The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 19 – Part 3

Peng Yingyu,¹ seeing the strange light blazing in Zhou Dian's eyes as though he would leap up and fight Yang Xiao on the spot, hastened to intercede. “The ancients spoke well: brothers may quarrel within the wall, yet together they resist those who come from without. Let us first agree on a plan to face the enemy.” Yang Xiao said, “Master Yingyu sees the larger picture. His words are sound.” Zhou Dian bellowed, “Ha! Peng the bald-pate sees the larger picture, while I, Zhou Dian, see only the smaller one.” His bull-headed stubbornness was roused and he cared for nothing any longer. He cried, “Today we must settle this question of the Order Leadership once and for all. I, Zhou Dian, nominate Wei Yixiao² as leader of the Ming Order. The Bat King's martial arts are formidable and his schemes countless. No one in our Order can match him.” In truth, Zhou Dian had no particular friendship with Wei Yixiao at ordinary times, and their dislikes for each other outnumbered their goodwill. But he was determined to provoke Yang Xiao, so he put Wei Yixiao forward.

Yang Xiao laughed aloud. “I think it would be better to make Zhou Dian the leader himself. The Ming Order is already torn in four and split in five. If we invite Chief Zhou to turn it upside down once more, that would truly be a spectacle!” Zhou Dian flew into a rage and cursed, “Your mother’s dog-farting arse!” With a whoosh of wind, he struck a palm straight at the crown of Yang Xiao’s head.

Now the palm with which Zhou Dian had earlier knocked loose several of Cannot Tell’s³ teeth had landed only because Cannot Tell had neither dodged nor blocked. But Yang Xiao was not so easily dealt with. Over ten years ago, he had had a grave dispute with the Five Unbound Adepts over the very question of the Order Leadership. At that time the Five had sworn never to set foot on Bright Peak⁴ again, yet today they had broken that oath and returned. He had already harboured secret suspicions. Now, seeing Zhou Dian strike without warning, he suspected the Five Unbound Adepts had gathered Wei Yixiao to plot against him. Startled and enraged, he swung out his right palm to meet Zhou Dian’s strike.

Wei Yixiao knew full well Yang Xiao’s prowess, and that Zhou Dian, still unrecovered from his earlier injuries, could never withstand him. At once he clapped out his own palm, leaping ahead to take Yang Xiao’s blow upon himself. The two palms met, yet no sound followed.

The truth was that Yang Xiao, though at odds with Zhou Dian, bore in mind their fellowship in the same Order and had no wish to kill him with a single blow. He had therefore held back some of his strength. But Wei Yixiao’s martial arts ran deep, and the instant his signature technique, Cold Ice Cotton Palm,⁵ struck home, Yang Xiao’s right arm convulsed violently and a wave of yin-cold qi flooded in through his skin. He channelled his neili⁶ at once to resist. Their internal power was so evenly matched that neither could gain the upper hand.

Zhou Dian shouted, “Surname Yang, take another palm from me!” His first strike had missed. Now his second flew at Yang Xiao’s chest. Cannot Tell cried, “Zhou Dian, do not be absurd!” Peng Yingyu called out as well, “Left Guardian Yang, Bat King Wei, pray cease at once. Do not let this damage the harmony between us.” He reached out to deflect Zhou Dian’s palm, but Yang Xiao shifted his body slightly, and his left palm had already adhered to Zhou Dian’s right.

Cannot Tell cried, “Zhou Dian, you attack two against one. What sort of hero does that make you?” He lunged to seize Zhou Dian’s shoulder, meaning to pull him away. His palm had not yet descended when he saw Zhou Dian’s body trembling faintly, as though he had already suffered internal injury. Cannot Tell was startled. He knew full well that the Left Guardian of Light possessed supernatural neili and was among the Order’s highest masters. He feared a single palm had already wounded Zhou Dian. Seeing that Zhou Dian’s right palm still clung to Yang Xiao’s left and would not withdraw, he shouted, “Zhou Dian, he is your own brother. Why risk your life against him?” He tugged at Zhou Dian’s shoulder and said at the same time, “Left Guardian Yang, show mercy in your palm!” fearing that Yang Xiao would not release his palm-force but would instead press the advantage.

But with one pull, Zhou Dian’s body swayed and would not budge. At the same moment, a bone-piercing cold shot from the centre of his palm straight into Cannot Tell’s chest. Cannot Tell was even more shocked. This is Brother Wei’s peerless art, Cold Ice Cotton Palm. How is it that Yang Xiao has mastered it too? He rushed his neili to oppose the cold. But the chill intensified moment by moment. In an instant Cannot Tell’s teeth were clacking together, and he could barely hold out.

Iron Crown Adept and Peng Yingyu rushed forward together, one to shield Zhou Dian, the other to shield Cannot Tell. The combined force of the four was enough to hold the cold at bay, but they felt the power transmitted from Yang Xiao’s palm wax now light, now heavy, now fierce, now gentle, changing beyond counting in the space of a breath. None of the four dared withdraw. They feared that in the very instant of pulling back their force, Yang Xiao would suddenly strike, and then all four would die, or at the least suffer grievous injury. Peng Yingyu cried, “Left Guardian Yang, a great enemy stands before us. We cannot… we cannot… we cannot…” His teeth clattered and he could say no more. It seemed his very blood would freeze to ice. The moment he opened his mouth to speak, his zhenqi⁷ faltered for a breath, and at once he could no longer resist the cold qi flooding in from the palm.

So they held on for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Leng Qian,⁸ known as Cold-Face Gentleman, watched from the side with cold, detached eyes. He saw that Wei Yixiao and all four of the Unbound Adepts wore strained expressions, while Yang Xiao remained entirely at ease. This filled him with deep suspicion. Yang Xiao’s martial arts are lofty, but only half a notch above Wei Yixiao at best. He cannot have gained much the better of him. Add the four of us besides, and Yang Xiao should be utterly outmatched. How is it that he faces five opponents alone yet seems to hold the advantage? There must be some trick at work. He bowed his head in thought, but for a moment could not fathom the reason.

He heard Zhou Dian cry, “Cold-Face Ghost… hit… hit him in the back… hit…” Before Leng Qian had worked out the cause, he would not commit himself to the exchange. Of the five, only he himself remained unengaged. Their deliverance depended entirely on him. If he too joined the hard contest, one man’s strength more would be welcome, yet it would not surely guarantee victory. But he saw that Zhou Dian’s and Peng Yingyu’s faces were turning green. If they held on any longer, the yin-poison would penetrate their vital organs and bring disaster without end. He reached into his robe, drew out five small tarnished-silver brushes, and held them in his palm. “Five brushes. Your Quchi, Jugu, Yangxi, Wuli, and Zhongdu.” These five acupoints⁹ all lay on the limbs, not at fatal positions, and he named them beforehand so that Yang Xiao would understand: this was not enmity, but a demand that he release his palm and cease the struggle.

Yang Xiao smiled faintly and took no notice. Leng Qian called, “I must beg your pardon!” He raised his left hand and flicked his right. Five points of silver light shot straight at Yang Xiao. Yang Xiao waited until the five brushes flew close, then suddenly swept his left arm in a wide arc, dragging Zhou Dian and the other three to shield him. They heard Zhou Dian and Peng Yingyu both give muffled groans as the five small brushes struck them, two finding Zhou Dian and three finding Peng Yingyu. Fortunately Leng Qian’s aim was not to wound, and he had struck with a light hand. Nor had the brushes landed on acupoints. Flesh was torn and blood showed, but no great harm was done.

Peng Yingyu whispered, “It is the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth!”¹⁰ Leng Qian, hearing the five words “Great Shift of Heaven and Earth,” understood at once. The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth was the most formidable art in the Ming Order, handed down through successive leaders. Its fundamental principle was not especially abstruse. One first roused one’s own hidden potential, then drew upon and redirected the enemy’s force. In truth it amounted to no more than “using four ounces to deflect a thousand jin.” But to do it in practice was another matter entirely. The transformations it wrought were so marvellous they beggared belief. Since the death of the previous leader Yang Dingtian,¹¹ no one in the Ming Order had been able to practise this art, which was why none of the six had thought of it at first. In fact, Yang Xiao was expending very little force of his own. He had simply drawn Wei Yixiao’s palm-power and directed it against the four Unbound Adepts, then reversed the process, redirecting the four Unbound Adepts’s force against Wei Yixiao. He stood at ease between them, no more than channeling and transmitting both sides’ neili from one to the other, watching the tigers fight from across the mountain.

Leng Qian said, “Congratulations. No ill intent. Pray cease.” His words were terse to a fault. “Congratulations” celebrated Yang Xiao’s mastery of the art long lost to the Ming Order. “No ill intent” meant that the six of them had come to Bright Peak bearing no malice, but in sincere desire to join against a common foe. “Pray cease” asked both sides to end their struggle and harbour no misunderstanding.

Yang Xiao knew that Leng Qian would never waste a single unnecessary word in ordinary life. Precisely because he would not speak more than was needed, he never spoke falsely. If he said “no ill intent,” then truly there was none. Moreover, the five silver brushes he had just thrown had clearly been aimed at ending the stalemate, not at harming anyone. The facts were plain witness. He gave a laugh and said, “Brother Wei, four Unbound Adepts, I shall count one, two, three. We shall all withdraw our palm-force together, lest there be accidental injury!” Seeing Wei Yixiao, Zhou Dian and the others nod, he called slowly, “One. Two. Three!”

The instant the word “three” left his lips, Yang Xiao withdrew the power of the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. At that very moment his back grew cold. A sharp, piercing finger-force had struck the Shendao acupoint in his spine. Yang Xiao was aghast. The Bat King is vicious beyond measure. He strikes from behind while we withdraw! He meant to reverse his palm and counter-attack, but even as he did, he saw Wei Yixiao’s body sway and collapse to the ground. Clearly he too had been struck by treachery.

Yang Xiao had witnessed countless great battles in his life. Though this change had come without warning, he did not lose his head. He lunged forward two steps to put himself beyond the stranger’s reach, then spun about. In a single glance he saw that Zhou Dian, Peng Yingyu, Iron Crown Adept and Cannot Tell had all already fallen to the ground. Leng Qian was even now exchanging blows with a figure in a grey cloth robe. The man turned and blocked, and Leng Qian gave a low cry, a note of pain barely audible in it.

Yang Xiao drew a breath and bounded forward, meaning to aid Leng Qian. But at once he felt a cold as sharp as ice race up from the Shendao acupoint along his spine. In an instant it swept through Shenzhu, Taodao, Dazhui and Fengfu, flooding every acupoint along his Governing Vessel.¹² Yang Xiao knew the danger. His enemy’s martial arts were supremely lofty, and his heart as vicious as it was cunning. The man had chosen the precise instant when Yang Xiao and Wei Yixiao and the four Unbound Adepts were all withdrawing their power together, and struck with the speed of lightning. Yang Xiao had no choice but to channel his zhenqi at full force to resist. This cold was altogether different from the chill of Wei Yixiao’s Cold Ice Cotton Palm. It felt like a thread of ice, fine as silk, yet wherever it travelled along an acupoint, that place grew numb and aching. Had he faced the enemy head-on, Yang Xiao’s protective neili would never have allowed so fierce a finger-force to penetrate his body. But now, ambushed as he was, he could only endure and see to Leng Qian’s defence first.

He tore himself forward, right palm raised and about to strike, when suddenly his whole body convulsed with violent shuddering and the power in his palm vanished without trace. By now Leng Qian had exchanged over twenty moves with the stranger and was plainly losing. Yang Xiao was desperate. He saw Leng Qian’s right foot kick out, only for the stranger to steal a step inside, and a finger stabbed into his arm. Leng Qian swayed and fell backwards. Between alarm and fury, Yang Xiao summoned every last dregs of his neili and drove his right elbow like a hammer at the grey-robed man’s chest. The grey-robed man flicked out his left forefinger. It struck Yang Xiao full in the Xiaohai acupoint beneath the elbow. At once Yang Xiao’s body turned ice-cold and numb, and he could not move another half-step.

The grey-robed man said coldly, “The Left Guardian of Light lives up to his name. You have taken two strikes of my Phantom Shadow Finger,¹³ and yet you can still stand.” Yang Xiao said darkly, “Your finger-technique is of the Shaolin Order. But the inner force of this Phantom Shadow Finger, hmph, the Shaolin Order has no such vicious art. Who are you?”

The grey-robed man laughed. “This poor monk is Yuanzhen.¹⁴ My master’s dharma-name is formed of the characters ‘Kong’ and ‘Jian.’ Today the six great schools unite to root out the demonic cult. That you should die at the hands of Shaolin disciples is no waste.”

Yang Xiao’s anger surged. He said fiercely, “When the six great schools make war on our Ming Order, let it be with honest blades and open spears, a battle to the death. That would be the way of men. Divine Monk Kongjian’s¹⁵ reputation for honour and chivalry is known throughout the world. Who would have thought his disciple could harbour so base and shameless a wretch as you…” He could hold himself up no longer. His knees gave way and he slumped to the ground.

Yuanzhen laughed loudly. “To win by surprise, to deceive in war, this has been so since ancient times. I, Yuanzhen, am but a single man, yet I have struck down seven of the Ming Order’s finest. Are you defeated and yet unwilling to concede?”

Yang Xiao forced down his rage and shook his head with a sigh. “How did you contrive to enter Bright Peak in secret? How did you learn of this hidden passage? If you will but tell me, I, Yang Xiao, shall die content.” He reasoned that Yuanzhen’s ambush had succeeded partly because of his own supreme martial arts, but most of all because he knew the secret passage into Bright Peak, enabling him to slip past the Ming Order’s dozen sentinel posts unseen and strike before any could react. The Ming Order had held its headquarters at Bright Peak for several hundred years. Relying on sheer cliff and perilous terrain, it possessed defences as impregnable as walls of gold and moats of boiling water. Who could have imagined the disaster would arise from within, and in a single unforeseen moment all would be lost? His thoughts turned to the words of Confucius in the Analects: “When a state is torn asunder and its people divided, yet its defenders cannot hold it, while plots of war are hatched within the state’s own walls, I fear the sorrow of the Ji Sun lies not in Zhuan Yu, but within the walls of his own house.”

Footnotes

1. 彭莹玉 – Péng Yíngyù. Known as Peng the Monk (彭和尚). One of the Five Unbound Adepts of the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 韦一笑 – Wéi Yīxiào. Known as the Bat King (蝠王). A supreme master of the Ming Order whose signature technique is the Cold Ice Cotton Palm. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 说不得 – Shuōbùdé. Known as the Cloth-Sack Monk (布袋和尚). One of the Five Unbound Adepts, famed for carrying enemies inside a giant cloth sack. His name means literally “cannot tell.” See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 光明顶 – Guāngmíng Dǐng. Bright Peak. The summit headquarters of the Ming Order atop the Kunlun Mountains. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 寒冰绵掌 – Hánbīng Miánzhǎng. Cold Ice Cotton Palm. Wei Yixiao’s signature technique, which channels a bone-piercing cold into the opponent’s meridians through palm-contact. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 内力 – nèilì. Internal force. The kinetic manifestation of qi cultivated through neigong, stored in the dantian and circulated through the jingmai. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 真气 – zhēnqì. True qi. The refined qi produced by internal cultivation, circulating through the meridians and sustaining the body’s defensive and offensive power. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 冷谦 – Lěng Qiān. Known as Cold-Face Gentleman (冷面先生). The most taciturn of the Five Unbound Adepts, never wasting a single word. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 穴位 – xuéwèi. Acupoints. Points along the body’s jingmai where qi converges, used in both medicine and martial arts for healing and striking. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 乾坤大挪移 – Qiánkūn Dà Nuóyí. The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. The supreme secret art of the Ming Order, capable of redirecting an opponent’s force, reversing qi flow, and manipulating the trajectory of attacks. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 阳顶天 – Yáng Dǐngtiān. The previous leader of the Ming Order, who vanished under mysterious circumstances many years ago. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 督脉 – dūmài. The Governing Vessel. One of the body’s principal meridian channels, running along the spine from the perineum to the crown, governing all yang meridians. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 幻阴指 – Huànyīn Zhǐ. Phantom Shadow Finger. A finger technique of terrifying subtlety, channelling a yin-cold force that paralyses the victim’s meridians. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 圆真 – Yuánzhēn. The monastic name of Cheng Kun, a master schemer who harbours a decades-old grudge against the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 空见 – Kōngjiàn. Divine Monk Kongjian, a venerable elder of the Shaolin Order renowned for his compassion and martial prowess. Yuanzhen’s shifu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩