Happiness shone from Si Shi's eyes. Suddenly she frowned and she reached toward her heart. Ah Ching's bamboo stick didn't touch her, but the pure chi from the stick had reached into her body and did her some slight harm.

In the next two thousand years, all people know that the most beautiful image in the world was Si Shi holding her hands in front of her bosom.

Where are they now?

King Kou Chiang finally got his vengeance, but something had happened to him during all those years when the only emotion he could feel was hate. Feng Li must have sensed it. He resigned his post and told his buddy Wen Chung to resign with him. He said "Kou Chiang is someone who you can depend on during hard times, but it will be impossible to share good times with him." Wen Chung didn't believe his old friend. He believed that he could finally enjoy the rewards he deserved.

Feng Li disappeared from history. Some said that he became a hermit. Some said that he became a merchant prince who owned the wealth of kingdoms. Si Shi became the Chinese version of Helen, the beauty who destroyed a great kingdom. Some said that Si Shi went with Feng Li and they lived happily ever after. Some said that Si Shi died when Kou Chiang's wife, fearing losing her husband, tied a rock to the woman's back and sank her in a lake, gloating "Now, you never have to grow old." You can pick the ending you prefer.

Kou Chiang became as Feng Li predicted, cruel and merciless. Wen Chung was forced to commit suicide when he was wrongfully charged with treason. The end he inflicted upon Wu Tzu-shi became his own end. Kou Chiang became full of pride. He made war with the great powers of northern China. The wars brought no decisive victory. Then he died. After his death his kingdom fell apart. Eventually, Chuh absorbed the territories of Wu and Yueh. The Yueh people fled south. Over the centuries, they were pushed farther south by the expanding Chinese empire until they entered present day Vietnam. They are there still.

Recently, an archaeological excavation in Hunan uncovered two bronze swords. One of them was thought to be the sword of Fu Chai. The other was attributed to be the sword owned by Kou Chiang. The legends of the precious swords have some basis in fact. If anyone know more about the archaeological findings, please e-mail me. The swords Fish Intestine and Defeater of Evil were buried with King Ho Lu, Fu Chai's father. The locals swore that they periodically saw a white tiger standing upon the tomb of Ho Lu. The white tiger was the symbol of metal, so the locals believe that the tiger was the personification of the magic swords under there. Believe it or not.

As for the Yueh Maiden, she never existed in real history. She always existed in the land of legends and there, presumably, she roams still. Doubtlessly she has performed many great deeds there, deeds which will remain unknown until some scribe comes and tell the tales as they deserve to be told.

Jin Yong

Jin Yong, originally named Louis Cha, was born in Haining County (near Hangzhou) in 1924. As a well-known journalist, litterateur, and scholar in China, he has done great achievements throughout his life.

Jin Yong is an outstanding media figure in China. He used to work as a journalist, translator, and editor for news papers in Shanghaiand the Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region). In 1959 he initiated several newspapers in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore.

As the President and the Director of the Board of the Ming Bao from 1959 to 1993, Jin Yong continually wrote editorials both in Chinese and English. Due to his excellent work, Jin Yong was awarded the title of OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1981.

Apart from his work in the press sector, Jin Yong has shown great enthusiasm for social community in Hong Kong. From the 1970s to the 1980s, he served in the Independent Commission Against Corruption as well as the Law Reform Commission of Hong Kong. He also actively participated in the drafting of the Basic Law in Hong Kong. In order to show gratitude to his contributions, the Hong Kong SAR Government awarded Jin Yong the GBM (Grand Bauhinia Medal) in 2001. In the same year, a small planet discovered by the Beijing Astronomical Observatory was named after him.

Jin Yong is also the most famous writer of martial arts novels in China, and dozens of his novels have become all-time bestsellers, with some of them being translated into English, Japanese, French, Malaysian, and Korean and so on. Meanwhile, most of his novels have been adapted into other forms, reaching a global audience through TV serials, radio programs, and stage performances.

Not confining himself to novel writing, Jin Yong used to work as a playwright and director in the Hong Kong Great Wall Film Company. He produced dozens of film scripts, among which Peerless Beautiful Woman was awarded the Golden Prize by the People's Republic of China's Ministry of Culture. In addition to producing novels and film scripts, Jin Yong has written a great number of essays and reviews on films and plays.

The last but not the least important part of Jin Yong's achievements are his outstanding academic researches, including law, history, and Buddhism. He established and chaired the Louis Cha Academic Fund in Hong Kong University.

From the 1980s till today, Jin Yong has successfully won doctorate degrees in several universities including the Hong Kong University, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Open University of Hong Kong, the University of British Columbia in Canada, and the USTC in Japan. He was also invited to be the Honorable Professor in several universities in Hong Kong, Canada, Mainland China, and Taiwan Province.

The last but not the least important part of Jin Yong's achievements are his outstanding academic researches, including law, history, and Buddhism. He established and chaired the Louis Cha Academic Fund in Hong Kong University.

From the 1980s till today, Jin Yong has successfully won doctorate degrees in several universities including the Hong Kong University, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Open University of Hong Kong, the University of British Columbia in Canada, and the USTC in Japan. He was also invited to be the Honorable Professor in several universities in Hong Kong, Canada, Mainland China, and Taiwan Province.