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

Atop Mount Wudang, pines and cypresses endure¹

The two walked slowly up the mountain, and when they reached the monastery gates, not a soul was to be seen.

He Zudao² said, “I shall not enter. Kindly ask that monk to come out and have a word with me.”

He raised his voice and called out, “He Zudao of Mount Kunlun³ has come to pay his respects to Shaolin Monastery.⁴ I have a message to deliver.”

No sooner had these words left his lips than ten or more great bells within the monastery began to toll in unison, their resounding clangs echoing through the surrounding peaks.

The monastery gates swung wide, and two columns of grey-robed monks emerged: fifty-four on the left, fifty-four on the right, one hundred and eight in all. These were disciples of the Arhat Hall,⁵ their number corresponding to the one hundred and eight Arhats.⁶ Behind them followed eighteen monks of more advanced years, their grey robes overlaid with pale yellow kasayas.⁷ These were senior disciples of the Bodhidharma Hall,⁸ a generation above the first group.

After a brief pause, seven aged monks in patchwork kasayas⁹ emerged. Their faces were deeply lined, the youngest among them already past seventy, the eldest appearing to have reached ninety years of age. These were the Seven Elders of the Heart-Meditation Hall.¹⁰ Then Abbot Tianming¹¹ stepped forth with measured pace, flanked on the left by Chan Master Wuxiang,¹² First Seat of the Bodhidharma Hall, and on the right by Chan Master Wuse,¹³ First Seat of the Arhat Hall. Pan Tiangeng,¹⁴ Fang Tianlao,¹⁵ and Wei Tianwang¹⁶ followed close behind. Bringing up the rear were seventy or eighty lay disciples of the Shaolin Order.¹⁷

Some days prior, He Zudao had stolen into the Arhat Hall and left a calling card in the hand of the statue of the Dragon-Subduing Arhat. This feat alone had greatly alarmed the Abbot and the two First Seats, Wuse and Wuxiang. When Pan Tiangeng and his companions arrived from the Western Regions¹⁸ a few days later with news of the challenge, the senior monks grew even warier.

The Western Regions branch of Shaolin lay so far off that for decades it had exchanged almost no word with the Shaolin of the Central Plains. Yet every senior monk knew that the granduncle Kuhui,¹⁹ who had journeyed west long ago to found it, had been truly formidable in the martial arts, and that the disciples and their successors he left behind were no ordinary practitioners. From Pan Tiangeng’s manner, it was clear he held the Three Kunlun Sages²⁰ in considerable regard, suggesting the visitor was no trifling matter. The monastery immediately heightened its vigilance, and the Abbot issued an edict: all lay and ordained disciples within five hundred li²¹ were to return and await deployment.

At first, the monks had assumed the Three Kunlun Sages referred to three separate individuals. Only after hearing Pan Tiangeng’s account did they realise it was but one man. As for his appearance and age, Pan Tiangeng and his companions knew little, save that he proclaimed himself supreme in the three arts of qin, jian, and weiqi.²²

The qin and weiqi were pursuits that led the mind astray, strongly forbidden by the Chan school.²³ Few monks at Shaolin devoted themselves to such pastimes, though the monastery boasted no shortage of masters skilled in swordsmanship. Each had been practising with renewed intensity, eager to test himself against this self-proclaimed Jian Sage.

Pan Tiangeng and his two companions had resolved to settle this affair themselves, since it had originated with them. Thus they patrolled the mountain paths daily on swift horses, determined to intercept this self-styled Three Sages of Qin, Weiqi, and Jian and thrash him so soundly that he would crawl away on all fours before even reaching the monastery gates. Afterwards, they would return to humble their Central Plains brethren, proving that the Western Regions Shaolin branch could crush their counterparts utterly.

But at the Stone Pavilion, their brief encounter with He Zudao had ended in humiliating defeat, for he had used barely half his strength. The three had supposed that one bearing so famous a name as the Three Kunlun Sages must be well advanced in years. Only on the road back, turning the fight over between them, did they realise that the young man they had just crossed hands with was the very Three Kunlun Sages they had waited so long for.

Abbot Tianming, upon receiving the news, understood that the honour and standing of Shaolin Monastery now hung in the balance. By his reckoning, neither his own martial arts nor those of Wuse and Wuxiang could be significantly superior to Pan Tiangeng and his two companions. With no other recourse, he had been compelled to invite the Seven Elders of the Heart-Meditation Hall to oversee the proceedings. The Seven Elders were a generation senior to Tianming himself. As for the true depth of their martial attainment, no one knew. Whether they could restrain this Three Kunlun Sages in a crisis was a matter that the Abbot, Wuse, and Wuxiang could only speculate upon.

Abbot Tianming observed He Zudao and Guo Xiang,²⁴ pressed his palms together, and said, “You must be the esteemed Master He, known as the Three Sages of Qin, Jian, and Weiqi. This old monk failed to receive you at a distance. Please forgive me.”

He Zudao bowed courteously and replied, “I am He Zudao. The title Three Sages is an absurd boast. What could He Zudao possibly amount to! I have intruded upon your esteemed monastery, and I am deeply sorry for it. To have troubled so many eminent monks to come out and receive me, how could I possibly deserve such honour?”

Tianming thought, This wild youth speaks without arrogance. How could one look to be barely thirty years old defeat Pan Tiangeng and his two companions with a single strike?

He said, “Master He, there is no need for such modesty. Please come inside for tea. As for this lady…”

His tone betrayed his awkwardness.

He Zudao heard the implicit refusal to admit Guo Xiang into the monastery. His wild nature flared at once, and he threw back his head in ringing laughter. “Venerable Abbot, I came to your esteemed monastery merely to deliver a message on someone’s behalf. Once spoken, I had intended to clap my hands and depart. Yet your monastery’s rules discriminate between men and women in the most peculiar fashion. I find myself rather out of patience with such things. Know this: the Buddha’s teachings are boundless, and all beings are equal. To make arbitrary distinctions between male and female is to harbour obstruction in the heart.”

Abbot Tianming was a monk of great cultivation, his Chan mind clear and his nature magnanimous. Hearing He Zudao’s words, he smiled gently and said, “Many thanks for your guidance, Honoured Guest. Our Shaolin Monastery’s rigid distinction between men and women does appear rather petty. Very well then, Miss Guo is welcome to grace us with her presence for tea as well.”

Guo Xiang smiled at He Zudao, thinking, Your tongue is quite persuasive. A few words and you’ve talked the old monk round.

Seeing Abbot Tianming step aside and extend his hand in invitation, she was about to enter when an emaciated old monk on Tianming’s left stepped forward.

“Simply on Master He’s behest, we are to cast aside a rule our Shaolin Monastery has upheld for a thousand years?” he said. “That is not impossible, yet we must first see whether the speaker truly possesses extraordinary ability, or is merely an empty name. Master He, pray leave us a demonstration of your skill, that we monks may open our eyes to your prowess, and that the whole monastery may submit with a full heart, knowing by whom a rule a thousand years in force was set aside.”

This was Wuxiang, First Seat of the Bodhidharma Hall. His voice rang clear and strong, betraying abundant inner vitality and profound neili.²⁵

Pan Tiangeng and his two companions heard this and their faces shifted subtly. Wuxiang’s words clearly implied disdain for their loss, suggesting that even though He Zudao had defeated the three of them, it did not necessarily prove he possessed genuine ability.

Guo Xiang noticed that Wuse wore an amiable expression and thought, This old monk seems a good sort, and besides he is Big Brother’s friend. If He Zudao and the Shaolin monks come to blows over me, whichever side loses, I shall feel ill at ease.

She spoke up clearly, “Brother He, I need not enter Shaolin Monastery. Deliver your message, and let us be on our way.”

Pointing at Wuse, she added, “This Chan Master Wuse is a good friend of mine. The two of you must not let discord arise between your houses.”

He Zudao started slightly. “Ah, I see.”

Turning to Tianming, he said, “Venerable Abbot, your esteemed monastery has a certain Chan Master Jueyuan.²⁶ Which of you is he? I have been entrusted to convey a message to him.”

Tianming repeated softly, “Chan Master Jueyuan?”

Jueyuan held a lowly position in the monastery. For decades he had remained hidden away in the Scripture Pavilion, obscure and unremarked. No one had ever appended the honorific Chan Master to his dharma name, and thus Tianming did not immediately recognise it. He paused, then said, “Ah, you mean the one who failed in his duty guarding the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra.²⁷ Master He, does your inquiry relate to the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra incident?”

He Zudao shook his head. “I do not know.”

Tianming addressed one of his disciples, “Summon Jueyuan to receive his guest.”

The disciple acknowledged the order and hurried off.

Wuxiang spoke again, “Master He styles himself the Three Sages of Qin, Jian, and Weiqi. Surely this title Sage is not one that ordinary men may claim? In these three arts, Master He must possess achievements that transcend the heavens and surpass all mortals. Some days ago, you left a note at our humble monastery expressing a desire to demonstrate your skill. Now that you have honoured us with your presence, would you be so gracious as to enlighten us, that we might behold your transcendent skills?”

He Zudao shook his head. “This young lady has already spoken. Our two houses must not damage their harmony.”

Wuxiang’s anger flared. You leave a note challenging us, and now that matters have come to a head, you make excuses and retreat? For a thousand years, who has dared treat Shaolin Monastery with such discourtesy? Moreover, Pan Tiangeng and the other two lost at your hands, and once word spreads through the jianghu, people will say the Shaolin Order’s three leading disciples were defeated by you. Won’t your title of Jian Sage ring louder still?

It seemed no ordinary disciple would be a match for him. There was nothing for it but to take the field himself. He took two steps forward and said, “A contest of martial arts need not damage our harmony. Master He, why be so evasive?”

Turning to a disciple of the Bodhidharma Hall, he barked, “Fetch jian! Let us see precisely how sage this Jian Sage’s swordsmanship truly is.”

The monastery had prepared all manner of weapons in advance, but displaying them during the formal reception would have appeared churlish. The disciple acknowledged the command, turned, and entered the monastery, returning with seven or eight long jians held level across both hands, and presented them before He Zudao. “Would Master He prefer to use his own precious jian, or borrow a common weapon from our humble monastery?”

He Zudao did not answer. Instead, he stooped to pick up a stone with a sharp edge. Suddenly, on the green flagstones before the monastery, he began to scratch lines, one vertical, one horizontal, and in moments had carved a large weiqi board: nineteen lines by nineteen. Each groove cut more than half an inch deep into the stone. These flagstones had been quarried from the green rock of Mount Shaoshi, hard as iron. Centuries of visitors had left scarcely any wear upon them. Yet with one casual sweep of a mere stone chip he had sunk the grooves a full inch deep, every line straight as if ruled.

He laughed. “A contest of jian is too overbearing, and there is no way to pit one qin against another. Since the Great Monk is so keen, why do we not play a game of weiqi instead?”

This skill in carving stone as though it were a board revealed internal strength rarely seen in this world. Tianming, Wuse, Wuxiang, and the Seven Elders of the Heart-Meditation Hall exchanged glances, all profoundly shaken. Abbot Tianming knew that no one in the monastery could match such overwhelming neili. His mind was as clear and bright as a sunlit sky after rain, and he was about to concede defeat when the clinking of iron chains dragging across stone reached their ears.

Jueyuan appeared, carrying a pair of large iron buckets on a pole. Behind him followed a tall youth. Jueyuan steadied the iron carrying-pole with his left hand, pressed his right palm together before Tianming in salutation, and said, “Respectfully answering the Abbot’s summons.”

Tianming said, “This Master He has something to say to you.”

Jueyuan turned to find He Zudao’s face unfamiliar. “I am Jueyuan. What instructions does the honoured guest have for me?”

Having finished the weiqi board, He Zudao’s passion for the game surged forth. “That message can wait. There is no hurry. Which of you eminent monks will play a game with me first?”

He had no intention of flaunting his skills. He simply loved the qin, the jian, and weiqi to the point of obsession. When the mood struck, even the sky falling would not distract him. Having thought of playing, he cared only for finding an opponent, the earlier matter of testing martial arts entirely forgotten.

Abbot Tianming said, “Master He has carved stone as though it were a board. Such divine skill this old monk has never witnessed in all his years. We monks of this humble monastery bow in admiration.”

Footnotes

1. 武当山顶松柏长 — Wǔdāng shān dǐng sōngbǎi cháng. Chapter title. Lit. “Atop Mount Wudang, pines and cypresses grow long-lived.” Pine and cypress stand for longevity and constancy. ↩

2. 何足道 — Hé Zúdào. His name meaning “What Is There to Speak of?” or “Not Worth Mentioning.” See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 昆仑派 — Kūnlún Pài. Kunlun School, a major martial arts school based in the Kunlun Mountains of the northwest. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

6. 罗汉 — luóhàn. Buddhist saints who have attained enlightenment and are free from the cycle of rebirth. In Chinese Buddhism, there are traditionally 108 or 500 Arhats venerated. See Wikipedia. ↩

7. 袈裟 — jiāshā. Formal outer robe worn by Buddhist monks. See Wikipedia. ↩

8. 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. ↩

9. 大块格子袈裟 — dàkuài gézi jiāshā. Ceremonial robes made from pieced cloth, symbolising humility and detachment from material concerns. Worn by the most senior monks. ↩

10. 心禅堂 — Xīnchán Táng. Literally Heart-Meditation Hall. Most senior council of Shaolin Monastery, consisting of venerable elders who had achieved the highest levels of Buddhist cultivation and martial attainment. ↩

11. 天鸣 — Tiānmíng. His name meaning “Heavenly Sound” or “Sky’s Cry.” The abbot of Shaolin Monastery. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 无相禅师 — Wúxiàng Chánshī. His name meaning “Without Appearance” or “Without Form.” Chan Master Wuxiang was First Seat of the Bodhidharma Hall at Shaolin Monastery. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 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. ↩

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

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

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

17. 少林派 — Shàolín Pài. Shaolin Order, the Buddhist martial tradition originating from Shaolin Monastery. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

18. 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. ↩

19. 苦慧 — Kǔhuì. His name meaning “Bitter Wisdom.” A Shaolin master who journeyed to the Western Regions and founded a branch school there. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

21. 里 — lǐ. Traditional Chinese unit of distance, roughly equivalent to a third of a mile or half a kilometre. ↩

22. 琴剑棋 — qín jiàn qí. Three arts in which He Zudao claimed supremacy: the qin (七弦琴 — qīxiánqín, seven-stringed zither), the jian (剑 — jiàn, straight double-edged sword), and qi (棋 — qí, the strategy game weiqi, known in the West as Go). ↩

23. 禅宗 — Chánzōng. Chan school of Buddhism, known in Japan as Zen. Emphasises meditation and direct insight into one’s true nature. See Wikipedia. ↩

24. 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. ↩

25. 内力 — nèilì. Literally internal force. Kinetic manifestation of cultivated qi; generates tangible effects such as deflecting weapons or scaling walls. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

27. 楞伽经 — Lèngqié Jīng. Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, an important Mahayana Buddhist scripture particularly significant to Chan Buddhism. Said to have been brought to China by Bodhidharma himself. See Wikipedia. ↩