Eagle Shooting Hero 1(100)
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.”
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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!”
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?”
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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 Eagle Shooting Hero
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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.