Chapter 32 – What is love?, Part 10
“Mother… That granny’s going to die!” said Guo Fu, her heart pounding.
“I don’t understand,” Huang Rong said, her eyes never leaving those two people, “She is not crazy, but why did she act like it? Was it to lure Gongsun Zhi here?”
In the mean time two more swishing sounds were heard, Qiu Qianchi launched two date stones in close succession. Gongsun Zhi again used his robe while leaping forward. Suddenly, he vanished from sight in a blink of the eyes. The granny opened her mouth to laugh.
That laugh only sent out two “Ha.. ha …” when suddenly a long robe appeared from below. Like a snake it wrapped itself around the leg of the chair Qiu Qianchi was sitting on. A fraction of a second later that chair flew down into the opening, taking Qiu Qianchi with it. Qiu Qianchi’s laughter turned into a terrifying cry intermingled with Gongsun Zhi’s cry of horror. Then everything fell silent …
Everyone witnessed and heard everything, but nobody knew what had really happened; except Yang Guo. He sighed and softly said, “Revenge! Revenge!” Quickly, Huang Rong and the others climbed to the hilltop. There they saw four female bodies lying around near a big hole in the ground. Looking down, all they could see was darkness.
In her desire to seek revenge, Qiu Qianchi had become more cruel and evil than ever. After burning the building complex, she commanded four slave girls to carry her to that hilltop, to the underground cave mouth, where she and her daughter were rescued by Yang Guo. She commanded the girls to cover the hole with tree branches and leaves. Afterwards, she cruelly murdered them with her iron date stones. Then she pretended to be crazy to lure Gongsun Zhi. Her cry for help when Gongsun Zhi first attacked was part of her ploy to lure him closer.
Gongsun Zhi had forgotten the cave entrance; hence he fell into her trap. In his last struggle to save his own life, he threw his robe up, with the hope that he could use the chair as an anchor to pull himself out of the hole. Unfortunately, the chair – with Qiu Qianchi on it, fell down into the cave because his pull was too strong. So it happened that, husband and wife became archenemies, and died together on the same day, on the same hour, smashed together inside that underground cave.
Yang Guo then told the rest what he knew about their life story. Everybody sighed and could not help but feel sorry for them. Cheng Ying along with Yelu Qi and his sister dug a big hole and buried the bodies of the four slave girls.
The fire was still raging down in the valley, and the whole building complex was destroyed. There were no other buildings around for them to rest in. Besides, after witnessing so many deaths that day, nobody wanted to stay around much longer.
“Brother Yang has not found cure for his injury, we have to find another doctor promptly,” Zhu Ziliu said. Several others voiced their agreement.
“No,” said Huang Rong. “We cannot leave today.”
“What is your suggestion then, Madame Guo?” asked Zhu Ziliu.
Huang Rong knitted her eyebrows, “I receive an injury from Qiu Qianchi’s date stone, and it hurts badly right now,” she answered. “Could we stay overnight here, please? We will leave tomorrow first thing in the morning. What do you say?”
Of course nobody objected. They spread out and searched for some caves or anywhere suitable to stay overnight.
Yang Guo and Xiao Longnü walked hand in hand going down the hill, but before they got too far, they heard Huang Rong call, “Sister Long, could you come over here, please? I have something to discuss with you.” Having said this she put Guo Xiang in Guo Fu’s care and walked toward Xiao Longnü.
Holding Xiao Longnü’s hand she turned her head toward Yang Guo and smiled, “Guo’er, don’t you worry. She has become your wife, and I certainly will not try to persuade her to leave you.”
Yang Guo smiled but didn’t say anything. He couldn’t help wondering in his heart, “What does Auntie Guo want to talk about?” He saw Huang Rong holding Xiao Longnü’s hand, walking toward a big tree and then they both sat down underneath it. Yang Guo felt a little bit of uneasiness, but he felt it was not proper for him to sneak in and eavesdrop on them. “Long’er has never concealed anything from me, why would I worry she wouldn’t tell me about it?” he thought.
“Sister Long,” Huang Rong began. “My spoiled brat daughter has caused you and Guo’er many miseries. I feel really bad.”
Xiao Longnü just smiled and said, “Oh, it’s alright.” But in her heart she was thinking, “Her single Soul Freezing Needle is taking both of our lives, what good is your apology?”
Seeing her dark expression Huang Rong felt even worse. She did not enter the Ancient Tomb, hence did not know the whole story. She remembered how Wu Santong and Yang Guo himself had suffered injury from the needles, yet they fully recovered. She did not know that Xiao Longnü was poisoned when she was reversing her blood flow; hence, Guo Fu’s needle was a death sentence for her.
“There is one thing I do not understand about Yang Guo, and I want to ask your explanation,” she inquired further. “By risking your own life you had succeeded in getting the pill back from Gongsun Zhi. Why was Yang Guo not willing to take it? Why throw it down the ravine instead? Why? I really don’t understand.”
Xiao Longnü sighed slightly, said in her heart, “I am about to die and Guo’er’s love for me is very deep, how could he live alone? But things have come this far and I don’t want to create more trouble.” She only said, “Yang Guo has a strong character.”
“Guo’er’s heart is full of love,” said Huang Rong, “Could it be that because Miss Gongsun sacrificed her life for the pill, Yang Guo did not have the heart to take it? Thus he is willing to sacrifice his own life to repay her love. Sister, that action shows his benevolent character, deserving our highest respect. However, we cannot make the dead live again. On the other hand, his stubbornness in refusing any antidote would negate Miss Gongsun’s sacrifice.”
Xiao Longnü nodded her head.
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