by Jin Yong
The fire died out after a short while. Groping their way in the dark, the Company wound around a complex passage of interlacing sinuous and subangular passages. After walking around the maze for a long time, they still could not see the end of the tunnel.
Presently Curio broke out, "I shall go and fetch some wood." He dashed out of the cavelike passage and returned with a large bundle of dry wood. Then he set a torch alight. Brash and unmannerly though he was, Curio still exhibited a pleasing side to his character: he took bold strides and never faltered. Presently, he led the Company, marching foremost, holding a firebrand aloft.
Mighty pillars hewn from ice had decked the underground passage for centuries, sprouting adamantine crystals, shearing keen and sharp. Century picked up a rock, with which to knock off the rimy stalactites and stalagmites in his way. Each member of the Company had harboured evil intentions on their ascent of the mountain. Knowing that the gems and treasures would soon be within their grasp, they now turned to concerting their efforts, readily giving each other a helping hand.
The Company turned another bend in the cold dark underground passage.
"Look!" Sign suddenly cried out.
She pointed her finger at a glistening object on the ground, near Curio's feet. Curio bent down and picked it up. It was a tiny bodkin, fashioned in gold. An ideogram "An" meaning "Peace" was engraved on it. The weapon was identical to the one Sign had last handled at the foot of the mountain. Full of suspicion, Curio looked over his shoulder and bawled out at Peace, "So you have been here after all!"
"Have I been here before?" Peace fired back at Curio. "Do you see any burrow dug by feet?"
"Of course there are no footprints inside this lava tube," Curio tried to reason with himself. "But how has this bodkin of his been found inside this tunnel?" Piqued deep inside, Curio was close to venting his spleen. Opening his palm, he showed Peace the tiny gold bodkin, shouting, "Is this not yours? Your name is clearly inscribed on it!"
Peace glanced at it and shook his head, remarking, "I have not set eyes on it before." Curio grew furious. He turned his hand around and flung the bodkin to the ground. Immediately, he grabbed Peace and spat in his face, storming, "You liar! I watched her take your bodkin as a keepsake."
The Company, now thronging the tiny underground passage, found it almost impossible to turn around. Peace, therefore, could not duck away. Curio's was no empty gesture: it was a full gob of spittle. This threw Peace into a terrible rage. He snapped up his right leg, thrusting it smartly in Curio's stomach. His hands at once went for Curio's limbs. Parading the move Swallows Tracking Nest, Peace pummelled blows right at his front. Curio trembled. He flung the torch to the ground. His right fist struck a warning blow, a straight punch in Peace's face. Suddenly the fire went out. All about them hung the darkness, hollow and immense. Curio and Peace hurled abuse at each other. The sounds of fighting could be heard also. With whipping legs and tight fists, the two rival lovers showered blow after blow, each aiming true and fast. In the end, they rolled to the ground, grappling and wrestling in a bundle.
The remaining Company found this both amusing and irritating. Exhortations followed. The Company tried to tear the combatants away, but Peace and Curio would not be denied. Suddenly Sign cried out, "I shall never speak again to the one who persists in fighting." Her words inspired fear in their hearts. Peace and Curio, very reluctantly, began to loosen their grip on each other and got back on their feet again.
Prime was heard speaking quietly in the dark, "This is Prime. Go and find a flame to light the fire. Mind you do not lavish your jealous wrath on the innocent. Your fists and legs paid me tribute, too." Prime held out his hand and groped on the ground. He reached the firebrand and once again lit it. Curio and Peace each presented a pitiful spectacle. Both had black eyes and swollen noses, and they were out of breath. They planted themselves with their fists upraised as they darted angry looks at each other.
Sign fumbled inside her bosom and drew out a golden bodkin. She also picked up the other bodkin from the floor. Turning to Curio, she asked, "These two weapons do indeed come in a pair. But who told you that he gave them to me?" Curio was at first lost for words but was finally able to prevaricate, "If he did not give them to you, where did you get them? How did his name come to be engraved on these two bodkins?"
Century took the bodkin. He glanced at it and posed Curio a question, "Your Master is Pastoral Tian. Who was your Grandmaster?"
Taken by surprise, Curio ventured to answer, "Grandmaster? He was the father of my Master. Peace was his first taboo name and Panther his middle."
"That is it!" Century sneered. "Peace Panther Tian. What was his secret weapon?"
Curio began to wonder, "I ... I never met my Grandmaster."
"You never met him. But your Uncle Valour was taught martial feats by Panther himself. You ask him," commanded Century.
Valour interrupted before Curio could ask him, "Curio, let us stop all stupidity now. Your Grandmaster employed as secret weapons these two matching bodkins." Curio was dumbfounded. However, it did little to wipe the suspicion from his mind.
Tree turned to Peace and Curio, remarking, "If you two wish to settle the amorous accounts that lie between you with a duel, by all means grapple each other to death outside. We would rather find the hidden treasure."
Prime led the way, holding the torch aloft. The underground tunnel soon turned a corner. As the space was constricted and becoming narrower, the Company had to wriggle through, bending low. At times, their heads struck ice sprouting from the cavernous roof, causing them pain. However, the thought that the treasure must be close cheered them.
After walking for the time it would take to drink one bowl of tea, the Company found themselves coming to the end of the passage. A little way ahead, a mighty, round boulder loomed atop another monstrous, spherical rock. The two massive stones blocked the way ahead. Ice had frozen in the cracks and crevices between the two boulders, turning them into one adamantine, giant formation. Prime pushed it with his hand, but the huge boulder stood fast. Prime looked over his shoulder and asked Tree, "What are we to do now?" Tree scratched his head, and remained silent.
Fortune counted as the purest incarnation of common sense among this group of brash fellows. He smiled quietly to himself before proceeding, "Two round boulders stacked one on top of the other are bound to be movable. Only they are now locked tight by the ice." Tree was delighted to hear this, saying, "That is correct. All we need to do is to melt the ice." Prime moved the fire closer to the huge rocks to thaw the ice sealing them. Curio, Radiant and the others quickly rushed outside and returned with bundles of wood and logs for the fire. The fire was burning more and more fiercely; the ice melted in no time. Fragmented crystals jangled to the ground.
More than half of the massive ice block wedged between the boulders had already melted. Tree grew impatient. He thrust his hands on the rock, summoning up all his bodily strength. The pedestal boulder stood fast. Gradually, more ice thawed. Tree tried once again to push the rock. Wobbling a bit, the boulder rolled to the side. A huge doorway was suddenly outlined, though not a crack or a joint had been visible before. An incredible natural creation indeed!
The Company grew excited, exclaiming loudly. Valour assisted Tree with the door. They pushed it wide open. Tree picked up a piece of wood from the fire and marched first into the hidden gallery. The rest of the Company immediately followed him inside, each holding a fiery torch. Beyond the rock door, the jewels and gems made a fiery sparkle, dazzling all their senses. Mouths agape, the Company were in a daze, barely able to breathe.
They were in a vast recess cut from the rock. Jewels and gold were lying about in mountains. Unfortunately an icy and pellucid armour shrouded them. It could well be imagined this must be the work of the henchmen of the Dashing King. After depositing the treasure in this limestone honeycomb, they had then splashed cold water over everything. The cavernous area was snow-bound all year. The glazed gems, embalmed in crystalline ice
, stayed adamantine like diamond. The Company all stared fixedly at the precious metals and stones, entirely rapt. For a while, words were frozen in their lungs. Silence filled the void. Suddenly, deafening cheers filled the vault. At length, Tree, Century and the others hurled themselves against the ice, hugging it. They still had no words with which to express their joy.
Suddenly Sign shrieked out in alarm, "Another one!" She pointed to a further den. After the flaming brands were brought closer, two dark figures came to light. Both figures had planted themselves by a wall.
Mortal terror struck the Company. They had never expected to find cave-dwellers. Could there be another entrance to the cell? They at once whipped out their weapons and drew threateningly closer. Some time passed, but the two black forms stayed silent. Tree howled, "Who is there?" The two men inside simply ignored the question.
The two quiet figures remained still for some time. The Company, panic stricken, waited in ever-increasing suspense. Tree broke the silence and began, "Veterans of great esteem, whoever you may be, please present yourselves and meet us." The echoing walls magnified Tree's voice to a resounding bellow, making all ears feel uncomfortable. Still no answer came from the two. Neither did they move forward.
Tree held his torch aloft and advanced a few paces. It became obvious that the two grey shapes were on the other side of a glacial plate. The slab, like a crystal wall, divided this bitterly cold grotto into two recesses, the front and the rear. Tree plucked up his courage and edged around the solidified vitreous partition. These two figures looked as haggard as cadavers. They had not stirred an inch. They looked as if they were piqued at the paralytic points. Tree cast away all his fear, shouting out to the Company aloud, "Come and follow me." He hurried around to the other side of the crystalline ice wall, in great strides. The pair struck him as eerie. They remained as if afflicted by rigor mortis. Whirling the blade in his right hand, Tree shone the firebrand closer to the two immobile faces. He convulsively drew in a deep breath of cold air. It was clear that the two men had been dead for some time. They looked hideous. Their sinews and their facial muscles were distorted in death. A sudden dread and horror fell on the Company.
The sight of these two inert cadavers made Sign and Third cry out involuntarily. The remainder immediately crowded around. Each corpse held a dagger in his hand, thrusting it at his opponent. One dagger transfixed the chest and the other pierced the midriff.
Valour took a close look at one of the remains. He suddenly prostrated himself on the ground, weeping, "Benevolent Master, so you have been here all these years." His words shocked the others, who asked in a medley of voices, "What is the matter?" "Who were these two men?" "Was he your Master?" and "How did he die here?"
Valour dried his tears. Pointing to the smaller of the two carcasses, he said, "This was Panther, my Master. The tiny gold bodkin picked up by Curio a while ago belonged to him."
Panther looked no more than forty years old, much younger than Valour. The Company found this rather strange. In no time they solved the puzzle. The two human ice statues, in fact, had stood here for several decades. Ice, accumulated throughout the years inside this freezing cavern, had preserved these two dead inhabitants, causing them to look as if they had been dead for only a few days.
Suddenly, Curio pointed to the other denizen of the cave and asked, "Uncle, who was the other person? How dared he take the life of our Grandmaster!" He kicked hard at that dead body. This yet unknown corpse was slender in build and long in the limbs. The Company had not much trouble making out who he was.
Valour provided the Company with an answer, "He was Phoenix's father. I called him Grandpa Miao from the time I was little. He and my Master had been good friends. On a certain day of a particular year, they made a trip together to a place beyond the Pass. For some reason unknown to us, the two seemed very excited about making that trip. They both set off in high spirits but were never seen again. Soon word went around the Martial Brotherhood that they had been murdered by Gully, a loutish fighter of Liaodong Peninsula. This explains why the Gilt-faced Buddha and Brother Pastoral vowed to inflict retribution on Gully. Well, what followed was Miao ... that creature Miao, fired by avarice on laying eyes on the subterranean gems, decided to rob my Master of his life." Thereupon, Valour snapped up his leg and dealt a blow to the calf of the dead body. Both corpses were frozen hard and stiff. They remained totally indifferent to Valour's thrust. But the protagonist hurt his toes.
The remaining members of the Company began thinking to themselves, "Could your Master not be the one fired by cupidity who struck out first?"
Valour reached out his hands and tugged hard at the dead body of Miao, struggling to haul it away from his Master. He forgot that the two well-preserved corpses had already been entangled for several decades. The ice had sealed their hands and weapons into one massive block. Their trunks and blades were frozen into another slab. Consequently, Valour expended all his efforts to no avail.
Presently, Century picked up the story left by Valour, sighing, "In the year in question, Gully employed a go-between to convey the cause of these tragic deaths to the respective heirs, Phoenix the Knight-errant and Pastoral. Gully found out the circumstances surrounding the deaths of these two elder members of the Miao and Tian families. As they had died in disgrace, Gully did not think it appropriate to break the news to their families in person. He would rather take them to the site and let them learn the truth for themselves. It means Gully must have been here before. He found the treasure, and yet he left it untouched. What could be the reason behind all this?"
Suddenly Sign interrupted, "I came across something very strange this morning."
"What was it?" asked Valour.
Sign then poured out her story: "In the morning while we were making after him.... He...." Pouting her lips at Peace and blushing slightly, she continued, "You Uncles were galloping in front and I was being left behind at the back ..."
Curio could no longer restrain himself and spoke with unwonted stridency, "You were riding on a thoroughbred: why were you lagging behind then? You ... you ... simply did not want to take up arms against the brute."
Sign did not even bother to look at him, but continued to speak in a lethargic manner, "You have ruined my whole life. You may torture me in any way you wish. Peace is my destined husband. I have done him great injustice. Though he cannot wed me now, he will still be the only one person whom I shall ever hold dear in my heart."
Thereupon, Peace cried out aloud, "Of course I shall marry you, Sister Sign. Of course I shall marry you." His remark threw both Century and Curio into a blaze. Torn between anguish for his son and anger with Sign, Century raged, "You are going to marry this filthy whore? I shall have no bitch as a daughter-in-law." In no time another voice was heard storming, "Dispatch me first if you have got the prowess." The inflamed utterances of these two creatures deafened the ears of the Company simultaneously. Also there were the resounding echoes from the crypt. The noises were so jumbled that none could make sense of them.
Sign cast her eyes to the floor, waiting for them to quieten down. Afterwards, in a soft tone she said to Peace. "Even though you still want to take me as your wife, how could I ever have the face to wed you? Please never see me again once we escape this cavernous cell."
"No, no." Peace grew agitated. "Sister Sign, this rogue is all to blame, trampling on you and treating you like dirt. I shall hazard my life against that devil." Whirling his weapon, Peace hurled himself headlong at Curio.
Hawk immediately barred him, commanding, "Keep your violent rage to yourselves and fight your duel outside." Feinting a thrust with his left fist, Hawk snapped up his right hand and locked Peace in the wrist. He twisted it around slightly, seized his weapon, and flung it to the ground. Curio, in a state of choler and ready for a fight, was kept out by Fortune. The remaining members of the Company found Sign's plans rather amusing. She was a scheming minx and was endeavouring by wielding every artifice at her command to attract and influenc
e both of her fools. She pretended to retreat in order to cover up her true intention of advancing, and succeeded in melting both soulful hearts.
Presently, Tree remarked teasingly, "Miss Tian, marry whomever you take a fancy to, but never a monk like me. This old monk is only interested in learning from you what strange things you came across this morning."
The others laughed. Sign also smiled, adding, "My horse slowed down to a dawdling pace, hence I lagged behind the Uncles. Suddenly came the clattering sound of horses' hooves. A horse approached at a gallop from behind. The rider was holding a large gourd in his arm. He thrust back his neck and drained the wine from the gourd. I found him rather funny, with thick hair bristling on his face. He wobbled drunkenly on horseback, but still gulped down the spirit. I could not help bursting out in laughter. He looked over his shoulder and inquired, 'Are you the daughter of Pastoral Tian?' I answered him, 'Yes, I am. May I know what is your honour's name?' To this he replied, 'This is for you!' At this, he threw me this tiny gold bodkin. The weapon grazed my face, knocking off my earring. I was taken aback. Instantly he clapped spurs to his horse and galloped away. Ever since, I have been going over in my mind why he gave me this tiny bodkin."
Tree asked Sign, "Did you know him?"
Sign nodded, speaking softly, "He was Fox Hu, Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain. Of course I did not know him at the time when he threw me the bodkin. I recognized his voice after he ascended the mountain and talked with Sister Miao. I peeped through a crevice in the partition and confirmed that it was he."
