The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 20 – Part 2

Yang Guo raised his sword to block. Qiu Qianchi called again, “Kick his back!” The two were facing each other directly, kicking his back was plainly impossible. But Yang Guo had developed considerable faith in Qiu Qianchi and knew her words always carried deeper meaning. Without question, he darted toward his opponent’s rear. Gongsun Zhi spun and slashed backward with his saber. Qiu Qianchi cried, “Thrust at his brow!” Yang Guo thought, I just circled behind him, and now you want me to thrust at his brow. The situation was urgent, no time to think. He immediately moved back to the front and was about to thrust at the brow when Qiu Qianchi called again, “Slash his backside!”

Watching from the side, Lü’e’s palms were slick with sweat. She furrowed her brow and thought, Mother’s wild shouting, isn’t she helping Father instead? She kept silent, but Ma Guangzuo could not hold back. “Brother Yang,” he bellowed, “don’t fall for that old hag’s tricks! She’s trying to wear you out!”

But Yang Guo, after dashing back and forth several times, had begun to grasp Qiu Qianchi’s intent. When she called “forward,” he went forward. When she shouted “back,” he immediately circled behind. Sure enough, after several cycles, an opening appeared beneath Gongsun Zhi’s right ribs. Yang Guo’s longsword flickered. shhh, the clothing tore and the sword tip bit an inch into flesh. Blood streamed from Gongsun Zhi’s side.

A collective cry of “Ah!” rose from the crowd as they all stood. The Imperial Preceptor and the others now understood: Qiu Qianchi had not been instructing Yang Guo how to win. She was teaching him how, when victory seemed impossible, to find a path to victory. She was not pointing out flaws in Gongsun Zhi’s techniques, she was teaching Yang Guo how to create flaws within moves that had no flaws. After guiding him several times, Yang Guo grasped the essence of this profound martial principle. Deep admiration filled his heart. When facing a true master, how can there be obvious flaws in their techniques? The guidance of Venerable Elder Qiu is a lesson to treasure for a lifetime. That Yang Guo grasped it in mere moments, he is quick indeed.

But to force Gongsun Zhi to reveal openings, one needed not only superior martial skill but also intimate knowledge of all his moves, enough to predict, ten moves in advance, every possible variation and response, gradually steering him down the path to error. This only Qiu Qianchi could do. Yang Guo understood the principle but lacked the ability to execute it on his own. Following her instructions, his sword flashing fiercely as he launched a furious assault at Gongsun Zhi from every direction. After twenty-some moves, Gongsun Zhi took another wound to the leg.

The cut was not deep, but it left a long gash, nearly five or six cun across. Gongsun Zhi thought, I cannot wound this brat Yang quickly. If this continues, with that old hag directing him, I will die under this scoundrel’s sword. Desperate times call for ruthless measures. Years ago, to save his own life, he had stabbed his beloved to death. Now, with the situation dire, he could no longer spare Xiaolongnü. The black sword flashed. shua, a savage slash at her shoulder.

: Stabbed his beloved to death. This refers to Gongsun Zhi killing his concubine Rou’er to save himself when Qiu Qianchi caught them. See Chapter 19 for the full account.

Yang Guo cried out in alarm and raised his sword to defend her. But he heard Qiu Qianchi shout, “Strike beneath his ribs!” Yang Guo froze. Gugu is under attack, how can I not save her? But Venerable Elder Qiu’s every instruction carries hidden meaning. Perhaps this is a diversion tactic, besiege Wei to rescue Zhao.¹ The thought had barely formed before his sword arced around, thrusting swiftly at Gongsun Zhi’s right waist. Then he heard Xiaolongnü cry out, her right arm had been wounded. With a qianglang, the Lady Sword fell to the ground. Gongsun Zhi’s black sword swept diagonally, parrying Yang Guo’s blow.

Yang Guo was horrified. He shouted urgently, “Fall back! I’ll handle him alone!” His surge of concern stirred emotion, and pain gripped his chest once more. Xiaolongnü was not lightly wounded. She had no choice but to withdraw, tearing at her gown to bandage the injury. Yang Guo fought on with desperate effort, and his fury at Qiu Qianchi’s misdirection burned. He shot her a venomous glare.

Qiu Qianchi sneered. “What are you blaming me for? I only help you kill the enemy, who said anything about saving people? Hmph. What does that girl’s life or death matter to me? The sooner she dies, the better!” Yang Guo raged, “You husband and wife are a perfect pair, neither of you has a shred of human decency!” Qiu Qianchi merely gave a cold laugh, her expression unchanged, and watched the fierce battle in silence.

Yang Guo stole a sidelong glance at Xiaolongnü. She was leaning against a chair, tearing fabric to dress her wound. It did not seem serious. His spirits lifted, and his sword style suddenly changed, from Quanzhen Swordplay to Jade Maiden Swordplay. Gongsun Zhi watched as his opponent’s swordplay, which had been steady and dignified, abruptly became light, nimble, and graceful, as if a different person had taken his place. Puzzled, he thought, This man is full of tricks. What is he up to now? But as he met the attacks, he felt the sword techniques flowing with power and elegance, unmistakably the mark of a master, the same style Xiaolongnü had just displayed. His suspicions dissolved. Golden saber and black sword pressed the attack together.

After ten-some moves, Yang Guo again found himself losing ground, forced backward step by step by Gongsun Zhi. Qiu Qianchi repeatedly called out instructions, but Yang Guo, furious that she had deliberately wounded Xiaolongnü, acted as though he could not hear her. Who asked for your meddling? Then a memory surfaced: while recovering from his injuries in Cheng Ying’s thatched cottage, he had found a collection of four-character poems by his pillow.² Bored in bed, he had leafed through it, finding the verses elegant and refreshing. As a martial artist, he connected everything to martial arts. Reading the poems, he had imagined sword techniques to match the lines. At the time, he had hoped to use them against Li Mochou³, but the opportunity never came. Now, with the verses rising in his mind, he unleashed four swift strokes. shua, shua, shua, shua, and chanted:

“A fine steed already heard, in splendid dress aglow, Left hand grasps the mighty bow, right hand receives the arrow.”

As he chanted, his sword moves matched the poetry, fluid, graceful, full of style. Gongsun Zhi froze. “What?” he said.

Yang Guo continued:

“Like wind that sweeps, like lightning’s flight, pursuing shadows, chasing light. Sweeping fierce across the plains, glancing back with proud disdain.”

The poems came in four-character lines, and his sword moves came in four-stroke sets. When he chanted “Like wind that sweeps, like lightning’s flight,” his sword moved with astonishing speed. On “Sweeping fierce across the plains, glancing back with proud disdain,” power gave way to elegance. Gongsun Zhi had never seen this style of swordplay. The chanting was pleasing to the ear, and his attacks slowed as he concentrated on grasping the meaning of the verses. He knew the sword techniques matched the poetry, if he could understand the poems, he could break the swordplay.

Yang Guo continued chanting:

“Resting in the orchid fields, grazing steeds on Huashan’s height. Arrows loosed on level banks, fishing lines in rivers bright. Eyes follow the homing geese, hands strum the five-stringed lute.”

These lines were serene and contented, but his swordplay opened wide and grand, pure, majestic, and refined. The final two lines were especially elusive: sword strokes drifting east yet striking west, rising high then falling low, one stance yielding two strikes, impossible to distinguish real from feint.

Xiaolongnü had finished bandaging her wound. Watching Yang Guo’s beautiful swordplay, a style she had never heard him mention, she asked, “Guoer, what swordplay is this? Who taught you?” Yang Guo laughed. “I figured it out myself. Gugu, what do you think? A few days ago, while I was recovering, there was a poetry collection by my bed. I liked this poem and memorised it. At the Heroes’ Feast, Elder Zhu Ziliu turned calligraphy into martial arts.⁴ I thought, why not turn poetry into martial arts? It should work just as well.” Xiaolongnü said, “It is very fine…”

Suddenly, the Golden Wheel Imperial Preceptor called out in praise, “Brother Yang, your intelligence and wisdom truly humble this old monk. The next lines must be: ‘Bowing low, raising high, the heart roams the great mystery. I praise that angler on the shore, he catches fish and forgets the weir.’”

Gongsun Zhi’s mind stirred. This monk is guiding me. He did not pause to wonder at the monk’s motives, only thinking: “‘Bowing low, raising high’, after the high strike, a low strike must follow.” He swept the black sword to guard his upper body while the golden saber hacked fiercely at the middle.

The Golden Wheel Imperial Preceptor was accomplished in both letters and martial arts. Though he lived in distant Mongolia, he had studied every branch of Han classical learning.⁵ Hearing Yang Guo’s poem, he already knew the next lines and spoke them aloud, hoping to use Gongsun Zhi’s hand to eliminate Yang Guo. This time, Gongsun Zhi seized the initiative: before Yang Guo’s sword move could unfold, every path had been blocked, while the serrated golden saber came slashing at his vitals. Fortunately, Yang Guo had also anticipated this move upon hearing the Imperial Preceptor’s recitation. He abandoned his self-created Four-Character Poem Swordplay, held his longsword horizontally to guard his midsection, and with the middle finger of his left hand. zheng, flicked the back of the golden saber.

Gongsun Zhi felt the shock travel up his arm. His tiger’s mouth tingled with numbness. This brat has too many strange techniques, he thought, alarmed. Yang Guo’s flick was none other than the Divine Flicking Finger technique passed down by Huang Yaoshi⁶.⁷ His skill was not yet sufficient to defeat an opponent with it, had Huang Yaoshi himself performed that flick, the golden saber would have flown from Gongsun Zhi’s grasp. But even this single flick was enough. Yang Guo’s longsword danced as he switched to Huang Yaoshi’s Jade Flute Swordplay.⁸ Both the Jade Flute Swordplay and the Divine Flicking Finger focused on striking acupoints. Sword and finger worked in concert, exquisitely subtle, profoundly mysterious. Though Yang Guo’s mastery was still incomplete, his furious assault made Gongsun Zhi struggle to defend. Several times, Gongsun Zhi tried to use his black sword to cut through the opponent’s weapon, but Yang Guo’s Gentleman Sword was also a treasured blade. The two swords clashed, sparks flying, neither could cut the other.

Footnotes

1. 围魏救赵 (Wéi Wèi Jiù Zhào). “Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao.” A classical Chinese military stratagem from Sun Bin: rather than directly reinforcing an ally under attack, strike at the enemy’s vulnerable rear to force them to withdraw. Here, Yang Guo attacks Jinlun Guoshi’s back to force him to abandon his assault on Xiaolongnü. ↩

2. 程英 – Chéng Yīng. Her name meaning “heroine” or “outstanding”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 李莫愁 – Lǐ Mòchóu. Her name meaning “do not sorrow”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 朱子柳 – Zhū Zǐliǔ. His name meaning “master willow”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 汉人经史百家之学 – Han classical learning. Hànrén Jīngshǐ Bǎijiā zhī Xué. Refers to the vast corpus of Chinese classical scholarship: the Confucian classics, historical records, and the works of the Hundred Schools of Thought. That the Mongolian Imperial Preceptor has mastered this body of knowledge underscores both his intelligence and Jin Yong’s theme that cultural borders are permeable. ↩

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

7. 弹指神通 – Tánzhǐ Shéntōng. Huang Yaoshi’s signature finger technique. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 玉箫剑法 – Yùxiāo Jiànfǎ. Huang Yaoshi’s sword technique, so named because he created it while playing the jade flute, merging music with swordsmanship. ↩