Chapter 21: Should We Hold a Martial Contest to Win a Bride?

The man standing on his head was Ouyang Feng. During the second Huashan Duel, Ouyang Feng had practiced the Inverted Nine Yin, and both Hong Qigong and Huang Yaoshi deemed his skill superior to theirs, granting him the title of Number One Under Heaven. At that time, Ouyang Feng had already been insane; Hong Qigong had assumed he would not last long, yet years later, here on Huashan, he appeared once more.

“Father…”

Yang Guo ran to Ouyang Feng’s side, seeing his gray hair and beard, and asked with concern: “Where have you been these days?”

“I was looking for you…”

Ouyang Feng answered Yang Guo with half a sentence, then turned his body and stared intently at Hong Qigong. He found this man unbearably repulsive, yet strangely entangled with the first half of his life. After frowning for a while, he asked Yang Guo: “Who is going to propose to Huang Yaoshi?”

Yang Guo pointed at Gu Qing and said: “That Brother Gu wants to marry Huang Yaoshi’s disciple. He came specially to ask Elder Hong Qigong to help with the proposal.”

“Hong Qigong?”

Upon hearing the name, Ouyang Feng’s eyes glazed over as he recalled the past. Suddenly he fixed his gaze on Gu Qing, studying him closely, sensing something different. Then he turned back to Yang Guo and asked: “Son, are they trying to steal your bride?”

This kind of thing felt familiar to Ouyang Feng.

“Me?”

Yang Guo was startled. What does this have to do with me?

“You stinking toad, your nephew can’t match my disciple.”

Hong Qigong laughed heartily and spoke out.

Ouyang Ke’s identity as Ouyang Feng’s son was a closely guarded secret. Ouyang Feng had only mentioned it in his madness, and Hong Qigong had dismissed it as nonsense, never taking it seriously. Now, when recalling the past, he still spoke of Ouyang Ke and Guo Jing.

Hearing this, Ouyang Feng was deeply provoked. His eyes flashed with malice as he roared and lunged at Hong Qigong.

Hong Qigong, battle-hardened, remained calm, watching Ouyang Feng’s frenzied advance with cold eyes. Only when he drew near did he counter with the Eighteen Sublime Palms.

Their last battle had been years ago. Back then, Hong Qigong’s martial power had been destroyed, and he had spent two years recovering. Ouyang Feng, meanwhile, had inverted the Nine Yin, reaching the peak of his strength. Both Hong Qigong and Huang Yaoshi had agreed that neither could defeat Ouyang Feng alone. Now, after years of cultivating the Nine Yin internal energy, Hong Qigong’s martial skill had grown even more profound. After clashing palms with Ouyang Feng, he was astonished to find that Ouyang Feng’s skill had also improved over the years.

Their palm strikes matched evenly.

“Good!”

After this exchange, both men praised each other and unleashed their ultimate techniques. Hong Qigong wielded the Eighteen Sublime Palms; Ouyang Feng countered with the Toad Skill. Hong Qigong used the Leisurely Wander Palm; Ouyang Feng answered with the Spirit Serpent Fist. Strength met strength, skill met skill. To Yang Guo’s eyes, many of these moves were beyond comprehension.

“Elder Hong…”

“Father…”

Yang Guo watched their clash with deep dread. Huashan was always treacherous, and now their battle carried them to the most perilous edges—leaping across steep cliffs, racing over icy, snow-covered precipices, each move dangerously close to disaster. Yet both men turned every crisis into safety.

Gu Qing observed the duel between the two greatest martial artists of the age. One’s martial art stemmed from the orthodox Nine Yin; the other from the inverted Nine Yin. Their techniques embodied the principles of orthodox and inverted Yin-Yang. Gu Qing studied these moves, verifying his own martial insights.

Their battle continued for a thousand strikes before age and weakness forced them to slow down, both panting heavily.

At this moment, Yang Guo prepared roasted meat, urging Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng to stop fighting and eat first. Then he turned to Gu Qing, worried: “Brother Gu, we must make them stop.”

Yang Guo was not close to Hong Qigong, but since Gu Qing had told him of the past, he knew his adoptive father had once been a notorious villain in the Jianghu, while Hong Qigong was a great hero. Emotionally, Yang Guo favored Ouyang Feng, yet he did not wish Hong Qigong to suffer too greatly.

Gu Qing nodded, then spoke clearly: “Life is change; Yin and Yang are the Dao. The Supreme Ultimate gives rise to the Two Modes; the Two Modes are the origin of Yin-Yang transformation. The nature of transformation is ever-shifting, circulating through all six directions, interweaving and returning—thus, Yang meets Yang, forming the Supreme Yang; Yin meets Yang, forming…”

Gu Qing suddenly began reciting passages from the Quanzhen Sect’s Daoist scriptures.

Hong Qigong, mid-meal, looked up at Gu Qing and asked: “Kid, why are you suddenly reciting this?”

“Oh…”

Gu Qing replied calmly: “My Quanzhen lineage traces back to Master Wang Chongyang. Master Wang Chongyang deeply studied martial arts and was once Number One Under Heaven. After seizing the Nine Yin Manual, though he never practiced its techniques, he fully understood its principles.”

“Master Wang believed the Nine Yin Manual overemphasized Laozi’s idea of Yin overcoming Yang, softness conquering hardness, neglecting the harmony of Yin and Yang. Thus, he left behind some secret phrases as supplements to the Nine Yin Manual.”

Gu Qing attributed some of the Fighting Wine Monk’s insights to Wang Chongyang.

Upon hearing this, Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng both turned to Gu Qing, eager to learn the contents of the “Nine Yin Supplement.”

Though Ouyang Feng remained mentally confused, he treated anything related to the Nine Yin Manual with utmost seriousness.

At this moment, Gu Qing fell silent.

“Speak! Finish, and I’ll go propose to Huang Yaoshi for you!”

Hong Qigong said.

“The end of old Yin is young Yang; the end of old Yang is young Yin. Life is change; Yin and Yang embrace, turning smoothly—this is the principle of Yin-Yang harmony.”

Gu Qing said.

The creator of the Nine Yang Manual, the Fighting Wine Monk, after reading the entire Nine Yin Manual, developed the Nine Yang Internal Skill. Zhang Wuji, after reading it, believed it should be called the Yin-Yang Harmony Manual, yet achieving the state of Yin-Yang harmony was no easy feat.

Had Zhang Wuji not experienced the miraculous Qi Bag, he could never have passed the final barrier of the Nine Yang Divine Art.

Hong Qigong pondered these words carefully. Ouyang Feng, however, remained dazed—his mind could no longer handle such complex thoughts.

“You mean…”

Hong Qigong turned again to Ouyang Feng. He naturally understood terms like young Yin, young Yang, supreme Yin, supreme Yang—his Eighteen Sublime Palms derived from the Book of Changes. Now, he naturally thought of the orthodox and inverted Nine Yin Manuals. But when he looked at Ouyang Feng, he hesitated.

This old poisoner had caused countless harms. If he attained the state of Yin-Yang harmony, his mind would clear—and that would not be good for the current Jianghu.

“I’ve only spoken of my understanding of the Nine Yin Manual. Nothing else.”

Gu Qing had no intention of being blamed for unleashing Ouyang Feng. Having hinted at Hong Qigong’s potential advancement, he left the decision to Hong Qigong.

Hong Qigong nodded, looked at Ouyang Feng, and suddenly asked: “Old Poisoner, want to go propose to Huang Yaoshi?”

Huang Yaoshi also knew the contents of the Nine Yin Manual. The accelerated version later practiced by Zhou Zhiruo was, in the revised edition, created by Huang Yaoshi in memory of Mei Chaofeng and Chen Xuanfeng.

Hong Qigong wanted to consult Huang Yaoshi to verify these principles, and bringing Ouyang Feng along would prevent him from causing further chaos.

Ouyang Feng’s gaze fixed, then turned to Yang Guo and asked: “Son, do you want to marry…” But he trailed off, confused—who exactly was he talking about?

“Do you want to compete in a martial contest to win a bride?”

Ouyang Feng asked again. The phrase “martial contest to win a bride” slipped out naturally.

Seeing their battle cease, Yang Guo sighed in relief. Hearing “martial contest to win a bride,” he suddenly looked at Gu Qing.

Since meeting Gu Qing, Gu Qing had always annoyed him. Now Yang Guo had the perfect chance to annoy Gu Qing back. He told Ouyang Feng: “Father, I adore Huang Yaoshi’s disciple! I’ll enter the martial contest!”

After speaking, Yang Guo suppressed his grin and stared at Gu Qing.

Karma’s here!

Gu Qing saw Yang Guo smiling, and he smiled too.

Fine, fine, fine—you want to play like this?

Then don’t blame me for crushing you.

(End of Chapter)