Da Tang Shuang Long Zhuan Volume 7 Chapter 11 part1

Book 7 Chapter 11 - Penetrating Deep Into the Tiger Cave

Xu Ziling woke up the next day. Declining the offer to get together with Xiang Yushan and the others on the lower deck, he sat in meditation alone in his room.

Every time he finished training, he always felt some kind of contentment and satisfaction, a sense of self-sufficiency that did not come artificially from the outside.

Strange thing was that he used to be like Kou Zhong, who loved to eat. But as his inner cultivation grew deeper, his appetite progressively decreased. He was especially sick of meat and fish, instead, wild fruits and green vegetables became more and more to his liking. So much so that for two, three days went by without eating and he still had no problem.

The reason he wanted to stay alone in his room today was that he left a fantastic development all over his body. Unexpectedly he has shed an entire layer of his skin, just like a snake shed its skin.

The new layer of skin was smooth and tender, almost like a baby's skin, so that his complexion looked different to ordinary men.

Xu Ziling did not care about such changes too much. Lifting both hands up, he struck various poses, while at the same time sending his true qi up to his hands. He started to have more and more confidence to his pair of beautiful, more and more sparkling and translucent, hands. When he concentrated his true qi, even blocking any divine weapon head-on, he was not afraid that he would suffer the slightest injury. Besides, there is no divine weapon that was more flexible and follow his heart desires.

When he had confrontation with Yang Xuyan the previous day, he clearly felt his progress in the martial art study. Yang Xuyan's sword-play, in which he moved like an immortal, no longer that hard to pin down anymore. It was due to his grasp of Yang Xuyan's fantastic sword technique that he was able to save Xiang Yushan's little life.

Although Xu Ziling was not aggressive at all, he was fully aware of the Jianghu's truth that the strong would rule: if you don't kill, you will get killed; especially in this turbulent era, where justice practically did not exist.

This moment, Kou Zhong walked in in high spirits; after a quick glance, he exclaimed, "Huh? How come you look so much different than before? Your entire body seemed to be glowing.”

Xu Ziling replied indifferently, "Haven't you also changed? Look at your smug appearance. But please, don't tell me what happened last night.”

Kou Zhong was well-aware that he could not conceal anything from Xu Ziling. Awkwardly he sat down by the bed and said hoarsely, "Some things are bound to happen sooner or later.”

After glancing surreptitiously to the left and to the right, he went on, "I heard that Xiang kid said that Ren Shaoming's martial art differs very little to the Ol' Die, at most he is only one or half a notch inferior. Seems like this matter is extremely thorny.”

"Do you think Ba Fenghan is formidable?” Xu Ziling asked, "Compared to Ol' Die, isn't he a bit more formidable?”

Kou Zhong knitted his brows and said, "That is really hard to say. My guess is that Ba Fenghan is slightly more formidable, because he is still very young, he is still making progress on a daily basis.”

Xu Ziling said, "If we join hands against Ba Fenghan, what do you think our odds of success?”

Kou Zhong pondered silently for half a day; finally he said with a bitter laugh, "Although we have a higher chance of winning, he will surely drag one of us along to accompany him to the nether world. This kid is really difficult to deal with. That day, were it not for us attacking him while he was unprepared, I am afraid we, two brothers, will have to lie flat in that jungle forever.”

Xu Ziling smiled and said, "Forgive me, but this time I beg to differ. I disagree with your, Zhong Shao's judgement. If we fight against Ba Fenghan again, he will undoubtedly lose, because I have figured out the Yijian Technique; better yet, I have figured out a way to chop Ren Shaoming's stinky head.”

Greatly delighted, Kou Zhong said, "This is the first time that I am very excited that you have a different idea. Tell me, quick!”

Xu Ziling turned his gaze out of the window, at the continuously changing scenery of the river bank. With a wistful look on his face he said, "It started when we beat back Li Zitong that time, I discovered that mine and your martial art can complement each other and double our might to become combined striking power, but I could not think of how to actually carry it out.”

Taking a deep breath, he then continued word-by-word, "Last night I finally figured it out.”

Kou Zhong stared at him. "I understand it,” he said, "It's the Yijian Technique.”

Xu Ziling sighed and said, "It's precisely Yijian Law. Just think, supposing we can grasp the overall situation, and then transcend the battlefield like the chess board [reminder: ‘yi' from Yijian means ‘(game of) chess'], relying on our mutual understanding, which we have cultivated since childhood, and join hands to deal with just one person; perhaps even Ning Daoqi, Bi Xuan and other martial art experts their caliber don't dare to say, but I dare to guarantee that even Ba Fenghan, Ol' Die and the others will lose their lives, let alone Ren Shaoming.”

Kou Zhong slapped his thigh, "I really understand!” he said, "Our chess technique's most formidable feature is the constant permutation, completely without established rules. I am the swimming fish, you are the flying bird; moreover, one cold one hot, who could withstand? Ha! Finally we are nearly unequalled under the heavens [tian xia, China]. It's a pity that we still have to rely on more to take unfair advantage of less.”

Xu Ziling shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter how many are the opponents, it will still be the two of us dealing with them. Ah, right! You lost your ‘Moon in the Well', what shall you use to replace it?”

Scratching his head, Kou Zhong said, "I am a bit tired playing with saber, but I don't know what kind of toy I want to play with next?

Xu Ziling said, "That day I noticed that you are very skillful in using the horsewhip. Using the flexible whip to break the meteor hammer, it should be very interesting.”

‘Whoosh'

The long whip lashed across the two-zhang space on the deck. With Xiang Yushan, Yun Yuzhen, and a group of Jukun Bang disciples as spectators, first it traversed the deck like a quick snake, and then when it was about three chi away from Xu Ziling's feet, the tip of the whip suddenly rose up like the snake's head, and fast as lightning it struck toward Xu Ziling's lower abdomen. Nobody did not gasp in amazement. In Kou Zhong's hand, the two and a half zhang long whip became alive.

Xu Ziling did not even look at it, his right thumb simply pressed down, right at the tip of the whip.

The two boys were severely shaken simultaneously, and both recoiled one step back.

Losing its forward momentum, the whip flicked back toward the top of Kou Zhong's head, where it looped around five, six times. It was very beautiful to watch.

Xu Ziling shook his head, "No way!” he said, "It did not have the same feeling as when it lashed out toward Yang Xuyan.”

Kou Zhong laughed and said, "It was simply because before I moved the whip, I had a quick look at Beautiful Shifu, so it was hard for me to concentrate.”

Standing on the side, Yun Yuzhen scolded, "You are the one who is inadequate, yet you blamed it on somebody else.”

Xu Ziling said, "Concentration is not the problem; the problem is that it had too much vestige. Flexible weapons have flexible weapon's characteristic, unlike stiff weapon, such as saber, which is constrained by its direction and angle. Do you have a way to make the whip as if it has eyes on it, and is able to change its course automatically to attack the position the enemy least expected?”

Kou Zhong was staring blankly for half a day. Suddenly, as if the whip had a head and brains of its own, it lashed toward Xu Ziling. When the whip was about to hit, Xu Ziling suddenly sidestepped. Who would have thought that a section of the whip, about six chi long, suddenly bent and coiled itself toward Xu Ziling's back, and brushed away toward the back of his head?

"Now, that is not bad!” Xu Ziling shouted. With a flash of his body, the whip hit empty space.

The whip seemed to recoil in Kou Zhong's direction; suddenly the entire length of the whip vibrated in a wave-like pattern, becoming more than a dozen whip shadows, which all flew toward Xu Ziling's face. It was brilliant to the extreme.

Watching this, Xiang Yushan, Yun Yuzhen and the others could only stare blankly with mouth agape. They all knew that it was the very first time Kou Zhong picked up a whip and used it in a practice, but it was as if he had been using whip for as long as he lived, there was not the least bit of rookie or upstart impression about him.

The most formidable thing was that not only he was able to transmit his qi through the tip of the whip, he was also able to use his true qi to control the whip that it was able to change direction randomly, to attack the enemy at the position that was impossible to defend effectively.

‘Crack!'

Xu Ziling used his palm to break three whip rings in succession, while flying backward simultaneously, and thus evaded Kou Zhong's round of attack.

Kou Zhong casually pulled the whip back, which, like a snake, coiled itself around his waist. Raising his hands high he said, "Whip is gone!”

Xiang Yushan was shaken; he said, "If Kou Dage could use other weapon first to confuse the enemy, and then suddenly take out the whip, it could be even more difficult for the enemy to resist.”

Kou Zhong was taken aback; and then he raised his thumb and said, "General Xiang is indeed very astute, I will follow your advice. But you must find a good saber for me. Saber on the left and whip on the right, Ren Shaoming will have to bag his food before he finish eating and go to the nether world.”

A Jukun Bang disciple hurriedly took out the saber hanging on his waist and presented it to Kou Zhong, while shouting, "Saber's coming!”

Everybody cheered and clapped; they were in very high spirit.

Kou Zhong received the saber. ‘Cha! Cha! Cha!' he chopped the air three times, emitting a hard and sharp saber qi.

Suddenly the saber stopped. The tip pointed at Xu Ziling.

In a flash Xu Ziling already arrived in front of Kou Zhong. His two hands turned into palm shadows filling the air, ‘hiding the sky and covering the earth' in an overwhelming offensive toward Kou Zhong.

The saber in Kou Zhong's left hand rapidly chopped several times. Saber and palms collided, a stream of powerful qi swept through the air like a cyclone, forcing the crowd to take several steps back.

Suddenly Kou Zhong withdrew. His right hand moved to his waist, like a fierce dragon the whip left his waist and shot toward the pit of Xu Ziling's stomach. And then abruptly it changed course upward to circle around Xu Ziling's neck. The change was so skillful that the spectators could only stare in shock.

Xu Ziling stretched out his finger and flicked the tip of the whip. Who would have thought that Kou Zhong spun his body around? Not only the saber in his left hand hacked down, the whip in his right hand circled around toward the lower back of Xu Ziling's body, lashing around Xu Ziling's legs.

Xu Ziling soared into the air, the tip of his palm swept across the saber's blade, while at the same time his fist shot toward Kou Zhong's face. His movement looked unhurried, full of confidence and at ease, very nice to behold.

The crowd burst into cheering and applause.

Chapter end