ad all fled. No others remained on Peach Blossom Island than some mute servants. No one had therefore spoke to the girl of the things that happened between men and women. Since that she had met Guo Jing, she felt a joy and an unspeakable softness in his company, a melancholy and an unbearable solitudes when she was separated of him even for an instant. She believed that to be husband and wife meant nothing more than never to part from each other, that was why for so long she had considered Guo Jing as her husband, without knowing the nature of conjugal relations.

Her question therefore put Qi Gong in great difficulty.

” To violate the body of the virgins,” the girl insisted, ” this is to kill them?”

” No,” Qi Gong responded, ” when a woman undergoes a such outrages, this is sometimes more painful than the death itself. The proverb says: «To be dishonoured is grave, to die of hunger is nothing». That says well what I want to say…”

Huang Rong did not understand not yet:

” Does that mean to cut the ears or the nose with a knife?”

” Peuh!” said Qi Gong, bothered, ” not at all! Little imp, you better ask your mother when you get back home…”

” My mother is dead…”

” Ah!” said the beggar. ” Then you will understand after your wedding night with our silly young fellow!”

Huang Rong reddened, understanding at last that it was a matter of shameful things. She said softly:

” If you do not want to explain, so worse… Therefore, you fell on the old monster in the process of committing this evil deed, than itself is it passed then?”

Qi Gong, relieved to see that she did not put anymore embarrassing questions, continued:

” Well, I intervened, that’s right. I caught this rascal, I gave him a good thrashing and pulled out all his hair! After, I obliged it to bring back these girls at their place and to promise solemnly that he would not recommence ever again. If I resumed it to do that, he would regret ever having been born! It would seem that, for all these years, he never broke his promise, that’s the reason why I spared him today. He said then, goodness, did his hair grow back?”

” Oh yes! said Huang Rong while bursting out laughing. Pull out all the hair of the head, that would have been really funny!”

All three finished the meal.

“Qi Gong,” Huang Rong then said, ” now, even if you wanted to give me this bamboo stick, I wouldn’t want it. But we cannot anyway to remain close to you all our lives! Now, what if we come across this Liang fellow, and he says to us: “Well, little brat, last time, you sheltered yourself under the name of Grand Master Hong and you hit me with his bamboo stick, today I’m going to avenge myself: I will pull out you all your hair!” That will we do then? When my Jing fought with him, his one and only blow, “Resisting the Dragon Means Regret”, that is of course powerful, but that means little all the same, no? I am sure that Liang said in his heart: ” Grandmaster Hong has gongfu of an infinite power, but when it begins teaching to a disciple, this is really not that terrible!”

” I know well,” said Qi Gong, ” that you hurl all these stupidities, provoking and threatening, so that I’ll sign off all my skills to you two! Well, so long that you get ready some good dishes for me, I won’t disappoint you.”

Huang Rong, delighted, took Qi Gong by the hand to go in the pine wood.

Qi Gong imparted then to Guo Jing the second blow of the «Eighteen Dragon-Mastering Palms», called ” Flying Dragon in the Heavens”. In this blow, it was necessary to jump in the air and strike from the top down, an extremely powerful attack. Guo Jing took three days to assimilate it. During these three days, Qi Gong took the snack occasion to about ten more delicious placement them a than the others. Huang Rong, for its part, asked nothing from him for herself; provided that he consented to teach her loved one, she was more than enough satisfied.

In the space of a month, Qi Gong had taught to Guo Jing fifteen of the «Eighteen Dragon-Mastering Palms», from “Resisting the Dragon Means Regret” to “Sighting the Dragon in the Field”.

These “Eighteen Dragon-Mastering Palms” were Qi Gong’s ultimate skills. He had originally learned them from his Shifu, instrumental invented himself. The number of blows of course was limited, but each of them was full of exceptional power. At the time of the first Huashan tournament, when the five supreme Masters had measured themselves, these Eighteen Palms were not completely up to the mark, but they had already given rise to respect and general admiration. Thereafter, Qi Gong often had expressed his regrets: if he had concentrated all his efforts to perfect this technique some years earlier, the title of “First in the Martial World” might not have been fallen to the grandmaster of the Quanzhen Sect, Wang Chongyang, but to himself!

At first, Qi Gong had no intention to pass on more than two or three of these Eighteen Palms to Guo Jing, which would already have far sufficed for him to defend himself. But Huang Rong was really an unparalleled cook; every day she prepared new dishes of exceptional taste, never repeating herself, and the old beggar could not resolve himself to leave. So, day after day, he ended up teaching the fifteen blows. Guo Jing did not understand quickly, but the little that he learned, he retained, and repeated day and night, working with determination, so well that he achieved a good mastery of the fifteen blows, lacking no more in power than time and practice alone could give to him. Thus, in a little more of a month, his gongfu had achieved such progress that he was no longer the same person!

That morning, after breakfast, Qi Gong said, while sighing:

” My children, we’ve been together for more of a month, it’s time we took leave of each other.”

” Ah, but no,” protested Huang Rong. ” I have many more small dishes for your taste…”

” There is not endless banquets, but there is an infinity of dishes… I never have, of all my life, taught anybody for more than three days. This time, I’ve done that for more than thirty days! If this continues, it’ll be a catastrophe!”

” How’s that?”

” Well, you will strip me of all that I know!”

” You’ve started a good work, why not go to the end! Teach him therefore the Eighteen Palms, that would be an accomplishment!”

” Peuh, that would be an accomplishment for you two, but not for me…”

Huang Rong, full of worry, wondered what strategems she could invent to get Qi Gong to teach the three remaining blows to Guo Jing, but the old beggar did not give her the time: hitching his gourd over the back again, he left without speaking further.

Guo Jing chased after him, but Qi Gong went so quickly that he had disappeared in a wink. The young man raced to the pines and cried, “Qi Gong, Qi Gong!” Huang Rong had followed him and joined her cries to his.

Sudden, a shadow arose from the pines, it was Qi Gong, who addressed them angrily:

That do You Have, dirty kids, to stick me to the truss? If you want me to teach you more, this is absolutely impossible!

” You have already taught us too much,” said Guo Jing. ” I am more than satisfied, how could I wish to want more? It’s only that I did not thank you once again for your kindness!”

He knelt then and kowtowed, striking the ground with his forehead, several times.

Qi Gong paled:

” Stop,” he cried, ” That which I taught you, is nothing other than a suitable payment for the small dishes that she prepared for me. There has never been a relationship of master and disciple between us!”

At that, he knelt also and himself kowtowed in front of Guo Jing. Stunned, he attempted to kowtow again, but Qi Gong extended a hand and touched on a point under the armpit of the young man, who remained petrified, legs half bent. The beggar released him only after to have prostrated itself four times in front of him:

” Remember, you,” he cautioned, ” Never mention that you kowtowed to me and that you are my disciple!”

Understanding that he had a stubborn character, Guo Jing didn’t attempt to contradict him.

” Qi Gong,” sighed Huang Rong, ” you were so good for us, now we must part. I had the intention to prepare you again small dishes, when we would review ourselves, but… Unfortunately… I fear that this be not anymore possible… “

” And why not?” Qi Gong asked.

” Many people want to do evil to us… leaving aside that old monster Immortal Ginseng, there are many more evildoers! One day, we will end up dying at their hands!”

” What is death?” Qi Gong said with a smile. ” Everyone must die one day.”

” Of course,” replied Huang Rong while shaking the head, ” it’s not a big deal to die, but I’m scared that they would capture me and, learning that I received your teaching and that I cooked for you, they would force me to do them all these flat vouchers that I prepared you. This would be a stain on your reputation!”

Qi Gong knew well that the girl was trying to trick more skills out of him, but, at the thought that someone might force her to cook, while himself could not taste these succulent dishes, he couldn’t prevent himself from feeling great anger.

“Who are these villains that scare you?” he demanded.

” There is,” replied Huang Rong, ” a certain old monster of the Yellow River, Sha Tongtian. He eats in such a disgusting way! What a shame it would be for him to have my delicious dishes!”

” There’s no need to fear Sha Tongtian!” said Qi Gong while shaking his head. ” In one or two years, this dummy Guo Jing will be stronger than him. There’s nothing to fear…”

Huang Rong mentioned again the Tibetan monk Ling Zhi and Peng Lianhu. To which Qi Gong replied again: ” Nothing to fear!”

But when Huang Rong mentioned the young master of White Camel Peak, Ouyang Ke, Qi Gong seemed taken aback. He questioned her on the techniques and moves of this new opponent, before nodding his head:

” That’s indeed him!”

In front of the seriousness of his face, the girl s’inquiéta herself:

” He’s very powerful, isn’t that right?”

” There’s nothing to fear from Ouyang Ke!” said Qi Gong. ” It’s his uncle, the old Venom, that is fearsome.”

” The old Venom? But no matter how fearsome, he cannot be stronger than you, isn’t that right?”

Qi Gong didn’t reply. He thought for a while, before he stated:

” At the time, we were equals. But that was twenty years ago… For those twenty years, he’s surely trained harder than me, who’s lazy and gluttonous. Huh, but to beat this old beggar, nonetheless, won’t be easy… “

” Then he certainly can’t beat you!”

” We will see,” said Qi Gong, shaking his head. ” Good, since the nephew of the old Venom, Ouyang Feng, is after your head, we must be careful. I will eat of your cooking for fifteen days. But let’s make one thing clear: if, during these fifteen days, you present the same dish to me twice, I’ll get up and say good-bye…”

Huang Rong was delighted. She was decided to give the measure of all sound talent: thus, not only she never repeated the same dish, but she proposed even infinite variations in the accompaniment in noodles and rice, in different takings to every meals: fried doughnuts to the frying pan, steamed stuffed dough boulettes, ravioli to the vapor, flat noodles in broth, Cantonese rice, soft rice, rice cake slimy, Rice, tofu, etc. Qi Gong, for his part, himself took pains to teach the two young people the art to adapt itself to all the fight positions, to react and to better defend themselves. Only, he never taught the three blows lacking in the « Eighteen Dragon-Mastering Palms». Guo Jing deepened of course his mastery of the fifteen blows, but he increased equally in the power of all the martial arts he had learned with the Jiangnan Odd Six. Qi Gong had, before the age of thirty-five, practiced a very diversified gongfu, learning innumerable fist techniques and of palm, among which ones he deliberately chose bizarre types for Huang Rong, but it was just as a joke. These techniques were beautiful to look at, but their real effectiveness in battle were far inferior to the fifteen Palms, simple and direct. Huang Rong herself looked only to have fun, without really to invest herself in this apprenticeship.

As dawn arose the next day, Guo Jing was already in the forest practicing the first move of “The 18-Dragon Subduing Palms,” “The Proud Dragon Shows Remorse.” He began to sweat heavily after 20 minutes of drilling but felt encouraged by his progress. Then he heard voices approaching him.

“Master, we walked over 30 miles this time, right?” one voice said.

“Yes, your endurance has improved slightly,” the other voice said.

The spoken dialects sounded familiar to Guo Jing. Soon, four people came into view, lead by a young man with white hair. He was none other than Guo Jing’s greatest foe, Liang Ziweng, the immortal ginseng fairy.

Silently cursing, Guo Jing turned to run away, but Liang Ziweng already recognized him. “Where can you run?” he said as he and his disciples began their pursuit. They broke up into three groups to catch Guo Jing.

“If I can get out of the forest and make it back to the inn, I’ll be safe,” Guo Jing thought as he started running faster.

Liang Ziweng’s top disciple intercepted Guo Jing, crossed his palms and shouted, “Little thief, kneel to me!” Using a powerful technique taught by his master, the disciple tried to grab Guo Jing’s chest.

As he shouted back, Guo Jing slightly crouched, bent his right arm and made a circle with his right palm, beginning, for the first time outside of practice, “The Proud Dragon Shows Remorse.”

The top disciple felt the powerful force approach, so he changed his attack and grabbed at Guo Jing’s arm, hoping that would stop the palm. Instead, he lost consciousness as his arm broke and his body was thrown six to seven feet away.

Guo Jing couldn’t imagine he possessed so much power. He stared in shock before starting to run again.

Startled and angry, the immortal ginseng fairy jumped out of the forest. When Guo Jing finally emerged from the trees, he found Liang Ziweng standing in front of him. He immediately crouched, bent his arm and made a circle with his palm, executing “The Proud Dragon Shows Remorse” once more. Although Liang Ziweng did not recognize the move, he threw himself to the ground to escape its pure, powerful force. Guo Jing took his chance and ran. When Liang Ziweng began his pursuit again, Guo Jing had already reached the inn.

“Huang Rong! Huang Rong!” Guo Jing yelled. “That evil man is here to drink my blood!”

When Huang Rong came out of the inn, she saw that it really was Liang Ziweng. “How did this old, strange man get here?” she thought. “Well, this is a good chance to test out my ‘Wandering Strides’ kung fu.”

“Brother Jing, don’t be afraid of this strange, old man,” she said. “You start the fight, and I’ll come help you. We’ll make him suffer.”

“Rong-er doesn’t understand how powerful this strange, old man is,” Guo Jing thought. “That’s why she’s so relaxed.” He attacked.

Recalling what happened before, Liang Ziweng recognized the force being thrown at him as “The Proud Dragon Shows Remorse,” so he twisted his body out of the way. But the palm slightly brushed across his right arm, burning him painfully. Guo Jing’s unimaginable improvement in just a month convinced Liang Ziweng that the blood of the venomous snake really did bestow miraculous powers. He was filled with even more anger as he attacked again.

Guo Jing once again used “The Proud Dragon Shows Remorse.”

Liang Ziweng saw he could not stop the fierce attack. But then he observed Guo Jing never followed up the stance with another, accompanying strike. His fear quickly dwindled.

“You little idiot,” he said. “Is that the only move you know?”

“You can’t resist my only move,” Guo Jing said without thinking. Then he once again used “The Proud Dragon Shows Remorse.”

But Liang Ziweng jumped out of the way and landed behind Guo Jing. Guo Jing turned on a dime and threw the palm again, but Liang Ziweng leapt behind him once more. After three more rounds, Guo Jing felt tired and confused.

Seeing him about to lose, Huang Rong said, “Brother Jing, let me fight.”

Huang Rong leapt into the middle of the fight as Guo Jing once again unleashed “The Proud Dragon Shows Remorse.” Liang Ziweng leapt away from both attackers. In the meantime, Guo Jing retreated two steps to watch Huang Rong fight the immortal ginseng fairy.

Although Huang Rong learned the mysterious “Wandering Strides,” she had just absorbed the knowledge and therefore did not possess absolute mastery. Against Liang Ziweng, whose skill level was far superior, she held her own because she was wearing the soft-hedgehog armor, which protected her from injury. Nevertheless, before she could complete all 36 moves of the “Wandering Strides” style, Liang Ziweng forced her into a bad position.

His two junior disciples, supporting their injured elder disciple brother, saw their master on the verge of victory and cheered him on.

Guo Jing prepared himself to help Huang Rong with an immediate strike, but Hong Qigong’s voice emanated from the window.

“His next move is ‘The Vicious Dog Blocks the Way,’” he said.

Surprised, Huang Rong noticed Liang Ziweng’s legs were spread in the horse stance with both his fists forming “The Evil Tiger Blocks the Road.” She couldn’t help but giggle at how Hong Qigong changed the name of “The Evil Tiger Blocks the Road” to “The Vicious Dog Blocks the Way.” Then she wondered about how he managed to predict the stance.

“Here comes ‘The Smelly Snake Drinks the Water,’” Hong Qigong said.

Huang Rong knew he meant “The Black Dragon Drinks the Water,” a fierce frontal attack that exposed the back. By the time Hong Qigong finished speaking, Huang Rong had circled around Liang Ziweng, putting him in the position of defender instead of attacker. But with his profound abilities, he managed to escape from danger by changing mid-movement and flying away. When he landed on his feet, he angrily shouted at the window, “Why won’t the venerable master come out?”

He received no response. “How can this person predict my stances?” he thought.

Knowing that she possessed a powerful master on her side, Huang Rong fearlessly took the initiative and attacked. Liang Ziweng responded with a ferocious blow. Huang Rong knew she was in danger when she felt the powerful force approach.

“Do not fear,” Hong Qigong said. “He will use ‘The Little Monkey with the Rotten Bottom Climes the Trees!’”

Huan Rong giggled as she saw Liang Ziweng lift his fists and strike downwards with tremendous strength. He was indeed preparing for “The Ape Climbs the Trees.” He jumped up into the air to strike Huang Rong, but she positioned her fist in such a way that if Liang Ziweng continued his jump, his head would be hit by her first. He had to change immediately. When an opponent approaches an enemy who has predicted what his next move will be and cannot change, then he will suffer a great defeat. Luckily for Liang Ziweng, his level of accomplishment in the martial arts was so much higher than Huang Rong’s that he could quickly escape from his precarious position.

With another move broken apart, Liang Ziweng jumped away from the fight and shouted at the window, “If you don’t show yourself, brother, then it’s no wonder that I won’t be merciful to this girl.”

Liang Ziweng then attacked with stances that quickly flowed into one another like the pouring rain in a violent storm — a new blow starting before the prior one finished. Huang Rong was pushed back by the flood as Hong Qicong could no longer shout out the moves early enough time for her to react.

Not being able to bear watching Huang Rong in a state of confusion as she dodged frantically, Guo Jing once again unleashed “The Proud Dragon Shows Remorse” and forced Liang Ziweng to end his deluge and jump away.

“Brother Jing, attack him again three more times,” Huang Rong said as she went back into the inn.

Guo Jing simply waited for Liang Ziweng to attack and, without any logic, returned all of the immortal ginseng fairy’s stances with “The Proud Dragon Shows Remorse.”

Both angry and amused, Liang Ziweng thought, “I don’t know where this dumb kid learned this move, but no matter what I do, he uses it.”

Although Guo Jing only knew this one move, Liang Ziweng couldn’t tell for certain if Guo Jing actually knew more. The two men stood a few meters apart, motionless and rigid.

“Little fool, here I come!” Liang Ziweng said as he suddenly jumped into the air and attacked.

Guo Jing threw out his palm. Unexpectedly, Liang Ziweng twisted mid-air, raising his right hand to release three separate attacks to the top, the middle and bottom of the body. Guo Jing quickly dodged, but Liang Ziweng took advantage of the situation and grabbed Guo Jin’s throat with a hand as fast lightning.

Startled, Guo Jing elbowed Liang Ziweng, but he felt like he just hit a wad of cotton.

Liang Ziweng prepared to deliver a killing blow, when he heard Huang Rong shout, “Old man, look at what I have!”

Aware of her cunning, Liang Ziweng grasped Guo Jing tightly before turning around to see Huang Rong approaching with a bamboo stick, greener than the finest jade.

“Hong … Master Hong,” he said shakily.

“And yet you still don’t release him?” Huang Rong said.

When Liang Ziweng first heard the voice from the window predict his movies, he never expected it would be Hong Qicong, but once the bamboo stick appeared, he remembered the timbre of the voice and the dialect. He realized it was the man he feared the most, so he immediately released Guo Jing.

With both her hands holding the bamboo stick, Huang Rong said, “Qicong wants to know why you dared to cause trouble around here.”

Liang Ziweng knelt and said, “This nobody really didn’t know Master Hong was here. Even with all the courage in the world, I wouldn’t have come if I knew Master Hong was here.”

Huang Rong thought to herself secretly, “ This person is so highly skilled, yet is scared out of his wits when he hears Qi Gong’s name. And why does he address Qi Gong as Leader Hong?”

However, Huang Rong maintained a neutral expression and said, “ How do you plead guilty?”

Liang Ziwong answered, “ Lady, please put in a few good words for me, tell Leader Hong that I know my wrongdoings and plead for him to spare my life.”

Huang Rong answered, “ I can put in a good word for you, but to put in a few good words is tough. You must never try to find trouble with both of us again.”

Liang Ziwong answered, “ Humble one here was ignorant in the past and offended Lady and Sir, please forgive me. I wouldn’t dream of doing it again.”

Huang Rong was pleased and smiled, she pulled Guo Jing’s arm and led him back into the hut. They saw four big dishes in front of Hong Qi Gong, whose left hand held a wine cup and right hand, a pair of chopsticks and was enjoying his meal.

Huang Rong laughed, “ Qi Gong, he’s quietly kneeling there and doesn’t even dare move a bit.”

Hong Qi Gong answered, “ You can beat him up to let loose your anger and he’ll not fight back.”

Guo Jing looked out of the window and saw Liang Ziwong kneeling straightly and three of his disciples behind him were doing the same. He thought it a pitiful sight, didn’t bear to do it and said, “ Qi Gong, just spare him.”

Qi Gong scolded, “ Useless Bum, people beat you up and you do nothing to resist. I saved you and yet you ask me to spare them. What is the meaning of this?”

Guo Jing remained silent.

Huang Rong laughed, “ I’ll beat him then!”

She took the bamboo stick and walked out of the hut. Seeing a frightened Liang Ziwong kneeling in an upright position, she scolded, “ Qi Gong says you go round creating havoc and was going to deal with you today. Luckily my brother Jing is kind enough to plead for Qi Gong to spare your life.” Speaking, she raised the bamboo stick high and brought it slapping down onto his butt. She then said, “ You can leave.”

Liang Ziwong spoke through the window, “Leader Hong, a million thanks for sparing my life.”

There was no response from the hut and Liang Ziwong did not dare move. After a while, Guo Jing came out and waved his arms, “ Qi Gong is asleep, don’t disturb him.”

Liang Ziwong then stood up, glared at Huang Rong and Guo Jing before leaving with his disciples.

Huang Rong was delighted, she walked into the hut and saw Qi Gong leaning on the table. She immediately pulled his arm and said, “ Qi Gong, Qi Gong, your precious stick is so powerful. Since you don’t use it…why not give it to me?”

Hong Qi Gong raised from the table, stretched and laughed, “ You are so highly skilled, people only have to hear your voice and they’ll be afraid, what use has this stick to you?” He smiled, “ Silly lass, hurry and prepare some nice dishes for me and I’ll slowly tell you the story.”

Huang Rong obeyed and went to prepare three dishes. Hong Qi Gong lifted a wine cup with his left hand and took a drumstick with his right hand and slowly savored it before saying, “ There are different species of animals and plants and there are different groups of people. There are those who love wealth, there are those who rob and there are those like me who beg for scraps of leftover food…”

Huang Rong clapped her hands and said, “ I know, I know already! That Liang creature called you ‘Leader Hong’, so you must be the leader of the beggar sect.”

Hong Qi Gong answered, “ Yes. We people who beg for food are often bullied by people and bitten by dogs, if we do not unite as one, how on earth do we survive? The north is controlled by the Jins and the south is controlled by the Song emperor, but all the beggars on this earth…”

Huang Rong cut in, “ Be it north or south are all under you!”

Hong Qi Gong smiled and nodded before continuing, “ Yes. This stick and wine bottle has been the trademark of the beggar sect leader, ever since a few hundred years ago, even before the start of the Tang dynasty, It’s like the golden seal of the emperor’s.”

Huang Rong stuck out her tongue and said, “ Luckily you didn’t give it to me.”

Hong Qi Gong asked, “ Why?”

Huang Rong said, “ Imagine how troublesome it would be if all the little beggars of the world come and find me and ask me to solve their problems.”

Hong Qi Gong sighed, “ Yes, you are right. I’m lazy by nature so it is troublesome to be the leader of the beggars, but they couldn’t find a suitable candidate, so I had to accept the responsibility.”

Huang Rong said, “ That’s why that Liang creature was so afraid of you, since it’ll be terrible if all the beggars in the world come finding him. If every beggar picks a flea from their body and puts it on his head, imagine how itchy he’ll be.”

Hong Qi Gong and Guo Jing burst out laughing and after a while, Hong Qi Gong said, “He’s afraid of me not because of that.”

Huang Rong asked hurriedly, “Then why is he afraid of you?”

Hong Qi Gong said, “ About twenty years ago, he did an evil thing which was discovered by me.”

Huang Rong asked, “ What was it?”

Hong Qi Gong said, “ This old creature believed some superstitious nonsense and kidnapped many virgins and violated them, believing that it’ll help him attain immortality.”

Huang Rong asked, “How do you violate a virgin?”

Since her mother died after a difficult labor, Huang Rong was brought up by her father. After Chen Xuan Feng and Mei Chao Feng betrayed Huang Yao Shi and eloped, the latter under a moment’s fury, severed the limbs of his other disciples and chased them out of the island. Only a few mute servants were left on peach blossom island. Huang Rong had never known anything about the relationships between man and woman. Ever since she had been together with Guo Jing, she always felt an unexplainable happiness and sweetness in her heart. She would feel lonely and sad whenever Guo Jing was not with her. Therefore, she thought that as long as she and Guo Jing were always together, they will be like husband and wife and thus, Huang Rong always thought Guo Jing to be her husband. But she didn’t know anything about the sensual relations a couple had on the night of their wedding. Her question thus placed Hong Qi Gong in an awkward position.

Huang Rong asked again, “ To violate them, is it to kill them?”

Hong Qi Gong said, “ No. When a girl receives violation of this sort, it is even worse than death, as the saying goes, ‘ To lose one’s honor is a grave issue as compared to just starving to death’.”

Huang Rong still did not understand and asked, “ Is it to use a knife to chop off their ears and nose?”

Hong Qi Gong laughed but scolded, “ Peh! It’s not that either. Silly lass, go home and ask your mother.”

Huang Rong answered, “ My mother’s long dead.”

Hong Qi Gong let out an “Ah” and said, “ You’ll understand when you go through your marriage night with this dumb boy.”

Huang Rong reddened and pouted, “ It’s alright if you don’t want to tell me.” She then realized that it’s a touchy subject and asked, “ What happened after you found out what that Liang creature was doing?”

Hong Qi Gong saw that she wasn’t probing into that matter anymore and thus asserted his stern torn again and sighed, “ Then I naturally had to do something. I caught that fella and beat him up. I pulled off all his white hair and forced him to return those girls to their homes. After that, I forced him to swear that he would not do such stuff again and if I caught him doing it, he’ll meet a fate worse than death. I heard that he didn’t create trouble these couple of years and therefore spared his life today. Damn it, has his hair grown back?”

Huang Rong laughed and said, “ It has grown back! But imagine how terribly painful it was for him to have all his hair torn out.”

After the three finished eating, Huang Rong said, “ Qi Gong, now even if you give me that stick, I wouldn’t dare take it. But we cannot be together with you forever right? If we see that Liang creature again in the future and he says, “ Alright you little rascal, you used Leader’s Hong stick to hit me i