Chapter Forty-one: Guo Bingjin and Guo Bingyin

These words inflamed the two men greatly. No one had expected it, but the short, stout man suddenly shouted, "Damn your grandmother's leg!" and, quite unexpectedly, sprang forward and swung his axe at Gu Shen. Gu Shen hurriedly raised his eagle-bone bow to block the blow, but as the bow snapped, Gu Shen tumbled from his horse.

Landing on his feet, Gu Shen quickly drew his spear from behind his back. The tall, thin man let out a bellow, and his axe, handled as if it were a mere wooden staff, swept toward Gu Shen with two casual swings. As Gu Shen moved his spear sideways to block, the stout man attacked from the other side, axe raised. With a deft flick, Gu Shen diverted the tall man's weapon and quickly turned to meet the swinging axe of the stout man.

The three of them fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand. The two bandits wielded their heavy axes with a ferocity like tigers, while Gu Shen handled his spear with a grace as delicate as falling pear blossom in the rain. Gu Shen, born into a family of generals and skilled in martial arts from childhood, was the most talented of Gu Yuan's eight children. Yet, for all his prowess, he could only lament that his skills were wasted on hunting in the wilds rather than winning glory on the battlefield.

This was the first time Gou Ye had ever witnessed Gu Shen in combat, and the scene before him was far more thrilling than anything he'd seen on television. He couldn't understand the intricacies of each move, but he sensed that a single misstep could mean death.

As Gu Shen gradually began to falter against his two opponents, his spear slowing, Gou Ye grew anxious and unsure of what to do. He jumped off his horse and, hiding behind it, gritted his teeth and pulled out his bow. Mimicking what he remembered from television, he readied an arrow, but struggled to nock it and, after much fumbling, finally managed. His face flushed with the effort of drawing the bow, but he had no idea where to aim.

The three fighters moved quickly, their forms blurring with speed. Gou Ye's hands were numb with tension, yet he dared not loose the arrow for fear he might hit Gu Shen by accident—a disaster. But then, reality struck: this was not television. If Gu Shen fell, he would be next, and these two were so skilled that he wouldn't survive even a single exchange. Watching Gu Shen's growing exhaustion, knowing he couldn't hold on much longer, Gou Ye hesitated, then shut his eyes tight, muttering, "Heaven decide my fate, Brother Gu, don't blame me!"

He loosed the arrow, which flew past the three combatants and buried itself with a thud in the ground.

The stout and the thin man were both startled and stopped fighting. They stared at the arrow, then looked at Gou Ye, who was cowering behind the horse with his eyes squeezed shut. As the sounds of fighting ceased, Gou Ye opened his eyes and, seeing the arrow in the earth, blushed with embarrassment.

He grinned awkwardly, backing away as he laughed, "Sorry about that, I missed, truly a misunderstanding."

The stout man let out a roar, hefted his axe, and charged at Gou Ye. Gu Shen, seeing this, quickly moved to intercept, but just as he was about to thrust his spear at the stout man, he felt a cold axe pressed against his neck. The tall, thin man stammered, "You... you... kid, you're... pretty good."

With Gu Shen bested, Gou Ye stopped in his tracks. There was no point running—he couldn't ride, and if the two mounted up, they'd catch him in no time. So he turned around with a bright smile, approaching them and saying, "Gentlemen, heroes, noble sirs, let's talk this through! You're after money, aren't you? I have some!" With that, he produced ten taels of silver.

"Tie them up!" the tall, thin man ordered, ignoring the money. He and his companion quickly bound Gou Ye and Gu Shen to a tree.

The stout man sneered, patting Gu Shen's cheek. "Kid, you've got some skills. You're the first person who has lasted this long against us. Out of respect, we'll leave your corpse whole."

Gou Ye, unable to see behind him, called out anxiously, "Come on, big brother, we're all just out here seeking justice, looking to make a living. If ten taels isn't enough, I can add more! I don't have it on me, but I can fetch it from the county!"

"You... you think I'm stupid? If you go to the county... you'll call the authorities... what then?" The tall man stammered, pressing his axe to Gou Ye's neck.

Gou Ye, terrified, stammered, "W-w-wait! Listen, you don't have to let me go back. Just send one of you to the bookstore in town, ask for Manager Hu, and say Gou Ye sent you. He'll give you two or three hundred taels on the spot!"

Hearing this, the tall man dropped his axe in astonishment and stared at Gou Ye. "Gou... Gou... Gou Ye? You mean... you are... Master Gou?"

"Master Gou?" the stout man exclaimed, rushing over with surprise, sizing Gou Ye up. "You're Gou Ye? The one who wrote 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'?"

Gou Ye was bewildered, but replied quietly, "That's right, it's me."

At once, the two men untied them, bowing repeatedly and apologizing. The stout man said, "We didn't know Master Gou was here today. Please forgive our rudeness. We're both devoted readers of yours."

Gou Ye dusted himself off. "Oh? Then how come I've never seen you two at the bookstore?"

The tall man replied, stammering, "We... we're... too rough and... uncouth... they... they wouldn't let us in." He grinned sheepishly.

Seeing this, Gou Ye finally relaxed—his life was safe. Who would have thought that writing books would not only earn him money but also save his life today? When he returned, he would have to work even harder and finish the novel, and perhaps write another one in gratitude to "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and to Master Jin.

"Gentlemen, your martial arts are extraordinary, able to match my brother move for move. But do you know who he is?" Gou Ye asked. The two men shook their heads.

"He is the son of the Duke of Jing, Gu Shen, Young Master Gu."

At once, they knelt with a thud. Had they known he was from the Duke of Jing's household, even with ten lives, they would have never dared to rob him. They kowtowed repeatedly, faces full of fear.

Gu Shen hastily helped them up. To be honest, he had always known he was unmatched in the county, and this was the first time he had ever been bested in combat. As the saying goes, heroes respect heroes. After such a contest, he found the two men rather endearing.

Looking at the two of them, so simple and guileless, Gou Ye suddenly had an idea and asked, "May I ask your names, gentlemen?"

The two removed their masks, revealing honest, straightforward faces—nothing like mountain bandits at all. They cupped their fists and introduced themselves:

The tall man said, "I am Guo Bingjin."
The stout man said, "I am Guo Bingyin."