hrough it. They didn’t expect that Yang Guo would actually have such lightness Kung Fu and could carry Xiao Longnü and also across the valley on a rope.

As Yang Guo and Xiao Longnü bowed to heaven and earth at the Chongyang Palace, everybody in the Quanzhen sect felt badly violated. But this time seeing how the two people had retreated, the Quanzhen Five Masters smiled at one another and actually turned soft in their hearts. Sun Bu’Er was originally the most resentful but at the palace hall she witnessed how the two of them were idealistic and sincere. On top of that, Yang Guo had spared her own life at a critical moment. She couldn’t help feeling a loss and fell silent.

The Quanzhen five masters and Zhou Botong went back to the palace hall and inquired about the Mongolian Prince’s imperial decrees, the fights of the two disciples Zhao and Zhen, Xiao Longnü’s sudden attack, and so on. They went over each report one by one. With tears in his eyes, Qiu Chuji said: “Zhibing’s disgracing someone was truly abominable but he did defend our sect with loyalty and patriotism, pledging to fight to death rather than surrendering to the Mongols. That has great merit.”

Wang Chuyi said: “Zhibing naturally had flaws but he also tried to uphold justice. We should still recognize him as a Zhang Jiao [Jiao chief].” Liu Chuxuan, Hao Datong, and others also agreed.

Qiu Chuji said again: “If it was not for Long Guniang [Miss Long] arriving in time to block the enemy, our sect would have been annihilated. Long Guniang is really our sect’s great benefactor. From now on we not only cannot be disrespectful to them as husband and wife, we would also have to repay the debt of gratitude. Ai, we did injure her, not knowing… not knowing…” Thinking about how Xiao Longnü was heavily injured, he deeply blamed himself.

Qiu Chuji and the others were busy investigating the past events and cleaning up damage while Zhou Botong didn’t pay attention to these matters in the slightest, he was playing with that bottle of Jade Bee honey in his hand. Several times he thought about opening the bottle to tempt the bees but always feared the outcome, and of not being able to get away. At this time a disciple stepped in and reported that five disciples were stung by the Jade Bees and that their itchy pains were difficult to endure and so asked the master to help. Hao Datong thought about the year Sun Po Po (Grandma Sun) broke into the palace to give them the honey so he said: “Long Guniang [Miss Long] must have left this bottle of Jade Bee honey for us to treat the injured. Shi Shu [Martial Uncle], please give the Jade Bee honey to the five disciples, and let them take a little.”

Zhou Botong stretched out both hands and his palms were empty. He said, “Don’t know how but I suddenly can’t find it.” Hao Datong had obviously seen him playing with the bottle in his hand so it couldn’t possibly be suddenly missing. He decided that Zhou Botong was not willing to hand it over but Zhou Botong was an elder so it was not very convenient to say much.

He couldn’t help but feel awkward. Zhou Botong then gave his sleeves a brush and patted his body several times. He said, “I didn’t hide it. Don’t suspect me being so mean that I don’t want to give it to you. Do you want me to take of all my clothes for you to take a good look?” Zhou Botong had always been naughty and only wanted to play, not distinguishing between big, small or urgent matters, and this didn’t change with old age. In his mind, these little cow noses [Taoists] were stung by the bees. At most they would be in immense pain for half a day so it was hardly a life or death worry.

This bottle of Jade Bee honey couldn’t be given to anyone. Then he heard Hao Datong speaking so he passed the bottle up his shirt sleeve and let it slide down from his chest to his belly. He shrank his belly a bit so the bottle could go down his pants and from there the bottle slowly dropped to his foot and gently fell down to the floor. His internal energy was so profound that the muscles in his whole body could all be manipulated. That small bottle was sent to the floor and surprisingly didn’t even make a sound.

Wang Chuyi thought, “Martial Uncle didn’t want to hand over the bottle but only wanted to play with people. If I say something, there is no way I could change his mind. I should just take care of other business first and when his temper is improved, I will get the bottle from him. For now let’s heavily punish the treacherous disciple Zhijing. If not for Zhao Zhibing’s willingness to die rather than to surrender, wouldn’t our sect’s long-built reputation have already been destroyed by this treacherous disciple’s hand?” Having thought this, he said out loud, “Hao Shi Di [Apprentice Brother Hao], it won’t hurt if we postpone the matter of treating the injured. We must quickly deal with this treacherous disciple Zhijing first!”

The Quanzhen five masters were apprentice brothers for several decades so they all knew about Wang Chuyi’s straight and unselfish character. Even though Zhijing was his Taoist disciple, he had committed an atrocious crime. Wang Chuyi wouldn’t think to protect him. Everybody thought, “This perfidious disciple sold out his sect for personal glory and harmed his own sect brothers in the process. He cannot be forgiven.”

Suddenly they heard a faint sound coming from under the bell, “Martial Grandpa Zhou, if you save my life, I’ll give you the bee honey; otherwise I’ll just eat it all before I die!” Zhou Botong was alarmed and quickly moved forward a step. Sure enough that bottle of Jade Bee honey was gone without a trace. Zhou Botong had earlier stood by the bell, with Zhao Zhijing beneath it. That small bottle happened to fall right in front of him. Upon hearing that Hao Datong couldn’t get the Jade Bee honey from Zhou Botong, he immediately stretched out his hand through the crack and grabbed it.

Now he used this small bottle to bargain for his life. He himself knew that this attempt could be in vain but he was desperate and therefore must fight for his life to the bitter end. As Zhou Botong heard Zhao Zhijing’s words, he was extremely worried and cried out, “Hey, hey, you definitely can’t eat the bee honey. Wait, let’s talk about it.”

Zhao Zhijing then replied: “Then you must agree to save my life.”

The Quanzhen five masters were startled, fearing that if this Martial Uncle were to agree to this demand, they wouldn’t be able to punish Zhao Zhijing. Qiu Chuji hurriedly said, “Shi Shu [Martial Uncle], this person has committed a really heinous crime, we cannot spare him no matter what.”

Zhou Botong crouched down on the ground and spoke into the bell, “Hey, hey, you definitely cannot eat the bee honey!”

Liu Chuxuan then added, “Shi Shu [Martial Uncle], pay him no mind! If you want the bee honey, it’s really not difficult. Today we’ve already explained and settled the animosity with Long Guniang. We can now go to Gu Mu and ask her for several bottles. Long Guniang has already given you the first one so giving you another ten is really not a problem!”

Zhou Botong then shook his head and said, “Maybe not, maybe not!” In his mind he thought, “Do you think she gave me this bottle of the bee honey? It was me who stole it. She left the Sacred Scripture Chamber in a hurry so she didn’t take it with her. If I asked her again to give me the honey, she might not agree. And even if she did agree, I’d still have to let you take it away to cure people, how would there be anything left for me in the end?”

Then he heard the gentle hum of five or six Jade Bees that flew into the hall from the courtyard through the hole in the roof. The hall doors were closed so the bees hit the window and couldn’t find their way out. Zhou Botong came up with an idea and said, “Zhao Zhijing, I’m afraid what you took isn’t the Jade Bee honey.”

Zhao Zhijing hurriedly replied, “Yes, yes, it is. Why shouldn’t it be?”

Zhou Botong then said, “Good, you open the bottle and let me smell it first. If it isn’t the bee honey, there’s no need to talk any more nonsense.”

Zhao Zhijing quickly opened the bottle and said, “You smell it, isn’t it the bee honey?”

Zhou Botong deeply inhaled the air and said, “Hmm, Hmm, it doesn’t smell like it. Let me sniff again a few more times.”

Zhao Zhijing clasped both hands tightly over the bottle for fear that Zhou Botong would lift the bell up and snatch it from him. At the same time he said, “You sniff this sweet scent, sniff this sweet scent!” The scent of the Jade Bee honey was incomparably sweet. As soon as the bottle was opened, the palace hall was filled with the strong fragrance.

Zhou Botong sneezed and laughed. He said, “I’ve got a cold and my nose is not very effective!” and at the same time turned to Qiu Chuji, giving him a wink.

Zhao Zhijing also guessed right that Zhou Botong was using a delaying tactic so he said: “If you even touch the bell, I will eat all the bee honey.” But by this time, several Jade Bees had already sensed the honey smell and flew to the bell.

Zhou Botong wielded his sleeves and shouted, “Go in and sting him!” The Jade Bees of course didn’t listen to Zhou Botong but the scent coming out from beneath the bell was growing more and more intense. With zeng-zeng hums, they all buzzed in through the crack at the bottom of the bell.

The people then heard Zhao Zhijing’s frantic shouts. With the poignant smell of the honey, a Jade Bee flew in and stung him, causing the bottle to drop and shatter. Zhou Botong went mad and shouted, “Stinky Cow nose [Taoist], why couldn’t you hold the bottle firmly?” As he was about to go lift up the bell more Jade Bees from the courtyard crazily buzzed into the bell. Zhou Botong had suffered the Jade Bee stings so he didn’t dare to get near. He saw numerous bees filling the large space inside the bell. Zhao Zhijing’s body was covered with the sticky syrup and no matter how he moved his hands or his head, he couldn’t avoid the bees and got stung who-know-how-many hundred times all over his body. The people heard him shouting out crazily for a moment and then came an eerie silence. He must have died from the great amount of poison.

Zhou Botong then grabbed Liu Chuxuan’s robe and said: “Good, Chuxuan, now you go ask Long Guniang to give me many, many bottles of the bee honey.” Liu Chuxuan frowned, feeling quite miserable. Earlier he tried to stop Zhou Botong from being rash and agreeing to Zhao Zhijing’s demand so he spoke out quite carelessly. As a matter of fact, the Quanzhen Five Masters had used the “Big Dipper Formation” and all their combined forces to injure Xiao Longnü. It was still not certain that she would ever recover, how could it be “animosity explained and settled” four words as he said? Right now Zhou Botong was holding his chest so he could only let out a painful smile and said: “Don’t worry, Shi Shu [Martial Uncle], Chuxuan is leaving!” Then he turned towards the back of the mountain and walked to Gu Mu.

Qiu Chuji and others knew that this matter was indeed deadly. If Xiao Longnü was alright, everything would be fine. But if she died from the severe injury, nobody knew how many Quanzhen disciples would be killed by Yang Guo’s hand. Everybody then said in one voice: “Let us all go together.”

The woods outside Gu Mu was the area Wang Chongyang himself had forbidden his disciples to go, not even one step. Many people heeded their late master’s instruction so they stopped at the edge of the woods. Qiu Chuji summoned air into his abdomen and clearly announced: “Yang Xiao Xia [Young Hero Yang], is Long Guniang’s injury alright? Here we’ve got several wonder pills to treat the injury. Please come out and take them.” Zhou Botong said in a low voice: “Yes, Yes! I want the bee honey. Come out and trade for them!” Half a day passed and still there was no reply. After Qiu Chuji used his energy to call the couple, the woods fell into a bleak silence. He looked into the woods but only saw the shady clouds circling around, all the tree branches above, and thorny bushes below.

Liu Chuxuan and Hao Datong walked along the edge of the woods but saw no sign of people passing through the area. It looked like Yang Guo and Xiao Longnü didn’t come back to Gu Mu but went away from Mount Zhongnan. They felt both happy and worried at the same time and decided to return to the Chongyang Palace. The Quanzhen people were glad that the Yang-Long couple had gone far away but worried that if Xiao Longnü didn’t recover, the sect would have big trouble ahead. On the other hand, the Old Urchin Zhou Botong was worried that he wouldn’t get the Jade Bee honey but also quite happy that he didn’t have to meet Xiao Longnü and could avoid exposing his crime of stealing the bee honey in the first place.

Even though the Quanzhen Five Masters had lived on Mount Zhongnan for several decades, they couldn’t have guessed how Yang Guo and Xiao Longnü came back to Gu Mu.

Shielded by the Jade Bees, the Yang-Long couple rushed to the back of the courtyard and then saw a small building on the side of the mountain. Yang Guo knew it was the Sacred Scripture Chamber of the Chongyang Palace so he carried Xiao Longnü inside. They let out a gasp of air and then heard the sounds of many people shouting. Dozens of Taoists were pursuing them but they were afraid of the Jade Bees and dared not come too close.

Yang Guo settled Xiao Longnü in a chair, looked around, and contemplated the situation. Then he saw that in the back of the Sacred Scripture Chamber was a mountain creek which was 30 to 40 feet below. Even though the gorge was deep, the good thing was that it wasn’t too wide. On the side of his body, he always carried a long rope for tying between two big trees to make a bed. Now he tied one end to a pillar of the Sacred Scripture Chamber and then leapt down while pulling the rope. He swam across the mountain stream and then straightened the rope. He then tied its other end to a big tree before using his lightness Kung Fu to walk on the rope back to the chamber.

When he was back at Xiao Longnü’s side, he softly asked her, “Shall we go over there?”

Xiao Longnü said, “You said we should go there; then I’d go there with you.”

Yang Guo laughed and said, “That is called “Marry a chicken, act like a chicken; marry a dog, act like a dog!” [Chinese saying: A woman must follow and comply with her husband’s wishes]. Then he paused and asked again, “In your heart, do you really want to go over there?” Xiao Longnü let out a gentle sigh and her facial expression changed. Yang Guo knew she most wanted to go home to Gu Mu but they could only get inside at great expense. While hesitating, they heard the shouting from outside the chamber and knew that they couldn’t delay getting out of there much longer.

While he could read her mind, Xiao Longnü also understood him just as well. So she softly said, “I don’t really have to go back to Gu Mu. You don’t have to worry about me.” Then she smiled, “As long as I can be with you, any place is just as good.”

Yang Guo now thought, “This is her first wish after we got married and it might be her last wish in life as well. If I couldn’t do this for her, how would I deserve to be her husband?” He looked in all directions. Hearing the sounds of people outside, his heart was in chaos. Then towards the west side of the chamber he caught a glimpse of a wooden trunk stacked on a bookshelf. His heart leapt and he said, “That’s it!” He rushed there and saw that the trunk had a copper lock on it. He ripped it apart and opened the lid. The inside of the trunk was filled with books so he lifted up the trunk and turned it upside down, sending the books down on the floor. The trunk itself was made from Camphor wood about an inch thick and was very sturdy. Then he traced his hand along the shelves and found an oilcloth that was used to protect the precious books from rain leaks. He put two pieces of large oilcloth inside the trunk and then, with a rope, dropped the trunk down to the mountain creek below. He came back to carry Xiao Longnü and said with a smile, “Let us go home.”

Xiao Longnü was very happy and smiled back. She said, “Your ideas are really good.”

Yang Guo was afraid that she would worry so to comfort her he said, “This sword is very powerful. If a mountain rock blocks the trunk under the water, the sword will cut it open. I’ll go fast; you, inside the box, don’t have to worry.”

Xiao Longnü smiled and said; “Only one thing is not good.”

Yang Guo was startled and said, “What is it?”

Xiao Longnü then replied, “I won’t be able to see you for a while.”

Down at the mountain creek, Yang Guo remembered that he left Guo Xiang in the cave so he said, “We’ll bring Uncle Guo’s girl with us too, what do you say?”

Xiao Longnü was stunned and so her voice trembled as she said, “Really? You’ve brought Hero Guo…Hero Guo’s daughter?”

Yang Guo saw her changed expression, immediately realizing that she thought he’d brought Guo Fu with him. He bent down and gently kissed her face, softly saying, “It is that month-old baby. She can’t cut off anyone’s arm!” This time Xiao Longnü blushed profusely and hid her face in Yang Guo’s embrace, not daring to lift up her head.

After a while, she softly said, “We’d better go bring her back to the tomb with us. On a wild mountain like this, leaving her for another while could cost her small life.”

Yang Guo then thought about how they were delayed at the Chongyang Palace until now, not knowing how Guo Xiang was doing in the cave. Frightened, he immediately put Xiao Longnü in the trunk, carried it on his shoulder, and rushed out. As they reached the front of the cave but still didn’t hear any crying sound, he got even more worried. He pulled out the thorns that he earlier piled in front of the cave entrance and saw that Guo Xiang was sleeping comfortably, her cheeks still red like they were painted with rouge. The two were overjoyed. Xiao Longnü stretched out her hand and said “Let me carry her.” Yang Guo put Guo Xiang in her embrace and then put the wooden trunk back on his shoulder again.

By this time all the Taoists were gathering at the Chongyang Palace so they didn’t run into anybody along the way. Passing a pumpkin field, Yang Guo picked six or seven pumpkins that the Taoists grew. He put them in the trunk and laughingly said, “This will be enough for us to eat for a week.” And after a short while, they reached the bank of the mountain creek. He lowered his head to kiss Xiao Longnü’s cheek and gently closed the trunk lid. He then wrapped it tightly with the two pieces of oilcloth. After putting the trunk under water, he breathed in deeply and dove away with the trunk behind him.

He had trained his internal power in a wild mountain flood so diving to the bottom of this small mountain creek didn’t strain him in the least. The bottom of the creek was rugged with high and low terrain. There were muddy rocks blocking the waterway so the wooden trunk couldn’t easily pass through. Yang Guo used his sword to hack them apart and make way. Afraid that Xiao Longnü would be suffocated inside the trunk, he went as fast as he could. In only minutes, they emerged from water, arriving at the underground tunnel below Gu Mu.

He pulled off the oilcloth and opened the trunk lid. Xiao Longnü was in a dazed state as a result of her heavy injury. Guo Xiang let out a loud healthy cry. She had been feeding on leopard’s milk for over a month so she was actually very strong and healthy. Xiao Longnü smiled faintly and softly said, “We are finally home!” She couldn’t support herself by this time so she closed her eyes. Yang Guo didn’t lift her body up but took the whole wooden trunk back to the living quarter inside Gu Mu.

Inside, the tables and chairs were overturned and the beds were crooked. This was the result of that day’s evil fight with Li Mochou and her disciple before they departed. Yang Guo looked at the stone chamber and the many things he’d used since he was small; his heart felt something beyond description, a mix of happiness and pain. He was expressionless for a moment. Suddenly he felt a drop of water on the back of his hand so he turned his head and saw Xiao Longnü, supporting herself with a chair, standing there with tears slowly flowing from her eyes.

Today the couple had started their family. They finally fulfilled their long time wish and returned home. From now to the afterlife, the bitterness, agony, and worry were all gone but deep down in their hearts they couldn’t restrain their sorrow. The two people both knew that Xiao Longnü was seriously injured. With the injuries from both Fawang’s golden wheel and the Quanzhen Five Masters’ strike, how would her delicate body be able to endure?

In their young lives, the two people had always been lonely and miserable and never really experienced true happiness. Suddenly they came to realize their biggest wish and then immediately had to say good-bye!

Yang Guo stayed expressionless for a long time. Then he went into Sun Po Po [Grandma Sun]’s bedroom and arranged the bedding on the chilled jade bed. Then he helped Xiao Longnü up so she could rest comfortably. All the old food that was stored at Gu Mu had long ago spoiled but the Jade Bee honey at the altar indeed could not go bad. He poured out half a cup of the syrup and mixed it with fresh water. He fed it to Xiao Longnü and baby Guo Xiang. Then he himself drank a bowl of it.

Then he thought, “I’ve got to lift up my spirits to make her happy. Even my heart is filled with grief and sorrow; I can’t let it show on my face.” Having thought that, he went to look for two of the thickest candles and wrapped them with red cloth. He put them on a table and said with a smile, “This is our wedding party!”

With the two red candles, the stone chamber immediately became festive. Xiao Longnü was sitting on the bed. When she saw her own body stained with blood and dirt, she said with a small smile, “I look terrible like this, how would I resemble a bride!” Then she suddenly remembered something and said, “Guo’er, could you please go to Ancestor Grandma’s bedroom and bring me that gold work box?”

Even though Yang Guo had lived inside Gu Mu for several years, he never dared enter Lin Chaoying’s room or played with her stuff. This time he heard Xiao Longnü speaking to him like this, he said with a laugh, “You have to be this polite when you talk to your husband.” He walked over to the headboard of the bed where several boxes were stacked and lifted out the one at the bottom. This box was really not heavy and had no lock. The outside work was red and gold with an exquisite design.

Xiao Longnü said, “Sun Po Po [Grandma Sun] told me that stored in this box were Ancestor Grandma’s wedding items. She didn’t get married and so these things didn’t get used.”

“Hmm,” Yang Guo groaned. He looked at this beautifully designed box but felt that amid happiness always was infinite misery. He put down the box on top of the chilled jade bed and opened the lid to see that lying inside were a pearl-inlaid Phoenix crown, a red robe embroidered in gold and female clothing made from red satin. All the items were made from the best materials and even though they had been in the box for several decades, they still looked like new. Xiao Longnü said, “Take them out and let me take a look.”

Yang Guo took each item out of the box. Underneath the clothing were a small vanity box inlaid with pearl and gold and a carved jade jewelry box. There was rouge powder and half a bottle of scented oil inside the vanity box. And as soon as the jewelry box was opened, the two of them were wide-eyed, seeing a pearl hairpin, jade bracelets, and gemmed earrings. All items were exquisite, flashing and sparkling. The Yang-Long couple had rarely seen gem stones before so they didn’t know how precious these adorning items were. They only saw the elegant inlay work and beautiful design, indicating that these pieces had been created with the most painstaking efforts.

Xiao Longnü said with a smile, “Should I dress up as a bride?” Yang Guo then replied, “Today you are exhausted. You should rest first and tomorrow you can dress up.” Xiao Longnü shook her head, saying, “No, today is the day we got married. I love being a bride. On that day at the Passionless Valley, that Gongsun person wanted to marry me, I didn’t get dressed up!”

Yang Guo said with a laugh, “You called that getting married? That was the senile Gongsun’s delusion!”

Xiao Longnü picked up the rouge and the honey water. She looked into the mirror, planning to dress up. In her entire life, this would be the first time she put cosmetic powder on her face. Her facial complexion was originally pale and really didn’t need any cosmetics. But this time she was seriously injured and had no color left on her face. She lightly smeared rouge on both cheeks and it added to her beauty tremendously. She paused for a while and then picked up a comb to work on her hair. Then she sighed and said, “I have to make a hair bun but I can’t do it. Guo’er, can you do it?”

Yang Guo then said, “No, I can’t either! Without it, you are even more beautiful.”

Xiao Longnü said with a smile, “Really?” and laid down the comb. She inserted the hairpin and put on the earrings and the jade bracelets on both wrists. Under the red candlelight, her beauty was unparalleled. She was overjoyed as she turned around, wanting to hear praise from Yang Guo.

As soon as she turned her head, she saw Yang Guo’s tears streaming down his face. He was overwhelmed by grief. Xiao Longnü gritted her teeth and pretended not to see him crying. With a smile she said, “Would you say I look good?”

With a choking sound, Yang Guo replied, “Most beautiful! Let me bring you the Phoenix crown!” He lifted the crown up and walked over to put it on for her from behind. In the mirror, Xiao Longnü saw him lifting his sleeve to wipe away his tears. When he faced her again, his face appeared to be joyful. He then said with a smile, “Later, should I call you ‘Niang Zi’[Madame] or should I still call you ‘Gu Gu’?”

In her heart, Xiao Longnü thought, “Why ‘later’? Is that to say the two of us still have a ‘later’?” But she put on her happiest expression and laughingly said, “Calling me Gu Gu again is definitely not good. As for calling me ‘Madame,’ that sounds like an old lady!”

Yang Guo then said, “What were you called when you were a child? Today you can let me hear it.”

Xiao Longnü replied, “I don’t have a childhood name. Master just called me Long’er.”

Yang Guo said: “Alright, then you call me Guo’er and I will call you Long’er. The two of us are equal and no one gets the worst of it. Wait till we have a baby, we will say: hey, baby’s father! And hey, baby’s mother! And when the baby is grown and gets married.. ..”

Hearing him talking nonsense like this, Xiao Longnü could no longer grit her teeth to smile. Finally, her resistance broke and she let out a sobbing sound. She bent down on the box and started crying. Yang Guo scrambled forward and brought her into his arm. He softly said, “Long’er, you are not well, I’m also not well. There’s no need to pay attention to whatever will happen in the future. Today you are not dead. I’m also not dead. The two of us should be very happy now. Nobody is allowed to think about tomorrow.” Xiao Longnü lifted her head and smiled with tears in her eyes. Then she nodded.

Yang Guo said, “Look at this beautiful dress with a Phoenix design, I’ll help you put it on!” He supported her body and put on the dress embroidered in red and gold for her. Xiao Longnü’s tears dried up and she repaired her rouge make-up while sitting by the red candles with a smile.

At this time baby Guo Xiang was sleeping by the head of the bed. Then she opened her small eyes with great curiosity. It seemed like in her tiny heart she felt that the dressed up Xiao Longnü was really very pretty.

Xiao Longnü said, “I’ve dressed up nicely. It’s a pity there is no bridegroom’s outfit in the trunk. You must feel slightly out of place.”

Yang Guo then said “Let me take a look again. It seems like there are some more pretty items in there.” As he said that, he moved various scattered items out of the trunk and put them on the bed. Xiao Longnü saw him taking out a gold flower so she stuck it into his hair. Yang Guo said with a smile, “Not bad, there is a little more.” Then he looked at the bottom of the trunk and found a pack of letters bound by a red ribbon. The ribbon color already faded and the envelopes were so old they turned deep yellow. Yang Guo picked them up and said, “There are letters in here.”

Xiao Longnü said, “Let’s see what kind of letters they are.”

Yang Guo then untied the ribbon and saw that on the envelopes was written “To be opened only by Miss Lin Chaoying” and that there were the words ‘Ji Ji’ on the left corner. All the twenty letters were addressed in the same way. Yang Guo knew that Wang Chongyang’s given name before becoming a Taoist was Wang ‘Ji Ji’ so he laughed and said, “These are love letters Founding Master Chongyang wrote to our Ancestor Grandma. Can we read them?”

Since childhood, Xiao Longnü had revered her Ancestor Grandma as if she was a divine being so she quickly said, “No, we cannot read!”

Still smiling, Yang Guo tied up the bunch of letters with the ribbon and said, “Old sister Sun and the others were so old-fashioned. Seeing us bowing to heaven and earth before Founding Master Chongyang’s portrait, they all got upset and accused us of committing a blasphemy. I didn’t believe for a minute that in those years Master Chongyang and our Ancestor Grandma didn’t have a relationship. If we took these letters there for them to take a look, those old cow noses’ reactions would be quite interesting.” While saying that, he was looking at Xiao Longnü and couldn’t help feeling sorry for Lin Chaoying. He thought, “Ancestor Grandma lived alone inside Gu Mu. She must have more th