by Jin Yong
Ouyang Feng’s servant hooked another big shark and placed it on the deck. With his left hand Ouyang Feng gripped the shark’s upper jaw, while his right foot stepped on the lower jaw, prying the jaws open. That shark was about two zhang’s long [approximately 20 feet or 7 meters], but it could not prevent its mouth being opened revealing two rows of dagger-sharp teeth. Then he poured the cup of venom into the shark’s mouth, right where the gaping wound caused by the iron hook was. With an abrupt movement his left hand lifted the shark by its belly and without much trouble swung it up. The 200 catty [about 100 kg / 220lbs] shark flew into the air and with a loud splash fell into the sea.
Zhou Botong laughed, “Aha! I understand now,” he said, “This is the old monk’s method of killing bedbugs.”
“Big Brother,” Guo Jing asked, “How did the old monk kill the bugs?”
“There was once an old monk who hawked concoctions for getting rid of bedbugs in a Bianliang [a city in Henan province] street market,” Zhou Botong told him, “He claimed his concoction to be very effective; once the bugs ate his product they would surely die. If not, he was willing to reimburse the customer’s money tenfold. Of course with this kind of guarantee his business was brisk. One of his customers went back home and scattered the concoction on his bed. Heh, heh ... that night the bedbugs still came by the thousands, biting him half to death. That customer was upset and early the next morning he went back to the market to find that old monk, wanting him to refund his money. That old monk said, ‘My concoction is very effective; if it did not kill your bugs, perhaps you did not use it correctly.’ The customer asked, ‘How do you use it?’” Reaching this point Zhou shook his head with a mischievous smile on his face, but did not continue.
“Then how do you use it?” Guo Jing asked.
With a straight face Zhou Botong said, “That old monk said, ‘You catch the bug, pry open its mouth and feed just a little bit of this concoction to it. If it doesn’t die, then you can come to the old monk again.’ The customer was mad, he said, ‘If I can catch the bug, I can crush it to death with my fingers, why would I need your effective concoction?’ To which the old monk replied, ‘Of course, I never said you can’t crush it to death, did I?’”
Guo Jing, Hong Qigong, Ouyang Feng and his nephew, along with everyone who listened to Zhou Botong, burst into laugher. “My concoction is somewhat different than that of the old monk,” Ouyang Feng said with a smile.
“I don’t see much difference,” Zhou Botong said.
Ouyang Feng pointed his finger to the sea and said, “Well, just take a look.”
The shark fed the venom went belly up, and of course seven or eight other sharks were having a feeding frenzy over it. The strange thing was that the seven or eight sharks which ate their comrade’s flesh were also belly up not too long afterwards. Each dead shark was immediately eaten by another group of sharks, which, in turn, also went belly up in the water. One shark killed ten others, ten sharks killed a hundred, a hundred killed a thousand; in not too long the sea was full of floating dead sharks. The remaining sharks were not too many, but they were still feeding on their dead comrades. A while later the sea became calm, there were no more sharks left alive. When Hong Qigong, Zhou Botong and Guo Jing saw this chilling scene their faces paled. Hong Qigong sighed and said, “Old Poison, Old Poison.your evil plan was truly evil; only a small amount of poison from your two snakes is extremely deadly.”
Ouyang Feng chuckled and looked at Zhou Botong with a smug expression. Zhou Botong wrung his hands, stomped his foot, and pulled his beard and hair erratically. As far as anyone could see, the sea’s surface was full of dead sharks with their white bellies upward, floating and bobbing on the waves.
“Looking at so many white bellies makes my tummy sick; thinking about that many sharks being killed by the Old Poison’s venom, also makes my tummy sick,” Zhou Botong said, “Old Poison, you need to watch out; once the ‘Dragon King of the Sea’ [hai long wang] finds out, he is going to send his shrimp army and crab generals to deal with you.” Ouyang Feng simply smiled without saying anything.
“Brother Feng, little brother is unclear about something and I beg you to explain it to me,” Hong Qigong said.
“I don’t dare,” Ouyang Feng replied.
“It was only a small cup of venom; even if the poison was extremely deadly, how could it kill thousands of sharks?” Hong Qigong asked.
Ouyang Feng laughed, “This type of venom is very special,” he explained, “As soon as it enters the blood the blood became poisonous. If this blood enters another shark’s system, that second shark’s blood will also be poisonous. Just imagine the amount of venom increasing a hundredfold. Each dead shark would multiply that amount another hundredfold; very soon you’ll have an infinite amount of venom able to kill forever.”
“That is called perpetual killing,” Hong Qigong commented.
“Exactly,” Ouyang Feng replied. “Little brother’s title is ‘Western Poison’; if my skill in using poison is somewhat lacking, then I’m afraid I’m not worthy to hold that title.”
While they were still talking the remaining sharks had already died. The other smaller fish were also gone; though not being eaten by the sharks, they still had disappeared so the sea was eerily calm.
“Sail away quickly.. .sail away quickly! The air here is too thick with poison,” Hong Qigong urged.
Ouyang Feng gave a signal and the boat moved away at full speed; all the triangle shaped sails were raised. With the wind coming from the south they headed northwest.
“The Old Poison really sells effective concoctions to get rid of bedbugs,” Zhou Botong said. “What do you want me to do?”
“I’d like to welcome the three of you into my cabin first,” Ouyang Feng said, “You need to change into dry clothes, eat something, and then take a rest. About the bet, it won’t be too late to talk about later.”
Zhou Botong was really impatient, “That won’t do, that won’t do!” he called out, “Just say it! You won’t gain anything by waiting. If the Old Urchin dies of suffocation, then it will be your loss for not telling me what you want.”
Ouyang Feng smiled, “In that case, Brother Botong, please come with me.”
Chapter 20 - The Altered Manual
Translated by Frans Soetomo
The burning mast separated two people. Ouyang Feng fetched his snake staff and jumped over the flaming mast. Hong Qigong immediately drew the bamboo stick from his waist and fended off the attack. They had been ferociously fighting barehanded before, so imagine how fierce the battle had become now that both were wielding weapons.
Hong Qigong and Guo Jing watched Ouyang Feng and his nephew lead Zhou Botong to a cabin in the back, while they were taken to a different cabin to change their clothes. Four white-dressed maidens served them. Hong Qigong laughed, “The Old Beggar has not had the luck to enjoy this kind of treatment,” he said. After taking off all his clothes a maiden dried him with a clean towel.
Guo Jing felt blood flowing up his neck and face and he did not dare to take his clothes off. Hong Qigong laughed, “What are you afraid of? They won’t eat you alive!” he said. Two maidens approached him to take his boots off and loosen his belt. Guo Jing quickly took back his boots and upper garment, jumped onto the bed and while hiding underneath a blanket, changed his clothes. Hong Qigong burst out laughing and the four maidens also giggled.
Once they were finished, two other maidens entered the cabin carrying trays full of wine, meat dishes, vegetables, and some white rice, saying, “Please gentlemen, quickly eat what we prepared.”
Hong Qigong waved his hand, “All of you get out of here, please. When the Old Beggar sees good-looking ladies I can’t get food into my tummy.” The maidens smiled and complied, closing the door on their way out.
Hong Qigong lifted the wine and the dishes to his nose and sniffed them, “Don’t eat or drink this,” he whispered, “The Old Poison is so crafty. Just eat the plain white rice.” He took the gourd from his
back, pulled the plug and took two mouthfuls of wine. Then he quickly ate three big bowls of rice. Guo Jing followed his lead and dumped the other dishes under the deck-boards.
“I wonder what they want Big Brother Zhou to do?” Guo Jing asked in a low voice.
“Can’t be anything good,” Hong Qigong replied, “This time the Old Urchin really got himself in trouble.”
The cabin door was suddenly pushed open and a maiden said, “Master Zhou asks Young Master Guo to come to the rear cabin. He has something to discuss with you.” Guo Jing looked at his master and walked out of the cabin following the maiden. They walked along the port side of the boat towards the back. The maiden lightly knocked on the cabin door and after waiting a moment, shoved the door open, announcing, “Young Master Guo has arrived.”
Guo Jing entered the cabin and the door was closed behind him. There was no one inside the cabin. Guo Jing felt uneasy, but then a small door to his left opened and Ouyang Feng and his nephew walked in.
“Where is Big Brother Zhou?” Guo Jing asked.
Ouyang Feng closed the door with the back of his hand then took two steps forward and grabbed Guo Jing’s wrist. His movement was very swift; not in a million years would Guo Jing have guessed that Ouyang Feng would do that. He felt like his wrist was grasped by a pair of tongs; he could not move. Ouyang Ke pulled a steel-spined folding fan from his sleeve and placed it on a vital acupoint on Guo Jing’s back. Guo Jing was dumbstruck; he could not guess what the uncle and nephew wanted from him.
“The Old Urchin lost a bet with me, but when I asked him to do something for me he refused,” Ouyang Feng coldly said.
“Hmm?” Guo Jing was confused.
“I told him to rewrite the ‘Nine Yin Manual’ from memory for me to read, but he unexpectedly did not keep his word,” Ouyang Feng explained.
“How could Big Brother Zhou give the manual to you?” Guo Jing thought; and again he asked, “Where is Big Brother Zhou?”
“It was he who said that whoever did not keep his word must jump into the sea to be eaten by the sharks. Humph! He finally made up his mind and did what he said he would,” Ouyang Feng said coldly.
Guo Jing was shocked. “He . he .” he stammered. He tried to pull his hand free and dash to the door, but Ouyang Feng’s grip was very tight, forcing Guo Jing to stop. Ouyang Ke pushed his fan slightly harder against Guo Jing’s ‘Most Positive’ [zhi yang] acupoint.
Ouyang Feng pointed to a table with a stack of paper, a brush and some ink on it and said, “In the whole wide world you are the only one who knows the manual’s full text. Write it down for me quickly.”
Guo Jing shook his head. Ouyang Ke smiled and said, “The food and wine you and the Old Beggar ate just now was poisoned. If you don’t take my Uncle’s antidote you will die within twelve hours, just like the sharks you saw earlier. If you comply, we will spare both you and your master’s lives.”
Guo Jing was quite shocked, “Had Master not been so alert we would certainly have fallen into their trap.” He stared at Ouyang Feng and thought, “You are a great master of martial arts, yet you commit a despicable act like this.”
Watching Guo Jing starring at him without saying anything Ouyang Feng said, “You have memorized the manual anyway. You won’t lose anything by writing it down. What are you waiting for?”
Guo Jing shivered with rage, “You have harmed my sworn brother; now there is hatred as deep as the ocean between you and I. If you want to kill me then go ahead. But if you think you can force me, keep on dreaming!”
“Humph!” Ouyang Feng said, “Good, you have guts kid! You are not afraid of death, but does your master’s life mean nothing to you?”
Before Guo Jing could reply a sudden loud bang was heard as the cabin door was shattered and wood fragments flew everywhere. Ouyang Feng turned his head to see Hong Qigong with a couple of wooden water barrels in his hands. Hong Qigong threw the water out from the barrels and two deep green transparent columns flew toward Ouyang Feng and his nephew. Ouyang Feng knew the fierceness of this water attack; he leaped to the left to elude it while his left hand still tightly held Guo Jing’s wrist. The water hit the cabin’s wall and splashed in all directions. Ouyang Ke loudly called out in alarm because Hong Qigong had grabbed the back of his head.
Hong Qigong laughed loudly, “Old Poison, you’ve always wanted to kill me by any means possible, fortunately the Heavens won’t allow that to happen!”
Ouyang Feng saw his nephew had fallen into Hong Qigong’s hands so he smiled and said, “Brother Qi, are you going to challenge me again? It won’t be too late if we wait until we are ashore.”
“I see you like my disciple so much that you won’t let his hand go,” Hong Qigong laughed.
“I made a bet with the Old Urchin and I won, didn’t I?” Ouyang Feng asked, “You are our witness, are you not? Let me ask you this: The Old Urchin did not keep his word, did he?”
Hong Qigong repeatedly nodded his head in answer to his questions, “That’s correct. Where is the Old Urchin?”
Guo Jing was grieved, he shouted, “Big Brother Zhou was . he was forced to jump into the sea and die!”
Hong Qigong was startled; with Ouyang Ke still in his grip he jumped out of the cabin. He looked in all directions but all he could see were the billowing waves and not a glimpse of Zhou Botong.
Ouyang Feng, still gripping Guo Jing, also walked out onto the deck. Loosening his grip he said, “Nephew Guo, your skills are still quite far from being adequate. You let someone grab your hand without being able to do anything about it. Go and learn from your master for ten more years, then you can roam Jianghu again.”
Guo Jing was worried about Zhou Botong’s safety; he ignored his derogatory remarks and climbed the mast, looking at all directions.
Hong Qigong lifted Ouyang Ke and tossed him towards Ouyang Feng. He shouted, “Old Poison, you forced the Old Urchin to his death; the people of Quanzhen will deal with you. Your martial arts may be profound, but I don’t believe you’ll survive the Quanzhen Seven’s combined force.”
Ouyang Ke did not let his body to touch the deck; his right hand pushed the deck and he somersaulted into an upright position while inwardly cursing, “Stinky beggar! By this time tomorrow you will crawl in front of me, begging me to save your life.”
Listening to Hong Qigong’s remark Ouyang Feng simply smiled faintly, “I am afraid you won’t be able to witness it when it happens.”
“Very well!,” Hong Qigong said, “Until that time comes, I am going to use my dog beating stick to beat some wet dogs.” Ouyang Feng raised his hands in salute then entered the cabin.
After looking around for a while without seeing anything Guo Jing climbed back down to the deck and told his master how Ouyang Feng had tried to force him to write out the manual. Hong Qigong nodded without saying anything as he quietly pondered, “Once the Old Poison sets his mind to something, he won’t easily let go. Until he gets hold of the manual he will harass my disciple continually.”
Guo Jing, thinking of Zhou Botong’s death, cried mournfully. Hong Qigong also grieved. He knew the boat was sailing fast to the west and within two days they were going to reach land. He was afraid Ouyang Feng would poison their food again, so he went to the kitchen and plundered some dishes and plenty of rice. After eating it with Guo Jing, his head nodded and then he snored.
Ouyang Feng and his nephew waited until the afternoon of the next day; after nearly sixteen or so hours passed, they had not heard Hong Qigong or his disciple made any sounds. Ouyang Feng was afraid his poison was too strong and had killed them. Killing Hong Qigong was not a big deal, but killing Guo Jing meant the ‘Nine Yin Manual’ would be lost forever. He secretly took a peek through a crack in the door, only to see two people sitting comfortably and chatting amiably. Hong Qigong’s voice was loud and clear. Ouyang Feng was enraged, “It seems the Old Beggar was alert. They weren’t poisoned after all.” His poison collection was vast, but in order to poison Hong Qigong without harming Guo Ji
ng, he had to think of a better plan.
Hong Qigong was telling Guo Jing the ins and outs of the Beggar Clan. He said that although they begged for a living, every member actually had the responsibility to uphold justice, to help those in distress, and to follow their predecessors’ good deeds and not the bad ones. These facts were mostly hidden from the public eye. He talked further about the election procedure of the Beggar Clan Leader when the time came to find a successor. “It’s a pity you don’t like being a beggar,” he said, “Otherwise you have the perfect character to be a leader; there is no one inside the clan superior to you. I’d really like to bestow the ‘Dog Beating Stick’ [da gou bang] on you.” While they were still chatting there came a sudden banging noise from outside, it sounded like a hatchet or a chisel hitting the wall.
Hong Qigong jumped up in alarm, “Not good! That stinky snake is going to sink the boat,” he shouted. Rushing towards the door he yelled to Guo Jing, “Quickly go to the small life boat at the back!” He had just finished shouting when, with a loud crash, a big hole appeared in a wooden partition, followed by loud hissing noises; it was not seawater that came rushing in, but dozens of venomous snakes.
“So it’s the Old Poison’s snake attack!” Hong Qigong mocked. His right hand swept, scattering dozens of steel needles and dozens of snakes were pinned to the wooden deck; with loud hissing noises their bodies coiled but they were not able to move forward any longer.
“Rong’er is very good at this needles scattering technique, but compared to Master she still falls far short,” Guo Jing thought.
By that time dozens more snakes came through the hole in the wall. Hong Qigong kept shooting steel needles and more and more snakes were nailed to the floor. The sound of a wooden whistle was heard outside as more and more snakes were herded into the cabin.
Hong Qigong shot more and more needles, “The Old Poison kindly sends all these targets for me to practice my martial arts skill on; it is truly a rare opportunity,” he said. But when he put his hand into his pocket to grab more needles he was startled to find only a few left. Inwardly he was alarmed considering that the snakes kept coming. He was thinking hard as to what to do next when a loud crash was suddenly heard as the wall behind him fell down and a palm swiftly moved towards his back.
