Chapter 119

Yang Guo and Wanyan Ping were lost in their emotions when they suddenly heard voices; both were startled and leapt apart in a hurry.

They looked up and saw on the withered trunk in the dark woods that, even by moonlight, they could only make out what seemed to be a person lying there.

Wanyan Ping was both ashamed and afraid, her eyebrows furrowed, her face flushed with anger, she pointed and shouted, "Who are you? How long have you been hiding here?"

Yang Guo hurriedly pressed her hand down, his expression odd, he let out a faint sigh and said, "Feng Yi, why must you tease me about my aunt?"

Upon hearing Feng Yi's voice, he knew who it was; although his relationship with Xiao Longnv was obvious to Feng Yi as a witness, now that he was holding another woman and kissing her, no matter how nonchalant he might be, he felt ashamed, but hearing Feng Yi mock him by bringing up his aunt here left him quite unhappy.

Feng Yi was startled, then realized at once that the woman resented seeing herself being kissed by someone, which he had witnessed; Yang Guo thought he was being laughed at, and he laughed loudly, saying, "Yang Brother, I don't have the idle time to tease you; your aunt was just there a moment ago." He pointed toward the treetops in the distance.

Yang Guo followed his finger and looked; the treetop was empty, no one there. Having been seen by Feng Yi kissing another woman, he felt a bit embarrassed, and hearing this he showed some surprise, exclaiming, "Feng Yi, is my aunt really here? You're not deceiving me, are you?"

Feng Yi also heard Xiao Longnv's sigh, only then realizing she was here; he didn't know why she was present, but it was certainly not because she had been following him all the way.

But Xiao Longnv's sigh and departure were almost simultaneous; her lightness skill was unmatched in the world, so much so that even a master like the Golden Wheel National Master failed to notice her nearby, let alone Feng Yi, and she had already run off, her whereabouts unknown.

Feng Yi said, "After your aunt parted from you, she returned to the Ancient Tomb, but unable to bear being apart, she came out to look for you; I happened to meet her just then..."

"Aunt..."

Yang Guo thought, Xiao Longnv had never come down the mountain; it was no surprise that she had returned to the Ancient Tomb after parting with him. Yet he hadn't expected it. Recalling how, when he kissed Wanyan Ping, his thoughts were always of his aunt, hearing her sigh he had taken it for a hallucination. That truly left his mind in turmoil; realizing this, he panicked, shouted loudly, turned around, and sprinted in the direction Feng Yi had pointed, calling out, "Aunt!" as he ran.

Wanyan Ping opened her big round eyes, watching Yang Guo's fading silhouette, and called out, 'Brother Yang, wait for me!' She let out a heart-rending cry, her figure flickered, and she, dressed all in black like an elf in the dark night, hurried after him.

'Don't follow me!'

Yang Guo shouted. He was anxious to go explain to Xiao Longnv—bringing Wanyan Ping along would just be asking for embarrassment, wouldn't it? Hearing this, Wanyan Ping trembled all over, stopped in her tracks, and exclaimed in surprise, 'Brother Yang?'

She merely wanted to help him find his aunt.

Yang Guo collected himself and said, 'Miss Wanyan, sorry, I must go find my aunt; it's not convenient for you to follow.' Then he dashed off again.

'Aunt...'

Yang Guo kept shouting loudly, his heart filled with endless sighs. He thought to himself, 'Aunt must have seen me with Miss Wanyan and thus misunderstood me; if she wanders off again and I don't know where she went, how can I face her?' As he ran wildly over the mountains, he kept calling out, 'Aunt, where are you?'

Yang Guo's cries shattered the silent moonlit night, yet the empty mountains remained utterly still, with no reply.

Wanyan Ping, however, stared blankly in the direction Yang Guo had disappeared, lost in thought. She didn't know why Yang Guo had become such an immensely important person in her heart, and helping him find his aunt felt equally vital—yet he refused to let her follow.

Besides, didn't he say his parents were dead and he had no relatives? So how does he suddenly have an aunt?

Could he be deceiving me? In an instant, Wanyan Ping's heart was in turmoil, her eye sockets reddened, she felt utterly exhausted in body and spirit, as if heaven and earth offered her no support. Thinking and thinking, a sourness welled up in her chest, and she burst into loud sobs.

As it turned out, just like in the original story, Wanyan Ping made a third assassination attempt on Yelü Chucai tonight.

But as she flitted over rooftops in the night, Yang Guo heard her.

Yang Guo, with his youthful nature, upon hearing that her lightness skill was superb, leapt out the window and followed her; he saw Wanyan Ping attempt to assassinate Yelü Chucai, only to be stopped by the Yelü siblings.

Yelü Qi even used Wanyan Ping's pointers to his sister's martial arts, appearing calm and composed, while Wanyan Ping was on the verge of suicide.

Yelü Qi said that if you forced him to use his left hand, he would willingly offer his neck for slaughter. Yang Guo had already seen Wanyan Ping's desolate appearance, which reminded him of the way Xiao Longnv looked the night they parted before, and he also thought Yelü Qi was speaking boastfully.

Furthermore, after Wanyan Ping left, he heard Yelü Yan say to Yelü Qi, 'If you want her to be my sister-in-law, you shouldn't have let her go.'

Suddenly feeling an inexplicable pang of sorrow in his heart, he immediately followed Wanyan Ping to her lodging, displayed a bit of martial skill, and gave her hope for revenge.

At that moment Yang Guo wanted to embrace Wanyan Ping and be affectionate, but he thought it absurd, and also felt that Wanyan Ping was deeply grateful to Yelü Qi for his courteous treatment; acting that way would make him inferior to Yelü Qi, so he suppressed the thought.

He then taught Wanyan Ping three moves, so she could go take her revenge.

However, Yang Guo's three moves were actually Wanyan Ping's own martial skills; he merely employed a trick, exploiting Yelü Qi's chivalrous heart.

The idea was to let Wanyan Ping use the first two moves without success, then on the third move slash her throat with a blade; at that point, if Yelü Qi wanted to save her, he would have no choice but to use his left hand.

However, Yelü Qi had sworn an oath that if Wanyan Ping forced him to use his left hand, he would let her kill him without bearing any grudge.

Wanyan Ping immediately carried out Yang Guo's method against Yelü Qi.

Yelü Qi was generous and heroic; knowing that rescuing Wanyan Ping would mean sacrificing his own life, he still stretched out his left hand in the critical moment and snatched her willow-leaf blade. Afterwards, keeping his promise, he let Wanyan Ping kill him, asking only that she not kill his father again.

Seeing Yelü Qi's calm expression, his chivalrous heart, having spared her three times, Wanyan Ping could not bear to strike; she dropped her blade and fled, while Yang Guo followed her all the way, taking in everything, which led to a deep conversation and a kiss between them.

Yang Guo was treating Wanyan Ping as a substitute for Xiao Longnv to soothe his longing, but how could this girl know?

She merely thought he had feelings for her, and she liked him in return; little did she expect that when Yang Guo learned his aunt had left, he would set off to pursue her, while she only wanted to help him find his relatives, yet he would not let her go.

How could Wanyan Ping not be heartbroken? Feng Yi watched her weeping and couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh: 'Yang Guo really is a bastard!'

He thus came to understand what it means to discard someone like a worn-out shoe.

Feng Yi well knew that Yang Guo had been heavily criticized in his treatment of women.

Actually, this is not solely because of his amorous nature.

Rather, he professes to be single-mindedly devoted to Xiao Longnv, yet he flirts with any beautiful woman he sees—Li Mochou, Hong Lingbo, Lu Wushuang, Cheng Ying, Gong Sun Lv E, Guo Fu, and so on, letting none slip by.

If you originally intended to win them all over, such behavior is actually not blameworthy, after all everyone has their own aspirations.

But he thinks he's merely joking with these women, with no intention of marrying any of them, and his heart holds only Xiao Longnv—this makes people resentful.

A scoundrel like Feng Yi once had the idea of marrying Li Mochou, Hong Lingbo, and Cheng Ying as his wives, but he lacked the ability, and it was not his true wish.

These two things are not the same.

Furthermore, Yang Guo flirts with other women regardless of their consent, and he can still treat them as his own, but Wanyan Ping is different.

In Yang Guo's heart she is merely a substitute for Xiao Longnv, so he can kiss her freely and with a clear conscience; as for what thoughts this might stir in Wanyan Ping, he never considered it.

Sure enough, as soon as he heard news of Xiao Longnv's whereabouts, he immediately tossed her aside and ran off.

This scene made the scoundrel Feng Yi shake his head,

But seeing Wanyan Ping cry in sorrow, he could only sigh to himself.

Could this be love at first sight? Even if he fell for the wrong person, Wanyan Ping is an ancient beauty after all!

What about the reserve that modern women lack?

Thinking again, he silently sighed: 'Ah, a girl's passion, a girl's love, are fundamentally without reason.'

Who can explain such things clearly?

He well knew that even in a past life, many good girls from respectable families had been led astray by worthless 'yellow hairs,' and their parents could do nothing about it.

Someone like Wanyan Ping, whose parents are both dead, is naturally even easier to deceive.

Feng Yi was thinking when Wanyan Ping suddenly stopped crying, lifted her head and looked at Feng Yi reclining on the tree, saying: "Sir, who is Yang Guo's aunt?"

Wanyan Ping, slender as a willow, seeing Yang Guo leave her, her heart was naturally torn apart, but she was of a stubborn temperament, decisive in moments; after crying a while, her mind suddenly cleared.

Hearing Yang Guo and Feng Yi exchange words, the two were quite familiar; she immediately wanted to ask clearly why Yang Guo wouldn't let her accompany him to look for his aunt, and she felt that Yang Guo's earlier address of "aunt" seemed not just a simple elder relation.

Feng Yi said nothing, employing his movement technique, treading the branches as lightly as if walking on clouds, and departed silently.

Wanyan Ping eagerly wanted to pursue the details, calling out, "Sir, wait!" She hastily leapt up the tree.

Her martial arts were not high, but her lightness skill was excellent; however, Feng Yi vanished into the night in the blink of an eye, leaving Wanyan Ping disheartened, wondering where else she could chase!

Feng Yi heard Wanyan Ping's inquiry; he could not answer that question, for it was something the other party needed to explore herself.

If one directly said that Yang Guo's aunt is his master and also the person he loves, Wanyan Ping would realize that Yang Guo is using her as a substitute for another woman; for a girl whose heart is just beginning to stir, how cruel that would be! This would become Yang Guo taking advantage, while she herself ends up hurting a woman's heart for him; Feng Yi would never do such a thing, it would be too much of a loss. If one does not speak plainly, only saying that her aunt is his master or the like, ordinary people could not understand a man's affection for his elder; this would be tantamount to planting a seed of hope in her heart, and later, upon learning that Yang Guo loves his master and not her, she would still inevitably be heartbroken.

She herself had become an accomplice in Yang Guo's betrayal of women's affection!

This is also a disgraceful act! Nowadays Wanyan Ping and Yang Guo have little interaction and do not know the truth; at most she will cry a bit and then it's over. Later, when she meets the Wu brothers, she will find a refuge.

This way, she offends neither party and suffers no loss.

……

From Shaanxi into Henan, then southward, or on the major roads of Gan, Su, Jiang, Zhe and the like, one sees martial arts masters and rugged heroes from all over; among them are elderly men in long robes with white whiskers, sturdy fellows in tight garb bearing weapons, ladies with flowing sleeves, and also disheveled, unkempt vagabonds.

This assorted, all-encompassing, extraordinarily complex crowd, converging from all directions to one place, nevertheless shares a common trait: each bears a solemn, dignified demeanor, proceeding solemnly in the same direction, as if they all share a similarly heavy heart.

Because they are headed for the strategic pass between Henan and Hubei: the Great Victory Pass, which is also the site where Guo Jing and Huang Rong convene the martial arts assembly.

The martial arts assembly occurs only once a century, and not just anyone or any sect is qualified to convene it.

Guo Jing is a great hero of the present age, Huang Rong is the chief of the Beggars' Sect. The Beggars' Sect is the greatest gang under heaven, having upheld righteousness for hundreds of years. Both are personal disciples of the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar Hong Qigong, so this grand gathering naturally stirs up a martial arts frenzy.

However, everyone who receives the hero's invitation knows that this is no ordinary martial arts contest for supremacy.

It is not merely relying on one's skills to gain fame and fortune; nor is it driven by greed for fame and profit; nor is it simply to come and watch this rare centennial martial arts spectacle; rather, it is to discuss resistance against the Mongols.

The Mongols have destroyed countless countries, their military edge is unrivaled under heaven; at this assembly, who knows how many will spill blood on the battlefield, how many will be separated from spouse and children, how many will be divided from kin by life and death; hence they all wear solemn expressions.

Feng Yi is also among those from Shaanxi entering southern Henan; along the way, seeing so many martial arts figures, he cannot help but feel myriad emotions. He both admires Guo Jing and Huang Rong's summoning power and feels respect for these martial arts folk.

Even if their martial arts are not even a tenth of his, this fearless, forward‑rushing spirit is still worthy of his admiration.

He has asked himself more than once: if he lacked this martial arts skill, and knew that in the original course the Mongols would destroy the Song dynasty, with Guo Jing and Huang Rong already dead, would he still attend the assembly? Would he dare to go to his death? He fell silent again.

Martial arts folk are also often unaffiliated with any single sect; those who had only heard of each other's names but never met, upon encountering, shake hands and exchange pleasantries, expressing mutual admiration.

Feng Yi wore a human‑skin mask, which was too hideous; everyone instinctively glanced away, so he had to buy a bamboo hat and put it on his head.

As dusk approached, he arrived at a small town; however, the prefectures near the Great Victory Pass were mostly inhabited by martial arts folk, and the inns were all fully booked, so Feng Yi found a restaurant, intending to speak after he had eaten and drunk his fill.

The restaurant was filled with martial arts folk carrying knives and swords.

They were discussing various rumors from the martial world! Eventually someone brought up, saying that Feng Yi's martial arts were superb, that he had swept through the Mongol camp, and so on.

Comments like 'What a young age, his martial arts are simply boundless; a single palm strike can kill a large group,' and similar remarks never ceased to reach his ears. Feng Yi knew that what he had done in the Mongol camp was beginning to spread.

However, he did not consider this something worthy of showing off or being proud of.

He merely did something commensurate with his ability.

Because the question he had previously pondered now had an answer.

He felt that if he lacked this martial arts skill, he might not dare to participate in this martial arts assembly; even knowing defeat, he would still go to resist the Mongols.

Don't look at him alone charging into the enemy camp—he considered himself invincible under heaven, fully capable of escaping! If one were to let him sacrifice his life to awaken the Han people's spirit of resistance, he believed he lacked such a broad heart and noble character! At that moment, a girl's voice was heard saying: "Grandfather, is that so‑called Feng Yi they speak of truly the greatest martial artist under heaven?"

As soon as she said that, everyone in the restaurant fell silent.

The old man sitting beside her smiled, rubbed her little head, and said: "You're already fifteen, after all; Feng Yi is Feng Yi—what's with all this 'what Feng Yi' nonsense?"

The girl let out an "oh" and said: "How? Does calling him Feng Yi sound improper?"

The old man laughed heartily and said: "It's not that exaggerated; it's just that Hero Feng Yi, who alone stormed Hulagu's camp in Shaanxi, spoke and acted in a heaven‑shaking, earth‑moving manner, making him a model for us martial practitioners; to call him just any Feng Yi would be disrespectful."

At this moment, a man rose and asked: "Sir, where do you come from?"

The old man replied: "From Shaanxi."

The man said: "Eh, then Feng Yi, who alone faced Hulagu and Yelu Chucai in Huayin, Shaanxi, and even single‑handedly slaughtered the Mongol camp to the point of men and horses overturning, is that really true?"

In an instant, the whole inn was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

What Feng Yi did in the Mongol camp is known throughout the land, north and south, east and west; anyone with ears not deaf has heard of it.

Under heaven, the topics of martial arts heroes are almost all centered on this matter, because Feng Yi's conduct shocked the world and exceeded human imagination.

Nevertheless, there were skeptics; upon hearing the old man say he came from Shaanxi, they naturally wanted to ask for clarification, and everyone turned their gaze toward him.

The old man slurped a drink, then said: "Hero Feng Yi's glorious deed took place in Huayin; at the time, what I saw—without mentioning the Mongols, just the Han civilians—numbered in the tens of thousands."

Although the populace passes it on by word of mouth, I, this old fellow, happened to have seen it clearly and heard it distinctly; how could this news be false?

The crowd immediately erupted in an uproar.

That person raised a cup of wine to the old man and said: "Hero Feng Yi is truly formidable; we have all heard of him. However, we have long heard that the greatest martial artist under heaven is Guo the Great Hero, and now Hero Feng Yi is also said to be the greatest—how can there be two greatest under heaven?"

The crowd instantly buzzed, turning to whisper to one another.

The heroes of the Central Plains all know that the martial arts masters have traditionally been led by the Eastern Heretic, Western Poison, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar, and Central Divine Adept.

However, they are all elderly; Guo Jing's martial arts are astonishing, and being in his prime, he is likely considered the greatest of the present age, yet Feng Yi is now being rumored to be the greatest martial artist under heaven—how can there be two greatest under heaven?

Feng Yi, listening nearby, could not help but frown slightly. He felt that this label of 'greatest martial artist under heaven' must involve some conspiracy.

Otherwise, why would it not have been spread earlier or later, but appear now?

The old man stroked his beard and said: "I don't know whether the greatest under heaven is Guo the Great Hero or Feng Yi, but the entire populace of Shaanxi certainly regards Hero Feng Yi as the greatest martial artist under heaven."

Suddenly, a clear, bell‑like voice from the shop entrance said: "Really? There are so many masters under heaven; could Feng Yi have defeated them all? To claim he is the greatest, I simply don't believe it!"

Then appeared a woman and two men with swords at their waists, entering the shop in a graceful manner; everyone's eyes lit up at once.

The girl in the middle wore a red robe, her eyebrows curved like crescents, her small nose slightly upturned, her face like white jade, her countenance resembling the morning glory,

Feng Yi glanced over and saw that it was Guo Fu.

Feng Yi glanced, and it was Guo Fu.

Her attire was not particularly splendid; only a string of pearls hung around her neck, making her look as delicate as powdered makeup and carved jade.

The two men on either side, one with a fierce expression, the other light and agile, truly were heroic youths, outstanding talents.

These two never left each other's side; they were Guo Fu's brothers of the Wu family.

A man seeing Guo Fu's beauty, taking the cue, teased: "Indeed! Even if Feng Yi's martial arts are supreme, he has never crossed hands with the lady, so how could he be called the greatest under heaven?"

Upon hearing this, everyone certainly laughed, and Guo Fu instantly rejoiced.

Wu Dunru said: "Junior sister, let's go!"

Wu Xiuwen also said: "Yes, we'll rush overnight to Great Victory Pass to see our master and mistress; what's the point of talking to these ignorant people?"

Hearing those people say Feng Yi is the greatest under heaven, they naturally did not want to listen.

Guo Fu snorted, walked to the old man's table, leaned beside the girl and sat down, then said: "Old sir, is what I said right or not?"

The old man coughed and said: "Miss, your words are not wrong, but Feng Yi's title of greatest under heaven was personally praised by the Mongol prince Hubilie; this is absolutely true, you must not dismiss it."

Before Guo Fu could speak, Wu Xiuwen smiled slightly and said: "What you say does have some merit, but although Feng Yi's martial arts are high, for a Mongol prince to declare him the greatest under heaven makes it so; to say otherwise is strained, and it only dampens the spirit of us Han people."

A youth who had been drinking, upon hearing this, suddenly said coldly: "How laughable, how laughable! Feng Yi alone stormed the Mongol Great Camp, rebuked the prince and scolded the chancellor; amidst the siege by the Mongol national master and numerous martial arts masters, he wounded one, crippled another, and retreated unscathed."

The Han common folk, upon hearing his name, grow bold; the Mongol troops, hearing his name, lose their courage. Yet there are still ignorant fools who know not the vastness of the world, spouting nonsense here, like frogs at the bottom of a well—truly laughable, laughable!

(End of chapter)