Chapter 037: Lin Zi

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Fallen Leaf Manor was a place every gallant of the martial world longed to visit, for the renowned master Lin Fengmian lived there. Anyone wishing to test their martial arts was bound to make the journey. Even men of poor skill but boundless lust came to Fallen Leaf Manor—some seeking the martial world’s most notorious wanton, Lin Fengmian’s eldest granddaughter, Lin Zi; others seeking his youngest granddaughter, Lin Yuer, famed as the most beautiful woman under heaven.

Lin Fengmian also had an unsuccessful son named Lin Mang, who never showed his face in public. Rumor had it that he had entered seclusion to cultivate his skills at the age of twenty-five. Before that, he had scarcely ever left the manor, and consequently few people had ever met him. Thirty years had now passed. The rumors had split into two versions: one claimed he was still alive, though he had gone completely mad; the other said he had died long ago. Whatever the truth, Fallen Leaf Manor remained as glorious as ever.

It was deep in the night, and silence lay over everything. The vast courtyard was bare of trees. At its center stood a palace of vermilion walls and yellow tiles, its beams richly carved and painted. Along the bluestone paths stood lamp stands shaped like auspicious beasts, each burning with a ghostly flame.

The female disciples standing guard were fast asleep with their eyes closed. Perhaps no one had dared trespass upon Fallen Leaf Manor at night for far too long, and so the women had relaxed their vigilance. They failed to notice the shadows that silently descended beside them.

The shadows showed no mercy and possessed no tenderness toward women. They slit the throats of every disciple of the Palace of Supreme Yin. Then they stripped the corpses, concealed them, altered their appearances, and changed their clothing. In the end, the shadows had become a new group of female guards.

The leader of the shadows was a masked man. His mask was white, with three red stars upon the forehead. He gloated, “Today, the Lin sisters belong to this great villain!”

Then he entered the Palace of Supreme Yin.

Shortly afterward, Yin Wuxiang and Xiao Bugui burst up through the earth and followed him inside. The two men had become mud figures. Xiao Bugui was in an especially sorry state, dressed in rags and covered from head to toe in dirt.

Yin Wuxiang unfolded a handkerchief containing white powder. He dragged it before each female guard, then blew gently. The powder entered the sleeping women’s noses and mouths. One by one, they ceased standing and collapsed onto the ground, sinking into deeper sleep.

With the threat of the guards removed, Xiao Bugui whispered, “Where are we?”

“This is Lin Zi’s residence, the Palace of Supreme Yin,” Yin Wuxiang replied. “It faces south and sits in a mountain hollow. It is gloomy here day and night, and the sun never reaches it.”

Xiao Bugui drew in a breath of cold air. “No wonder it’s so chilling!”

Yin Wuxiang folded the handkerchief and handed it to him. “There is a treasury behind the palace. I’ll search it and see whether I can find the magic box. You stay here and keep watch. Hold on to this sleeping powder. If Lin Zi comes out, blow it into her face.”

“The treasury sounds dangerous. I should accompany you, Protector.”

“The Palace of Supreme Yin is the most dangerous place here. You stay behind and deal with that notorious wanton, Lin Zi, while I search for the treasure. We’ll draw their attention in opposite directions.”

Xiao Bugui was not afraid. “All right.”

“Be careful.”

Xiao Bugui cautiously approached the palace entrance. The doors were tightly shut, so he pressed his face against them and listened. Inside, he heard the sounds of a struggle. The doors and windows shuddered violently, and then silence fell once more.

The palace doors were jolted open.

Frost had formed throughout the empty main hall. Xiao Bugui, who entered out of curiosity, shivered involuntarily. After walking some twenty paces, he came upon a great screen bearing a phoenix design. Two white garments hung upon it.

Daring not to move rashly, Xiao Bugui listened carefully. Hearing nothing, he finally went behind the screen. The lamplight was dim. There he discovered a bathing pool, its waters black as ink. Yet no one was visible.

Xiao Bugui reached out and touched the dark water. It was cold to the bone. There was nothing else around, and he was about to leave to find Yin Wuxiang when the Azure Lion within his chest warned him:

“There are three people beneath the pool. If you go down now, you can defeat them. If you miss this opportunity, they will kill you.”

“Could they be naked?” Xiao Bugui asked. “Perhaps they are embarrassed to let me see them. I think I’d better leave.”

“Are you an idiot?” the Azure Lion snapped. “They are currently battling with their inner strength beneath the water and have reached a stalemate. Whoever wins, the first thing they will do upon emerging is kill you.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Get into the water at once. While the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits.”

“All right.”

Xiao Bugui hid the folded handkerchief in a corner. Then, heedless of the bitter cold, he leaped into the pool.

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At the bottom of the pool there were indeed three people. Two young women sat cross-legged, their palms pressed together. One had the face of a child and skin like polished jade, her hair and brows entirely white. The other had a radiant complexion and pearly teeth, with hair as black as lacquer. Both were beauties capable of overthrowing kingdoms, and both wore nothing but red stomach-wraps.

The third person was a great villain.

The three were locked in confrontation. Each sister had extended one palm, while the villain had thrust out both hands. Four palms met as they battled with their inner strength.

The villain mistakenly thought the Lin sisters had found an ally. He forcibly withdrew his power, then fled upward through the water.

The white-haired woman opened her eyes. Her ambiguous gaze settled upon Xiao Bugui, and she looked irresistibly alluring.

Xiao Bugui stared at her in a daze. He had saved her and assumed she would thank him. He never imagined that the sisters’ joined palms were now about to kill him.

“What are you staring at? Watch out, or she’ll ambush you!”

The Azure Lion wasted no more words. It flew straight out of Xiao Bugui’s chest and struck at the two women before they could react.

The white-haired woman used her palm force to shove the black-haired woman aside, evading the Azure Lion’s charge. She herself was injured and spat out a mouthful of blood, which blossomed through the water before gradually fading into a pale stain.

The Azure Lion pushed Xiao Bugui toward the white-haired demoness. “Xiao Bugui, deal with the white-haired demoness. I’ll handle the black-haired witch.”

Xiao Bugui’s only weapon was the Seven Fiends Spear, which was also his tail. To make it easier to use, he simply tore off his clothes.

“So you’re a lecherous bandit too!” The white-haired demoness sprang from the water amid rising bubbles. Having encountered a lecher, she naturally surfaced to put on her clothes.

Xiao Bugui obediently followed the Azure Lion’s instructions. Since it had told him to deal with this woman, he intended to see the matter through.

The white-haired demoness dressed with swift, practiced movements. Then she demanded, “You shameless lecher, do you know who I am?”

“I’m no lecher,” Xiao Bugui replied. “I came here looking for the magic box. If you hand it over, I’ll let you go.”

“Then tell me who you are first. Which sect do you belong to?”

Xiao Bugui countered, “I don’t even know your name yet.”

“My name is Lin Zi.”

“My name is Xiao Bugui. I belong to the Demon Cult. I came here to find the magic box.”

After exchanging a few words, Lin Zi suddenly felt that the lecher before her was no longer frightening. In a coquettish voice, she asked, “You truly didn’t come here looking for me?”

“No.”

“Then you must have come looking for my younger sister Yuer?”

“No. I came looking for the magic box.”

Lin Zi used her gentle voice to lull Xiao Bugui’s vigilance. Her long legs had already parted as she kicked toward him.

Xiao Bugui dodged her dainty feet and the long, sharp fingernails that reached out to claw him. He dodged again, only for another delicate foot to stretch toward him, followed once more by those reaching nails.

The repetitive attacks began to trouble him. At last, with nowhere left to retreat, he flung out his tail, and the long spear shot forward.

“Blood Moon in the Heavens!”

Lin Zi leaped into the air. To evade the spearhead, she split her legs apart and unleashed an equally formidable technique.

In a daze, the scene before their eyes dissolved into nothingness. It was as though they had entered an empty sky. A huge red moon hung overhead. From nowhere, a great mallet flew forth. With a resounding clang, the red moon became a bronze gong.

A pounding sound rang out again and again—smack, smack, smack—continuing for roughly four or five hundred blows. At last, Lin Zi’s voice emerged:

“I—I—I can’t take it anymore! You’re so powerful! So powerful! I can’t endure this! Please, let me go!”

It turned out that Lin Zi’s fair, tender body had already been beaten red and swollen by the Seven Fiends Spear. The beauty had been puffed up until she resembled a bear.

What woman could endure such torment? All she could do was beg for mercy.

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