Read The Book and the Sword 書劍恩仇錄 PART ONE
It was a hot summer's day in June, l754, the eighteenth year of the reign of Emperor Qian Long.
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PART ONE
1
It was a hot summer's day in June, l754, the eighteenth
year of the reign of Emperor Qian Long. In the inner courtyard of the military
commander's Yamen in Fufeng in Shaanxi province, a fourteen-year-old girl
skipped towards her teacher's study, eager for a history lesson. All was
peaceful: not even a thread of cool wind stirred. The girl hesitated, afraid
that her teacher had not yet woken from his afternoon nap. Quietly, she circled
round to the window, pierced a hole in its paper covering with one of her
golden hair clips, and peeped inside.
She saw her teacher sitting cross-legged on a chair,
smiling. His right hand waved slightly in the air, and there was a faint
clicking sound. Glancing over to where the sound came from, she noticed several
dozen flies on a wooden partition opposite, all as still as could be. Puzzled,
she looked more closely and noticed a golden needle as slender as a hair
protruding from the back of each fly. The needles were so small that she was
only able to see them because they reflected the rays of the late afternoon sun
slanting in through the windows.
Flies were still buzzing to and fro around the room. The
teacher waved his hand again, there was a small noise, and another fly was
pinned to the partition. Absolutely fascinated, she ran to the door and burst
in, shouting: "Teacher! Show me how to do that."
The girl was Li Yuanzhi, the only child of the local
military commander, Li Keshou. Her fresh, beautiful face was flushed with
excitement.
"Hmm," said her teacher, a scholar in his
mid-fifties named Lu. "Why aren't you playing with your friends? You want
to hear some more stories, do you?"
Moving a chair over to the partition, she jumped up to
look, then pulled the needles out of the flies one by one, wiped them clean on
a piece of paper and handed them back to him. "That was a brilliant piece
of kung fu, teacher," she said. "You have to show me how to do
it."
Lu smiled. "If you want to learn kung fu, there's
no-one better at it within a hundred miles of here than your own father,"
he said.
"My father knows how to shoot an eagle with an
arrow, but he can't kill a fly with a needle. If you don't believe me, I'll go
and ask him."
Lu thought for a moment, and then nodded. "All
right, come tomorrow morning and I'll teach you. Now go off and play. And
you're not allowed to tell anyone about me killing the flies. If anyone finds
out, I won't teach you."
Yuanzhi was overjoyed. She knelt before him and kowtowed
eight times. Lu accepted the gesture with a smile. "You pick things up
very quickly. It is fitting that I should teach you this kind of kung fu.
However…" He stopped, deep in thought.
"Teacher," said Yuanzhi hurriedly. "I will
do anything you say."
"To be honest, I don't agree with much of what your
father does," he said. "When you're older, I hope you will be able to
distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil. If you accept me as your
teacher, you must also accept the strict rules of the Wudang Martial Arts Order
to which I belong. Do you think you can?"
"I would not dare defy your orders," she said.
"If you ever use the skills I teach you to do evil,
I will take your life as easily as turning my hand over."
His face and voice became stern and hard, and for a
moment Yuanzhi was frightened. But then she smiled. "I'll be good,"
she said. "Anyway, how could you bear to kill me?"
2
The Wudang kung fu sect to which Lu belonged, one of the
most famous, stressed the use of Internal Force Kung Fu. In his prime, Lu had
roamed China fighting for justice, and had become a famous member of the Dragon
Slayer's Society, a secret anti-Manchu organisation whose power and influence
had been widespread during the reign of Yong Zheng, the former Emperor. But the
society had been rigorously suppressed, and by the seventh or eighth year of
Emperor Qian Long's reign, it had disintegrated. Lu fled to the border areas of
China. The Manchu court dispatched men to look for him, but he was quick-witted
and a good fighter and managed to avoid capture. Working on the principle that
'small crooks hide in the wilderness, middling crooks in the city and big
crooks in officialdom', Lu eventually made his way to Commander Li's household
and set himself up as a teacher.
From that day, Lu began teaching Yuanzhi the basic
techniques of the Wudang school's kung fu style, known as Limitless Occult Kung
Fu. He taught her control of her emotions and thoughts, the ten Tapestries and
the thirty-two Long-arm Blows. He trained her to use her eyes and ears, and
showed her the use of hand darts and other hidden projectiles.
More than two years passed. Yuanzhi, hard-working and
clever, made fast progress. Her father, Commander Li, was transferred toGansu
province as military commander at Anxi, one of the major towns in the northwest
border regions, bordering on the great desert of central Asia. His family,
including Lu, went with him.
Another two years passed as Lu taught Yuanzhi the Soft
Cloud sword technique and the secret of the Golden Needles. She did as her
teacher had ordered, and did not tell a soul that she was learning kung fu.
Every day she practised by herself in the rear flower garden. When the young
mistress was practising her kung fu, the maids did not understand what they
saw, and the menservants did not dare to watch too closely.
Commander Li was a capable man, and he advanced steadily
through the ranks of officialdom. In 1759, the twenty-third year of the Emperor
Qian Long's reign, he distinguished himself in the battle of Ili, in which the
largest of the tribes in the Muslim areas was defeated, and received an
Imperial decree promoting him to the post of Commander-in-Chief of Zhejiang
Province in the southeast.
Yuanzhi had been born and raised in the border areas of
the northwest, and the prospect of travelling to new and beautiful lands filled
her with excitement. She pressed her teacher to come as well, and Lu, who had
been away from the central areas for a long time, agreed with pleasure.
Li Keshou went ahead with a small escort to take up his
post and left his chief-of-staff and 20 soldiers in charge of his family who
were to follow him. The officer's name was Deng, a vigorous and energetic man
in his forties who sported a small moustache.
The entourage consisted of more than a dozen mules and a
few horses. Madame Li sat in a mule-drawn carriage, but Yuanzhi couldn't bear
to be cooped up and insisted on riding. Since itwould have been improper for
the daughter of a high official to be seen riding in public, she changed into
boy's clothes which made her look so extraordinarily handsome that she refused
to change back into her normal attire no matter what anyone said. All Madame Li
could do was sigh and let her daughter do as she pleased.
It was a deep autumn day. Lu rode far behind the group
looking at the passing scenery as the colours of late afternoon merged into
evening. But there was little to see around the ancient road except yellow
sand, withered grasses and the occasional crow flying homewards. A breeze
sprang up from the west and Lu began to recite:
"His body and name scarred by a hundred battles
The general approaches a bridge across a river
And turns to look back 10,000 miles
At the dead men left behind.
Cold are the waters of the River Yi
And the whistling west wind,
Full of cloaks and crowns like snow.
The hero's song of lament has not yet ended…"
"The poet Xin Jiaxuan could have been writing of my
own feelings," he thought. "He was much like me when he wrote it,
watching China fall to the barbarian tribes, with no way of knowing when the
old days would return. No wonder he sang such a sad song."
The entourage crossed the summit of a hill. Looking at
the darkening sky, the mulemen said that another three miles would bring them
to Twin Pagodas, a large town, where they planned to spend the night.
Just then, Lu heard the sound of galloping hooves and saw
far in front two magnificent chestnut horses racing towards them through a
cloud of dust. The two riders flashed by, one on either side of the line of
mules, and were gone. Lu slapped his horseand caught up with Yuanzhi.
"Did you get a good look at those two?" he
asked in a low voice.
"Were they bandits?" she replied excitedly. She
would have liked nothing better than for them to be outlaws bent on robbery,
giving her a chance to display the skills she had worked so hard to attain over
the past five years.
"It's hard to say," said Lu. "But judging
by their ability in the martial arts, they wouldn't be ordinary
highwaymen."
"Are they kung fu masters?"
"From the way they ride their horses, I'd say it's
unlikely they are novices."
As the entourage neared the town, two more horsemen
galloped past.
"Mm, this is very strange," mused Lu. The
country was desolate and the evening mist was thickening. He wondered why
anyone would set out on a journey at this time of day.
Not long after, the muletrain entered the town. Officer
Deng led them to a large inn and Yuanzhi and her mother were shown to one of
the best rooms. Lu was given a smaller room, and after he had eaten dinner, a
servant lit the lantern. All was quiet, and he was about to go to sleep when a
dog barked. From far away he heard the faint sound of galloping horses
approaching and he thought again about the four riders they had passed on the
road.
The clip-clop of horses' hooves came closer and stopped right
in front of the inn. There was a knock on the front door and Lu heard a servant
open it and say: "You've been riding hard. There's food and drink prepared
for you."
"Go and feed the horses quickly," said a rough
voice. "We must start out again as soon as we've finished eating."
Lu considered the situation. Groups of men hurrying
northwest, and judging by the way they rode, all of them experts in the martial
arts. In all his years in the border areas, he had never seen the like of it.
He slipped quietly out of his room, crossed the courtyard and went round to the
back of the inn.
"All right, you say the Young Helmsman is very
young," he heard the rough-voiced man say. "Do you think he will be
able to control all the brothers?"
Lu followed the voice and stationed himself underneath
the window.
"He'll have to," he heard the other say.
"It was the old master's wish whether the Young Helmsman likes it or
not."
The man had a deep, sonorous voice, and Lu could tell his
Internal Strength was profound. Not daring to make a hole in the window paper
to peep through, he continued to listen from where he was, breathing as lightly
as he could.
"Of course," the rough-throated one replied.
"But we don't know if the Young Helmsman will be willing to do it."
"You don't have to worry about that," said the
other. "He'll follow the old master's wishes."
He said the word 'follow' with a peculiar southern
Chinese accent, and Lu's heart jumped. "Where have I heard that voice
before?" he thought. He sifted through his mind, and finally remembered
that it belonged to his old friend Zhao Banshan, whom he had known 20 years
before in the Dragon Slayers' Society. Zhao was about 10 years younger than he,
but the two had often trained together, and had a great respect for each other.
Lu had heard no news of him since the Dragon Slayers' Society had broken up and
he was delighted at chancing upon an old friend in such an unlikely place. As
he was about to call out to Zhao, the light in the room was suddenly doused and
a dart shot out of the window.
But it was not aimed at Lu. A figure shifted in the
shadows nearby and caught the dart, then stood up, about to challenge the dart
thrower. Lu leapt over and whispered fiercely: "Don't make a sound! Come
with me." It was Yuanzhi.
No one chased them. Lu pulled Yuanzhi into his room, and
under the light saw an expression of such eagerness on her face that he was
both angry and amused.
"Yuanzhi, do you know what sort of men they are?
What were you doing trying to pick a fight with them?" he asked sternly.
"What were they doing shooting a dart at me?"
she replied defiantly.
"If they aren't outlaws, then they are secret
society men," he said. "One of them I know, and his kung fu would not
be weaker than mine. Travelling through the night as they are, they must be on
very urgent business. That dart was not meant to injure you, it was just
telling you not to be nosy. If he had really wanted to hit you, I doubt if you
would have been able to catch it. Now go and sleep."
They heard a door open and the sound of horses' hooves as
the two men galloped away.
The next morning, the muletrain started out again, and
travelled ten miles in just over two hours.
"Look, teacher," said Yuanzhi. "There's
someone coming."
Two chestnut horses galloped towards them, and because of
theprevious night's incident, they paid particular attention to the riders. The
horses, fine and spirited, were identical. Even stranger, the two riders were
also identical. Both were aged about 40, tall and thin with faces as yellow as
wax, sunken eyes and long slanting eyebrows: the effect was frightening.
As they passed by, the two men glanced at Yuanzhi with
their strange eyes. She reined in her horse and stared back belligerently, but
they took no notice and raced on westwards.
"Where did that pair of ghosts come from, I
wonder," she said.
Lu glanced back at the receding figures. "Aha, it
must be them," he cried.
"You recognise them?" she asked excitedly.
"They must be the Twin Knights of Sichuan. Their
surname is Chang, but everyone calls them Black Death and White Death."
Yuanzhi laughed. "They've got good nicknames. They
look like a couple of skeletons."
"Little girls shouldn't make jokes about other
people," said Lu. "They may be ugly but they are skilled fighters.
I've never met them, but from what I've heard, they travel the country fighting
evil and doing justice. They are widely known as outlaws, but they steal only
from the rich and help the poor. They have made a great name for
themselves."
"But if they are identical, why are they called
Black and White?"
"From what I've been told, the only difference
between them is that one has a black mole in the corner of his eye, and the
other doesn't. There's probably no one better at Black Sand Palm Kung Fu than
those two."
"What are they doing in the border areas?"
Yuanzhi asked.
"I have no idea," Lu replied. "I've never
heard of them operating out here before."
As he spoke, they heard more horses coming towards them.
This time, the riders were a Taoist priest and a hunchback dressed in
brightly-coloured clothes. The priest had a longsword slung across his back.
His face was pale and sickly and he had only one arm: his left sleeve was
tucked under his belt.
Seeing the hunchback's ugly face and his garish attire,
Yuanzhi laughed. "Teacher," she shouted before Lu could stop her,
"Look at the hunchback!"
The hunchback glared at her angrily and as he passed,
stretched out his hand to grab hold of her. The priest seemed to have guessed
what he would do, and stopped the hunchback's hand with a flick of his horse
whip. "Tenth Brother," he growled, "Don't make trouble."
Lu and Yuanzhi looked back and saw the two horses
breaking into a gallop. Suddenly, the hunchback did a reverse somersault off
the back of his horse, and with three steps covered the distance to Yuanzhi.
Yuanzhi's sword was in her hand, but the hunchback did not attack her. He
grabbed the tail of her horse, and the animal, which was galloping along,
reared back on its hind legs with a loud scream. The hunchback's strength was
frightening: the horse had not pulled him forward an inch. He chopped at the
horse's tautly-stretched tail with his right hand, and snapped off the end as
if with a knife. The horse lunged forward, and Yuanzhi was almost thrown. The
hunchback turned and ran off swiftly. In a second, he caught up with his horse,
still galloping westwards, leapt onto its back and soon disappeared from view.
"Teacher!" Yuanzhi called out in a plaintive
voice. Lu frowned and was about to berate her. But seeing her eyes glistening
with tears, he stopped himself.
Later, they heard a shout from behind:
"Weiyang…Weiyang."
Yuanzhi was mystified. "What's that?" she
asked.
"It's the call of a bodyguard agency shouter,"
he said. "The agencies hire out bodyguards or escort goods and people,
especially on long journeys. Every bodyguard agency has a different call, and
they use it to let both outlaws and friends know who they are. The bodyguard
agency business is based seven parts on goodwill and three parts on fighting ability.
If the head of an agency is generous and creates a lot of goodwill, he will
gain many friends, and his business will prosper. Outlaws will hear the call
and let them pass without attacking. 'Being friends is better than being
enemies,' as the saying goes. Now, if you were to try the bodyguard agency
business…ha! With allthe people you have annoyed in less than half a day, you
would have trouble travelling an inch, even if you were ten times the fighter
you are now."
"Which bodyguard agency's call is that?" she
asked, ignoring his teasing.
"The Zhen Yuan Agency from Beijing, probably the
biggest in north China. The head of the agency is 'North China Earth Shaker'
Wang Weiyang. He must be seventy by now, but they're still calling 'Weiyang',
so he hasn't retired yet. Ah, perhaps he ought to. The Zhen Yuan Agency has
been making big profits for 40 years now. That should be enough for
anyone."
"Have you ever met him?" Yuanzhi asked.
"I've met him. He uses an Eight Diagram sword and
the Eight Diagram boxing technique. In the old days, there was no one in north
China who could beat him."
Yuanzhi was elated. "They're travelling very fast.
When they catch up to us, you can point the old hero out to me."
"Now why would he come out himself?" Lu said.
"You really are a silly girl!"
Yuanzhi sulked. She was always being told off by her
teacher. It wasn't fair. She spurred her horse forward and caught up with the
carriage, planning to talk to her mother for a while to relieve the
frustration. Glancing round, she saw the stub of her horse's tail and
shuddered. There was nothing unusual about breaking a spear with one blow, but
a horse's tail was pliable. How had the hunchback managed to snap it? She
reined in her horse, meaning to wait for Lu to catch up so she could ask him,
but changed her mind and galloped up the line to Officer Deng instead.
"Officer Deng," she said, pouting. "My
horse's tail looks very ugly."
"I don't know what to do with this horse of
mine," Deng replied, guessing her meaning. "He's in a bad mood today
and won't do anything I say. You are a good horsewoman, mistress. Perhaps you
could help me break him in."
"I probably won't be able to handle him
either," she said modestly. The two exchanged horses. Deng's horse was of
course very docile.
"Very good, mistress," he complimented her.
"Even horses do your bidding."
The bodyguard agency's call came closer and closer, and
before long, a muletrain consisting of a score or more heavily laden animals
began to pass.
Lu was afraid one of the agency men would recognise him,
so he covered the top part of his face with a large fur cap. As the lead
escorts trotted past, he heard one of them remark: "According to Brother
Han, Brother Jiao Wenqi's body has been found."
Lu's heart missed a beat as he heard the name. Jiao was
one of the Six Devils of Guandong and a formidable fighter. Five years before
while on an errand to the Muslim regions, Jiao had discovered Lu was hiding in
Commander Li's household and had come at the dead of night with two other fighters
with the aim of capturing Lu and taking him back to Beijing to claim the reward
on his head. After a hard fight, Lu had killed all three and hidden their
corpses on a deserted hillside.
Lu looked round at the escort who had spoken, but had
time to see only that he had a full beard and a face as black as thunder. Once
he had passed, Lu saw he was carrying on his back a red knapsack and a pair of
Five Element Wheels, steel rings covered in knives.
"Could it be that the Guandong Devils have become bodyguard
agency escorts?" he wondered. Of the six Devils, Lu had only ever seen
Jiao, but he knew that the rest were excellent fighters, and that two of them,
the Yan brothers, used Five Element Wheels.
Lu thought about the number of top fighters they had met
in the past two days and wondered if it had anything to do with himself. From
the look of things, the Zhen Yuan Agency men were actually on an escort
assignment, so they posed no threat. As to the fighters travelling westwards in
pairs, they did not seem to be looking for him. But where were they going and
why?
Having exchanged mounts with Officer Deng, Yuanzhi reined
in her horse to wait for Lu to pass.
"Teacher," she smiled. "How come no more
riders have passed us? I want to see a few more of these heroes."
Her words jogged Lu's mind and he slapped his thigh.
"Ah, you old fool," he rebuked himself. "Why didn't you think of
the 'Greeting The Dragon's Head Ceremony'?"
"What's that?" she asked.
"It is the most solemn of the ceremonies held by the
secret societies to honour an important personage. Usually, the six most senior
men in the society are chosen to go to greet the guest, but for really
important meetings, 12 are chosen and they go in pairs. Five pairs have passed
us now, so there must be still be one pair in front of us."
"Which secret society do they belong to?"
Yuanzhi asked.
"That I don't know. But if the Twin Knights of
Sichuan and that hunchback are members, the society's power and influence must
be tremendous. Whatever you do, don't provoke anyone else, do you hear?"
Yuanzhi nodded, and waited expectantly to see who else
would pass them by.
3
Midday came and went, but there was no sign of anyone on
the road in front. Lu was surprised and wondered if he could have guessed
wrongly. Finally, instead of riders approaching from in front, they gradually
became aware of the sound of camel bells from behind, and saw a dust cloud
rising as a large desert caravan hurried towards them.
The caravan consisted of dozens of camels with 20 or 30 horses
squeezed in between them, all ridden by Muslims with high noses and sunken
eyes. They had thick beards on their faces and white cloths tied around their
heads. Scimitars hung from their waists. Muslim traders were a common sight on
the road to the central areas and Lu did not consider it unusual. Amidst the
group, he noticed a graceful young girl, dazzlingly beautiful, dressed in
yellow robes and riding a black horse.
Lu was impressed, but did no more than glance at her.
Yuanzhi, however, stared in open-mouthed wonder. Growing up in the northwest
border areas, she had seen few well-groomed girls, let alone girls as beautiful
as this one. She was about the same age as Yuanzhi, 18 or 19, with a dagger at
her waist and long braids hanging down over her shoulders. She wore a
full-length yellow gown, leather boots and a small hat embroidered with gold
silk, on the side of which was fastened a turquoise feather. She was an
enchanting sight.
As the girl trotted by, Yuanzhi spurred on her horse and
followed, gazing fixedly at her. The girl was annoyed at being stared at
disrespectfully by a Chinese boy, and she whirled her whip above her head and
wrapped it round the mane of Yuanzhi's horse. Giving it a sharp tug, she pulled
out a large clump of hair, and the horse reared in pain, almost throwing
Yuanzhi to the ground. The Muslim girl cracked the whip in the air and horse
hair flew in all directions.
In a fit of pique, Yuanzhi pulled out a steel dart and
threw it at the girl's back. But, not wishing to harm her, she also called out:
"Watch out for the dart!" The girl leant to one side, and the dart
shot past her right shoulder. She waited until it was about ten feet beyond
her, then flicked her whip, caught the dart by its tip and smoothly sent it flying
back towards Yuanzhi, calling out: "Hey, little boy! Here's your
dart!" Yuanzhi caught it neatly.
The Muslims in the caravan applauded loudly at the superb
skill with which the yellow-robed girl handled her whip. A tall, thick-set man
with a heavy black beard went over and said a few words to her, to which she
replied: "Oh, father!" But she took no further notice of Yuanzhi. The
dozens of camels and horses moved on and gradually disappeared.
"That girl was impressive, wasn't she?" said
Lu.
"These Muslims ride day and night. They ought to be
good with their whips. But it doesn't mean she knows any real kung fu,"
Yuanzhi replied.
Lu laughed. "Really?" he asked.
Towards evening they arrived in the town of Bulongji.
There was only one large inn in the town, outside of which was planted the flag
of the Zhen Yuan Bodyguard Agency. With two large groups to look after, the
inn's servants were very busy.
Lu had a wash, and then strolled into the courtyard of
the inn with a cup of tea in his hand. In the dining hall, he saw two tables
full of agency men drinking and talking loudly. The lead escort with the Five
Element Wheels had put the weapons down but kept the red knapsack on his back.
Taking a sip of tea, Lu gazed up at the sky.
One of the lead escorts laughed. "Brother Yan, once
you've delivered this toy to Beijing, General Zhao will reward you with at
least a thousand, won't he? You can go and have a good time with that
girlfriend of yours, Xibao."
So it really is one of the Yan brothers, Lu thought, and
paid even closer attention to what was said.
"A reward?" said Yan. "Ha! Well, everyone
will get something."
"Your Xibao has probably gone off with some other
man willing to make an honest woman of her," added an effeminate voice. Lu
looked over out of the corner of his eye, and saw a man with a sly face and a
slight figure, also dressed as a lead escort.
Yan grunted, obviously not pleased.
"You bastard, Tong," added the first lead
escort. "You never have anything good to say."
Tong laughed. "All right," he said. "But
Brother Yan, fun is fun and serious is serious. Don't think about Xibao too
much or you might find someone has stolen that red knapsack off your back. It's
not important if lose your head or not, but the agency's reputation has to be
maintained."
"Don't worry," Yan replied angrily. "If
those Muslims try stealing it back, I'll soon put an end to their nonsense. I
am one of the Six Guandong Devils and I got where I am with real kung fu, not
like some of the weaklings in the bodyguard agencies these days who can do
nothing but eat and fart!"
Lu looked at the red knapsack on Yan's back: it wasn't
big, and from the look of it, whatever was inside was very light.
"It's true that the Six Devils of Guandong are
famous," Tong said. "It's a pity that Brother Jiao was done in. We
don't even know who the murderer was."
Yan banged the table. "Who says we don't know? It
has to be the Red Flower Society!"
That's strange, Lu thought, I killed Jiao. What is this
Red Flower Society? He walked slowly around the courtyard inspecting the
flowers, moving closer to the group of lead escorts.
Tong would not let the matter drop. "It's a
pity," he said. "If I wasn't such a weakling, I would have settled
things with the Red Flower Society long ago."
Yan shook with anger. One of the other lead escorts broke
in to mediate: "Anyway, the Red Flower Society's leader died last
month," he said. "They've lost their man in command, so who is there
to settle with? And another thing, where is the proof that Jiao was murdered by
the Red Flower Society? When you find them and they deny the charge, what are
you going to do?"
"Yes," said Tong changing his tack. "We
daren't provoke them, but surely we've got enough guts to bully a few Muslims.
This little toy we've snatched is as precious to them as life itself. In the
future, if General Zhao ever wants money from them, or cattle and sheep, do you
think they'd dare to refuse? I tell you Yan, stop thinking about that little
Xibao of yours. When we get back to Beijing, you should ask General Zhao to
give you a little Muslim girl to be your mistress. Then you can really…"
Before he could finish, a piece of mud brick flew out of
nowhere and lodged itself in his mouth. Two of the other lead escorts snatched
up their weapons and rushed outside while Yan picked up his Five Element Wheels
and looked warily around. His younger brother came running in, and both stood
together, not daring to move for fear of falling into some trap. Tong spat out
the piece of mud and began swearing.
The two other lead escorts, Tai and Qian, rushed in
through the door. "The little bastard's gone," one of them said.
"There's no sign of him."
Lu had observed the whole incident and laughed inwardly
at the helpless expression on Tong's face. Then he saw a shadow darting across
the rafters in a corner of the dining hall, and went slowly outside. It was
already growing dark, but he spotted a figure leap off the corner of the roof,
land noiselessly, and speed off eastwards.
Lu wanted to know who had treated Tong to a mouthful of
mud and, making use of Lightness Kung Fu * (* a type of kung fu that makes
extra-fast running and super-human leaps possible.), he followed, the teacup
still in his hand. The pace was fast, but the person he was following was not
aware of his presence.
Lu's quarry had a slim figure and moved daintily, almost
like a girl. They crossed a hill and an ink-black forest loomed ahead. The
person ahead slipped into the trees with Lu close behind. Underneath, the
ground was covered with dead leaves and twigs which crackled as he stepped on
them. Afraid of giving himself away, he slowed down. Just then, the moon broke
through the clouds and a shaft of clear light shone down through the branches,
covering the earth with jumbled ghostly shadows. In the distance he saw the
flash of a yellow gown, and his quarry moved out of the forest.
He followed to the edge of the trees. Beyond was a large
expanse of grass on which were pitched eight or nine tents. His curiosity got
the better of him, and he decided to go and have a look. He waited until two
guards had turned away, then jumped across with a 'Swallow Gliding Over Water'
leap and landed among the tents. Crouching low, he ran to the back of the
largest tent, pitched in the centre. Inside, he could hear people talking
agitatedly in the Muslim language. He had lived in the border areas for many
years, and understood some of what was said. Carefully, he lifted up the corner
of the canvas and looked inside.
The tent was lit by two oil lamps under which a large
number of people were seated on carpets. He recognised them as the Muslim
caravan that had passed them that day. The yellow-robed girl stood up and drew
a dagger from her waist. She cut the index finger of her left hand with the tip
of the blade and let several drops of blood fall into a cup of horse's milk
wine. Then one-by-one, every Muslim in the tent did likewise. The tall Muslim
that the girl had called father raised the wine cup and made a short speech of
which Lu could only understand something about 'The Koran' and 'Our Homeland'.
The yellow-robed girl spoke after him, her voice crisp and clear, and concluded
by saying:
"If the sacred Koran is not recovered, I swear never
to return to our homeland." The Muslims lustily repeated the oath. In the
dim light, Lu could see determination and anger on every face.
The group belonged to one of the richest and most
powerful of the nomadic Muslim tribes of the Tianshan Mountains, numbering
nearly 200,000 people. The tall man was Muzhuolun, the leader of the tribe; a
strong fighter, fair and just, he was greatly loved by his people. The
yellow-robed girl was his daughter, Huo Qingtong.
The tribe lived by nomadic herding and contentedly
travelled the great desert. But as the power of the Manchu court extended into
the Muslim areas, its demands for taxes increased. At first, Muzhuolun went out
of his way to comply, and worked hard to meet the demands. But the Manchu
officials were insatiable and made life impossible for the tribe. On several
occasions, Muzhuolun sent missions to the Manchu court to appeal for a
reduction of taxes. But far from achieving a reduction, the missions only
served to arouse the Court's suspicions. General Zhao Wei was given an Imperial
order to supervise military affairs in the Muslim areas and he discovered that
the tribe owned an ancient hand-written Koran, originally brought from the
sacred city of Mecca, which they had treasured for generations. The General
decided to get the Koran to use to blackmail the Muslims into submission and he
dispatched a number of top fighters who stole it while Muzhuolun was out on a
long journey. The Muslims had organised a group to recover the Sacred Book.
Lu decided that the Muslims' plotting had nothing to do
with him, and he carefully stood up to return to the inn. At that instant, Huo
Qingtong noticed him.
"There's someone outside," she whispered to her
father and shot out of the tent in time to see a shadow running fast for the
trees. With a wave of her hand, she sent a steel dart speeding after him.
Lu heard the projectile coming and leant slightly to one
side. As it passed, he stretched out the index finger of his right hand and,
carefully calculating the speed and direction of the dart, tapped it gently as
it passed so that it fell into the teacup he was holding. Then without looking
back, he made use of his Lightness Kung Fu and almost flew back to the inn,
where he went straight to his room. He took the dart out of the cup and saw it
was made of pure steel with a feather attached to it. He threw it into his bag.
4
The bodyguard
agency group started out first early the next day, the shouter shouting the
agency's call. Lu noticed that most of the lead escorts were stationed around
Yan. It seemed the red knapsack on his back was the real treasure being
escorted.
Once the agency men had left, Officer Deng led his own
column out onto the road. At noon, they rested briefly at a place called Yellow
Crag after which the road sloped steadily upward into the mountains. They
planned to cross three ranges that day before stopping in Sandaogou.
The mountain road became increasingly precarious and
Yuanzhi and Officer Deng kept close by Madame Li's mule-drawn carriage, afraid
that if an animal lost its footing, it could send the carriage crashing into
the gorge below. Around mid-afternoon, they arrived at the mouth of Black Gold
Gorge and saw the agency men seated on the ground resting. Officer Deng
directed his men to follow suit. Black Gold Gorge was flanked by high peaks
with an extremely steep mountain track leading up between them. Stopping on the
track was difficult, so the top of the gorge had to be reached at one stretch.
Lu hung back at the rear and turned his back, not wishing to exchange glances
with the agency men.
Once rested, they entered the gorge, the bodyguard agency
men and the soldiers under Officer Deng's command forming a long snaking
column. Men and animals alike panted up the mountain. The shouts of the mulemen
melded into a continuous drone. Suddenly, Lu saw a figure darting across the crest
of a peak, and heard the jangling of camel bells from in front as a group of
Muslims mounted on camels and horses charged down towards them from the top of
the gorge. Their hooves sounded like thunder, and the agency men began
shouting, calling on them to slow down.
In an instant, the Muslim group was upon them and four
camels quickly encircled Lead Escort Yan who was carrying the red knapsack.
Each of the four Muslim riders raised a large iron hammer with both hands and
smashed it down viciously on his head. The mountain road was narrow, leaving
little room for manoeuvring, and the camel-men had the advantage of height.
Even if he had been a better fighter, Yan would have been unable to avoid the
four hammers, each weighing more than 100 pounds. Both he and his horse were
beaten to a bloody pulp.
The yellow-robed Muslim girl, Huo Qingtong, jumped down
from her horse and with a flash of her sword cut one of the straps holding the
red knapsack to the corpse that had been Yan. But before she had time for a second
stroke, she felt a gust of wind at her back as a blade sliced towards her. She
dodged to one side and cut the other strap. Her assailant aimed a cutting
stroke at her waist to stop her from picking up the knapsack. Unable to avoid
the stroke, she raised her sword to block it, and the two blades clashed in a
shower of sparks. Looking up, she saw it was the handsome young boy who had
stared at her so disrespectfully the day before. In a sudden fit of anger, she
lashed out with three attacking sword strokes, and the two began a fierce duel.
Her assailant was Yuanzhi, still dressed in boy's
clothes. Without stopping to consider the rights and wrongs of the situation,
she had decided to get her own back for the damage done to her horse's mane.
Huo Qingtong could see her chance of recovering the Koran
slipping away and wanted to finish the fight quickly. She changed to the 'Three
Part' sword style, and in a few strokes had forced Yuanzhi into retreat. The
'Three Part' sword style was the highest achievement of the Tianshan school of
kung fu. It was called 'Three Part' because only a third of each stroke was
completed. As the opponent moved to counter each one, the stoke changed.
Intricate and vicious, the style included no defensive strokes: attacking and killing
was all.
The two went through a dozen or more moves without their
blades ever touching, Huo Qingtong completing only a third of each stroke, and
then changing it without waiting for her opponent to defend. She cut and thrust
at the air around Yuanzhi's body, and the Chinese girl, knowing she could not
match her opponent's speed, leapt away. Huo Qingtong did not pursue her but
turned back to the knapsack, and found it was already in the hands of a small,
thin man standing beside Yan's body. She lunged at him with her sword.
"Oh dear," the man cried. "Uncle Tong had
better get back in place!" Lead Escort Tong jumped clear with three quick
steps and Huo Qingtong followed hard on his heels. She raised her sword to cut
him down, but the stroke was blocked by a Five Element Wheel thrust forward by
the surviving Yan brother.
Huo Qingtong fought briefly with Yan, and recognised him
as a strong and capable adversary. Then she heard a loud whistle coming from
the hilltops, the signal for retreat, and knew that help for the agency men was
on the way. She saw Tong scampering away with the knapsack and quickly changed
to the Three Part sword style, forcing Yan to retreat, and then raced after
him. The whistles became louder.
"Daughter! Retreat quickly!" Muzhuolun shouted.
She abandoned the chase and directed her comrades as they lifted the Muslim
dead and wounded onto camels and horses. Then the Muslim column charged on down
the mountain path. But a little way further on, they found several dozen Manchu
soldiers blocking their path.
Officer Deng rode forward, his spear held crosswise.
"You insolent Muslims!" he shouted. "What is this
insurrection?" Two of Huo Qingtong's steel darts hit his hands and the
spear clattered to the ground. Muzhuolun raised his sabre high and charged
forward with some other Muslim warriors, and the Manchu troops scattered.
Boulders crashed down from the mountain tops, pulverising more than a dozen
Manchu troops, and in the midst of the melee, the Muslims made good their
escape.
Throughout the battle, Lu had remained on the sidelines,
his hands folded inside his sleeves. Yuanzhi had been of great assistance to
the agency men even though she had been beaten by Huo Qingtong, and the Muslims
had been unable to get what they wanted. As the agency men tended the wounded
and carried off the dead, Lu gave her a severe lecture, criticising her for
interfering in the affairs of others, and needlessly making even more enemies.
"There are very few good men amongst the bodyguard
agencies, and many bad ones. Why bother helping people to do evil?" he
scolded her. She hung her head, not daring to look up.
They crossed through the pass and arrived in Sandaogou, a
medium-sized market town, as dusk was falling. The mulemen said there was only
one inn, called the Antong, and both the agency men and Officer Deng's column
headed for it. The inn was crude and simple in the extreme with earthern walls
and mud floors. Seeing no servants coming out to greet them, Tong shouted:
"Is everyone dead in there? I damn eighteen generations of your
ancestors!" Yuanzhi frowned. No-one had ever dared to use such language
within her hearing before.
Just then, they heard the sound of clashing swords from
inside. Yuanzhi was delighted. "Here's some more fun to watch!" she
cried and ran into the inn ahead of the others.
The entrance hall was empty and silent, but passing
through to the courtyard, she saw a young woman fighting fiercely with four
men. In her left hand was a sword, and in her right, a knife. She was obviously
battling for her life. It seemed to Yuanzhi that the four man were trying to
force their way into the room outside which the woman was standing. The four
were all strong fighters: one wielded a whip, one a staff, one a sword and one
a Devil's Head Knife.
Lu also entered the courtyard. "How is it that we
are continually running into these secret society people?" he thought.
The woman dodged and parried, holding all four men at bay
until suddenly the one wielding the Devil's Head Knife swung his weapon towards
her as another of the attackers thrust his sword at her heart. She fended off
the sword with the knife in her right hand, but she could not dodge the Devil's
Head Knife and it struck her on the left shoulder. But she did not give up, and
as she continued to fight, drops of blood flew in all directions.
"Don't kill her! We need her alive," shouted
the man with the whip.
Lu's chivalrous heart was moved at the sight of four man
attacking one woman, and despite his own sensitive situation he could see he
might have to take a hand himself. He watched as the swordsman attacked with a
slicing blow from the left. The woman parried it obliquely, but she was already
wounded and out of breath. The two blades clashed, and the knife was jolted
from her hand and clattered to the ground. The swordsman then thrust his blade
at her again, and she frantically dodged to the right, opening a way through
which the man with the Devil's Head Knife charged towards the door.
Ignoring all dangers, the woman plunged her left hand
into her gown and drew out two throwing knives which she slung at her enemy's
back. One of the knives embedded itself in the door post but the other plunged
into his back. Luckily for him, the woman's hand lacked strength due to the
wound in her left shoulder and the knife did not kill him. He staggered back,
screaming with pain, and pulled the knife out. Meanwhile, the woman was struck
on her thigh by the staff. She swayed unsteadily, but defiantly resumed her
position blocking the doorway.
"Go and help her," Lu said quietly to Yuanzhi.
"If you can't beat them, I'll come over as well."
Yuanzhi was bursting to test herself. She leapt forward,
her sword at the ready, shouting: "Four men fighting one woman! You should
be ashamed of yourselves!" Seeing someone coming to the aid of the woman,
and one of their number already wounded, the four men turned and ran from the
inn.
The woman's face was deathly pale and she leaned against
the door, breathing heavily. Yuanzhi went over to her.
"Why were they bullying you like that?" she
asked, but the woman was temporarily incapable of speech.
Officer Deng walked over to Yuanzhi. "Madame Li
would like to see you mistress," he said, and added in a whisper:
"She's heard that you were involved in a fight on the road and is very
upset. You'd better go quickly."
The woman's expression changed as soon as she saw Officer
Deng's military uniform; she pulled her throwing knife out of the doorpost,
went back into her room and banged the door shut without answering Yuanzhi.
Rather unhappy at having been snubbed, Yuanzhi walked
over to Lu. "Teacher, what were they fighting about?" she asked.
"It was probably a revenge attack," he said.
"But it isn't over yet. Those four will be back."
Yuanzhi was about to ask another question when she heard
someone inside the inn shouting and swearing.
"Damn your ancestors, what do you mean there are no
good rooms? Are you afraid we don't have the money to pay?" It was the
voice of Lead Escort Tong.
"Please don't be angry sir," an employee of the
inn answered. "We in the inn-keeping business would not dare to offend
such eminent persons as yourselves. But it is a fact that all of our few good
rooms are occupied."
"Who have you got in them? I think I'll go and have
a look," Tong said walking out into the courtyard.
Just then a door opened, and the young woman leaned out.
"Please bring some hot water," she said to a servant.
Tong saw the woman's smooth white skin and the beauty of
her face and eyes, and noticed on her left wrist, a bracelet of pearls, all
perfectly formed. His mouth watered. The woman spoke with a southern Chinese
accent and the exotic touch to her voice excited him greatly.
"I, Lead Escort Tong have passed along this road on
business dozens of times, and I have never stayed in anything but the best
rooms," he shouted. "If there are no good rooms vacant, why don't you
make one vacant for me?" The door to the woman's room was still open and
he walked straight inside.
"Ai-ya!" the woman exclaimed. She moved to
obstruct him, but felt a stab of pain in her thigh and sat down.
As Tong entered the room, he saw there was a man lying on
the kang. The room was dimly-lit but he could see that the man's head was
wrapped in bandages, his right arm was in a sling and that one of his legs was
also bandaged.
"Who is it?" the man asked in a deep, resonant
voice.
"My name is Tong and I'm a lead escort with the Zhen
Yuan Bodyguard Agency," he replied. "We are passing through Sandaogou
on business, but there are no rooms available here. I was wondering if you
could move. Who is this woman? Is she your wife, or your girlfriend?"
"Get out," the man ordered. His wounds were
clearly serious; he was unable to talk loudly.
"One's a girl and the other's too badly wounded to
even move," thought Tong, who had not seen the woman fight. "When am
I going to get such a chance again?"
"If you don't want to give up your room, that's all
right too," he said with a grin on his face. "All three of us can
snuggle up together on this kang. Don't worry, I won't push over onto your
side."
The man on the kang shook with anger.
"Don't get involved with these ruffians," the
woman urged him quietly. "We can't afford to make any more enemies at the
moment." And then to Tong: "You stop your nonsense and get out."
Tong laughed. "Can't I stay here and keep you
company?"
"Come over here," the man on the kang said
hoarsely.
Tong took a step towards him. "Why? Do you want to
see how handsome I am?"
"I can't see clearly," the man replied.
Tong laughed out loud and took another step towards him.
"Take a closer look. This is like a big brother choosing a husband for his
sister…"
Before he could finish, the man on the kang sat up, and
as fast as a lightning flash, touched a yuedao point* (*Yuedao points are nerve
centres on the body which, when struck, can cause paralysis or even death. The
same points are used for a different purpose in acupuncture) on Tong's ribs and
followed with a blow to his back. Tong flew straight out of the door, and
landed heavily in the courtyard. The agency shouter, Xun, rushed over to help
him up.
"Brother Tong," he whispered. "Don't
provoke them. It looks like they're members of the Red Flower Society."
"Ahh, ahhh, I can't move my leg," Tong cried.
"The Red Flower Society?" he added suddenly. "How do you
know?" He broke into a cold sweat of fear.
"One of the porters told me four Yamen officers were
here a while ago to arrest those two, and there was quite a fight before they
left," Xun said.
Lead Escort Yan came over. "What's going on?"
he asked.
"Brother Yan," Tong shouted. "One of those
bastards from the Red Flower Society used Yuedao kung fu on me!"
Yan frowned and pulled Tong up by his arm. "We'll go
back to the room and talk about it," he said. His first thought was for
the agency's reputation. It created a bad impression when an agency's lead
escort was floored and couldn't even get up. Lead Escort Qian came over.
"Are you sure it was the Red Flower Society?" he asked Xun.
"When those four officers left, they told the porter
that the couple in there were fugitives," he whispered. "They told
the porter to inform them if they left. I overhead them talking."
Qian glanced at Yan and pulled Tong up.
"Who are they?" Yan asked quietly.
"Red Flower Society. I think we ought to let it
pass," Qian said. "When Tong is better we can reconsider. Did you see
what happened when those men tried to arrest them just now?" he asked Xun.
"It was some fight," said Xun, gesticulating
wildly. "There was a woman with a sword in her left hand and a dagger in
her right hand. Four men couldn't beat her."
"She must be one of 'Divine Knife' Luo's
people," replied Qian, surprised. "She used throwing knives, I
suppose?"
"Yes, yes, she's really accurate. It was
incredible!" Xun exclaimed.
Qian turned to Yan. "Master Wen of the Red Flower
Society is here," he said. They carried Tong back to their room in
silence.
Lu had observed the whole incident, but the lead escorts
had talked in such low tones, that he only managed to catch Qian's last two
utterances. Yuanzhi walked over and asked: "Teacher, when are you going to
teach me Yuedao kung fu? Did you see how fantastic that move was?"
Lu took no notice of her, but said to himself: "If
it is one of 'Divine Knife' Luo's people, I can't just stand by and do nothing."
"Who is 'Divine Knife' Luo?" Yuanzhi asked.
"He was a good friend of mine. I hear he's passed
away now. All the moves used by the woman we saw fighting a minute ago were of
his school."
Just then, the two lead escorts Qian and Tai helped Tong
over to the woman's room. Xun coughed loudly outside the door and announced in
a low voice:
"Lead Escorts Qian, Tai and Tong of the Zhen Yuan
Bodyguard Agency have come to pay their respects to Master Wen of the Red
Flower Society."
The door creaked open and the woman stood in the doorway
staring at them. "What do you want?" she asked.
"We did not know that you and Master Wen were
here," Qian said. "We have insulted you and we have come to
apologise. Please be forgiving and don't be offended by what happened." He
bowed low and Tai and Xun followed suit.
"Mistress," Qian continued. "We have never
met before, but I have heard a great deal about you and your husband. Master
Wang, the head of our agency, was always on very good terms with the leader of
your honourable society, Master Yu, and also with your father 'Divine Knife'
Luo. Our brother here is very bad-tempered, and is always talking
nonsense…"
The woman cut him off. "Our master has been wounded,
and he just went to sleep. When he wakes, I will pass on your message. We are
ignorant of etiquette, but his wounds are not light, and he hasn't slept well
for two days." There was an expression of apprehension on her face.
"What sort of wounds does Master Wen have?"
Qian asked. "We have some Golden Wound ointment with us." He wanted
to put them in their debt so that they would be obliged to help cure Tong.
"Thank you, but we have medicine," the woman
replied, understanding his meaning. "Your colleague was not touched on a
major Yuedao point. When our master wakes, I will send one of the inn's
servants round."
Seeing that she had agreed to cure Tong, Qian and the
others started to retire.
"By the way," said the woman. "How did you
know our names?"
"With your swords and throwing knives, who wouldn't
be able to guess?" Qian replied. "What's more, who apart from Master
Wen uses Yuedao kung fu like that? It had to be 'Rolling Thunder Hand' Wen
Tailai and his wife Luo Bing."
The woman smiled, flattered at having been recognised.
5
Yuanzhi sat for a
long time with her hands on her cheeks, annoyed that Lu would not teach her
Yuedao kung fu. After dinner, she went to see her mother, who nagged her for
causing trouble on the road, and told her she was not to wear boy's clothing
any more.
"Mother, you're always talking about how you have no
son," she replied with a smile. "Aren't you happy now that you have
one?"
Madame Li gave up and went to bed. Yuanzhi also got ready
for sleep, and was just about to take off her clothes when she heard a light
tapping on the window sill and someone saying: "Come out, little boy! I
want to ask you something."
Yuanzhi picked up her sword and ran out to the courtyard
where she spotted a figure standing in the shadows.
"Follow me if you dare!" the figure said and
jumped over the courtyard wall. Like a young calf unafraid of a tiger, Yuanzhi
followed without a thought for what might be waiting for her on the other side.
As her feet touched the ground, she found a sword thrusting towards her.
Yuanzhi raised her own sword and parried the stroke,
shouting: "Who is it?" The yellow-robed figure retreated two steps,
and said: "I am the Muslim girl Huo Qingtong. What were you doing helping
the agency men to mess up our plans? Why don't you mind your own
business?"
"I'll do whatever I want to," Yuanzhi replied.
"I happen to like meddling in other people's business. Let me give you
another lesson in swordsmanship…" Her sword flashed out, and Huo Qingtong
raised her own sword to parry it.
Yuanzhi knew that she couldn't beat the girl on equal
terms, so she retreated steadily as she fought, heading towards Lu's room.
"Teacher, teacher!" she called out suddenly.
"Someone is trying to kill me!"
A sneering laugh exploded from Huo Qingtong. "Ha!
You useless object! You're not even worth killing!"
She began to walk away, but Yuanzhi attacked, forcing her
to face her once more. Yuanzhi heard someone behind her and knew that her
teacher had emerged; seeing Huo Qingtong's sword bearing down on her, she
jumped behind Lu's back.
Lu fended off her strokes with his sword and Huo Qingtong
soon realised that his sword technique, while the same as Yuanzhi's, was far
superior. She became anxious and attacked fiercely, waiting for an opportunity
to retreat. But his strokes followed each other without pause, sticking to her
closely.
Yuanzhi put her sword in its scabbard and joined the fray
using Boundless Occult Hand kung fu. Huo Qingtong couldn't even beat Lu alone,
so how could she manage against both of them? Yuanzhi displayed great cunning:
a touch on one side, a hook with her leg on the other. She was not aiming to
hurt the Muslim girl, but was intentionally having fun at her expense to pay
her back for the tuft of her horse's mane ripped out the day before.
Lu, for his part, had been impressed earlier that day by
the Muslim girl's swordsmanship and simply wanted to test her. His sword thrust
at her and she raised her own blade to ward it off. Meanwhile, Yuanzhi moved in
towards her back, shouting: "Watch out for my fist!" and struck out
at her left shoulder with a 'Ferocious Rooster Snatching Grain' blow. Huo
Qingting's left hand twisted round and diverted the blow by grasping for
Yuanzhi's arm. With both the Muslim girl's arms now occupied, Yuanzhi seized
the opportunity, and the flat of her hand struck at Huo Qingtong's chest. If
the blow had been in earnest, it would have caused serious injury, but there
was no strength behind it. She ran her hand heavily over the girl's chest and
then jumped back laughing. Huo Qingtong was consumed with fury, and ignoring
Lu's sword, swung round and attacked Yuanzhi using the Tianshan School 's
'Mirage' style. Lu could not stand by. He raised his sword and accepted the
brunt of the attack, while Yuanzhi stepped back.
"All right," she laughed. "Don't be angry.
You marry me and we'll forget about it."
Huo Qingtong had been deeply insulted, but she knew she
could not overcome Lu, so with no other way for her to avenge herself, she
threw her sword at Yuanzhi with all her strength aiming to take the girl to the
grave with her.
Lu started in fright and threw his own sword at Huo
Qingting's. The two swords collided in mid-air with a clang and fell to earth
together. He then pushed Huo Qingtong back five or six steps with a light touch
on her left shoulder. "Please don't take offence, miss," he said.
"There's something I want to say."
"Well?" she replied angrily. "What are you
waiting for?"
Lu looked over at Yuanzhi. "Don't you think you
ought to apologise to the lady?"
Yuanzhi walked over and bowed low, a wide grin on her face.
Huo Qingtong replied with a fist.
"Oh, no! Don't hit me!" Yuanzhi laughed. She
dodged away, and pulled off her cap, revealing her head of beautiful hair.
"Now look," she smiled. "Am I a boy or a
girl?"
Seeing Yuanzhi's real face under the moonlight, Huo
Qingtong was struck dumb. Her anger and shame evaporated, leaving only
irritation.
"This is my pupil," said Lu. "She is
always disobedient and I am unable to control her. I am sorry for what happened
just now. Please don't be offended."
He brought his hands together in salute and bowed. Huo
Qingtong turned slightly away, refusing to accept the apology.
"What is your relationship with the Twin Eagles of
Tianshan?" he asked her. Huo Qingtong's eyebrows shot up and her lips
quivered, but she maintained her silence. "I have always been on good
terms with the Twin Eagles, Bald Vulture and his wife Madame Guan," Lu
continued, "so we should not be enemies."
"Madame Guan is my teacher," Huo Qingtong said.
"I will go and tell her that you bullied me and told your pupil to attack
me, and even joined in yourself."
She gave them both a look of intense hatred, then turned
to go.
Lu waited until she had gone a few steps, and then said:
"And when you go and tell your teacher, who are you going to say bullied you?"
Huo Qingtong stopped and turned. "Well, who are
you?" she demanded.
Lu stroked his beard and laughed. "You've both got
the tempers of children," he said. "All right, all right. This is my
pupil, Li Yuanzhi, and you can tell your teacher and her husband that I am
'Hidden Needle' Lu. Please convey my congratulations to them on having such a
good pupil."
"A good pupil you say! I have lost face for both my
teacher and her husband by allowing myself to be bullied in such a
fashion."
"Miss, don't think that you have lost face by being
beaten by me," Lu replied seriously. "There are few in the fighting
community who could last for several dozen moves with me as you did. I
suspected you knew the Twin Eagles when I saw you fighting earlier today, but
your use of the 'Mirage' sword style just now decided it. Do they still argue
all the time?" He laughed.
Huo Qingtong saw that Lu knew all about her teacher, but
she was still reluctant to relent.
"If you are my teacher's friend, why did you tell
your pupil to interfere, stopping us from taking back our Sacred Book? I don't
believe you are a good man."
"Being beaten in a sword duel is not worth worrying
about," Lu said. "But failing to recover your Sacred Book is a
different matter. If your people are bullied and insulted, you must be prepared
to risk even your own life to get satisfaction."
Huo Qingtong knew he was telling the truth, and bowed
before him. "Please tell me how the Sacred Book can be recovered,"
she said. "If you are willing to help, I and the rest of my tribe will be
eternally grateful."
"It was stupid of me to interfere," said
Yuanzhi. "My teacher has already given me a long lecture. Please don't
worry, I will help you get your Sacred Book back. It's in that red knapsack,
isn't it?" Huo Qingtong nodded. "Well, let's go," Yuanzhi added.
"We will discuss the situation first," said Lu.
The three talked in low tones for a while then, with Lu keeping a look-out, the
two girls crossed over the wall into the inn.
They ran crouching over to the room occupied by the lead
escorts, and squatted under the window in the shadow of the wall. Inside, they
heard Lead Escort Tong crying and groaning for a while and then stop.
"You are talented, Master Zhang," one of the
lead escorts said, "being able to cure Brother Tong so quickly."
"If we had known you were coming, we wouldn't have
had to apologise to that Red Flower Society bastard," said another.
"I want you all to watch that pair," a powerful
voice replied. "Tomorrow, when Wu and the others arrive we'll make our
move."
"Once we've got him, I'm going to kick that bastard
in the head a few times, very hard," said Tong.
Yuanzhi slowly extended herself and found a tear in the
window paper through which to look. She saw five or six people seated around
the room. In the middle was an awe-inspiring man whom she decided must be the
one they called Master Zhang. His eyes flashed like lightning and his temples
were high and protruding, indicating profound Internal Strength.
"Tong, give me the knapsack," Lead Escort Yan
said. "Those Muslims won't give up so easily. I'm afraid we will have more
trouble on the road."
Tong began to untie the knapsack hesitantly, as if
unwilling to hand it over.
"Now don't worry," Yan said. "Once we've
got this knapsack to Beijing safe and sound, we'll all reap the benefits."
Yuanzhi thought swiftly. Yan was a powerful fighter, and
once he had possession of the knapsack it would be difficult to recover. She
whispered a few words into Huo Qingtong's ear, took off her hat and pulled her
long hair over her face. Then she picked two bricks up lying nearby and hurled
them through the window. As they crashed into the room, the lamp was suddenly
doused. The door opened and several men rushed out.
"Who is it?" one yelled.
Huo Qingtong whistled at them, then leapt over the wall,
and the lead escorts and Zhang chased after her. As soon as they had gone,
Yuanzhi burst into the room.
Tong was lying on the kang when he saw the Thing come
through the door, an unghostly ghost, and inhuman human, with its hair
dishevelled and wild. The Thing hopped towards him squealing loudly, and his
body went limp with fright. It seized the red knapsack from his hands and ran
from the room.
The lead escorts chased after Huo Qingtong for a while,
but Zhang suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Damn," he said. "This
is just a diversion to lure us away. Get back quickly!"
They returned to the inn to find Tong lying on the kang
in a state of shock. It was a while before he managed to tell them how the
ghost had stolen the knapsack.
"What ghost?" Zhang said angrily. "We've
been tricked."
Yuanzhi hid beside the wall, holding the knapsack
tightly, and waited until all the lead escorts had re-entered the room before
jumping back out of the courtyard. She whistled softly and Lu and Huo Qingtong
appeared from the shadow of the trees.
Yuanzhi was feeling particularly smug. "I've got the
knapsack," she laughed, "so you can't…"
Before she could finish, Lu shouted: "Watch out
behind!"
As she turned, someone slapped her on the shoulder. She
quickly tried to grab the hand but failed and her heart jumped in fright as she
realised how formidable her assailant was: he had followed her without her
being at all aware of it. She quickly looked around and in the moonlight saw a
tall, powerful man standing beside her. She stepped backwards in fright, and
threw the knapsack at Huo Qingtong.
"Catch!" she yelled, and brought her hands
together to face the enemy.
He was extraordinarily fast. As the knapsack left her
hand, he leapt after it and caught it in mid-air just as Huo Qingtong attacked
him. With his left hand holding the knapsack, the man swung his arms out using
the Long-Arm style. There was great power behind the blow, and both girls were
forced back several paces. Yuanzhi now recognised him as Master Zhang. The
Long-Arm style was one of the basic techniques of the Wudang School 's kung fu,
and Yuanzhi gasped involuntarily at the sight of Zhang using it. She glanced
around, but Lu was nowhere to be seen.
Yuanzhi advanced a step and attacked using the same
Long-Arm technique and as their fists clashed, she felt a prickly numbness run
through her arm followed by an unbearable ache. She stumbled, then jumped off
to the left.
"Tell me, child!" Zhang said. "Is your
teacher surnamed Ma or Lu?"
"He's surnamed Ma," she said to deceive him.
"How did you know?"
"Well that makes me your martial uncle. Don't you
think you ought to kowtow before me?" He laughed.
As soon as Huo Qingtong heard mention of a connection
between them, she abandoned Yuanzhi. She could see that the Koran could not be
recovered, and ran quickly away.
Yuanzhi chased after her a short way, but suddenly, a
cloud bank covered the moon plunging her into pitch darkness. She started in
fright as several thunder claps rolled across the sky and turned back to find
that Zhang had disappeared too. By the time she leapt back over the wall into
the inn, large droplets of rain were falling, and as she entered her room the
downpour came.
6
The heavy rain
lasted all night. Next morning, having washed and combed her hair, Yuanzhi
looked out of the window and saw it was still pouring. Her mother's maidservant
came in.
"Officer Deng says the rain is too heavy and we
can't leave today," she announced.
Icy gusts blew in through a tear in Yuanzhi's window. She
felt bored, particularly as the inn was in such a desolate area. She walked
over to the room occupied by Master Wen of the Red Flower Society hoping to
catch a glimpse of him, but the door was firmly shut and no sound came from within.
The Zhen Yuan Agency had not left that morning either, and several of the lead
escorts were lounging about in the dining hall, chatting. Master Zhang was not
among them. A gust of wind blew from the west and Yuanzhi began to feel rather
cold. She was about to return to her room when she heard the sound of bells
outside the front gate and a horse galloped in from the rain.
A young scholar dismounted and ran inside. As one servant
led his horse off to be fed, another asked the scholar if he would be staying
at the inn.
"I'll have to get back on the road again soon,"
he replied, taking off his raincape. The servant invited him to take a seat and
poured him a cup of tea.
The scholar was tall and slender with a handsome face. In
the border areas, such elegance was a rare sight, and Yuanzhi could not help
but stare at him. The scholar saw her too and smiled; she flushed and quickly
looked away.
There was the sound of horses outside the inn and four
more men came in. Yuanzhi recognised them as the ones who had attacked the
young woman the day before and she quickly retired to Lu's room to ask what
they should do.
"Let us go and have a look first," Lu said and
the two peeped into the dining hall through a hole in the window.
One of the four, a swordsman, summoned a servant, quietly
questioned him for a moment, then said to his companions: "Those Red
Flower Society bastards haven't left yet. We'll deal with them when we've
eaten."
The scholar's expression changed slightly and he began to
observe the four men out of the corner of his eye.
"Shall I help the woman again?" Yuanzhi asked.
"Don't do anything until I tell you," Lu said.
He paid no further attention to the four officers, but focussed his gaze on the
scholar.
Once he had finished eating, the scholar moved his bench
into the corridor leading to the courtyard. He pulled a flute from the bundle
on his back and began to play a pleasant, lilting melody. Strange to say, the
flute looked as if it was cast from pure gold. The road they were on was unsafe,
and a golden flute openly displayed by a lone scholar was bound to attract
thieves.
When the four men had finished eating, the swordsman
jumped onto the table and announced in a loud voice:
"We are Yamen officers and we have come to arrest
fugitives of the Red Flower Society. Peaceful citizens need not be
afraid."
He jumped down from and led the others towards the
courtyard. The scholar, still blocking the corridor and playing the flute,
ignored them. The swordsman approached him. "Don't stand in the way of
Yamen officers," he growled.
The scholar leisurely put down his flute. "The
fugitives you gentlemen wish to arrest: what law have they broken?" he
asked. "Confucius said, 'Do not do unto others what you would not wish on
yourself'. Do you really have to arrest them?"
The officer with the staff stepped forward. "You
stop your chatter," he shouted. "Get out of the way!"
"Please calm yourself, honourable sir," the
scholar replied. "There's no need to get agitated. Let me be host. We'll
all have a drink and become friends, what do you say?"
The officer stretched out his hand to push him away, and
the scholar swayed to one side. "Ai-ya," he exclaimed. "A
gentleman uses words, not force."
He fell forward as if over-balancing and put out the
golden flute to steady himself, finding support on a Yuedao spot on the left
thigh of the officer, who involuntarily knelt down as his leg went limp.
"Ai-ya!" the scholar exclaimed again.
"There's no need for such courtesy." He bowed before the officer.
Those watching could tell the scholar was highly skilled
in the martial arts and Yuanzhi, who had originally been anxious on his behalf,
was overjoyed to see him using Yuedao kung fu.
"This bastard might be with the Red Flower Society
as well!" cried one of the officers fearfully. The officer with the
paralysed leg collapsed on the floor and the others pulled him to one side.
"Are you a member of the Red Flower Society?"
the swordsman asked, a slight touch of fear in his voice.
The scholar laughed. "I do indeed. My name is Yu
Yutong. I play but a small role in the society, ranking only 14th in
seniority." He waved the flute at them. "Don't you recognise
me?"
"Ah, you're 'Scholar' Yu!"
"You are too kind," said the scholar.
"That is indeed who I am. You sir, with the flashing sword, face of
cunning and rat-like eyes. You must be the famous officer from Beijing, Wu
Guodong. I'd heard you had retired. Why are you doing getting involved in this
kind of game?"
Swordsman Wu's blade flicked out, steely yet smooth and
Yu countered with his golden flute, fighting the three officers simultaneously,
working through a complex series of moves which soon had them completely
flustered. After a moment, Yuanzhi turned to Lu in surprise.
"That's the Soft Cloud sword style," she said.
Lu nodded. The Soft Cloud sword technique is a secret
style known only to our school, he thought. If this scholar is a member of the
Red Flower Society, then he must be a pupil of Elder Brother Ma.
The school to which Lu belonged consisted of three pupils,
among whom Lu was placed second. The most senior was Ma Zhen and the youngest
Zhang Zhaozhong, the Master Zhang with whom Yuanzhi had tangled the night
before. Zhang was highly talented and very diligent, but he had thrown in his
lot with the Manchu court, and, rising swiftly in seniority, had already
attained the rank of Major in the Imperial Bodyguard. Lu had long ago severed
relations with him.
His guess that Yu was a pupil of Elder Brother Ma Zhen
was correct. Yu came from a respected family in southern China, and had already
passed the first Imperial Civil Service examination when his father became
involved in a dispute over a burial plot with a wealthy family. The ensuing law
suit forced him into bankruptcy, and he was imprisoned on a trumped-up charge
and died in jail. Yu left home in anger and met Ma Zhen, whom he accepted as
his teacher, abandoning his studies in favour of the martial arts. He returned
and killed the rich landlord and then became an outlaw, and later a member of
the Red Flower Society. He was alert and intelligent, and could speak many
different dialects. On this occasion, he was travelling on society business to
the city of Luoyang and had been unaware that his fellow society members, Wen
Tailai and his wife, were holed up in the inn.
Hearing the fight, the agency men all came in and stood
to one side watching. Lead Escort Tong noticed a catapult on the back of one of
the officers, and shouted: "If it was me, I'd leave two to take care of
the bastard while the third used the slingshot on him."
The officer with the catapult realised Tong was right and
jumped onto a table, readied his weapon and sent a shower of stones flying
towards Yu.
Yu dodged them one by one while parrying the other two
officers. But his opponents gained the upper hand, and after a few more moves,
one of the missiles struck Yu's cheek and the pain began to slow his movements.
"You might as well give up," Tong called to Yu.
"Pull down your trousers and we'll give you a taste of the cane."
But Yu did not panic. With a sudden flourish, he drove
his left hand at a Yuedao point on Swordsman Wu's chest. Wu quickly retreated
two steps and Yu thrust the flute into the stomach of the other officer who
grunted loudly and buckled in agony. Yu moved to strike him again, but Wu
intercepted him.
Fighting back the pain in his stomach, the third officer
moved stealthily up behind Yu as he fought Wu and raised his Devil's Head knife
to smash it down on Yu's skull. But before he could do so, a throwing knife
plunged into his chest, killing him instantly, and the Devil's Head Knife
clattered to the floor.
Yu turned and saw a woman standing nearby, supporting
herself on the table with her left hand, thje slender fingers of her right hand
clasping another throwing knife as if it was the stem of a fresh flower. She
was indescribably lovely, and as soon as he saw her, Yu's spirits rose.
"Kill the Eagle's Claw with the catapult
first!", he shouted. Eagles Claw was their slang for thugs employed by the
Imperial Court.
The officer with the catapult turned round frantically,
just in time to see the flash of the blade as it flew towards him. In
desperation, he held up the catapult to try to stop it, but the knife still cut
into the back of his hand.
"Uncle Wu!" he screamed, "It's too
dangerous. Let's get out of here!"
He jumped off the table and fled. Wu forced Yu back with
two more strokes from his sword, slung the officer with the paralysed leg over
his shoulder, and rushed for the door to the hall. Instead of chasing them, Yu
raised the flute to his mouth end-on instead of crosswise, and puffed. A small
arrow shot out of the end which buried itself in the shoulder of the paralysed
officer, who screamed with pain.
Yu turned to the woman. "Where's Brother Wen?"
he asked.
"Come with me," she said. She was wounded in
the thigh, and supported herself with a long door bar.
Meanwhile, as the officers rushed out of the inn, they
collided head-on with a man coming in, and Wu reeled back several paces. When
he saw it was Master Zhang, his initial anger turned to delight.
"Master Zhang," he cried. "I am useless.
One of our brothers has been killed by the bastards and this one has been
paralysed."
Zhang grunted and lifted the officer up with his left
hand, then squeezed his waist and slapped his thigh, freeing the blood flow.
"Have they escaped?" he asked.
"They're still in the inn."
Zhang grunted again. "They've got guts," he
said, walking into the inn courtyard. "Resisting arrest, killing an
official, then brazenly staying on here."
They led Zhang towards Wen's room, but just as they
reached the door, Yuanzhi slid out of a room nearby and waved a red knapsack at
Zhang.
"Hey, I've stolen it again," she laughed and
ran towards the inn's main gate.
Zhang was startled. "These agency men are truly
useless," he thought. "As soon as I get it back for them, they lose
it again."
He shot after her, determined to teach her a good lesson.
It was still raining, and before long, they were both soaking wet. Yuanzhi saw
him closing in and ran off along the side of a stream, Zhang following
silently. He increased his pace, closing the distance between them, then
stretched out his hand and caught hold of her jacket. Greatly frightened,
Yuanzhi pulled away with all her strength, and a piece of cloth tore out of the
back. Her heart pounding, she hurled the red knapsack into the stream.
"It's yours," she shouted.
Zhang knew how vital General Zhao Wei considered the
Koran to be and immediately leapt into the stream while Yuanzhi laughed and ran
off. As he fished the knapsack out of the water, he saw it was already soaked.
Frantically, he opened it to see if the Koran was wet, and then let fly with a
stream of coarse language. There was no Koran in the knapsack, only two
registers from the main desk at the inn. He opened one and read of money
collected from rooms for meals, and of servants' wages. He groaned at how he
had allowed himself to be cheated and threw the registers and the knapsack back
into the stream. If he took them back and someone asked about them, he would
certainly lose face.
He returned quickly to the inn and quickly found Lead
Escort Yan with the red knapsack still safely fastened to his back.
"Where did Wu and the officers go?" he asked.
"They were here a moment ago," Yan replied.
"What damned use is there in the Emperor employing
people like that?" he demanded.
He walked up to Wen's door. "You Red Flower Society
fugitives! Come out immediately!" he shouted. No sound came from the room.
He kicked at the door and found it slightly ajar.
"They've escaped!" he yelled, and burst into
the room only to find it empty. He noticed a lump under the bed covers, and
flung them off, revealing two of Wu's officers lying face to face. He prodded
his sword lightly at the back of one of them but there was no movement. He
turned them over and saw they were both dead. Both their skulls had been
smashed in. It was obviously the work of a master of Internal Strength kung fu,
and his respect for Wen Tailai increased appreciably. But where was Wu? And in which
direction had Wen and his wife escaped? He called for one of the servants and
interrogated him without obtaining even half a clue.
But Zhang had guessed wrong: the officers were not killed
by Wen Tailai.
7
Lu and Yuanzhi
watched the whole fight through the window, and saw Zhang enter as the officers
were leaving.
"That's the man who took the knapsack from me last
night," Yuanzhi said.
"Go quickly and draw him away, the further the
better," Lu whispered. "If I'm not here when you return, start out
tomorrow without me and I will catch you up."
He watched Zhang chase Yuanzhi out of the inn gates then
picked up a writing brush and hurriedly wrote a letter which he placed inside
his gown. He ran to Wen's room and knocked lightly on the door.
"Who is it?" a woman's voice called.
"I am a good friend of 'Divine Knife' Luo,"
said Lu. "I have important news for you."
There was no answer from inside. Wu and the other two
officers appeared and stood at a distance keeping watch, obviously suspicious
of Lu. The door suddenly opened and 'Scholar' Yu looked out.
"May I ask who you are, sir?" he asked.
"I am your martial uncle 'Hidden Needle' Lu."
A look of hesitation appeared on Yu's face. He had heard
of Lu but had never met him.
"I'll prove it to you," Lu whispered.
"Stand aside."
Yu's suspicions deepened, and he planted his foot firmly
on the opposite door post, blocking the way with his leg. Lu's left hand shot
out, aiming to hit Yu's shoulder. Yu dodged, and Lu slipped his right hand
underneath Yu's armpit and pushed him to one side using the first move in the
Wudang school's Long Arm Fist style. "It really is 'Hidden Needle'
Lu!" Yu thought, both surprised and delighted. As Yu back, Luo Bing raised
her sword and dagger ready to attack, but Yu stopped her. Lu waved his hands at
them, indicating they should stand clear, then ran back outside into the
courtyard.
"Hey, they've gone!" he shouted to Officer Wu.
"Come and see!"
Wu rushed into the room with the other two officers and
Lu closed the door behind them.
Wu saw Yu and the others in the room and shouted
frantically: "It's a trap!" But before the officers could turn, Lu's
two fists smashed into their heads, shattering their skulls and killing them
instantly.
More quick-witted, Wu leapt onto the kang, and with both
hands raised to protect his head, threw himself at the window. Wen Tailai, who
was lying on the kang, sat up and struck out with his left fist, breaking Wu's
right shoulder with a sharp crack. Wu wavered, but steadied himself against the
wall with his left foot, then broke through the window and escaped. Luo Bing
launched a throwing knife after him which lodged itself in his back. But he
ignored the pain, and fled for his life.
Yu and Luo Bing no longer harboured any suspicions about
Lu, and they both bowed before him.
"Uncle Lu, please forgive me for not being able to
pay my respects to you properly," Wen said from the kang.
"There's no need," said Lu. He looked at Luo
Bing. "What is your relationship with 'Divine Knife' Luo?" he asked.
"He was my father."
"He was a very good friend of mine," Lu said.
He looked at Yu and added: "You are a pupil of Ma Zhen's, I presume. How
has Elder Brother been recently?"
"He is well," said Yu. "He has often
expressed concern about you. He said he hadn't seen or heard anything of you
for more than ten years."
"I miss him too," Lu said regretfully.
"Did you know that another of your martial uncles has been here looking
for you?"
Yu looked up in fright. "Zhang Zhaozhong?"
Lu nodded. Wen Tailai shuddered slightly at the sound of
Zhang's name, and then gasped in pain. Luo Bing quickly went over and supported
him with her hand, her face full of love and pity.
Yu looked on, absorbed. "To have a wife like that
would be better than being a god, even if I was badly wounded," he
murmured.
"Zhang has brought shame upon our school, but his
kung fu is excellent," Lu said. "And I would guess that
reinforcements will not be far behind him. With Brother Wen so badly wounded, I
think all we can do at the moment is to avoid them."
"We will do whatever you suggest," Luo Bing
said. She looked down at her husband, who nodded.
Lu pulled a letter from his gown and handed it to Luo
Bing. On the envelope was written the words: "Respectfully adressed to
Lord Zhou Zhongying, Iron Gall Manor."
"Do you know him?" asked Luo Bing, delighted.
Before Lu could answer, Wen said: "Who?"
"Lord Zhou Zhongying," replied Luo Bing.
"Is he here?"
"I have never met him, but we have been friends from
afar for a long time," Lu said. "I think Brother Wen should hide
there while one of us goes to your respected society to report what has
happened." He saw a hestitant look on Wen's face. "What do you think,
Brother Wen?"
"Your arrangements would be perfect, but I cannot
deceive you. I am involved in a bloody feud with the Emperor Qian Long who
won't be able to eat or sleep in peace until he sees me die with his own eyes.
I know Lord Zhou would take us in, but I am afraid he would bring great trouble
upon himself by doing so."
"To members of the fighting community, there is
nothing more important than helping a friend in need," said Lu.
"But in my situation, the greater the friend, the
less I am able to involve him."
"Refusing to involve others in your problems is an
upright and manly thing to do. But I do think it's rather a pity."
"What is?" Wen asked quickly.
"If you refuse to go, we will have to stay here and
fight. I don't want to exaggerate the enemy's strength or denigrate our own,
but who do we have to match Zhang? I am nearly sixty years old, my life is of
little value. But my martial nephew here has a promising future and your wife
is full of youth. Just because you want to play the hero… aah… it means we will
all die here."
Wen began to sweat profusely.
"Husband!" Luo Bing exclaimed. She pulled out a
handkerchief and wiped the beads of sweat from his brow, then held his hand.
Wen's affection for his wife outweighed his sense of duty
and he relented. "You are right," he said. "I will do whatever
you say." But then he sighed. "Once we reach Iron Gall Manor, the Red
Flower Society will be beholden to yet another person."
The Red Flower Society always took care to repay its
benefactors and to exact revenge on its enemies – hence the fearful reaction of
the Zhen Yuan agency men.
"What relationship is Zhao Banshan to you?"
asked Lu.
"Brother Zhao? He is third master of our
society."
"So that's it! Just what your Red Flower Society is
involved in, I don't know. But Zhao and I would willingly die for each other.
In the old days when we were both in the Dragon Slayers' Society, we were
closer than natural brothers. If he is a member of your society, then your
affairs are certain to be just. What does it matter what great crimes you have
committed? The biggest crimes are supposed to be the assassination of officials
and rebellion. Ha! Well, I just killed two running dogs of officialdom!"
He gave one of the corpses a kick.
"There's too much to explain," Wen said.
"After this is over, if I live, I will tell you everything. But briefly,
the Emperor sent eight Imperial Bodyguards to arrest my wife and myself. I was
wounded in a fight at Jinquan but we escaped and came here. They'll get me
sooner or later, but the Emperor has a secret I must expose before I die."
Lu asked where the Red Flower Society leaders were.
"The Red Flower Society has 12 masters of the
Incense," said Yu. "Apart from Brother Wen and Luo Bing, they are
already gathered in Anxi. We have asked the Young Helmsman to assume the
leadership of the society, but he is unwilling to do so. He says he is too
young and inexperienced and insists that Second Brother, the Taoist priest Wu
Chen, should be leader. At present, the matter is deadlocked. The meeting to
choose a new Helmsman will not start until Brother Wen and Luo Bing
arrive."
Yu turned to Wen, his superior in the society's
heirarchy. "Should I first return to Anxi to report?" he asked.
Wen hesitated, uncertain of what to say.
"Let us do it this way," suggested Lu.
"You three start out immediately for Iron Gall Manor. Once you are settled
there, Brother Yu can continue on his business. Meanwhile, I will go to Anxi to
report."
Wen pulled a red silk flower from his gown and handed it
to Lu. "When you arrive in Anxi, fasten this flower to your lapel and you
will be met by someone from our society," he said.
Luo Bing helped her husband up while Yu lifted the two
corpses from the floor onto the kang and covered them with the bedclothes. Then
Lu opened the door and strode calmly out, mounted a horse and galloped off
westwards.
After a short while, the others also emerged from the
room, Yu leading the way. Luo Bing supported herself with the door bar in one
hand and held up Wen with the other. The inn's staff shrank away as the three
approached, and Yu threw three taels of silver onto the front desk.
"There's money for the room and the food," he
said. "We have left two very valuable items in our room. If there is
anything missing when we get back, we will deal with you."
The manager nodded rapidly, almost too scared to breathe.
Servants led out their horses. Wen could not get either of his feet into the
stirrups, so he placed his left hand on the saddle and with one push flew
lightly onto the horse's back.
"Excellent kung fu, Master Wen," Yu praised
him. Luo Bing gave a dazzling smile and mounted her own horse, and they rode
off.
In the town, Yu enquired about the way to Iron Gall
Manor, and they raced off southeast. Luo Bing was happy: she knew that once
they got to the manor, her husband would be safe. Lord Zhou commanded great
respect throughout the border regions.
The road was covered with loose stones and long grass
which gave it a rather desolate air. Suddenly, they heard the sound of
galloping hooves ahead and three horses raced towards them. The riders were all
large, strong men, but one was particularly tall and impressive with
silver-white whiskers and a smooth rosy face. In his left hand, he jiggled two
iron balls together. As they passed, the riders looked at Wen in surprise, but
they were galloping fast, and flashed past in an instant.
"I'm afraid that was Lord Zhou," Yu said.
"I was thinking that too," replied Luo Bing.
"We'll find out when we get to the Manor," said
Wen.
A few miles further on, as evening drew near, Iron Gall
Manor appeared before them. The wind was strong and the clouds low, but the
rays of the setting sun shone brightly through the twilight. They looked at the
lovely manor, set amidst an endless expanse of withered grasses and yellow
sand. Seeking sanctuary as they were, the mood of the three was despondent, and
the desolation of the area affected them all. They spurred their horses forward
and found the manor was surrounded by a moat, the banks of which were covered
with willow trees. The bare branches whirled and danced in the strong west
wind. Around the manor were fortifications and a watchtower: it was an imposing
sight.
One of the manor's attendants invited them in, seated
them in the great hall and brought them tea. Then a middle-aged man with the
air of a housekeeper came out to receive them. He said his name was Song, and
asked Wen and the others for their names.
"I have heard much about you," he said,
startled to hear that they were members of the Red Flower Society. "But I
had thought that your honourable society was based in southern China. I wonder
if you could tell me why you have come to visit our Lord? I am afraid he went
out a short while ago." Song carefully weighed up the visitors and
wondered what their intentions were.
Wen, meanwhile, was becoming angry at Song's coolness.
"Since Lord Zhou is not at home, we will excuse ourselves," he said.
"We came at an inopportune time." He stood up using a chair for
support.
"There's no rush," Song replied. "Please
stay and have a meal before leaving." He turned and whispered a few words
to an attendant.
Wen insisted they would go.
"Well, please wait a while first, otherwise our Lord
may blame me for neglecting honoured guests." As he spoke, the attendant
re-appeared carrying a tray on which were two large silver ingots. Song took
the tray.
"Master Wen," he said. "You have come a
long way to visit our humble manor and we have not had a chance to look after
you properly. Please accept this as a favour to me for your travelling
expenses."
Wen, filled with rage, picked up both of the ingots with
his left hand. "We did not come to your honourable manor to extort
money," he said. "You underestimate us, friend Song."
Song quickly protested that he would not dare to suggest
such a thing.
Wen laughed coldly and placed the ingots back on the
tray. "Goodbye," he said.
Song looked down and started in fright. With just one
hand, Wen had crushed the two ingots together into a flat cake of silver. He
led the three toeards the gate, offering profuse apologies as he went. Wen
ignored him. Three attendants led their horses up, and they mounted
immediately.
Luo Bing took out a gold ingot many times more valuable
than the silver offered by Song and gave it to the attendant holding her horse.
"Thank you for your trouble," she said. "Here's a little
something for the three of you to have a drink." For a moment, the
attendants did not seem to believe their luck, then they began thanking her
over and over again. Luo Bing smiled in reply.
Just as they were about to ride off, a rider galloped up,
leapt off his horse and saluted Wen with his fists. "Please come into our
humble manor and make yourselves comfortable," he said.
"We do not wish to trouble you," Wen replied.
"We will visit again another time."
"We passed you on the road a while ago and our Lord
guessed you were coming to the manor," the man continued. "He would
have liked to turn back, but he has important business to attend to. So he
ordered me to come to receive you. He is eager to make your acquaintance. He
said he would definitely return tonight, and insisted that you stay at our
humble manor."
Wen's anger melted as he heard the sincerity in the
newcomer's voice, and they went back into the manor. The man introduced himself
as Meng, Zhou's senior pupil, as Song stood to one side looking very
uncomfortable. Guests and host sat down and fresh tea was served. An attendant
whispered something to Meng who stood up and bowed before Luo Bing.
"Our lady invites you to go into the inner hall to
rest," he said.
A maidservant led Luo Bing through a passageway and a
woman in her forties strode out and grasped Luo Bing's hand familiarly.
"They told me just now that some members of the Red
Flower Society had arrived and then left again. But you've come back and saved
face for me. Our Lord will be so happy! Now, don't rush away. You can stay for
a few days. Look, all of you," she said, turning to her maidservants.
"Look how beautiful this girl is! She puts our girls to shame."
Luo Bing thought the woman was rather indiscreet.
"What is your name, Madame?" she asked. "My husband is surnamed
Wen."
"See how muddle-headed I am!" the woman said.
"I'm so happy at seeing such a pretty girl that I've gone silly!"
"This is our lady," one of the maidservants
explained.
The woman was Lord Zhou's second wife. His first had
borne two sons, but both had died in fights. This second wife had given birth
to a daughter, Zhou Qi, a wild girl of eighteen always getting into trouble,
and it had seemed as if Zhou was destined to have no more sons. But in his fifty-fourth
year, another was unexpectedly born. The couple were overjoyed to gain a son so
late in life.
"Call the young master in quickly," Madame Zhou
said after seating herself comfortably. "Let Madame Wen see him."
A lively, good-looking child emerged from the inner rooms
and Luo Bing judged from his bearing that he had already received several years
of training in the martial arts. He kowtowed towards Luo Bing, who took hold of
his hand and asked him his name and age.
"My name is Zhou Yingjie and I'm ten this
year," the child replied.
Luo Bing unfastened the pearl bracelet from her wrist and
gave it to him.
"We have come from far away, and I don't have
anything nice to give you, but you can put these pearls round the edge of your
cap," she said. Madame Zhou protested, but to no avail.
While they were talking, one of the maidservants rushed
in crying: "Mistress Wen! Master Wen has fainted!"
Madame Zhou quickly gave orders to fetch a doctor while
Luo Bing ran back to her husband. Wen's injuries were already serious, and he
had used up a great deal of his remaining strength to squeeze the silver ingots
together. Wen was unconscious, his face drained of colour. Luo Bing ran to him,
calling his name over and over again. Slowly, he regained consciousness.
Meng dispatched an attendant to report to Lord Zhou that
the guests were settled in. As he turned back inside after seeing the attendant
gallop off, he noticed a figure dart behind a willow tree. He made no sign that
he had seen anything unusual, but slowly walked back into the manor and ran up
to the watchtower. After a while, he saw a a short man creep furtively out from
behind one willow tree and run behind another.
Meng called for Lord Zhou's young son and whispered some
instructions to him. Then he ran out of the manor gate, laughing and shouting:
"Little brother, I'll pretend to be afraid of you, all right?"
The boy followed close behind, shouting: "Where do
you think you're running off to? You won't admit defeat, will you? Come here
and kowtow before me!"
Meng bowed and mockingly begged for mercy. The boy made a
grab for him and Meng ran straight for the willow behind which the intruder was
hiding. He charged straight into the man, knocking him flat.
It was the Zhen Yuan Agency's Lead Escort Tong. He had
seen Wen and the others leave the inn and had followed them, determined to
prove wrong those who said he was good for nothing but eating and talking. Tong
had few abilities, but he was quick-witted and knew immediately that Meng had
planned the collision to test his kung fu, so he let his whole body go
loose,pretending that he knew none at all. Since his kung fu was mediocre,
pretending to know none at all was not difficult.
"Excuse me," said Tong. "Is this the road
to Sandaogou?" He tried to get up, but cried out in pain: "Ai-ya! My
arm!"
"I'm very sorry," Meng said. "You're not
hurt, are you? Please come into the manor and I'll have a look at you. We have
some excellent medicinal ointments."
Tong was powerless to refuse. Meng helped him up and led
him into an ante-room.
"Please undo your clothes and let me examine your
wounds," Meng said. He felt around Tong's body, testing him. When an
enemy's fingers touch fatal spots, a kung fu initiate would be forced to
flinch.
"Heroic Uncle Tong is not afraid to die," Tong
thought. "Act the lamb until the end!" Meng pressed the 'Solar
Yuedao' points on his temples and toughed other Yuedao points on his chest and
armpits, making Tong giggle.
"Ai-ya! Stop that! I'm very ticklish," he said.
They were all fatal points but Tong seemed unconcerned.
Meng decided he really didn't know any kung fu. "From his accent, he isn't
a local," he thought, still suspicious. "Could he be a petty thief, I
wonder?"
Meng could not detain Tong without authority, so he walked
him back towards the gate. Tong peered about him as they walked through the
manor, trying to discover to where Wen and the others were. Meng decided he
must be a scout for a gang of thieves.
"Be careful, my friend," he said.
"Remember where you are."
Tong looked around in mock awe. "Such a big place!
It looks like a great temple. Except there's no Buddha."
He asked Tong what his business was in the area.
Meng escorted him over the drawbridge and laughed coldly.
"Goodbye friend," he said, clapping Tong heavily on the shoulder.
"Come and visit us again sometime."
The pain from the blow went straight to Tong's marrow.
Swearing profusely, he found his horse and galloped back to the Antong Inn in
Sandaogou. As he entered the room, he saw Master Zhang, Officer Wu and the
agency men together with seven or eight men he didn't know. They were in the
midst of a discussion on where Wen Tailai might have escaped to. No one could
think of an answer, and their faces were gloomy.
Tong smugly related how he had followed Wen, naturally
omitting the part about his encounter with Meng.
Zhang was delighted. "Let's go," he said,
adding with uncustomary warmth: "Brother Tong, you lead the way."
The whole group immediately set out for Iron Gall Manor,
rubbing their hands in anticipation as they went. Tong boasted extravagantly of
how he had used Lightness kung fu, and of the risks he had taken in tracking
Wen. "This is an assignment from the Emperor himself, so Uncle Tong went
all out against the renegades," he said.
Officer Wu, who had already employed a bone-setter to
help mend his fractured shoulder, hurriedly introduced Tong to the newcomers.
Tong started in fright as he heard their names: they were all top fighters
employed by the court, famous martial arts specialists, both Manchu and
Chinese, who had come specifically to arrest Wen Tailai.
8
Lu Feiqing
galloped westwards, braving strong winds which whipped his face. Passing
through Black Gold Gorge, he noticed the blood spilled during the previous
day's battle had already been washed away by the rain. He covered about twenty
miles in one stretch and arrived at a small market fair. Although the sky was
growing dark, he was impatient to continue on his way but his horse was
exhausted. As he considered what to do, he saw a Muslim at the edge of the fair
leading two large, well-fed horses and looking around as if waiting for
someone.
Lu went over and asked if he could buy one of them. The
Muslim shook his head. Lu reached into his cloth bundle and took out a large
silver ingot, but the Muslim shook his head again. Anxious and impatient, Lu
turned the bundle upside down and six or seven more silver ingots fell out: he
offered them all. The Muslim waved his hand to indicate the horse was
definitely not for sale, and Lu dejectedly began to put the ingots back into
his bundle. As he did so, the Muslim glimpsed a dart amongst the ingots, which
he picked up and examined closely. It was the dart Huo Qingtong had thrown at
Lu after he followed her to the Muslim camp site. He asked where the dart came
from. In a flash of inspiration, Lu said Huo Qingtong was his friend and that
she had given the dart to him. The Muslim nodded, placed the dart back in Lu's
hand and passed over the reins of one of the horses. Delighted, Lu pulled out
an ingot of silver again, but the Muslim waved his hand in refusal and walked
away.
"I would never have guessed that such a flower of a
girl would have such great influence among the Muslims," Lu thought.
He rode off, and in the next town, came across more
Muslims. He pulled out the dart and was immediately able to trade his mount for
another strong horse.
Lu continued to change horses the whole way and, eating
dry provisions as he rode, he covered two hundred miles in a day and a night.
Towards evening on the second day, he arrived at Anxi. Lu was a man of great
strength, but he was getting on in years, and galloping for so long without
rest had exhausted him. As soon as he entered the city, he took out the red
flower Wen had given him and stuck it in his lapel. Only a few steps later, two
men in short jackets appeared in front of him, saluted and invited him to
accompany them to a restaurant. Once there, one of the men sat with him while
the other excused himself and left. Lu's companion was extremely courteous, and
ordered food and wine without asking any questions.
After three cups of wine, another man hurried in, came
over to them and saluted with his fists. Lu quickly stood up and returned the
salute. The man, aged about thirty, wore an ordinary gown. He asked Lu for his
name and Lu told him.
"So you are Master Lu of the Wudang School,"
the man said. "We have often heard our Third Brother Zhao speak of you. I
have great admiration for you. Our meeting today is very auspicious."
"What is your honourable name?" Lu asked.
"My name is Wei."
"Please take a seat, sir," Lu's first companion
said. He saluted both Lu and Wei, and then left.
"Our Society's Young Helmsman and many of our
brothers are here in Anxi," said Wei. "If we had known you were coming,
they would certainly have all been here to greet you. In a moment, if you don't
mind, we will go and everyone can pay their respects to you."
They left the restaurant and rode out of the city.
"You have met our Fourth Brother Wen Tailai and his
wife," Wei said.
"Yes. How did you know?"
"The flower you are wearing is Brother Wen's. It has
four green leaves."
Lu was surprised at how openly Wei talked about their
society's secret signs, treating him not in the slightest like an outsider.
After a while, they arrived at an imposing Taoist
monastery surrounded by tall, ancient trees. Over the main gate was a wooden
tablet inscribed with four large characters: "Jade Nothingness Taoist
Monastery". Two Taoist priests standing in front of the monastery bowed
respectfully. Wei invited Lu inside, and a young apprentice priest brought tea.
Wei whispered in his ear, and the apprentice nodded and went inside. Lu was
just about to raise his cup when he heard someone in the inner hall shout:
"Brother Lu! I've been worried to death about you…" It was Lu's old
comrade, Zhao Banshan.
Zhao's questions came thick and fast. "Where have
you been all these years? What brings you here?"
Lu brushed the questions aside. "There is an urgent
matter to be discussed first. Your honourable society's Brother Wen is in
serious trouble."
He outlined the predicament of Wen and his wife. Even
before he had finished, Wei ran inside to report. While he was still talking,
Lu heard Wei arguing loudly with someone in the courtyard.
"Why are you holding me back?" the other
shouted. "I must go to help Brother Wen now!"
"You're too impatient," Wei replied. "It
must be discussed by everyone first, and then it is up to the Young Helmsman to
decide who goes." The other continued to protest.
Taking Lu by the hand, Zhao walked into the courtyard,
and Lu saw the hunchback who had severed the tail of Yuanzhi's horse.
Wei gave the hunchback a push. "Go and pay your
respects to Master Lu," he said. The hunchback walked over and stared
dumbly at him for a moment. Lu knew the hunchback remembered his face and,
uneasy at the thought of how Yuanzhi had laughed at him that day, he was about
to apologise when the hunchback said:
"You have ridden more than two hundred miles in a
night and a day to report on behalf of Brother Wen. I, Hunchback Zhang Jin,
thank you!" He knelt down, and kowtowed to Lu four times, his head banging
on the flagstones.
Lu wanted to stop him but it was already too late, so all
he could do was to kneel down and return the gesture.
The hunchback stood up. "I am leaving now," he
announced. As he passed through the circular doorway, a very short man coming
in the other way caught hold of the hunchback. "Where are you going?"
he asked.
"I am going to find Brother Wen and Mistress Luo
Bing. Come with me." Without waiting for an answer, the hunchback pulled
him along by the wrist.
The hunchback Zhang Jin had been born with a deformed
body, but his strength was frightening. When talking to others, he often
referred to himself as 'Hunchback Zhang', but anyone else calling him a
'hunchback' was courting disaster. He ranked 10th in seniority in the Red
Flower Society; his travelling companion was Xu Tianhong who ranked seventh. Xu
was very short and slight in build, almost the size of a dwarf, but his wisdom
and resource made him the Red Flower Society's chief tactician, and the
fighting community had dubbed him 'The Kung Fu Mastermind'.
One by one, the other members of the Red Flower Society
came out and were introduced to Lu. They were all famous heroes and Lu
recognised most of them after having passed them on the road several days
before. The formal greetings were kept to a minimum, and after a moment the
one-armed Taoist priest, who ranked second within the society, said: "Let us
go and see the Young Helmsman."
They went through to the rear courtyard and entered a
large room. On one of the wooden walls a huge 'encirclement chess' board had
been carved.* (* the game, Wei Qi, is best known by its Japanese name – Go.)
Two men were sitting on a couch about thirty feet away, fingering chess pieces
and throwing them at the vertical board, each piece lodging itself in the lines
which formed the squares. In all his wide experience, Lu had never seen chess
played in such a manner. Playing white was a young man with a refined face
wearing a white gown who looked like the son of a nobleman. His opponent,
playing black, was an old man dressed in farmer's clothes.
"I wonder who this old hero is," Lu thought.
"Never have I seen anyone with his strength and accuracy." He could
see black was in a dangerous position, and that with just one more move by
white, all the black pieces would be lost. The young man threw a piece, but his
aim was slightly off: the piece failed to embed itself in the intersection of
the lines and fell to the floor. The old man laughed.
"You missed," he said. "Admit
defeat!" He pushed the chess pieces aside and stood up.
His opponent smiled. "We'll have another game in a
while, teacher," he said. The old man saw the group entering, and strode
out of the room without so much as a greeting.
"Young Helmsman," Zhao said. "This is
Brother Lu Feiqing of the Wudang School." And to Lu: "This is our
Young Helmsman. I hope you will get to know one another well."
The young man brought his two fists together in salute.
"My name is Chen Jialuo. I would greatly appreciate your honoured
counsel."
Lu was surprised to find that this Young Helmsman gave
every appearance of being a dissolute young man from a wealthy family, the
complete opposite of the rest of the bandit-like bunch.
Zhao informed the Young Helmsman of how Wen had taken
refuge in Iron Gall Manor, and asked him for a plan of action. The Young
Helmsman turned to the Taoist priest. "Priest Wu Chen," he said.
"Please give us your advice."
A large, fat man, whom Zhao had introduced a moment
before as 'Iron Pagoda' Yang, stood up and shouted: "Fourth Brother is
badly wounded, someone we have never met before has ridden hard for a day and a
night to report to us, and we are still deferring to each other. We will kill
Fourth Brother with all this deference! Can we stop this nonsense? Who dares to
disregard the wishes of the old Master? Young Helmsman, if you do not respect
the dying wish of your foster father, you are unfilial. If you despise us
brothers so much that you are unwilling to become our leader, then the Red
Flower Society's seventy or eighty thousand members may as well go their
separate ways."
Everyone began talking at once: "We cannot remain
leaderless like this! If the Young Helmsman continues to defer, our devotion
will be finished! Fourth Brother is in trouble! We must follow the Young
Helmsman's orders and go to save him!"
The young man, Chen, looked greatly distressed. His
eyebrows drew together in a deep frown as he silently pondered the problem.
"Brothers!" shouted one of the Twin Knights of
Sichuan. "Since the Young Helmsman obviously despises us, we two intend to
return to Sichuan as soon as Fourth Brother has been rescued."
Chen saw he had no alternative and saluted the heroes
with his fists. "Brother Wen is in trouble and we can wait no longer. All
of you insist that I become Helmsman, and because of the respect I have for
you, I will do as you say."
The heroes of the Red Flower Society shouted and
applauded with delight and relief.
"Well then," said the Taoist priest. "The
Great Helmsman should now pay his respects to his predecessor and accept the
Flower of Authority."
Lu knew that each society had its own special rites and
ceremonies of which the initiation of a new leader was by far the most
important. As an outsider, Lu felt uncomfortable about being present during
such a ceremony, so he congratulated Chen and immediately excused himself. He
was extremely weary after his journey, and Zhao led him to a room where he
washed and slept. When he awoke, it was already night.
"The Great Helmsman has left with the others for
Iron Gall Manor," Zhao said. "But he left me here to keep you
company. We can follow on tomorrow."
And then, after two decades apart, the two men talked.
They talked of the doings of the fighting community over the years, the good
and the bad, the living and the dead, until the east grew light.
"Your Great Helmsman is so young," said Lu.
"He looks like nothing more than just another rich man's son. Why are you
all willing to follow him?"
"It would take a long time to explain," Zhao
replied. "You rest for a while longer and we can talk again later when
we're riding."