The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 37 – Part 5

Men in the crowd were shouting from every direction, near and far. Situ Qianzhong[^situqianzhong] called out in a clear voice, "Zhong the Eldest of the Black Wind Stockade[^heimzhai] in Jiangling, your Black Sand Palms may be formidable, but I doubt they rival the Seven Wounds Fist[^qiushangquan] of Xie Xun the Lion King.[^shixun] Brothers Hou of the Golden Ao[^jin'ao] in Poyang Lake, the Lion King's kung fu is as adept in water as on land. Don't suppose he lacks underwater skill, and don't forget his Order has yet to produce the Purple-Robed Dragon King.[^zishan] Ha! What is a tortoise beside a dragon? Wu the Third of Qingyang Mountain,[^qingyang] you're a swordsman. Even if you seized the Dragon-Slaying Dao,[^tulongdao] you wouldn't know how to use it. What are you getting excited about?" The fellow spoke like a lunatic, yet possessed a remarkable talent: his acquaintances were vast and his ears were keen. From the babel of voices he singled out each speaker by name without a single mistake. The heroes, seeing this display, could not help but cheer.

An old monk behind Great Master¹ Kongzhi rose to his feet and spoke, “The Shaolin Order² is honoured to serve as host, but our abbot³ has of late fallen grievously ill, and none remains to preside over this great assembly. A sorry spectacle for our guests, I fear. Xie Xun and the Dragon-Slaying Dao are in truth two in name but one in substance, and may well be dealt with together. The Benefactor⁴ Ye of the Qinghai School⁵ spoke most reasonably just now. The heroes gathered here are a gallant company. Let each display his skill, and whichever among you proves foremost in the wulin shall take Xie Xun into his keeping and wield the Dragon-Slaying Dao. All the heroes submit to his authority, and is that not well?”

Zhang Wuji asked Peng Yingyu who the monk was. Peng Yingyu shook his head, “I do not know him. He did not take part in the siege of Bright Peak,⁶ yet he spoke before Master Kongzhi. He seems to hold high rank within the monastery.” Zhao Min murmured, “That man is nine parts certain to be of Yuanzhen’s⁷ faction. I suspect Abbot Kongwen has fallen into Yuanzhen’s hands, and Master Kongzhi is held in thrall by these traitors, which is why his spirit is broken.”

Zhang Wuji felt a chill at his heart and asked, “What does Dharma Master⁸ Peng think?” Peng Yingyu replied, “The Princess’s⁹ guess carries weight. Yet Shaolin Monastery is thick with masters. That Yuanzhen should dare to rebel openly takes extraordinary audacity.” Zhang Wuji said, “Yuanzhen has been planning this a long time. First he sought to break our Order,¹⁰ then he aimed to seize control of the Beggars’ Guild. Both schemes failed at the last. This time, I think he means to become the zhangmen¹¹ of the Shaolin Order.” Zhao Min said, “Merely becoming abbot is not enough.” Zhang Wuji said, “The Shaolin Order is the foremost faction in the wulin. To become its abbot is to reach the very peak. There is nowhere higher.” Zhao Min said, “And what of being supreme of the wulin? Is that not higher still?” Zhang Wuji stared. “He means to make himself supreme of the wulin?”

Zhao Min said, “Wuji gege,¹² Sister Zhou has married another, and your mind is so addled you can’t think straight about anything.” Zhang Wuji, stung to the quick, felt colour rise in his cheeks. He thought, Zhang Wuji, you must not let personal feeling distract you from the business of rescuing your sworn father today. He steadied himself and reflected that Yuanzhen had laid his plans deep. This heroes’ assembly was his doing from start to finish, and some darker scheme must lie behind it. Zhao Min might see through it. “Min-meimei, what do you suppose Yuanzhen is plotting?” Zhao Min said, “That man is a past master of cunning and has schemes without end…”

Zhou Dian, who had been listening to their low-voiced talk, could contain himself no longer and broke in, “Princess, you yourself are a past master of cunning and have schemes without end. I’d say you’re no less than Yuanzhen.” Zhao Min laughed, “You flatter me.” Zhou Dian said, “I’m not flattering you…” Peng Yingyu said, “Brother Zhou, don’t interrupt the Princess.” Zhou Dian snapped, “You don’t interrupt me first…” Peng Yingyu smiled and said no more, knowing that to wrangle with this fellow would mean an hour or two of wrangling, and it was cleaner to stop whilst he could. Zhou Dian said, “Why have you gone quiet?” Peng Yingyu said, “You told me not to interrupt you, so I’m not interrupting you.” Zhou Dian said, “But you’ve already interrupted.” Peng Yingyu said, “Then go on, by all means.” Zhou Dian said, “I’ve forgotten. I can’t go on.”

Zhao Min smiled and said, “I think, if Yuanzhen only wanted to become abbot of Shaolin Monastery, he need not have summoned every hero in the realm. Xie daxia is already in his hands. Why call upon the heroes to compete? Brother Wuji, when it comes to martial prowess, I fear no living soul can match you. Yuanzhen cannot be ignorant of that fact. He would never be so generous as to stage a heroes’ assembly for you to defeat them all and become supreme of the wulin, only to present Xie daxia and the Dragon-Slaying Dao as gifts.”

Zhang Wuji, Peng Yingyu, and Zhou Dian all nodded. “What scheme do you suppose he has in mind?”

Yang Xiao stepped to Zhang Wuji’s side and added, “I too have been thinking. Yuanzhen’s plotting must run deep…” Zhou Dian could not help but break in again, “Yuanzhen is a great enemy of our Order. Princess, you were once a great enemy of our Order too. Yuanzhen’s schemes are without end, and yours are no less so. You’re well matched, the pair of you. But in two things you fall short of him, and in one he falls short of you.” Yang Xiao asked, “In what does the Princess fall short of Yuanzhen?” Zhou Dian said, “In martial arts, and in cruelty.” Yang Xiao asked again, “And in what does he fall short?” Zhou Dian smiled. “In beauty, she far surpasses him!”

Zhao Min smiled faintly. “Thank you for the compliment, Master Zhou. If I were Yuanzhen, what would I do? Well, first, I would urge Abbot Kongwen to send out hero-invitations far and wide, summoning every hero in the realm to Shaolin Monastery. The abbot is a man of deep Buddhist learning, compassionate and peaceable by nature, averse to trouble. But I need only raise the names of the holy monks Kongjian and Kongxing, and the abbot, moved by the bond of fellow disciples, would surely consent. Then, if the Shaolin Order were to kill Xie daxia, the enmity with the Ming Order would run deep as the sea. With a single faction’s strength, they could not hope to withstand the Order’s all-out assault. But if the blame is shifted onto the assembled heroes, the Ming Order can hardly slaughter every one of the several thousand martial artists present.” The company nodded in agreement.

Zhao Min continued, “Once the heroes’ assembly is convened, I keep myself hidden. I use Xie daxia and the Dragon-Slaying Dao as bait and set the heroes at each other’s throats. The Ming Order would inevitably find itself opposed to all the other factions. They fight on, and regardless of who wins or loses, the Ming Order’s finest masters lose at least half their number. Their strength is broken for good.” Zhang Wuji said, “Just so. That had occurred to me as well. But my sworn father’s debt to me is as a mountain, and he is the Ming Order’s Guardian King.¹³ How can we stand by and watch? Alas, we have been on the mountain only a few days, and my grandfather has already passed. Yuanzhen must be lurking somewhere, laughing in secret.”

Zhao Min said, “When the fighting is done, the title of foremost in the wulin falls to Order Leader Zhang in all likelihood. Then the Shaolin monks say, ‘Order Leader Zhang, your skill has surpassed all here present, a feat worthy of every congratulations. This monastery entrusts Xie daxia to your care. Order Leader Zhang need only ascend to the peak behind the monastery to claim him.’ The whole company repairs to the summit, and Order Leader Zhang must single-handedly break the Diamond-Subduing Circle.¹⁴ If another steps forward to assist, Yuanzhen’s partisans cry, ‘It was Order Leader Zhang of the Ming Order who proved foremost. The matter has nothing to do with you, sir. You would do best to stand aside.’ Having won the title of foremost in the wulin, Order Leader Zhang, even if he carries not a scratch upon him, has already exhausted no small measure of neili¹⁵ and divine skill. How then is he a match for those three old monks? Xie daxia is not rescued, and instead perishes himself among the three ancient pines. The cold moon, the bitter wind, keeping vigil over the corpse of Zhang Wuji, a generation’s greatest hero. Is that not a splendid conclusion?”

The heroes heard this and colour drained from their faces. The words were no idle fright, they thought. Zhang Wuji’s mettle was such that, no matter how bitter the peril, he would insist on rescuing Xie Xun. He would give his own life without a thought of turning back. Yuanzhen’s scheme had measured his nature to a nicety, forcing him into a pit of blades and boiling oil he knew to be a trap, yet could not refuse.

Zhao Min sighed. “With that done, the Ming Order is finished. Yuanzhen plays yet another trick: he poisons Kongwen and lays the blame at Master Kongzhi’s feet. The contrivance is child’s play. Fabricate convincing evidence, and the Shaolin monks have no choice but to believe. His partisans urge him forward, and His Reverence becomes abbot in course of nature. A single order goes out: the heroes surround and attack the Ming Order. They overwhelm them with numbers and annihilate them in one stroke. By then, the title of foremost in the wulin belongs to His Reverence alone, and no one else dares contest it. If the Dragon-Slaying Dao never surfaces, so be it. But if it shows its trace in the jianghu,¹⁶ every hero will know the blade’s rightful owner is Dharma Master Yuanzhen, abbot of Shaolin Monastery. And whoever obtains the treasured blade but fails to deliver it to His Reverence would find himself in considerable difficulty, I suspect!”

She spoke in so low a voice that only those huddled in that corner of the wooden shelter could hear. When she had finished, Zhou Dian brought his palm down hard upon his thigh and cried, “Right, right! What a scheme!” His words carried far, and more than half the crowd in the plaza heard them. Every eye turned towards the Ming Order’s shelter.

Situ Qianzhong asked, “What scheme? Can you let me in on it?” Zhou Dian said, “That cannot be spoken aloud. I had a mind to sow discord, to set the heroes of the realm at each other’s throats until they fought to the death. If I tell you, the trick is lost, isn’t it?” Situ Qianzhong laughed, “Marvellous, marvellous! But how does one sow discord? I should like to hear the details.” Zhou Dian bellowed, “I have a wicked scheme in my heart, but I pretend and say: the Dragon-Slaying Dao is with me, and whichever among you proves strongest in martial arts, I give the Dragon-Slaying Dao to him…” Situ Qianzhong cried, “A fine scheme! A cunning plot! And then?”

Zhao Min and Zhang Wuji exchanged a glance. Both thought, This old drunkard has no tie to us, yet he is a tremendous help.

Zhou Dian bellowed, “Think on it. The Dragon-Slaying Dao is called ‘supreme in the wulin.’ Who wouldn’t strain every nerve to seize it? So the madman kills the drunkard, the drunkard kills the monk, the monk kills the Daoist, the Daoist kills the girl, the girl kills the great fellow… Corpses litter the ground, rivers run with blood, and eight in ten of the heroes of the realm are dead. Alas, what joy!” The heroes heard and a chill ran through them all. The fellow spoke like a madman, they thought, yet his words held a grievous truth.

Zong Weixia,¹⁷ elder of the Kongtong School, rose to his feet. “Master Zhou speaks wisely. We’ll speak plainly and deal in no shadows. Every faction covets the Dragon-Slaying Dao. But to see one’s reputation destroyed, or one’s entire school wiped out, over a single blade, that is not worth the price. I propose we settle this by martial exchange: test our skill against one another, but stop before harm is done. Victory or defeat is decided, yet goodwill is preserved. What do the company think?” In the Battle of Bright Peak, Zhang Wuji had repaid kindness for injury by healing the internal damage Zong Weixia had sustained from practising the Seven Wounds Fist, and afterwards the Kongtong School had been rescued from the Tower of Ten Thousand Tranquillities by Zhang Wuji’s hand. When the Kongtong School had come to Shaolin Monastery this time, their intent had been to lend aid to the Ming Order.

Footnotes

1. 大师 – dàshī. Lit. Great Master. An honorific title for a monk of high standing. ↩

2. 少林派 – Shàolín Pài. The Shaolin Order. The foremost orthodox martial faction, based at Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 方丈 – fāngzhàng. Abbot. The head monk of a Buddhist monastery. ↩

4. 施主 – shīzhǔ. Lit. Benefactor. A respectful form of address used by monks towards laypeople. ↩

5. 青海派 – Qīnghǎi Pài. The Qinghai School, a martial faction based in the western provinces. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 光明顶 – Guāngmíng Dǐng. Bright Peak. The mountain stronghold of the Ming Order, site of a decisive battle in which the orthodox schools besieged the Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 圆真 – Yuánzhēn. The dharma name of Cheng Kun, a master schemer who infiltrated the Shaolin Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 法师 – fǎshī. Dharma Master. An honorific title for a monk learned in the Buddhist teachings. ↩

9. 郡主 – jùnzhǔ. Princess. Zhao Min’s title, daughter of the Prince of Ruyang. ↩

10. 明教 – Míng Jiào. The Ming Order. A revolutionary martial faction opposed to Yuan rule, led by Zhang Wuji. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 掌门 – zhǎngmén. The leader of a martial faction. ↩

12. 哥哥 – gēge. Elder brother. An affectionate form of address. ↩

13. 护教法王 – Hùjiào Fǎwáng. Guardian King. A senior rank within the Ming Order, charged with protecting the Order’s teachings. ↩

14. 金刚伏魔圈 – Jīngāng Fú Mó Quān. The Diamond-Subduing Circle. A formation of the three Shaolin elders Du’e, Dujie, and Dunan, drawing upon the power of the Diamond Sutra to subdue demons and evil. ↩

15. 内力 – nèilì. Internal force. The kinetic manifestation of qi cultivated through neigong. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 江湖 – jiānghú. Lit. rivers and lakes. The itinerant martial world, the community of martial artists and wanderers beyond the reach of ordinary law. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 宗维侠 – Zōng Wéixiá. An elder of the Kongtong School. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩