by Jin Yong
Genghis Khan had been greatly pleased by the Taoist’s arrival, thinking he was soon to learn the secret to immortality—or at least a way to extend his years—for, in recent months, he had been feeling his age, keenly aware of his waning strength. But all he had heard so far were entreaties to refrain from waging war and slaughtering innocents … It was not a conversation he was interested in continuing. Before long, he turned to Guo Jing. “Accompany the Master to his quarters so he can rest.”
CHAPTER TEN
SECRET ORDERS SEALED IN SILK
1
Eighteen of Qiu Chuji’s disciples had accompanied him on his journey west, among them Li Zhichang, Yin Zhiping, Xia Zhicheng, Yu Zhike, Zhang Zhisu, Wang Zhiming and Song Defang. At Genghis Khan’s request, Guo Jing showed them to their quarters, and, once they had rested, they joined the conqueror at the victory feast. Qiu Chuji answered his questions with patient courtesy, explaining in detail the Taoist methods for strengthening the body and extending one’s years, while emphasizing that they were related to protecting the people and performing good deeds. By the time the banquet was over, the skies were beginning to grow light.
Lotus was waiting for Guo Jing at the palace gates with the Beggar Elders and her thousand clansfolk, all mounted on their steeds. She urged her horse forward the moment she saw him emerge.
“Did it go well? I was worried that the Great Khan would try to behead you in his rage, so I brought everybody here in case we needed to rescue you. What did he say? Did he agree?”
“… I didn’t ask him.”
“Why?”
“Don’t be angry. It was because—”
“Guo Jing!”
Lotus blanched at the sound of Khojin’s voice.
The Mongolian Princess sprinted from the palace, making straight for her betrothed. “Are you happy to see me?” She clasped her hands over his. “You didn’t think you’d find me here, did you?”
Guo Jing nodded, then shook his head. He turned back to explain to Lotus what had happened, but she had slipped away, leaving her horse behind.
Khojin chattered away, telling him how much she had missed him. She did not realize that she had interrupted a conversation, or that Guo Jing was incapable of paying attention to what she had to say.
The young man was in turmoil. Lotus must think that I didn’t ask to cancel the engagement because Khojin was there. What can I do to remedy the situation?
At last, Khojin noticed that Guo Jing was distracted. “What’s wrong with you? I’ve come all this way to see you. Why are you ignoring me?”
“Sister, I have to see to an important matter now. We’ll speak later.”
Guo Jing pulled his hands away and rushed back to the camp. When he entered his ger, he asked his guards if they had seen Lotus.
“Miss Huang was here not long ago,” one answered. “She took a painting and rode off with it.”
“A painting?” Foreboding seized Guo Jing.
“Yes, the one you often look at.”
She took her portrait … Does that mean she wants to cut all ties with me? Guo Jing thought with alarm. I’ll leave everything behind and go south with her.
He scribbled a note for Qiu Chuji and vaulted into Ulaan’s saddle. The swift Fergana horse took him beyond the walls of Samarkand in no time at all. Fearing he might already be too late, Guo Jing urged his steed on, again and again. Before he knew it, he was dozens of li from the city. The ground, no longer strewn with the bloody corpses of men and horses, was covered by a blanket of pristine white snow. He spotted a distinct trail of hoof prints heading eastward in a straight line.
No horse on earth is faster than Ulaan. It won’t be long until I catch up with her, Guo Jing told himself to bolster his spirits. Then, we can fetch my mother and return to the South together. I don’t care if the Great Khan and Khojin resent me for the rest of their days.
Another dozen li. The marks now led north, and appearing alongside them was a line of footprints that were unlike any Guo Jing had seen before. This person had an exceptionally long stride—each step spaced almost four chi apart—and yet, his tread was light, the indentations in the snow no more than a couple of inches deep.
No one but Viper Ouyang has this level of lightness kung fu out here, Guo Jing noted with apprehension. Could it be him? Is he tracking Lotus? A heavy sweat dampened his clothes, despite the wintry air.
Having followed the hoof marks for some time, Ulaan now understood what his master was seeking and galloped after the spoor left by Lotus’s horse, without needing to be prompted. For several li, the footsteps stalked the horse’s path, in a straight line at first, until both sets of tracks veered west, then south, twisting and turning.
Lotus must have discovered the Venom and tried to shake him off, Guo Jing concluded. But how can she lose him when her horse leaves such an obvious trail?
He shadowed the tracks for yet another dozen li before noticing that they had begun to merge with some other impressions in the snow. He dismounted to take a better look. A similar trail of hoof- and footprints heading in the same direction, but one set of marks seemed to have been made before the other.
Maybe Lotus’s evasive maneuvers were based on her father’s interpretation of the Mysterious Gates? And, here, she seems to have returned to her original course … This line of reasoning reassured Guo Jing somewhat, for he had faith in her knowledge and believed that it could help her confound the Venom, but, at the same time, he worried about losing track of her amid the confusion of prints. He stood rooted to the spot, trying to work out how he should proceed, until it occurred to him that, however roundabout her route, ultimately she would have to head east to get back to the Central Plains. He mounted Ulaan once more, double-checked his bearings and set off, riding resolutely east.
* * *
AFTER GALLOPING for some distance, he came upon footprints again and caught sight of the silhouette of a man where the blue sky met the white snow. He urged Ulaan toward it, and as they approached he realized that it was Viper Ouyang. The martial Master had also seen him. “Hurry!” he cried. “She’s in trouble!”
Guo Jing tensed his legs and the Fergana horse darted forward like an arrow, yet, when they were within several hundred paces of the Venom, Ulaan’s gait changed. His hooves seemed to be sinking into the snow, as though there was a swamp underfoot rather than solid ground; then, snorting in agitation, he took off at an angle before circling back.
Mystified by his mount’s behavior, Guo Jing noticed something even stranger. Viper was running in circles around a small tree. Guo Jing tugged at the reins, urging Ulaan to stop so he could speak to the man, but, for the first time, his prized horse defied him, making another loop without slowing down.
Have we wandered into a marsh? Is that why both Ulaan and the Venom won’t stop moving? Is it to avoid being dragged down? he asked himself. But what about Lotus? He said she was in trouble.“Where’s Miss Huang?” Guo Jing yelled in Viper’s direction.
“I followed her prints here, then I lost all trace of her.” The Martial Great pointed to the tree he was circling. “Look!”
Guo Jing spurred Ulaan over, managing to regain some control over him, and his attention was gripped by something hanging from a branch—it was glistening in the crisp sunlight. He snatched it up as they raced past. The golden band Lotus wore in her hair. Guo Jing’s heart was in his throat. Not knowing what else to do, he headed east once more, galloping for several li, until he spotted a glint in the snow. Still in the saddle, he stretched his arm out, reached down, and picked up the gold and pearl brooch Lotus often pinned to her lapel. His despair intensified.
“Lotus! Where are you?”
A sea of white. In every direction. As far as the eye could see. He longed to catch a dark smudge speeding across this bleached expanse. He pushed on a few more li. And then he saw it.
Ahead of him, to the left, the black sable coat he had given her in Kalgan.
“Lotus!”
As Ulaan trot
ted around the coat, Guo Jing stood in the stirrups, his cries rippling out across the frozen plain. No reply. The flat terrain would not even grant him an echo. Sobs distorted his voice as he shouted her name.
Soon, Viper Ouyang drew up alongside him. “We’ll look for her together. Let me rest for a moment and take a turn on your horse.”
“She wouldn’t be out here if it weren’t for you!” Guo Jing tightened his thigh muscles and Ulaan took off.
Incensed, Viper flexed his back foot and sprang forward. In three great leaps, he was looming over the Fergana horse and reaching for his tail.
Unnerved by the Venom’s explosive turn of pace, Guo Jing swung his right arm back in a Dragon Whips Tail, channeling his full strength. Palms clashed. He was sent shooting into the air, but thankfully Ulaan maintained a straight course. As Guo Jing fell, he stretched out and tapped his left hand on his horse’s hindquarters, vaulting back into the saddle.
The force of Guo Jing’s blow, meanwhile, had pushed Viper back by two steps. In a bid to counter the backward thrust, the martial Master planted one foot with a touch more force than was advisable. It was immediately gobbled up by the mud, leaving him shackled to the spot, with one leg knee-deep in the mire. Viper was well aware that, if he pulled the trapped limb out upward, he would end up driving his other foot down. Each fresh attempt to extract himself would only result in him being sucked in further, to the point where not even his superb martial skills could help. So, he drew himself up to his full height and tipped himself onto his back. As he touched the ground, he rolled sideways and swiped his free leg up in a Mandarin Duck kick. Drawing on the move’s momentum, he dragged his other foot through the slurping mud in the same direction, plucking it out in a spray of sludge.
By the time Viper had extricated himself and flipped upright, Guo Jing had covered more than a li on his swift mount, shouting “Lotus! Lotus!” all the while. The Martial Great studied the horse’s gait, which seemed to be getting increasingly balanced and even. Thinking that they must now be clear of the swamp, he hastened after Guo Jing, following the hoof prints, and yet the ground felt spongier with each step he took.
Viper suspected that he had been led from the edge of the marsh to its heart, and was reminded of the snares Guo Jing had laid for him in their last three encounters. The most recent of them was especially galling. The humiliation of exposing his unclothed body before the eyes of several hundred thousand men, no matter how awed they had been by his martial skills, was a burning shame he could not forget. He was determined to get retribution at all costs, so to find Guo Jing all alone in the wilderness was an opportunity too precious to miss. And he needed to ascertain if Lotus was still alive, for with her died his chances of discovering the secrets of the Nine Yin Manual. Gathering his qi, he deployed his fastest lightness kung fu, covering several li in an instant, swifter than a galloping horse.
The faint crunch of snow alerted Guo Jing. He looked back to find the Venom only a few zhang behind. Disconcerted, he urged Ulaan forward, and his pounding hooves had soon covered another dozen li.
All the way, the Fergana horse was keenly aware of the dangers lurking in the landscape. Feeling the soft ground give way beneath each thud of his hooves, he increased his speed, stretching his limbs as though he had taken flight and was coursing on the wind. The magnificent steed charged ahead, as quick as lightning, working up a coat of sweat the color of blood. Droplets of perspiration sprayed along his trail, splashes of crimson scattered like peach-blossom petals on the snow.
Viper Ouyang’s lightness qinggong was exceptional, but, having maintained top speed for an extended period, he sensed his breathing getting ragged and the strength in his legs waning. Soon, his pace slackened.
Guo Jing continued to call for Lotus, his voice growing ever more hoarse and husky. The gloom of the night thickened. The chances of finding her were getting slimmer by the second.
* * *
IT WAS now pitch black. Ulaan had taken Guo Jing safely out of the swamp, leaving Viper Ouyang far behind.
A thought began to whirl in the young man’s mind: I will give my life to find Lotus. Her horse can’t compare to Ulaan. It probably got stuck half a li into the marsh.
On the one hand, Guo Jing understood that, if Lotus had indeed been swallowed by the bog, it was unlikely that he would be able to locate where it had happened, and, even if he succeeded, his only reward would be a cold body that was beyond all help, for he was painfully aware how long he had been searching. On the other, he found it comforting to cling onto the impossible idea that he could save her from the swamp.
Guo Jing dismounted and gave voice to his resolve, stroking the Fergana horse’s back. “Oh, my trusty friend, I know it has been a hard day for you, but we have to turn back—even if it means death.” He climbed wearily into the saddle and twitched the reins to indicate that they should return the same way.
Ulaan was frightened, unwilling to step into the marsh again, but Guo Jing insisted. Grunting, the celestial horse launched into his widest stride and headed back without further resistance. Knowing the great distance he had to cover, he built up his pace with every step, galloping faster and faster.
“Help! Help!”
Guo Jing had not long ventured back into the mire when Viper Ouyang’s cries reached his ears. He followed the sound and saw, in the dim glow of the snow, two flailing arms raised high, grasping uselessly at the air. The bulk of the martial Master’s body had been claimed by the bog, and the mud was creeping up his chest before Guo Jing’s eyes. It would soon reach his mouth and nose, and, when that happened, his fate would be sealed along with them.
Guo Jing thought of Lotus suffering the same plight in her last moments, and hot blood surged and roiled in his breast. He almost jumped from Ulaan’s back and plunged into the sludge himself …
“Help me! Quick!”
“My shifus died because of you. Lotus died because of you. I’ll never help you!” Guo Jing spat the words out between gritted teeth.
“You swore to spare me three times.”
“Lotus is gone! What’s the point of our pact now?” Guo Jing yelled through his tears, riding off to a string of curses from Viper Ouyang. But, before long, he turned Ulaan around with a sigh. He could not steel his heart against a cry for help. The mud was already up to the Martial Great’s neck.
“I’ll pull you out, but I can’t take you on the horse. We’ll be too heavy and we’ll sink.”
“You can drag me along.”
Guo Jing did not have a rope with him, so he took off his robe, dangled it from the saddle and galloped close to Viper Ouyang. The moment the martial Master grabbed the other side of the garment, Guo Jing squeezed his thighs and roared a command. Ulaan burst forward with all his strength and—plop!—pulled Viper out of the mire, onto its snowy surface.
If they were to head east now, they would soon be out of danger, but Guo Jing was not ready to give Lotus up and went west, farther into the swamp. Viper lay on his back and let himself be towed along at great speed, taking the opportunity to smooth his breathing and channel his qi.
Guo Jing had Ulaan traverse the bog through the night, only reaching the far side when the new day began to dawn. There, he found the hoof prints left by Lotus’s mount when she had first chanced upon this dreadful place. Guo Jing leaped from his horse and stared at them, fresh tears pooling in his eyes.
Standing in the snow, he held Ulaan’s reins in one hand and cradled Lotus’s sable coat in the other. He gazed vacantly into the distance, as if in a trance. His heart ached so much that he forgot his arch enemy was directly behind him. All of a sudden, a light touch between his shoulder blades jolted Guo Jing back to the here and now, but, before he could twist away from it, the pressure increased by a fraction. He realized the Venom’s hand was over his Kiln Path acupoint.
Viper Ouyang cackled wildly, ecstatic that he had Guo Jing’s fate in his hands, just as he had been at the boy’s mercy when he was buried in the sand at the Mongo
lian camp.
“Kill me if you like. You’ve never said you’d spare me.”
Guo Jing’s disregard for his own life unsettled the Martial Great. He had intended to humiliate the boy before dispatching him, but the despair in his voice surprised him.
I didn’t realize their ties were so strong. He wants to die for love, but I won’t grant him his wish … After all, he also holds the key to the secrets of the Nine Yin Manual.
His mind made up, Viper locked Guo Jing’s acupressure points, slung the young man across his horse’s back and rode the beast south.
2
By mid-morning, they came upon a deserted village choked with frozen corpses. Guo Jing could tell from their horrific wounds that they were victims of the Mongolian invasion.
Viper Ouyang urged Ulaan through the settlement, calling out to see if any villagers were left alive. No answer but the grunts and snuffles of cattle. Pleased that they were otherwise alone, he dismounted and dragged Guo Jing into a stone hut.
“You’re my prisoner now, but I won’t kill you. In fact, I’ll let you go, if you can best me in a duel.”
With that, he tapped the young man’s pressure points to restore his movement and left the hut to look for food. Soon, he returned with a goat, slaughtered the animal and busied himself in the kitchen. When the meat was ready, he threw Guo Jing a shank.
“Fill your belly, then we fight.”
“Why do you care if I’m hungry?” Riled by the Venom’s self-satisfied expression, Guo Jing leaped up and hacked his palm at the martial Master’s face.
Viper raised his arm to block and retaliated with a punch. The table and chairs in the house were sent flying in the blink of an eye.
After three dozen moves had been exchanged, Guo Jing, not yet recovered from the journey, began to feel stretched. Viper seized his chance, stole half a step forward and lashed out with his right palm. The strike threatened Guo Jing’s abdomen, aimed at a point just under his rib cage. The young man knew he had no hope of evading this attack and forced himself to hold still, waiting for the burst of energy that would kill him, but all he received was a smirk.
