The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 11 – Part 2

Ke Zhen’e swung his Demon-Taming Staff¹ to aid Nan Xiren, and Zhu Cong raised his white folding fan and jabbed at Peng Lianhu. Ke and Zhu were by far the strongest of the Six Eccentrics, and with each of their opponents now facing three, Sha Tongtian² and Peng Lianhu³ began to lose ground.

Not far off, Hou Tonghai⁴ and Huang Rong⁵ were locked in a fierce fight of their own. Hou Tonghai was in truth the better fighter, but the thought that this “stinking brat” wore the Soft Hedgehog Armour,⁶ with deadly sharp spikes hidden even in her hair, kept his fists and palms from daring to touch her body. He certainly dared not grab at her topknot again. Huang Rong saw his fear and took advantage of her armour to bully him, charging left and right without restraint. Hou Tonghai retreated again and again, shouting, “Not fair, not fair. Take off your hedgehog armour and fight me then.”

Huang Rong said, “Very well then. Cut off the three lumps on your forehead first, and then we’ll fight. Otherwise that’s not fair either.”

Hou Tonghai growled, “These three lumps of mine can’t hurt anyone.”

Huang Rong said, “They disgust me the moment I see them. Wouldn’t that give you a huge advantage? On three, then. One, two, three, you cut off your lumps and I’ll take off my armour.”

Hou Tonghai snapped, “I won’t cut them!”

Huang Rong said, “You’d better cut them off. You’re the one getting the better deal.”

Hou Tonghai fumed, “I’m not falling for your trick. I won’t cut them, whatever you say!”

Ouyang Ke⁷ thought, First I’ll kill these six who keep getting in my way. The witch can’t escape anyway. She can wait. Bent on showing off his skill, he leapt into the air and unleashed his family’s superb qinggong, Instant Thousand Li,⁸ and was suddenly at Ke Zhen’e’s side. He barked, “You meddle where you’re not wanted. I’ll show you, blind thief, what this Young Master can do.”

His right hand struck forward with a palm even as he closed in. Ke Zhen’e shook his staff’s tail to meet the blow, but to his surprise wind whistled beside his right temple. The blow coming at him was a backhand from Ouyang Ke’s left. Ke Zhen’e ducked to avoid it and swung his steel staff in a fierce strike of Vajra Guards the Dharma. By then Ouyang Ke was already engaging Nan Xiren on the other side. He darted east and leapt west, and in mere moments had launched lethal attacks against all six of the Eccentrics.

Liang Ziweng’s⁹ gaze never left Guo Jing¹⁰ from beginning to end. Seeing that the Six Eccentrics were on the verge of defeat the moment Ouyang Ke entered the fight, he reached for Guo Jing with both hands. Guo Jing hastily guarded himself, but after only a few exchanges he had been seized by the chest. Liang Ziweng’s right hand clawed at his lower abdomen. In his desperation Guo Jing jerked his belly sharply backwards. With a tearing sound his clothes ripped, and more than a dozen packets of medicine in his bosom were snatched away. Liang Ziweng caught the scent of the herbs and tucked them into his robe, then followed with a second grab.

Guo Jing tore himself free of the five fingers of Liang’s left hand clamped on his chest and ran towards Mei Chaofeng,¹¹ calling out, “Hey, quick, save me.”

Mei Chaofeng thought, There is still so much in Xuanmen neigong¹² that I don’t understand. She gasped, “Come here and hold my legs. Don’t be afraid of this old eccentric.”

But Guo Jing knew that taking hold of her would be easy, and getting free again much harder. He dared not go close and merely ran in circles around her. Liang Ziweng, though he saw that Guo Jing had entered the range of Mei Chaofeng’s long whip, pursued relentlessly all the same, keeping watch for the whip to lash out at him.

Mei Chaofeng, having located Guo Jing by ear, flicked her silver whip and sent it suddenly snaking round his feet.

Although Huang Rong was fighting Hou Tonghai, once she had the upper hand half her mind was on looking after Guo Jing. Earlier, when she saw him seized by Liang Ziweng, she had been too far away to save him and was filled with anxiety. Now she saw him running close, Mei Chaofeng’s long whip sweeping low towards him, and Guo Jing unable to dodge. In her alarm she flew through the air and threw herself at the tip of the whip.

Mei Chaofeng’s silver whip recoiled the instant it met anything, and she yanked it straight back. It coiled around Huang Rong’s waist and flung her body into the air. Huang Rong shouted from mid-air, “Mei Ruohua,¹³ you dare harm me?”

Mei Chaofeng knew Huang Rong’s voice and started in alarm. She thought, My whip is covered in sharp barbs. If this has hurt the little girl, Shifu will be all the less willing to spare me. What am I to do? Pull her over first and decide then. She shook the long whip and drew Huang Rong near, setting her on the ground. She fully expected the barbs had bitten deep into her flesh, only to find that the sharp hooks had torn nothing but her outer robe, leaving her body unharmed.

Huang Rong said with a laugh, “You’ve torn my clothes. You’ll have to make it up to me!”

Mei Chaofeng, hearing no trace of pain in her voice, could not help but start. Then she realised, Ah, of course. Shifu has given her his Soft Hedgehog Armour. Her mind eased, and she said, “It was my fault. I shall certainly make it up to my little sister with a fine new gown.”

Huang Rong beckoned to Guo Jing. He approached and stopped about ten feet from Mei Chaofeng. Liang Ziweng, wary of Mei Chaofeng’s prowess, dared not draw near.

---

Elsewhere, the Six Eccentrics of Jiangnan had formed a circle, backs to the centre, faces outward, doing their utmost to withstand the attacks of Sha Tongtian, Peng Lianhu, Ouyang Ke and Hou Tonghai. It was a formation the Six had perfected in Mongolia. Against a strong enemy they closed into a ring, so that none had to guard his back, and at once their strength increased by half.

But the martial arts of Sha, Peng and Ouyang were simply too powerful. The Six were no match for them, and in moments they were beset by peril on every side. Before long Han Baoju took a wound to his shoulder. He knew that if he withdrew from the fight, the circle formation would break, and the lives of all six of them and of Guo Jing would be in jeopardy. He gritted his teeth and held on with every ounce of strength. Peng Lianhu’s strikes were savage in the extreme, aiming lethal blows at Han Baoju one after another.

Guo Jing, seeing the danger, darted forward at full speed. His palms thrust out in Parting Clouds, Pushing the Moon, towards Peng Lianhu’s back. Peng Lianhu laughed coldly and swept the blow aside with his palm. In only three moves Guo Jing was hard-pressed.

Huang Rong saw that he could not free himself. Desperation sharpened her wits, and she suddenly remembered the old saying, “A common man is guilty of nothing but the jade he carries.”¹⁴ She called out, “Mei Chaofeng, you stole my father’s Nine Yin Manual.¹⁵ Hand it over this instant so I can take it back to him!”

Mei Chaofeng started but did not answer. Without a word passing between them, Ouyang Ke, Sha Tongtian, Peng Lianhu and Liang Ziweng all turned at once and threw themselves at her. All four were thinking the same thing, The Nine Yin Manual is the supreme martial treatise under heaven, and it has been in the hands of the Twin Evils of Dark Wind¹⁶ all along. With so great a prize before them, the four cared for nothing else. They wished only to kill Mei Chaofeng and seize the Nine Yin Manual.

Mei Chaofeng brandished her silver whip, and for the moment the four skilled fighters could not breach the circle of her whip.

Huang Rong saw that a single sentence had diverted four formidable enemies. She tugged at Guo Jing and whispered, “Quick, let’s go!”

Just then a figure came rushing from among the ornamental shrubs, calling, “Masters, my father has urgent need of you. Please come to his aid at once.” The golden crown on his head was knocked askew and his voice was frantic. It was the young prince, Wanyan Kang.¹⁷

Peng Lianhu and the others heard this and all thought, The Prince brought us here with handsome gifts. If he is in urgent need, how can we not go? At once they leapt clear. But none of them could bear to let the Nine Yin Manual go, and their eyes stayed fixed on Mei Chaofeng.

Wanyan Kang said in a low voice, “My mother… my mother has been carried off by villains. Father has summoned you all to help rescue her. Please hurry.”

Wanyan Honglie,¹⁸ it turned out, had led his personal guard out of the Prince’s Estate in pursuit of the Consort. After riding some distance without finding any trace, he recalled that Peng Lianhu and the others possessed extraordinary abilities, and hastily sent his son back to the estate to summon them. Wanyan Kang was anxious, and in the darkness of night he failed to notice Mei Chaofeng sitting on the ground.

Peng Lianhu and the rest all thought, The Consort carried off? This is grave indeed. What use are we to the household, then? And then it occurred to each of them, So the Six Eccentrics lured the tiger from the mountain, tying up the experts here while someone else carried off the Consort. The Nine Yin Manual and all that will have to wait. Everyone here wants it, and my skill is not enough to beat the whole field and keep it for myself. Still, now that I know where it is, I can make other plans later. They all followed Wanyan Kang away at a swift pace.

Liang Ziweng brought up the rear. How could he forget his longing for the hot blood in Guo Jing’s body? Whether they rescued the Consort or not mattered little to him. But alone and outnumbered, he could only leave in bitter frustration.

Guo Jing called out, “Hey, give me back my medicine!”

Liang Ziweng, beside himself with rage, flicked a hand back and sent a Bone-Penetrating Nail¹⁹ at Guo Jing’s forehead. It whistled through the air with savage force.

Zhu Cong darted forward two steps and knocked the nail away with the handle of his folding fan. The nail fell, and Zhu Cong caught it in his left hand. He held it to his nose and sniffed. “Ah. A Midnight Bone-Penetrating Nail,²⁰ the kind that closes the throat the moment it draws blood.”

Liang Ziweng, startled that the other had named his hidden weapon, turned and barked, “What?”

Zhu Cong strode forward, holding the Bone-Penetrating Nail in his open left palm, and said with a smile, “Back to you, Old Mister!”

Liang Ziweng calmly took it, knowing Zhu Cong’s martial arts were no match for his own and fearing no trickery. Zhu Cong noticed that the left sleeve of Liang’s robe was covered in weeds and earth. He waved his own sleeve and brushed it clean for him several times.

Liang Ziweng snapped, “Who asked you to curry favour?” He turned and left.

---

Guo Jing was in a quandary. If he simply went back now, a whole night of danger would end without the medicine he had come to steal. Yet if he tried to take it by force, he was no match for them. He was still hesitating when Ke Zhen’e said, “Let’s all go back.” He leapt up onto the estate wall. The five other Eccentrics followed.

Han Xiaoying²¹ pointed at Mei Chaofeng and asked, “Big Brother, what do we do?”

Ke Zhen’e said, “We promised Daoist Elder Ma²² to spare her life.”

Huang Rong, beaming, did not greet the Six Eccentrics. She leapt to the other end of the wall on her own.

Mei Chaofeng called out, “Little shimei,²³ where is Shifu?”

Huang Rong giggled. “My father is on Peach Blossom Island,²⁴ of course. Why do you ask? Do you want to go to the island and pay your respects to him?”

Mei Chaofeng, torn between fury and anxiety, could not help but pant for breath. After a pause she barked, “Didn’t you say just now that Shifu was coming at once?”

Huang Rong laughed. “He didn’t know you were here before. Once I tell him, naturally he’ll come looking for you.”

Mei Chaofeng was enraged. Determined to seize Huang Rong and learn the truth, she suddenly rose to her feet. Her steps were unsteady, and she swayed as she charged towards Huang Rong.

The truth was that she had forced her neigong cultivation, and a breath of zhenqi²⁵ had reached her Changqiang acupoint²⁶ but could not return. Her lower body was paralysed as a result. The Changqiang acupoint lies at the base of the spine, at the junction of the Foot Shaoyang and Foot Shaoyin meridians. It is a vital point of the du meridian, the key to all movement of the lower body. The harder she forced it, the more blocked her zhenqi became. Now, in her fury and desperation, she quite forgot that her lower body could not move. She broke into a run towards Huang Rong, and once she entered a state of self-forgetfulness, a surge of hot qi rushed to her chest, and suddenly her two legs were her own again.

Huang Rong, seeing her break into a chase, was greatly alarmed. She leapt down from the wall and fled like smoke, vanishing without a trace.

Mei Chaofeng suddenly thought, Strange, how am I able to walk? The moment the thought arose, her legs went numb and she collapsed, losing consciousness.

The Six Eccentrics could have taken her life now as easily as taking something out of their own pockets. But they had made a promise to Ma Yu, and besides, to harm her now would be a victory without honour. So they took Guo Jing with them and leapt out of the Prince’s Estate.

Han Xiaoying, impatient, was the first to ask, “Jing-er, what are you doing here?”

Guo Jing briefly recounted how Wang Chuyi²⁷ had saved him, the poisoning at the banquet, his failed attempt to steal the medicine, and his encounter with Mei Chaofeng in the pit. The tangle between Yang Tiexin, his wife and their son he had no time to explain in detail.

Zhu Cong said, “Let’s go and see Daoist Elder Wang at once.”

Yang Tiexin, reunited with his wife, felt an indescribable mixture of joy and sorrow. He took Bao Xiruo²⁸ in his arms and leapt out of the Prince’s Estate.

His adoptive daughter Mu Nianci²⁹ was waiting anxiously by the wall outside the estate. When she suddenly saw her father carrying a woman in his arms, she was greatly puzzled. “Father, who is she?”

Yang Tiexin said, “She’s your mother. Hurry.”

Mu Nianci was astonished. “My mother?”

Yang Tiexin said, “Keep your voice down. I’ll explain later.” He held Bao Xiruo and ran.

After some distance, Bao Xiruo slowly regained consciousness. Dawn was breaking, and in the faint light of daybreak she saw that the man holding her was the very husband she had thought of day and night. She could not tell if it was real or illusion, half believing herself to be dreaming. She reached out to touch his face and asked in a trembling voice, “Big Brother… am I dead too?”

Yang Tiexin wept with joy and said gently, “We’re safe and well…”

He had not finished speaking when the sound of hooves came thundering from behind. Torches flickered, and a troop of horsemen galloped up. The vanguard riders raised their blades and spears, shouting, “Don’t let the rebels who abducted the Consort escape!”

Yang Tiexin thought to himself, Heaven has taken pity and let us man and wife meet again today. If I must die now, I shall die content.

He called, “Child, hold your mother.”

In Bao Xiruo’s heart there suddenly surged the scene from eighteen years ago in Niu Family Village of Lin’an Prefecture: her husband carrying her as they fled for their lives, the pursuing soldiers shouting for blood in the dark, and after that eighteen years of separation, grief and humiliation. She felt the old tragedy about to repeat itself. She threw her arms around her husband’s neck and held on tight, refusing to let go.

Footnotes

1. 伏魔杖法 — Fúmó Zhàngfǎ. Ke Zhen’e’s staff art, practised in the Mongol desert. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 沙通天 — Shā Tōngtiān. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 彭连虎 — Péng Liánhǔ. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 侯通海 — Hóu Tōnghǎi. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 黄蓉 — Huáng Róng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 软猬甲 — Ruǎnwèijiǎ. A vest set with tiny barbs, proof against blades and fists, treasured on Peach Blossom Island. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 欧阳克 — Ōuyáng Kè. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 瞬息千里 — Shùnxī Qiānlǐ. Literally a thousand li in a blink. A qinggong. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 梁子翁 — Liáng Zǐwēng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 郭靖 — Guō Jìng. His name meaning “to pacify”; paired with Yang Kang’s 康 it recalls the Jingkang Shame of 1127. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 梅超风 — Méi Chāofēng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 玄门 — Xuánmén. Literally mysterious gate. A name for Daoism, drawn from the Daodejing. ↩

13. 梅若华 — Méi Ruòhuá. Her name meaning “Like a Blossom”. ↩

14. 匹夫无罪，怀璧其罪 — Pǐfū wú zuì, huái bì qí zuì. Literally the common man has no crime; carrying the jade is his crime. A saying recorded in the Zuo Zhuan: a treasure invites danger from those who covet it. ↩

15. 九阴真经 — Jiǔyīn Zhēnjīng. Literally true scripture of the nine yin. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 黑风双煞 — Hēifēng Shuāngshà. Literally twin evils of the dark wind. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 完颜康 — Wányán Kāng. See Wuxia Wiki (spoiler). ↩

18. 完颜洪烈 — Wányán Hóngliè. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

19. 透骨钉 — Tòugǔ Dīng. A small iron nail flung with neili, named for how deep it bites. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

20. 子午透骨钉 — Zǐwǔ Tòugǔ Dīng. A poisoned Bone-Penetrating Nail. 子午 is the midnight hour, by which its poison is said to take effect. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

21. 韩小莹 — Hán Xiǎoyíng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

22. 马钰 — Mǎ Yù. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

23. 师妹 — shīmèi. Female junior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Mèi means younger sister. ↩

24. 桃花岛 — Táohuā Dǎo. Huang Yaoshi’s island in the East China Sea. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

25. 真气 — zhēnqì. Literally true qi. Qi refined through internal cultivation. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

26. 长强穴 — Chángqiáng Xué. Literally long and strong. An acupoint at the base of the spine, where the Governing Vessel begins. ↩

27. 王处一 — Wáng Chǔyī. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

28. 包惜弱 — Bāo Xīruò. Her name meaning “cherishing the weak”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

29. 穆念慈 — Mù Niàncí. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩