by Jin Yong
Mei Chaofeng recalled how she and Chen Xuanfeng secretly married each other and how they feared their Shifu's punishment. When they ran away from the Island, her husband told her to steal the second book of the ‘Nine Yin Manual’ [Jiu Yin Zhen Jing]. Later, they settled on a remote mountain where they trained hard; but after practicing for half a year, her husband said that he could not understand the true meaning of the text. He wanted to smash his head out of frustration. That same year, my husband said, “My ‘Shrew’, we only stole one half of the ‘Nine Yin Manual’. The first half contains the foundation principles needed to practice these secret kung fu techniques. The kung fu scripture belongs to the Taoists and what our Shifu taught us is completely different. We can't master this, what do you suggest we do?” I said, “What choice do we have?” He said, “Return to Taohua Island.” How would I dare to go back? Both our skills had become ten times stronger but our Shifu would only have to use two fingers to defeat us. My husband was also afraid but knowing how many wonderful techniques he could not practice, he was willing to die for them. He had made up his mind to steal the first part and said, “If we are going to be the unmatched couple under the heavens, then ‘My Shrew’ must be prepared to be a widow.” I did not wish to be a widow! If one must die, then the other must also die in the same place. Both of us decided to risk our lives by going back. We found out later that after we ran away, Shifu, in a great fit of anger, broke the legs of all his disciples and expelled them from his island. That was why there was only him, his wife, the two of us, and his servants. When we arrived at Taohua Island, we discovered two people engaged in a fight. Shifu's opponent looked like an expert. The two of them were arguing about the ‘Nine Yin Manual’ and as they quarreled, one of them opened with a recognizable move. This person was Quanzhen Sect and although he spoke foolish words, his kung fu was very high and had reached a level which I could not even imagine. But Shifu, when compared to him, had a better chance of winning. Witnessing this martial arts duel only served to frighten us out of our wits. I said quietly, “My Bastard, we are inferior. Let's get away!” But he was not willing. We watched as Shifu grabbed his opponent and forced him to take an oath of never voluntarily leaving the Island. Remembering that Shifu's wife used to treat me with kindness, I decided to look for her through the window of their home. Who would have thought that all I would see was a mourning hall? Shifu's wife had passed away. In my heart, I felt very sad. Shifu's wife always treated me well but now that she's dead, Shifu was alone. I really felt sorry for him and I couldn't stand it. While I was crying, I suddenly saw, near the mourning hall, a one-year old girl, sitting straight up in a chair and smiling at me. This girl really looked like my Shifu's wife so I supposed she was their daughter. Was it because of childbirth that she died? I was thinking about this when Shifu noticed me. He flew from the mourning hall and stepped outside. I was so frightened, my feet grew weak and I couldn't move.
I heard the girl laughing and calling, “Daddy, hugs!” Her smile was like a flower as she opened her arms towards Shifu. That girl saved my life. Shifu feared that she would fall down and so stretched out a hand to grab her. My husband then pulled me away and we both dashed out and stole a boat with sea water splashing inside. My heart was thumping so hard, it seemed like it was going to jump out of my throat.
‘My Bastard’ saw Shifu fighting and had immediately lost heart. He said, “Not only have we not learned a tenth of Shifu's kung fu, but we now see this Quanzhen master, how can we compare to them?” I said, “You regret coming here? If the Shifu can do it, then one day we can also learn his kung fu.” He said, “If you don't regret it, then I do not regret it.” Thereafter, he used the fiercest martial arts methods he could find and taught me everything. He said that although this method was heretical, it allowed us to increase our skills.
In the beginning, our abilities became astounding and as we ran amok in Jianghu, we earned the nickname of 'Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’. Shen Long who flew through the sky with his axe exorcising evil spirits, was it my husband who killed him or was it me? My memory is not too clear as to who killed who but it is all the same in any case. One day, when we were practicing the ‘Destroying Heart Palm’ [Cui Xin Zhang] in the temple ruins, suddenly, from all directions, appeared dozens of skilled people. They were led by our fellow apprentice, Lu Chengfeng. He hated us after Shifu broke his legs and gathered a large group of people to help him capture us to give to Shifu. This man really thought that he could defeat us. Humph, the ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’ are not that easy to defeat. Though we were able to kill seventy-eight men and run away, we were also heavily injured. After several months, we found out that the Quanzhen Seven Masters were also secretly following us. We did not want to fight these opponents all at once because they were too many, so we left the Central Plains and traveled until we reached the Mongolian steppe. ‘My Bastard’ was worried that people would steal the Taoist scripture so he told me not to look for it. I did not know where he hid it. I said, “Good, my ‘Bastard’, I don't know where to find it.” He said, “My ‘Shrew’, I will be good to you. I'll take care of you and teach you everything except the Taoist nei gong. If we force it, we could harm our bodies.” I said, “Alright! What are you waiting for?” Thereupon, we continued to practice the ‘Nine Yin White Bone Claw’ [Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhua] 284 Eagle Shooting Hero and the ‘Destroying Heart Palm’ [Cui Xin Zhang]. He said these two techniques were heretical and fierce but did not require one to learn nei gong. Suddenly, one evening on that stark mountainside, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan attacked me. “My eyes.my eyes!” The pain was burning from the poison. I crawled on the ground, clawing my eyes. I did not die but my eyes were blinded and my husband dead. That was retribution for that time when we killed that blind Ke Zhen’E's elder brother and blinded his (Ke Zhen’E) eyes.
o0o
As Mei Chaofeng thought about this painful matter, both hands tightened instinctively and she created a noise as she ground her teeth. Guo Jing felt as if the bones in his left hand were going to break and secretly thought, “This is not good. What kind of vicious method is she going to use to kill me?” Then, he said, “Hey, I don't know what you plan to do but I want to ask you something, please agree.”
Mei Chaofeng said coldly, “You want to ask me something?”
Guo Jing said, “Yes. I have medicines and I ask you to be generous. Please take these and give them to Taoist Elder Wang in the Prosperity Inn outside the city.”
When Mei Chaofeng did not answer and continued to look blankly at him, Guo Jing said, “Do you agree? If so, many thanks to you!”
Mei Chaofeng said, “Many thanks for what? In all my life, I've never done any good deeds!”
o0o
She could not call to mind how much pain she suffered in her life, nor could she recall how many people she had killed, but that night on the barren mountain, she remembered clearly. My surroundings suddenly went black and I could not even see the stars. ‘My Bastard’ said, “I have failed! The Taoist scripture is hidden on my chest...” These were his last words. Suddenly, a heavy rain began and the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan began fiercely attacking me. I was hit in the back by a palm. This person's internal energy was profound; the pain from his hit reached my bones. I carried husband's corpse and escaped, descending the mountain even though I could not see. They did not pursue me which was really strange. The rain became heavier and the night had grown pitch-dark so they could not see me. I dashed about wildly in the rain. “My ‘Bastard’ husband’s body was at first hot but afterwards, it gradually turned cold. My heart also turned cold with each minute that passed.
I was shaking all over; I was very cold. “My ‘Bastard’ husband, are you really dead? Even with your fierce kung fu, how could you die so inexplicably? Who killed you?” I drew out a dagger from his stomach, causing the blood to spurt out. What caused this? Murdered people certainly bleed, but
I did not know how many people I murdered. “I must die with my ‘Bastard�
� husband! If no one else will call him ‘My Bastard’ in the netherworld, he will be lonely!” I placed the dagger to my throat and prepared to slice when suddenly, I traced two characters on the dagger handle, the characters ‘Yang Kang’. “Mmm, the killer must be this person named Yang Kang. How can I not exact revenge? If I don't kill this Yang Kang first, how can I die?” Thereupon, I went through my husband’s pockets, searching for the secret Taoist scripture, but even though I searched his whole body, I was not able to find a trace of it. “I must find it!” I started from his hair, not missing an inch until suddenly, while I was feeling the skin on his chest, I felt something strange.
As she had this thought, she was unable to restrain her bitter laughter. She said, “After careful investigation, I found that the ‘Jiu Yin Zhen Jing’ was tattooed on his chest. You were afraid that someone would steal it from you so you tattooed it on your body so it couldn't be taken away! Yes, just like Shifu's martial arts teachings, someone could also steal the Taoist scripture from us so you came up with a way it couldn't be stolen. Your idea ‘a person comes, but after he is gone, everything goes with him'. I used the dagger to cut your chest, mmm, I must tan this skin so it won’t rot. I will keep it with me all the time so it will be like you are accompanying me forever.” I was not sad anymore. “When I laugh, people are usually frightened even though I was smiling. I used both hands to dig a pit in the ground to bury you inside. You taught me the ‘Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhua" before; I used this technique to dig your grave. I hid in a cave, afraid that the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan would find me. At that time, I was not their match but after some practice, humph, I could grab each of their hearts. Was it really dangerous to practice the Taoist nei gong? It would cause serious injuries but I was not afraid to die, but of what sort of injury? I must perfect my kung fu in the shortest time. It must have been some sort of divine intervention that ‘My Bastard’ tattooed the Taoist scripture on his body or with my blind eyes, what purpose would the written words have? After all these years, even when he was playing with me, he never removed the clothing on his upper body; now I know why...” When she thought about this, her face burned and she released a long sigh. What is it ‘My Bastard’, can you see me from the netherworld? If you married a female ghost and made it your wife, then we do not have forever...
Two days passed and I was very hungry; then suddenly I heard a large army on horseback pass by the cave. From their dialect, I knew that they were from the Jin Empire. I came out and asked them for something to eat. The leader of the army saw my pitiful state, decided to give me shelter and brought me all the way to the palace. Afterwards, I discovered that he was actually the sixth son of the Jin emperor, Prince Zhao. I swept the ground in the back gardens for them but in the evening, I secretly trained. In this manner I was able to practice for several years and no one noticed anything. They only thought of me as a pitiful blind married woman.
One evening, that mischievous young prince went looking for bird's eggs in the garden at midnight without telling anyone. I did not see him but he saw me practicing with my silver whip and thereupon coerced me into teaching him. I taught him three moves and he learned them; he was really intelligent. Pleased with his progress, I also passed on to him the ‘Nine Yin White Bone Claw’, and the ‘Push the Heart Palm’. I wanted him to take the oath of not telling anyone, not even the prince or the princess. If he divulged it to anyone, I told him that I would capture him, break his bones, and send his soul to heaven. The young prince practiced kung fu and his foundation was not low. He said, “Shifu, I also have another male Shifu. This person is not good and I do not like him. I only like you as my Shifu. I will never reveal to him that you are teaching me. He can't compare to you. His kung fu teachings are not effective.” Humph, the young prince knew how to flatter. His male Shifu was definitely not incompetent. But I only asked that he not tell him that he was studying kung fu with me and I in turn would not question him about his Shifu. Several years passed and the young prince said that Prince Zhao wanted to go to Mongolia. I asked the prince to allow me to go there with him to offer a sacrifice at my husband's grave. The young prince said to me that the prince agreed. The prince doted on him very much and whatever he asked, he agreed to.
Even if I couldn't find my husband’s bones, I kept the skin from his flesh next to my own skin all day and all night. Besides, why would I offer a sacrifice at his grave? I wanted to find the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan for revenge. But my luck was not good because, unexpectedly, the Seven Elders of Quanzhen were all in Mongolia. My eyes could not see, how could I match those seven people? ‘Red Sun’ Ma Yu's internal energy was profound. Even though he spoke without effort, his voice 286 Eagle Shooting Hero was able to travel far. But my going to Mongolia was not in vain because when I asked Ma Yu a question he answered, and passed on to me some nei gong (internal energy) secrets. After I came back to the palace, I went to the tunnel to practice diligently. But this internal energy could not be completed without guidance. Two days ago I was practicing and as I was vigorously moving around, my qi suddenly arrived in my hip area and I could not move it back up. Because of this, the lower part of my body suffered seriously. If the young prince did not look for me, how would anyone know that I had an accident while practicing? Had this Guo boy not rushed in here, I would have starved to death in that tunnel. Humph, it's my husband’s ghost that sent him there to rescue me so I could I kill him to avenge his death. Mei Chaofeng laughed madly; her whole body shook and her right hand suddenly made an effort to grab Guo Jing's neck. Guo Jing sensed the danger to his life at this critical moment and tried to turn her hand wrong side up by grasping her wrist, using his external strength. Because of Ma Yu's orthodox school teachings his internal energy was not weak. Mei Chaofeng could not gain a grip as she felt her hand being turned wrong side up by him, forcing it to open. Startled, she thought that this boy's kung fu was not bad!
Even after being hit three times, Guo Jing applied all his strength in that hand. Mei Chaofeng called loud and long while lifting her palm to hit him. She was using her ‘Destroying Heart Palm’ unique skill. Guo Jing's level of skill and hers differed too much to begin with and his left was held firmly by her, how could he move to gain an opening? But he had to exert himself to overcome her strength and lifting his right hand to block. Mei Chaofeng raised her hand to meet his only to feel her arm shake. She changed her mind at that moment as she considered, “I practiced nei gong without anyone to guide me and it resulted in a serious injury so that my lower body can’t move. I heard him say a moment ago that Ma Yu taught him the Quanzhen Sect nei gong. It would be convenient if I forced him to tell me those nei gong secrets. How can I kill him to avenge ‘My Bastard’ and pick his brain later? Fortunately, this boy is not dead yet.” At that moment, she returned her hand again to grasp Gou Jing's neck and said, “You killed my husband, how can you still expect to live? But if you listen to what I have to say, then I'll let you die quickly, but if you're stubborn, I will let you experience suffering and misery. I'll start with your finger, biting and chewing it until everything is eaten.”
She had an accident, resulting in lower body paralysis. Afterwards, she starved for days so when she said that she wanted to eat Guo Jing's finger, it was not just idle talk to intimidate him. Guo Jing felt a shiver as he saw her open mouth, showing several white teeth. He did not dare say a word.
Mei Chaofeng asked, “Ma Yu taught you how to sit properly while meditating, how is it done?”
Guo Jing then understood, “She thinks I will teach her nei gong. Then later, she will go after my six Shifus to harm them. Even if I die now, how can I let this jealous woman increase her skill and harm my six Shifus?” He shut his mouth and did not answer immediately.
Mei Chaofeng's left hand tightened and Guo Jing felt pain and biting cold, but he had made up his mind. He said, "You want to obtain the orthodox nei gong. Give up that idea.”
Mei Chaofeng saw that he was tough and unyielding so she loosened her hands to let him go
as she said softly, “I promise you that I will take the medicine to Wang Chuyi and save his life.”
Guo Jing felt a shiver of cold as he thought, “Ah, this is an important change. It's good that the lower part of her body cannot move. My six Shifu have no need to fear her.” Thereupon he said, “Alright, you make an oath and I in return will pass on to you the training methods.”
Mei Chaofeng was extremely happy and said, “Surname of Guo... This boy with the surname of Guo said that he will teach me the Quanzhen Sect nei gong methods. If I, Mei Chaofeng, do not deliver the medicine to Wang Chuyi, may my entire body lose its movement and forever endure misery.”
As soon as she said this, to their left some ten zhang in front of the palace, a person scolded, “Stinky boy, come out here and die!”
