by Jin Yong
“Her father gave his consent, that’s good. It’s none of our business,” Zhou Botong said.
“I can’t go along with that,” Guo Jing said, “Rong’er has promised to be with me. She must be frantic right now.”
“If you take a wife, there are some martial arts you cannot practice. That will be too bad,” Zhou Botong said. “I ... I feel deep remorse that I didn’t listen to good advice. Good Brother, listen to my advice: you’d better not to take a wife.”
Guo Jing felt the more Zhou Botong spoke, the more unreasonable he became; that made Guo Jing more concerned than ever. Zhou Botong continued, “If I hadn’t lost my virginity and therefore could not practice my martial brother’s fiercest martial arts, how could Old Heretic Huang have imprisoned me in this confounded hole? You see, if your thoughts are focused on your wife, your heart is divided. I am sure today’s martial arts practice will not get you anywhere. If you really marry Old Heretic Huang’s girl. ay! That will be too bad! If only I ... ay! Never mind that. In short, if you let yourself get entangled in an affair with a woman, you won’t reach the pinnacle of perfection. Moreover, you will offend your friend and disobey your martial brother. It is very difficult for you to forget her. I wonder how she is . Anyway, don’t ever look at her pretty face, don’t ever caress her beautiful body and don’t teach her acupoints sealing techniques, because she will feel your body to find those acupoints. Those are great taboos ... worse yet, don’t ever ask her to marry you ... ”
To Guo Jing Zhou Botong was just mumbling illogically, but it was troublesome. “Whether I marry her or not, we’ll sort that out later,” he said, “Big Brother, we have to help her now.”
Zhou Botong laughed, “Western Poison is very evil; his nephew cannot be different. Old Heretic Huang’s daughter is pretty, but she must have the same character as Old Heretic Huang: a perverted mind. Let Western Poison’s nephew take her as his wife; let them both suffer and let their martial arts not go anywhere. That way we kill two birds with one stone. No, more precisely. lose two birds with one stone. There’s nothing good in either one of them. Don’t you think this is a good idea?”
Guo Jing sighed, walked into the woods, and sat on the ground. His mind was jumbled, “Even if I have to die on Peach Blossom Island’s pathways, I must find her,” he thought. Once his mind was set he leaped up and started moving. At that moment he heard two loud calls from the sky and two white forms swooped down towards him. They were the white eagles Tolui brought him from the steppes. Guo Jing was delighted and extended his arm to let the eagles perch. Only then did he see a bamboo tube tied to the male eagle’s leg. Hastily he loosened it and found a letter inside. It was from Huang Rong. She told him the latest developments - how Western Poison would arrive in a few days to arrange the betrothal; how her father was closely guarding her and not letting her out of her quarter’s even half a step. That included preparing food for Guo Jing. In the end she said that if she could not get away from all of this, she would commit suicide to show her love for him. She also told Guo Jing that the pathways on the island were dangerous and mysterious and full of booby traps, so she warned Guo Jing not to try to find her.
Guo Jing was dumbstruck. He pulled out his dagger and carved these six characters on the bamboo tube, ‘live together, die together’ [yi qi huo, yi qi si]; then he tied the tube back on the eagle’s leg and raised his arm and pointed north. The eagles circled him several times, and then they flew north. Once he’d made this decision his heart was calm. He walked back to Zhou Botong, sat on the ground in front of him and listened to him imparted more lessons on martial arts.
The next ten days passed without any word from Huang Rong. Guo Jing had managed to memorize the first volume in its entirety. Zhou Botong was inwardly delighted; he proceeded to recite the second volume for Guo Jing to memorize. Again, he did not give any examples or instruction on how to practice them for fear that Guo Jing would see through his scheme. Guo Jing diligently studied and committed each and every word to his memory. Several hundred times worth of reciting later he had both the first and second volumes down pat in his mind, including all the gibberish words such as ‘ang li na de’ and ‘ha hu wen bo ying’ [translator’s note: these characters don’t make logical sentences, so I leave them as they are]. He did not miss a single word.
Listening to Guo Jing Zhou Botong’s heart was filled with admiration. “This dumb kid can actually memorize the entire dumb martial arts manual. Old Urchin salutes him.”
That night the sky was clear and the sea was calm reflecting the bright silver moon shining over the island. Zhou Botong just finished checking Guo Jing’s progress. He discovered that Guo Jing had made tremendous advancements in his martial arts without even realizing it. He was very happy and believed that the manual really did contain profound martial arts techniques. He thought that if he were to learn the techniques from books, he would eventually surpass Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong.
The two were sitting on the ground, idly chatting when they suddenly heard rustling noises coming from the distance. Zhou Botong jumped up in alarm, “Snakes!” he cried. He’d just closed his mouth when hissing sounds reached their ears. It sounded like there was a swarm of snakes coming their way. Zhou Botong’s face turned pale and he dashed into the cave. He was a courageous man and his martial arts might be superb, but not when facing snakes. Guo Jing immediately moved some big rocks and covered the cave entrance.
“Big Brother,” he said, “I’ll go take a look. Don’t come out.”
“Be careful and return quickly,” Zhou Botong answered. “But I’d say you don’t need to take a look. What’s so interesting about vipers? How ... how can there be so many snakes on this island? I have lived here for fifteen years and haven’t seen a single snake. Look how bad this island has become! Old Heretic Huang always boasts of his vast knowledge and resourcefulness but look how dirty this Peach Blossom Island has become. Sea turtles, vipers, centipedes and all kinds of creepy-crawlies are coming here.”
Chapter 18 - The Three Tests
Translated by Frans Soetomo
Huang Yaoshi kept blowing the flute; Guo Jing raised his hand and struck the bamboo stick between two beats of the music. He struck again, still between the two music beats. He had struck his bamboo stick four times, all in the wrong places.
Guo Jing went towards where the snake noises were coming from. After dozens of steps in the bright moonlight he saw millions of green snakes slithering together as a mass. With them were more than ten men wearing white clothing and carrying long poles herding the snakes.
Guo Jing gulped; he was greatly surprised, “What are those people with so many snakes doing here? Could it be that Western Poison has arrived?” Without regard to his own safety he came closer, snuck behind trees and followed them north. Luckily the men who herded the snakes did not have a high level of martial arts, otherwise he would be detected.
A deaf and mute servant of Huang Yaoshi could be seen in front of the mass, showing the way. They walked on the winding path for several li through the forest and crossed a small hill before finally arriving at a large stretch of grass meadow. To the north of the meadow was a bamboo forest. As soon as they were all on the meadow, the men in white blew their whistles and the snakes stopped with their heads raised high in the air.
Guo Jing knew there must be something in the bamboo groove and he wanted to take a look, but he did not dare to reveal his presence by walking across the meadow. So he stealthily walked to the east and then circled back north, keeping his ears open at all times; but the forest was quiet. He finally arrived and immediately entered the thick green bamboo groove.
Inside the groove there was a small pavilion built from bamboo. Under the bright moonlight Guo Jing could see, written across the pavilion opening, these three characters, ‘Old Jade-Green Pavilion’ [ji cui ting]. On either side hung two couplets: ‘under the shadow of peach blossom the divine sword flew’ [tao hua ying li fei shen jian] and ‘with the jade-colored ocean tide
the jade flute arose’ [bi hai chao sheng an yu xiao].
Several bamboo chairs were placed inside the pavilion; the chairs looked rustic and old. In the bright moonlight the bamboo looked no longer green but smooth and shiny yellow. The pavilion was built between two big pine trees. Their trunks and branches spread out looking like dragons lurking in the dark. The trees were several hundred years old. The dark green bamboo surrounding the bamboo pavilion and the trees gave a feeling of serenity and beauty.
Guo Jing looked back and saw that the snakes had arranged themselves in row after row, on the meadow. Only now did he realize that the snakes were not only green but other types of snakes as well: there were rattlesnakes, golden-scaled snakes, black snakes and other kinds of venomous snakes. The snakes kept moving their heads, which made the meadow appear to ripple like ocean waves. The snakes’ tongues flicked in and out of their mouths, looking like tiny dancing chaotic flames.
The snakes’ herders divided the mass to open up a pathway through the middle. Dozens of females dressed in white walked through carrying red lanterns. Several zhang [1 zhang is approximately 10 feet/3 meters] behind them two men walked slowly. The first was wearing a long white satin gown, embroidered with gold thread and held a folding fan in his hand. It was none other than Ouyang Ke.
Arriving at the bamboo groove he said in a loud and clear voice, “Mr. Ouyang from the Western Region pays a visit to the Peach Blossom Island Master Huang.”
“It really is Western Poison,” Guo Jing thought, “No wonder all this pomp and fanfare.” He turned his eyes to the man beside Ouyang Ke. He was big and tall and also wore white clothing, but because the light was coming from behind him, Guo Jing could not see his face clearly.
528 Eagle Shooting Hero
Those two people stood there waiting. Out from the bamboo grove came two people. Guo Jing’s heart leaped to his throat and he almost called out in alarm; it was none other than Huang Yaoshi holding Huang Rong’s hand coming to welcome the guests.
Ouyang Feng rushed forward and raised his hands in salute. Huang Yaoshi reciprocated by cupping his fists. Ouyang Ke actually knelt down where he was, kowtowed four times and said, “Son-in-law kowtows to the Honorable Father-in-law and wishes Honorable Father-in-law peace and prosperity.”
“Enough!” Huang Yaoshi said, extending his hand to raise him up. Guo Jing could hear clearly what these two people were saying; his heart was in a tumult and he didn’t know what to do.
Ouyang Ke anticipated that Huang Yaoshi would certainly test his martial arts, so he was prepared; even when kowtowing he was fully alert. Suddenly he felt his own right hand moving toward his left hand and pushing it upward. He stumbled and almost fell face down on the ground; only by exerting his internal energy was he finally able to stay standing, but he still staggered. “Aiyo!” he called out. Ouyang Feng immediately stretched the staff in his hand and tapped gently on his nephew’s back. Ouyang Ke took advantage of this force and steadied himself.
Ouyang Feng smiled. “Good!” he said, “Brother Yao [Yao Xiong] (translator’s note: different character, more respectful than Huang Rong’s ‘Jing ge ge’ ‘Brother Jing’), was that your way of greeting your son-in-law at your first meeting ..by making him do a somersault?”
Huang Yaoshi sneered. “Once he helped others bully my blind disciple; another time he frightened her with his snakes. I wanted to see what abilities he possesses.”
Ouyang Feng laughed. “That was a small childish misunderstanding, Brother Yao, please don’t mind him. This child of mine, is he worthy enough to be your precious daughter’s match?” He turned toward Huang Rong to check her out; clucking his tongue in admiration, he continued, “Elder Brother Huang [lao ge], with this beautiful young lady, your life lacks nothing.”
He groped in his pocket and produced a small embroidered box. He opened the box revealing a pigeon-egg sized sphere. The sphere shone brightly in the dark and was dazzling to the eyes. He turned to Huang Rong and smiled, “This is the ‘Rhinoceros Dragon Pill, made from the Western Region’s rarest animal. I further refined it with some other medicinal substances. When you wear it, you won’t be affected by hundreds of types of poison. It is one-of-a-kind in the whole wide world. Later on when you become my nephew’s wife, you need not fear your uncle’s venomous snakes and insects. This ‘Dragon’ pill’s usefulness is not negligible, but it cannot be regarded as the most precious treasure in the world. Your father has traversed the world; what kind of treasures he has not seen? This is only a countryman-from-a-remote-area’s gift of first meeting. I am afraid he would laugh at it.” Then he presented the box to Huang Rong.
Ouyang Feng was an expert at using poison; by giving this precious poison repellent as a dowry he showed his sincerity and was hoping to win Huang Yaoshi’s heart.
Guo Jing saw everything. “Rong’er has always been good to me; she won’t change her mind. Surely she doesn’t want that first meeting gift of yours,” he thought. But unexpectedly he heard Huang Rong say with a smile, “Many thanks to you!” and extended her hand to receive it.
As soon as Ouyang Ke saw Huang Rong’s snow-white skin and face as pretty as a flower his soul had already been bought; now that she was smiling at him, his whole body melted as he thought, “Since her father has given her hand in marriage to me, her attitude towards me is naturally not the same as it was before.” He felt smug. But suddenly something metal flashed towards him. “Not good!” he cried, and immediately bent his body backwards using the ‘Iron Bridge’ [tie ban chiao] stance.
“What are you doing?” Huang Yaoshi scolded. His left sleeve flicked and struck down most of the steel needles shot from Huang Rong’s hand, while with the back of his right hand he pushed her shoulder back.
“Wah!” Huang Rong bawled. “Father, you’d better kill me,” she cried. “I’d rather die than marry this bad thing.”
Ouyang Feng thrust the ‘Dragon’ pill into Huang Rong’s hand while his other hand gently fended off Huang Yaoshi’s palm. “Your daughter is just testing my nephew’s martial arts, why are you so serious?” Because he was striking his own daughter, Huang Yaoshi’s palm naturally did not carry a lot of strength. Ouyang Feng’s hand also did not carry a lot of force.
As Ouyang Ke straightened his body, he felt pain in his left chest; he knew he’d been hit by one or two needles. However, he was proud and did not want anyone else to know, so he kept a straight face. But he was embarrassed. “She does not want to marry me after all,” he thought.
Ouyang Feng smiled, “Brother Yao, since our last meeting at Mount Hua, we haven’t seen each other for more than twenty years. Now that you have accepted my nephew’s proposal, should you have some business to complete, your brother will not dare to refuse his assistance.”
“Who dares to provoke you, Old Poison?” Huang Yaoshi replied. “You have stayed in the Western Region for twenty years, what fierce new martial arts have you mastered? Come, let me see.”
As soon as Huang Rong heard her father mention ‘new martial arts’ her interest was piqued. She wiped her tears away and leaned on her father. Her eyes looked closely at Ouyang Feng. She saw a curved black staff in his hand and looked like it was made of steel. The head of the staff resembled a man’s face with its mouth open showing two rows of sharp teeth. The face looked ugly and fearsome. What was more amazing was that there were a couple of silver-scaled snakes slithering up and down the staff.
Ouyang Feng smiled. “I was inferior to you then, and now that I have wasted more than twenty years, I certainly still won’t be your match,” he said. “We’ve become in-laws now. I am thinking of staying on Peach Blossom Island for a few days and asking your advice.”
When Ouyang Feng sent an envoy to propose marriage for his nephew, Huang Yaoshi thought that Ouyang Feng was one of only a handful of people whose martial arts could be compared to his own. Since Ouyang Feng was an educated man, so his nephew must be as well. He knew his daughter was stubborn and strong-willed. If she married just anybody,
he was afraid she would bully her husband. Besides, he loathed that Guo kid whom his daughter liked. Ouyang Ke was not only highly educated, but was highly skilled in martial arts as well; not too many young men would hold a candle to him. That was the reason he accepted their proposal. But now as he listened to Ouyang Feng’s sweet mouth, he could not help but feel suspicious. He knew Ouyang Feng was crafty and sly and Ouyang Feng would not easily admit defeat to others in term of martial arts. His Toad 530 Eagle Shooting Hero
Stance had been neutralized by Wang Chongyang’s Solitary Yang Finger; could it be that he had recovered it completely? Huang Yaoshi took out his jade flute and said, “Honored guests who come from afar, Little Brother is going to play a tune to entertain you. Please sit down and listen to this song.”
Ouyang Feng knew Huang Yaoshi was going to play the ‘Jade-Colored Tidal Wave song’ to test his internal strength, so he showed a faint smile and waved his left hand. The thirty-two white-dressed lantern-carrier maidens immediately stepped forward and kneeled before them. Ouyang Feng smiled and said, “Your brother has acquired these thirty-two maidens from various regions in the west. Please accept them as my gift to an old friend. They are trained in singing and dancing even though they come from uncultured places; of course they can’t be compared to Jiangnan’s beautiful maidens.”
“Your Brother does not enjoy this kind of gift very much,” Huang Yaoshi replied, “Since my wife passed away, I regard the world’s beautiful women as dung. I do not dare to accept Brother Feng’s generous gift.”
“What’s the harm in some entertainment to pass the time?” Ouyang Feng laughed.
Huang Rong noticed that these women’s skin was fair and light in color. They were tall in stature and some had blond hair and blue eyes; their noses were high and their eyes deep so they were totally different from the women of the Central Plains. But they were beautiful and had a seductive look that would attract casual onlookers.