The Legend of the Condor Heroes

"Bulls… do they like peonies?" Guo Jing asked himself. " There are many bulls in Mongolia, but no peonies, then indeed I have never seen bulls eating peonies. But why does he keep saying 'What a shame'?"

Qi Gong patted his stomach and says:

" Good, you are both practitioners of the martial arts, I clearly saw that right away. The little one, that went to such trouble to prepare such exquisite dishes for me, certainly has bad intentions, such as, for instance, to persuade me to give you some instruction. Is that not correct? Good, I recognise that, after having so well eaten, I would have scruples to leave me without giving something in return. Come, come with me!" He took up his gourd, his bamboo cane, and went out.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong followed until they reached outside of town.

" What would you want to learn?" Qi Gong demanded of Guo Jing.

" Martial arts are so varied," said the young man to himself, "if I want to learn something, how is he sure that he'll be able to teach it to me?"

While he reflected, Huang Rong had begun to speak:

" Qi Gong, his gongfu is inferior to mine, and so he gets angry often, because he's always trying to beat me."

" When do I get angry?" protested Guo Jing.

Huang Rong glanced at him, telling him to be quiet.

" For my part," said Qi Gong while laughing, "I have the impression that all his movements are firm and assured, this that means that it has a good basis of neigong. How would he be inferior to you? Good, why don't you match skills a little?"

Huang Rong moved aside some steps and cried:

" My Jing, come on!"

Guo Jing hesitated again.

" If you don't show what you're capable of," said Huang Rong, " how do you expect this Elder to correct you? On guard!"

She jumps on him and attacked with a palm stroke, Guo Jing blocked the blow, but she already had changed tactics, and attacked with a kick.

" Well done, little one!" Qi Gong said. "Pretty blow!"

" Fight seriously," advised Huang Rong in a low voice.

Guo Jing itself concentrated and executed conscientiously the powerful " Southern Mountain Palm" taught by Nan Xiren. Huang Rong defended herself nimbly, jumping upwards and downwards. Then suddenly, she modified his technique and executed the « Palm of the divine sword falling the hero », created by his father. This palm technique resembled its name, « divine sword », for it was adapted from a sword technique. She shook her arms in all direction, her opponent was encircled by the palm shadows, incapable to determine if they were feigned or real. It was as though if the wind had got up in the wood of fishings, dropping a thousand flowers: the beauty of the gestures resided in their lightness and their aerial grace, so well that Huang Rong resembled a butterfly taking flight. As her neigong lacked again power, its blows were not as violent and also as terrifying as they should have been. It was of little importance, for Guo Jing, stunned by the multiplicity of the shadows in front of his eyes, had lost all means to resist: in some seconds, he received four palm blows, on the two shoulders, on the chest and on the back, but he was not injured, since Huang Rong had not struck with force. She stepped back with a smile.

" Well done, Rong-er!" Guo Jing exclaimed in genuine admiration. " What a beautiful palm demonstration!"

" Your father is so powerful," said Hong in an icy voice. " Why do you want me to give lessons to this simple-minded one?"

Huang Rong was startled. " According to Father," she said to herself, "since he created this « Palm of the divine sword falling the hero », he not some again never is served himself, how the Venerable Seventh recognised it? »

" Qi Gong," she demanded, "you know my father?"

" Indeed, he is the « Eastern Heretic», and I, «The Northern Beggar », don't you think that we lacked occasions to match skills?"

" He matched blows with Father," Huang Rong said to herself, " and managed to survive, that's really astonishing. Now I understand how the « Northern Beggar » can be ranked alongside the « Eastern Heretic»!"

" And how did recognise you me?" she demanded again.

" Just look at yourself in a mirror!" replied Hong. " Your nose and your eyes, are they not even as those of your father? At first, I did not think about that, I felt only that your face appeared familiar to me, but next your demonstration unveiled the jar to the roses! You believe that this old beggar does not recognise the gongfu of the Peach Blossom Isle? Even if I again never had not seen this Palm, I doubted myself well that alone a crafty fellow as your dad would have been able to invent it. Hehe…and the names of your two dishes, what were they? "Plum flowers fall at the Jade Flute's song", and the « Soup of Good Company", it was doubtless your dad that invented them?"

" You really can read minds," said Huang Rong while laughing. " Then, according to you, my dad is very strong, isn't that right?

" Of course he is powerful," said Qi Gong coldly, " but he is not the most powerful in all the world!"

" Then, surely you're the most powerful in this world?" Huang Rong exclaimed while applauding.

"Not necessarily," Qi Gong said. " Twenty years ago, we met all five of us, Eastern Heretic, Western Venom, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar and Central Divine, at the summit of Huashan (Mount Hua), to match ourselves. The confrontation lasted seven days and seven nights. Finally, Central Divine revealed himself to be the most powerful, and we all gladly recognized it."

" Who then is this Central Divine?" asked Huang Rong.

" Your father never told you?"

" No. Father said that, in the martial arts world, there are more bad things than good, and that there was no point for girls of good family to hear to speak, then it about it speaks me. And then after, he scolded me very strongly, he didn't love me anymore, so then I ran away. And he doesn't want anything to do with me…"

Her eyes fell, her face sad.

" Ah, that old monster!" Qi Gong swore. " What …!"

" I won't allow you to insult my father!" Huang Rong exclaimed.

" What a pity that I was always too poor!" exclaimed Qi Gong, while laughing. " No one ever wanted to marry me! Otherwise, I would have a kind girl like you, and never would I have left you…"

" Indeed!" said Huang Rong while bursting out laughing. " If I left, what would you do to eat?"

" Fair enough!" Qi Gong agreed with a sigh. " Well, to answer your question, the Central Divine is Wang Chongyang, master of the Quanzhen Sect. But, after his death, it's difficult to say who's the world's most powerful."

" The Quanzhen Sect?" Huang Rong said. " There is a fellow called Qiu, another called Wang, and yet another named Ma. This are all of the Taoist obtuse one, but I find their gongfu rather pathetic: they fought with people, and in two times three movements did to spread themselves!"

" Ah yes? They were doubtless disciples of Wang Chongyang. It seems that, among his seven disciples, Qiu Chuji is the most powerful… But, it is certain than they are not even close to their martial uncle, Zhou Botong."

Upon hearing this name, Huang Rong was startled; she was about to say something then stopped herself.

Guo Jing, who was himself just satisfied to listen their conversation, interrupted:

" It's true, Master Ma said that they had a martial uncle, but he did not mention the name of this Taoist master."