The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 6

A raft adrift upon the boundless Northern Sea.¹

Yin Susu² had heard Xie Xun³ challenge Zhang Cuishan⁴ and watched as Bai Guishou,⁵ Chang Jinpeng,⁶ Yuan Guangbo,⁷ Mai Jing,⁸ Guo Sanquan,⁹ and the rest lay dead where they had fallen. None who had traded moves with him survived. As formidable as Zhang Cuishan’s martial arts were, it was clear he was no match either. She spoke up, “Senior Xie, the Dragon-Slaying Dao¹⁰ is already in your hands, and all here acknowledge the supremacy of your martial arts. What more do you want?”

Xie Xun said, “Concerning this Dragon-Slaying Dao, there are certain words passed down from the elders of old. You must have heard them as well?”

Yin Susu said, “I have heard them spoken of.”

Xie Xun said, “It is said that this dao is the supreme treasure of the wulin,¹¹ and that he who holds it may command all beneath heaven, with none daring to disobey. But what secret does this dao truly contain that could compel the submission of every hero in the realm?”

Yin Susu said, “Senior Xie’s knowledge is without equal. I was hoping you might enlighten me.”

Xie Xun said, “I confess I do not know either. I need to find some quiet place and think it through properly over a good many days.”

Yin Susu said, “Mm, that would be most prudent. With Senior Xie’s extraordinary intellect, if even you cannot fathom the answer, no one else stands a chance.”

Xie Xun said, “Heh heh, this Xie is no arrogant fool. When it comes to martial arts, there are a good many in this world who surpass me. The Shaolin¹² zhangmen,¹³ Reverend Kongwen…”¹⁴ He paused at this, and a fleeting shadow of sorrow crossed his face. “… and Reverends Kongzhi¹⁵ and Kongxing,¹⁶ the Wudang¹⁷ School’s Daoist Priest Zhang Sanfeng,¹⁸ and the zhangmen of the Emei¹⁹ and Kunlun²⁰ Schools, which of them does not possess consummate mastery? The Qinghai School²¹ may be tucked away in the far west, yet their martial arts hold secrets all their own. Then there are the Ming Order’s²² Left and Right Messengers of Brightness, the cult’s Dharma Kings, every last one of them… heh heh, not to be trifled with. And your own Tianying Order’s²³ White-Browed Eagle King,²⁴ Order Leader Yin, he too is a talent the likes of which the world seldom sees. I cannot be certain I could best him.”

Yin Susu rose to her feet and bowed. “I thank Senior for your generous praise.”

Xie Xun said, “I have won this dao, but others will naturally covet it just as fiercely. Not a soul on Wang Panshan Island²⁵ today could stand against me, and in this your Order Leader Yin has miscalculated. He thought Altar Masters Bai and Chang would be more than sufficient to deal with the Haisha School,²⁶ the Jujing Guild,²⁷ and their ilk. He never reckoned that this Xie would come charging in halfway through…”

Yin Susu cut in, “It was no miscalculation on Order Leader Yin’s part. He had other pressing matters and could not attend in person.”

Xie Xun said, “That is precisely my point. Had Order Leader Yin been here himself, for one thing, I reckon my martial arts are at best evenly matched with his. For another, out of respect for an old acquaintance, I could hardly have seized the dao by force. Knowing all this, this Xie would naturally not have come at all. Order Leader Yin has always prided himself on leaving nothing to chance, yet today the dao has fallen into my hands, a blemish, I should think, upon his sterling reputation.”

Yin Susu took heart at his mention of old ties with Order Leader Yin and rambled on from one subject to the next, hoping to draw his mind away and keep him from pressing Zhang Cuishan to fight. She said, “Human affairs are unknowable, and the will of heaven is beyond reckoning. Nothing in this world is ever certain. As the saying goes, man proposes but heaven disposes. Senior Xie’s fortune runs deep, and you have taken this dao with scarcely any effort, whilst others schemed and plotted with all their might yet came away empty-handed.”

Xie Xun said, “Since the day this dao appeared in the world, who knows how many masters have possessed it, and who knows how many have met their deaths on its account. Today I take it and go. Who is to say that some day a mightier man will not kill me and take it in turn?”

Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu exchanged a glance, both sensing a deeper meaning beneath his words. Zhang Cuishan thought at once of his third shixiong,²⁸ Yu Daiyan,²⁹ who had become entangled with this very dao and whose fate no one knew to this day. He himself had done nothing but lay eyes on the treasured dao, and already his life lay in another man’s hands.

Xie Xun heaved a sigh. “The two of you are accomplished in both letters and arms, fair of face and fine of bearing. To slay you would be like smashing a pair of rare jade vessels, a terrible waste. And yet circumstances compel me, and I have no choice.”

Yin Susu asked in alarm, “Why?”

Xie Xun said, “I mean to take this dao and leave. If I allow anyone on this island to live, within days the entire realm will know the Dragon-Slaying Dao is in my hands. This one will come seeking it, that one will come hunting me, and this Xie is hardly invincible. How could I guarantee against mishap? To say nothing of the rest, the White-Browed Eagle King alone is someone I cannot be certain of defeating. And his Tianying Order commands legions, whilst I am but one man.” He shook his head. “Yin Tianzheng’s³⁰ inner and outer skills are fierce beyond measure. I hold him in the highest regard. In the old days…” He let out a long sigh. “… Ah …” He shook his head once more.

Zhang Cuishan thought, So the Tianying Order’s leader is called White-Browed Eagle King, Yin Tianzheng. He said coldly, “You mean to silence us by killing every last person here.”

Xie Xun said, “Precisely.”

Zhang Cuishan said, “Then why did you bother denouncing the crimes of the Haisha School, the Jujing Guild, the Shenquan School,³¹ and the rest?”

Xie Xun laughed aloud. “So that they might die without grievance, so their hearts would be at ease when the end came.”

Zhang Cuishan said, “How merciful of you.”

Xie Xun said, “All men must die. Whether a few years sooner or a few years later makes little difference. You, Zhang the Fifth Xia, and Miss Yin are in the flower of your youth, and to perish here on Wang Panshan seems a waste. But viewed from a hundred years hence, it is all the same. Had Qin Hui³² not murdered Yue Fei,³³ would Yue Fei have lived until this day? Qin Hui is dead too, is he not? If a man can die with his conscience clear and free of agony, that is enough. For those of us who practise martial arts, to die truly without regret is no easy feat. Therefore I propose we match our skills. Whoever loses, dies. Nothing could be more fair. You are younger, so I shall give you the advantage: weapons, fists, neili,³⁴ hidden weapons, qinggong.³⁵ Whichever you choose, I will oblige.”

Yin Susu said, “Quite the boast, any discipline at all, is it?” She had listened to Xie Xun’s words and knew that the crisis before them could not be escaped. Wang Panshan Island sat alone in the sea, and the Tianying Order, confident that Altar Masters Bai and Chang would brook no failure, would send no reinforcements. Though her words were defiant, her voice trembled faintly.

Xie Xun started, thinking, If she challenges me to a contest of needlework and hair-pinning, what then? He declared, “Martial arts only, naturally. Or would you have me compete at eating and drinking? Though even in eating and drinking, you could not best this wine-sack and rice-bag. Let us settle it in a single bout. If you lose, you take your own lives. Alas, such a handsome pair, I truly cannot bring myself to strike the blow.”

At the words “handsome pair”, both Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu coloured.

Yin Susu’s fine brows knitted slightly. “And if you lose? Will you take your own life as well?”

Xie Xun laughed. “How could I possibly lose?”

Yin Susu said, “Where there is a contest, there must be a winner and a loser. This Zhang the Fifth Xia is the scion of a renowned school. Who is to say he does not possess some skill that might surpass yours?”

Xie Xun laughed again. “At his age, his techniques may be refined enough, but his neili cannot run deep.”

Zhang Cuishan listened to the two of them parrying back and forth, his mind racing: In what discipline might I fight him to a draw? Qinggong? This new palm technique I have learnt? Then, in a flash of inspiration, he said, “Since Senior insists on forcing my hand, I have no choice but to make a fool of myself. Should I fall to Senior’s skill, I shall of course fall upon my jian. But if by some stroke of fortune we fight to a draw, what then?”

Xie Xun shook his head. “There will be no draw. If the first contest is drawn, we shall contest a second, and so on until there is a clear victor.”

Zhang Cuishan said, “Very well. Should I manage to win by even a single move, I would not presume to ask anything of Senior, only that you grant me one request.”

Xie Xun said, “Agreed. Name your terms.”

Yin Susu’s concern was palpable. She whispered, “What will you challenge him to? Are you confident?”

Zhang Cuishan whispered back, “There is nothing for it. I must do my utmost.”

Yin Susu whispered, “If it goes badly, we flee at the first chance. Better than waiting here to die.”

Zhang Cuishan gave a bitter smile but made no reply. The boats have all been destroyed, he thought. On this tiny island, where could we possibly flee? He straightened his sash and drew a judge’s pen³⁶ of refined steel from his waist.

Xie Xun said, “Throughout the jianghu,³⁷ men praise Zhang Cuishan the Silver Hook and Iron Stroke.³⁸ Today I shall see for myself whether my wolf-fang mace³⁹ is worthy of the challenge. But where is your tarnished silver tiger-head hook? Why do you not bring it forth?”

Zhang Cuishan said, “I do not propose a contest of arms with Senior. I wish only to match him in writing a few characters.” With that, he walked unhurriedly to the face of a great cliff to the left, drew a deep breath, and launched himself upward with a mighty push of both legs. The qinggong of the Wudang Order was the finest of any school or faction, and now, with his very life hanging in the balance, he dared not show the slightest carelessness. His body surged upward over ten feet. Then came the Ladder Cloud Ascent,⁴⁰ his right foot striking the rock face, taking its force, and driving him another twenty feet higher. The judge’s pen in his hand found the stone, and with a rapid hiss of steel on rock, he had carved the character 武, “martial”.

With the first two characters done, he carved 至, “supreme”, and then 尊, “exalted”. Faster and faster he wrote, stone chips raining down in a torrent, some strokes coiling like spirit serpents, others towering like fierce beasts, until in the span of a breath all twenty-four characters were complete. This feat of calligraphy upon the cliff was truly as the poet Li Bai⁴¹ once wrote: Wind and rain come in startling gusts. Falling blossoms and flying snow, how vast, how boundless! Rising to face the wall, the hand does not pause. A line of great characters, each the size of a bushel. Dazzling, as if ghosts and spirits trembled. All one sees are dragons and serpents in flight. Coiling left, surging right, like a thunderclap. A scene of Chu and Han locked in battle.

As Zhang Cuishan reached the final stroke of the character 锋, “edge”, his pen drove downward with the force of a thunderbolt. Iron pen and silver hook braced against the cliff in unison, and he pushed off, somersaulting through the air to land lightly and gracefully at Yin Susu’s side.

Xie Xun stared at the three rows of great characters upon the cliff face. For a very long time he did not speak. At last he let out a sigh and said, “Such calligraphy I could never match. I have lost.”

For one must understand that the twenty-four characters, from “Supreme in the Wulin”⁴² to “Who Dares Contest the Edge”, had been conceived by Zhang Sanfeng in a flash of divine inspiration, refined and perfected through a full night of painstaking meditation, every horizontal, every vertical, every dot and every flick imbued with the most profound essence of martial arts. Even had Zhang Sanfeng himself stood here, without having undergone that night of agonised contemplation, lacking both the mood and the unhurried concentration of that singular moment, he could not have carved twenty-four characters upon a cliff face and achieved such transcendent mastery. Xie Xun had no inkling of these circumstances. He assumed that Zhang Cuishan, finding himself embroiled in a dispute over the Dragon-Slaying Dao, had simply dashed off the old adage handed down through generations of jianghu lore. In truth, had Zhang Cuishan been asked to write any other characters, the gulf in artistry and force between them would have been immense.

Yin Susu clapped her hands in delight and cried, “You have lost! You cannot go back on your word!”

Footnotes

1. 浮槎北溟海茫茫 – fúchá běimíng hǎi mángmáng. Literally a raft floating on the vast northern sea. Allusion to the Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi’s parable of the great Northern Sea (北溟 – běimíng), symbolising a journey into the unknown. See Wikipedia. ↩

2. 殷素素 – Yīn Sùsù. Her name meaning “Plain and Simple.” Daughter of Yin Tianzheng and mother of Zhang Wuji; she took her own life two years before. 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. 张翠山 – Zhāng Cuìshān. His name meaning “Verdant Mountain.” Fifth disciple of Zhang Sanfeng and member of the Seven Xias of Wudang. His epithet is the Silver Hook Iron Brush. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 白龟寿 – Bái Guīshòu. His name meaning “White Tortoise Longevity.” Altar Master of the Xuanwu Altar of the Tianying Order, who died shielding Monk Peng. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 常金鹏 – Cháng Jīnpéng. His name meaning “Golden Roc.” Altar Master of the Vermilion Bird Altar of the Tianying Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 元广波 – Yuán Guǎngbō. His name meaning “Broad Waves.” Grand Branch Master of the Haisha School. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 麦鲸 – Mài Jīng. His name meaning “Wheat Whale.” Guild Chief of the Jujing Guild. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 过三拳 – Guò Sānquán. His name literally meaning “Three Fists,” derived from his reputation for killing any opponent within three punches. Master of the Shenquan School. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 屠龙刀 – Túlóng Dāo. Dragon-Slaying Dao; the name’s literal sense is “dragon-slaying”. Legendary blade and the supreme weapon of the jianghu, forged with the Heavenly Jian from meteoric iron. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 武林 – wǔlín. Literally martial forest. Those who actually practise, teach or study martial arts. Wulin sits inside the jianghu and is narrower than it: every member of the wulin belongs to the jianghu, but a pedlar or physician of the jianghu who never trained is no part of the wulin. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

13. 掌门 – zhǎngmén. Literally the one who holds the gate. Head of a martial arts school or order, holding its authority and its transmission. Zhǎng means to take charge of or preside over. Mén means gate, and by extension the school itself. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

16. 空性 – Kōngxìng. His name meaning “Empty Nature,” a Buddhist dharma name referring to the Buddhist concept of śūnyatā. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

18. 张三丰 – Zhāng Sānfēng. His name meaning “Three Peaks.” Legendary founder of the Wudang Order and creator of taijiquan; Zhang Wuji’s grandshifu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

20. 昆仑派 – Kūnlún Pài. Kunlun School, a major martial arts school based in the Kunlun Mountains of the northwest. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

21. 青海派 – Qīnghǎi Pài. Literally blue sea school. Martial arts school based in the remote western province of Qinghai. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

22. 明教 – Míngjiào. Also known as Manichaeism, a dualistic religion of Persian origin that became the backbone of several rebel movements in Chinese history. In the wuxia tradition, it serves as the organising force against the Mongol Yuan dynasty. ↩

23. 天鹰教 – Tiānyīng Jiào. Tianying Order, founded by Yin Tianzheng the White-Browed Eagle King. 教 here is the order’s own neutral name for itself; “Cult” is the orthodox schools’ derogatory register and is not the sect’s name. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

24. 白眉鹰王 – Báiméi Yīngwáng. Literally white-browed eagle king. Epithet of Yin Tianzheng, one of the Ming Order’s Four Dharma Kings. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

25. 王盘山 – Wángpán Shān. Wangpan Island, the sea island where the Tianying Order raised the Dragon-Slaying Dao to overawe the wulin some years before. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

26. 海沙派 – Hǎishā Pài. Haisha School, meaning “Sea Sand School.” A Jiangnan faction. ↩

27. 巨鲸帮 – Jùjīng Bāng. Jujing Guild, meaning “Giant Whale Guild,” a seafaring faction. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

28. 师兄 – shīxiōng. Male senior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Xiōng means older brother. Used here by Wang Nangu as an affectionate address to her husband. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

29. 俞岱岩 – Yú Dàiyán. His name meaning “Lofty Cliff of Mount Dai.” Third of the Seven Xias of Wudang, crippled years before. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

30. 殷天正 – Yīn Tiānzhèng. White-Browed Eagle King, founding Order Leader of the Tianying Order and Wuji’s maternal grandfather. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

31. 神拳门 – Shénquán Mén. Shenquan School, meaning “Divine Fist School.” See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

32. 秦桧 – Qín Huì. Infamous Southern Song chancellor who orchestrated the execution of the patriotic general Yue Fei in 1142. His name became synonymous with treachery. See Wikipedia. ↩

33. 岳飞 – Yuè Fēi. Celebrated general of the Southern Song dynasty, renowned as a paragon of loyalty and patriotism. He was unjustly executed on fabricated charges by the treacherous Chancellor Qin Hui. ↩

34. 内力 – nèilì. Literally internal force. Kinetic manifestation of cultivated qi; generates tangible effects such as deflecting weapons or scaling walls. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

35. 轻功 – qīnggōng. Literally qinggong. Ability to move with superhuman agility, and weightlessness through qi redistribution to leap over trees and roofs, and skip over water. See Wikipedia. ↩

36. 判官笔 – pànguān bǐ. Literally Judge’s Brush. Short, cylindrical weapon resembling a large brush handle, named after the underworld judge. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

37. 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. ↩

38. 银钩铁划 – Yíngōu Tiěhuà. Literally silver hook, iron stroke. Zhang Cuishan’s epithet, referring to his mastery of both the silver hook and the iron judge’s pen, and evoking the bold strokes of classical calligraphy. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

39. 狼牙棒 – lángyá bàng. Literally wolf-fang club. Heavy mace-like weapon covered in protruding metal spikes, wielded by Xie Xun. Its enormous size and weight make it usable only by someone of extraordinary physical strength. ↩

40. 梯云纵 – Tīyún Zòng. Literally ladder to the clouds. Signature qinggong technique of the Wudang Order. See Wuxia Wiki. The character complete, his body began to fall. His left hand lashed out, silver hook in its grip, and flicked upward in a single deft motion to catch a crevice in the cliff face, bearing his full weight. His right hand carved on without pause: 林, “forest”. Every stroke and every sweep of these two characters had been conceived by Zhang Sanfeng across a long night of tortured meditation, and they held within them yin and yang, hard and soft, spirit and vigour, the pinnacle of Wudang martial arts set down in writing. Though Zhang Cuishan’s neili was still shallow and the strokes did not bite deep into the stone, the two characters soared and danced with a fierce, commanding energy, each line like a swift jian or a thrusting halberd, bristling with power. ↩

41. 李白 – Lǐ Bái. Tang Dynasty poet (701–762 CE), widely regarded as the greatest romantic poet in Chinese history. This passage quotes his poem on the cursive calligraphy of the monk Huaisu. See Wikipedia. ↩

42. The full verse carved by Zhang Cuishan reads: 武林至尊，宝刀屠龙。号令天下，莫敢不从。倚天不出，谁与争锋 – Wǔlín zhìzūn, bǎodāo túlóng. Hàolìng tiānxià, mò gǎn bù cóng. Yǐtiān bù chū, shuí yǔ zhēngfēng. Literally: “Supreme in the wulin, the treasured Dragon-Slaying Dao. Command all under heaven, none dare disobey. While the Heavenly Jian remains hidden, who dares contest the edge?” This ancient verse speaks of the two legendary weapons, the Dragon-Slaying Dao and the Heavenly Jian (倚天剑 – Yǐtiān Jiàn), whose possession is said to grant dominion over the entire jianghu. ↩