Mandarin Duck Blades
Chapter 7

Translation by Jenxi Seow.

The old blind man smiled faintly and said, “It’s good that you still remember Zhuo Tianxiong¹卓天雄 – Zhuó Tiānxióng. exists.”

Zhou Weixin²周威信 – Zhoū Weīxìn. replied, “When my shifu³师父 – Shīfu. Master or teacher from whom one is learning martial arts. Shi means teacher. Fu means a male of a senior generation. was alive, he often praised shibo’s⁴师伯 – shībó. Shixiong, elder fellow disciple, of one’s shifu. Shi means teacher. Bo literally means elder uncle.This places the person on the same generation as one’s shifu. formidable prowess. I had never met shibo before and was very disrespectful earlier. As the jianghu⁵江湖 – jiānghú. The world of martial arts. A sub-society involving all who are related to the martial arts scene. See jianghu. saying goes, ‘Those fated will meet across a thousand miles, those not fated won‘t meet even when they face each other.‘ May I ask when shibo departed from Beijing?”

Zhuo Tianxiong smiled and said, “The Emperor sent me to receive you.”

Zhou Weixin felt both alarmed and delighted. He said, “If it weren’t for shibo’s timely assistance, I’m afraid this pair of Mandarin Duck Blades would have fallen into the hands of bandits.”

Zhuo Tianxiong said, “The Emperor’s foresight is prescient and anticipated trouble when this pair of blades are on their way to the capital. The moment you left Xi’an, I began following your escort team. What were you constantly muttering in your sleep at night?”

Zhou Weixin’s face flushed crimson as he stammered wordlessly. He thought to himself, “Shibo has been trailing our escort team the whole way and even overheard my sleep-talking at night. Yet I didn’t notice at all. If it hadn’t been shibo but instead a master thief intent on seizing the precious blades, would I even be alive now? As the jianghu saying goes, ‘Planning is futile, our whole lives are predestined.’”

Zhuo Tianxiong said, “Your companions are rather cowardly and have probably hidden themselves by now. Go and gather them. We’ll continue the journey together.”

Zhou Weixin responded with profuse agreement. Zhuo Tianxiong raised the pair of blades, giving them a light polish. He felt a chill run surge at face, and could not help but exclaim, “Excellent blades!”

Just as Zhou Weixin was about to step out of the grove, he suddenly heard someone to his left call out, “Hey, Zhuo fellow, you better unblock my acupoints. We’ll have a proper duel.”

Another female voice said, “You took advantage when we had our guard down and struck our acupoints. What kind of hero does that make you?”

Zhuo Tianxiong turned see Lin Yulong⁶林玉龙 – Lín Yùlóng and Ren Feiyan⁷任飞燕 – Rèn Fēiyàn. each holding a broken blade, poised to strike. However, they were immobilised and could only cast fierce glares at him. Zhuo Tianxiong flicked his finger against the short blade, and it rung out like a dragon’s cry that reverberating for a long while as he said, “No matter how many bandits you have, I’ll capture them. If one comes, I’ll capture one. If two come, I’ll seize both.”

Turning to Xiao Zhonghui,⁸萧中慧 – Xiāo Zhōnghuì. he said, “Young lady, you should also come with me to the capital to experience the dazzling world of the imperial city.”

Xiao Zhonghui grew frantic and cried out, “Release me quickly! If you don’t, I’ll make you regret it to no end.”

Zhuo Tianxiong gave a hearty laugh and said, “In that case, all the more I can’t let you go. Let’s see how you’ll make me regret to no end.”

Xiao Zhonghui was secretly trying to circulate her inner qi to force through her sealed acupoints on her legs. However, whenever her qi reached her waist, it rebounded upwards. The more anxious she was, the more her entire body felt numb and weak. Soon, she was unable to muster even a sliver of her strength. Her pretty face flushed red and tears brimmed in her eyes, threatening to spill out at any moment.

Suddenly, they heard someone reciting in a loud voice from outside the grove, “The Son of Heaven values the brave and talented, let literature be your teacher. All other pursuits are inferior, only the pursuit of knowledge is supreme…”

As the ringing recitation continued, a person entered the grove. Xiao Zhonghui looked and saw it was Yuan Guannan,⁹袁冠南 – Yuán Guānnán. the young scholar she had met at the inn last night. Realising that one more person would witness her embarrassing predicament, she felt even more upset. In her distress, tears began rolling down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.

Zhuo Tianxiong gripped the Mandarin Duck Blades and said sternly, “Yuan fellow, the blades are right here. If you have the skill, come and get them. You may fool others with your act, but don’t waste your time trying to deceive Zhuo Tianxiong.”

As he said that, he struck the twin blades together, producing a ringing sound that echoed through the treetops.

Yuan Guannan, holding a writing brush in his right hand and an ink box in his left, said, “I suddenly felt inspired to write a verse on a tree, but your shouting is disrupting my mood.”

Saying that, he looked around for a suitable place to write. Zhuo Tianxiong had already noticed that he possessed martial arts skills. Seeing the latter’s nonchalant attitude, he did not dare underestimate him. He sheathed the twin blades and handed them to Zhou Weixin, then he gripped his iron staff and barked, “If you want to write a poem, write it on this blind man’s robe!”
With that, he swung the iron staff at the back of Yuan Guannan’s head.

Xiao Zhonghui cried out instinctively, “Stop!’

Seeing Yuan Guannan was a scholarly type without the strength to even tie a chicken,¹⁰手无缚鸡之力 – shǒu wú fùjī zhī lì. Literally not having the strength in one’s hands to tie up a chicken. A Chinese idiom used to describe someone who is very weak, feeble, or lacking in physical strength. Often used to refer to scholars or intellectuals who are not accustomed to physical labor or fighting. she feared the blow would crack his skull open. To her surprise, Yuan Guannan lowered his head and exclaimed “Oh my!”

He ducked under the iron staff and said, “The young lady told you to stop. Why don’t you listen?”

Zhuo Tianxiong swung his iron staff backwards, sweeping it horizontally at waist level. Yuan Guannan stumbled forward and fell to the ground, the iron staff just grazing over his head. Zhuo Tianxiong shouted, “Not bad!”

He chopped downwards with his left hand. Yuan Guannan drew his chest in and lowered his shoulders,¹¹含胸沉肩 – hánxiōng chénjiān. Literally draw in one’s chest and drop one’s shoulders. A common martial arts terms to describe a specific stance. The stance protects the vital areas of the upper body, helps maintain balance and stability, allows for more efficient energy transfer in striking techniques, and makes one’s body a smaller target. then dipped his brush in the ink box and jabbed at Zhuo’s wrist. After several exchanges, Xiao Zhonghui thought in silent amazement, “This scholar actually knows martial arts. I’ve really misjudged him this time.”

She watched as his figure floated and dodged, Zhuo Tianxiong’s iron staff never quite connecting. Xiao Zhonghui prayed silently, “Heavens above, please bless this scholar with victory, so he can help me escape.”

Lin Yulong cheered, “Well done, young scholar! I couldn’t ell you had powerful martial arts abilities? Finish off this blind man quickly and unseal our acupoints.”

Ren Feiyan said, “Isn’t this just your one-sided wish? I don’t think this young scholar is necessarily a match for the old blind man.”

Lin Yulong snapped, “Wretched woman, always talking about unlucky things. What do you know?”

Ren Feiyan retorted, “Heh, I can see them fighting. Can you?”

It turned out she was facing Zhuo and Yuan, while Lin Yulong had his back to them. Lin Yulong said, “So what if you can see? I hear that messy swings of blind man’s iron staff making whooshing sounds. It’s utterly useless.”

Ren Feiyan spat and said, “Useless? Useless! Hmph! He immobilised you with a tap.”

Lin Yulong retorted, ”What about you? Let’s see you move then!”

The two continued bickering and their argument grew more heated. Had they been able to move, they would have already come to blows. Ren Feiyan, unable to contain her anger any longer, spat at her husband. Lin Yulong, unable to dodge, could only watch as the saliva landed squarely on the bridge of his nose. He immediately responded in kind, spitting back at her. The couple then started spitting at each other, covering each other’s faces with saliva.

Watching the couple quarrel despite their dire situation, Xiao Zhonghui was both exasperated and amused. Glancing back at Yuan and Zhuo’s duel, she could not help but feel a twinge of worry. Yuan Guannan kept retreating, seemingly no match for Zhuo Tianxiong. She thought, “I hope he’s just putting on an act to toy with the old blind man, and not actually losing!”

However, things did not turn out as hoped. Zhuo Tianxiong’s martial arts skills were far superior to Yuan Guannan’s. When Zhuo Tianxiong saw him using a writing brush and ink box as weapons, he initially thought Yuan definitely had extraordinary skills to be so confident. Thus, he was cautious and did not dare to attack aggressively. After a few exchanges, he realised that while Yuan’s movements were quick, they were ultimately inexperienced, and there was nothing special about his brush techniques. So Zhuo began to sweep and strike with his iron staff using the exquisite moves from the Eighteen Whips of Huyan.¹²呼延十八鞭 – Hūyán shíbā giān. Literally Huyan’s Eighteen Whips. A martial arts technique named after a person with the surname Huyan.

Yuan Guannan did not expect to encounter such a formidable opponent. Without a proper weapon, he was immediately put on the defensive, narrowly escaping danger several times. He could not help but lament inwardly, “I was too arrogant to underestimate this fake blind man. Who knew he would be such a tough opponent?”

Seeing the iron staff swing down diagonally, he drew his shoulders back hastily to dodge. Zhuo Tianxiong bellowed, “Lie down!”

His iron staff rose and struck Yuan Guannan’s left leg. Xiao Zhonghui’s heart skipped a beat, and she cried out, “Oh no!”

Yuan Guannan struggled to stay on his feet. His steps faltered slightly as he retreated three paces, but he did not fall. Realising the extreme danger of the situation, and that his injured leg would prevent him from escaping even if he wanted to, he was struck by a desperate idea. He shouted, “Very well! I was being merciful and didn’t want to use the Bone-rotting Heart-piercing Ointment. But since you showed no respect, then you leave me with no choice but to let you have a taste of it.”

As he spoke, he dipped his brush deeply into the ink box and raised it to smear it on Zhuo Tianxiong’s face. Hearing the words Bone-rotting Heart-piercing Ointment, Zhuo Tianxiong was startled and exclaimed, “Wait! What’s your relationship with the Five Poison Holy Maiden?”

The Five Poison Holy Maiden was a notorious female villain from Anxiang Fort in Guizhou, feared throughout the jianghu. Among her poisons, the Bone-rotting Heart-piercing Ointment was the most terrifying. It was said that even the slightest touch to the skin would cause flesh to rot to the bone within twelve hours, and the poisoned blood would attack the heart within twenty-four hours. There was no antidote for it.

Yuan Guannan had heard about this years ago but did not pay it much heed. When he was pressed by Zhuo Tianxiong, he blurted it out. Seeing the drastic change in Zhuo’s expression upon hearing this, Yuan was secretly delighted and said, “The Five Poison Holy Maiden is my aunt. Why do you ask?”

Zhuo Tianxiong, half convinced and half doubtful, said, “If that’s the case, I won’t trouble you further. Quick, be on your way.”

Yuan Guannan sneered, “You struck me with your staff. Did things are settle so easily?”

As he spoke, he took two steps forward. Zhuo Tianxiong stared at the ink box in Yuan’s left hand as if it were a venomous creature, thinking, “An inkbox and brush aren’t typically weapons. If he’s fighting me with these, there must be some trick.”

Seeing Yuan advance, he retreated two steps involuntarily. Little did he know that despite Yuan Guannan’s confident demeanour, the latter relied on superior martial arts to often win barehanded. He was merely holding the writing implements to feign nonchalance. In truth, he had been cursing himself inwardly dozens of times for his own foolishness to run into such a formidable opponent in Zhuo Tianxiong.

Yuan Guannan took two more steps forward and said, “My aunt’s martial arts aren’t particularly impressive. She only knows how to concoct some poisons. Why are you so frightened?”

Seeing Zhuo Tianxiong retreat another step after some hesitation, Yuan suddenly turned and darted to Zhou Weixin’s side. He raised the brush, attempting to smear it across Zhou’s eyes. An alarmed Zhou Weixin raised his arm to block. Yuan Guannan’s elbow struck out, transferring the inkbox to his right hand while his left hand shot out, snatching away the Mandarin Duck Blades.

Zhuo Tianxiong was shocked. He thought, “The Emperor ordered me to escort these precious blades to the capital. If this kid seized them, it would a grave crime!”

Even if it meant offending the Five Poison Holy Maiden, it could not be helped. He leapt forward to reclaim the blades, his right palm striking diagonally at Yuan Guannan’s shoulder while his left hand, fingers curved like claws, reached for the Mandarin Duck Blades.

Yuan Guannan had anticipated this. Knowing he was unable to win by brute force, he raised his brush and smeared it across Zhuo Tianxiong’s left hand, then burst into laughter. Zhuo felt a sudden chill on the back of his hand and was startled to see a thick streak of ink. In that instant, all the horrific tales he had heard about the Five Poison Holy Maiden’s deadly venoms flashed through his mind, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.

Although his five fingers had already touched the scabbard of the Mandarin Duck Blades, he could not bring himself to grasp them. Frozen in shock, his fear grew with each passing moment until he let out a great cry and fled the forest. Seeing his shibo react this way, Zhou Weixin dared not linger and rushed out after him.

Yuan Guannan inwardly exclaimed, “What a shame!”

Fearing Zhuo Tianxiong might realise the truth and return, he did not dare linger in the forest any longer. Picking up the Mandarin Duck Blades, he turned to leave. Lin Yulong called out, “Hey, young scholar, aren’t you going to unseal our acupoints?”

Yuan Guannan replied, “The points will unseal on their own after six hours.”

Xiao Zhonghui, greatly alarmed, cried, “If we wait six hours, we’ll be dead!”

Yuan Guannan laughed, “Don’t worry, you won’t die!”