Chapter - 402 Master Yideng (12) (1/2)
Guo Jing's left palm parried the fisherman, the woodcutter and the farmer three people's weapons; his right palm followed the movements of the scholar's sword: up and down, front to back, left to right. Although the sword underwent countless changes, Guo Jing had always succeeded in diverting the sword stab by the power of his palm. Each sword stab passed very close to his clothes, but never once did it manage to even make a scratch on Guo Jing's skin.
Blocking to the thirty-sixth stab, Guo Jing bent his right middle finger under his thumb; he waited for the incoming sword to lose its momentum before he suddenly flicked the body of the sword. It was the 'tan zhi shen tong' [Divine Flicking Finger], Huang Yaoshi's special skill which was considered unparalleled in the present age. Huang Yaoshi used this special skill when he played shooting marbles with Zhou Botong; and again in the Cloud Village, when he was giving direction to Mei Chaofeng. Guo Jing watched him fighting the Quanzhen's Seven Masters at the Ox Village near Lin'an using this special skill. Having learned a certain amount of the martial art secrets from the Manual he managed to imitate the flicking finger technique. Although it was inferior to Huang Yaoshi's subtle and elegant flicking finger, but it still carried a tremendous force.
With a metallic clank the long sword was shaken; the scholar's arm was numb, the sword almost fell from his hand. The scholar was shocked; he leaped backward and called out, ”Hold it!”
The fisherman, the woodcutter and the farmer three people leaped backward at once. Only their backs were very close to the wall to begin with, so there was no place they could withdraw to. The fisherman leaped out of the door, the farmer jumped out over the hole in the wall Guo Jing made earlier. The woodcutter inserted his axe back into his waist. He smiled and said, ”I told you these two did not have any evil intentions, but you did not believe me.”
The scholar put his sword back into its sheath; he cupped his fists toward Guo Jing and said, ”Xiao Ge [little elder brother] has held back your palms, we are feeling grateful.”
Guo Jing busily bowed down to return the gesture, but his heart was full of questions, ”From the start we did not have any ill-intention; why didn't they believe us? Why is it after we fought they changed their minds and believed us?”
Huang Rong noticed his confused expression, she knew what he was thinking; she whispered to his ear, ”If you harbor ill intentions, then you would have injured these four people. How can even Reverend Yideng be your match right now?” Guo Jing thought it was true, he nodded his head repeatedly.
The farmer and the fisherman walked back into the room. Huang Rong asked, ”I wonder who the Reverend's enemy is? What is this jade bracelet that was delivered earlier?”
The scholar replied, ”It's not that we don't want to tell you, but frankly speaking we don't even know the truth surrounding this matter. All I know is that the reason my Shifu became a monk is closely related to this matter.”
Huang Rong was about to inquire further when suddenly the farmer jumped up and shouted, ”Aiyo! It's dangerous!”
”What is it?” the fisherman asked.
The farmer pointed his finger to the scholar and said, ”Shifu has lost all his strength, he is telling everything, concealing nothing; if these two harbor any ill intention while the four of us are powerless to hold them up, will Shifu be still alive?”
The woodcutter said, ”The Honorable Zhuangyuan can predict with divine accuracy. If he could not predict the outcome of this small matter, how could he become the Dali's Prime Minister? He had known from the start that these two are friends and not foes; but he deliberately proceeded with fighting them. First, to test these two friends' martial art; second, to convince the two of you.”
The scholar showed a faint smile. The farmer and the fisherman looked at each other; they were partly admiring the scholar, partly blaming their own rashness.