The bald man's face turned yellow. He knew Xu Qiao's identity, his five men heard about Xu Chenghai's reputation, and they were aware of who the little girl called father, master, and uncle. The bald man looked behind his back, he felt a brief strong rush of wind coming at him. It wasn't clear to him if the wind did mean someone is coming, but the cruel face man and the rest of the group suddenly grab their horses and rushed away. The bald man hesitated, but he followed his men anyway.
Just a minute after, there were only Xu Qiao and the pair left there, apparently, Wansui Gu men really hate dealing with the master of Huofeng Lou. No one came, no Xu Chenghai nor anyone, Xu Qiao was just bluffing.
"Thank you for helping us," Luo Tieyun said to Xu Qiao, realizing the little girl was the only one helping them.
Nan Xinglie came closer, helping her lover head to the stone hut without saying much. Qu Xiao followed them, observing for a while as Nan Xinglie treated Luo Tieyun's wounds and carefully sew the injured arm. They knew they were safe for a while, but they didn't know how much time they have before the bald man and his friend returned.
"Xu Guniang, you fought those men too," Nan Xinglie said to Xu Qiao after. "Are you hurt?"
Xu Qiao remembered a saber slash during the fight, yet she didn't feel any pain. The saber from Wansui Gu's follower only tore a part of her sleeves without creating any skin injury.
"I'm fine," she said softly," Other than that zixie poison or whatever they call it, there's nothing to worry about. Jiejie, you are hurt too, don't you feel it?"
"We are so used to being beaten up and getting hurt since we escaped Wansui Gu," said Nan Xinglie, "we can take some more and won't feel a thing."
"Wansui Gu is so far away, it's a miracle you can escape those men and stay alive this far," Xu Qiao replied. "My father is in Anhui Province, there's no way he will be here before you two are out of luck, you better leave before they come back."
Nan Xinglie shook her head. She said, "we have no more strength to keep running," she said, her hand reaching for a square package hidden in her clothes. The package contained a script, possibly the one asked by the men from Wansui Gu. Nan Xinglie opened and read each page quickly, her mouth whispering the word zixie several times. Clearly, she tried to find out how to neutralize the poison and help Xu Qiao.
"Jiejie, can you make the antidote?" asked Xu Qiao slowly.
"Luo Dage," Nan Xinglie handed the script to her lover, " you know medication better, perhaps you can find it."
Luo Tieyun took the script and examined several pages carefully, his finger checked every line thoroughly. The girls could see that he wouldn't want to miss any small chances.
"I was raised in Wansui Gu myself," Nan Xinglie told Xu Qiao, "the one called master by the men chasing us is also my master. He is the current left guardian of Wansui Gu, Baisui Zuodu (Hundred Years Old Left Guardian) Zhou Sangong."
"Zhou Sangong has no student, I heard," replied Xu Qiao. "He has two equally poisonous daughters, he doesn't need to pass his knowledge to outsiders."
"One of those two daughters likes to poison people but she doesn't like to cure," said Nan Xinglie, "the other daughter, a very talented young girl, a rather gifted in both poison and cure, but her father and older sister often experimented on her, make her weak. I went to Wansui Gu a few years back, after a plaque in my village. My father was a doctor, but he couldn't save my mother and let himself infected."
"You intent to study medication and willingly learn from the third most poisonous person in Wansui Gu?" Xu Qiao asked. She called Zhou Sangong the third most poisonous person in Wansui Gu after his master and senior brother.
"Yes," replied Nan Xinglie, "only two years ago I can convince Zhou Sangong to accept me as an official disciple. I have only a little knowledge regarding Wansui Gu's reputation in the martial world. Until I met him about six months ago, and he told me everything." She turned her head to Luo Tieyun, her lips smiled a bit.
"And then you two stole the script and left," guessed Xu Qiao.
"He came to Wansui Gu to find a cure for his father," said Nan Xinglie, "If Zhou Sangong finds out who his father is, he will not let him leave Wansui Gu alive. I have no choice but to steal the script for him."
"Who is his father?" asked Xu Qiao.
"Someone Zhou Sangong hates," said Luo Tieyun.
"That old rat hates a lot of people," Xu Qiao didn't ask for any details. "Is there any hope to cure zixie poison?"
"This script didn't say anything about zixie poison, but several other poisons created in Wansui Gu have a similar character," Luo Tieyun tore a couple of pages from the script and handed them to Xu Qiao. "Xu Guniang can give these pages to someone who's into medication, hopefully, can be used to create the antidote."
Xu Qiao received the pages but she hesitated.
"You should go now," Nan Xinglie suggested, "me and Luo Dage are badly injured, we cannot go any further, but you have the chance. They will hunt us down and take our lives, you don't have to die with us."
Xu Qiao was not a coward and she didn't want to leave them to die without a fight. But she realized her limited ability as well, and she knew they won't stand a chance against the people from Wansui Gu. She could not take his father's name for a threat the second time, and staying in the little hut will not do any good.
"I know," she suddenly said, "there's a hidden cliff only half-mile west from here. We can stay there for a while, treat all the injuries, and have some good rest. They will assume we already left."
She didn't wait for Nan Xinglie to answer, immediately jumped out of the hut and run towards the two black horses standing outside. She tapped their back and asked them to head east. Those horses are already very tired and they could no longer take the riders, but they can still run away, leaving clear step marks on the snowy land.
Nan Xinglie helped Luo Tieyun walk out of the hut, forcing every last breath they have to follow Xu Qiao to the said cliff, hoping they can survive and be able to see another sunrise tomorrow.
They kept walking without saying a word, they almost forget about all the pain when they see the cliff mentioned by Xu Qiao. It was a very steep gap between mountains, but there was a section with stair like stones, a person can walk down and hide behind some rotten trees. It was not a comfortable place to hide, but they have no other choice.
But before they can reach the edge of the cliff, the enemies arrived already, out of nowhere, and came closer really fast. Six people returned with dozens of their friends, pulling Luo Tieyun & Nan Xinglie's horses behind them. Xu Qiao's trick didn't work because Wansui Gu did have the best horses.
The leader of those men wasn't the bald man, but a pockmarked face middle-aged man with his distinctive grey hair, wearing all-black robes, sitting rigidly on his black horse. Luo Tieyun and Nan Xinglie recognized the man as the third poison master of Wansui Gu, Baisui Zuodu Zhou Sangong.
The men surrounded the three youngs tightly. Zhou Sangong came forward, staying on his horse arrogantly.
"You cannot run," he spoke with his cracking voice, really not easy in anyone's ears. "I can still let this young lady go, but traitors should be punished."
"My father will be here soon," Xu Qiao yelled bravely. "Wansui Gu has no problem with Huofeng Lou, but I will happily tell him what you did today."
"Xu Guniang is too young, you don't understand," Zhou Sangong said smirky. Unlike his men, he didn't care about causing trouble with anyone in the martial world. "Didn't your father tell you, you should not take part in other people's business?"
Luo Tieyun quickly handed the script he had.
"Zhou Sangong, this script is yours, you can take it back," he said trembly, "I will take your student's place for whatever punishment you want. There's no need to create tension with Huofeng Lou. Everything is my responsibility."
Zhou Sangong stared at him, smiled vaguely, and replied in hatred voice, "that script was contaminated by the hands of thieves, I don't want it back." He raised his hand, ready to give order to his men.
"Without that script, you won't be able to save your little girl," Luo Tieyun yelled in desperation.
Zhou Sangong laughed at them. "There's still someone who can save my Yanzi, I don't need any script or manual. I'm here to take the traitor's lives, to restore Wansui Gu's reputation. And I don't see any reason to avoid collateral damage from Huofeng Lou."
The fight was unavoidable. Zhou Sangong was still sitting proudly on the back of the horse. The ruthless face man had been eyeing Xu Qiao since yesterday, he would not miss the opportunity. Luo Tieyun and Nan Xinglie faced the bald one and the others. The three did not carry any weapons, while the opponents almost all used freshly sharpened blades, their number was not small, and the fight was very unbalanced.
Xu Qiao was still very young, her experience was not enough. The cruel face he faced this time wanted to kill her immediately, attacking with the weapon in his hand carelessly, he didn't care about all kinds of rules.
Xu Qiao stayed calm as much as she can. She jumped around agilely, dodging and dodging while mocking. The goal was to make the opponent's attack more chaotic until later exhausted itself. Her tactic was accurate, in just twenty moves the cruel man was already exhausted. The more he was curious, the more irregular his attacks became.
"You little devil cannot run forever," the cruel man spoke furiously.
"You lost, should go home to your grandma," mocked Xu Qiao.
The cruel face didn't see what was coming, he suddenly fell off the ground as if there was someone tackling his foot. Xu Qiao jumped around him, knocked some of his acupuncture points, and stunned him. The young girl didn't have that much power, but she was really precise. The cruel face was there laying on the ground and unable to stand up. His weapon was taken from his grasp easily and he couldn't reach it back.
In the meantime, while Luo Tieyun and Nan Xinglie had overthrown two men, they were in really bad condition. They had been tired for days, and only caught a little breath before engaging in another fight. The enemies were just too much. Nan Xinglie's scream could be heard a minute after.
"Luo Dage!"
The bald man jumped over his two friends, his heavy saber chopped Luo Tieyun's right arm. The blood spatter covered Nan Xinglie's clothes, and the chopped arm fell on the white snow. The woman failed to reach for her lover when another attacker came and slashed her back. She fell to the ground, still conscious, and she wouldn't forget everything that happened before her eyes at that moment.
"Luo Dage...."
Xu Qiao knocked another man unconscious. She tried to come closer to the pair. But the bald man didn't stop his action after amputating an arm. His saber hit Luo Tieyun's chest really hard, cracked several of his bones, and sent him to the cliff. No one could stand in the way.
Luo Tieyun was gone. Zhou Sangong ordered his men to kill Nan Xinglie. Nan Xinglie was severely injured, she was dying, and she could only wish death will come quickly. Xu Qiao saw what happened. She jumped again and kicked the bald man using a kicking technique taught by her master. The bald man fell to the ground, and one of his friends was kicked off the cliff, but another man on Xu Qiao's back aimed an arrow at her.
The bow was stretched in express, the arrow flew to Xu Qiao in second.
Nan Xingle could see the incoming, but she was unable to warn the young girl as she was still laying on the ground waiting for her end.
But the arrow didn't reach its target. Something hit it down only one foot away from Xu Qiao's back. The arrow fell on the ground, broken. The archer was still shocked when five of his friends who were about to kill Nan Xinglie suddenly screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground in agony.
A white shadowy figure appeared before them, flying in the air before landing on Xu Qiao's side gracefully. The figure was a woman in a long white dress. She had great qingong skills and her movement was elegant. She used some kind of secret weapon to subdue Zhou Sangong's men.
"Who are you?" Zhou Sangong pointed to the figure as she hadn't turned her back and faced him yet. "You attacked from behind, a hero doesn't do that."
"This young girl is my daughter," the woman answered his question coldly, she did sound like a spirit from the underworld, clear and dreadful. "Which one of you dare to hurt her."
"The girl interferes with my business with my student, in what universe I should not hurt her?" Zhou Sangong asked arrogantly. "Also, your daughter has zixie poison inside her now, a very dangerous substance. She will surely die the most painful death without my antidote. Killing her now can be considered as mercy."
The white figure turned slowly, and faced Zhou Sangong with her sharp eyes. She was a beautiful woman, yet there was no slight motherly image in her snowy white face. She was also too young to call herself mother to a thirteen years old girl. It was because she was just the second wife of Xu Qiao's father, a stepmother to Xu Qiao.
Zhou Sangong's face turned yellow. He heard a rumor regarding the two wives of Xu Chenghai from Huofeng Lou. The first wife was a well-educated woman, beautiful and smart, but she didn't master any martial arts. The second wife was also beautiful and smart, but, on the contrary, was a skilled fighter and came from a famous clan in the martial world.
Bao Xinfei had her own reputation in the martial world. Her master was one of the most significant figures at that time, the leader of Haitang Jian Pai (Haitang Sword Clan), while Bao Xinfei was the primary disciple, the best of the generation. She was considered the next leader, but chose to leave the clan and married Xu Chenghai, which resulted in some nasty rumors.
"Xuehua Zhishou (The Snowy Palm) Bao Xinfei?"
It seemed that the woman didn't hear his reaction.
"I will take your life to change my daughter's," she said in a deep voice, "you can say your last wish."
Zhou Sangong laughed in eerie. He knew how skillful the woman was, and he knew he didn't stand a chance to win a fight with her. Before Bao Xinfei did something, he spread his secret needles to Xu Qiao and Nan Xinglie, and while Bao Xinfei was busy confronting the attack, he kicked his horse and fled the scene in a hurry. His men run in haste, scattered around to create confusion.
Xu Qiao watched Bao Xinfei hunting them, she knew what will happen to those men. But she left her home to avoid Bao Xinfei, and still, she didn't want anything to do with her. She immediately took one of the horses and turned it away as soon as she can.
--
Xu Qiao spent the next couple of days avoiding Bao Xinfei. She rode the horse through the valleys and forest, avoiding high roads and cities. She arrived in a small town a few days later, left her horse on the edge of the town, and sneaked into some small passages.
She saw several beggars in that town and thought about changing herself into one to blend in. But then she realized she already appeared as one for a while, with her torn and dirty clothes. Bao Xinfei will be able to find her easily in that disguise.
She decided to pawn her jewelry and bought a set of clean outfits, changed her look to a young maid, then sat on a small stall by the road to get meals. She looked around and tried to observe. Only a minute after, she saw Bao Xinfei already arrived in that town with Nan Xinglie by her side, trying to find her.
Xu Qiao enjoyed her cup of tea calmly and hid her face behind the back of the stall owner when she saw Bao Xinfei walking toward a bunch of beggars and trying to recognize any familiar face among them. Nan Xinglie followed her every step and looked soulless. Her face was pale, her eyes had no light. Losing her loved one was a great shock to her.
"Xuehua Zhishou Bao Xinfei, Xu Erfuren," someone suddenly made a sound on Xu Qiao's side, "the beloved student of Weian Shuang Jian (The Twin Sword) Yuan Wancui, Yuan Zhangmen (Chief Yuan) from Haitang Sword Clan."
Xu Qiao turned her face and she found a young man sitting beside her. He was only a year or two older than her, wearing all dark blue robes, and his friendly face was porcelain clear. His eyes were sharp and cold, and at the edge of his lips, it was a soft peculiar smile. It wasn't a smile from a young boy to a young girl, but a mind-control smile stupefying anyone who sees it.
"Who are you?" asked Xu Qiao to him, while she also looked around, worrying that the young man came with his friends and he had a specific agenda. But the blue-robed young man was all alone, no one else came with him.
"No one, just someone wandering away from home to look for an old friend," the blue-robed young man answered her question while sipping some wine from his cup. "Are you avoiding the follower of Haitang Jian Pai because Xuehua Zhishou wants to take you as her disciple?"
The young man looked at the street for a glimpse, and Xu Qiao followed his eyes unwittingly. They saw Bao Xinfei at the corner of that street and met some women wearing beautifully combined white dresses and woody brown jackets, each holding a thin sword with a flower petal handle. Xu Qiao never saw those appearances, but she once saw Bao Xinfei wielding a similar sword.
"Haitang Jian Pai's headquarter is only ten miles outside the city, their members often come to this city for errands," the blue-robed young man told Xu Qiao another fact, "and occasionally, to find someone." He clearly alluded to her.
"Haitang Jian Pai only takes female disciples," said Xu Qiao, "you know so much about them, are you interested in joining their clan and becoming Yuan Zhangmen's disciple?" she vaguely pointed to the soft appearance of the young man.
"My master is better than that old madam, hence I have no interest to learn their flowery techniques or lotus style from their clan," the young man answered calmly, he didn't get offended.
"Who is your master?" asked Xu Qiao.
"Just an old wolf," said the young man.
"What kind of student calling his master an old wolf?" asked Xu Qiao smiley. "You said their headquarters is only ten miles outside the city. Can you show me which way?"
"I can take you there if you don't mind," said the young man, "but you are avoiding Xuehua Zhishou, why do you deliver yourself to her door?"
"I have no plan to deal with Bao Xinfei, just need a place to stay for a few days until she lost my trail," said Xu Qiao. "The most dangerous place is the safest, Bao Xinfei will not expect me to come directly to her master."
The young man raised his eyebrows and smiled again at her, his eyes brightening. He nodded his head a second after, then allowed Xu Qiao to walk with him, sneaked out of Bao Xinfei and the members of Haitang Jian Pai, and headed to the edge of the town.
"You haven't told me your name," Xu Qiao reminded the young man as they walked to the mountain range. "You look familiar though. Have we met before?"
"We just met once today," the young man answered vaguely. "But perhaps Xu Guniang met my brother once."
"Your brother? What's his name?" asked Xu Qiao to him. "I didn't mention my surname to you, how did you know?"
"My father knew a lot of figures in the martial world, and my master knew more," the young man gave her a mysterious answer. "I guess I just have their habit."
"You are so weird," said Xu Qiao plainly.
They didn't talk so much until later on the mountain range. The blue-robed young man spotted a half-dead tree, and he took a closer look. Xu Qiao saw a man's palm print on the tree, deep and clear. The palm print cracked the tree and eventually killed it. The palm print was created a long time ago, but no one could tell who did it.
"There are many palm techniques in the martial world that can kill a tree," said Xu Qiao, "but leaving a clear print like this is not easy. One should have a great level of energy."
There were several other trees with similar conditions around the place. It was a result of a fight between high-level martial artists a few months, or maybe years ago. The young man's expression changed a bit but was still unreadable.
"Xu Guniang, I can only take you here," he said suddenly, "I know Haitang Jian Pai can only take female students, and they do not expect a visit from a male guest. I have no intention to say hello to them, and you have to go there alone. The main gate is on the west side, you can go straight from here. There's a small forest east side of here, if you are pretty sure with your skill, you can go to the hillside over there and go through the back door."
"All right," Xu Qiao didn't have to tell him that she would not knock at the front gate. "Thank you for taking me here. Next time, if we meet again, perhaps I will treat you a cup of wine."