Return Of The Condor Heroes - chapter 17.1
The Secluded Passionless Valley
After Yang Guo woke up the next morning, he left the stone house and went outside. Last night it was dark and he couldn’t see the surroundings clearly but now he could; he was surrounded by emerald green grass, the flowers like a brocade, the scenery of this place was already magnificent but the beauty of this place was even more rarely seen.
He followed where his feet took him and along the path he saw cranes, herds of white deer, squirrels and rabbits but none of them were alarmed by his presence.
He passed two bends and saw the girl in green plucking flowers off to one side. She saw him approaching and greeted, “You wake up really early, have some breakfast.” She plucked two flowers from the tree and offered them to him.
Yang Guo accepted them and thought, “Is it possible that flowers can be eaten?” But then he saw the girl tearing the flower petal by petal and placing them in her mouth, he did the same. When he placed the petals in his mouth, he noticed a sweet fragrance, a fragrance like that of honey and there was a subtle air of wine, he felt a feeling of comfort but after a few chews the taste became bitter and sour. He wanted to spit it out but felt that he couldn’t give it up; he wanted to swallow but had a little difficulty in getting it go down his throat.
He carefully looked at the plant and saw that the branches were covered in thorns but the flowers were extremely beautiful, and even more fragrant than lotuses, he asked, “What is this flower? I’ve never seen it before.”
The girl said, “This is the Passion Flower, I’ve heard that it is a very rare plant. Tell me, what do you think of the taste?”
Yang Guo said, “At first, it is extremely sweet but afterwards it is extremely bitter. This is called the Passion Flower? There’s a meaning behind this name.” He stretched out his hand to pluck a flower.
The girl said, “Careful! There’s thorns on the plant, don’t touch it!”
Yang Guo avoided the thorns and was very careful but he didn’t notice that behind the flower was hidden another and it pricked his hand.
The girl said, “This valley is called the ‘Passionless Valley’ yet there are so many Passion Flowers growing here.”
Yang Guo said, “Why is it called the Passionless Valley? This name really is… really is special.”
The girl shook her head and said, “I don’t know why. This is the name our ancestors gave it, maybe my father knows.”
The two then started to walk down the path, shoulder to shoulder. The scent of flowers filled Yang Guo’s nose, by the side of the path were rabbits and young deer were darting about, it was very adorable sight. He had a feeling of being carefree and joyous, and naturally he started to think about Xiao Longnu, “If the person walking with me was Gu Gu, I really would love to live in this place forever with her and not ever leave.” Just as he thought about this, the wound on his finger suddenly became painful, the wound was very small yet the pain was so great, it was like someone smashing a hammer across his chest, he couldn’t hold it in and gave an ‘ai’ call, placed the finger in his mouth and sucked it.
The girl blandly said, “You’re thinking about your lover, is that it?”
Yang Guo’s thoughts were guessed; his face went red and asked, “How do you know?”
The girl said, “If you’ve been pricked by the thorns of the Passion Flower, you cannot think about love for the next twenty four hours otherwise the suffering will be unbearable.”
Yang Guo was surprised and said, “There’s actually such a strange thing as this in the world?”
The girl said, “My father said: love is like this, when it enters the mouth it is sweet but afterwards it becomes bitter and sour, furthermore, it is covered by thorns, even if you are extremely careful, pain from it would be unavoidable. The flower was given its name most probably because it has this special characteristic.”
Yang Guo asked, “How come that within twenty four hours, one cannot… cannot… think about love?”
The girl said, “Father said: there’s poison on the thorns of the plant. When people think about love, not only does their blood flow quicker, some unknown thing is created in the blood. The poison of the thorns of the Passion Flower is not harmful normally, but once it meets this something in the blood, it will create unbearable pain in the person.”
When Yang Guo heard this, he felt that it was fairly reasonable and believed her with few doubts.
The two slowly walked to the unsheltered mountainside. The light of the sun lighted up this place, the ground and air were gentle and warm; the Passion Flowers have bloomed early here and there were fruits on the plant.
Yang Guo saw that the fruits were either red or green, but some were red and green and there were hair on the fruits, like a caterpillar.
Yang Guo said, “The Passion Flower is so beautiful yet its fruits are so ugly.”
The girl said, “The fruits of the flower can’t be eaten, some are sour, some are hot and some stink so much that it makes people want to vomit.”
Yang Guo gave a laugh and said, “Is it possible that there aren’t any that are sweet as honey?”
The girl glanced at him and said, “Sometimes there are but you cannot tell by its appearance. Some that are extremely ugly are sweet but an ugly fruit doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a sweet one. Only by tasting it directly will you know for sure. Out of ten fruits, nine are bitter; because of this we never eat them.”
Yang Guo thought, “Though she is talking about the Passion Flower, it is like an analogy for love. Could it be that although the love between lovers is at first sweet, it will eventually turn sour? Can it be that a pair of lovers who are deeply in love with each other will eventually experience more bitterness than sweetness? Could it be that the yearning love I have for Gu Gu will eventually…”
As soon as he thought about Xiao Longnu, his finger suddenly broke out with a piercing pain again and he swung his arm around a few times. He now knew that the words of the girl were indeed true.
When the girl saw him like this, her lip moved a little, as if she wanted to laugh but was refraining from doing so. Sunlight lit up her face and showed a pair of elegant eyes and brows, her skin was white with redness floating on top of it, she looked very beautiful.
Yang Guo laughed, “I once heard a story; there was once an emperor, he set up a fire display and burned all things, throwing away most of his kingdom as a result, and the only reason for this was that he was trying to get a legendary beauty to smile. To be able to see a smile is a fortunate thing, so, the same applies whether it’s in the past or in the present.”
After being teased by Yang Guo, the girl could no longer hold it in and eventually gave a giggle.
Yang Guo noticed that she had been cold as ice throughout this time and there were some feelings of anxiety in his heart, but after this smile, most of the divide between the two went away. Yang Guo continued, “Everyone knows that a beauty’s smile is rare to come by, they say something like a smile can overturn a city, another can overturn a country, actually there’s something of a beauty’s that is even rarer than a smile.”
The girl’s eyes opened wide and asked, “What?”
Yang Guo said, “A beautiful girl’s name. To have the opportunity to come across a beautiful woman is an extremely lucky event, to be able to see the smile of a beautiful girl would be because of the good deeds of their ancestors and one must go through three lifetimes…” Before he finished the girl giggled again.
Yang Guo continued looking serious and said, “To be able to hear a beautiful girl reveal her name that really requires eighteen generations of great deeds.”
The girl said, “I’m not some beautiful girl; no one in the valley has ever called me beautiful, why must you joke?”
Yang Guo sighed and said, “No wonder this place is called the Passionless Valley. But in my opinion, the name should be changed to something else.”
The girl said, “Change to what?”
Yang Guo said, “It should be called Blind Man’s Valley.”
The girl asked surprised, “Why?”
Yang Guo said, “Look at how beautiful you are but none of them praise you; aren’t the people who live in this valley blind?”
The girl laughed again. Her beauty could be classed as first class but compared to Xiao Longnu’s; there were still many li between them. Compared to the gentleness of Cheng Ying and the prettiness of Lu Wushuang, she appeared to be slightly inferior. But she was elegant, graceful and there was a wholesome air about her. No one had praised her beauty before, and this was because the martial arts her valley practiced revolved around abdication. When her fellow apprentices see each other they are always cold and remain unmoved. In the hearts of her fellow apprentices though, they did think that she was very beautiful but none of them dared to say it out loud.
Today she suddenly met Yang Guo. This person’s character was dynamic and spirited, the stricter and more restrained she acts, the greater the urge he has to make her get rid of this unfeeling appearance. The girl was pleased with these words and laughed, “I’m afraid that you’re the blind man, calling this ugly girl a beautiful girl.”
Yang Guo put on a serious face and said, “You never know, my eyes could be wrong. However if you want this valley to remain peaceful and quiet then you can’t smile.”
The girl asked surprised, “Why?”
Yang Guo said, “There’s an old saying: ‘a smile can overturn a city, another can overturn a country’, that saying really ought to be changed. It shouldn’t be country; it should be changed to valley.”
The girl bowed subtlety and laughed, “Thank you, can you stop teasing me please?”
Yang Guo saw her fine, elegant waist and trembled slightly, his heart was moved. Although it wasn’t an intense feeling, his finger suddenly broke out in a severe pain again.
When the girl saw him waving his finger about, she felt slightly displeased and said angrily, “I’m talking to you right now yet you’re thinking about your lover.”
Yang Guo said, “I’m innocent, I’m innocent, it’s because of you that my finger hurts and here you are blaming me.”
The girl blushed and suddenly ran away.
Yang Guo immediately regretted his words as soon as he said them, thinking, “My heart belongs to Gu Gu yet why haven’t I changed this type of behavior? Yang Guo ah Yang Guo you little bastard, don’t talk such rubbish again.” He inherited some of his father’s scoundrel’s attitude and ungentlemanly behavior. Every time he met a girl he would tease and flirt with them, causing them to fall for him as a result. Although he didn’t have any ill intentions, it was something that made him feel joy in his heart.
The girl ran for a few tens of feet and suddenly stopped below a Passion Flower tree and hung her head deep in thought, after a little while she turned to him and said, “If an ugly girl tells you her name, it must be because your ancestors have done bad deeds for eighteen generations and the bad karma has passed down onto you.”
Yang Guo went over to her and laughed, “Of all the things to be born with, you were born with the love of saying negative things. My ancestors for the last eighteen generations have done many good deeds; some of the good karma should be reaped by me.” His words were again praising her beauty.
Her face went slightly red and quietly said, “I’ll tell you but you cannot tell another and I forbid you to call my name in front of others.”
Yang Guo stuck out his tongue and said, “Oh sweet beauty, aren’t I afraid of not having any descendants?”
The girl showed another smile and said, “My father’s surname is Gongsun…” She still did not want to reveal her name and wanted to go around in circles.
Yang Guo interrupted, “But what is Miss’s name?”
The girl smiled and said, “My father gave his only daughter the name Lu’ E.”
Yang Guo praised her, “The name is as beautiful as the owner.”
After Gongsun Lu’E told Yang Guo her name, she felt closer to him and said, “When father invites you to see him, you mustn’t smile at me.”
Yang Guo said, “What happens if I smile.”
The girl sighed and said, “If father knows that I smiled at you and told you my name, I really don’t know how father would punish me.”
Yang Guo said, “I’ve never heard of such a strict father, not even allowing his daughter to smile at someone. He has a beautiful daughter, could it be that he doesn’t love you?”
When Gongsun Lu’E heard these words her eyes went red and said, “My father used to love me very much but after my mother died when I was six, he treated me stricter and stricter. After he marries again, I wonder how he will treat me?” Two drops of tears rolled down her cheeks as she said this.
Yang Guo comforted her, “After your father marries he will be happy, he’ll definitely treat you better then.”
Gongsun Lu’E shook her head and said, “I rather he treats me even stricter than marry another wife again.”
Yang Guo’s parents died when he was young so he didn’t know much about these types of feelings; he wanted to make her happy and said, “Your new mother’s definitely not as half as beautiful as you.”
Gongsun Lu’E quickly said, “You’re wrong, my new mother is a true beauty. Because of her my father… my father… Yesterday we caught that old man named Zhou but my father was busy with organizing the wedding, otherwise he would never have allowed that Old Urchin to escape again.”
Yang Guo was shocked and pleased, he asked, “That Old Urchin escaped again?”
Lu’E frowned slightly and said, “Didn’t you hear me?”
The two spoke for a while and the sun gradually rose up in the sky. Lu’E suddenly realized something and said, “Quickly go back, don’t let my fellow apprentices see us together talking, they’ll tell my father.”
Yang Guo pitied her situation and stretched out his left hand to hold her hand and patted her on the back with his right, consoling her.
Gongsun Lu’E’s eyes showed that this touched her, she lowered her head and suddenly her face went red.
Yang Guo was afraid that his thoughts would lead to Xiao Longnu again and cause his finger to break out in a severe pain again, he quickly rushed back to the stone house that he was staying in.
Before he even got back to the stone house he could hear the bellows of Ma Guangzou, complaining how his stomach can’t survive on water and vegetables and how could these sweet and bitter flower petals be eaten. Are they trying to kill me?
Yin Kexi laughed, “Brother Ma, you better hide all the valuables that you have; I think the Master of the valley has ill intent.”
Ma Guangzou didn’t know he was being ridiculed and nodded his head in agreement.
Yang Guo returned to the room and saw a few dishes filled with the petals of the Passion Flower on the table. He watched them eat the petals with squinting faces and he was amused as he thought about how even Jinlun Fawang the monk was affected by effects of the passion flower.
He picked a cup of water and took two sips when he heard footsteps approaching, a man in green came in, bowed to them and said, “Our Master will now see his guests.”
Fawang, Nimoxing and the others were all great Masters, no matter where they went, the Master of that place would come out and personally greet them; even Mongolia’s Fourth Prince Khubilai showed great respect to them. They could never have thought that the Master of this secluded valley would be so impudent, they all were angry and thought, “When I see that rude Valley Master I’m going to show him a thing or two.”
The six of them followed the man in green for a li or so and suddenly came across a swaying green bamboo forest. Bamboo was rare in the north and such a large piece of bamboo forest was even rarer. In the middle of the forest, the light fragrant relaxing scent of flowers could be noticed. As soon as they passed through the forest, the scent suddenly became overwhelming; everywhere in front of them were Chinese narcissi. A shallow pond with a depth that was less than a foot was filled with the flowers. These flowers were also something that was usually seen in the south, why could they be found here in this mountain valley?
Fawang thought, “There must be some hot springs below the mountain that keeps the ground and air warm.”
Every five feet or so was a Mu Chun plant, the man in green darted across the pond over them. The six followed but Ma Guangzou was heavy and had poor lightness kung fu; though his footsteps were large they weren’t large enough to takes steps of five feet or so. After stepping on a few plants, he decided to drop into the pond and follow them by wading instead.
They followed a green stone path and from afar, they saw a large stone building built under the cover of the mountains. The seven advanced towards it. Outside the building were two young attendants who were holding a fly whisk in their hands. One of the attendants went inside the house to tell the Master of their arrival while the other opened the door to receive them.
Yang Guo thought, “I wonder whether the Valley Master will come and receive us in person?” Before his thoughts were settled, a bearded old man in green came out of the house.
This old man was extremely short, no more than four feet tall, his appearance was strange but the strangest thing about him was his exceedingly long thick beard that hung down to the ground. He was wearing a dark green gown and had a green rope tied across his waist.
Yang Guo thought, “This Valley Master looks so weird yet his daughter is so beautiful.”
The old man bowed deeply to him and said, “It is our luck to have such prestigious guests, please come in for tea.”
When Ma Guangzou heard the word ‘tea’, he frowned deeply and said loudly, “Drink tea! What place doesn’t have tea? Why must I come to this place for it?”
The long bearded old man did not know what he meant; he glanced at him and then bowed again receiving the guests.
Nimoxing thought, “I’m a short man but the Master of this valley is even shorter. You win on shortness but let’s see who wins on martial arts.” He barged forward to the front, stretched out his hand and said, “Nice to meet you.” He took the old man’s hand and immediately used the strength in his hands.
The others took a couple of steps back when they saw the two stretching out their hands to receive each other, they knew that when two great Martial artists exchange forces, it will be something out of the ordinary.
Nimoxing first used twenty percent of his power in his hands but he found that the opponent did not counterattack nor block; he was slightly surprised and increased another twenty percent. He felt that is was like holding a slab of solid wood. He increased another twenty percent of the force in his hands. A faint green air glimmered across the old man’s face and his hand was still like a rigid piece of wood.
Nimoxing was extremely surprised and didn’t dare to use the rest of his strength just in case the enemy counterattacked when he was at full strength, then, he would not be able to defend against the attack. He laughed and released his hand.
Jinlun Fawang was second in line. He saw what had happened and knew that Nimoxing was unable to ascertain the short man’s abilities. There was no need for him to make a rash move while the opponent’s abilities were still unclear, Fawang folded his arms and gracefully walked past. Xiaoxiang Zi and Yin Kexi followed together with Ma Guangzou behind. Ma Guangzou had seen the short man’s beard and thought that it was extremely weird. He hadn’t eaten anything except the Passion Flowers and that made him even hungrier; at this moment in time he was hungry and angry. When he entered he suddenly stuck out his foot and stepped on the tip of the man’s beard.
The old man was unmoved and said, “Please be careful.”
Ma Guangzou put his other foot on the beard and said, “What?”
The old man moved his head slightly and Ma Guangzou suddenly flipped over. Such a large person falling to the floor is no ordinary matter.
Yang Guo was the last one to enter; he quickly dashed forward two steps and struck Ma Guangzou on the backside moving his gigantic body forwards. Ma Guangzou stood firmly on the ground and rubbed his backside.
The old man acted as if he didn’t see anything; he invited them into hall and sat them on the west side before saying clearly, “The guests have arrived, call for the Valley Master.”
Yang Guo and the others were shocked, “So that old man is not the Valley Master.”
From the back of the hall, ten or so green clothed disciples came in and stood to the left, Gongsun Lu’E was amongst them. After a while, a person entered the hall and bowed to the six and casually sat down on a chair on the east side. The long bearded old man stood by his chair. From the man’s presence, this person will be none other but the Valley Master.
This man was about forty five or six years of age, he had a handsome face and appeared graceful; from the way he greeted them and sat down, he also seems to possess a lofty air. His face was yellow and dried, not looking like someone who possessed great martial arts. As soon as he sat down; some of the disciples in green brought tea forward. The hall was decorated in green, but the Valley Master was wearing a precious satin blue gown, he was extremely eye catching in the deluge of green.
The Valley Master picked up a tea bowl and said, “Please have some tea.”
Ma Guangzou took a look at the bowl of tea, he saw that it was cold and had a few tea leaves floating on top; it was extremely bland to him and he snapped, “Valley Master, you don’t eat meat and you don’t even drink tea, no wonder you look ill.”
The Valley Master did not move a muscle. He took a sip of his tea and said, “The people of our valley have been vegetarians for hundreds of years.”
Ma Guangzou said, “What’s so good about being vegetarian. Does it make you live longer without aging?”
The Valley Master said, “My ancestors have lived here since the Tang dynasty; since then, none of the descendants has ever dared to break the vegetarian code.”
Jinlun Fawang folded his arms and said, “So this place was set up in the Tang dynasty and has lasted until now, that really is something.”
The Valley Master folded his arms and said, “You’re too kind.”
Xiaoxiang Zi suddenly spoke in a strange way, “Did your ancestors ever see Royal Concubine Yang [1]?” His tone was extremely peculiar.
Nimoxing, Yin Kexi and the others were familiar with his voice after spending time with him, they were surprised when they heard this voice and all turned towards him. They were even more shocked when they saw his face, it had somehow has completely changed, his face had the appearance of a zombie before but now it looked even odder.
Fawang, Nimoxing and the others were slightly worried, “So this person possesses such great internal energy, even his face changes. He’s circulating his internal energy so he can immediately strike out; does he want to show the Valley Master a thing or two?” They all put their guards up when they thought about this.
The Valley Master replied, “My ancestors did work in the Tang court as officials, when they saw what state the court had falling into under Yang Guozhong, they were furious and left to reside in a secluded place.”
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed, “Your ancestors must have drunk the water that Royal Concubine Yang had washed her feet with.”
Everyone’s face in the hall changed as soon as these words came out. It was a challenge to the Valley Master and he was going to make his move very soon.
Fawang and the others were surprised, thinking, “This Xiaoxiang Zi is extremely crafty, he always lets other people go first in all matters, why has he volunteered to go first suddenly?”
The Valley Master ignored him and signaled to the old long bearded man. The old bearded man said clearly, “Our Master has treated you with respect as guests, how can you say such things?”
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed and said in his strange manner, “Your ancestor has definitely drunk the foot water of Royal Concubine Yang; if they haven’t drunk it, I’ll cut off my head for you.”
Ma Guangzou was surprised and asked, “Brother Xiaoxiang, how do you know? Could it be that you drank some that day as well?”
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed, his voice changed again as he said, “If they didn’t drink the foot water and upset their stomachs, what other reason is there for them not to eat meat?”
Ma Guangzou clapped and laughed, he called out, “Yes, yes, it must be for this reason.”
But Fawang and the others frowned, they all felt that Xiaoxiang Zi’s words were going a bit too far; everyone has their own eating habits, how can you use it as a joke? Not mentioning the fact that the six of them were deep in this valley, the people of this valley were definitely not kind people; even if fists had to be raised, a backup plan should be made first.
The old bearded man could endure this no longer; he went to the middle of the hall and said, “Mr. Xiaoxiang Zi, our valley has not offended you. If you’re looking for a fight then please come forward.”
Xiaoxiang Zi said, “Good!” He remained in his chair and leapt over the table in front of him; after a ‘deng’ sound, he landed in the middle of the hall in his chair. He called out, “Long bearded old man, what’s you name? It’ll be unfair if we fight with me not knowing your name but you knowing mine. I cannot afford to be in this predicament.”
His words seemed sound but unsound at the same time; the old man became even angrier but his wariness also deepened after seeing how graceful Xiaoxiang Zi was in moving the chair into the centre of the room, he wasn’t anything ordinary.
The Valley Master said, “Tell him, it’s not important.”
The old man said, “Fine, my surname is Fan, first names Yiweng, please stand up and start.”
Xiaoxiang Zi said, “What weapon are you going to use? Go get it and let me take a look.”
Fan Yiweng said, “You want to compete with weapons? That’s good.” His right foot stamped on the floor and he called out, “Bring it!”
Two attendants rushed inside and when they came out, they had an eleven foot long steel Dragon Head Staff on their shoulders.
Yang Guo and the others were shocked when they saw this, “How can this short man use such a long and heavy weapon.”
Xiaoxiang Zi didn’t take any notice and took out an extremely large pair of scissors from underneath his gown. He said, “Do you know what this pair of scissors is used for?”
When the others saw this weapon, they just felt that it was a strange weapon, but Yang Guo was shocked. He didn’t stretch out his hand towards his bag, but instead he just straightened his back a little and noticed that his pair of scissors was missing. He thought, “Blacksmith Feng made that large pair of scissors for me that I had intended to use against Li Mochou. How did that zombie steal it off me in the middle of the night without me noticing?”
Fan Yiweng took his staff and placed it on the floor. The hall was extremely spacious; as soon as the staff landed, it produced ‘weng’ ‘weng’ noises and along with the echoes from the room, the noise was tremendous.
Xiaoxiang Zi lifted up the scissors with his right hand and opened them. He held the scissors with all the strength in his fingers. He called out, “Hey, shortie, you don’t know the name of my precious scissors, do you want me to tell you?”
Fan Yiweng angrily said, “Such an unorthodox weapon won’t have an elegant name.”
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed and said, “Correct, the name is not elegant, it is called the Dog Fur Scissors.”
Yang Guo was not pleased, “Who wants you to give my pair of scissors such an ugly name.”
He heard Xiaoxiang Zi continue, “I knew long ago that there was a long bearded creature around here; because of this I prepared this pair of Dog Fur Scissors so I can cut off your beard!”
Nimoxing and Ma Guangzou burst out laughing, Yin Kexi and Yang Guo too couldn’t hold in their laughter and laughed; only Jinlun Fawang kept his self-control and along with the Valley Master, the two appeared as if nothing had happened.
Fan Yiweng swung his staff a little and created a gust of wind, he said, “I was thinking my beard is too long, since you want to be a barber and help me trim it, nothing could be better, let’s fight!”
Xiaoxiang Zi lifted his head and looked up at the beam of the hall in thought, it appeared that he didn’t hear his words. Suddenly, his right arm came out like lightning and the scissors cut towards the man’s beard.
Fan Yiweng would never have dreamed he would actually attack while sitting in the chair; he had no time to dodge and urgently dropped his staff down. His body lifted up and somersaulted through the air about ten feet off the floor with the staff still on the floor.
Xiaoxiang Zi’s attack was extremely quick and Fan Yiweng’s dodge was also very swift; in that cut and dodge, the two skilled martial artists had displayed their advanced martial arts. But Fan Yiweng still suffered by that attack; though he managed to avoid that cut, three strands of his beard were cut off by the tip of the scissors.
Xiaoxiang Zi was extremely proud of himself. He picked up the three strands of beard with his left hand and blew the strands of hair which flew towards his bowl of tea on the table. A ‘ping pang’ sound was heard as the bowl fell onto the floor and shattered.
Yang Guo and the others knew that he was putting on a show and that it was his breath that forced the bowl to drop on the floor. But Ma Guangzou did not know this and thought that the strands of beard had great power after being blown by Xiaoxiang Zi. He called out loudly, “Xiaoxiang Zi, your strands of beard are really something!”
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed, he opened and closed the scissors then called out, “Short beard, do you want to test out my Dog Fur Scissors again?”
Though everyone could see that he was laughing, his face remained unmoved; they were becoming more and more shocked by him. They were thinking, “When someone reaches an advanced state in their internal energy, they can be angry and delighted without showing it on their faces, even to the point where the face looked emotionless. But it is unheard of that someone can laugh so heartily but keep that fearful face.” His face was too unsightly for the eyes; everyone just took one look and immediately turned away again.
Fan Yiweng was now furious after being ridiculed again and again; he bowed to the Valley Master and said, “Master, today this disciple cannot continue treating the guests with respect.”
Yang Guo was extremely surprised, “That short man is a lot older than the Valley Master; how can he call him Master?”
The Valley Master nodded his head slightly and gently waved out his left hand.
Fan Yiweng swept out his staff towards the chair that Xiaoxiang Zi was sitting on; though he was a short man he possessed incredible strength, the hundred kilo (220 lb) staff swept out and created a great gust of wind.
Though Yang Guo and the others were on the same side as Xiaoxiang Zi, they did not know exactly how skilled he was. They all watched the two battle with great concentration.
The staff was now half a foot away from the leg of the chair. Xiaoxiang Zi lowered his left hand and actually stretched it out to grab the head of the staff and at the same time, he cut forward towards his opponent’s beard with the scissors.
Fan Yiweng was extremely angry, he thought, “You actually dare to look down on me like this!” He swung his head to the side and his beard moved to the side while the staff continued its sweep and struck Xiaoxiang Zi’s palm.
The others called out and stood up; they all thought that Xiaoxiang Zi’s palm would have suffered a serious injury.
But Fan Yiweng felt as if his staff had struck water, soft as if nothing was there; he knew something was wrong and quickly pulled back. However, Xiaoxiang Zi’s twisted his wrist and kept his hold on the staff.
Fan Yiweng felt his opponent immediately pushing outward so he immediately sent the staff forward. The force he applied was ferocious; he assumed that Xiaoxiang Zi would have to leave his seat but he didn’t predict that the opponent would again leap away with his chair, this time to the left as the staff thrust towards thin air. He had no choice but to release his grip on the head of the staff.
Fan Yiweng’s left hand twisted above his head and the staff made a circle and was sent towards his opponent’s head.
Xiaoxiang Zi wanted to ridicule him and leapt up about ten feet with the chair and actually passed over the staff.
The others saw that his hands techniques were extraordinary and swift; though he was in the chair, he moved as if he was not, they all called out in appreciation.
Fan Yiweng saw that his opponent was highly skilled; he poured all his concentration into this battle, the staff created gusts of wind as he moved it around. He knew that hitting him would not be easy but if he smashes his chair, he will be able to get the initiative.
But Xiaoxiang Zi’s martial arts were extraordinary; his right hand continued to open and close the scissors and suddenly cut towards his beard while Xiaoxiang Zi’s left hand used the “Trapping Hand Technique” to snatch his staff.
In the blink of an eye the two had tens of exchanges; though they appeared to be equal, Xiaoxiang Zi had not left his chair, not giving an ounce of respect towards his opponent.
Jinlun Fawang was shocked inside, “Who would have thought that zombie would actually possess such great abilities?”
More exchanges passed between the two; Fan Yiweng kept on using sweeping stances across the floor, while Xiaoxiang Zi kept on leaping up in the chair, getting quicker and quicker.
The Valley Master suddenly called out, “Don’t hit the chair, otherwise you can’t handle him.”
Fan Yiweng was startled but then immediately understood, “While he’s sitting in the chair, I can only fight him to a draw. If his legs were on the ground, then my beard will be cut off in just a few stances.” He suddenly changed his stances and urgently waved and twisted the staff around. A circle of silver light covered the short man in green while on the outside there was a zombie like person leaping up and down without stopping. This was a strange rarely seen spectacle.
The Valley Master knew that Xiaoxiang Zi was deliberately trying to make a fool out of Fan Yiweng; if it continued he would definitely suffer. The Valley Master then stood up and slowly left the table. He said, “Yiweng, you are not a match for that Master, come back.”
Fan Yiweng obeyed his Master and said loudly, “Yes!” He straightened his staff and was about to take it back when Xiaoxiang Zi called out, “That won’t do, that won’t do!” He flew up from the chair and threw himself down onto the staff. A ‘ka la’ sound was heard as the staff smashed the chair into pieces; but the staff was held onto by Xiaoxiang Zi with his left hand. Xiaoxiang Zi steadied his left leg and opened the scissors. Fan Yiweng’s beard was hanging between the blades, a cut now and his beard would be gone.
Who knew that the long beard that Fan Yiweng grew was an extremely soft lethal weapon; the technique for using it is along the same lines as a whip, a chain and a whisk. His head moved slightly and the beard whipped around escaping from the blade of the scissors and wrapped up the scissors instead; he moved his head backwards and a great force pulled the scissors forward.
Xiaoxiang Zi called out loudly, “Ai yo, old shortie, your beard is pretty powerful; Xiaoxiang Zi is in awe of you.” One had his beard wrapped around the scissors whereas the other had his hand holding onto the staff, there was no result for the time being.
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed out loud and said, “Interesting, interesting!”
Suddenly a grey blur flashed in from the front door; this person was extremely quick and was pushing both his palms forward towards the back of Xiaoxiang Zi.
The Valley Master shouted, “Who is it?”
This attack was quick and vicious and it was certain to hit its target. Xiaoxiang Zi released his grasp of the staff and turned his left palm around and pushed out at the opponent below the elbow, immediately dispersing the power of his palms.
The person angrily said, “You bastard, I’m going to kill you!”
Yang Guo and the others were incredibly surprised when they saw this person; they all called out, “Xiaoxiang Zi!” The person who had dashed forward and attacked was Xiaoxiang Zi. Can he divide into two? And why was he attacking his own double? They were all puzzled by this.
Once they had settled down, they saw that the person who was tangling with Fan Yiweng was dressed in the clothes of Xiaoxiang Zi; everything was correct from the shoes to the hat. Though his face looked like a zombie, it was not the face of Xiaoxiang Zi. The person who had entered had the face of Xiaoxiang Zi but he was dressed in green. The man in green sent his claw like hands out towards the back of the Xiaoxiang Zi who was holding the scissors and called out, “What kind of hero attacks from an ambush?”
Fan Yiweng was slightly surprised when he saw help had come; this person was dressed in the valley’s uniform but he did not know him. He placed his staff to the side and saw the two zombie-like people battle each other.
It was now clear to Yang Guo, the person who was holding the scissors must have stolen his mask as well. He put it on, changed into Xiaoxiang Zi’s clothes and then came here to the hall to stir up trouble. Because Xiaoxiang Zi’s face normally was like that of a corpse, no one was able to tell. Though Yang Guo had worn the mask himself, but he did not know what he looked like when wearing the mask. When Cheng Ying had her’s on, he didn’t dare to look at her too often. He was actually deceived by this person.
He concentrated for a while and recognized the martial arts of the person holding the pair of scissors, he called out, “Zhou Botong, give back my mask and scissors.” He then leapt into the middle of the hall and stretched out his hand to snatch the pair of scissors back.
This person was Zhou Botong. He’d had a lapse in concentration and was captured by the fish net of the four disciples of the valley. But Zhou Botong possesses amazing abilities; just a slight lapse in concentration by the four disciples and he immediately broke out of the fish net. Afterwards he hid behind some rocks. He had planned to turn the valley over but then he saw Yang Guo and the other five. In the middle of the night, he ambushed Xiaoxiang Zi; he sealed his pressure points and moved him outside of the house. Then he changed into his clothes. Zhou Botong had great lightness kung fu and he comes and goes without a trace; Xiaoxiang Zi was still asleep when this happened and even Jinlun Fawang didn’t notice anything. After he changed clothes, Zhou Botong returned to the stone house and lay down by Yang Guo, and then stole the scissors and mask from his bag. When they woke up the next morning, no one actually noticed anything amiss.
Xiaoxiang Zi tried to unblock his pressure points after they were sealed but Zhou Botong’s pressure point sealing skills were powerful; it was six hours before he was able to move his limbs again. At that time, he had only his undergarments on. He was extremely angry and when a valley disciple passed by, he immediately took his clothes and hurried to the stone building. When he got there, he saw a person dressed in his clothes in a heated battle with Fan Yiweng; his anger was uncontrollable and he threw his palms forward viciously.
Zhou Botong saw Yang Guo coming forward and began to use his skill of left right mutual combat; his left hand came out and in as he fought Yang Guo while his right hand used the scissors and forced Xiaoxiang Zi to stay back. When the scissors opened, the distance between the blades was two feet; if his head were in between the blades when it closed, his head would separate from his neck. Though Xiaoxiang Zi was furious, he did not dare to get close.
When the Valley Master first saw Zhou Botong fight Fan Yiweng, he was already secretly in awe. Now he saw him using two hands to fight two people separately, it was as if he were divided into two. The “Yin Yang Twin Blades” that he practices has some similarities to the technique that Zhou Botong was using; but how could he do two things at the same time like Zhou Botong was doing? He also saw Xiaoxiang Zi’s claws were like steel, his stances vicious, and he saw that Yang Guo was graceful and elegant, his form and posture exquisite, he pondered, “There are many able people in this world. The two old men are indeed terrific; though this young man’s internal energy is shallow, his form, fists and kicks are filled with elegance.” He then said clearly, “Please hold your fists.”
After Yang Guo woke up the next morning, he left the stone house and went outside. Last night it was dark and he couldn’t see the surroundings clearly but now he could; he was surrounded by emerald green grass, the flowers like a brocade, the scenery of this place was already magnificent but the beauty of this place was even more rarely seen.
He followed where his feet took him and along the path he saw cranes, herds of white deer, squirrels and rabbits but none of them were alarmed by his presence.
He passed two bends and saw the girl in green plucking flowers off to one side. She saw him approaching and greeted, “You wake up really early, have some breakfast.” She plucked two flowers from the tree and offered them to him.
Yang Guo accepted them and thought, “Is it possible that flowers can be eaten?” But then he saw the girl tearing the flower petal by petal and placing them in her mouth, he did the same. When he placed the petals in his mouth, he noticed a sweet fragrance, a fragrance like that of honey and there was a subtle air of wine, he felt a feeling of comfort but after a few chews the taste became bitter and sour. He wanted to spit it out but felt that he couldn’t give it up; he wanted to swallow but had a little difficulty in getting it go down his throat.
He carefully looked at the plant and saw that the branches were covered in thorns but the flowers were extremely beautiful, and even more fragrant than lotuses, he asked, “What is this flower? I’ve never seen it before.”
The girl said, “This is the Passion Flower, I’ve heard that it is a very rare plant. Tell me, what do you think of the taste?”
Yang Guo said, “At first, it is extremely sweet but afterwards it is extremely bitter. This is called the Passion Flower? There’s a meaning behind this name.” He stretched out his hand to pluck a flower.
The girl said, “Careful! There’s thorns on the plant, don’t touch it!”
Yang Guo avoided the thorns and was very careful but he didn’t notice that behind the flower was hidden another and it pricked his hand.
The girl said, “This valley is called the ‘Passionless Valley’ yet there are so many Passion Flowers growing here.”
Yang Guo said, “Why is it called the Passionless Valley? This name really is… really is special.”
The girl shook her head and said, “I don’t know why. This is the name our ancestors gave it, maybe my father knows.”
The two then started to walk down the path, shoulder to shoulder. The scent of flowers filled Yang Guo’s nose, by the side of the path were rabbits and young deer were darting about, it was very adorable sight. He had a feeling of being carefree and joyous, and naturally he started to think about Xiao Longnu, “If the person walking with me was Gu Gu, I really would love to live in this place forever with her and not ever leave.” Just as he thought about this, the wound on his finger suddenly became painful, the wound was very small yet the pain was so great, it was like someone smashing a hammer across his chest, he couldn’t hold it in and gave an ‘ai’ call, placed the finger in his mouth and sucked it.
The girl blandly said, “You’re thinking about your lover, is that it?”
Yang Guo’s thoughts were guessed; his face went red and asked, “How do you know?”
The girl said, “If you’ve been pricked by the thorns of the Passion Flower, you cannot think about love for the next twenty four hours otherwise the suffering will be unbearable.”
Yang Guo was surprised and said, “There’s actually such a strange thing as this in the world?”
The girl said, “My father said: love is like this, when it enters the mouth it is sweet but afterwards it becomes bitter and sour, furthermore, it is covered by thorns, even if you are extremely careful, pain from it would be unavoidable. The flower was given its name most probably because it has this special characteristic.”
Yang Guo asked, “How come that within twenty four hours, one cannot… cannot… think about love?”
The girl said, “Father said: there’s poison on the thorns of the plant. When people think about love, not only does their blood flow quicker, some unknown thing is created in the blood. The poison of the thorns of the Passion Flower is not harmful normally, but once it meets this something in the blood, it will create unbearable pain in the person.”
When Yang Guo heard this, he felt that it was fairly reasonable and believed her with few doubts.
The two slowly walked to the unsheltered mountainside. The light of the sun lighted up this place, the ground and air were gentle and warm; the Passion Flowers have bloomed early here and there were fruits on the plant.
Yang Guo saw that the fruits were either red or green, but some were red and green and there were hair on the fruits, like a caterpillar.
Yang Guo said, “The Passion Flower is so beautiful yet its fruits are so ugly.”
The girl said, “The fruits of the flower can’t be eaten, some are sour, some are hot and some stink so much that it makes people want to vomit.”
Yang Guo gave a laugh and said, “Is it possible that there aren’t any that are sweet as honey?”
The girl glanced at him and said, “Sometimes there are but you cannot tell by its appearance. Some that are extremely ugly are sweet but an ugly fruit doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a sweet one. Only by tasting it directly will you know for sure. Out of ten fruits, nine are bitter; because of this we never eat them.”
Yang Guo thought, “Though she is talking about the Passion Flower, it is like an analogy for love. Could it be that although the love between lovers is at first sweet, it will eventually turn sour? Can it be that a pair of lovers who are deeply in love with each other will eventually experience more bitterness than sweetness? Could it be that the yearning love I have for Gu Gu will eventually…”
As soon as he thought about Xiao Longnu, his finger suddenly broke out with a piercing pain again and he swung his arm around a few times. He now knew that the words of the girl were indeed true.
When the girl saw him like this, her lip moved a little, as if she wanted to laugh but was refraining from doing so. Sunlight lit up her face and showed a pair of elegant eyes and brows, her skin was white with redness floating on top of it, she looked very beautiful.
Yang Guo laughed, “I once heard a story; there was once an emperor, he set up a fire display and burned all things, throwing away most of his kingdom as a result, and the only reason for this was that he was trying to get a legendary beauty to smile. To be able to see a smile is a fortunate thing, so, the same applies whether it’s in the past or in the present.”
After being teased by Yang Guo, the girl could no longer hold it in and eventually gave a giggle.
Yang Guo noticed that she had been cold as ice throughout this time and there were some feelings of anxiety in his heart, but after this smile, most of the divide between the two went away. Yang Guo continued, “Everyone knows that a beauty’s smile is rare to come by, they say something like a smile can overturn a city, another can overturn a country, actually there’s something of a beauty’s that is even rarer than a smile.”
The girl’s eyes opened wide and asked, “What?”
Yang Guo said, “A beautiful girl’s name. To have the opportunity to come across a beautiful woman is an extremely lucky event, to be able to see the smile of a beautiful girl would be because of the good deeds of their ancestors and one must go through three lifetimes…” Before he finished the girl giggled again.
Yang Guo continued looking serious and said, “To be able to hear a beautiful girl reveal her name that really requires eighteen generations of great deeds.”
The girl said, “I’m not some beautiful girl; no one in the valley has ever called me beautiful, why must you joke?”
Yang Guo sighed and said, “No wonder this place is called the Passionless Valley. But in my opinion, the name should be changed to something else.”
The girl said, “Change to what?”
Yang Guo said, “It should be called Blind Man’s Valley.”
The girl asked surprised, “Why?”
Yang Guo said, “Look at how beautiful you are but none of them praise you; aren’t the people who live in this valley blind?”
The girl laughed again. Her beauty could be classed as first class but compared to Xiao Longnu’s; there were still many li between them. Compared to the gentleness of Cheng Ying and the prettiness of Lu Wushuang, she appeared to be slightly inferior. But she was elegant, graceful and there was a wholesome air about her. No one had praised her beauty before, and this was because the martial arts her valley practiced revolved around abdication. When her fellow apprentices see each other they are always cold and remain unmoved. In the hearts of her fellow apprentices though, they did think that she was very beautiful but none of them dared to say it out loud.
Today she suddenly met Yang Guo. This person’s character was dynamic and spirited, the stricter and more restrained she acts, the greater the urge he has to make her get rid of this unfeeling appearance. The girl was pleased with these words and laughed, “I’m afraid that you’re the blind man, calling this ugly girl a beautiful girl.”
Yang Guo put on a serious face and said, “You never know, my eyes could be wrong. However if you want this valley to remain peaceful and quiet then you can’t smile.”
The girl asked surprised, “Why?”
Yang Guo said, “There’s an old saying: ‘a smile can overturn a city, another can overturn a country’, that saying really ought to be changed. It shouldn’t be country; it should be changed to valley.”
The girl bowed subtlety and laughed, “Thank you, can you stop teasing me please?”
Yang Guo saw her fine, elegant waist and trembled slightly, his heart was moved. Although it wasn’t an intense feeling, his finger suddenly broke out in a severe pain again.
When the girl saw him waving his finger about, she felt slightly displeased and said angrily, “I’m talking to you right now yet you’re thinking about your lover.”
Yang Guo said, “I’m innocent, I’m innocent, it’s because of you that my finger hurts and here you are blaming me.”
The girl blushed and suddenly ran away.
Yang Guo immediately regretted his words as soon as he said them, thinking, “My heart belongs to Gu Gu yet why haven’t I changed this type of behavior? Yang Guo ah Yang Guo you little bastard, don’t talk such rubbish again.” He inherited some of his father’s scoundrel’s attitude and ungentlemanly behavior. Every time he met a girl he would tease and flirt with them, causing them to fall for him as a result. Although he didn’t have any ill intentions, it was something that made him feel joy in his heart.
The girl ran for a few tens of feet and suddenly stopped below a Passion Flower tree and hung her head deep in thought, after a little while she turned to him and said, “If an ugly girl tells you her name, it must be because your ancestors have done bad deeds for eighteen generations and the bad karma has passed down onto you.”
Yang Guo went over to her and laughed, “Of all the things to be born with, you were born with the love of saying negative things. My ancestors for the last eighteen generations have done many good deeds; some of the good karma should be reaped by me.” His words were again praising her beauty.
Her face went slightly red and quietly said, “I’ll tell you but you cannot tell another and I forbid you to call my name in front of others.”
Yang Guo stuck out his tongue and said, “Oh sweet beauty, aren’t I afraid of not having any descendants?”
The girl showed another smile and said, “My father’s surname is Gongsun…” She still did not want to reveal her name and wanted to go around in circles.
Yang Guo interrupted, “But what is Miss’s name?”
The girl smiled and said, “My father gave his only daughter the name Lu’ E.”
Yang Guo praised her, “The name is as beautiful as the owner.”
After Gongsun Lu’E told Yang Guo her name, she felt closer to him and said, “When father invites you to see him, you mustn’t smile at me.”
Yang Guo said, “What happens if I smile.”
The girl sighed and said, “If father knows that I smiled at you and told you my name, I really don’t know how father would punish me.”
Yang Guo said, “I’ve never heard of such a strict father, not even allowing his daughter to smile at someone. He has a beautiful daughter, could it be that he doesn’t love you?”
When Gongsun Lu’E heard these words her eyes went red and said, “My father used to love me very much but after my mother died when I was six, he treated me stricter and stricter. After he marries again, I wonder how he will treat me?” Two drops of tears rolled down her cheeks as she said this.
Yang Guo comforted her, “After your father marries he will be happy, he’ll definitely treat you better then.”
Gongsun Lu’E shook her head and said, “I rather he treats me even stricter than marry another wife again.”
Yang Guo’s parents died when he was young so he didn’t know much about these types of feelings; he wanted to make her happy and said, “Your new mother’s definitely not as half as beautiful as you.”
Gongsun Lu’E quickly said, “You’re wrong, my new mother is a true beauty. Because of her my father… my father… Yesterday we caught that old man named Zhou but my father was busy with organizing the wedding, otherwise he would never have allowed that Old Urchin to escape again.”
Yang Guo was shocked and pleased, he asked, “That Old Urchin escaped again?”
Lu’E frowned slightly and said, “Didn’t you hear me?”
The two spoke for a while and the sun gradually rose up in the sky. Lu’E suddenly realized something and said, “Quickly go back, don’t let my fellow apprentices see us together talking, they’ll tell my father.”
Yang Guo pitied her situation and stretched out his left hand to hold her hand and patted her on the back with his right, consoling her.
Gongsun Lu’E’s eyes showed that this touched her, she lowered her head and suddenly her face went red.
Yang Guo was afraid that his thoughts would lead to Xiao Longnu again and cause his finger to break out in a severe pain again, he quickly rushed back to the stone house that he was staying in.
Before he even got back to the stone house he could hear the bellows of Ma Guangzou, complaining how his stomach can’t survive on water and vegetables and how could these sweet and bitter flower petals be eaten. Are they trying to kill me?
Yin Kexi laughed, “Brother Ma, you better hide all the valuables that you have; I think the Master of the valley has ill intent.”
Ma Guangzou didn’t know he was being ridiculed and nodded his head in agreement.
Yang Guo returned to the room and saw a few dishes filled with the petals of the Passion Flower on the table. He watched them eat the petals with squinting faces and he was amused as he thought about how even Jinlun Fawang the monk was affected by effects of the passion flower.
He picked a cup of water and took two sips when he heard footsteps approaching, a man in green came in, bowed to them and said, “Our Master will now see his guests.”
Fawang, Nimoxing and the others were all great Masters, no matter where they went, the Master of that place would come out and personally greet them; even Mongolia’s Fourth Prince Khubilai showed great respect to them. They could never have thought that the Master of this secluded valley would be so impudent, they all were angry and thought, “When I see that rude Valley Master I’m going to show him a thing or two.”
The six of them followed the man in green for a li or so and suddenly came across a swaying green bamboo forest. Bamboo was rare in the north and such a large piece of bamboo forest was even rarer. In the middle of the forest, the light fragrant relaxing scent of flowers could be noticed. As soon as they passed through the forest, the scent suddenly became overwhelming; everywhere in front of them were Chinese narcissi. A shallow pond with a depth that was less than a foot was filled with the flowers. These flowers were also something that was usually seen in the south, why could they be found here in this mountain valley?
Fawang thought, “There must be some hot springs below the mountain that keeps the ground and air warm.”
Every five feet or so was a Mu Chun plant, the man in green darted across the pond over them. The six followed but Ma Guangzou was heavy and had poor lightness kung fu; though his footsteps were large they weren’t large enough to takes steps of five feet or so. After stepping on a few plants, he decided to drop into the pond and follow them by wading instead.
They followed a green stone path and from afar, they saw a large stone building built under the cover of the mountains. The seven advanced towards it. Outside the building were two young attendants who were holding a fly whisk in their hands. One of the attendants went inside the house to tell the Master of their arrival while the other opened the door to receive them.
Yang Guo thought, “I wonder whether the Valley Master will come and receive us in person?” Before his thoughts were settled, a bearded old man in green came out of the house.
This old man was extremely short, no more than four feet tall, his appearance was strange but the strangest thing about him was his exceedingly long thick beard that hung down to the ground. He was wearing a dark green gown and had a green rope tied across his waist.
Yang Guo thought, “This Valley Master looks so weird yet his daughter is so beautiful.”
The old man bowed deeply to him and said, “It is our luck to have such prestigious guests, please come in for tea.”
When Ma Guangzou heard the word ‘tea’, he frowned deeply and said loudly, “Drink tea! What place doesn’t have tea? Why must I come to this place for it?”
The long bearded old man did not know what he meant; he glanced at him and then bowed again receiving the guests.
Nimoxing thought, “I’m a short man but the Master of this valley is even shorter. You win on shortness but let’s see who wins on martial arts.” He barged forward to the front, stretched out his hand and said, “Nice to meet you.” He took the old man’s hand and immediately used the strength in his hands.
The others took a couple of steps back when they saw the two stretching out their hands to receive each other, they knew that when two great Martial artists exchange forces, it will be something out of the ordinary.
Nimoxing first used twenty percent of his power in his hands but he found that the opponent did not counterattack nor block; he was slightly surprised and increased another twenty percent. He felt that is was like holding a slab of solid wood. He increased another twenty percent of the force in his hands. A faint green air glimmered across the old man’s face and his hand was still like a rigid piece of wood.
Nimoxing was extremely surprised and didn’t dare to use the rest of his strength just in case the enemy counterattacked when he was at full strength, then, he would not be able to defend against the attack. He laughed and released his hand.
Jinlun Fawang was second in line. He saw what had happened and knew that Nimoxing was unable to ascertain the short man’s abilities. There was no need for him to make a rash move while the opponent’s abilities were still unclear, Fawang folded his arms and gracefully walked past. Xiaoxiang Zi and Yin Kexi followed together with Ma Guangzou behind. Ma Guangzou had seen the short man’s beard and thought that it was extremely weird. He hadn’t eaten anything except the Passion Flowers and that made him even hungrier; at this moment in time he was hungry and angry. When he entered he suddenly stuck out his foot and stepped on the tip of the man’s beard.
The old man was unmoved and said, “Please be careful.”
Ma Guangzou put his other foot on the beard and said, “What?”
The old man moved his head slightly and Ma Guangzou suddenly flipped over. Such a large person falling to the floor is no ordinary matter.
Yang Guo was the last one to enter; he quickly dashed forward two steps and struck Ma Guangzou on the backside moving his gigantic body forwards. Ma Guangzou stood firmly on the ground and rubbed his backside.
The old man acted as if he didn’t see anything; he invited them into hall and sat them on the west side before saying clearly, “The guests have arrived, call for the Valley Master.”
Yang Guo and the others were shocked, “So that old man is not the Valley Master.”
From the back of the hall, ten or so green clothed disciples came in and stood to the left, Gongsun Lu’E was amongst them. After a while, a person entered the hall and bowed to the six and casually sat down on a chair on the east side. The long bearded old man stood by his chair. From the man’s presence, this person will be none other but the Valley Master.
This man was about forty five or six years of age, he had a handsome face and appeared graceful; from the way he greeted them and sat down, he also seems to possess a lofty air. His face was yellow and dried, not looking like someone who possessed great martial arts. As soon as he sat down; some of the disciples in green brought tea forward. The hall was decorated in green, but the Valley Master was wearing a precious satin blue gown, he was extremely eye catching in the deluge of green.
The Valley Master picked up a tea bowl and said, “Please have some tea.”
Ma Guangzou took a look at the bowl of tea, he saw that it was cold and had a few tea leaves floating on top; it was extremely bland to him and he snapped, “Valley Master, you don’t eat meat and you don’t even drink tea, no wonder you look ill.”
The Valley Master did not move a muscle. He took a sip of his tea and said, “The people of our valley have been vegetarians for hundreds of years.”
Ma Guangzou said, “What’s so good about being vegetarian. Does it make you live longer without aging?”
The Valley Master said, “My ancestors have lived here since the Tang dynasty; since then, none of the descendants has ever dared to break the vegetarian code.”
Jinlun Fawang folded his arms and said, “So this place was set up in the Tang dynasty and has lasted until now, that really is something.”
The Valley Master folded his arms and said, “You’re too kind.”
Xiaoxiang Zi suddenly spoke in a strange way, “Did your ancestors ever see Royal Concubine Yang [1]?” His tone was extremely peculiar.
Nimoxing, Yin Kexi and the others were familiar with his voice after spending time with him, they were surprised when they heard this voice and all turned towards him. They were even more shocked when they saw his face, it had somehow has completely changed, his face had the appearance of a zombie before but now it looked even odder.
Fawang, Nimoxing and the others were slightly worried, “So this person possesses such great internal energy, even his face changes. He’s circulating his internal energy so he can immediately strike out; does he want to show the Valley Master a thing or two?” They all put their guards up when they thought about this.
The Valley Master replied, “My ancestors did work in the Tang court as officials, when they saw what state the court had falling into under Yang Guozhong, they were furious and left to reside in a secluded place.”
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed, “Your ancestors must have drunk the water that Royal Concubine Yang had washed her feet with.”
Everyone’s face in the hall changed as soon as these words came out. It was a challenge to the Valley Master and he was going to make his move very soon.
Fawang and the others were surprised, thinking, “This Xiaoxiang Zi is extremely crafty, he always lets other people go first in all matters, why has he volunteered to go first suddenly?”
The Valley Master ignored him and signaled to the old long bearded man. The old bearded man said clearly, “Our Master has treated you with respect as guests, how can you say such things?”
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed and said in his strange manner, “Your ancestor has definitely drunk the foot water of Royal Concubine Yang; if they haven’t drunk it, I’ll cut off my head for you.”
Ma Guangzou was surprised and asked, “Brother Xiaoxiang, how do you know? Could it be that you drank some that day as well?”
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed, his voice changed again as he said, “If they didn’t drink the foot water and upset their stomachs, what other reason is there for them not to eat meat?”
Ma Guangzou clapped and laughed, he called out, “Yes, yes, it must be for this reason.”
But Fawang and the others frowned, they all felt that Xiaoxiang Zi’s words were going a bit too far; everyone has their own eating habits, how can you use it as a joke? Not mentioning the fact that the six of them were deep in this valley, the people of this valley were definitely not kind people; even if fists had to be raised, a backup plan should be made first.
The old bearded man could endure this no longer; he went to the middle of the hall and said, “Mr. Xiaoxiang Zi, our valley has not offended you. If you’re looking for a fight then please come forward.”
Xiaoxiang Zi said, “Good!” He remained in his chair and leapt over the table in front of him; after a ‘deng’ sound, he landed in the middle of the hall in his chair. He called out, “Long bearded old man, what’s you name? It’ll be unfair if we fight with me not knowing your name but you knowing mine. I cannot afford to be in this predicament.”
His words seemed sound but unsound at the same time; the old man became even angrier but his wariness also deepened after seeing how graceful Xiaoxiang Zi was in moving the chair into the centre of the room, he wasn’t anything ordinary.
The Valley Master said, “Tell him, it’s not important.”
The old man said, “Fine, my surname is Fan, first names Yiweng, please stand up and start.”
Xiaoxiang Zi said, “What weapon are you going to use? Go get it and let me take a look.”
Fan Yiweng said, “You want to compete with weapons? That’s good.” His right foot stamped on the floor and he called out, “Bring it!”
Two attendants rushed inside and when they came out, they had an eleven foot long steel Dragon Head Staff on their shoulders.
Yang Guo and the others were shocked when they saw this, “How can this short man use such a long and heavy weapon.”
Xiaoxiang Zi didn’t take any notice and took out an extremely large pair of scissors from underneath his gown. He said, “Do you know what this pair of scissors is used for?”
When the others saw this weapon, they just felt that it was a strange weapon, but Yang Guo was shocked. He didn’t stretch out his hand towards his bag, but instead he just straightened his back a little and noticed that his pair of scissors was missing. He thought, “Blacksmith Feng made that large pair of scissors for me that I had intended to use against Li Mochou. How did that zombie steal it off me in the middle of the night without me noticing?”
Fan Yiweng took his staff and placed it on the floor. The hall was extremely spacious; as soon as the staff landed, it produced ‘weng’ ‘weng’ noises and along with the echoes from the room, the noise was tremendous.
Xiaoxiang Zi lifted up the scissors with his right hand and opened them. He held the scissors with all the strength in his fingers. He called out, “Hey, shortie, you don’t know the name of my precious scissors, do you want me to tell you?”
Fan Yiweng angrily said, “Such an unorthodox weapon won’t have an elegant name.”
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed and said, “Correct, the name is not elegant, it is called the Dog Fur Scissors.”
Yang Guo was not pleased, “Who wants you to give my pair of scissors such an ugly name.”
He heard Xiaoxiang Zi continue, “I knew long ago that there was a long bearded creature around here; because of this I prepared this pair of Dog Fur Scissors so I can cut off your beard!”
Nimoxing and Ma Guangzou burst out laughing, Yin Kexi and Yang Guo too couldn’t hold in their laughter and laughed; only Jinlun Fawang kept his self-control and along with the Valley Master, the two appeared as if nothing had happened.
Fan Yiweng swung his staff a little and created a gust of wind, he said, “I was thinking my beard is too long, since you want to be a barber and help me trim it, nothing could be better, let’s fight!”
Xiaoxiang Zi lifted his head and looked up at the beam of the hall in thought, it appeared that he didn’t hear his words. Suddenly, his right arm came out like lightning and the scissors cut towards the man’s beard.
Fan Yiweng would never have dreamed he would actually attack while sitting in the chair; he had no time to dodge and urgently dropped his staff down. His body lifted up and somersaulted through the air about ten feet off the floor with the staff still on the floor.
Xiaoxiang Zi’s attack was extremely quick and Fan Yiweng’s dodge was also very swift; in that cut and dodge, the two skilled martial artists had displayed their advanced martial arts. But Fan Yiweng still suffered by that attack; though he managed to avoid that cut, three strands of his beard were cut off by the tip of the scissors.
Xiaoxiang Zi was extremely proud of himself. He picked up the three strands of beard with his left hand and blew the strands of hair which flew towards his bowl of tea on the table. A ‘ping pang’ sound was heard as the bowl fell onto the floor and shattered.
Yang Guo and the others knew that he was putting on a show and that it was his breath that forced the bowl to drop on the floor. But Ma Guangzou did not know this and thought that the strands of beard had great power after being blown by Xiaoxiang Zi. He called out loudly, “Xiaoxiang Zi, your strands of beard are really something!”
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed, he opened and closed the scissors then called out, “Short beard, do you want to test out my Dog Fur Scissors again?”
Though everyone could see that he was laughing, his face remained unmoved; they were becoming more and more shocked by him. They were thinking, “When someone reaches an advanced state in their internal energy, they can be angry and delighted without showing it on their faces, even to the point where the face looked emotionless. But it is unheard of that someone can laugh so heartily but keep that fearful face.” His face was too unsightly for the eyes; everyone just took one look and immediately turned away again.
Fan Yiweng was now furious after being ridiculed again and again; he bowed to the Valley Master and said, “Master, today this disciple cannot continue treating the guests with respect.”
Yang Guo was extremely surprised, “That short man is a lot older than the Valley Master; how can he call him Master?”
The Valley Master nodded his head slightly and gently waved out his left hand.
Fan Yiweng swept out his staff towards the chair that Xiaoxiang Zi was sitting on; though he was a short man he possessed incredible strength, the hundred kilo (220 lb) staff swept out and created a great gust of wind.
Though Yang Guo and the others were on the same side as Xiaoxiang Zi, they did not know exactly how skilled he was. They all watched the two battle with great concentration.
The staff was now half a foot away from the leg of the chair. Xiaoxiang Zi lowered his left hand and actually stretched it out to grab the head of the staff and at the same time, he cut forward towards his opponent’s beard with the scissors.
Fan Yiweng was extremely angry, he thought, “You actually dare to look down on me like this!” He swung his head to the side and his beard moved to the side while the staff continued its sweep and struck Xiaoxiang Zi’s palm.
The others called out and stood up; they all thought that Xiaoxiang Zi’s palm would have suffered a serious injury.
But Fan Yiweng felt as if his staff had struck water, soft as if nothing was there; he knew something was wrong and quickly pulled back. However, Xiaoxiang Zi’s twisted his wrist and kept his hold on the staff.
Fan Yiweng felt his opponent immediately pushing outward so he immediately sent the staff forward. The force he applied was ferocious; he assumed that Xiaoxiang Zi would have to leave his seat but he didn’t predict that the opponent would again leap away with his chair, this time to the left as the staff thrust towards thin air. He had no choice but to release his grip on the head of the staff.
Fan Yiweng’s left hand twisted above his head and the staff made a circle and was sent towards his opponent’s head.
Xiaoxiang Zi wanted to ridicule him and leapt up about ten feet with the chair and actually passed over the staff.
The others saw that his hands techniques were extraordinary and swift; though he was in the chair, he moved as if he was not, they all called out in appreciation.
Fan Yiweng saw that his opponent was highly skilled; he poured all his concentration into this battle, the staff created gusts of wind as he moved it around. He knew that hitting him would not be easy but if he smashes his chair, he will be able to get the initiative.
But Xiaoxiang Zi’s martial arts were extraordinary; his right hand continued to open and close the scissors and suddenly cut towards his beard while Xiaoxiang Zi’s left hand used the “Trapping Hand Technique” to snatch his staff.
In the blink of an eye the two had tens of exchanges; though they appeared to be equal, Xiaoxiang Zi had not left his chair, not giving an ounce of respect towards his opponent.
Jinlun Fawang was shocked inside, “Who would have thought that zombie would actually possess such great abilities?”
More exchanges passed between the two; Fan Yiweng kept on using sweeping stances across the floor, while Xiaoxiang Zi kept on leaping up in the chair, getting quicker and quicker.
The Valley Master suddenly called out, “Don’t hit the chair, otherwise you can’t handle him.”
Fan Yiweng was startled but then immediately understood, “While he’s sitting in the chair, I can only fight him to a draw. If his legs were on the ground, then my beard will be cut off in just a few stances.” He suddenly changed his stances and urgently waved and twisted the staff around. A circle of silver light covered the short man in green while on the outside there was a zombie like person leaping up and down without stopping. This was a strange rarely seen spectacle.
The Valley Master knew that Xiaoxiang Zi was deliberately trying to make a fool out of Fan Yiweng; if it continued he would definitely suffer. The Valley Master then stood up and slowly left the table. He said, “Yiweng, you are not a match for that Master, come back.”
Fan Yiweng obeyed his Master and said loudly, “Yes!” He straightened his staff and was about to take it back when Xiaoxiang Zi called out, “That won’t do, that won’t do!” He flew up from the chair and threw himself down onto the staff. A ‘ka la’ sound was heard as the staff smashed the chair into pieces; but the staff was held onto by Xiaoxiang Zi with his left hand. Xiaoxiang Zi steadied his left leg and opened the scissors. Fan Yiweng’s beard was hanging between the blades, a cut now and his beard would be gone.
Who knew that the long beard that Fan Yiweng grew was an extremely soft lethal weapon; the technique for using it is along the same lines as a whip, a chain and a whisk. His head moved slightly and the beard whipped around escaping from the blade of the scissors and wrapped up the scissors instead; he moved his head backwards and a great force pulled the scissors forward.
Xiaoxiang Zi called out loudly, “Ai yo, old shortie, your beard is pretty powerful; Xiaoxiang Zi is in awe of you.” One had his beard wrapped around the scissors whereas the other had his hand holding onto the staff, there was no result for the time being.
Xiaoxiang Zi laughed out loud and said, “Interesting, interesting!”
Suddenly a grey blur flashed in from the front door; this person was extremely quick and was pushing both his palms forward towards the back of Xiaoxiang Zi.
The Valley Master shouted, “Who is it?”
This attack was quick and vicious and it was certain to hit its target. Xiaoxiang Zi released his grasp of the staff and turned his left palm around and pushed out at the opponent below the elbow, immediately dispersing the power of his palms.
The person angrily said, “You bastard, I’m going to kill you!”
Yang Guo and the others were incredibly surprised when they saw this person; they all called out, “Xiaoxiang Zi!” The person who had dashed forward and attacked was Xiaoxiang Zi. Can he divide into two? And why was he attacking his own double? They were all puzzled by this.
Once they had settled down, they saw that the person who was tangling with Fan Yiweng was dressed in the clothes of Xiaoxiang Zi; everything was correct from the shoes to the hat. Though his face looked like a zombie, it was not the face of Xiaoxiang Zi. The person who had entered had the face of Xiaoxiang Zi but he was dressed in green. The man in green sent his claw like hands out towards the back of the Xiaoxiang Zi who was holding the scissors and called out, “What kind of hero attacks from an ambush?”
Fan Yiweng was slightly surprised when he saw help had come; this person was dressed in the valley’s uniform but he did not know him. He placed his staff to the side and saw the two zombie-like people battle each other.
It was now clear to Yang Guo, the person who was holding the scissors must have stolen his mask as well. He put it on, changed into Xiaoxiang Zi’s clothes and then came here to the hall to stir up trouble. Because Xiaoxiang Zi’s face normally was like that of a corpse, no one was able to tell. Though Yang Guo had worn the mask himself, but he did not know what he looked like when wearing the mask. When Cheng Ying had her’s on, he didn’t dare to look at her too often. He was actually deceived by this person.
He concentrated for a while and recognized the martial arts of the person holding the pair of scissors, he called out, “Zhou Botong, give back my mask and scissors.” He then leapt into the middle of the hall and stretched out his hand to snatch the pair of scissors back.
This person was Zhou Botong. He’d had a lapse in concentration and was captured by the fish net of the four disciples of the valley. But Zhou Botong possesses amazing abilities; just a slight lapse in concentration by the four disciples and he immediately broke out of the fish net. Afterwards he hid behind some rocks. He had planned to turn the valley over but then he saw Yang Guo and the other five. In the middle of the night, he ambushed Xiaoxiang Zi; he sealed his pressure points and moved him outside of the house. Then he changed into his clothes. Zhou Botong had great lightness kung fu and he comes and goes without a trace; Xiaoxiang Zi was still asleep when this happened and even Jinlun Fawang didn’t notice anything. After he changed clothes, Zhou Botong returned to the stone house and lay down by Yang Guo, and then stole the scissors and mask from his bag. When they woke up the next morning, no one actually noticed anything amiss.
Xiaoxiang Zi tried to unblock his pressure points after they were sealed but Zhou Botong’s pressure point sealing skills were powerful; it was six hours before he was able to move his limbs again. At that time, he had only his undergarments on. He was extremely angry and when a valley disciple passed by, he immediately took his clothes and hurried to the stone building. When he got there, he saw a person dressed in his clothes in a heated battle with Fan Yiweng; his anger was uncontrollable and he threw his palms forward viciously.
Zhou Botong saw Yang Guo coming forward and began to use his skill of left right mutual combat; his left hand came out and in as he fought Yang Guo while his right hand used the scissors and forced Xiaoxiang Zi to stay back. When the scissors opened, the distance between the blades was two feet; if his head were in between the blades when it closed, his head would separate from his neck. Though Xiaoxiang Zi was furious, he did not dare to get close.
When the Valley Master first saw Zhou Botong fight Fan Yiweng, he was already secretly in awe. Now he saw him using two hands to fight two people separately, it was as if he were divided into two. The “Yin Yang Twin Blades” that he practices has some similarities to the technique that Zhou Botong was using; but how could he do two things at the same time like Zhou Botong was doing? He also saw Xiaoxiang Zi’s claws were like steel, his stances vicious, and he saw that Yang Guo was graceful and elegant, his form and posture exquisite, he pondered, “There are many able people in this world. The two old men are indeed terrific; though this young man’s internal energy is shallow, his form, fists and kicks are filled with elegance.” He then said clearly, “Please hold your fists.”