Chapter Fourteen: The Stern Scholar Wu Yuqiu
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The Ghost Bat King of Liaodong, Xie Zhihuan, leapt into the melee among the Beggars’ Sect disciples. With a sweep of the red cloak hanging beneath his arms, he injured both fighters locked in combat. Then, flashing from place to place, he separated them with a punch to the left and a palm strike to the right. Whenever the red cloak passed, no one could tell whether it concealed a fist or a kick. In the blink of an eye, no one knew whether he stood before them or behind them.
While the Ghost Bat King moved to restrain the Beggars’ Sect disciples, the Desert Poison Bee, Huang Dayou, charged straight at Liang Keyong and Guo Jian. He was short and slight, yet with a single leap, several silver needles flew toward the two men from nowhere. Both Liang Keyong and Guo Jian sensed the attack and retreated. One swung his staff, the other his sword, knocking the needles away.
Only then did they stop and turn toward the Desert Poison Bee, Huang Dayou. Guo Jian shouted angrily, “Huang the Poison Bee, what do you mean by this? How dare you ambush me?”
The Desert Poison Bee hurriedly apologized. “Honored heroes, I am truly sorry. This little establishment is fragile and cannot withstand such a battle. I hope you will do me the small favor of taking your quarrel elsewhere. Surely everything can be discussed.”
Guo Jian’s anger had not yet subsided. He looked at Liang Keyong and said furiously, “If that is the case, then let us go outside and find a more spacious place to settle this once and for all.”
Liang Keyong refused to yield. “Agreed. We shall continue this outside.”
With that, the two men sprang into the air, vaulted over the wall, and disappeared. All the disciples hurried after them.
Seeing such excitement, everyone in the inn rushed outside to watch, including the Cold-Faced Scholar, Wu Yuqiu, who had been observing the battle from the second floor.
The Cold-Faced Scholar had intended to follow them, but through a broken opening in the kitchen window, he caught sight of Meng Xiaoli lying on the kitchen table in scant clothing. He immediately leapt down and entered the deserted kitchen. Picking up the scattered garments from the floor, he covered Meng Xiaoli with them, then pulled the silver needle from her throat and released the acupoints that had immobilized her. Without saying a word, he turned and left.
Still shaken to the core, Meng Xiaoli felt her acupoints released and hurriedly rose to dress herself. She went into an empty room at the back, gathered her belongings, picked up her sword, and returned to the kitchen. There she found several baskets of steamed buns and several trays of stuffed buns. She was about to take a few when she suddenly remembered what Cleaver Xu had said about the inn also selling human flesh. Her stomach lurched.
The stuffed buns had filling; the plain steamed buns did not. With that thought, she stuffed a large number of plain buns into her bundle and fled through the inn’s back door.
Newly delivered from death’s door, Meng Xiaoli emerged from the inn and saw, in the distance, a crowd gathered around an internal dispute among the Beggars’ Sect. Afraid to linger, she slipped away unnoticed.
As she hurried along, eating steamed buns, Meng Xiaoli reflected, “One truly cannot judge people by appearances. That Desert Poison Bee, Huang Dayou, and Cleaver Xu look simplehearted and kind, but in truth they are vicious and merciless, utterly devoid of compassion. Yet Wu Yuqiu, who is known as the Cold-Faced Scholar, appears cold and unfeeling, and he was the one who casually saved my life…”
Thinking of Wu Yuqiu brought Long Ye to mind. She grew melancholy. “I wonder what Long Ye thought when he discovered that I had left home. Has he already become a pair with that poisonous little vixen, Jin Xiaodao?”
Just then, she heard the wind rushing above her head. Two figures landed before her.
Meng Xiaoli focused her gaze, and her heart sank. How could the Desert Poison Bee, Huang Dayou, and the Ghost Bat King of Liaodong, Xie Zhihuan, be so relentless? They had actually caught up with her again.
The Desert Poison Bee said in his peculiar voice, “Little girl, how did you get out? Was Cleaver Xu’s knife work no good, or were the dishes not to your liking?”
With that, he signaled the Ghost Bat King to seize Meng Xiaoli.
She threw away the buns and drew her sword in self-defense, but the Desert Poison Bee flicked his hand and sent two silver needles flying. They pierced both her shoulders. Before she could complete a single stroke, her entire body went limp and she was immobilized once more. The Ghost Bat King hoisted her across his waist.
This time they had not sealed her voice, and Meng Xiaoli began shouting for help.
The two men paid no attention and showed no fear of being overheard. They simply carried her back toward the inn. Along the way, they happened to encounter the Cold-Faced Scholar, Wu Yuqiu, who was preparing to leave.
Meng Xiaoli saw him glance at her, a trace of astonishment passing across his face before his expression returned to its usual calm. He walked straight on, as though he had never seen her at all.
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Meng Xiaoli cried out inwardly, “He saved my life before. Why is he too lazy to help now that I have been captured again?”
She knew that if she were taken back this time, she would certainly lose her life. With no other choice, she shouted at the Cold-Faced Scholar, “You saved me before! Why won’t you save me again? Was it only an excuse to get a look at my body?”
Her words proved remarkably effective. The Cold-Faced Scholar suddenly stopped. Not only that, the Desert Poison Bee and the Ghost Bat King also froze in astonishment. The two exchanged a glance as though they had just heard some forbidden secret.
With a sinister chuckle, the Ghost Bat King said, “Well, well. So there is another part to this little secret?” Then he turned to look at Wu Yuqiu.
Wu Yuqiu furrowed his brow slightly and turned around helplessly. In the next instant, he seemed to drift through space and appeared before Meng Xiaoli.
As the Desert Poison Bee and the Ghost Bat King stared in astonishment, Wu Yuqiu raised the tip of his Heart-Severing Brush beneath Meng Xiaoli’s chin and asked coldly, “What did you say?”
Afraid of angering the scholar, Meng Xiaoli pleaded, “Hero, save me!”
The Desert Poison Bee heard that she was seeking someone’s help and roared, “Oh, so you want to call for help? You seem rather capable, don’t you?”
He reached out to seize Meng Xiaoli by the hair, intending to drive a silver needle into her throat.
But just as he extended his hand, Wu Yuqiu struck the web between his thumb and forefinger. The Poison Bee recoiled in pain. He and the Ghost Bat King stared at the Cold-Faced Scholar in astonishment.
The Poison Bee exclaimed, “What? You intend to meddle in our affairs again?”
Wu Yuqiu casually spun the Heart-Severing Brush in his hand and smiled faintly. “Since I happened to come across this, I may as well lend a hand.”
At those words, the Ghost Bat King hurriedly set Meng Xiaoli on her feet. Angrily, he said, “There are rules in our world. How dare you try to snatch someone from the hands of the two of us?”
The Cold-Faced Scholar merely smiled without answering.
The Poison Bee rolled up his sleeves and snarled, “You were the one who broke the rules first. Do not blame my brother and me for showing you no mercy.”
As he spoke, the Poison Bee struck first. He sprang into the air and clawed straight at the Cold-Faced Scholar’s face.
Wu Yuqiu evaded the attack with ease and swept the Heart-Severing Brush across, deflecting the Poison Bee’s move, “Yellow Bee Gathering Honey.” At the same moment, the Ghost Bat King lashed out with his cloak and kicked, intending to seal off Wu Yuqiu’s retreat.
Wu Yuqiu had anticipated the maneuver. He immediately thrust out his leg and struck the Ghost Bat King’s knee. The Ghost Bat King twisted away after taking the blow and clutched his knee, enduring the pain.
The Poison Bee leapt up behind him. In an instant, he released a row of silver needles, using the move “Swarm of Bees Attacks” to strike at Wu Yuqiu’s back.
But the Cold-Faced Scholar noticed the attack. He turned and swept the Heart-Severing Brush through the air, sending the needles scattering. Taking advantage of the opening, he thrust the brush toward the Poison Bee’s chest and struck the acupoint at the center of his chest.
The Poison Bee’s breath locked inside him. He staggered backward several steps and stood to one side, struggling to breathe.
Seeing this, the Ghost Bat King immediately moved in to fill the gap. He sprang into the air, whipping his cloak as he shouted the move “Hungry Bat Drinks Blood,” diving straight toward the Cold-Faced Scholar’s upper body.
Wu Yuqiu arched backward and flung out the Heart-Severing Brush. It spun through the air and flew directly toward the Ghost Bat King’s face.
The Ghost Bat King instantly forced himself downward. But when both feet touched the ground, he failed to notice that Wu Yuqiu had withdrawn the brush and then extended it again. The tip struck one of his acupoints, and the Ghost Bat King froze where he stood.
Seeing this, the Yellow Poison Bee no longer bothered to catch his breath. He ran several steps, used the ground as a springboard, and somersaulted through the air. Countless silver needles shot from his short, round body.
Wu Yuqiu rotated the Heart-Severing Brush between his fingers, sweeping aside the incoming needles. Yet there were simply too many. Several slipped through and lodged in both his shoulders.
The Ghost Bat King, standing helplessly to one side with his acupoints sealed, was struck by the needles that Wu Yuqiu had deflected. Most of them pierced his chest. The Ghost Bat King was so miserable he could scarcely cry.
The descending Yellow Poison Bee used him as a weapon. Drawing upon his internal strength, he shoved the Ghost Bat King from behind, forcing the needles embedded in him to shoot toward the Cold-Faced Scholar.
Wu Yuqiu raised the Heart-Severing Brush and channeled his internal energy. Before his chest, he drew a circle of condensed air. Every silver needle flying toward him halted in midair.
Then Wu Yuqiu thrust forward.
The needles, including those lodged in his own shoulders, reversed direction and shot straight toward the Ghost Bat King and the Yellow Poison Bee.
The Ghost Bat King could not move. He shut his eyes in despair.
Sensing danger, the Yellow Poison Bee leapt forward and shoved the Ghost Bat King to the ground. Both men fell and managed to evade the needles.
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From a distance, Meng Xiaoli watched the Cold-Faced Scholar exchange dozens of moves with Huang Dayou and Xie Zhihuan. It was obvious that the two men were steadily losing. Yet the Cold-Faced Scholar remained completely at ease. As he wielded the Heart-Severing Brush, his movements resembled those of a poet painting in the air—unhurried, graceful, and leaving not the slightest opening.
Meng Xiaoli was distracted for no more than a moment when she saw the tip of the brush nearing the Yellow Poison Bee’s throat.
Huang Dayou’s head was drenched in sweat. He knew that if Wu Yuqiu did not withdraw the brush, he would die on the spot. Recalling that the Cold-Faced Scholar had spared his life, he clasped his hands before Wu Yuqiu and said, “Many thanks for showing mercy, Hero Wu. As the saying goes, there are many wicked men beyond the Pass, while the Central Plains are rich in martial masters. Though my brother and I have no equal beyond the Pass, we have never dared set foot in the Central Plains. Today, our martial skill has proved inferior, and we concede defeat. You may take the girl.”
The Cold-Faced Scholar withdrew his brush and courteously returned the salute before taking his leave.
As he passed Meng Xiaoli, he flicked his hand and removed the silver needles from both her shoulders. Her acupoints were released at once. Meng Xiaoli hurriedly retrieved her bundle and ran after him.
The Desert Poison Bee, Huang Dayou, and the Ghost Bat King of Liaodong, Xie Zhihuan, watched the Cold-Faced Scholar’s departing back and sighed with emotion. Then they returned to the inn, and that was the end of the matter.
As for Meng Xiaoli, having been rescued once again, she did not dare leave the Cold-Faced Scholar’s side, fearing that she would fall into the hands of the Ghost Bat King and the Poison Bee yet again. She followed close behind him and called out gratefully, “I am truly sorry to have made you save me twice. I have no way to repay such immense kindness.”
Without turning his head, the Cold-Faced Scholar held up three fingers and corrected her. “Three times.”
Meng Xiaoli did not understand. “What do you mean, three times?”
Wu Yuqiu did not stop. As he walked, he said, “I have saved you twice. Why do you refuse to acknowledge it and insist on making me save you a third time?”
Meng Xiaoli thought it over and remembered that he had used the Heart-Severing Brush to block a silver needle for her. She said, “Oh, but you did not save me the first time. I was still captured by those two men and thrown into the kitchen.”
Hearing this, the Cold-Faced Scholar frowned and shook his head helplessly. He stopped and looked at Meng Xiaoli, scolding her, “Not only are you poor at martial arts, you are foolish as well. Huang Dayou’s needle was aimed straight at your head. Anyone with even passable martial skill could have heard its path and dodged in advance. You, however, reacted like an idiot and were captured before you could do anything. And somehow that became my fault?”
Knowing she was in the wrong, Meng Xiaoli did not dare answer.
The Cold-Faced Scholar sighed and rebuked her, “Is the sword in your hand merely a decoration?”
Meng Xiaoli protested, “My martial skill is inferior to theirs. They attacked too quickly. I did not have time to draw my sword.”
The Cold-Faced Scholar turned and continued walking. “That is true as well. Huang Dayou’s needle was aimed directly at your life. Anyone with even the slightest skill could have heard the needle’s trajectory and evaded it beforehand. Yet you stood there like a fool, utterly unresponsive. If I had not intervened, you would have died then and there. Would you still have run all the way here to argue with me? With martial skill as poor as yours, what are you doing beyond the Pass? This is a land of tigers and wolves. You could have died seven or eight times over by now.”
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