The Golden Flute Chapter 17

"Don't worry about me, run quickly."

Kwee Seng pushed the woman in the dark, then he leaped back into his boat and rowed to another part of the lake shore to divert the *hwesio's* attention away from *Ang-siauw-hwa*. This effort and strategy succeeded well, because the *hwesio's* boat continued to follow him after drawing near, then the *hwesio* was heard shouting loudly.

"You devilish brat, this time I will not spare you!"

However, since he was now free from the responsibility of *Ang-siauw-hwa's* safety, Kwee Seng no longer fled. He stood at the bow of his boat, fanning himself while waiting for the *hwesio's* boat to approach. Once near, he said,

"*Lo-suhu*, a devout person should restrain desire and cultivate virtue to become an example for the masses. Why does *Lo-suhu* instead chase after a courtesan, intending to seize her by force and strike people relying on your skill?"

Kwee Seng's voice was polite and refined, yet it contained a sharp rebuke.

"Heh he he he, you brat who still smells of mother's milk! Someone like you intends to lecture *Ban-pi Lo-cia*? Heh he he!"

This statement, interspersed with laughter, was then followed by a loud sound like thunderbolts striking above Kwee Seng's head, and a black light was seen lashing in the air. It turned out that the old man had drawn a black whip that played above Kwee Seng's head like a fierce, living snake. Kwee Seng was scared half to death upon hearing the name *Ban-pi Lo-cia* (God/Demon Lord with Ten Thousand Arms)! This name belonged to a figure who rarely, if ever, appeared in the *kang-ouw* world, yet was known as an extremely evil, cruel figure possessing formidable power. The last news he had heard about this figure was that *Ban-pi Lo-cia* had disappeared in the north, in the Khitan region, as there were rumors he had Khitan blood. How could this figure suddenly appear in this place?

It was Kwee Seng's shock and astonishment that apparently made him careless, so when a coil of black light struck, he only tilted his body, and suddenly his waist was entangled by the whip, which moved like a snake. When *Ban-pi Lo-cia* moved his right hand, Kwee Seng's body flew as if airborne, carried by the tip of the whip! Kwee Seng was startled, but he managed to calm his heart and devise a plan. With his fan held in front of his chest to protect himself, he channeled *sin-kang* through his body to resist the pressure of the whip tip wrapped around his waist. Then, he allowed himself to be thrown flying toward *Ban-pi Lo-cia*, who stood on the boat, sneering! The fat man clearly looked down upon Kwee Seng, whom he considered a scholar who knew a little martial arts, so he intended to toy with him.

However, how shocked the bald giant was when Kwee Seng's body flew close to him, suddenly a powerful gust of wind blew from the fan, followed by a lightning-fast strike aimed at the vital spot on his neck, delivered by the handle of the fan. The movement was so fast that the *Tiong-cu-hiat* vital spot on his neck was almost struck! When the giant dodged backward, Kwee Seng's foot suddenly tapped his shoulder, and using the giant's shoulder as a springboard, Kwee Seng exerted his strength and leaped while channeling energy into his waist to free himself from the whip's entanglement. His effort succeeded. *Ban-pi Lo-cia* cried out in surprise, and Kwee Seng's body was already soaring back up, landing precisely among the cluster of flowering trees on the lake shore, which he quickly grabbed. With a graceful swing, the young man's body was on land, standing calmly with his fan in hand, looking toward his opponent who was still on his boat!

"He he he, you're not bad, brat!"

*Ban-pi Lo-cia* shouted, half angry, half impressed, his whip moving rapidly, producing loud explosions. It turned out the whip struck the water near the boat, and as if pushed by a mystical force, his boat shot quickly toward the lake shore. Then, with a single leap, the giant flew and arrived in front of Kwee Seng! These two people now faced each other, observing one another intently. The moon shone bright and clear, exquisitely beautiful, but within that beauty lay a hidden terror caused by the gaze of the two opposing figures. The lake shore was deserted because those who heard about the tall, large *hwesio* running amok had quickly fled, though a few people were hiding and watching the two figures face off from afar.

"*Ban-pi Lo-cia*, I have heard your name for a very long time, and it turns out your condition truly matches your name!" said Kwee Seng, who had now drawn the bamboo flute he had been playing earlier and held it in his right hand, while holding his fan in his left. He realized that facing such a powerful master required the aid of his flute, because relying only on the fan might not guarantee victory.

"Heh, you know me? And you say it matches, as if you know me well. Insolent young man, what condition of mine do you say matches my name?"

"You are known as a strange, powerful figure, cruel, wicked, and one who worships evil relying on skill. Well, doesn't that perfectly match your current actions?"

"Hmph, arrogant! Loose-mouthed brat, what is your name?"

"I am Kwee Seng, arriving without highlighting my name, leaving without leaving a name, only this flute and fan I carry."

"Heh.. heh, flowery words! You pretend to be polite and educated, but aren't you yourself also fighting over this lake courtesan? He-heh, young man, there is no difference between you and me, only I prefer to be open and blatant, whereas you prefer to hide and mask yourself with politeness. I am utterly weary of all this falsehood, so prepare to die by the hands of *Ban-pi Lo-cia*!"

Simultaneously with the end of that statement, black light rolled forward, accompanied by explosions like thunder striking the head.

It was incredibly formidable when *Ban-pi Lo-cia* wielded his whip, the mystical whip known by the name *Lui-kong-pian* (Thunder Whip). The movement of this whip contained the full vibration of *sin-kang* that had reached a high level. Forget being struck by the whip; just hearing its sound made the opponent dizzy, seeing its light blurred the opponent's eyes, and the striking aura preceding the whip's tip was strong enough to knock down an opponent with lesser skill! This whip looked like only a soft, smooth object, but this weapon should not be underestimated. Its material was made from the fins and tail of a black sea snake that could only be seen once every dozen years in the northern ocean, among the ice mountains. In the hands of *Ban-pi Lo-cia*, this whip truly became a thunderbolt. It could be soft, surpassing silk, or stiff and hard, surpassing steel, and most terrifyingly, no weapon in the world could cut it through.

Witnessing this movement, Kwee Seng realized that he was facing a truly powerful and dangerous opponent, so he dared not trifle. He immediately moved his flute and fan to counter the devastating Thunder Whip technique. Knowing that the Thunder Whip technique was a mystical skill difficult to counter and required another mystical skill to fight, Kwee Seng immediately played the flute in his right hand according to the *Pat-sian Kiam-hoat* sword technique, while he wielded his fan with the *Lo-hai San-hoat* fan technique. The *Pat-sian Kiam-hoat* (Eight Immortals) sword technique and the *Lo-hai San-hoat* (Stirring the Ocean) fan technique had become powerful and formidable martial arts after he received guidance from a divine human, namely *Bu Kek Siansu*, several years ago on the peak of the Himalayas. Kwee Seng had never met a match who could defeat him. And now, facing the incredibly powerful *Ban-pi Lo-cia*, he was forced to unleash his two skills, played nimbly and fully imbued with *sin-kang* energy.

When he moved his flute, it emitted a high-pitched shriek, a shriek that could shatter the opponent's eardrums and was perfectly suited to counter the influence of the booming whip sound. Meanwhile, his fan released an extremely strong wind that concealed deadly strikes delivered by the two tips of the fan handle. Truly, the fan was Kwee Seng's attacking weapon, while the flute served more as a defensive or protective weapon, with its sound neutralizing the whip's sound influence and its movements parrying the incoming whip tip. If Kwee Seng was not surprised witnessing the might of his opponent's whip technique, conversely, *Ban-pi Lo-cia* was shocked and astonished beyond measure witnessing the opponent's movements.

This bald giant had initially looked down upon Kwee Seng, who was still young and acted like a scholar. He never suspected that the young man was so formidable. The young man's flute parries were capable of shaking his whip, while the striking aura of the fan constantly threatened his vital spots, forcing him to act cautiously and dodge with the aid of his left sleeve's movement to save himself. Furthermore, he recognized clearly that the flute was executing the *Pat-sian Kiam-hoat* sword technique, while the fan was performing the *Lo-hai San-hoat* martial art. But how different it was from the way others played it.