The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 4 – Part 3

Tolui said, “Fine, we’ll fight again tomorrow.” He already had a plan. He would go home and ask his third brother, Ögedei,¹ for help. Of his three elder brothers, Ögedei was the one he got on with best, and he was strong besides. He would surely come and join the fight tomorrow. Tusakha led his band of children away.

Guo Jing’s face was covered in blood from his nose. He reached out a hand towards Zhu Cong and said, “Give it back!”

Zhu Cong tossed the short jian² up and down in his hand and laughed. “I’ll give it back, all right. But first you have to tell me something. Where did this jian come from?”

Guo Jing wiped the blood still flowing from his nose with his sleeve and said, “My mama gave it to me.”

Zhu Cong asked, “What was your father’s name?”

Guo Jing had never had a father. The question left him dumbfounded, and he shook his head.

Quan Jinfa asked, “Is your surname Yang?”

Guo Jing shook his head again. The Seven Eccentrics saw how dull-witted the child seemed, and all of them felt bitterly disappointed.

Zhu Cong asked, “Who is Yang Kang?”

Guo Jing still shook his head blankly.

The Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan³ valued loyalty and honour above all else. What they said, they did. Even to a child, they would never go back on their word. So Zhu Cong handed the short jian to Guo Jing.

Han Xiaoying took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from Guo Jing’s nose, saying gently, “Go home now. Don’t get into fights any more. You’re too small to beat them.”

The seven turned their horses and rode east.

Guo Jing stared at them blankly.

Tolui called out, “Guo Jing anda,⁴ let’s go home.”

By now the seven had ridden some distance, but Ke Zhen’e’s hearing was extraordinarily sharp. At the words “Guo Jing” he gave a violent start. He immediately pulled his reins and turned his horse, asking, “Child, your surname is Guo? You are Han, not Mongol?”

Guo Jing said, “Yes!”

Ke Zhen’e was overjoyed and asked eagerly, “What is your mama’s name?”

Guo Jing said, “Mama is just Mama.”

Ke Zhen’e scratched his head and asked, “Can you take me to see your mama?”

Guo Jing said, “Mama isn’t here.”

Ke Zhen’e sensed a hint of hostility in his tone and called out, “Seventh Sister, you ask him.”

Han Xiaoying leapt down from her horse and asked gently, “Where is your father?”

Guo Jing said, “My father was killed by bad men. When I grow up, I’ll kill the bad men and avenge him.”

Han Xiaoying asked, “What was your father’s name?” She was so excited that her voice trembled.

Guo Jing shook his head again.

Ke Zhen’e said, “What was the name of the bad man who killed your father?”

Guo Jing gnashed his teeth and said, “His name… is Duan Tiande!”

The truth was that Li Ping, stranded in that desolate wilderness, knew that disaster could strike at any moment. Her chances of ever returning alive to her old home in the Central Plains were slim indeed. If she were to die suddenly, her son would never know his enemy’s name. So she had long since told her son the name and appearance of Duan Tiande, again and again. She was an unlettered village woman. Naturally she had called her husband “Brother Xiao”, and heard others call him “Big Brother Guo”. What his name actually was had never mattered to her. Guo Jing, for his part, thought of his father simply as Father, and had never known he had any other name.

Guo Jing did not say the three words “Duan Tiande” especially loudly. But when they reached the Seven Eccentrics’ ears so suddenly, all seven stood rooted, eyes staring, mouths agape. Three thunderbolts out of a clear sky could not have shaken them so. For an instant it was as though the earth heaved and the mountains rocked, and wind and cloud changed colour.

After a long while, Han Xiaoying cried out in delight, her whole body trembling. She grabbed Zhang Asheng’s left arm to keep from fainting. Zhang Asheng pounded his own chest with his fists. Quan Jinfa clutched Nan Xiren tightly around the neck. Han Baoju turned somersaults on horseback. Ke Zhen’e clutched his belly and laughed wildly. Zhu Cong spun in circles like a top.

Tolui and Guo Jing watched their behaviour, both amused and bewildered.

It was a long while before the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan gradually calmed down. Every one of them beamed with joy. Zhang Asheng knelt on the ground and bowed repeatedly towards Heaven, murmuring, “The Bodhisattva has answered, and thank Heaven above for watching over us!”

Han Xiaoying said to Guo Jing, “Little brother, let’s sit down and talk this over.”

Tolui was thinking about finding his third brother Ögedei to help in the fight. He also noticed that these seven spoke and acted in strange ways. Their Mongolian was all wrong, the tones completely off. They did not seem like good people. Although they had just helped him out of his predicament, he did not want to linger. He kept urging Guo Jing to go back.

Guo Jing said, “I’m going home now.” He took Tolui’s hand and turned to leave.

Han Baoju was anxious and called out, “Hey, hey, you can’t go. Let your little friend go back first.”

The two children took fright at his hideous looks and ran for it.

Han Baoju rushed forward, reaching out his fat hand to grab Guo Jing by the back of his collar.

Zhu Cong called out, “Third Brother, don’t be rash.” He gently deflected Han Baoju’s hand.

Han Baoju stopped, startled.

Zhu Cong quickened his pace and got ahead of Tolui and Guo Jing. He picked up three small stones from the ground and said, grinning, “I’ll show you a magic trick. Want to see?”

Guo Jing and Tolui were immediately curious and stopped to watch.

Zhu Cong opened his right palm. Three small stones lay in its centre. He cried, “Change!” His hand closed into a fist, then opened again. The small stones had all vanished.

The two children were amazed beyond measure.

Zhu Cong pointed to the hat on his own head and cried, “Go in!” He took off his hat. The three small stones sat neatly inside. Guo Jing and Tolui laughed aloud and clapped their hands.

Just then, from far away came the long cry of wild geese. A flock of geese, flying in two V-formations, approached from the north.

Zhu Cong had an idea and said, “Now let’s ask my Big Brother to perform a trick.” He took out a sweat-cloth from his robe and gave it to Tolui, pointing at Ke Zhen’e. “Blindfold him.”

Tolui did as he was told and tied the cloth over Ke Zhen’e’s eyes, laughing, “Playing hide-and-seek?”

Zhu Cong said, “No. He’s blindfolded, but he can still shoot a goose out of the sky.” With that, he placed a bow and arrow in Ke Zhen’e’s hands.

Tolui said, “How could that be? I don’t believe it.”

As they spoke, the flock of geese flew overhead. Zhu Cong waved his hand and threw the three stones upwards. His arm strength was considerable, and the stones flew very high. The flock took fright. The lead goose gave a loud cry and was about to turn the flock aside, but Ke Zhen’e had already made out where it was. He drew the bow and loosed. With a whizz, the arrow took the goose in the belly. Arrow and goose tumbled down together.

Tolui and Guo Jing cheered in unison and ran to pick up the goose. They handed it to Ke Zhen’e, their young hearts filled with admiration.

Zhu Cong said, “Just now, seven or eight of them were beating the two of you. If you learn some skills, you won’t be afraid of their numbers.”

Tolui said, “We’re fighting again tomorrow. I’ll go fetch my brother.”

Zhu Cong said, “Asking your brother for help? Hmph, that’s what useless children do. I’ll teach you some skills. I guarantee you’ll beat them tomorrow.”

Tolui said, “The two of us beating eight of them?”

Zhu Cong said, “Exactly!”

Tolui was overjoyed and said, “Good, then teach me.”

Zhu Cong saw that Guo Jing stood to one side, seeming uninterested, and asked, “Don’t you want to learn?”

Guo Jing said, “Mama says I mustn’t fight with others. If I learn skills to beat people up, Mama will be unhappy.”

Han Baoju cursed softly, “Cowardly child!”

Zhu Cong asked again, “Then why were you fighting just now?”

Guo Jing said, “They attacked us first.”

Ke Zhen’e lowered his voice and said, “If you meet your enemy Duan Tiande, what will you do?”

A light of anger flashed in Guo Jing’s small eyes. “I’ll kill him and avenge my father.”

Ke Zhen’e said, “Your father was a fine martial artist, and still that man killed him. If you don’t learn skills, of course you won’t be able to beat him. How then will you take your revenge?”

Guo Jing stood dazed, unable to answer.

Han Xiaoying said, “So you see, you simply have to learn.”

They were speaking in the dialect of Jiaxing, which was close to the accent of Lin’an. Guo Jing could understand it.

Zhu Cong pointed to the barren mountain on the left and said, “If you want to learn skills to avenge your father, come to this mountain at midnight tonight. But you must come alone. Apart from your little friend here, you must not let anyone else know. Do you dare? Are you afraid of ghosts?”

Guo Jing still stood dazed and did not answer.

Tolui, however, said, “Teach me skills.”

Zhu Cong suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled, his left foot lightly hooking. Tolui fell face-first to the ground. He climbed up, angry, and said, “Why did you hit me?”

Zhu Cong laughed, “That’s a skill. Did you learn it?”

Tolui was very clever and immediately understood. He copied the move, then said, “Teach me more.”

Zhu Cong feinted a punch at his face. Tolui dodged to the left, but Zhu Cong’s right fist was already there, striking him on the nose. But there was no force behind the blow, and the fist drew back the moment it touched.

Tolui was delighted and cried, “Excellent. Teach me more.”

Zhu Cong suddenly bent his body and lightly bumped his shoulder against Tolui’s waist. Tolui went flying. Quan Jinfa leapt forward, caught him and set him down steadily on the ground.

Tolui said happily, “Uncle, teach me more.”

Zhu Cong laughed, “If you learn these three moves well, even a grown man may not be able to beat you. That’s enough, that’s enough.” He turned to Guo Jing and asked, “Did you learn them?”

Guo Jing was staring into space, thinking who knew what. He shook his head blankly.

The Seven Eccentrics saw how clever and quick Tolui was, and by contrast, how clumsy Guo Jing appeared. They could not help but feel disheartened.

Han Xiaoying let out a long sigh, and her eyes reddened.

Quan Jinfa said, “I don’t think it’s worth the effort. We might as well take the mother and son back to Jiangnan and hand them over to Daoist Elder Qiu. As for the contest, we may as well concede.”

Zhu Cong said, “This child’s talent is too poor. He’s not cut out for martial arts.”

Han Baoju said, “He hasn’t a shred of fighting spirit in him. I don’t think he’ll amount to anything either.”

The Seven Eccentrics debated amongst themselves in the dialect of Jiangnan.

Han Xiaoying waved to the two children and said, “You may go.”

Tolui pulled Guo Jing along and walked away happily.

The Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan had toiled for six years, travelling several thousand li⁵ through the vast desert. Now that they had finally found Guo Jing, it should have been joy falling from the heavens. But their joy lasted only a moment before they saw that Guo Jing’s talent was plainly dull, and he would never master the higher martial arts. Their spirits sank. The sorrow of this moment was worse than if they had never found Guo Jing at all.

Han Baoju raised his soft whip and kept striking the sand on the ground in frustration, kicking up clouds of dust, unwilling to stop.

Only Nan Xiren, the Southern Woodcutter, remained silent throughout.

Ke Zhen’e said, “Fourth Brother, what do you say?”

Nan Xiren said, “Very good.”

Zhu Cong said, “What is very good?”

Nan Xiren said, “The child is very good.”

Han Xiaoying said impatiently, “Fourth Brother is always like this. On the rare occasions he opens his golden mouth, he won’t spare a single word more.”

Nan Xiren smiled faintly and said, “I was very slow too, as a boy.”

He had always been a man of few words, thinking carefully before speaking. So when he did speak, his words always hit the mark.

The six heard this and felt as though a ray of light had appeared. They were no longer as despondent as before.

Zhang Asheng said, “Right, right! When was I ever clever?” He turned to look at Han Xiaoying as he spoke.

Zhu Cong said, “Let’s see if he dares to come up the mountain alone tonight.”

Quan Jinfa said, “I think he probably won’t dare. I’ll go find where he lives first.” With that, he leapt down from his horse and followed Tolui and Guo Jing from a distance, and watched them go into a ger.

That night, the Seven Eccentrics kept watch on the barren mountain. It was nearly the third quarter of the hour of hai,⁶ and the stars had wheeled across the sky. But where was Guo Jing?

Han Baoju sighed, “The Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan, a power to be reckoned with all our lives, only to be defeated by that stinking Daoist in the end!”

Zhu Cong said, “North of the river, the Quanzhen Order⁷ fights the Jin and shields the common people. Loyal and righteous to the core, they serve the country and the people. The Seven Zis of Quanzhen⁸ are every one of them formidable martial artists with chivalry at heart, and the whole wulin respects them. I hear Qiu Chuji is the finest of them all. Losing to him is no blot on our name. Besides, all of us are doing this to protect the heirs of loyal and righteous men. It is a fine and honourable deed, done in the open. When our friends in the jianghu hear of it, every one of them will cry ‘Well done’!”

The six heard this and all agreed, their hearts lightened.

They saw heavy black clouds piling up on the western horizon, but directly overhead the sky was dark blue, without a single cloud. The northwest wind blew in gusts, now gentle, now fierce. The bright moon gradually reached the middle of the sky, with a yellow halo beside it.

Han Xiaoying said, “I’m afraid it will rain heavily tonight. Once it rains, the child will be even less likely to come.”

Zhang Asheng said, “Then tomorrow we’ll go to his home and find him.”

Ke Zhen’e said, “A slow wit doesn’t matter so much. But if this child is timid and afraid of the dark, alas!” He shook his head as he spoke.

Footnotes

1. 窝阔台 — Wōkuòtái. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 短剑 — duǎnjiàn. One of the pair of short jian Qiu Chuji gives Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin, engraved with the names of their unborn sons. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

4. 安答 — āndá. The Mongol word for a sworn brother, bound by oath before Heaven. ↩

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

6. 亥时三刻 — hài shí sān kè. The hour of hai runs from 9 to 11 p.m. and a ke is about a quarter of an hour, so the third ke of hai falls at about 9.45 p.m. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 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. ↩

8. 全真七子 — Quánzhēn Qīzǐ. Literally the seven zi of Quanzhen, zi being an honorific for a master. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩