A Snake Lies Waiting

by Jin Yong

  Viper knew that, if he did not release the boy’s legs, they would both drown, so he let go and instead took hold of Guo Jing’s right arm. Guo Jing reached out and wedged his hand under Viper’s armpit, and together the two men bobbed in the water.

  At that moment, a large spar of driftwood came rushing toward them on a wave and crashed into Guo Jing’s shoulder.

  “Careful!” Viper cried.

  Delighted by their luck, Guo Jing seized it. “Quick, hold on! Don’t let go.”

  They had been saved by a length of what had once been the ship’s mast.

  The two gazed out into the vast expanse of water that surrounded them. There was no sign of any sails. Viper Ouyang had long since lost his Serpent Staff and was feeling queasy with worry. If we encounter any sharks out here, we’ll have no choice but to fight like Zhou Botong. I saved him, but who is going to save me?

  As they continued to float in the water, shoals of fish swam past. A sharp chop and together they could feast on raw fish.

  As the ancients used to say: “Those aboard the same boat must share the same fate.” Hours before, they had been fighting; now, they depended on each other for survival. Luckily, they encountered no great danger, and, without their knowing it, the current was carrying them toward the same usually deserted island that Lotus and Count Seven had landed on.

  A few days later, they scrambled onto the beach and lay down in the sand, panting as they rested. But, before long, the sound of laughter reached them on the wind. Viper Ouyang jumped to his feet and began to chase after it. Staggered by the coincidence, he caught sight of his nephew. He rushed forward, just as the giant rock was hurtling toward Gallant, and, at the last moment, pulled him far enough out of its path that only his legs were crushed beneath the huge weight. Gallant had fainted before he felt the force hit him.

  Viper glanced around anxiously, but could see no other obvious danger, so he began attending to his nephew. He checked his breathing—he was still alive. He tried to push the rock aside, but it refused to budge. He squatted, and, using his Exploding Toad kung fu, pushed with both palms and croaked three times in quick succession. And yet, nothing. He was strong, to be sure, but how could one man alone move some twenty thousand jin of rock?

  He bent down just as Gallant opened his eyes.

  “Uncle!” His voice was weak.

  “Keep strong a little longer.” Viper pulled the young man’s upper body into his arms and tugged, but Gallant screamed and fainted again. He would not be so easily freed, and pulling in this manner would only injure him further. Viper had no shovel and no hoe—there was no way to dig him out. The old man stared, his mind blank.

  9

  Guo Jing took lotus’s hand in his. “What about our Shifu?”

  “Over there,” she said, and pointed.

  Guo Jing was delighted to hear that their Master was safe, and he was about to suggest they go to see him, when Viper let out a long and terrible wail. Guo Jing could not help but feel moved.

  “Let me help you.”

  “Let’s go and see Shifu,” Lotus said, tugging on his sleeve. “They don’t deserve our help!”

  Viper Ouyang did not know it had been a trap set up by Lotus. No one could have placed such a heavy rock at the top of the cliff on purpose. But her words lit a spark of fury inside him, and he was just as startled as Guo Jing to hear that Count Seven was here on the island too. The Old Beggar took a hit to his back and he was bitten by one of my snakes, and still he lives? Well, he must be severely weakened, at least. Why should I fear him?

  Still holding Lotus by the hand, Guo Jing knelt beside the rock and pretended to push. Then, just as they turned away, he said to Gallant, “Don’t worry. I will think of something. Circulate your qi, that will protect your heart, and pretend those legs aren’t yours. Just forget them.”

  The young couple left, affectionately clutching one another around the waist. Viper tiptoed behind them, his heart inflamed with rage. If I don’t torture these two to the point that they beg for death, why, then my name is not Venom of the West.

  Lotus led Guo Jing to the mouth of the cave. Guo Jing ran inside.

  “Shifu!”

  Count Seven was leaning back against the rocky inner wall, all color drained from his face, his eyes closed. His encounter with Gallant Ouyang had enraged him and aggravated his injury. Lotus loosened his outer robes, while Guo Jing massaged his hands and feet.

  Count Seven opened his eyes to the sight of Guo Jing. “Lad, you’re here!” The corners of his mouth pulled upward in a slight smile and his face lit up with delight.

  Guo Jing was about to reply when a loud voice came from behind him: “So am I, Old Beggar.”

  Guo Jing turned quickly and thrust a palm toward the cave opening. Lotus grabbed her Master’s bamboo stick and took her place beside Guo Jing.

  Viper Ouyang laughed. “Come out, Old Beggar. If you don’t, I’ll come in.”

  Guo Jing and Lotus exchanged glances. They were thinking the same thing: he must not be allowed to touch Shifu, even if we must pay with our lives.

  Viper Ouyang laughed again and leaped up like a monkey. Guo Jing moved to block him with his palm. Viper turned to avoid his strike, brushing past his right side, only to come face-to-face with a stick flying straight at him. It quivered as it split the air, almost as if it was aiming at both his upper and lower body at the same time. A shiver went through his heart. He flicked his hand and swept with a foot to meet whatever was coming his way. And yet, Lotus’s bamboo stick plunged straight through his guard, into his abdomen.

  Viper Ouyang jumped back in shock and looked her up and down.

  It was the first time Lotus had used the Dog-Beating Cane in a fight, and the results left her flushed with pride. He had not been expecting her to possess such skill—indeed, he had never seen anything of the like before. He snorted, leaped forward and aimed for the stick. But Lotus jabbed and hit this way and that, turning it into a blur of dancing green. She was unable to land any blows, but it was enough to confuse the old Master and prevent him from snatching it from her.

  “Well done, Lotus!” Guo Jing cried from the sidelines. Then he entered the fray with a palm from the left and a strike from the right. Viper Ouyang roared, crouched and sent two palm strikes in Lotus’s direction, whipping up dust from the ground with the force of the thrust. Guo Jing watched in horror. She would be gravely injured if she took either blow head-on, so he leaped toward her and pushed her aside.

  Viper Ouyang stepped forward and struck again with both palms. For all his legendary prowess, Count Seven had been unable to prevail against the force behind these moves when they had met, only a few days ago, on Peach Blossom Island. The young couple were forced back until Viper was able to enter the cave. He beat his palm against the stone wall, sending a shower of stones around them. Then he raised his other hand above Count Seven’s head and paused, staring down at him.

  “My shifu saved your life, and yet you threaten him?” Lotus cried. “Have you no shame?”

  Viper Ouyang gently pushed Count Seven Hong’s chest and felt his muscles shrink back. It was clear that Count Seven’s injuries had severely impaired his martial capabilities. Before, his muscles would have rebounded instantaneously against the pressure. Viper was relieved. He grabbed hold of the old man and cried, “Save my nephew and I’ll spare your life!”

  “The heavens sent that rock down on him, you saw it with your own eyes,” Lotus cried. “Who can save him? If you try any more of your tricks, the heavens will find a rock to throw down on you.”

  Guo Jing watched as, ignoring Lotus, Viper lifted Count Seven by his robes, as if he was going to throw him to the ground. But he felt it was just a threat—he would not really harm Count Seven in this way, surely. And yet, still, he was anxious. “Please, put him down. We’ll help your nephew.”

  Viper was extremely concerned for Gallant and wanted nothing more than to rush to his side. But he kept his face still and, after a moment’s hesit
ation, put Count Seven down.

  “We will help you, but we must agree terms.”

  “What is it the young girl wants?”

  “Once we’ve saved your nephew, and we’ve settled on this deserted island with our shifu, the two of you are never to return to do us harm.”

  My nephew and I cannot swim, so we will need their help to make it back to the mainland. He nodded. “Fine. As long as you stay on this island, I vow not to come and kill you. Should you leave it, however, I make no promises.”

  “In that case, we will come for you. My second condition: my father has already betrothed me to Guo Jing. You heard it with your own ears and saw it with your own eyes. Should your nephew harass me again, you two shall be known forever as lower than both pig and dog.”

  “Fie! Only on this island. Should you leave … we’ll see.”

  Lotus smiled. “And the third condition: we agree to help you, but we are not gods. Should the heavens decide to take your nephew, then no man may help him and there shall be no consequences for us.”

  “If my nephew dies,” Viper said, a flash of ire in his eyes, “you three can forget about living. No more nonsense—my nephew needs help now.” He then left the cave and ran toward the cliff.

  Guo Jing was about to follow when Lotus stopped him. “Brother Jing, when he’s trying to move the rock, you hit him in the back. We can be rid of him once and for all.”

  “But, to strike someone like that? Why, it’s dishonorable.”

  “He poisoned our shifu,” Lotus said with a hint of displeasure in her voice. “Was that honorable?”

  “We must keep our word. First, we save his nephew; then we may seek our revenge.”

  Lotus smiled and sighed. It was impossible to get Guo Jing to plot in this way. She had spent the last two days believing him to be lying dead at the bottom of the sea, but here they were, reunited, and she was so happy, her heart felt ready to explode. Guo Jing could say or do the most outrageous and unforgivable things and still she would not go against him. No, she would do as he said. His principles were a little tiresome, but they did show he would make a virtuous husband. She smiled again. “Fine. You are the sage; I listen to you.”

  They ran in the direction of the cliff, the sound of Viper’s anguished groans already reaching their ears.

  “Hurry!” he called toward them.

  They took their positions next to him, all six hands placed on the rock.

  “Heave!”

  All three pushed as hard as they could. The rock shook slightly before slamming back into position. Gallant responded with a desperate wail and his eyes rolled back.

  Viper rushed to his side. The young man’s breathing was weak. He had bitten through his tongue due to the pain and his mouth and chin were covered in blood. Even a powerful master of the wulin such as Viper was powerless to shift the rock. He was going mad with anguish. By moving it only slightly, he had caused Gallant even more suffering. Viper began to pace up and down, but stopped in his tracks when he felt the ground beneath his feet turn soft. He lifted his foot, only to lose a shoe in the sand.

  Viper bent down to retrieve his shoe and froze in shock; the tide was coming in and was now only fifty feet from the rock.

  “Young girl, if you want your Master to live, you had better think of a way to save my nephew.”

  Lotus was already working on a plan. But the rock was so huge and there were only three of them. She had raced through at least ten different ideas, but none were viable.

  “If only your Master wasn’t injured,” Viper said, interrupting her thoughts. “He could have moved it with his considerable external kung fu. Not to mention his palm technique. But now…” He threw his hands out in exasperation.

  Perhaps it’s fate, he found himself thinking. Had the Old Beggar not been injured, he would surely have helped, such is his righteous character. The heavens decreed it: by hurting him, I was as good as killing my boy.

  Viper called Gallant his nephew, but in fact the young man was the result of an affair with his sister-in-law. He had always been hard of heart, but now he ached for his own flesh and blood. He turned to see the water was now a few feet closer.

  Just then, Gallant cried out to his uncle. “Please, kill me with one blow. I … I can’t bear it anymore.”

  Viper removed a sharp dagger from his robes and gritted his teeth. “Just a little longer. You can still live without your legs.”

  “No, no! Uncle! Use the blade to kill me instead.”

  “Have all these years of instructions been in vain? Are you so spineless?” Viper was angry now.

  Gallant pulled his arms around his chest, shivering from the pain. He was too scared to speak.

  Viper looked down at his nephew. The rock was in fact crushing his lower abdomen. Even if his legs were amputated, his chances of survival were slim. He hesitated.

  Lotus watched their exchange turn to silence and her heart softened. Suddenly, she remembered how her father used to move large rocks on Peach Blossom Island. “Wait! I have an idea. But there’s no guarantee it will work.”

  “Dear girl, what is it?” Hope had returned to Viper’s face. “Your ideas are always excellent.”

  So, now that I have an idea, he calls me dear girl? Lotus thought. She smiled. “Fine, then listen to me. We’re going to take some tree bark and wrap it around the rock, like a rope.”

  “Who will pull?”

  “We’ll do like we did with the anchor on the boat—”

  “Yes,” Viper cried, suddenly understanding the plan. “Like a winch!”

  Guo Jing listened and, rather than question her, instantly took the dagger from her and began peeling a length of bark from a nearby tree. Viper and Lotus followed his lead. Before long, they had formed a considerable pile.

  Just then, Viper looked across at Gallant and cried, “No need!”

  “What’s the matter?” Lotus said. “Don’t you think it will work?”

  Viper pointed at his nephew. By now, the tide had risen and submerged the lower half of his body. He would be drowned before they had gathered enough bark, tied it into rope and constructed the winch. Gallant lay still.

  “Don’t lose hope!” Lotus cried. “Get cutting!”

  It was an odd sight to see the tyrant obeying her so meekly, but he went back to cutting bark. Lotus jumped down from her perch high up in the branches and ran over to Gallant. She wedged some stones underneath his back so that his nose and mouth were lifted farther out of the water.

  “Miss Huang, thank you,” Gallant began in a quiet voice. “If I die, at least I will be content knowing you tried to save me.”

  “Don’t thank me,” Lotus said, a wave of regret coming over her. “I set the trap, haven’t you realized?”

  “Shhh. If my uncle hears you say that, he will never forgive you. I am devoted to you. I have no regrets dying by your hand.”

  How tiresome, Lotus sighed to herself. But he treats me well—when he isn’t trying to take advantage of me.

  She returned to the others and began working on the bark. She braided three strips together to form one thin rope, then took six of these to form a thicker rope, before taking several of these and forming a strong cable. Viper and Guo Jing continued to slice bark from the trees for Lotus to weave together.

  They worked fast, but the tide came in faster; before the cable was even halfway complete, the water had risen to Gallant’s mouth. Soon after, only his nose was left proud of the surface.

  Viper jumped down from his branch and looked at the young couple. “You can go,” he began, his voice heavy, but his expression surprisingly calm. “I wish to speak with my nephew alone. You tried to save him, and I appreciate it.”

  Guo Jing saw that it was hopeless, so he climbed down from the tree and left with Lotus. After a few meters, Lotus whispered, “Let’s hide behind the rock and listen.”

  “But whatever he has to say isn’t our business. Anyway, he’ll notice.”

  “Once Gallant is dead,
he will turn on Shifu. We have to be prepared. If the Old Venom sees us, we can just say that we’ve come to pay our respects.”

  Guo Jing nodded. They slipped behind some trees, then crept back toward nephew and uncle, and hid behind the rock.

  “Go now, boy; I know what is in your heart. You wanted to marry the Old Heretic Huang’s daughter, and I will grant you your wish.”

  Lotus and Guo Jing both listened in surprise. What did he mean by “I will grant you your wish”? Gallant was about to die. What came next was just as bewildering—and enraging. Indeed, it sent shivers down their spines.

  “I will kill Miss Huang, so you can be buried together and you will have peace.”

  Gallant’s mouth was already submerged, so he could make no reply.

  Lotus squeezed Guo Jing’s hand and together they turned away. Neither wanted to watch Viper Ouyang mourn.

  “It will be a fight to the death,” Guo Jing growled, once they were at a safe distance.

  “With him, it is best to use our brains, not our fists,” Lotus replied.

  “How?”

  “I’m still thinking.”

  As they turned around a corner, they spotted a clump of reeds growing at the foot of the cliff.

  Just then, an idea came to her. “I know a way to save his nephew!”

  “How?”

  Lotus took out a small knife and cut a reed pipe about two feet long. Then she put it between her lips, looked up to the sky and sucked the air through it, like a straw.

  “Amazing!” Guo Jing said, clapping his hands. “How did you think of it? Are you going to save him or not?”

  “Of course not. If Old Venom wants to kill me, let him. I’m not scared of him! I can run far, far away—he’ll never catch me.” She paused and thought about the old man’s horrible ways. A shiver went through her. Not only was his kung fu exceptional, he was far more intelligent and cunning than his nephew. It would not be so easy to fool him.

  Guo Jing merely watched in silence.

  Lotus took his hand. “Don’t say you want to save a scoundrel like that?” she said softly. “You’re worried about me, aren’t you? If we were to save him, they wouldn’t necessarily repay the kindness.”