stone coffins. He took a closer look and saw that two of them were tightly closed, the other three were half open, and he didn’t know if there were corpses inside.

Xiao Longnu pointed to the first coffin on the right and said, “Ancestor Grandma lies there.” She pointed to the second one and said, “Master lies there.”

Yang Guo saw her pointing to a third coffin, his heart jumped, he didn’t know who she was going to say lies in that one. The lid was not closed; if there was a corpse inside wouldn’t it be extremely putrid? He heard her say, “Grandma Sun will lie in that one.”

Yang Guo knew it was an empty coffin, and let out his breath. He saw the other two coffins and became curious, he asked, “What about those two coffins?”

Xiao Longnu said, “One is for my apprentice sister Li Mochou, the other is for me.”

Yang Guo froze and said, “Li Mochou! Miss Li is going to return?”

Xiao Longnu replied, “My teacher planned it all, she will return. There is one coffin short because my master didn’t plan for you.”

Yang Guo was shocked and quickly said, “I don’t want one…I don’t want one!”

Xiao Longnu said, “I promised Grandma Sun that I was going to look after you forever. Since I won’t leave, then that means you won’t either.”

Yang Guo heard her talk about his life and death; he lost any sense of concern and said, “Even if you don’t let me go, when you die, I’ll be able to leave.”

Xiao Longnu said, “I promised to look after you forever, I won’t die before you.”

Yang Guo said, “Why not? You are older than me!”

Xiao Longnu calmly said, “Before I die, I will kill you.”

Yang Guo’s heart jumped into his throat, and thought, “Maybe not. People have got legs, won’t I run away?”

Xiao Longnu went up to the third coffin and opened the lid, she then picked up Grandma Sun and placed her inside. Yang Guo didn’t want to abandon her just yet and said, “Let me take another look at Grandma.” Xiao Longnu knew they had just known each other for a over a day yet they managed to become so closely bonded, she agreed to his request. She frowned and picked up the corpse of Grandma Sun unmoved. Yang Guo looked at Grandma Sun under the dim light, and wanted to cry again. Xiao Longnu looked at him, then placed Grandma Sun’s body into the coffin; she pulled the lid over, a click sound, and the lid locked into place tightly sealing the coffin.

Xiao Longnu was afraid that Yang Guo would cry again and said, “Let’s leave!” She waved her left sleeve, the two oil lamps in the room were put out, and the room was plunged into darkness. Yang Guo was afraid that she would trap him in there and quickly ran out.

In the tomb, there is no difference between night and day. The two of them had a long day and were tired. Xiao Longnu ordered Yang Guo to sleep in Grandma Sun’s room. Yang Guo had wandered around Jianghu by himself since he was very young; he would normally sleep rough or in old temples, and was brave. But now, sleeping by himself in this room, he began to think about the dead people in the coffins and was frightened out of his wits. Xiao Longnu said a few words but he did not reply.

Xiao Longnu said, “Did you not hear me?”

Yang Guo said, “I’m scared”

Xia Long Nu asked, “Scared of what?”

Yang Guo replied, “I don’t know. I’m afraid to sleep by myself.”

Xia Long Nu frowned and said, “You can sleep with me in my room.” She then led him to her room. She was used to the darkness and would not usually light a candle, but because of Yang Guo she lit a wax candle. Yang Guo saw that she was beautiful, the clothes she wore were as white as snow, with not a speck of dust, and he thought that her room must be very elegant and refined. When he entered however, he was disappointed; he saw that her room was empty and was like the room with the coffins. There was a blue green stone bed with a cover of long grass, a white cloth for use as a blanket, and apart from these objects there were nothing else in the room.

Yang Guo thought, “Where am I going to sleep? I’m afraid that she wants me to sleep on the floor.” Then Xiao Longnu said, “Sleep on my bed!”

Yang Guo said, “That’s not right. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Xiao Longnu’s face changed and said, “If you want to stay here then you have got to do as I say. If you want to fight with the Taoists of Quanzhen, it’s up to you. If you argue with me, I’ll immediately punish you with death.”

Yang Guo said, “If you say you won’t use that terrible punishment, then I’ll listen to you.”

Xiao Longnu said, “You dare to talk back?”

Yang Guo saw that she was young and beautiful, but she was strict and domineering, he stuck out his tongue and didn’t say a word.

Xiao Longnu saw and said, “Why are you sticking out your tongue? You refuse to obey is that it?”

Yang Guo didn’t say anything, he took off his shoes and climbed onto the bed and went to sleep. He slept on the bed a while and then awoke as he felt his bones chilled, he was alarmed and quickly jumped off the bed. Xiao Longnu saw that he was frightened out of his wits and sympathized with him, but there was a slight smile on her face as she said, “What is it?”

Yang Guo saw that smile on her face, he smiled and said, “There’s something strange with that bed; you wanted to make a fool out of me.”

Xiao Longnu became serious again and said, “Who’s making a fool out of you? The bed is like that, quickly, go to sleep.” As she said this she took out a broom from behind the door and said, “If you get off the bed again, you will get ten whacks with this broom.”

Yang Guo saw that she was serious, and could only climb onto the bed again, but this time he was prepared and wasn’t shocked. It was as if there was a block of ice underneath the layer of long grass; the longer he slept the colder he became, his body shivered and his teeth chattered noisily. After a while, the coldness went into his bones, he couldn’t endure anymore and got off the bed again.

He turned around and saw Xiao Longnu looking at him; her face seemed to smile but didn’t smile. She had a punishment in mind for him, he secretly cursed himself in his heart and he clenched his teeth tightly and used all his strength to resist the coldness of the bed. He saw Xiao Longnu take out a rope, and tie one end to a hook on the eastern side of the room, and tied the other end to a hook on the western side of the room. The rope was off the floor at a height similar to that of a person. She lightly jumped up and lay along the rope, using it as a bed. She waved her left palm and the wind of the palm blew out the candle.

Yang Guo was in awe and said, “Gu Gu, could you teach me this skill tomorrow?”

Xiao Longnu said, “This skill is nothing. Practice hard, I have many great skills to teach you.”

When Yang Guo heard that Xiao Longnu was going to sincerely teach him martial arts, he then immediately wiped away his initial feelings about her. He was grateful and tears were forming in his eyes, and said, “Gu Gu, you treat me very well, before I hated you.”

Xiao Longnu said, “I forced you out of the tomb, of course you would hate me, what is so strange about that?”

Yang Guo said, “I thought you were going to be like my previous master, teaching me useless kung fu.”

Xiao Longnu heard him shiver as he talked and said, “Are you cold?”

Yang Guo said, “Yes, there’s something strange underneath this bed, why is it so cold?”

Xiao Longnu said, “Do you like it or don’t you?”

Yang Guo said, “I…I don’t.”

Xiao Longnu chuckled and said, “You don’t like it, yet there are many skilled fighters on this earth who wish they could have the chance to sleep on this bed.”

Yang Guo asked, “You aren’t punishing me?”

Xiao Longnu said, “I treat you well, and you think I’m punishing you, you really don’t know what’s good for you.”

From her tone, it seemed as she was saying that sleeping on this bed was a blessing, so he softly asked, “Gu Gu, what is so good about this cold bed, can you explain it to me?”

Xiao Longnu said, “If you sleep on this bed for the rest of your life, you’ll find out the benefits for yourself. Close your eyes, don’t speak anymore.”

In the darkness he heard her clothes rustle lightly, it seemed like she was turning over; she was sleeping on a rope in midair, yet was able to turn over when she wanted to. It was uncanny.

Her last two sentences were said with a strict tone, Yang Guo didn’t dare to question any further. He closed his eyes to sleep, but the coldness from below advanced on him; then he thought about Grandma Sun and he was depressed again, how could he sleep? After a while he quietly called out, “Gu Gu, I can’t stand it.” He heard Xiao Longnu’s slow breathing; she was asleep. He quietly called out twice, but there was no reply and he thought, “If I get off the bed and sleep on the floor, she wouldn’t know.” He then quietly sneaked down from the bed, and stood on the floor, not daring to breathe out.

As soon as his feet touched the floor, a ‘se’ sound was made as Xiao Longnu leapt down from the rope, and bent his left arm behind his back, and forced him onto the floor. Yang Guo shouted in shock. Xiao Longnu grabbed the broom, and hit his backside with force. Yang Guo knew there was no use in pleading so he clenched his teeth and took the blows. The first five were very painful, but by the sixth hit Xiao Longnu held back a little, and by the last two hits she was afraid that he won’t be able to endure it anymore and they were even lighter. After the ten blows, she put Yang Guo on the bed and said, “If you get off the bed again, I’ll hit you again.”

Yang Guo lay on the bed, and didn’t make a noise; he heard her place the broom in the corner and then leaped back onto the rope. Xiao Longnu thought that he would definitely cry, but didn’t think that he wouldn’t make a sound. She was surprised and asked, “Why aren’t you making any noise?”

Yang Guo said, “What is there to cry about, you said you were going to beat me, you beat me, even if I begged it wouldn’t be of any use.”

Xiao Longnu said, “Humph, you are cursing me secretly in your heart.”

Yang Guo said, “I am not cursing you secretly in my heart, you are much better than my previous master.”

Xiao Longnu asked, “Why?”

Yang Guo said, “Although you hit me, you cared for my well being. The hits became lighter, you were afraid that I would be in pain.”

Xiao Longnu blushed slightly when she heard those words, it was lucky that it was dark and Yang Guo didn’t see her, she scolded, “Humph, who cares for you, the next time you are disobedient I’ll beat you even harder.”

Yang Guo heard her gentle tone and smiled and said, “If you beat me harder, I’ll like it even more.”

Xiao Longnu spat out, “Little rascal, I’m afraid you won’t be able to sleep each day without a beating.”

Yang Guo said, “It depends on who beats me. If it was someone who cared about me, then I won’t be angry, I’ll be pleased instead. If it were someone who hates me, insults me one word, when I grow up, I’ll take my revenge on them.”

Xiao Longnu said, “Listen to your words; who’s going to hate you and who’s going to love you.”

Yang Guo said, “This is all clear in my mind. There is no need to mention those who hate me; there are countless people. The people who love me are my deceased mother, Uncle Guo, my Godfather, Grandma Sun and you.”

Xiao Longnu chuckled and said, “Humph, I won’t love you. Grandma Sun told me to take care of you; I will take care of you. There is no point in hoping that I will treat you well.”

Yang Guo was feeling cold already, but when he heard those words it was like someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him. He asked, “What’s wrong with me? Why do you hate me?”

Xiao Longnu said, “Whether you are feeling good or bad, what is that to do with me? And I don’t hate you. I have lived in this tomb all my life, I don’t love anything, and I don’t hate anything.”

Yang Guo said, “Is there anything fun around here? Gu Gu, have you ever been outside?”

Xiao Longnu said, “I have never left Mount Zhongnan, there’s just trees and mountains, the sun and moon outside, what is so good about that?”

Yang Guo clapped his hand and said, “Ah, then you haven’t lived properly. There are many colorful and interesting objects in the city, you should see them.” Then he described all the things he had seen in his life. He was a good speaker, he added his own colorful descriptions and the objects he was describing sounded even more interesting and strange, he described hundreds of things. It was fortunate that Xiao Longnu had lived in the tomb for the past eighteen years; she didn’t question his descriptions and believed them all, after he had finished, and she gave out a sigh.

Yang Guo said, “Gu Gu, I’ll take you out to play, how about that?”

Xiao Longnu said, “Don’t say such things! Ancestor Grandma passed down a rule; those who have lived in the Tomb of the Living Dead must not leave Mount Zhongnan one step.”

Yang Guo was shocked, and thought, “Peach Blossom Island is an island in the middle of the sea, I went there and was able to leave, how can this large tomb keep me here?” and he asked, “Miss Li Mochou is your apprentice sister, she lived in the Tomb of the Living Dead, how did she leave Mount Zhongnan?

Xiao Longnu said, “She didn’t obey my Master, it was my Master who sent her out of the tomb.”

Yang Guo was pleased and thought, “If there is such a rule, when I want to leave all I’ve got to do is disobey you and you will send me out of the tomb.” He thought how he mustn’t let this slip otherwise his plan wouldn’t work.

The two of them talked, just for a moment, Yang Guo forgot all about the cold, but after a while his body started to shiver and shake. he then pleaded with Xiao Longnu, “Gu Gu, spare me please. I don’t want to sleep on this bed.”

Xiao Longnu said, “When you were fighting with your master in the Quanzhen sect, you didn’t say a word about mercy, why are you like this now?”

Yang Guo laughed and said, “Those who ill treat me, even if they beat me I won’t say a word. Those who treat me well, I’ll be willing to die for them, what’s a word of mercy compared to that?”

Xiao Longnu gave a ‘humph’ and said, “Little rogue, who’s going to treat you well?”

Xiao Longnu was brought up by her teacher and Grandma Sun, and for these last eighteen years they were her only company. The two of them treated her well but because her Master wanted her to learn the “Jade Heart Manual” so, ever since she was small, she was told to purge her emotions. When she cried or smiled she would be punished heavily. Grandma Sun was a warm person but she didn’t dare to disturb her refinement of the skill, and so Xiao Longnu became a cold, unfeeling, lonely girl. Now Yang Guo came. He was a young hot-blooded, emotional person, and the way he spoke was completely the opposite of Grandma Sun and her Master. Xiao Longnu heard him speak; she was aware that something was strange but she listened to him talking and forgot about their tiredness. When she first agreed to take in Yang Guo, it was at the request of Grandma Sun. Later on when she heard Yang Guo say that she treats him well, she felt that she indeed did treat him well.

Yang Guo heard her tone had no more strictness within it, he said loudly, “Its cold…its cold, Gu Gu, I can’t endure it anymore.” Indeed he was cold, but it wasn’t anything too serious.

Xiao Longnu said, “There’s no need to be noisy, I’ll tell you about the bed.”

Yang Guo was pleased and said, “Great, I won’t call out anymore, please tell Gu Gu.”

Xiao Longnu said, “I said that there are many fighters who wished that they had the chance to sleep on this bed, that wasn’t a lie. The bed is made out of an ancient Chilled Jade; it aids those who practice advanced types of internal energy.”

Yang Guo asked, “Isn’t it just a stone?”

Xiao Longnu chuckled and said, “You’ve said that you have seen countless strange and wondrous objects, haven’t you ever seen an icy cold piece of rock before? It was Ancestor Grandma who spent seven years of blood and sweat in the extreme cold of the northern plains to dig out the Chilled Jade from under thousands of feet of ice and snow. If you practice your internal energy on this bed, one year is equivalent of ten years of normal practicing.”

Yang Guo was surprised and said, “Oh, so it has such benefits.”

Xiao Longnu said, “When you first sleep on it, it is extremely cold and hard to endure. Only by circulating your chi to oppose it and slowly getting used to it, you’ll be able to practice your internal energy in your sleep. A normal person who practices internal energy, even the most energetic, will have to spend a few hours each day in sleep. You have to be aware that practicing internal energy is opposing the natural flow of things, chi and blood intermix; it is completely different to what happens normally. But each night when you sleep, the chi that is produced in your sleep does not waste the energy you have accumulated in the day, it enhances your internal energy.”

Yang Guo understood and said, “If you sleep on ice and snow at night, then you will have the same effect.”

Xiao Longnu said, “Not so. Firstly, when you sleep on ice or snow, your body’s heat will eventually melt the snow and ice into water; secondly, the Chilled Jade is much colder than ice and snow. When you are refining internal energy, the most important thing to avoid is fire deviation; when you are practicing normally, half of your refined energy clashes with the fire in your heart. The Chilled Jade Bed is the world’s most yin and cold object. When sitting on the bed and refining your internal energy, the fire in your heart is cooled and neutralized. That means you will be able to press on further when cultivating your internal energy; how can that not be faster than practicing internal energy normally?”

Yang Guo was delighted, and said, “Gu Gu, you treat me very well, you lend the bed for me to sleep on, that means I won’t be scared of the Wu brothers and Guo Fu. Although Zhao Zhijing and the rest of the Taoists have practiced martial arts for so long, I still will be able to catch up with them.”

Xiao Longnu calmly said, “One of the decrees that Ancestor Grandma passed down was that once you have lived in the tomb, you must forget your struggles with other people.”

Yang Guo quickly said, “Even though they bullied me and killed Grandma Sun, we will just leave it just like that.”

Xiao Longnu said, “Everyone will die. Even if Grandma Sun did not die at the hands of Hao Datong, in a few years she would die of old age. Live a few more years or live a few less years, what difference does it make? Don’t mention anything about revenge to me again.”

Yang Guo felt that, although her words made sense, he could not let go; but he wasn’t able to think of a reply to what she said. Then, the coolness of the bed entered his body again, he shook continuously.

Xiao Longnu said, “I’ll teach you a method to oppose the coolness of the bed.”

She then passed on the formulae and the way to practice internal energy to him; it was their sect’s foundation kung fu. Yang Guo practiced according to the instructions. He had only practiced it for a while when he felt the coolness retreating; by the third repetition, his body felt like it was on fire. He didn’t feel the bed’s coolness, and instead felt that sitting on the bed was extremely comfortable, his eyes closed, and slowly he fell asleep. He slept for half an hour; his hot chi disappeared, and was wakened by the bed’s coolness. He then repeated the method again. He spent the night this way, falling asleep and waking up again, but when he suddenly woke up he didn’t feel any tiredness. In just a night, his internal energy level increased further.

The two of them ate breakfast, and then Yang Guo took the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen and washed them, before returning to the main hall.

Xiao Longnu said, “There is one thing you must understand. If you really want me to be your master, you must obey me for eternity. If you don’t want me to be your master, I will still teach you martial arts. If in the future you become better than me, then you can leave the tomb because of your skills.”

Yang Guo replied without considering, “I am willing to take you as my master. Even if you don’t teach me a drop of martial arts, I will still do as you say.”

Xiao Longnu asked, “Why?”

Yang Guo said, “Gu Gu, don’t you think I know that you care for me?”

Xiao Longnu made a face and said, “Whether I treat you well or not, don’t talk about it. Since you’ve decided to enter my sect, then follow me and you will undergo the ritual.”

Yang Guo followed her into the back hall, only to see it was sparse and empty, apart from two paintings on the eastern and western wall. On the western wall was a picture of two girls. One of them was around twenty five or six years of age, facing a mirror combing and adorning her hair. The other was a fourteen or fifteen years of age maiden, her hand holding a bucket, standing to the side. The tall girl looking in the mirror was extremely beautiful, her eyebrows tidy, yet in her eyes there was an air of death. Yang Guo took a few glances at the painting, and felt fear and respect towards the girl.

Xiao Longnu pointed to the tall girl in the painting and said, “That is our Ancestor, kowtow to her.”

Yang Guo strangely asked, “That’s our Ancestor, why is she so young?”

Xiao Longnu said, “She was young in the picture, later she wasn’t as young anymore.” Yang Guo focused on the two sentences, ‘She was young in the picture, later she wasn’t as young anymore’, he felt sorrow and regret in his heart and tears came to his eyes.

Xiao Longnu didn’t notice that he was thinking and pointed to the young girl and said, “That is my Master, quickly kowtow.” Yang Guo looked at the painting, and saw the young girl, who could believe that she would become Xiao Longnu’s Master; he didn’t hesitate and immediately kowtowed.

Xiao Longnu waited for him to stand up and then pointed to the painting hung on the eastern wall and said, “Spit on that Taoist.” Yang Guo took a look at the painting and saw the Taoist was quite tall, a long sword by his side, the index finger on his right hand pointing to the north eastern corner, his back facing out, his face could not be seen.

He was curious and asked, “Who’s that? Why should I spit on him?”

Xiao Longnu said, “That is the Quanzhen sect’s founder Wang Chongyang, our sect has a rule, after kowtowing to our Ancestor we need to spit on him.”

Yang Guo was pleased, he hated the Quanzhen sect, he felt this rule of the sect was a suiting finish; he spat out at the painting, and felt that this was not enough and spat out twice. He was about to do it again when Xiao Longnu said, “Enough!”

Yang Guo asked, “Did our Ancestor really hate Wang Chongyang?”

Xiao Longnu said, “Yes.”

Yang Guo said, “I hate him as well. How come the painting is hung on the wall but not destroyed?”

Xiao Longnu said, “I don’t know, I only heard from Grandma Sun and my Master that there isn’t one good man on earth.”

Her voice suddenly became strict and she said, “When you become older and do bad things, shall I spare you or not?”

Yang Guo said, “Of course you’ll spare me.”

Xiao Longnu originally meant this as a warning, she didn’t know he would answer, she was startled and didn’t know what to do with him and said, “Quickly greet your Master.”

Yang Guo said, “Of course, I must kowtow to my Master. But first you have to got to promise me one thing otherwise I won’t kowtow.”

Xiao Longnu thought, “According to Grandma Sun, before accepting a disciple, only the Master can request things from the disciple, how can it be turned around and the disciple requests something from the Master?”

She was an emotionless person and didn’t get angry, she said, “What is it? Let me hear what you’ve got to say.”

Yang Guo said, “I regard you as my Master, I respect you and obey you, but I don’t want to call you Master, I want to call you Gu Gu.”

Xiao Longnu was bemused again and asked, “Why?”

Yang Guo said, “I had taken that rotten Taoist from the Quanzhen sect as my Master, he didn’t treat me well at all, in my dreams I curse my Master. That’s why I want to call you Gu Gu, in case I mistakenly insult you when I insult my Master.”

Xiao Longnu smiled slightly and felt that the way in which this child thinks was amusing, and said, “Fine, I agree to this.”

Yang Guo then knelt down grandly, and kowtowed loudly eight times in front of Xiao Longnu and said, “Disciple Yang Guo hereby pays respect and acknowledges Xiao Longnu Gu Gu as my Master. Yang Guo will obey her words forever, if Gu Gu is in any sort of danger, I will give up my life to protect her, if someone insults Gu Gu, then I will kill them.” In reality Xiao Longnu’s skills were better than his by ten fold, but he saw that she was a beautiful, gentle and fragile girl, a feeling of duty to protect weak girls stirred, and he came out with those words.

Xiao Longnu heard his sincere words, although he spoke with a childish tone, she was touched nonetheless.

Yang Guo finished kowtowing and picked himself up, his face full of glee.

Xiao Longnu said, “Why are you so pleased? My skills can’t compare with Quanzhen’s Qiu Chuji or your Uncle Guo.”

Yang Guo said, “I don’t care if they were even more skilled, you are really going to teach me kung fu.”

Xiao Longnu said, “Actually there isn’t much use in learning kung fu. It’s just that there isn’t much to do in the tomb, that’s why I’m teaching you.”

Yang Guo said, “Gu Gu, what’s our sect called?”

Xiao Longnu said, “When our Ancestor came and lived in the tomb, she didn’t have any contact with the Wulin world, our sect didn’t have a name. Later my apprentice sister Li Mochou left and wandered around the world of Jianghu, others said she was a disciple from ‘Gu Mu Pai’ (Ancient Tomb sect), so let’s call our sect the Ancient Tomb sect!”

Yang Guo shook his head, and said, “Ancient Tomb sect isn’t a good name.”

He had just entered the sect and found fault with the name, but Xiao Longnu wasn’t too concerned and said, “Does it matter if the name is good or not? Wait here for me; I’m going outside for a while.”

Yang Guo remembered that he would be on his own in the tomb and became scared and said, “Gu Gu, I’ll go with you.”

Xiao Longnu looked at him and said, “You said you’ll obey for eternity, my first order and you don’t listen?”

Yang Guo said, “I’m scared.”

Xiao Longnu said, “You are a man, what is there to be afraid of? You said you were going to help me get rid of bad people.”

Yang Guo thought for a while and said, “Fine, come back quickly.”

Xiao Longnu calmly said, “I can’t be certain how long I’ll be; I don’t know if I can catch them so quickly.”

Yang Guo said, “Catch what?” Xiao Longnu didn’t reply and walked away.

As soon as she left, there wasn’t a sound in the tomb. Yang Guo wondered what on earth she’s going to catch. She said she will never leave Mount Zhongnan, which means she was going to catch a Quanzhen Taoist, but who could it be. After capturing him I’ll torture him for a while, that’ll be fun; but Gu Gu is by herself, she might be in danger. He thought wildly for a while, and then exited the hall and headed west in the passageways. After ten or so steps, it was pitch black in front of his eyes. He was afraid that he was going to get lost, he touched the wall and made his way back but after twenty steps or so he lost the light of the main hall. He was afraid, and walked forward faster. He had originally been on the wrong path, but as he carried on, he became even more lost. He ran faster and faster, he crashed into the east and bumped into the west, but felt that there were paths everywhere; he was never going to reach the main hall again. He then loudly called out, “Gu Gu, Gu Gu, save me quickly.” The echo resonated for a while before disappearing.

He ran around again for a while, but then felt the ground was damp, his foot had stepped into some mud. He wasn’t on the level of the tomb but had run into one of the passageways underground; he was scared and thought, “If I got lost in the tomb, Gu Gu will be able to find me. Now that I’m running around, she won’t be able to find me, and when she finds out I escaped she will be very upset.” He didn’t dare run around anymore; he felt out a stone and sat down, he wanted to cry out but he couldn’t.

He sat there for over an hour when he suddenly heard the faint calls of “Guo’er, Guo’er!” Yang Guo was delighted and quickly got up and shouted, “Gu Gu, I’m over here!” The calls of “Guo’er, Guo’er” became fainter. Yang Guo was in a rush and shouted at the top of his voice, “I’m over here!” After a while, he didn’t hear anything, when suddenly he felt his ear being tugged, someone was pulling on his ear.

At first he was alarmed but now he was pleased and shouted out, “Gu Gu, you’ve come, how come I didn’t notice anything?”

Xiao Longnu said, “Why are you here?”

Yang Guo said, “I took a wrong turn.”

Xiao Longnu sighed and took his hand and walked, though it was pitch black, it was as if she was under the sun, she went around corners and changed paths, she walked extremely fast.

Yang Guo said, “Gu Gu, how can you see in here?”

Xiao Longnu said, “I grew up here in the darkness, so I don’t need any light.”

Yang Guo had sat there for over an hour and was frightened and regretful, now that he was rescued, he was delighted but he didn’t know what to say.

After a while, Xiao Longnu took him to the main hall again. Yang Guo sighed and said, “Gu Gu, just now I was really worried.”

Xiao Longnu said, “Worried about what? I’d eventually find you.”

Yang Guo said, “I’m not worried about that, I was afraid that you might have thought that I had escaped and become sad.”

Xiao Longnu said, “If you did escape, I wouldn’t be able to keep the promise I made to Grandma Sun, what is so sad about that?”

Yang Guo heard this and knew there was no use, and said, “Gu Gu, you’ve caught it then?”

Xiao