The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 8 – Part 4

These words struck Zhang Cuishan's ears like a clap of thunder. Only now did he recall that Xie Xun had indeed spoken once of remaining on the island alone, but he had never mentioned it again, and the two of them had given it no further thought. Throughout the building of the raft, Xie Xun had never shown the slightest sign of meaning to stay behind. Yet now, at the very moment of departure, he had spoken out. Zhang Cuishan cried, “Big Brother, what is there to be gained by your staying alone on this desolate, lonely island? Quick, jump onto the raft!” As he spoke, he pulled with all his strength. But Xie Xun's body was rooted to the ground like a great tree, and did not stir in the slightest.

Zhang Cuishan shouted, “Susu, Wuji, come up quickly! Big Brother says he will not come with us.” Yin Susu and Wuji were both greatly startled and leapt back onto the shore together. Wuji said, “Godfather, why will you not come? If you do not go, then neither shall I.”

In his heart, Xie Xun could not bear to part from the three of them. Once they left, there would certainly never be another meeting. He would remain alone on this barren island, a fate worse than death. But since he had sworn brotherhood with Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, his care for the two of them had long since surpassed his care for himself, and his love for his godson Wuji exceeded even that for a son of his own body. He had thought on it long and hard. He knew he carried upon his back a debt of blood, and that throughout the jianghu,¹ whether among the renowned righteous factions or the greenwood and the black path, there were countless people bent on taking his life. Moreover, the Dragon-Slaying Dao² had fallen into his hands, and this could not fail to leak out. In former times he would have faced it without fear, but now his eyes were blind and he could no longer withstand the assault of so many enemies. Nor could Zhang Cuishan’s family stand by and watch him come to harm. Once a quarrel began, the four of them would surely perish together. Once they returned to the mainland, he feared none of the four would survive a year and a half. But there was no need to explain any of this to the pair of them. When the moment came, he would simply say he had resolved to stay.

He heard the sincere feeling in Wuji’s words and took the boy into his arms, saying gently, “Wuji, good child, listen to your godfather. Your godfather is old, and blind in the eyes, and he lives very well here. On the mainland he would be uncomfortable at every turn, and far from happy.” Wuji said, “Once we are back on the mainland, I shall wait on you every day and never leave your side. Whatever you wish to eat or drink, I shall fetch it for you at once. Would that not be the same?” Xie Xun shook his head. “It will not do. I am happier here.” Wuji said, “I am happier here too. Father, Mother, why do we not all stay? It is better here.”

Yin Susu said, “Big Brother, if you have any concerns, please speak plainly, so that we may all take counsel together. But to leave you here alone, that can never be.”

Xie Xun thought to himself, “All three hold me dear. To make them willingly abandon me and go, I could wear my tongue to a rag and still not persuade them. How then might I contrive a way to make them leave?”

Zhang Cuishan said suddenly, “Big Brother, you fear that there are too many enemies and that we would be dragged into danger, is that it? Once the four of us return to the mainland, let us find some remote place to live in seclusion, with no dealings with outsiders. Would that not settle everything? Best of all, we might all go and live on Mount Wudang.³ No one would ever imagine the Golden Haired Lion King dwelling upon Mount Wudang.” Xie Xun said proudly, “Hmph. Though your Big Brother is good for nothing, he has no need to shelter under your revered shifu,⁴ Zhang the Perfected One.⁵” Zhang Cuishan deeply regretted his ill-chosen words and hastened to say, “Big Brother’s martial arts are no whit inferior to my shifu’s. Why should we shelter under him? The Western Regions, the Tibetan plateau, the great desert beyond the frontier, is there any place without its haven? The four of us may roam free wherever we please.”

Xie Xun said, “If you seek a desolate place, where in the world is more desolate than this island? Are you going or not?”

Zhang Cuishan said, “If Big Brother will not go, then the three of us have resolved not to go either.” Yin Susu and Wuji spoke together, “If you do not go, none of us will go!” Xie Xun sighed. “Very well. If nobody goes, then let us wait until I am dead before you return. That will not be too late.” Zhang Cuishan said, “True. We have lived here for ten years already. What haste is there?”

Xie Xun roared, “After I am dead, you will have no further cause for attachment, will you?” Before the three of them could react, they saw his hand reach out, and with a sharp rasp he drew the Dragon-Slaying Dao and swept it towards his own neck.

Zhang Cuishan was horrified and cried, “Do not harm Wuji!” He knew that with his own martial arts he could never prevent his sworn brother from taking his own life, and in his desperation he called out to spare the child. Xie Xun started, as expected, and stayed his blade. “What did you say?”

Zhang Cuishan saw his resolve was absolute and said, choking, “Since Big Brother has made up his mind, your little brother can only take his leave here and now.” He knelt and bowed several times. But Wuji cried aloud, “Godfather, if you will not go, then neither shall I! If you take your own life, I shall take my own too. A true man means what he says and does what he says. If you sweep the dao across your neck, then so shall I!”

Xie Xun shouted, “You little rascal, talking nonsense!” He seized the boy by the back of his robe and hurled him onto the raft. Then, with both hands seizing and hurling in rapid succession, he threw Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu onto the raft as well. He called out loudly, “Fifth Brother, Fifth Sister, Wuji! May the wind be fair behind you. I pray you reach the mainland safe and sound.” Then he added, “Wuji, once you return to the mainland, you must call yourself Zhang Wuji. The name Xie Wuji you may keep in your heart, but you must never speak it aloud.”

Wuji cried, “Godfather! Godfather!” He called several times before breaking into great sobs.

Xie Xun held the dao across his neck and shouted, “If you come back ashore, our sworn brotherhood ends this instant!”

Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu saw that their sworn brother’s resolve was beyond turning and could only wave tearfully in farewell. By then the current had caught the raft and it was drifting slowly away. They watched Xie Xun’s figure grow blurred and small, until at last he vanished from sight. Only then did the three of them turn away. Wuji lay in his mother’s arms and wept until he was spent, before at last falling into a deep sleep.

The raft sailed upon the great sea, and thereafter the north wind blew without ceasing, driving the raft ever southward. Upon that boundless expanse there was no knowing where they were, save that each day the sun rose from the left and set upon the right, and each night the North Star glittered behind the raft, which never ceased its onward motion. Thus they knew they drew nearer the mainland with every passing day. For the last twenty-odd days, Zhang Cuishan, fearful lest the raft strike an iceberg, kept only a small fraction of the foremast sail unfurled. The voyage was slow but safe, for even if they brushed an iceberg it was with the gentlest touch before sliding away. Only once they had cleared the ice fields did he set the full sail.

The north wind held day and night without change, and the raft’s speed increased manyfold. Happily it was spring, and they met no storm along the way. Their hopes of returning to the mainland rose to seven or eight parts in ten. Throughout these days, Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, lest Wuji grieve, never spoke of Xie Xun.

Zhang Cuishan thought to himself, “Whether the martial arts Big Brother taught Wuji are of any use remains uncertain indeed. Once the boy returns to the mainland, he must eventually enter the Wudang Order’s gate.” With the long idle days upon the raft, he began instructing Wuji in the foundational skills of the Wudang Order’s fist and palm methods. His manner of teaching was far superior to Xie Xun’s, and the Wudang arts posed no great difficulty at the outset. A few explanations, a little guidance, and Wuji had learnt them. Father and son, upon that small raft, practised the forms and sparred together.

That day Yin Susu, seeing the sea calm and the two sails of the raft stretched full as they drove south, could not help saying, “Big Brother is not only pure in his martial arts. He can calculate wind and weather and the lay of the land with equal precision. A true genius.”

Wuji said suddenly, “Since the wind blows south for half the year and north for half the year, next year we can go back to the Ice Fire Island to visit Godfather.” Zhang Cuishan said gladly, “Wuji is right. When you are grown, we shall all go north together…”

Yin Susu pointed suddenly to the south and cried, “What is that?” In the far distance, where water met sky, two dark dots were faintly visible. Zhang Cuishan started. “Could they be whales? If they come and ram the raft, we are done for.”

Yin Susu watched for a while. “They are not whales. There is no spouting.” The three of them stared without blinking at the two dark specks. After more than a shichen,⁶ Zhang Cuishan cried joyfully, “Ships! Ships!” He leapt into the air and turned a somersault. Since Wuji’s birth he had been busy from dawn to dusk and had never indulged in such childlike behaviour. Wuji laughed aloud and, copying his father, turned two somersaults of his own.

Another shichen of sailing, with the sun now slanting, and they could see clearly that they were two great ships. Yin Susu suddenly trembled and her face drained of colour. Wuji asked, puzzled, “Mother, what is it?” Yin Susu’s lips moved but she did not speak. Zhang Cuishan took her hand, his face full of concern. Yin Susu sighed. “We have barely returned and already we have met them.” Zhang Cuishan said, “What do you mean?” Yin Susu said, “Look at the sail.”

Zhang Cuishan gazed intently and saw that upon the left-hand ship a great black eagle was painted, its wings spread wide, fierce in form. He remembered the great banner of the Tianying Order⁷ he had seen upon Wangpan Mountain,⁸ and his heart lurched. “It is… it is the Tianying Order’s?” Yin Susu whispered, “It is. It is my father’s Tianying Order.”

In that instant, a multitude of thoughts surged through Zhang Cuishan’s mind. “Susú’s father is the Guild Chief of the Tianying Order. That heterodox sect seems to stop at no evil. How shall I conduct myself when I meet my father-in-law? What will my revered master⁹ have to say of this marriage?” He felt Yin Susu’s small hand trembling within his own, and guessed that she too was beset by countless cares. He said at once, “Susú, our child is nearly grown! In heaven and on earth, we shall never part. What have you to fear?” Yin Susu breathed a long sigh, turned and smiled, and said softly, “The oath I swore, I shall always remember. I only hope I shall not cause you difficulty. You must consider everything for Wuji’s sake.”

Wuji had never seen a ship in all his life. He stared unblinking at the two vessels, filled with an inexpressible curiosity, and paid no heed to what his parents were saying.

The raft drew slowly closer, and they saw that the two ships lay so tight together they seemed almost pressed against one another. If the course held unchanged, the raft would pass some several hundred feet to starboard of the two ships.

Zhang Cuishan said, “Shall we hail the ships? We might ask after news of your father.” Yin Susu said, “Do not hail them. Once we are back on the mainland, I shall take you and Wuji to see my father.” Zhang Cuishan said, “Very well. That will do.” He suddenly saw a flicker of steel upon the farther ship, as though four or five men were engaged in combat. “They are fighting on both ships.” Yin Susu gazed intently for some while, concern upon her face. “I wonder if my father is over there?” Zhang Cuishan said, “Since we have met them, let us go across and see.” He sheeted the sail about and turned the raft’s rudder. The raft bore slightly to port and made slowly for the two ships.

Although the raft sailed with full canvas, its progress remained very slow, and it was a good while before it drew near the two vessels.

A loud voice called from the Tianying Order’s ship, “We have serious business here. Unrelated guests, please keep clear.” Yin Susu raised her voice and called, “The Holy Fire burns bright, blessing all the world. Sun and moon shine forth, the Heavenly Eagle takes wing! This is the Head of the Central Hall. Which Altar raises the sacred fire?” She spoke in the Tianying Order’s secret cant. The man aboard answered at once in respectful tones, “Hall Master Li of the Tianshi Hall,¹⁰ leading Altar Master Cheng of the Qinglong Altar¹¹ and Altar Master Feng of the Shenshe Altar,¹² respectfully welcome you. Is this the arrival of Hall Master Yin of the Ziwei Hall?” Yin Susu said clearly, “I am the Head of the Ziwei Hall.”

When those aboard the farther ship heard the words “Head of the Ziwei Hall,” there was a commotion. After a moment, more than a dozen voices cried together, “Miss Yin has returned! Miss Yin has returned!”

Though Zhang Cuishan had been married to Yin Susu for ten years, she had never once spoken of affairs within the Tianying Order, and he had never asked. Now, hearing the exchange, he learned that she was herself something called “Head of a Hall,” and that a Hall Master’s rank stood above that of an Altar Master. On Wangpan Mountain he had already seen the skill of the Xuanwu and Zhuque Altar Heads, whose martial arts were, by his reckoning, superior to Yin Susu’s own. The reason she held the rank of Hall Master must be that she was the Guild Chief’s daughter. This Hall Master Li of the Tianshi Hall was, he judged, no small figure himself.

An aged voice spoke from the opposite ship. “We hear that the Guild Chief’s beloved daughter, Miss Yin, has returned. Might all parties suspend their quarrel for the present?” Another voice, high and clear, replied, “Very well! Everyone, cease.” At once the clash of weapons fell silent, and the combatants scattered apart with a leap.

Footnotes

1. 江湖 – jiānghú. Literally rivers and lakes. The 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. ↩

2. 屠龙刀 – Túlóng Dāo. “Dragon-Slaying Dao” – the dao that slays dragons. One of the two legendary weapons forged from Yang Guo’s Heavy Iron Sword by Guo Jing and Huang Rong. Contains the Nine Yin Manual and the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms manual, the secrets to supreme martial power. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 武当山 – Wǔdāng Shān. The sacred Daoist mountain in Hubei, headquarters of the Wudang Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

5. 真人 – zhēnrén. Literally “true person.” An honorific title for a Daoist master of the highest attainment. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 时辰 – shíchén. A unit of time equal to two hours; the traditional day was divided into twelve shichen. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

7. 天鹰教 – Tiānyīng Jiào. The Tianying Order, meaning “Heavenly Eagle Order.” A major martial order founded by Yin Tianzheng, the White-Browed Eagle King. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 王盘山 – Wángpán Shān. Wangpan Mountain, the island where the Tianying Order held its hero banquet and where Zhang Cuishan first met Yin Susu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 恩师 – ēnshī. Revered master; a master to whom one is deeply indebted. ↩

10. 天市堂 – Tiānshì Táng. The Tianshi Hall, one of the halls of the Tianying Order. Lit. “Heavenly Market Hall.” ↩

11. 青龙坛 – Qīnglóng Tán. The Qinglong Altar, one of the altars of the Tianying Order. Lit. “Azure Dragon Altar.” ↩

12. 神蛇坛 – Shénshé Tán. The Shenshe Altar, one of the altars of the Tianying Order. Lit. “Divine Snake Altar.” ↩