Recuperating in a secret chamber.
Original translation by Foxs
Huang Rong had just walked two steps when she turned her head and saw Guo Jing’s suspicious look, as if he could see the murderous look on her own face; she thought, “I don’t have any problem killing Shagu, but later on Jing Gege might ask me about it.” She further thought, “He might not ask me about it; he might not even raise this matter, ever. But in his heart he might harbor hatred to me, that won’t be good. All right, we’ll just have to take this big risk.” She closed the door immediately and looked around the room carefully.
On the western corner near the roof of that small room there was a small ventilation window about one foot square, where the sunlight entered the room through a sheet of clamshell curtain. By this light they were able to see everything inside the room. The ventilation hole was dusty. Huang Rong took out her dagger and cleaned up the ventilation hole. The bad smell in the room still lingered, but they seemed unable to think about it. In light of the life and death experience they faced earlier, the smelly and dusty room felt like paradise to them.
Guo Jing leaned on the wall; he smiled slightly and said, “There is no better place for us to treat my injury than in this room. Only we are accompanied by two dead people. Are you afraid?”
In her heart Huang Rong was actually scared, but she determined not to think about it. She said with a smile, “One was my Shige [martial brother], he certainly won’t harm me; the other was a rice bucket government official. Alive he wouldn’t scare me, become a ghost he could scare me even less by becoming a ghost.”
Immediately she kicked two sets of skeletons towards the northern corner of the room. She took the straw mat of the watermelon and spread it out on the ground; then she piled up the several dozens of watermelon around it within arms reach. “What do you think?” she asked.
“Very good,” Guo Jing replied, “Now we can start.”
Huang Rong helped him to sit on the straw; she also sat cross-legged on his left. When she lifted her head, she saw a small hole eyelet the size of a coin on the wall right in front of her. She looked through it and to her delight she saw a mirror on which she could see the entire room outside. Apparently the people who built this secret room had planned it thoroughly; so when they were hiding inside this room from the enemies, they could still observe the activity outside through the mirror. Only it had been a long time and the mirror was covered with thick dust. She took out a handkerchief and wrapped her index finger with it; then she poked inside the hole to clean the mirror.
She saw Shagu was sitting on the ground throwing pebbles around, her mouth humming some tune, but Huang Rong could not hear clearly what she was singing. Huang Rong pressed her ear to the hole to listen; turned out Shagu was humming a lullaby, “Swing, swing, swing; swing to the grandmother’s bridge; grandmother calls me the precious baby …”
At first Huang Rong felt funny, but then the more she listened, the more she felt the touching emotion that song brought. Her heart overflowed with tender affection. She could not help but think: Could it be this song was the one her mother sang to her when she was little …? “If my mother did not die, would she sing like this to me?” Thinking of this her eyes turned moist.
Guo Jing saw her sad expression and said, “What are you thinking? My injury is not that bad, don’t feel so sad.”
Huang Rong put out her hand to wipe her tears and said, “Quickly teach me the internal energy cultivation technique.” Thereupon Guo Jing started to slowly recite the ‘treating injury’ chapter of the Nine Yin Manual.
There was a saying among the martial art practitioners, ‘learn how to take a beating first before learning how to beat someone,’ So the most basic lesson in martial art was how to take a beating without getting seriously injured. When the martial art became more profound, the practitioner must learn how to protect their own body and defend their own lives, sealing acupoints to treat an injury, setting up broken bones and curing poison wound, and all kinds of advance techniques. Better techniques would result in better skill; it did not matter if one’s martial art skill was unmatched, there would come a day when he would fall. The ‘treating injury’ of the Nine Yin Manual explained how a highly skilled martial artist would use his own internal energy to treat the injury, how to circulate the energy in internal injury treatment. As for the broken bones or weapon-inflicted wounds or other external injury treatment, it was assumed that the person who practiced the Manual did not need further instructions.
Huang Rong needed to listen only once and she would remember forever. There were several unclear passages in the Manual, which they needed to discuss in detail. One had a strong foundation in Quanzhen Sect’s internal energy cultivation, the other had an extraordinary intelligence; with some deliberations they were able to understand almost everything. And so Huang Rong held out her right hand, clasping Guo Jing’s left, they started to train diligently according to the technique from the Manual.
After training for four hours they took a short break. Huang Rong’s left hand grabbed a knife and cut a watermelon, which she divided into parts and fed some to Guo Jing, all the while their hands were clasping each other. Training for several hours more, the tightness in Guo Jing’s chest gradually lessened, the warm energy from Huang Rong’s palm slowly dispersed into his body’s hundreds of bones, the soreness on his waist was indeed gradually reduced. He thought the technique contained in this Manual was truly incomparable; he did not dare to be negligent and proceeded diligently.
When the time came for them to take the third break, the light streaming from the ventilation window gradually dimmed. It was near dusk. Not only did Guo Jing feel his chest a lot less constricted, but Huang Rong also felt invigorated. Two people chatted before continuing their training. Suddenly they heard footsteps running quickly and stop in front of the inn then several people came in.
An insolent voice shouted, “Quickly get some dishes out, your masters here are starving!”
They recognized that the voice belonged to San Tou Jiao [Three-headed Scaly Dragon] Hou Tonghai. Guo Jing and Huang Rong looked at each other in surprise. Huang Rong quickly looked into the small hole and to her surprised she saw on the mirror not only Hou Tonghai, but Wanyan Honglie, Ouyang Feng, Yang Kang, Peng Lianhu and the others. Huang Rong did not know where Shagu went to play.
Hou Tonghai slapped the table and made quite a racket, but nobody came out. Liang Ziweng went out and walked around the building. He frowned and said, “Nobody lives here.” Hou Tonghai volunteered to go to the village and buy some wine and dishes.
Ouyang Feng found a spot protected from the blowing wind and spread some straw; then he carried his nephew and gently placed him on the straw, let him calmly lie down to heal from his broken legs.
Peng Lianhu said with a laugh, “Those palace guards, although they are useless, they are everywhere like a ghost haunting us, so for the whole day we did not have time to even stop and eat. Wangye [Prince, lit. king master], you are a northerner, yet you know that by the Qiantang River there is a desolate village and led all of us here. Truly nothing is hidden from your knowledgeable mind.”
Although he heard the flattering tone in Peng Lianhu’s voice, Wanyan Honglie’s face did not show the slightest satisfaction. He merely sighed softly and said, “I came to this place nineteen years ago.” Everybody could see that his expression had changed. They felt a little strange, but of course nobody knew he was thinking about how Bai Xirou saved his life in this village. The desolate village still existed, but that gentle lady with a hairpin in her head, wearing green robe, the one fed him warm chicken soup, was no longer in this world.
Meanwhile Hou Tonghai had returned from the village with wine and food. Peng Lianhu poured wine for everybody and said to Wanyan Honglie, “Wangye, today you succeeded in attaining the marvelous military strategy book, the sign that the Great Jin’s prestige will soon inspire the world, your army will dominate tens of thousands of lands. Let us all congratulate you!” He raised his cup and gulped his wine.
His voice was loud and clear. Guo Jing on the other side of the wall could still hear him clearly; he was shocked, “Yue Yeye’s [Master Yue, lit. grandfather Yue] Legacy has fallen into his hand!” he bitterly thought. As soon as his mind was anxious, the flow of energy in his chest reversed. Huang Rong could feel her palm shaking; she knew he heard everything and it had affected his ‘dan tian’ [pubic region]. If it was not controlled quickly his life might be in danger. Busily she pressed her mouth to his ear and whispered, “If he can steal the book, can’t we do the same? As long as your Er Shifu [Second Master], ‘Miao Shou Shu Sheng’ [Magic Hands Scholar] makes his move, he can easily steal even ten books.”
Guo Jing thought she was right, immediately he closed his eyes and his mind, no longer listened to the conversation behind the wall. Huang Rong looked into the hole again, and she saw Wanyan Honglie raise the cup and drank the wine; and then with a delight he said, “In this battle everybody has worked hard to help; Mr. Ouyang rendered the most service. If he did not get rid of that kid surnamed Guo, we would have to spend a lot more effort.”
Ouyang Feng let out a dry laugh; it sounded like a broken cymbal. As Guo Jing heard his laughter, his heart was shaken yet again. Huang Rong secretly thought, “Heaven bless us, let this Old Poison not pluck his devilish zither here; otherwise Jing Gege’s life will be difficult to retain.”
She heard Ouyang Feng say, “This place is so remote. Song’s army would not find us here. I wonder what kind of thing this Yue Fei Yishu [Legacy, something left behind] is; let us all take a look.”
He took the stone box from his bosom and placed it on the table. His thought was that if Wumu’s Legacy contained an exquisite martial art method, then without regard of everybody else he would take it for himself. However, if the book only contained marching technique and military strategy, it would be useless to him; then he would gladly let others enjoy it, he would let Wanyan Honglie take it.
In the meantime everybody was gazing at the stone box. Huang Rong thought, “What can I do to destroy the book? It would be better than let it fall into the hands of these traitors.” She heard Wanyan Honglie say, “Xiao Wang [lit. little king] has performed a comprehensive analysis on Yue Fei’s riddle in the form of a poem; I also studied carefully the official history record of all previous dynasties on the construction of the imperial palace. I believed this book was concealed fifteen steps east of the ‘cui han tang’ [green-jade cold hall]. Today my deduction was proved to be correct. I believe nobody in the Song Dynasty knew that in their palace was hidden such a treasure. The commotion we made last night, I don’t think anybody knew what that commotion was all about.” He sounded very proud of himself. Everybody immediately seized the opportunity to heap praises on him.
Wanyan Honglie twirled his moustache and laughed. “Kang’er,” he said, “Go ahead, open the box.”
Yang Kang responded and stepped forward. First he removed the seal then he lifted the lid. Everybody’s eyes were on the box. Suddenly their countenances changed; they were confounded, nobody made any sound. The box was completely empty, not only there wasn’t any military strategy book, not even a sheet of blank paper was to be found inside.
Although Huang Rong could not see the box, judging from everybody’s expression, she could deduce that the box was empty. She was delighted and also found it amusing.
Wanyan Honglie was very disappointed. He held on the table to sit down. His hand propped his cheek and he was thinking deeply. “My thousands of calculations, tens of thousands of iterations, all point out that Yue Fei’s Legacy is in this box. How can suddenly not even a trace of it is in the box?” he thought. Suddenly he had an idea, his face lighted up. He took the stone box and brought it outside toward the well then with all his might he smashed the box against the flagstone. ‘Bang!’ the box broke into pieces.
As Huang Rong heard that broken stone sound she immediately thought, “Ah, there is a secret compartment in the box.” She was anxious to see if the Legacy was inside the secret compartment, but no matter what, she could not go out. After a moment however, she saw Wanyan Honglie dejectedly return to the room and sit down.
“I knew there was a secret compartment in that box; who would have thought it was also empty,” Wanyan Honglie said.
One after another everybody tried to offer their opinions. Huang Rong was amused listening to their wild imaginations, one was more weird than the other; she immediately told Guo Jing. As he learned that the Wumu’s Legacy had not been stolen, Guo Jing was greatly comforted. Huang Rong deliberated further, “These traitors will not possibly give up just like that; they must be thinking of going back to the palace tonight.” She was thinking of her Shifu who was still inside the palace; she was afraid he might be implicated. There was Zhou Botong to protect him, but Huang Rong could not help but feel worried; since the Old Urchin behaved like a madman, he could not properly take care of important matters.
Sure enough, she heard Ouyang Feng say, “That’s not a big deal. We’ll go back to the palace tonight and search some more.”
“We can’t go tonight,” Wanyan Honglie objected, “We made quite a disturbance last night, that I am sure they will strictly guard the palace tonight.”
“We can’t avoid the guards,” Ouyang Feng said, “But why worry over it? Wangye and Xiao Wangye [Young Prince] do not need to go. You and my nephew may stay here to take some rest.”
Wanyan Honglie cupped his fists in front of his chest. “Then I will bother Mister to work for me. Xiao Wang will wait for your good news with a peaceful heart.” Straightaway everybody spread some straw in the room and lay down to sleep.
After they slept for more than two hours Ouyang Feng woke everybody up and they went to the city once again.
Wanyan Honglie tossed and turned without being able to get some sleep. Around midnight he could hear the sound of the rising tide on the river. He could also hear a dog barking at the other end of the village; the dog kept barking intermittently throughout the night, as if it was weeping. In the quiet night it brought sorrow to the heart, adding to the anxiety he already felt inside.
After a long while suddenly there were footsteps outside the door, there was someone coming in. Wanyan Honglie quickly sat up and drew his sword. Yang Kang had early on jumped behind the door to set an ambush. Under the moonlight they saw a woman with disheveled hair, humming a children’s song, shoved the door and came in. She was none other than Shagu. She had just got back from playing in the woods all day. She thought little of seeing people sleeping in her room; she kept walking toward the pile of firewood, lied down next to it, and not too long afterwards she was snoring.
As Yang Kang saw it was only a stupid country girl, he smiled and went back to sleep. Wanyan Honglie’s mind, however, was filled with thoughts of past and present; he could not sleep for a long time. He got up, took a candle from his backpack and lit it; and then he took a book and started flipping the pages over.
Huang Rong saw the bright light through the small hole; she took a peek and saw a moth circling the candle, then suddenly it threw itself to the fire, its wings were immediately scorched and it fell on the table. Wanyan Honglie took the moth up. He could not help but feel distressed. He thought, “If my Madame Bao were here, she would certainly take care of you.” From his bosom he took out a small silver knife and a small medicine bottle; and he stroked those objects affectionately.
Huang Rong lightly tapped Guo Jing’s shoulder and moved aside so Guo Jing could take a look through the small hole. As Guo Jing saw with his own eyes, he was enraged. He vaguely recognized the silver knife and medicine bottle belonged to Yang Kang’s mother, Bao Xiruo. He saw her using these items at the Zhao Palace when she was tending a wounded little rabbit. He heard Wanyan Honglie softly murmur, “Nineteen years ago, in this very village, I met you for the first time … Ay! I wonder what happened to your former residence …” While saying that he rose up, took the candle along and went out the door.
Guo Jing was startled, “Could it be that this is my parents’ hometown, the Ox Village?” he wondered. He pressed his mouth to Huang Rong’s ear to inquire. Huang Rong nodded. Guo Jing’s blood surged up, his body shook.
Huang Rong’s right palm was holding Guo Jing’s left palm; she realized his breathing flow was excited because his mind was agitated, which was very dangerous. Immediately she stretched out her left palm to grab Guo Jing’s right palm and together they synchronized their energy so Guo Jing slowly focused his own breathing.
After a long time they saw a moving light and they heard Wanyan Honglie heaved a long sigh while he came back to the room. By this time Guo Jing had been able to control his emotions, but his left palm still held Huang Rong’s right palm. He looked through the small hole again and saw that Wanyan Honglie was holding several small pieces of broken bricks and tiles, sitting in daze by the candle light.
Guo Jing thought, “This traitor is less than ten steps away from me. All I need to do is throw the dagger to him and I will be able to take his life.”
His right hand drew the golden blade Genghis Khan gave him and he whispered to Huang Rong, “Turn the door open.”
“Don’t!” Huang Rong hastily said, “Killing him is easy, but then our hiding place will be discovered.”
With a trembling voice Guo Jing said, “Six more days and nights I don’t know where he will be.”
Huang Rong knew it would not be easy to persuade him, so she whispered in his ear, “Your mother and Rong’er want you alive.”
Guo Jing’s heart shivered with cold; he nodded. He put the golden blade back to its sheath on his waist and again looked out through the small hole. He saw Wanyan Honglie sprawled on the table, asleep. Suddenly he saw somebody got up from the straw. This person’s face was illuminated by the candle light, but in the mirror it was not clear whose face it was. Guo Jing only saw he quietly stood up and walked over to Wanyan Honglie. He took the silver knife and the small medicine bottle from the table, looked at them for a while then gently put them back down on the table. He then turned his head around and Guo Jing saw that it was Yang Kang.
Guo Jing said in his heart, “That’s right, you must avenge your parents. This is a very good opportunity. With a stab of the dagger the enemy, with whom you cannot live together under the same sky, will certainly lose his life. You won’t have the same opportunity once the Old Poison and the others come back.”
His heart was very anxious, he was hoping Yang Kang would immediately make his move. But after putting down the silver knife and the medicine bottle, Yang Kang blew the candle light then for a moment the room looked dark to him, and then he saw Yang Kang took out his long robe and gently draped it over Wanyan Honglie’s shoulders to protect him from the cold night.
Guo Jing was very angry, he turned his head around, not willing to look outside anymore. He did not understand how Yang Kang could treat the enemy who killed his parents with such a loving and tender care. Huang Rong comforted him by saying, “Do not be impatient. After your injury is healed, even if this traitor runs away into the horizon we will catch him. He is not the Old Poison, don’t you think killing him is easy?” Guo Jing nodded and went back into circulating his internal energy.
Soon the dawn arrived, from the village came the noise of roosters crowing and all kinds of morning clatters. Inside their bodies the ‘qi’ had been circulating seven times, they felt relieved and comfortable. Huang Rong raised her index finger up and said with a smile, “One day has passed!”
“And it was very dangerous!” Guo Jing replied in low voice, “If not for you, I could not keep my mind peaceful and steady, I nearly made things worse.”
“There are six more days and six more nights,” Huang Rong said, “You promised to listen to what I say.”
Guo Jing laughed, “When did I ever not listen to what you say?” he said.
Huang Rong leaned her head to the side and said, “Hmm, let me think.”
At this moment a single ray of sunlight came slanting down the ventilation window; her white skin and beautiful rosy cheeks looked like red clouds at dawn. Guo Jing suddenly felt her palm was exceptionally warm and soft. Something stirred in his chest, hastily he chased that thought away, but already his face blushed all over. Ever since they had been together Guo Jing never had this kind of feeling toward her; he could not help but be shocked and he silently rebuked himself.
Huang Rong saw him blushing; she felt strange. “Jing Gege,” she asked, “What happened?”
With a low voice Guo Jing replied, “I have been bad. I suddenly thought of … thought of …”
“What is it?” Huang Rong asked.
“I am not thinking about it anymore,” Guo Jing answered.
“Then what did you think of?” Huang Rong pressed.
Unable to dodge away Guo Jing confessed, “I was thinking of hugging you, kissing you.”
Huang Rong felt warm and sweet all of a sudden, her face also blushed, she looked shy and even lovelier.
Seeing her lowering her head without saying anything Guo Jing asked, “Rong’er, are you angry? I was as bad as Ouyang Ke to have such a bad thought.”
Huang Rong gave him one of her captivating smiles, “I am not angry,” she said with a tender voice, “I was thinking in the future you will hug me and kiss me, for I will certainly be your wife.” Guo Jing was very happy, he stammered but could not say anything.
“You wanted to hug and kiss me, was it bad?” Huang Rong asked.
Guo Jing was about to reply, but suddenly from outside the door came the noise of rushing footsteps; two men burst into the inn. He heard Hou Tonghai’s voice say, “His granny, I told you earlier that there are ghosts in the world, but Shige [Martial (older) Brother] did not believe me.” He was so agitated that he could not say clearly what was in his raging mind. Then Sha Tongtian’s voice replied, “What ghost? I told you, we met a martial art master.”
Huang Rong looked out through the hole and saw that Hou Tonghai’s face was full of blood, while Sha Tongtian’s clothes were ripped into pieces. It seemed like these two martial brothers had been in an extremely difficult situation.
Wanyan Honglie and Yang Kang were confounded to see their conditions; they busily inquired. Hou Tonghai replied, “We were very unfortunate; we met a ghost at the imperial palace last night. Damn it! Old Hou’s ears were cut off by the ghost.”
Wanyan Honglie did indeed see that both sides of his face were covered with blood and looked somewhat unusual; it turned out, his ears were missing. Wanyan Honglie was astonished.
Sha Tongtian scolded, “Still talking strange ghost story; haven’t you disgraced us enough?”
Hou Tonghai was afraid of his Shige, but he still tried to argue, “I saw it clearly, his eyes were blue, he was the red bearded judge of hell, pouncing over me with a scary ‘Wah! Wah!’ voice! All I did was to turn my head around and he grabbed my neck and my ears were gone. This judge of hell looked exactly like the one in the temple, how could it not be him?”
Sha Tongtian only fought the judge for three stances and his clothes were ripped into pieces. That judge was definitely a highly skilled martial artist, not some strange ghost; only Sha Tongtian did not have any clue on how did he have the appearance of a judge of hell.
Four people offered their guesses, they even asked Ouyang Ke who was lying down because of his injury, but nobody came out with a plausible answer.
While they were still talking, Lingzhi Shangren [lit. upper/above person, a respectful term to address a Buddhist monk], Peng Lianhu and Liang Ziweng had also arrived one after another. Lingzhi Shangren’s hands were bound by iron chain behind his back, Peng Lianhu’s cheeks were swollen red and blue, Liang Ziweng’s condition was the funniest; the white hair on his head were pulled clean so that he looked like a Buddhist monk. Standing and talking opposite to Sha Tongtian, they looked alike, their bald heads shining, reflecting the light.
It turned out those three entered the imperial palace and spread out in order to find the Wumu’s Legacy; all of them had met some ghosts. Only each met different ghost; one met with a ‘wu chang gui’ [the ghost supposed to take soul after death], the other ‘huang ling guan’ [yellow spirit officer], and the last was ‘tu di pu sa’ [earth god].
Liang Ziweng stroked his own bad head and opened his mouth to curse using all dirty words he knew, including some ‘mother-in-law of the earth grew some fungi’. Peng Lianhu endured silently and did not say a single word, he worked hard trying to take the iron chain from Lingzhi Shangren’s hands. The chain went deep into the flesh, with hooks on either end connected tightly to each other. Peng Lianhu had to exert a lot of strength until his hands were bruised and bloody before he could untie the chain.
Everybody looked at each other in blank dismay; nobody made any sound. They knew in their hearts that last night they met a highly skilled martial artist and were greatly insulted, so they all felt ashamed. Hou Tonghai still believed it was a ghost, and nobody bothered to argue with him.
After a long time Wanyan Honglie opened his mouth, “I wonder why Mr. Ouyang has not come back yet. Perhaps he also met a ghost.”
“Mr. Ouyang’s martial art skill is unmatched,” Yang Kang said, “Even if he met a ghost, he won’t suffer defeat.” Peng Lianhu and the others were indifferent.
Huang Rong saw everything; how these people met extremely difficult situations and were talking about ghosts. She was very pleased, she thought, “The masks I bought for Zhou Dage [Big Brother] have unexpectedly boosted his power and prestige; it was truly beyond my expectation. I wonder if he met and fought the Old Poison yet.” At that moment she felt Guo Jing’s internal energy starting to flow into her palm, so she went back to join him immediately.
Peng Lianhu and the others had been busy all night, they were starving. Working hand in hand they started chopping firewood, buying rice and vegetables, and preparing their food. When the food was ready Hou Tonghai went to the cupboard to get some bowls. He saw the iron bowl and tried to take it, naturally it would not budge. He felt strange and shouted, “A ghost!” He pulled the bowl with all his strength, but of course the bowl did not move.
Huang Rong heard his voice and was shocked; she knew their hiding place must not be seen by them. Not to mention the fact that they would not necessarily win if a fight broke, but if they moved even so slightly, Guo Jing’s life would be in danger; that must not happen. Inside the secret room she was frightened and did not know what to do. Outside the room Sha Tongtian heard his martial brother’s shout and reprimanded him not to make such a big thing over nothing.
Hou Tonghai was not angry, he said, “All right, then come and take this bowl out.” Sha Tongtian held out his hand to pick the bowl, but the bowl stayed. “Ah!” he exclaimed.
Peng Lianhu heard him and came over. “Sha Xiong [Brother Sha],” he said, “There must be a secret mechanism connected to it. Try turning it to the left or right.”
Huang Rong saw the situation was pressing, she knew they were forced to stake it all. She handed the dagger over to Guo Jing and held out her hand to take the bamboo stick given by Hong Qigong. Inwardly she was sorrowful to think their lives would end this way. In the last moment she turned her head and saw the skeletons at the corner of the room. Suddenly an idea came to her mind; hurriedly she took the skulls and made an effort to lift a big watermelon, then she placed the skulls on the watermelon.
With some creaking noise the iron door revolved, revealing a hole behind it. Huang Rong placed the watermelon on top of her head and spread out her long hair over her face. As Sha Tongtian opened the door, he saw inside the cabinet there was a monster with two heads, letting out a scary ‘Wah! Wah!’ sound. The monster’s two heads were skulls, side by side on top of a blue and green striped sphere, with a cluster of long black beard underneath it.
Everybody had suffered a lot the previous night, they were still shaken; and now they suddenly saw a ghost inside the cabinet, they were really scared. Hou Tonghai screamed and ran away. Without thinking everybody else followed. The only one left was Ouyang Ke. Since his legs were broken he was lying on a straw bed and was unable to run.
Huang Rong heaved a long sigh; busily she closed the cabinet door. She could not help but smile, considering they had barely escaped trouble for the moment; for she knew those traitors were Jianghu’s top veterans, surely they would come back. They were running away because they were frightened by the Old Urchin; otherwise, how could she fool them so easily? Once they calmed themselves down, they would come back and would not be scared away so easily.
Huang Rong’s dimples had not disappeared, she was still undecided on the next course of action to take, when she heard a noise from the door, someone was coming. Huang Rong grabbed a steel butterfly tightly in her hand, while the bamboo stick was close by her side. As soon as the door was opened, she would throw the projectile first and talk about it later. But after waiting for a moment she heard a beautiful voice calling out, “Innkeeper! Innkeeper!”
Huang Rong was really surprised to hear this call. Busily she looked out through the small hole and saw a lady wearing embroidered gown sitting in the inn. Her clothes and adornments were gorgeous; indicating she came from a wealthy family. She was sitting with her back facing the mirror, so Huang Rong could not see her face.
That lady waited for half a day, and then she called out again, “Innkeeper! Innkeeper!”
Huang Rong thought, “This voice sounds familiar, tender yet strong; she sounds like the Cheng Da Xiaojie [Eldest Miss Cheng] of Baoying.” At that moment the lady turned around and who was it but the Cheng Da Xiaojie, Cheng Yaojia? Huang Rong was pleasantly surprised, “Why does she come this place?”
Shagu was not awakened by the commotion made by Hou Tonghai and the others. But now she had enough sleep, so she crawled up from the straw bed.
“Innkeeper,” Cheng Yaojia said, “Would you please prepare some food for me? I would be much obliged.”
Shagu shook her head, meaning she did not have any food. But suddenly she sniffed around and smelled cooked rice. She rushed to open the lid and saw the pot was full of plain white rice, the one Peng Lianhu and the others had prepared. Shagu was delighted; without wondering where the food came from she took two bowls and gave one to Cheng Yaojia, while she gobbled the other.
Cheng Yaojia saw there was no dish, only plain rice, she ate a few bites, then put the bowl down. Shagu ate three full bowls quickly, then she patted her belly, looked satisfied.
“Miss,” Cheng Yaojia said, “May I ask you a question? Do you know how far the Ox Village is from this place?”
“Ox Village?” Shagu said, “This is Ox Village. How far it is from this place, I don’t know.”
Cheng Yaojia blushed. She lowered her head and played with the end of her belt. After half a day she said, “It turned out this is the Ox Village. Then I am wondering if you knew someone. I wonder if you knew … you knew … someone …”
Shagu did not wait for her to finish, she shook her head impatiently and then rushed out the door. Huang Rong wondered in her heart, “Who is she looking for at the Ox Village? Ah, that’s right! She is the disciple of Sun Bu’er. Most likely she received an order from her Master and Martial Uncles to find Qiu Chuji’s disciple, Yang Kang.”
Huang Rong saw Cheng Yaojia was sitting up straight, her clothes were proper; she was gently stroking the pearl head ornament by her temple, her face blushing, with a slight smile on the corner of her lips, did not know what she was thinking.
Huang Rong thought it was interesting. Suddenly she heard footsteps, someone was coming in from outside. This person was tall and handsome, his steps lively; as soon as he came in he also called out for the innkeeper. Huang Rong thought, “Coincidentally the people I know in this world have all gathered together in this Cow Village. The fengshui [lit. wind and water – geomancy, but since the term ‘fengshui’ is already well-known, I decided to keep it as is] of Jing Gege’s Ox Village must be very good; if not for the wealth then for the person.” Turned out the incoming person was the Young Master of the Cloud Village, Lu Guanying. As he saw Cheng Yaojia, he was startled then he called again, “Innkeeper!”
As Cheng Yaojia saw this young man, she felt shy and hurriedly turned her body around. Lu Guanying also felt strange, “How come there is a beautiful young girl sitting alone in this place?” he thought. He walked around the kitchen and did not see anybody else. He was very hungry, while there was rice in the pot, so he turned to Cheng Yaojia and said, “Xiao Ren [lit. little/lowly person – the term he used to refer himself] is very hungry, I wish Miss would give me a bowl to eat.”
Cheng Yaojia hung her head lower and smiled slightly, she said, “The rice is not mine. Xiang Gong [honorable master], please help yourself.”
Lu Guanying ate two bowls full, then he cupped his fists to express his gratitude; he said, “Xiao Ren wishes to ask Miss about a certain place. I wonder how far is the Ox Village from this place? ”
Cheng Yaojia and Huang Rong were both delighted. “Ha, it turns out he is also looking for the Ox Village,” they both thought. Cheng Yaojia stood up to return his respects and said, “This is the Ox Village.”
Lu Guanying was delighted, “That’s wonderful!” he said, “Xiao Ren also wonders if Miss knew about a certain man.”
Cheng Yaojia was about to say that she was not a local when suddenly she changed her mind, “I wonder who is he looking for?” she thought.
Lu Guanying said, “I am looking for a gentleman surnamed Guo, Master Guo Jing. I was wondering where he lives… Is he home right now?”
Cheng Yaojia and Huang Rong were startled. “Why does he look for him?”
Cheng Yaojia was dumbstruck; she hung her head low and blushed to her ears. Looking at her expression Huang Rong had guessed with 80% certainty, “It turns out this Miss secretly fell in love with Jing Gege because he saved her in Baoying.” First of all Huang Rong was still very young, secondly she was an open-minded person, thirdly she believed in her heart that Guo Jing would not have a different mind; therefore, her heart was free from jealousy. On the contrary, she was really glad to find that others liked Guo Jing.
Huang Rong’s speculation was right on target. When Cheng Yaojia was held captive by Ouyang Ke, it was true that it was the Beggar Clan’s Li Sheng and his men who helped her; but they were not Ouyang Ke’s match. If Guo Jing and Huang Rong did not go into action, she would have suffered disgrace. She saw Guo Jing was still young. Not only his skill was superb, but also his manner was sincere. A strand of love thread unexpectedly floated from her and stuck on Guo Jing.
She was the young lady of a very rich family; she had never left home before, and she had reached the age where she started to have interest in the opposite sex. As she saw an attractive young man she unexpectedly fell in love.
Even after Guo Jing left, he was always in this Cheng Da Xiaojie’s mind. Thinking left and right she mustered up enough courage and left home in the middle of the night. She was a pugilist, but had never left home; she did not have the slightest idea about the way of the Jianghu people. She happened to hear Guo Jing was from the Ox Village of Lin’an prefecture, thereupon she asked around the way to the Ox Village.
Her appearance was elegant and her bearing was noble; along the way bad people did not dare to bully her. At the previous village she was told that the Ox Village was near; but when she suddenly heard Shagu say this was the Ox Village she had no idea what to do next. She had come thousands of ‘li’s to find Guo Jing, but now she was hoping Guo Jing would not be home. Her thought was, “I will go secretly to his home in the evening, take one look at him, and then go home. I can’t let him know I came for him; I would die of embarrassment if he finds out.”
Right at that moment Lu Guanying arrived and inquired about Guo Jing. Cheng Yaojia was afraid he had found out her heart’s contents. She was at a lost for a moment then decided she would stand up and leave. But suddenly from outside the door an ugly face appeared then vanished. Cheng Yaojia was startled; she drew back two steps. That ugly face reappeared and called out, “Double-headed ghost! Come out in the sun if you have the ability. San Tou Jiao Master Hou challenges you to fight. I have one more head than you do. Under the bright sun, Master Hou does not fear you!” His meaning was clear: as soon as it was dark, Master Hou would candidly admit defeat although he had more heads. Lu and Cheng two people obviously did not understand.
“Humph!” Huang Rong snorted. “All right, finally they come back,” she murmured. She believed Lu’s and Cheng’s martial art skills were not too high, it would be difficult for them to fight Peng Lianhu and the others. If she and Guo Jing wanted to help, all they did would be delivering two more lives. The best way would be telling them to get out of the way quickly. But how could she let them know? She went over other possibilities, but after thinking back and forth she still could not produce any good idea. All they had was each other and their courage.
When Peng Lianhu and the others saw the double-headed ghost, they all thought it was the same expert, dressed as a ghost, who humiliated them the previous night. Therefore, they all ran away as far as possible from the village. Nobody dared to come back, with the exception of Hou Tonghai. He was a simple man, and actually believed it was a real ghost. He felt the blazing sun on his head, hurting his scalp. While everybody else had disappeared, he cursed, “Ghosts will meet their dooms under the sun. They did not know that, yet they dare to roam the Jianghu. I, Lao Hou [the Old Hou], am not afraid. I am going back to face the ghost. Let them respect me.”
Thereupon he came back in big strides to the inn albeit with trepidation in his heart. When he stuck his head on the door, he saw Cheng Yaojia and Lu Guanying sat in the middle of the room. “Not good!” he said to himself, “The double-headed ghost has transformed itself into a man and a woman. Old Hou, oh, Old Hou, you have to be very careful.”
Lu Guanying and Cheng Yaojia heard his challenge, but they did not understand the reason. They looked at each other and decided he was a mad man; hence they ignored him.
Hou Tonghai kept cursing, but the ghost did not come out to fight. He believed the ghost was afraid of the sun. But to barge in and capture the ghost inside, the Old Hou did not have any nerve. They were in a stalemate situation for half a day. He was waiting for the two ghosts to transform themselves to other forms, who would have thought that the ghosts did not show any activities at all. Suddenly he remembered an old saying that ghosts were afraid of filthy things. So he left at once to find some dung.
There were several outhouses in the village; there was one big one next to the inn. In his effort to capture the ghost he was not afraid of filth, so he took out his outer garment and scooped out a large bundle of dung, then he returned to the inn. He saw Lu and Cheng two people were still sitting in the inn. The secret weapon in his hands boosted his courage considerably. He called out loudly, “All right, daring ghost! Master Hou wants you to return to your original form.” With a three-pronged fork in his left hand and the bundle of dung in his right hand, he boldly entered the room.
As Lu and Cheng two people saw this lunatic come back, they were slightly startled. But before the man arrived they had already caught the bad smell he was bringing. Hou Tonghai pondered, “I heard people say that men are more vicious than women, but female ghost is more dangerous than the male one.” Therefore, he lifted the bundle and threw it toward Cheng Yaojia.
Cheng Yaojia called out in alarm; she moved sideways to evade. Lu Guanying had already lifted up a long bench to strike the bundle. It fell to the ground and broke, dung flew everywhere, bad smell attacked their nostrils making them want to throw up.
Hou Tonghai shouted loudly, “Double-headed ghost, quickly go back to your original form.” Lifting his fork he attacked Cheng Yaojia ferociously. He was simple-minded, but his martial art skill was not bad. His fork attack was both rapid and fierce.
Lu and Cheng two people were alarmed; they both thought, “This man is obviously a Wulin expert; he is by no means a lunatic.”
Lu Guanying saw Cheng Yaojia as a lady from a renowned family, she looked so frail and tender that a whiff of wind might blow her away. He was afraid this mad man might hurt her, so he lifted the long bench to parry the three-pronged steel fork. “Who are you, Sir?” he asked. Hou Tonghai ignored his question and stabbed him three times with his fork. Lu Guanying kept using the bench as his weapon and repeatedly asked his name.
Hou Tonghai noticed that although the ghost’s martial art skill was not weak, but actually it was entirely different from the mysteriously appearing and disappearing ghost of last night. He concluded it was the result of his dung attack earlier. He was very smug and called out, “You, the enchanting ghost, want to know my name so that you can put a curse on me, don’t you? Your master won’t fall into your trick.”
Initially he called himself ‘Master Hou’, but now that he got a sudden inspiration he omitted the word ‘Hou’ and only used the word ‘Master’ to avoid the ghost from throwing up a curse on him. The steel rings on his fork made a ding-dong noise as he intensified his attack.
Lu Guanying’s martial art was inferior to his opponent to begin with; and now he was using a bench as a weapon. He wanted to draw the saber on his waist but did not have any chance to do so. He was forced to step back so that after a while his back was already against the wall, covering the small hole through which Huang Rong was looking out.
Hou Tonghai stabbed with his steel fork, Lu Guanying hastily moved sideways to evade. ‘Bang!’ the fork pricked the wall, less than a foot away from Huang Rong’s hole. Before he pulled his fork back, the bench in Lu Guanying’s hand struck vertically toward the top of his head. Hou Tonghai’s foot flew to kick Lu Guanying’s hand, while his left fist attacked Lu Guanying’s face. The bench fell from Lu Guanying’s hands, while he was forced to duck to avoid the blow. Meanwhile Hou Tonghai had withdrawn his steel fork from the wall.
Cheng Yaojia saw the critical situation; she jumped forward and pulled the saber from Lu Guanying’s waist, then handed it over to him. “Many thanks!” Lu Guanying said. He had never imagined that in this critical moment this polite and charming girl would have the courage to enter such a fierce battle and draw the saber to help him.
He saw a bright flickering light from the steel fork coming into his chest; immediately his saber went up horizontally in front of his chest and ‘clang!’ sparks flew everywhere. The steel fork was forced sideways, but he felt a chest pain. It seemed like this lunatic’s strength was not small; but with a saber in his hand he was greatly encouraged.
After exchanging several stances both men’s feet had stepped over the dung and brought it everywhere they treaded. In the beginning Hou Tonghai was fighting with trepidation; he always thought about darting out the door to escape, he did not dare to use all his strength. But the longer they fought, he saw the ghost was unable to defeat him; obviously his enchantment was restrained by the dung. He became bolder and his attacks became fiercer. In the end Lu Guanying was having a hard time blocking his attacks.
At first Cheng Yaojia was afraid of the dung on the ground; she stood up in a corner watching the fight. But then she saw this handsome young man would lose his life under the lunatic’s steel fork; she hesitated for a moment, finally she made up her mind and drew a sword from her bundle. She called out to Lu Guanying, “Xiang Gong, I … I am going to help you. Please pardon me.” Her manner was truly thorough; she was apologizing before helping someone to fight. Her sword flashed toward Hou Tonghai’s chest.
She was the Qing Jing San Ren [Sage of Tranquility], Sun Bu’er’s disciple; naturally she was well-versed in the Quanzhen Sect’s sword technique. Hou Tonghai had anticipated her move; he thought that the double-headed ghost had transformed itself into two, and the female ghost would attack him soon as an evil spirit, so he was not surprised. But Lu Guanying was pleasantly surprised. He saw her movement was quick, her sword technique exquisite; his heart was full of admiration. His own saber was starting to be chaotic, he was sweating profusely; now suddenly someone came to help, his spirit rose.
At first Hou Tonghai was quite worried by the female ghost’s fierceness, but after a few stances he noticed that although her sword technique was proficient, but her strength was just ordinary; moreover, she looked nervous. Probably she had not been a ghost for long, she had not reached the ‘old ghost’ level yet. Thereupon he gradually felt relieved. His three-pronged fork created strong gusts of wind. One against two, he still was able to attack more than his opponents.
Watching from the other room Huang Rong was very anxious; she knew Lu and Cheng two people would eventually fall under their enemy. She wanted to lend them a hand, but she must not leave Guo Jing even for half a step. Otherwise, with her intelligence and abundant experience it would be very easy for her to play tricks on this Three-headed Scaly Dragon.
She heard Lu Guanying call out, “Miss, go away, you don’t have to entangle yourself with him.”
Cheng Yaojia knew he was worried that she might be injured and wanted to fight this mad man alone; she was very grateful, but she also knew fighting alone he would not be able to resist the enemy. She shook her head, unwilling to draw back.
Lu Guanying fought furiously, he shouted to Hou Tonghai, “As a real man you are making things difficult for a young girl, what kind of hero are you? Just deal with me, a man surnamed Lu, and let this Miss go.”
Although Hou Tonghai was muddle-headed, he knew by now that these two were not ghosts; but seeing Cheng Yaojia was beautiful, while he had gained an upper hand, how could he let her go? With laughter he said, “I want to capture the male ghost, I also want to take the female ghost.” His steel fork went straight horizontally with a violent thrust; he was being 30% lenient toward Cheng Yaojia, otherwise he would have already stabbed her.
“Miss, quickly go!” Lu Guanying anxiously said, “The man surnamed Lu is grateful or your kindness.”
“Xiang Gong’s honorable surname is Lu, isn’t it?” in a low voice Cheng Yaojia asked.
“Exactly,” Lu Guanying replied, “Miss, what is your name? What school do you belong to?”
“My Shifu’s surname is Sun, people call her the Sage of Tranquility,” Cheng Yaojia said, “I … I …” She was going to say her name, but suddenly felt shy and closed her mouth.
“Miss, I’ll block him, you run quickly,” Lu Guanying said, “As long as the man surnamed Lu is still alive, I will look for you. I thank you for your help today.”
Cheng Yaojia was blushing, she stammered, “I … I don’t … Xiang Gong …” Turning her head to Hou Tonghai she said, “Hey, mad man! Don’t you dare injuring this Xiang Gong. My Shifu is the Sun Zhenren [lit. true/real person, a respectful term to address a Taoist priest] from Quanzhen Sect. She will arrive shortly.”
The names of Quanzhen Seven Masters were well-known throughout the world. That day Hou Tonghai had seen it with his own eyes when the Tie Jiao Xian [Iron Feet Immortal], Yuyang [jade-sun] Zi, Wang Chuyi intimidated the group of pugilists at the Zhao Palace. Now hearing what Cheng Da Xiaojie said, he was somewhat afraid. But after a slight shock he cursed, “Even if the Quanzhen Seven Masters come together, your master here will butcher them all one by one!”
Suddenly from outside the door came someone’s clear voice saying, “Who in here doesn’t want to live by speaking nonsense?”
Three people were engaged in a fierce battle, but as they heard this voice they all leaped backward. Lu Guanying was afraid Hou Tonghai would launch a sneak attack, he pulled Cheng Yaojia behind him and stood wielding his saber in front of her; only then he did raise his head to take a look.
He saw a young Taoist priest standing at the doorstep, wearing a feather robe and a star crown, his face handsome and his eyes bright, he was holding a Taoist whisk in his hand. “Who said he wants to butcher the Quanzhen Seven Masters?” he coldly asked.
With the fork in his right hand Hou Tonghai inserted his left hand to his waist; with glaring eyes he said loudly, “It’s me, your master. So what?”
“All right,” the young priest said, “Go ahead and try.” Swaying his body forward he swept the whisk toward Hou Tonghai’s face.
By now Guo Jing had finished one round of exercise; hearing the clamor of battle outside he looked out through the small hole. Huang Rong asked, “Is this young priest also one of the Quanzhen Seven Masters?”
Guo Jing recognized the young priest as Yin Zhiping, Qiu Chuji’s disciple. Two years ago he received an order from his master to deliver a letter to the Jiangnan Six Heroes and had a martial art contest with Guo Jing at night, in which Guo Jing was defeated. Quietly Guo Jing told Huang Rong everything.
Huang Rong saw he had exchanged a few stances with Hou Tonghai; she shook her head and said, “He won’t defeat the Three-Headed Scaly Dragon.”
Yin Zhiping slightly fell under Hou Tonghai’s attacks; with a saber in his hand Lu Guanying immediately stepped forward to help him. Compared to the time he fought Guo Jing at night, he had made some progress; but fighting side by side with Lu Guanying they only managed to face Hou Tonghai evenly.
Just a moment ago Cheng Yaojia’s left hand was grabbed by Lu Guanying for a short moment, yet her heart was still pitter-pattering madly. Three people were fighting furiously right next to her, but she was actually daydreaming, gently stroking her hand. Suddenly she was awakened with a startled from her daze-like condition by a clanking noise and Lu Guanying’s urgent voice, “Miss, watch out!”
It turned out that Hou Tonghai noticed her condition and thrust his fork to her; Lu Guanying busily fended off the attack while shouting to her. Cheng Yaojia’s face turned completely red; she gathered her thoughts and entered the battle.
Cheng Yaojia’s martial art skill was not too high, but with one against three Hou Tonghai had a hard time blocking the enemies. He brandished his fork ferociously, trying to open up an opportunity to escape and find some help, but Yin Zhiping’s whisk was dancing around in front of his face, making his vision blurry. He was negligent for a split second and Lu Guanying’s saber cut his leg.
“Your eighteen ancestors be damned!” Hou Tonghai cursed. But because of this wound he gradually became sluggish. He thrust the steel fork forward, Yin Zhiping parried with his whisk, and the whisk coiled around it. They both pulled their respective weapons back in a tug-of-war game, but because Hou Tonghai was stronger, Yin Zhiping was forced to let his whisk go.
Cheng Yaojia thrust her sword with ‘dou yao xing he’ [fighting and shaking star and river] and stabbed his right shoulder. Hou Tonghai could not hold his steel fork, it fell to the ground. Yin Zhiping took this opportunity to sweep his leg and Hou Tonghai tumbled to the ground. Lu Guanying immediately pounced on him; taking the leather belt on his waist he bound Hou Tonghai’s hands behind his back.
Yin Zhiping laughed and said, “You can’t even defeat the Quanzhen Seven Masters’ disciple; how would you butcher the Quanzhen Seven Masters?” Hou Tonghai opened his mouth and shouted cursing words, said that it was three against one, that it was not a real hero’s deed. Yin Zhiping tore up a piece of his clothes and stuffed it into his mouth. Hou Tonghai’s face looked so angry, but he could not say anything.
Yin Zhiping bowed to Cheng Yaojia, “Shijie [Elder Martial Sister] is the disciple of Sun Shishu [Martial (younger) Uncle Sun]? You little brother Yin Zhiping greets you.”
Cheng Yaojia hurriedly returned his bow and said, “I don’t deserve it. I wonder Shixiong [Martial Brother – ‘xiong’ is brother in a general term] which Shibo’s [Martial (older) Uncle] disciple? Little sister pays my respect to Yin Shixiong.”
“Little brother is a disciple of Changchun [perpetual/eternal spring],” Yin Zhiping replied.
Since taking apprenticeship under her master, Cheng Yaojia had never left her house, so among the Quanzhen Seven Masters, she had never met six of them. However, her master had taught her about all of her martial uncles, and that Changchun Zi, Qiu Shibo was the most heroic and possessed the highest martial art skill. Learning that Yin Zhiping was Qiu Chuji’s disciple she regarded him with respect; lowering her head she said, “Yin Shixiong is my older martial brother. I am surnamed Cheng. Just call me Shimei [younger martial sister].”
Yin Zhiping had been under his master tutelage for quite a long time, he had also inherited his master’s broad-minded and heroic disposition. He saw this martial sister as girlish and shy, she did not look like a heroic person at all; he was secretly amused. He chatted with her about their school for a while then he turned toward Lu Guanying to introduce himself. Lu Guanying introduced himself, but did not mention his father’s name or his title.
Yin Zhiping turned his attention to Hou Tonghai. “This lunatic’s martial art is actually very good; I wonder where he came from. We must not release him,” he said.
Lu Guanying said, “Let little brother hack my saber and finish him off.” He was the leader of a band of robbers at the Lake Tai, so killing was not a big deal to him. Cheng Yaojia, on the other hand, was tender-hearted. “Ah! Don’t kill him!” she said.
Yin Zhiping smiled, “It’s all right not to kill him,” he said, “Cheng Shimei, have you been here long?”
Cheng Yaojia blushed. “Little sister has just arrived,” she said.
Yin Zhiping looked at the couple and thought, “Looks like these two are in love with one another; I must not interfere. I’ll just talk for a while and then I’ll go.” He said, “I received an order from Shifu to go to the Ox Village to find someone and convey a message to him. Little brother must take my leave; we’ll meet again later.” He cupped his hands and turned around to leave.
Cheng Yaojia’s blush had not faded, but hearing him, it seemed like a layer of redness crept back onto her face. Hanging her head low she asked timidly, “Yin Shixiong, whom are you seeking?”
Yin Zhiping hesitated slightly, he thought, “Cheng Shimei is my school’s disciple, this surnamed Lu fellow is her travel companion, so he is not an outsider. I think there is no harm in telling them.” Thereupon he said, “I am looking for a friend by the surname of Guo.”
At his words, four people at either sides of the wall were stunned. Lu Guanying asked, “Could it be that friend has a single character ‘Jing’ as his name?”
“That’s right,” Yin Zhiping said, “Brother Lu also know this Guo friend?” he asked.
Lu Guanying replied, “The one Little brother is looking for is exactly this Guo Shishu [martial uncle].”
Yin Zhiping and Cheng Yaojia were both surprised, “You call him Shishu?”
“My father is of the same generation as he is,” Lu Guanying said, “That’s why Little Brother calls him Shishu.” Lu Chengfeng and Huang Rong were of the same generation; Guo Jing and Huang Rong were engaged to each other. Therefore, Lu Guanying referred to Guo Jing as martial uncle.
Cheng Yaojia did not say anything, but her heart was troubled. Yin Zhiping busily asked, “Have you seen him? Where is he?”
“Little Brother had just arrived. I was about to inquire when this lunatic attacked without any reason,” Lu Guanying replied.
“Good!” Yin Zhiping said, “Then let us look for him together.” Three people went out the door together.
Huang Rong and Guo Jing looked at each other with bitter smiles on their faces. “They will come back,” Guo Jing said, “Rong’er, open the door and call them.”
Huang Rong sighed and said, “How can I do that? These people are looking for you, must be over some important matters. You are still trying to heal your injury, how can your attention be diverted?”
“That’s right,” Guo Jing agreed, “Must be a very important matter. Can you think of something?”
Huang Rong said, “I will not open the door even if the sky is falling”
Sure enough, not too long afterwards, Yin Zhiping three people came back to the inn. Lu Guanying said, “Even in his hometown nobody can shed a light on his whereabouts. This is not good.”
Yin Zhiping said, “I wonder over what important matter do Brother Lu try to find him; may we know?”
Initially Lu Guanying was unwilling to say, but after seeing Cheng Yaojia’s hopeful look, for some unknown reason he found it hard to resist. He said, “It is a long story. Let Little Brother sweep the filth from the floor first, then I will relate the story to you two.” There was no broom or dustpan in this inn, so Yin and Lu two people had to use tree branches to clean up the filth, only then did they sat down to talk.
Lu Guanying was about to speak when Cheng Yaojia suddenly said, “Wait a minute!” She went to Hou Tonghai, cut two pieces of her clothes and stopped his ears. “We can’t let him listen,” she said with a low voice.
Lu Guanying praised her, “Miss is very careful. We don’t know where this lunatic came from, we must not let him listen to what we are discussing.”
On the other side of the wall Huang Rong laughed in her heart, “We are eavesdropping in here, so it is difficult for you to find out; but inside there is Ouyang Ke lying down and listening, and nobody notices. Yet you are still talking about carefulness?”
Cheng Da Xiaojie had never roamed Jianghu before, Yin Zhiping took after his master’s broadmindedness, plus he was still young and inexperienced; Lu Guanying was the leader of Lake Tai’s robbers, he used to give orders and was not used to pay attention to the details. Thereupon three people talked about important matters without carefully investigating their surroundings.
Cheng Yaojia stooped down and saw that Hou Tonghai’s ears were cut off; she was only startled for moment before stuffing the pieces of cloth into his ears. She smiled slightly and to Lu Guanying said, “Now you can talk.”
Lu Guanying reluctantly said, “Ay! I don’t know where to start. I am looking for Guo Shishu. Reasonably speaking I should not look for him, but I cannot but look for him.”
“This is so strange,” Yin Zhiping commented.
“That’s true,” Lu Guanying continued, “I am looking for Guo Shishu not because of him, but because of his six masters.”
Yin Zhiping slapped the table and shouted, “The Six Freaks of Jiangnan?”
“Exactly,” Lu Guanying replied.
“Aha!” Yin Zhiping exclaimed, “I think Lu Xiong came to this place over the same matter as Little Brother did. Why don’t we write down a name and let Cheng Shimei decide whether we are thinking of the same thing or not.”
Before Lu Guanying could answer, Cheng Yaojia had already smiled and said, “That’s good. You two turn your backs and write.”
Yin Zhiping and Lu Guanying both picked a twig and wrote down something on the ground. Yin Zhiping said with a smile, “Cheng Shimei, see if what we wrote down are the same or not?”
Cheng Yaojia looked at their writing and in a low voice said, “Yin Shixiong, your guess was wrong. The two of you did not write the same thing.”
“Ah!” Yin Zhiping exclaimed and stood up.
Cheng Yaojia smiled and said, “You wrote ‘Huang Yaoshi’ three characters, he actually drew a peach blossom.”
Huang Rong was shocked, “Both of them are looking for Jing Gege in relation to my father?” she thought. She heard Lu Guanying say, “What Yin Shixiong wrote is the grandmaster of my school, Little Brother did not dare to write down his name.”
Yin Zhiping was startled, “Your grandmaster? Hmm, looks like what we wrote down are the same after all. Isn’t Huang Yaoshi the Master of the Peach Blossom Island?”
“Oh! So that’s how it is,” Cheng Yaojia said.
Yin Zhiping said, “Since Lu Xiong is a Peach Blossom Island’s disciple, then the reason you are looking for the Six Freaks of Jiangnan is certainly not in their favor.”
“That’s not true,” Lu Guanying said.
Yin Zhiping noticed Lu Guanying spoke with reluctance, he was unhappy, he said, “Since Lu Xiong does not regard Little Brother as your friend, then it’s useless for us to talk much longer. I’ll take my leave now.” He stood up and turned around to leave.
Lu Guanying busily said, “Yin Shixiong, wait! Little Brother has a difficulty and I wish for Shixiong’s help.”
Yin Zhiping just loved it when others came to him for help, he happily said, “All right, then talk to me.”
Lu Guanying said, “Yin Shixiong, you are a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect. If you know someone is in danger, you will certainly forewarn that person to guard against the danger, since that is part of your duty as a chivalrous person. But what if your own superior wanted to harm innocent people; would you still warn those innocent people to guard against your superior?”
Yin Zhiping slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “That’s right! I know you are a Peach Blossom Island disciple; so you must have a great difficulty in this matter. All right, let us see what I can do.”
Lu Guanying said, “In this matter, if Little Brother does not do anything, I am not doing my duty in upholding righteousness; but if I do something, I am betraying my own school. Even though Little Brother wishes to ask Shixiong’s help, in all honesty, I cannot open my mouth.”
Yin Zhiping had more or less guessed what he wanted, but since he was not willing to say it out loud, Yin Zhiping did not quite know what to do. He lifted his hand to scratch his head, his face looked awkward.
Cheng Yaojia remembered something: when a girl was too shy to say her heart’s content, usually the mother or her sisters would ask her questions, and determine what she really wanted by her nodding or shaking her head. Although it was not the best method, it usually would reveal the content of the girl’s heart in the end. For instance the mother would ask, “Child, are you in love with Zhang San’ge [Third Brother surnamed Zhang]?” The girl would shake her head. “Is it Li Silang [Fourth lad of Li family]?” The girl would shake her head again. “Then it must be the Wang family’s cousin.” The girl would hang her head low without saying anything; that meant the guess was correct. Thereupon Cheng Yaojia said to Yin Zhiping, “Yin Shige [martial brother Yin], you ask Lu Dage [big brother Lu] questions. If it is correct, he will nod, if wrong, he will shake his head. That way he won’t say anything to betray his own school.”
Yin Zhiping was delighted, “Shimei, that is a wonderful idea. Lu Xiong, let me tell you first about my business. My Shifu, Changchun Zhenren, happened to hear that the Master of the Peach Blossom Island hates the Six Freaks of Jiangnan to his bones and that he is going to wipe out the entire six families from the face of the earth. My Shifu immediately set out to Jiaxing to deliver the warning, but the Six Freaks were actually not home; they were traveling somewhere. Thereupon my Shifu visited the six families one by one and told them to escape, so when the Island Master Huang arrived, he did not find a single person. He was livid and leashed out his anger to the air; then he went north. I don’t know what happened afterwards. Do you know this matter?”
Lu Guanying nodded. Yin Zhiping continued, “I think the Island Master Huang is pursuing the Six Freaks to the north. Initially there was a friction between my Shifu and the Six Freaks, but first of all this friction has been taken care off, secondly my Shifu greatly admires the Six Freaks’ chivalrous deeds in helping others in distress; and finally my Shifu thinks this matter is not Six Freaks’ fault at all. It just so happened that the Quanzhen Seven Masters were having a meeting in Jiangnan, hence they spread out to find the Six Freaks, to warn them against this danger. It would be best if they could just go into hiding to faraway place so that your Grandmaster won’t be able to find them. Don’t you agree that we are doing the right thing?”
Lu Guanying repeatedly nodded his head.
Huang Rong was puzzled, “Jing Gege had already fulfilled his promise to come to the Peach Blossom Island; why would Father still want to settle the debt with the Six Freaks?” She did not know that her father heard Lingzhi Shangren’s lie and believed that his daughter had died on the sea; therefore, in his grief he wanted to vent his anger on the Six Freaks.
She heard Yin Zhiping continue, “Since he could not find the Six Freaks, my Shifu then remembered the Six Freaks’ disciple, Guo Jing. He is a native of the Ox Village in the Lin’an prefecture, and most likely had returned to his hometown; thereupon my Shifu sent Little Brother to find him here. Chances are he would know his six masters’ whereabouts. Did you come to this place also over this business?”
Lu Guanying again nodded his head. Yin Zhiping said, “Who would have thought that Guo Xiong had not come home yet. My Shifu is very fond of the Six Freaks, but since he could not find them, he did not know what else he could do. But since that’s the case, apparently the Island Master Huang might not be able to find them either. Lu Xiong wanted to ask for my help, is it concerning this matter also?”
Lu Guanying nodded. Yin Zhiping said, “Whatever order Lu Xiong might have, please tell me. Little Brother will do my best to fulfill your wish.”
Lu Guanying did not open his mouth, but his face looked quite awkward. Cheng Yaojia said with a smile, “Yin Shige, you forgot that Lu Xiang Gong cannot open his mouth to speak frankly.”
Yin Zhiping smiled, “That’s right,” he said, “Lu Xiong, do you want me to wait for Guo Xiong in this place?” Lu Guanying shook his head.
“Do you want Little Brother to quickly find the Six Freaks and Guo Xiong then?” Yin Zhiping asked. Again Lu Guanying shook his head.
“Ah, I get it,” Yin Zhiping said, “Lu Xiong wants Little Brother to spread the news in the Jianghu. Those Six Freaks are natives of Jiangnan, once the word is out, sooner or later they will hear it.”
Lu Guanying still shook his head. Yin Zhiping presented seven, eight more guesses, but Lu Guanying kept shaking his head. Cheng Yaojia also asked him twice, but none of her guesses was correct either. Not only Yin Zhiping was confounded, Huang Rong at the adjacent room was also confounded. Three people were in a deadlock situation for half a day. Finally Yin Zhiping laughed and said, “Cheng Shimei, you can slowly talk with him, I cannot play this riddle game anymore. I am going out for a walk, I will be back in a couple of hours.” With that he went out the door and left.
Other than Hou Tonghai, Lu and Cheng two people were left alone. Cheng Yaojia hung her head low, she saw Lu Guanying still had not made any move. She stole a glance toward him right when Lu Guanying was also looking at her. Their eyes met and both hurriedly glanced away. Cheng Yaojia blushed even redder and hung her head even lower so that her chin touched her chest. Her hands played with the silk sashes at the end of her sword’s hilt.
Lu Guanying slowly stood up and walked to the nearby stove, above which there was a Kitchen God idol. He stood in front of the Kitchen God idol and said, “Zao Wangye [Kitchen God, Master, lit. kitchen stove king master] Xiao Ren [little/lowly person] has a burden in my heart, but I cannot reveal it to anybody else. So I am going to bare it all to you, hoping that with your divine power you will bless this matter.”
Cheng Yaojia silently praised him, “A smart man.” She raised her head to listen carefully.
Lu Guanying said, “Xiao Ren is Lu Guanying, the son of the Village Master Lu of Cloud Village by the Lake Tai. My father’s name is Chengfeng; he is a disciple of the Island Master Huang of the Peach Blossom Island. A few days ago my Grandmaster came to the village, he said he wanted to kill the Six Freaks of Jiangnan and their entire families. He ordered my father and my Shibo [martial (older) uncle] Mei Chaofeng to help find the Six Freaks’ whereabouts. Mei Shibo has a deep enmity with the Six Freaks, so she accepted this order with gladness. Not so with my father; he knew the Six Freaks of Jiangnan as patriots and chivalrous heroes, so killing them would not be righteous. Moreover, my father has become friends with the Six Freaks’s disciple, Guo Shishu [martial (younger) uncle Guo]; therefore, he could not ignore this matter. My father has received an order from my Grandmaster, he was in a very difficult position. He had a mind to dispatch Xiao Ren to deliver a warning to the Six Freaks of Jiangnan, telling them to go hiding and save their own lives, but he could not possibly betray his own master. That night my father looked up to the sky and heaved a deep sigh, softly talking to himself, revealing his concerns. Xiao Ren was nearby and heard everything. Being a filial person I share my father’s sorrow. Eventually my Grandmaster left and Xiao Ren left that very same night trying to find the Six Freaks and deliver the warning.”
Huang Rong and Cheng Yaojia both thought, “It turned out he copied his father’s method of telling others without betraying his own school.”
They heard Lu Guanying continue, “Six Freaks were nowhere to be found, I remember their disciple, Guo Shishu, but he is also nowhere to be found. Guo Shishu is my Grandmaster’s son-in-law …”
“Ah!” Cheng Yaojia could not help but to exclaim softly, then hastily covered her mouth with her hand. Initially she was attracted to Guo Jing and thought she was in love with him. She did not realize it was only a young girl’s infatuation and not a true love. Today she met Lu Guanying, who looked distinguished, handsome and elegant; in all respects he looked superior to Guo Jing. When she heard that Guo Jing was Huang Yaoshi’s son-in-law she was shocked, but not at all felt sad or heartbroken; on the contrary, she felt relieved. She also recalled at Baoying she saw Guo Jing and Huang Rong were very close to each other. All of a sudden anything did not matter to her anymore. Unconsciously the heart of this young woman had already gone to somebody else.
Lu Guanying heard her soft exclamation; he wanted to turn around and look at her face, but he forced himself to bear it. He thought, “If I acknowledge someone is listening on the side, I must stop talking altogether. That day when Father talked to the heaven, never once he looked at my direction. Right now I am talking to the Kitchen God; if she is listening, that means she is eavesdropping, I have nothing to do with it.” Thereupon he continued, “I am hoping that when I find Guo Shishu he and Huang Shigu [martial aunt] would beseech the Grandmaster. My Grandmaster is hot-tempered, but he loves his daughter and son-in-law, so it is possible that he would not kill his son-in-law’s six masters. However, from the way my father talked, it sounds like Guo Shishu and Huang Shigu had encountered some calamities; whatever it is, it was not convenient for me to inquire from my father.”
Listening to this point Huang Rong thought, “Did father know that Jing Gege is suffering a serious injury? No, he simply cannot know about it. Most probably he heard that we were stranded on that deserted island.”
Meanwhile Lu Guanying continued, “Yin Shixiong is straightforward and just, Miss Cheng is intelligent and friendly …”
(Listening to him praising her in her face, Cheng Yaojia was happy and shy at the same time)
“… but what’s in my heart is like a fantasy, they cannot possibly guess it. I am thinking that the Six Freaks of Jiangnan are well-known heroes and real men; although their martial art skills are inferior to my Grandmaster, but isn’t asking them to run away from danger the same as accusing them of afraid of death? They will certainly not do such a cowardly act. I am afraid if they hear the news instead of running away they will go and find the Grandmaster! Therefore, instead of helping them I would be bringing them to the disaster.”
Huang Rong secretly nodded; she thought Lu Guanying was worthy to be the leader of the Lake Tai’s heroes; he had a profound understanding of the way of the Jianghu people. She heard him continue, “I also think that the Quanzhen Seven Masters are chivalrous people with flourishing name and prestige, their martial art skills are also high. If Yin Shixiong and Miss Cheng are willing to earnestly ask their masters to be the mediator, Grandmaster would most likely give them face. I don’t think there is an irreconcilable deep animosity between Grandmaster and the Six Freaks of Jiangnan; most likely the Six Freaks had said or done something that was offensive to the Grandmaster. What they need is a reputable character to act as the mediator and surely forgiveness is not impossible. Kitchen God, Master, Xiao Ren’s difficulty is that I have an idea in vain, since I cannot reveal it to anybody. I am asking you to handle this business for me.” Having finished speaking, he repeatedly bowed to pay his respect to the Kitchen God.
As he finished speaking Cheng Yaojia hastily turned around to find Yin Zhiping; but as she walked to the door she heard Lu Guanying say something else, “Kitchen God, if the Quanzhen Seven Masters are willing to mediate, they will render an enormously good deed. But when the Seven talk to my Grandmaster, I wish they will be courteous and respectful and not offend my Grandmaster in any way. Otherwise when one wave has not yet subsided, another wave arises, then all efforts will be wasted. This is all I have to say to you.”
Cheng Yaojia smiled and said in her heart, “You are done talking, now it’s my turn to take care of your business.” Then she left the inn to look for Yin Zhiping. But after going around the village she had not seen his neither his shadow nor his tracks.
She was about to turn around and came back when suddenly she heard Yin Zhiping call her in a subdued voice, “Cheng Shimei!” He beckoned to her from the corner of a wall.
“Ah! Here you are,” Cheng Yaojia happily said.
Yin Zhiping made a hand signal, telling her to be quiet; he pointed to the west and walked toward her. In a low voice he told her, “There are some suspicious looking people snooping around over there, they all carry weapons with them.”
Cheng Yaojia’s mind was occupied with what Lu Guanying had just said, she said, “I think they are just passers-by.”
Yin Zhiping’s face actually looked serious, with a low voice he said, “Those people’s movements were agile, their martial art skills must be very high. We must be very careful.” Actually he saw Peng Lianhu and the others. They waited for Hou Tonghai for a long time and he did not come back. They thought he must be in some danger; but all of them remembered the expert who pretended to be the ghost the previous night in the imperial palace, who would dare to go and rescue him? All of a sudden they spotted Yin Zhiping, so they withdrew and hid themselves. Yin Zhiping waited for a while, but did not see any activity ahead, so he went over to take a look, but these people had already gone without a trace. Thereupon Cheng Yaojia told him everything she heard from Lu Guanying.
Yin Zhiping smiled and said, “So that’s what he was thinking about. How could anybody guess it? Cheng Shimei, you go and ask Sun Shishu’s [martial uncle] help, I’ll go and tell Shifu. As long as the Quanzhen Seven Masters are willing to act, what matter under the sky they cannot solve?”
“But we have to be careful not to mess this thing up,” Cheng Yaojia said. Then she relayed what Lu Guanying said just before she left the inn.
“Humph,” Yin Zhiping sneered, “Who is Huang Yaoshi anyway? Is he stronger than the Quanzhen Seven Masters?”
Cheng Yaojia was about to remind him not to be too arrogant, but seeing his stern expression she swallowed back the word that was on her lips. Two people went back to the inn together.
Lu Guanying said, “Little Brother will have to take my leave. Whenever you pass through the Lake Tai area, please pay me a visit at the Cloud Village for a few days.” Cheng Yaojia was crushed to see him leave so soon, but how could she dare to reveal her deepest feelings?
Yin Zhiping turned around to face the Kitchen God idol and said, “Kitchen God, Master, Quanzhen Sect is most willing to help other people in distress. Whenever there is any injustice in the Jianghu and the Quanzhen disciples find out about it, there is no way we will not interfere.”
Lu Guanying knew these words were directed to him, thereupon he also said, “Kitchen God, Master, I pray that you will give your blessing so that this matter will be resolved in peace. Disciple is forever grateful towards all these gentlemen who spend their energy to help.”
Yin Zhiping said, “Kitchen God, Master, please do not worry; the Quanzhen Seven Masters’ power is shaking the world. As long as they are willing to act, there is nothing in this world they cannot deal with.”
Lu Guanying was startled, he thought, “How can my Grandmaster be convinced if the Quanzhen Seven Masters rely on power?” He busily said, “Kitchen God, Master, you know that my Grandmaster comes and goes as he wishes, he never pays attention to other people. Others speak as friends to him, he would certainly listen, but he loathes it if others try to speak reason with him!”
“Ha, ha …” Yin Zhiping said, “Kitchen God, Master, how can the Quanzhen Seven Masters be afraid of others? Originally this matter had nothing to do with us, my Shifu only sent me to deliver the warning. But if anybody provokes us the Quanzhen disciples, I don’t care whether he is Yellow Yaoshi [surname ‘huang’ literal translation is ‘Yellow’] or Hei Yaoshi [Black Yaoshi], the Quanzhen Sect will definitely teach him a lesson.”
Lu Guanying felt anger rising on his chest, he said, “Kitchen God, Master, what disciple had just said, please just consider it a talk in my sleep. If anybody belittles us, we don’t want to accept anybody’s favor anymore.” These two were talking to each other, but they were facing the Kitchen God idol. One spoke and the other responded, gradually this exchange of words became hotter and hotter.
Cheng Yaojia wanted to interfere, but those two men were young and hot-tempered, neither was willing to yield even for half a word. Finally Yin Zhiping said, “Kitchen God, Master, the Quanzhen Sect’s martial art is the purest of orthodox skill, while others’ are heretical skill, even if they are good, how can they be measured up against the Quanzhen Sect?”
Lu Guanying responded, “Kitchen God, Master, I have heard for a long time the reputation of Quanzhen Sect’s martial art; certainly there are many martial art experts within the Quanzhen Sect. But this doesn’t mean that there are no arrogant blabbermouths among the disciples.”
Yin Zhiping was angry, his palm struck and the corner of the kitchen stove collapsed. He stared hard and shouted loudly, “Good kid, you curse people!”
‘Bang!’ Lu Guanying also struck the other corner and it fell to the ground. He shouted, “How do I dare to curse you? I am cursing those condescending conceited disciples.”
Yin Zhiping had seen Lu Guanying’s martial art skill just now; he knew it was still inferior to his, so his confidence was boosted and with a cold laugh he said, “Fine! Let us try, we’ll see who is conceited in the end.”
Lu Guanying knew perfectly well that he was not Yin Zhiping’s match, but he hated it when others insulted his school. He was like one riding on a tiger’s back, he could not continue riding, yet it is difficult to back down. He drew his saber, made a gesture of respect with his left hand and said, “Little Brother is ready to receive Quanzhen Sect’s excellent stances.”
Cheng Yaojia was very anxious, tears streaming down from her eyes. She wanted to throw herself in between these two men, but each time did not have the courage to do so. She saw Yin Zhiping sweep his whisk away and step forward to launch his attack and straightaway two people fight ferociously.
Lu Guanying did not expect victory; he merely hoped he would avoid an embarrassing defeat. Immediately he launched the ‘luo han dao fa’ [Buddhist arhat’s saber technique] he learned from Reverend Kumu [Dead Wood], creating a tight defense around him.
Yin Zhiping assumed offensive position immediately, and to his surprise he found the opponent’s saber power to be quite strong. He realized he had recklessly underestimated his opponent when his left arm was almost chopped down. His heart shivered and he hastily concentrated his attention to face the attack and respond accordingly; launching his school’s special teaching of calming his mind and spirit, slow step but quick hand movements. Only by doing this did he gradually gain the upper hand.
For the last several months Lu Guanying had received his father’s instructions so that he enjoyed progress by leaps and bounds, but the days of his training were too short to be compared to Yin Zhiping who was a main disciple of Changchun.
Huang Rong was watching this fight through the small mirror; she saw Yin Zhiping gradually take the lead, she cursed in her heart, “This ‘xiao za mao’ [lit. little mixed-up hair – a derogatory term to Taoist priest] was scolding my father. If Jing Gege was not injured, I would certainly teach you some lessons on the heretical Peach Blossom Island’s martial art. Aiyo! Not good!”
She saw Lu Guanying’s saber strike down with a familiar stance, Yin Zhiping intercepted it with his whisk and diverted the saber away; then turning his hand over his finger moved with an exceptional speed toward the crook of Lu Guanying’s elbow. Lu Guanying felt his arm go numb and his saber fell down to the ground. Without showing any mercy Yin Zhiping swept his whisk toward Lu Guanying’s face while loudly shouted, “This is Quanzhen Sect’s martial art, remember it well!” His whisk was made of horse’s tail mixed with strands of silver threads; once Lu Guanying’s face got hit, it would certainly be slashed with countless cuts.
Lu Guanying understood the danger, he quickly ducked and the whisk followed by sweeping downward. Suddenly a tender voice was shouting, “Yin Shige!” Cheng Yaojia thrust her sword to block the whisk. Lu Guanying took that opportunity to leap back and pick his saber from the ground.
Yin Zhiping coldly laughed, “Good! Cheng Shimei, you are helping an outsider. Come! You two lovers can fight me together.”
“You … you …” Cheng Yaojia stammered.
‘Swish! Swish! Swish!’ Ying Zhiping swept his whisk three times, forcing her to move her hands and feet in a disorderly manner. Lu Guanying saw her precarious situation he raised his saber and joined the fight two against one. But Cheng Yaojia did not want to fight her martial brother, so she jumped back.
“Come!” Yin Zhiping said, “He cannot fight me alone. Otherwise, in a while you will come and help him anyway.”
Huang Rong watched these three people fighting each other in amusement; she was wondering how this matter could be resolved when suddenly she heard some noise from the door. She saw Peng Lianhu, Sha Tongtian, along with Wanyan Honglie, Yang Kang, and the others came in together.
It turned out they had been waiting for Hou Tonghai for a long time and he did not come back. Sha Tongtian was concerned over his martial brother, so gathering his courage he quietly came over to take a look. He saw inside the inn two people were fighting; their martial art skills were only average. He waited for a long time but did not see anybody else. He was afraid to come in alone, so he went back and summoned the others, taking them back to the inn.
Yin and Lu two people saw these people came in; they leaped back and stopped fighting. They asked these newcomers, but Sha Tongtian swayed and stepped forward with arms open wide, grabbing both men’s wrists. Meanwhile Peng Lianhu stooped down and untied Hou Tonghai’s hands.
Hou Tonghai had been suffering for half a day; he was really angry. Without taking out the cloths in his mouth he roared and threw himself at Cheng Yaojia, attacking her with his palms. Cheng Yaojia evaded by moving backward in a circle. Hou Tonghai’s face was purple from the bruise; his fists went straight up and down fiercely attacking Cheng Yaojia.
“Hold on!” Peng Lianhu repeatedly said, “Let’s talk first.” But Hou Tonghai’s mouth and ears were stopped with cloths, how could he have heard anything?
The acupoint on Lu Guanying’s wrist was grabbed by Sha Tongtian; he felt half of his body went numb, he could not move. But seeing Cheng Yaojia in danger and Hou Tonghai was like a mad tiger; he struggled hard and without knowing where the strength came from, he shook Sha Tongtian’s grab loose and fiercely threw himself toward Hou Tonghai.
Before he reached his target Peng Lianhu swept his leg and sent him tumbling down and immediately Peng Lianhu pounced on him. He grabbed Lu Guanying by the back of his neck and lifted him up; “Who are you?” he asked, “Where is that fellow who played ghost?”
Suddenly the door creaked and it opened slowly. Everybody turned their head at once, but nobody came in. Peng Lianhu and the others could not help but feel shivers of fear in their hearts; suddenly a female head with disheveled hair sticking out was at the door. Liang Ziweng and Lingzhi Shangren jumped up in fright; they even shouted, “Not good! A female ghost!”
Peng Lianhu saw clearly that she was just an ordinary country girl; “Come in!” he shouted.
Shagu walked in with a giggle, sticking out her tongue she said, “Ah, so many people!”
Liang Ziweng was the one shouted, “Female Ghost!” earlier, now he saw she was just a poor peasant girl with tattered clothes and silly demeanor; out of shame he became angry. He jumped forward and shouted, “Who are you?” Stretching out his hand he grabbed her arm. Who would have thought that Shagu withdrew her arm and flipped her hand, then her palm struck with the Peach Blossom Island’s ‘bi bo zhang fa’ [jade-green wave palm technique]. Although her skill was not refined, the stance was subtle and wonderful. Liang Ziweng did not guard against her counterattack at all. ‘Slap!’ Shagu’s palm hit the back of his hand, hard.
Liang Ziweng was stunned and angry at the same time. “Good!” he called out, “You are playing dumb!” He rushed forward with both fists straight up. Shagu stepped back to evade, suddenly she pointed toward his shiny bald head and burst out in laughter.
This laughter caught everybody by surprise; Liang Ziweng was stunned and he stopped dead on his tracks for a few seconds; only then he ferociously resumed his attack. Shagu raised her hands to block, but she staggered back. She knew she was not his match, so she turned around, trying to run away. But Liang Ziweng would not let her escape, he stretched his left leg backward to block her, while his elbow struck backward, followed by his fist. Shagu’s nose was hit hard until she felt her head spinning. She cried out, “Sister who eats the watermelon, come out quickly! Help me! Somebody is hitting me!”
Huang Rong was startled, she thought, “Not killing this dumb girl was a big mistake; she is bound to bring us disaster.” Suddenly she heard a soft ‘humph’ sound. It was so soft, almost inaudible, but Huang Rong’s heart jumped in delight. “Father is here!” she thought. Hastily she looked through the small hole and saw Huang Yaoshi wearing a human-skin mask, standing on the doorstep.
Nobody saw him come, as if he had just arrived, but also as if he had been there before everybody else came. He stood motionless like a log of wood, without showing the least bit of emotion on his face. Everybody who saw him could not help but shudder. He did not have a green face nor did he have fierce teeth; he did not even look loathsome or ugly, but in all honesty nobody could say that his face belonged to a living person.
Shagu only exchanged three stances with Liang Ziweng but Huang Yaoshi could immediately tell that she was using the martial art of his school. With a heart full of questions he asked, “Miss, who is your master? Where is he?”
Shagu simply shook her head. She stared at him blankly. Suddenly she clapped her hands and laughed. Huang Yaoshi frowned; he knew she must have had some relation with his disciples. If not their disciple, then she must be their family or relative. He was very fond and tended to be over-protective toward his disciples; in no way would he allow anybody to bully them. Mei Chaofeng was a renegade disciple of his; she had committed a great crime against her master. Yet when she was defeated by Guo Jing Huang Yaoshi would still help her; much less Shagu who was a naïve and child-like young girl. Thereupon he said, “Dumb kid, others hit you, why don’t you hit back?”
The other day on the boat, when Huang Yaoshi was looking for his daughter, he did not wear any mask, so his appearance was not the same as today; nobody recognized him. But as soon as he opened his mouth, Wanyan Honglie, Yang Kang and Peng Lianhu, three people remembered his voice and vaguely guessed his identity. Peng Lianhu knew this evil man must not have good things in his mind; he also guessed that the ghost of the imperial palace last night might be this man. He knew there was no way he could fight this man, so while there was an opportunity, he was thinking of launching the thirty-sixth stance, namely: run away.
Shagu said, “I can’t hit him?”
“Who says you cannot hit him?” Huang Yaoshi said, “He hit your nose, you must hit his nose. He hit you once, you must pay him back three times.”
Shagu laughed. “All right!” she said. Without thinking that Liang Ziweng’s skill was way above hers she walked over to him and said, “You hit my nose, I must hit your nose. You hit me once, I must pay you back three times.” Her fist went straight up to his nose.
Liang Ziweng raised up his hand to block, suddenly the ‘qu chi’ [crooked reservoir] acupoint on the bent of his arm was numb. His hand was already half way up but could not go further. ‘Bang!’ his nose was squarely hit by Shagu’s fist.
“Two!” Shagu called out and sent out another fist.
Liang Ziweng bent his knees, keeping his back straight; left hand straight out with one of the highest ‘qin na’ [grab and capture] techniques. He was sure he could turn Shagu’s arm over and divert the attack; who would have thought that as his fingers touched Shagu’s arm, the ‘bi ru’ [arm scholar] acupoint on his arm was numb and he was unable to divert Shagu’s hand. ‘Bang!’ for the second time his nose was hit by Shagu’s fist. It was such a violent blow that his head was thrown backward and he staggered, almost fell down. Liang Ziweng was really angry.
Other people were astounded, but they did not see anything unusual. Peng Lianhu was an expert in secret projectile usage; he was the only one who noticed something. Each time Liang Ziweng blocked the attack, both times Peng Lianhu heard a very light swishing noise of secret projectiles. He knew Huang Yaoshi had launched some kind of tiny metal needles toward Liang Ziweng’s acupoints. Only he did not see Huang Yaoshi’s arm move, so he did not know how Huang Yaoshi did it.
Actually Huang Yaoshi was flicking his finger inside his sleeve and sent the needles piercing through the fabric toward the enemy. Invisible and almost inaudible, the needles suddenly arrived; how could the enemy evade this kind of attack?
“Three!” Shagu called out. Both of Liang Ziweng’s arms did not obey their master’s order. His eyes saw the fist coming straight toward his face; he did not have any choice but step backward to evade. Who would have thought that as he was about to step back the ‘bai hai’ [white ocean] acupoint on the inside of his right leg suddenly turned numb. His shock had not subsided when a spark fluttered in the air and he felt tears brimming in his eyes.
It turned out when his nose was hit the tears acupoint was also hit. He had always regarded defeat in martial art contests as nothing; but if tears streaming down his face, his lifelong reputation would be ruined. Hastily he lifted up his sleeve to wipe the tears away, but his arm did not follow his order. Two big drops of tears finally came down his cheeks.
Shagu saw his tears and busily said, “Please don’t cry! Don’t be afraid, I won’t hit you anymore.”
Compared to the three blows on his nose, those three comforting sentences were more difficult for Liang Ziweng to bear. In his resentment, ‘Wah!’ he vomited a mouthful of fresh blood. He looked up to Huang Yaoshi and said, “Who are you Sire? You secretly harmed people; what kind of hero are you?”
With a cold laugh Huang Yaoshi replied, “Are you worthy to ask my name?” Suddenly he raised his voice up, “Everybody roll out of my presence!”
Everybody standing on the side had early on felt their four limbs and hundreds of bones uncomfortable; nobody had the guts to fight, they just stood in that inn without knowing what to do. When they heard his shout, it was as if the had just received pardon on their lives. Peng Lianhu was the first one wanted to go out, but only after two steps he saw that Huang Yaoshi was standing on the doorstep, not allowing anybody to pass through; hence he stopped dead on his tracks.
Huang Yaoshi sneered, “I told you to go, but you don’t go. Do you want me to slaughter all of you one by one?”
Peng Lianhu had heard about Huang Yaoshi’s strange temperament; he would do what he said. Therefore, Peng Lianghu turned to the rest of them and said, “This Senior Master told us to leave. Let’s just leave.”
By this time Hou Tonghai had pulled the cloth away from his mouth. He dashed toward Huang Yaoshi and glared at him menacingly. “Let me pass!” he shouted.
Huang Yaoshi did not pay him any attention; “You are not worthy to make me move aside,” he said flatly, “If you want to live, crawl out underneath my legs.”
Everybody looked at each other in blank dismay; it was clear from their faces that they were angry. They thought that even though Huang Yaoshi might be highly skilled, there were currently many skilled pugilists gathered in that room; if they joined forces and staked it all, they might not necessarily lose.
Hou Tonghai roared and pounced on Huang Yaoshi, but with a cold laugh Huang Yaoshi moved his left hand and Hou Tonghai was lifted up high in the air; and then his right hand pulled Hou Tonghai’s left arm. ‘Crack!’ Hou Tonghai’s arm, flesh and bones, was severed from his body. Huang Yaoshi cast the severed arm and the man to the ground. He raised his head up looking at the sky, seemingly indifferent to his surrounding. Hou Tonghai passed out from severe pain; blood rushed forth like a fountain from the wound on his arm.
Everybody’s face changed color. Huang Yaoshi slowly turned his head; his eyes swept through everybody’s face one by one. Sha Tongtian, Peng Lianhu and the others were used to killing people without batting their eyelids; but seeing Huang Yaoshi’s gaze on them, they shuddered in fear involuntarily, their hair standing on its end, goose bumps appeared on their skins.
Suddenly Huang Yaoshi roared, “Are you going to crawl out or not?”
Merely his voice was enough to scare the hell out of them; nobody thought about joining forces and attacking him altogether. Peng Lianhu hung his head low and was the first to crawl out underneath his legs. Sha Tongtian released Yin and Lu two people; carrying his martial brother in his arms he followed. Yang Kang helped Wanyan Honglie, and finally Liang Ziweng and Lingzhi Shangren; one by one they crawled out underneath Huang Yaoshi’s crotch. Once they were out of the door, they scurried away like a frightened cat. Who dared to turn around and look back?