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Huang Rong’s brow dropped. “Who is your sister?” she shouted. She immediately jumped at Mu Nianci with her palm extended.
Mu Nianci tried to dodge, but Huang Rong used the ‘Palm of the Divine Sword Felling the Hero’.
Employing the many and mysterious variations in the style, Huang Rong hit Mu Nianci twice in the ribs, causing a lot of pain. Angry, Mu Nianci turned to the left before also returning her own palm stroke, which was a violent strike.
“That is the ‘Wandering Strides’ fist!” Huang Rong shouted. “How is this possible?”
Mu Nianci was surprised upon hearing Huang Rong’s shout. “This was the style Hong Qigong passed on to me alone,” she thought. “How could she know about it?” Mu Nianci watched as Huang Rong retracted her left palm and attacked with her right as a fist. After three moves, Mu Nianci recognized the style to be none other than the ‘Wandering Strides’. Surprised, she jumped back.
“Stop!” she shouted. “Who taught you this style?”
“I just figured it out myself,” Huang Rong said with a smile. “What’s so special about this rough and crude kung fu?” So saying, she attacked again with the ‘Wandering Strides’, employing its two central moves, ‘Alms Bowl at the Door’ and ‘Seeing a Benefactor’, in a continuous attack.
Mu Nianci became even more bewildered after avoiding another move, ‘Traveling the Seas Without Worry’. “You know Senior Hong Qigong?” she said.
“He and I are old friends,” Huang Rong said with a smile. “You can use this style. I’ll use the kung fu I know and then we’ll see who wins.”
With a menacing chortle, Huang Rong immediately attacked. She did not use the ‘Wandering Strides’ style. Instead, she employed the martial arts taught to her by her father to get the better of Mu Nianci, whose skills were taught to her by Hong Qigong. How could Mu Nianci block?
Mu Nianci tried to flee but she couldn’t. She watched a palm rise like a sword slashing across with a roaring wind. Feeling the spear-like force, Mu Nianci twisted her body to the side to dodge, but then felt pain in her neck as Huang Rong successfully hit her with ‘Brushing the Orchid Blossoms from the Road’. The palm had struck the neck vertebrae precisely where the blood vessels regulate the body, hands and feet. After being hit, Mu Nianci’s hands and feet immediately became numb and weak.
Huang Rong then stepped forward and pressed an acupoint on Mu Nianci’s waist. Mu Nianci immediately fell over. Huang Rong took out the dagger and laughed, before slashing at Mu Nianci’s cheeks with ten different strikes. None of them hit — but they were only one inch away from striking flesh.
Mu Nianci closed her eyes, expecting death, but to her surprise she felt a cool air near her cheeks that didn’t hurt. When she opened her eyes, she saw the dagger coming towards her eyes, only to see it stop next to her face. “If you’re going to kill me, kill me,” she yelled in anger. “Why all the threats and theatrics?”
“You are not my enemy, nor do I hate you,” Huang Rong said. “Why would I kill you? You just have to swear one oath, and I’ll release you.”
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Although they were indeed not enemies, Mu Nianci refused to even consider giving an oath. “Lady, you threaten to kill me because you want me to swear an oath,” she shouted. “You must be dreaming.”
Huang Rong sighed with admiration. “It would be a real pity to kill a beautiful lady of marriageable age,” she said.
Mu Nianci closed her eyes and waited for death, but she heard not a sound.
After a moment, Huang Rong gently said, “Jin Ge ge and I have already shared our hearts. If you were to marry him, there is no way he would give you the same.”
Mu Nianci opened her eyes. “What did you say?” she asked.
“I know you won’t promise not to marry him,” Huang Rong said.
“Who is it that you like?” Mu Nianci said in confusion. “Who is it you think I want to marry?”
“Jin Ge ge, Guo Jing,” Huang Rong said.
“Oh him,” Mu Nianci said. “What do you want me to swear?”
“I want you to swear a heavy oath that you will not marry him,” Huang Rong said.
Mu Nianci giggled. “You put a dagger to my throat when I already cannot marry him,” she said.
“Is it true?” Huang Rong asked joyfully. “How can this be?”
“Although my adoptive father betrothed me to brother Guo Jing, honestly…” she said before lowering her voice. “Honestly, my adoptive father, despite all his wisdom, neglected to prevent me from giving my heart to someone else.”
“I’ve made such a bad mistake about you,” Huang Rong said ecstatically before immediately unsealing Mu Nianci’s accupoints and massaging her numb hands and feet. “Elder sister, who have you matched yourself with?”
Mu Nianci blushed before cooing, “You’ve seen this person before.”
Huang Rong tilted her head and thought for a moment. “I’ve seen him before?” she said. “What kind of person around this town is worthy of ascending to elder sister’s level?”
Mu Nianci laughed. “In this world, this man is unrivaled by anyone except for your Jing ge ge,” she said. “Elder sister, is he so crazy that he hasn’t married you?” Huang Rong said with a smile.
“Is brother Jing crazy?” Mu Nianci said. “His character is honest, and his heart is chivalrous. I admire him very much. He treated my father and me very well that day when he helped us at the risk of his own life. I am very grateful for that. This quality of man is very rare in the world.”
Worried, Huang Rong pressed, “Did you say that you couldn’t marry him just so I wouldn’t put this dagger against your throat?”
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Mu Nianci noticed how Huang Rong pressed the issue and concluded the imprudence she exhibited before wasn’t far off. She grasped Huang Rong’s hands and slowly spoke, “Little sister, your heart is already set on brother Jing. Finding another man his equal will be difficult even with all the thousands of men in the world, right?”
“Yes, I do believe it’s very unlikely to find another his equal,” Huang Rong said.
“If brother Jing heard your praises of him, his heart would be filled with joy,” Mu Nianci said.
“During the contest my father set up in Yanjing, a man defeated me.”
Huang Rong understood. “I know now,” she said. “The person in your heart is the Little Prince, Wanyan Kang.”
“Yes, it is the young prince,” Mu Nianci said. “He is the one my heart wants. He’s a good person underneath. I can make him stop being rotten. ”
Though she spoke softly, Mu Nianci’s expression was very firm. Huang Rong nodded her head when she suddenly realized she felt the same way about Guo Jing as what Mu Nianci said in such simple words. They grasped each other’s hands and sat side-by-side below the locust trees with the sensation of shared feelings. Huang Rong thought for a moment. Then she gave the dagger back to Mu Nianci.
“Elder sister, let me return this to you,” Huang Rong said.
Mu Nianci did not take it. “Keep it — this is your Jin Ge ge’s possession,” she said. “His name is carved there on the hilt. With it everyday, I …” She paused. “If I should carry it everyday, it wouldn’t be very good.”
Huang Rong lovingly took the dagger and stowed it near her bosom. “Elder sister, you are truly good,” she said. After receiving the valuable dagger, Huang Rong was momentarily distracted from her thoughts. “Elder sister, what business has drawn you to the South alone?” Huang Rong asked.
“Maybe little sister can help you?”
Mu Nianci blushed and lowered her head. “I don’t have any pressing matters at hand,” she said.
“In that case, I will take you to see Master Qigong,” Huang Rong said.
Mu Nianci felt joy. “Master Qigong is here?” she said.
Huang Rong nodded before grasping Mu Nianci’s hand and pulling her up. Suddenly, she heard a sound among the branches above. A piece of bark fell to the ground. In the distance, they could see one person’s shadow jumping happily from locust tree to locust tree. After a while, they could tell it was Hong Qigong.
Huang Rong picked up the bark and saw characters carved onto its surface with a needle. “Two dolls like this are very good,” she read. “But if Rong’er deliberately causes trouble again, then Qigong will hit your eldest child on the ear.” The bark was not signed at the bottom. Instead, a gourd was carved in its place. Huang Rong knew Qigong carved the bark and couldn’t help blushing. She knew Qigong had observed the whole fight and knew all about the particulars of the 366
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oath she wanted Mu Nianci to swear. Both people had entered the locust grove and did not even notice Hong Qigong. The pair walked hand-in-hand back to the inn.
Guo Jing, who was sitting inside after he finished practicing, was shocked to see Mu Nianci. He quickly said, “Sister Mu, did you see my masters?”
“Your respected masters and I left the capital together and went south to Shandong,” she said. “We split up there, and I have not seen them since.”