Unlike the other foreign guesthouses, which were brightly lit, where human shadows were flickering, showing that the various delegations from foreign countries who came to congratulate Bai Ziting reacted to him suddenly issued the imperial decree on the night curfew, and were overwhelmed with the tense atmosphere brimming with mountain rain about to arrive and the wind filling the building, only Yuekepeng’s Jushi Kingdom’s foreign guesthouse was devoid of any human or horses’ movement and sound. A dim light leaked out from the lobby; the situation was very strange and chilling.
The two boys were crouching on top of the lobby of another foreign guesthouse next door, watching for any movement inside the target guesthouse with full attention.
Kou Zhong scanned the area with his eyes one more time before whispering in Xu Ziling’s ear, “Is anybody following us?”
Xu Ziling’s eyes did not move from the only light penetrating from the Jushi Kingdom’s foreign guesthouse, he replied, “At the beginning I still had some feeling, but after playing hide-and-seek and taking roundabout route, we should be successful in throwing the stalker off.”
Kou Zhong nodded and said, “I have the same feeling. Ay! Really demonical; what exactly is going on?”
Kou Zhong’s mind wandered to the earlier scene today where Gongqi, who was the embodiment of Cui Wang, was keeping watch across the street from the foreign guesthouse; a very uncomfortable feeling welled up in his heart, he wondered whether Yuekepeng and his more than a hundred brothers have all been murdered, or perhaps been detained by Bai Ziting? “I wonder if it is a trap?” he said.
“It’s very hard to say,” Xu Ziling replied, “But I don’t sense any hidden troops inside.”
Smiling bitterly, Kou Zhong said, “Right now I just want to turn around and leave. Your senses shouldn’t be wrong. Ay! How about going down to take a look?”
It should be noted that Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were martial art masters whose name shook the world, their military successes were splendid, anybody wanted to kill these two, even if they were injured – must take advantage of the surroundings, the favorable location, and absolutely good arrangement, only then would they have the chance of success. Therefore, Bai Ziting’s night curfew, which made the Vermillion Bird Boulevard, which was originally noisy and bustling, suddenly empty, swept away, without anybody in sight, Shen Mohuan and the others’ assassination operation suddenly collapsed, hence the reason Kou Zhong was afraid that a trap was waiting for them down below.
Xu Ziling said, “There is something that is quite strange. Yin Xianhe was not outside the Palace gate waiting for us, it could be explained by him having discovered Shen Mohuan’s men, hence he went to follow their track. However, Du Xing has many men, a great force, even if he is trying to persuade us using all possible arguments, he should have sent someone to get in touch with us, or perhaps lead us into another trap; but why is he not making any move at all?”
Scratching his head, Kou Zhong said, “There are too many things that we don’t understand, but now that you mentioned it, I suddenly figure out a hard-to-understand thing, which is also our mistake, which potentially can make everything fall apart.”
Astonished, Xu Ziling asked, “What is it that is so serious?”
Kou Zhong sighed and said, “It’s precisely the miscalculation of Ma Ji and Bai Ziting’s relationship. Actually, that fellow Guan Ping has already laid out clearly, but we did not take it to heart.”
Shaken, Xu Ziling said, “You are right.”
Kou Zhong angrily said, “Ma Ji practically put himself under Bai Ziting’s hands, that’s why when Xieli forced him to cancel the bow and arrows transaction, he immediately notified Bai Ziting, telling him to snatch away the bow and arrow shipment, and thus Gunatai brothers rushed into thin air.”
By miscalculation, he was referring to the fact that if the Gunatai brothers were still nearby, they would be able to obtain their help, and with strong people and robust horses, they could deal with any situation, unlike their present situation where there was no door to which they could seek help.
Kou Zhong continued, “Hence I pointed out to Ma Ji that I know he and Bai Ziting are wallowing in the mire together, which immediately scared this kid that he pissed in his pants and escaped without any trace. And Bai Ziting did not stop him, because the bow and arrows are already in his hands. His Niang! Isn’t Ma Ji a Tujue? Yet for Bai Ziting’s sake he is willing to take the risk of offending Xieli, Tuli?”
Xu Ziling spoke heavily, “Because Ma Ji believes Bai Ziting will win this battle.”
Kou Zhong sighed and said, “Thinking about it horizontally, thinking about it vertically, I still cannot understand how Bai Ziting is going to defeat Xieli and Tuli’s allied armies. If Xieli and Tuli were still involved in endless internal strife, Ma Ji and Bai Ziting’s brazen attitude could still be understood, but now that the two Khans are in agreement, Bai Ziting and the others should just pull back and acknowledge their mistake and be done with it.”
Xu Ziling said, “The key could be in Funantuo. He is an extremely charming and persuasive man, able to influence Bai Ziting and his men that they become people who are fearless of death. The most difficult thing is that Bai Ziting is convinced that Fantian [Lord Brahma (the Hindu Creator)] is on their side.”
Kou Zhong shook his head and said, “I understand Bai Ziting, Ma Ji, that kind of people better than you. They must have something that they rely on, hence they dare not to consider Xieli, Tuli worthy in their eyes. But what you said also makes sense. If we could get rid of Funantuo, I guarantee that instead of fighting, Mohe army will immediately crumble, and if that happens, how could Bai Ziting not surrender?”
Smiling wryly, Xu Ziling said, “Although it is a very remote possibility, but I really wish to prevent the tragedy of having the entire city being massacred. If by killing Funantuo we could reach this goal, I definitely will do it, while accomplishing Peng Xiong’s cherished desire at the same time.”
Kou Zhong was silent for half a day. His mouth and teeth unbearably bitter, he said, “Do you think our Jushi Kingdom brothers already met misfortune and have been murdered?”
Xu Ziling asked in return, “Why did you want to turn around just now? Are you afraid that you might face the terrifying scene of the entire building full of lying down dead bodies?”
“Did you sense Xiedi Sheli?” Kou Zhong asked.
With grave expression, Xu Ziling slowly shook his head.
Kou Zhong knew he was worried about Shi Feixuan. “That will do,” he said, “We go down to see what’s going on here. Either the entire building is full of lying down dead bodies or there is nobody in sight, we will leave the city immediately, find a place to hide and quietly wait for Shi Zhixuan to appear.”
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling might be young, but they were Jianghu veterans; instead of going to the guesthouse lobby, where they caught a glimpse of the faint light – first, they went around to the rear courtyard and climbed over the wall to come in, with Kou Zhong leading the way to find a path, while Xu Ziling stayed outside, living high and looking down to keep a close watch. Any ambushing troops surely could not escape his superhuman senses.
Watching Kou Zhong disappearing into the dark courtyard, Xu Ziling’s lingtai was empty, wide, and crystal clear. There seemed to be nothing in the world that could evade his senses. Suddenly he sensed that someone was in the lobby.
The feeling was very strange. It seemed to be there, but not exactly there.
It must be a martial art master of Bi Xuan’s caliber, which, at this moment, was more than the injured Kou Zhong would be able to deal with. He was able to clearly sense Kou Zhong’s position, but that person was like a supernatural force that was fused into one, hence it appeared to be fantasy, yet it also felt real.
Brahma and I as one.
Xu Ziling shivered inwardly. The Moon in the Well realm immediately melted like ice and broke like tiles, he could no longer sense the person in the lobby. And the reason for his panic was that Kou Zhong was groping his way from the rear courtyard toward the mystery person in the lobby. If he sent any warning or signal to tell Kou Zhong to flee, the mysterious big enemy might detect it, and would immediately attack Kou Zhong at full force to kill him, before Xu Ziling was able to rush to help, the injured Kou Zhong would certainly be unable to hold out until he arrived and give up his life.
Just as he was the flaw in Shi Feixuan’s ‘Sword’s Heart Brightly Lit’, Kou Zhong’s life and death could also break his Moon in the Well.
The enemy in the lobby was definitely a martial art master of Bi Xuan’s caliber; he was clearly inside, yet Xu Ziling, who was losing his Moon in the Well state, was unable to detect his presence the slightest bit, as if it was a repeat of his encounter with Bi Xuan in the past.
Xu Ziling had no choice. After swiftly circulating his Long Life Qi one time through his body, he soared into the air and landed at the plaza in front of the steps of the lobby.
This moment Kou Zhong was searching all halls and rooms, big and small, of the rear courtyard without finding anybody’s shadow. Suddenly he realized that Xu Ziling had left his hiding place and was heading toward the square inside the main gate. Knowing that the situation was far from good, he hastily darted toward the point where Xu Ziling landed, because the two of them must fight side by side, only then would they be able to deal with a powerful enemy.
An extremely ominous feeling welled up in his heart; he felt caught in a completely passive and disadvantageous position.
By the time Xu Ziling’s feet touched the ground, Kou Zhong already rushed to his side. After exchanging a glance, their eyes looked at the wide-opened door of the lobby.
The lantern suddenly went out.
Kou Zhong’s tiger-body shook. It was only this moment that he knew there was an enemy inside the hall. He nearly wanted to pull Xu Ziling and flee in defeat. Such an enemy was indeed too frightening.
But then he remembered that due to his injury, it was not advisable for him to run at full speed, since it would only make it more difficult for them to escape. He had no choice but to calm himself down and put his hope on the technique where the two of them joined hands, and fought the enemy to the death.
He and Xu Ziling’s minds were interlinked; his pair of eyes emitted an advancing-courageously resolute look, he took the lead to climb the steps toward the main entrance.
The beam of moonlight penetrated the window on the left side; a gentle and soft light enveloped half of the hall, while the other side was still in the dark.
One person was standing with his hands behind his back, facing away from the door. He had the transcendental bearing of a monarch overlooking the world, looking at all living things disdainfully out of the corner of his eyes. He was still wearing the apricot-orange oversized long gown, and a layer of muslin wrapped around his head. Who else but the ‘Demonic Monk’ Funantuo, who came from Tianzhu?
Just by the fact that he was waiting respectfully for the two boys’ good-self to come here, it was clear that this person was able to know the two boys’ mind like the back of his hand.
Funantuo slowly turned around. The withered, dark and thin, crooked face revealed a hint of unfathomably deep smile, he spoke glibly, “Da Wang asked this person to perform one last religious ceremony for the two gentlemen. Your injuries can be concealed from anybody, but how could you hide it from a man who has reached ‘Brahma and I as One’ realm like me, who has passed through the Fantian [Nirvana/Lord Brahma]. Not only I can see clearly the condition of injuries in your body, I can also see the fear in your heart.”
‘Qiang!’
Kou Zhong pulled the Moon in the Well. Throwing his head back in laughter, he said, “Until this moment you still want to delude people with your lies? I dare say that this time you come to kill us, Bai Ziting has no knowledge of it. How exactly did you put Yuekepeng and his men in order?”
Funantuo’s withered countenance did not reveal the secret in his heart the slightest bit, he calmly withstood the saber qi that Kou Zhong sent out and spoke indifferently, “If you can kill me, Funantuo, it won’t be too late to ask that question again.”
Frowning, Xu Ziling asked, “If you are dead, whom should we ask?”
Funantuo smiled and said, “If you can kill me, the heart of the soldiers in Longquan will immediately be shaken, they will no longer have the strength to resist Tujue’s coalition forces. At that time, whatever you want, how could Bai Ziting not agree?”
Inwardly the two cried, ‘Formidable!’ Funantuo reminded the two of this fact, it was to force the two boys to fight to the death, and would not make any plan to escape. Otherwise, if the two escaped by running separately, one would be bound to break away from his demonic palm.
The murderous intent in Kou Zhong’s pair of eyes flaring greatly, he strived to push the murderous aura out of the saber blade, but because he was worried over the internal injury in his body, he could at most use only 50% of his usual power; even he himself knew that it would not pose any threat toward Funantuo.
Laughing coldly, he said, “Guoshi may start expounding the law!”
Slightly nodding his head, Funantuo said, “The essence of cultivation lies in internal view, that is, the so-called Zen [meditation] or yoga, viewing the self’s heart as the fulcrum of, as well as the pathway to – the universe, separating oneself from reality and all bewildering obstacles, putting the self into the absolutely unrestrained realm without any obstacles, achieving the true self, attaining the Brahma and I as One realm; only then one will be able to capture the truth about self, grasping the crucial point of resolving all problems.”
Sneering, Kou Zhong said, “What you said is nice to hear, but if in real life you commit fornication and robbery, fundamentally you are not a person at all; even if your words are pleasant to listen to, it is no more than a rubbish. En garde!”
When he said ‘En garde!’ [lit. look at the saber], he actually made no movement at all, he was simply increasing the saber qi that he was shooting out to lock the opponent firmly.
Funantuo acted as if he already saw him through; unfazed by his words, he continued to be calm and collected, as he slowly said, “The universe is still in the state of primal chaos, without light and darkness, without nothingness, there is no entity even more; there is only a ‘unique ONE’, which is precisely the Fantian, the seed from which all living things came into beings. If we do not recognize the existence of Fantian, it’s just like a person traveling far from home who lose his way and does not know the way back, he will never know where his hometown is.”
Although toward the person the two boys did not have any good opinion, they had no choice but to admit that his ‘[religious] law’ was extremely pleasant to listen to and very attractive.
Kou Zhong felt that his fighting spirit was being weakened continuously, while the opponent still did not reveal the slightest bit of flaw. Particularly frightening was that this demonic monk was really like he and Fantian have been fused into one entity, so that the ever-dauntless Kou Zhong unexpectedly was unable to take the initiative by launching the first saber strike.
Such a demonic skill has indeed reached the astonishing level of Bi Xuan, Shi Zhixuan.
Even if the two were not injured, in one-on-one duel, perhaps they would end up nursing a grievance.
In this facing-life-and-death moment, Xu Ziling’s frame of mind gradually calmed down, his spirit slowly aroused; he smiled and said, “Guoshi’s Brahma and I as One must have not reached absolute mastery level; otherwise, how could I detect that there is someone inside the hall?”
Funantuo’s countenance still did not show any emotion, but the pupil of his eyes shrank and narrowed, a clear sign that Xu Ziling’s remark has hit his vital part. Just now he originally decided to attack Kou Zhong first, to kill Kou Zhong before Xu Ziling came to help, with the intention of disturbing Xu Ziling’s heart, and only then he would take care of him. Who would have thought that Xu Ziling was so brilliant that he was able to see his scheme, causing his counting-his-chicken-before-they-are-hatched to fail?
Immediately Kou Zhong responded.
With a loud roar the Moon in the Well was transformed into yellow light, streaking across the approximately two zhang distance between the two, striking straight toward Funantuo’s face.
Xu Ziling’s charged from Funantuo’s left side, both hands performed variations of image method, to help Kou Zhong by restraining Funantuo.
Funantuo remained motionless, as if he did not consider the two boys’ pincer attack worthy in his eyes.
Suddenly, without any wind, Funantuo’s clothes brushed away violently, the entire hall was immediately fell into a storm; the strangest thing was that all the furniture inside the room was not affected, yet the two felt as if they were going against the wind, difficult to advance. The gale was screaming in their ears, their body felt like it was being pricked by needles.
Such demonic skill was indeed horrifying.
The Moon in the Well hacked down.
Like a slab of wood, Funantuo’s body slightly fell back, Kou Zhong’s saber strike immediately hacked empty air. While he was crying ‘Not good!’ inwardly, as Funantuo’s back was only about a chi away from the ground, he suddenly twisted his body, using one leg as the pivot, his body bounced back, while fast as lightning the other leg kicked Kou Zhong’s lower abdomen.
Because the injury was weighing him down, Kou Zhong was practically powerless to change move, plus he never expected that Funantuo’s yoga skill was this formidable, it was completely beyond the limitation of the structure of human body. The saber momentum carried him down, he was unable to evade; he was thinking that he was going to take Funantuo’s kick, which in all possibilities might take his life away – head on, when Xu Ziling shifted sideways and bumped his shoulder hard, sending him away from the danger. The Treasured Vase Image sealed down to block Funantuo’s killer move.
Who would have thought that before Xu Ziling’s block arrived, in an impossible move Funantuo suddenly shrank back, and then his entire body sprang up and shrank, his knees were bent into his chest, both hands wrapped around the knees, his head was stuffed between his knees, he looked exactly like a human ball.
Such a defensive move certainly still had formidable follow-up move; even with rich combat experience and the flexibility to meet a contingency, Xu Ziling still lost his footing, momentarily he did not know whether he ought to attack or to pull back.
While Xu Ziling was hesitating, Funantuo ‘rolled’ above the two boys, and then his four limbs extended, his left and right feet kicked toward the side of Kou Zhong’s right ear and Xu Ziling’s face.
Inwardly Kou Zhong knew the situation was bad. Xu Ziling’s Treasure Vase Qi was sent out, but it was without any power, because it would certainly trigger the injury within his body. For the two, blocking Funantuo’s two kicks was not difficult at all, the problem was that Funantuo forcefully separated the two. At that time, as soon as he attacked one of them in full power, based on his terrifying demonic power and hard-to-predict move, he would certainly inflict heavy injury on one of them. And then the other one could only wait to be slaughtered as well.
Steeling his heart, Kou Zhong shifted sideways as fast as lightning, while at the same time lowered his body to avoid Funantuo’s left kick, and the Moon in the Well stabbed at Funantuo’s crotch.
Upon seeing this, Xu Ziling hastily responded, he inwardly performing the Inner and Outer Bind Image. On the surface it appeared to be a double-palm slicing toward Funantuo, but as long as he was able to touch the opponent’s left foot, the most ideal would be if he could forcefully pull Funantuo down from the air, but in worst case scenario, he would be able to keep Funantuo in the air, so that Kou Zhong could launch the saber momentum against him.
Who would have thought that Funantuo let out a cold snort and shouted loudly in Sanskrit, which they did not understand, and then he pulled both legs into cross-legged position as if he was sitting in full concentration in the air, both hands reaching up in clawing action, and then still in cross-legged position he somersaulted in the air and landed at the main entrance of the hall.
The two boys turned around in shock.
Funantuo calmly and leisurely blocked the door and said, “Self is using anger as its character, life as its body, and light as its form, using emptiness as its nature, Brahma as its origin, covering everything, connecting everything. It is as tiny as a grain of millet, yet also as big as the sky. Empty heart is big, universal heart is big, but with regard to natural instincts there is no difference, simply because Brahma and I are not two. Hence the thought before death is the most crucial point. If you can return the Brahma to one, you will see the true me. It will be two gentlemen’s greatest blessing.”
Although he was talking about the same Brahma and I as One method, but after Funantuo displaying his exceptional demonic skill, the two boys’ feeling was greatly different.
In fact, the two had done everything they could, yet they were still unable to touch the hem of Funantuo’s clothes the slightest bit; it was extremely unbearable. Worse yet, the blood and qi in their injured bodies were surging that they nearly vomited blood.
Kou Zhong’s pair of eyes emitted unswerving determination, he laughed aloud and said, “Turns out you, LaoGe, has not reached the Brahma and I are not two realm; no wonder opening your mouth you speak about Brahma and I as One, closing your mouth you speak about Brahma and I as One. Clearly it was to find some consolation for yourself.”
Xu Ziling struggled hard to raise his qi, very carefully as not to excite his injury, his mind entering the the Moon in the Well realm, immediately he sensed that the suffocating qi power coming from Funantuo was penetrating the Three Meridians and Seven Chakras, passing through the lower abdomen, making them difficult to breathe, like a suffocating atmosphere before the storm. Laughing aloud, he bumped shoulders with Kou Zhong, and shouted loudly, “Lower abdomen!”
Kou Zhong let out a long whistle. The man and the saber became one, receiving the true power injected by Xu Ziling, he launched the Striking Strange to attack Funantuo.
The Moon in the Well, across the short distance of about two zhang, created subtle and mysterious changes, completely enveloping Funantuo inside it.
Funantuo’s pair of eyes lit up, his pair of sleeves brushed out to meet the attack.
Life and death, victory or defeat, would be decided in this one saber strike. If Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling still could not snatch the initiative, they would be caught in the inferior position of only taking the beating until they were defeated and perished.