Several moves later Guo Jing’s palm strength started to push him back step by step; looked like very soon he would fall into the ocean. Realizing his ‘wild fox fist’ would not help him scoring the victory, Liang Ziweng was thinking of using a different set of fist technique; but it was too late. Guo Jing’s palms had enveloped him completely, did not give him any chance to counterattack.
Amidst the strong gusts of wind Hong Qigong’s voice was heard, “Attack the lower part!”
Guo Jing immediately launched the stance ‘zhan long zai ye’ [exhausted battling dragon] and his left arm swept away. Liang Ziweng cried out in alarm and tumbled down over the edge of the boat.
Everybody was stunned and rushed forward to the edge to watch, only to hear somebody on the sea laugh a long laugh. Suddenly Liang Ziweng’s body flew back up and with a loud grunt he fell straight back to the deck, unconscious.
What had just happened confounded everybody on board. Could it be that the sea water bounced his body back up? Everybody crowded by the edge of the boat, looking down to the sea below, only to see an old man with white beard and white hair rushing to the east and dashing to the west on the surface of the sea with an unusual speed. They strained their eyes to see more clearly; turned out that man was riding on the back of a huge shark, with a speed not inferior to those riding on horseback galloping on dry land.
Guo Jing was pleasantly surprised, with a loud voice he shouted, “Big Brother Zhou, I am here!” That shark rider was indeed the Old Urchin Zhou Botong.
Zhou Botong heard Guo Jing’s shout; he cheered in delight and hit the shark head near its right eye with his fist; the shark turned left immediately, coming near by the boat’s side.
“Is that Brother Guo?” Zhou Botong called out, “How are you? There is a whale ahead. I have been chasing it for a whole day and night. I want to continue chasing it. See you later!”
“Big Brother! Come here, quick!” Guo Jing anxiously called, “There are so many bad people in here want to bully your little brother!”
Zhou Botong was angry, “Is that so?” His right hand held on something inside the shark’s mouth and pulled, while his left hand dangled on the ledge of the big boat. Both man and shark suddenly flew up and above everybody’s head, and landed on the deck. He roared, “Who dares to bully my little brother?”
Every single one of the people aboard had an extensive knowledge of Jianghu matters, but this white bearded old man who suddenly appeared in a most bizarre way caused everybody to be stupefied. Even Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng were dumbstruck.
Zhou Botong saw Huang Rong; he felt strange. “How come you are also here?” he asked.
Huang Rong smiled, “Why not?” she replied, “I figured out you will come back today, that’s why I am waiting for you here. Quickly teach me how to ride a shark.”
Zhou Botong laughed, “Very well, I’ll teach you.”
Huang Rong replied, “But first you have to help us get rid of these bad people, and then you can teach me.”
Zhou Botong swept his gaze across the people on the deck and he said to Ouyang Feng, “I knew other people won’t dare to act so savagely, turned out it is really you.”
Ouyang Feng coldly replied, “A man who did not keep his word, even if he is alive in this world, he will be the laughingstock of all the warriors of the world.”
“Totally correct,” Zhou Botong said, “A man of integrity certainly won’t cause trouble; but whoever speaks and whoever farts has to be distinguished clearly; otherwise other people who hear it might not know if the sound comes out from above or from below. I am indeed looking for you to settle an old score, so it’s nothing better than to see you here. Old Beggar, you are our witness; stand up and give us your judgment.”
Hong Qigong was lying on the deck, he smiled slightly. Huang Rong said, “The Old Poison was almost dead nine times, and my Shifu was kind enough to rescue him every single time; but who would have thought that he has a heart of a wolf and the lungs of a dog, repaying kindness with evil, he injured my Shifu and sealed his acupoints.”
Actually, overall Hong Qigong only saved Ouyang Feng’s life three times, but Huang Rong intentionally exaggerated that number three times. Ouyang Feng knew this, but he did not want to argue; he only looked at her with blazing eyes.
Zhou Botong stooped down trying to unseal Hong Qigong’s ‘qu xhi’ [song reservoir] and ‘yong quan’ [bubbling spring] acupoints by rubbing them. “Old Urchin, it’s useless,” Hong Qigong said.
Turned out the acupoint sealing method Ouyang Feng used was somewhat unusual, other than himself and Huang Yaoshi, there was nobody else in this whole wide world who would be able to unseal it. Ouyang Feng was so smug, “Old Urchin, unseal his acupoints if you have the ability,” he challenged.
Even though Huang Rong could not unseal them, but she was familiar with the sealing method; she made a flat lip and said, “What’s so strange about that? Without too much effort my father can unseal this ‘tou gu da xue fa’ [penetrating bone acupoint sealing technique].”
Hearing her mentioning the correct name of his acupoint sealing technique, Ouyang Feng was amazed that this little girl knowledge was as deep as a bottomless abyss, even encompassing acupoint sealing techniques. However, he did not pay any attention to her; turning to Zhou Botong he asked, “You have lost our bet; why are you talking like breaking a smelly wind?”
Zhou Botong covered up his nose and called out, “Break wind? Smell bad, smell bad! But let me ask you this: what did we bet on?”
“Everybody here, except this surnamed Guo kid and this little girl, is a well-known warrior. I’ll tell what had happened and ask these gentlemen to be our judge,” Ouyang Feng replied.
“Well said, well said,” Peng Lianhu said, “Mr. Ouyang, please tell us.”
“This gentleman here is the Quan Zhen Sect’s Zhou Botong, Master Zhou, known in the Jianghu world as the Old Urchin. In term of seniority he held a very high position, even Qiu Chuji, Wang Chuyi, and the other Quan Zhen Seven Masters are his martial nephews.
For the last dozen of years or so, Zhou Botong was detained on the Peach Blossom Island, before then his martial art skill was still obscure; except for some mischievous troubles, he had never accomplished anything worth mentioning, therefore, his reputation did not spread loud and wide in the Jianghu world. However, everybody had seen that he was riding a shark, a feat not easily accomplished by any of them. Turned out he was the martial uncle of the Quan Zhen Seven Masters, no wonder he was this good. As a result everybody talked among themselves in low voice.