Chapter 2 – Child of an old friend, Part 10
Yang Guo thought carefully, and knew apart from this plan, nothing else will work. So he asked carefully again will he be able to escape from the bell without anyone’s help and then said, “You won’t have anything to eat within these seven days, right?”
Ouyang Feng said, “Go and find a basin, and fill it with clean water and place it beside me. There are still a few buns left. This will last for seven days if I eat them slowly.”
Yang Guo went to the kitchen and found a large basin, and then filled it with clean water. He then placed it underneath another hung bell, and supported his stepfather directly underneath it, and sat him down.
Ouyang Feng said, “Son, follow the one called Guo. I will come and find you later on.”
Yang Guo agreed and climbed up to the bell, and broke the beam, sending the bell down, covering Ouyang Feng.
Yang Guo shouted out ‘Father’. When he didn’t hear a reply, he knew that he couldn’t hear from within. As he was about to leave, he couldn’t let go and went back to find another basin and filled it with water and placed it next to the bell. He then flipped over and placed his left hand in the bowl, and followed the method to reverse blood flow taught by Ouyang Feng to force some poison out. As he had just begun practicing this skill, he could only force out ten or so drops of blood before his head was full of sweat. Afterwards he ripped off some of the cloth from the statues, and then wrapped it around a rod, dipped it into the blood and water mixture, and covered the bell with it. He thought that if Ke Zhen E does return, if he tries to move the bell, he would definitely be poisoned for sure.
Another thing that came to his attention was that his stepfather would definitely suffocate to death under the bell in seven days, so he would use the knife to dig out a brick tile beside the bell, and dig out a hole the size of a fist to allow the circulation of air. As he was digging the hole, the blade struck at another slab of stone underneath the tile and snapped. The blade was sharp, but it was very thin, and as he was digging the precious blade snapped. He didn’t know the blade was precious, it wasn’t his and he didn’t feel it was a pity and threw the knife away. He knelt down on the ground and spoke through the opening, “Father, I’m going now. Come and collect me soon. Be careful when you come out, there is poison on the bell.” Yang Guo bent his ear to the opening and hear Ouyang Feng replied weakly, “Good son, I’m not scared of poison; the poison should be scared of me. You be careful. I will definitely come back for you.”
Yang Guo sat there for a while not willing to leave yet, but then started to hurry back; worried that Ke Zhen E will notice that he has gone. When he got back to the room, he saw that Ke Zhen E had not returned to the room, neither was he outside.
When morning came, he heard someone using a branch knocking on his door. He leapt out of his bed and opened the door. He saw it was Ke Zhen E supporting himself on a wooden branch, his face grey and pale; he leant over into the room and fell onto the floor. Yang Guo noticed that his hands were black, he indeed did return to find Ouyang Feng. He was pleased that he had fallen into the trap that was left for him and pretended to be concerned, and shouted, “Grandpa Ke, what’s the matter?”
Huang Rong and Guo Jing heard the shout, and hurried to see what the matter was; when they saw Ke Zhen E on the floor they gasped. Guo Jing was still injured and struggled to walk, and so it was Huang Rong who supported Ke Zhen E onto the bed. She asked, “First master, what did you do?”
Ke Zhen E shook his head, and didn’t reply. Huang Rong saw his hands were black and said angrily, “It was that Li bitch again. Brother Jing, I’ll go and battle her.” She tied her belt and walked out.
“It wasn’t her,” said Ke Zhen E.
Huang Rong returned and asked, “Who was it then?”
Ke Zhen E couldn’t defeat a man who hasn’t even got the strength to kill a chicken and it was he in return that was injured. It reflected badly on him. Ke Zhen E was a stiff-necked man, it was what was called, ‘tired of the ginger being old and not spicy’, and didn’t say a word about his wound. The two knew his behavior, if he wants to say, he will say it. The more they ask the angrier he’ll get. It was lucky that the poison only got on his skin; the potency wasn’t that strong. He’ll feel a bit light headed, after taking a “Nine Flower Jade Dew” pill, he’ll be alright.
Huang Rong already planned what they should do; at the moment Guo Jing and Ke Zhen E are hurt, Li Mochou’s poison is trouble, so the children and two wounded must be sent to Peach Blossom Island. Later on she will find Li Mochou and settle this score. They spent the morning resting in the inn, in the afternoon they got on a boat and headed east.
Yang Guo was happy with the fact that Huang Rong did not attempt to find Ouyang Feng and thought, “Father was scared that Auntie Guo will come and search for him. Auntie Guo is such a beautiful lady, could it be that she is more powerful than Ke Zhen E?”
The boat had traveled for half a day, the sky now getting dark. The boat anchored by the shore, the owners of the boat preparing the rice for supper. Guo Fu saw that Yang Guo had ignored her when she wanted to talk and argue with him. She sat by the window, and looked out. Under the shade of willow trees were two boys sobbing, it looked like the two Wu brothers. Guo Fu shouted out, “Hey, what are you doing there?”
Wu Xiuwen replied, “We are crying, can’t you see?”
Guo Fu said, “What’s the matter, did your mother beat you?”
Wu Xiuwen said, “My mum’s dead!”
Huang Rong gasped when she heard this and leapt onto the shore. She saw the boys sobbing over their mother. Madam Wu’s face was completely black, she had died a long time ago. Huang Rong asked for news of Wu Santong and Wu Dunru replied, “We don’t know where he went.”
Wu Xiuwen said, “Mother sucked the poison out of father, a lot of black blood came out. Father got better, while mother died. When father saw that mother had died, he went mad again. We called after him, but he ignored us and went away.” They cried as they said this.
Huang Rong thought, “Madam Wu sacrificed herself for her husband, she is a great woman.” She asked, “Are you hungry?” The boys nodded their heads.
Huang Rong sighed and ordered the boat keeper to take the boys on board and feed them. When they reached a town, she bought a wooden coffin for Madam Wu, and prepared her body for it. She bought a piece of land and buried her at dawn. The brothers sobbed in front of the grave.
Guo Jing said, “Rong’er, the two boys have lost their parents, why don’t we take them back to Peach Blossom Island and we’ll care for them.” Huang Rong agreed, and took the boys under her wing. They traveled on the boat until they reached the sea, and then hired a large boat and headed east, towards Peach Blossom Island.
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