Return of Condor Heroes (40 page)

Li Mochou was angry and she wiped her palms, in the middle of a battle she fell into someone’s trap.

Xiao Longnu knew that Yang Guo’s last attack was a lucky hit, if her apprentice sister used her most refined “Divine Serpent Palm”, Yang Guo and she would not be able to hold her off. She grabbed Yang Guo’s arm and dashed towards the door.

Li Mochou sent out a palm, she didn’t guess that while her palm was in midair she would be struck across the left cheek. Although it didn’t hurt the sound was crisp, she heard Xiao Longnu call out, “You want to learn the skills of the “Jade Heart Manual”; well here it is!” Li Mochou was struck on the right cheek and she was also startled by what she said. She knew that the “Jade Heart Manual” was extremely powerful, and now she saw Xiao Longnu’s palm was extremely swift and quick, the variations mysterious, it was undoubtedly from their sect’s skills. But she couldn’t see through it or understand the essence of the palm, but knew that the skills just used belonged to the “Jade Heart Manual”. She immediately became frightened, and stared as her apprentice sister took Yang Guo’s hand and exited the room, shutting the door. She felt her cheek and thought, “At least she held back, if she used all her strength behind the palms, wouldn’t I have died?” She didn’t know that Xiao Longnu had yet to complete this kung fu, although the palm stances were refined, the power in them would not hurt anyone.

Yang Guo saw his master strike Li Mochou’s cheek and was delighted and said, “Gu Gu, Li Mochou would definitely not be able to beat the manual’s skills” before he finished he saw Xiao Longnu shaking and she wasn’t able to control it, alarmed, he called out, “Gu Gu, how are you…you” and Xiao Longnu shivered and said, “I’m… I’m cold.”

Although the attacks she used were light, she still had to use her internal energy. She had yet to recover her internal energy; this injury was serious. She has always practiced on the Chilled Jade Bed, her foundation was of this nature, now the strength to oppose was gone; an extreme cold penetrated her and her teeth chattered incessantly.

Yang Guo was alarmed and called out, “What should I do?” In this urgent situation he held Xiao Longnu tightly, using his body heat to counter the cold, but after a while he felt she was becoming colder, he himself gradually could not endure it for much longer.

Xiao Longnu felt her internal energy dripping away, and said, “Guo’er, I won’t make it, take me to the room with the stone coffins.”

Yang Guo was distressed and couldn’t say anything, but he thought about how they only had a few days to live anyway, it would be just the same if he died with her now so he quickly replied, “Fine.” He carried her to the room and then placed her on one of the lids and lit a candle. In candlelight, and with the backdrop of the stone coffins, Xiao Longnu appeared even weaker.

Xiao Longnu said, “Push one of the lids open and place me in the coffin.”

Yang Guo said, “Alright!”

Xiao Longnu couldn’t hear any sadness in his voice and was slightly surprised. Yang Guo pushed open one of the stone lids and placed her inside the coffin, and then leaped inside, lying together face to face with her. The two of them together in the coffin didn’t allow much space to move.

Xiao Longnu was happy and also puzzled, she asked, “What are you doing?”

Yang Guo said, “Of course I’m going to follow you. I’ll let the other two sleep in the other coffin.”

Xiao Longnu gave a deep sigh, she was feeling calm and relaxed, her body’s coldness wasn’t as severe as before. She turned her eyes on Yang Guo and saw his eyes looking at her. Her dress was on top of Yang Guo, she wished that Yang Guo would put his arms around her, but she saw his arms were straight; they were placed in his lap as they should be, afraid that he was going to touch her.

Xiao Longnu was slightly embarrassed, her face turned red, she turned her face away not daring to look at Yang Guo; her mind was enchanted for half an hour when she suddenly saw that something was written on the coffin lid. She looked closely and indeed there were some words:

“The art of the Jade Heart Manual wants to overcome Quanzhen’s. But Chongyang, in his life, was inferior no one.”

The words were written in heavy ink, the words refined and their form large. The lid was only half open yet it was very clear.

Xiao Longnu gave an ‘hmm’ sound and said, “What does this mean?”

Yang Guo followed her eyes and saw the words; he pondered and said, “It’s written by Wang Chongyang?”

Xiao Longnu said, “It looks like it was written by him. He is saying that our “Jade Heart Manual” is superior to Quanzhen’s kung fu, but he is saying that he is not weaker than our Ancestor Grandma, isn’t that it?”

Yang Guo laughed and said, “That old Taoist is bullshitting.”

Xiao Longnu looked at the words again, and saw that after them, there were many small words, because the words were small and they were lower down on the lid, Xiao Longnu couldn’t make it out and said, “Guo’er, get out.”

Yang Guo shook his head and said, “I won’t leave.”

Xiao Longnu smiled and said, “Just get out for a second and you can come back to be with me later.” Yang Guo climbed out of the coffin.

Xiao Longnu sat up, and got Yang Guo to lower the candle, and then turned her body around to read the small words. She looked at the words and read each one, after she finished two passages she felt that she had no strength left and the candle fell onto her chest. Yang Guo’s hand quickly darted in and pulled her out of the stone coffin and asked, “What is it? What does the writing say?”

Xiao Longnu regained her composure and then sighed again, and said, “After Ancestor Grandma died, Wang Chongyang returned to the tomb.”

Yang Guo asked, “Why did he come back?”

Xiao Longnu said, “He came back to pay his respects to our ancestor. He saw that the “Jade Heart Manual” martial art skills left on the ceiling of the training room had defeated all the skills of the Quanzhen sect. The writing left on the lid says that the martial arts that our ancestor defeated were Quanzhen’s basic and coarse skills, but compared with the most advanced skills of Quanzhen, the skills of the “Jade Heart Manual” could not defeat them?

Yang Guo gave an ‘humph’ sound and said, “Ancestor Grandma is dead, he could say whatever he wants.”

Xiao Longnu said, “He also said that in another room he has the techniques to defeat the “Jade Heart Manual”, if her descendants were fated to, they will know it when they see it.”

Yang Guo was curious and said, “Gu Gu. Let’s go take a look.”

Xiao Longnu said, “Wang Chongyang stated that the room is below this one. I have lived here for a lifetime and didn’t know that such a room exists.”

Yang Guo begged, “Gu Gu, let’s think of a way to get there.”

Xiao Longnu wasn’t strict with him anymore, although she was tired, she let him have his way and smiled, and said, “OK!”

They looked all around the room, and in the end they came back to the coffin they had just rested in and she said, “This stone coffin was left by Wang Chongyang. The base opens.”

Yang Guo was delighted and said, “Ah, I know, it’s the way to that room.” He leapt into the coffin and searched around; true enough, he found a hollow for a hand, he pulled up strongly, but nothing happened.

Xiao Longnu said, “First turn to the left and then pull up.”

Yang Guo followed the instructions, a ‘ka’ sound was heard as a stone panel on the base of the coffin responded to the switch; he was delighted and called out, “Let’s go!”

Xiao Longnu said, “There’s no need to rush, let the old air rush out first and then we can go.”

Yang Guo was sitting restlessly, after a while he said, “Gu Gu, can we go now?”

Xiao Longnu sighed and said, “With your impatient character, it must have been hard for you living with me for the last few years.” She slowly got up, and picked up a candle, and went down into the coffin with Yang Guo, below it was a series of stone steps that formed a short passageway, after a few turns they did indeed arrived at a stone chamber.

The room was empty, and both of them looked up at the ceiling, it was covered with carvings and symbols; on the far right were written the words “Nine Yin Manual”.

The two of them didn’t know the “Nine Yin Manual” was martial arts at its highest level; they looked at it for a while and felt that it was hard to explain.

Xiao Longnu said, “Even if that kung fu is unbeatable, it is of no use to us.”

Yang Guo sighed and was about to lower his head when something got his eye in the southwestern corner, a picture, it had nothing to do with martial arts, he looked closer and saw it looked like a map and asked, “What’s that?”

Xiao Longnu followed his finger and stared at it for a while, her body was like a corpse, not moving an inch. After a long while, she was still like statue, lost in thought as she examined the map closely. Yang Guo was frightened and tugged her sleeve, and asked, “Gu Gu, what is it?”

Xiao Longnu gave a moan, and suddenly fell into his chest and started crying.

Yang Guo softly said, “Your body hurts again, isn’t it?”

Xiao Longnu said, “No, it’s not that.” After half an hour she said, “We can escape from here.”

Yang Guo was delighted and leapt up, and called out, “Really?”

Xiao Longnu nodded her head and quietly said, “That map reveals the secret passage out of here.” She was familiar with the layout of the tomb, one look and she understood the map.

Yang Guo was ecstatic and said, “That’s great! Why are you crying?”

Xiao Longnu contained her tears and smiled, and said, “I never used to fear death, I was going to live in the tomb forever, die early, die late, what difference would it make? However in the last few days I’ve felt the urge to go and see the outside world. Guo’er, I’m afraid and happy.”

Yang Guo tugged her hand and said, “Gu Gu, when we go outside together, I’ll pick flowers for you to wear, and I’ll catch crickets for you to play with, okay?”

Although he has grown up, all his thoughts were either amusing or about things that children play and do. Xiao Longnu had never played with anyone, she listened quietly to what he said, and thought, “It’ll be better if we leave as soon as possible.” But her body was sore, and had no strength, she wasn’t able to endure anymore and slowly rested on Yang Guo’s shoulder. Yang Guo talked for a while and didn’t hear her reply so he turned his head around to take a look, her eyes were closed, her breathing slow, she had fallen into a deep sleep. He was feeling tranquil; he was tired as well and eventually also fell asleep.

After a long while, he felt his back ached; someone had sealed the ‘Centre’ (zhong shu) pressure point on his back. He woke up alarmed, and wanted to jump up but someone was holding his neck down and preventing him from moving. He turned his head and saw Li Mochou and her disciple standing there laughing; his master also had her pressure points sealed. Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu didn’t have the Jianghu experience of guarding yourself; in their delight, they had forgotten to go back up and close the coffin lid. Li Mochou had discovered that there was a room below the coffin and succeeded in her ambush.

Li Mochou chuckled and said, “Good, this is such a comfortable place here, and the two of you escaped to enjoy such comfort. Apprentice sister; think long and hard, you might be able to think of a way out of here.”

Xiao Longnu said, “Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”

Li Mochou had believed what she said before, once the ‘Dragon Snapping Stones’ were set, there was no way out; but judging from the tone in her last two sentences, it sounded like she did know the way out of here. When Li Mochou heard this she was delighted, and said, “Kind apprentice sister, if you take us out of here, I will never bother you again.”

Xiao Longnu said, “You came here by yourself, you can find a way out by yourself, why do you need me to lead you out.”

Li Mochou knew that her apprentice sister was tough to break, even in the days when master was still here, she still had to be wary of her, using force would be of no use. But right now it is a matter of life and death; she still needed to try to force it out of her some way so she sealed their ‘Charging Sky’ (tian tu) pressure points on their necks, and sealed their ‘Fifth Centre’ (wu shu) pressure point on the abdomen. The ‘Charging Sky’ pressure point was where the body holds together its yin, the main blood vessels return here, the ‘Fifth Centre’ pressure point is where the ‘little yin’ vessels return. Li Mochou used the pressure point skills of the Ancient Tomb sect. She knew that in not too long, their body would start to become numb and the pain hard to endure, they would have to reveal the secret.

Xiao Longnu closed her eyes and ignored it. Yang Guo called out, “If we knew the way out, then why didn’t we escape instead of staying here?”

Li Mochou laughed and said, “You have just revealed that you know the way out, don’t deny it. Of course she would know that the tomb has to have a secret passage out, when you two had rested fully, you would have got out. Apprentice sister, are you going to tell me?”

Xiao Longnu quietly said, “When you get out, all you are going to think about is how to kill people, what good is having you leaving this place?”

Li Mochou folded her arms and sat to one side, she chuckled and did not reply.

Yang Guo couldn’t endure anymore and said, “Hey, Li Mochou, the pressure point sealing techniques that Ancestor Grandma passed down was supposed to be used on the enemy, why are you using it against us? You are using it to harm your apprentice sister, how can you face Ancestor Grandma?”

Li Mochou laughed and said, “You are calling me Li Mochou, we are not old friends.”

Yang Guo whispered into Xiao Longnu’s ear and said, “Don’t reveal the secret path out, if she doesn’t find out, she won’t kill us; once she finds out she will kill us immediately.”

Xiao Longnu said, “Ah, you are correct, I didn’t think of that. I wasn’t planning on telling her anyway.” She was lying on the floor, she opened her eyes and saw the map and thought, “It would be awful if apprentice sister finds out about the map. I mustn’t look at it in case I draw her attention.”