Legend of Condor Heroes Book 2

by Jin Yong

  “I ate too many strange foods yesterday, I think I suffered food poisoning, so I relieved myself over there,” Yang Kang said, pointing to a small wooded area.

  Huang Rong did not believe him, but she was too uncomfortable to challenge him. “Xian di,” Guo Jing said, “Let’s look together.”

  Yang Kang was worried; he was not sure if Wanyan Honglie had run away or was still here; but his face did not show anything. “He came here to die! We could not have asked for anything better,” he said, “Why don’t you two search to the east, I’ll go to the west.”

  “Very well.” Guo Jing said, immediately walking to the east and pushing open the door to the ‘Clemency and Filial Hall’ [jie xiao tang].

  “Brother Yang,” Huang Rong said, “I think that man is hiding in the west wing; let me come with you.”

  Yang Kang groaned inwardly, but his face feigned happiness. “Let us go, quickly!” he said, “Don’t let him run away.” Immediately the two searched from room to room.

  The Liu family of Baoying was originally an important family during the Song Dynasty; naturally their ancestral temple was huge. Because of the war with the Jin, this temple was partially burned and some of the Liu family killed. Therefore parts of temple were left in ruins without any effort to rebuild it.

  With a cold look Huang Rong watched Yang Kang open dust-laden and spider-webbed doors one by one. He searched each and every room. Finally they arrived at the west wing. Huang Rong saw thick dust on the floor and in that dust there were several footprints, which - from the look of them, were recently made. There were a couple of handprints on the closed door too. “In here!” she shouted excitedly.

  Guo Jing and Yang Kang both heard her shout; Guo Jing was delighted, while Yang Kang was anxious; both rushed towards her.

  Huang Rong kicked the door open, but to her surprise, all she saw were several coffins with no sign of Wanyan Honglie.

  Yang Kang was greatly relieved, he knew Wanyan Honglie must have escaped; but he entered the room and loudly shouted, “Wanyan Honglie, traitor! Where do you hide? Come out!”

  “Brother Yang, he must have heard us a long time ago. You don’t have to be so kind as to let him know we are here,” Huang Rong snickered.

  Yang Kang was embarrassed, his face flushed, “Miss Huang, why do you joke with me?” His embarrassment turned to anger.

  “Never mind her, Xian di; Rong’er likes to joke,” Guo Jing smiled. He lowered his head and said, “Look here, someone must have left all these footprints. Indeed he was here.”

  “Quick, we must pursue him!” Huang Rong urged. Just as she turned her head, there came a noise from behind her. All three were frightened. They saw a coffin move slightly.

  Huang Rong had always been afraid of coffins and ever since she entered this room, she had been feeling queasy; now a coffin suddenly moved by itself, she uttered a cry and tightly held Guo Jing’s arm. But even though her heart was scared, her brain was still working. “That traitor ... that traitor hides in the coffin,” she said with a trembling voice.

  Yang Kang suddenly pointed his finger outside, “Hey! He is over there!” Without waiting for a reply he readied to run outside. But Huang Rong was quick, she reached backward and grabbed Yang Kang’s main artery. “You have seen a ghost?” she sneered.

  Half of Yang Kang’s body was numb; he could not move. “You ... what are you doing?” he asked anxiously.

  Guo Jing was delighted. “Right.that traitor must be hiding in the coffin.” With big strides he walked towards the coffin and lifted his hands, ready should Wanyan Honglie came out.

  “Elder Brother, be careful!” Yang Kang called out. “There could be a zombie inside.”

  Huang Rong twisted Yang Kang’s hand so that he fell to the floor. “You still want to scare me?” she asked angrily. She was certain that it was Wanyan Honglie hiding inside the coffin, but still, she was scared. What if it really was a zombie inside? You never know, do you?

  “Jing ge ge, not so fast!” she tremblingly said.

  Guo Jing halted and turned his head, “What is it?”

  “Just hold the lid down,” Huang Rong said. “Don’t let ... don’t let that thing come out.”

  Guo Jing smiled, “How can it be a zombie?” But he saw that Huang Rong was really afraid, so he jumped toward the coffin and comforted her, “He won’t be able to crawl out!”

  Huang Rong was still anxious, she hesitated a little bit, and then said, “Jing ge ge, let me hit the coffin using the ‘Empty Splitting Palm’ [pi kong zhang] while you keep your eyes open. Whether it is a zombie or Wanyan Honglie, I will split the coffin. Then we’ll see whether it is a person crying or a zombie wailing!”

  As soon as she finished speaking she exerted energy to her palms, took two steps and sent the palms at the coffin. Her ‘Empty Splitting Palm’ was not as strong as Lu Chengfeng’s; therefore, she needed to hit the coffin directly. Actually it could be launched from a distance with empty air between her and the target.

  “That’s not right!” Yang Kang said anxiously, “You hit the coffin’s lid and a zombie might poke his head out and bite your hand, that won’t be good!”

  He was successful in making Huang Rong more frightened than ever. She was shivering and halted her movement. Suddenly a cry came out from the coffin; it was a woman’s voice. Huang Rong jumped. She was extremely terrified. “A female ghost!” she cried. Flailing her hands she ran outside and cried, “Quick! Get out of here!”

  Guo Jing was brave, “Brother Yang, let us lift the coffin lid and take a look,” he said.

  Yang Kang was drenched in a cold sweat, but how could he refuse Guo Jing’s request? Surely he could not make himself an enemy of this Guo-Huang couple. But then he heard that woman’s voice again, so he rushed ahead to raise the coffin lid. They used a knife to jack the lid up and together they opened the lid, which actually had not been nailed to the coffin.

  Guo Jing had directed his strength to his arms, ready to strike the zombie’s head; but when he looked down, he was stunned. There was no zombie; it was a good-looking young girl, with a pair of big eyes looking up at them. It was none other than Mu Nianci.

  Yang Kang was pleasantly surprised and quickly he held out his hand to help her out.

  “Rong’er, come here, quick!” Guo Jing called out. “Look who’s here?”

  Huang Rong turned her head with her eyes closed. “I don’t want to see!” she shouted back.

  “But it’s Elder Sister Mu!” Guo Jing urged.

  With her left eye still closed, Huang Rong took a peek with her right eye. She saw Yang Kang embracing a woman who looked like Mu Nianci. She felt relieved and timidly entered the room again. Who was that woman if not Mu Nianci?

  Huang Rong saw Mu Nianci’s face looked haggard and two streams of tears flowed down her cheeks. She was unable to move. Huang Rong unsealed her acupoint and asked, “Elder Sister, why are you here?”

  Mu Nianci’s acupoint had been sealed for quite a while; her whole body was stiff and her breathing was uneven. Huang Rong helped by rubbing her back. After a while [about the time needed to drink a cup of tea] Mu Nianci told her, “I was captured and held prisoner.”

  Huang Rong noticed that the sealed acupoint was located at the center of the sole of the foot; the ‘Bursting Fountain’ [yong quan] acupoint. This was rarely used by the wulin characters of the Central Plains. So with eighty to ninety percent certainty she guessed, “Was it that bastard Ouyang Ke?” Mu Nianci did not answer, but she nodded.

  That day when she was trying to contact Mei Chaofeng for Yang Kang’s sake she was captured by Ouyang Ke near the pile of skulls and her acupoint was sealed. After Huang Yaoshi played his jade flute to disperse the snakes and help Mei Chaofeng; Ouyang Ke’s concubines and his three snake herders were left unconscious by the flute’s sound and Ouyang Ke ran away in distress. At daybreak the concubines and the snake herders woke up and found Mu Nianci lying on her side, unable to move. They took her to their master. Ouyang Ke trie
d to rape her, but she was determined to fight to her death. Although Ouyang Ke was conceited and lecherous, he always prided himself as being an elegant and cultured man; his martial arts skill was high, so he could easily melt women’s hearts. If he resorted to violence and brute force, he would certainly succeed in raping her; but then he would mar the name of the White Camel Mountain. Because of this pride, Mu Nianci was fortunate and able to keep her purity.

  Afterwards they arrived at Baoying and Ouyang Ke hid her inside one of the Liu ancestral temple’s coffins. He then sent his concubines to ‘invite’ several beautiful young women from rich families, including Miss Cheng. It was then that the Beggar Clan intervened which resulted in a battle. Ouyang Ke left in a hurry. He’d had several women these past few days, so he did not remember Mu Nianci was still inside one of the coffins. If Guo Jing and the others had not been looking for Wanyan Honglie, she would have starved to death inside the coffin.

  Yang Kang was unexpectedly happy to see his beloved here. With a compassionate face he said, “Little sister, just rest here, I am going to boil some water for you to drink.”

  “How can you boil some water?” Huang Rong smiled, “I’ll go. Jing ge ge, come with me.” She had thought to leave those two alone to alleviate their lovesickness, but Mu Nianci sat straight up, “Hold a moment!” she said without a smile, “Mister Yang, I congratulate you on your unlimited riches and honor in the future.”

  Yang Kang felt a flush creeping onto his whole face, but his heart turned cold. “She must have heard my conversation with Fu Wang in here.” He stood still not knowing what to do.

  Mu Nianci saw he was distressed and her heart melted; she did not have the heart to reveal the secret that he was the one who let Wanyan Honglie go, for fear that Guo Jing and Huang Rong would kill him out of anger.

  “You called him ‘Dad’, wasn’t that better? It is much more intimate than if you call him ‘Fu Wang’, isn’t it?” she coldly said. Yang Kang felt so ashamed; he hung his head and did not say anything.

  Huang Rong did not know what was going on; she thought this young woman was upset and blamed Yang Kang for not coming earlier to rescue her. She pulled Guo Jing’s sleeve and whispered, “Let’s go out, I am sure those two will make up immediately.” Guo Jing smiled and went along with her.

  “Let’s eavesdrop on what they’re saying,” Huang Rong said as soon as they reached the courtyard. Guo Jing smiled, “Don’t intentionally create trouble. I don’t want to listen.”

  “Very well!” Huang Rong sulked. “Just don’t be disappointed if I hear something interesting and I don’t tell you about it.” She leaped to the roof and walked quietly back to the west wing only to hear Mu Nianci speaking harshly.

  “You called an enemy your father. I can understand that considering your past relationship; you will get over it. But who would have thought you also have delusional thoughts; you want to destroy the country of your own parents, this ... this ...” Reaching this point she was so furious that she could not continue.

  Yang Kang smiled nervously. “Little sister, I . ” he said softly, but Mu Nianci cut him short. “Who’s your little sister? Don’t touch me!” she screamed. ‘Slap!’ her hand left a red imprint on Yang Kang’s face.

  Huang Rong was surprised. “They’re fighting, I must stop them,” she thought. Entering through a window she laughed and said, “Aiyo! Even if you don’t agree with each other, please don’t resort to violence.” But she stopped dead in her track at seeing Mu Nianci’s fiery red cheeks while Yang Kang was very pale. She was about to open her mouth again when Yang Kang suddenly shouted, “Good! You have met the new one and abandoned the old. Your heart is already occupied by

  another and so you treat me like this.”

  “You . what did you say?” Mu Nianci stammered. Yang Kang snickered, “You and that fellow named Ouyang. His martial arts are ten times better than mine; of course you would immediately brush me from your heart.”

  Mu Nianci was so angry that her hands and feet went icy-cold; she nearly passed out.

  Huang Rong interrupted, “Brother Yang, you must not speak nonsense; if Sister Mu liked him, why would that bastard seal her acupoint and leave her starving inside the coffin?”

  Out of shame Yang Kang became indignant. “The truth is good, yet hypocrisy is also good. She was held by that bastard for quite some time and she has lost her innocence. How could she and I be together again?”

  Mu Nianci was outraged, “I . I . What innocence have I lost?”

  “You were in that man’s possession for many days; he must have cuddled you, you must have

  embraced him. How could you keep your crystal clear purity?” Yang Kang mocked.

  Mu Nianci really could not hold herself back any longer. She was tired and angry. This last attack was too vicious for her to bear. With a ‘wah’ sound she spit some blood and fell backwards.

  Yang Kang realized his words were too vicious; seeing her like that he felt remorse and wanted to embrace and comfort her. Then he remembered she knew his secret. Huang Rong had voiced her suspicions earlier; if Mu Nianci should open her mouth, his life would be in danger. Moreover, he was worried about his father; so without saying anything he turned around, rushed outside and leaped over the wall.

  Huang Rong had to massage Mu Nianci’s chest for quite a while before she finally came to. She was unusually composed and did not even cry. “Little Sister,” she calmly said, “Let me borrow the dagger I gave you earlier.”

  “Jing ge ge!” Huang Rong called out loudly, “Can you come here, please?” Guo Jing quickly came. “Please give the dagger that belongs to Brother Yang to Elder Sister Mu,” Huang Rong said.

  “Certainly,” Guo Jing complied. He pulled the dagger out of his pocket; it was the dagger taken by Zhu Cong from Mei Chaofeng. It was wrapped in, what would appear to the casual observer, a thin sheet of leather. The leather was full of characters tattooed with a needle. Guo Jing was not aware that the characters were actually the second part of the ‘Nine Yin Manual’. He casually unrolled the leather sheet and gave the dagger to Mu Nianci.

  Huang Rong also took a dagger out from her pocket; she softly said, “Jing ge ge’s dagger is in my possession; Brother Yang’s dagger is now in yours. Elder Sister, this is a destiny that will bring you two together. You have had a disagreement, but for the moment, please don’t be sad. My father and

  I are also having some disagreements. Jing ge ge and I are going to Beijing to look for Wanyan Honglie. Elder Sister, please don’t let your heart be troubled. Why don’t you come with us? We can walk leisurely together. I am sure Brother Yang will come back to you.”

  Guo Jing was puzzled, “Brother Yang?” Huang Rong stuck out her tongue. “He provoked Elder Sister; Elder Sister slapped him hard. Elder Sister Mu, if Brother Yang did not like you, how come he did not retaliate when you slapped him? His martial arts are stronger than yours. The fight between you ...” She wanted to say ‘the fight between you two must be a habit’ (she was referring to the ‘Joust to Find a Spouse), but she saw Mu Nianci was grieving and she did not have the heart to make a joke.

  “I am not going to Beijing,” Mu Nianci said, “You also don’t have to go. For the next half a year that traitor Wanyan Honglie won’t be in Beijing. He is afraid of you. Brother Guo, Little Sister, you are good people, your life must also be good ...” She choked up; covered her face and rushed towards the door. With a leap she was gone.

  Huang Rong looked down and saw the blood Mu Nianci spit up earlier. She hesitated for a moment, and in the end did not feel comfortable doing nothing, so she also leaped over the wall and chased after her, only to see Mu Nianci under a big willow tree in the distance. The sunlight reflected on the dagger’s naked blade. Mu Nianci lifted the dagger high above her head. Huang Rong was anxious; she thought Mu Nianci was going to kill herself. She shouted loudly, “Elder Sister! Please don’t ...” But the distance between them was too great; she would not be able to stop her. Luckily Mu Nianci only ra
ised her left hand holding up her hair. With a slash of the dagger in her right hand she sheared off a big clump of hair, threw it to the ground and ran away.

  “Elder Sister! Elder Sister ... !” Huang Rong called out. Mu Nianci turned a deaf ear and kept going.

  Huang Rong stared blankly in the distance, she was lost in thought. She saw the clump of soft hair dancing in the morning breeze. A short time later some of the hair was scattered to a rice field, some went into a creek, some flew up into the trees lining the pathway and some followed the blowing dust, going who knows where. Huang Rong had always been tender, carefree and mischievous since her childhood. She laughed when happy, cried or sulked when not; the word ‘anxiety’ was never in her vocabulary. But now that she saw what had just happened, she could not keep sadness from creeping into her heart. Now, she found out about the world of anxiety.

  She slowly walked back to the temple and told Guo Jing what had happened to Mu Nianci. Guo Jing did not know why those two people were having a disagreement; he simply said, “I don’t understand why Elder Sister Mu made such a big deal out of it. I think her character is just too rigid.”

  “How could a woman hugged by a stranger lose her innocence? Even her loved one did not respect her anymore or care about her any longer.” Huang Rong thought. She did not have a clue as to the reasoning behind all it, so she brushed it off as ‘that was the way it was’ and left it at that. She slowly walked to the rear courtyard and sat against a pillar. Her mind was heavy with thoughts. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

  That very evening Li Sheng and other Beggar Clan members threw a banquet in honor of their leader, Hong Qigong, and also to congratulate Guo Jing and Huang Rong. They waited until around midnight but Hong Qigong still had not shown up. Li Sheng knew his Leader’s unusual habits so he did not give it any thought; he kept serving wine to Guo Jing and Huang Rong and they drank to their hearts’ content. The people of the Beggar Clan had high respect for these two people, so their conversations were congenial. Miss Cheng had personally prepared some food, provided four big pots of good quality wine, and delivered everything via her servants.