Legend of Condor Heroes Book 1

by Jin Yong

  When Guo Jing heard the voice, he recognized it as the Three-Headed Dragon Hou Tonghai. Another one said, “Surely, the small girl is nearby. I'm relieved. She can't run away.” The same time that the two people were talking, they were also walking away.

  Gou Jing was startled; Rong’er had not left yet and allowed them to follow her trail. Changing his intent, he turned to Mei Chaofeng and said, “You still need to do one more thing, otherwise, no matter what you force me to endure, I won't tell you the secrets.”

  Mei Chaofeng got angry, “What is this other thing? I don't agree.”

  Guo Jing said, “I have a good friend, a young girl. The experts from the palace are chasing her. You must rescue her and get her out of danger.”

  Mei Chaofeng grunted and said, “How would I know where she is? If you want me to do it then quickly, tell me the nei gong secret!” Her arm immediately tightened.

  Guo Jing felt his throat constrict, causing him great alarm. However, he was still unyielding and said, “Rescue... You said... Did not say...”

  Having no other alternative, Mei Chaofeng said, “Alright, I'm depending on you but don't think that Mei Chaofeng does things to please others. Today is the exception, you stinky boy. This young girl is your sweetheart? You're full of affection but dumb. We made a deal and I'm only doing my part. I have agreed to rescue your sweetheart but I haven't consented to spare your life.”

  Guo Jing heard her agree and was glad. Then he raised his voice and called out, ‘Rong’er, come here! Rong’er...”

  Just after calling twice, Huang Rong's figure suddenly appeared from behind some rose shrubs nearby. She said, “I'm already here!”

  Guo Jing was delighted, “Rong’er, come quickly. She agreed to help you. The others can't harm you now.”

  Huang Rong had been listening to Guo Jing and Mei Chaofeng for some time from behind the rose shrubs. She heard how he gave no thought to his own life and never forgot about her safety. In gratitude, two tear drops rolled down her cheeks as she shouted at Mei Chaofeng, “Mei Ruohua, let him go!”

  ‘Mei Ruohua’ was Mei Chaofeng's name before her master changed it. No one in Jianghu knew and for dozens of years, she had not heard these three characters uttered by anyone. However, today it was being shouted by this person. Greatly surprised, she asked, “Who are you?”

  Huang Rong said clearly, “‘The peach blossom shade leaves behind the divine sword, the jade ocean current gives life to the jade flute!’ I am surnamed Huang.”

  Mei Chaofeng was even more startled and could only stammer, “You... You... You...”

  Huang Rong called out, “You what? The east China sea Taohua Island snapping finger, the pure sound of the cave, the green bamboo forest, the Trial Sword Pavilion, you also remember?”

  Mei Chaofeng knew these places from her discipleship and when she heard them mentioned now, a sudden thought came to her and she asked, “Taohua Island’s Huang... Shifu Huang, is...is...What is he to you?”

  Huang Rong said, “Since you have not forgotten my father, he has not forgotten you, either. He is coming to look for you!”

  Mei Chaofeng wanted to turn around and flee but how could she move a foot even one step? Frightened out of her wits and shocked, she could only clench her teeth, making a grating sound. She did not know what to do.

  Huang Rong called out, “Quickly release him.”

  Mei Chaofeng suddenly remembered, “Shifu swore that he would never leave Taohua Island, how could he be here? It was only because of this that I and ‘My Bastard’ stole the Nine Yin Manual. He made an oath and could not leave the island to pursue us. This person is trying to deceive me. I won't let myself get confused.”

  When Huang Rong saw her hesitate, her left foot pointed downwards as she leapt up ten feet and successively executed two half-circles before soaring into the air and wielding a palm towards Mei Chaofeng's head, intending to hit her. It was the ‘Fallen Hero Divine Sword Palm’ [Luo Ying Shen Jian Zhang], a pillar move of the ‘River Town Flying Blossom’ [Jiang Cheng Fei Hua]. She called out, "My father taught you this move. Have you forgotten it?"

  Mei Chaofeng heard the noise of the air rustling around her but she kept still, her suspicions still in place, though she raised her hand and softly called out, “Shi Mei [Apprentice Sister], you have spoken with Shifu?” Huang Rong let her body drop, using one hand to pull and then drag Guo Jing to her side.

  o0o

  Huang Rong was the Peach Blossom Island Master Huang Yaoshi's only daughter. Before giving birth to her, her mother became ill which caused her to be physically and mentally exhausted and this led to her death after a difficult labor. Huang Yaoshi, in a fit of extreme grief, expelled all his disciples from the island, leaving the father and daughter alone there.

  Huang Yaoshi was called ‘Eastern Heretic’ [Dong Xie] because of his peculiar conduct. He often said that the etiquette and customs of the world were nonsense. His love for his daughter was excessive and he naturally did nothing to control her and allowed her to become arrogant and willful. Although she was highly intelligent, she was not willing to focus her mind on learning martial arts. Her father had proficient knowledge of yin and yang and the five elements, and the methods from of calculating them. She was able to learn while still very young but even though her father had already reached a divine level, she was nevertheless unable to get beyond the basic Taohua Island martial arts. One day, she was playing on the island when she came upon her father's enemy imprisoned in a cave. Feeling lonely, she talked with that person for almost half a day. That person's words were interesting to her so she returned often, seeking him out to speak with him and find relief from loneliness. Later, Huang Yaoshi found out and reproached her severely. Huang Rong had never been beaten or scolded by her father so she reacted with anger and self-pity. Her cunning and unreasonable temperament manifested itself suddenly and she took a boat to escape Taohua Island, thinking that no one cared for her there. Thus, she cut her ties to it and disguised herself as a poor, disorderly, miserable youth, wandering in all directions, though her heart was still with her father. She thought angrily, “Since you don't love me, then I will make the world feel pity for a young beggar.” However, she did not count on meeting Guo Jing in Zhangjiakou [Kalgan]. At first, she went to the restaurant with him to spend his money and cause a disturbance, intending to displace her resentment towards her father on him. Who would have thought that he would be so dumb as to have no suspicions at all and talked with her as though they were old friends and showed his concern by giving her his horse. She was bitter and lonely and thought about how she had deceived him, while he continued to treat her honestly. She was touched. Since then, the two became good friends.

  o0o

  Huang Rong once listened to her father speak about Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng's affair in great detail and because of this, she learned Mei Chaofeng's maiden name and the lines: ‘The peach blossom leaves behind the divine sword, the jade green sea gives life to the jade flute’, which was the heretical couplet that hung inside the Sword Trial Pavilion and embodied the principles of Huang Yaoshi's wugong. Every Peach Blossom Island disciple knew this. Since she knew that her kung fu could not rival Mei Chaofeng's, she lied and told her that her father was coming. As a result, Mei Chaofeng was frightened into releasing Guo Jing.

  Mei thought, “If Shifu is indeed coming, how do I know that he won't kill me?” She remembered that Huang Yaoshi had a ruthless nature and his methods were cruel. She could not stop her face from growing ashen and her whole body shook as though Huang Yaoshi, his face grim, was already standing in front of her. Her body became limp. It was as though she had lost her kung fu skills as she bent towards the ground and shakily said, “Disciple's many sins make her deserving of death. But I beseech Shifu to take pity because my two eyes are blind and my lower body is handicapped. Please grant disciple leniency even though disciple is no better than a swine or a dog.” Then she remembered how Huang Yaoshi used to treat her with favor. Fearing that
his heart had changed, her bosom was filled with shame as she said, “No, Shifu does not need to be lenient. Punish me severely.”

  The whole time Guo Jing was with her, she appeared to be fierce and her manner evil. Even when faced with a great enemy or when climbing up that steep precipice, she remained unfazed as though nothing mattered. However, when Huang Rong mentioned her father, her attitude changed unexpectedly which he found very strange. Huang Rong was laughing inside as she pulled Guo Jing by the hand and led him towards the outside wall. But before they could leap over it to escape, they were stopped by a clear voice. Chuckling softly, a person came holding a fan. He laughed, “Girl, I'm not certain you can manage to climb that.”

  Huang Rong saw that it was Ouyang Ke. She knew his kung fu skills and knew that it would be difficult to get past him. So, she immediately turned to Mei Chaofeng and said, "Mei Shizi [Elder

  Martial Sister Mei], father is always willing to listen to me. I can ask favor for you. But first, you have to do something meritorious so father can forgive you.”

  Mei Chaofeng asked, “What is it?”

  Huang Rong said, “There's a bad person who wants to bully me. I will pretend to go along but you mustn’t allow the enemy to strike or beat me. Once father comes and sees you helping me, he'll be pleased.”

  Mei Chaofeng, hearing that her younger apprentice sister was willing to ask her father for a favor, felt her spirits revive. As they spoke, four of Ouyang Ke's concubines arrived. Huang Rong dragged Guo Jing behind Mei Chaofeng to avoid getting in the way, waiting for Mei Chaofeng or Ouyang Ke to make opening moves and then take the opportunity to sneak off. Ouyang Ke saw Mei Chaofeng sitting on the ground, her hair disheveled and her skin covered with dirt. She tightly clutched the upper part of her bosom. Opening his fan lightly and moving forward to catch Huang Rong, he suddenly felt a force heading towards his chest. He looked down to find the woman on the ground stretching out her hand to grab him. He had never encountered such level of strength in one stance before. Shocked, he hastily struck towards her wrist with his fan and at the same time, leapt aside. He heard a mocking sound, a noise, and loud successive cries. The front piece of Ouyang Ke's jacket was torn, his fan broken in two, and his four concubines were collapsing to the ground. He took a quick look around and saw that all four women had been killed violently. Their spirits left their bodies as soon as they were hit. The tops of their heads were covered with blood and brain matter oozed out of five holes. The swiftness and viciousness of the move was extremely rare. Ouyang Ke was surprised and angry at the same time when he saw the woman still sitting motionless as though paralyzed. His fear lessened and he quickly launched a stance passed on by his family, the ‘Divine Camel Snowy Mountain Palm’ [Shen Tuo Xue Shan Zhang]. His body floated as his palm prepared to attack. Mei Chaofeng's ten finger nails were sharp, each poised to grab and squeeze the air out of him as she sneered at him. How could Ouyang Ke dare get close?

  Just as Huang Rong pulled Guo Jing so they could walk away, they suddenly heard a mad roar coming from behind them. Hou Tonghai's two fists were headed towards them. Huang Rong leaned slightly to one side. When Hou Tonghai saw this, he aimed for her shoulders, feeling pleased with himself. His blunt brain did not function fast enough and he belatedly remembered that she was wearing the soft hedgehog armor. He let out a loud shout, hastily withdrew his two fists, and hit his own forehead above the three bumps, yelling out in pain. Where else could he grab her besides her hair? At that moment, Sha Tongtian, Liang Ziwong, and Peng Lianhu arrived. Liang Ziwong saw Ouyang Ke engaged in a vicious fight, his long gown torn and ragged, and realized that the woman was the same one who pretended to be a ghost in the cave. Roaring angrily, he went forward to attack. Sha Tongtian and the others noted that Mei Chaofeng's stances were fierce. They were astonished and so decided to keep close watch, waiting for the first opportunity to attack. They thought, “Where does this woman's high kung fu come from?” Peng Lianhu watched and figured it out, he shouted, “The ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’!”

  Huang Rong's body moved swiftly, first darting to the east before flashing to the west. How could Hou Tonghai grab her hair? Huang Rong noticed that his hands were always aimed at the top of her head and was able to surmise his intentions. She darted towards the rose bushes and hid behind them. She removed her long two-pronged hairpin and inserted it up from the base of the bun in her hair. Then she poked her head out and called, “I'm over here!”

  Hou Tonghai was greatly pleased, and sent out a hand to grab the top of her head as he said, “This time, you can't get away, smelly boy...Ai yo, ai yo! Shi Ge (Martial Brother), the smelly boy's head also has thorns...thorns!” His palm had been punctured by the metal tips of the hairpin and caused him to jump back in pain.

  Huang Rong laughingly said, “Your head has three horns. It's not fair. I only have two horns. Let's do this again!”

  Hou Tonghai replied, “No, not again!”

  Sha Tongtian scolded, “Do not shout!” Then he hurried over to his side to help.

  By this time, Mei Chaofeng was engaging two masters who were attacking together. Suddenly, she sent her arm back to grab Guo Jing's chest, calling out, “Hold my legs.” Guo Jing did not understand what she meant but he wanted to help her fight the two powerful enemies. At her words, he immediately bent down and grabbed her legs.

  Mei Chaofeng used her left hand to resist Ouyang Ke's palm while her right hand thrust towards Liang Ziwong. She said to Guo Jing, “Carry me to that old man Liang!”

  Guo Jing suddenly understood, “Her lower body cannot move. She wants me to help her.” Thereupon he placed Mei Chaofeng on his shoulders and hurried after the fleeing enemy. His body had a strong kung fu basis and Mei Chaofeng's body was not heavy so even though she was on his shoulders, it did nothing to diminish his speed. He quickly leapt forward and Mei Chaofeng soared along with him.

  Mei Chaofeng did not forget about the nei gong secret so even though she was facing the enemy, she also asked, “When you practice nei gong, how is it done?”

  Guo Jing replied, “Sit cross-legged with five hearts facing heaven.”

  Mei Chaofeng asked, “What does five hearts facing heaven mean?

  Guo Jing said, “The center of two palms, the center of two soles of the feet, and the center of the crown of the head - these are the five hearts.” Mei Chaofeng was delighted and her spirits rose. She reached out to brush the shoulders of Liang Ziwong, whose heart jumped as he started and ran away.

  Guo Jing was about to chase after him when suddenly the Dragon King Sha Tongtian ran in front of him to help his apprentice brother capture Huang Rong. Startled, he hastily carried Mei Chaofeng towards them, shouting, “First, let's take care of these two!” Mei Chaofeng stretched out her left arm, heading towards Hou Tonghai. Hou Tonghai anxiously withdrew, trying to dodge. Who would think that Mei Chaofeng's arm would be so violent as though it had the strength of an ape? Although Hou Tonghai's dodging was quick, her arm was still able to follow his body. Grabbing him, the fingers of her right hand were already digging into him. Hou Tonghai's entire body went numb. He could no longer move.

  He shouted, “Spare my life, spare my life, I have surrendered!”