our late Teacher, Reverend Wang.”

Upon hearing that this Elder Hong was mentioned alongside the Quan Zhen 7’s Teacher, they were immediately filled with awe. Qiu Chu Ji turned and smiled at Guo Jing. “This wife of yours is the disciple of the great 9-Fingered Divine Beggar. Who would dare bully you in future?” Guo Jing felt his cheeks burn and wanted to dispute this, but he just stammered and did not manage to say anything.

Han Xiao Ying asked, “Priest Wang, how did you tell that she was taught by the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar by just pushing her shoulder?”

Qiu Chu Ji motioned for Guo Jing to come over, and Guo Jing went to his side as instructed. Qiu Chu Ji pushed Guo Jing’s shoulder with his palm, exerting pressure with internal energy. But Guo Jing had cultivated profound internal energy under Ma Yu’s guidance, and also endured over 10 years of hard physical training from the 6 Freaks. As a result, he had considerable internal and external strength. With this push, Qiu Chu Ji could not bring him down. Laughing, he said, “Good lad!” and the pressure loosened.

Guo Jing had exercised his internal energy to resist the push, and now he relaxed both outwards and inwards. Quick as lightning, Qiu Chu Ji seized this instant; Guo Jing’s earlier energy had dissipated and his new wave of energy had yet to catch on, leaving a gap. With a light pull, Guo Jing fell backwards. He extended his hands and, using his fingers, propelled himself upright again.

Everyone burst out laughing. Zhu Cong said, “Jing’er, remember this expert move that Priest Qiu taught you.” Guo Jing nodded in obedience.

Qiu Chu Ji said, “Heroine Han, when pulled by the shoulder, all martial artists in the world will fall backward if they are unable to resist. But with the unique kungfu of the 9-Fingered Divine Beggar, one will fall forward instead. This is because his kungfu is rooted in extreme, rigid toughness. When faced with strength, it responds with greater strength. Though Miss Mu only spent 3 days under his tutelage, she has evidently grasped his martial arts philosophy. Though she was unable to withstand Younger Martial Brother Wang’s pull, she refused to succumb to the situation. Even if she had to fall, she would fall in the opposite direction of the enemy’s strength.”

The 6 Freaks thought what he said made sense, and admired Quan Zhen Sect’s proficient knowledge. Zhu Cong said, “Priest Wang has seen the 9-Fingered Divine Beggar display his kungfu?”

Wang Chu Yi said, “Over 20 years ago, my late Teacher competed in the Mt. Hua Tournament with the 9-Fingered Divine Beggar, Huang Yao Shi and the other Greats. Elder Hong’s kungfu was truly outstanding but he was also very gluttonous, and Mt. Hua was short of delicacies. Feeling extremely bored, he took sword as wine and fist as dishes and began chatting about the theories of sword and fist with my late Teacher and Elder Huang Yao Shi. At that time I was waiting on Teacher and was very lucky indeed to have heard these brilliant theories. In fact, I learned a lot.”

Ke Zhen’E said, “Oh, so out of the ‘Eastern Heretic, Western Poison,’ Huang Yao Shi must be the so-called ‘Eastern Heretic?”

Qiu Chu Ji replied, “Correct.” He then turned to Guo Jing and said jovially, “Though Elder Martial Brother Ma has taught you some internal energy, luckily you are not officially his disciple. If you start comparing seniority, you’ll be one level lower than your wife! Then you’ll never be able to raise your head in this life.”

Guo Jing went red. “I’m not marrying her.”

Startled, Qiu Chu Ji said, “What?”

“I’m not marrying her!”

“I’m not marrying her!” Guo Jing repeated.

Qiu Chu Ji’s face sank and he stood up. “But why?”

Ever doting on her disciple, Han Xiao Ying saw that Guo Jing was in a tight spot and hurriedly explained on his behalf: “We received word that Master Yang’s child was a male. Thinking that the betrothal agreement was annulled, Jing’er has already gotten engaged in Mongolia. The Khan of Mongolia, Genghis Khan, has appointed him as his imperial son-in-law.”

Qiu Chu Ji’s face hardened and he glared at Guo Jing. Laughing icily, he said, “Brilliant, this girl is a Princess, a precious imperial descendent – commoners can’t hold a candle to her, so you’re just going to conveniently ignore the wishes of the dead? You lust for riches and betray your roots. How different are you from that scoundrel Wan Yan Kang? And what of your late father’s wishes?”

Panicking, Guo Jing bowed. “I have never met my father, and my mother has never mentioned anything about his wishes. Priest, please enlighten me.”

At this, Qiu Chu Ji lost his cold smile and his expression softened at once. “So you are really not to blame. I was too quick to jump to conclusions.” He then explained everything from beginning till the end – his meeting with the Guo and Yang brothers 18 years ago at Ox Village, the slaughtering of soldiers that night, his search for the Guo and Yang families, his misunderstanding with the 7 Freaks of Jiang Nan and the wager that followed, et cetera.

Now knowing the circumstances of his birth and how everything had begun, he broke down in sobs. His father died a horrible death and had yet to be avenged; he then thought of the great kindness of his 7 Teachers — how could he even hope to repay them in this lifetime?

Han Xiao Ying said kindly, “It’s very common for a man to have more than one wife. Just let the Khan know about this and marry both women. That way, all your problems will be solved. I reckon the Khan himself has even more than 100 wives.”

Wiping his tears, he replied, “I can’t marry Princess Hua Zheng.”

Surprised, Han Xiao Ying asked, “Why?”

“I don’t like her as my wife.”

“But haven’t you always been on very good terms with her?”

“I view her as a younger sister and a good friend, but I certainly don’t want her as my wife.”

Qiu Chu Ji said happily, “Good child, you’ve got backbone! Khan or not, Princess or not, who cares? Just obey your father and Uncle Yang, and get married with Miss Mu.” Unexpectedly, Guo Jing shook his head again.

“I won’t marry Miss Mu either.”

Everyone present was bewildered, not knowing what was running through his head. But Han Xiao Ying was a woman, and she paid heed to details. “You like someone else?” she asked gently. Guo Jing blushed and, after a moment or two, nodded his head.

Han Bao Ju and Qiu Chu Ji asked sternly in unison, “Who is it?”

Guo Jing opened his mouth to answer, but faltered. During the fight with Mei Chao Feng and the others in the Palace the previous night, Huang Rong had the attention of Han Xiao Ying. She had secretly marveled at this girl with her graceful movements and a face as delicate as those you only see in paintings. Thinking back, Huang Rong did seem very affectionate towards Guo Jing and had been looking out especially for him. Han Xiao Ying asked, “It’s the young girl who dressed in white, isn’t it?” Guo Jing went red as he nodded.

Qiu Chu Ji said impatiently, “What young or old girl in white or black?”

Han Xiao Ying muttered to herself, “I heard Mei Chao Feng call her Little Martial-Sister and addressed her father as Teacher…”

Qiu Chu Ji and Ke Zhen’E stood up at once and said together, flabbergasted: “She’s Huang Yao Shi’s daughter?”

Holding Guo Jing’s hand, Han Xiao Ying asked, “Jing’er, is her surname Huang?”

Guo Jing answered, “Yes.”

To this, Han Xiao Ying was speechless.

Ke Zhen’E muttered, “You want to marry Mei Chao Feng’s Younger Martial-Sister?”

Zhu Cong asked, “Her father has betrothed her to you?”

Guo Jing replied, “I’ve never met her father, nor do I know who her father is.”

Zhu Cong asked again, “So you have an illicit engagement?”

Not knowing what an ‘illicit engagement’ meant, Guo Jing widened his eyes and did not reply. Zhu Cong continued, “You’ve told her that you will definitely marry her, and she’s also said that she’ll definitely marry you, is that right?”

Guo Jing replied, “Never said that.” After a brief pause, he continued, “We don’t have to say it. I can’t do without her, and she can’t do without me. We know this in our hearts.”

Having never experienced the feeling of love, Han Bao Ju was displeased upon hearing this and said impatiently, “What nonsense is this?”

However, Han Xiao Ying’s mind flitted to Zhang Ah Sheng: ‘Among us 7 Freaks, Fifth Brother’s character was the most similar to Jing’er. But he only loved me in secret – he always thought he wasn’t good enough for me and so he never expressed his feelings. Was it like Jing’er and that girl, what with ‘we both know it in our hearts; I can’t do without her, she can’t do without me’? If I had let him known just a few months before he died that I actually couldn’t do without him, he would have at least a few months of true happiness in his lifetime.’

Zhu Cong said calmly, “Her father is a ruthless monster who kills without blinking, did you know that? If he found out that you got close with her daughter in secret, how could even you hope to live? Mei Chao Feng hasn’t even learned one-tenth of his kungfu and she is already so formidable. If the Master of Peach Blossom Isle wants to kill you, who will be able to save you?”

Guo Jing said softly, “Rong’er is so nice, I doubt… I doubt her father will be a bad person.”

“Bullshit!” Han Bao Ju berated. “Huang Yao Shi is utterly evil, how could he not be a bad person? Quickly vow that you’ll never see that little demoness again.”

Because the Twin Killers of the Dark Winds had killed the Laughing Buddha Zhang Ah Sheng, the 6 Freaks bore a grudge as deep as the oceans towards them and hated their Teacher to the core. They all thought that the kungfu the Twin Killers used to kill Zhang Ah Sheng was taught by Huang Yao Shi; if there was no Huang Yao Shi in this world, Zhang Ah Sheng wouldn’t have died.

Guo Jing was in an extremely difficult position. On one hand was his deep gratitude towards his Teachers, and on the other hand was a love both sincere and true. If he could never see Rong’er ever again, how could he live on? His Teachers’ eyes were fixed sternly on himself and with an aching heart, dropped down to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks. Han Bao Ju stepped forward and said harshly, “Say it! Say that you’ll never see that little demoness again.”

Suddenly, a clear female voice shouted from outside the window: “Why are you forcing him like this? How shameless!” Everyone was startled. That girl called: “Jing-gege, hurry outside.”

Surprised and delighted to hear it was Huang Rong, Guo Jing dashed outside and saw her standing at the courtyard with his Blood-sweat Horse. The Little Red Horse saw Guo Jing and let out a long neigh, raising its front hoofs.

Han Bao Ju, Quan Jin Fa, Zhu Cong and Qiu Chu Ji followed him out of the room. Guo Jing said to Han Bao Ju, “Third Teacher, that’s her, she’s Rong’er. Rong’er isn’t a demoness!”

“You ugly and short fatty, why did you call me a little demoness?” Huang Rong scolded. She then pointed to Zhu Cong and said, “And you, sly and sloppy scholar! Why did you say my father’s a monster who kills without blinking?”

Not taking a little girl to heart, Zhu Cong merely smiled. Looking at Huang Rong, he thought that her beauty was indeed peerless and none he had seen in his life could match hers – no wonder Jing’er was so crazy about her. Han Bao Ju, however, was absolutely furious, so much so that the moustache at the edge of his lips had curled. He yelled, “Get out, get out!”

Huang Rong started clapping and sang: “Shorty-gourd, tumbling ball, with one kick, rolls three times; with two kicks…”

Guo Jing exclaimed, “Rong’er, stop being naughty! These are my Teachers.”

Huang Rong stuck out her tongue and made a face. Moving forward, Han Bao Ju struck out his arm to hit her. Huang Rong sang again: “Shorty-gourd, tumbling ball…” All of a sudden, she reached out and grabbed the cloth on Guo Jing’s waist. With a hard tug, both of them had mounted the horse together. With a lift of the reins, the Little Red Horse bolted forward and away like an arrow leaving the bow. No matter how fast Han Bao Ju was, how could possibly he catch up with the lightning pace of a Blood-sweat Horse? By the time Guo Jing had slightly settled himself, he turned his head only to see that the faces of Han Bao Ju and the others were already blurred; in the next instant they were reduced to little black dots. His own face was wrapped in rushing wind and his ears, enveloped in the sound of it. The Little Red Horse continued to surge forward with amazing pace.

Huang Rong held the reins in her right hand and held Guo Jing’s hand with her left. Though they had parted for less than half a day, they had just only gone through an agonizing experience. Though one was inside the room and the other, outside the window, both had similar feelings of worry and anxiety, and now it felt like they had re-united after calamity. Guo Jing’s heart was clouded with indecision – escaping from his Teachers like this was a huge wrong, yet when he thought that he would have to give up this girl in his arms that was dearer than his own life and never see her again, he would rather sever his head and bleed to death.

Only after the Little Red Horse had galloped more than 10 li past Yan Capital did Huang Rong withdraw the reins and halt, leaping off the horse. Guo Jing followed and dismounted. The Little Red Horse kept rubbing its head against Guo Jing’s waist, displaying great affection. Guo Jing and Huang Rong held hands and gazed at each other in silence, each having a multitude of words to say but not knowing where to begin. But even in the absence of words, their hearts were linked and they had long been aware of each other’s thoughts. After a long while, Huang Rong lightly released her hand and retrieved a towel from the leather sack on the horse’s side. She wet the towel by the small stream and gave it to Guo Jing to wipe his face. Guo Jing was currently in a dazed state and did not receive the towel, but said suddenly, “Rong’er, we have to do it!”

Jumping in surprise, Huang Rong said, “What is it?”

“We’ll head back and see my Teachers.”

“Go back? Go back together?” She said, stunned.

“Yes. I want to hold your hand and tell my 6 Teachers, Priest Ma and the rest: Rong’er is not a demoness…” Holding Huang Rong’s little hand and lifting his head, he said firmly as if Ke Zhen’E, Ma Yu and the rest were in front of him: “Teachers, you have shown me great kindness that I will never be able to repay even with my life. But, but, Rong’er is really not a demoness, she’s a very, very good girl, very, very good…” In his heart he had innumerable words and phrases in defense of Huang Rong, but when the words were at his mouth, he could say nothing but ‘very, very good’.

Huang Rong found it funny at first, but as Guo Jing went on she felt greatly moved. Gently, she said, “Jing-ge-ge, your Teachers hate me to the core. Nothing you say can make a difference. Let’s not go back! I’ll follow you to the secluded mountains, to an island in the sea, to someplace where they’ll never find us and live there forever.”

Guo Jing’s heart gave a start, but he said seriously, “Rong’er, we must go back.”

“But they’ll surely separate us,” she wailed. “Then we’ll never be able to see each other, ever again.”

“Then we’ll just not separate, till death do us apart.”

Huang Rong’s initial misery abated with these words; words that weighed more than a thousand vows and a million promises. Suddenly she was filled with such a confidence, feeling that their two hearts had long been knotted stubbornly together, so stubborn that no person or force in this world could separate them. She thought to herself: ‘Yes, that’s it. In the worst case we’ll only die, surely there can’t be anything worse than death?’

She said aloud, “Jing-ge-ge, I will abide by you forever. We’ll just not separate till death do us apart.”

Guo Jing said in delight, “I’ve always said you were a very, very good girl.”

Smiling gaily, Huang Rong retrieved a large piece of raw beef from the sack and coated it with moist earth. Gathering some dry twigs and branches, they started a fire. She said, “Let the Little Red Horse rest for a bit. We’ll set off after eating.”

After they had finished the beef and the Little Red Horse had had its fill of grass, the two of them mounted the horse and went back the way they came. Not long after passing the placard, they arrived at the inn. Guo Jing held Huang Rong’s hand and together, they stepped inside. The shopkeeper had once been recipient of Guo Jing’s silver and looked joyous upon seeing his return. Hurrying forward, he welcomed Guo Jing, saying, “Good day to you, sir! The other guests have all left the city. What would you like to eat?”

Guo Jing said, surprised, “They’ve all left? Did they leave any message?”

“No, they didn’t. They headed south and haven’t been gone for more than 4 hours.”

Turning to Huang Rong, Guo Jing said, “We’ll catch up with them.” They left the inn and mounted the horse, heading southwards in pursuit, but eventually failed to catch sight of the three Priests or the 6 Freaks. And so, urging the Little Red Horse, they turned back once again. The Little Red Horse was ever spirited and lively; having gone two trips it still showed no signs of weariness but continued sprinting relentlessly. Along the way, they made enquiries about the 3 Priests and 6 Freaks but no one had seen anyone like them, and Guo Jing was thoroughly disappointed.

Huang Rong said, “All of them will be gathering at the Misty Rain Inn during the Mid-Autumn Festival, so you’ll definitely be able to see your Teachers then. It still wouldn’t be too late to tell them that I’m ‘very, very good’.”

“Mid-Autumn Festival is a whole 6 months away,” he replied.

Smiling cheerfully, Huang Rong said, “Then in these 6 months we’ll have fun and be merry, wouldn’t that be great?”

Besides being adventurous by nature, Guo Jing, like all young people, was also playful. Furthermore, he would be accompanied by the girl he loved and to this, couldn’t ask for more. Applauding the idea, the pair hurried to the nearest town to spend the evening. The next day they bought a white horse; Guo Jing insisted on riding it, letting Huang Rong ride the Little Red Horse. With rein in hand, they travelled leisurely and enjoyed themselves along the way. Sometimes they lay asleep beside each other in the wilderness, other times they shared a room in an inn. Despite their deep love for each other, they were young and innocent and did nothing licentious. Huang Rong did not think it was anything unusual; Guo Jing, however, felt that this was how things were meant to be.

On this day they came to the Xi Qing Prefecture, which was East of Jing Dong Road and controlled by the Tai Ning military. As it grew closer to noon, the weather became increasingly humid. Having ridden with haste for nearly half a day, trickles of perspiration emerged on their foreheads and backs as the bright, orange sun shone directly on them. Sand and dust from the path scattered all around them as they rode, the particles sticking on their greasy faces. The discomfort was unbearable.

“Let’s not hurry anymore. We’ll find a cool and breezy place to rest,” Huang Rong suggested.

Guo Jing replied, “Sure. Let’s have a pot of tea in the town further up before doing anything else.”

As they spoke, their horses caught up with a sedan-chair and a scrawny donkey in front. Riding the donkey was a big fatty clothed in yam-colored gauze robes, continuously fanning himself with a big white fan. The donkey limped under the weight of his 250 – 60 jin body, with every step proving to be a hurdle. As for the sedan, its screens were lifted for cooling purposes and within it sat a fat middle-aged woman in pink robes. Coincidentally, the two sedan-bearers were also thin and frail, and both were panting heavily. Beside the sedan was a slave girl with a sunflower-fan, relentlessly fanning the fat woman in the sedan. Huang Rong urged her horse forward and overtook this group of people by 70 or 80 feet. She then reined in and turned around to face the sedan.

Curious, Guo Jing asked, “What are you doing?”

“I want to see how this madam looks like,” came her reply. Peering into the sedan, she saw that the fat woman was 40-odd years of age. She had a gold hairpin in her hair, and sitting on the edge of her temples was a large, red velvet flower. She had a broad mouth, beady eyes, two flapping ears and a nose so flat it looked like it wasn’t there. Her plump face was as round as a plate, with a thick layer of powder slapped on. However, streams of perspiration from her forehead had already dissolved streaks of powder to create several dikes in her face. Hearing Huang Rong’s words, she raised a pair of bushy eyebrows and glowered fiercely at her.

“What’s there to see?” The fat woman said rudely.

Huang Rong long had intentions of creating trouble, and she couldn’t have been happier now that the fat woman took the initiative to stir the rift. Halting the Little Red Horse and blocking the way, she grinned and said, “I’m admiring your slim figure, it’s really nice!” All of a sudden, she lifted the reins with a cry and the Little Red Horse charged straight at the sedan. Shocked, the two sedan-bearers dropped the sedan immediately and fled to the sides. The sedan toppled over and the fat woman came tumbling noisily out, landing right smack in the middle of the path. Her arms and legs flailed helplessly about, and she was unable to pick herself up. But Huang Rong had already halted the Little Red Horse and was now clapping her hands, howling with laughter. She had intended to ride away after this prank, but the fatty on the donkey brandished his mule whip and lashed it ferociously towards her.

He bellowed: “Where did this little witch pop up from?”

Lying horizontally spread across the path, an even worse slew of obscenities escaped the fat woman’s mouth.

Huang Rong caught the whip with her left hand and gave it a small tug, causing the fatty to tumble off his horse. Raising the whip, she lashed it towards him. The fat woman screamed loudly, “Female robber! Murder! She’s blocked our way and robbed us!” Unrelenting, Huang Rong pulled out her E’Mei Dagger and bent down. With a “chi” sound, blood splattered across the fat woman’s face and she shrieked like a dying pig. Her left ear had been sliced off.

This scared the living spirits out of the fatty and he immediately knelt, whimpering: “Mercy, big Lady King! I… I have silver!”

Huang Rong made a face. “Who wants your silver? Who is this woman?”

“She… She’s my wife! We… we… she went back to her mother’s house to visit.”

“Both of you are fat and robust, so why can’t you walk yourself? I can show mercy, but you just have to follow my orders.”

“Yes, yes,” he clamored. “We’ll obey Lady King’s orders.”

Huang Rong burst out laughing when she heard him address herself as ‘Lady King’, thinking it was a pretty interesting title. She said, “Where are the two sedan-bearers? Get inside the sedan – all three of you, together with that slave girl.”

Not daring to defy her, the three servants propped the fallen sedan back to balance and climbed inside. Thankfully, all three of them were thin and small-built so it wasn’t much of a squeeze. In fact, their combined mass might’ve even been smaller than that of the fat woman’s. At present, six pairs of eyes – the three servants’, Guo Jing’s and the fat couples’ – were fixed nervously on Huang Rong, not knowing what strange ideas she might have.

Huang Rong said, “You husband and wife have led a life of power and luxury, bullying the poor just because you have a little stinking money. Now that you’ve met the big ‘Lady King’, would you like to live or die?”

By this time, the fat woman had long stopped her wailing. With her left hand pressed firmly on the wound on the side of her face, she said together with her fat husband, “We want to live, we want to live! Please have mercy, Lady King!”

“All right,” said Huang Rong. “Today, it’s your turn to be the sedan-bearers. Lift up the sedan!”

The fat woman cried, “I… I only know how to sit in sedans; I don’t know how to carry them!”

A dagger flew past her, grazing the tip of her nose. Huang Rong shouted, “If you don’t carry the sedan, I’m going to slice off your nose.”

Thinking that her nose had already been sliced off, the fat woman shrieked, “Aiya, the pain is killing me!” Huang Rong shouted again, “Are you going to carry the sedan, or not?”

The fatty quickly lifted the sedan and said, “We’ll carry it, we’ll carry it!”

Left with no choice, the fat woman lowered her body and placed the end of the sedan pole on her shoulder, then stood upright again. Both husband and wife were truly sturdy and robust, having eaten plenty of tonics. They strode away with the sedan on their shoulders, looking like experienced sedan-bearers.

Huang Rong and Guo Jing cheered in unison, “Carried well!” They trailed behind the sedan on their horses for about 100 feet before Huang Rong urged her horse to sprint.

“Jing-ge-ge, let’s go!”

Together, they galloped swiftly and after a distance, turned back to look. They couldn’t help but burst out in peels of laughter at the sight. The fat couple was still walking with the sedan on their shoulders, not daring to put it down.

“That fat woman is both cruel and hideous, and is actually quite suitable. I originally wanted to capture her and give her to Qiu Chu Ji as a wife, but it’s too bad I can’t win that Bull-nose in a fight.”

“Why would you give her to Priest Qiu to be his wife?” Guo Jing asked, baffled. “He wouldn’t want it.”

“Of course he wouldn’t. But at the same time, why doesn’t he understand? You said you didn’t want to marry Miss Mu, but he still tried to force you to. Hmph, when one day I can defeat that Bull-nose Priest, I’ll force him to take a wicked and ugly woman as his wife and let him have a taste of being forced to marry!”

At this, Guo Jing’s smile faded and he was silent for a moment. Then he said, “Rong’er, Miss Mu is neither wicked or ugly. But I’ll still only take you as my wife.”

With a lovely smile, Huang Rong said, “Even if you don’t say it, I know.”

They continued their journey until the sudden sound of rushing water emerged from behind a row of trees. Huang Rong weaved her way past a big tree and gave a cry of delight. Guo Jing followed and saw that it was a clear stream, so clear that you could see the stream bed, made up of green, white, red and purple pebbles. Hanging willows graced both its banks, their branches lightly brushing the water surface, beneath which many fish swam freely. Huang Rong removed her outer robe and jumped into the water with a splash. Alarmed, Guo Jing went near the edge of the stream only to see both her hands raised high, grasping a green fish that was about 1 chi long. The fish wriggled desperately, struggling to escape. Huang Rong called out, “Catch!”

She threw the fish towards him. Displaying his seizing method, Guo Jing caught the fish. But the fish was extremely slippery and slid out of his hands immediately, lurching and flipping wildly on the ground.

Clapping and laughing, Huang Rong called, “Jing-ge-ge, come down and swim.” Having grown up in the desert, Guo Jing did not know how to swim and shook his head with a smile.

“Come down, I’ll teach you,” she urged.

Huang Rong looked like she was having a lot of fun in the water, so he removed his outer clothes and waded slowly down. But Huang Rong gave his leg a tug and he lost balance, falling and gulping down a few mouthfuls of water in panic. Huang Rong laughed as she helped him up, and began teaching him the technique of swimming. The essentials of the skill lay in regulating one’s breathing. Since Guo Jing was acquainted with internal energy practice techniques and proficient with breath regulation, it took him only half a day’s practice to get the hang of swimming. That night they slept by the bank of the stream, and early the next morning it was back to one teaching, one learning. Growing up on an island in the sea, Huang Rong had been proficient in aquatic skills since young. Be it literature or martial arts, there was nothing Huang Yao Shi did not excel in, yet his aquatic skills were far behind that of his daughter’s. Under the guidance of this brilliant instructor, Guo Jing spent 8-10 hours underwater every day. After 7 or 8 days had passed, he could swim up and down as he pleased; float and sink as he wished.

On this particular day, they had been swimming for hours and still their enthusiasm seemed boundless. They defied the current and had just swum a few li upstream when they heard the sound of falling water. Turning a bend, their eyes were greeted with what looked like flying pearls and sprinkling jade – it was actually a waterfall of a few hundred feet in height, with its large bodies of water spilling down ceaselessly from the cliff peak.

“Jing-ge-ge, let’s try and make it up to the cliff peak from the waterfall,” said Huang Rong.

“Okay, let’s give it a try. You’d better wear your Soft Hedgehog Armor.”

“No need!”

With a determined shout, the pair drilled their way into the waterfall. The current was extremely urgent – forget climbing up, they couldn’t even stand properly, and with a slight shift of their feet their bodies were rushed far, far away by the current. After a few unsuccessful attempts, they finally gave up in exhaustion. Feeling extremely discontented, Guo Jing said with rousing anger, “Rong’er, we’ll have a good rest tonight and come again tomorrow.”

Huang Rong said, laughing, “Okay! You needn’t get angry at the waterfall, though.”

Realizing he was being silly, Guo Jing laughed along. The next day they tried again, and this time managed to climb over 10 feet. Fortunately, both were proficient in their lightness skill (qing gong) and every time they were rushed down by the water, they only fell into the deep waterfall an