Not in his wildest dreams did Hong Qigong think the memorization contest would end up this way. Guo Jing could beat Ouyang Ke and make him roll around on the ground seventeen, eighteen times would be ten times more believable to him. He was so happy that he was not able to wipe the smile out of his mouth; so hearing Ouyang Ke he snapped, “What? You are not convinced?”

“What Brother Guo recited was a lot more than what was written on the book,” Ouyang Ke said, “He must have the Nine Yin Manual in his possession. Gathering up all my courage Junior would like to do a body search on him.”

“Island Master Huang had accepted his proposal,” Hong Qigong said, “What other business there is to discuss? Didn’t you hear what your uncle said before the tests?”

Ouyang Feng put on his angry eyes. “Do you think the man surnamed Ouyang will be easily deceived?” he said. He heard what his nephew just said, and was convinced that Guo Jing knew the Nine Yin Manual; he wanted very much to get the book for himself. Whether Huang Yaoshi accepted his marriage proposal or not became secondary to him.

Guo Jing took out his belt and opened up his clothes, saying, “Senior Ouyang, you can search me if you want to.” Immediately he took everything out of his pocket and placed them on top of a big rock nearby: silver coins, handkerchief, flint, and the like.

“Humph!” Ouyang Feng snorted, and began searching Guo Jing’s body. Huang Yaoshi had known Ouyang Feng for a long time as a ruthless man; he would do unpredictable things when angry. Plus his strength was profound; so if he put forth a violent hand n.o.body would be able to rescue Guo Jing. Huang Yaoshi coughed and stretched out his left hand and placed it on Ouyang Ke’s neck just about on his spine; it was a vital point. Whenever Huang Yaoshi would put some force on it, Ouyang Ke’s spine would break and Ouyang Feng could give up any idea of saving him.

Hong Qigong knew his intention very well, secretly he was fascinated, “Old Heretic Huang is really one-sided. Now that he favored his daughter and future son-in-law he wanted to protect this dumb disciple of mine. Ay! He is capable of reciting the whole book, so I can’t call him dumb anymore.”

Originally Ouyang Feng was going to strike Guo Jing’s lower abdomen with his Toad Stance energy, let him suffer for three years before he would finally die; but seeing that Huang Yaoshi had guard against his scheme he did not dare to strike. He searched Guo Jing’s body without any result. All he could do was stay silent for half a day, thinking really hard. He did not believe all this nonsense about Madame Huang’s spirit choosing her son-in-law. He recalled this kid was dumb and slow, apparently he could not lie. Perhaps he could coerce the whereabouts of the Manual from his mouth. He shook the staff in his hand; with a clanking noise two weird looking snakes slithered up the length of the staff.

Huang Rong and Guo Jing saw these strange animals, they were scared and moved one step back. Pointing to Guo Jing’s throat, he asked, “Guo Xianzhi, where did you learn this Nine Yin Manual from?” His eyes were blazing red; looking at Guo Jing with a penetrating gaze.

“I knew about the Nine Yin Manual, but I have never seen it,” Guo Jing said. “The first volume is in the hand of Zhou Botong, Big Brother Zhou …”

“Why did you call Zhou Botong ‘Big Brother Zhou’?” Hong Qigong asked, “Have you met the Old Urchin Zhou Botong?”

“Yes,” Guo Jing replied, “Big Brother Zhou and your disciple have become sworn brothers.”

“One old the other young,” Hong Qigong mocked, “Really preposterous!”

“What about the second volume?” Ouyang Feng asked.

“The second volume was in Mei Chaofeng … Mei … Mei Shijie’s hand, but it was lost in Lake Tai,” Guo Jing explained. “Right now she is under Father-in-law order to search for it everywhere. Disciple was thinking that after everything here is done, I will go and lending her a helping hand.”

Ouyang Feng fiercely asked, “You have not seen the Nine Yin Manual, then how can you recite it so well?”

Guo Jing was puzzled. “Did I recite the Nine Yin Manual?” he asked, “That can’t be. It was the text Big Brother Zhou taught me; he said it was his own secret martial art creation.”

Huang Yaoshi inwardly sighed; he was dismayed and he thought, “Zhou Botong had received his late martial brother’s order to guard the Nine Yin Manual. He played some marbles and lost to me; I tricked him and in the end he burned the book to ashes. Before that he had not looked at the content of the book at all; that was not a bit strange. But now there seemed to be a divine intervention; everything happened so coincidentally that my daughter ended up betrothed to him. Isn’t he so lucky?”

Huang Yaoshi was still deep in thought, Ouyang Feng pressed on, “Where is that Zhou Botong now?” he asked.

Guo Jing was about to answer, but Huang Yaoshi cut him off, “Jing’er, no need to say more.” Turning his head to Ouyang Feng he said, “It is such a trivial matter, why do you care so much? Feng Xiong, Qi Xiong, we have not seen each other for 20 years. Let us spend three days in the Peach Blossom Island, drinking to our hearts’ content.”

“Shifu, I am going to prepare some food for you,” Huang Rong said, “Here on the island the lotus is superb; how about some chicken steamed in lotus petals, or some fresh water chestnut and lotus leaf soup? I am sure you’ll like it.”

Hong Qigong smiled widely, “Now that you’ve gotten what your heart’s desired, look how happy you are!”

Huang Rong just gave him a faint smile. “Shifu, Uncle Ouyang, Brother Ouyang, please,” she said. She was extremely happy to be betrothed to Guo Jing so that her animosity toward Ouyang Ke had vanished into the thin air. This very moment to her everybody in the whole wide world was a good person.

Ouyang Feng raised his hands in greeting to Huang Yaoshi, “Yao Xiong, I must decline your great hospitality. Many thanks. Let us part today.”

“Feng Xiong had come from a long way away,” Huang Yaoshi replied, “Brother has not fulfill my responsibility as a good host; how can I let you leave?”

From thousands of miles away Ouyang Feng had come, not only for his nephew’s sake, but for another grand scheme as well. He received his nephew’s pigeon-carried letter which said that the Nine Yin Manual had reappeared and was in the hands of Huang Yaoshi’s renegade blind female disciple. After the marriage he would join forces with Huang Yaoshi and obtain the Nine Yin Manual. But now the marriage proposal failed, his nephew lost the compet.i.tion; he was really dejected, so he insisted on leaving.

“Uncle!” suddenly Ouyang Ke said, “Your nephew is useless, I have made you lost your face. But Uncle Huang had promised that he would teach Nephew some skills.”

“Humph!” Ouyang Feng muttered. He was aware his nephew had not given up hope on this Huang family’s girl; so he found some excuse by learning something to stay longer, to be close to Huang Rong, to try to win her heart; who knows she would eventually fall into his hands?

Huang Yaoshi was upset. He erroneously thought that Ouyang Ke would win the three tests; therefore, he made that promise to reward Guo Jing. But unexpectedly it was Ouyang Ke who failed the tests. Apologetically he said, “Ouyang Xianzhi, your uncle’s martial art is unparalleled in the world; others cannot hold a candle against him. You have mastered your own family heritage skills, what need do you have to learn somebody else’s skill? This old dog was lucky to master some ‘zuo dao pang men’ [lit. left-handed way, side door; means ‘second rate’ or ‘not the ultimate’] techniques. If Xianzhi does not think it too superficial, then whichever skill you like to learn, this old dog will be happy to teach you.”