The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 35 – Part 7

The five were already deep in combat, dao and jian weaving back and forth. They exchanged seven or eight sequences of moves, yet still neither side could claim victory. Ma Fatong suddenly cried, “Stop!” He leapt clear of the circle. Du Baidang drew back as well, his silver whiskers stirring, carrying an air of quiet authority.

Ma Fatong said, “That bladework of the worthy couple, was it practised for lion-slaying?”

Yi Sanniang gave a start. “Your eye is sharp, I’ll say that.”

Ma Fatong said, “The worthy couple bears a son-killing hatred against Xie Xun.¹ A vengeance that deep cannot go unavenged. Since you’ve already learned the quarry is within Shaolin Monastery,² why not settle the matter soon?”

Yi Sanniang glanced sideways at him. “This is our family affair. No need for the Daoist Elder to trouble himself.”

Ma Fatong said, “The grudge between Yuzhen and the worthy couple is, as Yi Sanniang herself said, a trifling matter. Hardly worth dying over. Why not turn enemies into friends and join forces to find Xie Xun?”

Yi Sanniang said, “Yuzhen also has a grudge against Xie Xun?”

“A grudge? Not exactly. Heh heh.”

Yi Sanniang said, “If you have no quarrel with Xie Xun, why go to such lengths to train that swordwork? Our two sides’ techniques converge on the same purpose, both are meant to counter the Seven Injury Fist.³”

Ma Fatong said, “Yi Sanniang has a keen eye! One does not speak falsely before a person of discernment. Yuzhen merely wishes to borrow a look at the Dragon-Slaying Dao.⁴”

Yi Sanniang nodded. She reached out and with her fingertip wrote several characters swiftly on Du Baidang’s palm. Du Baidang wrote on hers in turn. The couple used their fingers for tongues, conferring in silence for a while. Then Yi Sanniang said, “We husband and wife seek only vengeance. Even if it costs us our lives, we are content. We have no mind to touch the Dragon-Slaying Dao.”

Ma Fatong was delighted. “Splendid! The five of us will storm Shaolin together. The worthy couple kill your enemy and take your revenge. Yuzhen obtains a treasured dao. United in purpose, great success is easily accomplished. Each side gains what it wants, and no friendship is harmed.”

The five struck palms there and then and swore a binding oath. Du Baidang and his wife invited the three Daoists into the room to plan in detail the strategy for vengeance and seizing the dao.

The Three Swords of Xiliang⁵ sat down inside the room. The door to the adjoining chamber was shut tight, and they could not help casting several glances towards it. Yi Sanniang laughed. “There’s no need for the three of you to be suspicious. That’s a young couple from Dadu⁶ who’ve eloped. The girl is pretty as a jade maiden, and the man is a rough country fellow. Neither knows a lick of martial arts.”

Ma Fatong said, “Yi Sanniang, don’t take offence. It isn’t that I doubt the worthy couple’s ability, but the matter we plot is too weighty, and too many heroes in the world would see us undone. If word leaks out, I fear…”

Yi Sanniang laughed. “We’ve been fighting for half a day, and those two are still sleeping like logs. But if Daoist Ma is cautious by nature, you may go and have a look for yourself.” With that she went to push the door. It was bolted from within.

Zhang Wuji thought this an excellent opportunity to learn something from these five that might help him rescue his sworn father. There was no hurry to send them on their way. He lifted Zhao Min at once, lay down on the bed fully clothed beside her, and hastily pulled off his shoes and drew the cotton quilt over himself. He heard a sharp crack, the door-bolt shattered by Shao He’s⁷ neili.⁸ Yi Sanniang walked in holding a candlestick, the Three Swords of Xiliang behind her.

Zhang Wuji saw the candlelight and gazed at Yi Sanniang with sleep-blurred eyes, his face a mask of bewilderment. Ma Fatong’s jian⁹ shot towards his throat, the thrust vicious and swift. Zhang Wuji gave a cry of alarm and lurched forward, all but thrusting his neck onto the blade’s point. Ma Fatong drew back his sword, thinking, This man truly does not know a scrap of martial arts. Were he trained in the fighting arts, however bold, he would never dare face such a thrust unflinching. Zhao Min murmured softly, still seeming not to wake, her pretty face flushed rosy, lovely in the candlelight. Shao He said, “Yi Sanniang spoke true. Let’s go.” The five closed the door behind them and returned to the hall.

Zhang Wuji sprang from the bed and pulled on his shoes.

He heard Ma Fatong say, “Worthy couple, are you quite certain Xie Xun is truly within Shaolin… the Monastery?”

Yi Sanniang said, “Beyond all doubt. Shaolin Monastery has already sent out the heroes’ summons.¹⁰ They are holding a Lion-Slaying Assembly¹¹ at the Monastery on the Double Ninth.¹² If they hadn’t captured Xie Xun, how could they afford to lose face before every hero in the world?”

Ma Fatong hummed in acknowledgement. “Kongjian the Divine Monk¹³ of the Shaolin Order was killed under Xie Xun’s fist. Monk and lay disciple alike, they must surely seek vengeance. The worthy couple need only enter the Monastery on the Double Ninth, open your eyes, and watch your enemy bare his neck for the blade. Not a shred of effort, and your blood-hatred is avenged. Why must Old Master Du ruin a pair of ears and court the grave danger of offending the Shaolin Order?”

Yi Sanniang sneered. “My husband pierced his own ears deaf five years ago. Moreover, our only beloved son was murdered guiltless by that fiend Xie Xun. The hatred between us and him is deep as the sea. In avenging a son-killing vengeance such as this, how could we borrow another’s hand? The moment we meet that villain surnamed Xie, the first thing I shall do is pierce my own ears deaf. My husband and I seek only to perish together with him. Heh heh. Since our boy was killed by his hand, we have had nothing left to bind us to this world. Offend the Shaolin Order? Offend the Wudang Order? At worst, a thousand cuts and ten thousand slices, what do we care?”

Zhang Wuji, listening through the partition, found the depth of her rancour chilling. He thought, My sworn father, suffering under Cheng Kun’s¹⁴ cruelty all those years ago, poured out his bitterness upon a host of innocent people. This Du couple are not wicked folk. It is the anguish of their son’s cruel death that has driven them to spend years plotting to kill my sworn father in revenge. Such a hatred cannot be mediated, that is beyond all hope. I can only rescue my sworn father and put distance between him and them, lest further blood be spilled.

From the next room came not a sound. He peered through a crack in the partition and saw Du Baidang, Yi Sanniang, Ma Fatong, Shao He and Shao Yan¹⁵ all dipping their fingers in tea and writing characters on the plank table. He thought, These five are truly cautious. Even though they believe Min¹⁶ and I are not figures of the jianghu,¹⁷ they still fear the secret may leak. Aiya. My sworn father has no shortage of enemies in the jianghu, and those who covet the Dragon-Slaying Dao are even more numerous. Those who would strike before the Double Ninth must be past counting. People of this sort are either painstaking in their planning or supremely skilled and ruthless. If Shaolin Monastery is so much as careless for a moment, my sworn father is in grave danger. I must rescue him as soon as may be.

The five wrote to each other in silence, conferring without cease.

Zhang Wuji left them to it and slept on the bench. The next morning when he rose, the Three Swords of Xiliang were gone. He said to Yi Sanniang, “Granny, those three Daoist lords had shiny big knives last night, what were they about? At first I thought they’d come to arrest us. I was scared stiff. Then I realised they hadn’t.”

Yi Sanniang heard him call a jian a “big knife” and could not help smiling to herself. She said coolly, “They took a wrong turn. They drank a bowl of tea and left. Young Brother Zeng,¹⁸ after the midday meal we’re taking three loads of firewood to sell at the Monastery. Can you help carry one? If the monks ask, I’ll say you’re our son. It’s not that I’m claiming kin, it’s just to keep the Monastery from growing suspicious. Your wife’s a flower of a girl. Don’t let her be seen outside.” Though she seemed to be consulting him, she had in fact issued an order that allowed no refusal.

Zhang Wuji understood at once. She thinks I’m truly a farm lad. She wants me to accompany her into Shaolin Monastery to scout. That suits me perfectly. He said, “Whatever Granny says, I’ll do. Just take my wife and me in. The two of us have been running east and west, looking over our shoulders every moment. Not a single peaceful day.”

In the afternoon Zhang Wuji followed Du Baidang and Yi Sanniang, each carrying a load of dry firewood, towards Shaolin Monastery. He wore a bamboo hat, a short axe thrust in his belt, and hemp sandals on bare feet. Of the three, his load was by far the largest. Zhao Min stood at the door, watching him go with a smile.

Du Baidang and Yi Sanniang deliberately walked slowly, panting as they went. When they reached the mountain pavilion outside Shaolin Monastery, they set down their loads to rest. Two monks sat in the pavilion idle-chatting. They glanced at the three and paid them no mind.

Yi Sanniang unwound the coarse cloth from her head, wiped her brow, then reached over and wiped Zhang Wuji’s sweat too, saying, “Good boy, are you tired?”

At first Zhang Wuji felt embarrassed, but hearing the tenderness in her words, not feigned but genuine, he could not help glancing at her. Tears were brimming in her eyes. He knew she was thinking of the child Xie Xun had killed. She gazed at him as though hoping he would speak, and he could not bear it. He said, “Ma, I’m not tired. Have you rested enough, Elder?”

The moment the word “Ma” left his lips, he thought of his own mother, and sorrow rose in his throat. Yi Sanniang, hearing him cry “Ma,” could not hold back her tears. She raised the head-cloth as if to wipe sweat, but it was tears she wiped.

Du Baidang rose, shouldered his load, waved his left hand and strode out of the pavilion. He could not hear the exchange between the two, but he knew his wife, touched by the sight of the boy, was recalling their dead son, and might betray some slip that the two monks would see through.

Zhang Wuji went over and took two bundles of firewood from Yi Sanniang’s load, adding them to his own. “Ma, let’s go.”

Yi Sanniang saw his thoughtfulness and thought, If my boy were alive today, he’d be a good deal older than this youth. I’d have grandchildren by now. She stood rooted for a moment, unable to move. Only when she saw Zhang Wuji shoulder the load and stride out of the pavilion did she follow, her heart so stirred that her steps faltered. Zhang Wuji turned and reached out a hand to steady her, thinking, If my own mother were still in this world, and I could support her like this…

One of the monks said, “The young fellow is quite filial. That’s rare indeed.” The other said, “Granny, are you taking that firewood to sell at the Monastery? These past few days the abbot has issued a decree forbidding outsiders entry. You’d best not go.”

Yi Sanniang was sorely disappointed, thinking, Shaolin Monastery’s defences are indeed thorough. It won’t be easy to slip in. Du Baidang, having walked several dozen feet ahead and seeing the two not following, paused to wait.

The other monk said, “This young fellow is a fine example of a dutiful son and a loving mother. Let us do them a kindness. Shidi, take them round by the back gate to the Fragrant Accumulation Kitchen.¹⁹ If the supervising monk asks, say they’re country folk who’ve long sold firewood here. I doubt there’s any harm in it.” The monk said, “Yes. The supervising monk forbids outsiders because he fears riff-raff. These honest country folk, why cut off their livelihood?” He led the three round to the back gate and into the Monastery, and they carried the three loads of firewood to the wood-store. A monk in charge of the Fragrant Accumulation Kitchen counted out their payment.

Yi Sanniang said, “We’ve some excellent Chinese cabbages. I’ll have Ah Niu²⁰ bring several jin²¹ tomorrow, no charge, a gift for the masters to taste.” The monk who had led them in laughed. “From tomorrow you can’t come any more. If the supervising monk finds out and blames us, we can’t afford the trouble.”

The monk in charge of the kitchen studied Zhang Wuji for a few moments and said, “Round about the Double Ninth, the Monastery will have over a thousand extra guests. Fetching water, chopping firewood, we’ll never manage with the hands we have. This lad looks sturdy. How about it, lad? Come and help for two months, and I’ll give you five qian²² of silver a month.”

Yi Sanniang was overjoyed. “That would be perfect! Ah Niu’s got nothing much to do at home. Let him stay and do odd jobs for the masters, earn a few liang²³ to help out, that’d be fine.”

Zhang Wuji considered it. Not good. Quite a few people in Shaolin Monastery know me. Dropping by the kitchen now and then would be one thing, but living in the Monastery for two months, I’m bound to be recognised. He said, “Ma, my wife…”

Yi Sanniang thought this a heaven-sent chance, one that might never come again. She cut him off hastily: “Your wife’s safe at home. Are you afraid I’ll ill-treat her? You stay here and do as the masters tell you. Don’t be lazy. Your ma and your wife will come and visit you in a few days. A great strapping lad like you, you can’t manage a single day without your ma. Do you still need your ma to feed you and tend the chamber-pot?” With that she reached out and smoothed his hair, her eyes brimming with tenderness.

Footnotes

1. 谢逊 – Xiè Xùn. His name meaning “Thankful and Humble”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 少林寺 – Shàolín Sì. Shaolin Monastery, the famed Buddhist monastery on Mount Song. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 七伤拳 – Qīshāng Quán. Literally seven injuries fist. A fist technique of the Kongtong School. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 屠龙刀 – Túlóng Dāo. Literally dragon-slaying sabre. A legendary dao. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 西凉 – Xīliáng. Western Liang, an ancient region corresponding to parts of modern Gansu. ↩

6. 大都 – Dàdū. Dadu, the Yuan Dynasty capital (modern Beijing). ↩

7. 邵鹤 – Shào Hè. Shao He, one of the Three Swords of Xiliang from Yuzhen Daoist Order. ↩

8. 内力 – nèilì. Internal force, the kinetic manifestation of qi cultivated through neigong. ↩

9. 剑 – jiàn. A straight, double-edged sword. ↩

10. 英雄帖 – yīngxióng tiě. Heroes’ summons, invitations sent to the jianghu’s leading figures for a great assembly. ↩

11. 屠狮大会 – tú shī dà huì. Lion-Slaying Assembly. A martial gathering convened by Shaolin Monastery, ostensibly to deal with the captive Xie Xun. ↩

12. 重阳节 – Chóngyáng Jié. The Double Ninth Festival, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, traditionally a day for climbing heights and honouring the elderly. ↩

13. 空见 – Kōngjiàn. His name meaning “Empty Vision”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 成昆 – Chéng Kūn. Cheng Kun, the main antagonist, also known by his dharma name Yuanzhen. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 邵雁 – Shào Yàn. Shao Yan, the lean Daoist of the Three Swords of Xiliang. ↩

16. 敏妹 – Mǐn mèi. Zhang Wuji’s affectionate internal reference to Zhao Min. ↩

17. 江湖 – jiānghú. Literally rivers and lakes. The itinerant world beyond settled society and official reach, holding not only martial artists but the trades that travel with them. ↩

18. 曾 – Zēng. A fictitious surname Zhao Min adopts for her cover story. ↩

19. 香积厨 – Xiāngjī Chú. The Fragrant Accumulation Kitchen, the monastery’s kitchen, named after a Buddhist sutra reference. ↩

20. 阿牛 – Ā Niú. “Ah Niu,” lit. “Ox,” a common rustic nickname. ↩

21. 斤 – jīn. A unit of weight, approximately 590 grammes in the Ming era. ↩

22. 钱 – qián. A unit of silver, one-tenth of a liang. ↩

23. 两 – liǎng. A unit of silver, one-sixteenth of a jin. ↩