The Legend of the Condor Heroes

Jumping in surprise, Huang Rong said, "What is it?"

"We'll head back and see my Teachers."

"Go back? Go back together?" She said, stunned.

"Yes. I want to hold your hand and tell my 6 Teachers, Priest Ma and the rest: Rong'er is not a demoness…" Holding Huang Rong's little hand and lifting his head, he said firmly as if Ke Zhen'E, Ma Yu and the rest were in front of him: "Teachers, you have shown me great kindness that I will never be able to repay even with my life. But, but, Rong'er is really not a demoness, she's a very, very good girl, very, very good…" In his heart he had innumerable words and phrases in defense of Huang Rong, but when the words were at his mouth, he could say nothing but 'very, very good'.

Huang Rong found it funny at first, but as Guo Jing went on she felt greatly moved. Gently, she said, "Jing-ge-ge, your Teachers hate me to the core. Nothing you say can make a difference. Let's not go back! I'll follow you to the secluded mountains, to an island in the sea, to someplace where they'll never find us and live there forever."

Guo Jing's heart gave a start, but he said seriously, "Rong'er, we must go back."

"But they'll surely separate us," she wailed. "Then we'll never be able to see each other, ever again."

"Then we'll just not separate, till death do us apart."

Huang Rong's initial misery abated with these words; words that weighed more than a thousand vows and a million promises. Suddenly she was filled with such a confidence, feeling that their two hearts had long been knotted stubbornly together, so stubborn that no person or force in this world could separate them. She thought to herself: 'Yes, that's it. In the worst case we'll only die, surely there can't be anything worse than death?'

She said aloud, "Jing-ge-ge, I will abide by you forever. We'll just not separate till death do us apart."

Guo Jing said in delight, "I've always said you were a very, very good girl."

Smiling gaily, Huang Rong retrieved a large piece of raw beef from the sack and coated it with moist earth. Gathering some dry twigs and branches, they started a fire. She said, "Let the Little Red Horse rest for a bit. We'll set off after eating."

After they had finished the beef and the Little Red Horse had had its fill of grass, the two of them mounted the horse and went back the way they came. Not long after passing the placard, they arrived at the inn. Guo Jing held Huang Rong's hand and together, they stepped inside. The shopkeeper had once been recipient of Guo Jing's silver and looked joyous upon seeing his return. Hurrying forward, he welcomed Guo Jing, saying, "Good day to you, sir! The other guests have all left the city. What would you like to eat?"

Guo Jing said, surprised, "They've all left? Did they leave any message?"

"No, they didn't. They headed south and haven't been gone for more than 4 hours."

Turning to Huang Rong, Guo Jing said, "We'll catch up with them." They left the inn and mounted the horse, heading southwards in pursuit, but eventually failed to catch sight of the three Priests or the 6 Freaks. And so, urging the Little Red Horse, they turned back once again. The Little Red Horse was ever spirited and lively; having gone two trips it still showed no signs of weariness but continued sprinting relentlessly. Along the way, they made enquiries about the 3 Priests and 6 Freaks but no one had seen anyone like them, and Guo Jing was thoroughly disappointed.

Huang Rong said, "All of them will be gathering at the Misty Rain Inn during the Mid-Autumn Festival, so you'll definitely be able to see your Teachers then. It still wouldn't be too late to tell them that I'm 'very, very good'."

"Mid-Autumn Festival is a whole 6 months away," he replied.

Smiling cheerfully, Huang Rong said, "Then in these 6 months we'll have fun and be merry, wouldn't that be great?"

Besides being adventurous by nature, Guo Jing, like all young people, was also playful. Furthermore, he would be accompanied by the girl he loved and to this, couldn't ask for more. Applauding the idea, the pair hurried to the nearest town to spend the evening. The next day they bought a white horse; Guo Jing insisted on riding it, letting Huang Rong ride the Little Red Horse. With rein in hand, they travelled leisurely and enjoyed themselves along the way. Sometimes they lay asleep beside each other in the wilderness, other times they shared a room in an inn. Despite their deep love for each other, they were young and innocent and did nothing licentious. Huang Rong did not think it was anything unusual; Guo Jing, however, felt that this was how things were meant to be.

On this day they came to the Xi Qing Prefecture, which was East of Jing Dong Road and controlled by the Tai Ning military. As it grew closer to noon, the weather became increasingly humid. Having ridden with haste for nearly half a day, trickles of perspiration emerged on their foreheads and backs as the bright, orange sun shone directly on them. Sand and dust from the path scattered all around them as they rode, the particles sticking on their greasy faces. The discomfort was unbearable.

"Let's not hurry anymore. We'll find a cool and breezy place to rest," Huang Rong suggested.

Guo Jing replied, "Sure. Let's have a pot of tea in the town further up before doing anything else."

As they spoke, their horses caught up with a sedan-chair and a scrawny donkey in front. Riding the donkey was a big fatty clothed in yam-colored gauze robes, continuously fanning himself with a big white fan. The donkey limped under the weight of his 250 – 60 jin body, with every step proving to be a hurdle. As for the sedan, its screens were lifted for cooling purposes and within it sat a fat middle-aged woman in pink robes. Coincidentally, the two sedan-bearers were also thin and frail, and both were panting heavily. Beside the sedan was a slave girl with a sunflower-fan, relentlessly fanning the fat woman in the sedan. Huang Rong urged her horse forward and overtook this group of people by 70 or 80 feet. She then reined in and turned around to face the sedan.

Curious, Guo Jing asked, "What are you doing?"

"I want to see how this madam looks like," came her reply. Peering into the sedan, she saw that the fat woman was 40-odd years of age. She had a gold hairpin in her hair, and sitting on the edge of her temples was a large, red velvet flower. She had a broad mouth, beady eyes, two flapping ears and a nose so flat it looked like it wasn't there. Her plump face was as round as a plate, with a thick layer of powder slapped on. However, streams of perspiration from her forehead had already dissolved streaks of powder to create several dikes in her face. Hearing Huang Rong's words, she raised a pair of bushy eyebrows and glowered fiercely at her.

"What's there to see?" The fat woman said rudely.

Huang Rong long had intentions of creating trouble, and she couldn't have been happier now that the fat woman took the initiative to stir the rift. Halting the Little Red Horse and blocking the way, she grinned and said, "I'm admiring your slim figure, it's really nice!" All of a sudden, she lifted the reins with a cry and the Little Red Horse charged straight at the sedan. Shocked, the two sedan-bearers dropped the sedan immediately and fled to the sides. The sedan toppled over and the fat woman came tumbling noisily out, landing right smack in the middle of the path. Her arms and legs flailed helplessly about, and she was unable to pick herself up. But Huang Rong had already halted the Little Red Horse and was now clapping her hands, howling with laughter. She had intended to ride away after this prank, but the fatty on the donkey brandished his mule whip and lashed it ferociously towards her.