The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 3 – Part 4

He did not know how much time had passed when he saw Guo Jing and Huang Rong racing towards him. Guo Jing picked up Wu Xiuwen and began massaging his chest and abdomen. Huang Rong walked up to Yang Guo and asked, “Where is Ouyang Feng? Where is he?” Yang Guo stared blankly, not answering. Huang Rong asked again, “When did he teach you the Toad Stance Skill?” Yang Guo seemed to hear her, yet seemed not to. His eyes stared ahead, vacant and lost. His mouth was tightly shut, afraid that if he spoke even a single word, everything would come out. Huang Rong, seeing he would not respond, grabbed him by both arms and demanded, “Speak! Where is Ouyang Feng?” Yang Guo remained utterly motionless.

Before long, Wu Xiuwen regained consciousness under Guo Jing’s neili massage. Then Ke Zhen’e arrived, following Guo Fu. Hearing Guo Fu describe how Yang Guo had been upside down and how he had “killed” Wu Xiuwen, Ke Zhen’e realised that this boy was Ouyang Feng’s disciple. All his pent-up hatred now turned towards Yang Guo. Hearing Huang Rong repeatedly ask, “Where is Ouyang Feng?” while Yang Guo ignored her completely, he stepped forward, raised his iron staff, and barked, “Where is that villain Ouyang Feng? If you don’t speak, I’ll beat you to death with one strike!”

By now, Yang Guo had resolved to throw his life away. He shouted, “He’s not a villain! He’s a good man. Beat me to death if you want, I won’t say a word.” Ke Zhen’e flew into a rage and swung his staff down in fury. Guo Jing cried out, “Great Master, don’t, “ There was a sharp crack as the iron staff struck the sand beside Yang Guo. Ke Zhen’e had thought better of killing a mere child and had deliberately shifted his aim at the last moment.

Ke Zhen’e said sternly, “You still won’t speak?” Yang Guo shouted, “If you’ve got the guts, kill me! You think I’m afraid of a blind old man like you?” Guo Jing lunged forward and delivered a heavy slap across his face, shouting, “How dare you show such disrespect to your grand shifu!” Yang Guo did not cry. He only said coldly, “You don’t need to lift a finger. If you want my life, I’ll end it myself!” He turned and ran towards the sea.

Guo Jing shouted, “Guoer, come back!” Yang Guo ran even faster. Guo Jing was about to chase after him when Huang Rong said quietly, “Wait.” Guo Jing stopped at once. They watched as Yang Guo ran straight into the sea, plunging into the waves. Guo Jing cried in alarm, “He doesn’t know how to swim! Ronger, we have to save him!” He moved to go into the water. Huang Rong said, “He won’t die. Don’t worry.” After a while, seeing that Yang Guo still had not returned, she could not help admiring his pride. She leapt into the sea and swam out. An expert swimmer, rescuing someone in the shallows near shore was child’s play to her. She dived beneath the surface, dragged Yang Guo back, and laid him on a rock, letting him cough up the seawater and slowly regain consciousness on his own.

Guo Jing looked at his shifu, then at his wife, and asked, “What do we do?” Huang Rong said, “He learned this skill before coming to Peach Blossom Island. If Ouyang Feng had come to the island, we would certainly know about it.” Guo Jing nodded. Huang Rong asked, “How is Little Wu’s injury?” Guo Jing said, “He’ll probably need a month or two to recover.”

Ke Zhen’e said, “Tomorrow, I’ll return to Jiaxing.” Guo Jing and Huang Rong exchanged a glance, both understanding his meaning: he absolutely refused to live under the same roof as Ouyang Feng’s disciple. Huang Rong said, “Great Master, this is your home. Why should you have to leave because of this boy?”

That evening, Guo Jing called Yang Guo into his room and said, “Guoer, let us not speak of what has passed. You showed disrespect to your grand shifu, so you can no longer remain under my tutelage. From now on, you will only call me Uncle Guo. Your Uncle Guo is not skilled at teaching and fears he would only hold you back. In a few days, I will take you to Chongyang Palace¹ on Zhongnan Mountain² and ask the Quanzhen Order’s Perpetual Spring³ Master Qiu⁴ to accept you as a disciple. The martial arts of the Quanzhen Order are the orthodox school of wulin.⁵ Apply yourself diligently at Chongyang Palace, cultivate your mind and character, and I hope you will grow into a man of integrity.”

Yang Guo answered, “Yes, Uncle Guo.” He immediately changed his form of address, no longer recognising Guo Jing as his shifu.

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Guo Jing rose early one morning, packed silver and luggage, bade farewell to his great master, wife, daughter, and the Wu brothers, and set off with Yang Guo. They took a boat to the Zhejiang coast and went ashore. Guo Jing bought two horses, and they travelled north, setting out at dawn and resting at dusk. Yang Guo had never ridden a horse before, but he was agile and nimble, and after a few days of practice, he could handle the reins with ease. Being a spirited youth, he often galloped ahead of Guo Jing.

Before many days had passed, they crossed the Yellow River and entered Shaanxi. By this time, the Great Jin Empire had been destroyed by the Mongols, and all lands north of the Yellow River were under Mongol rule. Guo Jing had served as a general in the Mongol army in his youth and feared that encountering former Mongol comrades might cause trouble. He traded their fine horses for two extremely thin and ugly donkeys, dressed in worn and tattered clothes, and made himself look like an ordinary country farmer. Yang Guo also put on a coarse cloth jacket and wrapped a blue cloth around his head, riding astride the scrawny donkey. The donkey had a terrible temper and walked painfully slowly. Yang Guo spent the entire journey quarrelling with it.

One day, they arrived at Fanchuan,⁶ which lay at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain. The place was named after Fan Kuai,⁷ the great general who helped found the Han dynasty and whose fief was located here. The road wound through rolling hills, with pines and cypresses casting deep shade, and irrigated fields and vegetable plots stretching between them, the scenery was reminiscent of Jiangnan.

Having spoken not a word about the island since leaving Peach Blossom Island, Yang Guo could not help himself now. “Uncle Guo,” he said, “this place looks a bit like our Peach Blossom Island.” Guo Jing was struck by the words “our Peach Blossom Island” and felt a pang of sorrow. “Guoer,” he said, “Zhongnan Mountain is not far now. Apply yourself to your studies under the Quanzhen Order. In a few years, I will come back to bring you home to Peach Blossom Island.” Yang Guo turned his head away. “I will never return to Peach Blossom Island for the rest of my life.” Guo Jing had not expected such resolute words from a boy so young. He was stunned and for a moment could find no reply. After a long pause, he said, “Are you angry with your Aunt Guo?” Yang Guo said, “How would your nephew dare? It’s just that your nephew has angered Aunt Guo, that’s all.” Guo Jing, clumsy with words, did not pursue the matter.

The two of them climbed the hill and around noon arrived at a temple on the ridge. Guo Jing saw three large characters on the temple’s horizontal plaque: “Puguang Temple.”⁸ He tied the donkeys to a pine tree outside the temple and went in to ask for a vegetarian meal. There were seven or eight monks in the temple, and seeing Guo Jing’s shabby appearance, they treated him with extreme coldness, giving them only two portions of plain noodles and seven or eight steamed buns.

Guo Jing and Yang Guo sat on a stone bench beneath a pine tree, eating their noodles. Turning his head, Guo Jing suddenly noticed a stone tablet behind the pine tree, half-hidden by tall grass, with the characters “Perpetual Spring”⁹ visible. His heart stirred, and he walked over, brushing aside the grass to look. Carved on the tablet was a poem by Perpetual Spring, Qiu Chuji:

*Heaven is vast above, looking down upon the earth below , * Why does it not save the myriad souls from their suffering? The myriad souls torment each other day and night, Swallowing their rage, holding their breath, dying in silence. They look up to heaven and cry out, but heaven does not answer. One tiny, trivial thing, toiling in vain. If only the great cosmos could return to chaos, Spare the Creator from bringing forth sentient life.¹⁰

Guo Jing gazed at the poem and was reminded of events from more than ten years ago in the great deserts of Mongolia. He stood stroking the stone tablet, silent and lost in thought, until the anticipation of soon meeting Qiu Chuji brought joy back to his heart.

Yang Guo asked, “Uncle Guo, what does it say on this tablet?” Guo Jing said, “It’s a poem by your grand-master Qiu. He saw that the people of the world suffer many disasters and felt deep sorrow.” He explained the poem’s meaning, then added, “Master Qiu’s martial arts are certainly extraordinary, but this heart of his that cares for all people is even more admirable. Your father was one of Master Qiu’s prized disciples in those days. For your father’s sake, Master Qiu will surely treat you well. Study diligently, and you will certainly achieve great things.”

Yang Guo said, “Uncle Guo, I’d like to ask you something.” Guo Jing said, “What is it?” Yang Guo said, “How did my father die?” Guo Jing’s face changed colour. He thought of what had happened at the Iron Spear Temple in Jiaxing, and his body trembled slightly. He remained silent, his expression dark. Yang Guo asked, “Who killed him?” Guo Jing still did not answer.

Yang Guo remembered how, whenever he had asked his mother about his father’s death, her expression had always turned strange and she had avoided answering. He also sensed that while Guo Jing treated him with great warmth and kindness, Huang Rong seemed somewhat distant and wary. Young as he was, he felt there must be something hidden beneath it all. Now, unable to contain himself, he burst out, “My father was killed by you and Aunt Guo, wasn’t he?”

Guo Jing flew into a rage. He brought his hand down heavily on the stone tablet and said sternly, “Who taught you to speak such nonsense?” His martial power at this point was formidable beyond measure. In his fury, this single strike made the stone tablet shudder and sway. Yang Guo, seeing his anger, quickly lowered his head and said, “Your nephew knows he was wrong. I won’t dare speak nonsense again. Uncle Guo, don’t be angry.”

Guo Jing had always been very fond of him, and hearing him admit his mistake, his anger subsided. He was about to offer some words of comfort when he suddenly heard someone behind him let out a surprised exclamation. Turning around, he saw two middle-aged Daoist priests standing at the temple gate, staring intently with expressions of great indignation on their faces. They must have witnessed his strike on the tablet just now.

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Footnotes

1. 重阳宫 – Chóngyáng Gōng. Main temple of Quanzhen Order on Zhongnan Mountain. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 终南山 – Zhōngnán Shān. Sacred Daoist mountain housing both Quanzhen Order and Ancient Tomb School. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 长春子 – Chángchūnzǐ. Daoist name of Qiu Chuji, one of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, meaning Perpetual Spring. ↩

4. 丘处机 – Qiū Chǔjī. His name meaning “dwelling in opportunity”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 武林 – wǔlín. Literally martial forest. Those who actually practise, teach or study martial arts. Wulin sits inside the jianghu and is narrower than it: every member of the wulin belongs to the jianghu, but a pedlar or physician of the jianghu who never trained is no part of the wulin. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 樊川 – Fánchuān. Region at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, named after Fan Kuai, a general who helped Liu Bang found the Han dynasty. ↩

7. 樊哙 – Fán Kuài. Prominent military general of the early Han dynasty, known for his bravery and loyalty to Liu Bang, the founding emperor. ↩

8. 普光寺 – Pǔguāng Sì. Puguang Temple, a Buddhist temple on the approach to Zhongnan Mountain. Puguang means universal light. ↩

9. 长春 – Chángchūn. Perpetual Spring, part of Qiu Chuji’s Daoist name. ↩

10. 丘处机诗 – Qiū Chǔjī shī. Poem by Qiu Chuji reflecting his Daoist worldview and compassion for human suffering. Final couplet expresses a radical Daoist sentiment: that it would be better if the universe returned to primordial chaos than for sentient beings to continue suffering. ↩