The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 13 – Part 3

Guo Jing had once fought Ma Qingxiong¹ atop an earthen hill in Mongolia. When Lu Guanying first went for him, Guo Jing reckoned he would not find it easy to win. Yet only a few moves in, Lu Guanying was gaining the initiative with every stroke and had the clear upper hand. Guo Jing thought in surprise, How has this fellow Ma suddenly got so feeble? Ah, I see. That day in Mongolia the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River² joined forces against me alone. Now he has enemies on every side, so of course he has lost his nerve.

He did not know that the real reason lay with himself. He had had nearly two months of guidance and teaching from Hong Qigong.³ Of the supreme Eighteen Palms of Dragon Subduing,⁴ he had already mastered fifteen. And in all that time, every casual hint and offhand demonstration Hong Qigong had offered had touched on the essence of the finest martial arts, realms the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan had never glimpsed in all their lives. Guo Jing had listened and stored it all in his heart. Though he had grasped barely a tenth or two of it, his skill had advanced by leaps and bounds without his noticing. His cultivation now was no whit inferior to that of his six shifus.⁵ Looking again at Ma Qingxiong’s techniques, he found them quite unremarkable.

The two fighters exchanged several more moves. Lu Guanying’s left fist shot out without warning and landed with a thud, square on Ma Qingxiong’s chest. Ma Qingxiong staggered and went over backwards. The two men behind him brought their daos down together, and he died on the spot. They lifted his corpse and hurled it into the lake.

Lu Guanying said, “Brothers, every man of you, be bold and lead the way.” The bandits roared their assent and went back to their boats. In moments a thousand oars were sweeping together, and the boats moved east side by side. Lu Guanying’s great ship brought up the rear.

They had not travelled far when they spotted several dozen large ships in the distance, their lanterns blazing, bearing westward. Guo Jing and Huang Rong thought, Those must be the official ships of that Military Commander Duan. The two climbed quietly up the mast and sat astride the yardarm, concealed behind the sail.

From the small boats came the blast of a conch horn. The two fleets drew closer. Curses, shouts, the clash of weapons, the splash of men falling into the water, all came faintly from afar. After a while the official ships caught fire. Flames leapt to the sky and turned the lake water red.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong knew the bandits had succeeded. Sure enough, several small boats came racing back, shouting, “The government troops are wiped out, every last one, and the Military Commander is taken.” Lu Guanying was delighted. He strode to the bow and called, “Send word to all the stockade chiefs, let everyone put in one more effort. We go to take the Jin envoy!” The bandit messenger answered gladly and sped away to carry the order.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong reached out simultaneously and squeezed each other’s hand. Both were thinking, That Jin envoy is Wanyan Kang.⁶ How will he cope with this?

From every boat the conch horns answered one another. The fleet turned about and filled their sails. It was midsummer, and the east wind blew hard. The sails bellied taut, and the ships raced west.

Lu Guanying’s great ship had been at the rear but now took the lead. Guo Jing and Huang Rong sat on the yardarm. Cool gusts blew at their backs. They looked out at the stars crowded overhead, the thin mist veiling the lake, and felt a surge of delight. They could almost have burst into song. Behind them, swift boats overtook the great ship one after another.

They sailed for roughly a shichen.⁷ The sky brightened. Two fast boats came flying in, and at the prow of one a man waved a green flag, shouting, “We’ve sighted the Jin ships! Chief He is leading the attack.” Lu Guanying stood at the bow and called, “Good.”

Before long another small boat darted back with a report, “That dog of a Jin envoy has a hard hand. Chief He is wounded. Chiefs Peng and Dong are closing in from both sides.” Presently two of the rank and file helped Chief He, wounded and senseless, aboard the great ship. Lu Guanying was about to examine his wounds when two more small boats arrived, bearing the wounded Chiefs Peng and Dong respectively, with the news that Chieftain Guo of West Dongting had been run through by the Jin envoy’s spear and had fallen into the lake.

Lu Guanying was furious. “The Jin dog is vicious. I’ll go and kill him myself.”

Guo Jing and Huang Rong felt it was very wrong of Wanyan Kang to help the tiger to its prey, killing and wounding his own countrymen. Yet they worried too that he would be overwhelmed by numbers and killed by the Lake Tai bandits, leaving Mu Nianci⁸ with a lifelong regret. Huang Rong whispered in Guo Jing’s ear, “Shall we save him or not?” Guo Jing considered briefly and said, “Save his life, but make him repent.” Huang Rong nodded.

They watched Lu Guanying leap into a small boat, barking, “Move!” Huang Rong said to Guo Jing, “Let’s grab a boat.”

The two were about to spring onto a nearby craft when a great shout rose from the bandits ahead. They strained to see. The ships in the Jin envoy’s fleet were sinking one by one. The divers among the bandits must have bored through their hulls. Amid a flutter of green flags, two fast boats raced back to report, “The Jin dog’s gone in the water. We’ve got him!” Lu Guanying was overjoyed and leapt back aboard the great ship.

Before long the conch horns sounded in unison. The fast boats brought the Jin envoy, his guards and attendants, aboard one after another. Guo Jing and Huang Rong saw that Wanyan Kang’s hands and feet were bound, his eyes shut tight. He had drunk his fill of lake water, it seemed, but his chest still rose and fell. He was breathing.

Dawn was now fully broken. Sunlight streamed from the east, and the rippling water danced like ten thousand golden serpents about the hull. Lu Guanying gave his orders. “All stockade chiefs go to Returning Clouds Manor⁹ for a victory feast. The chieftains will lead their men back to their stockades and await the share-out of the silver and their rewards by merit.” The bandits’ cheers rolled like thunder. Boats great and small scattered in every direction and faded little by little into the mist.

Gulls came and went over the lake. White sails dotted the water, green peaks stood silent, green waves rippled, and all was peaceful once more.

When the fleet returned to the manor, Guo Jing and Huang Rong waited until Lu Guanying and the bandits had disembarked before slipping ashore unnoticed. The bandits were in high spirits after their great victory. None of them dreamt that two people had been hiding up the mast the whole time, watching. Huang Rong found her bearings, and she and Guo Jing scaled the rear wall as before and returned to their room. The manor servants attending them had already come by several times, assuming the pair were sleeping in after the previous day’s exertions.

Guo Jing opened the door. Two servants came forward with greetings and brought in breakfast, saying, “The Manor Master awaits the two of you in the study. Please come after you’ve eaten.” The two had some dumplings and soup buns, then followed the servants to the study.

Manor Master Lu smiled and said, “The wind is strong by the lake, and at night the waves beat on the shore and disturb one’s sleep. Did you sleep well?”

Guo Jing, unused to lying, was thrown into embarrassment by the question. Huang Rong said, “All night we heard a conch horn blowing, woo, woo, woo. Some monks or Daoists holding a ritual, I suppose, feeding the hungry ghosts.” Manor Master Lu smiled, let the matter drop and said, “I have collected a few paintings and pieces of calligraphy, and I would like you two, Brothers, to give me your expert opinion of them.”

Huang Rong said, “We would be honoured to view them. Whatever the Manor Master collects is sure to be the finest.”

Manor Master Lu had his book-boy bring out the scrolls and albums, and Huang Rong admired them one by one. Suddenly from beyond the door came a commotion of shouts and the tramp of several pairs of feet. By the sound, one person was fleeing and several were in pursuit. A voice shouted, “You’ve come into Returning Clouds Manor. Think you can escape? That would be harder than climbing to Heaven!”

The study door burst open with a crash. A man burst in, drenched from head to foot. It was Wanyan Kang.

Huang Rong tugged at the corner of Guo Jing’s sleeve and whispered, “Look at the paintings. Don’t glance at him.” The two turned their backs and bent their heads over the scrolls.

Wanyan Kang could not swim. When his ship sank, all his martial arts availed him nothing. He swallowed a few mouthfuls of water and blacked out. When he came to, his hands and feet were already bound. He was brought to the manor, and Lu Guanying ordered him dragged in for questioning. Seeing that the steel dao held at the back of his neck had been taken away, Wanyan Kang secretly summoned his strength, gripped the ropes binding him, and with a great shout poured the force of the Heart-Crushing Palm¹⁰ through his fingers. The cords tore apart at once.

Everyone was startled and rushed forward to seize him. He struck out with both hands and sent two men sprawling. Wanyan Kang broke through and ran. But the buildings and paths of Returning Clouds Manor were all laid out by the Strange Gates and Eight Trigrams.¹¹ Without someone of the manor to lead the way, or a knowledge of how the qimen changes work, there was no hope of getting out. Wanyan Kang fled in blind panic and blundered straight into the Manor Master’s study.

Though Lu Guanying had seen Wanyan Kang break his bonds, he knew there was no escape from the manor and had not been alarmed. He gave chase, but when Wanyan Kang burst into the study, he feared the man might harm his father and dashed ahead to block him, standing before the couch where his father sat. Behind him, the stockade chiefs of Lake Tai crowded the doorway.

Finding himself trapped in a dead end, Wanyan Kang pointed at Lu Guanying and cursed, “You thieving bandits, you use dirty tricks, boring holes in ships to sink them. Aren’t you afraid the brave men of the jianghu¹² will laugh at you?”

Lu Guanying laughed. “You’re a prince of the Jin state. What right have you to speak of ‘the jianghu’ to us men of valour of the greenwood?”

Wanyan Kang said, “In Yanjing I long heard of the great names of Jiangnan’s heroes. I took you to be open and upright men, every one. But now that I see you, it turns out… heh, heh, it’s a name won on hot air!”

Lu Guanying said angrily, “Meaning what?”

“Meaning you’re nothing but a pack of curs who win by numbers!” said Wanyan Kang.

Lu Guanying sneered. “And if one of us beat you in single combat, would you die without complaint?”

Wanyan Kang had been goading him to this very offer. He seized on the words at once. “If anyone at Returning Clouds Manor can best me with true skill, I’ll bind my own hands. Kill me, slice me, I’ll not utter a second word. Pray tell, who will do me the honour?” As he spoke, his gaze swept the room. He clasped his hands behind his back and gave a cold, arrogant smirk.

The words had barely left his lips before the Gold-Headed Ao, Stockade Chief Shi of Moli Peak on Lake Tai, was enraged.¹³ “I’ll pound you to pulp, you thieving barbarian scum!” He lunged into the study, both fists swinging at Wanyan Kang’s temples in Bells and Drums Sound Together.

Wanyan Kang shifted slightly. The blow missed. His right hand came round behind and seized the man by the middle of his back, and with a burst of force he flung that fat body into the crowd at the doorway.

Lu Guanying saw how swift and vicious the counter was and was inwardly alarmed. He knew none of the stockade chiefs could match him. “Fine skill indeed,” he called. “Let me ask you for a few lessons. We’ll go out to the hall.” He saw that this was a formidable opponent, and feared that in the heat of the fight the wind of their fists and palms might reach his father and the guests. None of the three knew any martial arts, and they must not be hurt by accident.

Wanyan Kang said, “A bout is a bout anywhere. Why not right here? Stockade Chief, make your move!” His meaning was plain: Two or three moves and I’ll have you down. Why bother changing rooms?

Lu Guanying was inwardly furious but said, “Very well. You are the guest. Make the first move.”

Wanyan Kang’s left palm feinted forward while his right hand clawed at Lu Guanying’s chest. He came straight to the point, opening with the Nine Yin White Bone Claw¹⁴ at a vital spot. Lu Guanying drew his chest back a fraction but did not retreat. His right fist drove straight at the elbow of the arm thrust across at him, while his left hand shot out two fingers at the man’s eyes.

Wanyan Kang was shaken by the speed of the counter. He slipped half a step back on the slant, and his wrist flipped over to seize Lu Guanying’s arm in a grappling hold. Lu Guanying twisted his waist to the left and swept both hands back round, the tiger’s mouths of his hands facing each other, settling into the posture called Embracing the Moon in the Bosom. Seeing that his opponent’s skill was no trifle, Wanyan Kang dared not be careless. He gathered himself and launched the Quanzhen Order fist methods taught by Qiu Chuji.¹⁵

Lu Guanying was the favoured disciple of Great Master Kumu of Yunqi Monastery in Lin’an Prefecture.¹⁶ He was well versed in the external fist techniques of the Xianxia Ridge School,¹⁷ a branch of Shaolin Monastery of Songshan in Henan, and his learning too was of the orthodox lineage. Facing so formidable an opponent, he was naturally watchful. Seeing how deadly Wanyan Kang’s claw-work was, he was determined never to let those claws touch him. His hands held a strict guard, and whenever he saw an opening, he attacked with his legs.

There is a saying among the external schools, “The fist strikes three parts, the foot kicks seven.” And again: “The hands are two doors, the feet do all the striking.” Lu Guanying’s skill was of the external school, and his leg-work was naturally formidable. As the fight reached its height, figures whirled about the study and fists and feet flew ever faster. Guo Jing and Huang Rong, not wishing to be recognised by Wanyan Kang, had retreated beside the bookshelves and watched the bout from the side.

Footnotes

1. 马青雄 — Mǎ Qīngxióng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 黄河四鬼 — Huánghé Sìguǐ. Literally four ghosts of the Yellow River. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 洪七公 — Hóng Qīgōng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 降龙十八掌 — Xiánglóng Shíbā Zhǎng. Literally eighteen dragon-subduing palms. Hong Qigong’s palm technique. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 师父 — shīfù. Teacher responsible for technical instruction and moral guidance. Shī means teacher. Fù means father. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

7. 时辰 — shíchén. Traditional Chinese unit of time equal to two hours; the day was divided into twelve shichen. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 穆念慈 — Mù Niàncí. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 归云庄 — Guīyún Zhuāng. Literally returning clouds manor. The Lu family manor on Lake Tai. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 摧心掌 — Cuīxīn Zhǎng. A palm from the Nine Yin Manual that injures the internal organs, practised by the Twin Evils of Dark Wind. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 奇门八卦 — Qímén Bāguà. Literally strange gates and eight trigrams. A system of divination and layout built on the Eight Trigrams of the Book of Changes. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 江湖 — jiānghú. Literally rivers and lakes. The world of martial artists, outside mainstream society. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 金头鳌石寨主 — Jīntóu Áo Shí Zhàizhǔ. Literally gold-headed ao, Stockade Chief Shi. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 九阴白骨爪 — Jiǔyīn Báigǔ Zhǎo. Literally nine yin white bone claw. A claw technique. ↩

15. 全真派 — Quánzhēn Pài. Literally school of complete reality. The Quanzhen Order of Daoism, founded by Wang Chongyang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 枯木大师 — Kūmù Dàshī. Literally Great Master Withered Tree. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 仙霞门 — Xiānxiá Mén. Literally immortal rosy-cloud school. Another name for the Xianxia Ridge School, a branch of Shaolin. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩