Chapter 05 Shooting Down The Dragon

When Ma Jingguo, Kuo Changchang, and the two female juniors were close to Sword Village the five color men caught up with them.

Man in Red, "Hand over the seal."

Kuo Changchang scoffed, "As of right now, I believe the army seal had made it way to the Chang'an already."

The five men began attacking the four classmates. When the man in blue was about to hit one of the female juniors, a flying sword strike caught the man in blue off guard. Ten young martial artists of nine men and one woman rushed and surrounded them. The flying sword returned to its owner's hand.

Yong Taihua sheathed his sword, "My apologies, I didn't know that the Five-Colors Mice come to Yong Sword Village."

Yong Caixia, "Five-Colors Mice Seniors, if you wish to pay a visit, Yong Sword Village welcome you five, but if..."

Mice in red, "We are just passing by." He turned to the other four mice. "We are leaving now. Good day, young master Yong and Miss Yong."

The five-colors Mice knew that once they pass Mu village, it will become the territory of Yong Sword Village. The five-colors Mice turned and walked away.

Kuo Changchang, "Yong ge."

Yong Taihua, "Changchang, is anyone hurt?"

Kuo Changchang, "This is Ah Chen." She pointed to Ma Jingguo. "My sister and I are to meet here."

Yong Taihua, "Weqian had sent a message. She will meet you four in Shaolin in ten days. She also stated that it would be best for the four of you to travel to Shaolin with us."

Yong Caixia, "Let us go home and rest."

They walked for about thirty minutes then Yong Taihua said, "Pretty soon we will come across seventy-one tombstones. I have to warn everyone first so don't get creep out."

Yong Caixia, "Changchang, you always came from the other way, so you have not seen this site either."

Female juniors, "Yong shixiong, will it be scary looking?"

Yong Taihua, "No, uncle had taken a very good care of it."

Kuo Changchang, "You mean senior Yong Hao?"

Yong Caixia, "Yes. Hao da ye planted flowers on every tomb."

Ma Jingguo, "Who were the people?"

Yang Taihua, "They are deceased people of Mu village."

They came across a waist high border stone. On the border stone it wrote 'Mu Village. Ma Jingguo looked up and there stood seventy-one tombstones. His heart sunk and he clenched his fists tightly. He recalled back in the cave, he, himself wipes these people's spirit tablets. He even memorized their names. Many of the tombs here belong to children and elders. He wants to know how these people end up here. He once asked Mu Dishi, but Mu Dishi refused to say anything.

A single oil lamb light up a dark room inside the cave. Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo walked into the ancestral hall. Ma Jingguo put down the small bucket of water on the cement floor. He wetted the towel and began wiping the spirit tablets as Mu Dishi lit up some incense sticks. After Mu Dishi bowed, he sticks the incense sticks into the incense pot.

Ma Jingguo asked, "Xiao shushu, what do Mu Yin shushu do when he was still alive?"

Mu Dishi, "He was a farmer. His wife took care of the two grandchildren. His son was a teacher. His daughter in law works on the farm with him."

Ma Jingguo, "How about Mu Da shushu?"

Mu Dishi, "He and his family grow tea."

Ma Jingguo, "Xiao shushu, they were famers, teachers, and doctors...How do they died?" He looked at Mu Dishi. He was afraid Mu Dishi will be madder, so he added, "My mom once told me that many years' ago an entire village of people was dead due to the plague. Did they die from a plague?"

Mu Dishi did not answer instead he walked toward the door and said coldly, "Finish wiping each spirit tablet and the floor." He walked out of the ancestral hall.

Kuo Changchang, "Ah Chen are you alright?"

Ma Jingguo, "I am fine." He looked at Yong Taihua. "Do you know why they died?"

Yong Taihua, "I don't know. Those they knew refused to say anything."

When the group got to the gate of Yong Sword Village there where many people there. Outside of the Yong Clan resident stood four coffins.

Yong Taihua, "What are these?"

Gate disciple, "Da shixiong, inside these four coffins are the bodies of Mo, Shui, Leung, and Wen Clan Leaders."

Yong Taihua, "Let's go inside."

The group arrival at the main guest hall they saw Mo Ehuang, Shui Jinhai, Shui Cong, Wen Zhen, and Leung Xiaoli seated in mourning clothes. The group sat across from the mourned people. A moment later Yong Gui and Yong Hao walked in. Yong Hao sat next to Yong Taihua.

Yong Gui, "My condolences to the four of you."

Mo Ehuang, "Senior Yong, please help us avenge for our father's deaths."

Leung Xiaoli, "My father doesn't deserve to die like that."

Wen Zen, "Senior Yong, give us some justice."

Yong Gui, "Tell me."

Mo Ehuang, "A young man about thirty walked inside and threw some kind of map on the table. He started to attack my father and the three clan leaders."

Yong Gui, "What do he used?"

Mo Ehuang, "He was fast. I can't not really see what he was using...maybe some kind of string."

Yong Gui asked, "How many moves does he take to defeats the four clan leaders?"

Mo Ehuang, "A few moves, but he was toying with them. He stabbed my father seventy-one times." She bursts out sobbing inside her own palms.

Shui Cong, "I was not there, but my juniors told me he also used a very flexible sword from his waist."

Ma Jingguo knew the sword. It names Honglei.

Yong Hao stops counting his fo zhu. He looked at Mo Ehuang and his voices was shaken, "Did he... says anything else?"

Mo Ehuang, "He says 'One stab for one life. It's a fair trade'." She wiped her tears. "He also says something like shooting down the dragon."

Yong Hao and Yong Gui was in shocked. Yong Hao's face turned pale instantly as his fo zhu beads fallen onto the floor. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, "Amitabha."

Yong Caixia, "Hao da ye are you alright?"

Yong Hao sighed then said, "If he is coming, no matter what lies in front of him, he will still come."

Yang Taihua, "Who is he?"

Yong Hao, "The only survivor of the Mu household."

Ma Jingguo cannot hold back anymore. He wants to know why Mu Dishi was the only survivor. He stood up, then walked to Yong Hao and asked coldly, "What did everyone do?" He clenched his fists tightly. He raised his voice, "What did everyone do to make him hate everyone so much? What is shooting down the dragon?"

Yong Caixia, "Ah Chen watch your language."

Kuo Changchang grabbed Ma Jingguo's hand and sat him back across from Yong Hao.

Yong Hao, "Amitabha..."

Yong Gui, "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have too."

Yong Hao, "It's been long enough. My guilty conscious is eating me up piece by piece. If the four clan leaders were killed by Mu Dishi, then Yong Sword Village will not get involve. You four may leave."

Leung Xiaolin said madly, "I thought that Yong Sword Village will give us some justice, but I was wrong."

Yong Hao, "If we gave you justice then who will give justice to innocent people of Mu Village? What we had done is what we will get in return. Amitabha."

Yong Gui, "If you four wishes to stay the night you can."

Wen Zen said madly, "Since we are not welcome here, we will head to Shaolin." He looked at the other four. "Let's go."

The five mourners left the guest hall.

Yong Taihua, "Hao da ye, why would you be scared of just one man?"

Yong Gui, "You should be. When he was fifteen years old, he defeated the four clan leaders with less than twenty moves." He looked at Kuo Changchang. "This Mu Dishi fought over three thousand moves with your father."

The six young martial artists murmured at once, "Three thousand moves?"

Yong Hao, "He will be coming for me soon. When he come, no one is to harm him."

Yong Taihua, "We will never allow that."

Yong Hao, "I am preparing to stab myself seventy-one times to mend for my mistake."

Yong Taihua, "Hao da ye! Why!"

Yong Hao, "Because I am one of the leaders who participated in Shooting Down The Dragon Campaign."

Ma Jingguo, "What is Shooting Down The Dragon?"

Yong Hao, "We as martial artists do not associate with the government, but when it comes to the people, we will try to help them as much as we can. Ten years ago, there was a village call Mu Village. The Mu Clan were experts of medicine. They earned the name God Of Medicine. Many martial artists who were badly injured as long as they made to Mu Village they will be saved. The Mu was well known throughout land. Their fee was reasonable too. They will charge more for the rich and charged less for the poor. For martial artists, the Mu will pick one item of their most valuable possession for the treatment fee."

Yong Taihua, "If they were this good then why they were annihilated?"

Yong Hao, "One of the seven sectors received an anonymous letter indicated that the people of Mu village was actually a village in disguised. Their truth identities were secret spies of the Mongol army. At that time there were secret meeting among the seven sectors leaders and four Clans leaders..."

Suo Baojing, "This letter arrive at Tianshan two days ago."

Li Kong Bai took the letter and read it then he passed the letter to Nun Chingmei.

Monk Ling, "Do you verify that everything inside this letter is accurate?"

Peng Boqin, "Two soldiers had verified the information."

Yong Hao, "Where are the two soldiers?"

Suo Baojing, "Sadly, they died shortly after they arrive in Tianshan."

Zu Minsheng, "If they are truly spies than Kongdon Sect will not back down."

Mo Jing Sheng, "Since they are up in the mountain. Their defense will be strong."

Nun Chingmei, "We are already talking about attacking them?"

Suo Baojing, "Nun Chingmei why are you always such a hot-head."

Nun Chingmei, "There are no solid evidence that they are truly spies for the Mongol Army. What if those soldiers' lies and we end up killing innocent people?" She looked around the room. "Who are going to be responsible for that?"

Tang Jianyu, "Nun Chingmei is correct. We cannot just believe a letter and two dead soldiers who we do not know if they are even truly soldiers of Song."

Monk Ling, "Nun Chingmei and Leader Tang reminded this old monk that people can fabricate evidence. Everyone should calm down and do more investigation."

Peng Boqin, "What more evidence do you need than words of two dying men?"

Suo Baojing, "Or you going to wait until the Mongol army are at our doorstep."

Nun Chingmei said indifferently, "In this case there is nothing more I will say. Emei Sect will take no part of this." She walked out.

Tang Jianyu, "Kunlu Sect will do the same."

Monk Ling, "Amitabha...Shaolin Sect will not participate in any killing. All living existence are created equally in the eyes of heaven."

Seeing that Monk Ling and Tang Jianyu walked away with Nun Chingmei made Suo Baojing very mad.

Fu Susu, "Leader Suo, don't be angry, my Mangsha Sect will participate. Since they don't want to be part of this, we can discuss this further ourselves."

Wen Xing Fu, "I agree with Leader Fu."

Mo Jing Sheng said, "Like I said before. Mu Village is easy to defend but hard to attack."

Yong Hao, "I know a secret way."

Suo Baojing, "Since Leader Yong know a secret way up the mountain then you can lead the four Clans with you. Then my sector, Mangsha sect, Huanshan Sect, and Kongdon Sect will attack in the front with others. One group attack in the rear and one group attack at the front...Even if Mu Jian Long had wings, he will not be able to escape."

Yong Hao, "We should call it 'Shooting Down The Dragon Campaign'."

The six young martial artists became speechless.

Yong Caixia, "Hao da ye and then?"

Yong Hao, "We waited and made preparation. We waited until the celebration of Mu Clan's heir's fifteenth birthday. As the villagers was celebrating happily unawares of what was going on, we attacked them." He paused. "Who would have known that the twenty people of the Mu Clan skills was unmatchable. Nineteen men and one young teen defeated hundreds of our men especially Mu Jiao Long whose was very skilled."

Yong Hao shouted, "Retrieved back."

Yong Hao and the four clans led their disciples back downhill toward Suo Baojing and the rest. They ran down toward the village entrance they met with Tianshan, Kongdon, Huangshan,and Mangsha sectors.

It appeared that Li Kong Bai leader of Huangshan sect was arguing with Sou Baojing.

Li Kong Bai shouted angrily, "Suo Boajin...!" Li Kong Bai left with his disciples.

Yong Hao called out, "Leader Li."

Suo Baojing asked, "Is Mu Jiao Long dead?"

Mo Jing Shen, "He is not dead yet?"

Peng Boqin, "Let finish what we started."

When Yong Hao reached Peng Boqin and Suo Baojing he saw dead people everywhere. Now he understands why Li Kong Bai left with his disciples. He knew some of these people. He saw Mu Yu leaning onto the wooden house wall holding his dead grandsons inside his arms. Yong Hao knew Mu Yu. Mu Yu was a farmer who always left fruits below the Mu Stone border for passing martial artists.

Yong Hao madly shouted, "Suo Baojing, what is the meaning of this? Why do you kill all these innocent people? You've told me that we are here to kill only Mu Jiao Long." He madly grabbed Suo Baojing's front collar.

Suo Baojing slowly moved Yong Hao's hands away, "Leader Yong, no one force you. You even gave this mission a name. Now let's go and kill Mu Jiao Long."

Yong Hao slowly walked to Mu Yu and kneeled down beside the dying man. Mu Yu coughed up a mouthful of blood and spits it onto Yong Hao's face.

Mu Yu said regretfully, "Yong Hao, I shouldn't have shown you the secret back way."

Yong Hao cried, "I am so sorry. I didn't know."

Mu Yu cursed hatefully, "You led them up to kill my entire family. After I died... I will be a restless spirit and haunt you forever. I will never forgive you."

Wen Xing Fu slit Mu Yu's throat, "Stupid old man."

Suddenly, hundreds of different small clans and martial artists shown up. The gathered people went up the hill towards Mu Jiao Long's house with the three sectors and four clans.