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

the attack. However, they still had to resort to whirling their hoe and spade to ward off the weapons. One of the three sentinels turned on his back and rolled down a gulley. He narrowly missed the two sprung barbs, one glancing off his skull and the other grazing his neck. The other two sentinels dropped dead before they could utter a word. They had both been attacked from behind; one had a steel dart through his heart and the other a dirk through his chest. They lay flat and motionless in the snow.
    The unexpected attack on the sentinels caught everybody by surprise. Valour and his company were no less surprised than the others.
    "You dastardly coward! How dare you lie in ambush?" snarled Century Tao, Peace's father, known as Commander of the Eastern Border. His words came like a thunderbolt out of the blue; mighty and awe-inspiring. Presently, flashing blades were visible against the snowy ground to the side, and out leapt four enemies from below the ground.
    The four had dug a pit in the snow in anticipation of Century's and Peace's arrival, and had been lying there in waiting for several days. The mouth of the pit was covered with branches and twigs, which in turn were hidden under a blanket of snow, with only a few perforations for ventilation. It was a foolproof scheme.
    Tao Senior and Junior dropped their hoe and spade and snatched up the weapons from their sides. Century was wielding a twenty-pound notched steel rod, while Peace flashed his single blade. The one who had rolled down the gulley was Chieftain Ma of Horse Spring. He made a few more turns down the gulley before springing up fearing that the enemies might be after him next. He had in his hands a pair of chained maces.
    One of the enemies was thin and of swarthy complexion. He could be distinguished as Prime Xiong, Chief Escort of the Peking Overland Convoy. He was proficient in the Ground Blade, the art of fencing with a broadsword. Bandits from Horse Spring had once robbed his establishment of merchandise of great worth. He had tried every possible means to recover the lost merchandise, but had never once succeeded. The incident sowed the seeds of animosity between the two parties. Another assailant was a female, in her early thirties. She was known to Chieftain Ma as Third Zheng, alias Brandisher of the Twin Knives. Her husband had been an escort with the Peking Overland Convoy, but had died in a robbery staged by the Chieftains of the Horse Spring Banditry. Of the remaining two, one was a monk, of heavy build, wielding a Buddhist monk's knife. The last was a man whose face was covered with dark hair, plying a pair of iron staves. They were in league with the Peking Overland Convoy, also adepts in martial ability. They had been invited by the Overland to lay an ambush here to wreak vengeance upon their adversaries.
    "So," cried out Century, "It is you, the worthless rogue who once got beaten by an old fellow like me. Prime is the only coward in the Martial Brotherhood capable of undertaking a low trick like this." Though the words were directed at Prime, when they touched the ears of Fortune, they caused him to flush. Fortune stole a glance at Valour, who, at that particular moment, was found gazing intently at their enemies in the valley. He was not in the least disturbed by the words.
    "Chieftain Tao," said Prime in a soft voice, "Please allow me to introduce to you Wisdom the Great Master, of the Confluence Monastery of Shandong Province."
    "This is Hawk Liu," continued Prime, "Guardsman of the first rank at the Imperial Court in the capital. He is my Brother, we acknowledge the same Master. Please befriend each other and get well acquainted."
    Century Tao was a man of strong build and imposing bearing; his voice rang like thunder. Prime was his diametrical opposite. One was tough and harsh; the other gentle and courteous; the two seemed born to fight each other.
    "Let us set to, you vermin," growled Century. "We can surely get acquainted through