Master Gongsun of the Valley.
Fan Yiweng was furious when he saw Yang Guo pick a willow branch as a weapon, treating this as if it was a game and showing no respect towards him at all. He didnât know that within the softness of the willow branch there was also toughness and that he was going to use the âDog Beating Stick Techniqueâ with it. Though it couldnât compare with the bamboo treasure of the Beggar Clan, it was a lethal weapon that matched any precious sword or saber.
Ma Guangzuo said, âBrother Yang, just use my saber!â He took the saber out of the sheath and the blade glimmered; it really was a sharp blade.
Yang Guo saluted with his arms and laughed, âThank you! This brother isnât a bad person; itâs just a pity that he follows the wrong Master. His martial arts are poor and just a willow branch will be enough to beat him.â The willow branch moved forward and attached itself to the steel staff.
Once again, Fan Yiweng heard him insult his Master; he was thinking that this time it will be a life and death battle; he was not going to hold anything back. He waved the staff around which generated noises within the air and started to use his eighty-one stances of the âSpilling Water Staffâ. The reason behind the name âSpilling Waterâ is that no splash or spill of water can advance; the staff stances were extremely tight and unyielding.
At first, the staff was swift and powerful, but after a few stances, he felt that the staff was gradually moving towards one side. The head of the staff felt skewed and the wind generated by the staff was becoming weaker.
Yang Guo was using the âDog Beating Stick Techniqueâsâ âcoilâ theory; the branch was attached to the staff head and when the staff moved to the east, the branch moved to the east; when the staff was flipped upwards, the branch followed; but at the final stage, his internal energy forced the staff to pull or push a little more in another direction and staff head moved out of the control of Fan Yiweng. This particular âcoilâ formulae of the âDog Beating Stick Techniqueâ is derived from the advanced martial art theory of âfour liang moving a thousand jinâ, subtle and ingenious, this theory far exceeded the methods of âusing force against forceâ or âusing the current to move the boat.â
The onlookers were becoming more and more surprised; they could not believe that the very young Yang Guo would possess such ingenious martial arts. They saw that Fan Yiwengâs staff was gradually becoming weaker while Yang Guoâs willow branch was becoming stronger.
Thirty stances later, Fan Yiwengâs staff was completely under the control of the willow branch; the more strength Fan Yiweng used, the more incontrollable the staff became. In the end, he felt as if he had entered an extremely strong cyclone, making him dizzy and dazed, completely losing his bearings.
Valley Master Gongsunâs hand came down on the stone table, and called out, âYiweng, stand down!â
The noise created was thunderous, even Yang Guoâs heart skipped a beat; he thought to himself, âI canât let him slip away.â He then shook his arm and changed to the âturnâ formulae; his body froze and his wrist kept on drawing circles, turning Fan Yiweng around like a spinning top. The faster that Yang Guo turned his hands, the faster Fan Yiweng spun; the staff in his hand acted like the handle of a spinning top. Yang Guo said, âIf you can stop your feet and donât fall, then youâre a man. But if your master canât teach, then the disciples he teaches will trip up in battle.â The willow branch lifted upwards and he leapt backwards over ten feet.
Fan Yiwengâs body and mind were not under his control at this moment in time; he was stumbling, and after a few more turns, he would fall to the floor.
Valley Master Gongsun suddenly leapt up and palmed the head of the staff in midair and lightly came back down. That move he did appeared to be ordinary and light but there was a great force behind it; he had slammed the staff two feet into the floor and stopped it spinning. Fan Yiweng grabbed the staff tightly and didnât drop, but his body was stumbling and swaying as if he was drunk, his bearings lost for the time being.
Xiaoxiang Zi, Yin Kexi and the others looked at Yang Guo, and then looked at Valley Master Gongsun; they now knew that these two people were definitely not easy people to deal with. They planned to watch this great battle from the side without interfering. Ma Guangzuo was the only one who had intended to help Yang Guo; he called out, âBrother Yang, great kung fu! Shortie has lost!â
Fan Yiweng breathed in deeply and steadied himself; he turned around and suddenly knelt down before his Master. He then kowtowed four times and without saying a word, suddenly ran towards a stone pillar.
Everyone was shocked; no one had predicted that his character was so fiery that after suffering a defeat he would kill himself.
Valley Master Gongsun called out, âOh no!â He leapt up from his table and stretched out his hand to grab his back; but they were too far apart and Fan Yiweng was very quick, the Valley Master could only grab thin air.
Fan Yiweng used all his strength in his effort to run into the pillar but suddenly he felt his forehead going into something soft. He raised his head and saw Yang Guo with his two palms out standing in front of the pillar.
He said, âBrother Weng, what is the most painful thing in the world?â
When Yang Guo saw Fan Yiweng kneeling down to his Master, he knew that he was up to something so he prepared himself. He was close to Fan Yiweng and managed to get ahead of him, keeping him from the pillar with his palms.
Fan Yiweng was stunned, he asked, âWhat is it?â
Yang Guo said mournfully, âI donât know myself. But the pain in my heart is ten times greater than yours yet I havenât killed myself; why are you doing this?â
Fan Yiweng said, âYouâve won; what pain have you got in your heart?â
Yang Guo shook his head and said, âWhatâs so important about winning and losing in battle? I donât know how many times Iâve been beaten in my life. When you tried to kill yourself, your Master worried about you. If I tried to kill myself, my Master would think nothing of it; that is a deeply hurtful thing.â
Fan Yiweng still did not understand. Valley Master Gongsun called out sternly, âYiweng, if you have any more stupid thoughts then youâll be disobeying the orders of your Master. Stand to the side and watch me take care of this scum.â
Fan Yiweng did not dare to disobey his Master and retreated. He stared at Yang Guo; he himself did not know what he felt towards him…anger, loathing, or respect?
When Xiao Longnu heard Yang Guo say âIf I tried to kill myself, my Master would think nothing of itâ; her eyes turned red and more tears fell from them. She thought, âIf you died, do you think Iâd still be able to live?â
Valley Master Gongsun had kept his eye on her all along and now he suddenly saw her tears once again; he was jealous and angry. He clapped his hands three times and called out, âCatch that little rat.â He looked upon himself highly, thinking that it was beneath him to fight Yang Guo. The two groups of disciples from the side responded. They stood in all directions and suddenly called out; each group of four held a fish net and they surrounded Yang Guo.
Yang Guo and Fawang arrived here with the others with Fawang being the head of the group; now that it had come to this, he should come out and make a stand on this issue; but all he did was chuckle and watched from the side.
The Valley Master did not know what Fawang was thinking and assumed that he was laughing at him for not being able to handle Yang Guo, he thought, âIâm going to show what the Passionless Valley is made out of.â He again clapped three times.
The sixteen disciples crossed and changed positions, decreasing the size of the encirclement a few steps. The four nets kept on changing positions, from horizontal to vertical, from straight to bent.
Yang Guo had seen the disciples in green twice use this fish net formation to catch Zhou Botong; its variations were indeed profound and it was extremely hard to defend against. This formation and Quanzhenâs âBig Dipper Formationâ each had its own strong points. He thought, âThe Old Urchin with his martial arts was captured by this net formation; how am I going to cope? If he just wanted to escape and he threw Ma Guangzuo and Fan Yiweng into the nets and took the opportunity to slip away, it would not suit his purpose. My intent is to stay here.â
Each net was over ten feet wide and the handlers were hidden behind it; if he wanted to defeat this formation he would first have to attack the green disciples who were holding the nets. But as soon as he got too close, he would be captured by the nets. He had no way of making his move. The sixteen were pressing closer and closer. Yang Guo didnât know what to do and could only use the Ancient Tombâs lightness kung fu to dart and fly around in the hall; floating here and dashing there making it hard for the opponents to predict the direction he was heading.
He moved around in all directions but the sixteen disciples did not follow him; they just shank the encirclement step by step. Yang Guo dashed around as he searched for a way to defeat this formation. He saw that although the nets were turning around extremely swiftly, the places where they overlapped each other remained covered and didnât show a gap at all. He thought, âThereâs nothing I can do apart from using projectiles to hurt the handlers.â He swiveled around once and there were a handful of Jade Bee needles in his hand, he waved out his left hand and shot out seven or eight Jade Bee needles at the four disciples north of him.
He saw that the four of them were about to get hit when he suddenly heard light âding ding ding dingâ sounds; the Jade Bee needles were sucked in by the net. The fish net was actually embellished with small magnets; with such a large net, no matter how powerful the enemyâs projectile, it would still be blocked by the net. The Jade Bee needle was seventy percent gold, thirty percent steel; because of this thirty percent, the Jade Bee needles were attracted by the netâs magnets.
Yang Guo thought that this strike would succeed; how would he know that this net actually had so many clever uses? He quickly looked at the Valley Master and knew that it would be of no use to fire out any more projectiles. His right hand went into his pockets and put the needles away. He was just about to think of another way to break the formation when the net from the east side came closer. The leader of the four handlers whistled, a gold light flashed across his eyes as the net came over his right shoulder. Yang Guo darted back and was about to escape to the north west when the nets from the north and west side pressed forwards.
Yang Guo cursed, âItâs overâŠitâs over! I wonder what torture Iâll endure after falling into the hands of this Valley Master.â Suddenly he heard one of the handlers of the southern net call out, âOh no!â Yang Guo turned his head and saw that Gongsun Lu E had fallen onto the floor; one of the corners of the net was hanging down loosely.
This was the only route out of the formation; Yang Guo didnât give it another thought and darted out of the encirclement. He saw Gongsun Lu E had fallen onto the floor calling out in pain but she was signaling with her eyes to leave the valley at once.
Yang Guo thought to himself, âIâm really touched by her kindness. But if I leave the valley, Gu Gu would definitely be forced into marrying that old Valley Master. I donât care if I get captured and suffer the pain of a thousand knives, Iâll never leave.â He stood in the corner of the room and looked at Xiao Longnu thinking, âIâve just experienced great danger yet you still have no reaction?â He saw that Xiao Longnu was still hanging her head and keeping quiet.
The Valley Master clapped his hands twice and the nets suddenly dispersed. He turned to Gongsun Lu E and said coldly, âWhatâs wrong with you?â
Gongsun Lu E said, âMy leg suddenly had in a painful cramp.â
Valley Master Gongsun suspected that his daughter had fallen in love with Yang Guo and as a result gave him an escape route at such a critical moment. But because there were outsiders here it wasnât appropriate for him to break out in a rage, he laughed coldly and said, âFine, stand down. Shi Siâer will take her position.â
Gongsun Lu E lowered her head and stood down. A youngster in green responded and stepped forward. This person was only fourteen or fifteen years of age and had their hair tied in two plaits.
Gongsun Lu E glanced at Yang Guo with grieving in her eyes. Yang Guo felt apologetic and said to himself, âIâm afraid that I wonât be able to repay her kindness and compassion in this life.â
Valley Master Gongsun clapped his hands four times and suddenly the sixteen disciples retreated. Yang Guo was shocked, thinking, âCould it be that you admit defeat?â Just as he was wondering about this, he turned his head and saw Gongsun Lu E had a fearful expression on her face; she kept on signaling to him with her eyes to leave the valley. From her appearance, it appeared that he was going to face something extremely dangerous. Yang Guo smiled; instead of running away, he pulled a chair over and sat down.
There was a light ringing noise in the inner halls and the sixteen disciples came out again, their hands still holding fish nets.
Everyoneâs expression changed as soon as they saw the nets; the fish nets had been changed and now it were full of hooks and blades that glimmered. They were extremely sharp; whoever gets caught in the net would be pierced all over and would have no hope of surviving.
Ma Guangzuo called out, âHey, Valley Master, do you want to lose face? How can you use such an evil thing to treat your guests?â
Valley Master Gongsun pointed to Yang Guo and said, âI donât want to hurt you. Iâve warned you many times to leave the valley but you chose to stay here and stir up trouble. This is your final warning, leave quickly.â
Even someone with Ma Guangzuoâs courage shivered at the sight of the nets; when he heard the hooks and knives colliding with each other, he was even more afraid. He stood up and pulled Yang Guoâs hand, âBrother Yang, it would be better for us to leave than face this evil thing; why do you insist on quarrelling with him?â
Yang Guo looked at Xiao Longnu waiting to see her response.
As soon as Xiao Longnu saw the Valley Master summon out blade and hook laced nets, she had prepared for death. As soon as Yang Guo gets caught in the nets she would throw herself on them. They would die together in each others arms. When she thought about this, she felt peace in her heart, thinking that all the worldâs pain and suffering will be gone in a flash. Her lips couldnât stop themselves from showing a smile.
How would Yang Guo know what she was feeling at this time? He thought about how he was about to face a great danger yet she could still smile; his heart was in pain, even more deeply than before. In the midst of these feelings of hurt, sorrow, indignation, and approaching danger, he suddenly had an idea and didnât continue on with these thoughts. He went over to Xiao Longnu and bowed lightly. He said, âGu Gu, Guoâer is in danger today; I would like to borrow your silk belt and silk gloves.â
Xiao Longnu was only thinking about the joy of dying with him and nothing else; when she heard these words she immediately took out a pair of silk gloves and a silk belt to give to him.
Yang Guo received them slowly and stared at her, he said, âYouâre acknowledging who I am now?â
Xiao Longnu was filled with love and smiled, âMy heart acknowledged you long ago!â
Yang Guoâs spirits were greatly lifted and he quivered, âYouâve decided to leave with me and not marry that Valley Master?â
Xiao Longnu smiled and nodded, âIâve decided to go with you, and of course I wonât marry anyone else. Guoâer; naturally that makes me your wifeâ.â
When she said âgo with youâ, she was talking about dieing with Yang Guo. Yang Guo didnât understand so of course the others would not either; but her words of ânaturally that makes me your wifeâ couldnât be clearer.
Valley Master Gongsunâs face went white and he hurried the disciples in green to make their move. The sixteen disciples set the nets in motion and moved around.
After hearing these words of Xiao Longnuâs, Yang Guo felt as if he was bought back to life from death; his courage and valor soared; even if he were facing greater dangers he wouldnât care. He put on the impregnable silk gloves and held the silk belt in his right hand. The silk belt was sent out with its ringing noises like a white snake.
At the end of the silk belt was a gold bell, the belt extended and retracted once, the bell had struck the âConcealed Valleyâ pressure point of one of the disciples in the southern position and on its way back it struck the âCrooked Pondâ pressure point of one of the disciples in the eastern position. The âConcealed Valleyâ pressure point is found on the knee, the person could not stay upright and knelt on the floor; the âCrooked Pondâ pressure point is found on the elbow area, as soon it was struck, the personâs arm became numb and limp, the fish net slipped out of their hands.
After those two pre-emptive attacks, the fish net formation immediately broke up. The four disciples in the west were shocked and when they attacked they were slightly slow; Yang Guoâs gold bell turned towards them and after another two strikes, another two disciples had their pressure points struck. But at this time, the net from the north was thrown over his head. The knives and hooks were half a foot away from his head; he couldnât use the silk belt to deal with them.
Yang Guoâs left hand turned upwards and grabbed the fish net; he used its force and flung it away. Although he grabbed hooks and daggers, his hands were covered by the silk gloves and were completely protected. The net was now heading back towards the four disciples in green.
When these disciples practiced this net formation, the only thing they were afraid of was the enemy slipping through the net; they concentrated on keeping it tight and unyielding. The thought of the net returning over them had never entered their minds. They watched as the glittering knives and hooks came towards their heads; they knew exactly how powerful the net was and called out in alarm as they let go and leapt away. The youngster who replaced Gongsun Lu E was weaker than the rest; a dagger eventually pierced his thigh, blood poured and he fell down, crying out in pain on the floor.
Yang Guo laughed, âLittle brother, donât be scared, Iâm not going to hurt you.â His left hand flipped the net away and his right moved the silk belt. Sounds of âqiang lang langâ and âding ling lingâ were heard as the hooks and daggers collided with each other with the golden bell ringing. The sounds were extremely crisp. After this, none of the disciples dared to come forward and stood far away by the wall. But because they hadnât received the order to back down by their master, they didnât dare admit defeat and run away. Though they didnât admit defeat, they had already lost.
Ma Guangzuo clapped and cheered for a while but because he was the only one, he felt a bit lonely and glanced over to Fawang saying, âHey monk, arenât brother Yang Guoâs martial arts great? Why arenât you cheering?â
Fawang laughed and said, âHis skills are great, extremely good but thereâs no need to call out like that.â
Ma Guangzuo asked, âWhy?â
Fawang saw that the Valley Master was frowning and was now making his way towards the centre of the hall slowly. Fawang concentrated on him and ignored Ma Guangzuo.
When Valley Master Gongsun heard Xiao Longnu say, ânaturally that makes me your wifeâ, he knew that his sweet dream of the past two weeks had come to an end; though he was disappointed and angry, he thought, âEven if I canât have your heart Iâm going to have you. Iâll kill that bastard in one palm and I donât care what your feelings towards me will be, after a time, your heart will eventually return to me.â
Yang Guo saw that his eyebrows were rising higher and higher to a point where his brows and eyes looked like they were standing straight up; he didnât know what school of martial arts this was from and became slightly afraid. His right hand lifted the silk belt and his left clutched the net, he was completely prepared. He knew that this battle would decide the life and death of he and Xiao Longnu; he didnât dare to allow one strand of carelessness in his actions.
Valley Master Gongsun circled around Yang Guo slowly. Yang Guo too turned around slowly on the floor; he didnât dare to gaze away from him. He saw that he was still delaying making his move and knew that when he attacked, it will be extremely swift and vicious. All he saw was him raising his hands, leveling them three times in front of him and then his hands came together. The sound generated was as if gold and iron had collided. Yang Guoâs heart skipped a beat and he moved back a step. Valley Master Gongsun suddenly stretched out his right arm and grabbed the fish net, pulling it away to one side. Yang Guo felt that his pull had great force behind it; his fingers ached and he could only let go. Valley Master Gongsun threw the net to the four disciples and shouted, âStand down!â
After having the net snatched away, Yang Guo didnât allow him to make the first move again. The silk belt shot out and the gold bell shook, attacking the opponentâs âLarge Boneâ and âCelestial Tripodâ pressure points on the shoulder and neck.
Valley Master Gongsunâs chest was open with his arms stretched out to the side but Yang Guo didnât dare to attack the major pressure points on his chest rashly. He first attacked the smaller pressure points on his body to test him out.
Valley Master Gongsunâs martial arts were actually from a different school of martial arts; he ignored the pressure point attacks of the bell and stretched out his right arm to grab Yang Guoâs arm. A âding dingâ sound was heard as the âLarge Boneâ and âCelestial Tripodâ pressure points were struck but he didnât feel it. A âhuâ sound was heard as the grab turned into a palm, striking towards Yang Guoâs chest on the left side.
Yang Guo was alarmed and quickly leaned his body to the side. Luckily for him, his lightness kung fu was excellent and he avoided this sudden palm from his opponent.
Yang Guo had once heard the great fighters of Wulin, Ouyang Feng, Hong Qigong and Huang Yaoshi talk about martial arts, and knew that when someone has reached advanced levels of internal energy that, at the time the opponent strikes their pressure points, they were able to seal off themselves and negate the attack. But they will still show some effects of their pressure points being attacked. Ouyang Fengâs martial arts could lead to reversal of the veins and the major pressure points over oneâs body to change position. When someone sees his legs above his head, they would be able to tell immediately.
But the enemy he is facing now actually made no response to his pressure points being struck; it was as if he didnât have any pressure points on his body. This type of martial arts is rarely seen or heard of; he couldnât stop some fear from creeping into his heart. He saw his palms had turned over and there seemed to be black air within the palms. While it was coming towards him the wind was forceful and pressing, he didnât dare to receive it head on. He used the silk belt to tangle with him while his left hand protected the vital areas of his body.
Soon, they had exchanged over ten stances. Yang Guo had put all his concentration into fighting him. Suddenly he saw the left palm of his opponent coming lightly towards his chest; it appeared to be a soft palm but it was the opposite; it was actually a palm from the same set of palm skills as Wanyan Pingâs âIron Palmâ. He quickly leaped away a couple of feet.
When the Valley Masterâs palm met thin air, he didnât take it back and the palm kept on going forward another two feet; he moved quickly and the palm was now in front of Yang Guo. Normally, when a person fires out a punch or sends out a palm, the strength originates from the arm. They would pull back their arm and send out the attack; but the attack Valley Master had just used now originated from his body. His hand and palm didnât move; he was actually using the force from his body to attack the opponent. Although the force from the body is greater than that from the arm, using it to send out a palm or punch will result in slower attacks; but Valley Master Gongsunâs palm was both fierce and swift.
Yang Guo wanted to lean his body to the side to avoid the palm but there was no time, he could only send out his left palm and meet it head on. A âpaiâ sound was generated as the palms collided; Yang Guo was jolted back three steps while the Valley Master stood his ground with his body swaying a little.
Standing there without moving, the Valley Master appeared to have the upper hand; but in actual fact the power from Yang Guoâs palm had caused a throbbing pain in the side of his body; he was extremely shocked. âIâd used all my power behind that âIron Palmâ, but that punk was still actually able to receive it. If we carry on like this I may not be able to kill him. If we fight to a draw, I wonât be able to say anything.â He clapped his hands twice; the sounds were ear piercingly loud. He said, âThe one named Yang, I have been merciful in that palm, do you know that?â
If this were a normal martial arts duel, and if Yang Guo continued fighting, he would definitely lose. When the Valley Master said these words he should have admitted that his martial arts were weaker; but today he knew that the opponent would never allow him and Xiao Longnu to leave in peace. He had no other option but to engage in a fight to the death. Yang Guo still had his ridiculing and derisory nature towards his opponents and Xiao Longnu had returned to him now; his heart was overflowing with joy. He laughed and said, âIf you kill me, how can my Gu Gu marry you? If you donât kill me, my Gu Gu still would not marry you. What mercy is there? Itâs just that you couldnât do anything to me!â
Yang Guo was too kind in his surmising of his opponentâs thoughts. The Valley Master would love nothing more than to kill him in one stroke to avoid him causing any problems in the future. Even if it caused Xiao Longnu to hate and loathe him, he couldnât have cared less; he couldnât do anything to Yang Guo because his palms couldnât do anything to him. He turned towards his daughter and said, âTake out my weapons.â
Gongsun Lu E delayed and didnât reply.
Valley Master Gongsun shouted, âDidnât you hear?â
Gongsun Lu E went pale and could only reply, âYes!â She then left for the inner halls.
Yang Guo looked at the expression of the two and thought, âI couldnât cope when he was empty handed; now that heâs going to use some weird weapon, what chance have I got? If we donât leave now, when should we leave?â He went over to Xiao Longnu and stretched out his hand, softly saying, âGu Gu, letâs leave!â
Valley Master Gongsun gathered energy in his hands; as soon as Xiao Longnu stands and takes Yang Guoâs hand, heâll immediately throw himself forward and attack Yang Guoâs spine viciously with the âIron Palmâ. He made his decision and thought, âI donât care if sister Liu hates me; Iâm going to kill that punk. If sister Liu leaves with him, what joy will I have left for the next half of my life?â
But Xiao Longnu did not stand up, just saying calmly, âOf course Iâll go with you. But the Valley Master did save my life; we need to explain everything to him and ask for his forgiveness.â
Yang Guo was flustered and thought, âGu Gu doesnât know anything. Do you think heâs going to forgive us just like that because youâve explained everything to him?â
Then he heard Xiao Longnu ask him, âGuoâer, have you been well over the last couple of days?â She said these words with great compassion and love.
When Yang Guo heard these gentle, loving words and saw her affectionate expression, he felt that if even the sky was falling down on him he wouldnât care. How could he still be thinking about trying to escape? He said, âGu Gu, youâre not angry with me?â
Xiao Longnu smiled and said, âWhy should I be angry with you? Iâve never been angry with you. Turn around.â Yang Guo listened to her and turned around but didnât know what she wanted to do.
Xiao Longnu took out a little bag with string and needles in them. She threaded the needle and measured the hole that Fan Yiweng had torn on the back of his garment. She sighed and said, âOver these past few days Iâve wanted to make a new gown for you; but when I thought about how Iâll never see you again, I thought âwhatâs the point?â I could never have dreamed that you would find your way here.â The pain and grief in her words turned to joy and delight as she said this. She picked up a pair of small scissors and cut a piece of fabric from the corner of her gown. She slowly helped him repair his garment.
When the two lived in the tomb, whenever Yang Guoâs clothes were torn or ripped, Xiao Longnu would call him over and help him repair them just like this. Over the years, this happened countless times. The two of them did not care about life and death anymore; though they were under the stares of many people in the hall, the two of them acted as if no one was there and did as they used to when they lived with each other in the ancient tomb.
Yang Guo was filled with boundless joy and hot tears rolled down from his eyes, he choked, âGu Gu, just now I made you throw up blood, I⊠it was my fault.â
Xiao Longnu smiled, âItâs not your fault. You know I had this kind of illness long ago. I havenât seen you for a few days and your martial arts have advanced so much. You threw up blood as well just now, are you alright?â
Yang Guo laughed, âItâs nothing. Iâve got more than enough blood to spare.â
Xiao Longnu smiled, âYou love to talk nonsense.â
Though the words of the two were ordinary and plain, everyone could hear the love that the two had for each other and that the two had an extremely deep relationship.
Fawang and the others looked at each other. Valley Master Gongsun was shocked and jealous; he stood there stunned not knowing what to do.
Yang Guo said, âIâve met some interesting people over the last few days. Gu Gu, guess where I got my pair of large scissors from?â
Xiao Longnu said, âI was wondering about that; itâs like you knew that there was a long bearded old man here long ago, so you prepared a large pair of scissors to cut off his beard. You really are naughty; heâs taken years to grow that beard and you cut it off just like that, isnât it a pity?â She gave a laugh as her bright eyes sparkled; her appearance was enchanting.
Valley Master could not endure this any longer; he stretched out his hand towards Yang Guoâs chest and shouted, âBastard, youâre too disrespectful.â
Yang Guo didnât block it and said, âThereâs no need to rush, Iâll continue the fight once Gu Gu finishes repairing my garment.â
Valley Master Gongsunâs fingers were just a few inches away from his chest; he had the status of being a Master and even though he was furious, it would be inappropriate for him to attack him like this. Suddenly he heard Gongsun Lu E call out from behind, âFather, the weapons are here.â He didnât turn around as he moved backwards a few feet and took the weapons.
His left hand held a thick and wide jagged saber; the blade glittered with gold light and it appeared to be produced from gold; his right hand was holding a fine and long black sword and it shook a little in his hands displaying the softness of the blade. The edges of the blade emitted a blue light and it was extremely sharp. The two weapons were the opposite of each other; one was heavy and hard, the other light and soft.
Yang Guo just took one look at the strange weapons before continuing âGu Gu, a few days ago I met a woman; she told me who my fatherâs murderer was.â
Xiao Longnuâs heart trembled and asked, âWho is it?â
Yang Guo bit down on his teeth and said with hatred, âYou could never have guessed who they were, and all along Iâve been thinking that theyâve been treating me extremely well.â
Xiao Longnu said, âThey? Theyâve been treating you extremely well?â
Yang Guo said, âYes, They areâŠâ
A clear buzzing sound that resonated without stop was heard; it was Valley Master Gongsunâs black sword colliding with his golden saber. His wrist turned and three consecutive swings that sliced through the air were unleashed; one aimed towards Yang Guoâs head, one aimed at the left side of Yang Guoâs neck and other at the right side of Yang Guoâs neck. They all passed within half an inch of his flesh. The Valley Master was looking after his status; since the enemy did not make a move to block these attacks he couldnât land them; but the accuracy of these attacks was unnerving.
Xiao Longnu said, âIâve finished!â She patted him on the back.
Yang Guo turned around and smiled. He then made his way towards the centre of the hall with the silk belt.
Valley Master Gongsunâs âYin Yang Twin Bladesâ, âFish Net Formationâ and âClosure of Pressure Pointsâ were all passed down from his ancestors. But because they have lived in the valley in seclusion for all these years and havenât made any contact with outsiders for hundreds of years, these three extraordinary martial arts were unknown to the outside world. Another reason for its seclusion was that there were great weaknesses within all three sets of these martial arts. If a skilled martial artist discovers the weakness, the user would not be able to avoid death. His ancestors had passed down a strict rule; members of the valley were forbidden to go out and get involved in Jianghu affairs for this reason. Over twenty years ago, Valley Master Gongsun also learned martial arts of the Iron Palm School. Although the person who taught him wasnât some extraordinary martial artist, their knowledge was vast. Their thoughts were careful and attentive; this person helped him cover up numerous holes in his familyâs martial arts. In particular, a lot of changes were made to the stances of the âYin Yang Twin Bladesâ. This person said to him, âThis set of saber and sword technique is now greatly improved; even if youâre opponent is extremely clever, they will not be able to see through the trappings of this technique within fifty stances. But once your saber and sword is unleashed, how can your opponent withstand fifty stances of it?â
When he saw Yang Guo motioning the silk belt to battle him, he called out, âWatch out for the sword!â The black sword quivered and it pierced towards Yang Guoâs chest; but the sword did not go straight towards his chest; instead it circled around in front of him. Yang Guo did not know where the sword was aiming and in shock, he leapt backwards.
Valley Master Gongsunâs attacks were extremely fast; when Yang Guo leapt back, the circles of the sword were thrust towards him. The circles were becoming bigger and bigger; at first it only circled around the chest area, but afterwards it covered the lower abdomen, and after a few more stances the encirclement gradually reached his neck. All the vital points between the neck and the lower abdomen of Yang Guo were covered by the sword tip. Fawang, Yin Kexi, Xiaoxiang Zi and the others has never seen such a swordplay where circling of the sword is used to press the opponent; they were shocked.
As soon as Valley Master Gongsun unleashed a stance, Yang Guo would immediately dart away; he drew ten circles with his sword and each time, Yang Guo backed away and had no way to attack. Yang Guo saw that the enemyâs swords stances were becoming swifter and more intense while the jagged saber in his left hand had still to be unleashed; when he actually uses it he would probably have no chance at all. There wasnât time for any more thoughts and he leapt to the left while motioning the silk belt; a ringing âding ling lingâ and the gold bell went flying towards the opponentâs left eye. Valley Master Gongsun slanted his head to dodge the attack and stopped his attack. Yang Guo was delighted, he quickly motioned the silk belt and wrapped it around his right leg; he was about to pull backwards when Valley Master Gongsunâs sword drew downwards and slashed the belt in two; the black sword was actually an extremely sharp weapon.
Everyone gave an âahâ sound just in time to hear the gust of a fierce wind; Valley Master Gongsun had chopped down with his jagged saber towards Yang Guo. Yang Guo rolled on the floor. A âdangâ sound was heard which echoed throughout the room; Yang Guo had actually picked up Fan Yiwengâs steel staff to block the attack and the saber collided with it; both of their arms trembled and were slightly numb. Valley Master Gongsun was shocked, âThis punk really is good; he is actually able to receive ten of my stances.â The saber chopped across and the sword pierced diagonally. A saber should take ferociousness and hardness as its aim, a sword swiftness and lightness; the two weapons were complete opposites. To use both a saber and sword at the same time is impossible; but Valley Master Gongsunâs attacks were becoming more and more pressing and the sword and saber techniques were both clearly distinguished. There was softness and hardness, yin and yang; this really was a rarely seen great skill of the Wulin world.
Yang Guo gave out a call and waved the steel staff; he used the âDog Beating Stick Techniqueâsâ âsealâ formula, guarding his body tightly. Valley Master Gongsun wasnât actually able to attack him with his twin blades as he did this. But the âDog Beating Stick Techniqueâ has subtlety and variation as its main aim; a light and fine bamboo stick can be used as pleased, but the heavy and long staff in his hand cannot. After a few more stances, he felt that variation of the stances gradually became ineffective.
Valley Master Gongsun suddenly found a weakness; the gold saber lifted up and the black sword drew down; a âkaâ sound was heard as the black sword cut the steel staff in half.
Yang Guo called out, âWhat luck! Just when I was thinking that this staff is too heavy!â A great increase in the effectiveness of the stances could be seen when Yang Guo continued using this slashed half staff.
Valley Master Gongsun gave a âhuhâ grunt and said, âWeâll see whether itâs lucky or not.â The saber in his left hand chopped forward.
The saber slashed down towards Yang Guoâs head. This stance was rather slow and sluggish, all Yang Guo had to do was to slant his body to the side a little and he would be able to avoid it easily; however, the circles from the black sword were covering all his paths leaving him with no way to escape. Yang Guo could only raise his broken staff and use a stance of âLifting the Sky with One Handâ to meet this stance head on. A loud âdangâ sound was heard as the two weapons collided; sparks flew everywhere as Yang Guo felt his arms go numb. Valley Master Gongsun continued the attack; he used the same stance as before. Yang Guo was knowledgeable in martial arts and he was extremely quick witted in battle yet he wasnât actually able to neutralize such a clumsy stance; there was no other choice for him but to meet this stance in the same way again. Yang Guoâs arms ached even more after this second collision; he knew that if this continued, the tendons in his arm would suffer great damage. Before he finished his thoughts, the Valley Master had sent down a third chop. After a few more chops, the saber had hacked a groove on the staff and the joints in Yang Guoâs right hand started to bleed.
Valley Master Gongsun saw that even in the face of danger Yang Guo still carried his smile; the saber in his left hand chopped down and he thrust the black sword suddenly towards his lower abdomen. Yang Guo had been forced back into the corner of the hall; when he saw the sword tip coming he stretched out his hand to block it. When the sword arrived at his palm, the blade bent in an arc and flicked away. Xiao Longnuâs silk gloves were very tough, even though the black sword was extremely sharp, it still couldnât harm him.
Yang Guo knew that with the gloves he would not have to fear the black sword; he turned his palm around and suddenly stretched out his hand to grab the sword, wanting to do the same thing as Xiao Longnu did when she snapped Hao Datongâs sword. But he didnât know that Valley Master Gongsun would flick his wrist lightly and curve his sword around his hand, piercing him in the forearm; blood flowed out of the wound.
Yang Guo was shocked and quickly leapt back. Valley Master Gongsun did not continue the attack and instead chuckled a few times before slowly advancing again. If Valley Master Gongsun had either the jagged saber or black sword only, Yang Guo would definitely have a way to defend against him; but as the soft and hard blades were use simultaneously against him, he was forced on the back foot, struggling against the attacks.
Fawang, Yin Kexi, Xiaoxiang Zi and Nimoxing were all thinking, âThe Valley Masterâs âYin Yang Twin Bladesâ is extremely swift, powerful and vicious; but at the same time, that kid is pretty clever, thinking of so many ways to avoid all these vicious stances.â
Valley Master Gongsun chopped with his saber and thrust with his sword; Yang Guo was struck in the shoulder and blood trickled over his gown. Valley Master Gongsun said in a deep voice, âAre you in awe of me yet?â
Yang Guo smiled and said, âYou came into battle with me having a huge advantage, and here you opening your mouth asking whether Iâm in awe of you or not. Ha-ha, Valley Master Gongsun, how come you donât save face?â
The Valley Master took in his sword and saber and then asked, âPlease tell me what advantage I have?â
Yang Guo said, âYouâre using customized weapons; one is a strange saber the other is an extraordinary sword; even if I searched all over the world Iâm afraid that I wouldnât be able to find such weapons, isnât that true?â
The Valley Master replied, âSo what? Your gloves and silk belt arenât ordinary either.â
Yang Guo threw the broken staff onto the floor and laughed, âThis belongs to your bearded disciple.â He took off the gloves and picked up the two pieces of silk belt. Yang Guo threw them over to Xiao Longnu and said, âThese belong to my Gu Gu.â He cleaned off the dust on his body not taking any notice of the bleeding wounds that he had; he laughed, âI came to your valley empty handed; what ill intent did I have? If you want to kill me then kill; why must you talk so much?â
Valley Master Gongsun saw that he had a leisurely air about him; his face and eyes were elegant and handsome and even with all those wounds on him, he talked and laughed at ease as if nothing had happened. He couldnât help but feel inferior to him and thought, âI cannot compare with this person; if I let him live, sister Liuâs heart will remain his.â So he said, âFine!â He thrust the sword forwards towards his chest.
Yang Guo had already decided, âSince I canât beat him then Iâll let him kill me.â When he saw the sword coming towards him, he ignored it and instead looked over at Xiao Longnu, thinking, âI will die happy with Gu Gu in my eyes.â He saw Xiao Longnuâs face carrying a sweet smile and getting closer step by step; their eyes were locked on each other, both of them ignoring the black sword of Valley Master Gongsun.
Valley Master Gongsun had not met Yang Guo before, what feud has he got with him? The only reason heâs trying to kill him is because of Xiao Longnu, so when he sent out this sword, he couldnât help but glance over at Xiao Longnu. When he saw her, his heart immediately filled with jealousy; he saw her staring at Yang Guo lovingly, and when he looked over at Yang Guo, he was doing the exact same thing toward her. The black sword had reached Yang Guo and all that was needed was a bit of force from his arms and it would pierce into Yang Guoâs chest; but there was no fear or concern on Xiao Longnuâs face. Yang Guo also made no attempt to block this attack; the two of them stared madly at each other, their thoughts were one, they had long forgotten about life and death.
Valley Master Gongsun broke out in a great rage, thinking to himself, âIf I kill him now, sister Liu will immediately kill herself because of her love for him. I need to think of a way to force her to marry me; once Iâve bedded her thereâll be plenty of time to kill that punk.â He called out, âSister Liu, do you want me to kill him or spare him?â
When Xiao Longnu was staring at Yang Guo, she had not thought about Valley Master Gongsun; only after hearing this sudden call did she wake up and said alarmed, âMove the sword away; why are you pointing your sword at his chest?â
Valley Master Gongsun chuckled, âItâs not difficult to stop the sword. If you want to him to live, just tell him to leave the valley immediately and let us get married.â
Before Yang Guo came, she had decided to never see him again; she didnât care if she would live the rest of her life in grief and pain. All she hoped for was that he would be safe and happy; but now that theyâve reunited, how could she still agree to marry the Valley Master? For the past few days, she knew that she couldnât carry out the decision that she had made and would rather die than marry someone else; so she turned her head to the Valley Master and said, âMr. Gongsun, thank you for saving my life. But I cannot marry you.â
The Valley Master knew the reasons but still asked, âWhy?â
Xiao Longnu stood with Yang Guo and held his arm, smiling; âI have decided to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him, could you not tell?â
The Valley Master shook his head a few times and then said, âIf you hadnât promised me that day, why would I do this and try to force you? You promised with your own lips that it was what you wanted.â
Xiao Longnu said, âThat is correct, but I cannot give him up. We need to go now, please forgive us.â She pulled Yang Guoâs hand and headed for the door.
Valley Master Gongsun quickly moved to block the exit and hissed, âThe only way youâll leave the valley is over my dead body.â
Xiao Longnu said, âIâm indebted to you for saving my life; how can I try to harm you? Anyway, your martial arts are too strong for me.â As she talked, she tore off a piece of fabric from her gown and helped Yang Guo tie up his wounds.
Jinlun Fawang suddenly said loudly, âValley Master Gongsun, you better let them leave.â
The Valley Master gave a âhuhâ grunt, his face was serious and he didnât reply.
Fawang continued, âIf those two joined up with their swords, how would your gold saber and black sword be able to handle them? Just do them a favour and let them go.â
Heâd suffered the greatest humiliation in his life after losing to Yang Guo and Xiao Longnuâs âPure Heart of Jade Maiden Swordâ; ever since then, heâd been thinking of a way to defeat this swordplay but was unable to. Now he had seen how powerful the yin yang blades of the Valley Master were; it wasnât below the martial arts of his golden wheel. So he came out with these words to anger him, hoping to make the three go into battle. Firstly, he could get a chance to take a look at Yang Guoâs and Xiao Longnuâs swordplay again and look for its weakness so he can avenge this defeat. Secondly, he hoped that the three would destroy each other.
In actual fact, if Fawang hadnât come out with these words to anger the Valley Master, he would never agree to let Xiao Longnu leave the valley with Yang Guo. He stared angrily at Fawang and thought, âYou dare to say such words in front of my face? I havenât got time for you now, but Iâll remember this for the future.â He turned his head towards Xiao Longnu and clenched his teeth as he thought, âYour heart doesnât belong to me but your body will. You wonât agree to marry me when youâre alive, then Iâm still going to marry you even when youâre dead.â At first he had planned to use Yang Guoâs life to force Xiao Longnu to submit to him; but when he saw that the two werenât afraid of death, he thought that even if they die together, he wouldnât let them out of the valley. His eyebrows rose again and an air of death gradually showed up on his face.
He suddenly heard Ma Guangzuo call out, âHey, old man Gongsun, she said that she doesnât want to marry you; why are you still blocking her way? Donât you want to save face?â
Xiaoxiang Zi said eerily, âDonât talk rubbish brother Ma. Valley Master Gongsun has already set up a feast today and has invited us to join in the celebrations.â
Ma Guangzuo said loudly, âAll heâs got is water and vegetables; whatâs so great about that? If I were that girl I would never marry him. With her beauty, she can be the empress. Why should she stay with this cruel and evil old man for the rest of her life, eating nothing but green vegetables and tofu? Even if one didnât get annoyed to death, theyâd be bored to death.â
Xiao Longnu turned her head and said gently, âMaster Ma, Mr. Gongsun saved my life and Iâm indebted to him, I⊠I⊠Iâll always be grateful for his kindness.â
Ma Guangzuo called out, âFine, old man Gongsun, if you want to show that youâre a kind and benevolent person then why donât you let the two of them marry and consummate the marriage today. If you saved a girl because you wanted to bed her, then doesnât that put you in the same class as those raping lowlife bandits?â He was a straightforward man and says what comes into his mind; his words were all hard on the ears but they were hard to refute.
Valley Master Gongsunâs intent to kill was stirred; he decided that heâll take care of all the outsiders in one go. He didnât make a move and said dryly, âMy Passionless Valley may not be some extraordinary place; but if everyone here comes and goes as they please, then the one named Gongsun may appear to be a bit too humble in the eyes of others. Miss LiuâŠâ
Xiao Longnu showed a smile and said, âI lied to you when I said my surname is Liu; my surname is Long. I named myself Liu because heâs named Yang.â
Valley Master Gongsun felt even more jealous; he could only pretend that he didnât hear those words and said, âMiss Liu, thisâŠâ
Before he finished Ma Guangzuo interrupted, âThis girl is named Long, why are you calling her Miss Liu?â
Xiao Longnu said, âMr. Gongsun is used to calling me that; the blame is on me for lying to him in the first place, he can call me whatever he likes.â
Valley Master Gongsun ignored these words and continued, âMiss Liu, all the one named Yang has to do is beat my âYin Yang Twin Bladesâ and Iâll allow him to leave the valley safely. Our personal affairs will be severed of their own accord; itâll have nothing to do with other people.â After all this, he still wanted to rely on his martial arts to force Xiao Longnu to stay.
Xiao Longnu sighed and said, âMr. Gongsun, I did not want to fight you, but he canât beat you on his own, I must help him.â
Valley Master Gongsunâs eyebrows became a straight line; he said, âArenât you afraid of what happened before; you throwing up blood? Itâll happen again.â
Xiao Longnu felt great remorse towards Valley Master Gongsun and said, âWe havenât any weapons; if we fight you empty handed, then weâll definitely lose. Youâre a great and generous man; just let us go.â
Jinlun Fawang interrupted, âValley Master Gongsun, youâve got everything here in this valley, donât tell me you havenât even got two swords? But Iâd better warn you first; once those two join up together, your life will be endangered.â
Valley Master Gongsun pointed to the western path and said, âThe third room over there is the sword room; just pick whatever weapon you want. But Iâm afraid even these guests may not have the kind of weapons that Iâve hidden away.â He then laughed coldly.
Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu looked at each other and both thought, âI will die willingly if weâre able to spend time alone with each other away from other people before then.â They held each otherâs hand and headed west, leaving through the side door. They passed two rooms and arrived at the third.
Xiao Longnuâs eyes never left Yang Guoâs face; when she saw the doors were closed she didnât give it any thought and pushed it open; she was just about to step into the room when Yang Guo suddenly thought of something and urgently pulled her back, he said, âCareful.â
Xiao Longnu said, âOf what?â
Yang Guoâs kept his left foot outside the room and placed his right foot into the room, quickly touching the floor before taking it back outside. Nothing happened.
Xiao Longnu said, âYouâre afraid that the Valley Master would leave a trap for us? Heâs a very kind person; he would never do such a thingâŠâ As soon as she finished saying this, a sudden âchi chiâ sound was heard; there was a flash of light in front of them as eight sharp swords shot out all around the door frame, crossing over horizontally and vertically. If someone had stepped into the room at that time, even if your martial arts were supremely high, getting your body pierced several times over by the swords would be difficult to avoid.
Xiao Longnu let out a deep breath and said, âGuoâer, this Valley Master is so evil; Iâve really judged him wrongly. We donât need to fight him; letâs just leave.â
Suddenly someone said from behind, âOur master invites you inside to pick a sword.â
The two turned around and saw eight disciples with a fish net blocking their way. The Valley Master was wary of the two escaping together so he sent these disciples to cut off their escape routes. Xiao Longnuâs silk belt had been cut in half by the black sword; she was now unable to use it to strike their pressure points from faraway as Yang Guo did before.
Xiao Longnu said to Yang Guo, âWhat other traps has this room got?â
Yang Guo held her hands and said, âGu Gu, weâre reunited now, what other worries have you got? Even if we get pierced by ten thousand swords it wouldnât matter; weâll see each other again in death.â Xiao Longnuâs heart too was overflowing with love. The two entered the sword room together.
The wall, tables, shelves and cupboards were all lined up with sharp weapons of various shapes; there were antique swords, some that had seven foot long blades and others that were quite short. There were iron and steel ones; a few had an overpowering glow. The twoâs eyes were blinded for a second.
Xiao Longnu stared at Yang Guo for a while and then suddenly threw herself into his arms. Yang Guo held her tightly and kissed her on the lips. Both Xiao Longnuâs heart and soul were completely enchanted by that kiss. She stretched out her arms to embrace him around his neck.
Suddenly the door opened and a disciple in green entered who said sternly, âOur master ordered that as soon as youâve picked your weapon, immediately leave, you cannot waste time.â
Yang Guoâs face went red and he removed her arms. But Xiao Longnu thought that there was nothing wrong with hugging and kissing her loved one. However, there was someone disturbing them which made it difficult for her to feel comfortable; so she gave a sigh and said softly, âGuoâer, once weâve beaten that Valley Master, kiss me like that again.â
Yang Guo smiled and nodded; he stretched out his left arm and put it around her waist and said, âThere isnât enough time in this life for our kisses. Just pick a weapon.â
Xiao Longnu said, âIt appears that these weapons are indeed all special, there isnât one poor weapon. We havenât got nearly as many in our ancient tomb.â She glanced over the weapons on the wall, wanting to pick out a pair of swords that were the same in all ways and most effective for her and Yang Guo to use against Valley Master Gongsun. But after searching for a while, she saw that all the swords were different. She was searching for a weapon and asking a question at the same time. âWhen we were about to enter the room, you knew that there would be booby traps, how did you know?â
Yang Guo said, âI guessed from the eyes and expression of the Valley Master. He wanted to marry you but when he heard that you were going to help me fight him, he immediately thought about killing you. I didnât believe for a second that someone with his character would allow us to pick out weapons out of the kindness of his heart.â
Xiao Longnu gave another sigh and said, âWill we be able to beat him with our âPure Heart of Jade Maiden Swordâ?â
Yang Guo said, âThough his martial arts are strong, heâs not better than Jinlun Fawang. The two of us were able to beat Jinlun Fawang; I assume that weâll be able to beat him.â
Xiao Longnu said, âYes. The reason why Fawang kept on trying to force him to fight us is because he wanted to see us in danger.â
Yang Guo smiled, âPeople can have evil thoughts; now, youâve learned a bit about this.â He then said immediately, âIâm just worried about your health, youâve just thrown up blood.â
Xiao Longnuâs dimples from her smile were like a flower, she said, âYou know that whenever Iâm angry or upset I throw up blood. Now that Iâm extremely happy, this little internal injury isnât anything to me. You threw up blood too, is it serious?â
Yang Guo said, âIâm fine as long as I can see you.â
Xiao Longnu said tenderly, âThatâs how I feel too.â She paused and then continued, âYouâve made much progress in your martial arts recently; and we were able to beat Fawang back then.â
When Yang Guo heard these words, he too felt great confidence about this battle. He held her hand and said, âI want you to promise me something, will you?â
Xiao Longnu said tenderly, âWhy is there a need to ask me? I havenât been your Master since long ago; Iâm your wife. Iâll listen to whatever you say.â
Yang Guo said, âThatâs⊠thatâs great, I⊠didnât know.â
Xiao Longnu said, âHow can I still be your master after what happened that night on Mount Zhongnan, when you and I were that intimate. Though you didnât want to marry me, in my heart I was already your wife.â
Yang Guo did not know exactly what happened that night. Maybe the reason for suddenly bringing this up again is because sheâs emotional, he thought, âMy father Ouyang Feng was teaching me martial arts that day; he sealed your pressure point, but I wasnât intimate with you.â But when he heard the tenderness and love in her words, he was completely enchanted and couldnât say anything.
Xiao Longnu rested against his chest and asked, âWhat do you want me to promise you?â
Yang Guo stroked her hair and said, âOnce we beat that Valley Master weâll immediately go back to the tomb; no matter what happens you cannot leave my side.â
Xiao Longnu lifted her head and looked into his eyes, she said, âDo think that I have thoughts of leaving you? Do you think that the pain and suffering Iâll experience if I part from you wonât be as great as yours? Of course Iâll promise you; Iâll never leave you even if the sky falls down.â
Yang Guo was delighted; he was about to say something when the disciple in green who was watching them said loudly, âHave you picked your weapons?â
Xiao Longnu smiled and said, âLetâs just get it over with.â She turned her head to look for a pair of swords when the western wall caught her eye. She was startled; the wall had signs of being set alight and the chairs and tables near it were also burned.
Yang Guo laughed, âThe Old Urchin had broken into here previously and set this place alight; thatâs his handiwork.â He then saw two sheaths behind a painting in the corner. He thought, âThose two swords were hidden originally by that painting; itâs only because of the Old Urchinâs fire burning that painting that enables me to see them now. Those two swords must be extremely precious to have been hidden away like that.â He went over to the wall and took the swords down; he gave one to Xiao Longnu and unsheathed the sword that was in his hand.
Xiao Longnu unsheathed her sword too. Both of them felt a chill as soon as the blades were drawn out; they saw that his sword was black and didnât have any shine to it, like a piece of black wood. Her sword was the exact same as Yang Guoâs. When the two swords lined up, the room was filled with a cold air. The swords had no sharp points; the tips of the swords were round and blunt and they looked like a thin wooden whip. Yang Guo turned the sword over and saw the word âGentlemanâ carved on it; he looked over at Xiao Longnuâs sword and saw the word âLadyâ. Originally Yang Guo did not like the form of this sword, but he loved the matching names; he looked at Xiao Longnu to see what she thought.
Xiao Longnu said happily, âThis sword has no sharp points; this is just right for dueling with the Valley Master. He saved my life before; I donât want to hurt him.â
Yang Guo laughed, âThe names of the swords are âGentlemanâ and âLadyâ. Iâm not worthy of the name. If âGentlemanâ was changed to âVagrantâ, itâd be much better for me to use.â He then tested out the sword with two thrusts into the air and felt that the weight was perfect and the sword extremely agile; he said, âFine, weâll use these two swords.â
Xiao Longnu returned her sword into its sheath and was about to leave the room when she saw some extremely beautiful flowers in a vase on the table; but it wasnât arranged properly so she decided to fix it up.
Yang Guo called out, âNo, you canât touch them.â But it was too late; Xiao Longnuâs finger had been pierced by the thorns of the flowers. She turned her head back startled, asking, âWhy?â
Yang Guo said, âThose are Passion Flowers; youâve been living here in the valley for a few days now, donât you recognize them?â
Xiao Longnu sucked her finger and shook her head. She said, âI donât recognize them. Passion Flower; what kind of flower is it?â
Yang Guo was about to explain but the crowd of disciples kept on hurrying them so they left the room and returned to the hall. Valley Master Gongsun had been waiting impatiently, he stared angrily at his disciples, blaming them for being useless and allowing the two of them to waste time. All of the disciples were terrified and changed color.
Valley Master Gongsun waited for the two to come near before saying, âMiss Liu, youâve picked your weapon?â
Xiao Longnu took out the âLadyâ sword and nodded her head, saying, âWeâll use this pair of blunt swords to fight you; we donât dare to fight a life and death duel with the Valley Master, but just until a clear victor can be seen, how about that?â
The Valley Masterâs heart trembled and said sternly, âWho told you to pick those swords?â His gaze swept across to Gongsun Lu E and then back to Xiao Longnu.
Xiao Longnu felt slightly surprised and said, âNo one told us to pick them. If we canât use them, weâll go and change them.â
The Valley Master stared angrily at Yang Guo and said, âIf I let you change your weapons, how long will it take, half a day? Thereâs no need to change, just start.â
Xiao Longnu said, âValley Master Gongsun; letâs make things clear before we start. If we fight one on one, neither of us are a match for you. Weâve got an advantage fighting you two against one. We donât really want to fight you and weâre not competing with you. All youâve got to do is allow us to leave and weâll admit defeat and thank you.â
The Valley Master chuckled and said, âIf you beat my âYin Yang Twin Bladesâ then Iâll let you treat me anyway you want; if I win you have to marry me.â
Xiao Longnu gave an unperturbed smile and said, âIf we lose, weâll just die here in this valley.â
Valley Master Gongsun did not say anything more; the golden saber in his left hand waved out towards Yang Guo.
Yang Guo raised his sword and used a stance of âThe White Craneâs Bright Wingâ; a stance of Quanzhen swordplay.
Valley Master Gongsun thought, âThough this stance is tight and careful, itâs just ordinary and steady.â His right sword headed towards Yang Guoâs shoulder, actually winding past Xiao Longnu, both the sword and saber were aiming for Yang Guo. Yang Guo concentrated on his opponent and guarded his body tightly as he received three stances.
Xiao Longnu waited for the Valley Master to unleash his three stances before she raised her sword. The Valley Master did not use his sword or saber to block her sword stances; only in urgent situations did he use the black sword to repel her attacks. He showed signs of allowance in his stances.
After watching seven or eight stances, Jinlun Fawang gave a wry laugh and said, âValley Master Gongsun, giving them such allowances will lead to suffering for you.â
The Valley Master replied, âBig monk, if you donât think much of me then why donât you wait for a little while and duel with me later. I donât need you to waste your breath in trying to give me advice.â He hurried his sword and saber and the wind sounds from the weapons became increasing louder.
After a few more exchanges, Yang Guo used a stance of âSweeping Across the Northern Desertâ from the Quanzhen swordplay while Xiao Longnu used the âThe Coloured Pen Painting an Eyebrowâ stance from the âJade Maiden Swordplayâ Both of these stances were horizontal strokes, Yang Guoâs sword just swept across a few inches from the left to right while Xiao Longnu flicked her sword subtly twice. The two stances became the stance âDressing Under the Mirrorâ from the âPure Heart of Jade Maiden Swordâ. Valley Master Gongsun was shocked, he raised his black sword to block Yang Guoâs sword and swept his saber across to guard his face. Xiao Longnuâs sword drew across above his eyes, the sword and saber clashed, a âdangâ sound was heard as the tip of the golden saber was actually cut off by the âLadyâ sword.
The onlookers were shocked; they could never have predicted that such an ordinary looking blunt sword would actually be so sharp. Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu were both surprised; they originally picked these weapons because of the names and the fact that they were the same. They couldnât have known that they had actually picked a pair of precious swords by luck. Their spirits were greatly roused and swords kept on attacking.
Valley Master Gongsun marveled in secret, âSister Liu and that punkâs martial arts canât compare with mine. I originally wasnât afraid of them joining together, but I didnât know that when their swords join it would actually be so powerful. It looks like that bald scoundrel was telling the truth. If I lose to these two⊠if I lose to these twoâŠâ When he thought to this point, the saber in his right hand suddenly attacked left and the sword in his right hand swept left, using his greatest skill âYin Yang Wild Bladesâ. The black sword was originally soft and yin but right now it was hacking and chopping solidly, changing into the yang and hard nature of saber play. Meanwhile, the heavy and clumsy jagged saber was now piercing and cutting, going down the road of lightness and swiftness. The saber had become a sword, the sword had become a saber, and it really was extraordinary.
Jinlun Fawang, Xiaoxiang Zi and Yin Kexi were all knowledgeable people but the âYin Yang Wild Bladesâ was something that theyâve never seen or heard of before.
Ma Guangzuo called out, âHey, old man, what weird name has this mad kung fu of yours got? The⊠the⊠the older you get, the madder you get!â
Valley Master Gongsun was only around forty years of age. Today he had wanted to marry Xiao Longnu and because of this heâs been called old man this and that by this dim witted person; how can he not get angry? Right now he had no time for him. Now he used this kung fu that heâd studied bitterly for the last twenty years. He decided to defeat the two of them before doing anything else.
With the two paired using their swordplay, they had begun to gain the upper hand; but the opponent had swapped his weapons around and his stances were extraordinary. The two were put on their back foot and met many dangerous stances over a short period of time. Yang Guo saw that the black sword was stronger than the golden saber; he intercepted all the sword strokes and allowed Xiao Longnu to face the golden saber. He thought that because she had an advantage in weaponry, the Valley Master wouldnât dare to clash with the âLadyâ sword and so she shouldnât meet any great danger. But by doing this the two were effectively fighting separately; the swordplay of the âPure Heart of the Jade Maidenâ had separated into two and its power immediately decreased.
Valley Master Gongsun was delighted; he unleashed three chops with his black sword while the saber in his left hand used the stances âThe Still Yang Needleâ, âThe Form of the Yielding Separates Goldâ, âThe Thorn Pierces Qingâ and âThe Nine Lotusesâ. Those four graceful and flowing sword stances were mixed in with the three saber stances. Yang Guo could still block these attacks but Xiao Longnu was getting frantic; she wanted to use the sword to cut off the tip of the saber but the golden saber moved like a flying phoenix, she could not touch it. Yang Guo knew something was wrong and disregarded his safety and used a stance of âThe Horse Trampling on the Descending Flowersâ from the Quanzhen swordplay, sending the sword from his upper arm aiming upwards, intercepting the opponentâs saber and sword. Xiao Longnu immediately took back her sword and protected Yang Guoâs upper body. The two once again joined together, returning back to the swordplay of the âPure Heart of the Jade Maidenâ. The theory of the swordplay lies in the two users having a mutual affinity for each other, as if two became one. In this stance Yang Guo had forsaken his life to save Xiao Longnu; this was the supreme premise of this swordplay. Xiao Longnu saw his front wasnât guarded while he was saving her; she was afraid that he would get hurt and quickly helped him to protect himself. The two had not protected themselves but both became protected as a result; the power of the swords suddenly increased.
Many more stances passed and beads of sweat could now be seen on the forehead of the Valley Master; his sword and saber stances were wanting and a picture of defeat could be seen on him. On the other hand, Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu were becoming more and more fluid in their swordplay. Yang Guoâs left hand held the shaft of the sword and his right hand thrust the sword forward to the enemyâs waist on the left. Xiao Longnu held the sword handle with both her hands and flicked the sword upwards; this stance was called âResting Loftily with a Tidy Browâ; the stance was filled with love, tenderness and gracefulness. Her heart was filled with love and passion; she turned her head to look at Yang Guo. Suddenly her chest felt as if a hammer had smashed up against it and the finger on her right hand had broke out in unbearable pain; she almost dropped her sword. Her face changed and she leapt back three steps.
Valley Master Gongsun chuckled, âHa, the Passion Flower; the Passion Flower!â The pleasure in his heart was greater than his jealousy.
Xiao Longnu did not understand but Yang Guo knew the poison of the Passion Flower had flared up. Her finger had just been pricked by the Passion Flower and as she thought about love, her finger broke out with an unbearable pain.
Yang Guo had tasted this pain before; he was deeply concerned for Xiao Longnu and softly asked, âDoes it hurt very much?â
Valley Master Gongsun took this opportunity to launch an attack; he urgently attacked with his sword and saber at Yang Guo. Xiao Longnuâs pain had lessened and she raised her sword again. Yang Guo was concerned for her and said, âRest a little while longer.â But as soon as he stirred his love for her, his finger broke out in pain once again.
Valley Master Gongsun took this chance and chopped heavily with the black sword, a âdangâ sound was heard as he knocked the âGentlemanâ sword out of his hand. The black sword extended forward and was once again at his chest.
Xiao Longnu was shocked and tried to save him but she was blocked by the gold saber and had no way to advance.
The Valley Master called out, âHold that punk.â
Four disciples in green responded, they walked forward and twisted the net over him, they circled him a few times and held him tightly in the net.
Valley Master Gongsun asked, âSister Liu, what are you going to do?â
Xiao Longnu knew that she was not a match for him alone; she threw down her âLadyâ sword on the floor and heard a âcaâ sound; the âGentlemanâ sword and âLadyâ sword leapt closer together, joining up tightly. The two swords actually had great magnetism. Xiao Longnu said solemnly, âIf the swords can do this how can we not do it? Just kill the two of us.â
Valley Master Gongsun gave a âhuhâ grunt and said, âFollow me.â He folded his arms towards Fawang and the others, saying, âExcuse me!â He turned into the inner halls. The four disciples followed, dragging the net along with Yang Guo. Xiao Longnu followed.
Ma Guangzuo said, âHey monk, zombie head, we need to think of a way to save them.â
Jinlun Fawang just smiled wryly and didnât reply.
Xiaoxiang Zi chuckled and said, âHey giant, can you beat that old man?â
Ma Guangzuo stroked his cheek and couldnât think of a plan; he just said, âIâll fight even if I canât beat him! Iâll fight even if I canât beat him!â
Valley Master Gongsun advanced forward with his head held high; he entered a small stone room and said, âCut some Passion Flowers for me.â
Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu had already decided to die; they looked at each other, smiling, and ignoring what Valley Master Gongsun said or did. Not long after, an enchanting fragrance entered the stone room. The two turned their heads to see what it was; there was a fusion of five colors, from tender red to soft yellow; more than ten disciples in green had entered the room carrying bunches of Passion Flowers in their arms. Their arms were covered in leather, protecting them from the thorns of the flowers.
Valley Master Gongsun waved his right arm; he said coldly, âThrow them on that scum.â
It was as if ten thousands wasps were stinging Yang Guo; his limbs, his bones, they all were overpowered with unbearable pain; he couldnât take it and called out in pain.
Xiao Longnu felt pity and anger; she shouted at Valley Master Gongsun, âWhat are you doing?â She dashed forward wanting to remove the Passion Flowers from Yang Guo.
Valley Master Gongsun stretched out his hand to block her and said, âSister Liu, today is the day when we would have consummated our marriage; but this punk entered the valley and ruined everything. We do not know each other and we have no debts or feuds; but you and he know each other. If he had acted courteously and respectfully as a guest, of course I would have treated him with great respect; now that it has come to thisâŠâ He then waved his left hand out and sent his disciples away. He closed the door. He continued, âWhether itâll end up in tragedy or joy, it will be up to you.â
The pain that Yang Guo was in was indescribable but he didnât want Xiao Longnu to get upset so he clenched his teeth and didnât make a sound. None of the words of Valley Master Gongsun entered his ears as he endured the pain.
When Xiao Longnu saw the suffering he was in; her pity was roused and as soon as this happened, the Passion Flower poison in her finger flared up and she felt the excruciating pain again. She thought, âIâve only been pierced once by the Passion Flower and it is already this painful; but heâs covered with thousands and thousands of thorns, how can he stand it?â
Valley Master Gongsun knew what she was thinking and said, âSister Liu, I sincerely want to marry and be with you; I have only admiration and love for you, I have no ill intent, you should understand this.â
Xiao Longnu nodded her head and said mournfully, âYou have treated me well all along; but even if we met before you saved me and you treated me like an empress you wouldnât be able to win my heart.â She hung her head for a short while and then gave a long sigh; she said, âMr. Gongsun, if you hadnât seen me that day by the mountainside, if you hadnât saved me and had let me die there, it would have been better for the three of us. You know that forcing me to marry you will result in a lifetime of unhappiness for me. What good is that to you?â
Valley Master Gongsunâs eyebrows slowly rose again; he deepened his voice and said, âI have always been a man of my word; I donât allow people to insult or lie to me. Since youâve agreed to marry me, you have to marry me. When it comes to happiness, sadness, joy and pain, the future is hard to predict; who knows what tomorrow may bring? Letâs just see what happens.â He waved his sleeve and said, âThis person has been pricked by the Passion Flowers all over his body; the suffering will deepen every two hours; thirty six days from now he will die in excruciating pain. I have a medicine that I can give to him which will cure him within twenty four hours; but after a day, even a god wonât be able to save him. Itâs up to you whether he lives or dies.â He walked slowly towards the door and pushed it open; he turned his head and said, âIf youâd rather watch him die slowly then you can stay here and watch him for the next thirty six days; itâs up to you. I wonât harm you so you can relax. If you change your decision within twenty four hours, all youâve got to do it give a shout and I will bring the antidote to him.â He was about to leave the room.
Xiao Longnu saw that Yang Guo was trembling all over; his lips were bleeding because of him biting down in pain; his eyes had been as bright as a shooting star, but now there was not even a single speck of light in them. The pain that he was in now was already unbearable; but the pain would deepen every two hours for the next thirty six days; even hell wouldnât have such a punishment. She bit down on her lip and said, âMr. Gongsun, Iâll agree to marry you. Quickly let him go and give him the antidote.â
Valley Master Gongsun had been trying to force her to say this all along; when he heard this he was delighted but also resentful. He knew that from now on, she would detest him and loathe him. She would never have any love towards him so he nodded his head and said, âItâs for the benefit of everyone that you have changed your mind. After weâve consummated our marriage tonight, Iâll give him the antidote in the morning.â
Xiao Longnu said, âFirst cure him.â
The Valley Master sighed and said, âSister Liu, you think too little of me. I know that agreeing to this is not what you want; even if I was stupid, how would I not know? Do you think I would cure him first?â He turned to leave the room.
Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo looked at each miserably, neither one saying a word for a while. Yang Guo said slowly, âGu Gu, even when Iâm down in the underworld I will feel no pain because of your love. Just kill me with one palm!â
Xiao Longnu thought, âIâll first kill him with one palm and then commit suicide.â So she raised her hand and gathered internal energy in her palm.
Yang Guoâs face had a smile, his eyes soft and peaceful; looking at her sweetly, he whispered, âThis is where weâll consummate our love.â
Xiao Longnu saw his air was glorious; she thought, âWhy is heaven so cruel towards such a handsome and graceful man, wanting him to die today.â Her chest ached and suddenly she tasted sweetness at the back of her throat; it appeared that she would throw up blood again and the internal energy in her arm immediately dissipated. Suddenly, she threw herself on top of Yang Guo; the thousands and thousands of thorns of the Passion Flower pierced her body; she said, âGuoâer, weâll endure the suffering together.â
Valley Master Gongsun called out, âOh no!â in shock, he said, âYou⊠youâŠâ He then said coldly, âWhy did you do this? Will your suffering lessen his?â
Xiao Longnu took one deep look at Yang Guo, then slowly turned around. She exited the room and didnât look back.
Valley Master Gongsun said, âBrother Yang, Iâll give you the antidote in twenty hours time. All youâve got to do in these twenty hours is cleanse your thoughts and donât rouse any feelings of love. Even if there is pain, it wonât be that hard to endure.â He then left the room and closed the door.
Yang Guoâs body was wracked with pain and his heart was full of hurt. âAll the pain and suffering that Iâve experience before today is nothing compared to the pain Iâm experiencing now. The Valley Master is such an evil person; how can I just die like this and let Gu Gu suffer at his hands? Besides, I still have to avenge my father; how can I allow the phony, righteous and benevolent Guo Jing and Huang Rong to not get what they deserve for their evil deed?â When he thought about this, his blood boiled, shaking and stirring him, âI cannot die; whatever happens I cannot die! Even if Gu Gu becomes the wife of the Valley Master Iâd still need to save her. I need to train my martial arts and avenge my father.â So he clenched his teeth and sat up. Although he couldnât assume the proper form in the fish net, he was still able to submerge his chi into his dan tian and started to circulate his internal energy.
Four hours later, midday had passed. A disciple in green entered with a plate; there were four new buns on it. The disciple said, âOur master is celebrating his wedding and heâs allowing you to have a good meal.â The disciple placed the plate by the fish net; his hand was covered with a coarse cloth to avoid getting injured by the passion flowers. As Yang Guo stretched out his hand through the net for the buns and ate them, he thought, âSince Iâm going to fight with my life against that bastard Valley Master, I canât torture myself.â
The disciple laughed, âI couldnât have guessed that you would have such a great appetite.â
Suddenly there was a green blur by the door; another disciple had come through the door and had moved up silently behind the first disciple. That disciple threw a heavy punch against the first discipleâs back. The disciple fainted before he could see who threw the punch.
Yang Guo saw that the person who did the sneak attack was actually Gongsun Lu E; he said with surprise, âYou⊠youâŠâ
Gongsun Lu E first turned around and closed the door before whispering, âQuiet brother Yang, Iâve come to rescue you.â She untied the knots of the net and cleared the Passion Flowers away from Yang Guo, letting him out. Her hands were covered with a thick piece of cloth.
Yang Guo hesitated, âIf your father finds out about thisâŠâ
Gongsun Lu E said, âIâll ignore whatever heavy punishment Iâll get.â She picked up a Passion Flower and placed it in the mouth of the unconscious disciple so that he wonât be able to call for help when he wakes up. Then she placed him in the fish net and threw the Passion Flowers over him. She whispered again, âBrother Yang, hide behind the door if someone enters. Iâll go and get the antidote for your poison from the pill room.â
Yang Guo was extremely touched. He knew that she was putting herself in danger by doing this; his friendship with her was not even a day old and sheâs actually rebelling against her father to rescue him. He said, âMiss, I⊠IâŠâ He was so touched that he couldnât say anything.
Gongsun Lu E smiled at him and said, âJust wait here for a little while, Iâll be right back.â She then left the room.
Yang Guo was lost in thought, âWhy is she treating me so well? Though Iâve had an unfortunate life and suffered under other people ever since I was small, there are actually many people who have treated me sincerely. Thereâs no need to mention Gu Gu; thereâs Grandma Sun, Hong Qigong, my Godfather Ouyang Feng and Island Master Huang. Thereâs also the girls Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang, and nowâs thereâs Gongsun Lu E as well amongst them; all of them have treated me with great sincerity. My birth date and time must be of an extremely strange nature; otherwise how could those whoâve been good to me treat me so well and those whoâve been cruel to me have treated me so badly?â But he never thought about how all his encounters have been extraordinary; the people he meets either treat him with great sincerity or treat him with extreme insincerity. His character was such that he would only get on well with those who could agree with him; those whose words clashed with his, he treated as an enemy. How he treated others was, of course, how others repaid him.
He waited for a long while but Gongsun Lu E still had not returned. Yang Guo was getting more and more worried. At first he thought that there must have been someone else present in the pill room so she couldnât steal the antidote. But as time went by, he thought that even if she couldnât steal the antidote, she would have come back and told him so. It looks like something must have gone terribly wrong; she took such a big risk for me, how can I not try to save her? He opened the door slightly and peeked out. It was quiet outside and there was no one around; he slipped out but he did not know where Gongsun Lu E might be.
Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly heard footsteps from around the corner; he quickly hid behind the corner and saw two disciples in green passing by shoulder to shoulder. In their hands was a thorny stick; it appeared that it was something that was used for punishment.
Yang Guo was furious, âGu Gu would rather die than submit, and that shameless Valley Master is actually trying to force her to submit through torture!â He lightened his steps and followed the two disciples. The two disciples did not notice him; they turned and twisted along a few corridors before arriving outside a stone room. They said clearly, âMaster, the thorny stick is here.â They pushed open the door and entered.
Yang Guoâs heart raced; he saw that there was a window on the eastern side of the room and ran over to it. He looked inside and saw that it wasnât Xiao Longnu; it was Gongsun Lu E who was standing in front of her father with her head hanging down. The Valley Master was sitting in the middle of the room while two disciples were holding long swords in their hands, guarding the left and right of Gongsun Lu E.
The Valley Master took the thorny stick and said coldly, âEâer, youâre my own flesh and blood; why did you betray me?â
Gongsun Lu E lowered her head and didnât say anything.
The Valley Master said, âDo you think I donât know that youâve fallen for the one named Yang? I said I was going to let him go; why were you so anxious? When I see him tomorrow Iâll betroth you to him, how about that?â
How would Yang Guo not know how Gongsun Lu E felt about him; but right now when it was said aloud in public, his heart raced.
Gongsun Lu E still did not say anything and kept her head lowered. After a while, she lifted her head and said clearly, âFather, all youâre thinking about right now is your marriage; what time you do have for your daughter?â
Valley Master Gongsun gave a âhengâ grunt and didnât say anything.
Gongsun Lu E continued, âYou are correct; I admire master Yangâs decency and honesty, his passion and righteousness. But I know that there is only Miss Long in his heart. I saved him because⊠because I canât stand what you have done; it is not because of him.â
Yang Guo was extremely moved by this and thought, âThis scoundrel is so cruel and violent, yet he has a daughter who is so kind and righteous.â
Valley Master Gongsunâs face was unmoved. There were no signs of being angry on his face as he said dryly, âSo according to you, Iâm not an honest person; someone whoâs not righteous and whoâs not passionate?â
Gongsun Lu E said, âI do not dare to describe father this way. But⊠butâŠâ
The Valley Master said, âBut what?â
Gongsun Lu E said, âMaster Yang has been pierced by thousands and thousands of Passion Flower thorns; how can he withstand the suffering? Father, youâre merciful and kind, just let him go.â
The Valley Master chuckled, âIâm going to let him go tomorrow. I donât need you to be so meddlesome.â
Gongsun Lu E tilted her head and pondered; appearing as if she was weighing up whether she should say the words she had on her mind. Eventually her face became resolute and she said, âFather, youâre the one who raised me; that master Yang is an outsider Iâve just met; how can I betray you and help him? If father was really going to let him go and cure his poison, why would I need to take the great risk of going to the pill room?â
Valley Master Gongsun said sternly, âThen why did you go there?â
Gongsun Lu E said, âI know that you have ill intent towards him. After youâve forced Miss Long to marry you, you will kill master Yang to end Miss Longâs longing.
Valley Master Gongsunâs eyebrows raised again; he said coldly, âHuh, it looks like Iâve reared an ill boding tiger. I brought you up and here you are now, biting back at me. Give it!â He stretched out his hand.
Lu E said, âWhat does father want?â
The Valley Master said, âYouâre still playing dumb? I want the Passionless Pill that cures the poison of the Passion Flower.â
Lu E said, âI did not take it.â
The Valley Master stood up and said, âThen where did it go?â
Yang Guo examined the room; he saw the cupboards were lined with bottles of medicine and there were countless herbs hung on the wall. In the western side of the room were three pill cauldrons. This room looks like none other than that so called pill room. From the expression of Valley Master Gongsun, it appeared that Gongsun Lu E would definitely face a heavy punishment.
He heard her say, âFather, itâs true, I entered the pill room by myself because I wanted to find the Passionless Pill for master Yang. But I searched for half a day and still couldnât find it, otherwise, would I have been found out by father?â
Valley Master Gongsun said sternly, âThe place where I hide this medicine is extremely secretive. The outsiders have stayed in the hall and have not left it. The Passionless Pill has suddenly disappeared; could it be that the pill grew legs and ran away?â
Lu E knelt on the floor and cried, âFather, spare master Yangâs life; just tell him not to enter the valley again and leave it at that.â
The Valley Master chuckled, âIf it was my life on the line, I donât think you would kneel on the floor and beg someone to save me.â
Lu E didnât reply and just hugged his knees.
The Valley Master said, âYou took the Passionless Pill; how can I save him now? Fine, if you donât want to admit it thatâs up to you. You can wait here for a day. Though youâve stolen the pill, if you canât get it to him, it will be of no use. Iâll let you go in twenty four hours!â He then advanced to the doors.
Gongsun Lu E bit down as she said, âFather!â
The Valley Master said, âYouâve got something else to say?â
She pointed to the four disciples in green and said, âFirst dismiss them.â
The Valley Master said, âMy valley is united as one; thereâs nothing thatâs said that canât be said in front of the others.â
Gongsun Lu Eâs face went red and then immediately turned white. She said, âFine, since you donât believe my words then you need to see whether I have it on me.â She then began to take off her gown and skirt. The Valley Master quickly waved the disciples out and closed the door. After a short while, Gongsun Lu E had taken off her gown and skirt and was now left with her undergarments. Indeed, she had nothing on her.
Yang Guoâs heart jumped when he saw her white gleaming body. He was a young man and Gongsun Lu E had an attractive figure, her appearance elegant; his blood raced but then he immediately thought, âBecause sheâs trying to save my life, she didnât hesitate to unclothe herself. Yang Guo ah Yang Guo, if you take another look youâre worse than an animal.â
He quickly closed his eyes but just as he was feeling troubled and confused, his forehead lightly knocked into the frame of the window.
Though only a faint noise was produced, Valley Master Gongsun noticed it; he went over to the three pill cauldrons and pushed the middle one out of the way. He moved the one in the east to the middle, he moved the one in the west to the east and finally he moved the one that was originally in the middle to the west. He said, âSince itâs like this, Iâll promise you to spare that punkâs life.â
Gongsun Lu E was delighted and bowed, she quivered, âFather!â
The Valley Master sat down on a chair by the wall and said, âYou know the rules of the valley. What is the punishment for entering the pill room without permission?â
Lu E lowered her head and said, âDeath.â
The Valley Master sighed and said, âThough you are my daughter, I cannot break the rules of the valley, go in peace!â He drew out his black sword and raised it in midair; he said softly, âEâer, if you stop pleading for the one named Yang then Iâll spare you. I can only spare one of you, you or him?â
Gongsun Lu E said quietly, âHim!â
Valley Master Gongsun said, âFine, my daughter really is kind and righteous; much better than her father.â He waved his sword out and chopped downwards towards her head.
Yang Guo was shocked and called out, âWait!â He leapt in through the window as he called out, âYou should kill me!â His right foot touched the floor and he was about to stretch out his hand to grab the Valley Masterâs wrist to stop the black sword from chopping down when the sole of his foot felt soft as if he was treading on thin air. Yang Guo knew something was wrong; he quickly roused his chi and his body leapt up. Valley Master Gongsun pushed his daughter on the shoulders with his palms. Gongsun Lu Eâs body quickly went backwards, knocking into Yang Guo.
After he leapt back up, of course, he went back down. Gongsun Lu E had knocked right into his body and the two of them dropped straight down. There was nothing under their feet and they had yet to reach solid ground even after falling for hundreds of feet.
Though Yang Guo was frightened, he still remembered he had to protect the life of Gongsun Lu E; he quickly held Gongsun Lu E in his hands. There was just darkness in front of him; he didnât know what they would land on; a mountain of knives or a forest of swords? Or would it be boulders or rocks? Before his thoughts were finished, a âpu tongâ sound was heard as the two fell into water, sinking downwards swiftly; there was actually a deep pool below the pill room.