RETURN OF THE CONDOR HEROES

Life And Death Are Indistinct Part 5

"Brother Zhou, could you catch a bee for us to look at, please?" she said to the Old Urchin. "Let's see if it has characters on its wings." Botong complied, he caught a bee. "No characters here," he said.

Huang Rong looked around. All she could see were rock walls a few hundred meters high. There was no way out. There were only those few peculiar looking trees; she didn't know what kind of trees they were. She looked up, and all she could see was thick fog covering the gorge, she couldn't even see the sun. She was thinking hard when suddenly Botong shouted, "Here! This one has characters on it."

Madam Guo quickly looked, and sure enough, she saw the same letters on this one, 'I am at the Passionless Valley's bottom'. This made her think some more, she believed the answer must be in the water below. Among the seven people, her water skill was the best. She made up her mind. She tucked her clothes up, took a 'Nine Flower Jade Dew Pill', put it in her mouth to repel any venomous bugs or snake bites, and jumped into the water.

The deeper Huang Rong dived, the colder the water temperature was. She felt the cold creeping into her bones. She opened her eyes underwater, but all she could see was the deep bluish green water. The water felt like ice. She was puzzled, but determined to continue her investigation. She went to the surface for another deep breath, and dived again. She went further this time, and she felt a strong buoyancy force pushing her back up. The deeper she went, the stronger the force was. She exerted her energy but it was no use, she could not reach the bottom no matter what. Except for the cold temperature, the water did not show anything special anyway. Therefore, she went back to the surface in defeat.

All could see she was cold; her lips were blue and her hair white from the frost. They were astonished. Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang promptly gathered sticks and lit a fire for Huang Rong to warm herself up.

In the meantime Guo Xiang was waiting above, she thought very hard, "Why wouldn't Brother Yang come up? Did my grandfather and mother persuade him to come? What was the real reason he tried to kill himself? Was it because Xiao Longnü had passed away and they wouldn't see each other anymore?"

While she was lost in thought, she heard Jinlun Fawang groaned, "Aiyo! Aiyo!" "You asked for it!" said Guo Xiang, "Who told you to kill so easily? Hmm..."

Jinlun Fawang did not reply, but he kept making groaning noises while his eyes looking at her begging for mercy. By nature Guo Xiang was kindhearted. She couldn't take it anymore. "Are you really sick?" she asked.

"Your mother has sealed [ling tai] accupoint on my back and [ju que] below my chest. Those sealed accupoints made me suffer like a million ants were biting me," the monk answered, "It is not only so painful but itchy as well. Why didn't your mother seal my 'shan zhong' [heart center] and 'yu zhen' [jade pillow] accupoints?"

Guo Xiang was startled. She understood from learning with her mother, that [shan zhong] and [yu zhen] were two of the vital accupoints. A little injury on these two could cause death.

"My mother does not wish for your death," she said. "You do not thank her, but keep whining incessantly!"

Jinlun Fawang showed a proud look. "If she sealed my [shan zhong] and [yu zhen], she would make my back and chest numb," he said, "She would cause me less pain. I have trained to this high level; I wouldn't be injured that easily. Could it be that she really wishes for my death?"

Guo Xiang did not believe him. "Don't you lie to me!" She countered. "Mother said that if [shan zhong] and [yu zhen] were sealed, you would certainly die! You are only experiencing itchiness and a bit of pain. Take heart. My mother and the others will be here shortly."

Jinlun Fawang did not respond. "Miss Guo," a little later he asked, "How would you say my treatment of you was along the way?"

"Not a single complaint," answered Guo Xiang. "But you have killed the Long Beard Ghost and the Big Head Ghost. You have also caused the death of my two eagles. Even if your treatment of me was a lot better, I still cannot accept what you have done."