Chapter 374 - The Wedding (2)

Translator: wuxiasociety

Yang Guo said in a low voice: “Sun Dao Zhang [Taoist Elder Sun], I have made a great social blunder. Please turn around and keep us company during the ritual.” While still holding Sun Bu’Er’s wrist, he slowly led Xiao Longnü to the back of the hall of the Chongyang Palace. The Taoists followed them, their faces filled with anger, yet they didn’t know what else to do.

The three of them entered the hall through a side door and walked along the winding corridor until they arrived at the back of the hall. Yang Guo turned around and in a clear voice he said: “Everybody please stand outside. You may not enter the hall, not even one step. We’ve already decided that we would sacrifice our lives. If we fight, Sun Dao Zhang [Taoist Elder Sun] and the two of us will have the same fate.”

Wang Chuyi quietly said: “Qiu Shi Ge [Apprentice Brother Qiu], how do we handle this?” Qiu Chuji then replied: “Nothing for the moment, we’ll wait for the right opportunity. It looks like he wouldn’t dare to harm Sun Shi Mei [Apprentice Sister Sun].” These Quanzhen masters had roamed the martial world for their entire lives, their names are renowned. They hadn’t expected that in their sunset years they would be controlled by a mere boy. They were undoubtedly angry but also couldn’t help chuckling.

Yang Guo pulled out a prayer mat for Sun Bu’Er to sit down on and then said: “Pardon!” while sealing the “Big Spine” (Da Chui) and “Divine Hall” (Shen Tang) pressure points on her back, which left her unable to walk. As he saw the Taoists standing outside as they were told, not daring to enter, he helped Xiao Longnü stand in front of the portrait of Wang Chongyang, shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

Before their eyes was a portrait of a Taoist holding a long sword and showing a graceful disposition. He wouldn’t be more than thirty years old. On the side of the portrait were three words “The Living Dead.” The writing was sparse but the man in the middle of the painting exuded a heroic air, his elegance unparalled. When Yang Guo came to learn martial skills at the Chongyang Palace as a boy, he was familiar with this painting, knowing that this was a portrait of the founding master. But now he remembered quite vividly that there was also a portrait of Wang Chongyang at Gu Mu. Even though this one was a front portrait and the one at Gu Mu was a back view, the art strokes were no different so he said: “This painting was also done by our Ancestor Grandma.” Xiao Longnü nodded, giving him a sweet smile and softly saying: “The two of us get married before the portrait of Master Chongyang but the picture was drawn by our Ancestor Grandma, this is really very good.”

With his foot, Yang Guo placed two prayer mats side by side in front of the portrait and then said in a loud voice: “Disciple Yang Guo and the disciple named Long are here to marry in front of Founding Master Chongyang. At this place the Taoists of the Quanzhen sect all bear witness.” Having said that, he knelt down on a prayer mat but saw Xiao Longnü still standing, not kneeling down, so he said: “We are bowing to heaven and earth right now, you also have to kneel down!” Xiao Longnü hesitated, her eyes red and her tears flowing. Yang Guo softly asked: “What’s wrong? You don’t like us to get married at this place?”

Xiao Longnü’s voice broke: “No, it’s not that!” She paused and then said: “I’m not pure and I’m also dying. Why should you… Why should you have to be this good to me?” Having said this, tears flooded down her cheeks.

Yang Guo got up again and used his sleeve to wipe away her tears. He smiled and said: “Why do you still not understand my heart?” Xiao Longnü lifted her head to look at him and he softly continued: “I really wish we two could live to be 100 years old so I could take good care of you and return your love and affection. But if I can’t, if God should only give us one day, then for one day we’d be man and wife. Even if for only a few hours, then for a few hours we’d also be man and wife.” Xiao Longnü saw the sincere expression on his face and the infinite affection in his eyes, her heart fluttered, not quite knowing how to cherish him the way he deserved. Her sorrowful face slowly revealed a dimply smile, her tears stopped, and her expression was that of boundless joy. Then she gracefully knelt down on the prayer mat.

Yang Guo then also knelt down. The two people bowed down before the portrait and thought: “Even though our lives have been miserable, we have a time like this now – we are really most fortunate. Even if the pains of the past should cut our lives short, it wouldn’t be something to worry about at all.” Both of them exchanged a smile and, on the prayer mats, lowered their heads.

In a low voice Yang Guo spoke his vow: “Disciple Yang Guo and the Disciple named Long truly love each other and forever will not change. Throughout our lives, we will be husband and wife.”

Xiao Longnü also said in the same tone: “May Master bless us. Throughout our lives, let us be husband and wife.”

Sun Bu’Er was sitting on a prayer mat. Even though her body couldn’t move, she clearly heard everything the two people said. She looked at them and then understood. Even though the two people’s action was preposterous, it actually stemmed from their guileless nature. She couldn’t help thinking back to the days when she was young and newly married to Ma Yu. Originally she was very angry but by the time the Yang-Long couple stood up, the expression on her face had already turned gentle.

Yang Guo thought: “This time the two of us have become man and wife. Even if I am to die right way, I have no regrets.” As his original worry about the Taoists breaking in to stop them vanished, he turned to Xiao Longnü and joked: “I am a rebellious disciple of the Quanzhen sect. Throughout the martial world, they all knew about it. Now you are also a rebellious disciple.”

Xiao Longnü said: “That’s right. My master ordered me neither to accept a male disciple, nor to get married but I didn’t comply. The many disasters that have fallen upon us were actually to pay for our crimes.”

Yang Guo brightly said: “One must rebel to the end. Master Wang and our Ancestor Grandma were heroes, one hundred times greater than us, but they didn’t dare to get married. If the two of them in the afterworld know, they can’t say we were afraid to do it!”

Then this time there was a ‘ka la’ violent sound coming from the roof, tiles flying about and the rafter breaking. The force was astonishing. The roof actually cracked by the weight of a gigantic bell, which was falling straight down on the top of Sun Bu’Er’s head…

As Yang Guo and Xiao Longnü were boldly bowing to heaven and earth in the hall, the old and young Taoists of the Quanzhen sect couldn’t suppress their anger. Liu Chuxuan pondered for a while and then came up with a plan. He bent down and whispered it into the ears of the other three masters, Qiu Chuji, Wang Chuyi and Hao Datong. The three of them nodded again and again and then said something to a disciple at the door in a low voice. Taking advantage of the situation while the Yang-Long couple was kneeling down inside, they took down a heavy copper bell from in front of the hall, which weighed over a thousand catties. The four of them together would hold the bell, fly up to the top of the hall, and find the right location to smash it down with great force. The bell would make a big hole in the roof before falling down to where Sun Bu’Er was sitting below. With the four masters’ martial skills, even though the bell was very heavy, it would drop down with less than inches of error, trapping Sun Bu’Er inside so Yang Guo couldn’t harm her. As the many Taoists closed in on him, how would the two people be able to fight them off?