Chapter - 118 Iron Spear, Damaged Plough (13)

Guo Jing thought anxiously, "If I wait here by the wall it's only a matter of time before they find me. Consort Wang seems to have a kind nature, perhaps she will save me."

Given the critical situation he didn't have any time to think further so he quickly slipped inside the house. There he only found a lighted candle on the table in the middle of the room. Consort Wang must have been in another room. He quickly looked around the room and saw a wooden wardrobe in the east corner which he opened the door and slipped in before closing it leaving only a crack to see through. He then pulled out his golden knife and allowed himself to relax a little.

He heard footsteps and saw Consort Wang walk in slowly. She sat down by the table and looked at the candle as if in a daze. Before long Wanyan Kang entered and asked, "Mother, did some bad man come in and give you a fright?"

Consort Wang shook her head and so Wanyan Kang went outside again and continued searching elsewhere with Liang Ziwong.

Consort Wang then closed the door and looked as if she was going to bed. Guo Jing thought, "As soon as she blows out the candle I'll slip out through the window and escape. No – I had better wait a while first, in case I run into the young prince and that white haired fellow again. That crazy guy tried to bite my throat. That sure is some weird kind of Gongfu! My Shifu's never taught me anything like that before. I really must ask them about it next time I see them. Going around and biting people's throats! What's with that?" He then thought some more, "After fighting so much and being away for so long, Huang Rong must have gone by now. I had better get out as well other wise she might be wondering what's been keeping me."

Suddenly the window creaked open and someone leaped in. Both Guo Jing and Consort Wang had a shock. Consort Wang gave a gasp but Guo Jing noticed that the person who had just entered was none other than Mu Yi or now Yang Tiexin. Guo Jing couldn't be more surprised. He had assumed that He and his daughter had fled the palace long ago.

When Consort Wang recognized him she quickly said, "Please hurry and leave, before they find you."

Yang Tiexin replied, "Many thanks for Consort Wang's king concern. If I didn't come here to thank you in person I would regret it to my dying day." His words contained an element of sarcasm as if fully of bitter rancor.

Consort Wang sighed and said, "Please forget it. It is my son who has wronged you and your daughter. Yang Tiexin looked around and saw that beside a table, lamp, bed and wardrobe there was not much else. Everything seemed to be old, worn and familiar. He suddenly felt a wave of sadness and he could not suppress a tear as it trickled down his cheek. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and walked over to the wall where the lone spear was hanging. He took it down and saw that it was covered with rust. He could still make out the four characters "Tie Xin Yang Clan" written on the spear blade/shaft (???).

He gently stroked the spear shaft and sighed, "This iron spear is rusty. It has not been used for a long while."

Consort Wang spoke softly, "Please don't touch the spear."

"Why?" Asked Yang Tiexin.

"Because this is the most precious possession I have." she murmured.

Yang Tiexin was suddenly angry. "Really?" he asked bitterly. He paused before going on, "This spear used to have a matching partner, however today only one remains."

"What?" asked Consort Wang suprised but he didn't reply. He hung the spear on the wall and gazed at the broken plough tip saying absentmindedly, "This plough tip is worn (lah). Tomorrow you should call on Zhang Mu-er in the east village to take a catty of iron and see if her can repair it."

When Consort Wang heard this she felt as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. For a moment she was speechless as she stared at him. Finally she stammered, "Who…who are you?"

Yang Tiexin replied slowly but evenly, "I said the plough tip is worn. Tomorrow you should call on Zhang Mu-er in the east village to take a catty of iron and see if her can repair it."

Consort Wang felt her knees going weak. She again stammered, "Who…who are you? How…how could you know what my late husband said…said the night he died?"

Consort Wang was none other than Yang Tiexin's wife, Bao Xiruo. When Wanyan Honglie was wounded by an arrow that day near Ox village, Bao Xiruo had saved his life. When he saw such a beautiful woman save his life he couldn't stop thinking about her after he escaped that night. So he bribed Duan TianDe to have his soldiers raid Ox village that night so that he could arrange to "save" Bao Xiruo and appear to be a hero. Once her husband and friends were dead then she would be alone in the world and would naturally look to her "rescuer" to protect her. If he took her north and was patient enough she would sooner or later give up hope of return and agree to remarry to him starting a new life together.

During the eighteen years at the palace, her face had not changed much at all. Yang Tiexin's face though had undergone much change from the hardships he encountered on the road searching for her. Now when they met again she could not recognize her former husband at first. After all these years of mutual longing to be together again this night amongst so much danger was as if they were in a dream.

Yang Tiexin didn't reply, he just walked over to the table and pulled open a drawer. Inside he saw a couple of sets of a man's blue coats exactly the same as the ones he used to wear. He picked one up saying, "I have enough coats to wear. You are tired and should rest now that you are pregnant. No need to make more clothes for me." These words were the same ones spoken by him to her eighteen years before when she was pregnant.

Bao Xiruo rushed over to his side and grabbed his sleeve. When she pulled it up she saw a (familiar) old scar. A mix of surprise and joy suddenly enveloped her. For the past 18 years she had thought her husband had been dead and now to recognize him now standing before her was like a ghost come back to life. She immediately hugged him with both arms, holding tightly and crying, "Quickly! Quickly take me with you. Let us leave here now. I will show you a secret gateway where we can slip away unseen. I am not afraid of ghosts. I would rather become a ghost and be together with you than part with you again.

Yang Tiexin held his wife as warm tears rolled down his cheeks. After a long while his asked gently, "Do you think that I am a ghost?"

"I don't care if you are a man or a ghost, I wont let go of you again." she sobbed. "How is it that you are still alive? After all these years I can't believe that you are still alive. Where…what.."

Yang Tiexin was about to reply when suddenly Wanyan Kang's voice called from just outside the window, "Mother, why are you sobbing? Who are you talking to?"

Bao Xiruo got a fright, "It's nothing," she called out, "I was just sleeping."

Wanyan Kang had clearly heard the sound of a man's voice talking inside the room. He immediately became suspicious and walked around to the door, knocking gently saying, "Mother, I would like to have a word with you."