The Return of the Condor Heroes

Book Title:The Return of the Condor Heroes
Author:Jin Yong
Genre:Wuxia Novel
Country of Origin:China
Delivery Formats:TXT, EPUB, MOBI, PDF,AZW3

Yang Guo caught the black cricket and placed it into Guo Fu’s clay pot.

Strangely enough, the large cricket seemed afraid of the small black one and kept retreating. Guo Fu and the Wu brothers shouted loudly, cheering on the big cricket. The small black cricket raised its head and leaped forward, while the large cricket, unwilling to fight, tried to jump out of the pot. The small black cricket also leaped high, biting the large cricket’s tail mid-air. Both crickets fell together, and after a few tremors, the large cricket turned belly-up and died. It turns out that among crickets, there is a kind that likes to live with poisonous insects...

Guo Fu, displeased to see her undefeated general die in its first battle, had a second thought and said, "Brother Yang, give me your little black devil." Yang Guo replied, "I wouldn’t mind giving it to you, but why did you call it a little black devil?" Guo Fu pouted and said resentfully, "Fine, keep it if you won’t give it to me. As if I care!" She picked up the earthen bowl, shook it, and dumped the little black cricket onto the ground, then stamped on it with her right foot, crushing it instantly.

Yang Guo was both shocked and enraged. Blood rushed to his head, his face flushed crimson, and he could no longer restrain himself. He swung his hand back and slapped her hard across the face.

Guo Fu was stunned, unsure whether to cry or not. Wu Xiuwen shouted, "How dare you hit her!" and threw a punch at Yang Guo’s chest. Trained in martial arts from a young age by his parents, Wu Xiuwen had a solid foundation, and the punch landed squarely on Yang Guo’s chest with considerable force. Furious, Yang Guo retaliated with a punch of his own, but Wu Xiuwen dodged nimbly. As Yang Guo lunged forward to attack, Wu Dunru hooked his leg, sending him tumbling to the ground. Wu Xiuwen turned and leaped, pinning him down. The two brothers held him firmly and began pummeling him with their fists.

Although Yang Guo was a year or two older than the two, his two fists were no match for four hands. The Wu brothers had trained in superior martial arts, while Yang Guo had only learned some rudimentary skills from Mu Nianci. Unable to defeat them, he gritted his teeth and endured the beating without uttering a sound. Wu Dunru said, "We'll let you go if you beg for mercy." Yang Guo cursed, "Nonsense!" Wu Xiuwen landed two more punches on him with a thud. Guo Fu, watching from the side as the Wu brothers avenged her, stopped crying after just a few sobs and felt quite pleased.

The Wu brothers knew that if they left bruises on his face, Guo Jing and Huang Rong would scold them later. So they directed their punches and kicks at his body. Seeing how fiercely they were hitting him, Guo Fu grew somewhat afraid, but feeling the stinging pain on her own face, she also found it satisfying and couldn't help shouting, "Hit harder, put more force into it!" Hearing her cry, the Wu brothers struck even more ruthlessly.

Yang Guo lay prostrate on the ground, hearing Guo Fu's shouts, and thought to himself: "You vicious girl, I will surely take revenge for this someday." He felt excruciating pain in his waist, back, and buttocks, gradually becoming unbearable. The Wu brothers had trained in martial arts since childhood, their fists and kicks carried considerable force—even ordinary adults would struggle to endure them. Had Yang Guo not practiced some internal energy techniques, he would have long since lost consciousness. Gritting his teeth, he endured the pain while his hands scrambled wildly across the ground. Suddenly, his left hand grasped something cold, slippery, and slimy—the very venomous snake that had been smashed to death earlier. He immediately seized it and swung it behind him.

The Wu brothers cried out in unison at the sight of this patterned, dead snake. Seizing the opportunity, Yang Guo flipped over and landed a fierce punch, causing Wu Dunru's nose to bleed profusely. He immediately scrambled to his feet and fled at full speed. Enraged, the Wu brothers gave chase. Guo Fu, eager to witness the excitement, shouted repeatedly: "Catch him, catch him!" as she joined the pursuit. After running for a while, Yang Guo glanced back and saw Wu Dunru's blood-streaked face, fierce and menacing. Knowing that being caught by the two brothers would result in a beating far worse than before, he raced without pause toward the base of Trial Sword Peak and began climbing straight up the mountainside.

...

Wu Dunru pressed both hands on his head and asked, "Do you submit?" Yang Guo angrily retorted, "Who would submit to a mad dog like you?" Enraged, Wu Dunru pressed Yang Guo's face straight into the sandy ground, shouting, "If you won't submit, I'll suffocate you to death."

Sand filled Yang Guo's eyes, mouth, and nose, immediately cutting off his breathing. After another moment, his whole body felt as if it were about to burst. Wu Dunru pressed down on his head with all his strength, while Wu Xiuwen sat astride his neck. Yang Guo struggled relentlessly but could not break free. At the moment of extreme suffocation, the inner strength techniques taught by Ouyang Feng that he had been practicing all these days suddenly surged forth. He felt a burst of hot energy rise violently from his dantian, and somehow, his entire body was instantly filled with immense vigor. He leaped up fiercely, without even having time to open his eyes, and pushed out with both palms.

This blow struck Wu Xiuwen squarely in the abdomen. With a loud "Ah!", he was sent flying backward, landing flat on his back and immediately losing consciousness. The palm strike was Ouyang Feng's unique technique, the "Toad Skill." Although its power was less than half of Ouyang Feng's divine skill, and Yang Guo did not know how to wield it properly, in his moment of crisis, he instinctively unleashed it. Even so, Wu Xiuwen could not withstand the force.

Wu Dunru rushed over and saw his brother lying motionless, his eyes rolled back. Thinking Yang Guo had killed him, he was terrified and cried out, "Master, master! My brother is dead, my brother is dead!" Weeping and shouting, he ran back to report to Guo Jing. Guo Fu, frightened as well, hurriedly followed.

Yang Guo spat out the sand from his mouth and wiped it from his eyes, feeling utterly drained of strength, unable to take even a single step with great difficulty. Seeing Wu Xiuwen lying still and hearing Wu Dunru's cry of "My brother is dead!", his mind went blank. He had no idea what had actually happened. Though he knew the situation was extremely dire, he lacked the strength to flee.