The Legend of the Condor Heroes

"Wonderful!" Huang Rong called out in delight, "I picked the right house." Giggling and walking forward she shouted loud and clear, "Everybody get out of my way!"

There were three banquet tables in the hall; the host and about his thirty guests were startled. They saw her as a beautiful looking young girl; they looked at each other, puzzled. Huang Rong casually seized a fat man, her foot moved to trip that fat man, sending him tumbling to the floor. "You still don't want to scramble?" she said with a laugh.

The guests scrambled at once in great confusion. The host cried out, "Guards! Where are the guards?"

Amidst the commotion two martial art instructors led about a dozen villagers with sabers and sticks in their hands came rushing in. With a laugh Huang Rong rushed forward and with two moves she flattened the two instructors. She snatched a saber and brandished it, creating a bright white light, pretending she was about to make a kill. The guests screamed in terror; they staggered along and running against each other trying to escape.

As the host saw the unfavorable situation, he tried to slip away; but Huang Rong reached out and pulled his beard, her right hand brandished the saber as if she was going to chop him away. The host was so scared that he dropped to his knees and with a trembling voice said, "Nu … Nu Da Wang [lit. female big king; 'Da Wang' was how the people addressed a robber], Good … Good Miss; you want gold or silver, I will certainly present everything to you. Please just spare my old life …"

Huang Rong laughed, "Who wants your money?" she said, "I want you to accompany us to drink." Grabbing his beard with her left hand she pulled him up. The host was in pain but he did not dare to cry out. Huang Rong pulled Guo Jing along to sit at the head table.

"Everybody sit down!" Huang Rong ordered, "Why are you still standing?" Raising the saber in her hand she hacked down and the saber stuck on the table.

The guests were startled and scared, they crowded around the other two tables, nobody dared to sit at the head table.

Huang Rong shouted, "You don't want to accompany me drinking, do you? Whoever don't come over, I'll butcher him first!"

Everybody rushed forward, shoving and elbowing one another, causing seven, eight chairs to tumble over. Huang Rong shouted again, "You are not three years old, are you? Why can't you sit nicely?"

Still shoving and elbowing one another the guests scrambled over and after half a day they finally managed to sit nicely around the three banquet tables.

Huang Rong poured herself a cup of wine and gulped it down in one go. "What kind of party is this?" she asked the host, "Anybody died in your family? How many have died?"

The host stammered, "Actually, a child was born for me in my later years. Today he is one month old, so I invited friends, relatives and close neighbors to celebrate."

Huang Rong laughed, "That's wonderful! Let me take a look at your child," she said.

The host turned pale; he was afraid Huang Rong would harm the child, but seeing the saber stuck on the table he did not dare to refuse; he ordered the wet nurse to bring the child out.

Huang Rong held the child in her arms; she looked at his small face under the candlelight, and then she looked up to the host. Leaning her head sideways she said, "He doesn't look the least bit like you; are you sure he is your child?"

The host looked awkward; his whole body quivered, he said, "Yes, yes!" It was unclear if he was saying that the child was his, or he was saying, "What Miss said was true." The guests felt funny, but nobody dared to laugh.

Huang Rong took out a gold ingot from her pocket and gave it to the wet nurse; she also handed over the child back to her. "It's a small gift. Just consider it a first meeting gift from his maternal grandmother," she said.

Everybody could see that she is very young, but she called herself a grandmother; they could also see her grand appearance, she looked both heroic and rich; they looked at each other.

The host was overjoyed with this unexpected turn of events, he repeatedly expressed his thanks.

"Come," Huang Rong said, "I'll toast you one bowl!" She took a big bowl and poured wine to the brim, shoving it in front of the host.

The host said, "This old man's drinking capacity is shallow. Miss, please forgive me."

Huang Rong raised her beautiful eyebrows, stretched out her hand to pull his beard. "Are you or are you not going to drink?" she barked.

The host had no choice but to raise his bowl and 'glug, glug' he drank the whole bowl down.

"That's right!" Huang Rong laughed, "Now we are having fun. Come, we'll have drinking stories."

If she wanted to have drinking stories, who at the banquet table dared to refuse? But the guests around the table were not rich merchant or educated people, only peasants and villagers, how could she find a true scholar among them? Everybody was trembling with fear trying to make up some wild stories.

After a while Huang Rong became impatient and shouted loudly, "Everybody stands aside!"

Like they had just received pardon everybody scrambled to stand up. Suddenly 'boom!' the host fell backward on his chair. Turned out he was totally drunk and could not stand up anymore. Huang Rong burst out in laughter. She kept drinking wine and talking with Guo Jing as if there was nobody else around, letting the guests helplessly standing on the side just watching them.

They were eating and drinking until the first watch of the night. Several times Guo Jing tried to persuade her and finally Huang Rong had enough and was willing to leave.

Returning to their inn Huang Rong asked with a laugh, "Jing Gege, are you having fun today?"

Guo Jing replied, "Without reasons you scared people to their deaths; why bother to come in the first place?"

"I am looking for my own well-being and enjoyment," Huang Rong said, "Why would I bother over other people's life and death?"

Guo Jing was startled; he felt her manner of speaking was rather unusual, but momentarily he could not figure out the profound meaning behind those words.

Huang Rong suddenly said, "I want to go out and take a walk. Are you coming?"

"It's the middle of the night," Guo Jing said, "Where do you want to go?"

"I think that child is amusing," Huang Rong said, "Grandmother wants to hold him and play with him for a few days; then I'll give him back to his family."

"How can you do that?" Guo Jing anxiously said.

Huang Rong only smiled and headed out the door, leaping over the wall. Guo Jing hastily overtook her, pulled her arm trying to stop her, "Rong'er, you have played around for along time," he said, "Don't you have enough?"

"Definitely not enough," Huang Rong stood still and replied. She paused for a second then continued, "I want you to keep me company. Only then will I have enough fun. In a few more days you will leave me, you will be with that Princess Huazheng; she definitely won't let you see me again. Our time together is numbered. Each day that passed means one less day I am with you. I want to make one day lasts like two days, like three days, like four days. Still it's not enough for me. Jing Gege, I don't want to sleep at night, I want to play around and talk with you. Do you understand my feelings? Please don't try to stop me."