The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre Chapter 1 – Part 7

Several more days passed. By Guo Xiang’s¹ reckoning, it was now the tenth day since she had caused the commotion at Shaolin Monastery, the very day the Three Kunlun Sages had appointed to match skills with the Shaolin monks. She could think of no way to slip into the monastery and watch the spectacle. She thought, Mother can spin seventeen or eighteen clever schemes with a single turn of her eyes. How is it that I am so stupid I cannot think of even one? Well, no matter. I shall go to the monastery gates first and see what happens. Perhaps when they are pressed hard by these outsiders, they will be too busy to stop me from entering.

She ate some dry provisions, mounted her grey donkey, and set off once more for Shaolin Monastery. When she was still some ten li² from the monastery, she suddenly heard the thunder of hooves. On the mountain path to her left, three horses came galloping toward her, riders abreast. The horses were swift, and in the blink of an eye they had swept past Guo Xiang and continued up toward Shaolin Monastery. The three riders were all men in their fifties, clad in short blue jackets, each with a cloth bundle hanging from the saddle that clearly held weapons.

Guo Xiang’s thoughts stirred. These three are martial artists, and today they ride armed to Shaolin. They must be the Three Kunlun Sages. If I am too slow, I shall miss the show.

She slapped her grey donkey’s rump, and with a toss of its head and a loud bray, it broke into a gallop and raced after the three riders.

The riders cracked their whips and spurred their mounts forward. The three horses charged up the mountain at tremendous speed, and in moments they had left Guo Xiang’s grey donkey far behind. One of the elder men glanced back, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.

Guo Xiang urged her donkey onward for another two or three li,² but the three riders had already vanished from sight. Her grey donkey,³ having galloped hard this stretch, now puffed and wheezed, quite unable to keep pace. She scolded it, “Useless beast! You’re always throwing fits and being stubborn when there’s no need, yet when I truly require your service, you cannot even keep up with them.”

Seeing that further urging would avail nothing, she simply dismounted at a stone pavilion by the roadside to rest a while, letting her donkey drink from the stream beside the structure.

Before long, she heard the thunder of hoofbeats. The three riders came round the mountain bend and galloped straight back toward her. Guo Xiang was greatly astonished. How was it they had only just ascended yet already returned? Could these three have proved so poor a showing as that?

The three horses swept into the stone pavilion, their flanks heaving, and the riders dismounted as one. When Guo Xiang regarded them, she saw that one was a short elder with a face like vermillion, his bulbous, wine-reddened nose gleaming. He wore a genial, squint-eyed smile that made him seem rather warm and approachable. Another was thin as a bamboo pole, his complexion an iron grey shot through with a faint greenish pallor, as though he had not seen sunlight in years. These two were opposites in every conceivable way: stature, build, and countenance. The third elder’s features were entirely unremarkable, save that his face bore a sallow, waxen cast suggestive of chronic illness.

Curiosity seized Guo Xiang, and she asked, “Three venerable elders, did you reach Shaolin Monastery?⁴ Why have you come back down so quickly?”

The grey-faced elder shot her a sidelong glare, as though offended by her impertinent questions. The wine-nosed, ruddy-faced dwarf laughed and said, “How does the young miss know we were bound for Shaolin Monastery?”

Guo Xiang replied, “From here, the road leads only to Shaolin. Where else would you be going?”

The red-faced elder nodded. “That reasoning is sound enough. And where might the young miss herself be headed?”

Guo Xiang said, “If you are going to Shaolin, then naturally I am going to Shaolin as well.”

The grey-faced elder spoke, his voice cold and haughty. “Shaolin Monastery has never permitted women to set foot past its gates, nor does it allow outsiders to bear weapons within its walls.”

His tone dripped with arrogance, and his gaunt frame towered so high that his gaze passed over the top of Guo Xiang’s head without ever deigning to look at her directly.

Guo Xiang felt a surge of irritation and said, “And are you three not bearing weapons? What else would be wrapped in those cloth bundles at your saddlebows?”

The grey-faced elder replied icily, “How can you compare yourself to us?”

Guo Xiang sneered. “And what makes you three so special? What gives you the right to swagger about so?”

“Hey. Have you Three Kunlun Sages⁵ already exchanged blows with the old monks of Shaolin? Who won and who lost?”

At once, a subtle change passed over all three elders’ faces. The red-faced elder asked, “Young miss, how do you come to know of the Three Kunlun Sages?”

Guo Xiang said, “Naturally I know.”

The grey-faced elder suddenly stepped forward, his voice turning harsh. “What is your surname? Whose disciple are you? What business brings you to Shaolin Monastery?”

Guo Xiang tilted her pretty face upward and retorted, “What concern is it of yours?”

The grey-faced elder possessed a violent temper. His palm rose, and he made to strike her across the face. Yet even as his hand lifted, he reconsidered. For a grown man to bully a young girl, for an elder to strike a child, would be most unseemly. A man of his standing could hardly lower himself to quarrel with some slip of a girl. His form blurred, his hand flicked out, and in an instant he had plucked the short jian from Guo Xiang’s belt. The speed of his movement defied description. Guo Xiang felt only a cool breeze, a flicker of shadow, and her jian was in his grasp.

Caught utterly off guard, she had fallen prey to another’s trick, something that had never once befallen her in all her wanderings through the jianghu.⁶ In truth, her skill and experience were far from sufficient to navigate the jianghu with impunity. Yet nine out of ten in the wulin⁷ knew her as the daughter of Guo Jing⁸ and Huang Rong.⁹

Ever since Yang Guo¹⁰ had sent invitations throughout the realm to celebrate her birthday, even those who walked crooked paths had heard her name. Even a man who cared nothing for Guo Jing and Huang Rong’s standing had no wish to give offence to Yang Guo. Many had heard the name without knowing the face, but she was comely, high-spirited and fond of company. She treated all as equals, whether they were humble folk who drove carts and sold wine or butchers and porters hawking their wares. She would buy them drinks and share a cup without distinction. Thus, though the jianghu teemed with peril, she had passed through every danger unscathed and never suffered a true loss. Now this grey-faced elder had snatched her jian away in a flash, leaving her at a complete loss. Were she to try to seize it back, she knew her skills fell far short. Yet to simply let the matter rest was something her pride could not abide.

The grey-faced elder held the short jian between the middle and index fingers of his left hand. His tone was glacial. “I shall keep this jian for now. You dare show me such insolence because your parents and shifu¹¹ have been lax in your upbringing. Have them come to me to retrieve your jian, and I shall have a word or two with them about keeping a closer eye on you.”

These words set Guo Xiang’s cheeks blazing crimson. The way this man spoke, it was as though she were some ill-bred child. His rebuke extended to her grandfather and her parents alike. She thought furiously, Very well! You’ve scolded me and scolded my family too. Do you truly possess such heaven-reaching abilities that you can strut about without a care in the world?

Steadying herself and swallowing her rage, she said, “What is your name?”

The grey-faced elder snorted. “What is this ‘What is your name?’ Let me teach you proper manners. You should ask: ‘Might I humbly enquire the honourable elder’s esteemed surname and given name?’”

Guo Xiang flared, “I ask what I please. If you won’t tell me, then don’t. Who cares? This jian is worthless anyway. You’re a disgrace to your age, stealing from the young. I don’t want it back!”

She spun on her heel to stride out of the pavilion.

Suddenly a red blur flashed before her eyes. The ruddy-faced dwarf had already blocked her path, smiling genially. “Little girls shouldn’t have such fiery tempers. When you go to your husband’s house as a bride someday, do you think they’ll let you throw tantrums whenever you please? Very well, I shall tell you. We are three fellow disciples. These past days we have journeyed ten thousand li² from the Western Regions¹² to the Central Plains…”¹³

Guo Xiang pursed her lips and said, “You needn’t tell me. I already know. Our divine land of the Central Plains has never heard your names spoken.”

The three elders exchanged glances. The red-faced elder asked, “Might I enquire, young miss, who is your shifu?”

Guo Xiang had refused to name her parents whilst inside Shaolin Monastery, but now, truly incensed, she said, “My father’s surname is Guo, his given name is Jing. My mother’s surname is Huang, her given name is Rong. I have no shifu. My father and mother have merely taught me a few things here and there.”

The three elders exchanged another look. The grey-faced elder muttered under his breath, “Guo Jing? Huang Rong? Which school do they belong to? Whose disciples are they?”

Guo Xiang’s fury at this was beyond measure. She thought, My parents’ names resound throughout the realm. Never mind those of the wulin.⁷ Even common folk know of Guo daxia the Defender of Xiangyang.¹⁴ Yet looking at these three elders, they seem genuinely ignorant rather than feigning it.

Her mind turned, and suddenly she understood: These Three Kunlun Sages dwell in the far reaches of the Western Regions and have never set foot in the Central Plains. With martial arts this formidable, yet Father and Mother have never mentioned their names, they must have lived as hermits deep in the Kunlun Mountains, practising their arts diligently while paying no heed whatsoever to affairs beyond their peaks. Small wonder they do not know Father and Mother.

At this realisation, her anger subsided. She was not, by nature, a petty girl prone to sulking. She said, “My surname is Guo, my given name is Xiang, the ‘Xiang’ from Xiangyang. There, I have told you everything. Might I now enquire the esteemed names of you three venerable elders?”

The red-faced elder beamed. “There now, the little girl is being good. Once you’re taught, you learn quickly. That’s how to show respect to your elders.”

He pointed to the sallow-faced elder and said, “This is our eldest fellow disciple. His surname is Pan, his given name Tiangeng.¹⁵ I am the second brother. My surname is Fang, my given name Tianlao.”¹⁶

He indicated the grey-faced elder. “This is our third fellow disciple. His surname is Wei, his given name Tianwang.¹⁷ The three of us fellow disciples all share the character ‘Tian’ in our names.”

Guo Xiang nodded, committing these to memory, then asked, “Are you going up to Shaolin Monastery or not? Have you already matched skills with those monks? Who proved the stronger?”

Wei Tianwang let out a sharp exclamation, his voice turning stern. “How do you know everything? That we intended to test our martial arts against Shaolin’s monks is something scarcely a handful of people under heaven know. How did you come by this knowledge? Speak! Speak now!”

As he spoke, he advanced upon Guo Xiang, his right fist clenched tight, glaring at her with murderous eyes.

Guo Xiang thought, Do you think I’ll be cowed by your threats? Ordinarily I wouldn’t mind telling you, but the more ferocious you become, the less I’ll say.

She glared back at him and replied coolly, “Your name doesn’t suit you. Why not change it to ‘Tiane’?”¹⁸

Wei Tianwang bellowed, “What did you say?”

Guo Xiang said, “One so fierce and savage as you is rarely seen. You’ve stolen my belongings and still act like such a tyrant. Are you not the Celestial Evil Star¹⁹ descended to earth?”

A strange sound rumbled in Wei Tianwang’s throat, something between a growl and a beast’s howl. His chest suddenly swelled to twice its normal size, and it seemed as though every hair on his head and every bristle of his brows stood on end.

Seeing Wei Tianwang in such a state, Guo Xiang knew that if he lashed out, his blow would be unstoppable. Despite herself, a chill of fear crept into her heart.

The red-faced elder, Fang Tianlao, called out urgently, “Third Brother, you must not lose your temper!”

He seized Guo Xiang’s arm and pulled her back several feet, placing himself between them.

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. 里 — lǐ. Traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 metres or a third of a mile. ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. 青驴 — qīng lǘ. Literally blue-grey donkey. Colour 青 (qīng) when applied to animals typically indicates a greyish or blue-grey coat. ↩

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

5. 昆仑三圣 — Kūnlún Sānshèng. Literally three Kunlun sages. ↩

6. 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. ↩

7. 武林 — wǔlín. Literally martial forest. The community of martial artists and their schools; distinct from the jianghu, which is broader and includes the itinerant trades that travel with them. ↩ ↩²

8. 郭靖 — Guō Jìng. His name meaning Guo Serenity. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

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

12. 西域 — Xīyù. Literally western regions. Frontier territories west of Yumen Pass, encompassing the lands beyond China proper where various ethnic groups and small kingdoms existed. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 中原 — Zhōngyuán. Literally “Central Plains,” the heartland of Chinese civilisation along the Yellow River valley. Historically refers to the cultural and political centre of China. See Wikipedia. ↩

14. 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. ↩

15. 潘天耕 — Pān Tiāngēng. His name meaning “Heaven’s Tiller” or “Cultivating the Heavens.” See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 方天劳 — Fāng Tiānláo. His name meaning “Heaven’s Toiler” or “Labouring for Heaven.” See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 卫天望 — Wèi Tiānwàng. His name meaning “Gazing at Heaven” or “Aspiring to Heaven.” See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

18. 天恶 — Tiān’è. Literally heaven’s evil. Play on Wei Tianwang’s name, substituting 恶 (è, “evil/fierce”) for 望 (wàng, “gaze/aspire”), suggesting he is a malevolent force descended from the heavens. ↩

19. 天恶星 — Tiān’è Xīng. Literally heaven’s evil star. In Chinese astrology, one of the malevolent stars believed to bring misfortune and disaster. ↩