The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 14 – Part 7

The National Preceptor had attacked for a long time without success. He had wounded the Wu brothers, but the injuries were not fatal, while one of his own warriors had been killed by Guo Fu’s blade. He could see that the many piles of rocks Huang Rong had arranged held some strange secret. He needed to work out the mystery before he could capture the four of them. Confident in his own intelligence, he reasoned that these people could not possibly escape his grasp. Once he had figured out the layout of the rock formation, he would stride in and seize them with his bare hands, that would truly demonstrate his ability. With a wave of his left hand, he ordered his men to withdraw, and he himself stepped back over a zhang, studying the rock formation in deep contemplation. All military formations and battle arrays, in principle, are based on the transformations of the Supreme Ultimate,¹ the Two Polarities,² the Five Elements,³ and the Eight Trigrams.⁴ The National Preceptor was well-versed in the arcane arts of divination and strategy. He thought that however strange this rock formation might be, it must still follow the principles of the Five Elements’ mutual generation and overcoming. Yet as he stared blankly for a long while, just when he seemed to glimpse a clue, deeper investigation would reveal it to be completely wrong. When the left flank aligned, the right flank shifted. When he understood the formation’s vanguard, its rear guard became impenetrable. He stood there stupefied, filled with astonishment and admiration. He was a man accomplished in both literary and martial arts, truly one of the most outstanding figures of his age. Now, confronted with this puzzle, he was determined to solve it through his own intellect, only then would his heart be satisfied.

The National Preceptor furrowed his brow in thought and remained motionless for a long while. Then suddenly, light blazed in his eyes. His figure flickered, and he plunged into the rock formation, seized Guo Fu by the arm, and retreated swiftly. This happened so suddenly that Huang Rong and the other two were thrown into panic, utterly at a loss. If they left the formation to rescue her, they would surely fall into his deadly trap.

What had happened was that Guo Fu, seeing the enemy standing motionless, had grown careless and failed to maintain the position her mother had assigned her, straying beyond the formation’s protection. The moment the National Preceptor saw an opening, he struck and captured her. He sealed a acupoint beneath her ribs with a finger and laid her on the ground. Deliberately, he left her mute point unsealed so that her cries of anguish would goad Huang Rong into leaving the formation. Guo Fu felt an unbearable numbness and itchiness spreading through her body and could not suppress her moans. Huang Rong knew full well the enemy’s scheme, but hearing her daughter’s pained cries set her heart boiling. She could only bite her lip and endure.

Yang Guo, watching from behind the trees, saw it all clearly. He watched Huang Rong raise her bamboo staff, ready to rush out of the rock pile to save her daughter, and that would be fatal. Without pausing to think, he burst from cover, grabbed Guo Fu by the back of her collar, and hurled himself toward the rock pile. The National Preceptor’s iron wheel flew out, aimed at Yang Guo’s back. Yang Guo was in mid-air, unable to dodge. With all his strength, he shoved Guo Fu toward Huang Rong while simultaneously executing the “Thousand-Jin Anchor”, his body plummeted straight down. With a heavy thud, he landed squarely on the rocks. He heard the clanging wheel whistle past overhead, describe a great arc, and fly back into the National Preceptor’s hand.

Huang Rong caught her daughter, overcome with grief and joy. She saw Yang Guo scramble up from the rocks, his face bruised and swollen, and quickly extended her bamboo staff to guide him into the stone formation.

Jinlun Guoshi saw victory snatched from his grasp, and once again, it was that brat Yang Guo’s doing. Instead of growing angry, he was almost pleased. He gave a cold, thin smile. “Good,” he said. “You have obligingly walked into the net yourself, saves me the trouble of hunting you down later.”

Yang Guo had thrown himself into the rescue out of sheer righteous fury. Only after entering the stone formation did it strike him that this act had likely cost him his life, and that he would never see Xiaolongnü again in this world. He could not help but feel a pang of regret. Huang Rong asked, “Where is your teacher?” Yang Guo said dejectedly: “She suddenly left in the middle of the night. I am searching for her.” Huang Rong guessed that her own words from the previous day had taken effect. She sighed and said, “Guoer, why did you have to do this?” Yang Guo could only manage a bitter smile. Shaking his head, he said, “Auntie Guo, I am foolish. When hot blood surges in my heart, I cannot control myself.” Huang Rong said, “Good child. Your heart is kind, just like your father…” She stopped mid-sentence. Yang Guo’s voice trembled. “Auntie Guo, my father was a bad man, was he not?” Huang Rong lowered her head. “Why do you want to know this?” she said. Suddenly she cried, “Careful, come here!” She pulled him across two piles of rocks, evading a sneak attack from Jinlun Guoshi.

Yang Guo studied the rock formation from front to back and was filled with admiration. “Auntie Guo,” he said, “there is no second person in this world with your brilliance.” Huang Rong had just unsealed her daughter’s acupoint and was massaging her. She smiled but did not answer. Guo Fu said, “What do you know? All of Mother’s skills were taught by Grandfather. Grandfather is the truly formidable one.” Yang Guo had seen the various works of Huang Yaoshi on Peach Blossom Island,⁵ but at that time he had been too young to appreciate their subtleties. Now, reminded by Guo Fu, he nodded repeatedly, his thoughts drifting with reverence. “If only I could one day meet the venerable old gentleman,” he sighed, “I would not have lived this life in vain.”

Suddenly, Jinlun Guoshi charged through two rock piles and attacked again. Yang Guo had no weapon. He hastily snatched up the bamboo staff Huang Rong had dropped on the ground and rushed out to block the assault. With two whistling sweeps of the staff, he deployed the Dog-Beating Staff Technique. The National Preceptor saw the sophistication of his staff work and focused his mind to meet the attack. After several exchanges, both men simultaneously tripped on the rocks and stumbled. The National Preceptor, fearing a trap, leaped out of the formation.

Huang Rong guided Yang Guo back inside and directed the Wu brothers and her daughter to rearrange the rocks, altering the formation. She asked Yang Guo: “Where exactly did you learn this Dog-Beating Staff Technique?” Yang Guo then told the whole story truthfully: how he had encountered Hong Qigong⁶ on Mount Hua,⁷ how the Northern Beggar and Western Poison⁸ had fought, how Hong Qigong had taught him the staff technique, and finally the circumstances of Hong Qigong’s passing. Hearing of her teacher’s death, Huang Rong was overcome with grief. She threw herself to the ground and wept bitterly, thinking that when her husband Jing learned of their beloved teacher’s passing, he would be devastated beyond measure. Then she thought that, trapped as they were, if her teacher were still by her side, he would surely tell her not to wallow in grief but to rally and face the enemy. At the thought of facing the enemy and breaking free, a sudden idea stirred in her mind. “Guoer,” she said, “you are very clever. Think of a way out of today’s predicament.”

Yang Guo, reading her expression, knew she had already thought of a plan. He pretended ignorance and said, “If you were in good health and fought the National Preceptor together with me, we could certainly win. Or if we could somehow get my teacher here, that would also work.” Huang Rong said, “I cannot recover in a moment, and who knows where your teacher has gone. But I have another idea, and it requires these piles of rocks. This stone formation was taught to me by my father. It contains a hundred transformations. What I have used so far is barely twenty percent.” Yang Guo was both surprised and delighted. He thought of Huang Yaoshi’s learning, which encompassed both heaven and humanity, and marvelled deeply.

Huang Rong said, “The Dog-Beating Staff Technique my teacher passed to you consists only of the external moves, and what you overheard from me in the tree was merely the general outline of the oral formula. Now I will transmit to you the subtle transformations within the staff technique.” Yang Guo was overjoyed. Feigning reluctance, he said, “This probably is not proper. The Dog-Beating Staff Technique has never, by tradition, been taught to outsiders, only to the Chief of the Beggars’ Gang.” Huang Rong rolled her eyes at him. “In front of me, what tricks are you trying to play? My teacher transmitted thirty percent of this staff technique to you. You stole another twenty percent by eavesdropping. Today I will teach you another twenty percent. The remaining thirty percent you must comprehend and grasp through your own intelligence, no one else can transmit it. In this way, firstly, no one person has taught you the complete art, and secondly, the urgency of today’s situation leaves us no choice but to bend the rules.”

Yang Guo dropped to his knees and kowtowed several times. Smiling, he said, “Auntie Guo, when I was little, you promised to teach me martial arts. Teaching me today, it is still not too late.” Huang Rong smiled faintly. “You have been holding a grudge all this time, have you not?” Yang Guo laughed. “I hold no grudge at all. I only always regretted not being able to learn your excellent martial arts.” In a low, soft voice, Huang Rong began explaining the profound mysteries of the staff technique to him.

Outside the rock formation, Jinlun Guoshi watched Yang Guo kowtow to Huang Rong. The two of them chatted and laughed, whispering together, he had no idea what they were plotting, but they seemed entirely confident. Always a cautious man, he knew that though these two were inferior to him in martial arts, they were both cunning and full of tricks. He must be careful not to fall into a trap. He was determined to first fathom the secrets of the formation before deciding on his strategy. Fortunately for them, his hesitation bought time. Without the need to fend off attacks, Huang Rong and Yang Guo completed the transmission of the essentials in under half a shichen.⁹

Yang Guo’s natural intelligence and quick comprehension surpassed Lu Youjiao’s¹⁰ a hundredfold. He could truly be said to hear one point and understand ten, to infer three from one example. Moreover, he had already devoted enormous effort to analysing this staff technique. Points that had previously baffled him no matter how he pondered them now, with Huang Rong’s brief guidance, became instantly and completely clear. From a distance, the National Preceptor watched Huang Rong’s expression, solemn and composed, her lips barely moving, while Yang Guo scratched his ears and rubbed his cheeks, utterly beside himself with joy. He truly could not fathom what was in their gourd,¹¹ but he could be certain it boded no good for him.

After Yang Guo had absorbed the essential principles, he asked about a dozen particularly profound points, and Huang Rong explained each one. “That will do,” she said. “That you can ask about these difficulties proves you have already grasped a great deal. Now for the second step, we must lure this monk into the formation and capture him.”

Yang Guo was startled. “Capture him?” Huang Rong said, “What is so difficult about that? At this moment, with you and me working together, our wisdom surpasses his, and our strength now exceeds his as well. I will now explain the mysteries of this rock formation. You will certainly not be able to comprehend them all at once, but fortunately your memory is excellent, you need only memorise the thirty-six transformations by rote.” And so she began to expound them one by one: how the Azure Dragon transformed into the White Tiger, how the Dark Warrior transformed into the Vermilion Bird.¹² This rock formation was, in fact, derived from Zhuge Liang’s¹³ Eight-Triggers Formation.¹⁴ In years past, Zhuge Liang had used stones to lay out a formation on the banks of the Yangtze. The great general of Eastern Wu, Lu Xun,¹⁵ had entered the formation and found himself unable to escape. The formation Huang Rong had now laid out was one that Huang Yaoshi had created following the principles left by the Marquis of Wu.¹⁶ But it had been set up in great haste and was incomplete. The great enemy had arrived before it could be fully deployed, and the formation had only taken rough shape. Yet even so, it had already frightened Jinlun Guoshi into disarray, making him stare helplessly at the five people before him without daring to attack.

The formation’s thirty-six transformations were intricate and profound beyond measure. Even with Yang Guo’s exceptional intelligence, he could only remember a dozen or so changes at first. Seeing that dusk was falling and the National Preceptor was growing restless, Huang Rong said, “Even these dozen transformations will be more than enough to trap him to death. Go out and lure him into the formation. I will shift the formation and entrap him.”

Yang Guo was delighted. “Auntie Guo,” he said, “if Gugu and I ever come to Peach Blossom Island, would you be willing to teach me this art in its entirety?” Huang Rong pressed her lips together in a smile. The cool breeze stirred her hair, and in the setting sun, her grace was captivating. “If you are willing to come,” she said, “how could I refuse to teach you? You have risked your life to save me and Fu’er twice now, do you think I would still treat you as I did before?”

Hearing this, Yang Guo felt a warmth spread through his chest. At that moment, whatever Huang Rong asked of him, he would have done it even if it meant dying ten thousand deaths. He raised the bamboo staff and strode out of the stone formation. “Rusty old Wheel National Preceptor!” he called. “If you have the guts, come fight me for three hundred rounds!”

Jinlun Guoshi had been worrying that they were plotting some scheme within the stone formation to ambush him. Seeing Yang Guo emerge and challenge him to single combat, he could not have asked for more. His iron wheel clanged as he swept it in a slanting strike. Fearing that Yang Guo would flee back into the formation if the fight went against him, after two attacks he began circling to cut off his retreat, intending to force him far from the rocks. But Yang Guo, armed with the newly learned essence of the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, deployed its eight key principles, tripping, splitting, tangling, poking, picking, luring, sealing, and turning¹⁷, with subtle variations and divine transformations. The National Preceptor, attacking carelessly in his overconfidence, grew momentarily lax and was poked in the thigh. Though he hastily sealed his acupoint in that critical moment and avoided injury, the pain lingered for a long while.

Footnotes

1. Taiji (太极). Supreme Ultimate, the fundamental principle of Chinese cosmology. Represented by the famous taijitu diagram (☯), it depicts yin and yang in dynamic, circular interdependence. Here, the merging of Hong Qigong’s orthodox and Ouyang Feng’s reverse Nine Yin Manual energy into a harmonious whole mirrors the taiji principle at its deepest level. ↩

2. 两仪 (Liǎngyí). “Two Polarities.” Yin and yang, the complementary forces that arise from the Supreme Ultimate and whose interaction generates all phenomena. ↩

3. 五行 (Wǔxíng). “Five Elements” or “Five Phases”: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. They interact through cycles of mutual generation and mutual overcoming, forming the basis of Chinese cosmology, medicine, and strategic thought. ↩

4. 八卦 (Bāguà). “Eight Trigrams.” Eight symbolic configurations of broken and unbroken lines representing fundamental principles of reality, used in Daoist cosmology and divination (Yijing). ↩

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

6. 洪七公 – Hóng Qīgōng. Literally Hong the Seventh Lord; the numeral seven marks seniority among sworn brothers. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 华山 – Huáshān. One of China’s Five Sacred Mountains, site of martial arts competitions. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 西毒 (Xī Dú). “Western Poison,” the martial name of Ouyang Feng. One of the Five Greats of the previous generation, known for his mastery of poison and his Toad Skill. He was Yang Guo’s sworn father, having taken the boy under his wing during a period of madness. ↩

9. 时辰 – shíchen. Traditional Chinese double hour; one twelfth of a day, equal to two modern hours. ↩

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

11. 葫芦里卖什么药 (Húlu lǐ mài shénme yào). “What medicine they’re selling in their gourd.” A Chinese idiom meaning “what they’re really up to” — derived from the image of travelling medicine peddlers who kept their remedies hidden in gourds. ↩

12. 四象 (Sì Xiàng). “Four Symbols.” The four mythological guardian creatures of Chinese cosmology: Azure Dragon of the East, White Tiger of the West, Vermilion Bird of the South, and Dark Warrior (tortoise-serpent) of the North. They correspond to the four cardinal directions and feature prominently in Daoist divination and military strategy. ↩

13. 诸葛亮 – Zhūgě Liàng. (181–234 CE) Legendary prime minister and military strategist of the Shu Han kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. ↩

14. 八阵图 (Bā Zhèn Tú). “Eight-Triggers Formation.” A legendary military formation attributed to Zhuge Liang, constructed from stone piles arranged according to the principles of the Eight Trigrams. Said to be impenetrable and inescapable once entered. ↩

15. 陆逊 (Lù Xùn). Lu Xun (183–245 CE), a brilliant general of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. Historically, he led Wu forces to a decisive victory against Shu Han at the Battle of Yiling. ↩

16. 武侯 (Wǔhóu). “Marquis of War.” The posthumous title of Zhuge Liang, honouring his military achievements. Also known as Zhuge Wuhou. ↩

17. 八字诀 (Bā Zì Jué). “Eight Formulae.” The eight core techniques of the Dog-Beating Staff Technique: tripping, splitting, tangling, poking, picking, luring, sealing, and turning. ↩