Return of Condor Heroes, page 167
Zhu Ziliu stretched out his finger. With a laugh he said, “That’s easy.”
He picked up the Indian monk and said, “We’ll rest here in the kiln. May I ask Brother Yang and Mrs. to go help my master?”
Yang Guo remembered that Reverend Yideng’s injury had not recovered and that Ci’en had been swaying back and forth between good and evil. If he stayed here to guard the Indian monk, it would be rather selfish and he wouldn’t feel comfortable. Seeing Zhu Ziliu carry the Indian monk back into the kiln, he and Xiao Longnu returned to the path they’d just come from.
The two people passed by the Passion Flower thicket. It was bitter cold at this time. Undoubtedly soon there would be no flowers, and the leaves would fall, leaving only ugly bare branches, full of sharp thorns.
Suddenly Yang Guo thought of Li Mochou. He said, “No doubt this thing called passion is sometimes extremely beautiful but other times extremely ugly. Like your martial sister, spring flowers wither quickly but their thorns can still kill people.”
Xiao Longnu said, “I hope the Divine Monk can find the antidote to this flower poison. Not only will it cure you, my martial sister can also be saved.”
But Yang Guo actually hoped that the Indian monk would regain consciousness and that the Indian monk would first treat the poisons in Xiao Longnu’s body. If he didn’t wake up and just passed away, what then? Looking at his wife, his heart was filled with infinite tender feelings. Suddenly, he was hit by a flash of pain in his chest. He knew that because he’d saved the Cheng-Lu cousins, the poison in his body was even more severe. Afraid that he would worry Xiao Longnu, he turned his head to look at the bare branches, appearing to be happy and not paying attention to life and death matters.
By now there was another scene in the main hall of the Passionless Valley. Qiu Qianchi was urging her brother to act. The more she talked, the more ferocious her words became. Reverend Yideng didn’t say a word, leaving Ci’en to make a decision for himself. Ci’en looked at his sister. He looked at his master. Then he looked at Huang Rong. One was his blood sister. Another was the master who had changed him. And the third caused his brother’s death. His mind fluctuated between kindness and hatred. Good and evil were battling. How would he decide? His entire life from childhood to old age flashed in his brain. Sometimes tears glistened in his eyes, other times a smile came to the corners of his mouth. His heart was aflame for this was fiercer than any battle he’d ever fought in.
Lu Wushuang noticed that Yang Guo had left the hall for a long time and still not returned. Ci’en’s state of mind had nothing to do with her whatsoever. She gently tugged at Cheng Ying’s gown sleeve and quietly slipped out of the hall. Cheng Ying followed her out.
“Where did Sha Dan (Dumb Egg) go?” Lu Wushuang asked.
Cheng Ying didn’t reply. She only said, “He’s been poisoned and we don’t know how bad his condition is.”
Lu Wushuang said, “Hmm.”
She was also worried. In a low-spirited voice, she said, “I really didn’t expect this. He and his master finally...”
Cheng Ying said in the same tone, “Miss Long is really beautiful, and she’s really good. Only such a person can be a match for Big Brother Yang.”
Lu Wushuang said, “How do you know she’s a good person? You haven’t really talked to her.”
Suddenly she heard a cold voice from behind, “Her foot is not lame. Naturally she’s good.”
Lu Wushuang drew out her Willow Leaf saber, turning her body around. That voice, of course, came from Guo Fu.
Seeing her unsheathed saber, Guo Fu quickly pulled out a long sword from Yelu Qi’s waist. She returned the angry glare and shouted, “You want to fight me?”
With a merry laugh Lu Wushuang said, “How come you don’t use your own sword?”
Her foot had been crippled since childhood, and it was her sore spot. Other people never mentioned this in front of her. Since Guo Fu ridiculed her ‘lame foot,’ she was enraged, and so she sarcastically brought up the broken sword issue.
Guo Fu barked, “I’m going to use someone else’s sword to give you a kungfu lesson.”
Having said that, the long sword struck, and the ‘weng-weng’ sounds echoed.
Lu Wushuang said, “How rude. The Guo family’s child doesn’t respect her senior. Good, today I’ll teach you the difference between good and bad.”
“Bah, how can you be my senior?” Guo Fu said.
With a laugh Lu Wushuang said, “My cousin is your Martial Uncle. If you won’t call me Gu Gu (paternal aunt) you should call me Ah-yi (maternal aunt). You can ask my cousin!”
Then she pointed at Cheng Ying.
By her mother’s order, Guo Fu had to call Cheng Ying ‘Martial Uncle.’ But deep down, she was still not convinced that her strange grandfather had accepted such a person as a disciple. She thought that she and Cheng Ying were about the same age so Cheng Ying’s kungfu shouldn’t be very good.
She looked at Lu Wushuang and said, “Who knows if she’s a real or fake disciple? My grandpa is world famous. There are many shameless people pretending to be his disciples.”
Although Cheng Ying’s natural disposition was gentle, hearing this she couldn’t help getting angry. But her whole heart right now was fixed on Yang Guo, and so she had no intention of bickering with people.
She said, “Cousin, let’s go… go find Big Brother Yang.”
Lu Wushuang nodded. She turned to Guo Fu and said, “Did you hear that? Did she or did she not call me her cousin? Hero Guo and Chief Huang Rong are world famous. I don’t know how many shameless people pretend to be their daughter!”
Then with a ‘hei-hei’ cold laugh, she turned to leave.
Guo Fu was slow. She thought, “Who pretends to be my parents’ daughter?”
But then it dawned on her, “Aiyo! She called me a bastard, saying that I’m not my parents’ daughter.” Now that she understood the meaning, how could she bear it? She jumped up and thrust her sword towards Lu Wushuang’s back.
Hearing the sound of Guo Fu’s sword cutting through the air, Lu Wushuang turned and blocked the strike with her saber. With a ‘dang’ sound, slight pains shot through their arms.
Guo Fu shouted, “Did you call me a bastard?”
The long sword struck again and again. Lu Wushuang blocked the sword left and right. She sneered, “Hero Guo is a righteous hero. Chief Huang is truly the daughter of the Chief of Peach Blossom Island. Their characters are remarkable...”
Guo Fu said, “Who doesn’t know that? There is no need to praise my parents to please me.” She really thought that Lu Wushuang had sincerely praised her parents, and so her sword slowed down.
But Lu Wushuang continued “You? You cut off Big Brother Yang’s arm. You couldn’t tell right from wrong, hurting a good person. How could such behavior be anything similar to that of the Guo couple? Makes people wonder.”
“Wonder, about what?” Guo Fu asked.
Lu Wushuang darkly said, “You think about it.”
Yelu Qi was standing on the side of the scene. He knew that Guo Fu’s intelligence was far inferior to Lu Wushuang. If this verbal spat went on, Guo Fu wouldn’t be able to stand it. He said, “Miss Guo, let’s not talk to her any more.”
He could see that Guo Fu’s kungfu was more advanced than Lu Wushuang’s. If she couldn’t win an argument, she would resort to a real fight. Who would have thought that Guo Fu would be blind with rage and not understand his intention? She said, “Don’t meddle. I’m asking her to explain what she said.”
Lu Wushuang gave Yelu Qi a stare. She said, “A dog that bites visitors will give you trouble in the future.”
Yelu Qi blushed, knowing that Lu Wushuang had already figured out his feelings towards Guo Fu. What she meant was that Guo Fu was so irrational that she would give him infinite trouble in the future.
Seeing Yelu Qi blush, Guo Fu was greatly suspicious. She questioned, “You suspect that I’m not my parents’ daughter as well?”
Yelu Qi quickly said, “No, no. Let’s go. Don’t pay attention to her.”
Lu Wushuang butted in, “Naturally, he is suspicious. Otherwise, why does he want you to leave so quickly?”
Guo Fu’s face reddened, and she pressed her hand on the sword.
Yelu Qi could only advise, “Miss Lu’s words are mean and cutting. If you want to test her kungfu, just do it. There’s no need to talk.”
Lu Wushuang said, “He said you’ve got a dumb mouth. Talking too much will only reveal what a fool you are.”
Guo Fu had feelings for Yelu Qi, and so she was worried that he wouldn’t like her. Although other people were talking nonsense, when it involved her loved one, she had to think about it. As she thought about what Lu Wushuang said, she feared that Yelu Qi would really think badly of her. Her parents had doted on her since she was little, and the Wu brothers -- her childhood friends -- had always obeyed her. Except for her occasional quarrels with Yang Guo, she’d never had an argument like this. Today she ran into a ferocious opponent, who outpaced and outwitted her no matter what she said. Realizing that talking would result in more damage, she scolded, “If I don’t cripple your other foot today, my name is not Guo.”
Having said that, her sword moved like the wind, flying towards Lu Wushuang.
Lu Wushuang said, “No need to cripple my foot. Your real name is not Guo anyway. Maybe your name is Zhang or Li.” Lu Wushuang carried on calling her a ‘bastard.’
While they were exchanging these verbal attacks, the saber and the sword clashed, and the battle became more intense.
The Guo couple had taught their daughter the best of kungfu. Guo Fu was taught all the basics but it was difficult to master the skills in a short period of time. When it came to martial proclivity, Guo Fu had a stronger resemblance to her father and very little in common with her mother. And so, even though her foundation of orthodox kungfu was good, she still needed to refine her skills before she could use any lethal kungfu. Even so, Lu Wushuang wasn’t her match. Besides, her retreat wasn’t very agile because of a crippled foot. Guo Fu was burning with rage and she kept on attacking. Sword lights flashed as she was trying to stab Lu Wushuang’s right leg.
Cheng Ying was watching them fight, her brows creasing with worry. She thought, “Although my cousin’s name-calling isn’t nice, this Guo girl is too rude and too unreasonable. No wonder Yang Guo’s right arm was cut off by her. If they continue to fight, my cousin’s right leg will be difficult to save.”
She saw Lu Wushuang constantly retreating. Suddenly she heard the ‘chi’ sound as Lu Wushuang’s skirt was ripped open. She let out a soft cry, “Aiyo!”
Lu Wushuang stumbled back, her face pale. Guo Fu quickly took a couple of steps forward and brought her sword around in a horizontal swipe, slashing Lu Wushuang’s leg. Seeing that Guo Fu had already won but still kept on attacking and that Lu Wushuang was dangerously cornered, Cheng Ying stepped in gently, using both hands to block Guo Fu.
She said, “Miss Guo, please go light on her.”
Guo Fu lifted her sword. Seeing blood on the blade, she knew that Lu Wushuang had already been injured. She pointed her sword proudly at Lu Wushuang and said, “My lesson today will teach you not to spout nonsense again.”
The sword wound on Lu Wushuang’s leg was aching. She angrily said, “Are you going to use your sword to stop people from talking?” She knew that Guo Fu basked in her parents’ glory, so she pretended to say that Guo Fu was not Guo Jing and Huang Rong’s daughter.
Guo Fu shouted, “What did they say?”
She moved forward a step, with the tip of her sword straight towards Lu Wushuang’s chest.
Cheng Ying stepped in between them. Seeing the long sword arrive, she used three fingers to hold the blade and gently pushed it aside.
She persuaded, “Cousin, Miss Guo, we are in the middle of danger here. Let’s stop this senseless fight.”
Her sword was brushed aside by Cheng Ying’s bare hand. Guo Fu was half-startled and half-angry. She shouted, “Are you helping her? Good, good, good. Even two on one, I’m not afraid. Draw out your weapon!” After she said that, she pointed her long sword at Cheng Ying’s waist preparing to thrust. She waited calmly for her to pull out the jade flute from her waist.
With a faint smile Cheng Ying said, “I just asked you two not to fight, how can I fight you myself? Brother Yelu, please come and talk to Miss Guo.”
“Yes. Miss Guo, we are in the enemy territory. We’ve got to be careful everywhere we go.” Yelu Qi said.
Guo Fu quickly said, “Good. You don’t help me. Instead, you help an outsider.” Seeing that Cheng Ying was a girl of beauty and grace, she suddenly thought to herself, “Is he interested in her?”
Yelu Qi had no clue what she was thinking. He continued, “That monk Ci’en looked quite strange. Let’s go back to the hall and watch him.”
Lu Wushuang heard Guo Fu’s words and saw the look on her face. She understood what Guo Fu was worried about.
She said, “Compared to you, my cousin is prettier. Her behavior is gentler. And she had better kungfu. You’ve got to be very, very careful.”
These four sentences pierced Guo Fu’s heart. Nervously she asked, “Careful about what?”
Lu Wushuang sneered, “Even if I were an idiot, I would still prefer my cousin. You are rude and vicious, what’s so good about you?”
These words were so obvious, how could Guo Fu stand them? Her long sword flew out, swerving around Cheng Ying and flying towards Lu Wushuang.
This move of hers was called the ‘Jade Stance Guiding Silver Arrow,’ which was one of Huang Rong’s family techniques. The blade was swung in an arc and would strike the side of the target. The move appeared to be without haste but the damage zone was wide. Only one with higher sword skills would be able to block such a blow; otherwise, it was extremely difficult to escape.
Cheng Ying frowned. She thought to herself, “Why is this girl using her fiercest stance? My cousin only offends you with words. She isn’t your most hateful enemy. Why are you acting like you mean to kill a murderer?”
Fortunately, Huang Yaoshi had earlier taught her this sword stance. And so, she sent energy to her fingers, waiting for Guo Fu’s sword swing. Then with a clang, the long sword shot to the ground.
The technique Cheng Ying had just used was called ‘Divine Flicking Finger.’ But it came out strong only because Cheng Ying had understood Guo Fu’s technique and waited to strike when the power in Guo Fu’s sword dropped. Otherwise, since the two people’s martial skills were about the same level, Cheng Ying wouldn’t have been able to disarm Guo Fu with her fingers. Cheng Ying used her left foot to step on the long sword and the jade flute in her hand pointed at Guo Fu’s pressure point on her waist.
In a flash Cheng Ying had knocked Guo Fu’s sword out of her hand, stepped on it, and threatened Guo Fu’s pressure point. Guo Fu was in an extremely awkward situation. If she bent down to snatch the sword, the pressure point on her waist would be exposed. But if she jumped backwards, her long sword would of course be taken. Although her kungfu was not weak, she lacked battle experiences. At the moment, she was blushing profusely, not knowing what to do.
Yelu Qi shouted, “Hey, girl. Why did you step on my weapon?”
Then he leaned forward to grab the jade flute. Cheng Ying retracted her arm, and then she turned around to leave, pulling Lu Wushuang along with her.
Guo Fu snatched the long sword back. She called out, “Slow down, let’s see who the better person is.”
Lu Wushuang turned her head back and said, “Still want to...”
Cheng Ying grabbed her arm, dragging her cousin along. The two people were already twenty or thirty feet away from them, and so Lu Wushuang didn’t get to finish her sentence.
Yelu Qi said, “Miss Guo, she was just lucky with that move. Actually, the two of you are equals.”
Guo Fu bitterly said, “Right. I was swinging my sword in an arc. Before I could hit her, she took advantage of the moment the strength on my sword was void. I didn’t expect someone who looked quite refined to be sly like that.”
“Hmm.” Yelu Qi made a sound. He was a straight person. Not wanting to falsely flatter her, he said, “Miss Cheng’s kungfu isn’t weak. If you fight with her another time, you can’t underestimate her as an opponent.”
Hearing him commend Cheng Ying, Guo Fu frowned darkly. She couldn’t bear it and so she said, “Did you say her kungfu was good?”
Yelu Qi replied, “Yes.”
Guo Fu angrily said, “Then don’t mind me. Just go, be with her.”
As she said that she turned around.
Yelu Qi said, “I advised you not to underestimate the opponent. I asked you to be careful. Am I helping you, or am I helping her?”
Now that Yelu Qi had explained that he wanted her to protect herself, Guo Fu couldn’t help but smile.
Yelu Qi continued, “Didn’t I help you get the sword back? Why are you still blaming me?”
Guo Fu turned her head back and said, “I’m not. I’m not. I’m not blaming you!” A happy smile filled her face.
Yelu Qi was delighted but suddenly he heard repeated roars from inside the hall, accompanied by the interminable sounds of metal clanking.
