The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 38 – Part 5

After roughly the time needed for one stick of incense to burn, Zhang Wuji had finished channeling the medicinal power. Seeing that Song Qingshu's face showed little change, he was greatly pleased, knowing his chances of saving the man's life had increased by several parts. He himself was only newly recovered from grievous wounds, and the exertion of circulating his neili¹ left him breathless and his heart pounding. He stood before the bed, regulating his internal breath for a while, before returning to the outer room and setting the candlestick upon the table.

In the faint candlelight, Zhou Zhiruo’s face was deathly pale. He could hear soft footsteps outside the hut, and knew the Emei Order’s disciples were patrolling guard. He said, “Song shige’s² life may yet be saved, but… but…”

Zhou Zhiruo said, “You have no sure plan for saving him, and I have no sure plan for saving Xie daxia.³”

Zhang Wuji thought, Tomorrow she means to attack the Diamond Subduing Circle.⁴ Even if one or two masters from the Emei Order go to help her, nine times out of ten it will end in failure, and may well cost her her life into the bargain. He said, “Do you know the circumstances of the place where your sworn father is held?” Zhou Zhiruo said, “I do not. What formidable ambush has the Shaolin Order laid?” Zhang Wuji then gave a brief account of how Xie Xun was imprisoned in a hilltop dungeon, how three Shaolin elders kept watch, how he himself had twice attacked and failed, and how Yin Tianzheng⁵ had lost his life in the attempt.

Zhou Zhiruo listened in silence, then said, “If that is so, and you could not break it, then I am even less likely to be of any use.”

Zhang Wuji was suddenly struck by a thought, and said gladly, “Zhiruo, if the two of us join forces, we may yet succeed. With my pure yang, utmost hard force, I will entangle the three high monks’ long whips. You, with your yin, supple power, can slip in through the gap. Once you are inside the Subduing Circle, we attack from within and without, and victory is ours.” Zhou Zhiruo sneered, “We were once betrothed. My husband lies at death’s door at this moment, and on top of that, I did not take your life today. Others will surely say I still harbour old feelings for you. If I then invite you to help me besides, everyone will curse me for shameless conduct, fickle as the tides.” Zhang Wuji said urgently, “We need only examine our own hearts and find no cause for shame. What do we care for other people’s words?” Zhou Zhiruo said softly, “What if I find cause for shame in my own heart?” Zhang Wuji was stunned, and could find no reply.

Zhou Zhiruo said, “Cult Leader Zhang, the two of us are a man and a woman alone, meeting deep in the night. It is bound to invite scandal. Pray take your leave at once.” Zhang Wuji rose to his feet, bowed deeply with folded hands, and said, “Madam Song, you have been kind to me since I was a child. I ask that you grant me this favour once more. For the rest of my days, Zhang Wuji shall not forget your generosity.”

Zhou Zhiruo made no sound, neither consenting nor refusing. She had not turned her head from beginning to end, and Zhang Wuji could not see her face. He was about to lower his voice and plead again, when Zhou Zhiruo called out loudly, “Jinghui shijie,⁶ see the guest out!”

With a creak, the door opened. Jinghui stood outside, a long jian in her hand, her face full of fury as she glared at him. Zhang Wuji thought that his sworn father’s life hung upon this one act. What did his own face and his own humiliation matter? He dropped suddenly to his knees and kowtowed four times before Zhou Zhiruo, saying, “Madam Song, I beg your compassion.” Zhou Zhiruo remained as still as a stone statue.

Jinghui said sharply, “Zhang Wuji, the zhangmen ordered you out. What are you still lingering for? You are truly the scum of the jianghu,⁷ the most shameless of the lot.” She assumed Zhang Wuji was taking advantage of Song Qingshu’s mortal illness to beg Zhou Zhiruo to renew their marriage.

Zhang Wuji sighed, rose, and went out through the door. He returned to the Ming Order’s thatched hut. Zhao Min came to meet him and said, “Song Qingshu’s injuries can be saved, can they? You are using my Black Jade Intermittent Paste to play the benefactor again.”

Zhang Wuji said, “Eh? You truly foresee events as though you were a god. Whether his injuries can be saved or not, I cannot yet say.” Zhao Min sighed and said, “You think to save Song Qingshu’s life in order to trade for Xie daxia. Wuji gege, you are making it worse with every move. You do not understand the lady’s heart in the least.” Zhang Wuji said in surprise, “Why? I do not follow.” Zhao Min said, “You have exhausted your heart’s blood to save Song Qingshu. That means you do not care in the slightest for Sister Zhou’s affection towards you. Do you think she is angry or not?”

Zhang Wuji was taken aback, and had no answer. To say that Zhou Zhiruo would rather her husband’s injuries went uncured was plainly absurd, yet she had indeed said, I know you will surely devote every effort to saving him, so that your own conscience may be clear when you go to become the court’s prince-consort. Those two sentences carried a depth of bitter resentment, and on top of that she had said, What if I find cause for shame in my own heart?

Zhao Min said, “You have saved Song Qingshu’s life, and now you regret it. Is that so?” Without waiting for Zhang Wuji to answer, she gave a faint smile and glided gracefully inside.

Zhang Wuji sat upon a rock, gazing at a cold crescent moon, sunk in a reverie. He recalled all the scenes since he had first known Zhou Zhiruo, her tender affection for him, and was overcome with a boundless melancholy. Most of all, her words and manner upon their meeting just now, the wistful longing in them, he could not put from his mind.

On the morning of the tenth day of the ninth month, the bells of the Shaolin Monastery rang out, and the heroes gathered once more upon the square. The old monk from the Bodhidharma Hall did not even wait to consult Kongzhi this time, but stepped forward at once and said in a clear voice, “May I greet all the heroes assembled. Yesterday in the martial contest, the Emei Order’s zhangmen, Madam Song, outshone every hero here. Pray let Madam Song repair to the rear of the mountain to break open the gate and claim the Golden-Haired Lion King Xie Xun. This old monk shall lead the way.” With that, he set off ahead.

Eight Emei Order nuns, the senior disciples, followed behind him, then Zhou Zhiruo with the rest of the Emei disciples. The assembled heroes came after, all of them walking towards the rear of the mountain. Zhang Wuji saw that Zhou Zhiruo’s clothing was the same as the day before, and she had not gone into mourning. He knew Song Qingshu had not died, and thought, If he has survived the night, he may yet pull through. As for his own true feelings on whether Song Qingshu lived or died, he himself could not say.

When they had climbed the peak, they saw the three high monks still sitting cross-legged beneath the pine trees. The old monk from the Bodhidharma Hall said, “The Golden-Haired Lion King is imprisoned in a dungeon between the three old pines. The dungeon is guarded by three elders of our Order. Madam Song’s martial arts are unmatched under heaven. Need only defeat our Order’s three elders, and you may break open the prison and claim your man. We shall all have the pleasure of witnessing Madam Song’s prowess once more.”

Yang Xiao, seeing that Zhang Wuji’s expression was unsettled, whispered in his ear, “Cult Leader, set your mind at ease. Bat King Wei⁸ and Cannot Tell⁹ have already taken command of the Five Elements Banner men and lie in ambush at the foot of the peak. If the Emei Order will not hand over Lion King Xie, we shall have to take him by force.” Zhang Wuji frowned and said, “That would break the rules of the great assembly, and forfeit our honour.” Yang Xiao said, “I fear only that Madam Song will hold a blade to Lion King Xie’s neck. When we make our move, we shall be afraid of striking the vessel along with the rat. Honour and the like, we cannot worry about such things just now.”

Zhao Min whispered, “Lion King Xie has many enemies. We must guard against someone in the crowd launching a hidden weapon attack.” Yang Xiao said, “Envoy Fan the Right,¹⁰ Iron-Crowned Daoist Zhang,¹¹ Peng the Monk,¹² and Zhou Dian have already taken the four corners, to guard against surprise attack.”

Zhao Min said in a low voice, “It would be best if someone did launch a hidden weapon attack. We could then seize the chance to snatch Lion King Xie. The heroes of the world could not blame us for breaking faith. But if all is calm and quiet… then… well… Envoy Yang the Left, why not send men in secret to pretend to attack Lion King Xie? In the confusion, we can fish in troubled waters and seize him.” Yang Xiao smiled and said, “This plan is superb.” He went at once to dispatch the men.

Zhang Wuji knew well that this scheme was far from open and above board, but for the sake of saving his sworn father he had no choice but to cast scruples aside. He could not help but feel grateful towards Zhao Min, and thought, Min-me and Yang the Left Envoy both possess the great talent of deciding in the moment of crisis. It is rare that the two of them consult together in such harmony. I have no such ability myself.

They heard Zhou Zhiruo say, “The three high monks are elders of the Shaolin Order, and their martial arts are naturally profound. To require me alone to face the three of you is not only unfair, but discourteous.” The old monk from the Bodhidharma Hall said, “If Madam Song wishes to add one or two assistants, that is not impermissible.” Zhou Zhiruo said, “I have received the concession of the heroes of the world, and by good fortune won the championship. What I relied upon was no more than the secret martial arts of our Order, handed down by my late shifu, Miejue Shitai.¹³ If I were to fight three against three and win, even so I would not display the care my late shifu took in teaching me all those years. But if I were to fight one against three, that would be discourteous to our hosts. Very well, then. I shall call upon a certain young man whom I wounded yesterday, whose injuries are not yet healed, to join me. That young man was once struck three times by my late shifu until he spat blood, and my late shifu spared his life. This is known to all the world. In this way, my late shifu’s prestige is not diminished.”

Zhang Wuji heard this and was greatly delighted within: Heaven be thanked, she has indeed granted my request after all. Then he heard Zhou Zhiruo say, “Zhang Wuji, come out.”

Of the Ming Order heroes, all save Yang Xiao and a few others did not know the reason for this. But hearing Zhou Zhiruo insult their cult leader with “young man” this and “young man” that, they were all filled with indignation. Yet they saw Zhang Wuji’s face bright with pleasure as he stepped forward, bowed deeply until his hands nearly touched the ground, and said, “I thank Madam Song for sparing my life yesterday.” He had already made up his mind: She humiliates me before the assembly merely to preserve the Emei Order’s face, and to avenge the shame of that wedding day when the bridegroom fled. For my sworn father, I must see it through to the end, however I must humble myself.

Zhou Zhiruo said, “You were gravely wounded and spat blood yesterday. I do not require your true assistance now, but merely to put on a show.” Zhang Wuji said, “Yes. I shall obey every command and dare not disobey.”

Zhou Zhiruo took out her soft whip. With a flick of her right hand, the whip coiled at once into a dozen or more circles of varying size, breathtakingly elegant. Her left hand turned, and a gleam of green light flashed, revealing a short dao in her grip. The heroes had already witnessed the power of her soft whip the day before, and had not expected her left hand to wield a dao as well. A long weapon and a short, a supple one and a hard, two utterly different implements of war. The heroes’ astonishment and admiration renewed their spirits.

Zhang Wuji took two Holy Fire Tablets¹⁴ from his robe and walked two steps forward. Then he deliberately staggered, and coughed loudly several times, making it appear his grievous wounds had not yet healed, so that even defending himself would seem a struggle. If he could contrive to win against the three Shaolin monks, he wanted every hero to say it was entirely Madam Song’s doing. Zhou Zhiruo stepped close to him and asked in a low voice, “You once swore an oath to avenge your cousin. If the culprit who harmed her turned out to be your sworn father, would you still insist upon revenge?” Zhang Wuji was taken aback, and said, “My sworn father’s mind is sometimes not all there. What he does in those states should not be held against him.”

Du’e said, “Cult Leader Zhang has come to offer instruction again today.” Zhang Wuji said, “I pray the three great masters will forgive me.” Du’e said, “You flatter us, you flatter us! This zhangmen of the Emei Order claims to have outmatched all the heroes of the world yesterday. Could her martial arts truly surpass Cult Leader Zhang’s?” Zhang Wuji said, “Indeed. I was gravely wounded and spat blood yesterday at the hands of Madam Song.” Dunan said, “That is odd indeed.” The three old monks’ black whips uncoiled slowly.

Footnotes

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

2. 师哥 – shīgē. Male senior fellow disciple; the colloquial form of shixiong. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Gē means older brother. ↩

3. 谢大侠 – Xiè Dàxiá. The honorific form of address for Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King. Daxia means great hero, a title of respect for a renowned martial artist. ↩

4. 金刚伏魔圈 – Jīngāng Fúmó Quān. The Diamond Subduing Circle, the formation maintained by the three Shaolin elders Du’e, Dujie and Dunan, whose three black whips interlock to trap any who enter. ↩

5. 殷天正 – Yīn Tiānzhèng. The White Brows Eagle King, founder of the Tianying Order and one of the Four Dharma Kings of the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 师姐 – shījiě. Female senior fellow disciple. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Jiě means older sister. ↩

7. 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. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 韦一笑 – Wéi Yīxiào. The Green-Winged Bat King, one of the Four Dharma Kings of the Ming Order, famed for his qinggong. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 说不得 – Shuōbùdé. The Monk with the Sack, one of the Five Unbound Adepts of the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 范遥 – Fàn Yáo. The Bright Right Messenger of the Ming Order, also known as Bitter Dhūta. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 张中 – Zhāng Zhōng. The Iron-Crowned Daoist, one of the Five Unbound Adepts of the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 彭莹玉 – Péng Yíngyù. The Monk, one of the Five Unbound Adepts of the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 灭绝师太 – Mièjué Shītài. The late zhangmen of the Emei Order, Zhou Zhiruo’s shifu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 圣火令 – Shènghuǒ Lìng. The Holy Fire Tablets, twelve golden tablets of the Ming Order, symbols of authority. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩