The girl gave a quiet laugh and said, âWith Master Yangâs handsome face, wearing this mask is asking a lot from him. With my face, itâs the same whether I wear it or not.â
Wanyan Ping said, âI donât believe that! Sister, could you take off your mask and let me see your face?â
Yang Guo also was curious and he too was anxious to see her face, but the girl took two steps back and laughed, and said, âDonât look, donât look, my face will scare you guys.â Wanyan Ping saw that she wonât take it off and so didnât ask her again.
By midday the three arrived at Wuguan. They found a restaurant in the town and had something to eat. The waiters saw Yang Guo was wearing Mongolian clothes and didnât dare to be slow; they made sure they tended to his needs first. The three were halfway through their food when they saw three females enter the restaurant; it was Li Mochou and her disciple along with Lu Wushuang as their captive.
Yang Guo thought that although Li Mochou could not possibly recognize him at this moment in time, his strange face would attract her suspicions. It wouldnât be convenient for him to act so he turned around and ate his rice, shifting his body to hear their conservation. Who would think that Lu Wushuang would not make a sound? After Li Mochou and Hong Lingbo ordered, they too didnât speak.
Wanyan Ping had heard Yang Guo describe Li Mochou and her disciples before. She was anxious and dipped her chopstick into a bowl of soup and wrote on the table, âTime to move?â
Yang Guo thought, âEven with the three us and âWifeyâ itâll be hard for us to beat the two of them. We can only win by using our brains, we canât use force.â He waved his chopstick.
There were footsteps from the stairs and two people emerged. Wanyan Ping glanced over; it was Yelu Qi and Yelu Yan. The two people also noticed that Wanyan Ping was there and both were surprised; they nodded and then found a table to sit down. The two knew that Wanyan Ping had left and wasnât going to try to assassinate their father again so they left their father and brother and went traveling. They were even more relaxed when they saw Wanyan Ping was here.
Li Mochou was troubled by the fact that the âFive Poison Codexâ had fallen into the hands of the Beggar Clan. These past few days she had no appetite for food; she just ate half a bowl of noodles and then placed her chopsticks on the table. She raised her head and looked out of the restaurant; on the corner of the street she saw two beggars, on their backs their were five pockets, they were five band beggar clan members. She had a thought and went over to the window, she signaled to the beggars and said, âBeggar Clan members, please come here, This Taoist priestess has a message for your clanâs chief.â She knew that if she asked them to come up for no reason, they might not come, but if she said she had a message for their chief, they would definitely come.
Lu Wushuang heard her Master calling the beggars and knew that she wanted to inquire about the whereabouts of the âFive Poison Codexâ; her face couldnât refrain from turning white. Yelu Qi knew that the Beggar Clan was a powerful force up here in the north, yet this beautiful priestess actually had something to say to them; he didnât know who she was, his curiosity was roused, he stopped drinking and watched them.
In a short while, the sound of footsteps could be heard outside, two Beggar Clan members entered and greeted Li Mochou and said, âWhat does the Angelic Priestess want, weâll honor the request.â After they greeted her they stood up. One of the beggars saw that Lu Wushuang was present and his face immediately changed, he had tangled with her before, he pulled his friend and leapt to the stairs entrance.
Li Mochou gave a wry smile and said, âPlease take a look at the back of your hands.â The beggars looked on their back of their hands only to see three red prints, they didnât know how on earth she managed to do this; she had used her âDivine Five Poison Palmâ without âdisturbing ghosts or godsâ (roughly âcompletely un-seenâ). The beggars didnât even know she had done anything, even Yang Guo and Yelu Qi couldnât see clearly what had happened.
The beggars were startled and both called out, âYouâre⊠youâre the âScarlet Serpent Deityâ?â
Li Mochou softly said, âGo and tell your chief, âyour clan and the one named Li have always kept away from each otherâ, say âthe river water does not mix with the well waterâ. I have always admired the heroes of the Beggar Clan, itâs just that Iâve never had the chance to acquaint myself with the clan, I really regret that.â
The beggars looked at her and thought, âIt sounds nice but why did you use your poisonous techniques on us for no reason?â
Li Mochou took a break and then carried on, âThe two of you have fallen victim to the âDivine Five Poison Palmâ, donât worry, all youâve got to do is return the book you stole and I will help you cure it.â
One of the beggars said, âWhat book?â
Li Mochou laughed and said, âThat old book isnât worth much, if your clan wonât return it, its not too important. Iâll just take the thousand Beggar Clan memberâs lives as compensation.â
The two beggarsâ arms didnât feel anything strange but each time they listened to a sentence, they would look down at their hands. They have heard about how evil and poisonous the âScarlet Serpent Deityâ was; after falling victim to her, you will suffer extreme pain as you die. Their hearts were now imagining things, the three red marks on their hands seemed to be getting bigger and they heard the ruthlessness and evil way she spoke. They wanted to go and tell their elders and plan what to do. They looked at each other and hurried down the stairs.
Li Mochou thought, âIf your chief wants you to live, she will definitely hand over the âFive Poison Codexâ obediently⊠crap! If they copy the book and return the original to me what then?â She had another thought, âMy divine palmâs and concealed weaponsâ antidotes are all written in the book, theyâve got the book, why will they beg me?â When she thought about this her face changed, she flew over to them and blocked their path. Two palm clashes were heard as she pushed them up the stairs. She was a yellow blur as she moved up and down the stairs. When she returned upstairs she held one of the beggarâs arms and twisted it, a âka laâ sound and the bone was broken. The other beggar was alarmed but he was loyal to his friend, he didnât run away and dashed forward to protect his friend. He saw Li Mochou coming forward and threw out a fist. Li Mochou grabbed his wrist without effort and twisted it; the arm was broken.
The two beggars knew that they had suffered serious injuries in just one stance and they knew that they were out of luck today; the two stood back to back and raised their good arm, deciding to fight to the end.
Li Mochou said courteously, âYou two better stay here and wait for your chief to bring the book here as ransom.â
The two beggars saw her return to her table and drink wine, her back to them; they slowly edged towards the stairs and waited for a chance to escape.
Li Mochou turned around and laughed and said, âIt seems that the two of you are going to remain here only if your legs are broken.â She stood up.