The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 39: The Secret Manual and Military Treatise Lie Hidden Within

Xie Xun confronts his treacherous master Cheng Kun in a final reckoning of blood and vengeance, while Zhang Wuji discovers the true purpose behind the Dragon-Slaying Dao and Heavenly Jian.

Zhou Zhiruo¹ lay sprawled on the ground, her mind reeling, her spirit broken, when suddenly Xie Xun’s² voice rose in sutra recitation, “All conditioned phenomena are like dreams and phantoms, like bubbles and shadows, like dew and like lightning, thus should they be regarded.”³ He bowed deeply toward the three monks. The three monks pressed their palms together in return and chanted in unison, “Well spoken, well spoken! All beings in the world, gods, men, and asuras, upon hearing the Buddha’s teaching, rejoiced greatly and received it with faithful hearts.”⁴

Zhang Wuji⁵ stood beside Xie Xun, taking his arm, and was about to walk away when Xie Xun suddenly said, “Wait!” He pointed at an old monk among the Shaolin ranks and cried, “Cheng Kun!⁶ Step forward! Before all the heroes of the world, explain clearly the causes and consequences of everything!” The assembled heroes started in shock. The old monk was hunched and stooped, his appearance mean and wretched, his features utterly unlike Cheng Kun’s. Zhang Wuji was about to say, “That is not Cheng Kun,” when Xie Xun spoke again: “Cheng Kun, you have changed your face, but you cannot change your voice. One cough, and I know who you are.”

The old monk sneered: “Who listens to a blind man’s ravings?”

The moment he spoke, Zhang Wuji recognised him at once. That day atop Bright Summit, trapped inside the cloth bag, he had heard Cheng Kun hold forth at length, and his voice was burned into memory. Now, though Cheng Kun had deliberately tightened his throat, his disguise most cunningly wrought, the voice could not be altered. Zhang Wuji leapt forth, cutting off his retreat, “Abbot Yuanzhen,⁷ Senior Cheng Kun, a true man is open and honest, why not show your true face to the world?”

Cheng Kun had concealed himself among the crowd, maintaining his disguise without a single slip. He had watched Xie Xun escape disaster and was considering another scheme when he could not suppress a slight cough. Xie Xun, blind for years, possessed hearing beyond the ordinary, and bore a blood-feast carved into his very bones. For Xie Xun, that cough was like a thunderclap from a clear sky. He knew at once.

Seeing his cover blown, Cheng Kun rose with a great shout: “Shaolin monks, hear me! The demonic cult profanes the Buddhist sanctuary and show contempt for our Order. All monks, attack! Kill without question!” His partisans drew their weapons and surged forward.

Kongzhi⁸ had long endured his rage at his elder brother abbot Kongwen’s⁹ captivity by this temple traitor. Now, hearing Yuanzhen order battle against the Ming Order, a melee that would cause incalculable damage to the monastery’s monks, he weighed the stakes and decided the lives of the entire monastery outweighed all else. He shouted, “Abbot Kongwen has fallen into this traitor Yuanzhen’s hands. First we seize the traitor, then we rescue the abbot!”

In an instant, the peak top erupted into chaos.

Zhang Wuji saw Zhou Zhiruo collapsed on the ground, her face full of despair and defeat, and his heart ached for her. He stepped forward, released her sealed acupoints, and helped her rise. Zhou Zhiruo waved away his arm and leapt back to the Emei Order’s¹⁰ disciples.

Xie Xun’s voice rang out, “Today’s affairs stem entirely from Cheng Kun and me. All the tangled debts of gratitude and enmity must be settled between us two. Master, my martial arts were all taught by you. Cheng Kun, my entire family was killed by you. Your great kindness and great hatred, today we settle the account.”

Cheng Kun watched Kongzhi issue his commands recklessly. Though the upright monks far outnumbered his partisans, his followers comprised less than a tenth of the monastery, his dream of seizing the Shaolin abbacy had crumbled to dust. He thought, Xie Xun has committed countless crimes. If I subdue him, I can pin all blame on his head. His martial arts were taught by me, and he is blind. Can I not deal with him? He said, “Xie Xun, how many heroes have perished by your hand? Today you have led a horde of demonic cultists to profane Shaolin’s sacred ground, making enemies of all the world’s heroes. I deeply regret having taught you martial arts. Now I must cleanse our Order and punish you, you traitor who despises your master and ancestors!” With great strides he approached Xie Xun.

Xie Xun called aloud, “I ask all the heroes present: my martial arts were indeed taught by this master Cheng Kun. But he attempted to rape my wife, and when he failed, he killed my parents, my wife, and children. A master is dear, but not dearer than one’s own father and mother. Is it wrong for me to seek revenge?” From all directions the heroes thundered: “Revenge is right! Revenge is right!”

Cheng Kun said no more. With a howling rush of wind, he struck at Xie Xun’s head. Xie Xun tilted his head, avoiding the crown, and the palm cracked against his shoulder. Xie Xun grunted but did not counter-attack, saying: “Cheng Kun, when you taught me this move, ‘White Rainbow Spanning the Sky’, you said that upon striking the enemy, one should channel the Hunyuan One Qi Skill.¹¹ Why don’t you channel your skill? Have you grown too old, with no power left to muster?” The truth was Cheng Kun’s first strike had been a feint. He had not expected his opponent to neither dodge nor block, letting the blow land true. But having put no force into it, Xie Xun was unharmed.

Cheng Kun’s left hand feinted while his right palm struck. Xie Xun sidestepped, still not countering. Cheng Kun kicked with both legs in rapid succession. Two sharp cracks, and Xie Xun took both kicks to his ribs. The force was devastating. Even with Xie Xun’s burly frame, he could not withstand it. He vomited a great mouthful of blood.

Zhang Wuji cried out, “Father, fight back! How can you just take hits without responding!” Xie Xun swayed, then smiled bitterly. “He was my master. Taking two kicks and a palm from him, that is only right.” Suddenly he unleashed a long whistle and struck out with his palm.

Cheng Kun cursed inwardly: “Damn! I thought his hatred ran so deep he’d charge in recklessly. If I’d known he’d let me have three moves, why didn’t I strike with killing intent from the start? I’ve lost the chance!” Seeing Xie Xun’s palm arrive fiercely, he deflected it with his left hand, spun half a circle to get behind him, knowing Xie Xun was blind, his right palm shot out silently toward his back. But Xie Xun, as if he could see, kicked backward. Cheng Kun leapt lightly aside, then swooped down from mid-air like a hawk. Though past seventy, his agility rivalled a youth’s. Xie Xun’s hands pressed upward, breaking Cheng Kun’s downward strike. Cheng Kun bounced back up, spinning lightly before swooping again.

The two fought fast against fast, exchanging seventy or eighty moves in moments. Though Xie Xun could not see, his entire martial arts had been taught by Cheng Kun. Cheng Kun knew his techniques intimately, and Xie Xun understood Cheng Kun’s every move as well. Over decades, both had greatly advanced their neili, yet their fist and palm techniques remained those of their shared school. Xie Xun needed no eyes to know how his opponent would deflect each strike, and what variations would follow. He was over ten years younger than Cheng Kun, his qi and blood stronger. His training in the extreme cold and heat of Ice and Fire Island had greatly benefited his internal cultivation. Through a hundred or more exchanges, he showed no sign of falling behind.

Xie Xun and Cheng Kun nursed a hatred deep as the sea. Xie Xun had waited bitterly for decades to fight this battle. Zhang Wuji had expected him to charge recklessly, fighting to mutual destruction, yet every move was steady and cautious, his defences iron-tight. At first Zhang Wuji was surprised, but after dozens of moves he understood: Cheng Kun’s skill exceeded Xie Xun’s. If Xie Xun had charged in with reckless courage from the start, he likely could not have lasted three hundred moves. Clearly, the deeper Xie Xun’s hatred, the steadier his hands. He feared perishing before Cheng Kun before avenging his parents, wife, and children.

As they approached two hundred moves, Xie Xun roared and punched forward, fist wind howling. Guan Neng of the Kongtong School¹² cried, “Seven Injuries Fist!”¹³ Xie Xun’s left and right fists struck in rapid succession, their might unmatched. The Kongtong elders exchanged glances, silently acknowledging they could not match him. Cheng Kun dodged three punches in succession, and as Xie Xun’s right fist struck again, he pushed out his palm. A sharp crack: fist met palm. Xie Xun stood unmoved, his beard and hair bristling, imposing and majestic. Cheng Kun staggered back three steps.

Many among the onlookers cheered. The story of Xie Xun and Cheng Kun’s feud was now widely known throughout the jianghu.¹⁴ Though many were angered by Xie Xun’s indiscriminate killing, they also felt his suffering had been extreme and his master too treacherous. Apart from those whose friends and family he had harmed, most secretly hoped he would win.

Xie Xun charged three steps forward and threw two more punches. Cheng Kun returned two steady palms, stepping back three more paces. Zhang Wuji’s heart clenched: “No! Cheng Kun is using Shaolin Nine Yang Skill!¹⁵ That’s the art he learned after taking Abbot Kongjian¹⁶ as master. Father was never taught that!” When Xie Xun had trained the Seven Injuries Fist, seeking quick results, he had already secretly damaged his internal organs. His fist-force contained a flaw, and Cheng Kun, knowing this well, feigned weakness while deploying the Shaolin Nine Yang Skill. Of each punch Xie Xun threw, Cheng Kun absorbed seventy percent, reflecting the remaining thirty back. Xie Xun hurled twelve fierce punches. Cheng Kun staggered back dozens of steps. To onlookers, Xie Xun seemed dominant, but in truth, his internal injuries grew worse with each exchange. Fortunately, Cheng Kun had later trained the Phantom Yin Finger,¹⁷ pursuing a pure-yin path that offset much of the Shaolin Nine Yang Skill he had originally learned.

Footnotes

1. 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. ↩

2. 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. ↩

3. 金刚经 – Jīngāng Jīng. Diamond Sutra, one of the most influential Mahayana scriptures and a central text of Chan Buddhism, teaching that all conditioned phenomena are empty and impermanent. See Wikipedia. ↩

4. 心经 – Xīnjīng. Heart Sutra, the shortest and most widely recited of the Perfection of Wisdom scriptures, condensing their teaching on emptiness. See Wikipedia. ↩

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. 成昆 – Chéng Kūn. Mastermind behind much of the story’s suffering, who took monastic vows at Shaolin under the dharma name Yuanzhen (圆真). ↩

7. 圆真 – Yuánzhēn. His dharma name meaning “Complete Truth.” The monastic identity taken by Cheng Kun on entering the Shaolin Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

9. 空闻 – Kōngwén. His name meaning “Empty Hearing.” Abbot of Shaolin Monastery. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

11. 混元一气功 – Hùnyuán Yīqì Gōng. Literally primordial unity single qi skill. Internal art that gathers the whole body’s qi into one undivided current and releases it at the instant a blow lands. ↩

12. 崆峒派 – Kōngtóng Pài. Kongtong School, one of the six great factions, seated on Mount Kongtong in Gansu and known above all for the Seven Injuries Fist. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 七伤拳 – Qīshāng Quán. Seven Injury Fist. Devastating fist technique of the Kongtong School that channels seven different types of force in a single strike, each damaging a different internal organ. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 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. ↩

15. 少林九阳功 – Shàolín Jiǔyáng Gōng. Literally Shaolin nine yang skill. Shaolin transmission of the Nine Yang Manual, one of the three partial branches preserved by Shaolin, Wudang and Emei. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 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. ↩

17. 幻阴指 – Huànyīn Zhǐ. Literally phantom yin finger. Finger technique following a path of pure yin, driving cold yin poison into an opponent’s meridians. ↩