HEAVEN SWORD DRAGON SABRE Book 2 of 2

Casualties Of The Lion-Slaying Assembly Part 1

Lu Zhangke's sneak attack came when Zhang Wuji was resisting the combined power of eighteen foreign monks. The internal energy protecting his body, which formed a barrier on his back, was removed. As a result, the Xuanming cold poison entered his body without resistance and hence his injury was really heavy. He sat cross-legged and circulated the Jiu Yang energy three times around his system. After vomiting two mouthfuls of blood, he felt the constriction in the pit of his stomach loosened somewhat. As he opened his eyes, he saw Zhao Min was looking at him with anxious expression on her face.

"Miss Zhao," Zhang Wuji said in tender voice, "You are suffering greatly."

"Are you still calling me 'Miss Zhao' after all this?" Zhao Min asked, "I am no longer a royalty, I am not a 'Junzhu' anymore. You ... are you still regarding me as a little witch in your heart?"

Zhang Wuji slowly stood up. "Let me ask you one question, please answer me truthfully" he said, "Did you or did you not cut the sword wounds on my cousin Yin Li's face?"

"I did not!" Zhao Min answered.

"Then whose malicious hand did it?" Zhang Wuji asked.

"I cannot tell you," Zhao Min said, "If you can find Xie Daxia, he can tell you all the details."

"My Yifu knows all the details?" Zhang Wuji wondered.

"Your internal injury has not been healed yet, asking too much question is harmful to your peace of mind," Zhao Min said, "Let me tell you one thing: if after your careful investigation you can prove that it was I who harmed Miss Yin, you don't need to make any move. I will kill myself in your presence to make amends."

Listening to her speaking with confidence, Zhang Wuji had no choice but to believe her. He was silent for half a day before saying, "Looks like there was a martial art master hiding in the Persian Ming Cult ship. Using some kind of demonic method, he sneaked out in the middle of the night and drugged us all, harmed my cousin, and stole the Yitian Sword and the Tulong Saber. After rescuing Yifu, we need to go to Persia and inquire with Xiao Zhao."

Zhao Min pursed her lips and laughed. "You just want to see Xiao Zhao," she said, "Hence you fabricate some story to give you the reason to do so. Listen to me: don't indulge in fantasy, the sooner your injury is healed, the sooner we can go to the Shaolin Temple to pay them a visit."

"Shaolin Temple?" Zhang Wuji was surprised, "What do we do there?"

"Saving Xie Daxia, of course," Zhao Min replied.

"Is my Yifu in the Shaolin Temple?" Zhang Wuji was even more surprised, "How can he be in Shaolin Temple?"

"It's a complicated story, and I don't claim to know all the details," Zhao Min said, "But I am quite certain Xie Daxia is in the Shaolin Temple. Did I tell you one of my warriors became a monk in the Shaolin Temple? He sacrificed his life to bring me news."

"Why did he sacrifice his life?" Zhang Wuji asked.

Zhao Min said, "In order to bring me proof, my informant tried to cut a bunch of Xie Daxia's yellow hair. But the Shaolin Temple guarded Xie Daxia very strictly. After cutting Xie Daxia's hair, my informant went out the temple, bit in the end he was spotted and had to receive two palm strikes. He struggled to deliver the hair into my hand, and died not too long afterwards."

"Hey! How fierce!" Zhang Wuji exclaimed. It was not clear however, whether his 'how fierce' exclamation was praising Zhao Min's operation, or was referring to the danger of the situation.

Because his mind was upset, his internal condition was affected that he vomited another mouthful of blood. Zhao Min anxiously said, "If I knew the severity of your injury, I would have not continually vexed you like this. I am not going to talk to you anymore."