Other than Hou Tonghai, Lu and Cheng two people were left alone. Cheng Yaojia hung her head low, she saw Lu Guanying still had not made any move. She stole a glance toward him right when Lu Guanying was also looking at her. Their eyes met and both hurriedly glanced away. Cheng Yaojia blushed even redder and hung her head even lower so that her chin touched her chest. Her hands played with the silk sashes at the end of her sword’s hilt.
Lu Guanying slowly stood up and walked to the nearby stove, above which there was a Kitchen God idol. He stood in front of the Kitchen God idol and said, “Zao Wangye [Kitchen God, Master, lit. kitchen stove king master] Xiao Ren [little/lowly person] has a burden in my heart, but I cannot reveal it to anybody else. So I am going to bare it all to you, hoping that with your divine power you will bless this matter.”
Cheng Yaojia silently praised him, “A smart man.” She raised her head to listen carefully.
Lu Guanying said, “Xiao Ren is Lu Guanying, the son of the Village Master Lu of Cloud Village by the Lake Tai. My father’s name is Chengfeng; he is a disciple of the Island Master Huang of the Peach Blossom Island. A few days ago my Grandmaster came to the village, he said he wanted to kill the Six Freaks of Jiangnan and their entire families. He ordered my father and my Shibo [martial (older) uncle] Mei Chaofeng to help find the Six Freaks’ whereabouts. Mei Shibo has a deep enmity with the Six Freaks, so she accepted this order with gladness. Not so with my father; he knew the Six Freaks of Jiangnan as patriots and chivalrous heroes, so killing them would not be righteous. Moreover, my father has become friends with the Six Freaks’s disciple, Guo Shishu [martial (younger) uncle Guo]; therefore, he could not ignore this matter. My father has received an order from my Grandmaster, he was in a very difficult position. He had a mind to dispatch Xiao Ren to deliver a warning to the Six Freaks of Jiangnan, telling them to go hiding and save their own lives, but he could not possibly betray his own master. That night my father looked up to the sky and heaved a deep sigh, softly talking to himself, revealing his concerns. Xiao Ren was nearby and heard everything. Being a filial person I share my father’s sorrow. Eventually my Grandmaster left and Xiao Ren left that very same night trying to find the Six Freaks and deliver the warning.”
Huang Rong and Cheng Yaojia both thought, “It turned out he copied his father’s method of telling others without betraying his own school.”
They heard Lu Guanying continue, “Six Freaks were nowhere to be found, I remember their disciple, Guo Shishu, but he is also nowhere to be found. Guo Shishu is my Grandmaster’s son-in-law …”
“Ah!” Cheng Yaojia could not help but to exclaim softly, then hastily covered her mouth with her hand. Initially she was attracted to Guo Jing and thought she was in love with him. She did not realize it was only a young girl’s infatuation and not a true love. Today she met Lu Guanying, who looked distinguished, handsome and elegant; in all respects he looked superior to Guo Jing. When she heard that Guo Jing was Huang Yaoshi’s son-in-law she was shocked, but not at all felt sad or heartbroken; on the contrary, she felt relieved. She also recalled at Baoying she saw Guo Jing and Huang Rong were very close to each other. All of a sudden anything did not matter to her anymore. Unconsciously the heart of this young woman had already gone to somebody else.
Lu Guanying heard her soft exclamation; he wanted to turn around and look at her face, but he forced himself to bear it. He thought, “If I acknowledge someone is listening on the side, I must stop talking altogether. That day when Father talked to the heaven, never once he looked at my direction. Right now I am talking to the Kitchen God; if she is listening, that means she is eavesdropping, I have nothing to do with it.” Thereupon he continued, “I am hoping that when I find Guo Shishu he and Huang Shigu [martial aunt] would beseech the Grandmaster. My Grandmaster is hot-tempered, but he loves his daughter and son-in-law, so it is possible that he would not kill his son-in-law’s six masters. However, from the way my father talked, it sounds like Guo Shishu and Huang Shigu had encountered some calamities; whatever it is, it was not convenient for me to inquire from my father.”
Listening to this point Huang Rong thought, “Did father know that Jing Gege is suffering a serious injury? No, he simply cannot know about it. Most probably he heard that we were stranded on that deserted island.”
Meanwhile Lu Guanying continued, “Yin Shixiong is straightforward and just, Miss Cheng is intelligent and friendly …”
(Listening to him praising her in her face, Cheng Yaojia was happy and shy at the same time)
“… but what’s in my heart is like a fantasy, they cannot possibly guess it. I am thinking that the Six Freaks of Jiangnan are well-known heroes and real men; although their martial art skills are inferior to my Grandmaster, but isn’t asking them to run away from danger the same as accusing them of afraid of death? They will certainly not do such a cowardly act. I am afraid if they hear the news instead of running away they will go and find the Grandmaster! Therefore, instead of helping them I would be bringing them to the disaster.”
Huang Rong secretly nodded; she thought Lu Guanying was worthy to be the leader of the Lake Tai’s heroes; he had a profound understanding of the way of the Jianghu people. She heard him continue, “I also think that the Quanzhen Seven Masters are chivalrous people with flourishing name and prestige, their martial art skills are also high. If Yin Shixiong and Miss Cheng are willing to earnestly ask their masters to be the mediator, Grandmaster would most likely give them face. I don’t think there is an irreconcilable deep animosity between Grandmaster and the Six Freaks of Jiangnan; most likely the Six Freaks had said or done something that was offensive to the Grandmaster. What they need is a reputable character to act as the mediator and surely forgiveness is not impossible. Kitchen God, Master, Xiao Ren’s difficulty is that I have an idea in vain, since I cannot reveal it to anybody. I am asking you to handle this business for me.” Having finished speaking, he repeatedly bowed to pay his respect to the Kitchen God.
As he finished speaking Cheng Yaojia hastily turned around to find Yin Zhiping; but as she walked to the door she heard Lu Guanying say something else, “Kitchen God, if the Quanzhen Seven Masters are willing to mediate, they will render an enormously good deed. But when the Seven talk to my Grandmaster, I wish they will be courteous and respectful and not offend my Grandmaster in any way. Otherwise when one wave has not yet subsided, another wave arises, then all efforts will be wasted. This is all I have to say to you.”