On Tiezhang Peak.

Original translation by Foxs

At this time Lu Youjiao was having a debate with the other 3 elders. He said, “We have yet to learn the truth, so we should question them in more detail to determine the fate of our Clan Leader.” The Clean-Faction 3rd Elder said, “We have already established our new Clan Leader, how can we change that at our whim? The rules established on the founding of our Clan states that we must never disobey the orders of our Clan Leader.” The 4 Elders were having a heated argument. Lu Youjiao’s fingers were broken and he bit his teeth to bear the pain but showed no sign of backing down. The Clean-Faction 3rd Elder made a hand sign and walked over to Yang Kang. Elder Peng said loudly, “We only trust Leader Yang. This evil girl helped cause the death of Leader Hong and cunningly escaped death, yet she’s still here talking rubbish. Don’t pay attention to her. Brothers, let’s torture her till she confesses.” Guo Jing jumped up and shouted, “Who dares touch her?” No one dared make a move on seeing his imposing figure. Qiu Qianren and his followers stood a distance away as they stood on the fence, taking delight in the Beggars’ Clan’s internal conflict. Huang Rong said clearly, “Leader Hong is now in the palace in Lin’an enjoying the Imperial Chef’s food and is unable to reveal his identity. Hence he tasked me with the responsibility of this Clan’s Leadership. When he’s done savouring the food, he will naturally return.” All the members of the Beggars’ Clan knew about Hong Qigong’s gluttony and felt there was much truth in her words, but still could hardly believe that such a young lass could be their new Leader.

Huang Rong continued, “This thief of the Jin Kingdom conspired with the Iron Palm Sect to harm me and steal the Clan Leader’s Dog-Beating Stick, yet you people don’t attempt to shed light on the truth? Our 4 Elders are very experienced and knowledgeable, yet how was it possible for them to fail to see through such a simple ploy?” When they heard her, the clan members looked at their 4 Elders with doubt.

At this point Yang Kang could only stubbornly maintain his stand, saying, “You claim that Leader Hong is still alive, so why did he want you to be the Clan Leader? How do you prove your claim?” Huang Rong waved the bamboo stick, saying, “This is the Clan Leader’s Dog-Beating Stick, isn’t this proof enough?” Yang Kang laughed loudly, “Ha ha, this was originally mine and you snatched it away in front of everyone just moments ago. What ‘proof’ is this?” Huang Rong smiled, “If Leader Hong handed the Dog-Beating Stick to you, why didn’t he teach you the Dog-Beating Skill too? If he did, how could I have snatched the Dog-Beating Stick from you?” When Yang Kang heard her mention the ‘Dog-Beating Stick’ 4 times, he felt that she made a blunder and he bellowed, “This is the token of authority of this Clan; what ‘Dog-Beating Stick’? How dare you insult the treasure of this Clan?” He thought that his words could please the Beggars’ Clan members but he was unaware that this stick was actually called the ‘Dog-Beating Stick’. The 2 beggars with him deeply respected the Dog-Beating Stick and did not dare mention the name to him during their journey. Yang Kang had clearly showed his ignorance on the bamboo stick’s name, and the Clan members all glared at him with displeasure. Yang Kang realized that he had said something wrong but could never have guessed that his mistake lay in the fact that the immensely important bamboo stick did actually have such an uncouth name. Huang Rong smiled, “Treasure? Take it if you like.” She held the stick out for him.

Yang Kang was delighted and wanted to take it but was afraid of Guo Jing. Elder Peng said, “Leader, we’ll protect you. Take it first.” Yang Kang jumped up with Elder Jian and Elder Liang. Lu Youjiao saw that Huang Rong was alone and jumped up too. He thought, “Though my fingers are broken, I still have my legs. My name Lu Youjiao (Lu Has Legs) is not for nothing.”

Huang Rong gallantly handed the bamboo stick over to Yang Kang. He was wary of her and made sure his vital organs were protected before taking the stick. Huang Rong let go of the stick and laughed, “Are you holding it tightly yet?” Yang Kang said sharply, “What?” Huang Rong suddenly laid her left hand on the stick and shot her leg up. She tossed the stick down and said, “Once you’ve held it properly, I’ll snatch it again.” Elder Jian waved his sleeve and retrieved the stick. This move was clean and fast, and the beggars around cheered. Elder Jian then handed it back to Yang Kang. He gripped it and thought, “Unless you chop off my hand, you’re not going to snatch it again.”

Huang Rong laughed, “When Chief Hong handed this stick to you, didn’t he teach you to hold it properly so that others wouldn’t snatch it easily?” The crowd laughed as Elder Jian and Elder Liang moved in front of Yang Kang. Elder Jian’s leg moved out as he tried to grab her but Huang Rong used a leaping technique from Hong Qigong’s ‘Carefree Boxing’. She moved like a swallow, causing Elder Jian to grab thin air even though he was so close to her. His heart trembled slightly just as he heard the bamboo stick swishing towards their legs. The 2 Elders jumped away to avoid the strike. Huang Rong laughed, “Pardon me, but the name of this stroke is ‘Rod Hitting 2 Dogs’!” Her white sleeve floated as she stood at the edge, the bright green bamboo stick glowing radiantly in her hand. This time she had moved even faster and no one could see what strokes she used. Guo Jing cheered, “Who did Chief Hong teach the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’ now? Isn’t this clear enough?” The beggars gathered around had seen her snatch the stick trice, each time faster than the previous, and they started debating among themselves. Lu Youjiao said clearly, “Brothers, this lady’s strokes are indeed from our Chief’s martial arts.” The 3 Elders looked at each other. Knowing Hong Qigong for so many years, they knew that it was indeed from his martial arts. Elder Jian said, “Since she’s our old Chief’s disciple, it’s natural that she knows some of his skills.” Lu Youjiao said, “We also know that the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’ is taught exclusively to our Clan Leaders only.” Elder Jian laughed coldly, “That lass learnt some weapon-snatching skills, and though she’s pretty good, how can it be proven that this is actually the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’?”

Lu Youjiao also had his doubts and said, “OK, young lady, please display the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’ for all to see, and if it’s really genuine, all the beggars will be convinced.” Elder Jian said, “We’ve all heard about this skill, but none of us has actually seen it in action. How do we know if it’s genuine?” Lu Youjiao asked, “What do you suggest?” Elder Jian clapped his hands and said loudly, “If this lady is able to defeat my ‘Pork Palms’ with the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’, I shall recognize her as our Chief. Should I have any 2nd thoughts, may my body be pierced with a thousand knives and arrows.” Lu Youjiao protested, “Hey, you’re a top expert in this Clan with your name known in Jiang Hu for 20 years now. How old is this lady? She’s new to this skill, how can she be a match for your decades of experience?” As they were arguing, Elder Liang became impatient and jumped towards Huang Rong, shouting, “The truth about the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’ shall be known now! En garde!” His sabre chopped trice through the air, the cold light glinting on the blade. The chops were fast and fierce, yet they avoided her body with the accuracy of an expert. Huang Rong stuffed the bamboo stick in her belt and without moving her feet, she avoided the chops. She laughed, “With you, why do I need the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’?” Her left hand started her stroke while her right hand tried to snatch his sabre with brute force.

Elder Liang was a well-known figure, so he was furious that such a young inexperienced girl did not take him seriously. He immediately chopped towards her shoulder using his special move. Elder Jian no longer felt any enmity towards Huang Rong and instead thought that there was more to it then it met the eye, so on seeing Elder Liang’s ferocity, he cautioned, “Elder Liang, don’t apply lethal force!” Huang Rong laughed, “It’s OK!” Her motion changed abruptly, punching and kicking, pushing and jabbing, changing between more than 10 different martial arts in rapid succession.

The beggars around glued their eyes to the action. An 8-Pocket skinny beggar shouted, “Ah! ‘Lotus Palms’!” The fat beggar then exclaimed, “Eh, she knows the ‘Bronze Hammer Boxing’!” Before he finished, she changed martial arts again, and the experts each exclaimed, “Ah it’s the Chief’s ‘Sky-Striking Skill’.” “Hey, she’s using the ‘Iron-Curtain Kicking Technique’!” “This move is ‘Limp Hands Overcoming the Enemy’!”

Hong Qigong was actually a lazy person who disliked taking martial disciples. It was only when the Beggars’ Clan members made some important contribution that he would teach 1 or 2 strokes as a reward. Even when Li Sheng (see Chapter 15) performed his duties without regard for his life, Hong Qigong only taught him one of the strokes of the ’18 Dragon Subduing Palms’ – the ‘Divine Dragon Displays its Tail’. Hong Qigong also had another habit where he would not teach the same stroke to more than 1 person, so whatever the Beggars’ Clan members learnt would not share any common ground. It was only due to Huang Rong’s intelligence and fantastic culinary skills that pleased him into teaching her dozens of different martial arts. But because she loved to play, she only learnt a few strokes each. Besides, Hong Qigong was too lazy to train her properly, so Huang Rong could only display the skills without the finesse. Still, her purpose was just to display the martial arts Hong Qigong taught her, and the beggars exclaimed when they saw that it was something they knew. Elder Liang’s sabre skills were far better than Huang Rong’s; it was due to her rapid change in martial arts that momentarily dazzled him, preventing him from attacking and forcing him to defend himself.

As the sabre flashed, Huang Rong suddenly withdrew her palms to her side and laughed, “Do you admit defeat?” Elder Liang had yet to use all his stances, why should he admit defeat? His sabre flipped outwards from his bosom. Huang Rong did not evade the strike, causing the beggars around to call out in surprise as the sabre flew towards her. Elder Jian and Lu Youjiao shouted for him to stop. Elder Liang also knew something was not right and hastily tried to pull the sabre upwards, but could not pull back in time and it hit her left shoulder. He groaned silently, “Oh no!” The force behind the strike was not very light and he felt that he must have injured her. Suddenly his arm went numb and the sabre hit the ground with a clang. Little did he know that Huang Rong was wearing the Soft Armour and that she seized the opportunity when he hesitated with his strike to tap his accupoint using her family’s ‘Flower-Plucking Hands’. She stepped on the sabre and smiled, “Well?” Elder Liang was so certain that he injured her in his strike that he was shocked by this sudden turn of events and wordlessly stepped away. Yang Kang said, “She’s Huang Yao Shi’s daughter, so there’s nothing strange about her wearing the Soft Armour.” Elder Jian creased his eyebrows in doubt. Huang Rong laughed, “You don’t believe it?” Lu Youjiao observed that though her martial arts were good, she was still far behind Elder Liang. If not for her trick, she could only hope for a draw at best. Elder Jian was much better than Elder Liang and she was not his match, yet she was still giggling indifferently. Lu Youjiao was worried but the pain in his broken fingers was preventing him from speaking as he sweated profusely. Elder Jian lifted his head and said, “Miss, allow me to spar with you!” Guo Jing saw his imposing figure and solid steps and also knew Huang Rong was not his match, so he picked up the bundled cow skin and rushed forward. He tossed it out and wrapped it around Elder Jian’s bronze staff (which Qiu Qianren lodged in the stone) and shouted, “Up!” The staff trembled and jerked upwards. The staff was facing Elder Jian but Guo Jing dashed in between and struck out with the ‘Six Dragon Palms’ and hit it from the side. This was one of the strokes from the ’18 Dragon Subduing Palms’ and its force was something to be reckoned with. The impact caused the staff to change direction abruptly. Guo Jing caught hold of the staff and used it to execute the stroke ‘Clouds Without Rain’ while his right hand executed the stroke ‘Convincing Sarcasm’. He applied the ‘Dual-Hand Skill’ to execute 2 moves at the same time and the bronze staff rose up steadily. He then used the move ‘Sighting the Dragon in the Farm’ and struck the middle of the staff. He shouted, “Watch it!” as it flew towards Elder Jian.

The staff flew like the snow and Elder Jian knew if he stretched out to intercept it, his hand would be dislocated, so he jumped aside. He feared that it may hit the beggars around so he shouted, “Get away!” However Huang Rong stretched out the bamboo stick and tapped the middle of the bronze staff and gently pressed it downwards. This was a good example of the saying “4 liang moving a thousand jin”. Though the move was gentle, it was one of the ingenious strokes of the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’ called ‘Pressure on the Dog’s Back’ which made very efficient use of the applied forces. She pressed down on the staff and laughed, “You use the staff, I use the stick. Let’s have some fun.”

Elder Jian was stunned and gave up all thoughts of sparring. He bent down to pick up the staff and held it head-down, then bowed and said, “Miss, please show leniency.” This action was actually supposed to be a mark of respect of a junior to an elder indicating inequality between their skills and the desire to seek pointers from the elder.

Huang Rong stretched out the bamboo stick and used the stroke ‘Facing the Dog to the Sky’ and tossed the head of the staff upwards. She laughed, “Please dispense on ceremony. I may not be as skillful as you.” This bronze staff had been Elder Jian’s precious weapon for decades and yet he almost could not hold on to it firmly as it brushed his forehead as he hastily withdrew the weapon. He was surprised and quickly applied the stroke ‘Qin King Whips the Stone’ and hit downwards from behind – a stroke originated from the martial arts of the heroes from Liang Mountain Slope (Liang Shan Po) called the ‘Mad Demon’s Staff Skill’. Huang Rong saw that this strike was strong and fierce and felt that if he managed to sweep her down, she would still sustain internal injuries even with the Soft Armour. She increased her pace and used the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’ and slid the stick up the bronze staff. The bronze staff weighed around 30 jin while the stick was only about 10 liang but the skill was profound and ingenious and easily allowed the bamboo stick to prevent the staff from breaking through within just a few strokes.

At first Elder Jian was only afraid that he would break the bamboo stick, so he restrained himself, withdrawing the staff once it made contact with the stick. However, with Huang Rong’s proficiency in the stick, Elder Jian was repeatedly forced to defend himself. Within a few more moves, he only saw the shadows of the stick in all directions and had to use all his strength to hold his ground and could not care if he hit the stick forcefully or not.

Guo Jing sighed in admiration, “Master’s martial arts are really unfathomable.” He then thought, “I wonder where Master is now? I hope he has already recovered.” He suddenly saw Huang Rong change tactics again. She held the stick with 3 fingers and it flew into a circular dance. Elder Jian was momentarily dazzled when he struck out towards her shoulder. Huang Rong flipped the stick to keep it close to the head of the staff, then she ‘lured’ the staff outwards, borrowing up to 90% of the staff’s own momentum. Elder Jian felt as though the staff was about to fly out of his hands and he hastily tried to pull back but did not expect the stick to ‘glue’ to his staff. In his shock he changed moves 7 or 8 times in quick succession but found that he just could not ‘shake off’ the stick.

The ‘Dog-Beating Skill’ has 8 main principles – Trip, Block, Trap, Poke, Pick, Lure, Steal and Turn. Huang Rong used the Trap technique to make the stick like a vine winding round a tree; no matter how the tree grows in width, the vine would not be separated from the tree. After more strokes, he tried to execute the ‘Massive Diamond Strength Staff Skill’, causing the staff to produce a swishing sound but the stick still followed his staff around. Huang Rong hardly used any strength at all and simply used her stick to chase his staff, so it looked like she was being controlled by the staff when in fact she was like a shadow using his own strength against him, just like how Guo Jing tamed his Little Red Horse years ago. Elder Jian no longer doubted her and was about to concede defeat when Elder Peng suddenly shouted, “Use the ‘Hand-Catching Technique’ and grab the stick!” Huang Rong said, “OK, go ahead!” Her stick now changed to the Turn technique, which forced the opponent to follow himself, but causing the opponent to see a mass of flashes and shadows. He suddenly found that 5 of his vital accupoints on his back being threatened. Those were sensitive accupoints and a hit could be fatal. Elder Jian knew that the situation was critical and he rapidly retreated to avoid being hit but Huang Rong did not lose momentum and kept targeting his accupoints very intensely.

Elder Jian ran out of ideas and simply rushed forward. He managed to avoid the stick but it came up from behind. He stepped harder and started running, but the faster he ran, the faster the stick chased him. The beggars saw him jumping and running in circles around Huang Rong. She stood in the centre and made sure the stick did not leave his back by continuously changing hands to wield the stick; hence, she did not need to move around. Elder Jian’s circles became larger and Lu Youjiao had to get down with the other two Elders to avoid being hit. Elder Jian hastily said, “Yes! Yes! Greetings to the Clan Leader!” He wanted to bow in respect but Huang Rong showed no sign of stopping, so he had to continue jumping around till the sweat was dripping down his white beard. Huang Rong laughed and used the Pick principle and tossed the bronze staff upward, borrowing much of Elder Jian’s own jumping momentum. Elder Jian immediately bowed and cupped his hands in salute. The beggars around saw her brilliant performance with the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’ and no longer had any doubts. So they loudly cheered, “Greetings to our Clan Leader!” Elder Jian stepped forward to spit on Huang Rong’s face, but when he looked at her jade white delicate face which shone like the blooming flower, how could he bear to spit on her? He hesitated and finally swallowed his spit back into his throat.

Just then, someone jumped up and caught hold of the bronze staff – it was Elder Peng. Huang Rong fell for his hypnotic trick before and utterly disliked him, so she looked at him in wary silence before lifting the stick to tap the accupoint on his chest using the Turn principle, which left him with no room for retreat. However, Elder Peng was very cunning, and as he knew his martial arts were below Elder Jian’s he did not try to evade but simply cupped his hands and bowed.

After tapping his accupoint, Huang Rong angrily said, “What do you want?” Elder Peng said, “Allow me to pay my respect to Chief.” Huang Rong starred at him and met his gaze, causing her heart to shudder and she hurriedly turned away. Still, she could not help but look at his eyes again. She turned back and saw his piercing gaze and this time, she could not turn away so she quickly shut her eyes. Elder Peng grinned “Chief, you’re tired. Please take a rest!” His voice was silky and gentle. Huang Rong felt the fatigue rapidly overcoming her. When Elder Jian acknowledged Huang Rong as the Clan Leader, he felt that he had the responsibility to protect her, so when he saw Elder Peng using his hypnotic trick, he growled, “Elder Peng, what are you doing to chief?” Elder Peng smiled and said softly, “Chief needs rest; she’s tired. Can you help her?” Huang Rong realized the danger but her body was dizzy and limp and she closed her eyes to fall into a deep sleep. In her semi-conscious state, she suddenly recalled something that Guo Jing mentioned and snapped out of her dream, exclaiming, “Brother Jing! Did you say the manual contains some ‘Soul-Shifting Skill’?” Guo Jing had long noticed something wrong and would have killed Elder Peng in one palm strike if he tried any tricks; when he heard her, he jumped up and whispered something in her ear. Huang Rong heard him recite the passage, and with her high intelligence and good internal energy foundation, she was able to compose herself and force her eyes wide open, oblivious to the surroundings. Elder Peng saw her close eyes for some time and was secretly elated that his trick worked but he suddenly saw her re-open her eyes and smile at him. He smiled back but before he realized it, he felt his body floating and burst into laughter. Huang Rong knew that the skill in the ‘Nine–Yin Manual’ was indeed superior and managed to hypnotize him with just one smile, so she chuckled. Elder Peng realized everything was wrong and tried to concentrate but instead lost further control of himself and stood up in wild laughter. The echoes of his laughing could be heard clearly all around the nearby lake.

The beggars around looked at each other and wondered what he was laughing at. Elder Jian kept shouting, “Elder Peng, What are you doing? How dare you show disrespect to the Chief?” Elder Peng pointed at his nose and bent his waist in laughter. Elder Jian though it was something on his face and roughly brushed his hand across his face. Elder Peng laughed even more wildly and somersaulted down, rolling on the ground. The beggars realized something was not right. Two of his own aides tried to support him up but he shoved them away amidst his laughter. For this sort of hypnotizing technique, it required a substantial amount of internal energy and will power to control the other party. For an ordinary person, if subjected to such treatment, the person would simply fall asleep, but because Elder Peng was concentrating on controlling Huang Rong, the effect on him was ten times worse when she suddenly ‘attacked’ him while in such a state.

Elder Jian was worried that he would die from exhaustion, so he bowed to Huang Rong and said, “Chief, Elder Peng has been disrespectful, but I beg that Chief would be magnanimous and spare his life.” Elder Liang and Lu Youjiao came forward and bowed too. Huang Rong asked Guo Jing, “Do you think it’s enough?” Guo Jing replied, “OK, let him off.” Huang Rong said, “Elders, if you want me to spare him, fine, but you folks must not spit on me.” Elder Jian hurriedly said, “The clan rules are set by the Chief, and can be altered by the Chief, we will listen to you.” Huang Rong was delighted to hear that she could avoid the spitting and laughed, “Ok, go tap his accupoint.” Elder Jian jumped to Elder Peng and sealed two of his accupoints, causing him to stop laughing and he panted heavily. Huang Rong giggled, “Now I can rest! Hey, where’s Yang Kang?” Guo Jing replied, “Gone!” Huang Rong jumped, asking, “How did that happen? Where did he go?” Guo Jing pointed at the lake and said, “He went off with that old man Qiu,” Huang Rong saw the blur figures a distance away and did not pursue, knowing that Guo Jing let him off on account of their family ties.

When Yang Kang witnessed the match between Huang Rong and Elder Jian and saw her gain the advantage, he knew that if he did not leave now, his life would be at stake, so he slipped away to join the Iron Palm Sect while everyone was concentrating on the match. Qiu Qianren saw Huang Rong take the Clan Leadership and realized that with Guo Jing’s and Huang Rong’s good martial arts, coupled with the numerical strength of the Beggars’ Clan, it was unwise for them to stay, so he led the Iron Palm Sect members and Yang Kang off the island by boat. Some of the beggars observed them leaving, but with the ongoing match, there was no one controlling the situation, so they ignored the party. Huang Rong held the stick up and said clearly, “Before Chief Hong returns, I shall preside over all matters in this Clan. Elder Jian and Liang should lead some 8-Pocket members to welcome Chief Hong back; Elder Lu should remain here to recover from his injuries.” The beggars all cheered.

Huang Rong then said, “How do you people propose we handle Elder Peng?” Elder Jian said, “Brother’s offense is major and he deserves a serious punishment, but based on his merit for the Beggars’ Clan, please spare him from death.” Huang Rong laughed, “I knew you’d plead for him, Fine, he’s already had enough laughing, so just demote him from Elder to an 8-Pocket member.” The four Elders thanked her. Huang Rong said, “Brothers, you hardly meet and so must have much to say, you must give Li Sheng and Yu Tiaoxin a good burial. I see that Elder Lu is of good character, so all major matters will be decided by him. Elders Jian and Liang, please assist him. I shall take my leave now and we shall meet in Lin’an.” She held Guo Jing’s hand and left.

The beggars escorted them down the mountain and watched until their boat could no longer be seen before assembling again to discuss their plans.

The couple returned to the Yue Yang Mansion by dawn and found the red horse and the two condors waiting for them. Huang Rong looked around and saw the red Sun rising up from the lake; it was a beautiful scenery. She laughed, “Brother Jing, the essay by Master Fan Wen is really well written : ‘The distant mountain swallows the river and is vast without boundaries. Day by day it stands majestically.’ How can we not appreciate such a wonderful scene? Let’s drink a few cups.” Guo Jing agreed and they went upstairs. They thought of the previous night’s events and laughed. They were drinking merrily when Huang Rong suddenly became angry and said, “Brother Jing, It’s your fault!” Guo Jing was lost in confusion and begged, “Rong-er, please explain.” She said, “OK, let me ask you, last night when we were both facing the Beggars’ Clan formation you felt that your life was in danger, but why did you abandon me? If you had died could I still live? Don’t you understand my heart?” Her tears fell into the cup. Guo Jing felt her deep feelings for him and was filled with love, grabbing her hand in his wordlessly. After some time, he said, “Yes, It was my fault. We should face death together.” Huang Rong sighed and was about to reply when she heard someone on the stairs, when they saw each other, all three were surprised. It was Qiu Qianren.

Guo Jing quickly stood up and shielded Huang Rong as he was afraid of Qiu Qianren’s murderous intent. However, Qiu Qianren merely laughed and went down. The laughter seemed to indicate surprise and panic. Huang Rong said, “He’s scaring us. This is strange; I’ll go check it out.” She did not wait for Guo Jing’s reply and ran downstairs. Guo Jing yelled, “Be careful!” He hurriedly dug out a piece of silver and plonked it on the counter before dashing out. He looked around but did not see them and remembered Qiu Qianren’s vicious martial arts and underhand methods and was worried that Huang Rong might meet some mishap, so he shouted, “Rong-er, where are you?”

Huang Rong heard him but did not respond as she was closely tailing Qiu Qianren and knew that the slightest sound could betray her position. Huang Rong hid behind a wall and waited for Qiu Qianren to move further so that it would be safer for her to tail him. However, when he heard Guo Jing shouting, he knew she was behind and he too hid behind the wall on the other side. After some time, both of them heard nothing stirring and peered round the corner at the same time. They came face to face with each other and their expressions changed simultaneously.

The two people gasped and turned to walked away. Huang Rong was afraid of his palm strength but did not want to give up, so she went one big round, then used her Qinggong to dash behind the other corner of the wall. Qiu Qianren expected her to do that and he too made a circle then used his Qinggong to dash to the corner of the wall, but he went in the other direction and bumped into her again. Huang Rong thought, “If I turn around, he’d surely strike my back and I might not avoid it.” She thought, “I should stall for time until Brother Jing comes.” He laughed, “We met in Lin’an the other day and we meet here again. Miss, how are you?” She thought, “I clearly saw this scum last night yet he’s still trying to fake it. I think I’ll test him out with the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’. She shouted, “Brother Jing, strike his back!” Qiu Qianren turned and saw no one, he realized he was tricked and he heard swishing sound around his legs. He hurriedly jumped and managed to avoid being hit, but the ‘Dog-Beating Skill’’s Trip principle is continuous like the flowing river and would continue to target the opponent until it succeeds. Though the technique is only about tripping the opponent, it contains many variations. He jumped faster and faster, but he kept seeing the stick’s shadow dancing around his legs. By the 17th step, he accidentally slackened his pace and immediately found himself slamming onto the ground. He yelled, “Wait! I’ve something to say.” Huang Rong laughed and waited for him to get up before tripping him again. He fell another five times and did not attempt to get up again but instead remained motionless on the ground. Huang Rong laughed, “Stop faking death.” He stood up and snapped his belt. H