They camped that night in the middle of the desert. Huo Qingtong could see Gu"s gaze constantly sweeping over her and became very worried. She went into her tent, drew her sword, and sat down beside the tent entrance, not daring to sleep. Towards midnight, she heard someone tiptoeing over. Suddenly, the tent flap opened and Gu crept inside. He began feeling about in the darkness for her, and an instant later, felt an icy coldness on his neck as a sharp blade gently touched it.
"If you so much as twitch, I will run it through you," Huo Qingtong whispered. "Lie on the ground!" He immediately complied. She placed the tip of the sword on his back, then sat down and wondered what she should do.
"If I kill him, the other two won"t let me get away with it," she thought. "It"s probably best to wait for my teacher to get here."
A couple of hours later, Tang woke and noticed Gu was missing. He jumped up and began shouting "Brother Gu! Brother Gu!"
"Answer him quickly," Huo Qingtong whispered fiercely. "Tell him you"re here."
"It"s all right, Brother, I"m here!" he shouted back, well aware that he had no choice.
Tang laughed. "You horny old thief! You"ll never change."
The next morning, Huo Qingtong waited until the other two were up before letting Gu out.
"Brother Gu," Hahetai berated him as he emerged. "We have come to seek revenge not to make trouble." Gu"s teeth were almost chattering with hate but he didn"t tell them what had happened. If he did, the shame of it would follow him for the rest of his life. But he decided that he would have the girl the following night and then kill her.
At about midnight, Gu advanced on Huo Qingtong"s tent again, a spear in one hand and a torch in the other. As he entered, he saw her crouching in the far corner and lunged at her triumphantly. But suddenly he felt something cut into his legs as a rope noose hidden on the ground caught him. Huo Qingting gave it a tug and he overbalanced and fell heavily.
"Don"t move!" she hissed, and placed the tip of her sword against his stomach. She didn"t think she could not stand another night like the previous one, but killing Gu was not enough. She had to finish off all three.
"Tell your elder brother to come over here," she whispered. Gu guessed what she was planning and remained silent. She increased the pressure so that the sword cut through his clothes and the top layer of skin. Gu knew a sword in the stomach was the most painful way to die. "He won"t come," he whispered back.
"All right, then I"ll kill you first," she replied, and the sword moved again.
"Elder Brother! Come here! Come quickly!" Gu called frantically.
"Laugh," Huo Qingtong ordered. Gu frowned and uttered several dry laughs.
"Laugh more happily!"
He silently cursed her, but with the sword already inside his flesh, he forced out a loud hysterical laugh. Tang and Hahetai had already been awakened by the racket.
"Stop playing around, Brother, and conserve some of your strength," Tang yelled.
Huo Qingtong could see he wouldn"t come. "Call the other one," she hissed, and Gu shouted out again. Although he was a bandit, Hahetai did not take advantage of women, and he was very unhappy with Gu"s behaviour. But he was his sworn brother, so he just pretended not to hear.
"If I don"t kill these three, it is going to be difficult to free myself of today"s shame," she thought. Holding the sword in her right hand, she wound the rope round and round Gu until he could not move. Only then did she relax. She leant against the side of the tent, but did not dare to fall asleep.
The next morning, as it grew light, she saw that Gu was fast asleep and angrily whipped him awake with her horse"s whip. She placed the tip of her sword on his heart and said: "If you so much as grunt, I will skewer you!"