The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 37 – Part 9

Yang Xiao recalled his men and handed the wooden frame bearing the pennants to the boy behind him. He fixed Zhou Zhiruo with a cold stare and said not a word, but the silence carried its meaning plain enough: "With your Emei Order's hundred-odd men and women, however fierce your Thunder-Fire Bombs may be, could you withstand the Five Elements Banners of our Ming Order, drilled and battle-ready?"

Across the square the heroes stood lost in thought, each in his own counsel, and for a time all was still.

After a long while, an old monk seated behind Kongzhi rose to his feet and said, “The Ming Order’s display of military formation just now was handsome to behold, but whether it would serve in earnest against a foe, we are no marshals or generals, and we have not studied the art of Sun and Wu. I fear none can say for certain…” The heroes knew his words were spoken against his better judgement, no more than an attempt to puncture the Ming Order’s pride and dismiss the terror of the Five Elements Banners with a passing word.

Zhou Dian shouted, “If you want to know whether they’d serve in earnest, the answer is simple. Let Shaolin Monastery send out a few fat monks to test them, douse them with poison water, burn them with poison fire, and the matter’s settled.”

The old monk paid him no heed and continued, “Today is the Gathering of Heroes Under Heaven. Every School and faction comes with the purpose of observing and learning from one another’s martial cultivation. As the earlier Benefactors proposed, let us match our kung fu one against another, and let the superior man prevail. What we prize is single combat. As for overwhelming a foe by numbers, no such custom has ever been heard of in the wulin.”

Ouyang Mudao said, “Overwhelming by numbers is indeed no custom of the wulin. But what of those Thunder-Fire Bombs, poison fire, and poison water, are such devices permitted?” The old monk considered briefly and replied, “A man who enters the contest may use hidden weapons, that is allowable. Some fighters favour lacing their hidden weapons with poison or corrosive fluid, and there is no way to forbid that. But if others seize the moment to launch a surprise attack, that breaks the rules of the gathering, and all present must rise as one to punish it. What do the assembled heroes think?” More than half the heroes thundered their approval, crying that it should be so.

Tang Wenliang of the Kongtong School said, “I have another proposal. Whoever wins two bouts in succession must leave the field to rest and recover his neili.¹ Otherwise a rotating contest will wear down even a man of heaven-reaching skill, no one can fight from first to last without pause. Furthermore, once any School, faction, or guild has lost two men, it may send no more into the ring. Otherwise, with several thousand heroes gathered here, each one eager for a bout, we would not finish in three months. However abundant Shaolin Monastery’s stores, you would bankrupt yourselves feeding us, and a century would not see your vigour restored.” Amid a rumble of approval, the heroes agreed that both rules were fair.

The Ming Order’s men all understood that Tang Wenliang, grateful to Zhang Wuji for setting his bones atop Bright Peak and saving his life in Wan’an Monastery, wished him to triumph above all others and so had put forth these two rules to conserve his strength. Peng Yingyu laughed and said, “Old Third Tang sees the larger picture. It seems the Kongtong School is firmly on our side today. Apart from the Order Leader, who else shall take the field?”

The Ming Order’s finest fighters were all eager to volunteer, yet each knew the burden was grave. They must give their utmost and defeat as many of the assembled heroes as possible, so that fewer strong foes remained for the Order Leader to face. Should they win only a handful before falling, leaving the heavy labour for their master alone, the loss of their own reputation would be small, but they would fail the Order, Xie Xun, and their Leader into the bargain. And to volunteer recklessly would be to claim oneself the finest fighter in the Order save the Leader himself, wounding the fellowship among comrades. So not one spoke.

Zhou Dian said, “Order Leader, I Zhou Dian am no coward, but my kung fu does not reach the highest flight. If I went out I would only make a fool of myself.”

Zhang Wuji looked from one to another and thought, “Left Assistant Yang, Right Assistant Fan, Bat King Wei, my cloth-sack shifu, each possesses extraordinary skill and could go. Among them, Right Assistant Fan’s learning is the broadest, whatever an opponent’s style, he has the means to prevail. I shall ask Right Assistant Fan to take the field.” He said aloud, “In truth any of my brothers would serve equally, but Left Assistant Yang has already joined me in assaulting the Vajra Subduing Demon Ring, and Bat King Wei together with Cloth-Sack Great Master once took Xia Zhou alive. Each has already spent his strength. For this bout I would ask Assistant Fan to step forward.”

Fan Yao was greatly pleased. He bowed and said, “I obey! My thanks, Order Leader, for your confidence.”

The Ming Order’s heroes all knew Fan Yao’s kung fu was formidable, and none demurred. Zhao Min, however, said, “Great Master Fan, I beg a favour of you. Will you grant it?” Fan Yao replied, “Whatever the Princess commands, I shall follow.” Zhao Min said, “Great Master Kongzhi of the Shaolin Order has an unsettled quarrel with you. If you two begin fighting now, the outcome is hard to foretell, and even should you prevail, you will be spent.” Fan Yao nodded, knowing that Kongzhi the Divine Monk had been renowned for decades. Though his face was creased in perpetual melancholy and his narrow eyes gave him the look of a man destined for an early grave, in truth both his neigong and waigong had reached the highest plane.

Zhao Min went on, “Why not propose an appointment to him, that you two meet at Wan’an Monastery in Dadu a year hence for a single combat to settle the matter?” Yang Xiao and Fan Yao cried together, “A superb plan, a superb plan!” Both understood at once that once Kongzhi and Fan Yao had set a date, no fighting could take place today. Zhao Min’s scheme had, in effect, removed a formidable foe from the Ming Order’s path.

By now the various wooden sheds were buzzing with discussion, as each faction put forward candidates for the contest. From several sheds loud arguments could be heard, a sign that opinions on the choice were divided.

Fan Yao walked to the front of the chief shed and stood. He clasped his fists towards Kongzhi and said, “Great Master Kongzhi, may I ask, would you be willing to visit Wan’an Monastery in Dadu once more?” At the words “Wan’an Monastery” Kongzhi’s face darkened, for that affair was the great shame of his life. The wrinkles deepened, and from his narrow eyes a sharp light gleamed as he said, “To what purpose?” Fan Yao said, “Great Master Kongzhi, your virtue and prestige are beyond reproach, and I too am not without a certain thin reputation. Were we to fight today and you were to prevail, the jianghu would say only that the strong dragon could not press down the local serpent, that you enjoyed the advantage of position. But if I were to gain a half-move of good fortune, the ignorant would add their embellishments, and soon it would be said that Bitter Dhūta had come to Shaolin Monastery and defeated one of its two foremost fighters. Your earlier confinement at Wan’an Monastery was the work of poison and drugs, and had nothing to do with your kung fu, it does not diminish your reputation in the least. On the night of the Lantern Festival next year, when the moon is full, I shall once more seek your instruction at Wan’an Monastery.”

Kongzhi also stood in some awe of Fan Yao’s kung fu. Moreover, the Monastery had lately undergone a great upheaval, and he was in no mood for combat. Finding Fan Yao’s words reasonable, and greatly flattering to his own standing, he was well pleased. He nodded at once and said, “Very well. On the fifteenth of the first month next year, we shall meet at Wan’an Monastery. We will not fail to appear.”

Fan Yao clasped his fists in salute and withdrew. He had taken seven or eight steps when Kongzhi’s voice came slowly after him, “Benefactor Fan, today your heart is set on rescuing the Golden-Maned Lion King, and so you dare not fight me. Is that so?” Fan Yao started. He halted and thought, “The monk has seen through our purpose after all.” He turned and laughed aloud. “Great Master, your neigong and waigong have reached the highest plane. To seek instruction from you, I would not presume to guess the outcome.” Kongzhi smiled and said, “This old monk feels the same. To defeat you, Benefactor, I have not half a certainty.”

The two looked at one another and nodded. In that instant, both felt the stir of one hero’s regard for another, one brave man’s fellow-feeling for his peer.

Footnotes

1. 内力 – nèilì. Inner force cultivated through martial and meditative practice. ↩