Woman with a loose tongue sharp as a spear.

An unshaven, burly man rowed the boat in an urgent manner. A little boy and a little girl sat with him on the boat. The boat behind them is bigger, with four lamas and seven or eight Mongolian officers on it. The officers all helped the sailors peddle the boat, allowing the boat to move much faster. The burly man’s strength is also quite amazing, rowing the small boat at great speed. Nonetheless, due to superior manpower, the bigger boat kept gaining on the smaller boat. When they got close, the lamas and the officers picked up bows and began to shoot at the smaller boat.

Zhang SanFeng and Zhang WuJi walked down the Shao Bao Mountain. Realizing that Zhang WuJi’s condition is terminal, Zhang SanFeng stopped talking about possible cures. He simply tried to help Zhang WuJi pass time by chatting with him. On this day, they reached the Han River. And the two took a boat across. The boat floated on the water, wavering gently back and forth. Like the boat, Zhang SanFeng’s heart also wavered back and forth.

Zhang WuJi suddenly said, “Grand-master, don’t be sad. When I die, I’ll get to see mama and papa again.” Zhang SanFeng said, “Don’t say that. No matter what, your grand-master going to save you.” Zhang WuJi said, “Actually, I really wished I could’ve learnt Shaolin’s ‘Art of Nine-Yang’, so I can teach it to Third Uncle Yu.” Zhang SanFeng asked, “Why?” Zhang WuJi said, “I had hoped that once Third Uncle Yu learnt both Wu Dang and Shaolin’s ‘Art of Nine-Yang’, his injury could heal.”

Zhang SanFeng sighed, and said, “Your Third Uncle’s injuries are external. No amount of inner power can cure him.” He then thought, “This child knows that he’s about to die, yet he is not afraid of death. Instead, he thinks about the welfare of others, a very kind indeed.” Just about to compliment him, Zhang SanFeng suddenly heard a booming voice, “Stop the ship immediately. Hand over the child, and I’ll spare your life. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” This voice came from far down the river, yet one can hear the words clearly. Obviously, this person has strong inner power.

Zhang SanFeng chuckled, thought, “Who would dare ask me to hand over the child?” Raising his head, only to see two boats getting near. Upon closer examination, an unshaven, burly man rowed the boat in an urgent manner. A little boy and a little girl sat with him on the boat. The boat behind them is bigger, with four lamas and seven or eight Mongolian officers on it. The officers all helped the sailors peddle the boat, allowing the boat to move much faster. The burly man’s strength is also quite amazing, rowing the small boat at great speed. Nonetheless, due to superior manpower, the bigger boat kept gaining on the smaller boat. When they got close, the lamas and the officers picked up bows and began to shoot at the smaller boat.

Zhang SanFeng thought, “Oh, so they wanted that burly man to hand over the child.” He despises Mongolians killing Hans very much, and instantly decided to help out this burly man. Only to see this man’s left hand continue to paddle, while his right hand raised the other paddle to knock down the oncoming arrows. Zhang SanFeng thought, “This man’s kung fu is quite formidable. How could I not help such a hero in trouble?” So he then said to his boatman, “Sir, let’s go help him.”

The boatman was scared out of his wits from watching the scene. He tried his best to stay away from the confrontation. So when the boatman heard Zhang SanFeng’s words, he said in shock, “Old… priest. You’re… kidding, right?” Realizing that they have no time to waste, Zhang SanFeng snatched the paddles from the boatman, and began to row towards the other two boats. Suddenly, he heard a loud scream, as an arrow struck the back of the little boy on the small boat. The burly man then immediately lost his poise, as he hurriedly turned to look at the boy’s wounds. At this moment, two arrows hit him on the shoulder and back. With the arrow wounds, the burly man could no longer hold on to the paddles, and they dropped into the water. The boat soon stopped. The bigger boat quickly caught up, as the officers and lamas jumped onto the smaller boat. That burly man did not surrender, however. Instead he fought them with all his energy.

Zhang SanFeng yelled, “Stop, filthy Mongols. I won’t allow you to hurt anyone!” As his boat got close, Zhang SanFeng jumped into the air towards the burly man’s boat.

Two officers shot arrows at him. But with a wave his sleeve, Zhang SanFeng easily whisked the arrows away. As he landed, Zhang SanFeng’s left palm shot out. Two officers immediately fell down into the water. Upon seeing this, the other officers and lamas immediately froze from the shock. The head officer said, “Old priest, what do you want?”

Zhang SanFeng yelled, “Filthy Mongols! Trying to do more evil, hurting more civilians? Get out of here!” That officer said, “Do you know who he is? He is a remaining member of Yuan Province Devil Cult rebels, a wanted outlaw!”

Zhang SanFeng gasped upon hearing the words ‘Yuan Province Devil Cult rebel’. He thought, “So this man is Zhou ZiWang’s subordinate?” He turned and asked the burly man, “Is he speaking the truth?”

That burly man’s whole body filled with blood, as his left hand clutched the little boy, and cried, “They… they killed little master.” This sentence confirmed his identity.

Zhang SanFeng said in shock, “Is this Zhou ZiWang’s son?”

That burly man said, “That’s correct. I could not carry out my order, so what’s the need to keep on living?” He slowly put down the boy’s body, and then attacked an officer. But he’s already injured, plus the arrows are poisonous. So even before he could fully get up, he fell down onto the deck.

At this time, the little girl rushed towards a man’s body in the cabin, crying, “Papa! Papa!” Looking at the clothing on the body, Zhang SanFeng figured this man must be the boatman.

He thought, “If I had known the Devil Cult was involved, I wouldn’t have gotten interfered. But I can’t back out now.” So he said to the officer, “The boy’s already dead. The other man’s already seriously injured, and will die soon. Since you’ve already accomplished your task, you can surely leave!” That officer said, “No, I have to get their heads.” Zhang SanFeng said, “Why be so excessive?” That officer said, “Who are you, old priest? What gives you the right to intervene in this matter?” Zhang SanFeng chuckled, and said, “Who cares who I am? Everyone has the right to intervene in all matters.”

That officer gave his subordinates a gesture, and said, “What is your Taoist title? Which temple do you reside in?” Before Zhang SanFeng could respond, two other officers quickly raised their sabers, and attacked him. These two officers were already quite close to Zhang SanFeng. Plus, due to the small space of the boat, Zhang SanFeng had nowhere to evade.

But he quickly turned to the side, and with a quick twist of the body, dodged the sabers. His two palms quickly shot out, reaching the backs of the two officers, and yelled, “Get back there!” As the palms connect, the two officers flew out, landing in the middle of the large boat they came from. Zhang SanFeng hasn’t fought anyone in ages. But felt a bit unsatisfied simply beating up on these mediocre fighters.

That officer in charge gasped, and stuttered, “You… you… could you be…?” Zhang SanFeng swept his robe, and yelled, “This old priest only kills Mongols!” The lamas and officers immediately felt a strong wind bearing down hard on them, preventing them from breathing. After the wind passed, their faces all turned white. All of them then quickly returned to the large boat.

Zhang SanFeng took out a pill and put it in the burly man’s mouth. Then he rowed the boat to his own. Just as he’s about to help the burly man switch boats, he saw the burly man carry the boy’s body in one hand, the little girl in the other, and stepped to the adjacent boat. Zhang SanFeng thought, “Despite heavy injuries, this man still cares for his little master. His loyalty is very admirable. Although I didn’t mean to save him, this man is certainly worth saving.” He then helped take out the arrows out of the burly man, and applied medicine to the wounds.

That little girl watched her father’s body float away with his boat, and cried incessantly. The burly man said, “Those damn Mongols are really vicious. The first thing they did was to kill the boatman. If you hadn’t gotten here in time, this girl would have likely died too.”

Zhang SanFeng thought, “Right now, with WuJi having trouble moving, and this man being a wanted man. If we use the old river dock and seek lodgings there, I’d have trouble taking care of both people.” He took out three taels of silver and gave them to the boatman, said, “Sir, can you row east to the Tai Ping area? We’ll seek lodgings there.” That boatman was already in awe of Zhang SanFeng after watching him defeat those Mongols. So when Zhang SanFeng gave him so much money, he quickly complied, and began to row east.

That burly man got on his knees and kowtowed to Zhang SanFeng, said, “Thank you so much for saving my life. Chang YuChun [1] pays you his respect.” Zhang SanFeng quickly helped him up, and said, “Hero Chang, you don’t need to be so courteous.” Upon touching Chang YuChun’s hand, Zhang SanFeng found it to be icy cold. He asked in shock, “Is Hero Chang injured internally?” Chang YuChun said, “As I escorted little master down south, I fought against the Mongols four times. A lama managed to land two palm strikes on me, once on the chest and once on the back.

Zhang SanFeng checked his pulse, only to find it quite weak. He then opened Chang YuChun’s clothing, saw a heavy mark left by a palm strike, meaning the injury is quite serious. Any other man would’ve not have been able to hold up for such a long time. But this man managed to travel all the way here, battling along the way. Only a true hero can do something like this. Zhang SanFeng quickly ordered Chang YuChun to stop speaking, and to rest in the cabin.

That little girl is around ten. Her feet are bare, and her clothing’s tattered. Despite being a boatman’s daughter, she was an incredible young beauty, as she sat there in tears. Zhang SanFeng asked her, “Little girl, what’s your name?” That girl said, “My surname is Zhou. My name is Zhou ZhiRuo.” Zhang SanFeng thought, “For a boatman’s daughter, she does certainly have an elegant name.” He asked, “Where is your home? Is there anyone else in your family? I’ll have this boatman take you back home.” Zhou ZhiRuo said in tears, “I live with my dad on the boat. I… I have no other relatives.” Zhang SanFeng sighed, and thought, “Looks like she’s an orphan. What should I do about her?”

Chang YuChun said, “Old priest’s kung fu is incredible. May I ask for your title?” Zhang SanFeng said, “I’m called Zhang SanFeng.” Chang YuChun gasped loudly, sat up, and yelled, “So you are Wu Dang’s venerable Priest Zhang. No wonder your martial arts is so incredible. I’m really lucky to have to have met such a divine priest today.”

Zhang SanFeng said with a smile, “You’re too flattering. I simply happened to have lived a few extra years. Certainly not worthy of being ‘divine’. Hero Chang, please lie back down.” Seeing Chang YuChun’s straightforward and sincere demeanor, Zhang SanFeng found himself liking this man quite a lot. But due to Chang YuChun’s Devil Cult roots, Zhang SanFeng did not wish to talk too much with him, and said, “Your injury’s very serious. Don’t talk if you don’t have to.”

Because of his experience, Zhang SanFeng tends to be quite unbiased towards both the righteous and the devilish sects. He even once told Zhang CuiShan “You must never look down on others just because you reside in the position of the so-called righteous sect. The two words of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ were originally hard to differentiate. A member of the orthodox sect when harboring thoughts of impurity and immorality will be considered as a wicked villain, and similarly if a member from the evil sect harbors a heart that is completely directed towards goodness, then that person is a gentleman.” But after Zhang CuiShan’s suicide, Zhang SanFeng has grieved much for the loss of his disciple, and felt great enmity towards the Heavenly Eagle Sect. Remembering his third disciple’s crippled condition, his fifth disciple’s death, both due to the Heavenly Eagle Sect, Zhang SanFeng couldn’t help but feel extra painful in regards to the word ‘devil’.

That Zhou ZiWang is Elder Mi Le’s disciple of Devil Cult, or “Ming Cult” [2] . Many years ago, he started a revolution in the Jiang Xi province, proclaiming himself Emperor, calling his dynasty ‘Zhou’. It was soon destroyed by the Yuan troops, and Zhou ZiWang was executed. Although Elder Mi Le and the Heavenly Eagle Sect are different groups of people, they both originated from the Ming Cult. When Zhou ZiWang rebelled, Yin TianZheng also stirred up much trouble in the Zhe Jiang province. Zhang SanFeng rescued Chang YuChun today was only a spur of the moment decision, before asking about Chang YuChun’s identity.

It was already dark when they arrived at the town. Zhang SanFeng bought four dishes from a restaurant, chicken, pork, fish, and vegetables, and they ate on the boat. Zhang SanFeng told Zhou ZhiRuo and Chang YuChun to go ahead and eat, while he would feed Zhang WuJi. Chang YuChun asked him why. Zhang SanFeng responded by saying that he had sealed Zhang WuJi’s pressure points around the vital organs, to prevent the poison from getting in. In his depressed state, Zhang WuJi didn’t want to eat. And when Zhang SanFeng tried to feed him, he would simply shake his head.

Zhou ZhiRuo took the bowl from Zhang SanFeng’s hand, and said, “How about let me take care of this little friend, while you go ahead and eat?” Zhang WuJi said, “I don’t need to eat. I’m already full.” Zhou ZhiRuo said, “Little friend, if you don’t eat, the old priest would be too unhappy to eat. If he won’t eat, then wouldn’t he be hungry?”

Zhang WuJi realized that she’s right, and ate the food Zhou ZhiRuo put by his mouth. Zhou ZhiRuo carefully removed all the bones from the fish and chicken, and sweetened the meat with the sauces. So they tasted very good. Zhang WuJi quickly finished a whole bowl of food.

Zhang SanFeng thought, “Considering his crippling illness, and that both his parents are dead, WuJi really should have a attentive girl to serve him.”

Chang YuChun did not touch the meat dishes. Instead, he quickly finished the vegetable dish. Even with the injury, he ate four big bowls of rice. Zhang SanFeng urged him to eat some meat. Chang YuChun responded, “Venerable Zhang, I’m a devout Buddhist. I don’t eat meat.” Zhang SanFeng said, “Oh, that’s right. I forgot.” He immediately remembered, the Devil Cult has very strict rules, forbidding its members to eat meat. This has been true since the Tang Dynasty. Near the end of the Northern Sung Dynasty, the leader of the Ming Cult rebelled in the Zhe Dong province. At the time, the people called them ‘Vegetarian Devil Honoring Cult’.

Because the two big rules of the Ming Cult are to never eat meat, and to always honor the Devil. Under attacks from the government and the martial world, the disciples of the Ming Cult began to hide their identities. So they always say they are devout Buddhists to cover their vegetarian ways.

Chang YuChun said, “Venerable Zhang, you saved my life, and already knows my background. So there’s no need for me to hide it. I am indeed a member of the Ming Cult. The government thinks of us as rebels. The righteous sects look down upon us, thinking we’re just a bunch of bandits, or that we’re minions of the devil. But for you to save me, even knowing who I am, I really don’t know how to repay for your kindness.”

Zhang SanFeng knows about the origins of the Devil Cult. The God they worship is called ‘Muo Ni’. But the worshipers call him ‘Honorable Brightness’. When the cult spread into the central plains in the Tang Dynasty, it was called ‘Muo Ni Cult’, and also ‘Cult of the Illuminating Light’. Its worshippers called it the ‘Ming Cult’, but others call it the Devil Cult. Zhang SanFeng sighed, and said, “Hero Chang…”

Chang YuChun quickly cut in, “Venerable priest, you really don’t need to call me a ‘hero’. Just call me YuChun.” Zhang SanFeng said, “Alright. YuChun, how old are you?” Chang YuChun said, “Twenty.”

Zhang SanFeng said, “You’re just becoming an adult. So although you’ve entered the Devil Cult, you haven’t sunk in too deeply. You can still get out before it’s too late. I have a few words that you may not like. Do you want to hear them?” Chang YuChun said, “Of course. I’d love to hear any advice from Venerable Zhang.”

Zhang SanFeng said, “Good! I want you to leave the Devil Cult. If you like Wu Dang, I’ll have my eldest student Song YuanQiao take you in as his disciple. This way, you can later walk the martial world with your head up, as no one will ever look down upon you again.”

As the head of the Seven Heroes of Wu Dang, everyone knows the famous Song YuanQiao. Normally it’s almost impossible for people to even see him. The seven Wu Dang heroes recently began to take in students. But they have very strict standards. Only the most upright youngsters with great potential are admitted. As a member of the Devil Cult, a cult most people frown upon, this really is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Chang YuChun.

Yet his response was, “I deeply thank you for your offer. But since I am already a member of the Ming Cult, I cannot ever leave.” Zhang SanFeng tried to persuade him some more, but Chang YuChun would not waver.

Zhang SanFeng finally gave up, shook his head, and sighed. Then he said, “This girl…” Chang YuChun said, “Don’t worry. This girl’s father died because of me. I’m definitely going to take care of her.” Zhang SanFeng said, “Alright. But you cannot let her enter your cult.” Chang YuChun said, “I really don’t know what we do that make us so despicable in your mind. But if you insist, I’ll obey your wish.”

Zhang SanFeng held Zhang WuJi in his arms, and said, “Then let us part now.” He really doesn’t want any more to do with the Devil Cult, and therefore left out the words ‘See you later’.

Zhou ZhiRuo said to Zhang WuJi, “Little friend. You need to eat everyday, so the old priest won’t worry about you.” Zhang WuJi’s tears came out, and said, “Thank you for your words. It’s just that… I’ll only be able to eat for just a while longer.” Zhang SanFeng cleaned out Zhang WuJi’s tears with his sleeve. Zhou ZhiRuo asked in shock, “What? You… You…” Zhang SanFeng said, “Little girl, you have a kind heart. I hope you’ll later go on the route of righteousness, and not of evil.”

Zhou ZhiRuo said, “Ok. But this little friend, why does he say that he can only eat for just a while longer?” Zhang SanFeng could not respond.

Chang YuChun said, “Venerable Zhang, considering your martial arts abilities, surely you can cure this little friend’s poison, right?” Zhang SanFeng said, “Of course I can.” But he then shook his left hand behind Zhang WuJi, pointing out that Zhang WuJi is beyond help, but doesn’t want him to know it.

Upon seeing Zhang SanFeng shaking his hand, Chang YuChun gasped. He said, “Due to the severity of my injuries, I was just about to go see a very distinguished doctor. How about I take this little friend with me?” Zhang SanFeng shook his head, said, “His cold poison has already entered the vital organs. It’s not something normal medicine can cure. We only… only hope to slowly disperse the poison.” Chang YuChun said, “But the doctor I’m talking about has the ability to bring back the dead.”

Zhang SanFeng suddenly remembered a person, and asked, “Are you talking about the ‘Divine Doctor of the Butterfly Valley’?”

Chang YuChun said, “That’s right. So you know about Elder Hu too?”

Zhang SanFeng thought, “From my knowledge, this ‘Divine Doctor of the Butterfly Valley’, Hu QingNuo, does indeed have unparalleled medical skills. But he is member of the Devil Cult. Besides, he has a very strange temper. He’ll do his best to cure any Devil Cult followers, and not ask for a single penny. Yet he will not treat anyone else, no matter how much money is offered. Therefore, he has another nickname, ‘Rather See Death Than Help’. If so, it’s really better for WuJi to die than to enter the Devil Cult.”

Seeing the grave expression on Zhang SanFeng’s face, Chang YuChun understood what he’s thinking, and said, “Venerable Zhang, I know Elder Hu never treats outsiders. But since you saved my life, I’ll do anything I can to make Elder Hu break the rule this one time.” Zhang SanFeng said, “I know just how amazing this Doctor Hu’s skills are. But unfortunately, this cold poison on WuJi’s body is very unique…” Chang YuChun said, “But you can’t cure him. The worst that can happen is that Elder Hu can’t cure him either. If he’s going to die regardless, what’s the big deal?” Chang YuChun is a straightforward person, and therefore said what he thought.

Zhang SanFeng pondered a bit, “He’s right. Look like WuJi only has about another month to live. What is there to be afraid of?” Zhang SanFeng has always been a very sincere person, and normally never thinks about possible hidden motives. But Zhang WuJi is his disciple’s only child. How could he give WuJi to a member of the Devil Cult? At this moment, he really doesn’t know what to do.

Chang YuChun said, “I know Venerable Zhang doesn’t want to go see Elder Hu. After all, how could a head of a righteous sect seek help from us evil cults? Besides, with Elder Hu’s strange temper, he’d probably offend you. I guess the only is way is for me to take Brother Zhang to Elder Hu. Then I’ll come to Wu Dang Mountain to be your hostage. Should anything happen to Brother Zhang, you can go ahead and kill me.”

Zhang SanFeng chuckled, thought, “Should anything really happen to WuJi, how would killing you help? Besides, how can I be sure you’ll definitely come to Wu Dang?” But considering WuJi’s condition, there really isn’t any other possible cure. So Zhang SanFeng said, “If so, then please take care of WuJi. But I must make two things clear. Mr. Hu cannot force WuJi into your cult. And Wu Dang is not going to accept your gratitude on this matter.” He knew that the Devil Cult is very devious and strange in its ways. Being associated with them could only lead to big problems. After all, isn’t Zhang CuiShan’s death a perfect example?

Chang YuChun said, “Venerable Zhang is really belittling my cult. But if you say so, I’ll obey.” Zhang SanFeng said, “Take good care of WuJi. Should he ever recover, take him back to Wu Dang. But there’s no need to come to Wu Dang as a hostage.” Chang YuChun said, “I’ll do all I can to follow your wishes.”

Zhang SanFeng said, “As for this little girl, I’ll take her back to Wu Dang Mountain.”

Chang YuChun then went to a large tree by the shore, and dug a hole with his saber. Then he took off all of Little Master Zhou’s clothes, before burying him in the ground, and paid his respects. Burying members naked is one of Ming Cult’s rules. Everyone enters the world naked, and should therefore leave the world the same way. Since Zhang SanFeng does not know this rule, he found the burial procedure quite repulsive and mysterious.

The next morning, Zhang SanFeng took Zhou ZhiRuo in his hands, and parted with Chang YuChun and Zhang WuJi. After the death of his parents, Zhang SanFeng was like a grandfather to Zhang WuJi. So Zhang WuJi couldn’t help but burst into tears as they parted. Zhang SanFeng said, “WuJi, when you’re healthy again, your Big Brother Chang will take you back to Wu Dang Mountain. Be a good boy. We’ll only be apart for a few months. Don’t be so sad.” Despite his words, Zhang WuJi’s tears did not stop.

Zhou ZhiRuo returned to the boat, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, and began to wipe away his tears. She then smiled at him, put the handkerchief into his pocket, before returning to shore.

Translated by Huang Yushi from the 2nd edition of the original Chinese text:

Zhang Wuji followed his grand-teacher with his eyes as the old man walked westwards with Zhou Zhiruo. As the same time, the little girl kept turning back and waving until both of them disappeared behind a row of poplar and willow trees. Suddenly, Zhang Wuji felt so lonely that he started to cry again.

“Brother Zhang, how old are you this year?” asked Chang Yuchun with frown. When the boy answered that he was already twelve, the man said, “I see. A twelve-year-old is no longer a child, so are you not ashamed to sob and cry like a baby? When I was twelve, I had already been beaten several hundred times, but never did I shed a single tear. A man sheds only blood, you know, not tears. If you continue to cry like a girl, I will have to hit you.”

“I cried because I could not bear to part with Grand-teacher,” said Zhang Wuji. “If someone hit me, I would not cry at all! Go ahead and hit me if you dare. I will return each of your punches with ten punches of my own someday.”

Chang Yuchun was stunned. “Good for you!” he said with a hearty laugh. “Now that is what I call a man with integrity. Since you are so formidable, I will not to hit you.”

“Why not?” asked Zhang Wuji. “After all, I cannot even move a single finger.”

Chang Yuchun laughed again and replied, “If I hit you today, what am I going to do when you eventually learn martial arts from your grand-teacher? How would I be able to endure ten punches from the exquisite fist techniques of the Wudang School?”

A smile appeared on Zhang Wuji’s face: This Brother Chang may look very ferocious, but he is not a bad man.

Hiring a riverboat, the two travelled all the way to Hankou before switching to a larger vessel and sailing east down the Great River. The Butterfly Valley where the Healing Sage Hu Qingniu lived was located on the banks of Nüshan Lake in northern Anhui.

The Great River flowed in a south-easterly direction from Hankou to Jiujiang, before turning northwards into the province of Anhui. Two years earlier, Zhang Wuji had sailed up this very river on his way to Mount Wudang. He had his parents and Yu Lianzhou as companions then, so the journey had been filled fun and laughter. Now, his parents were both dead, and he was on a joyless trip to seek treatment with Chang Yuchun. The difference between the two were as stark as the sky above and the land below. But he did not dare to let his tears fall, fearing that Chang Yuchun would be angered again. By then, all the acupoints that Zhang Sanfeng had blocked earlier had returned to normality, so he could actually feel each excruciating attack of the toxins in his body. Yet, there was nothing that he could do, except to grit his teeth in endurance until his upper and lower lips were all cut and bruised. To make things worse, the bouts became more frequent and painful with each passing day.

When they reached the Gua Pier after Jiqing, Chang Yuchun and Zhang Wuji went ashore and travelled north in a hired carriage. Several days later, they arrived in the town of Mingguang, east of Fengyang. Chang Yuchun knew that his Uncle Hu did not like his secluded place of abode to be widely-known, so he sent the carriage away about twenty li (10 km) from Nüshan Lake. Then, carrying Zhang Wuji on his back, he tackled the final leg of the journey on foot.

He thought that these last twenty li would be covered in the blink of an eye, but he had travelled only one li (500 metres) when his nerves and bones started to ache terribly. His breathing became laboured and he found it very difficult to even walk. The internal injuries that he had sustained after being struck twice by the foreign monks were worse than he had realised.

Feeling very apologetic, Zhang Wuji said, “Brother Chang, let me walk on my own. You had better not tire yourself out.”

“I can cover a hundred li (50 km) in a single breath without feeling tired at all,” Chang Yuchun snapped, “so how could those stupid monks stop me with two strikes of the palm?” Gathering up all his strength, he forced himself to march forward. Unfortunately, he was already too wounded to push himself in this manner, and the frustration that he felt just made things worse. After several zhang or so (1 zhang = 3.33 metres), he began to feel as if his limbs and bones were falling apart. Yet, he was not ready to admit defeat. He was also unwilling to put Zhang Wuji down or to sit and rest. So, he laboured on, a step at the time.

This, of course, made their progress terribly slow. By nightfall, they had not covered even half of the targeted distance. The rugged terrain only served to make the walk more difficult, but they trudged on until they reached some woods. Then, Chang Yuchun finally put Zhang Wuji down and collapsed spread-eagle on the ground. After a simple meal of sugared fruit and biscuits, Chang Yuchun rested for half a shichen (one hour) before voicing his desire to resume the journey. Zhang Wuji tried his best to persuade the man otherwise, suggesting that they could spend a peaceful night in the woods and set out the next morning instead. By and by, Chang Yuchun realised that it would probably be midnight by the time they reached Butterfly Valley. Hu Qingniu would certainly be very irritated by their visit at such an hour, so he gave in to his companion’s suggestion to stay in the woods. They soon fell asleep leaning against a large tree.

At midnight, Zhang Wuji was jolted awake by another attack of the toxins in his body. He started to shiver and shake badly, but he endured the pain in silence for fear of waking Chang Yuchun up. Just then, the sounds of clashing weapons drifted into the woods, followed by several voices that shouted, “Where are you going?” “Block the eastern route and force him into the woods!” “We cannot let this crooked baldy get away this time!” Footsteps sounded as several peo