by Jin Yong
Instead of praising his skill, Huang Yaoshi’s anger flared. “I don’t have any disciples to fight you. Come! Let me test your few stances.”
Guo Jing hastily bowed and said, “Even if I had courage as high as the sky I still would not dare to fight Senior.”
Huang Yaoshi sneered. “Humph, fight me?” He coldly said. “You are not my match, boy! Tell you what, I will stand here while you attack me with your ‘Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms’; if I even move or raise my hand to parry, you win.”
“Junior still does not dare,” Guo Jing said.
“I don’t care! Dare or not, you have to fight me!” Huang Yaoshi said.
Guo Jing did not know what to do. “I don’t have any choice; I’d better hit him several times, but I
think he is going to borrow my own strength to shake me up. So what if I have to fall a few more
times?” he thought.
Huang Yaoshi saw him hesitating, but his face showed his willingness to try. So he urged him, “Quickly hit me! If not, I am going to hit you!”
“Since Senior commanded it, I would not dare to disobey,” Guo Jing said. He bent his body and moved his hand in a circling motion, launching the ‘The Proud Dragon Shows Remorse’. He was afraid he might injure Huang Yaoshi; also, he worried that if he used his full strength the counterattack would be fierce. Therefore, he used only sixty percent of his strength. His palm struck Huang Yaoshi’s chest; but to his surprise his palm slid like the chest was slick with oil. “Why, you didn’t even want to hit me,” Huang Yaoshi mocked. “Do you think I cannot take the overwhelming power of the ’Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms’? Is that it?”
“Junior does not dare,” Guo Jing answered. Then he launched his second move, the ‘Leaping the Abyss’ [huo yue zai yuan]. This time he did not hold back. Exhaling, his left palm lunged toward Huang Yaoshi’s throat, his right palm swiftly moved in front of the left, going straight to Huang Yaoshi’s lower abdomen.
“Now you are fighting,” Huang Yaoshi said. Hong Qigong had Guo Jing train this stance against a pine tree. The tree needed to be still, then Guo Jing was supposed to hit it with a sudden movement. Only then did he manage to break the tree. He had practiced this stance thousands of times. But as soon as his palm touched Huang Yaoshi’s clothes he felt Huang Yaoshi’s abdomen shrink and his palm was sucked in; he felt pain because his wrist joint was dislocated. He immediately leaped back several feet. His hand hung limp.
The Six Freaks of Jiangnan saw that Huang Yaoshi’s body did not move, nor did he lift a hand to parry; yet he was capable of dislocating Guo Jing’s wrist. They were amazed but also worried.
“You have to receive my palm also!” Huang Yaoshi suddenly shouted, “I want to let you know which one is superior, the Old Beggar’s ‘Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms’ or my Peach Blossom Island’s martial arts.” Before he finished speaking a gust of wind had already blown toward Guo Jing. He endured his pain and jumped to avoid the attack. Unexpectedly Huang Yaoshi did not continue his palm but swept his legs instead. Guo Jing went tumbling down.
Huang Rong was alarmed. “Father, no!” she cried, and quickly jumped forward and bent down to protect him.
Huang Yaoshi did not stop; he simply changed his fist to an open palm. He grabbed his daughter’s vest and lifter her up, while his left fist went straight toward Guo Jing.
The Six Freaks of Jiangnan realized that if Guo Jing got hit, he would certainly die or at least suffer a very heavy injury. They moved at once. Quan Jinfa was the first. He struck Huang Yaoshi’s left arm with his steel balance arm. Huang Yaoshi calmly put his daughter aside; waved both hands casually and that steel balance arm changed direction; striking the long sword in the hands of Han Xiaoying. Both the balance arm and the sword broke into four pieces.
“Master ... !” Lu Chengfeng called out. He wanted to ask his master to stop, but knowing his master’s temperament well, he did not dare to continue.
Huang Rong cried. “Father, if you kill him,” she shouted. “You will never see me again!” Without further ado she ran out towards Lake Tai and leaped into the water.
Huang Yaoshi was surprised, then angry. He knew his daughter was very good in water. She used to swim and dive in the East China Sea [dong hai]; playing with fish and turtles. Sometimes she went swimming for a whole day. But this time he was not sure when he would be able to see her again. So he ran toward the lake to try to grab her, but he was too late. Huang Rong had already vanished in the dark water. Huang Yaoshi stared blankly from the lakeshore.
After a long while he turned his head and saw Zhu Cong mending Guo Jing’s wrist. His anger flared and he wanted to vent his frustration towards these people. “You six people! Quickly kill yourselves and save me the trouble,” he said coldly.
Ke Zhen’E wielded his iron staff in front of his chest and proudly said, “Real men do not fear death. Do you think we are afraid of suffering?” Zhu Cong also said, “The Six Freaks of Jiangnan have returned to our hometown. If our bones can be buried here by Lake Tai, what more could we want?” The six unsheathed weapons or readied their bare hands and assumed a battle formation.
Guo Jing thought hard. “My six masters do not have enmity with this man. They will give up their lives in vain. How can I let them go in harm’s way?” he said in his heart. He quickly jumped forward. “Chen Xuanfeng died at my hand! It has nothing to do with my masters! I will pay for his life with mine!” But then he had another thought, “The First Master, Third Master and Seventh Master are hot-tempered. If they see me losing my life, they will surely fight to their deaths. I have to stall. I must deal with him later, alone.” He boldly positioned himself between Huang Yaoshi and the Six.
“My only regret is that my father’s death has not yet been avenged. I beseech Senior to give me a month’s grace. After thirty days I will personally come to Peach Blossom Island to give up my life,” he said fearlessly.
Huang Yaoshi’s anger had subsided by now; plus, he was worried about his daughter. He’d lost his appetite for fighting. So he waved his hand casually and walked away.
Everybody was surprised; how did Guo Jing’s simple speech send him off just like that? They were suspicious that he was playing a trick; so they kept their eyes open at full alert. But after waiting a time, Huang Yaoshi still did not come back.
After a while Lu Chengfeng regained his composure and invited everybody to go back to the hall for some rest.
Mei Chaofeng laughed suddenly, waved her sleeves, then turned around and leaped outside. Before long she had vanished in the dark.
“Mei Shijie!” Lu Chengfeng called out, “Take your disciple with you!”
But the darkness swallowed his voice. Mei Chaofeng had already gone far.
Chapter 15 - The Divine Dragon Swings Its Tail
Translated by Frans Soetomo with special thanks to Sunnysnow
He saw in front of her two clay figurines, one resembling a man, the other a woman. These figurines were made in the famous Wuxi city; they were round, fat and really cute. In front of the figurines sat tiny clay bowls filled with flower petals, leaves, and so on.
A moment later Lu Guanying remembered their other guests; he helped Wanyan Kang stand up but he could not move because his acupoints were still sealed; only his eyes were moving.
“I accepted your Master’s request, you may go,” Lu Chengfeng said. He did not want to unseal the acupoints, since it was someone outside his school who did that. If he did, he would be showing disrespect towards other people. He therefore cast his glance toward his guests. Before he even said anything Zhu Cong had come up to Wanyan Kang and hit several times on his waist, and tapped some more on his back; unsealing the acupoints.
Lu Chengfeng was impressed. “This Wanyan Kang’s martial arts are not weak, yet this man was able to seal his acupoints without any resistance. His martial arts must be good,” he thought. What he did not know was that Zhu Cong took advantage of the commotion caused by the collapsing roof so that Wanyan Kang did not e
ven realize what was happening.
Wanyan Kang was ashamed; he turned his back and walked away without saying anything. Zhu Cong saw the Jin officer still lying around; he unsealed his acupoints and called out, “Who is this officer? Take him away.”
That officer had thought that he was going to die, but he was unexpectedly released. He was delighted and hurriedly kowtowed, “Valiant Hero ... thank you so much for saving my lowly life. Duan Tiande will not forget it as long as I live. Next time when you visit the capital, please make sure you stop by my residence, I will be at your service with all my heart .”
Guo Jing heard that name ‘Duan Tiande’; his ears were buzzing. With a trembling voice he asked, “You . your name is Duan Tiande?”
“That’s right,” answered Duan Tiande. “Duan Tiande at your service, Young Hero.”
“Eighteen years ago, were you serving as a military officer in Lin’an?” Guo Jing asked.
“How did the Young Hero know that?” Duan Tiande asked; and then he remembered that Lu Chengfeng had mentioned that Lu Guanying was a disciple of the monk Kumu; he turned his head to Lu Guanying and said, “I am Monk Kumu’s nephew, only I did not attend the monastery. I say we belong to the same family. Ha ... ha .!” He laughed merrily.
Guo Jing looked at him strangely but did not say anything. Meanwhile Duan Tiande was still smiling happily. After a while Guo Jing regained his composure and turned his head to Lu Chengfeng. “Manor Master Lu, may I please borrow your courtyard for a moment?” he asked.
“Sure, use it as you wish,” Lu Chengfeng answered.
Guo Jing took Duan Tiande’s arm and led him to the courtyard in big strides. The Six Freaks of Jiangnan were having mixed feelings; they thought the heavens did indeed have eyes. Had he not said his own name, they would not have known he was the person they’d been looking for these past seven years and tens of thousands li.
Lu Chengfeng and his son, along with Wanyan Kang followed behind. They had no idea what Guo Jing was about to do.
The courtyard was bright with the torches held in the manor servants’ hands. Guo Jing requested the use of some writing instruments, which the servants also quickly provided. Guo Jing then turned to Zhu Cong.
“Second Master,” he requested, “Would you please write down my father’s name?” To which Zhu Cong complied. He wrote in large characters, ‘Guo yi shi Xiaotian zhi ling wei’ [memorial tablet for the righteous warrior Guo Xiaotian] and placed it on the center table.
When he was taken out of the hall, Duan Tiande thought they were going to enjoy some refreshments; but as soon as he saw the name ‘Guo Xiaotian’ the blood drained from his face. He looked around and found the Six Freaks of Jiangnan had taken positions surrounding him. He was especially wary of Han Baoju with his short and stout stature; involuntarily he wet his pants. That day when he took Guo Jing’s mother to the north with the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan hot on his trail, he stopped at an inn for the night. He heard a commotion and took a peek through a crack in the door and had seen Han Baoju. Han’s short and stout stature was not easily forgettable. Earlier that day they met in the hall, but since he was a prisoner, he was more worried about his own fate so that he did not pay too much attention to anyone else. But now under the bright torch light it was impossible to mistake Han Baoju for someone else.
Guo Jing smashed a table and loudly shouted, “Now tell me, do you want a quick and easy death, or do you want me to slice your body with a thousand cuts before killing you?”
Duan Tiande knew he was not going to see another day. He scrambled to find something; anything to save his life. “Your father the chivalrous hero Guo’s death was unfortunate and I did have a small role in his death, but . what could I do as a lowly officer against higher authority?” he stammered.
“Who was that? Who sent you to harm my father? Quick, say it!” Guo Jing shouted.
“It was the Sixth Prince of the Great Jin, Prince Wanyan Honglie,” Duan Tiande said.
“What did you say?” Wanyan Kang was startled.
At this point all Duan Tiande could think of was, if he was going down, other people were going down with him. Who knows? He might get away with his crime. Therefore, without concealing anything he narrated how Wanyan Honglie was infatuated with Yang Tiexin’s wife, Bao Xiruo; how he conspired with Song authorities to kill Yang Tiexin while Wanyan Honglie would pretend to be the good guy who rescued Bao Xiruo. He told how they ransacked Ox Village and ended up killing Guo Xiaotian; how Duan Tiande then took Guo Jing’s mother to Beijing and then joined the Jin envoy to Mongolia. He explained how, during the chaotic times in Mongolia, he got separated from Guo Jing’s mother; how he decided to go back to Lin’an and worked diligently as a career soldier, finally to get promoted to his current position. He ended his story by kneeling in front of Guo Jing.
“Young Hero Guo, Guo Da Ren [‘honorable’ - someone in high position],” he said. “Please do not blame your lowly servant. I saw how chivalrous your father was, how solemn his expression was; I wanted to befriend him, only . only . your lowly servant was a very low ranking officer and I must obey orders. It was useless for me to have good intentions. Heaven is my witness, how I, Duan Tiande, did not have any enmity towards anybody ...” He saw Guo Jing’s expression had not changed a bit and he did not say anything either. He quickly scooted over to the table and kneeled in front of Guo Xiaotian’s memorial. “Master Guo,” he continued. “I am sure your spirit in heaven is 446 Eagle Shooting Hero
very clear that it was the Sixth Prince Wanyan Honglie who killed you, and not this lowly creature in front of you. Today I witnessed that your son is an extraordinary young man, your spirit must be very proud of him. I pray, with your blessing, he will forgive a lowly dog like me ...”
While he was still babbling, Wanyan Kang swiftly leaped, struck with both hands and shattered his skull. He collapsed and died instantly.
Guo Jing kneeled in front of the table, sobbing uncontrollably. Only now did Lu Chengfeng understand the real story, so along with his son and the Six Freaks of Jiangnan they bowed to pay their respects in front of Guo Xiaotian’s memorial. Wanyan Kang also kneeled and kowtowed several times. Then he stood up and said, “Brother Guo, today I know that ... that Wanyan Honglie is our archenemy. Little Brother did not realize it and has committed many-many despicable actions, more like heinous crimes.” And then he remembered his mother’s suffering and wept bitterly.
“What are you going to do then?” Guo Jing lifted his head and asked.
“Little Brother found out today, that my surname is actually ‘Yang’, the name ‘Wanyan’ does not have anything to do with me. From now on, I will be called ‘Yang Kang’,” Wanyan Kang answered.
“Good!” Guo Jing exclaimed. “Finally you are a real man who does not forget your origins. I am going to Beijing tomorrow to kill Wanyan Honglie. Are you coming with me or not?”
Yang Kang still remembered Wanyan Honglie’s kindness in raising him from childhood; he hesitated for a moment. But seeing Guo Jing’s stern expression he hastily answered, “Little Brother will accompany Big Brother to seek revenge.”
Guo Jing was delighted. “Good! You know that our late fathers were sworn bothers and my mother told me that they made a pact to make us sworn brothers too. What do you say?”
“That is precisely my wish,” answered Yang Kang. So they asked each other their respective ages, it turned out that Guo Jing was born two months before Yang Kang. They kneeled in front of Guo Xiaotian’s memorial, bowed eight times toward each other and became sworn brothers.
With everything under control, they turned in to take some rest in Returning Cloud Manor. Early the next morning the Six Freaks, Guo Jing and Yang Kang bade farewell to Manor Master Lu and his son. The Manor Master presented each guest with a generous amount of money as a farewell gift to cover their traveling expenses.
Leaving the village Guo Jing said to his six Masters, “Disciple and Brother Yang are going north to kill Wanyan Honglie. I am asking Masters to g
ive me some advice.”
“The mid-autumn festival is still weeks away, while we do not have anything pressing to do. I think we’d better accompany you to take care of this important business,” Ke Zhen’E said. Zhu Cong and the rest voiced their approval.
“Your kindness towards your disciple is as heavy as a mountain. Wanyan Honglie’s martial arts are mediocre. With Brother Yang’s help, I am sure killing him will not be a difficult task. For your disciple’s sake my Masters have been away from Jiangnan for more than ten years. Now that you are back in your hometown, your disciple does not dare to trouble Masters with my personal business.”
The Six Freaks thought Guo Jing was being very reasonable; also, they had seen with their own eyes that Guo Jing’s martial arts had improved tremendously. Hence they did not press him and one by one they gave their blessings to him.
Finally Han Xiaoying said, “On the matter of Peach Blossom Island, I don’t think you should go.” She knew Guo Jing was uprightly honest and that Huang Yaoshi was hot-tempered and strangely cruel. If Guo Jing went to Peach Blossom Island chances were he would meet some unfortunate events.
“If disciple does not go, wouldn’t that mean I broke my promise to him?” Guo Jing asked.
“When dealing with a monster we don’t have to have good faith,” Yang Kang countered. “Big Brother, I think you adhere too rigidly to old-fashioned values and traditions.”
Ke Zhen’E snorted and said, “Jing’er, as chivalrous heroes we have to do what we say. Today is the fifth day of the sixth month; we will meet again on the first day of the seventh month at the ‘Pavilion of the Drunken Immortal’ in Jiaxing [in modern day Zhejiang]. Then we will go to Peach Blossom Island together. Now you’d better rush to Beijing on your red horse to seek revenge. You don’t always have to be with your younger brother. If you can achieve your goal, that would be great. If not, we can always look for the Quanzhen Sect’s priests to help us kill the traitor. Their righteousness is as heavy as a mountain; they certainly will not turn down our request.”
