Ode to gallantry, p.28
Ode to Gallantry, page 28
"The male and female servants at your manor have not done anything wrong," said Bai Wanjian, "so how would we dare to hurt anyone for no reason? How then could we bother you with the conveyance of your gratitude?"
"The virtuous men of the Snow Mountain School have always loved my son deeply," responded Shi Qing, "but I regret that the child has not learnt to be good. His wilfulness and defiance is a betrayal of the high expectations that Elder Bai, Brother Feng and Brother Bai have harboured for him. My wife and I are indebted to you, yet we are once again ashamed. Is Elder Bai well? Is Old Mrs Bai well?" At this point, Shi Qing and Min Rou bowed as if they were paying their respects to Bai Wanjian's parents in person.
Bai returned the gesture and replied, "My father is healthy and well, thank you. However, my mother is no longer in Lingxiao City because of your son." By then, his face had clouded over with worry.
"Old Mrs Bai possesses consummate skills in martial arts," said Shi Qing. "She enjoys high prestige among her peers and commands universal respect. Everyone in the realm of the rivers and lakes holds her in reverence because of the countless acts of philanthropy that she has performed in her life. Now that she has gone on a short trip to drive away the cares on her heart, she is certain to be healthy and well."
Bai Wanjian replied: "Thank you for your words of gold, Manor-Master Shi. May they be true. However, my mother is already advanced in years. As her son, I cannot help but worry as she braves the winds and frosts among the rivers and lakes."
"That, Brother Bai, is the mind of a filial man," said Shi Qing. "It is natural and normal in human relationships for children to be filial and obedient to their parents, and for parents to show concern for their children. When sons and daughters engage in preposterous and unworthy behaviours, their parents can only take them home with pain-filled hearts and administer firm discipline."
Now that the subject had been broached, Bai Wanjian said, "Manor-Master Shi, you and your wife are admired throughout the martial arts circle as valiant heroes. I remember seeing a plaque in the main hall of Xuansu Manor that bore the words 'In Sharp Contrast' (Hei1 Bai2 Fen1 Ming2). This probably refers to your ability to make a clear distinction between right and wrong, as well as your strong sense of justice and chivalry, instead of merely standing for the power and prestige of the Twin Swords of Black and White in the realm of the rivers and lakes."
"That is correct," answered Shi Qing. "We really do not deserve to be commended about our sense of justice and chivalry. Since we are all pugilists, we should not be ambiguous on what is right and what is wrong. Yet, I wonder: where has the wooden plaque that bears the words 'In Sharp Contrast' gone?"
Bai Wanjian was taken aback for a moment, before making a calm response: "I have burnt it!"
"Very good!" said Shi Qing. "Our son entered the Snow Mountain School as a student, so if he violated the rules of the school, he should be dealt with by the elders of the school. These elders could have him beaten or killed without any questions from his parents, for this is one of the rules of the martial arts circle. When we last met in Hou Jian Ji, we handed our Twin Swords of Black and White over to your school. We also made it clear that we would take our son to Lingxiao City and exchange him for the swords. Now, did such an incident take place?"
After meeting up with Geng Wanzhong, Ke Wanjun and the others, Bai Wanjian had indeed heard about the matter. That day, after Geng and the others lost the twin swords, they had initially attributed the loss to a trick by Shi Qing and his wife. Then, after meeting and questioning a group of pathetic errand-runners and sedan-chair bearers who seemed to be fleeing from someone or something, they had found out that the occupants of the sedan-chair were actually an adult and a child. The descriptions of the duo and their clothes had indicated that they were none other than the Resident of the Skyscraping Cliff Xie Yanke and the little beggar. (Please refer to Chapter 2 for the details).
Bai Wanjian had long heard that Xie Yanke was very highly skilled in martial arts. Coupled with Xie's uncertain whereabouts, the task of retrieving the Twin Swords of Black and White was really a terribly difficult one. Now that Shi Qing had brought the subject up, Bai could not help but turn slightly red. "That is correct," he said. "Your swords are not here at the moment. We will naturally make a special effort to return them another day."
Shi Qing laughed: "Brother Bai, your words have underestimated me by error. My wife and I are not particularly fastidious about being 'In Sharp Contrast'. You have already detained our son, but you have not released our weapons to us. So I wonder which rule in the martial arts circle that you are adhering to."
"What then do you think should be done, Manor-Master Shi?" asked Bai Wanjian.
"Once spoken, the words of a true man cannot be retrieved even by horses," answered Shi Qing. "If you want the child, you cannot have the swords. If you want the swords, you cannot have the child."
Bai Wanjian was actually a man who was worthy of his name. He valued trustworthiness and kept his promises, so he was really ashamed that the Twin Swords of Black and White had been lost while they were in the possession of his school. Since he had let Shi Qing down, he no longer had any logical reasons to engage in lame arguments. Yet, when he discussed the matter earlier with Geng Wanzhong and the others, they had talked about the possibility of Shi Qing being in cahoots with Xie Yanke. If that was the case, Shi Qing could have asked Xie Yanke to snatch the swords after they were given up. Furthermore, Shi Zhongyu had caused the death of his (Bai Wanjian's) only beloved daughter. Now that the great culprit had been captured, how could he be released simply on the word of another man?
Hence, Bai replied: "I am unable to make a decision on this matter by myself. Please forgive me, Manor-Master Shi. As for your swords, I will take it upon myself to ensure their safe return. If I am incompetent and unable to hand the Twin Swords of Black and White over, I will chop my head off in front of your manor as a gesture of apology." He spoke with enough determination to cut through nails and iron bars, so there was no leeway left for any alternative action.
Shi Qing knew that a man of Bai Wanjian's reputation would certainly keep his word, so he had to be believed when he said he would give his life up upon failing to return the twin swords. Yet, Shi Qing could not just stand there and look helplessly at his only beloved son, who lay on the filthy dirt-covered ground. He had to rescue him regardless of what the issues were.
As for Min Rou, her eyes had not left Shi Potian from the moment she stepped into the hall. She had been separated from her beloved son for a long time, and now that they had met again in this strange place, she wanted to rush forward, sweep him up in her arms and hold him against her chest in a warm and loving embrace. In fact, tears were already rolling back and forth in her eyes, just short of spilling down her cheeks. Hence, regardless of what Bai Wanjian said, she did not hear a single thing.
However, she had always obeyed her husband's decisions, so she stood beside Shi Qing without uttering a single word during the entire time.
"Brother Bai, that is an overstatement!" said Shi Qing. "What value do our swords possess? How can they be mentioned in the same breath as your life that is worth ten thousand pieces of gold? But as people who roam the realm of the rivers and lakes, we know that most matters cannot depart from the word of reason. The swordplay techniques of the Snow Mountain School may be formidable and you may have many people here, but you still cannot take advantage of us. You cannot have the swords and the boy at the same time! Brother Bai, my wife and I want to take the boy away today."
As he uttered the last word, his left shoulder moved almost imperceptibly. It was a signal to his wife to unsheath her sword and attack the other party together with him.
In a flash of cold light, Shi Qing and Min Rou's swords were already on their way towards Bai Wanjian. When the swords were a chi (33.33 centimetres) away from Bai's chest, they came to an abrupt stop, as if they were being held back by a powerful force.
"After you, Brother Bai!" said Shi Qing, unwilling to launch a sneak attack on his opponent. If Bai Wanjian did not unsheath his sword and use it in defence, the couple's swords would not go forth either.
Eyeing the tips of the twin swords, Bai Wanjian took half a step forward.
The swords in Shi Qing and Min Rou's hands retreated, maintaining that single chi of space between their tips and Bai's chest.
Then, Bai Wanjian slid a step backwards. When Shi Qing and his wife pushed their swords forward, two clangs were heard. Bai had unsheathed his sword in defence, causing all three blades to erupt in a flurry of movements. Shi Qing had originally used the Black Sword, but now, his sword was made of a type of blue steel that glistened and glowed with a greenish light. Hence, the clashes of the three swords filled the entire hall with an icy chill.
Meanwhile, the other disciples of the Snow Mountain School stood against the wall with their swords in hand, watching the battle with rapt attention. They had always been in awe of their Elder Brother Bai's swordplay skills, so despite the one-against-two situation, they were confident that he would triumph.
Initially, Shi Qing and Min Rou could be seen launching simultaneous attacks from different directions with exquisite movements and strokes. However, after sixty to seventy exchanges, the speed of their movements increased so much that the individual strokes could no longer be seen.
Bai Wanjian used the Swordplay Technique of the Snow Mountain School, which consisted of seventy-two moves. His fellow disciples were very familiar with these moves, so they found them ordinary and unamazing. However, when they were used by Bai in offence and defence against the exquisite skills of Shi Qing and Min Rou, these seemingly ordinary moves began to exude great power.
There was only a single candle with a dim flame in the hall of the temple, but the light that reflected off the three swords amidst the shadows of the pugilists was dazzlingly bright to the eye. The battle itself was fused with heart-stopping danger, for any move made with the slightest error would mean bloodshed in the hall.
While their swords reflected the light of the candle, the faces of the three pugilists were bathed alternately in darkness and light. Bai Wanjian appeared proud and aloof, while Shi Qing seemed amiable and at peace. As for Min Rou, she had not lost any of her usual warmth, elegance, gentleness and finesse. From these countenances alone, the three pugilists did not look any different from when they had met and exchanged greetings earlier. Yet, the vicious and ruthless moves they made with their swords were obvious indications that they were battling one another with all they had.
+ + +
When Shi Qing and his wife entered the hall of the temple earlier, Shi Potian had recognised Min Rou as the kind-hearted woman who had given him some silver in Hou Jian Ji years ago. However, the couple had talked unceasingly with Bai Wanjian as soon as they had come inside. Then, they had unsheathed their swords and begun to fight. Therefore, Shi Potian had no opportunity to open his mouth and identify himself. As for the conversation that had taken place among the three, Shi Potian did not understand a single word of it at all. He could only gather that Shi Qing wanted Bai Wanjian to return two swords and a child of some sort. He knew what the Twin Swords of Black and White were, but it never crossed his mind that the subject of the three pugilists' contention was himself.
Having seen the eighteen disciples of the Snow Mountain School practise their swordplay skills earlier, Shi Potian assumed that the three pugilists had unsheathed their swords and begun fighting for the same purpose of polishing their skills. After all, the three did not exchange a single word of anger, blame or abuse. At the same time, their countenances were very calm.
By then, Shi Potian was already familiar with the 72-Stroke Swordplay Technique of the Snow Mountain School. The sight of Bai Wanjian executing these strokes with natural dexterity, vigour and viciousness brought him freedom of heart and ease of spirit.
After a while, he turned his attention to the techniques exhibited by Shi Qing and his wife. Almost at once, he realised that their moves were very different from each other's as well as that of Bai Wanjian. Shi Qing's moves alternated between being open and guarded, with all of them coming together in a tightly woven and very reliable set of techniques. On the other hand, Min Rou's moves flowed with the battle, for she used the sword as if it was a narrow length of fabric. Although Shi Qing's techniques were different from his wife's, their respective use of strength and grace, the Yang and the Yin, the linear and the non-linear, high and low speeds, as well as divergent methods of internal strength execution, complemented one another. Consequently, their techniques worked as one against the sword of Bai Wanjian.
Shi Qing and his wife were originally brother- and sister-at-arms during their days of pugilistic training at the Taoist Temple of Greater Clarity (Shang4 Qing1 Guan4). As their feelings for each other grew during this period, their mutual affinity began to show in their way they handled their swords. In the twenty-odd years of marriage that followed, there was never a day in which they were apart. Neither was there a day when they stopped practising their swordplay skills together. Therefore, they had already reached the point where each knew the intentions in the other's heart, as if the two were one. The knowledge of the Yin and the Yang, as well as the concepts of union and separation in swordplay, that Shi Qing and his wife possessed could not be matched by any other pair of pugilists in the martial arts circle.
Shi Potian did not understand this advanced principle of swordplay at all.
+ + +
The swordplay skills and internal strength that Shi Qing and his wife had were each comparable to Bai Wanjian's. Therefore, Bai would have crumbled under their combined onslaught, if not for the swiftness and ferocity of his swordplay skills. Furthermore, Min Rou was a gentle person by nature, so she often left a three-tenth leeway in the execution of her strokes. Consequently, the three pugilists could fight for a longer period of time.
But Min Rou's fragile and timid appearance belied her ability with the sword, for her skills were not beneath that of her husband's. Shortly after Bai Wanjian executed his seventieth stroke in the fight, he was almost slashed on two consecutive occasions by Min Rou's blade. He groaned inwardly, but he was so strong and unyielding by nature that he would rather die under the couple's swords than to admit defeat. As time went by, his offensive and defensive positions became increasingly disadvantaged.
A few of the disciples of Snow Mountain School soon noticed that something was wrong, so one of them called out: "You are fighting two against one. How unreasonable! Manor-Master Shi, if you have the guts, fight Elder Brother Bai alone. If you want to do in a group, we will all join in as well."
Shi Qing laughed. "Is the Dragon of Wind and Fire, Elder Brother Feng, here?" he asked. "If Brother Feng is here, he could join hands with Brother Bai. Then, the four of us can have some fun in comparative swordplay." His words made things very clear: Except for Feng Wanli, the other disciples of the Snow Mountain School were not necessarily capable of partnering Bai Wanjian in the fight. With Bai as their only match at the moment, Shi Qing and his wife were in a position of great advantage. But if Bai took their only beloved son to Lingxiao City, how could the boy still continue living?
There were altogether almost twenty disciples from the Snow Mountain School in the temple. Shi Qing and his wife could each take ten of them on, because besides Bai Wanjian, the others were mediocre pugilists. Then again, who told the Snow Mountain School not to send more capable men out from their midst?
Meanwhile, Bai Wanjian became angry at Shi Qing's mention of Feng Wanli: Elder Brother Feng had an arm chopped off by Father merely because he had taken your devilish son in as his student, so how could you have the nerve to speak about him?
A highly skilled pugilist could not allow himself to be emotionally distracted during a fight. Bai Wanjian was already in a precarious position. Now that he had been angered, his execution of the stroke 'The Bright Camel with the Feet of a Fine Horse' (Ming2 Tuo2 Jun4 Zu3) was inevitably compromised.
Shi Qing saw the weakness in the move at once. Exercising his internal strength as he lifted his sword in defence, he caused Bai Wanjian's blade to adhere lightly to his own. Bai responded by sliding away in a quick burst of strength, but Min Rou's sword appeared between the two men's blades and headed directly for Bai's chest. All these moves happened within a lightning-fast instance in time.
Bai Wanjian closed his eyes, for he knew that the sword would pierce his heart. There was absolutely no way that he could fend it off.
To his surprise, Min Rou's sword came within half a chi (16.67 centimetres) of his chest before going into an immediate retraction. Then, the woman and her husband leapt away shoulder-to-shoulder before returning their swords to their respective scabbards without uttering a word at all.
Bai Wanjian opened his eyes. Turning pale, he thought: Their intention in sparing my life cannot be any clearer. They want to take their son away. I have lost, so how could I pester them for another fight, and stop them from leaving? Even if we fought again, it would be difficult for a pair of fists to defeat four hands. I would not succeed in defeating the couple at all.
He thought about his beloved daughter, whose death was caused by the couple's son. He also thought about the team that he had led to the Central Region, of which seven members had been captured by the Clan of Eternal Happiness. He had managed to capture Shi Zhongyu in return, but now the captive was lost. He had regarded the Swordplay Technique of the Snow Mountain School with pride all his life, but after their failure to defeat the Twin Swords of Xuansu Manor, his own heroic reputation flowed away like the water in a stream.
In a twinkling, Bai Wanjian became so disheartened that he could only stand and stare blankly into space.
