The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 18 – Part 4

Miejue Shitai[^miejue] sat at a distance and heard every word. When she heard Song Yuanqiao[^songyuanqiao] rank her as the second finest swordswoman under heaven, she was well pleased. Zhang Sanfeng[^zhangsanfeng] was the paramount figure in the martial arts of the age, revered by every man in the wulin,[^wulin] and she had never imagined surpassing so rare a grandmaster. But that the Wudang Order's senior disciple should consider her swordsmanship the finest after Zhang Sanfeng himself filled her with no small satisfaction. Watching Ding Minjun[^dingminjun] attempt the move, her spirit and force barely three or four parts of the proper measure, she thought, *Can the swordsmanship of the Emei Order,[^emei] famed across the world, amount to so little as this?* She stepped forward, took the jian[^jian] from Ding Minjun's hand without a word, raised it level with the tip of her nose, and gave the blade a light tremble. The jian-tip buzzed without pause, swinging nine times from right to left, then nine times from left to right. Each flick was so fast as to be quite extraordinary, yet every one was distinct and clear. The disciples watched their shifu[^shifu] display such exquisite swordsmanship, every heart pounding, every palm sweating.

Yin Liting¹ cried out, “Magnificent swordsmanship! Magnificent! Superb!”

Song Qingshu² held his breath and concentrated, secretly astonished. At first he had only meant to ingratiate himself with Shitai by praising the Emei swordsmanship. Who could have known that when she demonstrated it, the skill proved so high and subtle as to surpass imagination? He felt genuine admiration and set about asking her instruction in earnest. Whatever Song Qingshu asked, Shitai taught, more diligently even than when instructing her own disciples. Song Qingshu’s martial foundation was already deep, and he was quick-witted besides. Every question he asked struck the vital point. The Emei disciples gathered around the pair and saw that every stroke their shifu displayed was at once subtle and extraordinary, precise to the finest degree. Some had followed her for ten years or more, yet had never witnessed such divine skill.

Zhang Wuji³ and Zhu’er⁴ stood outside the ring of onlookers, both feeling it improper to steal glances at the Emei Order’s secret swordsmanship. Zhu’er said to him suddenly, “Brother Niu, if I could learn the Green Winged Bat King’s⁵ qinggong,⁶ I would be content to die.” Zhang Wuji said, “Why learn such evil arts? Yin the Sixth… Yin the Sixth Xia says that every time Wei Yixiao uses his kung fu, he must drink a person’s blood. Would that not make him a demon?” Zhu’er said, “His kung fu is good, so he kills Emei disciples. If his qinggong were a little worse and those old nuns caught him, would he not be killed all the same? The only difference is they would not drink his blood. But once a man is dead, what difference does it make whether they drink his blood or not? Renowned orthodox schools and demons and outsiders alike, is the question never asked?”

Zhang Wuji had no answer for a moment. Then suddenly a gleaming jian flew up from the crowd and straight into the sky. It turned out that Song Qingshu and Shitai had been exchanging moves, and on the fifth exchange she used a technique called Black Swamp Spirit Fox,⁷ which sent Song Qingshu’s jian soaring into the sky. This move was created by the Emei Order’s founder Guo Xiang⁸ in memory of the day she and Yang Guo⁹ went together to the Black Swamp to catch a spirit fox.

Everyone raised their heads to watch the jian, when suddenly, more than ten li¹⁰ away in the northeast, a yellow-flame rocket surged into the sky. Yin Liting cried, “The Kongtong School¹¹ is under attack! Hurry to their aid!” The six great schools had travelled far to the Western Regions to destroy the demonic cult.¹² To conceal their movements, they advanced separately and struck together, having agreed on six coloured rockets as signals. The yellow-flame rocket was the Kongtong School’s signal.

They raced towards where the rocket had risen, hearing the sounds of fierce combat grow ever more terrible. From time to time came a cry or two of men dying. When they reached the spot, everyone was struck with horror. Before them lay a field of carnage. Several hundred fighters on each side were locked in combat. Under the bright moon, flashes of dao¹³ and jian filled the air, every man fighting as though he had forgotten death itself.

In all his life, Zhang Wuji had never seen a battle on such a scale. He saw dao and jian flying, flesh and blood splattering. The scene was too ghastly to behold. He did not wish the Ming Order to win, nor did he wish Sixth Uncle Yin and the others to win. One side was his father’s faction, the other his mother’s. Yet they were locked in a struggle to the death, and every man who fell made his heart lurch with anguish.

Yin Liting took in the battle at a glance and said, “The enemy has the Sharp Gold, Flood Water, and Blazing Fire Banners.¹⁴ The Kongtong School is here, the Huashan School has arrived, and the Kunlun School too. Our three schools fight their three banners. Qingshu, let us join the fray.” His jian hummed as he cleaved the air. Song Qingshu said, “Wait, Uncle Yin. Look over there. Another large body of the enemy, waiting for their chance.”

Zhang Wuji followed his gesture and looked east. Sure enough, several hundred feet beyond the battlefield, three companies stood in dark formation, their ranks in perfect order, each over a hundred strong. The three schools in the battlefield were fighting the three banners to a standstill. But if the Ming Order’s three reserve companies entered the fight, the Kongtong, Huashan, and Kunlun schools would be routed. Yet for some reason, those three companies remained motionless.

Both Shitai and Yin Liting were secretly alarmed. Yin Liting asked Song Qingshu, “Why aren’t those men moving?” Song Qingshu shook his head. “I cannot fathom it.” Zhu’er sneered. “What is there to fathom? Nothing could be clearer.” Song Qingshu flushed and fell silent. Shitai wanted to ask, but held back.

Yin Liting said, “We would welcome the young lady’s insight.” Zhu’er said, “Those three companies belong to the Tianying Order.¹⁵ Though the Tianying Order is a branch of the Ming Order, it has always been at odds with the Five Banners.¹⁶ If you wipe out the Five Banners, the Tianying Order will quietly rejoice. Order Leader Yin might well become the Order Leader of the Ming Order himself.”

Shitai and the others understood at once. Yin Liting said, “Many thanks for the young lady’s insight.” Zhu’er said, “You flatter me.” Shitai stared at Zhu’er, then nodded, thinking, Golden Flower Granny’s¹⁷ martial arts are no mean thing. To think that a mere disciple of hers should be so formidable as well.

By then the Emei disciples had arrived one after another and stood behind Shitai. Jingxuan¹⁸ said, “Young Xia Song, when it comes to formation and battle, none of us can match you. We shall all follow your orders. Our only wish is to destroy the enemy, so pray do not stand on ceremony.” Song Qingshu said, “Uncle Yin, well… well… how could your nephew presume?” Shitai said, “Is this the time for empty courtesy? Give your orders.”

Song Qingshu saw that the situation on the battlefield was urgent. The Kunlun School¹⁹ held a clear advantage against the Sharp Gold Banner. The Huashan School fought the Flood Water Banner²⁰ to a standstill. But the Kongtong School was increasingly hard-pressed, surrounded by the Blazing Fire Banner²¹ and suffering heavy losses. He said, “Let us divide into three companies and charge down together, all attacking the Sharp Gold Banner. Shitai, lead your force charging in from the east. Uncle Yin, lead yours from the west. Jingxuan shishu²² and I will attack from the south…” Jingxuan said in surprise, “The Kunlun School is not in any danger. It is the Kongtong School that seems hard-pressed.”

Song Qingshu said, “The Kunlun School already has the upper hand. If we strike with the force of a thunderbolt, we should be able to wipe out the Sharp Gold Banner in a single blow, and the remaining two banners will scatter like grass before the wind. If we go to rescue the Kongtong School instead and become locked in a stalemate, the Tianying Order will play the fisherman and reap the benefit. That would be disaster.” Jingxuan was greatly impressed. “Young Xia Song is right.” She at once divided the disciples into three companies.

Zhu’er pulled Zhang Wuji’s sled and said, “Let us be going. There is nothing to gain from staying here.” With that she turned to leave. Song Qingshu dashed after her, thrust his jian across her path, and cried, “Do not leave, young lady.” Zhu’er asked in surprise, “Why are you barring my way?” Song Qingshu said, “Your origins are most unusual, young lady. I cannot simply let you walk away.” Zhu’er sneered. “What if my origins are unusual? And what if they are not?”

Shitai was burning with impatience, longing to begin the slaughter at once and wipe out the cult’s followers to a man. Hearing Zhu’er and Song Qingshu trading words, her figure flickered and she had already closed the distance. She reached out and struck three acupoints on Zhu’er’s back, waist, and legs. Zhu’er’s martial arts were so far beneath Shitai’s that she had no defence at all. Her knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground.

Shitai brandished her jian and cried, “Today we begin the great slaughter. Purge the fiends!”²³ She led one company, with Yin Liting and Jingxuan each commanding another, and the three charged straight at the Sharp Gold Banner.

He Taichong²⁴ and Ban Shuxian²⁵ of the Kunlun School, husband and wife, were already holding a clear advantage against the Sharp Gold Banner with their disciples. With the Emei and Wudang schools charging in, the momentum grew overwhelming. Shitai’s swordsmanship was ferocious beyond match. Not a single member of the Ming Order could withstand three strokes from her. Her tall figure wove through the ranks, thrusting here, hewing there. In the space of a breath, seven cult members had fallen beneath her jian.

Zhuang Zheng,²⁶ Banner Chief of the Sharp Gold Banner, seeing the situation turn desperate, seized his wolf-toothed mace²⁷ and charged to meet Shitai, barely holding her off. After ten-odd exchanges, Shitai unleashed her Emei swordsmanship, growing ever faster and pressing the attack with all her might. Zhuang Zheng’s martial skill was considerable, and for a time they fought as equals. Meanwhile Yin Liting, Jingxuan, Song Qingshu, He Taichong, Ban Shuxian, and the rest gave themselves over to wholesale slaughter. Though the Sharp Gold Banner was not without masters of its own, how could it withstand the combined force of three great schools? In moments the casualties were appalling.

Zhuang Zheng smashed three blows of his mace, forcing Shitai back a step, then raised it high for a crushing overhead strike. Shitai angled her jian and touched the mace lightly with the tip, using a Following the Current, Pushing the Boat²⁸ technique to deflect it aside. But Zhuang Zheng was no ordinary figure in the Ming Order. In the wulin he could truly be counted a first-rate master. Blessed with extraordinary natural strength, he had reached the highest level in both neigong²⁹ and waigong.³⁰ At that moment he felt her neili³¹ riding through her jian into his mace. With a great shout, he rebounded the force back through a surge of fierce, unyielding arm strength. There came a sharp crack, and Shitai’s jian snapped into three pieces.

Shitai’s weapon had broken, her arm numb and aching. But she did not retreat. Instead she reached behind her back and drew the Heavenly Jian³² she carried there. Cold light surged and leapt like lightning, like stars in flight. She thrust forward with a technique called Iron Lock Across the River.³³ Zhuang Zheng suddenly felt his mace grow light. The spiked head of the wolf-toothed mace had been split clean in two by the Heavenly Jian, and in the same stroke half his skull was shorn away by that matchless edge.

The men of the Sharp Gold Banner saw their Banner Chief fall and raised great cries, fighting with red-eyed fury, heedless of their lives. Several Kunlun and Emei disciples perished in the onslaught. A man from the Flood Water Banner shouted, “Banner Chief Zhuang has given his life for the Order. Sharp Gold and Blazing Fire Banners, retreat! The Flood Water Banner will cover the withdrawal!” The Blazing Fire Banner at once changed its flags and began an orderly retreat westward. But the Sharp Gold Banner fought ever more fiercely, and not one man would withdraw.

Footnotes

1. 殷梨亭 – Yīn Lítíng. The sixth of the Seven Xias of Wudang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 宋青书 – Sòng Qīngshū. Son of Song Yuanqiao and the most promising disciple of the third Wudang generation. Known by the epithet Jade-Faced Mengchang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 张无忌 – Zhāng Wújì. Protagonist of the story, son of Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 蛛儿 – Zhū’ér. Nickname of Yin Li, granddaughter of Yin Tianzheng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 韦一笑 – Wéi Yīxiào. The Green Winged Bat King, one of the four Guardian Kings of the Ming Order, renowned for his matchless qinggong. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 轻功 – qīnggōng. Lightness skill. The martial art of movement, agility, and leaping. ↩

7. 黑沼灵狐 – Hēizhǎo Línghú. Literally Black Swamp Spirit Fox. An Emei sword technique created by Guo Xiang to commemorate catching a spirit fox with Yang Guo at the Black Swamp. ↩

8. 郭襄 – Guō Xiāng. Founder of the Emei Order, daughter of Guo Jing and Huang Rong. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 杨过 – Yáng Guò. Hero of The Return of the Condor Heroes, companion of Guo Xiang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

11. 崆峒派 – Kōngtóng Pài. The Kongtong School, one of the six major orthodox factions. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 明教 – Míng Jiào. The Ming Order, a revolutionary cult opposing Yuan rule. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 刀 – dāo. A curved, single-edged blade. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 锐金旗 – Ruìjīn Qí. The Sharp Gold Banner, one of the five elite combat banners of the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 天鹰教 – Tiānyīng Jiào. The Tianying Order, a branch of the Ming Order led by Yin Tianzheng, the White-Browed Eagle King. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 五行旗 – Wǔxíng Qí. The Five Banners, the five elite combat divisions of the Ming Order: Sharp Gold, Giant Wood, Flood Water, Blazing Fire, and Thick Earth. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 金花婆婆 – Jīnhuā Pópó. Golden Flower Granny. Zhu’er’s disguise as an elderly woman. ↩

18. 静玄 – Jìngxuán. Senior disciple of the Emei Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

19. 昆仑派 – Kūnlún Pài. The Kunlun School, one of the six major orthodox factions, led by He Taichong and Ban Shuxian. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

20. 洪水旗 – Hóngshuǐ Qí. The Flood Water Banner, one of the five elite combat banners of the Ming Order, specialising in corrosive and liquid attacks. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

21. 烈火旗 – Lièhuǒ Qí. The Blazing Fire Banner, one of the five elite combat banners of the Ming Order, specialising in fire-based attacks. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

23. 妖邪 – yāoxié. Fiends. The orthodox schools’ term for the unrighteous and demonic. ↩

24. 何太冲 – Hé Tàichōng. Zhangmen of the Kunlun School. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

25. 班淑娴 – Bān Shūxián. Wife of He Taichong and co-leader of the Kunlun School. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

26. 庄铮 – Zhuāng Zhēng. Banner Chief of the Sharp Gold Banner of the Ming Order, renowned for his immense strength and wolf-toothed mace. ↩

27. 狼牙棒 – Lángyá Bàng. Wolf-toothed mace. A heavy club studded with iron spikes resembling wolf fangs. ↩

28. 顺水推舟 – Shùnshuǐ Tuīzhōu. Literally ‘pushing the boat along with the current’. A sword technique that uses the opponent’s momentum against them. ↩

29. 内功 – nèigōng. Internal cultivation. The cultivation of neili through breathing, meditation, and qi circulation. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

30. 外功 – wàigōng. External cultivation. The training of the body’s hardness, strength, and physical techniques. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

31. 内力 – nèilì. Internal force, the kinetic manifestation of qi cultivated through neigong. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

32. 倚天剑 – Yǐtiān Jiàn. The Heavenly Jian; the name’s literal sense is ‘heaven-reliant’. One of the two supreme weapons of the jianghu, forged with the Dragon-Slaying Dao from meteoric iron. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

33. 铁锁横江 – Tiěsuǒ Héngjiāng. Literally ‘iron lock across the river’. A powerful forward-thrusting sword technique. ↩