Mandarin Duck Blades – Part 12

On a rocky ridge before a large cave, Xiao Banhe,¹ Madams Yuan² and Yang,³ Yuan Guannan,⁴ Xiao Zhonghui,⁵ the Lin Yulong⁶ couple, two dozen or so family members and disciples, and over three hundred guests and friends gathered around several campfires. Water deer and muntjacs roasted over the flames, their aroma reaching everyone’s nostrils.

Xiao Banhe coughed and reached to stroke his beard—a habit in the past decade whenever he had something important to say. But this time, his hand found nothing. His chin was bare, without a single hair on it. He gave a slight smile and said, “By the grace of my jianghu friends, I, Xiao Yi,⁷ am considered a notable figure in the wulin. But does anyone know that I, Xiao Yi, am a eunuch?”

Everyone was astonished. The words “I, Xiao Yi, am a eunuch” made everyone think that they misheard, but seeing Xiao Banhe’s solemn expression, it was clear it was not in jest. Madams Yuan and Yang exchanged glances before lowering their heads.

Xiao Banhe continued, “Indeed, I, Xiao Yi, am a eunuch. I was castrated at sixteen and entered the palace to serve the Emperor, with the goal of assassinating the Manchu⁸ Qing Emperor to avenge my father. My father was locked in mortal enmity against the Manchu Qing usurpers, and ended up being slaughtered.

“His seven sworn brothers pledged with blood to avenge him, but the Manchu Qing were too powerful. Not one of my seven uncles met a good end—they were either killed in battle by imperial guards, or captured and executed by lingchi.⁹ The feud only deepened with time. After careful consideration, I realised that even if I dedicated my entire life to training, I might never reach the martial prowess of my father and these seven uncles. And even if I did, it might not be enough to settle this deep blood feud. So I willingly became a eunuch, lowly and despised by all.”

Hearing this, everyone admired his single-minded determination.

Xiao Banhe continued, “But security within the imperial palace was far beyond my imagination. Forget approaching the Emperor—even seeing him once proved a monumental task. For over ten years, though I thought day and night about assassinating the Emperor, I could never find an opportunity. One evening sixteen years ago, I overheard two imperial guards discussing how the Emperor had learnt of a pair of precious Mandarin Duck Blades,¹⁰ and the one who obtains them would be unmatched in the whole realm. These blades were in the possession of two heroes Yuan and Yang. The Emperor captured their entire families, forcing them to surrender the precious blades. The two great heroes chose death rather than submit, and their wives were thrown into the imperial prison.”

At these words, tears streamed down the faces of Madams Yuan and Yang, and they threw their arms around each other in sudden loud sobs.

Yuan Guannan and Xiao Zhonghui exchanged glances, their hearts filled with both sorrow and joy. Xiao Banhe said, “At that time, I realised that saving the living was more important than avenging the dead. Thus, I infiltrated the prison, killed several guards, and rescued the two madams. The prison officials considered women to be of little concern and were lax in guarding them, and no one expected a eunuch would rescue imperial prisoners, hence my swift success. However, the enemy’s forces were overwhelming, and we lost Madam Yuan’s son in our hasty escape. This has weighed on my conscience all my life, but who would have thought that Young Master Yuan has grown and developed such formidable martial skills. Truly a blessing of divine magnitude!

“As for Zhonghui, you’re eighteen this year. When I first saw you, you were only two. Your father’s surname is Yang. He was the renowned Great Xia of Three Xiang,¹¹ Yang Bochong¹²—Yang daxia.”¹³

Yuan Guannan and Xiao Zhonghui (or rather, Yang Zhonghui) embraced their respective mothers. Grief overwhelmed them at the thought of their fathers’ vengeance, followed by boundless gratitude for Xiao Banhe’s righteousness.

Xiao Banhe continued, “After we escaped Beijing, the Emperor dispatched riders in all directions to search for us. To evade the Qing court’s surveillance, Old Xiao wore a large fake beard and had Madams Yuan and Yang pose as my wives. Since Old Xiao is a eunuch, this temporary arrangement didn’t dishonour the names of Yuan and Yang daxia.”

Yuan Guannan and Xiao Zhonghui finally gazed at each other and smiled, as though a weight had been lifted, thinking, Who says we’re blood siblings?

Xiao Banhe slapped his thigh and said, “Old Xiao is a eunuch and admired how Zheng He,¹⁴ the Great Ming Dynasty’s¹⁵ Three Treasures Eunuch, led expeditions to distant lands spreading China’s virtue and might. That’s why I changed my name to Banhe,¹⁶ hoping to have half of Zheng He’s heroism. Hehe, that’s just Old Xiao’s foolish dream.

“These years passed peacefully, but when the Mandarin Duck Blades resurfaced, Old Xiao became determined to reclaim them to appease the spirits of the two heroes Yuan and Yang. I grew careless in concealing our identities and was eventually discovered by the Qing court. Given how things have turned out, it doesn’t matter anymore. Unfortunately, of the Mandarin Duck Blades, only the long Yuan blade remains. Huier’s¹⁷ short Yang blade must be a fake, otherwise how could it have broken? That villain Zhuo Tianxiong¹⁸ must have switched it. It’s a pity we couldn’t stop him.”

By now, the aroma of the roasting deer was intensifying. Ren Feiyan¹⁹ took out a knife and began cutting the meat into pieces. Lin Yulong bellowed to Yang Zhonghui without warning, “Wasn’t I right? You said your parents never quarrelled, and I said couples who don’t argue aren’t real couples—there must be something strange. Isn’t your big brother Lin prophetic and sensible?”

Ren Feiyan placed a piece of venison on the tip of her knife and thrust it into his mouth as she chided, “Eat your venison. What nonsense are you spouting?”

Lin Yulong wanted to retort but his mouth was full of meat and he could not speak.

Just as everyone was laughing, a disciple standing watch outside the woods shouted, “Who goes there?”

“The Four Xias²⁰ of Taiyue!”²¹ came the reply.

Yang Zhonghui could not help but giggle. The Four Xias of Taiyue appeared, covered in mud, carrying a large fishing net on a wooden pole. The net contained a large, dark object, its nature obscure. Yang Zhonghui laughed and asked, “Four Xias of Taiyue, what treasure are you carrying?”

Gai Yiming replied with obvious pride, “Young Master Yuan, Miss Xiao, the four of us brothers went to the muddy river to catch a Blue-blood Golden Toad²² as a gift for you both. But before we could catch the toad, someone came limping by with an injured leg, groaning in pain. The Four Xias of Taiyue took one look and realised it was none other than Zhuo Tianxiong! As the jianghu saying goes, ‘When business comes to your door, it’s foolish not to take it!’ We shook out the fishing net and stealthily threw it over his head and captured him!”

Everyone was both surprised and delighted. Yuan Guannan reached to Zhuo Tianxiong’s waist and pulled out a short blade, its gleaming light unstained by mud—it was the genuine Yang blade.

Madam Yuan held the pair of Mandarin Duck Blades and examined them carefully for a while before sighing, “The Qing Emperor heard that these paired blades contained a great secret to becoming unmatched in the world. This is indeed true, but even if he knew the secret, could he follow it? Everyone, look!”

As people gathered closer, they saw “The Benevolent”²³ engraved on the Yuan blade and “Invincible”²⁴ on the Yang blade.

“The benevolent is invincible!”

And this was the great secret to being unmatched in the world.

– End –

Footnotes

1. 萧半和 – Xiāo Bànhé. ↩

2. 袁夫人 – yuán fūren. Xiao Banhe’s first wife and Xiao Zhonghui’s stepmother. ↩

3. 杨夫人 – yáng fūren. Xiao Banhe’s second wife and Xiao Zhonghui’s biological mother. ↩

4. 袁冠南 – Yuán Guānnán. ↩

5. 萧中慧 – Xiāo Zhōnghuì. ↩

6. 林玉龙 – Lín Yùlóng. ↩

7. 萧义 – Xiāo Yì. ↩

8. 满族 – Mǎnzú. A Tungusic ethnic group native to Manchuria. See Wikipedia. ↩

9. 凌迟 – língchí. Literally slow humiliation. A form of capital punishment by dismembering the body used in imperial China from approximately the 10th century until it was officially abolished in 1905。 See Wikipedia. ↩

10. 鸳鸯刀 – Yuānyāng dāo. Literally mandarin duck daos. Yuan and yang stand for the male and female mandarin ducks respectively, and are considered to be lifelong couples in traditional Chinese culture. The name means that the daos come in a pair. ↩

11. 三湘 – sānxiāng. Literally three Xiang. It is used to refer to the Hunan Province. Other variations include Three Xiang and Four Rivers (三湘四水 Sānxiāng Sìshuǐ), and Great Lands of Three Xiang (三湘大地 Sānxiāng Dàdì). ↩

12. 杨伯冲 – Yáng Bóchōng. ↩

13. 大侠 – dàxiá. Title of great respect in the martial world, denoting a xia of exceptional martial prowess who upholds justice and righteousness. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 郑和 – Zhèng Hé. Chinese official from the Ming Dynasty, often regarded as the greatest admiral in Chinese history. See Wikipedia. ↩

15. 明 – Míng. A dynasty that ruled China from 1368 to 1644. See Wikipedia. ↩

16. 半和 – bànhé. Literally half He. ↩

17. 儿 – ér. A term of endearment, especially for a child or lover. ↩

18. 卓天雄 – Zhuó Tiānxióng. ↩

19. 任飞燕 – Rèn Fēiyàn. ↩

20. 侠 – xiá. A person adept in martial arts and conducts in a chivalrous manner. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

21. 太岳 – Tàiyuè. Taiyue is the ancient name of modern day Tianzhu Mountain in Anqing, Anhui. See Wikipedia. ↩

22. 碧血金蟾 – bìxuè jīnchán. Literally blue blood golden toad. A mythical creature that is said to have the power to heal wounds and prolong life. ↩

23. 仁者 – rénzhě. Benevolent One. A Confucian concept of the ideal person who embodies humanity and compassion. ↩

24. 无敌 – wúdí. Invincible. ↩