A Snake Lies Waiting

by Jin Yong

  Guo Jing and I have made great improvements in our kung fu, she said to herself. If I am forced to fight Tiger Peng or any of the others one-on-one, I might not win, but Guo Jing surely would. But Viper Ouyang is here, and there are so many of them. We are in danger.

  5

  The crew and passengers of the junk had been amazed to hear Viper Ouyang calling from the raft. Now, the presence of Guo Jing and Lotus only compounded their surprise.

  Viper carried his nephew, while Guo Jing and Lotus supported Count Seven, and together they all climbed on board the junk.

  Before long, a man appeared at the door of the main cabin to welcome them. He was dressed in a resplendent embroidered robe, and a neat beard graced his handsome face. His eyes met Guo Jing’s and the two men looked at each other in stunned silence. It was the Sixth Prince of the Jin, Wanyan Honglie.

  After escaping the Liu ancestral temple in Baoying, fearing that Guo Jing would follow him, Wanyan Honglie had decided not to return north. And, when he came across Tiger Peng, Browbeater Hou and the others, he led them south, instead, to steal the book of General Yue’s last writings from his tomb.

  Meanwhile, the Mongolians had launched a large-scale military attack against the Jin. The capital, Yanjing, had been under siege for months, and the surrounding sixteen prefectures had already fallen into Mongolian hands. As each day passed, the situation was growing more and more critical. Wanyan Honglie was fearful for his Empire—he had seen with his own eyes how agile and brave the Mongolians were. The Jin army outnumbered them, and yet they were being defeated in every battle. He could think of no way out, other than to recover General Yue Fei’s book, unlock the secrets of his battle strategies contained within it and use them to force the Mongols to retreat.

  Wanyan Honglie and his band had moved south with caution, so as to avoid discovery by the Song. They had decided that traveling by sea would be safest. They could come ashore on the coast of Zhejiang and secretly make their way inland, to Lin’an, to find the book.

  Before setting sail, Wanyan Honglie had tried to find Gallant Ouyang, thinking that he would make a useful ally. But, after searching in vain for some time, he decided to leave without him. Little did he expect to come across him out here, at sea, accompanied by Guo Jing. Had his secret plan been leaked?

  Guo Jing, meanwhile, was seething. This was the man who had killed his father. His eyes burned with hatred, so much so that he barely registered the others gathered on board this ship.

  Just then, someone began to emerge from the cabin behind Wanyan Honglie, before quickly slipping back inside and closing the door. Lotus had seen enough, however. Yang Kang.

  “Uncle,” Gallant said, breaking the silence. “This is the Sixth Prince of the Jin. He is a great supporter of virtue and skill.”

  Viper cupped his hands as a sign of respect.

  Wanyan Honglie was not aware of just how formidable Viper Ouyang’s reputation in the wulin was. He had an arrogant air, but, for the sake of his friendship with Gallant Ouyang, the Sixth Prince returned the gesture.

  Tiger Peng, Hector Sha, and the others bowed at the mention of his name.

  “For many years, Elder Ouyang has held the title of the Supreme Master of the Wulin, claimed at the summit of Mount Hua,” one of them said. “It is our pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

  Viper Ouyang bowed hurriedly in a halfhearted gesture of courtesy.

  Only Lama Supreme Wisdom had not heard of the Venom of the West. He pressed his palms together and said nothing.

  Wanyan Honglie observed that Hector Sha and the others were united in genuine admiration, which was unusual, considering their otherwise conceited behavior. They almost seemed to fear this newcomer, and their flattery was like nothing he had heard from them before. This strange man, with his swollen limbs and disheveled appearance, was no ordinary stranger. Intrigued, he chimed in with some words of respect.

  Graybeard Liang’s thoughts were elsewhere. This young man, Guo Jing, had drunk the precious magic blood of his prize snake, the result of many years of special care and attention. He was still furious. And yet, Guo Jing was accompanied by the man he feared most in this world, Count Seven Hong. Despite the fury bubbling in his breast, he kept a smile on his face, bowed and said, “Your humble servant, Graybeard Liang, offers Chief Hong my best wishes.”

  The others were startled. Was the Beggar of the North here, too? What were the chances of finding two of the greatest men of the wulin together on a raft, out at sea? They were about pay their respects when Count Seven let out a loud roar of laughter.

  “This old beggar has been having the rottenest luck. I’ve been bitten half to death by the most vicious creature. There’s no need to be so formal!”

  Everyone was shocked. He was injured! Nothing to fear, then. They all looked at Viper Ouyang to gauge his reaction.

  Viper’s plan had been to get rid of Count Seven as soon as possible, so that his wretched actions would not be made known throughout the wulin. Then he would force Guo Jing to explain the more difficult passages of the Nine Yin Manual, before killing him, too. As for Lotus, she could not be allowed to live, no matter what his nephew felt for her. And yet, he could not do the deed himself. Her father would never rest in his quest for vengeance. No, he would have to make someone else kill her, in order to avoid the blame. But, now they had come aboard the Sixth Prince’s ship, they would not be able to escape, at least.

  He turned to Wanyan Honglie. “These three are most cunning, with passable kung fu. May I ask the Prince to guard them closely?”

  Graybeard Liang was pleased. He shouldered past Hector Sha and grabbed Guo Jing’s hand. Guo Jing twisted his wrist and slapped Liang’s shoulder with a Dragon in the Field. The unexpected force behind the move took the old Master by surprise and he stumbled back two steps.

  Tiger Peng and Graybeard Liang were constantly vying for the Sixth Prince’s approval. Anything that might give them the upper hand was a cause for celebration, and watching the old Ginseng Codger stumble secretly delighted his rival. Seeing his chance, Tiger Peng stepped forward to block Count Seven Hong and the others.

  Graybeard Liang had run past Hector Sha in order to avoid Guo Jing’s Haughty Dragon Repents. He would be unable to counter it head-on, hence he planned a sideways assault. Little did he know that, in the months that had passed since their last meeting, Guo Jing had progressed beyond this one move. Guo Jing did not give chase, however, so Graybeard leaped up and launched the move which marked the pinnacle of all his years of training: Liaodong Wild Fox Fist. He was determined to kill the young man for humiliating him just now, as well as for killing his prize snake.

  The move had been inspired by a journey up the Mountain of Eternal Snow, looking for ginseng. There, he had encountered a hunting dog and a wild fox fighting in the snow. The fox was sly, it jumped from side to side, avoiding the dog’s razor-sharp claws and fangs. Graybeard had watched as the fox leaped up high, and suddenly he was inspired. Instead of gathering ginseng, he decided to build himself a hut on the mountain and contemplate the animal’s movements over a period of several months. And that was how Wild Fox Fist was born.

  It encompassed four fundamental principles: ling, shan, pu, die. That is, alertness, timely avoidance, pouncing, and tumbling. So far, it had proved effective against even his strongest opponents. It caused in them confusion, as they could not ascertain if he was moving in or fading back, or shifting left or right. This gave him the chance to make surprise attacks.

  This time, he would not let himself underestimate his opponent. He launched his signature move straight at Guo Jing, ducking first, then pouncing mid-fall.

  How odd, Guo Jing thought. He had never seen anything like it. Lotus makes use of a lot of feigned moves in her Cascading Peach Blossom Palm—perhaps as many as five or eight to every genuine strike—but this old man is all feint and no thrust. What strange technique is this?

  But Count Seven’s advice came back to him. No matter what style of kun
g fu he was faced with, he should respond with Dragon-Subduing Palm.

  The others watched and secretly shook their heads. The old Ginseng Codger was a master, the head of his own sect of martial arts. Why was he constantly dodging and feinting? Did he not dare make a proper attack on a young man who was by every martial measure his inferior?

  Within a few moves, the strength of Guo Jing’s palm had pushed Old Liang back to the edge of the vessel. Graybeard Liang realized that his Wild Fox Fist would not lead him to victory, but it was too late to think of another technique. He was surrounded by the boy’s palms. He had no space to work a counterattack.

  “Lower!” Count Seven’s voice floated above the roaring wind.

  Guo Jing launched into a Dragons Tussle in the Wild, sweeping with his left arm.

  Old Liang cried out and tumbled over the railing.

  Stunned, everyone rushed to the side and peered down. At that moment, they heard a long cackle from out at sea. Suddenly, Old Liang flew up and landed on his back on the deck, where he lay motionless.

  The onlookers were astounded. Had the water sent him bouncing back? They crowded round and peered down at the water, only to catch sight of an old man, his long, white hair and long, white beard catching the wind as he crested the waves. They looked closer: he was sitting on the back of a shark! Together, man and shark rode the waves with the speed of a horse galloping across dry land.

  Guo Jing was surprised, but delighted. “Brother Zhou! Over here!”

  The man riding the shark was none other than the Hoary Urchin, Zhou Botong.

  Zhou responded with a cheer and then punched the shark close to its right eye. The animal instantly turned left and drew up beside the boat.

  “Brother Guo? Is that you? How are you, boy? There’s a large whale up ahead. I’ve been chasing it all day and all night. I’m getting close. See you later!”

  “Brother Zhou!” Guo Jing cried out anxiously. “Come aboard! We are being bullied by a whole crowd of bad men!”

  “Is that so?” The Urchin was most displeased. He reached into the shark’s mouth and tugged, his other hand clutching the side of the ship. Suddenly, man and shark flew up and over the heads of the onlookers, before landing on the deck. “Who dares bully my little brother?”

  Every one of the fighters on board had seen some strange things in their time, but this bearded man’s appearance was stranger still. They were stunned into silence. Even Count Seven and Viper Ouyang were stupefied.

  Zhou Botong spotted Lotus. “What are you doing here?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be here?” Lotus said with a smile. “I had a feeling you would appear today, so I was waiting. Teach me how to ride a shark!”

  “Very well, my child,” Zhou Botong said, and he laughed.

  “But first, get rid of all these scoundrels,” she said.

  Zhou Botong surveyed the crowd gathered on the deck. His eyes came to rest on Viper Ouyang. “I was wondering who would dare be so brazen. I should have known it would be you.”

  “A man who does not keep his word, no matter how much he tries to hide away, will always be a laughing stock to the heroes of this world,” Viper Ouyang said coldly.

  “Indeed. A man can do as he pleases, but, if his words are worth no more than a fart, people won’t know if they came from his mouth or his backside. Actually, I was looking for you. We have a score to settle, so it is quite wonderful to see you. Old Beggar, you are our witness, stand up and say a few words. Make it official.”

  Count Seven smiled from where he was lying on the deck.

  “Old Venom has encountered many troubles,” Lotus began. “My Master must have saved him at least nine times. And yet, he has the heart of a wolf. He has shown only cruelty in the face of such kindness, locking my Master’s pressure points.”

  Count Seven had saved Viper Ouyang only three times, in fact, but Lotus could be forgiven for her exaggeration. And it would have been a weak argument to point it out, so Viper Ouyang could only glare at her in furious silence.

  Zhou Botong leaned down and tried to release Count Seven by rubbing his Pool at the Bend point, located in the crook of his arm, and the Gushing Spring, on the sole of his foot.

  “It’s no use, Old Urchin,” Count Seven breathed.

  Viper Ouyang had locked his pressure points using an unusual method. The only people who knew how to unlock them were the Venom himself and Apothecary Huang.

  “Go on, try to release him, Urchin,” Viper said with a sneer.

  Lotus recognized the method, but did not know how to unlock it.

  “Huh, what is so clever about that? My father knows this Bone-Piercing Pressure Lock.”

  Viper was amazed to hear the girl name the technique, but he ignored her and instead turned to Zhou Botong. “We had a bet and you lost. It appears you are the one talking out of your Zhou Bottom.”

  “Pheeeew!” Zhou cried and pinched his nose. “What a stink! Remind me, what was our bet?”

  “Everyone gathered here is a master of the wulin. Well, except the Guo boy and the young girl. Let me relate the events and those gathered here can be our judges.”

  “Indeed, indeed. Tell us, Master Ouyang,” Tiger Peng said.

  “The man standing before you is Zhou Botong, Master Zhou of the Quanzhen Sect,” Viper began. “He is known across the rivers and lakes as the Hoary Urchin, and claims Qiu Chuji, Wang Chuyi, and the other Immortals as his martial nephews.”

  Zhou Botong had spent the last decade or so detained on Peach Blossom Island. Before that, he had not accomplished anything of note in the field of martial arts; he had been too busy making mischief. His name carried no special resonance in the jianghu, but the sight of him riding a shark and flipping it up onto the deck before them was enough to make the fighters gathered that day pay attention. A muttering rippled from lip to lip.

  Tiger Peng recalled his upcoming meeting at the Tower of Mist and Rain in Jiaxing, which was scheduled to take place during the Moon Festival, in the eighth lunar month of the year. If the Quanzhen Sect were going to have the help of this strange man, things were going to be tougher than he had thought. He began to feel apprehensive.

  “Brother Zhou, here, was stranded among a school of sharks, so I rescued him. I told him that I could kill all of them with the most meager effort on my part, and Brother Zhou did not believe me. So, we made a bet. Isn’t that right, Brother Zhou?”

  “Indeed, absolutely true.” Zhou Botong nodded. “Now, tell them what we bet.”

  “I was just coming to that! I said that, if I lost, he could determine my punishment. And if I refused, I would jump into the sea and be food for the sharks. If he lost, the same would apply. Wasn’t it thus, Brother Zhou?”

  “Yes, yes.” Zhou Botong nodded again. “Then what happened?”

  “What happened? You lost, that’s what happened.”

  This time, Zhou Botong shook his head vigorously. “No, upon my word! You were the one who lost, not me.”

  This made Viper Ouyang furious. “A great man can distinguish right from wrong! Are you denying your own words? If I was the one who lost, why did you jump into the sea?”

  “Yes, that is true.” Zhou Botong sighed. “I did indeed admit defeat. But who would have thought it? As I plunged into the water, the heavens sent me a gift. Only then did I realize that it was the Old Venom who had been defeated, and that it was I, the Hoary Urchin, who had prevailed.”

  “What gift?” Viper, Count Seven, and Lotus cried in unison.

  The Urchin bent down and grabbed the stick wedged inside the shark’s mouth, then raised the animal’s head and said, “This fine shark. I’m sure you remember, Old Venom. Your beloved nephew jammed this stick in its mouth, isn’t that right?”

  Gallant had indeed come up with the wicked plan to starve the shark to death by forcing its mouth open so it could not eat. Viper Ouyang had seen him do it with his own eyes. The wound at the side of its jaw, caused by Gallant’s fish hook, was also more than apparent. It was,
indeed, the very same animal they had returned to the sea.

  “And?” he said.

  Zhou Botong clapped his hands. “Which means you lost! Our bet was that you would kill every last one of the sharks, but this fine beast was lucky enough to be given a lifeline by your dear nephew. It couldn’t eat the poisoned sharks, and thus survived. So, you must concede, therefore, that I am the winner.” He burst out laughing.

  Viper’s face went dark, but he did not reply.

  “Big Brother,” Guo Jing interrupted, “where have you been, these last few days? I was so sad.”

  “I was amusing myself,” the Urchin replied with a grin. “Not long after I jumped into the water, I spotted this fellow on the surface, in great pain. ‘Old shark,’ I said, ‘misery loves company!’ I then leaped up onto its back. It dived down to the seabed. All I could do was draw a deep breath, clutch its neck and kick its belly until it resurfaced. I barely had time to draw another breath before it dived down again. We carried on like this for the best part of a day, until it finally admitted defeat and was tamed. If I told it to go right, it went right. If I wanted it to leap out of the water, it was too scared to do the opposite.”

  He patted the shark gently on the head, inordinately pleased with himself.

  Of all his audience, it was Lotus who felt the most admiration for the Hoary Urchin. “I’ve spent so many years swimming in the sea, why have I never thought of such a trick?” she said, her eyes shining. “How stupid of me!”

  “Their teeth are as sharp as knives,” Zhou Botong answered. “If it didn’t have a stick in its mouth, it would be impossible.”

  “You’ve been riding this shark for days, now?” Lotus said.

  “Indeed. We’ve become quite a team at catching fish. We chase them as soon as we spot them, then I either punch or slap the little things. For every ten we catch, I only get to eat one. This old fellow gets the rest.”

  Lotus gently stroked the shark’s belly. “You drop the fish into its mouth? Doesn’t it need to chew?”