The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 6 – Part 4

Xiaolongnü carefully analysed the meaning of the song and said, “It sounds as though this is indeed the essential formula of Quanzhen martial arts. Since you know it, nothing could be better.” Yang Guo recited all the oral formulae Zhao Zhijing had taught him, one by one. What Zhao Zhijing had taught that day was indeed the basic essentials of the Quanzhen Order’s superior internal techniques, but he had not taught their application. As for terms like “Bubbling Spring,” “Twelve-Storied Tower,” and “Mud Pill,” he had not explained them at all. Yang Guo had merely memorised them, they were utterly useless to him. Now Xiaolongnü carefully deduced and explained, pointing out that the “Bubbling Spring” acupoint was on the sole of the foot, the “Tail Gate” acupoint was at the end of the spine, and the “Mud Pill” was none other than the “Hundred Meetings” acupoint at the crown of the head. The same acupoint could have six different names, which easily led to confusion. Once Xiaolongnü identified the key points, Yang Guo understood immediately. Over the course of several months, the two of them largely comprehended and grasped the essential martial arts that Wang Chongyang had left on the chamber ceiling.

One day, after the two had finished sparring with swords in the stone chamber, Xiaolongnü sighed and said, “At first I underestimated the martial arts of the Quanzhen Order. I only knew that though it is acclaimed as the orthodox source of all martial arts under heaven, it was really nothing special. Only today do I realise that this path truly contains profound principles. Although we have thoroughly understood its methods and secrets, to train until the techniques flow naturally from the heart and the force arrives of its own accord, I do not know how many months and years it will take to achieve that.” Yang Guo said, “Though the Quanzhen Order’s martial arts are refined, since Founding Grandmaster left behind methods to counter them, there must naturally be skills that surpass them. This is what they mean by ‘for every mountain, there is a higher one.’” Xiaolongnü said, “Starting tomorrow, we shall train in the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.”

The next day, the two went together to the second stone chamber and trained according to the symbolic formulae and diagrams on the ceiling. This round of training was far easier than learning the Quanzhen martial arts. The methods Lin Chaoying had created to counter Wang Chongyang’s martial arts were, after all, derived from her own original martial discipline. The symbolic formulae and diagrams on the ceiling were the essential formulae of the Heart Sutra, but Lin Chaoying had a separate oral transmission with detailed explanations, describing the training methods and the core principles of the Heart Sutra’s martial arts. This Heart Sutra progressed from shallow to deep and was divided into ten sections. Xiaolongnü’s shifu had not transmitted it to her first disciple, Li Mochou, but had instead passed it on to the younger disciple, Xiaolongnü. Li Mochou believed there was a written copy of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, never knowing that her grandmaster and shifu had only transmitted it orally, with no written record.

After several months, the two had completed the external techniques of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Sometimes Yang Guo would use Quanzhen sword techniques while Xiaolongnü countered with Jade Maiden sword techniques, when Xiaolongnü used Quanzhen sword techniques, Yang Guo would counter with Jade Maiden sword techniques. The Jade Maiden sword techniques were indeed the nemesis of Quanzhen sword techniques. Every move and every stance precisely suppressed the Quanzhen moves until they could not move at all, each step matched needle-point to wheat-awn, every move seized the initiative before the opponent could act. No matter how the Quanzhen sword techniques shifted and transformed, they could never escape the encompassing net of the Jade Maiden sword techniques.

The sword moves the two used were all extremely vicious, but following the instructions in the sutra, they had broken off the tips of their swords and used a hammer to blunt the cutting edges on both sides. These swords could neither stab nor wound, they had become “Bladeless Swords” that possessed only sword moves and sword intent but could not harm. The reason Li Mochou used a fly-whisk instead of a sword was precisely because, although the Ancient Tomb School’s sword techniques were exquisite, they were not well suited to injuring an enemy. By using a fly-whisk to execute sword moves, the sword techniques were exquisite and unpredictable, and she would often win with a single exchange.

Little did anyone know that the “Bladeless Sword” was not well suited to injuring because Lin Chaoying had only sought to counter the Quanzhen sword techniques. She had no intention of truly fighting Wang Chongyang to the death. Her aim was to compete in skill, not to fight in earnest, one victory was enough. She would never injure him. Thus the Ancient Tomb School’s “Jade Maiden Bladeless Sword” featured sword moves that were fantastically unpredictable, endlessly transforming. They seemed ordinary and unremarkable, then suddenly a phantom move would appear. It might look as though the wielder was about to throw down the sword and admit defeat, when a strange move would abruptly arise, the sword coming from a direction that seemed utterly impossible, dazzling the eyes and leaving the opponent at a loss. For when Lin Chaoying crossed swords with Wang Chongyang, seven-tenths was in earnest, but three-tenths was in play. Lin Chaoying and Wang Chongyang were originally evenly matched, in truth, neither could defeat the other. Wang Chongyang knew full well that his opponent was fiercely competitive, and he also pitied her for being a woman. At critical moments he would often yield a move or half a move. Lin Chaoying would then develop variations from this, sometimes acting coy and playing the fool, sometimes throwing a tantrum and playing the rogue, showing not the slightest bearing of a grandmaster of martial arts. Just when Wang Chongyang did not know whether to laugh or cry, Lin Chaoying would seize the victory. These sword techniques were originally perfectly suited for sparring with one’s own people, but in real combat, precisely because they contained so many flourishes and layer upon layer of feints, the enemy could not distinguish true from false and was extremely easily deceived. By the time they realised, they would have long since been subdued by the opponent, and it would be too late for regrets.

With the external techniques initially completed, they turned to training the internal techniques. Quanzhen internal techniques were vast and profound. To create new methods in neili that could surpass them, how could that be anything but enormously difficult? But Lin Chaoying was truly a genius of the highest order. She actually found a different path, seizing the advantage through unorthodox and devious means. Xiaolongnü raised her head and gazed at the diagrams on the ceiling, pondering in silence. She stared motionlessly, her brow furrowed the entire time.

Yang Guo said, “Gugu, is this skill very difficult to train?” Xiaolongnü said, “I once heard my shifu say that the internal techniques of this Heart Sutra require two people training together. I thought I would be able to train it together with you, but it turns out we cannot.” Yang Guo grew frantic and hurriedly asked, “Why not?” Xiaolongnü said, “If you were a woman, then it would be possible.” Yang Guo said anxiously, “What difference does it make? Aren’t men and women the same?” Xiaolongnü shook her head. “They are not the same. Look at these diagrams carved on the ceiling.” Yang Guo looked where she pointed and saw that in the corner of the ceiling were carved countless human figures, no fewer than seventy or eighty. By their appearance they all seemed to be female, each in a different posture, with fine threads radiating outward from their entire bodies. Yang Guo still did not understand the reason and turned his head to look at her.

Xiaolongnü said, “My shifu once pointed to these diagrams and said that when training this skill, hot vapour steams from the entire body. One must choose a spacious, uninhabited place and train with all clothing loosened and open, so that the hot vapour can dissipate immediately without the slightest obstruction. Otherwise, it will turn inward and accumulate in the body, at the least causing serious illness, at the worst causing death.” Yang Guo said, “Then we’ll just loosen our clothes and train.” Xiaolongnü said, “In the later stages, the two must use their neili to guide and protect each other. You and I are male and female, to loosen our clothes and face each other, what kind of conduct would that be?”

In these two years, Yang Guo had devoted himself wholly to training and had never thought about the difference between male and female with his shifu. Now he felt that loosening all their clothing and facing each other to train was indeed improper. Xiaolongnü was already past twenty by this time, but having grown up in the ancient tomb since childhood, she could be said to know nothing of the ways of the world. Moreover, the core principle of her school’s training was precisely the suppression of the seven emotions and six desires. Thus, although master and disciple were a young man and a young woman who spent every day and night together, one cold and indifferent, the other respectful and reverent, there was absolutely nothing that transgressed propriety between them. Now, discussing the matter of loosening their clothes to train, they felt only that it was a difficult problem, nothing more. Yang Guo suddenly said, “I have it! The two of us can sit side by side on the Cold Jade Bed to train.” Xiaolongnü said, “Absolutely not. The hot vapour would be forced back by the Cold Jade Bed. Train for less than a few days, and both you and I would be dead.”

Yang Guo pondered for a long while, then asked, “Why must two people train together? Can’t we each train on our own? If I encounter something I don’t understand, can’t I just ask you about it gradually?” Xiaolongnü shook her head. “It won’t work. This internal technique is difficult at every step, and at every moment one can stray into a wrong path. Without someone at your side to assist, you are certain to suffer a deviation. Only by you aiding me and me aiding you, combining the strength of two people, can we cross the perilous passes together.” Yang Guo said, “Training this internal technique is indeed rather troublesome.” Xiaolongnü said, “If we train our external techniques a bit more until they are thoroughly familiar, that will be enough to defeat the old Daoists of Quanzhen. Besides, it’s not as if we’re really going to fight them to the death. Even if we can’t defeat them, what does it matter? We can skip training this internal technique.” Hearing his shifu say this, Yang Guo agreed.

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One day, after finishing his training, Yang Guo went out of the tomb to hunt some river deer and rabbits for food. After shooting a yellow river deer, he went chasing after a grey rabbit. The grey rabbit darted and dodged, exceptionally nimble. By now his qinggong was already quite accomplished, but for a time he could not catch up to it. His childish heart was stirred, and he refused to use hidden projectiles to injure it, instead competing with it in qinggong, wanting to tire the rabbit out until it could run no more. Man and rabbit ran farther and farther. The rabbit rounded a mountain hollow and suddenly burrowed through a large clump of red flowers.

This clump of red flowers stretched out for several zhang, dense and layered, its strange fragrance assailing the nostrils. By the time he circled around the flower clump, the rabbit had vanished without a trace. Yang Guo had been chasing it for half the day and had already grown fond of it. Even if he had caught up, he would have let it go, not finding it was fine too. But he saw that the flower clump was like a great screen, with red petals and green branches, truly beautiful to behold. On all sides the shade of trees hung down, as if nature had formed a flower chamber and tree house. A thought stirred in Yang Guo’s mind, and he hurried back to bring Xiaolongnü to see it.

Xiaolongnü said indifferently, “I don’t care for flowers. If you like them, stay here and enjoy yourself.” Yang Guo said, “No, Gugu, this is truly the perfect place for us to train. You stay on this side, and I’ll go to the other side of the flower clump. We’ll both loosen our clothes, but neither of us will be able to see the other. Isn’t that perfect?” Hearing this, Xiaolongnü felt it made great sense. She leapt up into a tree and looked around in all directions. East, south, west, and north, all was secluded and quiet. Only the sound of springs and the song of birds could be heard. There was no trace of human presence. It was indeed an excellent place for training. She said, “I’m impressed you thought of this. Let us come tonight to train.”

That night after the second watch,¹ master and disciple came to the depths of the flower shade. In the still night, the fragrance of the flowers was even more intense. Xiaolongnü recited a section of the oral formulae and methods for training the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Yang Guo asked about the difficult and puzzling parts until he understood them. The two then went to opposite sides of the flower clump, loosened their clothes, and began training. Yang Guo extended his left arm through the flower clump to press his right palm against Xiaolongnü’s. If either encountered difficulty during training, the other would sense it and could immediately circulate energy to assist.

After the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra reached the seventh section, the techniques were entirely for two people joining hands against an enemy, twin swords combined as one. When the man attacked, the woman defended, when the man defended, the woman seized the opportunity to strike. The two complemented each other in attack and defence. The attacker need not worry about the enemy counterattacking and could commit fully to the assault, making the offensive twice as strong as before. The defender, knowing an attacker was lurking at the side, meant the enemy dared not attack with full force, so the incoming force was diminished, and the defender could switch from defence to attack at any moment. Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü joined hands to face enemies. Though they had no opponent against whom to test their moves, in both their minds there was always a Quanzhen Daoist present. The test opponent was often Hao Datong. Thus, in the minds of master and disciple, Hao Datong suffered utter defeat and could only kneel and beg for mercy, and sometimes the one kneeling and begging for mercy was Qiu Chuji. Master and disciple were greatly amused and laughed together.

Footnotes

1. 二更 – èr gēng. Second of the five night watches, approximately 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. ↩