The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 22 – Part 8

Yang Guo said, “Li shibo, that bald villain has left. Let us go out together.” Then, suddenly, he whispered, “We will cry out in alarm together and lure him into the cave.” Li Mochou did not know what trick Yang Guo was planning, but she had long known this boy was cunning, she herself had suffered at his hands more than once. Since he had devised some clever scheme, it was probably worth following. Besides, the baby was in her arms. As long as they could drive off the Imperial Preceptor first, she had no fear that Yang Guo would not trade the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra for the child. She nodded.

The two of them cried out in unison: “Ow!” Yang Guo pretended to be gravely wounded, groaning loudly. He cried, “You… how could you strike me with such a venomous blow?” Then he immediately whispered, “Pretend your life is slipping away.” Li Mochou said angrily, “You… today I may… die at your hands, but I will make sure… you little wretch… do not live either.” Toward the end, her voice grew broken and halting, as though she was gasping her last.

The Imperial Preceptor, listening outside the cave, was overjoyed. These two are fighting over the baby, he thought. Before they have even left the cave, they have already wounded each other. It sounds as though both are badly hurt. He feared the baby might die along with them, then he would have no hostage to use against Guo Jing. Without hesitation, he pushed aside the burning brush and charged into the cave. He had taken only two steps when he felt a faint sting in the sole of his left foot.

His reactions were astonishingly fast. Before his foot could fully land, he pushed off with his right foot and leaped backward out of the cave. But when his left foot touched down, his calf went numb, and he nearly toppled over. With his profound neili, even if someone had slashed him several times with a blade, he would not have stumbled like this when leaping. In a flash, he understood, the sole of his foot had been pierced by something highly toxic. He was about to pull off his shoe and examine it when Nimoxing came back around from the hillside, shouting, “That boy is a liar! There is no exit behind the mountain! Guo Jing and his wife are still in the cave!” The Imperial Preceptor stopped and did not remove his shoe. Keeping his expression perfectly neutral, he said, “Your assessment is correct. But there is no sound from inside the cave. They must all have been overcome by the smoke.”

Nimoxing was delighted. This time, he thought, the glory of capturing Guo Jing alive will finally fall to me. It never occurred to him to wonder why the Imperial Preceptor was not claiming this prize for himself. Brandishing his iron serpent to protect his vital points, he plunged straight into the cave entrance. Yang Guo’s three silver needles had been planted directly in the path, no matter how large or small a person’s stride, they could not avoid stepping on at least one. Nimoxing was short and took small steps, and he moved quickly. His right foot came down squarely on a silver needle. The pain made him flinch, but before he could pull back, his left foot had already landed on another needle tip. In India, the weather is hot, and people go barefoot by custom. Nimoxing wore no shoes. Although the soles of his feet were toughened like cowhide through training, the Soul-freezing Silver Needles were piercingly sharp and had already sunk an inch deep. Nimoxing was fierce and hardy by nature. A minor injury like this meant nothing to him. He swept his iron serpent across the ground ahead and found no more upturned needles. He was about to continue into the cave to capture Guo Jing and his wife alive when a sudden numbness seized both his legs. He could not stand. He toppled over. Only then did he realise the poison on those needles was terrifyingly potent. In a panic, he scrambled and crawled his way back out of the cave. Outside, he saw the Imperial Preceptor, who had removed his shoe and sock and was cradling a swollen, blackened left foot, circulating his energy to stop the poison from rising.

Nimoxing was enraged. “Wicked bald villain!” he roared. “You were clearly poisoned and wounded! Why did you not tell me? You let me fall into the same trap!” The Imperial Preceptor gave a faint smile. “I fell for one trap. You fell for one trap. Now we are even.” Nimoxing’s fury blazed beyond control. He bellowed, “I do not want Guo Jing anymore! Nimoxing and wicked monk, today we fight to the death!” His legs had lost all strength. He propped himself up with his left hand and threw himself at the Imperial Preceptor, his right-hand iron serpent smashing down toward the monk’s head. The Imperial Preceptor raised his copper wheel to block the iron serpent, then swung his arm across in an elbow strike. Nimoxing was in midair and could not dodge. The Imperial Preceptor’s move came with blinding speed, and the elbow hammered into his shoulder.

Though Nimoxing’s bones and sinews were exceptionally tough, the blow sent agony tearing through him. In his berserk rage, he ignored whether he lived or died. He hurled himself forward and locked his arms around the Imperial Preceptor, then opened his mouth and bit down, his teeth sank into the Qishe acupoint¹ just below the monk’s neck. Under normal circumstances, with the Imperial Preceptor’s martial prowess, how could Nimoxing have gotten close enough to embrace him? And even if he had, how could he have bitten such a critical acupoint? But the Imperial Preceptor knew the poison from the needle in his foot was no ordinary toxin. Every bit of his neili was devoted to resisting the poison, forcing it not to rise past the Ququan acupoint between his thigh and calf.² As long as he held that pass, the worst outcome would be losing one leg, his life would not be in danger. By the time Nimoxing threw himself at him, the Imperial Preceptor had essentially lost all his neili and could only fight with external techniques. Nimoxing, by contrast, was attacking with full force. Once his teeth clamped onto the acupoint, he did not let go.

The Imperial Preceptor hooked his right foot outward. Nimoxing’s legs had long since lost all strength, and he pitched forward. The two of them tumbled to the ground together. The Imperial Preceptor reached up to tear Nimoxing off, but with his vital acupoint bitten, the strength in his hands had greatly diminished, he could not pull him away. He had no choice but to reach back and clamp his hand onto the Dazhui acupoint³ at the back of Nimoxing’s neck, guarding against a sudden lethal move. Both men were originally first-rate masters, but poisoned and grappling at close quarters, they fought like street thugs brawling in the dirt, all dignity forgotten.

The two rolled and tumbled across the ground, drawing closer and closer to the cliff edge beside the valley. The Imperial Preceptor saw clearly what was happening and shouted, “Let go, now! One more step and both of us will be smashed to pieces!” But Nimoxing had lost all reason. He was not using his energy to resist the poison, so his neili was far deeper than the Imperial Preceptor’s at this moment. He pushed forward with all his might, and the Imperial Preceptor could not hold him back. The cliff edge was now only a few chi away, beyond it, the deep valley. In his desperation, the Imperial Preceptor’s wits sharpened. He bellowed, “Guo Jing is here!” Nimoxing started. “Where?” he demanded. The moment he spoke those words, his mouth opened, releasing the Imperial Preceptor’s acupoint. The Imperial Preceptor channelled force into his left palm and struck forward with a roar. Nimoxing knew he had been tricked and ducked his head to evade, then lunged forward, bending at the waist.

The Imperial Preceptor’s palm strike had been meant to force Nimoxing to dodge backward. But he had forgotten that his opponent’s legs were poisoned and no longer obeyed him, how could Nimoxing leap backward? He saw the man come forward instead of retreating. In his shock, the two became entangled again. Then, suddenly, he felt nothing beneath him. Together, the two of them plunged straight down into the valley below.

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Li Mochou had watched Yang Guo’s cunning plan succeed and secretly admired how capable this boy truly was. She heard the two men outside cursing and brawling and knew the danger had passed. She was about to stride out of the cave when she suddenly heard the Imperial Preceptor and Nimoxing cry out together in the strangest of voices. This was the sound they had made when they fell off the cliff. But the cliff was over ten zhang from the cave, blocked from view by a rocky outcrop. From inside the cave, they could not see what was happening outside and had no idea why the two had cried out like that. Li Mochou said, “Hey, boy, what are they doing?” Yang Guo, too, had not expected the two to fall into the valley. He said thoughtfully, “That bald villain is treacherously cunning. We pretended to wound each other. They might be copying our trick to lure us out.”

Li Mochou thought this made sense. In a low voice, she said, “Mmm. He must be trying to trick me into coming out so he can seize my antidote.” She edged slowly toward the cave entrance, wanting to peek outside. Yang Guo said, “Careful of the silver needles on the ground.” The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them: Why am I kindly warning this demoness? It was simply that his nature was fundamentally good, and having fought alongside Li Mochou against a common enemy, he had momentarily forgotten that this woman was his foe.

Li Mochou was startled and hurriedly pulled back her foot. By now, the fire at the cave entrance had died out, and the cave was once again pitch black. She could not see in the dark as Yang Guo could and had no idea where the three silver needles were planted. If she stepped out recklessly, she would almost certainly step on one. She had the antidote, but the poison on those needles was terrifyingly potent, and treating it would be agonising. Moreover, if she was pricked in the foot, Yang Guo would surely seize the chance to attack, and she would not be able to spare a hand to treat the poison. She might well lose her life to her own venomous needles. “Hurry and pull out those needles,” she said. “What are we still doing in here?” Yang Guo said, “Wait a little longer. Let the poison take effect and kill those two. There is no rush to leave.” Li Mochou snorted. She was deeply wary of Yang Guo. Being shut in this dark cave with him, every moment was a crisis. Her martial arts might no longer surpass his, and in cunning, she was certainly no match. She lowered her head and pondered how to get out.

Outside the cave, all was silent. Inside, the two were each lost in their own thoughts, saying nothing. Suddenly, the baby burst out crying. “Wah!” She had not had a single drop of milk since she was born. She was hungry.

Li Mochou laughed coldly. “And where is your dear shimei⁴? Does she not care if her own child starves to death?” Yang Guo said, “Who says it is Gugu’s child? This is the daughter of Guo Jing, Great Xia Guo.” Li Mochou said, “Ha! You think using Great Xia Guo’s name will frighten me? If it were someone else’s child, you would not be fighting so desperately for her. This is clearly the bastard spawn of you and your shifu.”

Yang Guo was enraged. “That is right,” he shouted. “I am determined to marry Gugu. But we have not yet wed. Where would a child come from? Keep your mouth clean.” Li Mochou gave another cold laugh, curling her lip. “You want me to keep my mouth clean? Perhaps you should start by keeping your own behaviour with your shifu clean.” Yang Guo had always revered Xiaolongnü as a heavenly being. He could not tolerate such slander. Even more furious, he roared, “my shifu is pure as ice and clean as jade. Do not speak such filthy nonsense!” Li Mochou said, “Pure as ice, clean as jade, and gives birth to a child before she is even married.”

With a sharp hiss, Yang Guo thrust his sword straight at her chest, shouting, “Curse me all you want, it does not matter! But you have insulted my shifu. Today, I will fight you to the death!” He launched three swift sword strokes in succession. His swordplay was exquisite, and his eyes could see clearly in the darkness. Li Mochou had to rely entirely on listening to the wind to parry. She did not miss by a hair, but after several moves, danger pressed in on all sides. Fortunately, Yang Guo was mindful of the baby. He feared that if his swordplay grew too fierce, she would strike a lethal blow against the infant. So he held back his killing moves.

The two had exchanged over ten moves inside the cave when the baby suddenly let out a sharp cry, then fell silent for a long while.

Yang Guo was horrified. He immediately withdrew his sword. In a trembling voice, he asked, “Did you hurt the child?” Seeing how deeply he cared about the baby, Li Mochou grew even more convinced it was his own flesh and blood. “She is not dead yet,” she said. “But if you do not do as I say, do you think I lack the nerve to crush this little brat to death?” A chill ran through Yang Guo. He knew well that this woman killed without blinking. Never mind a newborn, if she harboured even a slight grudge, she would slaughter an entire household, leaving neither chicken nor dog alive. He said, “You are my shibo. As long as you do not insult my shifu, I will naturally obey your instructions.” Li Mochou heard the yielding in his tone and knew that as long as the baby was in her hands, he could not resist her. “Fine,” she said. “I will not insult your shifu. Now you will listen to me. Go outside and see how badly the poison has affected those two.”

Yang Guo did as he was told. He went out and looked around. There was no sign of the Imperial Preceptor or Nimoxing. Fearing the Imperial Preceptor’s cunning, he hacked and slashed at the nearby trees and undergrowth with his sword to make sure no one was hiding. Finding no one, he returned to the cave and said, “They are both gone. The poison must have driven them far away.”

Li Mochou said, “Hmph. Once struck by my silver needles, even if they fled, how far could they get? Pull out the needles at the cave entrance and place them in front of me.” Yang Guo, hearing the baby crying without pause, thought it was time to go outside and find something for the child to eat. He wrapped his hand in cloth again, pulled out the silver needles, and returned them to her.

Li Mochou placed the three needles back in their holder and strode out of the cave. Yang Guo followed. “Where are you taking the baby?” he asked. Li Mochou said, “Back to my own home.” Yang Guo said urgently, “What do you want with her? She is not yours.” Li Mochou’s cheeks flushed red. Immediately, her face darkened. “What nonsense are you talking about? Bring me the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra of our Ancient Tomb School, and I will return the child to you. I guarantee not a single hair on her head will be harmed.” With that, she launched into her qinggong and sped northward.

Yang Guo ran after her, calling out, “You have to feed her first!” Li Mochou spun around, her face burning crimson. “You insolent boy!” she shouted. “How dare you speak to me with such disrespect, taking liberties?” Yang Guo was baffled. “Huh? How am I taking liberties? If the baby gets no milk, she will starve to death.” Li Mochou said, “I am a virgin who guards her purity like jade. How would I have milk for this little brat to drink?” Yang Guo gave a slight smile. “Li shibo, I meant you should find some milk for the baby to drink. I was not saying that you yourself…”

Footnotes

1. 气舍穴 – Qishe acupoint. Located on the neck, just above the collarbone, along the Stomach meridian. This is a critical acupoint; striking or biting it can severely disrupt the flow of qi. ↩

2. 曲泉穴 – Ququan acupoint. Located at the medial end of the transverse crease of the knee, on the Liver meridian. Imperial Preceptor is using this point as a barrier to prevent the poison from spreading from his lower leg into his thigh and torso. ↩

3. 大椎穴 – Dàzhuī Xué. GV-14 acupoint on the Governing Vessel meridian, located below the seventh cervical vertebra at the base of the neck. Major acupoint governing the flow of qi between the upper body and head. ↩

4. 师妹 – shīmèi. Female junior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Mèi means younger sister. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩