Legend of Condor Heroes Book 2

by Jin Yong

  Master Lu was surprised and curious by his visit and asked, “I wonder what has caused Senior Qiu to come here? If you need junior’s help, I would be more than happy to offer it.”

  Qiu Qianren stroked his beard and laughed, “It’s nothing big actually, just that I have been too softhearted and fate has it that it will not end.um, I would like to seek a secluded place to practice my skills; we’ll talk again in the night.”

  Master Lu saw that he wore no evil expression but was still unsettled and asked, “I wonder, did Senior happen to meet the ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’?”

  Qiu Qianren replied, “The ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’? That evil pair are not dead yet?”

  Master Lu was greatly comforted by what he heard and spoke out, “Ying’er, please bring Senior Qiu to my study to rest.” Qiu Qianren gave everyone a nod and left with Lu Guanying.

  Although Master Lu had never seen Qiu Qianren’s skills before, he had heard his formidable name. He knew that when the five greats, Eastern Heretic, Western Poison, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar and Central Divinity met for the Hua Shan tournament, they had invited him but he had something to attend to and thus turned down the invitation. His skills must have been exceptional to get the invitation; even if he was not up to the level of the greats, he should not be far from their standards. Should the ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’ come, they would not be able to mess around with him.

  He turned to Guo Jing and Huang Rong, “You haven’t gone? That’s very good. The Elder Qiu’s skills are formidable, how lucky that he should appear at this moment. I do not have to fear my opponents any longer! Later on you can rest in your rooms but please do not leave them and you’ll be fine.”

  Huang Rong gave a little laugh, “Can I watch the fun?”

  Master Lu let out a deep sigh and replied, “I’m afraid that my enemy will bring lots of people so I’m afraid that I won’t be able to protect myself and will allow you two to be hurt. Alright then, but you two must stick with me. With Senior Qiu around, it will be useless no matter how many people they bring!”

  Huang Rong clapped her hands in delight and laughed, “I love seeing people fight. It was so interesting that day you defeated that Little Jin Prince.”

  Master Lu replied, “This time it will be the Little Prince’s teacher who is much more skilful than him; that’s why I’m worried.”

  Huang Rong answered, “Ah! How do you know?”

  Master Lu replied, “Miss Huang, you won’t understand these fighting matters. That claw technique which the Little Jin Prince used to attack my Ying’er’s thigh is the same as the skill used to create those finger holes in the top of the skull.”

  Huang Rong answered, “Oh, I understand now. Wang Xianzhi’s calligraphy was taught by Wang Yizhi and Wang Yizhi was taught by Lady Wei whose teacher was Zhong You. Thus, any professional would be able to guess the family or sect the calligrapher belongs to merely by looking at his works.”

  Master Lu laughed, “Miss is highly intelligent. I just have to give you a hint and you are able to understand everything. My two opponents are evil and vicious. Compared to Zhong Wang, they have smeared the reputation of their teacher and ancestors.”

  Huang Rong pulled Guo Jing’s hand and said, “Let’s see what great skill the white bearded Grandpa is practicing.”

  Master Lu was alarmed and said, “Ah, don’t.. .don’t disturb him.”

  Huang Rong laughed, “It’s alright,” and stood up to leave.

  Master Lu was sitting on the couch and could not move. He thought nervously, “This young lady is too mischievous. How can she spy on him?”

  He hurriedly ordered the servants to lift up the bamboo couch and hurry to the study to stop them. When he reached it he saw them bending down and looking into the room through a hole made in the paper covering the window frame. When Huang Rong heard the servants’ footsteps she hurriedly turned and signaled to them not to make a single sound; at the same time she waved to Master Lu asking him to come over and see.

  Master Lu was afraid that if he did not go over, the little miss would throw a tantrum and alert Qiu Qianren. He immediately ordered the servants to walk silently and help him over to the window. When he looked through the hole Huang Rong made, he was baffled to see Qiu Qianren sitting cross-legged with eyes shut and smoke continuously coming out of his mouth.

  Master Lu’s teacher was highly skilled and knowledgeable. When he trained under him in his younger days, he often heard his teacher talk about the various skills of different sects and schools but had never heard of a skill involving breathing out smoke. He did not dare look longer and pulled Guo Jing’s sleeve, signaling him not to look anymore. Guo Jing respected him and besides, he never thought it proper to spy on others. Guo Jing immediately stood up and took Huang Rong by the hand, following Master Lu back to the hall.

  Huang Rong giggled, “That old fellow’s skills are fun. There’s a fire burning inside his stomach!”

  Master Lu answered, “You do not understand. This is an amazing type of internal energy.”

  Huang Rong asked, “Could he breathe out fire to burn someone?” Huang Rong was not joking as she said this; she was indeed curious about Qiu Qianren’s mysterious skills.

  Master Lu replied, “No one can breathe out fire, but to be able to attain such profound internal skills would mean that he can probably injure someone using mere flowers and leaves.”

  Huang Rong laughed, “Ah, tear a flower to hurt someone!”

  Master Lu smiled slightly and answered, “Miss is very smart.”

  There was a poem entitled ‘Barbaric Buddhist’ which was written by an anonymous poet during the Tang dynasty, which read: “When the peonies reveal real pearls, a beauty walks by the hall. With a gentle laugh, she asks the gentleman, ‘Which is prettier, the flower or the lady?’ The gentleman mulls it over and answers, ‘The flower is beautiful.’ The lady throws a mild tantrum and flings the smashed flower at him.” [The underlying meaning is actually used to refer to an insolent woman, who is not respected. In the past, the ideal woman is supposed to be gentle and docile.]

  The poem thus spread far and wide. Once, there was a court case in which an evil wife broke her husband’s legs. When the Tang Emperor, Xuanzhong learned about it, he laughed and said to his Prime Minister “Isn’t this tearing a flower to hurt someone?”

  Master Lu was relieved when he saw how powerful Qiu Qianren was. He ordered Lu Guanying to send people to inspect the lake and politely invite any suspicious-looking person back to the manor. He also ordered the servants to open the main entrance to the manor so as to welcome any guests. Evening came and the servants lit many candles in the main hall of Cloud Manor. The bright lights surrounded the whole hall, as if waiting for a banquet to begin. Lu Guanying personally went to invite Qiu Qianren to the hall in which he was offered the middle host seat. Guo Jing and Huang Rong sat beside him while Master Lu and his son sat on seats beneath their tables. Master Lu made 406 Eagle Shooting Hero

  his toasts but did not dare ask Qiu Qianren the purpose of his visit and only engaged in casual talk with his guests.

  After drinks, Qiu Qianren spoke out, “Brother Lu, Cloud Manor is the leader among all heroes of the lake and therefore your skills must be good. I wonder whether you would be willing to display a stance or two for me?”

  Master Lu answered hurriedly, “Junior’s skills are nothing compared to senior’s, I’m afraid I’ll embarrass myself. Furthermore, I have been crippled for a long time now and have given up the skills my teacher taught me long ago.”

  Qiu Qianren replied, “Who is your teacher? I may know him.”

  Master Lu let out a long sigh and his face paled. After a long while, he answered, “Junior is dumb and rough and is unable to serve my teacher. Due to the doings of others, my teacher disowned me. This is such a shameful story and I do not want my teacher’s name to be smeared. I hope Senior understands.”

  Lu Guanying thought silently, “So father was di
sowned by his teacher and thus never displayed his skills. I didn’t even know what a skilled fighter he is. If it weren’t for that Jin dog that hurt me, father would never have displayed his skills. He must have experienced a very devastating and hateful event in his life.” Lu Guanying was deeply saddened and disturbed by this thought.

  Qiu Qianren answered, “Brother is at the peak of his life and is the leader of a group of heroes. Why not take this opportunity to make your name known? It will help extinguish the wrongs done to you and make the seniors in your school regret them.”

  Master Lu replied, “Junior is crippled and is hopeless. Senior’s advice is insightful but I cannot accept it.”

  Qiu Qianren answered, “Brother is too courteous. There is a pathway but I’m not sure whether brother will agree to take it.”

  Master Lu answered, “Then I shall bother Senior to help me out.”

  Qiu Qianren laughed softly but continued eating and did not answer. Master Lu knew that this man had hidden himself for twenty years and thought, “There must be some reason why he has resurfaced in Jianghu. Since he is a senior master, it is not proper for me to probe further and I can only wait for him to tell me.”

  Qiu Qianren spoke, “If brother does not want to display your skills, it’s fine with me. Cloud Manor is a famous name and the leader must be from a famous school.”

  Master Lu gave a small laugh, “The matters of Cloud Manor have long been handled by my son Guanying. His teacher is the monk Kumo of Yun Qi Monastery.”

  Qiu Qianren answered, “Ah, Kumo is a skilled fighter of the Xian Xia sect which is affiliated to Shaolin. His skills are also commendable. How about the Junior Master displays some stances for me?”

  Master Lu said, “It is the child’s fortune to receive some pointers from Senior Qiu.”

  Lu Guanying thought it was rare to be able to meet such a highly skilled master and his advice would be insightful and precious. Therefore, he hoped to receive a few pointers. He immediately walked to the centre of the hall and said, “Elder, please give some pointers.”

  With that, he positioned himself and displayed his best stance, the ‘Luo Han Subduing the Tiger’ fists which created some wind when he punched with his fists. He was indeed the disciple of a skilled martial artist. His skills were unique and he displayed them for a while longer before releasing a loud roar which sounded like a tiger’s roar; the candle lights wavered and a gust of wind blew to the four corners of the room. The servants felt a chilling sensation and were startled by his performance. Lu Guanying continued with a palm technique while shouting loudly, looking very impressive. He did a flip and crouched on the floor; then suddenly stretching his left palm out straight, displayed a stance of the ‘Ru Lai Buddha Palm’. After a while longer, his roar grew softer but the pace of his ‘Luo Han Fists’ quickened and with his last stance, he attacked the floor and the force broke some bricks nearby. Lu Guanying flipped upright into position and with his left arm in the air and his right leg kicking out, he steadily and motionlessly formed the image of a Luo Han Buddha.

  Guo Jing and Huang Rong cheered out loud and shouted, “Excellent palm technique!”

  Lu Guanying relaxed, stood in normal position again, then turned to face Qiu Qianren who gave a slight smile.

  Master Lu asked, “How are this child’s set of palm techniques?”

  Qiu Qianren answered, “Passable.”

  Master Lu said, “If it’s far from perfect, I hope Senior gives some pointers.”

  Qiu Qianren replied, “Your son’s palm techniques can be used to build up his body but is useless when fighting an opponent.”

  Master Lu answered, “I would like to hear Senior’s comments so that he can improve them.”

  Guo Jing could not understand either and thought silently, “Junior Master’s skills are not formidable, but how can the Elder say that they’re useless?”

  Qiu Qianren stood up and walked to the middle of the hall and returned to his seat with a two pieces of the bricks which Lu Guanying had broken earlier. He did something with his hand and a cracking sound was heard as the pieces broke into smaller pieces. He kneaded the pieces and they turned to powder, which floated off the table. Everyone was astonished by what they saw.

  Qiu Qianren swept the dust and powder on the table onto his clothes and walked to the middle of the hall before shaking off the powder onto the floor. He laughed softly as he went back to his seat and said, “It is commendable for Junior Master to be able to break the bricks with a palm but think about this: The opponent is not a brick and will not stand there quietly, waiting for you to attack him or her. Furthermore, if the opponent’s internal energy is stronger than yours and your palm strikes him or her and they repel the strike, you will be heavily injured yourself.” Lu Guanying nodded silently.

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  Qiu Qianren sighed and continued, “There are many martial artists these days but only a few can be considered skilled fighters.”

  Huang Rong asked, “Which few?”

  Qiu Qianren replied, “Wulin’s well-known five greats: Eastern Heretic, Western Poison, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar and Central Divinity. However, Central Divinity Wang Chongyang has the most profound skills. As for the other four, they are skilled in their own way. But a person has strengths as well as weaknesses. If one knows their weakness, it is not difficult to defeat them.”

  With those words, Qiu Qianren shocked Master Lu, Huang Rong and Guo Jing. Lu Guanying did not know of the five greats and did not know why the rest were surprised. Huang Rong was actually in awe of Qiu Qianren when she saw his display of skills, but when she heard his disrespect towards her father, she was furious and gave a polite laugh before asking, “So if Elder can defeat the five greats, wouldn’t that be incredible for you?”

  Qiu Qianren answered, “Wang Chongyang has already passed away. I was caught up with some affairs at home during the Hua Shan tournament and could not attend it. That allowed that old Taoist to steal the title ‘number one’. At that time, the five were competing for the ‘Nine Yin Manual’, deciding that the most skilful fighter and winner would get the manual. They dueled for seven days and seven nights and Eastern Heretic, Western Poison, Northern Beggar and Southern Emperor lost. Later, when Wang Chongyang passed away, there was chaos again. I heard that the old Taoist passed the manual to his martial brother, Zhou Botong. Eastern Heretic, Huang Yaoshi rushed there and Zhou Botong was not his match, thereby allowing the former to steal half of the manual. No one knows what happened later.”

  Huang Rong and Guo Jing thought silently, “So there were things which happened in between. Half of the manual was stolen by the ‘Twin Killers of the Dark Winds’.”

  Huang Rong said, “Since Elder is the higher skilled, then the manual should belong to you!”

  Qiu Qianren replied, “I cannot be bothered to fight for it. The four greats are mediocre and have been practicing all these years so as to compete for the number one title. It would be fun to see the second Hua Shan Tournament though.”

  Huang Rong asked, “There is a second Hua Shan Tournament?”

  Qiu Qianren replied, “Once in every twenty-five years. If the old ones die, the young ones will take over. The next Hua Shan Tournament will take place in a year’s time. But all these years have passed without any outstanding talents. I think it will be us old fellows once again. Ah, there are no outstanding descendants; the skills of the future generations will not be as great as the earlier ones.” He shook his head as he spoke as though filled with deep regret.

  Huang Rong asked, “Is Elder going to participate in the next Hua Shan Tournament? If yes, please take us alright? I love seeing people spar with each other.”

  Qiu Qianren grunted, “Ah, such childish talk! How can you call that sparring? Initially I didn’t want to go. I am so old already, why bother about fighting for all these useless titles? However, I have a very important matter at hand, which involves the lives of everyone. I would be a selfish and greedy perso
n if I do not step forward to help or the matter will turn into a catastrophe.”

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  The four of them were astonished by his agitated tone and hurriedly asked him what was it.

  Qiu Qianren answered, “This is a highly secretive matter. Since Brothers Guo and Huang are not Jianghu people, its better that you don’t hear about it.”

  Huang Rong laughed, “Master Lu is my good friend; if you tell it to him then he will tell it to me.” Master Lu secretly scolded Huang Rong for being so cheeky but did not deny her words.

  Qiu Qianren replied, “Since this is so, I will tell all of you then. But before the matter is resolved, I would like all of you to keep it a secret.”

  Guo Jing thought, “We are not related to him in anyway and since it’s a secretive issue, it’s better not to hear it.” With that, he stood up and announced, “Both us juniors bid our farewell.”

  He pulled Huang Rong’s hand and was about to leave when Qiu Qianren replied, “Since both of you are Master Lu’s good friends, you are not outsiders. Please sit,” With that, he tapped Guo Jing on the shoulder. Guo Jing did not find his energy spectacular but obeyed and returned to his seat.

  Qiu Qianren stood up and toasted the wine to the four people before saying, “Not more than half a year from now, Great Song will be in trouble. Does anyone know why?” The others were stunned by his serious expression. Lu Guanying waved to signal to the servants to leave the room and ordered them not to bring in any more food.

  Qiu Qianren continued, “I have gotten news that in six months time, the Jin will attack the south with a formidable army and our Song Empire will be lost. Hai, this is so sudden that we cannot do much about it.”

  Guo Jing was alarmed and asked, “Then Elder Qiu had better go and inform the Imperial Court and ask them to prepare and make plans to counter the enemy.”

  Qiu Qianren stared at him and scolded, “What does a young man like you know? If Great Song is prepared, they will lose out even more.” No one understood what he was saying and looked at him with alarm.