The Legend of the Condor Heroes

"NO! Don't!" Guo Jing cried in alarm. He grabbed Huang Rong's waist and jumped down the roof. Before his feet even touched the ground he had heard Huang Yaoshi's anxious shout, "Feng Xiong, have mercy!"

Guo Jing felt an earth-shattering force coming his way. Quickly he pushed Huang Rong aside and exerted all his strength to his hands with one of the 18-Dragon Subduing Palms, the 'jian long zai tian' [seeing dragon in the field].

"Bang!" a loud noise was heard when his force collided with Ouyang Feng's Toad Stance, and as a result he staggered back seven, eight steps. Guo Jing felt blood rising from his chest to his throat. He was alarmed, but was afraid Ouyang Feng would send another attack, so he forced himself and stood in front of Huang Rong, ready to take another blow. But then he saw Hong Qigong and Huang Yaoshi had already stepped in between them.

"So sorry! I am so ashamed!" Ouyang Feng stood up. "I was not able to retract my force. I hope I did not hurt the young lady, did I?" he called out.

Actually Huang Rong was scared, her beautiful face was pale, but hearing him said such thing, she put a bold face and laughed, "With my Father around, how could you hurt me?"

Huang Yaoshi was really anxious; he pulled her hands and quietly asked, "Do you feel anything different on your body? Quickly breathe in and out a few times." Huang Rong listened to her father and quietly circulate her 'qi' but did not feel anything unusual, so she laughed and shook her head.

Huang Yaoshi was relieved. "Your two uncles are practicing their martial arts just now, what did a little girl like you doing carelessly intervening?" he reprimanded. "Uncle Ouyang's Toad Stance is not a small matter; if he did not show you any mercy, do you think your little life would be spared?"

In order to launch the powerful Toad Stance, Ouyang Feng had to concentrate his strength in his whole body. As soon as the opponent attack, he would be able to counterattack by launching the full power already stored. That was exactly what happened when he was waiting for Hong Qigong to attack; his strength was concentrated, ready to be launched like an arrow on a completely pulled bow. Unexpectedly Huang Rong tossed something to him that he instinctively counterattacked toward her.

When he realized it was Huang Rong he was extremely shocked, his force had already being released, there was no way he could pull it back. He sighed inwardly, thinking he had created a terrible disaster that this beautiful-as-a-flower girl would die a violent death in his hand; moreover he heard Huang Yaoshi called out, 'Feng Xiong, have mercy!' Frantically he tried to divert his force, but there simply was not enough time; when suddenly he felt another force collided with his. He took this opportunity to retract his force. When he looked clearly, he found out that the person who rescued Huang Rong was Guo Jing! Secretly he admired Hong Qigong, "This Old Beggar is really good; he succeeded in training this young disciple to reach such high level of martial art!"

Huang Yaoshi had seen Guo Jing's martial art at the Cloud Manor; he thought, "This youngster did not know the height of the sky or the depth of the earth; he dared to parry Ouyang Feng's fierce Toad Stance. If Ouyang Feng did not see my face and showed him mercy, his bones would have been shattered to pieces." He did not know that the Guo Jing he met at the Cloud Manor was not the same as Guo Jing now. However, he acknowledged that Guo Jing had carelessly saved Huang Rong's life without any regard to his own safety; his hatred toward him was, for the most part, gone. He thought, "This kid really has a good heart; he really loves Rong'er. I can't give Rong'er to him, but certainly I can reward him by teaching him something." The rascal in front of him looked rather stupid and the word 'foolish' had stirred up anger in him.

"Old Poison! You are really good!" Hong Qigong called out, "But victory or defeat has not been decided yet, let us fight again!"

"Very well!" Ouyang Feng replied, "I will risk my life to accompany a gentleman play!"

"I am not a gentleman," Hong Qigong laughed. "You are risking your life to play with a beggar!" With a jump he was standing at the courtyard again.

Ouyang Feng was about to join him when suddenly Huang Yaoshi lifted his left hand, "Hold it!" he called out, "Qi Xiong, Feng Xiong, you have fought for more than one thousand moves yet you two are equally strong. Today the two of you are the Peach Blossom Island's honored guests; you are entitled to drink several cups of your brother's own brewed wine. The sword meet of Mount Hua is at hand. At that time not only you two will see who will gain victory; but your brother, along with the Southern Emperor will be there to practice our martial arts. So why don't we end today's contest right here?"

"Fine with me!" Ouyang Feng laughed, "If this fight continues, I will be forced to admit defeat very soon anyway."

Hong Qigong turned back and laughed, "The Old Western Poison is crafty, when he said he would admit defeat, that means he is actually going to win. I don't believe what he said a bit."

"Well, then," Ouyang Feng replied, "Let me ask Qi Xiong's expert opinion again."

Hong Qigong flicked his sleeve and said, "Nothing better!"

"I see," Huang Yaoshi interrupted, "Your arrival today at the Peach Blossom Island is actually to show off your martial arts," he said with a smile.

Hong Qigong roared in laughter. "Yao Xiong is right! We come here to ask your daughter's hand in marriage, not to fight each other."

"I said earlier that I am going to give three subjects to test both gentlemen," Huang Yaoshi continued, "The one passes the test will be my son-in-law, but the one fails won't be going home empty handed either."

"What? Do you have another daughter?" Hong Qigong asked.

Huang Yaoshi smiled, "No, I don't. Even if I find another wife, I don't think we want to wait that long. Your brother has many other skills: medical, astrology and a lot of other stuff. The gentleman who fails the test, as long as he does not belittle my shallow knowledge and is willing to learn one particular subject, I am going to devote my time and will teach him with all my heart so that he won't leave the Peach Blossom Island empty handed."

Hong Qigong was fully aware of Huang Yaoshi's ability; he thought that if Guo Jing could not be his son-in-law but managed to learn just one skill from him, he would gain a lifelong benefit nonetheless. He thought whatever subject the test would be, Guo Jing would undoubtedly suffer a loss; and he felt bad for him.

Ouyang Feng saw Hong Qigong's reluctance, he snatched away that opportunity to say, "Good! Let it be that way! Yao Xiong had actually accepted my nephew's proposal, but he honored Qi Xiong's face. So let these two kids be tested. This way it won't damage our friendship." Turning toward Ouyang Ke he said, "Later if you lose, you will only have your own incapability to blame, you cannot blame anybody else. We will happily drink Brother Guo's 'xi jiu'. If later on you have a mind to create other problem, not only these two seniors won't let you go easily, I myself will not spare you."

Hong Qigong looked up and burst in laughter, "Old Poison, you are 90% sure that you are going to win. Your speech was actually directed to me and my disciple; what you are saying was 'be a dear and just admit defeat'."