A Happy Hero

[aliderhamy]

I bet that they are hot chicks.
The thing most martial arts masters fear is hot chicks
Becouse a life of freedom and fighting has to come to an end when you get hitched.

[silent]

I register just to say tq...

i am Chinese.. but my written command of it sucks..

[Guo Xiang ( :]

For some reason whenever I try to post something it won't let me so I am using my daughter's account to post.

Thanks for the translation!


-kksdad

[Guo Xiang ( :]

THANK YOU!!! So far this is the best book I have ever read!!!


-Guo Xiang

[patricia n]

father and daughter are reading and posting together? that is soooo cute. and yes, this is a great read so far...even though yan qi hasn't revealed herself fully.

haha...yes, this great trouble may come in the form of hot women...but knowing gu long, the more beautiful the woman, the more devious she is. so it most be a poisonous sect full of beautiful but deadly women=trouble.

[Hoju!]

Thank you silent, kksdad, and Guo Xiang and welcome to you also.
Now, let's see if we are bringing in the ladies........



Chapter 36 continued.....
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With a loud “bang”, the front door flew open.

Two Kunlun slaves[14] [orig. Kunlun nu; term once used for dark-skinned, non-Chinese slave], suddenly appeared in the doorway. Their hair and beards were curly, their noses hooked, and their upper bodies completely bare. The only thing they wore were wide-bottom pants embroidered with gold, and from each of their left ears dangled a very large gold hoop. In their arms, they carried a roll of red felt, which they unfurled until it spread from the doorway all the way into the courtyard. Then, with a somersault in midair, the two men retreated out the door without so much as glancing over at Guo DaLu, as if there was not a single person in the courtyard.

Even though Guo DaLu was so excited that sweat had broken out onto his skin, he still managed to contain himself. This was because he knew that the real show was to follow. The arrival of these two Kunlun slaves may have been strange and mysterious, but they were merely minor characters, and it was certain that the main lead was yet to appear.

Sure enough, another two people immediately came in from outside the door: two non-Han [orig. man; literally means ‘barbarian’] girls adorned in bizarre fashions and with dark black hair plaited into seventy or eighty braids that swayed back and forth with the music. Each of them carried a large basket in their hand as their soft, rosy arms strewed colourful fresh flowers onto the red felt. Both girls were very beautiful. The snowy-white calves of their legs were exposed beneath the hem of their short skirts, and anklets of golden bells on each of their legs rang out chimes of “ding ding dong dong” in time with the music. Guo DaLu’s eyes grew even rounder. Unfortunately, they did not cast even a single glance in his direction. After they had finished scattering their flowers, they, too, did a flip in midair and withdrew back out the door.

“It seems that this whole situation is not only becoming more and more exciting but more and more interesting as well.” Any situation, no matter what it may be, involving beautiful woman would always be exciting and interesting. Plus, it seemed that there were more and more beauties arriving. Four maidens, dressed like palace maids in long dresses that swept along the floor, with hair twisted high on their heads in a cloud-like bun, and carrying four palace lanterns in their hands, walked in daintily. All four had graceful figures and elegant bearings and were lovely as fairies.

They had just halted their footsteps when the two tall, long-legged Kunlun slaves marched back in carrying a large armchair [orig. hu chuang; ancient folding armchair] between them. A regal-looking woman dressed in purple was reclining in the chair, a bright silver pipe propped in her palm as she inhaled idly from it. The light smoke dispersed out all around like a fog, and her face seemed to be lost in the cloud and mist. In one hand, she held a dragon-head walking staff and beside her chair, a young midget girl was gently hammering her legs with her fists to massage her.

Guo DaLu breathed out a sigh secretly. Although he was not able to see this purple-dressed noble woman’s face, after seeing the dragon-head staff and the young girl massaging her legs, anyone would have been able to deduce that she was not young of age. This was the one blemish in an otherwise ideal scenario. Up until this point, everything in the unfolding of this situation had been very appealing. If the main character was also a beauty whose countenance was like a flower or the moon, would that not be utterly perfect? Fortunately, Guo DaLu had always known how to comfort himself. “In any case, this old lady must be a very remarkable personage. Just based on the manner in which she entered, there are very few people of jianghu who could compare to her.” Therefore, this situation was still very fascinating.

As for this old woman, who was she? How had this enmity between her and the black-clothed man come to be? How deep was the hatred? Would Guo DaLu really be able to fend her off? It seemed that Guo DaLu had not bothered to even contemplate any of these points. Since he had taken everything onto his own shoulders already, even if he was not able to, he would still have to stop her. What good, then, would it serve to think about any of this? And so, he simply kept his patience and waited. If the other person was not going to open her mouth to speak, he would not either.

After a long time passed, the purple-dressed old woman’s lips parted and blew out a puff of thick smoke. Like an arrow, the smoke went flying in Guo DaLu’s direction. Such a very thick smoke. Even though Guo DaLu liked to drink, he had never smoked before. Tears nearly flowed from his eyes as he choked, and he almost could not stop himself from cursing out loud. But if a person was able to blow smoke out in such a straight line, it would be best for you if you were a little more polite to her.

Before the smoke had cleared, he heard a voice say, “Who are you? What are you doing sitting here in the middle of the night?” The voice was crisp and clear. It did not seem as if it should belong to an old lady, but neither was it pleasing to the ear, sounding fierce and unreasonable as it shouted out questions, like an officer interrogating a thief.

Guo DaLu heaved a sigh. With a wry smile, he returned, “It seems that this place is actually my home. It should not be against the law for a person to sit in his own home, right?” Before he had finished what he was saying, another breath of smoke came surging over into his face. The smoke was even thicker this time, and Guo DaLu could not hold back the coughing that overcame him. His face felt as if it was being pricked all over by needles.

“If I ask one question, you answer with one sentence,” the person said. “It would be best if you kept the clever words to yourself, understand?”

Forcing a smile, Guo DaLu answered, “Apparently, even if I do not want to understand, I have no choice.”

“Where is NanGong Chou?” the purple-dressed noble woman demanded. “Hurry up and tell him to roll himself out here now!” That black-clothed man really was NanGong Chou.

Sighing, Guo DaLu said, “My sincerest apologies. I cannot tell him to roll out.”

Purple-dressed noble woman: “Why?”

Guo DaLu: “One: because he is not a ball and will not roll. Two: because he is asleep and anyone who wants to wake him up must first do one thing.”

Purple-dressed noble woman: “What is that?”

Guo DaLu: “Knock me down first.”

The purple-dressed noble woman gave a cold smirk. “That is easy.” She had not finished speaking these three words when, out of the fog-like smoke, the shadowy figure of a person soared into the air. There was a flash of cold light that stabbed straight at Guo DaLu’s throat.

This person’s assault had come so swiftly, but fortunately Guo DaLu’s reactions were not slow either. However, he had just managed to evade the first attack from the sword when the second one followed after it. One stance flowed after another, rapid and furious.

Only after Guo DaLu had dodged the fourth sword attack did he notice that his assailant was actually the young midget girl. Her height was less than three feet and the sword she used was at most only one foot, six or seven inches in length, but the furiousness and shrewdness of her swordplay could already be considered as first-class skills in jianghu.

It was a pity that her body really was just too small and her sword too short. In one motion, Guo DaLu suddenly snatched up the long robe and tossed it forward. The robe was long and wide and was like a large dark cloud. For such a small person to avoid being enveloped by it would be an extremely difficult feat. The girl let out a little shriek and, with a dainty gasp, accused, “A big person bullying a little person. You’re shameless. Shameless!” After saying this, she withdrew back.

Smiling wryly, Guo DaLu acknowledged, “Having no shame is at least better than having no life.”

The purple-dressed woman gave a cold laugh. “You would dare to stick your nose in my business and yet, you still want to keep your life?” Amid the sound of that laugh, the two curly-haired, bearded Kunlun slaves had already appeared in front of him, standing there like two iron towers.

Guo DaLu sighed again. “The small one is overly small and the big ones are overly big,” he muttered under his breath. “What should I do now?” Without waiting for these two people to attack, his body tore forward and, like a fish, wriggled past them from underneath their ribs. In one step, he had scampered up in front of the armchair. He grinned, “On the other hand, you are neither too big nor too small. Now, if you were not too old, you would happen to be a good match for me.”

The purple-dressed noble woman laughed coolly, “You say I am too old?” By now, the smoke by her face had gradually dissipated, and Guo DaLu at last could see her face. He could not restrain himself from letting out a cry of astonishment, as if he had just seen a ghost. One step at a time, he backed away. He had never thought that what he saw would be such a face.



--------------------------------------------------
[14]http://www.geocities.com/pieterderideaux/li_fang.html

[rati4u]

what did he see? michale jackson eh?

[yeongwee]

Maybe its LTP's mum?

[Guo Xiang ( :]

I thought that it was just someone that Guo DaLu and Yan Qi know but LTP's mom makes sense. Or maybe she isn't old she just has problems with her legs.

The suspense is killing me!
Who is it?!

By the way before Sour Plum Soup said that if she returns home her brother will beat her up but when they saw he again she looked happy.
Why is that?

- Guo Xiang

[little Fish]

hahaha spot on about the hot chicks!

i wonder if the micheal jackson guess will be true hahahaha.. that wud be scary!!!

thanks Hoju!

[Guo Xiang ( :]

My dad thinks that the mysterious lady is Zhu Zhu. The one who Guo Da Lu was supposed to marry.
Darn. I should have thought of that.

-Guo Xiang

[Hoju!]

Action!!!



Chapter 36 continued.....
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A pretty and youthful face. Even though it was made up with rouge and powder, trying as much as possible to appear like a grownup, its childlike air still could not be concealed, just like no matter how thick the make-up is applied, an old lady will never be able to hide her wrinkles behind it. This “old woman” who had this grand and impressive air, who smoked, and who had someone massage her legs, was actually a sixteen, seventeen year old girl. Guo DaLu was utterly dumbfounded.

The purpled-dressed girl rose slowly from the armchair. A pair of eyes that looked like copper bells were staring at him. Step after step, he retreated; step after step, she pressed in on him, her hand still dragging the dragon-head staff behind her. This girl was obviously young and pretty. Why was it she insisted on putting forth the appearance of an old woman? From looking at her face, she was at most sixteen or seventeen years old. How could she possess such profound internal energy? Even her subordinate, a little servant girl, already had such high swordsmanship, and those two Kunlun slaves naturally were characters that would not be easy to handle either. What was it about this girl that made these people submit to her? How did she manage to develop an enmity between herself and NanGong Chou, who had already made a name for himself over twenty years ago? And why would a person with NanGong Chou’s reputation and swordsmanship be so dreadfully afraid of her?

Guo DaLu really could not figure any of this out, nor did he have the time to think about it right then. Though the purple-dressed girl’s eyes were stunning, when they were glaring at you, they resembled those of a tiger ready to gobble down a person. In her chilly tone, she asked, “Am I old?”

Guo DaLu: “Not old… not old at all.”

Purple-dressed girl: “Did you want to match up and be a couple with me?”

Guo DaLu: “No… no…” He really was not lying. No man could ever stomach being with such a girl.

Purple-dressed girl: “Would you like to keep your life?”

Guo DaLu: “Yes.”

Purple-dressed girl: “If you want your life, then hurry up and tell NanGong Chou to drag himself out here.”

Guo DaLu: “Why do you want him to drag himself out here?”

Purple-dressed girl: “To take his life.”

Guo DaLu: “Must it be tonight that you kill him?”

Purple-dressed girl: “Yes.”

“Must it be tonight that you kill him?” Guo DaLu asked again.

Purple-dressed girl: “I had said that if I could not kill him before daybreak, I would spare his life.”

Guo DaLu: “Your word must be kept but other people must keep their promises also.”

Purple-dressed girl: “What did you promise?”

Guo DaLu: “I promised him that tonight, he would be able to set his mind at ease and sleep until daybreak. Therefore…”

Purple-dressed girl: “Therefore what?”

Guo DaLu: “Therefore, if you want to kill him, then you must kill me first.”

Purple-dressed girl: “You are his friend?”

Guo DaLu: “No.”

Purple-dressed girl: “Do you know how many wicked deeds he has committedd?”

Guo DaLu: “No.”

Purple-dressed girl: “But you are still willing to risk your life for him?”

Guo DaLu: “Correct.”

The purple-dressed girl gave a cool smirk. “Do you believe that I do not dare to kill?”

Guo DaLu managed to force a smile as he responded, “You really do not look like you would kill anyone.”

“I started killing when I was nine years old,” she stated unemotionally. “Every month, I would take at least one person’s life. Why don’t you calculate how many there have been to date?”

With a sharp intake of cold air, Guo DaLu answered, “About seventy or eighty by now.”

Purple-dressed girl: “So adding you into that count would make no difference.”

Guo DaLu heaved a sigh. But before he could say anything, they heard an icy voice say, “If you want to kill him, you will have to kill me first.”

It was not Yan Qi’s voice. It was Lin TaiPing’s.

The night colours seemed sombre. Lin TaiPing, his face white as paper, had walked over at some time.

“Who are you?” the purple-dressed girl demanded with a fierce glare.

Lin TaiPing’s tone was chilly. “You do not need to know who I am. Since you have already killed seventy, eight people, adding me into that count would make no difference.”

The purple dressed girl sneered, “Who would have thought that the number of people in this place who do not fear death is actually not a small one?”

Lin TaiPing: “True, it really is not a small number.”

Purple-dressed girl: “If that is the case, then I will help you get what you wish.” Her body spun around abruptly, and the dragon-head staff in her hand stabbed towards Lin TaiPing in the stance, “Splitting the Blossoms, Caressing the Willow.”

She was using a sword art. Not only was it a sword art, it was the most graceful and nimble form of sword art. In those white and petite hands of hers, that long, heavy staff seemed to suddenly morph into something that did not even weigh four liang [1 liang = 50 grams].

Guo DaLu shouted, “Your injuries are not better yet. Let me!”

But though he wanted to rush in and fight, it was too late. Like a streak of lightning, the purple-dressed girl had already executed seven sword stances at Lin TaiPing, her swordplay light and rapid and containing within it limitless variations. Lin TaiPing was completely encircled by it. It was evident that he was not yet fully recovered and appeared as if he did not have the strength to retaliate. Yet, even though the purple-dressed girl’s sword moves were swift and tight as a silk cocoon, she was not able to even brush the corner of his garments.

Suddenly, the clear sound of a shrill cry could be heard, and then the nine foot long dragon-head staff was thrust straight up into the ground. The purple-dressed girl was now on top of the staff. Pivoting on it, she spun toward Lin TaiPing like a windmill. In this attack, she was using the staff as the backbone and her body as the weapon. This bizarre transformation in style of attack was far beyond human imagination.

Lin TaiPing’s footsteps faltered as he retreated back nine steps. With another loud shriek, the purple-dressed girl soared into the air. The staff was still stabbed into the ground, but in her hand, there was now a short sword that gave off a bright glare. The sword had originally been concealed within the staff, but now, the instant it was in her hand, it was as if sword and person had merged into one. Together, they propelled towards Lin TaiPing. This move was even more ingenious, more dangerous.

Guo DaLu had broken out into a cold sweat from anxiety. If he had been the one who encountered this move, his chances of escaping would have been slim.

However, it appeared as if Lin TaiPing was very familiar with every variation in her attacks. Her sword moved like an arcing rainbow across the sky, but just as it swept up in front of his face, Lin TaiPing suddenly spun his body, evaded the strike, and dashed forward to yank the dragon-head staff out of the ground.

The howls of the purple-dressed girl did not cease as she flipped in the air and reversed her sword to thrust it backward at him. Lin TaiPing did not even turn his head as he raised the staff. A “zheng” sound was heard. Sparks showered forth in all directions. And then, the short sword had been sheathed back into the staff.

The purple-dressed girl’s body was seen flying into the sky, somersaulting four times before floating lightly back down to land in front of the armchair. She was staring fixedly at Lin TaiPing as if in a daze.

Guo DaLu, too, was looking on in amazement. Just a moment ago, when Lin TaiPing had wielded the staff, if there had even been the slightest of error in its placement, the purple-dressed girl’s sword would very likely have plunged into his chest. Yet, he had calculated out the positioning so accurately that there was not even the tiniest error, as if he had sparred against this purple-dressed girl hundreds of times before. Before she executed any move, he already knew what she was going to do.

They all watched as, in a single motion, Lin TaiPing thrust the staff back into the ground, turned his head and left.



End of Chapter 36

[little Fish]

AAAyyyeeya!!! U dont wana miss with our heros!!! u WILL get slapped up side the head!! mwahahaha

hehe


any guesses on who she is? I have a guess but wonder if its a spoiler? maybe ill keep to myself till after the next post.. always cool to read a fight scene where the outcome is complete victory for our heros!!

[eliza bennet]

I'm really suprised at the variety of the fight scenes! It is really great to read, thank you very much Hoju!

[yeongwee]

Awesome! Maybe she doesn't want to kill NGC after all... maybe she had a crush on him and he's trying to avoid her... maybe LTP had a crush on her and he's been observing her a for a long time... Didn't LTP have some grudge against NGC earlier in the novel?

[Guo Xiang ( :]

Maybe she's LTP's fiancé. Even though he supposedly had never met her maybe he saw her from afar before she became his fiance but he saw how vicious she was and didn't want to marry her. Or maybe she's from the same sect. Or maybe she's his sister. I don't know I'm just spouting out ideas.



-Guo Xiang

[patricia n]

i don't remember reading about lin having a fiance...hehe. i was thinking that this ferocious fighter will be lin's love interest. quite an interesting match...and can't believe it took us this long to read about lin again. seems like he's probably the second most skilled fighter in the group (first one being wang). very interesting. thanks hoju!

[Guo Xiang ( :]

"Guo DaLu was still for a minute. "Ran away from home? Why would he run away?"

Madam Wei: "He was running away from his wedding."

-Guo Xiang

[Hoju!]

--------------------------------------------------
Chapter 37 – The Imposter Shall Die
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The purple-dressed girl unexpectedly called out loudly after him, “Wait!”

“Wait for what?” Lin TaiPing questioned in a cool tone.

The purple-dressed girl was gnawing on her own lip. “You… do you really plan on just leaving like this?” She seemed to have suddenly grown very distressed. Even her hands and legs were trembling.

Lin TaiPing hesitated for a moment before finally turning around slowly. “What do you want?”

Purple-dressed girl: “I…… I…… I only want to ask you one thing.”

Lin TaiPing: “Ask.”

Her hands were clenched together. “Are you…”

Lin TaiPing cut off her question abruptly. “Yes.”

The purple-dressed girl stomped her foot. “Fine. Then let me ask you: that day, why did you run off?”

Lin TaiPing: “I felt like it.”

Her fists balled up even tighter, and even her lips had grown pale as she asked in a quivering voice, “What is it about me that you think does not deserve you and you had to make me lose face like that? “

In a distant tone, Lin TaiPing replied, “It is I who does not deserve you, and the one who has lost face is also me, not you.”

Purple-dressed girl: “Now that I have found you, what do you plan to do?”

Lin TaiPing: “I do not plan on doing anything.”

Purple-dressed girl: “You still are not willing to go back?”

Lin TaiPing: “Unless you kill me and carry my corpse back, you should just give up on that idea.”

Her eyes had grown red and her lips were bleeding because she had bit down so hard on them. “Fine,” she spat hatefully. “You can set your mind at ease. I will not send someone here to force you to go back. But I swear, one day, you will be on your knees begging me. One day…” Her speaking turned to sobs. She had completely forgotten about hunting down NanGong Chou. With another sudden stomp of her foot, she flipped into the air and swept over the wall. In the blink of an eye, the people who had come with her also disappeared. All they left behind was a ground littered with fragrant flowers and a roll of red felt.

It was deep into the night. The light was faint. In the darkness, the look on Lin TaiPing’s face could not be seen. There are some subjects where it is inappropriate, and also unnecessary, to ask.

After a long time had elapsed, Lin TaiPing at last turned his head back and gave Guo DaLu a forced smile. “Thank you.”

Guo DaLu: “It should be me who is thanking you. Why would you thank me?”

Lin TaiPing: “Because you did not ask who she is or how I knew her.”

With a grin, Guo DaLu told him, “If you wanted to tell me, I would not need to ask. If you do not want to tell me, then why should I ask?”

Sighing, Lin TaiPing remarked, “Some things, it is just better not to say anything at all.” He slowly turned around and walked back into his room.

As Guo DaLu stared after the gaunt-looking outline of his back, there was a great sense of shame in his heart. He had not asked only because he was already able to guess who that purple-dressed girl was. He knew much more than Lin TaiPing imagined. In certain matters, it was him hiding things from Lin TaiPing and not the other way around – up until now, Lin TaiPing had still been kept in the dark about the time he and Yan Qi had met Lin TaiPing’s mother. Although their intentions for this were good, in his heart, Guo DaLu had always felt uncomfortable it. He had never concealed anything from his friends before, no matter what the reason.

A breeze wafted by, blowing the remnants of the blossoms up from the ground. And then, he heard Yan Qi’s voice. In a gentle tone, Yan Qi said, “You must know now who that girl in purple is.”

Guo DaLu nodded. Of course he was able to guess that she was Lin TaiPing’s betrothed. It was precisely because Lin TaiPing was unwilling to take such girl as his wife that he run off.

Yan Qi sighed, “Only now can I completely understand why Lin TaiPing chose to run away.”

“Even I wouldn’t be able stand such a girl, let alone Xiao Lin,” Guo DaLu replied with a wry smile.

Yan Qi: “So there are girls out there that you cannot stand.”

Guo DaLu: “Of course.”

Yan Qi: “Isn’t she very pretty, though?”

Guo DaLu: “What good is it that she is pretty? When a man looks at a girl, he does not just look at her face.”

Yan Qi blinked. “Then how do men look at women?”

Guo DaLu: “He looks to see if she is gentle and kind, if she is virtuous and intelligent, and if she would understand how to be considerate to her husband. Otherwise, even if she is beautiful as a fairy, no one will like her.”

Yan Qi stole a look at him out of the corner of his eye. “And you? What sort of girl do you like?”

“The type of girl I like is different from other men,” Guo DaLu chuckled.

Yan Qi: “Oh?”

Guo DaLu: “If there is a girl who truly understands me and cares for me, even if she is a little ugly and a little fiery, I would still love her just the same with all my heart and soul.”

An enchanting smile filled Yan Qi’s face. With his head lowered, he brushed past Guo DaLu and walked over to the flower bed in the corner. The dim light of the night suddenly seemed to have grown soft and gentle again. The peonies growing in the corner were blooming in brilliant color. Yan Qi gently caressed the dewdrops on the petals. After quite some time passed, he finally turned his head and discovered that Guo DaLu had been gazing fixedly at him the whole time. His brows furrowed slightly as he said, “I am not a girl. What is there to look at? Why are you always staring at me?”

Guo DaLu: “I… I was thinking that the way you are walking tonight seems a little different from normal.”

Yan Qi: “What is different?”

Guo DaLu chuckled, “The way you are walking today seems particularly attractive to watch, more attractive even than a girl’s way of walking.”

Yan Qi’s face seemed to turn a slight tinge of pink, but he deliberately pulled it into a scowl and said in a chilly tone, “It seems that you have changed a bit of late too.”

Guo DaLu: “Oh?”

Yan Qi: “You seemed to have developed some sort of bizarre problem lately. You are always doing bizarre things and saying bizarre words. We really should find a doctor and bring him here to check you out.” Guo DaLu was quiet for while. His eyes seemed to give off a melancholy and fearful look, like he really was a person who knew that he had developed a grave illness. Yan Qi, on the other hand, was giggling as he said charmingly, “But you do not need to be too worried. In reality, everyone, to some extent, has got problems.”

Guo DaLu: “Oh?”

Yan Qi: “Do you know who has the biggest problem?”

Guo DaLu: “Nope.”

Yan Qi: “That Yu guniang [Miss Yu].”

Guo DaLu: “Who is Yu guniang?”

Yan Qi: “Yu guniang is referring to that girl who came here just now. Her surname is Yu, and her given name is LingLong.”




--------------------------------------------------

When a man looks at a girl, he does not just look at her face

Now, no one take this the wrong way.

[Hoju!]

Longer update..... because the next one will probably be really short. Been busy lately.



Chapter 37 continued.....
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Yan Qi: “Yu guniang is referring to that girl who came here just now. Her surname is Yu, and her given name is LingLong.”

Guo DaLu: “Yu LingLong?”

Yan Qi: “Don’t tell me you have never heard of her before.”

Guo DaLu: “Never.”

Shaking his head, Yan Qi sighed, “It seems you really are ignorant and uninformed and don’t have the slightest bit of knowledge on anything.”

“I could also tell that she has a serious problem,” Guo DaLu protested, “but why should I have heard of her?”

“Because by the time she was nine years old, she was already famous within jianghu,” Yan Qi replied.

Guo DaLu echoed, “Nine years old? Did you say nine years old?”

Yan Qi nodded. “She comes from a prominent family background and moreover, she is a female child prodigy. Supposedly, she had not even passed her second birthday before she started practicing martial arts. By the time she was five, she had already completely learned the skill, ‘49 Stances Returning Breeze, Dancing Willow Sword’, a martial art where the most complicated variations are contained within the stances.”

Guo DaLu: “She said that she had already killed by the time she was nine years old. Based on what you have said, it seems that her words are probably not untrue.”

Yan Qi: “Not one bit untrue. Not only did she really kill someone when she nine, but furthermore, that person was actually a very well-known swordsman in jianghu.”

Guo DaLu asked, “From that point in time on, she had to kill one person every month?”

Yan Qi: “That is true too.”

Guo DaLu could not help bursting out into laughter. “How could there be so many people in the world who would allow themselves to be brought before her for her to kill?”

Yan Qi: “People did not bring them to her; she sought them out.”

Guo DaLu: “Where would she go to find them?”

Yan Qi: “Everywhere. Once she heard that someone had did something that deserved to be punished by killing, she would immediately hurry there to seek that person out and settle the score.”

Guo DaLu: “But could she really have succeeded every time?”

Yan Qi: “You saw for yourself just now how good or bad her martial art is. Plus, those two Kunlun slaves and two non-Han girls are also first-class fighters. Actually, even the martial arts of those four servant girls carrying the lanterns are not weak either. And hence, it is very rare that anyone is able to escape from her if she goes knocking on their door.”

Guo DaLu: “Does no one keep her in check?”

“Her father died when she was very young,” Yan Qi explained. “Her mother is the nastiest woman that you could cross in jianghu, but she always gives in to whatever this precious daughter of hers wants. Therefore, even if people are capable enough that they are not scared of provoking the daughter, they still dare not provoke her mother.” Yan Qi gave a sigh before carrying on, “In addition, the people she killed deserved to die anyways, so not only did the older generation of jianghu not condemn her, they actually only commended her.”

Guo DaLu: “And that is why by the time she was thirteen, fourteen years old, she had already become the girl with the grandest air and the highest martial arts – the more people you kill, logically, the higher your martial art is. It is precisely for these reasons that, even when someone like NanGong Chou knew that she was coming to give him trouble, he could only hide and dared not show his face.”

Yan Qi: “Correct answer.”

Guo DaLu: “NanGong Chou had obviously already known about her relationship with Xiao Lin and hence, hid and refused to show his face.”

Yan Qi: “Correct answer.”

Guo DaLu: “But if NanGong Chou did not really deserve to die, she would not have come here to find him?”

Yan Qi: “Yes. She has never wrongly sought out anyone in the past.”

Guo DaLu heaved a long sigh and said with a bitter smile, “And so, the one who is wrong is not her, it’s me.”

“You were not wrong either.” In a gentle voice, Yan Qi added, “A kindness is always repaid. A promise is worth a thousand in gold [one’s word is always kept]. These have always been qualities of a true man. No one will blame you for what you did.”

Guo DaLu: “Only one person will.”

Yan Qi: “Who?”

Guo DaLu: “Myself.”



The sky would be bright soon. The long robe was still draped on Guo DaLu’s shoulders as he sat in that place by himself, staring at the milky-white morning fog rising slowly from the courtyard and listening to the faroff call of a rooster carried in on the dawn breeze.

And then, he heard the sound of a door opening. He did not turn his head. No expression could be seen on his face. The sound of very slow footsteps came up behind him and then stopped. Still, he did not turn around, but merely asked indifferently, “Your sleep was not bad?”

The black-clothed man stood behind him gazing intently at his neck. “In these last ten years, I have never slept so peacefully and comfortably.”

Guo DaLu: “Why is that?”

Black-clothed man: “Because there has never been someone like you to stand watch outside the door for me.”

With a little chuckle, Guo DaLu asked, “If there is no one to guard your door, you are not able to sleep?”

Black-clothed man: “Even if there is someone to guard my door, I still cannot sleep.”

Guo DaLu: “Why?”

Black-clothed man: “Because I do not trust anyone.”

Guo DaLu: “But yet, you seem to trust me.”

The black-clothed man laughed unexpectedly, “It appears that you quite trust me also.”

Guo DaLu: “Why do you say that?”

“Because aside from you, no one has ever dared let me stand behind them,” the black-clothed man answered casually.

Guo DaLu: “Oh?”

Black-clothed man: “I am not a noble gentleman. I have frequently killed people from behind their back.”

Guo DaLu nodded his head slowly. “It is indeed much more convenient to kill someone from behind.”

Black-clothed man: “Especially when they are nodding.”

Guo DaLu: “When they are nodding?”

Black-clothed man: “On the back of every person’s neck, there is one spot that is particularly good to bring a blade down onto. You only need to find this spot and then you will be able to lop off the head in one chop. Experienced executioners all know this point.”

Nodding his head slowly again, Guo DaLu agreed, “Logical. Truly very logical.”

The black-clothed man was quiet for another while before speaking in a low tone, “You did not sleep this whole time?”

Guo DaLu: “If I slept, would you have been able to sleep?”

The black-clothed man began laughing again. His laughter was short and piercing, like the sharpening of a blade. All of a sudden, he walked up in front of Guo DaLu. “Why are you letting me stand behind you?” Guo DaLu asked curiously.

“Because I do not want to be tempted by you,” the black-clothed man answered.

Guo DaLu: “Tempted?”

Black-clothed man: “When I stand behind you and see you nod your head, my hands start to itch.”

Guo DaLu: “When your hands start to itch, you must kill?”

Black-clothed man: “There has only ever been one time where that was an exception.”

Guo DaLu: “Which time was that?”

Black-clothed man: “Just a moment ago.” After he finished speaking this, without even turning his head back, he strode forward to leave.

Guo DaLu stared after him until he reached the door. “Wait,” he called out.

Black-clothed man: “What else do you have to say? Anything that should have been spoken seems to have already been said.”

Guo DaLu: “I only have one thing that I want to ask you.”

Black-clothed man: “Ask.”

Rising to his feet slowly, Guo DaLu articulated each word very clearly: “Are you NanGong Chou?” The black-clothed man did not reply, nor did he turn his head back, but Guo DaLu could tell that the muscles on his shoulders had suddenly tensed. The breeze seemed to have halted abruptly, and the courtyard suddenly grew dealthly still and silent. After a long time had passed, Guo DaLu said, “If you are not willing to speak, nodding will work fine. You can relax, too, because I have never had any experience in chopping off someone’s head, and I will not kill someone from behind their back either.”

There was still no wind, no sound.

Another lengthy moment went by before the black-clothed man said in a deliberate tone, “In these ten years, you are the seventh person to ask me that question.”

Guo DaLu: “And are the previous six people all dead?”

Black-clothed man: “Yes.”

Guo DaLu: “The reason that they died was because they asked this question?”

Black-clothed man: “Anyone who asks that question, no matter who it is, must pay a price. Therefore, it is best if you reconsider before asking.”

Guo DaLu gave a sigh. “I really want to reconsider but unfortunately, I have already asked the question.”

All of a sudden, the black-clothed man whipped back around and stared at him with a gaze like daggers. “What if I am NanGong Chou?” he barked.

His voice nonchalant, Guo DaLu replied, “Last night, I had already promised you that so long as you entered through this doorway, you would be my guest. No one would harm you or kick you out.”

Black-clothed man: “What about now?”

Guo DaLu: “Those words are just as valid now. It is just that I would like to keep you here to stay for a little while longer.”

Black-clothed man: “And I would stay until when?”

In that indifferent tone, Guo DaLu answered, “Until you have thought things through and are aware that the things you did in the past are wrong. When you feel ashamed and remorseful, then you may leave.”

The black-clothed man’s pupils seemed to be contracting. “What if I am not willing?” he challenged in a sharp tone.

“That’s simple too,” Guo DaLu laughed. Walking over unhurriedly to the black-clothed man, he said with a light smile, “Is there a spot on the back of my neck where it is particularly easy to bring a blade down onto?”

Black-clothed man: “Every person has one.”

Guo DaLu: “If you are able to find mine and chop off my head in one blow, then you can go.”

The black-clothed man gave a cold smirk. “I do not need to try and find it.”

Guo DaLu: “You had already found it just now?”

Black-clothed man: “Just now, I did not make a move at you because I was repaying your kindness of last night.” His body suddenly retracted and, like an arrow, was sliding backwards.

Guo DaLu, too, darted immediately after him.

The black-clothed man flew into the sky, and with a flip in the air, the sword was already out of its scabbard – a seven foot long sword, clear like the deep waters of autumn.