tacks you with a palm blow, whether it is a feint or not, return it with a blow of “Opposing the Dragon means Regret”. Against of the power of your attack, she will be forced to withdraw and defend herself, so well that all her tricks falls to water!”

” And after that?” asked Guo Jing.

” What do you mean, ‘and after that’?” Qi Gong replied, his face suddenly darkening. ” You great idiot, do you think she is able to withstand this blow that I taught you?”

” But if she can’t withstand it, ” said Guo Jing, very worried, ” won’t she be injured?”

Qi Gong shook his head and sighed:

” If, in such a blow one seeks only to send out the force and not to keep it, if one cannot somehow control its lightness or its power, firmness or softness, how can one consider himself a master of these unique ‘Eighteen Dragon Mastering Palms’?”

Guo Jing was eager to consent, but he had taken an inner decision: ” As I haven’t learned to control my force perfectly, I won’t fight with Rong-er!”

” You don’t believe me?” said Qi Gong. ” In that case, try it!”

Guo Jing took up position, imitating his senior’s posture, picked a pine with a particularly slender trunk and he struck it a violent blow. The pine was a little shaken but not at all itself broken.

” You big idiot,” Qi Gong said, ” why are you shaking this tree for? To catch squirrels? Or to drop pinecones?”

Guo Jing, red with shame, laughed with an air of denial, not knowing what to reply.

” I already repeated it for you,” said Qi Gong, ” it is necessary to put the opponent in a position such that it cannot back up or get away. Your blow just now had enough force, but all it needed was for the pine to shake itself a little for it to escape the full force. It is necessary that you learn to approach and strike in such a way that the tree cannot budge, in order to be able to break it at one go.”

This was, for Guo Jing, an illumination:

” Then,” he cried joyously, ” it’s necessary for the force to be particularly swift, delivered in such a way that the opponent has no time to defend himself!”

Qi Gong shot him a black look:

” Absolutely! That goes without saying! You sweated blood for such a long time, and you only now understand this truth? One really can say that you aren’t clever! For this stroke, known as “Resisting the Dragon Means Regret”- it’s essence is not found in the word “Resisting” but rather in the word “Regret”. If one concentrated only on pure violence, brute power, a little forces in the muscles would suffice. But then, how could this technique be admired by Huang Yaoshi? As the old saying goes: « The inflexible Dragon itself repent, the surplus will not last a long time ». This is the reason that if there has transmission, there must be rétention. When you send out a force of ten, it is necessary again to preserve within yourself a force of twenty. The day where you will know to appreciate the full meaning of the concept “Regrets”, then you will be able to consider that you have understood thirty percent of this stroke. Just as a fine old wine, that has had time to season: at first taste, it is not strong, but afterwards that it releases its full heady flavour, that explains the concept “Regret”.”

Guo Jing didn’t understand anything about these matters, but he tried to memorize them, in order for him to calmly reflect upon them later. To learn the martial arts, he always had adopted the same method: “That which others may assimilate in a morning, I will devote ten days!” Then he concentrated on the study of the palm technique.

At first, the pine balanced itself to each of the blows that it received. Towards the end, these became more and more powerful, but the tree moved less and less. He realized that he had progressed and rejoiced somewhat. The face of his palm had become red and swollen, but he did not treat it, and continued to train with determination, never relaxing.

Qi Gong, who had initially laughed at his persistence, had stretched himself on the ground and snored calmly.

Little by little, Guo Jing felt more comfortable, he attained a mastery of his energy, to carry the blow and to keep it. He brought up his breath into his dantian, advanced his palm violently, withdrawing his force immediately, so well that the tree did not move at all. Delighted, the young man repeated in the same way while concentrating his force on the edge of his palm: he heard a creak, and the small pine broke apart.

” Bravo!” cried Huang Rong, who had seen the scene from a distance.

She approached slowly, carrying a heavy shopping basket.

Before even opening his eyes, Qi Gong had smelt the delicious aroma of the food that she brought.

” That feels good! That feels good!” he cried while jumping to his feet.

He seized the basket from the girl’s hands and opened the lid. He beheld a dish of roasted frogs thighs, a very fat duck suited to the Eight treasures, and a big bowl of white and immaculate money noodles. With joyful cries, he pounced on the foods, not drying up any praises on this that it devoured to beautiful teeth. But, as his mouth was full, one couldn’t understand anything he said. In an instant, the bowls containing the frog thighs and the duck were emptied. Realizing that Guo Jing again had not eaten, the old beggar felt a little ashamed of his gluttony:

” Go on, eat up,” he says, ” these noodles aren’t bad…”

And as he felt really bothered, he added:

” They are even better than the duck!”

Huang Rong laughed and says:

” Qi Gong, you haven’t yet tasted my best dishes!”

Surprise and delighted, the old beggar eagerly asked:

” What dishes? What dishes?”

” You can’t name them all,” replied Huang Rong. “For example returned cabbage in the wok, steamed tofu, hard eggs, roasted meat…”

As a well-informed gourmet, Qi Gong knew well that it was in the most simple dishes that the true masters really showed their talents. The same applied to martial arts: wondrous execution of the most simple techniques, that was the hallmark of the great masters! These words of Huang Rong delighted him, therefore, so well that his face itself was almost imploring:

” Good, good!” he says. ” I always said that you were a brave little girl..do you want me to buy you cabbage and tofu? Please?”

” It’s not worth your while”, said Huang Rong while laughing. ” And then, what you will buy will not suit me necessarily.”

” Fair enough,” said Qi Gong. ” None other than you can choose your ingredients…”

” Just now,” Huang Rong said again, ” I saw him break the trunk of a pine: he’s already more powerful than me!

” Not at all,” Qi Gong protested, shaking his head. ” He isn’t up to standard at all! It’s necessary that the point the trunk breaks be perfectly neat. Look, it’s all twisted, like a saw’s teeth- what pathetic gongfu! And then this pine is as slender as a stick, no, as slender as a toothpick! This kid isn’t up to the mark at all!”

” But if he attacks me with this palm,” objected Huang Rong, ” I will not be able to defend myself. This is all your fault: if he bullies me later, how will I do?”

Qi Gong, who wanted to get back into her good books, did not want to keep annoying her, even though he clearly saw that she was being duplicitous:

” So what, according to you, must I do?”

” Teach me a skill with which I can beat him. After that, I’ll cook for you.”

” Very well, we’re agreed,” said Qi Gong. ” He learned only a single blow, it’s easy to beat him. I will teach you a fist technique called “Wandering Strides”.”

No sooner had he finished speaking that he rose to his feet to demonstrate: he jumped to right and to the left, with grace and nimbleness, while his big sleeves flew away…

Huang Rong not some lost a crumb and silently memorized every movement. When the old man had finished the complete chain, she had already half-learned it. After it him given all the supplementary indications, it didn’t take two hours for the girl to execute perfectly the thirty-six movements of the “Wandering Strides”. At last, she executed the skill at the same time as Qi Gong: they themselves tinrent coast to coast and sprang in concert, the one to right, the other to the left, twirling as a jade swallow and a great eagle gliding in the skies. At the end of the thirty-six movements, they landed on their feet at the same time, regarding each other, and burst into laughter, while Guo Jing applauded vigorously.

” This little one is hundred more intelligent times than you,” says Qi Gong to Guo Jing.

” So many movements and variations,” marvelled the latter while scratching his head, ” how did she learn so quickly? And how does she manage not to forget? Me, when I remember second movement, I’ve already forgot the first one!”

Qi Gong burst out laughing:

” Indeed you absolutely cannot learn this «Wandering Strides»! Even if you memorized the steps, you are incapable, in the practice, to produce the spirit of striding! Executed so painstakingly and clumsily, this fist technique would become a real chore!”

” You’ve got a point!” conceded Guo Jing while laughing.

” This «Wandering Strides»,” Qi Gong said, ” is a gongfu that I practiced in my youth. I have brought it out again to match the direction of the original gongfu of the little one, indeed, it doesn’t correspond to the martial arts that I use currently. Thus, I myself haven’t used it once during the last ten years.”

He wanted to mean that the «Wandering Strides» was a lot less powerful than the «Eighteen Dragon Mastering Palms».

Huang Rong was delighted:

” Qi Gong, if I beat him again, he’ll surely be unhappy, so teach him again some blows.”

She herself had no real intention to learn, it was only a pretext to push the old beggar to give more lessons to her lover. If she really had wanted to obtain martial arts, she had at her disposal a great master in the person of her father, of which she not never all could have learned.

” This dumb kid,” said Qi Gong, ” He hasn’t even fully digested the single blow that I learned for him. Who too kisses poorly embraces! It suffices that you prepare me a lot of dishes, and I will grant all your wishes!”

” Very well,” said Huang Rong, smiling. ” Then I leave for the market.”

Qi Gong laughed heartily and himself returned to the hostelry, leaving Guo Jing alone in the pine wood, where he returned to training with determination, late into the night.

That night, Huang Rong indeed prepared a cabbage dish and a plateful of tofu for Qi Gong. She had carefully selected the most tender cabbage heart and leaves, than she had done to return with hen grease and filaments of duck leg. But the plateful of tofu was really extraordinary: she had cut a ham in two, then dug twenty-four small spherical cavities, in which ones had placed balls of tofu, before closing the ham and beginning to steam it. At the end of cooking, the whole flavour of the ham had passed into the tofu, while the ham himself was left out. After tasting of this dish, Qi Gong evidently was conquered. This steamed tofu had an equally inspired name of poetry Tang and was called « Full Moon Night on the twenty-four bridges ». If the girl had not had at his disposal the family technique called « The Orchid Skims the Point », her ten nimble and delicate fingers would not have been in a position to cut twenty-four small balls in the fragile mass of the tofu. To do that demanded as much delicacy as to engrave characters on a grain of rice, or to sculpture a boat in a nutshell. It would have been easy to cut pieces of tofu in cube, but where had one seen square full moons?

After the dinner, each went to go to bed. Qi Gong was astonished to see Guo Jing and Huang Rong going to separate rooms:

” Huh? Aren’t you husband and wife? Why don’t you sleep in the same room?”

Huang Rong, that had not stopped joking with him without reserve, felt all embarrassed. Her cheeks blushing, she looked upset.

” Elder, if you continue to talk nonsense, I won’t cook for you tomorrow!”

” What’s this?” Qi Gong was astonished. ” What did I talk nonsense?”

After an instant’s reflection, he realized:

” I’m old and senile, indeed,” he said while laughing. ” You’re clearly dressed as a girl, and not as a wife. You are yourself therefore promised to each other secretly, without the consent of the parents or a matchmaker, or the wedding ceremony. Don’t worry, I will be your go-between. If your dad does not accept, I’ll provoke a duel and we’ll fight, my goodness! for seven days and seven nights if we have to, until he yields!”

Huang Rong was precisely worried about this matter: she feared that her father would not like Guo Jing. The words of the old beggar filled her with joy and she returned to her room, her face radiant.

The next day, Guo Jing went back to the pinewood at dawn. He practiced to about twenty rounds with much sweat, but rejoiced at the progress he accomplished, when he suddenly heard a voice speaking behind the trees.

” Shifu,” says a voice, “we must have travelled more than thirty li this time, isn’t that right? “

” Indeed,” replied another voice, ” you’ve achieved some progress in endurance…”

This voice seemed very familiar to Guo Jing, who then saw four individuals appear, of which the first one had white hair and ruddy complexion: it was none other than his number one enemy, Liang Ziwong, the Thousand-Year Ginseng! He pesta internally and took to his heels.

But Liang Ziwong already had recognized him:

” Where do you think you’re going?” he cried while thrusting himself forward in pursuit.

The three other men were his disciples. See their Shifu running after an enemy, they themselves split up in order to surround the young man.

” I need to get out of the pinewood and get back to the inn in order to be safe,” said Guo Jing to himself, while running even faster.

The first disciple of Liang Ziwong barred the way and shouted, while crossing the two palms:

” Little peasant, kneel!”

He attacked with a technique of qinna taught by his master and sought to seize Guo Jing to the chest. The young man folded his left leg lightly, the straight arm turned in, made a circle with his right palm and struck powerfully outward: it was precisely the blow that it had just learned, “Resisting the Dragon Means Regret”. His opponent feels the sudden power, and attempted to dodge it, but it was so powerful that it broke his arm, throwing him a distance of six or seven feet, and made him lose consciousness. Guo Jing, that never would have believed that his blow was going to be so strong, demeura forbids, before resuming his race.

Surprised and irritated, Liang Ziwong jumped in front of him. Guo Jing had just left the pines when he found the immortal one in front of him. Very frightened, he himself got in position and launched once more his “Resisting the Dragon Means Regret”. Liang Ziwong did not know this blow but, in front of its power, knew that he could not handle it. He had to roll to earth to avoid it. Guo Jing took the opportunity to flee.

When Liang Ziwong itself recovered, the young man had reached the front of the inn and screamed:

” Rong-er, disaster! Here’s the evil one that wants to drink my blood!”

Huang Rong poked her head out the window. ” How did this old monster get here?” she asked herself. ” That’s good, I’ll try out on him this new “Wandering Strides” that I have just learned.”

” My love,” she cried. ” Don’t be scared of this old crust. Begin the fight, I’ll come to help you, we’ll teach him a good lesson!”

” Rong doesn’t know the power of this old monster,” said Guo Jing to himself, ” that’s why she speaks so lightly.” But Liang Ziwong already jumped on him. In front of the violence of the attack, the young man had no other option but to launch once more his “Resisting the Dragon Means Regret”. Liang Ziwong twisted and dodged several feet to the side, but his straight arm was almost touched by the breath of the palm, that left a burning and painful track. The immortal one, frightened inside, was amazed that this kid, in the space of some months, had progressed so much. ” This must be,” he said, ” due to the absorption of the precious blood of the snake.” This thought the mit outside him and he jumped to the attack. Guo Jing defended himself again with the same blow. Conscious that he could not oppose it, Liang Ziwong retreated, but, seeing that the young man did not have at his disposal other such fearful blows to press his advantage, his fear lessened:

” Little idiot,” he cried, ” Do you know only that one blow?

Guo Jing tumbled right into his trap:

” Even this one blow,” he replied, ” you still won’t be able to avoid it!”

And he advanced, launching once again his “Resisting the Dragon Means Regret”. Liang Ziwong dodged and jumped behind Guo Jing to attack it. He turned and attempted to attack again same manner, but his opponent was itself, once of more, slipped behind him. Thus, the young man, that knew only to attack in front, was completely perturbed and did not arrive anymore to face.

Seeing him on the verge of losing, Huang Rong cried:

” My love, let me take me care of him!”

She sprang forward and interposed herself between the two fighters, attacking Liang Ziwong with palms and kicks, who returned the attack. Guo Jing retreated two steps to watch them. Huang Rong had well learn this wonderful technique that was the «Wandering Strides», but, besides the fact that she had obtained it too recently to truly master it, Liang Ziwong was in fact a lot stronger one than she. Thus, without the protection given by her soft armour, she already would have received several blows and certainly would have been injured long ago. Before even to have deployed the thirty-six movements of the “Strides”, she was located already in bad posture. The disciples of Liang Ziwong, surrounding their elder injured brother, observed the fight and, see their Shifu was winning, shouted out, the better to encourage him.

Guo Jing prepared himself to assist Huang Rong when all of a sudden Qi Gong was heard to shout, from behind the window:

” His next blow is called “The nasty dog blocks the road”!”

Very surprised, Huang Rong lives that Liang Ziwong, the legs firmly spread in the “Rider Stance”, the stretched fists horizontally, indeed taking the stance of the “Terrible Tiger blocks the road”. She couldn’t prevent herself from laughing internally. “Qi Gong changed the name of this blow! But how was he able to guess that this would be that one?”

She heard then the old beggar shout again:

” And his next blow is “The stinking snake inhales water”!”

She realized that it was a matter of the «Green Dragon inhales water », for which one lengthened the fist forward, this that unveiled a rift to the back, in the back. Venerable seventh had at pains finished to speak that she already had slipped herself behind Liang Ziwong. He attacked effectively with « Green Dragon inhales water », but as the girl, warned in advance, had the advantage and attacked from the back, he made himself safe only because of his exceptional technical mastery, that allowed him to change position right in the middle of a movement, and to fly himself further away. He landed on the tips of his toes, surprised and furious at once:

“Who is the powerful master that hides in the shack?” he cried towards the window. “Why don’t you show yourself?”

But there was only silence behind the window. Liang Ziwong lost himself in wonderment: ” How could this person succeed in predicting my blows?”

Fortified by the support of a great master, Huang Rong now feared nothing: she regained the initiative and launched herself to the attack. Liang Ziwong resorted to killer blows so that the girl herself was forced to give up the upper hand.

” Don’t fear anything!” Qi Gong cried then. ” He will do as a «Monkey with a rotten bottom climbs to the tree »!

Huang Rong burst out laughing, leva the fists and attacked downwards. Liang Ziwong effectively had sketched a « phenomenal Gorille climbs to the tree », and had, after to have jumped in the air and attack downwards. But Huang Rong had preceded him, then if he continued to jump, that meant that he simply was going to offer the head to the falling fists! He had to change his technique immediately… If, in a fight, the opponent knew in advance all your blows, it would not take long for him to overcome you! The immortal one, fortunately for him, was a lot stronger one than Huang Rong, and this allowed himself to extricate himself from a bad situation at the last moment. Suddenly, he jumped back and shouted:

” If you persist not to show yourself, I won’t hesitate to be ruthless towards this girl!”

Changing his tactics, he rained down his blows like hail in a storm, so much so that Huang Rong absolutely could not adorn, and that Qi Gong had not the time to call out his blows.

Seeing his loved one in danger, reduced to dodging right and left, Guo Jing leapt forward and sent out once more his “Resisting the Dragon Means Regret”. Liang Ziwong jumped back.

” My love,” said Huang Rong, ” give him again three blows!”

She turned and went back into the inn.

Guo Jing took position, awaiting the approach of Liang Ziwong and, no matter what technique the Immortal employed, he returned it with a “Resisting the Dragon Means Regret”. His opponent not some could but, furious and entertained at once: ” Where on earth,” he asked, ” did this dumb little fellow learn this strange blow? And why does he know only that one!”

But even if he knew only one blow, the dumb little fellow held it in respect and it there could not nothing. All two restèrent therefore immobilized on their position.

” Silly fellow!” Liang Ziwong cried then. ” You’d better watch out!”

He jumps on his young opponent, who turned to his many times tested formula. Now Liang changed direction squarely flight and sudden struck out three «Acupoint Piercing Bones», that sped towards the young man in three different directions. Guo Jing hurriedly dodged, Liang Ziwong took advantage to thrust himself forward with the speed of light, and seized him by the nape of his neck. Very frightened, the young man struck an elbow blow at the chest of his opponent but, to his great astonishment, he felt the impression that his elbow had sunk itself in a soft mass, like cotton.

Liang Ziwong prepared himself to deal a fatal blow when he heard Huang Rong scream:

” Old monster! Look here!”

Knowing that she was very crafty, he decided not to take any risk: he struck Guo Jing upon the «Jianjing» point, so that he was unable to move, before turning his head. He saw then the girl advancing slowly, and anxiously saw that in her hand was a bamboo stick, its green as clear as jade, which froze him in terror.

” Hong…” he stammered, stunned. ” Grand Master Hong!”

” So, why haven’t you released him!” threatened Huang Rong.

At the time, when he had heard someone calling out his blows before he even carried them out, Liang Ziwong already was very surprised, but he had not thought that it could be Qi Gong. Now, at the appearance of the green bamboo stick, he realized that the voice behind the window was indeed that of the person that he dreaded most in the world. Terrified, he quickly freed Guo Jing.

Brandishing the stick, Huang Rong approached him and said severely:

” Qi Gong wants to ask you how, while he deigned to speak, you dare again to do evil here? What impudence!”

Liang Ziwong tumbled to his knees:

” Your servant did not know that Grand Master Hong was there,” he stuttered. ” Even if I had courage, I never would have dared to offend Grand Master Hong.”

” This fellow is, nonetheless, very powerful,” Huang Rong said to herself, astonished. ” How is it that he is so terrified of just the mention of Qi Gong’s name? And why does he call him Grand Master Hong?”

But she didn’t allow any of her thoughts to appear and assumed a threatening air:

“And which punishment do you deserve?”

” I beg you to please say some words in my favor with Grand Master Hong! Said him that Liang Ziwong recognizes his great sins and that he implores Grandmaster Hong to spare his life!”

” To say a word in your favor, why not? But several words, this would be really too much to ask. In the future, you mustn’t cause trouble to both of us.”

” Your servant offended you in his ignorance,” said Liang Ziwong. ” I you taken of not to hold some for me harshness. In the future, indeed, I will not dare anymore to do…”

Huang Rong, very proud of herself, smiled and reentered the inn, hand in hand with Guo Jing. They found Qi Gong sitting in front of a well-laid table, a knife in the left hand, chopsticks in his right hand, in the process of treating himself.

” Qi Gong,” said Huang Rong while laughing. ” He’s on his knees and doesn’t dare to move even a hair.”

“Give him a hiding to unwind you, he certainly won’t dare to defend himself.”

By the window, Guo Jing saw Liang Ziwong kneeling petrified, with his three disciples behind him, also kneeling, all four looking miserable. He felt pity for them and said:

” Qi Gong, why not forgive them?”

” Little good-for-nothing without character,” Qi Gong reprimanded. ” Someone comes here to trouble you, you aren’t capable of defending yourself, I you except the placement and you want to forgive to your enemy! To what that resembles, I ask you?

Guo Jing wasn’t sure how to reply.

” I’ll take care of him,” said Huang Rong while laughing.

She took up the bamboo stick and went out of the inn. Liang Ziwong remained kneeling respectfully, his face full of fear.

” Qi Gong said that you persist to do evil,” thundered Huang Rong, ” and that was absolutely necessary to cut your throat today! Fortunately, my dear Jing has a good heart, he did not stop pleading your cause, so much so that Qi Gong, finally, agreed to spare you.”

She wielded the stick and struck him a blow on the buttocks while screaming:

“You go in!”

Liang Ziwong addressed himself to the window:

“Grandmaster Hong! I want to see you, to thank you for sparing my life!”

Only silence greeted his plea. Liang Ziwong did not dare to rise, and continued to kneel humbly. Shortly after, Guo Jing came out and waved his hand:

” Qi Gong is asleep,” he said in a low voice. ” Do not disturb him…”

Then Liang Ziwong got up, shot a hate-filled look at the two young people, and left, along with his disciples.

Huang Rong, heart full of joy, re-entered in the inn. She saw Qi Gong laying on the table while snoring. She touched him on the shoulder to awaken him:

“Qi Gong!” she cried. ” Your magic precious stick has a wonderful strength, now you not some done nothing… Why would you give it to me?

Qi Gong raised his head, yawned and said:

You about it speak with your comfort! he says while laughing. ” That is the work instrument of your old man! A beggar without a dog-beating stick, what would that look like?”

Huang Rong continued to tap it while simpering:

” You have such powerful gongfu! Those wicked ones flee just from hearing your name, to what serves you again to have this stick?”

” You rotten imp! said Qi Gong while laughing. ” Quickly prepare me some dishes, I’ll explain it for you presently…”

Huang Rong obeys and quickly went into the kitchen to prepare three small dishes.

Right hand holding a wine cup, left hand squeezing the bone of a ham that he gnawed slowly, Qi Gong began:

The proverb says: « That resembles itself assembles itself ». The full richards to the have form a clan, the outlaws of the highway who rob the passersby form a clan, us others that freely pass our lives begging food leftovers, let us form also a clan…

” I understand,” exclaimed Huang Rong while clapping her hands. ” That old Liang called you «Grand Master Hong », are you thus the chief of the beggars!”

” Precisely. Us beggars, one we walk over, one launches the dogs on us, if one did not group together oneself in a band, how could we survive? The ordinary citizens, in the north of the country, are for the moment under the authority of the Jin; in the south, they are under the authority of the Song emperor; but every beggar in the country…”

” Whether they be in the south or the north,” interrupted Huang Rong, ” are placed under your authority!”

” Eh, yes!” Qi Gong agreed with a smile. ” This bamboo stick and this gourd have been from generation to generation, since the end of the Tang dynasty until today, in other words, for several centuries ago, between the hands of the Grand Master of the Beggar Clan. This is as the jade seal of the little emperor, or the seal of now mandarin chinese.”

” Just as well you didn’t give it to me,” said Huang Rong, sticking out her tongue.

” Why not?”

” If every little beggar in the country came to find me, for me to sort out their affairs, that would be a catastrophe!”

” You have good reason,” Qi Gong sighed. “As I am of a lax and lazy nature, the weight of grandmaster of the Beggar Clan is really too heavy for my shoulders. But I can’t find a person to whom I can entrust it. Then I have well to do with… “

” So that’s why old Liang fears you so much: if all the beggars of the country came to give trouble to him, he would be in big trouble. If each one dropped a louse in his collar, that would trouble him until the end of his days!”

Qi Gong and Guo Jing burst out laughing.

” No,” the old beggar said at last, ” not just for that; he’s also scared of me.”

” What is that?”

” Nearly twenty years ago, he was committing an evil deed when I fell upon him…”

” What evil deed?”

” That old monster,” said Qi Gong hesitantly, ” believed a section of the adage «Gather the yin to nourish the yang… » He had obtained for himself several virgins, of which he violated their bodies, supposedly to obtain immortality.”

” What’s that, to violate the body?” asked Huang Rong.

The girl, whose mother had died in childbirth, had been taught by her father. After the treachery and escape of Chen Xuanfeng and of Mei Chaofeng, Huang Yaoshi, furious, had crippled his other disciples and they h