Return of Condor Heroes, page 110
Yang Guo said, “I lived with Guo Jing for many years and I have helped him before; he will have no suspicions about me. There’s a saying; a spear out in the open is easy to dodge, but an arrow in the dark is hard to avoid.”
Khubilai said, “When you were standing next to me watching the battle, you were afraid that he would recognize you from the top of the city’s walls?”
Yang Guo said, “I was wary of this so when you were attacking the city, Miss Long and I wore hats to cover our faces and fur garments to hide our bodies; he would not be able to recognize us.”
Khubilai said, “Well then, I hope you succeed. I will keep my word about the rewards.”
Yang Guo casually thanked him and he was about to turn around to Xiao Longnu to leave with her when he saw Jinlun Fawang, Xiaoxiang Zi, Yin Kexi and the others with strange expressions. His mind lit up, “These people are afraid that I’ll get the title of the Greatest Warrior of Mongolia if I succeed in killing Guo Jing; they’ll definitely try to stop me.” He turned to Khubilai and said, “Your Highness, I have something to tell you. The reason I am going to assassinate Guo Jing is because I want to avenge my father’s death and because I need his head in exchange for an antidote to save my life. If I succeed in helping your Highness, I cannot accept the title of the Greatest Warrior of Mongolia.”
Khubilai asked, “Why?”
Yang Guo said, “My martial arts can’t compare with these people; how can I be the Greatest Warrior of Mongolia? I can only make my move if your Highness promises me this.”
Khubilai heard him say this with great sincerity and thought that this really was what he wanted. He then looked at the expressions of the others and then knew what he meant by this. He said, “Since you’ve decided this, I can’t change your mind. I will not force you.”
When Fawang and the others heard this, they indeed did show signs of relief.
Yang Guo turned his horse around and headed for Xiangyang with Xiao Longnu. They took off the disguises along the way and dressed themselves back into Han clothing. It was beginning to get dark by the time they reached the walls of the city; when they got there, a closed gate greeted them. Soldiers with torches were patrolling the city walls.
Yang Guo called out, “My name is Yang Guo, and I’ve come to see Guo Jing, Master Guo.”
The General who was guarding the city walls heard his calls and saw that he was accompanied by a girl. He immediately went to tell Guo Jing the news.
After a while, two youngsters arrived at the top of the city wall and looked down at them. One of them called out, “So it’s brother Yang. There are only two of you?”
When Yang Guo saw the Wu brothers he thought, “When Guo Jing killed my father, I wonder whether or not the Wu brother’s father was there to help him?” He said, “Big brother Wu, second brother Wu, is Uncle Guo in the city?”
Wu Xiuwen said, “Come in.”
The soldiers opened the gate and lowered the drawbridge to allow Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu through.
The Wu brothers led the two to a large house. Guo Jing’s face was filled with joy and he dashed out of the house to meet Yang Guo. He greeted Xiao Longnu and then held Yang Guo’s hand and smiled, “Guo’er, you’ve come here just in time. The Mongols are attacking us intensely and you can help me now that you’re here; the citizens of the city are very fortunate.”
Xiao Longnu was Yang Guo’s Master and Guo Jing treated her as an equal, politely inviting her into the house while he treated Yang Guo with great care.
Guo Jing held Yang Guo’s left hand. When Yang Guo thought about the act that his father’s murderer was doing now, pretending to be caring and loving towards him, he really wanted to draw out his sword and kill him right there and then. But he was worried about how good Guo Jing’s martial arts were so he didn’t dare to make a rash move. He forced himself to smile and said, “I wish Uncle Guo great health.” He was filled with anger and did not kneel down to him. Guo Jing was a broad-minded person and did not take little details like this to heart.
When they arrived in the hall, Yang Guo wanted to go and see Huang Rong.
Guo Jing laughed, “Your Auntie Guo is about to give birth and hasn’t been feeling well in the last couple of days; you can see her in a few days time.”
Yang Guo was delighted and thought, “Huang Rong is extremely wise and clever; I was afraid that she would be able to see through my plan. But she’s ill at the moment; it looks like even heaven wants me to succeed.”
As they were talking, a soldier came in and reported, “General Lu requests Master Guo’s presence at a feast to celebrate our victory against the Mongols today.”
Guo Jing said, “Go and tell the General, thank you for the invitation. However, I have a guest and cannot attend.”
The soldier looked at Yang Guo and saw that he was just a young man with nothing special about him; he didn’t know why Guo Jing would treat him with so much respect that he would actually reject the General’s invitation to the celebratory feast because of him. His mind was full of questions as he went back to report this to Lu Wende.
Guo Jing prepared a family meal in the inner hall in honour of Yang Guo’s and Xiao Longnu’s arrival. Zhu Ziliu, Liu Youjiao, the Wu brothers and Guo Fu were in attendance. Zhu Ziliu kept on thanking Yang Guo, saying that only he could have gotten the antidote from Huo Dou to cure his poison. Yang Guo just gave a lifeless smile and said a few modest words.
Guo Fu saw that Yang Guo had an aloof expression on his face. She called out, “Brother Yang.”
Guo Jing scolded, “Fu’er, if it weren’t for brother Yang risking his life to save you from the hands of Jinlun Fawang, not only would you have been in trouble but also your mother; why aren’t you thanking him?”
Guo Fu stood up and said, “Thank you brother Yang for saving me.”
Yang Guo said, “We’re not strangers, why is there a need to say thanks?”
Guo Fu didn’t say anything and sat down. During the meal, Guo Fu frowned and it seemed that there was something on her mind. The Wu brothers were seemingly avoiding her glances. But Liu Youjiao and Zhu Ziliu were extremely happy and were chatting about the victory against the Mongols.
By the time dinner finished, it was around eleven o’clock. Guo Jing told his daughter to take Xiao Longnu inside to rest and he himself took Yang Guo to his room to sleep in the same bed. When Xiao Longnu was about to go inside, she glanced at Yang Guo, telling him to be careful. Her face was filled with love and concern. Yang Guo was afraid that his intentions would be revealed and so turned his head away, not daring to look at her directly.
Guo Jing led Yang Guo to his room and praised Yang Guo for saving Huang Rong, Guo Fu and the Wu brothers from Jinlun Fawang at the restaurant and the stone formations. He then asked about what had happened to him afterwards.
Yang Guo was afraid that he might let something out if he talked too much; and so he kept the events of how he met Cheng Ying, Lu Wushuang, Sha Gu and Huang Yaoshi from him. He just said, “After I was injured, I recuperated in a wild valley. Afterwards, I met my Master again and we decided to come here to help Uncle Guo.”
Guo Jing got himself readied for bed and said, “Guo’er, there is a strong enemy pressing against the boundaries of our land; the Song Empire is in great danger. Xiangyang is a barrier for our Song land; if this city falls then the thousands and millions of citizens that we have will become the slaves of the Mongols. I have seen the brutality of the Mongols when they kill with my own eyes; it causes one’s blood to boil.”
When Yang Guo heard this, he remembered the tragic and terrifying scenes of the actions of the Mongols he encountered during his travels. He couldn’t stop his teeth from clenching in anger and his chest filled with fury.
Guo Jing continued, “Why do we learn martial arts? Lending a helping hand and getting people out of danger is of course something that we must do; but this is just one of the minor parts of being a hero. The people of Jianghu call me ‘Hero Guo’ because they respect me for serving my country and my people and guarding Xiangyang without care for my life. But my abilities are limited, I cannot get my people out of this trouble; I really am not worthy of the title ‘Hero’. You are ten times more intelligent than me; your future achievements will definitely exceed mine. I just hope that you remember these words, ‘a hero’s imperative is to serve your country, to serve your people’. You will be a famous true hero of the people if you remember this.”
These sincere words moved Yang Guo. He saw that Guo Jing had a stern face on him and although Guo Jing was his father’s murderer, Yang Guo couldn’t help but feel respect for him. He replied, “Uncle Guo, after you’ve gone, I will definitely remember the words that you have said tonight.”
How would Guo Jing know that Yang Guo was planning to assassinate him tonight? He stretched out his hand and stroked his hair and said, “Yes, bend your body to the task until your dying day. If our country perishes then your Uncle Guo’s life will go along with it. I have heard that Khubilai is skilled in warfare; he retreated today but he will come back to attack again soon. There’s definitely going to be a great battle in the upcoming days. It’s going to be a spectacular battle. It’s getting late, let’s go to sleep.”
Yang Guo replied, “Yes.” He undressed himself for bed and hid the dagger from the Passionless Valley on him. He thought, “I’ll wait until you’re deep in your sleep and then stab you; even if your martial arts were a hundred times better, how could you avoid this attack?”
Guo Jing had fought in a great battle today and he immediately fell asleep. How could Yang Guo sleep with the thoughts that he had? He lay on the bed and listened to the breathing of Guo Jing. Every inhalation and exhalation was spaced out with an extremely long gap; he admired how profound Guo Jing’s internal energy was.
Some time passed. It was silent everywhere with the exception of the noises from the guards. He sat up quietly and felt out the dagger from underneath his clothes. He thought, “I’ll kill him first and then go kill Huang Rong. She’s a pregnant woman, what can she do? Once I’ve killed them, I’ll immediately go back to the Passionless Valley with Gu Gu to get the other half of the antidote. Once I’ve got the antidote, I will go back to the tomb with Gu Gu and enjoy the pleasures of life; who cares about whether this empire is Song or Mongol?”
He felt extremely pleased with himself as he thought about this; but suddenly he heard the crying of a baby from one of the neighboring residences. He then heard the mother of the baby comforting it; the baby gradually stopped crying and fell asleep.
Yang Guo’s heart trembled and remembered the time when he saw a Mongolian soldier holding up his spear in midair with a baby hanging off the end of it; the baby had not died and was crying miserably. He thought, “It would be easy for me to kill Guo Jing now; but once he dies, it will be difficult to protect Xiangyang. This city has thousands and thousands of babies; won’t they all be killed by the Mongolian soldiers for fun? My avenging of my father will lead to countless deaths, is this right?”
But then he thought, “If I don’t kill him, how can I get the antidote from Qiu Qianchi? If I die, Gu Gu will not live on.” Nothing in the world could compare to his love for Xiao Longnu and he made up his mind, “Fine, fine, who cares about the lives of Xiangyang; who cares about the Empire of the Song? When I was suffering, who cared about me apart from Gu Gu? The people of the world don’t love me; why should I love the people of the world?” He raised the dagger and gathered all his strength into his right hand. He aimed for Guo Jing’s chest.
The candlelight in the room had gone out long ago but Yang Guo had the ability to see things in the dark. When he was about to thrust the dagger, he glanced over at Guo Jing’s face. There was a peaceful expression on his face and he was in a deep sleep; all the love that Guo Jing shown him when he was younger suddenly surfaced in his heart. How he treated him lovingly on the Peach Blossom Island; how he took him all the way to Mount Zhongnan to learn martial arts; how he betrothed his only daughter to him. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking, “Uncle Guo is a straight and honest man; he is an extremely sincere and kind person; he cannot be the person who killed my father. Could it be that Sha Gu was confused and was talking rubbish? If this knife goes forward and kills an innocent man, I won’t be able to redeem this with ten thousand deaths. I’ll wait; I need to make sure.”
He put away his dagger slowly and thought about all the things that had happened since he’d met the Guo couple; pondering over every single memory. He remembered how Huang Rong always felt uneasy with him around; there were many times when she and Guo Jing were talking about something but would immediately change the subject once she saw him. There was no question about it; the couple was keeping something from him. He continued thinking, “When Auntie Guo took me as a disciple, how come she only taught me to read and write and didn’t teach me martial arts? Could it be that the reason why Uncle Guo treats me so well is because he’s trying to make himself feel better about killing my father? But if he really did kill my father then how come he is not wary of me at all? He lets me sleep with him and gives me the chance to kill him with one stab of a knife. He was troubled as his thoughts went to and fro like the tides.
Though Guo Jing was sleeping, he noticed that Yang Guo’s breathing was quickening and he opened his eyes. He asked, “Guo’er, what is it?”
Yang Guo trembled a little and said, “It’s nothing.”
Guo Jing laughed, “If you’re not used to sleeping with someone, then I’ll go and sleep on the table.”
Yang Guo said quickly, “No, it’s nothing important.”
Guo Jing said, “Fine, just go to sleep. We martial artists need to make sure our states of mind are well rested.”
Yang Guo replied, “Yes.”
Another while passed. Yang Guo could not hold it in any longer and asked, “Uncle Guo, that year when you took me to Mount Zhongnan, I asked you a question at the Cow Head Monastery at the foot of Mount Zhongnan.”
Guo Jing said, “What was it?”
Yang Guo said, “When I asked the question you became furious and smashed down on a stone obelisk; that was why you got all the trouble from the Quanzhen Taoists; do you remember what I asked?”
Guo Jing thought for a while and said, “Yes, I remember, that day you asked me how your father died.”
Yang Guo stared at him and said, “No, I asked you who killed my father.”
Guo Jing said, “How do you know that someone killed your father?”
Yang Guo choked, “Could it be that my father died just like that?”
Guo Jing stayed silent for a while before giving out a sigh and said, “It was no one’s fault but his that he died like that.”
Yang Guo sat up; he was extremely emotional and said, “You’re lying! How can someone cause their own death? Even if my father killed himself, someone must have forced him to do it.”
Guo Jing felt sad and tears rolled down from his eyes. He said slowly, “Guo’er, your grandfather and my father were very close; your father and I were sworn brothers. If your father was killed by someone don’t you think I would have avenged his death?”
Yang Guo shook all over and he wanted to say, “You’re the one who killed him, how can you avenge him?” But he knew that if he said this, Guo Jing would be wary of him and if that happened, it would be difficult to assassinate him. He nodded his head and stayed silent.
Guo Jing said, “Your father’s death is a long complicated story, it cannot be explained in one sentence. When you asked me all those years ago, you were still young; you wouldn’t have understood all the causes behind it. That is why I didn’t tell you then. You can distinguish between right and wrong now that you’ve grown up. Once we’ve made the Mongols retreat, I’ll tell you all about it from the beginning.” He then laid his head back on his pillow and went to sleep.
Yang Guo had always known him to be completely honest; if he said something it was truthful and he never lied. But when he heard his words he wasn’t convinced and was semi suspicious of him. He cursed himself, “Yang Guo, Yang Guo, you have always done things with an indomitable will; whatever you dared to do you did, why are you acting so timid today? Could it be that you’re afraid of how good his martial arts are? If I keep on changing my mind tonight and lose this opportunity, Huang Rong might find out about my motives in the near future. When that happens, I’m afraid that even Gu Gu will be killed without a corpse that can be buried as well.”
When he thought about Xiao Longnu, his spirits stirred again and he stretched out his hand to check the dagger. The dagger tip was hot after being pressed against his body.
Chapter 21 - Fierce Fighting at Xiangyang
Guo Jing’s left foot flicked up against the wall and he flew up over ten feet. His right feet followed and he rose up another ten feet. Silence broke out on the battlefield as tens of thousands spectators fixed their eyes on him.
Yang Guo was just about to take his dagger out and stab Guo Jing when he suddenly heard three light flicks on the outside window. He quickly shut his eyes and kept still.
