He Yong ducked out of the way of his thrust.


    "Oooh! You almost had me there, kid!" The mockery in his voice was unmistakable. "You''re holding out real well! I''m going to use both hands next! Get ready!"


    He Yong adjusted his grip on the massive saber. Bai Guo broke out into cold sweat as the hunk of steel approach him once more.


    This slash rammed into him like a mountain. As he received it onto his sword, the young man gritted his teeth until it felt like they were about to snap. He flew back faster than he had ever moved in his life.


    His back slammed into the stone wall on the other side of the arena. By some miracle, Bai Guo remained conscious. With quivering hands he had taken up his father''s sword, and found it bent at a steep angle from the center. His arms were numb; his body was wracked with pain, inside and out.


    He made an effort to stand. A sharp, searing pain cut through him from the inside of his chest. Blood spewed from his throat and onto the ground. Bai Guo couldn''t fight it, and crumbled completely.


    "It''s not over yet! Get up!" He Yong roared, drawing closer.


    Suddenly, a cold wind swept over the arena. A white robed, blonde haired woman appeared at its edge. The observers completely failed to trace her path; it''s as if they blinked, and there she was.


    "That''s enough." The woman''s voice resounded. Her anger was subdued yet very evident across her features.


    "There''s the master." He Yong spoke softly.


    He Yong rushed for Bai Guo like a bat out of hell. The woman followed him, and even inched dangerously close to his great figure despite the handicap of distance. Nevertheless, she was a few steps short.


    He Yong scooped up the young man into one of his arms, and with the other, he pressed the sharp edge of his saber into Bai Guo''s neck.


    "That was a fine prank the two of you have tried to pull. Did you really think nobody would notice?"


    The Golden Witch gritted her teeth. "What are you doing? Just disqualify him and be done with it."


    He Yong exhaled, breathing out a sinister chuckle. "This isn''t about Tan Huan''s stupid contest."


    The man tightened his grip on Bai Guo. "This kid''s got speed and power beyond his own measure, and yet he has no idea. He moves like he was born yesterday. It indicates that he came upon this power very recently, and so rapidly that he hasn''t had the time to adjust and discover his own limits. His sword skills are crap, which indicates a lack of natural talent. All of this is congruent with a certain phenomenon that I''ve once witnessed - the single greatest fortune that a martial artist can ever experience."


    Bai Guo winced as the man''s weapon bit into his skin and drew blood.


    He Yong made his demands, "If you want this boy to live, then hand over the cultivation manual!"


    "I don''t have it!" She shouted. Her composure crumbled.


    "Then you''d better fetch it fast! You have three days to deliver it to the top of this mountain or this boy''s life will be forfeit. Take a single step towards me and he''s dead. Try anything clever and he''s dead. If a single one of my disciples so much as stubs a toe over the next three days, yours will pay the price!"


    "Master..." Bai Guo hissed. "Don''t listen to him...!"


    The sect master leaped back into the stands, Bai Guo in tow. He made his way out of the arena through a series of absurd hops.


    The Golden Witch was left to stand there alone, helpless to stop him. She soon took her leave just as imperceptibly as she had arrived.


    ...


    Bai Guo had been brought to a vast mansion near the top of the Kunlun Goddess Peak. Hours had passed since He Yong''s "test", and yet the young man''s body, still wracked by invisible wounds, continued to shift between bouts of pain and numbness. He was barely able to move.


    Bai Guo remained within arm''s reach of the master at all times. He was seated right next to the sect master and had the opportunity to dine on the same good food, and was assured that he could demand as much of it as he pleased. His injured body struggled to properly maneuver even the chopsticks, and he ate slowly if at all.


    Some disciples have brought in his father''s mangled sword. He Yong inspected it; in his massive hands, it looked like a snapped toothpick.


    "This sword is very well made." The giant praised softly. He handed it over to a disciple. "Have it repaired."


    Bai Guo''s nose twitched at the gesture.


    "You might not enjoy hearing this," He Yong began, "but it''s your master''s fault that things ended up this way. I can tell you''re loyal, but there''s such a thing as misplacing one''s loyalties. That woman is dull-witted, she can''t handle pressure. You''re certain to die following her whims. Her only worth lies in that cultivation method, and she''d already taught it to you. You''ve got a prime opportunity here, Bai Guo, to make it out of this bad situation like a bandit. I know you''ve got a lot of things you''re eager to say to me right now, but hold your tongue. You could not only make it out of this unscathed, you just might reap some massive benefits that will set you for life. After all, Tan Huan still needs his disciple."


    Bai Guo scoffed. "Do you even know who my master is?"


    When He Yong didn''t bother to dignify his question with a response, Bai Guo continued. "Of course you don''t. Just the things I''d seen her achieve during our brief time together would have you quaking in your boots, if only you knew. You''d have never even thought of pulling this crap. ''Dull-witted.'' Well said! That''s the only word that comes to mind when I think about what you brought upon yourself."


    "Enlighten me then." He Yong asked, but Bai Guo stubbornly kept his mouth shut.


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    He Yong shook his head. A servant had suddenly rushed in.


    "Master, the elders have arrived." The man announced. He Yong gestured, and the servant rushed off to let them inside.


    Nine middle aged men and three old women approached. Tan Huan was among them, hands crossed behind his back.


    The man''s moustaches shook as he harshly rebuked the giant sitting at the table. "Sect master you may be, but you had no right to pull such a stunt without first consulting the rest of us elders!"


    "I received the pertinent information the night before." He Yong calmly explained. "There was no time to have you old farts mull over it. I had to capitalize on the opportunity when it revealed itself."


    His words angered Tan Huan. "We don''t know who these people are or which sect they come from! There''s no telling what you''re dragging us all into. Don''t forget that you''re not so much stronger than the rest of us that you can act as you please! It might not be too late to release the young man and patch things up with his master."


    "You''re not thinking objectively." He Yong replied. "Just think about how much this cultivation manual has done for this talentless shrimp. Now think about how much it would do for people like us. For our entire sect. Our Kunlun Mountains would become the center of the world, with our council at the head."


    The elders hesitated and exchanged contemplative glances amongst each other.


    "Until we know what we''re dealing with here, we can''t abide by what you''re doing." Tan Huan concluded for them.


    "Well, the arrow can''t be unshot." He Yong said. "We''re all in this whether you abide by it or not."


    "Well, that''s not quite correct, sect master." Tan Huan responded. "If your gambit fails to bear fruit and your actions bring calamity upon our heads, the sect will not protect you. You''re on your own."


    "And yet you useless louts will be back to reap the benefits when I succeed."


    "If you succeed." Tan Huan corrected. "We''ll see what happens then. But as the sect master, you know that''s how things work. If you think about it, we''re all already part of your little plot, willingly or not. Especially me! This is my event that you crashed! Who''s going to participate in my other two tournaments now?"


    He Yong snorted. The discussion appeared to be over.


    As the elders were taking their leave, Tan Huan glanced behind his shoulder. "And for heaven''s sake, at least tie up the young man!"


    "It''s unnecessary." He Yong said. "His internal injuries are so bad that he can barely lift his own arms."


    Tan Huan seemed contented with his words and left.


    As the hall emptied out, Bai Guo scoffed again. "Dull-witted." He repeated.


    He Yong resumed his meal in silence.


    ...


    Nightfall concluded the tumultuous day. Liao Lan slept peacefully in her big bed.


    A sudden gust of cold air had stirred her to wakefulness. Her eyelids parted sluggishly as she turned to figure out the problem. She found the window to her third story room to be open. A yellow headed person stood on the other side.


    Her drowsiness had instantly evaporated like a droplet over an open flame. Her eyes blasted wide open; her voice got caught in her throat. The white robed figure moved at her bizarrely, like a slithering snake, and seized her meridians. Liao Lan was first left with no time to move or to shout, and then without the means. Paralyzed once more, she was dragged out of the comforts of her sheets.


    The Yellow Hungry Fairy bodily hauled her out through that same window. She carried the woman to a secluded place, and dumped her beneath a tall tree. Liao Lan''s pressure points had been unsealed. With nothing but her nightgown to protect from the cold, she shivered in the snow.


    But even on a warm summer day, she''d be quivering all the same. Her heart felt on the verge of leaping out of her chest as she stared up at the tall golden haired woman. She looked to be in a truly foul mood.


    "I''m sorry for everything I said and did! I know I deserve a thousand deaths for offending you, but please don''t kill me!" Liao Lan stammered, her teeth rattling. She suddenly crawled towards the Fairy and grabbed her legs, wailing. "I''m not above begging for my life if it pleases you! I''ll do anything! Please...!"


    The woman''s yellow brows shot up in shock as she watched Liao Lan''s pitiful figure. Her lips curled into a small, eerie smile, her mood suddenly lifted. The Fairy raised up the woman''s chin and, with one of her long fingers, gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek.


    The gesture sent shivers down Liao Lan''s spine.


    "Anything?" The tall woman asked.


    Her question filled the woman with utter dread. But she forced out a smile of her own and bobbed her head up and down.


    "Anything!" She tried to pack as much confidence into her stuttering as possible, leaning even closer into the woman''s knees. "Just say it! I''ll do it! No matter what it is! Anything you ask!"


    The Fairy''s smirk grew. "You''ve heard about the young man that got kidnapped during today''s tournament, right?"


    Liao Lan couldn''t hide her surprise at the turn this conversation had taken. "Yes. Yes."


    "I need you to get him out of there for me."


    Liao Lan''s eyes widened with your realization. "He''s yours-... he''s your-... your..." She stuttered severely and couldn''t muster the word.


    "He''s mine. You said you had some history with the sect master. So I think you''re the perfect fit for this task."


    "It''s not good history! I don''t think- I don''t know- I..." Liao Lan tried to mouth some excuses.


    "If you don''t do this for me, I''ll kill you."