Chapter - 435 What is Love? (10)

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.

Huang Rong paused for a moment, and then continued, "You have risked your life battling Gongsun Zhi on the stone bridge above the Broken Heart Cliff. That was also an act of ultimate sacrifice. Yang Guo will listen to nobody but you alone. Therefore, my Sister, please talk with him and persuade him for his own good."

Xiao Longnü could not hold her tears any longer; they flowed down her lovely cheeks. "If only he were willing to listen to me … but even then, where can we find another Passionless Pill?" she said, sobbing.

"There are no more Passionless Pills in this whole wide world," Huang Rong said, "but I believe there is another antidote to neutralize the poison in him. What I feel is most difficult is to get him to take it."

Xiao Longnü was surprised and delighted at the same time. "Is that so?" she stood up and asked, "Is … is there another antidote?"

Huang Rong pulled her hand, "Please sit down." She groped her pocket and took the purplish grass out. "This is the 'Severed Intestine Grass' [duan chang cao] that was in the Divine Indian Monk's hand when he died. According to Brother Zhu, he was searching for the antidote when that needle took his life. As you also witnessed, Sister, even though he was dead, his countenance showed a satisfied smile. My only conclusion is that he was satisfied because he found this grass, which is the antidote to the Passionless Flower. According to my Master – the Venerable Hong Qigong – inside a snake's lair always exist some kind of plant, which is the antidote of that particular snake's venom. This fact also holds true for other kinds of poisons as well. Natural Law, it is how nature governs itself. This grass indeed grew underneath the Passionless Flower. We only knew that this grass is poisonous; however, after pondering for a while, I realize that this grass is the antidote to the flower. Poison against poison. One poison neutralizes the other."

Xiao Longnü listened to her explanation and repeatedly nodded her head in agreement.

Huang Rong continued, "Taking this poisonous grass indeed poses a great risk; but we don't have any other alternative right now, we need to take this risk. In my opinion, I am 90% confident that this medicine will be effective." She knew that Huang Rong was very intelligent, and listening to her confidence, she could not help but feel her own confidence grow as well. Besides, as Huang Rong said, they did not have any other alternative anyway. After witnessing Li Mochou's suffering caused by the Passion Flower she felt that for Yang Guo to die from the grass' poison would be preferable to dying of the flower's poison. Therefore, after a moment or two careful consideration, she made up her mind and said confidently, "Very well. Let me persuade him to take the grass."

Huang Rong immediately reached in her pocket and took out several handfuls of grass and gave it to Xiao Longnü. "I picked these grasses along the way, and I believe these handfuls would be sufficient," she said. "You will have to tell him to try a few strands of grass first, while protecting his internal organs with his energy. If it works, than he can take more later."

Xiao Longnü then put the grass into her pocket and stood up, then kneeled down in front of Huang Rong. "Guo'er … he … he's an orphan and has nobody to look after him. He has suffered a lot," she was choked up … "He is rash and often times does whatever his heart desires … I beg Madame Guo to look after him."

Huang Rong quickly lifted her up. "Guo'er is under your loving care, and I trust you are a hundred times better than me in this matter," she was emotional as well, "After Xiangyang is saved from the Mongols, we shall go together to the Peach Blossom Island and have some good times together."

As intelligent as she was, Madame Guo did not have any clue as to why Xiao Longnü had asked her the favor. Xiao Longnü expected she would die any moment and had asked Huang Rong to take care of Yang Guo.

While his wife was having a conversation with Huang Rong, Yang Guo waited patiently. Now that he saw his wife stand up and walk away, he immediately came to her. "Guo'er," said Xiao Longnü, smiling sweetly, "our days are numbered. Let us not be burdened with other's business and just be together, you and I… Would you accompany me looking around this place?"

"Good!" Yang Guo replied, "I was just going to propose the same thing." Holding hands they left the crowd and walked slowly down a quiet path..

They hadn't walked too far when they saw a young couple having a quiet talk under a tree. It was Wu Dunru and Yelu Yan. Yang Guo smiled and turned the other way. Again, they hadn't walked too far when suddenly somebody ran out of the bushes ahead, laughing merrily, with somebody behind, chasing her. It was Wanyan Ping, being chased by Wu Xiuwen. "I want to know where you are going!" cried the young man. Seeing Yang Guo and Xiao Longnü, Wanyan Ping blushed. "Brother Yang, Sister Long," she greeted them sheepishly. Then she ran toward the forest to their left. Xiuwen was not too far behind.

"O mortals, what is love? That binds beyond life on earth?" Yang Guo softly murmured. He was silent for a minute before continuing, "Those two brothers were fighting to the death to win Miss Guo's attention. Only a short time later they love someone else already. There are people in this world who could love only one person – for life. Yet there are others like Gongsun Zhi and Qiu Qianchi who turned love into hatred. Ay! 'O mortals, what is love? That binds beyond life on earth?' this is a very deep question and worthy to be pondered." Xiao Longnü was silent. She put her head down, quietly walked along, like she was thinking very hard.

They arrived at a foothill a little while later. Looking up they could see the sun was low on the mountain top. Its red rays illuminating purple clouds in the blue sky. The evening mist starting to cover up the mountain peaks. It was a beautiful evening beyond words. They were convinced that they would not be together much longer; they were reluctant to part with this beautiful scenery.