The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre Chapter 5 Part 2

Sensing her reluctance, Zhang Cuishan¹ pressed no further. But after a brief interval, he could not help himself. “Tell me, who wounded my third shixiong?[^shixiong] I beg you, reveal it.”

The young woman replied, “Not only did Du Dajin² fail to see through them, even I was thoroughly deceived. I ought to have realised sooner that the Seven Xias of Wudang are men of gallant and heroic bearing. How could they be such sinister, brutish creatures?”

She had not answered his question, yet the words “gallant and heroic bearing” were plainly spoken in praise of his own person. Zhang Cuishan’s heart gave a lurch, and warmth crept unbidden to his cheeks. He did not yet grasp the full import of what she had said.

The young woman sighed, then suddenly rolled back the sleeve of her left arm, baring skin as white as jade. Zhang Cuishan hastily averted his gaze, not daring to look.

“Do you recognise this concealed weapon?” she asked.

At the words “concealed weapon”, Zhang Cuishan raised his eyes at last. Three small steel darts were embedded in her left arm, black as ink against flesh pale as snow. Each bore a plum-blossom pattern at its tail. The shafts were scarcely an inch and a half in length, yet a full inch of each had sunk deep into the muscle. Zhang Cuishan sprang to his feet in alarm. “These are Shaolin³ Plum Blossom Darts!⁴ But why… why are they black?”

“Indeed,” she said. “Shaolin Plum Blossom Darts, coated in poison.”

Upon that luminous white arm, the three small darts made a dreadful sight. By candlelight they were at once exquisitely lovely and grotesquely sinister, as though three drops of black ink had been placed upon snow-white rice paper already dusted with faint pink.

“The Shaolin Order is an orthodox sect of the highest standing,” Zhang Cuishan said gravely. “They would never permit poison on their concealed weapons. And yet these Plum Blossom Darts are employed by none save Shaolin disciples. How long have you borne them? We must find a way to purge the venom at once.”

Seeing the genuine concern upon his face, the young woman said, “It has been more than twenty days now. I have used medicines to hold the poison in check, preventing it from spreading for the time being. But I dare not extract the darts. Should the barbs be drawn out, the venom will flow with the blood through my entire body.”

Zhang Cuishan’s voice grew hesitant. “Twenty days without extraction… I fear… I fear that even once healed, the scars upon your skin will be… quite severe…”

In truth, what he had wished to say was: I fear the poison has lingered too long. The arm may be lost.

Tears glistened in the young woman’s eyes.

“I have done all I can,” she murmured. “Last night, when I searched the bodies of those Shaolin monks, I found no antidote… This arm of mine is beyond saving.”

She lowered her sleeve slowly.

A surge of warmth flooded Zhang Cuishan’s chest. “Miss Yin, do you trust me? My neili⁵ may not be the deepest, yet I am confident I can help you drive the poison from your arm.”

The young woman broke into a radiant smile, and shallow dimples appeared upon her cheeks. She seemed overjoyed, yet almost at once her expression sobered. “Zhang the Fifth Xia, you harbour many doubts about me. Allow me first to explain everything clearly, lest you help me and later come to regret it.”

Zhang Cuishan drew himself up. “To heal the sick and save lives is the duty of those in our station. How could I ever regret it?”

“Well,” she said, “I have endured twenty days already. A few moments more will make no difference. After I entrusted Yu the Third Xia⁶ to the Dragon Gate Armed Escort, I followed behind the convoy at a distance. Along the road, several groups of men attempted to strike at Yu the Third Xia, and I dispatched them all from the shadows. That fool Du Dajin remained oblivious throughout.”

Zhang Cuishan clasped his hands and bowed. “Your kindness is beyond measure. We of Wudang owe you a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.”

The young woman’s voice turned cold. “Do not thank me. Before long, you will wish you could hate me instead.”

Zhang Cuishan stared at her, bewildered.

“All along the way, I changed my disguise,” she continued. “Sometimes I posed as a farmer, sometimes as a merchant, always keeping well behind the convoy. But when we reached the foot of Mount Wudang,⁷ something went terribly wrong.”

Zhang Cuishan ground his teeth. “Those six villains. You saw them with your own eyes? That accursed Du Dajin was too witless to tell us anything of their origins.”

The young woman sighed. “I not only saw them, I crossed blades with them. And I too was too witless to fathom their true origins.”

She lifted her teacup and took a sip.

“That day, I watched as six men came down from Mount Wudang to meet the convoy. Du Dajin greeted them, addressing them as the Six Xias of Wudang, and the six showed no hesitation in accepting the title. Watching from afar, I saw them take charge of the cart bearing Yu the Third Xia. I thought the matter settled. I reined in my horse by the roadside and let Du Dajin’s party pass. But as I glanced at them, a powerful suspicion arose in my heart: the Seven Xias of Wudang are fellow disciples, bound to one another as closely as flesh and bone. With Yu the Third Xia gravely wounded, they ought to have crowded around the cart at once to examine his injuries. Yet only one of them peered inside. The others paid no heed at all. Indeed, they seemed pleased. They shouted and whistled, driving the cart away at speed. This was not the behaviour of men who cared.”

Zhang Cuishan nodded. “Your perception was keen, and your suspicion well-founded.”

“The more I pondered it, the more wrong it seemed,” she said. “I spurred my horse after them and demanded their names. Their eyes were sharp enough—the moment they saw me, they knew I was a woman. I cursed them for impersonating Wudang disciples and abducting Yu the Third Xia. After a few sharp words, I attacked. One of the six, a thin man of about thirty, stepped forward to fight me, while a Daoist priest stood at the flank. The other four drove the cart away. That thin fellow was formidable. After more than thirty exchanges, I still could not defeat him.

“Then, without warning, the Daoist flicked his left hand. I felt a numbness in my arm, and without a sound, these three Plum Blossom Darts struck home. My arm went numb and began to itch at once. The thin man spoke vilely and tried to seize me. I repaid him with three silver needles and barely escaped.”

At this point, a faint blush crept across her cheeks. Zhang Cuishan surmised that the thin man, seeing a lone and beautiful young woman, must have harboured dishonourable intentions.

Zhang Cuishan mused aloud, “The Plum Blossom Darts were thrown with the left hand? And a Daoist priest among Shaolin disciples? Could he too have been in disguise?”

The young woman smiled faintly. “For a Daoist to impersonate a monk, one must shave one’s head. But for a monk to impersonate a Daoist, nothing could be simpler—don a Daoist crown and the disguise is complete.”

Zhang Cuishan nodded. She continued, “I knew the situation was dire, but I could not even overcome the thin man, and the Daoist appeared far more formidable still. With six of them in all, what could I do?”

Zhang Cuishan opened his mouth to speak but held his tongue.

“I suspect you were about to ask, ‘Why did you not come to Mount Wudang and explain matters to us?’ Were you not?”

She paused.

“I could not go to Mount Wudang. Had I been able to appear in my own person, why would I have entrusted Du Dajin with the escort in the first place? At a loss, I wandered the road in frustration, and happened upon you speaking with Du Dajin and his men. Later, when I saw you go searching for Yu the Third Xia, I thought the true masters of Wudang had taken charge, and there was no need for me to meddle further. With my paltry skills, I could have been of little help. I was desperate to find a cure for the poison, so I headed east at once. I do not know what became of Yu the Third Xia after that.”

Zhang Cuishan then recounted how Yu Daiyan had been poisoned and left in a state near death. The young woman let out a long sigh, her eyelashes trembling faintly.

“May Heaven watch over Yu the Third Xia,” she whispered. “May he recover in time. Otherwise…”

Zhang Cuishan heard the sincerity in her voice and felt a swell of gratitude.

“My thanks for your kindness,” he said, his eyes growing moist. The young woman shook her head. “When I returned to Jiangnan,⁸ I had someone examine these Plum Blossom Darts. They were identified as the unique concealed weapon of the Shaolin Order. I was told that unless the antidote came from the very hand that had thrown them, the poison could not be purged. In all of Lin’an,⁹ who besides the Dragon Gate Armed Escort had ties to Shaolin? And so I entered the escort office by night, intending to force them to yield the antidote. But not only did they refuse, they had laid an ambush. The moment I stepped through the door, they attacked with murderous intent.”

Zhang Cuishan murmured thoughtfully, “And you deliberately arranged things so they would mistake you for me?”

The young woman lowered her head, a shy cast to her features.

“I saw you go to the clothier’s and buy that set of robes and headcloth,” she said softly. “I thought you looked… rather fine in them. And so I bought a matching set.”

Zhang Cuishan said, “That explains it. But to kill scores of people in a single stroke, that was excessively ruthless. The men of the escort office bore you no personal grudge.”

The young woman’s expression darkened, and she let out a cold laugh. “You presume to lecture me? I have lived nineteen years and never yet been lectured. Zhang the Fifth Xia, great and righteous as you are, I bid you take your leave. A cold-blooded wretch such as I never presumed to befriend you.”

Stung by her rebuke, Zhang Cuishan’s face flushed scarlet. He rose abruptly, on the verge of striding from the cabin, but then remembered his promise to help treat her wounds.

“Roll up your sleeve,” he said. The young woman’s delicate brows drew together. “You are fond of scolding people. I no longer want your help.”

“The wound in your arm has gone too long untreated,” Zhang Cuishan pressed. “If you delay further, the poison may become incurable.”

“All the better if I die,” she said bitterly. “It would be your doing, after all.”

Zhang Cuishan was taken aback. “The Shaolin villains shot you with their darts. What has that to do with me?”

“Had I not escorted your third shixiong a thousand li to Mount Wudang,” she retorted, “would I have encountered those six villains? Had they not seized your shixiong, and had I stood idly by, would the darts have struck me? Had you arrived a step sooner and lent me your strength, would I have been wounded at all?”

The last two accusations were somewhat unreasonable, but the rest carried an undeniable logic. Zhang Cuishan clasped his hands. “You are right. In helping you heal, I merely repay a fraction of the great kindness you have shown.”

The young woman tilted her head. “Then do you admit you were wrong?”

“Wrong about what?”

“You called me cold-blooded and ruthless. You were wrong to say it. Those Shaolin monks, Du Dajin and his men, the people of the escort office—every last one of them deserved to die.” Zhang Cuishan shook his head. “Though the poison in your arm is grave, it can still be treated. My third shixiong was gravely wounded, yet he still lives. Even should the worst come to pass, we ought only to seek out the ringleaders. To slaughter scores of people in one stroke defies all reason.”

The young woman arched an elegant brow. “You say I killed the wrong people? Were those Plum Blossom Darts not thrown by Shaolin hands? Is the Dragon Gate Armed Escort not a Shaolin establishment?”

Zhang Cuishan replied, “Shaolin disciples number in the thousands upon thousands throughout the realm. Because three darts struck your arm, would you exterminate the entire Shaolin lineage?”

Unable to counter his argument, she suddenly raised her right hand and slammed her palm down upon her own left arm, directly over the three embedded Plum Blossom Darts. The blow drove the darts deeper still into the flesh, worsening the wound grievously.

Zhang Cuishan could never have imagined a temperament so fierce. At a single disagreement, she had struck to maim her own body without hesitation. One who treated herself with such savagery would think nothing of taking another’s life. He tried to stop her, but it was already too late.

“Why… why must you do this to yourself?” he cried. Black blood began to seep through her sleeve. Zhang Cuishan knew the wound was now dire. Her neili could no longer hold the poisoned blood in check. Without immediate aid, her very life was at stake. His left hand shot out to seize her left arm; his right moved to tear open the sleeve.

From behind him came a furious shout, “Scoundrel! How dare you take such liberties!”

A blade whistled toward his back. Zhang Cuishan knew it was the boat’s helmsman. With no time to explain, he lashed out with a backward kick that sent the man tumbling from the cabin.

“I do not need your help!” the young woman cried. “If I choose to die, what concern is it of yours?”

A sharp crack rang out. She had slapped him across the face, clean and stinging. Her palm was blindingly fast. Zhang Cuishan, wholly unprepared, released her arm in stunned surprise.

“Go ashore,” she said, her face set hard. “I never wish to see you again.”

Shame and fury warred within him. “Very well! I have never encountered so wilful and discourteous a young woman!”

He strode toward the bow.

“You had not,” she said with a cold laugh. “But now you have.”

Zhang Cuishan snatched up a plank, ready to cast it into the river and use it to spring ashore. Then a thought arrested him: If I leave now, she will surely die.

Swallowing his anger, he returned to the cabin. “You slapped me, and I shall not stoop to quarrel with so unreasonable a girl. Now roll up your sleeve. Do you value your life or not?”

“Whether I live or die,” she snapped, “what business is it of yours?”

“You escorted my third shixiong a thousand li. Such a debt cannot go unrepaid.”

“Ah,” she said with another cold laugh, “so you are merely settling your shixiong’s account. Had I never escorted him, you would stand by and watch me die, no matter how grave my injuries!”

Zhang Cuishan hesitated. “That is not necessarily so.”

He saw her shudder suddenly, her body trembling, a sign that the poison was spreading.

“Roll up your sleeve at once,” he urged. “You cannot trifle with your own life.”

The young woman set her jaw. “Unless you admit you were wrong, I refuse your help.”

Her complexion, already pale as porcelain, now took on a look of fragile, petulant vulnerability that made her all the more pitiable.

Footnotes

1. 张翠山 – Zhāng Cuìshān. His name meaning “Verdant Mountain.” Fifth disciple of Zhang Sanfeng and member of the Seven Heroes of Wudang. His epithet is the Silver Hook Iron Brush. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 都大锦 – Dū Dàjǐn. His name meaning “Great Brocade.” See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

4. 梅花镖 – méihuā biāo. Literally plum blossom dart. A concealed weapon unique to the Shaolin Order, distinguished by its plum-blossom-shaped tail. These darts are typically thrown with precision and are considered a hallmark of Shaolin training. ↩

5. 内力 – neìlì. Inner strength. The kinetic manifestation of cultivated qi. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 俞岱岩 – Yú Dàiyán. His name meaning “Lofty Cliff of Mount Dai.” Third disciple of Zhang Sanfeng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

8. 江南 – Jiāngnán. Literally south of the river. The prosperous region south of the Yangtze River. See Wikipedia. ↩

9. 临安 – Lín’ān. Capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1276), known for its cultural refinement and West Lake scenery. Modern-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. See Wikipedia. ↩