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"So as you see, the magnet is powerful," said Chen, picking up the dagger again and gripping it tightly
Huo Qingtong walked on a few more steps"Come here!" she calledChen ran over and saw a skeleton which was still standingA few tattered pieces of clothing hung on the frame, and its right hand was holding a white-coloured sword which was stuck into the skeleton next to it
"It's a jade sword!" Huo Qingtong exclaimedChen carefully extracted the sword from the skeleton's grasp, and with its support gone, it collapsed to the floor in a heap
The jade sword's blade was very sharp, but it was still frail enough to shatter if it clashed with a metal bladeLooking round, they saw there were many other jade weapons of all sizes lying about the hall
"I know!" Huo Qingtong suddenly said"The master of this mountain certainly planned things very carefully
"What?" asked Chen
"He used this magnet to draw the enemy's weapons away and then his guards finished them off with the jade swords
Princess Fragrance pointed at a skeleton wearing a metal breast plate"Look! Some of the attackers were wearing armouri'll bet they couldn't get on their feet
"But what I don't understand," Huo Qingtong continued, "is if the guards with the jade weapons killed all the attackers, why did they also die here as well?"
Chen had also been considering that problem, but could think of no explanation
"Let's go further in and explore," said Huo ladies omega watches Qingtong
"No," Princess Fragrance said
Huo Qingtong saw the anguished expression on her face and squeezed her armPerhaps there are no skeletons over there
They walked to the other side of the hall and looked into a smaller chamberBut the scene there was even more terrible than in the first hallDozens of skeletons were piled about the room, most of them still standing as if aliveSome had weapons in their hands, some didn't
"Don't touch anything!" said Chen"There must be some strange reason for them dying like this They continued on, and passed out of the chamber into a tunnelAfter a couple of bends, they came upon a small swing doorAs they pushed it open, their eyes were assailed by a bright lightSunlight poured in from a crack in the ceiling hundreds of feet above into an excuisite jade room which had obviously been carved out of the mountain at this spot to take advantage of the natural lighting
Although it was only a single shaft of sunlight, the three were very excited at the sight of itThe room they found themselves in had a jade bed, a jade table, jade chairs, all beautifully carvedA skeleton reclined on the jade bed, while in one corner of the room, there were two other skeletons, one large and one small
Chen extinguished the torch"We'll rest here," he saidThey pulled out their dry rations and water and had a small meal
"I wonder how long the wolves will wait outside the mountain for us?" said Huo Qingtong"This has became a prada backpacks contest between us and the wolves, so we will have to make the food and water last as long as possible
For the past several days, Chen and the two sisters had not had a moment in which they could relaxNow, in this silent jade room, an immense exhaustion came over them and before very long, they fell into a deep, deep sleep
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Part 8
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** 1 **
Zhang and the Three Devils watched the wolves swarm after Chen and the girls with great relief, although they felt a tinge of regret at the thought of two such beautiful girls being ravished by the animalsThe four men sat down to rest for a while, then roasted and ate one of the dead wolves left behindGu noticed that the supply of tree branches was almost exhausted, and too lazy to go and get more, he threw piles of wolf's dung onto the fire to stoke up the flamesBefore long, a column of thick, black smoke was rising towards the heavens
Just as they had eaten their fill of wolf meat, they noticed a dust cloud approaching from the eastAssuming it to be another wolf pack, they frantically jumped up and ran for the horsesOnly two horses were left, both of which had been brought by the Three DevilsZhang stretched out his hand to take the reins of one of the mounts, but Hahetai lunged in front of him and grabbed them first, shouting: "What do you think you're doing?"
Zhang was about to attack him when he spied Tang and Gu with weapons in their hands closing in"Why are you getting so fendi handbag replicas excited?" he protested
The Three Devils turned to look and Zhang vaulted onto the horse's backOnly then did he notice that his lie was in fact the truth: in the midst of the dust cloud was a large herd of camels and goatsHe galloped off towards the herd, shouting: "I'll go and have a look!"
After riding only a short way, he saw a rider coming towards himThe rider, an old man dressed in grey, raced up and stopped his mount instantly with a tug on the reinsZhang marvelled at his horsemanship
The rider saw Zhang was wearing the tattered uniform of a Manchu military officer and asked in Chinese: "What happened to the wolves?" Zhang pointed west
By this time, the herd was upon them and in the midst of the dust and noise and confusion, Zhang noticed a bald-headed, red-faced old man and a white-haired old woman riding herdHe was just about to ask who they were when the Three Devils came over and bowed respectfully before the old man in grey
"We are honoured to meet you again, sir," Tang said obsequiously"How are you?"
The old man grunted"Nothing to complain about," he mumbledIt was the Strange Knight of the Heavenly Pool, Master Yuan
Zhang knew nothing of the old man, but he noted the respect with which the Three Devils treated him
Master Yuan examined the four of them for a moment, then said: "We are going to catch the wolvesYou will all come with me
They started in fright and wondered if he was insaneBut the Three Devils black and white chanel knew his kung fu was formidable and did not dare to refuse
Zhang, however, emitted a "humph" of astonishment and said: "I want to live a few more yearsSorry, but I will be unable to accompany you
Absolutely furious, Bald Vulture grabbed for Zhang's wrist shouting: "So you refuse to heed Master Yuan's orders! Do you wish to die?"
Zhang deflected his hand deftly with a 'Dividing The Clouds and Moon' stroke, and the two fought closely for a while, neither gaining the upper handThen they leapt apart, both surprised that they should come upon such a master of the martial arts in the middle of the desert
"What is your name, friend?" Zhang shouted
"What makes you think you're good enough to be my friend? Will you or will you not do what Master Yuan says?"
Zhang knew he was as good a fighter as himself, and yet he still respectfully referred to the other old man as "Master Yuan", indicating Yuan's kung fu was probably even betterWho is this Master Yuan? he wondered"What is your full name, sir?" he asked Yuan"If you are my superior, I will naturally respect your orders
"Ha! So you wish to question me, do you?" Master Yuan exclaimed"It is I that does the questioningI ask you: just now, you used a 'Dividing the Clouds and Moon' moveBut what would you have done if I had replied with a 'Descending the Mountain to Kill the Tiger' stroke on your left while going for your Spiritual Yuedao point on your right?"
Zhang thought for a dior detective bag second |
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