Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain by Jin Yong Read Online Free PDF

Northern Branch after the demise of their Grand Master, Pastoral Tian. When Pastoral lived, even he had shown deference to Valour. In the test of strength on the way uphill a while before, Valour had apparently slowed down on purpose or they would never have come out as equals. Had Valour taxed himself to his utmost, Fortune surely would have been beaten. Considering this, Fortune nodded his consent, "You are the Master. You take overall charge of the matter."
    Valour reflected, "So, you want to be known as the hero and me as the devil." No more words were exchanged. By now, Curio had joined them, and in a little while they were joined by Radiant and Sign. Valour lowered his voice. "Fortune, Curio and I will dispatch poisoned darts to finish off the three on lookout. We shall then form a circle round Tao Senior and Junior. Sign and Radiant are to support us once we get started. After getting their instructions, the four bent double and stole their way in silence, along the track behind the boulder.
    Sign followed behind Valour and whispered to him, "Uncle Valour."
    He halted and asked, "What now?"
    "We are to capture Tao Senior and Junior alive," answered Sign.
    Valour rolled his eyes. "You still want to side with that knave Peace?" he hissed.
    "I still believe that it is not he," replied Sign.
    Valour turned livid with rage. He pulled out the arrow tucked in his girdle, passed it to her and said, "Look at this and then say that. It is the same arrow that the knave shot the goose with a while ago."
    Sign took the arrow; one glance at it was enough to set her hands shaking. Curio was paying more attention to her than to their enemies. Seeing her now in such a troubled state, mixed emotions of vexation and elation assailed him. His spirits rose at the thought that Peace's life would be in danger; yet he was vexed by her being so totally inclined towards the rogue. Curio had a hot temper and just the thought of it drove him crazy. Just as he was about to vent his rage on her, Valour tapped him on the shoulder and directed his attention to the back of the sentinel in the east.
    Sign and Radiant had bent down and stopped moving. Valour, Fortune, and Curio were stealing close, each aiming at an enemy and gripping three poisoned darts in their hands. The use of poisoned darts had, for generations, been one of the esoteric killer skills on which the Dragon Lodge prided itself. They flew true and fast and the poison was extremely potent. It could kill its victim within three watches. The outlawry called it the Lethal Dart.
    "Uncle Valour wants me to attack the fellow in the east," Curio pondered. "I shall first take the life of that knave Peace with the poisoned darts. That way I shall not only revenge a serious wrong for my Branch, but will also rid myself of a rival. If he is captured alive, many things may happen during his captivity. I do not know what strange ideas she may eventually come up with." Having set his mind on this, Curio moved closer until he was no more than fifty paces from his enemy. Presently he bent down and fixed his gaze on the back of Peace who was now creeping stealthily with a wave-like motion. Curio would speed forth his three poisoned darts the minute Valour signalled with his hand.
    Suddenly there came the clatter of metal upon metal. Peace knocked his steel hoe into an iron object buried underground. Valour was just about to signal by lowering his left hand but stopped himself on hearing whizzing sounds in quick succession. Seven or eight secret weapons sprang from the snowy ground to the side, aimed straight at Peace and his other comrades.
    These secret weapons, flying forth so unexpectedly from under the ground, caught everybody by surprise. The whole incident was most mysterious and left everybody in a state of perplexity. The secret weapons had been dispatched from close range, and they came at an incredible speed. Both Tao Senior and Junior were well advanced in martial arts and reacted quickly to