The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 31 – Part 8

Just then, a branch of the old cypress in the courtyard gave a faint tremble. None of those in the main hall perceived it, but Zhang Wuji caught the sound of soft breathing behind the branches. The stranger immediately held his breath and suppressed it, mastering himself. Zhang Wuji thought, *So there's someone hiding in the old cypress after all. He arrived before me, and I failed to detect him for so long. This man's martial arts are considerable indeed.* He fixed his gaze on the cypress, and amid the screen of branches and leaves, made out a corner of blue-green cloth. The fellow hid exceedingly well, and his garments matched the colour of the cypress. Had Zhang Wuji's eyesight not been preternaturally sharp, he would never have spotted him.

Han Lin’er spoke in anger, “Zhang Jiaozhu¹ is kind-hearted and values brotherhood. Heaven will surely bless him. He is still very young. It would be no wonder if he lives another hundred years.”

Chen Youliang sighed, “Yet the hearts of men in this world are hard to fathom. I hear he fell victim to a villain’s scheme and was captured and killed by the court. That is not so strange either. Everyone who has ever seen Zhang Wuji knows he cannot survive the hurdle of his twenty-fourth year²…”

Suddenly a blue-green shadow flickered from atop the old tallow tree, and a figure leapt to the ground, crying, “Zhang Wuji is here! Who is cursing me to an early, violent death?” Before the words had faded, the figure had already darted into the hall. The Staff Commanding Dragon Head,³ who stood at the doorway, reached out with a great hand to seize the intruder by the nape. The stranger tilted his body with effortless grace and avoided the grasp.

They saw a man in a blue-green square cap and robe, his bearing composed and elegant, his face lustrous as jade, his eyes clear as water. It was Zhao Min, dressed in male attire.

When Zhang Wuji saw Zhao Min appear so suddenly, his heart gave a violent lurch. Shock and fury, love and joy, all surged through him at once, and he could not help but utter a soft cry. The host of beggars in the hall were all intent on guarding against Zhao Min, and not one of them heard his startled exclamation.

The Beggars’ Guild men did not know Zhang Wuji by face. They knew only that the Ming Order’s Jiaozhu was a young man of twenty or so with fearsome martial arts. Seeing how nimbly Zhao Min had evaded the Staff Commanding Dragon Head’s grab, they took her for a first-rate master and assumed the Ming Order’s Jiaozhu had indeed arrived. Every one of them grew solemn.

But Chen Youliang, finding her face too lovely, her years too few, and detecting a distinctly feminine lilt in her voice, saw that she did not match the appearance of Zhang Wuji as the jianghu⁴ described it. He barked, “Zhang Wuji is long dead. Where has this counterfeit crawled out from?”

Zhao Min flared up, “Zhang Wuji is alive and well. Why do you keep cursing him? Zhang Wuji has good fortune and great blessings. He will live to be a hundred. After everyone here is dead and gone, he will still be in this world, enjoying himself!”

Zhang Wuji, hearing the note of grief in her words, guessed she was thinking of how she had abandoned him on a desolate island, and her conscience must be pricking her. But then another thought occurred to him, A person so cruel and heartless, what conscience, what self-reproach? You cannot let go of this Mongol girl, Zhang Wuji, and your mind conjures up all manner of wishful thinking.

Chen Youliang demanded, “Who are you, then?” Zhao Min replied, “I am Zhang Wuji, Jiaozhu of the Ming Order. Why are you taking my brothers prisoner? Release them at once. If you have any grievance, take it up with me.”

From beside him came a sneer. “Lady Zhao Min, others may not know you, but I, Song Qingshu, surely do.” He turned to address the Guild Chief, “This woman is the daughter of the Prince of Runan, Chaghan Temür.⁵ She has many skilled fighters at her command. We must be on our guard.”

The Law-Enforcing Elder⁶ whistled sharply through pursed lips and ordered, “Staff Commanding Dragon Head, lead the brothers out and set defences around the temple, in case the enemy attacks.” The Staff Commanding Dragon Head acknowledged the command and strode out. In an instant, whistles sounded from every quarter, east, south, west, north, as the Beggars’ Guild disciples took their positions.

Zhao Min’s face changed slightly at the display. She clapped her hands twice, and two figures floated down from atop the wall: the Xuanming Elders⁷, Lu Zhangke and He Biweng.

The Law-Enforcing Elder barked, “Seize them!” Four seven-bag disciples⁸ leapt forward to engage the two elders. The Xuanming Elders’ martial arts were formidable, and within three moves, all four seven-bag disciples lay wounded. The white-bearded, white-haired Skill-Transmitting Elder⁹ rose to his feet and slashed at He Biweng with a fierce wind-sweeping blow, the gust roaring like a tiger, his ferocity beyond measure.

He Biweng swung his crane-beak pen¹⁰ to parry. A ringing clash rang out as weapon met weapon. Three hard exchanges later, the Skill-Transmitting Elder was already at a disadvantage. On the other side, Lu Zhangke wielded his deer-antler staff to engage both the Law-Enforcing Elder and the Bowl Commanding Dragon Head¹¹, and for a time neither side could claim the upper hand.

The Staff Commanding Dragon Head returned to the hall and saw the Skill-Transmitting Elder’s face red as blood, retreating step by step. He could not help but inwardly recoil in alarm, thinking, The Skill-Transmitting Elder’s gongli¹² is profound. He is the foremost master in our guild. How can he not match this old man? He watched as the elder’s breathing grew laboured, his white beard swaying, his bearing growing haggard. Though he knew the elder disliked assistance in combat, he could not stand by and let him perish at the enemy’s hands. He raised his iron staff and swept it at He Biweng’s feet.

At the moment the Xuanming Elders had arrived, Zhao Min had wished to withdraw, but Chen Youliang had blocked her with his jian. Zhao Min had absorbed the essence of the six great schools’ martial arts in Wan’an Temple.¹³ She reversed her jian and slashed three times in quick succession: the first a move from Huashan Swordplay,¹⁴ the second from Kunlun Swordplay,¹⁵ the third a masterstroke of Kongtong School¹⁶ swordsmanship. By her fourth move, she was executing the Emei Order’s Golden Summit Nine Forms.¹⁷ Chen Youliang was startled and could scarcely fend her off. Zhao Min’s jian circled and thrust straight at his heart. Suddenly, with a metallic clang, a blade swept in from her left and deflected her strike. It was Song Qingshu who had intervened.

The fighters in the main hall were locked in combat. Zhang Wuji, concealed atop the ancient pine, watched every move with perfect clarity. He saw Song Qingshu deploy Wudang Swordplay,¹⁸ steady and ruthless, plainly the true legacy of Song Yuanqiao. Chen Youliang attacked from the flank. Though Zhao Min knew a multitude of lethal techniques, her training was miscellaneous and unfocused. Worse, she was fighting two opponents at once, and she was spending more effort on defence than attack.

Zhang Wuji grew anxious, and puzzled as well. Why is she using only an ordinary jian? If she drew the Heavenly Jian,¹⁹ she would cut through their weapons and break out at once. But he observed her thin garments, her slender figure. Clearly she carried no Heavenly Jian about her waist. His anxiety gave way to self-reproach: Zhang Wuji, this Mongol girl is the murderer who killed your cousin. Why are you worrying about her? You wrong your cousin, and you wrong your sworn father and Zhiruo as well!

The battle raged on. More of the Beggars’ Guild’s skilled fighters joined the fray, while Zhao Min had no reinforcements. Lu Zhangke, seeing the situation deteriorate, called out, “Junzhu,²⁰ shidi, let us fall back to the courtyard and seize a chance to escape.”

Zhao Min said, “Very well. That man surnamed Chen has been slandering Young Master Zhang, saying he will die a violent, premature death. I cannot abide it. Give him a thorough lesson.” The Xuanming Elders answered in unison, “We obey. Please withdraw first, Junzhu. Leave this fellow to us.” Zhao Min added, “Han Lin’er is very loyal to Young Master Zhang. Find a way to rescue him.” Lu Zhangke replied, “Junzhu, please go ahead first. We brothers will seize our chance to save him.” The three of them, surrounded by powerful enemies, calmly discussed retreat and rescue as though their opponents did not exist.

The battle in the main hall was fierce. The Beggars’ Guild’s Guild Chief,²¹ Shi Huolong, stood in a corner of the hall and made no sound throughout. The Skill-Transmitting and Law-Enforcing Elders heard the exchange between Zhao Min and the Xuanming Elders and issued orders in succession, commanding their subordinates to intercept.

Without warning, Lu Zhangke and He Biweng abandoned their opponents and charged straight for Shi Huolong. Their speed was astonishing, and it seemed certain the Guild Chief could not withstand them. But Chen Youliang, anticipating that the two elders would use advance as retreat, had already slipped around to Shi Huolong’s side while Zhao Min and the elders were speaking. Before the Xuanming Elders’ palm-force could arrive, Chen Youliang shoved Shi Huolong from behind, pushing him out of sight behind the Maitreya Buddha statue. The two elders’ palm-strikes landed with a soft thud, and fragments of clay burst from the statue, which tottered dangerously. He Biweng darted forward and delivered two more palms. The great statue toppled in mid-air. The beggars cried out as one and scattered to avoid the falling rubble.

In the ensuing chaos, Zhao Min had already leapt into the courtyard.

Song Qingshu and the Staff Commanding Dragon Head pursued with jian and staff combined. Suddenly, three rods²² rolled in from beside the temple gate, all sweeping at Zhao Min’s feet. She had to parry Song Qingshu’s jian and the Staff Commanding Dragon Head’s iron staff while dodging the three rods at her feet. She evaded two, but the third found her. Pain shot through her left shin, and she stumbled, falling forward. Song Qingshu reversed his grip on the jian-hilt and brought it down towards the back of her head, intending to stun her and take her alive.

The hilt was less than six inches from the back of her skull when the Staff Commanding Dragon Head’s iron staff unexpectedly swept in and knocked Song Qingshu’s jian aside. A figure rose into the air and vanished over the wall. Song Qingshu turned and demanded of the Staff Commanding Dragon Head, “Why did you let her escape?”

The Staff Commanding Dragon Head retorted angrily, “Why did you strike at my iron staff?” Song Qingshu said, “You used your staff to deflect my hilt, and now you say…” The Staff Commanding Dragon Head snapped, “Arguing is pointless. Chase!”

The two of them leapt over the wall. Beside the wall’s corner lay a seven-bag disciple, his leg-bones broken, unable to rise. The Staff Commanding Dragon Head demanded, “Which way did that demoness flee?” The seven Beggars’ Guild disciples guarding outside the wall answered as one, “No one. We saw no one.” The Staff Commanding Dragon Head raged, “Someone plainly leapt out from here just now. Are you all blind?”

A six-bag disciple²³ reached down to help the injured seven-bag disciple to his feet and said, “Just now this elder brother leapt over the wall. We saw no second person.” The Staff Commanding Dragon Head scratched his head and asked the seven-bag disciple, “Why did you leap over the wall?” The seven-bag disciple groaned, “I…I was grabbed and thrown out. That demoness had most peculiar techniques.”

The Staff Commanding Dragon Head turned to Song Qingshu, his face dark with fury. “When you struck at my iron staff with your hilt just now, what did you mean by it? You have only just joined our guild, and already you are playing inside-out games?”

Song Qingshu was both shocked and angry. “I was about to strike that demoness with my hilt when you, Senior Brother Dragon Head, deflected my jian with your staff. That is how she got away.” The Staff Commanding Dragon Head raged, “Preposterous! Why would I deflect your hilt? I have been in the guild for decades. I am the Staff Commanding Dragon Head. Would I turn and help an outsider? Let me ask you again: why did you not pierce her with the point, but reverse your grip and swing with the hilt, as if striking by accident? Hmph. My eyes are old, but they are not blind. You cannot fool me.”

Though Song Qingshu was only a third-generation junior disciple in the Wudang Order, everyone in the Wudang school knew him as the future zhangmen.²⁴ Even his shishus²⁵ Yu Lianzhou and Zhang Songxi treated him with considerable courtesy, and none had ever spoken a harsh word to him. He had long grown accustomed to deference. Though he knew the Staff Commanding Dragon Head’s rank in the guild was far above his own status as a newly admitted six-bag disciple, the blame in this matter plainly lay with the other party. He was unwilling to swallow the insult silently. “The words ‘inside-out games’ are not tossed about at random. My strike with the hilt just now was plainly deflected by your staff. With so many witnesses here, others may well have seen it too.”

Footnotes

1. 教主 – jiàozhǔ. Leader of a religious or martial order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 三八二十四岁 – In traditional Chinese reckoning, twenty-four carried superstitious weight as a perilous age. ↩

3. 掌棒龙头 – zhǎngbàng lóngtóu. The Staff Commanding Dragon Head, senior officer of the Beggars’ Guild, commanding the staff-armed disciples. ↩

4. 江湖 – jiānghú. Literally rivers and lakes. The itinerant world beyond settled society and official reach. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 汝阳王察罕特穆尔 – Rǔyáng Wáng Cháhǎn Tèmù’ér. The Prince of Runan, whose Mongol name was Chaghan Temür. Father of Zhao Min. ↩

6. 执法长老 – zhífǎ zhǎnglǎo. The Law-Enforcing Elder, senior officer of the Beggars’ Guild responsible for discipline. ↩

7. 玄冥二老 – Xuánmíng Èr Lǎo. The Twin Xuanming Elders, Lu Zhangke and He Biweng, masters of the Xuanming Divine Palm. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 七袋弟子 – qīdài dìzǐ. Seven-Bag Disciple. A senior rank among Beggars’ Guild disciples, denoted by seven bags on their person. ↩

9. 传功长老 – chuángōng zhǎnglǎo. The Skill-Transmitting Elder, senior officer of the Beggars’ Guild responsible for teaching martial arts. ↩

10. 鹤嘴笔 – hèzuǐ bǐ. Crane-Beak Pen, He Biweng’s signature weapon, shaped like a crane’s bill. ↩

11. 掌钵龙头 – zhǎngbō lóngtóu. The Bowl Commanding Dragon Head, senior officer of the Beggars’ Guild, commanding the bowl-armed disciples. ↩

12. 功力 – gōnglì. One’s level of martial cultivation; the depth of skill accumulated through training. ↩

13. 万安寺 – Wàn’ān Sì. Wan’an Temple, where the six great schools’ martial arts were stored and where Zhao Min learned their secrets. ↩

14. 华山剑法 – Huàshān Jiànfǎ. Huashan School’s sword techniques, elegant and fluid. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 昆仑剑法 – Kūnlún Jiànfǎ. Kunlun School’s sword techniques, cold and direct. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 崆峒派 – Kōngtóng Pài. The Kongtong School, a martial school from Kongtong Mountain. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 金顶九式 – Jīndǐng Jiǔ Shì. Golden Summit Nine Forms, a set of nine sword moves from the Emei Order. ↩

18. 武当剑法 – Wǔdāng Jiànfǎ. The sword techniques of the Wudang Order, rooted in Taiji principles. ↩

19. 倚天剑 – Yǐtiān Jiàn. The Heavenly Jian, one of the two legendary weapons forged from the Heavy Iron Sword. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

20. 郡主 – jùnzhǔ. Princess, or more precisely, a noble title for a prince’s daughter. Here used as a form of address for Zhao Min. ↩

21. 帮主 – bāngzhǔ. Guild Chief, the leader of the Beggars’ Guild. ↩

22. 杆棒 – gǎnbàng. Staff, a long wooden weapon used by Beggars’ Guild disciples. ↩

23. 六袋弟子 – liùdài dìzǐ. Six-Bag Disciple. A mid-rank among Beggars’ Guild disciples, denoted by six bags on their person. ↩

24. 掌门 – zhǎngmén. Sect leader, the head of a martial school or order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

25. 师叔 – shīshū. Junior lineage uncle. The shidi of one’s shifu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩