Flying Fox of the Snowy Mountain Chapter 9 – Part 3

Though Adept Lingqing had been kicked out by Miao Renfeng, he was after all a renowned elder of the Kunlun School,¹ with martial arts of singular accomplishment. His body flew high in the air, his waist twisted, and in an instant he had turned head-up feet-down, reversing his position. With a thud he landed sitting on the edge of the bed.

Hu Fei was greatly startled. He was about to rush forward and shove him aside when suddenly a forceful wind slammed into his chest, and at the same moment from his right came the whistle of a blade cutting air. Old Fist Master Jiang and another guard had attacked simultaneously. The guard’s single dao strike was easy enough to dodge, but Jiang’s move Dipper Handle Points East² was not so easily deflected. Hu Fei could only plant his feet firmly and channel his neili³ to receive the blow. But the Wuji Fist⁴ flowed continuous as a great river. One move had barely passed before the next followed, and for a time he could not free his hands and feet.

Adept Lingqing, fallen by the bed, tore half the gauze curtain down with a rip. When he leapt up again, he swept aside the cotton quilt covering Miao Ruolan, exposing her upper body.

Miao Renfeng was fighting with great spirit when suddenly he saw a young woman lying on the bed, her undergarments insufficient to cover her body, her cheeks flushed red, not moving at all. It was his own beloved only daughter. How could he not panic? He cried, “Laner, what’s wrong?” Miao Ruolan could not speak, but looked up at her father, both ashamed and anxious.

Miao Renfeng shook his arms with force, forced his way hard between four enemies, and pulled at his daughter. But her body was soft and limp, quite unable to move. Her acupoints⁵ had been sealed. He had seen with his own eyes Hu Fei leap out from under the covers on the bed. The fellow had been assaulting his beloved daughter all along. He was so angry he nearly fainted. Without even pausing to release his daughter’s acupoints, he cursed, “Villain!” He swung both arms and struck fiercely at Hu Fei.

His eyes blazed as if spewing fire. The two punches he threw carried the full force of his life’s cultivation, their momentum like toppling mountains and overturning seas. Hu Fei was startled. He had just been concentrating on exchanging moves with Old Fist Master Jiang, his mind on nothing else, and had not seen how Miao Renfeng pulled Miao Ruolan. He was greatly puzzled. He had clearly saved the man, so why was Miao attacking him instead? Seeing the ferocity of the assault, he had no time to shout and ask, but hastily dodged left. A great boom sounded. Miao Renfeng’s twin fists had struck a martial artist in the back.

This man’s lower-body training was as stable as bedrock. Once he settled into a horse stance, even several strong men pushing together could not drag him. When Miao Renfeng’s fists struck, he happened to be facing away from Hu Fei. One struck in haste, the other dodged fast, and those two fists landed squarely on his back. Had it been another man, those blows would have sent him sprawling face-down. But this martial artist’s lower-body skill was truly extraordinary. Hard met hard. With a crack, his spine snapped in the middle. His body folded softly in two, his legs still firmly planted on the ground, his upper body bent forward until his forehead touched the floor, never to rise again.

Everyone, seeing Miao Renfeng so fierce and mighty, let out a shout and scattered in all directions. Miao Renfeng swept his left leg and kicked again at Hu Fei.

Hu Fei saw Miao Ruolan half-naked in the candlelight, and several men with base intentions were already leering at her. He judged it more urgent to shield her modesty first. He grabbed a guard at hand and blocked between himself and Miao Renfeng, darted sideways, leapt to the bedside, and pulled the quilt over Miao Ruolan. These movements were incomparably swift. Before anyone could see clearly, he had already gathered Miao Ruolan in his arms and slipped out through the gap in the wooden wall.

Miao Renfeng kicked the guard flying toward the roof. Seeing Hu Fei abduct his beloved daughter and flee, he was both shocked and furious. He roared, “Villain, put down my daughter at once!” He leapt to pursue, but the room was small and crowded, and several enemies entangled him. No matter how he punched and kicked, he could not break free.

Footnotes

1. 昆仑派 – Kūnlún Pài. A martial arts school based on Kunlun Mountain in the western regions. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 斗柄东指 – Dǒu Bǐng Dōng Zhǐ. Lit. “The Dipper Handle Points East.” A move from Wuji Fist, named after the constellation’s orientation. ↩

3. 内力 – nèilì. Internal power cultivated through martial arts training, the foundation of all martial skill. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 无极拳 – Wújí Quán. The fist art of the Wuji School, characterised by continuous, flowing movements. ↩

5. 穴道 – xuédào. Points along the body’s meridians where neili converges. Striking or sealing them can disable or kill. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩