by Jin Yong
Suddenly, he felt the ground beneath him disappear, causing him to call out as he started to drop, falling some 45 feet into an extremely deep pit. While his body was in midair, he circulated his internal energy so that he would not lose his balance when he landed and to prevent himself from getting injured. But who would have thought that his feet would land on round stones? He lost his balance and fell down on his rear. His hands, which supported him, clutched one of these round stones. Fear shot through him as he felt these round stones with his fingers; he realized that these stones were actually the skulls of dead people. It seemed that this deep hole was where the corpses of people executed at the Zhao Palace were dumped. He heard Liang Ziwong call out from above, “Boy, come up here!”
Guo Jing thought, “I'm not stupid enough to come up only to die!” With that, he raised his hand trying to touch the back of the pit, but he felt nothing. He moved forward, ready to defend himself against Liang Ziwong, who might follow him and try to kill him.
After shouting several curses, Liang Ziwong thought that perhaps Guo Jing could not get back up and shouted angrily, “Even if you run all the way to hell, this old man will still come after you!” Taking a deep breath, he jumped down.
Greatly surprised, Guo Jing took several steps back only to find empty space behind him. He turned around and stretched both his arms out trying to feel his way. As he continued on, he discovered that it was actually a tunnel.
Liang Ziwong also noticed the tunnel. His boldness was brought on by his high skill so that even though it was so dark that he could not see his five fingers, he was not afraid that Guo Jing would be laying an ambush for him. He followed, liking the situation even more, thinking, “This is just like seizing a turtle in a jar. This boy can't get away again. How can I not drink his blood now?”
Guo Jing was quite worried. Tunnels always have a dead end! Liang Ziwong was laughing loudly, both arms spread as he traced the tunnel walls. He was not impatient and took his steps slowly, one at a time.
Guo Jing ran several feet forward when he realized that the tunnel had ended, revealing an earthen cavern. Liang Ziwong also followed, laughing, “The peasant boy wants to run away but to where?”
Suddenly, from the left corner came an eerie, raspy voice which said, “Who is it that acts unruly in here?”
Neither of them expected that someone lived in this black pit; but they could not deny this sound. The voice, though raspy, actually rumbled like thunder in their ears. Guo Jing was frightened and his heart was pumping madly. Liang Ziwong also could not restrain himself from feeling absolutely terrified. They heard the gloomy voice say, “Those who enter my cave are already rotting. Are you that impatient to die?” The voice now began to resemble that of a woman, anxious and breathing heavily as though she had contracted a serious illness.
When the two people realized that the voice did not belong to any ghost, their fears subsided. Guo Jing listened to her words and hurried to explain, “I did not mean to come here; some people are after me...”
Before he could finish his words, Liang Ziwong was able to discern where he was. He dashed forward, stretching his hands out to take him. Guo Jing heard the rustle caused by his palm and
278 Eagle Shooting Hero hastily dodged. Liang Ziwong changed directions at once, forcing Guo Jing to dodge once more to the right. It was pitch dark, so one could only grab aimlessly, while the other could only dodge blindly. Suddenly, there was a ripping sound. Liang Ziwong had taken hold of Guo Jing's left sleeve. The woman angrily said, “Who dares to capture a person here?”
Liang Ziwong scolded, “You disguise yourself like a crafty ghost. Are you trying to frighten me?”
Sounding asthmatic, the woman began to breathe heavily as she said, “Hmph, the young fellow can come here and hide."
Guo Jing had thought that the situation he was in was hopeless and extremely critical, but when he heard her say that, without hesitation, he jumped to her just as he felt Liang’s five icy cold fingers touch his wrist. They were much stronger than him so that when he was pulled by her, his body was not able to resist being thrown forward and felt himself growing numb. Gasping for breath, the woman said to Liang Ziwong, “You were able to grasp him adeptly which means your strength is not trifling. You are from beyond the mountain pass?”
Liang Ziwong was shocked as he thought, “I cannot see even half of her, how is it possible she was able to recognize my martial arts? Is she capable of seeing things in the dark? This woman must be an old eccentric who's proud and strict!” He did not dare to say anything careless or indiscreet and instead said pleasantly, “This lowly one, who is an invited guest here from Guandong, is surnamed Liang. This boy stole something from me and I'm trying to get it back. I ask your Excellency not to interfere.”
The woman said, “Ah, is the ‘Ginseng Immortal’ Liang Ziwong trying to right a wrong? The other person seems unaware of it. I have no desire to interfere but after he came into my cave, the crime cannot be pursued. Lao Liang, you are an expert martial artist, don't you understand the rules of Wulin?”
Liang Ziwong was even more surprised and asked, “May I ask the name of your Excellency?”
The woman said, “I... I...” Guo Jing felt the hand grasping his wrist shiver violently, the fingers slowly beginning to loosen and he also heard her trying to keep down a groan as though she was in extreme pain. He asked, “You are sick?”
Liang Ziwong's high kung fu allowed him to hear her groan and surmised that this person had lost her skills, not from a sickness, but from an injury which greatly weakened her. He immediately applied strength to his arms, sending both hands together to grasp Guo Jing's chest. He managed to brush against his clothing, waiting for his fingers to grab hold, when he suddenly felt a strong force meeting his wrists. Shocked, Liang Ziwong discovered that when he sent out his left hand, he’d managed to grab the woman's arm. The woman shouted angrily, “Prepare yourself!” A palm hit Liang Ziwong’s back which forced him to take several steps back. Fortunately for him, his internal energy was good enough so that he was not injured.
Liang Ziwong said, “Mother-in-law of a thief [Hao zei po]! (The thief in question is Guo Jing.) Come here.” When the woman continued gasping for breath and remained motionless, Liang Ziwong realized that she could not move the lower part of her body. His fear was immediately reduced and he began to slowly approach. He was just about to jump forward to attack when he suddenly felt something curl around his ankles. This thing was like a soft whip; silent and unnoticed. Greatly alarmed, he quickly tried to resist it, but the whip was able to lift his body in a flash. He tried to aim a kick at the woman just as the top of his head hit the earthen wall.
His leg kung fu was of a high level, unmatched in Wulin, which gave him more than twenty years of great prestige outside the mountain pass. This leg move, when executed, was incomparably fierce. Who would have thought that before the tip of his toe met its target, he would suddenly feel his ‘Flushing Out the Sun’ accupoint [Chong Yang Xue] growing numb. He immediately dodged, greatly alarmed. This ‘Flushing Out the Sun’ point is located five inches from the instep of the foot. If this vital point was sealed by an opponent, his whole leg would grow numb. Luckily, he was able to withdraw his foot quickly; but the action of kicking and suddenly withdrawing caused his knee to ache.
As he dodged, Liang Ziwong thought, “This person lives in this dark cave but acts as though she is dwelling in a bright and sunny place. She was able to accurately find my vital point, how can she not be a witch or a demon?”
Realizing the critical situation he was in, he executed a half somersault to avoid the attack, and sent out a backward palm in an effort to shake her off. His palm was ten times stronger than before, and he thought that this asthmatic sounding person definitely would not have the internal energy to resist. Then he suddenly heard a loud cry as he felt the enemy's arm heading violently towards him, the fingertips already making contact with his shoulder. Liang Ziwong's left hand felt the opponent's ice
-cold wrist, her body, appearing as though it was not made of flesh and bone, once more tried to attack. He immediately rolled away and rushed out using his hands and feet to crawl out of the tunnel. Panting heavily he thought, “I have lived for dozens of years but I have never encountered such a strange event! I don't even know if she is a woman or a ghost! I must inform the prince of this matter.” He hastily ran back to the Fragrant Snow Hall. On the way, he thought: “I don’t know if that creature is a woman ghost or female demon, but now that the boy has fallen into her hands, she will naturally suck all that precious blood from his body.” He sighed and thought, “Due to a strange combination of circumstances I met that thieving boy. Then, after raising the snake and refining its blood, I had to run into that female ghost. I nearly lost my life in both encounters. Could the fabrication of the pill of longevity really be against the will of Heaven and envied by ghosts and deities, so that I would fail on the verge of success?”
When Guo Jing heard him moving farther and farther away, he felt greatly relieved and fell on his knees, kowtowing to the woman as he said, “Junior politely thanks old senior for saving his life.”
The woman had been able to match Liang Ziwong's moves earlier, but now she was exhausted, causing her injury to act up. She coughed and wheezed as she said, “Why did the old Monster want to kill you?”
Guo Jing, “Taoist Elder Wang was injured and needed medicine to treat his injuries. The disciple then came to the palace to...” Suddenly, he thought, “This person lives in the Zhao Palace compound, how do I know she's not in league with Wanyan Honglie?” He stopped talking immediately.
The woman said, “Mmm, so you have stolen the old Monster's medicine. I have heard that he is very knowledgeable in the research of medicines and their properties, so you must have stolen a miraculous pill or a marvelous drug.”
Guo Jing, “I took some of his medicine to treat an internal injury, but he was so angry he wanted to kill me. Is the old senior injured? Disciple has several medicines, four samples of ‘pseudo ginseng’, ‘dragons blood’, ‘bear's gall’, and ‘myrrh’. Taoist Elder Wang does not have to use all of it, if old senior... ”
The woman angrily said, “Whether I'm injured or not, what concern is it of yours?”
At this juncture, Guo Jing could only say hastily, “Yes, yes.” But after only a moment, he heard her gasping for breath and could not restrain himself from saying again, “If old senior cannot walk, junior offers to carry you out of here.”
The woman scolded, “Who is old? Who are you to say that someone is old?”
Guo Jing no longer dared to utter a sound, thinking that she did not want to leave. However, he had always been unable to stay content with half answers, so even though he knew that he ought to keep his silence he once again asked, “Whatever you want, I can go get it for you.”
The woman laughed coldly and said, “You are as nosy as a woman but your heart is good.” She stretched out her left hand to pull on his shoulders. Guo Jing felt his shoulder snap and the sharp pain that followed, but he was able to keep himself from falling on top of her. He suddenly felt an icy coldness as the woman's arm wound around his neck. Then he heard her bark the order, “Carry me to the exit.”
Guo Jing thought, “That’s what I offered in the first place!” Thereupon, he bent at the waist and slowly made his way out of the tunnel.
The woman said, “I am compelling you to carry me on your back. I won't owe anyone any favors.” It was then that Guo Jing understood that this woman was very arrogant and was unwilling to receive any kindness from her juniors. As he walked out, he raised his head and saw the stars in the sky. He could not help letting out a sigh as he thought; “Only a moment ago, I was saved from death when I fell into this black hole and there was someone waiting to help me. If I told Rong’er about this, even she would not believe it. He was used to climbing cliffs with Ma Yu and even though that hole was like a deep well, he was actually able to climb up effortlessly.
As soon as they exited the hole, the woman asked, “Who taught you your lightness kung fu? Tell me quickly!” Her arm suddenly tightened, compressing Guo Jing's throat so he was gasping for breath. Alarmed, he hastily circulated his internal energy to resist. The woman was intentionally trying to test his skill by tightening her grip, but she paused before gradually relaxing.
She loudly exclaimed, “Surprise, the peasant boy knows the internal energy skills of the Taoist orthodox school. You said that Taoist Elder Wang was injured, by what name is this Taoist priest called?”
Guo Jing thought, “You have rescued me, so whatever you ask, I will answer you truthfully. To do otherwise would be barbaric!” He immediately replied, “Taoist Elder Wang is Wang Chuyi, but others call him the ‘Jade Sun’.”
Suddenly, he felt the woman on his back begin to shake and heard her breathe out heavily, “You are a Quanzhen Sect disciple? That...that is very good.” As soon as she said this, she could not contain her delight and she went on to ask, “Who is Wang Chuyi to you? Why do you call him ‘Taoist
Eagle Shooting Hero 281
Elder’? Why not Shifu [master], Shi Zi (martial uncle younger than a persons Shifu], or Shi Bo (martial uncle older than a persons Shifu)?”
Guo Jing, “I am not a Quanzhen Sect disciple, but ‘Scarlet Sun’ Ma Yu taught me his breathing techniques.”
The woman said, “Mmm, so you studied the internal energy methods of the Quanzhen. That is good.” After a moment, she asked, “Who then is your Shifu?”
Guo Jing replied, “Disciple has seven teachers, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. First Shifu is called ‘Soaring Through the Heavens Bat’ and is surnamed Ke."
The woman began coughing violently, the sound bitter and sour as she said, “That is Ke Zhen’E!” Guo Jing, “Yes.”
The woman said, “You come from Mongolia?”
Guo Jing said, “Yes.” But in his heart, he wondered, “How did she know I come from Mongolia?”
The woman said slowly, “Your name is Yang Kang, is it not?” Her tone of voice changed from gloomy to angry.
Guo Jing said, “No. Disciple is surnamed Guo.”
The woman hesitated for a moment before saying, “You sit on the ground.”
Guo Jing did what he was told and sat down. The woman then reached inside her bosom to fish out an object which she placed on the ground. This object was wrapped in a piece of cloth. When she revealed the thing, the star light shone on it, showing a dazzling and impressive looking dagger handle. Guo Jing thought it looked familiar and so he took a closer look; the dagger continued to shine brightly and on its handle were engraved the two characters ‘Yang Kang’. It was indeed the knife he’d used to kill ‘Copper Corpse’ Chen Xuanfeng. The year that Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin met ‘Eternal Spring’ Qiu Chuji, he gave them daggers as presents. Both made the promise that if their wives gave birth to sons, the sons would become sworn brothers and if two daughters, they would become sworn sisters. However, if they are of different genders, then they would become husband and wife. The two fathers then exchanged their daggers as a token of their faith. This was the reason why the dagger with the inscription ‘Yang Kang’ ended up in Guo Jing's hands. When he was younger, he did not know what the two characters ‘Yang Kang’ meant but the shape of the dagger was enough for him to recognize it. He thought, “Yang Kang.. .Yang Kang?” But he did not remember that this name had been spoken by the princess only minutes ago.
While he was hesitating, the woman clamped his hand to prevent him grabbing the dagger as she shouted, “You recognize this dagger, do you not?” If Guo Jing was more quick-witted and heard how sad and shrill her voice sounded, he would have felt compelled to turn his head and look at her. Instead, he thought only of the other's kindness in saving his life, “This person saved my life. Certainly, that means she is a good person.” Therefore, he was not the least bit suspicious as he immediately replied, “Ah, yes! When I was young, I once used this dagger to kill an evil man. That evil man suddenly disappear
ed, along with the precious dagger ...”
As he spoke, he felt the arm around his neck tighten suddenly, strangling him. In the midst of danger, he bent his arm and pushed it backwards but his wrist was held by that woman's outstretched left hand. The woman later relaxed her right arm, allowing her body to drop so that she was sitting on the ground as she shouted, “Who do you think I am?”
Guo Jing had been throttled by her earlier, making him see stars, so it took him a moment to recover. Afterwards, he looked at her only glimpsing, through her shawl of long hair, a face like white paper; it was the face of ‘Iron Corpse’ of the ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’, Mei Chaofeng. Frightened out of his wits, he lifted his left hand to struggle but with her fingers digging into his flesh, how could he escape? In his mind was confusion, “How come? Why did she save my life? It can't be! But she really is Mei Chaofeng!”
Mei Chaofeng sat on the ground, her right hand clutching Guo Jing's neck, her left holding his wrist. For more than ten years, she had been searching for the man who killed her husband and now, suddenly, he was here. “Is it the work of my ‘Bastard’ husband from below, to have that person die in my hands?” In her heart she was delighted beyond measure; but this was quickly overcome by grief as past events from her life, no matter how much she fought it, came to her in brief flashes.
o0o
She thought, “I was once an innocent young girl who played around and joked all day. My parents treated me as their most precious treasure to which they were much attached. At that time, I was called Mei Ruohua. However, my unfortunate parents died one after another, forcing me to suffer under an evil person. Shifu Huang Yaoshi rescued me and brought me to Taohua Island (Peach Blossom Island) where he accepted me into his school. My name was changed to Mei Chaofeng, for each of his disciples bore the character for "wind" [feng] in their names. Under the peach trees, I saw rugged looking youths standing in front of me. One of them picked a bright red peach and gave it to me to eat. That was apprentice brother Chen Xuanfeng. Among Shifu's disciples, he was the second; I was the third. We practiced kung fu together. He often taught me and treated me very well. Even though he sometimes scolded me for not studying hard, I knew he was only doing what was good for me. Slowly, as everyone grew up, I had him in my heart and he had me in his heart. One spring evening, when the peach blossoms were turning a brilliant red, he suddenly embraced me under a peach tree.” A blush colored Mei Chaofeng's face and Guo Jing heard her laborious breathing intensify. Then, she let out a soft, gentle sigh.
