Chapter - 196 Master of Taohua Island (12) (1/2)
Huang Yaoshi raised his head, looking at the starry sky above and slowly said, ”You have taken the Nine Yin Manual voluntarily. I did not teach you nor did I tell you to practice it. You know what to do.” He paused for a moment then said, ”This is the third.”
Mei Chaofeng was silent for a moment; she did not fully grasp her master's intention. After pondering in her heart she suddenly understood. With a trembling voice she said, ”After I have completed the first two assignments, your disciple knows how to get rid of the 'jiu yin bai gu zhua' and 'cui xin zhang' I have learned.”
Guo Jing did not understand; he pulled Huang Rong's sleeve and signaling her with his eyes, asking for an explanation. Huang Rong's countenance was sad, she lifted her right hand and made a chopping action toward her left arm. Guo Jing finally understood, ”Oh, she is going to chop her own arms.” His mind kept wandering, ”This Mei Chaofeng is really wicked, but she repented. Why is the punishment so harsh? I need to talk to Rong'er; perhaps we can ask her father's forgiveness.”
While he was still thinking, Huang Yaoshi beckoned him to come and asked, ”Your name is Guo Jing?” Guo Jing stepped forward and paid an obeisance. ”Disciple Guo Jing at Senior Huang's service.”
”You are the one who killed my disciple Chen Xuanfeng, aren't you? Your skill must be extraordinary, ha?” Huang Yaoshi said.
Guo Jing understood his sarcasm; his heart turned cold. ”I was very young and ignorant. Senior Chen seized me up; I was scared and panic. I had injured him inadvertently.”
Huang Yaoshi snorted and coldly said, ”Chen Xuanfeng was indeed my rebellious disciple; but it was our right to punish him. How could a disciple of Peach Blossom Island be punished by an outsider?” Guo Jing was dumbstruck.
Huang Rong quickly came to his rescue. ”Father, he was only six, what did he know?” Huang Yaoshi did not like what he heard; he continued, ”The old man Hong usually did not take disciple, and he was very proud of his '18-dragon subduing palms'; but he had taught you 15 moves, you must have something good in you. If not, you must have sweet-talked him into teaching you. You have defeated my disciple with his skill; next time he sees me, I bet he would boast to no end.”
”Father, the sweet talk part was indeed true,” Huang Rong said with a smile. ”But it was not he, it was I. He is just an honest kid. Your words were too hard, you have scared him.”
After he lost his wife, Huang Yaoshi was very fond of his daughter. In fact, he was too lenient to her that she was spoilt. That day he scolded her and she immediately ran away from home. He thought being a spoilt kid, after wandering the Jianghu for a while Huang Rong would be destitute and was in bad condition. Who would have thought that she was not thin and pale, but was tender and beautiful as ever? Then he saw her intimacy with Guo Jing; how she was always trying to protect him. Secretly he was jealous because she had never shown the same affection to her father. His jealousy turned to anger. He ignored his daughter and said to Guo Jing, ”By teaching you the old Beggar obviously did not hold me in high regard. He let you defeat Mei Chaofeng; he thought my disciples are a whole bunch of nobodies …”
Huang Rong understood that her father was upset because Chaofeng was defeated by the '18-dragon subduing palms'. She hurriedly said, ”Who says the Peach Blossom Island disciples are nobody? He was lucky because Mei Shijie's eyes are blind, what's so special about that? If they were fighting fair and square, he would be defeated a long time ago. Let your daughter proves it to you.” She jumped out and called Guo Jing, ”Come! Let me use the skills my Father taught me to fight Hong Qigong's special skill.”
She knew by that time both Guo Jing and she had improved tremendously. They were more or less equally matched. She thought that as long as they could fight fairly for about a hundred moves her father would be satisfied. Guo Jing understood her intention; besides, Huang Yaoshi did not say anything, so he agreed and said, ”You are always superior to me. All right, I will let you beat me up a couple more times.” And he immediately walked to Huang Rong.