The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 8: Ten Years Adrift, a Raft Homeward

From the uttermost desolation, ten years adrift, they set sail homeward on a raft.

Xie Xun spoke slowly, “The events of that night I still remember with perfect clarity. I was sitting on the heated brick bed in the inn, silently circulating my zhenqi,¹ running through the Seven Injury Fist² in my mind once more. Fifth Brother, you have never seen my Seven Injury Fist. Would you like a demonstration?” Before Zhang Cuishan could answer, Yin Susu interjected, “It must be utterly miraculous and fearsomely powerful. Big Brother, why didn’t you go find Song Daxia instead?”

Xie Xun smiled faintly. “You are afraid my demonstration might hurt your husband? If the fist-force cannot be withdrawn at will, how could it still be called the Seven Injury Fist?” With that, he rose to his feet and walked to a great tree. He gave a great shout, like a thunderclap out of a clear sky, and drove his fist into the trunk.

Given his skill, that blow should either have snapped the tree clean in two or buried his fist deep in the wood. Yet when he drew his fist back, the tree stood utterly unharmed. Not so much as a sliver of bark was broken. Yin Susu felt a pang of sorrow in her heart: “Big Brother has lived on this island for nine years. His martial arts must have fallen completely to ruin. I never once saw him practise, so I suppose it is only natural.” Not wishing to grieve him, she cheered loudly all the same.

Xie Xun said, “Fifth Sister, that cheer of yours was entirely insincere. You think my skill is far inferior to what it was, don’t you?” Yin Susu replied, “On this deserted island, with only the four of us coming and going, what is the point in training martial arts?” Xie Xun asked, “Fifth Brother, have you perceived the subtlety?” Zhang Cuishan said, “I saw that your punch was delivered with tremendous force, yet not a single leaf so much as trembled. That is something I cannot fathom. Even if Wuji went over and threw a punch, he would have set the branches swaying!”

Wuji cried, “I can!” and ran over to the tree, slamming it with a fist. Sure enough, the branches shook wildly, and the shadows of leaves cast by the moonlight quivered ceaselessly on the ground. Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu were greatly pleased to see their son’s punch carry such force, and both turned to Xie Xun, waiting for him to explain the principle.

Xie Xun said, “Three days after that punch, the leaves on this tree will wither and fall. In half a month, the branches and trunk will be dead and dry. That single blow has shattered the tree’s vital meridians from within.” Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu were astonished, but knowing Xie Xun never spoke falsely, they accepted his word. Xie Xun picked up the Dragon-Slaying Dao³ at his side, drew it from its scabbard, and with a ringing slash cut diagonally into the trunk. A tremendous crack and boom followed as the upper half of the tree toppled outward. Xie Xun sheathed the blade and said, “Take a look. Does the power of my Seven Injury Fist still hold?”

When the three of them went over to examine the tree’s diagonal cross-section, they saw that the water-conducting vessels at the heart of the trunk had been severed in most places: some twisted, some pulverised, some split into several segments, others hanging by the thinnest of threads. Plainly, that single fist had contained several different kinds of force. Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu were filled with admiration. Zhang Cuishan said, “Big Brother, today you have truly opened my eyes.”

Xie Xun could not suppress his satisfaction. “That punch of mine contained seven different kinds of force: some hard and fierce, some soft and yielding, some hard within soft, some soft within hard, some striking sideways, some thrusting straight, some contracting inward. An opponent blocks the first force and cannot withstand the second. He holds off the second, and what answer has he for the third? Heh heh, that is how the Seven Injury Fist earned its name. Fifth Brother, that day on the ship when you matched palms with me, if I had used the Seven Injury Fist instead, you would not have held out.” Zhang Cuishan said, “That is so.”

Wuji wanted to ask his father why he had matched palms with his sworn father, but seeing his mother wave her hand urgently, he restrained himself and said instead, “Sworn Father, why don’t you teach me the Seven Injury Fist?” Xie Xun shook his head. “It will not do.” Wuji was deeply disappointed and was about to press the request further. Yin Susu laughed, “Wuji, are you being silly? Your sworn father’s martial art is so profound that without a supreme foundation in neili, how could you possibly learn it?” Wuji said, “Then I shall learn it once my neili is good enough.”

Xie Xun shook his head again. “The Seven Injury Fist is better left unpractised! Within every person’s body exist the twin forces of yin and yang, and the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The heart belongs to fire, the lungs to metal, the kidneys to water, the spleen to earth, the liver to wood. To practise the Seven Injury is to injure all seven. Every time a man trains the Seven Injury Fist, he does his own organs fresh harm. The so-called seven injuries are in truth injuries to oneself before they are injuries to the enemy. Had I not damaged my own heart-meridians while training the Seven Injury Fist, I would not be subject to these fits of madness that I cannot control.”

Only now did Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu understand how a man of such rare gifts and such high martial skill could lose his wits altogether when the madness took him.

Xie Xun continued, “Had my neili been truly deep and unshakable, had I reached the level of the Great Master Kongjian or Zhang Zhenren of Wudang, then practising the Seven Injury Fist might have left me unscathed, or at worst caused only minor harm. But in those years my thirst for vengeance burned so fiercely that I expended every ounce of cunning to seize this ancient manuscript of the Seven Injury Fist Manual from the Kongtong School. The moment the manual came into my hands, I began practising in frantic haste, terrified that the art would not be complete before my shifu died and I could never avenge my family. By the time I realised my organs had suffered grave damage, it was already beyond remedy. I never stopped to consider: if the Kongtong School had possessed this fist manual generation after generation, why had no one from the school become renowned throughout the jianghu for this divine fist? Why had the Kongtong School never risen to become a first-rank Order? I was also seduced by the sheer spectacular force of the fist. The thunderous sound it made when unleashed was a tremendous advantage. Fifth Sister, you understand the reasoning, don’t you?”

Yin Susu reflected for a moment, then said, “Hmm, is it something like your shifu’s Thunderbolt… what was it… art?”

Xie Xun said, “Precisely. My shifu’s epithet was the Mixed-Origin Thunderbolt Hand.⁴ His palms carried wind and thunder, their power staggering. After I found him, if I fought him using the Seven Injury Fist, he would surely assume I was still using the art he himself taught me. By the time he realised the force was wrong, it would be too late. Fifth Brother, do not think me cruel in design. My shifu’s exterior was rough and blunt, but in truth there was no man under heaven so calculating, so deep in his scheming, so venomous and pitiless. If I had not fought poison with poison, my great vengeance could never have been fulfilled… Alas, I have wandered off down every side-path there is, and still not come to the Great Master Kongjian.”

“Let me tell you of that night. After I had circulated the Seven Injury Fist through three complete circuits, I leapt over the wall to go in search of Song Yuanqiao. I had vaulted clear of the wall, and my feet had not yet touched the ground, when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. It gave me a violent start. With the skill I had then, that a man could reach out and lay a hand on me before I could guard was past all imagining. Wuji, think about it. That tap was feather-light, but if its bearer had channelled force through the palm, would I not already have been gravely wounded? I instantly swept my hand back to catch him, but grasped only empty air. I countered with a punch, which of course also struck nothing. The moment my left foot touched ground, I spun around, and in that same instant, I felt a gentle palm press against my back, and from behind me a voice sighed: ‘The sea of bitterness is boundless. Turn back, and the shore is at hand.’⁵”

Wuji found this tremendously entertaining and burst out laughing. “Sworn Father, was this person playing with you?” But Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu had already guessed that the speaker could only have been the Great Master Kongjian.⁶

Xie Xun went on, “At that moment I was chilled to the bone, my hands and feet trembling slightly. A man with such skill could have ended my life as easily as turning over a hand. Those eight words, ‘The sea of bitterness is boundless. Turn back, and the shore is at hand’, took no more than an instant, yet he spoke them neither fast nor slow, and they were full of compassion. I heard every syllable with perfect clarity. But in that instant all I felt was terror and rage. I spun around and saw a grey-robed monk standing four zhang away.⁷ When I had turned, I would have sworn he was no more than two or three feet from me, yet with a single tap he had drifted fully four zhang away. The swiftness of his movement, the lightness of his footwork, truly beyond anything I could have imagined.”

“I had but a single thought: ‘It is a vengeful ghost, one of the people I have killed, come to claim my life!’ No living man could possibly move with such lightning speed. The moment I decided it must be a ghost, my courage actually grew. I roared, ‘Spectre or demon, clear off out of my sight! Your old man fears neither heaven nor earth. Do you think I am afraid of some lonesome wandering ghost?’ The grey-robed monk pressed his palms together and said, ‘Benefactor Xie Xun, the old monk Kongjian greets you.’ The moment I heard the name Kongjian, I recalled the saying current in the jianghu: ‘The divine monks of Shaolin: Seeing, Hearing, Wisdom, and Nature.’ He ranked first among the four divine monks. No wonder his skill was so supreme.”

Zhang Cuishan, remembering that this Great Master Kongjian had later been beaten to death by thirteen of Xie Xun’s fists, felt a quiet unease.

Xie Xun continued, “I immediately asked, ‘Is the Venerable Kongjian of Shaolin?’ The grey-robed monk replied, ‘The title “divine monk” is more than this unworthy one deserves. I am indeed Kongjian of Shaolin.’ I said, ‘I have no acquaintance with the Venerable Master. Why do you mock me?’ Kongjian said, ‘How would this old monk dare to mock a benefactor? May I ask, Benefactor, where you are headed at this hour?’ I said, ‘Where I go is no concern of yours.’ Kongjian said, ‘Tonight you intend to go kill Song Yuanqiao of the Wudang Order, do you not?’”

“He had laid my mind bare in a single sentence, and I was both astonished and alarmed. He went on: ‘The Benefactor wishes to commit another great crime that will shake the jianghu, hoping to provoke the Mixed-Origin Thunderbolt Hand Cheng Kun into revealing himself, so that you may avenge the murder of your entire family…’ When he spoke my shifu’s name, my shock grew still greater. The fact that my shifu had slain my whole family was something I had never breathed to another soul. It was a shameful affair that my shifu himself had done his utmost to conceal and deny. He would certainly never disclose it himself. How could this monk Kongjian possibly know?”

“My body trembled violently, and I said, ‘If the Venerable Master would deign to reveal his whereabouts, I, Xie Xun, would serve you as an ox or a horse for the rest of my life, and count it no burden.’ Kongjian sighed, ‘What Cheng Kun has done is indeed a grave sin. But in your fury, Benefactor, you have implicated and killed so many innocent figures of the jianghu. That is a great transgression, a great transgression.’ I wanted to say, ‘What business is it of yours?’ But remembering the skill he had just displayed, I knew I was no match for him, and moreover I had need of his help. Swallowing my rage, I said, ‘I am truly compelled. That Cheng Kun has hidden without shadow or trace. The four seas are vast. How am I to find him?’ Kongjian nodded. ‘I too know that your heart is filled with resentment and venom, with no outlet for release. But Song Daxia is the foremost disciple of Venerable Zhang of the Wudang Order. If you harm him, the disaster you unleash will be truly vast.’ I said, ‘My purpose is precisely to create disaster. The greater the disaster, the more surely it will force Cheng Kun out.’”

“Kongjian said, ‘Benefactor Xie Xun, if you kill Song Daxia, then indeed Cheng Kun would have no choice but to appear. But the Cheng Kun of today is not the Cheng Kun of old. Your skill is far inferior to his, and this vendetta of yours can never be fulfilled.’ I said, ‘Cheng Kun is my shifu. I know the extent of his skill all too well.’ Kongjian shook his head. ‘He has taken a new master, and in three years his advancement has been extraordinary. Even though you have mastered the Kongtong School’s Seven Injury Fist, you cannot harm him.’ I was astonished beyond measure. This monk Kongjian, I had never set eyes on him in my life, yet my every move seemed to lie as plain before him as if he had witnessed it all. After a moment’s stupor, I asked, ‘How do you know?’ He said, ‘Cheng Kun told me.’ At these words, Zhang Cuishan, Yin Susu, and Wuji all cried out in unison: ‘Ah!’”

Xie Xun said, “Even now, hearing it is startling enough. But when I heard those words at the time, I leapt to my feet at once and roared, ‘How could he possibly know?’ He replied slowly, ‘For these past years, he has remained at your side at all times. It is only because he continually altered his appearance and changed his clothes that you failed to recognise him.’ I said, ‘Hmph! I failed to recognise him? Even if he were burned to ashes, I would still know him.’ He said, ‘Benefactor Xie Xun, you are certainly not a careless man. But in these years, your mind has been consumed by a single thought, training in martial arts and seeking vengeance, and you have paid no heed to anything around you. You were in the light. He was in the shadows. It is not that you failed to recognise him. You never even tried.’ “

“Those words I could not but believe, the more so since the Great Master Kongjian was a monk of renowned virtue, honoured throughout the jianghu, and hardly a man to lie to me. I said, ‘If that is so, then why did he not simply kill me in secret? That would have settled everything cleanly.’ Kongjian said, ‘Had he wished to harm you, it would have been a matter of a single gesture. Benefactor Xie Xun, you sought vengeance against him twice, and twice you failed. Had he wished to take your life, why did he not strike then? Moreover, when you seized the Seven Injury Fist Manual, you fought a contest of neili against three of the Kongtong School’s five elders. But where were the other two elders? Why did they not join in a siege? Had all five attacked together, you might not have escaped with your life, might you?’ “

“That day, after I wounded the three Kongtong elders, I discovered that the remaining two were also gravely injured. This strange matter had lodged in my mind, an unsolved riddle. Could the Kongtong School have suffered an internal rupture? Or had some unknown expert aided me from the shadows? Hearing Kongjian speak thus, a thought stirred in me, and I asked, ‘Could those two elders have been wounded by Cheng Kun?’ “

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Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu found his tale ever more extraordinary. Though the affairs of the jianghu were full of devious intrigue, and though the two of them had travelled far and heard strange stories, what Xie Xun now described was beyond all guessing. Each felt a quiet awe. Xie Xun was already a man of surpassing ability, yet his shifu, the Mixed-Origin Thunderbolt Hand Cheng Kun, seemed to surpass him still in both cunning and martial skill. Yin Susu said, “Big Brother, were the two Kongtong elders truly wounded by your shifu in secret?”

Xie Xun said, “That was the very question I blurted out. The Great Master Kongjian said, ‘The injuries the two Kongtong elders took, did you see them with your own eyes, Benefactor Xie Xun? What did their faces look like?’ I fell silent, and after a long pause said, ‘Then the two Kongtong elders were indeed wounded by my shifu.’ You see, when I saw the two elders lying on the ground, their faces were covered with crimson spots. Plainly they had injured someone with yin-force, only to have a master of the Mixed-Origin Force drive it back into their own bodies. Such crimson spots across the face could, so far as I knew, only result from having one’s own internal force rebounded by the Mixed-Origin Force, unless it were some sudden outbreak of spotted fever or similar foul disease. But when I had first encountered the five Kongtong elders that day, all five had been in perfect health. It could not have been a sudden affliction. And in the entire jianghu at that time, apart from my shifu and myself, no third person practised the Mixed-Origin Force.”

“The Great Master Kongjian nodded and sighed. ‘Your shifu, in his cups, wronged your family. When he sobered, he was overwhelmed with shame and remorse. Therefore, when you sought vengeance twice, he did not take your life. He was unwilling even to wound you. But both times you fought him with the desperation of a madman, and unless he hurt you, he could never break free. Afterward, he followed you in secret at all times. Three times you faced mortal peril, and three times he rescued you from the shadows.’ I reflected on this and realised that, apart from the battle against the five Kongtong elders, there had indeed been two other occasions when, at moments of extreme danger, the enemy’s assault had suddenly slackened. Most perilous of all had been the fight against the experts of the Qinghai Order. Kongjian continued: ‘He knew his sin was too deep to seek your forgiveness. He could only hope that with time, you would slowly forget. Instead, you escalated ever further, and ever more people died because of you. If tonight you go and kill Song Yuanqiao, the disaster that follows will be beyond all reckoning.’ “

“I said, ‘If that is so, then I beg the Venerable Master to summon my shifu to meet me. We shall settle accounts between ourselves. It concerns no one else.’ The Great Master Kongjian said, ‘Your shifu has no face to see you. Moreover, Benefactor Xie Xun, do not take offence at this old monk’s bluntness, but even if you did see him, it would be to no purpose.’ I said, ‘The Venerable Master is a monk of lofty virtue. Surely you see clearly what is right and what is wrong. Am I simply to abandon my family’s blood-debt?’ He said, ‘What the Benefactor has suffered was cruel indeed, and this old monk’s heart aches for you. But your honoured shifu’s transgression was committed in the madness of drink, truly not his intention, and he has long since repented deeply. I hope, Benefactor Xie Xun, that you will recall the bond between shifu and disciple and leave him a way out.’ I was consumed with rage and said, ‘If I cannot defeat him, then let him strike me dead with a single blow. If this vengeance is not fulfilled, I have no wish to live.’ “

“The Great Master Kongjian was silent for a long while, then said, ‘Benefactor Xie Xun, your shifu’s skill is not what it once was. Though you have mastered the Seven Injury Fist, you cannot harm him. If you do not believe me, then strike me a few fists and see for yourself.’ I said, ‘I have no quarrel with the Venerable Master. How could I bring myself to harm you? My skill may be modest, but the Seven Injury Fist is not easily withstood.’ He said, ‘Benefactor Xie Xun, let me propose a wager. Your shifu killed thirteen members of your family. Strike me thirteen fists in return. If you wound me, this old monk will withdraw and meddle no further, and your shifu will come to see you himself. Otherwise, let this vendetta rest. What say you?’ I hesitated and did not answer. I knew this eminent monk’s skill ran unfathomably deep, and fierce as the Seven Injury Fist was, if it truly could not harm him, was I then to abandon my vengeance?”

“Kongjian spoke again: ‘To speak plainly, since this old monk has inserted himself into this affair, I will not permit you to harm another innocent member of the jianghu. If you turn your thoughts toward good and cease at once, everything that has passed shall be struck out at a single stroke of the brush. But if you insist on pursuing vengeance, then consider: do the disciples and families of those you have killed not also seek vengeance against you?’ His tone had turned stern. My madness came up in me, and I roared, ‘Very well! I shall strike you thirteen fists! The moment you cannot endure it, call a halt. A man’s word is as solid as the mountains. You must summon my shifu to appear.’ The Great Master Kongjian smiled faintly. ‘Please begin.’ Seeing him small in stature, with white brows and white beard, his countenance kind and dignified, I could not bear to harm him in earnest. For the first fist I used only thirty percent of my strength. It struck his chest with a thud.”

Wuji cried, “Ouch! Sworn Father, was that the Seven Injury Fist, the one that broke the tree’s veins?”

Xie Xun said, “No. That first fist was the Thunderbolt Fist⁸ taught me by my shifu Cheng Kun. As I struck, he swayed slightly and stepped back one pace. I thought: I used only thirty percent of my strength, and he has already stepped back. If I unleash the Seven Injury Fist, I need not three fists to end his life. For the second fist I added somewhat more force. Again he swayed and stepped back. For the third I used seventy percent. Once more he swayed, once more he retreated a step. I was faintly puzzled. The force behind my fist had more than doubled, yet the effect upon him was identical. To look at that lean, withered frame, a single fist of mine should have snapped his ribs. Yet no rebounding force came out of him, and he took my three blows as though nothing had happened. I realised that to bring him down I would need to strike with full power, but at full force, he would die or be gravely wounded. Though I had long walked the path of evil, I could not help but feel a solemn respect for this monk’s compassion in sacrificing himself for others. I said, ‘Venerable Master, you only take the blows and do not strike back. I cannot bring myself to continue. You have taken three fists from me. I give my word that I will not harm that Song Yuanqiao.’ He said, ‘And what of your vendetta against Cheng Kun?’ I said, ‘He and I cannot live under the same heaven. Either he dies or I do.’ I paused, then added, ‘But since the Venerable Master has intervened, I, Xie Xun, honour you. From this moment on, I shall pursue only Cheng Kun himself and his kin. I will drag in no uninvolved members of the jianghu.’ “

“The Great Master Kongjian pressed his palms together and said, ‘Excellent, excellent! If the Benefactor truly harbours such a thought, this old monk humbly gives thanks on behalf of all the jianghu. But this old monk has set his heart on resolving this enmity. The remaining ten fists, please deliver them as agreed.’ I calculated that only by wounding him with the Seven Injury Fist would my shifu consent to appear. Fortunately the Seven Injury Fist’s force could be precisely controlled, and I would moderate my blows accordingly. So I said, ‘Then I must beg your indulgence!’ and unleashed the fourth fist, this time using the force of the Seven Injury Fist. It struck his chest, and his breastbone yielded slightly inward, but instead of stepping back, he stepped forward one pace.”

Wuji said, “Now that is strange! This time the old monk did not retreat. He advanced instead!”

Zhang Cuishan said, “That is the Shaolin Order’s Diamond Invulnerable Body Divine Skill,⁹ is it not?”

Xie Xun nodded. “Fifth Brother is widely learned. Your surmise is exactly right. That fist was utterly different from the first three. A rebounding force surged from his body, jolting my chest and belly as though all five organs were overturning at once. I knew he too was compelled by necessity. Without invoking this divine skill, he could not withstand my Seven Injury Fist. I had long heard that the Shaolin Order’s Diamond Invulnerable Body Divine Skill ranked among the five supreme martial arts of ancient times, and experiencing it firsthand confirmed it was truly extraordinary. For my fifth fist I emphasised the yin-yielding aspect of the force. Again he stepped forward, and the yin-yielding force rebounded against me. I barely managed to disperse it…”

Wuji said, “Sworn Father, the old monk said he would not return the blows, so why did he send your fist-force back at you?”

Xie Xun stroked the boy’s hair and said, “After my fifth fist, the Great Master Kongjian said, ‘Benefactor Xie Xun, I had not anticipated the Seven Injury Fist’s power to be so astonishing. If I did not channel force to rebound it, I could not defend.’ I said, ‘That you have not struck back already fills me with gratitude.’ Thereupon my fists flew forth like the wind. The sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth I unleashed in a single breath. The Great Master Kongjian was a marvel. All four he threw back one by one, hard force and soft kept distinct, every layer of it in perfect order.”

“I was deeply shaken and cried, ‘Take care!’ For the tenth fist I struck light as a feather. He nodded slightly, and before my fist-force even reached him, he stepped forward two paces, seizing the initiative in that fleeting instant.”

Wuji, of course, did not understand the difficulty of those two steps. But Zhang Cuishan knew well that in a contest between masters, to anticipate and move before the opponent’s strike was released was a feat of the highest order. Usually, foreseeing even a single move was enough to secure victory. He nodded and said, “Extraordinary. Extraordinary.”

Xie Xun continued, “That tenth fist I had unleashed with full power, and his pre-emptive rebound sent me stumbling back two paces. I could not see my own face, but I can well imagine it was white as paper, drained of all colour. The Great Master Kongjian slowly exhaled and said, ‘Do not rush the eleventh fist. Compose yourself before you strike.’ Fiercely as I hated to be bested, my neili was churning within me. For the moment, the eleventh fist truly could not leave my body.”

Zhang Cuishan and the others, listening, felt their hearts grow tense. Wuji suddenly said, “Sworn Father, there are only three fists left. Why not stop?” Xie Xun said, “Why?” Wuji said, “This old monk is a good man. If you hurt him, you would feel guilty. And if you hurt yourself, that would be bad too.” Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu exchanged a glance, thinking how remarkable it was that a child so young should possess such insight. Zhang Cuishan felt a surge of gladness. His son had a compassionate heart and could distinguish right from wrong.

Xie Xun sighed. “I had lived out several decades to no purpose, and in that moment a child saw further than I did. My heart was so packed with the craving for vengeance that I would not stop until I had found my shifu. I knew that if I went on, one of us must die or be crippled. I was past caring. I gathered my full strength and struck the eleventh fist. This time, however, he suddenly raised his body sharply upward. My fist had been aimed at his chest, but with his rise it struck his lower abdomen instead. His brow furrowed, and he showed clear pain. I understood his meaning: if he met my fist-force with his chest, the rebound would be too great. I might not survive it. But the rebound from the lower abdomen, though weaker for me, cost him far greater suffering.”

“I stood frozen, then said, ‘My shifu’s sins are deep. He deserves death. Why should the Venerable Master take the blow for him with a body of gold and jade?’ The Great Master Kongjian steadied his breathing and said with a bitter smile, ‘If I can endure just two more fists, then… then this calamity may be resolved.’ His breath was coming in broken snatches, and of a sudden a thought came to me: ‘It seems that while he maintains the Diamond Invulnerable Body, he cannot speak. Why not draw him into conversation, then strike without warning?’ So I said, ‘If I wound you within these thirteen fists, can you truly guarantee my shifu will come to see me?’ He said, ‘He told me himself…’ Before he could finish the sentence, I drove a fist at his lower abdomen, fast and low, giving him no time to invoke his protective skill. But the Buddha-school’s divine art responds to the heart’s need: the instant my fist-force touched his abdomen, the skill had already flooded his entire body. I felt the world spin, my heart and lungs ready to burst, and stumbled back seven or eight steps before my back struck a great tree and I managed to stop.”

“My heart went to ashes, and an evil thought sprang up in me. I said, ‘Enough, enough! This vengeance can never be fulfilled. Why should I, Xie Xun, continue to live between heaven and earth?’ With that, I raised my palm and struck downward toward my own crown.”

Yin Susu cried, “Brilliant! Brilliant!” Zhang Cuishan said, “Why?” Then he too understood. “Ah, but to use such a trick against a monk of such virtue… that is rather cruel.” For he too had realised: Xie Xun striking his own crown would force Kongjian to cry out and rush to save him, and in that moment of unguardedness, Xie Xun could strike. Zhang Cuishan’s cleverness was in no way inferior to his wife’s, but because he never concerned himself with such scheming, he was a step slower in arriving at this thought.

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Xie Xun sighed bitterly. “That was precisely my intent, to exploit his innate goodness. You guess correctly. My palm-strike at my own crown, though laced with cunning, was also a desperate gamble. Had the strike been light, and he perceived the ruse, he would not have come to stop me. Of the thirteen fists, only the last remained. However fierce the Seven Injury Fist might be, how could it breach his protective divine skill? All hope of finding my shifu for vengeance would be lost forever. I staked everything on that single throw, and the palm-strike was delivered at full power. Had he not come to save me, I would have shattered my own skull and died, for without vengeance, I had no wish to live.”

“The Great Master Kongjian, seeing this extremity, cried, ‘Don’t! Why must you…’ and immediately leapt forward, reaching out to deflect my right palm. My left fist shot out and struck his chest and abdomen with a thud. This time he was utterly unprepared. He had not even a thought of invoking his divine skill. His mortal flesh could not withstand that blow. His internal organs ruptured at once, and he fell to the ground.”

“I had struck those two fists, and seeing he could not survive, conscience surged within me. I threw myself upon him and wept bitterly, crying, ‘Great Master Kongjian, I, Xie Xun, am ungrateful and treacherous, worse than a beast!’”

The three of them, Zhang Cuishan, Yin Susu, and Wuji, fell silent, each thinking that to slay this virtuous monk by such a trick was indeed a grievous wrong.

Xie Xun said, “The Great Master Kongjian, hearing me weep, smiled faintly and comforted me: ‘All mortals must die. Why need you grieve, Benefactor? Your shifu is about to arrive. You must be calm and act with care. Do not be reckless.’ His words roused me from my despair. Those thirteen fists had drained a tremendous measure of true force, and with a great enemy about to appear, how could I waste my strength in weeping? So I sat cross-legged and regulated my breathing. But a long time passed, and my shifu did not appear. Puzzled, I looked at the Great Master Kongjian.”

“By now his breath was faint and broken. He said haltingly, ‘I… I never thought he… he would break his word… Could… could someone have detained him?’ I flew into a rage and roared, ‘You lied to me! You tricked me into beating you to death, and still my shifu will not come!’ He shook his head. ‘I did not lie to you. I am truly sorry.’ In my blind fury I wanted to curse him, but then I thought: ‘What benefit could he gain from tricking me into killing him? I struck him dead, and he comes to apologise to me.’ Overwhelming shame seized me, and I knelt before him, saying, ‘Venerable Master, whatever wish you have, I will surely fulfil it for you!’ He smiled faintly and said, ‘Only this: when you kill in future, may you sometimes think of this old monk.’ “

“This eminent monk was not only supreme in the martial arts but great in wisdom and insight. He understood my nature perfectly. He knew he could never persuade me to abandon my thirst for vengeance and become a good man. But he asked that, when I killed, I might sometimes recall him. Fifth Brother, that day on the ship when you matched palms with me and I did not take your life, it was because I suddenly thought of the Great Master Kongjian.”

Zhang Cuishan had never imagined that his own life had been saved by the Great Master Kongjian, and his admiration for the eminent monk grew still deeper.

Xie Xun sighed. “His breath grew ever fainter. I pressed my palm to his Lingtai acupoint,¹⁰ pouring every ounce of internal force into prolonging his life. Suddenly he drew a deep breath and asked, ‘Your shifu has not come yet?’ I said, ‘He has not.’ He said, ‘He will never come now. He… he has deceived even me.’ I said, ‘Venerable Master, do not worry. I will not kill indiscriminately to provoke him. But I will search to the ends of the earth until I find him.’ He said, ‘Yes, but… your skill is not his equal… unless… unless…’ His voice grew lower and lower. I brought my ear to his lips and heard him say, ‘Unless… you can find the Dragon-Slaying Dao… find the… the secret within the…’ At the word ‘secret,’ his breath failed him, and he died.”

Only now did Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu understand why he had spent years in anguished thought probing the Dragon-Slaying Dao’s secret, why he was gentle and courteous in his right mind and like a wild beast when the madness took him, why a man who bore skill without equal in the world went burdened with sorrow from morning to night…

Xie Xun said, “Later I learned news of the Dragon-Slaying Dao and raced to Wang Pan Island to seize it. Fifth Sister, your father was a close friend of mine in years past: we were as brothers. The Eagle King and the Lion King, our names known throughout the world, later became bitter enemies. The complications that entangled others in that affair… those I cannot speak of to you. Before I obtained the dao, I searched by every means for Cheng Kun. After I gained the Dragon-Slaying Dao, I was instead afraid he would come for me, so I sought the most remote and hidden place I could find, to explore the dao’s secret at my leisure. It was because I feared you might reveal my whereabouts that I brought you along. Who could have imagined that in the blink of nine years, Xie Xun, you have accomplished nothing at all!”

Zhang Cuishan said, “When the Great Master Kongjian was dying, perhaps his words were not complete. He said, ‘Unless you find the secret within the Dragon-Slaying Dao…’. The implication may point to something else.” Xie Xun said, “In these nine years, I have considered every possibility, however wild or impossible. Not one fits his words. There is certainly a great secret hidden within the dao, of that I am sure. But I have exhausted every avenue of thought and cannot fathom it. I have traced my fingers over this blade and found only a notch near the hilt, unlike any common dao, but this notch serves no particular purpose in bladework either…”

---

After that long night’s conversation, Xie Xun spoke no more of the matter, but his supervision of Wuji’s training grew ferociously strict. Wuji was only nine years old at the time, and though clever, how could he hope to comprehend in a short span martial arts that were among the rarest under heaven? Xie Xun also taught him the arts of shifting acupoints and releasing sealed ones, skills of the most profound order in martial science. Wuji could not even identify the acupoints correctly, and with no foundation in neili, how could he possibly learn them? Xie Xun beat and scolded him without the slightest mercy.

Yin Susu often saw bruises covering her son’s body and felt great pity. She said to Xie Xun, “Big Brother, your divine skill is unmatched, but how can Wuji master it in three or five years? On this island, time stretches without limit. Why not teach him slowly?” Xie Xun said, “I am not teaching him to practise. I am teaching him to commit it all to memory.” Yin Susu asked in surprise, “You are not having Wuji train in martial arts?” Xie Xun said, “Hmph! To drill each move one by one, how could that be fast enough? I need only that he remember, that he engrave it deeply in his heart.”

Yin Susu did not understand his purpose, but knowing this big brother of hers always acted in ways that defied expectation, she let him be. Whenever she saw the child covered in fresh bruises, however, she would take him in her arms and comfort him. Wuji, remarkably, seemed to grasp the situation. “Mother, Sworn Father wants what is best for me. The harder he hits, the more firmly I remember.”

The better part of another year passed in this way. One morning, Xie Xun suddenly said, “Fifth Brother, Fifth Sister, in four months’ time the winds will turn south. From today, we begin building a raft.” Zhang Cuishan was seized by a mixture of shock and joy. “You mean to build a raft and return to the Central Plains?” Xie Xun said coldly, “That depends on whether heaven shows us mercy. It is said, ‘Man proposes. Heaven disposes.’ If we succeed, we return. If we fail, we drown in the great sea.”

In Yin Susu’s heart, she would gladly have remained on this island paradise, living in carefree ease without risking the perils of the voyage. But she thought of how Wuji would one day need to marry and raise children, and how pitiful it would be for him to be buried on this island all his life. So she threw herself into the work of building the raft with high spirits. The island was rich in towering ancient trees, but because they grew in that frozen climate, their growth was slow and the wood dense and hard as ironstone. Xie Xun and Zhang Cuishan busied themselves felling timber while Yin Susu wove sails from tree-fibre and beast-hide, and twisted cordage. Wuji ran to and fro as messenger. Despite the formidable skill of Xie Xun and Zhang Cuishan, and though Yin Susu was long since no delicate maiden, without proper tools the building of this great raft was twice the effort for half the result.

While the raft was under construction, Xie Xun always kept Wuji at his side, cross-examining him on the martial arts he had learned. By now Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu no longer withdrew when the questioning began. They listened as the sworn father questioned and the sworn son answered, all of it oral formulas. Xie Xun even required Wuji to commit to memory, as if reciting sacred texts, the oral traditions of various dao and jian techniques. This “martial education” was strange enough, but he added not a single word of explanation, like the worst of schoolmasters, forcing a child to memorise ‘the Odes say’ and ‘the Master said’ without understanding a word. Yin Susu, listening beside them, sometimes could not help but feel sorry for Wuji. How could even an adult versed in martial arts remember so many formulas and techniques? And what use was rote memorisation without practical demonstration? Could one truly defeat an enemy by reciting a few moves aloud? Moreover, whenever Wuji made the slightest error in recitation, Xie Xun would deliver a heavy slap to his cheek. Though he channelled no internal force into the blow, a single slap would often leave one side of Wuji’s face swollen and red for half a day.

The great raft took more than two months to complete, and the raising of the main and secondary masts consumed another half-month. Then came the hunting, the salting of meat, and the sewing of leather bags to hold fresh water. By the time everything was ready, the days had grown short and the nights long, but the wind had not yet turned. The three of them built a thatched shelter on the shore to cover the raft, waiting only for the wind to shift before they could put to sea.

By this time Xie Xun would not let Wuji out of his sight for even a moment. Even at night, the boy slept beside him. Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, seeing how he combined fierce strictness with genuine tenderness toward their son, could only exchange wry smiles.

One night, Zhang Cuishan was roused from sleep by an unfamiliar quality in the wind. He sat up at once and listened. Sure enough, the wind was blowing from the north. He pushed Yin Susu awake and said joyfully, “Listen!” Before Yin Susu, still drowsy, could answer, they heard Xie Xun’s voice from outside: “The north wind has turned! The north wind has turned!” His voice carried what seemed like the sound of weeping. Heard in the dead of night, it was unbearably bleak and desolate.

The next morning, Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu packed everything in high spirits, though after ten years on this ice-fire island, the sudden departure stirred a reluctant attachment. By the time all provisions had been loaded onto the raft, it was midday. The three of them worked together to push the raft into the sea. Wuji was the first to leap aboard, followed by Yin Susu.

Zhang Cuishan took Xie Xun’s hand and said, “Big Brother, the raft is six feet from shore. Let us jump aboard together!”

Xie Xun said, “Fifth Brother, from this day forward we brothers part for ever. Take good care of yourself.”

Zhang Cuishan’s heart gave a violent lurch, as though he had been struck a heavy blow to the chest. “You… you…” Xie Xun said, “Your heart is kind and generous. Blessings should follow you without end. But in matters of right and wrong, good and evil, you hold too hard, and calamity will come on you thick and fast. Be careful in all things. Wuji has a broad and generous spirit. He seems likely to be more adaptable and easy-going than you. Fifth Sister, though a woman, will never be taken advantage of by others. It is you, Fifth Brother, that I worry about most.” The more Zhang Cuishan heard, the more astonished and grieved he became. His voice trembled: “Big Brother, what are you saying? Are you not… not coming with us?” Xie Xun said, “I told you so several years ago. Have you forgotten?”

---

Those words struck Zhang Cuishan’s ears like a thunderclap. Only now did he remember that Xie Xun had indeed once said he would remain alone on the island, but since he had not mentioned it again in the intervening years, neither Zhang Cuishan nor Yin Susu had given it further thought. Throughout the building of the raft, Xie Xun had shown no sign of intending to stay behind. Who could have imagined that at the very moment of departure, he would speak these words? Zhang Cuishan said urgently, “Big Brother, what is good about this lonely, desolate island by yourself? Quick, jump onto the raft!” He pulled hard on Xie Xun’s arm, but Xie Xun’s body was rooted to the ground like a great tree, utterly immovable.

Zhang Cuishan called out, “Susu, Wuji, come quickly! Big Brother says he will not come with us!” Yin Susu and Wuji were both greatly shocked and leapt back ashore at once. Wuji said, “Sworn Father, why won’t you come? If you don’t go, then I won’t go either.”

In his heart, Xie Xun could not bear to part from the three of them. Once they left, there would surely be no reunion. He would be left alone on this desolate island, truly a fate worse than death. But since he had sworn brotherhood with Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, his care for them surpassed even his care for himself, and his love for his sworn son Wuji exceeded that for a biological child. He had thought long and hard: he bore upon his back a mountain of blood-debt. In the jianghu, whether among the upright Orders or the outlaw bands, countless people were plotting to bring about his death. Moreover, the Dragon-Slaying Dao had fallen into his hands, and the news of that could not fail to spread. In former days he would have faced it without fear, but now he was blind. He could never withstand a siege by numerous enemies. And Zhang Cuishan’s family would certainly not stand by and let him come to harm. Once conflict began, all four of them would perish together. The moment they returned to the mainland, he feared none of the four would survive a year or even six months. But there was no need to explain all this to them. He waited until the critical moment, then simply declared his decision to stay.

Hearing the raw sincerity in Wuji’s words, he took the boy in his arms and said gently, “Wuji, good child, listen to Sworn Father. Sworn Father is old, and blind in both eyes. I live well enough here. If I return to the Central Plains, I shall be uncomfortable everywhere, unhappy.” Wuji said, “When we return to the mainland, I will take care of you every day and never leave your side. Whatever you want to eat or drink, I will bring it to you at once. Won’t that be the same?” Xie Xun shook his head. “It will not work. I am happier here.” Wuji said, “I am happy here too. Father, Mother, why don’t we all stay? It is better here.”

Yin Susu said, “Big Brother, whatever your concern may be, please speak plainly so we can plan together. As for leaving you here alone, that simply cannot be.”

Xie Xun thought, “These three are deeply bound to me by loyalty and affection. To persuade them to leave willingly would take more words than breath can carry. How can I contrive a way to make them go?”

Zhang Cuishan suddenly said, “Big Brother, you fear that too many enemies will endanger us, is that it? Once we return to the mainland, we can find some remote place to live in seclusion, cut off from all contact with outsiders. Then nothing would go wrong. Best of all, we could go to Wudang Mountain. No one would ever imagine that the Golden-Haired Lion King would be living on Wudang Mountain.” Xie Xun said proudly, “Hmph. Though your big brother may be of little account, he has no need to shelter under your Venerable Master Zhang Zhenren’s eaves.” Zhang Cuishan deeply regretted his careless words and hastened to say, “Big Brother’s skill is in no way inferior to my shifu’s. Why should you need shelter under anyone? Huijiang and Tibet, the great deserts beyond the northern frontier, where is there not a paradise? The four of us could live in freedom wherever we choose.”

Xie Xun said, “If you seek a desolate place, where in all 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 are resolved not to go either!” Yin Susu and Wuji echoed in unison, “If you don’t go, none of us go!” Xie Xun sighed. “Very well. None of you go. Wait until I am dead, and then you may leave. That will not be too late.” Zhang Cuishan said, “True enough. We have lived here ten years. Why the haste?”

Xie Xun roared, “After I am dead, you will have nothing left to cling to, will you?” The three of them were startled, and in that instant they saw his hand reach out. With a ringing scrape, he drew the Dragon-Slaying Dao and swept it toward his own throat.

Zhang Cuishan cried out in alarm: “Do not harm Wuji!” He knew that with his own skill, he could never prevent his sworn brother from cutting his own throat. In his desperation, he had shouted at him not to harm Wuji. Sure enough, Xie Xun started at the cry and checked the blade. “What?” he barked.

Seeing his resolve so absolute, Zhang Cuishan said, his voice choking, “Since Big Brother is determined on this course, your humble brother takes his leave.” He knelt and bowed several times. But Wuji cried out in a clear voice, “Sworn Father, if you will not go, then I will not go either! If you take your own life, so will I! A man’s word is his bond. You sweep the dao across your throat, and I will do the same!”

Xie Xun shouted, “You little rascal, talking nonsense!” He seized Wuji by the back of his shirt and hurled him onto the raft. Then, with both hands, he grabbed and threw Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu after him, crying, “Fifth Brother, Fifth Sister, Wuji! May the wind be at your backs! I pray you reach the Central Plains in safety!” He added, “Wuji! When you return to the mainland, you must call yourself Zhang Wuji. The name ‘Xie Wuji’ you may keep in your heart, but on no account must you speak it aloud.”

Wuji screamed, “Sworn Father! Sworn Father!” and after several cries broke into bitter, unrestrained weeping.

Xie Xun held the dao across his throat and roared, “If you set foot on shore again, our sworn brotherhood is severed from this moment!”

Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, seeing that their sworn brother’s resolve was absolute and beyond all recall, could only wave farewell through their tears. The current bore the raft slowly away. Xie Xun’s figure grew ever more indistinct, shrinking smaller and smaller. Only when he had vanished entirely from sight did the three of them turn away. Wuji lay cradled in his mother’s arms, weeping until he was utterly spent, before at last he fell into a deep sleep.

The raft sailed upon the great sea, and thereafter the north wind blew without ceasing, driving them steadily southward. Upon that boundless ocean they could not make out their course. But the sun rose on their left each morning and set on their right, and the North Star glimmered behind the raft each night, and by these they knew they were drawing nearer to the Central Plains with every passing day. For the last twenty-odd days, Zhang Cuishan, fearing the raft might collide with an iceberg, kept only a small fraction of the secondary sail unfurled. The voyage was slower for it, but safe. Even if they struck an iceberg, it would be the lightest touch, and the raft would slide away. Only after they had left the icebergs far behind did he unfurl the full sail.

The north wind held day and night, and the raft’s speed increased many times over. Fortunately it was spring, and they encountered no storms along the way. The prospect of returning home grew to seven or eight parts certainty. During these days, Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, not wishing to distress Wuji, never spoke of Xie Xun.

Zhang Cuishan reflected, “Whether the martial arts Big Brother taught Wuji will be of any practical use is very much uncertain. Once Wuji returns to the mainland, he must eventually enter the Wudang Order.” The raft’s days were long and empty, so he began teaching Wuji the foundational fist and palm techniques of the Wudang Order. His method of instruction was immeasurably superior to Xie Xun’s, and the Wudang arts were not difficult in their beginnings. After a few explanations and a little guidance, Wuji had already learned them. Father and son, on that small raft, sparred and practised together.

That day Yin Susu, seeing the sea calm and unruffled, with both sails filled full and driving them south, could not help saying, “Big Brother’s mastery extends not only to martial arts. He can calculate wind and current with such precision. He is truly a man of extraordinary talent.”

Wuji suddenly said, “Since the wind blows south for half the year and north for the other half, next year we can go back to the ice-fire island to visit Sworn Father!” Zhang Cuishan said, delighted, “Wuji is right! When you are grown, we shall all go north together…”

Yin Susu suddenly pointed south and cried, “What is that?” Far away, where water met sky, two dark specks were faintly visible. Zhang Cuishan was alarmed. “Could they be whales? If they charge the raft, we are in trouble.”

Yin Susu watched for a while and said, “Not whales. I do not see them spouting.” The three of them stared without blinking at the two dark points. After more than a shichen,¹¹ Zhang Cuishan cried joyfully, “Ships! Ships!” and sprang up sharply, turning a somersault. Since Wuji’s birth, he had been so constantly occupied that he had never indulged in such a childlike gesture. Wuji laughed aloud and, imitating his father, turned two somersaults of his own.

After another shichen and more of sailing, the sun at an angle, they could see clearly that they were two large ships. Yin Susu suddenly trembled faintly, her face draining of colour. Wuji asked, puzzled, “Mother, what is it?” Yin Susu’s lips moved, but no words came. Zhang Cuishan took her hand, his face full of concern. Yin Susu sighed, “We have barely returned, and already we have encountered them.” Zhang Cuishan said, “What is it?” Yin Susu said, “Look at the sail.”

Zhang Cuishan gazed intently and saw that on the left-hand ship a great black eagle was painted on the sail, wings outstretched, its form fierce and commanding. He recalled the great banner of the Tianying Order he had seen on Wang Pan Island, and his heart lurched. “Is that… the Tianying Order?” Yin Susu whispered, “It is. It is my father’s Tianying Order.”

In an instant, a multitude of thoughts surged through Zhang Cuishan’s mind: Susu’s father was the master of the Tianying Order, and that evil cult seemed to commit every manner of wrongdoing. How would he face his father-in-law? What would his own shifu say of this marriage? He felt the small hand in his palm trembling gently, and knew that she too was beset by a thousand anxious thoughts. He said at once, “Susu, see how big our child is now! In heaven and on earth, we shall never be parted. What have you to fear?” Yin Susu breathed a long sigh, glanced back at him with a faint smile, and said softly, “The oath I swore, I have never forgotten it. I only hope I will not cause you difficulty. Whatever happens, please consider it for Wuji’s sake.”

Wuji, who had never seen a ship in his life, stared at the two vessels with unblinking curiosity, paying no heed to what his parents were saying.

The raft drew gradually closer. The two ships were riding very close together, almost touching. If their course held, the raft would pass several dozen zhang to starboard of the two ships.

Zhang Cuishan said, “Shall we hail them? Ask after news of your father?” Yin Susu said, “Do not hail them. Once we reach the mainland, I will take you and Wuji to see Father.” Zhang Cuishan said, “Very well.” Suddenly he saw a flicker of dao-light from the farther ship, as though four or five people were engaged in combat. “They are fighting on both ships.” Yin Susu gazed intently for a while, some anxiety in her expression. “I wonder if Father is over there?” Zhang Cuishan said, “Since we have encountered them, let us go and see.” He angled the sail and turned the raft’s stern-rudder. The raft bore slightly to port, heading directly toward the two ships.

Though the raft sailed with full canvas, it moved very slowly. It was a long while before it drew near.

A voice from the Tianying Order’s ship called out loudly, “We have important business. Uninvited guests, please keep your distance.” Yin Susu raised her voice and called back, “The sacred fire burns bright, blessing all the world. Sun and moon shine upon the soaring Eagle! Here is a Hall Commander of the main altar. Which Altar burns incense and raises the flame?” She was speaking the Tianying Order’s secret code-words.¹² The man on the ship immediately replied in respectful tones, “Altar Commander Cheng of the Azure Dragon Altar and Altar Commander Feng of the Divine Serpent Altar, at the service of Hall Commander Li of the Heavenly Market Hall, we respectfully welcome you. Is it Hall Commander Yin of the Celestial Subtlety Hall who graces us with his presence?” Yin Susu said clearly, “It is the Hall Commander of the Purple Sublimity Hall.”

The moment “Hall Commander of the Purple Sublimity Hall” was heard on the farther ship, a commotion broke out. After a moment, a dozen or more voices cried in unison, “Young Mistress Yin has returned! Young Mistress Yin has returned!”

Though Zhang Cuishan had been married to Yin Susu for ten years, he had never heard her speak of her affairs in the Tianying Order, nor had he ever asked. Now, hearing the exchange, he learned that she was something called “Hall Commander,” and that a “Hall Commander” ranked above an “Altar Commander.” On Wang Pan Island he had already seen the skill of the commanders of the Black Tortoise and Vermillion Bird Altars, whose skill surpassed Yin Susu’s. She held the position of Hall Commander only because she was the Order Leader’s daughter. This Commander Li of the Heavenly Market Hall must also be a formidable figure.

A hoary voice from the opposite ship called out, “I hear that the Order Leader’s beloved daughter, Young Mistress Yin, has returned. Shall we all pause our fighting for the moment?” Another bright, clear voice said, “Good! Everyone cease.” The clash of weapons fell silent at once, and the combatants leapt apart.

---

Zhang Cuishan recognised that forthright, ringing voice and started. “Is that Second Brother Yu Lianzhou?” From the other ship a voice called, “I am indeed Yu Lianzhou… ah… ah… you… you…”

Zhang Cuishan said, “I am your humble Fifth Brother, Zhang Cuishan!” His emotions surged. Seeing that the raft was still several zhang from the ships, he snatched up a great piece of timber from the raft, hurled it into the sea with all his strength, and leapt after it. Using the timber as a springboard, he vaulted onto the deck of the opposite ship.

Yu Lianzhou rushed forward. The sworn brothers had been parted for ten years, not knowing whether the other lived or died. What joy was in that reunion! Their four hands clasped, one cried “Second Brother!” and the other “Fifth Brother!” Their eyes brimmed with tears, and neither could speak another word.

On the Tianying Order’s side, Yin Susu’s welcome was conducted with quite another display of splendour. Eight great sea-conches sounded their deep notes while Hall Commander Li stood at the fore, with Altar Commanders Cheng and Feng behind him, and a hundred or more Order members ranged in ranks beyond. A gangplank was laid between the great ship and the raft, and seven or eight sailors hooked the raft with long poles. Yin Susu, holding Wuji’s hand, walked across the gangplank.

The Tianying Order’s Order Leader, Yin Tianzheng the White-Browed Eagle King, commanded forces divided into the Three Inner Halls and Five Outer Altars, each governing its own contingent of members. The Three Inner Halls were the Purple Sublimity, Heavenly Market, and Celestial Subtlety Halls.[^san tang] The Five Outer Altars were the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Vermillion Bird, and Divine Serpent. The Celestial Subtlety Hall was commanded by Yin Tianzheng’s eldest son, Yin Yewang. The Purple Sublimity Hall was commanded by Yin Susu herself. The Heavenly Market Hall was commanded by Yin Tianzheng’s martial shidi¹³, Li Tianyuan.

[^san tang]: 内三堂 – nèi sān táng. Three Inner Halls of the Tianying Order: Tiānwēi (Celestial Subtlety), Zǐwēi (Purple Sublimity), and Tiānshì (Heavenly Market).

Li Tianyuan, seeing Yin Susu in tattered clothes, part fur, part hide, and carrying a child, was briefly taken aback, then his face broke into a broad smile. “Thank heaven! You have returned. These ten years have worried your father half to death!”

Yin Susu bowed low and said, “Shishu¹⁴, I greet you.” Then to Wuji: “Quick, kowtow to your grand-martial-uncle.” Wuji knelt and bowed, his small eyes darting to and fro as he stared at Li Tianyuan. The sudden sight of so many people on the ship filled him with boundless curiosity.

Yin Susu rose and said, “Shishu, this is my child, Zhang Wuji.”

Li Tianyuan was startled, then laughed heartily. “Excellent, excellent! Your father will be beside himself with joy: not only has his daughter come home, but she has brought such a fine-looking grandson!”

Yin Susu, noticing several corpses lying on the decks of both ships and blood splashed everywhere, asked in a low voice, “Who are the opponents, and why the fighting?” Li Tianyuan said, “The Wudang Order and the Kunlun School.” Yin Susu had already heard her husband cry “Second Brother Yu” and then leap to the other ship, where he was now locked in an embrace with someone. She had known at once that Wudang people were among the company. Hearing Li Tianyuan’s words, she said, “Best if we can avoid fighting. If the matter can be resolved, let it be resolved.”

Li Tianyuan said, “Yes.” Though he was Yin Susu’s shishu, within the Tianying Order the Heavenly Market Hall ranked below the Purple Sublimity Hall, as the last of the Inner Halls. In matters of martial seniority, Li Tianyuan was the elder, but in affairs of the Order, Yin Susu’s authority outranked his.

Zhang Cuishan’s voice came from the other ship: “Susu, Wuji, come over and meet my sworn brother.” Yin Susu, holding Wuji’s hand, walked toward the opposite ship’s deck. Li Tianyuan and Altar Commanders Cheng and Feng, fearing for her safety, followed close behind.

When they reached the other ship, they saw seven or eight people standing on deck. A tall, lean man of forty-odd years was holding Zhang Cuishan’s hand with great warmth. Zhang Cuishan said, “Susu, this is the Second Brother Yu I have so often spoken of. Second Brother, this is your sister-in-law and your nephew Wuji.” Yu Lianzhou and Li Tianyuan were both greatly startled. The Tianying Order and the Wudang Order were locked in fierce combat, yet who could have imagined that the leading figures on the two sides were husband and wife, and had a child between them?

Yu Lianzhou knew that the complexities of the situation could not be explained in a moment, so he first introduced Zhang Cuishan to the others on the ship.

A short, stout Daoist priest wearing a yellow crown was Xihuazi of the Kunlun School. Another, a middle-aged woman, was Xihuazi’s martial shimei¹⁵, “Lightning Hand” Wei Siliang,¹⁶ known in the jianghu behind her back as “Madam Lightning.” Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu had heard of both their reputations. The remaining several were also skilled fighters of the Kunlun School, though none bore so famous a name as Xihuazi and Wei Siliang. Xihuazi, though well advanced in years, possessed not a shred of self-restraint. He opened by demanding, “Zhang the Fifth Xia, where is that villain Xie Xun? You must know, surely?”

Zhang Cuishan, not yet returned to the mainland and still upon the boundless sea, was confronted with two difficulties at once: first, his own Order was already at blows with the Tianying Order. Second, everyone’s first question was Xie Xun’s whereabouts. He did not know how to answer, and turned to Yu Lianzhou. “Second Brother, what is going on?”

Xihuazi, seeing that Zhang Cuishan ignored his question, grew impatient and said loudly, “Did you not hear me? Where is that villain Xie Xun?” He held high seniority within the Kunlun School and was strong in the martial arts, long accustomed to ordering others about.

Altar Commander Feng of the Tianying Order’s Divine Serpent Altar was a man of malicious disposition. During the fighting just now, two of his disciples had been killed by Xihuazi’s jian, and he was already deeply angry with the man. He said coldly, “Zhang the Fifth Xia is our Order Leader’s beloved son-in-law. Speak to him with more respect.” Xihuazi flew into a rage. “The demonic cult’s harlot, how can she be wedded to a disciple of an upright Order? This marriage must conceal some crooked dealing.” Altar Commander Feng sneered, “Our Order Leader already holds a grandson in his arms. What nonsense are you spouting?” Xihuazi raged, “That harlot…”

Wei Siliang had long since seen through Altar Commander Feng’s purpose. She knew he intended to sow discord between the Kunlun and Wudang Orders while currying favour with Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu. She guessed that Xihuazi’s next words would be still more offensive, and hastened to say, “Shixiong¹⁷, do not waste breath on pointless quarrelling. Let us all hear what Yu the Second Xia has to say.”

Yu Lianzhou looked at Zhang Cuishan, then at Yin Susu, his own mind full of puzzlement. He said, “Let us all retire to the cabin to discuss this at length. The wounded on both sides should be tended first.”

At this point the Tianying Order were the guests, and the highest-ranking among them was the Purple Sublimity Hall Commander Yin Susu. Holding Wuji’s hand, she was the first to step into the cabin, followed by Li Tianyuan.

As Altar Commander Feng crossed the threshold, he felt a faint breeze strike his waist. A man of such vast experience knew at once that Xihuazi was attempting a secret strike. He did not bother to defend, merely lurched forward, crying, “Ouch! Someone is attacking me!” That dodge avoided Xihuazi’s “Three Yin Palm”¹⁸ entirely, but his shout made everyone turn to look.

Wei Siliang shot her shixiong a glare. Xihuazi’s swarthy face flushed a deeper red. Everyone knew that now they were aboard this ship, Altar Commander Feng and the others were guests, and Xihuazi’s sneak attack was unbecoming of a master from an upright Order.

All took their seats in the cabin, guest and host arranged by rank. Yin Susu sat in the chief guest seat, with Wuji standing at her side. On the host side, Yu Lianzhou was at the head. He pointed to the chair below Wei Siliang and said, “Fifth Brother, sit here.” Zhang Cuishan replied, “Yes,” and took his seat as directed. In this way, Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu found themselves on opposite sides, guest and host, which meant opposing factions.

In these ten years, Yu Daiyan had been confined by his injuries and had not ventured forth, while Zhang Cuishan had vanished, his fate unknown. The remaining five Wudang heroes’ fame had grown yet greater. Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, and the others, though only the second generation of the Wudang Order, had quietly come to stand as equals with the eminent monks of the Shaolin Order. The jianghu held the Five Xia of Wudang in the deepest respect, which was why Xihuazi and Wei Siliang deferred to Yu Lianzhou for the chief seat.

Yu Lianzhou was thinking, “Fifth Brother has been missing for ten years, and has married the daughter of the Tianying Order’s Order Leader. To question him before all these people, he must have difficulties he cannot speak of.” He said in a clear voice, “Our five Orders, Shaolin, Kunlun, Emei, Kongtong, and Wudang, along with the Nine Gates including the Divine Fist and the Wufeng Dao, and the Seven Guilds including the Sea Sand and the Great Whale, twenty-one Orders, gates, and guilds in all, have been searching for the whereabouts of Xie Xun the Golden-Haired Lion King, the Tianying Order’s Miss Yin, and our own Zhang Cuishan shidi. In the course of this search, we have had unfortunate misunderstandings with the Tianying Order, and there have been casualties on both sides. For ten years the jianghu has known no peace…” He paused, then continued, “By heaven’s fortune, Miss Yin and my Zhang shidi have suddenly appeared. Many of the puzzles of the past decade can now at last be resolved. But the events of ten years are tangled and complex. They cannot be sorted out in a moment. In my view, we should return to the mainland. Miss Yin can report to her father the Order Leader, and my Zhang shidi will return to Wudang to inform our shifu. Then both sides can choose a place to meet and discuss right and wrong. If we can turn enemies into friends, that would be for the best…”

Xihuazi suddenly broke in: “Where is that villain Xie Xun? It is Xie Xun we are looking for.”

Zhang Cuishan, hearing that the search for the three of them had embroiled twenty-two Orders and guilds in the Central Plains in a decade of warfare with countless casualties, was deeply troubled. And now Xihuazi kept pressing for Xie Xun’s whereabouts. He was at a terrible loss. If he revealed the truth, how many martial arts experts would descend upon the ice-fire island to seek vengeance? But if he said nothing, how could he keep it hidden? As he hesitated, Yin Susu suddenly said, “The villain Xie Xun, who committed every evil and killed without number, died nine years ago.”

Yu Lianzhou, Xihuazi, Wei Siliang, and the others all cried in surprise, “Xie Xun is dead?”

Yin Susu said, “On the very day I gave birth to this child, the villain Xie Xun was seized by one of his madness-fits. He was about to kill Fifth Brother and me when suddenly he heard the child’s cry. At that sound his heart-affliction flared up, and the villain Xie Xun, who had wreaked such havoc, died from that moment on.”

By now Zhang Cuishan understood. Yin Susu’s repeated assertion that “the villain Xie Xun is dead” was not, strictly speaking, a lie. From the moment Xie Xun heard Wuji’s first cry, his conscience had been awakened, and from that point he had abandoned his madness and turned from evil toward good. As for his act of forcing the three of them to leave the island, that too was a deed of self-sacrifice and great righteousness. It was entirely fair to say that “the villain Xie Xun, who committed every evil and killed without number” had died nine years ago, and that “the good Xie Xun” had been born in his stead.

Xihuazi snorted through his nose. He was convinced that Yin Susu was a demonic cult harlot whose words could never be trusted. He said sharply, “Zhang the Fifth Xia, is that villain Xie Xun truly dead?”

Zhang Cuishan said without hesitation, “It is true. The villain Xie Xun who wrought such evil died nine years ago.”

---

Wuji, standing to one side, heard them reviling the villain Xie Xun without end, and heard his own father and mother say he was already dead. Though clever, how could a child understand the complexities of the jianghu? Xie Xun’s kindness toward him, the care and love he had shown, had been no less than a parent’s. A wave of anguish rose in him, and he burst into loud, unrestrained sobs, crying, “Sworn Father is not a villain! Sworn Father is not dead! He is not dead!” Those cries left everyone in the cabin stunned.

In her fury, Yin Susu turned and slapped him across the face. “Be silent!” Wuji wept, “Mother, why do you say Sworn Father is dead? Is he not alive and well?” All his life he had known only his parents and his sworn father. The world’s treachery and deceit had never once touched him. Had he been a child raised in the jianghu, even half as clever, he would have known that lying was everyday business and would never have blurted out such a revelation. Yin Susu scolded, “Your elders are speaking. What business has a child butting in? We are talking about the villain Xie Xun, not your sworn father.” Wuji was bewildered, but dared not speak again.

Xihuazi gave a faint cold smile and asked Wuji, “Little boy, Xie Xun is your sworn father, is he not? Where is he?”

Wuji, seeing his parents’ expressions, knew that what they were discussing was of the utmost importance. He shook his head at Xihuazi’s question and said, “I will not tell you.” Those three words, “I will not tell you”, were in effect a still clearer declaration that Xie Xun was not dead.

Xihuazi fixed his gaze on Zhang Cuishan and said, “Zhang the Fifth Xia, is this young lady of the Tianying Order truly your wife?” Zhang Cuishan, not expecting so sudden a question, said clearly, “Indeed. She is my wife.” Xihuazi said harshly, “Two disciples of my Kunlun School have been ruined by your wife’s hand, reduced to a state between life and death. How do you answer for that?”

Both Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu started. Yin Susu at once retorted, “Nonsense!” Zhang Cuishan said, “There must be some misunderstanding. My wife and I have not set foot on the mainland for ten years. How could we have harmed your school’s disciples?” Xihuazi said, “And what of ten years ago? Gao Zecheng and Jiang Litao were maimed. By calculation, that was fully ten years ago.” Yin Susu said, “Gao Zecheng and Jiang Litao?” Xihuazi said, “Does Madam Zhang still remember those two? Perhaps you have harmed so many that you can no longer keep count.” Yin Susu said, “What has become of them? Why are you so certain it was I who harmed them?”

Xihuazi laughed aloud. “You ask why I am certain? Ha! Gao and Jiang, though reduced to imbeciles, can still remember one thing and speak one name. They know that the one who ruined them was ‘Yin… Su… Su!’” He spoke each of the three characters separately, his voice thick with hatred, his great eyes fixed unblinkingly on Yin Susu, as though he longed to draw his jian and run her through on the spot.

Altar Commander Feng suddenly interjected, “The personal name of our Order’s Purple Sublimity Hall Commander, is it for you, a common Daoist priest, to blurt out so casually? You do not even observe the basic precepts, yet you presume to pass yourself off as a senior of the jianghu? Brother Cheng, is there anything in this world more shameful?” Altar Commander Cheng took up the thread: “There is not. Among the so-called upright Orders, there are lunatics like this. Ridiculous, truly ridiculous!”

Xihuazi was enraged to the point of madness. “Which of you are you calling shameful? What is so ridiculous?”

Altar Commander Feng did not deign to glance at him. “Brother Cheng, a man may learn a few third-rate swordsmanship tricks, but his conduct and speech should still resemble something human, would you not say?” Altar Commander Cheng said, “Ever since Daoist Lingbao’s passing, the Kunlun School has gone from bad to worse, more outrageous with every generation.”

Daoist Lingbao was Xihuazi’s grand shifu¹⁹ and the martial shixiong of the Kunlun Three Sages He Zudao. Though his martial skill did not match He Zudao’s, his personal virtue and reputation were admired by all in the jianghu. Xihuazi’s face flushed dark purple, but he could not refute this remark. To say it was wrong would be to claim he surpassed his own grand shifu, whose fame had shaken the world. He darted across to stand at the cabin door, drew his jian with a ringing scrape, and called, “You demons of the evil cult, step outside if you dare and settle this properly!”

Altar Commander Feng and Altar Commander Cheng had provoked Xihuazi precisely in order to relieve the pressure on Yin Susu. They reasoned that since Zhang Cuishan and Hall Commander Yin were husband and wife, the relationship between the Wudang Order and the Tianying Order was far from ordinary. Even if Yu Lianzhou and Zhang Cuishan would not openly take sides, at the very least they would remain neutral. The Tianying Order, fighting the Kunlun School alone, could count on certain victory.

Wei Siliang, her brow deeply furrowed, had also grasped this point. She knew that with herself and her shixiong and four or five others, they could never withstand so many Tianying Order experts, and with Zhang Cuishan and his wife so devoted, they would very likely aid the Tianying Order side. She said, “Shixiong, these people are guests on our ship. Let us simply follow Yu the Second Xia’s instructions.” She was using words to pressure Yu Lianzhou, counting on his reputation and position to prevent any partiality. But Xihuazi was an utter blockhead. He bellowed, “The Wudang Order has already become in-laws with the Tianying Order, swimming in the same filthy stream! What impartial judgement can you expect from him?”

Yu Lianzhou was a man of great depth, his emotions never showing on his face. Hearing Xihuazi’s words, he was silent and contemplative.

Wei Siliang hastily said, “Shixiong, why are you talking nonsense? Not only have our Wudang and Kunlun Schools been linked like branches of the same tree, with deep roots shared, fighting side by side against enemies for ten years in perfect harmony, but Yu the Second Xia is an iron-clad hero, his reputation known throughout the jianghu. Who in all the world does not admire him? How could the Five Xia of Wudang be partial or unjust?” Xihuazi snorted. “We shall see.” Wei Siliang cursed her shixiong silently for a fool. He could not even grasp the meaning beneath her words. She said loudly, “Shixiong, you have no cause to offend the Five Xia of Wudang. When Shifu and our sect-master learn of this, I shall wash my hands of the matter.” She spoke repeatedly of “the Five Xia of Wudang,” deliberately not including Zhang Cuishan in the number. Only when she invoked Shifu and the sect-master did Xihuazi dare speak no more.

Yu Lianzhou said slowly, “This matter concerns the great Orders and guilds of the entire jianghu. I, being without virtue or ability, dare not presume to make decisions. In any case, this affair has troubled the jianghu for ten years. What is another year or two? I must take my Zhang shidi back to Wudang and report to our shifu and Eldest Brother Song, to await our shifu’s instructions.”

Xihuazi sneered, “Yu the Second Xia’s stonewalling art of ‘As If Sealing, As If Closing’, is truly masterfully deployed!”

Yu Lianzhou was not easily angered, but the “As If Sealing, As If Closing” technique that Xihuazi mocked was precisely the most celebrated defensive art of the Wudang Order’s fist method, created by their own shifu Zhang Sanfeng. To mock Wudang’s martial arts was to insult their shifu himself. But he immediately turned the thought: “If this matter is handled with the slightest impropriety, it will unleash a catastrophe upon the jianghu that cannot be undone. This witless Daoist priest speaks foolishly. Why stoop to his level?”

Xihuazi saw Yu Lianzhou’s eyelids lift at the taunt, and the light in those eyes blazed out like lightning. Something jumped in his breast: “My shifu and sect-master are the Kunlun School’s greatest masters, yet even their gaze does not seem so formidable.” Yu Lianzhou’s eye-light faded at once, and he said mildly, “If Daoist Brother Xihua has some superior counsel, I am all ears.” Xihuazi, chilled by that glance, turned away and said, “Shimei, what do you say? Are we simply to let the affair of Gao and Jiang drop?”

Before Wei Siliang could answer, the sound of a horn came from the south, blowing without ceasing. A Kunlun School disciple stepped to the cabin door and said, “The reinforcements from the Kongtong School and the Emei Order have arrived.” Xihuazi and Wei Siliang were overjoyed. Wei Siliang said, “Yu the Second Xia, perhaps we should hear the views of the Kongtong and Emei Orders as well.” Yu Lianzhou said, “Very good.”

Li Tianyuan and Altar Commanders Cheng and Feng exchanged glances, their faces showing faint alarm.

Zhang Cuishan now bore an additional weight of worry. “The Emei Order is one thing, but the Kongtong School shares a bitter feud with Big Brother. He wounded the five Kongtong elders and seized their Seven Injury Fist Manual. Naturally they have been searching for him with desperate urgency.”

Yin Susu was thinking along the same lines, and also reflected that had Wuji not blurted out the truth, matters would have been far simpler. But Wuji had never told a lie in his life, and his devotion to Xie Xun was deep. He had suddenly been told his sworn father was dead. It was only natural that he should weep and cry. She could not blame him. Seeing the red mark of her slap still swollen on his cheek, she felt a pang of tenderness and drew him into her arms. Wuji was still uneasy. He put his small mouth close to his mother’s ear and whispered, “Mother, Sworn Father is not dead, is he?” Yin Susu brought her lips to his ear and whispered back, “He is not dead. I was deceiving them. These are all evil men and wicked men. They want to harm your sworn father.” Wuji understood at once and shot a fierce glare at everyone in the cabin, thinking, “So you are all evil men and wicked men, trying to harm my sworn father.”

From this day forward, Zhang Wuji at last stepped into the jianghu and began to comprehend the malice that dwells in human hearts. He raised his hand to touch his cheek, where his mother’s slap still throbbed faintly. He knew that though it was his mother’s hand that had struck him, it was in truth the doing of these evil and wicked men before him. He had grown up beneath the loving shelter of his parents and his sworn father, never having understood that the world could hold people who bore ill will. Xie Xun had told him the story of Cheng Kun, but that had been only words heard through the ear. Not until this moment did he truly face, for the first time, what he himself considered evil and wicked men.

Footnotes

1. 真气 – zhēnqì. Literally zhenqi. Qi refined through neigong. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 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. ↩

3. 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. ↩

4. 混元霹雳手 – Hùnyuán Pīlì Shǒu. Literally Mixed-Origin Thunderbolt Hand. Epithet of Cheng Kun, Xie Xun’s shifu. ↩

5. 苦海无边，回头是岸 – Kǔhǎi wúbiān, huítóu shì àn. Buddhist proverb meaning that the sea of suffering is without limit, but the moment one turns back, the shore of salvation is reached. ↩

6. 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. ↩

7. 丈 – zhàng. Traditional Chinese unit of length equal to approximately 3.3 metres or 11 feet. ↩

8. 霹雳拳 – Pīlì Quán. Thunderbolt Fist. Fist technique taught by Cheng Kun to Xie Xun, swift and explosive like a thunderclap. ↩

9. 金刚不坏体神功 – Jīngāng Bùhuài Tǐ Shéngōng. Literally Diamond Indestructible Body Divine Skill. One of the five supreme martial arts of ancient times, this Shaolin defensive art renders the practitioner’s body impervious to harm by generating a rebounding force field. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

10. 灵台穴 – Língtái xué. Lingtai acupoint, located on the Governing Vessel (督脉) at the level of the seventh thoracic vertebra. ↩

11. 时辰 – shíchén. Traditional Chinese unit of time equal to two hours; the day was divided into twelve shichen. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 切口 – qiēkǒu. Secret code-words or password phrases used by jianghu organisations to identify members and rank. ↩

13. 师弟 – shīdì. Male junior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Dì means younger brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 师叔 – shīshū. Junior lineage uncle. Shidi or shimei of one’s shifu. Shī means teacher. Shū means father’s younger brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 师妹 – shīmèi. Female junior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Mèi means younger sister. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 卫四娘 – Wèi Sìniáng. Literally Fourth Lady Wei. Kunlun School swordswoman known as Lightning Hand for her swift strikes. ↩

17. 师兄 – shīxiōng. Male senior. Both apprenticed to the same shifu. Shī means teacher. Xiōng means older brother. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

18. 三阴手 – Sānyīn Shǒu. Literally Three Yin Palm. Kunlun School palm technique. ↩

19. 师祖 – shīzǔ. Grand Shifu — the shifu of one’s shifu, two rungs up. Not a rank: 宗师 is the grandmaster. See §IV.11e. ↩