The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre Chapter 9 Part 2

As soon as the Tianying Order people left the ship, Zhang Cuishan hurriedly asked, “Second Brother, what happened to Third Brother's injuries? Has he... recovered?” Yu Lianzhou hummed but did not answer for a long time. Zhang Cuishan was extremely anxious, staring at him without blinking, a premonition surging in his heart, afraid he would utter the word “death.”

Yu Lianzhou said slowly, “Third Brother didn’t die, but he’s not much better than dead. He’s crippled for life, unable to move his hands or feet. Yu Daiyan, the Yu the Third Xia, hah, there’s no such person in the jianghu anymore.”

Hearing that his third brother was alive, Zhang Cuishan felt a surge of joy, but thinking that such a heroic and chivalrous shixiong¹ had ended up like this, he couldn’t help but shed tears. He choked out, “Who harmed him? Have we found out?”

Yu Lianzhou didn’t answer. He turned his head, and suddenly two lightning-like beams of gaze fell on Yin Susu’s face. He said sternly, “Miss Yin, do you know who harmed my Third Brother?” Yin Susu couldn’t help but tremble slightly. She said, “I’ve heard that Yu the Third Xia’s limbs were broken by someone using the Shaolin Order’s Vajra Finger Force.” Yu Lianzhou said, “Correct. You don’t know who?” Yin Susu shook her head. “I don’t know.” Yu Lianzhou ignored her and said, “Fifth Brother, the Shaolin Order says you killed the entire Longmen Armed Escort in Lin’an Prefecture, and also killed several Shaolin monks. Is this true or false?”

Zhang Cuishan said, “Well…” Yin Susu interjected, “It has nothing to do with him. I killed them all.”

Yu Lianzhou glanced at her, extreme hatred flashing in his eyes, but this look disappeared in an instant, and his face returned to calm. He said, “I always knew Fifth Brother would never kill indiscriminately. Because of this, the Shaolin Order sent people to Wudang Mountain three times to argue, but Fifth Brother suddenly disappeared, and everyone in the wulin knew about it, so there was no way to verify it. We said the Shaolin Order harmed Third Brother, and the Shaolin Order said Fifth Brother killed dozens of their people. Fortunately, the Shaolin Order’s abbot, Abbot Kongwen, is steady and considers the bigger picture. He also respects our master and restrained his disciples from causing trouble, so no great disaster has occurred in these ten years.”

Yin Susu said, “It’s all my fault for not knowing right from wrong when I was young. I regret it deeply now. Since I’ve already killed people, let’s just deny it to the end and never admit it.”

Yu Lianzhou looked surprised and glanced at Zhang Cuishan, thinking, “How could you marry such a woman?”

Seeing that he had been cold to her all along, calling her “Miss Yin” instead of “sister-in-law,” Yin Susu was already angry. She said, “I’ll take responsibility for what I did. I won’t involve your Wudang Order. Let the Shaolin Order come find our Tianying Order.”

Yu Lianzhou’s face grew stern. He said loudly, “In the jianghu, nothing outweighs the word ‘reason.’ Even if the Shaolin Order is the greatest sect in the wulin today, and even if we’re dealing with helpless orphans and widows, we should act according to reason. We cannot kill innocents or bully the weak!”

Ten years ago, Yu Lianzhou’s righteous lecture would have made Yin Susu furious enough to draw her jian. But now she only heard Zhang Cuishan say respectfully, “Second Brother’s admonition is correct.” She thought to herself, “I won’t listen to your talk of virtue and righteousness. But if I offend you, it will make things difficult for Zhang Lang. I’ll give way this time.” So she took Wuji’s hand and walked out of the cabin, saying, “Wuji, let me show you this big ship. You’ve never seen a ship before, have you?”

After his wife left the cabin, Zhang Cuishan said, “Second Brother, in these ten years, I…” Yu Lianzhou raised his left hand. “Fifth Brother, we are like brothers, closer than flesh and blood. Even if there’s a huge disaster, Second Brother will live and die with you. Don’t tell me about your marital matters for now. When we return to the mountain, we’ll wait for Master’s instructions. If Master blames you, the seven of us brothers will kneel together and beg. Your child is already this big. Would Master really force you, your wife, and your son apart?” Zhang Cuishan was overjoyed. “Thank you, Second Brother.”

Yu Lianzhou was outwardly stern but inwardly warm. Among the Seven Xia of Wudang, he was the most serious and rarely smiled. The shidi² feared and respected him even more than they feared Eldest Brother Song Yuanqiao. In truth, he valued brotherhood deeply. When Zhang Cuishan suddenly disappeared, he was secretly heartbroken, but on the surface he acted as if nothing had happened. Today, when his fellow disciples reunited, it was the greatest joy of his life. But he still spoke harshly and lectured Yin Susu. Only now, when he and his shidi were alone, did he show his true feelings. What worried him most was that Yin Susu had killed so many Shaolin disciples. This matter would definitely not end well. He had already made up his mind: even if it cost his own life, he would protect his shidi’s family.

Zhang Cuishan asked again, “Second Brother, did our conflict with the Tianying Order also happen because of me and my wife? I feel terrible about this.” Yu Lianzhou didn’t answer but asked, “What exactly happened at the Wangpan Mountain gathering?”

So Zhang Cuishan recounted how they had broken into the Longmen Armed Escort at night, how he had met Yin Susu, how they had gone together to Wangpan Mountain to participate in the Tianying Order’s “Raising the Dao to Establish Might,” all the way to how Xie Xun the Golden-Haired Lion King had massacred everyone, seized the Dragon-Slaying Dao, and forced the two of them onto a ship to sea.

After hearing this, Yu Lianzhou inquired about the Kunlun School’s Gao Zecheng and Jiang Litao. After pondering for a moment, he said, “So that’s what happened. If you never returned, who knows when these secrets would have been unraveled.” Zhang Cuishan said, “Yes, my sworn brother… well, Second Brother, Xie Xun is not actually an incorrigible villain. He did what he did because of a great tragedy in his life. I’ve already sworn brotherhood with him.” Yu Lianzhou nodded, thinking, “This is another extremely troublesome matter.”

Zhang Cuishan continued, “My sworn brother’s roar stunned everyone on Wangpan Mountain. He said that even if they didn’t die, they’d all become idiots, so the secret of him obtaining the Dragon-Slaying Dao wouldn’t be leaked.”

Yu Lianzhou said, “This Xie Xun acts cruelly, but he’s truly an extraordinary man. However, even with a hundred precautions, he missed one thing: he forgot about one person.” Zhang Cuishan asked, “Who?” Yu Lianzhou said, “Bai Guishou.”

Zhang Cuishan said, “The altar leader of the Tianying Order’s Xuanwu Altar?” Yu Lianzhou said, “Exactly. From what you said, among all the heroes on Wangpan Mountain that day, apart from Xie Xun, Bai Guishou had the deepest neigong. He was knocked unconscious by Xie Xun’s wine arrow. Later, when Xie Xun roared like a lion, if Bai Guishou had been conscious, he probably wouldn’t have been able to withstand that roar either…”

Zhang Cuishan slapped his thigh. “That’s right! At that time, Bai Guishou was unconscious on the ground and couldn’t hear the roar, so he actually kept his sanity. Even though my sworn brother was meticulous, he didn’t think of this.”

Yu Lianzhou sighed. “Of those who survived the return from Wangpan Mountain without losing their minds, only Bai Guishou remains. The Kunlun School’s neigong has its unique aspects, but Gao and Jiang’s skill was still shallow. From then on, they became dazed and turned into cripples. When others asked them who had harmed them like this, Jiang Litao only shook his head and didn’t answer, but Gao Zecheng kept repeating one name from beginning to end: Yin Susu.” He paused and continued, “Only then did I understand, he was thinking of you, his sister-in-law. Humph, next time Xihua Zi speaks rudely, let’s see how I deal with him. His Kunlun disciples behave improperly and yet they blame others.”

Zhang Cuishan said, “Since Bai Guishou didn’t lose his sanity, he should know the whole story.” Yu Lianzhou said, “But he just won’t say. Why do you think?” Zhang Cuishan thought for a moment and understood. “I see. The Tianying Order wants to seize the Dragon-Slaying Dao and won’t reveal this unique information, so they keep saying they don’t know.” Yu Lianzhou said, “Today’s great conflicts in the wulin all stem from this. The Kunlun School says Yin Susu harmed Gao and Jiang. My fellow disciples and I also thought you had been poisoned by the Tianying Order.” Zhang Cuishan asked, “Did Bai Guishou tell you about my going to Wangpan Mountain?” Yu Lianzhou said, “No, he wouldn’t say anything. Fourth Brother, Sixth Brother, and I went to Wangpan Mountain to investigate. We saw the twenty-four large characters you wrote on the cliff with your iron brush, and only then did we know you had also participated in the Tianying Order’s ‘Raising the Dao to Establish Might.’ The three of us couldn’t find you on the island, so naturally we went to ask Bai Guishou. He spoke rudely and we fought. I hit him with a palm. Soon after, the Kunlun School also went to find him, but they suffered a great loss: the Tianying Order killed two of them. In ten years, the hatred between the two sides has only grown deeper.”

Zhang Cuishan felt very guilty. “Because of me and my wife, disciples from various sects have suffered innocently. How can I have peace of mind? After reporting to Master, I’ll go to each sect to explain the misunderstanding and accept punishment.”

Yu Lianzhou sighed. “It was all a series of unfortunate coincidences. We can’t blame you. That day, Master sent Seventh Brother and me to rush to Lin’an to protect the Longmen Armed Escort. But on the way to Shangrao, Jiangxi, we encountered a great injustice. We couldn’t not intervene, so we were delayed for a few days and saved over a dozen innocent lives. By the time we reached Lin’an, the Longmen Armed Escort case had already happened. Originally, if it were just about you and your wife, it would only be a dispute between the Kunlun School, Wudang Order, and the Tianying Order. But the Tianying Order, wanting to seize the Dragon-Slaying Dao, never mentioned Xie Xun’s name. So the Jujing Guild, Haisha School, Divine Fist Gate, and other gangs and sects all blamed the Tianying Order for the blood feuds of their gang leaders and zhangmen. The Tianying Order alone became the target of everyone’s hatred in the jianghu.”

Zhang Cuishan sighed. “Actually, what’s so great about the Dragon-Slaying Dao? Why should my father-in-law suffer on behalf of others?”

Yu Lianzhou said, “I’ve never met your father-in-law, but he led the Tianying Order alone against all the heroes and held on for ten years. This courage and spirit, even those who opposed him couldn’t help but admire him.”

Zhang Cuishan asked, “The Shaolin, Emei, and Kongtong sects didn’t participate in the Wangpan Mountain gathering. Why did they also become enemies with the Tianying Order?” Yu Lianzhou said, “This was because of your sworn brother Xie Xun. The Tianying Order, wanting to get the Dragon-Slaying Dao, sent ship after ship to search all the islands for Xie Xun’s whereabouts. You know paper can’t wrap fire. No matter how tight Bai Guishou’s lips were, the news still leaked out. Your sworn brother once used the name of ‘Hunyuan Pi Li Shou’ Cheng Kun to commit over thirty major crimes across the north and south of the Yangtze River. Countless famous figures from various sects died at his hands. Did you know this?”

Zhang Cuishan nodded gloomily and said in a low voice, “So they finally know it was him.” Yu Lianzhou said, “Every time he committed a crime, he would write on the wall in large characters: ‘The killer is Hunyuan Pi Li Shou Cheng Kun.’ At that time, we were ordered by Master to go down the mountain to investigate, but no one knew who the real culprit was, and Cheng Kun never appeared. Later, the news finally leaked out. The Tianying Order learned of Xie Xun’s whereabouts. The more resourceful people from various sects connected the dots: Xie Xun was Cheng Kun’s only disciple, and they knew that for some reason the master and disciple had fallen out and become enemies. So the one committing crimes under Cheng Kun’s name was most likely Xie Xun. Think about how many people Xie Xun has harmed, how far-reaching the consequences? Even Shaolin’s Master Kongjian died under his fists. Think about how many people want to get him and be satisfied?”

Footnotes

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

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