The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 13 – Part 8

Though the Manor Master had never witnessed Qiu Qianren’s¹ martial arts in person, he had long respected the man’s reputation. He knew that years ago, when the Eastern Heretic, Western Venom, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar and Central Divine² met on the summit of Mount Hua for the Huashan Sword Summit,³ Qiu Qianren had been invited as well. Business had prevented his attendance, but the very fact of the invitation marked him as a first-rate master of extraordinary skill. Even if he fell short of Wang Chongyang and the other four, the gap could not be great. With such a man present, the Twin Evils of Dark Wind⁴ would be unable to work their mischief. He said to Guo Jing and Huang Rong, “You two haven’t left yet? Excellent. Esteemed Senior Qiu here possesses martial arts of the highest order, beyond the reach of ordinary men. Fortune has favoured us with his arrival today, so what enemies have I to fear? Later, please retire to the bedchambers. So long as you do not leave your rooms, you will be safe.”

Huang Rong smiled. “I’d like to watch the fun. May I?”

The Manor Master considered. “I only worry that the enemy may come in numbers, and I would be unable to look after you both, and you might come to harm by accident. Very well. Sit beside me when the time comes, and do not stray. With Esteemed Senior Qiu here, however many rats come, what are they to us!”

Huang Rong clapped her hands. “I just love watching people fight. The way you beat that little Jin prince the other day was wonderful to see.”

The Manor Master said, “This time the one coming is the little prince’s shifu. His skill is far greater. That is what troubles me.”

Huang Rong said, “Oh? How do you know?”

The Manor Master said, “Miss Huang, when it comes to martial arts, you are not so well versed. That little Jin prince wounded my Ying-er’s shin with his fingers, and that is the very art that poked five holes in the crown of the skull.”

Huang Rong said, “Ah, now I understand. Wang Xianzhi’s calligraphy was taught by Wang Xizhi, and Wang Xizhi studied under Lady Wei, who in turn learned from Zhong You. An expert can look at a piece and tell at once which master’s school it comes from.”

The Manor Master laughed. “Miss, you are clever beyond compare. One hint and you see the whole picture. Only, these two enemies of mine are treacherous and cruel, and to compare them with Zhong and Wang would insult those masters of old.”

Huang Rong tugged at Guo Jing’s hand and said, “Let’s go peek at what that white-bearded old man is practising.”

The Manor Master was alarmed. “Ai, you mustn’t. Don’t provoke him.”

Huang Rong laughed. “It’s fine.” She rose and walked off.

The Manor Master sat in his chair, unable to move, and thought anxiously, This girl is terribly mischievous. How can anyone go peeping at a thing like that? He could only order the manor servants to carry his bamboo couch and hurry towards the study, intending to stop her. By the time he arrived, Guo Jing and Huang Rong were already bent double, peering through the paper window.

Huang Rong heard the servants’ footsteps and quickly turned, waving her hands to signal silence. At the same time she beckoned urgently at the Manor Master, calling him over to look. The Manor Master feared that if he refused, the girl would throw a tantrum and disturb Qiu Qianren after all. He ordered the servants to tread lightly, then had them carry him over. He bent to peer through the paper window, looking through the small hole Huang Rong had torn, and could not help but stare in astonishment. Qiu Qianren sat cross-legged, eyes half-closed, his mouth emitting a continuous stream of smoke, wisp after wisp without pause.

The Manor Master was the disciple of a great martial master. In his youth, while learning the art from his shifu, he had often heard tales of the profound martial arts of various schools, but never of anyone who could blow smoke from his mouth. He dared not look further and tugged at Guo Jing’s sleeve, signalling him to stop watching. Guo Jing respected their host and also felt it wrong to spy on another’s private cultivation. He straightened up, took Huang Rong’s hand, and followed the Manor Master back to the inner hall.

Huang Rong laughed. “That white-beard puts on the airs of a greybeard, but I reckon he’s not really that old. He’s great fun. He’s lit a wood fire in his belly!”

The Manor Master said, “That is where you don’t understand. This is a fearsomely powerful school of neigong.”

Huang Rong said, “Can he breathe fire from his mouth and burn people to death?” This was no affected ignorance. With Qiu Qianren performing such a strange feat, she was genuinely puzzled.

The Manor Master said, “In magic tricks and street conjuring, there is indeed the feat of swallowing blades and breathing fire, but that is mere entertainment to amuse the crowd. Fire-breathing cannot harm anyone. However, if one possesses such refined neigong, I daresay he could injure a man by plucking a flower or gathering a leaf.”

The Manor Master, reassured by Qiu Qianren’s display of neili,⁵ ordered Lu Guanying to send out commands: men were to patrol the lake surface and all approaches, and anyone of unusual appearance was to be greeted courteously and escorted to the manor. He also ordered the great gates thrown open in readiness to receive guests.

By evening, dozens of enormous candles lit the main hall of Returning Clouds Manor until it glowed like broad daylight. A banquet was laid in the centre, and Lu Guanying personally escorted Qiu Qianren out to take the seat of honour. Guo Jing and Huang Rong occupied the next places, with the Manor Master and Lu Guanying sitting below as hosts. After the Manor Master offered wine, he did not dare ask the reason for Qiu Qianren’s visit, talking only of idle matters, local customs and the like.

After several rounds of wine, Qiu Qianren said, “Brother Lu, your Returning Clouds Manor leads all the heroes of Lake Tai. Your own martial arts must be remarkable. Would you show this old man a move or two, to broaden my horizons?”

The Manor Master hurried to reply, “How could I dare make a show of my meagre skill before you, Esteemed Senior? I was too dull to learn much of what my revered shifu taught me. Besides, I have been crippled for many years now, and have long since let it all fall by the wayside.”

Qiu Qianren said, “Who is your shifu? Perhaps I know him.”

The Manor Master heaved a long sigh, his face turning ashen. After a long while he said, “In my youth I was ignorant and failed to serve my shifu properly. Then I was dragged down by others, and my school would no longer have me. It is shameful and painful to speak of, and I would not dare sully my shifu’s good name. I hope you will forgive me, Senior, if I do not say his name.”

Lu Guanying thought to himself, So Father was cast out by his shifu. That’s why he never showed his martial arts, not even to me. I never knew he was a master. If that Jin dog hadn’t run amok and wounded me that day, Father might never have lifted a hand in all his life. There must be some great sorrow at the heart of his story. He felt a pang of grief.

Qiu Qianren said, “Brother, you are in the prime of life, and you lead these heroes. Why not seize this moment to rouse yourself? Pay back the wrong done to you all those years ago, and make the elders of your school regret it beyond remedy.”

The Manor Master said, “I am crippled in body, lacking in virtue and skill. Your counsel, Senior, is worth its weight in gold, but I have not the strength to follow it.”

Qiu Qianren said, “You are too modest. I see a clear path before you. The question is whether you wish to take it.”

The Manor Master said, “I beg you, Esteemed Senior, to show me the way out of my confusion.”

Qiu Qianren smiled faintly and continued eating, offering no reply.

The Manor Master knew that this man, who had hidden his name and identity for over a decade, must have appeared in Jiangnan for a purpose. But Qiu was a master of an older generation, and it would not do to question him outright. He could only wait for the man to speak in his own time.

Qiu Qianren said, “Since you do not wish to reveal your school, so be it. Returning Clouds Manor is famous and mighty. Its master must be a disciple of a distinguished lineage.”

The Manor Master smiled. “The affairs of Returning Clouds Manor are managed by my son, Guanying. He is a disciple of Great Master Kumu of Yunqi Monastery in Lin’an.”

Qiu Qianren said, “Ah, Kumu is a fine hand of the Xianxia Ridge School,⁶ a branch of the Shaolin Order.⁷ Its external techniques are respectable enough. Might the Young Manor Master show me a move or two?”

The Manor Master said, “If Esteemed Senior Qiu is willing to instruct him, it would be the boy’s great good fortune.”

Lu Guanying was eager for his guidance too, and thought, A master like this is rarely met in a lifetime. If he corrects even one move of mine, I shall profit by it all my days. He stepped into the hall, bowed, and said, “Please instruct me, Esteemed Senior.” He took up his stance and launched into the set he was proudest of, the Arhat Tiger-Taming Fist.⁸ His fists swept the air with a tiger’s whoosh, and his feet flickered here and there. Truly he was the disciple of a famous master, and his skill had a distinction of its own. After he had boxed a while, he suddenly gave a great roar, like a tiger’s bellow. The candle shadows shook and wind stirred among the guests. The manor servants shivered, their legs quaking, and looked at one another in alarm. With every punch he threw, he shouted, fierce and imposing, for all the world like a great tiger. As he leapt and tumbled, his left palm rose vertically, shaped like the Buddha’s palm. The set held both forms, tiger and arhat, and showed the tiger’s lunge and pounce and the arhat’s way of fighting together in a single routine. He fought on, his roars growing fainter, but the arhat fistwork tightening, until at last with a crashing blow he struck the ground. The square brick beneath his fist shattered at once. Lu Guanying sprang up from the spot, left hand raised to the sky, right foot kicking at the Dipper, standing tall on one leg like the statue of an arhat, without the slightest tremor.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong cheered loudly, crying, “Fine fistwork!”

Lu Guanying withdrew from his stance, turned, and bowed to Qiu Qianren before taking his seat. Qiu Qianren gave no verdict, merely smiling.

The Manor Master asked, “Is my son’s fistwork worth watching?”

Qiu Qianren said, “Passable.”

The Manor Master said, “Where it falls short, I beg the senior to point it out.”

Qiu Qianren said, “Your son’s fistwork is excellent for strengthening the body and keeping fit. But for defeating enemies in combat, it is useless.”

The Manor Master said, “I beg the senior’s instruction, to open my eyes.”

Guo Jing was puzzled too. He thought, The Young Manor Master’s martial arts may not be of the highest order, but that set was well executed. How can he call it ‘useless’?

Qiu Qianren rose and stepped into the courtyard. When he returned to his seat, he held a brick in each hand. His fingers did not seem to strain, yet a crackling sound filled the air, and the two bricks crumbled into fragments. A moment more of squeezing, and the fragments became powder, trickling down onto the table. All four at the table turned pale.

Qiu Qianren swept the brick dust from the table into his robe, walked out into the courtyard, shook it onto the ground, and returned to his seat with a smile. “The Young Manor Master can shatter a brick with a single punch, which is no mean feat, of course. But think. The enemy is no brick. Will he stand there stiff and still? Will he let you punch him as you please? Besides, if the enemy’s strength is greater than yours, your punch will rebound off him and you will be badly hurt yourself. Only when you can grind stone to powder like this are your fists and feet of any use.” Lu Guanying nodded silently.

Qiu Qianren sighed. “Though there are many who study martial arts in this world, those who can truly be said to have some skill number only a handful.”

Huang Rong asked, “Which few?”

Qiu Qianren said, “In the wulin, it has long been said that the Eastern Heretic, Western Venom, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar, and Central Divine are the five finest under heaven. In depth of neili, Central Divine Wang Chongyang stands first. As for the other four, each has his own singular strengths. But every strength carries a weakness. Once you understand each man’s weakness, you can strike at the gaps and attack where he is weak. Subduing them is not so difficult.”

Footnotes

1. 裘千仞 — Qiú Qiānrèn. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 五绝 — Wǔjué. Five supreme martial artists who competed at Huashan Sword Summit for martial supremacy. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 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. ↩

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

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

6. 仙霞派 — Xiānxiá Pài. Literally immortal rosy clouds school. Named for Xianxia Ridge (仙霞岭) on the Zhejiang–Fujian border; a branch of Shaolin. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 少林派 — Shàolín Pài. The Shaolin Order, the martial lineage of Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 罗汉伏虎拳 — Luóhàn Fúhǔ Quán. Literally arhat subduing tiger fist. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩