by Jin Yong
Zhang Wuji was shaken. He rubbed both his hands on the dusty floor and then smeared the dust on his face. Ming Yue only thought that he was terrified seeing a powerful enemy arrive and so tried to hide his features. He too panicked and followed Zhang Wuji. In a flash, the two novice priests' faces were both grey, making it difficult to make out their features. The sedan chair's door opened and a young man got out. He was wearing a white robe embroidered with a blood red flame and carrying a fan. It was Zhao Min disguised as a man. Zhang Wuji thought: "So it is her who is behind all this, no wonder Shaolin was so utterly defeated.” Only to see her enter the hall followed by around 10 people. A tall and powerfully-built man steps forward, bowed and said: "Reporting to Sect Leader, this is Wudang Sect's Zhang Sanfeng and that paralysed man should be his third disciple Yu Daiyan." Zhao Min nodded, took a few steps forward, folded her fan, cupped her hands and bowed to Zhang Sanfeng, saying: "Ming Cult Leader, Junior Zhang Wuji, is fortunate to meet the North Star of the wulin today!" Zhang Wuji was furious. He scolded in his heart: "It's bad enough that you pretend to the Ming Cult leader. How dare you use my name and come to trick my Grandteacher!” When Zhang Sanfeng heard the words "Zhang Wuji”, he thought it was very strange: "How is it that the Demon Sect's leader such a young girl? And why does she have the same name as Wuji?” Nevertheless he returned her salutation and said:"I did not know that Sect Leader was coming so I didn't come out to greet you. I hope you'll forgive me!” Zhao Min said: "You flatter me!”
Ling Xu directed the novice priests to serve tea. Zhao Min sat down. Her subordinates stood a distance behind her, not daring to come within five feet of her for fear of offending her.
Zhang SanFeng had practiced Taosim for a hundred year, it had been a long time since anything affected him emotionally. However, he had a deep bond with his disciples. With the safety of Song Yuanqiao and the others unknown, he was extremely worried, so he immediately asked: "The disciples of this old Taoist overestimated their own abilities, they even dared to challenge top experts from your cult. To date, they've not returned. Would you be so kind as to inform me of their whereabouts?” Zhao Min laughed and said:"Eldest Hero Song, Second Hero Yu, Fourth Hero Zhang and Seventh Hero Mu have fallen into my cult's hands. All of them have suffered some injuries, but their lives are not in danger.” Zhang SanFeng said:"Suffered some injuries?More likely they have been poisoned.”Zhao Min laughed:"Master Zhang has great confidence in Wudang's kungfu. If you say they have been poisoned, then they are poisoned."
Zhang Sanfeng knew that his disciples were top-class experts of their time. Even if they were outnumbered and defeated, at least a few would have made it back to report. Since all of them were capturured,it was definitely because they had been poisoned. Zhao Min saw that he had guessed what happened, so she casually admitted it. Zhang Sanfeng then asked:"What about my disciple surnamed Yin?” Zhao Min sighed:"Sixth Hero Yin fell into Shaolin's ambush. His four limbs have been broken with Shaolin's Golden Silver Fingers. He won't die but he can no longer move!” From her expression, Zhang Sanfeng knew that this was not empty talk,he was deeply grieved. With a ‘wa’ sound, he coughed out a mouthful of blood. Zhao Min's followers behind her were delighted, they knew Kong Xiang's sneak attack must have been successful and this Wudang master had suffered a serious injury. Their only fear had been Zhang Sanfeng, now there was nothing left to worry about.
Zhao Min said: "Junior has some advice to give. Would you like to hear it Master Zhang?” Zhang Sanfeng replied: "Please speak up.” Zhao Min said: "All land under heaven belongs to the Emperor, the Emperor and his ministers lead the country. The Mongol emperor's power stretches
over the whole world. If Master Zhang chooses to serve, His Majesty will surely reward you and Wudang will be greatly honoured. Eldest Hero Song and the rest too will come to no harm.” Zhang Sanfeng looked up to the ceiling and coldly said: "Though the Ming Cult has walked the unrighteous path and has committed all sorts of atrocities, you have always opposed the Mongols. When did you submit to the government? This old priest must be really isolated since I have heard nothing about this.” Zhao Min said:"Leaving the darkness and embracing the light,it is the mark of a hero to follow the trend of the times. Shaolin's Kong Wen, Kong Zhi and the others have all submitted and pledged their loyalty to the government. My sect is just following the way the wind is blowing, what's so strange about that?”
Zhang Sanfeng's eyes flashed, he stared directly at Zhao Min and said: "The Yuan (ie Mongol dynasty) are brutal and do great harm to the common people. At present all the heroes of the world have risen up to drive out the barbarians and reclaim our land. It is the aspiration of every descendent of the Yellow Emperor (ie Chinese) to do so - that is the way the wind is truly blowing. Though I am a priest,I still understand the meaning of righteousness. Kong Wen and Kong Zhi are enlightened monks of our time, how could they bow to power? How can your words be so confused?”
Suddenly, a man came out from behind Zhao Min, yelling:"Stupid old monk, you don't know what you are talking about! Wudang Sect is about to be annihilated. Though you're not afraid of death, can it be that the hundred plus priests and disciples on this mountain are not?” This person's speech is full of vigour,with his tall stature and powerful build,he cut an intimidating figure. Zhang Sanfeng recited:"Since olden days, which man has lived and not died? I'll leave a loyalist name in history!*"
(Translation from http://www.chinapage.org/poet-e/wentian2e.html).
This was two lines from a poem by Wen Tianxiang. At the time Wen Tianxiang died,Zhang Sanfeng was still very young. He deeply respected this heroic prime minister. Later on he regretted that at the time his martial arts were still undeveloped,otherwise he definitely would have risked his life to save him. Faced with this difficult situation, he naturally recited the poem. He paused for a moment then continued: "Actually Prime Minester Wen was somewhat obstinate. As for me, I'll just remain loyal,it doesn't matter what the history books say!” He looked at Yu Daiyan thinking:"And yet I hope that my Taichi Fist and Taichi Sword will managed to be passed on to future generations. Wouldn't it be the same result as Prime Minister Wen taking into consideration his reputation after death? As long as I have a clear conscience, why worry whether my Taichi Fist can be passed to future generations or whether Wudang Sect survives!”
Zhao Min waved her left arm gently. That man bowed and retreated. She smiled faintly and said:"Since Master Zhang is so stubborn, there is no need to say anything else for now. Will you all please come with me!” So saying, she stood up. Four people standing behind her immediately surrounded Zhang Sanfeng. These four people are the powerfully built man, a man in rags, a skinny monk, and a bearded foreigner with blue eyes. Zhang Wuji saw from the way they moved that this four men were no pushovers. He was startled: "How is it that this Miss Zhao has such powerful fighters working for her?” He saw that if he refused to go along with her; the four of them will attack. Zhang WuJi thought: "The enemy are in large numbers, plus they are immoral and shameless people. They're not comparable to the six major sects which attacked Brightness Peak. It won't be easy for me to protect grandteacher and third martial uncle. Even if I defeat a number of them,they won't admit defeat and will definitely attack together. Still, the situation is such that I'll have to risk everything to do so. The best thing to do would be to capture Miss Zhao to force them to give in.”
He was just about to step forward to deal with those four when a long laugh was heard from outside. A green man-shaped shadow darted into the hall. This man's movements were as stealthy as a ghost and a swift as lightning. In a flash, he was behind the powerfully built man, and launched a palm attack. The powerfully built man returned a palm without turning around, intending to compete strength. The man in green didn't wait for this move to be completed, his left hand had already tapped the foreigner's shoulder. The foreigner swiftly dodged sideways and kicked at his lower abdomen. That man had already turned to attack the skinny monk while tilting his body to the side his left palm
hit out at the person dressed in rags. In a split second, he had made four attacks, each against a top fighter. Though none of them found it's target, the speed of his techniques was truly beyond imagination. These four people knew they were facing a formidable opponent. Each leapt a few steps backwards, focusing the full attention on the battle.
That person in green ignored the enemy, bowed to Zhang Sanfeng and said: "Ming Cult's Sect Leader Zhang's subordinate, junior Wei Yixiao pays his respects to Master Zhang!” This man was really Wei Yixiao. After dealing with the enemies' obstructions, he had doubled his speed to catch up.
Zhang Sanfeng heard him refer to himself as "Ming Cult's Sect Leader Zhang's subordinate”. So he assumed that he was part of Zhao Min's party, and suspected that the forcing of those four people to retreat was just a trick. He said coldly: "Mr. Wei doesn't have to be so polite. I have long heard that the Green Wing Bat King's lightness kungfu is without peer in the world. Now I see that you really live up to your reputation.” Wei Yixiao was delighted. He rarely came to the central plains so he was not well known there. Who would have thought that Zhang Sanfeng knew of his lightness kungfu. Bowing, he said: "Venerable Zhang is the North Star of the martial arts community. It is a great honour for me to receive your praise.”
He turned around, pointed at Zhao Min and said: "Miss Zhao, what is your purpose in impersonating the Ming Cult and ruining our reputation? Should a real man be so sly and crafty?" Zhao Min giggled: "I am not a man to begin with. So what if I'm sly and crafty - what can you do about it?" The very first thing Wei Yixiao said was already a mistake. He was unable to come up with a reply. Instead he said: "What do you mean by "first attack Shaolin, then harass Wudang? If you have a enmity with Shaolin and Wudang, the Ming Cult shouldn't interfere. But as you use our name and impersonate us, I, Wei Yixiao cannot ignore it!”
All along, Zhang Sanfeng had not believed that the Ming Cult would surrender to the government after being mortal enemies for a hundred years. After hearing Wei Yixiao's words he understood, thinking: "So this girl is actually pretending to be someone she's not. Though the Demon Cult has a bad reputation, when it comes to major matters they are clear on what has to be done.” Zhao Min turned to the powerfully built man and said: "Listen to him blow his own trumpet! Go and try out his skills.” The man bowed and replied:"Yes!” Tightening his belt, he walked to the middle of the hall and said: "Bat King Wei, let me have the pleasure of seeing your Cold Ice Cotton Palm!”
Wei Yixiao was startled: "How does this guy know about my Cold Ice Cotton Palm? Since he knows that I have this skill and yet still challenges me, he can't be an easy opponent.” He said:"May I know your name?” That man replied:"We are here impersonating Ming Cult, so you think we will reveal our real names? Bat King Wei, you are really stupid to ask this.” The people behind Zhao Min burst into laughter. Wei Yixiao said coldly: "That's right,I was stupid to ask. You're simply a running dog of the government, a slave of the foreigners, it is better you don't tell us your real name in order not to disgrace your ancestors. ” The man's face turned red and he struck out at Wei Yixiao's chest in anger.
Wei Yixiao dodged quickly and moving as fast as lightning, he stretched out his arm to poke the man's back. He did not use his Cold Ice Cotton Palm yet because he wanted to test out his opponent's skills first. The man blocked with his left arm and counter-attacked. The man's palm strokes grew faster and more aggressive as the fight progressed. Though Wei Yixiao's internal injuries had been cured by Zhang Wuji, and he no longer has to drink blood to suppress the cold poison, nevertheless he only had had a short time to recover. Now faced with a powerful opponent, coupled with the fact he was fighting in front of the legendary Zhang Sanfeng, he did not dare get careless. So he started to use his Cold Ice Cotton Palm. Their palm strokes gradually slowed as they shifted to competing internal strength. Suddenly there was a yell and a greenish-black object shot through the door heading for that man. This object was larger than a rice sack - it is really odd that there such an enourmous weapon even existed. The man's right palm shot out hitting the object about ten feet away. As his hand made contact, he realised the object was soft yet he could not put a finger on what it was. But a scream was heard - it turned out that there was someone inside. This person has been hit by that man with full power and no mercy, how could his muscles not be smashed and his bones broken? The man was startled and froze in place for a moment. Noiselessly, Wei Yixiao moved up behind him and struck his Da Tui acupoint with his Cold Ice Cotton Palm. The man turned around angrily using his full strength to hit Wei Yixiao's head.
Wei YiXiao laughed and surprisingly he did not move. In the middle of his strike, the man's hand felt weak. Though he made contact with his opponent, the effect was like being gently stroked. Wei Yixiao knew that once the Cold Ice Cotton Palm energy enters the body, the person's strength will dissipate. Nevertheless, in a battle between expert fighters, to allow a powerful opponent to hit his head was an extremely daring thing to do. Therefore, all the spectators were astonished. In the event that the man had been able to resist the Cold Ice Cotton Palm Wei Yixiao's skull would have been crushed. Wei Yixiao had been a strange person all his life. If there was anything other people are afraid of doing or would refuse to do, he would be more than happy to do it. He had taken advantage of that man's distraction to launch a sneak attack, which was underhand thing to do. Therefore, he daringly let the man hit his head as compensation.
The man dressed in rags tore open the sack and pulled a person out. His face was blood-red having met a violent death under the hand of that powerfully built man. This person is dressed in black and was a member of their party. Somehow he had been caught and imprisoned in the sack.
The man in rags was furious, he yelled: "Who was it who cunningly......” Before he could finish, a
white sack floated onto his head. He leapt backwards to avoid it, only to see a fat monk grinning at him. Cloth Sack Monk Shuo Bu De had arrived.
Since Shuo Bu De's Qian Kun Yi Qi Sack was thorn to shreds by Zhang Wuji on Guang Ming Peak he had no weapon. He could only quickly fashion a few cloth sacks to use. These were only ordinary sacks unlike the Qian Kun Yi Qi Sack with was impenetrable by swords and sabers. Though his lightness kungfu could not match Wei Yixiao, it was still quite good. Added to the fact that he faced no hindrance along the way, this meant he managed to catch up. Shuo Bu De saluted to Zhang Sanfeng and said: "Ming Cult's Sect Leader Zhang's subordinate, Wanderer Cloth Sack Monk Shuo Bu De pays his respects to Venerable Zhang.” Zhang SanFeng returned his salute saying:"You must be tired from your long journey.” Shuo Bu De said: "My humble cult's sect leader's subordinates the Emissary of Guang Ming, White Browed Eagle King, as well as the other four Wanderers, Five Flags Leaders and other forces have already arrived at WuDang. Master Zhang can just relax and watch the Ming Cult deal with these shameless imposters.”
He was actually bluffing. Such a large group of Ming Cult's forces could not have arrived so quickly. But when Zhao Min heard it, she could not help frowning slightly while thinking:"Who would have thought that they could arrive so quickly? Who leaked our secret?” Unable to bear it any longer she asked: "Where is your Sect Leader Zhang? Ask him to come and see me.” So saying she turned to Wei Yixiao and looked him in the eye. Her gaze was questioning - asking him where his Sect Leader was. Wei Yixiao laughed and said:"Now you are no longer trying to impersonate us, right?” He too wondered:"Sect Leader has definitely arrived, but where is he right now?” Zhang Wuji was hidden behind Ming Yue,he knew Wei Yixiao and Shuo Bu De have yet to recognize him. He was relieved seeing that these two helpers have arrived. Zhao Min laughed coldly and said: "One venomous bat, one stinking monk, what can you do?”
Just as she said this, a long laugh was heard from the roof on the east of the building, asking: " Reverend Shuo Bu De, has Left Emissary Yang arrived?” This person's voice resonated loudly.
The White Browed Eagle King Yin TianZheng had arrived. Shuo Bu De had not yet answered when Yang Xia
o's laughter was heard from western roof. Only to hear him laughingly say: "Eagle King, you keep improving as you grow older. You reached here a step faster.” Yin TianZheng laughed: "No need to be so polite, we both arrived at the same time. It'll be splitting hairs to decide who's faster. I fear that you gave way to me for Sect Leader Zhang's sake.” Yang Xiao said: "Definitely not! I've given it my best shot but still failed to beat you.” Enroute to Wudang the two of them had decided to compete to see who was faster. Yin TianZheng's inner power was profound but Yang Xiao's steps were quicker. As a result they were neck to neck with each other from the start to finish. Laughing, both men jumped down from the roof.
Zhang Sanfeng had long heard of Yin Tianzheng's reputation. Moreover he was Zhang Cuishan's father-in-law. Yang Xiao was also a famous person in the martial world. He took three steps forward, cupped his hands and said: "Zhang Sanfeng respectfully welcomes Brother Yin and Brother Yang.” In his heart he wondered: "Yin Tianzheng is the Heavenly Eagle Sect's leader. Why did he say ‘for Sect Leader Zhang’s sake’?” Yin and Yang bowed to him. Yin Tianzheng said: "I've long heard of Master Zhang distinguished name, but never had the opportunity to meet you.
Today, I am very fortunate to do so.” Zhang Sanfeng said: "You are both great masters of the era. The arrival of you both has truly made this a great occasion.”
Zhao Min saw that more and more Ming Sect experts were arriving and she became even angrier. Though Zhang Wuji had not showed up, she was worried about any schemes he might have put in place. It looked like it would be difficult for her carefully laid plans to succeed. But they had managed to seriously injure Zhang Sanfeng, there woould not be another opportunity as good as this. If they did not wrap up matters at Wudang today, once his injuries recover he will be a thorn in their side. With her eyes sweeping around, she sneered: "It is said in the martial arts world that Wudang is a top righteous sect, but how can hearing stories beat seeing with our own eyes? In reality Wudang has ganged up with the Demon Cult. The Demon Cult has simply been lending a land in all battles, Wudang' martial arts is really nothing worth talking about.” Shuo Bu De said:"Miss Zhao, you're only a little girl. When Master Zhang shook the martial arts world, your grandfather probably wasn't even born yet. What does a little kid know?” The ten or so people behind Zhao Min stepped forward glaring at him. Shuo Bu De smiled: "Do you think my words are unfit to be said? My name is Shuo Bu De (ie cannot to be said), but when I want to saw something I'll say it. What can you do about it?” The skinny monk yelled angrily: "My lady, let your subordinate deal with this big-mouthed monk!” Shuo Bu De called out: "Wonderful! Wonderful! You are an unruly monk, I am also a unruly monk. Let us compete with each other. If Master Zhang gives us some pointers, it'll be more beneficial than 10 years of our own dedicated practice.” So saying, he pulled a cloth sack out. The onlookers saw him take out one sack after another, there seemed to be no limit to the nimber of sacks inside his robe.
