Chapter 7: The Duel

[Originally translated by Chowbeng and edited by RWX]

There was a small door at the corner of the back garden.

Fu Hongxue walked in from that door, and so did Du Lei.

They didn’t climb over the wall.

The path was swallowed with weeds, the distance would be shorter if one cut across the grass.

However, they rather walked on the winding path.

They were walking very slowly, but once they started, they definately would not stop.

From certain angles, they looked to share many similarities.

However, they were definately not the same type of people, you can tell simply from their sabre.

Du Lei’s sabre was richly bejeweled and glittering!

Fu Hongxue’s sabre was pitch black.

But these two sabres did share one thing in common.

The two sabres are both sabres, sabres that kill.

Did these two men share something in common?

The two men are both men, men that kill!

It wasn’t 4 PM yet but it was already time to draw the sabre.

Once the sabre was drawn, there would be death!

If it was not yours, than it was mine!

Du Lei’s footsteps finally stopped, faced Fu Hongxue and also faced the peerless sabre in his hands.

He was determined to have this person killed under his sabre, but deep in this heart, the person he respected most was also him!

Fu Hongxue however seem to be staring at the horizon, on the horizon a dark cloud had cover up the sun.

The sun was gone, but the sun would forever not die.

What about man?

Du Lei finally opened his mouth, “I am Du, Du Lei.”

Fu Hongxue, “I know!”

Du Lei, “I am late.”

Fu Hongxue, “I know!”

Du Lei, “I purposely made you wait, let you wait till you were anxious. Only then would I have a chance to kill you.”

Fu Hongxue, “I know!”

Du Lei suddenly laughed, “Too bad I had forgotten one point.”

He laughed bitterly, “While I was making you wait, I myself was waiting as well.”

Fu Hongxue, “I know!”

Du Lei laughed coldly again, “So, you know everything?”

Fu Hongxue, “At least one more thing.”

Du Lei, “Let hear it.”

Fu Hongxue coldly, “When I draw the sabre, you die.”

Du Lei clenched his hand tightly and his pupils contracted. After a long while, he asked,” You are confident?”

Fu Hongxue, “Yes!”

Du Lei, “Then, why have you not draw your sabre?”

It was just after 2.45 PM. The dark clouds had just covered the sun, and the wind had just carried a little cold draft.

This was the most appropriate time for killing.

Mingyue was at the Bright Moon Mansion, while the bright moon was at the Bright Moon Lane.

When Thumb and Peacock stepped into Bright Moon Lane, they felt a gust of a breeze.

What a refreshing breeze.

Thumb took a deep breathe and smiled, “Today’s weather is great for killing, and now is also a great time for killing.”

Peacock, “Oh.”

Thumb, “After killing now, we still could take a unhurried, relaxed bathe and then have a comfortable drink.”

Peacock, “After that, find a woman to sleep with.”

Thumb laughed with slited eyes, “Sometimes, I even get two or three.”

Peacock also laughed, “You said before Mingyue Xin is also a whore.”

Thumb, “That’s what she is!”

Peacock, “Then, would you like to get her tonight?”

Thumb, “No.”

Peacock, “Why?”

Thumb didn’t directly reply to the question but slowly said, “There are many type of whores!”

Peacock, “What type is she?”

Thumb, “She happens to the type I dislike!”

Peacock asked again, “Why?”

Thumb signed and bitterly said, “Because of all the woman I had seen, she is the most formidable. If I were to shut my eyes, she would kill me.”

Peacock, “What if you don’t shut your eyes?”

Thumb signed again, “Even if I don’t shut my eyes, she still could kill me.”

Peacock, “I know your martial arts is pretty good.”

Thumb, “But there are at least two women who could kill me in this world.”

Peacock, “She is one of them?”

Thumb signed and nodded.

Peacock, “Who is the other one?”

Thumb, “2nd Miss Ni, Ni Hui.”

As he finished this sentence, a pearl of laughter was heard. Crisp and clear, as lovely as silver bells.

The lane had high walls on both sides, and on top of the high walls were some foliage.

Spring was deep, as was the foliage.

The laughter came from deep within the foliage.

“Bad Fatty, how did you know I am eavesdropping”

“I didn’t know.” Thumb quickly denied.

“Then why are you purposely flattering me?” The laughter was beautiful, the girl was beautiful, and the lightness technique was even more beautiful. When she floated down from the top of the wall, it was like a cloud, like a petal.

A peach blossom petal just blown loose by the spring breeze, a piece of cloud that just flew out of the sky.

Thumb saw her shadow, but she herself had disappeared.

When Thumb followed her shadow to the other side of foliage, where it disappeared, his eyes slitted to a smile again.

“That is 2nd Miss Ni.”

“Why did she come and go so suddenly?” Peacock couldn’t help to ask.

“Because she wanted us to know that she is better than Mingyue Xin.” Thumb’s eyes were still centered at where her shadow disappeared. “So that we could set our minds to ease and kill Yan Nanfei.”

“There is one thing I don’t understand.”

“What is it?”

“Why must we kill Yan Nanfei?” Peacock probed, “What kind of man is he? Why nobody in the martial world has ever heard of his background?”

“That is something that you best not ask.” Thumb’s manner abruptly became very strict. “If you want to ask, you better prepare one item.”

“What do you want me to prepare?”

“A coffin.”

Peacock did not ask again. When he lifted up his head, a piece of dark cloud had covered up the moonlight.

When this piece of dark cloud covered up the moonlight, Mingyue Xin was facing a embroidery of wild roses by the window.

She was also embroidering wild roses, the wild roses of spring.

Spring was old.

The wild roses were also old.

Yan Nanfei was lying on the bed, not moving an inch, his pale face was not unlike Fu Hongxue’s.

The wind was blowing lightly from the window, the wind was cold, cold as the cruel autumn.

Suddenly, she heard their noises.

Their footsteps were lighter than the wind, their voices were colder than the wind.

“Tell Yan Nanfei to come down quickly.”

“If he doesn’t come down, we would go up.”

Mingyue Xin exhaled, she knew Yan Nanfei would certainly not go down and they would certainly come up.

That was because Yan Nanfei didn’t want to kill them. It was them that wanted to kill Yan Nanfei. Hence, Yan Nanfei could lie down comfortably in bed, while they had to bring their weapon, make their way to the lane, knock on the door and hurriedly burst in, for fear of missing the chance to kill.

The murderer and the murdered. Who is the noble one, while who was the despicable one? A question that no one could answer.

She again lowered her head to her embroidery.

She did not hear footsteps, nor knockings on the door, but she knew that someone was already outside the door.

“Come in.” She didn’t even lift her head “The door is unlatched, you only need to push.”

Although the door would be opened with a gentle shove, nobody opened it.

“Since the two of you are here to kill, you don’t really expect your victim himself to open the door in welcome, do you?”

Her voice was very gentle, but to Peacock and Thumb it was sharper than a needle.

Today’s weather was great for killing, and now was a great time for killing. They were initially in great spirits.

But now, they were feeling a little unhappy because the supposed victim seemed to be far more relaxed than they were. They were standing outside the door like fools, their heartbeat already doubled.

Alas, killing wasn’t such a happy thing after all.

Peacock looked at Thumb, Thumb looked at Peacock. Both of them were asking themselves: Is Yan Nanfei really poisoned? Is there an ambush behind the door waiting for them?

Actually, they both knew that all their questions would be answered by opening the door.

But neither of them made a move.

“When you enter, keep your footsteps light.” Mingyue Xin’s voice was even more gentle now, “Mr. Yan is poisoned and is now sleeping soundly. Please do not disturb his rest.”

Thumb abruptly laughed. “She is Yan Nanfei’s friend, she know we are here to kill Yan Nanfei. But it seems that she is worried that we don’t dare to enter and kill him. What do you think she is up to?”

Peacock coldly said, “That’s because she is a woman; a woman by nature would betray a man any time.”

Thumb, “Not so.”

Peacock, “Then what do you think she is up to?”

Thumb, “That is because she knew that the more that she acts in such a way, the more suspicious we would be and the more likely to back off.”

Peacock, “You are speaking quite reasonably. You’ve always understood women better than me.”

Thumb, “Then what are you waiting for?”

Peacock, “Waiting for you to open the door”

Thumb, “The one killing is you.”

Peacock, “The one opening is you.”

Thumb laughed again, “You never take any risk, do you?”

Peacock, “Right.”

Thumb laughing, “Being partners with a person like you is really enjoyable, because you would surely live longer than than me. When I die, you could at least recover my body.”

Still smiling, he lightly tapped the door with his fingers. With just that, the door opened. Mingyue Xin was still embroidering in front of the window, and Yan Nanfei was still lying on the bed like a dead man.

Thumb breathed out, “Please enter.”

Peacock, “You would not go in?”

Thumb, “You kill people, I open doors. I’ve done my part, it is now your turn.”

Peacock stared at him for a long time, suddenly said, “There is something that I had never told you.”

Thumb, “Huh...”

Peacock coldly, “I loathed you the moment I set my eyes on you, and on at least three occasions I had wanted to kill you.”

Thumb however was still smiling, “Luckily for me, on this occasion the one you want to kill is not me, but Yan Nanfei.”

Peacock was silent.

Thumb pushed the door again to open it up wider. “This way, please.”

Inside, the room was very quiet and very dark. The moonlight outside the window was completely blocked out by dark clouds.

The time is 4 PM.

Peacock finally entered the room. When he entered, his hands had gone under his sleeves with the Peacock Plume in his fingers.

The ice-cold and glossy Peacock Plume is a hidden weapon without peer in the world.

His heart was again filled with confidence.

Mingyue Xin lifted up her head, looked at him and laughed, “So, you are the Peacock?”

Peacock, “Peacock’s aren’t funny.”

Mingyue Xin, “But you don’t look like peacock, really don’t.”

Peacock, “You also don’t look like a whore.”

Mingyue Xin laughed again.

Peacock, “Being a whore isn’t funny either.”

Mingyue Xin, “But there is something else which is funny.”

Peacock, “What is that?”

Mingyue Xin, “You don’t look like peacock, but are Peacock. I don’t look a whore but am a whore. A donkey looks very much like a horse but isn’t a horse at all.”

She smiled, “In this world, there are so many matters that are just like that.”

Peacock, “What do you really trying to say?”

Mingyue Xin, “For example, the hidden weapon in your person clearly looks like the Peacock Plume, but isn’t the Peacock Plume.”

Peacock laughed loudly, a big laugh.

A person would only laughed this hard if he had heard the most ridiculous and impossible joke.

Mingyue Xin, “The truth is that in your heart, you had long suspected this. Because you had felt that its power isn’t as fearsome as it wa said to be. That’s why you did not dare to use it against Fu Hongxue.”

Peacock was still laughing, but his laughter was a little forced.

Mingyue Xin, “It is a pity that although you had your suspicions, you couldn’t verify them, and also did not dare to verify them.”

Peacock couldn’t help but to ask, “Can you prove it?”

Mingyue Xin, “I can prove it, and only I am the only one who can, because...”

Peacock, “Because what?”

Mingyue Xin softly, “The kind of Peacock Plume you have, I have a few of them remaining. I can give you a few any time you like.”

Peacock’s face changed colour. Outside the door, Thumb’s face also changed colour.

Mingyue Xin, “I can give you another one right now. Here, take it.”