Guo Jing's History
Early Life
The young Guo Jing was born and raised in Mongolia. While still pregnant with him, his mother Li Ping fled the central plains in order to escape from enemies, who had killed his father Guo Xiaotian.
Being a pleasant-mannered child, Guo Jing befriended the youngest son of Genghis Khan and became sworn brothers with him. At the age of six, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan would find him and teach him martial arts. Their reasons of teaching him had to do with a bet they had with the Quanzhen Taoist Qiu Chuji to see who could train the better student.
The same night that the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan accepted him as a student, they encountered Mei Chaofeng, who was practicing the Nine Yin White Bone Claw. She had previously blinded Ke Zhen'e and murdered his older brother. As the seven attacked Mei Chaofeng, she summoned her husband, Chen Xuanfeng to support her. Chen Xuanfeng gave Zhang A'Sheng, one of the the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, a lethal hit with the Heart-Destroying Palm. He grabbed the little Guo Jing, trying to threaten the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, but the frightened Guo Jing took out a dagger his mother had given him, stabbing Chen Xuanfeng in the navel and killing him.
Teen Years
Guo Jing had trained with The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan for around ten years, but he showed below average progress, to the chagrin of his teachers. His lack of progress wasn't his fault however, because when each of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan taught him individually they would often contradict what Guo Jing had just learned from the previous teacher.
One day, Guo Jing encountered Quanzhen Taoist Ma Yu. Ma Yu would teach Guo Jing Quanzhen internal cultivation techniques for two years, greatly improving his internal power. This internal power boost would result in an improvement in his external arts from his teachers as well.
Guo Jing would also help Genghis Khan in a crucial battle and gain his confidence and liking. Genghis Khan even betrothed his daughter Hua Zheng to Guo Jing, who had been a childhood friend of Guo Jing's. Guo Jing only felt familial love for Hua Zheng, but he didn't decline the marriage proposal, instead he only said he needed to go to the central plains with his teachers.
Central Plains
Because of a bet made years ago by his teachers, Guo Jing left Mongolia and went to the central plains to meet Yang Kang, the lost son of his father's (Guo Xiaotian) sworn brother Yang Tiexin.
His teachers would later leave him and let him travel alone in order to gain some experiences in Jianghu. During this time, he would meet his future wife, Huang Rong, who was disguised as a beggar boy.
They would go through many adventures, such as meeting Yang Tiexin and his adopted daughter Mu Nianci. Yang Tiexin would eventually reunite with his wife Bao Xiruo and run off together. Their son, Yang Kang would decide to stay with his adoptive father Wanyan Honglie, who had ordered the death of Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin years earlier, and Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo would commit suicide when there was no escape from Wanyan Honglie.
Disobeying his teachers, Guo Jing would continue to travel with Huang Rong, encountering different people and getting into many different adventures.
Hong Qigong
The two would later meet the North Beggar Hong Qigong, one of the Five Greats of martial arts at the time, who, through the bribery of Huang Rong's cooking, would accept the two as students. Guo Jing would learn the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms while Huang Rong would learn the Dog-Beating Stick and become the 19th leader of the Beggars' Sect.
Guo Jing would learn the first 15 palms in one month. He would learn the remaining three later on.
Peach Blossom Island
Guo Jing later went to Peach Blossom Island to ask East Heretic Huang Yaoshi, another of the Five Greats, for Huang Rong's hand in marriage. There, he met Old Urchin Zhou Botong, who realized Guo Jing had the second volume of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing, which comprised of the most coveted martial arts techniques of the time. Guo Jing had picked it up when Mei Chaofeng dropped it in a battle, but never realized what it was. Zhou Botong forced Guo Jing to memorize the second volume, as well as the first volume that was in his possession. Zhou Botong would also teach Guo Jing the Vacant Fist and Left/Right Technique, two extremely advanced forms of martial arts that would greatly help Guo Jing later on.
When asking for Huang Rong's hand in marriage, Guo Jing would have competition from Ouyang Ke, the son of West Poison Ouyang Feng, another of the Five Greats. A competition was held to determine who would marry Huang Rong, and Guo Jing was victorious. Afterwards, Zhou Botong and Huang Yaoshi got into an argument and in a fit of rage both destroyed their respective volumes of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing, making Guo Jing and Zhou Botong the only ones to know it in its entirety.
Ouyang Feng would later capture Guo Jing and force him to write out the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. Guo Jing would write out a fake copy for Ouyang Feng. During their escape attempt, Hong Qigong would be severely injured by Ouyang Feng, temporarily nullifying his martial arts. The boat they were on would sink, and they would all wash up onto an island.
With Hong Qigong injured, Guo Jing was forced to do Ouyang Feng's bidding. They later escaped the island, crippling Ouyang Ke in the process, but eventually Ouyang Feng would get to them again.
Ox Village
Guo Jing was later severely injured after being stabbed by Yang Kang in a struggle to obtain the Wumu Legacy, a book of the late General Yue Fei's military tactics. To save him Huang Rong used the healing techniques of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. The technique however, required seven days, so they found a secret room in a house in Ox Village. It was there that they witnessed Yang Kang murdering Ouyang Ke, stabbing him with his dagger and framing Guo Jing for it so he himself could become Ouyang Feng's apprentice.
The Quanzhen Taoists later arrived and encountered Mei Chaofeng. Huang Yaoshi and Ouyang Feng would arrive soon after, and to save Huang Yaoshi, Mei Chaofeng took a blow from Ouyang Feng, killing her. The Seven Masters of Quanzhen also suffered casualties when Tan Chuduan died during the battle.
Beggar Sect
Guo Jing, Huang Rong, and Hong Qigong would later go back to the Beggars' Sect, with Huang Rong officially named Hong Qigong's successor. Hong Qigong then went into seclusion to regain his nullified power. Huang Rong, who had her Dog-Beating Stick stolen by Yang Kang, was later seen as an enemy of the Beggars' Sect when a corrupt Beggars' Sect elder killed the other elders and named Yang Kang as the official successor.
Eventually Guo Jing and Huang Rong were able to show the Beggars' Sect the truth and the corrupt elder was captured.
Iron Palm Sect
Guo Jing and Huang Rong would have encounters with Iron Palm Sect leader Qiu Qianren, with Guo Jing and Huang Rong trapped in the Iron Palm Sect Catacombs, where they would find Yue Fei's Wumu Legacy. Huang Rong was also severely injured by Qiu Qianren's Iron Palm after believing it to be a fraud, an injury so great, that even the Jiu Yin healing methods had no effects.
Yi Deng
They would find out from Zhou Botong that there was one person that could save Huang Rong, the South Emperor Duan Zhixing, another of the Five Greats, who had become a monk under the name Yi Deng. On their way to Yi Deng, they would encounter Ying Gu, the ex-wife of Duan Zhixing, who had an affair with Zhou Botong. Ying Gu blamed Yi Deng for the death of her child and gave a piece of cloth her child had worn to Guo Jing in order to guilt Yi Deng into saving Huang Rong.
Yi Deng's disciples continuously tried to stop Guo Jing and Huang Rong from reaching Yi Deng, but eventually they did and Yi Deng saved Huang Rong. Yi Deng would also help the couple translate the sanskrit portion of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing.
Back to Peach Blossom Island
Guo Jing and Huang Rong would return to Peach Blossom Island only to find Huang Rong's mother's tomb opened, and five of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan dead inside. Assuming it was Huang Yaoshi that did it, he tried to end his relationship with Huang Rong and swore revenge against Huang Yaoshi.
Quanzhen vs. The East Heretic
The Quanzhen elders would seek out East Heretic Huang Yaoshi for the death of Tan Chuduan, with an apprentice, Yin Zhiping, taking Tan Chuduan's place in their formation. Yin Zhiping was quickly taken down and Guo Jing took his place in the formation, making the technique much more effective.
The group was later attacked by the Jin Empire and Ouyang Feng. Guo Jing, Huang Rong, the Quanzhen elders, and everyone else were separated. Huang Rong escaped with Ke Zhen'e, who originally had wanted to kill her to avenge the death of the other Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. They hid in a temple and overheard Ouyang Feng and Yang Kang talking, revealing that it was them that killed the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. Huang Rong would later be captured by Ouyang Feng and Ke Zhen'e would tell Guo Jing everything he heard.
Mongolia
Guo Jing later spent months searching for Huang Rong, but was be unable to find her. He eventually returned to Mongolia, where he became a general for the Mongols and, using Yue Fei's Wumu Legacy, battled the Jin Empire.
Ouyang Feng would eventually come attack Guo Jing, attempting to capture him after Huang Rong's escape. Huang Rong, who had stayed in the Mongol Camp, had been secretly helping Guo Jing the entire time. With the help of Huang Rong, Guo Jing was able to outsmart Ouyang Feng three times and win several crucial battles for the Mongols.
Ouyang Feng would later force Huang Rong into quicksand (presumably) and captured Guo Jing. Guo Jing eventually escaped after a month of fighting Ouyang Feng, and helped the Mongols defeat the Jin Empire. When Genghis Khan's plans for conquering China and kill Guo Jing were revealed, Guo Jing's mother Li Ping committed suicide to allow her son to escape.
Second Huashan Tournament
At the second Huashan Tournament, the greatest martial arts tournament in China, Guo Jing found out that Huang Rong was still alive, captured by Ouyang Feng. They were finally reunited and, through the insistence of Huang Rong, instead of Hong Qigong and Huang Yaoshi facing each other, they would instead face Guo Jing, each exchanging 300 blows. The one to win with the fewest stances would be considered the winner, and if Guo Jing outlasted both, then he would be winner.
Guo Jing managed to last 300 stances with both Greats, when a crazed Ouyang Feng appeared. His unorthodox arts were derived from the Reverse Jiu Yin Huang Rong had taught him during her imprisonment, which increased his power, but lost him his sanity. Eventually he ran off trying to figure out his own identity.
Mu Nianci
Guo Jing and Huang Rong would later run into Mu Nianci once more, who was now caring for her and Yang Kang's son. The child, who hadn't been named yet, was given the name Yang Guo by Guo Jing and Huang Rong, who told Mu Nianci to come live at Peach Blossom Island if she ever needed any help.
Mongols
Guo Jing and Huang Rong would go see Genghis Khan once more, before defending the Chinese army against the Mongols. Guo Jing and Huang Rong were victorious in the battle and returned to Peach Blossom Island when they got married and had children.
Thirteen Years Later
Thirteen years later, Guo Jing and Huang Rong, while searching for Ke Zhen'e would run find the orphaned Yang Guo, whose mother had died years earlier. Taking Yang Guo with them, Guo Jing would later encounter Ouyang Feng, who was the godfather of Yang Guo. The two warriors fought to a draw and Ouyang Feng fled.
They took Yang Guo back to Peach Blossom Island and Huang Rong taught him how to read and write instead of martial arts, fearing that he would one day avenge his father. Yang Guo, who had learned the Toad Stance from Ouyang Feng, used it to injure one of the other children. Because of this, Guo Jing sent Yang Guo to the Quanzhen sect, hoping to change his ways. While going up, Guo Jing encountered 98 Taoists who didn't let him go up the mountain, mistaking him for the enemy. Guo Jing quickly subdued the 98 Taoist Big Dipper Formation and left Yang Guo in the care of the Quanzhen sect.
Another Four Years
The four years after Guo Jing left Yang Guo at Quanzhen weren't too eventful, he continued to train his daughter and the Wu Brothers in martial arts on Peach Blossom Island.
Sometime during this period, Huang Rong became pregnant once more.
Wulin Dahui
At the Wulin Dahui, which Yang Guo also attended, Guo Jing found out from the Quanzhen Taoists that Yang Guo had run off and became a disciple of the Ancient Tomb Sect. At the event, Golden Wheel Monk and his disciples interrupted, claiming that he should be the leader of Wulin. A battle ensued in which three wulin members would face Golden Wheel Monk and his two disciples.
Two disciples of Yi Deng lost the first two battles, leading to Yang Guo fighting against Golden Wheel Monk's disciple Huo Du. Eventually Yang Guo made another bet with Golden Wheel Monk, where Golden Wheel Monk would face his teacher Xiaolongnu for the leadership position. Guo Jing would have to intervene, matching palms with Golden Wheel Monk when it looked like Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu were in trouble.
Guo Jing would later almost kill Yang Guo, when he revealed he wanted to marry his teacher Xiaolongnu. The only thing holding Guo Jing back was how much Yang Guo looked like his father, Yang Kang.
Xiangyang
After the Wulin Dahui, Guo Jing went to Xiangyang to defend the stronghold against the Mongols. Yang Guo would later arrive, and, believing Guo Jing was responsible for the death of his father, faked a fire deviation and attempted to kill Guo Jing. Guo Jing disarmed him and used his internal energy to help Yang Guo recover from his fake fire deviation.
Days later, Guo Jing went to the Mongol camp to free the Wu brothers and was attacked by Golden Wheel Monk, Xiaoxiang Zi, Yin Kexi, and Nimoxing. Guo Jing was able to fight these first class fighters all by himself and could have easily escaped if it weren't for Yang Guo, who caused Guo Jing to get injured. Yang Guo eventually had a change of heart and helped Guo Jing instead of trying to kill him. Guo Jing would then reveal to Yang Guo what kind of person his father was. Yang Guo instead of killing Guo Jing took him back to Xiangyang where he was able to recuperate.
Twins
With Guo Jing still injured, the Mongols stormed Xiangyang as Huang Rong gave birth. They hid away as she gave birth to twins, one girl and one boy, Guo Xiang and Guo Polu. Guo Xiang was then taken by Li Mochou, who believed it to be Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu's child.
Yang Guo, Huang Rong and others looked long and hard for the child, while Guo Jing stayed to protect Xiangyang.
Guo Fu
When Guo Jing found out Guo Fu had cut off Yang Guo's right arm, he wanted to cut Guo Fu's arm off as punishment, he was stopped however, by Huang Rong who hit Guo Jing's pressure points, allowing her daughter to escape.
Sixteen Years
Throughout the sixteen years, Guo Jing had stayed and protected Xiangyang. His daughter, Guo Xiang, was rescued by Yang Guo and returned to them. His daughter Guo Fu married Yelu Qi and there was peace for the most part in Xiangyang.
At the time of his daughter Guo Xiang's sixteenth birthday, Yang Guo presented her with three gifts, one of which being the ear of 500 Mongol soldiers. His daughter Guo Xiang, trying to reach Yang Guo and convince him not to kill himself, leaves Xiangyang, only to be captured by the Golden Wheel Monk.
The Mongols would put Guo Xiang on a burning platform and ask for Guo Jing's surrender for the life of his daughter. Unable to reach his daughter, Guo Jing had planned to sacrifice his daughter for the good of the nation. Using one of East Heretic Huang Yaoshi's formations, Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Old Urchin Zhou Botong, South Emperor Yi Deng, and East Heretic Huang Yaoshi led a armies to attack the Mongols.
Yang Guo would arrive just in time to face off against the Golden Wheel Monk once more. The fierce battle concluded with Yang Guo dealing a fatal blow to Golden Wheel Monk, who in his last breaths saved Guo Xiang from the burning platform and handing her to Yang Guo.
With Guo Xiang safe, Guo Jing and the others led their armies to victory.
North Hero
With the battle concluded, Guo Jing, Huang Rong, South Emperor Yi Deng, Old Urchin Zhou Botong, East Heretic Huang Yaoshi, Yang Guo, Xiaolongnu, and others went to Mount Hua to visit the graves of West Poison Ouyang Feng and North Beggar Hong Qigong, who had died years earlier. It was there that the new Five Greats were named. It was here that Guo Jing took his place among the Five Greats as The North Hero, succeeding the spot of his deceased teacher North Beggar Hong Qigong.
Death
Guo Jing died on the day Xiangyang fell (January 31, 1273). He, along with his wife, Huang Rong, perished at the defeat of Xiangyang. Except for Guo Xiang, it is believed that the rest of their children Guo Polu, Guo Fu and their son-in-law Yelu Qi also perished at Xiangyang.
