The women continued to plot in low voices and decided to lie in ambush on the road outside of the town, in order to seize Guo Jing’s horse. Then they chattered, talking of clothes and other things of Eagle Shooting Hero
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that kind. “It’s you that the young Master prefers”, or “The young Master must be thinking about you now”, etc. Ke Zhen’E angrily raised his eyebrows, but he could not close his ears and he heard everything in spite of himself.
“If we offer the blood sweating horse to the young Master,” asked one of them, “what reward do you think he is going to give us?”
“He is surely going to spend more nights with you,” answered another, laughing.
The first sulkily protested, and they continued to bicker while laughing. “Be quiet,” one of them said. “Don’t reveal our intentions, because they don't look to be that easy to...”
“The woman over there,” another said in a low voice, “carries a sword; she practices martial arts for sure. And she is rather good looking! If she were ten years younger, the young Master would certainly be interested in her!”
Ke Zhen’E knew that they were speaking of Han Xiaoying and felt even angrier. “This ‘young Master’ that they speak of can’t be someone very admirable!” The eight women finished their meal, mounted their camels and left.
After their departure, Ke Zhen’E asked Guo Jing, “Jing’er, what do you think of the abilities of those eight women?”
“What women?” Guo Jing wondered.
“They were disguised as men,” Zhu Cong explained, “but you didn't realize it, did you?”
“Who knows of the ‘Mount of the White Camel’?” Ke Zhen’E asked. No one had heard of it. Ke told them of the conversation that he had heard. The other Freaks decided that these shameless women didn't lack boldness, but their audacity in wanting to tackle someone stronger than them was something to laugh at.
“Two among them,” Han Xiaoying said, “have big noses and green eyes; they probably aren’t Chinese...”
“Very true,” confirmed Han Baoju. “And those pure white camels only exist in the territories of the west.”
“That they want to steal the horse,” Ke Zhen’E said, “is not too serious, but they also said that numerous dangerous personalities are going to a meeting in Yanjing. It may involve an important plot to harm the Song dynasty. It could have disastrous consequences for our people! Since we accidentally discovered this business, we cannot wash our hands of it.”
“Certainly not,” Quan Jinfa said, “but the appointment at Jiaxing is near, we can’t waste any time.”
They hesitated, because it appeared impossible to reconcile the two missions.
“Jing’er goes there first,” Nan Xiren suddenly said.
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“What Fourth brother wants to say” Han Xiaoying interpreted, “is that Jing’er must go to Jiaxing alone, and that we will join him once we have dealt with this matter in Yanjing.” Nan Xiren nodded his head.
“It’s true,” Zhu Cong said, “it is time that Jing’er traveled alone to acquire some experience by himself...” The young man was saddened to part with his Shifus.
“You are now grown up,” Ke Zhen’E reprimanded. “Don't behave like a child!”
“You go and wait for us there,” Han Xiaoying said, comforting him. “In less than one month, we will join you.”
“We didn't explain the appointment in Jiaxing in detail to you before,” Zhu Cong said. “When the time arrives, on the twenty-fourth day of the third lunar month, at noon, you absolutely must be at the ‘Pavilion of the Drunken Immortal’, even if the sky falls on your head!” Guo Jing agreed.
“Those eight women want to steal your horse,” Ke Zhen’E continued. “Don't look for a fight; your horse is fast and they won’t be able to catch up to you. You have important things to attend to, so don’t get involved in useless distractions.”
“If those women dare to cause any trouble,” Han Baoju said, “the ‘Seven Freaks of Jiangnan’ will stop them!”
Zhang Ahsheng died more than ten years ago, but the six still called themselves the ‘Seven Freaks’, never forgetting to associate their dead brother with all their actions.
Guo Jing bade farewell to his teachers. They had witnessed his battle with the ‘Four Demons of the Yellow River’, and were not greatly worried for his safety. The young man had proved that he knew how to use the skills that had been taught to him. Therefore they let him leave alone. On one hand, the meeting of the outlaws in Yanjing worried them greatly and they couldn’t just ignore it. On the other hand, a youngster has to travel Jianghu alone, in order to learn lessons that no teacher can pass on.
At the moment of parting, each gave his last bit of advice. As usual, when the Six spoke, Nan Xiren was the last one to express himself, “If you cannot defeat an enemy,” he said. “Flee!”
Knowing Guo Jing’s determined nature, he knew that he would rather die than to surrender. If he met a master, he would certainly fight to the bitter end, even at the risk of death. That was the reason Nan Xiren gave him this common-sense warning.
“The martial arts have no limits,” Zhu Cong added. “As the proverb says: 'For every peak there is one higher', so for every man there is someone stronger. Whatever your power, you will one day meet a foe stronger than you. A true man knows to retreat when necessary. When facing grave danger, it is necessary to contain one's impetuosity and anger. This is what is meant by the adage:
‘If one preserves the earth and its forests, one does not fear the lack of firewood.’ It is not cowardly to take good advice! When the enemy is too numerous and you cannot face them, it is very necessary to avoid being too reckless. Keep in mind Fourth Shifu's advice!”
Guo Jing agreed and kowtowed to his teachers before mounting his horse to head for the south. He felt great sadness at parting from his masters with whom he had lived every day for the past ten Eagle Shooting Hero
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years. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He thought also of his mother, whom he had left alone on the steppe. Of course, she didn’t lack for anything, since Genghis Khan and Tolui had promised to look after her, but his loneliness weighed upon him nonetheless, and he worried for her.
After traveling about ten li, he arrived in a mountainous region. The road wound along the bottom of a valley dominated by craggy slopes dotted with strange boulders. Since it was the first time that he had faced the outside world, he could not help but feel a little apprehensive at the sight of this threatening landscape. With one hand on the hilt of his sword, he paused and smiled, “If Third Shifu saw me thus, trembling and terrified, he would certainly make fun of me!”
The road climbed the mountain flank, becoming narrower and serpentine. Rounding a bend, he suddenly became aware of a group of white shapes in front of him; four women clothed in white, mounted on white camels, blocked the road. Guo Jing, pulling back the reins of his horse, halted.
From a distance, he shouted, “Excuse me! May I please pass?”
The four women laughed. “Little man,” one of them replied. “What do you fear? Why don't you come over! We won't eat you!” Red-faced, Guo Jing did not know what to do. Could he amicably negotiate passage, or would it be necessary to rush forward and make the pass by force of arms?
“Your horse is not a bad animal,” another woman said. “Come here; let me have a look at him!” She spoke to him as if to a little child. Guo Jing felt anger rise within him, but the layout of the terrain worried him. To his right rose a craggy cliff, to the left, there was a mist-covered precipice, whose bottom could not be seen.
“Eldest Shifu,” he said to himself, “has given me good advice not to seek trouble. If I ride at them swiftly, those girls will be obliged to let me pass!” He lashed his reins, pressed with his thighs, and the red horse sped forward like an arrow. Sword in hand, Guo Jing cried, “Listen to me, you people!
Let me pass! If someone is jostled and falls from the precipice, it won't be my fault!” In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of the four women. They had leapt down from their camels and attempted to seize the bridle of the horse. With a whinny, the horse leapt over the camels! Guo Jing had the impression that he was flying in the clouds as he landed beyond his opponents, who were just as surprised as him!
Hearing them scream out in anger, he turned and saw the flash of two projectiles flying toward him.
This being his first time traveling the Jianghu, he had taken heed of the prudent advice of his masters. Worried that the missiles were poisoned, he did not wish to seize them with his bare hand.
He waved his leather cap and intercepted them.
“Well done!” two of the women called. “Pretty good kung fu!”
Guo Jing dipped his head and saw, inside his cap, two silver darts tipped with extremely sharp fish bones. Deadly weapons! He felt both disturbed and upset. “There is no ill-will between us,” he said to himself. “You covet only my horse and yet you are ready to mortally injure me!” He placed the missiles in his pouch, and fearing to meet the other four women, he slackened his horse's reins, not holding it back any longer. It galloped like the wind and in less than an hour had covered 80 li. The other assailants must have been lying in ambush further down the road, but he passed by so quickly that they did not have the time to launch it. After a brief rest, he continued on. Before night fell again, he had arrived in Kalgan [the Mongolian name for Zhangjiakou], sure that he had left those following him far behind.