The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre Chapter 3 Part 6

Yu Daiyan¹’s heart lurched when he heard this. Two thousand liang of gold is worth tens of thousands in silver. For those in the armed escort trade, an armed escort takes ten in the hundred; how many years of toil would it take to earn a fee of tens of thousands?

Yu Daiyan’s neck could not turn. He could only stare at the leaping-carp banner planted in the vase. The great hall had fallen utterly silent: only the drone of flies could be heard as they swept past his face. Du Dajin²’s breathing had grown heavy.

Though Yu Daiyan could not see his expression, he could well imagine the man standing transfixed before that dazzling mound of two thousand liang of gold, mouth agape and spirit adrift. He supposed that in twenty years of running an armed escort, Du Dajin must have seen vast quantities of gold and silver, yet no matter how much passed through his hands, it always belonged to someone else. Now, with two thousand liang of gold suddenly placed before him, needing only a nod of assent for it to become his own, how could he not be moved?

After a long pause, Du Dajin asked, “What is it that you wish me to escort, Master Yin?”

Yin said, “First tell me: can you fulfil my three conditions?”

Du Dajin paused, then slapped his thigh. “Since Master Yin has offered such generous payment, I, Du, shall stake my life on this commission. When will your treasure be delivered?”

Yin said, “What I need you to escort is the gentleman lying on that stretcher.”

At these words, Du Dajin let out a startled cry. Yu Daiyan himself was even more astonished. Unable to contain himself, he cried out, “I… I…”—but though his mouth gaped wide, not a sound came out. It was as though he were trapped in a nightmare: no matter how he strained, his body would not obey. His entire frame was paralysed, leaving only his eyes unblinded and his ears unstopped. He heard Du Dajin ask, “This… this gentleman?”

Yin said, “Correct. You shall personally escort him, changing carriages and horses but never the man, travelling day and night without rest. Within ten days, deliver him to Mount Wudang³ in Hubei’s Xiangyang Prefecture,⁴ and hand him over to the Wudang Order’s founding zhangmen,⁵ Immortal Zhang Sanfeng.⁶”

When Yu Daiyan heard this, he let out a long breath and felt his heart ease. He heard Du Dajin say, “The Wudang Order? We Shaolin disciples have no quarrel with the Wudang Order, but we have never had any dealings with them either… This is… this is…”

Yin said coldly, “This gentleman has sustained injuries. A moment’s delay, and ten thousand in gold would not buy back what is lost. Either accept this commission or refuse it. A true man decides with a single word, none of this hemming and hawing.”

Du Dajin said, “Very well. In honour of Master Yin, the Longmen Armed Escort⁷ accepts this commission.”

Yin gave a faint smile. “Good! Today is the twenty-eighth of the third month. By the ninth of the fourth month, if you have not delivered this gentleman safely to Mount Wudang, I shall leave not a single dog or chicken alive in your Longmen Armed Escort!”

A series of hissing sounds filled the air as over a dozen fine silver needles shot forth, embedding themselves in the porcelain vase that held the banner. With a crash, the vase shattered into dozens of fragments that scattered in all directions. This display of hidden weapon skill was truly terrifying. Du Dajin cried out in alarm. Yu Daiyan’s heart also clenched tight. Yin barked, “Go!”

The men carrying Yu Daiyan’s stretcher set it down upon the floor and filed out in a rush.

A long while passed before Du Dajin recovered his composure. He walked over to Yu Daiyan and said, “What is your esteemed name? Are you of the Wudang Order?”

Yu Daiyan merely gazed at him without answering. He saw that this Escort Chief was perhaps fifty years of age, powerfully built with knotted muscles on his arms, and possessed a commanding presence, clearly a master of external techniques of considerable skill.

Du Dajin continued, “This Master Yin was refined and delicate in appearance, clearly a young woman in disguise. I cannot imagine why she adopted such a pretense. Her martial arts are formidable beyond measure, yet I have no idea which school or faction she belongs to.”

He asked several more questions, but Yu Daiyan simply closed his eyes and ignored him. Du Dajin was perplexed. He was himself a fine hand with hidden weapons, and the epithet Many-Armed Bear rang loud enough when he spoke it. Yet this woman surnamed Yin had merely flicked her sleeve, and dozens of silver needles as fine as ox-hair had smashed a great porcelain vase to powder. Such skill was far beyond anything he could match. He had been in the armed escort trade for over twenty years and had witnessed countless strange occurrences, yet never had he heard of two thousand liang of gold being paid to escort a living person. Let alone this being unheard of in his own armed escort, in all the armed escorts across the realm, it was likely unprecedented. Though suspicious of this commission, the payment was generous, and those who walked the escort roads preferred to avoid trouble rather than court it. He asked no more questions of Yu Daiyan.

He gathered up the gold, ordered his men to carry Yu Daiyan to a room to rest, and saw that he was well supplied with food and drink. Then he summoned the armed escort’s various escort captains to ready carriages and horses for departure.

When all had eaten their fill and made ready, the road-callers⁸ took up the armed escort’s leaping-carp banner, strode out through the front gate, unfurled the flag with a flourish, and called out in a resounding voice, “Dragon Gate carp leaps, fish transforms to dragon!”

Yu Daiyan lay in the carriage, his heart heavy with emotion.

I, Yu Daiyan, have roamed the jianghu all my life and never given a second glance to those who guard escorts and watch gates. Who would have thought that today I should meet with such calamity, and must rely upon them to deliver me to Mount Wudang? He thought further, This friend surnamed Yin who saved me, who can she be? Escort Chief Du said she was refined and delicate in appearance, a woman in disguise, and her martial arts are extraordinary, her methods beyond the ordinary. It is a pity I could not see her face or even thank her with a single word. If I, Yu Daiyan, survive, I must repay this kindness.

The company pressed forward without rest, and aside from Escort Chief Du and Escort Captains Zhu and Shi, there were four young and vigorous escorts. All rode swift horses, and just as Yin had instructed, they changed carriages and horses along the way but never the man, travelling day and night in their haste. When they departed Lin’an⁹ through the west gate, Du Dajin was filled with misgivings, expecting countless fierce battles on the road ahead.

Yet as they left Zhejiang, crossed Anhui, and entered Hubei, several days passed without incident. On this day they passed Fancheng,¹⁰ and proceeded through Taiping Station and Immortal’s Crossing to Guanghua County, then forded the Han River¹¹ to reach Laohekou. They were now but a day’s journey from Mount Wudang.

The following day, before the hour of Wu,¹² they had already reached Shuangjingzi, with Mount Wudang now only a few dozen li¹³ distant. Though the journey had been gruelling, they had met the deadline set by Yin, arriving at Mount Wudang precisely on the ninth day of the fourth month. Throughout these days of single-minded travel, every member of the company had carried a heavy burden of worry. Only now did the escort captains finally feel their hearts lighten.

It was late spring turning to early summer, and the mountain path was bright with blooming flowers, a most pleasant prospect. Du Dajin pointed with his riding crop toward Heaven Pillar Peak,¹⁴ its summit vanishing into the clouds, and said, “Third Brother Zhu, in recent years the Wudang Order has risen greatly in prestige. Though they have not yet matched our Shaolin Order,¹⁵ the Seven Xias of Wudang are renowned throughout the jianghu,¹⁶ and have carved out quite a formidable reputation. Look at that Heaven Pillar Peak soaring into the clouds. As the saying goes, the place shapes the man. The Wudang Order must indeed have some substance to them.”

Escort Captain Zhu said, “Though the Wudang Order’s reputation has grown these recent years, their foundations remain shallow. How can they compare to a thousand years of Shaolin tradition? With your Twenty-Four Demon-subduing Palms¹⁷ and forty-nine continuous steel darts, Escort Chief, the Wudang Order could never match such refined mastery!”

Escort Captain Shi chimed in, “Exactly so. Tales of the jianghu are mostly unreliable. The Seven Xias of Wudang may be famous, but whether their skills match their reputation, who has actually seen proof? I suspect it’s just country bumpkins without real experience adding oil and vinegar, inflating their abilities to the heavens!”

Du Dajin smiled faintly. His experience far exceeded that of Zhu and Shi, and he knew full well that the Seven Xias of Wudang’s fame was no accident: they must possess extraordinary abilities. Yet having walked the escort roads for twenty-odd years with few worthy opponents, he had considerable confidence in his own skills. Hearing Zhu and Shi heap praise upon him in their call-and-response fashion, words he had heard countless times before, he could not help feeling pleased.

After travelling some distance further, the mountain path narrowed until three horses could no longer ride abreast. Escort Captain Shi reined back a few paces. Escort Captain Zhu asked, “Escort Chief, when we meet the old Daoist Zhang Sanfeng, how should we pay our respects?”

Du Dajin said, “We are of different schools, so ordinarily we would greet each other as equals. But old Zhang is nearly ninety years old, the most senior figure in today’s wulin.¹⁸ If we show him respect as a martial elder and kowtow a few times, there’s no harm in it.”

Escort Captain Zhu said, “If you ask me, we should bow and say, ‘Immortal Zhang, these juniors offer you our respects!’ He’ll surely wave his hand and say, ‘You’ve come from far away as guests, no need for such formality.’ Then we can spare ourselves those kowtows.”

Du Dajin smiled faintly, though his mind was elsewhere, pondering the identity of the man lying in the carriage. For ten days now, this person had neither spoken nor stirred. All his eating, drinking, and bodily functions had required the armed escort’s road-callers to attend to him. Du Dajin and his escort captains had discussed the matter several times but could not determine his identity. Was he a disciple of the Wudang Order? A friend? Or perhaps an enemy of Wudang, captured and being delivered thus to the mountain? As Du Dajin drew nearer to Mount Wudang, his misgivings deepened. He calculated that he would soon meet Zhang Sanfeng, and all these doubts would be resolved. Yet whether fortune or calamity awaited, he could not help feeling apprehensive.

As he pondered, he suddenly heard hoofbeats from the western mountain path as several horses galloped toward them. Escort Captain Zhu spurred his mount forward to investigate. Before long, six riders came into view at an angle, pulling up over a hundred feet from the escort company. Three positioned themselves in front, three behind, blocking the road. Du Dajin’s heart skipped a beat. Surely we haven’t come all this way to Mount Wudang’s doorstep only to run into trouble now?

He called softly to Escort Captain Shi, “Guard the carriage carefully.”

Then he urged his horse forward. The road-caller rolled and unfurled the leaping-carp banner in a gesture of salute, calling out, “The Longmen Armed Escort of Jiangnan¹⁹’s Lin’an Prefecture passes through this honourable territory. If our etiquette has been lacking, we beg the good friends’ forgiveness.”

Du Dajin studied the six men blocking their path. Two wore yellow Daoist caps. The other four were dressed as laymen. All six wore dao and jian at their sides, and each radiated vigour and martial spirit. A thought flashed through his mind: Could these six be six of the Seven Xias of Wudang? He rode forward, clasped his fist, and said, “I am Du Dajin of the Longmen Armed Escort in Lin’an Prefecture. May I ask the six gentlemen’s esteemed names?”

The man at the front, tall and bearing a large black mole on his left cheek with three long hairs growing from it, said coldly, “What business does Brother Du have at Mount Wudang?”

Du Dajin said, “Our armed escort was engaged by a certain client to escort an injured person up your esteemed mountain to see the Wudang Order’s zhangmen, Immortal Zhang.”

The man said, “Escort an injured person? Who is it?”

Du Dajin said, “We were commissioned by a client surnamed Yin to escort this gravely injured gentleman to Mount Wudang. As to who this gentleman is, how he came to be injured, and the circumstances surrounding it, we know nothing at all. The Longmen Armed Escort accepts commissions and fulfils them faithfully. As for our clients’ private affairs, we have never presumed to enquire.” Having traversed the jianghu for decades, he was naturally cautious and tactful. These words neatly absolved him of all responsibility. Whether the man in the carriage was a friend or foe of the Wudang Order, no blame could fall upon his head.

The man with the black mole exchanged glances with his two companions, then asked, “A client surnamed Yin? What sort of person was this?”

Du Dajin said, “A refined and handsome young gentleman with formidable hidden weapon skills.”

The man with the black mole asked, “You crossed hands with him?”

Du Dajin quickly said, “No, no, it was he who of his own accord… “ Before he could finish, one of the men blocking the road, a bald fellow, cut in impatiently, “What about the Dragon-Slaying Dao?²⁰ Whose hands is it in?”

Du Dajin said in bewilderment, “What Dragon-Slaying Dao? You mean the one from the saying, ‘Martial Sovereign of the Wulin, Dao to Slay Dragons’?”

The bald man’s temper was fierce, and he had no patience for lengthy explanations. He suddenly leapt from his horse, rushed to the carriage, lifted the curtain, and peered inside.

Footnotes

1. 俞岱岩 – Yú Dàiyán. His name meaning “Lofty Cliff of Mount Dai.” Third of the Seven Xias of Wudang, crippled years before. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 都大锦 – Dū Dàjǐn. His name meaning “Great Brocade.” See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 武当山 – Wǔdāng Shān. Sacred Daoist mountain in Hubei Province, headquarters of the Wudang Order. See Wikipedia. ↩

4. 襄阳 – Xiāngyáng. Strategic fortress city that served as the Southern Song Dynasty’s military stronghold against Mongol invasion. Located in modern-day Hubei Province. See Wikipedia. ↩

5. 掌门 – zhǎngmén. Literally the one who holds the gate. Head of a martial arts school or order, holding its authority and its transmission. Zhǎng means to take charge of or preside over. Mén means gate, and by extension the school itself. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 张三丰 – Zhāng Sānfēng. His name meaning “Three Peaks.” Legendary founder of the Wudang Order and creator of taijiquan; Zhang Wuji’s Grand Shifu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 龙门镖局 – Lóngmén Biāojú. Literally Longmen Armed Escort. Armed escort. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 趟子手 – tàngzi shǒu. Literally route-runner. Junior members of an armed escort who run ahead of the caravan calling out challenges and announcements to clear the way and ward off potential threats. ↩

9. 临安 – Lín’ān. Capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1276), known for its cultural refinement and West Lake scenery. Modern-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. See Wikipedia. ↩

10. 樊城 – Fánchéng. City north of Xiangyang on the Han River. See Wikipedia. ↩

11. 汉水 – Hàn Shuǐ. Han River, a major tributary of the Yangtze flowing through Hubei Province. See Wikipedia. ↩

12. 午牌 – wǔpái. The hour of Wu, roughly 11 am to 1 pm; 牌 is the placard on which the hour was posted. The day was divided into twelve shichen, each named for one of the Earthly Branches. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 里 – lǐ. Traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 metres or a third of a mile. ↩

14. 天柱峰 – Tiānzhù Fēng. Literally Celestial Pillar Peak. The highest peak of Mount Wudang. See Wikipedia. ↩

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

16. 江湖 – jiānghú. Literally rivers and lakes. Itinerant world beyond settled society and official reach, holding not only martial artists but the trades that travel with them, including pedlars, physicians, fortune-tellers, entertainers, boatmen, beggars, outlaws and the like. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 二十四手降魔掌 – èrshísì shǒu jiàngmó zhǎng. Literally twenty-four hand demon-subduing palm. Palm technique of the Shaolin Order. ↩

18. 武林 – wǔlín. Literally martial forest. Those who actually practise, teach or study martial arts. Wulin sits inside the jianghu and is narrower than it: every member of the wulin belongs to the jianghu, but a pedlar or physician of the jianghu who never trained is no part of the wulin. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

19. 江南 – Jiāngnán. Literally south of the river. Prosperous region south of the Yangtze River. See Wikipedia. ↩

20. 屠龙刀 – Túlóng Dāo. Dragon-Slaying Dao; the name’s literal sense is “dragon-slaying”. Legendary blade and the supreme weapon of the jianghu, forged with the Heavenly Jian from meteoric iron. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩