| Fan Fiction |
by Melanie
Lun reaches the edge of the forest, his heart pounding furiously as he anxiously searches for Sui Han. Slivers of moonlight peak through the small cracks in the thick canopy of leaves, illuminating the forest ground with a lacy pattern of white light. Other than the sound of his footsteps and the crackle of dry leaves, silence reigns throughout the forest, almost like the calm before a storm. From the depths of the woodland, Lun spies a small figure with her back turned to him. The iridescent shimmer of precious stones from her hairpin winks at him in the moonlight, almost like a beacon beckoning to him.
Lun approaches her, giddy with love and yet strangely uneasy. "Sui Han…"
The figure remains silent. Confused, Lun ventures closer, until he stands directly behind her. Reaching a hand out to touch her shoulder, he calls to her again. "Sui Han…"
The figure slowly turns around…and suddenly flings white powder into his face, blinding him. Lun backs away in surprise, his stinging eyes squeezed shut and his arms flailing the air in an attempt to clear the dense cloud of powder surrounding him.
From the surrounding trees, twenty men, garbed in black, flip out from their hiding places and surround the blinded Lun. One of the men, taking advantage of Lun's shock, delivers a resounding kick, sending Lun flying backwards and crashing into a tree trunk.
The figure, which resembles Sui Han, disappears in a poof of smoke, and in her place stands Grandmother Fa. She cackles loudly, her whole body trembling with glee. "The invincible, lone swordsman, Lam Siu Tin's heir apparent to the seat of Chancellor, brought to his knees today in the name of love!" She chuckles to herself as she backs away from Lun.
Lun, his vision greatly impaired by the gritty powder still clinging to his eyes and face, quickly recovers and stands up. With his eyes tightly shut to prevent further irritation and damage by the unknown powdery substance, he relies on his hearing to determine the location of each of his opponents. Head slightly cocked, he listens carefully and estimates a total of fifteen to twenty men surrounding him, all with swords as he hears the whooshing sound of blades slicing through the air. With his sheathed sword in his left hand, he twirls it three times before switching the weapon over to his right hand as he readies himself for attack.
From his right, three assassins, with swords raised, charge at him. Lun flips his sword horizontally, allowing the sword sheath to shoot out, hitting the first man in the chest and sending him crashing into the two men running behind him. With a swift turn of his body toward the left, he kicks two more opponents down. Then, stabbing his sword vertically down into the forest ground and holding onto the hilt with his left hand, he suspends himself over his weapon, using it as a pivot point to spin himself in the air as he sends consecutive, forceful kicks to the assassins rapidly approaching from all directions.
MEANWHILE…
AT THE OTHER END OF THE SAME FOREST
Wah, with his sword strapped to his back, races along the treetops, chasing after the figure clothed completely in black. While in the air, he nears the intruder and attempts to palm him in the back. The intruder flips away adroitly, and using a tree trunk as a springing board, he kicks off and circles back three-hundred sixty degrees, flying straight toward Wah. Seeing his approach, Wah, using the treetops as a stepping stone, launches himself higher up into the air and then shoots vertically straight downward in a move to palm the intruder on his head. The man in black quickly changes direction and flies upward vertically. Both men's palms meet half way, causing a resounding clash to echo throughout the silent night. Reeling from the impact, both men execute air-borne back flips away from each other before landing on the ground.
Wah points to the intruder with his sword. "Who are you and why are sneaking around Lam Mansion?"
The intruder laughs slyly behind the black cloth covering the lower part of his face. "Why don't you ask the God of the Underworld for the answer?"
Wah, incensed, retorts, "We shall see who ends up in the Underworld."
They charge at each other and a fierce battle ensues. The intruder flings several small blades, sending them flying at Wah, who parries using his sword blade to block the rain of knives. Stabbing his sword into the ground, Wah rushes toward the intruder. Their palms once again collide in a forceful clash, as each uses his internal energy to try to defeat the other.
As this clash of inner strength continues, four more men, dressed in black, race toward the battling duo. The four intruders periodically glance behind them, as if expecting company. From afar, Wah hears two familiar female voices.
Suk Yu's echoes loudly in the distance. "Hold it right there, you four!"
One of the four men in black flings a hand bomb backward over his head as he continues to run forward.
Chi Chi screams warningly, "Watch out, Third Sister!"
An explosion shatters the silence of the night as rock particles scatter in all directions. From the corner of his eyes, Wah sees the approach of four men garbed in black. But unlike the intruder that he is currently battling with, these four men's faces are uncovered. The men run to stand directly behind their leader, the masked man in black, who ignores them as he concentrates on defeating Wah.
From the darkness, two young women flip out and land on the forest ground, chasing close behind the four men in black.
Chi Chi points to Wah. "Third Sister, it's Second Brother!"
Chi Chi and Suk Yu run toward Wah.
Koo Yat Keung, his palms still connected to Wah's, looks sideways at the four other men in black. "Don't just stand there, idiots!" He jerks his head toward Suk Yu and Chi Chi's direction. "Finish them off!"
Chau Mo nods. "Yes, Second Young Master."
The four men charge at Suk Yu and Chi Chi.
MEANWHILE…
BACK ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE FOREST
While his siblings battle the Sun Moon Sect members on the other end of the forest, Lam Yik Lun fends off wave after wave of assassins on his end of the forest. Even blinded, he remains amazingly calm, as he sends his opponents crashing to the ground with his deadly accurate kicks and sword strokes.
In the background, a darkly handsome man emerges from the woods, quietly observing the struggle between his men and the young swordsman known throughout the martial arts world as unbeatable. As he watches all twenty assassins fall at this swordsman's feet, he smiles craftily and steps over several of his Sun Moon Sect members writhing in pain on the ground. With a flick of his hand, he orders the remaining assassins who are still alive to retreat to the background.
Koo Yat Fei steps forward and claps loudly twice, applauding Lun's martial arts skills. "Very impressive! Even when blinded, you manage to defeat all twenty of my members. It is no wonder that the Lam Family Sword Fighting Style has been undefeatable for over forty years."
Lun, his eyes still closed, turns toward the direction of this new person's voice. "Who are you?"
Fei chuckles. "I am your nemesis. Prepare to die at my hands tonight."
Lun snorts at Fei's brash declaration. "You? What makes you think that you could kill me?"
Fei smiles coldy. "We'll see who will emerge as the victor tonight."
Fei rubs his palms together. A small flicker of flame rises from his clasped hands, gradually enlarging and gaining heat, and eventually becoming a fireball balanced on the palm of his hand. With a wicked grin, Fei hurls the fireball toward Lun, intending to burn him alive.
Unable to see the approach of the fireball, Lun tilts his head slightly, listening attentively to his enemy's actions. Suddenly, he feels a change in the air temperature and hears the licking of flames. Deducing that he is being attacked with fireballs, he shifts slightly to the side, avoiding the fiery ball. Immediately, several more balls follow. Lun twists through the air, expertly dodging each volley. Using his sword, he bats at one of the fireballs, sending it hurtling back toward Fei, who executes a back flip to avoid being burned.
Lun goads Fei with a mocking smile. "Is that the best you can do?"
Furious, Fei signals with his hand. Immediately, ten men in black leap down from the treetops, each armed with a long wooden staff. At their leader's cue, the ten men strike the ground with the ends of the staffs, filling the previously silent forest with harsh, discordant noise. With the aid of the background noise created by his men, Fei flies at Lun. Unable to hear clearly now, Lun tries his best to dodge Fei's blows. After ten minutes of combat, Fei manages to sock Lun in the chest, causing Lun to back away several steps.
Unwilling to give up easily, Lun hooks his foot around Fei's leg and trips him. Just as Fei stands back up, Lun somersaults in the air and kicks him in the chest. The battle ensues for another ten minutes. Finally, unable to see and hear well, Lun begins to lose the upper hand. Taking advantage of this, Fei forcefully palms Lun on the shoulders, sending him crashing backward into a tree. Lun spits out a mouthful of blood.
Fei approaches the injured Lun, his sword raised with the intent to kill. "Prepare to die, hero…"
MEANWHILE…
ON LAM YIK WAH'S SIDE OF THE FOREST
Wah remains locked in an inner strength contest with Keung. For twenty excruciatingly long minutes, the two men remain stationary with their palms connected. In the background, Suk Yu and Chi Chi engage in combat with the four Sun Moon Sect members.
Suddenly, for some odd reason, Wah feels his inner strength draining. The trees start to blur together and his vision grays. Sensing victory, Keung smiles slyly as he pushes forward forcefully, sending Wah flying backwards several feet before crashing to the ground.
Suk Yu and Chi Chi yells in unison. "Second Brother!" Both sisters run toward Wah, but they are thwarted by the four Sun Moon Sect members, who attack them from behind.
Keung approaches the injured Wah, who writhes on the forest ground, clutching his heart painfully. Blood trickles out the side of Wah’s mouth.
Keung chuckles wickedly and speaks in a taunting voice. "Nothing like a little love potion to bring a hero to his knees." Keung picks up Wah's sword from the ground and then stares straight into Wah's eyes. "Prepare to die by your own sword."
Keung raises the sword and throws it straight at Wah.
Suk Yu turns toward Wah's direction and calls out frantically, "Second Brother!" She sends her jade flute twirling into the air, in an attempt to block the advance of the sword heading straight at her second brother.
Unfortunately, Keung quickly responds by flinging two small knives at the flute, knocking it down. Meanwhile, Wah's sword continues to shoot through the air toward him. Suk Yu and Chi Chi, with too little time to halt the sword's progress, watch in horrified silence.
MEANWHILE…
ON LAM YIK LUN'S SIDE OF THE FOREST
Fei approaches the injured Lun, his sword raised with the intent to kill. "Prepare to die, hero…"
Just as Fei's sword is about to stab into Lun, a figure, clothed in black from head to toe with face covered with a black cloth, flies out from the depths of the woodland. The mysterious person flings three silver needles at Fei's sword, knocking it to the ground. Taken by surprise, Fei jerks around and flies toward Lun's savior. The two meet halfway in the air, their palms clashing, causing the trees to quiver and the earth to rumble. Both execute air-borne back flips away from each other. Fei lands on the ground and stares up his new adversary, who twirls gracefully in the air to land on a low-hanging tree branch.
Fei demands in a cold voice. "Who are you?"
The mysterious rescuer lounges calmly on the tree branch, ignoring Fei's question. After staring silently at Fei for a few minutes, the person throws multiple silver needles at him. While Fei twists in the air trying to dodge the onslaught of needles, the person flies down from the tree branch, and grabbing Lun's arm, flies off with him. As they flash by, Fei catches a glimpse of a piece of heart-shaped jade hanging from the rescuer's waist.
Grandmother Fa and the rest of the Sun Moon Sect members chase after Lun and his rescuer, but Fei raises his arm to halt their pursuit.
Fei commands, "Let them go."
Fei takes a few steps forward and looks thoughtfully in the direction in which Lam Yik Lun and the rescuer have disappeared, his eyes narrowing with rage…
MEANWHILE…
BACK ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FOREST
Suk Yu and Chi Chi watch helplessly as the sword shoots through the air straight toward their Second Brother's heart.
One split second before the blade pierces Wah's heart, Mok Yee San leaps out from her hiding place behind the trees and flings herself in front of her Second Young Master, thereby shielding him. As the weapon stabs into her back, blood spurts out of her mouth and splatters onto Wah's dark blue gown, quickly saturating the dark fabric with a thick crimson stain.
Wah, shocked at Yee San's appearance, holds her in his arms and shakes her limp body. "Yee San! Yee San!"
Yee San chokes on her blood and tries to speak in breathless spurts. "Second…Second Young Master… I am… I am sorry. I was the one who put… who put the love potion in your wine. I did not…" She coughs up some more blood, her voice becoming weaker and weaker with each word. "I did not realize it was poison." Yee San sobs softly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I only wanted you to love me…"
Wah wipes the tears from her face. "Yee San…"
Yee San gulps in large breaths as it becomes harder and harder for her to breathe. "Good-bye, Second Young Master…" Her voice trails off, and her head falls forward onto his chest.
Wah shakes her lifeless body. "Yee San!!! Yee San!!!" He leans his forehead against hers, his heart heavy with guilt for not loving her the way she wanted him to.
While Wah holds Yee San's lifeless body in his arms, Suk Yu and Chi Chi manage to kill two of the four men in black, leaving only Chau Mo and Lau Dong.
Keung charges at Wah, intent on killing him. Swiftly, Wah sets aside Yee San's body and staggers up to a standing position. Unfortunately, in his weakened state, Keung easily strikes him down again.
Seeing her Second Brother in danger, Suk Yu delivers a strong kick to Lau Dong and flies over to Wah's side. She blocks the blow Keung is about to deliver to Wah with her flute. Suk Yu and Keung engage in a fierce hand-to-hand combat. Keung charges at Wah with every opportunity he gets, while Suk Yu tries her best to thwart his advances.
A few feet away, Chi Chi slashes Chau Mo's arm with her sword blade and palms him in the shoulders, causing him to collide backward into Lau Dong.
Both Sun Moon Sect members crash to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Chi Chi races over to Wah and quickly sits him up. Sitting crossed-legged behind him, she places both palms on his back, channeling her internal energy toward him in an attempt to halt the progression of the poison.
Wah coughs and spits out blood. "Chi Chi… It is useless…"
Chi Chi shouts in frustration. "No!!! Don't give up, Second Brother!"
Wah starts to hyperventilate as the world spins uncontrollably. "Listen to me!" He painfully takes in a deep breath. "If you still consider me as your Second Brother, then do as I say."
Chi Chi holds her brother in her arms, crying softly while nodding her head. Second Brother, what do you want me to do?"
Wah tries to focus on Chi Chi's face. "Go find Eldest Brother. We need his help. Suk Yu is no match for that masked man in black. Hurry! Hurry!"
Chi Chi begins to sob uncontrollably. "I am not leaving you here! Besides, I don't know where Eldest Brother is! He rushed off earlier this evening without letting us know where he is going!"
As Wah and Chi Chi are arguing, Keung kicks Suk Yu in the stomach, and she crashes backward into a tree trunk. Ignoring her pain, she swiftly stands back up and flies toward Keung again.
Wah screams at Chi Chi urgently. "Try your best to locate Eldest Brother, or else we will all die tonight! GO!!!"
With her Second Brother's urging, Chi Chi nods quickly and runs off into the depths of the forest, away from Suk Yu and Wah, with tears streaming down her cheeks as she prays to the heavens to watch over her siblings while she searches for her eldest brother…
**********
If you enjoy this story, please also read my other story, Legendary Book of Sun-Moon Swordplay - The Prequel. Thank you.
http://www.winglin.net/fanfic/legendprequel/