The Tang Sect Crisis

Chapter 2

Saving Oneself with Lifesaving Soul Returning Pills

(1)

Nine killers, nine different fatal wounds.

Miao Jiutian simply looked at it dumbfounded.

Because they had all been killed with their own special martial art or by their own signature weapon.

Miao Jiutian simply couldn’t believe this was real.

But it was as real as could be.

Boss Sha’s face was taut. He suddenly said slowly, “Now you have seen it clearly!”

Miao Jiutian nodded.

Boss Sha said, “How would you say they died?”

Miao Jiutian sighed. It was a good while before he said, “They seemed to have committed suicide?”

“Suicide?”

“Yes, Who else but themselves could use nine completely different martial arts to kill them all at the same time?”

Boss Sha was silent. A while later, he asked plainly, “Why would they kill themselves?”

Miao Jiutian couldn’t answer.

Maybe there was no one in the world who could use nine completely different martial arts to kill them, but what could explain them committing suicide?

Boss Sha’s face suddenly straightened up.

He said coldly, “No matter how they died, in any case they are dead.”

Miao Jiutian shivered.

Boss Sha suddenly turned around and slowly walked out of the suite.

× × ×

Boss Sha left.

But Chou Tiejun and Fang Xi were still standing there in the room.

Miao Jiutian knew what Boss Sha had in mind.

The nine killers were dead, so there was no longer any use for Miao Jiutian.

Plus, the way Boss Sha saw it, Miao Jiutian had committed a grievous error.

When his underlings committed an error, Boss Sha usually didn’t forgive them.

He was absolutely not a “great person”.

× × ×

Chou Tiejun and Fang Xi’s sabres were not drawn.

Nor did they launch a surprise attack on Miao Jiutian, because they knew that Miao Jiutian knew what he had to do.

Miao Jiutian did indeed know.

He knew that given the circumstances, the most comfortable path for him was for him to destroy himself.

He really did not want to commit suicide in this room full of dead bodies, but there was no better alternative for him to choose.

He knew how good Chou Tiejun and Fang Xi’s martial arts was.

Even one on one, Miao Jiutian was not anywhere close to their match.

People value being self-aware.

Miao Jiutian in any event was self-aware.

So he finally raised his right hand and abruptly slammed it into his forehead.

But just as his hand made contact it was immediately clamped onto tightly by a hand.

Miao Jiutian was stupefied.

The one who had clamped onto his hand was Chou Tiejun.

× × ×

Chou Tiejun’s face looked like it always did, set to kill.

Anyone who saw his face would think of a headsman at the execution grounds. He really did have the face of a headsman.

Miao Jiutian suddenly showed displeasure and said angrily, “Chou, don’t push me too far, Boss Sha just wants this old fellow to die. You mean to tell me this old fellow can’t die a bit more pleasantly?”

Chou Tiejun sneered, “An old fool like you doesn’t deserve a good end.”

Miao Jiutian clenched his teeth. “You and I have no enmity, no grudge…”

“Shut up!”

“You mean there really is enmity between us?”

“Of course.”

“Please tell me.”

Blue veins bulged in Chou Tiejun’s face. He also clenched his teeth and said, “You killed a buddy of mine.”

Miao Jiutian was taken aback. “Who did I kill?”

Resolutely and decisively, Chou Tiejun spat out a name.

As soon as the name was out of his mouth, Miao Jiutian was dumbfounded.

But even more at a loss was Fang Xi.

Because what Chou Tiejun said was, “You killed Fang Xi!”

(2)

Had Miao Jiutian really killed Fang Xi?

Of course not.

Fang Xi was still alive, was even standing there in the room.

Could this Fang Xi be an impostor?

Absolutely not.

Even if Miao Jiutian had had his doubts, Fang Xi certainly didn’t.

Because this Fang Xi was the genuine Fang Xi, naturally he knew that he wasn’t “counterfeit goods”.

But why did Chou Tiejun say that Miao Jiutian had killed Fang Xi?

For the moment, Miao Jiutian didn’t understand, and Fang Xi didn’t either.

But Fang Xi understood it soon.

Because the five fingers of Chou Tiejun’s other hand suddenly ferociously poked into Fang Xi’s throat!

× × ×

No savage scream, nothing to alarm anyone outside the suite.

That claw attack was really swift.

Not just swift but merciless.

This claw attack was absolutely unavoidable, and it was also incurable.

A clawed hand punching through a throat, one strike and Fang Xi was put to death.

Fang Xi’s legs were kicking blindly.

But Chou Tiejun quickly subdued all of his acupoints, and so Fang Xi didn’t scream, didn’t struggle but died standing up.

Miao Jiutian was simply stunned at the sight.

He’d never seen such an incredible claw attack, nor did he understand why Chou Tiejun had suddenly killed Fang Xi.

Chou Tiejun slowly released his hand clamped around Miao Jiutian’s and said, “Fang Xi is dead, but it wasn’t you who killed him. The murderer was me.”

Miao Jiutian took a deep breath and said, “Who are you?”

Chou Tiejun’s set to kill face suddenly became gentle. “I’m of course no Chou Tiejun, but the mask I’m wearing is made from Chou Tiejun’s skin.”

Miao Jiutian believed what he said.

If he hadn’t used Chou Tiejun’s real face to make the mask, how could he have fooled Boss Sha’s eyes?

This person had saved Miao Jiutian’s life and simultaneously killed Fang Xi. He certainly wasn’t Chou Tiejun.

The real Chou Tiejun was already dead.

But who was this impostor Chou Tiejun?

× × ×

“You need not worry about who I am.”

Miao Jiutian nodded.

The fake Chou Tiejun said, “So long as you agree to my one stipulation, I guarantee I can get you out of here alive.”

Miao Jiutian nodded again.

He seemed incapable at the moment of doing anything else besides nodding.

And no wonder, his mind had been befuddled by a succession of unexpected events. And he’d been scared stiff by the fake Chou Tiejun’s claw attack.

Just like Boss Sha had said, Miao Jiutian was less and less courageous.

The fake Chou Tiejun continued, “I know you have a few Lifesaving Soul Returning pills. If you want to keep living a few more years, you’d better get them out.”

Miao Jiutian was once again stupefied.

He did indeed have a few Lifesaving Soul Returning pills, but how did this fake Chou Tiejun know that?

But he had no time to think about that. At any rate his life was in this person’s hands. Even if he wanted the old majestic thearch’s jade imperial seal he’d obediently hand it over, not to mention some Lifesaving Soul Returning pills.

He immediately handed over a gray medicine bottle to the fake Chou Tiejun.

The fake Chou Tiejun pulled the stopper and looked inside and looked satisfied.

Even though his face was fake, the expression revealed on his face was no different at all from anyone else’s.

Only now did Miao Jiutian suddenly think of Widow Su.

Widow Su was a flirty woman of Evil Valley. She’d only been living here for sixteen months.

Only Widow Su knew that Miao Jiutian had Lifesaving Soul Returning pills.

Widow Su was a woman addicted to gambling. She had bought a house not to large and not too small in Evil Valley just so she could place high stakes bets.

She was most likely gearing up for a “protracted battle” with the gambling dens.

Widow Su didn’t just gamble, she was also fond of food and drink.

She was a regular at Golden Lotus Tavern, and she always sat at a table near the counter.

She and Miao Jiutian often chatted.

Miao Jiutian was already very old, but he had a good impression of Widow Su.

Gradually, Miao Jiutian got to the point he’d tell her anything.

Only now did Miao Jiutian how dangerous that was!

× × ×

But back to the original topic.

If Miao Jiutian hadn’t had those Lifesaving Soul Returning pills, it was doubtful whether the fake Chou Tiejun would have come to his aid.

He was sorry to have to give up those Lifesaving Soul Returning pills, but when he considered it was for his own life, he didn’t feel it was a serious loss.

If he had really ended his life just then, even if he had had 10,000 Lifesaving Soul Returning pills, what good would it have been?

After getting the Lifesaving Soul Returning pills, the fake Chou Tiejun said, “Though you have something of a name among the jianghu, as far as we are concerned, you’re just a nobody not worth mentioning.”

That wasn’t something Miao Jiutian liked to hear.

Even so, it was the truth.

The fake Chou Tiejun said, “But I never go back on my word. Since you so straightforwardly handed over the Lifesaving Soul Returning pills, it’s my responsibility to safeguard your life until Sha Bu’e is no longer able to do evil.”

Even though the fake Chou Tiejun said that, Miao Jiutian was still uneasy.

Of course he knew what kind of place Flower Blossom Loft was, and with Boss Sha here, even if the fake Chou Tiejun wanted to take him and charge out of there, that would be no easy task.

Sure enough, Miao Jiutian was not mistaken.

Before they could rush out, Boss Sha had already rushed in.

(3)

Boss Sha, who all day long had had an unpleasant look on his face, now suddenly was smiling cheerfully.

He looked like a hunter who had just caught a big, plump deer.

The color once again drained from Miao Jiutian’s face, not a trace of complexion.

Boss Sha said casually with a laugh, “See what you two have done, actually killing Fang Xi.”

The fake Chou Tiejun smiled indifferently. “Fang Xi’s sabreplay is pretty good. Too bad he was a bit dumb.”

Boss Sha nodded. “So when you got him with your Five Poisons Claw, he didn’t quite believe his eyes.”

The fake Chou Tiejun said, “But even if I hadn’t tricked him, he still might not have been able to dodge my claw attack.”

Boss Sha was still smiling.

But the murderous look in his eyes was becoming more and more obvious. “The past few days I’ve been suspecting something.”

The fake Chou Tiejun said plainly, “You suspected I was not the real Chou Tiejun, right?”

“Yes.”

“What flaw did you notice?”

“Five days ago you ate a dish of carp simmered with ginger and scallions that the kitchen chef cooked up.”

“You mean that on such a hot day the real Chou Tiejun would never eat carp simmered with ginger and scallions?”

“It’s not the carp, or the ginger.”

The fake Chou Tiejun suddenly figured it out. “He didn’t eat scallions?”

Boss Sha smiled again. Maybe he thought that smile would make people think he was smart.

“Little Chou would eat anything, but if you wanted him to eat scallions, he’d sooner eat pig shit.”

The fake Chou Tiejun sighed.

“Since you already suspected I was impersonating Chou Tiejun, why did you allow me to stay close to you? Weren’t you afraid I’d assassinate you?”

Boss Sha gave a thin smile. “You didn’t want to kill me, your main target was the Lifesaving Soul Returning pills.”

The fake Chou Tiejun said, “Looks like you really know a lot.”

Boss Sha said, “If I’m not mistaken, you are that Water Cat!”

× × ×

Water Cat!

The name was not the least bit scary, but once Miao Jiutian heard those two words, he inexplicably felt a sense of terror.

Was this person really Water Cat?

The fake Chou Tiejun sighed. “If I were Water Cat, how would you deal with me?”

Boss Sha said, “I keep two leopards in the rear garden. Right now they’re both pretty hungry.”

The fake Chou Tiejun sneered, “You’re going to feed me to the leopards?”

Boss Sha said plainly, “If you’re afraid of leopards, I can change my mind and feed your corpse to the dogs.”

After saying this, Boss Sha once again turned and slowly walked out of that horrible suite filled with dead bodies.

× × ×

After Boss Sha left the suite, the first thing Miao Jiutian asked the fake Chou Tiejun was, “Are you really Water Cat?”

The fake Chou Tiejun didn’t answer, but instead used a skillful technique to easily remove his skin mask.

Behind the face was another face.

This face looked eight or nine years younger, and much more dashing and debonair.

Miao Jiutian gasped deeply.

This person really was the one who had cost him so much and gotten his own “neck covered in blood”, Water Cat.”

× × ×

After Boss Sha left the room, the suite suddenly ceased to exist.

Had the room run off?

No.

A suite can’t run off, but the four walls of this room suddenly sank into the floor.

The walls were gone.

What had once been a room had suddenly become part of a main hall.

Not the greater part, but just a small part.

Water Cat and Miao Jiutian were in the center of the main hall, and on all four sides there were 40 sabres and 40 purple-garbed warriors.

Besides the 40 purple-garbed warriors, Water Cat also saw three people sitting on the east end of the main hall.

The one in the middle was Boss Sha.

To his left was an old man, thin as a bamboo pole, wearing a long, wide-sleeved gown.

To his right, strictly speaking, was only half a person.

It was an old one-eyed, one-eared cripple with only a left hand and a right leg.

He was known in the jianghu as “All-over Incomplete” Dugu Yi!

× × ×

Dugu Yi had defects all over and was really old. He ought to have die in the martial world a long time ago.

Even though he was an old cripple, his evil deeds were a major headache for the masterhands of Sixleaf offices throughout the prefectures of the Central Plains.1

Two years ago, Dugu Yi had singlehandedly killed over 30 people outside Mystic Spirit Abbey in Gulingzhou, killing a group of rich merchants who had come to the abbey to worship and stealing a load of priceless treasures.

This case was really too shocking, and Sixleaf had at least five masterhands known as “Amazing Constables” who went all over looking for him.

No one could find him.

Because no one knew that he had sought refuge with Boss Sha.

Water Cat glanced at Miao Jiutian.

Miao Jiutian’s gaze had lost its luster, as if he had calculated all possibilities and found no way to make it out of here today alive.

But Water Cat still looked composed, and his composure was seven-tenths arrogance and conceit.

—Cats are elitist, and conceited.

This “Water Cat” was no exception.

× × ×

This evening, the happenings in Evil Valley were really too sudden, and really unexpected.

Flower Blossom Loft was a place for vagabonds to seek pleasure, but now even a person “full of vigor” would not dare step foot inside.

The 40 purple-garbed warriors’ sabres were suffused with a dazzling cold aura.

Could Water Cat take them all on at once?

Miao Jiutian was not optimistic.

If it were just seven or eight people, then Water Cat might have a chance to break out and escape.

But one against 40, plus three top masters watching with hungry eyes on the side, under the circumstances, who could break out of this tight net of annihilation?

Unless a miracle happened, Water Cat and Miao Jiutian were bound to be buried in Flower Blossom Loft tonight.

Such was Miao Jiutian’s thinking.

As was Boss Sha’s.

But as for the ever-composed Water Cat, what was he thinking?

(4)

Catty-cornered about 20 staves away from Flower Blossom Loft there was a big old dilapidated house. This owner of this big house had lived there ever since he was born and had never taken a step off the place.

He was not the former ruler of Safe & Sound Valley, but he had always enjoyed unusually lofty prestige in the valley.

Sha Bu’e never killed him, hoping to use his position to speak well of him to others on his behalf.

The owner of the big old dilapidated house was surnamed Zhou, named Xian, and was almost 70 years old.

Sha Bu’e didn’t have Zhou Xian killed, and he never snatched his house from him, but Zhou Xian never once said anything good about Sha Bu’e to anyone.

Luckily even though he said no word of praise, he didn’t say anything bad either.

Sha Bu’e forced himself to bear it. He knew this old Zhou sooner or later would die by his hands. Zhou Xian didn’t know martial arts.

But he had a son who did, and whose Groundsweeping Sabreplay was pretty good.

Once Sha Bu’e learned of this, he was even more eager to kill Zhou Xian.

Not just kill Zhou Xian, he wanted even more to kill his son, Zhou Dingbiao.

Sha Bu’e’s plan was to first kill Zhou Dingbiao, then deal with Zhou Xian.

But two months ago, Zhou Dingbiao went up north on a bear-hunting trip.

Sha Bu’e did his best to be patient and wait for Zhou Dingbiao to return, then kill the two of them.

But up to now, Zhou Dingbiao had not returned, but there were two people who appeared to be nearly drunk out of their minds who were staying at Zhou’s place.

These two had already drank a lot.

Zhou Xian had never seen anyone down so much wine in so short a time.

These two altogether had drank 15 jugs of wine totally 105 catties.

That was enough wine for them to comfortably take a bath in.

But they didn’t waste the 15 jugs of wine, their capacity for liquor was really astonishing.

But when the third drunkard suddenly came in from outside the Zhou residence, they stopped drinking at once.

If you think these two drunkards were drunk out of their minds, you would be very wrong.

Without a doubt, they were both considerably tipsy, but they were nowhere close to being drunk out of their minds.

When the third drunkard stepped foot in the Zhou residence, they recognized at once who it was.

In fact, you didn’t necessarily need to be sober to recognize who it was.

Even if these two really did drink themselves into a stupor, they would still be able to rely on their hazy impression to make out who this third drunkard was.

For one simple reason, because the third drunkard was so fat that if you had Zhou Xian stand next to him, he would be more than twice as wide.

This big fatty was also a big drunkard.

He was none other than the eldest young master of the Tang family of Hangzhou, the number-one drunkard in the world, Tang Zhuquan.

× × ×

These two drunkards had drank over 100 catties of wine between them, but for Tang Zhuquan that was nothing special at all. There was already about 100 catties of wine sloshing around in his big belly.

Maybe some will think that this is impossible. No matter how good someone is at holding their liquor and no matter how big their belly is, there’s no way someone could drink 100 catties of wine.

A normal person’s weight is no more than 100 catties.

Yep, drinking 100 catties of wine is by no mean an easy feat.

Especially drinking 100 catties and then still being able to walk around, that’s even more rare.

If there was only one person in the world who could do such a thing, that person was without a doubt Tang Zhuquan.

× × ×

When Tang Zhuquan arrived at the Zhou residence, his exceptionally large jug of wine was already empty.

A wine jug with no wine was the most boring thing in the world for Tang Zhuquan.

It was like a charming, dashing playboy unable to find a woman, or a great poet inspired to write poetry but unable to find his ink and writing brush.

But once he strolled into the Zhou residence, he pointed at the two drunkards and scolded, “How can you two be in the mood to drink at a time like this?”

× × ×

Of the two drunkards, one wore a blue gown, the other a gray robe.

The bluegowned one had a sabre at his waist.

The grayrobed one had a sword in hand.

The sabre was a precious sabre, the sword a famous sword. Anyone in the jianghu who saw either one of them would lose the color in their face.

Because this was the Snowblade Vagabond Long Chengbi’s Blizzard Blade and the King of Assassins Sima Xue’s Righteous Blood sword!

Long Chengbi was here, Sima Xue was here, and Tang Zhuquan, the eldest young master of the Tang family, was also here at the Zhou residence.

What heaven-and-earth shaking events were about to transpire in Evil Valley?

× × ×

The first words out of Tang Zhuquan’s mouth was to ask how Long Chengbi and Sima Xue could be in the mood to drink.

Long Chengbi didn’t answer.

He just asked Tang Zhuquan, “Has Cat Shell come here too?”

NOTES

Sixleaf, 六扇門, is the name in wuxia novels for the yamen 衙門, the administrative office including constables, magistrates, etc. Because the main doors are three double doors, that’s six door leaves in all, hence the name. This is the wuxia police department, essentially.