The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 9 – Part 10

Song Yuanqiao had not spoken until now. Seeing that the two sides had reached an impasse and were about to come to blows, he held out a hand to stay Mo Shenggu, and said with a faint smile, “The three of you have travelled far to visit our humble abode, and you insist, time and again, that our Fifth Brother slew the entire household of the Longmen Armed Escort in Lin'an. Fortunately, my shidi will be back on the mountain before long. I ask the three of you to bear with us a little while longer. Once you have met him face to face, you may sort out right from wrong.”

Gong Jiujia, the withered, sickly-looking Escort Chief of the Yanyun Armed Escort, said, “Escort Chief Qi, pray sit down. Since Zhang the Fifth Xia has not yet returned, this matter cannot easily be settled. We had best pay our respects to Zhang the Perfected One¹ and ask him to speak with his own golden mouth. Zhang the Perfected One is the Mount Tai and the Northern Dipper of the present-day wulin.² Every hero and brave man under heaven holds him in reverence. Surely he would not distinguish right from wrong and shield a guilty disciple?”

His words were courteous enough, but the implication was sharp. How could Mo Shenggu not hear it? He said at once, “Our shifu is in secluded cultivation and has not yet emerged from his retreat. Moreover, in recent years all affairs of our Wudang Order have been handled by my Eldest shixiong. Save for men of truly great renown in the wulin, our shifu rarely receives guests.” The meaning was plain: you three are not yet of sufficient standing to see our shifu.

Yun He, the tall, lean Escort Chief of the Jinyang Armed Escort, smiled coldly. “How remarkably convenient that just as we ascend the mountain, your revered Zhang the Perfected One enters seclusion. Yet the seventy-odd lives of the Longmen Armed Escort cannot be dodged by going into retreat.” Gong Jiujia, hearing these words go too far, shot him a hasty look to stop. But Mo Shenggu could contain himself no longer. He bellowed, “Are you saying our shifu went into seclusion because he is afraid?” Yun He smiled coldly again and did not answer.

Song Yuanqiao, for all his forbearance, could not let an insult to his shifu pass. Before the Seven Xias of Wudang, someone had spoken disrespectfully of Zhang Sanfeng, a thing unheard of in over ten years. He said slowly, “You three are guests from afar. We would not dream of offending. See the guests out!” With that, he flicked his sleeve. A fierce gust of wind swept out with the motion, and the three tea bowls on the low tables before Qi Tianbiao, Yun He, and Gong Jiujia were lifted by the wind and sailed through the air, coming to rest on the table before Song Yuanqiao. The three bowls rose slowly and settled gently, landing with a soft triple clink, without a single drop of tea spilled.

When Song Yuanqiao’s sleeve swept out, the three Escort Chiefs had felt the seemingly gentle yet overwhelmingly powerful sleeve-wind press against their chests. At once their breath was cut off. They could not draw air. The three hastily mobilised their neili³ to resist, but the sleeve-wind came and went in an instant. The pressure on their chests vanished of a sudden, and with three great booming sounds, pop, pop, pop, they all exhaled mightily. The shock they felt was immense. They knew that if Song Yuanqiao flicked his left sleeve a second time, the next gust would find their defences open, their neili driven into reverse. They would either die on the spot or suffer grave injuries, their neigong shattered. Only now did the three Escort Chiefs understand that this mild-mannered, modest, scholarly Song daxia⁴ truly possessed unfathomable martial skill.

Behind the screen, Zhang Cuishan thought of Yin Susu’s slaughter of the Longmen Armed Escort’s household, and felt a wave of shame and anguish. Then, seeing the depth of power Song Yuanqiao had revealed in a single flick of his sleeve, he was struck with awe. He thought, Our Wudang Order’s neigong⁵ advances faster the further one progresses. When I was at Wangpan Mountain, my neili was far behind Xiong’s. Yet by the time we parted on Ice Fire Island, the gap had narrowed considerably. When Xiong meant to kill Eldest Brother in Luoyang, Eldest Brother certainly could not have withstood him then. But even if Xiong’s eyes were not blind, his kung fu today would not surpass Eldest Brother by much. In another ten years, Eldest Brother and Second Brother may well overtake Xiong entirely.

Qi Tianbiao cupped his fists and said, “Many thanks, Song daxia, for sparing our lives. We take our leave.” Song Yuanqiao and Mo Shenggu saw them to the eaves of the water-course. Qi Tianbiao turned and said, “Please do not trouble yourselves further.” Song Yuanqiao said, “It was a rare honour to have the three Escort Chiefs visit our humble mountain. Another day, I shall pay return calls at your honoured establishments in Dadu, Taiyuan, and Jinling.” Qi Tianbiao said, “How could we deserve such courtesy?” Having witnessed Song Yuanqiao’s kung fu, he felt that this Song daxia, though possessing extraordinary and unparalleled skill, showed not a trace of arrogance in word or deed. His admiration grew. The combative fury with which he had come up the mountain, ready to demand justice and fight to the death, had cooled by more than half.

The two were exchanging pleasantries when Qi Tianbiao suddenly noticed a short, sinewy, bright-eyed middle-aged man striding in through the door. Song Yuanqiao said, “Fourth Brother, come and meet these three gentlemen.” He introduced Zhang Songxi to Qi Tianbiao and the rest.

Zhang Songxi said with a smile, “You have come at just the right moment. I have a few small items to entrust to the three of you.” He handed over three little bundles, one to each. Qi Tianbiao asked, “What are these?” Zhang Songxi said, “It is not convenient to open them here. Look after you have left the mountain.” The three shixiong saw the three Escort Chiefs all the way to the gate of the guan before taking their leave.

Once the three had gone some distance, Mo Shenggu asked urgently, “Fourth Brother, where is Fifth Brother? Has he come back to the mountain?” Zhang Songxi said with a smile, “Go in and see Fifth Brother first. Eldest Brother and I will wait here in the hall for these three escort men to return.” Mo Shenggu cried, “Fifth Brother is inside? And these three escort men are coming back, why?” His heart was set on Zhang Cuishan, and without waiting for Zhang Songxi to explain, he dashed inside.

Mo Shenggu had barely entered the inner hall when Qi Tianbiao and the other two came hurrying back. They threw themselves to the ground and kowtowed before Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Songxi, who hastily returned the salute. Yun He said, “The great kindness of the Wudang heroes: only now do I comprehend it. Just now, my words offended Zhang the Perfected One. I am worse than a dog or a pig.” With that, he raised his hands and slapped his own face, left, right, left, right, a dozen times or more, striking so hard that both cheeks swelled red, yet still he did not stop. Song Yuanqiao, bewildered, hastened to restrain him.

Zhang Songxi said, “Escort Chief Yun is a man of spirit and resolve. The great vow to drive out the Tartars and restore our rivers and mountains: every true man of China shares this heart. What small service we have rendered is no more than our duty. Why must Escort Chief Yun be so hard on himself?”

Yun He said, “My old mother, my young son, my entire household: their lives are owed to the heroes. I have been blundering in a daze these past five years, as though asleep. Just now my words were insolent. If you two would beat me soundly, only then might I feel some small ease.”

Zhang Songxi smiled. “What is past need not be mentioned. Escort Chief Yun’s words just now were heard by our shifu himself, and out of respect for what Escort Chief Yun has done, he would certainly not take offence.” Yet Yun He remained deeply abashed, reproaching himself without ceasing.

Song Yuanqiao, not understanding the reason for all this, offered a few modest words in reply. He noticed that although Qi Tianbiao and Gong Jiujia kept thanking them as well, Zhang Songxi’s manner towards the two was perfunctory, whilst towards Yun He it was warm and respectful. The three Escort Chiefs insisted on going to kowtow outside Zhang Sanfeng’s seclusion chamber, and on seeing Mo Shenggu to apologise. Zhang Songxi declined each request in turn, and only then did they take their leave.

After the three had gone, Zhang Songxi sighed. “These three are grateful to us in their hearts, yet not one of them mentioned the lives of the Longmen Armed Escort. It seems gratitude is gratitude, but that disaster still cannot be undone.”

Song Yuanqiao was about to ask the reason when Zhang Cuishan came striding out from the inner hall, threw himself to the ground, and cried, “Eldest Brother, I have missed you sorely.” Song Yuanqiao was a man of courtesy and humility. Even with a shidi of his own school, even after a long parting and the surge of emotion, he did not abandon propriety. He bowed with equal respect and said, “Fifth Brother, you have returned at last.”

Zhang Cuishan gave a brief account of his travels since their parting. Mo Shenggu, impatient, asked, “Fifth Brother, those three escort men were insolent, insisting on blaming you for the slaughter of the Longmen Armed Escort’s household in Lin’an. Your forbearance was too great: why did you not go out and teach them a lesson?” Zhang Cuishan sighed bitterly. “The truth of the matter is long and tangled, and cannot be told in a breath. When I have laid it all out, I ask my brothers to help me think of a way through.”

Yin Liting said, “Fifth Brother, do not worry. The Longmen Armed Escort failed in their duty to escort Third Brother, and caused him to be crippled for life. Even if Fifth Brother truly slew their entire household, it would be from deep brotherly feeling, stirred by righteous anger…”

Yu Lianzhou snapped, “Sixth Brother, what nonsense are you talking? If Shifu heard those words, you would be locked in the dark room for a month. Slaying a man’s entire household, old and young, wiping out a family to the last soul: how could any of us do such a thing?”

Song Yuanqiao and the rest turned their gaze to Zhang Cuishan. His expression was deeply anguished. After a long pause he said, “I did not kill a single soul of the Longmen Armed Escort, nor of the Shaolin Order. I have not dared forget Shifu’s teaching, nor dared to tarnish the good name of my brothers.”

Song Yuanqiao and the rest heard this with great relief, and all drew a long breath. Though they would never have believed Zhang Cuishan capable of such a cruel deed, the Shaolin monks had insisted it was him, claiming to have seen it with their own eyes. And when the three Escort Chiefs came to demand justice, Zhang Cuishan had not stepped forward to deny it outright. Each of them had harboured a sliver of doubt. Now, hearing him speak, all felt a great weight lift from their hearts, thinking: There must be some difficult circumstance at the bottom of this, but so long as he is not the killer, it can surely be cleared up.

Mo Shenggu then asked what had caused the three escort men to return. Zhang Songxi said with a smile, “Of these three escort men, the one who spoke most rudely, Yun He, is in truth the finest in character. He enjoys high renown in the Shanxi and Shaanxi region. In secret, he has been rallying the heroes of Shanxi and Shaanxi, swearing oaths of brotherhood, to rise against the Mongol Tartars.” Song Yuanqiao and the rest cried out in admiration.

Mo Shenggu said, “I never expected him to have such a breast. He is to be respected and admired. Fourth Brother, do not go on yet. Wait until I return…” With that, he dashed out of the door.

Zhang Songxi indeed stopped, and turned to asking Zhang Cuishan about the curiosities of Ice Fire Island. When Zhang Cuishan told them that the island had half a year of daylight and half a year of darkness, all four were astonished. Zhang Cuishan said, “One cannot tell north from south, east from west. Where the sun rises cannot even be called east.” He went on to describe the floating ice mountains and other strange sights and objects of the sea.

As they spoke, Mo Shenggu came running back and said, “I caught up with Escort Chief Yun and apologised, telling him I admired him as a true, iron-willed man.” They all knew their youngest shidi’s straightforward nature, and had long guessed what he had gone out to do. Mo Shenggu had sprinted several li⁶ there and back without the slightest sign of fatigue. He had learned that Yun He was a true man, and unless he went to make peace with him face to face, he would not sleep soundly for nights.

Yin Liting said, “Seventh Brother, Fourth Brother was saving his story for you, but the strange tales Fifth Brother tells of Ice Fire Island are even better listening.” Mo Shenggu leapt up. “Ah, truly?” Zhang Songxi said, “Escort Chief Yun has everything in readiness for his plan…” Mo Shenggu waved his hand. “Fourth Brother, I beg your pardon. Please wait a moment longer…” Zhang Cuishan smiled. “Seventh Brother will never accept being short-changed.” So he recounted the wonders of Ice Fire Island once more. Mo Shenggu said, “Strange, strange! Fourth Brother, pray continue.”

Footnotes

1. 真人 – zhēnrén. Literally Perfected One. An honorific title for a Daoist sage who has attained spiritual perfection. ↩

2. 泰山北斗 – Tài Shān Běi Dǒu. Mount Tai and the Northern Dipper. A metaphor for one who stands pre-eminent among his peers, commanding universal reverence. ↩

3. 内力 – nèilì. Internal force. The kinetic manifestation of qi cultivated through neigong. ↩

4. 大侠 – dàxiá. A title of respect for a renowned martial artist. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 内功 – nèigōng. Internal cultivation. The practice of refining qi and neili within the body. ↩

6. 里 – lǐ. A Chinese unit of distance, approximately one-third of a mile or five hundred metres. ↩