The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 20 – Part 3

By now, Qiu Qianchi was shouting again from the side: “His sword thrusts at your right waist, his saber chops at your neck!” “His sword slashes your right shoulder, his saber guards his left flank!” She called out every move of Gongsun Zhi’s repertoire before he even made them. With this, Yang Guo could not lose. Though the Yin-Yang Dual Blades were a family art, Qiu Qianchi had refined them, pruning the useless, adding the new, overhauling them thoroughly. Every move Gongsun Zhi made fell entirely within her calculations. No matter how he shifted and varied, she always named his intentions first. At the height of the battle, Qiu Qianchi suddenly shrieked, “His saber and sword both strike your upper body!” The timing of this call was viciously precise. Gongsun Zhi had already committed his weapons, unable to change course mid-strike, while Yang Guo still had room to defend. Yang Guo ducked low and darted forward, his sword guarding his back, while his left finger jabbed an inch and a half below the opponent’s navel, the qihai acupoint.¹ His finger struck true. Yang Guo’s heart leaped, surely the enemy was gravely wounded. But Gongsun Zhi launched a flying kick straight at his chin.

Startled, Yang Guo sprang several chi to the side. Only then did he remember, this man could seal his own acupoints.² In that brief moment of hesitation, Gongsun Zhi’s saber and sword came at him again. Qiu Qianchi shouted, “His sword and saber cross, right sword attacks left, left saber slashes right!” Yang Guo had no time to think and fought back with all his strength.

Judged purely by skill, Yang Guo had long been outmatched. He survived only because Qiu Qianchi anticipated every move, exposing every lethal technique before it could land. By now, the two had traded seven or eight hundred blows. The disciples of the valley watched with hearts pounding in terror, while masters like Xiaoxiangzi were utterly transfixed. Amid the flash of blades and shimmer of swords, Gongsun Zhi gasped for breath, and Yang Guo’s robes were soaked through with sweat. Neither man’s advances or retreats were as agile as before.

Gongsun Lü’e³ thought, If this continues, one of them will surely be wounded. I do not wish Yang Guo defeated, but neither can I bear to see my father harmed. She whispered to Qiu Qianchi, “Mother, tell them to stop. Let everyone hear the rights and wrongs of this matter.”

Qiu Qianchi snorted. “Pour two bowls of tea.” Though her heart was in turmoil, Lü’e obeyed and brought two bowls of tea before her mother. Qiu Qianchi raised her hands and removed the blood-soaked cloth wrapped around her head. When she had struck her head against the pillar, Xiaolongnü had torn her dress to bind the wound. Now, as she removed the cloth, fresh blood flowed from the crown of her head. Lü’e cried out in alarm, “Mother!” Qiu Qianchi said, “I won’t die!” She tossed the bloody cloth onto her lap, then took a tea bowl in each hand, four fingers per bowl, thumbs dipped into the tea. The blood from her fingers dissolved into the liquid. She swirled the bowls gently, and in moments, the blood vanished without a trace. “You’ve both fought hard,” she called. “Drink a bowl of tea before continuing.” To Lü’e, she said, “Take them tea to quench their thirst, one bowl each.”

Lü’e knew the depths of her mother’s hatred for her father. She could not believe this was simple kindness, offering tea to quench his thirst. Whatever the scheme, it likely boded ill for her father. But both bowls had been poured by her own hand, they contained no poison, and both were identical. She reasoned that her mother pitied Yang Guo, but if Father got no tea, he would never stop fighting, and Yang Guo’s bowl would remain undrunk. Both men were clearly exhausted. Taking the tea tray, she walked to the centre of the hall and said clearly, “Please, have some tea.”

Gongsun Zhi and Yang Guo had long been parched with thirst. At Qiu Qianchi’s call, both broke off and leaped apart. Lü’e brought the tray to her father first. Gongsun Zhi thought, This tea was sent at Qiu Qianchi’s command, there must be something wrong with it. It is probably poisoned. He waved his hand and said to Yang Guo, “You drink first.” Without fear, Yang Guo picked up a bowl at random and took a sip. Gongsun Zhi said, “Good, give me that one!” He took the bowl from Yang Guo’s hand. Yang Guo laughed. “Your own daughter poured this tea. Could it possibly contain poison?” He switched bowls and drained his in one gulp.

Gongsun Zhi studied his daughter’s face. Her expression was calm. Lü’er has strong feelings for this boy, he thought. She would never poison the tea. Besides, I’ve already switched bowls with him. What is there to fear? He drank it down in one swallow. Zheng! Saber and sword clashed together. “Let us fight again! Hmph, without that old hag’s guidance, you’d have lost ten lives to my golden saber and black sword already!”

Qiu Qianchi pressed the torn cloth back onto her head wound and said, in a dark, sinister tone, “His Acupoint-Sealing Skill is broken. You may strike his acupoints freely now.”

Gongsun Zhi froze. A faint taste of blood rose from the base of his tongue. The shock that struck him was beyond measure. The family’s secret Acupoint-Sealing Skill had one critical taboo: the practitioner must never consume the slightest trace of meat or blood. A single violation, and the skill would shatter instantly. The ancestors, fearing accidental contamination, had decreed in the sternest terms that no one in the valley should ever eat meat or fish. Even those who did not practice this advanced internal art were forced to maintain a vegetarian diet.⁴ He had always been meticulously cautious. How could he have imagined that Qiu Qianchi would devise such a venomous scheme, mixing her own blood into the tea? Yang Guo had drunk a bowl of blood-tainted tea without the slightest harm. But Gongsun Zhi’s Acupoint-Sealing Skill, the fruit of a lifetime’s bitter training, was destroyed in an instant.

He turned in a towering rage. Qiu Qianchi sat with a dish of honey dates on her lap, treats meant for the wedding guests, eating with evident relish. Slowly, she said, “Twenty years ago, I already told you: this skill of the Gongsun family is hard to learn and easy to break. Better not to practice it at all.”

Fire seemed about to burst from Gongsun Zhi’s eyes. Raising his saber and sword, he charged at her. Lü’e cried out and rushed to shield her mother. Suddenly, she felt a rush of wind past her ears, as if a hidden weapon had flown by. Gongsun Zhi let out a long, terrible howl. Blood streamed from his right eye. He spun and fled from the hall, saber and sword still clutched in his hands. Drops of blood spattered the floor, forming a crimson trail that led straight to the door. His agonised screams faded into the distance, swallowed at last by the mountain valleys. The guests in the hall looked at one another in bewilderment. No one knew how Qiu Qianchi had wounded him.

Only Yang Guo and Lü’e understood: Qiu Qianchi had used the same technique, spitting date pits from her mouth.⁵

Throughout Yang Guo’s fierce battle with Gongsun Zhi, she had been chewing honey dates, storing seven or eight pits in her mouth. She had seen that Gongsun Zhi’s martial arts had advanced greatly. Even if she launched a pit attack, he would surely dodge it. If the first strike missed and he became vigilant, she would never wound him again. And so, after exhausting him in combat, she had first used the blood-tainted tea to break his Acupoint-Sealing Skill, then struck with the date pits at the moment his fury crested. This was the only martial art she had cultivated through more than ten years of solitary bitter training. Its force and accuracy were a match for any deadly hidden weapon in the world. Had Lü’e not suddenly rushed forward to shield her mother, Gongsun Zhi would have lost both eyes, and a pit through the acupoint at his brow would have killed him on the spot.

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Lü’e’s heart ached with pity. She stood frozen for a moment, then cried, “Father! Father!” She made to chase after him. Qiu Qianchi barked, “If you want your father, go with him, and never let me see your face again.” Lü’e stopped, stunned, torn between two impossible choices. But when she thought about it, this was, after all, her father’s fault. Her mother had suffered far worse than he had. Besides, Father was already far away. She could not catch him now. Slowly, she walked back from the doorway, her head bowed in silence.

Qiu Qianchi sat imperiously in her chair, looking east and west. “Well, well,” she said coldly. “You all came to drink wedding wine today. The wine never reached your lips, how disappointing.” Her icy gaze made everyone’s skin crawl. They feared that at any moment, strange projectiles might fly from her mouth. The valley folk were simply terrified, but the Imperial Preceptor, Yin Kexi⁶, and the others quietly braced themselves for defence.

Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo had never imagined Gongsun Zhi would meet such an end. They both let out long sighs and reached for each other’s hands, clasping them tightly. Their hearts in accord, they walked shoulder to shoulder toward the door. They had just reached the threshold when Qiu Qianchi suddenly roared, “Yang Guo! Where do you think you’re going?”

Yang Guo turned and bowed low from the waist. “Venerable Elder Qiu, Miss Gongsun, we take our leave.” He knew his own days were numbered and said nothing of “meeting again.”

Lü’e returned the courtesy in silence, her face full of sorrow. Qiu Qianchi’s face was a mask of fury. “I have betrothed my only daughter to you,” she thundered. “Why do you neither call me mother-in-law nor linger even a moment longer?”

Yang Guo was taken aback. You may have betrothed your daughter to me, but I never accepted. Qiu Qianchi continued, “Bridal gifts are ready, lamps and candles are lit, and many guests have assembled. We martial artists need no fussy formalities. You two will be married today.”

The Golden Wheel Imperial Preceptor and the others had witnessed Yang Guo fight to the death several times for Xiaolongnü’s sake. Hearing Qiu Qianchi’s words, they knew another storm was brewing. They exchanged glances, some smiled, some gently shook their heads.

His left arm around Xiaolongnü, his right hand resting on the Gentleman Sword’s hilt, Yang Guo said, “Venerable Elder Qiu, your kindness is great, and your daughter has shown me profound grace. I am deeply grateful. But my heart belongs to another. I am truly not a suitable match for your daughter.” He retreated slowly as he spoke, fearing that in her rage, Qiu Qianchi might suddenly spray date pits, hence his hand on the sword, ready to defend.

Qiu Qianchi shot a venomous glare at Xiaolongnü and said coldly, “Heh. This little fox-spirit is indeed breathtakingly beautiful. No wonder the old one was bewitched and the young one is smitten.”⁷ Lü’e said, “Mother, Brother Yang and Miss Long were already pledged to each other. Let me tell you the whole story later, slowly.” Qiu Qianchi spat at her in fury. “Pei! What do you take your mother for? Do you think I go back on my word? Yang, don’t tell me my daughter isn’t beautiful enough for you. Even if she were hideous, today I will have you marry her.”

Ma Guangzuo, hearing this outrageous declaration, could not help but roar with laughter. “The married couple in this valley are truly a pair of clowns!” he boomed. “The husband forces another man’s girl to marry him, and the wife forces another woman’s boy to marry her daughter! What if he doesn’t want to, can you make him?”

“No,” said Qiu Qianchi coldly. Ma Guangzuo threw his head back and laughed. Suddenly. po, a date pit shot toward his brow, swift as lightning, impossible to dodge. Ma Guangzuo jerked his head up in shock. Pak! The pit knocked out three of his front teeth. Enraged, Ma Guangzuo roared and lunged at her. Po-po! Two more pits struck simultaneously, his right leg’s huantiao acupoint and his left foot’s yangguan acupoint.⁸ Both legs gave way, and he crashed to the ground, unable to rise.

Footnotes

1. 气海穴 – Qìhǎi Xué. “Sea of Qi” acupoint, located approximately one and a half cun below the navel. Critical point in Daoist internal alchemy and martial arts — striking it can disrupt an opponent’s neili flow. ↩

2. 碧血剑法 – Bìxuè Jiànfǎ. Jade Blood Swordplay; a sword technique associated with the Xia clan. ↩

3. 公孙绿萼 – Gōngsūn Lǜ’è. Her name meaning “green calyx”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. Vegetarian diet. Valley-wide vegetarian rule existed solely to protect the Gongsun family’s Acupoint-Sealing Skill from accidental contamination. Entire community’s dietary habits were shaped by one family’s martial secret — a darkly ironic detail. ↩

5. 口喷枣核 – Kǒu Pēn Zǎohé. Qiu Qianchi’s only remaining martial art after her limbs were crippled. Through years of bitter practice in her underground prison, she developed the ability to spit date pits with lethal force and accuracy, making this seemingly absurd technique a genuinely fearsome hidden weapon. ↩

6. 尹克西 – Yǐn Kèxī. His name meaning “overcome the west”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 狐狸精 – Húlijīng. In Chinese folklore, fox spirits are seductive supernatural beings who bewitch men. Qiu Qianchi uses this term to insult Xiaolongnü, implying she has used her beauty to enchant both Gongsun Zhi (“the old one”) and Yang Guo (“the young one”). ↩

8. 环跳穴, 阳关穴 – Huantiao and Yangguan acupoints. Huántiào Xué and Yángguān Xué. huantiao point is located on the hip/buttock area; the yangguan point is near the knee. Striking both simultaneously collapses the legs. ↩