Zhang Wuji smiled and stated, “The solar is shining brightly, I can see all the pieces clearly.” His voice turned mild; “Zhiruo,” he stated, “You have got spent an excessive amount of power these previous few days; you should be actually drained. Maybe you hallucinated and thought you noticed one thing.”

“Cannot be! Cannot presumably be!” Zhou Zhiruo insisted, “I noticed it 3 times; three consecutive occasions.” Her voice trembled; clearly she was terrified.

“What’s it that you simply noticed three consecutive occasions?” Zhang Wuji requested.

With one hand on his shoulder, Zhou Zhiruo tried to face up on her trembling toes. After which, mustering all her braveness and energy she circled to look again. Simply an prompt she rapidly turned her eyes towards Zhang Wuji once more and seeing his mild and gentle expression, filled with concern, her coronary heart ached; all of the sudden she felt weary and dropped down on the bottom.

“Wuji Gege,” she stated, “I … I’ve deceived you. I used to be the one who took Yitian Sword and Tulong Saber, I used to be the one who killed … killed Yin … Miss Yin … I used to be the one who sealed Xie Da Xia’s acupoint. I … I didn’t marry Music Qingshu. In my coronary heart I at all times have solely … solely you alone.”

Zhang Wuji sighed. “Truly, I’ve already recognized all the pieces. However … however why did you do it?”

Crying, Zhou Zhiruo stated, “You do not know what my Shifu advised me on the Wan An Temple Pagoda. She advised me the key of the Yitian Sword and the Tulong Saber. She needed me to acquire the treasured Sword and Saber in any respect prices, to brighten the identify of Emei Pai. She made me swear a heavy oath to faux that I such as you, however she wouldn’t enable me to fall in love with you …”

Zhang Wuji gently stroked her arm, remembering how he had witnessed Miejue Shitai struck Ji Xiaofu useless together with her palm, how within the nice desert Miejue Shitai swore to destroy the Ming Cult, how he noticed her bloodbath the Cult disciples underneath the Rui Jin Flag with Yitian Sword in her hand. Afterwards, hovering down from the Wan An Temple Pagoda, she most well-liked loss of life to being assist by him. All of it confirmed how deep her hatred towards the Ming Cult was. Since Zhou Zhiruo was appointed her successor and had obtained her final phrases, all types of malicious and merciless acts she did should be due to her Shifu’s directions.

By his nature, Zhang Wuji had at all times been very simple to forgive different individuals’s offense. He had by no means held any grudge in opposition to anyone. Furthermore, he remembered her kindness after they had been little on the boat floating alongside the Hanshui River, how she helped him eat and took a excellent care of him. Additionally, in the course of the fierce battle on the Brightness Peak, when he was combating He Taichong, husband and spouse, and the 2 tall and brief elders of Huashan Pai, maybe he would have been useless proper then and there if she didn’t give him instructions from the aspect. On prime of that, he remembered that though she was malicious, merciless and artful, all her actions had been attributable to her deep emotions towards him.

This second, as her delicate and frail physique was leaning in opposition to his bosom, Zhang Wuji couldn’t assist from having a young feeling towards her. “Zhiruo,” he referred to as in a gentle voice, “What did you really see, which made you that scared?”

Abruptly Zhou Zhiruo jumped up and stated, “I’m not going to say. It should be a kind of stressed spirit got here again to entangle me. I’ve performed an excessive amount of evil. I deserve this revenge. I’ve defined to you all the pieces, I … I will not dwell lengthy …” Masking her face, she scurried down the mountain.

Zhang Wuji felt as if his thoughts was enveloped in fog. “What stressed ghost entangled her? Was it the Beggar Clan’s individuals looking for revenge on her and dressed up as a ghost to frighten her?” Slowly he circled and walked again to the Temple.

He noticed Zhou Zhiruo go towards the Emei Pai crowd. Bei Jinyi took a coat and wrapped it round her shoulder. Zhou Zhiruo stated one thing in low voice and the Emei Pai disciples bowed collectively.

By this time, many of the multitude of heroes had left the mountain, Kong Wen and Kong Zhi, two monks had been busy sending them off. Yang Xiao, Fan Yao and the others congregated round Zhang Wuji. “We would higher take our go away too,” Zhang Wuji stated.

He noticed Zhou Zhiruo stroll towards Kong Wen and converse in a low voice. Kong Wen’s countenance modified; he regarded startled. Then Kong Wen shook his head. No matter it was, it regarded like Kong Wen had simply refused her request. Zhou Zhiruo talked some extra, after which all of the sudden she kneeled down in entrance of him. Clasping her palms collectively, she mumbled one thing that regarded like she was praying. Kong Wen regarded somber, his mouth muttered praises to Buddha.

“Jiaozhu,” Zhou Dian stated, “You have to rapidly cease her, do not let her do it.”

“Do not let her do what?” Zhang Wuji requested.

Zhou Dian replied, “Miss Zhou goes to depart dwelling [orig. chu jia] to change into a monk. She … she goes to enter the gate of vacancy. It is going to be dangerous for you.”

Yang Xiao snickered and stated, “Even when Miss Zhou goes to depart dwelling, she’s going to change into a nun, not a monk. Why would she take a Shaolin Pai monk to be her grasp?”

Zhou Dian slapped his brow loudly. “Proper, proper!” he stated, “I used to be muddleheaded. However what’s Miss Zhou asking Kong Wen Dashi to do? One is Shaolin Pai Zhang Males, the opposite is Emei Pai Zhang Males, they’re equal, no one must kneel down in entrance of the opposite.”

They noticed Zhou Zhiruo standing up; her face confirmed she was considerably comforted. Zhang Wuji sighed and stated, “We needn’t meddle into another person’s enterprise.” Turning his head, he stated, “Min Mei, allow us to go away.” Who would have thought that as he turned his head, he didn’t see Zhao Min.

For the final a number of days, Zhao Min had by no means left his aspect; she at all times shadowed Zhang Wuji. Zhang Wuji was barely shocked. “The place is Miss Zhao?” he requested, whereas in his coronary heart he silently cursed, “Dangerous! I’m positive Min Mei noticed me when Zhiruo leaned in opposition to my chest. May or not it’s that she thinks I can’t neglect my outdated flame and considers me as hopeless?” Swiftly he ordered all people to search for her.

Xin Ran, the Flag Chief of Lie Huo Flag stated, “Reporting to Jiaozhu: subordinate noticed Miss Zhao strolling down the mountain!”

Zhang Wuji was grieved. “Min Mei has deserted all the pieces to comply with me,” he mused, “She has gone via I do not know what number of adversities. How can I hand over on her?” Thereupon, he turned to Yang Xiao and stated, “Yang Xiong, I’m asking you to maintain our enterprise right here. I’m going to depart first.”

He bid his farewell to Kong Wen and Kong Zhi, additionally to Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Songxi, Yin Liting and the others. Final of all, he stated to Zhou Zhiruo, “Zhiruo, take a excellent care of your self. We’ll meet once more some day quickly.” Zhou Zhiruo hung her head low; she didn’t reply, solely nodded barely. Beads of silver tears fell down from her face to the dusty floor.

Unleashing his ‘qing gong’, Zhang Wuji dashed down the mountain. For the subsequent a number of ‘li’s, the mountain path was full with the heroes returning dwelling from Shaolin Temple. He was not prepared to greet the heroes one after the other, so he merely flew previous them from the aspect, but alongside the way in which he didn’t see any hint of Zhao Min in any respect. In a single breath he had pursued for greater than thirty ‘li’s. The sky was turning darkish, the individuals strolling alongside the street was thinning. Abruptly he remembered, “Min Mei is finest in planning and scheming. If she has a thoughts to keep away from me, then probably she’s going to keep away from the primary street. In any other case, with my velocity, I ought to have caught up together with her way back. May or not it’s that she continues to be hiding across the Shaoshi Peak, ready for me to depart earlier than she comes out and stroll away?”