Ode to gallantry, p.54
Ode to Gallantry, page 54
Shi Potian said: "Geng Wanzhong? They are seriously my teacher's younger brother? I did not know at that time that they were looking for me obviously I didn't fear them."
Shi Qing asked: "you did not know at that time they were there to seize you? You ......You did not know that Geng Wanzhong is your teacher's younger brother?"
Shi Potian shook his head said: "I didn’t know!"
Min Rou saw the change in the complexion of her husband. She knew that he was trying to suppress his anger and in fact he was really angry.
She said quickly: "child, to err is human?
It’s the greatest trait of human to recognize his mistake and try to change it. Whatever happened in the past is now done; it won’t correct the things if you try to hide it. Father and mother both like you lot and will help you to start a new life, you should not conceal anything and should tell everything truthfully.
Shi Potian remembered that once he listened to his father and Bai Wanjian talking in temple of village god.
He said: "Are you talking about ‘Dragon of wind and fire’ Feng Wanli? I heard you talking to master Bai Wanjian about him but I have not seen him."
Shi Qing and Min Rou looked at each other, Shi Qing asked: "Grandpa Bai? His temperament is hot tempered, isn’t?"
Shi Potian shook his head and said: "I do not know any Grandpa Bai, has not seen him."
Shi Qing and Min Rou asked him about the Lingxiao city and Snow mountain sect. Shi Potian unexpectedly did not know anything about it.
Min Rou said: "senior brother, so he had this sickness since then."
Shi Qing nodded and kept silent. Both people understood that when he ran away from Snow mountain sect then only he lost his memory. They couldn’t guess the reason maybe excessive fear or some injury but he had forgotten about the past events. He said that he got that high fever in the skyscraping cliff and clan of eternal happiness but the actual illness got him several years ago."
Min Rou asked him about his childhood, Shi Potian kept on repeating that over and over again, how he used to go for hunting in the barren hill and caught games, how he used to roam with his dog, but couldn’t tell any thing more about where he actually came from and where he was born. It was already several years and he didn’t remember much.
Shi Qing asked: "Child, This matter is very important, your life and death depends on it. How much Snow mountain sect martial-arts do you know?"
Shi Potian said in a dull voice: "When I was in the temple of village god, I saw them practicing their sword skill, in my heart I remembered some. They were really angry to me and wanted to kill me? Father, that master Bai Wanjian asserted that I am a snow mountain disciple. He even show a scar on my leg actually of snow mountain sword skill ….!"
Shi Qing said to his wife: "Younger sister, I will test his sword skill again using Snow mountain sword skill."
He drew out his sword and said: "you also use the snow mountain sword skill and don’t conceal anything with your father."
Min Rou gave her sword to Shi Potian; faintly smiled at him. Shi Qing stabbed at him slowly as soon as Shi Potian lifted his sword to keep him off, which made Shi Potian to use the Snow mountain sword move "north wind gets up suddenly", his sword move was full of numerous flaws.
Shi Qing wrinkled his eyebrows, moved his sword to make another move and said: "your move is very good!"
Shi Potian said: "really!"
He slanted his sword and made a move from the Golden phoenix sword skill. Obviously it was not Snow Mountain sect’s sword skill but it was attacking at his strategic point.
Shi Qing quickly changed his move and thought: "this child is really smart, also gave up the idea that he is hiding anything from his, a person facing a crucial moment in fight can not fake his sword skill."
For each of his move Shi Potian attacked on the strategic point of his body. Shi Qing somehow managed to stay out of trouble. Golden phoenix sect’s sword skill was made to negate the snow mountain sect. Whatever move Shi Qing started Shi Potian naturally had a counter move for it.
Shi Potian knew that this was just a tactical fight so he was not using any internal energy. If he was using the Golden phoenix sword skill with his full internal energy then Shi Qing was no match for him. Even if he was using his sword skill properly still Shi Qing was no match to him, he could have stabbed his chest in the 11th move, on the 23rd move he spared his head when a horizontal swipe could have easily done the job. On the 28th move, Shi Potian had the opportunity to attack his lower abdomen, his left shoulder and his right leg, all were exposed. Shi Qing looked at his wife, shook his head and stabbed at the lower abdomen of Shi Potian with his sword.
Shi Potian was thrown into confusion, he brandished his sword randomly, suddenly with a loud sound both the sword collided and the sword flew out of the hand of Shi Qing immediately. He felt a blockage in his chest and just couldn’t manage to breathe. Shi Qing drew back immediately about four five steps and couldn’t manage to stand.
Shi Potian called out: "father! You......You ...how?"
He dropped out his sword and moved forward to support him. Shi Qing felt dizzy; he stopped breathing hurriedly, waved his hands to stop Shi Potian coming towards him and to move away. Originally Shi Potian and Shi Qing were not competing very violently and also Si Qing had good internal energy but the moment Shi Qing got confused and started to brandish his sword, he sent out the vicious poison with it too.
Shi Qing understood the reason pretty quickly so he moved away and stopped his breathing, fortunately he didn’t fainted by that poisonous gas and but felt dizziness.
Min Rou really cared about the husband, she went forward to support him, turns her head to Shi Potian and said: "Your father was just testing your martial-arts, why are you so tactless and tried to hurt him?"
Shi Potian was really terrified, he said: "father, it ......it is not good! You ......You have not been injured?"
Shi Qing saw him really concerned about him, felt very happy, smiled faintly and took a breath and said : "Younger sister, you cannot blame him, he has really not learnt any Snow mountain sword skill. He was not impolite to me, it’s just that his internal energy is really strong, In martial arts world, there are not many people who can match him."
Min Rou knew that her husband was a real gentleman and his knowledge in martial-arts was really high. When she heard him praising their son, she cannot help to restrain her smile, said: "but his martial-art is also too unfamiliar, it looks he had learnt something from his father."
Shi Qing said with a smile: "you have already taught him in that temple of village god, looks like you instructed your mischievous son really well, even his father is inferior to his loving mother."
Min Rou laughed and said: "fine, come lets eat, I am hungry."
All three people started eating food, Min Rou really enjoyed eating with her family and even made an exception and unexpectedly ate a full bowl.
After eating the food they arrived at a desolate place within mountains. Shi Qing wanted to instruct Shi Potian about sword skill so he took out his sword and asked him listen and watch. It had been quite some time when Shi Potian was taught by a master.
Shi Qing was a top martial-art veteran and had comprehensive knowledge of various martial-art skills. As soon as she started to give instruction Shi Potian immediately started to understand. Although Grandma Shi taught him in person but still she was there for a very short period. After teaching 73 moves of Golden phoenix sword skill, she went away even without saying good-bye.
He didn’t have time to get the detailed directions about various moves from her like Shi Qing. Apart from that the sword skills of Golden phoenix sect were precisely to restraint snow mountain sect sword skill and she taught it him with that mindset. Also Shi Qing didn’t learn anything apart from sword skills from her.
The Shi couple saw him using Snow mountain sect’s sword skill, observed the flaw in his strategic move, they noticed it but kept silent and compared it to the same day when he was sparring with Min Rou in the temple of village god and she taught him some moves. They were exactly same but much quicker. Shi Potian felt some doubts about a move and asked them immediately.
Both of them listened him asking about a very shallow move and didn’t understand. Shi Potian told them that this move was used by Bai Wanjian in their fight on Azure Mist Island. Actually these were the same sets of moves used in training martial-arts which Shi Potian didn’t understood and lost the fight. When they learnt that so called master was so mean spirited and used this stupid move to defeat him, got extremely angry.
Shi Potian had strong internal energy; he kept on practicing from afternoon to night without any break, not even a slightest fatigue, even after such a long time his face didn’t turned red and was not breathing quickly. Both of them took turns to instruct him some moves and when got tired switched between themselves.
His ability to learn martial-art was really good and soon he made rapid progress. Both his parents saw his felt extremely proud to him learning so fast.
In these last six seven days, both Si Qing and Min Rou apart from eating and resting always enticed Shi Potian to recount the past events, hoped that it might help him to restore his memory, but Shi Potian was not able to remember anything new. In fact he remembered everything after he escaped from clan of eternal happiness; even the minor details but he had the same information about his childhood and no information about Snow mountain sect and LingXiao city.
That day in the afternoon, after all three people have eaten meal, they arrived near a willow tree to sit and chat. Min Rou picked up a small branch and wrote on the ground "Black and white clearly demarcated" these four characters and asked: "son, you remember these four characters?"
Shi Potian shook his head and said: "I am not literate."
Both of Shi couple were shocked, when as child he left home, Min Rou had taught him, he knew "the three classics", the Tang poems and so on.
How can he say "I am not literate" these words?
These "Black and white clearly demarcated" four characters were written on a large plaque in the main hall in Xuan Su Manor, written by a famous elder from martial-arts world. These words and the black and white double sword were their identity in the martial-art world and depicted the reputation of both husband and wife to uphold and to promote justice.
In the past when their son was four years old, Min Rou hugged him in her bosom and looked at the big plaque and taught him these four characters. Even at that time Shi Potian recognized these letters and the Shi couple approved him to be intelligent.
At this moment she writes these four characters, and hoped that he can recall the past events but saw that unexpectedly he can’t remember something he knew when he was four years old.
She used the branch to immediately write the "one" character, smiled and asked: "at least you remember this character?"
Shi Potian said: "I don’t know any characters, nobody ever taught me."
Min Rou felt extremely sad and tears rolled in from her eyes.
Shi Qing said: "Son, don’t worry rest or some time."
Shi Potian said yes but actually took the sword and started practicing the sword moves.
Shi Qing urged to his wife saying: "Younger sister, this illness of our son is really deep, you can’t expect him to remember everything in a day."
He also said: "Even if he had forgotten all about the past deeds but actually I see a change in his personality.
Earlier he was a lot careless and willful however now at this moment he is a little ......a little mixed up in his mind but is actually much steady and calm. He had improved a lot."
As soon as Min Rou thought about these words of her husband, she in fact felt better and happy. She thought: "what if my son is illiterate? I can again teach him from the start."
She remembered how much she has suffered for her child in past years and cannot help but shivered in her heart, although this moment he was already grown up but in her heart, her son was naïve and weak, right now ignorant but still very lovable.
Shi Qing said: "There are some matters I don’t understand. This child's amnesia started about the time he left the Lingxiao city and Snow mountain sect and afterwards with that high fever his condition deteriorated but still I think something …but …but ......"
Min Rou listens to her husband to say these words in deep sorrow; she too was unable to restrain her worry and asked: "what have you thought of?"
Shi Qing said: "Our son doesn’t know a single character, his martial-arts is also not extraordinary apart from his strong internal energy, speaking of the position and reputation of clan of eternal happiness his manners or intelligence to hold the position of chief. The clan of eternal happiness has risen in past eight nine years, how could ......"
Min Rou nodded and said: "How can he become the chief of such a sect?"
Shi Qing hesitated and said: "That day when we met Hero Lu Dong San in Xuzhou, he told us that clan of eternal happiness was created by that person called chief Situ and whatever it looks from outside but ‘bring back dead to life’ Bei Haishi was helping him. He didn’t know what happened that suddenly this young person was made the chief.
Hero Lu Dong San also said that this youth is really lascivious in nature and is extremely crafty and sly in his affairs, his martial-arts is also really good but nobody actually know his origin.
Afterwards that female disciple of Snow Mountain sect, Hua Wanzi went to investigate this matter and admitted that she recognized Shi Potian and he is in fact Shi Zhongyu and then Bai Wanjian and rest of Snow mountain disciple visited clan of eternal happiness. At this moment it looked like `handles affairs in martial-arts cunningly ', these character really suited him."
Min Rou tightened her eyebrows and said: "although at that time we thought our Yu’er was young but his scheming is really fierce, his martial-arts is really strong and he did all this to get away from Snow mountain sect, but his this appearance ......"
He took a deep breath, waited for a moment and suddenly said: "senior brother, there is certainly some conspiracy. You too thought that ‘bring back dead to life’ Bei Haishi such an astute and competent person why will he assist someone so young......" as she spoke, in her heart she felt afraid and her voice shivered.
Shi Qing folded his hand behind his back and started pacing around the willow tree, in between he was talking to himself: "clan of eternal happiness has made this young child there chief, for what? For what?"
By the time he was making fifth round, in his heart he already got knew what is behind all this, he was not able to digest it and felt extremely fearful and actually did not dare to say anything.
On his seventh round he looked at Min Rou, saw her looking at him. Both people looked at each other and both their eyes betrayed the fear in their hearts.
The couple looked at each other for some time and then simultaneously said: "Command of reward and punishment!"
Both these people said the same four characters together and made loud sound. Shi Potian was practicing at a distant place, still he heard so he approached both of them and asked: "father, mother, what is this ‘Command of reward and punishment’? Are they really so bad and wicked? I listened about them in Iron fork sect meeting and also in the Shan Qing temple; the Taoists mentioned it several times."
Shi Qing didn’t answer him immediately and asked him: "Those people Zhang San and Li Si, you swore brotherhood with, did they knew that you are the chief of clan of eternal happiness?"
Shi Potian said: "they had not raised this matter so I didn’t tell them."
Shi Qing said: "they and you betted on drinking that poisoned wine, how? Tell me in detail about it."
Shi Potian told them: "that was poisoned wine? How haven't I been poisoned?"
He then told how he met Zhang San and Li Si, how they ate meat and drank wine and so on, from the beginning to end in detail.
After Shi Qing heard him he hesitated for half of the day, only then said: "Yu’er, there are some matter which you don’t understand, I will tell you so do not get afraid." He continued and said: "Thirty years ago, in the martial arts world many big schools and big sect's heads received an invitation from Island of heroes in South China sea to eat ‘Eight meat gruel’ on eighth of the twelfth month."
Shi Potian nodded and said: "yes, as soon as everybody hears about eating ‘eight meat gruel’ they get afraid. I did not know that was the truth? This ‘eight meat gruel’ is this extremely poisonous?"
Shi Qing said: "that nobody knows. These big schools, the big sect's heads received the bronze medal invitation ......"
Shi Potian interrupted to ask: "bronze medal invitation? Is that two bronze medals?"
Shi Qing said: "good, now you know about the bronze medals you took from Elder brother when he was unconscious. One has a sign engraving of a smiling face, that is `reward ' meaning friendly; On another sign is a angry facial features, that is `punishes wickedly '. These were delivered by two thin young people."
Shi Potian said: "young?" He had guessed correctly that Shi Qing was talking about Zhang San and Li Si but he said young people.
Shi Qing said: "that was thirty years ago, obviously they were young at that time. Various schools and sect’s heads receive those people and the person of the bronze medal invitation and agreed to go to Island of heroes otherwise his school or sect’s was in imminent danger, whichever school or sect refused the invitation faced something really terrible.
The head of Qingcheng sect from western Sichuan, Taoist priest Renxu Shan received the medals, smiled at it and took the two bronze medals in the hand and utilized his internal energy to melt the two bronze medals in to one. He actually thought that he will show off his internal strength to frighten these two young fellows.
Who would have thought that just as he just pinched to destroy the bronze medals, these two youth struck with their four palms suddenly, strikes on his chest and immediately this master of Qingcheng sect died in a single strike!"
