Free Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain by Jin Yong by Jin Yong Page A

Master, he would not have come at all. As for Phoenix, the Gilt-faced Buddha, Tree had no intention of running into him. The further he could keep himself from Phoenix, the better. What bothered him was that he had come such a long way to help, yet the Master was not home to receive him. He considered this disrespectful, and was extremely unhappy about it.
    "This old monk cannot make himself useful: that is an indisputable fact," said Tree self-deprecatingly. "All problems will be solved once the Gilt-faced Buddha gets here. Why take the trouble to invite the others?"
    To this the man replied, "My Master said he would like to take this opportunity to arrange for heroes of different Schools to meet each other. Fan the Ringleader of the Cathay Outlawry will also be here."
    Tree shuddered involuntarily and asked, "Fan the Ringleader will also be here? How many hands has Fox invited?"
    "It is said that he has not enlisted any help. He will be here alone," answered the man.
    Valour, Fortune, Century, and the others were all experienced hands who had roamed the world and faced numerous dangers. When they learned that Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain was going to meet the challenge single-handed and that the Master not only had many pre-eminent fighters waiting for him, but also had enlisted the help of the Gilt-faced Buddha and Fan the Ringleader of the Cathay Outlawry, they considered it pointless to have gone to this amount of trouble. They felt that Tree the monk was such an adept that he alone would probably be able to deal with Fox. Now that they were also up on the mountain, they would most likely lend a hand when the time presented itself. It was simply that it had never occurred to the Master that so many uninvited guests would be there at the same time.
    Hawk, among all those present, found himself in a mental flurry of indecision, the reason being that the Outlawry had always been at enmity with the Imperial Court. The adjunct Cathay adopted in compounding the title the Cathay Outlawry, to show the pro-Cathay sentiments of the gang, was, in fact, employed to display their anti-Manchu feelings. A month before, Sai, Commissioner of the Imperial Guardsmen, had personally led eighteen Champions of the Imperial Court to have Fan, the Ringleader of the Cathay Outlawry, captured and locked up in the Imperial Jail. The plan was executed with the utmost secrecy. Hardly any of the outlawry knew anything about it. Hawk himself was one amongst the eighteen picked hands on that mission. Finding himself now in a precariously dangerous place, though how he had ever managed to get there still remained a mystery, Hawk knew he was not going to be lucky.
    Seeing Hawk's colour drain from his face when he heard the name Fan the Ringleader, Tree asked him, "Is Master Hawk in any way acquainted with Fan the Ringleader?"
    "I know him not," replied Hawk in a hurry. "I have only heard of Fan the Ringleader as a far-famed hero of the Northern School, and I know no more than that. He did, at one time, fight two ferocious tigers, practising the Grappling Claws of the Dragon."
    Tree smiled and then left Hawk alone. He turned next to the man with the long neck, asking, "What man exactly is this Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain? What vendetta is there between him and your Master?"
    To these questions the man gave the reply, "As the Master has never mentioned anything, this servant therefore dares not enquire further."
    While they were thus engaged in conversation, a young servant offered them food and drink. They were surprised to find gourmet dishes and vintage wines on the hilltop of a snowy mountain. Presently the man with the long neck announced, "The wife of the Master thanks you all for honouring us with your presence. Please help yourselves and make yourselves at home." They gave their thanks in return.
    Curio and Peace were glancing at each other during the meal, Prime and Radiant both rubbing their fists, while Century was just waiting to deal