Chapter 382 - The Wedding (10)

Translator: wuxiasociety

Yang Guo asked, “Who was that evil person? His martial skills were even above my Martial Grandma. He must have been a high master of her generation.”

Xiao Longnü said, “Master didn’t tell me. She said that my heart shouldn’t be filled with any love or hate feelings and that if she told me who that evil person was, I wouldn’t forget him and would later go seek revenge.”

Yang Guo sighed and said, “Hmmm, Shi Zu [Martial Grandma] was really a good person!”

Xiao Longnü smiled and said, “If master could see me today being married to a good son-in-law like this, she would be quite delighted.”

With a laugh, Yang Guo said, “That might not be the case. She wouldn’t let you marry anyone.”

Xiao Longnü sighed, “My master was really the kindest. Even though at first she wouldn’t allow it, afterwards, seeing my heart, she would have relented. She… she would certainly have liked you.” Xiao Longnü was recalling her master’s kindness and was lost in thought for a long time. Then she said, “After master was injured, she moved to another room on the opposite side far away from the Chilled Jade Bed. She said our Gu Mu sect’s martial style and cold air induced and subdued each other, therefore the Chilled Jade Bed wonderfully helped us practicing our martial skills. But after injury, we should not be exposed to the cold air.”

Yang Guo made a “hmm” sound while pondering how internal energy circulated through vital organs. To use internal energy according to the Jade Maiden Manual, the pure Yin air would flow through body pulses, causing the inner body to be extremely cold and sending out heat steams to the outside of the body. When practicing, clothing had to be removed so the heat steams could be smoothly dispersed without any obstruction. And the internally injured could not use the cold air from the Chilled Jade Bed. He contemplated, “But what did Master Wang Chongyang mean by “control all illnesses, cure incurable diseases? This induce and subdue principle must be missing some important details.” Then he saw Xiao Longnü’s eyelids drooping, indicating that she was exhausted. He said, “You should rest, I’m sitting right here to keep you company.”

Xiao Longnü quickly opened her eyes wide and said, “No, I’m not tired. Tonight, we won’t sleep.” With her heavy injury, she was afraid that once she slept, she wouldn’t wake up again. Then she said, “You keep on talking to me. Hmm, are you tired?”

Yang Guo shook his head and said with a tiny smile, “You don’t want to sleep then don’t. Just close your eyes and keep your mind awake.”

Xiao Longnü said, “All right!” She slowly closed her eyelids and said in a low voice, “My master once said, there was one thing that till the day she died she still couldn’t figure out. Guo’er, you are very smart, you can think about it.” Yang Guo said, “What is it?” Xiao Longnü then said, “Master hit that evil person’s pressure point but she didn’t know why Shi Jie [Apprentice Sister] would help him unseal it.” Yang Guo was deep in thought for a while and then felt Xiao Longnü’s body resting against his. Her breaths were shallow. She already fell asleep.

Yang Guo gazed at her face, his heart filled with apprehension. Time passed. A candle flame flickered and then went out by itself.

He suddenly remembered a vertical couplet in a small room at the Peach Blossom Island:

“Silkworms will not stop spitting their threads until they die; the candle has burned to ashes when tears dry up.”

Missing his wife, Huang Yaoshi wrote these two lines of a Tang poem and hung them outside the study where she used to embroider. At that time, Yang Guo saw them but paid no attention. He was just too young to understand. Now he slowly absorbed the true meaning of the lines and his heart was breaking. Suddenly before his eyes, another candle was flickering it’s last light. He thought, “These two candles are just like Long’er and I. One has burned out and the other is about to be extinguished.”

He was deep in thought for a while and then heard Xiao Longnü quietly murmur, “I’m not going to die. Guo’er… I’m not going to die. The two of us will live for many, many, many years.”

Yang Guo said, “That’s right. You can’t die. You’ll slowly improve and then you’ll be well. How does your chest feel?” Xiao Longnü didn’t reply. She was just talking in her sleep.

Yang Guo stretched out his hand to brush her forehead but felt it was burning. He was both worried and sad. He thought, “Li Mochou did all kinds of evil things but she is now alive and well. Long’er has never caused anyone harm. How come her life is cut short? Oh God, Oh God, you open your eyes but don’t see?”

In his entire life, he was never a prisoner of fear and he always acted as he pleased. But right now, facing a hopeless situation, he couldn’t do anything. He gently put Xiao Longnü’s body to the side and knelt down on the ground. He secretly prayed, “So long as God has mercy and let her injured body recover, I will… I will…” To redeem Xiao Longnü’s life, how would there be anything he was not willing to do?

While he was praying, Xiao Longnü suddenly said, “It was Ouyang Feng. Sun Po Po [Grandma Sun] said it was Ouyang Feng! Guo’er, Guo’er, where are you?” She called out in alarm and lifted her body up. Yang Guo quickly sat down by the bed, grabbed her hand, and said, “I’m here.” In her sleep, Xiao Longnü felt her body without support so she immediately woke up. Seeing now that Yang Guo was still right by her and hadn’t gone anywhere, she was greatly consoled.

Yang Guo said, “Don’t worry. In this lifetime, I’ll never leave you. And in the future, when we leave Gu Mu, I will never leave your side even for a bit.”

Xiao Longnü said, “In the outside world, sure enough there are so many good places to go. But when we get outside, I’ll still be afraid.”

Yang Guo said, “Today we don’t have to fear anything. We’ll wait for a few months for your body to recover, and then we’ll head south. I’ve heard that Lingnan [a place in South China] is warm like spring all year round. The flowers bloom and don’t wither and the leaves always stay green. We’ll put down our swords. We’ll grow plants and raise small chickens and ducks. We’ll live under the southern sun for the rest of our lives and have many, many boys and girls. Do you think these are good ideas?”

Xiao Longnü daydreamed and gently said, “We’ll put down our swords forever. That’s wonderful! Nobody hurts us and we don’t need to hurt others. We’ll grow things on a farm and we’ll keep chickens and ducks.. .. Oh, only if I don’t die…”

For the moment, the two hearts flew to a far-away Southern place, which was blessed with spring breezes and morning sun. They could smell the rich flower fragrances and they could hear the sounds of small chickens clucking and ducks…

No longer being able to support her head, Xiao Longnü’s mind was about to slip into a blur. But she was determined not to sleep so she said, “I don’t want to sleep. You keep talking to me.”

Yang Guo said, “Just now in your sleep you said something about Ouyang Feng. What was the matter?”

Xiao Longnü then said, “I said Ouyang Feng? What about him?”

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