The Rebel of Peach Blossom Island

Yang Guo had been fatherless since childhood, and his mother, Mu Nianci, died of illness when he was eleven.

Before Mu Nianci died, she said her husband had died at the Iron Spear Temple in Jiaxing, so she asked to be cremated and buried there as well.

Following his mother's last wish, Yang Guo held her funeral, then wandered the Jiaxing region, living in broken kiln caves, stealing chickens and dogs to survive.

Although she had taught him some basic martial arts fundamentals, her own skill was not high, and Yang Guo was too young to learn much.

Wherever Yang Guo went, he was looked down upon and often deceived. After accidentally getting caught in a fight between Li Moshou and Lu Jiazhang, he met Guo Jing, who claimed to be his father's sworn brother.

He followed him to Peach Blossom Island.

On Peach Blossom Island, Yang Guo lived with Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Guo Fu, and the Wu brothers.

Because of the reckless Guo Fu, he once fought a duel with the Wu brothers and was badly beaten.

After that conflict, Guo Jing intended to take Yang Guo and the others as disciples, but on Huang Rong's advice, Guo Fu and the Wu brothers learned martial arts from Guo Jing,

while Yang Guo was to be taught by Huang Rong.

Yang Guo deeply disliked Guo Fu and the Wu brothers, so when Huang Rong said she would teach him, he inwardly rejoiced at not having to train with them.

But Huang Rong continued making him study books for days on end, never mentioning martial arts even once.

One day, after finishing his reading, Yang Guo wandered alone into the mountains. As he strolled leisurely, he suddenly thought of Ouyang Feng, whose whereabouts were now unknown.

He imitated Ouyang Feng's manner, spinning his body around once.

After whirling around a few times, following the incantation Ouyang Feng had taught him, his meridians reversed their flow. He flipped his body, leapt upside down,

and with a 'Kuku!' shout, thrust both hands forward. His entire body felt relaxed and indescribably refreshed, immediately drenched in sweat.

He didn't know what this practice was, but his inner energy had already advanced.

Although Ouyang Feng's martial arts did not form a recognized school, in reality they were terrifyingly advanced techniques.

Yang Guo was exceptionally perceptive, and although the time had been brief, his inner energy gradually grew stronger through this practice.

After that, he read scriptures with Huang Rong every day, and used the quiet moments at dawn and dusk to secretly cultivate martial arts alone in remote, secluded mountains.

Unaware that what he was practicing was extraordinary martial arts that could astonish others, he simply noticed that each time he trained, his entire body felt indescribably clear and comfortable,

until eventually, if he missed even one day of practice, his body would feel uncomfortable to the point of distress.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong had no way of knowing he was secretly cultivating martial arts in the mountains.

Huang Rong had not even finished three months of teaching him when they completed the Analects.

Yang Guo had an excellent and quick memory, and though he occasionally had doubts, he never asked questions.

In truth, Huang Rong had already grown tired of teaching him literature, but whenever she felt this way, she thought:

(Yang Guo's intelligence and wisdom surpass even mine. If his character turns out like his father's and he learns martial arts wrongly, the disaster he brings will certainly not be small.

It would be better to have him study books and the words of sages, so he can benefit himself and others.)

Thus, she patiently continued teaching literature. After finishing the Analects, she began the Mencius.

Even after several months, Huang Rong never mentioned martial arts, and Yang Guo never asked why.

After the conflict with Guo Fu and the Wu brothers, Yang Guo avoided them and gradually felt increasingly lonely. Although Guo Jing had taken him as a disciple,

he sensed that Huang Rong, to whom he was entrusted, would not pass on martial arts to him.

He had never been a match for the Wu brothers to begin with, and now they were learning martial arts from Guo Jing every day.

If another fight occurred in the future, he would surely be killed by them. Yang Guo felt deeply wronged and began to harbor resentment toward Huang Rong.

But Yang Guo had one secret that Guo Jing and Huang Rong did not know: he had met Ouyang Feng and become his adopted son.

Ouyang Feng, originally known as the Western Venom, was a peerless master renowned across the land and the lord of Baita Mountain in the Western Regions, an expert in poisons.

When Ouyang Feng met Yang Guo, he was already out of his mind, but he still transmitted Hapmagong to Yang Guo and gave him several pills.

Yang Guo was still too young to know exactly what the pills given by the Western Venom Ouyang Feng were, but recalling Ouyang Feng's rambling words,

he thought they were a very bad poison, though not one strong enough to kill a person.

One afternoon, intending to play a trick on Huang Rong, Yang Guo entered the study before her, put on a leather glove, and carefully smeared the pill, dissolved in water, onto the pages of the Mencius book.

This was so that when Huang Rong turned the pages, the poison would be absorbed through her fingertips.

That day, as Yang Guo read several passages of the Mencius with Huang Rong, he watched her closely, but Huang Rong showed no signs of anything unusual.

Yang Guo assumed the pills from Ouyang Feng had lost their potency from age, or perhaps had to be ingested to cause poisoning, and inwardly felt disappointed.

After class, he left the room and idly walked along the beach, watching the white waves rolling in the vast ocean,

wondering when he might escape from this predicament.

Looking at the seagulls flying over the water, he thought how free they must be.

Suddenly, he heard groaning sounds coming from deep within the woods. Curious, he slowly turned and peered behind a tree.

It was Huang Rong, leaning against a tree deep in the forest, touching her own body in a dazed state.

Originally, the pills Ouyang Feng had given Yang Guo were something he would never have handed over if he had been in his right mind.

Ouyang Feng had named it 'Peach Blossom Lust Poison'—a kind of aphrodisiac.

It was a stimulant made from the venom of the Peach Blossom Snake, an extremely lewd serpent, and its toxicity was extremely potent.

Once poisoned, it could be absorbed not only by ingestion but also through the skin. Once infected, even the most demure woman would instantly become a shameless harlot.

Moreover, there was no special antidote for Peach Blossom Lust Poison.

Only physical contact with the opposite sex could neutralize it. Ouyang Feng had created it during his time on Baita Mountain in the Western Regions after long research. It was known as being for a nephew who enjoyed women,

in truth, it was made for Ouyang Ke, his own son born from an affair with his sister-in-law. After Ouyang Ke tested it once,

he said it was more exciting when the woman resisted, so he returned it to Ouyang Feng—eventually passing it on to Yang Guo.