Chongyang's carved legacy.

Following Xiaolongnü through the passageway, Yang Guo dashed out of the ancient tomb. Overcome with joy, he drew several breaths beneath the starlight and said, “Gugu, let me lower the Dragon Severing Stone¹ and suffocate those two wicked women inside the tomb.” He made to search for the mechanism. Xiaolongnü shook her head. “Wait. Let me go back inside first.” Yang Guo was startled. “Why?” Xiaolongnü said, “My master commanded me to guard this tomb well. I must never let anyone else take possession of it.”

Yang Guo said, “If we seal the tomb door, they will not survive.” Xiaolongnü replied, “But then I could never go back inside either. I would never dare disobey my master’s words. Unlike you!” She shot him a glare. A surge of heat rose in Yang Guo’s chest. He reached out and took hold of her arm. “Gugu, I will do as you say.” Xiaolongnü fought to control her emotions. Afraid of being stirred, she dared not say another word. She shook off his hand, walked through the tomb gate, and said, “Lower the stone!” She turned her back to the outside, fearing that she might change her mind at the last moment. She did not look back at him even once.

Yang Guo’s resolve was set. He drew a deep breath, filling his chest with the fragrance of flowers and the crisp scent of grass and trees. He raised his head and looked up, the sky was filled with glittering stars. He thought to himself, This is the last time I will ever see the stars. He dashed to the left side of the grave marker and, following Xiaolongnü’s earlier directions, exerted his strength to shift aside a great rock. Sure enough, beneath it was a round stone. He seized it and pulled with all his might. The round stone shifted from its position, revealing a hole. A stream of fine sand poured rapidly from the opening, and the two great stone blocks above the tomb gate began to descend slowly. These two Dragon Severing Stones weighed over ten thousand jin.² When Wang Chongyang³ had constructed this tomb, it had taken the combined strength of several hundred men pulling with massive cables to install them. Now, with the tomb gate sealed shut, no matter how great the martial skill of Li Mochou,⁴ Xiaolongnü, or Hong Lingbo, they could never break their way out.

Xiaolongnü heard the rumbling of the descending stone blocks. Despite herself, tears streamed down her face. She turned back. Yang Guo waited until the stone blocks had dropped to about two feet above the ground, then suddenly executed a move. Jade Maiden Casting the Shuttle, and shot through the gap like an arrow. Xiaolongnü let out a startled cry. Yang Guo straightened up, smiled, and said, “Gugu, now you can never drive me away again.” No sooner had he spoken than two booming crashes sounded, the stone blocks had struck the ground.

Xiaolongnü was overcome with shock and joy. The emotional intensity nearly made her faint again. She threw herself against Yang Guo, gasping for breath. Yang Guo gently put his arms around her and patted her back softly. Only after a long while did Xiaolongnü say, “Very well then. The two of us shall die together.” Taking Yang Guo by the hand, she led him toward the inner chambers.

Li Mochou and her disciple had been searching everywhere for the mechanism, knocking here and striking there without any clue, frantic with anxiety. When they suddenly saw the two reappear, joy beyond all expectation filled their faces. Li Mochou’s figure blurred as she darted behind Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo, first cutting off their retreat. Xiaolongnü said coolly, “Shijie,⁵ let me take you somewhere.” Li Mochou hesitated, thinking: This tomb is filled with traps and mechanisms. I must not fall into her schemes. If she tries any tricks, I would have no defence. Xiaolongnü said, “I shall take you to pay respects at our master’s coffin. If you do not wish to go, so be it.” Li Mochou said, “Do not think you can use our master’s name to deceive me.” Xiaolongnü smiled faintly and, without replying, walked directly toward the entrance. Li Mochou felt there was a natural authority in her speech and bearing, something that seemed impossible to defy. So master and disciple followed behind, guarding against every possibility, not daring to relax for an instant. Xiaolongnü walked ahead, holding Yang Guo’s hand, unafraid that her shijie might launch a sneak attack from behind. She led them into the spirit chamber where the stone coffins were kept.

Li Mochou had never been here before. Thinking of her late master’s nurturing kindness, a faint sorrow stirred in her heart. But immediately she recalled her master’s favouritism, and grief turned to fury. She would not even kneel before her master’s coffin. “The bond between us master and disciples was severed long ago,” she said angrily. “Why have you brought me here?” Xiaolongnü said flatly, “There are still two empty stone coffins here. One is for you, one is for me. I am simply informing you. You may choose whichever you like.” She gestured toward the two stone coffins.

Li Mochou was enraged. “How dare you mock me like this?” Even as she spoke, she struck out with a palm aimed at Xiaolongnü’s chest. But when Xiaolongnü saw the palm coming, she neither dodged nor blocked. Li Mochou was taken aback. This palm will surely kill her. Her palm edge stopped a few inches from Xiaolongnü’s chest, and she pulled it back with great effort. Xiaolongnü said calmly, “Shijie, the Dragon Severing Stone at the tomb gate has already been lowered.”

Li Mochou’s face drained of colour instantly. Though she did not fully understand every mechanism in the tomb, she knew that the Dragon Severing Stone was the most lethal device for sealing the tomb gate. Years ago, their master had faced a mighty enemy and nearly been unable to hold them off. She had almost lowered the Dragon Severing Stone to block the enemy, but in the end had used the Soul-Freezing Silver Needles⁶ and Jade Bee Needles⁷ to wound the powerful foe. She had never imagined that her shimei would seal her inside the tomb. Panic-stricken, her voice trembling, she said, “You have another way out. Is that not so?”

Xiaolongnü said evenly, “Once the Dragon Severing Stone is lowered, the tomb gate can never be opened again. Do you not know this?” Li Mochou reached out and seized the front of Xiaolongnü’s robe, her voice fierce. “You are lying!” Xiaolongnü remained unmoved. “The Jade Maiden Heart Sutra⁸ left by our master is right here.” She reached into her robes and drew out an old scripture, tossing it into one of the open, lidless coffins. This old scripture was a Daoist classic, the Can Tong Qi,⁹ which all students of the Dao were required to study. Xiaolongnü had happened to read a few pages and tucked it into her robes. She casually tossed it out now and said, “If you wish to look at it, go right ahead. No matter how refined your skill becomes, you will have no opponent. Guoer and I are here. If you wish to kill us, feel free to try. But as for leaving this ancient tomb alive, I fear that is not possible.”

Li Mochou had no way of knowing the truth. Her heart was shaken to its core, believing that the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, which she had yearned for day and night, was right before her eyes. She wanted to bend down and retrieve it from the empty coffin, but feared that the moment she turned, her shimei and her disciple would strike at her exposed back. Better to kill them first, then take the sutra. That is the safest course. She swung a palm toward Xiaolongnü’s face. Yang Guo sprang forward, placing himself before Xiaolongnü, and shouted, “Kill me first!”

Li Mochou’s palm sank, shifting toward Xiaolongnü’s chest, her force held back. She glared viciously at Yang Guo. “You protect her like this. You would willingly die for her, is that it?” Yang Guo said loudly, “Exactly!” Li Mochou’s left hand shot out at an angle and seized the sword at Yang Guo’s waist. She held it against his throat and said fiercely, “I will kill only one person. Say it again, will you die, or will she?” Yang Guo turned toward Xiaolongnü and smiled, then said in a clear voice, “Naturally, I die!” By now the two of them had already placed life and death beyond concern. Whatever killing blow Li Mochou might deliver, they did not take it to heart.

Li Mochou let out a long sigh. “Shimei, your vow is broken. You may descend the mountain now.”

The founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect, Lin Chaoying,¹⁰ had loved Wang Chongyang with a bitter passion in her youth, but in the end their union was not to be. In her grief, she established a sect rule: anyone who received her true legacy must swear an oath to dwell within the ancient tomb for life, never to descend Mount Zhongnan.¹¹ But if there was a man willing to die for her of his own free will, the oath would be considered broken. However, this matter must on no account be revealed to the man beforehand. For Lin Chaoying was convinced that all men under heaven were faithless and ungrateful, and that not a single one would willingly die for the woman he loved. Even Wang Chongyang, a hero of chivalry and righteousness, had been no different, let alone anyone else. If in the future there truly were such a man, then her disciple of later generations would not have lived in vain if she descended the mountain with him. Li Mochou had entered the sect before Xiaolongnü and should originally have inherited the mantle. But she was unwilling to keep the oath of never descending the mountain for life, and so in the end it was Xiaolongnü who received the true legacy.

Now, seeing how sincerely Yang Guo treated Xiaolongnü, Li Mochou felt both envy and bitter hatred. She thought of Lu Zhanyuan’s faithless cruelty toward her, and her brows rose sharply. “Shimei,” she called, “you truly have good fortune.” Hatred surged in her heart. She wanted her shimei never to enjoy the love of a true-hearted man either. Her long sword shot forward toward Yang Guo’s throat. Xiaolongnü saw that she truly meant to deliver a killing blow. With the moment at hand, she had no choice but to intervene. Her left hand swept out, and more than ten Jade Bee Needles flew forth in a volley.

Li Mochou leapt up, evading the golden needles. Xiaolongnü had already pulled Yang Guo and dashed toward the doorway. She turned her head and said, “Shijie, whether my vow is broken or not, the four of us are fated to perish together in this tomb. I do not wish to see your face again. Let us each die our own death.” She pressed a spot in the wall corner, and a stone door descended, once again separating the four of them.

Xiaolongnü’s emotions were in turmoil. For a moment she could not take a step. Yang Guo supported her as they went to Granny Sun’s chamber to rest. He poured two cups of Jade Bee Honey Paste¹² and helped her drink one, then drank one himself. Xiaolongnü let out a soft sigh. “Guoer, why were you willing to die for me?” Yang Guo said, “In this world, you are my only family. You treat me well, and I cannot bear to leave you. How could I not die for you?” Xiaolongnü was silent. After a long pause, she said, “If I had known this would happen, we need not have come back into the tomb to die with them. But then again, if we had not come back, I would never have known you were willing to die for me, and my vow could not be considered broken.” Yang Guo said, “Let us think of a way to get out. What do you say?” Xiaolongnü said, “You do not understand how ingeniously this ancient tomb was constructed. We can never leave again.” Yang Guo sighed.

Xiaolongnü said, “You regret it, do you not?” Yang Guo said, “No. Here I am with you. In the outside world, there is no one who cares for me.” Xiaolongnü had once forbidden him to say “you care for me,” and Yang Guo had never mentioned it since. But now her heart had changed. Hearing these words, a warmth she could not describe spread through her. She asked, “Then why did you sigh?” Yang Guo said, “I was thinking, if the two of us went down the mountain together, the world is full of wonderful things to do. With you by my side, it would truly be the happiest thing imaginable.”

Xiaolongnü had lived in the ancient tomb since infancy. Her heart had always been as still as water. Her master and Granny Sun had never told her about the outside world, so she naturally could not imagine it. But now, stirred by Yang Guo’s words, thoughts surged through her like a tide. She felt wave after wave of heat rising in her chest. She tried to use her energy to suppress it, but could not calm herself. She was secretly astonished, in all her life she had never experienced such a state. She supposed it was because, after her severe injury, her internal power was hard to restore. What she did not know was that suppressing the seven emotions and six desires¹³ through the discipline of stillness was in truth acting against nature. It was not that the emotions and desires were thereby eliminated, only that they were rigidly held in check. Now past twenty years of age, suddenly facing mortal peril and with a young man willingly dying for her, her true feelings could not help but be stirred. It was as though a dam had burst, and affection surged forth like floodwaters. A multitude of thoughts rushed upon her all at once.

She sat on the bed and circulated her energy for a while, but restlessness only grew. She paced about the room, yet the more she walked the more stifled she felt. Her steps quickened until she was running. Yang Guo saw both her cheeks flushed crimson and her expression agitated. In all the time he had known her, he had never seen her like this. He was alarmed. Xiaolongnü ran for a while, then sat back down on the bed. She looked at Yang Guo and saw his face filled with deep concern and tender affection. A thought suddenly stirred in her heart: In any case, I am about to die, and he is about to die too. Why should we still distinguish between master and disciple, aunt and nephew? If he came to hold me, I would never push him away. I would let him hold me tight.

Yang Guo saw the shifting light in her eyes, her chest heaving with rapid breaths, and thought her injury had flared up again. “Gugu, what is wrong?” he said urgently. Xiaolongnü’s voice was soft. “Guoer, come here.” Yang Guo walked to the bedside as told. Xiaolongnü took his hand and gently stroked it against her own cheek. In a low voice she said, “Guoer, do you like me?” Yang Guo felt her face burning hot as fire. Panic seized him. His voice trembled. “Does your chest hurt terribly?” Xiaolongnü smiled faintly. “No. I feel very comfortable inside. Guoer, I am about to die. Tell me, do you truly like me?” Yang Guo said, “Of course. In this world, you are my only family.” Xiaolongnü said, “If there were another girl who treated you the way I do, would you treat her well too?” Yang Guo said, “Whoever treats me well, I treat well in return.” The moment these words left his mouth, he suddenly felt Xiaolongnü’s hand, clasping his, tremble several times, then turn ice cold. He raised his head and saw that her face, which had been flushed with a delicate, enchanting bloom, had suddenly returned to its usual pallor.

Yang Guo was jolted. There are thousands upon thousands of girls in this world. If thousands upon thousands of girls all treated me well, would I like thousands upon thousands of girls? Take that little Daoist nun Hong Lingbo, for instance. When she held me and spoke to me so warmly and intimately, it was pleasant enough. But how could she compare with Gugu? He said, “Gugu, the way I treat other girls is not the same as the way I treat you. Earlier, when you lowered the Dragon Severing Stone, the thought that I might never be with you again was worse than death. I would rather starve to death with you in this ancient tomb, or be beaten to death by Li Mochou at your side. Gugu, if I could not be near you, I would still rather be dead. If there were another girl in this world who treated me as well as you do, I would regard her as a good person, but only as a good friend. I could never die for her.”

Xiaolongnü said, “Why? Is it because I treat you well?” Yang Guo said, “Gugu, I like seeing you, being at your side. Whether you treat me well or not has nothing to do with it. Even if you beat me and cursed me every day, even if you cut a new scar on me with your sword each day, I would still truly like you. Even if Heaven made me a dog or a cat and you whipped me and kicked me every day, I would still insist on staying at your side. Gugu, in this entire life, I like only you.” Xiaolongnü smiled beautifully. “That is very good. I feel the same about you.”

Master and disciple had spent every waking moment together in the stone tomb. Affection had long since secretly grown between them, its roots sunk deep. Yet neither had clearly recognised it themselves. Apart from martial arts, their daily conversation touched on nothing else. Only now, facing the great barrier between life and death, did they truly understand the depth of feeling in their hearts, that they were, in fact, so inseparable, so unable to part. Xiaolongnü was deeply happy. She sighed and said, “Now I can be at ease.” She gripped his hand tightly and would not let go. Yang Guo felt wave after wave of warmth passing from her hand into his.

Xiaolongnü said, “Guoer, I have been truly bad to you.” Yang Guo hurriedly said, “No, you have always been good.” Xiaolongnü shook her head. “I was very harsh with you before. At first I wanted to drive you away. Thank heaven Granny Sun kept you. If I had not tried to drive you away, Granny Sun would not have died!” At these words, tears could not help but spring from her eyes. Since the age of five, when she had begun her martial training, she had never shed a tear. Now, weeping once more, her heart and spirit were thrown into great turmoil. Her entire body made cracking sounds at the joints, as if her neili was leaving her. Yang Guo was terrified. He could only cry, “You… Gugu, what is happening? How do you feel?”

At that very moment, a grinding sound suddenly rang out. The stone door slid open, and Li Mochou and Hong Lingbo walked in. It turned out that Li Mochou had thought, Since the Dragon Severing Stone has fallen, death is inevitable regardless. There is no need to fear the deadly mechanisms that fill this tomb. Summoning her courage, she pressed forward and, as it happened, passed through several stone chambers in succession until she reached Granny Sun’s room. She secretly rejoiced, thinking her luck had been extraordinarily good, that she had triggered no traps and met no obstacles. She did not realise that the tomb’s mechanisms had been designed to resist large numbers of Jin¹⁴ soldiers. They were all constructed from massive stone, crude and heavy, requiring someone to operate them in order to repel enemies. Since Xiaolongnü was not setting any ambushes, the various mechanisms naturally remained inactive. Li Mochou had lived in the ancient tomb in her youth and had a rough understanding of the main mechanisms’ structures and operation. But since her master had resolved not to pass on the mantle to her, she had not been taught the methods for activating the tomb’s many ingenious devices.

Yang Guo immediately sprang forward, placing himself before Xiaolongnü. Li Mochou said, “Step aside. I have something to say to my shimei.” Yang Guo, wary that she might use some trick to harm his master, refused to move. “Say it right there,” he said. Li Mochou stared at him for a long moment, then sighed. “A man like you is truly rare in this world.” Xiaolongnü suddenly rose to her feet and asked, “Shijie, what do you mean? Is he good or not?” Li Mochou said, “Shimei, you have never descended the mountain. You do not know how treacherous the human heart can be. A man of such deep feeling and loyalty as him, you could search the entire world and never find a second.” Having been wounded to the depths of her soul in matters of love, Li Mochou spoke with excessive vehemence born of grief and fury, erasing from existence every true-hearted man under heaven.

Xiaolongnü was immensely comforted. In a low voice she said, “Then, having him accompany me in death, this life has not been lived in vain.” Li Mochou said, “Shimei, what exactly is he to you? Have you married him?” Xiaolongnü said, “No. He is my disciple. He says that in this entire life, he likes only me. He would rather die than leave me.”

Li Mochou found this deeply strange. She shook her head. “Shimei, let me see your arm.” She extended her left hand and gently took hold of Xiaolongnü’s hand, then with her right hand rolled up Xiaolongnü’s sleeve. On that snow-white skin was a single crimson dot, the Guardian Palace Sand¹⁵ placed there by their master. Li Mochou was inwardly filled with admiration: These two have lived cheek by jowl in the ancient tomb, yet they have maintained propriety. She is still a pure, unsullied maiden. She then rolled up her own sleeve. The single dot of Guardian Palace Sand on her arm was also delicately bright. The two white arms side by side were strikingly beautiful. But she herself had kept her chastity only because she had no choice, whereas her shimei had a man who willingly died for her and yet still preserved her purity like jade. The difference in difficulty was vast. Thinking to this point, she could not help but let out a long sigh and released Xiaolongnü’s arm.

Xiaolongnü said, “What did you wish to say to me?” Li Mochou’s original intent had been to humiliate her, to accuse her of seducing a man and bringing disgrace to the sect, hoping to provoke her into fury and shame so that she would inadvertently reveal the tomb’s exit mechanism. But now she had nothing to say. She was silent for a moment, then a new idea came to her. “Shimei, I have come to apologise to you.” Xiaolongnü was greatly surprised. She had always known this shijie to be proud and arrogant, one who would never bow her head to anyone. She could not guess the intent behind these words. She said coolly, “You do what you do, and I do what I do. Each follows her own path. There is no need to apologise.” Li Mochou said, “Shimei, listen to me. For us women, the greatest blessing in life is to have a true-hearted man. The ancients had a saying: ‘A priceless treasure is easy to find. A loving companion is hard to come by.’¹⁶ Your shijie has been ill-fated, that goes without saying. This youth treats you so well. In truth, you lack for nothing.” Xiaolongnü smiled faintly. “I am very happy. He will always treat me well. I know it.”

Li Mochou was seized by envy. Thinking of her own misfortune, she said slowly, “Little Shimei, you have lived your entire life in this stone tomb. The only man you know is him. You do not realise that in this world, faithless men are many, and those who are truly loyal to you. I fear there is not even half of one. Your shijie once had a man who was dear to her. He spoke the sweetest words to me, saying he would die for me a thousand, ten thousand times without the slightest regret. Who could have guessed that after we were parted for just two months, he met a young and beautiful girl and immediately became utterly besotted with her. When he saw me again, he would not even look at me, as if we had never known each other. I asked him what was the matter. He said, ‘Miss Li, you and I are friends bound by the code of the jianghu.¹⁷ I am grateful for how well you treated me in the past. If in the future there is any way I can repay you, I shall not dare forget.’ He even had the shamelessness to say, ‘Miss Li, on the twenty-fourth of next month, I will be marrying Miss He in Dali.¹⁸ If you are free at that time, I would be honoured if you would attend the wedding banquet.’ I was so enraged that I vomited blood on the spot and collapsed unconscious. He revived me and helped me to an inn to rest, then strode off without a backward glance.” As she recounted the cruel words Lu Zhanyuan had spoken to her all those years ago, her expression and tone perfectly mimicked those of a heartless, faithless man, only infused with the deepest bitterness and hatred. Over these years, she had indeed replayed Lu Zhanyuan’s words to her in her mind at every moment.

Xiaolongnü asked, “What happened after that? Did you simply let it go?”

Li Mochou said, “Let it go? When a man’s heart changes, not even a thousand horses can drag him back! Even if you held a steel blade to his throat and forced him to return to your side, his affection would be false, his sweet words mere trickery to deceive you a while longer. What pleasure would there be in that? The men of this world, every one of them, loves the new and discards the old, shifts affections at the first new sight. Even if you were a celestial immortal, a paragon of charm and beauty, you could never make him true to you forever. Little Shimei, this man, he is truly willing to die for you. A man like this, I have yearned for him in my thoughts day and night, hoping only that I might be fortunate enough to meet one. He could be an idiot or a hideous monster. I would still treat him with all my heart. Shimei, you have found one. How fortunate you are! I do not envy you that our master passed on the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra to you. I only envy that you have met such a good disciple.”

Yang Guo said loudly, “Martial Aunt Li, I am the fortunate one, to have met such a good master!” Li Mochou sighed. “Both of you are fortunate. It is only a pity that you are both so young and must spend the rest of your lives in this lightless ancient tomb, never to see the dazzling world outside. You will regret it someday.”

Yang Guo loudly protested, “Never, never! If I ever feel the slightest regret, let her strike me dead with a single sword stroke. I will never flee.” Xiaolongnü looked at him with gentle tenderness and comforted him. “Guoer, do not be anxious. I believe that being with me, you will never regret it.” Yang Guo reached out and took her hand. The moment their palms touched, their hearts were linked in understanding. They knew deeply that in this life and beyond, they would never betray each other. They gazed at each other. Though the light in the stone chamber was dim, they felt as though they had spoken a thousand, ten thousand words, pledging their devotion, with no fear that either would one day change.

Li Mochou sighed. “Shimei, you are a young girl. You do not understand the treachery of the human heart. No one can blame you for that. Today, your shijie will teach you a technique for self-protection. Our master would not have taught you this, because she never left the stone tomb and did not understand it herself.” Xiaolongnü, hearing the gravity in her voice, said, “Thank you, Shijie, for your guidance.”

Li Mochou said, “The day your man’s manner toward you suddenly changes, when he was once deeply intimate, loving you to the point of madness, and suddenly he becomes distant and polite, that is when his heart has changed. You may not see it at first, but you must be on heightened guard. Watch for any trace or sign. You absolutely must not let it pass.”

Xiaolongnü said, “We are only here in this stone tomb. What trace or sign could there be? Shijie, thank you for telling me your own experience. But I will have no use for it, because for a thousand years, for ten thousand years, he will never change his heart toward me.”

A pang of bitterness shot through Li Mochou’s heart. She continued, “That is wonderful indeed. Then you should go down the mountain and enjoy yourselves thoroughly. The dazzling world, the two of you flying side by side, sharing blissful delights, truly there would be no end to it.” Xiaolongnü raised her head and was lost in thought for a moment, then said softly, “Yes. It is a pity that it is already too late.” Li Mochou said, “Why?” Xiaolongnü said, “The Dragon Severing Stone has already been lowered. Even if our master returned to life, we could never leave again.” Li Mochou had lowered her pride and spent considerable effort with her words, hoping to stir Xiaolongnü’s will to live and, relying on her familiarity with the ancient tomb’s layout, find a path to survival. Who could have known that in the end it was all hopeless? She thought of how she herself had been betrayed, how her lover’s heart had changed, and now, in the end, she was trapped in the ancient tomb to be buried alive. Rage and desperation surged within her, and killing intent arose unbidden. Her wrist turned slightly as she raised her palm to strike down on Xiaolongnü’s crown.

Yang Guo suddenly saw Li Mochou launch a killing strike. In his panic, he instinctively crouched down and let out a loud gua cry, thrusting both palms forward. He had used the Toad Stance¹⁹ taught to him by Ouyang Feng.²⁰ This was a skill he had learned in his childhood. He had never practised it since entering the ancient tomb, but it was deeply engraved in his mind. At the most critical moment, it emerged without conscious thought. Li Mochou’s palm was descending but had not yet landed when she suddenly felt a fierce, overpowering palm force pressing in from the side. She hurriedly pulled back her palm to block downward. Yang Guo had trained in the ancient tomb for two years, and his internal power had greatly increased. Although it had no connection whatsoever to the Toad Stance, the force of this push was far beyond what it had been before. With a bang, he sent Li Mochou flying backward. She crashed heavily into the stone wall, feeling a searing pain in her spine.

Li Mochou was furious. She rubbed her palms together, and the small chamber was instantly filled with a foul, nauseating stench. Xiaolongnü knew that Yang Guo’s successful strike just now had been nothing but luck. If her shijie truly unleashed her lethal Scarlet Serpent Divine Palm,²¹ the combined strength of herself and Yang Guo would not be enough to withstand it. She immediately seized Yang Guo’s arm and darted out through the chamber door.

Li Mochou swung her palm to strike, but before her hand had travelled halfway, she suddenly felt a slap land on her left cheek. It did not hurt, but the sound was remarkably crisp. She heard Xiaolongnü call out, “You wanted to learn the skill of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, this is it!” Li Mochou had barely registered the shock when another slap landed on her right cheek. She had always known that her master’s Jade Maiden Heart Sutra contained martial arts of terrifying power. Now, seeing Xiaolongnü’s strikes come with such incredible speed, her palms shifting and transforming unpredictably, clearly following the path of their own school’s martial arts, yet with subtleties she herself could not begin to fathom, she was convinced this was indeed the skill of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Fear immediately took hold in her heart. She could only watch helplessly as her shimei, holding Yang Guo’s hand, walked into another chamber and closed the stone door behind them. She stood there rubbing her cheeks and thought to herself, At least she showed mercy. If she had put force into those two palms, would I still be alive? What she did not know was that the skill of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra sought speed, surprise, and ferocity. Though Xiaolongnü’s palm technique was exquisite, the force of her palms was ordinarily not enough to injure.

Yang Guo, seeing his master land two clean slaps on Li Mochou’s face, was overjoyed. “Gugu, the skill of the Heart Sutra. Li Mochou is no match for it…” Before he could finish, he suddenly saw Xiaolongnü trembling uncontrollably, as if she could barely restrain herself. He cried out in alarm, “Gugu, what is… you…” Xiaolongnü’s voice quavered. “I… I am so cold…” When she had delivered those two palm strikes, though she had used the lightest of force, they had been executed with true neili. With her original strength still unrecovered after her severe injury, this exertion had caused no small damage. She had trained on the Cold Jade Bed²² all her life and had a foundation of extreme cold. Now, with her self-control gone, she felt as though she had been plunged into a fathomless abyss of black ice. The cold pierced her to the bone, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably. Yang Guo, frantic, could only cry, “What do I do?” In desperation, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, hoping to use his own body heat to help her resist the cold. But after holding her only a short while, he felt Xiaolongnü’s body growing colder and colder. Before long, he himself could barely endure it.

Xiaolongnü felt her neili draining away, bit by bit. She said, “Guoer, I cannot go on. You… carry me to… to the place where the stone coffins are kept.” Yang Guo was grief-stricken, unable to speak. But then it occurred to him: in any case, they had only a few days left to live. Dying with her now would be just the same. He said cheerfully, “All right.” He carried her to the chamber with the stone coffins and laid her on the ground beside one of them. He lit a candle. In the flickering candlelight, the stone coffin appeared heavy and massive, making Xiaolongnü seem all the more slender and fragile.

Xiaolongnü said, “Push open… the lid of this stone coffin. Place me inside.” Yang Guo said, “All right.” Xiaolongnü detected no trace of sorrow in his voice and found it slightly strange. Yang Guo pushed open the coffin lid, lifted her gently, and laid her inside. Then he immediately leapt into the coffin himself and lay down beside her, head to head. The two were squeezed together with no room to turn.

Xiaolongnü was both delighted and puzzled. “What are you doing?” she asked. Yang Guo said, “Naturally, I am staying with you. Let those two wicked women have the other stone coffin.” Xiaolongnü let out a long sigh. Peace settled in her heart, and the cold in her body eased somewhat. She turned her eyes toward Yang Guo and saw that his gaze was also fixed upon her. She nestled against him, a surge of heat rushing through her heart. Yang Guo stretched out his arm and held her tight.

Xiaolongnü felt a faint shyness. In Yang Guo’s embrace, the cold vanished entirely. She turned her head away, not daring to look at him. Her heart was in confusion for a long while when she suddenly noticed that there seemed to be writing on the inside of the coffin lid. She fixed her gaze upon it and saw clearly sixteen large characters:

The Jade Maiden Heart Sutra seeks to surpass Quanzhen. Chongyang, in all his life, was never weaker than anyone.²³

These sixteen characters were written in thick ink. The brushwork was vigorous and forceful, and the characters were quite large. At that moment the coffin lid was only half pushed open, but looking at an angle, they were still clearly visible. Xiaolongnü let out a soft exclamation. “What does that mean?” Yang Guo followed her gaze and saw the sixteen characters. He pondered briefly, then said, “Was it written by Wang Chongyang?” Xiaolongnü said, “It looks like his writing. He seems to be saying that our Jade Maiden Heart Sutra hoped to surpass the martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect, but he himself was not weaker than our Founding Grandmaster. Is that it?” Yang Guo laughed. “That old bull-nose Daoist is bragging.” Xiaolongnü looked at the sixteen characters again and saw that behind them there were many more smaller characters written. But the characters were small, and they were at the far end of the coffin lid. From where she lay at this end, she could not make them out. She said, “Guoer, get out.” Yang Guo shook his head. “I am not getting out.” Xiaolongnü smiled faintly. “Get out just for a moment. You can come back in and keep me company later.” Only then did Yang Guo climb out of the stone coffin.

Xiaolongnü sat up and asked Yang Guo to pass her the candleholder. She turned around and lay down at the other end to study the small characters. She read through them slowly, one by one. After reading them twice, she suddenly felt her hand go weak. The candleholder swayed and fell onto her chest. Yang Guo hurriedly reached out and caught it, then helped her out of the stone coffin. “What is it?” he asked. “What do those characters say?”

Xiaolongnü’s expression was strange. She collected herself for a moment, then sighed. “So it turns out that after Founding Grandmaster passed away, Wang Chongyang came back to the ancient tomb.” Yang Guo said, “What did he come for?” Xiaolongnü said, “He came to pay his respects to Founding Grandmaster. He saw the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra that Founding Grandmaster had left on the ceiling of the stone chamber and discovered that it had completely defeated every single one of the Quanzhen Sect’s martial arts. So he left these characters on the underside of the coffin lid, saying that what Founding Grandmaster had defeated was only the Quanzhen Sect’s crude and shallow martial arts. Compared to the highest, most profound Quanzhen skills, he said, what does the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra amount to?”

Yang Guo spat. “Founding Grandmaster is already gone. He can say whatever he likes.” Xiaolongnü said, “In his message, he also wrote that in another stone chamber, he left behind the method for defeating the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Those who come after, if they are fated, will understand at a glance.” Yang Guo’s curiosity was stirred. “Gugu, let us go and look.” Xiaolongnü said, “Wang Chongyang’s last words say that this stone chamber is beneath this very chamber. I have lived here my entire life and never knew there was such a chamber.” Yang Guo pleaded, “Gugu, let us find a way to go down and see.”

By now Xiaolongnü was no longer as stern with him as before. Though she was weary, she still felt it was better to indulge him. She smiled faintly and said, “Very well.” She surveyed the chamber, deep in thought. Finally she gazed for a while into the stone coffin where they had just lain and said, “So this stone coffin was also left behind by Wang Chongyang. The bottom of the coffin can be lifted.”

Yang Guo was overjoyed. “Ah, I understand! That must be the door leading to the stone chamber!” He immediately jumped into the coffin and felt around in all directions. Sure enough, he found a depression just large enough to fit a hand. He gripped it tightly and pulled upward, but it did not budge. Xiaolongnü said, “First turn it to the left, then pull upward.” Yang Guo followed her instructions, turned, then pulled. With a kala sound, the stone slab at the bottom of the coffin came up in his hand. He cried out joyfully, “It worked!” Xiaolongnü said, “Not yet. Wait until the stale air in the cave has dispersed before going in.”

Yang Guo could not sit still. After a while, he said, “Gugu, is it ready yet?” Xiaolongnü sighed. “With an impatient nature like yours, it must have been truly hard for you to keep me company all these years.” She slowly rose, took the candleholder, and descended with him through the bottom of the stone coffin. Below was a flight of stone steps. At the end of the steps was a short passageway. They turned a corner, and sure enough, there was another stone chamber.

The chamber itself had nothing unusual about it. Without prior agreement, both raised their heads to look up. The ceiling was densely covered with written characters and symbols. At the far right were four large characters: Nine Yin Manual.²⁴

Neither of them knew that what the Nine Yin Manual contained was in truth the highest realm of martial study. They looked at it for a while, but found it abstruse and difficult to understand. Xiaolongnü said, “Even if this skill is truly incomparably powerful, it is of no use to us now.”

Yang Guo sighed. He was about to lower his head and look away when, in a single glance, he suddenly noticed a diagram drawn in the southwest corner of the ceiling. It seemed unrelated to martial arts. He stared at it carefully. It looked rather like a map. He asked, “What is that?” Xiaolongnü followed the direction of his finger and looked. She had only looked for a moment when her entire body stiffened as though frozen. She did not move at all.

After a long while, she remained like a stone statue, gazing at that diagram in a trance. Yang Guo grew afraid. He tugged at her sleeve. “Gugu, what is it?” Xiaolongnü made a soft sound, then suddenly buried her face against his chest and began to sob. Yang Guo said gently, “Does it hurt again?” Xiaolongnü said, “No. It is not that.” After a long pause, she said, “We can get out.” Yang Guo was wild with joy. He leapt up and shouted, “Truly?” Xiaolongnü nodded and said softly, “That diagram, it shows the secret passage out of the tomb.” She knew the tomb’s layout intimately, so she understood the meaning of the map the moment she saw it.

Yang Guo’s joy knew no bounds. “That is wonderful! Then why are you crying?” Tears still in her eyes, Xiaolongnü smiled beautifully. “I was never afraid of death before. After all, my entire life was in this tomb. Dying sooner or later, what difference did it make? But these past few days, I keep thinking: you treat me so well, I want to be with you and live some happy days. I want to go outside and see the world. Guoer, I am afraid and happy at the same time.”

Yang Guo took her hand. “Gugu, when you and I go out together, I will pick flowers for you to wear and catch crickets for you to play with. How does that sound?” All these years he had only been in the ancient tomb. Though he had grown older, the amusing things that came to his mind were still the amusements of childhood. Xiaolongnü had never played with anyone. She listened quietly as he spoke with such excitement. After a long while, she could no longer hold on. She slowly leaned against Yang Guo’s shoulder. Yang Guo talked for a while, then, hearing no answer, turned his head and saw that her eyes were gently closed, her breathing soft and faint. She had fallen into a deep sleep. A sense of peace filled his heart, and drowsiness stole over him. In his daze, he too drifted into slumber.

They did not know how much time had passed when suddenly Yang Guo felt a soreness at his waist. Someone had struck a finger into the “Central Pivot” acupoint²⁵ at his lower back. He started awake. Just as he was about to leap up and resist, a grappling hand seized the back of his neck in an iron grip. He could not move at all. He turned his head and saw Li Mochou and her disciple standing beside him, smiling. His master had also been struck at her acupoints. It turned out that neither Yang Guo nor Xiaolongnü had the slightest experience in guarding against enemies in the jianghu. In their joy, they had not thought to go back up and replace the stone slab at the bottom of the coffin. They had allowed Li Mochou to discover this underground stone chamber and ambush them successfully.

Li Mochou laughed coldly. “Well, well! So there is such a comfortable place hidden down here. The two little ones were hiding away enjoying themselves. Shimei, you had best think carefully. Perhaps there is a path out of the tomb.” Xiaolongnü said, “Even if I knew, I would not tell you.” Li Mochou had originally been deeply convinced that Xiaolongnü’s earlier words were true, that the Dragon Severing Stone had indeed been lowered and there was no hope of leaving the tomb. But Xiaolongnü was utterly artless and guileless. The tone and expression of these two sentences seemed to indicate that she did know a way out. Li Mochou was overjoyed. “Good Shimei, lead us out. From now on I will never make trouble for you again.” Xiaolongnü said, “You came in on your own. Find your own way out. Why should I lead you?”

Li Mochou had always known this shimei to be stubborn and wilful. Even when their master was alive, she had often had to accommodate her. Using force and threats would almost certainly be ineffective. But with life and death at stake, she had to try to force the issue no matter what. She extended her fingers and struck heavily at the “Celestial Protrusion” acupoint²⁶ below each of their throats, then struck the “Five Pivots” acupoint²⁷ between their thighs and abdomens. The Celestial Protrusion acupoint was the meeting point of the Yin Linking and Conception Vessels. The Five Pivots acupoint was the meeting point of the Foot Lesser Yang and Girdle Vessels. Li Mochou was using the Ancient Tomb Sect’s secret acupoint-sealing technique. She expected that before long the two of them would be overcome by unbearable numbness and itching all over their bodies and would have no choice but to reveal the secret.

Xiaolongnü closed her eyes and paid no attention. Yang Guo said, “If my gugu knew the way out, why would we not have escaped already? Why would we still be here?” Li Mochou laughed. “She already let it slip in her words just now. There is no denying it. She naturally knows there is another secret exit from this ancient tomb. Once you have recovered your strength, you will leave, of course. Shimei, are you going to speak or not?” Xiaolongnü said quietly, “Once you are outside, it will be nothing more than finding ways to kill and harm people. What good is there in going out?”

Li Mochou sat to one side with her arms around her knees, smiling wordlessly. After a while, Yang Guo was the first who could no longer bear it. He shouted, “Hey, Li Mochou! Did Founding Grandmaster pass down this acupoint-sealing technique for you to bully your own people? Using it against your own shimei, can you face Founding Grandmaster?” Li Mochou smiled faintly. “You call me Li Mochou. We ceased to be ‘our own people’ long ago.”

Yang Guo whispered in Xiaolongnü’s ear, “You absolutely must not reveal the secret of the exit. As long as Li Mochou does not know it, she will never kill us. The moment she learns the way out, she will strike us down immediately.” Xiaolongnü said, “You are right. I had not thought of that. I simply will not tell her.” At that moment she was lying on the ground. When she opened her eyes, she could see the map on the ceiling. She thought, If Shijie discovers this map, it will be disastrous. I must not let my gaze fall on the map.

In those years, when Wang Chongyang learned that Lin Chaoying had passed away within the Tomb of the Living Dead,²⁸ he recalled how she had loved him so devotedly all her life. This depth of feeling was no small matter. Now that they belonged to different worlds, one among the living, one among the dead, the grief in his heart was profound. He quietly entered the tomb through the secret passage, avoiding her maidservants and disciples. He gazed long upon the remains of this old companion of the jianghu, stifling his sobs as he wept bitterly. Only then did he make a tour of this stone tomb that he himself had built in years past. He saw the portrait Lin Chaoying had painted of him standing with his back turned, and he saw the engravings she had left on the ceilings of the two stone chambers. When he saw that the martial arts described in the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra were subtle, profound, and wondrous, every move indeed the precise nemesis of Quanzhen martial arts, his face turned ashen. He immediately withdrew.

He went deep into the mountains alone and built a thatched hut. For three full years he did not set foot outside the mountain, devoting himself to studying methods to defeat the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Though he achieved small successes here and there, in the end he could not assemble a complete system of martial learning that encompassed both internal and external, fully integrated and interconnected. Disheartened, his admiration for Lin Chaoying’s intelligence and talent only deepened. He conceded defeat and ceased his research. More than ten years later, at the Huashan Sword Summit,²⁹ he obtained the wondrous martial text, the Nine Yin Manual. He was determined not to practise the skills within the manual, but driven by curiosity, he could not resist leafing through it once.

By then, his martial arts were already the greatest under heaven. The various secret profundities and essential principles contained in the Nine Yin Manual, once his eyes passed over them and he pondered for a dozen or so days, he comprehended completely. He knew that after mastering the essential doctrines of the Nine Yin Manual, defeating the martial arts of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra would pose no difficulty whatsoever. Thereupon he raised his head to the heavens and laughed long. He returned to the Tomb of the Living Dead and, on the ceiling of the most hidden underground stone chamber in the entire tomb, engraved the essential doctrines of the manual. He also pointed out, one by one, the methods for defeating the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. He examined the layout of the ancient tomb and surmised that those several empty coffins would in the future be used by Lin Chaoying’s disciples. They would most likely climb into the coffins themselves when their end was near, to await death. At that time they would naturally come to know that the founding patriarch of the Quanzhen Sect had never, in all his life, been weaker than anyone. And so he wrote the sixteen characters on the underside of one empty coffin lid, so that Lin Chaoying’s descendants, at the moment of their death, would learn that the martial learning of the founding patriarch of the Quanzhen teaching was in truth not something the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra could overcome.

This was merely a moment of competitive pride on his part. He had no intention of allowing the Nine Yin Manual to be leaked to the world. He assumed that by the time Lin Chaoying’s disciples saw the Nine Yin Manual, they would already be at their last breath and could only carry this secret into the underworld.

Wang Chongyang and Lin Chaoying were both prodigies of martial learning, a match made in heaven. Between the two of them, there was no third party, male or female, to stir the waves of passion, nor any enmity or entanglements involving relatives or fellow disciples. In earlier times, Wang Chongyang had been wholly devoted to the great cause of raising a volunteer army to resist the Jin¹⁴ with no leisure to attend to matters of the heart. But after the volunteer army was defeated and he languished in the ancient tomb, Lin Chaoying came to comfort him, her tender devotion and noble righteousness were deeply moving. By then there was no reason why their union should not have been fulfilled. Yet it still ended in everlasting regret, one leaving home to become a Daoist priest, the other wasting away in melancholy within the stone tomb until her final day. The reasons for this, Qiu Chuji³⁰ and the other disciples certainly did not know. Even Wang Chongyang and Lin Chaoying themselves would have found it difficult to explain, and could only attribute it to the two words: “not fated.” They did not know that “not fated” was the effect, not the cause. The two of them, their martial arts already so high, grew ever more prideful. Whenever the seedling of affection began to sprout, competition in discussing martial arts would inevitably arise alongside it. Neither would ever yield to the other. When the two were compared, in the end Lin Chaoying was slightly superior. Wang Chongyang, unable to accept being subordinate to a woman, would forcibly suppress his feelings whenever the slightest affection for Lin Chaoying arose. Later, Lin Chaoying created the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra to counter Quanzhen martial arts, and Wang Chongyang, unwilling to admit defeat, engraved the essential doctrines of the Nine Yin Manual within the tomb. But he reflected that the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was Lin Chaoying’s own creation, whereas he had relied on a predecessor’s legacy. In comparison, he was indeed one step inferior. Thereafter he cultivated deep humility and often admonished his disciples in the way of tolerance, self-restraint, and keeping one’s abilities hidden.

As for the secret map on the ceiling, it had been engraved there when the stone tomb was first constructed. It was originally meant as a contingency in case the stone tomb was besieged by Jin¹⁴ soldiers for an extended period, allowing escape through the secret passage. Even Lin Chaoying did not know of this secret passage. Lin Chaoying had thought that once the Dragon Severing Stone was lowered, she would perish together with the enemy. She never imagined that when Wang Chongyang built the stone tomb, he was in the midst of planning a grand campaign to recover the Central Plains.³¹ His heart was filled with towering ambition. How could he, after a single defeat, place himself in a position from which there was no escape? Later, when Wang Chongyang yielded the stone tomb, he deeply feared that Lin Chaoying would mock him for having reserved a path of retreat, that he lacked the spirit of a gallant man. And so he did not tell her. This too was born of a moment’s competitive pride.

Xiaolongnü dared not look at the map. Her gaze remained fixed on another corner. Suddenly, four small characters. “Method for Unsealing Acupoints”, flashed into her eyes like a bolt of lightning. Her heart jolted. She carefully read the secret method several times. For a moment, joy beyond all expectation surged through her. Had it not been for her habitual self-restraint, she would almost have cried out. The secret method explained the technique for opening one’s own sealed acupoints, if, while cultivating neili, one suffered a deviation and the acupoints became blocked, this method could be used to open them by oneself. This was because the neili cultivated through the Nine Yin Manual was extremely profound. If a practitioner’s internal breath went astray and sealed their own acupoints, even if a master of the highest skill were standing by, it would be difficult to open the acupoints on their behalf. Only the practitioner themselves could use this secret method to unseal the acupoints. Otherwise, if someone reached the level of practising the Nine Yin Manual, their martial arts would already have attained a first-class realm, and they would rarely ever have their acupoints sealed by another.

Among them, the three divine skills. “Method for Unsealing Acupoints,” “Method for Holding the Breath,” and “Soul-Shifting Art”³², were interconnected. A person’s acupoints and meridians, once sealed, could not be opened without external force. But if one could use the method of “holding the breath” to temporarily stop breathing, to halt the circulation of neili, then one could follow the flow and open the sealed acupoints and meridians. Yet “holding the breath” was extremely difficult. It required the use of the “Soul-Shifting Art’s” technique of freeing the heart and departing the soul, the spirit roaming beyond the body, the heart detached from the physical form, so that during the brief period of breath-holding, one would not suffocate and die. From freeing the heart and departing the soul came holding the breath. From holding the breath came unsealing the acupoints. The three skills were linked in sequence, forming a unified whole. The most advanced portions of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, where spirit and light intermingle, seeming to exist yet not, faintly appearing yet faintly vanishing, elusive and impossible to grasp, required the use of the technique of freeing the heart and departing the soul. Only then could the spirit roam beyond the body, unbound by the heart, acting as though nothing were happening, at once empty and solid, real and illusory, unfathomable, and thereby avoid being subdued. At that point, one could not say whether the Quanzhen Sect’s martial arts were superior, or whether the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was superior. It was simply that neither could subdue the other, and neither would be subdued by the other. Each would wander freely at ease. For Xiaolongnü in her present predicament, these three divine skills were truly life-saving wonders.

But then she thought again: Even if I unseal my acupoints, I still cannot defeat Shijie. It would still be useless. She immediately scrutinised the text on the ceiling, seeking a skill that could be learned instantly and applied immediately, something that would subdue Li Mochou in a single move. But as she glanced roughly over it, every item was abstruse and complex. She reckoned that even the easiest skill would require several dozen days to master. Yet she dared not look too long, fearing that Li Mochou might follow the direction of her gaze and look up, thereby discovering the map on the ceiling and the Nine Yin Manual. The “Soul-Shifting Art” took superior neili as its foundation. Xiaolongnü judged that her own internal cultivation was not yet equal to her shijie’s. If she used it rashly, she would likely be subdued instead. Her ears caught Yang Guo shouting and yelling, ceaselessly trading barbs with Li Mochou. Fortunately, because of this, her usually observant shijie had not paid attention to the direction of her gaze. Suddenly an idea stirred in her heart, and she thought of a plan. She raised her head and silently recited the “Method for Unsealing Acupoints,” “Method for Holding the Breath,” and “Soul-Shifting Art” once each, then lowered her mouth to Yang Guo’s ear and quietly taught them to him.

Yang Guo understood immediately. Xiaolongnü whispered, “First unseal the acupoints.” Yang Guo, afraid that Li Mochou and her disciple would notice, groaned loudly and kept up a stream of nonsensical chatter. “Aiyo, Martial Aunt Li, your hand is truly too vicious. You have wronged Founding Grandmaster, and even more wronged Founding Grandmaster’s grandmaster. Aiyo, Martial Aunt Li, you are quite young. Though your looks cannot compare with my master’s, you can still be counted as a rare beauty. With such a wicked heart, I fear the darkness will spread all the way to your face and ruin your flower-like features and moon-like countenance. That would be such a pity. How can you not fear wronging Grandmaster’s great-grandmaster…” His words were utterly disjointed as he seized the opportunity to let his spirit roam beyond the body, his soul departing its dwelling. The moment his mouth paused, he held his breath. Li Mochou had heard him earlier addressing her directly by name, which was rather impertinent, but later he switched to calling her “Martial Aunt” and praising her beauty. His rambling nonsense was quite amusing, and she listened with a smile.

Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo followed the “Method for Unsealing Acupoints” shown in Wang Chongyang’s legacy engravings, silently circulating their profound energy. Both had a foundation in internal power, and in a short time they had opened the two sealed acupoints on their bodies. Outwardly, there was not the slightest sign of movement. But Li Mochou still immediately sensed something was wrong. “What are you doing?” she shouted, and lunged toward them. Xiaolongnü leapt up and struck back with her palm, lightly tapping Li Mochou on the shoulder. It was precisely the superior martial art of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Li Mochou had never imagined that she could unseal her own acupoints. In great alarm, she hastily leapt backward. Xiaolongnü said, “Shijie, do you want to get out or not?”

When Li Mochou heard this, she was overjoyed. She had always prided herself on her superior martial arts and her rare, unmatched intelligence. Yet now she had been toyed with like a puppet by a little shimei who had never seen the world. Fury and humiliation surged within her. But she thought it best to endure for now, to first escape the tomb, and then deal with her later. Though Xiaolongnü had a few strange moves, they carried no force when they landed. By now Li Mochou had sensed that it was not that Xiaolongnü was holding back out of mercy, but rather that her internal strength was genuinely insufficient, nothing to be concerned about. She immediately smiled and said, “Now that is a good shimei. I apologise to you. Lead us out.”

Yang Guo thought, This is an excellent opportunity to sow discord between master and disciple. He said, “My gugu says she can only lead one of you out. Tell us, should she lead you, or your disciple?” Li Mochou said, “You wretched little brat, shut your mouth this instant.” Xiaolongnü had not yet grasped Yang Guo’s intent, but she always protected him. She immediately said, “Exactly. I can only take one person. More than that will not do.” Yang Guo laughed. “Martial Aunt, it would be better to let Martial Sister Hong come out with us. Though Martial Sister Hong is not as beautiful as you, you are getting on in years, you have lived long enough.” Li Mochou was furious, but she still held her tongue. Yang Guo said, “Fine! Let us go! Gugu leads the way, I go second. Whoever walks last cannot come out.”

By now Xiaolongnü understood the ploy. She laughed softly, took Yang Guo’s hand, and walked out of the stone chamber. Li Mochou and Hong Lingbo both scrambled to be behind them, the two squeezing through the doorway at the same time, each afraid that Xiaolongnü would indeed activate some mechanism and seal the last person inside the tomb. Li Mochou said angrily, “You dare compete with me?” Her left hand shot out and seized Hong Lingbo’s shoulder. Hong Lingbo knew her master’s strikes were lethal. If she did not stop, she would die beneath her palm on the spot. She had no choice but to let her master go ahead, her heart filled with both hatred and fear.

Li Mochou followed close behind Yang Guo, not daring to stray a single step. She felt Xiaolongnü turning east and winding west, descending lower and lower. At the same time, the ground beneath her feet grew gradually damp. She knew in her heart that they had long since left the ancient tomb, but in the darkness she could only vaguely make out branching paths everywhere. After walking a while longer, the path became extraordinarily steep, plunging nearly straight down. Had the four of them not all possessed high martial arts, they would have long since slipped and tumbled. Li Mochou thought to herself, Mount Zhongnan is not particularly tall. Walking downward like this, we will soon reach the base. Could we be inside the mountain’s belly?

They descended for roughly the time it takes to burn half an incense stick. The path gradually levelled, but the dampness grew heavier. Eventually they heard the sound of gurgling water, and the path was submerged up to their ankles. The further they walked, the higher the water rose, from their legs to their bellies, and gradually to their chests. Xiaolongnü asked Yang Guo in a low voice, “You remember the Method for Holding the Breath clearly, yes?” Yang Guo said quietly, “I remember.” Xiaolongnü said, “In a moment, hold your breath. Do not swallow the water.” Yang Guo said, “Mm. Gugu, you must be careful yourself.” Xiaolongnü nodded.

It turned out that when Wang Chongyang had built the underground storehouse of the stone tomb, he had placed it beside a small mountain stream, diverting a portion of the stream water into the tomb. The tomb’s inhabitants used the stream water for cooking, and for all their washing and cleansing as well, all relying on this stream. The stream originated high in the mountains, cascading downward. After use in the tomb, the water would pause briefly, then flow on and return to clarity. Now Xiaolongnü was guiding Yang Guo, Li Mochou, and the others out of the tomb via this small stream. They would have to plunge into an underground current before reaching level ground. After the stream water flowed into the underground current, it joined with other streams, and the flow grew greater and deeper.

Even as they spoke, the water had already risen to their throats. Li Mochou was secretly alarmed. “Shimei,” she called, “can you swim?” Xiaolongnü said, “I have lived in the tomb all my life and never been outside. How could I know how to swim?” Li Mochou felt slightly reassured. She took a step forward, but unexpectedly the ground suddenly gave way beneath her foot, and a surge of water rushed straight into her mouth. In great alarm, she hastily retreated. But Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo had already plunged into the water. At this point, even if what lay ahead were a mountain of blades and a sea of swords, she had no choice but to charge through. She suddenly felt a tug at her back, her clothing had been grabbed by Hong Lingbo. She quickly struck backward with a backhand blow. This strike was not light, but in the water, the force was impeded. Hong Lingbo was holding on tightly and could not be shaken off. The water roared with a deafening sound. Though it was an underground current, its force was still terrifying. Neither Li Mochou nor Hong Lingbo knew how to handle themselves in water. Swept by the current, they could not keep their footing and both floated up.

Though Li Mochou’s martial arts were superb, at this moment she could not help but be seized by panic. She flailed and clawed wildly. Suddenly she touched something and immediately gripped it with all her strength. It was Yang Guo’s left arm. Yang Guo was holding his breath, walking step by step along the bottom with Xiaolongnü, hand in hand. When Li Mochou suddenly grabbed him, he hurriedly used grappling techniques to shake her off. But now that Li Mochou had seized hold, how could she be willing to let go? Water poured into her mouth and nose in torrents until she lost consciousness, yet still she held on tight. Yang Guo tried several times to shake her off but could not. Afraid that if he used too much force he would swallow water, he let her hold on.

The four of them dragged and pulled through the water for roughly the time it takes to eat a meal. Though Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo were holding their breath according to the method, they were still unbearably stifled. From time to time they had to surface for a few breaths of air. Gradually they could barely hold on. Both swallowed a stomachful of water. Fortunately, the current gradually slowed and the ground rose. Soon they emerged from the water. They walked for the time it takes to burn an incense stick. The further they went, the brighter it became ahead. Finally they crawled out into a mountain cave. The two of them were utterly exhausted. First they circulated their energy to expel the water from their stomachs, then lay on the stream bank, gasping for breath.

At this moment Li Mochou was still gripping Yang Guo’s arm tightly. Only when Yang Guo pried open her fingers one by one did she let go. Xiaolongnü first sealed the acupoints on Li Mochou’s and Hong Lingbo’s shoulders, then placed them on a round boulder so the water in their stomachs could slowly drain from their mouths.

Yang Guo cast his gaze around. Dense shade covered the ground, and light danced among the flowers. His joy was boundless. He could only say, “Gugu, is it not beautiful?” Xiaolongnü nodded and smiled. The two of them thought back on the events of the past several days, it felt as though they had lived through another lifetime.

After a long while, Li Mochou let out several “ah, ah” sounds and was the first to regain consciousness. She saw dazzling sunlight, she had truly seen the light of day once more. Recalling the peril of being trapped in the stone tomb and the ordeal of the underground current, she still shuddered with lingering fear. Though her upper body was numb and paralysed, her heart was far more at ease than before. After another while, Hong Lingbo slowly came to. Xiaolongnü said to Li Mochou, “Shijie, you may go now.” Li Mochou and her disciple’s arms were paralysed, but their lower bodies could move freely. They rose to their feet and exchanged a wordless look, then left, one in front of the other.

All around was silent, without a human voice. It turned out that this cave was located at an extremely remote spot at the foot of Mount Zhongnan. That night, Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo slept on the grass beneath the shade of the trees. The next morning when they woke, Yang Guo wanted to go out and explore at once. But Xiaolongnü had never seen the bustling world, and for some reason she was greatly afraid. She said, “No. I must first heal my injuries. Then the two of us must master the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.” Yang Guo struck himself heavily on the crown of his head. “Damn it! Strike this muddled fool! I actually forgot about your injury.” He also thought that after descending the mountain, if he and his master were to remove their clothes and train together again, it would be extremely inconvenient. So he extended his palm to transmit energy, helping her circulate her power to heal. In less than half a month, Xiaolongnü’s internal injuries were fully healed.

The two of them built two small thatched huts beneath a great pine tree for shelter from wind and rain. The huts were covered in purple wisteria. Yang Guo loved rich, intense fragrances, so he planted roses, jasmine, and other fragrant flowers in front of his own hut. Xiaolongnü, however, loved elegant simplicity. She said the scent of pine needles far surpassed exotic flowers and rare plants. The area in front of her hut was left entirely to nature, with only wild grass.

Master and disciple slept during the day and trained at night. Several months passed. First Xiaolongnü mastered the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. After another month or so, Yang Guo also completed his training. The two tested it repeatedly and found no obstacles remaining. Yang Guo once again raised the matter of entering the world.

Xiaolongnü felt that living so peacefully and steadily, nothing else in the world could compare. But she thought of his longing for the world of mortals and knew she could not keep him tethered forever in these desolate mountains. So she said, “Guoer, though our martial arts are now far beyond what they once were, compared with your Uncle Guo and Aunt Guo, how do we stand?” Yang Guo said, “Naturally we are still far behind. But you and they each probably have your own strengths.” Xiaolongnü said, “Your Uncle Guo has passed his skills on to his daughter and to the Wu brothers. When we meet them in the future, we will still suffer their bullying.”

At these words, Yang Guo leapt up. “If they bully me again, how could I ever let it pass?” he said angrily. Xiaolongnü said coolly, “But you cannot beat them. So it is still useless.” Yang Guo said, “Then you will help me.” Xiaolongnü said, “I cannot defeat your Aunt Guo. Still useless.” Yang Guo lowered his head and was silent, pondering a strategy. After thinking for a while, he said, “For Uncle Guo’s sake, I will simply not quarrel with them.” Xiaolongnü thought to herself, He has lived in the tomb for over two years and trained in the Ancient Tomb Sect’s inner arts. To think his fiery temper would diminish so greatly, that is quite rare. In truth, Yang Guo had simply grown older and understood more of the world’s ways. He recalled how Guo Jing³³ had treated him with genuine warmth, and his heart was filled with gratitude. He was willing to yield a step for Guo Jing’s sake. Besides, his grievances with Guo Fu³⁴ and the Wu brothers were no deep-seated enmity, merely childhood squabbles and fights over crickets. Looking back now, they had long since faded to indifference.

Xiaolongnü said, “It is best if you are willing not to compete with others. But from what you have told me, once we are outside, even if you are willing to yield to others, they will still come to bully you. If we do not master the skills left behind by Wang Chongyang, when we encounter someone of high martial ability, we will still be unable to withstand them in the end.” Yang Guo knew she was rather unwilling to leave this quiet, secluded place and could not bear to go against her wishes. He said, “Gugu, I will listen to you. Starting tomorrow, we shall begin training in the Nine Yin Manual.”

Because of this conversation, the two of them stayed in the valley for more than another year. Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo re-entered the tomb through the secret passage and spent several days reading and memorising Wang Chongyang’s legacy engravings until they were flawless, then came back out to train. Over the course of more than a year, both master and disciple advanced greatly in internal and external skills alike. But Wang Chongyang’s legacy engravings in the tomb were only the methods for countering the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, merely a small portion of the Nine Yin Manual. They did not even know of the most important portion, the general principles written in Sanskrit transliteration. Thus what the two of them learned was, after all, still far inferior to what Guo Jing and Huang Rong³⁵ had mastered. But this was something the two of them had no way of knowing.

One day, after finishing their martial training, both felt they had made great progress. Yang Guo jumped up and down, thoroughly delighted. But Xiaolongnü was sombre and unhappy. Yang Guo kept telling jokes to cheer her up, but Xiaolongnü remained silent. Yang Guo knew that by now they had learned all the skills from Wang Chongyang’s legacy engravings. As for achieving complete integration and mastery, he had no idea how many months and years that would take, but the essential secrets and subtleties had all been understood. As long as they continued training in the future, the deeper their skill, the greater its power would be. He surmised that Xiaolongnü did not wish to descend the mountain but had no excuse to keep them there, and that this was the source of her distress. He said, “Gugu, if you do not wish to go down the mountain, then we shall stay here forever.” Xiaolongnü said joyfully, “That would be wonderful…” She spoke only three words, then stopped. She knew clearly that even if Yang Guo reluctantly stayed for her sake, he could never be truly happy in his heart. She said quietly, “We will speak of it tomorrow.” She did not eat dinner and returned to her little thatched hut to sleep.

Yang Guo sat on the grass, lost in thought for a long while, until the moon rose from behind the mountain. Only then did he return to his hut to sleep. He slept until midnight, when in his dreams he faintly heard the sound of rushing wind, urgent and fierce, unlike anything ordinary. He started awake and listened carefully. It was the sound of fist wind and palm force, someone was fighting. He hurriedly rushed out of his hut and ran to his master’s hut. In a low voice he said, “Gugu, did you hear that?”

By now the palm wind was roaring even louder. By all reason, Xiaolongnü must have heard it, but there was no answer from within the hut. Yang Guo called out twice more, then pushed open the wicker door. The sleeping platform was empty, his master had long since left. Even more alarmed, he quickly followed the sound toward the source of the palm strikes. He ran for well over a hundred feet but still could not see the combatants. From the palm wind alone, he could tell that one of them was his master. The opponent’s palm wind was deep, fierce, and overpowering, their martial skill seemed to surpass even his master’s.

Yang Guo dashed forward urgently. In the moonlight he saw Xiaolongnü circling back and forth with a tall, powerfully built man. The fight was intense. Though Xiaolongnü’s body movements were light and agile, her opponent’s martial arts were terrifyingly strong. Under the enveloping force of his palms, Xiaolongnü was barely holding on. Yang Guo was horrified. He shouted, “Master, I am coming!” In two bounds he had reached their side. The moment he saw the man’s face, shock and joy mingled together. The man’s cheeks and chin were covered in a bristling beard, each hair stiff as a halberd, his face like a hedgehog. It was none other than his long-parted adopted father, Ouyang Feng.

He saw Ouyang Feng standing as immovable as a mountain, slowly cleaving out palm strike after palm strike. Xiaolongnü could only dodge, not daring to meet his palm force head-on. Yang Guo shouted, “We are all on the same side! Stop fighting!” Xiaolongnü was startled. How could this crazy, bearded man be one of our own? The moment her concentration wavered, her body movement slowed slightly. Ouyang Feng’s slanting palm shot out from beneath his elbow, a gust of fierce energy rushing straight toward her face with terrifying power. Yang Guo was horrified. He lunged forward desperately. He saw Xiaolongnü’s left palm already pressed against Ouyang Feng’s right palm and knew that his master’s internal power was far inferior to his adopted father’s. If this continued for any length of time, she would surely suffer internal injury. He immediately extended five fingers and lightly brushed Ouyang Feng’s right elbow. This was precisely the superior skill “Strumming the Five Strings”³⁶ from the Nine Yin Manual that he had just learned. Though he had not yet trained it to proficiency, his point of contact was perfectly placed. Ouyang Feng’s arm went slightly numb, and the force drained from his entire body.

Xiaolongnü’s reactions were lightning fast. The moment she sensed her opponent’s power weaken, she immediately pressed her attack. In that instant, Ouyang Feng’s entire body was defenceless. Even the lightest touch of a finger would have inflicted severe injury. Yang Guo flipped his hand and seized his master’s palm, placing himself between the two of them. He laughed. “Both of you, stop. We are on the same side.” Ouyang Feng had not yet recognised him. He only felt that this youth’s martial arts were strangely high and not to be underestimated. “Who are you?” he said angrily. “What ‘same side’?”

Yang Guo knew that his adopted father had always been half-mad. He feared Ouyang Feng had already forgotten him. He shouted, “Father, it is me! It is your son!” These words were filled with deep emotion. Ouyang Feng froze. He seized Yang Guo’s hand and turned his face toward the moonlight to look. It was indeed the adopted son he had searched for everywhere over these past several years. It was only that Yang Guo had grown taller, and his martial arts were so formidable, that Ouyang Feng had not been able to recognise him at first. He immediately embraced Yang Guo and shouted wildly, “My son! I have searched for you so bitterly!” The two of them held each other tight, tears streaming down both their faces.

Xiaolongnü had always been cold and indifferent. She had thought that in this world, only Yang Guo possessed such burning passion. Now, seeing Ouyang Feng was the same, her fear of descending the mountain grew even more solemn and profound. She sat quietly to one side, dark thoughts secretly rising.

That day at the Iron Spear Temple in Jiaxing,³⁷ Ouyang Feng had parted from Yang Guo. He had hidden beneath the great bell, leaving Ke Zhen’e³⁸ unable to do anything about him. He had secretly circulated his divine skill to heal his internal injuries. After seven days and seven nights, his internal power had been restored. But the external injuries from Ke Zhen’e’s iron staff strikes were truly not light and were slow to heal. He pushed aside the great bell and went to an inn to recover for another twenty-some days. Only then were his internal and external injuries fully healed. He then set out to find Yang Guo. But a full month had passed. The world was vast and boundless, where could he possibly find the boy’s trail? He pondered: Nine times out of ten, the child has gone to Peach Blossom Island.³⁹ He immediately procured a small boat and sailed to Peach Blossom Island. He dared not approach the island by day. Only when night fell did he land on the rear mountain. He knew he was no match for Guo Jing and Huang Rong together, and he did not know that Huang Yaoshi⁴⁰ was not on the island. Even if his own abilities were twice what they were, he could not defeat those three. So by day he hid in the most remote, deserted caves, and every night he quietly roamed and searched. The island’s layout was ingenious, and he dared not wander carelessly.

Thus more than a year passed. It was only through his extreme caution, never daring to leave his cave by day, that his presence remained undiscovered. Then one night he overheard the Wu brothers, Wu Dunru and Wu Xiuwen, talking and learned that Guo Jing had sent Yang Guo to the Quanzhen Sect to study martial arts. Ouyang Feng was overjoyed. He immediately stole a boat and left the island, hurrying to the Chongyang Palace.⁴¹ But who could have known that by then Yang Guo had already fallen out with the Quanzhen Sect and entered the Tomb of the Living Dead? To the Quanzhen Sect, this matter was a supreme disgrace. Everyone in the sect, high and low, absolutely refused to speak of it. Ouyang Feng could not find a single trace of information. During this time, he had scoured the lands within several hundred li⁴² around Mount Zhongnan. But how could he have known that Yang Guo was hidden deep underground? Naturally he could not find him.

This night, by coincidence, he was passing by the valley when he suddenly saw a young woman in white, sitting with her arms around her knees beneath the moon, sighing deeply. In his half-crazed way, Ouyang Feng asked, “Hey, where is my son? Have you seen him?” Xiaolongnü shot him a sideways glance and ignored him. Ouyang Feng lunged forward and reached out to seize her arm. “Where is my son?” he shouted. Xiaolongnü saw that his strike was fierce, his martial arts higher than any she had ever seen in her life, even the masters of the Quanzhen Sect were far inferior. Greatly alarmed, she hurriedly used the Small Grappling Hand technique to shake him off. Ouyang Feng had expected this grab to be certain. He had never imagined that the opponent would so lightly and skilfully break free. Without asking who she was, his left hand followed up immediately. And so the two of them began fighting without any reason at all.

Adopted father and adopted son each recounted what had happened since their parting. Ouyang Feng’s mind was half-lucid, half-confused. He could no longer clearly recount past events, and he understood only vaguely what Yang Guo told him. He knew only that all these years Yang Guo had been training in martial arts with Xiaolongnü. He said loudly, “This little girl’s martial arts are not even as good as mine. Why train with her? Let me teach you.” Xiaolongnü, for her part, could not be bothered to argue with him. She smiled faintly at his words and walked off to one side.

Yang Guo, however, felt embarrassed. He said, “Father, my master treats me very well.” Ouyang Feng grew jealous and shouted, “She treats you well, do I not treat you well?” Yang Guo laughed. “You treat me well too. In this world, only the two of you treat me well.” Though Ouyang Feng’s words came out muddled, Yang Guo understood that over these years he had searched everywhere for him and had indeed endured untold hardship.

Ouyang Feng seized his hand and giggled foolishly. After a while, he said, “Your martial arts are not bad, but it is a pity you do not know the two greatest divine skills under heaven.” Yang Guo said, “What are they?” Ouyang Feng’s thick brows shot up. “And you call yourself a practitioner of martial arts, yet you do not know the two great divine skills of the world! What use is it taking her as your master?” Yang Guo saw how he veered between joy and rage and could not help but worry secretly. Father’s illness has deepened. Who knows when he will recover? Ouyang Feng laughed heartily. “Hey, let Father teach you. The first great divine skill is the Toad Stance, and the second is the Nine Yin Manual. Let me first teach you the introductory techniques of the Toad Stance.” He began reciting the oral formulae. Yang Guo smiled faintly. “You taught me before. Have you forgotten?” Ouyang Feng scratched his head. “So you have already learned it. Nothing could be better. Show me.”

Since entering the ancient tomb, Yang Guo had never once practised the strange skills Ouyang Feng had taught him in the past. Now, hearing him say this, he gladly complied. He had already trained in these on Peach Blossom Island. Now, applying superior neili, he immediately made them blossom with splendour. Ouyang Feng laughed. “Beautiful! Beautiful! But it is not right, looks impressive but is useless. Let me pass on all the essential secrets to you!” Thereupon he gestured wildly and talked endlessly, not caring whether Yang Guo could remember it all. He just kept talking, a passage on the Toad Stance, then a passage on the scrambled and disordered Nine Yin Manual. Yang Guo listened for a long while and felt that every sentence seemed to contain boundless subtle meaning, yet it was at once complex and strange. How could he possibly absorb so much all at once?

Ouyang Feng talked for a while, then glanced over and suddenly saw Xiaolongnü sitting to one side. “Aiyo, this is bad,” he cried. “I must not let your little girl master eavesdrop.” He walked over to Xiaolongnü and said, “Hey, little girl, I am teaching my son martial arts. Do not eavesdrop.” Xiaolongnü said, “What is so special about your skills? Who would want to eavesdrop?” Ouyang Feng tilted his head and thought, then said, “Fine. Then go far away.” Xiaolongnü leaned against a flowering tree and said coolly, “Why should I obey your orders? I will go if I want to go, and stay if I want to stay.” Ouyang Feng was enraged. His whiskers bristled. He reached out to grab her face, but Xiaolongnü acted as if she had not seen and paid no attention. Yang Guo shouted, “Father, do not offend my master.” Ouyang Feng pulled back his hand. “Fine, fine. Then we will go far away. But will you follow and eavesdrop?”

Xiaolongnü thought to herself that Guoer’s adopted father was utterly shameless and could not be bothered to deal with him further. She turned her head away and did not answer. Unexpectedly, she suddenly felt a numbness on her back. Ouyang Feng had abruptly extended his arm and struck a finger into an acupoint on her back. This strike was astonishingly fast, and Xiaolongnü was completely off guard. By the time she realised and tried to resist, her upper body could no longer move. Ouyang Feng followed up by striking a finger into her waist. He laughed. “Little girl, do not be anxious. Once I have finished teaching my son his skills, I will come and release you.” Laughing, he strode off.

Yang Guo was silently memorising the Toad Stance and Nine Yin Manual that his adopted father was transmitting. He felt that the formulae Ouyang Feng spoke were somewhat tangled and confused, a chaotic mess, yet the wondrous applications within them were many and beyond doubt. He was deep in thought, utterly unaware that Xiaolongnü had been ambushed. Ouyang Feng came over and took him by the hand. “Let us go over there, so your little master cannot eavesdrop.” Yang Guo thought, How could Gugu possibly eavesdrop? Even if you insisted on teaching her, she would absolutely refuse to learn. But his adopted father’s mind was disordered. There was no point in arguing with him. So Yang Guo followed him further away.

Xiaolongnü lay paralysed on the ground, both exasperated and amused. She thought to herself that although her martial arts had been trained to a profound level, she ultimately lacked experience in facing enemies. First she had fallen to Li Mochou’s ambush, and now she had been ambushed by this bearded weirdo. She secretly circulated the Nine Yin Manual’s divine skill to unseal her own acupoints, first using the Method for Holding the Breath, hoping to clear her acupoints and meridians. Who could have known that the two sealed acupoints not only showed no sign of loosening, but became even more sore and numb? She was greatly alarmed. It turned out that Ouyang Feng’s technique ran exactly opposite to the Nine Yin Manual. When she tried to use Wang Chongyang’s legacy method to break through, the more she sought release, the tighter the seal became. She tried several times, but felt a dull ache at the sealed points and dared not try again. She thought, Once that madman finishes teaching his skills, he will naturally come and release me. She let nothing trouble her heart. She was not anxious. She raised her head and gazed at the stars in the sky for a while, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

After a long time, she felt something lightly touching her eyes. She could see in darkness as though it were broad daylight, yet now she could see nothing, someone had covered her eyes with cloth. Then she felt someone’s arms wrap around her. When this person first embraced her, they were extremely timid, but gradually they grew bolder and more reckless. Xiaolongnü was terrified beyond measure. She wanted to open her mouth and cry out, but her mouth and tongue could not move. She felt that person press their mouth to hers and kiss her cheek. At first she thought it was Ouyang Feng suddenly forcing himself upon her. But when her face touched that person’s face, she felt that it was smooth, absolutely not Ouyang Feng’s bristling beard. Her heart fluttered. Fear gradually faded, and desire secretly arose. She thought, So it is Yang Guo, that child, come to toy with me. She felt his hands grow more and more improper, slowly undressing her. Xiaolongnü could not move and could only let him do as he wished. She felt both surprised and delighted, both shy and overwhelmed. She felt Yang Guo’s tender, devoted love for her, wishing only that the two of them could merge into one. Her spirit drifted, her body and heart intoxicated.

Ouyang Feng saw that Yang Guo was extremely intelligent. Though Yang Guo could not fully grasp everything of the oral formulae he transmitted, he memorised them very quickly. Ouyang Feng’s heart was filled with joy. The more he talked, the higher his spirits rose. He talked until the sky was bright with dawn before he finished expounding the essential doctrines of the two great divine skills. Yang Guo silently memorised them for a long while, then said, “I have also studied the Nine Yin Manual, but it is completely different from what you are saying. I wonder why.” Ouyang Feng said, “Nonsense. Apart from this, what other Nine Yin Manual could there be?” Yang Guo said, “For instance, in training the technique of Transforming the Sinews and Forging the Bones,⁴³ you say the third step is to reverse the flow of blood and energy and surge toward the Celestial Pillar acupoint. But my master says one must focus the intent on the dantian⁴⁴ and pass through the Portal Gate acupoint.” Ouyang Feng shook his head. “Wrong, wrong… Hmm, wait…” He followed what Yang Guo described and circulated his energy. Suddenly he felt his internal power spread out comfortably, the sensation completely different. He could never have imagined that the scripture Guo Jing had written out for him had actually been reversed and altered. His mind fell into chaos. He muttered to himself, “What is this? Did I get it wrong, or did your little girl master get it wrong? How could such a thing happen? Who… who am I?”

Yang Guo saw his eyes staring blankly, his expression utterly lost. He called to him several times but received no answer. Fearing his adopted father’s madness was about to flare up again, he grew deeply worried. He remembered that his adopted father could not recall his own name. Back then, Aunt Guo had deliberately called him “Zhao Qian Sun Li, Zhou Wu Zheng Wang, Feng Chen Chu Wei, Jiang Shen Han Yang”⁴⁵, clearly to confuse his thoughts. His adopted father had been tormented by this. Later, Yang Guo had overheard Guo Jing and his wife talking behind his back, calling him “Ouyang Feng,” and had always wanted to remind him. But at the time, events had followed one after another in rapid succession and there had been no opportunity. So now he said, “Father, your name is Ouyang Feng. Do you remember now?”

Ouyang Feng was suddenly jolted. A flash of light moved through his mind. Many past events surged up all at once. He laughed heartily, leapt to his feet, and shouted, “Yes, yes! Who is Ouyang Feng?… Haha, Ouyang Feng!” He casually broke off a tree branch and unfolded the techniques of the Serpent Staff,⁴⁶ making the wind howl. He shouted, “Ouyang Feng is invincible… Ouyang Feng is the greatest in martial arts under heaven… Ouyang Feng’s martial arts are supreme, he fears no one! Haha! Haha!” Ignoring Yang Guo, he left like a gust of wind.

Yang Guo was about to chase after him when he suddenly heard a rustling sound from behind a tree several dozen feet away. He immediately thought of his gugu. A figure flashed past, among the flowers and thickets he faintly glimpsed the corner of an indigo Daoist robe. This place was remote and rarely visited. How could an outsider have come here? Moreover, that person’s movements were furtive, clearly harbouring ill intent. Suspicion surged in him, and he rushed after the figure. The person’s steps were swift as they fled forward. From behind, Yang Guo could see it was a Daoist priest. He called out, “Hey! Who are you? Stop!” He used his lightness skill and quickened his pace in pursuit.

Hearing the shout, the Daoist ran even faster. Yang Guo applied a little more force. His body shot forward like an arrow and he seized the person’s shoulder, spinning them around. It was Zhen Zhibing.⁴⁷ Yang Guo saw that his clothes and hat were dishevelled, his face alternating between red and white. “What were you doing?” Yang Guo demanded. Zhen Zhibing had by now been appointed the head of the Quanzhen Sect’s third-generation disciples. His martial arts were high, and his usual bearing was extremely dignified. But for some reason, at this moment his face was filled with panic and he could not speak. Yang Guo saw how terrified he was and recalled that day when Zhen Zhibing had made his oath with such resolute finality, he was not a bad person after all. So Yang Guo released his grip and said gently, “Since nothing is wrong, you may go.” Zhen Zhibing glanced back several times, then hurried off in a fluster.

Yang Guo laughed to himself. That Daoist looks like he has lost his soul. Truly ridiculous. He returned to the thatched huts. Among the flowering trees, he saw Xiaolongnü’s two bare feet protruding, perfectly still, as though she had fallen asleep. Yang Guo called twice, “Gugu!” There was no answer. He pushed through the thicket and saw Xiaolongnü lying on the ground, her eyes covered with a strip of dark cloth.

Yang Guo was mildly surprised. He removed the cloth from her eyes and saw an extremely strange look in them, her cheeks were flushed, her expression infinitely bashful. Yang Guo asked, “Gugu, who covered your eyes with this cloth?” Xiaolongnü did not answer. Her eyes held a faint hint of reproach. Yang Guo saw that her body was limp, as if her acupoints had been sealed. He reached out to pull her up, and indeed she could not move. A thought flashed through his mind, and he understood at once. It must have been my adopted father who used the Reverse-Force Acupoint Sealing Technique on her. Otherwise, no matter how powerful the acupoint-sealing technique, Gugu could have opened them herself. Following the method Ouyang Feng had just taught him, he unsealed her acupoints.

But though Xiaolongnü’s entire body had been limp and paralysed when her acupoints were sealed, even after Yang Guo unsealed them, she still leaned softly against him, as if all the bones in her body had melted away. Yang Guo extended his arm to support her shoulders. “Gugu,” he said gently, “my adopted father does things all topsy-turvy. Do not take it to heart.” Xiaolongnü buried her face against his chest and said in a sticky, honeyed voice, “You are the one who is topsy-turvy. Have you no shame, speaking of others that way?” Yang Guo saw that her manner was completely different from usual. He felt slightly flustered. “Gugu, I… I…” Xiaolongnü raised her head and said reproachfully, “You still call me Gugu?” Yang Guo grew even more flustered. “If I do not call you Gugu, what should I call you? Do you want me to call you Master?” Xiaolongnü smiled faintly. “After the way you treated me, how can I still be your master?” Yang Guo said, bewildered, “What… what did I do?”

Xiaolongnü rolled up her sleeve, revealing an arm like a snowy lotus root. It was pure white as jade, without the slightest flaw. The single crimson dot of the Guardian Palace Sand that had always been there was nowhere to be seen.⁴⁸ “Look,” she said shyly. Yang Guo was utterly baffled. He scratched his ear. “Gugu, I do not understand.” Xiaolongnü said reproachfully, “I told you, you are not allowed to call me Gugu anymore.” She saw the bewilderment on Yang Guo’s face, and a tenderness beyond words welled up in her heart. In a low voice she said, “In our Ancient Tomb Sect, generation after generation, the transmission has always been from maiden to maiden. My master placed this Guardian Palace Sand on me. Last night… after what you did to me last night, how could the Guardian Palace Sand still be on my arm?” Yang Guo said, “What did I do to you last night?” Xiaolongnü blushed. “Do not speak of it.” After a moment, she said softly, “Before, I was afraid of descending the mountain. But now it is different. No matter where you go, I will willingly follow you.”

Yang Guo was overjoyed. “Gugu, that is wonderful!” he cried. Xiaolongnü’s expression turned serious. “How can you still call me Gugu? Do you not truly care for me?” Seeing that he did not answer, anxiety rose in her heart. Her voice trembling, she said, “What exactly am I to you?” Yang Guo said with the utmost sincerity, “You are my master. You have cared for me and taught me. I swore an oath to respect and honour you all my life and to obey your words.” Xiaolongnü said loudly, “Do you not consider me your wife?”

Yang Guo had never once thought of this. Suddenly confronted with the question, he was thrown into confusion and did not know how to answer. He stammered, “No, no! You cannot be my wife. How could I be worthy? You are my master, my gugu.”

The previous night, Xiaolongnü had been immobilised by Ouyang Feng’s acupoint-sealing technique. While unable to move, she had been violated by someone. She was a maiden, entirely without experience. There had been no one else present at the time, so she was certain it must have been Yang Guo. Affection for Yang Guo had long since secretly grown in her heart, and at that moment she did not resist. She thought, Since Yang Guo has done this to me, he must have already resolved to make me his lifelong companion, changing the idea that I am his “Gugu” and “Master.” The two of them would exchange solemn vows, and from then on they would be husband and wife, altering the names and relationship of “Gugu” and “Master.” She wondered whether he would call her “Sister Long” or the more common “wife.” And what would she call him, would she switch to “my husband”?

She was lost in these sweet calculations when she suddenly heard him still calling her “Gugu.” And when she had spoken, blushing with shame, of the “Guardian Palace Sand,” he had responded coldly and indifferently, as if last night’s intimacy meant nothing to him at all. To her, this was a matter more important than life and death. Yet he treated it with utter indifference, clearly he did not hold the love between them in any great regard. Abruptly, she recalled her shijie’s earlier words: The day your man’s manner toward you suddenly changes, when he was once deeply intimate, loving you to the point of madness, and suddenly he becomes distant and polite, that is when his heart has changed. You must be on heightened guard. Watch for any trace or sign. She heard him say with perfect clarity: “No, no! You cannot be my wife. How could I be worthy? You are my master, my gugu.” She thought, Is that not his heart changing? It is as good as saying, with absolute finality: I do not want you as my wife. This is no “trace or sign”, what use is heightened guard now? She was so furious that her entire body trembled. Suddenly, with a wa sound, she spat out a mouthful of blood.

Yang Guo was thrown into panic. He could only cry, “Gugu, Gugu!” Hearing him still call her that, Xiaolongnü stared at him with piercing intensity. She raised her left palm, about to bring it crashing down on his crown, but in the end the strike never fell. The look in her eyes gradually shifted from fury and hatred to reproach, and from reproach to tender pity. She let out a long sigh and said softly, “So it is like this. It turns out you truly do not want me. You would rather be free and unburdened, not tied down by anyone. Then from now on, do not see me again, lest I be heartbroken.” With a sweep of her long sleeve, she turned and dashed swiftly down the mountain.

Translator’s Note

Yang Guo shouted, “Gugu, where are you going? I will go with you!” Xiaolongnü turned back. Tears swirled in her eyes. She said slowly, “If you see me again, I fear… I fear I… will not be able to control myself and will find it hard to spare your life.” Yang Guo said, “Are you blaming me for learning martial arts from my adopted father? Is that it?” Xiaolongnü said mournfully, “Why would I blame you for learning martial arts from someone?” She turned and walked away swiftly.

Yang Guo froze, at a complete loss. He watched her white-robed figure gradually recede into the distance until it finally vanished around a bend in the mountain path. Grief welled up from deep within him, and he threw himself to the ground and wept bitterly. He turned the matter over and over in his mind but truly could not understand how he had offended his master. Why had her manner been so strange, one moment tender and lingering, the next resentful and resolute? Why had she said she wanted to be his “wife,” yet forbade him to call her “Gugu,” and said that he had “finally changed his heart”? He thought for a long time, then said to himself: This matter must be connected to my adopted father. He must have offended my master.

Yang Guo looked around, lost. The empty mountains were silent. Faintly he could hear the calls of birds. His heart was filled with desperate urgency. He shouted, “Gugu, Gugu! Father, Father!” After a moment, the valley echoes all around also called back: “Gugu, Gugu! Father, Father!” The shouts were frantic, filled with the sound of weeping.

For several years he had been inseparable from Xiaolongnü, she had been like both mother and elder sister to him. Now, suddenly, without any clear reason, she had torn herself away and left. How could this not rend his heart and break his spirit? In his grief, he nearly dashed his head against the mountain rocks and ended his life. But a hope still remained in his heart: My master left suddenly, perhaps she will return just as suddenly. Although my adopted father offended her, she will surely realise after a while that I committed no wrong and will naturally come back to find me.

How could he sleep peacefully that night? Whenever he heard the wind stirring in the mountains, or the chirping of insects, or the flutter of birds, he suspected it was Xiaolongnü returning. He would scramble to his feet and shout, “Gugu!” He run out to greet her. Each time, he was met with bitter disappointment. In the end, he stopped trying to sleep altogether. He rushed to the mountain peak and opened his eyes wide, gazing in all directions. He gazed until the sky was bright with dawn, but all he saw were clouds rising from the valley floor and mist shrouding the peaks. Heaven and earth stretched vast and boundless. There was only Yang Guo, alone.

Yang Guo beat his chest and wailed. Suddenly he thought, Since Master will not come back, I will go find her. As long as I can see her, no matter how she beats me or curses me, I will never leave her. If she wants to beat me to death, then let her beat me to death. Once his mind was made up, his spirits immediately soared. He carelessly bundled up Xiaolongnü’s clothes and belongings with his own, slung the pack onto his back, and strode out of the mountains.

The moment he reached an inhabited place, he began asking whether anyone had seen a beautiful young woman in white. Over the course of the greater part of a day, he asked more than a dozen villagers in succession, and all shook their heads, saying they had not seen her. Yang Guo grew anxious. When he asked again, his manner inevitably lacked courtesy. Those mountain folk saw a young lad brashly inquiring about some beautiful maiden and were irritated from the start. One of them shot back, asking what relation the girl was to him. Yang Guo said, “That is none of your concern. I only ask whether you have seen her pass through here.” The man was about to retort when an old man beside him tugged at his sleeve. He pointed to a small path to the east and said with a smile, “Last night, this old man saw a beauty like a celestial fairy heading east. I thought it was the Bodhisattva Guanyin⁴⁹ descending to the mortal world, but it turns out she is your sweetheart…” Yang Guo did not wait for him to finish. He quickly bowed in thanks and hurried down the small path the old man had indicated. Though he heard a burst of laughter behind him, he paid it no mind. How could he have known that the old man, seeing how rude the youth was, had deliberately spun a lie to deceive him?

He ran for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when two branching paths appeared before him. He did not know which one to take. He thought, Gugu does not like bustle and noise. She most likely took the more desolate path. So he set out on the rugged little path to the left. Who could have guessed that this path grew wider and wider the further he went, and after several turns, it led straight onto a main road. He had not had a single drop of water or grain of rice for a full day and night. Seeing the sky gradually darken and his stomach rumbling with hunger, and noticing rows upon rows of houses ahead, a market town, he quickly walked into an inn and called out, “Bring me food.”

The inn attendant brought out a homely meal. Yang Guo shovelled down a few mouthfuls, but his chest was heavy with grief and his throat felt blocked. He could not swallow. He thought, Even though it is dark, I still must go search for Gugu. If I miss tonight, I fear I may never see her again. He pushed the food aside and called, “Attendant, let me ask you something.” The attendant came over with a smile. “What orders does the young master have? Is the food not to your taste? This humble one will instruct the kitchen to make something else. What does the young master care to eat?”

Yang Guo waved his hand repeatedly. “It is not about the food. Let me ask you, have you seen a beautiful young woman in a white robe pass through here?” The attendant pondered. “Wearing white, hmm, was this young lady in mourning? Has someone in the family died?” Yang Guo was losing patience. “Did you see her or not?” The attendant said, “There was a young lady, and she was indeed wearing a white robe…” Yang Guo said joyfully, “Which way did she go?” The attendant said, “But that was most of a day ago! Young master, that woman is not someone to trifle with…” He suddenly lowered his voice and said, “If I may advise you, it would be better not to go looking for her.” Yang Guo was both startled and delighted, knowing he had found his gugu’s trail. He hurriedly asked, “What… what happened to her?” By the time he reached this question, his voice was trembling.

The attendant said, “First let me ask you, do you know that young lady knows martial arts?” Yang Guo thought, How could I not know? He hurriedly said, “I know. She does know martial arts.” The attendant said, “Then why are you still looking for her? It is terribly dangerous.” Yang Guo said, “What exactly happened?” The attendant said, “First tell me, what is that beauty in white to you?” Yang Guo had no choice. It seemed that if he did not first give this man some information, the man would never reveal Xiaolongnü’s whereabouts. So he said, “She is my… my elder sister. I need to find her.” When the attendant heard this, his expression turned to one of deep respect, but he immediately shook his head. “It does not seem like it. It does not seem like it.” Yang Guo grew agitated. He seized the attendant by the collar. “Are you going to speak or not?” The attendant stuck out his tongue. “Yes, yes. Now that seems more like it!”

Yang Guo shouted, “What do you mean, ‘does not seem like it’ and ‘seems more like it’?” The attendant said, “Young master, first let go. You are gripping my throat so tight I cannot breathe. Heh heh, I cannot speak. Of course I could force the words out, but…” Yang Guo thought this man’s nature was simply like this, using force against him would be futile. He released his grip. The attendant coughed several times. “Young master, I said it did not seem like it only because that woman… that young… heh heh, your elder sister, she looks younger and more beautiful than you, more like a younger sister than an elder sister. And I said it seems like it because you both have fiery tempers and share that fondness for swinging fists and brandishing weapons in a fit of temper.” Yang Guo’s heart blossomed with joy. His face broke into a grin. “My… my elder sister got into a fight?”

The attendant said, “Did she ever! Not only did she fight, she even wounded people. Look, look.” He pointed to several scars on the table left by blades. “It was a close thing, let me tell you. Your elder sister’s skills are formidable. With one stroke of her sword, she cut off the ears of two Daoist priests.” Yang Guo laughed and asked, “What Daoist priests?” He thought, It must have been those bull-nose Daoists of the Quanzhen Sect who got a lesson from my gugu. The attendant said, “It was those…” At this point, his expression suddenly changed dramatically. He ducked his head and turned to leave.

Yang Guo guessed something was amiss. He did not chase after him but picked up his rice bowl and raised his chopsticks, shovelling rice into his mouth while casting his gaze outward. He saw two Daoist priests walk into the inn side by side through the main entrance. Both were around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, their cheeks wrapped in bandages. They sat down at the table beside Yang Guo. One Daoist, with thick, coarse eyebrows, called out repeatedly, urging them to hurry with the wine and dishes. The attendant came over with a smile and, stealing a moment, winked at Yang Guo and twisted his mouth. Yang Guo pretended not to see and buried himself in his food, chewing vigorously. The clothes he wore were the coarse cloth garments Xiaolongnü had sewn for him. They were plain to begin with, and after a day and night of urgent travel, he was covered in dust, looking no different from any ordinary country youth. The two Daoist priests did not so much as glance at him and spoke quietly between themselves.

Yang Guo deliberately chewed his food with loud, slurping noises while focusing all his attention on the two Daoists’ conversation.

He heard the thick-browed Daoist say, “Junior Brother Pi, do you think the two gentlemen Han and Chen will definitely arrive tonight?” The other Daoist had a very large mouth and a hoarse, raspy voice. “Those two are iron-willed men of the Beggars’ Guild,⁵⁰ bound by life-and-death friendship to Martial Uncle Shen. Since Martial Uncle Shen personally extended the invitation, there is no way they will not come.” Yang Guo glanced sidelong at the two men’s faces. He did not recognise them. He thought, The Chongyang Palace is filled with thousands of bull-noses. I do not know them, but every one of them recognises me, the boy who turned against the Quanzhen Sect. I cannot let them get a good look at me. Hmph, they could not beat my gugu, so now they are inviting some beggars from the Beggars’ Guild to be their hired muscle. He heard the thick-browed Daoist say, “Perhaps the road is long and they will not arrive tonight…” The Daoist surnamed Pi said, “Hmph, Senior Brother Ji, things have already reached this point. There is no use in worrying more. After all, she is just a woman, how much ability can she really have?” The Daoist surnamed Ji said hurriedly, “Drink up. Let us not speak of this.” He then called the attendant and instructed him to prepare a good room. The two of them would rest at the inn that night.

From the scant few sentences of their conversation, Yang Guo surmised that as long as he followed these two Daoists, he would be able to see his gugu. At this thought, boundless joy filled his heart. He waited until the two had entered their room, then instructed the attendant to prepare a small room for him next door.

The attendant lit the lamp and whispered in Yang Guo’s ear, “Young master, you must be careful. Your elder sister cut off those two Daoist priests’ ears. They are sure to seek revenge.” Yang Guo whispered back, “My elder sister has the best temper in the world. Why would she cut off people’s ears?” The attendant gave a sly, knowing laugh and said in a low voice, “She is naturally good to you. But to others, she is not so good. Your elder sister was eating here in the inn… Heh heh, is she really your elder sister? This humble one finds it rather hard to believe. But even if we say she is your elder sister, that Daoist priest sat beside her and merely glanced a few extra times at her legs, and your elder sister lost her temper. She drew her sword and started fighting…” He was about to go on and on when Yang Guo heard the light go out in the next room. He hurriedly waved his hand to signal the attendant to shut his mouth, secretly fuming: Those two stinking Daoists must have seen how beautiful Gugu is and could not stop staring at her, which made her angry. Hmph, are there any good people in the Quanzhen Sect? He also thought, Gugu once went to the Chongyang Palace to fight. Those two Daoists naturally recognise her. The strange looks on their faces back then, could they have been any prettier?

He waited until the attendant had left, then blew out the lamp and lay down on the brick bed. He was determined not to sleep this night. He silently recited the essential formulae of the two great divine skills that Ouyang Feng had transmitted, but these two sets of essential formulae were already extremely profound to begin with, and Ouyang Feng had explained them in such a scrambled, chaotic mess. At most, Yang Guo could remember only two or three tenths of it. At this moment he dared not think about it too deeply, fearing that if his thoughts wandered too far, he would lose awareness of the movements in the next room.

He kept this silent vigil until the middle of the night when suddenly two soft deng deng sounds came from the courtyard, someone had leapt in from outside the wall. Immediately after, the window of the next room slid open with a ya sound. The Daoist surnamed Ji asked, “Is it the two gentlemen Han and Chen?” A voice from the courtyard answered, “It is.” The Daoist Ji said, “Please, come in!” He gently opened the door and lit the oil lamp. Yang Guo focused his entire attention, listening to the four men’s conversation.

He heard the Daoist surnamed Ji say, “These humble Daoists, Ji Qingxu and Pi Qingxuan, pay our respects to the two heroes Han and Chen.” Yang Guo thought, The Quanzhen Sect uses the generational characters ‘Chu, Zhi, Qing, Jing.’ These two bull-noses are fourth-generation disciples of the Quanzhen Sect. I wonder which old bull they belong to. Hao Datong’s line or Liu Chuxuan’s.⁵¹ He heard a man with a sharp voice say, “We received your Martial Uncle Shen’s letter and rode without stopping. Is that little wretch truly so formidable?” Ji Qingxu said, “It shames us to say it, but we two brothers fought her once and were no match for her.”

The man said, “What school does this woman’s martial arts follow?” Ji Qingxu said, “Martial Uncle Shen suspects she is a successor of the Ancient Tomb Sect.⁵² That is why, though she is young, her skills are truly formidable.” When Yang Guo heard the words “Ancient Tomb Sect,” he could not help but let out a soft heng.

He heard Ji Qingxu continue, “But when Martial Uncle Shen mentioned the Ancient Tomb Sect, this little girl spoke contemptuously of the Scarlet Serpent Immortal Li Mochou, so then it is not that.” The man said, “In that case, I expect she is nothing much. Where shall we meet tomorrow? How many are on their side?” Ji Qingxu said, “Martial Uncle Shen and that woman agreed to meet tomorrow at high noon, at Jackal Wolf Valley, forty li southwest of here. Both sides will settle the matter by a contest of martial arts. How many they have on their side, we still do not know at present. But since we have the two Beggars’ Guild heroes, Han and Chen, to bolster our formation and lend their fists, we need not fear even if they have numbers.” Another man, his voice aged and weathered, said, “Good. The two of us brothers will be there at noon tomorrow. Brother Han, let us go.”

Ji Qingxu saw them to the door and said in a lowered voice, “This place is not far from the Chongyang Palace. The matter of our martial contest absolutely must not reach the ears of our grandmasters Ma, Liu, Qiu, and Wang. Otherwise we will be severely punished.” The man surnamed Han laughed heartily. “Your Martial Uncle Shen’s letter already mentioned this. Otherwise, with the Chongyang Palace full of masters, why would he need to invite two outsiders like us to help?” The man surnamed Chen said, “Rest assured. We will definitely not leak a word of this. Not only must we not let the Six Masters Ma, Liu, Qiu, Wang, Hao, and Sun⁵³ know. I fear it would be rather awkward if your other martial uncles and martial aunts found out as well.” The two Daoists agreed in unison. Yang Guo thought to himself, They are ganging up to bully my gugu, yet they are afraid of others in their sect finding out. Hmph, sneaking around like thieves with guilty consciences.

He heard the four of them discuss a few details in low voices. The two men Han and Chen then leapt over the wall and left, with Ji Qingxu and Pi Qingxuan seeing them out.

: . A traditional Chinese unit of length, equal to ten chi, approximately 3.3 metres.

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. ↩
斤 – jīn. Traditional Chinese unit of weight, approximately one pound or half a kilogram. ↩
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. ↩
李莫愁 – Lǐ Mòchóu. Her name meaning “do not sorrow”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
师姐 – shījiě. Female senior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Jiě means older sister. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
Soul-Freezing Silver Needles (冰魄银针). Bīngpò Yínzhēn. Li Mochou’s signature hidden weapons, silver needles coated in a deadly poison that freezes the soul. ↩
玉蜂针 – Yùfēng Zhēn. Fine needles coated with Jade Bee poison, a signature concealed weapon of the Ancient Tomb School. 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. ↩
参同契 – Cān Tóng Qì. Fully the Zhouyi Can Tong Qi (周易参同契), “The Kinship of the Three in Accordance with the Book of Changes.” A foundational text of Daoist internal alchemy. ↩
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. ↩
Mount Zhongnan (终南山). Zhōngnán Shān. Mountain range south of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, historically significant in Daoism. Site of the Chongyang Palace and the Tomb of the Living Dead. ↩
玉蜂浆 – Yùfēng Jiāng. Honey-like substance produced by the jade bees kept by the Ancient Tomb Sect. It serves as both a nourishing tonic and an antidote to the bees’ venom. ↩
七情六欲 – qīqíng liùyù. In traditional Chinese thought, the seven emotions are joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire; the six desires arise from the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. ↩
Jin Dynasty (金朝). Jurchen-led dynasty (1115—1234) that ruled northern China during this period. Wang Chongyang’s volunteer army fought against the Jin, who had conquered the Central Plains from the Song dynasty. ↩ ↩² ↩³
守宫砂 – shǒugōng shā. Traditional folk belief: a crimson dot applied to a maiden’s arm, said to vanish if she lost her chastity. ↩
“A priceless treasure is easy to find; a loving companion is hard to come by” (易求无价宝，难得有情郎). Line from the Tang dynasty poetess Yu Xuanji (鱼玄机). Full couplet reads: “易求无价宝，难得有心郎” (A priceless treasure is easy to find; a man with a true heart is hard to come by). Li Mochou adapts “有心郎” (a man with heart) to “有情郎” (a loving companion). ↩
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. ↩
大理 – Dàlǐ. Historical kingdom in present-day Yunnan Province (937–1253), contemporaneous with the Song dynasty. In the Condor Trilogy it is associated with the Duan imperial family and Great Master Yideng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
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. ↩
欧阳锋 – Ōuyáng Fēng. His name meaning “blade” or “cutting edge”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
Scarlet Serpent Divine Palm (赤练神掌). Chìliàn Shénzhǎng. Li Mochou’s palm technique, infused with poison. Name links her palm strikes to her serpentine nickname, the “Scarlet Serpent Immortal,” suggesting that her very touch is as deadly as a venomous snake’s bite. ↩
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. ↩
Sixteen-character couplet (玉女心经，欲胜全真。重阳一生，不弱于人). Wang Chongyang’s declaration that while the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra seeks to surpass Quanzhen martial arts, he himself was never weaker than anyone. Poignant expression of the lifelong rivalry and unspoken love between Wang Chongyang and Lin Chaoying. ↩
Nine Yin Manual (九阴真经). Jiǔyīn Zhēnjīng. Most comprehensive martial arts manual in the wulin, compiled by Huang Shang during the Northern Song dynasty. It contains both internal and external techniques of the highest order. Manual was the prize at the first Huashan Sword Summit, won by Wang Chongyang. ↩
中枢穴 – Zhōngshū Xué. Literally central pivot. Acupoint on the lower back along the spine on the governing vessel meridian. See Wikipedia. ↩
天突穴 – Tiāntū Xué. Literally celestial prominence. Acupoint at the base of the throat on the conception vessel meridian. See Wikipedia. ↩
五枢穴 – Wǔshū Xué. Literally five pivots. Acupoint in the lower abdomen on the gallbladder meridian. See Wikipedia. ↩
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. ↩
华山 – Huáshān. One of China’s Five Sacred Mountains, site of martial arts competitions. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
丘处机 – Qiū Chǔjī. His name meaning “dwelling in opportunity”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
Central Plains (中原). Zhōngyuán. Historical heartland of Chinese civilisation, roughly corresponding to the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. In the Southern Song period, the Central Plains were occupied by the Jurchen Jin dynasty. “Recovering the Central Plains” was the rallying cry of Chinese patriots seeking to drive out the foreign invaders. ↩
移魂大法 – yíhún dàfǎ. Technique from the Nine Yin Manual that allows the practitioner’s spirit to depart from the body, achieving a state of dissociation. ↩
郭靖 – Guō Jìng. His name meaning “tranquillity” or “pacification”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
郭芙 – Guō Fú. Her name meaning “lotus”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
黄蓉 – Huáng Róng. Her name meaning “lotus” or “hibiscus”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
手挥五弦 – shǒu huī wǔ xián. Technique from the Nine Yin Manual, named after the gesture of strumming a five-stringed instrument. It neutralises an opponent’s force through a light, precisely placed touch. ↩
嘉兴 – Jiāxīng. City in northern Zhejiang Province, known for its South Lake and its role as a key location in Jin Yong’s novels. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
柯镇恶 – Kē Zhèn’è. His name meaning “subduing evil”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
Peach Blossom Island (桃花岛). Táohuā Dǎo. Huang Yaoshi’s island fortress, filled with ingenious mechanisms and traps. Its name comes from the peach trees that cover the island. Guo Jing and Huang Rong made it their home after their marriage. ↩
黄药师 – Huáng Yàoshī. His name meaning “medicine master”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
Chongyang Palace (重阳宫). Main temple of the Quanzhen Sect on Mount Zhongnan, named after the sect’s founder Wang Chongyang. Vast complex of halls and courtyards housing hundreds of Daoist priests. ↩
里 – lǐ. Traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately one-third of a mile or five hundred metres. ↩
易筋锻骨之术 – yìjīn duàngǔ zhī shù. Technique from the Nine Yin Manual for strengthening the body’s sinews and bones through neili cultivation. ↩
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. ↩
“Zhao Qian Sun Li, Zhou Wu Zheng Wang…” (赵钱孙李，周吴郑王，冯陈褚卫，蒋沈韩杨). Opening lines of the Hundred Family Surnames (百家姓), a classic Chinese text listing common surnames. Huang Rong once recited these to Ouyang Feng to confuse him when he could not remember his own name, knowing that the scrambled mental state would torment him. ↩
Serpent Staff (蛇杖). Shé Zhàng. Ouyang Feng’s signature weapon, a staff carved with serpents that can be used to deliver venomous strikes. Staff techniques are designed to mimic the unpredictable movements of snakes. ↩
甄志丙 – Zhēn Zhìbǐng. His name meaning “aspiring to the third stem”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩
So-called “Guardian Palace Sand” (shougong sha, 守宫砂) was a traditional belief in ancient Chinese folk culture. It was said that by grinding a “palace guardian” (a small creature resembling a gecko, with a long tail and four legs) together with cinnabar and other special medicinal ingredients into a paste and applying it to a maiden’s arm, a single crimson dot would remain, unfading for a long time. If the woman married or lost her chastity, this “Guardian Palace Sand” would vanish. Ancients used this method to distinguish maidens from non-maidens. In ancient times, government offices and common folk alike often used this method to determine criminal cases or to inflict private punishments, and not a few innocent young women suffered wrongful punishment or even lost their lives as a result. Modern medicine has determined that this method has no scientific basis and it is no longer used. Some also believe that the true “palace guardian” is extremely rare (the name “palace guardian” means guarding a maiden’s chastity, and it is not actually a gecko or lizard), and that the recipe for the necessary medicinal ingredients has been lost, making it impossible to produce genuine Guardian Palace Sand — thus the reliability of the ancient method cannot be disproven. Novel mentions this method only to indicate that at the time when the events of the story take place, this practice was widely known. Readers may regard it as a folk superstition of China’s Southern Song dynasty and need not take it as truth. Even in ancient China, government offices often summoned wenpo (experienced midwives) to determine whether a woman was a maiden, and did not use the Guardian Palace Sand as genuine basis for judgment. ↩
Guanyin (观音). Bodhisattva of Compassion, known in Sanskrit as Avalokiteshvara. In Chinese folk belief, Guanyin is often depicted as a beautiful woman in white robes, making the comparison to Xiaolongnü particularly apt. ↩
Beggars’ Guild (丐帮). Gài Bāng. Largest and most widespread martial arts sect in the jianghu, whose members are beggars. Despite their humble appearance, the guild is a formidable force with strict codes of honour. Huang Rong served as its chief. ↩
Hao Datong (郝大通) and Liu Chuxuan (刘处玄). Two of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, disciples of Wang Chongyang. Hao Datong was the one who accidentally killed Granny Sun. ↩
Ancient Tomb Sect (古墓派). Gǔmù Pài. Martial arts sect founded by Lin Chaoying within the Tomb of the Living Dead. Its martial arts emphasise lightness, speed, and unpredictability, designed to counter the Quanzhen Sect’s techniques. ↩
Six Masters (马刘丘王郝孙). Referring to the six surviving disciples of Wang Chongyang: Ma Yu (马钰), Liu Chuxuan (刘处玄), Qiu Chuji (丘处机), Wang Chuyi (王处一), Hao Datong (郝大通), and Sun Bu’er (孙不二). Together with the late Tan Chuduan (谭处端), they were known as the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. ↩

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