Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.

Xiaolongnü took a porcelain bottle from within her robes and handed it to Yang Guo, saying clearly, “This is honey paste for treating bee venom. Take it to Zhao Zhijing.” The moment Yang Guo laid eyes on Zhao Zhijing, his teeth had been itching with hatred, but he could not bring himself to go against Xiaolongnü’s wishes. He strode forward and set the honey paste down heavily on the ground before Zhao Zhijing. The assembled Daoists, hearing that Xiaolongnü had come to the temple gates once more, assumed she had returned to pick another fight and avenge Granny Sun. They tightened their guard on one side while urgently reporting to Ma Yu, Qiu Chuji, and the other masters. Who could have guessed she had come only to deliver antidote for the bee venom? Stunned, they found themselves speechless. Yang Guo set down the porcelain bottle, shot Zhao Zhijing a look of utter contempt, turned, and walked away.

Lu Qingdu caught sight of Yang Guo and fury surged through him. He shouted, “You little wretch! You betrayed your sect and now you think you can just walk away?” That day Yang Guo had knocked him unconscious with the Toad Stance,¹ but though he had stopped breathing for a moment, Yang Guo’s internal power was shallow and the injury was not severe. After Qiu Chuji had massaged his acupoints several times and he had rested for a few days, he was fully recovered. Now he dashed forward, intent on avenging the shove he had received that day.

Xiaolongnü said, “Guoer, don’t strike back today.” Yang Guo heard footsteps behind him, followed by the whistle of palm wind, someone was grabbing for the back of his collar. He had slept eight days on the Cold Jade Bed² in the Tomb of the Living Dead³ and spent eight days practising sparrow-catching. Though Xiaolongnü had only taught him a few techniques for catching sparrows, these were the essence of the Ancient Tomb Sect’s qinggong. His martial ability now was already quite different from the day of the minor tournament. Without rushing or delaying, he waited until Lu Qingdu’s palm was just about to seize him, then ducked low and darted out, taking the opportunity to hook a hand against the hem of Lu Qingdu’s robe and tug. Lu Qingdu could never have imagined that in just a few short days Yang Guo’s qinggong would have advanced so far. In his fury he had attacked carelessly. Missing his sudden lunge, his body already leaning forward, and then given that extra tug, he could not keep his footing and crashed heavily to the ground, face first.

By the time he scrambled to his feet, Yang Guo had already dashed back to Xiaolongnü’s side. Lu Qingdu roared with rage and was about to charge forward and strike again when a figure suddenly burst from the crowd of Daoists, darting forward as if his feet never touched the ground, seized his arm, and pulled him back into the throng. The moment Lu Qingdu was caught, half his body went numb. He looked up and saw it was his martial uncle Zhen Zhibing. The curse that had already reached his lips was swallowed back down.

Zhen Zhibing called out clearly, “Many thanks to Miss Long for bestowing the medicine.” He bowed with his hands clasped. Xiaolongnü ignored him, took Yang Guo by the hand, and said, “Let’s go back.” Zhen Zhibing said, “Miss Long, this Yang Guo is a disciple of our Quanzhen Sect.⁴ You have forcibly taken him in. How is this matter to be settled?” Xiaolongnü paused for a moment, gave no reply, and, holding Yang Guo’s arm, strode swiftly into the forest.

Zhen Zhibing, Zhao Zhijing, and the assembled Daoists stood frozen in place, staring at one another in bewilderment.

The two returned into the tomb chamber and came to the main hall. Xiaolongnü said, “Guoer, your skill has improved, but the way you struck that fat Daoist was very wrong.” Yang Guo said, “That fat Daoist beat me badly, but today I listened to you and didn’t hit him enough. Gugu,⁵ why shouldn’t I have hit him?” Xiaolongnü shook her head. “It’s not that you shouldn’t have hit him, it’s that your method was wrong. You shouldn’t have tugged him into falling. You should have made him trip and fall flat on his back all by himself, without laying a hand on him.” Yang Guo was overjoyed. “That would be wonderful! Gugu, teach me.” Xiaolongnü said, “I’ll be Guoer and you be the fat Daoist. Come, try to catch me.” She began walking slowly forward.

Yang Guo reached out to grab her, grinning. Xiaolongnü seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. When Yang Guo ran fast, her steps quickened, when he slowed, she slowed her pace as well, always keeping a distance of about three chi from him, neither too close nor too far. Yang Guo called, “I’ve got you!” He lunged forward. Xiaolongnü did not dodge. Yang Guo saw his arms were about to encircle her neck, but just as his arms were closing, not yet closed, Xiaolongnü slid backwards at an angle, slipping out of his embrace. Yang Guo hurriedly pulled back his arms to grab again, but this sudden rush and recoil threw his own momentum into reverse, and he could no longer keep his footing. He fell flat on his back, his spine aching dully from the impact.

Xiaolongnü reached out, took his right hand, and pulled him up, helping him stand straight. Yang Guo said delightedly, “Gugu, this technique is wonderful. How can your body move so fast?” Xiaolongnü said, “Catch sparrows for another year and you’ll have it.” Yang Guo said, puzzled, “But I can already catch them.” Xiaolongnü gave a cold laugh. “Hah. You call that catching? Do you think the skills of our Ancient Tomb Sect are so easy to learn? Come with me.”

She led him to another stone chamber. This chamber was roughly twice the length and breadth of the previous sparrow-catching chamber, and there were already six sparrows inside. With so much more space, catching sparrows was naturally far more difficult, but Xiaolongnü also taught him additional techniques of lightness, leaping, and grappling. After eight or nine days, Yang Guo could catch all six sparrows in a single breath.

After this, the chambers grew larger and larger and the number of sparrows increased, until finally he was catching eighty-one sparrows in the great hall. The mental techniques of the Ancient Tomb Sect were wondrously effective, and the Cold Jade Bed was an immense aid to cultivating neili. In just three months, Yang Guo could catch all eighty-one sparrows as easily as reaching out his hand. Seeing his rapid progress, Xiaolongnü was pleased and said, “This foundational skill is called the ‘Soft Net Stance’.⁶ Now we must go outside the tomb to practise.” When Yang Guo heard they would train outside the tomb, delight spread across his face. Xiaolongnü said, “What is there to be happy about? This skill is terribly difficult to master. Not one of those eighty-one sparrows may be allowed to fly away.”

The two emerged from the tomb. It was late spring in the third month. The branches were covered in tender green. Yang Guo drew several deep breaths, feeling the fragrance of flowers and grass pour into his chest, sweet, fresh, indescribably comfortable and pleasant.

Xiaolongnü shook open the mouth of the cloth sack, and the sparrows flew out in all directions. Her pair of slender, pale hands swept out, gathering on the east, swatting on the west, blocking back several sparrows that were flapping away. The flock, suddenly granted freedom, could not help but scatter in every direction. But Xiaolongnü’s palms blocked here and swatted there, and all eighty-one sparrows were gathered within a three-chi space before her chest.

Her arms danced through the air, her two palms seeming to transform into a thousand hands and a thousand palms. No matter how the eighty-one sparrows rolled, tumbled, and darted, they could not escape the circle formed by her palms. Yang Guo stared, dumbfounded, both astonished and delighted. The moment he collected himself, he thought: “Gugu is teaching me a wondrous set of palm techniques. I must carefully commit them to memory.” He focused his attention and watched how she struck out to block, how she pulled back her arms to counter. Her palm strikes were astonishingly fast, yet each move and each stance was clear and distinct, forming complete sequences. Yang Guo watched for a long while. Though he did not yet grasp the subtle intricacies of the palm technique, he was no longer as utterly bewildered as when he first saw it.

Xiaolongnü continued for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then spread both palms outward and placed her hands behind her back. The sparrows, suddenly freed from their restraints, shot up into the sky. Xiaolongnü said, “Making it so they cannot fly away, this skill is called ‘Soaring Azure Sky’.”⁷ Suddenly she leapt high, her long sleeves sweeping out, and two gusts of sleeve wind burst forth. The flock of sparrows all plummeted to the ground, chirping chaotically. Only after a while did they regain their strength one by one and flap away.

Yang Guo was overjoyed. He tugged at her sleeve and said, “Gugu, I’ll bet even Uncle Guo couldn’t do what you just did.” Xiaolongnü said, “Each school’s martial arts follows a different path. After the Soft Net Stance comes Soaring Azure Sky, skills created by our founding grandmaster herself. Study them well.” She then taught him over a dozen palm moves, and Yang Guo learned them one by one. Within ten-odd days, Yang Guo had learned all eighty-one moves of the “Soft Net Stance” and practised them until they were thoroughly familiar. Xiaolongnü caught a sparrow and ordered him to block it with his palm technique. At first he could block it two or three times before the sparrow slipped through a gap between his palms. Xiaolongnü waited at the side, and with a flick of her pale hand, blocked the sparrow back. Yang Guo continued to unfold his palm technique, but either his strikes were not quick enough or his timing was off, after just two or three moves, the sparrow would escape again. Xiaolongnü blocked it back and let him continue practising.

Thus they trained without pause. Spring ended and summer came. Day by day he progressed. Yang Guo was gifted with natural intelligence and trained with diligence. The number of sparrows he could block steadily increased. By the time Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, the “Soft Net Stance” was fully mastered. When he unfolded his palm technique, he could now block all eighty-one sparrows. The occasional one that slipped through was due to his internal power not yet being pure, something that could not be achieved in a matter of days.

One day Xiaolongnü said, “Now that you have mastered this set of palm techniques, the next time you meet that fat Daoist, you can send him tumbling head over heels without the slightest effort.” Yang Guo asked, “And if I fight Zhao Zhijing?” Xiaolongnü did not answer. She thought to herself: “Judging by the skill Zhao Zhijing showed when he fought Granny Sun, if he had not been poisoned by the bees, Granny Sun might not have been able to defeat him. Your current ability is still far below his.” Yang Guo understood the meaning in her silence and said, “It doesn’t matter if I can’t beat him now. In a few more years, I’ll surpass him. Gugu, the martial arts of our Ancient Tomb Sect are indeed superior to those of Quanzhen, aren’t they?”

Xiaolongnü tilted her head back and gazed at the stone ceiling of the chamber. “In this world, only you and I believe that. The last time I fought that old Daoist Qiu of the Quanzhen Sect, my martial skill was not equal to his. But that is not because the Ancient Tomb Sect is inferior to Quanzhen, it is only because I have not yet mastered the most profound skill of our sect.” Yang Guo had always been troubled by the thought that Xiaolongnü could not defeat Qiu Chuji. Hearing these words, joy rose unbidden to the tips of his brows. “Gugu, what skill is that? Is it very difficult to train? Why don’t you start training it right now?”

Xiaolongnü said, “Let me tell you a story, so you will understand the origins of our sect. Before you took me as your shifu, you paid homage to our founding grandmaster. Her surname was Lin and her given name was Chaoying.⁸ Several decades ago, in the wulin,⁹ Founding Grandmaster and Wang Chongyang¹⁰ were the two with the highest martial arts. Originally neither could claim superiority over the other. Later, Wang Chongyang organised a volunteer army to resist the Jin invaders¹¹ and was busy day and night, while Founding Grandmaster devoted herself wholly to training in martial arts. In the end she surpassed him by a margin. But Founding Grandmaster never concerned herself with the mundane affairs of the wulin and did not care for showing off, so very few people in the jianghu¹² knew her name. Later, Wang Chongyang’s uprising failed, and in his indignation he secluded himself here in this Tomb of the Living Dead. With nothing to do day or night, he amused himself by delving into the study of martial arts. Founding Grandmaster, however, was in low spirits at the time and fell seriously ill twice in succession. So by the time Wang Chongyang emerged from seclusion a second time, Founding Grandmaster was once again his inferior. In the end, the two of them somehow competed in martial arts and made a wager, and Wang Chongyang actually lost to Founding Grandmaster. This ancient tomb was given to her to live in. Come, I will take you to see the relics left behind by these two predecessors.”

Yang Guo clapped his hands. “So this stone tomb was forcibly taken from Wang Chongyang by Founding Grandmaster! If I had known that earlier, I would have been twice as happy living here.” Xiaolongnü said coolly, “So you weren’t very happy living here to begin with. You found it stuffy and unpleasant, didn’t you?” Yang Guo said, “No. As long as I’m with you, no matter where we are, I’m very happy.” Xiaolongnü smiled faintly, shook her head, and led him to a stone chamber. Yang Guo saw that this chamber was peculiarly shaped, narrow at the front and wide at the back, forming a trapezoid, with a semicircle on the eastern side and a triangle on the western side. He asked, “Gugu, why is this room built in such a strange shape?” Xiaolongnü said, “This was where Wang Chongyang delved into the study of martial arts. The narrow front was for practising palm techniques, the wide back for fist techniques, the eastern circle for studying the sword, and the western corner for cultivating neili.” Yang Guo walked back and forth through the chamber, feeling only that its mysteries were unfathomable.

Xiaolongnü pointed upward. “The essence of Wang Chongyang’s martial arts is all here.” Yang Guo looked up and saw that the stone ceiling was covered in carved patterns and symbols, all etched with sharp instruments, some deep, some shallow, with no discernible pattern. For a moment he could not grasp the mysteries within.

Xiaolongnü walked to the eastern side and pushed several times at the base of the semicircular arc. A large stone slowly shifted aside, revealing a door opening. Holding a candle, she led Yang Guo inside. Within was another chamber, but one that was symmetrical to the first in every respect and yet reversed in every way, wide at the front and narrow at the back, with a circle on the west and an angle on the east. Yang Guo looked up and saw that this ceiling too was covered in countless symbols and diagrammatic formulae.

Xiaolongnü said, “These are the secrets of Founding Grandmaster’s martial arts. She won the ancient tomb through cunning. In terms of true skill, she was indeed not Wang Chongyang’s equal. After she moved into the ancient tomb, she first thoroughly comprehended the martial arts Wang Chongyang had left behind, then devoted herself to deep contemplation and created ingenious methods to counter each of his techniques. They are all carved here.” Yang Guo said delightedly, “This is wonderful. No matter how skilled Qiu Chuji, Hao Datong, and the others are, they can never surpass Wang Chongyang. Once you learn Founding Grandmaster’s martial arts, you will naturally defeat those stinking Daoists.” Xiaolongnü said, “That is true enough. Unfortunately, there is no one to assist me.” Yang Guo said boldly, “I will assist you.” Xiaolongnü shot him a sidelong glance. “Unfortunately, your ability is not yet sufficient.” Yang Guo’s face flushed bright red, deeply ashamed.

Xiaolongnü said, “Founding Grandmaster’s set of skills is called the ‘Jade Maiden Heart Sutra’.¹³ The more advanced portions require two people training together, each aiding the other. At the time, Founding Grandmaster trained it together with my own shifu. Founding Grandmaster passed away not long after completing it, and my shifu never finished training it.” Yang Guo’s shame turned to joy. “I am your disciple, I can train it together with you.” Xiaolongnü pondered for a moment. “Very well. We shall see as we go. The first step is for you to master all the martial arts of our own school. The second step is to learn the martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect. The third step is to train in the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, which counters Quanzhen martial arts. When my shifu passed away, I was only fourteen. I had learned all of our school’s skills, but I had only just begun the Quanzhen martial arts, to say nothing of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. I can teach you the first step. For the second and third steps, the two of us will have to work them out together.”

In ordinary practice, the path of cultivating neili is mostly about strengthening one’s internal power. The same punch or kick, the same palm strike or sword thrust, when delivered by someone of ordinary internal power, it merely knocks the opponent down or injures them, or at most deflects an incoming attack. But once internal power is strengthened, a light palm strike can cause the enemy to vomit blood from severe injury, or even kill them with a single blow. A sweep of the sword can rebound the opponent’s heavy attacking weapon back upon themselves, splitting the skin between their thumb and forefinger, or even sending their weapon flying from their grasp. The difference in martial ability often comes down to the depth of one’s internal power. In those years when Guo Jing trained in martial arts with the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan¹⁴ in the Mongolian desert, his progress was extremely slow. Later, when Ma Yu, the Daoist of Quanzhen known as Danyangzi,¹⁵ taught him superior internal techniques, after practising them his hands and feet became nimbler and his strength greatly increased without him even noticing, and his progress in martial training accelerated. The Ancient Tomb Sect’s method of cultivating martial arts was entirely different from ordinary martial practice. As internal power grew higher, the practitioner only became lighter of body and quicker of hand, able to deliver three or four moves in the time an ordinary person could deliver one, but the force of the moves did not increase correspondingly. For lightness and heaviness are opposites: if you seek lightness and speed, you cannot have heaviness and force, if heaviness and force are attained, lightness and speed must be correspondingly relinquished.

When Lin Chaoying, the founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect, created this martial discipline, her sole aim was to surpass Wang Chongyang, the beloved of her heart. All she wanted was to catch him off guard and lightly pat him on the back of the neck or the back, or poke him with a finger, she did not wish him to feel real pain, still less to injure him. If both could share a laugh and Wang Chongyang would admit defeat with folded hands, her heart’s desire would be fulfilled. Thus the faster and lighter the body movement, the better. The moves need carry not the slightest force. All that mattered was that the angle of the strike be utterly unexpected, and then the great achievement would be complete. This inevitably ran entirely contrary to established martial principles. What was passed down were all moves that had been tested and proven effective on Wang Chongyang. Wang Chongyang was a grandmaster of martial arts, invincible in his era, ranked foremost among the Five Greats¹⁶ at the Huashan Sword Summit.¹⁷ To lightly pat him on the body and make him admit defeat with folded hands, that was difficult beyond all difficulty. Lin Chaoying racked her brains and pondered day and night, walking a strange and deviant path of martial study. Passed down to later generations, Li Mochou,¹⁸ a mere frail woman, was able, relying on palm techniques that no one could predict and wondrous fly-whisk moves transformed from sword techniques, to awe the jianghu and make the assembled heroes turn pale at the mention of her name.

Xiaolongnü passed on the foundational skills to Yang Guo. After he had practised them until they were thoroughly familiar, she went out again and caught three sparrows, releasing them into the chamber that was narrow at the front and wide at the back, letting them fly freely. Then, when a sparrow flew low, she would dart forward and block it down, finally trapping all three sparrows within a small circle from which they could not escape.

Xiaolongnü said, “The ‘Soft Net Stance’ you trained earlier was about preventing eighty-one sparrows from escaping the circle. What you must train now is to first let the sparrows soar through the azure sky, then use palm force to force them down until they can no longer escape the binding of your palm power. In the end, you must train until you can force down all eighty-one sparrows. This set of skills is called the ‘Heaven’s Net Stance’,¹⁹ and it is considerably more difficult than the ‘Soft Net Stance’. When a sparrow flies high, no matter how good your qinggong, you can never leap about sixty feet into the air to force it down. You must rely on sharp eyes and quick hands, the moment you see a sparrow fly upward, you must immediately strike out to press it down. This skill is about competing with sparrows in speed: it must be faster than they are. Sparrows have no strength. A light flick of the finger or a gentle block of the palm, and they can fly no further. Therefore, the neili cultivated is also primarily qinggong, you must be able to move the instant the thought arises, strike like lightning, and it does not matter if your hands carry no force at all.”

Yang Guo listened and nodded. He asked, “Gugu, although this martial art of ours is extremely fast, our strikes carry no force. If an opponent uses strength against us in a palm exchange, or tries to deflect our attacks, the force of their hands will be extremely fierce. I fear we would not be able to withstand it. What then?”

Xiaolongnü said, “Good, let us test it. Strike at me with force and exchange palms with me!” As she spoke, her right palm drifted lightly towards his face. Yang Guo slapped out heavily with his right palm, striking towards her incoming palm. This strike was also swift beyond compare, he hoped for a crisp smack as their two palms met and struck each other. But to his surprise, Xiaolongnü’s palm suddenly changed direction. With a soft thump, it brushed against the back of his head. Then her left hand suddenly shot out and her finger lightly flicked his right elbow at the “Celestial Well” acupoint.²⁰ The Celestial Well acupoint lies in the depression between the two tendons one cun above the large bone behind the outer elbow, below the “Clear Cold Abyss” acupoint. Once struck, his arm immediately went limp and drooped powerlessly. Yang Guo cried, “You tricked me! I’m not playing, I’m not playing!”

: 寸 – cùn. A traditional Chinese unit of length, about 3.3 centimetres. Ten cun make one chi.

Xiaolongnü smiled faintly. With her left hand she lifted his right arm, and with her right hand she gently rubbed and pressed the “Four Canals” and “Clear Cold Abyss” acupoints near the Celestial Well. The soreness and numbness in Yang Guo’s right arm ceased. He said, “Gugu, I understand! We don’t compete with the opponent in strength. We must be faster than them, so they are caught before they even realise what has happened.”

Xiaolongnü smiled. “Yes. What we train is how to be faster than them, to strike from unexpected angles, so that even if they think for three days and three nights they could never guess where our strike would come from. With the wondrous methods passed down by Founding Grandmaster, you only need to remember them. As for how to be faster, faster even than the greatest martial arts masters, we must train a great deal more. Not only must you train, I must train as well. Fortunately, with the aid of the Cold Jade Bed, we will eventually succeed.” She then taught him additional lightness techniques from the “Heaven’s Net Stance” for leaping high and crouching low. Yang Guo said, “Heaven’s Net, nothing escapes its embrace! Even if the enemy flees to the ends of the earth, we can use the Heaven’s Net Stance to capture them.”

After this, Xiaolongnü taught Yang Guo the essentials of the Ancient Tomb Sect’s internal techniques, fist and palm methods, weapons and hidden projectiles, one item after another. Two years passed in this manner. Yang Guo had now received the full transmission of the school’s arts. Aided by the Cold Jade Bed, his progress was astonishingly fast, only his internal power was still somewhat shallow. The martial arts of the Ancient Tomb Sect had been created by a woman, and three generations of masters and disciples had all been women. It was inevitable that the arts were more than sufficient in lightness and agility but somewhat lacking in depth and weight. Yet Yang Guo was by nature impetuous and quick, and this path of martial arts suited his temperament well.

As Xiaolongnü grew older, she became ever more exquisitely beautiful, peerless in her purity. By this year, Yang Guo was already sixteen. His frame had grown taller, his voice deeper, he was now a handsome youth, no longer the child who had first entered the ancient tomb. But Xiaolongnü had grown accustomed to him and still treated him as a child. Yang Guo was deeply respectful towards his shifu. In two years, he had not once acted against her wishes. The moment Xiaolongnü thought of something she wanted done, he would have already rushed to do it before she could even speak. Yang Guo also constantly took the initiative to cook and boil water, doing his utmost to spare his shifu any toil. Xiaolongnü’s cold, icy nature remained the same as ever. She was sparing with her smiles towards him, her expression indifferent, as if she felt not the slightest familial affection. Yang Guo, however, did not mind. Sometimes Xiaolongnü would play a tune on the zither, the melody calm and placid. Yang Guo would sit quietly at the side and listen.

One day, in the narrow chamber, Yang Guo had reached the point where he could force down all eighty-one released sparrows one by one, trapping them in a cluster from which they could not scatter. The qinggong of the “Heaven’s Net Stance” that Xiaolongnü had taught him was also largely mastered, only his internal power was still insufficient, so he could not yet fly forward and back with godlike ease, nor strike with lightning speed. Xiaolongnü said, “Good! Guoer, you have trained very well. Let us go outside to practise.” The moment Yang Guo heard the words “go outside,” his eyes lit up and his face glowed.

The two emerged from the tomb. Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo each used the “Heaven’s Net Stance” to force down the flying sparrows. Some flew too high and, seeing no way to reach them, they let them go. Sometimes a sparrow was too nimble and Xiaolongnü could not force it down. Yang Guo would then dart forward and lend a hand, and with their combined efforts they would force the sparrow down. Xiaolongnü said happily, “That’s right, Guoer. What we have trained so far is only the first and second layers of the Ancient Tomb Sect’s martial arts. From the third layer onward, many of the skills are for the two of us to join hands against an enemy.”

Yang Guo was overjoyed. He flipped backwards in a somersault and said, “Gugu, if I could join hands with you to fight those bull-noses and wipe out the Quanzhen Sect, I would die happy!” Xiaolongnü said, “The Quanzhen Sect cannot be wiped out. Those bull-noses did nothing more than cause Granny Sun’s death, they haven’t done any other evil. We will only settle accounts with Hao Datong alone. My shifu said that those bull-noses travel the jianghu performing chivalrous deeds, helping those in danger and relieving those in distress. They have done many good deeds, they can be counted among the chivalrous.” Yang Guo said, “There are always plenty of villains in the jianghu. The two of us can join hands against enemies and fight the villains.” Xiaolongnü said, “Let villains be villains on their own, it’s no concern of ours. The two of us here in this ancient tomb, free and at ease, villains cannot harm us.”

Hearing his shifu speak as if she intended to spend the rest of her life in the ancient tomb, Yang Guo felt unbearably stifled. He was about to argue back when he suddenly registered Xiaolongnü’s words: “the two of us here in this ancient tomb, free and at ease.” He thought to himself: “Gugu is willing to let me stay with her in this ancient tomb for all my life, never to be parted. She said ‘free and at ease’, it seems she doesn’t dislike the idea of me keeping her company for a lifetime. That would be wonderful.” The words burst from his mouth: “Gugu, I am willing to stay with you in this ancient tomb for all my life. You promised Granny Sun, you will never, ever send me away!” Xiaolongnü smiled faintly. “That depends on whether you behave.”

Yang Guo said, “Of course I’ll behave. I’ll listen to you forever and ever, so you’ll never bear to send me away.” Xiaolongnü said, “Do you think you’re so precious? Why would I be unable to bear sending you away? After you leave, I’ll take in a female disciple and won’t be lonely.” Yang Guo said, “Female disciples are stupid and naughty!” Suddenly a fear gripped his heart, and sorrow welled up from within. He threw himself onto the grass and wept. “Gugu, when I grow up, you still mustn’t send me away. If I’m naughty, you can beat me, you can kill me, but I would rather die than leave you!” He wept louder and louder. His emotions were in turmoil, and his crying was almost deliberately petulant.

He had only wept twice before, when he first entered the ancient tomb and when Granny Sun died. Since then he had never cried. Xiaolongnü could never have expected that just a few words would make him burst into loud sobs. Flustered, she said, “Don’t cry, don’t cry! I’m not sending you away.” Yang Guo said, “Then you must never frighten me again by saying you’ll send me away.” Xiaolongnü said, “The moment you hear the words ‘go outside,’ your face lights up with joy. I thought you must be terribly bored in the ancient tomb.” Yang Guo said, “Staying with you, I’m not the least bit bored, on the contrary, I’m very happy. If you won’t let me stay with you, I’ll take a sword and kill myself.” Xiaolongnü’s face hardened. “As long as you behave and listen to me, that’s enough. You are not to threaten me with suicide. If I wanted to send you away, whether you live or die would be no concern of mine, threats are useless.” Hearing her say “whether you live or die would be no concern of mine”, words so cold and heartless, Yang Guo could not help but throw himself down and weep again. Xiaolongnü said, “You’re not a little baby anymore, crying at the slightest thing. Is that behaving or not?”

Yang Guo flipped up to his feet. “Gugu, I won’t cry anymore!” He saw a pair of white butterflies fluttering past together and immediately leapt forward, his palms tracing a circle, catching one butterfly in each hand. Butterflies in flight are far slower than sparrows. With Yang Guo’s current qinggong and hand techniques, catching butterflies was as easy as reaching out to take them. Xiaolongnü said, “These butterflies are so lovely, don’t hurt them.” Yang Guo said, “Yes!” He opened his palms and let the butterflies flutter away. The tears on his cheeks were still not dry. He wiped them away with his sleeve and said with a smile, “Soaring Azure Sky!”

That evening after the two had eaten dinner, Yang Guo cleared away the bowls and chopsticks. In the kitchen he washed the bowls, dishes, and chopsticks clean, set them on the wooden rack to dry, and washed the wok and pot as well. He returned to the Cold Jade Bed and lay down, cultivating his neili according to the method Xiaolongnü had taught him. By this time Xiaolongnü still slept in the same chamber as him. Sometimes when Yang Guo encountered difficulties in his neigong, he would cry out, and Xiaolongnü could immediately give guidance, preventing his internal breath from going astray during moments of extreme cold or extreme heat. Day and night the two faced each other with solemn respect, neither harbouring any thought of male and female. It had not occurred to Xiaolongnü to sleep in a separate chamber.

That night, after Xiaolongnü had washed her face, hands, and feet, she entered the bedchamber, hung up the long rope, and climbed onto it to sleep. Yang Guo completed one cycle of the internal technique his shifu had taught him and was just about to close his eyes when he suddenly saw Xiaolongnü’s pair of slender white feet turn on the rope, she must have rolled over. Yang Guo was used to seeing this and had always been unmoved. But today, after weeping and wailing over whether Xiaolongnü would send him away or not, his emotions were stirred. Seeing those white feet, he found them indescribably lovely and thought to himself: “If I just behave obediently, Gugu won’t send me away. If I can spend my whole life here gazing at her pair of little white feet, then my whole life will be happy.” His thoughts wandered for a moment, then he dared not think further and fell asleep.

He did not know how much time had passed when he suddenly felt a surge of heat in his chest, slowly moving downward towards his lower abdomen. Suddenly he saw a pair of white butterflies dancing before his eyes, now up, now down, now left, now right. Yang Guo watched for a while, finding it delightful. He leapt up sharply, stretched out both palms, and used the “Heaven’s Net Stance.” His right palm blocked high while his left hand gently caught one white butterfly, then his right palm darted forward and caught the other. He felt an icy coldness in his hands. The two white butterflies had soft bodies, but they were shockingly cold. After a moment, he felt the two butterflies gradually grow warm and tremble slightly. Yang Guo was afraid of hurting the butterflies and loosened his grip gently, not daring to hold tight, yet afraid the butterflies would fly away, so he still held them loosely, not letting go. Suddenly he felt the two butterflies lunge and slip out of his palms. A voice shouted: “Guoer, what are you doing?”

Yang Guo started awake and immediately realised that both his hands were gripping his gugu’s two feet, and that he was standing on the ground before the long rope on which Xiaolongnü lay sleeping. Horrified, he leapt back onto the bed with a crash, landing on the Cold Jade Bed. His voice trembling, he said, “Gu… Gugu… I’m… I’m sorry. I was dreaming, I caught a pair of white butterflies, but… but it turned out I had caught your feet. I… I really didn’t do it on purpose…” The cold air rose from the Cold Jade Bed, and in his panic he did not think to circulate his energy to resist it. Immediately he was so cold his teeth chattered, clacking audibly, and his body shivered.

Xiaolongnü said, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid! As long as you didn’t do it on purpose, it’s all right.” She gently patted his chest. Yang Guo felt a stream of warm energy surge towards his “Shanzhong” acupoint,²¹ and gradually his whole body grew warm. He calmed down and circulated his own energy to resist the cold. Xiaolongnü climbed back onto the rope to sleep, bending her knees and tucking her feet inside her skirt, so that Yang Guo could no longer see her bare feet.

The next day, afraid that Yang Guo would dream again, Xiaolongnü hung the rope in the adjacent stone chamber and slept there instead. Yang Guo pleaded, “Gugu, I swear I won’t dare to dream of catching you again. I’ll tie up my own hands. If I dream again, you can cut me with your sword, the moment I feel pain, I’ll wake up.” Xiaolongnü said, “I can see you truly didn’t do it on purpose, so I forgive you. Your energy cultivation has already made progress, you won’t easily suffer a deviation now. Just be careful on your own.” Yang Guo dared not plead further. After this, he trained with redoubled caution, and indeed nothing happened.

One day Xiaolongnü said, “You have now learned all of our Ancient Tomb Sect’s martial arts. Tomorrow we shall begin training in the martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect. The skills of those Quanzhen old Daoists are not easy to train. Back then, even my shifu did not fully understand them, and I have grasped even less. We shall start from the beginning together. If my interpretations are wrong, you must speak up.”

The next day, master and disciple went to the first strangely shaped stone chamber and began training according to the symbolic formulae and diagrams that Wang Chongyang had carved into the ceiling all those years ago.

Yang Guo trained for several days. By now his martial foundation was already far from shallow, and he was naturally intelligent, many points he grasped the moment they were explained. At first his progress was extremely rapid. But after ten-odd days, he suddenly went several days in a row without advancing, on the contrary, he regressed. The more he trained, the more awkward it felt.

Xiaolongnü analysed and discussed it with him, but she too felt beset by difficulties. She said, “When I studied the Quanzhen martial arts with my shifu, we had not trained long before we could advance no further. By then Founding Grandmaster was no longer in this world, and there was nowhere to turn for guidance. We knew clearly that it was because we had not obtained the essential oral formulae, but there was nothing we could do. I once said I would go to the Quanzhen Sect to steal the formulae, but my shifu gave me a severe scolding. This skill was set aside after that. After all, it’s only Quanzhen martial arts, it doesn’t matter if we don’t train them. This matter is not difficult. We only need to catch a Quanzhen Daoist, keep rapping him on the head, and force him to teach us the introductory formulae. That will do. Come with me.”

These words sparked something in Yang Guo. He suddenly recalled the “Song of the Great Way of Quanzhen” that Zhao Zhijing had taught him, which contained the lines: “When first cultivating the Great Way, penetrate the nine orifices. The nine orifices originate at the Tail Gate acupoint. First surge upward from the Bubbling Spring at the sole. From Bubbling Spring surge gradually to the knee. Past the knee, slowly reach the Tail Gate. At the Mud Pill summit, whirl back swiftly. Through the Golden Lock pass, descend the Magpie Bridge. Past the Twelve-Storied Tower, descend to the palace chamber.” He recited these lines aloud.

Xiaolongnü carefully analysed the meaning of the song and said, “It sounds as though this is indeed the essential formula of Quanzhen martial arts. Since you know it, nothing could be better.” Yang Guo recited all the oral formulae Zhao Zhijing had taught him, one by one. What Zhao Zhijing had taught that day was indeed the basic essentials of the Quanzhen Sect’s superior internal techniques, but he had not taught their application. As for terms like “Bubbling Spring,” “Twelve-Storied Tower,” and “Mud Pill,” he had not explained them at all. Yang Guo had merely memorised them, they were utterly useless to him. Now Xiaolongnü carefully deduced and explained, pointing out that the “Bubbling Spring” acupoint was on the sole of the foot, the “Tail Gate” acupoint was at the end of the spine, and the “Mud Pill” was none other than the “Hundred Meetings” acupoint at the crown of the head. The same acupoint could have six different names, which easily led to confusion. Once Xiaolongnü identified the key points, Yang Guo understood immediately. Over the course of several months, the two of them largely comprehended and grasped the essential martial arts that Wang Chongyang had left on the chamber ceiling.

One day, after the two had finished sparring with swords in the stone chamber, Xiaolongnü sighed and said, “At first I underestimated the martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect. I only knew that though it is acclaimed as the orthodox source of all martial arts under heaven, it was really nothing special. Only today do I realise that this path truly contains profound principles. Although we have thoroughly understood its methods and secrets, to train until the techniques flow naturally from the heart and the force arrives of its own accord, I do not know how many months and years it will take to achieve that.” Yang Guo said, “Though the Quanzhen Sect’s martial arts are refined, since Founding Grandmaster left behind methods to counter them, there must naturally be skills that surpass them. This is what they mean by ‘for every mountain, there is a higher one.’” Xiaolongnü said, “Starting tomorrow, we shall train in the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.”

The next day, the two went together to the second stone chamber and trained according to the symbolic formulae and diagrams on the ceiling. This round of training was far easier than learning the Quanzhen martial arts. The methods Lin Chaoying had created to counter Wang Chongyang’s martial arts were, after all, derived from her own original martial discipline. The symbolic formulae and diagrams on the ceiling were the essential formulae of the Heart Sutra, but Lin Chaoying had a separate oral transmission with detailed explanations, describing the training methods and the core principles of the Heart Sutra’s martial arts. This Heart Sutra progressed from shallow to deep and was divided into ten sections. Xiaolongnü’s shifu had not transmitted it to her first disciple, Li Mochou, but had instead passed it on to the younger disciple, Xiaolongnü. Li Mochou believed there was a written copy of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, never knowing that her grandmaster and shifu had only transmitted it orally, with no written record.

After several months, the two had completed the external techniques of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Sometimes Yang Guo would use Quanzhen sword techniques while Xiaolongnü countered with Jade Maiden sword techniques, when Xiaolongnü used Quanzhen sword techniques, Yang Guo would counter with Jade Maiden sword techniques. The Jade Maiden sword techniques were indeed the nemesis of Quanzhen sword techniques. Every move and every stance precisely suppressed the Quanzhen moves until they could not move at all, each step matched needle-point to wheat-awn, every move seized the initiative before the opponent could act. No matter how the Quanzhen sword techniques shifted and transformed, they could never escape the encompassing net of the Jade Maiden sword techniques.

The sword moves the two used were all extremely vicious, but following the instructions in the sutra, they had broken off the tips of their swords and used a hammer to blunt the cutting edges on both sides. These swords could neither stab nor wound, they had become “Bladeless Swords” that possessed only sword moves and sword intent but could not harm. The reason Li Mochou used a fly-whisk instead of a sword was precisely because, although the Ancient Tomb Sect’s sword techniques were exquisite, they were not well suited to injuring an enemy. By using a fly-whisk to execute sword moves, the sword techniques were exquisite and unpredictable, and she would often win with a single exchange.

Little did anyone know that the “Bladeless Sword” was not well suited to injuring because Lin Chaoying had only sought to counter the Quanzhen sword techniques. She had no intention of truly fighting Wang Chongyang to the death. Her aim was to compete in skill, not to fight in earnest, one victory was enough. She would never injure him. Thus the Ancient Tomb Sect’s “Jade Maiden Bladeless Sword” featured sword moves that were fantastically unpredictable, endlessly transforming. They seemed ordinary and unremarkable, then suddenly a phantom move would appear. It might look as though the wielder was about to throw down the sword and admit defeat, when a strange move would abruptly arise, the sword coming from a direction that seemed utterly impossible, dazzling the eyes and leaving the opponent at a loss. For when Lin Chaoying crossed swords with Wang Chongyang, seven-tenths was in earnest, but three-tenths was in play. Lin Chaoying and Wang Chongyang were originally evenly matched, in truth, neither could defeat the other. Wang Chongyang knew full well that his opponent was fiercely competitive, and he also pitied her for being a woman. At critical moments he would often yield a move or half a move. Lin Chaoying would then develop variations from this, sometimes acting coy and playing the fool, sometimes throwing a tantrum and playing the rogue, showing not the slightest bearing of a grandmaster of martial arts. Just when Wang Chongyang did not know whether to laugh or cry, Lin Chaoying would seize the victory. These sword techniques were originally perfectly suited for sparring with one’s own people, but in real combat, precisely because they contained so many flourishes and layer upon layer of feints, the enemy could not distinguish true from false and was extremely easily deceived. By the time they realised, they would have long since been subdued by the opponent, and it would be too late for regrets.

With the external techniques initially completed, they turned to training the internal techniques. Quanzhen internal techniques were vast and profound. To create new methods in neili that could surpass them, how could that be anything but enormously difficult? But Lin Chaoying was truly a genius of the highest order. She actually found a different path, seizing the advantage through unorthodox and devious means. Xiaolongnü raised her head and gazed at the diagrams on the ceiling, pondering in silence. She stared motionlessly, her brow furrowed the entire time.

Yang Guo said, “Gugu, is this skill very difficult to train?” Xiaolongnü said, “I once heard my shifu say that the internal techniques of this Heart Sutra require two people training together. I thought I would be able to train it together with you, but it turns out we cannot.” Yang Guo grew frantic and hurriedly asked, “Why not?” Xiaolongnü said, “If you were a woman, then it would be possible.” Yang Guo said anxiously, “What difference does it make? Aren’t men and women the same?” Xiaolongnü shook her head. “They are not the same. Look at these diagrams carved on the ceiling.” Yang Guo looked where she pointed and saw that in the corner of the ceiling were carved countless human figures, no fewer than seventy or eighty. By their appearance they all seemed to be female, each in a different posture, with fine threads radiating outward from their entire bodies. Yang Guo still did not understand the reason and turned his head to look at her.

Xiaolongnü said, “My shifu once pointed to these diagrams and said that when training this skill, hot vapour steams from the entire body. One must choose a spacious, uninhabited place and train with all clothing loosened and open, so that the hot vapour can dissipate immediately without the slightest obstruction. Otherwise, it will turn inward and accumulate in the body, at the least causing serious illness, at the worst causing death.” Yang Guo said, “Then we’ll just loosen our clothes and train.” Xiaolongnü said, “In the later stages, the two must use their neili to guide and protect each other. You and I are male and female, to loosen our clothes and face each other, what kind of conduct would that be?”

In these two years, Yang Guo had devoted himself wholly to training and had never thought about the difference between male and female with his shifu. Now he felt that loosening all their clothing and facing each other to train was indeed improper. Xiaolongnü was already past twenty by this time, but having grown up in the ancient tomb since childhood, she could be said to know nothing of the ways of the world. Moreover, the core principle of her school’s training was precisely the suppression of the seven emotions and six desires. Thus, although master and disciple were a young man and a young woman who spent every day and night together, one cold and indifferent, the other respectful and reverent, there was absolutely nothing that transgressed propriety between them. Now, discussing the matter of loosening their clothes to train, they felt only that it was a difficult problem, nothing more. Yang Guo suddenly said, “I have it! The two of us can sit side by side on the Cold Jade Bed to train.” Xiaolongnü said, “Absolutely not. The hot vapour would be forced back by the Cold Jade Bed. Train for less than a few days, and both you and I would be dead.”

Yang Guo pondered for a long while, then asked, “Why must two people train together? Can’t we each train on our own? If I encounter something I don’t understand, can’t I just ask you about it gradually?” Xiaolongnü shook her head. “It won’t work. This internal technique is difficult at every step, and at every moment one can stray into a wrong path. Without someone at your side to assist, you are certain to suffer a deviation. Only by you aiding me and me aiding you, combining the strength of two people, can we cross the perilous passes together.” Yang Guo said, “Training this internal technique is indeed rather troublesome.” Xiaolongnü said, “If we train our external techniques a bit more until they are thoroughly familiar, that will be enough to defeat the old Daoists of Quanzhen. Besides, it’s not as if we’re really going to fight them to the death. Even if we can’t defeat them, what does it matter? We can skip training this internal technique.” Hearing his shifu say this, Yang Guo agreed.

One day, after finishing his training, Yang Guo went out of the tomb to hunt some river deer and rabbits for food. After shooting a yellow river deer, he went chasing after a grey rabbit. The grey rabbit darted and dodged, exceptionally nimble. By now his qinggong was already quite accomplished, but for a time he could not catch up to it. His childish heart was stirred, and he refused to use hidden projectiles to injure it, instead competing with it in qinggong, wanting to tire the rabbit out until it could run no more. Man and rabbit ran farther and farther. The rabbit rounded a mountain hollow and suddenly burrowed through a large clump of red flowers.

This clump of red flowers stretched out for several dozen feet, dense and layered, its strange fragrance assailing the nostrils. By the time he circled around the flower clump, the rabbit had vanished without a trace. Yang Guo had been chasing it for half the day and had already grown fond of it. Even if he had caught up, he would have let it go, not finding it was fine too. But he saw that the flower clump was like a great screen, with red petals and green branches, truly beautiful to behold. On all sides the shade of trees hung down, as if nature had formed a flower chamber and tree house. A thought stirred in Yang Guo’s mind, and he hurried back to bring Xiaolongnü to see it.

Xiaolongnü said indifferently, “I don’t care for flowers. If you like them, stay here and enjoy yourself.” Yang Guo said, “No, Gugu, this is truly the perfect place for us to train. You stay on this side, and I’ll go to the other side of the flower clump. We’ll both loosen our clothes, but neither of us will be able to see the other. Isn’t that perfect?” Hearing this, Xiaolongnü felt it made great sense. She leapt up into a tree and looked around in all directions. East, south, west, and north, all was secluded and quiet. Only the sound of springs and the song of birds could be heard. There was no trace of human presence. It was indeed an excellent place for training. She said, “I’m impressed you thought of this. Let us come tonight to train.”

That night after the second watch,²² master and disciple came to the depths of the flower shade. In the still night, the fragrance of the flowers was even more intense. Xiaolongnü recited a section of the oral formulae and methods for training the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Yang Guo asked about the difficult and puzzling parts until he understood them. The two then went to opposite sides of the flower clump, loosened their clothes, and began training. Yang Guo extended his left arm through the flower clump to press his right palm against Xiaolongnü’s. If either encountered difficulty during training, the other would sense it and could immediately circulate energy to assist.

After the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra reached the seventh section, the techniques were entirely for two people joining hands against an enemy, twin swords combined as one. When the man attacked, the woman defended, when the man defended, the woman seized the opportunity to strike. The two complemented each other in attack and defence. The attacker need not worry about the enemy counterattacking and could commit fully to the assault, making the offensive twice as strong as before. The defender, knowing an attacker was lurking at the side, meant the enemy dared not attack with full force, so the incoming force was diminished, and the defender could switch from defence to attack at any moment. Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü joined hands to face enemies. Though they had no opponent against whom to test their moves, in both their minds there was always a Quanzhen Daoist present. The test opponent was often Hao Datong. Thus, in the minds of master and disciple, Hao Datong suffered utter defeat and could only kneel and beg for mercy, and sometimes the one kneeling and begging for mercy was Qiu Chuji. Master and disciple were greatly amused and laughed together.

Xiaolongnü had been instructed by her shifu not to indulge in great sorrow or great joy. Knowing this was improper, she hurriedly suppressed her smile. Yang Guo saw that Xiaolongnü, who usually rarely showed a smiling face, now had a countenance as lovely as a flower in bloom, warm and endearing, and the way she forced herself to hold back her smile only made her more charming. He could not help but want to stretch out his arms, embrace her, and kiss her a few times. But then he immediately remembered that she was his shifu, and the arms he had stretched out he pulled back. Xiaolongnü asked, “What move was that?” Yang Guo said, “I was afraid that while Qiu Chuji was kneeling on the ground, he might suddenly use ‘First Bow, Then Pounce’ to trick and injure you, so I wanted to protect you with all my strength.”

This was precisely the core intent of the seventh section of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. When Lin Chaoying had created this sutra all those years ago, she had already taken possession of the ancient tomb, but Wang Chongyang had refused to come with her. Living alone in the stone tomb, she created strange and unorthodox martial arts, pouring the helpless longing of her heart into the moves, imagining herself in peril and her beloved Wang Chongyang disregarding his own safety to rush to her rescue, blocking the enemy’s attacks on her behalf. Yang Guo’s casual lie had actually fulfilled the very intent with which Founding Grandmaster had composed this sutra. Xiaolongnü nodded in agreement.

When the two trained to the nineteenth move, “Canopy Like a Pavilion,” Xiaolongnü repeated the essential instruction passed down by her shifu: “In this move, I cannot withstand the enemy. He strikes me down with a palm or kicks me to the ground, and I fall. The enemy follows up, striking with fist, palm, blade, or sword to injure me further. You must throw yourself forward, shielding me with your body, and take this strike in my place. When the enemy raises fist, palm, blade, or sword to strike you, as you throw yourself over me to protect me, you must spread your legs apart, bracing them against the ground, and use the strength of your waist and spine to hold yourself up, so that your upper body does not truly press down upon me. I will thrust my sword upward from between your legs, piercing straight into the enemy’s lower abdomen. Seeing the two of us fallen, the enemy will think we have lost all ability to resist and will be completely off guard. Moreover, with you shielding my weapon, the enemy cannot see this ‘Something from Nothing’ thrust. Not only can they not dodge it, it would never even occur to them to try. Naturally, the sword will pierce straight into their lower abdomen.”

Yang Guo shook his head. “Gugu, this move is indeed wondrously ingenious, the enemy would never expect it. It’s just… it’s just a little too sinister.” Xiaolongnü said, “What do you mean, sinister? The two of us have already fallen, that bull-nose ought to stop there. Why would he rush forward and strike again to injure you? If he does not press the attack, this sword thrust will not reach him. Therefore, this sword only pierces villains, not good people.” Yang Guo nodded. “Exactly right. The ones Founding Grandmaster meant to deal with were villains to begin with.”

Little did he know that when Lin Chaoying created these moves, she had imagined herself facing danger in battle, and Wang Chongyang, because he loved her beyond all measure, would be willing to sacrifice himself to save his beloved. All these simulations were purely self-pity and self-comfort, nothing more than consoling herself in her helplessness, pouring out the longing of her heart.

Yang Guo followed the instructions recorded in the latter part of the seventh section of the Heart Sutra. After memorising the moves, he practised them with Xiaolongnü one by one. By this time, the two had achieved initial success in the internal techniques of the first half of the Heart Sutra. Their strikes were swift and light beyond compare, coming and going in an instant, all strange and unusual moves, yet incredibly fast. In the past, when Yang Guo sparred with Xiaolongnü, he had always harboured a sense of sincere respect, not daring to let his palm so much as brush against the hem of her clothing. But training the techniques of the latter part of the seventh section, every move and every stance required him to exert himself fully to shield and protect her. In his mind, he imagined the enemy’s attacks as fierce and vicious, with Xiaolongnü barely able to withstand them, constantly in the gravest danger. As they sparred longer, he naturally began to feel that Xiaolongnü was no longer his shifu, superior to him in martial arts, but rather that she was frail and pitiable, suffering the bullying of villains, and that he must exert himself to protect her.

Xiaolongnü was originally several years older than him, but having grown up in the stone tomb and rarely seen the light of day, and with the Jade Maiden Divine Skill she trained having the effect of reducing worry and slowing ageing, when the two stood side by side, it seemed rather that Yang Guo was the older one. Once they began training this set of martial arts, Yang Guo eventually came to feel that Xiaolongnü was a little sister who depended on him for protection, and he no longer regarded her as his gugu and shifu. All his fist moves and sword techniques were devoted to blocking the enemy’s attacks on Xiaolongnü’s behalf, with no regard for himself. In this way, the techniques of the latter part of the seventh section were trained with perfect precision, displaying the original intent of the Heart Sutra’s martial arts without omission, not only did the moves match, but the very intent of the fist and the meaning of the sword were expressed with utter clarity.

As Xiaolongnü’s moves were blocked and protected by Yang Guo on her behalf, as time passed, her heart followed her hands, and she could not help but develop a sense of dependence and compliance. The dignity and authority of the shifu suddenly melted away. When their eyes occasionally met, one gaze was full of tender protectiveness, the other of trusting appeal, and suddenly their hearts were in communion. This was originally the intent of the Heart Sutra’s internal techniques. Training the internal techniques alone made it difficult to reach this state, but once combined with the external techniques, the two could not help but merge internally and externally.

One day, training the move “Would Be Iron Armour,” Yang Guo was required to wrap both arms around Xiaolongnü as if transforming into a suit of iron armour, protecting her entire body from the enemy’s attacks, while Xiaolongnü was to submit to this protection with folded hands and regulate her true qi on her own. Yang Guo darted forward, his arms encircling her in pantomime, in truth he did not touch his shifu’s body, but his eyes were brimming with tender affection, showing his determination to sacrifice his own life and endure the enemy’s blades, spears, fists, and kicks on her behalf. The moment Xiaolongnü’s eyes met his, a blush rose to her cheeks. She felt a slight unease, and a look of shyness appeared in her eyes. She said softly, “Guoer, this isn’t right!” Yang Guo immediately leapt away.

The two had spent a long time together in the ancient tomb. As the years passed and they grew older, feelings had long since sprouted between them. It was only that one was reserved and cold, the other respectful and deferential, even in their words there had never been the slightest transgression. But now the martial arts they were training required them to leap and exert themselves with their whole bodies, and even more, to constantly imagine themselves poised on the line between life and death. All manner of barriers of propriety had long since weakened, and they naturally followed the innate nature that all mortals possess. That day, training from the beginning, when they reached the move “Canopy Like a Pavilion,” Xiaolongnü cried, “Ah!” She stumbled, pitching forward and falling sideways. Yang Guo darted forward and threw himself over her in midair to block the enemy’s strike, his feet spread apart and braced against the ground, his waist exerting force, his upper body held up so as not to touch her body. At this moment the enemy rushed up, intending to harm Yang Guo. Xiaolongnü then thrust her long sword upward through the gap between Yang Guo’s legs, piercing straight into the enemy’s lower abdomen and killing him.

Yang Guo used the strength of his waist and back to hold himself up, not letting himself press down on Xiaolongnü. But he saw her eyes glistening like waves, her face flushed crimson, the corners of her mouth seeming to hold a smile yet not quite smiling, utterly enchanting. He could not restrain himself. His whole body burning hot, he wrapped his arms around her and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Xiaolongnü was past twenty. In her heart she was not entirely without desire. Embraced by Yang Guo in this way and seeing the look in his eyes, she could not help but feel stirred. But the internal technique she had trained since childhood was one of cold detachment and self-restraint, no matter what changes occurred in the outside world, she was neither to be alarmed nor angered, and being stirred by emotion was naturally even more forbidden. Suddenly she sensed that something was wrong. She exerted force to leap up, breaking free of Yang Guo’s embrace, and in the same motion struck him heavily on the buttocks with her palm. She shouted, “You’re not behaving! No more training.” And she ran back to the stone tomb.

Yang Guo was both shocked and ashamed. He hurried after her. Fortunately, Xiaolongnü had not closed the tomb door. Yang Guo went to the outside of Xiaolongnü’s bedchamber, picked up a broom, and knelt on the ground. “Gugu, I was wrong today. Please beat me severely!” He raised the broom high above his head. Xiaolongnü said, “I won’t beat you. As long as you know you were wrong, that’s enough. We won’t train that move anymore.” Yang Guo said, “Not training it is fine too. If in the future there really are villains who try to harm you, I will still throw myself forward regardless, to protect you and block the killing blow in your place!” Xiaolongnü gave a soft humph. “So you are still well-behaved after all, you weren’t trying to bully me.” Hearing her humph, the great stone in Yang Guo’s heart finally fell. He said, “I will protect you forever and ever, and never bully you.”

From then on, the two made night into day. They trained at night and rested in the ancient tomb during the day. Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü kept strict guard against each other, to avoid repeating the mistake of that day when they had nearly lost control of their feelings. Over two months passed in this way, peaceful and uneventful.

The core purpose of the Heart Sutra’s internal techniques was to further increase leaping ability and striking speed. The growth of striking force was not the aim of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. The reason two people had to train together was, first, so that if they encountered dangers such as a deviation, they could rescue each other, and more importantly, so that the two would achieve communion of heart, becoming as one in moments of crisis. The reason Lin Chaoying and Wang Chongyang’s fine match could not be fulfilled was primarily that they did not understand each other, what each thought and felt was often at odds with the other, making communion of heart difficult. Lin Chaoying was by nature reserved and also shy. Unwilling to be the first to express her feelings, she had only hoped that by training internal techniques together, the other would realise on his own, and their hearts would beat as one. In truth, if a man and a woman are in love, speaking frankly and directly is enough to express their feelings. To seek mutual understanding of hearts through internal techniques was to take an excessively roundabout path. Moreover, by setting aside spoken words and language, as internal techniques were trained to advanced levels, hostility would gradually increase, and affection would correspondingly diminish.

Wang Chongyang had in fact never trained the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra together with Lin Chaoying. It was only decades later that Lin Chaoying’s painstaking efforts bore fruit for her grand-disciples. Yang Guo received instruction with an open heart, and Xiaolongnü transmitted the sword arts with sincere intent. Their feelings were in harmony, and no hostility arose.

The ninth section of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was entirely internal techniques, divided into nine segments to be practised separately. That night Xiaolongnü had already trained to the seventh segment, and Yang Guo had trained to the sixth. That evening the two trained on opposite sides of the flower clump, each focused on their own practice. Hot vapour steamed from their entire bodies, and when熏ed by the fragrance of the flowers, it became even more richly perfumed. Gradually the moon reached the zenith. In another half-hour, the two would have completed the sixth and seventh segments of their training respectively. Suddenly, from behind the mountain came the sound of footsteps. Two people were talking as they approached.

The Jade Maiden Heart Sutra’s odd-numbered training was “Yin Advancing,” while even-numbered was “Yang Retreating.” Yang Guo was training the “Yang Retreating” technique, which could be stopped at any time. Xiaolongnü, however, was training “Yin Advancing,” which had to be completed in one continuous flow, there could be not the slightest pause midway. At this moment her training was at a critical juncture, and she was completely oblivious to the footsteps and voices. Yang Guo, however, heard them clearly. Alarmed, he hurriedly expelled the qi from his dantian²³ out of his body, inhaled and exhaled three times, and stopped his training. He heard the two people drawing nearer and nearer, and their voices were very familiar. One was his former shifu, Zhao Zhijing. The other was Zhen Zhibing. The two were speaking louder and louder, they were actually arguing with each other.

He heard Zhao Zhijing say, “Junior Brother Zhen, there’s no use denying this any further. I will report it to Martial Uncle Qiu and let him investigate.” Zhen Zhibing said, “Why are you hounding me like this? Do you think I don’t know? You just want to compete with me for the position of head disciple of the third generation, so that you can become the zhangmen in the future.” Zhao Zhijing laughed coldly. “You have failed to observe the rules of purity and have violated a major precept of our sect. How can you still serve as head disciple?” Zhen Zhibing said, “What major precept have I violated?” Zhao Zhijing shouted, “The fourth precept of the Quanzhen Sect, the precept against lust!”

Yang Guo hid within the flower clump and stole a glance outward. He saw the two Daoists standing facing each other. Zhen Zhibing’s face was ashen, looking even more bloodless under the moonlight. He said in a low voice, “What do you mean, the lust precept?” As he spoke these four words, his hand reached for his sword hilt. Zhao Zhijing said, “Ever since you laid eyes on that Xiaolongnü in the Tomb of the Living Dead, you have been distracted and restless all day long, your thoughts wandering wildly. In your heart, I don’t know how many thousands of times you have imagined holding Xiaolongnü in your arms, caressing and being intimate with her, doing everything imaginable. Our sect emphasises the cultivation of the heart and the nurturing of one’s nature. For you to harbour such thoughts in your heart, is that not already a violation of the lust precept?”

Yang Guo’s reverence for his shifu was beyond compare. Hearing Zhao Zhijing speak this way, fury blazed within him, and his hatred for the two Daoists deepened to the marrow of his bones. But he heard Zhen Zhibing say in a trembling voice, “Nonsense! Even what I think in my heart, you know that too?” Zhao Zhijing laughed coldly. “What you think in your heart, naturally I cannot know. In order to capture Yang Guo, that little beast who betrayed our sect, and bring him back to the temple for punishment, I sent Lu Qingdu and three other disciples to take turns lying in ambush in the forest outside the ancient tomb, waiting for that little beast to come out into the forest so they could seize him and bring him back to the temple…” Zhen Zhibing said, “Yang Guo’s martial arts have long since surpassed those of your disciple Lu Qingdu. Can they still catch him?” Zhao Zhijing said coldly, “They couldn’t catch Yang Guo, but they did discover a great secret. They saw that a certain Martial Uncle Zhen of our Quanzhen Sect constantly paces back and forth in the forest outside the ancient tomb, tilting his head up and muttering to himself. I’m afraid what he’s calling out is ‘Xiaolongnü, Xiaolongnü!’” Zhen Zhibing said angrily, “A pack of nonsense! There is no such thing!”

Zhao Zhijing said, “Even if they couldn’t hear what you were saying, the fact that you go pacing back and forth in that forest every two or three days, that can’t be denied, can it? Our zhangmen martial uncle gave orders that no one is to approach the forest beside the ancient tomb. Everyone in the sect knows I sent four disciples to stand watch and capture Yang Guo, everyone except the zhangmen martial uncle and the masters. You went to that forest to wait for Xiaolongnü, if that’s not a violation of the lust precept, then what is it? If you won’t admit it, let us go to zhangmen Martial Uncle and Martial Uncle Qiu to judge the rights and wrongs of this matter.” Zhen Zhibing said, “Senior Brother Zhao, all your machinations are simply to pry me out of the position of head disciple of the third generation, so that I cannot become the zhangmen in the future. You spout reckless slander for this purpose alone. Everyone knows your intentions, aside from mocking you, who would believe you? Besides, in our sect, Senior Brother Li Zhichang, Junior Brother Wang Zhitan, Junior Brother Song Defang, which of them is not shrewd and capable, with talent far surpassing yours? Even prying me out would be difficult beyond measure, and when it comes to succeeding me, it may not be your turn either!”

Zhao Zhijing laughed coldly. “I’m spouting reckless slander, am I? On the day of Xiaolongnü’s twentieth birthday, who was it that eagerly placed a box of candied peaches and two jars of candied jujubes before the ancient tomb, with a note saying ‘Respectfully celebrating Miss Long’s fragrant birthday’?” Zhen Zhibing said, “You certainly remember other people’s birthdays clearly enough.” Zhao Zhijing said, “On her eighteenth birthday, when that horde of demons and monsters came attacking in force and burned down the halls of Chongyang Palace, who doesn’t remember that day? Do you think you can deny it? Hah! Who sent that birthday gift and wrote the gift card saying ‘Respectfully celebrating Miss Long’s fragrant birthday,’ and, as if afraid no one would know who sent it, signed below with the ten characters ‘Humbly offered by the minor Daoist Zhen Zhibing of Chongyang Palace’? That gift card, Lu Qingdu has kept it. Shall we go before Martial Uncle Qiu and compare the handwriting, to see whether it was personally written by you, Junior Brother Zhen, or forged by me, Zhao Zhijing?” He pulled a sheet of red paper from within his robes, waved it a few times, and said, “Is this your handwriting or not? Let us hand it over to zhangmen Martial Uncle Ma and your direct master, Martial Uncle Qiu, for them to identify.” Zhen Zhibing could endure no longer. With a sharp ring, his long sword left its scabbard and thrust straight at Zhao Zhijing’s heart.

Zhao Zhijing sidestepped to avoid it, tucked the red paper back into his robes, and said with a vicious grin, “You want to kill me to silence me? I’m afraid it won’t be that easy.” Zhen Zhibing said not a word and thrust three rapid strikes, but each was evaded. On the fourth strike, with a clang, Zhao Zhijing’s long sword also left its scabbard. The two swords crossed, and they began fighting fiercely beside the flower clump. Both were high-ranking disciples of the third generation of Quanzhen, one was Qiu Chuji’s second disciple, the other was Wang Chuyi’s first disciple. Their martial arts were originally evenly matched. Zhen Zhibing clenched his teeth and attacked with desperate ferocity, while Zhao Zhijing interspersed his fierce fighting with occasional taunts, intending to provoke his opponent into making a mistake. Among Qiu Chuji’s disciples, Yin Zhiping had originally been the foremost in martial arts, with Zhen Zhibing second, but in recent years Yin Zhiping had devoted himself to the Way of inner alchemy and the cultivation of qi, and his martial arts had inevitably grown rusty. Thus among the third-generation disciples, it was Zhen Zhibing and Zhao Zhijing who vied for supremacy.

By now Yang Guo had thoroughly learned the Quanzhen Sect’s sword techniques. Watching the two fight fiercely, he saw that although their moves in advance and retreat, attack and defence were endlessly varied, they largely fell within his expectations. He thought to himself: “The skills Gugu taught me are indeed excellent.” He watched as the two traded dozens of moves in a tumbling, rolling exchange. Zhen Zhibing used only offensive moves, while Zhao Zhijing constantly shifted his footing, sneering, “What you know, I know too. What I know, you’ve also trained. If you think you can kill me, dream on, dream on.” His defence was steady and unshakeable. Zhen Zhibing attacked with all his might, but every move was blocked. After fighting a while longer, Yang Guo saw that the two men’s footsteps were constantly shifting towards Xiaolongnü. Horrified, he thought: “If those two villainous Daoists fight their way to where my gugu is, that will be disastrous!”

Suddenly Zhao Zhijing launched a counterattack, forcing Zhen Zhibing back. He pressed forward with three rapid moves, and Zhen Zhibing retreated three steps. Yang Guo was secretly pleased to see the two moving away from his shifu. But then Zhen Zhibing suddenly switched his sword to his left hand, and his right arm shot out, whoosh, a palm strike to the chest. Zhao Zhijing laughed, “Even if you had three hands, you’d only have the skill to steal fragrance with clever hands, you’ll never kill me.” He met the strike with his left palm. The two now thrust with swords and struck with palms, fighting even more fiercely than before.

Xiaolongnü was wholly absorbed in her neigong and remained completely oblivious to everything in the outside world. Every time the two men drew a few steps closer, Yang Guo’s heart clenched with anxiety. Every time they moved a few steps farther away, he felt slightly relieved.

The fight reached a fever pitch. Zhen Zhibing roared with fury and launched a series of desperate moves, no longer blocking his opponent’s incoming sword but simply attacking with single-minded ferocity. Zhao Zhijing inwardly cursed his misfortune. He knew Zhen Zhibing was in an awkward position, he would rather be stabbed to death by Zhao Zhijing than allow the secret of his secret infatuation to be exposed. Although Zhao Zhijing had never been on good terms with Zhen Zhibing, he had no desire to kill him. In this situation, he immediately fell to a disadvantage. After several more exchanges, Zhen Zhibing thrust with his left sword, struck with his right palm, and simultaneously swept out with his left leg, the “Triple Chain” ultimate move of the Quanzhen Sect.

Zhao Zhijing leapt over eleven feet into the air and slashed downward with his sword. Zhen Zhibing let his long sword fly from his hand, hurling it at his opponent, then gave a sharp cry and struck out with both palms together.

Yang Guo saw that these several moves were fierce and unpredictable, beyond anything he knew. Cold sweat covered his palms. He saw Zhao Zhijing suspended in midair with no way to dodge, it looked as though these two palm strikes would shatter his bones and snap his tendons. But who could have guessed that at this moment of extreme peril, Zhao Zhijing would suddenly flip his body in midair, retreat sharply by eleven feet, and land lightly and deftly on the ground.

Watching the trajectory of his descent, he was heading straight for the flower clump where Xiaolongnü sat. In his great alarm, Yang Guo had no time to think. He shot upward, his left palm emerging from beneath his right palm to support Zhao Zhijing’s back. With a move called “Coloured Tower Tosses the Ball,” he exerted force and flung Zhao Zhijing’s massive frame more than twenty feet away. But his internal power was still insufficient, and he had used too much force in this one move. The strength gathered in his left arm, leaving his lower body unsteady. He immediately lost his footing. His body tilted to one side, and his left foot landed on a flower branch. The branch snapped back and struck Xiaolongnü’s face. Just this light flick was enough to give Xiaolongnü a tremendous shock. Sweat poured from her entire body. The internal breath that had been circulating at high speed rushed into her dantian and could not return upward. She immediately fainted.

Zhen Zhibing was stunned to suddenly see Yang Guo appear, and even more stunned to suddenly see the woman he thought of day and night, the one who filled his dreams, hidden within the flower clump. He stood frozen, truly unable to tell if this was real or an illusion. By now Zhao Zhijing had straightened up. Under the moonlight he could clearly see Xiaolongnü’s face, and he saw her lying unconscious on the ground, her clothing in disarray. He cried, “Well, well! So she’s here, having a secret rendezvous with her lover.”

Yang Guo was enraged. He shouted fiercely, “Neither of you stinking Daoists is to leave! I’ll settle accounts with you later.” Seeing that Xiaolongnü had fallen and lay motionless, he remembered how she had repeatedly instructed him that during training they must protect each other with full force, even if a river deer or rabbit happened to run past, it could cause a great disaster. Now that she had suffered this tremendous shock, the harm was surely severe. Terrified, he reached out to feel her forehead. It was icy cold. He hurriedly pulled her clothing across to cover her body, lifted her up, and called, “Gugu, are you all right?”

Xiaolongnü made a soft sound of acknowledgement but did not answer. Yang Guo felt slightly relieved. “Gugu, let’s go back first. We’ll come back later to kill these two villainous Daoists.” Xiaolongnü was completely weak and leaned against his chest. Yang Guo strode forward, walking past the two men. Zhen Zhibing stood frozen in place, stupefied. Zhao Zhijing laughed loudly. “Junior Brother Zhen, the woman of your dreams is here with another man, doing those shameless deeds. Rather than kill me, you’d be better off killing him!” Zhen Zhibing heard but did not listen. He made no sound.

Yang Guo heard the words “doing those shameless deeds.” Though he did not understand what Zhao Zhijing meant, he knew it was the most vicious of curses. In his towering rage, he gently set Xiaolongnü down on the ground, resting her back against a tree. He broke off a tree branch and held it in his hand. Pointing it at Zhao Zhijing, he shouted, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Two years had passed. Yang Guo had grown from a child into a tall, handsome youth. Zhao Zhijing had not recognised him at first. Only when he heard him shout a second time, and his face turned into the moonlight, did he see clearly that it was his own former disciple, the very one who, in the chaos, had thrown him to the ground. Shame and fury surged together. Seeing Yang Guo bare-chested, he shouted, “Yang Guo! So it’s you, you little beast!” Yang Guo said, “Curse me if you will, but what did you say about my gugu?” Zhao Zhijing gave a great laugh. “They say the Ancient Tomb Sect is a sect of maidens, that it has always passed its teachings to women and not to men, that every one of them is a pure and untouched virgin. But it turns out they are filthy and debauched, with dozens of lovers and paramours, never mind if they’re monks or Daoists, disciples or masters. Whenever they meet one, they don’t care if it’s day or night, out in the open or under the sky, they just go at it!”

Xiaolongnü happened to regain consciousness at this moment. Hearing these words, shock and fury surged together within her. The breath she had just regulated reversed itself once more. The two qi clashed, and her chest felt unbearably constricted. She knew she had suffered an internal injury. She managed only to curse, “You… you talk nonsense…” Then suddenly fresh blood sprayed from her mouth like a pillar of crimson.

Zhen Zhibing and Yang Guo were both horrified. They rushed forward together. Zhen Zhibing said, “What’s wrong?” He bent down to examine her injury. Yang Guo, thinking he meant to harm her, pushed his left hand towards Zhen Zhibing’s chest. Zhen Zhibing casually blocked it. Yang Guo was thoroughly familiar with every move of Quanzhen martial arts. His hand flipped and seized Zhen Zhibing’s wrist. First pulling, then pushing, he sent him flying.

At this point Yang Guo had not trained for long, and his martial arts were in truth still far inferior to Zhen Zhibing’s. If he had fought a practitioner of any other school whose martial arts were on par with Zhen Zhibing’s, Yang Guo would certainly have lost. But Lin Chaoying had spent years devising methods to counter Quanzhen martial arts, and every move and every stance was matched with perfect precision. Moreover, she had never used them after creating them, so Quanzhen disciples had never known that such a nemesis to their school’s martial arts existed in the world. Now that Yang Guo suddenly used them, Zhen Zhibing was caught completely off guard, and with his mind in turmoil, he had no ability to defend himself at all. Though Yang Guo’s strike was fast, his force was insufficient. Zhen Zhibing did not fall from this throw, but his body was already twenty feet away, standing beside Zhao Zhijing.

Yang Guo said, “Gugu, don’t mind them. Let me help you back first.” Xiaolongnü said, gasping for breath, “No. Kill them. Don’t… don’t let them go outside and talk… talk about me…” Yang Guo said, “All right.” He darted forward and thrust the tree branch in his hand towards Zhao Zhijing’s chest. Zhao Zhijing did not take him seriously at all. He flicked his long sword slightly to cut the branch. But who could have known that the sword move Yang Guo used was precisely the nemesis of Quanzhen sword techniques? The tip of the branch trembled and suddenly curved, striking Zhao Zhijing’s wrist acupoint. Zhao Zhijing’s wrist went numb, and he inwardly cursed. Yang Guo’s left palm swept across, striking directly at Zhao Zhijing’s left cheek. This sweeping strike came from a bizarre angle, from the most impossible direction. If Zhao Zhijing wanted to keep his long sword, he would have to take the strike to his head, if he wanted to dodge, he would have to let go of his sword.

Zhao Zhijing’s martial arts were formidable. He let go of his sword, ducked his head to evade, and Yang Guo seized his long sword. Zhao Zhijing then thrust his left palm forward, intending to snatch back the sword in that split second. But how could he have known that Lin Chaoying, decades ago, had already anticipated the enemy’s moves and prepared countermeasures for all the various ingenious and dangerous variations that a Quanzhen master might use? Zhao Zhijing thought this move was uniquely creative and certain to snatch victory from defeat. He never imagined that Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü had long since analysed and dismantled this move until it was utterly familiar. The moment Yang Guo saw Zhao Zhijing’s left palm flash, he knew he would use this move. He thrust his long sword forward, striking first to cut Zhao Zhijing’s palm. Zhao Zhijing hurriedly pulled back his hand. Yang Guo’s sword tip was already pointed at his chest. He shouted, “Lie down!” He hooked out with his left foot. Zhao Zhijing’s vital point was controlled and he could not move. Tripped by the hook, he immediately fell flat on his back. Yang Guo raised the long sword and thrust it fiercely down towards Zhao Zhijing’s lower abdomen.

Suddenly he heard the whistle of a sword behind him, a thrust was coming. Zhen Zhibing shouted fiercely, “You dare to kill your own shifu?” This strike was an attack that Yang Guo had to defend against. Amidst the twin onslaughts of great shock and great fury, Yang Guo could still assess urgency and priority. He immediately turned his sword back to block. Clang! The two swords met. Zhen Zhibing saw that Yang Guo’s returning sword was both fast and accurate and could not help but inwardly admire it. Then he suddenly felt his own long sword extend forward of its own accord, it was being pulled over by the opponent’s sword. Startled, he urgently circulated his neili to pull it back. His neili was naturally far deeper. As the two forces contested, Yang Guo’s long sword was instead pulled across. But to Zhen Zhibing’s surprise, this was exactly what Yang Guo wanted, to lure him into using this move. After only a moment’s resistance, Yang Guo suddenly let go of the sword and thrust both palms forward, striking fiercely at Zhen Zhibing’s chest. At the same time, the sword hilt rebounded upward. Two palms and one sword, three attacks arriving together. Even if Zhen Zhibing’s martial arts were higher, he could not block this bizarre and extraordinary assault.

At this moment, Zhen Zhibing had no choice but to let go of his sword and pull back his palms, crossing his hands horizontally before his chest to block in desperation. But his arms were bent too far inward and could not generate force. Fortunately, Yang Guo’s internal power was not strong, so he could not break Zhen Zhibing’s arms. Still, the impact shook Zhen Zhibing’s chest with severe pain and left both arms sore and numb. He hurriedly retreated three steps. Zhao Zhijing had seized the opportunity to leap up and now stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhen Zhibing to face the enemy. Yang Guo held both swords and attacked the two men.

Within a few moves, Zhao and Zhen found themselves thrown into chaos by a youth who had just begun to make his mark. They were both shocked and enraged, and no longer dared to be careless. The two stood side by side and used palm techniques, only defending and not attacking, wanting first to figure out the opponent’s martial arts style. In this way, although Yang Guo held sharp weapons in both hands while his opponents were bare-handed, the two defended with such tight precision that he could no longer catch them off guard as he had at the start of the fight. Lin Chaoying had only sought to surpass Wang Chongyang. If she used a sharp sword to subdue an opponent’s bare hands, not only would victory be unworthy, but she would also lose stature. She naturally disdained to waste thought on such matters. Therefore, among the sword techniques of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, there were no moves for countering the fist and kick techniques of Quanzhen. Add to this that Zhao and Zhen were far superior in both skill and power, and that they were fighting together defensively, seeking only to hold an invincible position, Yang Guo’s twin swords flashed and danced, sweeping and thrusting, but he could find no opening. Eventually he even began to lose ground. Zhao Zhijing’s palm force was deep and heavy. He continuously pressed his energy forward, bearing down on Yang Guo’s swords.

Zhen Zhibing steadied his mind and thought: two elders joining forces to fight a single youth, what kind of conduct was that? Seeing that victory was already within their grasp, and still concerned for Xiaolongnü’s safety, he shouted, “Yang Guo, hurry and help your gugu back! Why are you blindly tangling with us?” Yang Guo said, “Gugu hates you for talking nonsense. She told me I must kill you both.” Zhen Zhibing struck out with a whooshing palm, knocking Yang Guo’s left-hand sword askew. He leapt three steps to the left and called, “Hold!” Yang Guo said, “Trying to run?” Zhen Zhibing said, “Yang Guo, your desire to kill the two of us, this is what they call extremely difficult. But to set your gugu’s mind at ease: regarding today’s events, if I, Zhen, let slip even half a word, I will immediately cut my own throat in recompense. If I break this oath…” He raised his left palm to the sky. “May I, Zhen Zhibing, die a death too horrible to describe, and after death fall into the eighteen levels of hell. In my next life may I be a dog or a pig, a beast forever!”

Yang Guo was stunned for a moment. Hearing the sincerity in his words, he knew this oath came from the heart. He shouted, “Zhen, being a dog or a pig suits you well enough!” He took two steps forward, then suddenly thrust his sword behind him, pointing straight at Zhao Zhijing’s chest.

This move, “Magnolia Shoots Back,” was sinister beyond measure. Zhao Zhijing was wholly absorbed in listening to the two speak, how could he have expected this sudden sneak attack? By the time he sensed it, the sword tip had already pierced his lower abdomen. Zhao Zhijing felt only a slight prick of pain. He immediately circulated his qi to his dantian, and his lower abdomen suddenly shrank back by half a chi. He shot out his right leg and actually kicked the long sword out of Yang Guo’s hand. Before Zhao Zhijing could pull back his right leg, Yang Guo extended his finger and struck the hollow of his knee, hitting the acupoint precisely. Though Zhao Zhijing had escaped with his life, he could no longer stand. His right knee buckled, and he knelt before Yang Guo.

Yang Guo reached out and caught the long sword as it fell from the air. He pointed it at Zhao Zhijing’s throat. “I once took you as my shifu and kowtowed to you eight times. Now you are no longer my shifu. Kowtow those eight times back to me, and be quick about it.” Zhao Zhijing was so furious he nearly fainted. His face swelled purple, almost turning black. Yang Guo pressed the sword slightly harder, and the tip sank into the flesh of Zhao Zhijing’s throat. Zhao Zhijing cursed, “If you want to kill me, then kill me. What more is there to say?” Yang Guo raised the sword, about to thrust, when he suddenly heard Xiaolongnü behind him say, “Guoer, you mustn’t kill your shifu. Make him swear not to speak of today’s events, and then… then spare him.”

Yang Guo treated Xiaolongnü’s words as sacred commands. Hearing her speak thus, he said, “Swear an oath.” Though Zhao Zhijing was furious beyond measure, his life was more important after all. He said, “I won’t speak of it, what oath is there to swear?” Yang Guo said, “That won’t do. You must swear a venomous oath.” Zhao Zhijing said, “Fine. Regarding today’s events, only the four of us here know. If I tell a fifth person, may I be ruined and disgraced, expelled from my sect, despised by all fellow members of the wulin, and in the end die a terrible death!”

Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo were both ignorant of the ways of the world and thought he had truly sworn a venomous oath. Zhen Zhibing, however, heard the hidden meaning within his oath and was about to warn Yang Guo, but felt it would be improper to openly aid an outsider. He watched as Yang Guo lifted Xiaolongnü and, with swift steps, rounded the mountain waist and disappeared.

Yang Guo carried Xiaolongnü back to the ancient tomb and laid her on the Cold Jade Bed. Xiaolongnü sighed and said, “I have suffered severe internal injuries. How can I still resist the cold?” Yang Guo cried out in alarm, his heart sinking further. He thought: “So Gugu’s injuries are this severe.” He carried her to the adjacent chamber, her own bedchamber. The moment Xiaolongnü lay down, she gave a retching sound and spewed a great mouthful of fresh blood. Yang Guo’s bare chest was sprayed with blood. She gasped a few times, then spewed another mouthful of blood. Yang Guo was so frightened he did not know what to do and could only weep.

Xiaolongnü smiled faintly and said, “Once I’ve spewed out all my blood, I’ll stop spewing. What is there to be sad about?” Yang Guo said, “Gugu, don’t die.” Xiaolongnü said, “Are you afraid of dying yourself, is that it?” Yang Guo said, stunned, “Me?” Xiaolongnü said, “Before I die, naturally I will kill you first.” She had said these words once before, over two years ago. Yang Guo had long since forgotten them. He never expected her to bring them up again now. Seeing the astonishment on his face, Xiaolongnü said, “If I don’t kill you, how could I face Granny Sun after death? And who would take care of you, all alone in this world?” Yang Guo’s mind was a chaos of panic. He did not know what to say.

Xiaolongnü continued to spew blood without stopping, yet her expression was remarkably calm, as if nothing were wrong. A thought struck Yang Guo, and he ran to scoop out a large bowl of Jade Bee honey paste and fed it to her to drink. The honey paste was indeed miraculously effective for treating injuries. Before long, she finally stopped spewing blood and lay on the bed, sinking into a deep sleep. Yang Guo’s heart settled somewhat. Exhaustion and fear overtook him, and he could hold out no longer. He sat on the ground and fell asleep leaning against the wall.

He did not know how much time had passed when he suddenly felt a cold sensation at his throat and awoke with a start. He had lived in the ancient tomb for many years. Though he could not see in the dark as clearly as Xiaolongnü, as if it were broad daylight, he could come and go through the tomb without needing to carry a candle or lamp. He opened his eyes and saw Xiaolongnü sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a long sword, its tip pointed at his throat. Startled, he cried, “Gugu! You…”

Xiaolongnü said coolly, “Guoer, this injury of mine cannot be healed. I will kill you now, and we shall go together to see Granny Sun.” Yang Guo could only cry out urgently, “Gugu!” Xiaolongnü said, “You’re afraid in your heart, aren’t you? It’s very quick, just one sword stroke and it’s done.” Yang Guo saw a strange light suddenly flash in her eyes and knew she was about to strike the killing blow. The will to survive burned fiercely in his chest. He could care about nothing else. He rolled away and kicked out with his leg to knock the sword from her hand.

Though Xiaolongnü’s internal injuries were severe, her body was as swift as ever. She sidestepped to avoid his kick, and the sword tip was once again pointed at his throat. Yang Guo changed moves several times in succession, but every move and every stance he used was something Xiaolongnü had taught him, how could they not be within her expectations? The long sword followed him like a shadow, never leaving the space three cun from his throat. Yang Guo was so frightened that sweat poured from his entire body. He thought to himself: “Today I cannot escape with my life. Gugu is determined to kill me.” In his desperation, he brought both palms together and struck out at empty air, gambling that after her injury she would be weak. Though her moves were exquisite, she should lack the strength to exchange palms with him.

Xiaolongnü understood his intent. She tilted her upper body slightly to evade. If Yang Guo had only brought his palms downward, he could have knocked the long sword from her hand. But he could not bear to lift even a single finger against his shifu. His palm force shifted slightly and swept past Xiaolongnü’s shoulder. Xiaolongnü called, “Guoer, stop struggling!” She thrust the sword forward slightly, and the tip trembled a few times. With an exquisitely ingenious move called “Parting Flowers, Brushing Willows”, appearing to go left but actually going right, the tip was already pointed at Yang Guo’s throat. She pushed her strength forward, about to pierce his throat, when she saw the pleading look in his eyes. Suddenly a great surge of pity rose in her heart. Her wrist went limp, her whole body turned weak, and with a clang, the long sword fell to the ground.

When this sword thrust came, Yang Guo could only await death. He never expected she would drop the sword and not strike. He froze for a moment, then turned and fled. As he was going out the door, he glanced back at Xiaolongnü. He saw her half-collapsed on the ground, the long sword fallen beside her, two streams of blood slowly trickling from the corners of her mouth, her eyes tightly shut. In the dim light, her face, which had always been as crystalline as white jade, seemed to have turned somewhat ashen. A great grief seized Yang Guo’s heart: “Gugu is about to die. No matter what, I will not leave her! If she wants to kill me, let her kill me.” He rushed back, sat down against the wall, gently lifted Xiaolongnü’s body, and leaned her against his chest. He reached to the stone table for the bowl of Jade Bee honey that had not yet been finished, parted Xiaolongnü’s lips with his left hand, and slowly poured the honey into her mouth.

Xiaolongnü drank a few mouthfuls of honey and slightly opened her eyes. Realising that Yang Guo was holding her upper body, a great joy rose in her heart, and her face bloomed like a spring flower. She asked, “I was going to kill you, why… why didn’t you run away?” Yang Guo said, “I couldn’t bear to leave you! It doesn’t matter if you kill me. If you really died, I would kill myself. Otherwise, when you reached the underworld, there would be no one to keep you company, and you would be afraid.” Hearing these words, so boundless in their deep affection and utterly without falsehood, Xiaolongnü’s heart grew calm, and her breathing became smooth. In a daze, she seemed about to fall asleep. Yang Guo lifted her up, gently laid her on the bed, and pulled a thin quilt over her. He struck a flame, lit a candle on the stone table, and saw that a faint blush had returned to Xiaolongnü’s face, and a hint of a smile lingered at the corners of her mouth. The deathly pallor of her earlier critical state had greatly improved.

Xiaolongnü opened her eyes slightly and said, “I suffered this injury from the shock and began spewing blood. My shifu once said that in such cases, one should find ginseng, notoginseng, safflower, dong quai, and similar herbs to take, and recover slowly. Otherwise, if the bleeding does not stop, the injury will be hard to heal.” Yang Guo said, “I’ll go out right now to find the medicine. You lie still and rest.” Xiaolongnü closed her eyes and said softly, “Be careful.” Yang Guo said, “Yes. Gugu, I don’t feel at ease leaving you.” Xiaolongnü said, “Just go. Even if I am going to die, I will wait until you return to die.”

Yang Guo thought to himself that there was no silver in the ancient tomb to buy medicine. When he reached the shops at the foot of the mountain, he would either steal or rob, depending on the situation. He then left the ancient tomb. Outside, the sun blazed brightly, a clear breeze brushed his face, and fine birds sang in the trees. How different this was from the gloomy, sorrowful scene inside the tomb!

He returned to the place beside the red flower clump where they had trained earlier. Zhao Zhijing and Zhen Zhibing had vanished without a trace. He immediately unfolded his qinggong and raced down the mountain. By noon, he had reached the foot of the mountain. He slowed his pace and walked to a stream, where he washed the bloodstains from his body as best he could. After walking a while longer, his stomach growled with hunger. Having roamed the jianghu since childhood, his ability to find things to eat was truly impressive. He looked around and saw a large patch of corn growing on the western hillside, so he went over and picked five ears. The corn was not yet ripe, but it was edible. He gathered some dry firewood and was about to start a fire to roast them, he would eat three ears himself and take the remaining two back to his shifu. Suddenly he heard the rustle of light footsteps behind a tree: someone was approaching.

He turned sideways to block the corn from view, to avoid being caught red-handed by a farmer. Glancing sideways, he saw it was a young Daoist nun, dressed in an apricot-yellow Daoist robe, her steps light and graceful as she slowly drew near. Twin swords were strapped to her back, their blood-red tassels fluttering in the wind, clearly she knew martial arts. Yang Guo thought to himself that this person was surely from Chongyang Palace on the mountain, most likely a disciple of the Tranquil Purist Sun Bu’er. He decided there was no need to trouble a female Daoist nun. He lowered his head and continued gathering dry twigs from the ground.

The Daoist nun walked up before him and asked, “Hey, which way is the path up the mountain?” Yang Guo thought to himself: “This woman is a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect, how could she not know the way up the mountain? She must have ill intentions.” Without turning his head, he casually pointed towards the mountain and said, “Just follow the main road up.” The Daoist nun saw that he was bare-chested, wearing a pair of very worn and dirty trousers, she could not tell if they were stained with paint or vegetable juice, crouching by the roadside gathering firewood. She figured he was an ordinary farmhand. She was proud of her beauty. Any man who saw her would stare transfixed for a long while. Yet this youth had glanced at her once and not looked a second time, as if he were blind. She could not help feeling annoyed, but then thought: “What would these stupid, clumsy country folk understand anyway?” She said, “Stand up. I have something to ask you.”

Yang Guo had long since come to hate everyone in the Quanzhen Sect, from top to bottom. He pretended to be deaf and mute, acting as if he had not heard. The Daoist nun said, “Silly boy, did you hear what I said?” Yang Guo said, “I heard you, but I don’t feel like standing up.” Hearing this, the Daoist nun could not help but let out a laugh. “Look at me, it’s me telling you to stand up.” These words were spoken in a voice both alluring and sweet, cloying as honey. Yang Guo felt a chill in his heart: “Why does she speak in such a strange manner?” He raised his head and saw that her skin was fair and smooth, her cheeks flushed with a rosy glow, her two eyes glistening as she cast a sidelong glance at him. She seemed to bear no ill will. After one look, he lowered his head again and continued gathering firewood.

The Daoist nun asked again, “Do you know where that great tomb on the mountain is?” Yang Guo paused, still not raising his head. He answered bluntly, “Don’t know!” The Daoist nun sensed something odd in his expression and thought the child was probably afraid of the great tomb. Seeing his face full of childish innocence and that he was utterly unmoved by her, she was not angry. She thought to herself: “So he’s just an ignorant silly child. Country folk don’t understand what makes a face beautiful, but they always covet silver.” Anxious to ask for directions and unable to use her beauty to entice him, she took two ingots of silver from within her robes and clinked them together. “Little brother, if you do as I say, these two ingots of silver are yours.”

Yang Guo had not originally wanted to provoke her, but hearing her speak so strangely, he decided to test what her intentions were. He therefore played the fool to the fullest, staring blankly at the silver and saying, “What are those shiny things?” The Daoist nun laughed. “This is silver. If you want new clothes, or a big fat hen, or white rice, you can use silver to buy them all.” Yang Guo put on an expression of utter bewilderment, thinking to himself: “If I rob her of her silver, I can go down the mountain and buy medicine for Gugu.” He said, “You’re tricking me again. I don’t believe you.” The Daoist nun laughed. “When have I ever tricked you? Hey, boy, what’s your name?” Yang Guo said, “Everyone calls me Silly Egg, don’t you know that? What’s your name?”

The Daoist nun laughed. “Silly Egg, just call me Fairy Nun, that’ll do. Where’s your mother?” Yang Guo said, “My mother just gave me a good scolding and went up the mountain to cut firewood.” The Daoist nun said, “Hmm, I need an axe. Go home and fetch one to lend me.” Yang Guo was greatly puzzled. His eyes went blank, drool ran from the corner of his mouth, and his foolish expression grew even more convincing. He shook his head vigorously. “That won’t do. You can’t lend an axe to people.” The Daoist nun laughed. “Once your parents see the silver, they’ll be willing to lend the axe.” She tossed an ingot of silver towards him.

Yang Guo reached out to catch it but pretended to miss. The silver struck his shoulder, and when it fell, it hit his right foot. He clutched his right foot and hopped on his left leg, yelling, “Ow, ow! You hit me! I’m telling my mother!” Shouting and yelling, he picked up the silver, turned, and dashed down the mountain to buy medicine.

The Daoist nun found his foolishness amusing and smiled faintly. She untied the sash from her waist and lashed it towards Yang Guo’s right foot. Yang Guo heard the wind and glanced back. Seeing the sash coming, he was startled: “This is the skill of our Ancient Tomb Sect! Could it be she’s not a Quanzhen Daoist nun?” He did not dodge, letting the sash wrap around his right foot. He fell flat on the ground, relaxing his entire body, and let her drag him back. Inwardly he was on guard: “She’s going up the mountain, could it be she’s after Gugu?”

The moment he thought of Xiaolongnü, not knowing whether she was alive or dead at this moment, he could not help but be consumed with worry. The Daoist nun had already pulled him before her. She saw that although his face was covered in dust, his features were fine and clear. She thought to herself: “This country boy is rather handsome. Too bad he’s an embroidered pillow, nothing but a mess of straw inside.” Hearing him still shouting and yelling, babbling nonsense, she smiled faintly and said, “Silly Egg, do you want to live or die?” She drew her long sword and pressed it against his chest.

Yang Guo saw that the move she used, “Embroidered Brush Brings Forth Flowers”, was precisely a sword move of the orthodox Ancient Tomb Sect transmission. Now he had no more doubts: “This person is most likely a disciple of Martial Uncle Li Mochou. She’s come up the mountain looking for my gugu, and her intentions are certainly not good. Judging by the way she used her sash and drew her sword, her martial arts are not weak. I’ll keep playing the fool to the end, so she’ll be completely off guard.” His face full of terror, he pleaded, “Fairy Nun, please… please don’t kill me. I’ll do whatever you say.” The Daoist nun laughed. “Good. If you don’t follow my orders, one sword stroke and you’re dead.” Yang Guo cried, “I’ll listen, I’ll listen.” The Daoist nun flicked her sash, and with a soft snap it was back around her waist, her bearing graceful, thoroughly dashing. Yang Guo silently praised: “Well done!” But his face still wore a blank expression. The Daoist nun thought: “How could this fool possibly understand the difficulty of that move? I’m just casting flirtatious glances at a blind man.” She said, “Hurry home and fetch the axe.”

Yang Guo had originally intended to go down the mountain first to buy medicine, figuring the Daoist nun could not catch up to him. But seeing that she was Li Mochou’s disciple and was heading to the ancient tomb, she was surely going to make trouble for Xiaolongnü, he could not afford to ignore this. He ran towards a farmhouse ahead, deliberately stumbling and planting his feet heavily, swaying and lurching, appearing extremely clumsy. The Daoist nun found it unbearable to watch and called, “Don’t tell anyone. Go quickly and come back quickly.” Yang Guo answered, “All right!” He quietly peered through the doorway of a farmhouse and saw that no one was inside, they must all be working in the fields. He took a short axe used for felling trees and chopping firewood from the wall, casually grabbed a tattered coat from a bench and threw it over himself, and came back with a foolish swagger.

Though he was toying with the Daoist nun, his heart was hung up on Xiaolongnü’s safety, and a deep worry showed on his face despite himself. The Daoist nun scolded, “Why the long face? Smile for me, quick.” Yang Guo stretched his mouth into a grin and laughed foolishly a few times. The Daoist nun’s elegant brows furrowed slightly. “Follow me up the mountain.” Yang Guo hurriedly said, “No, no. My mother told me not to wander off.” The Daoist nun shouted, “If you don’t obey, I’ll kill you right now.” She reached out with her left hand and twisted his ear, raising her long sword high with her right as if about to strike. Yang Guo shrieked like a stuck pig: “I’ll go, I’ll go!”

The Daoist nun thought to herself: “This person is as stupid as a pig or a sheep, exactly what I need.” She grabbed his sleeve and headed up the mountain. Her qinggong was not weak, so naturally she walked extremely fast. Yang Guo, however, stumbled and lurched, left foot high, right foot low, trailing far behind. After walking a while, he sat down on a rock by the roadside, constantly wiping sweat and panting heavily. The Daoist nun urged him repeatedly to hurry. Yang Guo said, “You walk like a rabbit, how am I supposed to keep up?” The Daoist nun saw that the sun was already slanting westward and grew increasingly impatient. She turned back, took him by the arm, and rushed up the mountain. Yang Guo simply could not keep up. His feet kicked about wildly, and suddenly he stomped down hard on the top of her foot.

The Daoist nun cried “Ow!” She said angrily, “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” But seeing his breath coming in heavy gasps, truly exhausted, she reached her left arm around his waist and shouted, “Move!” Holding him against her side, she raced up the mountain, her qinggong unfolding. In moments they had covered several li. Yang Guo let himself be held in the crook of her arm, feeling the warmth and softness of her body against his back and smelling the scent of a young woman in his nostrils. He simply exerted not the slightest bit of strength and let her carry him up the mountain. The Daoist nun ran for a while, then looked down and saw a faint smile on his face, as if he were thoroughly comfortable. She could not help feeling annoyed. She released her arm and dropped him to the ground, scolding, “Enjoying yourself, are you?” Yang Guo clutched his backside and yelled, “Ow, ow! Fairy Nun hurt Silly Egg’s bottom.”

The Daoist nun did not know whether to be angry or amused. She cursed, “How can you be this stupid?” Yang Guo said, “Exactly, I’ve always been called Silly Egg. Fairy Nun, my mother says my surname isn’t Silly, it’s Zhang. Is your surname Fairy?” The Daoist nun said, “Just calling me Fairy Nun is enough. Who cares what my surname is?” As it happened, she was none other than Hong Lingbo, the disciple of the Scarlet Serpent Fairy Li Mochou, the young Daoist nun who had gone to exterminate Lu Liding’s entire family and had been driven away by Wu Sanniang. Yang Guo wanted to find out her name, but she refused to reveal it.

She sat down on a rock and tidied her hair, which the wind had blown into disarray. Yang Guo tilted his head and looked at her, thinking: “This Daoist nun can be counted as beautiful, but she’s still not as beautiful as Auntie Guo of Peach Blossom Island, and even less so than my gugu.” Hong Lingbo shot him a sidelong glance and laughed. “Silly Egg, why do you keep staring at me?” Yang Guo said, “I’m staring because I’m staring, what does it matter? If you won’t let me stare, I won’t stare. Nothing special about it.” Hong Lingbo burst out laughing. “Go ahead and stare! Hey, tell me, am I good-looking?” She took a small ivory comb from within her robes and slowly combed her hair.

Yang Guo said, “Good-looking, sure, it’s just… it’s just…” Hong Lingbo said, “Just what?” Yang Guo said, “Just not very fair.” Hong Lingbo had always prided herself on her fair and creamy complexion, her skin crystalline and luminous. Hearing him say this, she could not help but fly into a rage. She stood up and shouted, “Silly Egg, do you want to die? Saying I’m not fair enough?” Yang Guo shook his head. “Not very fair.” Hong Lingbo said angrily, “Who is fairer than me?” Yang Guo said, “The one who slept with me last night was much fairer than you.” Hong Lingbo said, “Who? Your wife, or your mother?” A thought turned in her mind: she would kill this woman whose skin was fairer than her own. Yang Guo said, “Neither. It was my family’s white sheep.” Hong Lingbo’s anger turned to laughter. “You really are a fool. How can a person be compared to a beast? Hurry up, let’s go.” She took him by the arm and strode quickly up the mountain.

When they were about to reach the main road leading straight to Chongyang Palace, Hong Lingbo turned west, heading in the direction of the Tomb of the Living Dead. Yang Guo thought to himself: “As I thought, she’s going to find my gugu.” After walking a while, Hong Lingbo took a map from within her robes and searched for the path. Yang Guo said, “Fairy Nun, you can’t go through ahead. There are ghosts in the forest.” Hong Lingbo said, “How do you know?” Yang Guo said, “There’s a big tomb in the forest, and there are evil ghosts inside. No one dares to go near.” Hong Lingbo was overjoyed and thought to herself: “So the Tomb of the Living Dead really is here.”

It turned out that in recent years Hong Lingbo had received instruction from her shifu and her martial arts had improved considerably. After helping her shifu defeat the assembled heroes of the wulin in Shanxi, she had won even more of Li Mochou’s favour. She had heard her shifu discuss the matter of sparring with the masters of Quanzhen, saying that if she could master the “Jade Maiden Heart Sutra,” she would no longer need to fear those old bull-nose Daoists of the Quanzhen Sect, it was only a pity that the book recording this martial discipline was left behind in the ancient tomb on Mount Zhongnan. Hong Lingbo asked her why she did not go into the tomb to study this skill. Li Mochou gave a vague answer, saying only that she had already yielded the place to her junior martial sister, and that the two martial sisters were not on good terms and had never been in contact. Li Mochou was extremely proud. The fact that she had broken into the Tomb of the Living Dead several times, only to be defeated, injured, and forced to flee in disarray, this she was naturally unwilling to tell her disciple. Instead she said that her junior martial sister was young and her martial arts were mediocre, and that as the senior martial sister, it would be improper to bully the weak. Hong Lingbo then vigorously urged her shifu to go seize the tomb and take the sutra. In truth, Li Mochou had never let go of this thought for a single day, but she had not fully figured out the mechanisms inside the tomb and did not dare to act rashly. Hearing her disciple speak so eagerly, she only smiled and did not answer.

Hong Lingbo brought it up several times, but seeing that her shifu remained noncommittal, she secretly took note. She asked her shifu in detail about the route to the ancient tomb on Mount Zhongnan and privately drew a map, never knowing that Li Mochou had in fact not told her everything she knew. This time her shifu had sent her to Chang’an to kill an enemy whose martial arts were not particularly strong. After completing the task, she had come straight to Mount Zhongnan, only to encounter Yang Guo by chance. She ordered Yang Guo to use the short axe to hack through the obstructing brambles and undergrowth and find a path into the tomb.

Yang Guo thought to himself that hacking through brambles and thorns like this, they could thrash about for a year and a half and still not get near the ancient tomb. Playing dumb, he simply followed orders. They fussed about for the better part of an hour. The sky had turned completely dark, and they had travelled less than a li, still extremely far from the ancient tomb. His concern for Xiaolongnü grew more urgent by the moment. He thought to himself that he could subdue this young Daoist nun on his own and need not fear any tricks from her. He swung the axe wildly a few times, aimed at a rock, and brought it down hard. Sparks flew in all directions, and the axe blade immediately curled. He shouted, “Ow, ow! There’s a big rock here. The axe is ruined. When I get home, Papa’s going to beat me for sure. Fairy Nun, I… I want to go home.”

Hong Lingbo had long since grown extremely anxious. At this rate, there was no way they could enter the tomb tonight. She could only curse, “Silly Egg, you’re not going home!” Yang Guo said, “Fairy Nun, are you afraid of ghosts?” Hong Lingbo said, “Ghosts are afraid of me. One sword stroke and I’ll split an evil ghost in two.” Yang Guo said happily, “You’re not lying to me?” Hong Lingbo said, “Why would I lie to you?” Yang Guo said, “Since the evil ghosts are afraid of you, I’ll take you to the big tomb. When the evil ghost comes out, you have to drive it away!” Hong Lingbo said overjoyed, “You know the way to the big tomb? Take me there, quickly.” Yang Guo was afraid she would grow suspicious and went on and on, demanding again and again that she promise to kill the evil ghost. Hong Lingbo reassured him repeatedly, telling him not to worry, saying she could kill ten evil ghosts if need be.

Yang Guo took her by the hand and led her out of the flowering thicket, turning onto the secret path to the ancient tomb. It was now approaching midnight, and neither stars nor moon gave any light. Yang Guo held her hand and felt it was warm, smooth, and soft. He marvelled inwardly: “Gugu and she are both women, how is it that Gugu’s hands are icy cold, while hers are so warm?” Without thinking, he squeezed her hand a few times. If anyone in the wulin had treated Hong Lingbo with such disrespect, she would have long since drawn her sword and cut them down. But she thought Yang Guo was a fool, and at this moment she needed his help. Moreover, seeing that he was handsome, she felt a certain fondness for him in her heart and did not grow angry. She thought to herself: “This Silly Egg isn’t completely stupid after all, he does know that I’m good-looking.”

In less than the time it takes to eat a meal, Yang Guo had led Hong Lingbo to the front of the tomb. When he had left, he had been in such a hurry to find medicine for Xiaolongnü that he had not closed the tomb door. His heart pounded wildly, and he prayed silently: “Please, let Gugu not be dead!” He then stepped inside. Hong Lingbo thought: “This Silly Egg has suddenly grown bold, that’s rather strange.” She had no time to ponder further and followed closely in the darkness. She had heard her shifu say that the paths inside the tomb twisted and turned, one wrong step and you would immediately lose your way. Yet she saw Yang Guo stride forward without the slightest hesitation, turning east here, winding west there, pushing open a door on this side, pulling aside a large stone on that side, thoroughly familiar with everything. Hong Lingbo grew secretly suspicious: “What’s so difficult about the paths in this tomb? Could it be that Shifu lied to me, afraid I would enter on my own?”

In moments, Yang Guo had led her to the centre of the ancient tomb, to Xiaolongnü’s bedchamber. He gently pushed open the door and listened carefully. Not the slightest sound. He was about to call out “Gugu!” but, remembering Hong Lingbo was at his side, he hurriedly held back and said in a low voice, “We’re here.”

By now the candle in the chamber had gone out, and it was pitch dark. Though Hong Lingbo was bold in skill and courage, she was still uneasy after all. She hurriedly took out her fire striker, struck a flame, and lit the candle on the table. She saw a woman in white lying on the bed. She had long expected to meet her martial uncle Xiaolongnü in the tomb, but she had never imagined she would be lying there so calmly and loftily. She could not tell whether she was deep in slumber or simply did not take her seriously. Holding her sword flat before her chest, she said, “Your disciple Hong Lingbo pays respects to Martial Uncle.”

Yang Guo’s mouth hung open, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest. He stared intently at Xiaolongnü, watching for any movement. She lay completely motionless. Only after a long while did she softly make a sound of acknowledgement. From the moment Hong Lingbo spoke to when Xiaolongnü answered, Yang Guo had waited in such acute anxiety that he wanted to throw himself forward, embrace his shifu, and weep aloud. Hearing her voice, it was as if a great stone had fallen from his heart. In his joy, he could hold back no longer and burst out crying. Hong Lingbo asked, “Silly Egg, what are you doing?” Yang Guo sobbed, “I… I’m so scared.”

Xiaolongnü slowly turned around and said in a low voice, “You don’t need to be afraid. Just now I died once, it wasn’t painful at all.” The moment Hong Lingbo saw her exquisitely beautiful face, peerless in its elegance, she was greatly startled: “Such a woman of absolute beauty exists in this world!” She could not help feeling ashamed of her own appearance. She said again, “Your disciple Hong Lingbo pays respects to Martial Uncle.” Xiaolongnü said softly, “Where is my martial sister? Has she come too?” Hong Lingbo said, “My shifu ordered your disciple to come first and inquire after Martial Uncle’s health.” Xiaolongnü said, “Leave now. This place, even your shifu is not permitted to enter, let alone you.”

Hong Lingbo saw that her face was full of the signs of illness, her chest covered in patches of bloodstains, and her voice short of breath when she spoke, clearly she was severely injured. She set aside most of her wariness and thought to herself: “Truly, heaven-sent coincidence! I never imagined that I, Hong Lingbo, would become the inheritor of this Tomb of the Living Dead.” Seeing that Xiaolongnü was at death’s door, she feared she might suddenly die and no one would be able to tell her where the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was kept. She hurriedly said, “Martial Uncle, my shifu ordered your disciple to retrieve the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. If you hand it over to me, your disciple will immediately treat your injuries.”

Xiaolongnü had trained for many years, and her seven emotions and six desires had originally all been suppressed to the point of near non-existence, it could be said that nothing in the world troubled her heart. But now, severely injured and having lost her self-control, hearing these words, she was overcome with both anxiety and fury and fainted. Hong Lingbo rushed forward and pressed the philtrum acupoint below her nose a few times. Xiaolongnü slowly regained consciousness and said, “Where is my martial sister? Ask her to come. I have words… words to say to her.” Hong Lingbo saw that the unsurpassed secret manual of her own school was within easy reach. Impatient, she gave a cold laugh and took two long silver needles from within her robes. She said fiercely, “Martial Uncle, do you recognise these needles? If you don’t hand over the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra quickly, don’t blame your disciple for being discourteous.”

Yang Guo had once suffered terribly from these Ice Spirit Silver Needles.²⁴ He had merely held one carelessly in his hand and been infected with a violent poison, if one were to pierce the body, what then? Seeing the situation was critical, he cried, “Fairy Nun, there’s a ghost over there! I’m scared!” He threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind, conveniently striking the “Shoulder Chastity” and “Capital Gate” acupoints on her back with his fingers. Hong Lingbo could never have dreamed that this “Silly Egg” possessed superior martial arts. She was about to curse him for talking nonsense when her entire body went numb and she collapsed limply to the ground. Yang Guo, afraid she might have the ability to unblock her own meridians, immediately struck her “Great Bone” acupoint several more times with heavy force. He said, “Gugu, this woman is truly evil. Shall I prick her a few times with these silver needles?” He wrapped his fingers in the hem of his clothing and picked up the silver needles.

Hong Lingbo’s body could not move, but she heard these words with perfect clarity. Seeing him pick up the silver needles and look at her with a grin, she was scared out of her wits. She wanted to plead for mercy, but the bitter truth was that she could not open her mouth. All she could do was show a look of pitiful appeal in her eyes. Xiaolongnü said, “Guoer, close the door, in case my martial sister comes in.” Yang Guo answered, “Yes!” He was just about to turn around when he suddenly heard a sweet, alluring woman’s voice behind him say, “Junior Martial Sister, how are you? I’ve been here for a while.”

Yang Guo spun around in shock. In the candlelight he saw a beautiful Daoist nun standing gracefully in the doorway, almond eyes, peach cheeks, the corners of her mouth seeming to hold a smile yet not quite smiling. It was none other than the Scarlet Serpent Fairy, Li Mochou.

When Hong Lingbo had been asking about the paths inside the Tomb of the Living Dead, Li Mochou had long since guessed that she planned to go on her own to steal the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Sending her to Chang’an to kill someone and everything else had been deliberately arranged. She had been secretly following behind the entire time and had seen how she met Yang Guo, how she entered the tomb, how she tried to force Xiaolongnü to hand over the sutra, and how she fell into the trap and was captured. It was only because her own body movements were swift and her steps light that Hong Lingbo, Xiaolongnü, and Yang Guo had not noticed her at all. Only now did she reveal herself.

Xiaolongnü started up abruptly and cried, “Martial Sister!” Then she broke into a fit of coughing. Li Mochou asked, “Where is Granny Sun?” Xiaolongnü said, “Granny Sun is dead!” Li Mochou felt even more at ease. Xiaolongnü saw that upon hearing of Granny Sun’s death, a look of pleasure actually appeared on Li Mochou’s face, and she inwardly reproached her for her cold and unfeeling nature.

Li Mochou pointed coldly at Yang Guo. “Who is this person? The founding grandmaster’s last instructions were that no stinking man may set even one step inside the ancient tomb. Why have you allowed him to stay here?” Xiaolongnü was coughing violently and could not answer. Yang Guo stepped in front of Xiaolongnü to shield her and said clearly, “She is my gugu. The affairs of this place are none of your business!” Li Mochou laughed coldly. “What a good Silly Egg, you really can put on an act!” Her fly-whisk swept out, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, three moves in succession. Though these three moves were delivered one after another, they seemed to arrive simultaneously, precisely one of the formidable techniques of the Ancient Tomb Sect’s martial arts. A practitioner of any other school who did not understand the mysteries within would be struck down with broken bones and snapped tendons the moment they engaged. Yang Guo had trained this skill until it was thoroughly familiar. Though his skill was far inferior to Li Mochou’s in depth, he still evaded her three-moves-in-one “Three Sparrows Cast Into the Forest” with light, effortless grace.

Li Mochou pulled back her fly-whisk, secretly startled. She saw that the body movement he used to evade was none other than her own school’s martial arts. She shouted sternly, “Junior Martial Sister, who is this little thief?” Xiaolongnü, afraid of vomiting blood again, dared not speak loudly. She said in a low voice, “Guoer, pay your respects to your senior martial uncle.” Yang Guo spat. “What kind of martial uncle is she?” Xiaolongnü said, “Lean close, I have something to tell you.”

Yang Guo assumed she wanted to persuade him to kowtow to Li Mochou. Though unwilling in his heart, he still leaned close. Xiaolongnü’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. She said softly, “At the foot of the bed, in the corner, there is a raised stone slab. Pull it hard to the left, then immediately jump onto the bed.” Li Mochou also assumed she was instructing her disciple to bow his head and beg for mercy. With one severely injured and the other a junior of the younger generation, she did not take them seriously at all and was preoccupied with figuring out some clever way to force her junior martial sister to hand over the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.

Yang Guo nodded and said clearly, “Very well. Your disciple pays respects to Senior Martial Uncle!” He slowly reached towards the foot of the bed where Xiaolongnü lay and felt around. His hand touched a raised stone slab. He pulled it with force, then leapt onto the bed. A grinding sound rang out, and the stone bed suddenly sank. Li Mochou was startled. She knew the ancient tomb was full of mechanisms everywhere. Back then, her shifu had been partial, keeping things from her while passing on all the methods for operating the mechanisms to her junior martial sister. She immediately rushed forward to grab Xiaolongnü.

At this moment Xiaolongnü had absolutely no strength to resist. Although the stone bed was sinking, Li Mochou reacted with astonishing speed, her strike swift beyond compare, she was about to forcibly drag Xiaolongnü off the bed. Horrified, Yang Guo struck out with all his might, knocking her grasping hand aside. Then everything went black before his eyes. Bang! Bang! The stone bed had fallen into the lower-level stone chamber. The stone slabs in the ceiling slid back into place on their own, instantly cutting off the four people, master and disciple Xiaolongnü above, master and disciple Li Mochou below, into two separate spaces.

In the dimness, Yang Guo saw what seemed to be tables and chairs in the chamber. He walked to the table, struck his fire striker, and lit the half-burnt candle stub on the table. Xiaolongnü sighed and said, “My blood circulation is insufficient, I cannot circulate my energy to heal my injuries. But even if I were uninjured, the two of us, master and disciple, could not defeat my martial sister…” Hearing the words “my blood circulation is insufficient,” Yang Guo did not wait for her to finish. He raised his left wrist, found the blood vessel, and bit down with desperate force. Blood immediately gushed out. He placed the wound at Xiaolongnü’s mouth, and the fresh blood flowed gurgling into her.

Xiaolongnü’s entire body had been icy cold. As the warm blood entered her stomach, a slight warmth spread through her. But she knew this was improper and tried to struggle. Yang Guo’s right arm held her tightly around the waist, making it impossible for her to move. Before long, the wound clotted, and Yang Guo bit it open again. Then he bit open his right wrist as well. After feeding her blood several times, Yang Guo felt dizzy and weak, his whole body drained of strength. Only then did he sit up straight. Xiaolongnü gazed at him for a long while without speaking, then sighed quietly and began circulating her energy to heal herself. Yang Guo saw that the candle was about to burn out and replaced it with a new one.

That night the two each focused on their own practice. Yang Guo was replenishing his strength after the blood loss. After drinking Yang Guo’s blood, Xiaolongnü’s spirits were greatly revived. Two hours later, she knew her life was saved. She opened her eyes and gave him a faint smile. Yang Guo saw that her cheeks, which had been deathly pale, now suddenly had two patches of rosy colour, like a faint layer of rouge brushed onto white jade. Overjoyed, he said, “Gugu, you’re better.” Xiaolongnü nodded. Yang Guo was so happy he did not know what to say. He did not know that for replenishing lost blood to truly take effect, the blood must be transfused into the blood vessels, drinking blood does not necessarily truly replenish blood. But Xiaolongnü was extremely weak and on the verge of death. The sudden great increase of qi and blood in her body had at least some effect in raising her spirits and strengthening her body.

Xiaolongnü said, “Let’s go to Granny Sun’s room. I have something to tell you.” Yang Guo said, “Aren’t you tired?” Xiaolongnü said, “It’s all right.” She reached out and pulled the mechanism on the stone wall a few times. The stone blocks rotated, revealing a doorway. Yang Guo no longer recognised any of the passages here. Xiaolongnü led him, turning this way and that in the darkness, until they reached Granny Sun’s room.

She lit a candle and made a bundle of Yang Guo’s clothes, wrapping her own pair of gold-thread gloves inside as well. Yang Guo stared at her blankly and said, puzzled, “Gugu, what are you doing?” Xiaolongnü did not answer. She also placed two large bottles of Jade Bee paste in the bundle. Yang Guo said happily, “Gugu, we’re going out, aren’t we? That’s wonderful.”

Xiaolongnü said, “You go now, and go well. I know you are a good child, you have treated me very well.” Yang Guo was greatly alarmed. “Gugu, what about you?” Xiaolongnü said, “I swore an oath before my shifu that I would never leave this tomb for the rest of my life. Unless… unless… mm, I am not going out.” She shook her head sadly.

Yang Guo saw that her expression was stern and her tone resolute, clearly she would not allow him to argue. He dared not speak further, but this matter was far too grave. Finally he mustered his courage and said, “Gugu, if you don’t go, I won’t go either. I’ll stay with you.” Xiaolongnü said, “Right now my martial sister is surely guarding the passages out of the tomb, waiting to force me to hand over the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. My skill is far inferior to hers, and I am injured, I certainly cannot defeat her, can I?” Yang Guo said, “No.” Xiaolongnü said, “The grain we have stored, I estimate it will barely last twenty-some days. With some honey and such, a month at most. After a month, what then?” Yang Guo was stunned. “We’ll force our way out. Though we can’t defeat Martial Uncle, it’s not certain we couldn’t escape with our lives.” Xiaolongnü shook her head. “If you knew your martial uncle’s martial arts and temperament, you would know we absolutely cannot escape. Not only would we suffer cruel humiliation, but our deaths would be unbearably painful.” Yang Guo said, “If that’s the case, it will be even harder for me to escape alone.”

Xiaolongnü shook her head. “No. I will go out and challenge her to a fight, leading her deeper and deeper into the ancient tomb. You can seize the opportunity to escape. After you get out, move aside the large stone to the left of the tomb entrance and pull out the mechanism inside. Two ten-thousand-jin²⁵ boulders will fall, sealing the tomb door forever.” The more Yang Guo heard, the more alarmed he grew. He asked, “Gugu, you’ll activate the mechanism to come out too, won’t you?”

Xiaolongnü shook her head. “No. Back then, Wang Chongyang rose in revolt against the Jin and planned a great campaign. This stone tomb was his great storehouse for stockpiling funds, grain, weapons, and supplies. The stone tomb’s mechanisms are layered and complex, arranged with meticulous care. He also installed these two ten-thousand-jin boulders at the tomb entrance, called the ‘Dragon-Breaking Stones’.²⁶ He calculated that if the volunteer army had not yet been raised and the Jin forces had already caught wind of it and come to attack first, if they were outnumbered and could not withstand the enemy, he would drop these boulders, seal the tomb, and end his life there. Any enemies who had entered the tomb would also find it extremely difficult to escape alive. Once the Dragon-Breaking Stones have fallen, they can never be raised again. You know that the entrance passage into the tomb is very narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. Even if a thousand enemies entered the tomb, they could only form a long single file, and only the one at the very front could touch the boulder blocking the tomb door. No matter how great a single person’s strength, they could never lift it. That old Daoist made this arrangement in a spirit of preferring death to surrender, yet also wanting to take the enemy down with him. After his resistance against the Jin failed, he lived alone in the stone tomb. The Jin ruler discovered his whereabouts and sent dozens of masters to kill him one after another, but he either captured or killed them all, not a single one escaped alive. Later the Jin ruler died suddenly, and the succeeding emperor did not know the background and sent no more assassins. Thus these two Dragon-Breaking Stones were never used. When Wang Chongyang yielded the Tomb of the Living Dead, he told Founding Grandmaster about every mechanism in the tomb.” She spoke slowly, gasping for breath the entire time.

The more Yang Guo heard, the more frightened he became. Tears streaming down his face, he said, “Gugu, whether I live or die, I will follow you.” Xiaolongnü said, “What good is there in following me? You said the world outside is wonderful and fun, go out and enjoy yourself. With your current level of skill, the stinking Daoists of the Quanzhen Sect can no longer make trouble for you. You fooled Hong Lingbo, you’re much cleverer than I am. You won’t need me to look after you anymore.”

Yang Guo rushed forward and embraced her, weeping. “Gugu, if I cannot be with you, I will never be happy for the rest of my life.”

Xiaolongnü had always been cold, proud, and utterly detached, her words decisive and leaving no room for argument. But now, for some reason, hearing these words from Yang Guo, she could not help but feel her chest surge with hot blood. Her eyes stung, and she could barely hold back tears. She was greatly alarmed, remembering the words her shifu had repeated to her with such earnest urgency on her deathbed: “The skill you train is a superior art that severs the seven emotions and extinguishes the six desires. If in the future you shed tears for anyone, or are moved by true emotion, especially if those tears are shed for a man, not only will your martial arts suffer greatly, but your very life will be in danger. Remember this, remember this.” She pushed Yang Guo away with force and said coldly, “Whatever I say, you must follow my orders.”

Yang Guo saw her suddenly turn stern and dared not speak further. Xiaolongnü tied the bundle onto his back, took a long sword from the wall, and placed it in his hand. She said fiercely, “In a moment, when I tell you to go, you will go immediately. The moment you leave the tomb entrance, immediately drop the great boulders to seal the door. Your martial uncle is fearsome beyond compare, the window of opportunity is fleeting. Will you obey my words or not?” Yang Guo said, his voice choked with sobs, “I will obey.” Xiaolongnü said, “If you do not do as I say, even in death, in the underworld, I will hate you forever. Go!” She took Yang Guo’s hand and opened the door, leading him out.

In the past, whenever Yang Guo touched her hand, it had always been cold as ice. But now, as she held his hand, he felt her palm was sometimes hot, sometimes cold, completely different from before. At this moment his heart was seething like boiling oil, and he had no attention to spare for such small matters. He followed her as she walked out. After walking a while, Xiaolongnü felt along a stone wall and said in a low voice, “They are inside. The moment I draw my martial sister away, you will rush out through the side door in the northwest corner. If Hong Lingbo comes after you, use the Jade Bee Needles to injure her.” Yang Guo’s mind was a tangled mess. He nodded in agreement.

The Jade Bee Needles were a unique hidden weapon of the Ancient Tomb Sect. Lin Chaoying had two types of the most formidable hidden weapons: one was the Ice Spirit Silver Needles, and the other was the Jade Bee Needles. The Jade Bee Needles were gold needles as fine as hairs, made with a refined steel core and plated with several layers of gold on the outside, then tempered with venom from the tail stingers of Jade Bees. Though they were tiny, because gold is heavy, they could still travel a fair distance when thrown. However, this hidden weapon was too sinister and difficult to defend against. Lin Chaoying had rarely used it herself, and after middle age, when her martial arts had reached the realm of the divine, she had even less need for such hidden weapons. Because Li Mochou had refused to swear an oath to live forever in the ancient tomb and inherit the mantle, Xiaolongnü’s shifu had taught her the Ice Spirit Silver Needles but not the technique of the Jade Bee Needles. Yang Guo, however, had received the transmission from Xiaolongnü.

Xiaolongnü focused her mind for a moment, then pressed the mechanism on the stone wall. With a grinding sound, the stone wall slowly slid open to the left. Her twin silk ribbons shot out immediately, the left attacking Li Mochou, the right attacking Hong Lingbo, her body following the ribbons as she charged forward with astonishing speed. By now Li Mochou had long since unblocked Hong Lingbo’s acupoints and scolded her a few times. She was in the midst of calculating the positions within the tomb, trying to find a way out of the chamber, when she suddenly saw Xiaolongnü attack. Both master and disciple were startled. Li Mochou swept out her fly-whisk to block the silk ribbon. Fly-whisk and silk ribbon were both weapons of supreme softness, soft against soft. But Li Mochou’s skill was far superior. The moment the two weapons met, Xiaolongnü’s silk ribbon immediately curled back on itself.

Xiaolongnü pulled back her left ribbon and sent out her right, advancing several moves in rapid succession. Her two silk ribbons danced with soaring, sinuous grace. Li Mochou was both startled and furious: “Shifu really was partial, when did she ever teach me this skill?” But she reckoned she could handle it well enough and did not need to use lethal force just yet. For one thing, she had not yet obtained the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, if she killed her, finding it in this vast stone tomb would be truly difficult. For another, she wanted to see exactly what formidable skills her shifu had passed on to her.

Hong Lingbo had always prided herself on being shrewd and capable. She never expected to be bested by a youth today, toyed with for half the day while he played the fool, without her detecting the slightest flaw. She had been fuming the entire time. She shouted, “Silly Egg, you stinking brat, your heart is rotten to the core!” Her twin swords thrust left and struck right, hiss, hiss, hiss, several moves in rapid succession. Yang Guo had no choice but to raise his sword and block. Under normal circumstances, he would have responded with mocking taunts and joked with her some more, but now, thinking that his parting with Xiaolongnü was imminent, his eyes were brimming with hot tears. Everything he saw was a blur. He merely parried by rote, showing no intention of striking back. Hong Lingbo delivered several sword thrusts. Though she could not injure him, seeing that his strikes were weak, she assumed his ability was mediocre and hated herself even more for her earlier carelessness, she had not been on guard at all when he struck her acupoints.

Li Mochou exchanged over ten moves with her junior martial sister. Her fly-whisk flipped and wrapped around Xiaolongnü’s left silk ribbon. She laughed, “Junior Martial Sister, behold your elder sister’s skill.” Her strength reached the ribbon, and it immediately snapped into two pieces. In ordinary armed combat, using a blade or sword to shatter an opponent’s blade or sword was already considered remarkable. But fly-whisk and silk ribbon were both extremely soft objects, for her to be able to use hard force to snap the silk ribbon was ten times more difficult than shattering a blade or sword. Li Mochou displayed this feat with a look of great satisfaction on her face.

Xiaolongnü remained completely impassive. “So your skill is good, what of it?” She lashed out with the half-broken ribbon, wrapping it around the silk threads of Li Mochou’s fly-whisk. Her right silk ribbon suddenly flew out and wrapped around the wooden handle of the fly-whisk. One force pulled left, the other pulled right. Snap! The fly-whisk broke into two pieces. In terms of skill, this move was far shallower than Li Mochou’s feat of snapping the silk ribbon moments before, but the strike was astonishingly fast and the use of force ingeniously clever, it also caught Li Mochou off guard. Slightly startled, Li Mochou threw aside the broken fly-whisk handle and attacked bare-handed to seize the silk ribbons, forcing Xiaolongnü into continuous retreat.

After another ten-odd moves, Xiaolongnü had been forced back to the eastern stone wall. Seeing there was no more room to retreat behind her, she suddenly swept her hand backward across the stone wall and called, “Guoer, go now!” With a grinding crack, an opening appeared in the northwest corner. Li Mochou was greatly startled and hurriedly turned around, intending to block Yang Guo. Xiaolongnü threw down her silk ribbons and threw herself forward, both palms striking with lethal force. Li Mochou had no choice but to turn back and defend. Xiaolongnü shouted, “Guoer, why aren’t you going?”

Yang Guo gazed at Xiaolongnü, knowing the matter was beyond remedy. He called, “Gugu, I’m going!” He suddenly thrust three rapid sword strikes, the tip pointed straight at Hong Lingbo’s face. Hong Lingbo had seen his sword moves as weak the entire time, how could she have known that his sword momentum would suddenly surge? In her desperation she could only leap backward. Yang Guo bent low and dashed out through the stone doorway. He turned his head back, wanting to take one last look at Xiaolongnü.

Xiaolongnü and her martial sister were exchanging palm strikes bare-handed. Though severely injured, having trained the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, her moves were endlessly varied, and within several dozen moves she could originally have held her own. But she saw Yang Guo’s silhouette flicker in the doorway, and thinking that from now on she would never see him again, her chest suddenly grew hot and her eyes stung, as if tears were about to fall. She had never been moved by true emotion before, yet today she had nearly wept twice. She could not help but be greatly alarmed. When masters exchange palm strikes, how can there be room for the slightest distraction? Moreover, the small amount of strength she had gained from Yang Guo’s blood was now nearly exhausted. Li Mochou saw her freeze for an instant and immediately seized the opening. She grabbed Xiaolongnü’s left wrist at the “Meeting Ancestor” acupoint and hooked out with her foot. Xiaolongnü could not keep her footing and fell to the ground.

Yang Guo turned his head back and saw Xiaolongnü tripped by her martial sister. He saw Li Mochou throw herself forward to harm his shifu. Hot blood surged in his chest. He shouted, “Don’t hurt my gugu!” He darted back in through the stone doorway. He threw himself forward from behind and wrapped his arms around Li Mochou’s waist, holding tight. This embrace was something found in no school’s repertoire, it was something he did in desperation, a wild and reckless grapple. Li Mochou was wholly intent on seizing her junior martial sister and had never expected him to turn back. Held tightly in his arms, for a moment she could not break free.

Though she struck with cruel violence and acted with wilful abandon, unrestrained by convention, she had guarded her body like jade. After roaming the jianghu for many years, she was still a virgin. To be suddenly held tight in Yang Guo’s embrace, she could not help but feel stirred. Back when Yang Guo was still a child and Li Mochou had been embraced by him, she had already felt her heart and spirit flutter. Now that Yang Guo was older, Li Mochou felt a man’s hot breath pass from her back into her heart, stirring her soul and moving her heart. She could not help but go limp all over, her face flushing bright red, and the strength instantly drained from her arms. Xiaolongnü seized the opportunity to counter-grab Li Mochou’s wrist pulse point. But Hong Lingbo’s sword tip was also already pointed at Yang Guo’s back.

Xiaolongnü was lying on her back on the ground. Seeing the sword coming, she immediately rolled to the left, pulling Yang Guo and Li Mochou aside with her. Hong Lingbo’s thrust struck empty air. Xiaolongnü leapt to her feet and shouted, “Guoer, get out, quickly!”

Yang Guo held Li Mochou tightly around the waist and called, “Gugu, you get out, quickly! I’m holding her, she can’t move!” In that split second, Li Mochou’s mind had turned over more than ten thoughts. She knew the situation was critical, that life and death hung by a single thread. Yet held in his embrace, her heart and soul were drunk with intoxication, and the pleasure was so exquisite that she did not even want to struggle. Xiaolongnü found it very strange: “With my martial sister’s martial arts, how can she be held motionless by Guoer? Could it be her acupoints have been sealed?” She saw Hong Lingbo’s left-hand sword thrust towards Yang Guo again and immediately extended two fingers to push against the flat of Hong Lingbo’s right-hand sword blade. The sword suddenly jumped up and struck her left-hand sword. Clang! Hong Lingbo’s tiger’s mouth went numb in both hands, and both long swords fell to the ground simultaneously. Startled, she leapt backward.

The two swords clashing produced a few sparks. In that flash of sparks, Li Mochou sensed the strange look in her junior martial sister’s eyes as she gazed at her. Greatly ashamed, she cursed, “Stinking brat, are you courting death?” She exerted strength through both arms, wrenched free of Yang Guo’s embrace, leapt to her feet, and immediately struck out with her palm towards Xiaolongnü.

Xiaolongnü was watching Yang Guo’s movements when she suddenly sensed Li Mochou’s palm arriving. She had no time to counter with a move and could only return the palm strike to block. She felt her martial sister’s palm force was deep and heavy. The impact shook her chest with dull pain. She saw Yang Guo scramble up and come to her aid again. She shouted, “Guoer, are you truly going to disobey me?” Yang Guo said, “I’ll obey every word you say, except this one. Good Gugu, whether I live or die, I’ll be with you. If you die, I’ll die with you! The two of us will look after each other for all our lives!” Hearing the sincerity in his words, Xiaolongnü’s heart was moved by true emotion once more. She saw Li Mochou strike out with her palm again and knew that with her current greatly diminished strength, she absolutely could not take this strike. She ducked her head and darted sideways, grabbed Yang Guo, and fled out through the stone doorway.

Li Mochou followed like a shadow, reaching out to grab her back. “Don’t go!” Xiaolongnü flung her hand back, throwing over ten Jade Bee Needles. Li Mochou suddenly smelled the sweet fragrance of honey. Knowing the danger, she was greatly alarmed. She threw herself backward at the waist, crashing straight into Hong Lingbo, and the two fell together.

The faintest tinkling sounds could be heard, ding, ding, ding, as several Jade Bee Needles struck the stone wall. Then came two more grinding sounds: Xiaolongnü, carrying Yang Guo, had fled the stone chamber and activated the mechanism, sealing the chamber door once more.

蛤蟆功 – Hámá Gōng. Ouyang Feng’s supreme neili technique, storing and releasing explosive power like a toad’s sudden leap. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
寒玉床 – Hán Yù Chuáng. Bed carved from rare deep-cold jade found by Lin Chaoying. Training on it greatly accelerates neili cultivation by forcing the practitioner to circulate qi constantly to resist the cold. ↩
活死人墓 – Huósǐrén Mù. Tomb of the Living Dead, the vast underground complex beneath Zhongnan Mountain built by Wang Chongyang and later home to the Ancient Tomb Sect. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
Quanzhen Sect (全真教). Major Daoist school founded by Wang Chongyang. In Jin Yong’s wuxia universe, it is one of the most powerful martial arts sects, based at the Chongyang Palace on Mount Zhongnan. Its seven senior disciples are known as the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. ↩
Gugu (姑姑) — Literally “paternal aunt,” but used here as a term of respectful address for a young woman of the older generation. Yang Guo uses this to address Xiaolongnü, his shifu. ↩
柔网势 – Róuwǎng Shì. Soft Net Stance, the foundational lightness and palm technique of the Ancient Tomb Sect, training the practitioner to trap eighty-one sparrows within a defined space. ↩
夭矫空碧 – Yāojiǎo Kōngbì. Soaring Azure Sky, an advanced technique following the Soft Net Stance in which the practitioner prevents sparrows from flying away by forcing them down with palm wind. ↩
林朝英 – Lín Cháoyīng. Founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect and a martial genius who once surpassed Wang Chongyang. She created the sect’s arts specifically to counter Quanzhen techniques, driven by her unrequited love for him. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
武林 – wǔlín. Literally martial forest. Martial arts community and its schools and practitioners. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
王重阳 – Wáng Chóngyáng. Founder of the Quanzhen Order and foremost of the Five Greats. He led anti-Jin resistance before turning to Daoism; in the novel he was Lin Chaoying’s beloved, though their relationship was never consummated. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
金兵 – Jīn Bīng. Jin-dynasty forces; Jurchen invaders who conquered northern China and drove the Song court south. Wang Chongyang organised resistance against them. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
江湖 – jiānghú. Literally rivers and lakes. Term refers to the jianghu: the subculture of wandering knights-errant, martial artists, and sect members who live outside mainstream society, governed by its own codes of honour, loyalty, and vengeance. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
玉女心经 – Yùnǚ Xīnjīng. Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, the supreme manual of the Ancient Tomb Sect, created by Lin Chaoying to counter Quanzhen martial arts. Its advanced internal portions require two practitioners training together. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
江南七怪 – Jiāngnán Qī Guài. Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, who took Guo Jing as their disciple in Mongolia after a wager with Qiu Chuji. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
丹阳子 – Dānyángzǐ. Daoist name of Ma Yu, one of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, who secretly taught Guo Jing superior neigong in Mongolia. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
五绝 – Wǔ Jué. Five Greats of the wulin: Wang Chongyang (Central Divinity), Huang Yaoshi (Eastern Heretic), Ouyang Feng (Western Venom), Duan Zhixing (Southern Emperor), and Hong Qigong (Northern Beggar). See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
华山 – Huáshān. One of China’s Five Sacred Mountains, site of martial arts competitions. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
李莫愁 – Lǐ Mòchóu. Her name meaning “do not sorrow”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
天罗地网势 – Tiānluó Dìwǎng Shì. Heaven’s Net Stance, an advanced Ancient Tomb Sect technique training the practitioner to force down all eighty-one sparrows from flight. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
天井穴 – Tiānjǐng Xué. Literally celestial well. Acupoint in the depression between the two tendons one cun above the large bone behind the outer elbow on the triple burner meridian; striking it can numb the arm. See Wikipedia. ↩
膻中穴 – Shānzhōng Xué. Literally centre of the chest altar. Acupoint at the centre of the chest between the nipples on the conception vessel meridian; striking it can disrupt qi in the chest. See Wikipedia. ↩
二更 – èr gēng. Second of the five night watches, approximately 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. ↩
丹田 – dāntián. Cinnabar field, a key energy centre in the body in Daoist internal alchemy and Chinese martial arts. Lower dantian, below the navel, is the primary centre for storing and cultivating qi. ↩
冰魄银针 – Bīngpò Yínzhēn. Soul-Freezing Silver Needles, Li Mochou’s signature hidden weapons, silver needles coated with deadly poison. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
斤 – jīn. Traditional Chinese unit of weight, about half a kilogram. Ten thousand jin is a conventional expression for an immense weight. ↩
断龙石 – Duànlóng Shí. Dragon-Breaking Stone, two massive ten-thousand-jin blocks installed by Wang Chongyang at the tomb entrance. Once dropped, they seal the tomb permanently. ↩

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