One of the Wu swordsman’s body swayed as he said, “Execute you, or me?”
Fan Li’s mind was working. “They were the subjects of Wu. Even though they are rude. We cannot afford to fight them.” Before he could tell his guards to pull back, a bright sword flashed. The guards screamed. Then their swords dropped to the ground. One of the Wu swordsman returned his sword into the sheath, his face was full of gloating pride. The rest of Fan Li’s guards pulled out their swords and surrounded the eight Wu swordsmen.
The leader raised his head and laughed, “We never planned to return to Wu alive anyway. Let’s see how big an army you need in order to kill us!” With a shout, eight swords leaped out of their sheaths. Eight swordsmen stood back to back, forming a circle.
Fan Li thought, “If one could not endure small slights, then one would never achieve great things.” He shouted, “These eight are amba.s.sadors from the Great Kingdom. Don’t treat them with ill manners. Back!” Then he retreated to the side of the street. His guards were angry enough to spit fire from their eyes, but they dare not disobey him. Reluctantly they retreated to the side of the street as well.
Then they heard the cries of a herd of goats. A young maiden dressed in pale green robe herded tens of goats down the street. The goats started to go around the eight Wu swordsmen. One swordsman was feeling cheated of a good fight, so his sword moved and a goat was neatly bisected. The cut was so neat that even the nose of the goat was severed into two precisely equal parts. His seven friends cheered. Even Fan Li could not fault his sword skill.
The young maiden’s bamboo stick moved and herded the rest of goats behind her. Then she said, “Why did you kill my goat?” The voice was feminine and clear, but it also contained anger.
The goat killer cut his sword into air a few times and laughed, “Little girl, I will cut you into half just like this goat!”
Fan Li cried, “Lady, please come over here. They are drunk.”
The maiden said, “Even if you are drunk, that’s no excuse to behave rudely.”
The swordsman’s sword circled above her head., “I was thinking of cutting off your head, but now I see you’re quite pretty, so I changed my mind.” His seven friends laughed again.
Fan Li looked at her. She had an oval face, long eyelashes and clear, white skin. Her face was pretty and her body was slender, even seemingly frail. He cried again, “Lady, over here.” The maiden said, “Of course.”
The Wu swordsman’s sword reached out toward toward her belt., “Why…” Before he could finished, the maiden’s bamboo stick flickered and stabbed into his wrist. The swordsman only felt a sudden pain on his wrist and dropped his sword. The bamboo stick raised upward, followed by another stab into the swordsman’s right eye. The swordsman screamed as he covered his blinded eye.
The maiden’s movement might be simple, but for some reason, the Wu swordsman could not block or even avoid her bamboo stick. The other seven swordsmen was much surprised. One of them pulled back his sword and thrusted it toward the maiden’s right eye. As the sword sped forward, everyone could hear a loud whoosh, signalling the strength behind the thrust.
The maiden didn’t even move her feet. Her bamboo stick moved again. This time she stabbed at the swordsman’s shoulder. The stab was so fast that although it started after the thrust, it arrived well before the thrust could reach her. The swordsman cried out in pain as all the strength went out of his thrust. Then the maiden’s wrist flicked and the bamboo stick went into his right eye. The swordsman screamed like a butchered pig as his two fists waved aimlessly.
Now, the maiden made four moves and two Wu swordsmen were disabled. The spectator only saw her making some movements with her bamboo stick. Even though she moved too fast to be seen clearly, but the technique she used was clearly derived from some sort of high sword skill. Fan Li was both surprised and gladdened, but now he saw that the maiden had to face six Wu swordsmen. He hurriedly said, “Swordsmen of Wu. It would be bad for the honour of Wu if the six of you gang up on a defenceless girl. Even you win with you superior numbers……” He clapped his hands together. His guards leaped into the street and surrounded the Wu swordsmen.
The maiden smiled, “Even the odds of six against one is not enough for you.” Her left hand lifted slightly. The bamboo stick on her right hand thrusted toward yet another swordsman’s eye. She moved her stick and stabbed toward another swordsman’s chest. Three swords sped toward her. She moved agilely and avoided all three sword, then she counterattacked. One swordsman was stabbed on the wrist and lost hold on his sword.
Fan Li’s guard was ready to leap into battle, but they could not penetrate into the sword net formed by the Wu swordsmen. The maiden moved between the six swordsmen. Her long sleeves and long belt waved in the wind beautifully. Then the cries of pain came from one after another Wu swordsmen as their swords dropped to the ground. The fight was over. Each of the Wu swordsmen lost an eye. Some lost the right eye. Some lost the left eye.
The maiden pulled back her bamboo stick and said, “You killed my goat. Now compensate me.”
The Wu swordsmen were angry and scared. Some were roaring in fury. Some were shivering in fear. These eight were battle-hardened veterans. Ordinarily they would not lose control of their demeanour even if someone cut of both of their hands, but what happened to them was so beyond their comprehension that they had not idea how they should act.
The maiden said, “If you don’t compensate me for my goat, I will take your other eye.” The Wu swordsmen jumped back involuntarily.
Fan Li said, “Lady, I will give you one hundred goats, but let these eight men leave.”
The maiden smiled, “You’re a nice man. I don’t want one hundred goats. I only want one.”
Fan Li said to the guard, “Accompany the amba.s.sadors from the Great Kingdom back to the palace. Summon the physicians to treat their wounds.” The eight Wu swordsmen left crestfallen, like c.o.c.ks who had lost a fight.
Fan Li walked toward the maiden and said, “Lady, what is your respected surname?” The maiden said, “What did you say?” He rephrased the question, “What is your name?” The maiden said, “Oh, my name is A’qing. What is yours?”
Fan Li smiled and thought, “So she is just a simple country girl unversed in courtly manners. Yet she learned this G.o.dlike sword skill. I only have to learn who her master is, then I can invite her teacher to train Yue warriors. Wu will not be able to stand against us.” His heart warmed as he realised that he’s closer to bring Xi Shi back. Then he said, “I am called Fan Li. Lady, why don’t you have a meal in my home?” A’qing said, “No, I have to herd the goats to pasture.” Fan Li said, “I have a large lawn in my home. Your goats can feed there, then I will compensate you with ten fat goats.”
A’qing clapped her hands together and laughed, “You have a big lawn? Good, but I don’t want any goat from you. You didn’t kill this goat.” She knelt to the ground and petted the dead goat. Then she said sadly, “Old White, bad man killed you. I can’t save you this time.”
Fan Li ordered his guard, “Sew the body back together and bury it next to this lady’s house.”