The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre Chapter 1 – Part 3

Guo Xiang¹ hesitated, still undecided, when a yellow blur suddenly flashed before her eyes. A voice barked, “You come to Shaolin Monastery² bearing a jian, and you wound our brothers. Is there any sense in this?”

A fierce gust came as five fingers shot out to seize her scabbard. Had this monk not acted so rashly, Guo Xiang might have left the short jian behind after that moment of hesitation. Her temperament was very different from that of her elder sister Guo Fu.³ Though spirited, she was never reckless. In such dire circumstances, she would probably have swallowed her pride temporarily and left to consult her grandfather and parents before coming back to settle the matter. But someone grabbing for her weapon so brazenly. How could she simply stand aside and surrender her jian?

The monk’s grasping move was both vicious and cunning. The instant he seized the scabbard, he expected Guo Xiang to pull inward in resistance. A monk grappling with a young woman would appear most unseemly. He therefore channeled his strength leftward in a diagonal push, then immediately shifted right. This push and pull loosened Guo Xiang’s grip on the scabbard, but she swiftly shifted her hand to the hilt.

With a clear ringing sound, cold light flashed as the jian sprang from its sheath. The monk grabbed the empty scabbard in his right hand, but the two fingers of his left hand were sliced open by the jian’s smooth draw. In severe pain, he flung the scabbard aside and staggered backward.

Seeing a brother of their own school wounded, the monks were startled and furious to a man. Staffs and cudgels in hand, they swarmed forward to attack as one.

If I’m in for a penny, I’m in for a jin.⁴ There’s no peaceful way out today, Guo Xiang thought. She launched the Scattering Petals swordplay,⁵ a hallmark of her family’s legacy, and pressed toward the mountainside. The monks quickly formed three lines, blocking her way.

This Scattering Petals swordplay had been created by Huang Yaoshi⁶ based on the principles of his Peach Blossom Falling Petals Palm.⁷ While perhaps not as exquisite as the Jade Flute swordplay,⁸ it was still among Peach Blossom Island’s⁹ supreme martial arts. A tempest of blue light burst forth. Flashes of steel scattered like drifting blossoms in the wind. In a heartbeat, two more monks were struck down. More monks pressed her from behind, coming down from higher ground.

By rights, Guo Xiang should have been overcome quickly. But the Shaolin monks observed compassion as their guiding principle. Discipline was strict. They would not take her life, so they aimed only to subdue her, intending to scold her and escort her down the mountain and confiscate her weapon. Yet her jian wove such an intricate net of light that not one monk could easily close in.

At first, the monks had expected that dealing with a young maiden would be easy. But when her dazzling swordplay appeared, they realised she must be either born of a great family or a disciple of a mighty master. She was clearly not someone to be insulted lightly. Their moves became more measured. They quickly sent for Chan Master Wuse,¹⁰ Head Seat of the Luohan Hall.¹¹

As the fight raged, a tall, gaunt elder monk walked over with unhurried steps, hands inside his sleeves, his face creased with a faint smile while he watched. Two monks stepped up and whispered a quiet report. By now, Guo Xiang was panting for breath, her swordplay losing its precision. She cried, “So much for the source of all martial arts! A pack of monks ganging up on a single woman.”

This old monk was Chan Master Wuse, First Seat of the Arhat Hall. Hearing her remark, he called, “Everyone, hold!”

At once, the monks stopped and leaped clear. Chan Master Wuse said, “The young maiden, may I ask your honoured surname? Who are your father and shifu? What brings you to Shaolin Monastery?”

I cannot reveal my parents’ names. I came to ask after Big Brother’s whereabouts, but I can’t speak of that before all these people. I’ve already caused such a commotion. Mother, Father, and Big Brother will all scold me when they find out. I’d best slip away quietly, Guo Xiang thought.

Aloud, she said, “My name I cannot share. I happened to think the mountain scenery was beautiful and came to do some sightseeing. Who knew that Shaolin Monastery would be stricter than the Imperial Palace, seizing weapons at the slightest provocation? Tell me, Master, have I crossed within your monastery gates? Did Shaolin Monastery buy this entire mountain? When Bodhidharma¹² first taught martial arts here, I suppose he only wanted monks to build their strength for meditation and enlightenment. But it seems the more famous Shaolin becomes and the greater its prestige, the more people say you bully others with numbers. Very well, if you want my jian, keep it. Even if you kill me, you cannot silence every voice. The jianghu¹³ will hear of this day.”

She had always been a quick wit with a sharper tongue, and the blame today did not rest solely on her. Her outburst left Chan Master Wuse speechless. Seeing his hesitation, Guo Xiang thought, I fear people hearing of this brawl, true enough, but Shaolin looks even less willing to have it talked about. Over a dozen monks attacking a single young woman. How will that sound if people hear of it?

She tossed her short jian to the ground and turned to leave.

Chan Master Wuse glided into her path. With a flick of his sleeve, he picked up the jian and offered it to her on both palms. “Since the young maiden will not say who her family and master are, this old monk begs her to take back her precious jian. I shall see you down the mountain myself.”

Guo Xiang immediately beamed. “Now here is an elder who understands reason. This is the bearing of a true master.”

Taking the upper hand, she offered the compliment lightly. She reached for the jian, but when she tried to lift it, she felt a shock. His palm was exuding a suction force. Though she gripped the hilt, she could not move the jian. She pulled three times, but the jian would not budge.

“So,” she said, “you want to flaunt your skill.”

Her left hand suddenly swept diagonally, gently brushing toward the Tianding¹⁴ and Jugu¹⁵ acupoints on the left side of his neck. Wuse’s heart clenched. He twisted aside to dodge, slackening his qi just enough for Guo Xiang to snatch the jian free.

Wuse exclaimed, “Excellent Orchid Acupoint-Tracing Hand!¹⁶ How does the young maiden address the Master of Peach Blossom Island?”

Guo Xiang laughed and said, “The Master of Peach Blossom Island? I call him Old Eastern Heretic.”

The Master of Peach Blossom Island, Huang Yaoshi the Eastern Heretic, was Guo Xiang’s maternal grandfather. He was eccentric and never observed convention. He called his granddaughter Little Eastern Heretic, and she, addressed him as Old Eastern Heretic in return. Far from being offended, Huang Yaoshi was delighted.

Long ago, Wuse had lived as a greenwood outlaw. Years in the monastery had deepened his Buddhist study, but his bold nature remained. How else could he have befriended with Yang Guo?¹⁷ Seeing how this young woman evaded every question, he decided to coax the truth from her. He burst out laughing and said, “If you can take ten of my strikes, young maiden, perhaps this old monk’s eyes are still sharp enough to name your school.”

“And if you fail to guess in ten moves?” Guo Xiang asked. Chan Master Wuse laughed heartily and said, “Then what’s left to say? I will do whatever the young maiden commands.”

Guo Xiang pointed at Jueyuan.¹⁸ “I met this master years ago. I want to ask a favour for him. If you cannot name my shifu in ten moves, you must promise not to make things difficult for him.”

Wuse thought this very strange. Jueyuan is a staid scholar. He has kept the books in the Scripture Pavilion for decades and has barely met an outsider. How could he know this beautiful girl?

He said, “We have never troubled him. If a monk of ours breaks the precepts, he must face the penalty, no matter who he is. That is not making life difficult.”

Guo Xiang curled her lips in a sneer. “Hmph. You talk and talk, but you still try to wriggle out.”

Wuse clapped his palms together. “Very well, I agree. If I lose, I’ll carry those three thousand one hundred and eight buckets of water for Brother Jueyuan. Be on your guard, young maiden, I am about to strike.”

As they spoke, Guo Xiang had already formed her strategy. The old monk’s qi is as steady as a mountain. His skill is formidable. If I let him take the lead and defend every move, I’ll certainly reveal Mother’s and Father’s techniques. Better to attack first and seize the initiative.

Almost as soon as his words left his lips, she lunged, not waiting for him to move a palm or a foot. Her jian shot at his chest with a move from the Scattering Petals swordplay called Myriad Purples and Crimsons.¹⁹ The jian tip trembled ceaselessly, so that her opponent could not tell where it would land. Wuse sensed the danger and did not dare clash directly. He twisted aside to evade.

“Second move!” Guo Xiang shouted. Her jian swept back and thrust upward from below in a reversed strike. This came from the Quanzhen Order’s²⁰ swordplay²¹ called Heavenly Rope Hanging.²² Wuse said, “Good, Quanzhen swordplay.”

“Not necessarily,” Guo Xiang replied. The thrust missed, and she saw Wuse quickly shift to offence. His fingers shot for her wrist. She was startled inside. The old monk is formidable. To launch an unarmed counterattack before such a deadly jian!

When his fingers reached for her face, she flicked the jian in several feints. What she used now was a move from the Dog-Beating Staff Technique²³ called Evil Dog Bars the Way,²⁴ from the Seal Formula.²⁵

She had been close friends with Lu Youjiao,²⁶ the former Chief of the Beggars’ Guild,²⁷ since childhood. When drinking and playing guessing games together, she would often pester him to spar. The Guild’s rules forbade teaching the Dog-Beating Staff Technique to anyone other than the Chief, but Lu Youjiao would often use it while they practiced. Guo Xiang managed to steal a move or two in this way. Moreover, her mother Huang Rong²⁸ was also a former Guild Chief, and her brother-in-law Yelü Qi²⁹ was the current Chief, so she had often seen this technique with her own eyes. She had not learnt its intricacies, but copying just a single move was enough to shock onlookers.

Wuse’s fingers were about to grasp her wrist when a cold white light flashed. The jian’s movement was so ingenious that his five fingers almost parted from his hand. Only his matchless skill and lightning reflexes saved him. He jumped back two steps just in time. Even so, there was a long slit in his left sleeve. Chan Master Wuse’s expression changed and cold sweat beaded along his spine.

Guo Xiang could not be more pleased. She laughed, “What swordplay is that?”

No such jian art existed. She had only borrowed a single move from the Dog-Beating Staff Technique and adapted it for a jian. So profound was that staff art that her rough imitation could still bewilder a famed Shaolin master, leaving him utterly at a loss for a response.

If only I could perform a few more moves from the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, I’d leave the old monk in total defeat. Alas, I know only this one, Guo Xiang thought. Without waiting for Wuse to recover, she raised her jian lightly and swept forward with a cloudlike grace, sending the jian darting for his lower body in a flurry of quick thrusts. This was a move from the Jade Maiden swordplay³⁰ she had learnt from Xiaolongnü,³¹ called A Little Garden for Tending Chrysanthemums.³²

The Jade Maiden swordplay was created by Lin Chaoying,³³ a swordswoman of old, and was rarely seen in the jianghu. Its jian moves were not merely fierce. It prized above all an ethereal grace and an elegance of posture, standing in sharp contrast to the forceful paths of Shaolin’s Damo swordplay³⁴ and Arhat swordplay.³⁵ By pure technique, it might not truly surpass Shaolin jian styles, but to see it was to witness breathtaking beauty. As the sutra says, “Her countenance is gentle and lovely, her bearing dignified and refined, beautiful and pleasing, such that none grow weary of beholding her.”

The monks had never seen its like before and could only stare, stunned and marveled.

Although Chan Master Wuse was a close friend of Yang Guo, he had never seen him perform the Jade Maiden swordplay. Watching Guo Xiang display such ethereal grace with this move, he could only sway aside and dodge, eager to see what she would unleash next.

Footnotes

1. 郭襄 — Guō Xiāng. Younger daughter of Guo Jing and Huang Rong, known as the Little Eastern Heretic; founder of the Emei Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

3. 郭芙 — Guō Fú. Her name meaning “Guo Hibiscus”. Guo Jing and Huang Rong’s eldest daughter. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 斤 — jīn. Traditional Chinese unit of weight, approximately 500 grams or 1.1 pounds. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 落英剑法 — Luòyīng Jiànfǎ. Literally scattering petals swordplay. Evolved from Huang Yaoshi’s Peach Blossom Falling Petals Palm, with sword flowers like petals drifting down. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 黄药师 — Huáng Yàoshī. His name meaning “Huang Herb Master”. Nicknamed the Eastern Heretic, one of the Five Greats. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 桃华落英掌 — Táohuā Luòyīng Zhǎng. Literally peach blossom scattering petals palm. Palm technique with palm shadows like scattering peach blossoms. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 玉箫剑法 — Yùxiāo Jiànfǎ. Literally jade flute swordplay. Sword technique derived from flute playing. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 桃花岛 — Táohuā Dǎo. Literally peach blossom island. Huang Yaoshi’s isolated island stronghold in the East China Sea. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 无色禅师 — Wúsè Chánshī. His name meaning “Formless” or “Colourless.” Chan Master Wuse was a senior monk of Shaolin Monastery. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

12. 达摩祖师 — Dámó Zǔshī. Bodhidharma, the legendary Buddhist monk who brought Chan Buddhism to China and is credited with founding the Shaolin martial arts tradition. See Wikipedia. ↩

13. 江湖 — jiānghú. Literally rivers and lakes. Itinerant world beyond settled society and official reach, holding not only martial artists but the trades that travel with them, including pedlars, physicians, fortune-tellers, entertainers, boatmen, beggars, outlaws and the like. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 天鼎 — Tiāndǐng. Literally celestial cauldron. Acupoint on the neck. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 巨骨 — Jùgǔ. Literally great bone. Acupoint near the shoulder. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 兰花拂穴手 — Lánhuā Fú Xuè Shǒu. Literally orchid brushing acupoints hand. Technique emphasising speed, precision, and grace, with fingers shaped like an orchid flower. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 杨过 — Yáng Guò. His name meaning “Yang Surpassing” or “Yang Repentance”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

19. 万紫千红 — wàn zǐ qiān hóng. Literally myriad purples and thousand crimsons. Idiom describing a riot of colour. Technique from the Scattering Petals Swordplay. ↩

20. 全真教 — Quánzhēn Jiào. Literally complete truth order. Daoist martial-monastic order founded by Wang Chongyang, one of the most influential orthodox factions. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

21. 全真剑法 — Quánzhēn Jiànfǎ. Literally complete truth swordplay. Seven swords with seven forms, totalling forty-nine variations. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

22. 天绅倒悬 — Tiānshēn Dàoxuán. Literally heavenly rope hanging inverted. Move from Quanzhen swordplay. ↩

23. 打狗棒法 — Dǎgǒu Bàngfǎ. Literally dog-beating staff technique. Exclusive martial art of Beggars’ Guild leaders. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

24. 恶狗拦路 — Ègǒu Lánlù. Literally cur blocking the road. Defensive move from the Dog-Beating Staff Technique. ↩

25. 封字诀 — Fēng Zì Jué. Literally sealing character principle. One of eight core principles of the Dog-Beating Staff Technique focusing on blocking and sealing. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

26. 鲁有脚 — Lǔ Yǒujiǎo. His name meaning “Lu Has Legs”. Former Guild Chief of the Beggars’ Guild. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

27. 丐帮 — Gàibāng. Largest martial arts organisation in the jianghu, led by successive Chiefs and with members throughout China. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

28. 黄蓉 — Huáng Róng. Her name meaning “Huang Lotus”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

29. 耶律齐 — Yēlǜ Qí. His name meaning “Yelü Unified” or “Yelü Together”. Current Beggars’ Guild Chief and husband of Guo Fu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

30. 玉女剑法 — Yùnǚ Jiànfǎ. Literally jade maiden swordplay. Created by the swordswoman Lin Chaoying, founder of the Ancient Tomb School. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

31. 小龙女 — Xiǎolóngnǚ. Her name meaning “Little Dragon Maiden”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

32. 小园艺菊 — Xiǎoyuán Yìjú. Literally tending chrysanthemums in a little garden. Move from the Jade Maiden Swordplay. ↩

33. 林朝英 — Lín Cháoyīng. Her name meaning “Lin Morning Blossom”. Founder of the Ancient Tomb School and one-time rival of Wang Chongyang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

34. 达摩剑法 — Dámó Jiànfǎ. Literally Bodhidharma swordplay. Shaolin sword technique characterised by power and directness. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

35. 罗汉剑法 — Luóhàn Jiànfǎ. Literally arhat swordplay. Shaolin sword technique based on arhat forms. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩