The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 34 – Part 4

On the third day the sailing boat reached the shore. Guo Jing hated everything on Peach Blossom Island¹ so fiercely that he raised the iron anchor and smashed a great hole in the hull before leaping ashore. He watched the vessel tilt and slide beneath the waves, and it seemed to him that the remains of his five shifus² were sinking to the bottom of the sea with it. He went west until he found a farmhouse, bought rice and cooked himself a meal, asked the way, and set off straight for Jiaxing.³

That night he lodged on the bank of the Qiantang River.⁴ The bright moon was mirrored in the great water, the icy wheel already swelling towards its fullness, when a sudden dread seized him that he might have missed the appointed contest at Misty Rain Pavilion.⁵ He asked his host and learned that the day was still the thirteenth of the eighth month. He crossed the river that very night, bought a sound horse, and drove it hard, reaching Jiaxing by the afternoon of the next day.

Since childhood he had heard his six shifus recount their old contest with Qiu Chuji,⁶ the copper-vat drinking bout and the feats of arms atop the Drunken Immortal Wineshop.⁷ All six had told the tale with relish, so that no sooner had he passed through the south gate than he asked the way to the Drunken Immortal Wineshop.

The Drunken Immortal Wineshop stood on the shore of South Lake.⁸ Guo Jing came to its door and looked up. The building was much as Han Xiaoying⁹ had described it. For over ten years the wineshop had lived in his mind, and now at last he saw it with his own eyes: soaring eaves and painted beams, a fine, handsome house indeed. A great wooden placard stood in the shop bearing the four characters Legacy of Taibai’s Spirit,¹⁰ while the black-lacquer plaque above had begun to peel with age, though the three golden characters Drunken Immortal Wineshop penned by Su Dongpo¹¹ were still polished till they shone. Guo Jing’s heart beat faster, and he was up the stairs in a few bounds.

A serving boy came forward and said, “Sir, please drink downstairs. The upper floor has been engaged today.”

Guo Jing was about to answer when a voice called out, “Jing-er, you’ve come!”

He looked up. A Daoist sat there upright, drinking, his long beard flowing down over his chest, his face ruddy and glowing. It was Changchunzi Qiu Chuji.¹²

Guo Jing rushed forward and threw himself to the ground. He got out only the words “Daoist Elder Qiu!”¹³ before his voice choked.

Qiu Chuji reached down and raised him. “You are a day early. That is very good. I came a day early too. Tomorrow I shall be fighting Peng Lianhu,¹⁴ Sha Tongtian¹⁵ and the rest of them, so I thought I would come a day ahead and drink with your six shifus first and talk over old times. Have your six shifus all arrived? I have ordered a banquet for them.”

Guo Jing saw that nine tables had been set out on the upper floor. At Qiu Chuji’s table the cups and chopsticks were laid in full, but at each of the other eight only a single pair of chopsticks and a single cup had been placed.

Qiu Chuji said, “Eighteen years ago I first met your seven shifus here. Their places were laid out just like this. This vegetarian table is for Great Master Jiaomu.¹⁶ Alas, neither he nor your Fifth Shifu will be able to join us again.” His tone was heavy with sorrow.

Guo Jing turned his face away. He dared not look him in the eye.

Qiu Chuji noticed nothing and went on, “The bronze vat we drank from that day, I went and fetched it from Fahua Monastery¹⁷ again today. When your six shifus arrive, we shall have a proper drink together.”

Guo Jing turned and saw, sure enough, a great bronze vat standing by the screen. Its outside was crusted with dark-green patina, but the inside had been scrubbed clean and filled with fine wine, whose fragrance rose in waves. He stared at the vat for a long while, then looked again at the eight empty tables, and thought, Apart from Eldest Shifu, there is no one left to enjoy this feast. If only I could see my seven honoured shifus here once more, safe and sound, drinking and laughing and drinking their fill for one day, I would gladly die the moment after.

Qiu Chuji went on, “The original agreement was that you and Yang Kang¹⁸ would meet here on the twenty-fourth day of the third month this year and settle it with a contest. I revered your seven shifus for their lofty righteousness, and from the start I hoped you would win, so that the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan¹⁹ might be famed throughout the world. But I have wandered east and west, intent only on rooting out traitors and killing bandits, and I never devoted much effort to Yang Kang’s training. He grew up in a Jin prince’s mansion,²⁰ and he who stays near ink is stained black. That I did not teach him first-rate martial arts, let that pass. Worst of all, I failed to shape and teach him into an upright, open-hearted brave man, and I am truly ashamed before your Uncle Yang. They say he has now mended his ways, but the taint of evil is hard to root out after all. When I think of it now, I deeply regret it.”

Guo Jing was about to tell him of Yang Kang’s many misdeeds, but the tale was long and he did not know where to begin.

Qiu Chuji continued, “In this life, literary talent and martial arts are trifles. The most vital thing is loyalty and righteousness. Even if Yang Kang’s arts were a hundred times yours, when it comes to character, the duel at the Drunken Immortal Wineshop is a victory for your shifus. Heh heh. Qiu Chuji admits defeat, heart and mouth alike.” He roared with laughter, then all at once saw that tears were pouring down Guo Jing’s face. Startled, he said, “Eh? Why so grief-stricken?”

Guo Jing burst into loud sobs. He lunged forward a step and prostrated himself. “I… I… my five honoured shifus are no longer in this world.”

Qiu Chuji was aghast. “What?”

Guo Jing wept, “All but Eldest Shifu. The other five are… are all gone.”

Qiu Chuji stood as though a thunderbolt had burst upon his head. For a long moment he could not speak. He had expected to meet his old friends at any moment, never imagining that disaster had struck without warning. Though his gatherings with the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan had been brief, for eighteen years they had trusted one another heart and soul, and he had long counted them friends for life and death. Now the dreadful news struck him with grief beyond bearing. He strode to the railing, gazed out over the vast lake, threw back his head and gave a long cry. One by one the faces and forms of the seven passed through his mind. He turned, seized the bronze vat, and shouted, “My old friends are gone. What do I want with this wretched thing?” Putting all the strength of his arms into it, he hurled the vat outward. There was a tremendous splash, the water leapt high, and the vat plunged into the lake, wine and all.

He wheeled back and caught Guo Jing by the arm. “How did they die? Speak!”

Guo Jing was about to answer when, from the corner of his eye, he saw a figure steal soundlessly up the stairs. Dressed in blue, free and easy in his bearing, it was the Master of Peach Blossom Island, Huang Yaoshi.²¹ Guo Jing’s vision blurred. He thought he had mistaken the man, but when he steadied his gaze, who else could it be?

Huang Yaoshi was equally startled to find him there. Then a fierce wind struck him full in the face. Guo Jing had launched Proud Dragon Repents²² at him across the table. He had put into this palm every ounce of strength he possessed. The force of it was terrifying. He meant to die alongside his mortal foe and left nothing in reserve for self-defence.

Huang Yaoshi shifted his body slightly and pushed with his left palm, deflecting the blow aside. There was a splintering crack, and Guo Jing could not check his momentum. His body crashed through the plank wall and plummeted to the floor below. The Drunken Immortal Wineshop was fated to suffer that day: he landed square on the crockery rack. There was a crashing and clattering, and bowls, saucers, plates and cups smashed by who knew how many hundreds and thousands.

At midday that day the wineshop’s old proprietor had heard Qiu Chuji’s instructions for the seating and seen him carry the great bronze vat upstairs. Remembering the events of eighteen years ago, unease had already settled in his belly. Now, hearing the din upstairs and down, he cried out in a string of woes, repeating in confusion, “Merciful Guanyin who saves from suffering, the Jade Emperor, the City God…”

Guo Jing dared not press his palms against the broken crockery for fear of cutting them. He channelled force through his back and waist, sprang up, and charged back upstairs. A grey shape flickered, then a blue one. Qiu Chuji and Huang Yaoshi had leapt from the window one after the other.

Guo Jing thought, That old villain’s skill is beyond mine. Bare-handed I cannot hurt him. He drew from the sheath at his waist the golden dao²³ that Genghis Khan²⁴ had given him, and thought, Even if it costs me a punch or a kick from the old villain, I’ll get at least two cuts into him. He ran to the window and leapt.

The street below was thronged with people. When they heard someone leap from the wineshop, a crowd gathered to watch. Then another figure came flying through the air, a short dao flashing white in his hand. The crowd gave a shout and pushed and shoved, and several people were knocked over.

Amid the press Guo Jing could see neither Huang Yaoshi nor Qiu Chuji. He turned to an old man beside him. “Where did the two who jumped from upstairs go?”

The old man saw the steel dao in his hand and his fierce expression. Terror seized him. “Brave man, spare my life. It’s nothing to do with this old man.”

Guo Jing asked again and again, which only frightened the old man into shouting for help. Guo Jing put out an arm and pushed him gently aside, then forced his way out of the crowd. But Qiu Chuji and Huang Yaoshi had vanished without a trace. He ran back up into the wineshop and scanned the surroundings. On the lake a small boat carried the two of them towards the islet in the middle of the lake, where Misty Rain Pavilion stood. Huang Yaoshi sat in the cabin. Qiu Chuji sat at the stern, rowing.

The sight brought Guo Jing up short. He thought, They must be going to Misty Rain Pavilion to fight it out to the death. Brave as Daoist Elder Qiu is, how can he match that old villain? He rushed downstairs, seized a small boat, and took to the oars after them. With his mortal enemy in sight, calm was impossible, but on the water there is no hurrying. In his fury he pulled too hard. With a sharp snap the oar broke off at the handle. Frantic and furious, he grabbed a plank and used it as a paddle, but the harder he strove, the slower he went. The gap between him and the other boat widened with every stroke.

By the time he coaxed his craft to the shore, the two were gone again.

He muttered to himself, “I must keep calm. I mustn’t throw my life away before I’ve had my revenge.” He breathed deeply three times, then concentrated and listened. Sure enough, from behind the pavilion came the faint sound of weapons cleaving air, mixed with shouts and answering calls, and there were more than just Qiu and Huang.

Guo Jing surveyed the surroundings, got his bearings, and crept into Misty Rain Pavilion. The ground floor was empty. He ran up the stairs and found a man leaning on the railing by a window, chewing noisily on something. It was Hong Qigong.

Guo Jing rushed up. “Shifu!”

Hong Qigong nodded and pointed below the window, then raised the half leg of cooked mutton in his hand and took another bite.

Guo Jing ran to the window. On the open ground behind the pavilion, jians were flashing dazzlingly, and eight or nine people had Huang Yaoshi surrounded at the centre. Seeing the enemy alone against so many, Guo Jing felt a little easier, but when he made out the fighters’ faces he started again. Eldest Shifu Ke Zhen’e swung his iron staff with his back pressed against a young Daoist. A closer look showed the Daoist to be Yin Zhiping,²⁵ Qiu Chuji’s disciple, his long jian extended to guard Ke Zhen’e’s rear. There were six other Daoists as well, Ma Yu,²⁶ Qiu Chuji and the rest of the Six Zis of Quanzhen.²⁷

Guo Jing watched for a moment and saw that the Quanzhen Order had set out the Big Dipper Formation²⁸ against him. Changzhenzi Tan Chuduan²⁹ was dead, so Ke Zhen’e had taken over the Tianxuan position. His martial arts were presumably weaker, and he was blind and did not know the formation, so Yin Zhiping guarded his back and gave him directions as they went. The six Quanzhen Daoists wielded their jians in concert, advancing and retreating, scattering and converging, locked in fierce combat with Huang Yaoshi.

On the day of the fierce battle at Niu Family Village,³⁰ only two of the Seven Zis of Quanzhen had used their jians. The rest had fought bare-handed, and even then the contest had been desperate beyond measure. Now seven jians and one iron staff were joined against Huang Yaoshi, and the ferocity had redoubled. Yet Huang Yaoshi still fought empty-handed, drifting to and fro among the flashing jians and the shadow of the staff, seeming pressed onto the defensive with no power to strike back. For dozens of moves he only dodged their weapons without once returning a punch or a kick.

Guo Jing was secretly glad. He thought, For all your powers, today you shall not escape justice.

Suddenly Huang Yaoshi planted his left foot and swept his right leg in two wide circles around his body, forcing all eight opponents back three paces at once. Guo Jing thought in silent admiration, A fine Whirlwind Leaf-Sweeping Leg!³¹

Huang Yaoshi turned his head. He raised a hand in greeting towards the pavilion window where Hong Qigong and Guo Jing stood, nodding casually. His face was perfectly at ease, not at all the look of a man driven to the wall. Guo Jing was puzzled. Then Huang Yaoshi’s left palm slashed diagonally towards the crown of Changshengzi Liu Chuxuan’s³² head. Defence had given way to attack.

By the rules of the array, Liu Chuxuan should not have blocked. The rescue should have come from Qiu Chuji in the Tianquan position and Ke Zhen’e in Tianxuan, striking from the flanks. But Ke Zhen’e could not see. Against ordinary opponents he could fight by ear alone, yet against Huang Yaoshi’s palm-work, appearing from nowhere, vanishing without trace, swift as lightning, how could he react in time? Qiu Chuji’s jian flashed towards Huang Yaoshi’s right armpit, but by the time Ke Zhen’e heard Yin Zhiping’s direction and struck with his staff, he was a step too late.

Liu Chuxuan felt the wind of the palm above his crown, but Huang Yaoshi had deliberately eased the blow. The palm paused a heartbeat above his head, just long enough for Liu Chuxuan to throw himself to the ground and roll clear. Ma Yu and Wang Chuyi³³ thrust their jians in together from the sides. Liu Chuxuan was out of danger, but the Big Dipper Formation had been thrown into disorder.

Huang Yaoshi laughed and charged at Sun Buer.³⁴ Three steps in, he suddenly reversed, driving his back towards Guangningzi Hao Datong.³⁵ Hao Datong had never seen so strange a move. He hesitated, meaning to thrust his jian at the man’s spine, but Huang Yaoshi was swift as a startled hare. He burst clear of the circle and stood still twenty feet away.

Footnotes

1. 桃花岛 — Táohuā Dǎo. Huang Yaoshi’s island in the East China Sea. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

3. 嘉兴 — Jiāxīng. City to the northeast of Lin’an, in modern day Zhejiang Province. See Wikipedia. ↩

4. 钱塘江 — Qiántáng Jiāng. The Qiantang River of Zhejiang, known for its tidal bore. See Wikipedia. ↩

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

6. 丘处机 — Qiū Chǔjī. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

8. 南湖 — Nán Hú. Literally south lake. A lake in Jiaxing. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

10. 太白遗风 — Tàibái yífēng. Literally the lingering spirit of Taibai. Taibai is the courtesy name of the Tang poet Li Bai (701—762), famed for his love of wine, and the phrase was a common wineshop sign. ↩

11. 苏东坡 — Sū Dōngpó. Su Shi (1037—1101), style name Dongpo, one of the greatest poets, writers and calligraphers of the Song. ↩

12. 长春子 — Chángchūnzǐ. Literally master of eternal spring. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

14. 彭连虎 — Péng Liánhǔ. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 沙通天 — Shā Tōngtiān. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 焦木 — Jiāomù. Literally scorched wood. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 法华寺 — Fǎhuá Sì. Literally Dharma Blossom Monastery. A Buddhist monastery in Jiaxing. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

18. 杨康 — Yáng Kāng. His name meaning “well-being”; paired with Guo Jing’s 靖 it recalls the Jingkang Shame of 1127. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

21. 黄药师 — Huáng Yàoshī. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

22. 亢龙有悔 — Kàng Lóng Yǒu Huǐ. Literally the proud dragon has cause to repent. A move of the Eighteen Palms of Dragon Subduing, named from a line of the Book of Changes. ↩

23. 金刀 — jīndāo. The golden dao Genghis Khan bestows on Guo Jing. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

24. 成吉思汗 — Chéngjísī Hán. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

25. 尹志平 — Yǐn Zhìpíng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

26. 马钰 — Mǎ Yù. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

27. 全真教 — Quánzhēn Jiào. Literally complete truth order. Daoist martial-monastic order founded by Wang Chongyang, one of the most influential orthodox factions. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

28. 天罡北斗阵 — Tiāngāng Běidǒu Zhèn. Literally Big Dipper formation of the Heavenly Ladle. A Quanzhen formation of seven, laid out on the stars of the Big Dipper. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

29. 谭处端 — Tán Chǔduān. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

30. 牛家村 — Niújiā Cūn. Literally Niu Family Village. A village outside Lin’an. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

31. 旋风扫叶腿 — Xuànfēng Sǎo Yè Tuǐ. A Peach Blossom Island kicking art, paired with the Peach Blossom Falling Petals Palm. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

32. 刘处玄 — Liú Chǔxuán. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

33. 王处一 — Wáng Chǔyī. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

34. 孙不二 — Sūn Bù’èr. Her name meaning “not two”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

35. 郝大通 — Hǎo Dàtōng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩