Ode to gallantry, p.29
Ode to Gallantry, page 29
By then, Huyan Wanshan and Wen Wanfu had already heard about the goings-on and returned to the temple. When they saw how dejected their brother was, they said, "'They' are trying to overcome few with many, so can we not follow their example?"
Almost immediately, eighteen men raised their swords and attacked Shi Qing and Min Rou from all directions.
"Elder Brother Bai," said Shi Qing, "although I have gained the upper hand working together with my wife against you, victory and defeat have not been determined yet. Take this!" He raised his sword and sent it towards Bai Wanjian.
Bai had just had his life spared by his opponents, so in accordance to his status as a pugilist, he could not start another fight with the same opponents within such a short period of time. However, now that Shi Qing had sent his sword out on his own accord, Bai could actually make his defence. He thought: All right, I will fight you one-on-one to the death. Lifting his sword, he moved his body aside and struck out in response.
This fight between Bai Wanjian and Shi Qing was naturally different from the earlier one where Bai had gone against two opponents alone and found himself being pinned down repeatedly. Although he had been able to put up a very tight defence, he had had great difficulty launching suitable counter-attacks. Every attack against Shi Qing at that time had to be guarded against raids by Min Rou, while every stab taken at Min Rou had to be accompanied by a corresponding stroke against Shi Qing.
Now, battling the opponent one-on-one, with a single sword against another, and reeling from the shame of his previous defeat, Bai Wanjian went all out as soon as he began and executed the 72-Stroke Swordplay Technique of the Snow Mountain School in incisive detail.
Shi Qing was shocked: The reputation of the Frost of the North-West is not undeserved. He is indeed a first-class swordsman of our time! Hence, Shi Qing stirred himsef up and began to execute the skills that he had learnt throughout his life. He thought: It must be made known to you that the Swordplay Techniques of the Taoist Temple of Greater Clarity is not beneath those of the Snow Mountain School. I ordered my son to enrol as a student in your school for a deeper and more profound purpose. So you had better not indulge in false pride and think that Shi Qing is inferior to Bai Wanjian.
The fight between the two pugilists was truly a well-matched one. Bai Wanjian executed his strokes with violent swiftness and sent his sword everywhere, while Shi Qing moved with a rock-steady rhythm that underscored the rigour of his skills.
Failing to gain the upperhand after more than ten consecutive variations in technique, Bai Wanjian began to feel alarmed: The level of this man's swordplay skills is way beyond the reputation he enjoys, yet why did he order his son to enter our school as a student? Then, he thought: I could attribute my earlier defeat to the fact that two fists could not match four hands. Now that I am fighting one-on-one, another loss by even half a stroke would certainly cause the reputation of the Snow Mountain School to be dragged in dust. I must gain control over his vital points, for I cannot spare his life, or this terrible humiliation would hardly ever be avenged.
As the urgency to triumph increased in Bai's heart, the movements and strokes that he used became inevitably riskier.
Shi Qing was pleased: The greater your urgency to win, I am afraid the easier it will be for you to taste defeat in my hands.
More than ten strokes later, Bai Wanjian began to encounter one threatening response after another from his opponent.Thus warned, Bai re-focused his thoughts at once and returned to the right track of seeking early entry into each exchange instead of pushing urgently for attacks.
Only then could the two pugilists fight on equal footing, each no better or worse than the other.
+ + +
Watching the fight from the sidelines, Shi Potian became rather engrossed, despite being unable to understand the principles that underscored what he saw. Soon, even Shi Qing and Bai Wanjian hardly remembered the matters that each had on his shoulders. After two hundred strokes, Bai's spirits were so uplifted that he considered the fight one of the happiest events of his life. The earlier shame of being restrained by Min Rou with a single move of the sword had long been relegated to the recesses of his mind. On his part, Shi Qing was also very pleased with this formidable opponent.
Consequently, a feeling of mutual fondness began rising in each man's heart. As the animosity between them faded away and the desire to learn from each other grew, the men started using their most unique skills to see how their respective opponents would respond. When the fight first began, the *ding-ding dang-dang* of clashing weapons seemed to flow like a continuous string of sounds, but now, the *zheng-zheng* sounds of a sword hitting the other could be heard.
When the men finally reached their limits, Bai Wanjian executed a stroke called "The Hidden Incense Has a Dim Shadow" (An4 Xiang1 Shu1 Ying3) that slashed diagonally at his opponent without giving the latter a distinct view of the sword.
"Good technique!" said Shi Qing in a low but appreciative voice. He brought his blade into an upright position, and met Bai's oncoming sword.
The two men had exercised their internal strength for this move, so a loud *pa* sounded as soon as their weapons struck each other. Then, the blue steel sword in Shi Qing's hand snapped. Almost at once, another sword appeared on Shi's left. Taking the sword, the man executed a stroke called "Gaining an Advantage from the Left and the Right" (Zuo3 You4 Feng2 Yuan2), drawing the sword across the front of his body in an arc from the left to the right to prevent his opponent from continuing with the attack.
Taking a step backwards, Bai Wanjian said, "This turn of events is due to the poor quality of your weapon, Manor-Master Shi. It is not an indication of victory and defeat in swordplay. If you had the Black Sword in your hands, could the treasured blade have snapped? I am still at fault."
Suddenly, Bai's countenance underwent a great change, for it was then that he realised that the person who had handed Shi Qing a sword from the left earlier was none other than Min Rou. In addition, his own eighteen younger brothers-at-arms were all sprawled haphazardly on the ground.
+ + +
As it turned out, Min Rou had struck the eighteen disciples of the Snow Mountain School down while Bai Wanjian was totally focused on battling Shi Qing, stabbing and wounding the eighteen one after another with the sword. Although the injury on each man's body was extremely minor, Min had exercised her internal strength through the tip of her sword right into her victims' acupoints. Consequently, none of the eighteen could move after being struck by her sword.
This skill was a speciality of Min's swordplay. Kind-hearted and benevolent, the woman had always been unwilling to injure and kill her opponents. Hence, she had come up with the original approach of incorporating the acupoint-sealing methods of the Taoist Temple of Greater Clarity into her swordplay techniques. Although the eighteen disciples of the Snow Mountain School had been struck by the sword, they were in reality victims of Min's acupoint-sealing techniques. However, Min's internal strength had not reached the top-most levels, or she could have had the men immobilised as soon as the tip of her sword touched their acupoints. Then, there would have been no need to injure the flesh.
After Min had handed the sword to her husband, she had used the point of her foot to lift another sword -- which had been dropped by one of the Snow Mountain disciples -- from the ground. Then, holding the sword in her hand, she had positioned herself three steps behind her husband and to his left, ready to move forward and attack.
+ + +
Bai Wanjian's heart sank at once: Regardless of what the situation is, the battle between Shi Qing and me can only result in a draw. If Mrs Shi joins in, the earlier results will be replayed; so why should the fight continue? Feeling rather dejected, he said, "It is a pity that Elder Brother Feng is not here. If he was, we could have joined hands and fought both of you. Now that the defeat is clear, what else is there left to say?"
"That is correct," said Shi Qing. "When we meet the Dragon of Wind and Fire in the future..." Before he could finish, Shi remembered how Feng Wanli had his arm chopped off by his teacher because of his (Shi's) son, Shi Zhongyu. Even if they did meet each other in the future, they would not be able to engage in a sword-fight anyway. Thus, Shi Qing stopped speaking at once. He could not help but feel a deep sense of shame, for he could not find joy in the fact that he had defeated nineteen disciples of the Snow Mountain School together with his wife.
When Shi Potian saw the pale and pain-wrought countenance that Bai Wanjian had, as well as the sympathetic expressions on Shi Qing and Min Rou's faces, he thought: These eighteen diciples of the Snow Mountain School are all fools. None of them can help him engage Manor-Master Shi and his wife in a good round of sword-fighting or two. How very disappointing indeed!
Then, recalling how Bai Wanjian had gazed at him earlier with such love and concern, he thought: Master Bai treats me rather well. That Mrs Shi has given me some silver before, so she does not treat me badly too. They want to have a sword-fight, but are short of an opponent. There is an Elder Brother Feng somewhere, but he is not here right now. So everyone is not happy. Although I do not really know any swordplay techniques, I have already become quite familiar with them after watching everyone just now. It might be good for me to help them and join in the fun.
Hence, he got to his feet, copied Bai Wanjian's earlier actions and used the point of his foot to tap the hilt of a sword on the ground. As soon as his internal strength touched the sword, the blade leapt up with a *hu*. Making a bumbling grab for the hilt of the sword, he smiled and said, "You are short of one person, so you cannot have a competition with your swords. Let me join hands with Master Bai just for the fun of it. But I do not know what to do, so please give me some pointers."
The sight of the young man suddenly standing up gave Bai Wanjian, Shi Qing and Min Rou a great shock.
Bai Wanjian knew that he had struck the young man on a few dozen acupoints earlier, so how could he suddenly take a step and move around? Hence, he was sure that Min Rou had released his acupoints after striking the eighteen disciples of his school down.
As for Shi Qing and Min Rou, they had expected Bai Wanjian to seal the young man's important acupoints as soon as he had been captured, so how could he even move?
"Yu..." Min Rou began, but before she could finish calling the name 'Yu'er', she stopped. Then, she turned and looked at her husband.
+ + +
Shi Potian had been lying on the ground for more than two shichen (4 hours) after Bai Wanjian struck him on the acupoints. Anyone who had his acupoints sealed by Bai had to wait for at least six shichen (12 hours) before these acupoints became open once more. Although Shi Potian did not know how to release his own blocked acupoints, he did have the benefit of a very rich level of internal strength. Therefore, his acupoints began opening up one after the other within one shichen (two hours) of being sealed, due to the natural flow of the internal strength in his body.
Muddled-headed and ignorant, Shi Potian had absolutely no idea what was happening. All he knew was that the arms and legs that were initially numb and immobile had gradually began to regain their strength and mobility.
+ + +
"Why do you want to join hands with me?" asked Bai Wanjian in a loud voice. "Do you want to try out the Swordplay Technique of the Snow Mountain School that you have learnt?"
Shi Potian thought: I have indeed learnt some swordplay techniques from watching all of you, but I am afraid that I have made mistakes in my learning. So he nodded and replied, "I am not sure if I have learnt the right thing. Please teach me, Master Bai, Manor-Master Shi and Mrs Shi." As he spoke, he held his sword up diagonally and stood beside Bai Wanjian. The move was none other than "Two Camels Coming to the West" (Shuang1 Tuo2 Xi1 Lai2), one of the stances in the Swordplay Technique of the Snow Mountain School.
Shi Qing and Min Rou gazed at Shi Potian. They had not seen him since he was sent to Lingxiao City to learn swordplay many years ago. Now, seeing one another again in a place far from home, Shi and Min found themselves grappling with a hundred different emotions, including affection, joy, resentment and shame. They could both see that their son had grown tall and sturdy. Although the young man had a rather weather-beaten and tired appearance, there was no mistaking the air of quintessence that he had. His eyes, in particular, were bright and clear, as if he had an extremely rich level of internal strength in his body.
A stern father according to the conventional perception of parenthood, Shi Qing began thinking about the various rules and regulations in the martial arts circle. Since the day his unworthy son damaged the reputation of Xuansu Manor so badly, he and his wife had become ashamed of meeting people in the realm of the rivers and lakes. In recent years, they had taken to making discreet queries on their son's whereabouts, without seeing any of their associates in the martial arts circle at all. Now that the young man had seen his parents, he did not even step up and offer them any greetings. Instead, he had asked for a competition in martial arts skills. This act alone was sufficient proof that the various frivolous and inappropriate behaviours that the Snow Mountain School had complained about were not untrue. Hence, Shi Qing could not help but gnash his teeth in silence, for his ability to keep his temper under control, as well as Bai Wanjian's presence, prevented him from erupting in anger then and there.
On the other hand, Min Rou was the epitome of the compassionate mother, her joy and delight far outweighing the anger and resentment she felt. She had originally given birth to two sons. After her second child suffered a tragic death in the hands of the enemy, she was so grieved that she eventually placed her love for both her children on her elder son, Shi Zhongyu, alone. Hence, she often explained her son to her husband on the former's behalf, saying that the one-sided claims of the Snow Mountain School were not necessarily trustworthy. Their son could have been bullied to the extent that he could no longer find shelter in Lingxiao City. Furthermore, Bai Zizai's grand-daughter was probably a very spoilt girl who oppressed their son until he finally retaliated in indignation. If that was not the case, how could someone so young defy his elders with such an act of lewdness? After all, the girl from the Bai Family was only twelve or thirteen years old when the assault took place. Zhongyu would not do such an outrageous thing to a little girl.
Min Rou often shed silent tears in the years that she spent braving the winds and frosts of the realm of the rivers and lakes without any news of her son, afraid that he had perished in the great snow-covered mountains of the Western Region or become a victim of tigers and wolves. Thus, the sight of her beloved son was sufficient for the compassionate mother in her to forgive all his wrongdoings, including those that were as great as the Heavens. When she saw him walking up with a spring in his step and a sword in his hand, she could not help but respond with joy. In fact, she was dying to sweep him up in an embrace, hold him close and shower him with love.
She knew that her son had been craftier than most since young. Now that he wanted to join hands with Bai Wanjian in a sword-fight, he would certainly have a profound reason for it. She was deeply afraid that her husband would reprimand the young man in a fit of anger, yet she wanted to see how her son had progressed in his study of martial arts. Hence, she said, "All right, let the four us deliberate over our skills in two pairs. After all, we are just going to stop short of doing actual harm, so there is nothing to be really concerned about." She spoke with a soft and gentle tone that was filled with tender affection, but her voice quivered because of the emotions in her heart.
Shi Qing cast a sideways glance at his wife before nodding his head in agreement.
Gentle and amiable by nature, Min Rou had always left the making of decisions in her husband's hands. She hardly ever offered any ideas of her own, but on the occasions that she did, her other half did not show any disagreement.
Shi Qing could guess the intentions of his wife's heart -- first, to see their son's pugilistic skills; and second, to ensure that Bai Wanjian was genuinely convinced of his defeat. He did not expect Shi Zhongyu to possess swordplay skills that exceeded those of his uncles-at-arms whom Min Rou had struck down, regardless of how intelligent the young man might be. In addition, Shi Zhongyu would certainly not provide Bai Wanjian with any real assistance in going against his parents.
Bai Wanjian had thoughts of his own as well: If you use the Swordplay Technique of the Snow Mountain School in partnership with me against the enemy, you will be identifying yourself as a disciple of the school. So long as I am not killed by your family of three, I will go and get the plaque of command from our school-leader. Then, you would have to return to the Snow Mountain School with me regardless of the outcome of the fight. Any further resistance by Shi Qing and his wife would mean that they are breaking the rules and regulations of the martial arts circle. Hence, lifting his sword, he said, "Two against two is fine; so is three against one. After all, I have already tasted defeat under the Twin Swords of Xuansu Manor. I will just throw my lot in with you once more at the risk of my life." He had already made his mind up to die, so if the three members of the Shi Family closed in ruthlessly on him, he would only focus on having Shi Zhongyu killed. It was a task that he could accomplish, so long as he did not harbour the desire of keeping his own life.
When Shi Potian saw the trembling in the tip of Bai Wanjian's sword and the diagonal way in which it was pointed at Shi Qing, he realised that the blade was positioned more for defence than attack. Hence, he said, "In that case, I will be the one who goes on the offensive." His own sword trembled like Bai's before it was pushed towards Shi Qing's right shoulder. As soon as the stroke was executed, a sudden wave of raging sword-based energy (jian4 qi4) swept by. The sword had not moved very quickly at all, but the abundance of internal strength that accompanied the weapon had caused it to rip audibly through the air.
Bai Wanjian, Shi Qing and Min Rou gasped beneath their breaths. The move that they had just seen was part of the Swordplay Technique of the Snow Mountain School, but the internal strength exhibited was far beyond what Bai was capable of.
