The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 7 – Part 8

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Translator’s Note

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Yang Guo shouted, “Gugu, where are you going? I will go with you!” Xiaolongnü turned back. Tears swirled in her eyes. She said slowly, “If you see me again, I fear… I fear I… will not be able to control myself and will find it hard to spare your life.” Yang Guo said, “Are you blaming me for learning martial arts from my adopted father? Is that it?” Xiaolongnü said mournfully, “Why would I blame you for learning martial arts from someone?” She turned and walked away swiftly.

Yang Guo froze, at a complete loss. He watched her white-robed figure gradually recede into the distance until it finally vanished around a bend in the mountain path. Grief welled up from deep within him, and he threw himself to the ground and wept bitterly. He turned the matter over and over in his mind but truly could not understand how he had offended his master. Why had her manner been so strange, one moment tender and lingering, the next resentful and resolute? Why had she said she wanted to be his “wife,” yet forbade him to call her “Gugu,” and said that he had “finally changed his heart”? He thought for a long time, then said to himself: This matter must be connected to my adopted father. He must have offended my master.

Yang Guo looked around, lost. The empty mountains were silent. Faintly he could hear the calls of birds. His heart was filled with desperate urgency. He shouted, “Gugu, Gugu! Father, Father!” After a moment, the valley echoes all around also called back: “Gugu, Gugu! Father, Father!” The shouts were frantic, filled with the sound of weeping.

For several years he had been inseparable from Xiaolongnü, she had been like both mother and elder sister to him. Now, suddenly, without any clear reason, she had torn herself away and left. How could this not rend his heart and break his spirit? In his grief, he nearly dashed his head against the mountain rocks and ended his life. But a hope still remained in his heart: My master left suddenly, perhaps she will return just as suddenly. Although my adopted father offended her, she will surely realise after a while that I committed no wrong and will naturally come back to find me.

How could he sleep peacefully that night? Whenever he heard the wind stirring in the mountains, or the chirping of insects, or the flutter of birds, he suspected it was Xiaolongnü returning. He would scramble to his feet and shout, “Gugu!” He run out to greet her. Each time, he was met with bitter disappointment. In the end, he stopped trying to sleep altogether. He rushed to the mountain peak and opened his eyes wide, gazing in all directions. He gazed until the sky was bright with dawn, but all he saw were clouds rising from the valley floor and mist shrouding the peaks. Heaven and earth stretched vast and boundless. There was only Yang Guo, alone.

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Yang Guo beat his chest and wailed. Suddenly he thought, Since Master will not come back, I will go find her. As long as I can see her, no matter how she beats me or curses me, I will never leave her. If she wants to beat me to death, then let her beat me to death. Once his mind was made up, his spirits immediately soared. He carelessly bundled up Xiaolongnü’s clothes and belongings with his own, slung the pack onto his back, and strode out of the mountains.

The moment he reached an inhabited place, he began asking whether anyone had seen a beautiful young woman in white. Over the course of the greater part of a day, he asked more than a dozen villagers in succession, and all shook their heads, saying they had not seen her. Yang Guo grew anxious. When he asked again, his manner inevitably lacked courtesy. Those mountain folk saw a young lad brashly inquiring about some beautiful maiden and were irritated from the start. One of them shot back, asking what relation the girl was to him. Yang Guo said, “That is none of your concern. I only ask whether you have seen her pass through here.” The man was about to retort when an old man beside him tugged at his sleeve. He pointed to a small path to the east and said with a smile, “Last night, this old man saw a beauty like a celestial fairy heading east. I thought it was the Bodhisattva Guanyin¹ descending to the mortal world, but it turns out she is your sweetheart…” Yang Guo did not wait for him to finish. He quickly bowed in thanks and hurried down the small path the old man had indicated. Though he heard a burst of laughter behind him, he paid it no mind. How could he have known that the old man, seeing how rude the youth was, had deliberately spun a lie to deceive him?

He ran for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when two branching paths appeared before him. He did not know which one to take. He thought, Gugu does not like bustle and noise. She most likely took the more desolate path. So he set out on the rugged little path to the left. Who could have guessed that this path grew wider and wider the further he went, and after several turns, it led straight onto a main road. He had not had a single drop of water or grain of rice for a full day and night. Seeing the sky gradually darken and his stomach rumbling with hunger, and noticing rows upon rows of houses ahead, a market town, he quickly walked into an inn and called out, “Bring me food.”

The inn attendant brought out a homely meal. Yang Guo shovelled down a few mouthfuls, but his chest was heavy with grief and his throat felt blocked. He could not swallow. He thought, Even though it is dark, I still must go search for Gugu. If I miss tonight, I fear I may never see her again. He pushed the food aside and called, “Attendant, let me ask you something.” The attendant came over with a smile. “What orders does the young master have? Is the food not to your taste? This humble one will instruct the kitchen to make something else. What does the young master care to eat?”

Yang Guo waved his hand repeatedly. “It is not about the food. Let me ask you, have you seen a beautiful young woman in a white robe pass through here?” The attendant pondered. “Wearing white, hmm, was this young lady in mourning? Has someone in the family died?” Yang Guo was losing patience. “Did you see her or not?” The attendant said, “There was a young lady, and she was indeed wearing a white robe…” Yang Guo said joyfully, “Which way did she go?” The attendant said, “But that was most of a day ago! Young master, that woman is not someone to trifle with…” He suddenly lowered his voice and said, “If I may advise you, it would be better not to go looking for her.” Yang Guo was both startled and delighted, knowing he had found his gugu’s trail. He hurriedly asked, “What… what happened to her?” By the time he reached this question, his voice was trembling.

The attendant said, “First let me ask you, do you know that young lady knows martial arts?” Yang Guo thought, How could I not know? He hurriedly said, “I know. She does know martial arts.” The attendant said, “Then why are you still looking for her? It is terribly dangerous.” Yang Guo said, “What exactly happened?” The attendant said, “First tell me, what is that beauty in white to you?” Yang Guo had no choice. It seemed that if he did not first give this man some information, the man would never reveal Xiaolongnü’s whereabouts. So he said, “She is my… my elder sister. I need to find her.” When the attendant heard this, his expression turned to one of deep respect, but he immediately shook his head. “It does not seem like it. It does not seem like it.” Yang Guo grew agitated. He seized the attendant by the collar. “Are you going to speak or not?” The attendant stuck out his tongue. “Yes, yes. Now that seems more like it!”

Yang Guo shouted, “What do you mean, ‘does not seem like it’ and ‘seems more like it’?” The attendant said, “Young master, first let go. You are gripping my throat so tight I cannot breathe. Heh heh, I cannot speak. Of course I could force the words out, but…” Yang Guo thought this man’s nature was simply like this, using force against him would be futile. He released his grip. The attendant coughed several times. “Young master, I said it did not seem like it only because that woman… that young… heh heh, your elder sister, she looks younger and more beautiful than you, more like a younger sister than an elder sister. And I said it seems like it because you both have fiery tempers and share that fondness for swinging fists and brandishing weapons in a fit of temper.” Yang Guo’s heart blossomed with joy. His face broke into a grin. “My… my elder sister got into a fight?”

The attendant said, “Did she ever! Not only did she fight, she even wounded people. Look, look.” He pointed to several scars on the table left by blades. “It was a close thing, let me tell you. Your elder sister’s skills are formidable. With one stroke of her sword, she cut off the ears of two Daoist priests.” Yang Guo laughed and asked, “What Daoist priests?” He thought, It must have been those bull-nose Daoists of the Quanzhen Order who got a lesson from my gugu. The attendant said, “It was those…” At this point, his expression suddenly changed dramatically. He ducked his head and turned to leave.

Yang Guo guessed something was amiss. He did not chase after him but picked up his rice bowl and raised his chopsticks, shovelling rice into his mouth while casting his gaze outward. He saw two Daoist priests walk into the inn side by side through the main entrance. Both were around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, their cheeks wrapped in bandages. They sat down at the table beside Yang Guo. One Daoist, with thick, coarse eyebrows, called out repeatedly, urging them to hurry with the wine and dishes. The attendant came over with a smile and, stealing a moment, winked at Yang Guo and twisted his mouth. Yang Guo pretended not to see and buried himself in his food, chewing vigorously. The clothes he wore were the coarse cloth garments Xiaolongnü had sewn for him. They were plain to begin with, and after a day and night of urgent travel, he was covered in dust, looking no different from any ordinary country youth. The two Daoist priests did not so much as glance at him and spoke quietly between themselves.

Yang Guo deliberately chewed his food with loud, slurping noises while focusing all his attention on the two Daoists’ conversation.

He heard the thick-browed Daoist say, “Pi shidi², do you think the two gentlemen Han and Chen will definitely arrive tonight?” The other Daoist had a very large mouth and a hoarse, raspy voice. “Those two are iron-willed men of the Beggars’ Guild,³ bound by life-and-death friendship to Shen shishu⁴. Since Shen shishu personally extended the invitation, there is no way they will not come.” Yang Guo glanced sidelong at the two men’s faces. He did not recognise them. He thought, The Chongyang Palace is filled with thousands of bull-noses. I do not know them, but every one of them recognises me, the boy who turned against the Quanzhen Order. I cannot let them get a good look at me. Hmph, they could not beat my gugu, so now they are inviting some beggars from the Beggars’ Guild to be their hired muscle. He heard the thick-browed Daoist say, “Perhaps the road is long and they will not arrive tonight…” The Daoist Pi said, “Hmph, Ji shixiong⁵, things have already reached this point. There is no use in worrying more. After all, she is just a woman, how much ability can she really have?” The Daoist Ji said hurriedly, “Drink up. Let us not speak of this.” He then called the attendant and instructed him to prepare a good room. The two of them would rest at the inn that night.

From the scant few sentences of their conversation, Yang Guo surmised that as long as he followed these two Daoists, he would be able to see his gugu. At this thought, boundless joy filled his heart. He waited until the two had entered their room, then instructed the attendant to prepare a small room for him next door.

The attendant lit the lamp and whispered in Yang Guo’s ear, “Young master, you must be careful. Your elder sister cut off those two Daoist priests’ ears. They are sure to seek revenge.” Yang Guo whispered back, “My elder sister has the best temper in the world. Why would she cut off people’s ears?” The attendant gave a sly, knowing laugh and said in a low voice, “She is naturally good to you. But to others, she is not so good. Your elder sister was eating here in the inn… Heh heh, is she really your elder sister? This humble one finds it rather hard to believe. But even if we say she is your elder sister, that Daoist priest sat beside her and merely glanced a few extra times at her legs, and your elder sister lost her temper. She drew her sword and started fighting…” He was about to go on and on when Yang Guo heard the light go out in the next room. He hurriedly waved his hand to signal the attendant to shut his mouth, secretly fuming: Those two stinking Daoists must have seen how beautiful Gugu is and could not stop staring at her, which made her angry. Hmph, are there any good people in the Quanzhen Order? He also thought, Gugu once went to the Chongyang Palace to fight. Those two Daoists naturally recognise her. The strange looks on their faces back then, could they have been any prettier?

He waited until the attendant had left, then blew out the lamp and lay down on the brick bed. He was determined not to sleep this night. He silently recited the essential formulae of the two great divine skills that Ouyang Feng had transmitted, but these two sets of essential formulae were already extremely profound to begin with, and Ouyang Feng had explained them in such a scrambled, chaotic mess. At most, Yang Guo could remember only two or three tenths of it. At this moment he dared not think about it too deeply, fearing that if his thoughts wandered too far, he would lose awareness of the movements in the next room.

He kept this silent vigil until the middle of the night when suddenly two soft deng deng sounds came from the courtyard, someone had leapt in from outside the wall. Immediately after, the window of the next room slid open with a ya sound. The Daoist Ji asked, “Is it the two gentlemen Han and Chen?” A voice from the courtyard answered, “It is.” The Daoist Ji said, “Please, come in!” He gently opened the door and lit the oil lamp. Yang Guo focused his entire attention, listening to the four men’s conversation.

He heard the Daoist Ji say, “These humble Daoists, Ji Qingxu and Pi Qingxuan, pay our respects to the two heroes Han and Chen.” Yang Guo thought, The Quanzhen Order uses the generational characters ‘Chu, Zhi, Qing, Jing.’ These two bull-noses are fourth-generation disciples of the Quanzhen Order. I wonder which old bull they belong to. Hao Datong’s line or Liu Chuxuan’s.⁶ He heard a man with a sharp voice say, “We received your Shen shishu’s letter and rode without stopping. Is that little wretch truly so formidable?” Ji Qingxu said, “It shames us to say it, but we two brothers fought her once and were no match for her.”

The man said, “What school does this woman’s martial arts follow?” Ji Qingxu said, “Shen shishu suspects she is a successor of the Ancient Tomb School.⁷ That is why, though she is young, her skills are truly formidable.” When Yang Guo heard the words “Ancient Tomb School,” he could not help but let out a soft heng.

He heard Ji Qingxu continue, “But when Shen shishu mentioned the Ancient Tomb School, this little girl spoke contemptuously of the Scarlet Serpent Immortal Li Mochou, so then it is not that.” The man said, “In that case, I expect she is nothing much. Where shall we meet tomorrow? How many are on their side?” Ji Qingxu said, “Shen shishu and that woman agreed to meet tomorrow at high noon, at Jackal Wolf Valley, forty li southwest of here. Both sides will settle the matter by a contest of martial arts. How many they have on their side, we still do not know at present. But since we have the two Beggars’ Guild heroes, Han and Chen, to bolster our formation and lend their fists, we need not fear even if they have numbers.” Another man, his voice aged and weathered, said, “Good. The two of us brothers will be there at noon tomorrow. Brother Han, let us go.”

Ji Qingxu saw them to the door and said in a lowered voice, “This place is not far from the Chongyang Palace. The matter of our martial contest absolutely must not reach the ears of our grand shifu⁸ Ma, Liu, Qiu, and Wang. Otherwise we will be severely punished.” Han laughed heartily. “Your Shen shishu’s letter already mentioned this. Otherwise, with the Chongyang Palace full of masters, why would he need to invite two outsiders like us to help?” Chen said, “Rest assured. We will definitely not leak a word of this. Not only must we not let the Six Masters Ma, Liu, Qiu, Wang, Hao, and Sun⁹ know. I fear it would be rather awkward if your other shibo and shishu found out as well.” The two Daoists agreed in unison. Yang Guo thought to himself, They are ganging up to bully my gugu, yet they are afraid of others in their sect finding out. Hmph, sneaking around like thieves with guilty consciences.

He heard the four of them discuss a few details in low voices. The two men Han and Chen then leapt over the wall and left, with Ji Qingxu and Pi Qingxuan seeing them out.

Footnotes

1. Guanyin (观音). Bodhisattva of Compassion, known in Sanskrit as Avalokiteshvara. In Chinese folk belief, Guanyin is often depicted as a beautiful woman in white robes, making the comparison to Xiaolongnü particularly apt. ↩

2. 师弟 – shīdì. Male junior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Dì means younger brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. Beggars’ Guild (丐帮). Gài Bāng. Largest and most widespread martial arts sect in the jianghu, whose members are beggars. Despite their humble appearance, the guild is a formidable force with strict codes of honour. Huang Rong served as its chief. ↩

4. 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. ↩

5. 师兄 – shīxiōng. Male senior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Xiōng means older brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. Hao Datong (郝大通) and Liu Chuxuan (刘处玄). Two of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, disciples of Wang Chongyang. Hao Datong was the one who accidentally killed Granny Sun. ↩

7. Ancient Tomb School (古墓派). Gǔmù Pài. Martial arts sect founded by Lin Chaoying within the Tomb of the Living Dead. Its martial arts emphasise lightness, speed, and unpredictability, designed to counter the Quanzhen Order’s techniques. ↩

8. 师祖 – shīzǔ. Grand Shifu — the shifu of one’s shifu, two rungs up. Not a rank: 宗师 is the grandmaster. See §IV.11e. ↩

9. Six Masters (马刘丘王郝孙). Referring to the six surviving disciples of Wang Chongyang: Ma Yu (马钰), Liu Chuxuan (刘处玄), Qiu Chuji (丘处机), Wang Chuyi (王处一), Hao Datong (郝大通), and Sun Bu’er (孙不二). Together with the late Tan Chuduan (谭处端), they were known as the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. ↩