Return of Condor Heroes, page 146
Huang Rong, who saw Li Mochou wasn’t pretending, felt great happiness and mused: “You want to protect my daughter; I’ll frighten you a bit.” With a faint smile she said: “Elder Li said this child is illegitimate, why should you want to keep it alive?” With that she launched a chain of attacks all aimed at Guo Xiang. Li Mochou hopped to the left and right frantically, holding the baby tightly. The baby, who now cried loudly, was feeling uncomfortable due to the jolting movements. Huang Rong said silently: “My clever child, don’t be startled. To rescue you, mom is forced to do this.” Although in her heart she felt pity, she launched several swift and lethal attacks in the direction of Guo Xiang. Li Mochou anxiously drew back several steps lifting the whisk in front of Guo Xiang to protect her and called out: “Mrs. Guo, what do you really want?”
Huang Rong said smilingly: “In this era, the martial realm only acknowledges Elder Li and junior as the outstanding female fighters. This time we met by chance, why not use this occasion to arrange a little try out between us?”
The attacks on Guo Xiang had angered Li Mochou; the challenge had angered her even more. She thought: “If your husband was here I will probably be afraid, but we are both females, do you think I fear you?” Immediately she humphed, saying: “Mrs. Guo intends to grant me a lesson; that is what junior always has hoped for.”
Huang Rong: “If you carry a baby during the duel and I win, it won’t satisfy either of us. Put it aside, and then we can move more freely.”
Li Mochou thought: “Guo husband and wife are renowned for their righteousness, but judging her ferocity towards a mere baby makes me believe that fame is much too exaggerated.” She looked in all directions and saw in the East several big trees with a strip of thick grass beneath. She put the baby on the grass, patted it to sooth it, turned and invited Huang Rong to begin.
After ten stances Huang Rong realized that their wugong was about the same level. If she tried now to snatch Guo Xiang away and fight the demoness, then it was probable that Guo Xiang might get hurt. If she killed the demoness first, she wouldn’t have any trouble at all. This female had committed all sorts of crimes, thinking of that, Huang Rong developed a killing intent. Li Mochou thought that her adversary would stop at nothing, seeing Huang Rong often glancing at the baby, she was worried that Huang Rong would carry out a sudden, fake attack and hurt the baby instead. That’s why she positioned herself between Huang Rong and the baby.
During the fight Huang Rong had thought up seven or eight stratagems, each of them would dispatch Li Mochou but unavoidably also endangered Guo Xiang. She pondered: “Looks like this demoness truly cherishes Guo Xiang. If the baby is in her hands and I couldn’t snatch it for a while, it wouldn’t matter much, whereas if I take risks the baby could be endangered.” Suddenly she had an idea: “Elder Li, our wugong doesn’t differ much, a decision would take some time. If meanwhile a wild animal appears and devours the child, wouldn’t it divert our concentration? The best way is to take that little bastard’s life now, and then we could fight at ease.” After saying that, she bent, picked up a pebble, and with her middle finger flicked it, whizzing in the direction of Guo Xiang.
She had used the unique Huang family skill “Divine Flicking Finger” (dan zhi shen tong). Li Mochou, who knew that lethal skill, hurriedly fended off the pebble with her whisk and shouted: “What has this child done to you? Why do you repeatedly try to kill her?”
Huang Rong secretly thought this was funny, she actually flicked with a retracting force, as soon as the pebble was in the vicinity of Guo Xiang, it would fly back. Huang Rong smiled and said: “Elder Li, you certainly defend that child with all your might. People who don’t know would certainly think it is...it is your...”
Li Mochou: “.... is my child?” After saying that, she blushed.
Huang Rong said smilingly: “You are single, so naturally you can’t have a child. I mean people would think it is your younger sister.” Li Mochou humphed, thinking nothing of it. She didn’t realize that the competitive Huang Rong also wouldn’t want to lose even in a battle of insults. If Guo Xiang was Li Mochou’s sister, then Guo Jing and Huang Rong would be Li Mochou’s parents. That’s Huang Rong’s hidden revenge for Li Mochou’s recent remark that Yang Guo was the father of Guo Xiang.
Li Mochou: “Let’s start again!”
Huang Rong: “You are thinking about the child and can’t concentrate, even if I win, it wouldn’t be a fair win. I’ll surround the child with thorn canes, so wild beasts can’t come near her, and then we can both concentrate on the fight.” Saying that, she took a golden knife from her waist to cut canes and wound them around the big trees surrounding Guo Xiang.
At first the demoness was wary but she observed that Huang Rong did it very meticulously and she thought: “In the Jianghu realm Mrs. Guo is praised as multi talented, she really lives up to that reputation.” But seeing Huang Rong’s face bearing a mocking smile she got scared again and shouted: “That’s enough!”
Huang Rong: “If you say it’s enough, that’s all right with me. Elder Li, you’ve met my father, haven’t you?”
Li Mochou: “Yes, I have.”
Huang Rong: “Yang Guo told me you’ve composed a poem of four lines to ridicule my father, haven’t you? It sounds like this:
‘Peach Blossom Island’s master,
Has numerous disciples,
Five against one,
The laughing stock of the Jianghu realm!’”
Li Mochou thought: “Stupid of me not to think about that. Now I understand that she hampers me because of those four lines.” She retorted coldly: “That day it was five against one, wasn’t it?”
Huang Rong: “Today it’s one against one; we’ll see who will be the laughing stock of the Jianghu realm.”
Li Mochou: “Stop being arrogant! I’ve seen a lot of Peach Blossom Island’s wugong (martial arts), it’s mediocre at the most.”
Huang Rong sneered: “Not to mention the Island’s wugong, I think you can’t even cope with the Island’s non-wugong. If you don’t believe me, just try to get that child back.”
Li Mochou was startled: “Has she injured the child?” Hurriedly she jumped in the cane circle following its turns, hearing the baby cry she felt relieved, but after several turns she ended up out of the circle again. She was puzzled, trying to leap in again she was not careful enough, a thorn had ripped her Taoist robe. She didn’t dare to be careless again, looking where to land her feet she suddenly saw Huang Rong standing in the middle of the circle bending down to hug the child. She was shocked and immediately shouted: “Put the child down!” She deliberately tried and tried to bridge the circle to get in but ended on the outside again. The seven or eight big trees occupying an area of about several zhangs formed a maze. She saw Huang Rong putting the child down and dexterously leaping to the East and the West to leave the circle easily.
The ‘Scarlet Serpent Deity’ now remembered the fight against Yang Guo and Chen Ying with them using piled earth before the hut, preventing her from attacking them directly. Now Huang Rong probably also had used the “Eight Diagrams of the Nine Palaces Divine Method” (Jiu gong ba gua shen shu) of Tao Hua Island in arranging the cane circle. Li Mochou decided to beat the enemy first and rescue the child later. She leapt several zhangs away and was ready to fight again. When Huang Rong saw her adversary confused she secretly rejoiced but seeing Li Mochou’s firm decision she also felt a kind of admiration. After successfully securing her daughter in a safe place, she attacked Li Mochou with the stance “To Push the Dog to Lower its Head” (an gou di tou). Li Mochou entangled the stick with the whisk and further attacked Huang Rong. Both had swiftly exchanged several stances.
Li Mochou changed her fighting tactics but her adversary’s bamboo stick technique was really incomparable, with much effort she managed to resist about ten stances, this was already a rare feat in the martial realm. The bamboo stick was a light weapon and could by no means kill like a sharp weapon, but it managed to threaten all main 36 accupoints on the body. Li Mochou again managed to resist several stances; there was sweat on her forehead. Li Mochou put the whisk in front of her body to protect it then leapt backwards, saying: “Mrs. Guo, your Bamboo Stick Technique (zhu bang fa) is really superb, junior admits defeat. But junior has a question which needs an explanation.”
Huang Rong: “Can’t imagine what matter I’m able to explain to you!”
Li Mochou: “The bamboo stick technique is a unique skill of the Nine Fingered Divine Beggar, whereas Tao Hua Island’s wugong is famous in the realm, why doesn’t Mrs. Guo use your own family’s wugong?”
Huang Rong thought: “This person is tricky; she isn’t able to win against my stick and tries to provoke me.” She said with a smile: “If Elder knows this stick method is Nine Fingered Divine Beggar’s, then you also know what it’s called?” Li Mochou humphed but didn’t reply. Huang Rong sneered: “It’s called ‘if you meet a dog, flog it’ stick method.”
Li Mochou resigned. She didn’t succeed in luring Huang Rong to use her palm instead of the stick; the enemy even mocked her, using her glib tongue. Inserting the whisk on her waist she said: “Beggars use to chant the lian-hua (begging) chant, their Bang Zhu is no exception.” She strode to the nearest tree and sat on a branch.
That Li Mochou admitted defeat was what Huang Rong wanted. But the demoness didn’t leave and Huang Rong could guess her intention very well, she would immediately attack as soon as Huang Rong tried to get the baby. With Huang Rong holding the baby and hampered by it, their skills would even out. So, with the baby practically in her hands, she couldn’t bring it safely home without killing or injuring the demoness.
Suddenly Huang Rong moved, approaching Li Mochou with three steps to the left and four steps to the right. Those steps seemed common, but they bore the intricacies of the “Eight Diagrams” (Ba-gua), in whatever direction Li Mochou would try to flee, Huang Rong could still have blocked her path, that’s the purpose of the movement. Huang Rong already threatened her left elbow with the stick.
Li Mochou parried with her palm and shouted: “After Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng died, Huang Yaoshi truly has no disciples who have inherited his skills.” What Li Mochou said not only ridiculed Huang Rong for using the ‘foreign’ “Dog Beating Stick” method but also to try to humiliate her father as well. Actually Huang Rong had inherited the Huang family’s skill “Jade Flute Sword Method” (Yu xiao jian fa) with profound mastery, but using a sword and not a stick, she was unsure of winning against such a formidable adversary. She answered faintly smiling: “It is true that my father had unworthy disciples, they certainly can’t be compared to pure and chaste apprentice sisters like Elder Li and Miss Long.”
The demoness went sick with rage. Waving her sleeve, two “Soul Freezing Silver Needles” were shot, aiming at Huang Rong’s lower abdomen. Although she was incomparably cruel and could kill without batting an eye, she was still a virgin. Hearing Huang Rong put her on par with her ‘dishonored’ apprentice sister, made her use her lethal poisoned needles.
Huang Rong, staying very close, never had a chance to dodge them. But having perfect command of the Dog Beating Stick method, she still could hurriedly fend them off with the stick. The needles flew about two inches past her face; she could faintly sniff their poisonous smell. She remembered her eagle whose foot was hit by such a needle and it took about six or seven months to cure. Meanwhile another pair of needles shot out.
Huang Rong hastily leapt up and ran towards the East, two needles whizzing near her ear. She thought: “This place is too near to Xiang’er; if she got struck by a random flying needle, it would be lethal for her.” She rushed further, leaving the forest.
Li Mochou chased joyfully, she felt that with the exception of ‘Da gau bang fa’, her other skills were superior to that of Mrs. Guo. She shouted: “Victory or defeat hasn’t been decided, why do you run away?”
Huang Rong stopped, faintly smiling.
Li Mochou said reproachingly: “Mrs. Guo, do you need the stick to keep my needles away?”
Huang Rong knew that as long as she used the stick, Li Mochou wouldn’t accept her defeat. She inserted the stick on her waist and chuckled: “Li dao-zhang, I’ve long heard about your incomparable “Five Poisons Divine Palm” (Wu du shen zhang) and how it has killed numerous people, junior wants to try out that ominous palm.”
Li Mochou was rather startled: “She is aware of my fierce (li hai) palm but wants to try it.” She channeled her inner force to the palm and said: “I also want to try Tao Hua Island’s “Luo Ying Divine Sword Palm” (luo ying shen jian zhang).” She moved her left palm to parry Huang Rong’s palm, her right palm aiming for the shoulder. Both palms moved at the same time, but the right palm also ejected two needles aiming between Huang Rong’s chest and belly. This striking and simultaneously ejecting needles stance had been developed by herself after leaving Gu Mu. The adversary who only guarded against the palms wouldn’t think of being attacked with the needles at such a close distance. Many wuxia experts had been killed by this move of hers.
Huang Rong retracted her left palm to parry, her right hand moving about her bosom as if she herself wanted to pull out a hidden projectile (an qi) but it was already too late, the needles were already about five inches near her ribs, even someone with a much higher ability than her wouldn’t avoid being hit. Li Mochou felt up surging joy as she saw the needles penetrating the cloth. “Oh!” Huang Rong cried bending, her right hand touching her stomach, her left palm striking Li Mochou’s chest. That palm really came swiftly, Li Mochou cried: “Good! She dodged and struck with both palms aiming at Huang Rong’s chest. She knew the poison would instantly show its effect. So her stroke only was meant to shove Huang Rong a bit before she died of the poisoning. She saw Huang Rong’s upper body only showing a slight reaction and she wondered how the poison could paralyze that quick. Her pair of palms soon touched the chest of her adversary; she felt some slight pain from being pricked. Hurriedly and in great surprise she leapt backwards, looking at her palms she saw two tiny holes, black blood oozing out, revealing she had been injured by her own needles. She was startled, angry and didn’t understand how it could have happened. She saw Huang Rong taking two apples from her bosom with a smile, lifted them high, and showing a needle in each apple. Li Mochou now realized that Huang Rong hid the apples, didn’t try to parry her stroke, put her hand in her bosom to hold the apples, receiving the needles and lured Li Mochou to strike the apples herself.
Li Mochou was not a stupid person, but in a duel of cunning today she had to admit defeat, she moved her hand to her bosom to take the antidote. But with a windy sound Huang Rong had attacked her face. Li Mochou hurriedly lifted her left hand to fend, suddenly Huang Rong’s snow white palm opened, its five fingers, shaped gracefully like an orchid, threatened the xiao hai accupoint on her right elbow. She thought: “Is that the famous “Orchid Hand Strikes Accupoint” (lan hua fu xue shou)?” Her right hand, which had failed to take the antidote, was trying to grasp Huang Rong’s hand. Huang Rong retracted her right hand, her left hand aiming at the que pen accupoint on the neck. She attacked using Luo ying palm alternately with orchid hand, her moves were not only swift and fierce but also utterly graceful. Li Mochou couldn’t help thinking: “Today I have witnessed Tao Hua Island’s divine techniques, it is really superb, and even if I was not poisoned I wouldn’t be her match.” She eagerly withdrew to take the antidote, but Huang Rong attacked again, not giving her time for it. The “Soul Freezing Silver Needle” had severe poison on it, hadn’t Li Mochou been used to it, she would already have broken down. But even so, as soon as the poison had reached the pit of her stomach, it would be hopeless for her. Huang Rong observed her face getting paler, her adversary got weaker and weaker, Huang Rong thought of the demoness killing the Wu brothers’ mother, at last now she would succumb to her own poison, Huang Rong pressed steadily on, but also guarded herself, fearing a last counter attempt by her adversary.
Li Mochou felt a numbness creeping up her elbow, after several stances more the numbness had reached her armpit, her arm couldn’t bend anymore. She called out: “Hold a minute!” Stepping aside she said: “Mrs. Guo, since I’ve killed many people, I hadn’t expected to live this long. In martial arts and cunning I’m inferior to you; it’s fitting to die by your hands. But I must be bold and beg something of you.”
Huang Rong: “Beg for what?” She guessed the demoness was trying to use delaying tactics so she watched her hands carefully; she saw her arms sagging and she then listened to her adversary saying: “I don’t have an affectionate relationship with my shi mei, but her child is adorably cute, I beseech you to show a forgiving heart and not to take her young life.”
Huang Rong felt the Scarlet Serpent Deity spoke with sincerity, she was unable to suppress being moved. She thought: “This demoness’ misdeeds heaped up like a mountain, who would have thought that in the time of approaching death she would show such a loving concern for my daughter.” She answered: “The parents of this child are no ordinary people, if I let her live she would pose a great danger to me.”
Li Mochou sighed and said with a failing voice: “I understand, but I’m still hoping you would be forgiving ....”
Huang Rong was very moved, but wanted to try her further, she approached and hit an accupoint before taking a bottle out, asking: “Is this the antidote?”
