The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 4 – Part 6

Han Xiaoying leapt aside and gazed down the mountain. She saw a dark shadow racing towards them faster than a galloping horse, whistling as it ran.

Mei Chaofeng¹ now kept her guard close and attacked no more. She circulated her neili² to fight the poison, keeping it from spreading too swiftly from her eyes, and waited only for her husband to arrive and rescue her, so that they could wipe out the enemy to a man.

Zhu Cong³ signed to Quan Jinfa,⁴ and the two of them slipped into the tall grass. Zhu Cong saw how formidable the Iron Corpse was, and judging from the Copper Corpse’s⁵ movement as he approached from afar, his neili seemed even greater than his wife’s. A frontal assault would surely fail against the pair of them. Their only hope was to strike from hiding and trust to luck.

Suddenly Han Xiaoying cried out in surprise. She saw that ahead of the rushing figure, another small shadow was making its way up the mountain, but it moved so slowly and its form was so slight that they had not noticed it before. She focused her gaze and saw that the small figure was a child. She knew at once it must be Guo Jing⁶ and was alarmed and delighted at once. She hurried down to bring him up.

The distance between them was not yet great, and the path led downhill, but the Copper Corpse Chen Xuanfeng’s⁷ qinggong⁸ was astonishingly fast. In mere moments he had gained much ground. Han Xiaoying hesitated briefly, thinking, If I go down alone and meet the Copper Corpse, I am certainly no match for him! But this child is sure to fall into his cruel hands. How can I not save him? She quickened her pace at once and called out, “Run, child, quick!”

Guo Jing saw her and shouted joyfully, not knowing that disaster was already upon him.

Zhang Asheng⁹ had secretly loved Han Xiaoying for many years but had never dared show the slightest hint of his feelings. Now seeing her risk her life to save another, his concern overrode all caution. He dashed down the slope, intending to place himself between her and the enemy so she could rescue the child and escape.

On the mountaintop, Nan Xiren,¹⁰ Han Baoju¹¹ and the rest ceased their assault on Mei Chaofeng and watched the mountainside instead. Each gripped a hidden weapon, ready to support Han Xiaoying and Zhang Asheng at a moment’s notice.

In an instant Han Xiaoying reached Guo Jing. She seized his small hand and turned to flee. She had run barely ten feet when she felt her hand grow light. Guo Jing cried out in alarm. Chen Xuanfeng had snatched him away from behind.

Han Xiaoying pushed off with her left foot, her jian moving light and nimble. She feinted at the enemy’s left flank with the move Phoenix Dipping Head,¹² then turned her body slightly, the tip of her blade flashing as it struck straight for the enemy’s eyes, fierce and precise, using the subtlest techniques of Yue Maiden Swordplay.¹³

Chen Xuanfeng held Guo Jing under his left arm. Seeing the jian arrive, he suddenly extended his right arm, his elbow pressing against the blade as he pushed it gently outwards, his palm using the move Smooth Water Pushes the Boat to strike backhanded. Han Xiaoying circled her jian and slashed in from the side. But Chen Xuanfeng’s arm seemed to grow half a foot longer in an instant. Though Han Xiaoying had clearly dodged, she still heard a sharp crack as his palm struck her shoulder. She fell at once.

The exchange of these two moves took only a moment. Chen Xuanfeng showed no mercy. His claw plunged down at the crown of Han Xiaoying’s head. This Nine Yin White Bone Claw¹⁴ shattered sinew and broke bone with unmatched cruelty. Had it struck her, five bloody holes would have pierced Han Xiaoying’s skull.

Zhang Asheng was several paces away. Seeing the peril, he risked everything and threw himself forward, shielding Han Xiaoying’s head with his own body. Chen Xuanfeng’s claw struck swift and true. With a muffled sound, his five fingers plunged into Zhang Asheng’s back.

Zhang Asheng roared aloud and stabbed backwards at the enemy’s chest with his pointed dao. Chen Xuanfeng put out a hand and parried. Zhang Asheng’s dao flew from his grasp. Chen Xuanfeng followed with another palm strike that sent Zhang Asheng flying.

Zhu Cong, Quan Jinfa, Nan Xiren and Han Baoju were aghast. All four rushed down at once.

Chen Xuanfeng called out loudly, “Wretched woman, what’s the matter?” Mei Chaofeng leaned against a tree and cried in anguish, “They’ve ruined my eyes. You wretch, if even one of these seven dogs escapes, I’ll fight you to the death.” Chen Xuanfeng shouted, “Wretched woman, have no fear, not one will escape. Are you… in pain? Stand still.” He raised his hand to strike down at Han Xiaoying’s head once more. Han Xiaoying rolled away with the move Lazy Donkey Rolling, tumbling several feet. Chen Xuanfeng cursed, “Still trying to run?” His right hand clawed down again.

Zhang Asheng lay gravely wounded on the ground. Through his daze he saw Han Xiaoying in mortal danger. Summoning every last ounce of strength, he kicked out with his right foot at the enemy’s fingers. Chen Xuanfeng seized the motion and clawed forward, his five fingers sinking into Zhang Asheng’s calf. Zhang Asheng heaved himself up and wrapped both arms tightly around Chen Xuanfeng’s waist. Chen Xuanfeng grabbed the back of his neck and summoned his strength to fling him away, but Zhang Asheng, fearing the enemy would harm Han Xiaoying, would not loosen his grip no matter what. Chen Xuanfeng’s fist thudded into the middle of his forehead. Zhang Asheng lost consciousness at once, and his arms finally relaxed.

That one moment’s obstruction was enough. Han Xiaoying had already rolled to her feet and thrust her jian forward once more. Concerned for Zhang Asheng, she refused to flee alone. She unleashed her nimble footwork, circling the enemy’s form, calling out again and again, “Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother, how are you?” Nan Xiren, Han Baoju and the rest arrived at the same moment, and Zhu Cong and Quan Jinfa’s hidden weapons flew through the air.

Chen Xuanfeng saw that each of his enemies possessed considerable skill and was greatly surprised. He thought, In this barren desert, where have these unfamiliar tough fellows crawled out from? He shouted aloud, “Wretched woman, who are these people?” Mei Chaofeng called back, “The Flying Celestial Dragon’s brother and his gang, Ke Zhen’e¹⁵ and company.” Chen Xuanfeng snorted and cursed, “Good, dogs I’ve never seen before, coming all this way to die.” Worried for his wife’s injury, he called, “Wretched woman, how badly are you hurt? Will it kill you?” Mei Chaofeng snapped, “Hurry up and kill them. This old lady won’t die.” Chen Xuanfeng saw his wife leaning against the tree, not coming to help. Though her words were bold, he knew her injury must be severe. Anxious, he only wished to finish off the enemies quickly so he could tend to her. By now Zhu Cong and the others, five in all, had surrounded him completely. Only Ke Zhen’e stood aside, waiting for his chance.

Chen Xuanfeng hurled Guo Jing to the ground with force, then swung his left fist at Quan Jinfa. Quan Jinfa was aghast, and thought, Thrown like that, how can the child survive? He ducked to avoid the enemy’s punch, caught Guo Jing as he fell, and somersaulted more than ten feet away. This move, Agile Cat Ambushing Mouse,¹⁶ both evaded the enemy and saved the child, swift and clever indeed. Even Chen Xuanfeng silently admired the feat.

The Copper Corpse was cruel by nature. The stronger his enemies, the more cruelly he wished them to die. And these enemies had wounded his beloved wife, which hurt him more than any blow to his own body. The Twin Evils of Dark Wind were close to mastering the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, which seized a man with all ten fingers, and the Heart-Crushing Palm,¹⁷ which wrecked his organs. Their skill was eight or nine parts perfected. He let out a sudden eerie whistle, his left palm and right claw striking at the enemies’ vital points with every move.

The Five Eccentrics of Jiangnan¹⁸ knew this was a battle for life and death. How could they dare show the slightest carelessness? They fought to defend themselves but did not dare press close, and the circle of their encirclement gradually widened. As the battle reached its height, Han Baoju pressed forward bravely. He unleashed the Ground Tumbling Whip,¹⁹ rolling along the ground and attacking the enemy’s lower stance with a whirl of coiling strikes. Chen Xuanfeng was indeed distracted. With a thud, Nan Xiren’s carrying pole struck him squarely in the back. Though the Copper Corpse was not wounded, the pain was piercing. His right hand clawed fiercely at Nan Xiren.

Nan Xiren’s pole had not yet returned when the enemy’s claw arrived. He hastily used half the move Iron Plate Bridge,²⁰ his upper body leaning backwards. Suddenly he heard a series of cracks from Chen Xuanfeng’s arm joints. The arm stretched several inches longer, and a great hand already touched his brow. In combat between masters, the difference between victory and defeat often lies less than a hair’s breadth. He had clearly seen the arm stretch to its limit, but now it suddenly grew longer. How could he dodge in time? The palm pressed against his face, and the five fingers were about to drive into his skull. In his extremity, Nan Xiren’s left hand shot up. Using qinna²¹ he hooked the enemy’s wrist and yanked it fiercely to the left. At that very instant, Zhu Cong leaped onto the Copper Corpse’s back. His right arm hard as iron, he locked tightly around the enemy’s throat. In doing so he exposed his own chest completely to the enemy, but seeing his sworn brother’s life hanging by a thread, he cared nothing for the martial artist’s great taboo. Saving lives came first.

Just then a thunderclap split the sky. Clouds blanked out the moon, and on the barren mountain one could not see one’s hand before one’s face. Raindrops the size of yellow beans plummeted down.

There came two cracking sounds, followed by a muffled thud. Chen Xuanfeng, force meeting force, had shattered Nan Xiren’s left arm. At the same time his left elbow struck Zhu Cong in the chest. Zhu Cong felt searing pain in his chest and his whole body went limp. Against his will he released his grip on the enemy’s neck and fell backwards. Chen Xuanfeng too found his throat so crushed he could hardly breathe. He leapt aside, gasping hard.

In the darkness Han Baoju shouted, “Everyone fall back! Seventh Sister, how are you?” Han Xiaoying replied, “Don’t make a sound!” With that she stepped aside several paces.

Ke Zhen’e, hearing the movements of the others, was greatly puzzled. He asked, “Second Brother, what’s wrong with you?” Quan Jinfa said, “It’s pitch black now, can’t see a thing.” Ke Zhen’e was overjoyed and thought, Heaven is helping me!

Three of the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan were gravely wounded. They were already utterly beaten, when suddenly dark clouds gathered and rain poured down in sheets. Everyone held their breath. No one dared move first. Ke Zhen’e’s hearing was extremely sharp. Even through the sound of rain he could distinguish heavy breathing eight or nine paces to his left, breathing that did not belong to any of his sworn brothers. At once both his hands rose, and six poisoned caltrops²² flew towards the sound.

Chen Xuanfeng had barely felt the rush of air on his face when the hidden weapons were before his eyes. He leapt up at once. His martial arts were truly remarkable. In that hair’s-breadth moment he dodged all six poisoned caltrops. But the volley also told him where his enemy was. Soundlessly he suddenly leaped up, both claws circling a foot before his chest as he lunged toward Ke Zhen’e. Ke Zhen’e heard the wind of the enemy’s assault and hastily dodged aside, countering with a stroke of his iron staff. Day or night made no difference to him, but Chen Xuanfeng, blind in the darkness, could see nothing, and barely a twentieth of his skill remained to him. At once the two were locked in a fight neither could break off. After a dozen or so moves, it seemed to Chen Xuanfeng in the utter blackness that enemies were about to fall on him from every direction. Whether his punches and kicks would strike home, he had not the slightest certainty. In an instant he felt as though trapped in a nightmare.

Han Baoju, Han Xiaoying and Quan Jinfa groped their way to aid the three wounded men. Though they knew Big Brother’s life hung by a thread, in the pitch darkness there was truly no way to help. They could only stand by, hearts burning with helpless worry. Amid the sound of torrential rain, they heard Chen Xuanfeng’s palms whistle and Ke Zhen’e’s iron staff whoosh. The two exchanged no more than twenty or thirty moves, but to those standing by, anxious, it felt as though several shichen²³ had passed. Suddenly came two great thuds. Chen Xuanfeng howled and screamed wildly. He had taken two staff strikes to his body. Everyone was just beginning to rejoice when suddenly lightning flashed, illuminating the entire mountain.

Quan Jinfa cried urgently, “Big Brother! There’s lightning!” But Chen Xuanfeng had already seized that instant of light to close in. He circulated his neili to his shoulder, and with a thud took one blow of the staff full on his left shoulder. His left hand shot out and caught the iron staff, and his right darted in. The lightning had already faded, but his right hand was on Ke Zhen’e’s chest.

Footnotes

1. 梅超风 — Méi Chāofēng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

3. 朱聪 — Zhū Cōng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 全金发 — Quán Jīnfā. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 铜尸 — Tóngshī. Literally copper corpse. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 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. ↩

7. 陈玄风 — Chén Xuánfēng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 轻功 — qīnggōng. The martial art of body lightness. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 张阿生 — Zhāng Āshēng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 南希仁 — Nán Xīrén. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 韩宝驹 — Hán Bǎojū. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 凤点头 — Fèng Diǎntóu. A darting thrust, made with the jian by Han Xiaoying and with the spear by Yang Tiexin. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 越女剑法 — Yuè Nǚ Jiànfǎ. Literally Yue maiden jian method, after the swordswoman of Yue in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 九阴白骨爪 — Jiǔyīn Báigǔ Zhǎo. Literally nine yin white bone claw. A claw technique. ↩

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

16. 灵猫扑鼠 — Língmāo Pūshǔ. Agile evasion and rescue technique. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 摧心掌 — Cuīxīn Zhǎng. A palm from the Nine Yin Manual that injures the internal organs, practised by the Twin Evils of Dark Wind. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

18. 江南五怪 — Jiāngnán Wǔ Guài. Literally five eccentrics of Jiangnan. ↩

19. 地堂鞭法 — Dìtáng Biānfǎ. Advanced whip technique where the practitioner rolls on the ground while attacking. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

20. 铁板桥 — Tiě Bǎn Qiáo. Literally iron plate bridge. An evasive move in which the body is thrown backwards from the waist until nearly horizontal, held up by the legs. ↩

21. 擒拿 — qínná. Literally seize and hold. Techniques for seizing and locking an opponent’s joints. ↩

22. 毒菱 — dú líng. Ke Zhen’e’s hidden weapon, a small iron caltrop coated with poison. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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