Yang Guo gave another deep bow to him and said, âIf Uncle Guo has any other requests, nephew here will oblige without delay. But I dare not comply with this request of marriage.â
Guo Jing saw that his face was serious and he was surprised, he looked at his wife in hope that she would explain it.
Inside, Huang Rong blamed Guo Jing for being so straightforward. Without checking beforehand, he openly raised this matter in front of all these people, making a big mistake. She saw that the way Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo treated each other was like a couple in love, but they said they were Master and disciple, could it be that the two act in a manner contrary to the norm and have actually intermixed the relationships?
This was something that was extremely hard to believe, she thought that although Yang Guo may not be a man of honour, he would not do such a thing as this. The Song respect tradition above all; the relationship between Master and disciple were like that of an emperor and his minister, a father and son, they can never intermix. Though Huang Rong suspected it, this matter was so serious that she didnât dare to believe it so she asked Yang Guo, âGuoâer, Miss Long really is your Master?â
Yang Guo said, âYes!â
Huang Rong asked again, âYouâve kowtowed and gone through the ceremony of entering a Masterâs tutelage?â
Yang Guo said, âYes.â
His mouth was replying to Huang Rong but his eyes were fixed on Xiao Longnu, his face filled with joy, tenderness, love and affection. Without mentioning how clever and wise Huang Rong was, even an ordinary person could tell that the twoâs relationship was not a normal Master and disciple relationship.
Guo Jing did not understand what Huang Rong was doing, thinking, âHe has already said that Miss Long is his Master, their kung fu is from the same school, whatâs untrue about that? I was talking about our daughterâs marriage, why did Rongâer ask them whether they were Master and disciple again? Ah, he first entered Quanzhen sect and then entered another sect later on, though itâs not according to the rules of Wulin, itâs not that difficult a thing to clear up.
Huang Rong was secretly alarmed at Yang Guoâs and Xiao Longnuâs expressions, she signaled with her eyes towards her husband and said, âFuâer is still young; why is there a need to rush things? Today the heroes of the world are amassed here, itâs more important to discuss how to protect the country. Letâs put aside our personal matters.â
Guo Jing thought this was correct so he quickly said, âYes, yes. I almost put my personal affairs over public matters. Miss Long, weâll carry on discussing Guoâerâs and my daughterâs marriage at a later date.â
Xiao Longnu shook her head, âI myself will be Guoâerâs wife,â she said, âHe cannot take your daughter as his wife.â
Those two sentences were crisp and clear, hundreds of people in the hall heard this. Guo Jing was startled, he stood up and didnât believe his eyes, he saw her holding Yang Guoâs hand, looking affectionate towards him, he had to believe it, he stuttered, âHeâs⊠heâs your disc⊠disc⊠disciple, could it be that heâs not?â
Xiao Longnu had lived in the ancient tomb for a long time; she was not exposed to the sunlight, because of this there were no traces of color in her cheeks and her was skin permanently white. But right now her heart was filled with joy and delight; her face looked tender and enchanting, just like when a flower first blooms. She smiled and said, âYes! I taught him kung fu but now his kung fu is as strong as mine. He loves me in his heart and I love him. BeforeâŠâ As she reached this point she lowered her voice, though she was very innocent, the embarrassment and shyness of girls began to show, she said gently, âBefore⊠I thought that he didnât love me, he didnât want me to be his wife, my⊠my heart was in unbearable pain and I thought death would be better. But today, I know that he really loves me, I⊠IâŠâ
Hundreds of people in the hall were silent, listening to her revealing her feelings. Even if a girl is filled with love, how could she tell it all in public? And how could she tell it to Guo Jing who had nothing to do with it? But she does not know anything about customs, tradition and the conduct of others, she just felt that these words needed to be said and immediately came out with them.
Yang Guo was extremely moved by her words of love but he looked at the crowd, some were startled and surprised, some looked awkward and some did not approve. He thought that Xiao Longnu was too unknowing, she shouldnât have said this in this place, he pulled her hand and stood up, he softly said, âGu Gu, letâs leave!â
Xiao Longnu said, âYes!â
The two of them headed towards the exit shoulder to shoulder, though the hall was filled with people, in Xiao Longnuâs eyes there was only Yang Guo.
Guo Jing and Huang Rong looked at each other startled, the couple had been through countless strange events, endured many dangers, but they could never have predicted what was happening right now. For the time being, they didnât know what to do.
Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo were about to leave the hall when Huang Rong called out, âMiss Long, youâre the Chancellor of Wulin, everyone is under your command, you need to think this over.â
Xiao Longnu turned her head and showed a smile, she said, âI donât know how to be whatever Chancellor, sister if you want it, then you take the position.â
Huang Rong said, âNo, if you want to elect someone else, then you ought to elect senior Chief Hong.â
The Chancellor of Wulin is the most revered position in the view of martial artists, but Xiao Longnu couldnât have cared less and just replied, âJust do whatever you want, I donât understand it anyway.â She pulled Yang Guoâs hand and headed for the exit again.
Suddenly there was a gust of wind, the candlelight swayed, and a person darted out. The person was dressed in a Taoist gown, a long sword in his hand; it was the Quanzhen Taoist Zhao Zhijing. He blocked the exit with his sword and said loudly, âYang Guo, you disobeyed your Master and showed disrespect for Quanzhenâs founder, and today you have done such a monstrous thing, how can you still have the nerve to stand on this earth? As long as Zhao has one breath in him, I will not allow it.â
Yang Guo did not want to argue with this person in front of everyone, he deepened his voice and said, âMove!â
Zhao Zhijing said, âApprentice brother Zhen, come over, you have a say as well, that night on Mount Zhongnan we saw with our eyes two people naked, whatâs all that about?â
Zhen Zhibing stood up shakily, his left arm rose. People could see that the last two fingers on his hand were missing; though they didnât know the intricacies of the situation, but judging from the way his body froze and the strange expression on his face, they knew that there must be something more to this.
That night, Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu were practicing the âJade Heart Manualâ in the flower thicket when Zhao and Zhen saw them. Yang Guo had forced Zhao Zhijing to take up a venomous oath, he couldnât tell this matter to a fifth person, how could he have known that today, Zhao Zhijing would belittle and accuse them without restraint in front of everyone, Yang Guo was extremely furious, he shouted, âYou swore an oath, you are forbidden to reveal this to a fifth person, why are you now⊠whyâŠâ