by Jin Yong
Hong Qigong said, “Stupid kid, they intentionally want to make fools out of us; they planned it all.”
Huang Rong suddenly kicked the ground and leaped to the top of the bamboo pavilion. With a flick of her hand she pointed a dagger at her own chest and said, “Father, if you insist on my going to the West with that stinky boy, I will die right here right now in your presence.”
Huang Yaoshi knew his precious daughter would do what she said so he called out, “Put that dagger down! We can talk it over.”
Ouyang Feng thrust his staff onto the ground and with a humming sound something flew from the staff straight towards Huang Rong. The hidden projectile was very fast; before Huang Rong could see what it was, she’d already heard a clanking sound and the dagger flew from her hand, falling to the ground. At the same time Huang Yaoshi leaped to the roof, stretched his hand, grabbed his daughter’s shoulder and softly said, “It’s all right if you don’t want to get married. You can stay on Peach Blossom Island and accompany your father for the rest of your life.”
Huang Rong flailed her arms and legs, crying, “Father, you don’t love Rong’er! You don’t love Rong’er!”
Hong Qigong was amused to see Huang Yaoshi, who roamed the lakes and the sea fearlessly, who killed people without batting an eye, was actually having trouble controlling his own daughter. He could not help laughing very hard.
Ouyang Feng thought, “I will wait for the final decision and then I’ll take care of this Old Beggar and that boy surnamed Guo. We’ll sort out the other things later. If this girl acts like a spoiled brat, what do I care?” Therefore he said, “Nephew Guo’s martial arts skill is excellent; he is a real young hero. His intelligence must be excellent as well. Brother Yao, you’d better ask him to recite.”
“Exactly!” Huang Yaoshi said, “Rong’er, if you keep babbling you will disturb Nephew Guo’s concentration.” Huang Rong closed her mouth immediately.
Ouyang Feng wanted to humiliate Guo Jing very much. “Nephew Guo, please start reciting. We are going to listen respectfully,” he urged.
Guo Jing’s face reddened as he thought, “I can’t do it; I’d better recite what Big Brother Zhou taught me.” Thereupon he started reciting, “The way of Heaven: A simple fix is not enough to repair damage; it truly is an empty victory, insufficient for a real one ...” He had recited the ‘Nine Yin Manual’ from beginning to end hundreds of times before; by now it was deeply imbedded in his brain. He recited slowly but steadily with no hesitation at all.
About half a page later everybody was stunned and they thought, “This kid seems slow and dim-witted, who would have known that he is actually very smart.”
Very soon Guo Jing had reached the fourth page. Hong Qigong and Huang Rong knew very well that Guo Jing did not have that kind of intelligence and they did not know what had possessed him, but they were extremely and pleasantly surprised.
Huang Yaoshi listened attentively and compared every word with the ones in the book. He discovered that Guo Jing’s sentences were ten times more logical; firmly resembling the original text that he remembered. His heart turned cold and he unknowingly broke into a cold sweat. “Could it be that my deceased wife’s spirit in the underworld is so smart that she managed to recall the full text and passed it on to this boy?” The words kept coming out of Guo Jing’s mouth like trickling water. Huang Yaoshi was beginning to be convinced that his wife’s spirit was helping this youngster; he looked up to the sky and softly muttered, “A Heng, A Heng, you loved me so much that you have used this boy’s mouth to impart the manual to me. But why don’t you let me have a glimpse of you? I’ve played my flute every night for you; did you hear it?” ‘A Heng’ was Madame Huang’s nickname and nobody else but him knew this; naturally no one else knew what he was talking about. They saw that his face looked different; his eyes were glazed with tears, his mouth quivered but nothing came out of it; they were puzzled.
After being in that dazed condition for a while Huang Yaoshi suddenly had another thought. He waved his hand to stop Guo Jing. His face was as cold as if there was a layer of frost on it; fiercely he asked, “The ‘Nine Yin Manual’ that Mei Chaofeng lost, where did you find it?”
Guo Jing saw his eyes had a murderous look and he was really frightened. “Disciple really does not know Mei ... Senior Mei’s Manual’s whereabouts. If I did, I will gladly help retrieve it and return it to the Island Master.”
Huang Yaoshi looked at him with his penetrating gaze yet did not see even the slightest bit of deceitfulness on Guo Jing’s face. He was compelled to believe it was his late wife from the underworld who’d taught Guo Jing; he felt joy and grief at the same time. With a loud and clear voice he gave his verdict, “Very well. Brother Qi, Brother Feng, it was my deceased wife who chose our son-in-law; your brother does not have anything else to say. Child, I betroth Rong’er to you. Treat her well. I have spoiled Rong’er badly, so you need to yield thirty percent of the time.”
Huang Rong was ecstatic and she grinned from ear to ear, “I am a completely well-behaved girl; who said I am spoiled badly?”
Guo Jing might be stupid, he might be slow, but this time he did not need Huang Rong to prompt him; he immediately kneeled down and kowtowed, “Father-in-law!”
He had not yet stood back up when Ouyang Ke suddenly called out, “Hold on!”
End of Chapter 18.
Chapter 19 - Great Waves, School of Sharks
Translated by Frans Soetomo
Alone in that small underground room and seeing the painting of her deceased mother made by her father's own hand; with a roller coaster of emotions Huang Rong thought, “I have never seen Mother. I wonder after I die, will I meet her? Was she really as beautiful as in the picture? Where is she right now? Is she in the sky above, in the earth below, or still in this room?”
Not in his wildest dreams did Hong Qigong think the memorization contest would end up this way. Guo Jing beating Ouyang Ke and making him roll around on the ground seventeen or eighteen times would be ten times more believable to him. He was so happy that he could not wipe the smile off his face. Hearing Ouyang Ke protesting he snapped, “What? You are not convinced?”
“What Brother Guo recited was a lot more than what was written in the book,” Ouyang Ke said, “He must have the ‘Nine Yin Manual’ in his possession. Junior has the courage to ask to search him.”
“Island Master Huang had accepted his proposal,” Hong Qigong said, “What other business is there to discuss? Didn’t you hear what your uncle said before the tests?”
Ouyang Feng glared. “Do you think a man surnamed Ouyang would be easily deceived?” he said. He heard what his nephew just said and was convinced that Guo Jing knew the ‘Nine Yin Manual’. He wanted very much to get the book for himself. Whether Huang Yaoshi accepted his marriage proposal or not became secondary to him.
Guo Jing took off his belt and opened up his clothing, saying, “Senior Ouyang, you can search me if you want to.” He immediately took everything out of his pockets and placed them on top of a big rock nearby: silver coins, a handkerchief, a flint and the like.
“Humph!” Ouyang Feng snorted and began searching Guo Jing’s body. Huang Yaoshi had known Ouyang Feng as a ruthless man for a long time and he would do unpredictable things when angry. His strength was profound and if he put forth a violent hand, nobody would be able to rescue Guo Jing. Huang Yaoshi coughed, stretched out his left hand and placed it on Ouyang Ke’s neck close to his spine; it was a vital point. Should Huang Yaoshi put some force into it, Ouyang Ke’s spine would break and Ouyang Feng could give up any ideas of saving him.
Hong Qigong knew his intentions very well and he was fascinated, “Old Heretic Huang is really one-sided. Now that he gives favor to his daughter and future son-in-law he wants to protect this dumb disciple of mine. Ay! He was capable of reciting the whole book, so I can’t call him dumb anymore.”
Originally Ouyang Feng was going to strike Guo Jing’s lower abdomen with his ‘Toad Stance’ energy
and let him suffer for three years before he finally died. Seeing that Huang Yaoshi had guarded against his scheme he did not dare to strike. He searched Guo Jing’s body without any results. All he could do was stay silent for a long time, thinking really hard. He did not believe all this nonsense about Madame Huang’s spirit choosing her son-in-law. He recalled that this kid was dumb, slow and apparently he could not lie. Perhaps he could coerce the whereabouts of the Manual from him. He shook the staff in his hand and with a scratching sound the two weird looking snakes slithered up the length of the staff.
Huang Rong and Guo Jing had seen these strange animals; they were frightened and moved back one step. Pointing at Guo Jing’s throat, he asked, “Nephew Guo, where did you learn the ‘Nine Yin Manual’?” His eyes were blazing red as he looked at Guo Jing with a penetrating glare.
“I know about the ‘Nine Yin Manual’, but I have never seen it,” Guo Jing said. “The first volume is in the hands of Zhou Botong, Big Brother Zhou ...” “Why did you call Zhou Botong ‘Big Brother Zhou’?” Hong Qigong asked, “Have you met the Old Urchin Zhou Botong?”
“Yes,” Guo Jing replied, “Big Brother Zhou and your disciple have become sworn brothers.”
“One is old and the other young,” Hong Qigong mocked, “That’s really preposterous!”
“What about the second volume?” Ouyang Feng asked.
“The second volume was in Mei Chaofeng ... Mei ... Mei Shijie’s hands, but it was lost at Lake Tai,” Guo Jing explained. “Right now she is under Father-in-law’s orders to search for it everywhere. Disciple was thinking that after everything is done here, I will go and lend her a helping hand.”
Ouyang Feng asked fiercely, “If you have not seen the ‘Nine Yin Manual’, how can you recite it so well?”
Guo Jing was puzzled. “Did I recite the ‘Nine Yin Manual’?” he asked, “That can’t be. I recited a text Big Brother Zhou taught me; he said it was his own secret martial arts creation.”
Huang Yaoshi inwardly sighed. He was dismayed and thought, “Zhou Botong received his late martial brother’s order to guard the ‘Nine Yin Manual’. We played with marbles and he lost to me; I tricked him and in the end he burned the book. Up to that time he had not looked at the contents of the book at all, which was not at all strange. But now there seems to be some divine intervention; everything has happened so coincidentally that my daughter ended up betrothed to him. Isn’t he very lucky?”
Huang Yaoshi was still deep in thought as Ouyang Feng pressed on, “Where is Zhou Botong now?” he asked.
Guo Jing was about to answer when Huang Yaoshi cut him off, “Jing’er, there’s no need to say more.” Turning his head to Ouyang Feng he said, “It is such a trivial matter, why do you care so much? Brother Feng, Brother Qi, we have not seen each other for twenty years. Let us spend three days together on Peach Blossom Island, drinking to our hearts’ content.”
“Shifu, I am going to prepare some food for you,” Huang Rong said, “The lotuses on this island are superb; so how about some chicken steamed in lotus petals, or some fresh water chestnut and lotus leaf soup? I am sure you’ll like it.”
Hong Qigong smiled widely, “Now that you’ve gotten your heart’s desire, look how happy you are!”
Huang Rong just gave him a faint smile. “Shifu, Uncle Ouyang, Brother Ouyang, please,” she said. She was extremely happy to be betrothed to Guo Jing so that her animosity toward Ouyang Ke had vanished into thin air. At this very moment everybody in the whole wide world was, to her, a good person.
Ouyang Feng raised his hands in respect to Huang Yaoshi, “Brother Yao, I must decline your great hospitality. Many thanks. Let us part today.” “Brother Feng has come a long way,” Huang Yaoshi replied, “Brother has not fulfilled my responsibility as a good host; how can I let you leave?”
Ouyang Feng had come from thousands of li away, not only for his nephew’s sake, but for another grand scheme as well. He’d received his nephew’s carrier pigeon message which said that the ‘Nine Yin Manual’ had reappeared and was in the hands of Huang Yaoshi’s renegade blind female disciple. After the wedding he planned to join forces with Huang Yaoshi and obtain the ‘Nine Yin Manual’. But now the marriage proposal failed; his nephew lost the competition and he felt really dejected, so he insisted on leaving.
“Uncle!” Ouyang Ke suddenly said, “Your nephew is useless and I have made you lose face. But Uncle Huang has promised that he will teach Nephew some skills.”
“Humph!” Ouyang Feng muttered. He was aware his nephew had not given up hope on the Huang family’s girl, so he’d found some excuse to stay longer to be close to Huang Rong and try to win her heart. Who knows, she might eventually fall into his hands?
Huang Yaoshi was upset. He erroneously thought that Ouyang Ke would win the three tests and that was why he made that promise to reward Guo Jing. But it was Ouyang Ke who unexpectedly failed the tests. Apologetically he said, “Nephew Ouyang, your uncle’s martial arts are unparalleled in the world; others cannot hold a candle to him. You have mastered your own family heritage skills, what need do you have to learn somebody else’s? This old dog was lucky to master some ‘back door second rate’ [zuo dao pang men] techniques. If Nephew does not think it too superficial, then whichever skill you’d like to learn, this old dog will be happy to teach it to you.”
Ouyang Ke thought, “I must choose the one that needs the longest time to master. I have long heard about Peach Blossom Island’s ‘Five Elements Open Gateway’ [wu xing qi men] as being number one in the world. I am sure he won’t be finished in a day.” Thereupon he bowed and said, “Young Nephew admires your ‘wu xing qi men’ techniques so much. I am asking Uncle to kindly bestow that on me.”
Huang Yaoshi did not answer immediately; he hesitated with an awkward feeling in his heart. The technique requested was the one he was most proud of. Apart from it being complicated to begin with, he had expanded and developed new interpretations and variations of the original technique he learned from his ancestors. His own daughter, because of her young age, had not learned this technique so how could he pass this knowledge to a total stranger? But he had given his promise and it was impossible to take back, so reluctantly he asked, “The ‘wu xing qi men’ technique is very broad and deep. Which one do you want to learn?”
Ouyang Ke wanted to stay on Peach Blossom Island as long as possible, so he requested, “Young Nephew saw the winding pathways of Peach Blossom Island; the vegetation arrangement is very complicated. My heart admires this arrangement to no end. I am asking Uncle to allow young nephew to stay on the island for several months and thoroughly study the mystery of these complicated pathways and their variations.”
Huang Yaoshi’s face changed slightly and he cast a glance towards Ouyang Feng. He thought, “So you want to investigate and find out about Peach Blossom Island’s ingenious arrangements. What is your real intention?”
Ouyang Feng saw his expression and could guess what was in his heart, so he chided his nephew, “You don’t know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is! Uncle Huang has spent half of his life painstakingly arranging the island. It is his defense against intruders; how could he divulge this mystery to you?”
Huang Yaoshi laughed coldly, “Peach Blossom Island is only a barren and rocky hill; I doubt if anybody would come and harm me.”
Ouyang Feng smiled apologetically, “Little Brother rudely made an indiscreet remark, Brother Yao, please don’t be offended.”
Hong Qigong laughed, “Old Poison! You are very sly; this is what you planned from the start. Quite brilliant!” he mocked.
Huang Yaoshi slipped the jade flute into his belt and said, “Everyone, please follow me.”
Ouyang Ke saw the indignation on his face, so he looked to his uncle for guidance. Ouyang Feng nodded his head and started to walk behind Huang Yaoshi. Everybody followed not too far behind.
Winding through the bamboo grove they arrived at a big lotus pond. The lotuses were white, emitting a fragrant
scent. The pond’s surface was covered with lotus leaves and there was a strip of causeway made of small stones winding through the center of it. Huang Yaoshi walked along the causeway leading everyone to a building on the other side of the pond. The building was made from pine logs and a rattan tree climbed the outside wall. It was midsummer and the weather was hot, but as soon as they saw that building everyone felt a burst of cool air. Huang Yaoshi led the four people into his study. A deaf and mute servant immediately came and served tea. The tea was dark green and as cold as snow. As soon as it entered their mouths the cold seeped into their bones.
Hong Qigong laughed and made a comment, “People say: ‘after being a beggar for three years one would not be willing to be a government official’. Brother Yao, if I stayed in your cool place for three years, I wouldn’t be willing to be a beggar any longer!”
“If Brother Qi is willing to stay to drink and talk to our hearts’ content, that would truly be my wish come true,” Huang Yaoshi said.
Hong Qigong could hear the sincerity in his voice and his heart was touched. “Many thanks,” he said, “It’s a pity the Old Beggar leads a busy and laborious life; I don’t have the luxury of enjoying a peaceful life like Brother Yao.”
Ouyang Feng said, “With the two of you living in the same place, as long as you don’t fight each other, I’ll bet within two months you will have created several sets of fist techniques or sword stances.”
Hong Qigong laughed, “Are you jealous?”
“This room is a big hall for studying martial arts,” Ouyang Feng explained, “It’s natural that I would come to that conclusion.”
Hong Qigong laughed, “Ha ... ha ...! It’s another one of those, ‘what-you-say-is-not-what-you-were-thinking’ sort of speech.”
Although these two men did not hold deep animosity towards each other, their minds were worlds apart and that was why they did not like each other. Ouyang Feng’s feelings were hidden behind a thick wall, unlike Hong Qigong who was open and outspoken. When Ouyang Feng heard Hong Qigong’s comment he wanted to send Hong Qigong to the grave with one strike.but his face did not show it. He laughed but did not say anything.
