Supper

Maid Lotus led Chu Nanping and two disciples of the New Moon Hall, tailing Shangguan Yun for seven days and eight nights. They had killed nine highly skilled kung fu masters, including Xia Wenxiong from the Qingcheng Sect, whom she hated the most.

Everyone else had died quickly, without a word. Only Xia Wenxiong was the exception. He had fallen victim to some unknown disease that caused soreness in his muscles. His right arm had a small, needle-like hole in it and the color of blackness started to spread outward from it. It began to fester under the eyes of everyone. No amount of gold medicines could stop it.

He begged the Cloud King and his companions not to abandon him. However, his voice (which was hoarse beyond recognition) and his blood-shot eyes had frighetened everyone. No one dared to approach him, and everyone left hurriedly for fear of being infected.

It was not until they had passed two hills that his shrieks finally faded away completely.