The farmer was no stranger to sealing acupoint techniques; he saw her finger was lightning fast, he was shocked and hastily withdrew his hand to parry her attack. His acupoint was saved, but this attack had slowed his grab so that Guo Jing managed to jump out of the wall carrying Huang Rong on his back.
Guo Jing darted forward a few steps. Suddenly he called out in alarm, it turned out behind the buildings there were thorn bushes as tall as a person, dense and numerous, full of thorns covering quite a distance away; there was no way out through the bushes. He was forced to turn around and saw the fisherman, the woodcutter, the farmer and the scholar four people had arrived, blocking their way.
Guo Jing said with a clear voice, “The honorable master has given us permission to go down the mountain. You have heard it with your own ears. Why do you disobey his order and detain us here?”
The fisherman stared at them and with a thunderous voice said, “My master has shown you great mercy, willing to sacrifice his life to help you, but you …”
Guo Jing and Huang Rong were shocked, “What do you mean sacrificing his life to help us?” they asked.
“Pei!” the fisherman and the farmer spat. The scholar sneered and said, “Our Shifu sacrificed his life to save Miss’ life; do you really not know it?”
“We really don’t know. We beg for your explanation,” Guo Jing and Huang Rong asked in surprise.
The scholar saw their sincere faces; they did not seem to be pretending. He looked at the woodcutter and the woodcutter nodded. The scholar said, “Miss had suffered a very serious internal injury. It was necessary for Shifu to use both ‘yi yang zhi’ [Solitary Yang Finger] and ‘xian tian gong’ [inborn/innate strength/energy] to open up the eight main arteries’ acupoints and cure the injury. Ever since the death of the Quanzhen Sect’s founder Chongyang Zhenren [lit. true/real man, a respectful term to address a Taoist priest], only my Shifu knows the ‘yi yang zhi’ and ‘xian tian gong’, these two marvelous skills. But by treating injury in this manner, his own body will suffer a serious injury; he will lose all his martial arts for the next five years.”
“Ah!” Huang Rong exclaimed, she felt more ashamed.
The scholar continued, “Hereafter for the next five years he will have to diligently and painstakingly re-cultivate his energy every day and night. If he makes the slightest mistake, not only his martial art will not recover, but he will at the least be paralyzed, at the most lose his life. My Shifu has shown such kindness to you; how could you be so heartless and repaid kindness with enmity?”
Huang Rong wriggled down and knelt on the ground, facing the house where Reverend Yideng was she kowtowed four times and sobbed, “Uncle has graciously saved my life; I didn’t know your sacrifice was this deep.”
The fisherman, the woodcutter, the farmer and the scholar saw her bowing down, their faces turned slightly softer. The fisherman asked, “Your father sent you over to harm our Shifu; and you really did not know it?”
Huang Rong was indignant, “How could my father send me to harm Uncle? My father, the Master of the Peach Blossom Island, is what kind of person? How could he commit such a despicable act?”
The fisherman cupped his fists and said, “If Miss was not sent by your father, then please forgive my offending words.”
“Humph,” Huang Rong snorted, “If my father heard you, even though you are Reverend Yideng’s outstanding disciple, he would still make you eat a little bit of suffering.”
The fisherman smiled and said, “He is known as the Eastern Heretic, his action … his action … hey, hey … We thought what the Western Poison is able to do, your father can also do. Now it looks like we have thought erroneously.”
Huang Rong said, “How can you compare my father with the Western Poison? What has that old thief Ouyang Feng done anyway?”
The scholar said, “All right, now everything is clear; let’s go back to the house and talk some more.”
Immediately six people returned to the meditation room and sat down. The fisherman, the woodcutter, the farmer and the scholar sat in such a way that they blocked the doors and windows. Huang Rong knew they were guarding against them escaping; she smiled slightly but did not expose her awareness.
“Do you know anything about the Nine Yin Manual?” the scholar asked.
“We do,” Huang Rong replied, “But what does this Nine Yin Manual have to do with this matter? Ay, this book is really dangerous.” She could not help but recall how her mother had died due to over-exertion in re-writing the manual from memory.
The scholar said, “In the first Sword Meet of Mount Hua the Quanzhen Sect’s founder was crowned the Number One Martial Artist of The World [wu gong tian xia di yi]; therefore, the manual fell into his hand. It went without saying that the other four experts felt a heartfelt admiration to him. In that Sword Meet of Mount Hua everybody demonstrated his marvelous strength; Chongyang Zhenren was impressed with my Shifu’s Solitary Yang Finger. The following year he came to Dali accompanied by his Shidi [younger martial brother] to pay a visit and discuss martial art skills.”
“His Shidi?” Huang Rong interrupted, “Isn’t that the Old Urchin Zhou Botong?”
“That’s correct,” the scholar replied, “Miss is young, yet actually knows a lot of people.”
“No need to praise me,” Huang Rong said.
The scholar continued, “Zhou Shishu [Martial Uncle Zhou] was a very funny man, but I did not know he was called the Old Urchin. That time my Shifu had not become a monk.”
“Ah,” Huang Rong said, “He was still an emperor.”
“Exactly,” the scholar said, “The Quanzhen Sect’s founder and his martial brother stayed for a dozen of days in the imperial palace, we four people were always by their side to accompany them. Our Shifu explained the essence of the Solitary Yang Finger and everything there is to know to Chongyang Zhenren. Chongyang Zhenren was completely delighted; in turn he bequeathed the fiercest ‘xian tian gong’ to our Shifu. We were at their sides when they were discussing these marvelous skills, but because our experience and knowledge were shallow, we heard but did not comprehend anything.”
“What about the Old Urchin?” Huang Rong asked, “His martial art skill is not low.”
The scholar replied, “Zhou Shishu liked to move around and did not like to stay still. Several days in the Dali palace he wandered to the east and strolled to the west, he played around everywhere; even the empress and the concubines’ palaces did not escape his visits. The court eunuchs were aware he was the emperor’s honorable guest, so they did not do anything to stop him.” Huang Rong and Guo Jing were smiling.