The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 40 – Part 2

Zhou Zhiruo confesses her deceptions to Zhang Wuji and seeks admission to the Buddhist order at Shaolin Monastery. Zhang Wuji sets out after Zhao Min, who has vanished, but encounters a mysterious black-clad girl instead.

Zhou Zhiruo wept for a while, then suddenly asked, “Dear Wuji, is anyone chasing us?”

“No one,” Zhang Wuji replied. “Who’s chasing you? The Two Venerables of Xuanming?¹ Their martial arts are gone. There’s nothing to fear from them.”

“No, no! Did you look properly? Is there really nothing… no, nothing human… chasing us? Nothing at all?”

Zhang Wuji smiled. “Under the bright sun and blue sky, what is there not to see clearly?”

“It can’t be. It absolutely can’t be. I’ve seen it three times, three times in a row.” Her voice trembled, the terror still fresh.

“What did you see, three times?”

Zhou Zhiruo leaned against his shoulder and cast one glance behind her. That single look seemed to cost her every last ounce of strength. She turned at once to Zhang Wuji, and seeing the tender concern in his eyes, a wave of sorrow seized her and her limbs went soft. She sank to the ground. “Dear Wuji, I… I deceived you about everything. The Heavenly Jian² and the Dragon-Slaying Dao,³ I stole them. Yin… Miss Yin⁴ was the one I… I threw into the sea… I… I never married Song Qingshu. In my heart, from first to last, there has only ever been you.”

Zhang Wuji sighed. “I had already guessed as much. But… why put yourself through such suffering?”

Zhou Zhiruo wept. “Do you know? My shifu,⁵ on the tower at Wan’an Temple,⁶ told me the secret hidden within the Dragon-Slaying Dao and the Heavenly Jian. She made me swear to steal those weapons and bring glory to the Emei Order.⁷ She forced me to take a poisoned oath: to pretend to love you, but never to let myself truly care…”

Zhang Wuji stroked her arm gently. He remembered seeing Miejue⁸ strike down Ji Xiaofu⁹ with her own palms, watched her swear in the desert to destroy the Ming Order,¹⁰ witnessed her wielding the Heavenly Jian to slaughter the devotees of the Metal Banner,¹¹ all the way to the foot of the tower at Wan’an Temple, where she chose death rather than accept his help. One could gauge the depth of her hatred for the Ming Order, the intensity of her loathing. Now that Zhou Zhiruo had inherited her mantle and received her dying charge, every cruel and cunning act she had committed must have been done at her shifu’s behest. His nature had always been one to forgive others’ failings easily, slow to hold grudges. He thought too of how she had fed him rice in a boat on the Han River when they were children, and how on Bright Peak¹² she had guided him secretly as he fought He Taichong¹³ and his wife and the Huashan School’s¹⁴ elderly pair, and how, ordered by her shifu to strike him through the chest, she had deliberately aimed off-centre, and how on the island the two of them had pledged their love, the oaths still ringing in his ears. Her deeds might be dark and crafty, but they sprang from the depth of her feeling for him. Now she lay fragile and defenceless in his arms, and his heart filled with tenderness. “Zhiruo, what exactly have you seen? What has frightened you so?”

Zhou Zhiruo sprang to her feet. “I won’t say. The ghost has got hold of me. All the wrong I’ve done, this is the retribution I deserve. I’ve told you everything today. I… I haven’t long to live…” She covered her face and walked swiftly away, heading down the mountain.

Zhang Wuji was at a loss. What ghost? Could it be members of the Beggars’ Guild,¹⁵ seeking revenge, playing at ghosts and spirits to frighten her? He followed slowly behind. He watched her walk into the midst of the Emei disciples. Bei Jinyi¹⁶ fetched a cloak and draped it over her shoulders. Zhou Zhiruo whispered something, and the disciples bowed in unison.

By now another large contingent of heroes had departed the mountain. Kongwen¹⁷ and Kongzhi¹⁸ were busy seeing them off. Yang Xiao,¹⁹ Fan Yao²⁰ and the rest gathered around Zhang Wuji. “We might as well be going too,” Zhang Wuji said.

He watched as Zhou Zhiruo approached Kongwen and spoke several sentences in a low voice. Kongwen started, then shook his head, plainly sceptical. Zhou Zhiruo said a few more words, then suddenly dropped to her knees, palms pressed together in prayer,²¹ murmuring vows. Kongwen’s expression turned solemn as he chanted a Buddhist invocation.

Zhou Dian²² said, “Order Leader,²³ you must stop this. You cannot let it happen.”

“Stop what?”

“Miss Zhou is going to become a nun. If she… if she enters the religious life, you’ll be the one suffering.”

Yang Xiao laughed coldly. “Even if Miss Zhou were to take vows, she’d become a Buddhist nun, not a monk. What sense does it make for her to study under a Shaolin monk?”

Zhou Dian struck himself hard on the forehead. “Right, right! I’m talking nonsense. Then what is Miss Zhou asking Great Master Kongwen for? The zhangmen²⁴ of the Shaolin Order and the zhangmen of the Emei Order are of equal rank. There is no need to kneel.”

They watched as Zhou Zhiruo rose, a hint of relief on her face. Zhang Wuji sighed. “We needn’t meddle in other people’s affairs any further.” He turned. “Min mei,²⁵ we should be going.” But when he turned, Zhao Min²⁶ was nowhere to be seen.

In all these days, Zhao Min had been at his side, inseparable as his shadow. A flicker of alarm passed through him. “Where is Miss Zhao?” In his heart he cursed his luck. Could it be that while Zhiruo was in my arms, Min mei saw us and thought my old feelings had never died? Has she left me? He immediately sent men to search.

Xin Ran,²⁷ Banner Chief of the Flame Banner,²⁸ reported, “Reporting to the Order Leader: this subordinate saw Miss Zhao heading down the mountain.”

Zhang Wuji’s heart ached. Min mei followed me regardless of everything, through who knows what trials. How could I betray her trust? He turned at once to Yang Xiao. “Left Assistant Yang, please oversee matters here in my stead. I must go ahead.” He took his leave of Kongwen and Kongzhi, then of Yu Lianzhou,²⁹ Zhang Songxi³⁰ and Yin Liting,³¹ and said to Zhou Zhiruo, “Zhiruo, take care of yourself. We shall meet again.”

Zhou Zhiruo lowered her eyes and said nothing, only nodded slightly. Several teardrops fell and were lost in the dust.

Zhang Wuji unleashed his qinggong³² and raced down the mountain. For several li along the mountain road, heroes were streaming homeward from Shaolin Monastery.³³ He had no wish to greet each one and waste precious moments. He flashed past them all, yet nowhere could he find any trace of Zhao Min.

He pursued her for thirty-odd li³⁴ without pause. Dusk was falling and the road grew empty of travellers. A thought occurred to him: Min mei is clever at strategy. If she meant to avoid me, she would most likely not take the main road. Otherwise, with the speed of my qinggong, I should have caught up long ago. Could she be hiding somewhere in the hills of Mount Shaoshi,³⁵ waiting for me to pass before doubling back? His heart burned with anxiety. Heedless of hunger or thirst, he wound back through the mountain ranges, climbing from time to time to the treetops and high ridges to scan the landscape in every direction. The empty mountains lay still. Only returning crows were to be seen.

He circled as far as the rear of Mount Shaoshi, but still found no sign of Zhao Min. He thought, No matter what happens, my heart will never change towards her. Even if she is at the edge of the world, I will find her in the end. And if I never find her, I will marry no one else in all my life. I will never break my oath. With this resolve, his heart grew calm. In a mountain hollow to the north-east stood two great scholar trees, shoulder to shoulder. He leapt into one of them, found a broad horizontal branch and stretched out upon it. After a day of labour and so many turnings of fate, once he lay down he soon fell into a deep sleep.

At the height of the night, between dreams, he heard the faint sound of footsteps several hundred feet away and woke at once. A bright moon hung low in the western sky. In its light he saw a figure gliding swiftly down a mountainslope, heading south. The silhouette was slender, the waist as narrow as a wasp’s, a girl of willowy build.

His heart leapt. Min mei! was on the tip of his tongue, but at once he sensed something amiss. The girl’s figure was taller than Zhao Min’s, and her qinggong was entirely different, her footsteps lighter than Zhao Min’s, yet her drifting, uncertain movement less so than Zhou Zhiruo’s. Curiosity stirred in him. What brings this girl out alone in the dead of night? The matter was none of his concern, and he had no wish to pry into a stranger’s affairs. But his whole heart was bent on finding Zhao Min, and he hoped this girl might lead him to some clue. He thought further, If she has nothing at all to do with Min mei, I can simply slip away. No harm done. Better not to let any lead pass me by. So he braced himself against the trunk and slid softly down.

He was afraid of letting the girl detect him and did not dare follow too closely. To stalk an unknown girl through the small hours would look like impertinence at best. He saw that she was dressed from head to foot in black, heading towards Shaolin Monastery. He thought, Even if she has nothing to do with Min mei, her errand must concern the wulin.³⁶ If she means ill towards Shaolin, this is one piece of business I cannot leave alone. He paused to listen. Not a sound of anyone else nearby. The girl had no one with her.

She walked on for about the time it takes to eat a meal, never once looking back. Zhang Wuji found her silhouette faintly familiar, as though he had seen her before. Could it be Wu Qingying?³⁷ Or one of Emei Order’s women disciples? After several more li, Shaolin Monastery came into view. The girl rounded a slope and reached the monastery walls. She slowed her pace, darting from tree to boulder, plainly afraid of being seen. Suddenly the clear ring of a ritual chime sounded from the main hall of Shaolin Monastery, followed by the rise of chanting, several hundred monks reciting sutras in unison. Zhang Wuji was greatly puzzled. Shaolin’s monks chanting sutras in the middle of the night, and so many of them. Were they holding some great dharma service?

The girl’s movements grew more furtive. She advanced another several hundred feet and reached the side of the main hall. The soft sound of footsteps, and the girl crouched low in the grass. Four Shaolin monks followed, precept swords and staffs in hand, making their rounds. Once the four monks had passed, the girl rose and leapt to the long window beside the hall. The leap was as light as drifting catkin-down, the qinggong of a first-rate practitioner. Seeing that she carried no weapon and was alone, unlikely to be at Shaolin Monastery looking for trouble, Zhang Wuji wanted to identify her clearly and know whether she was someone he knew. He bent low and circled behind her, making his way obliquely to the north-west corner of the main hall. He knew well how awkward his position was. If the monks of Shaolin Monastery became aware of him, with his status, coming to spy on the monastery in the dead of night, even if they pretended not to notice, the loss of face would be considerable. He doubled his caution, each step as quiet and nimble as a cat’s.

The chanting in the hall swelled again. He peered through a crack in the window and saw several hundred monks arranged in neat rows upon meditation cushions, each wearing a yellow robe with a crimson gold-threaded kasaya³⁸ over it. Some held ritual implements, and some pressed their palms together and chanted in low voices. They were conducting a mass for the deliverance of the dead. He understood at once. This Heroes Assembly³⁹ wounded many, and the Yuan army’s assault claimed even more dead on both sides. The monks are spending the night in prayers for the departed, that they may be reborn in the Pure Land.⁴⁰ He saw Great Master Kongwen standing before the offering table, officiating as chief mourner. At his right hand stood a girl.

Footnotes

1. 玄冥二老 – Xuánmíng Èr Lǎo. The Two Venerables of Xuanming: Lu Zhangke and He Biweng, a pair of villains who wield the Cold Ice Zhenqi. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 倚天剑 – Yǐtiān Jiàn. The Heavenly Jian, one of the two legendary weapons forged from the Heavy Iron Sword. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 屠龙刀 – Tú Lóng Dāo. The Dragon-Slaying Dao, one of the two legendary weapons forged from the Heavy Iron Sword. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 殷离 – Yīn Lí. Also known as Zhu’er, cousin of Zhang Wuji and daughter of Yin Tianzheng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 师父 – shīfù. Teacher responsible for technical instruction and moral guidance. Shī means teacher. Fù means father. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 万安寺 – Wàn’ān Sì. Wan’an Temple in the capital, where the six factions were imprisoned during the Heroes Assembly. ↩

7. 峨嵋派 – Éméi Pài. The Emei Order, one of the leading righteous factions of the wulin, based on Mount Emei. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 灭绝 – Mièjué. Dharma name of the Emei Order’s leader, known as Miejue Shitai. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 纪晓芙 – Jǐ Xiǎofú. A senior disciple of Emei Order who fell in love with Yang Xiao and was killed by Miejue for refusing to betray him. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 明教 – Míng Jiào. The Ming Order, also known as the Manichean Church. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 锐金旗 – Ruìjīn Qí. The Metal Banner, one of the five banners of the Ming Order. ↩

12. 光明顶 – Guānmíng Dǐng. Bright Peak, the headquarters of the Ming Order atop the Kunlun Mountains. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

13. 何太冲 – Hé TàiChōng. Zhangmen of the Kunlun School. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 华山派 – Huàshān Pài. The Huashan School, a martial-art school based on Mount Hua. ↩

15. 丐帮 – Gài Bāng. The Beggars’ Guild, the largest martial fraternity in the jianghu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 贝锦仪 – Bèi Jǐnyí. A disciple of Emei Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 空闻 – Kōngwén. The abbot of Shaolin Monastery. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

18. 空智 – Kōngzhì. A senior monk of Shaolin Monastery. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

19. 杨逍 – Yáng Xiāo. Left Assistant of the Ming Order, known by the epithet Heaven-Relying Hawk. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

20. 范遥 – Fàn Yáo. Right Assistant of the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

21. 合十 – hé shí. The Buddhist gesture of pressing the palms together in prayer or respect. ↩

22. 周颠 – Zhōu Diān. A member of the Ming Order known for his eccentric behaviour. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

23. 教主 – jiàozhǔ. Leader of a religious or martial order. ↩

24. 掌门 – zhǎngmén. Leader of a martial school or order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

25. 敏妹 – Mǐn mèi. Affectionate address to Zhao Min, literally Sister Min. ↩

26. 赵敏 – Zhào Mǐn. Daughter of Chaghan Temür, a brilliant strategist who falls in love with Zhang Wuji. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

27. 辛然 – Xīn Rán. Banner Chief of the Flame Banner of the Ming Order. ↩

28. 烈火旗 – Lièhuǒ Qí. The Flame Banner, one of the five banners of the Ming Order. ↩

29. 俞莲舟 – Yú Liánzhōu. The second of the Seven Xias of Wudang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

30. 张松溪 – Zhāng Sōngxī. The fourth of the Seven Xias of Wudang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

31. 殷梨亭 – Yīn Lítíng. The sixth of the Seven Xias of Wudang. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

32. 轻功 – qīnggōng. The lightness skill, martial art of agility and levity. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

33. 少林寺 – Shàolín Sì. Shaolin Monastery, the leading Buddhist monastery of the wulin. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

34. 里 – lǐ. Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 metres or one-third of a mile. ↩

35. 少室山 – Shàoshì Shān. Mount Shaoshi, one of the two peaks of Mount Song, on which Shaolin Monastery is built. ↩

36. 武林 – wǔlín. Literally martial forest. The community of martial artists and their world. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

37. 武青婴 – Wǔ Qīngyīng. A young woman of the wulin. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

38. 袈裟 – jiāshā. The kasaya, the outer robe worn by Buddhist monks and nuns. ↩

39. 英雄大会 – Yīngxióng Dàhuì. The Heroes Assembly, the great gathering of martial artists at Shaolin Monastery convened by the Yuan court. ↩

40. 极乐 – Jílè. The Pure Land, the Western Paradise of Amitābha Buddha, where the faithful are reborn. ↩