The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 22 – Part 7

Li Mochou also knew this body technique. Seeing him execute it so nimbly, she called out in admiration, “Little Yang Guo, that was beautifully done!” The Imperial Preceptor was enraged. He struck his two wheels together with a sound like a dragon’s cry, lingering and unbroken. With a sweep of his left sleeve, he thrust his right-hand wheel at Yang Guo. Yang Guo feinted with his longsword and turned to flee, but he suddenly heard a rush of wind behind him. Li Mochou had swung her whisk to block his path. Laughing, she said, “Not so fast, Yang Guo! Let us play with this great monk a while longer.” Yang Guo saw the Imperial Preceptor’s copper wheel already within a chi of his chest and had no choice but to turn and parry.

The two had fought bitterly for days now. Each knew the other’s strength and techniques inside out. The moment they clashed, both fought speed with speed. Their figures flickered, three streaks of white light dancing up and down. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged over twenty moves. Li Mochou watched, secretly astonished: How is it that in so short a time, this boy’s martial arts have reached such a level? And how is this wicked monk so formidable?

In truth, Yang Guo’s martial arts had indeed advanced considerably. But half the reason was that he knew his life was nearly over. To repay Guo Jing’s kindness in raising him, he had resolved to fight to the death. When faced with lethal moves, he often did not defend himself, instead answering danger with danger, forcing the Imperial Preceptor to change his attacks. However, while Yang Guo could disregard his own life, he had to consider the baby’s safety. He could never do what Li Mochou had done and use the infant to shield his own vital points. Though he had seen how the Imperial Preceptor’s attacks avoided the baby when he fought Li Mochou, the thought that this was Guo Jing’s daughter made him unwilling to take the slightest risk. Precisely because he was protecting the baby at every turn, as time wore on, the Imperial Preceptor pressed him into one desperate situation after another.

The Imperial Preceptor saw that Li Mochou had ignored the baby’s safety, so his attacks had carefully avoided the infant. But he saw that Yang Guo feared harming the child, so he aimed more of his wheel strikes at the baby than at Yang Guo himself. This threw Yang Guo into even greater disarray. Unable to hold out, he shouted, “Li shibo¹! Help me drive off this bald villain! Everything else can wait!”

The Imperial Preceptor glanced at Li Mochou and saw her standing idly by, smiling, watching the tiger fight from the mountain,² helping neither side. He was deeply puzzled: Xiaolongnü also called her shijie. This woman is indeed his shibo. Why does she not lend a hand? There must be some scheme behind this. I must wound this boy quickly and seize the baby. He increased his force, pressing Yang Guo until he could barely cope. Li Mochou knew the Imperial Preceptor would not harm the baby. No matter how desperately Yang Guo shouted for help, she paid no attention, standing with her hands clasped behind her back, the picture of leisurely ease.

They fought on. A dull ache began to rise in Yang Guo’s chest. He knew his neili could not match his opponent’s, and this kind of reckless fighting could not last. He had not heard the baby cry for some time and feared something was wrong. In the midst of the frantic battle, he glanced down at the infant. He saw a delicate little face with clear brows and fine features, an exquisitely pretty countenance. She was gazing at him with a pair of jet-black, glistening eyes. Yang Guo had never gotten along with Guo Fu, but toward this infant in his arms, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart: I am fighting to the death for her right now. If heaven grants that I save her life, seven days from now I will be dead. Someday, when she grows to be her elder sister’s age, will she remember me? A pang of sorrow gripped his heart, and he nearly wept.

Li Mochou watched from the side as his strength flagged, as his life hung by a thread beneath the twin wheels. She considered stepping in to help, but then thought, This boy’s martial arts have advanced so greatly. It would be best to let this monk finish him off. Otherwise, I will never be able to control him in the future. She kept her hands tucked in her sleeves, unmoving.

Among the three, the Imperial Preceptor’s martial arts were the strongest, and Li Mochou was the most vicious. But when it came to cunning and stratagems, Yang Guo was supreme. His moment of grief passed, and he immediately began calculating how to escape. He thought, When Auntie Guo told me the tales of the Three Kingdoms, she said that at the time, Cao Wei was the strongest. For Shu Han to resist Wei, it had to ally with Sun Quan.³ Since Li Mochou refused to help him, he would have to help Li Mochou instead. He parried two sword strokes, blocking the Imperial Preceptor, then retreated two quick steps and suddenly thrust the baby into Li Mochou’s arms. “Here!” he said. “Take her!”

This move caught Li Mochou completely off guard. For a moment, she could not fathom his intent and instinctively took the baby. Yang Guo shouted, “Shibo, take the child and flee! Let me hold off this bald villain!” He stabbed out two fierce sword strokes, keeping the Imperial Preceptor from closing in. Li Mochou thought, So he believes I still have some regard for our school ties and would not harm the child. In this crisis, he has handed her to me. Nothing could be better. It never occurred to her that this was one of Yang Guo’s schemes to shift disaster onto someone else. She had just started to move when the Imperial Preceptor spun around and smashed his golden wheel at her, abandoning Yang Guo to strike at her back. This move came with terrifying speed. She had barely begun to move when the wheel was already upon her like a shadow. Li Mochou had no choice but to turn and block with her whisk.

Yang Guo saw that his scheme had worked and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. But he cared about the baby and was not willing to stand by with folded arms like Li Mochou, waiting for the two to wear each other down. As soon as his breathing steadied, he raised his sword and attacked the Imperial Preceptor.

By now, the red sun hung high in the sky, and shafts of sunlight still pierced through the dense forest. Yang Guo’s spirits lifted, and his swordplay grew even more fluid and effective. With a clang, the Gentleman’s Sword sheared a piece off the copper wheel. The Imperial Preceptor was secretly alarmed, and his attacks grew sharper. A new scheme formed in Yang Guo’s mind. He called out, “Li shibo, be careful of this monk’s wheel! The notch my sword cut into it is coated with lethal poison. Do not let it touch you.” Li Mochou asked, “Why?” Yang Guo said, “The poison on my sword is extremely potent!”

Earlier, when the Imperial Preceptor had been cut by Yang Guo’s longsword, he had been constantly worrying that the blade was poisoned. But after fighting for so long without any unusual sensation from the wound, he had set his mind at ease. Now, hearing Yang Guo bring it up again, his heart could not help but tremble: Gongsun Zhi is treacherous and sinister. Perhaps the sword truly is poisoned. His fighting spirit immediately deflated.

Li Mochou suddenly lashed out with her whisk and called, “Guoer, use your poison sword on this monk!” She flicked her hand as though launching a hidden projectile. The Imperial Preceptor whirled his wheels to shield his chest. But Li Mochou’s gesture had been nothing but empty posturing. She had seen the Imperial Preceptor’s martial arts and knew her Soul-freezing Silver Needles⁴ could not hit him. She had only meant to slow him down for an instant, and in that instant, she escaped the range of his twin wheels, turned, and fled.

Although Jinlun Guoshi suspected Yang Guo’s sword was poisoned, the wound neither itched nor swelled. He was loath to return from this expedition empty-handed, having achieved nothing but injuries. Seeing Li Mochou flee, he set off in pursuit.

Yang Guo thought that this pattern of fighting and chasing could go on forever. If this newborn baby was exposed to the wind and cold of the wilderness, even if they rescued her, she might not survive. Only by joining forces to drive off the Imperial Preceptor first could they then devise a proper plan. He shouted, “Li shibo, there is no need to run! This bald villain has been struck by lethal poison. He does not have long to live!” The words had barely left his mouth when he saw Li Mochou dart forward and disappear into a cave in the mountainside.

The Imperial Preceptor froze, not daring to rush in after her. Yang Guo had no idea what Li Mochou intended to do with the baby and feared she might suddenly strike a fatal blow. He had long since placed his own life and death aside. Shielding his chest with his longsword, he charged into the cave. Immediately, he saw a flash of silver light and struck down three Soul-freezing Silver Needles with his sword. “Li shibo, it is me!” he called. The cave was pitch black, but his eyes could see in the dark. He saw Li Mochou holding the baby in her left hand, several more silver needles pinched between the fingers of her right. To show he meant no harm, he turned his back to her and said, “Let us join forces to drive off this bald villain first.” Sword raised, he guarded the cave entrance.

The Imperial Preceptor calculated that the two of them would not dare rush out for the time being. He sat cross-legged beside the cave entrance, opened his robes, and examined his wound. The blood around the sword cut was bright red, there was no sign of poisoning. He pressed the wound and felt only a slight ache. He secretly circulated his neili through one revolution and felt not the slightest obstruction in any limb or meridian. His heart was filled with both joy and fury, joy that Yang Guo’s sword carried no poison, fury that he had been deceived by this boy and had worried for nothing for half the day. He studied the cave entrance. It was hidden by long grass, and the opening was barely wide enough for one person. His own frame was large and tall. If he rushed in recklessly, the tight turns inside would put him at a disadvantage, he might fall victim to an ambush from the two inside.

He was at an impasse when he suddenly heard a strange voice call out from behind the hillside: “Great monk, what are you doing here?” The accent was unmistakably that of the Indian dwarf, Nimoxing. The Imperial Preceptor kept his eyes fixed on the cave entrance. “Three rabbits have scurried into this hole,” he said. “I am going to flush them out.”

Nimoxing had caused nothing but chaos in Xiangyang and was retreating empty-handed. On his way back to camp, he had spotted the Imperial Preceptor’s gold, copper, and lead wheels spinning through the air in the distance and knew he was fighting someone. He had followed the signs to this spot. Seeing the Imperial Preceptor staring intently at the cave entrance, his heart leaped with joy. “Guo Jing has fled into this cave?” he asked. The Imperial Preceptor snorted. “One buck rabbit, one doe rabbit, and one little bunny.” Nimoxing was even more delighted. “Ah! Besides Guo Jing and his wife, there is also that boy Yang Guo.” The Imperial Preceptor let him ramble on, paying no attention. He looked around, and an idea came to him. He gathered dry branches and withered grass and piled them at the cave entrance, then struck a flame. The southwest wind was blowing hard, and thick smoke immediately poured into the cave.

Yang Guo had guessed the Imperial Preceptor’s plan the moment he began piling the kindling. He said to Li Mochou in a low voice, “Let me check whether this cave has another exit.” He walked deeper inside. After about seven or eight zhang, the cave came to a dead end. He turned back and said quietly, “Li shibo, they are smoking us out. What do you suggest?” Li Mochou thought that forcing their way out would certainly not shake off the Imperial Preceptor, and hiding here was no solution either. When things truly became hopeless, she could always abandon the baby and escape alone. This monk had no grudge against her, he was after the baby. At that point, he would not keep pursuing her. So she was not alarmed, merely smiling coldly to herself.

Before long, the smoke in the cave grew thicker and thicker. Yang Guo and Li Mochou held their breath and could endure for the time being, but the baby began to cry and cough. Li Mochou laughed coldly. “Does your heart ache?” Yang Guo had fought a desperate, life-or-death battle while carrying this baby girl, and in the process, a feeling of tender affection for her had grown in his heart. Hearing her cry so miserably, he said, “Let me hold her.” He extended both hands and stepped two paces closer. Li Mochou lashed out with her whisk, striking at his arm, and shouted, “Stay away from me! Are you not afraid of the Soul-freezing Silver Needles?”

Yang Guo leaped back. At the words “Soul-freezing Silver Needles,” a thought suddenly occurred to him. He remembered his very first encounter with her as a child, merely holding one of those needles in his hand for a moment had poisoned him severely. He tore a strip of cloth and wrapped it around his right hand. Then he went to the cave entrance, picked up the three silver needles Li Mochou had shot at him earlier, and inserted them into the ground with their tips pointing upward, leaving only an inch of needle exposed above the soil. He sprinkled a little sand over them to hide the glint of the metal. By now, the cave entrance was piled with firewood, and thick smoke filled the air. He worked hunched over, and neither the Imperial Preceptor nor Nimoxing noticed a thing.

His preparations complete, Yang Guo retreated and said in a low voice, “I have a plan to drive off the enemy. Keep the baby quiet.” Then he called out loudly, “Wonderful! There is an exit at the back of the cave! Let us go, quickly!” His voice was brimming with joy. Li Mochou was startled, thinking there really was another way out. Yang Guo leaned close to her ear and whispered, “It is a lie. I want to trick that bald villain.”

The Imperial Preceptor and Nimoxing heard Yang Guo’s jubilant shout and were taken aback. Then silence fell inside the cave. Even the baby’s cries gradually faded. They never imagined that Yang Guo had covered the infant’s face with his sleeve. They assumed he had truly escaped through the back of the cave. Without a second thought, Nimoxing darted around to the rear of the hillside to cut them off. But the Imperial Preceptor was more meticulous. He listened intently. The baby’s cries were only muffled and faint, they were not growing more distant. He knew this was another of Yang Guo’s tricks, trying to make him go around to the hillside so Yang Guo could burst out of the cave entrance with the baby. He sneered inwardly: This paltry trick of luring the tiger from the mountain,⁵ and you think you can use it on this old monk? He hid beside the cave entrance, raising his gold and copper wheels, waiting for Yang Guo to emerge.

Footnotes

1. 师伯 – shībó. Senior lineage uncle. Shixiong or shijie of one’s shifu. Shī means teacher. Bó means father’s elder brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 隔山观虎斗 – Watching the tiger fight from the mountain. Chinese idiom meaning to stand aside and watch others fight, waiting to benefit from their mutual destruction. Phrase originates from the Warring States period strategy of letting two enemies exhaust each other. ↩

3. Three Kingdoms alliance strategy. During the Three Kingdoms period (220—280 CE), the kingdom of Shu Han (led by Liu Bei and his strategist Zhuge Liang) allied with the eastern kingdom of Wu (led by Sun Quan) to resist the much stronger northern kingdom of Wei (led by Cao Cao). Yang Guo is applying this strategic principle to his current predicament. ↩

4. 冰魄银针 – Bīngpò Yínzhēn. Li Mochou’s signature concealed weapon. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 调虎离山 – Luring the tiger from the mountain. One of the Thirty-Six Stratagems of ancient Chinese military thought. Strategy involves drawing an enemy away from their position of strength, making them vulnerable. ↩