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Mingyue Xin, “The martial world’s “Hall of Fame” list.

  Fu Hongxue turned even paler.

  He knew that in the martial world, anyone who had made a name for themselves, certainly would not bow to anyone else.

  Years ago, Bai Xiaosheng’s [Weapons List] appraised all top pugilists under the heavens. Although it had been very fair handed, still it caused a long succession of killings. In later years, some had speculated that he was intentionally stirring up chaos in the martial world.

  What about the present [Hall of Fame]? Could it also have some sinister ulterior motives?

  Mingyue Xin said, “It is said that the List was put together by Gongzhi Yu himself. On the List there is a total of thirteen names.”

  Fu Hongxue sneered, “His own name is of course not on the List.”

  Mingyue Xin confirmed, “You are certainly right.”

  Fu Hongxue’s eyes flashed and asked again, “What about Ye Kai?”

  Mingyue Xin answered, “Ye Kai’s name isn’t there too. Maybe it is because he had completely severed his ties with the martial world, already a man above Man, already a cloud above Heaven.” Fu Hongxue, his eyes seems to have gone somewhere far away.

  In the far-away place, a person danced without care in the smoothing cool breeze, almost floating in the wind.

  Mingyue Xin said, “I know that Ye Kai is your only friend, even you don’t have news of him?

  Fu Hongxue’s eyes instantly snapped back, as grim as the sabre’s edge and callously said, “I have no friends at all, not a single one.”

  Mingyue Xin sighed quietly in her heart again before returning to the topic, “Why didn’t you ask me if your name is in the List?”

  Fu Hongxue didn’t ask, because there is simply no need to.

  Mingyue Xin said, “Maybe it is not neccessary to ask. Your name is of course on the List, but so is Yan Nanfei’s!”

  Mingyue Xin hesitated before continuing, “Although it had been stressed that the List isn’t ranked in any order, but a list of thirteen names would naturally have some sort of order.”

  Fu Hongxue finally gave in and asked, “Who is the first name?”

  Mingyue Xin, “Yan Nanfei!”

  Fu Hongxue’s hand on the sabre tightened momentarily before slowly relaxing.

  Mingyue Xin said, “You could now understand why while as long as he is in martial world, he would never have a day of peace and quiet.”

  Fu Hongxue did not reply, the carriage stopped, stopped right opposite a tall buliding.

  The restaurant was 10 feet tall.

  “I know that Du Lei has his afternoon meal here everyday, always leaving around this hour.” Mingyue Xin said, “He ate the same thing everyday, four side dishes, two bowls of rice and a bottle of wine. His menu had never yet changed at all.”

  Fu Hongxue’s pale face still show no expression at all, but the orbs of his eyes was already contracting.

  He knew that he had yet again met a fearsome opponent.

  There were numerous highly skilled pugilists in the martial world, numbering in the hundreds and thousands. But there were only thirteen persons on the List. These thirteen persons certainly were the most fearsome of all.

  Mingyue Xin lifted the window screen up slightly and quickly spied outside. Suddenly she exclaimed, “He is coming out.”

  The sun was at its zenith.

  When Du Lei stepped out of the restaurant, his feet had stepped right on his shadow.

  On his feet, he wore a pair of soft soled shoes costing eighteen taels, they were still very new.

  Whenever he stepped on his own shadow with new shoes, he always had this strange impulse to strip off his shoes and all his clothes, and then ran off hollering crazily in the center of the town.

  He of course couldn’t do such things because he was already famous, very famous.

  Presently all his actions were as precise as the night watchman’s drum.

  No matter where he went, no matter how long he had stayed, he would arise and have his meals punctually everyday. Even the dishes were also exactly the same.

  At times, it drove him crazy, but he was nonetheless not willing to change one bit.

  All because he hoped that others would think of him as a very exact and efficent person. He knows that everyone had a certain respect and admiration for such a person. This was his greatest pride and joy.

  Seventeen years of harsh training, five years of tough struggle, forty-three big and small bloody battles. What he had hoped to achieve was just that.

  He must make himself believed, believed that he was no longer that barefooted street urchin.

  The sabre set with precious jade was gleaming under the sunlight, on the streets many were sizing up that sabre of his, opposite in a pitch black horse carriage, two pairs of eyes seemed to be staring at him.

  Recently, he had gotton used to people staring at him to size him up. Everyone could get used to it.

  But today he suddenly felt ill at ease again, liked a naked girl among a large group of men.

  Could it be that the two pairs of eyes in the carriage across the street had pierced his golden plated outer shell, and seen that barefooted street urchin?

  Cleave the carriage open in one single move and poke out the two pair of eyes!

  That was the kind of impulse he suddenly felt, but he did no such thing. He hadn’t come all the way here for these kind of trouble.

  Recently, he had also learnt to endure.

  He didn’t even look once in the direction, and walked back to his inn along the sunny long street. Every step he took was as exact as that of an old tailor taking measurements of a young girl. Not an inch more, not an inch less, exactly 2.3 inches.

  He hoped that others would be able to understand his sabre was just as exact.

  Mingyue Xin exhaled lightly, “What do you think of him?

  Fu Hongxue said coldly, “Even if he doesn’t die within three years, he certainly would have turned into a lunatic by then.

  Mingyue Xin sighed, “Too bad, right now he isn’t insane yet…

  The horse carriage stopped again, opposite the “Top Fragrance”.

  “Top Fragrance” is a very big teahouse with people from all walks of life. The bigger the teahouse, the more people in the teahouse.

  Mingyue Xin inched up the window screen again, allowing Fu Hongxue to take a long good look before asking, “What did you see?”

  Fu Hongxue said, “People.”

  Mingyue Xin, “How many?”

  Fu Hongxue, “Seven.”

  It was now the peak hour and business was good, there were at least one or two hundred people inside the teahouse. Why did he see only seven?

  Mingyue Xin didn’t find it puzzling at all, in fact her eyes shone with respect and asked again, “Which are the seven you saw?”

  The seven Fu Hongxue saw were: the two chess players, the one peeling peanuts, the monk, the pockmarked man, the young songstress and lastly the fat man who was snoozing on the table.

  These seven people were scattered all over the teahouse and didn’t look special in any way.

  Why did he not see the other people but these seven particular people?

  Mingyue Xin again wasn’t puzzled by his answer, on the contrary her admiration grew. Sighing softly, “I know your sabre is fast, but your eyes are even faster.”

  Fu Hongxue added, “Actually, seeing just one is enough.”

  He was looking at a person.

  The snoozing fat man had now awaken. He yawned and poured himself a cup of tea to rinse his mouth. He spat that wash of tea onto the floor with a “PU” and dirtied the trouser leg of someone by the side. He hurriedly bent down with apologies and wiped the trouser leg with his sleeves.

  If a man was too fat, his actions would naturally be a little silly and funny.

  But as Fu Hongxue looked at him, the orbs in his eyes contracted exactly the same way as he looked at Du Lei just now.

  Did he regard the fatty as another fearsome opponen
t?

  Mingyue Xin asked, “You recognise that person?”

  Fu Hongxue shook his head.

  “But you take great notice of him,” persisted Mingyue Xin.

  Fu Hongxue nodded.

  Mingyue Xin said, “Have you notice anything special about him?”

  Fu Hongxue held his silence for a long while before he slowly answered, “This man has a murderous aura!”

  Mingyue Xin said, “Murderous aura?”

  “Only an expert who had killed countless times would carry such an aura,” Fu Hongxue’s grip on his sabre tighten.

  Mingyue Xin baited, “But he looked nothing more than silly fatty.”

  “That is only his cover, similar to the sheath of a sword” Fu Hongxue sneered.

  Mingyue Xin sighed yet again, “It looks like your eye is sharper than your sabre.”

  Evidently, she recognised this person, moreover she also knew a lot about his background.

  Fu Hongxue asked, “Who is he?”

  “He is the Thumb.” Mingyue Xin answered

  “Thumb?” Fu Hongxue queried

  Minyue Xin explained, “Do you know about a very fearsome secret organisation that appeared in the martial world during recent years.”

  “What is this organisation’s name?” Fu Hongxue followed up.

  “Blackhand!” Mingyue Xin announced.

  Fu Hongxue had never heard of it, but still he felt some sort of unexplained pressure.

  Mingyue Xin said, “Presently, in the martial world there are not many people who know about the inner workings of this organisation because its dealings are totally underground, nothing it does can bee seen by the light of day.”

  Fu Hongxue said, “What does it deal in?”

  Mingyue Xin said, “Kidnappings, extortions and assassinations.”

  As a hand has five fingers, this organisation has five heads.

  This fat man is the Thumb, Thumb of the Blackhand!

  The horse carriage continued its way, window screens already drawn down.

  Mingyue Xin suddenly asked, “In a hand, which finger has the greatest strength?”

  “The thumb,” Fu Hongxue replied.

  Mingyue Xin, “Which finger is the most agile?” .

  “The index finger,” Fu Hongxue suppiled.

  Mingyue Xin said, “Thus, in Blackhand it is the Thumb and the Index Finger that are responsible for assassinations.”

  The Thumb is fearful because he had learnt the [Destructive Virgin Art of 13 Heroes] which usually can’t be mastered by most in a lifetime.

  He managed to do so because he was originally an eunuch in the palace and was trained from young by several grandmasters in the Inner Palace.

  The Index Finger had an even more complicated background. He is said to have worked a stint as an usher monk in Shaolin Temple, as a six-sack elder in Beggar Sect and also had been a hall master of the 12 Docks in Jiangnan’s Fengwei clan.

  They both had a team working under them, each and every one of the team had some special skill. Futhermore they had worked together seamlessly for a long time. Thus they had not failed once in their assassination operations.

  Mingyue Xin said, “However, these two were not the most fearful person in the organisation.”

  Fu Hongxue said, “Then who?”

  Mingyue Xin said, “Ring Finger, also known as the Nameless Finger.” In a hand, the most clumsy finger is the nameless finger.

  Fu Hongxue said, “Why is the Nameless Finger so fearful?”

  Mingyue Xin said, “Precisely because he is nameless.”

  Fu Hongxue agreed.

  Being a famous big shot in the martial world had its advantages, but on many occasions nameless persons were often more terrifying. It was so because it was only after they had a knife in your chest before you realised how fearful they were.

  Mingyue Xin said, “Nobody in the martial world knows Nameless Finger’s identity, much less seen his face.”

  Fu Hongxue said, “Not even you?”

  Mingyu Xin forced a smile, “Perhaps I too, must wait till his knife was in my chest before I know.”

  Fu Hongxue was silent, only after a very long while he asked again, “Are we still checking on anyone else?”

  Mingyue Xin did not reply directly, “This small town originally was not a very lively place, but many unfamiliar faces have arrived during the last few days.”

  But now, these faces were no longer unfamiliar to her, because she had thoroughly investigated the background and habits of each and every one of them.

  Fu Hongxue was not surprised.

  He had long realised that she definitely wasn’t the delicate and naive woman she resembled. Her pair of slender and beautiful hands wielded a force of tremendous strength, far stronger than anyone imagined.

  Mingyue Xin said, “I had investigated and confirmed the background of nearly all of them, with one exception.”

  Fu Hongxue said, “Who?”

  Before she could answer, the horse pulling the carriage suddenly neighed loudly and reared up. The carriage tilted violently and almost overturned.

  Her person was already out of the compartment, only to see a man dressed in a green gown and white leggings directly under the horse’s hoofs.

  The driver could no longer control the horse. The man on the ground could not move away at all and curled up like a ball.

  The horse was going to trample on the poor man any moment now, but Mingyue Xin had not made any move to help him. In fact, she shown no such intentions at all and wasn’t even looking in his direction.

  She was looking at Fu Hongxue. Fu Hongxue was also out of the compartment. His pale face shown no expression at all, much less any intention to help.

  The crowd cried in alarm as the horse brought down its hoofs. Everyone could clearly see that the green gown man was directly beneath the horse hoofs, but yet he managed to avoid being trampled. When the horse finally calmed down, that man then slowly climbed up to his feet and panted furiously.

  Although his face was very pale from fear and shock, he still looked very ordinary. He was indeed an ordinary man, not a thing special about him.

  But when Fu Hongxue saw him, his eyes turned frosty.

  He had seen this person. He was the person whose trouser leg was soiled by the Thumb a while ago.

  Mingyue Xin smiled suddenly, “Looked like you are down on your luck today, your pants was soiled with mouthwash just a while ago and now your whole body was covered with dirt.”

  This person also smiled and softly said, “Today my luck isn’t good, but who knows how many people have worse luck than me. Today I am unlucky, tomorrow who knows how many people will be even more unlucky. Life is like that, mistress doesn’t have to be so worried.”

  Chapter 5 - Peacock

  The horse didn’t hurt anyone, and the carriage didn’t turn over flat.

  This ordinary, unremarkable person had melted into the sea of people in a blink of the eye, the same way a small bubble disappeared in the vast ocean. Things like these were hardly noticeably at all.

  Fu Hongxue slowly raised his head. Mingyue Xin saw that he was smiling, smiling in an odd way but yet very sweetly.

  Out of the blue, he seemed to be lashed by an invisible whip and he instantly turned around and stepped back into the compartment.

  Within that moment, Mingyue Xin had seen not only the dread and pain on his face but could also felt the unbearable sorrow buried deep in his heart.

  Memories that had flowed away like running water and persons that had been blown away by the wind. Why had they resurfaced in his eyes?

  She couldn’t stop herself and lightly touched her own face. That clay Buddha mask was jerked down when she shot out of the compartment, she let him see her face again.

  She suddenly despised herself a little, hated herself for resembling that woman.

  However, she hated that woman even more for causing others such deep pain.

  Why must humans hurt each other? The deeper t
he love, the greater the hurt.

  Her fingertip lightly caressed her eye, only then she realised that her eyes were already moist.

  Who is she crying for?

  Is it for ignorance of Man? Or for this lonely stranger?

  She quietly dried her eyes and stepped back into the compartment, her face was once again covered by the always smiling Buddha mask. In her heart she only wished that she could be the same as this stout and carefree Bodhisattva and forget all the pain and sufferings in the world. Even if it was just for a single moment.

  However, men are not gods. Even the Bodhisattvas no doubt have their own moments of pain. Their smile is perhaps only to deliberately hide that pain for the benefit of Man.

  She comforted her heart with this.

  Fu Hongxue’s pale face was still twitching in convulsion. She barely suppressed the sharp pain in heart, “You certainly recognise the person just now.”

  He certainly recognised.

  Mingyue Xin added, “But you never take any notice of him because he is genuinely too ordinary.”

  As ordinary as a bubble in the ocean, a seed in the grain bin. Nobody would give him a second look.

  Only when you were drowning with seawater in your mouth, would you discover that the bubble had turned a black finger stabbing in through the mouth into your heart.

  Mingyue Xin exhaled, “That is why I always considered this kind of people as the most fearsome of all. If he had not shown himself, you might never notice him.”

  Fu Hongxue acknowledged.

  But why did he deliberately blow his own cover just now?

  Mingyue Xin explained. “He did so to check us out.”

  Thumb must have noticed someone spying from the carriage across the street so he purposely spat on his trouser leg. While pretending to clean up, he must had secretly informed him.

  He then deliberately threw himself in front of the horse. For he knew, only by doing so, he could lure out the persons from inside the compartment.

  Mingyue Xin lamented, “We had not yet checked them out but they had already known all about us. Within two hours, they would know where Yan Nanfei is.”

  Fu Hongxue immediately asked, “Blackhand had a grudge with Yan Nanfei?”

  Mingxue Xin replied, “No, they never kill for reasons such as personal grudges.”