The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 38 – Part 3

The man on the beam was formidable indeed. Before Zhou Botong’s fingers could graze him, he somersaulted down and crouched on the north side. Zhou Botong’s mouth babbled nonsense, but his hands moved with the utmost caution, straining to listen for where the man stood. In the stillness of the night he could faintly make out the breathing of three people. He thought, The lamp in this house went out all of a sudden, so there are people here after all. But why don’t they make a sound? They must be frightened. He called out, “Don’t be alarmed, master of the house. I’ve come to catch a petty thief, and once I have him I’ll be off at once.”

An ordinary person’s breathing is coarse and heavy. One whose neigong¹ is profound breathes slow and long, light yet deep, and with a little attention the difference is easy to tell. Yet when he strained his ears, the three figures to the east, west and north all breathed low and slow. Zhou Botong was more than a little alarmed, and cried, “You villain, so you had helpers lying in wait here.”

Guo Jing had been about to call out to him, but on second thoughts he told himself, Ouyang Feng is lurking close by, and the man Big Brother Zhou² is chasing is a formidable enemy too. I’d better not let them know who I am yet, but wait for a chance to help him.

Step by step Zhou Botong approached the door and whispered, “It seems Old Wild Child³ can’t catch his man and is going to be caught himself instead.” He had already made up his mind: the moment the situation turned ugly, he would bolt through the door.

Just then a great shouting rose from the distance, and the thunder of hooves rolled nearer like an autumn tide arriving by night, thousands of horses, tens of thousands, charging and slaughtering their way forward.

Zhou Botong called out, “Your helpers keep multiplying. Old Wild Child must take his leave.” He reached for the great boulder propped behind the door as if to flee, then suddenly lifted the stone with both hands and hurled it at the spot where his quarry stood.

The boulder was of no trifling weight. Every night Ouyang Feng moved it across to prop behind the door, so that if Guo Jing shifted it to open the door, he would be sure to wake.

Ouyang Feng heard the fierce wind of the stone’s flight and thought, The moment Old Wild Child hurls the boulder, his right side must be undefended. If I kill him first, that is one danger fewer now, and one formidable rival fewer at the second Huashan Sword Summit.⁴ The thought had barely formed when he had already dropped into a crouch and thrust out both palms together, driving the Toad Skill⁵ straight at him. He crouched at the western end. This thrust drove from west to east, its force ferocious in the extreme.

Guo Jing had fought him for dozens of days and knew his every move by heart. Even in the pitch dark, the instant he heard that rush of wind, he knew Ouyang Feng had suddenly turned on Zhou Botong. He stepped forward at once and struck out swiftly with Proud Dragon Repents.⁶

The man standing in the north heard the boulder hurtling towards him. He bent his knees into a firm horse stance and turned both palms outward, meaning to push the boulder back with palm force and wound his attacker.

The four men stood at the four points of the compass. Their force went out one after another, yet the strength was nearly equal. The boulder, driven by four powers from east, south, west and north, flew to the centre of the room and came down with a great crash, smashing a table to splinters.

The roar of it was deafening. Zhou Botong found it tremendous fun and could not help laughing aloud. But as his laughter went on, he could no longer even hear it himself, for tens of thousands of horse and men had galloped into the village. War-horses screamed, weapons clashed, soldiers shouted, all tangled in a single uproar.

From the soldiers’ speech Guo Jing knew they were Khwarezmian troops⁷ who had fled into the village in defeat, meaning to make a last stand. But their formation was not yet set when the Mongol army arrived hard on their heels. He heard the beat of hooves on earth, the crack of great banners in the wind, the cries of the charge, the hiss of feathered arrows cleaving the air, all drawing nearer. Then came the clash of close combat and hand-to-hand slaughter, and from every quarter rose the roar of countless men locked in furious battle.

Someone burst the door open and charged in. Zhou Botong grabbed him, flung him out, hefted the great boulder and wedged it behind the door again.

Ouyang Feng’s first strike had missed. He thought, He has discovered my hiding-place in any case, and called out, “Old Wild Child, do you know who I am?”

Zhou Botong could faintly make out a voice, but could not tell the words. His left hand guarded his body while his right reached out to grab. Ouyang Feng’s right hand hooked his wrist, and his left palm struck back. Zhou Botong took the blow and cried in alarm, “Old Venom,⁸ you’re here?” His body swayed and he darted to his left, twisting his frame aside, and in that instant the man from the north seized his opening, his palm driving hard at Zhou Botong’s back.

Zhou Botong’s right hand attacked Ouyang Feng while his left fist swung back to block the rear strike. He thought, Since I practised the Ambidextrous Self-Combat⁹ on Peach Blossom Island, I’ve never had the chance to spar with two masters at once. Today is the perfect chance to test it. His fist had just met the enemy palm when suddenly Guo Jing darted in from the east, his right hand deflecting Zhou Botong’s fist and his left palm taking the rear blow on his behalf.

All three cried out in astonishment at once. Zhou Botong called “Brother Guo”, the man from the north “Guo Jing”, and Guo Jing himself “Qiu Qianren!”

On the day of the contest at Misty Rain Pavilion,¹⁰ Zhou Botong, who feared poisonous snakes above all things, had seen no way out. He had lain flat on the rooftop and covered himself with the roof tiles one by one, layer upon layer, until he was thickly hidden. The soldiers’ arrows could not reach him, and Ouyang Feng’s green snakes had not slithered up to the roof to bite him. When the sun rose and the fog dispersed, the serpent formation had been withdrawn and everyone had scattered, none knew where.

Bored stiff, he had wandered here and there for several months, until a Beggars’ Guild¹¹ disciple delivered a letter from Huang Rong. The letter said that he had once promised with his own lips to do whatever she asked of him, and that she now wanted him to go and kill Qiu Qianren,¹² Chief of the Iron Palm Keep.¹³ This man bore a deep and bitter grudge against Emperor Duan’s Noble Consort Liu.¹⁴ Once he was dead, Consort Liu would never come looking for Zhou Botong again. Otherwise she would hunt for him to the ends of the earth and marry him, come what may. The letter also set out the location of Iron Palm Peak.

Zhou Botong reflected that “whatever you ask, I will do” was indeed a promise he had made to Huang Rong. Qiu Qianren was an old rascal in league with the Jin kingdom, no good man at all, and killing him would only be right. As for his own tangle with Noble Consort Liu, that was a lifelong weight on his conscience. He had wronged her deeply, and since she bore a grudge against Qiu Qianren, he ought to act on her behalf. That she would stop pestering him was a blessing beyond measure. He had set off at once for Iron Palm Peak.

When he and Qiu Qianren first began to fight, the contest was evenly matched. But the moment Zhou Botong unleashed the Ambidextrous Self-Combat, Qiu Qianren could not hold his ground and was forced to retreat. In a duel between masters, once one side yields the outcome is decided and the matter should end. Yet Zhou Botong pursued him relentlessly. Qiu Qianren asked him several times what the matter was, but Zhou Botong could only gape and stammer, for he would sooner have his head cut off than say the words “Noble Consort Liu” aloud.

The two fought and stopped, fled and chased, going ever further. Zhou Botong’s martial arts were a shade above Qiu Qianren’s, yet taking his life was far from easy. For all his schemes Qiu Qianren could not shake him off, and he thought, If I flee to the bitter cold of the far west, will you still keep after me? Zhou Botong thought, Let’s see how far you can run before you turn back.

Once they were out in the great desert beyond the passes, the open plain stretched away on every side. Pursuit was easy, and Qiu Qianren had nowhere left to hide. Fortunately Zhou Botong was scrupulous about keeping his word. Whenever Qiu Qianren lay down to sleep, sat down to eat, or stopped to relieve himself, Zhou Botong would not attack but did the same. Yet no matter what tricks Qiu Qianren played, Old Wild Child clung to him like a restless ghost, never letting go.

All along the road Zhou Botong and Qiu Qianren matched wits and strength, and the Old Wild Child grew more and more delighted with the sport. Several times he had Qiu Qianren at his mercy, yet could not bear to kill him. That day, by a stroke of chance, the two of them blundered and stumbled into the stone house where Guo Jing and Ouyang Feng were staying.

By now Zhou Botong and Guo Jing knew who the others were, but the cries of the three had been drowned by the fighting outside the door, and Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren had still not recognised each other. Ouyang Feng at least knew that this man was Zhou Botong’s enemy, while Qiu Qianren assumed the two in the house must be allies. The martial arts of Zhou Botong, Qiu Qianren and Ouyang Feng were supreme, and Guo Jing, after dozens of days of bitter sparring with Ouyang Feng, had trained so hard that he was fast drawing level with the three of them. These four great masters were shut in together in a pitch-black little room twenty feet square, where they could not see, could not hear and could not speak to one another. All four seemed suddenly struck deaf, dumb and blind.

Guo Jing thought, I’ll hold Ouyang Feng off and let Big Brother Zhou finish Qiu Qianren first. Then the two of us together will have no trouble killing Ouyang Feng. His plan made, he thrust both palms out in feints. His right palm struck air, but his left palm met another’s. Guo Jing had practised forms with Zhou Botong on Peach Blossom Island for so long that the instant their hands touched he knew it was him. He surged forward to grab his arm and signal, but Zhou Botong, seized by a childish whim, snatched his left arm back and suddenly lashed out with his right fist. It struck Guo Jing on the shoulder. There was no real force behind the blow, but Guo Jing had not been in the least on his guard, and it left him with a dull ache.

Zhou Botong said, “Good brother, so you want to test Big Brother’s martial arts? Watch out!” His left palm followed at once.

Guo Jing had not heard his voice, but was already on guard. He swung his arm and deflected it.

By now Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren had also exchanged several moves, and each had recognised the other from their martial arts. The two bore no personal grudge, but they knew that at the coming Huashan Sword Summit they would have to fight to the death. Meeting here, if either could wound his rival, so much the better, and so neither loosened his assault in the least. After they had fought a little while, they felt wind sweeping past their faces and backs, and after a moment’s bewilderment both realised that Zhou Botong was sparring with Guo Jing. Both thought it strange, but Zhou Botong always did things topsy-turvy, past anyone’s guessing, and with such a chance before them, how could they not be glad? As if of one mind, they both attacked.

Zhou Botong exchanged a dozen moves with Guo Jing and found his martial arts vastly improved from before. He was both astonished and delighted, and kept asking, “Brother, where did you learn that?” But the battle outside raged so fiercely that Guo Jing could not possibly hear. Zhou Botong grew angry. “Fine, so you won’t tell me. What are you keeping secrets for?” Then he felt a fierce wind in his face as Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren attacked together. He pushed off with his toes, leapt onto a roof beam and called, “I’ll let you take on those two by yourself.”

From the breeze of his sleeves, Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren sensed that Zhou Botong had climbed up to rest. They thought, Now is the perfect chance to kill that fool together, and attacked from left and right in a pincer strike.

Guo Jing had been tangled up by Zhou Botong, shifting through four or five fist styles without managing to break free. At last Zhou Botong retreated, only for the two strong enemies to press in again. He groaned inwardly, but he steeled himself and used the Ambidextrous Self-Combat to fend off both. After a few exchanges, Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren were secretly amazed. Each knew that, going by Guo Jing’s neili,¹⁵ either one of them could beat him alone. Yet now that the two had joined forces, he was fending off the Western Venom with his left hand and the Iron Palm with his right, and for the moment they could do nothing with him.

Zhou Botong sat on the beam for a while and thought, If I don’t go down soon, Guo Jing will be hurt. He slid quietly down the wall, clawed wildly and happened to grab Ouyang Feng square in the middle of his back. Ouyang Feng was crouched on the ground, attacking Guo Jing with the Toad Skill, when he suddenly felt someone behind him. He whirled his palm back to block. Guo Jing seized the chance to kick at Qiu Qianren and leapt into a corner of the room, panting hard. Had Zhou Botong arrived a moment later, he most likely could not have held off Ouyang Feng’s thrust.

In the dark the four men parted and merged in an instant. Now Zhou Botong fought Qiu Qianren, then Guo Jing fought Qiu Qianren, then Ouyang Feng fought Qiu Qianren, then Zhou Botong clashed with Ouyang Feng, then Guo Jing exchanged blows with Zhou Botong. Of the four in this muddled battle, Zhou Botong was by far the most delighted. He felt that in the thousands of fights of his life, none had been such good fun. When the moment was ripe, he suddenly locked onto Guo Jing and would not let go. “I’ll count my two hands as two enemies. Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren, those two stinking thieves, are two more. You fight one against four, and let’s see if you can do it. You’ve never played this new game before, have you?”

Guo Jing could not hear his words. Suddenly all three attacked him at once, and he could only struggle to dodge. Zhou Botong kept cheering him on, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I’ll help you when it gets dangerous.” But in this pitch darkness, a single punch or kick from any of them could be fatal. Even if Zhou Botong meant to rescue him afterwards, how could he be in time?

Footnotes

1. 内功 — nèigōng. Literally internal cultivation. The practice of developing neili through breathing and meditation. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 大哥 — dàgē. Literally big brother. The address to an elder brother or an elder sworn brother. ↩

3. 顽童 — wántóng. Literally mischievous child. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 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. ↩

5. 蛤蟆功 — Háma Gōng. Ouyang Feng’s hereditary art, practised crouching like a toad. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 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. ↩

7. 花剌子模国 — Huālàzǐmó Guó. Central Asian empire destroyed by Genghis Khan in 1220, spanning modern Iran/Uzbekistan. See Wikipedia. ↩

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

9. 左右互搏 — Zuǒyòu Hùbó. Literally left and right contend with each other. A method of fighting with each hand working independently of the other. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

11. 丐帮 — Gàibāng. Literally beggars’ guild. The largest band in the jianghu, with members throughout the realm. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

14. 刘贵妃 — Liú Guìfēi. Literally Noble Consort Liu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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