Ciâen looked at Huang Rong and Yideng. Then his eyes turned to the child in his hand. A surge of pain and regret suddenly hit him, and he sobbed, âHe was dead! He was dead! The child was alive and well, and I killed him.â
He stepped towards Huang Rong and handed Guo Xiang to her. He said, âI killed this small baby. Please beat me to death!â
Overjoyed, Huang Rong reached out to take Guo Xiang. But then Yideng shouted, âRevenge breeds revenge; when will it stop? Your hand holds a murderous blade. When will you throw it away?â
Ciâen was startled, and Guo Xiang fell from his hand.
Huang Rong didnât wait for Guo Xiang to fall to the floor, her right foot flew out. She kicked the child, sending her out in the air. At the same time, she laughed crazily and said, âYou killed the child. Good. Good. This is wonderful.â
Her kick looked as if it was fierce but when her foot touched Guo Xiangâs waist, it actually stopped her from falling and gently sent her out again into the air. She knew that this was an extremely critical moment. If she bent down to pick up her daughter, perhaps Ciâen would change his mind.
Guo Xiang flew through the air towards Yelu Qi. He caught her and saw that her black eyes were sparkling, and that her little mouth was about to let out a big cry. She was indeed unharmed. He was first startled and then understood that Huang Rong, knowing that Guo Fu was rash, sent him her daughter. So, he covered the childâs mouth with his palm and shouted, âAiyo, the child was killed by the monk.â
Ciâenâs face was deathly pale. All of a sudden he was awakened. He put his hands together and bowed to Yideng. He said, âGreat monk, many thanks for saving me!â
Yideng bowed back and said, âCongratulations, great monk. Youâve found the right path!â
The two monks exchanged a smile. Ciâen ran out.
Qiu Qianchi quickly called out, âSecond Brother, Second Brother, you come back!â
Ciâen turned his head back and said, âYou call me to come back; Iâm now asking you to come back too.â Having said that his gown sleeves flared out, and he floated out of the hall.
With a joyful expression on his face Yideng said, âGood, good, good!â
Then he retreated to a corner of the hall. He lowered his head, his eyebrows drooping, and said no more.
Huang Rong fixed her hair and got Guo Xiang back from Yelu Qi. Seeing that her mother was normal and her little sister was all right, Guo Fu was pleasantly surprised. She threw herself into her motherâs arms and said, âMa, I thought you really went insane!â
Huang Rong walked over to Yideng and kowtowed. She said, âI (niece) had no other way but to mention that past affair. Reverend, please forgive me.â
With a faint smile Yideng replied, âRongâer, Rongâer, you are really the female Zhuge!â
In the hall, Wu Santong was the only person who knew about the past events. Others were looking perplexed at one another.
After this unexpected turn of events, Qiu Qianchi saw her brother going out the screened door. She thought about how she wouldnât see him again and couldnât help becoming heavy-hearted. His words âYou call me to come back, Iâm now asking to you come back tooâ sounded like advice, urging her to control herself, repent and be salvaged. She secretly felt a pang of regret but her regret disappeared in a flash. All of a sudden, she proudly said, âEverybody, please wait here, Iâm afraid this old woman canât keep you company.â
Huang Rong said, âHold on a minute! Weâve come here today to ask for the Passionless PillâŠâ
Qiu Qianchi nodded at her numerous disciples and they all responded with a war cry. Each entrance was blocked by four disciples in green, with an adorned fishnet in their hands. Four maids lifted Qiu Qianchiâs chair and retreated to the inner hall.
Seeing the power of the fishnets, Huang Rong, Wu Santong, Yelu Qi, and the others were secretly alarmed. They thought, âThese fishnets are deadly, how can we break out of the trap?â
While they were hesitating, both the front door and the back door of the hall were being pulled shut, and the disciples in green all squeezed out. The Wu Brothers struck one of the doors with their swords. With a âpengâ sound, their double swords were caught in the crack of the door and immediately snapped. It seemed that these doors were cast from metal after all.
In a low voice Huang Rong said, âNo need to be frightened! Even if we arenât allowed to leave the hall, we can still think of a way to defeat those fishnets and get the antidote to help Yang Guo.â
Gongsun LuâE followed her mother into the inner hall.
She asked, âMa, what should we do?â
Seeing that her brother had abruptly departed and that skilled enemies were gathering, Qiu Qianchi knew she had a big problem. But the murderer of her brother had arrived; no matter who tried to persuade her, she would never yield. With a slight hesitation she said, âGo take a look. What are Yang Guo and those three girls doing?â
This was actually what LuâE had wanted to do. She nodded in compliance and left for the kiln.
As she was halfway to the kiln, she heard voices ahead of her. It was Yang Guo and Xiao LongnĂŒ talking. It seemed that they said something about âMiss Gongsun.â By this time, the sky had become totally dark, and LuâE hid herself in a willow grove nearby. She thought, âWhat are they talking about?â
She gingerly stepped forward, approaching them without making a sound. She saw Yang Guo and Xiao LongnĂŒ standing side by side.
Yang Guo said, âYou said these matters revolved around Miss Gongsun. Thatâs absolutely right. If the Divine Monk wakes up, all past animosity is buried, and all the poisons are expelled, wonât that be wonderful? Aiyo!â
LuâE jumped as Yang Guo let out a sudden cry, not knowing what had just happened to him. She was worried and couldnât help poking her head out to look around. In the darkness, she saw Yang Guo fall to the ground.
Xiao LongnĂŒ hoarsely said, âThe Passion Flower poison is acting up again?â
âMmmâŠaahâŠâ Yang Guo could only let out a groan.
This pain was very difficult to endure. LuâE pitied him and thought to herself, âHeâs already taken half of the Passionless pill. He needs the other half to get rid of the poisons, and he can only get this other half from mother.â
After a while, Yang Guo got up and let out a long gasp.
Xiao LongnĂŒ said, âYour seizures are getting more and more frequent, and every time more severe than the last one. The Divine Monk still has to regain consciousness before he can find the antidote. Even then, there may not necessarily⊠there may not necessarily⊠You must be in a lot of pain.â
Sheâd wanted to say âthere may not necessarily be enough timeâ but she changed her last sentence.
With a bitter smile Yang Guo said, âThis old Madame Gongsun is extremely stubborn. Sheâs hidden the antidote. Unless she wants to give it to me herself, even if we kill everybody in the valley and hold a knife against her neck, she still wonât give it up.â
âBut I actually have a method,â said Xiao LongnĂŒ.
Yang Guo could guess what she was thinking and so he said, âLongâer, donât say it. WeâŠhusband and wife, sincerely love each other. If we can grow old together, naturally weâll thank heaven and earth. If something bad happens, its fate. No third person may come between the two of us.â