Xiao Longnu said, âShe died a long time agoâŠjust leave now.â
Hong Lingbo became even more relaxed and thought; âItâs fate; who would have thought that I, Hong Lingbo, would become the heir to the tomb.â She saw that Xiao Longnu seemed to be on deathâs doorsteps, and was afraid that if she died, no one would know the whereabouts of the âJade Heart Manualâ. She quickly said, âMartial Uncle, Master ordered me to obtain the âJade Heart manualâ. If you give it to me, then Iâll immediately help you cure your injury.â
Xiao Longnu had practiced the tombâs martial arts for a long time, she didnât have any emotions, nothing was able to affect her; but now she was suffering a serious internal injury and lost her self control. When she heard what she said, she was alarmed, and fainted again. Hong Lingbo dashed over and searched her body, Xiao Longnu woke up and said, âWhereâs my apprentice sister? Get her here; I have something to say to her.â
Hong Lingbo saw that their sectâs highest arts were within her grasp, she couldnât wait, she chuckled and took out silver needles from her pocket, and said, âMartial Uncle, you recognize these needles, if you donât give the âJade Heart Manualâ to me then donât blame me for being impolite.â
Yang Guo had experienced the poison of the âSoul Freezing Silver Needlesâ before; he had only held one in his hand and he felt the effects. If one pierced the body, whatâs going to happen then? He saw the danger and quickly called out, âXian Gu, thereâs a ghost, Iâm scared.â He threw himself over her, hugging her back, and used his finger to press down on the âChaste Shoulderâ (jian zhen) and âMain Entranceâ (jing men) pressure points. Hong Lingbo could not have dreamed that âSha Danâ would possess such advanced martial art skills, her whole body became numb and she stood there paralyzed. Yang Guo was afraid she had the ability to unblock her pressure points so he heavily pressed down on âLarge Boneâ (ju gu) pressure point, and said, âGu Gu, this girl is really evil, should I prick her a few times with these needles?â He wrapped his hand with his garment and picked up the needles.
Hong Lingbo wasnât able to move an inch and she heard what he said clearly. He saw him pick up the needles and laughing âha-haâ towards her, she was frightened out of her wits. She wanted to plead but couldnât open her mouth, her eyes revealed the state of mind she was in.
Xiao Longnu said, âGuoâEr, close the door to the tomb in case my apprentice sister arrives.â
Yang Guo said, âYes!â
He was about to turn around when he heard an enchanting female voice from behind saying, âApprentice sister, how are you? I arrived a long time ago.â
Yang Guo turned around alarmed, under the candlelight, he saw a beautiful Taoist priestess standing at the door, her cheeks peach, her mouth seemed to form a smile but it did not, it was the âScarlet Serpent Deityâ Li Mochou.
When Hong Lingbo first started to ask about the whereabouts of the Tomb of the Living Dead, she knew that Hong Lingbo would go to the tomb herself to steal the âJade Heart Manualâ. When she sent Hong Lingbo to Changnan to kill, she had really planned it all. She secretly followed all along; she saw how Hong Lingbo met Yang Guo, how they entered the tomb, how she tried to force Xiao Longnu to hand over the manual and how she lost. Because she was extremely quick and her steps extremely light, Hong Lingbo and Yang Guo did not notice her. Now she revealed herself.
Xiao Longnu got up and called out, âApprentice sister!â then coughed incessantly.
Li Mochou coldly pointed at Yang Guo and said, âWho is he? Ancestor Grandmaâs rule, no man is allowed to take one step into the tomb, and you allow him here?â Xiao Longnu was coughing violently, and had no way to reply. Yang Guo stood in front of Xiao Longnu protecting her and clearly said, âSheâs my Gu Gu, this is none of your business.â
Li Mochou chuckled and said, âGood Sha Dan, youâre very brave!â She waved her fly whisk three times, making three âfuâ sounds. Although the three moves were done one after the other, they arrived at the same time. It was one of the lethal stances of the Ancient Tomb sect; other sectâs fighters do not know the essence of the stance and would have their bones broken as soon as she used it. Yang Guo was familiar with all the skills of the Ancient Tomb sect, though his internal energy wasnât as profound as Li Mochouâs he was still able to dodge the three moves in one âThree Swallows in the Forestâ. Li Mochouâs fly whisk returned, she was secretly alarmed, she saw that his dodging techniques were from their sect, she sternly said, âApprentice sister, who is this little scoundrel?â
Xiao Longnu was afraid that she was going to throw up blood again and didnât dare raise her voice, and quietly said, âGuoâEr, greet your Martial Uncle.â
Yang Guo gave a âhumphâ sound and said, âShe counts as my Martial Uncle?â
Xiao Longnu said, âBend your ear over, Iâve got something to say to you.â
Yang Guo knew that she wanted him to kowtow to Li Mochou, but he didnât want to, so he still lowered his ear.
Xiao Longnu quietly said, âOn the corner of the bed by my leg, there is a stone panel, turn it to the right and quickly leap up onto the bed.â
Li Mochou thought that she was ordering her disciple to apologize to her; in front of her was a seriously injured person, the other was a youngster, why would she care about them? She was thinking of a way to torture them and force her apprentice sister to hand over the âJade Heart Manualâ.
Yang Guo nodded his head, and clearly said, âDisciple greets Martial Uncle!â He slowly stretched out his hand towards the part of the bed near Xiao Longnuâs leg, indeed there was a stone panel, so he turned it with all his strength and quickly leaped onto the bed.
Li Mochou was shocked, and remembered there were booby traps everywhere in the tomb. Her master was biased; she concealed them from her and taught her apprentice sister where they were and how to use them; she immediately dashed over to grab Xiao Longnu.
Xiao Longnu had no strength to retaliate at present. The bed was heavy, Li Mochou had spotted this earlier, and she was extremely quick in her movements and was about to grab Xiao Longnu off the bed. Yang Guo was alarmed, and with all his strength pushed out a palm to repel her hand away. He suddenly saw darkness in front of him, two thudding sounds, and the bed had dropped into a lower level. The stone slab on the ceiling automatically pushed back up; Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo were separated from Li Mochou and her disciple.
Yang Guo could make out that there was a table and some chairs in the room, he made his way to the table and took out a match and lit a half burned candle.
Xiao Longnu sighed and said, âThere isnât enough blood in my body, I am unable to circulate my internal energy to heal myself. Even if I wasnât hurt, the two of us would not be able to beat my apprentice sisterâ. When Yang Guo heard her say there wasnât enough blood in her body, he raised his left arm, and singled out his vein on his wrist and bit down on it as hard as he could; blood came flowing out. He placed his wound by Xiao Longnuâs mouth, and his blood dripped in.