The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre Chapter 3 Part 8

Zhang Cuishan¹ also mounted his grey horse. The animal stretched out its long legs and matched Du Dajin’s² mount stride for stride, moving neither fast nor slow. Zhang Cuishan said, “Those six men assumed false identities. Brother Du, let them go!”

Du Dajin replied breathlessly, “But what of that man? I was entrusted to deliver him to Mount Wudang,³ to hand him over to Immortal Zhang. Those six men took him under false pretences. I fear… I fear things have gone badly wrong…”

Zhang Cuishan said, “Whom did Brother Du bring to my shifu? Whom did those six take away?”

Du Dajin urged his horse onward while relating how he had been commissioned to escort a gravely injured man to Mount Wudang. Zhang Cuishan was greatly alarmed. He asked, “What is the injured man’s name? What does he look like?”

Du Dajin replied, “I know not his name. He was too badly hurt to speak or move—barely a breath of life remained. He appeared to be around thirty years of age, with slanting brows and a high-bridged nose…”

He went on to describe Yu Daiyan’s features in detail.

Zhang Cuishan cried out in shock, “That… that is my Third Brother!”

Though his heart was in turmoil, within moments he had steadied himself. His left hand shot out and seized the reins of Du Dajin’s horse.

The horse had been galloping at full tilt, and Zhang Cuishan’s sudden grip brought it to an abrupt, jarring halt. It could not advance another step. Blood frothed at its mouth as it reared and whinnied. Du Dajin slipped from the saddle. With a rasp of steel, he drew his dao,⁴ his heart filled with alarm and suspicion. He had not expected this slender young man to possess such strength—a single tug and a charging horse was stopped dead in its tracks.

Zhang Cuishan said, “Brother Du, pray do not misunderstand. You escorted my Third Brother a thousand li to this place. I have only gratitude, no ill intent.”

Du Dajin grunted an acknowledgement and slid his dao partway back into its scabbard, though his right hand remained on the hilt.

Zhang Cuishan said, “How did my Third Brother come to be poisoned and injured? Who is his enemy? Who commissioned Brother Du to bring him here?”

To all three questions, Du Dajin had no answer. By now, Escort Captains Zhu and Shi had caught up on horseback. Zhang Cuishan furrowed his brow and asked, “What did the men who took my Third Brother look like?”

Escort Captain Zhu, being quick of tongue, took the lead in describing them. Zhang Cuishan said, “I must ride ahead first.”

He cupped his fists in salute and sent his horse racing up the slope.

The grey horse had seemed unhurried at an easy pace, yet already it had been astonishingly swift. Now, as it stretched into a full gallop, the wind rushed past his ears and the trees along the mountain road streamed past in a blur. The Seven Heroes of Wudang had trained together under the same master and walked the path of righteousness side by side, their bond closer than blood. When Zhang Cuishan heard that his shixiong⁵ was gravely wounded and had fallen into the hands of unknown strangers, his heart burned with anguish. He spurred the horse ceaselessly, heedless that such exertion might kill the magnificent beast.

In a single burst, he reached the hamlet of Caodian. A three-way junction lay before him: one road led to Mount Wudang, the other northwest toward Yunyang. Zhang Cuishan thought, If those six men meant well and were truly bringing Third Brother up the mountain, I would surely have crossed their path on my way down.

He pressed his legs against the horse’s flanks and sent it galloping northwest. This frantic chase continued for nearly an hour. Though the mount was powerful, it could not sustain such a pace and began to slow. Twilight was deepening, and this stretch of mountain was sparsely travelled—there was no one to question. Zhang Cuishan’s thoughts raced: Third Brother’s martial arts are formidable. How could he have been so badly injured? Yet Du Dajin’s account seemed genuine…

As they neared Shiyan Township, he suddenly spotted a large carriage lying overturned in the tall grass beside the road. A few steps further, he saw the draft horse with its skull shattered, brains splattered across the ground, dead where it had fallen.

Zhang Cuishan leapt from his mount and flung open the carriage curtain. The compartment was empty. He turned and saw a figure lying face-down in the long grass, motionless, seemingly long dead. Zhang Cuishan’s heart pounded wildly. He rushed forward, and from the shape of the back alone recognised his Third Brother, Yu Daiyan. He hurriedly turned him over in his arms. In the gathering dusk, he saw the man’s eyes tightly shut, his face the colour of yellow paper, his expression ghastly. Zhang Cuishan was stricken with grief and shock. He pressed his cheek against his shixiong’s face and felt a faint warmth still lingering. Joy surged through him. He placed a hand on his chest—the heart still beat, though feebly, stopping and starting, liable to cease at any moment.

Tears streamed down Zhang Cuishan’s face as he choked out, “Third Brother, how… how did you… I am your Fifth Brother… Fifth Brother!”

He cradled him and slowly rose to his feet, only to see his shixiong’s hands and feet dangling limply. All four limbs had been broken at the joints. Fresh blood seeped from finger bones, wrist bones, arm bones, and leg bones alike—the enemy’s work was recent, and each break had been inflicted separately. The cruelty of it was unbearable to witness.

Fury blazed in Zhang Cuishan’s heart; his eyes felt ready to split at the corners. He knew the enemy had not gone far. With his swift mount, he could surely overtake them. In his rage, he was on the verge of giving chase, but then he thought, Third Brother’s life hangs by a thread. I must save him first. A gentleman may wait ten years to take his revenge.

As ill fortune would have it, he had descended the mountain expecting to return within moments and carried neither weapons nor medicine. To look upon Yu Daiyan’s broken state was torment—every jolt from the horse would only add to his agony. Zhang Cuishan settled his shixiong securely in his arms and, drawing upon his qinggong,⁶ sped up the mountain. The grey horse followed behind, seemingly puzzled that its master chose not to ride.

This day marked the ninetieth birthday of Zhang Sanfeng,⁷ founding patriarch of the Wudang Order.⁸ From early morning, Purple Heaven Temple had been filled with joyous celebration. His six disciples, beginning with the eldest, Song Yuanqiao,⁹ had come forward in turn to offer their birthday felicitations. Of the seven disciples, only Yu Daiyan¹⁰ was absent.

Zhang Sanfeng and his disciples knew that Yu Daiyan was steady and reliable in all matters. The bandits he had gone south to eliminate were nothing extraordinary, and he should have returned in time. Yet noon came and went with no sign of him. Unease grew among them, and Zhang Cuishan said, “I shall go down the mountain to meet Third Brother.”

But after his departure, there was likewise no word. By rights, given the swiftness of his grey horse, he should have been able to ride all the way to Laohekou and return by now. Yet the hour of the Rooster¹¹ arrived with still no sign of his return. In the great hall, the birthday banquet had long been laid out. Red candles burned brightly, though already more than half had been consumed. Everyone felt a growing sense of unease. The Sixth Disciple Yin Liting¹² and Seventh Disciple Mo Shenggu¹³ paced in and out of Purple Heaven Temple’s gates, who knew how many times.

Zhang Sanfeng knew well the temperaments of these two disciples. Yu Daiyan was dependable and capable of shouldering great responsibility. Zhang Cuishan was quick-witted and resourceful, never one to dally. If neither had returned by now, something must have gone amiss.

Song Yuanqiao glanced at the red candles and said with a conciliatory smile, “Shifu, Third Brother and Fifth Brother must have encountered some injustice along the way and stopped to intervene. You have always taught us to accumulate virtue and do good. On this auspicious day of your birthday, if two of your disciples perform a righteous deed, would that not be the finest gift of all?”

Zhang Sanfeng stroked his long beard and chuckled. “Mm, mm. On my eightieth birthday, you saved a widow from drowning herself in a well. That was well done indeed. But performing good deeds only once every ten years—the world would grow rather impatient waiting for you.”

All five disciples burst out laughing. Zhang Sanfeng was a man of jovial temperament, and master and disciples often exchanged jests.

The Fourth Disciple, Zhang Songxi,¹⁴ said, “You possess a lifespan of at least two hundred years, Shifu. If each of us performs one good deed every decade, seven disciples together would amount to quite a number indeed.”

Mo Shenggu laughed and said, “Ha! I only fear we seven disciples may not live long enough…”

Before he could finish, Song Yuanqiao and the Second Disciple, Yu Lianzhou,¹⁵ both rushed to the dripping eaves of the temple. Song Yuanqiao called out, “Is that Third Brother?”

From outside came Zhang Cuishan’s voice, “It is I!”

The words carried a sob.

They saw him rush through the gate, a man cradled horizontally in his arms. Blood and sweat streaked his face as he threw himself to his knees before Zhang Sanfeng, unable to hold back his weeping. “Shifu, Third… Third Brother has been ambushed…”

All were stunned. Yu Daiyan’s breathing was so faint that only a thread of life remained. Zhang Cuishan’s body swayed, and he toppled backward in a faint. His iron concentration, the long sprint without rest, the grief that wracked his heart—in the end, he could bear no more. The moment he saw his shifu and fellow disciples, all strength left him at once.

Song Yuanqiao and Yu Lianzhou knew that Zhang Cuishan had simply fainted from exhaustion and emotional turmoil. It was Yu Daiyan, their Third Brother, whose fate hung in the balance. Both reached out together and took Yu Daiyan into their arms. His breathing was barely perceptible; only a wisp of life remained.

When Zhang Sanfeng saw his beloved disciple so terribly wounded, a great tremor passed through his heart. Without pausing to ask questions, he hurried into the inner hall and retrieved a vial of White Balm Life-seizing Pellets.¹⁶ The mouth of the vial had been sealed with white wax. Without time to remove the seal, he pinched the porcelain bottle between two fingers of his left hand—the bottle shattered, and he drew out three white pellets and placed them in Yu Daiyan’s mouth. But Yu Daiyan had lost all awareness. How could he swallow?

Zhang Sanfeng formed a hollow grip with the thumb and forefinger of each hand in the shape of a Crane’s Beak,¹⁷ then touched his fingertips to the Dragon’s Leap acupoint¹⁸ three fen above Yu Daiyan’s ear. Channelling his neili,¹⁹ he gently oscillated his fingers. With his present level of cultivation, this Crane’s Beak technique applied to the Dragon’s Leap acupoint could summon back the soul of one newly dead for a fleeting moment. Yet even after twenty oscillations, Yu Daiyan remained utterly still.

Zhang Sanfeng sighed softly. With both hands, he formed sword-fingers, palms facing downward, and pressed them simultaneously against the Cheche acupoints²⁰ on either side of Yu Daiyan’s jaw—where the teeth clenched tightly together. He applied first yin, then yang, alternating between the two. By the twelfth alternation, Yu Daiyan finally opened his mouth and slowly swallowed the pellets into his throat.

Yin Liting and Mo Shenggu had been holding their breath in suspense. Now both cried out, “Ah!” at once.

But the muscles of Yu Daiyan’s throat had grown rigid. Though the pellets had passed his lips, they would not descend to his stomach. Zhang Songxi extended his hand and began massaging the throat muscles. Zhang Sanfeng immediately sealed the Quepen, Shufu, and other acupoints²¹ along Yu Daiyan’s shoulders, and the Yangguan and Mingmen acupoints²² at the base of his spine—ensuring that when he regained consciousness, the excruciating pain from his shattered limbs would not cause him to faint again.

Song Yuanqiao and Yu Lianzhou normally saw their shifu face any crisis or danger with perfect composure. But now his hands trembled faintly, and a look of bewildered distress flickered in his eyes. Both understood that their Third Brother’s injuries were dire beyond measure.

Before long, Zhang Cuishan slowly regained consciousness.

“Shifu,” he cried out, “can Third Brother still be saved?”

Zhang Sanfeng did not answer. He said only, “Cuishan, who in this world does not die?”

They heard footsteps as a young acolyte rushed in to report, “A party of escort guards has come to the temple gate, requesting an audience with the Ancestral Master. They say they are from the Dragon Gate Armed Escort²³ of Lin’an²⁴ Prefecture, led by one Du Dajin.”

Zhang Cuishan sprang to his feet, his face dark with fury, and bellowed, “This is the man responsible!”

He launched himself outside, and with a flurry of metallic clatters, weapons clattered to the ground. Yin Liting and Mo Shenggu were about to rush out to aid their shixiong when they saw him return, his right hand clamped on the back of a burly man whom he flung heavily to the floor.

“It was this man who ruined everything!” he snarled.

Mo Shenggu, hearing that this man had brought such grievous harm upon their Third Brother, swung his foot to kick Du Dajin where he lay.

Song Yuanqiao called out sharply, “Wait!”

Mo Shenggu immediately withdrew his foot.

From beyond the door came a voice shouting, “Is there no justice on Wudang? We came in good faith to seek an audience, and this is how you treat us?”

Song Yuanqiao’s brow furrowed slightly. He reached out and struck Du Dajin several times on the back and shoulder, releasing the acupoints Zhang Cuishan had sealed. He said, “Our guests outside need not make such a commotion. Pray wait a moment, and we shall distinguish right from wrong.”

His words were stern yet measured, his neili abundant. Escort Captains Zhu and Shi heard him and were instantly cowed. Thinking it must be Zhang Sanfeng himself who had spoken, they dared not utter another word.

Song Yuanqiao said, “Fifth Brother, how did Third Brother come to be injured? Tell us slowly—there is no need for haste.”

Zhang Cuishan glared at Du Dajin, then recounted how the Dragon Gate Armed Escort had been commissioned to transport Yu Daiyan to Mount Wudang, only to have six villains impersonate the Seven Heroes and intercept the delivery.

Song Yuanqiao regarded Du Dajin. With such mediocre skills, this man could never have been the one to injure Yu Daiyan. Moreover, having dared to come to the temple gates, he clearly had nothing to hide on his conscience.

Song Yuanqiao spoke to him in a mild tone, inquiring about the circumstances.

Du Dajin related everything truthfully, concluding with a look of devastation. “Hero Song, I, Du, handled matters poorly and brought this calamity upon Third Hero Yu. I deserve death. Back in Lin’an, our entire armed escort—men, women, and children—I know not whether they yet live.”

Zhang Sanfeng had kept both palms pressed against Yu Daiyan’s Shencang and Lingtai acupoints,²⁵ channelling neili into his body. Hearing Du Dajin’s final words, he suddenly said, “Lianzhou, take Shenggu with you. Depart immediately for Lin’an and protect the Dragon Gate Armed Escort.”

Footnotes

1. 张翠山 – Zhāng Cuìshān. His name meaning “Verdant Mountain.” Fifth disciple of Zhang Sanfeng and member of the Seven Heroes of Wudang. His epithet is the Silver Hook Iron Brush. 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, later home to the Wudang Order founded by Zhang Sanfeng. See Wikipedia. ↩

4. 刀 – dāo. Single-edged blade, one of the fundamental weapons in Chinese martial arts. Often confused with sabre. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 师兄 – shīxiōng. Senior martial brother—a fellow disciple who began training earlier under the same shifu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 轻功 – qīnggōng. Literally lightness skill. The ability to move with superhuman agility, and weightlessness through qi redistribution to leap over trees and roofs, and skip over water. See Wikipedia. ↩

7. 张三丰 – Zhāng Sānfēng. His name meaning “Three Peaks”. Legendary founder of the Wudang Order and creator of taijiquan. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 武当派 – Wǔdāng Pài. Orthodox Daoist martial order founded by Zhang Sanfeng on Mount Wudang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 宋远桥 – Sòng Yuǎnqiáo. His name meaning “Distant Bridge.” Eldest of the Seven Heroes of Wudang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 俞岱岩 – Yú Dàiyán. His name meaning “Lofty Cliff of Mount Dai.” Third disciple of Zhang Sanfeng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 酉时 – yǒushí. The hour of the Rooster in traditional Chinese timekeeping, approximately 5:00 to 7:00 PM. ↩

12. 殷梨亭 – Yīn Lítíng. His name meaning “Pear Pavilion.” Sixth of the Seven Heroes of Wudang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 莫声谷 – Mò Shēnggǔ. His name meaning “Silent Valley.” Seventh and youngest of the Seven Heroes of Wudang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 张松溪 – Zhāng Sōngxī. His name meaning “Pine Creek.” Fourth of the Seven Heroes of Wudang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 俞莲舟 – Yú Liánzhōu. His name meaning “Lotus Boat.” Second of the Seven Heroes of Wudang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 白涂夺命丹 – Báitú Duómìng Dān. Literally White Balm Life-seizing Pellet. A rare and precious medicinal pellet created by Zhang Sanfeng, capable of restoring life in the direst circumstances. ↩

17. 鹤嘴劲 – hè zuǐ jìn. Literally crane’s beak power. Advanced acupoint manipulation technique using the fingers formed like a crane’s beak. ↩

18. 龙跃穴 – lóngyuè xué. Literally dragon’s leap acupoint. Located three fen above the ear, used in emergency resuscitation. ↩

19. 内力 – nèilì. Inner strength. The kinetic manifestation of cultivated qi. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

20. 颊车穴 – jiáchē xué. Literally jaw cart acupoint. Located at the junction of the jaw muscles, used to unlock clenched teeth. ↩

21. 缺盆俞府 – quēpén shùfǔ. The Quepen (Broken Basin) and Shufu (Transport Palace) acupoints along the shoulders, critical points for pain management. ↩

22. 阳关命门 – yángguān mìngmén. The Yangguan (Yang Gate) and Mingmen (Gate of Life) acupoints at the lower spine, governing vital energy flow. ↩

23. 龙门镖局 – Lóngmén Biāojú. Literally Dragon Gate Armed Escort. An armed escort agency. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

24. 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. ↩

25. 神藏灵台 – shéncáng língtái. The Shencang (Spirit Storehouse) and Lingtai (Spirit Platform) acupoints, vital points for channelling healing energy. ↩