Yang Kang felt redness came creeping to his entire face, but his heart turned cold. “She must have heard my conversation with father king in here.” He stood still not knowing what to do.
Mu Nianci saw he was distressed, her heart melted; she did not have a heart to reveal the secret that he was the one who let Wanyan Honglie go, for fear that Guo Jing and Huang Rong would kill him out of their angers.
“You called him ‘Father’, wasn’t that better? It was much more intimate than if you call him ‘Father King’, wasn’t it?” she coldly said. Yang Kang felt so ashamed; he hung his head and did not say anything.
Huang Rong did not know what was going on; she thought this young woman was upset and blamed Yang Kang for not coming earlier to rescue her. He pulled Guo Jing’s sleeve and whispered, “Let’s go out, I am sure those two will immediately make up.” Guo Jing smiled and went along with her.
“Let’s eavesdrop what they are saying,” said Huang Rong as soon as they reached the courtyard.
Guo Jing smiled, “Don’t you intentionally create trouble. I don’t want to go.”
“Very well!” Huang Rong sulked. “Just don’t be disappointed if I heard something interesting and I won’t tell you about it.” She leaped to the roof and walked quietly back to the west wing; only to hear Mu Nianci was speaking harshly.
“You called an enemy your father. I can understand that considering your past relationship; you will get over it. Who would have thought you have delusional thoughts; you want to destroy the country of your own parents, this … this …” Speaking to this point she was so furious that she could not continue.
Yang Kang smiled nervously. “Little sister, I …” he said softly, but Mu Nianci cut him short. “Who is your little sister? Don’t touch me!” she screamed. ‘Slap!’ her hand left a red print on Yang Kang’s face.
Huang Rong was surprised. “They were fighting already, must stop them,” she thought. Entering through the window she laughed and said, “Aiyo! Even if you don’t agree with each other, please don’t resort to violence.” But she stopped dead on her track seeing Mu Nianci’s cheeks were fiery red while Yang Kang was very pale. She was about to open her mouth again when Yang Kang suddenly shouted, “Good! You have met the new one and abandon the old. Your heart is already occupied by another that you treated me like this.”
“You … what did you say?” Mu Nianci stammered. Yang Kang snickered, “You and that fellow surnamed Ouyang. His martial art is ten times better than mine; of course you would immediately brush me off from your heart.”
Mu Nianci was so angry that her hands and feet were icy-cold; she nearly passed out.
Huang Rong interrupted, “Brother Yang, you must not speak nonsense; if Sister Mu liked him, how could that bastard seal her acupoint and let her starving inside the coffin?”
By this time out of shame Yang Kang became indignant. “The truth is good, yet hypocrisy is also good. She was captured by that bastard for quite some times, she has lost her innocence. How could she and I be together again?”
Mu Nianci was outraged, “I … I … What innocence have I lost?”
“You were in that man’s possession for many days; he must have cuddled you, you must have embraced him. How could you keep your crystal clear purity?” Yang Kang mocked.
Mu Nianci really could not hold herself any longer. She was tired and angry. This last attack was too vicious for her to bear. With a ‘wah’ sound she spurted some blood and fell backward.
Yang Kang realized his words were too vicious; seeing her like that he felt remorse and wanted to embrace and comfort her; but he remembered she knew his secret. Huang Rong had voiced her suspicion earlier; if Mu Nianci should open her mouth, his life would be in danger. Moreover, he was worried about his father king; so without saying anything he turned around, rushed outside and leaped over the wall.
Huang Rong had to massage Mu Nianci’s chest for quite a while before she finally came to. She was unusually composed; did not even cry at all. “Little Sister,” she calmly said, “Let me borrow the dagger I gave you earlier.”
“Brother Jing!” Huang Rong loudly called out, “Can you come over, please?” Guo Jing quickly came. “Please give the dagger that belongs to Brother Yang to Elder Sister Mu,” Huang Rong said.
“Certainly,” Guo Jing complied. He pulled the dagger out of his pocket; it was the dagger taken by Zhu Cong from Mei Chaofeng. It was wrapped by what to the casual onlookers would look like a thin sheet of leather. The leather was full of characters tattooed with a needle. Guo Jing was not aware that the characters were actually the second part of the Nine Yin Manual. He casually unwrapped the leather and gave the dagger to Mu Nianci.
Huang Rong also took a dagger out from her pocket; she softly said, “Brother Jing’s dagger is in my possession; Brother Yang’s dagger is now in yours. Elder Sister, this is a destiny that will bring you two together. You have a disagreement but for a moment, please don’t be sad. My father and I are also having some disagreements. Brother Jing and I are going to Beijing to look for Wanyan Honglie. Elder Sister, please don’t let your heart be troubled. Why don’t you come with us? We can leisurely walk together. I am sure Brother Yang will come back to you.”
Guo Jing was puzzled, “Brother Yang?” Huang Rong stuck her tongue. “He provoked Elder Sister to anger; Elder Sister slapped him hard. Elder Sister Mu, if Brother Yang did not like you, when you slapped him, how come he did not retaliate? His martial art is stronger than yours. The fight between you …” She wanted to say ‘the fight between you two must be a habit’ (she was referring to the ‘Joust to Find a Spouse), but she saw Mu Nianci was grieving and she did not have a heart to say any joke.
“I am not going to Beijing,” Mu Nianci said, “You also don’t have to go. Within the next half a year that traitor Wanyan Honglie won’t be in Beijing. He is afraid of you. Brother Guo, Little Sister, you are good people, your life must also be good …” She choked up; covered her face and rushed toward the door. With a leap she was gone.
Huang Rong looked down and saw the blood Mu Nianci spurted earlier. She hesitated for a moment, and in the end did not feel comfortable; so she also leaped over the wall and chased after her, only to see Mu Nianci under a big willow tree in a distance. The sunlight was reflected by the naked dagger’s blade. Mu Nianci lifted the dagger high above her head. Huang Rong was anxious, she thought Mu Nianci was going to kill herself. She loudly shouted, “Elder Sister! Please don’t …” But the distance between them was too far; she would not be able to prevent her. Luckily Mu Nianci only lifted her left hand and pulled up her hair. With a slash of the dagger in her right hand she sheared a big clump of hair, threw them to the ground and ran away.
“Elder Sister! Elder Sister … !” Huang Rong called out. Mu Nianci turned a deaf ear and kept going.