Chapter - 141 Changchun Admits Defeat (11) (2/2)
”If not for the help of the 6 Heroes, my Martial Brothers and I might have lost our lives. Besides, my disgraceful pupil has turned out to possess such a wicked character. He cannot hold a candle to your virtuous pupil. For us martial arts practitioners, character and integrity is of foremost importance; wu gong is secondary. I'm ashamed to have a disciple like this. The duel at Jia Xing's Drunken Fairy Inn has reached a conclusion – I admit defeat. Word will henceforth spread throughout jiang hu that Qiu Chu Ji has been trounced by the 7 Freaks of Jiang Nan, and I have sincerely and gladly admitted my loss.”
The 6 Freaks swelled with pride as he spoke – their 18 years of effort in the deserts of Mongolia had finally paid off. Ke Zhen'E uttered a few words of humility. But the 6 Freaks then thought of their Fifth Brother Zhang Ah Sheng who died in the desert, and sadness descended upon their hearts. It was regretful that their Fifth Brother did not live to hear Qiu Chu Ji admitting defeat.
After they had helped Ma Yu and Wang Chu Yi back into the inn, Quan Jin Fa went and bought coffins to prepare for the Yang couple's funeral. Qiu Chu Ji saw Mu Nian Ci grieving sorrowfully and felt awful himself. He said, ”Miss Mu, how did your father spend the last few years?”
Wiping her tears, Mu Nian Ci replied, ”My father and I have been wandering for over ten years, never settling at one place for more than a month. Father said he wanted to look for a… a Brother by the surname Guo…” Her voice trailed off and she slowly lowered her head.
Qiu Chu Ji glanced at Guo Jing, then said to Mu Nian Ci, ”How did your father end up adopting you?”
”I came from Lotus Pond village in the Lin'An Prefecture,” she replied. ”About ten years ago, father took refuge at my place to recover from his injuries. Soon after, an epidemic broke out, killing my parents and brothers. Father then took me in as a daughter and taught me martial arts. To find this Brother Guo, we roamed all over and started… started the 'joust for a spouse'.”
”Ah. Your father's surname is actually Yang, not Mu, so you should change your name accordingly.”
”No, I won't take the surname Yang. I will still use Mu.”
Qiu Chu Ji said, ”Why? You don't believe me?”
Mu Nian Ci replied softly, ”How would I dare to doubt, Priest? But I'd rather my surname be Mu.”
Qiu Chu Ji saw that she was stubborn and dropped the matter, thinking that she must be too traumatized by the sudden loss of her father to understand. Little did he know that he was the one who did not understand. Mu Nian Ci was actually thinking of something else – she had already committed her life to Wan Yan Kang. Since he was her father's real son, he must of course take the surname Yang. If she had the same surname, how could they marry?
Wang Chu Yi was gradually recovering his energy after taking the antidote and lay on the bed, listening to their conversation. There was one thing he failed to understand, and so he asked, ”How come your wu gong is so much better than your father's?”
Mu Nian Ci replied, ”When I was 13, I met a strange person and he taught me wu gong for 3 days. It's a pity I was born unintelligent, and so didn't manage to learn much.”
Wang Chu Yi said, ”He taught you just 3 days of wu gong and you managed to defeat your father? Who is this expert?”
”Priest, I wouldn't dare to hide anything on purpose but he once made me vow that I will never reveal his name.”