The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 23: The Spirit Flower Intoxicates the Guest at Green Willow Manor

The Spirit Lotus intoxicates the guests at Green Willow Manor

The party travelled more than a hundred li before making camp for the night in the desert. In the dead of night, Zhang Wuji suddenly heard, faintly drifting from the west, the clear, ringing clash of metal on metal, ding-dang, ding-dang.¹ His heart stirred. He rose quietly and set off toward the sound. After running a li or so, he spotted a small figure moving beneath the moonlight. He hurried forward and called out, “Xiao Zhao! How did you come all this way?”

The figure was indeed Xiao Zhao. The moment she saw Zhang Wuji, she burst into tears with a wail, threw herself into his arms, and sobbed without a word. Zhang Wuji patted her shoulder gently. “Little sister, don’t cry, don’t cry!” Xiao Zhao, who seemed to have endured every grievance until this moment, finally found release. She wept all the harder and said, “Wherever you go, I… I follow too.”

Zhang Wuji thought to himself, This poor child has lost both her parents and is suspected by Left Messenger Yang and his daughter. She is truly pitiable. I suppose it is because I have been kind to her that she clings to me so. So he said, “Very well, stop crying. I’ll take you overseas with us.”

Xiao Zhao was overjoyed. She raised her head, and the hazy moonlight draped her lovely little face like a veil of gauze. Crystal tears still glistened on her cheeks, and her sea-blue eyes, pale as ocean water, were brimming with laughter. Zhang Wuji smiled. “Little sister, when you grow up, you’ll be stunningly beautiful.” Xiao Zhao laughed. “How do you know? Am I not beautiful now?” Zhang Wuji wrapped his arms lightly around her and kissed her cheek. “You’re very beautiful now, and you’ll be even more stunning later!” Xiao Zhao blushed and whispered, “Order Leader Brother,² I want to follow you forever and ever. Will you let me?” Zhang Wuji said, “I’d love nothing more.” Xiao Zhao said, “You mustn’t go back on your word!”

Before Zhang Wuji could answer, he heard the thunder of hooves from the northeast, a large body of horsemen galloping from west to east. Before long, Wei Yixiao and Yang Xiao arrived in succession. “Order Leader, a large cavalry force moving in the dead of night. It may be another enemy of our Order.” Zhang Wuji told Xiao Zhao to rejoin Zhou Dian and the others, then led Yang and Wei to investigate the source of the hoofbeats.

Reaching the site, they found a trail of horse prints in the sand. Wei Yixiao crouched to examine them, scooped up a handful of sand, and said, “There’s blood.” Zhang Wuji raised the sand to his nose and immediately caught the raw, metallic scent of blood.³ The three of them followed the tracks for several li. Yang Xiao suddenly noticed half a single-edged dao stuck in the sand to the left. He picked it up and saw the characters “Feng Yuansheng” carved on the hilt. After a moment’s thought, he said, “This belongs to the Kongtong School. Order Leader, it seems the Kongtong School has prepared spare mounts here for the journey back to the Central Plains.” Wei Yixiao said, “It’s been over half a month since we descended from Bright Summit. Why are they still lingering here? What game are they playing?” Satisfied that the tracks belonged to the Kongtong School, the three dismissed the matter and returned to camp to sleep.

On the fifth day of travel, a group of travellers appeared on the grassland ahead. Most were nuns in black robes, accompanied by seven or eight men. As the two parties drew closer, a nun shrilled, “They’re the demonic cult’s vile thieves!” Weapons were drawn on both sides, and the ranks spread to meet them. Zhang Wuji recognised them as Emei people but could not understand why they had doubled back, and the faces were all unfamiliar. He called out in a clear voice, “Are you sisters of the Emei Order?” A small, slender middle-aged nun stepped forward from the ranks and snapped, “Vile demonic cult thieves, what is there to ask? Come and meet your death!” Zhang Wuji said, “May I ask the venerable shifu’s dharma name? Why such anger?” The nun barked, “Vile thief, someone like you isn’t fit to ask my name! Who are you?”

Wei Yixiao darted forward like a flash, threading through the crowd. He sealed the acupoints of two male disciples, seized them by the scruffs of their necks, and with a sudden burst of speed, sprinted far into the distance. He dumped them on the ground and raced back to his original position. The whole manoeuvre was swift as a hare leaping, a goshawk stooping, impossibly fast.⁴ He gave a cold laugh and said, “This gentleman here is the man of unmatched martial prowess and peerless courage in the world today. He commands the Left and Right Bright Messengers, the four Guardian Dharma Kings, the Five Unbound Adepts, the Five Banners, and the four Gates of Heaven, Earth, Wind, and Thunder. He is Order Leader Zhang of the Ming Order. He outpaced Miejue Shitai⁵ down from Bright Summit and seized the Heavenly Jian from her grasp. Is a personage such as he not worthy of asking a mere shifu’s dharma name?”

He spoke these words in a single breath, and the Emei disciples were thoroughly alarmed. Having just witnessed Wei Yixiao display such unearthly skill, none dared doubt his words. The middle-aged nun steadied herself before asking: “And who might you be, sir?” Wei Yixiao said, “My surname is Wei. My nickname is the Blue-Winged Bat King.”

Several Emei disciples cried out in unison. Four of them rushed to rescue the two comrades he had carried away. It turned out that before Miejue Shitai reached Bright Summit, she had dispatched two disciples ahead to return to the temple and relay word. Those two disciples happened to encounter the relief column on the road and had described how the Blue-Winged Bat King had killed Jingxu.

Wei Yixiao said, “By order of Order Leader Zhang: the Ming Order and the six factions shall cease hostilities, atone for past grievances, and from this day forward transform enemies into friends. Your fellow disciples are fortunate: Wei the Bat King did not drink their blood this time.” Ever since Zhang Wuji had healed his wounds with the Nine Yang Divine Skill,⁶ not only had the cold poison of the Phantom Yin Finger⁷ been expelled, but much of the accumulated yin poison from years past had also dissipated. He no longer needed to drink blood to ward off the cold every time he circulated his neili.⁸

The four who had carried their stricken comrades back were just trying to find a way to release their sealed acupoints when they heard two soft whistles, chi, chi, and two small pebbles shot through the air, striking the acupoints precisely and releasing them. It was Yang Xiao, reversing his “Finger-Supplementary Divine Skill”⁹ to perform the art of “Hurling Pebbles to Seal Acupoints.”

The middle-aged nun saw that the opposing party was numerous, and the two who had just displayed their skill possessed martial arts of truly extraordinary power. To fight would mean certain disaster. The talk of “atoning for past grievances and transforming enemies into friends”, she did not know if it was true, but she desperately hoped it was. So she said, “My dharma name is Jingkong. Have any of you seen my shifu?” Zhang Wuji said, “Your honoured shifu descended from Bright Summit over half a month ago. By now she should have passed through Jade Gate Pass.¹⁰ You are travelling east. Did you not encounter her on the way?”

A woman of about thirty behind Jingkong said, “Shijie,¹¹ don’t listen to his nonsense. We split into three columns to mount a relief, with signal rockets to coordinate. How could we possibly have missed each other?” Zhou Dian, hearing her impertinence, wanted to teach her a lesson. “Now that’s peculiar…” Zhang Wuji murmured, “Mister Zhou, don’t stoop to her level. They can’t find their shifu. Naturally they’re anxious.”

Jingkong’s face was full of suspicion. “Has our shifu and the rest of our fellow disciples fallen into the hands of the Ming Cult? A true man is open and aboveboard, why hide it?” Zhou Dian laughed, “I’ll tell you the truth, then. The Emei Order, overestimating its own strength, came to attack the Ming Order. From Miejue Shitai down, every last one was captured. They’re locked in the water dungeon now, contemplating their offences. We’ll keep them there for eight or ten years first, and then we’ll decide whether to let them out.” Peng Yingyu hastily interjected: “Please don’t listen to this gentleman’s jests. Miejue Shitai’s martial arts are unparalleled, and every one of her disciples is highly skilled, how could they be captured by the Ming Order? At present, both sides have ceased hostilities and made peace. If you continue on to Emei, you will naturally find them.” Jingkong remained half-believing, half-doubtful, hesitating.

Wei Yixiao said, “This gentleman Zhou is fond of jokes. Would the venerable Order Leader of our Order stoop to deceiving young ladies like you?” The middle-aged woman said, “The demonic cult has always been full of devious tricks and cunning deceit. How can we believe a word you say?”

Tang Yang, Banner-Master of the Flood Banner, waved his left hand. In an instant, the Five Banners spread out at a great distance, then closed in: Giant Wood to the east, Blazing Fire to the south, Sharp Metal to the west, Flood to the north, and Thick Earth circling outward to support, enclosing the Emei disciples in a tight ring.

Yin Tianzheng bellowed, “I am the White-Browed Eagle King. If I so much as lift a finger, I’ll capture every last one of you youngsters. The Ming Order has shown mercy today. In the future, young people should watch their words carefully.” His words rolled like thunder, making the Emei disciples’ ears ring and their hearts tremble uncontrollably. Seeing his white beard and white brows, his awesome demeanour, they were all struck with awe.

Zhang Wuji clasped his fist and said, “Please convey our regards to your honoured shifu. Tell her that Zhang Wuji of the Ming Order inquires after her health.” Then he took the lead and headed east. Tang Yang waited until Wei Yixiao, Yin Tianzheng, and the rest had all passed before waving the Five Banners back.

The Emei disciples watched this display in secret alarm. They saw the Ming Order party ride off into the distance, each of them dumbfounded.

Peng Yingyu said, “Order Leader, I believe there is something deeply wrong here. Miejue Shitai and the others were returning east. They should not have missed this group of disciples. Every school and faction leaves contact markers along the route. How is it possible that they have vanished without a trace?” The party discussed the matter as they walked, all agreed that the sudden disappearance of so many Emei people in the desert defied explanation. Zhang Wuji was even more worried about Zhou Zhiruo’s safety, but he could not bring himself to confide in the others.

Footnotes

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

2. 哥哥 – gēge. Literally elder brother. An affectionate term used here by Xiao Zhao as a mark of endearment and respect towards Zhang Wuji. ↩

3. The Chinese character 腥 denotes the raw, metallic scent of fresh blood. ↩

4. 兔起鹘落 – tù qǐ hú luò. Literally the hare rises, the falcon swoops. A classical idiom describing actions of breathtaking speed and precision. ↩

5. 灭绝师太 – Mièjué Shītài. Her dharma-name, meaning “Extinction” or “Annihilation”. Zhangmen of the Emei Order. 师太 (shītài) is an honorific for a senior Buddhist nun. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 九阳神功 – Jiǔyáng Shéngōng. Literally Nine Yang Divine Skill. Legendary internal cultivation method emphasising pure yang energy, capable of granting extraordinary martial prowess. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 幻阴指 – Huànyīn Zhǐ. Literally phantom yin finger. Finger technique following a path of pure yin, driving cold yin poison into an opponent’s meridians. ↩

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

9. 弹指神通 – Tánzhǐ Shéntōng. Literally divine finger-flicking skill. Projectile technique that flicks small objects with devastating force using the fingers. ↩

10. 玉门关 – Yùmén Guān. Literally jade gate pass. Western terminus of the Great Wall during the Han dynasty, traditionally marking the boundary between China proper and the Western Regions. ↩

11. 师姊 – shījiě. Female senior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Jiě means older sister. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩