Ode to gallantry, p.74
Ode to Gallantry, page 74
The disciples from fourth branch immediately rushed forward and wrapped up his leg. Other people felt relived as if a large stone has been removed from their heart, they thought: "She has forgiven Liao Zili, our crime was much lighter so we should be safe too."
Some people have taken the key immediately and opened the shackles and handcuffs on Geng Wanzhong, Wang Wanren, Wang Wanyi, Wan Zi and other fellow disciples.
Grandma Shi said: "The mental state of the sect leader was abnormal for a while and his behavior was improper, you should have tried to remonstrate actually but you people went on to defy your superior. This is a big matter; I have investigated this matter and will settle it in future.
Our first step right now is to get the sect leader out and discuss this matter."
As soon as the people listened this, the complexion changed suddenly and everyone thought: "If that devil escapes that prison then everyone’s life is in danger."
Various people looked at her but no one dared to make any sound.
Grandma Shi got angry and shouted: "What's wrong? Can you imprison him for a lifetime? Do you people dislike him that much?"
Cheng Zixue said: "Sister-in-law Shi, at present you are the leader of the snow mountain sect, you must not free him immediately. Senior fellow-disciple must be freed but first we must try to cure his sickness otherwise ......Otherwise ......"
Grandma Shi said fiercely: "Otherwise what …."
Cheng Zixue said: "Little brother will like to say goodbye to all of you and will like to not show my face to anyone in the sect." As he was saying these words he bowed in front of her and clasped his hand.
Qi Zimian, Liang Zijin also said: "Sister-in-law Shi, you are broad-minded and generous, you have forgiven everybody, we will too like to descend the mountain and will not dare to step into the Ling Xiao city again for the rest of our life."
Grandma Shi thought: "These people fear that the old bastard will come out then will go after them. If everybody will run away than it won’t take much time before Ling Xiao city will become an empty city. What will then happen to the Snow mountain sect?"
She said: "Good! There is no hurry for a while; I will take a look at him first, if he does not behave properly than we will not free him."
They all looked at each other for a while and thought: "You husband and wife will be good to each other, you will be partial towards him anyway. If she has to free that old lunatic than why don't we run away?"
Grandma Shi said: "Jian’er, A’Xiu!" She approached Shi Potian and said: "Yidao, you three come with me."
She said to Cheng Zixue and other fellow disciples: "Please lead me and these three people to that prison where that old bastard is kept. You all can listen to what I am talking to him and so can be assured that I am not plotting against anyone or am biased towards anyone."
Cheng Zixue said: "How can it be possible….little brother did not dare, won’t it be really oversensitive?" Even though he said these words he led those people towards the prison. It was actually a matter of life and death. Qi Zimian and Liang Zijin followed them, Liao Zili too pouted at his disciples, and so all people followed them to that place.
The line of people crossed the hall and moved in towards the prison and after some time they all reached the place where Shi Potian was originally imprisoned. Cheng Zixue arrived towards them and said: "In here! We are using this place as a prison for several generations."
Shi Potian had already suspected that the person he tried to free was in fact the old master Bai and when they reached that place, he was sure by now that he guessed correctly.
A disciple took out the key and went to the gate of prison to open the lock however he was shocked by the knowledge that the iron lock was already unlocked.
He got frightens and had a ghastly pale look on his face, he thought: "Iron lock is open; this means that the old lunatic has came out." Both of his hands started trembling and he unexpectedly did not dare to push open the gate.
Grandma Shi made an effort to push and the gate opened smoothly. Suddenly as if by prior agreement, Qi Zimian, Liang Zijin and Cheng Zixue, these three people withdraw several steps. As they went inside and looked at the door of the second room where Bai Zizai was imprisoned; that disciple called out: "This looks bad! The gate was unlocked.....it looks he has run!"
As he said these words, he remembered that Grandma Shi was standing next to him and shut up. His hand was trembling and he didn’t dare to open the door of that room, his keys made a loud clattering sound.
Shi Potian wanted to say to him: "This gate was left open by me only but he was acting as a mute for such a long time that he could force him to say these words.
Grandma Shi snatched the key, inserted it in the keyhole a turned it. She detected that the lock was already open. As she moved to open the door, she was really anxious at this moment. She cannot help but to think that: "He is mentally unstable at the moment, if he has run away to the Ling Xiao city then what a big catastrophe would that be." As he she pushed the door, she couldn’t restrain her hands from trembling.
The door only opened several inches and they all heard an old man laughing out aloud.
The people sighed in great relief. They all heard old master Bai laughing wildly and saying loudly: "What good are the Shaolin School and Wudang sect? All of them are breaking wind and doing nothing at all? Starting today, in the martial arts world, everybody must study the martial art of the snow mountain sect. All the other schools must be shut and closed. Did everybody hear? All over the world, as the official look for the emperor, the scholar look for Confucius, martial art experts will look at "power and virtue gentleman". Whoever refuses to accept, I will crush his head."
Grandma Shi shoved open the door several inches, in the dim glimmer, she saw only the handcuffs and shackles on the hands and legs of her husband. His whole body was circled with another shackle and he was tied up between two giant stone columns. She couldn’t help but felt a sickening feeling in her heart.
Bai Zizai looked at his wife, stayed dull for a moment and then said with a smile immediately: "Is very good, is very good! You have come back. Now in the martial arts world everybody will revere me, the snow mountain sect will rule the world, we will close all the other various sects and schools. Shi, are you all right?"
Grandma Shi sighed and tried to calm down and said: "It is good! But how will various sects and school will be shut down?"
Bai Zizai said with a smile: "You are not able to understand. The martial art of the snow mountain sect the highest, no sects and school can stand in front of us so naturally they will be shut down."
Grandma Shi pulled A’Xiu in front of him and said: "You look, who has come back?"
She knew the her husband doted on this little granddaughter, this mental state was unstable and abnormal, when A’Xiu fell of the cliff, he was quite disturbed and all this problem might be triggered by that incident only so she thought that perhaps he might convalesce once he sees that his granddaughter is safe.
A’Xiu called out: "Grandfather, I have come back, I have not died, I fell in to the mountain valley in the snow but I was fortunate enough that Grandmother found me and rescued me."
Bai Zizai felt comfortable as he looked at her and said: "Is very good, you are A’Xiu. You have not died; the grandfather likes you very much. A’Xiu, you are clever, now tell me, whose martial art is best in the world?"
A’Xiu said in a low voice: "It is the grandfather!"
Bai Zizai laughed and said: "A’Xiu, you are a really clever girl!"
Bai Wanjian rushed ahead two steps and said: "Father, the child came late and seized by these villains. Let the child unlock you."
Cheng Zixue and others were standing close to the gate, their face turned ashen, they only waited for Bai Wanjian to go forward to unlock and everybody planned to then turn and run away.
They actually heard Bai Zizai shouting: "Unlock me! Who wants you to unlock? These handcuffs and shackles, in your father’s eye, are nothing but rotten wood and mud. I only need to shake my hand gently and can break them. I do not want to that now. I like to sit and meditate with my eyes shut. In this entire world; vertically and horizontally in several thousand miles, even if several thousand people together come, still they won’t be able to injure your father’s hair, how can some people lock me?"
Bai Wanjian said: "Yes, the father is unmatched in the world, nobody can certainly harm you father. This moment mother and A’Xiu have returned, it’s a big family reunion, I humbly ask father to come and to the hall and drink with us." As he said these words, he took the keys and move towards him to unlock the handcuffs.
Bai Zizai got angry: "I tell you to walk, than you walk! I have worn these metallic shackles, it’s actually really interesting, and you think I can't open them? Get away quickly!"
Bai Wanjian was startled and as he drew back two steps, the key fell on the ground. He knew by watching the face of his father that he was not fine. On the other hand he can understand the distress of the fellow disciples if he got freed so he faked his shock and let the key fall.
Cheng Zixue and others heard it and cannot restrain to look around and came inside to steal a glance.
Bai Zizai shouted: "You saw me, why don't you pay your respect? The one in front of you is the greatest hero of all time?"
They all thought: "He is tied up at this moment on the stone column, from this distance we don’t need to fear him, but Madam Shi will free him eventually, what’s wrong in flattering someone, it might save our life in future."
They bowed and said: "the leader of the snow mountain sect "power and virtue gentleman" is easily the best swordsman in the world through the ages, his internal strength is the best, his skills in the concealed weapons is the best, he is a big hero and chivalrous person, a great master of profound learning and integrity."
Liang Zijin then said hurriedly: "Old master Bai is the great leader of the Snow mountain sect. All these Shaolin, Wudang, Emei and Qingcheng and several random school and sects should be closed down. All over the world, only master Bai should be revered alone." Other people too got encouraged and started flattering.
Bai Zizai was self-satisfied, he nodded and smiled.
Grandma Shi really felt ashamed, she thought: "This old man has really gone crazy; but it might not be necessarily true. He saw that me and A’Xiu and recognized us clearly, it’s really bad situation, how do we cure him?"
Bai Zizai turned towards her suddenly, he asked Grandma Shi said: "That fellow Ding Busi had come to visit me and said that you arrived at Azure Conch Mountain to visit him and was lingering with him together for several days, what is this matter?"
Grandma Shi got angry: "You have gone crazy, how can you believe this nonsense?"
A’Xiu too said: "Grandfather, that Ding Busi really compelled grandmother to go to his Azure conch mountain and he tried to take advantage of our precarious position but grandmother rather threw herself in the river to commit suicide but did not went with him."
Bai Zizai smiled and said: "Is very good, is very good, I know her, how can she receive this shame? Afterward how did you manage to escape?"
A’Xiu said: "Afterward, afterward ......" She pointed to Shi Potian and said: "Luckily this elder brother was there and we got rid of him and escaped Ding Busi."
Bai Zizai casted a sidelong glance to Shi Potian, in the room the light was not enough so he didn’t recognized him as Shi ZhongYu but knew that he was the same person who tried to rescue him sometime back, in his heart he had a favorable impression for this young fellow and nodded to say: "This boy is not bad. Although compared to me or even my son, he not that good but he managed to expel Ding Busi, this is not bad."
Grandma Shi was now driven beyond the limits of forbearance, she said loudly: "You really blow your trumpet? You are talking nonsense for such a long time now, the martial art of the snow mountain sect is the best under the sun, what kind of bullshit is that. This child is my disciple; he is better than your disciples."
Bai Zizai laughed, he said: "Absurd, absurd! What ability do you have to be able to exceed mine?"
Grandma Shi said: "I have taught my disciple sword skills; you also taught your disciple your sect’s sword skills. My sword skills are better than your sword skill. Son, tell your master, whose sword skill is better and whose martial art skill is strongest?"
Bai Wanjian said: "This ......This ......" he was really influenced by the power and reputation of his father for such long period; he did not dare to complete his sentence.
Bai Zizai said with a smile: "he is your disciple, how could he be match to my disciple? In sword skills, tell me your mother is talking nonsense?"
Bai Wanjian had a simple and straight personality, if he won then he won, if he lost then lost, he was defeated by Shi Potian so how could he not admit it?
He said: "Child is incompetent, I compared my skills with this boy just now, and he really won."
Bai Zizai jumped suddenly but got pulled by the shackles back; he pulled the shackled with great strength and called out: "Nonsense, this is absurd! It’s doesn’t matter?"
Grandma Shi and Bai Zizai have lived together for several dozens years as husband and wife. Grandma Shi understood what he was thinking right now at this moment, she thought in her heart: "Old bastard thinks that his martial art is unmatched in the world, he was living in this Ling Xiao city as a king for such a long time, and something triggered his megalomaniac nature after his fight with Ding brothers; As the saying goes: ‘Worrying about a problem doesn’t solve it’. We need to ease his mind and give him some medicine. At first we have to force him to accept that he is the not the best martial art expert then only we can go further and persuade him to take any medicine.
It’s only a pity that Zhang San and Li Si have gone, otherwise I might have asked them to treat this insanity and give him some kind of medicine suited to this illness. I think I have to ask my disciple to compare his martial arts with him, although his martial art skills are not that high but his internal energy is very strong and he can actually defeat this old bastard. I have also to persuade this old bastard to fight first."
She said: "Just boasting that you are superior to everyone in any form of the martial art skills through the ages is really a big talk. I think the internal energy of my disciple is better than you."
Bai Zizai looked upwards and laughed wildly, he said: "Then the Bodhidharma and Zhang Sanfeng have come back to life, this child is no match for "power and virtue gentleman". This child is yet wet behind the ears, with his baby face and such a young age, I only need to use about 30 percent of my internal energy and he will be sufficiently overawed."
Grandma Shi sneered and said: "Nonsense…are you not ashamed of mocking other person. Fine…compare your internal energy with this boy and we will see the truth."
Bai Zizai said with a smile: "This boy is no match to even stand in front of me…I will just use a hand and he will be somersaulting in the air."
Grandma Shi knew that her husband has very good martial art skills, she was afraid that he can seriously injure Shi Potian in this competition and can even take his life so she said these words very earnestly: "This young boy is my disciple, he is also getting married to A’Xiu so just remember that he is going to be your beloved granddaughter's husband. You compare your skills by all means but don’t try to injure anyone."
Bai Zizai said with a smile: "Does he want to be my granddaughter's husband? That will be a good match. Good, I will not injure him or take his life then."
Suddenly they heard the footsteps sound of a person arriving at the outside of the stone prison in a hurry, he said aloud: "reporting to the sect leader, The sect leader of the Clan of the eternal happiness Shi Potian and 'Skyscraping Resident' Xie Yanke has rescue the Shi Qing couple and are challenging us in the big hall." The person was actually Geng Wanzhong.
Bai Wanjian and Grandma Shi both make a startled sound as if by prior agreement and said: "Is it 'Skyscraping Resident’ Xie Yanke?"
Shi Potian learned that Mr. and Mrs. Shi Qing are well, escaped the dangerous situation, he felt really relived but he listened that Shi Potian has arrived with Xie Yanke and got a bit confused. He assumed that in that was Shi ZhongYu has actually come himself with Xie Yanke. He thought: "this is good; I haven’t seen Grandfather for so many days."
Grandma Shi said: "We don’t have any friendship or enmity with either Xie Yanke or the clan of eternal happiness, and then what is this matter all about? Are they helping the Shi Qing couple?"
Geng Wanzhong said: "That Shi Potian was quite impolite, he looked at the Ling Xiao city and said that he wanted to kill us all......we can’t escape."
Bai Zizai got angry: "What is this nonsense! What thing is the clan of the eternal happiness? What thing is that Shi Potian? How many people does clan of eternal happiness have?"
Geng Wanzhong said: "They are only five people, besides the Shi Qing couple, Xie Yanke and Shi Potian, there is a young girl; She said that she was the granddaughter of Ding Busan."
Shi Potian heard Ding Dang has also to arrived, he wrinkled his brows and looked at A’Xiu, he only saw her stare at him with her wonderful set of eyes. His complexion turned red and he thought: "She asked me to pretend as Shi ZhongYu but it’s good that she has rescued the Shi couple. Why is Shi ZhongYu pretending as Shi Potian? Did she deliberately wanted to keep me in suspense and perhaps decided to come to Ling Xiao city later with Xie Yanke and rescue us all."
Bai Zizai said: "Only five people, what they can do? You had had not said to him that: "the leader of the snow mountain sect "power and virtue gentleman" is easily the best swordsman in the world through the ages, his internal strength is the best, his skills in the concealed weapons is the best, he is a big hero and chivalrous person, a great master of profound learning and integrity."
Geng Wanzhong said: "This ......This ......He is a person from the martial arts world; certainly he is aware of the reputation of the master."
Bai Zizai said: "Yes, this may be wonderful! Both know my reputation, how dare they arrive to the Ling Xiao city and cause trouble? Yes! I am hiding in this small stone chamber to evade vulgar event spread over the world. They think that old master Bai has lost interest in the worldly affairs and have washed his hands pf sect matters so they visiting the city to bully us. Heh… Heh! You look, your master is like a big tree, if I don’t provide you shade than be ready to suffer."
