Yu Guang Biao saw this and immediately cried out, "Get me out of here first!" He sounded as if he was about to cry soon.
"All right!" Wu Guang Sheng replied. He stretched out his arms and held on firmly to Yu's shoulders, trying to yank him away from Duan Yu. At the same time, he asked, "Are you injured?" Given Yu Guang Biao's martial arts, how couldn't he handle this sissy scholar by himself? Wu Guang Sheng thought, puzzled.
The words barely left his lips when he felt his both arms ached painfully - it was as if there weren't any energy left in them! He quickly mustered his strength into his arms. But all the energy he summoned was gone almost as soon as they entered his arm.
What happened in fact was that Duan Yu had leeched Yu Guang Biao's internal energy dry; now he further proceeded to absorb Wu Guang Sheng's one. Yu Guang Biao's body now became the path for transferring Wu's internal energy over to Duan Yu.
Seeing more people rushing over to Yu Guang Biao's aid, in addition to Yu Guang Biao's tenacious grip closing over his wrist suddenly becoming more rigid, a terror-stricken Duan Yu used even more force if possible to prise away Yu Guang Biao's fingers. Wu Guang Sheng, sensing his limbs began to ache for no apparent reason, kept calling out, "How strange! How strange!" Even as he said so, he did not release his hold a single bit.
The servant bringing in food for Duan Yu saw all three men lay in a mess on the floor, coupled with blanched faces belonging to Wu Guang Sheng and Yu Guang Biao, who looked almost as if they were about to collapse any time soon. He fumbled out of the room by crawling over their backs, screaming, "Somebody, come quickly! That white-faced lad by the surname of Duan is trying to escape!"
The disciples of No Measure Sword nearby heard the cry and rushed over immediately. Two men appeared at the scene, followed shortly by another three, all bellowing in unison. "What happened? Where's that kid?"
Duan Yu was crushed under both Yu Guang Biao and Wu Guang Sheng; naturally, the newcomers could not spot him.
Yu Guang Biao couldn't even catch his breath; to him, speaking was a total impossibility. Wu Guang Sheng already had eighty per cent of his internal energy drained away; he could only choke, "Senior Brother Yu is... trapped by that laddie.... Come... come and help quickly...."
Two disciples immediately leapt forward; each of them grabbing Wu Guang Sheng's arm each and started pulling with all their might. However, as they pulled, they felt their arms became suddenly devoid of energy. Both men's internal energies were now flowing through Wu Guang Sheng's body into Yu Guang Biao's body, which would then later flow right inside Duan Yu's thumb. Currently, Duan Yu's 'Shan Zhong' acupoint had already accumulated both energies of Yu and Wu; now, with the tiny portion of energy collected from the two newcomers, his internal energy had surpassed the energies of the two men put together. Once the men felt their arms ache, they instinctively channeled more energy to their arms. Yet, the more they did so, the more presents they forced down Duan Yu's thumb.
As the amount of internal energy Duan Yu collected grew, his internal energy absorption accelerated too. Initially, his internal energy growth was that of tiny droplets; now they flushed like water streams.
The other three disciples stood there, dumbstruck. One of them laughed, "What childish game are you guys playing? Stacking the Arhats?"
He moved forwards to heave his fellow disciples. Little did he know by his second pull, his entire arm glued itself to the arm of his fellow disciple! He shrieked in astonishment, "This is demonic! Devilish!"
His fellow disciples who were still standing behind him rushed over to his side and too began pulling. All three of them pulled with all their might; the stack of human bodies moved ever so slightly, and the next thing they knew, a pang of ache coursed through their wrists and arm. Instantly, they felt themselves enervated by Duan Yu's draining force.
A huge pile of No Measure Sword disciples lay at the doorway of the room where Duan Yu was earlier held captive. The weight of their bodies crushed Duan Yu so painfully he could barely breathe. Seeing that it was impossible to escape, he had no choice but to surrender himself.
"Let go of me! I am not leaving anymore!" He yelled.
It was no use. The other parties' internal energy just had to surge into his body; Duan Yu felt his 'Shan Zhong' acupoint nearly bursting with all the myriad of energies churning inside him. The pain in his chest began growing more intense by the second.
He stopped trying to prise Yu Guang Biao's thumb; however, Yu's thumb was crushing his thumb so forcefully that he couldn't move. He screamed again, "I am going to be crushed to my death! I am going to be crushed to my death!"
Yu Guang Biao and Wu Guang Sheng looked lifeless; the five disciples who came trying to prevent Duan Yu from escaping were flabbergasted and at a loss of what to do. Seized by a sudden bout of panic attack, they struggled and pulled with more strength. As they did so, their internal energy gushed out at an even faster rate.
Eight men huddled together messily; six were screaming their voices hoarse, yet none of them was able to hear what the other was yelling. After a while, it became four people yelling out loud. Shortly after, the number of people shouting has been reduced to three. Eventually, Duan Yu was the only person yelling, "You are crushing me to death! Let go of me! I want to escape no more!"
Every cry he made, the pain in his chest subsided a little. To lessen the pain even further, he continued raving like mad, his voice hoarse yet his energy abundant. The more he shouted, the louder he became.
Suddenly, somebody bellowed, "That evil witch stole my baby! Everybody, chase after her, quick! The four of you guard the door; the three of you, guard the rooftops; you four guys, seal the East Door; those five, guard the West Door. Don't – don't let that evil witch bring my kid away!" Although it sounded like a command, the voice sounded fearful and anxious.
Duan Yu immediately recognized the voice as Zuo Zi Mu's. What woman stole his child away? Duan Yu thought. A thought struck him. Ah! It had to be Miss Mu! She stole his son and wanted to use it in exchange for her husband. This 'exchange for the general with the horse' tactic is useful for sure.
Finally, he stopped yelling. It was at this point he was aware that Yu Guang Biao's fingers that were closing over his wrist had relaxed. He struggled and heaved with all he could; the seven people lying over him tumbled to the ground, one after another.
Duan Yu felt immensely delighted. Their master's kid has been snatched away by Miss Mu; now everybody's mind is in a whirl and frenzy. None of them could bother about catching me any longer, he thought. Crawling out from under a pile of human bodies, Duan Yu wondered, Why aren't these people lying immobile on the floor? Yes. They must be fearful that their master would punish them severely, hence they pretended to be injured.
He must be very intent on escaping, to the point that he had no idea how weak the logic in his conjecture was. Finally, he got the freedom he wanted so much; his legs sprinted so quickly as if there were wings attached to them. Never in his dreams would he ever have dreamt that all the internal energy of the seven disciples has now become his own ....
The distance he covered was disproportionate to the footsteps he took; he reached the back of the house in no time at all. The assorted positions such as 'Not-yet Fording', 'Already Fording' were all discarded at the back of his mind. The elegant postures of 'Concealed Moon behind the Frail Clouds; returning snow from the flowing wind' turned into garbage created by Cao Zi Jian. Duan Yu ran amok like a dog which owners have died, and frenzied as though he were a fish that was trapped in a net where there is a gaping hole large enough for it to escape.
No Measure Sword disciples had their swords ready and were scampering in all directions, yelling as loud as their lungs would allow. "Don't let that evil witch get away!" "Quick! Snatch our little junior apprentice back!" "You go there! I'll go this way!"
Miss Mu's 'exchange for the general with the horse' tactic is ingenious; now it even became 'attracting the tiger to leave the mountain, Duan Yu thought gleefully. Now I must employ the thirty-sixth tactic.
He dived into a dense patch of grass, and crawled more than ten zhang away. He thought inwardly: My hands and feet are touching the ground at the same time; what other skill am I using if it isn't the '(un)Graceful Crawling upon the Waves'?
The noises and yells decreased in volume; seeing that no one has noticed him, Duan Yu finally stood up and fled to the dense forest at the back of the mountain. Even though he was running for a long long time, he felt just indescribably energetic. He found it very strange and warned himself: Better not be so scared; otherwise I would run until all my energy has depleted.
A large tree stood nearby and he took the opportunity to rest under the shade. But he felt spirited and full of vigour; what's there to rest when he had too much energy to spare?
When people get lucky, they would feel as if their bodies were packed with dynamic energy; still, they will break down eventually, Duan Yu thought.
He remembered the instructions stated for the 'Vibration' Trigram, number six two: Don't chase; harmonize after seven days. Suddenly, he remembered: Today is the seventh day of my captivity! I must be careful of the two words 'Don't chase', Duan Yu thought warily. He circulated the internal energy collected in his 'Shan Zhong' acupoint to the Lung Meridians; however, he just had too much internal energy. Back and forth the energies went; there were simply no end to it all.
He suddenly became frightened. "This isn't good", he told himself, "There must be some danger awaiting me." Since the pain in his chest has now fully dissipated, he ended his internal energy circulation, stood up and started walking again. He thought: how am I to meet Miss Mu to tell her I am no longer in danger? I must also tell her to return the baby to Zuo Zi Mu; otherwise he would care for his son too much and live with fear from then onwards.
Walking a few more li, Duan Yu suddenly heard the sounds of something going 'ji' 'ji'. A grey shadow flashed past before his eyes. He saw that it was a tiny animal that soared past him in a speed few animals could ever possess, and vaguely recognized it as Zhong Ling's pet marten Lightning. The object simply leaped too fast for the naked eye to observe carefully. But Duan Yu knew this animal that could travel at lightning speed could only be the Lightning marten.
Duan Yu was pleased at seeing it. He thought inwardly: Miss Zhong went everywhere yet she couldn't find you; all along you had hid yourself here, I shall bring you back to your rightful owner; she will be too pleased to be able to speak.
He whistled loudly, imitating Zhong Ling's whistling voice. The shadow flashed. An animal fell from the trees above and sat several zhang in front of him. A pair of quivering, sparkling eyes stared back at him. It was indeed Lightning. Duan Yu whistled once more; Lightning moved two steps closer and lay immobile on the floor.
"Good marten, good marten. I shall bring you back to your owner." Duan Yu called out loudly. He whistled again and moved few steps forward. Lightning remained immobile. Duan Yu had touched its back before; he knew this animal was speedy as the wind, and had poisonous fangs; but it obeys its master before everything else. He saw the marten's eyes continued quivering, and couldn't help commenting how cute it was.
Duan Yu whistled and moved forward again, before squatting down before the animal and said, "Obedient marten!" He slowly stretched his hand and caressed its back; Lightning lay unmovable on the floor all this while. Duan Yu caressed the marten's fur, which felt smooth, gentle and soft. In a gentle voice, he spoke, "Good marten, let's go home!"
That said, his hand went over to carry the marten.
In an instant, his arms trembled, followed shortly by a sharp pain in his left thigh. A gray shadow flashed once more, and Lightning reappeared several zhang in front of him. It stood on the floor, staring back at Duan Yu with its quivering eyes.
Duan Yu shrieked in horror. "Aiyo! You bit me!"
A tiny hole appeared in his left trousers. Duan Yu rolled up his pants and saw two rows of teeth marks imprinted on his left thigh. Fresh blood seeped out from the wound....
He could remember the horrific scene of Divine Farmer Clan Leader Si Kong Xuan slicing off his arm as if it has happened only a few minutes ago; fear gripped his heart and he was so sure his soul was about to leap out of his own body. He cried in disbelief, "You...you.... How could you be so unreasonable? I am your master's good pal! Aiyoh!"
A pain shot through his left thigh, numbing it. Duan Yu involuntarily knelt down on the floor; his arms held on to the area above his wound, trying – but failing – to prevent the venom in his left thigh from spreading any further. Sure enough, the same numbing pain that coursed through his left leg did the same to his right thigh. No longer in control of his legs, Duan Yu collapsed onto the floor.
The shock was too much for him to handle; he used his arms to push himself against the floor, trying to get up. Unfortunately, his arms felt numb and enervated. With all the strength he could muster, Duan Yu crawled a few steps forward. Right in front of him, Lightning the marten looked on impassively; all this while, it did not seem to move a single inch.
Duan Yu thought bitterly to himself, I am just too rash. This marten has been brought up by Miss Zhong; naturally, it would only listen to what she says. It is highly possible my whistle sounds different from hers. What ... what should I do?
He knew perfectly well the only thing to do to preserve his life would be to follow what Si Kong Xuan did when he was bitten: hack at the injured area with a weapon. However, he hadn't had any weapons with him; moreover, he lacked the courage and instinct of a seasoned warrior like Si Kong Xuan. Furthermore, he had just learnt the skill 'Graceful Steps upon the Waves': without a leg, he could only perform the skill '(Un)graceful one-legged bouncing upon the Waves'. To him, that would have been meaningless.
He sighed and complained for a moment; his limbs gradually became stiffer and more immovable by the second. He knew the venom had spreaded throughout his entire body. Soon, he found himself unable to close his eyes and mouth. He was, however, still aware of his surroundings.
He mused sadly: If I were to die like this, wouldn't I look ugly? My corpse would have a gaping mouth, would I become an idiot ghost or a hungry one in future? Fortunately, there is one good news amongst all this bad ones: When Miss Mu sees my grotesque corpse with my mouth wide open and my naked bottom, she might vomit at the ugly sight. Perhaps she might think less about me after my death. This would be better for her health.
Three thunderous 'Jiang-ang' growls reverberated noisily in the air. Then, came the sounds of pu pu pu. Something leaped out of the tall grasses.
Duan Yu froze, dreadfully. Aiyo! The King of all Poisons, the "Venomous Crimson Bullfrog" is here! Those two men said the moment one sees this creature, his or her own body immediately gets dissolved into a thick pool of blood. What am I going to do?
And then he thought, What a silly blockhead I am. Given a choice between turning into a thick pool of blood and dying as a corpse with a wide mouth and a naked bottom, which would be preferable? Definitely the former.
'Jiang-ang' noises echoed continually in the air; the newcomer has arrived at Duan Yu's right. Duan Yu was unable to look at it as his neck bones had stiffen so badly he couldn't even turn his head; he could only await his fate: to dissolve into a pool of blood.
Pu sounds were made again; fortunately for Duan Yu, the creature suddenly leapt at the direction where the marten Lightning was instead.
No words could describe Duan Yu's astonishment as the creature came into view. It was only a toad – a very tiny one. It couldn't have been longer than two cun*. Its body gleamed a crimson bloodlike colour from top to bottom and a golden aura radiated off its sparkling, glimmering eyes.
It opened its mouth wide; the flabby skin underneath its neck vibrated ferociously. A thunderous croak projected – the 'Jiang-ang' noise he has once compared to that of a buffalo's growl. It was incredible how a tiny little creature like that could produce such a sonorious cry. If not for the fact that the creature was right before his very eyes, Duan Yu would never have believed such a phenomenon existed.
He thought inwardly, No wonder it is called the 'Venomous Crimson Bullfrog'. Its growl resembles a bull's; its body crimson all over; there can't be a better name to describe it. Even so, there must be a mistake going on regarding the rumour going on about dissolving into a pool of blood upon seeing it. Furthermore, the name 'Venomous Crimson Bullfrog' was surely coined by one who has seen it before. How can a pool of blood think of such a suitable name?
Upon seeing the Bullfrog, the Lightning marten seemed to look slightly apprehensive. It turned his head as if to run, yet it dared not. In an instant it leapt into the air. The Bullfrog widened its mouth, projecting a thunderous 'Jiang-ang' growl, and a faint spray of scarlet mist shot towards Lightning.
Lightning happened to be in mid-air at the time; as the mist struck it, the marten somersaulted into the air and plunged towards the ground. Then suddenly, it pounced forward and sank its teeth into the Bullfrog's back.
In the end, Lightning emerges victorious over the toad. Duan Yu thought proudly.
He was wrong. Just as soon as the thought flashed in his mind, the marten fell limply and lay supine on the floor. Its legs quivered its last, and it would never move again.
Aiyoh! Duan Yu thought sadly. Should he be able to speak, he would have cried out loud. Although Lightning had bitten him to 'death', he knew that it was entirely his fault for rashly trying to tame the marten even when he had neither experience nor knowledge of doing so. As such, he didn't blame the marten at all. Seeing it die before his very eyes, Duan Yu felt miserable. Sigh. If Miss Zhong knows about this, she would feel so sad.
He watched helplessly as the Bullfrog leaped onto the marten's body, creeping towards its cheeks and began sucking at it. It started off with the marten's left cheek, followed by its right.
Duan Yu thought to himself: The Venomous Crimson Bullfrog sure isn't given the title "King of All Poisons" for nothing. The fatal venoms in Lightning's fangs did entirely no effect to the toad; instead, the poor marten got itself poisoned. Now, this Bullfrog is going to extract the venoms in Lightning's toxic glands. Lightning the marten is hyperactive and extremely cute; the Venomous Crimson Bullfrog has a scarlet body and golden eyes, its beauty almost unsurpassable. Who on Earth would suspect that beneath the exterior of such sheer beauty lay a river of venom so thick and deadly.... No, Dear Goddess, I wasn't referring to you....
The Bullfrog jumped off the marten's body when it's done, letting out two thunderous 'Jiang-ang' croaks. Suddenly, soft 'xiao xiao' hisses could be heard. The next instant, a huge centipede swam into view. Its body had brilliant spots of scarlet and black all over; it must have been seven to eight cun long.
The Bullfrog reacted quickly. It pounced at the nimble centipede, but missed it narrowly, as its poor victim was now fleeing for its life. Dissatisfied, the Bullfrog tried again a couple of times, yet none of its attempts succeeded.
It croaked out loud, ready to fire a blast of poisonous mist. Suddenly, the centipede changed its direction mid-way and headed for Duan Yu's mouth, which happened to be wide open ....
Duan Yu was stunned beyond words. Most unfortunately, he couldn't move. Not even close his mouth. He can't do anything except yell like mad in his mind, Hey! This is my mouth, brother! Don't be mistaken; it isn't a centipede hole....
He heard a faint hiss; the centipede crawled unceremoniously up its tongue. Duan Yu almost fainted from the fright. He felt a moving sensation with many, many legs crawling down his throat, and went further down his gullet. It wasn't long before it disappeared right into Duan Yu's stomach.
Worst still, such catastrophes never end so early. The Bullfrog jumped into the air and landed right on Duan Yu's tongue! Duan Yu felt something icy at his throat, and sure enough, the Bullfrog went inside his stomach to chase after the centipede. Having a rather smooth skin, the Bullfrog slid down his gullet rapidly.
He could hear 'Jiang-ang' croaks emitting from his own stomach. They sounded depressing. Duan Yu felt nothing could possibly be worse – or more hilarious – than this. He wanted to bawl out loud, yet at the same time, felt like bursting out laughing too. However, his muscles had stiffened so badly he could do neither of these.
At this point, tears dropped onto the ground beneath.
Suddenly, he felt a continuous lurching motion in his belly. The pain was unbearable. He wondered whether the Bullfrog had succeeded in catching the centipede, he could only yell out in his mind, Brother Bullfrog, go and catch the centipede quickly and climb out immediately once you're done. There is nothing fun to do in my lowly stomach.
A few moments passed, and his stomach finally stopped lurching. Vanishing along with it were the 'Jiang-ang' croaks. The pain, however, had not. Quite the contrary, it seemed to grow even more intense. Another few moments passed and Duan Yu suddenly closed his mouth and his teeth rammed painfully onto his tongue. Under excruciating pain, Duan Yu felt his tongue went back into his mouth.
Duan Yu, feeling surprised, called out loud, "Brother Bullfrog, come out quickly!" He widened his mouth, waiting for it to come out, but even after a long long time, nothing happened.
"Jiang-ang! Jiang-ang! Jiang-ang!" Duan Yu croaked, hoping desperately that the Bullfrog would be attracted to the sound and would then get out from there. However, it appeared as if the toad was oblivious of the sound. Perhaps ... it could tell there's something amiss with the croaks; therefore it was unwilling to be fooled by him and preferred resting in his stomach.
Now unnerved and frantic, Duan Yu inserted his hand deep inside his mouth and tried digging out the Bullfrog. Needless to say, it was impossible for anyone to attempt this. After quite a while, Duan Yu became aware that he could move his limbs again! He stood upright and stretched his back; the paralyzing feeling in his limbs had disappeared without a trace.
"This is strange! This is strange!" Duan Yu remarked aloud.
This King of Poisons must be intending to stay in my stomach permanently; what am I to do if it really decides to treat my stomach as its cosy home? Allow me to congratulate it for its new home. Duan Yu decided.
He did a handstand and supported his legs with a huge tree trunk nearby. He widened his mouth and shook his own body hard for quite a while. Still, nothing happened. It seemed as if the Bullfrog was insistent on using his stomach as a home and had decided to live there till it dies.
Duan Yu was left with no way out. He, however, had a rough idea of what has just happened, This King of Poisons and that centipede must have become food digested in my stomach. It must be that their venoms have neutralized the marten's venom in my body. To think that I have digested such a venomous creature, and at this point of time my stomach stopped hurting anymore. This sure is very weird.
He did not know that typical venoms from snakes and toads are only fatal when they come into contact with one's blood. Yet, if they were to be consumed, so long as his of her mouth, throat, digestive tract and the various digestive organs weren't damaged internally, there would be no harm done. Similarly, if he were to get bitten by a poisonous snake, he could suck the venom out of his wound and save his own life.
However, the various poisons and venoms in this world are varied – too varied for one to generalize the whole of them in a single breath. The Venomous Crimson Bullfrog may possess powerful toxins in its body; however, it is absolutely harmless when placed in the stomach of a person. Rather, its body had been dissolved by Duan Yu's digestive juices. To the Bullfrog, Duan Yu's digestive juices are the toxic venoms – it was they which dissolved the poor creature into a thick pool of blood.
Duan Yu stood upright and walked a few steps. Suddenly, his stomach burned as if they were coals in it; a gust of blazing heat had erupted within his abdomen. 'Aiyoh!' He yelped.
The sudden gust of energy rocketed wildly inside him; however, it met with walls everywhere and thus cannot be released away. Duan Yu attempted vomitting it out, but no matter how hard he try, he couldn't succeed.
This time, he took an extremely deep breath and exhaled all the air in him with all he could, hoping that the venomous gas the Bullfrog has dissolved into will too leave his body.
Little did he know that his endeavour to expel the air within him had transformed the blazing heat into a coil of heat, which flowed unhurriedly into his Ren Meridians.
All right, Duan Yu thought, Let us get this done and over with. Brother Bullfrog, you have flatly refused to spare me and tried haunting me – now my 'Ocean of Energies' shall become your place of burial. Whenever you feel like poisoning me, I shall return your favour anytime you wish.
He continued to inhale and exhale deeply. Indeed, he felt the warmth within him channel along the meridians he had cultivated and disappear inside his 'Ocean of Energies'. Soon, he no longer felt anything strange.
Despite his struggling with life and death for so long, Duan Yu felt as energetic as before. He gathered rocks and sand and piled them onto the body of the dead marten. When he was done, he prayed silently: Little brother Lightning, I will surely bring your master Miss Zhong to offer her prayers in front of your grave and at the same time offer you some poisonous snakes we could catch. Earlier you bit me unintentionally, I won't tell any of this to your master, for she will berate you if she knows about it – don't worry.
Out of the woods, Duan Yu saw Zuo Zi Mu running frantically with his sword in position. He must be chasing after Miss Mu, I shan't not interfere.
With that, he silently stalked the panicky man. At this point of time he had the combined internal energies of the seven No Measure Sword disciples; following Zuo Zi Mu up the mountain was no difficult task. Besides, Zuo Zi Mu was too bothered for the safety of his child to notice somebody following him.
Fearing that Zuo Zi Mu might suddenly turn behind and act rashly towards him – or perhaps even use this opportunity to hold him hostage for exchange of his child, just like the 'exchange for the general with the horse' tactic Miss Mu employed against Zuo Zi Mu – he maintained a fairly wide distance between himself and the man before him.
Soon after, Duan Yu reached the waist of the mountain. Knowing that his reunion with Mu Wan Qing is coming soon, his heart burned with longing. He, however, feared that the Divine Croc might lose patience and harm her; no longer able to control himself, he yelled out to her at the top of his voice.
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*cun is equivalent to 3.33 centimetres.
Life-Death Insignia here is in fact Life-Death Talisman