Chapter 48
Mr Copper asked fiercely, “But you smiled because of him, right?”
That young girl was so frightened that she could not even speak, and suddenly covered her face and cried. Mr Copper said calmly, “Go out now.”
That young girl cried hoarsely, “I beg of you… beg of you to spare servant’s life, servant will not dare to do it in future.”
Xiao Yu’er exclaimed in shock, “Spare her life?… You… You want to kill her?”
Mr Copper replied icily, “Kill, not necessarily, but only cut off her tongue, so that she can never laugh in future.”
Xiao Yu’er was extremely startled, “She only laughed, and you want to cut off her tongue!”
Mr Copper said coldly, “This can only be blamed on you, you should not have made her laugh.”
Xiao Yu’er shouted, “I only told her a joke, you… you don’t have to be jealous!”
Mr Copper suddenly struck with his palm again, and Xiao Yu’er actually could not avoid it at all, and fell to the ground with this slap. But he was still angrily shouting, “It doesn’t matter that you slap me, but you must never punish her because of this matter.”
Mr Copper’s eyes flashed with fury again, “You…. You dare to speak up for her?” He looked extremely angry, that even his body was shaking in fury.
Xiao Yu’er said loudly, “This matter cannot be blamed on her, if someone has to be blamed then it should be me.”
Mr Copper quivered, “Fine…. Fine! You would rather that I hit you then to let me punish her. You… you are just like that father of yours, sentimental beings!”
As he said the words ‘sentimental beings’ he suddenly gave a roar, and with a back flip of his palm, sent that round faced young girl flying out of the door, who fell to the ground like a pile of mud, never to move again!
Xiao Yu’er jumped up and shouted, “You… you actually killed her!”
Mr Copper’s whole body was shivering, “That’s right, I killed her. She can never escape with you secretly again.”
Xiao Yu’er was stunned and livid, “Are you crazy? Since when is she going to escape with me secretly?”
Mr Copper said, “It will be too late if I kill her after both of you have escaped.”
Xiao Yu’er stared at him with huge eyes and hissed, “You’re crazy, you’re really crazy… I originally thought that you may have an icy temper, but you’re not a cruel or vicious person. Who would have expected that you would treat a girl so brutally.”
He got angrier as he spoke, and suddenly flew over, both his palms extended.
By now, the level of Xiao Yu’er’s martial arts can be compared to any famed martial arts family in that era and the two palm attacks which he shot out in fury also integrated the essence of two largest sects, Wudang and Kunlun’s palm attacks. Not only can Xiao Yu’er use these skills at ease now, he can fully display all their force as well.
But who would have expected that these two palm attacks, which could have shaken the Martial Arts realm, became like child’s play in front of Mr Copper. My Copper lightly bent his body, and his whole body looked as if it has been broken in half.
His palm also attacked at the same time, and if it was not seen with one’s own eyes, no one would believe that an attack could be made from such a position.
Xiao Yu’er felt his body shake, and he seemed to have fallen to the ground with the attack. Although he was not hurt, but he was scared stunned by this strange martial arts. Mr Copper lowered his head and looked at him, smiling coldly, “With martial arts like yours, at the most you can receive fifty strokes from Hua Wu Que. I originally thought you can have a good fight with him, but who knows that you are such a disappointment.”
Xiao Yu’er said through gritted teeth, “How many strokes of his that I can receive, what farting business is it of yours?”
Mr Copper was actually not angry, but instead took out a yellow silk scroll and said calmly, “Inside here there are three strokes that can counter Floral Palace’s martial arts move. If you can master it within these three months, you might not win Hua Wu Que, but at least you can block a few moves of his.”
He actually wanted to teach Xiao Yu’er martial arts, this is even more unbelievable than ingots falling down from the sky. Xiao Yu’er was tongue-tied and asked, “You… what do you mean by that?”
Mr Copper threw the silk scroll in front of him and walked out with a cold smile.
Xiao Yu’er shouted, “Do you actually want Hua Wu Que to kill me, or me to kill Hua Wu Que? What’s the problem with you?”
Mr Copper suddenly turned around and said icily, “Your life, is destined to have a unfortunate ending, it’s the same whether you kill Hua Wu Que, or if Hua Wu Que kills you.”
Mr Copper walked out without turning back and closed the door with a bang. Xiao yu’er was stunned for a while, lifted his head, and realized that tears were rolling down the eyes of the young girl standing alone in the room. However this time, Xiao Yu’er dare not talk to her anymore. He really could not bear to see a lively and pretty young girl die because of him again.
That young girl stood there numbly, and even though her tears were flowing down her cheeks, she did not raise a hand to wipe them. Xiao Yu’er sighed and opened that silk scroll. On it were truly three wondrous moves, every move was sharp, simple yet effective, and exactly the nemesis of the kind of complicated moves that Hua Wu Que uses.
On the silk scroll, not only were there clear pictures, there were also detailed word instructions. Unless one has an expert understanding of Floral Palace’s martial arts, he would never be able to invent such moves.
Floral Palace’s martial arts were all along the greatest secret in the martial arts realm, how would Mr Copper understand it so well, isn’t it strange.
But Xiao Yu’er did not think of this point. Right now he does not want to think of anything at all, but just looked at the scroll in a daze.
Sometime later someone sent in food, and they turned out to be camphor tea duck, black bean fish, chicken sticks… every one of them were authentic Sichuan cuisine, as well as a large pot of excellent aged Huadiao (wine).
Xiao Yu’er smiled, and ate his fill, but left a plate of roasted oxtail and half a camphor tea duck, as if he was talking to himself, mumbled “These two dishes are not spicy, it’s up to you whether you want to eat it.”
That young girl still stood there, not even moving the tip of her fingers. Suddenly she turned around, used her hand to tear off the half of the duck and ate it clean.
If she did not eat it, Xiao Yu’er would have expected it, but now she is actually eating, Xiao Yu’er was feeling quite perplexed, that he was stunned.
But that young girl, after eating a drumstick, looked as if she could not eat anymore, but she was still forcing herself to finish that half of the duck.
Her mouth was chewing, but her eyes were staring unblinkingly at the hourglass on the table, the gold colored sand flowing down, signifying the passing of time.
Xiao Yu’er can’t help but give a bitter smile. Time, is extremely precious to him right now, but he can only look at the time passing by right in front of him and yet have no idea at all. Suddenly that young girl walked over, right in front of him, and whispered, “Can you still eat?”
She actually opened her mouth suddenly to talk. Xiao Yu’er was shocked. That young girl continued, “It’s all right to talk now, no one will come.”
Only now did Xiao Yu’er smile, “My stomach is about to burst, I can’t even eat an ant now.”
That young girl added, “You better eat a little more, these two days, I’m afraid we’ll have nothing to eat.”
Xiao Yu’er was again shocked and asked “Why?”
That young girl’s eyes shot out brightly and said each word clearly, “Because we are going to start escaping now, and during our escape, there will be nothing to eat, and even water will not be available.”
Xiao Yu’er was shocked stiff, and asked numbly, “Escape? … You mean running away?”
“That’s right. I kept on eating just now, so that I will have the strength to escape!”
“But Mr Copper…”
The young girl added, “This is the time when he rests, at least within these four hours, he won’t come here.”
“Are you sure?”
The young girl assured, “He has never changed this habit for over ten years, it seems like more than ten years ago, a girl of the same status as me also escaped with someone at this time.”
Xiao Yu’er was enlightened, “No wonder he was so furious just now, so he was afraid that history would repeat…”
Tears welled up in that girl’s eyes again and she asked, “Do you know who was the girl he killed earlier?”
Xiao Yu’er’s expression changed and he asked, “Could she be your… your…”
Tears finally flowed down the girl’s eyes and she quivered, “She is my sister.”
Xiao Yu’er was stunned for a moment, and said sorrowfully, “Sorry, I should not have made her laugh earlier.”
The young girl replied with hatred, “My sister followed him for seven years, but he can be so brutal over such a small matter. But you do not know my sister at all and yet you argued for her, and even risked your life for her…”
Xiao Yu’er asked, “Is it because of this reason that you took the risk to save me?”
He suddenly held her cold hands and said seriously, “But after what happened ten over years ago, he must have taken strict precautions, how can we escape?”
That young girl said, “If we were in his restricted palace, we would not even have an ounce of a chance to escape, but here, is only a place where he rests temporarily.”
By this time, her face revealed for the first time a bitter smile, and pulling at him, said “Besides, not only did I find this place, but it was also done up by me. We might not be able to escape for certain, but we must at least try. It’s better than waiting for death here.”
Xiao Yu’er glanced around and can’t help but ask, “What place is this actually?
“This is a temple.”
“This is actually a temple?” His eyes looked at the surrounding grand décor, his nose breathing in the intoxicating fragrance, and could not believe that this is actually a temple.
The young girl said, “This is originally a quiet ancient temple, but after a whole day of decoration by us, it became like this.”
Xiao Yu’er sighed, “You people are indeed extremely capable.”
He suddenly smiled and said, “But time is precious, why are we not going yet? If you want to chat, we’ll have lots of time after we escape.”
The young girl said, “We need to wait for someone to collect the cutlery before we can leave, or else we’ll be found out immediately that we are not in the house.
Xiao Yu’er laughingly said, “That’s right, I’m careless about small matters, seems like every girl is more meticulous than me.
That young girl looked fixedly at him and asked slowly, “Do you know a lot of girls?”
Xiao Yu’er said with a bitter smile, “I really hope I can know a few less… what about you? The boys that you know…”
The girl said coldly, “I don’t know a single one.”
Xiao Yu’er laughed, “At least you already know me now. My Surname is Jiang, I’m Jiang Xiao Yu, what about you?”
The girl was quiet for a moment before saying slowly, “Why don’t you call me Tie Ping Gu.”
Xiao Yu’er seemed to be stunned, and smiled bitterly “Your surname is also Tie? Why are there so many girls with the surname Tie…”
Before he could finish his words, Tie Ping Gu waved to interrupt his sentence.
There was a soft sound coming from outside the door. Xiao Yu’er hurriedly lied on the bed, and a solemn girl dressed in purple came in with a woman dressed in green. Tie Ping Gu stood there, not even looking at her.
That girl in purple walked to her and said coldly, “Your sister is dead.” Tie Ping Gu also replied icily, “I know.”
The girl in purple asked, “Are you sad?”
Tie Ping Gu responded, “If I am sad, are you happy?”
The girl in purple suddenly turned around, her pair of cold yet furious eyes happened to be facing Xiao Yu’er, and Xiao Yu’er made a face at her. By now that woman in green has already cleared the cutlery.
The girl in purple suddenly said, “You can go out as well.”
Xiao Yu’er was stunned, and forced out a smile, “You’re saying that I can go out?”
The girl in purple turned around again to stare at Tie Ping Gu, saying frostily “You obviously know that I am referring to you, why are you still not leaving?”
Xiao Yu’er was shocked, his heart almost stopped. However Tie Ping Gu asked icily, “Who asked me to leave?”
The girl in purple replied with a cold laugh, “You can change shift now, isn’t it good that I’m asking you to take a rest.”
Tie Ping Gu did not say another word, turned around and walked out.
Xiao Yu’er looked at her walking out and although he was feeling anxious, he can’t think of any plans at all. That girl in purple is staring at him again, and said each word slowly, “You do not wish for her to leave?”
Xiao Yu’er yawned and smiled, “It’s best that she leaves. I’m sick of looking at that stern face of hers. Although you’re not that much better than her, but a new one is always better than an old one. I’m born to have this habit of liking the new and discarding the old.”
The girl in purple smiled coldly, “If your eyes dare to look at me, I will dig them out.”
Xiao Yu’er saw that Tie Ping Gu has quietly returned, and deliberately laughed loudly, “Although your mouth is saying that you don’t want me looking at you, but your heart is willing. For all I know you even wish for me to hug you, to kiss you. Or else why would you transfer her away and stay here yourself?”
The girl in purple was so livid that the color on her face changed, and she stammered, “You… you dare to say such words to me?”
Xiao Yu’er stuck out his tongue and laughed, “You’re not a male tiger, why wouldn’t I dare, I even want to take a bite out of you.”
He saw that Tie Ping Gu is already behind the girl in purple and deliberately made her madder.
The girl in purple shouted, “Don’t you think that I cannot kill you, at least I can break your..”
Before she could finish her words, her head suddenly drooped down, followed by her body slumping down on the ground, and not a noise was made.
Tie Ping Gu had chopped down on her neck with her palm.
Xiao Yu’er jumped up and asked, “Aren’t you afraid others will find…”
Tie Ping Gu coldly interrupted him and said, “This is a rare chance, I’ll just have to risk it. Besides, the people here will never be concerned about the matters of others. Even if she did not show herself for three days, no one would look for her.”
As she spoke, she had already moved the bed half a foot out, reached out her hand and ran it along the wall for a while. A narrow door immediately appeared from the wall.
Tie Ping Gu went in with a push and said with a low voice, “Follow me in quickly.”
Once inside the wall, there was a corridor, winding and deep, not knowing where it would lead. The eerie and damp air makes one nauseous.
Xiao Yu’er was both shocked and ecstatic, and walked a distance with his nose pinched, until he could take it no longer and said, “I did not think a temple would actually have such a complicated underground tunnel, when did you find out about this?”
Tie Ping Gu replied, “I already found it when I was cleaning up this place.”
She added, “I guess that this ancient temple was built during the Wu Hu uprising (Wu Hu: Collective term for non-chinese tribes, usually nomadic). At that time roving bandits and thieves were rampant, and human lives were cheaper that those of a dog or a pig, so many became monks to avoid trouble. But the temple is also not a safe place, so the monks built this complicated tunnel to avoid being killed by escaped soldiers or bandits.”
Xiao Yu’er sighed, “You’re really different from the other girls that I know. You have brains… In this world, there are less and less girls with brains, and there are some who have brains, but are too lazy to use it. They keep thinking that it’s enough as long as they have a pretty face.” Tie Ping Gu seemed to have smiled again, and said “But this can only be blamed on men.”
Xiao Yu’er commented, “Oh?”
Tie Ping Gu added, “Because men all do not like smart girls, they’re afraid that the girls would be better than them, so the smarter the girl, the more she has to pretend to be stupid and weak. Since men by nature like to feel that they are better than women, like to protect women, so why shouldn’t women let them think a little more, and suffer a little more.”
Xiao Yu’er laughed loudly, “So the way you say it, it is men who are the stupid ones…. But, you don’t even know a single man, how would you understand men so well?”
Tie Ping Gu replied, “Women are born to understand men, but men will never understand women.”
Xiao Yu’er sighed and said, “This phrase is indeed correct. If a man thinks he understands women, then he won’t be far from days of suffering.”
At this time the both of them are actually filled with fear and trepidation, so they kept finding topics to talk about, because conversations usually can relax and calm an anxious mind.
In this dark and eerie tunnel, when one does not even know if one’s life is save, if the two of them maintain silence, won’t that be even more unbearable? The tunnel is getting more and more damp, more and more dark.
Xiao Yu’er extended his hand to touch, and on both sides it’s no longer the smooth wall, but hard, rough, stone wall overgrown with moss. He also felt that the ground is uneven, and finally could not stand it but had to ask, “Could this temple’s side be against the middle of a mountain?”
Tie Ping Gu did not reply, but lighted her exquisite flint.
This is indeed the middle of the mountain, and the criss-cross network of tunnels was as tight as spiderwebs. No one knows where the wind was coming from, and the breeze was causing the hairs to stand. Xiao Yu’er laughed, “In such a place, even if Mr Copper has supernatural skills, it won’t be easy to find us. Tie Ping Gu replied, “But if we want to leave, it might not be easy too.”
Xiao Yu’er was startled, and asked hoarsely “You… you don’t know the way out either?”
“Of course I do not know.”
Xiao Yu’er asked in amazement, “Then you… why do you say that we can escape?”
Tie Ping Gu replied, “As long as there is a path, we will naturally have hope of escaping.”
Xiao Yu’er answered with a bitter face, “Miss, aren’t you looking at things too simply. Do you know that some of these tunnels in a hill are actually dead ends.”
“But there are some who leads to the outside, right?”
Xiao Yu’er replied, “Even if there is a path, but these tunnels are even more complicated and dangerous than Zhugu Liang’s Eight Chart Diagrams. Sometimes you can go around in circles for three months and find out in the end that you’re back where you started.”
He heaved a long sigh, “As far as I know, since ancient times, the number of people who are trapped to death in this kind of mountains, if they were to come together, even the King of Hade’s Sen Lo Hall would be bursting from the seams.”
Tie Ping Gu was walking in front, and without even turning her head, said icily, “Since that’s the case, it’s not too many if another two are added.”
Xiao Yu’er asked, “You… You’re not anxious at all?” Tie Ping Gu said coldly, “If you’re anxious, you can still go back…”
Xiao Yu’er was stunned, and said with a bitter smile, “Don’t be angry, I was not blaming you, it’s just that…”
Tie Ping Gu suddenly turned her head around and yelled, “You think that I do not know the dangers here? But no matter what, we still have half a chance of escaping, it’s still better than sitting there waiting for death, right?”
Xiao Yu’er stuck out his tongue and smiled, “If I knew you would be so angry, I wouldn’t have said these words.”
Tie Ping Gu stared at him fiercely for a while, and suddenly sighed, “I really did not expect you to be such a weird person.”
Xiao Yu’er replied with a laugh, “I really did not expect either that your temper would be so great.” His mouth kept on talking, but his eyes were not lazy.
At this time, he suddenly realized that on the thick moss on the wall, he seems to be able to see an arrow. Tie Ping Gu’s gaze shifted, obviously she saw it as well.
She immediately followed the direction that the arrow was pointed in. After walking for over ten feet, there was really was another arrow on the corner of the wall.
However, Xiao Yu’er still stood there, not moving at all.
Tie Ping Gu furrowed her brow and asked, “Now that we obviously can leave, why are you standing there and not moving?”
Xiao Yu’er grinned, “If you follow this arrow, in another moment, you’ll be able to see Mr Copper. But I do not wish to see that face of his again.” Tie Ping Gu was stunned, and asked “Aren’t these arrows meant to show the way?”
Xiao Yu’er replied, “If the arrow is meant to show the way, but not the way out.”
Tie Ping Gu asked, “How do you know?”
Xiao Yu’er said, “They were afraid they would be lost as well, and be trapped to death in here, so they carved these arrows, right?”
“That’s right.”
Xiao Yu’er continued, “In order to hide from the bandits, so they hid here, until they know that the bandits have left, where do you think they would go then?”
“Naturally it’s back to the temple.”
She said the words without much thought, and suddenly realized, saying hoarsely “That’s right, these arrows must be showing the way back to the temple. They only want to hide in these mountains for a while, so why would they indicate the way out.
Xiao Yu’er clapped and laughed, “I’ve already said, you’re a very smart girl. You finally understand. I think you pretended earlier not to have thought of this point.”
Tie Ping Gu lowered her head, her face blushed to the roots of her hair. She suddenly passed the torch to Xiao Yu’er and said, “You… you lead the way.”
Xiao Yu’er sighed and mumbled, “So the smarter the girl, the more she has to pretend to be stupid and weak. So now you want me to crack my brains more and use more effort.”
He has not finished his words but Tie Ping Gu is already stamping her foot with her reddened face, saying “We’ll take it that you’re right about this matter, it’s no big deal anyway.”
Xiao Yu’er looked at her with a grin, and after staring at her for a long moment, finally said very slowly, “I just want you to blush, to be angry. Only when you’re angry do you truly behave like a girl. I really cannot tolerate that icy look of yours.”
Tie Ping Gu was about to put on a stern look but Xiao Yu’er has already turned and walked with a big laugh. She can’t help but change the stern face that she just put on into a smile and muttered, “Was I really blushing? I really do not know how I look like when I blush, I’m afraid this is the first time in my life.”
Xiao Yu’er followed the arrow, and after every ten over feet, at the corner, he would find another arrow there. However, if the arrow was pointing forward, he would walk back, and if the arrow was pointing to the left, he would go right. Every time he passed an arrow, he would try to destroy that arrow. Tie Ping Gu followed behind him for a while before she could not help but ask, “The way you are walking, will there be a way out?”
Xiao Yu’er said with a smile, “Although I do not know if we can walk out, but the way we are walking, at least we are moving further and further away from that temple.”
By now the tunnel is getting more and more narrow, and Xiao Yu’er sometimes cannot walk through them at all. By now, the directional arrows were gone as well.
Xiao Yu’er sighed and said, “Now, we’ll have to depend on our luck, we might as well walk forward with our eyes closed.”
As he spoke, he extinguished the torch. Tie Ping Gu stopped talking, and only felt her hand being held by Xiao Yu’er. Her heart suddenly started jumping, in the darkness, this heartbeat seems especially loud. Tie Ping Gu can’t help but blush again, and can’t wait to find a hole to hide into.
Xiao Yu’er was heard saying with a laugh, “If a person’s heart were to beat, no one else can make it stop.”
With a ‘humph’ Tie Ping Gu wanted to hit his arm, but her hands stopped suddenly, and she stood there in a daze. She suddenly realized that all these years, this actually is the first time she felt that she is made of flesh and blood.
In the narrow tunnel, walking was difficult, and sometimes they even had to climb. To walk on such paths in the darkness, is really not a comfortable thing. Tie Ping Gu’s clothes were torn, maybe some parts of her body are already bleeding, but she did not feel any pain at all, and felt as if she’s walking in the clouds.
After walking every short distance, Xiao Yu’er would light the torch and take a look at the surroundings, but later, the brilliance of the torch was getting weaker and weaker.
Xiao Yu’er knows that the torch is about to be used up, so he dared not use it too much. He knows that in such a place, if there were totally no light, then it’s a sure way to die. The path was even more difficult to traverse now.
Tie Ping Gu’s footsteps finally became heavy. Later, she felt her whole body in pain, dizzy with blurred vision, hungry and thirsty. Naturally her constitution is not like Xiao Yu’er, who seems to be made of steel, so how could she take such hardship. If not for Xiao Yu’er talking to her and making her laugh, she won’t be able to move even a single step. Actually Xiao Yu’er himself also could not walk anymore. If it were others, when they reach such a dire strait, even if they do not become crazy, they would be wailing and shouting by now.
However, Xiao Yu’er was born with a weird character. It may be easier to make him die, but to make him anxious, make him not laugh, that would be so much more difficult. Tie Ping Gu finally could not take it and said, “Let’s rest for a while before moving on.”
Xiao Yu’er said with a low voice, “We must never rest, once we rest, we can forget about moving again.”
“But I… I’m already…”
Xiao Yu’er smiled, “Think about it, since ages past, very few people would have been at this mysterious tunnel strolling hand in hand. This is such a beautiful, such a flirty and romantic thing. Others will never have such a chance in their lifetime, why don’t we enjoy it a little more.”
Tie Ping Gu replied dejectedly, “A pity I… I am not the person you love.”
Xiao Yu’er laughed, “Who said you’re not, right here right now, besides you, is there anyone else in the world who is closer to me now?”
Tie Ping Gu cried out, and suddenly fell into Xiao Yu’er’s arms. Her face was burning like fire, and this fire, is spreading from the bottom of her heart!
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