The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 6 – Part 9

Hong Lingbo raised it several times, but her shifu stayed noncommittal, so she quietly made her own plans. She questioned her shifu closely about the way to the ancient tomb on Mount Zhongnan and secretly drew a map, never knowing that Li Mochou had not in fact told her all she knew. This time her shifu had sent her to Chang’an to kill an enemy of no great martial skill, and when that was done she had come straight on to Mount Zhongnan, never expecting to run into Yang Guo. Now she made Yang Guo hack through the brambles that blocked their way with the short axe, to find a path into the tomb.

Yang Guo thought that if they cut their way through the thorns like this, they could be at it for half a year or a year and never get near the ancient tomb, but he played the idiot and simply did as he was told. They floundered about for the better part of a shichen.¹ The sky was quite dark, they had not gone so much as a li,² and the ancient tomb was still very far away. His worry for Xiaolongnü grew hotter and hotter. He thought to himself that he could deal with this young Daoist nun, and there was no trick of hers he need fear. He hacked wildly about a few times, aimed at a rock and brought the axe down on it. Sparks flew everywhere and the edge of the axe turned at once. “Ow, ow,” he shouted, “there’s a big rock here. The axe is broken. Papa’s sure to beat me when I get home. Fairy Nun, I… I want to go home.”

Hong Lingbo had long been growing very anxious. At this rate they would never get into the tomb tonight. “Silly Egg,” was all she could say, “you’re not going home!” “Fairy Nun,” said Yang Guo, “are you afraid of ghosts?” “Ghosts are afraid of me,” said Hong Lingbo. “One stroke of my jian and I’ll split an evil ghost in two.” “You’re not fibbing?” said Yang Guo happily. “Why should I fib to you?” said Hong Lingbo. “If the evil ghosts are afraid of you,” said Yang Guo, “I’ll take you to the big grave. When the evil ghost comes out, you have to chase it away!” Hong Lingbo was overjoyed. “You know the way to the big grave? Take me there, quick.” Afraid she might grow suspicious, Yang Guo nagged on and on, making her promise again and again that she would kill the evil ghost. Hong Lingbo soothed him over and over, telling him not to worry, saying that even if there were ten evil ghosts she would kill them all.

Yang Guo led her by the hand out of the thicket and on to the secret way to the ancient tomb. It was close on midnight now, with neither moon nor stars. Holding her hand, Yang Guo found it warm and smooth and soft, and he wondered to himself, Aunt and she are both women. Why are Aunt’s hands icy cold and hers so warm? Without meaning to, he squeezed it a few times. Had anyone in the wulin taken such a liberty with Hong Lingbo, she would have drawn her jian and cut him down on the spot. But she took Yang Guo for a simpleton, she needed him just then, and besides, he was handsome and she rather liked him, so she did not lose her temper, but thought, This Silly Egg isn’t such an idiot after all. He knows I’m good-looking.

In less time than it takes to eat a meal, Yang Guo had brought Hong Lingbo to the front of the tomb. When he left, he had been in such a hurry to find medicine for Xiaolongnü that he had not shut the tomb door. His heart was thumping wildly, and he prayed silently, Please don’t let Aunt be dead! Then he stepped inside. Hong Lingbo thought, Strange how bold the Silly Egg has suddenly turned. But she had no time to wonder about it, and followed close behind him in the dark. She had heard her shifu say that the passages in the tomb twisted and turned so that one wrong step would get you lost at once, yet here was Yang Guo going briskly ahead without the least hesitation, turning east here and winding west there, pushing open a door on one side and pulling aside a great stone on the other, as if he knew it all like the back of his hand. Hong Lingbo began to have her doubts, What’s so hard about the passages in this tomb? Did Shifu lie to me, for fear I’d come in on my own?

In moments Yang Guo had brought her to Xiaolongnü’s bedchamber at the heart of the ancient tomb. He pushed the door gently open and listened. There was not a sound. He was about to call “Aunt!” when he remembered Hong Lingbo beside him and quickly held it back. “We’re here,” he said softly.

The candle in the chamber had gone out by now, and it was pitch dark. Hong Lingbo’s skill gave her courage, but even so she felt uneasy. She quickly took out her tinder, struck a light and lit the candle on the table, and saw a woman in white lying on the bed. She had expected all along to meet her shishu³ Xiaolongnü in the tomb, but she had never thought to find her lying there so calmly, and could not tell whether she was sound asleep or simply did not think her worth noticing. She held her jian level across her chest. “Your disciple Hong Lingbo pays her respects to Shishu.”

Yang Guo’s mouth hung open and his heart almost leapt out of his chest. He watched Xiaolongnü with all his attention for any sign of life. She did not stir. Only after a long while did she give a faint “mm”. From the moment Hong Lingbo spoke to the moment Xiaolongnü answered, Yang Guo had waited in such agony that he longed to throw himself on his shifu and weep aloud, and when he heard her voice it was as though a great stone had fallen from his heart. In his joy he could hold back no longer and burst into tears. “Silly Egg, what’s the matter with you?” said Hong Lingbo. “I… I’m so scared,” sobbed Yang Guo.

Xiaolongnü slowly turned over. “You needn’t be scared,” she said softly. “I died once just now, and it didn’t hurt at all.” When Hong Lingbo suddenly saw her face, so lovely it was beyond the common world, she was astounded, To think there’s such a beauty in the world! She felt shabby beside her in spite of herself. “Your disciple Hong Lingbo pays her respects to Shishu,” she said again. “Where is my shijie?”⁴ said Xiaolongnü softly. “Has she come too?” “My shifu sent me on ahead to ask after Shishu’s health,” said Hong Lingbo. “Go away,” said Xiaolongnü. “This is no place for you. Even your shifu may not come here.”

Hong Lingbo saw that her face was drawn with sickness, that the front of her clothes was spattered with patches of blood, and that she was short of breath as she spoke. She was plainly badly hurt. Hong Lingbo dropped most of her guard, and thought, What a stroke of luck heaven has sent me. Who would have thought that I, Hong Lingbo, should be the one to inherit the Tomb of the Living Dead? She could see that Xiaolongnü might die at any moment, and she was afraid that if she died suddenly, no one would know where the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was kept. “Shishu,” she said hastily, “my shifu sent me to fetch the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Give it to me, and I’ll treat your injuries at once.”

Through her long training Xiaolongnü had subdued her seven emotions and six desires until they were all but gone, and it could be said that nothing in the world troubled her. But now, badly hurt, she had lost her self-mastery, and at these words she was so distressed and so angry that she fainted. Hong Lingbo darted forward and pinched the philtrum point under her nose a few times. Slowly Xiaolongnü came round. “Where is my shijie? Ask her to come. I have something… something to say to her.” Hong Lingbo saw the supreme secret manual of her school within easy reach, and could wait no longer. With a cold laugh she took two long silver needles from her robe. “Shishu,” she said harshly, “you know these needles. If you don’t hand over the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra at once, don’t blame me for being rude.”

Yang Guo had once suffered terribly from these Soul-Freezing Silver Needles.⁵ He had done no more than pick one up by accident and been badly poisoned, so what if one were driven into him? Seeing how desperate things were, he cried, “Fairy Nun, there’s a ghost over there, I’m scared!” and flung himself at her, threw his arms round her from behind, and in the same movement struck a finger into each of her Shoulder Chastity and Capital Gate points. Hong Lingbo would never in her dreams have imagined that this Silly Egg was master of superior martial arts. She was about to curse him for talking nonsense, when her whole body went numb and she slumped limply to the floor. Afraid she might be able to free her own channels, Yang Guo struck her hard a few more times on the Great Bone point. “Aunt,” he said, “this woman is really wicked. Shall I prick her a few times with the silver needles?” And he wrapped his fingers in the hem of his coat and picked the silver needles up.

Hong Lingbo could not move, but she heard every word plainly. When she saw him pick up the silver needles and look at her with a grin, she was frightened out of her wits. She longed to beg for mercy, but could not open her mouth, and her eyes could only plead with him piteously. “Guoer,” said Xiaolongnü, “shut the door, in case my shijie comes in.” “Yes!” said Yang Guo. He was just turning round when he heard a sweet, coaxing woman’s voice behind him. “Shimei,⁶ how are you? I’ve been here for some time.”

Yang Guo spun round in alarm. In the candlelight a beautiful Daoist nun stood gracefully in the doorway, with eyes like almonds and cheeks like peach blossom and a smile that was not quite a smile at the corners of her mouth. It was Li Mochou, the Scarlet Serpent Immortal.

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When Hong Lingbo had been asking the way into the Tomb of the Living Dead, Li Mochou had guessed long before that she meant to come and steal the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra on her own, and sending her to Chang’an to kill a man and the rest of it had all been arranged on purpose. She had been following quietly behind her the whole time. She had seen how Hong Lingbo met Yang Guo, how she got into the tomb, how she tried to force Xiaolongnü to hand over the sutra, and how she was tricked and brought down, and so swift were her movements and so light her steps that Hong Lingbo, Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo had never noticed her at all. Only now did she show herself.

Xiaolongnü sat up with a start. “Shijie!” she cried, and then fell into a fit of coughing. “Where is Granny Sun?” asked Li Mochou. “Granny Sun is dead!” said Xiaolongnü. Li Mochou was more at ease than ever. Xiaolongnü saw that the news of Granny Sun’s death actually made her look pleased, and she silently condemned her for a cold, unfeeling woman.

Li Mochou pointed coldly at Yang Guo. “Who is this? Our founding matriarch’s last command was that no stinking man should ever set foot in the ancient tomb. Why have you let him stay here?” Xiaolongnü was coughing too violently to answer. Yang Guo stood in front of her to shield her. “She’s my aunt,” he said in a ringing voice. “What goes on here is none of your business!” Li Mochou laughed coldly. “Well, Silly Egg, aren’t you the actor!” Her horsetail whisk swept out, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, three moves in a row. They were launched one after another but seemed to arrive all at once. It was one of the deadliest moves of the Ancient Tomb School, and a martial artist of any other school who did not know its secret would have his sinews snapped and his bones broken the moment it touched him. But Yang Guo had drilled this skill until he knew it thoroughly, and though his power was nowhere near as deep as Li Mochou’s, he slipped her “Three Sparrows Dive into the Wood”, three moves in one, with no trouble at all.

Li Mochou drew back her whisk, startled. The way he had dodged was her own school’s martial art. “Shimei,” she said sharply, “who is this little wretch?” Afraid of bringing up blood again, Xiaolongnü dared not raise her voice. “Guoer,” she said softly, “pay your respects to your eldest shibo.” Yang Guo gave a contemptuous “Pah!” “What kind of shibo is she?” “Bend your ear down,” said Xiaolongnü. “I have something to say to you.”

Footnotes

1. 时辰 – shíchén. The traditional two-hour period; the day is divided into twelve shichen. ↩

2. 里 – lǐ. Traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 metres or a third of a mile. ↩

3. 师叔 – shīshū. Junior lineage uncle. Shidi or shimei of one’s shifu. Shī means teacher. Shū means father’s younger brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 师姊 – shījiě. Female senior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Jiě means older sister. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 冰魄银针 – Bīngpò Yínzhēn. Soul-Freezing Silver Needles, Li Mochou’s signature hidden weapons, silver needles coated with deadly poison. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 师妹 – shīmèi. Female junior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Mèi means younger sister. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩