The Legend of the Condor Heroes Chapter 8 – Part 3

Guo Jing, boy that he was, was the first to clap and cheer. Hou Tonghai went back to his seat and drank, but shot him a savage glare. Guo Jing saw that snow still clung to each of the three fleshy bumps on his head and could not help reminding him, “Third Master Hou, you have snow on your head.”

Hou Tonghai said angrily, “My nickname is the Three-Headed Dragon,¹ but that doesn’t make me the third son. Why call me Third Master Hou? As it happens I’m Fourth Master Hou, so you’re one Master out! Do you think I don’t know I’ve got snow on my head? I was going to wipe it off, but now that you’ve said so, you brat, I won’t.”

The hall was warm. The snow melted to water and ran down his forehead in three separate streams. Fourth Master Hou’s word was as good as a mountain: a true man says he won’t wipe it, so he won’t wipe it.

Sha Tongtian said, “My shidi’s skills are crude. Forgive us for making you laugh.” He took a handful of melon seeds from a dish and flicked them off his middle finger one after another, so that they shot out in a line, each lodging in the snow mound Hou Tonghai had heaped up. In a few moments they had formed the character Huang, yellow, in cursive script.

The snow mound stood some thirty feet from where he sat. That he could flick melon seeds so far and set them into a character so neatly showed an eye and hand of startling precision.

Wang Chuyi thought, No wonder the Dragon King of Devil’s Gate rules the Yellow River alone. His skill is indeed no ordinary thing.

In the blink of an eye the character He, river, appeared on the mound, and then Jiu, nine. It seemed he meant to write the four characters for “Nine Bends of the Yellow River”.²

Peng Lianhu laughed. “Big Brother Sha, this divine skill of yours has me prostrate in admiration. We’ve always been partners in business, and since Daoist Elder Wang here wants to try us out, let me borrow a little of the glory of your divine skill and go into partnership with you on this one!” His body swayed slightly and he leapt to the mouth of the hall.

By now Sha Tongtian had finished half of the last character, Qu, and melon seeds were still flying from his fingers. Peng Lianhu suddenly thrust out both hands and caught every seed Sha flicked mid-flight, dropping them into his left palm. Then he flicked them out with his right forefinger, completing the remaining half of Qu on the snow mound.

Amid the cheers Peng Lianhu sprang laughing back to his seat. Had it been anyone else, this would plainly have looked like an attempt to dim Sha Tongtian’s lustre. But the two were close friends, and Peng Lianhu had said beforehand that they were “partners in business”, so Sha Tongtian merely smiled and took no offence. He turned to Ouyang Ke. “Young Master Ouyang, show us a little something, so that we who have never seen the world can open our eyes.”

Ouyang Ke heard the barb in his words and knew that his shaking off the man’s palm earlier had left a grudge. He thought, I must show him something that will make this baldpate admire me.

Just then the servants were bringing in four dishes of sweets. Before each guest they set a fresh pair of chopsticks, and took away the ones used for the savoury courses. Ouyang Ke took the chopsticks they had gathered up and, with a careless flick of the hand, scattered them. All twenty flew out at once and stabbed into the snow, arranged in four perfect plum-blossom patterns.³

To throw chopsticks so that they stuck in snow was something even a small child could do, and nothing hard. But to scatter twenty chopsticks from one hand and have them form so neat a pattern took a depth and subtlety of neili⁴ that was lost on Guo Jing, Wanyan Kang and Hou Tonghai. Wang Chuyi, Sha Tongtian and the others, though, were secretly amazed, and they all cried out in praise.

Wang Chuyi, having seen what each of them could do, was racking his brains for a way out. Suddenly he thought, Masters of the wulin like these are hard enough to meet one at a time. How is it they have all gathered here at once? The Young Master of White Camel Mountain, Venerable Lingzhi, the Ginseng Old Eccentric and their like hardly ever set foot in the Central Plains. Why have they all come to the Central Capital together? There must be some great scheme behind this. I must find a way to get to the bottom of it.

The Ginseng Old Eccentric Liang Ziweng rose to his feet with a beaming smile, cupped his fists to the assembly, and strolled into the courtyard. Suddenly he leapt up, stretched out his left foot and landed on one of the chopsticks Ouyang Ke had planted in the snow. He took up his stance and, with “Embracing the Moon”, “Erlang Shoulders the Mountain”, “Drawing the Bow” and “Shedding the Boot and Turning”, went through a set of Yan Qing Fist,⁵ all deft and unbroken. His feet leapt and darted as if in flight, and every step came down on an upright chopstick. With “Yielding Step, Straddling the Tiger” and “Retreating Step, Closing Stance” he finished the set, and all twenty chopsticks still stood neatly upright in the snow. His weight had driven them a few inches through the snow into the earth beneath, but not one was tilted or bent.

Smiling all the while, Liang Ziweng sprang back to his seat. The whole hall rang with applause, and even the servants waiting on them cheered. Guo Jing kept clicking his tongue in wonder.

By now the banquet was drawing to a close. The servants brought out golden basins of warm water for the guests to wash their hands. Wang Chuyi thought, Now we only wait for Venerable Lingzhi to show his skill, and then they will all come at me together. He glanced sideways at the monk, who had calmly put both hands into the golden basin. The others had finished washing long ago, yet his hands remained submerged. Seeing him lost in thought, everyone found it curious.

After a while, a wisp of steam began to rise from his basin. The steam grew thicker and thicker. Presently a faint sound came from the water, and small bubbles rose one by one from the bottom of the basin.

Wang Chuyi was secretly alarmed. This monk’s neigong⁶ is formidable! There’s no time to lose. I must strike first.

Seeing that everyone’s eyes were fixed on the golden basin where Venerable Lingzhi’s hands were submerged, he thought, A chance like this is gone in an instant. The only way is to take them by surprise. He who strikes first wins.

Suddenly he shifted his body slightly, reached past two men with his left hand, seized Wanyan Kang by the pulse-gate at the wrist, dragged him across, and then gripped an acupoint⁷ in the middle of his back. Sha Tongtian and the rest were greatly alarmed and did not know what to do.

Wang Chuyi raised a wine pot in his right hand and said, “It is fate indeed that I should meet so many heroes today. I will borrow another’s flowers to offer to the Buddha, and drink to each of you on the Young Prince’s behalf.” He raised the pot and filled each man’s cup in turn. A jet of wine shot from the spout and dropped into one cup after another, and whether a man sat near him or far, the jet fell exactly into his cup. Some cups were empty, some still half full, but he poured each just right, more or less as it needed. The stream fell from the air into the cup and filled it level with the brim, without spilling over and without a single drop landing outside.

Venerable Lingzhi and the others saw the profound neigong he had shown in the mere pouring of wine. If his right hand could pour like that, then his left, resting on Wanyan Kang’s back, needed only the slightest effort to shatter his heart, lungs and organs. They plainly outnumbered him, but they were afraid of smashing the vase to kill the rat, and could only look on and dare not move.

At last Wang Chuyi filled his own cup and Guo Jing’s, raised his cup and drained it, then said in a clear voice, “I have no quarrel with any of you, nor am I kin or friend to this young fellow Guo. I have nothing to do with either side. But I see the boy has a chivalrous heart, and backbone too. So I ask you all, for the sake of this humble Daoist’s poor face, to let him go.”

No one spoke.

Wang Chuyi said, “If you will be generous, then naturally I will let the Young Prince go too. A young prince of golden branch and jade leaf in exchange for a common man, you will certainly not lose by it. What do you say?”

Liang Ziweng laughed. “Daoist Elder Wang drives a straight bargain. Done, then. We’ll make the deal.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Wang Chuyi released his left hand, and Wanyan Kang was free. Wang Chuyi knew these were all men of name in the wulin. However vicious and ruthless they were, and careless of good faith in private, they would never eat their words in front of others and ruin their own good names. He nodded to each of them in farewell, took Guo Jing by the hand, and said, “We take our leave. We shall meet again.”

They had watched a fish that was in the net slip away, and every one of them cursed the loss under his breath and felt his face burn.

Wanyan Kang collected himself and said with a smile, “When the Daoist Elder has leisure, please come and visit me whenever you like, so that I may benefit from your teaching.” He rose and respectfully saw them out.

Wang Chuyi snorted. “Our business is not finished yet. We shall certainly meet again!”

As they reached the doorway of the flower hall, Venerable Lingzhi suddenly said, “The Daoist Elder’s neili is profound and subtle. I bow to it in deepest admiration.” He pressed his palms together in salute, then suddenly raised both palms and a fierce blast of force rushed out. Wang Chuyi raised his hand to return the salute, putting force into his own palm too. There was a bang as their palms met.

Venerable Lingzhi’s right palm shot out to seize Wang Chuyi’s wrist. It was lightning fast, but Wang Chuyi changed his move just as nimbly and hooked his wrist back to meet it, strength against strength, hard against hard. Their wrists had barely touched when they parted again.

Venerable Lingzhi’s face changed slightly. “Admirable, admirable!” he said, and sprang back.

Wang Chuyi smiled. “The Great Master’s name fills the jianghu. How is it that your words do not match your deeds?”

Venerable Lingzhi said furiously, “I… I wasn’t keeping the Guo boy, I meant to keep you…” The force of Wang Chuyi’s palm had already injured him. Had he calmed his mind and evened his breathing, the wound would not have broken out yet, but goaded as he was, his anger surged up, and before he could finish he spat out a great mouthful of blood.

Wang Chuyi dared not linger. He took Guo Jing by the hand and hurried out of the estate gate.

Sha Tongtian, Peng Lianhu and the rest had given their word and would not go back on it, and besides, seeing how badly Venerable Lingzhi had come off had given them all pause. None of them came forward to stop him, lest they too be worsted and lose face.

Wang Chuyi strode quickly away from Prince Zhao’s Estate for a hundred feet or more, turned a corner, and seeing no one pursuing, whispered, “Carry me on your back to an inn.” Guo Jing was greatly alarmed to hear how faint and breathless his voice was. His face was white and he looked gravely ill, utterly unlike the man of high spirits he had been a moment before.

Guo Jing said quickly, “Daoist Elder, are you hurt?”

Wang Chuyi nodded, staggered, and could not keep his feet.

Guo Jing quickly crouched, lifted him onto his back, and hurried on. He came to the door of a large inn and was about to go in when Wang Chuyi whispered, “Find… find a quiet… place, a small… small inn.”

Guo Jing understood. He was afraid their enemies would come looking for them. He was badly wounded and Guo Jing’s own skill was slight, so if they were found they could do nothing but wait to die. Guo Jing put his head down and ran.

Not knowing the streets, he kept to the parts of the city where the houses were few and shabby. Sure enough, the further he went, the more out of the way it became, and he could feel Wang Chuyi’s breathing on his back growing weaker. At last he found a small inn, its doorway and front room cramped and filthy. He went straight into a room and laid him on the kang.⁸

Wang Chuyi said, “Quick… quick… find a big vat… fill it… fill it with clean water…”

Guo Jing asked, “What else do you need?”

Wang Chuyi said nothing more, only waved at him to hurry.

Guo Jing hurried out and gave instructions to the inn servant. He fished out a lump of silver and set it on the counter, then tipped the serving boy a few qian⁹ of silver besides. He had been in the Central Plains only a few days, but already he had learned the use of a tip.

The serving boy was delighted. He lugged a great vat into the courtyard and carried bucket after bucket of water until it was brimming full. Guo Jing went back and reported that it was done.

Wang Chuyi said, “Good… good boy. Lift me into the vat… and don’t let… anyone else come near.”

Guo Jing did not understand, but did as he was told and lifted him into the vat, the water coming up to his neck. Then he told the serving boy to keep everyone away.

Wang Chuyi sat with his eyes closed, breathing out fast and drawing breath in slowly. After about as long as it takes to eat a meal, the whole vat of clean water slowly turned black, while his face recovered a trace of colour.

Wang Chuyi said, “Help me out and fill the vat with fresh water.”

Guo Jing did as he said, changing the water and setting him in again.

Only now did Guo Jing realise that Wang Chuyi was using neigong to drive the poison out of his body into the water. He changed the water three times in all before it stayed clear.

Wang Chuyi smiled. “It’s over now.” He gripped the edge of the vat and stepped out, then sighed. “That monk’s skill is deadly!”

Guo Jing was relieved and overjoyed. He asked, “Was there poison on the monk’s palms?”

Wang Chuyi said, “There was. I have seen a good deal of Poisonous Sand Palm¹⁰ in my time, but never one so fierce. Today I nearly lost my life.”

Guo Jing said, “Thank goodness you’re all right now. What would you like to eat? I’ll have someone go and buy it.”

Wang Chuyi had him borrow brush and inkstone from the counter and wrote out a prescription. “My life is out of danger now, but the poison has not all left my organs. Unless I clear it quickly, I shall suffer from it all my life, and I may even be crippled. It is late, and the medicine shops are all shut. Go and buy the medicines first thing tomorrow.”

Footnotes

1. 三头蛟 — Sāntóu Jiāo. Literally three-headed jiao, a jiao being a flood dragon. ↩

2. 黄河九曲 — huáng hé jiǔ qū. Literally nine bends of the Yellow River. A traditional phrase for the river’s winding course. ↩

3. 梅花形 — méi huā xíng. Literally plum-blossom shape. Five points set like the petals of a plum blossom. ↩

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

5. 燕青拳 — Yànqīng Quán. A fist style named for Yan Qing, one of the heroes of the Water Margin. ↩

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

7. 穴道 — xuédào. Acupoints, the nodes along the body’s meridians through which qi flows. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 炕 — kàng. A heated platform of brick or clay used as a bed in northern China, warmed by a fire beneath. ↩

9. 钱 — qián. A unit of weight, one-tenth of a liang, used in reckoning silver. ↩

10. 毒沙掌 — dú shā zhǎng. Literally poisonous sand palm. A palm technique that carries poison into the strike. ↩