The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 11 – Part 6

Mu Nianci harboured secret designs of her own. She had long since given her heart to Wanyan Kang,¹ reckoning that since he was his father’s own flesh and blood, he must of course bear the surname Yang. Were she also to take the surname Yang, how could any marriage between them be arranged?

After taking his medicine, Wang Chuyi’s spirits gradually lifted. Lying on the kang,² he listened to her answer Qiu Chuji’s questions, and suddenly something puzzled him. He asked, “Your martial arts are far better than your father’s. How can that be?”

Mu Nianci replied, “At thirteen, this junior encountered an extraordinary person. He instructed me in martial arts for three days, but I am dull by nature and learned little.”

Wang Chuyi said, “He taught you for only three days, and you can beat your father? Who is this master?”

Mu Nianci said, “It is not that I would dare keep anything from the Daoist Elder. It is only that I once swore an oath never to speak his name.”

Wang Chuyi nodded and pressed no further. He turned over in his mind the postures and fist techniques Mu Nianci had used when fighting Wanyan Kang, examining them again and again, yet could not place her martial arts in any school he knew. The more he considered her moves, the stranger they seemed. He asked Qiu Chuji, “Shixiong Qiu, you taught Wanyan Kang for eight or nine years, did you not?”

Qiu Chuji said, “A full nine years and six months. Alas, who would have thought the lad such a good-for-nothing?”

Wang Chuyi said, “Now that is strange!”

Qiu Chuji said, “How so?”

Wang Chuyi pondered and did not answer.

Ke Zhen’e asked, “Daoist Elder Qiu,³ how did you come to find Big Brother Yang’s son?”

Qiu Chuji said, “It was pure chance, truly. After I made our appointment with you all, I searched everywhere for news of the Guo and Yang families. For years, not a whisper. Yet I would not give up. That year I went again to Niu Family Village in Lin’an Prefecture to make inquiries, and happened upon several runners carrying things out of Big Brother Yang’s old home. I followed behind them and listened to their talk. These were no ordinary men. They were guards from Prince Zhao’s Estate of the Great Jin, sent on a special mission to collect every stick of furniture and every tool from the Yang household’s former home. Broken stools, rotting chairs, iron spear, plough, not a single item was to be left behind.”

“I grew suspicious. There was clearly more to it, so I followed them all the way to Zhongdu.”

Guo Jing had seen Bao Xiruo’s quarters in Prince Zhao’s Estate. Hearing this, he understood at once.

Qiu Chuji continued, “That night I slipped into the Prince’s residence to learn why Prince Zhao had these worthless objects shipped across ten thousand li.⁴ What I found filled me with rage and grief. Brother Yang’s wife, née Bao, had risen to be the Prince’s consort. In my fury I meant to kill her with one stroke of my jian.⁵ But then I saw her living in a small brick cottage, stroking Brother Yang’s iron spear and weeping the night through. I thought, ‘She has not forgotten her late husband after all. She is not wholly without feeling.’ So I spared her life.”

“Later I learned that the young prince was in fact Brother Yang’s own flesh and blood. I waited several years until the boy was older, then began teaching him martial arts.”

Ke Zhen’e asked, “The lad never knew his true origins?”

Qiu Chuji said, “I sounded him out a few times. He clung to wealth and rank and was no man of true feeling, so I never told him plainly. I instructed him several times in the way a man should conduct himself, but the rogue only slithered past with glib words. Had it not been for my pledge to you seven, why would I have wasted my patience on him? My plan was that once he had matched skills with the young Guo boy, win or lose, our two sides would make peace. Then I would tell him who he was, bring his mother out, and find a place for them to live in seclusion. Who could have guessed that Brother Yang was still alive, and that Shixiong Ma and I would both fall to a villain’s treachery? In the end we could not save Brother Yang and his wife. Alas!”

Mu Nianci covered her face and wept softly again.

Guo Jing then recounted how he had met Yang Tiexin in the Prince’s residence and seen Bao Xiruo by night. The others agreed that though Bao Xiruo had given herself to Prince Zhao, she had believed her husband dead, and a widow remarrying was an ordinary thing, not worthy of deep censure. That she had followed her husband in death to fulfil her duty was admirable indeed, and they all sighed.

They then discussed the martial contest at the Mid-Autumn Festival. Zhu Cong said, “With the Seven Zis of Quanzhen gathered, what have we to fear?”

Ma Yu said, “My fear is that they may invite many skilled fighters. We may still find ourselves outnumbered.”

Qiu Chuji said, “What skilled fighters could they invite? Are there truly so many in the world?”

Ma Yu sighed. “Shidi Qiu, though your martial arts have greatly advanced in these years and you have brought honour to our school, the boldness of your youth has never quite mellowed…”

Qiu Chuji cut in with a laugh, “Know that beyond the heavens there are heavens, and above men there are men.”

Ma Yu smiled faintly. “Is it not so? The men who arrived just now, their martial arts are no weaker than ours. If they invite a few more masters of much the same calibre, the meeting at the Misty Rain Pavilion could go either way.”

Qiu Chuji’s bold spirit flared. “Eldest Shixiong, you worry too much. Could the Quanzhen Order truly lose to the likes of them?”

Ma Yu said, “The course of events is hard to foresee. Had Big Brother Ke, Second Brother Zhu and the rest of the Six Xias not come to our rescue just now, the Quanzhen Order’s reputation of several decades would have ended with the three of us here today.”

Ke Zhen’e, Zhu Cong and the others demurred. “The enemy employed the tricks of ghosts and fiends. What is there to speak of?”

Ma Yu sighed. “Shishu Zhou received our late shifu’s personal transmission. His martial arts exceeded ours tenfold. Yet because he relied on his strength and loved to compete, he has been missing for over ten years. We must take this as a warning and guard ourselves with care.”

Hearing his shixiong speak thus, Qiu Chuji dared argue no more. The Six Eccentrics of Jiangnan did not know they had another shishu, and sensed from Ma Yu’s words that this was a matter somewhat discreditable to the Quanzhen Order. They did not press for details, though all were curious. Wang Chuyi listened to his two shixiongs speaking and said nothing, only sat in silent thought.

Qiu Chuji cast a glance at Guo Jing and Mu Nianci, then said, “Big Brother Ke, the apprentice you have taught carries a xia’s heart. Excellently done. With a son-in-law like this, Brother Yang can close his eyes in peace.”

Mu Nianci blushed, rose, and walked out of the room with her head bowed.

As she rose and stepped away, a thought flashed through Wang Chuyi’s mind. He sprang from the kang and pressed his palm straight down at her shoulder. The move was so fast that before Mu Nianci knew it, his palm was on her right shoulder. He paused an instant, and as she summoned her strength to resist, at the moment it was coming but had not yet arrived, he wrenched at her shoulder. Wang Chuyi, the Yuyangzi,⁶ the Iron-Footed Immortal, was no ordinary man. His wound was not yet healed and his neili⁷ fell short, but that press and wrench caught exactly the gap between one surge of her strength and the next. Mu Nianci staggered and pitched forward.

Wang Chuyi reached out his left hand and lightly steadied her left shoulder. Against her will, she straightened again, eyes wide with alarm and confusion.

Wang Chuyi smiled. “Miss Mu, don’t take offence. I was testing your skill. That eminent Senior who taught you for three days, was he a man with only nine fingers, who dressed as a beggar?”

Mu Nianci cried in surprise, “Oh, yes, he was. How did the Daoist Elder know?”

Wang Chuyi laughed. “The Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar,⁸ Esteemed Senior Hong, comes and goes like a spirit. He is truly like the divine dragon whose head is seen but never its tail. For you, miss, to have been taught by him in person is a great stroke of fortune. Truly a cause for joy and congratulation.”

“It is a pity he was too busy to teach me for more than three days.”

Wang Chuyi sighed. “You are not yet content? Those three days are worth ten or twenty years of another man’s teaching.”

“The Daoist Elder speaks truly.” She considered a moment, then asked, “Does the Daoist Elder know where Esteemed Senior Hong is?”

Wang Chuyi laughed. “Now that stumps me. I saw him once, many years ago, at the summit of Mount Hua. Since then, I have heard nothing of him.”

Mu Nianci was deeply disappointed. She walked slowly from the room.

Han Xiaoying asked, “Daoist Elder Wang, who is this Esteemed Senior Hong?”

Wang Chuyi smiled faintly and settled back onto the kang. Qiu Chuji answered for him, “Nüxia Han, have you ever heard the saying ‘Eastern Heretic, Western Venom, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar, Central Divine’?”

Han Xiaoying said, “I have heard people speak of it. It means the five Seniors of the highest martial prowess in our age, though I don’t know if that is so.”

Qiu Chuji said, “It is.”

Ke Zhen’e asked suddenly, “This Esteemed Senior Hong is the Northern Beggar among the five?”

Wang Chuyi said, “Just so. And the Central Divine was our late shifu, Wang the Perfected One.⁹”

The Six Eccentrics of Jiangnan, hearing that this man Hong was as famous as the shifu of the Seven Zis of Quanzhen, could not help feeling a deep respect.

Qiu Chuji turned to Guo Jing with a smile. “This wife of yours is a disciple of the famous Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar. Who will ever dare bully you now?”

Guo Jing’s face flushed crimson. He wanted to protest but could only stammer.

Han Xiaoying asked, “Daoist Elder Wang, when you pressed her shoulder, how did you know she had been taught by the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar?”

Qiu Chuji beckoned to Guo Jing and said, “Come here.” Guo Jing went and stood before him. Qiu Chuji laid his palm on Guo Jing’s shoulder and suddenly bore down with all his strength. Guo Jing had been taught orthodox Daoist neigong by Ma Yu, and for over ten years had hardened his strength under the Six Eccentrics. His external skill was not weak, yet Qiu Chuji’s press did not topple him.

Qiu Chuji laughed. “Good lad!” The pressure released at once. Guo Jing, who had been bracing against the downward force, found the pressure gone and his own neili slackened in turn, only for Qiu Chuji, swift as lightning, to exploit the opening. Guo Jing’s earlier force had dispersed, his later force had not yet risen. Qiu Chuji gave him the lightest wrench and Guo Jing fell flat on his back. He planted a hand on the ground and sprang up at once. Everyone laughed aloud.

Zhu Cong said, “Jing-er, remember this fine move that Daoist Elder Qiu has shown you.”

Guo Jing nodded.

Qiu Chuji said, “Han nüxia, among all the martial artists under heaven, anyone who takes such a wrench on the shoulder and cannot withstand it must fall backwards. Only with the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar’s own martial arts does a man fall forwards, because his art is hard and fierce beyond compare and grows stronger the stronger the foe. Miss Mu was taught only a short while, yet she has already grasped the heart of Esteemed Senior Hong’s school. She could not withstand Shidi Wang’s wrench, yet she would not yield with the force. Even in falling, she fell opposite to the direction of her attacker’s strength.”

The Six Eccentrics found this reasoning sound and admired the Quanzhen Order’s penetrating judgement.

Zhu Cong asked, “Has Daoist Elder Wang ever seen the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar perform his martial arts?”

Wang Chuyi said, “In that year our late shifu, the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar, Huang Yaoshi and the others, five masters in all, met on the summit of Mount Hua for the Huashan Sword Summit.¹⁰ Esteemed Senior Hong’s martial arts were peerless, but he was greedy for food and drink above all things, and there was nothing good to eat on the summit. He was so bored that he took talk of the jian for his wine and talk of the fist for his dishes, and discussed the principles of the jian and the fist with our late shifu and Senior Huang Yaoshi. I was in attendance at our shifu’s side that day and had the fortune to hear their marvellous reasoning. I benefited greatly.”

Ke Zhen’e said, “Then that Huang Yaoshi must be the ‘Eastern Heretic’ of ‘Eastern Heretic, Western Venom’?”

Qiu Chuji said, “Just so.” He turned to Guo Jing with a grin. “Shixiong Ma did teach you some neigong, but it’s lucky the two of you were never formally shifu and disciple. Otherwise, ranked by generation, you would be a full generation below your wife, and you could never hold your head up for the rest of your life.”

Guo Jing flushed. “I’m not marrying her.”

Qiu Chuji stared. “What?”

Guo Jing said it again. “I’m not marrying her!”

Qiu Chuji’s face darkened. He rose to his feet. “Why?”

Han Xiaoying, fond of her apprentice, saw him embarrassed and hastened to explain for him. “We learned that Elder Master Yang’s heir was a boy, so the betrothal made before birth did not need to be kept, and Jing-er became engaged in Mongolia. The Great Khan of the Mongols, Genghis Khan, has made him his Golden Dao Prince Consort.”¹¹

Qiu Chuji’s face hardened. He stared at Guo Jing, then sneered coldly. “Oh, very fine. She is a princess, a golden branch and jade leaf. How could a common girl compare? Your forebears’ wishes mean nothing to you, then? You covet rank and riches, you forget your roots and betray what is right. How are you any different from that wretch Wanyan Kang? And what did your father say, back then?”

Guo Jing was much alarmed. He bowed low. “I have never once seen my father. I do not know what words he left behind. My mother never told me. I beg the Daoist Elder to instruct me.”

Qiu Chuji laughed despite himself. His expression softened at once. “No, I can’t blame you, after all. I’m always too rash.” And so he recounted, from beginning to end: how eighteen years ago he had met Guo Jing’s father and Yang Tiexin at Niu Family Village, how he had slain the soldiers and driven off the enemy, how he had searched for the two families, how he had clashed with the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan, and how the oath of martial contest had been made.

Only now did Guo Jing learn the truth of his parentage. He threw himself upon the ground and wept bitterly. He thought of his father’s cruel death and the great wrong still unavenged. He thought of his seven shifus, whose kindness was as a mountain and could never be repaid, though his body were ground to powder.

Footnotes

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

2. 炕 — kàng. A heated platform of brick or clay used as a bed in northern China, warmed by a fire beneath. ↩

3. 道长 — dàozhǎng. Literally Daoist elder. A respectful form of address for a Daoist priest. ↩

4. 里 — lǐ. A traditional unit of distance, about 500 metres or one-third of a mile. ↩

5. 剑 — jiàn. A straight, double-edged blade. ↩

6. 玉阳子 — Yùyángzǐ. Literally master of jade yang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 内力 — nèilì. Literally internal force. The kinetic manifestation of cultivated qi. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 九指神丐 — Jiǔzhǐ Shéngài. Literally nine-fingered divine beggar. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 王真人 — Wáng Zhēnrén. Literally Wang the Perfected One. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 华山论剑 — Huàshān Lùnjiàn. Literally sword discussion at Huashan. Use of discussion is key as the participants were engaged in a martial arts exchange and a philosophical debate on mastery, rather than just a physical contest. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 金刀驸马 — Jīndāo Fùmǎ. Literally golden dao prince consort. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩