Death Sutra

Chapter 705: Warp and Weft

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

(Note: Warp and Weft is a weaving technique in how the horizontal and vertical fibers interlace and intersect)

Unaware of the impact his words had had on the Dragon King, Doctor Sun felt just a bit sorry for the situation on the field. “Almost! What a pity! The Dragon King could have defeated the swordsman from the Qingcheng Sect if his saber was just a bit faster.”

Shangguan Fei didn’t care about the duel anymore. He vaguely felt that the doctor had given him good news but he wasn’t absolutely sure, so he asked, “Is the divine doctor trying to say that my Daoless Divine Power will gradually turn into the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power and then my Qi deviation will disappear by itself?”

Doctor Sun turned and glared at him. “That’s exactly what I’m said.”

Shangguan Fei could not hold back his excitement anymore and smacked his left palm with his right fist. He had been forced by his mother to learn the Daoless Divine Power and had suffered a lot; therefore, he didn’t feel any sadness about losing it at all. “How long will it take to dissipate?”

“It’s hard to tell.” Doctor Sun was closely watching every move of the Dragon King’s and perfunctorily said to Shangguan Fei, “A year or two, or maybe twenty.”

“Ah? What if my Qi deviation breaks out before then?”

“Get over it and you live. Otherwise you die. Aiya, the two masters of the Kongtong Sect are going to join hands. What will two crutches be able to do? Oh, I see. This is the unique skill of the Kongtong Sect, the Warp and Weft Staff Technique. I didn’t expect that I would still be able to witness such a divine technique at my age!”

Doctor Sun answered his own questions with great excitement. Shangguan Fei approached him and wanted to ask him more but was rudely pushed away.

Red Bat asked softly, “Is the Warp and Weft Staff Technique very formidable?”

Shangguan Fei shot a glance at her, blaming her for interrupting, but Doctor Sun was apparently more interested in answering this simple question. “Of course, but that’s all hearsay. Warp and Weft is, you know, one horizontal and the other vertical, like a net being weaved in midair, which makes escape for the opponent impossible…”

As he spoke, Dog Butcher and Tu Pianpian had moved closer, each waving their own crutch. Their moves were neither fast nor fierce and there was not much of the aforementioned criss-cross movement between the two. They were still more than ten steps apart, and it seemed like they were still fighting on their own. In contrast, the other four had already engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat. ”

Doctor Sun grabbed his small bun of hair and frowned. “Could I have guessed wrong?”

“How could the divine doctor be wrong? They are probably preparing their internal Qi. Divine doctor, please take a look at my illness again…”

Before Shangguan Fei could finish speaking, Fan Yongda, the disciple of the Kongtong Sect, who had unconsciously gotten near them, interrupted. “Doctor Sun is right. This is precisely the Warp and Weft Staff Technique. Literally, it means that the crutches will run lengthwise and crosswise, but in fact, this staff technique is powerful enough to seal the Geavens. My Uncle Master and Aunt Master are setting up a battle formation and will soon demonstrate their true abilities.”

“I see,” Doctor Sun echoed along with Red Bat.

“You are bragging.” Shangguan Fei looked at Fan Yongda with a gaze full of disdain and suddenly pointed at him and asked, “When did you sneak here, you ungrateful wretch? Long Fanyun, let’s drive him away together.”

“He’s not hostile, why drive him away?” Red Bat shot back, as she did not like the instructor’s brother very much.

Long Fanyun, a man of few words, had been watching the Dragon King closely. Although he hadn’t said anything, his motionless body obviously showed that he would not ‘join hands’ with Shangguan Fei to drive out this person.

Full of jealousy, Shangguan Fei said in a voice dripping with sarcasm, “Warp and Weft Staff Technique, sealing the Heavens. What a formidable staff technique! Let’s wait and see how the Dragon King and my sister get killed then.”

“Why are you cursing the Dragon King and the Instructor!?” Red Bat questioned indignantly.

Shangguan Fei was just about to argue back when Fan Yongda came straight over and said in a low voice, “That’s why I’m here.”

“You want us to betray…” Shangguan Fei shouted out loudly, but before he could finish speaking, he was poked in the chest by Doctor Sun. Actually, he could have dodged it, but he didn’t dare to. He thought that the divine doctor was going to check his illness but as soon as the doctor poked his acupoint, a surge of foul air rose into his throat, which caused him to start coughing repeatedly and be unable to speak.

“What does your Excellency want to say?” Doctor Sun also lowered his voice. Long Fanyun and Red Bat also came over to listen.

Fan Yongda took a look at the situation on the field and pointed at the nearby tent, which was actually the tent Red Bat used as a latrine. Red Bat blushed and anxiously shook her head, and Long Fanyun said, “Let’s go behind it.”

Fan Yongda nodded and walked behind the tent, with the other three following along. Shangguan Fei finally stopped coughing and whispered an urgent warning, “Don’t be fooled. It’s a trap.”

But the four had already disappeared behind the tent. Shangguan Fei stamped his feet and also hurried over.

It wasn’t the best place to have a private talk, but time was running out, and Fan Yongda didn’t have much of a choice. “I’ll make a long story short…”

“That would be for the best.” Shangguan Fei didn’t forget to keep irritating the other side with sarcastic jabs, and only closed his mouth under Doctor Sun’s intense glare.

“I just want to explain some of the rules of the Central Plains’ Jianghu. Please do not misunderstand. I have no intention of belittling you.”

“We know you mean well,” said Long Fanyun, who hoped that the other side would cut to the chase immediately.

“In the Central Plains, unless there is a deep seated hatred that is unresolvable, there are usually no deaths in the kung fu competitions held between the various sects. And this time is no exception.”

“But this is a duel of life and death, and the ugly old woman also said that the last person standing would be the winner.” Shangguan Fei still wasn’t able to keep his mouth shut, but this time his remark had the approval of his companions, including Doctor Sun who wasn’t a veteran of the martial arts world of the Central Plains and didn’t fully understand these subtle rules.

“You know, it’s a kung fu competition. They’re all the same. Everyone claims to fight to the death and does show some real ability when they get on the field. But when it is clear who the winner is, the losers will give in a little and the winner will also make a concession. The winner will give the other side a way out and not press too hard, but…”

“But what?”

“But the loser has to admit defeat first. It’s all a part of the game…”

“Oh, so you want the Dragon King to admit defeat.” Shangguan Fei kept shaking his head as he replied, “That’s impossible. Long Fanyun, you know that the Dragon King the best. That’s impossible, isn’t it?”

“The Dragon King will not concede defeat,” Long Fanyun said briefly.

Fan Yongda smiled. “Do not jump to conclusions. That’s all I wanted to say and you can decide for yourself according to how the situation changes later.”

Fan Yongda paid obeisance by cupping his hand in front of his chest before taking his leave. Doctor Sun followed him and asked, “I spent a lot of time in the Central Plains. Why didn’t anyone tell me about the rules?”

Fan Yongda appeared a bit embarrassed, saying, “To tell you the truth, most of the rules of Jianghu are well-known, but never spoken. I made an exception because I don’t think that you guys know much about the rules of the Central Plains’ martial arts world, and the Dragon King has also done me a great favor.”

Doctor Sun was immediately enlightened and nodded meaningfully at Fan Yongda. When the other side left, he muttered, “No wonder I always offended people in the Central Plains. There were unspoken rules that everyone followed. Haha, that’s the trick…”

“No wonder everyone says that the people of the Central Plains are all hypocritical.” Shangguan Fei looked at Long Fanyun, hoping that this statement would have the approval of the swordsman from the Big Snow Mountain.

Long Fanyun, however, shook his head. “Actually, the Jianghu rules of the Central Plains are somewhat reasonable. If their kung fu competition involves no killing, then the hatred between sects will naturally dissolve with time and both sides can learn also learn from it. If they fought like who we do at the old Big Snow Mountain where people start life-and-death fights when they meet, no one would benefit from it and the overall martial arts skills of the region would fade away, becoming weaker and weaker.”

“Brother Long is right. The Instructor always said that too many people were willing to kill in the Western Regions and that in the end there would only be one or two sects left. People would grow arrogant, and then that would be a source of future hidden trouble.”

Shangguan Fei’s jealousy grew. He had once tried to say the words ‘Brother Long’ but had been mercilessly rejected. But as soon as Red Bat said it, Long Fanyun nodded without a trace of displeasure. “Long Fanyun, I haven’t heard anything from Big Snow Mountain for a long while. How is your wife doing over there?”

Long Fanyun was stunned and didn’t understand why Shangguan Fei had suddenly asked this. “Not bad. I got a message before we came to the Norland; it said that everything was all right.”

“Good. Family’s always the most important.” Shangguan Fei sneakily glanced at Red Bat, but didn’t see any noticeable reaction. He could not help wonder whether his judgment had been wrong. Then he suddenly remembered that Red Bat used to be a maid for a noble family and that her job had been to seduce men, almost like a prostitute. So obviously she would not care if the other side had a wife or not. His seemingly clever move had really been stupid after all.

Doctor Sun suddenly said, “The Warp and Weft Staff Technique will show its power now. It seems that the Qingcheng Sect is also about to use their unique skill.”

The true power of the Warp and Weft Staff Technique lay not in the weapons but rather the crisscrossing internal Qi. Therefore, it took a long time to show its true power. Dog Butcher and Tu Pianpian had made full use of the time when the other four were having a melee and gradually built up the power of the staff technique, and now they had finally finished setting up their formation.

The situation in the field immediately changed.

The two elders of the Kongtong Sect were still about ten paces apart but the control area of the two crutches grew larger and larger. And there was a muffled buzzing in the air, so strong that it could be felt from over a dozen paces away.

The eyes of the disciples of the Kongtong Sect sparked. Everyone was excitedly pointing and whispering about the subtlety of the staffmanship.

As the power of the Warp and Weft Staff Technique was increased, the scuffle of the other four was broken but their countermeasures were different.

Deng Yuanlei and Liu Fangsheng of the Qingcheng Sect had excellent lightness skills and leaped simultaneously, reaching a height of more than ten feet. They were able to jump up and down along the internal Qi of the Warp and Weft Staff Technique as if they were stepping on an invisible sphere. And the greater the range of the crutches, the higher the two rose. It was dazzling and very impressive but it was also very dangerous. A moment’s carelessness would mean a man’s death.

Shangguan Ru’s lightness skill was also very good but it was different kind of good compared to that of the Qingcheng Sect. Instead of jumping up, she retreated to the side and was moved further and further away from the core.

The Dragon King, by contrast, seemed to make the riskiest choice of all. Instead of retreating, he stood in between the two crutches, near the center of the affected area, ignoring the internal Qi of the surroundings. However, his saber was clearly moving slower as if he were underwater.

The most important thing was that the distance between him and Shangguan Ru had grown so large that cooperation between the two was moot and pointless.

Shangguan Fei finally broke himself free from his anxiety and jealousy and said, “Something’s not right. The Dragon King’s sabersmanship and palm technique specialize in close combat, but now… He can’t even touch his opponents.”

Needless to say, everyone thought that the Dragon King’s situation was the most dangerous. Red Bat’s face changed. She unconsciously grabbed Long Fanyun’s wrist and muttered, “The Dragon King will win. The Dragon King will win.”

Gu Shenwei emptied his mind. Dog Butcher had suggested earlier that each side should sent two people to participate in the fight, and it seems like his purpose had been to use the Warp and Weft Staff Technique, which was indeed one of the most powerful martial arts skills that Gu Shenwei had ever encountered.

Old Man Mu was also a formidable opponent when he had been in peak form, but his kung fu skills focused on swiftness and ferocity and were essentially similar to those of Golden Roc Castle. Although Gu Shenwei was a bit weaker than him, he didn’t feel that his hands and feet were bound.

This was the first time he had ever fought with real masters from the Central Plains and found that all his best martial arts skills had been countered as the fight progressed. The layers of internal Qi bundled together like cords, a single strand might be weak, but when grouped together they were a strong snare.

Gu Shenwei had no choice but to use his sword. Only the pure unadulterated form of the Death Sutra Swordsmanship could help him break through the fetters that currently bound him.

Shangguan Ru also decided to take a risk, eliminating the distance between the two, as she felt that she had to keep her promise that she would protect the Dragon King’s back.