it might still not be enough, but if we were to add that Tiger husband and wife and me, four against four, won’t it be well matched!”
He flew out of the woods in joy, but suddenly remembered that Mr Copper and Jiang Xiao Yu was still in the house opposite, and he stopped his steps in shock, his palms already breaking out in cold sweat.
But there seemed to be no reaction coming from the house opposite at all, the lamp may be lighted in the house, but no human shadows could be seen on the window. Mr Copper and Xiao Yu’er had actually left.
When Xiao Yu’er walked out of the house, he also did not think that Jiang Bie He would be looking at him from outside.
The light in the room has been extinguished, and although Xiao Yu’er cannot see anything at all, but he realized that the fragrance in the room was stronger than when they left the house. Could someone have entered this house?
Xiao Yu’er was just feeling perplexed when he suddenly heard Mr Copper say coldly, “Why are you here only now?”
It was actually a lady’s voice coming out from the darkness, saying “It’s not easy to find a place that is to your satisfaction, that’s why I’m late.”
This voice is naturally gentler compared to Mr Copper’s rough and hard voice, but the tone was equally icy, as if it’s of the same tune as Mr Copper’s.
Xiao Yu’er was surprised and curious, and secretly thought, “I did not expect a weirdo like Mr Copper would actually have a girlfriend, and the way she speaks is also as strange as him, they are really a match made in heaven.” He felt around for a flint and quickly lighted the lamp.
When the light shone, Xiao Yu’er saw a lady with long hair dressed in black, and on her face was an expressionless mask, carved from fragrant wood. Now that the lamp is burning brightly, to suddenly see such a person, Xiao Yu’er can’t help but jump in shock. This lady in black was also looking at Xiao Yu’er, and suddenly asked, “You are Jiang Xiao Yu?”
Xiao Yu’er asked with wide open eyes, “You… but why do I not know you?”
The lady in black said, “Since you know that there is a Mr Copper in the world, how can you not have heard of Madam Wood?”
Xiao Yu’er said, “Madam Wood? … that’s right, I seemed to have heard of this name before.”
He remembered that when Black Spider told him about Mr Copper, he also mentioned this name Madam Wood, and he also said that these two people are equally weird.
Madam Wood looked at Xiao Yu’er, and looked at Mr Copper, saying, “I have reached this place long ago, but the two of you…”
“I went drinking with Mr Copper, to trouble Madam to wait so long for us, I’m really sorry.” Xiao Yu’er said with a grin, “Mr Copper is really nice to me. He’s afraid that I will starve myself sick, so he took me out for a drink. He knows that I like salty and spicy food, so he took me for Sichuan cuisine… I’ve never met such a nice person before.”
Madam Wood’s eyes seemed to convey surprise, but also looked as if she finds it a little funny.
Xiao Yu’er realized now that her tone of voice may be as frosty as Mr Copper, but this pair of eyes, is a lot more lively and warm when compared to Mr Copper.
He rolled his eyes and immediately sighed, continuing, “Just that Mr Copper is really too concerned about me, and only wants to look at me, so much so that he won’t even eat or sleep. I’m really afraid that he will be exhausted, so if Madam is a good friend of Mr Copper, why don’t you look after me on Mr Copper’s behalf so that he can take a rest.”
Madam Wood said, “Elder… Elder Brother, if you’re feeling tired, then it’s good to hand him to me.”
Although the laughter in her eyes were even more obvious now, but the tone of her voice was still icy.
Mr Copper suddenly flew up and with a ‘pak’ from his palm, he slapped Xiao Yu’er. This may not be a heavy slap, but it was an excellent place that he slapped on.
Xiao Yu’er did not feel any pain at all, but felt his brains getting dizzy, his body finding difficulty standing. He staggered a few steps back and finally fell down.
In his semiconscious state, he heard Mr Copper said frostily, “This time, no one can think of taking him away from me. When he’s alive, I will of course look at him, even if he’s dead, I will still look at him, until his body decomposes.”
Madam Wood said, “But I….”
Mr Copper laughed coldly, “You are the same, you are not any more loyal towards me compared to others.”
Madam Wood asked, “You… you don’t even trust me?”
Mr Copper said each word out, “Ever since the day Yue Nu took Jiang Feng away, I stopped trusting anyone!”
Madam Wood was silent for a while, and slowly lowered her head, “I know that you still remember that one time, you kept thinking that I am fighting with you over Jiang Feng…”
Mr Copper said fiercely, “You loved him too, you said these words yourself, right?”
Madam Wood raised her head and said loudly, “That’s right, I love him too, but I did not want to possess him, and even more so I did not want to fight with you over him. I have never fought with you over anything in my life, right?”
Her cold voice suddenly shook, and she said hoarsely, “Ever since we were young, as long as there’s anything good, I’ll always let you have it. Ever since the time when you and I were fighting to pluck the only ripe peach on that tree, and you pushed me down from that tree, resulting in my broken leg. Ever since that day, I never dared to fight with you over anything, do you still remember?”
Mr Copper’s gaze was like a blade, staring at her. After a long time, he finally heaved a long sigh, and slowly lowered his head, saying quietly, “Forget about this matter, no matter what, neither of us got him, right?”
Madam Wood was silent for a long while, and also heaved a long sigh, and said sadly, “Elder Sister, sorry, I should not have said such words. Actually I have long forgotten about that matter.”
A pity that Xiao Yu’er had fainted long ago, and did not hear what they said at all.
Before Xiao Yu’er woke up, he already felt that intoxicating fragrance.
He thought that he is still in that house in the inn, but once he opened his eyes, he immediately knew that he was wrong. There is no inn in the world that will have such a magnificent room, and no inn would certainly have such fragrant bedspreads, such soft beds. Later, he noticed two young girls standing at the head of the bed.
They were wearing soft, delicate clothes and on their heads, a brightly colored floral crown.
Their faces may be prettier than the fresh flowers, but on such a pretty face, there was no expression or color at all, looking as if they were carved from ice.
Xiao Yu’er rubbed his eyes and mumbled, “Could it be that I am dead, and could this be Heaven?”
The girls stood there unmoving, their gaze looking expressionlessly straight ahead. Not only did they seem not to have heard him, but they seemed to have not seen him at all.
Xiao Yu’er’s eyes rolled and he grinned, “Naturally I am not dead, because if I am dead, I will never be in Heaven, and Hell will definitely not have fairies as pretty as you.”
He thought that they would laugh, but who would have expected that they still did not take a look at him.
Xiao Yu’er rubbed his nose and asked, “Can’t you see me?… Could I have suddenly learned the art of invisibility?”
The girls did not even move their eyeballs.
Xiao Yu’er sighed, and said “I originally thought of seeing you smile, I think you must look very pretty when you smile, but now I can only admit defeat. Go find that ghastly Mr Steel here then.”
The girls were actually still ignoring him.
Xiao Yu’er jumped up and said loudly, “Say something! Why aren’t you talking? Could it be that you are deaf, blind, mute?”
He jumped down to the ground and stood in front of them barefooted for a while, and walked two rounds around them, furrowed his brows and mumbled, “Could it be that these two are not human? Could they have been carved from ice?”
He actually reached out his hand, to pinch that girl’s nose.
That girl suddenly waved her hand lightly, her long fingers, as supple as spring, but the five fingernails, red with the sap from the Balsam Flowers, looked like five small knives aiming straight at Xiao Yu’er’s throat.
Xiao Yu’er fell back to the bed with a somersault and laughed loudly, “So, although you can’t bear to talk, but at least you can move.”
That young girl again stopped moving like a statue.
Xiao Yu’er said, “Even if you do not wish to talk to me, but at least you should smile. If you keep on having such a straight face, you’ll get old especially easily.”
He jumped down the bed again, and found a pair of soft silk shoes, wore it, and suddenly said slowly, “There was a person in the past, who was careless in whatever he does. One day when he was going out, he wore two shoes, both were for the left foot. He only felt that it was inconvenient when he walked, but did not realize he has worn his shoes wrongly. Until he reached his friend’s house, that friend told him, and only then did he realize. He hurriedly ask his servant to go home and change his shoes. That servant was gone for half the day but when he returned, he was empty-handed. Can you guess why?”
As he said this, Xiao Yu’er failed to control his laughter. He continued as he tried to control his laughter, “That person thought it weird too, so he asked his servant why his shoes were not changed, and that servant replied ‘No need to change, that pair of shoes at home, were both for the right foot.”
He has not finished his words when he was already bending over in laughter, but that two young girls did not even twitch their eyes.
Xiao Yu’er also felt that there’s no meaning laughing on his own, and sighed, “All right, I admit I can’t make you smile. But I have a friend named Zhang San, could make people laugh very well. One day, he went for a walk with two other people and saw a lady standing under the tree, just like the two of you, icily. Zhang San said that he can make this lady smile, and his two friends naturally disbelieved him. So Zhang San said ‘I can make her smile with just one word, and I can make her angry with another word, do you want to bet with me, the wager would be a feast.’ That two friends naturally accepted the wager immediately.”
Xiao Yu’er had always been a good talker, and right now he was telling his story with delight and drama. Although that two girls are still not looking at him, but they can’t help but want to hear how this ‘Zhang San’ can use a single word to make a person laugh and to use another word to make that person angry.
Xiao Yu’er continued, “So that Zhang San walked to the front of that lady, suddenly knelt down in front of a dog that was next to the lady and said ‘Father’. That lady, on seeing him acknowledging a dog as Father, can’t help but laugh, but who would have expected that Zhang San would kneel down in front of her and said ‘Mother’. That lady immediately became so angry that her face was red and her teeth clenched. So Zhang San really won this wager.”
He has not finished his words when the young girl on the left with a round face could not help but let out a puff of laughter. Xiao Yu’er clapped and laughed loudly, “You laughed! You laughed! You still laughed!” But that young girl had just revealed her smile when her expression suddenly turned ashen.
No one knows when Mr Copper had walked in, and looking at her frostily, asked icily “Do you think he’s very funny?”
That young lady was shaking and fell to the floor in a kneel, stammering, “Servant… servant did not talk with him…”
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