The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 32 – Part 2

Mu Nianci walked swiftly away, and was gone without once looking back.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong watched her figure vanish behind a row of great willows, and for a long while neither of them spoke.

Guo Jing said, “She’s alone, travelling a thousand li¹ back to Liangzhe. I only hope she isn’t wronged by scoundrels again on the way. Luckily her martial arts are not weak, and ordinary villains hold no fear for her.”

Huang Rong said, “That’s very hard to say. Even the likes of you and me can’t always escape being bullied by bad men.”

Guo Jing sighed. “Second Shifu² always says that in troubled times men are worse off than dogs. There’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

Huang Rong said, “Right, then let’s go and kill that mute dog.”

Guo Jing asked, “What mute dog?”

Huang Rong went “Ee-ee, ah-ah,” waving her hands and pointing in dumb show for a while. Guo Jing laughed. “We’re going back on that fake mute’s boat?”

“Of course we are. That old thief Qiu Qianren hurt me badly. How can I let it go at that? If we can’t beat the old thief himself, we’ll start by killing a few of his disciples and grand-disciples.”

The two returned to the wineshop. The mute boatman was hovering in front of it, craning his neck this way and that. When he saw them coming back, his face brightened and he hurried to meet them. Guo Jing and Huang Rong pretended not to suspect anything and followed him down to the dock to board his boat.

It was a medium-sized bamboo-canopied boat, capable of carrying eighty or ninety shi³ of rice. The Yuan River was full of such boats. Mountain produce from Xiangxi came down in them and rice from the lakeshore went up, all in these bamboo-canopied wooden boats. Two young men on the boat had stripped to the waist and were scrubbing the deck.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong boarded. The boatman cast off the mooring rope, poled the boat into the middle of the river, and raised the cloth sail. The south wind was strong, and with the wind behind them and the current with them, the boat shot downstream like an arrow.

Guo Jing thought of what had passed between Yang Kang and Mu Nianci and sighed deeply. He thought, Sworn brothers should share good fortune and stand together in trouble. My sworn brother Yang Kang has gone astray, and I can’t just leave him to it. Whatever it takes, I must persuade him to turn from evil to good. He leaned back against the planking inside the cabin, staring into space.

Huang Rong suddenly said, “Let me see that booklet Sister Mu gave you. I wonder what’s written in it.”

Guo Jing took it from his robe and handed it to her. Huang Rong turned the pages one by one, then suddenly cried, “Ah, so that’s it. Come and look, quick.”

Guo Jing shifted over and sat beside her, reading the booklet from her hand.

By now evening was coming on. The vermilion sunset glowed on the middle of the river, and the ripples threw the red light back onto Huang Rong’s face, her clothes and the book, where it quivered faintly.

The booklet had been written by Shangguan Jiannan,⁴ the thirteenth Chief of the Iron Palm Keep,⁵ and recorded the Keep’s great events year by year. Shangguan Jiannan had originally been a general under Han Shizhong.⁶ After Qin Hui⁷ seized power and Yue Fei⁸ was put to death, Han Shizhong was stripped of his command and dismissed to live in idleness. Most of his officers and men also laid down their armour and returned to farming. Shangguan Jiannan, enraged that treacherous ministers held sway, led a band of brothers off to become outlaws in the Jinghu region. Some went to Xiangyang to enlist and defend the city, while Shangguan Jiannan himself joined the Iron Palm Keep. Before long the old Chief died, and he succeeded to the position.

The Iron Palm Keep had been no more than a small society. Over more than twenty years he worked hard to put it in order and did many chivalrous deeds, and the heroes, brave men and loyal souls of the two Hu flocked to it at the news. Within a few years its strength had grown greatly, until in the jianghu⁹ it could stand as an equal of the Beggars’ Guild in the north.

Shangguan Jiannan held loyalty and righteousness in his heart. Though he lived among outlaws, he never for a moment forgot defending the country, killing the enemy and recovering the lost lands. He often sent his men to gather news in Lin’an,¹⁰ Bianliang¹¹ and elsewhere, biding his time. Years later, a brother in the Iron Palm Keep became friends with a jailer who had once guarded Yue Fei, and learned that after Yue Fei’s death his effects had been laid in his coffin, among them a book on the art of war. After much inquiry, they discovered it was in the imperial palace.

The news was sent by fast horse to Iron Palm Peak. That same day Shangguan Jiannan mustered every master in the Keep and went east in full force. By night they entered the depths of the palace and, with no trouble at all, stole the book, the Essentials for Defeating the Jin.¹² That very night he took the book to see his former commander Han Shizhong.

Han Shizhong was old by then, living in seclusion by West Lake. When he saw Yue Fei’s posthumous treatise that Shangguan Jiannan had brought, he thought of the hero’s unjust death, his unfulfilled ambitions, and he could not help drawing his jian and hacking at the table, gripping his wrist and sighing long and deep. He said that he himself was old, and that perhaps Shangguan Jiannan could make use of this military book. To commemorate his old friend, he had once copied the poems, letters and memorials to the throne that Yue Fei had written over his lifetime into a single scroll, and he gave this copied scroll to Shangguan Jiannan as well, urging him to carry on the cause of Yue Wumu,¹³ lead the men of valour of the Central Plains, drive out the alien peoples and take back our rivers and mountains.

As Han Shizhong and Shangguan Jiannan talked, Han Shizhong was suddenly struck by a thought. Every page of Yue Fei’s book urged loyalty and service to the country. Given the man’s lifelong ambitions, he must have written it for a purpose, and certainly not to take it to the grave with him. Most likely Qin Hui had guarded him so closely that he could not get it out. But Yue Fei was a man of rare resource and would surely have found some way. There was no knowing, though, where the message he had sent out had ended up after passing from hand to hand. If the man he meant to teach got word too late and then went to the palace for the book, would he not find it gone?

When the two had talked it over, Shangguan Jiannan painted a picture of Iron Palm Mountain and hid a slip of paper within a double layer of it, bearing sixteen characters: “Wumu’s Art of War, on Iron Palm Mountain, Middle Finger Peak, second knuckle.” Afraid that whoever came later would not understand it, Han Shizhong also wrote an old poem of Yue Fei’s on the painting. The man Yue Fei had in mind as his heir, he thought, if not one of his own sons or nephews, must surely be one of his old soldiers, who would know the poem and would study the painting closely. Shangguan Jiannan re-entered the palace and left the painting there, so that later seekers could follow these clues to the Iron Palm Keep to retrieve the book.

Shangguan Jiannan studied Wumu’s Art of War¹⁴ and gained considerable understanding of military strategy and defeating enemies. But afterwards, when Jin soldiers invaded the south, the Iron Palm Keep could only defend itself and was unable to gather a righteous army to march north against the Jin. Shangguan Jiannan cherished the great ambition of resisting the Jin, but never realised it. After decades he died in frustration, passing the position of Chief to Qiu Qianren.¹⁵

Shangguan Jiannan knew that though Qiu Qianren’s martial arts were formidable and he was rich in talent, his lifelong ambition was to perfect his martial arts. He cared little for the great cause of the nation’s rise and fall, and had never studied the arts of war and strategy. Wumu’s Art of War would be useless to him. Afraid it would fall into unworthy hands, Shangguan Jiannan followed the clues left in the painting and, at the hour of his death, took the book with him into the cave on Middle Finger Peak of Iron Palm Mountain.

Guo Jing finished the booklet and sighed. “Who’d have thought this Chief Shangguan was such a brave man? Even as he died he held that book fast in his arms. I thought he was just like the Qiu brothers, in league with the Jin and selling out his country for gain, and I rather despised him. If I’d known, I would have bowed to his bones a few times, and reverently too. In those days most of the Iron Palm Keep were loyal and righteous men. Now it’s become a gang of traitors. If Chief Shangguan has a spirit in the underworld, I wonder how angry he must be.”

As they spoke, darkness fell. The boatman brought the boat to shore beside a village, killed a chicken and prepared a meal. Huang Rong, afraid he might tamper with the food, pretended to find his cooking unclean and took the chicken and vegetables herself. She and Guo Jing went ashore to cook at a farmer’s house. The boatman blew at his whiskers and glared, furious, but since he was pretending to be mute, he could neither speak to remonstrate nor vent his anger with words. He watched Huang Rong gesturing with her hands, her “brilliant words and nimble tongue”, and knew he could never “argue” her down. He could only grit his teeth in secret, waiting until the two had gone ashore before lowering his voice and cursing in the cabin.

After supper, Guo Jing and Huang Rong sat cooling themselves in the shade before the farmhouse. Guo Jing said, “How did Chief Shangguan’s record booklet fall into Qiu Qianzhang’s¹⁶ hands? And what use is it to him?”

Huang Rong said, “The old fraud’s face is identical to his brother’s. Stealing the booklet wouldn’t be hard. Going about passing himself off as the Chief, he’d need to know the Keep’s old history so as not to be found out.” After a moment she added, “Who’d have thought my shige¹⁷ Qu Lingfeng¹⁸ would do something so great without even meaning to?”

Guo Jing stared at her, baffled.

Huang Rong said, “Wumu’s Art of War was hidden in the water-curtain stone cave beside Cuihan Hall in the imperial palace. Since Shangguan Jiannan had stolen the book, the painting he made would naturally have been put back where the book had been. Right?”

Guo Jing nodded. “That’s right.”

Huang Rong said, “After Shige Qu was driven from Peach Blossom Island, he still longed for his shimen.¹⁹ He knew my father loved paintings, calligraphy and antiques, and he reckoned the rarest treasures under heaven must be in the imperial palace, so he risked his life to get in and stole a great many famous paintings and calligraphy models…”

Guo Jing broke in, “Yes, yes, that’s it. Your Shige Qu stole this painting along with the other pieces and hid it in the secret chamber at Niu Family Village, planning to give it to your father. But unfortunately the palace guards beat him to death. By the time that villain Wanyan Honglie²⁰ reached the palace, not only was Wumu’s Art of War gone, even the painting with the clues was missing too. Ah, if I’d known that, we needn’t have risked our lives fighting at the water-curtain cave. I wouldn’t have been hurt by that Old Venom,²¹ and you wouldn’t have had seven days and seven nights of worry.”

Huang Rong said, “That’s not so. If you hadn’t been healing in the secret chamber at Niu Family Village, how would you have seen this painting? How could you have…”

She remembered that it was at Niu Family Village, too, that she had met Huazheng,²² and her spirits sank. After a while she said, “I wonder how Father is now.” Looking up at the sliver of new moon on the edge of the sky, she said softly, “The Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here. After the martial contest at Misty Rain Pavilion²³ in Jiaxing, you’ll be going back to the Mongolian desert, won’t you?”

Guo Jing said, “No. First I must kill that villain Wanyan Honglie and avenge my father and Uncle Yang.”

Huang Rong gazed at the moon. “And after you’ve killed him?”

Guo Jing said, “There’s plenty more to do. I must heal Shifu’s injuries. I must ask Big Brother Zhou to go to the Black Marsh²⁴ to find Yinggu.²⁵ I must visit the homes of my six shifus, one by one. And I must find my father’s grave.”

Huang Rong said, “After you’ve done all that, you’ll have to go back to Mongolia, won’t you?”

Guo Jing said, “I won’t go!” But he could not really have said why. His mother was in Mongolia, and sooner or later he would have to fetch her back to Jiangnan.

Huang Rong laughed. “Jing gege, you’re good. You’re always trying to put off the day. You can’t bear to part from me. Ah, I can’t bear to part from you either. How silly I am. Why think about all this? While we’re together, let’s enjoy every moment we can. Days like these, every one we spend is one less we’ll ever have. Let’s go back to the boat and tease that fake mute.”

The two returned to the boat. The boatman and the two young men were already asleep at the stern. Guo Jing whispered in Huang Rong’s ear, “You sleep. I’ll keep watch on them.”

Huang Rong whispered back, “I’ll teach you a few of the signs mutes use for swearing. Tomorrow you can make them at him.”

Guo Jing said, “Why don’t you do it yourself?”

Huang Rong laughed softly. “They’re dirty words. A girl can’t say them.”

Guo Jing thought, So mutes can swear too. He said, “Rest a while first. There’s time enough to swear at him tomorrow.”

Huang Rong’s strength had not yet come back since her injury, and she really was tired. She laid her head on Guo Jing’s lap and gradually fell asleep. She wore the Soft Hedgehog Armour²⁶ on her upper body, and was careful not to let her shoulder or back press against Guo Jing’s thigh.

Guo Jing had intended to sit in meditation and practise, but feared the boatman might grow suspicious. Instead he lay across the cabin planking, silently going over the general precepts of the Nine Yin Manual²⁷ written in Sanskrit, which Great Master Yideng²⁸ had taught him, and practising by the method. After about half a shichen²⁹ he felt strength flooding every limb and bone of his body. He was rejoicing in it when suddenly he heard Huang Rong murmur drowsily, “Jing gege, don’t marry the Mongol princess. I want to marry you myself.”

Guo Jing was taken aback and did not know how to answer. Then he heard her go on, “No, no, I said it wrong. I’m not asking anything of you. I know that in your heart it’s really only me you love, and that’s enough.”

Guo Jing called softly, twice, “Rong-er, Rong-er.” But Huang Rong did not answer. Her breathing came faintly, and she had sunk back into deep sleep. She had been talking in her sleep.

Guo Jing felt both love and pity. The pale moonlight lay across Huang Rong’s face. She had only just recovered from her grave injury, and the colour had not fully returned to her cheeks. Her skin beneath the moon seemed almost transparent. Guo Jing gazed at her, lost. After a long while, he saw her brows furrow slightly, and a few tears slip from her eyes.

Guo Jing thought, In her dream she must be thinking about our marriage. She may seem carefree all day long, laughing and joking, but in her heart she isn’t happy. Ah, it’s my fault she’s so troubled. If she hadn’t met me that day in Zhangjiakou, wouldn’t she have been better off? But what about me? Could I bear to give her up?

One grieved in dreams, while the other lay awake with open eyes, troubled. Suddenly they heard the sound of water, and a boat was coming down from upstream. Guo Jing was a little surprised, thinking, The Yuan runs fast and its shoals are treacherous. What boat would be so bold as to sail by night? He was about to poke his head out to look when he heard three soft claps from the stern of their own boat. The claps were light, but in the still night they carried far across the river.

Then came the sound of a sail coming down and oars being plied. The boat that had been sailing down the middle of the river was now veering towards the right bank. Before long, it had drawn alongside Guo Jing’s boat.

Footnotes

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

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

3. 石 — shí. A unit of volume for grain, equal to ten dou. ↩

4. 上官剑南 — Shàngguān Jiànnán. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 铁掌帮 — Tiězhǎng Bāng. Literally iron palm guild. Qiu Qianren’s sect, renowned for its palm techniques. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 韩世忠 — Hán Shìzhōng. The celebrated Song general who fought the Jin armies. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 秦桧 — Qín Huì. Southern Song chancellor (1091—1155) who pressed for peace with the Jin and is remembered as the traitor behind the execution of Yue Fei. See Wikipedia. ↩

8. 岳飞 — Yuè Fēi (1103—1142). The most celebrated Song general of the wars against the Jin, executed on false charges. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

10. 临安 — Lín’ān. Capital of Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1276) known for its cultural refinement and West Lake scenery. Modern day Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. See Wikipedia. ↩

11. 汴梁 — Biànliáng. The Northern Song capital, modern-day Kaifeng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 破金要诀 — Pò Jīn Yàojué. A military treatise attributed to Yue Fei. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 岳武穆 — Yuè Wǔmù. Yue Fei (1103—1142), the Song general, by his posthumous name Wumu, meaning martial and solemn, granted after his rehabilitation. See Wikipedia. ↩

14. 武穆遗书 — Wǔmù Yíshū. The military treatise left by Yue Fei (1103—1142), the Song general posthumously titled Wumu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

16. 裘千丈 — Qiú Qiānzhàng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 师哥 — shīgē. Male senior, the colloquial form of shixiong. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Gē means older brother. ↩

18. 曲灵风 — Qū Língfēng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

19. 师门 — shīmén. Literally the teacher’s gate. The house of one’s shifu: the master, the fellow disciples, and the rules and obligations binding them. ↩

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

21. 老毒物 — lǎo dúwù. Literally old venomous thing. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

22. 华筝 — Huázhēng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

23. 烟雨楼 — Yānyǔ Lóu. Misty Rain Pavilion, on South Lake in Jiaxing. ↩

24. 黑沼 — Hēi Zhǎo. Literally black marsh. ↩

25. 瑛姑 — Yīnggū. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

28. 一灯大师 — Yīdēng Dàshī. Literally Great Master One Lamp. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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