The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 30 – Part 7

Zhang Wuji launched another kick at the man's wrist. The fellow's hands suddenly crossed and thrust towards Zhang Wuji's lower abdomen. The move was astonishingly nimble. Zhang Wuji leapt into the air only just in time to avoid it. This man was the Victorious Guardian King,¹ the foremost in martial arts among the twelve Guardian Kings of the Persian Ming Order. Zhang Wuji had already sealed the acupoints of the Merit Guardian King² and the Flame Guardian King³ and hurled them both into the ship's cabin. He now threw himself forward and engaged the Victorious Guardian King's twin blades. Though this man was one of the twelve Kings like the rest, his martial prowess was of a different order from theirs. Zhang Wuji attacked three moves, defended three, advanced three times, retreated three times, and silently admired, *A formidable Persian warrior!*

Once he had grasped the martial principles inscribed upon the Holy Fire Tablets,⁴ he had not yet had time to practise them before meeting a powerful foe. Now he bent his mind to remembering and working through the techniques even as he fought. After twenty-odd moves, the secrets of the Holy Fire Tablets woven into the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth⁵ gradually grew supple beneath his hands. The Victorious Guardian King was so named because he had never in all his days encountered an equal. Now he found himself trussed and constrained by this opponent, a thing that had never happened to him before, and his heart was filled with astonishment and dread. At thirty-odd moves, Zhang Wuji stepped in and suddenly sat down upon the deck, his arms locked around the Victorious Guardian King’s shins. The bizarre method was one recorded on the Holy Fire Tablets, but it was already a most profound technique. The Victorious Guardian King knew of it but had never dared attempt it. Zhang Wuji’s fingers clasped tight, ten digits seizing the Zhongdu⁶ and Zhubin⁷ acupoints on the King’s lower legs, precisely the acupoint-seizing art of the Central Plains. The Victorious Guardian King felt his lower body go numb and helpless. He let out a long sigh and submitted to capture.

A sudden tenderness for talent came over Zhang Wuji. He said, “Your martial arts are superb. I shall preserve your honour and take no further hold of you. Go back at once!” And he released his grip. The Victorious Guardian King, equal parts grateful and ashamed, bowed his head in salute and leapt back to his own ship.

The Great Sage Guardian King⁸ saw the Victorious Guardian King hard-pressed and defeated, the Merit Guardian King and the Flame Guardian King both lost to the enemy. Even if they could sink the foe’s ship, the hostages would be at stake. The Equality Guardian King⁹ and the other three would surely perish. He immediately ordered his men to return to the flagship.

Zhao Min called out in a clear voice, “Hand Daiqisi over to our ship at once, and agree to the Golden-Haired Lion King’s three conditions.”

The remaining nine Guardian Kings conferred in low voices for a while. The Wisdom Guardian King¹⁰ said, “To agree to your conditions is not impossible. But this young gentleman’s martial arts plainly belong to our Persian school. Where did he learn them? We find the matter unclear and bewildering.” Zhao Min suppressed a laugh and said with a solemn face, “Indeed you are unclear and bewildering, muddled and muddled, impure and impure, neither this nor that. This young gentleman is the eighth disciple of our cult’s Bright Messenger. His seven senior brothers and his seven junior brothers will arrive before long, and when they do, it will be seven climbing up and eight tumbling down, and you shall be exceedingly merry, and alas, lamentable.”

The Wisdom Guardian King was extremely clever, but the subtleties of Chinese eluded him. He understood only six or seven parts of what Zhao Min said. He knew she was blowing a great conch-shell,¹¹ and after a moment’s reflection replied, “Very well! We shall send Daiqisi over.”

Two Persian cultists propped Daiqisi up and brought her to the bow of Zhang Wuji’s ship. Zhou Zhiruo gave her jian¹² a flick, and with two sharp rings the shackles on Daiqisi’s wrists snapped through in an instant. The two Persians saw that the sword was so razor-sharp they shuddered with fright and scrambled back to their ship.

The Wisdom Guardian King said, “Sail away at once and return to your Central Plains. We shall send only small boats to follow behind you.”

Zhang Wuji clasped his fists and said, “The Middle Kingdom’s Ming Order¹³ derives from Persia. You and we are as brothers. Today’s encounter was a misunderstanding. I earnestly hope you will not take it amiss. In future, pray come to Bright Peak, and we shall drink together in amity. For any offence given, I offer my apologies.”

The Wisdom Guardian King laughed heartily. “Your martial arts are superb. We admire them greatly. To study and at due times to practise what one has learned, is that not a pleasure? Friends coming from afar, is that not a delight? Seven climbing up and eight tumbling down, is that not a delight?”

At first Zhang Wuji and the others heard him quoting the Master’s words and thought, This man actually knows the sayings of Confucius, which is remarkable enough. But then he went on to parrot two of Zhao Min’s phrases, and they could not help but burst out laughing. Zhao Min said, “Your words are very well spoken. That by which men differ from Persians is but a hairsbreadth! I wish you fortune on the road, much good fortune and long life. Come to the altar and receive the offering, may the misfortune extend to your late father, may you depart this life without a single ailment.”

Zhang Wuji thought that if Zhao Min kept at it she would come up with who knew how many more outlandish phrases. They were surrounded by wolves and tigers, and the longer they stayed the more danger they courted. Better to quit this peril at once. He pulled the iron anchor free, turned the helm, and raised the sail, steering the ship slowly away. The Persians on the surrounding ships watched him single-handedly lift the great anchor, give the rope two pulls, and send the main sail billowing up, one man doing the work of ten-odd sailors. His strength was prodigious, and they all cheered.

A small boat threw over a cable. Zhang Wuji lashed it to the stern and towed the small boat as they sailed gradually away. In the small boat sat the Drifting Cloud Messenger and the Bright Moon Messenger, along with several sailors.

Zhang Wuji took the helm and steered westward. The Persian great ships did not give chase. After sailing several li,¹⁴ he glanced back. The ships off Spirit Serpent Island¹⁵ were no larger than a foot across. They still stood motionless. Only then did he relax.

He called Xiao Zhao over to take the helm, then went below to check on Yin Li’s injuries. She was still drowsily half asleep, half awake. Though she showed no sign of improvement, her condition had not worsened either. He hoped they might find medicine somewhere aboard this Persian vessel.

Daiqisi stood at the bow gazing out to sea. She heard Zhang Wuji come up onto the deck but did not turn. He saw her graceful figure, her hair drifting in the breeze, the nape of her neck white as jade. Xie Xun had said she was once the foremost beauty in the wulin,¹⁶ and the words were true. He thought of Bright Peak, beside the Emerald Water Pool, her purple gown like a flower, her long jian white as snow. She must have captivated countless heroes and brave men.

They sailed until evening. By his reckoning they were now nearly a hundred li from Spirit Serpent Island. Looking east, there was not a single sail upon the sea. The men of the Persian Ming Order evidently dared not give chase under the duress of their hostages’ safety. Zhang Wuji discussed the matter with Xie Xun, Zhao Min and the rest. If they waited until they reached the Middle Kingdom and went ashore before releasing the Equality Guardian King and the other three in a small boat, that would be safest. Xie Xun said, “We are so far away now that even if they wanted to pursue, they could not catch us. Let these Persians go. They are, after all, leading figures of the Persian Ming Order. We must not truly damage the accord between us. Our ship is large and theirs is small. I doubt they can cook up anything.”

Zhang Wuji unblocked the acupoints of the Equality, Merit and Flame Guardian Kings and the Mysterious Wind Messenger,¹⁷ apologised repeatedly, and let them leap into the small boat towed behind the stern. The Mysterious Wind Messenger said, “The six Holy Fire Tablets are entrusted to our keeping. To lose them is a grave offence. I pray you return them as well.” Xie Xun said, “The Holy Fire Tablets are the command tallies of the Middle Kingdom’s Ming Order cult leader. Today the property returns to its rightful owner. How can we let you carry them off again?” The Mysterious Wind Messenger babbled on without end, insisting on the return of the six Holy Fire Tablets.

Zhang Wuji thought that today they must impress these men beyond doubt, lest there be more trouble hereafter. He said, “Even if we return them to you, your skill is too low to keep them safe. Better they remain with the Ming Order than fall to outsiders.” The Mysterious Wind Messenger said, “How could outsiders simply seize them?” Zhang Wuji said, “If you do not believe me, then try.” He handed over the six Holy Fire Tablets. The Mysterious Wind Messenger was overjoyed. He had just managed a ‘Many thanks!’ when Zhang Wuji’s left hand hooked and his right hand guided, and all six tablets were back in his grasp. The Mysterious Wind Messenger was thunderstruck. Fury flashed across his face. “I had not even got a firm hold. That does not count.” Zhang Wuji laughed. “Try again, then.” He returned the tablets to him.

The Mysterious Wind Messenger first tucked four of the Holy Fire Tablets into his robe and held two in his hands. Seeing Zhang Wuji move to take them, he swung his left tablet crashing down towards Zhang Wuji’s wrist. Zhang Wuji’s wrist turned, and he caught the man’s right arm, pulling it up to meet his own descending tablet. The two tablets collided with a great boom that shook the heart. Zhang Wuji’s profound neili surged through the man’s arm. From that single blow the Mysterious Wind Messenger’s arms went numb and his whole body limp, as though paralysed. He released his grip, and the Holy Fire Tablets fell clattering to the deck.

Zhang Wuji took the four tablets from the man’s robe first, then picked up the two from the deck. “Well? Do you wish to try again?” The Mysterious Wind Messenger collapsed to the boards, shaking his head without ceasing. The Drifting Cloud Messenger leapt up from the small boat and carried him across.

The small boat hoisted its sail. The Merit Guardian King severed the tow-line, and at once the two ships parted. Zhang Wuji clasped his fists. “We have given much offence. I pray you will forgive us.” The Merit Guardian King and the others’ eyes were full of rancour. They turned their heads without a word.

The great ship sailed westward on the wind. The two ships grew ever more distant. Suddenly Daiqisi cried out, “You wretches dare!” and hurled herself into the sea. A jet of bloody water surged up from the waves, then another not far away. In moments there were six jets of bloody water. With a splash, Daiqisi surfaced, a short dao clamped between her teeth. She was as swift in the water as a fish, and in no time had swum to the ship’s side. She braced her left hand against a claw of the iron anchor, borrowed the leverage, and flew up onto the deck.

Everyone understood at once. The Persians had harboured treachery. While the Merit Guardian King and the rest had taken the small boat and raised the sail as cover, they had secretly sent men skilled in the water to swim alongside the great ship and bore holes in the hull, intending to sink it. It was only because the Purple-Clad Dragon King had spotted the divers’ air-bubbles beside the ship that she had plunged in and killed six of them.

Before the thought had properly formed, a tremendous explosion rocked the stern. Black smoke billowed. The hull shuddered as though struck by a cannon-shot. Splinters of timber flew from the quarter-deck. Zhang Wuji and the others felt a wave of searing heat and threw themselves flat.

Daiqisi rushed to the stern. A great hole had been blasted in the ship’s tail. The rudder had been blown away to who knew where, and seawater poured in through the breach. Daiqisi said through gritted teeth, “I only spotted them sabotaging the hull. I never expected they had strapped explosives to the stern.” By now the small boat carrying the Merit Guardian King and the others was far away. Even with Daiqisi’s superb swimming, she could not overtake them.

They looked at one another in despair, at a loss. Zhao Min cast a mournful glance at Zhang Wuji. The enemy ships will catch up before long, she thought. We shall truly die without even a burial place. The great sea ship was large, however, and would not sink in a moment or two.

Without warning, Daiqisi began speaking rapid Persian to Xiao Zhao. Xiao Zhao replied in Persian. The two went back and forth, their expressions shifting constantly. As they talked, Xiao Zhao glanced at Zhang Wuji, her cheeks flushing crimson, deeply embarrassed. Daiqisi pressed her with sharp words. They argued for some time, seemingly over something Daiqisi was urging Xiao Zhao to agree to. Xiao Zhao kept shaking her head in refusal. Then she glanced at Zhang Wuji again, let out a sigh, and spoke a sentence. Daiqisi put her arms around Xiao Zhao and kissed her again and again. Both their faces were wet with tears. Xiao Zhao sobbed without ceasing, and Daiqisi comforted her in gentle tones.

Footnotes

1. 常胜宝树王 – Chángshèng Bǎoshùwáng. The Victorious Guardian King, so named because he had never in his life been defeated. The foremost martial artist among the twelve Guardian Kings of the Persian Ming Order. ↩

2. 功德宝树王 – Gōngdé Bǎoshùwáng. The Merit Guardian King, one of the eleven Guardian Kings of the Persian Ming Order. ↩

3. 掌火宝树王 – Zhǎnghuǒ Bǎoshùwáng. The Flame Guardian King, one of the eleven Guardian Kings of the Persian Ming Order. ↩

4. 圣火令 – Shènghuǒ Lìng. Twelve golden tablets of the Ming Order, symbols of authority. Six bear the martial arts of the Mountain-Dwelling Sage of ancient Persia; six bear the Order’s commandments. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 乾坤大挪移 – Qiánkūn Dà Nuóyí. The supreme secret art of the Ming Order, capable of redirecting force, reversing qi flow, and manipulating the trajectory of attacks. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 中都穴 – Zhōngdū xué. An acupoint on the Liver Meridian, on the inner side of the lower leg, seven cun above the medial malleolus. ↩

7. 筑宾穴 – Zhùbīn xué. An acupoint on the Kidney Meridian, on the inner side of the calf, five cun above the medial malleolus. ↩

8. 大圣宝树王 – Dàshèng Bǎoshùwáng. The Great Sage Guardian King, chief among the eleven Guardian Kings of the Persian Ming Order and the most martially accomplished. ↩

9. 平等宝树王 – Píngděng Bǎoshùwáng. The Equality Guardian King, one of the twelve Guardian Kings of the Persian Ming Order. ↩

10. 智慧宝树王 – Zhìhuì Bǎoshùwáng. The Wisdom Guardian King, one of the eleven Guardian Kings of the Persian Ming Order. His Chinese was learned from books and was marked by archaic and stilted constructions. ↩

11. 大吹法螺 — dà chuī fǎ luó. Literally “to blow the great dharma-conch.” A colloquial expression meaning to boast or talk extravagantly. ↩

12. 倚天剑 – Yǐtiān Jiàn. “Heaven-Reliant Sword.” One of the twin legendary weapons, containing the Book of Wumu hidden within. ↩

13. 明教 – Míng Jiào. The Ming Order, a revolutionary martial cult whose Middle Kingdom branch traced its origins to Persia. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 里 – lǐ. Approximately one-third of a mile or five hundred metres. ↩

15. 灵蛇岛 – Língshé Dǎo. Spirit Serpent Island, the remote island in the eastern sea where Xie Xun and Zhang Wuji had lived in exile. ↩

16. 武林 – wǔlín. Literally “martial forest.” The community of martial artists and their organisations. ↩

17. 妙风使 – Miàofēng Shǐ. The Mysterious Wind Messenger, the most martially accomplished of the Three Messengers of the Persian Ming Order. ↩