The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 22 – Part 5

As Yang Guo passed Xiaolongnü on the roof, he shot her a meaningful glance and smiled, a strange, sly expression. Xiaolongnü knew he was up to another trick, but she could not guess what scheme he had devised. The enemy was strong, and she could not set her mind at ease. She wanted to follow and help, but suddenly, from the room below, came the sound of a baby’s cry. “Wah, wah!” Guo Fu cried out joyfully, “Ma has given birth to a little brother!” She leaped down. It is a truth of womanhood the world over: when you hear someone has given birth, the first question is always whether it is a boy or a girl. Xiaolongnü’s curiosity was no different from anyone else’s. Besides, Yang Guo was full of stratagems, that smile seemed to suggest he had the upper hand. She decided to go see Huang Rong’s baby first, and followed Guo Fu inside.

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Jinlun Guoshi gathered his breath and pursued at top speed. He was drawing closer and closer to Yang Guo, and his heart swelled with joy. Let us see you escape my grasp this time, he thought. He could see that the hat on the person Yang Guo was carrying was the very one Guo Jing had worn the day before. It was Guo Jing, beyond any doubt.

The qinggong of the Ancient Tomb School that Yang Guo had learned was arguably unmatched under heaven. Even with someone on his back, the thought that every step he took put Uncle Guo one step farther from danger drove him forward. He ran with desperate, life-or-death urgency. For a time, the Imperial Preceptor could not catch him. Yang Guo dashed across the rooftops for a while, then, hearing the footsteps behind him drawing nearer, leaped down to the ground. Through the alleys and lanes, he dodged east and burrowed west, running in great circles, playing hide-and-seek with the Imperial Preceptor.

Yang Guo’s qinggong was slightly superior to the Imperial Preceptor’s, but with a person on his back, had they been on open ground, he would have been caught long ago. By sticking to the darkest, most twisting lanes and alleys, hiding and darting, he kept the Imperial Preceptor from catching him. As the two of them circled around, Xiaoxiangzi, Nimoxing, and Zhu Ziliu arrived one after another.

The Imperial Preceptor said to Nimoxing, “Brother Nimoxing, you guard this alley entrance. I will go in and flush that brat out.” Nimoxing rolled his strange eyes and barked, “Monk’s words are for monk to hear himself. Nimoxing will not listen, not at all.” The Imperial Preceptor thought, This Indian dwarf is beyond reason. He leaped onto a wall and scanned the area. He spotted Yang Guo, carrying Guo Jing, crouched in a corner catching his breath. Delighted, he crept along the wall, preparing to pounce down and seize them. But Yang Guo suddenly let out a great cry, sprang to his feet, and vanished into the smoke, disappearing without a trace.

The Imperial Preceptor had started the fires precisely to force Guo Jing out. But now, with smoke and flames everywhere, it was harder than ever to find anyone. He was peering this way and that when he heard Da’erba shout, “Here!” The Imperial Preceptor followed the voice and found Da’erba swinging his golden pestle, locked in combat with Yang Guo. The Imperial Preceptor leaped forward and cut off Yang Guo’s retreat. Yang Guo charged ahead, slipping past Da’erba in a blur. At that moment, the Imperial Preceptor’s silver wheel was already in flight.

The silver wheel came like the wind. Yang Guo had no time to dodge. With a ripping sound, it grazed Guo Jing’s shoulder, slicing a deep gash across his back. The Imperial Preceptor was exultant. “Got him!” he cried. But Yang Guo, ignoring whether Guo Jing was dead or alive, kept running at full speed.

Yang Guo burst out of the alley to find a sinister voice ahead: “Boy, surrender!” It was Xiaoxiangzi, holding his staff and blocking the alley exit. Yang Guo now had no path forward and pursuers behind. He looked up. On the wall above crouched a dark, huddled shape. Nimoxing. Yang Guo leaped onto the wall. Nimoxing’s strange serpent struck down at his head, trying to force him back into the alley. Yang Guo calculated that enough time had passed. Guo Jing and Huang Rong must surely have escaped by now. He reversed his grip on the soldier on his back and thrust him into Nimoxing’s hands, shouting, “Here is Guo Jing for you!”

Nimoxing was overcome with shock and joy. He thought Yang Guo had flipped yet again, suddenly switching sides to deliver a monumental prize into his hands. He reached out and seized the figure. Yang Guo lashed out with a fierce kick, striking Nimoxing square in the buttocks and sending him tumbling off the wall. Nimoxing bellowed in triumph, “I have captured Guo Jing! I am the Foremost Warrior of the Mongol Empire!” Xiaoxiangzi and Da’erba would never let him claim the glory alone. They rushed over to fight for the prize. The three of them each seized one of the small soldier’s limbs and pulled with all their might. All three possessed tremendous strength. With that single wrench, the soldier was torn into three pieces. His hat fell off, and the three of them saw clearly that it was not Guo Jing. They stood frozen in place, speechless.

The Imperial Preceptor had seen Yang Guo abandon Guo Jing and flee, and had known from the start that something was amiss. He had not joined the scramble. Seeing the three of them suddenly freeze, he snorted and cursed, “Idiots!” Then he resumed his pursuit of Yang Guo. Even if I cannot take Guo Jing today, he thought, if I can kill this treacherous, deceitful boy, this trip to Xiangyang will not have been in vain.

But by now, Yang Guo had vanished without a trace. Where could the Imperial Preceptor search? After a moment’s thought, he reasoned: That brat Yang Guo carried a fake Guo Jing and ran with such desperate effort, obviously, he wanted to lead me on a wild chase. The real Guo Jing must be somewhere near where I started those fires. Since he used a trick, I will use a counter-trick to draw him out. He headed straight for the area where the fires burned fiercest.

Yang Guo was hiding under the eaves of a house, watching the Imperial Preceptor’s movements. He saw him racing back toward Guo Jing’s residence. Not knowing whether Guo Jing had already escaped to safety, his heart was filled with worry. Quietly, he followed. He watched the Imperial Preceptor reach the vicinity of the large house, then leap down, shouting, “Ah, Guo Jing! So you were here all along! Come with this old monk now!” Yang Guo was horrified and was about to leap down after him when he heard the clashing of weapons. ping-ping-pang-pang, and the Imperial Preceptor’s shout: “Guo Jing! Surrender at once!” The sounds of metal striking metal continued without pause. Yang Guo’s eyes rolled. He laughed to himself: You stinking bald villain. I nearly fell for your trick. How laughable, trying too hard and ruining your own scheme. What weapon-clashing sounds are you faking? Uncle Guo is wounded, how could he cross weapons with you? And how could there be such a continuous clatter of combat? You want to trick me into showing myself. I will stay right here and watch you make a fool of yourself.

Then he heard the Imperial Preceptor bellow, “Yang Guo! You are dead this time for sure!” Yang Guo was puzzled. What does he mean, I am dead this time? Then he understood. He cannot draw me out, so he wants to make Uncle Guo rush out to save me. He heard the Imperial Preceptor laugh heartily and say, “Yang Guo, ah, Yang Guo! To lose your miserable life at my hands today, you can hardly complain.”

The words had barely left his lips when a white figure flickered through the smoke. A young woman burst out and threw herself at the Imperial Preceptor, sword thrusting. Yang Guo shouted, “Gugu! I am here!” But the Imperial Preceptor had already swung his wheels to intercept Xiaolongnü. The Imperial Preceptor’s shouting and clamouring had made it sound as though Yang Guo was in mortal danger. Xiaolongnü, hearing this, had been overcome with concern and rushed out to fight. Yang Guo raised his sword and leaped to her side. The two exchanged a smile, then launched into the Pure-hearted Jade Maiden Swordplay,¹ enveloping the Imperial Preceptor in a net of flashing steel. The Imperial Preceptor groaned inwardly: Now I have brought disaster upon myself, letting these two combine their swords again. All around them, heat billowed and steamed. Pillars of fire and beams of smoke collapsed and fell.

The Imperial Preceptor fought with all his might, using his wheels to fend off their twin swords as he retreated toward the northwest corner. Yang Guo called out, “We cannot let him escape today! We must eliminate this root of disaster!” His longsword trembled, and his body rose with the blade as he thrust toward the Imperial Preceptor’s back.

Since his last defeat under the Pure-hearted Jade Maiden Swordplay, the Imperial Preceptor had devoted himself to deep contemplation and had developed a set of techniques specifically to counter this sword art. The only problem was that when the two swords combined, their mysteries were boundless. The two practitioners’ minds merged into one, becoming a single martial arts adept with four legs and four arms. Whether his new techniques could truly break this was something he had never been able to confirm. Now, with the situation desperate, he could no longer worry about the many flaws still present in his Five Wheels Divine Palm.² He had no choice but to try. Reaching into his robes, he produced a ringing clatter as three more wheels flew into the air, while he still held one wheel in each hand. These five wheels, gold, silver, copper, iron, and lead, varied in weight and size. He caught and flung them in succession, the wheels emerging now straight, now askew.

Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü were immediately dazzled and disoriented. Inwardly alarmed, Yang Guo thrust two sword strokes to the left while leaning right. Xiaolongnü understood at once. She struck repeatedly to the right with her Lady’s Sword, shifting her footwork to close the distance between them. Facing such strange techniques, they dared not attack immediately. They would first secure their defence, study the patterns of the enemy’s moves, then plan their counterattack.

The Imperial Preceptor’s five wheels spun like the wind. But he saw that the two opponents’ sword energy crisscrossed, forming a net of light. Though the combined might of his five wheels was formidable, they could not penetrate that net of light. He sighed to himself: Even with all five wheels deployed, I still cannot overcome the combined swords of these two youngsters. Just as his spirits were flagging, two sharp cries. “Wah, wah!”, came from within Xiaolongnü’s robes. A baby was wailing. This startled not only the Imperial Preceptor but Yang Guo as well. All three froze for a moment, their attacks slowing.

Xiaolongnü patted the baby gently with her left hand and said, “Little one, do not cry. Watch me drive away this old monk.” But the baby only cried harder. In a low voice, Yang Guo asked, “Auntie Guo’s?” Xiaolongnü nodded, then thrust a sword stroke at the Imperial Preceptor.

The Imperial Preceptor blocked with his golden wheel. He had not caught Yang Guo’s question and could not fathom why Xiaolongnü was carrying a baby. But he reasoned that the added encumbrance would surely diminish the power of her swordplay. He urged his golden wheel forward, attacking Xiaolongnü with ferocity.

Yang Guo launched several sword strokes, taking over the Imperial Preceptor’s attacks. He turned his head and asked, “Are Uncle Guo and Auntie Guo all right?” Xiaolongnü said, “Chief Huang helped Grand Uncle Guo escape from the burning building…” Clang! She parried the Imperial Preceptor’s left-hand copper wheel and continued, “The situation was desperate, the main beam was about to come crashing down. I snatched this baby girl from the bed…” Yang Guo swept a horizontal slash at the Imperial Preceptor’s right leg, neutralizing the lead wheel being pushed toward Xiaolongnü. “It is a girl?” he asked. Guo Jing already had one daughter. Yang Guo had expected a boy this time. Another daughter was somewhat unexpected. Xiaolongnü nodded. “A girl. Quick, take her…” She reached her left hand into her robes, wanting to hand the baby to Yang Guo.

But amid the baby’s cries, the Imperial Preceptor’s attacks grew fiercer. Three wheels whirled overhead, waiting for a chance to strike down. The two wheels in his hands grew even more relentless. Yang Guo was exerting every ounce of his strength just to hold him off. How could he spare a hand to take the baby? Xiaolongnü cried, “Take the child, quickly! Ride the Sweat-blood Horse to…” Clang, clang! The Imperial Preceptor’s twin wheels drove them both into peril. Xiaolongnü could not finish her sentence. By now, their hearts were each preoccupied with different thoughts, and the power of the Pure-hearted Jade Maiden Swordplay could no longer manifest.

Yang Guo thought that only by taking the baby himself could Xiaolongnü stop dividing her attention and avoid a fatal mistake. He edged closer to her side. Xiaolongnü was also about to hand the baby to Yang Guo. Their intentions aligned, and in that instant, the power of their twin swords surged. The Imperial Preceptor was forced back two steps. Xiaolongnü passed the baby over with her left hand. Yang Guo was reaching out to take it when a black shadow flashed, the iron wheel came slicing diagonally toward the infant. Fearing the baby would be hurt, Xiaolongnü released the child, flipped her palm up, and grabbed at the iron wheel. The wheel’s momentum was ferocious, its edge sharper than a blade. But Xiaolongnü wore her gold-thread gloves.³ As her palm met the wheel, she pushed outward, using oblique force to neutralize its spinning momentum, then lifted upward and seized it, a perfect application of deflecting a thousand jin with four liang.⁴

At that very moment, Yang Guo caught the baby. Seeing Xiaolongnü snatch the iron wheel, he cried, “Excellent!” Had the Imperial Preceptor hurled the wheel directly at Xiaolongnü, she would have had great difficulty catching it. But because it had been aimed at the baby, she had been able to seize it from the side. Xiaolongnü was delighted to have captured the wheel. She gave a soft laugh and, imitating the Imperial Preceptor’s own technique, raised the iron wheel and hurled it at her enemy, repaying him in his own coin. The Imperial Preceptor was both shocked and humiliated. With one of his five wheels lost, the Five Wheels Divine Palm was instantly broken. He decided to withdraw the other two, keeping only the gold and silver wheels in his hands. Slashing horizontally and thrusting vertically, his power increased further.

Yang Guo held the baby in his left arm. “Let us kill this bald villain first,” he said. “Everything else can wait.” Xiaolongnü said, “Good!” She held the iron wheel across her chest as a shield and, together with Yang Guo, attacked with both swords. With a formidable new weapon in hand and freed from the encumbrance of the baby, her power should have doubled. But to her shock, after just a few moves, her swordplay and Yang Guo’s were jarringly out of sync, they could no longer combine their swords. The more she fought, the more alarmed she became, unable to understand why. She did not realise that the wondrous essence of the Pure-hearted Jade Maiden Swordplay lay purely in the joyful communion of two hearts, free of all impurity. Now, with an iron wheel thrust between their twin swords, it was as though a third party had inserted itself between a pair of lovers, disruption upon disruption. How could their minds still flow as one? How could her heart become his heart? Neither of them grasped this truth in the heat of the moment. They fought several more exchanges, and now there was even more obstruction than if each had been fighting alone. Xiaolongnü grew desperate. “We cannot beat him today! Take the baby and go to Passionless Valley, quickly…”

A thought stirred in Yang Guo’s mind, and he understood her meaning: if he rode the Sweat-blood Horse out of the city now, he could reach Passionless Valley within seven days. Though he could not bring the heads of Guo Jing and Huang Rong, he would be bringing their daughter. He could tell Qiu Qianchi that Guo Jing and his wife, devastated by the loss of their beloved daughter, would surely come to Passionless Valley, and then he could find a way to exact his revenge. Under those circumstances, Qiu Qianchi would have no choice but to hand over the remaining half of the pill. Once the lethal poison in his body was neutralized, he could then risk everything to rescue the infant from danger. This delaying tactic, he calculated, was something Qiu Qianchi would have to accept. Two days ago, Yang Guo would not have hesitated for an instant. But now, his admiration for Guo Jing’s wholehearted devotion to the nation had reached its peak. He could not bear to put Guo Jing’s daughter in danger for his own sake. To seize the man’s infant daughter and deliver her to Passionless Valley, no matter how you looked at it, it was exploiting someone’s misfortune. It was not what a true man of honour should do. So after a brief pause, he said, “Gugu, that will not do!”

Footnotes

1. 玉女素心剑法 – Yùnǚ Sùxīn Jiànfǎ. Paired sword technique of the Ancient Tomb School. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 五轮大转手 – Wǔlún Dàzhuǎn Shǒu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 金丝手套 – Jīnsī Shǒutào. Protective gloves woven from fine gold thread, impervious to blades; equipment of the Ancient Tomb School. ↩

4. 斤 – jīn. Traditional Chinese unit of weight, approximately 500 grams or 1.1 pounds. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩