Thunderbolt Hand Ge Long was truly enraged. Before so many witnesses, Liu Yun had shown him not the slightest respect.
At the same time, Liu Tong was burning with fury. He thought to himself that the scheme they had just carried out in front of the brothers of Jiulong Fortress and the Flying Sand Clan was already disgraceful. If they could eliminate Xiang Yang, the master of Jiulong Fortress, then the day's battle would not have been in vain.
Thus he said coldly,
"If that is the case, there is no need for more words. Let us fight!"
Liu Tong knew that today he had encountered a formidable opponent unlike any he had ever faced in his life. Steadying his breath, he focused his gaze upon Wu Tong.
Wu Tong sighed softly. Stepping forward, he gave a wry smile and said,
"Wu Tong is here. I dare ask you gentlemen to exchange a few moves with me."
Ge Long sneered,
"The Hall of Loyalty boasts of righteousness. In my opinion, it is nothing but hypocrisy."
Wu Tong answered sternly,
"We who uphold loyalty and righteousness must act according to loyalty and righteousness. You treacherous villains, whose hearts are crooked, dare to speak of honor—how laughable!"
His words denounced evil and upheld justice. They carried a noble and righteous spirit, causing the wicked men to flush with shame before erupting in anger.
Liu Tong shouted,
"Ge Long! Wei Fu! Attack!"
No sooner had he spoken than Ge Long rushed forward.
"Take my palm!"
His right palm rose suddenly, a violent gale surging toward Wu Tong like crashing waves.
Wu Tong raised his palm and stepped back. At the same moment, with a fierce shout, Wei Fu also rushed in to strike.
Wu Tong spun lightly.
"Good!"
Before the word had fully left his mouth, Liu Tong had already replaced Wei Fu's position and launched a punch toward him.
Ge Long, Wei Fu, and Liu Tong coordinated their movements. Two attacked while one rotated out, their assaults flowing like endless ocean waves.
Wu Tong spun like a top in the midst of it all. Yet his heart was calm as still water, tranquil as the deep sea. He responded with composed precision.
The battle intensified. Palms and fists flew in all directions.
In the midst of the clash, Liu Tong glared at Wu Tong and sneered,
"You constantly speak of loyalty and righteousness. What good has that done you?"
While exchanging blows, Wu Tong shifted his body, his movements following his palms as he blocked strikes from Liu Tong and Ge Long. Suddenly he leapt backward several zhang and shouted loudly,
"You rats commit vile and treacherous acts. Today you collude together to plot harm against others. What do you know of loyalty and righteousness?"
The ancients once said:
"Mencius spoke of human goodness and constantly invoked the sage kings Yao and Shun."
Though Wu Tong was well-read in the classics, he had loved martial arts since youth. Born into great wealth, he had set out across the martial world in pursuit of his ideals. What he relied upon was nothing more than righteousness.
After joining the Hall of Loyalty, he devoted himself to acts of justice—not seeking personal gain, but striving to benefit the world.
Ge Long shouted angrily,
"If you boast of righteousness, prove it with your palms!"
With that he lunged forward, stabbing his fingers toward Wu Tong's Yuan Ye acupoint beneath the right armpit. At the same time Liu Tong launched several swift palm strikes.
Wu Tong thought to himself:
"The gentleman submits to virtue; the petty man submits to force. If I do not teach these rats a lesson today, will they not look down upon me?"
Immediately he unleashed the Six Illusionary Palm Techniques.
The first move—"Fist Within the Palm."
Both palms shot out simultaneously toward Ge Long and Liu Tong. Neither understood the subtlety of the move and met it head-on.
But the palm was incredibly fluid and swift.
In an instant it transformed from palm into fist!
A sudden punch struck forth.
The two men were shocked and leapt backward.
Wei Fu rushed in to assist.
Wu Tong's fist struck forward. Wei Fu raised both palms to block—but the move changed again without warning.
The fist suddenly transformed back into a palm.
Bang!
Wei Fu was blasted backward and crashed to the ground, coughing up several mouthfuls of black blood.
This was the second move of the Six Illusionary Palms—"Palm Within the Fist."
At the same time Ge Long and Liu Tong rushed forward again like lightning.
Wu Tong suddenly halted and spun around. His footwork became mysterious and profound.
In an instant he executed two moves from the Eight Cloud Hands:
"Looking East and West" and "Watching Front and Back."
His figure flickered like a phantom. The two opponents unleashed dozens of palm strikes in rapid succession—yet every one missed.
At that moment the distance between them was about two zhang.
Wu Tong's eyes flashed like lightning as he stared coldly at them.
Suddenly he advanced.
"You shameless rats!"
Before the echo of his words faded, he unleashed the Beiming Palm Technique.
One move—"Overturning Mountains and Seas."
With a flick of his wrist he struck out with both palms.
Two blasts of palm force shot toward Ge Long and Liu Tong like thunder.
Invisible blades of energy tore through the air.
The power was like a collapsing mountain.
Two tremendous explosions rang out.
With muffled groans the two men were sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
Blood poured from their mouths as they lay writhing in agony.
The members of the Flying Sand Clan looked on in horror.
Wu Tong withdrew his palms and said loudly,
"Heaven cherishes life. Though you are no good men, today I merely give you a small punishment and spare your dog lives. If you dare play tricks again… you know the consequences."
Then his eyes turned coldly toward Ge Long.
"Senior Ge, those who walk the martial world value honor above all. What you did today has destroyed the most basic trust. From now on, the name Thunderbolt Hand will become a disgrace throughout the martial world."
Ge Long's actions this day would surely spread his infamy across Jianghu.
Liu Yun thought to herself: Like father, like son. One need only look at Ge Tian to know the man.
She stepped toward Ge Long and said,
"Hall Master Wu showed great righteousness, yet you called it hypocrisy. After today's battle, who truly disregarded the code of the martial world? Who struck with treachery? The brothers of Jiulong Fortress saw everything clearly."
She paused, then walked toward Liu Tong.
A cold smile appeared on her face.
Suddenly she raised her voice:
"Flying Sand Clan!"
The members of the clan stiffened and all eyes turned toward her.
She continued loudly,
"Why don't you send a few men to carry your Chief Liu and Thunderbolt Hand Ge Long away? If Hall Master Wu had not shown mercy, today they would already be dragged away and buried!"
Before long several members of the Flying Sand Clan stepped forward to help Liu Tong, Wei Fu, and Ge Long to their feet.
Supporting the three wounded men, they slowly withdrew.
Meanwhile Xiang Yang, master of Jiulong Fortress, was gravely injured. Though he had taken medicine and regulated his breathing, pain still wracked his body.
Struggling forward, he clasped his hands and said,
"I have always considered myself a hero of the martial world. Yet in this calamity, I was saved by Hall Master Wu of the Hall of Loyalty. Your kindness is like giving me life anew. I regret that I have no way to repay it."
Wu Tong replied calmly,
"It is nothing. When injustice appears, one must act. Thunderbolt Hand Ge Long served as witness for both sides, yet secretly struck with treachery. If I had not intervened, it would have disgraced the name of the Hall of Loyalty."
As the saying goes:
A man must feel no shame before Heaven above, nor before the Earth below.
Such was Wu Tong.