Flying Fox of the Snowy Mountain Chapter 7 – Part 5

Liu Yuanhe glanced at her, then continued, “Big Brother Tian said, 'That day she caught a chill. She had a cough from the cold. I called a physician to examine her. The physician said it was nothing serious, just a touch of wind-cold. Take one dose of medicine, sweat out the fever, and she'd be fine. But she said the medicine was too bitter. She poured the brewed decoction away and refused to eat. The more she neglected herself, the worse her condition grew. I called physician after physician, but she would not take their medicines, would not touch food. Nothing I said could persuade her.'”

When Miao Ruolan heard this, she could not help but sob softly. Xiong Yuanxian and the rest found it most puzzling. They could not imagine who this person refusing medicine and food might be, nor what connection she had to Tian Guinong and the Miao father and daughter. The Taos and the Tianlong men, however, knew it was Tian Guinong’s second wife they spoke of. But why Miao daxia¹ should concern himself with the matter, and why Miao Ruolan should grieve so, remained a mystery to them. They thought, Could Madam Tian be a relative of the Miao family? How is it we have never heard of it?

Liu Yuanhe went on, “At the time I lay under the bed, not making head or tail of it. I didn’t know who they were talking about. I thought to myself, ‘Miao Renfeng rushes over in such a frenzy, and it’s only to ask after someone’s illness. The woman won’t take her medicine, won’t eat her food. Is she throwing a tantrum?’ Then I heard Miao daxia ask again, ‘So she doesn’t want to live?’ Big Brother Tian said, ‘I later knelt on the ground and begged. I pleaded until my voice went hoarse. She paid no heed.’

“Miao daxia asked, ‘Did she leave any words?’ Big Brother Tian said, ‘She told me that after she died, I should cremate her body and scatter the ashes on the highway, for a thousand people to trample and ten thousand to tread!’ Miao daxia sprang to his feet and demanded in a fierce voice, ‘Did you do as she said?’ Big Brother Tian said, ‘The body was cremated. But the ashes are here.’ With that he rose and brought out a small porcelain jar from the far side of the bed, setting it on the table.

“Miao daxia gazed at the porcelain jar. His expression held both grief and fury. I took one look and dared not meet his eyes again.

“Big Brother Tian then took a phoenix-head pearl hairpin² from his robe and placed it on the table, saying, ‘She told me to return this hairpin to you, or to give it to Miss Miao. She said it belongs to the Miao family.’”

At these words, everyone turned to look at Miao Ruolan. There at her temple sat a phoenix-head pearl hairpin, swaying gently. The phoenix head was wrought with exquisite craftsmanship, and the several pearls adorning it were each perfectly round and smooth, though their lustre had yellowed with age, marking them as relics of long standing.

Liu Yuanhe continued, “Miao daxia picked up the hairpin and drew a single hair from his own head. Slowly he threaded it through the phoenix head’s beak. The hair emerged from the tip of the hairpin, for the shaft was hollow within. He took the two ends of the hair and pulled gently. One side of the phoenix head sprang open. He tilted the hairpin, and from inside the phoenix head a small ball of paper fell out. He spread the paper open and said coldly, ‘Do you see this?’ Big Brother Tian’s face turned the colour of ash. After a long silence he breathed a heavy sigh.

“Miao daxia said, ‘You tried every scheme under heaven to get your hands on this map. But in the end she saw through your true nature. She would not entrust the secret to you, and returned the hairpin to the Miao family. The map to the treasure lay hidden inside this hairpin. Hmph. I daresay you never dreamed of it.’ Having said this, he placed the paper ball back inside the phoenix head, drew the hair taut to engage the catch, and set the hairpin on the table. ‘I’ve shown you how to open the phoenix head. Take it and follow the map to find the treasure, if you like!’ Where would Big Brother Tian dare move? He clamped his mouth shut and said not a word. Under the bed I was frantic with impatience. The map and the treasured dao³ lay no more than several feet from my body, yet I had no way to reach them. I watched Miao daxia stare blankly at the porcelain jar. Slowly he reached out with both hands, took up the jar, and placed it inside his robe. The look on his face was terrible to behold.”

A soft moan escaped Miao Ruolan. She bent over the table and wept, the phoenix-head pearl hairpin at her temple trembling with her sobs. Everyone exchanged glances, unable to comprehend the cause.

Liu Yuanhe went on, “Big Brother Tian struck the table with his palm and said, ‘Miao daxia, do it. I die without regret.’ Miao daxia gave a low laugh. ‘Why should I kill you? A man alive need not be happier than a man dead. Think of those years ago when I fought Hu Yidao. We battled for days, and in the end he and his wife died, while I lived on. I grieved for it always. But later I thought again. He and his wife loved each other to the last, living and dying together. That was far better than my living alone in this world. Hmph. This map has been at your side all these years, and you never knew. Yet you handed it back to me with your own hands. Why should I kill you? To let you live with regret for the rest of your days, isn’t that punishment enough?’ With that he took up the hairpin and strode from the room. Big Brother Tian had bow and arrow, dao and jian at his side. Where would he dare lift a hand?

“Big Brother Tian sighed and groaned. He laid the dead infant and the treasured dao upon the bed, turned and bolted the door behind him, muttering, ‘A man alive need not be happier than a man dead.’ He sat on the bed and called out, ‘Lan, oh Lan, for your sake I lost my footing. For my sake you lost yours. What was the point of it all?’ Then came a grunt, and the sound of something piercing flesh. He struggled a few times on the bed. Then he was still.

“I was startled. I crawled out from under the bed at once. He had driven a feathered arrow into his own heart. He was dead already. Gentlemen, Big Brother Tian took his own life. No one else shot him. It was not Tao Zian who killed him, nor Hu Fei. It was himself. I have no friendship with the Taos or the Hus, and no reason to shield them.

“When I saw he was dead, I blew out the candle and was about to seize the treasured dao and make my escape. But House Brother Tao⁴ had already come to the door, knocking. I had to hide under the bed again. Everything after that, House Brother Tao has already told. He took the treasured dao and fled here, beyond the pass. I lay stifling under that bed for all this time. Was it for nothing? Besides, my shidi⁵ here has an old grudge with Yinma Creek, so the two of us came along together.”

When he had finished his tale, he clapped his hands together and brushed the dust from his clothes, patting the top of his head as though he had just crawled out from under a bed. He took two sips of tea, looking quite at ease.

Footnotes

1. 苗大侠 – Miáo Dàxiá. Daxia, a title of respect for a renowned martial artist. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 凤头珠钗 – Fèngtóu Zhūchāi. A hairpin with a phoenix-shaped head, inlaid with pearls. ↩

3. 刀 – dāo. A single-edged blade. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 世兄 – shìxiōng. House Brother; a courteous form of address to the son of a family friend, here Tao Zian. ↩

5. 师弟 – shīdì. Male junior fellow disciple under the same shifu. ↩