The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 22 – Part 3

Miejue understood his intention. She thought to herself, *Why should my Emei Order owe your Wudang Order such a favour? Even if he won then, it would bring no honour. Could the zhangmen of Emei stoop to pick up such a cheap advantage, treating a mere junior like this?* She had always been proud and disdainful of others. Though she had witnessed Zhang Wuji's remarkable martial arts, she told herself it was only because the fighters each school had sent were too incompetent. Hadn't the boy fallen into her hands that day as easily as catching something in a bag? Later, when she had led a great slaughter of the Ming Order's Sharp Metal Banner members, the lad had stepped forward to intervene. His neili was strange, true, but what had it amounted to? Her sleeves stirred as she spoke, "Yu the Second Xia,[^yulierxia] pray return! When this old nun[^oldnun] draws the Heaven-Reliant Sword,[^yitianjian] it goes back unsheathed only if it has tasted blood!"

Yu Lianzhou heard her words and had no choice but to clasp his fists¹ and say, “As you wish,” before stepping back.

Miejue held the sword across her chest, its tip angled upward, and walked towards Zhang Wuji. Countless members of the Ming Order had died beneath that very blade, and now the Order’s followers at the field saw her advance, their eyes splitting with rage as they raised a great clamour. Miejue sneered. “What are you shouting about? Once I have dealt with this boy, I will come for each of you in turn. Are you afraid of dying too slowly?”

Yin Tianzheng² knew her Heaven-Reliant Sword was all but impossible to face. Many fine fighters of the Order had not lasted a single exchange before their weapons were severed by its edge and they perished beneath it. He asked, “Young Xia Zeng,³ what weapon will you use?” Zhang Wuji replied, “I have no weapon. May I ask the Old Sir,⁴ how best to face her sword?” The Heaven-Reliant Sword cut through anything. He had seen it with his own eyes, and the thought of it left him cold with dread. His mind was quite blank.

Yin Tianzheng took a long jian from the bundle at his side and said, “I give you this White Rainbow Sword.⁵ Though it is not as famous as that old thieving nun’s Heaven-Reliant Sword, it is still a rare sharp weapon in the jianghu.⁶” With that, he pressed his finger against the blade and bent it until the jian curved sharply, then released it. It sprang straight with a low hum, the sound clear and resonant. Zhang Wuji received it with utmost respect, saying, “Many thanks, Old Sir.” Yin Tianzheng said, “This jian has been with me a long time, though I have not used it in over ten years. To win by the sharpness of a weapon alone, heh, what sort of hero and brave man⁷ is that? Today, if it can draw blood from the old nun’s neck, I shall die without regret.”

Zhang Wuji did not answer. He thought to himself, I absolutely cannot harm Miejue. He raised the White Rainbow Sword, turned, and took several steps forward, the tip pointed down, both hands gripping the hilt. He said to Miejue, “My swordsmanship is pitifully poor. I am no match for you, Shitai, and I dare not face a Senior in combat. You once stayed your hand and spared the lives of those from the Ming Order’s Sharp Metal Banner.⁸ Would you not grant them mercy once more?” Miejue’s long brows drooped and she said coldly, “The thieves of the Sharp Metal Banner were saved by you. Under Miejue’s hand, no one is spared. If you can defeat this jian in my hand, then you may act as recklessly as you like.”

The followers of the Ming Order’s five banners, Sharp Metal, Giant Wood, Flood Water, Blazing Fire, and Thick Earth, raised a great clamour. One cried, “Old thieving nun, if you have the skill, face Young Xia Zeng bare-handed!” Another shouted, “Your swordsmanship is nothing special. You rely on a sharp sword, that’s all!” A third called out, “Young Xia Zeng’s swordsmanship is far above yours. Go change for an ordinary jian. If you can last three moves against Young Xia Zeng, then your Emei Order is truly skilful.” A fourth jeered, “Three moves? You could not block even half a move!”

Miejue’s expression was wooden. She took no notice of their taunts, but said clearly, “Begin!”

Zhang Wuji had never learned swordsmanship, and now, suddenly called upon to attack, he was quite at a loss. He recalled the Two Instruments Swordplay⁹ of He Taichong he had just witnessed, its moves quite exquisite, and so he thrust out at an angle.

Miejue was slightly taken aback and said, “Kunlun School’s Cliff-Breaking Cloud!”¹⁰ The Heaven-Reliant Sword tilted, and from the very first move she seized the initiative with an attack. She did not bother to deflect his strike but drove the tip straight at his dantian¹¹ acupoint.¹² The ferocity and swiftness of her assault was truly beyond belief.

Zhang Wuji started and slid aside to avoid it. Suddenly, Miejue’s jian flashed and the tip was already at his throat. He was alarmed and threw himself to the ground, rolling. As he tried to rise, he felt a cold wind at the back of his neck. Knowing he was in danger, he pressed hard on the ball of his right foot and flung himself sideways. It was an escape from a position that should have been impossible. The onlookers were about to cheer when they saw Miejue drift upward, raising her jian in mid-air to slash upward. Before he could land, a flash of steel sealed off the ground several feet around him.

Zhang Wuji, suspended in the air with no way to dodge, faced her sweeping blade. Had his body dropped so much as a foot further, both his legs would have been severed at the ankles. Had it dropped three feet, he would have been cut in two at the waist. The moment was truly perilous. Without thought, he thrust out his jian. The tip of the White Rainbow Sword landed on the tip of the Heaven-Reliant Sword. The White Rainbow Sword bent, and with a soft click, the blade sprang back. He had borrowed the force to leap high once more.

Miejue surged forward, thrusting three swift strokes. By the third, Zhang Wuji’s body was sinking again, and he had no choice but to raise his jian to block. With a sharp ring, the White Rainbow Sword in his hand was reduced to half its length. His right palm followed through, striking sideways at the top of Miejue’s head. She swept her jian to slice at his wrist. Zhang Wuji’s aim was true. He shifted from palm to finger and flicked the edgeless side of the Heaven-Reliant Sword’s blade, his body flying backwards. Miejue’s arm went numb and her tiger’s mouth¹³ throbbed with pain. The violent flick of his finger had nearly sent her jian spinning from her grasp, and she was greatly shaken. She saw Zhang Wuji land some twenty feet away, holding half a short jian, staring blankly.

Those few exchanges had been as swift as a rabbit leaping and a falcon stooping. In the space of a single breath, Miejue had attacked eight times in rapid succession, each move a cunning killing stroke. Zhang Wuji had deflected each from a position of disadvantage, eight times on the brink of death, eight times snatching escape. The attacks had been ferociously sharp. The evasions had been uncannily strange. In that instant, every heart seemed about to leap from every chest. They could scarcely believe such things were within the power of mortals. The assault was like the law of heavenly generals. The evasion was like the transformations of ghosts and demons. It was as sudden as thunder and lightning, and though the fury had passed, its lingering awe still pressed upon them.

A long while passed before a cheer, as if by common consent, rose from the onlookers and shook the heavens.

In those eight swift attacks and eight desperate dodges, Zhang Wuji had been forced entirely onto the defensive. His jian had been shorn in two, and he had plainly been driven to the disadvantage. Yet Miejue’s Heaven-Reliant Sword, flicked by his finger, had left half her body numb. Zhang Wuji’s weakness lay in his lack of experience against foes. Had he seized the moment to counterattack, he would have won. Miejue was of course aware of this, and was secretly alarmed. She said, “Go change for another weapon, and fight me again.”

Zhang Wuji glanced at the broken jian in his hand. He thought, The fine jian Grandfather gave me, and I ruined it at the very first exchange. I have truly failed him. What treasured dao or sharp blade could withstand a strike from the Heaven-Reliant Sword? He was still brooding when Zhou Dian’s¹⁴ loud voice rang out, “I have a treasured dao! Take it and fight the old thieving nun. Come and get it!” Zhang Wuji said, “The Heaven-Reliant Sword is too sharp. I fear your treasured dao would be ruined for nothing.” Zhou Dian said, “Ruined is ruined. If you cannot beat her, we will all die and go to the Yellow Springs.¹⁵ What use is a treasured dao to a corpse?” Zhang Wuji thought this was reasonable and went to receive the dao.

Yang Xiao¹⁶ said in a low voice, “Young Master Zhang,¹⁷ you must seize the attack. You cannot keep taking blows.” Zhang Wuji, hearing him use Young Master Zhang, started, then understood at once. Yang Buhui¹⁸ had recognised him and naturally told her father. He replied, “Many thanks, Senior, for your guidance.” Wei Yixiao¹⁹ murmured, “Use your qinggong.²⁰ Do not let her have half a moment’s rest.” Zhang Wuji was greatly pleased and said, “Many thanks, Senior, for your advice.” The Bright Light Messenger Yang Xiao and the Green-Winged Bat King Wei Yixiao were both martial artists of profound skill. Either could have faced Miejue and might not have lost to her, but they had fallen victim to Yuanzhen’s treachery and, still grievously wounded, could not muster even a fraction of their power. Their eyes, however, were as sharp as ever, and each had pointed out one crucial matter, precisely the key to defeating Miejue’s swift swordplay.

Zhang Wuji took the dao in hand. It weighed some forty-odd jin,²¹ but he saw it gleam with a green light, its back thick and its blade thin, the edge engraved with archaic patterns, clearly a treasured weapon of great age. He thought, It is a pity to have ruined the White Rainbow Sword, but that was at least a weapon Grandfather had already given me. This treasured dao belongs to Zhou Dian. I cannot afford to ruin it too in my own hands. He turned and said, “Shitai, this Junior will begin!” He unleashed his qinggong and darted like a streak of smoke behind Miejue. Before she could turn, he darted left, then right, circling her once clockwise and once counterclockwise, then slashed twice with his dao.

Miejue swung her jian to block, about to launch a counter-strike, but Zhang Wuji had already vanished from where he had been. Even before he had learned the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth,²² his qinggong had already surpassed Miejue’s. Now, with its strange footwork added, he grew ever faster, like wind, like fire, like thunder, like lightning. Even Wei Yixiao, who had always prided himself on his qinggong above all others, was secretly astonished. Zhang Wuji circled and closed, slashing with his dao whenever he drew near, his moves not yet spent before he had already evaded. This time, the positions of attack and defence were reversed. Miejue had no chance to counter with a single sword stroke, and Zhang Wuji, wary of the Heaven-Reliant Sword’s edge, dared not press too close. After running several dozen circles, the Nine Yang zhenqi²³ within him grew strong, and it was as though his feet did not touch the ground but he flew through the air.

The Emei disciples saw this was not well. If the fight continued like this, their shifu would surely suffer. Jingxuan called out, “Today we are here to wipe out the demonic cult, not to duel for victory. Fellow shimei and shidi,²⁴ everyone attack together! Surround this boy and stop him from using tricks. Make him face Shifu’s true skill!” With that, she raised her jian and leapt out. The Emei Order’s male and female disciples immediately swarmed forward, weapons in hand, occupying positions in eight directions. Zhou Zhiruo²⁵ stood at the southwest corner. Ding Minjun²⁶ sneered, “Zhou shimei, whether you block or not is up to you. Whether you let him pass is also up to you!” Zhou Zhiruo, both angry and ashamed, said, “Why are you singling me out?”

Footnotes

1. 抱拳 – bàoquán. The civil salute, left palm over right fist. ↩

2. 殷天正 – Yīn Tiānzhèng. Zhang Wuji’s maternal grandfather, leader of the Tianying Order, known as the White-Browed Eagle King. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 曾少侠 – Zēng Shàoxiá. Young xia Zeng, the alias Zhang Wuji uses at the Heroes’ Assembly. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 老爷子 – lǎoyézi. A respectful form of address for an elder, meaning something like old sir or venerable sir. ↩

5. 白虹剑 – Bái Hóng Jiàn. Literally White Rainbow Sword. A fine jian belonging to Yin Tianzheng, gifted to Zhang Wuji for the duel. ↩

6. 江湖 – jiānghú. Literally rivers and lakes. The itinerant world beyond settled society and official reach, holding not only martial artists but the trades that travel with them. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 英雄好汉 – yīngxióng hǎohàn. A fixed doublet meaning heroes and brave men. ↩

8. 锐金旗 – Ruìjīn Qí. The Sharp Metal Banner, one of the five banners of the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 两仪剑法 – Liǎngyí Jiànfǎ. The Two Instruments Swordplay of the Kunlun School, based on the principles of yin and yang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 峭壁断云 – Qiàobì Duàn Yún. Literally cliff breaking cloud. A move from the Kunlun School’s Two Instruments Swordplay. ↩

11. 丹田 – dāntián. The energy centre below the navel, the body’s primary reservoir of qi. ↩

12. 穴 – xué. A vital point along the body’s meridian network. ↩

13. 虎口 – hǔkǒu. Literally tiger’s mouth. The webbed flesh between thumb and forefinger. ↩

14. 周颠 – Zhōu Diān. An eccentric member of the Ming Order, known for his erratic behaviour and sharp tongue. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 黄泉 – huángquán. Literally yellow springs. The underworld, the realm of the dead in Chinese belief. ↩

16. 杨逍 – Yáng Xiāo. The Bright Light Messenger, second-in-command of the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 张公子 – Zhāng Gōngzǐ. Young Master Zhang, a respectful form of address. Yang Xiao uses it upon learning Zhang Wuji’s true identity. ↩

18. 杨不悔 – Yáng Bùhuǐ. Yang Xiao’s daughter, who recognised Zhang Wuji from their earlier encounter. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

19. 韦一笑 – Wéi Yīxiào. The Green-Winged Bat King, one of the four protectors of the Ming Order, famed for his qinggong. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

20. 轻功 – qīnggōng. Lightness skill, the martial art of movement and agility. ↩

21. 斤 – jīn. A unit of weight in traditional Chinese measurement, approximately 590 grams in the Ming dynasty. ↩

22. 乾坤大挪移 – Qiánkūn Dà Nuóyí. The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, the supreme secret art of the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

23. 九阳真气 – Jiǔyáng Zhēnqì. The Nine Yang zhenqi, the pure yang energy cultivated through the Nine Yang Divine Skill. ↩

24. 师妹师弟 – shīmèi shīdì. Female junior and male junior fellow disciples, both apprenticed to the same shifu. ↩

25. 周芷若 – Zhōu Zhǐruò. An Emei disciple, and a childhood acquaintance of Zhang Wuji. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

26. 丁敏君 – Dīng Mǐnjūn. A senior Emei disciple, known for her sharp tongue and jealousy. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩