A Hero Borm by Jin Yong

Author:Jin Yong [Yong, Jin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Literature
ISBN: 9781848667914
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2018-02-22T05:00:00+00:00

3

THE FREAKS GREW STRICTER IN THEIR TRAINING. BUT JUST AS in the study of music or chess, demanding fast results can choke initial promise, and Guo Jing was not naturally gifted to begin with. The pressure frightened him and he was easily flustered. In the three months that followed Harmony Yin’s visit, he appeared to regress. It had taken many years of bitter toil for the Freaks to gain their individual skills, so for Guo Jing to acquire all of them in the course of just a few short summers and winters would have required a special talent indeed. How could they expect a boy of average capabilities to achieve such a feat? The Freaks knew that it was only realistic to expect the boy to learn Ryder Han or Woodcutter Nan’s skills alone, and perhaps after thirty years of persistent effort, he might come to acquire half of their skills put together. Laughing Buddha Zhang Asheng would have made the most suitable shifu, if only he had not departed so young. But the Freaks were single-minded in their desire to defeat the Taoist Qiu Chuji, and even though they knew it would be better to concentrate on a few techniques rather than try to teach him everything, they could not help themselves.

For the last sixteen years, Zhu Cong had been going over in his head their encounter with Qiu Chuji in the Garden of the Eight Drunken Immortals, reliving the Taoist’s every move and thrust. His memory was uncommonly clear. But try as he might, he could not find any weaknesses to exploit. Only Twice Foul Dark Wind would be capable of defeating that stinky old cow muzzle, he concluded at last.

That morning, as the sun was rising, Jade Han was already busy teaching the young man two moves from the Yue Maiden Sword repertoire. The first, Branch Beats the White Chimpanzee, involved leaping and making two turns in the air before pulling the sword back to attack. Guo Jing had worked hard on his core stability, but his jumps lacked agility and speed. At first he could only manage a half-turn and after at least eight tries he was still half a turn short. Jade Han was becoming more and more frustrated, but she forced herself to stay calm, focusing on teaching him how to concentrate his energy in the tips of his toes, and turn with his waist and legs. He flew up high, but forgot to spin. This continued for several more attempts.

After all these years spent in the deserts of the north, after burying Fifth Brother in these strange lands, after all their efforts, the boy was hopeless. It was all hopeless. The tears poured down Jade Han’s cheeks. She cast her sword into the dirt, covered her face and ran away.

Guo Jing ran after her, but she was too quick for him. He stopped, watched her go, his heart pounding. The kindness of his shifus had been steady like the mountains; all he wanted was to practise their art well, to show them his gratitude.

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