Chapter 12 - The Three Trials

FOLLOWING THE SOUND FOR SEVERAL DOZEN PACES, GUO Jing came upon a slithering mass of green snakes. Several thousand of them. Their scales gleamed in the moonlight.

Among them walked ten men, dressed head to toe in white, flicking straying serpents back to the group and herding them forward with their staffs.

Does this mean the Venom of the West has arrived? What are they planning with the snakes? Guo Jing was awed and sickened by the sight.

The snake column cleaved north through the woods, guided by Apothecary Huang's mute servants. Luckily, the trees provided good cover and the herders appeared to have no martial training. Guo Jing was able to creep along undetected.

Several li later, they took a turn around a hill and arrived at a large grassy clearing. At a whistle, the snakes stopped and settled into coils, their triangular heads raised towards the bamboo forest to the north.

Guo Jing could not risk being spotted, so he stayed in the woods and skirted over to the east and around, before hurrying north. He paused at the edge of the bamboo thicket to listen – nothing but silence – before squeezing through the dense vegetation on his tiptoes.

Soon, he glimpsed a pavilion fashioned from the same type of bamboo growing around him. Over one of the arches was a horizontal plaque with three characters glistening in the moonlight: Sword Trial Pavilion. Below this sign, a couplet hung on the supporting pillars, framing the entrance.

Ghosts of peach blossom cascade as the sword flies,

Tides of the green sea billow as the jade flute sings.

Inside, he could make out a table flanked by matching chairs, also made of bamboo. They had a glossy patina, gained over years of use, glowing warmly in the moonlight. Ancient pine trees stood either side of the pavilion. Their branches, twisted and gnarled through the centuries, reached several zhang high into the sky.

Facing this serene pastoral sight were the bobbing heads and dancing tongues of thousands of snakes. They had now been arranged into two columns, leaving a path in the middle, which scores of women, also dressed in pure white, were walking, lighting the way with red silk lanterns. Strolling a dozen paces behind them were two men. The first, with a folding fan in his hand, wore a white silk robe embroidered with threads of gold.

Guo Jing recognised him immediately.

Gallant Ouyang!

As the Master of White Camel Mount approached the bamboo grove, he announced, "Master Ouyang of the West greets the Lord of Peach Blossom Island."

So this grand entrance was put on for the Venom of the West, Guo Jing said to himself, turning his eyes to the last man in the procession.

He too was dressed in white. While the moon outlined his tall and broad frame, his face was shrouded in darkness. Every two steps he took were punctuated by the sound of his staff striking the ground.

Two people emerged from the bamboo the moment the visitors had taken position among their entourage.

Guo Jing fought hard to suppress a yelp.

Lotus, walking hand in hand with her father, towards their guests.

Viper Ouyang stepped forward, put his hands together and bowed, a gesture of respect that Apothecary Huang immediately returned.

Gallant Ouyang meanwhile was on his knees, touching his head to the ground four times as he spoke. "Gallant Ouyang kowtows to Father and wishes him golden peace."

"There is no need for such ceremony." Apothecary Huang reached out to help Gallant Ouyang back to his feet.

Their exchange made Guo Jing sick to his stomach.

Apothecary Huang placed his right hand on Gallant Ouyang's left arm. They both knew this outwardly cordial gesture was a test of the younger man's kung fu.

Gallant Ouyang was prepared, and kept his qi reined in to steady his body. He hoped he could stand up on his feet without mishap, but his body convulsed involuntarily the moment Apothecary Huang lifted him.

"Ah!" A cry escaped from his lips as he plunged head first into the ground, his legs kicking in the air.

In the blink of an eye, Viper Ouyang spun his staff horizontally, touching it lightly on his nephew's back. It gave the younger man leverage to flip over. He landed firmly on his feet.

"My, my, Brother Apothecary, are you trying to make your son-in-law give you a somersault as his first greeting?" Viper Ouyang cackled.

His words tore with metallic sharpness into Guo Jing's ears.

"I'd like to gauge his skill. I've heard that he ganged up with a party of martial masters against my blind disciple and also used his snakes against my daughter."

Viper Ouyang let out another laugh. "Children's games they were, dear brother; please don't take it to heart." He paused before asking, "Do you think this child of mine is worthy of your precious daughter?" And, without waiting for a reply, he said, "Brother Apothecary, I have to give you credit for raising such a beauty."

The Venom turned his eyes to Lotus Huang, appraising her with his head cocked. Then he took out a brocade box from his robe. He lifted the lid to reveal an orb of dull yellow, the size of a pigeon's egg, nestled on a bed of silk.

"This amulet is made of rhinoceros horn and earth dragon." He showed the unassuming object to Lotus. "If you carry it on your person, no poison can ever harm you. It is made from the rarest beasts in the west, tempered with fire in the presence of precious medicinal herbs. This is the only specimen in the world. With this, you need not fear our serpents and insects when you come to live with us." He offered the box to Lotus. "Your father is no doubt sneering at this country bumpkin's gift. It cannot compare to the treasures he has seen and acquired on his travels, but this amulet has its uses."

For a man whose speciality was all creatures venomous, this betrothal gift was intended to quell any suspicions Apothecary Huang might harbour about the motive behind the match.

When Viper Ouyang presented the gift, he also stepped out of the shadows. Guo Jing could at last see the face of the man he had heard so much about.

His nose was proud and flanked by deep-set eyes. His gaze was as sharp as lightning and a knife's edge. Hair framed his face, and his beard appeared a brownish yellow, quite unlike the darker shades common among the people of the Central Plains.

Guo Jing could see the resemblance between uncle and nephew. Gallant Ouyang's face was a refined echo of the older man's roughly hewn, but still handsome, features.

Throughout Viper Ouyang's speech, Guo Jing kept telling himself, Lotus will never err. She will never accept your gift . . .

But, cruelly, she defied his expectations by reaching out with a jovial "Thank you!" and offering the Venom her most beguiling smile.

Setting eyes on Lotus's snow-white skin and blossom-like beauty again, Gallant Ouyang was dazed. The sight of her lips sent him floating to the heavens.

Now that we are betrothed, her attitude has changed completely, he observed with pleasure.

Then Gallant Ouyang saw a smattering of golden glitter in the air.

"Oh no!" he muttered under his breath, and he bent over backwards in an Iron Bridge, his shortlived joy brutally punctured.

"What are you doing?" Apothecary Huang barked. He flicked his left sleeve, swatting away the gilded steel needles Lotus had flung. His other hand slapped down at her shoulder.

"Yes, kill me, Papa!" She burst into tears. "I'd rather die than marry this rake."

Viper Ouyang stuffed the amulet into her hand and blocked Apothecary Huang's strike with a smile. "Your lovely daughter was merely testing my nephew's martial skills." His hollow laughter rang out again.

Of course, Apothecary Huang had no intention of hurting his daughter. Viper Ouyang let his arm glide past him without summoning internal strength.

Gallant Ouyang felt a dull throbbing pain on the left side of his chest as he straightened up.

A few needles must have found their way through, he realised. I must act as if nothing has happened, even though she is refusing to marry me.

He focused on hiding the pain and banishing the taint of embarrassment from his countenance.

"Brother Apothecary, I am honoured you still hold me in high enough regard so many years after we parted ways at Mount Hua." The mirthless smile had not left Viper Ouyang's face. "You don't know how much it pleased me that you agreed to my nephew's proposal. If there is any way your brother, here, can be of service, you know we should not refuse you."

"Nobody would dare to trouble the Venom." Apothecary Huang answered in the same exaggerated politeness. "Come, do show us the exceptional martial skills you have acquired in the Western Regions these past years."

Intrigued, Lotus stopped crying and leaned closer to her father. She was fascinated by the gnarled staff Viper Ouyang carried.

Black as the darkest night, the iron-wrought weapon was of unusually hefty girth. A grinning man crowned the staff, bearing his sharpened teeth. The white fangs gleamed in the moonlight.

"My martial knowledge has always been lesser than yours and I have not trained for years. I must be far inferior now," Viper Ouyang said. "Nonetheless, since we are family, I would love the chance to stay a few days, to spar and learn from you."

The false modesty irritated Apothecary Huang. He doubted the Venom of the West would have fundamentally changed in the intervening years. His words were known to be honey-coated barbs. Such a proud man would never admit he was less able than another.

Apothecary Huang had been flattered when he received Viper Ouyang's emissary asking for Lotus's hand on behalf of his nephew. It pleased him that one of his few martial equals had written him so humble a message. He assumed his prospective son-in-law must be a formidable figure among younger martial artists, since Viper Ouyang had trained him himself.

He also knew his daughter well. She was used to getting her way. If her husband was of lesser martial skill, she would be domineering and difficult.

Though he had taken the emissary's praise of the young man's literary learning with a pinch of salt, Apothecary Huang was confident that anyone would be smarter and less hateful than the boy his daughter preferred.

The thought of Guo Jing riled the Heretic. He had always imagined his son-in-law would be a brilliant mind like himself or his daughter.

How could Apothecary Huang, the most learned man in the jianghu, be lumbered with an ignoramus like Guo Jing for a son? He would not invite mockery and derision from the martial world.

Moreover, the boy had killed Hurricane Chen.

Yes, stealing the Nine Yin Manual was unforgiveable, but a martial man should not die at the hand of an untrained child. All the anger he felt towards his dead disciple was redoubled and redirected at Guo Jing.

Apothecary Huang considered himself above convention, but his pride was not ready to let go of reputation and pedigree. He believed a man of Gallant Ouyang's martial, social and intellectual standing would be a good match for his daughter and appropriate to his own status.

For the first time, he had overruled Lotus's preference, giving his consent to Viper Ouyang's man on the spot.

But being in Viper Ouyang's presence once more roused Apothecary Huang's suspicions. He was reminded of the Venom's cunning. He did not believe this martial master would have abandoned his Exploding Toad kung fu completely, after Double Sun Wang Chongyang injured him.

"Our honoured guests have travelled a long way to be here. I should like to play a song to welcome you," Apothecary Huang said, as he retrieved the jade xiao flute from his sleeve.

Viper Ouyang cracked a smile – You want to gauge my kung fu? – and waved his left hand almost imperceptibly.

The women in white strolled forward and prostrated themselves before Apothecary Huang. They were all pale and unusually tall. Some were blonde with green eyes, others had brown hair and grey eyes. Their features were quite different from those of the women of the Central Plains, but no-one could deny that they were all exceptional beauties of voluptuous charm.

"I present thirty-two virgins to you, my dear friend. I sent men to gather them from all over the west and invited renowned instructors to guide them in the arts of singing and dancing. They can now put on a passable performance. Please accept this humble gift from an old friend. Though, of course, the wenches from the Western Regions cannot measure up to the beauties of the south," Viper Ouyang said.

"I must say I have never been fond of such diversions. Since my wife passed away, beautiful women of this world mean little to me. I cannot accept such a lavish gift from Brother Viper."

"Surely there is no harm in keeping them? To while away the days, to entertain the eyes and the ears?" Viper Ouyang clapped three times.

Eight women took out their musical instruments and started to play. Their music sounded foreign to southern ears.

The remaining twenty-four began to dance. The dancers at the front stooped low, while those at the back stood tall. Some spun to the left, others swirled to the right, each body supple to the extreme, each perfectly synchronised with the next. Extending their arms, a rippling movement spread from the left fingertips to the right. The effect mimicked the undulating movement of a slithering snake.

The dance reminded Lotus of Gallant Ouyang's Sacred Snake Fist. She glanced over and found him staring at her. He was without doubt the most loathsome man she knew. The anger she felt towards her father surged through her once more.

How dare he block her needles! She wondered what she could do to undo this arranged marriage. The ancient strategy, "Remove the firewood to cool a boiling cauldron," came to mind.

This would be a drastic resort . . . But, if she could be rid of him for good, then even if her father forced her, Ouyang would not be around to honour the match!

She felt less hopeless now. The scowl on her face was replaced by a smile. Gallant Ouyang caught the change and decided she was warming to him. For a moment, he forgot the pain in his chest.

The dance had grown more urgent and seductive. Hands now hovered sensually over bosoms and hips. The women swayed and thrust as if they were disrobing and engaging in acts of intimacy.

Apothecary Huang watched with a half-smile and raised the flute to his lips. The first notes sent a shudder through the dancers, jolting their steps out of sync. Another few twirls of the flute song and the women were dancing to Apothecary Huang's tune.

The musicians too had abandoned their music, and started playing along with Apothecary Huang. The snake herders were also affected, running and jumping among their flock. Even Gallant Ouyang felt a stirring in his heart.

Displeased by the disruption, Viper Ouyang clapped loudly, snapping the woman closest to him out of the music's ensnarement. She handed him an iron zheng zither. He strummed a few times – harsh twangs over the flute's airy whispers. It sounded like warriors on horseback crossing swords.

"Come, let's play together," Apothecary Huang said. The moment the xiao flute moved away from his lips, the compulsive dancing slowed.

"Cover your ears. Lord Huang and I shall play a duet," Viper Ouyang announced.

Gallant Ouyang had come prepared, and had stuffed cotton wool into his ears. His entourage tore strips of fabric from their clothes to make earplugs. They wound several layers of fabric around their heads to prevent any scrap of sound from finding its way into their ears.

"It's a real honour that my father plays for you. How dare you insult him thus!" Lotus snarled at Gallant Ouyang.

"He is not being rude," Apothecary Huang said to his daughter. "He has heard my song once; he is showing his self-awareness. And I am afraid you haven't got the ability to appreciate Uncle Ouyang's exceptional zither either." He took a silk handkerchief from inside his shirt, tore it in two and covered her ears.

Guo Jing, his curiosity piqued, tiptoed closer, eager to hear Viper Ouyang's playing.

"Your snakes cannot protect themselves," Apothecary Huang said, as he gestured at a servant.

The man waved at the lead snake herder, indicating that they should follow him. With a nod from Viper Ouyang, the herders whistled and drove the snakes after the serving man, relieved to be moving out of earshot.

"I do hope dear Brother Apothecary will be understanding if my performance is not up to scratch." Viper Ouyang sat cross-legged on a nearby boulder. He balanced the zither on his knees and closed his eyes to gather his qi. Then he plucked and strummed the first notes with his right hand.

The zheng was known for its melancholic twang, and this variety from the Western Regions was particularly mournful. Guo Jing had no ear for music, yet he noticed that each time a string rattled, his heart pulsed. As Viper Ouyang played faster, his heart throbbed along uncomfortably, as if it were about to burst out of his chest.

Realising he could die if the tempo increased further, he sat down to gather his spirit and still his thoughts in the Quanzhen way. As he channelled his internal energy around his body, his heartbeat slowed and soon he found he was no longer ensnared by the music.

Viper Ouyang's playing had accelerated to the point where it was impossible to distinguish between individual notes. A wall of sound pressed into Guo Jing, as if ten thousand horses were galloping towards him or hundreds of battle drums were being beaten.

Now and again, a gentle crooning rose above the twang of the zither, growing more confident and persistent. It brought a flush to Guo Jing's face and a flutter in his chest, prompting him to turn his focus back to controlling his senses.

However loud the zheng was, it failed to drown out the murmur of the xiao. Each Master held firm to his own tune. Together, they produced a raucous discordance.

The iron zither was the call of monkeys and apes in a remote mountain range, the hoot of owls in a dark wood. The jade flute was songs under the spring sun, whispers in a maiden's chamber. Fierce grief against the softly sensual.

When one tune rose in pitch, the other descended. When one reached a crescendo, the other fell all but silent. Neither succeeded in dominating the other.

With the silk handkerchief in her ears, Lotus Huang watched the silent display with amusement. Then she saw her father paced in the coordinates of the Eight Trigrams. He only did that while he was working on advanced internal kung fu. Now, she understood the music making was an intense contest and Viper Ouyang a formidable opponent.

She turned her eyes to the Venom. It seemed he was also putting everything he had into the music. Wisps of vapour rose from the crown of his head, like a steamer on the boil. His sleeves flapped in the wind as he pressed and plucked the zither's strings with both hands.

Guo Jing also sensed the competition between the two Masters, but he could not work out how music related to the martial arts, nor what made these tunes so seductive. Focusing on guarding his heart and spirit, soon he felt he had regained full control of himself. He turned his attention to the tone and colour of the musical instruments. After a while, he decided that one embodied the qualities of yin and the other those of yang, as they ebbed and flowed between attack and defence. As if two martial masters were sparring . . .

It's a contest of internal kung fu!

With that realisation, the opposing pull of the zheng and the xiao no longer bothered Guo Jing. The music could not take hold of his senses or emotions. He closed his eyes and let the finer details of the duel come to his ears.

He felt a bright sense of detachment forming within. The twist and turn of each note now appeared clear and distinct. Somehow, he was applying the essence of the Luminous Hollow Fist as he listened, putting its mantra, "From hollowness, luminosity glows," into practice.

He could not compete with the two Masters, because they had decades of internal-strength training over him. But what he had learned from Zhou Botong was enough to keep him removed from the clamour and help him understand this fight from a position of heightened mental clarity. He was living out the saying, "Looking on from the sidelines," with his ears.

Nonetheless, he still could not fathom why Zhou Botong, with his far superior kung fu, was so affected by the flute song. He did not know that his sworn brother had been haunted by a romantic entanglement most of his adult life. It was that very demon that the music was feeding. For it was not the level of his kung fu, but the purity of a heart unburdened by desires and regrets that helped Guo Jing resist the music.

Guo Jing had at first thought that the thunderous strumming of the zheng would obscure the airy whistle of the xiao. The flute darted up and down its registers, struggling to find its place. Gradually, it began to pick out gaps between each pluck of the strings. Its sound began to shine through and grew bright, projecting heroic grace, while the zither seemed to flag and fade. But, when the flute reached the ascending qingyu half tone – clang! – the zither reclaimed its might with a metallic rattle.

"The firm cannot endure, the supple cannot defend."

A line from the mnemonic verse explaining the Luminous Hollow Fist came to Guo Jing. The words no longer seemed so cryptic.

As he listened to the greatest martial artists of the age duel with music, he noticed that their tactics matched the theory behind Zhou Botong's invented kung fu. Guo Jing was delighted with this new-found understanding. After all, he could barely comprehend one-tenth of all the martial sayings he had crammed into his head, and verbalising abstract concepts was not the Hoary Urchin's forte.

Guo Jing also sensed that the new text he had just learned bore some relation to this musical contest. However, his sworn brother had yet to explain those complicated theories. And, when Guo Jing dwelled on them now, the pressure of the music began to weigh heavy on him. He shut his mind from that line of thinking. If he let his concentration lapse for even a split second, he would be caught in the music's snare.

Guo Jing felt Apothecary Huang was close to winning on several occasions. He just needed a few extra coloratura flourishes. He also noticed the opportunities Viper Ouyang failed to seize. These misses confused him. Perhaps the Masters were holding back out of politeness?

By now, they had been playing for more than an hour. He had come to understand their tactics and could discern a curious pattern. Whenever the Masters' choice diverged from the concepts underlying the Luminous Hollow Fist, they missed the chance to deal the winning blow.

Could Zhou Botong's invention be superior to these two Masters' kung fu?

Guo Jing dismissed this idea as improbable. His sworn brother would not still be stuck in his cave if he could beat Apothecary Huang.

Presently, the flute began to creep higher and higher up its register, bringing Guo Jing's attention back to the contest.

If he plays just a little higher, Viper Ouyang will lose! He began to will the flute to climb higher, but it seemed to be stuck at this one particular note.

Why doesn't he go higher? Guo Jing laughed at his stupidity as the answer flashed across his mind. He's reached the flute's limit. He can't go any higher! If I could pack the force of ten thousand jin into a punch, I could smash anything with my fist. But can I muster such strength? Clearly not! Fourth Shifu used to tell me that people made carrying heavy parcels with a shoulder pole look effortless. Yet, if I tried to do the same, my back would snap in an instant. A lot of things are easier said than done. And that's especially true when it comes to advanced kung fu!

2

THE MUSICAL DUEL WAS NOW MORE INTENSE THAN EVER. THE Venom and the Heretic were fighting blade-on-flesh in this metaphorical hand-to-hand combat. A winner was bound to emerge soon.

At this decisive point, a whistle wafted in from the sea.

It sent a shockwave through the two Masters and their music faltered for a moment. The whistler must be on a boat nearing the island.

Viper Ouyang struck the zheng twice, sending forth a tremolo so violent that it could tear cloth. The newcomer accepted the challenge by skipping effortlessly to a very high note.

Apothecary Huang joined in. His flute flitted between grappling with the whistle and contending with the zither. The contest was now a fierce melee, much like the Competing Hands games Zhou Botong staged.

A third martial great had arrived.

Now the whistle came from the woods. Dipping and soaring, it roared with the might of tigers and lions, it neighed and brayed like a horse or a donkey. It was like the wind blowing through a forest, or a drizzle caressing petals. There was infinite variety to its tones.

The flute answered in a clear and gentle voice. The zither rattled and rasped with melancholic menace. Each Master stood firm. No-one could gain the upper hand.

"Wow!"

All music stopped.

It dawned on Guo Jing that he had cheered out loud. Just then, a whirl of green materialised before him.

"Come with me, lad."

Guo Jing mumbled, "Lord Huang," and trailed after his host, shamefaced.

Lotus burst into tears of joy at Guo Jing's sudden appearance. She did not realise that he had interrupted the music making.

Pulling out her makeshift earplugs, she rushed towards him, grasped his hands and hugged him tightly.

"You're here, at last . . ." Her voice betrayed a streak of sorrow that tainted her joy at their reunion.

Jealous rage burned in Gallant Ouyang at the sight of Guo Jing, and Lotus's reaction fanned its fires. He lunged, his fist poised to strike. He was confident that he would give the odious whelp a black eye, perhaps even a broken nose. That would make him feel a lot better. He was the superior martial artist, with the element of surprise on his side. Little did he know that the boy's kung fu was already so very different from the one he defeated at the Liu clan's ancestral temple, just a few weeks before.

Though Lotus had Guo Jing's full attention, he caught a glimpse of the punch from the corner of his eye.

Guo Jing turned slightly and evaded the blow with ease. He replied with two moves from the Dragon-Subduing Palm simultaneously: Wild Goose Approaches Land with his left hand and Haughty Dragon Repents with his right.

One of Count Seven Hong's powerful palm strikes was hard enough to withstand. Now, Gallant Ouyang faced two simultaneously, thanks to Zhou Botong's outlandish Competing Hands technique.

Apothecary Huang and Viper Ouyang were both proud of the breadth of their martial knowledge, yet neither had seen quick-fire attacks launched like this. Even the martial greats were taken aback by this unusual kung fu.

Gallant Ouyang felt Guo Jing's left palm pressing close to his right flank.

Dragon-Subduing Palm – I can't block this head on, he told himself.

So he swerved to the left. Yet this very act of self-preservation threw his body into the powerful move from Guo Jing's right.

Thwack! A sickening crunch. A rib snapped.

Gallant Ouyang leapt back, then up onto the roof of the bamboo pavilion, riding the momentum of the blow. He did not care that it looked like a retreat.

If he stood his ground, his heart and lungs would suffer irreparable damage. Preserving his life was more important than saving face, right now.

He stumbled several steps before finding his footing. Then he jumped down and staggered over to his uncle, humiliated and hunched in pain.

Lotus cheered and clapped, but Guo Jing remained cautious. He kept his eyes trained on Gallant Ouyang, then took two steps back to put more distance between them, in case of a counter-attack.

Guo Jing thought his success was a fluke. Gallant Ouyang must have let his guard down. He did not realise how much his kung fu had improved since he had met Zhou Botong.

"Such a formidable disciple, Beggar Hong. My hearty congratulations!" Viper Ouyang projected his voice as he gave Guo Jing a sideways glare.

"Shifu!" Lotus ran into the bamboo thicket. The heavens had at last sent her someone to deliver her from this terrible bond!

Soon, the Beggar of the North emerged. His left hand held Lotus's, and his right, a jade-green bamboo cane. On his back was slung his trusty red gourd.

Apothecary Huang extended his welcome to Count Seven Hong and exchanged the customary pleasantries, all the while desperate to ask his daughter one question: "What did you call Count Seven just now?"

"Count Seven has taken me as a disciple," she explained. "I remember you often talked fondly of his martial ability and upright character. When I had the chance to call a man you have praised Shifu, I took it. I know I should've asked your permission, Papa, but I knew you'd be very happy for me. You don't mind, do you, Papa?"

"I am most grateful that Brother Seven has deemed my daughter worthy. She is naughty and disobedient; I hope you will help me discipline her." Apothecary Huang was genuinely pleased and he bowed deeply.

Honoured by the generous response, the Beggar said, "It would take her more than a lifetime to absorb Brother Apothecary's knowledge. I must confess, I took her on for purely selfish reasons, so she would always lavish her culinary magic on me. There is no need to thank me." The two martial greats broke out into hearty laughter.

"Papa, if Count Seven hadn't saved me from that villain –" Lotus jabbed a finger at Gallant Ouyang – "you'd have never seen your Lotus again."

"Nonsense! Why would he want to hurt you?"

"I'll get him to tell you." Lotus turned to Gallant Ouyang. "Swear you will speak the truth, or else . . . your uncle's strange snakes will be your death."

Her words drained the blood from the faces of the Ouyangs. As masters of poisonous creatures, Lotus's casual words had hit upon their greatest fear.

Two such snakes were housed at that very moment in Viper Ouyang's staff. The tip of this weapon could be flipped open to reveal two small cavities. In there dwelled two small serpents.

Viper Ouyang had spent more than a decade breeding these vipers by crossing many varieties of the most deadly species. He used these snakes on his opponents during combat, as well as to punish anyone who dared to cross him. The poison began as an intense itch all over the body, swiftly resulting in death.

Though Viper Ouyang had developed an antidote, the venom was so strong and fast-acting that it would still cause great suffering and prevent the victim from practising the martial arts again.

"I would never dream of lying to my father-in-law," Gallant Ouyang said through gritted teeth.

"I'll box your ears if you call him that again! We first met at the Prince of Zhao's palace in the Jin capital, did we not?"

Gallant Ouyang nodded. Beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead. He had managed to suppress the pain from his injuries with internal kung fu. But, the moment he opened his mouth, his attention was split and a savage onslaught of pain all but floored him. He knew, if he uttered another word, his suffering would be plain for all to see. He could not live with such a serious loss of face.

"That night, you allied yourself with Hector Sha, Tiger Peng, Greybeard Liang and Lama Supreme Wisdom to attack me, did you not?"

"No . . . I did not . . ." He started to defend himself, but the pain choked off the words in his throat.

"You don't need to speak. Just nod or shake your head. I'll ask you again: Hector Sha, Tiger Peng, Greybeard Liang and Lama Supreme Wisdom were picking on me, were they not?"

He nodded.

"They tried to capture me, but they failed. And you were on their side, were you not?"

He could not deny it. Feebly, he moved his head up and down.

"I was all alone in the banqueting hall at the Prince of Zhao's residence. No-one was there to help me. Papa didn't know where I was, so he couldn't help me, even if he'd wanted to. Is this not true?"

Gallant Ouyang knew she was trying to turn her father against him. But he could not deny what had actually happened and so he nodded again.

Lotus reached out for her father's hand. "Pa, see! You wouldn't treat me like this if Mama were still around . . ."

Apothecary Huang's heart tightened at the thought of his late wife, and he put his arm protectively around Lotus.

"Miss Huang, these established martial artists failed to detain you because you inherited your father's extraordinary kung fu. Is it not so?"

Lotus nodded with a grin. Apothecary Huang smiled at Viper Ouyang's praise.

The Venom continued, "Brother Apothecary, that was when my nephew saw your daughter's great talent and came fervently to admire her. It was under the spell of such passion that he sent word by the fastest pigeon to White Camel Mount, begging me to traverse thousands of miles to ask for your daughter's hand on his behalf. No-one else in the world could induce me to make such a long journey."

"I am most obliged." Apothecary Huang was indeed flattered by Viper Ouyang's presence.

"Brother Seven, I wonder why our admiration for Peach Blossom Island has seemed so unpalatable to you that you would physically confront a junior. My nephew would have perished under your Skyful of Petals technique had he not been blessed with such resilience."

Laughing at the absurdity of Viper Ouyang's accusation, Count Seven Hong unplugged his gourd and took a long gulp of wine. Whether the Venom was distorting facts or Gallant Ouyang had lied to him, it was not worth a response.

But Guo Jing could not let such unfounded nonsense go unchallenged. "Count Seven saved your nephew!"

"Who has given you permission to speak, boy?" Apothecary Huang barked.

"Tell everyone how he . . . abducted Miss Cheng." Guo Jing turned to Lotus for help.

Lotus knew her father had always disregarded moral codes to stay true to his nature. He would probably side with Gallant Ouyang, just to show his disdain for Guo Jing. He would most likely consider that awful man romantic rather than lecherous.

Noticing the sneer on her father's lips, she decided to change the subject completely.

She turned to Gallant Ouyang once more. "I haven't finished! When we fought at the Prince of Zhao's residence, you claimed you could defeat me without using your hands or any kung fu moves, did you not?"

Gallant Ouyang nodded.

"When we duelled again in Baoying, you said this one technique from your uncle could defeat me. It mattered not whether I fought back with Papa's kung fu or my shifu Count Seven's. Did you not?"

You set that rule, not me! Gallant Ouyang wanted to argue back.

But Lotus gave him no chance to retort. "You drew a circle on the ground with your foot and said that if I pushed you out with Papa's kung fu, then I would win. Did you not?"

Gallant Ouyang nodded.

"Pa, see, he holds you and Count Seven in contempt. He says so himself, the combination of your kung fu is still inferior to that of his uncle. He thinks the two of you together can't beat the Venom."

"What would you know, little girl?" Apothecary Huang was beginning to find Gallant Ouyang irritating. "It is known throughout the martial world that the Heretic, the Venom, the King and the Beggar are equals in martial learning."

He turned away from Gallant Ouyang and changed the subject. "Brother Seven, might I ask to what I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

3

"THERE IS SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO ASK OF YOU," COUNT Seven Hong answered.

"We've been friends for decades. If dear Brother Seven has a request, how could I refuse?"

It pleased Apothecary Huang that such a martial great should turn to him for help. He knew that the Beggar never asked anything of outsiders, always handling everything personally or with the assistance of the Beggar Clan.

"Don't be so hasty. I fear it is rather a delicate matter."

"I doubt you would come all the way if it was a mere trifle."

"You know me well!" Count Seven clapped his hands together and laughed. "So you will agree?"

"I give you my word! Into fire or over water, I shall go along with you."

Apothecary Huang was happy to give his consent, certain that a man as honourable and just as Count Seven Hong would not compromise him by asking for anything untoward.

Viper Ouyang raised his staff. "Brother Apothecary, there is no need for such haste. We should perhaps ask Brother Seven to explain his business first."

"Old Venom, it has got nothing to do with you." Count Seven chuckled. "Just get ready to toast the bride and groom."

"A wedding?"

"Yes, indeed." Count Seven gestured at Guo Jing and Lotus. "I have promised my disciples to seek Brother Apothecary's consent for their betrothal, and he has just agreed to it."

Guo Jing and Lotus looked at each other with joy and surprise, but shock and dismay marred the faces of the Ouyangs.

"Brother Seven, I fear you are mistaken. Brother Apothecary has given his daughter's hand to my nephew. We are here today to perform the engagement ritual and deliver betrothal gifts."

"Is that true, Brother Apothecary?" Count Seven asked.

"Yes, Brother Viper speaks the truth. I hope Brother Seven isn't playing a prank at my expense," Apothecary Huang replied.

"Who has time for pranks?" Count Seven's face darkened. "So your daughter is engaged to two men, both with your consent. I am the matchmaker for the Guo family. Where is your matchmaker?"

Viper Ouyang was floored by the question. Eventually, he said, "Why do we need a matchmaker when Brother Apothecary and I have both agreed to the match?"

"But there is still one person who hasn't given his consent," Count Seven said.

"Who?"

"Your humble beggar!" Count Seven laughed.

Viper Ouyang understood that Count Seven had just issued a challenge. He kept his face expressionless and made no reply.

"Your nephew's character is wanting. How could he be good enough for this blossom-like maiden?" Count Seven continued. "You two can force them to marry, but you can't make them like each other. They will be waving swords and thrusting spears, day in, day out. What would be the point of such a union?"

Of course, Apothecary Huang wanted Lotus to be happily married. He turned to his beloved daughter and caught her looking tenderly at Guo Jing. A swell of repugnance surged through him, chasing away the doubt that Count Seven Hong's words had stirred.

This boy was beyond hateful.

Apothecary Huang took great pride in his mental acumen and his mastery of every literary and martial pursuit. Literature, military strategy, music, chess, calligraphy, painting – he was an expert in all these fields. All his associates were cultured, refined individuals, worthy of his intellect. Lotus was exceptionally clever, just like her mother. He refused to plant a sprig of blossoms in a pile of cow dung; he would not give his only daughter to this blockhead, this cretin, this dolt. No, no, no!

He looked at the other young man. Handsome, dashing, elegant, learned. In every aspect, a hundred times better.

His mind was made up. His resolve firmer than ever.

Lotus will marry Gallant Ouyang, but I won't spit in Count Seven's face and refuse outright.

An idea came to Apothecary Huang.

"Brother Viper, why don't you look to your nephew first? We shall discuss this at length afterwards," he said.

Gallant Ouyang's injury had been weighing on Viper Ouyang's mind. Without another word, he gestured at the young man and the two of them disappeared into the bamboo forest.

Apothecary Huang and Count Seven Hong remained by the pavilion and exchanged further pleasantries, studiously avoiding the subject at hand.

When the Ouyangs returned, Gallant Ouyang's rib had been reset and the needles removed from his chest.

Apothecary Huang then announced, "I am deeply honoured that both Brother Seven and Brother Viper hold me in such high esteem, coming all the way here to seek the hand of my wayward, headstrong daughter. She was already promised to Gallant Ouyang, but it would be churlish of me to refuse Brother Seven's request. I have an idea that perhaps may help us find a happy solution."

"Spit it out; this beggar hasn't got the patience for your flowery words."

Apothecary Huang smiled. "My daughter has neither looks nor ability, but I have always hoped that she would settle down with a good man. Now, Master Ouyang is Brother Viper's nephew and Master Guo is Brother Seven's disciple, so both have benefitted from an impeccable upbringing. It is impossible for me to choose one over the other. I have no choice but to set up three trials to test our young masters. The more learned and talented young man will win my daughter's hand. I promise I shall show no bias and I invite my two friends to help me decide the winner of each trial."

"Excellent!" Viper Ouyang applauded. "However, if we were to do martial trials, we would have to wait until my nephew recovers."

Gallant Ouyang's injury was the perfect excuse to avoid any combat – the Venom knew his nephew would not stand a chance against Guo Jing.

"Indeed, we most certainly would not want to sow discord by proposing a physical fight." Apothecary Huang shared the Venom's concerns.

You've clearly chosen your son-in-law, you old Heretic, Count Seven Hong grumbled silently to himself. We're all wulin men, yet you won't have martial trials! Why don't you marry your precious daughter to the Top Scholar? If you test this idiot disciple of mine on his knowledge of poetry and literature, he is sure to lose, in this lifetime and the next. You say you're not biased, but I know what you're really thinking. You want Guo Jing to fail. Well, well, I'll have to challenge the Venom to a fight myself.

"All of us standing here today are martial men. Are you saying we should compete on eating and shitting instead of kung fu? The one thing we are all trained in?" Count Seven Hong cackled. He glared at Viper Ouyang. "Your nephew may be injured, but you're not. We'll fight on their behalf."

Count Seven Hong launched his palm at Viper Ouyang's shoulder.

Lowering his shoulder and rolling back his arm, the Venom stepped back several paces.

"Fight back!" Count Seven set his cane down on a bamboo side table and launched seven moves at an incredible speed.

Viper Ouyang swerved left and right, evading them with ease. Then, in the short time it took to plant his staff between the tiles of the floor of the pavilion, his left hand had thrown seven strikes.

Apothecary Huang made no move to restrain his guests – rather, he cheered at the display. He wanted to see how much these two Masters had improved since they last crossed paths atop Mount Hua, more than two decades ago. Each had been honing their skills for the next encounter, pushing their already formidable knowledge to ever greater heights.

Count Seven Hong and Viper Ouyang tossed out rapid-fire moves, but pulled back just before hitting the target. They had to gauge how the other's kung fu had changed first.

Fists and palms darted and danced among bamboo leaves, each movement intricate and complex.

Guo Jing was mesmerised by the innovative and the unexpected in each move. He could not have imagined such kung fu, even in his wildest dreams. Soon, he began to notice similarities between the action and the text Zhou Botong had taught him. He tried to compare the two. Though the swift attacks barely left a shadow on Guo Jing's mind, it was more illustrative than the musical contest of internal kung fu earlier.

In no time at all, more than three hundred moves had been exchanged. The two Masters were impressed by each other's improvement.

Apothecary Huang, meanwhile, was a little dispirited. He had fondly imagined, after Double Sun Wang Chongyang's death, that he would become the world's greatest martial artist. Seeing how the Beggar and the Venom had developed in the intervening years, he realised with frustration and grudging respect that the three of them remained on an equal plane.

Gallant Ouyang and Lotus Huang were simply rooting for the fight to go their way, too invested in its outcome to recognise the virtuosity on display. Then Lotus noticed Guo Jing kicking his legs and waving his arms, with a strange glint in his eyes. She called to him, quietly. But he was so engrossed in the fight, he heard nothing. Concerned, she watched him and smiled at his attempt to emulate the moves of Count Seven and Viper Ouyang.

Lotus turned to her father. Like Guo Jing, he too was entranced by the duel. An odd expression graced his face and he appeared entirely disconnected from his surroundings. She glanced across at Gallant Ouyang, who was trying to make eyes at her, waving his fan languidly under the delusion that he cut a dashing figure.

By now, the tempo of the fight had slowed. Moves were launched intermittently, each strike prefaced by a lengthy pause. Once the opponent had evaded an attack, both would sit down to rest and regroup before returning to their feet to deliver another sally. The pace of the duel was reduced to that of a training session in which a disciple is grappling with new kung fu. However, from the concentration on their faces, this sluggish phase of the fight was more consuming and intense than the brisk exchange that had preceded it.

Spellbound, Guo Jing cheered whenever a great move was made.

"Stop that racket!" Gallant Ouyang snapped. "How could an oaf like you appreciate such complex martial arts?"

"Speak for yourself!" Lotus retorted. "Just because you don't know what's going on, it doesn't mean he can't understand."

"He's obviously trying to appear clever. He's far too green to recognise the intricacy of my uncle's kung fu."

"How do you know what he can or can't understand?"

Their bickering continued, but neither Apothecary Huang nor Guo Jing heard a word of it.

Now, both Count Seven Hong and Viper Ouyang had taken to squatting on their haunches. One flicked himself between the eyebrows with the middle finger of his left hand. The other held his head in his hands, shielding his ears and squeezing his eyes shut. Both of them were thinking hard.

Suddenly, a howl. They leapt up at the same time. A punch or a kick. Then they settled back into their crouching positions, flicking themselves between the eyebrows or holding their head in their hands.

The two Masters had such a thorough knowledge of each other's kung fu, they could deflect even the deadliest move with ease. There would be no winner until one of them could invent a new and unexpected move on the spot.

In the two decades since the Contest of Mount Hua, Count Seven Hong and Viper Ouyang had not kept in touch. The distance between the Central Plains and the Western Regions also meant they were each cut off from news of the other. They would not have known how each other's kung fu might have developed.

Now, in spite of the improvements each had made, they were still equals, each with their own strengths and shortcomings. Neither could prevail.

The moon had grown pale and the blushing sun began to steal in from the east. The two Masters were physically and mentally exhausted. They had invented countless new moves and variations in the past hours, yet they were still stuck in the same rut.

Fascination and confusion tugged Guo Jing's mind in different directions. Some of the kung fu echoed the new theory from Zhou Botong. So he tried to emulate it, but, before he could grasp it, a new and innovative move would chase what little he had committed to his memory clean out of his head.

Lotus Huang could not make head nor tail of the fight, but it was obvious Guo Jing was relishing every move. Had he received divine instruction in the weeks they were apart? she wondered. Perhaps he missed me so much that he's no longer right in the head? I know that's how I'm feeling, right now. I shouldn't have run so fast when we got to the island. I was so desperate to see Papa. When I turned to look for him, he'd disappeared. I'm sure he's been just as worried as I have.

Lotus reached out to take Guo Jing's hand, just as he was copying one of Viper Ouyang's palm strikes. He spun as he pushed his palm out. His movement looked harmless enough, but the moment they touched, she felt a great force pulsing through her, so strong that it sent her flying into the air.

Oh no! Guo Jing noticed her presence too late and leapt over to catch her.

But Lotus managed to twist from her waist while she was airborne, and landed softly on the pavilion roof.

Guo Jing jumped with a tap of his foot and grabbed a corner of the flying eave. Then he swung himself up in a somersault.

Sitting shoulder to shoulder, the young couple watched the fight together.

The mood had shifted once more. Though Viper Ouyang was still squatting, his arms were now folded and he held them raised at his shoulders, like a giant frog about to leap. He bellowed and grunted fitfully, like a bull.

"What do you think he is doing?" Lotus asked, and smiled.

"I have no idea." Then he remembered Zhou Botong's description of Wang Chongyang's death. "It must be his most powerful kung fu, the Exploding Toad."

"He does indeed look like a mangy toad!"

Viper Ouyang's peculiar technique drew on the toad's sudden burst of energy as it emerged from winter hibernation. Over the years, he had practised different ways to store strength within his body, which could be unleashed in one wave, upon attack. He also took inspiration from the moon toad myth, cultivating the kung fu at night while facing the dark spots of the moon, where the lunar spirit was believed to dwell.

Gallant Ouyang was consumed by jealousy yet again at the familiar way Guo Jing chatted with Lotus Huang. He was desperate to fight the boy, but his chest was still hurting. He also knew he could no longer beat Guo Jing, even when fully recovered.

Just then, he heard the words "mangy toad".

How dare they call me that!

In a fit of rage, he took three silver Swallow Shuttles and tiptoed to the back of the pavilion. Tightening his jaw, he flicked his wrist and sent the secret weapons hurtling into Guo Jing's back.

Count Seven Hong was now circling Viper Ouyang, striking at the hunched figure from different directions with the Dragon-Subduing Palm. The two martial greats were competing with their most famed kung fu, drawing on their potent internal strength, acquired over decades of practice. They were now gambling everything they had – including their lives – to win.

Watching as his shifu improvised complex variations of the simple actions from the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, Guo Jing realised he had barely scratched the surface of the repertoire. He was intoxicated by the superb display, blind to the danger that was flying at him from behind.

The fight had now reached a decisive moment. But Lotus did not have the martial insight to read the situation. As she was chattering away, she noticed suddenly that Gallant Ouyang had disappeared. Then she heard a faint swishing noise from behind.

She glanced at Guo Jing and threw herself sideways onto his back.

Pop, pop, pop! All three darts bounced off her Hedgehog Chainmail. He was so focused on the fight, he did not notice what had happened.

Aching a little where she was hit, Lotus reached behind and scooped up the Swallow Shuttles.

"How did you know I needed to scratch my back? Here you go." She smiled at Gallant Ouyang and offered him the weapons.

Her action fanned Gallant Ouyang's jealousy further. He thought she was going to throw the shuttles down. But her hand remained outstretched as she waited for him to fetch them himself. So he tapped the ground lightly with the tip of his left foot and leapt up, perching elegantly on an upturned corner of the roof.

With his white robe fluttering in the wind, even Lotus had to admit that he cut rather a dashing figure at that moment.

"Wow, fantastic qinggong!" Lotus cheered at his ascent and took a step closer. She held the shuttles out in her hand.

Gallant Ouyang saw the exposed skin on her wrist, white as virgin snow, and he swooned. He reached out gleefully, grateful for a chance to caress her skin. But a golden cloud dispelled his wishful thinking.

Having suffered these needles twice already, he flipped over in a somersault and landed back on the ground, waving his sleeves to flick away the needles.

Giggling, Lotus hurled the shuttles at Viper Ouyang's head.

"Don't!" Guo Jing grabbed Lotus by the waist and they jumped down together.

"Brother Viper!" Apothecary Huang exclaimed.

A billow of energy rushed at Guo Jing just as his feet touched the ground. He set Lotus down and immediately launched a Dragon in the Field with each hand. Pushing back with every ounce of his strength, he kept nothing in reserve.

Pang!

A turbulence of qi ripped through his chest, throwing him back by half a dozen steps. He had never felt so awful, but he thrust his feet down in a effort to stand his ground.

What mattered was shielding Lotus from this destructive force.

He took a deep breath and held his palms out, one in front of the other, ready for the next wave of the onslaught.

Both Count Seven Hong and Apothecary Huang were now standing between him and the still-crouching Viper Ouyang.

The Venom straightened up and said, offhandedly, "My mistake, my mistake. I wasn't able to pull back fast enough. I didn't hurt the young lady, did I?"

Though frightened, Lotus would not let him have the last word. "You can't hurt me with Papa here."

Apothecary Huang took her hand and spoke with genuine concern: "Take a deep breath. How do you feel?"

Lotus inhaled slowly, then exhaled quickly. She could not feel anything unusual. She smiled and shook her head.

"Your uncles were comparing martial knowledge. It was no place for a little girl to interfere. Uncle Ouyang's Exploding Toad is unlike any other kung fu. If it wasn't for his mercy, you would have lost your life." A note of relief was evident in Apothecary Huang's voice.

The true power of the Exploding Toad came from inertia. Viper Ouyang simply gathered strength and waited for his opponent to strike. The force of that blow, when it came, would bounce back at the attacker, compounded with the blast of energy stored up in the Venom's body.

Although Double Sun Wang Chongyang had set him back in his pursuit of this kung fu by tapping Viper Ouyang with a Yang in Ascendance, the Venom had worked hard in the intervening years to recover lost ground.

Just now, Viper Ouyang had summoned all his might against Count Seven Hong. He was as taut as a fully drawn bow when Lotus threw the shuttles.

When he heard Apothecary Huang's shout, his energy had already been unleashed. Though he did try to pull back, there was little he could do once his power had burst forth.

Such a shame this beautiful girl will die by my hand!

As the thought had crossed Viper Ouyang's mind, a gust of energy was thrown back at him, and he had taken the chance to retrieve as much of his own strength as he could, surprised to find it was Guo Jing. He could only be impressed that the Beggar had trained such a powerful disciple.

Apothecary Huang assumed that Viper Ouyang had held his energy back as a courtesy to him. The Guo Jing he met at Roaming Cloud Manor could not have withstood the Exploding Toad. He sneered at the young man's stupidity. Was he really foolish enough to raise his hand against Viper Ouyang's ultimate kung fu? He had no idea that Guo had saved his daughter's life. Even so, he could not deny that Guo Jing had just thrown himself in death's way to protect Lotus.

I shall give him a gift worthy of his devotion to Lotus, Apothecary Huang decided.

Though he still could not countenance Guo Jing as a suitor, he was reminded of the time when he had harboured such single-minded passion for a woman. He found the boy a little less repulsive now.

"We aren't done yet, Old Venom!" Count Seven Hong said, and stepped forward for another round.

Apothecary Huang raised his left arm to hold Viper Ouyang back. "Brother Seven, Brother Viper, you are both guests of Peach Blossom Island. Should we not sit down and share a few cups of the wine I brew? You have already exchanged more than a thousand moves and still we have no winner. The second Contest of Mount Hua is soon upon us. I shall be there, and so will Duan, the King of the South. We can finish the fight then. What do you say?"

"I shall most certainly have to concede, if we continue today." Viper Ouyang smirked.

Count Seven chuckled. "Since our dear Venom, here, is well known for speaking in opposites, I take it you mean you will most certainly gain the upper hand. Well, we shall see."

"I am very happy to learn more from Brother Seven."

"Excellent." Count Seven flicked his sleeve, raring to go.

"Ah, so this is the real reason why our two Masters grace Peach Blossom Island today. To show off your martial skills," Apothecary Huang said, with a smile.

"Brother Apothecary is right." Count Seven roared with laughter. "We are here for the lady's hand, not to fight."

4

"AS I WAS SAYING BEFORE, I WOULD LIKE TO SET UP THREE trials so our two young masters can show us their knowledge," Apothecary Huang said, returning to the matter of Lotus's betrothal. "I will welcome the young master who passes the tests as my son-in-law, but I shan't let the other young man leave empty-handed."

"Eh? Have you got another daughter?" Count Seven asked.

"I am afraid not, and I doubt I can find a new wife to make another one fast enough. However, I have acquired a little knowledge through the years. The three religions, the nine schools of thought, as well as medicine, divination and astrology. If our young master is willing, he may choose a subject and I will be happy to share all I know. He would not have come to Peach Blossom Island in vain."

Count Seven Hong weighed up Apothecary Huang's words. The Heretic has clearly made up his mind; whatever tasks he comes up with will definitely put Guo Jing at a disadvantage. But if this simpleton learns kung fu from the Heretic, the benefits will be for life . . .

Noticing Count Seven Hong's deliberation, Viper Ouyang agreed immediately. "This really is an excellent suggestion. Though Brother Apothecary had already consented to my nephew's proposal, we shall put our two young men to the test, out of respect for Brother Seven."

He then turned to Gallant Ouyang. "If Master Guo, here, proves more knowledgeable, you mustn't blame anybody for your shortcomings. We shall gladly drink to his happiness. If you try anything, not only will the two Masters, here, not abide it, I won't let it pass either."

Count Seven Hong guffawed into the sky. "Those words are for our ears, aren't they?"

"Who can predict the result? One thing is certain, though: people of our stature always accept our defeat gracefully. Don't we?" Viper Ouyang grinned. "Brother Apothecary, please name your first trial."

Though Apothecary Huang was determined to marry Lotus to Gallant Ouyang, it would not befit his status as a martial great to be seen as biased. He also wished to avoid offending Count Seven Hong.

While Apothecary Huang deliberated over the tests he could set that would guarantee his preferred suitor would win, Count Seven Hong said, "We are all men who live by our fists, Brother Apothecary. Your trials must be about the martial arts. If you test them on poetry, songs, chants, talismans, or some other rot like that, then we might as well admit our ignorance now, dust our behinds and go. We have not come here to make fools of ourselves."

"Of course, the first trial will test their martial skills," Apothecary Huang replied.

"That won't do," Viper Ouyang protested. "My nephew is injured."

"I am aware of that and I have no intention of sowing discord by letting the two young masters duel, here, on Peach Blossom Island."

"They will not fight each other?" Viper Ouyang asked.

"Indeed."

"Are you going to test them yourself?" the Venom pursued.

"No, it would be impossible to demonstrate my impartiality if I played an active role," Apothecary Huang said. "We have just seen that your kung fu and Brother Seven's are not only at the very pinnacle of martial excellence, but also truly on the same level. I propose that you be the judge of Master Guo's skills and that Brother Seven should test Master Ouyang."

Count Seven Hong had to bow to Apothecary Huang's quick thinking. I couldn't come up with a solution as clever or as fair.

"Not a bad idea." Then he beckoned Gallant Ouyang. "Come, let's begin."

"We haven't set the rules yet," Apothecary Huang said. "First, Master Ouyang is injured; he can't summon his internal strength. So we are only judging moves, not the level of internal kung fu. Second, the trial shall take place on these two pine trees – whoever falls first, loses. Third, if one of you strikes too hard and hurts your young opponent, then your side must concede this trial."

"I lose if I injure him?" Count Seven Hong asked.

"That's right. Do you think either of them could fight one of our martial greats and come away unscathed? So, Brother Seven, for example, if you so much as scratch Master Ouyang, then your side loses. Same for Brother Viper, here. One of the young masters will be my son-in-law. How can I let him come to harm?"

"That's a rule unheard of in the martial world." Count Seven Hong scratched his head with a laugh. "Our Heretic is living up to his eccentric reputation. But if it's fairly judged, I'll play along."

Apothecary Huang invited the four men to take their positions. Count Seven Hong and Gallant Ouyang leapt to the top of the tree on the right, while Viper Ouyang and Guo Jing took the one on the left. Count Seven was giggly and giddy, the other three solemn and grave.

Lotus Huang was desperate to help Guo Jing, but what could she do against a master like Viper Ouyang? Moreover, injured as he was, Gallant Ouyang was still the superior martial artist and his lightness qinggong kung fu was exceptional.

"The trial begins on the count of three," she heard her father announce. "Master Ouyang, Master Guo, whoever touches the ground first loses this round. Ready? Three, two, one!"

A blur of shadows danced up and down the trees. In the twinkling of an eye, Guo Jing had exchanged more than a dozen moves with Viper Ouyang.

Lotus could hardly believe her eyes. When had his kung fu improved so much? He's not struggling at all!

Her father was equally surprised.

Growing irate, Viper Ouyang let his strength seep back into his strikes, hoping to send Guo Jing tumbling down quickly. Yet, the fear of injuring the young man held his aggression somewhat in check.

Leaping up, he charged at Guo Jing with a series of kicks, fast and relentless, like the wheels of a speeding chariot. Guo Jing fought back with a Dragon Soars in the Sky, jumping higher and higher as he sliced and hewed at Viper Ouyang's legs with his palms.

Lotus's heart was pounding. She could not bear to watch, so she glanced over at the other side.

Gallant Ouyang flitted around, darting up and down the branches, dodging Count Seven Hong's attacks with his lightness kung fu.

Annoyed by Gallant Ouyang's refusal to engage, Count Seven Hong looked over to check on Guo Jing.

My silly boy's matching the Venom, blow to blow, while this coward scurries around to kill time, Count Seven thought angrily. If you think you can defeat the Beggar with your little tricks, well, well . . .

He sprang high into the air, then swooped, his fingers extended like talons, aimed towards the crown of Gallant Ouyang's head.

This is not a sparring move. He's striking to kill!

Fearing for his life, Gallant Ouyang swerved to the right.

The fearsome dive turned out to be a feint and Gallant Ouyang reacted just as Count Seven Hong had anticipated.

With a twist of his waist, the Beggar changed course and landed at the tip of the branch beside Gallant Ouyang.

"I don't mind losing. Let's see if a ghost can find a bride!" He raised his hands to deliver the knockout blow.

Gallant Ouyang was already petrified by Count Seven Hong's physically impossible act of changing direction mid-air. Now, the Beggar had made his intentions clear with his words and his moves.

All the fight went out of the Master of White Camel Mount. He just wanted to run. He shrank back, forgetting he was standing on a tree branch – and plunged.

I've lost!

As that thought flashed across his mind, he sensed another weight rushing through the air.

Guo Jing had actually managed to resist Viper Ouyang's onslaught for quite some time. Then a voice screamed in the Venom's mind: You're no martial great if it takes you fifty moves to send a boy down a tree!

Quick as lightning, Viper Ouyang darted forward and snatched at Guo Jing's collar.

"Down you go!"

Ducking, Guo Jing flung a backhand to block. A great strength rushed at him. "You—"

Before he could accuse the Venom, the energy was replaced by a smirk.

"Yes?"

Guo Jing had channelled everything he had into his defence. He thought Viper Ouyang was going to use the Exploding Toad kung fu and turn his inner organs into pulp.

Now, he pushed back at nothing, and he had yet to master the skill of pulling back his internal-energy flow at will.

Luckily, the Luminous Hollow Fist had given him a better grasp of the concept of "repent", of reserving strength. He narrowly avoided repeating his fate against Apothecary Huang at Roaming Cloud Manor. Only, this time, his shoulder, rather than his wrist, would have been dislocated. Even so, he was rocked off balance. He tipped forward and plunged, head first.

The two young men plummeted, side by side. One was about to land on his feet; the other seemed certain to crash on his head.

Gallant Ouyang congratulated himself on his luck, flung his arms out and pushed down on Guo Jing's airborne feet, both to send his rival down even faster and to leverage the moment of contact to slow his own fall.

"Aiya!" It was clear to Lotus that Guo Jing had lost.

Yet, somehow, with a heartbeat to spare, Guo Jing shot upwards, before her attention was caught by a loud thud.

Gallant Ouyang lay sprawled on the ground, while Guo Jing bobbed serenely on a branch.

How did Guo Jing do it? He was inches from crashing head first into the ground! She let out a very different aiya!

Count Seven Hong jumped down from his tree, roaring with laughter.

With a look as dark as cast iron, Viper Ouyang turned to Count Seven Hong and said, in a voice sharp and frosty, "Your disciple's mongrel kung fu is quite something. He's even well versed in Mongolian wrestling tricks!"

"Don't look at me!" Count Seven could barely speak through his chuckles. "That's not a martial skill I'm familiar with. I didn't teach him that."

When Gallant Ouyang had tried to break his fall by pushing down on Guo Jing's feet, he had left his own legs dangling in Guo Jing's face. Guo Jing had wrapped his arms around Gallant Ouyang's calves instinctively, yanking hard to hoist himself up.

A classic throwing technique in Mongolian wrestling, and one Guo Jing was familiar with long before he met the Six Freaks of the South, tumbling around the Mongolian steppe with his sworn brother, Tolui. And, in his teens, he had honed his skills under Genghis Khan's generals and master wrestlers, Jebe and Boroqul. These moves came as naturally to him as walking and eating.

And, because of this, even Guo Jing himself did not understand how he had won.

5

APOTHECARY HUANG SHOOK HIS HEAD IMPERCEPTIBLY AT THE result, certain that only a cruel twist of fate had allowed the dim-witted Guo Jing to emerge victorious.

"Master Guo wins the first trial. Brother Viper, be not troubled. With your nephew's solid learning, there is a chance to catch up in the second and third trials."

"We look forward to the next task," Viper Ouyang said.

"We will now move on to cultural subjects—"

"Pa, you're clearly biased," Lotus interrupted her father. "You promised it would be martial trials. Why are we doing cultural subjects now? What's the point of making Guo Jing go through this?" Her face settled into a sullen pout.

"What do you know? When martial skills reach an exceptional level, do you think we'll still be throwing punches and brawling like commoners? Do you think we would lower ourselves to stage demeaning spectacles, like a Duel for a Maiden?"

Lotus and Guo Jing exchanged a glance, remembering the snowy day when Mercy Mu and Yang Kang met at such a fight.

"For the second trial, I would like to invite our young masters to critique a tune that I will play."

Gallant Ouyang eyed Guo Jing with satisfaction. This country bumpkin clearly has no understanding of the harmonies created by silk and bamboo. This round is mine, for sure.

Viper Ouyang, however, suspected it would prove a trial of internal kung fu, and he knew how deep Guo Jing's inner strength ran, from their fight just moments ago.

If it came down to internal control, his nephew might not perform better than Guo Jing. The music might even aggravate his chest injury . . .

So, he said, "I fear our young men, here, aren't learned enough to appreciate your music. May I ask—?"

"There is nothing to worry about, Brother Viper. The tune is very ordinary; I am not testing their internal strength." He turned to Guo Jing and Gallant Ouyang. "Please take a switch of bamboo and beat time to the music I play. Whoever does better shall win this trial."

Guo Jing stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Lord Huang, I am completely ignorant in matters of music and rhythm. Allow me to admit defeat now."

Count Seven Hong jumped in before Apothecary Huang could reply. "Hey, not so hasty! If you're going to lose anyway, what harm is there in trying? Are you afraid of being laughed at?"

Guo Jing would not dream of disagreeing with his shifu, so he copied Gallant Ouyang and plucked a bamboo branch.

"Brother Viper and Brother Seven, forgive my rusty playing." Apothecary Huang put the jade xiao to his lips. A mellow, graceful sound wafted forth. Ordinary flute song, as if played by an ordinary person without internal kung fu training.

Gallant Ouyang grasped the metre instantly, striking each beat perfectly in time.

Guo Jing's switch simply hovered in the air. He gazed skywards at nothing in particular.

Apothecary Huang kept on playing. If they were drinking tea, by now they would have savoured one whole pot. Still Guo Jing had not figured out what to do.

The Ouyangs were growing confident that they would win this round, and probably the next too, if it was on a cultural subject as Apothecary Huang had promised.

Lotus tapped her left wrist anxiously, hoping Guo Jing would notice and follow her lead. But he continued to stare blankly into the sky, oblivious to everything happening around him.

At last, Guo Jing lifted his arm.

Tak! He struck right in between two beats.

Gallant Ouyang sniggered audibly – His first beat and it's already horribly off! – but it did not deter Guo Jing.

Tak! Once again, the bamboo branch marked the quaver instead of the beat.

Tak, tak, tak, tak!

Four more attempts. All hitting that awkward in-between point. All of them wrong.

It's really unfair of Papa to make Guo Jing do this! He doesn't know a thing about music, Lotus grumbled to herself.

If she could not help Guo Jing win, maybe she could do something to disrupt the trial? Papa would have to accept a draw then.

As she turned over ideas in her head, she noticed a look of surprise on her father's face, and she thought she heard the flute song falter, almost imperceptibly.

Guo Jing continued to thrash his bamboo twig. Each time, he was off the mark. First he pre-empted the beat, then he lagged behind. Sometimes he would strike too fast, sometimes too slow.

In his musical ignorance, he had decided he was supposed to unsettle and disrupt the xiao, thinking of the musical melee earlier, between the flute, the zither and the whistle.

With the tactics he had gleaned from the previous sonic tussle, Guo Jing gradually grasped the song's pulse as he beat the branch against a dry bamboo stalk.

Tak, tak, tak!

A hollow, rasping dissonance.

So persistent and unmusical was the noise, it managed to pierce Apothecary Huang's concentration. Several times, Guo Jing almost succeeded in dragging the melody off track to follow the racket he was making. Count Seven Hong and Viper Ouyang looked on in amazement.

Impressed, Apothecary Huang took on the challenge. He dropped his tempo, and the tune became sensual and alluring.

By now, Gallant Ouyang had lost the ability to beat time. Losing control of his body, he waved his bamboo switch as he danced to the flute song. Viper Ouyang gripped his nephew's wrist with a sigh and blocked his ears with a silk handkerchief. He waited until the young man's pulse had slowed before letting him go.

Lotus had grown up listening to her father playing the "Ode to the Billowing Tide". He had also explained its complexities and variations. That understanding allowed her to be on the same plane as him, so the music had no effect on her. But she knew its power and she was worried for Guo Jing.

The song began as a perfectly calm sea, undisturbed by even the gentlest ripple. Then, the tide crept closer, the water moved faster, churning and frothing. The once gleaming mirror now splintered into white spray and snowy crests.

Fish leapt, gulls swooped, the wind howled. Water sprites and sea monsters stole forth as the tide swelled. Icebergs drifted by. The sea boiled, bubbling and steaming.

Mermen and mermaids frolicked in the undertow, intermingling, embracing, their lovemaking more arousing and sensual than it could ever be on land.

As the tide receded, a dark current prowled unseen beneath the calm surface, tugging, pulling with each ebb and flow, ensnaring its heedless listeners.

Guo Jing sat cross-legged on the ground. He summoned his Quanzhen-trained internal kung fu to resist the music. It also helped him keep his arm moving, bashing the bamboo branch crudely in his arrhythmical way, to disrupt the flute song.

When Apothecary Huang, Viper Ouyang and Count Seven Hong competed, they were able to attack and defend at the same time. They could keep their minds and hearts at peace and in focus while still searching for cracks and fissures in their opponents' composure.

Needless to say, Guo Jing was a novice. He was not skilled enough to hold his spirit still and keep his senses open to scan for flaws in the Heretic's musical attack. He simply kept guard and his defence strong, while causing enough chaos to hold Apothecary Huang back.

The Heretic, by now, had shifted the tone of his flute song several times. Still, he could not force Guo Jing into submission. Once more, he changed tack, playing so softly that the tune was barely audible.

Guo Jing strained to hear the notes. Soon, the branch began to fall in time to the music. The song was most alluring when it was played softly.

Fearful he would fall prey to the music's snare, Guo Jing split his concentration in two, using the Competing Hands technique. With his left hand, he whipped off his shoe and slapped it against the bamboo stalk.

Dok, dok, dok!

Most martial masters would be hopelessly caught by now. There's more to this boy than meets the eye, Apothecary Huang thought, as he began to pace in the formation of the Eight Trigrams.

Thanks to the noise made by his shoe, Guo Jing managed to wrench his right hand back under his control. Now, it sounded as if two masters had joined forces against Apothecary Huang, as each hand beat its own rhythm.

Tak, tak, tak!

Dok, dok, dok!

Tak, tak, tak!

Dok, dok, dok!

The din Guo Jing was ratcheting up grinded abrasively against the metre of the xiao music.

Both Count Seven Hong and Viper Ouyang had secretly increased their neigong engagement to maintain their focus. It would be deeply embarrassing if they showed any outward sign of trying to resist the music, and their reputations would be tarnished beyond repair if they were actually affected by it.

The flute darted from one extreme of its register to the other, the tune growing ever more unpredictable. Guo Jing soldiered on stubbornly.

Somehow, he felt the music as a gust of cold wind, plunging his body into a blizzard. He could not help but shiver and shake.

The xiao's supple, sensual tone had tightened into a sharp, grating shrill. The sound made Guo Jing feel as if his bones had turned into ice. He immediately split his concentration further, bringing to mind the hot summer sun, a blistering forge in the midsummer heat, red hot coals in his hands, diving into a burning furnace. Soon, the chill retreated somewhat.

Now, the left half of Guo Jing trembled under the wintry sound and his right side sweated profusely under the heat he had conjured in his mind.

Apothecary Huang watched in astonishment and let the music take a new turn, a glorious summer dispelling the bleak winter. Guo Jing was once again seduced by the flute song and forced into tapping in time.

He can probably resist my music a little longer, but it will make him very ill. With that thought, Apothecary Huang held on to one note and let it dissipate into the bamboo forest.

Guo Jing exhaled in relief. He stood up, and his legs wobbled and almost buckled under his own weight. Once he had regulated his breathing, he approached Apothecary Huang and bowed low. "Lord Huang, I am most grateful for your forbearance." He knew the music was cut short out of consideration for his well-being.

"Put your shoe back on!" Lotus giggled.

"Oh! Yes." Only then did he realise he was still clutching his shoe in his left hand.

As Guo Jing struggled with his shoe, Apothecary Huang was beginning to question his decision. Could the boy's stupidity be an act? He can't have attained such a level of kung fu at his age without an extraordinary intellectual capacity. Perhaps letting Lotus marry him wouldn't be such a bad idea?

"Why do you still call me Lord Huang?" he said, with a smile.

It was his way of saying that Guo Jing had won two trials out of three, and could now call him father-in-law.

Guo Jing stammered, "I . . . I . . ."

Unsure how to respond, he looked to Lotus for help.

Beaming, she raised her right thumb and bent it up and down. Guo Jing fell to his knees and kowtowed four times.

Apothecary Huang chuckled. "What are you doing that for?"

"Lotus told me to."

He is a blockhead, after all! Apothecary Huang sighed and gestured at Gallant Ouyang to remove the silk handkerchief from his ears.

"In terms of internal kung fu, Master Guo is stronger. But we were testing musical knowledge and Master Ouyang's is far superior . . . I shall declare this trial a draw. The final trial shall determine who will win my daughter's hand."

"Yes, let's move on to the last test," Viper Ouyang said. He knew his nephew had lost twice, but Apothecary Huang was giving him a final chance.

She's your daughter, you can marry her to that cad if you want; it's nobody else's business, Count Seven Hong thought, seething at the unfair treatment. I can't fight the two of you alone, but I'm not going to let this rest. I'll get King Duan to help.

6

"MY WIFE AND I ONLY HAD THIS ONE DAUGHTER BEFORE SHE tragically passed away during labour. I am honoured that both Brother Viper and Brother Seven are here, seeking her hand. If my wife were still with us, I have no doubt she would be overjoyed."

Lotus Huang wiped her eyes at the mention of her mother.

Apothecary Huang then carefully retrieved a hand-bound volume with a tattered cover from inside his shirt.

"This book was written in my wife's hand. She put her lifeblood into it. It was lost for a long time, but it found its way back to me recently. This is the most valuable object I possess. I now ask our young masters to read it once, together. I shall give my daughter's hand to the one who can remember the most and recite the text with the fewest mistakes."

He paused and glanced at Count Seven Hong. "It is true that Master Guo is one round ahead, but this volume has played an important role in my life. My wife died for it. I am hoping her soul in the heavens will select her son-in-law and help her chosen one win."

"Enough of your hogwash, Heretic! You know full well that my disciple, here, isn't the brightest and he knows nothing about books and poetry. Yet you want him to memorise a book, even dragging your dead wife out as an excuse! Have you no shame?" Count Seven Hong flicked his sleeve and stormed off.

"Brother Seven, if you came here to show your temper, I fear you are in need of a few more years of learning," Apothecary Huang sneered.

Count Seven turned, with his eyebrows raised. "What do you mean? Are you threatening to hold me captive?"

"You have no knowledge of the arts of the Mysterious Gates and the Five Elements. You will never find your way out without my permission."

"I'll raze your stinking island to the ground."

"You can try!"

I can't let Shifu come to harm or be stuck here because of me! Guo Jing stepped boldly forward. "Lord Huang, Shifu, I shall take part in this final trial. I am not bright and I will most likely lose. So be it."

In Guo Jing's mind, once he had helped Count Seven Hong get away, he could turn to the sea. He and Lotus could trust their fates to the waves and swim until they had no strength left.

"Fine! If you want to be humiliated, be my guest!"

Count Seven was quibbling with the Heretic on purpose, to create an opportunity for the three of them to make a break for the shore. They could deal with the ramifications once they had sailed away. But his calculations had not factored in how stubbornly honourable his disciple would prove to be. And now there really was nothing to be done.

"Sit down properly. No more tricks," Apothecary Huang said to Lotus.

Still sulking, she ignored him. She could tell from the way he had brought up her mother, this last trial would be decisive. He clearly intended to disregard Guo Jing's two wins. Even if he decided to take all three tests into account, when this next one was done, it would mean both Guo Jing and Gallant Ouyang had won one trial each. Then he no doubt would invent another test, and another, until that loathsome man came out on top. If only she could find a way to escape from the island with Guo Jing . . .

By now, Apothecary Huang had Gallant Ouyang and Guo Jing sitting side by side on a boulder. He sat down opposite them and held out the book.

It was worn and weathered from years of use and rough handling. The once-white paper had yellowed, its corners and edges were dog-eared and creased. The words were obscured by smudges from hands and spots of water damage. Was it tears or tea? And the blots of purplish black – were they blood?

Gallant Ouyang saw the cover and his heart leapt with excitement. The Nine Yin Manual! Father-in-Law clearly cares for me; why else would he offer me a glimpse of this most coveted book?

Who can read these tadpole scribbles? Guo Jing stared at the title calligraphy written in curvilinear seal script. I know he wants me to lose. I'll admit defeat, anyway.

Apothecary Huang turned to the first page. The paper showed signs of having been recently repaired. The handwriting, in the much more legible regular script, was slender and elegant. The penmanship of a woman.

Guo Jing's heart hammered as he read the opening line:

It is the heavens' Way to take away from excess and to supplement when in absence, such is how the immaterial beats the material and how absence trumps excess.

This is one of Brother Zhou's phrases! He cast his eyes over the rest of the page. Every sentence matched exactly with words he had recently learned by heart.

After a moment, Apothecary Huang turned the page. Guo Jing was once more greeted by words Zhou Botong had instructed him to memorise:

The weak overcomes the strong, the supple conquers the firm. Everyone under the heavens knows it, though no-one can put it into practice.

He read on.

The most supple under the heavens can gallop through the toughest.

There were several characters he did not know on this page, but those he recognised corresponded exactly with his sworn brother's words.

Did Brother Zhou teach me this book? It had never occurred to Guo Jing that the Hoary Urchin's martial theory could be someone else's invention. How come Lord Huang has a copy? How would Madam Huang choose her son-in-law through it? He stared blankly at the familiar words, perplexed by these questions.

Apothecary Huang assumed the complicated content had set Guo Jing's head spinning. Ignoring Guo Jing's dazed inattention, the Lord of Peach Blossom Island turned the leaves at his own pace, slowly and steadily.

In the beginning, Gallant Ouyang had felt rather pleased by what he could remember, but soon he was utterly lost. The text was steeped in Taoist jargons and neigong theory, and he knew nothing about the religion, its philosophy or its martial concepts. He recognised every character on the page, but, strung together, they made no sense. He could not even commit half a phrase to memory.

Strength courses through the fingers, no matter can stand in their way.

Shattering the skull of the enemy, as if clawing through rotten earth.

He paused at this line in despair. What on earth does that mean? The Nine Yin Manual is incomprehensible!

He looked over at the dumbstruck Guo Jing. Still, I'll remember more than that halfwit. I'm going to win this trial, for sure!

Reassured, he turned to his future bride in triumph.

Lotus stuck her tongue out and pulled a face. "Do you remember Mercy? My friend you abducted? You left her in a coffin in that ancestral temple. Did you know she suffocated? She came to me in a dream last night, her hair unkempt, her face bloody. She's coming for you."

"I forgot to let her out!" Gallant Ouyang muttered. Such a shame, she was a pretty young thing. Then, seeing Lotus's grin, he grew suspicious. "How do you know? You freed her, didn't you?"

"Focus!" Viper Ouyang growled. It was obvious that Lotus was trying to distract his nephew.

"Yes, Uncle." Gallant Ouyang turned back to the text.

Guo Jing had stopped reading. Every sentence he had seen so far corresponded, word for word, with Zhou Botong's theory, which he knew by heart. He stared at the trees instead, trying and failing to work out why.

Unable to decipher the script on the title page, Guo Jing had no idea he was reading the second volume of the Nine Yin Manual – the very same copy Cyclone Mei had returned to Apothecary Huang at Roaming Cloud Manor.

The Lord of Peach Blossom Island chose it because, without the internal-energy foundation explained in the first volume, it was impossible to understand the martial skills described. He did not mind Count Seven Hong gaining a few insights, but he did not wish to share anything that would allow Viper Ouyang to improve his kung fu.

Moreover, the second volume ended with a long, incomprehensible passage. After their encounter with Zhou Botong, his wife had transcribed this section the moment they returned to their room. He remembered how confident she was of her memory of the main text of the Manual, but she had revised this meaningless incantation again and again, doubting herself each time she looked at it. It was unlikely Gallant Ouyang would remember much after reading the Manual once through, and the little he could retain would surely deviate in important ways from what his wife had set down. So, even if he had one-tenth of her memory, whatever he repeated to his uncle in the future was unlikely to expand their martial knowledge.

Apothecary Huang kept turning the pages at a steady pace. Many of them were marred by smudges and fingerprints, which sometimes obscured the words entirely.

When they reached the final pages, Gallant Ouyang said, after glancing at the first line, "Uncle Huang, what is this 'mahaparas gatekras' business? I can't make any sense of this page and there's no chance I can learn this."

"Do what you can. It is difficult for a reason – so your talent can shine through."

Hearing this exchange, Guo Jing looked at the page. It was that nonsensical passage that had robbed him of sleep and appetite for at least three days when he tried to learn it. And then he had persisted for another ten days, and eventually these one thousand or so characters became a part of him.

They reached the last page of the book. A final paragraph of meaningless characters, quotes from poems written in another hand. Apothecary Huang knew those words and the handwriting well. He had once copied those poems many times and he was the one who had shaped the calligraphy of the young woman who had recorded them here.

Our encounter was lodged in my heart then,

And ever more so now.

Then she wrote:

Waking after drinking, my gentle friend is gone.

A thousand times,

Whether wind or water, the current carries you away.

Which was followed by:

Men aged, things changed.

No desire to drink amid flowers as tears stain my clothes.

Now I but wish for sleep with the door shut,

Let the plum blossoms fly like snow.

Then, at the very bottom, in characters lopsided and ill-formed: Shifu, please kill me. I have wronged you. I want to die by your hand, Shifu. Shifu!

Apothecary Huang had noticed how spotted with blood and tears the Nine Yin Manual was when Cyclone Mei returned it to him. A swell of pity swept away all the bitterness he had felt at her betrayal. Her writing brought back memories of how she used to take his hand and swing it lightly, left and right, calling, "Shifu! Shifu!"

Sighing, he remembered copying those lines by Ouyang Xiu and Zhu Xizhen. Then his eldest disciple, Tempest Qu had shared them with Cyclone Mei after finding them in his study.

She must have held these words close to her heart all these years. The brushwork was straight and powerful. She must have been able to see, back then.

Apothecary Huang was reminded of how he had stopped speaking to her after his marriage. Soon afterwards, her illicit romance with Hurricane Chen was discovered by Tempest Qu. His two eldest disciples had fought a bitter fight over their martial sister.

The rage and pain he felt was still fresh in his mind. He had cast Tempest off the island and ostracised Hurricane and Cyclone, refusing to teach them. He realised, now, that he had played a part in driving them to steal the Nine Yin Manual. Sympathy, tinged with guilt, nestled in his heart.

Apothecary Huang turned his eyes back to the present – Gallant Ouyang was still grappling with the mahaparas passage – and closed the volume. He did not want to show them Cyclone Mei's writing.

"Let's finish here. That strange passage is too hard." He studied the bewildered young men. "Who would like to go first?"

"I should like to give it a try," Gallant Ouyang answered immediately, knowing his best chance would be while his memory was fresh.

Nodding, Apothecary Huang turned to Guo Jing. "Head into the bamboo forest until you are out of earshot."

Guo Jing obediently put close to a hundred paces between himself and Gallant Ouyang. Lotus trailed after him quietly, thinking that this could be their chance to run away. Then she heard her father's voice.

"Lotus, sit here with me, so you can see I'm not biased."

"You are biased, and you know it."

"Where are your manners?" he replied in good humour. "Come, sit with me."

"I don't want to."

She knew that, with his eyes on her, they would not be able to run far. She walked slowly towards Gallant Ouyang and then asked, with a smile, "Master Ouyang, why do you like me so much?"

Dumbstruck, the normally eloquent young man broke into giggles and only managed to stammer, "My lady, you . . . you . . ."

"You mustn't hurry back to the Western Regions. Do stay on Peach Blossom Island for a few days. Is it very cold, out there?"

"The west is huge. Of course it is cold in many parts, but others are warm and sunny. Just like here, in the south."

"I don't believe you! You do love to trick people."

Before Gallant Ouyang could explain himself, Viper Ouyang intervened. "Save your prattle for later, child," he said, sharply.

Lotus's little interruption had caused Gallant Ouyang to forget a sizeable chunk of the text he had crammed into his head. He gathered his thoughts and began slowly. "'It is the heavens' Way to take away from excess and to supplement when in absence, such is how the immaterial beats the material and how absence trumps excess.'"

Gallant Ouyang's memory was impressive. He recited the opening lines precisely as they were written down, but once he got to the main content – complex Taoist internal-energy theories, to channel qi and balance yin and ying – he could only recall about a tenth of what he had read.

Whenever his memory faltered, Lotus would loudly proclaim, "No, you've got that wrong!"

Soon, her interjections were so frequent that he could barely get a word out. He gave up as he reached the final nonsensical passage, unable to remember a single character.

"Well done for remembering so much." Apothecary Huang smiled, then let his voice boom over the bamboo forest. "Master Guo, it's your turn."

Guo Jing surmised from Gallant Ouyang's grin that he must be pleased with his performance.

He must be extremely clever to remember so much. I'll just recite the text I learned from Brother Zhou, he told himself as he walked back. It's bound to be wrong, but what else can I do?

"We might as well admit defeat now," Count Seven said. "Why make a fool of yourself, my silly boy?"

At the same time, Lotus tapped her foot and leapt up onto the roof of the pavilion. She flicked her wrist, flashing a dagger, which she pressed tight against her chest.

"Pa, if you force me to go with that lecher to the west, then I will die here today."

"Do put that away – we can talk," Apothecary Huang said, knowing she might go through with it.

Viper Ouyang touched his staff on the ground and – whoosh! – a dart of an unusual shape flew from its head.

Before Lotus could make out what was flying at her, the dagger was knocked from her hand.

Apothecary Huang leapt onto the roof and said, softly, "If you don't want to get married, I don't mind at all." He put his arm around her shoulders. "You know I'd love nothing more than to have your company on Peach Blossom Island always."

"You don't love me! You don't love me!" she cried, stamping her feet.

Count Seven Hong was shaking with laughter. Apothecary Huang – the martial great who dominated the lakes and the seas, the murderous monster who killed without remorse – had been gagged and bound by his young daughter's tantrum.

Viper Ouyang watched with interest Apothecary Huang's futile efforts to appease Lotus. Once we've won her hand and sent the Beggar and that boy on their way, we can deal with her moods easily enough. What's the point of fussing over a little girl's tears?

Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he said, "Our young master Guo has superb kung fu and exceptional internal energy. An example for the younger generation. I am sure his memory is outstanding. Shall we invite him to demonstrate?"

"Indeed, Master Ouyang," Apothecary Huang replied. Then he turned back to Lotus. "You do realise your temper is spoiling young Master Guo's concentration."

Lotus at once quietened down.

"Young Master Guo, please do begin. We are beside ourselves with anticipation." Viper Ouyang was eager to see him shamed.

I suppose I don't have a choice, Guo Jing thought, bright red with embarrassment. I'll just recite what Brother has taught me.

So he began. The words poured out, without pause or hesitation.

"'It is the heavens' Way to take away from excess and to supplement when in absence . . .'"

After all, he had repeated these very words out loud several hundred times under Zhou Botong's instruction.

A few lines in, everyone was flabbergasted. The same thought flashed across the minds of both Apothecary Huang and the Ouyangs: they'd been fooled! The boy was not as he seemed!

Lotus and Count Seven knew Guo Jing could not have memorised the text just now, but they were too happy to question how he had ended up learning the Nine Yin Manual by heart.

In one breath, Guo Jing had reached the fourth page of the Manual. Apothecary Huang checked against his copy and was astounded to find that he had got every word right. Even those lines smudged by blood, water and sweat, scratched by sand and disfigured by rough handling when Hurricane Chen and Cyclone Mei had struggled with their training.

More remarkable still was that the words rolling off Guo Jing's tongue were connected, logical and complete. The young man even filled in the missing characters from the quotes from Laozi's Classic of the Way and Virtue and Zhuangzi's Classic of Southern Florescence, which his wife had not set down in full.

Apothecary Huang could feel his heart skip a beat and a cold sweat dampen his robe.

Are you speaking to me through this youth, my dear? Did you remember every word of the Manual once you reached the next world and somehow pass it on to him?

Guo Jing's voice rang in his ears, enunciating clearly every word in the Manual. Even the garbled nonsense in the last section flowed like running water.

"I know you are sharing the Manual with me through this boy, Astra. Will you let me see you? I play the flute for you every night. Can you hear it?" Apothecary Huang spoke quietly into the sky. He was convinced that his wife had made her choice.

Now, everyone's eyes were fixed on the Lord of Peach Blossom Island, perplexed by the change in his countenance. They could see that he was mumbling, his eyes glinting with tears, but they did not realise he was talking to his late wife.

The vacant look on Apothecary Huang's face was eventually replaced by a fierce and frosty glare.

"You studied the Nine Yin Manual when it was in Cyclone Mei's possession, did you not?" He barked the accusation in Guo Jing's face.

"I was captured by her . . . She was going to strangle me to avenge her husband, but she needed me. She couldn't walk and so she made me carry her around. I acted as her legs so she could fight that night at the Jin Prince's residence. She didn't show me the Manual and I've never set eyes on it," Guo Jing said, alarmed by the malice in Apothecary Huang's eyes.

From the young man's panicked expression, it was clear to Apothecary Huang that Guo Jing was telling the truth. He also knew that Guo Jing's version was more complete than the volume he held, especially when it came to the strange concluding passage. His wife must have recovered her memory of the Manual, now that she had passed into the spirit realm.

Under normal circumstances, the rational and learned Apothecary Huang would not have believed something so outlandish as the deceased sharing knowledge with the living. But so in love was the Heretic and so devastated had he been by her premature death, he persuaded himself that his wife had spoken, that she had chosen her son-in-law.

Torn between joy and grief, he declared, "Brother Seven and Brother Viper, my late wife has made her choice and I will not dispute her decision. Son, I am giving you my daughter's hand. Please look after her. I have spoiled Lotus, and I hope you will indulge her whims."

"Hey, I'm not spoiled!" Lotus said with a giggle, ecstatic that she had her way at last.

This time without prompting, Guo Jing fell to his knees and kowtowed.

"Thank you, Father!"