[nsw-fic] The Legendary Zhuge Liang - XV

Chan and Kung drink wine and chat in Mao's inn with Wong, a man who, after being very impressed with how the two heroes beat up some thugs, joined their company. For hours, they talk about several subjects, until Wong decides that it is the right time to tell them why he joined their company.

"Chan and Kuang!" Wong, smiling, says. "Have you heard of Wao, Governor of Wuchang?"

"I have heard about him." Kuang replies. "He is very loved by the people, he is loyal to his Lord, is one of the few Southland Governors to have never been accused of corruption and so, he is very respected in the pugilist world."

"Indeed. I, Wong, have been working for five years for Governor Wao. The Governor needs some bodyguards. After witnessing your amazing Kung Fu, I believe that you are the best persons to take on this job."

"I am sorry, but I will have to refuse." Chan answers. "I like to live a carefree life. Not to say that there are many better Martial Artists than us."

"Indeed." Kuang agrees.

"But, why do you not at least come with me to meet Governor Wao?" Wong asks. "You may change your opinion if you talk with him."

"But....." Chan tries to say, but he is interrupted by Wong, who says "No need to be shy. Governor Wao will be very pleased to meet talents like you."

Governor Wao's Office

Chan and Kuang, unwillingly, decide to follow Wong and meet with Governor Wao. Wao, because of his good and wise governance, has gained the respect of many pugilist heroes, including the Great Tao Sect of Fong Yuen and the Buddhist Society Sect of the Three Kung Fu Emperors. Chan and Kuang enters Wao's office along with Wong. When they enter, Wao is sitting in his office and is reading some economic reports. There are no bodyguards inside the office. Wao is a middle-aged man, in his late fifties, with grey hair and beard. He is a bit short and does not look very muscular, although he is slim. He wears clothes made of silk. When Wao sees Wong and his two guests, he gets up and approaches them.

"Who are those two young men?" Wao asks Wong.

"They are great talents, my lord." Wong replies. "They are very able pugilists. Their Kung Fu is excellent."

"Good. What are their names?"

"Chan and Kuang."

"I am pleased to meet you." Chan says.

"Me too." Kuang adds.

"I am also very pleased to meet new talents." Wao replies. "I shall make you my bodyguards."

"But.." Chan tries to protest, but before he can, something happens that changes the entire situation.

Wong pulls out a knife and stabs twice Wao on the stomach. Wao vomits huge amount of blood and dies, with his last words being "You.....tr....tra...trai....traitor!". Before Chan and Kuang can react, Wong stabs himself on the chest with the knife and, bleeding, shouts "Help, assassins!!!!". Suddenly, four bodyguards, all very, very muscular and with scars all over their faces and bodies, enter the office. Seeing their Master dead and Wong stabbed, they assume that Chan and Kuang are the assassins and attack them.

The first bodyguards kicks Chan's chest, but when he tries to kick Chan a second time, he dodges the kick. He then uses Ku of the 'Ku Wai Zheng Fung technique'. He jumps on the air, lands behind the man and kicks him with a very powerful back kick on the back, causing him to spit blood and fall on the ground. The second bodyguard grabs a chair and breaks it on Chan's head. Chan, feeling dizzy, is pushed back. The man charges at him, but Chan blocks the attack using his left palm and then grabs a nearby porcelain vase and breaks it on the man's head. The man's head starts bleeding. Chan then kicks thrice the man's stomach and, as the man is pushed back, grabs a chair and hits with it the bodyguard five times, killing him. Meanwhile, Kuang battles the other two bodyguards. The first of them pulls out a knife and tries to stab Kuang, but Kuang dodges twice the knife and then grabs the man by the hair and punches his head on the office's wall, breaking it and killing him. He then grabs the, now dead, man's knife and throws it at the second bodyguard's chest, killing him.

The two men rush out of the office, but as they are about to leave by the main entrance, two bodyguards stop them. The first tries to hit Chan, but Chan kicks him on his genetic organs and then punches his fists thirty times on the man's face. The man's face becomes red with blood and his nose and most of his teeth are broken. Chan finishes him off by digging out his eyes with his "Two Deadly Fingers". The second bodyguard rushes against Kuang, but he punches his right palm on the man's chest. During his attack with his palm, Kuang recites lines from Ancient Martial Arts Manuals originating from the Spring and Autumn Period, which he and Chan learned from Beggar So, and concentrates all his internal energy on his palm. Thus, while Kuang's internal strength is not as strong as Chan's, the palm has considerable strength and is able to cause internal injuries. So, the man is pushed back, falls on the ground and, when he tries to get up, vomits blood and dies. With their enemies dead, the two heroes leave the office of Wao.

White Crane Village, three days distance from Wuchang

Chan and Kuang, after being barely able to escape Wao's office, have left Wuchang, because it is not longer safe for them. They know that because Wao was a very loved and respected man, the price for their heads will be immensely high. And, indeed it is. One day after the murder of Wao, Sun Quan had his soldiers put posters all over Wuchang in which he declares that the man who bring Chan and Kuang to him, dead or alive, shall be rewarded 50,000 golden coins. As expected, hundreds of mercenaries, many of them Kung Fu experts are searching all over the Southland for Chan and Kuang.

When Chan and Kuang reach the White Crane Village, which is three days distance from Wuchang on foot, they go to an inn to rest. When they enter the inn, they find it largely empty. In fact, there is only the innkeeper, two men who are drinking some wine and a company of ten men, who seem to be very motionless, in the inn. Kuang and Chan sit on a table. Chan shouts "bring us some wine!". The innkeeper seems to be ignoring them. In fact, he is standing still and does not move at all. Chan shouts two more times, but still the innkeeper seems to be ignoring them.

"I will go and tell him what we want, because he may be deaf." Chan says.

"Alright." Kuang replies.

Chan approaches the innkeeper. He touches his shoulder and, suddenly, the innkeeper falls on the ground. He was already dead, that's why he did not reply. Seeing this, Kuang gets up and approaches the company of the ten men. He touches each one of them on the shoulder, and they all fall down, revealing that they are dead. The innkeeper and the ten men do not have any sign of being injured. Meanwhile, the two men who drink their wine, laugh and chat. Chan and Kuang approach them. The first man is a man in his 30's with short black hair, a scruffy light beard, blue eyes and a handsome face. He wears a long black tattered poncho, black clothes and a conical hat, which hides his face. The second man is a short man with a funny and somewhat ugly face. He wears a white silk robe.

"Do you know who killed those men?" Chan asks.

"I did! Hahaha!" the man with the ugly face replies, while laughing. "I am 'Poison Darts' Hung!"

"And I am 'Knife' Yang!" the man with the scruffy light beard shouts.

"Why did you kill them?" Kuang asks.

"In order to kill you and take the reward! Hahaha!" Hung replies while at the same time throwing two poisonous darts at Kuang and Chan. The two heroes are barely able to dodge them in the last second. Yang and Hung, then, get up and charge against the two heroes.

Yang pulls out two knifes and tries to stab Chan with them. Chan is at first able to avoid them, but soon Yang stabs him twice on the stomach. As Chan shouts in pain, Yang says "This is your reward for killing such a good man as Governor Wao!"

"But, I did not kill him!" Chan shouts. "Wong, who worked for Wao, killed him and stabbed himself."

"I do not believe you!"

Yang pulls out knifes from his sleeves, one after the other, and throws them at Chan. Chan dodges them in the last moment. Yang then, armed with three knifes in each one of his hands, a total of six knifes, tries to stab Chan, who has no choice but to run for his life. As he runs, he stamps upon a wooden table, which he grabs and throws on Yang, but Yang avoids it. Chan the grabs the inn's chairs and starts throwing them one after the other on Yang. Yang, however, dodges them and approaches Chan fast. As Yang approaches Chan and is ready to stab him, Chan grabs once again a chair and hits with it Yang's head. This time, the chair was able to do it's job and Yang is pushed back and is feeling dizzy. Taking advantage of this, Chan starts kicking him mercilessly on the stomach, chest and face. Yang, bleeding, falls on the ground. Chan, instead of finishing him off, helps him get up and says to him "I really did not kill Wao."

"Why...should...I...believe...you?" Yang asks.

"You can follow us and spy on Wong. Then, you shall discover that he is the one who killed Wao. If we lie to you, you can then kill us. And, anyway, if we were the real killers, I would have killed you now."

"Alright. I shall follow you. But, we must return to Wuchang as soon as possible, so we can spy on Wong and so, I can find out if you are telling the truth."

"Alright."

Meanwhile, Kuang battles with Hung. Hung throws at Kuang several poisonous darts, but Kuang dodges them. Hung then shouts "It's poison time!", pulls out some sand and throws it at Kuang. Kuang dodges it, but the table near him does not, and the table is quickly burned. Kuang then goes on the offensive, jumps on the air and kicks Hung's head with a very powerful flying kick, which kills Hung. Chan and Yang explain to Kuang about their agreement and are ready to leave, but, suddenly, more than 100 Southland soldiers, mostly spearmen, enter the inn and surround the three men, who are forced to surrender.

A day later, Southland Jails, Wuchang

Chan, Kuang and Yang are imprisoned and await a death sentence. They are held in nearby cells, but each man is alone in his cell and chained. Kuang, who is in the next cell to Chan's cell, says to Chan "Hey, Chan! They are going to execute us today! If we do not find a way to leave, we will soon be dead."

Chan, instead of replying, meditates, recites lines from Ancient Martial Arts Manuals and concentrates his internal energy. His teacher, Beggar So, had told him many times that he has immense internal strength. Then, after a few minutes, he starts shouting in pain. A Southland guard approaches the cell and asks "What do you want?"

"I am in pain!"

"Ha! Do you think I will fall for such an old trick?!"

"I am really in pain!!"

"Right!"

"What harm can I do to you, even if I am lying? I am unarmed and you are armed with a sword. Also, I am chained. So, I cannot move. Are you a coward?"

"Of course not!"

The guard enters the cell and approaches Chan, but Chan, using his internal strength, is able to break the chains and, now free, punches his right palm on the man's chest. The man vomits blood and dies. Chan takes off the guard's clothes and dresses with them. He also takes the guard's keys. He opens Kuang's and Yang's cells. Now, that they are free, they head towards the main entrance of the jails, in order to leave, but Yang asks "How are we going to get out? We do not have guard's clothes like you."

"You will pretend that you are my prisoners." Chan replies.

And so, the three heroes head at the jails' gate. There, a guard stops them.

"What are you doing?" the guard asks.

"I am moving some prisoners." Chan replies.

"Alright. Move, move!"

The three men leave the jails and then run as fast as they can, before the Southland guards realize their mistake.

Two days later, Dragon Mountain, Buddhist Society Sect

A young aristocratic man wearing a blue silk robe enters in the Dragon Mountain Temple, the headquarters of the Buddhist Society Sect, which is upon the Dragon Mountain. The Buddhist Society Sect is the main Buddhist Sect of China and controls all Buddhist Monks in China. Many of the Buddhist Monks are skilled in martial arts and have developed several Kung Fu styles. The leaders of the Sect are the Three Holy Abbots, three Buddhist Monks of old age, but with chivalrous character, wisdom and great virtue, who are also known as the Three Kung Fu Emperors, because their Kung Fu is the best in the world and it is said that only Fong Yuen, Abbot of the Great Tao Sect, can rival them. A young Buddhist Monk approaches the man. He wears a yellow robe and has his hair shaved in Buddhist manner.

"Sir, what do you want?" the Buddhist Monk asks.

"I want to see the Three Holy Abbots." the young man replies.

"Sir, do you know that for many years they have been in seclusion and do not interfere with worldly affairs?"

"I know. Tell them that I am Wuji, son of Governor Wao."

"I will tell them."

The Buddhist Monk leaves and, after ten minutes, the Three Holy Abbots come to meet Wuji. The Abbots are very old, with their hair shaved in Buddhist manner and have long white beards. They wear a yellow robe and, upon that, a smaller red one, which shows that they are Buddhist elders. The Three Abbots are Kang, who is the eldest of them, Rong and Jiajing.

"Young boy." Kang says. "How is your father?"

"He....he....has been brutally murdered!"

What?!" all three Abbots shout.

"Who could do something like this?" Jiajing asks. "Who could be so cruel as to kill such a respected and loved ruler? Who?"

"Two young men!" Wuji replies. "They pretended that they wanted to become my father's bodyguards and murdered him. My father's friend and worker, Wong, was also stabbed by them and seriously injured."

"What audacity!" Rong shouts. "We shall help you correct this injustice!"

So, Chan, Kuang and Yang, will have to face the three greatest martial artists in the whole of China.

machievelli · March 29, 2014

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[nsw-fic] The Legendary Zhuge Liang - XV

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