The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre Chapter 1 – Part 2

The clanking of iron chains drew nearer. Jueyuan¹ came into view, still bearing his pair of iron buckets on a carrying pole, yet now he held a book in his hands, reading aloud in a soft murmur, utterly absorbed. When he reached her side, Guo Xiang² sprang out from her hiding place and called, “Great Monk! What book are you reading?”

Jueyuan cried out in alarm, “Oh! You startled me. It’s you.”

Guo Xiang laughed. “So much for pretending to be mute! How is it you’re speaking now?”

A flicker of apprehension crossed Jueyuan’s face. He glanced left and right, then waved his hand in warning. Guo Xiang asked, “What are you afraid of?”

Before Jueyuan could answer, two grey-robed monks emerged from the trees, one tall and thin, the other short. The lanky monk barked, “Jueyuan! You have violated the precepts by speaking without permission. Worse still, you have conversed with an outsider, and a young woman at that. You will come with us to the First Seat of the Discipline Hall.”³

Jueyuan hung his head in dejection and nodded, then followed the two monks.

Guo Xiang was both outraged and astonished. “Is there a rule anywhere in the world that forbids a man from speaking?” she demanded. “I know this Great Master. I spoke to him of my own accord. What business is it of yours?”

The lanky monk rolled his eyes and said coldly, “For a thousand years, Shaolin Monastery⁴ has forbidden women from setting foot within its grounds.⁵ I suggest the young lady descend the mountain at once, lest she invite further unpleasantness.”

Guo Xiang’s anger flared hotter still. “What of it if I am a woman? Are women not human beings? Why do you torment this Master Jueyuan so? Binding him in iron chains, forbidding him even to speak. If that is not torment, what is it?”

The monk replied icily, “The affairs of this monastery are none of the emperor’s concern, let alone yours. Why trouble yourself with questions?”

Guo Xiang snapped, “This Great Master is an honest and kind-hearted man. You bully him because he is gentle and good-natured. Hmph! Where is Chan Master⁶ Tianming?⁷ And where are the monks Wuse⁸ and Wuxiang?⁹ Go and summon them. I have questions for them.”

The two monks started at her words. Chan Master Tianming was the abbot of Shaolin. Chan Master Wuse was the First Seat of the Arhat Hall.¹⁰ Chan Master Wuxiang was the First Seat of the Bodhidharma Hall.¹¹ All three held positions of the highest honour. The monks of the monastery referred to them only as “the Elder Abbot,” “the Arhat Hall Seat-Master,” or “the Bodhidharma Hall Seat-Master”. Never would they dare utter their dharma names aloud. Yet here was a young woman storming up the mountain, shouting and calling out their names without the slightest reserve.

The two monks were disciples of the Discipline Hall’s First Seat, sent by their master to keep watch over Jueyuan. When they heard Guo Xiang’s impudent words, the lanky monk growled, “If the lady continues to cause disturbance in this sacred Buddhist sanctuary, do not blame this monk for discourtesy.”

Guo Xiang retorted, “Do you think I fear you, monk? Remove those iron chains from Master Jueyuan at once, and we shall call it settled. Otherwise, I shall go and settle scores with that old monk Tianming.”

The shorter monk, noting her short jian at her waist and hearing her brazen speech, said in a deep voice, “Leave your weapon here. We shall not stoop to quarrel with you. Now go, down the mountain with you.”

Guo Xiang unhooked her short jian and held it out with both hands.

“Very well,” she sneered. “As you command.”

The shorter monk had lived in Shaolin since childhood. He had always heard his shibo, shishu, and shixiong speak of Shaolin as the ultimate source of all martial arts under heaven. He had also heard that no matter how famous or formidable a martial artist might be, none would ever dare carry a weapon through the gates of Shaolin Monastery. Though this young woman had not yet entered the monastery proper, she stood upon Shaolin’s domain. He assumed she had grown frightened and was obediently surrendering her jian, and so reached out to take it. The moment his fingers touched the scabbard, a violent shock surged through his arm as though struck by lightning. A tremendous force transmitted through the jian sent him stumbling backward. He lost his footing and tumbled down the slope, rolling several dozen feet before he managed to arrest his fall.

The lanky monk was both alarmed and furious.

“You have eaten the heart of a lion and the gall of a leopard,” he snarled, “to come making trouble at Shaolin!”

He spun to face her, stepped forward, and threw a punch with his right fist. His left palm followed, pressing down upon his right fist as both hands transformed into a double palm strike cleaving downward, the twenty-eighth form of Charging Shaolin,¹² Turning Cleave.¹³

Guo Xiang gripped her jian hilt and swung the jian, scabbard and all, at his shoulder. The monk sank his shoulder and swept his palm back to seize the scabbard. Jueyuan watched in alarm, crying, “Don’t fight! Don’t fight! Let us talk this through!”

But even as he spoke, the monk’s right hand had already closed upon the scabbard. He was about to wrench it from her grip when he felt a sharp jolt in his palm. Both arms went numb. He managed only to cry, “No good!” before Guo Xiang swept her left leg across and kicked him tumbling down the slope. He fared far worse than his companion: he rolled and bounced the whole way down, his face and head scraped raw and bleeding before he finally came to rest.

Guo Xiang thought, I came to Shaolin to inquire after Big Brother’s whereabouts. To come to blows over nothing, how utterly pointless.

She saw Jueyuan standing nearby, his face creased with worry. Drawing her short jian, she set about slicing through the iron chains binding his hands and feet. The jian was no peerless treasure, but it was keen enough. With several sharp rings, three lengths of chain fell away. Jueyuan protested, “You mustn’t! You mustn’t!”

Guo Xiang asked, “Why mustn’t I?”

She pointed at the two monks, who were already scrambling toward the monastery to report. “Those wicked monks have surely gone to raise the alarm. Let us flee at once. Where is your young disciple surnamed Zhang? Bring him along!”

Jueyuan only waved his hands. Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind her, “Many thanks for the young lady’s concern. I am here.”

Guo Xiang turned to find a youth of sixteen or seventeen standing behind her. He had thick brows and large eyes, a robust frame, yet his face still bore the softness of youth. It was Zhang Junbao,¹⁴ whom she had met three years prior at the summit of Mount Hua.¹⁵ He had grown considerably taller since then, though his features remained much the same. Guo Xiang was delighted. “The wicked monks here are bullying your shifu,”¹⁶ she said. “Let us go!”

Zhang Junbao shook his head. “No one is bullying my shifu.”

Guo Xiang pointed at Jueyuan. “Those two wicked monks bound your shifu in iron chains and forbade him even to speak. If that is not bullying, what is it?”

Jueyuan smiled ruefully and shook his head. He pointed down the mountain, urging Guo Xiang to leave quickly and avoid further trouble.

Guo Xiang knew full well that Shaolin housed countless martial artists whose skills surpassed her own. Yet having witnessed such injustice, she could hardly abandon them and flee. Still, she feared the monastery’s masters would emerge to intercept them. Seizing Jueyuan by one hand and Zhang Junbao by the other, she stamped her foot. “Quickly! Quickly! If there is more to discuss, can we not do so at the foot of the mountain?”

Neither man would budge.

From the slope below, she heard shouts as seven or eight monks burst from a side gate of the monastery, each gripping a shoulder-height wooden staff.

“What wild woman dares make trouble at Shaolin?” they bellowed. Zhang Junbao raised his voice, “Shixiong,¹⁷ please show some courtesy. This lady is… “

“Don’t speak my name!” Guo Xiang said quickly. She feared this affair might spiral beyond control, and she did not wish to involve her father, mother, or friends.

“Let us escape over the ridge,” she added. “Whatever happens, do not mention my father, mother, or any of our friends by name.”

From the peak above came more shouting as another seven or eight monks appeared.

Guo Xiang saw monks emerging both above and below. Her delicate brows knitted tight.

“You two are dithering like old women!” she cried. “Where is your manly resolve? Are you coming or not?”

Zhang Junbao said, “Shifu, Miss Guo means well…”

At that moment, four monks in yellow robes darted out from the side gate below and raced up the slope. Their hands were empty, but they moved with astonishing speed, their robes snapping in the wind, clearly masters of considerable skill. Seeing the situation, Guo Xiang realised that even escape on her own would now be difficult. She stood her ground, gathered her breath, and waited to see what would happen. The foremost yellow-robed monk halted some forty feet distant and announced in a clear voice, “The First Seat of the Arhat Hall has issued this command: the visitor is to lay down her weapon and proceed to the Yiwei Pavilion¹⁸ at the foot of the mountain to explain her purpose and await the dharma’s judgement.”

Guo Xiang sneered. “The Great Monks of Shaolin put on quite the official airs. Their bureaucratic pronouncements rival any mandarin’s. Tell me, Great Monks, do you serve the emperor of the Great Song?¹⁹ Or the emperor of the Mongols? Or perhaps you still serve the emperor of the Great Jin?”²⁰

At that time, all land north of the Huai River²¹ had fallen to foreign rule. Once Jin territory, it now belonged to the Mongol Empire²² following Jin’s destruction. Yet the Mongol armies, occupied with their protracted siege of Xiangyang²³ and the constant movement of troops, had no attention to spare for temples and monasteries. Thus Shaolin continued much as before, unchanged from earlier times.

The monk flushed at Guo Xiang’s cutting words, sensing that issuing commands to outsiders was indeed improper. He pressed his palms together and said, “May I ask what business brings the lady to our humble monastery? Please set down your weapon and repair to the Yiwei Pavilion at the mountain’s foot, where we shall offer tea and discuss matters.”

Hearing his tone soften, Guo Xiang considered seizing this chance to withdraw gracefully. “If you will not let me enter the monastery, do you think I care? Hmph! Is there some treasure within Shaolin that I might be tainted by glimpsing it?”

She shot Zhang Junbao a meaningful look and whispered, “Will you come or not?”

Zhang Junbao shook his head, glancing toward Jueyuan to indicate he must remain and attend to his shifu. Guo Xiang declared aloud, “Very well, I shall leave you to it. I am going.”

She stepped down the slope.

The first yellow-robed monk moved aside. But the second and third monks stretched out their hands to bar her path, speaking in unison: “Leave your weapon behind.”

Guo Xiang’s brows rose as her hand went to her jian hilt. The first monk said, “We would not presume to confiscate the lady’s weapon. The moment you reach the foot of the mountain, it shall be returned. This has been Shaolin’s rule for a thousand years. We beg your forbearance.”

Guo Xiang heard the courtesy in his words but hesitated. If I do not give up the jian, there will certainly be a fight. Alone against an entire monastery of monks, how could I possibly prevail? Yet if I surrender it, will I not disgrace Grandfather, Father, Mother, Big Brother, and Elder Sister Long²⁴ all at once?

Footnotes

1. 觉远 — Juéyuǎn. His name meaning “Awakened Distance” or “Far-reaching Enlightenment”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 郭襄 — Guō Xiāng. Her name meaning “Guo Fragrant”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 戒律堂首座 — Jièlǜ Táng Shǒuzuò. Literally First Seat of the Discipline Hall. The senior monk responsible for monastic discipline. ↩

4. 少林寺 — Shàolín Sì. Shaolin Monastery, the ancient Buddhist monastery on Mount Song, cradle of the Shaolin martial arts. See Wikipedia. ↩

5. Author’s note: In present times, Shaolin’s precepts have become more accommodating. Old prohibition against women entering the monastery was abolished long ago; today the monastery warmly welcomes all visitors, regardless of gender, who come to sightsee or pay their respects to the Buddha. ↩

6. 禅师 — Chánshī. Literally Chan master. Buddhist monastic title denoting one accomplished in Chan practice. ↩

7. 天鸣 — Tiānmíng. His name meaning “Heavenly Sound”. ↩

8. 无色禅师 — Wúsè Chánshī. His name meaning “Formless”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 无相 — Wúxiàng. His name meaning “Without Form”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 罗汉堂 — Luóhàn Táng. Literally arhat hall. One of Shaolin Monastery’s administrative halls overseeing martial affairs. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 达摩堂 — Dámó Táng. Bodhidharma Hall, another major hall of Shaolin Monastery, named after the legendary founder of Chan Buddhism and Shaolin martial arts. ↩

12. 闯少林 — Chuǎng Shàolín. Literally charging into Shaolin. Martial arts set comprising numerous defensive and offensive techniques. ↩

13. 翻身劈击 — fānshēn pījī. Literally turning body cleaving strike. Technique from the Charging Shaolin set where the practitioner pivots and delivers a powerful downward palm strike. ↩

14. 张君宝 — Zhāng Jūnbǎo. His name meaning “Zhang Sovereign Treasure”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 华山 — Huáshān. Literally splendid mountain. One of China’s Five Sacred Mountains, the Western Great Mountain located in Huayin, Shaanxi Province. See Wikipedia. ↩

16. 师父 — shīfù. Teacher or master responsible for technical instruction and moral guidance. Shī means teacher. Fù means father. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

18. 一苇亭 — Yīwěi Tíng. Literally “One Reed Pavilion,” named after the legend that Bodhidharma crossed the Yangtze River on a single reed. Pavilion at the foot of Shaolin Mountain where visitors are received. ↩

19. 大宋 — Dà Sòng. Great Song Dynasty (960–1279), divided into Northern Song (960–1127) and Southern Song (1127–1279). By this time, only the Southern Song remained, clinging to territories south of the Huai River. See Wikipedia. ↩

20. 大金 — Dà Jīn. Great Jin Dynasty (1115–1234), founded by the Jurchen people who conquered northern China from the Northern Song. Jin Dynasty was destroyed by the Mongols in 1234. See Wikipedia. ↩

21. 淮河 — Huái Hé. Huai River, a major river in central China that historically marked the boundary between northern and southern territories. During this period, it divided Song-controlled south from Mongol-controlled north. See Wikipedia. ↩

22. 蒙元 — Měng Yuán. Mongol Empire, which conquered northern China and eventually established the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368). At this time, the Mongols had not yet formally declared the Yuan Dynasty but controlled vast territories. See Wikipedia. ↩

23. 襄阳 — Xiāngyáng. Strategic fortress city that served as the Southern Song Dynasty’s military stronghold against Mongol invasion. Located in modern-day Hubei Province. See Wikipedia. ↩

24. 龙姊姊 — Lóng Jiějie. Literally “Elder Sister Long”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩