The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 3 – Part 1

Boundless desert

The monks of the monastery saw that Jiaomu had passed into nirvana,¹ and one and all wept with sorrow. Some bound up the wounds of the injured and carried them into the guest quarters.

Suddenly a ceaseless clang, clang, clang rang out from the bronze vat beneath the great bell, and no one knew what monster lay inside. The monks stared at one another, at a loss what to do, and recited in unison the Gaowang Jing.² Yet through all the chanting of “Deliver us from suffering and woe” and “Amitabha”, the clanging inside the vat went on. At last, plucking up their courage, more than a dozen monks heaved together on thick ropes and hoisted the great bell. They had barely tipped the bronze vat up a crack when a huge ball of flesh rolled out.

The monks scattered in alarm. The ball of flesh stood up on the ground, puffing and blowing, and it was Han Baoju.³ Shut inside the bronze vat, he knew nothing of the latter half of the fight. Now he saw that Jiaomu had passed into nirvana and that every one of his sworn brothers was gravely wounded, and he bellowed in frantic rage. Snatching up his Golden Dragon Whip,⁴ he swung it up to bring it down on Qiu Chuji’s head.

Quan Jinfa⁵ cried out, “Third Brother, don’t!”

Han Baoju demanded angrily, “Why not?”

Quan Jinfa’s side was racked with pain. All he could get out was, “No… on no account.”

Ke Zhen’e⁶ had taken a jian through both legs and was badly hurt, but his mind was still clear. He fished an antidote from inside his robe and told the monks to give a dose each to Qiu Chuji and Han Xiaoying,⁷ and meanwhile told Han Baoju all that had happened.

Han Baoju flew into a rage and turned to rush out, meaning to hunt Duan Tiande⁸ down and kill him. Ke Zhen’e shouted him back. “There will be time enough to find that villain later. Hurry and help our brothers who have internal injuries.”

Zhu Cong⁹ and Nan Xiren¹⁰ were gravely hurt within. The kick Quan Jinfa had taken to the side was no light one either. Zhang Asheng’s¹¹ arm was broken and his chest badly jarred, and for a while he lay senseless with pain, but once he came round he was in no real danger. So they all stayed in the monastery to recover.

The supervisor of Fahua Monastery sent a man to Yunqi Monastery¹² in Lin’an with word for Chan Master Kumu,¹³ and saw to the funeral rites for Chan Master Jiaomu.

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After several days the poison had cleared from both Qiu Chuji and Han Xiaoying. Qiu Chuji was well versed in medicine. He wrote out prescriptions for Zhu Cong and the others and gave each of them massage in turn. Fortunately they all had deep foundations, and their injuries, inside and out, slowly healed. After a few more days they were able to sit up.

That day the eight of them gathered in a monk’s cell. They thought how a villain had played them off against one another, how so many masters of the jianghu¹⁴ had fought and wounded each other by mistake, every one of them gravely hurt, and Chan Master Jiaomu’s life lost into the bargain. They sat in gloomy silence.

After a while Han Xiaoying was the first to speak. “Daoist Elder Qiu’s ability and wisdom are known to all the world, and we seven brothers are no newcomers to the jianghu either. Yet this time we all blundered blindly to ruin at the hands of a nobody. If word of it gets out, the brave men of the jianghu will laugh us to scorn. How this is to be put right, we must ask Daoist Elder to direct.”

These past few days Qiu Chuji had been bitterly reproaching himself for letting righteous anger carry him away and acting far too rashly. Had he not been so hot-headed, had he only reasoned calmly with Jiaomu, he would surely have got to the bottom of the matter. Now he said to Ke Zhen’e, “Big Brother Ke, what do you say should be done?”

Ke Zhen’e had always been an odd, prickly man, and since losing his sight he had grown more cantankerous still. For all seven brothers to be struck down by Qiu Chuji single-handed was a humiliation such as they had seldom known in their lives, and with the jian wounds in his legs still unbearably painful, his anger only grew. He gave a cold laugh. “Daoist Elder Qiu goes where he pleases in the world with his jian in his hand. Why would he care what anyone else thinks? Why ask us brothers anything at all?”

Qiu Chuji was taken aback. Knowing that the man’s anger had not yet cooled, he rose and bowed round the circle to all seven of them. “I behaved badly and acted like a fool. I have given offence to you all, and the fault is truly mine. I offer you my apologies here and beg your pardon.”

Zhu Cong and the rest returned the bow. Ke Zhen’e alone pretended not to notice, and said coldly, “We brothers have no face left to meddle in the affairs of the jianghu. Here we’ll stay, the fishermen fishing and the woodcutters cutting wood. So long as Daoist Elder lets us off and doesn’t come looking for trouble again, we can live out the rest of our days in peace.”

Stung by the cold rebuff, Qiu Chuji reddened a little and said nothing. After a long, awkward silence he stood up. “This humble Daoist has made a mess of things this time, and I own my fault sincerely. Never again will I dare to trouble you. The calamity that befell Great Master Jiaomu is mine to answer for. I will kill that villain with my own hand and avenge this wrong. And now I take my leave.” With that he bowed round the circle once more and turned to go.

Ke Zhen’e shouted, “Hold on!”

Qiu Chuji turned back. “What are your orders, Big Brother Ke?”

Ke Zhen’e said, “You’ve left every one of us brothers badly wounded. Do you think a few words are enough to settle it?”

Qiu Chuji said, “What do you have in mind, Big Brother Ke? So long as it lies within my power, I will do it.”

Ke Zhen’e lowered his voice. “This is an insult we cannot swallow. We must ask Daoist Elder to favour us with another lesson.”

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The Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan did deeds of chivalry and upheld justice, but every one of them was proud and headstrong and strange in their ways. How else would they have earned the name of the Seven Eccentrics?¹⁵ Their martial arts were formidable and there were many of them, and in all their quarrels in the wulin¹⁶ they had never once come off worse. Years before, when they fell out with the Huaiyang Guild¹⁷ and came to blows, the seven of them had beaten more than a hundred of the gang’s brave men on the banks of the Yangtze. Han Xiaoying had been only a girl then, yet she too had killed two of the enemy, and the name of the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan had rung through the jianghu. To be beaten now by Qiu Chuji single-handed was very hard to bear. Then too, Jiaomu had been a good friend of the Seven and had lost his life for nothing, and it could fairly be said that Qiu Chuji’s rashness had brought it about. Yet a woman had plainly been hidden in Fahua Monastery, and she had indeed been Guo Xiaotian’s¹⁸ widow. On that point their own side was in the wrong, and on that point the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan chose to say nothing.

Qiu Chuji said, “I was struck by a hidden weapon. Had Big Brother Ke not given me the antidote, I would be among the ghosts by now. Our two sides have fought it out, and I naturally concede defeat.”

Ke Zhen’e said, “In that case, leave the long jian on your back as a token, so there’ll be no more disputes later.” He knew very well that if it came to blows again now, only the Han brother and sister were fit to fight, and the outcome hardly bore thinking about. But simply to let the matter drop? He would sooner all seven of them died under the man’s jian. If they could keep his weapon, then although the fight had been seven against one, the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan would have won in the end.

Anger surged up in Qiu Chuji. He thought, I have given you all the face I can. I have apologised and conceded defeat. What more do you want? Aloud he said, “This is the weapon I carry to defend myself, just like Big Brother Ke’s iron staff.”

Ke Zhen’e said loudly, “Are you mocking me for being blind?”

Qiu Chuji said, “I would not dare.”

Ke Zhen’e said furiously, “We’re all wounded now, and there’s no settling it. A year from today, we ask Daoist Elder to meet us again at the Drunken Immortal Wineshop.¹⁹”

Qiu Chuji frowned. He thought, These seven are not wicked men. Why should I squabble with them over a point of pride? That day, when Jiaomu died and Han Baoju broke out of the bronze vat, he could have killed me as easily as turning over his hand. And in the end the whole affair came of my own rashness. A true man knows right from wrong, and when he is wrong he owns it. Yet how to shake them off would be no easy matter either. He pondered for a while, and then an idea came to him. “If you wish to try your strength against me again, so be it, but I will set the terms. Otherwise, I have already lost the drinking match to Zhu the Second Xia²⁰ at the Drunken Immortal Wineshop, and lost to the seven of you at martial arts in Fahua Monastery. That is two defeats in a row. There is no need for a third bout at all.”

Han Baoju, Han Xiaoying and Zhang Asheng sprang to their feet at once, and Zhu Cong and the others, lying in their beds, lifted their heads too. They said together, “What harm in one more bout? When the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan pit themselves against anyone, they have always let the other side choose the time and the place.”

Seeing how determined they were to win, Qiu Chuji smiled faintly. “Whatever the terms of the wager, you will go by my choice?”

Zhu Cong and Quan Jinfa both thought, Whatever crafty trick you have up your sleeve, we’re hardly going to lose to you. Together they said, “You name it.”

Qiu Chuji said, “A junzi’s word?”²¹

Han Xiaoying took him up at once. “Is a fast horse’s lash.”²²

Ke Zhen’e was still turning it over. Qiu Chuji said, “If any of you find my proposal unfair, let me say it now, in advance. I shall count it as my defeat.” This was plainly a retreat made in order to advance. He knew the Seven Eccentrics were too proud ever to let him concede so easily.

Sure enough, Ke Zhen’e answered at once. “No need to goad us. Out with it.”

Qiu Chuji sat down. “This method of mine will take rather a long time, but what it wagers is real skill and real ability, not a moment’s hot-blooded daring. Any student of the martial arts can fight for victory with dao and jian, fist and foot. We are all men of name in the wulin. We cannot behave like callow youths who will never amount to anything.”

The Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan all thought, If not dao and jian, fist and foot, then what strange method does he mean? Surely not another drinking match?

Qiu Chuji lifted his head high. “We will hold a great contest, I alone against the seven of you. It will test not only martial arts but perseverance and resolve, wit and strategy. When this great contest is fought to its end, we shall see who is the true hero, the true man of valour.”

At these words the blood of every one of the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan surged in their veins.

Han Xiaoying said, “Tell us, tell us. The harder the better.”

Zhu Cong laughed. “If it’s a contest in seeking immortality and brewing elixirs, drawing charms and catching ghosts, we’re no match for you, Lord Daoist.”

Qiu Chuji laughed too. “And I would never dream of competing with Zhu the Second Xia at picking pockets or lifting whatever comes to hand.”

Han Xiaoying giggled, then hurried him on again in one breath. “Tell us, tell us.”

Qiu Chuji said, “If we trace it back to its root, this fighting and wounding by mistake came about because we were trying to save the offspring of loyal and righteous men. So that is where the matter must be settled.” He then told how he had come to know Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin,²³ and how he had pursued Duan Tiande.

As the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan listened, they cursed without pause the cruelty of the Jin and the shamelessness of the court’s officials. In their hearts they all quietly admired Qiu Chuji’s xia spirit and righteous deeds,²⁴ and felt that they were of one mind, kindred spirits on the same road after all.

When he had finished, Qiu Chuji said, “The woman Duan Tiande carried off is Guo Xiaotian’s wife, née Li.²⁵ Apart from Big Brother Ke and the Han brother and sister, the four of you all saw them.”

Ke Zhen’e said, “I remember her voice. I will never forget it.”

Qiu Chuji said, “Good. As for Yang Tiexin’s wife, née Bao,²⁶ nobody knows what has become of her. I have seen her, but none of you would know her. This is the very thing I will wager on with you. So the method is this…”

Han Xiaoying cut in, “We seven go and rescue the Li woman and you go and rescue the Bao woman, and whoever succeeds first wins. Is that it?”

Footnotes

1. 圆寂 — yuánjì. Literally perfect stillness. The Buddhist term for the death of a monk, rendering parinirvana. ↩

2. 高王经 — Gāowáng Jīng. A popular Buddhist sutra to Guanyin, recited for protection in times of danger. ↩

3. 韩宝驹 — Hán Bǎojū. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 金龙鞭 — Jīnlóng Biān. Han Baoju’s whip. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 全金发 — Quán Jīnfā. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 柯镇恶 — Kē Zhèn’è. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

9. 朱聪 — Zhū Cōng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 南希仁 — Nán Xīrén. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 张阿生 — Zhāng Āshēng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 云栖寺 — Yúnqī Sì. Literally monastery where the clouds roost. A Buddhist monastery near West Lake in Hangzhou. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

15. 江南七怪 — Jiāngnán Qī Guài. Literally seven eccentrics of Jiangnan. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 武林 — wǔlín. Literally martial forest. Those who actually practise, teach or study martial arts. The wulin sits inside the jianghu and is narrower than it: every member of the wulin belongs to the jianghu, but a pedlar or physician of the jianghu who never trained is no part of the wulin. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 淮阳帮 — Huáiyáng Bāng. Literally Huaiyang Guild. A band of the Huaiyang region. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

18. 郭啸天 — Guō Xiàotiān. His name meaning “roaring at the sky”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

19. 醉仙楼 — Zuìxiān Lóu. The Drunken Immortal Wineshop, on the shore of South Lake in Jiaxing. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

20. 朱二侠 — Zhū Èr Xiá. His title is Zhu the Second Xia: the courteous 侠 (xia) with his place among the Seven Eccentrics. ↩

21. 君子 — jūnzǐ. Literally noble man. The Confucian ideal of the morally cultivated man. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

22. 快马一鞭 — kuài mǎ yī biān. Literally one lash for a fast horse. The second half of the saying 君子一言，快马一鞭: a junzi’s word, once given, is as final as a single lash to a fast horse. ↩

23. 杨铁心 — Yáng Tiěxīn. His name meaning “iron heart”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

24. 侠义 — xiáyì. Literally xia righteousness. The code of the xia: chivalrous conduct in the cause of right. ↩

25. 李萍 — Lǐ Píng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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