Chapter - 505 Grudges Over Three Generations (11)

Ke Zhen'E faced the sky and laughed, "Yang Guo ah Yang Guo, you're really ignorant."

Yang Guo angrily said, "In what way?"

Ke Zhen'E said, "At this stage, I already ignore my old life; even when I was in my prime I have never been intimidated by anyone. No matter how good your martial arts are, you can only frighten people who're afraid of death. The Jiangnan Seven Freaks never submit under interrogation."

Yang Guo saw that his manner was imposing and gallant and he respected him. He said, "Elder Ke, I'm at fault, pardon me. I was offended because you insulted my father. Elder Ke's name is well-known throughout the world; I have admired you since young and do not dare offend you."

Ke Zhen'E said, "This is more like it. I heard your character is good and you contributed greatly to Xiangyang, so I regard you as an outstanding person. If you were like your father, by just talking to me you would have insulted me."

Yang Guo's anger erupted again and he shouted, "What on Earth had my father done? Tell me clearly." Among all the people Yang Guo knew, there were many who knew about his father but no one wanted to tell him the whole story in order not to offend him. Even if he asked, they just picked some unrelated details and told him those.

Ke Zhen'E bore a deep grudge against his father and he also did not have any regard for his own life, so he did not care if Yang Guo was offended or not. He told Yang Guo the whole story of Guo Jing and Yang Kang and mentioned how Yang Kang collaborated with Ouyang Feng to kill five of the Jiangnan Seven Freaks. He finally told how he died after striking Huang Rong here in this very temple. Then he said, "These people witnessed everything that happened that night. Sha Tongtian, Peng Lianhu, tell us, have I spoken the truth?"

The six people had smashed the statue and shouted loudly, frightening the crows on the roof of the temple. They circled in the air and cawed continuously.

Sha Tongtian sighed, "That night there were so many crows as well… My hand was scratched by the elder Master Yang, if not for Brother Peng's quick reaction of cutting off my arm, how could I still be alive today?" Peng Lianhu said, "Old man Ke is more or less correct, but Hero Yang's father treated us with courtesy and he was really… really outstanding and talented."

(Some background information: In 'The Legend of the Eagle Shooting Heroes', Yang Kang struck the spot on Huang Rong's Soft Armour which had Ouyang Feng's poison on it. As a result he eventually died from the poison; when he scratched Sha Tongtian the poison was spread to him, so his arm had to be amputated.)

Yang Guo held his head with both hands in grief and indignation – he never expected his father to be such an evil traitor. No matter how great he had become, it was hard to erase his father's bad name. The six people sat there silently while the crows continued cawing.

After a long time, Ke Zhen'E said, "Master Yang, you have contributed greatly at Xiangyang; no matter how many wrongdoings your father committed, you have already made up for him. Even in the Underworld he would be proud of you."

Yang Guo thought back to his relationship with the Guo couple and remembered how Huang Rong did not trust him. Many of the misunderstandings in the past resulted from this. But without his father how would he be here? Still, many of his problems originated from his father, so he gave a long sigh and asked Ke Zhen'E, "Elder Ke, how are Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang?"

Ke Zhen'E said, "They heard about how you burned the supplies at Nanyang and how you annihilated the Mongolian vanguard, so they were delighted. They asked every detail about you and also asked if you had news of Xiao Longnü. They really miss you a lot, but it's a pity I don't know much myself."

Yang Guo said, "I've not seen my two sworn sisters for sixteen years." Suddenly he turned around and told Sha Tongtian, "Elder Ke has promised to give his life to you, he is a man of honour and never goes back on his word. Now you can act. If you gang up on him you can win by numbers and kill him. But if you do that I will kill you dogs to avenge him."

They sat wordlessly for a while. Then Peng Lianhu said, "The four of us are really foolish and we offended old Hero Ke; we beg you two great men to forgive us."

Yang Guo said, "Then remember that now it is you who must keep your word and do not dare kill Elder Ke."

Peng Lianhu said, "Yes, yes. Old Hero Ke is a man of honor, we really admire him."

Yang Guo said, "Then leave quickly. Don't cause me trouble again." The four men bowed together and left the temple.

Yang Guo saved Ke Zhen'E's life as well as defended his honor, so he was really grateful. The two men kicked away the broken pieces of the statue and sat down.

Ke Zhen'E said, "Actually I came to Jiaxing because of the younger Miss Guo."

Yang Guo was slightly surprised, asking, "What happened to her?"

Ke Zhen'E sighed but smiled, "Each of Guo Jing's daughters are mischievous in their own way, which really causes a lot of headaches. No one knows why that girl Guo Xiang left Xiangyang without saying a word and no one knows where she is. Her father, in his anxiety, sent out people to find her whereabouts, but so far she can not be traced. Some of them actually came to Peach Blossom Island to look for her. But why would such an active young girl come to Peach Blossom Island to keep this blind old man company? I also became worried and came here to help find her."

Yang Guo said, "So have you got any news?"

Ke Zhen'E said, "Yesterday I was at Linan and I heard two Mongols saying that Hero Guo's daughter had been captured and imprisoned in the Mongolian Camp…"

Yang Guo exclaimed, "Ah! Is this true?"

Ke Zhen'E said, "The two Mongolian armies have come to attack Xiangyang, yet the Imperial Court's officials still think they can make peace. These two Mongols must be here to fool our officials, so their ranks must be very high. I lived with the Mongolians for many years and although I'm blind my ears are very sharp so I heard it very clearly."

Yang Guo said, "So this is true?"

Ke Zhen'E said, "Yes! I originally wanted to send poison to those two Mongolians, but reporting the matter to Xiangyang is more urgent so I didn't want to be stuck with this problem. Unfortunately I met those four criminals along the way. I don't really care when I die but the news concerning Guo Xiang must be reported. I requested several days' grace and came to Jiaxing to relay the news to Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang. After receiving the news they went north immediately, and so I came to seek death. I never expected that I would keep my promise while those four scum didn't, Ha-ha-ha!"

Yang Guo remained quiet for some time before asking, "Elder Ke, did you happen to overhear where Miss Guo is held? Is her life in danger?"

Ke Zhen'E said, "They didn't mention it; from what I heard it seems like those two Mongols aren't too sure themselves."

Yang Guo said, "This is really urgent, I must rush there and conduct a rescue operation. Elder Ke, please take your time."