The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 11 – Part 5

Yang Guo was still eating when the place suddenly seemed to light up. Guo Fu came gliding into the hall, all smiles and laughter, with a Wu brother on either side of her. He heard Wu Xiuwen saying, “Right. We’ll travel tonight and ride straight through to Dasheng Pass. I’ll go and bring your red horse out.” The three of them talked among themselves and did not spare so much as a sidelong glance for Yang Guo, sitting on the floor eating. They went into the back courtyard to fetch their bundles and weapons and left the ruined temple, and then came a confused clatter of hooves as they rode away. Yang Guo’s chopsticks stood stuck in his rice bowl. He listened to the hoofbeats fade into the distance, a hundred feelings churning in his heart. Was it sorrow, or hatred? Anger, or grief?

The next day Wang the Thirteenth had him come along on the road. Besides the men of the Beggars’ Guild, there were a good many other people of the wulin on the road, some on horseback, some on foot, all, he supposed, on their way to the Hero Assembly. Yang Guo had no idea what the Hero Assembly or a hero’s invitation might be, and he expected Wang the Thirteenth would not tell him, so he played the simpleton and kept up his act of a poor, dull-witted wretch.

Towards evening they reached Dasheng Pass.¹ Dasheng Pass was a strategic stronghold between Henan and Hubei, a commanding position, though its market was not a thriving one. North of it lay land held by the Mongol army. Wang the Thirteenth led Yang Guo through the market town and another seven or eight li² beyond, until they saw ahead a great manor encircled by several hundred ancient pagoda trees, with a good many heroes making their way towards it. Inside, building followed building, layer upon layer, too many to take in at a glance. It looked as if it could house several thousand guests with room to spare.

Wang the Thirteenth was only a low-ranking disciple of the Beggars’ Guild. He knew the Guild Chief was busy with weighty matters just now, and how would he dare trouble her with a trifle like borrowing travelling money? He found Yang Guo somewhere to stay and went off to talk to his friends.

Yang Guo saw what a grand place the manor was, with an endless stream of manor servants coming and going to wait on guests, and he wondered privately who the master could be, to command such state. Suddenly three signal guns went off, boom, boom, boom, and the musicians struck up. “The Manor Master and his lady are going to greet guests in person,” someone said. “Let’s go and see. I wonder which hero has come?” The stewards and servants drew up in two lines, and everyone stood aside. From behind the screen in the great hall a man and a woman came out side by side, both about forty. The man wore a brocade robe and a light beard on his chin, and had a commanding, dignified bearing. The woman was fair-skinned and quietly refined, like a lady of rank. The guests murmured to one another, “Manor Master Lu and Lady Lu are going out themselves to greet an honoured guest.”

Behind them came another couple, and at the sight of them Yang Guo’s heart gave a jolt and his face burned. It was Guo Jing and Huang Rong. In the years since he had last seen them Guo Jing had grown even steadier in his bearing, and Huang Rong, a faint smile on her face, was as lovely as ever. So Auntie Guo is this beautiful, Yang Guo thought. I never noticed it when I was little. Guo Jing wore a long robe of coarse cloth, Huang Rong a dress of pale purple silk. Since she was chief of the Beggars’ Guild, she had had to make do with a few patches sewn on where they would not catch the eye. Behind Guo Jing and Huang Rong came Guo Fu and the Wu brothers. Countless bright red candles had now been lit in the great hall, and in their light the men looked handsome and stalwart and the women pretty and charming. The guests pointed them out. “That’s Guo daxia, and that’s Guild Chief Huang, Madam Guo.” “Who’s the girl, pretty as a flower?” “Guo daxia and his wife’s daughter.” “And the two young men are their sons?” “No, their disciples.”

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Yang Guo had no wish to meet Guo Jing and his wife in front of all these people. He shrank behind a tall, burly man and peered out. Amid the drums and music four Daoists came in from outside, and at the sight of them Yang Guo felt fury rising in him. In front was an old Daoist with white hair, white eyebrows and a ruddy purple face, Hao Datong,³ Guangningzi, one of the Seven Zis of Quanzhen. Behind him came an old Daoist nun with grizzled hair whom Yang Guo had never seen. After them, side by side, came two middle-aged Daoists, Zhao Zhijing⁴ and Zhen Zhibing.⁵

Manor Master Lu and his lady bowed down together before the old Daoist nun and called her Shifu, and then Guo Jing and his wife, Guo Fu, the Wu brothers and the rest came forward one by one to pay their respects. Yang Guo heard an old man in the crowd say quietly to someone, “That old Daoist nun is the Quanzhen Order’s swordswoman xia, surnamed Sun, given name Buer.”⁶ “Ah,” said the other, “then she is the Unbound Adept Qingjing,⁷ famous on both sides of the Yangtze.” “Just so,” said the old man. “She is Lady Lu’s shifu. Manor Master Lu’s martial arts, though, did not come from her.”

Manor Master Lu, it turned out, was Lu Guanying.⁸ His father, Lu Chengfeng,⁹ had been a disciple of Huang Yaoshi,¹⁰ Huang Rong’s father, so by that reckoning he stood a generation below Guo Jing and Huang Rong. His wife, Cheng Yaojia,¹¹ was Sun Buer’s disciple. The couple had once lived at Guiyun Manor¹² on Lake Tai, but after Ouyang Feng burned the manor to the ground, Lu Chengfeng in his anger told his son to give up being chief of the Lake Tai outlaws as well, and took the family north to settle at Dasheng Pass. Lu Chengfeng had died early, in middle age. Years before, when Cheng Yaojia was not yet married, she had fallen into great danger and been rescued by Guo Jing, Huang Rong and men of the Beggars’ Guild, and so she had always been grateful to the Guild. Now that the Beggars’ Guild had sent hero’s invitations far and wide to gather the heroes of the realm, Lu Guanying and his wife, who were rich, had taken the whole burden on themselves and held the Hero Assembly at Lu Family Manor.

When Guo Jing and the others had finished their greetings, they escorted Hao Datong and Sun Buer towards the great hall to introduce them to the assembled heroes. Stroking his beard, Hao Datong said, “When my four shixiongs¹³ Ma, Liu, Qiu and Wang¹⁴ received Guild Chief Huang’s hero’s invitation, they all said they ought to answer the summons. But Ma shixiong has been unwell lately, and Liu shixiong and the others are helping him work his power to heal himself and cannot get away, so they can only beg Guild Chief Huang’s pardon.” “Not at all, not at all,” said Huang Rong. “The Seniors are too courteous.” Young as she was, she was chief of the greatest guild under heaven, and Hao Datong and the others naturally treated her with the deepest respect. Guo Jing had known Zhen Zhibing’s shidi¹⁵ Yin Zhiping¹⁶ since they were young, and had met Zhen Zhibing too. He asked after Ma Yu’s¹⁷ illness, and when he learned it was a common complaint of old age, his mind was at ease.

The banquet began in the great hall amid a roar of voices and the red glow of candles, a scene of great festivity. Zhen Zhibing kept looking about him, as if searching for someone in the crowd. Zhao Zhijing gave a faint, cold smile. “Zhen shidi,” he said quietly, “I wonder whether the one from the Long family will honour us with her presence?” Zhen Zhibing’s face changed colour, and he made no answer. Guo Jing, not knowing they meant Xiaolongnü, put in, “Which hero surnamed Long is that? A friend of yours, shixiongs?” “A good friend of Zhen shidi’s,” said Zhao Zhijing. “Not someone I would dare to know.”

Suddenly Zhen Zhibing caught sight of Yang Guo in the crowd, and his whole body shook as if struck by a thunderbolt. He took it that if Yang Guo was here, Xiaolongnü must have come too. Zhao Zhijing followed his gaze, and at once his face changed. “Yang Guo!” he cried angrily. “It’s Yang Guo! This… this little… has come too!”

At the name “Yang Guo”, Guo Jing turned quickly to look. They had been parted for several years. Yang Guo had grown up, and he had made himself look so down and out that Guo Jing might never have known him. But at Zhao Zhijing’s cry he recognised him at once. Surprised and delighted, he strode over, seized his hand and said happily, “Guoer,¹⁸ so you’ve come too? I was afraid of keeping you from your studies, so I didn’t invite you. And your shifu has brought you along. Nothing could be better.” Yang Guo’s revolt and flight from the Chongyang Palace was held by everyone in the Quanzhen Order, high and low, to be a disgrace to the Order, and no one had let a word of it out, so Guo Jing on Peach Blossom Island¹⁹ had never learned of it. He had often worried about Yang Guo, but for fear the Quanzhen Daoists might take it amiss, he had neither visited him nor sent anyone to ask after him, and now that they had met he was very glad.

Zhao Zhijing had come to this Hero Assembly precisely to tell Guo Jing about the affair, and he had never expected to run into Yang Guo. He had been afraid that Guo Jing would hear Yang Guo’s side first and be swayed by it. Now, hearing him talk like this, he knew the two had only just met. His face went livid. He raised his eyes to the heavens and said, “What virtue or ability have I, that I should dare to be Master Yang’s shifu?” Guo Jing was startled. “What do you mean, Zhao shixiong?” he asked quickly. “Has the boy been disobedient?” Zhao Zhijing saw that heroes from every quarter were gathered in the great hall. If he raised the matter now, he would be bound to end up quarrelling with Yang Guo, and the Quanzhen Order would lose face. So he only gave a few cold sniggers and said no more.

Guo Jing looked Yang Guo over and saw his swollen eyes and bruised nose, the bloody scratches on his face, his ragged clothes and the mud all over him. Plainly the boy had been through great hardship, and Guo Jing’s heart ached. He wrapped both arms round him and held him close. The instant Yang Guo felt himself seized, he secretly drove his neigong through his whole body to guard his vital points. But Guo Jing was holding him out of love, with not the slightest thought of harming him. He gently wiped the mud from Yang Guo’s face and called to Huang Rong, “Ronger,²⁰ guess who’s here?” Huang Rong was taken aback too when she saw Yang Guo, but she was not nearly as pleased as Guo Jing. “Oh, good,” she said coolly. “So you’ve come too.”

Yang Guo slipped gently out of Guo Jing’s arms. “I’m dirty,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to soil your clothes, sir.” The words were very cold, with more than a touch of mockery in them. Guo Jing felt a little hurt, then thought, The child has no father or mother, and it seems his shifu does not care for him either. He took Yang Guo by the hand, wanting him to sit at his own table. Yang Guo had been put at a side table in a corner of the hall, among the least important guests. “I’ll sit here,” he said coldly. “Uncle Guo, you go and look after your honoured guests.” Guo Jing too felt that with so many distinguished guests he could not neglect the others, so he patted Yang Guo lightly on the shoulder and went back to the table of honour to offer toasts.

After three rounds of wine, Huang Rong rose and said in a clear voice, “Tomorrow is the great day of the Hero Assembly. Heroes and brave men from a good many quarters have yet to arrive. Tonight I ask you all to drink your fill and not stop until you are drunk. We will talk business tomorrow.” The heroes roared their agreement. Meat was heaped on the tables like mountains and wine flowed like streams. Some of the guests played finger-guessing games and matched each other cup for cup, others talked over old times. Lu Guanying had amassed a great fortune when he led the outlaws of Lake Tai, and he was lavish by nature. Who knows how many pigs and sheep were slaughtered at Lu Family Manor that day, or how many jars of good wine were drained.

When the feasting was done, the manor servants saw to the brave men from every quarter and showed them to their rooms.

Zhao Zhijing whispered a few words to Hao Datong, who nodded. Zhao Zhijing rose, cupped his hands to Guo Jing and said, “Guo daxia, I have failed the trust you placed in me, and I am deeply ashamed. Today I come with thorns on my back to beg your pardon.”

Guo Jing hastily returned the salute. “Zhao shixiong, you are too modest,” he said. “Let us talk in the study. If the boy has offended you, Zhao shixiong, I will punish him severely, to set your anger at rest.”

He said this loudly, and though Yang Guo was some way off, he heard every word clearly. He had already made up his mind. If he says one harsh word to me, I will get up and walk out and never see him again. If he hits me, I will not hit back, for the sake of how kind he used to be to me. If he beats me too hard, the worst he can do is kill me, and that is nothing much. When Aunt hears of it one day, I wonder whether she will grieve for me. Faced with life and death, the very first person he thought of was Xiaolongnü. Once his mind was made up he was calm, no longer as frightened as when he had first seen Zhao Zhijing, and when Guo Jing beckoned to him, he went over and followed behind him.

Footnotes

1. 大胜关 – Dàshèng Guān. Strategic pass between Henan and Hubei; site of Lu Family Manor and the Hero Assembly. ↩

2. 里 – lǐ. Traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately one-third of a mile or five hundred metres. ↩

3. 郝大通 – Hǎo Dàtōng. His name meaning “great penetration”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 赵志敬 – Zhào Zhìjìng. His name meaning “aspiring to reverence”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 甄志丙 – Zhēn Zhìbǐng. His name meaning “aspiring to the third stem”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 孙不二 – Sūn Bù’èr. Her name meaning “not two”, signifying non-duality. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 清净散人 – Qīngjìng Sǎnrén. Unbound Adept Qingjing, Sun Buer’s Daoist title. A sanren belongs to no sect, school or post. ↩

8. 陆冠英 – Lù Guànyīng. His name meaning “crowned hero”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 陆乘风 – Lù Chéngfēng. His name meaning “riding the wind”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 黄药师 – Huáng Yàoshī. His name meaning “medicine master”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 程瑶迦 – Chéng Yáojiā. Her name meaning “jade” combined with a transliterated Buddhist name element. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 归云庄 – Guīyún Zhuāng. Literally Returning Clouds Manor. Lu Chengfeng’s estate on Lake Tai, burned to the ground by Ouyang Feng. ↩

13. 师兄 – shīxiōng. Male senior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Xiōng means older brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 马刘丘王 – Mǎ Liú Qiū Wáng. Ma Yu, Liu Chuxuan, Qiu Chuji and Wang Chuyi, four of the Seven Zis of Quanzhen. ↩

15. 师弟 – shīdì. Male junior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Dì means younger brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 尹志平 – Yǐn Zhìpíng. A third-generation disciple of the Quanzhen Order. ↩

17. 马钰 – Mǎ Yù. His name meaning “precious jade”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

18. 过儿 – Guò’ér. Affectionate diminutive of Yang Guo’s name, with the diminutive suffix -er indicating affection or familiarity. ↩

19. 桃花岛 – Táohuā Dǎo. Huang Yaoshi’s island stronghold, continued from LOCH era. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

20. 蓉儿 – Róng’ér. Intimate nickname for Huang Rong, with the diminutive suffix -er indicating affection or familiarity. ↩