Chapter - 475 Three Golden Needles (4)

Suddenly an eighth grade member of the Beggar Clan burst in and whispered something to Huang Rong. Huang Rong's face became grave and she stood up, saying loudly, "What?" The people were shocked and all turned to stare at her. Huang Rong said, "There are no outsiders here. Just say it. How did this happen?" They saw tears well up in her eyes as she spoke, so it must be something terrible. Then the beggar said, "This afternoon Clan Leader Lu took two seventh grade sect members to patrol outside the city but they didn't return. I could not let the matter rest and went to investigate. We went to the Yang Tai Fu Temple down the hill and found Clan Leader Lu's corpse there…" The group gave a cry of "Ah!" when they heard this.

The beggar's voice cracked as he said this, he knew Lu Youjiao's martial arts were not excellent, but he was responsible and caring and had earned the respect of the beggars. The beggar continued, "The two seventh grade members are not dead yet. They said the three of them were ambushed by the Mongolian prince Hou Du who killed the Clan Leader. The two seventh grade members fought with him and were severely injured by his palms."

Guo Jing was so angered his face turned white and only said, "Hou Du!" He thought that if he had known this would happen, he would not have spared him at Chongyang Palace years ago.

Huang Rong said, "Did Hou Du leave any message?"

The beggar said, "I dare not say."

Huang Rong said, "Why not? He wants Guo Jing and Huang Rong to surrender to the Mongols, or they will end up like Lu Youjiao, right?"

The beggar said, "The Chief is brilliant. The scoundrel Hou Du said exactly that." According to tradition, Huang Rong was no longer the Beggar Clan leader, but the beggars all still addressed her as "Chief".

Huang Rong frowned and said, "Lu Youjiao's "Dog Beating Stick" has been taken by Hou Du, right?" The beggar said, "Yes."

The guests all left the banquet and went to see Lu Youjiao's body. They observed a steel fan's mark on Lu Youjiao's back and a rib bone was broken. This showed that Hou Du had snuck up and attacked with his fan from behind, then killed him with his palm. The people all felt deeply grieved when they saw this.

At that time thousands of beggars in Jianghu were gathered in Xiangyang. When they heard that Lu Youjiao had been killed, the city fell into a gloomy silence.

Guo Xiang was on good terms with Lu Youjiao, often pulling him out into the wilderness to drink wine and chat about Jianghu affairs. The two usually chatting for half a day, and were very friendly. The Yang Tai Fu Temple was not far from Xiangyang, so Guo Xiang and Lu Youjiao often went there. When she heard her dear old friend was killed there she was greatly hurt and aggrieved, so she took a pot of wine and went to the temple like she usually did.

Late that night, Guo Xiang put down two cups and filled them with wine, saying, "Uncle Lu, half a month ago, when we were merrily chatting here, who knew such a hero would meet such a tragic end? Let me offer you a toast." She took up a cup and poured the wine onto the ground in a sweeping motion, remembering their past friendship. She felt overwhelmed by sadness and tears welled up in her eyes. She said, "Uncle Lu, rest peacefully." She held the other cup forward with both hands and then drank the wine.

Her tolerance for liquor was not very good, but she was open-minded and friendly with the heroes of Jianghu and often drank with them. When she drank two cups of wine she felt giddy and slightly hot.

In the darkness a shadow suddenly flashed past and she thought it must be Lu Youjiao's spirit who had come and said, "Is that Uncle Lu? Please come here." Although her heart was beating rapidly, she still wanted to meet Lu Youjiao's spirit. However a female voice was heard saying, "Why are you fooling around here in the middle of the night? Mother wants you to go back quickly." The person came into the temple in a flash – it was Guo Fu.

Guo Xiang was very disappointed and said, "I'm waiting here for Uncle Lu's spirit. Now you come barging in like this, how would he show up? Sister, you return first, I'll be following you shortly."

Guo Fu said, "Stop talking rubbish. You're just imagining things. Why would Lu Youjiao's spirit want to see you?"

Guo Xiang said, "He was very friendly with me, moreover I promised to share my private thoughts with him. I said I would tell him on my birthday. Who knew he couldn't be here." She became depressed as she said this.

Guo Fu said, "Mother saw that you had disappeared and predicted you'd be here. You monkey, you're getting naughtier, but you can't escape from Mother's palm. Mother is angry with you for being so daring – who knows, that Hou Du might be lurking around here somewhere; won't that be dangerous?"

Guo Xiang sighed and said, "I was thinking about Uncle Lu and forgot about the danger. Good sister, please accompany me for a while, maybe Uncle Lu's spirit might still come and see me. But you shouldn't talk, lest you scare him away."

Guo Fu had never really respected Lu Youjiao and felt that he became the Beggar Clan Leader all due to her mother's grooming and recommendations. She thought that even if his spirit came, she would not be afraid. She also knew her sister's character – since she wanted to wait there, unless if their parents personally came to stop her, she would not budge no matter what Guo Fu said. So she sat down and sighed, "Sister, you're getting older, yet you are still so childish. You're sixteen this year; in two or three years you'll be getting married. Please don't tell me, that even when you move into your in-laws' place, you'll still act so crazily?"

Guo Xiang said, "What's the difference? After you married brother-in-law, you are still as carefree as a single woman."

Guo Fu said, "Hey! How can others compare to your brother-in-law? He's a hero of the times and is very broad-minded, he wouldn't restrict my movements. He's talented in martial arts and literature. Among the younger generation, who can compare to him? If your future husband is half as good as him, Father and Mother will be very satisfied."

Guo Xiang knew she was so boastful and said, "Brother-in-law is of course talented, but I don't believe there's none in this world who can compare to him." She felt proud of herself as she said that. Guo Xiang said, "I know someone who's ten times better than brother-in-law."

Guo Fu got angry, saying, "Who? Tell me."

Guo Xiang said, "Why must I say it? It's good enough for me to know."

Guo Fu laughed coldly, asking, "Is it Brother Zhu? Wang Jianming?" She named a few young heroes.

Guo Xiang kept shaking her head, saying, "They can't even compete with brother-in-law, how can they be ten times better?"

Guo Fu said, "Unless you're talking about Grandfather, Father, Mother, and Uncle Zhu, they are older heroes."

Guo Xiang said, "No! The person I mentioned is younger than brother-in-law, and he's more handsome and his martial arts are very much better. The difference is as great as night and day, you can't even compare them…" As she said this, Guo Fu continuously spit, "Pui…pui…pui…pui…"

Guo Xiang ignored her and continued, "If you don't believe me that's up to you. He has a good character. If anyone is in trouble, he'd lend a hand whether he knows them or not." She lifted her head and started day-dreaming.