Chapter 120

The crowd glanced over and saw that the speaker was slender, dressed in white scholar's robes; facing away, their appearance could not be seen. But hearing her clear, bell-like voice, one knew she was a woman in male attire.

Feng Yi, however, heard it clearly—could this person actually be Lu Wushuang? He hurried over to look beside her, but saw that beside her table there was only one person, without that familiar figure; he felt quite disappointed, yet couldn't help thinking: 'This is all messed up; how did she also come here, and she can still speak for me?'

He himself knew these words could have come from Cheng Ying, Hong Lingbo, or even Li Mochou, but only Lu Wushuang was absolutely impossible.

As soon as Lu Wushuang spoke those words, it indeed angered Wu Xiuwen, but hearing that she was a woman, he could only suppress his anger.

After all, a decent man does not fight with a woman.

Seeing Wu Xiuwen suffer a setback, Guo Fu immediately decided to speak up, saying, "Who are you calling an ignorant fool? Who doesn't know how vast heaven and earth are?"

Lu Wushuang replied without turning her head: "Who said I was talking to you? Whoever is the ignorant fool, that's who I'll call out!"

Guo Fu raised her eyebrows, placed her hand on her sword hilt, and was about to challenge him, but Wu Dunru grabbed her, then smiled slightly and said, "Miss, you speak so highly of Feng Yi—are you acquainted with him? And who is your honored teacher?"

Lu Wushuang couldn't help but change expression slightly and said: "What business is it of yours whether I know Feng Yi or not? You ask about my background—who are you?"

The few people in the restaurant, seeing that both sides were young yet handsome and beautiful, upon hearing them discuss their origins, couldn't help but feel astonished and paid close attention.

Wu Dunru gave a faint smile and replied, "I am Wu Dunru, a disciple of the great hero Guo."

He then gestured to Wu Xiuwen and said, "This is my younger brother, Wu Xiuwen. This young lady is the beloved only daughter of Great Hero Guo and Chief Huang."

Wu Dunru, being steady-natured, upon seeing that the other party was a woman, directly revealed their identities to avoid further rudeness that might anger Guo Fu and cause trouble, which would be hard to explain to their master and mistress.

Guo Jing and his wife's fame spread across the four seas, their reputation immensely great; upon hearing that these three were actually their disciples and daughter, everyone was startled, and most people had already risen to their feet.

Seeing this, Guo Fu and her two companions realized it was out of respect for their master and mistress, and hastily clasped their hands all around, saying, "We, junior brothers and sisters, pay our respects to all the heroes." The crowd returned the salute one after another.

Guo Fu, Wu Dunru, and Wu Xiuwen all walked up to Lu Wushuang, clasped their hands in greeting, and saw that her appearance was quite beautiful, though her complexion was somewhat sallow.

Lu Wushuang, however, merely lifted her chin, displaying an air of indifferent aloofness, appearing quite arrogant.

Guo Fu's almond eyes instantly flared with anger; she had never seen a woman more arrogant than herself, yet seeing the two Wu brothers staring blankly at Lu Wushuang made her fury rise further, and she was about to erupt when Wu Dunru said, "Miss, I find your brows and eyes very familiar—"

Wu Xiuwen then said, "Miss, is your surname Lu?"

Wu Dunru trembled as he said, "Ah, you are the Lu family's Wushuang sister?"

Lu Wushuang snorted coldly, "I thought you two Wu brothers were blind."

The two Wu brothers, stung by her cold words, one scratched his head, the other blushed, and neither replied.

Seeing the brothers' strange demeanor, Guo Fu felt puzzled and hurriedly said, "What are you doing? She's scolding you—can't you hear?"

Wu Xiuwen gave an embarrassed laugh and said, "Sister Fu, this is all a childhood matter; we can talk about it later if the chance arises."

Wu Dunru, however, rubbed his forehead, his expression grave, and said, "Back then, this Miss Lu broke her leg because of us brothers."

It turned out that after Lu Wushuang left Feng Yi with Cheng Ying that day, feeling unable to exact revenge and vexed beyond measure, she went out wandering alone to clear her mind, bumped into a beggar from the Beggars' Sect, heard that the Heroes' Assembly was being held at Dashaunguan, and decided to come see the excitement—only to unexpectedly encounter an old acquaintance from her youth here.

The reason Lu Wushuang broke her leg back then was inseparably linked to these two.

Back when the Madame Wu brought the Wu brothers to her home, Wu Xiuwen climbed over the wall to pick flowers. Lu Wushuang, curious, reached out for a flower, but Wu Xiuwen refused to give it to her and instead gave it to the silent Cheng Ying.

Seeing her cousin angry, Cheng Ying gave the flower to her, but Lu Wushuang, still angry, snatched the flower, threw it on the ground, stomped on it a few times, muttered that it was worthless, then caught hold of a vine, used her lightness skill to leap toward the walltop, whereupon Wu Xiuwen, startled, reached out to catch her.

Had he not reached out, Lu Wushuang could have climbed onto the walltop, but in midair, seeing him coming to pull her, she twisted her body to avoid his hands.

But twisting in midair is a supreme lightness skill; she was merely a little girl then—how could she possess such ability? Her fingers failed to grasp the walltop, and she fell.

At that time, Wu Dunru was standing by the wall corner; he lunged to save her, yet the wall was over a zhang high, and although Lu Wushuang's body was light, the fall carried great force—though Wu Dunru caught her waist, they both tumbled to the ground together.

Wu Dunru's forehead struck the stone of the flowerbed, blood spurting out; Lu Wushuang's left leg also had its bone broken. When Madame Wu set the bone, Hong Lingbo arrived and attacked, which left a lingering injury in Lu Wushuang's leg.

Lu Wushuang had always held a grudge over her broken leg; upon seeing Guo Fu and the Wu brothers enter together, she immediately recognized them. Hearing Wu Xiuwen speak, though it was a childhood matter, her narrow mind could not help but flare with anger, and even before the crowd she found an excuse to lash out.

Thus, although it seemed he was speaking up for Feng Yi, in reality he was merely provoking Wu Xiuwen to vent his pent-up frustration.

Everyone had expected some entertainment, but to their surprise the two parties knew each other, and Guo Fu then said, "Miss, since you are old acquaintances with them, and you just spoke so highly of Feng Yi, do you know him?"

Lu Wushuang snorted, "Who knows him? It's just that his reputation is so huge that my ears have grown calluses from hearing it all along the way—I'm merely repeating a few lines."

She admired Feng Yi's martial arts, yet resented his playing mind games with her and her sister, so she directly said she did not know him.

Feng Yi also understood this.

Guo Fu also disliked how overly arrogant Feng Yi had been that day, still showing restraint everywhere; hearing her say that, she was pleased and nodded, "Well, rumors in the jianghu are often exaggerated, and ignorant people can hardly tell truth from falsehood. Not mentioning anything else, just Feng Yi being called the number one under heaven—yet many famed heroes have still not crossed swords with him…"

Before she finished speaking, Lu Wushuang chuckled and said, "For example, is it like your father, Great Hero Guo?"

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances; seeing the two women know each other, they thought there would be no spectacle, but suddenly they found themselves opposing each other again.

Guo Fu was even more startled, her pretty face flushing, but having come this far, she could only nod and say, "My father certainly counts as one, but others like the Master of Peach Blossom Island, the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar, the One Lamp Grandmaster, the Quanzhen Sect elder Old Master Zhou, and even masters such as the Western Poison Ouyang Feng have not yet sparred with Feng Yi."

Feng Yi had exchanged moves with Huang Yaoshi, but Guo Jing and Huang Rong had never told their daughter about it; as for others, she was even more unaware.

Everyone also found this quite reasonable, nodding repeatedly.

Lu Wushuang let out an "oh" and said, "Great Hero Guo is your father, the Master of Peach Blossom Island is your maternal grandfather, the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar is your maternal grandmaster, and the One Lamp Grandmaster is even the grandmaster of both Wu brothers—with your status as Guo's eldest daughter, at the martial arts assembly, why not have them fight each other?" She said this with a heheh cold chuckle.

Guo Fu sprang to her feet, coldly saying, "How dare you speak to me with such oily, glib tongue? Whose influence are you relying on?"

Feng Yi also felt strange—are these two women incompatible in their eight characters?

Why does Lu Wushuang harbor such great hostility toward Guo Fu? He knows that in the original storyline, Lu Wushuang and Guo Fu are constantly at odds, but that is because Lu Wushuang loves Yang Guo while Guo Fu cut off Yang Guo's arm, making Lu Wushuang hate her; now, what is the reason? If it were for his sake, he simply wouldn't believe it!

As for Yang Guo, that should also be impossible! He couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking, instead poured himself a cup of wine, and leisurely watched the spectacle.

The Wu brothers knew Lu Wushuang's temperament—the type who would turn face and even scold her own cousin—and they understood their junior sister's temperament even better; seeing a major battle about to erupt, they felt great anxiety and hurriedly called out, "Sister Fu, Miss Lu, we are all our own people—we cannot…"

Guo Fu angrily shouted, "Whose side are you on, exactly?"

The two Wu brothers looked at each other, not daring to speak.

Lu Wushuang laughed, "Rest assured, you two—I am merely an orphaned, helpless weak girl; how could I dare harm the daughter of Great Hero Guo?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Fu thought, "Does she mean she could hurt me?" and immediately flared, shouting, "You're not worthy!" She then thrust out a palm, striking forward.

Lu Wushuang leapt up, evading the blow, and landed lightly inside the shop.

Seeing Lu Wushuang's agile movements, everyone was also startled.

Seeing her light and agile form, Guo Fu coldly snorted, "So you do have some skill after all."

Lu Wushuang, meanwhile, hooked her index finger toward Guo Fu and coldly said, "Come, let me see whether your abilities match your temper."

Feng Yi, seeing the two women come to blows, also raised his spirits—after all, a fight between beautiful women is a pleasure to behold!

Guo Fu saw Lu Wushuang's frivolous manner, as if teasing a pet, her eyes spitting fire, she leapt up and struck out with a palm; Lu Wushuang raised her right hand, firmly blocking the move.

Their palms met; Lu Wushuang's arm felt numb and sore, she again limped on her left foot, shaken, her stance unsteady, she retreated three or four steps.

Guo Fu saw this and coldly said, "So you really are a cripple!" Lu Wushuang's round big eyes seemed to spit fire as she stared at Guo Fu's face, angrily saying, "Surname Guo, do you dare to fight me to the death?"

Seeing her face full of indignant fury, everyone felt even stranger—how could just two sentences escalate to a fight to the death? All women have jealousy and competitiveness; Lu Wushuang excelled in this. Back then, because Wu Xiuwen gave flowers to her cousin and not to her, she trampled the flowers her cousin had kindly given her, revealing her temperament.

It was because she broke her leg, and because of that competitive spirit when facing strangers, she insisted on showing off.

Moreover, having followed Li Mochou for a long time, her temperament grew even stranger; seeing Guo Fu's beauty like a painting, skin surpassing snow, while her own looks were inferior and her skin somewhat yellow, she felt jealous.

Seeing the Wu brothers, who used to play with her, now utterly obedient to her, she felt even more resentful.

Guo Fu's remark that ignorant people cannot distinguish truth from falsehood struck right at Lu Wushuang's frustrated heart over her failed revenge.

After all, Feng Yi had once said the same to her, so this time she came out dressed in male attire.

However, Feng Yi's martial arts were peerless; she greatly admired him, and this anger was directed at Guo Fu, so they began exchanging sharp words.

Guo Fu had been pampered by her parents since childhood, and her two little companions, the Wu brothers, were utterly obedient to her; apart from Yang Guo occasionally talking back to her when they were young, she had never quarreled with anyone like this. And Yang Guo's eccentric temperament, dearly loved by his father, was merely an occasional thing; in her eyes, the little Lu Wushuang was nothing—how could she tolerate it? Seeing her a cripple, she said it outright.

Lu Wushuang's greatest taboo in life was being called a cripple; hearing Guo Fu say that, she became furious! One girl willful, the other spoiled—it was like needle against wheat awn; seeing Guo Fu coldly say, "I'm not afraid of you!"

Wu Dunru said, "Sister Fu, Miss Lu, you have no grudge; if a tragedy occurs and you forge enmity, that would be too unwise."

With a "whoosh," Lu Wushuang felt at her waist and produced a willow-leaf saber, pointing at Guo Fu she said, "You rely on your family background, indulge in favoritism, speak without restraint; I won't let this go." She flicked her wrist, and the saber slashed straight at Guo Fu.

Guo Fu snorted, drew her long sword with a clang, the blade met the saber, Lu Wushuang's arm went numb and she stepped back.

Wu Xiuwen said, "Miss Lu, what are you doing? My martial sister may not necessarily lose."

Lu Wushuang shouted, "That doesn't mean she can't win either!"

Guo Fu said, "Good! Then be careful!" Suddenly she swung her long sword, launching three consecutive attacks.

As Lu Wushuang raised her saber, a clashing of metal rang out.

The two women fought fiercely, blades crossing and turning; in the blink of an eye they had exchanged over ten moves.

Onlookers watched, admiring the two girls' prowess.

Guo Fu, as a daughter of a noble clan, was naturally formidable; yet this Lu Wushuang, whose master is she? She could actually match Guo Fu move for move.

As soon as the two women engaged, Feng Yi could see their depths; Lu Wushuang was far from being Guo Fu's match.

Lu Wushuang had not received Li Mochou's true transmission; only Hong Lingbo had given her extra guidance—how much skill she actually had remained uncertain.

The martial arts taught by Guo Jing and his wife to their daughter were all top-notch; these arts, built from the ground up, are hard to master quickly. Guo Fu's talent and understanding resemble her father more than her mother; although her foundation is solid, she studies orthodox martial arts, but her skill level is still insufficient, so many deadly techniques remain beyond her reach.

Even so, Lu Wushuang ultimately was no match for her; plus her lame left foot made her movements awkward, after about thirty moves she already showed signs of defeat.

Guo Fu laughed, "You're nothing special. For the sake of the Wu brothers, if you admit defeat I'll spare you this time."

Lu Wushuang scoffed, "Pah, admit defeat to you? You're not worthy! Guo the Great Hero and his wife are famous throughout the world; who knows how many people impersonate their sons and daughters!"

Hearing this, everyone frowned, wondering whose disciple this girl was, how she could be so rude—wasn't she cursing Guo the Great Hero and his wife? Guo Fu was stunned, thinking, "Who would want to impersonate my father and mother's children?" Then she realized: "Ah! She's calling me an illegitimate child, saying I'm not my parents' biological offspring!"

But in the midst of the bout, a moment's distraction let her see Lu Wushuang give a delicate shout, she and her saber flew up together, rushing straight at Guo Fu with three successive slashes.

Although Guo Fu's martial arts surpassed Lu Wushuang's, she was less cunning; these three slash techniques were exquisite, Guo Fu only managed to resolve them after retreating repeatedly.

At this point Guo Fu finally grasped the meaning behind her words; furious, she leapt forward and shouted, "Are you calling me an illegitimate child?" Her long sword thrust forward repeatedly, fierce and relentless.

Lu Wushuang blocked left and right, sneering, "Guo the Great Hero is a loyal elder, Chief Huang is the daughter of the Peach Blossom Island Master—how noble their virtues are…

Guo Fu said, "Is that even necessary to say? No need to praise my parents to win my favor."

She only thought Lu Wushuang sincerely praised her parents, so she eased her sword's momentum; but then Lu Wushuang added, "And what about you? You mock others' ailments; I heard that Elder Ke of the Flying Bat also has leg trouble—how does your behavior resemble that of Guo the Great Hero and his wife? It makes one suspect."

Guo Fu said, "Suspect of what?"

Lu Wushuang whispered darkly, "You figure it out yourself."

Feng Yi saw that Guo Fu's martial arts were superior to Lu Wushuang's, yet Lu Wushuang was incredibly clever; knowing she couldn't win in a straight fight, she resorted to verbal sparring; Guo Fu's straightforward nature made her no match for Lu Wushuang in a war of words.

In just a few exchanges, Lu Wushuang had turned the tide, gaining the upper hand; Guo Fu could barely parry, Feng Yi thought: "Lu Wushuang's verbal kung fu must have been truly transmitted by Li Mochou!"

Wu Xiuwen's mind was nimble; he felt no fondness for Lu Wushuang, seeing that his martial sister's skill was above hers yet she had reversed the situation, he grew angrier and said, "Sister Fu, have you forgotten what the master said? In combat you must focus completely."

Unexpectedly, when Guo Fu was furious, she didn't grasp his meaning and said, "You dare to use my father to pressure me? I'll demand an explanation from her!"

Lu Wushuang glared at Wu Xiuwen and said, "Surname Wu, do you only know how to catch rats like a dog?"

Wu Xiuwen's face flushed; he realized Lu Wushuang's remark meant, "If you hadn't reached out to pull me back then, I wouldn't have broken my leg."

Guo Fu glanced at Wu Xiuwen's sudden blush, suspicion rising, she pressed, "Do you also doubt I'm not my parents' biological child?"

As soon as she said that, Feng Yi could hardly suppress laughter, he spat out a mouthful of wine with a "pfft."

Guo Fu's "rich, beautiful, and innocent" persona is a perfect embodiment of the "naive sweet" archetype.

His laugh drew everyone's attention; they turned toward the sound, especially Guo Fu, who saw him wearing a bamboo hat covering his face, unable to tell who he was, and angrily demanded, "What are you laughing at?"

After laughing, Feng Yi felt uneasy.

Although Lu Wushuang's words were sharp and her methods underhanded, Guo Fu was spoiled and willful—six of one, half a dozen of the other; yet these two women entangled, he helping either side would be wrong; he therefore projected his voice from his abdomen, saying, "Others are telling you to concentrate when fighting; arguing with others is not your strength, yet you let some nonsense distract you, disrupt your stance, and even claim you're not your parents' child—how ridiculous!"

He disguised his voice, so those who knew him couldn't recognize it.

In fact Guo Fu harbored feelings for both Wu brothers, but she couldn't decide whom to choose, remaining torn; others might utter a completely baseless remark, yet if it concerns her beloved, she can't help but ponder it repeatedly, chew it over; hearing Lu Wushuang say this, she feared the Wu brothers truly looked down on her.

Upon hearing Feng Yi's words, she also knew that continuing would only invite more spite from the other side; she cursed, "If I don't chop your other leg lame too, I won't take the surname Guo!"

Saying this, she swung her sword like the wind and thrust toward Lu Wushuang.

However, upon hearing Feng Yi's words, Lu Wushuang grew even angrier; suddenly she jerked her wrist, sweeping the wine cup on the table aside, aiming straight at Feng Yi's mouth, shouting, "Stop meddling!"

She was confident in her strength and aim, determined to knock out all his teeth.

Feng Yi coldly snorted, gently blew a mouthful of internal true qi; the wine cup had just flown to the front of his bamboo hat when it seemed to hit an invisible barrier, clanged, and fell onto the table.

Others didn't know why, they found it strange, assuming Lu Wushuang's concealed weapon technique was superb, deliberately done to frighten him! Lu Wushuang's face changed, realizing she had provoked an expert. Yet her martial arts were inferior to Guo Fu's, and having just taken a swing at Feng Yi, Guo Fu immediately warned, "Be careful!" She changed her sword's trajectory, unleashing a strange move—cold light swirling like electricity—straight at Lu Wushuang's right leg.

With a "hiss," Lu Wushuang's right leg was cut, she gasped, "Ah!" staggered back, face pale. Guo Fu stepped forward two steps and swept her leg horizontally.

Only then did Wu Dunru say, "Sister Fu, let it be!"

Guo Fu withdrew her stance, glanced back, and said, "What did you say?"

Wu Dunru said loudly: "Fu Mei, you caused a bloody tragedy just because of a verbal dispute; Master knows, he will certainly not forgive you!"

Guo Fu's anger just flared up; hearing these words, her heart trembled; she fears her father most; seeing a bloodstain on the sword blade, she knows Lu Wushuang's leg is already injured; smugly pointing at her, she said: "You speak such nonsense; I, on behalf of your master, will give you a lesson!"

But then a tinkling laugh like silver bells rang from outside the shop, and a voice said: "How dare I accept that?"

(End of chapter)