Chapter - 164 Repentance of the Haughty Dragon (17) (1/2)

One day, Hong Qicong and Huang Rong were out practicing with the needles. The beggar threw them all at once. The needles fell to the ground in two groups - each ten feet across. Satisfied, he looked skyward and fell into contemplation. But his thinking was dull, so he said aloud, ”Old poison, why did you train all these snakes?”

”With his wugong already at such a powerful state, he can handle almost anyone near him,” Huang Rong said. ”So what would the snakes do?”

Hong Qicong slapped his head. ”Of course!” he said. ”It's to deal with the Eastern Heretic and the Southern Emperor. Both the beggars and Quan Zhen are numerous in manpower, and the Southern Emperor is an actual king with many bodyguards and soldiers protecting him. Your father is a cultivated intellect possessing many strange and powerful skills, which can help him face multiple enemies alone. When the old poison fights alone, no one in his generation can completely face him. But if his enemy brings a companion and so on, then the old poison facing them alone is in a terrible position.”

”Therefore, the old poison has raised the snakes to help him,” Huang Rong said.

Hong Qicong sighed. ”Us beggars often catch snakes and raise them for the purpose of food,” he said. ”We've been able to do this for about 17 to 18 snakes. We sometimes even release them into fields at night to catch frogs. But the whole process isn't easy at all. Now, the old poison has actually had the time to catch innumerable amounts of snakes. Huang-er, the old poison has spent a great deal of time on this, which means he must be planning something.”

”He is certainly planning something,” Huang Rong said. ”But luckily for us, his nephew revealed the snakes.”

Hong Qicong slapped his head. ”Of course, this Ouyang kid revealed with the secret with his frivolousness,” he said. ”But what does the old poison know about what others have? These thousands of snakes could not have come from the western region. They must have been collected from the mountains in the East. And though that Ouyang Kid betrayed a part of the plan, he might not have completely revealed the whole scheme in which he plays a part.”

”That's not a good thing,” Huang Rong said. ”Luckily, this style prepares us in advance to take care of those snakes when we observed them, as opposed to having to deal with them while fighting with the old poison himself.”

Hong Qicong hesitated. ”But suppose he wraps me up and prevents me from throwing the needles,” he said. ”How would I deal with those thousands of snakes?”

Huang Rong thought for a while, ”Just run away,” she said.

”Bah!” Hong Qicong said with a smile. ”What kind of method is turning around and running away?”

Suddenly, Huang Rong exclaimed, ”I got it! I just thought of a good plan.”

Joyful, Hong Qicong said, ”What kind of plan is this?”

”Just keep the two of us by your side,” she said. ”Should we meet the old poison, you will fight him and brother Jing will deal with his nephew. I will simply use the sewing needles to kill all the snakes. The problem is brother Jing doesn't know three of the strikes in the '18-Dragon Subduing Palms' and might not be able to deal with those grinning bastards.”

Hong Qicong stared.

”You are the grinning bastard,” he said. ”You just want to cheat me into teaching your brother Jing the last three palms. Regarding Guo Jing's moral conduct, I would teach him all 18 palms without any hesitation. But when did this boy become my disciple? He is so dull that if I took him as a disciple, I would be giving people the right to laugh at me!”

Huang Rong laughed.

”I'm going to buy some groceries,” she said, knowing that would make it harder for Hong Qicong to leave.

She went to the market and purchased many different kinds of vegetables and meats while making sure she bought ingredients with sufficiently unique tastes. With the groceries held in her left hand and her right practicing the ”Blossoms Rain from the Sky” technique, she leisurely strolled back to the inn. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a bell loudly approaching. In the distance, she saw a lone, female rider dressed in white approaching the inn very quickly. Huang Rong saw it was Yang Tiexin's daughter, Mu Nianci, whom Guo Jing's relatives wanted him to marry. Huang Rong's heart turned sour, and as Mu Nianci got closer, she refused to make a sound.

”What's so good about this girl?” she thought. ”Brother Jing's six masters and that ox-nosed priest of the Quanzhen sect all want him to marry her.”

After more thinking, Huang Rong grew angry.

”Let me go fight her and relieve some of my frustration,” she thought.

But when Huang Rong went to place the groceries in the inn, she found Mu Nianci already sitting at a table.