Fierce fight in Xiangyang.
Yang Guo was just about to take his dagger out and stab Guo Jing when he suddenly heard three light flicks on the outside window. He quickly shut his eyes and kept still.
Guo Jing immediately woke up alarmed and said, âRongâer? Is there some kind of problem?â No more noises came from the window.
Guo Jing saw that Yang Guo was in a deep sleep and could hear his even snoring. He saw how easily he slept and didnât want to wake him, so he got up from the bed quietly and went to the door. He opened the door and saw Huang Rong in the courtyard signaling him with her hand. Guo Jing went to her and said quietly, âWhatâs the matter?â
Huang Rong did not reply and lead him to the garden. She took a look all around before saying, âI heard you and Guoâerâs conversation. Heâs up to no good, do you know that?â
Guo Jing was startled and asked, âHeâs up to no good?â
Huang Rong replied, âI could tell from his words that heâs been suspicious of you killing his father.â
Guo Jing said, âHe may be suspicious but Iâve promised that Iâll tell him all about the reasons for his fatherâs death in detail.â
Huang Rong said, âAre you really going to tell him everything?â
Guo Jing said, âI have always blamed myself for his fatherâs tragic death. Though Brother Yang Kang went down the wrong path, we did nothing to save him.â
Huang Rong gave a âhumphâ and said, âHow could he be saved? I just wished that Iâd killed him earlier. If I had, would your Masters have died on Peach Blossom Island?â
When Guo Jing recalled this bitter event, he couldnât prevent himself from heaving a long sigh.
Huang Rong said, âBrother Zhu sent Fuâer to tell me that thereâs something odd with Guoâer and she told me how you two were going to sleep on the same bed. I was worried that something might happen and I have been on guard by the window all along. Itâs better not to sleep in the same room as him. You should know that peopleâs thoughts are hard to fathom. His father⊠his father died from poison as a result of striking me on the shoulder.â
Guo Jing said, âIt canât be said that you killed him.â
Huang Rong said, âBoth of us had the thought of killing him in our minds and in the end he did die because of me. Although we didnât kill him with our own hands, thereâs not much difference.â
Guo Jing thought deeply for a while and said, âYouâre right. I wonât tell him about this. Rongâer, youâve been up for half the night, quickly go back to your room and rest. After tonight, Iâll move to the camp.â
He knew that his wifeâs wisdom exceeded his a hundred times and although he didnât believe that Yang Guo had any ill intent towards him, he did as she said. He stretched out his hand and put his arm around her waist and led her slowly into the inner halls. He said, âGuoâer used every ounce of strength he had to take back the position of the Chancellor of Wulin for us. He knows whatâs right and wrong when it comes to matters of the country; he risked his life in saving you and Fuâer twice; how can his father compare with his heroic nature?â
Huang Rong nodded her head and said, âYes, this is something thatâs wonderful to see in this young man, but he has two clouds hanging over him. One is the reasons for his fatherâs death and two, his relationship with his Master. I made Miss Long leave him but Guoâer seems to be all-knowing; somehow he found her again. From their expressions, it looks like theyâll never be separated again.â
Guo Jing kept silent for a while and then suddenly said, âRongâer, youâre even more all-knowing than Guoâer; think of a way to stop Guoâer from going down the wrong path.â
Huang Rong sighed and said, âI donât even know what to do about our daughter let along Guoâer. Brother Jing, I just have you in my heart and you have just me in yours. But our daughter isnât like us; she has two men in her heart, she treats each of the Wu brothers the same. This makes things difficult for us parents.â
Guo Jing accompanied Huang Rong to her room and helped her onto her bed. He covered her with a blanket and held her hand, sitting by the bed waiting for her to go to sleep. The pair had been busy with defending the country and hadnât had a chance to spend any quiet time with each other like this. The two looked at each other, in silence, in peace.
Huang Rong held her husbandâs hand and brushed it gently across her cheeks. She whispered, âBrother Jing, you name our second child.â
Guo Jing laughed, âYou know Iâm not good at that; why are you making fun of me?â
Huang Rong said, âYou still say that youâre not able. Brother Jing, thereâs no one in the world thatâs better than you.â She said these words with great sincerity.
Guo Jing lowered his head and kissed his loving wife on her face gently. He said, âIf itâs a boy, weâll call him Guo Polu, but what if itâs a girl?â He thought for a while and shook his head saying, âI canât think of one, you think of a name.â
Huang Rong said, âElder Qiu named you âJingâ so that you would not forgot the shame of the Jing Kang years. The Jin have been destroyed but now the Mongolians are threatening us. This child is going to be born in Xiangyang; weâll call her Guo Xiang so in the future sheâll remember that she was born in this city when it was surrounded by warring soldiers.â
Guo Jing said, âGood, but hopefully she will not be like her sister. Sheâs grown up now and she still makes us worry about her.â
Huang Rong smiled lightly and said, âIt doesnât matter if we have to worry butâŠâ She gave a sigh and said, âI really hope that it will be a boy so that the Guoâs will have an heir.â
Guo Jing stroked her hair and said, âA boy or a girl; will it not be the same? Just go to bed, donât think too much.â He pulled the blanket over her and blew out the candles. He returned to his room and saw Yang Guo in a deep sleep. The chime for the third hour could be heard. He returned to the bed and slept.
How would he know that when he was talking to his wife, Yang Guo was hiding behind the pavilion and heard every single word they said? When Guo Jing returned to the inner halls with his wife, Yang Guo stood there in a daze. His mind was repeatedly going over what Huang Rong had said, âI just wished that I killed him earlier⊠his father died from poison as a result from striking me on the shoulder⊠both of us had the thought of killing him in our minds and in the end he did die because of me.â He thought, âThereâs no more doubts, my father died because of the two them. Huang Rong is really wily; sheâs already suspicious of me. If I donât make my move today then I donât think Iâll ever get another chance like this.â He then returned to the room and slept on the bed quietly, waiting for Guo Jing to return.
Guo Jing slipped himself on to the bed and heard Yang Guoâs faint snoring. He thought, âThis child sleeps so soundly.â He rested his head lightly on the pillow, afraid that he would wake him up. A short while passed and he was about to fall asleep when he suddenly felt Yang Guo turning his body around slowly but while he was turning over, his snoring continued. Guo Jing was startled, âEveryone stops their snoring when they turn over in their sleep. Thereâs something wrong with his breathing, could it be that when heâs practicing his internal energy he circulated it in the wrong way? This isnât anything trivial.â The thought of Yang Guo pretending to sleep never entered his mind.
Yang Guo slowly turned around slowly and saw that Guo Jing did not notice him so he continued his faint snoring and got down from the bed. He had wanted to make his move while he was beneath the blanket but he was worried about how close he was to Guo Jing. It would be extremely dangerous for him. If Guo Jing sends out a last gasp palm at him then surely he would be killed. He had thought about sitting up to do it but he was still worried about how good Guo Jingâs martial arts were. In the end he decided to first get off the bed and stab Guo Jing in one of his vital areas before escaping out of the window. He was also afraid that if he stopped his snoring, Guo Jing would notice, so he kept up the pretence while he got down from the bed.
But by doing this, Guo Jing was fooled even more. Guo Jing was thinking, âCould it be that the child has a sleepwalking disease? If I make a noise now, he would break out in a shock, his chi in his dan tian would surge the opposite way and he would immediately fire deviate.â So he didnât make a move and listened out for his actions.
Yang Guo took out his dagger slowly and braced it against his chest with his right hand. He made his way to the bed step by step and suddenly gathered his chi into his arm to make his attack. Just as he was about to thrust the dagger, he heard Guo Jing call out, âGuoâer, what kind of nightmare are you having?â
Yang Guo was extremely shocked and he immediately darted out of the window. He was fast but Guo Jing was faster; before he touched the ground Guo Jing had already managed to grab him. Yang Guoâs thoughts went to despair, he knew that his enemy was much stronger than him and it would be of no use to resist so he closed his eyes and kept silent.
Guo Jing carried him back into the room. He placed him on the bed and sat him up with his hands hanging down in front of him, assuming the form of practicing Xuan Men chi.
Yang Guo was bitter and afraid, âI wonder what kind of evil method heâs going to use to torture me.â He suddenly remembered Xian Long Nu. He breathed in deeply and wanted to call out to her, âGu Gu, Iâve been captured, quickly run away.â
When Guo Jing saw him suddenly breathe in deeply and circulate his chi, he was even more convinced that he was having problems with the circulation of his chi and thought, âIn a situation like this one can only breathe in slowly and shallowly, itâs extremely dangerous to breathe in so quickly and deeply like this.â He quickly placed his palm against Yang Guoâs lower abdomen.
Yang Guoâs âdan tianâ was suppressed by Guo Jingâs profound internal energy and he couldnât call out. He was concerned for Xiao Longnuâs safety and struggled until his face went red but with his âdan tianâ suppressed, he couldnât move an inch.
Guo Jing said slowly, âGuoâer, you were too anxious in circulating your chi; this is called desiring speed and not transmission. Stop moving, Iâll help return your chi back to their original sources.â
Yang Guo was startled and didnât know what he meant by this; but then he felt a warm gradual chi entering his âdan tianâ from his palms that was extremely comforting. He then heard Guo Jing say, âSlowly expel your chi and slowly let this warm chi transmit through the âWater Divideâ to the âInterior Strengtheningâ through the âGreat Tower Gateâ, âTurtledove Tailâ to the âJade Hallâ, âFlorid Canopyâ, first clear the conception vessel, ignore the other meridians.
After hearing these words and feeling his chi clearing his meridians, he more or less gathered what was happening. He thought, âShocking! He thinks Iâve lost my mind due to me suffering a fire deviation.â He secretly circulated his internal energy and deliberately let his chi run wild, appearing not to be in control. Guo Jing was worried and increased the power in his palms, gathering his wild chi into one place. Yang Guoâs internal energy was now not shallow. Guo Jing found it slightly difficult to cope for a while when Yang Guo sent his chi surging wildly around his body. He had to waste around an hourâs time before he managed to return his contrary chi back into their original channels.
After this struggle, Yang Guo was completely drained of strength and Guo Jing too was extremely tired. The two of them sat in meditation. The sky lightened before they had recovered.
Guo Jing smiled, âGuoâer, are you okay now? I didnât know that your internal energy has reached such a good level already; even I almost couldnât control it.â
Yang Guo knew that in trying to save himself, Guo Jing had wasted a lot of his internal energy and was touched by this. He said, âThank you uncle Guo for saving me; last night I was almost crippled.â
Guo Jing thought, âLast night while you were confused, you actually raised a dagger to kill me; luckily you didnât know about this, otherwise wouldnât you be ashamed of yourself?â He was afraid that if Yang Guo knew about this he would feel sorry about it so he changed the subject and said, âCome with me outside of the city, weâll take a look at the cityâs defenses.â
Yang Guo replied, âYes!â
The two of them mounted a warhorse each and rode shoulder to shoulder outside of the city.
Guo Jing said, âGuoâer, the internal energy of the Quanzhen sect is the most orthodox in the world, though progress is slow, you will not run into any trouble. You can learn other sectâs and schoolâs martial arts but when it comes to internal energy it would be advisable to practice Xuan Men martial arts. Weâll study this together once the enemy has retreated.â
Yang Guo said, âDonât tell Auntie Guo about me fire deviating last night. If she finds out sheâll laugh at me for learning Long Gu Guâs unorthodox martial arts and blame me for making Uncle Guo suffer.â
Guo Jing said, âOf course I wonât say. Miss Longâs martial arts arenât unorthodox; itâs just that you werenât concentrating and didnât practice with a clear mind.â
Yang Guo knew that if Huang Rong found out about this she would immediately know the truth. When he heard Guo Jing promise not to tell Huang Rong, his mind relaxed.
The two of them headed west of the city and arrived at a stream.
Guo Jing said, âThough this is a small stream, it is very famous; it is called the Tan Torrent.â
Yang Guo said, âOh. I have heard people talk about the story of the Three Kingdoms; they mentioned that Emperor Liu of Shu leaped over the Tan Torrent on horseback. So, the Tan Torrent is located here.â
Guo Jing said, âThe horse that Liu Bei rode that year was called De Lu; the horse handler said that it would harm its rider. But in the end De Lu actually leaped over the Tan Torrent and escaped from the pursuing army, saving Emperor Liu of Shuâs life in the process.â When he talked about this, he couldnât stop himself from thinking about Yang Guoâs father Yang Kang. He gave a heavy sigh and said, âThe people of the world are just the same as the horse Du Lu; to the good it does good, to the evil it does evil. Is there such a thing as a definite good or evil person? The only difference between the two is that there is a contrast in thought.â
Yang Guoâs heart trembled and he took a look over at Guo Jing. There was an extremely hurt expression on his face; it appeared that these words werenât meant as an attack on him. Yang Guo thought, âYour words might be right but what is good? What is evil? You and your wife killed my father, could that be the actions of someone whoâs good? Your words really are brash; you donât know how shameful you are.â He had always had great respect for Guo Jing; but from now, whenever he remembers how his father died at their hands, evil thoughts filled his mind.
The two rode on for a little while and arrived at the top of a hill. From above one could see the flow of Han going southwards; refugees from all over were descending on Xiangyang. Guo Jing stretched out his horsewhip and pointed at the refugees. He said, âThe Mongolians must have intensified their slaughter of our people in Sixiang, destroying the homes of our citizens. Theyâre abominable.â
Looking down from the hill, one could see, by the side of the road, a stone slab with some words written on it. It said: Minister of Works for the Tang Dynasty, Du Fuâs hometown lies there.
Yang Guo said, âXiangyang is no ordinary city. So the hometown of this great poet is here.â
Guo Jing swept his whip and recited, âThe great city unlike metal, the small cities of over ten thousand zhangs⊠the joined clouds of lined up battles, the flying birds unable to rise beyond. Self-guarding with ruin, how can Xi Dou be recovered? ⊠Struggling with long halberds, history needs one man.â
Yang Guo heard him recite this with great passion and he recited it himself; âSelf-guarding with ruin, how can Xi Dou be recovered? Struggling with long halberds, history needs one man. Uncle Guo, this is a really good poem, was it written by Du Fu?â
Guo Jing said, âYes. A few days ago, your Auntie Guo and I were discussing the defense of Xiangyang and this poem by Du Fu came up. She wrote it out for me. I really like this poem but my memory is bad. I went over this poem many times but all I can remember are just a few lines. There have been many educated men in our history who have written poems; but over the years, they have proclaimed Du Fu as the greatest poet of all and itâs all because of his worry for his nation and people.â
Yang Guo said, âYou said, âa heroâs imperative is to serve your country, serve your peopleâ, literature and martial arts are different but the same can be applied to both.â
When Guo Jing heard him grasp this he was delighted and said, âI do not understand much about literature; but no matter what one becomes in their life, a merchant, a slave, a solider, as long as the thought âserve your country, serve your peopleâ is there, one can be a true man, a true hero.â
Yang Guo asked, âUncle Guo, do you think you will be able to defend Xiangyang?â
Guo Jing thought for a while and then pointed to the hills and trees to the west before saying, âIn Xiangyangâs history, the most famous person is Zhuge Liang. Twenty âliâ (10km) west of here is a thriving place. It was the place where he lived in seclusion. Coarse people like me canât fathom the deeds that he did saving our nation and bringing peace to our people. He once said that all he knew was that one must follow the phrase âbending your body to the task until your dying dayâ. Whether it would lead to success or failure, he didnât know. When your Auntie Guo and I talked about whether Xiangyang can be defended or not; we ended up with these same words.â
Just as they were talking, they saw that the refugees who were at the doors of Xiangyang had suddenly turned around while the refugees behind kept on flowing forward towards Xiangyang. It was chaos.
Guo Jing was shocked and said, âWhy arenât the guards letting them into the city?â He galloped towards the city and saw a line of archers with their bows armed pointing at the refugees.
Guo Jing called out, âWhat are you doing? Quickly open the gates.â
When the guards saw that it was Guo Jing, they quickly opened the gates and let him and Yang Guo in.
Guo Jing said, âThese people are being persecuted by the Mongolians, why arenât you letting them in?â
The general guarding the gates said, âGeneral Lu said that spies have hidden themselves amongst the refugees; we cannot let them in for that reason.â
Guo Jing shouted, âEven if there are one or two spies, how can we show no regard for these hundreds of lives? Quickly open the gates.â
Guo Jing has been guarding the city for a long time now and had many great achievements; though he did not have an official post, the general guarding the city did not dare to disobey his orders and opened the city gates. At the same time, he ordered a messenger to report this to Lu Wende.
Old and young all converged on the city. Suddenly, a dust cloud appeared far away; the Mongolian army was moving in from the north. The Song soldiers scattered and went back inside the walls of the city. A large group of people stood out in front of the oncoming enemy; they were all clothed in rags and all had a stick in their hands, none had a real weapon and they were scattered. They called out, âDonât shoot arrows here; weâre Song citizens as well!â
The Mongolian army however sheltered themselves behind the refugees.
Ever since the times of Ji Si Khan, whenever the Mongolian army attacked a city, they would first send the citizens of the surrounding country towards the city they were attacking. If the soldiers who were guarding the city weakened their resolve at this sight, the Mongols would immediately come forward and attack. By using this method, the Mongolian army was able to slaughter the citizens of the nation they were attacking and defeat their opposition in the city, killing two birds with one stone. It was extremely brutal and cruel but effective.
Guo Jing had been with Mongolian army a long time and knew about this tactic, but there was nothing he could do to counter it. The Mongolian soldiers held the spears and long sabers to the front as they forced the citizens of the Song forward. The people were forced closer and closer and the people closest the city began to climb up the ladders.
Lu Wende rode his horse and took a look around at what was happening. When he saw the urgent situation they were in he immediately ordered, âDefending the city is the main priority, fire the arrows!â
Arrows rained down and many people were struck. Those who werenât fell back. The Mongolian army chopped heads with their sabers and pierced bodies with the spears and the refugees were forced back towards the city.
Yang Guo stood next to Guo Jing and watched this tragic scene in anger.
Lu Wende called out, âFire the arrows!â Arrows rained down once more.
Guo Jing shouted, âStop, you canât kill good people!â
Lu Wende said, âIn such an urgent situation, even if it is a good person, we have to kill them.â
Guo Jing shouted, âNo, how can you kill good people wrongly?â
Yang Guoâs heart trembled, âYou canât kill good people wrongly! How can you kill good people wrongly?â
Guo Jing called out, âMy Beggar Clan brothers and my Wulin friends follow me!â He then rushed down towards the city gates. Yang Guo followed him.
Guo Jing said, âYou suffered an injury when practicing chi last night; you cannot exert any kind of strength today. Go back to the city wall and watch whatâs happening.â
Yang Guo saw his fellow Han being treated worse than animals by the Mongolian army and wanted to go down with Guo Jing and do some killing. He was startled when he heard this but he couldnât tell Guo Jing that last night was just an act; so he returned back up the city wall.
Guo Jing led a group of people and opened the western gate. They rushed out and attacked the Mongolian flank. The Mongolian troops who were forcing the refugees forward turned towards Guo Jing.
The people Guo Jing was leading were good fighters of the Beggar Clan and patriots that had been gathered from all over China. They shouted and attacked; over a hundred Mongolian soldiers were immediately forced off their horses. The Mongolian army saw that their thousand soldiers were not able to fend them off and so another thousand came forward from the side. The Mongolian soldiers were all experienced, brave and vicious; though the group Guo Jing was leading knew martial arts, they were not able to subdue the Mongolians for the time being. When the refugees saw that the Mongolian soldiers were not pushing them forward any longer, they scattered.
A horn blew from the east and two Minghan regiments (division of 1000 men) surged forward. Another two Minghan regiments from the west dashed forward and surrounded Guo Jing and his group.
Lu Wende was scared witless when he saw the might of the Mongolian army; how would he dare to send men out for a rescue?
Yang Guo stood at the top of the city walls and kept on going over what Guo Jing had said, âYou canât kill good people wrongly! How can you kill good people wrongly?â When he saw Guo Jing surrounded he thought, âAll the guards had to do was to let some arrows fly and kill a few people and they would have been able to stop this Mongolian attack. The reason Uncle Guo is in all this danger is because he didnât want to kill good people wrongly. He doesnât know these people yet he risks his life to save them; why did he want to kill my father?â
He saw the tragic killing below but all he could think about was this riddle; âHe and my father were sworn brothers; this isnât any ordinary kind of relationship, but in the end he still wanted to harm him. Could it be that my father was an evil person?â Ever since he was little he had always thought of his father as someone who was chivalrous, brave and heroic; one of the greatest men on earth. To acknowledge that his father was an evil person was something that he could not do. But in his heart, he had the feeling that his father could not compare to his Uncle Guo; but whenever he had this feeling, he forced it back down. Right now however, he couldnât stop himself from thinking about this point.
The cries below the city walls were ear shattering. Guo Jing and his group dashed left and surged right but they still were unable to break out. Zhu Ziliu led a group of men and the Wu brothers and Guo Fu led another to save them; but the Mongolian horn was blown once again and another four Minghan units surged forward to the city gates. Khubilai was indeed skilled in warfare. If the city gates opened to save Guo Jing and the others, the four divisions would break into the city.
Lu Wende was shocked senseless now and ordered, âDo not open the city gates!â Two hundred men who were ordered to guard the gates were told to kill anyone daring to try to open the gates. General Wang led a group of archers at the top of the city walls and they fired their arrows incessantly.
Chaos ruled both outside and inside the city while Yang Guoâs mind was in the same state; sometimes he wished that Guo Jing would perish in this battle, while at others, he wished that Guo Jing would be able to drive the enemy back.
Suddenly, the formation of the Mongolian soldiers was broken up; thousands of mounted soldiers collapsed back to the sides as though the tides swept them. Guo Jing galloped ahead with a long spear in his hands. The Han behind him formed a tight formation and they surged forward. They managed to get to the city gates. Guo Jing turned his steed around and went to defend the back of the group. His long spear knocked seven or eight Mongolian Generals off their steeds. The Mongolian soldiers stopped pressing for the time being.
Lu Wende relied on Guo Jing heavily and when he saw him escape danger he was ecstatic; he quickly called out, âOpen the gates! But only a little, donât open the gates too wide!â
The city gates opened three or four feet and just allowed one rider in at a time. All the men returned to the city. The yellow flag of the Mongolian army was waved and two divisions of soldiers on horseback charged forward from both sides.
Lu Wende called out, âBrother Guo Jing, quickly get back into the city! We canât wait for the others.â
How could Guo Jing enter the city while he still had men outside? He turned his horse back and killed two Mongolian soldiers that had ridden up to him.
But once the army was in motion, they moved like the waves of the sea. Guo Jing was skilled in martial arts, but how could one person defend against the attack of a large army?
Zhu Ziliu saw the situation was urgent and quickly lowered down a rope. He called out, âBrother Guo, grab it.â
Guo Jing turned his head and saw the final Beggar Clan member had entered the city but he was followed by ten Mongolian soldiers. The guards at the gates fought them off and began closing the city gates. The two foot thick metal gate slowly closed. Guo Jing shouted and killed an Arban Chief with his spear before leaping up to take the rope. Zhu Ziliu pulled up with all his strength and Guo Jing rose up ten feet.
The Noyan who was supervising the troops ordered, âArrows!â Immediately, a thousand bows released their arrows. Guo Jing was prepared for this. He tore off the lower part of his gown and swung it in front of his body with his left hand like a shield while he kept hold of the rope with his right hand. The gown was unyielding and blocked off all the arrows; but the steed that he had left behind outside the city walls was killed by the raining arrows. Zhu Ziliu pulled with both hands and pulled Guo Jing up higher and higher.
Guo Jing was around twenty feet away from the top of the city wall when a tall skinny monk appeared amongst the Mongolian army. He was wearing a yellow Buddhist gown; it was none other than Jinlun Fawang. He took a bow from one of the Mongolian soldiers and raised it. He knew that Guo Jing and Zhu Ziliuâs martial arts were high and would be able to avoid any arrows he shot at them so instead he aimed for the rope. It was a vicious move. The arrow was ten feet away from both Guo Jing and Zhu Ziliu; the two had no way to stop this arrow. Jinlun Fawang was afraid that the two might come up with a way to stop this arrow so he fired two more arrows, one at Guo Jing and the other at Zhu Ziliu. The first arrow severed the rope while the second and third arrow headed for Guo Jing and Zhu Ziliu with great force.
When the rope severed, Guo Jing dropped and the arrow aimed at him missed. Zhu Ziliu felt the weight in his hand lessen and called out; âOh no!â The arrow had arrived. It was a very forceful arrow; the person who fired it must have very profound internal energy. The top of the city walls were filled with people, if Zhu Ziliu lowered his head to avoid this arrow, someone behind might be injured. So he stretched out the second finger on his left hand and touched the stem of the arrow, diverting it back down the city wall.
Guo Jing was slightly alarmed when he felt the rope part; though he wonât be injured by the fall, he would be surrounded by thousands and thousands of soldiers. How could he fight his way out of that? The Mongol army is right next to the city gate now; if my side opens it to let me in, the Mongols would definitely take the opportunity to push through. There was no time to think in this danger; his left foot flicked up against the wall and he flew up over ten feet. His right foot followed and he rose up another ten feet. Very few people were proficient in this âStairs to Heavenâ technique. Even those who were well versed in it could only manage two or three feet per step; but on this slippery wall, each step of Guo Jingâs took him over ten feet. Guo Jingâs martial arts were frighteningly good. Silence broke out on the battlefield as everyone fixed their eyes on him.
Jinlun Fawang was slightly startled when he saw this. However, he knew that when one uses the âStairs to Heavenâ, they must make their leap in one breath. If Fawang could distract him and disturb his breathing then Guo Jing would not be able to make his third step, so Fawang raised his bow again and shot an arrow towards Guo Jingâs back.
The arrow flew like the wind. Shouts of, âNo arrows!â were heard from soldiers from both the top of the city walls and down below. Both sides saw the terrifyingly good skills of Guo Jing and were in awe; they all hoped that he would make it. The Mongolians were the enemy but had much respect for great heroes and great men, they were all furious when they saw someone had fired an arrow at Guo Jing.
Guo Jing knew that the arrow behind him had a tremendous force behind it. He called out in alarm, âNot now!â He had to use his hand to deflect it away. Both sides cheered when they saw that the arrow failed to hit him. But with this earth shattering noise, Guo Jing was falling back down the city wall. There were only a few feet to the top of the city wall but Guo Jing had no way to climb up it.
When the two sides were fighting, the same was happening within Yang Guoâs heart. In the short space of time that Guo Jing climbed up, dropped down, climbed up and dropped down again, Yang Guoâs mind repeatedly went over, âHe killed my father, should I kill him or not, or should I save him or not?â
When Guo Jing was using the âStairs to Heavenâ technique, Yang Guo had thought about throwing out a palm at Guo Jing. Guo Jing was in midair and had nothing to support himself with; he would definitely suffer a serious injury and fall back down from the city wall.
But as he was hesitating, Fawang had already fired an arrow at Guo Jing that stopped him from coming up. Yang Guoâs mind was in confusion. Suddenly, he grabbed the severed rope in Zhu Ziliuâs hand with his left hand and leapt down from the city wall towards Guo Jing, grabbing Guo Jingâs arm with his right hand.
This was a move out of the blue but Zhu Ziliu responded with great speed. He first lowered the rope down slightly before gathering strength into his arms and urgently pulled the rope upwards. Yang Guo and Guo Jing arced in circle like two large birds flying in the sky. The soldiers on both sides watched with their mouths open.
When Guo Jing was in midair he thought, wouldnât it mean he had lost in this exchange if he doesnât reply to this sneak attack by this evil monk? He saw Fawang had fired another arrow. As soon as his left foot touched the top of the city wall he immediately grabbed a bow from one of the guards and fired an arrow of his own towards Fawangâs arrow. The arrows collided in midair and Fawangâs arrow was split into two. Fawang was stunned. Suddenly, a fierce gust arrived; a âzhengâ sound was heard as the metal bow in his hands snapped in two.
Though Guo Jingâs and Fawangâs martial arts were within a hairsbreadth of each other, Guo Jingâs archery skills were unsurpassed. He had learned archery from one of the greatest Mongolian archers, Zhe Bie (Jebeh), when he was young and his internal energy was profound â when it came to archery, Fawang lost out.
Guo Jing had fired three arrows; the first divided Fawangâs arrow, the second snapped Fawangâs bow and the third was fired towards Khubilaiâs flag.
Khubilaiâs flag had fluttered in the wind gloriously amongst the thousands of soldiers, but now it had fallen. Soldiers from both sides shouted and hollered.
Khubilai saw his armyâs morale drop after Guo Jingâs display and immediately ordered his men back.
Guo Jing stood at the top of the city wall and watched the Mongolians retreat. They were marching back in formation and in line; those who were at the front didnât rush and those who were at the back showed no fear. He couldnât stop himself from sighing and thinking, âOur weak Song army cannot compete with the great Mongolian army.â He frowned as he worried about the fate of his nation.
Zhu Ziliu, Yang Guo and the others were in awe of Guo Jing when they saw that he had no signs of pride of his face even after displaying his might in front of thousands.
Khubilai pulled his men back tens of miles and then started to think of a plan to take the city. With Guo Jing at the helm, it would be difficult to take it.
Fawang said, âYour highness saw for yourself; if it werenât for Yang Guo, Guo Jing would be dead now. I knew that Yang Guo was not a man of his word.â
Khubilai said, âNo! I think itâs because he wants to Guo Jing to die by his own hands and not at the hands of others. He appears to be a brave and valiant man; he is not a conniving fellow.â
Fawang didnât agree but he didnât dare to answer back, he just said, âHopefully your highness is correct.â
Xiangyang city was safe now that the Mongolian army had pulled back. Lu Wende was delighted and threw another banquet to celebrate it. This time, Yang Guo was also invited.
Everyone praised him for his swift and life risking actions in saving Guo Jing. The Wu brothers sat at another table and were filled with jealousy. Yang Guo had made a great achievement immediately after arriving at Xiangyang. They were also afraid that after this event, Guo Jing would again insist on betrothing his daughter to Yang Guo. The brothers didnât say a word and just sat there, drinking wine.
Everyone returned to the Guo residence when the banquet finished. Huang Rong invited Yang Guo into the inner halls and praised him. Yang Guo replied with modest words.
Guo Jing said, âGuoâer, youâve just exerted a fierce force, does your chest hurt?â Guo Jing was worried that by using unrestrained force, Yang Guoâs internal injury would flare up.
Yang Guo was worried that Huang Rong would ask about this further and see through this so he quickly replied, âIâm fineâŠIâm fine.â He changed the subject immediately and said, âUncle Guo, the kung fu that you used to fly up the city wall was excellent, there isnât another who can match that in the world of Wulin.â
Guo Jing gave a little smile and said, âI learned this kung fu a long time ago and havenât practiced it for years; Iâm a little rusty with it and that was why I ran into a bit of trouble.â In actual fact, if he hadnât used his chi and internal energy to help Yang Guo protect his âdan tianâ last night, he would have been able to fly up the city wall using the âStairs to Heavenâ technique even with Jinlun Fawangâs interference. Naturally, he didnât mention this and said, âYears ago in Mongolia, the Red Sun Elder Ma taught me this skill; who would have thought that I would have to use it today. If you like this skill Iâll teach it to you in a few days time.â
Huang Rong saw that Yang Guo seemed absent minded and his thoughts were somewhere else. His rescue of Guo Jing was seen by thousands, there was nothing suspicious about this but she still felt uncomfortable and said, âBrother Jing, Iâm not feeling well tonight, stay with me.â
Guo Jing nodded and said to Yang Guo, âGuoâer, youâre tired, go and rest.â
Yang Guo said his goodnights to the two and went back to his room alone. He heard the call for the second hour. He sat in front of the table and stared at the flickering candlelight with many thoughts running through his head. Suddenly, a noise came from the door. A girlâs voice said, âYouâre not sleeping?â It was Xiao Longnu. Yang Guo leapt up in delight and opened the door. Xiao Longnu was standing in front of him dressed in a light green gown.
Yang Guo asked, âGu Gu whatâs the matter?â
Xiao Longnu said, âI wanted to see you.â
Yang Guo held her hand and said tenderly, âI was just thinking about you.â
The two of them strolled out to the garden. The scent of the flowers and trees filled the air. Xiao Longnu looked at the semi-circled moon in the sky and said, âDo you have to kill him with your own hands? We havenât got much time left.â
Yang Guo quickly whispered into her ear, âThe walls have ears here, donât talk about it.â
Xiao Longnu looked at him enraptured and said, âWhen the moon is full, the time will be up.â
Yang Guo was alarmed and counted with his fingers; it had been nine days since they parted from Qiu Qianchi. If he doesnât kill Guo Jing within the next two days, there will not be enough time to hurry back to the valley before the poison reacts. He let out a sigh and sat down on a taihu stone (limestone rocks found in Lake Tai) with Xiao Longnu. The two looked at each other without saying a word and they became wrapped up in their love, forgetting all about matters of killing and avenging.
Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps could be heard from behind the garden fountain, two people were approaching.
A girlâs voice said, âIf youâre going to keep nagging me then you might as well just get a sword and slit my throat to stop my torment.â
An angry male voice said, âHuh, donât you think I donât know that youâve got more than one man in your heart? That Yang punk showed off in front of everyone after arriving in Xiangyang. Do you remember what you said before?â It was Guo Fu and Wu Xiuwen.
Xiao Longnu made a face at Yang Guo, trying to scold him for flirting with girls everywhere and tormenting them. Yang Guo gave her a smile and pulled her closer to him. He shook his head lightly, telling her not to make a noise.
When Guo Fu heard these words, she became furious and raised her voice, âSince youâve made your mind up then forget everything I said before. Iâll go somewhere far away by myself; Iâm not going to see Yang Guo and Iâm not going to see you.â A tearing sound was heard; Wu Xiuwen must have tugged her sleeve and Guo Fu must have pulled it back.
Her voice became even angrier as she said, âWhat are you doing? So what if he shows off? Whatâs it got to do with me? If my parents betroth me to him Iâd rather die than agree to it. If father forces me then Iâll run away. That Yang Guo has always been an attention grabber since he was young, but I choose not to give a damn about him. Father thinks heâs some kind of treasure whereas I think that heâs not a good person.â
Wu Xiuwen said quickly, âYesâŠYes. I was stupid just now, please forgive me sister Fu. If I act like that again, then I wonât have a good death and when I reincarnate, Iâll reincarnate as the king of cowards.â Feelings of joy seeped through as he said this. Guo Fu giggled.
Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu looked at each other and smiled; one was thinking, âLook, look at how others view me.â The other thought, âI was wrong just now, I love you but others love someone else.â
Though Guo Fu had a scolding tone in her voice and treated Wu Xiuwen almost like a child, making him obedient and completely enchanted. She had tender feelings for him.
Wu Xiuwen then said, âMaster wife loves you very much; beg her day and night non-stop. If Master wife agrees not to betroth you to the one named Yang, then master will not be able to say anything.â
Guo Fu said, âHuh, what do you know? Father may listen to mother but when it comes to important matters, mother will not stand up to father.â
Wu Xiuwen gave a sigh and said, âItâll be great if you treat me the same.â
Suddenly, a âpaâ sound was heard and Wu Xiuwen called out in pain. He said quickly, âWhy are you hitting meâ
Guo Fu said, âWho told you to say things like that? Iâm not going to marry Yang Guo, and Iâm not going to marry you, you little monkey.â
Wu Xiuwen said, âFine, fine. Finally youâve admitted it. You donât want to be my wife but you want to be my sister in law. Let me tell you something⊠let me tell you somethingâŠâ He was flustered and couldnât finish his sentence.
Guo Fuâs voice suddenly became gentle and tender as she said, âLittle brother Wu, youâve told me a thousand times, a million times how you feel about me, I already know. Though your brother hasnât even said one word of this kind, I know that he loves me. No matter who I pick, one of you brothers will be broken hearted. Donât you know how hard it is for me?â
Wu Dunru and Wu Xiuwen had always relied on each other ever since they were young because they lost the care of their parents; but in the last few years, the two of them had fallen madly in love with Guo Fu and both were troubled by the other. Wu Xiuwenâs heart was filled with angst and tears actually fell from his eyes.
Guo Fu took out a handkerchief and gave it to him. She sighed, âLittle brother Wu, we all grew up together, I have great respect for your brother but I find it easier to talk to you. I am not biased towards any of you. Youâre trying to force me to make a clear choice now, if you were me, what should I say?â
Wu Xiuwen said, âI donât know. All I know is if you marry someone else, life would not be worth living.â
Guo Fu said, âLetâs stop talking about this. Father fought for his life against the enemy today while weâre talking about some trivial stuff here in the garden; if father finds out about this then weâll both be in trouble. Little brother Wu, let me tell you, if you want to please my parents then why donât you try to stand out, achieve some great deeds in battle? Wonât my parents look down on you if you keep on hanging around me?â
Wu Xiuwen leapt up and said loudly, âYouâre right, Iâll go and assassinate Khubilai and rid the threat to Xiangyang. When that happens, will you agree to marry me?â
Guo Fu smiled, âIf you can do such a thing then I would have no other choice but to marry you, wouldnât I? But Khubilai has many guards around him. Even my father may not be able to beat that Jinlun Fawang. Stop dreaming, just go and sleep.â
Wu Xiuwen stared at Guo Fuâs elegant face and said, âFine, you go and sleep as well.â He turned around and walked away a few steps before suddenly stopping. He turned and asked, âSister Fu, are you going to have a dream tonight?â
Guo Fu laughed, âHow do I know?â
Wu Xiuwen said, âIf you do dream, what do you think you will dream about?â
Guo Fu gave a little laugh and said, âMost probably about a little monkey.â
Wu Xiuwen was filled with joy and skipped away.
Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo listened to their words behind the flower thicket. They couldnât stop themselves from grinning at each other and comparing themselves with them: one was madly in love with the other while the other didnât have a set mind; while they had only each other in mind and could die without regret. That coupleâs joy and happiness could not compare with the joy and happiness of themselves.
After Wu Xiuwen left, Guo Fu sat on the stone bench and looked up at the moon in deep thought. She stared at it for a long while before letting out a sigh.
Suddenly, someone came out from behind the garden fountain and said, âSister Fu, why are you sighing?â It was Wu Dunru.
Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu were both slightly startled. Wu Dunru must have hid himself here a long time ago, he was here even before they in fact, otherwise the two would have noticed him when he arrived here.
Guo Fu said with a slight angry tone, âYou are always weird like this. You heard everything we said, right?â
Wu Dunru nodded and stood opposite of Guo Fu at quite a distance away but his eyes were still filled with love. The two looked at each other in silence.
After a while, Guo Fu said, âWhat do you want to say to me?â
Wu Dunru said, âNothing. You know what I have to say.â He turned around and then slowly walked away.
Guo Fu stared at his back while he walked away towards the garden fountain. He didnât turn around even once. She thought, âWouldnât it be great if only one of them existed?â She gave a deep sigh and returned to her room alone.
Yang Guo waited until she had gone before laughing, âIf you were her, who would you marry?â
Xiao Longnu turned her head slightly and thought for a while before saying; âYou.â
Yang Guo laughed, âI donât count. Miss Guo does not like me one bit. I said if you were her, which one of the Wu brothers would you pick?â
Xiao Longnu compared the two Wu brothers in her mind but still came up with, âIâll still marry you.â
Yang Guo was amused and touched. He embraced her and said tenderly, âOthers have more than one in their hearts but my Gu Gu loves me only.â
The two of them stayed in each others loving arms until daylight.
The sun was on the eastern horizon. The two still did not want to part. Suddenly, a servant rushed up to them and greeted them before saying, âMaster Guo requests Master Yangâs presence immediately,â
Yang Guo saw that his face was anxious and knew that it was something important. He left Xiao Longnu and followed the servant to the inner halls.
The servant said, âI searched for master Yang everywhere; master Yang was appreciating the scenery in the garden.â
Yang Guo said, âHas Master Guo been waiting a long time?â
The servant whispered, âThe two masters Wuâs suddenly disappeared, Master and Madam Guo are worrying about them and Miss Guo cried a few times!â
Yang Guo was startled when he heard this but he knew what had happened. âThe two Wu brothers are trying to fight for the hand of their apprentice sister and want to do something outstanding; they must have gone to assassinate Khubilai. He hurried inside and saw Huang Rong looking distressed in her nightgown with Guo Jing pacing to and fro. Guo Fuâs eyes were red and it looked like she was going to cry at any time. There were two swords on the table.
As soon as Guo Jing saw Yang Guo he quickly asked, âGuoâer, the Wu brothers went to the Mongolian camp, do you know why?â
Yang Guo glanced over at Guo Fu and said, âThe Wu brothers went to the Mongolian camp?â
Guo Jing said, âYes. You young ones always talk to each other, do you have any clue about why they went?â
Yang Guo said, âI didnât notice anything. The two Wu brothers did not say anything to me. Itâs probably because they were worried about the danger that Xiangyang was in so they went to the camp to kill a few senior generals. Itâll be a great achievement if they succeed.â
Guo Jing sighed and pointed to the swords on the table. He said, âEven if their hearts are in the right place, they donât know what they are getting into; their weapons have been taken away and sent back here.â
Yang Guo was rather surprised by this. He knew that the Wu brothers would not be able to succeed with such great fighters such as Jinlun Fawang, Yin Kexi, Xiaoxiang Zi and the likes around; but he wouldnât have predicted that it would happen in the past few hours and that their weapons would be sent back.
Guo Jing gave the letter that was on top of the weapons to Yang Guo and glanced at Huang Rong. The two of them shook their heads. Yang Guo opened the letter and saw:
To Hero Guo of Xiangyang from the First Protector of Mongolia Jinlun Fawang,
Last night when I was hunting, I unexpectedly came upon your disciples by the name of Wu. People say that great Masters will produce great disciples; I cannot deny this. I have long admired and marveled at Hero Guoâs great name. Last time we meet at the heroesâ feast, we did not get the chance to make acquaintances. I have written to you to invite you the camp so we may do so and share wine. As soon as you arrive, your disciples will be returned safely. Will you accept this invitation?
The letter had a humble tone and it appeared to be an ordinary invitation for Guo Jing to go to the camp and make acquaintances with Fawang. But what the letter really was saying is that the Wu brothers will only be released if Guo Jing agrees to go to the camp.
Guo Jing waited for Yang Guo to finish reading before saying; âWell?â
Yang Guo knew what this was about, âAuntie Guoâs wisdom is ten times greater than mine, Auntie Guo would have come up with any plan that I could think of. The reason she summoned me to discuss this matter is for one reason only; she wants me and Gu Gu to accompany Uncle Guo to the Mongolian camp. Fawang, Xiaoxiang Zi and the others together might beat Uncle Guo but it isnât guaranteed that theyâll be able to kill and capture him. If Gu Gu and I help him, Uncle Guo will be able to escape.â He then immediately came up with, âBut if Gu Gu and I suddenly changed sides, to harm him will be as easy as turning my palm. If I canât kill him with my own hands, then Iâll just let Fawang and the others to do it for me, wouldnât that be great?â He then gave a wry smile and said, âUncle Guo, my Master and I will go with you. Auntie Guo has seen our swordplay defeat Jinlun Fawang; they might not be able to keep us there if the three of us go together.â
Guo Jing was delighted and smiled, âNo one can compare with your intelligence apart from your Auntie Guo. This is the exact thing that your Auntie Guo came up with.â
Yang Guo thought, âHuang Rong, oh Huang Rong, youâve been clever all your life but today you lose out to me.â He said, âWeâll go right now. Gu Gu and I will pretend to be your attendants, that way we will be able to emphasize your heroic manner in coming to this meeting all by yourself.â
Guo Jing said, âGood!â He turned to Huang Rong and said, âRongâer, you donât need to worry, with Guoâer and Miss Long, even if it was a dragonâs lagoon or a tigerâs lair, weâll still be able to return safely.â
He straightened his gown and said, âWeâll get Miss Long.â
Huang Rong shook her head and said, âNo, I just wanted Guoâer to go with you. Miss Long is like a porcelain doll, I cannot let her meet any danger. I want her to stay with me.â
Yang Guo was startled but then immediately understood, âAuntie Guo is indeed wary of me. She wants to keep Gu Gu with her as a hostage, that way I wonât be able to do anything. If I insist of having Gu Gu with me, she will be even more suspicious.â He didnât say anything about it.
But Guo Jing said, âMiss Longâs swordplay is excellent, it would be a great help if she comes with us.â
Huang Rong countered, âYour Polu or Xiangâer are about to be born. If Miss Long is here to guard me, I can relax a bit more.â
Guo Jing said quickly, âYes, yes, Iâm so dumb. Guoâer, letâs go.â
Yang Guo said, âAllow me to tell my Gu Gu.â
Huang Rong said, âIâll tell her in a minute, you two are just going to the camp for half a day, itâs not some great event.â
When it came to using their minds, Yang Guo found himself losing out to Huang Rong every time. So he decided to use his against the honest and sincere Guo Jing instead. Heâll make his move against him in the camp and then come back to save Xiao Longnu afterwards. He made his mind up and left the city with Guo Jing.
Guo Jing rode the precious red horse and Yang Guo rode his skinny yellow horse. The two horses were fast and they arrived at the camp within one hour.
Khubilai was startled and delighted that Guo Jing had actually decided to come here and he quickly invited him into his tent.
Guo Jing entered the tent and saw a middle-aged Prince sitting in the middle of the tent. He had a square face and large ears with deep-set eyes; Guo Jing was stunned when he saw this and thought, âThis person looks so much like his father Tuo Lei.â He was very close to Tuo Lei [Tolui] when he was younger but now he had passed away; his eyes turned red at this thought and he almost cried.
Khubilai left his seat to greet him and bowed down to him, saying, âWhen my father was alive, he always praised the heroic and righteous Uncle Guo. I have always admired Uncle Guo. To have the opportunity to meet you is the fulfillment of my lifelong dream.â
Guo Jing bowed to him and said, âTuo Lei and I were like brothers; when I was younger, my mother and I lived in Genghis Khanâs territory and it was your father who looked after us. It is very sad that he died suddenly at such a young age.â
Khubilai heard that his words were sincere and they moved him. He then introduced Xiaoxiang Zi, Yin Kexi and the others to him and then invited him to his place.
Yang Guo stood behind Guo Jing and pretended that he didnât know any of them. Fawang and the others did not know why he came but when they saw him ignoring them, they ignored him.
However, Ma Guangzuo called out, âBrother YaâŠâ Before he finished saying âbrother Yangâ, Yin Kexi had pinched his leg tightly. Ma Guangzuo called out, âWhat are you doing?â
Yin Kexi turned his head around and ignored him. Ma Guangzuo didnât know who did this and kept on shouting out insults. He forgot about greeting Yang Guo.
Yang Guo sat down and drank some Mongolian milk wine. Yang Guo saw that the Wu brothers were not present and was about to ask their whereabouts when Khubilai ordered his attendants; âInvite the Masters Wu in.â The attendant did as he was told and pushed Wu Dunru and Wu Xiuwen into the tent.
Their hands and legs were tied tightly with cowhide. The restraints between their legs were just a foot long so the two couldnât take their normal strides. They could only struggle slowly forwards. Their faces were filled with embarrassment when they saw their Master. They called out, âMaster!â and then lowered their heads in silence.
Guo Jing had been extremely angry with them for taking such a risk without telling anyone and causing this mess, but when he saw the two, his feelings changed. Their clothes were torn and blood stained and they were tied up so pathetically, his anger turned to pity. He thought that although the two were reckless, their hearts were in the right place by trying to help the nation, so he said warmly, âA martial artist will endure countless sufferings and countless defeats, what youâve suffered is nothing.â
Khubilai pretended to scold his attendants and said, âI ordered you to look after these two Masters Wu with great care, why have you treated them like this? Quickly untie them.â The attendants followed his orders. However, the cowhide was soaked in water after being tied and had shrunk tightly into the skin, the attendants couldnât untie it.
Guo Jing left his seat and took the ends of Wu Dunruâs restraints. He pulled outwards lightly and the restraints snapped. He then did the same with Wu Xiuwenâs restraints. Guo Jingâs movements looked plain, ordinary and seemed to lack sufficient force, but by succeeding, he showed he possessed great internal energy. Xiaoxiang Zi, Yin Kexi, Nimoxing and the others looked at each startled, and all secretly praised his martial arts.
Khubilai said, âBring some wine quickly so you can apologize to the two Masters Wu.â
Guo Jing thought, âTodayâs not going to be plain sailing; somethingâs going to happen soon. If the Wus donât leave now, Iâm going to be distracted.â He then made a bow to everyone in the tent and said clearly, âThank you your Highness for teaching my disciples a lesson for their insolence.â He then turned to the Wu brothers and said, âGo back and tell your Master wife that Iâm going to stay here for a while and talk with an old friendâs son, Iâll be back soon.â
Wu Xiuwen said, âMaster, youâŠâ Last night they failed in their assassination attempt and were captured by Xiaoxiang Zi. He knew that the camp was filled with great fighters and he couldnât stop himself from worrying about Guo Jing.
Guo Jing waved his hand and said, âLeave now! Go and tell General Lu to guard the city tightly and no matter what happens, do not open the city gates in case of an attack by the enemy.â Guo Jing said this with a mighty aura and was telling Khubilai that even if something happens to him, Xiangyang will not surrender.
When the Wu brothers saw that Guo Jing had come personally to save them, they were touched but also ashamed of themselves. They didnât say anything else and made their goodbyes with Guo Jing before returning to the city.
Khubilai laughed, âUncle Guo must not have known about your disciples coming here to assassinate me.â
Guo Jing nodded and said, âI did not know about this. My disciples donât know how tall the sky is and how deep the earth is, they were extremely impudent.â
Khubilai said, âYes, Uncle Guo and my family have deep ties with each other, the thought of assassinating me would never cross Uncle Guoâs mind.â
Guo Jing said with a serious expression, âYouâre wrong here. The matters of the people are more important than my own. Years ago when Tuo Lei led an army here to attack Xiangyang, I once thought about trying to kill him to force the army to retreat. But at that exact time, Genghis Khan fell ill and the army retreated and so our brotherhood was preserved. Thereâs a saying, âplace righteousness above family loyaltyâ, since a family can be gotten rid of, why not friends?â
These words were said with a righteous air and Fawang, Yin Kexi and the others all looked at each other with changed faces.
Yang Guoâs chest trembled and he thought, âYes, killing brothers is his best skill. I wonder what my father did all those years ago to eventually die by his hands. Guo Jing, oh Guo Jing, could it be that youâve never made a mistake in your entire life?â As he thought about this, hate and fury slowly filled his chest.
Khubilai did not show any signs of anger and had a smile on his face as he said, âSo why does Uncle Guo reproach your disciples when you have the same view?â
Guo Jing said, âLooking at their lowly abilities, what chance had they of succeeding in this task? Their failure is not important, itâs just that once they failed, you will be even more wary of someone assassinating you; this task would be made even more difficult for later assassins.â
Khubilai laughed and thought, âIâve heard that Guo Jing is an honest and simple person whoâs not very good with words, who knew that he can actually speak with such spirit and gusto.â
Actually, Guo Jing was just saying what was on his mind and because he knew what he wanted to convey; he was able to say it with great sincerity.
When Fawang and the others saw that he came alone and empty handed to this vast army without any signs of fear on his face; they were in complete awe of him since none of them could match the spirit that he was displaying.
Khubilai couldnât stop himself from admiring Guo Jing. When he saw Guo Jingâs lofty air and thought that if he could convince him to join his command, it would be better than taking down ten Xiangyang cities. So he said, âUncle Guo, the Song are in disarray. You have an Emperor who is blind to the peopleâs plight, you have scoundrels in your courts and those who are loyal are punished, am I right?â
Guo Jing said, âCorrect, Emperor Li Zhonghuang is a blind man and the Prime Minister Jia Sidao is the biggest crook of them all.â No one guessed that he would actually insult his own emperor and leaders. Everyone was startled.
Khubilai said, âYes. Uncle Guo is a great man and a hero of our time so why do you work for such men?â
Guo Jing stood up and said clearly, âEven if the one named Guo is unworthy, why would I allow myself to let those people use me? When I see you violent Mongols invading our land and killing my people, my blood boils. Iâm doing this for my people; the angry blood that flows through me is because of them.â
Khubilai patted on the arms of his chair and said, âWhat great words. Everyone, give a toast to Uncle Guo.â He raised his bowl and downed the wine in one go.
Everyone was getting anxious and they were all afraid that with these stirring words and his relationship with Khubilaiâs father, Khubilai might actually let him go. It would be extremely difficult to capture him again but no one could do anything. When they saw Khubilai raise his bowl, they did the same and drank it down in one go. The attendants filled their bowls once more.
Khubilai said, âI once heard an old man say, âItâs the people of the land that are important, not the Khan.â What a truthful phrase. The land of Mongolia is in a state of peace; my people live happily and have what they need. My Khan could not bear to see the people of the Song suffer and when he saw that no one was doing anything about it, he sent his troops south to help end the troubles of the people. This thought is the same as Uncle Guoâs, we both have the same heroic view. Come, letâs toast again.â
Fawang and the others all raised their bowls to their lips. Guo Jing swept his sleeve and sent a gust of wind over. There was a bout of âqiang lang langâ noises as everyoneâs bowls fell to pieces on the floor.
Guo Jing angrily shouted, âStop! Ever since you Mongols invaded our land, you have killed and slaughtered; corpses and bones mount up while blood flows like rivers. My citizens have lost their homes and countless have died by your armyâs sabers and arrows. What troubles of my people are you ridding them of?â
Though this sweep of the sleeve was extremely sudden and was completely unexpected, it still managed to knock the bowls out of the hands of Fawang and the others who possessed great martial arts. Everyone felt shame and they all stood up, waiting for Khubilaiâs orders to attack.
But Khubilai gave a long laugh to the sky and said, âThe Generals of the Mongolian army say that Uncle Guo is a hero without a match, everyone is full of admiration for Uncle Guo. Indeed after seeing you with my own eyes, I now know that your great name is not a myth. I do not dare harm the brotherly relationship of my father; because of the past letâs stop talking about matters of the country?â
Guo Jing saluted with his hands and said, âTuo Lieâs son is a magnanimous and open-minded man, and none of the other Mongolian princes can compare with him. He will no doubt lead the country one day. I have some advice for you, would you like to listen?â
Khubilai said, âI am willing to listen to Uncle Guoâs teachings.â
Guo Jing folded his arms and said, âThe land of the Southern Song is vast and the people many. Talented and learned men are everywhere, and since history began, these kinds of men have not submitted to anyone. You Mongols might be able to expand your territory for a little while but in the future, you will be forced back north. When that happens, it will be disastrous for you and to regret it then will be too late. Please reconsider what you are doing.â
Khubilai smiled, âThank you for your words.â
Guo Jing heard him say these words casually and said, âWeâll say our goodbyes at that. Goodbye.â
Khubilai waved his hand and said, âEscort the guests out.â
Fawang and the others looked at each other startled and all thought, âIt wasnât easy to catch him, how can we let the tiger escape back into the mountains?â When they saw Khubilai sending Guo Jing out politely, they all felt that it was inappropriate to make a move on him.
Guo Jing strode out of the tent and thought, âThis Khubilai is no ordinary person; he is indeed a strong foe.â He signaled with his eyes towards Yang Guo, telling him to hurry towards their steeds.
Suddenly, eight Mongols dashed forward from the sides. The leading Mongol said, âYouâre Guo Jing? You injured many of my brothers at Xiangyang and youâve actually dared to come here to our camp to show off your might again. His highness has allowed you to go but we cannot allow it.â With a shout all eight men dashed forward towards Guo Jing. These eight men all used Mongolian wrestling techniques as sixteen hands went to grab Guo Jing.
Mongolians are unmatched in wrestling and these eight men were first-rate fighters in the Mongolian army. Khubilai had hid them nearby to capture Guo Jing. But Guo Jing grew up in Mongolia and was well versed in riding, archery and wrestling; when he saw the eight pair of arms coming towards him he stretched out his hands and swept his right leg. In a flash, he had flung four men over ten feet away and tripped the other four onto the ground. He used orthodox Mongolian wrestling techniques but because he had advanced martial arts as a base, the strength in his arms and legs was stronger than any normal men. How could the eight men defend against this?
Khubilai had stationed his personal Minghan unit outside the tent and each one of them was skilled in wrestling. They saw how fast and clean Guo Jingâs movements were in throwing down eight men to the ground in one go. They had never seen such a display and they all cheered.
Guo Jing held out his fist towards the crowd and took off his hat, spinning it in his hand. This was the routine that one did to the crowd after winning a wrestling match. The crowd cheered even louder when they saw him do this. The eight men picked themselves up from the ground and looked at Guo Jing in shock. They didnât know whether to go again or just leave it at that.
Guo Jing said to Yang Guo, âLetâs go!â
Suddenly, a horn could be heard and Minghan regiments from everywhere galloped towards them. Khubilai had moved his troops and surrounded Guo Jing and Yang Guo.
Guo Jing was slightly shocked and thought, âEven if we had the greatest of skills, how could we break out of this? Who would have thought that Khubilai had gone to such lengths to get me captured?â He was afraid that Yang Guo would get worried so he kept a normal expression and said, âOur steeds are fast horses. Our main priority is to break out of this encirclement. We need to get two shields to protect ourselves from their archers.â He then whispered into his ear, âFirst gallop south and then go north.â
Yang Guo was shocked, âXiangyang is south of here, why go north?â But he immediately understood, âHmm, yes, Khubilai must have placed his men around Xiangyang in case he went south. The north will be free of soldiers. First go south and then go north unexpectedly; they will not be able to respond in time and we can escape. How should I stop him?â
Yang Guo was trying to make his mind up when he saw a few people dart out of the tent. These people had blocked their path. A âming mingâ sound followed as a bronze and iron wheel flew towards the steeds; it was Fawang.
Guo Jing saw that the wheels were coming in with great force and did not dare to use his hands to catch them. He lowered his head and pressed down on the necks of the two horses with his hands; the horses lowered their front legs just in time for the iron and bronze wheel to brush over their heads. The two wheels turned in midair and flew back into Fawangâs hands. This slight delay allowed Nimoxing and Yin Kexi to arrive in front of Guo Jing and Yang Guo. Fawang and Xiaoxiang Zi arrived a little later and the four surrounded them.
Jinlun Fawang, Xiaoxiang Zi and the others were all first rate fighters and normally would not lower themselves to fight in numbers, but Guo Jing was too strong and they were all thinking about the title of âThe Greatest Warrior of Mongoliaâ. White and golden light glimmered as all of them took out a weapon.
Fawang was holding a bronze and iron wheel. Yin Kexi was holding a golden jewel embedded whip. Xiaoxiang Zi was holding a short Ku Sang Rod. The person holding the strangest weapon was Nimoxing. In his hand was a short iron Snake whip that looked like a live snake as it was moved on his arm.
From their running movements and their hand movements in taking out their weapons, Guo Jing could see that the weakest out of the four appeared to be Yin Kexi. He immediately threw both his palms forwards towards Xiaoxiang Zi. Xiaoxiang Zi extended his rod forward, aiming for Guo Jingâs palm. Guo Jing looked at his weapon and saw white silk twirling around it and there was hemp at one end. Guo Jing saw that Xiaoxiang Ziâs martial arts were high and his weapon strange, heâll definitely have some strong points about him, so he turned his right arm around and used a stance of âDivine Dragon Sweeping its Tailâ, he immediately grabbed Yin Kexiâs golden whip. Yin Kexi wanted to use his whip to attack his opponent but it had already been grabbed. He followed the opponentâs pull and threw his body forward with a glittering dagger in his left hand. This stance was using an attack as a defense and it was the top skill of the âEighteen Little Grabbing Hand Techniqueâ.
Guo Jing called out; âGood!â He used his grabbing hand technique on him again. His right hand still held onto the whip as he went for his dagger. Guo Jingâs arms were crossed over as his right hand held onto the whip in Yin Kexiâs right hand and his left hand held onto Yin Kexiâs left hand. Yin Kexi was sure that by thrusting his dagger forward, his opponent would have no choice but to let go of his whip and avoid the dagger. Who would have thought that his dagger would also be held?
At this time, Fawangâs wheels and Xiaoxiang Ziâs short rod attacked. Guo Jing did not manage to snatch away the golden dragon whip with his first pull and he shouted out; a surge of great chi went through the whip into Yin Kexi. Yin Kexi felt as if a metal hammer had struck his chest heavily, his eyes saw stars and he threw up a mouthful of blood. Guo Jing let go of the whip and blocked the attacks. Yin Kexi knew that he had suffered a severe injury and he pulled back slowly. He sat down on the ground and circulated his chi through his âdan tianâ and held back the urge to vomit more blood.
Fawang, Xiaoxiang Zi and Nimoxing were both delighted and afraid when they saw Guo Jing injure Yin Kexi with his first attack. They were delighted because there was now one less competitor for the title of the âGreatest Warrior of Mongoliaâ, but they were also afraid because they saw how powerful Guo Jing was. They themselves might suffer the same fate if they werenât careful. The three of them did not dare make any rash moves and defended themselves.
Guo Jing responded to every stance that came to him and studied the strange weapons of Nimoxing and Xiaoxiang Zi carefully. The Ku Sang rod was made out of pure iron and apart from being heavy and sturdy; he couldnât see anything special about it. Nimoxingâs snake shaped weapon was very strange, the head of the weapon was like the head of a poisonous snake and the body of the weapon was soft and crooked. Both the head and tail of the snake shaped weapon were sharp but the most powerful aspect of the weapon was that it was hard to predict the weaponâs movements. One couldnât tell when the body of the snake would bend over, the head and tail of the weapon had no certain direction; the iron snake whip would suddenly leap up and whirl around in Nimoxingâs arms and then suddenly curl up and slither around, the weapon had hundreds of variations.
In his younger years, Guo Jing had seen the stances of Ouyang Fengâs snake staff; the staff was like a real snake and it had venomous poison with it. Even if Nimoxingâs weapon was extremely powerful, it was still a dead object. When he attacks and when he takes the snake back, there will be certain principles behind it that can be seen through. Because of this, the only person that Guo Jing was worried about was Jinlun Fawang.
The four of them had exchanged several moves when suddenly someone shouted and stepped forward, a man mountain appeared; it was Ma Guangzuo. He was holding a thick and long bronze rod in his hand and smashed it down towards Guo Jingâs head from behind Nimoxing. The four of them were in a heated battle and all of them defended tightly, there was not an ounce of spare space in between any of them. The exchange from Guo Jingâs palms, Jinlun Fawangâs wheels, Xiaoxiang Ziâs short rod and Nimoxingâs iron snake had formed a net of force around them. By smashing the rod down, Ma Guangzuo was running up against the force created by the four. Ma Guangzuoâs rod suddenly bounced back up as it met this invisible force. He noticed something was wrong and shouted out as he gathered strength into his arms to keep control of the rod. Even though he managed to do this, the joints in his hands bled. He called out loudly, âEvil, evil!â He increased the strength in his arms and smashed down once more.
Fawang was standing in front of him and he saw what was happening, the greater the force he smashes down with, the more heâll suffer and Fawang just chuckled.
Yang Guo watched from the side and knew what would happen; though Ma Guangzuo was strong, his martial arts could no way compare with that of Guo Jing. If he makes a fierce attack blindly and meets up with the worldâs most yang and unyielding âEighteen Dragon Subduing Palmâ of Guo Jing head on, what chance would he have of living? Even if he doesnât die under the palm of Guo Jing, he would be seriously injured by the weapons of Fawang, Nimoxing and Xiaoxiang Zi. He liked this dim-witted person for his simple and straightforward character and for standing up for him on many occasions. If Ma Guangzuo strikes down he would definitely meet great danger so Yang Guo called out, âMa Guangzuo, watch out for my sword!â
The gentlemen sword went for his back.
Ma Guangzuo was stunned and stopped his bronze rod in midair. He said with shock, âBrother Yang, why are you fighting me?â
Yang Guo insulted, âYou Dumbass, what do you think youâre doing? Get away!â The long sword quivered as several stances were thrust forward. Ma Guangzuo could do nothing but retreat. Yang Guo pierced forward furiously and forced him back step by step. Ma Guangzuo had long legs and every step of his was the equivalent of two ordinary steps by a normal person. Ten steps later and they became quite a distance away from Guo Jing and the others.
The sword glimmered in front of his eyes. He could never have dreamed that Yang Guo would suddenly try to kill him and even if he used every ounce of strength he had, he would not be able to fend off these attacks by Yang Guo.
Yang Guo waited until he had retreated back a few more steps before quietly saying, âBrother Ma, do you know that Iâve just saved your life?â
Ma Guangzuo said loudly, âWhat?â
Yang Guo said quietly, âKeep your voice down, donât let the others hear.â
Ma Guangzuo said with his eyes wide open, âWhy? Iâm not afraid of that Guo Jing.â These words were still said clearly and loudly. To him, he was speaking at a normal tone but to others his voice was like someone was shouting and hollering.
Yang Guo said, âOkay donât speak, just listen to me.â Ma Guangzuo listened to him and nodded. Yang Guo said, âThat Guo Jing knows witchcraft. All he has to do is to recite a curse and heâs able to chop someoneâs head off. Itâs better if you run away as far as possible.â
Ma Guangzuoâs eyes opened wider when he heard this and believed his words though he had doubts.
Yang Guo wanted to save his life and he knew if he said that Guo Jingâs martial arts were too high, he would never admit defeat; but if he said that Guo Jing knew witchcraft, this slow witted person would probably be scared. He continued, âYou tried to smash his head in with your rod but before you even touched his head, the rod bounced back up, isnât that strange? That merchantâs martial arts are excellent but how come as soon as he went up to fight him, he was injured?â Ma Guangzuo was becoming slightly more convinced and nodded his head but looked over at Fawang and the others.
Yang Guo knew what he was thinking and said, âThat monk knows how to write charms. He gave one to that zombie and one to that dwarf, if you have one on your body, you will be protected against witchcraft. Did that monk give you one?â
Ma Guangzuo said angrily, âNo.â
Yang Guo said, âYes, that old baldy didnât give me a charm as well. Weâll sort him out afterwards.â
Ma Guangzuo said loudly, âYouâre right. What should we do?â
Yang Guo said, âWeâll watch from the side, the further away the better.â
Ma Guangzuo said, âBrother Yang, youâre a great friend. It was lucky you told me about this.â He put away his weapon and watched the battle from afar.
Guo Jing was using the great Wulin skill the âEighteen Dragon Subduing Palmsâ. Fawang and the others kept tight on him thinking that even if his internal energy was more profound, he would not be able to keep up so powerful a palm technique for much longer. But Guo Jing had been practicing the âNine Yin Manualâ diligently for the last twenty years; at first his real power did not show but tens of stances later, the âEighteen Dragon Subduing Palmsâ suddenly became powerful and then suddenly gentle, from great hardness came softness. This was something that Hong Qigong did not manage to grasp all those years ago. By using this kind of palm technique to fend off these three fighters, not only did he remain on an even level with them, he was able to counterattack when he had the chance and he was getting more and more fluent as he went on.
Yang Guo watched in awe from the side. He too had practiced the âNine Yin Manualâ in the ancient tomb; but because he had no one to instruct him, he didnât know that the manualâs arts were this extraordinary. He followed Guo Jingâs palm techniques with the teachings of the manual in mind and immediately he understood countless profound fist theories. His mind concentrated on this and for the time being, he forgot about killing Guo Jing to avenge his father.
Fawangâs martial arts and Guo Jingâs martial arts were separated by the smallest of margins; Guo Jing may have had more fortunate encounters than Fawang but Fawang was twenty years older than he and had twenty years worth of internal energy more than Guo Jing. If the two fought one on one, they would have to exchange over a thousand stances to decide who was better. With first-rate fighters such as Nimoxing and Xiaoxiang Zi by his side, it shouldnât have been difficult to gain victory over Guo Jing. But Guo Jingâs âEighteen Dragon Subduing Palmsâ were too powerful and along with his palm technique, he was using Quanzhenâs âBig Dipper Formationâ. He went to and fro as he fought and it was as if he had separated into seven. Another reason why he was still holding them off was because of his immediate victory over Yin Kexi; this was a warning to the others and the remaining three made defense their main priority and did not dare to make a rash attack. Although it was three against one, Guo Jing still held his own against them.
After a few more stances, the power in Fawangâs wheel gradually increased. The force of the attacks from Nimoxingâs iron snake was increasing as well.
Guo Jing was getting anxious and thought, âIf this continues, I wonât be able to hold them off. Guoâer is over fighting with that giant. That giantâs martial arts are just average, Guoâer will be able to manage. I need to get over to him as soon as possible and think of a way to get out of this place.â The four were putting all their concentration into their battle and did not dare to even blink; they did not notice Yang Guo and Ma Guangzuo were just watching their battle.
Suddenly a strange whistling noise was heard. Xiaoxiang Zi leapt up several feet into the air and pointed his Ku Sang rod downwards. Guo Jing stepped to the side to avoid it when suddenly everything went dark; a black smoke was being emitted from the Ku Sang rod. A stench filled Guo Jingâs nose and he felt slightly faint. He called in alarm to himself and knew that there was something poisonous within the Ku Sang rod and he quickly moved backwards.
Xiaoxiang Zi had seen Guo Jing had definitely taken in the black smoke but he did not faint. He was extremely shocked and thought, âLions, tigers and any kind of wild beast would faint as soon as they come across my toad poison. But it doesnât seem to have any kind of effect on him; that is strange.â He leapt up once again and shot out some more poison from his rod.
Years ago when Xiaoxiang Zi was practicing martial arts in the wild mountains of Hunan, he saw a toad that was hiding itself in a broken coffin. It had poisoned a large python to death. He understood what the toad had done and gathered some toads to extract the venom from them. He developed a poisonous dust and secreted it in the Ku Sang rod. There was a lever at the end of the rod. When his finger pressed down on the lever it would shoot the poison out. The higher above he fires the poison from, the more effective it becomes. He has used this poisonous dust on pythons and wild beasts before and it knocked them out immediately; but he could not have guessed that Guo Jingâs internal energy was so profound that he was actually able to suppress the effects of the poison.
Fawang and Nimoxing were to the side of Guo Jing and although they did not come in direct contact with the dust, they had smelled a little and they immediately had the urge to vomit. They quickly leapt away from it. Xiaoxiang Zi had plugged the antidote to this poison in his nose beforehand and he dashed forwards into the black smoke, waving out his rod to attack.
Guo Jing used a stance of âSeeing the Dragon in the Fieldâ and sent it towards Xiaoxiang Ziâs kneecaps. Xiaoxiang Zi used his rod to block the attack and before he had any more time to fire some more poison out, he had been forced back five feet by the palm.
Guo Jing slanted his body to the side only to see Nimoxing coming in with an attack with his iron snake. He sent out a stance of âThe Forbidden Submerged Dragonâ. Nimoxing quickly placed the Iron Snake across his chest and held each end with his hands. However, the power of this palm of Guo Jingâs came from the area around the palm and not in the palm itself. Though the palm was going for Nimoxingâs chest, there was no kind of force going towards it and he blocked thin air. By the time he knew something was wrong, his abdomen and his face had felt the power of the palm. Luckily for him, he was very short and as a result was very nimble, he quickly threw himself down and rolled away on the ground like a ball.
Guo Jing saw his chance to escape and called out, âGuoâer, letâs go!â He leapt out into the open plains. Fawang flew after him. Guo Jingâs back was just a few feet away from the Mongolian soldiers and immediately over ten spears were pointed towards it. Guo Jing used his arms to parry away the spears and then grabbed and threw two soldiers towards Fawang. He called out, âCatch!â
If Fawang caught them, it would slow him down and give Guo Jing the chance to run further away so he slanted his left shoulder and knocked into the soldiers and sent them flying over ten feet away. He threw his golden wheel towards Guo Jingâs back.
Guo Jing knew if he returned just one stance, he would get caught up in a fight with Fawang. When Nimoxing and Xiaoxiang Zi catch up, it would be difficult to escape again, so he grabbed two spears and thrust them backwards. He did not slow down one bit as he did this and it was as if he had a third eye on his back; one of the spears went towards Fawangâs right shoulder and the other for Fawangâs chest. Both the direction and power behind it was complete. Fawang secretly praised this and then swept his golden wheel across, smashing the spears in two. By the time his sights were back on Guo Jing, he had already darted into the Mongolian army.
This division of soldiers was ordered by Khubilai to station themselves deeply around the tent to capture Guo Jing. But when Guo Jing darted into their formation, the soldiers could do nothing about him; they could not capture him nor harm him. Sounds of spears and sabers could be heard along with calls and shouts. These soldiers actually hindered Fawang and the others in their chase after Guo Jing.
Guo Jing hiding himself amongst the soldiers and horses was like hiding himself in a dense forest; it was actually easier for him to escape danger like this than in the open land. He ran up to a Noyan and pulled him down from his horse. He leaped on the horse and galloped left and right amongst the crowd of soldiers. Soon he managed to break through the rear of them and he galloped forward, whistling as he went. The red horse was left at a faraway place and when it heard its master summoning it; it galloped like the wind towards him.
Yang Guo watched from afar as the red horse galloped towards Guo Jing. He thought to himself, âOh no!â He knew that once Guo Jing got on the red steed, Khubilai would have no way to catch up with Guo Jing even if he sent all the worldâs men after him.
In this urgent situation, he suddenly called out, âOh no, Iâm feel as if Iâm dying!â He wobbled a bit as if he was about to fall down onto the ground. He then whispered to Ma Guangzuo, âDonât say anything, run away now! The further away the better.â He had circulated his chi through his âdan tianâ when he called out and even in this clamor, Guo Jing would definitely be able to hear it. When Guo Jing heard this, he would definitely come back for him, but if he sees Ma Guangzuo with him, Guo Jing might actually throw out a palm and send Ma Guangzuo to his death. Ma Guangzuo was very obedient to Yang Guoâs words and although he didnât understand what he meant by this, he ran away towards the royal tent.
When Guo Jing heard Yang Guoâs call, he was indeed worried. He didnât wait for the red horse and turned his horse back towards him. He went back into the swarm of soldiers and galloped towards where Yang Guo was standing.
A thought went through Fawangâs mind and he knew what Yang Guo was trying to do. He allowed him to pass and instead blocked his escape route.
Guo Jing rode up to Yang Guo and said anxiously, âGuoâer whatâs wrong!â
Yang Guo swayed a little and said, âThat giant is not a match for me but for some reason, whenever I try to use any real strength, a surge of chi runs through me and my âdan tianâ feels as if itâs being cut up by knives.â
This was a completely believable lie; Guo Jing could tell that Ma Guangzuoâs martial arts were very ordinary when he attempted to smash down on him with his rod, so if Yang Guo said it was Ma Guangzuo who injured him, Guo Jing would be suspicious. But if he said that somethingâs wrong with his chi, Guo Jing would not be able to tell if he was lying or not from the outside. There was also the fact that Guo Jing mistook Yang Guo for fire deviating the previous night. The likelihood of this type of injury recurring again in the heat of battle is not uncommon.
Guo Jing saw that he was holding his abdomen with his left hand and his head was covered in sweat. It appeared that the injury was not light and he said quickly, âGet on my back; Iâll carry you out of here.â
Yang Guo said with a false pretence, âUncle Guo, quickly go, my life isnât worth anything but Xiangyangâs fate depends on you. The country, the army, the people, and all their hopes rest on you.â
Guo Jing said, âYou came here because of me; how can I leave you here? Quickly get on.â
Yang Guo dallied as Guo Jing lowered himself. Guo Jing pulled him onto his back. Just at this time, the horse that Guo Jing had snatched was killed by the Mongolian soldiersâ arrows.
Guo Jing had experienced countless dangerous situations in his life; the more dangerous the situation the greater his bravery. He pondered on how to get out of this situation and he said to Yang Guo, âGuoâer, donât be afraid, we are going to fight our way out of here.â He stood up and dashed north.
Fawang, Nimoxing and Xiaoxiang Zi were now attacking Guo Jing once again. Guo Jing looked around and saw that soldiers surrounded them; this situation was even direr than the previous time that they were surrounded.
Beneath the campâs banner stood Khubilai. He was holding a bowl of wine and was watching the battle with a monk by his side. There was an arrogant expression on his face as he watched on with victory assured.
Guo Jing gave a shout as he carried Yang Guo towards Khubilai. He arrived in front of Khubilai after just three leaps. Khubilaiâs bodyguards were alarmed and they pointed their spears at Guo Jing. Guo Jingâs palms overcame all obstacles as it sent one of the guards flying away. Just a few more feet forwards and Khubilai would be in range of Guo Jingâs palm. All Khubilaiâs guards defended him with their lives but how could they stop Guo Jing?
Fawang saw it was getting desperate and he threw his golden wheel towards Guo Jingâs head. Guo Jing lowered his head to avoid the wheel but did not stop and continued forward.
Yang Guo thought, âIf he holds Khubilai hostage, the Mongolians will have no choice but to let him go. If I donât make my move now, when am I going go make it?â He hesitated a little and eventually said, âUncle Guo was my father really a tyrant that left you with no choice but to kill him?â
Guo Jing was stunned with this question but he had no time to give it much thought in his reply in their present situation and immediately replied, âHe took a scoundrel as his father, he betrayed his country and plotted against his people, he deserved to die.â
Yang Guo said, âFine!â He hesitated no longer and raised his gentlemen sword and thrust it towards Guo Jingâs back.
Suddenly, a white blur appeared and a rod swept across and blocked his sword. Yang Guo followed the rod and dispersed the opponentâs force. He looked carefully and found out that it was Xiaoxiang Zi who had stopped his sword. He was surprised and thought, âMy sword was just about to go through Guo Jing, why are you stopping me?â But he immediately understood his reasons, âThatâs right; if I kill Guo Jing then the title of âMongoliaâs Greatest Warriorâ will be mine. Huh, this zombie doesnât know that Iâm just trying to avenge my father; I donât care about titles and whatnot.â He unleashed several stances and forced Xiaoxiang Ziâs rod away. He turned his sword back towards Guo Jing and thrust it towards him once again. Xiaoxiang Zi used his rod and blocked his sword.
At this moment, Guo Jing was fending off Fawangâs wheel and Nimoxingâs Iron Snake with his palms; he didnât know what Yang Guo was up to. He just thought that Yang Guo was trying to fight Xiaoxiang Zi with all his might and he said, âBe careful of the poison in his rod.â
Fawang and Nimoxing were in front of Guo Jing and could see what was going on clearly and both shouted, âXiaoxiang Zi, what are you doing?â
Xiaoxiang Zi cackled and suddenly swept his rod towards Guo Jing. Guo Jing moved out of the way. Yang Guo was about to send his sword through Guo Jing for the third time but once again, Xiaoxiang Zi blocked his sword.
Guo Jing was worried about Yang Guoâs injury and was afraid that he would not be able to cope with Xiaoxiang Ziâs rod so he sent out his left palm towards Xiaoxiang Ziâs chest. Xiaoxiang Zi quickly jumped out of the way.
Yang Guo had no one to stop him now and he sent out his sword towards Guo Jingâs back. However, Xiaoxiang Zi was worried that Yang Guo would succeed and he advanced immediately after his retreat and sent his rod towards the vital pressure points on Yang Guoâs back, forcing Yang Guo to save himself first.
Guo Jing was using his right palm to compete advanced internal energies with Fawang. Both he and Yang Guo were in great danger. He ignored his own safety and tried to save Yang Guo first. His left palm used a stance of âDivine Dragon Swinging its Tailâ and collided with Xiaoxiang Ziâs short rod. Xiaoxiang Ziâs arm burned and his ghastly white face turned red.
But at that exact time, Nimoxing had rolled towards him and extended his Iron Snake towards Guo Jingâs left side. Guo Jing was using seventy percent of his energy against Fawang and the remaining thirty percent in blocking Xiaoxiang Ziâs rod. He had nothing left to block this attack of Nimoxing and could only move his left side back half a foot. He was able to avoid the iron snakeâs main attack but the head of the iron snake still managed to embed itself inches into his side.
Guo Jing circulated his chi and his muscles flexed and stopped the head of the iron snake from going in any further. He immediately followed this by a flying left kick and sent Nimoxing tumbling. Nimoxing saw that his iron snake had struck one of his vital areas and thought that the title of the âMongoliaâs Greatest Warriorâ would be now be his. But he would never have dreamed that his enemy would have such incredible martial arts that would allow him to grasp victory from the jaws of defeat. This kick landed on Nimoxingâs chest and broke three of his ribs.
Xiaoxiang Zi and Nimoxing had both been defeated but Fawang took this opportunity to gain victory and quickly increased the strength in his palm. Guo Jingâs chi on his left side has now been disturbed and he could hold on no longer. He felt a mountain shattering and ocean turning force coming towards him. If he continued to take this head on, the result would be death. He could only disperse the power in his palm and rely on his twenty years worth of internal energy to take this stance. His body swayed continuously and he threw up a mouthful of blood. His life was in danger but his thoughts were still on Yang Guo. He called out, âGuoâer, go and get a horse, Iâll hold them off.â
After seeing Guo Jing protect him with his life, Yang Guoâs emotions were stirred and he no longer cared about his revenge. He thought about how righteous and virtuous his Uncle Guo was, if he didnât repay a life with a life then he will have wasted his life on earth. He leapt off his back and flurried his âGentlemanâ sword to protect Guo Jing. He was like a mad tiger and fought with his life with every stance.
Fawang and Xiaoxiang Zi were stunned and shouted, âYang Guo, what are you doing?â
Yang Guo did not reply and sent out a stance towards Fawang. The tip quivered and another stance was sent out towards Xiaoxiang Zi. The two saw that his eyes were red and that he had a strange expression on his face; they both took two steps back. They assumed that he wanted to kill Guo Jing himself in order to get the title of the âGreatest Warrior of Mongoliaâ.
Guo Jing said, âGuoâer, donât worry about me, save yourself.â
Yang Guo replied, âUncle Guo, itâs my fault that youâve ended up like this. Iâm going to die with you.â The sword glimmered as he ignored his own safety and protected Guo Jing.
Fawang and Xiaoxiang Zi raised their weapons and attacked Guo Jing together. But Yang Guoâs sword stances were extremely lively and he actually kept the two at bay. The Mongolian army surrounded them and roared as they watched the three fight.
Guo Jing kept on urging Yang Guo to run away but all he saw was Yang Guo protecting him with his life. He was worried but also touched. His internal injury flared up and he could hold on no longer; his knees went limp and he fell to the ground.
Nimoxing held down the pain of his broken ribs and advanced forward slowly with his iron snake to kill Guo Jing. Yang Guo sent out several wild stances and then put Guo Jing on his back. He dashed north.
His martial arts could not compare with Fawang normally but now with Guo Jing on his back, how long could he last? Several exchanges later, his left arm was slashed open by Fawangâs golden wheel.