All except for Jinlun Fawang – whose accupoints were sealed, and Guo Xiang – who was too tired, worked hard. Cheng Ying, Lu Wushuang and Yinggu braided, while Yideng, Zhou Botong, Huang Yaoshi and Huang Rong gathered tree bark. They were not skilled at making rope; therefore, when the sky darkened all they had was a little over a hundred 'zhang's [around 300 meters] of rope.
Even though she felt the rope was not long enough, Cheng Ying put it into the gorge anyway. She tied one end to a rock and the other end to a tree stump and threw the rock into the gorge. The rope slid down, penetrating the thick fog below and vanished from their sight.
These seven people worked hard all night long without taking any rest. The next morning Guo Xiang was strong enough to help. Huang Rong asked her how she got captured by Fawang to help pass the time.
The rope was getting longer and longer. They did not hear anything from Yang Guo down below. Huang Yaoshi was restless; he took out his jade flute and played a song. The sound of the flute echoed and flowed down into the gorge. Usually, as soon as Yang Guo heard the flute, he would whistle in response. When the song ended the gorge was still quiet, still no response, and only a thin mist rising up.
Huang Rong thought hard. She chopped a piece of wood, and carved this letter: "Are you all right? Please respond." Then she threw the wood into the ravine.
They waited some more, still nothing ... They looked at each other with anxiety in their eyes.
"Even though this gorge is deep, I believe our rope has reached its bottom," said Cheng Ying. "Let me go down and take a look."
"Let me!" Zhou Botong did not wait for an answer. Immediately he grabbed the end of the rope and climbed down, agile as a monkey, and disappeared into the fog below. About an hour later he reappeared, his hair and beard was covered with moss. He shook his head.
"Not a single shadow or footprint was there, let alone Yang Guo? No 'niu guo' [a live ox], no 'ma guo' [a live horse] either [play on words: 'guo' of 'Yang Guo' also means 'live']," he said. They looked at Guo Xiang and were perplexed.
Guo Xiang was almost crying, "I am sure Brother Yang was down there, where could he go?" said the girl. "He was sitting next to the big tree by the water."
Cheng Ying didn't say anything; she grabbed the rope and start climbing down. Lu Wushuang followed suit. And then Yinggu, Zhou Botong, Huang Yaoshi and Yideng did the same. They were worried about Yang Guo, but they were also curious.
"You have not recovered Xiang'er, don't come down," Huang Rong counseled her daughter. "Don't make your mother worry about you. If your Brother Yang is down there, we certainly will rescue him, won't we?"
Guo Xiang was anxious, but she agreed with her mother. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Huang Rong looked at Jinlun Fawang, she thought, "He has been sealed for more than twelve hours. He is highly skilled, perhaps he has managed to unseal some of his accupoints ..." Thus she came to him and sealed some more of his accupoints: 'ling tai' [soul platform] on his back, 'ju que' [gigantic imperial city] just below his chest, 'qing ling yuan' [clear and cold abyss] on his two arms. Only then did she slide down the rope.
Huang Rong held the rope loosely and let her body fall down fast; then tightened her grip to slow her fall. She did that several times and a short while later arrived at the bottom, and sure enough, she saw a body of water like a pond or a spring. Huang Yaoshi and the others were standing on the shore. She looked around but there was no Yang Guo. On her left she saw several big trees, where about thirty beehives were hung. The Jade Bees were flying around.
"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."
"Very well!" shouted the monk, "An eye for an eye! You kill me to avenge the death of your friends and your birds! But remember that I have treated you well along the way; how would you repay me for that?"
"You tell me how I can repay you."
"You have to seal my [shan zhong] and [yu zhen]," answered the monk. "That way you would lessen my suffering. That way you repay my kindness."
Guo Xiang shook her head. "You want me to kill you?" she asked, "I will not do that."
"But I am a man as tough as a mountain!" Fawang insisted, "Even if you seal those accupoints, I will not easily die. Later when your mother is here, I will beg for her mercy. Do you really think I'd like to die?"
Seeing his pitiful condition, Guo Xiang pondered his words. "Very well," she thought, "I will lessen his suffering." Then she sealed his [shan zhong] and [yu zhen] accupoints. Fawang immediately felt relieved. "Yes! I feel better," he said. "Please hit harder." Guo Xiang complied, she hit harder.
Fawang's eyebrows twitched, he smiled. He did not show any sign of injury, but his countenance changed from red to white, and from white back to red again.
"OK, please hit even harder now," he again said. Guo Xiang complied; she hit harder utilizing the technique her parents taught her.
"Good!" finally Fawang shouted. "My chest is not tight anymore! You see, I am not dead, am I?"
Guo Xiang was astonished. "Let me hit your [yu zhen] one more time!" she said. She'd gently hit him then, but she hit him really hard this time.
"Thank you! Thank you!" said Fawang. He immediately closed his eyes. A little while later he suddenly leaped up and said with a loud voice, "OK, let's go!"
Miss Guo was flabbergasted. "You ... you ..." she stammered.
Fawang's left hand flew out and grabbed the girl's arm. "Let's go!" he said. "Jinlun Fawang's skill is without equal under the heavens. How could I not know all about this rudimentary skill?" As soon as he finished talking, he immediately walked forward, dragging Guo Xiang along.
"Liar! Liar!" Guo Xiang shouted; she regretted her actions and thought, "My knowledge is so shallow, I don't even know this rudimentary technique existed." How would she know the 'tui jing zhuan mai, yi gong huan xue' [transferring blood flow passage, exchanging accupoints position] was not rudimentary at all? Fawang had trained himself in this difficult technique since the time he was still in Tibet. It was not superior to Ouyang Feng's technique in which he was able to reverse the blood flow in his whole body; but it was not less strange or less difficult to master. When Guo Xiang hit his [shan zhong] and [yu zhen] accupoints, he secretly transferred that energy to unseal the other accupoints.
They were only a few meters away when Fawang suddenly had an evil thought. He saw the end of the rope tied to a tree stump. He thought that if he cut the rope, Zhou Botong, Yideng, Huang Yaoshi, Huang Rong and the others would die in the gorge, since they would have no other way of coming back up. Therefore, he kicked the ground and leaped toward the tree and grabbed the rope, ready to severe it.
Guo Xiang saw his movement; she was shocked. She knew what he was up to. She could not stay silent. Her arm was still held in the monk's hand. When her other hand was within reach of the monk's body, she made her move and hit his 'yuan ye' [deep pool liquid] accupoint beneath his ribs.
Jinlun Fawang had underestimated the girl and now he had to suffer the consequence. That hit was right on target. He was stunned and immediately felt half of his body stiffened, his strength gone.
With one pull Guo Xiang was able to free herself. She went behind him and threatened, "I am going to push you down smelly monk! I hope you'll die!"
Fawang was shocked, but he didn't show it. He laughed a big laugh. He secretly exerted his internal energy to unseal his accupoint. He said, "How could you hurt me with your meager skill?"
Guo Xiang did not know that her hit actually sealed Fawang's accupoint and that Fawang's body was stiff. If she pushed, he would certainly fall down. But she was afraid to repeat her past mistake, that if she touched his body one more time the monk would be able to free himself. Didn't she hit the monk and in the end Fawang was free? Therefore, instead of pushing him, she jumped down and got away from him. She ran toward the chasm and shouted, "I'd rather die with my mother!" She was going to jump down into the gorge.
Jinlun Fawang was extremely shocked. He breathed in and out deeply, and eventually his sealed accupoint was clear. Abandoning the rope he quickly jumped after the girl.
Guo Xiang kept running between big rocks and among the trees. If she were out on a plain, Fawang would certainly catch up with only two leaps. Right now the monk had to play her game. There were a lot of old trees and big rocks scattered around the Broken Heart Cliff. By running around like this Guo Xiang was able to elude him. It was like they were playing tag. Fawang leaped over the trees and with 'Wild Duck Descends the Plain [yan luo ping sha] techniques he was able to grab Guo Xiang's arm once again.
Guo Xiang was shocked; she thought she could get away from him. She struggled in vain; but then she opened her mouth and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Mother!"
Fawang quickly covered her mouth with his free hand. Meanwhile a voice was heard from a distance, it was Lu Wushuang, "Uh, where did little Guo Xiang go?"
"Pity, pity ..." Fawang's heart turned cold. "I have wasted too much time." He regretted the fact he failed to cut the rope; he was forced to seal the girl's mute accupoint and took her away as quickly as he could run. He was so confused that he couldn't think straight. He only heard Lu Wushuang's voice. If he attacked her, how could Wushuang fight him? It was just that he had suffered a bitter defeat from Zhou Botong, Reverend Yideng and Huang Yaoshi; so when he heard someone was coming he thought everybody had arrived.
Huang Rong and the rest were still at the gorge's bottom. They could not find any footprint or traces of blood, in case Yang Guo was injured. Finally they decided to go back up and discuss this matter later. Lu Wushuang was the first to go, followed by Cheng Ying and Yinggu. When Huang Rong showed up, she was startled to hear them calling her daughter, "Little Guo Xiang! Little Guo Xiang! Where are you?" The women were puzzled at seeing neither Guo Xiang nor Jinlun Fawang.
Huang Rong climbed a tall tree to get a good look around. In the meantime Huang Yaoshi together with Reverend Yideng and Zhou Botong arrived. They were perplexed and anxious. They looked around the valley, but could not find anything.
When they reached the valley's entrance, they saw one of Guo Xiang's shoes.
"Shi Jie, don't you worry," Chen Ying said, "Fawang must have taken Guo Xiang along with him to the south. Guo Xiang left her shoe behind to give us clue. She's just as smart as her mother."
Huang Rong believed Cheng Ying was right. She was relieved since Guo Xiang would not be in any immediate danger. Didn't Fawang want to take Guo Xiang as his disciple, to inherit his 'Dragon and Elephant Wisdom Dexterity Technique'?