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Since there were acquaintances to make contact with, Wang Chuyi naturally left with a group of people. Part of the reason was that he admired Guo Jing's character and wanted to offer some guidance on his martial arts; another part was his curiosity about Yi Qian and Yang Kang. The strength that Yang Kang had previously displayed astonished him, as it seemed no less than that of his master, Wang Chongyang. This left Wang Chuyi determined to investigate the backgrounds of these two individuals.
The group encountered a grove of trees about ten miles outside the city, where there was a thatched cottage. Inside the cottage, dust had settled everywhere. Mu Nianci diligently cleaned the place and invited the others inside. Huang Rong took this opportunity to step out for a moment, and when she returned, she had transformed into a beautiful young girl dressed in an apricot-yellow shirt and wearing a golden circlet on her head, stunning Guo Jing in the process.
"Brother, thank you so much this time. I feel really guilty for involving you!" Yang Tiexin expressed his gratitude to Guo Jing with a sense of remorse.
"Uncle Yang, no, no need to thank me! Young Master Yi, you are my father's sworn brother, is that true?" Guo Jing asked innocently.
Yang Tiexin was taken aback and asked, "What is your father's name?"
Guo Jing replied, "My late father was named Guo Xiao."
Yang Tiexin's eyes filled with tears as he exclaimed, "What? What!"
He reached out and tightly grasped Guo Jing's wrist. "Your mother’s surname is Li, right? Is she still alive or has she passed away?"
Guo Jing was puzzled and said, "Huh? How do you know my mother’s surname is Li? She is in Mongolia."
Yang Tiexin was overwhelmed with emotion and sighed, "Old friend has not treated me poorly; not only have we reunited with his biological son but also met the child of my brother! Child, you've grown so big! Ah, when I close my eyes, I think of your late father!"
Guo Jing asked, "You really knew my late father?"
Yang Tiexin replied, "Your father was my sworn brother; we are bound by brotherhood that surpasses even blood relations." At this point, his voice choked up and he could say no more. Hearing this made Guo Jing's eyes moist as well.
Yang Tiexin called Yang Kang over and placed Yang Kang's hand on Guo Jing's hand. He introduced them: "Kang'er, this is your Uncle Guo's son Guo Jing; Jing'er, this is my son Yang Kang. Your names were given by Daoist Qiu Chuji and are derived from a line in Yue Fei's 'Man Jiang Hong': 'The shame of Jingkang has yet to be avenged; when will the hatred of the minister be extinguished?' It means you should not forget the shame of Jingkang and remember the humiliation of the two emperors being captured. Your uncle and I made a pact that if we both had sons at the same time, they would become brothers; if one son and one daughter were born, they would become husband and wife. Now that you are both boys, you shall be brothers!"
"Brother!" Guo Jing happily addressed Yang Kang.
Yang Kang smirked slightly; he didn't dislike this silly boy in front of him. Even if they became sworn brothers, it wasn't a big deal: "Brother Guo!"
Yang Tiexin was overjoyed to see his long-held wish fulfilled after more than ten years. He thought that even if he died now, he would die smiling. He pulled his son and his nephew close to ask about their experiences over the past decade. Guo Jing stumbled through sharing his upbringing in Mongolia until it was already dark outside.
Dinner was prepared by Huang Rong with Mu Nianci assisting her! Huang Rong showcased her culinary skills by preparing an exquisite feast—partly to impress Mu Nianci and partly to win over Guo Jing's elders—though she didn't think much of Yang Tiexin. She achieved her first goal when Mu Nianci saw the table filled with delicious dishes and felt a twinge of inferiority upon seeing Huang Rong's beautiful face rise within her heart.
Everyone praised the meal enthusiastically and was completely satisfied, almost swallowing their tongues in delight. After dinner, it was completely dark outside. Suddenly, a blue flame shot up from the city; Wang Chuyi's expression turned serious as he hurriedly dashed out of the cottage. He took out a meteor flare from his pocket, lit it with a fire starter, released it into the air, and a blue flame shot straight up into the sky.
"Wang Daozhang, what happened?" Guo Jing asked.
Wang Chuyi said solemnly, "Just now, my senior brother sent a distress signal. They are in danger, and I must go to rescue them!"
Upon hearing that Ma Yu was in trouble, Guo Jing was very worried: "Wang Daozhang, I will go with you!"
If Guo Jing was going, Huang Rong naturally wanted to go too. Yang Tiexin also gripped his iron spear: "I will go as well!"
"Father, you should stay here and wait! I will bring Ma Daozhang and the others back safely." Yang Kang frowned and reluctantly stepped forward. He thought to himself, why is Yang Tiexin making a fuss? With his clumsy spear skills, wouldn't he just cause trouble if he went along? If they couldn't save anyone and ended up getting himself into danger, it would be a hassle!
Everyone knew that Yang Kang was powerful, so both Wang Chuyi and Huang Rong welcomed his participation with open arms. Mu Nianci also wanted to go but was rejected by several people, who asked her to stay behind to take care of Yang Tiexin. Mu Nianci felt unwilling but did not argue, staying disappointedly by Yang Tiexin's side. The group left and returned after about an hour, bringing back six men and women along with two Taoists.
The six men and women had distinctive appearances: one was a ragged blind man holding a thick iron staff, around fifty years old, with a sharp nose and sunken cheeks, looking quite fierce; another was a middle-aged scholar with a half-smile on his face, squinting lazily, covered in grease and dirt, holding a tattered black paper fan while swaying as he walked; there was also a short and stout lecherous man with short arms and legs, no neck, and an unusually large head that seemed to shrink into his shoulders like a big lump of meat; a burly man in his forties carried a long blackened pole with two protruding ends on either side of the bent middle; he wore blue clothes secured with a coarse straw rope at the waist and grass sandals on his feet, looking dull-witted with a short axe for chopping wood tucked into his belt; another person was short and stocky, wearing a felt hat with fair skin, holding a scale and a bamboo basket, resembling a merchant; finally, there was a woman in her thirties with a slender figure, big eyes, long eyelashes, snow-white skin, and an elegant demeanor. They were indeed the Jiangnan Six Freaks: Ke Zhen'e, Zhu Cong, Han Baoju, Nan Xi Ren, Quan Jinfan, and Han Ying.
Among the two Taoists, one had white hair and eyebrows with a kind expression; the other had long black hair like lacquer and looked spirited while carrying a long sword on his back. Upon seeing them, Yang Tiexin was overjoyed: "Daozhang Qiu, it's good to see you again today!"
The two Taoists were Danyangzi Ma Yu and Changchunzi Qiu Chuji. They had come to Zhongdu for some business when they encountered the Jiangnan Six Freaks fighting against people from the Six Kings' Mansion! Although Qiu Chuji had some past grievances with the Jiangnan Six Freaks, he admired their character. Seeing them struggling against their opponents, he immediately rushed forward to help. This led him and Ma Yu into deep trouble until they were rescued by Yang Kang and others. As for the Six Freaks, they had been chasing Ouyang Ke to Zhongdu but were mistakenly regarded as accomplices of Yi Qian's group by the people from the Six Kings' Mansion and suffered this unwarranted disaster. Qiu Chuji's internal strength was profound; despite being eighteen years apart from their last meeting, he still looked much the same except for some gray at his temples. When he heard someone calling him and turned to look but did not recognize anyone due to Yang Tiexin's disheveled appearance from years of hardship.
Yang Tiexin said: "Eighteen years ago at Niujia Village in Lin'an Prefecture during our drinking contest against enemies—do you still remember that day?"
Qiu Chuji replied: "You are..."
Yang Tiexin said: "I am Yang Tiexin. Daozhang Qiu is well?" He immediately bowed deeply.
Qiu Chuji hurriedly returned the gesture but felt quite puzzled.
Seeing his confusion, Yang Tiexin raised his iron spear and executed the move "Phoenix Nods," causing the red tassel to sway as the spear tip flashed towards Qiu Chuji's chest while shouting: "Daozhang Qiu, you may have forgotten me but you cannot forget this Yang family's spear!" The spear tip stopped just an inch away from his chest.
Qiu Chuji recognized that this spear technique was indeed the authentic lineage of the Yang family. He suddenly recalled their past encounter in the snowy field when they tested weapons together. Seeing an old friend again brought mixed feelings of joy and sadness; he exclaimed: "Ah ha! Brother Yang, you're still alive! Truly thank you!"
Yang Tiexin bowed deeply: "Thank you for your concern! I am fortunate to still be alive. I heard from Wang Daozhang that you have been searching for my Yang family's bloodline for eighteen years; I truly have no way to repay this great kindness!"
Qiu Chuji quickly helped Yang Tiexin up and sighed: "It's unfortunate that my abilities are limited; after all these years I still haven't found your sister-in-law or your son!"
Yang Tiexin replied: "Daozhang, my son has been found! Kang'er, quickly come over to greet Daozhang Qiu!"
Yang Kang walked over and bowed to Qiu Chuji. Although he did not particularly like the Taoist priest, he appreciated his loyalty and was grateful for the efforts made over the past eighteen years to find him.
"You, you are Yang Kang?" Qiu Chuji exclaimed, his eyes wide in shock. The young man before him had extraordinary martial arts skills, and he had been thinking of taking him as a disciple—wasn't that a joke?
"Yes, yes, this is my son, Kang'er! And here is Jing'er! Jing'er, come and greet Qiu Daoshang!"
With Yang Kang's identity confirmed, Qiu Chuji and the Jiangnan Six Freaks fell into an eerie silence.
Qiu Chuji thought to himself: This is unbelievable! Yang Kang's martial arts are even higher than mine, and I have been claiming I would take him as a disciple—how embarrassing!
The Jiangnan Six Freaks considered: With Yang Kang's formidable skills, their own disciple would surely be no match for him; they were destined to lose! Wait a minute, Yang Kang isn't Qiu Chuji's disciple. Even if he defeats Jing'er, it doesn't mean Qiu Chuji has lost to the Jiangnan Six Freaks!
Thinking of this, the Six Freaks couldn't help but feel amused.
Ignoring the entanglement between Qiu Chuji and the Jiangnan Six Freaks, Yang Kang finished his greeting and stepped back to Yi Qian's side. Yi Qian smiled gently at him and continued to quietly enjoy the show. Watching live was far more interesting than watching on television, and real people were even more attractive than celebrities!
At this moment, Qiu Chuji took the initiative to admit defeat to the Jiangnan Six Freaks. After all, he had never managed to find Yang Kang! The Jiangnan Six Freaks were initially overjoyed, feeling that after eighteen years of wandering in the desert, they finally had a satisfactory outcome. However, they soon thought of Zhang Asheng, who had tragically died in the desert, and couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness; it was a pity he could not hear Qiu Chuji's words of concession.
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