The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 18 – Part 6

The words were barely out of her mouth when a sharp chi chi sound rang out, and white light flashed before their eyes. Eight sharp swords thrust forth from above, below, left, and right of the door frame, crossing and interweaving, filling the entrance entirely. If anyone had stepped through that door at that moment, no matter how high their martial skill, they could hardly have avoided being pierced through the body by those eight blades.

Xiaolongnü let out a long breath. “Guoer, this Valley Master is so vicious. I truly misjudged him. We need not compete with him in any sword contest. Let us just leave.” Suddenly, a voice behind them said, “The Valley Master invites the two of you to enter the chamber and select your swords.” The two turned. Eight green-robed disciples stood blocking the path behind them, holding the blade-studded fishing nets. The Valley Master had naturally feared that Yang and Long would try to escape together and had sent men to cut off their retreat. Xiaolongnü’s Golden Bell Chain had been severed by the black sword and could no longer be used to strike the green-robed disciples’ acupoints from a distance as before.

Xiaolongnü said to Yang Guo, “What other tricks do you think this chamber holds?” Yang Guo took her hands in his palms and said, “Gugu, now that you and I are together, what regret could remain? Even if ten thousand swords pierce our hearts, you and I will die together.” Xiaolongnü’s heart, too, was filled with tender feeling. Together, they stepped into the sword chamber. Yang Guo closed the door behind them.

---

Inside the chamber, the walls, tables, shelves, cabinets, and stands were all arrayed with weapons. The variety was vast, eight or nine out of ten were ancient swords. Some were over seven chi long. Others were short, barely a few inches. Some were mottled with rust. Others gleamed with a cold light that dazzled the eyes. The two of them were bewildered by the profusion. For a moment, they could not take it all in.

Xiaolongnü gazed at Yang Guo for a long while, then suddenly, with a soft cry, threw herself into his embrace. Yang Guo held her tight and pressed his lips to hers. Under his kiss, Xiaolongnü’s heart and soul melted into intoxication. She stretched out both hands to wrap around his neck and returned his kiss.

Suddenly, with a peng, the chamber door was thrust open. A green-robed disciple said sternly, “The Valley Master commands: select your swords and leave the chamber at once. No lingering.” Yang Guo’s face flushed red. He released his hands at once. But Xiaolongnü thought that she loved Yang Guo, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with the two of them embracing and kissing. It was only that having someone interfere made it hard to fully savour the moment. She sighed and said softly, “Guoer, wait until we have defeated that Valley Master. Then you may kiss me like this again.” Yang Guo smiled and nodded. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and said tenderly, “I could never kiss you enough in all eternity. You choose the weapons.”

Xiaolongnü said, “The weapons here truly seem to be rare pieces, every one. Not a single one is inferior. Even in our ancient tomb, we do not have so many.” She began examining them one by one, starting from the wall. She wanted to pick a pair of sharp swords equal in length and weight. But as she looked, every sword was different from the next. As she browsed, she asked, “When we entered just now, how did you know there was a mechanism here?” Yang Guo said, “I guessed from the Valley Master’s expression and the look in his eyes. He originally wanted to marry you. But the moment he heard you say you would join forces with me against him, he decided to kill you. Knowing his character, I did not believe he would be so kind as to let us come here and choose weapons.”

Xiaolongnü sighed again softly. “If we use the Pure-Hearted Jade Maiden Swordplay, can we defeat him?” Yang Guo said, “Though his martial skill is high, it is not above Jinlun Guoshi’s. The two of us together defeated the Imperial Preceptor. It stands to reason we can defeat him too.” Xiaolongnü said, “That is right. The Imperial Preceptor kept provoking him to fight the two of us, he wants to observe clearly.” Yang Guo smiled. “You have come to understand some of the treachery in men’s hearts. I am only worried about your health. You vomited blood again just now.”

Xiaolongnü’s smile bloomed like a flower. “You know that I only vomit blood when I am grieved or angered. Right now, I am overjoyed. This minor internal injury is nothing. You vomited blood too. Is it not serious?” Yang Guo said, “Now that I have seen you, nothing troubles me.” Xiaolongnü said tenderly, “It is the same for me.” She paused, then continued, “Your martial skill has advanced greatly of late. When we fought the Imperial Preceptor together, we could still win. How much more so today?” Hearing this, Yang Guo felt their chances of victory in this contest were high. Holding her hand, he said, “I want to ask you to promise me one thing. I wonder if you will.”

Xiaolongnü said softly, “Why do you still need to ask? I ceased to be your shifu long ago. I am your wife now. Whatever you say, I will follow your wishes.” Yang Guo said, “That… that is wonderful. I… did not know.” Xiaolongnü said, “Ever since that night on Mount Zhongnan, when you and I were so intimate, how could I still be your shifu? Though you were unwilling to take me as your wife, in my heart, I have long been your wife.” Yang Guo did not know what exactly had happened that night on Mount Zhongnan to make her suddenly ask such a question. Perhaps it was a momentary surge of emotion, or perhaps her long-suppressed feelings had at that moment burst forth and revealed themselves. Naturally, he could never have guessed the matter of Zhen Zhibing’s vile deed.¹ He thought, That day, my sworn father Ouyang Feng taught me martial arts and sealed your acupoints. I certainly did not share any intimacy with you. But hearing her speak such tender, lingering words in that soft voice, he felt intoxicated as though with wine. For a moment, he could not speak.

Xiaolongnü leaned against his chest. “What did you want me to promise?” Yang Guo stroked her fine hair. “Once we defeat the Valley Master, we will immediately return to the ancient tomb. After that, no matter what happens, you must never leave my side again.” Xiaolongnü raised her head and looked into his eyes. “Do you think I wanted to leave you? Do you think my heartbreak after leaving you was any less than yours? Of course I promise. Even if the heavens collapse, I will never leave you again.”

Yang Guo was overjoyed. He was about to speak when the head green-robed disciple called out loudly, “Have you chosen your weapons yet?”

Xiaolongnü smiled faintly and said to Yang Guo, “Let us go as quickly as we can.” She turned, intending to simply take any two swords at random. But then she noticed a large patch of scorch marks on the western wall, and several tables and chairs also burned and broken. She could not help but stare. Yang Guo laughed. “That Old Urchin burst into this sword chamber once and set a fire. These scorch marks are naturally his handiwork.” Beneath a half-burnt scroll painting in the corner of the room, he spotted the ends of two sword sheaths protruding. A thought stirred: These two swords were originally concealed by the painting. Only because Old Urchin burned away half the scroll were the swords exposed. For the master to arrange them thus, these two swords must be especially precious. He reached up and took them from the wall, handed one to Xiaolongnü, and grasped the hilt of the other, drawing it from its sheath.

The moment the sword left the sheath, both felt a chill on their faces. The blade was jet black, without the faintest gleam, like a length of black wood. Xiaolongnü also drew her sword. It was identical to the one in Yang Guo’s hand, same size, same length, no difference whatsoever. With the twin swords placed side by side, the chill in the chamber intensified greatly. Yet both swords lacked points and lacked edges, round-tipped, blunt-sided, resembling thin wooden rods, just like the pointless, edgeless blunt swords they had used when practising the Pure-Hearted Jade Maiden Swordplay. Yang Guo turned the sword over and saw two characters engraved upon it: “Gentleman.”² He looked at Xiaolongnü’s sword, it was engraved “Lady.”³ Yang Guo was delighted by these paired, complementary sword names. He looked at Xiaolongnü to see what she thought.

Xiaolongnü said happily, “These swords have neither points nor edges, perfect for crossing moves with the Valley Master. He saved my life once. I never wished to harm him.” Yang Guo laughed. “The swords are named Gentleman and Lady. I hardly deserve the name. If that ‘Gentle’ character were changed to ‘Rogue,’ the sword would suit me far better.”⁴ As he spoke, he thrust the sword twice in empty air. It felt perfectly balanced in the hand, extremely nimble. “Good,” he said. “Let us use this pair.”

Xiaolongnü returned her sword to its sheath. Just as she was about to leave the chamber, she noticed a bouquet of flowers in a vase on the table, delicate and enchanting, extraordinarily beautiful. But the arrangement was messy and unkempt, without pattern. Most likely, Zhou Botong had messed it up during his rampage. She reached out casually to tidy it. Yang Guo cried, “Ah, no, you mustn’t!” But it was already too late. Xiaolongnü’s finger had been pricked several times by the flower’s thorns. Startled, she turned back. “What is it?” Yang Guo said, “Those are passion flowers. After all these days in the valley, did you not know?” Xiaolongnü sucked her injured finger several times and shook her head. “I did not know. Passion flowers? What flowers are those?”

Yang Guo was about to explain when the green-robed disciples urged them repeatedly. The two returned to the great hall. Gongsun Valley Master had long been waiting with the utmost impatience. He glared at the green-robed disciples, clearly blaming them for their incompetence, how could they have allowed Yang and Long to delay so long? The disciples were terrified, and every face changed colour.

When the two drew near, Gongsun Valley Master said, “Miss Liu, have you chosen your swords?” Xiaolongnü drew the Lady Sword and nodded. “We will use this pair of blunt swords. We would not dare truly fight the Valley Master to the death. Shall we agree to stop at the touch?” The Valley Master’s heart clenched. He demanded harshly, “Who told you to take these swords?” As he spoke, his gaze swept toward Gongsun Lü’e, then settled on Xiaolongnü’s face. Xiaolongnü felt slightly puzzled. “No one told us. Is this pair not to be used? Then we shall go exchange them for two others.” The Valley Master shot a furious glare at Yang Guo. “Exchange them? Would that not take another half a day? No need. Begin.”

Xiaolongnü said, “Master Gongsun, let us make things clear beforehand. Neither he nor I, fighting you alone, is your match. Now, two against one, we hold the advantage. We do not truly wish to be your enemies, nor do we care about victory or defeat. So long as you do not obstruct us, we will admit defeat and offer our thanks.” The Valley Master gave a cold laugh. “Defeat the sabre and sword in my hands, and naturally I will leave you to your own devices. But if you lose, the marriage pact can no longer be reneged upon.”

Xiaolongnü smiled faintly. “If we lose, he and I will die together, buried in this valley. That is all.” Gongsun Valley Master said no more. The golden sabre in his left hand swept out with a rushing roar, slashing diagonally at Yang Guo.

---

Yang Guo raised his sword and returned a stance called “White Crane Spreads Its Wings”, an orthodox technique of the Quanzhen Order.⁵ Gongsun Valley Master thought, Though this stance is rigorous in form, it is merely steady and unremarkable. His right sword swept back and thrust straight at Yang Guo’s shoulder. He had set Xiaolongnü aside entirely, directing both sabre and sword at Yang Guo. Yang Guo concentrated his spirit to meet the enemy, tightly guarding his defensive perimeter, and took three stances.

Xiaolongnü waited until the Valley Master had delivered three moves, then advanced with her sword. Gongsun Valley Master did not use his golden sabre to parry her sword moves. Only when her attack came with extreme speed did he deploy the black sword to deflect it. His moves showed deliberate deference. The Imperial Preceptor watched seven or eight stances, then smiled. “Gongsun Valley Master, showing such tender regard for beauty. I fear you will suffer greatly for it.” The Valley Master said, “Great Monk, if you look down on me, you are welcome to come down and instruct me later. For now, spare me your guidance.” As he spoke, he urged sabre and sword onward, and the wind in the hall grew steadily louder.

After several more exchanges, Yang Guo used a Quanzhen Swordplay stance called “Sweeping Across the Northern Desert,”⁶ while Xiaolongnü used a Jade Maiden Swordplay stance called “Painting Eyebrows with Colour.”⁷ Both were horizontal, slanting slashes, but Yang Guo’s long sword swept from left to right across several chi, while Xiaolongnü’s sword merely trembled twice, ever so slightly. The two stances combined into one move of the Pure-Hearted Jade Maiden Swordplay. “Dressing Before the Curtain.”⁸ The Valley Master was startled. He raised the black sword to block Yang Guo’s long sword and brought the golden sabre across to guard his brow. Xiaolongnü’s blade brushed just past his eyes. Sabre and sword clashed. dang! The head of the golden sabre was sheared off by the Lady Sword.

Footnotes

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

2. 君子剑 – Jūnzǐ Jiàn. One of a legendary pair of swords. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 淑女剑 – Shūnǚ Jiàn. Counterpart to the Gentleman Sword. “Shunü” means a virtuous, refined lady — the feminine counterpart to the junzi ideal. ↩

4. Gentleman/Rogue wordplay. Character 君 (jūn, “gentleman”) resembles 浪 (làng, “rogue” or “dissolute”). Yang Guo jokes that the “rogue” sword would suit his wild, unrestrained nature better. ↩

5. “White Crane Spreads Its Wings.” 白鹤亮翅 – Bái Hè Liàng Chì. Fundamental defensive stance in many Chinese martial arts, including Quanzhen Swordplay, in which the arms are spread like a crane displaying its wings. ↩

6. “Sweeping Across the Northern Desert.” 横行漠北 – Héng Xíng Mò Běi. Quanzhen Swordplay stance featuring a broad horizontal sweep, named for the vast deserts north of China. ↩

7. “Painting Eyebrows with Colour.” 彩笔画眉 – Cǎi Bǐ Huà Méi. Jade Maiden Swordplay stance whose name evokes the intimate, tender act of a husband painting his wife’s eyebrows — a classic Chinese romantic image. ↩

8. “Dressing Before the Curtain.” 帘下梳装 – Lián Xià Shū Zhuāng. Combined stance of the Pure-Hearted Jade Maiden Swordplay, evoking the image of a woman dressing and arranging her hair before a curtain. ↩