The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 35 – Part 1

In the Iron Spear Temple¹

A boat put in to the shore, and twenty or thirty people came up onto the bank, Peng Lianhu,² Sha Tongtian³ and the rest among them. Last to disembark were two men, one tall and one short. The tall one was Wanyan Honglie,⁴ the Prince of Zhao of the Great Jin. The short one was Qiu Qianren,⁵ Chief of the Iron Palm Keep. Counting on Ouyang Feng⁶ and Qiu Qianren to take the field for him, Wanyan Honglie was sure this contest could end only in victory, and had gone so far as to come south to Jiangnan in person once again.

Huang Rong pointed at Qiu Qianren and said, “Papa, I once took a palm blow from this old man, and it very nearly cost me my life.”

Huang Yaoshi had seen Qiu Qianren make a fool of himself both at Returning Clouds Manor and outside Niu Family Village, though he did not know it had been Qiu Qianzhang⁷ impersonating his twin. He wondered how a man of such paltry skill could ever have injured his daughter, and found it very strange.

By now Ouyang Feng had joined Wanyan Honglie and the others, and they were conferring in low voices.

After a while, Ouyang Feng walked up to Hong Qigong⁸ and said, “Seventh Brother, in the contest shortly, you will help neither side. You said so yourself, did you not?”

Hong Qigong thought, I have the will but not the strength. Even if I wanted to help, there is no way I could. Aloud he replied, “What’s all this about ‘shortly’? What I said was the fifteenth of the eighth month.”

Ouyang Feng said, “Just so. Brother Yao,⁹ the Quanzhen Order and the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan¹⁰ don’t know what’s good for them. They have presumed to break ground on the very summit of Mount Tai by crossing you. You are the grand master of your age, and to trade blows with people like these would be beneath you. Let me send them packing for you, and you need only stand by with your hands in your sleeves. What do you say?”

Huang Yaoshi surveyed the dispositions on both sides. If Hong Qigong did not take a hand, the Quanzhen zis would surely all fall to Ouyang Feng’s deadly hands, and the Quanzhen Order would be finished there and then. If Guo Jing¹¹ helped hold the Tianxuan position, Ouyang Feng would be no match for the Big Dipper Formation.¹² But if the stupid boy went on tangling with Huang Yaoshi himself, things would be another matter altogether. He thought, That brat Guo Jing is still wet behind the ears, a dull, stupid boy, and yet the survival or ruin of the whole Quanzhen Order hangs on a single thought of his. If Wang Chongyang knows of it down below, he can only smile wryly.

Ouyang Feng saw that his face was impassive and that he gave no answer, and thought that the moment would slip away in an instant. If the Old Wild Child Zhou Botong¹³ arrived, he would be no easy man to handle. He gave a long, ringing cry and shouted, “Come on, everyone, at them. What are we waiting for?”

Hong Qigong snapped, “Are you talking like a man or farting like a dog?”

Ouyang Feng pointed up at the sky and smiled. “The zi shichen¹⁴ has long passed. It is already the early morning of the fifteenth.”

Hong Qigong raised his head. The moon hung slightly to the west, half veiled by dark cloud. It was indeed the end of zi and the beginning of chou. Ouyang Feng’s Snake Staff¹⁵ jabbed out, and all at once it was at the chest of Qiu Chuji.¹⁶

The six Quanzhen zis saw the great enemy before them, with Peng Lianhu and the others watching from the flank like hungry tigers. They knew that the slightest carelessness today would mean a total rout. Steeling themselves, they threw every ounce of their skill into withstanding Ouyang Feng. Only a few moves into the fight, all six were groaning inwardly. The Western Venom meant to display his power before the assembled crowd, and every move he used was a killing strike. Qiu Chuji, Wang Chuyi,¹⁷ and the rest fought hard to hold him off, but with their formation incomplete, they were hard put to meet every move.

Huang Rong saw that Guo Jing was glaring at her father, held back from striking only by his regard for Hong Qigong. Inspiration struck her, and she said, “All day long you shout about revenge and settling scores. Hmph. And now your father’s killer is really here, you’re afraid.”

Her words brought him to himself. He glared at her and thought, Kill the Jin dog first. There will be time enough for Huang Yaoshi after. He drew his golden dao and charged straight at Wanyan Honglie.

Sha Tongtian and Peng Lianhu rushed forward together, throwing themselves between Guo Jing and the prince. Guo Jing reversed his wrist and slashed the golden dao diagonally. Peng Lianhu raised his pair of Judge’s Brushes¹⁸ to block. There was a sharp clang, and the shock numbed the web of his hand between thumb and finger, but Guo Jing was already past them both. Sha Tongtian deployed his Shifting Forms Changing Positions¹⁹ technique at full speed but failed to cut him off, and had to sprint after him. Venerable Lingzhi²⁰ and Liang Ziweng²¹ each raised their weapons to intercept.

Guo Jing dodged the two Bone-Penetrating Nails²² that Liang Ziweng flung at him, and with dao and palm together in his two hands he used Ram Butts the Fence, hurling himself bodily forward. Liang Ziweng saw the ferocity of the charge and threw himself flat, rolling clear. Venerable Lingzhi was too bulky to move nimbly, and besides, he thought that if he dodged as well, the enemy would be upon the Prince of Zhao. So he raised his pair of cymbals to meet the blow head-on. Clang, clang, came two tremendous crashes, and the cymbals were hurled skyward by the force of the palm, only for Guo Jing’s palm-wind to come chopping at his face the next instant.

Venerable Lingzhi, confident in the depth of his palm cultivation and the poison coating his hands, struck out with his own palm. At once the breath choked in his chest and his arm went numb and weak. His hand dropped limply, the wrist jarred out of joint, and not a scrap of his poison-palm skill could be brought to bear. Lingzhi had no idea what had happened. Of the wit and wisdom in his name he had not a shred, and with his head in a muddle he stood rooted to the spot. Had Guo Jing followed up with one more palm, it would have killed him there and then, but Guo Jing’s whole mind was set on killing Wanyan Honglie, and he did not spare Venerable Lingzhi another glance.

The two great copper cymbals came down out of the sky one after the other, flashing yellow. With a tremendous clang the first landed square on the crown of Venerable Lingzhi’s head. Luckily it fell flat. Otherwise its edge, sharp as a blade, would surely have split his shaven head in two. Then came another crash, louder still. The second cymbal had come down on the first, and the two rang on and on in a droning hum that carried far out over the lake.

Wanyan Honglie watched Guo Jing brush past four expert fighters without breaking stride and arrive before him in the blink of an eye. He was terrified. With a cry of “Ah!” he took to his heels. Guo Jing brandished his dao and gave chase, but he had barely taken a few steps before a yellow blur flickered before him and a pair of palms struck in from the flank. He twisted aside and thrust out the golden dao, but the force of the palms dragged him off balance, and he quickly took a step forward to steady himself. His attacker was Qiu Qianren, Chief of the Iron Palm Keep. Knowing the man’s martial arts were beyond his own, Guo Jing gave up all thought of running his enemy down. Dao in his right hand, palm ready in his left, he settled to the fight with every sense alert.

Peng Lianhu, seeing that Qiu Qianren had held Guo Jing at bay and that Liang Ziweng and Sha Tongtian were once again shielding Wanyan Honglie, considered the danger past. He sprang across to Ke Zhen’e²³ and said with a laugh, “Ke daxia, how is it that only one of the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan has turned up?”

Ke Zhen’e’s iron staff had been flung into South Lake by Huang Rong. Hearing the taunt, he flicked his wrist and sent an iron caltrop hurtling towards Peng Lianhu, then leapt backwards. The caltrop flew fast and fierce in the hazy moonlight. Peng Lianhu had suffered badly from these deadly poisoned weapons before, and he was truly a bird that shies at the twang of a bowstring. He dared not raise his Judge’s Brushes to deflect it. Instead he jammed both brushes into the ground and vaulted into the air. The caltrop hissed past just beneath the soles of his feet. Seeing that Ke Zhen’e had no weapon in hand, he gritted his teeth and charged forward, brushes raised.

Ke Zhen’e was lame in the feet and relied on his iron staff to walk at the best of times. Hearing his enemy come at him like the wind, he could only struggle two more steps aside with a leap. As he landed his left leg buckled under him, and he nearly fell. Peng Lianhu was delighted. Keeping his left brush back to guard himself against some sudden deadly counter, he brought the right one smashing down at the middle of Ke Zhen’e’s back. Ke Zhen’e read the stroke by its sound and rolled clear. Peng Lianhu’s steel brush struck the stones, and sparks flew. “Damned blind thief, slippery as they come!” he swore, and drove the left brush in after it.

Ke Zhen’e rolled again and sent another iron caltrop hissing through the air. Venerable Lingzhi was cradling his right wrist in his left hand and jabbering curses when he saw Ke Zhen’e roll up beside him, and he lifted his foot and stamped down. Ke Zhen’e heard the rush of air, pushed off the ground with his left hand and shot away at a slant. He escaped Lingzhi’s stamp, but he could not escape the two brushes that came at him together. He felt a stab of pain in the middle of his back. He thought, This is the end, and could only shut his eyes and wait for death.

Instead a girl’s voice rang out sharply, “Off you go!” There was a yelp of “Ow!” and then a thump. It was Huang Rong. With the Dog-Beating Staff Technique²⁴ she had caught the iron brush, flung it aside with its own momentum, and sent Peng Lianhu sprawling. It was the same move she had used earlier to hurl away Ke Zhen’e’s staff, except that Peng Lianhu clung to his weapon for dear life and so came tumbling away together with it, man and brush alike.

Peng Lianhu scrambled to his feet, equal parts fury and shock. He saw Huang Rong plying her bamboo staff to guard Ke Zhen’e while the old man got to his feet. Ke Zhen’e cursed, “Little demoness, who asked you to save me?”

Huang Rong called out, “Papa, look after this blind old muddle-head. Don’t let anyone hurt him.” Then she ran to help Guo Jing, and the two of them fought Qiu Qianren together. Ke Zhen’e stood stock still, bewildered, not knowing what to do.

Peng Lianhu noticed that Huang Yaoshi stood far away, his back turned, seemingly oblivious to his daughter’s words. He crept round behind Ke Zhen’e and struck suddenly with his Judge’s Brush. The stroke was both vicious and lightning-fast. Even with his eyes and his staff, Ke Zhen’e might not have been able to parry it. It was about to strike home when, with a sharp hiss, something came flying through the air, struck the brush and burst into fragments. It was a tiny pebble. The blow left the web of Peng Lianhu’s hand aching, and the iron brush dropped from his grip. He was astounded. Where had the stone come from, and how could it carry such extraordinary force? But all he saw was Huang Yaoshi, his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the dark clouds on the horizon without so much as turning his head.

Ke Zhen’e had heard the Divine Finger Flick²⁵ at work in Returning Clouds Manor, and he knew that Huang Yaoshi had saved him. It only made his fury blaze the hotter. He hurled himself at Huang Yaoshi’s back, shouting, “Of seven brothers, one is left alive. What use is he?”

Huang Yaoshi still did not turn. When Ke Zhen’e was within three feet of his back, he waved his left hand lightly behind him. Ke Zhen’e felt a great force strike him and sat down hard in spite of himself, face to the sky, his qi and blood churning, unable to get up.

By now the sky had darkened further, and a thick fog had risen from the lake, rolling up over the island until everyone’s feet were lost in it.

With Huang Rong’s help, Guo Jing was now holding his own against Qiu Qianren. On the other side, however, the Quanzhen zis were hard-pressed. Hao Datong²⁶ took a blow from the Snake Staff across his leg, and Sun Buer’s²⁷ Daoist robe was torn half away. Wang Chuyi was secretly alarmed. He knew that if the fight went on, it would not be long before someone on their side lay dead or maimed. Seizing a moment while Ma Yu²⁸ and Liu Chuxuan²⁹ pressed forward, he drew a signal flare from his robe, struck it alight, and sent it hissing into the sky. A trail of bright light arced across the darkness.

Each of the Seven Zis had taken many disciples, and the Order’s third generation was large. Aside from Yin Zhiping,³⁰ men like Li Zhichang, Zhang Zhijing, Wang Zhitan, Qi Zhicheng, Zhang Zhixian, Zhao Zhijing, Zhen Zhibing, and Song Defang were among the most accomplished. For this contest at the Misty Rain Pavilion³¹ in Jiaxing, the Seven Zis, fearing that Peng Lianhu, Sha Tongtian, and the rest would bring hordes of disciples and followers to overwhelm by numbers, had ordered many of their own disciples to accompany them to Jiaxing and wait by the shores of South Lake, ready to rush to their aid should a flare rise into the sky. Now Wang Chuyi, seeing things go against them, had sent up the flare. But the fog had come down so suddenly and so thick that a man a few feet away could hardly be made out, and he feared the disciples might not find their way through it.

They fought on, and the white fog grew ever thicker. All were wrapped in damp vapour and found it hard to breathe. Black clouds piled ever higher above, and the moonlight that filtered through them weakened by degrees until it vanished altogether. Each fighter was alarmed. Though no one broke off the contest, they drew apart from one another, their defensive moves outnumbering their attacks.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong were still locked in combat with Qiu Qianren when a sudden bank of fog rolled between the three of them. Guo Jing, seeing Qiu Qianren and Huang Rong suddenly vanish, at once pulled back and set off in search of Wanyan Honglie.

He strained his eyes for the glint of the prince’s golden crown, but the fog was so dense he could not see three feet ahead. As he darted this way and that, a voice suddenly called from the murk, “I’m Zhou Botong. Who wants to fight me?”

Guo Jing was overjoyed. He was about to answer when Qiu Chuji’s voice rang out, “Shishu Zhou,³² are you well, sir?”

At that moment, a gap opened in the black clouds. Everyone saw, with a shock, that their enemies were right at their elbows, close enough to wound them with a single blow, and as one they cried out and sprang back.

Footnotes

1. 铁枪庙中 — Tiěqiāng Miào zhōng. Chapter title. The temple honours the Five Dynasties general Wang Yanzhang and his iron spear. ↩

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

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

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

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

6. 欧阳锋 — Ōuyáng Fēng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

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

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

11. 郭靖 — Guō Jìng. His name meaning “to pacify”; paired with Yang Kang’s 康 it recalls the Jingkang Shame of 1127. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 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. ↩

13. 周伯通 — Zhōu Bótōng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

15. 蛇杖 — Shézhàng. Ouyang Feng’s staff, with live venomous snakes coiled in its head. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 丘处机 — Qiū Chǔjī. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

18. 判官笔 — pànguānbǐ. Literally judge’s brush. A short stabbing weapon shaped like a writing brush, usually carried in pairs. ↩

19. 移形换位 — Yíxíng Huànwèi. An art of shifting position without bending the knees or taking a step, as Sha Tongtian does. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

20. 灵智上人 — Língzhì Shàngrén. Literally the venerable of spiritual wisdom. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

21. 梁子翁 — Liáng Zǐwēng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

22. 透骨钉 — Tòugǔ Dīng. A small iron nail flung with neili, named for how deep it bites. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

23. 柯镇恶 — Kē Zhèn’è. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

24. 打狗棒 — Dǎgǒu Bàng. The jade-green bamboo staff carried by the Guild Chief of the Beggars’ Guild as the token of his office. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

25. 弹指神通 — Tánzhǐ Shéntōng. Huang Yaoshi’s finger-flicking art, which strikes acupoints or sends small objects flying. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

28. 马钰 — Mǎ Yù. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

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

32. 师叔 — shīshū. Junior lineage uncle. The shidi or shimei of one’s shifu. Shī means teacher. Shū means father’s younger brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩