Return of Condor Heroes (162 page)

Zhou Botong raised his head, searching the top of the flag pole, but finding no flag there, he could not help being startled. He’d thought that Jinlun Fawang would be hiding somewhere below, waiting to ambush him, then seize the opportunity to route him completely.

It was a smooth plan but not even ten thousand guesses could prepare him for this: the flag was not there.

He looked around. The camp was filled with numerous tents. Yet, he must try to find it before leaving.

Zhao Zhijing was about to move forward to greet him but he changed his mind. He thought, “If I go and tell him now, he’ll be suspicious. I must first let him look everywhere and when he doesn’t succeed, he can’t help feeling dejected. At that time, I’ll go out and tell him where the flag is. Only then will he be able to show his gratitude towards me.”

He crouched behind a tent to watch the motionless Zhou Botong only to see his body shoot upwards towards the top of the flag pole. He leapt several chi (1chi≈11in) high and used one hand to brace himself against the pole. Then he used his other hand to quickly pull himself up until he reached the top.

Zhao Zhijing was secretly astonished. Grand Martial Uncle Zhou must be almost a hundred years old. Even if he practiced the Taoist doctrines, he still should not be able to avoid the slowing effects of old age. Yet, he is still as agile as a youth. So the stories in Wulin are really true.

Once up there, Zhou Botong scanned the whole camp, seeing several flags fluttering in the wind but none of them was the royal flag. He raised his head and shouted: “Jinlun Fawang, where is the royal flag?”

This angry yell was carried far and wide, its faint echoes bouncing off the cordillera to the West. Fawang had already reported the matter to Huo Bi Lie (Khubilai) so even though the whole army heard his shout, they remained silent.

Zhou Botong warned: “Fawang, if you still don’t reply, I might have to scold you.”

There was still no response.

Zhou Botong scolded: “Jinlun Fawang, you rotten dog, you call yourself a hero? You’re worse than a turtle that refuses to come out of its shell!”

From the East, someone suddenly called out: “Mischievous Old Urchin, if you want to steal the Prince’s flag, it’s right here.”

Zhou Botong quickly rushed down the pole, shouting: “Where?”

But after shouting, that person was silent. Zhou Botong searched countless tents but did not know where to start.

Farther away, the person shouted: “The royal flag is right here! The royal flag is right here!”

Zhou Botong dashed towards that sound but that person’s voice was softer now, growing fainter and fainter. Zhou Botong only took a few steps, but the voice was already fading in and out like gossamer until finally it stopped.

In reality, he did not know how far the voice was from camp.

Zhou Botong called out angrily: “Fawang, you rascal, are you playing hide-and-seek with me? Do you want me to burn down this whole camp so you’ll come out?”

Zhao Zhijing thought, “If he sets the camp on fire, that can’t be good. He hurried forward and said in a low voice: “Grand Martial Uncle Zhou, don’t light a fire.”

Grand Martial Uncle Zhou said: “Taoist priest, it’s you! Why can’t I light a fire?”

Zhao Zhijing quickly lied: “They intentionally want you to light a fire because the whole camp is filled with black powder. When you ignite it, the whole place could explode.”

Zhou Botong was shocked. “It’s a clever trick but also mean and cruel.”

Zhao Zhijing was relieved to see that he believed him. He added: “I secretly inquired around and found out about this clever trick. I was afraid that you did not know about it so I had to tell you.”

Grand Martial Uncle Zhou said: “Mmm, your intentions are good. If you hadn’t told me, this Mischievous Old Urchin could have been killed.”

Zhao Zhijing replied: “I also took a great risk by finding out where the royal flag is. Grand Martial Uncle Zhou, please come along with me.”

But Zhou Botong suddenly said: “Don’t tell me, don’t tell me! If I can’t find it, then I must admit defeat.”

The bet to find the flag was an amusing game. But if Zhao Zhijing gave him directions, he would feel bad even if he won because this kind of game required stealth.

Zhao Zhijing felt anxious. Then suddenly, he remembered,” He is known as the Mischievous Old Urchin, his mood is not ordinary. I must tempt him first so he can get hooked.”

He said: “Grand Martial Uncle, I also want to steal the flag. Let’s have a race to see who finds it first.”

After saying that, he quickly rushed towards the hills. When he got there, he turned to find Zhou Botong following behind. He then darted to the third hill, pondering aloud: “They said that it’s in a cave between two elm trees but where are these two elm trees?”

He rushed around the place but actually did not approach the cave where Fawang hidden the flag. Suddenly, he heard Zhou Botong exclaim; “I found it first!” He was standing between the two elm trees.

Zhao Zhijing smirked, thinking, “He stole the Prince’s flag. He’ll surely favor me now. What’s more, I stopped him from setting the camp on fire. He thinks I saved his life. Everything is going exactly as Fawang planned.

Satisfied, he started to step inside the cave.

Suddenly, he heard a loud shout, the sound extremely sharp. Zhou Botong cried out: “Poisonous snake...Poisonous snake!”

Shocked, Zhao Zhijing quickly withdrew his foot that was already inside the cave. He asked: “Grand Martial Uncle! There’s a poisonous snake inside the cave?”

Grand Martial Uncle Zhou replied: “It’s not a snake... it’s not a snake...”

The voice was already getting weaker.

Zhao Zhijing anxiously gathered some twigs and lit them, using it as a torch so he could see inside the cave.

He saw Zhou Botong on the ground, his left hand still clutching the flag. He was brandishing it as though trying to keep him away.

Zhao Zhijing asked: “Grand Martial Uncle, are you all right?”

Zhou Botong replied: “I have been poisoned...venom...venom...was bitten...”

But before he could finish his statement, his hand had gradually grown limp.

Zhao Zhijing had seen him enter the cave but despite his high kung fu, he was still seriously injured. That was why he did not want to rush in without knowing what kind of fierce poison it was that afflicted him. What’s more, the flag that Zhou Botong was clutching was not the same color as the king’s flag.

He thought, Fawang had connived with me to trick him into entering the cave but it was really his intention to harm him by poisoning him.

He was extremely vexed. He wanted to flee. So, without even bothering to see what it was that harmed Zhou Botong or what kind of poison it was, he just turned around and ran away.

The fire from the torch that he dropped on the way out was beginning to die out.

Halfway out, he was stopped by someone who was holding out a hand to him.

That person spoke softly: “Are you always this disrespectful to your seniors?”

The voice was distinctly stern but also as pure and as clear as jade.

In the darkness, he saw the lithe form of a woman dressed in flowing white clothes.

She was none other than Xiao Longnu.

The light from the dying torch shone on her, revealing a beautiful face. Though delicate-looking, the face actually bore an angry expression.

Zhao Zhijing was taken aback and rendered speechless. He was not expecting her and now that she was here, all he wanted was to run away. But, he could not even take a single step.

In truth, Xiao Longnu had been observing Zhao Zhijing from a distance, watching his every action. When he made Zhou Botong chase him towards the hills, Xiao Longnu followed as well.

Zhou Botong knew this but did not pay attention to it. Zhao Zhijing, on the other hand, was completely unaware.

Xiao Longnu bent down and picked up the torch, using it to illuminate Zhou Botong’s prostrate form. His face was shadowed and green-like in its pallor.

From her bosom, she casually took out her golden silk glove and slipped it on before lifting his arm to inspect him. She was shocked to see three spiders, their fangs firmly attached to Zhou Botong’s finger.

The spiders looked extremely strange. Their bodies had alternating red and green stripes that were so bright one could get mesmerized watching them.

She knew that venomous animals were usually bright in color. The brighter their color the more lethal was their venom. These three spiders were still firmly biting onto Zhou Botong’s finger.

If she tried to capture them, they would evade her grasp. Finally, she raised her right hand and sent three “Jade Bee Needles” into the air, killing the three spiders immediately.

When sending the “Jade Bee Needles” towards them, she had used just the right amount of force to kill the spiders without injuring Zhou Botong.

This species of spider was called “Cai Xue Zhu” (Multicolored Snow Spider) and they only lived in the snowy mountains of Tibet. Their venom was one of the three most deadly poisons in the world.

Jinlun Fawang had brought them with him from the West, intending to use them against famous poison experts in the Central Plains.

That time he tried to kill Guo Jing in Xiangyang, he had not thought of using the venomous Multicolored Snow Spiders. After he was hit by Li Mochou’s Bing Po Zhen Zheng (Soul Freezing Silver Needle), he angrily returned to the encampment and took the spiders out of their golden case. He hoped that he would meet Li Mochou again and then have her feel their venom.

Thus, it was just Zhou Botong’s misfortune to make the bet with him about stealing the flag. After making the deal with Zhao Zhijing, he placed the venomous spiders on the flag and hid it inside the cave.

Once the Snow-Colored Spiders saw flesh and blood, they would immediately leap on it and bite. They were attracted to blood and once someone was bitten, they could never escape.

Their venom was so lethal that no one, not even Fawang, knew the antidote. He himself was not willing to keep the spiders too close to his body, afraid of getting bitten.

Such a disaster he could ill-afford.

Xiao Longnu’s Jade Bee Needles also came from highly venomous insects; the Jade Bees of Mount Zhongnan. Although the lethalness of their venom was inferior to that of the Multicolored Snow Spider, the needles managed to enter their bodies, forcing them to produce anti-venom.

The venomous spiders were still biting into their prey when they were hit. Because they were still in the process of producing anti-venom and also sending out their own venom to their prey, they could not fight off the venom from the needles.

However, right before they died, their bodily fluids spurted out of their mouths, sending the anti-venom into Zhou Botong’s blood stream.

It was extremely fortunate that Xiao Longnu had rushed in to save him and saw the venomous spiders. Not daring to touch them, she instead launched three needles and luckily hit them, thus managing to discover the antidote to the world’s most lethal venom.

Xiao Longnu watched the three Multicolored Snow Spider’s lifeless forms on the ground, their bright red-green colors still managing to look fearsome.

She also saw Zhou Botong lying motionless as though he was dead.

In truth, she actually felt quite grateful to Zhou Botong. If not for him, Yang Guo would not have come to the Passionless Valley and she would have been forced to marry Gongsun Zhi.

His whole body was covered in a cold sweat and his breathing had grown irregular. Who would have thought he would die like this? In her heart, she was deeply moved.

But all of a sudden, Zhou Botong’s left hand began to move and she heard him say in a faint voice: “What was it that bit me with such...such fierceness?”

He tried to get up but his body was too weak so that he fell back.

Xiao Longnu was overjoyed to find that he was not dead. She lifted the torch closer to his face and saw that the traces of the spider’s venom were no longer there.

Relieved, she asked: “You did not die?”

Zhou Botong chuckled: “Well, it doesn’t look that way. I am right between half-death and half-life...ha-ha...” He wanted to laugh heartily but his hands and feet were still twitching and he was still unable to get up. His smile faded.

Laughter came from outside the cave. The sound was so strong that it resembled the ear-deafening sound of thunder rumbling.

That person spoke: “Mischievous Old Urchin, have you stolen the royal flag? In today’s wager, who won you or me?”

The speaker was Jinlun Fawang.

Using her left hand, Xiao Longnu snuffed out the light. As long as she was wearing her gold silk glove, no sharp objects or raging fires could harm her.

Zhou Botong replied: “Whether the Mischievous Old Man has lost in this game is not yet decided. But I’m afraid I’ve lost my life to you. Fawang, you rascal, what sort of poisonous spider is this, so evil and cruel?”

When he spoke these words, his voice sounded soft and thin. Even though he was angry, he was far too weak. Still, his voice was as deep as Fawang’s rumbling laughter.

Fawang was secretly amazed. He was bitten by my Cai Xue Zhu (Multicolored Snow Spider) but he didn’t die. From his voice, it is clear that his internal strength is profound, and is not below mine. Luckily, he fell for the trap, thus removing a powerful enemy. If he doesn’t die soon, he’ll only suffer for a short while.

Zhou Botong added: “Young Taoist Zhao Zhijing, you worked with this man to trick me. Go quickly to Qiu Chuji and ask him to kill you!”

Outside the cave, Zhao Zhijing hid behind Fawang, fearing for his life. He thought in terror, “How could I ask that of Martial Senior Qiu?”