Yang Guo pointed to Xiao Longnu and laughed as he said, "This is my Master, come and bow down to the Chancellor of Wulin!"
Jinlun Fawang saw that Xiao Longnu was beautiful and delicate, she was younger than Yang Guo, he did not believe that she was his master and thought, "The Han of the central plains are very sly and crafty but can you trick me?" He suddenly stood up; a clanking sound was heard as he took out a gold wheel from his compartment. The golden wheel was a foot and a half in diameter, cast out of solid gold, the Tibetan scriptures were inscribed on the wheel, in the middle were nine little spheres, a shake of the hands and a prolonged noise was heard.
Jinlun Fawang pointed to Xiao Longnu and said, "Huh, how is that this little girl is worthy of being the Chancellor of Wulin? If you can withstand ten stances of my golden wheel I'll acknowledge you as the Chancellor of Wulin."
Yang Guo laughed and said, "I've already won two rounds, two out of three, and your side said that at the start, so why are you trying to deny it?"
Jinlun Fawang said, "I want to test out her kung fu and see if she has the ability to take this task on."
Xiao Longnu did not know that Jinlun Fawang's abilities are shockingly brilliant, neither did she know what the Chancellor of Wulin was, the thought of whether to take this on had never crossed her mind. When she heard him say that he wanted to test whether she can withstand ten stances of his golden wheel, she stood up and said, "In that case I'll have a try."
Jinlun Fawang said, "If you can't withstand ten stances, what then?"
Xiao Longnu said, "If I can't, I can't, what about it?" Though she treated Yang Guo with love and compassion, when it comes to other things she didn't have a care.
The heroes of the central plains and the Mongolian warriors did not know that this was her character, and they saw that she didn't give Jinlun Fawang any consideration; they thought that she really must possess deep and profound martial arts. After seeing Yang Guo use the "Soul Altering Spell", others thought that she knew witchcraft and was a young witch. At that time, they all burst into conversation.
Jinlun Fawang really was afraid that she knew witchcraft, he started to chant a mantra, "ji li gu lu, ji li gu lu", he recited the "Devil Subduing Mantra" from the Tibetan scriptures. Yang Guo heard this and thought that the monk was insulting his master in Tibetan so he quickly concentrated and remembered every single word clearly. Once Jinlun Fawang finished reciting the mantra, from the golden wheel a period of 'lang lang' noises was heard, he shouted, "Young man, I'm about to start!" He said these two words in Chinese.
Yang Guo shook his hand, he didn't want to speak a word, he was afraid that once his concentration was disturbed, he would forget the passage of Tibetan he had just remembered, he then began to recite every word and tone of the passage.
Da'erba regained consciousness at this time, he saw that his master was holding a golden wheel and was about to fight someone. Then he heard Yang Guo recite the 'Devil Subduing Mantra' from the Tibetan scriptures, this was something that was kept within the school, and it was never passed on to outsiders. If Yang Guo wasn't the reincarnation of senior apprentice brother, how would he know this mantra? He quickly jumped up in urgency and knelt down in front of his master, he called out, "Master, he really is the reincarnation of senior apprentice brother, take him back into the school!"
Jinlun Fawang angrily said, "Rubbish! You don't even know that you've fallen into his trap."
Da'erba said, "It really is, this is the truth, it's definitely not a lie."
Fawang saw that he was confused; he picked him up by the back and flung him away. Da'erba weighed about a hundred kilos (220lbs); the way he was tossed lightly aside was as if he weighed nothing.
The heroes had seen the frightening strength of Da'erba when he fought Diancang Yuyin and Yang Guo, but the toss by Jinlun Fawang showed that his strength was even stronger. They looked at the delicate appearance of Xiao Longnu, without even mentioning the ten stances, if he just used force to blow at her, she would be blown over, and they couldn't stop themselves from worrying about her.
Many of the Mongolian warriors have seen Jinlun Fawang display his abilities, his skill could hold back ten thousand men, and his strength exceeded that of nine bulls. Though Xiao Longnu was the enemy, they saw that she was childlike, frail and beautiful. Even if she did know witchcraft, she may not be able to defend against the mysterious divine abilities of Jinlun Fawang. They couldn't stop themselves from secretly hoping that Fawang would not be too ruthless.
After Yang Guo finished reciting the mantra, he whispered to Xiao Longnu, "Gu Gu, be careful of that monk."
When Jinlun Fawang heard that Yang Guo had not recited one word wrong, he had respect for him, he praised him, "Young man, only you."
Yang Guo said, "Monk, only you."
Jinlun Fawang looked at him and said, "Only I what?"
Yang Guo said, "Only you've got the courage to fight with my Master, she is the reincarnation of the Goddess of Mercy; she has the ability to move heaven and earth, the power to subdue dragons and tigers, you better take care." He saw that this monk was very powerful, he wanted to make him worry so he won't fight with his full abilities, then it would be easier for his Master to defend against him.
Yang Guo laughed and said, "I've already won two rounds, two out of three, and your side said that at the start, so why are you trying to deny it?"
Jinlun Fawang said, "I want to test out her kung fu and see if she has the ability to take this task on."
Xiao Longnu did not know that Jinlun Fawang's abilities are shockingly brilliant, neither did she know what the Chancellor of Wulin was, the thought of whether to take this on had never crossed her mind. When she heard him say that he wanted to test whether she can withstand ten stances of his golden wheel, she stood up and said, "In that case I'll have a try."
Jinlun Fawang said, "If you can't withstand ten stances, what then?"
Xiao Longnu said, "If I can't, I can't, what about it?" Though she treated Yang Guo with love and compassion, when it comes to other things she didn't have a care.
The heroes of the central plains and the Mongolian warriors did not know that this was her character, and they saw that she didn't give Jinlun Fawang any consideration; they thought that she really must possess deep and profound martial arts. After seeing Yang Guo use the "Soul Altering Spell", others thought that she knew witchcraft and was a young witch. At that time, they all burst into conversation.
Jinlun Fawang really was afraid that she knew witchcraft, he started to chant a mantra, "ji li gu lu, ji li gu lu", he recited the "Devil Subduing Mantra" from the Tibetan scriptures. Yang Guo heard this and thought that the monk was insulting his master in Tibetan so he quickly concentrated and remembered every single word clearly. Once Jinlun Fawang finished reciting the mantra, from the golden wheel a period of 'lang lang' noises was heard, he shouted, "Young man, I'm about to start!" He said these two words in Chinese.
Yang Guo shook his hand, he didn't want to speak a word, he was afraid that once his concentration was disturbed, he would forget the passage of Tibetan he had just remembered, he then began to recite every word and tone of the passage.
Da'erba regained consciousness at this time, he saw that his master was holding a golden wheel and was about to fight someone. Then he heard Yang Guo recite the 'Devil Subduing Mantra' from the Tibetan scriptures, this was something that was kept within the school, and it was never passed on to outsiders. If Yang Guo wasn't the reincarnation of senior apprentice brother, how would he know this mantra? He quickly jumped up in urgency and knelt down in front of his master, he called out, "Master, he really is the reincarnation of senior apprentice brother, take him back into the school!"
Jinlun Fawang angrily said, "Rubbish! You don't even know that you've fallen into his trap."
Da'erba said, "It really is, this is the truth, it's definitely not a lie."
Fawang saw that he was confused; he picked him up by the back and flung him away. Da'erba weighed about a hundred kilos (220lbs); the way he was tossed lightly aside was as if he weighed nothing.
The heroes had seen the frightening strength of Da'erba when he fought Diancang Yuyin and Yang Guo, but the toss by Jinlun Fawang showed that his strength was even stronger. They looked at the delicate appearance of Xiao Longnu, without even mentioning the ten stances, if he just used force to blow at her, she would be blown over, and they couldn't stop themselves from worrying about her.
Many of the Mongolian warriors have seen Jinlun Fawang display his abilities, his skill could hold back ten thousand men, and his strength exceeded that of nine bulls. Though Xiao Longnu was the enemy, they saw that she was childlike, frail and beautiful. Even if she did know witchcraft, she may not be able to defend against the mysterious divine abilities of Jinlun Fawang. They couldn't stop themselves from secretly hoping that Fawang would not be too ruthless.
After Yang Guo finished reciting the mantra, he whispered to Xiao Longnu, "Gu Gu, be careful of that monk."
When Jinlun Fawang heard that Yang Guo had not recited one word wrong, he had respect for him, he praised him, "Young man, only you."
Yang Guo said, "Monk, only you."
Jinlun Fawang looked at him and said, "Only I what?"
Yang Guo said, "Only you've got the courage to fight with my Master, she is the reincarnation of the Goddess of Mercy; she has the ability to move heaven and earth, the power to subdue dragons and tigers, you better take care." He saw that this monk was very powerful, he wanted to make him worry so he won't fight with his full abilities, then it would be easier for his Master to defend against him.
But Jinlun Fawang is a hero that Tibet had never seen before; he excelled in both martial arts and the arts, how would he fall into the trap; he called out, "The first stance is coming, little miss, show your weapon!"
Yang Guo took off the golden silk gloves and put them on his Master before stepping back. Xiao Longnu took out a white silk belt from her pockets, the belt flew out and met the wind, a golden sphere was tied to the white belt. Something was inside the golden sphere, as the belt moved, the sphere rang like a bell, 'ding ling, ding ling', it was crisp and clear.
Everyone saw that the two's weapons were extremely strange, they thought that today they would really experience something, one weapon was extremely short, the other was extremely long, one extremely hard, the other extremely soft, and by coincidence, both weapons made 'ding dang' noises.
The golden wheel that Jinlun Fawang uses traps the opponent's weapon; no matter if it's a saber, sword, spear, lance, pike, whip or stick. When the weapon meets the wheel, they would be tangled up; when a normal person sends a stance over, the weapon in their hand will be lost. If he didn't see how impressive Yang Guo's martial arts were, he would never have said ten stances. In his life, very few people have managed to take three stances of his golden wheel.
Xiao Longnu's belt flew out, she was attacking first.
Jinlun Fawang said, "What is this?" He sent out his left hand to grab the belt, he saw that the silk belt moving gently and swiftly, he knew that there would be many variations. That grab he sent out covered all directions, up, down, left, right and middle, wherever the belt goes, it would not escape his clutches. He couldn't have known that the golden sphere would counterattack, ringing as it moved, it was heading for his 'Central Islet' pressure point on the back of his hand. Jinlun Fawang was extremely swift in changing his stance, his palm turned around and went for the sphere again. Xiao Longnu's wrist moved slightly, the sphere turned around, moving up and down, aiming to strike his arm's 'Combined Valley' pressure point. Jinlun Fawang's palm turned again, this time he stretched out his two fingers to catch the sphere. Xiao Longnu understood what he was doing, the belt rushed forward slightly, the sphere went for the 'Crooked Marsh' pressure point around the elbow area.
Those few variations were done within just the turn of a hand, Jinlun Fawang turned his palm twice, Xiao Longnu twisted her wrist three times; the two had exchanged five stances.
Yang Guo understood what was happening and loudly counted, "One, two, three, four, five… that's five stances!" There are five stances left."
Jinlun Fawang wanted Xiao Longnu to take ten of his stances, wanting her to defend against ten of his attacks. Yang Guo tried to be clever and counted the stances exchanged by both sides. Jinlun Fawang is a leading master of martial arts, why would he allow himself to get into an argument over numbers with this crafty young man? His left arm went to the side and avoided the sphere, and then sent his golden wheel forward.
Xiao Longnu heard the urgent 'lang lang' noise and saw a gold flash in front of her eyes, the enemy's golden wheel was now only a foot or so in front of her. This move was sudden, she couldn't even think about repelling this move, evading this attack was impossible. In this danger she flicked her wrist again, the silk belt went straight forward, the sphere attacked Fawang's 'Wind Pond' pressure point on the front of his head. This is a fatal pressure point, even if you're martial arts were higher, once this point has been struck, your life would be at risk. She had no other choice but to use this risky stance of making both sides suffer great losses and to force the opponent to take back his wheel.
Indeed, Jinlun Fawang did not want to risk his life with her, he lowered his head to avoid the attack, but once his head was lowered, the wheel in his hand became slower. Xiao Longnu took this opportunity and summoned back her silk belt and a 'ding ding dang dang' sound was heard as the sphere collided with the golden wheel, neutralizing Jinlun Fawang's attack. All that happened in the blink of an eye, Xiao Longnu went from facing death to staying alive in a matter of seconds, she urgently utilized her lightness kung fu and retreated to the side, her face had a fearful expression.
Jinlun Fawang had just used one stance to attack but Yang Guo called out loudly, "Six, seven, eight, nine, ten… great, my master has received ten stances of yours, what more have you got to say?"
After that exchange, Jinlun Fawang knew that although Xiao Longnu's martial arts were high, it was no where near his level. If they exchanged moves properly, he would definitely defeat her within ten stances. He did not like Yang Guo stirring the situation from the side, talking rubbish, and disturbing his concentration. He thought, "I'll ignore the young man's rubbish, I'll intensify my attacks and beat the little girl first and then reason with them." His sleeve carried forward and the golden wheel flashed, it was another extremely lethal fatal attack.
Yang Guo called out loudly, "You don't want face! Ten moves have passed and you're continuing, eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen…" He didn't care how many stances were exchanged in defense and attack by the two, his mouth kept on counting up.
After receiving one of his stances, Xiao Longnu was extremely afraid; she didn't dare to receive another attack head on. She utilized her lightness kung fu and flew around the hall, the belt in her hand floating in the air, the golden sphere quickly turning, forming a streak of fog, a path of yellow light. The sounds that the golden sphere was producing sped up suddenly, slowed suddenly, lightened suddenly and loud suddenly, it was like a song. When she lived in the tomb, she studied the zither manuscripts left by Lin Chaoying and played the zither accordingly; she became rather wonderful with it. Later on, she started to practice with the silk belt and gold sphere, she noticed that the tones made by the sphere possessed a rhythm and tone, her character was still childlike then, and she managed to integrate music into this set of kung fu techniques.
Everything possesses a rhythm, from the way the world passes on, how trees and grass grow, to a person's heartbeat and pulse. Music is created by the natural manipulation of the sounds of nature by people; music pleases the ear whereas noise creates trouble in the heart. When kung fu and music is combined, it is performed even more smoothly and softly, the body following whatever the mind wants.
The lightness kung fu of the Ancient Tomb sect belongs to its own class, other sects' lightness kung fu cannot compare with it. When using it in the open plains, it is difficult to identify the strong points of the technique, right now, it was being used in the hall, the grace and ease of it was unparalleled, moving in thousands of different directions. She has practiced her martial arts in the rooms of the ancient tomb, within a radius of over ten feet, she really did move like a goddess.
Though Jinlun Fawang's martial arts were much superior to hers, as she hurriedly leaped and suddenly shifted, there wasn't anything he could do about it. He heard the 'ding ling ding ling' sounds of the sphere was like a song, after listening to it a while, he found himself fighting along with the music. He quickly swung his golden wheel to create a noise, mixing up the 'ling' sounds. In a flash the room was filled with the clashing of the two sounds, suddenly it was soft then loud, high then low. The sounds from the bell was crisp and clear, when one hears them they felt carefree and joyous, the sounds that Jinlun Fawang produced were like metal being forged, like a scraping of a cauldron, like killing a pig, beating a dog, many indescribable noises.
Guo Jing and Huang Rong were watching from the side and remembered how years ago they heard Hong Qigong, Ouyang Feng and Huang Yaoshi use the sounds of music to battle with each other on Peach Blossom Island. As they reminisced about it, it felt like it was lifetime ago. Though the martial arts of the two were masterly, when it comes to using music to fight, they could not compare with Hong, Huang and Ouyang.
Yang Guo had already counted up to, "One thousand and five, one thousand and six, one thousand and seven…" But Xiao Longnu had kept away from facing her opponent; Jinlun Fawang had yet to use ten stances. Guo Fu was unconscious in her mother's arms but she was awakened by the sounds of the golden wheel, she raised her head, her face as dazed and she did not know what was going on.
Jinlun Fawang felt very impatient, he felt that with the status of a leading martial artist, if he was unable to beat this young girl after so long, and if the battle went on, he would eventually win but he would have lost all face. He suddenly stretched out his left arm, the golden wheel slanted across; his left palm pushed out low towards the left, the golden wheel went upwards towards the right. The two of them had fought for a long time, now Jinlun Fawang had grasped half of Xiao Longnu's lightness kung fu; those two attacks were meant to block her escape routes, only allowing her to move forward, escaping backwards was not an option.
In this danger, Xiao Longnu waved her silk belt and wrapped it around a group of white flowers, her body quickly flew up.
Fawang's golden wheel turned around, binding the silk belt. If it were a normal weapon, he would have taken it away long ago, but the silk belt did not have any stiffness, it just lightly slipped away from the hole of the golden wheel. Jinlun Fawang shouted, "That is the second stance, the third stance is coming!" He took a step forward; the golden wheel suddenly escaped from his hands, and was sent flying towards Xiao Longnu.
No one predicted that stance, the golden wheel spun urgently as it slashed towards Xiao Longnu. Xiao Longnu was extremely startled, she lowered her body and darted backwards, she suddenly heard a 'chi chi' sound, a yellow light passed her face within an inch, the gusts of wind created by the wheel hurt her tender face.
In the startled calls of the crowd, Fawang dashed forward and stretched out his arm, his palm gave a push on the wheel's rim, turning it in midair, heading towards Xiao Longnu again. Xiao Longnu saw that the force the wheel was spinning with was extraordinary, how could she dare to use the silk belt to trap it? She could only use her matchless lightness kung fu to jump to the side to avoid it.
Jinlun Fawang had missed twice and called out, "Great lightness kung fu!"
He dashed forwards and stretched out his left fist, a 'dang' sound was heard as he struck the wheel, at the same time he sent out both palms, blocking Xiao Longnu's path forward, while the golden wheel flew with a 'lang lang' sound towards the back of her head.
The golden wheel wasn't extremely quick, but before the wheel arrived, the gusts of wind created by the wheel moved towards Xiao Longnu, it was an extremely ferocious force. When Fawang punched the wheel, he had already calculated where the opponent could escape to, that is why the wheel seemed to have grown an eye; after making half a circle in midair, the wheel returned and headed for Xiao Longnu's back. Xiao Longnu jumped and used all the skills that she had learnt in her life, but she still saw the Tibetan monk's palms opened in front of her, blocking her way. The heroes' ears were filled with calls, their eyes were dazzled, and all of them had fear in their hearts.
Yang Guo saw that Xiao Longnu was in danger; he was extremely concerned and picked up Da'erba's golden rod. He used all his strength and flung it upwards towards the wheel, a loud 'dang' sound was heard, the rod managed to go through the wheel's opening in the middle, but the force of the wheel was really ferocious, it shook his arms so much that his wrists split open, blood poured out, as he brought the wheel and rod crashing to the floor.
Xiao Longnu glanced over and saw that the wheel was on the floor, the threat from behind was taken away but her body was in midair, how could she avoid the enemy that was in front of her? She urgently waved out her silk belt, wrapping it around the pillar in the west and then pulled with all her strength, her body used this force to fly away towards the pillar, she smoothly and lightly slipped down behind the pillar, in the space of a hair's breadth, she managed to avoid Fawang's mountain shattering palm.
Jinlun Fawang had victory in his grasp but was again stopped by Yang Guo. Not only did the enemy get away, even his unbeatable weapon was knocked on to the floor by him; he has never experienced such a frustrating setback in his life. He originally was meticulous, wise and intelligent, yet right now he couldn't stop himself from reacting without thinking. He didn't wait for Yang Guo to get up and sent a palm chopping down on him.
According to his status as head of a school, what he was doing did not match how he had always thought of himself; Yang Guo was a junior, and he was on the floor when he sent out this palm, but in his great anger he couldn't care less.
Guo Jing saw him staring angrily at Yang Guo, his shoulder was raised and arm taken back, Guo Jing knew that he was about to kill him, he called out in quietly, "Oh no!" If he took a step forward, he would still be able to block this attack but Yang Guo would still suffer a serious injury. In this urgent situation there was no time to think carefully, he used a stance of "Flying Dragon in the Sky", his whole body leapt into the air, and attacked Jinlun Fawang's head. If Jinlun Fawang didn't take back this palm, though he would be able to kill Yang Guo, his life would be taken away under the matchless lethal and swift Dragon Subduing Palm. The force of his palm quickly turned around, he gave a 'hei' shout, and exchanged palms with Guo Jing.
This was the second time that two great masters of the present time exchanged palms. Guo Jing was in midair and had nothing to brace against, he used the opponent's force and made a half somersault, landing backwards. Yet, Jinlun Fawang stood his ground steadily, his body didn't sway and his legs didn't shift, it was as if nothing had happened.
Hao Datong, Sun Bu'Er, Diancang Yuyin and the others knew about Guo Jing's kung fu; after they saw this they all were shocked, that monk's kung fu really is extraordinary.
In reality, Guo Jing was just following the orthodox rules of martial arts by retreating backwards, naturally dispersing the enemy's force.
After Yang Guo had interfered many times, Jinlun Fawang had lost face, he wanted to regain it back and so took Guo Jing's palm; he actually consumed a lot of his chi and internal energy, though he looked like he was superior, he was suffering on the inside. The two of them are outstanding men of the world; it would be difficult to separate the two in tens of moves. Jinlun Fawang forced himself to take this stance without moving, his chest throbbed with pain again, luckily the aim of the opponent was just to stop him and he did not continue to attack. He closed his lips and eyes and circulated his internal energy, unblocking the motionless chi in his chest.
Yang Guo escaped death and picked himself up, he hurried to Xiao Longnu's side, just as Xiao Longnu was about to come over and take a look at him. Both of them asked at the same time, "Are you okay?" The two nodded at the same time, a smile was on their faces, their hands held each other's with joy in their hearts.
Yang Guo picked up the golden rod and placed the golden wheel on top, he rotated the wheel and it made 'lang lang' noises; he loudly called out, "All you Mongolian warriors listen; I've manage to take the weapon of your country's great protector, how can you still talk about being the Chancellor of Wulin? Go and crawl back to Mongolia you Mongolian asses!"
None of the Mongolian warriors accepted what had happened, they saw that Jinlun Fawang was about to win in the duel between him and Xiao Longnu, the opponents came up with not only Yang Guo, but Guo Jing as well, they all called out, "It was Fawang who flung the wheel away himself, how could a little punk like you take it?" "One versus one" and "without the help of others!" "Correct, fight again," They all made a clamor but it was all in Mongolian, apart from Guo Jing, no one understood what they were saying.
The heroes of the central plains were all reasonable and understanding people; they felt that when it comes to martial arts, Jinlun Fawang was indeed superior to Xiao Longnu. But they cannot allow a Mongolian to take the position of the Chancellor of Wulin; otherwise, the central plain's Wulin would have lost all its face. Before it actually began, the spirits of the amassed heroes who planned to defend against the foreign invaders had been dampened. The younger members of the crowd also began to argue and shout. When they heard the clamor of the Mongolian warriors, they began to quarrel with them. Both sides raised their weapons; the situation was developing into a mass brawl.
Yang Guo raised the golden rod and golden wheel; he said to Jinlun Fawang, "You still won't admit defeat? You have lost your weapons, what face have you got left? How can the world have a Wulin Chancellor whose weapon can be taken away by someone else?"
Jinlun Fawang was secretly circulating his internal energy right now, he heard every single word that Yang Guo said but he didn't dare to open his mouth and speak.
Yang Guo looked at the situation and knew what was happening, quickly, he loudly said, "All the heroes please can I have your attention: I'm going to ask him three times, if he doesn't reply then that means he admits defeat."
He was afraid that as time passes, Fawang will have finished circulating his internal energy, he didn't waste any time, he asked in one breath, "Did you or did you not lose? Are you still thinking about the position of the Chancellor of Wulin or not? If you don't say anything then that means you admit defeat, right?"
Fawang had just finished ridding the motionless chi, the pain in his chest had cleared up, he was about to reply when Yang Guo saw his lips move, he quickly got in ahead and said, "Fine, since you've admitted defeat we won't give you any trouble, you had better leave." He then raised the golden rod and golden wheel and handed them over to Guo Jing. He actually wanted to hand them over to his Master but was afraid that Jinlun Fawang's fury will erupt again; Xiao Longnu would not be able to block the attack.
Jinlun Fawang was so angry that his face swelled and turned purple. He was worried about how excellent Guo Jing's martial arts were; his weapon has also fallen into the enemy's hands. If he fights empty handed, it would be difficult for him to win. He also saw that there were many martial artists of the central plains here, if it became a mass brawl, their side would definitely lose. A good man doesn't endure the suffering that's in front of him, he could only retreat first and come up with another plan. He loudly said, "The barbarians of the central plains are crafty and sly, they win due to numbers, they are not heroes and good men, let's go." His left hand waved and the Mongolian warriors all headed towards the exit. He made a departing motion towards Guo Jing from faraway, he said, "Hero Guo, Chief Huang, today I have experienced your great skills. The mountains will remain green, the rivers will flow, and we will meet again."
Guo Jing returned the gesture and bowed, he said, "Reverend's martial arts are deep and profound, I respect your abilities deeply. Please take back the weapons." As he said this, he offered the golden rod and wheel back.
Yang Guo loudly called out, "Jinlun Fawang, you are thinking about taking them back, do you want face?"
Guo Jing shouted, "Guo'er, stop talking rubbish." Jinlun Fawang had already turned around with his sleeve floating behind, he didn't look back as he exited the hall.
Yang Guo suddenly remembered something, he called out, "Hey, your disciple Huo Dou has contracted my poison, quickly bring the antidote to his poison and swap it with mine."
Jinlun Fawang had always thought very highly of his own abilities; mysterious and divine martial arts, profound medical knowledge, he can cure any poison. He had an extreme dislike for Yang Guo because of his slyness and craftiness, he ignored what he said and left.
Huang Rong saw that Zhu Ziliu had his eyes closed and was asleep, she considered that many of the people here are experts in using poison projectiles, there would be someone who has the ability to cure this poison, and she wasn't too concerned with Jinlun Fawang's refusal.
Now, the Lu manor was filled with thunderous cheers and calls; all of it was for Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu defeating Jinlun Fawang. Hundreds of people were around the two, one word here and another word there. Some said that Yang Guo defeated Huo Dou in the way he deserved, dealing with a man as he deals with you. Others said that the speed and ease of Xiao Longnu's lightness kung fu was in a class of its own, actually managing to avoid the fierce and dangerous attacks of Jinlun Fawang. When it came to Yang Guo using the "Soul Altering Spell" to make Da'erba knock himself out, many of them did not understand what had happened. When someone asked about it, Yang Guo just made up a reply.
The banquet opened again at the Lu manor, wine and many dishes were once again prepared. Yang Guo had suffered a lifetime of wrongs, mistreatment and being looked down upon, and today he had displayed himself well. He got rid of his anger, everyone's eyes were opened as he achieved great merit for the central plain's Wulin, he was extremely proud of himself.
Xiao Longnu did not understand the ways of the world, though she didn't understand the reason for Yang Guo's delight, she too was extremely happy. Huang Rong liked her very much, she held her hand as she asked short and long questions, wanting Xiao Longnu to sit next to her.
Xiao Longnu saw that Yang Guo was sitting in between Guo Jing and Diancang Yuyin, faraway from her, she quickly motioned her hand and said, "Guo'er, sit next to me."
But Yang Guo knew that girls and boys have their differences, at first when he saw her, he forgot about this and showed his true feelings, now in front of the glare of all these heroes, it would be improper to show this closeness again. When he heard her call out like this, he couldn't stop himself from blushing and smiled slightly but he didn't go over.
Xiao Longnu called out again; "Guo'er, why aren't you coming?"
Yang Guo said, "I'm fine over here, Uncle Guo is talking to me."
Xiao Longnu's elegant brows frowned and said, "I want you to sit next to me."
When Yang Guo saw her angry expression, his heart shook, that slightly angry look made him feel if he were to die, he would die willingly.
That day when he met Lu Wushuang, he used all his might to defend her against her enemies and protected her for thousands of miles because of the resemblance of her angry expression to Xiao Longnu's. Now the real person is here, how could he defy her? He immediately stood up and went over to her place.
The way the two acted made Huang Rong slightly suspicious. She ordered another chair and asked Yang Guo; "Guo'er, who taught you kung fu?"
Yang Guo pointed to Xiao Longnu and said, "She is my Master. Auntie Guo, why don't you believe me?"
Huang Rong knew that he was crafty and sly, she saw that Xiao Longnu was innocent and naïve, she thought that she wouldn't lie so she turned her head and asked her, "Sister, his kung fu was taught by you?"
Xiao Longnu was very proud and said, "Yes. Tell me, did I teach him well?"
Huang Rong now believed it and said, "Extremely well! Sister, who was your Master?"
Xiao Longnu said, "My Master is dead." As she said this, her eyes went red, she was feeling rather sad. Her Master had taught her to curb her emotions but now her love for Yang Guo had surfaced, the emotions buried deeply within her heart also started to slowly show.
Huang Rong asked, "What is your Master's name?"
Xiao Longnu shook her head and said, "I don't know, Master is Master."
Huang Rong thought that she didn't want to say, refusing to mention the matters involving their sect's Master was common within the Wulin community so she didn't ask further.
In reality, her Master was just Lin Chaoying's maid, she only had the name that Lin Chaoying gave her, and even she herself did not know what her surname was.
At this time, all the heroes gave a toast towards Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu, celebrating the fact that they defeated such a strong opponent as Jinlun Fawang.
Because Guo Fu was always by her parent's side, she had the respect of others, right now she was being overshadowed, and she couldn't stop from feeling depressed. Apart from the Wu brothers by her side who revered her, no one took any notice of her. She felt annoyed, she said, "Big brother Wu, little Brother Wu, let's go outside and play instead of drinking wine."
Wu Dunru and Wu Xiuwen both agreed. The three of them stood up and were about to leave the hall when Guo Jing suddenly called out, "Fu'er, come over here." She turned her head and saw that her father had changed places and was now sitting at the same table as her mother, smiling and signaling her over so she went and called out, "Father, mother!" and leaned on Huang Rong.
Guo Jing smiled and said to Huang Rong, "At first you were worried about Guo'er's character and were afraid that his martial arts weren't up to scratch, you can't say anything now, can you? He has achieved a great merit for the heroes of Wulin, without saying that he hasn't done anything wrong. Even if he had, it cannot compare to what he has done today."
Huang Rong nodded, she smiled and said, "It was my mistake, Guo'er's character and martial arts both are good, I am very pleased as well."
Guo Jing heard that his wife had now agreed about their daughter's marriage and was delighted, he said to Xiao Longnu, "Miss Long, your disciple's father and I are sworn brothers. The Yang's and Guo's have had a great relationship for generations, I have a daughter, her beauty and martial arts are both passable…" He had always been straight forward, whatever is in his heart will be said.
Huang Rong interrupted, she smiled and said, "Ai ya, who praises their own child like that, you're not afraid of making sister Long laugh."
Guo Jing laughed and followed on, "I wish to betroth my daughter to your disciple. Both his parents have passed away, the responsibility of making the decision is now passed onto Miss Long. I want to take the opportunity with all these heroes here, to add another celebration on top of the last one. Let's ask two heroes of a venerable age and eminent virtue to be the matchmakers, and arrange the marriage, how about that?"
Marriage is decided by the orders of the parents and the words of the matchmakers, the boy and girl don't actually have a say. This is why, years ago, there was the matter of an arranged marriage decided by Guo Jing's father Guo Xiaotian and Yang Guo's grandfather Yang Tiexin for their children.
When Guo Jing said this, he laughed out loud and looked at Yang Guo and his daughter, thinking that Xiao Longnu will definitely agree to this. Guo Fu was already embarrassed, her face was red and she hid in her mother's arms, she felt this was inappropriate but she didn't dare to say anything.
Xiao Longnu's face changed slightly and before she replied, Yang Guo stood up and gave a prolonged bow to Guo Jing and Huang Rong and he said, "The gratitude that I have for Uncle Guo's and Auntie Guo's love and care would be impossible to repay. But nephew is from an ordinary family, my character is lowly, I am not worthy for your precious daughter."
Guo Jing thought that because he and his wife are famous throughout the Wulin world, and his daughter's character, beauty and kung fu are first class, now that he's personally saying that he wants to betroth her to him, he thought he would definitely be ecstatic. He couldn't have known that he would reject this, he couldn't help being startled. Then had another thought; it must be because he is young, it was unexpected and he wanted to postpone it. Guo Jing gave a laugh and said, "Guo'er, the two of us aren't exactly strangers, this matter involves your future, there is no need to be embarrassed."
Yang Guo gave another deep bow to him and said, "If Uncle Guo has any other requests, nephew here will oblige without delay. But I dare not comply with this request of marriage."
Guo Jing saw that his face was serious and he was surprised, he looked at his wife in hope that she would explain it.
Inside, Huang Rong blamed Guo Jing for being so straightforward. Without checking beforehand, he openly raised this matter in front of all these people, making a big mistake. She saw that the way Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo treated each other was like a couple in love, but they said they were Master and disciple, could it be that the two act in a manner contrary to the norm and have actually intermixed the relationships?
This was something that was extremely hard to believe, she thought that although Yang Guo may not be a man of honour, he would not do such a thing as this. The Song respect tradition above all; the relationship between Master and disciple were like that of an emperor and his minister, a father and son, they can never intermix. Though Huang Rong suspected it, this matter was so serious that she didn't dare to believe it so she asked Yang Guo, "Guo'er, Miss Long really is your Master?"
Yang Guo said, "Yes!"
Huang Rong asked again, "You've kowtowed and gone through the ceremony of entering a Master's tutelage?"
Yang Guo said, "Yes."
His mouth was replying to Huang Rong but his eyes were fixed on Xiao Longnu, his face filled with joy, tenderness, love and affection. Without mentioning how clever and wise Huang Rong was, even an ordinary person could tell that the two's relationship was not a normal Master and disciple relationship.
Guo Jing did not understand what Huang Rong was doing, thinking, "He has already said that Miss Long is his Master, their kung fu is from the same school, what's untrue about that? I was talking about our daughter's marriage, why did Rong'er ask them whether they were Master and disciple again? Ah, he first entered Quanzhen sect and then entered another sect later on, though it's not according to the rules of Wulin, it's not that difficult a thing to clear up.
Huang Rong was secretly alarmed at Yang Guo's and Xiao Longnu's expressions, she signaled with her eyes towards her husband and said, "Fu'er is still young; why is there a need to rush things? Today the heroes of the world are amassed here, it's more important to discuss how to protect the country. Let's put aside our personal matters."
Guo Jing thought this was correct so he quickly said, "Yes, yes. I almost put my personal affairs over public matters. Miss Long, we'll carry on discussing Guo'er's and my daughter's marriage at a later date."
Xiao Longnu shook her head, "I myself will be Guo'er's wife," she said, "He cannot take your daughter as his wife."
Those two sentences were crisp and clear, hundreds of people in the hall heard this. Guo Jing was startled, he stood up and didn't believe his eyes, he saw her holding Yang Guo's hand, looking affectionate towards him, he had to believe it, he stuttered, "He's… he's your disc… disc… disciple, could it be that he's not?"
Xiao Longnu had lived in the ancient tomb for a long time; she was not exposed to the sunlight, because of this there were no traces of color in her cheeks and her was skin permanently white. But right now her heart was filled with joy and delight; her face looked tender and enchanting, just like when a flower first blooms. She smiled and said, "Yes! I taught him kung fu but now his kung fu is as strong as mine. He loves me in his heart and I love him. Before…" As she reached this point she lowered her voice, though she was very innocent, the embarrassment and shyness of girls began to show, she said gently, "Before… I thought that he didn't love me, he didn't want me to be his wife, my… my heart was in unbearable pain and I thought death would be better. But today, I know that he really loves me, I… I…"
Hundreds of people in the hall were silent, listening to her revealing her feelings. Even if a girl is filled with love, how could she tell it all in public? And how could she tell it to Guo Jing who had nothing to do with it? But she does not know anything about customs, tradition and the conduct of others, she just felt that these words needed to be said and immediately came out with them.
Yang Guo was extremely moved by her words of love but he looked at the crowd, some were startled and surprised, some looked awkward and some did not approve. He thought that Xiao Longnu was too unknowing, she shouldn't have said this in this place, he pulled her hand and stood up, he softly said, "Gu Gu, let's leave!"
Xiao Longnu said, "Yes!"
The two of them headed towards the exit shoulder to shoulder, though the hall was filled with people, in Xiao Longnu's eyes there was only Yang Guo.
Guo Jing and Huang Rong looked at each other startled, the couple had been through countless strange events, endured many dangers, but they could never have predicted what was happening right now. For the time being, they didn't know what to do.
Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo were about to leave the hall when Huang Rong called out, "Miss Long, you're the Chancellor of Wulin, everyone is under your command, you need to think this over."
Xiao Longnu turned her head and showed a smile, she said, "I don't know how to be whatever Chancellor, sister if you want it, then you take the position."
Huang Rong said, "No, if you want to elect someone else, then you ought to elect senior Chief Hong."
The Chancellor of Wulin is the most revered position in the view of martial artists, but Xiao Longnu couldn't have cared less and just replied, "Just do whatever you want, I don't understand it anyway." She pulled Yang Guo's hand and headed for the exit again.
Suddenly there was a gust of wind, the candlelight swayed, and a person darted out. The person was dressed in a Taoist gown, a long sword in his hand; it was the Quanzhen Taoist Zhao Zhijing. He blocked the exit with his sword and said loudly, "Yang Guo, you disobeyed your Master and showed disrespect for Quanzhen's founder, and today you have done such a monstrous thing, how can you still have the nerve to stand on this earth? As long as Zhao has one breath in him, I will not allow it."
Yang Guo did not want to argue with this person in front of everyone, he deepened his voice and said, "Move!"
Zhao Zhijing said, "Apprentice brother Zhen, come over, you have a say as well, that night on Mount Zhongnan we saw with our eyes two people naked, what's all that about?"
Zhen Zhibing stood up shakily, his left arm rose. People could see that the last two fingers on his hand were missing; though they didn't know the intricacies of the situation, but judging from the way his body froze and the strange expression on his face, they knew that there must be something more to this.
That night, Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu were practicing the "Jade Heart Manual" in the flower thicket when Zhao and Zhen saw them. Yang Guo had forced Zhao Zhijing to take up a venomous oath, he couldn't tell this matter to a fifth person, how could he have known that today, Zhao Zhijing would belittle and accuse them without restraint in front of everyone, Yang Guo was extremely furious, he shouted, "You swore an oath, you are forbidden to reveal this to a fifth person, why are you now… why…"
Zhao Zhijing laughed and said loudly, "Correct, I swore I won't reveal this to a fifth person but in front of me there is a sixth, a seventh. It's not a fifth person when there's hundreds and thousands present. Naturally, I can tell everyone about this immoral thing that you two did."
Zhao Zhijing had seen the two naked, in the middle of the night in a flower thicket, how could he think that they were practicing advanced martial arts? It came out now due to anger, and he didn't care if he was falsely accusing them or not.
That night, Xiao Longnu was so angry that she threw up a pool of blood, almost losing her life. Now she heard him twisting his words and arguing his way, she couldn't stand it any longer, she stretched out her hand and lightly grabbed his chest, she said, "You'd better stop talking rubbish." She had completed the "Jade Heart Manual" and now the palm came out of nowhere, that, plus the fact that the "Jade Heart Manual" is the Black Star (the matching opposite) of Quanzhen's kung fu made the move extraordinary. Xiao Longnu's hand had went through Zhao Zhijing's urgent attempt to repel it, grabbing his chest.
Zhao Zhijing blocked thin air and was startled, but the opponent's palm just touched his chest briefly and then immediately departed, he didn't feel anything and didn't take it to heart, he chuckled and said, "Why are you touching me? I'm not…" Before he finished, he's eyes suddenly went blank, a 'peng' sound was heard as he fell onto the ground, he had suffered a severe injury.
When Sun Bu'Er and Hao Datong saw their martial nephew hurt, they dashed forward to see his chi and blood had been forced upwards, his face was completely red as if he was drunk. Sun Bu'Er chuckled and said, "Fine, your Ancient Tomb sect really wants to start something with my Quanzhen sect." She held out a long sword, about to start a fight with Xiao Longnu.
Guo Jing urgently got out of his seat and stood between the two, he said, "We're on the same side, stop this fighting." He said to Yang Guo, "Guo'er, both sides are your Master and elders. Advise them to return to their seats, and then we can quietly clear things up."
Xiao Longnu had never thought that such a thing as not keeping to your word and breaking a promise existed, she was really troubled, she pulled Yang Guo's hand with a frown, saying, "Guo'er, let's leave, we won't see these people ever again!"
Yang Guo followed her lead and took two steps forward.
Sun Bu'Er's sword moved and she shouted, "You've hurt someone and now you want to leave?"
Guo Jing saw that both sides were about to fight, he said seriously, "Guo'er, you must stop your feet, you must be a good person, don't destroy yourself and your name. I was the one who named you; do you know what the word 'Guo' means?"
When Yang Guo heard this, his heart trembled, he suddenly remembered all the events from when he was a child, thinking about all the sad and painful events he's been through, and then he thought, "How come it was Uncle Guo who named me?"
Guo Jing loved Yang Guo very much, it was unavoidable that he would want to plead and scold him deeply and severely. Today he saw Yang Guo show himself in front of all these heroes, he was feeling delight and content when he suddenly found out that Yang Guo had done something he should never have done. His heart was anxious and urgent, his tone was especially strict, he continued, "Your deceased mother must have told you this before, your name is 'Guo', what are the words that accompanies it?"
Yang Guo remembered that his mother had told him this before, but then he was young, no one had used these words in regards him, he himself almost forgot it. Yang Guo replied, "They're 'Gai Zhi'."
Guo Jing said with a severe tone, "Correct, and what does it mean?"
Yang Guo thought for a while and remembered the literature that Huang Rong had taught him when he was younger, he said, "Uncle Guo is saying that 'if I have made mistakes then I must correct them'."
Guo Jing's tone now became gentler, he said, "Guo'er, people make mistakes, mistakes can be changed; this is the greatest advice. They are the words of the first virtuous men and sages. You've been disrespectful towards your seniors; this is a big mistake, think well about it."
Yang Guo said, "If I was wrong, of course I would change. But he…" He pointed to Zhao Zhijing and said, "He beat me, insulted me, lied to me and hated me, how can he still be my Master? Gu Gu and I are clean and innocent, the day can be our witness. I respect her, and love her, could it be that's wrong?" He said this boldly, with justice on his side.
Guo Jing's intelligence and verbal ability couldn't compare with his, how could he argue with him? But he knew that his actions were very wrong yet he didn't know how to tell him clearly, he could only say, "This… this… you're wrong…"
Huang Rong walked forward slowly and softly said, "Guo'er, Uncle Guo is looking out for your well being, you must understand this."
Yang Guo was moved by her soft and gentle words; he lowered his voice and said, "I know that Uncle Guo has always treated me extremely well." His eyes became red, he almost cried.
Huang Rong said, "He's giving you sincere advice, don't take this the wrong way."
Yang Guo said, "I don't understand, what, exactly, have I done wrong?"
Huang Rong's face sank and said, "You really don't understand, or are you deliberately stirring things up?"
Yang Guo was angry in his heart, he thought, "You have treated me well, I have paid you back well, what more do you want from me?" He bit down on his lips and didn't reply.
Huang Rong said, "Fine, since you want me to tell you the truth, I won't go around in circles. Since Miss Long is your Master, she is your senior, you cannot be lovers."
This rule was not unheard of by Yang Guo as it was by Xiao Longnu, but he couldn't accept it; why couldn't Gu Gu be his wife just because she taught him some kung fu? Why even Uncle Guo doesn't believe that he and Gu Gu have done anything immoral? When he thought about this, his anger erupted. He was already someone who wasn't afraid of neither heaven nor earth; now that he's being accused, he was even bolder and loudly said, "What have I done that has hindered you people? Who have I hurt? Gu Gu has taught me kung fu but I still want her to be my wife. Even if you chop me up into a thousand pieces I will still want her to be my wife."
These words shocked and startled those who heard it. The Song at that time adhered to customs and traditions strictly; where on earth have they heard such fearless, wanton and rebellious logic? The person that Guo Jing respected the most was his Master, when he heard this, his anger erupted and he dashed forward, stretching out his arm, grabbing his chest.
Xiao Longnu was shocked and stretched out her hand to block this grab. Guo Jing's martial arts were much stronger than Xiao Longnu's and now he was furious; he used all his strength, a lead and a wave and he had flung her over ten feet away. He stretched out his arm and grabbed Yang Guo's 'Celestial Charge' pressure point; with his left hand raised he shouted, "You animal, you dare to say such heresy?"
Yang Guo's lost all his strength by this grab, but there wasn't a shred of fear in his heart, he said, "Gu Gu loves me with all her heart; I treat her the same way. Uncle Guo, if you want to kill me then do it. But I will never change my mind."
Guo Jing said, "I treat you like my own son, I cannot allow you to do wrong and not change."
Yang Guo said proudly and boldly, "I haven't done anything wrong! I haven't done anything bad! I haven't harmed anyone!" Those words were like the sounds of metal clanging.
Everyone's heart shook when they heard this; his words really did have some reason in them. If a Master and disciple didn't say anything and they got married on some remote island or deserted location then no one would know about it, it would not affect anyone. But publicly announcing such a wrong really contradicts the mentality of the people of this time, and means becoming the scum of Wulin.
Guo Jing raised his palm and mournfully said, "Guo'er, my heart is in great pain, do you understand? I'd rather you die than let you do bad things, do you understand?" As he reached this point, his voice choked.
When Yang Guo heard him say this, he knew that if he didn't change what he said, Uncle Guo would kill him with one palm. Though he was crafty and sly at times, at this point, nothing could compare with his stubbornness, he said clearly, "I know I haven't done anything wrong, if you don't believe it then kill me."
Guo Jing raised his palm; what chance has he of living if the palm landed on his head? Everyone watched without making a sound, hundreds of eyes stared at his palm.
Guo Jing's palm stopped in midair for a second and he looked at Yang Guo again. He was biting down on his lips, his brows wrinkled. What Guo Jing saw was the picture of his father, Yang Kang, from years ago. His heart ached and he let out a long sigh, he loosened his right hand and said, "Think well about what you're doing." He turned around and went back to his place; he didn't take another glance at Yang Guo, his face was full of hurt and grief. He was extremely disheartened.
Xiao Longnu signaled to him with her hand and said, "Guo'er, these people are extremely unreasonable, let's go." She didn't know that just now, Yang Guo's life was hanging by a thread.
Yang Guo thought that the word 'unreasonable' was extremely apt, he stepped towards the exit, holding Xiao Longnu's hand as they went out. Outside the manor, they lead the skinny horse along as they made their way.
Everyone watched their backs as they left, a few were shocked, others despised them, some were regretful and a number of them were angry.
Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu walked shoulder to shoulder; it was deep into the night now. The two of them had finally reunited with each other; all the things that had happened today, the heated battle, the arguments, they were all clearly forgotten. They felt as though they were in heaven right now; all those wasted days they had lived apart before were in vain. Now there was no need to worry about the days that were to come. The two of them were linked to each other by thought; they didn't exchange a word as they walked on silently. The two arrived at a willow tree and sat down by the tree trunk. They gradually grew tired and fell asleep. The skinny horse was grazing on grass faraway, making quiet neighing noises.
The sky was bright when they woke up; the two looked at each other and smiled. Yang Guo said, "Gu Gu, where are we going?"
Xiao Longnu pondered for a while and said, "Let's go back to the tomb." Ever since she'd left the tomb she felt that, although outside was bustling and flourishing, it wasn't as carefree and comfortable as the tomb. Yang Guo was deep in thought, "If I could spend the rest of my life with Gu Gu in the tomb, I would have no other desires." Before, he longed for the outside world, hoping that she would let him leave the tomb but after going outside, he too longed for the quite life in the tomb. The two of them slowly started to head north. One still called the other 'Guo'er', the other one still called the other 'Gu Gu', and they both felt that being together and calling each other this way felt the most natural.
By midday, the two started to talk about Jinlun Fawang's martial arts, they both said that his martial arts were excellent; it would be extremely hard to defend against it.
Xiao Longnu suddenly said, "Guo'er, we haven't completed the final stage of the "Jade Heart Manual", can you remember it?"
Yang Guo said, "I can remember it but we spent a lot of time pondering about it and still were unable to succeed; it seems like there's something wrong somewhere."
Xiao Longnu said, "Originally, I didn't understand it but last night when the Taoist nun took her precious sword out, it allowed me to remember something."
Yang Guo recalled the stance that Sun Bu'Er used last night and immediately understood, he called out, "Ah yes, yes, it requires the kung fu of the Ancient Tomb to be used simultaneously with the kung fu of Quanzhen, no wonder we've been going wrong."
When Lin Chaoying developed the "Jade Heart Manual" alone in the ancient tomb, she wanted to defeat the techniques of the Quanzhen sect; but her love for Wang Chongyang still had not been extinguished. When she devised the final stage, she imagined that one day she would be fighting shoulder to shoulder with her lover. Because of this, the stage requires one person to use the techniques of the "Jade Heart Manual", the other Quanzhen martial arts, mutually aiding each other and attacking together. That day, Lin Chaoying was filled with thoughts of love and affection, she was wrapped up in them; all those feelings were placed into this stage.
The pair of swords being horizontal and vertical is not the main aim; the most important aspect lies in fighting the enemy together hand in hand. But it wasn't appropriate to mark this matter of the heart down clearly on the rooms ceiling. When Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo first practiced, their love had yet to blossom; they had no way to understand what their Ancestor Grandma sought. When they studied, both of them practiced the formulae of their own sect so of course they could not grasp the intricacies within.
Both of them now understood; they went and broke off a willow branch each, and began to study the stances. Xiao Longnu slowly used the "Jade Maiden Sword", Yang Guo used the sword techniques of Quanzhen. After many stances, they felt that it was difficult to use them together harmoniously. The two of them did not envisage that when Lin Chaoying developed this particular swordplay, she was imagining herself fighting shoulder to shoulder with Wang Chongyang against an enemy. Every stance and move was designed to mutually protect the other. Right now, when Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo were studying it, they were treating each other as the enemy, thrusting and attacking each other. Killing the opposition was not what was intended. In reality, Lin Chaoying and Wang Chongyang were the first class fighters of the world at that time; there wasn't anyone that was a match for just one of them. This particular set of unity kung fu didn't have much use; it was just the unrestrained imagination of Lin Chaoying, showing her heart's feelings. When she developed this swordplay her martial arts had already reached their pinnacle; the stances, postures and power were pressing, tight and continuous, not allowing a hair to be out of place. Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu did not understand the workings within and so, of course, it would be difficult for them to achieve this final level.
The two practiced for a while but still felt that something was wrong.
Xiao Longnu said, "It could be that we've remembered it wrong, let's go back to the tomb and clarify things and then practice it again."
Yang Guo was about to reply when suddenly the sounds of horse hoofs could be heard, and then a horse galloped past. The horse had red hair, the person on it was wearing purple, and they galloped past like the wind; it was Huang Rong who was riding on the little red horse.
Yang Guo didn't want to be troubled by the Guo family so he discussed with Xiao Longnu about changing paths and followed a small path instead so they won't bump into them again. Xiao Longnu was the Master; but aside from martial arts, she didn't understand anything else, she had no opinions. That night the two lodged in a small inn. Yang Guo slept on the bed, Xiao Longnu hung a rope across the room and slept on the rope. The two had decided to marry each other, but naturally they still followed the sleeping arrangements that they'd had in the tomb for years. After meeting again and practicing martial arts as they used to, when they thought about their loved one being by their side, both felt limitless delight.
By midday the next day, the two arrived at a large town. People were everywhere, horses came, carts went; it was a great atmosphere. Yang Guo took Xiao Longnu to a restaurant for something to eat; as soon as they went upstairs he was surprised as he saw Huang Rong and Wu brothers at a table eating.
Yang Guo thought that since they've met, it wasn't inappropriate for him to pretend that he didn't see them so he greeted them and called out, "Auntie Guo."
Huang Rong frowned, her face looked anxious and worried, she asked, "Have you seen my daughter?"
Yang Guo said, "No. Isn't sister Fu with you?"
Before Huang Rong could reply, the stairs rattled, and a group of people came up. The first person was tall and slender; it was Jinlun Fawang. Yang Guo quickly turned around and didn't carry on speaking with Huang Rong, he quietly went over to Xiao Longnu and whispered, "Turn your back, don't look at them."
But Jinlun Fawang's eyes were very sharp, all the people upstairs entered his eyes, he gave a chuckle and sat down at a table. Yang Guo was about to turn his head around when suddenly Huang Rong called out, "Fu'er!"
He couldn't stop himself from turning his head, and saw Guo Fu sitting at the same table as Jinlun Fawang. Her eyes were staring at her mother but she didn't dare go over.
After Jinlun Fawang failed in his plan at the Lu Manor, he was angry and couldn't accept what had happened. He was trying to formulate a plan to turn defeat into victory; also Huo Dou had fallen victim to the Jade Bee needles. The poison was showing its effects; he tried many methods to cure this poison but none of them were effective. He had to find a way to get the antidote and so they didn't go far and stayed in the area around the Lu Manor. It was Guo Fu who happened to meet danger; in the early morning she took the red horse out for a ride, meeting this great enemy at this time. He took her off the horse in one swipe. The little red horse was quick witted; it dashed back to the manor and hissed out in distress incessantly.
Guo Jing and the others knew that Guo Fu had met with danger; they were alarmed and immediately went out to look for her separately.
Though Huang Rong was pregnant, she still went and took the Wu brothers along to search for her. They saw Yang Guo and his Master. They didn't guess that it was Jinlun Fawang who was detaining Guo Fu; and then they too arrived at this particular restaurant.
When Huang Rong saw her daughter, she was happy but alarmed at seeing her in the hands of the enemy. After giving one call, she didn't say another word. Holding a pair of chopsticks in her hand and waving them about on the table, and trying to come up with a plan to save her daughter. Just as she was pondering, Jinlun Fawang suddenly said, "Chief Huang, is this your lovely daughter? Yesterday I saw her in your arms, relaxing; it was really charming."
Huang Rong gave a 'heng' sound, not replying.
Wu Xiuwen stood up and shouted, "And you're supposed to be a leader of martial artists! You lost in the duel so you went to bully someone's young daughter, aren't you ashamed?"
Jinlun Fawang ignored his words and continued, "Chief Huang, when we dueled yesterday, we were clearly the winner yet you people made up a lot of excuses and complications; that is not the action of good men. First give me the antidote and then we'll set a date for a duel; we'll compete fairly and properly for the place of the Chancellor of Wulin."
Huang Rong gave another 'heng' sound, not saying a word.
Wu Xiuwen said loudly, "First release Miss Guo; we'll deliver the antidote immediately and there'll still be time to discuss the matter of dueling again later on."
Huang Rong glanced over at Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu thinking, "The antidote is on them, yet you hastily promised them the antidote without knowing whether or not they'll give it to us."
Jinlun Fawang said, "Could it be that only you know how to use poisonous projectiles? You people used a poisonous needle to injure my disciple. I can also prick your daughter with a few poisonous needles. If you give me the antidote, then I'll cure her here. When it comes to releasing her, I'm afraid it won't be easy."
Huang Rong saw that her daughter looked normal, it looks like she wasn't hurt, but the love between a mother and daughter is deep, she didn't know what to do. There's a saying; 'worry then panic'; though she was matchless in terms of coming up with ideas and plans, right now, she was at her wit's end.
She saw the waiter bringing dishes and wine to Jinlun Fawang's table. Jinlun Fawang and the others ate heartily, talking and laughing. Guo Fu sat there frozen, just staring at her mother, not picking up her chopsticks. Huang Rong felt as if her heart was being cut open; she disturbed her internal chi and air and suddenly her lower abdomen ached.
After Jinlun Fawang finished eating and drinking, he stood up and said, "Chief Huang, follow us."
Huang Rong was startled and understood, not only is he going to take her daughter but he wanted to take her away as well. Right now everything was in place; she only had the Wu brothers at her side and they were not his match; she couldn't stop her face from completely changing.
Jinlun Fawang continued, "Chief Huang, there's no need for you to be frightened, you are an eminent person of Wulin, we will treat you with respect. Once a decision has been made about the position of Chancellor of Wulin, we will immediately return you to the south."
When he saw Huang Rong upstairs, he knew he had a great opportunity; all he had to do was capture her and the martial artists of the central plains would have no choice but to submit. This was a hundred times better than capturing Guo Fu; this really was the deal of a lifetime that had landed on his lap. Huang Rong was worrying about her daughter and didn't think about this possible situation.
The Wu brothers saw that their Master's wife was distressed; they knew they weren't a match but they couldn't just sit there doing nothing. A pair of long swords was drawn out to protect their Master's wife.
Huang Rong whispered, "Quickly jump out of the window, then go and find your Master for help."
The Wu brothers glanced at her and glanced at Guo Fu, then hurried to the window.
Huang Rong secretly cursed, "Idiot, how could you allow such a delay?"
Indeed, just a little delay and it was too late. Jinlun Fawang's long arms came sweeping out, each arm grabbing the back of a brother, like an eagle catching two little chicks. The Wu brothers urgently thrust their swords back but Jinlun Fawang didn't move out of the way; his arms swung a little, Wu Dunru's sword was now heading towards his little brother, Wu Xiuwen's sword was heading towards his big brother. They were startled; they quickly stopped the thrusts and flung their swords away. A 'dang lang' sound was heard as the swords landed on the floor with the Wu brothers avoiding injury.
Jinlun Fawang's arms shook as he flung the two over ten feet away and said, "Just be obedient and follow me." He turned his head towards Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu and said, "If you aren't with Chief Huang then leave at your convenience, but don't hinder my plans again. Your kung fu is excellent; take care and practice for another ten or twenty years, by then, you won't have a match under heaven."
He wasn't actually praising them; he knew that although Huang Rong, Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu's martial arts could not compare to his, if they fought together it would be difficult to handle them. Although he'll win, he may not be able to capture Huang Rong. Because of this he deliberately tried to divide them, concentrating on the trunk and ignoring the branches.
He didn't know that Huang Rong was pregnant and inconvenienced; he calculated that her extremely ingenious "Dog Beating Stick Technique" would make her a strong opponent.
Xiao Longnu said, "Guo'er, let's leave! That old monk is really powerful, we can't beat him." All that she hoped for was to return to the ancient tomb and spend the rest of her life with Yang Guo. She did not care about the world's blood affairs. When she saw Jinlun Fawang she was afraid and so immediately said what she was feeling. Yang Guo agreed; he stood up and went to the top of the stairs, thinking that, now that they're returning to the ancient tomb, most probably he won't ever see Huang Rong again. He couldn't stop himself from turning his head around and giving her another glance.
He saw her face looked bleak, her left arm holding her lower abdomen, showing that she was secretly in pain. Yang Guo thought, "Uncle and Auntie Guo were rather meddlesome in not allowing me and Gu Gu to be together, but they did not have any ill intentions. Today Auntie Guo's in trouble, how can I just leave like this? But the enemy is too strong; me and Gu Gu fighting together won't be a match for that Tibetan monk. I can't save Auntie Guo, so why should I throw away mine and Gu Gu's lives? It would be better for me to go and tell Uncle Guo and let him lead the rescue."
Yang Guo took Xiao Longnu's hand and moved his foot to walk down the stairs when he saw a Mongolian warrior going over to Huang Rong, coarsely saying, "Come quickly! Why are you delaying?" He stretched out his arm and grabbed her upper arm, treating her as a prisoner.
Huang Rong had been the Beggar Clan's Chief for over ten years, her position and status was respected by all in Wulin. Although she is in a distressing situation today, how could she allow herself to be disgraced by this ruffian? She saw a pair of hairy hands reaching out towards her and immediately swept her sleeve. The sleeve covered his wrist as she flung out and a 'hu' sound was heard as the fat body of the Mongolian warrior flew out of the window, landing in the street, barely alive. Huang Rong didn't want her hand to touch his wrist so she first covered his arm with her sleeve and then separated the sleeve throwing him away.
At first when they spoke politely, the people in the restaurant didn't take much notice of them; when they suddenly saw a fight had broken out, the restaurant was in chaos.
Jinlun Fawang chuckled and said, "Indeed Chief Huang has great kung fu." He copied the actions of the Mongolian warrior, stepping up to her and stretching out his hand to grab her arm. Huang Rong knew that he wanted to show off his martial arts; though he was using the same method, she could never do the same thing to him, she could only take a step back.
Yang Guo had taken a few steps down the stairs when he saw a struggle suddenly arising with Huang Rong about to suffer an insult; it stirred his heroic nature, he didn't care about the dangers to himself, he flew over and picked up the sword that Wu Dunru dropped. He used a stance of "The Green Dragon Exits the Sea", urgently thrusting towards Jinlun Fawang's back. He shouted, "Chief Huang is carrying a child and you're taking this opportunity to make your move, aren't you ashamed?
Jinlun Fawang heard the noise of a blade cutting through air behind him, he didn't turn around and turned his finger towards the dull side of the blade, striking it. A 'dang' sound was heard; Yang Guo's arm trembled with numbness as the sword tip went downwards. Yang Guo quickly flew out of the way.
Jinlun Fawang turned around and said, "Young man, leave quickly! You're young yet your martial arts are not weak, in the future you will be able to far exceed me. But you are not a match for me now, why come forward to die by my hands?"
Those sentences both praised and warned Yang Guo. Jinlun Fawang hated the two of them for knocking his golden wheel out of the air and interfering with this plans to take the position of the Chancellor of Wulin. Right now, he weighed up what was more important; capturing Huang Rong was the number one objective, he didn't want to be distracted by other people. He hoped that Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu would leave this dispute and there'll still be time for him to vent his anger on the two juniors later on. He calls himself a Hero of Tibet; not only are his martial arts frightening, his scheming ability was rather good.
Those words were neither haughty nor humble, yet were not deceiving either. Yang Guo was young and when he heard that in the future his martial arts would be much better than Jinlun Fawang, he was secretly pleased. He laughed and said, "There's no need to be polite big monk, it's not easy to reach a level as high as yours. Chief Huang raised me, so don't give her any trouble. If she didn't have an illness, your martial arts might not be able to defeat hers. If you don't believe it, why don't you wait until she recovers and then have a duel with her?"
He knew that Jinlun Fawang thought very highly of his martial arts; goading him like this might actually change his mind and he'd let Huang Rong go. How would he know that Jinlun Fawang was worried about Huang Rong, Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu joining together to fight him. That was why he was polite towards Yang Guo. When he heard these words he glanced at Huang Rong's face; indeed her face did looked distressed, her illness was not light. He thought, "Why should he be worried about the threat of Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu?" He then gave a chuckle and went over to the stairs, he said, "You stay as well!"
Xiao Longnu stood on the stairs with Jinlun Fawang between her and Yang Guo; she didn't like this and said, "Get out of the way monk, let him come down."
Jinlun Fawang frowned, he sent a stance of "Opening the Tablet with a Single Palm", his natural strength was already high, and attacking from above made this force even stronger. How could Xiao Longnu dare receive this stance head on? She was waiting for Yang Guo at the top of the stairs, she didn't leap backwards; her legs lightly lifted, she used her amazing lightness kung fu to pass the opponent's body to reach Yang Guo, standing shoulder to shoulder next to him.
When she was passing Jinlun Fawang's side, he stuck out his elbow but it missed; he was in awe of the swiftness and agility of her movements. Yang Guo picked up Wu Xiuwen's sword and passed it into her hand, he said, "Gu Gu, that monk is so rude, let's give him a beating."
A 'qiang lang' sound was heard as Jinlun Fawang took out a wheel from his gown; this wheel was the same size as his golden wheel but was dark green and was made out of iron. This wheel also had the Tibetan scriptures marked on it. He has a total of five wheels; golden, silver, bronze, iron and lead; when he met a strong enemy he really could send out all five wheels at once, but he had always used the golden wheel only. With it he had defeated countless strong enemies and because of this he received the nickname of 'Jinlun Fawang' (King of the Golden Wheel or Golden Wheel Monk). He had never used the other four wheels before so really, according to martial arts level he has reached, it should be 'Wu Lun Fawang' (King of the Five Wheels or The Five Wheeled Monk). In the Lu Manor, his golden wheel was taken out of the air by Yang Guo using the golden rod; now he took out his iron wheel and said, "Chief Huang, are you joining them as well?"
Though he saw that Huang Rong's looked ill, he was still worried about her martial arts, he called her 'Chief Huang' to remind her of her status as the chief of a clan, joining up with others to fight one person would lower her.
Yang Guo called out, "Chief Huang is going home now; she hasn't any time for you." He turned around to Huang Rong and said, "Auntie Guo, take sister Fu and go." He had made his decision; though he and Xiao Longnu would not be able to beat the enemy, they could force themselves to last a while. If it came to escaping, they would probably still be able to get away; luckily they weren't fighting for victory but trying to escape from the devil's grasp. So what if they had to run away pathetically?
He raised his sword and thrust towards Jinlun Fawang. Xiao Longnu saw that he was using the techniques of the "Jade Heart Manual" so she followed and attacked from the side; she hadn't given any thought to it, when she saw Yang Guo attacking the monk, she too started to fight him to aid Yang Guo.
Jinlun Fawang used his wheel to block the two swords, but he didn't like how cluttered the restaurant was, it hindered his movements. On one occasion he was fighting using his wheel, on another he kicked away the chairs and tables.
Yang Guo was thinking, "If we meet you head on, we'll definitely lose; only by obstructing you will we last a little longer." He saw that Jinlun Fawang was kicking away the tables and chairs, he did the opposite and pushed the tables and chairs in between them. His and Xiao Longnu's lightness kung fu was superb, they darted around, not fighting the enemy properly; they would suddenly throw a jug of wine over, suddenly tip the dishes over causing the restaurant to be covered in wine and juices from the dishes.
Huang Rong took this opportunity to snatch Guo Fu back. After Da'erba fell under Yang Guo's "Soul Altering Spell" he was out of it; sometimes he would be awake, sometimes in a daze. Huo Dou was seriously injured with the poison and the rest of the Mongolian warriors weren't very skillful; how could they fend off Huang Rong?
Yang Guo called out, "Auntie Guo, leave quickly!"
But Huang Rong saw that the stances of Jinlun Fawang were lethal; even if Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu used all their strength it would be difficult for them to defend against the attacks. As of now they were able to fend him off by fighting like this, but once Jinlun Fawang finds a weakness and then makes his lethal move, how could their lives remain intact? Huang Rong thought, "He's risking his life for me, how can I look out for myself only and leave?" She stood at the entrance of the stairs, quietly watching the battle.
But the Wu brothers kept on urging Huang Rong, "Master wife, let's go, you're not feeling well, you need to take care."
At first Huang Rong ignored them but when they kept on pressing her she said angrily, "What use is it to learn martial arts if you don't behave with 'heroic' values? What use have you got living in this world? The one named Yang is a hundred times better than you. Huh, you brothers better think well about this."
The brothers felt embarrassed, their good intentions dismissed just like that by their Master's wife.
Guo Fu picked up the broken leg of a table off the floor and called out, "Brother Wu's, let's all fight him."
Huang Rong held her back and said, "Going up there with your lowly kung fu, do you want to die?"
Guo Fu pouted, not believing her mother. She saw that the stances that Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu weren't anything special, sometimes their form looked Masterly but the sword stances weren't at all lethal.
Every time Jinlun Fawang went to attack, the chairs and tables would impede him while Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu moved around vibrantly, flying here and suddenly darting there, fighting as they floated around.
He had a thought, he suddenly used the force in his legs, non-stop sounds of 'ka la ka la' were heard as the overturned tables and chairs were crushed and broken. He used the iron wheel in his hands to attack while his legs used the "Thousand Kilogram Fall"; the chairs and tables all broke wherever his legs were. After a while, the upstairs of the restaurant became covered by a layer of broken wood. The three of them battled on the debris without any obstructions.
Jinlun Fawang moved around in large steps, the iron wheel flashing around, 'lang lang' sounds were heard, his arms in motion as he attacked the two ferociously. There were now fewer tables and chairs in the way, so Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu had to use real martial arts to defend against him. Jinlun Fawang did not give an inch, on the fourth stance he smashed forward fiercely, a ferocious gust of wind rushed forward before the iron wheel even arrived.
Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo both thrust forwards, the sword tips striking the wheel, they were able to block this wheel with their combined strength but the swords were bent by the force.
The two used all their strength to repel the wheel, Yang Guo then thrust forward attacking the enemy's upper body, Xiao Longnu cut urgently across the enemy's left leg. Jinlun Fawang kicked out towards Xiao Longnu's wrist, the iron wheel swerved and attacked Yang Guo's neck. Yang Guo ducked and crouched to avoid the iron wheel. At that time, Jinlun Fawang suddenly let go with his right hand, the iron wheel dropped downwards towards Yang Guo's head, at the same time Jinlun Fawang tried to grab Xiao Longnu's shoulders with his free hand.
In just a flash of an eye, the two had fallen into great danger. Huang Rong gave an 'ah' cry and was about to go forward to save them when she saw Yang Guo swerve and fly just above the floor, before he touched down, the sword went towards Jinlun Fawang's back. That stance achieved two aims at once, attacking and defending at the same time, solving the crisis he was in. He used the idea of 'surrounding Wei to save Zhao', and stopped Jinlun Fawang from attacking Xiao Longnu. This stance was called "The Wild Goose Attacks from the Side", a technique from Quanzhen swordplay.
Jinlun Fawang gave a 'yi' call, before the iron wheel fell on the floor, the back of his right leg knocked against the wheel sending the wheel flying up with 'lang lang' noises, smashing towards Yang Guo's head. In the midst of danger, Yang Guo had used a stance of Quanzhen swordplay which was surprisingly effective, so he used another Quanzhen stance, "The White Rainbow Traveling Across the Sky", the flat side of the sword struck the wheel.
The sword was light, the wheel heavy, that attack originally had no chance, but the strike was just at the right place, fulfilling the martial art theory of 'Four Liang Moving a Thousand Jin', and the iron wheel changed directions, flying towards Jinlun Fawang's head. Guo Fu clapped her hands as she watched with delight.
Jinlun Fawang dared to release his weapon because he thought that his enemies had no way to receive the wheel; if the opponent used their weapon to strike out against the wheel, even if it was a heavy whip or saber, once it meets the wheel the weapon will be knocked from the opponent's hand. He could not have predicted that Yang Guo had the ability to redirect the wheel! Jinlun Fawang was furious, he caught the wheel and secretly used his spin technique and sent the wheel flying out again. This time his internal energy was more pressing, the wheel made no sounds because the iron wheel was spinning too fast and the spheres in the wheel could not collide with each other. When Yang Guo struck the wheel for the first time, he used the techniques of the "Nine Yin Manual" unwittingly, this time when he stretched out his sword to strike the wheel; a 'dang' noise was heard as the sword shook out of his hands. Jinlun Fawang immediately used "The Falling Obelisk Hand", heavily smashing towards him. Yang Guo wasn't completely familiar with the techniques of the "Nine Yin Manual"; this time the force he put behind his strike was incorrect.
When Xiao Longnu saw Yang Guo was in danger, she twisted her trim waist and urgently thrust her sword forward. The force of this stance had an assured lethalness, the appearance attractive and extremely graceful; she was actually using the martial arts of the final stage of the "Jade Heart Manual".
Huang Rong and her daughter watched with joy and both called out; "Wonderful!"
Jinlun Fawang took back his palm and leapt away, he used his wheel to fend off the sword. Yang Guo took this opportunity to recover his sword. Yang Guo really had escaped from the death's clutches just now, but when one is at death's door they are especially alert. He suddenly had a thought, "When Gu Gu and I both use the "Jade Maiden Swordplay", it was difficult for us to defend against him. But when I used the "Quanzhen Swordplay" and Gu Gu the "Jade Maiden Swordplay" we actually managed to turn danger into safety. Could it be that the final stage of the "Jade Heart Manual" is used this way?"
He immediately called out, "Gu Gu, "The Traces of Waves at Heaven's Cliffs"!" As he said this he slanted his sword and thrust forward.
Xiao Longnu didn't give it much thought and followed his instructions and used the "The Traces of Waves at Heaven's Cliffs" as stated in the manual, she waved her sword and chopped forward. The names of the stances are the same but they had a difference, one of them was a lethal sword stance from the "Quanzhen Swordplay", the other a dangerous stance from the "Jade Maiden Swordplay". When the two were used in unison, the power of it immediately increased to a frightening level.
Jinlun Fawang had no way to block both of the swords so he quickly moved back; two 'chi' sounds were heard as the swords thrust at his body. Luckily, he dodged appropriately, the two sword tips brushed past him and just made some holes in his clothes. He broke out in a cold sweat from the shock.
Jinlun Fawang urgently moved back another two steps to avoid the tip of the swords. He then heard Yang Guo call out, "'Flowers under the Moon'!" The attack came downwards, like an icy wheel hanging in the air; a light glimmering crossed the floor. Xiao Longnu's sword quivered, like a flower fluttering in the wind, cutting across to and fro, dazzling Jinlun Fawang's eyes, he didn't know where the attacks were coming from, he could only leap back to avoid it.
Yang Guo called out, "'Drinking Wine Purely'!" The sword handle was raised, the sword tip aimed downwards, like raising a wine jug and pouring the wine. Xiao Longnu's sword was the opposite, the tip aiming upwards towards her cherry lips, like raising a cup of wine and drinking it.
Jinlun Fawang saw that the sword stances of the two were becoming stranger and stranger, but they were matching each other; all the weaknesses of one were covered by the strengths of the other, and the lethal aspects of the stances were increasing without end. He was becoming more and more frightened, thinking, "The world is a large place, indeed there are many able people; how could I ever dream of such unimaginable swordplay in Tibet? Ai! I'm just a frog at the bottom of the well; I have seen little of the world's heroes." He was disheartened and looked even more like a defeated man.
Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu had studied this final level of swordplay many times without reward, now they were in extreme danger, the two of them concerned for each other. Both put the other's life above theirs as they rescued their lover first, fulfilling the main aim of this swordplay. Every stance of this swordplay displays actions done by two, perhaps "Stroking the Zither and Playing the Flute", or maybe "Sweeping Snow and Preparing Tea", or perhaps "Playing Chess under the Pine" or "Exchange of the Cranes by the Pond", all of them show a male and female together. The gracefulness and exquisiteness of the stances really was indescribable.
Lin Chaoying, lost in the game of love, spent the rest of her life in the tomb. She was versed in all the martial arts and literature, music and other arts; in the end she incorporated all the things she had learned in her life into this set of martial arts. When she was developing this set of martial arts, she was trying to comfort herself; how would she know that tens of years later, a pair of lovers would use this set of martial arts to fight off a strong enemy. This was something that she could never have predicted.
At first Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu did not completely understand the swordplay's ingenuity but eventually as they kept on using it, their proficiency in the swordplay kept on getting better. If the male and female who used this set of sword plays weren't lovers, there would be many aspects of the swordplay they would not be able to comprehend. The two would not have a feeling of being linked with each other. If it were friends who were teaming up they would be too polite, if it were a senior and junior it wouldn't be suitable to rely on each other. However, if it were a husband and wife, they would be able to use some of the Masterly aspects of this swordplay, but without the feelings of being drowned in love, the shyness, the feeling of being close yet far, the pain of gains and losses, they would be a level lower. Now Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu were deeply in love but they had yet to marry, their hearts were concerned about the hardships of the future, they were joyous and sad, sweet and bitter, this feeling of gradually being linked with each other was what Lin Chaoying had intended to create when she developed the "Pure Heart of the Jade Maiden Sword".
Huang Rong watched from the side and she saw Xiao Longnu's cheeks going red, looking shy; Yang Guo would glance over at her all the time, returning her affection. Though they were fighting a strong enemy, they displayed their delights and joys, and the appearance of being deeply in love. Huang Rong couldn't stop from being startled, but at the same time she was infected by the two and she began to remember feelings and events when she fell in love with Guo Jing.
The restaurant was filled with the noise of a life and death battle, but in the midst of this, unexpectedly, there were the boundless feelings of love showing.
Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu were now in tune with each other, it was even harder for Jinlun Fawang to defend. He regretted the fact that he had smashed up the chairs and tables earlier on, otherwise, with the table and chairs as obstructions, the enemies' attacks would not be as lethal and swift. He saw that if he continued, he would definitely lose his life. He retreated down the stairs, step by step. Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu attacked from above and they saw that they were about to drive him away.
Huang Rong called out, "Rid the evil completely, Guo'er, don't let him go."
She saw that the reason why Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu could beat Jinlun Fawang was because of this ingenious swordplay. It was somewhat fortunate that they had come up with this. If they spared Jinlun Fawang today and let a person with such abilities in martial arts go back and study for a way to defeat this swordplay, when the need to take his life arises again in the future, the task would be extremely difficult.
Yang Guo agreed and launched a fatal attack, "Cultivating the Chrysanthemum in the Little Garden", "Speaking at Night at the Western Window", "The Couplet in the Willow's Shade", "Bamboo Falling into the Pond", when these stances came out, Jinlun Fawang nearly wasn't able to evade these attacks let alone trying to counterattack.
Yang Guo had originally listened to Huang Rong's instructions to take his life, but what he didn't know was that when Lin Chaoying developed this particular swordplay, she was doing this to comfort herself, there was no intention to wound or kill the enemy especially with a heart filled with love. Though this swordplay was powerful, it did not aim to take the opponent's life. Though Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu managed to force Jinlun Fawang to scramble around in a pathetic manner, taking his life was not an easy task.
Jinlun Fawang did not know about the background of this swordplay, he just saw that the opponent's extraordinary stances folded in on each other, he knew that the enemy had yet to unleash their most powerful move. If the two attack, his old life would be lost. In this danger, a plan came into his mind; he used strength in his legs and snapped a stair step. He knew that with the obstruction of the hole in the stairs between him and the two, they would have no way to advance. By the time that a third step was snapped, the long swords could not reach his body.
Jinlun Fawang raised his iron wheel and said, "Today, I have seen the martial arts of the central plains, I am completely in awe. What is the name of your swordplay?"
Yang Guo said seriously, "The martial arts of the central plains are led by the "Dog Beating Stick Technique" and the "Donkey Piercing Sword", our swordplay is the "Donkey Piercing Sword"."
Jinlun Fawang was startled and said, ""Donkey Piercing Sword"?"
Yang Guo said, "Yep, a swordplay that pierces bald donkeys."
Jinlun Fawang then knew that Yang Guo was insulting him, he was furious and shouted, "Rude punk, you'll get to know the power of Jinlun Fawang." The iron wheel rang out with 'lang lang' noises as he left taking large steps.
All they saw was his body floating away quickly like a flash, disappearing in the shadows by the corner. Yang Guo knew it would be difficult to catch up; he turned around and saw Da'erba stand up holding up Huo Dou, his face pale. He said, "Senior apprentice brother, are you going to kill me?"
Yang Guo saw that the two looked pitiful; he said to Huang Rong, "Auntie Guo, should we let them go?" Huang Rong nodded. Yang Guo saw that Huo Dou looked like he was in unbearable distress; he took out a bottle of Jade Bee honey from his pockets and pointed to Huo Dou. He took medicine to Da'erba and gave the jar to him. Da'erba was delighted and he chatted with Huo Dou for a while.
Huo Dou took out a packet of medicine and gave it to Yang Guo, he said, "The Senior who used the pen fell under my poison nails; this is the antidote."
Da'erba saluted Yang Guo and said, "Thank you Senior apprentice brother."
Yang Guo copied his actions and smiled as he imitated his Tibetan, "Thank you senior apprentice brother."
Da'erba was surprised, "Why did Senior apprentice brother call me Senior apprentice brother?" A thought went through his mind and then he understood, "He's reincarnated as another person and is allowing me to be the senior apprentice brother; he doesn't want to fight for this position with me." He was even more touched and bowed deeply, he stretched out his arms and picked up Huo Dou and then left with the rest of the Mongolian warriors.
Yang Guo gave the antidote to Huang Rong and made a salute, he said, "Auntie Guo, nephew will leave now. Auntie and Uncle Guo take care." He felt sad as he thought about how this would be the last time he would see her.
Huang Rong asked, "Where are you going?"
Yang Guo said, "Gu Gu and I are going to live in seclusion in a place where there will be no people, never leaving again to avoid bringing shame to your and Uncle Guo's name."
Huang Rong thought, "Today he has risked his life saving me and Fu'er, this is not a small deed; now I'm watching him going down this dark path, how can I not save him?" So she said, "There's no need to rush, we're all tired; we'll rent some rooms and rest for the night, we could part tomorrow." Yang Guo saw that she was earnest and sincere, it would be inappropriate to reject her offer so he agreed.
Huang Rong took out some money and gave it to the restaurant owner for the damages done, and then they went to an inn to rest. That night after supper, Huang Rong got rid of Guo Fu by telling her to go and talk with the Wu brothers; she called Xiao Longnu into her room and said, "Sister, I have something to give to you."
Xiao Longnu said, "What?"
Huang Rong pulled her in front of herself and took out a comb and brushed her hair, seeing her black silk hair hanging down across her shoulders, soft and shiny, extremely cute. She carefully rolled up her hair and removed a golden hair clasp from her own head and said, "Sister, I'm giving you this to wear."
The gold hair clasp was exquisitely produced; the body of it resembled the stem of a rose, the stem and flower looped around; the place where it connected formed an unfolding rose. Huang Yaoshi collected countless treasures, out of them she had picked out this golden hair clasp of masterly artisanship.
Xiao Longnu had never worn any type of jewelry, to tie her hair she used a pine hairpin; though she saw the hair clasp was striking, she did not think anything of it, she just thanked her casually. Huang Rong fitted the hair clasp on her hair and then immediately chatted with her in a leisurely manner.
After talking to her for a while, she found that Xiao Longnu was very innocent and naïve, she didn't know a thing about the ways of the world. Under the candlelight she saw her elegant and beautiful face, an extraordinary beauty; if she and Yang Guo weren't Master and disciple, the two really were a great match. She asked, "Sister, you really love Guo'er, don't you?"
Xiao Longnu beamed and said, "Yes, why won't you people allow him to be with me?"
Huang Rong was startled, she remembered the times when she was young, her father wouldn't allow her to marry Guo Jing, the Jiang Nan Seven Freaks called her a 'little witch', only after many trials and tribulations did she and Guo Jing finally marry. She saw that Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu really loved each other; could she make herself stop them?
But the fact is that they are a Master and disciple, if they become lovers it would be greatly unethical, what face would they have left with the heroes of the world? She gave a sigh and said, "Sister, there are many things that you don't understand about the world. If you and Guo'er become husband and wife, others will look down on you for a generation."
Xiao Longnu gave a slight smile and said, "What's so important about others looking down on me?"