e future.”

Yang Guo turned around to Fan Yiweng and saw that he showed no fear; he respected the fact that he was a good man and wanted to spare him. Right now he needed help from Qiu Qianchi and couldn’t disobey her. He said, “Miss Gongsun, take your mother and make your way, I’ll follow immediately once I’ve killed him.”

Gongsun Lu E knew that her senior apprentice brother was a righteous and good man; she couldn’t bear to see him die and said, “Brother Yang, my senior apprentice brother is not a bad person…”

Qiu Qianchi shouted angrily, “Go, go! You don’t listen to anything I say, what use have I got for a daughter like you?”

Lu E didn’t dare to say anything else and searched for a way down the peak.

Yang Guo went to Fan Yiweng and whispered, “Brother Fan, the pressure points of your arms and legs have been sealed; they will unseal by themselves in twelve hours time. I haven’t got anything against you and I can’t kill you.” He then utilized his lightness kung fu and chased after Lu E.

Fan Yiweng had closed his eyes and was waiting for his death; there was no way that he could have predicted that Yang Guo would treat him like this. He was stunned and couldn’t say anything; he opened his eyes and watched the three disappear into the darkness.

Yang Guo was anxious to see Xiao Longnu and didn’t like the slow pace of Lu E so he said, “Senior Qiu, I’ll carry you for a while.”

At first Lu E was worried about the frosty reception between Yang Guo and her mother; but when she heard that he was willing to carry her, she was delighted and said, “It’s your turn to work a little.”

Qiu Qianchi said, “I carried this beautiful daughter in my womb for nine months and she became yours with just a word, don’t you think that I deserve to be carried by you for a while?”

Yang Guo was startled but felt it was inappropriate to reply; he put her on his back and stirred his chi, then shot down the mountain like an arrow from a bow.

Qiu Qianren was named the ‘Iron Palm Water Floater’; his lightness kung fu could be as considered as the best in Wulin. Years ago when he was chased by Zhou Botong for ten thousands of miles, he went from the central plains straight to Xuyu. Even with Zhou Botong’s great martial arts he wasn’t able to catch up with Qiu Qianren. Qiu Qianchi’s martial arts were taught to her personally by her brother; before her martial arts were lost, her lightness kung fu was first class. Now, as she was being carried by Yang Guo, she felt him move as if his feet weren’t touching the ground and he was flying along. He was running fast and steadily; she gave him much respect and was surprised, “This little kid’s lightness kung fu is completely different to my clan’s but it is definitely not below that of the Iron Clan’s martial arts; I cannot look down on him.” She had felt that her daughter was losing out in not marrying this kid; but her daughter had decided there was nothing she could do. Right now she was beginning to feel that this future son in law was deserving of her daughter.

In a short while Yang Guo reached the bottom of the peak. He turned around to look for Lu E and saw that she was still somewhere around the middle. After a long while she reached the bottom of the mountain; by that time she was breathing heavily and her forehead was covered with sweat.

The three of them made their way quietly to the back of the manor. Lu E did not dare to go into the manor and went to a neighboring building to borrow clothes for herself and the gown and fan that her mother wanted. She also borrowed a gown for Yang Guo. Qiu Qianchi wore the human skin mask and put on the gown; her hand held the fan and she let Yang Guo and Lu E support her as they made their way into the manor.

As they made their way, the three of them were filled with thoughts. Qiu Qianchi had not been back here for over ten years; as she returned to old grounds, she felt a great release. But then she saw that grand red lanterns were hung at the door of the manor; she took a closer look and saw that the doors were decorated for a celebration; drums and music could also be heard from inside the hall.

All the servants were startled when they saw Qiu Qianchi and Yang Guo; but when they saw Lu E with them, they didn’t dare to say anything.

The three went straight into the hall and saw that it was filled with guests; most of them were the neighbors of the Narcissus Manor of the Passionless Valley. Gongsun Zhi was dressed in a groom’s outfit and stood on the left. The bride was standing on the right wearing a Phoenix Hat and red veil; though her face was covered, one could see that she had a fine figure; this was Xiao Longnu.

The firelight in the courtyard flickered. Three loud noises were heard. The person leading the procession sang, “The time has come, the newlyweds bow to the heaven and earth!”

Qiu Qianchi laughed; it made the candlelight flicker and tiles of the house tremble. She said clearly, “If the newlyweds bow to the heaven and earth, what about the wed of old?”

Though the tendons in her arms and legs were snapped, her internal energy was not affected. She had nothing to do in the grotto and practiced bitterly night and day. Her ten years of cultivation was superior to those who’ve cultivated for twenty years. As these words were shouted out, the ears of all the people in the room rang. The room darkened as ten or so candles went out.

Everyone was shocked and all turned their heads. Gongsun Zhi was already shocked when he heard the shout; but when he saw Yang Guo and his daughter safe and sound beside this concealed guest, he was even more startled; he shouted, “Who’s this guest?”

Qiu Qianchi tightened her throat and chuckled, “You and I have a close relationship; are you pretending that you don’t know me?” When she spoke these words she had submerged her chi into her ‘dan tian’; though she didn’t speak loudly, the words reverberated far and wide. Mountains surrounded the Passionless Valley and after a while the echoes came back with repetitions of “You don’t know me? You don’t know me?”

Jinlun Fawang, Yin Kexi and Xiaoxiang Zi and the others were watching the procession from the side; when they heard Qiu Qianchi’s voice, they knew that an eminent person had arrived and everyone looked at each other.

Gongsun Zhi saw this person was wearing a coarse grass linen gown and was holding a fan; the description of his brother in law Qiu Qianren from his wife matched this person and this person’s internal energy was amazing. But the face looked odd; it looked like the face of Zhou Botong when he was disguising himself as Xiaoxiang Zi. There must be something awry here. He prepared himself and said coldly, “I have never met this guest before so isn’t this close relationship a joke?”

Yin Kexi was versed in Wulin affairs; when he saw Qiu Qianchi’s coarse grass linen gown and fan, his mind lit up and asked, “Could it be that Iron Palm Water Floater Qiu Qianren senior Qiu Lao is here?”

Qiu Qianchi laughed and fluttered her fan a few times before saying, “And I thought that all the people who knew this old and useless man had all died long ago; so there’s one remaining.”

Gongsun Zhi was unmoved and said, “Are you really Qiu Qianren? I’m afraid that it’s just some lying scoundrel.”

Qiu Qianchi was shocked and thought, “This bastard is clever; how does he know that I’m not my brother?” She couldn’t see how he saw through her and just chuckled, not replying.

Yang Guo ignored the games of the couple and dashed over to Xiao Longnu. He held the Passionless Pill in his right hand and lifted the veil across her face with his left hand, he said, “Gu Gu, open your mouth.”

Xiao Longnu’s heart skipped a beat when she saw Yang Guo again; her shock and delight amassed together at once and she said, “You… you are indeed better.” She knew that Gongsun Zhi was an evil and cruel man; she only agreed to marry him because she wanted to save Yang Guo’s life. When Yang Guo suddenly appeared in front of her again, she thought that Gongsun Zhi had kept to his word and cured his poison.

Yang Guo placed the pill in her hand and said, “Quickly swallow!”

Xiao Longnu did not know what it was but did as she was told. After a short while, she felt a cool air penetrating through her ‘dan tian’.

The hall broke out in chaos; when Gongsun Zhi saw that Yang Guo had come here again to cause trouble, he wanted to go up and stop him; but he was worried about the concealed strange guest. He didn’t know whether or not that person really was his brother-in-law Iron Palm Water Floater Qiu Qianren and didn’t dare make a move for the time being.

Yang Guo tore off Xiao Longnu’s Phoenix Hat and red veil; then pulled her to the side and said, “Gu Gu; that scoundrel Valley Master is going to suffer, let’s watch.”

Xiao Longnu was confused and just leaned on Yang Guo; she didn’t know what to say.

Ma Guangzuo felt unspeakable delight when he saw Yang Guo suddenly appearing here again. He went to him and kept on asking questions; the thought of him disturbing the two never entered his mind.

Yin Kexi had heard that twenty years ago, Qiu Qianren shook the world of Wulin and was extremely famous. Now he heard the laugh and shout which echoed throughout the valley; his internal energy was extremely high and he wanted to meet him. He stepped forward and bowed, saying “Today is Valley Master Gongsun’s day of celebration; has Senior Qiu Lao come for the celebrations as well?”

Qiu Qianchi pointed to Gongsun Zhi and said, “Do you know who that person is to me?”

Yin Kexi said, “I don’t know, but I would like to know.”

Qiu Qianchi said, “You need to ask him yourself.”

Gongsun Zhi asked again, “Are you really the Iron Palm Water Floater? That’s strange!” He clapped his hands and said to a disciple in green, “Go to the library and bring the box from the shelf on the eastern side to me.”

Lu E did not know what to do and just pulled a chair over for her mother to sit down in.

Gongsun Zhi was surprised, “How come she and that Yang scum are still alive after falling into the crocodile pool?”

In a short while, the disciple returned with the box and handed it over to Gongsun Zhi. Gongsun Zhi opened it and took out a letter. He said frostily, “Years ago, I received a letter from Qiu Qianren. If you really are Qiu Qianren then this letter is a fake.”

Qiu Qianchi was shocked and thought, “Ever since brother and I argued, we’ve never contacted each other; why did he send a letter to me all of a sudden? What’s in the letter?” She then said loudly, “When did I write a letter to you? That really is a load of bull.”

When Gongsun Zhi heard her accent, he suddenly remembered someone. He was shocked and his back broke out in a cold sweat; but he immediately thought, “It can’t be, it can’t be; she died long ago in that grotto, she’s just a pile of bones now. But who exactly is this person?” He opened the letter and read it out loud:

“To Brother Zhi and Sister Chi:

Ever since first brother died at the hands of Guo Jing and Huang Rong on Iron Palm Peak…”

When Qiu Qianchi heard this line she was filled with hurt and sorrow; she shouted, “What? Who said my brother is dead?” The sibling love between she and Qiu Qianzhang was extremely deep; when she heard news of his death her whole body shook and her voice changed. Originally she had submerged her chi into her ‘dan tian’ and it was difficult to distinguish whether her voice was a male’s or female. Now, as her feelings were brought out, the words ‘who said my brother is dead’ were said with a female voice.

Gongsun Zhi heard that the person in front of him had a female voice and said ‘my brother’, he was shocked even further; but now he was certain that this person in front of him is definitely not Qiu Qianren, he continued reading:

“…this stupid brother had been extremely shameful in not holding our sibling relationship together and creating this hostility between us; all the blame is on this stupid brother. I pondered in the middle of the night and realized all the countless evil deeds I have done. At the second Mount Hua tournament, Reverend Yideng enlightened this stupid brother; I dropped my knife of slaughter and followed the ways of Buddha. I have just begun my studies; apart from Buddha’s teachings my mind is always on the joyous days of the past with brother and sister. I wish to make up for the things I’ve done before it’s too late. Fate is a hard thing to judge.

From monk Ci’en.”

Qiu Qianchi had been sobbing during all this; by the time Gongsun Zhi finished reading the letter she could hold it in no longer and cried out, “Big brother, second brother, you need to know the suffering I’ve been through.” She took off the mask and shouted, “Gongsun Zhi, do you remember me?” This sentence was shouted out sternly, another seven or eight candles in the hall blew out while the ones that stayed alight flickered.

In the gloomy candlelight, an old woman with a long face and wretched expression could be seen; everyone trembled in fear and no one dared to say anything. The hall was silent and everyone’s heart was pounding.

Suddenly, an old servant who was standing in the corner threw himself forward and called out, “Matron, Matron, you’re not dead.”

Qiu Qianchi nodded and said, “Second Uncle Zhang, you remember me.”

This old servant was extremely loyal; when he saw his Matron alive and well, he was delighted and kept on kowtowing, calling out, “Matron, this really is something to rejoice.”

Apart from Jinlun Fawang and the others, all the guests were residents of the valley; most of the people over thirty or forty years of age could remember who she was and they all rushed forward with their questions.

Gongsun Zhi shouted loudly, “Stand back!”

The crowd was alarmed and moved back. They saw him pointing to Qiu Qianchi, shouting out, “Witch, why have you returned? You’ve actually still got the face to see me?”

Lu E had been hoping that her father would admit his mistakes and get back together with her mother. But when her father came out with this, she became emotional and rushed to her father; she knelt down on the floor and called out, “Father! Mother’s not dead, mother’s not dead. Quickly apologize and ask for her forgiveness.”

Gongsun Zhi chuckled, “Ask her for forgiveness? What have I done wrong?”

Lu E said, “You trapped mother down that grotto and let her stay down there to suffer for over ten years. Father, how could you do that to her?”

Gongsun Zhi chuckled, “It was she who first harmed me; do you know that? She pushed me in the flower thicket and let me endure the suffering of the piercing of thousands and thousands of thorns; do you know that? She placed the antidote in frosty arsenic water, putting me in a situation where if I took it I’d die, if I didn’t I’ll still die; do you know that? She even forced me to… to kill my lover; do you know that?”

Lu E cried, “I know that, it was Rou’er.”

Gongsun Zhi had not heard this name for over ten years; his face changed as he heard it and he faced the sky, mumbling, “Yes, it was Rou’er, it was Rou’er!” He pointed to Qiu Qianchi and said with revulsion, “It was that evil and cruel witch who forced me to kill Rou’er!” His face was becoming more and more mournful; he quietly called out, “Rou’er… Rou’er…”

Yang Guo felt that sinful couples were not good people. He was poisoned himself and had only a few days to live; he just hoped that he could spend these few days with Xiao Longnu in peace. He didn’t care about which one of the Gongsun couple was wrong or right; he lightly tugged on Xiao Longnu’s sleeve and whispered, “Let’s go.”

Xiao Longnu said, “Is that woman really his wife? Was she really trapped down in a cave by her husband for over ten years?” She could not believe that such an evil person could exist.

Yang Guo said, “That couple is taking revenge on each other.”

Xiao Longnu thought for a while and whispered, “I don’t understand this; could it be that she was the same as me and forced into marrying him?”

In her thoughts, if two people aren’t forced into marriage then they’ll be loving and compassionate towards each other; how could they harm each other?

Yang Guo shook his head and said, “There are many bad people in the world, while there’s only a few who’re good; the thoughts of these people are hard to fathom…”

Suddenly Gongsun Zhi shouted, “Move!” His right leg lifted up and Lu E’s body flew away; she had been kicked by her father.

Her body was flying straight towards Qiu Qianchi’s upper body. Qiu Qianchi could not move her arms and legs; she could only lower her head to avoid her. But Lu E was coming in too fast; a ‘peng’ sound was heard as she crashed into the shoulders of her mother. Qiu Qianchi fell backwards with the chair, her bald head crashing into the stone pillar behind her. Blood stained the stone pillar and she couldn’t crawl back up. After being kicked by her father, Lu E was on the floor as well, lying unconscious.