Chapter 88: Fighting ontest to Find a Suitor (5)
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Having learned that Guo Jing had tamed two white eagles, Huang Rong expressed a certain desire.
"Very well," he said, "I did not know exactly where to go. Indeed, tomorrow I'll leave for Mongolia, to catch two white eagles for my amusement."
"They are not easy to find," Guo Jing remarked.
"Then how did you find them?" Guo Jing didn't answer and only smiled. "The climate is severe in Mongolia," he said, "the north wind blew icy and hard, how would this young boy with such a weak constitution could withstand it?"
"Where do you live?" he asked. "Why don't you return home?"
Huang Rong had tears in his eyes, "Dad doesn't want me anymore!"
"And why?"
"He locked up somebody," answered Huang Rong, "and did not want to set that person free. I took pity on the prisoner; as he is displeased all alone, I brought good things for him to eat, and I try to converse with him. Dad got angry and cursed at me, I ran away in the middle of the night."
"Your dad surely thinks of you at this moment," Guo Jing said. "And your mom?"
"Died for a long time! I didn't have a mom since very little…"
"If you have had your fun, it would be better to return home."
"Dad does not want me anymore," Huang Rong said crying.
"That's impossible."
"Then why doesn't he look for me?"
"Perhaps he is still seeking, but haven't found you…"
"You are probably right," Huang Rong said, "who changed from crying to laughing. Then when I have my fun, I'll return. But first of all, it is necessary to tame two white eagles."
They chatted again about what they have seen or experienced. Guo Jing told the incident of the eight women in white disguised as men who wanted to take possession of his horse. Huang Rong raised questions about the small red horse, its capabilities, its character, and was full of envy. He drank a mouthful of tea and said smilingly, "Big brother, I want to ask for something of great value to you. Would you approve of that?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I?"
"What I would like, is precisely your horse with the sweat of blood!"
"Allright," Guo Jing said without hesitating, "I'll give it gladly to you." In fact, Huang Rong was joking: he saw very well that Guo Jing adored his invaluable horse, and they have met just recently and by chance. He just wanted to see how this good chap was going to refuse his improper request. However, Guo Jing answered with such an amount of generosity and simplicity that he was taken by surprise. Moved beyond words, he could not prevent himself breaking into sobs and hide his face with his arms.
Guo Jing was even more surprised:
"Well, brother," he asked with concern. "What has occurred? Don't you feel well?"
Huang Rong raised his head. He had cried, but now a big smile lit his face. The running tears had wiped away the filth, revealing a white skin like pure jade.
"Big brother," he said, "let us go!"
Guo Jing paid and they left the restaurant. Guo Jing took his horse by its bridle, caressed it gently and gave it the following advice:
"I've given you to my great friend here. You will show yourself obeying and especially not show your foul temper!" Then he addressed Huang Rong, "Brother, mount the horse!"
Usually, the small red horse did not allow anyone else to mount it, but, during the last few days, it had quietened a lot. And, since its master had ordered it to do so, it didn't make a fuss. Huang Rong leapt on the horse, Guo Jing let go the bridle, and clapped him lightly on the rump. Rider and horse disappeared in a cloud of dust.
Guo Jing waited till he could see them no more before he returned. It was very late when he obtained a room in a hostelry. The moment he was going to extinguish his candle and to go to bed, he heard a scratch at the door. He thought that it was Huang Rong who had returned, and felt great joy:
"Is that you, brother?" he demanded. "That's great!"
"It's your old man!" replied a hoarse voice. "What's so wonderful?"
Surprised, the young man opens the door and saw, by the glimmer of the candle, five men. While looking at them more closely, he felt a shiver go down his spine: four of them, armed with sabre, lance, whip and twin axes, were none other than the Yellow River's Four Demons, whom he had fought earlier at the hill. The fifth one was a lean man of about forty years, with a dark and long face, with three big bumps on the forehead, that gave him an extremely ugly appearance.
The lean man sneered and swept grandly into the room. He seated himself arrogantly on the bed of bricks (in northern China, sleeping arrangements generally were installed on top of a kind of brick "oven", that allowed for heating underneath), then turned his head to regard Guo Jing.
The senior brother of the Yellow River's Four Demons, Shen Qinggang, nicknamed "Sabre Breaks the Soul", declared coldly:
"Here is our martial uncle, the renowned Hou Tonghai, known as 'Three-Headed Dragon'! Kowtow before Lord Hou right now!"
Guo Jing realized that he was cornered. He already could not defeat the Four Demons of the Yellow River by themselves, to say nothing of their martial uncle, who had to be fearsome.
"What do you want?" he demanded, while joining his fists in greeting.
"Where are your teachers?" questioned Hou Tonghai.
"My six Shifu are not here."
"Huh," sneered Hou Tonghai. "Then I will leave you a respite of a half-day. If I killed you now, one could say that the Three-Headed Dragon was taking advantage of an opponent weaker than him. Tomorrow noon, I will await your six Shifus in the Black Pine Wood, ten li to the west of here."
He left without even waiting for Guo Jing's reply. Wu Qinglie, nicknamed "Whip Pulls out Life", closed the door and locked it from the outside.
Guo Jing put out the candle, lay down on the bed, and saw, on the paper of the window, a shadow came and went with no small swiftness: the enemy, clearly, were mounting a watch over him. Shortly after, he heard a noise on the roof, someone hitting the tiles with a weapon, while saying, "Little chap, don't even think about running away, your old man is watching you." Understanding that escape was impossible, Guo Jing lay still, glancing at the ceiling, wondering how he was going to leave tomorrow, but he fell sleep before he found the beginnings to a solution.
The next day morning, the inn boy brought hot water for his bath and noodles for breakfast, closely followed by Qian Qingjian, armed with his two short axes.
Guo Jing reflected that his Shifu were faraway and probably could not arrive on time to save him. Since he could not flee, it was necessary to fight and die as a man! His Fourth Shifu had for him well says, "If you can't beat the enemy, flee!", But to flee without even being beaten, this would not be following the advice… In fact, it would not have been difficult for him to escape from Qian Qingjian alone, but his spirit was not very lively or very resourceful. If only Nan Xiren had said to him, "Flee from danger!", he probably would have taken to his heels, and Qian Qingjian certainly would not have been in a position to catch him. The Three-Headed Dragon, Hou Tonghai, believed that the Jiangnan Odd Six were located in this area, and that, given their fame, they never would have failed to keep an appointment, so would never have imagined that Guo Jing would flee on his own.
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Having learned that Guo Jing had tamed two white eagles, Huang Rong expressed a certain desire.
"Very well," he said, "I did not know exactly where to go. Indeed, tomorrow I'll leave for Mongolia, to catch two white eagles for my amusement."
"They are not easy to find," Guo Jing remarked.
"Then how did you find them?" Guo Jing didn't answer and only smiled. "The climate is severe in Mongolia," he said, "the north wind blew icy and hard, how would this young boy with such a weak constitution could withstand it?"
"Where do you live?" he asked. "Why don't you return home?"
Huang Rong had tears in his eyes, "Dad doesn't want me anymore!"
"And why?"
"He locked up somebody," answered Huang Rong, "and did not want to set that person free. I took pity on the prisoner; as he is displeased all alone, I brought good things for him to eat, and I try to converse with him. Dad got angry and cursed at me, I ran away in the middle of the night."
"Your dad surely thinks of you at this moment," Guo Jing said. "And your mom?"
"Died for a long time! I didn't have a mom since very little…"
"If you have had your fun, it would be better to return home."
"Dad does not want me anymore," Huang Rong said crying.
"That's impossible."
"Then why doesn't he look for me?"
"Perhaps he is still seeking, but haven't found you…"
"You are probably right," Huang Rong said, "who changed from crying to laughing. Then when I have my fun, I'll return. But first of all, it is necessary to tame two white eagles."
They chatted again about what they have seen or experienced. Guo Jing told the incident of the eight women in white disguised as men who wanted to take possession of his horse. Huang Rong raised questions about the small red horse, its capabilities, its character, and was full of envy. He drank a mouthful of tea and said smilingly, "Big brother, I want to ask for something of great value to you. Would you approve of that?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I?"
"What I would like, is precisely your horse with the sweat of blood!"
"Allright," Guo Jing said without hesitating, "I'll give it gladly to you." In fact, Huang Rong was joking: he saw very well that Guo Jing adored his invaluable horse, and they have met just recently and by chance. He just wanted to see how this good chap was going to refuse his improper request. However, Guo Jing answered with such an amount of generosity and simplicity that he was taken by surprise. Moved beyond words, he could not prevent himself breaking into sobs and hide his face with his arms.
Guo Jing was even more surprised:
"Well, brother," he asked with concern. "What has occurred? Don't you feel well?"
Huang Rong raised his head. He had cried, but now a big smile lit his face. The running tears had wiped away the filth, revealing a white skin like pure jade.
"Big brother," he said, "let us go!"
Guo Jing paid and they left the restaurant. Guo Jing took his horse by its bridle, caressed it gently and gave it the following advice:
"I've given you to my great friend here. You will show yourself obeying and especially not show your foul temper!" Then he addressed Huang Rong, "Brother, mount the horse!"
Usually, the small red horse did not allow anyone else to mount it, but, during the last few days, it had quietened a lot. And, since its master had ordered it to do so, it didn't make a fuss. Huang Rong leapt on the horse, Guo Jing let go the bridle, and clapped him lightly on the rump. Rider and horse disappeared in a cloud of dust.
Guo Jing waited till he could see them no more before he returned. It was very late when he obtained a room in a hostelry. The moment he was going to extinguish his candle and to go to bed, he heard a scratch at the door. He thought that it was Huang Rong who had returned, and felt great joy:
"Is that you, brother?" he demanded. "That's great!"
"It's your old man!" replied a hoarse voice. "What's so wonderful?"
Surprised, the young man opens the door and saw, by the glimmer of the candle, five men. While looking at them more closely, he felt a shiver go down his spine: four of them, armed with sabre, lance, whip and twin axes, were none other than the Yellow River's Four Demons, whom he had fought earlier at the hill. The fifth one was a lean man of about forty years, with a dark and long face, with three big bumps on the forehead, that gave him an extremely ugly appearance.
The lean man sneered and swept grandly into the room. He seated himself arrogantly on the bed of bricks (in northern China, sleeping arrangements generally were installed on top of a kind of brick "oven", that allowed for heating underneath), then turned his head to regard Guo Jing.
The senior brother of the Yellow River's Four Demons, Shen Qinggang, nicknamed "Sabre Breaks the Soul", declared coldly:
"Here is our martial uncle, the renowned Hou Tonghai, known as 'Three-Headed Dragon'! Kowtow before Lord Hou right now!"
Guo Jing realized that he was cornered. He already could not defeat the Four Demons of the Yellow River by themselves, to say nothing of their martial uncle, who had to be fearsome.
"What do you want?" he demanded, while joining his fists in greeting.
"Where are your teachers?" questioned Hou Tonghai.
"My six Shifu are not here."
"Huh," sneered Hou Tonghai. "Then I will leave you a respite of a half-day. If I killed you now, one could say that the Three-Headed Dragon was taking advantage of an opponent weaker than him. Tomorrow noon, I will await your six Shifus in the Black Pine Wood, ten li to the west of here."
He left without even waiting for Guo Jing's reply. Wu Qinglie, nicknamed "Whip Pulls out Life", closed the door and locked it from the outside.
Guo Jing put out the candle, lay down on the bed, and saw, on the paper of the window, a shadow came and went with no small swiftness: the enemy, clearly, were mounting a watch over him. Shortly after, he heard a noise on the roof, someone hitting the tiles with a weapon, while saying, "Little chap, don't even think about running away, your old man is watching you." Understanding that escape was impossible, Guo Jing lay still, glancing at the ceiling, wondering how he was going to leave tomorrow, but he fell sleep before he found the beginnings to a solution.
The next day morning, the inn boy brought hot water for his bath and noodles for breakfast, closely followed by Qian Qingjian, armed with his two short axes.
Guo Jing reflected that his Shifu were faraway and probably could not arrive on time to save him. Since he could not flee, it was necessary to fight and die as a man! His Fourth Shifu had for him well says, "If you can't beat the enemy, flee!", But to flee without even being beaten, this would not be following the advice… In fact, it would not have been difficult for him to escape from Qian Qingjian alone, but his spirit was not very lively or very resourceful. If only Nan Xiren had said to him, "Flee from danger!", he probably would have taken to his heels, and Qian Qingjian certainly would not have been in a position to catch him. The Three-Headed Dragon, Hou Tonghai, believed that the Jiangnan Odd Six were located in this area, and that, given their fame, they never would have failed to keep an appointment, so would never have imagined that Guo Jing would flee on his own.
Having learned that Guo Jing had tamed two white eagles, Huang Rong expressed a certain desire."Very well," he said, "I did not know exactly where to go. Indeed, tomorrow I'll leave for Mongolia, to catch two white eagles for my amusement.""They are not easy to find," Guo Jing remarked."Then how did you find them?" Guo Jing didn't answer and only smiled. "The climate is severe in Mongolia," he said, "the north wind blew icy and hard, how would this young boy with such a weak constitution could withstand it?""Where do you live?" he asked. "Why don't you return home?"Huang Rong had tears in his eyes, "Dad doesn't want me anymore!""And why?""He locked up somebody," answered Huang Rong, "and did not want to set that person free. I took pity on the prisoner; as he is displeased all alone, I brought good things for him to eat, and I try to converse with him. Dad got angry and cursed at me, I ran away in the middle of the night.""Your dad surely thinks of you at this moment," Guo Jing said. "And your mom?""Died for a long time! I didn't have a mom since very little""If you have had your fun, it would be better to return home.""Dad does not want me anymore," Huang Rong said crying."That's impossible.""Then why doesn't he look for me?""Perhaps he is still seeking, but haven't found you""You are probably right," Huang Rong said, "who changed from crying to laughing. Then when I have my fun, I'll return. But first of all, it is necessary to tame two white eagles."They chatted again about what they have seen or experienced. Guo Jing told the incident of the eight women in white disguised as men who wanted to take possession of his horse. Huang Rong raised questions about the small red horse, its capabilities, its character, and was full of envy. He drank a mouthful of tea and said smilingly, "Big brother, I want to ask for something of great value to you. Would you approve of that?""Of course, why wouldn't I?""What I would like, is precisely your horse with the sweat of blood!""Allright," Guo Jing said without hesitating, "I'll give it gladly to you." In fact, Huang Rong was joking: he saw very well that Guo Jing adored his invaluable horse, and they have met just recently and by chance. He just wanted to see how this good chap was going to refuse his improper request. However, Guo Jing answered with such an amount of generosity and simplicity that he was taken by surprise. Moved beyond words, he could not prevent himself breaking into sobs and hide his face with his arms.Guo Jing was even more surprised:"Well, brother," he asked with concern. "What has occurred? Don't you feel well?"Huang Rong raised his head. He had cried, but now a big smile lit his face. The running tears had wiped away the filth, revealing a white skin like pure jade."Big brother," he said, "let us go!"Guo Jing paid and they left the restaurant. Guo Jing took his horse by its bridle, caressed it gently and gave it the following advice:"I've given you to my great friend here. You will show yourself obeying and especially not show your foul temper!" Then he addressed Huang Rong, "Brother, mount the horse!"Usually, the small red horse did not allow anyone else to mount it, but, during the last few days, it had quietened a lot. And, since its master had ordered it to do so, it didn't make a fuss. Huang Rong leapt on the horse, Guo Jing let go the bridle, and clapped him lightly on the rump. Rider and horse disappeared in a cloud of dust.Guo Jing waited till he could see them no more before he returned. It was very late when he obtained a room in a hostelry. The moment he was going to extinguish his candle and to go to bed, he heard a scratch at the door. He thought that it was Huang Rong who had returned, and felt great joy:"Is that you, brother?" he demanded. "That's great!""It's your old man!" replied a hoarse voice. "What's so wonderful?"Surprised, the young man opens the door and saw, by the glimmer of the candle, five men. While looking at them more closely, he felt a shiver go down his spine: four of them, armed with sabre, lance, whip and twin axes, were none other than the Yellow River's Four Demons, whom he had fought earlier at the hill. The fifth one was a lean man of about forty years, with a dark and long face, with three big bumps on the forehead, that gave him an extremely ugly appearance.The lean man sneered and swept grandly into the room. He seated himself arrogantly on the bed of bricks in northern China, sleeping arrangements generally were installed on top of a kind of brick "oven", that allowed for heating underneath, then turned his head to regard Guo Jing.The senior brother of the Yellow River's Four Demons, Shen Qinggang, nicknamed "Sabre Breaks the Soul", declared coldly:"Here is our martial uncle, the renowned Hou Tonghai, known as 'Three-Headed Dragon'! Kowtow before Lord Hou right now!"Guo Jing realized that he was cornered. He already could not defeat the Four Demons of the Yellow River by themselves, to say nothing of their martial uncle, who had to be fearsome."What do you want?" he demanded, while joining his fists in greeting."Where are your teachers?" questioned Hou Tonghai."My six Shifu are not here.""Huh," sneered Hou Tonghai. "Then I will leave you a respite of a half-day. If I killed you now, one could say that the Three-Headed Dragon was taking advantage of an opponent weaker than him. Tomorrow noon, I will await your six Shifus in the Black Pine Wood, ten li to the west of here."He left without even waiting for Guo Jing's reply. Wu Qinglie, nicknamed "Whip Pulls out Life", closed the door and locked it from the outside.Guo Jing put out the candle, lay down on the bed, and saw, on the paper of the window, a shadow came and went with no small swiftness: the enemy, clearly, were mounting a watch over him. Shortly after, he heard a noise on the roof, someone hitting the tiles with a weapon, while saying, "Little chap, don't even think about running away, your old man is watching you." Understanding that escape was impossible, Guo Jing lay still, glancing at the ceiling, wondering how he was going to leave tomorrow, but he fell sleep before he found the beginnings to a solution.The next day morning, the inn boy brought hot water for his bath and noodles for breakfast, closely followed by Qian Qingjian, armed with his two short axes.Guo Jing reflected that his Shifu were faraway and probably could not arrive on time to save him. Since he could not flee, it was necessary to fight and die as a man! His Fourth Shifu had for him well says, "If you can't beat the enemy, flee!", But to flee without even being beaten, this would not be following the advice In fact, it would not have been difficult for him to escape from Qian Qingjian alone, but his spirit was not very lively or very resourceful. If only Nan Xiren had said to him, "Flee from danger!", he probably would have taken to his heels, and Qian Qingjian certainly would not have been in a position to catch him. The Three-Headed Dragon, Hou Tonghai, believed that the Jiangnan Odd Six were located in this area, and that, given their fame, they never would have failed to keep an appointment, so would never have imagined that Guo Jing would flee on his own.
