At that moment, Wu Tong and his two companions stepped forward. Wu Tong spoke in a sonorous voice:
"Marpa! This duel was agreed upon between our two sects. The Jing Sect sends only its own disciples, yet why has your Lama Sect filled its ranks with outsiders? Could it be that, since the battle at the Sacred Flame Hall of the Fire-Worship Sect, your elite disciples were wiped out and you can no longer send forth your own men?"
His words were sharp as blades, each syllable cutting deep. His piercing gaze fixed on Marpa.
Marpa, startled to see Wu Tong once again, felt his heart jolt. Hearing Wu Tong's barbed mockery of the Lama Sect, he was inwardly furious, yet he forced himself to answer in a heavy voice:"Wu Tong! My sect has no shortage of able men. Today, I alone am enough to represent us!"
Wu Tong sneered:"Marpa! Bold words indeed. But today's duel was agreed between two sects—yet you invite other Jianghu masters to fight in your stead. Is this the conduct of an upright man?"
Liu Yun then stepped forward and said:"Luoben, you may rest. Allow this humble woman to test these so-called reinforcements first!"
One of the Jiangnan Freaks, Zhu Feng, his voice loud as a bell and edged with scorn, laughed:"Little girl, don't speak so wildly! We of the Jianghu have faced death a thousand times over. With your tender age, even had you trained since birth, what skills could you possibly possess? Do you truly dare to belittle the Jiangnan Freaks and the Three Black Fiends?"
Liu Yun remained composed. She clasped her fists and bowed lightly, her tone calm yet edged with steel:"Though my martial arts are shallow, I know a little of honor and conduct. True, the Jianghu is full of masters, but what I cannot fathom is why your esteemed selves lend your aid to the Lama Sect in their attempt to invade the Central Plains. Most upright men of the Middle Kingdom would never stoop so low. Just what reward did you receive to sell yourselves as hired fists?"
At this, Zhou Jie's face darkened. With a roar, he struck out a palm, the wind howling toward Liu Yun's face. Yet she danced aside upon the Nine Palaces Steps, her body light as drifting willow catkins. Zhou Jie's strike struck only air. A second palm followed, fiercer still. Liu Yun murmured softly:"Yu Step Ascends the Bright Summit…"
Her footwork shifted mysteriously, and her body moved like a phantom through the whistling force of Zhou Jie's palms.
Seeing this, Zhu Feng's eyes grew vicious and he too joined the fray. The two Freaks struck with four palms at once, hemming Liu Yun in. Yet she remained serene, weaving and turning, parting and dissolving their force as though flowing water. With a sudden leap, she sprang free of the circle and smiled faintly:"What is this? Do two venerable seniors truly need to rely on numbers? Very well—let me alone test your skill!"
The Jiangnan Freaks shouted in unison:"You insolent girl! Do not blame us if we show no mercy!"
Like tigers pouncing upon prey, they lunged, palms roaring. But Liu Yun's footwork was as fluid as poetry, her lips whispering incantations:
"The heavens turn, the earth revolves… I tread the Six Jia…I step the stars and trace the Nine Spirits…My fingers subdue demons, frightening the evil…The gods themselves aid me, so no calamity may touch…"
Each step was flawless, and in a sudden whirl she lashed out with twin palms—smack, smack!—forcing the three apart. She stood tall, calm yet proud:"Paltry rabble, hardly worth mentioning."
The Jiangnan Freaks, humiliated, burned with rage. Zhou Jie bellowed:"Courting death!"
Zhu Feng growled:"Split and converge!"
They came at her from both flanks, their odd school of martial arts producing strange, deadly changes. Liu Yun, however, had already seen through their tricks. Her hands moved like drifting clouds, her body like wind-blown willow.
"Strike the acupoints!" Zhou Jie cried. Their techniques shifted, fingers darting like lightning toward her vital points. Yet Liu Yun, her cultivation deep, slipped through their attacks as though dancing in a dream. She thought to herself: To defeat the Jiangnan Freaks is no difficult task.
Her body turned; her left palm lightly diverted Zhou Jie's hand, while her right palm struck out with tidal force. Zhou Jie, caught off guard, felt a tremendous power surge into him, and was hurled away like a broken kite, blood spurting from his mouth.
In the same breath, Liu Yun's footwork slid her across to Zhu Feng; her left palm pinned his wrist, her right palm slammed forward. He too was sent flying, crumpling to the ground, coughing blood.
Liu Yun clapped her hands lightly, her manner almost playful. She called out:"The Three Black Fiends—shall I try my hand at you as well?"
The Three Black Fiends glanced at one another, faces stricken, none daring to speak. The air grew thick with embarrassment.
Then Luoben stepped forward, his tone calm yet commanding:"Marpa, this duel was meant between our sects. Why must you hide behind such helpers? Since they are useless, let you and I settle our sects' feud with a match of our own."
Hearing this, Liu Yun thought silently: If Luoben himself has stepped forth, then at last this strife may reach its end. She glanced at the Black Fiends and sneered inwardly: Bullies and braggarts—today's battle may rid the Jianghu of their menace.
Marpa, who had come proudly to show force, now found himself utterly thwarted. His heart pounded, mind adrift. Just then, the sound of fluttering robes approached. Several figures appeared. The leader intoned solemnly:
"Om Mani Padme Hum!"
Wu Tong fixed his gaze—the newcomers were Guru Geleba, Akamaren, the First Warrior of Tibet, and another disciple, Karmapa.
Karmapa shouted harshly:"Marpa! Do you not kneel when you see your master?"
Marpa's face tightened with unease."I have already been cast out of the sect. Why should I kneel?"
Karmapa retorted:"Marpa, you betrayed your master, dishonored our sect, and secretly gathered the followers of the late Kunbu Dharma-King, proclaiming yourself the Dharma-King. You even forced this duel upon the Jing Sect. News of this has spread across Tibet! Master foresaw your downfall, yet came out of compassion to aid you. And still you show no gratitude? Look about you—enemies surround you. How can you hope to escape alive?"
Marpa was struck dumb. Today's disastrous situation was of his own making—who else could he blame?
Geleba Guru then spoke slowly:"If you no longer recognize me as master, so be it. Your skill today marks you as a first-class fighter of the Jianghu. But you should never forget—the martial world of the Central Plains is vast and teeming with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Last time, even when we brought forth the might of a nation, we nearly suffered complete annihilation. That was a bitter lesson. The past must not be forgotten, lest the future repeat its mistakes."
Yet Marpa showed no sign of repentance. Resentment flickered in his eyes—resentment at Geleba Guru's retreat for survival in the past. He declared proudly:"My sovereign of Tibet is a man of grand vision. His armies shall soon sweep through the Central Plains. I have inherited the Dharma-King's mantle and must uphold his will. How could I retreat now?"
Thus master and disciple stood divided, estranged and hostile, walking their separate paths: you take your broad highway, I tread my narrow bridge.