The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 22 – Part 5

Miejue Shitai said coldly, "The Emei Order has lost today. If you do not die now, we shall settle accounts another day. Let us see what the Wudang Order will do. The success or failure of the Six Great Factions in this campaign rests entirely upon Wudang's judgement."[^sixfactions] Of the six factions that had besieged Bright Peak,[^brightpeak] the masters of Kongtong, Shaolin, Huashan, Kunlun and Emei had all been defeated by Zhang Wuji's hands. Only the Wudang Order remained, not yet having crossed swords with him. Now he bore grave wounds, more likely to die than to live. Forget first-rate masters. Even a few mediocre fighters coming at him in turns would exhaust what little he had left. Perhaps even without anyone to face him, he might succumb to his injuries if given a moment longer. Any one of the Five Xias of Wudang[^wudangxia] could step forward and strike him down without the slightest effort, after which they could proceed with their original plan and exterminate the Ming Order.[^mingorder]

Everyone present thought the same: the Wudang Order had always placed supreme value upon the two characters xia and yi, chivalry and righteousness. To ask them to strike down a gravely wounded youth would do great damage to their reputation. Perhaps none of the Five Xias of Wudang would be willing to do it. Yet if Wudang did not act, was this great enterprise, the Six Great Factions besieging Bright Peak, a feat that had rung through the wulin,¹ to end in failure, the six factions limping home with their tails between their legs? How would the Six Great Factions show their faces in the jianghu² afterwards? The choice before them was exceedingly difficult. The meaning behind Miejue Shitai’s words was plain: the future honour or disgrace of the six factions now rested upon Wudang alone. Let us see whether anyone in Wudang would put the greater cause above their personal reputations.

Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Songxi, Yin Liting and Mo Shenggu looked at one another, none able to make up his mind. Suddenly Song Qingshu³ spoke, “Father, Four Uncles, let me deal with him.” The Five Xias of Wudang understood his meaning at once. He was of the younger generation in Wudang. If he acted, it would not tarnish the honoured names of the Five Xias of Wudang.

Yu Lianzhou said, “No! If we permit you to act, it is no different from acting ourselves.” Zhang Songxi said, “Second Brother, in my humble opinion, the greater cause must come first. The reputations of us five brothers are a lighter matter.” Mo Shenggu said, “Reputation is an external thing. It is only that treating a gravely wounded youth in this manner leaves the conscience uneasy.” The discussion reached no decision. All eyes turned to Song Yuanqiao, waiting for him to make the final call.

Song Yuanqiao saw that Yin Liting had not spoken a single word, yet the anger on his face was plain to read. He knew that Yin Liting’s betrothed, Ji Xiaofu,⁴ had lost her virtue to Yang Xiao⁵ of the Ming Order and perished in consequence, a disgrace and hatred beyond measure. If they did not destroy the Ming Order utterly now, sweeping away every traitor and villain, how could he ever swallow this bitterness? Song Yuanqiao said slowly, “The Ming Order has committed countless evils. To root out evil completely is the great duty of those who walk the righteous path. Reputation is certainly important, but when the two cannot be had together, we must choose the greater. Qingshu, be careful.”

Song Qingshu bowed and said, “Yes!” He stepped before Zhang Wuji and said in a clear voice, “Young Xia Zeng, if you are not a member of the Ming Order, you may leave and tend your wounds on the mountain. The Six Great Factions have only the Ming Order’s heretics in their sights. This does not concern you.”

Zhang Wuji pressed his left hand against the wound on the right side of his chest and said, “A true man rushes to aid another in difficulty and will not rest until he dies. Many thanks… many thanks for your kindness, Brother Song, but I… I shall live and die with the Ming Order!”

The men of the Ming Order and Tianying Order⁶ cried out one after another: “Young Xia Zeng, you have shown us every kindness. We are grateful beyond words. Things having come to this, there is no need to fight any further.”

Yin Tianzheng⁷ stumbled forward on unsteady legs and said, “You surnamed Song, let this old man receive your fine moves!” But he could not gather his breath, his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground.

Song Qingshu kept his eyes on Zhang Wuji and said, “Brother Zeng, since it must be so, I am afraid I must offend you for the sake of the greater cause.”

Xiaozhao⁸ stepped before Zhang Wuji and cried, “Then kill me first!” Zhang Wuji said softly, “Xiaozhao, do not worry. He cannot kill me.” Xiaozhao said anxiously, “But… you are wounded.” Zhang Wuji said gently, “Xiaozhao, why are you so good to me?” Xiaozhao said sadly, “Because… because you are good to me, I am willing… willing to die for you!” Zhang Wuji gazed at her for a long moment and thought, Even if I die now, at least I have found one true friend who cares for me without reserve. He said gently, “From now on, you shall be my little sister.” Xiaozhao nodded slowly, her joy beyond measure.

Song Qingshu shouted at Xiaozhao, “Step aside!” Zhang Wuji said, “Why are you so rude to this young girl?” Song Qingshu thrust his hand against Xiaozhao’s shoulder and pushed her back several paces, saying, “Demonic men and villainous women, what good comes of them? Get up and face my moves!” Zhang Wuji said, “Your father, Song daxia, is a gentleman whom all the world respects. Yet you are so brutal. To fight you, I need not… need not even stand.” In truth he could not summon his neili⁹ and knew he had no strength to rise.

Everyone present could see plainly how weak Zhang Wuji had become after his grave wounds. Yu Lianzhou said loudly, “Qingshu, seal his acupoints so he cannot move. He will faint, and there will be no need to take his life.”

Song Qingshu said, “Yes!” His left hand feinted, his right hand darted out with sudden speed towards Zhang Wuji’s shoulder. Zhang Wuji did not stir. When Song Qingshu’s fingers touched the Jianzhen acupoint,¹⁰ his neili shifted sideways, redirecting and deflecting the force. Song Qingshu’s thrust felt as if it had plunged into water, meeting not the slightest resistance. Taken by surprise, he lurched forward and nearly collided with Zhang Wuji. He steadied himself just in time, but not without considerable embarrassment.

He gathered himself and lashed out with his right foot, kicking fiercely at Zhang Wuji’s chest. He had put six or seven tenths of his strength into the kick. Though Yu Lianzhou had told him not to take Zhang Wuji’s life, for some reason a deep hatred burned in his heart towards the youth before him. It was not because Zhang Wuji had called him brutal, but because he had seen the tender concern in Zhou Zhiruo’s eyes whenever she looked at this young man. Even when she had obeyed her shifu¹¹ and struck him with her jian, her face had been bitter with anguish, plainly showing how deeply she suffered.

Ever since Song Qingshu had first seen Zhou Zhiruo,¹² his eyes could scarcely leave her for a moment. Though he constantly restrained himself, daring not look too much lest others think him a fop, not one of her movements, not one smile or frown, had escaped his notice. He understood clearly: after she had thrust that sword, whether the young man lived or died, he could never be erased from her heart. If he were to kill this youth, Zhou Zhiruo would surely resent him deeply. Yet jealousy burned within him, and he could not bear to let pass this one chance to seal the other’s doom. Song Qingshu excelled in both letters and martial arts, a standout among the third-generation disciples of the Wudang Order, and had always been considered upright and righteous. Yet when it came to the character qing, love, his composure collapsed utterly.

Everyone saw Song Qingshu’s kick flying towards Zhang Wuji. Unless Zhang Wuji leapt aside, he could only raise his palm to meet it head-on. But evidently even propping himself up to sit was beyond him now. This kick would surely take his life. Yet just as the toe of Song Qingshu’s foot was about to reach his chest, Zhang Wuji’s right hand moved lightly, his five fingers brushing outward, and Song Qingshu’s right leg somehow veered off course, slanting past Zhang Wuji’s body. Though it missed by barely four inches, the kick had struck nothing at all. Song Qingshu could not check his momentum in mid-attack. He stepped forward, his left heel striking backwards towards Zhang Wuji’s back. The move was both swift and vicious, unexpected and difficult to guard against, an exceedingly skilful technique. But Zhang Wuji’s fingers brushed once more, and the heel’s impact was redirected away.

Three moves passed, and all the onlookers were greatly astonished. Song Yuanqiao called out, “Qingshu, he has no neili left of his own. This is the art of using four liang to deflect a thousand jin.”¹³ His eyes were experienced, and he saw that though Zhang Wuji’s neili was entirely spent, the kung fu he employed, though strange, rested upon the same fundamental principle as the martial art of borrowing force to strike force.

With his father’s words of warning, Song Qingshu suddenly changed tactics. His palms drifted out lightly, insubstantially, now present and now gone, the Soft Palm,¹⁴ one of the Wudang Order’s supreme arts. Borrowing force to strike force was the very foundation of the Wudang Order’s martial arts. The Soft Palm he employed contained force that seemed present yet absent, making it impossible for the opponent to find any force to borrow. But Zhang Wuji had already trained the divine art of the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth¹⁵ to its seventh and highest level. Though the Soft Palm was light, it still possessed form and force. His left hand pressed against his wounded chest while his right hand moved like one plucking a zither or playing a se, now lifting, now twisting, now flicking, now pressing. His upper body did not move at all. Within moments, he had redirected and dispersed all thirty-six moves of Song Qingshu’s Soft Palm.

Song Qingshu was greatly alarmed. He happened to glance sideways and suddenly met Zhou Zhiruo’s gaze. Her face was full of concern, and he knew with certainty that her concern was not for him. A surge of bitterness and anger rose within him. He drew a deep breath, then swung his left palm in a fierce strike at Zhang Wuji’s right cheek while his right hand darted out, his fingers stabbing swiftly at the Quepen acupoint on Zhang Wuji’s left shoulder. This move was called Blossoms Opening in Twin Heads,¹⁶ an elegant name for a technique of considerable ferocity. After delivering the first two strikes with both hands, he followed with his right palm striking Zhang Wuji’s left cheek and his left forefinger stabbing at the Quepen acupoint on Zhang Wuji’s right shoulder. These four continuous moves of Blossoms Opening in Twin Heads came like a sudden storm, the force of the assault and the speed of the techniques truly formidable. When the onlookers saw such ferocity, they cried out in unison and involuntarily stepped forward.

Two sharp cracks rang out. Song Qingshu’s left hand had struck his own left cheek, his right forefinger had sealed his own left Quepen acupoint, his right palm had struck his own right cheek, and his left forefinger had sealed his own right Quepen acupoint. All four moves of Blossoms Opening in Twin Heads had landed, but Zhang Wuji, using the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, had redirected every strike onto Song Qingshu himself. Had his moves been even slightly slower, after sealing his own left Quepen acupoint the remaining two strikes would have lacked the power to deliver. But his four moves came in rapid succession, swift beyond compare. Though his left Quepen acupoint was sealed, his arm had not yet gone numb. Only after completing all four moves of the lower set of Blossoms Opening in Twin Heads did his limbs weaken. He fell backwards with a thud, struggled several times, and could rise no more.

Song Yuanqiao rushed forward, massaged his son’s acupoints several times to release them, and saw that both cheeks were swollen high, each bearing five dark finger-marks. He knew that though the injuries were slight, his son was proud and high-spirited. To suffer such public humiliation today was worse than death. Without a word, he took his son’s hand and led him back to the Wudang contingent.

Cheers rose from all sides, one wave after another, praises and words of admiration filling the air. Suddenly Zhang Wuji opened his mouth and spat several mouthfuls of fresh blood. He pressed his hand against his wounds and coughed. Xiaozhao reached out to hold the wounds for him, tears falling as she whispered comfort. Everyone gazed at him with deep concern, thinking: he had withstood Song Qingshu’s ferocious assault while gravely wounded. Though he had prevailed, his neili must have been greatly depleted. Some looked at him, then at the Wudang contingent, wondering whether they would concede defeat or send another fighter.

Song Yuanqiao said, “Today the Wudang Order has done its utmost. It seems the Ming Order’s fortune is not yet exhausted, that Heaven has sent down this extraordinary youth. If we continue to fight without end, what difference is there between the renowned righteous factions and the Ming Order?” Yu Lianzhou said, “Eldest Brother is right. Let us return to the mountain this very day and seek Shifu’s guidance. In future, the Wudang Order will come again, and after this youth has recovered, we shall decide the contest then.” His words were open and aboveboard, his bearing spirited and commanding. Though they conceded defeat today, he did not believe the Wudang Order would forever prove inferior. Zhang Songxi and Mo Shenggu said together, “That is exactly right!”

Suddenly there came the sound of a jian being drawn from its scabbard. Yin Liting’s eyes were bright with tears. He strode forward, the tip of his jian pointed at Zhang Wuji, and said, “You surnamed Zeng, I have no quarrel with you. To harm you now would make me, Yin Liting, a false claimant to the two characters xia and yi. But Yang Xiao and I are enemies as deep as the sea. I must kill him. Step aside!”

Zhang Wuji shook his head and said, “So long as I have one breath left in me, I shall not allow you to kill a single person of the Ming Order.”

Yin Liting said, “Then I must kill you first!”

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End of Part 5.

Footnotes

1. 武林 – wǔlín. The martial forest, the community of martial artists and their factions. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 江湖 – jiānghú. The itinerant world beyond settled society. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 宋青书 – Sòng Qīngshū. Song Yuanqiao’s son, a promising third-generation disciple of the Wudang Order, known for his scholarly accomplishments as well as his martial arts. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 纪晓芙 – Jǐ Xiǎofú. A disciple of the Emei Order and Yin Liting’s former betrothed. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 杨逍 – Yáng Xiāo. The Bright Left Messenger of the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 天鹰教 – Tiānyīng Jiào. The Tianying Order, founded by Yin Tianzheng, closely allied with the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 殷天正 – Yīn Tiānzhèng. The White-Browed Eagle King, founder of the Tianying Order and Zhang Wuji’s maternal grandfather. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 小昭 – Xiǎozhāo. A young maid in the service of the Ming Order, devoted to Zhang Wuji. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 内力 – nèilì. The kinetic manifestation of qi cultivated through martial training. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 穴道 – xuédào. Acupoints, the vital points along the body’s meridians where neili can be sealed or struck. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 师父 – shīfù. Master, the teacher who is as a father. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 周芷若 – Zhōu Zhĭruò. A disciple of the Emei Order and later its leader. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 四两拨千斤 – sì liǎng bō qiān jīn. A martial principle of using minimal force to redirect overwhelming strength. Liang and jin are traditional units of weight. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 绵掌 – Miánzhǎng. The Soft Palm, one of the Wudang Order’s supreme martial arts, characterised by its insubstantial, flowing force. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 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 force and reversing the trajectory of attacks. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 花开并蒂 – Huā Kāi Bìng Dì. Blossoms Opening in Twin Heads, a Wudang technique of simultaneous dual-handed attacks. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩