Return of Condor Heroes (188 page)

Then Xiao Longnu said, “That’s right, we are more fortunate than Ancestor Grandma. Why should you still be unhappy?”

Yang Guo said, “All right!” Suddenly he was startled and said with a laugh, “I didn’t say it but you really could guess what I was thinking.”

Xiao Longnu curved her lips into a smile and retorted, “If I didn’t know what you were thinking, how would I deserve to be your wife?” Yang Guo sat down on the side of the bed and gently extended his left arm to hug her. In their hearts, the two of them were happy beyond words and hoped that a moment like this would last forever. They sat there in each other’s embrace and, for a long time, nobody said a word.

After a while, they both eyed that bunch of letters. And when they looked at each other, they laughed with mischievous glints in their eyes. Knowing perfectly well that they shouldn’t read their deceased master’s personal letters but, of course, they couldn’t bear the curiosity in their hearts.

Yang Guo said, “We’ll just read one letter. Is that alright? We definitely won’t read more.” With a smile Xiao Longnu said, “I want to read too. So, okay, we’ll just read one.” Delighted, Yang Guo reached out to get the letters and untied the ribbon. Xiao Longnu added, “But if the letter is filled with heartaches, you don’t have to read it out loud to me.” Yang Guo paused slightly and then said, “All right!” But in his heart he knew that the relationship between the Wang-Lin couple didn’t end well and was afraid that there would be more misery than happiness in the letters. In that case, it would be better not to read them. Then Xiao Longnu said, “You don’t have to worry about it beforehand. Perhaps there are only convoluted speeches in there.”

Yang Guo picked up the first letter and read, “Dear Ying Mei [Sister Ying]: The other day my division and the enemy crossed swords at the Hill of the Evil Storm. We were ambushed and suffered a small loss. Four hundred men.. ..” As he read on, the letter was filled with the story of the battles between his army and the Jin. He looked through several other letters, they all talked about military affairs and there was nothing on personal relationships.

Yang Guo sighed and said, “Founding Master Chongyang was indeed a real Han hero. His whole heart was devoted to defending the country and since this was the case, our Ancestor Grandma couldn’t be blamed for being estranged.” Xiao Longnu said, “No, Ancestor Grandma was very delighted to receive these letters.” Puzzled, Yang Guo asked, “How do you know?” Xiao Longnu said, “Of course I don’t know. I can only guess what went on inside her mind. You see, every single letter talked about how very urgent and difficult those battle situations were but master Chongyang, even in distress, still didn’t forget to write to our Ancestor Grandma. Wouldn’t you say she was always on his mind?” Yang Guo nodded and said, “Yes, it was indeed so.” And then he picked up the letter again.

That letter described a desperate situation. Wang Chongyang’s army was overwhelmed by many enemies and they were repeatedly defeated with little hope of support. At the end of the letter, he asked about Lin Chaoying’s injured condition and even though he used only a few words, his deep concerns were quite evident. Yang Guo said, “Hmm, during those years our Ancestor Grandma was injured but later she was well again. Your wound condition can slowly heal too. After a year or so, you can be recovered.”

Xiao Longnu weakly smiled. She herself knew that her injury this time was far from normal. If an injury this heavy could be cured, that would be like having an immortal walking the earth. But to say it out loud right now wouldn’t help light up the situation. Even if Yang Guo’s suggestion couldn’t convince her, it would make him feel better. So she said, “Slow treatment is good. What’s the rush? And these letters don’t really talk about private matters, you can read on!”

Yang Guo read another letter, which was filled with words of grief and anger. It talked about the army’s defeat and how Wang Chongyang had to risk everything to break out of a heavy encirclement. But even his retreat was a disaster with ultimate deaths and casualties; at the end of the letter he said he was going to gather troops again for another battle. From that point on every letter all talked about military defeats and setbacks. The Jin power at the North river was very strong and Wang Chongyang obviously already knew that the matters were gravely serious. The letter was full of desperate and disheartening messages.

Yang Guo said, “These letters are very depressing. Let’s not read anymore! Eh, what’s this?” Suddenly there was excitement in his voice and the hand that held the letter slightly trembled. He read aloud, “There, at the most northern and bitterly cold area, is a stone called Chilled Jade [Han Yu]. It can control all illnesses and cure incurable diseases and should help my sister [Lin Chaoying]. Long’er, do you think this...this is the Chilled Jade Bed?”

As Xiao Longnu saw the happy expression on his face, her voice shook, “You… You said the Chilled Jade Bed could heal my injury?” Yang Guo replied, “I don’t know but Master Chongyang said so. It must have a basis. You see, the Chilled Jade Bed was provided by him, wasn’t it? Our Ancestor Grandma slept on this bed, didn’t she? And her severe injury finally healed, right?”

He hurriedly unfolded every letter to look for a way to treat injuries but, apart from that one letter, the two words “Chilled Jade” were not mentioned again anywhere. Yang Guo finally tied up the many letters with the ribbon and put them back in the box. Blankly, he pondered, “This Chilled Jade Bed is this strange. There must be a reason. But how do I find out a way to treat Long’er’s injury? Hmm, let me figure out the way… let me figure out the way....”

Xiao Longnu smiled and asked, “You look lost in thought, what’s on your mind?”

Yang Guo then replied, “I’m trying to figure out a way to use the Chilled Jade Bed to treat your injury. Do I grind the stone for you to take as medicine or do I use any medicine to complement it somehow?” If he didn’t know that the Chilled Jade Bed could treat all injuries, that would be the end of story but now that he’d read the six words “control all illnesses, cure incurable diseases” and couldn’t figure out how to use the Chilled Jade Bed, his heart was on fire. Dismally Xiao Longnu said, “Do you remember Sun Po Po? She took care of both our Ancestor Grandma and my master for many years. Still when she was injured by the Taoist named Hao, she… she died of a severe injury.” Originally Yang Guo was full of hope. Now hearing her words, he felt as if he was suddenly drenched with cold water.

Xiao Longnu stretched out her hand to stroke his hair gently. With a gentle voice she said, “Guo’er, you don’t have to worry so much about my injury. Why should you put yourself through agony again?”

Yang Guo was completely disheartened but after a while, he asked, “How did my Shi Zu [Martial Grandma –referring to her master] get injured?” Even though Yang Guo had lived at Gu Mu for many years, he actually never heard Xiao Longnu talk about how her master passed away.

Xiao Longnu said, “My master isolated herself inside Gu Mu and rarely went outside. Then there was this one year my Shi Jie [apprentice sister] went out and caused trouble. She fled back to Mount Zhongnan so my master had to leave the tomb to help. Then unexpectedly she fell into an enemy trap. Even though my master lost the fight, she could still bring back Shi Jie. That should have been the end of it. But then she bickered with that evil person. Nobody would have expected that he would want a yard after getting an inch. Shortly after the fight, he was outside Gu Mu, issuing a challenge, and then broke into the tomb. My master couldn’t fend him off and almost had to drop the dragon stone to die together with him inside. Fortunately, at a critical moment, she threw out a golden needle. That evil person was caught off guard and got hit. The itchy pain was difficult to bear and my master used that opportunity to strike his pressure points. Seeing him unable to move, she didn’t expect that Shi Jie would sneak up to unseal the pressure points. In the end that evil person attacked her and that was when she got struck by his poison hand.”

Yang Guo asked, “Who was that evil person? His martial skills were even above my Martial Grandma. He must have been a high master of her generation.”

Xiao Longnu said, “Master didn’t tell me. She said that my heart shouldn’t be filled with any love or hate feelings and that if she told me who that evil person was, I wouldn’t forget him and would later go seek revenge.”

Yang Guo sighed and said, “Hmmm, Shi Zu [Martial Grandma] was really a good person!”

Xiao Longnu smiled and said, “If master could see me today being married to a good son-in-law like this, she would be quite delighted.”

With a laugh, Yang Guo said, “That might not be the case. She wouldn’t let you marry anyone.”

Xiao Longnu sighed, “My master was really the kindest. Even though at first she wouldn’t allow it, afterwards, seeing my heart, she would have relented. She… she would certainly have liked you.” Xiao Longnu was recalling her master’s kindness and was lost in thought for a long time. Then she said, “After master was injured, she moved to another room on the opposite side far away from the Chilled Jade Bed. She said our Gu Mu sect’s martial style and cold air induced and subdued each other, therefore the Chilled Jade Bed wonderfully helped us practicing our martial skills. But after injury, we should not be exposed to the cold air.”

Yang Guo made a “hmm” sound while pondering how internal energy circulated through vital organs. To use internal energy according to the Jade Maiden Manual, the pure Yin air would flow through body pulses, causing the inner body to be extremely cold and sending out heat steams to the outside of the body. When practicing, clothing had to be removed so the heat steams could be smoothly dispersed without any obstruction. And the internally injured could not use the cold air from the Chilled Jade Bed. He contemplated, “But what did Master Wang Chongyang mean by “control all illnesses, cure incurable diseases? This induce and subdue principle must be missing some important details.” Then he saw Xiao Longnu’s eyelids drooping, indicating that she was exhausted. He said, “You should rest, I’m sitting right here to keep you company.”

Xiao Longnu quickly opened her eyes wide and said, “No, I’m not tired. Tonight, we won’t sleep.” With her heavy injury, she was afraid that once she slept, she wouldn’t wake up again. Then she said, “You keep on talking to me. Hmm, are you tired?”

Yang Guo shook his head and said with a tiny smile, “You don’t want to sleep then don’t. Just close your eyes and keep your mind awake.”

Xiao Longnu said, “All right!” She slowly closed her eyelids and said in a low voice, “My master once said, there was one thing that till the day she died she still couldn’t figure out. Guo’er, you are very smart, you can think about it.” Yang Guo said, “What is it?” Xiao Longnu then said, “Master hit that evil person’s pressure point but she didn’t know why Shi Jie [Apprentice Sister] would help him unseal it.” Yang Guo was deep in thought for a while and then felt Xiao Longnu’s body resting against his. Her breaths were shallow. She already fell asleep.

Yang Guo gazed at her face, his heart filled with apprehension. Time passed. A candle flame flickered and then went out by itself.

He suddenly remembered a vertical couplet in a small room at the Peach Blossom Island:

“Silkworms will not stop spitting their threads until they die; the candle has burned to ashes when tears dry up.”

Missing his wife, Huang Yaoshi wrote these two lines of a Tang poem and hung them outside the study where she used to embroider. At that time, Yang Guo saw them but paid no attention. He was just too young to understand. Now he slowly absorbed the true meaning of the lines and his heart was breaking. Suddenly before his eyes, another candle was flickering it’s last light. He thought, “These two candles are just like Long’er and I. One has burned out and the other is about to be extinguished.”

He was deep in thought for a while and then heard Xiao Longnu quietly murmur, “I’m not going to die. Guo’er... I’m not going to die. The two of us will live for many, many, many years.”

Yang Guo said, “That’s right. You can’t die. You’ll slowly improve and then you’ll be well. How does your chest feel?” Xiao Longnu didn’t reply. She was just talking in her sleep.

Yang Guo stretched out his hand to brush her forehead but felt it was burning. He was both worried and sad. He thought, “Li Mochou did all kinds of evil things but she is now alive and well. Long’er has never caused anyone harm. How come her life is cut short? Oh God, Oh God, you open your eyes but don’t see?”

In his entire life, he was never a prisoner of fear and he always acted as he pleased. But right now, facing a hopeless situation, he couldn’t do anything. He gently put Xiao Longnu’s body to the side and knelt down on the ground. He secretly prayed, “So long as God has mercy and let her injured body recover, I will... I will...” To redeem Xiao Longnu’s life, how would there be anything he was not willing to do?

While he was praying, Xiao Longnu suddenly said, “It was Ouyang Feng. Sun Po Po [Grandma Sun] said it was Ouyang Feng! Guo’er, Guo’er, where are you?” She called out in alarm and lifted her body up. Yang Guo quickly sat down by the bed, grabbed her hand, and said, “I’m here.” In her sleep, Xiao Longnu felt her body without support so she immediately woke up. Seeing now that Yang Guo was still right by her and hadn’t gone anywhere, she was greatly consoled.

Yang Guo said, “Don’t worry. In this lifetime, I’ll never leave you. And in the future, when we leave Gu Mu, I will never leave your side even for a bit.”

Xiao Longnu said, “In the outside world, sure enough there are so many good places to go. But when we get outside, I’ll still be afraid.”

Yang Guo said, “Today we don’t have to fear anything. We’ll wait for a few months for your body to recover, and then we’ll head south. I’ve heard that Lingnan [a place in South China] is warm like spring all year round. The flowers bloom and don’t wither and the leaves always stay green. We’ll put down our swords. We’ll grow plants and raise small chickens and ducks. We’ll live under the southern sun for the rest of our lives and have many, many boys and girls. Do you think these are good ideas?”