by Jin Yong
Xiao Zhao knew he was only joking, but she could not help feeling scared; she withdrew three steps backward and said, "Don’t ... don’t scare me.”
Chapter 26 - Self Deformation of a Handsome Jade Face
(Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)
He Taichong was holding a wooden sword; its body was wrapped in cloth. Standing in front of him was a burly foreign monk. In his hand was a steel blade. One weapon was sharp, the other blunt. It was clearly no competition; it was so easy to see who was strong and who was weak.
Approaching the afternoon that day, three riders and one carriage were seen galloping toward the north and in less than a day they had entered Dadou [lit. grand capital], the Yuan Dynasty’s capital. By this time the power of Mongolian cavalry had reached a hundred thousands ‘li’s [1 li is approximately 0.5 km], making their borders vast and wide, matchless throughout the history. Dadou later on became Beijing. It is the city where the emperor resided, where countless smaller nations and tribes sent their envoys to pay tribute.
As Zhang Wuji and his company entered the city gate they saw that a lot of people were coming and going; many of those people had yellow hair and blue eyes. Four people went to the western side of the city to find an inn for them to spend the night. Acting as a rich merchant Yang Xiao asked for three of the best rooms. The inn attendant rushed back and forth to serve them. Yang Xiao asked him about the historical sites and scenic spots around the Dadou; after a while he casually asked about ancient temples or monasteries. The inn attendant mentioned Wan An Temple of the western city first, "This Wan An Temple is situated among a thick forest; it has three big copper Buddha idols. No matter where you are going in this world, you won’t find the fourth one. You should have come to visit this temple. It’s a pity you have come in an unfortunate time. For the past half a year the temple has been occupied by foreign western monks; common people do not dare to come anymore.”
"Occupied by foreign monks, that shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” Yang Xiao asked.
The attendant stuck his tongue, he looked left and right before lowering his voice and said, "It’s not that I talk too much, but honorable guests have come to the capital, you must be careful when talking. If they see people coming in, those foreign monks will beat or even kill as they please; if they see pretty women then they will grab and take them inside the temple. They are backed by the Emperor. Who dare to swat a fly on a tiger’s head by coming to those foreign monks and confront them?”
The foreign monks were backed by the Mongolian power, plundering and rampaging, oppressing the Han people, Yang Xiao and the others had long been aware of it; but they did not expect these people would unscrupulously run amuck in the capital. Thereupon they did not talk with the inn attendant any longer.
After dinner that night they stayed in their respective rooms to cultivate their energy. Around the second hour [between 1 and 3 am] three people leaped from the window, heading west.
The Wan An temple was a big four-story building, with a thirteen floor pagoda behind it, which they could see in the distant. Zhang Wuji, Yang Xiao and Wei Yixiao launched their ‘qing gong’
[lightness kungfu] to the fullest and in a short time they had arrived at the temple. Exchanging hand signals they circled to the left, with the intention of climbing up the pagoda to take a better look of the overall temple’s situation from a higher position. Unexpectedly when they were still about twenty ‘zhang’s [1 zhang is approximately 10 ft or 3.3 m] away from the pagoda they saw shadows of people on each floor of the pagoda, going back and forth, patrolling. It turned out that there were twenty, thirty people guarding the pagoda. As they saw this, three people were both startled and delighted at the same time, because if the pagoda was guarded this heavily, then Shaolin,
Wudang, and other sects’ people must be imprisoned here; hence saving them time to investigate further. Only the enemy’s guard was so heavy, their rescue effort would certainly not be easy.
Much less since each one of Kong Wen, Kong Zhi, Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Songxi, and the others had an outstanding level or martial art skill; yet they were still captured by the enemy, showing that the enemy was not only numerous, but their methods were undoubtedly fierce and cruel. Before coming to this Wan An Temple, three people had decided not to be rash and act recklessly; therefore, they quietly retreated.
Suddenly they saw a flicker of light on the sixth floor; about eight, nine people walked slowly with torches in their hands. The light moved from the sixth floor to the fifth, then from the fifth to the fourth, going down the pagoda. As they arrived at the first floor they went out the pagoda’s main entrance, moving towards the back of the temple.
Yang Xiao waved his hand and slowly crept toward these people. On the rear courtyard of the temple there were old trees towering to the sky. Three people hid behind one of the trees; and as soon as the wind blew they moved several ‘zhang’s away to the next tree. These three people’s ‘qing gong’ was very high, yet they only dare to move with the blowing wind and rustling leaves in fear of their movement to be detected by enemy.
Stepping stealthily they managed to move more than twenty ‘zhang’s. They saw around ten men wearing yellow robes, each with a weapon in his hand, escorting an old man wearing an oversized robe with wide sleeve. As that old man turned his head, Zhang Wuji could see clearly that the old man was the Kunlun Sect’s Sect Leader, ‘tie qin xian sheng’ [Mister Iron Qin (a musical instrument)], He Taichong; Wuji could not help but shiver, "Even Mr. He is also here,” he thought.
As they saw those people enter Wan An Temple’s back door, three people waited for a moment. After looking around to make sure nobody else was watching, they also entered the back door quick as a flash. The temple was huge, with many rooms inside; some of the rooms looked similar to those in the Shaolin Temple. They saw bright light coming out through long windows of the main hall; and guessed this must be the room where He Taichong was detained. Three people moved swiftly toward this hall. Zhang Wuji crouched on the ground trying to take a peek inside the hall via a small crack on the long window. Yang Xiao and Wei Yixiao stood on either side, guarding against any possible sneak attack. Although these three people were bold and highly skilled, they were entering a tiger’s den at this moment, so their hearts were anxious.
The crack on the long window was very small so Zhang Wuji only managed to see the lower part of He Taichong’s body; he could not see any other people inside the hall. He heard He Taichong roar angrily, "I have already fallen into your treacherous hand; just kill me or cut me off, but don’t say another word. If you want me to take an oath to be the government’s hunting falcon or dog, then dream on. Even if you talk for three or five more years, you are only wasting your words.”
Zhang Wuji silently nodded his head, "Although this Mr. He is not an honorable gentleman, he stands firm in critical moment; he truly befits the character of a sect leader,” he thought.
He heard a man in a cold voice say, "You are so stubborn, our Master won’t force you. But do you know the custom here?”
"Even if you cut all my ten fingers I still won’t surrender,” He Taichong said.
"Very well,” that man said, "Let me explain it to you once again. If you can defeat three of our people, we’ll immediately release you. If you lose, we’ll cut one more of your fingers and lock you up another month. Then we’ll ask you again whether you want to surrender.”
He Taichong replied, "I’ve already lost two fingers, so what if I lose another one? Come, take your sword out!”
That man laughed coldly, "By the time you lose all your fingers, although you surrender, we won’t want a trash. Give him a sword! Mokopas, you can try him first!”
Another hoarse voice replied, "Yes!”
Zhang Wuji sent his strength to the point of his finger and gently pushed the crack to make it wider. He saw that He Taichong was holding a wooden sword; its body was wrapped in cloth. It was a soft and blunt sword; could not possibl
y injure anybody. Standing in front of him was a burly foreign monk. In his hand was a steel blade, flickering its bluish ray under the light. One weapon was sharp, the other blunt. It was clearly no competition; it was so easy to see who was strong and who was weak. But He Taichong was not discouraged; he shook the wooden sword in his hand and said, "Please!”
‘Swish!’ his sword hacked down swiftly and fiercely, sending out a secret move from the Kunlun Sword technique. That foreign monk, Mokopas, was big and tall, but his movement was very agile; his blade flashed back and forth, aiming He Taichong’s vital points.
Zhang Wuji only need to watch several moves before he was shocked, "How come Mr. He’s footwork is unstable, utterly discomfited, as if he doesn’t have any internal energy at all?” he thought.
He Taichong’s sword technique was exquisite, but without internal energy, he did not differ much from an average person; the swiftness and fierceness of his sword could not be unleashed to the fullest. Fortunately that foreign monk’s martial art skill was two levels beneath his, so although the monk launched several fierce attacks, He Taichong always managed to counterattack thanks to his wonderful moves.
After about fifty moves He Taichong shouted, "Gotcha!” His sword slashed to the east and turned back to the west, slanted to the rear and then back to the front, with a light ‘bang!’ the sword hit the monk’s armpit. If it was a real sword, also if his internal strength was not gone, then the sword would have already penetrated the monk’s flesh and bone.
"Back off, Mokopas!” that cold voice said, "Unwol, your turn!”
Zhang Wuji turned his attention to the owner of that cold voice. He saw a dark face, as if this person’s face was covered with a layer of black smoke, with graying grizzled beard; he was one of the Xuanming Two Elders. He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes were partly open, as if he was indifferent to whatever was happening in front of him.
Moving his eyes forward Zhang Wuji saw a short stool covered with brocade, on which rested a pair of feet, wearing a pair of yellow satin shoes, with a pearl on the tip of each shoe. Zhang Wuji’s heart was beating faster, because he recognized these delicately beautiful feet with round anklebones; this pair of feet belonged to Zhao Min, which he had grabbed in his hands in the Green Willow Manor. When they met at Mount Wudang, they faced each other as enemies. This time he saw this pair of delicate feet resting on a brocade stool, somehow his face turned red and his heart was beating fast. He saw Zhao Min’s right foot tap the stool lightly, as if she was deeply engrossed in the martial art contest between He Taichong and Unwol.
After about the time needed to drink tea has passed, He Taichong shouted, "Gotcha!” Zhao Min raised her right foot as Unwol was defeated.
That black-faced Xuan Ming Elder said, "Unwol, back off. Helin Pohu, your turn.”
Zhang Wuji heard that He Taichong’s breathing was getting heavier; he knew that Mr. He must be extremely exhausted after he successively battled two people. A short moment later the fight began. Helin Pohu was using a long and big, heavy steel staff as his weapon. The gust of wind from his weapon filled the hall and the candles flickered, creating a dancing shadow like a cloud on Zhao Min’s shoes. Suddenly a black shadow swept across the floor, a red candle on top of a small
table on the right side of the hall was extinguished. ‘Crack!’ the wooden sword snapped. He Taichong heaved a long sigh and threw the sword on the floor. At last he lost the match after staking everything he got.
"Mister Iron Qin, do you surrender?” the Xuanming Elder asked.
He Taichong boldly replied, "I said I won’t surrender. If I have my internal energy, how can this foreign monk be my match?”
The Xuanming Elder coldly said, "Cut his left ring finger; take him back to the pagoda.”
Zhang Wuji turned his head toward Yang Xiao, and Yang Xiao shook his hand; his meaning was obvious: ‘If we break into the hall to save people, then our own important matter will fail.’ They heard the finger got cut, medicine applied to stop the bleeding, and the wound wrapped. He Taichong was really unyielding; he did not even utter a single grunt. The group of yellow robed men took the torch and took him back to the pagoda.
Zhang Wuji and the others shrunk back to hide behind the corner wall. Under the torch light they saw He Taichong’s face was white as a sheet, his jaws were clenched, he looked really angry.
After the group walked far, a gentle and charming clear voice was heard in the hall, "Mr. Lu Zhang [lit. deer staff], Kunlun Sect’s sword technique is really profound. In the stance with which he stabbed Mokopas, first he slashed to the left like this, and then turned to the right like this .”
Zhang Wuji put his eyes back on the crack and saw that it was indeed Zhao Min. She was talking and walking toward the center of the hall, with a wooden sword in her hand, imitating He Taichong’s movement earlier. The foreign monk Mokopas brandished his blade to block her sword.
That black-faced Xuanming Elder, which Zhao Min called ‘Mr. Lu Zhang’, short for ‘Lu Zhangke’, praised her, "Master’s intelligence is matchless. This stance was absolutely correct.”
Zhao Min practiced again and again, every time she hit Mokopas’ armpit. The sword was a wooden one, but each stab hit the same spot over and over again, causing quite a bit of pain. Mokopas turned all his attention to spar with her; he did not dare to complain or try to evade her stabs. She practiced this move until she mastered it, and then called Unwol and practiced the stance He Taichong used to defeat him earlier.
Zhang Wuji understood; it turned out Zhao Min imprisoned the experts from various sects here and drugged them to suppress their internal energy and force them to surrender to the royal government. Naturally these people would not surrender; so she ordered her people to fight with them, while she observed from the side. That way she could steal various sects’ exquisite moves. Her intention was really evil; her scheme wicked, making other people’s blood boil.
While she was sparring with Helin Pohu, toward the very last several stances Zhao Min hesitated and asked, "Mr. Lu Zhang, is it like this?”
Lu Zhangke hesitated without answering; he turned his head and asked, "He Xiongdi [lit. Brother Crane], did you see it clearly?”
From the left corner a voice replied, "Ku Dashi [lit. grand master ‘bitter/painful’ - Reverend Ku] must have seen it clearly.”
Zhao Min smiled and said, "Ku Dashi, I will have to bother you; please come here and give me
directions.”
From the right corner came a ‘tou tuo’ [Buddhist monk with hair]; his hair was so long that it draped over his shoulder like a cape. His stature was big and tall, his face was full of scars so that it was difficult to tell what his original face would look like. His hair and palm looked red, like he was a middle-eastern man. Without saying anything he took the sword from Zhao Min’s hand and ‘swish, swish, swish, swish’ he repeatedly swung it toward Helin Pohu, using Kunlun Sect’s sword technique.
This so-called ‘Ku Dashi’, the Ku Toutuo, was using He Taichong’s sword technique, also without internal energy; while Helin Pohu fought him with all his might. Toward the end his staff swept away with a strong gust of wind, extinguishing the red candle on the right hand side of the hall. He Taichong was not able to evade this move and thus was forced to parry the steel staff with his wooden sword; as a result his sword broke and he was defeated. But that Ku Toutuo’s wooden sword turned around sharply; light as a feather it slid along the staff, like a swallow sweeping the water, following the staff’s movement it slid upward to slice Helin Pohu’s fingers which held the staff. Helin Pohu felt his palm went numb; he could not hold on to his staff. ‘Clang!’ it fell to the ground hitting the green brick tile making brick dust flew up.
Helin Pohu’s face turned red; he knew that if the wooden sword was a real sharp one, his eight fingers would have been cut off. Bowing down he said, "My respect! I admit defeat,” Then he stooped down to pick up his steel staff. Ku Toutuo held the wooden sword with both hands and gave i
t back to Zhao Min.
Zhao Min said with a smile, "Ku Dashi, that last move was really wonderful; was it also from the Kunlun Sect’s sword technique?”
Ku Toutuo shook his head. Zhao Min continued, "No wonder He Taichong could not do it. Ku Dashi, can you teach me?”
Using his bare hand Ku Toutuo attacked Zhao Min’s sword. Sparring for the third time Ku Toutuo’s hand moved lightning fast; his speed was unimaginable. Zhao Min could not match his speed; but although her sword was slower, her movement was similar to his, without the slightest amount of discrepancy. Ku Toutuo turned his body around, shot both of his hands out then stopped dead on his track.
"Good!” Zhang Wuji applauded silently, "That was brilliant!”
For a moment Zhao Min did not understand, leaning her head sideways she stared at Ku Toutuo’s position. After thinking for a while she finally understood. "Ah, Ku Dashi, if you were holding a weapon, then the staff would break my arm,” she said, "How do you counter it?”
Ku Toutuo made a movement of flipping his hand and grabbing the steel staff. His left foot flew up, his head raised up; he simultaneously snatched the enemy’s staff and kicked. This movement looked clumsy, but actually it was a very skillful movement of martial art from outside the great wall.
Zhao Min smiled and said, "Good Shifu, quickly teach me.” Her expression was tender and flattering.
Zhang Wuji’s heart skipped a beat. He thought, "Your internal energy is not enough, you can’t learn it. But the way she asked made it difficult for others to refuse.”
Ku Toutuo made two hand signals; his meaning was obvious, ‘You don’t have enough internal energy, you can’t learn this move.’ Then he turned around and ignored her.
Zhang Wuji pondered in his heart, "Ku Toutuo’s martial art is strong; I am afraid he is not below the Xuanming Elders. I don’t know his internal energy level, but his movements were exquisite. He is truly a formidable opponent. He keeps making hand signals, but did not speak a single word; could it be that he is mute? But he definitely is not deaf. Miss Zhao is very respectful to him; he is obviously a character with an extraordinary background.”
