The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 12

Feast of heroes.

The next day, Yang Guo¹ was having breakfast in the main hall when he saw Guo Fu² beckoning to him from the courtyard, while the Wu brothers³ hovered nearby, craning their necks. Suppressing a smile, Yang Guo walked over to her. “Were you looking for me?”

Guo Fu smiled. “Yes. Walk outside the gate with me. I want to ask what you have been doing all these years.”

Yang Guo let out a long sigh. Where would I even begin? Three days and three nights would not be enough to tell it all. And besides, how could I possibly tell you any of it?

The two walked out through the main gate side by side. Yang Guo glanced back and saw the Wu brothers following at a distance. Guo Fu had noticed them long ago but pretended not to. She simply pressed Yang Guo with questions. He gave her a rambling account: how her father had routed the Quanzhen⁴ Taoists on his first day at the Chongyang Palace,⁵ how he had played tricks on Lu Qingdu,⁶ deliberately picking out all the trivial, meaningless episodes and spinning them into yarns. Guo Fu giggled endlessly.

They strolled to the shade of a willow tree when a long neigh rang out. A mangy, scrawny horse came galloping over and rubbed itself affectionately against Yang Guo. At the sight of this ugly beast, the Wu brothers burst out laughing and drew near. Wu Xiuwen⁷ laughed, “Brother Yang, what a marvellous thousand-li⁸ steed⁹ you have there. Wherever did you manage to find one? You must find me one too someday.” Wu Dunru¹⁰ said with mock gravity, “That is a priceless treasure from the Arabian Empire.¹¹ How could you possibly afford it?” Guo Fu looked from Yang Guo to the ugly horse, saw that both were equally ragged and dishevelled, and could not help letting out a laugh.

Yang Guo laughed too. “The man is ugly, the horse is ugly, they suit each other. Your mounts, I imagine, must be magnificent beyond compare.”

Wu Xiuwen said, “Our horses are only a little better than your mangy nag. Sister Fu’s red horse¹², that is a true steed. You saw it before, years ago, on Peach Blossom Island.”¹³

Yang Guo said, “So Uncle Guo gave the red horse to you, miss.”

The four of them walked on, talking as they went. Suddenly Guo Fu pointed west. “Look, my mother is teaching the staff technique again.”

Yang Guo turned his head. Huang Rong¹⁴ and an old beggar were walking side by side toward a mountain hollow, each carrying a bamboo staff. Wu Xiuwen said, “Elder Lu¹⁵ really is hopeless. He has been studying the Dog-Beating Staff Technique¹⁶ all this time and still cannot master it.”

The words “Dog-Beating Staff Technique” made Yang Guo’s heart tighten, but he kept his expression perfectly still and turned his head to gaze elsewhere, pretending to admire the scenery.

Guo Fu said, “The Dog-Beating Staff Technique is the Beggars’ Guild’s¹⁷ treasured art. My mother says it is wondrous beyond compare, the deadliest weapon technique under heaven. It is not something you learn in ten days or half a month. You call him stupid, are you so clever yourself?”

Wu Dunru sighed. “It is a pity that apart from the Beggars’ Guild chief, the technique is not passed to outsiders.”

Guo Fu said, “If you become chief of the Beggars’ Guild someday, Chief Lu will naturally teach you. Even my father does not know this technique, so there is no need for you to be envious.”

Wu Dunru said, “With my meagre talents, how could I ever become chief of the Beggars’ Guild? Sister Fu, why do you think our teacher’s wife chose Elder Lu to succeed her?”

Guo Fu said, “All these years, my mother has held the title in name only. All the Beggars’ Guild’s affairs, large and small, have been managed by Elder Lu Youjiao. The endless petty troubles of the clan give my mother a headache just hearing about them. She says, why go on holding the title without the substance? Better to let Elder Lu become chief outright. Once Elder Lu has mastered the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, my mother will formally transfer the position to him.”

Wu Xiuwen asked, “Sister Fu, how exactly is the Dog-Beating Staff Technique performed? Have you seen it?”

Guo Fu said, “I have not seen it. Oh, wait, I have!” She picked up a branch from the ground, tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and laughed. “Like this!”

Wu Xiuwen cried out, “Fine! You are treating me like a dog. Let us see if I forgive you!” He reached out as if to grab her. Guo Fu fled, laughing, and Wu Xiuwen chased after her. The two made a full circle and returned to where they had started.

Guo Fu laughed. “Little Brother Wu, stop fooling around. I have an idea.”

Wu Xiuwen said, “All right, tell me.”

Guo Fu said, “Let us sneak over and take a look. See what this Dog-Beating Staff Technique really looks like.”

Wu Xiuwen clapped his hands in approval. Wu Dunru, however, shook his head. “If our teacher’s wife catches us spying on the technique, we will get a proper scolding.”

Guo Fu said crossly, “We are only looking at what it looks like, not stealing the technique. Besides, with a martial art this profound, do you think a few glances would be enough to learn it? Big Brother Wu, you really are something.”

Wu Dunru only smiled faintly at her reproach. Guo Fu went on, “Yesterday, when we hid in the study and eavesdropped, did my mother scold anyone? You are always so timid. Little Brother Wu, the two of us will go.”

Wu Dunru said, “All right, all right. Your reasoning is sound. I will go with you.”

Guo Fu said, “The finest martial art under heaven, do you mean to say you have no desire to see it? If you do not go, that is fine. Once I learn it, I will come back and use this technique to beat you.” She raised the branch in her hand and brandished it at him.

The three of them had long yearned to see the Dog-Beating Staff Technique. They had heard its name spoken in awe for years, but what it actually looked like, none of them had ever seen. Guo Jing¹⁸ had once told them how Huang Rong, at the Beggars’ Guild assembly on Mount Jun,¹⁹ had used the Dog-Beating Staff Technique to overcome every challenger and seize the chief’s position. The three children had listened with boundless admiration. Now that Guo Fu proposed going to see it for themselves, Wu Dunru voiced objections with his lips, but in his heart he was a hundred and twenty percent willing. He only put on a show of reluctant compliance, so that if they were discovered, their teacher’s wife could not blame him.

Guo Fu said, “Brother Yang, you come with us too.”

Yang Guo was gazing into the distant mountains, seemingly lost in thought, and had not heard a word. Guo Fu called again. Only then did Yang Guo turn his head, his face a mask of bewilderment. “All right, all right, I will go with you. Where to?”

Guo Fu said, “Do not ask. Just follow me.”

Wu Dunru said, “Sister Fu, why bring him along? He cannot understand what he sees. If he stumbles around clumsily and makes some noise, our teacher’s wife will discover us.”

Guo Fu said, “Relax. I will look after him. You two go first. Brother Yang and I will follow. Four people walking together makes too much noise.”

The Wu brothers were far from pleased, but they knew better than to defy Guo Fu. Sullenly, they set off ahead. Guo Fu called after them, “We will take the shortcut and wait in that big tree. Everyone be careful not to make a sound. My mother will never know.”

The Wu brothers shouted their agreement from a distance and quickened their pace.

Guo Fu looked Yang Guo over. His clothes were truly in wretched condition. “Later,” she said, “I will ask my mother to make you some new clothes. Once you are properly dressed, you will not look so shabby.”

Yang Guo shook his head. “I was born ugly. Dressing up will not help.”

Guo Fu let the matter drop without a second thought. She watched the Wu brothers’ retreating figures and suddenly let out a soft sigh.

Yang Guo asked, “Why do you sigh?”

Guo Fu said, “My heart is troubled. You would not understand.”

Yang Guo saw her delicate, rosy face and her faintly furrowed brows. She was truly a girl of surpassing beauty, even more beautiful by three parts than Lu Wushuang,²⁰ Wanyan Ping,²¹ or Yelu Yan.²² His heart stirred slightly. “I know what is troubling you.”

Guo Fu laughed. “Now that is strange. How could you know? You are just talking nonsense.”

Yang Guo said, “Fine. If I guess correctly, you are not allowed to deny it.”

Guo Fu pressed one fair, slender finger against her right cheek. Her bright eyes sparkled, and a smile played at the corners of her mouth. “All right. Guess.”

Yang Guo said, “That is easy. Both Wu brothers like you. Both want to win your favour. You cannot decide between them.”

With her secret laid bare, Guo Fu’s heart pounded wildly. This was something she knew, the Wu brothers knew, her parents knew, even her grand-master Ke Zhen’E²³ knew. Yet everyone felt the matter was too awkward to speak of. Each of them thought about it constantly, but no one had ever breathed a word of it aloud. Now, out of the blue, Yang Guo had said it. Her face flushed crimson. She felt happy and miserable at once, wanting to laugh and wanting to cry, tears brimming in her eyes.

Yang Guo went on, “Big Brother Wu is refined and steady. Little Brother Wu is steady in his speech. Both are young and handsome, clever by nature, and both are utterly devoted, showering me with every attention. Truly, the elder brother has the elder brother’s virtues, and the younger brother has the younger brother’s brilliance. But there is only one of me, how can I marry two men?”

Guo Fu listened, stupefied. At the last line, she spat. “What nonsense you talk. Who is paying you any attention?”

But Yang Guo had already seen from her expression that he had guessed everything correctly. He hummed a little tune under his breath: “But there is only one of me, how can I marry two men?”

He hummed several bars, but Guo Fu was too distracted to hear. After a long pause, she finally spoke. “Brother Yang, who do you think is better. Big Brother Wu, or Little Brother Wu?”

The question came out of nowhere. She and Yang Guo had been childhood playmates, but there had been friction between them even then, and they had not seen each other for many years. Now both were grown. How could she confide such maidenly thoughts to him? Yet Yang Guo was naturally lively. As long as you did not offend him, he would laugh and joke with you, and within moments you felt as though bathed in spring breezes, as though drinking fine wine. Besides, Guo Fu had turned this question over in her mind countless times. She did indeed feel that each brother had his merits. In daily play and idle chatter, she got along better with Wu Xiuwen, but when it came to serious matters, Wu Dunru was far more reliable. A young girl in the first stirrings of love, she had by turns scolded them, sulked at them, smiled at them, frowned at them, driving the brothers to distraction. Yet in her own heart, she was deeply troubled, unable to decide whom to favour. She had no one to talk to about it. Now that Yang Guo had hit upon her secret, the question slipped out before she could stop herself.

Yang Guo laughed. “I think neither of them is any good.”

Guo Fu stared. “Why?”

Yang Guo grinned. “Because if either of them were any good, what hope would there be for me, Yang Guo?”

Along the road he had grown accustomed to teasing Lu Wushuang with reckless banter, though he had never harboured any real improper thoughts. Now, joking with Guo Fu, the words slipped out again. Guo Fu froze. She was a girl who had been pampered since birth. No one had ever dared speak a single frivolous word to her. For a moment, she did not know whether to be angry or not. Her face hardened. “If you will not tell me, then do not. Who is joking with you?” She launched into her lightness skill²⁴ and took a winding path toward the hollow behind the hill.

Footnotes

1. 杨过 – Yáng Guò. His name meaning “fault or transgression”; his courtesy name Gaizhi means “to correct it”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 郭芙 – Guō Fú. Her name meaning “lotus”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. Wu Brothers. Wu Dunru (武敦儒) and Wu Xiuwen (武修文), sons of Wu Santong, disciples of Guo Jing and Huang Rong. ↩

4. Quanzhen Order (全真教). Major Daoist school founded by Wang Chongyang. In Jin Yong’s wuxia universe, it is one of the most powerful martial arts sects, based at the Chongyang Palace on Mount Zhongnan. Its seven senior disciples are known as the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. ↩

5. 重阳宫 – Chóngyáng Gōng. Main temple of Quanzhen Order on Zhongnan Mountain. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 鹿清笃 – Lù Qīngdú. His name meaning “pure and sincere”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 武修文 – Wǔ Xiūwén. His name meaning “cultivate literature”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 里 – lǐ. Traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 metres or a third of a mile. ↩

9. Thousand-li steed (千里马). Literally “thousand-li horse.” A term for a horse of exceptional speed and endurance, capable of covering a thousand li in a single day. Term is also used metaphorically for a person of outstanding talent who has not yet been recognised. ↩

10. 武敦儒 – Wǔ Dūnrú. His name meaning “earnest scholar”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. Arabian Empire (大食). Historical Chinese term for the Arab Islamic caliphates. Arab horses were famed for their speed and endurance. ↩

12. Red Horse (红马). Prized steed originally belonging to Guo Jing, known for its extraordinary speed and stamina, raised on Peach Blossom Island. ↩

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

14. 黄蓉 – Huáng Róng. Her name meaning “lotus” or “hibiscus”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 鲁有脚 – Lǔ Yǒujiǎo. His name meaning “having feet”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 打狗棒法 – Dǎgǒu Bàngfǎ. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 丐帮 – Gàibāng. Largest martial arts organisation in the jianghu, continued from LOCH era. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

18. 郭靖 – Guō Jìng. His name meaning “tranquillity” or “pacification”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

19. 君山 – Jūn Shān. Island in Lake Dongting, site of the Beggars’ Guild assembly where Huang Rong became chief. ↩

20. 陆无双 – Lù Wúshuāng. Her name meaning “peerless” or “without equal”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

21. 完颜萍 – Wányán Píng. Her name meaning “duckweed”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

22. Yelu Yan (耶律燕). Sister of Yelu Qi, a young woman of Khitan aristocratic descent whom Yang Guo encountered during his travels. ↩

23. 柯镇恶 – Kē Zhèn’è. His name meaning “subduing evil”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

24. 轻功 – qīnggōng. Literally lightness skill. Martial art of body lightness; practitioners leap great heights and move with extraordinary speed. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩