Chapter 8: Teasing Huang Rong

The next morning, at breakfast.

Yang Guo was nowhere to be seen, and even Guo Fu was missing.

Just as Guo Jing was about to ask where they had gone, he heard laughter and chatter outside.

Before long, Yang Guo and Guo Fu arrived together, each of them holding a black cricket.

Yang Guo called out, “You two Wu brothers, what happened yesterday was my fault. This morning Fu’er and I specially caught these black crickets to make it two for one.”

With that, he was about to hand the cricket in his hand to the two of them.

Guo Fu copied him. Seeing that the two brothers were at a loss, and noticing the empty rice bowls set aside nearby, she simply put the cricket into one of the bowls.

Yang Guo had to bite back a laugh, admiring Guo Fu to no end in his heart.

Sure enough, the cricket jumped from Wu Xiuwen’s bowl to Wu Dunru’s side, and the two of them panicked as they tried to catch it. The whole scene was a mess.

“Quit fooling around! Go wash your hands!”

Huang Rong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the way the four children were carrying on.

When Yang Guo heard that, he shoved the cricket into Wu Xiuwen’s arms and went off with Guo Fu to wash up.

That left the older and younger Wu brothers with nothing to do but sweat through half a day before they finally caught the two little troublemakers.

Under Guo Jing and Huang Rong’s stern looks, they reluctantly let the pair of crickets go outside. When they came back, they still had to clean up the dirty dishes.

By the time everything was put back in order, Guo Jing and the others had already finished breakfast, and even all the tastier dishes had been wiped out by someone!

Afterward, Guo Jing called Yang Guo, the Wu brothers, and Guo Fu into the hall, then invited Ke Zhen’e over as well.

Yang Guo immediately understood that Guo Jing was about to take the four of them as disciples.

Guo Jing had originally wanted to lecture Yang Guo and Guo Fu about yesterday’s business, but after the commotion that morning,

he decided to treat it as childish squabbling. Since it was over, he would let it go.

He ordered the four children to bow to the spiritual tablets of the Jiangnan Six Freaks, then turned to Ke Zhen’e and said, “First Senior Brother, I must ask your permission to accept four junior disciples under you.”

Ke Zhen’e said happily, “That would be perfect. Congratulations.”

Guo Jing told Yang Guo and the Wu brothers to kowtow to Ke Zhen’e first, then perform the formal apprentice rites to him and his wife.

Guo Fu asked with a smile, “Mother, do I have to bow too?”

Huang Rong said, “Of course you do.”

Guo Fu happily knelt and kowtowed to the three of them as well.

Guo Jing said solemnly, “From today on, the four of you are fellow disciples...” Guo Fu cut in, “No, fellow brothers and sisters.”

Guo Jing shot his daughter a look. “I wasn’t finished. Don’t interrupt.”

He paused, then went on, “From this day forward, the four of you must love one another, share good fortune, and bear hardship together. If you keep quarrelling and fighting, I will not spare you.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Yang Guo.

Why are you looking at me? You think I like fighting? Yang Guo thought, unimpressed, and nodded.

Then Ke Zhen’e announced the rules of the school. When it came time for Guo Jing to begin teaching, Huang Rong indeed interjected, “It’s too much for one person to teach four children. Let me teach Guo’er.”

Before Guo Jing could answer, Ke Zhen’e had already slapped his hands together and laughed. “Wonderful! The two of you can compare notes and see whose disciple turns out better.”

Guo Jing was pleased too. He knew his wife was a hundred times smarter than he was, and that her methods of teaching would certainly be far superior, so he agreed at once.

He knew Huang Rong was thinking that Yang Kang had indirectly died at her hands, and she was worried that if Guo Jing taught Yang Guo his martial arts well, it might one day raise a tiger and bring trouble back on them.

So although she proposed teaching him martial arts, in truth she only meant to teach him to read and study.

Yang Guo, for his part, was very happy. After all, Guo Jing could hardly teach much. Otherwise, in the original story, Guo Fu and the two Wu brothers would not have been so mediocre.

Besides, he already had the Toad Skill. Practicing such a top-tier martial art was more than enough.

What’s more, being around a gorgeous mature woman like Huang Rong and getting an eyeful was as good as it got.

Yang Guo grinned and said, “Aunt Huang, looks like I have to call you Master now. But I still like calling you Shiniang.”

In his heart, he thought: Having Xiaolongnu as my master is enough. Huang Rong, this stunning mature beauty, is even more enticing as my Shiniang.

When Huang Rong heard that, she thought: I’d rather not have you as my disciple either. As long as you don’t learn anything at all, that would be best. She smiled lightly and said, “Fine, whatever you like.”

Guo Fu, fearing her father’s sternness, said, “Mother, I want you to teach me too.”

Huang Rong smiled. “You’re always pestering me and causing trouble. You’d never learn any real skill that way. Better let your father teach you.”

Guo Fu sneakily glanced at her father and saw him glaring at her as well. She quickly turned away and said nothing more.

Huang Rong said to Guo Jing, “Let’s set a rule. You can’t teach Guo’er, and I can’t teach the other three. As for the four children, they must not teach one another either, or their skills will become confused. That would do more harm than good.”

Guo Jing said, “Of course.”

Huang Rong said, “Guo’er, come with me.”

She led him into the study, took a book from the shelf, and said, “Your master has seven masters in all, known as the Jiangnan Seven Freaks. The First Senior Uncle is Ke the Old Master, and the Second Senior Uncle is called Scholar of Wonderful Hands Zhu Cong. Today I’ll start by teaching you the skills of your Second Senior Grand-Uncle Zhu.”

She opened the book and read aloud, “The Master said: To learn and then practice what you have learned, is this not a joy? To have friends come from afar, is this not a delight?”

It turned out to be the Analects.

Yang Guo found it funny. So after crossing over, he still had to start over in elementary school. Of all the people who had ever crossed through time, he really was the most wronged.

“The Master said: To learn and then practice what you have learned, is this not a joy? Mencius said: Confucius was right!”

“Guo’er! Don’t act up!” Huang Rong shot him a look, half annoyed and half amused.

That casual flash of breathtaking mature-woman charm from Huang Rong left Yang Guo momentarily dazed, and his mind rippled.

Then he thought it over. If he studied under Guo Jing, Guo Jing’s ability to teach disciples was questionable at best. By then, he would probably end up only a little better than the Wu brothers.

With that in mind, he settled down.

There was still plenty of time. If he stayed here for a while, he would always have a chance to learn martial arts.

If not, he could always leave Peach Blossom Island.

At that moment Huang Rong also noticed how entranced Yang Guo was. Her exquisitely beautiful face reddened slightly, and her heart was caught between delight and annoyance, thrown into a bit of disarray. Out loud she said coyly, “Guo’er, focus.”

When Yang Guo heard that, he smiled and looked at the alluring Huang Rong. “Shiniang, you’re so beautiful. Like an immortal maiden. No, even prettier than one.”

Huang Rong had never heard such a direct compliment before. Guo Jing loved her deeply, of course, but he was not exactly skilled in romance, and Huang Rong was long used to that.

Now that she suddenly heard Yang Guo praise her like this, especially since he was no longer the scruffy mess he had first been. He was clean, neat, and despite his plain clothes, the spirited charm of a handsome youth still shone through no matter what.

Huang Rong’s heart skipped a beat. Her exquisite pale face flushed faintly as she chided him, “Such a glib tongue. Have you ever seen an immortal maiden?”

Yang Guo smiled cheekily. “No, but I think Shiniang is exactly like one: graceful as startled geese, as supple as a dragon in flight. She shines like an autumn chrysanthemum, lush like a spring pine. Faintly, she seems like light clouds veiling the moon, drifting like a windblown snowstorm. Seen from afar, she gleams like the sun rising into the dawn glow. Looked at up close, she blazes like a lotus rising from clear water. Slender and full at once, long and short in perfect measure. Her shoulders are as if carved, her waist as though bound with white silk. Her neck is poised and elegant, her skin pure and exposed, with no need for perfume or rouge. Cloudlike hair piled high, brows fine and joined, red lips bright on the outside, white teeth gleaming within. Bright eyes with a gentle sparkle, dimpled cheeks supporting her beauty, an astonishingly lovely bearing, still and composed in manner. Soft feeling and graceful posture, more charming than any words. Her strange clothing is unmatched in the world, her bones and bearing fit for the painter’s brush. She wears a glittering gauze robe, jade and turquoise ornaments shining at her ears, golden and jade-green hair ornaments, and strings of bright pearls adorning her body. She treads in embroidered shoes fit for wandering far, trailing a light mist-silk skirt. She gives off the faint fragrance of orchids, and pauses in a mountain nook. Then, suddenly light and free, she roams and plays. On the left she leans against a banner of feathered pennants, on the right she stands in the shade of cassia flags. She raises her fair wrist by the spirit stream, plucking mysterious herbs from the rushing water. She darts like a flying duck, fleeting as a spirit. She glides over the waves with tiny steps, her silk stockings stirring dust. Her movements have no fixed pattern, now poised, now relaxed. She advances and halts unpredictably, as though coming and going. She turns her gaze, and her eyes flash with brilliance; her jade-white face glows. Her lips are parted but not yet speaking, and her breath is like hidden orchids. Her elegant form is supple and lovely, enough to make me forget to eat.”

When Huang Rong heard Yang Guo recite a passage from The Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo to praise her, she was first pleased. Then she suddenly came back to herself and thought: How does Yang Guo know The Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo? Suspicion crept into her mind, and at once she began to dislike him again.

She put on a stern face. “Guo’er, it seems you know quite a lot. But learning has no end. For now, study the Analects properly with me. That’s the serious business.”

Seeing Huang Rong’s sudden change of expression, Yang Guo didn’t mind. He went back to studying the Analects with her, tossing in little jokes from time to time, making Huang Rong laugh sweetly one moment and grow annoyed the next.

For several days in a row, Huang Rong taught him nothing but reading and writing, never once mentioning martial arts.

Meanwhile, Yang Guo practiced the Toad Skill in the early mornings and evenings.

Each time he trained, his whole body felt indescribably comfortable. After a while, he felt restless if he did not practice.

Even during Huang Rong’s lessons, his mind was still working through the Toad Skill.

In just a few days, his level had risen quite a bit.

Yang Guo wasn’t worried about being discovered.

If he was found out, he would just brush it off with the excuse that Aunt Huang wasn’t teaching him martial arts. At worst, he would simply be punished.

That day, Lu Youjiao, acting as deputy leader of the Beggars’ Sect, came to Peach Blossom Island to report that the Mongol army was repeatedly pressing south.

Guo Jing’s brow stayed furrowed, and even during meals he remained grim.

Yang Guo sighed inwardly. It seemed that before long, Guo Jing’s entire family would be moving to Xiangyang.

Of course, that would only happen after Yang Guo went up Zhongnan Mountain.

His eyes rolled once, and an idea came to him. First he flashed a smile at the stunning mature beauty Huang Rong.

Then he stood and said, “Uncle Guo, there’s no need to be anxious. These past few days studying under Shiniang has given me a great deal. The Mongols are really no big deal. As long as I go alone, I can make them withdraw.”

Guo Jing, hearing Yang Guo speak while already troubled, recalled how clever and quick-witted his beloved wife was. If she taught Yang Guo for a while, he would surely have learned quite a bit. Instantly somewhat hopeful, he said, “Then let’s hear it, Guo’er!”

Yang Guo wagged his head and said, “I’ll go into the Mongol army camp and persuade them! The Master said: Within the four seas, all men are brothers. If that doesn’t work, I’ll say Mencius said: Those who attain the Way gain much help; those who lose it gain little. Or I’ll use Buddhist words to advise them: Put down the butcher’s knife, and you can become a Buddha on the spot....”

Guo Jing froze, and after quite a while could only say, “Nonsense!”

Guo Fu and the Wu brothers could not hold back and burst out laughing.

Lu Youjiao, however, was baffled. How had Guo Jing and his wife ended up teaching such a bookworm of a disciple?

At first Huang Rong had seen Yang Guo suddenly wearing a slightly wicked smile as he looked at her, so she knew he was up to something again. But after all, he was only a thirteen-year-old boy, and she did not think he could pull off anything clever.

She watched him with detached amusement, only to hear him say something like that. At once she was torn between exasperation and laughter.

Seeing that Guo Jing showed no reaction, she stayed silent as well. It was actually Guo Fu, that simple-minded girl, who snickered at Yang Guo and said, “Brother Yang! Is that all you learned from my mother?”

“Of course not just that!” Yang Guo said proudly. “I know a little of everything from the hundred schools!”

Even Guo Jing was slow, but he still caught that something was off. He turned to Huang Rong in confusion. “Rong’er!”

Huang Rong smiled. “Don’t you understand that sharpening the blade doesn’t delay chopping wood? The more knowledge you have, the deeper your insight into martial training, and the more you can achieve twice the result with half the effort.”

“Oh!” Guo Jing thought it over. These past few days, no matter how he taught the Wu brothers, they still could not learn properly. Perhaps... The thought came to him, and he said it out loud. “Fu’er! Tomorrow I’ll teach you all to read some books as well!”

“No!” Guo Fu groaned, and the older and younger Wu brothers were likewise left speechless and at a loss.