The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre --- Chapter 38: A Gentleman May Be Imposed Upon

A gentleman may be deceived by what seems right¹

The clamour in the plaza gradually subsided. Behind Kongzhi,² an elderly monk from the Bodhidharma Hall raised his voice: “We shall now commence the trials according to the rules agreed upon by the assembled heroes. Blades, spears, fists and feet know no mercy. Kills shall not be counted as crimes. Each man must entrust his fate to heaven. Whichever faction proves supreme in skill at the end, Xie Xun³ and the Dragon-Slaying Dao⁴ shall be theirs.”

Zhang Wuji⁵ frowned slightly, thinking, This monk fears the combatants will not strike hard enough, and worries the various factions may not hate each other deeply enough. Where is the compassion of divine monks like Kongjian⁶ and Kongwen?

Since it had been agreed that each fighter must rest after winning two bouts, the order of matches made little difference either way. At once several men stepped forth to issue challenges, and within moments six fighters were locked in three bouts across the plaza. Zhao Min,⁷ having learnt the supreme arts of the six great factions in the Wan’an Temple,⁸ possessed shallow cultivation but keen insight. Standing between Zhang Wuji and Fan Yao,⁹ she commented in low tones on the strengths and weaknesses of the six combatants, predicting victor and vanquished, and her analysis proved remarkably astute.

Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, two of the three bouts had reached a conclusion. The third pair was still locked in combat when fresh challengers stepped in to face the winners, maintaining six fighters in three pairs. Two of the new bouts had escalated to weapons. Thus the contest rose and fell, most bouts ending only when blood was shed and injuries sustained.

Zhang Wuji thought, If the factions fight like this, bitter enmities will surely arise. Whichever faction loses, even if no one is killed or maimed, there will be reprisals and counter-reprisals, a catastrophe of mutual slaughter brewing before our eyes.

In the plaza, the Beggars’ Guild’s¹⁰ Elder of Enforcement sent a palm crashing into the Short Elder of the Huashan School,¹¹ spraying blood from his mouth. The Tall Elder of Huashan cursed furiously: “Stinking beggar! Rotten beggar!” He leapt forth, ready to challenge the Elder of Enforcement himself. The Short Elder seized his arm and hissed, “Shidi,¹² you cannot beat him. Let us swallow this insult for now.” The Tall Elder raged: “Even if I cannot win, I must fight!” Yet even as he spoke, he knew full well that his shixiong¹³’s skill, though of the same lineage as his own, ran considerably deeper. If the Short Elder had fallen, he too was certain to lose. Pulled back by his senior, he cursed without ceasing as they retreated to their pavilion.

The Elder of Enforcement then defeated the master of the “Plum Blossom Dao” school, winning two consecutive bouts before withdrawing in triumph. Thus the contest continued for over two shichen,¹⁴ the sun edging towards the west, the combatants growing ever more formidable. Many had arrived brimming with ambition, eager to display their prowess before the world, but having witnessed the skill on show, they realised they were frogs at the bottom of a well, and without climbing Mount Tai, had never known the vastness of heaven and earth. One by one, they lost their nerve and stayed seated.

By the hour of Shen,¹⁵ the Beggars’ Guild’s Alms-Bowl Chief stepped forth and challenged Peng Siniang of the Xiangxi Rowing Guild, sending her tumbling with a great somersault. The back of Peng Siniang’s robe ripped open in a long gash, and she withdrew in burning shame. The Beggars’ Guild’s Rod Chief cast a cold eye towards the Emei Order’s¹⁶ pavilion and sneered: “What real skill can women possess? Without the sharpness of blade or the strangeness of hidden weapons, they amount to nothing. That Peng Siniang has trained to such a level, that alone is no small feat.”

Zhou Zhiruo¹⁷ spoke a few words in a low voice to Song Qingshu.¹⁸ He nodded, then strode unhurriedly into the plaza, cupping his fists before the Alms-Bowl Chief: “Chief, permit me to test your skill.”

The Alms-Bowl Chief took one look at Song Qingshu and his face went green with fury. He bellowed, “You surnamed Song, you treacherous villain! You infiltrated our Beggars’ Guild on Chen Youliang’s¹⁹ orders. You had a hand in Guild Chief Shi’s murder, I’ll warrant. And you still have the face to show yourself before me?”

Song Qingshu sneered coldly: “Moving through enemy territory to gather intelligence is common practice in the jianghu.²⁰ It is your beggars who were blind and failed to recognise this Song yeye’s true identity.”

The Alms-Bowl Chief cursed him roundly: “You betrayed your own father’s Wudang Order.²¹ What wouldn’t you do? Unfilial to your father, you’ll be faithless to your wife someday too. The Emei Order will surely suffer a great tumble because of you.”

Song Qingshu’s face drained of all colour with rage. “Have you finished spouting nonsense?”

The Alms-Bowl Chief wasted no more words. He launched a thunderous palm strike. Song Qingshu pivoted aside, deflecting the blow, then countered with a light sweeping palm from the Emei Order’s “Golden Summit Soft Palm.”²² The Alms-Bowl Chief, enraged at his infiltration of the Beggars’ Guild, struck with killing intent at every turn: this was no ordinary contest of skill but a fight to the death.

The Alms-Bowl Chief ranked just below the Guild Chief and the two Elders in the Beggars’ Guild hierarchy, and his palm technique was truly formidable. Song Qingshu was an outstanding third-generation disciple of the Wudang Order, but having only recently begun studying the Emei Order’s “Golden Summit Soft Palm,” he was far from fluent in it and could not draw out its subtlest refinements. After forty or fifty exchanges, he found himself in repeated peril, and instinctively fell back on the Wudang Order’s own “Soft Palm,”²³ a technique he had practised since childhood for over twenty years. It came naturally to hand, its power immense, and though it resembled the Emei “Golden Summit Soft Palm” in outward appearance, the principles of force application were entirely different.

Onlookers, not understanding, supposed he was gradually turning the tide. But Yin Liting²⁴ watched with mounting fury and cried out, “Song Qingshu, you shameless whelp! You defected from Wudang. How dare you use Wudang techniques to save your life? You rejected your father, yet you cling to the martial arts he taught you?”

Song Qingshu flushed crimson and shouted back: “What’s so rare about Wudang’s martial arts? Watch closely!” His left hand suddenly traced circles above and hooked below the Alms-Bowl Chief’s face, spinning left and right through seven or eight variations, then without warning his right hand shot forward with a muffled thud, five fingers plunging straight into the Alms-Bowl Chief’s skull.

The assembled heroes stared in shock as Song Qingshu lifted his blood-dripping fingers. The Alms-Bowl Chief toppled backwards, dead on the spot. Song Qingshu sneered coldly: “Does Wudang have this technique?”

Amid cries of alarm from the crowd, eight men from the Beggars’ Guild rushed forward simultaneously. Two lifted the Alms-Bowl Chief’s corpse. The remaining six attacked Song Qingshu. All six were Beggars’ Guild experts, four armed with weapons, and in an instant Song Qingshu was beset on all sides.

A stout monk behind Kongzhi bellowed, “Gentlemen of the Beggars’ Guild, ganging up on one man, is that not a violation of today’s rules?”

The Elder of Enforcement shouted, “Everyone step back. Let me avenge the Alms-Bowl Chief.” The Beggars’ Guild disciples leapt backwards, bearing their dead chief’s corpse to their pavilion, every face contorted with rage, glaring at Song Qingshu.

The onlookers all thought, True, the rules say kills are permitted in combat, but this Song fellow’s technique was excessively cruel.

At that moment Zhang Wuji’s mind was filled with thoughts of the five claw-marks on Zhao Min’s shoulder and the horrifying scene of Du Baidang and his wife’s corpses in the thatched hut that night. His voice trembling, he asked, “Left Messenger Yang, why does the Emei Order possess such evil martial arts?”

Yang Xiao²⁵ shook his head: “I have never seen this technique. The Emei Order’s founding ancestor, Guo nüxia, was nicknamed the ‘Little Heretic.’ Her grandfather, Island Master Huang, was known as the ‘Eastern Heretic.’ If the Emei Order’s martial arts carry a taint of the unorthodox, that is hardly surprising.”

As they spoke, Song Qingshu was already locked in combat with the Elder of Enforcement. The Elder was slight of build but moved with blinding speed, his ten fingers curved like hooks and awls. He attacked with Eagle Claw Skill,²⁶ clearly an expert in finger-technique himself. He meant to bore five holes in Song Qingshu’s skull just as Song had done to the Alms-Bowl Chief. Song Qingshu initially continued with the “Golden Summit Soft Palm,” but as the fight intensified, the Elder of Enforcement roared, “You thieving pup!” and his left hand’s five fingers clamped onto Song Qingshu’s forehead, channelled force boring inward. Song Qingshu’s right hand shot forward with a muffled crack, five fingers seizing and crushing the Elder’s throat.

The Elder of Enforcement pitched forward, his left hand’s dying force driving into the earth. Blood pooled across the ground. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Zhou Zhiruo made a hand signal. Eight Emei female disciples drew their jian and leapt forth, pairing up back-to-back in four cardinal directions around Song Qingshu. Should the Beggars’ Guild press their attack, it would immediately become a free-for-all.

A Bodhidharma Hall elder monk proclaimed in a ringing voice: “Thirty-six disciples of the Arhat Hall, attend!” He clapped his palms three times, and thirty-six monks in yellow robes bounded forth, eighteen wielding chan staffs,²⁷ eighteen wielding precept blades. They scattered across the plaza in a formation that was neither quite an array nor quite a loose cordon, already holding every strategic point.

The elder monk said, “By order of Chief Abbot Kongzhi, the thirty-six disciples of the Arhat Hall shall enforce the rules of this Heroes’ Assembly. Should anyone bully the few by the many, they shall be deemed enemies of the entire wulin. Our Shaolin Monastery,²⁸ though unworthy, is host to this assembly and must uphold justice. The thirty-six disciples shall watch with utmost vigilance. Whoever breaks the rules shall be struck down on the spot, no mercy.” The thirty-six Shaolin monks thundered their assent, their gazes fixed like tigers on the centre of the plaza. With the Emei Order’s defensive cordon in front and the Shaolin Order’s watch standing guard, the Beggars’ Guild disciples, though seething with grief and rage, dared not rush forward. They could only shout furious curses as they carried the Elder of Enforcement’s corpse away.

Footnotes

1. 君子可欺之以方 – Jūnzǐ kě qī zhī yǐ fāng. Chapter title. From the Mencius: a gentleman can be deceived by what seems reasonable, as Zichan was by the man who said he had freed his fish. ↩

2. 空智 – Kōngzhì. His name meaning “Empty Wisdom,” a Buddhist dharma name. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 谢逊 – Xiè Xùn. His name meaning “Modest” or “Yielding.” His courtesy name Tuisi (退思) meaning “Retreat and Reflect.” One of the Four Dharma Kings of the Ming Order, bearing the epithet the Golden-Haired Lion King. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 屠龙刀 – Túlóng Dāo. Literally dragon-slaying dao. Legendary blade said to confer supremacy over the wulin, and the prize of the Slaying-the-Lion Assembly. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 张无忌 – Zhāng Wújì. His name meaning “Without Envy” or “No Misgivings.” Son of Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, and the protagonist of the tale. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 空见 – Kōngjiàn. Divine monk of the Shaolin Order, foremost among the Four Divine Monks known as ‘Divine Monks: Seeing, Hearing, Wisdom, and Nature’ (神僧见闻智性). See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 赵敏 – Zhào Mǐn. Her Mongol name Minmin Temür (敏敏特穆尔), styled the Shaomin Commandery Princess. Daughter of the Prince of Ruyang, who turns from the Yuan court to Zhang Wuji’s side. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 万安寺 – Wàn’ān Sì. Buddhist temple in Dadu, the Yuan capital on the site of present-day Beijing, where the masters of the six great factions were held captive. ↩

9. 范遥 – Fàn Yáo. His name meaning “Distant.” The Right Messenger of the Brightness in the Ming Order, ranking beside Yang Xiao. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 丐帮 – Gàibāng. Largest martial arts organisation in the jianghu, led by successive Chiefs and with members throughout China. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 华山 – Huáshān. Literally splendid mountain. One of China’s Five Sacred Mountains, the Western Great Mountain located in Huayin, Shaanxi Province. See Wikipedia. ↩

12. 师弟 – shīdì. Male junior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Dì means younger brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 师兄 – shīxiōng. Male senior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Xiōng means older brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 时辰 – shíchén. Traditional Chinese unit of time equal to two hours; the day was divided into twelve shichen. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 申时 – shēnshí. “shen” period (one shichen), corresponding to 3:00—5:00 PM in modern time. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 峨嵋 – Éméi. One of China’s Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains, home to the Emei Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 周芷若 – Zhōu Zhǐruò. Her name from two fragrant plants, angelica and pollia. Girl Zhang Wuji met briefly aboard a riverboat. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

18. 宋青书 – Sòng Qīngshū. His name meaning “Green Book.” Son of Song Yuanqiao, eldest of the Seven Xias of Wudang, and once the most promising of the Wudang third generation. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

19. 陈友谅 – Chén Yǒuliàng. Cunning schemer and Yuanzhen’s accomplice, later a historical rival of Zhu Yuanzhang for control of southern China. ↩

20. 江湖 – jiānghú. Literally rivers and lakes. Itinerant world beyond settled society and official reach, holding not only martial artists but the trades that travel with them, including pedlars, physicians, fortune-tellers, entertainers, boatmen, beggars, outlaws and the like. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

21. 武当山 – Wǔdāng Shān. Sacred Daoist mountain in Hubei Province, headquarters of the Wudang Order. See Wikipedia. ↩

22. 金顶绵掌 – Jīndǐng Miánzhǎng. Literally golden summit cotton palm. Signature Emei palm art, named for the Golden Summit of Mount Emei; its strikes look soft and unhurried but carry concealed force. ↩

23. 绵掌 – miánzhǎng. Literally cotton palm. Core Wudang palm technique emphasising yielding, continuous force—soft yet unbreakable, like cotton that absorbs and redistributes impact. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

24. 殷梨亭 – Yīn Lítíng. The sixth of the Seven Xias of Wudang, who fell in love with Ji Xiaofu. After her death, his consuming desire for revenge against Yang Xiao drove him to devise this suicidal sword technique. ↩

25. 杨逍 – Yáng Xiāo. His name meaning “Free and Unfettered.” The Left Messenger of the Brightness in the Ming Order, and Yang Buhui’s father. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

26. 鹰爪功 – Yīngzhǎo Gōng. Literally eagle claw skill. Hard external art that trains the fingers into hooks to seize sinews, lock joints and crush bone. ↩

27. 禅杖 – chán zhàng. Buddhist monk’s staff, so named for its association with the Chan (Zen) tradition. ↩

28. 少林派 – Shàolín Pài. Shaolin Order, the martial arts tradition originating from Shaolin Monastery. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩