The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 26 – Part 7

Zhang Wuji was half angry and half amused. He reflected that the band of demons and outsiders¹ he commanded were every bit as cunning and venomous as the crowd Zhao Min kept about her, and no whit better. The only difference lay in which side they served: one party did good, the other did evil, and therein lay the gulf between them. To answer venom with venom was to fight poison with poison. At this thought he felt easier, and smiled. “It is a pity only that the Prince of Ruyang's beloved concubine must bear the burden of it.” Fan Yao laughed. “If I had broken into the chamber sooner and not allowed Lu Zhangke² to take his fill, that would have settled the matter.”

The four of them conferred in careful detail. Once the antidote was seized, Fan Yao would carry it to the tall tower and distribute it among the captive masters of the Shaolin Order³ and the Wudang Order.⁴ Zhang Wuji and Wei Yixiao⁵ would wait outside to lend support. The moment Fan Yao set a smoke-fire blazing in Wan’an Temple,⁶ Zhang Wuji would set fire to the civilian houses about the temple on all four sides, and in the confusion the captive heroes could slip away. Yang Xiao⁷ would purchase horses beforehand and hire carriages, which he would station outside the western gate. When the heroes reached the city, they would mount and ride for Changping, where all would rendezvous.

Zhang Wuji had misgivings about the burning of civilian houses, which would surely harm the innocent. Yang Xiao said, “Religious Leader, affairs of the world seldom permit one to satisfy both sides at once. If we rescue the six factions and afterwards drive out the Tatars, we shall have wrought fortune for ten thousand thousand common souls. The harm to a few hundred households this day is small; the design is great. There is nothing else for it.”

The four having settled their counsel, they divided and set about their tasks. Yang Xiao went to purchase mounts and hire carriages. Zhang Wuji compounded a dose of numbing drug, and to mask its nature added three further spices, which, stirred into wine, made it taste all the more mellow and fragrant. Wei Yixiao, for his part, bought a great cloth sack from the market, and waited only for nightfall to go and steal the Prince’s concubine from the Prince of Ruyang’s household.

Fan Yao and the Xuanming Elders,⁸ for their charge of keeping watch over the six factions’ masters, all lodged nearby in Wan’an Temple. Zhao Min⁹ still dwelt in the Prince’s household, and came to the temple only in the evening, when she wished to study and practise her martial arts. Fan Yao took the numbing drug back to Wan’an Temple, reflecting that for thirty years and more the Ming Order¹⁰ had lain broken and divided, and now at last its restoration was in sight. All the suffering he had endured had not been in vain, and he felt considerable contentment. Religious Leader Zhang’s martial arts were lofty, and his heart was exceedingly generous and just, commanding the sincere devotion of all who served him. Only he was not cruel or ruthless enough, and showed something of a dithering temper, which was a shade imperfect.

He lodged in the western wing. The Xuanming Elders occupied the Baoxiang Precinct in the rear courtyard. He had always stood in awe of the pair’s formidable skills, and for fear of betraying himself had kept as little to do with them as he could manage. For this reason their quarters lay well apart from his own. Now he wished to invite He Biweng¹¹ for wine, and how to accomplish it without arousing suspicion was no small puzzle.

He gazed towards the rear courtyard. The setting sun slanted west, and the lower half of the thirteen-storeyed pagoda lay already in shadow. The light upon the glazed tiles of the pagoda’s summit was fading by degrees. He could not make up his mind, and stood with hands clasped behind his back, pacing slowly into the rear courtyard. Of a sudden, a savoury scent of meat drifted out from the wing opposite the Baoxiang Precinct, where Sun Sanhui¹² and Li Sicui¹³ of the Eight Heroes of the Divine Arrow lodged.

Fan Yao’s mind stirred. He walked to the wing’s door and pushed it open with his hand. The smell of meat struck his nostrils. Li Sicui was crouched beside a red-clay brazier, fanning the fire without ceasing. Upon the brazier sat a great earthenware pot. The charcoal burned briskly, and waves of fragrant steam puffed from the pot. Sun Sanhui was laying out bowls and chopsticks: the two brothers were clearly preparing to feast to their hearts’ content.

The two saw Bitter Dhūta¹⁴ push open the door and enter, and were startled for a moment. His face was wooden and expressionless, and they feared inwardly. The pair had that very day bought a great yellow dog from the street and were cooking it in secret in their chamber. Wan’an Temple was a monks’ temple, and to cook and eat dog within its walls was hardly proper. If another had seen, they might have let it pass, but Bitter Dhūta was a man of the Buddhist gate. Surely he would not take offence and beat them? Bitter Dhūta’s martial arts were formidable, and the two brothers were no match for him, and if he did strike them, they would have deserved it. They were still trembling inwardly when they saw him walk to the brazier, lift the lid of the pot and peer inside. He drew a deep breath, as though saying, “How fragrant! How fragrant!” Then of a sudden he thrust his hand into the pot, heedless of the boiling broth, and drew out a piece of dog meat. He bit into it at once and began to chew with relish, and in moments had devoured the piece clean, licking his lips and smacking his tongue as though it were a dish beyond compare. Sun and Li were overjoyed, and cried, “Master Ku, please sit, please sit! It is a rare thing that Your Goodness should be fond of dog meat.”

Bitter Dhūta did not sit. He reached into the pot again and seized another piece of dog meat, then crouched beside the brazier and fell to chewing. Sun Sanhui, eager to curry favour, ladled out a bowl of wine and presented it to him. Bitter Dhūta raised the bowl and took a sip, then spat it all upon the floor. He waved his left hand beneath his nose, as though to say the wine was too vile to drink, and strode from the room.

Sun and Li watched him march out in seeming anger, and grew anxious once more. But presently they saw him return bearing a great wine gourd, and their spirits rose. “That is the way of it! Our wine was hardly first-rate. Since Master Ku possesses a finer vintage, all the better!” They fetched stools and set out bowls, and invited Bitter Dhūta to the seat of honour, heaping a plate full of dog meat before him. Bitter Dhūta’s martial arts were supremely lofty, and he stood among the foremost in Zhao Min’s service. Ordinarily the Eight Heroes of the Divine Arrow could not so much as gain his ear, and today to entertain him with dog meat and win his favour could only bring advantage and no loss.

Bitter Dhūta drew the wooden stopper from the gourd and poured three bowls of wine. The liquid was golden in colour and thick as thin honey, and the moment it was poured a fragrant scent filled the air. Sun and Li cried out in admiration, “Fine wine! Fine wine!”

Fan Yao considered inwardly, “I wonder if the Xuanming Elders are at home. If they have gone out and not yet returned, all this contrivance will have been for nothing.” He took up his bowl of wine and set it in the small pot upon the brazier to warm. The dog meat was boiling at that moment, and the hot steam bore the wine-fragrance yet thicker abroad. Sun and Li’s mouths watered, and they raised their bowls of cold wine to drink. Bitter Dhūta signed for them to stop, and bade them warm their wine first. The three took turns at warming the wine, and the fragrance drifted out upon the air. Had He Biweng been anywhere within the temple, even several courtyards distant, the scent must have drawn him.

Sure enough, the wooden doors of the Baoxiang Precinct across the courtyard swung open with a creak, and He Biweng’s voice was heard: “Fine wine! Fine wine! Heh, heh!” He crossed the courtyard without the least ceremony and pushed open the door. He saw Bitter Dhūta, Sun Sanhui and Li Sicui seated about the brazier, drinking and eating with evident relish. He Biweng started, then smiled. “Master Ku, so you too are fond of this sort of thing. I had not thought we were birds of a feather.”

Sun and Li rose at once and said, “Grandpa He, come drink a few bowls. This is Master Ku’s fine wine. It is not often one gets the chance.” He Biweng sat opposite Bitter Dhūta, and the two fell to eating and drinking with such vigour that host and guests were confounded, and Sun and Li were reduced to the role of servants carrying meat and pouring wine.

The four drank on in high spirits for some while, until all were six or seven parts drunk. Fan Yao thought, “The moment has come.” He filled his own bowl to the brim, then laid the gourd upon its side. For he had hollowed out the wooden stopper of the gourd and concealed within it the numbing powder Zhang Wuji had compounded. The stopper was wrapped in two layers of cloth. While the gourd stood upright, the powder did not fall, and the four drank only ordinary fine wine. The moment the gourd was tipped on its side, the wine seeped through the cloth and dissolved the powder, until all the wine within the gourd was drugged. The base of the gourd was round, and whether it stood upright or lay on its side, none would have taken notice. Moreover the four had been drinking for some time, pleasantly drunk and feeling thoroughly at ease.

Fan Yao watched He Biweng drain the bowl before him, then drew the stopper and offered him the gourd. He Biweng filled his own bowl, then reached across and topped up Sun and Li’s bowls as well. Seeing that Bitter Dhūta’s bowl was already brimming, he did not fill it for him. The four raised their bowls together and drained them all, gulping down the wine.

All save Fan Yao drank drugged wine. Sun and Li’s neili¹⁵ was shallow, and within moments of the poison entering their bellies their arms grew heavy and their legs weak, and they felt ill at ease in every limb. Sun Sanhui said in a low voice, “Fourth Brother, something is amiss in my belly.” Li Sicui said, “I… I… I think I have been poisoned.” By then He Biweng had noticed too. He summoned his neili and found he could raise none at all. His face changed colour. Fan Yao rose to his feet, his countenance furious. He seized He Biweng by the chest and made sounds of “Ho! Ho!” but could speak no word. Sun Sanhui cried in alarm, “Master Ku, what is it?” Fan Yao dipped his finger in wine and wrote upon the table the five characters for “Ten-Spice Softening Powder”.¹⁶

Sun and Li both knew that Ten-Spice Softening Powder was kept by the Xuanming Elders. The present situation made plain that Bitter Dhūta and the two of them had all fallen victim to the drug. They exchanged a glance, then bowed to He Biweng and said, “Grandpa He, we would never have dared offend Your Goodness. We beg you to show mercy and let us off.” They reckoned that He Biweng’s quarrel was with Bitter Dhūta alone, and that they two had merely been caught in the crossfire. If He Biweng truly meant to harm them, he need not have resorted to poison.

He Biweng was greatly puzzled. The charge of Ten-Spice Softening Powder had been his that month, and it was clearly concealed within the crane-beak pen he carried in his left hand. Those two implements never left his person. To say someone had stolen the poison from his side was plainly impossible. Yet when he summoned his strength, he could muster not a shred of power, which was unmistakably the effect of Ten-Spice Softening Powder. In truth, the numbing drug Zhang Wuji had compounded, though strong in its own right, was far inferior to Ten-Spice Softening Powder in its power, and the symptoms it produced were wholly different. But He Biweng had only ever heard tell that Ten-Spice Softening Powder dispersed a man’s true strength, and had never himself taken the drug. Though the two medicines differed greatly, he had no means of telling them apart. Seeing Bitter Dhūta sway and tremble, at once agitated and enraged, and Sun and Li beside him pleading without cease, he had not the slightest further doubt. He said, “Master Ku need not be angered. We are brothers and good companions. I would never have harmed you. I too have taken this poison, and my limbs are all of a piece. I only know not who is at work in secret. It is passing strange.”

Fan Yao dipped his finger in wine again and wrote upon the table the four characters “Fetch the antidote at once.” He Biweng nodded. “Quite right. We shall take the antidote first, and afterwards settle accounts with the knave who plotted this.” He rose. “The antidote is upon shige Lu.¹⁷ Master Ku, come with me.”

Fan Yao was delighted inwardly. He had not imagined Yang Xiao’s device would work so well, and that the whereabouts of the antidote would be discovered so easily. He took He Biweng’s right wrist in his left hand and deliberately stumbled as though his legs could scarce support him, crossing the courtyard together towards the Baoxiang Precinct. Sun and Li supported each other and followed behind. He Biweng, seeing Bitter Dhūta in so pitiable a state, was pleased. “This Bitter Dhūta’s foundation in the martial arts is exceedingly lofty, yet I have never had the chance to measure myself against my shige and test which of us is the stronger. To see him so distraught after taking the poison, I daresay his neili falls well short of ours.”

Footnotes

1. 邪魔外道 – xiémó wàidào. Demons and outsiders. A Buddhist set phrase for the unorthodox; here used by Zhang Wuji of his own unruly companions. ↩

2. 鹿杖客 – Lù Zhàngkè. Lu Zhangke, the Deer-Staff Guest, elder of the Xuanming Elders. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 少林派 – Shàolín Pài. The Shaolin Order, one of the foremost righteous factions of the wulin, based at Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 武当派 – Wǔdāng Pài. The Wudang Order, the Daoist martial order founded by Zhang Sanfeng on Mount Wudang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 韦一笑 – Wéi Yīxiào. Wei Yixiao, the Green Winged Bat King, one of the four Guardian Kings of the Ming Order, renowned for his qinggong. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 万安寺 – Wàn’ān Sì. Wan’an Temple, a Buddhist temple in Dadu where the six factions’ masters were held captive. ↩

7. 杨逍 – Yáng Xiāo. Yang Xiao, the Bright Left Messenger of the Ming Order, Zhang Wuji’s chief adviser. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 玄冥二老 – Xuánmíng Èr Lǎo. The Xuanming Elders, Lu Zhangke and He Biweng, a pair of fearsome masters in the service of the Prince of Ruyang, practitioners of the Xuanming Divine Palm. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 赵敏 – Zhào Mǐn. Zhao Min, the Han name of Minmin Temür, daughter of the Prince of Ruyang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 明教 – Míng Jiào. The Ming Order, also known as the Ming Cult. A secret martial order whose teachings draw on Manichaeanism. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 鹤笔翁 – Hè Bǐwēng. He Biweng, the Crane-Brush Old Man, junior of the Xuanming Elders. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 孙三毁 – Sūn Sānhuǐ. Sun Sanhui, the third of the Eight Heroes of the Divine Arrow in the service of the Prince of Ruyang. ↩

13. 李四摧 – Lǐ Sìcuī. Li Sicui, the fourth of the Eight Heroes of the Divine Arrow. ↩

14. 苦头陀 – Kǔ Tóutuó. Bitter Dhūta. The disguise Fan Yao adopted: a lay-headed Buddhist ascetic with a hideously scarred face. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 内力 – nèilì. Internal force. The kinetic manifestation of qi, cultivated through neigong. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 十香软筋散 – Shíxiāng Ruǎnjīn Sǎn. Ten-Spice Softening Powder. A poison devised by the barbarian monks of the Western Regions, colourless and odourless, which renders the victim’s bones and sinews soft and deprives him of all neili. ↩

17. 师哥 – shīgē. The colloquial form of shixiong. Male senior fellow disciple of the same shifu. Here used by He Biweng of Lu Zhangke, his fellow disciple under the same master. ↩