The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 1 – Part 6

In the firelight a military officer spurred his horse forward and called, “Good. You are Yang Tiexin. Come with me and face the magistrate. Take him!” Four or five soldiers crowded in from either side.

Yang Tiexin reversed his spear and executed a move called White Rainbow Crossing the Sky,¹ sweeping three soldiers to the ground. Then, with Spring Thunder’s Wrath,² he hooked a soldier up on the butt of his spear and hurled him into the throng. He shouted, “If you want to take a man, you’d best say first what crime I’ve committed.”

The officer cursed, “You brazen rebel! You dare resist arrest?” For all his cursing, he feared the other man’s prowess and kept his distance. Another officer behind him called, “Come quietly to the magistrate’s hall and save yourself a heavier charge. The warrant is here.”

Yang Tiexin said, “Hand it over and let me see it!”

The officer said, “Where is the other criminal, the one named Guo?”

Guo Xiaotian leaned half his body from the window, bent his bow and notched an arrow, and called, “Guo Xiaotian is here.” The arrow-point was aimed straight at him.

The officer’s heart went cold. A chill ran down his spine in waves. He called, “Put that arrow down and I’ll read you the warrant.”

Guo Xiaotian said fiercely, “Read it!” He drew the bowstring fuller still.

The officer had no choice. He took up the warrant and read aloud, “By order of Lin’an Prefecture: the two criminals Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin, villagers of Niu Family Village, are charged with conspiring with bandits and plotting treason. They are to be arrested at once and interrogated under strict law.”

Guo Xiaotian said, “From which yamen is this warrant?”

The officer said, “It bears the personal directive of the Prefect of Lin’an.”

Both Guo and Yang were startled, and each thought, What has happened to bring down something this heavy? Could it be that Daoist Elder Qiu’s killing of the government men has come to light? Guo Xiaotian said, “Who lodged the complaint? What proof do you have?”

The officer said, “Our job is to take men. You can argue your case at the prefectural hall.”

Yang Tiexin called, “Everyone knows Lin’an Prefecture frames innocent men. We’re not falling for that.” He bent his bow and notched an arrow, the point aimed at the officer.

The lead officer called, “Defying orders and resisting arrest adds another degree to your crime.”

Yang Tiexin turned to his wife and said, “Put on another layer of clothes. I’ll take his horse for you. Let me shoot the officer down first. The soldiers will scatter in confusion.” He released the string. The cord sang, and the arrow flew like a meteor, striking the officer squarely in the chest. The officer gave a cry and toppled from his saddle. The soldiers shouted as one. Another officer called, “Seize the rebels!” The soldiers charged forward in a rush. Guo and Yang fired arrow after arrow in quick succession, felling six or seven soldiers in moments, but the troops were too many, and under their officers’ urging they surged up to the doors of both houses.

Yang Tiexin gave a great shout and dashed out. Wherever his iron spear rose, soldiers cried out and fell back. He sprang beside an officer riding a white horse and thrust his spear. The officer raised his own spear to block. The Yang Family Spear Technique³ was nimble and full of variation. Yang Tiexin sank his spear-shaft low, and the officer’s leg was struck before he could react. Yang Tiexin levered upward with the shaft, and the officer somersaulted clean off his horse.

Yang Tiexin planted his spear-shaft on the ground and vaulted onto the horse. He squeezed hard with his legs, and the beast gave a long whinny and bolted towards the door amid the firelight. Yang Tiexin speared a soldier by the entrance, then leaned from the saddle, stretched out his arm and lifted Bao Xiruo onto the horse behind him. He called loudly, “Big Brother, follow me!”

Guo Xiaotian whirled his twin halberds and shielded his wife Li Ping as they fought their way out through the press of soldiers.

The soldiers, unable to withstand the ferocity of the two, began loosing arrows from all sides.

Yang Tiexin rode over to Li Ping and called, “Big Sister-in-law, mount quickly!” He leapt down as he spoke.

Li Ping said urgently, “You can’t.”

Yang Tiexin paid her no heed. He caught her about the waist and hoisted her onto the saddle. The two sworn brothers followed on foot behind the horse, fighting as they retreated, fleeing into the wild.

They had not gone far when a great clamour rose ahead, and another body of cavalry came charging towards them. Guo and Yang cursed under their breath. They sought a way to flee, but arrows flew whistling from in front.

Bao Xiruo cried, “Ah!” Their mount took an arrow and went to its knees, pitching both women from the saddle.

Yang Tiexin said, “Big Brother, you guard them. I’ll take another horse!” He charged with his spear into the press of soldiers. A dozen or more troops stood in a line, long spears levelled at Yang Tiexin, shouting as one.

Guo Xiaotian saw that the soldiers were too numerous. He thought, With just the two of us, escape is easy enough. But with enemies before and behind, there is no way to save our wives. We have committed no crime. Rather than throw our lives away here for nothing, we would do better to go to Lin’an and plead our case. Last time Daoist Elder Qiu Chuji killed the government men and the Jin soldiers, not one escaped alive. There were no witnesses. The authorities cannot pin a crime on us in the absence of proof. Besides, it was not we who killed those officers and Jin troops. He shouted, “Brother, stop fighting. We’ll go with them!”

Yang Tiexin was stunned. He dragged his spear back.

The lead officer ordered his men to cease firing and commanded the soldiers to surround them on all sides. He called, “Throw down your weapons and bows. We’ll spare your lives.”

Yang Tiexin said, “Big Brother, don’t fall for their trick.”

Guo Xiaotian shook his head and cast his twin halberds to the ground. Yang Tiexin saw that his beloved wife was pale with fright, her beauty drained of colour, and his heart relented. He sighed and threw his iron spear and bow to the ground as well.

The moment the weapons left their hands, a dozen spear-points were at the four of them. Eight soldiers came forward, two to each prisoner, and bound their hands behind their backs.

Yang Tiexin laughed coldly, lifted his head and ignored them. The lead officer raised his riding-crop and brought it down with a slash across Yang Tiexin’s face, cursing, “You brazen rebel! You really don’t fear death?” The lash traced a long line of blood from his forehead to his neck.

Yang Tiexin said angrily, “Good. What is your name?”

The officer’s fury grew. His crop fell like rain as he said, “Your lord here keeps his surname when he walks and his name when he sits. I am surnamed Duan, given name Tiande,⁴ the Tiande of ‘Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life.’ Remember it. You can take your complaint to the King of Hell.”

Yang Tiexin did not flinch. He stared at the man with round, unblinking eyes.

Duan Tiande said, “Your lord has a blade scar on his forehead and a blue birthmark on his face. Remember them all!” He lashed out again.

Bao Xiruo saw her husband suffering so and cried, “He is a good man. He has done nothing wrong. Why… why must you beat him like this? Why… why can’t you be reasonable?”

Yang Tiexin spat, and the spittle struck Duan Tiande full in the face.

Duan Tiande flew into a rage. He drew his waist-dao and shouted, “I’ll finish you first, you rebel!” He raised the blade and hacked down at Yang Tiexin’s head. Yang Tiexin dodged to one side, but two soldiers on either side thrust their spears forward, pinning him between the points at his ribs. Duan Tiande slashed again. Yang Tiexin had nowhere to dodge and could only jerk backwards. Duan Tiande was no mean fighter. His first cut missed, and he drove the blade forward in the same motion. He wielded a serrated dao,⁵ and this push sawed a gash in Yang Tiexin’s left shoulder. Then a second cut came chopping down.

Guo Xiaotian saw that his sworn brother’s life was in danger. He leapt up suddenly and kicked at Duan Tiande’s face. Duan Tiande started and drew back his blade to block. Guo Xiaotian’s hands were bound, but his legwork was formidable. Before he had landed, he drew back his left foot and sent his right flying, striking Duan Tiande hard in the waist.

Duan Tiande, in acute pain, could contain his fury no longer. He shouted, “Spear him to death! The orders from above say that if the rebels resist arrest, they may be killed without question.” The soldiers raised their spears and thrust together. Guo Xiaotian kicked down two men in quick succession, but his hands were bound and he could not turn freely. He dodged this way and that from the spear-thrusts, and Duan Tiande came up behind him. The blade rose and fell, shearing off his right arm at a slant.

Yang Tiexin had been struggling to free his hands, but the bonds held fast. Then he saw his sworn brother fall, gravely wounded. Pain and fury surged through him, and a tremendous strength rose in his body. With a great shout, he snapped the cords binding him. He knocked down a soldier with his fists, seized a long spear, and unleashed the Yang Family Spear Technique. A man fighting for his life is a match for ten thousand. His spear rose, and at once two soldiers went down. Duan Tiande saw the turn of events and retreated. Yang Tiexin had cast all caution aside. He thrust here, struck there, and in moments had killed several more. The soldiers, daunted by his ferocity, gave a cry and scattered in every direction.

Yang Tiexin did not pursue. He raised his sworn brother. The stump of his arm gushed blood, and his whole body was drenched red. Yang Tiexin could not hold back his tears.

Guo Xiaotian gritted his teeth and said, “Brother, don’t mind me… Quick, quick, go!”

Yang Tiexin said, “I’ll take a horse. I’ll fight my way out and save you.”

Guo Xiaotian said, “No… no…” He lost consciousness.

Yang Tiexin stripped off his clothes to bind the wound, but Duan Tiande’s blow had cut from shoulder to chest, the gash covering half his body. There was no way to bandage it.

Guo Xiaotian came to faintly and said, “Brother, go save your wife and your sister-in-law. I… I… I’m done for…” With that, he breathed his last.

Yang Tiexin and he had been closer than flesh and bone. Seeing him die so cruelly, Yang Tiexin was filled with grief and fury. In a flash he remembered the oath they had sworn as sworn brothers: “We wish only to die in the same year, the same month, the same day.” He looked around. His own wife and Guo Xiaotian’s wife had vanished in the chaos. He cried, “Big Brother, I will avenge you!” He charged with his spear into the ranks of soldiers.

The soldiers had re-formed their lines. Duan Tiande gave the order, and arrows flew as thick as locusts. Yang Tiexin paid them no heed. He knocked the arrows aside and pressed on. An officer swung a great dao and hacked down at his head. Yang Tiexin dropped low and suddenly slid beneath the horse’s belly. The officer’s blow cut empty air. As he wheeled his mount, a spear-point pierced his back. Yang Tiexin flung the corpse aside, leapt onto the horse and brandished his spear. The soldiers dared not face him. They fled in all directions.

He rode on and saw an officer clutching a woman, galloping hard on horseback. Yang Tiexin leapt from his mount, swung his spear-shaft and knocked down a soldier, then snatched the man’s bow and arrows. In the firelight he aimed at the officer’s horse and let fly. The arrow struck the horse’s haunch. The beast’s forelegs buckled, and both riders rolled to the ground. Yang Tiexin loosed a second arrow and killed the officer. He ran forward and saw the woman struggling to sit up from the ground. It was his own wife.

Bao Xiruo saw her husband suddenly before her, equal parts shock and joy, and threw herself into his arms.

Yang Tiexin asked, “Where is Big Sister-in-law?”

Bao Xiruo said, “Ahead. The… the soldiers took her!”

Yang Tiexin said, “Wait here. I’ll go save her.”

Bao Xiruo said in alarm, “There are soldiers coming from behind!”

Footnotes

1. 白虹经天 — bái hóng jīng tiān. Literally white rainbow crossing the sky. ↩

2. 春雷震怒 — chūn léi zhèn nù. Literally spring thunder in wrath. A move of the Yang Family Spear. ↩

3. 杨家枪法 — Yángjiā Qiāngfǎ. Literally Yang family spear method. The hereditary spear art of the Yang family of generals. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 段天德 — Duàn Tiāndé. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 锯齿刀 — jù chǐ dāo. Literally saw-tooth dao. A dao with a serrated edge. ↩