Ode to gallantry, p.6
Ode to Gallantry, page 6
Geng Wanzhong shook his head. "No," he said. "His footsteps led towards the foot of the mountain. Later, we found the marks of a sled as well. Well, I am embarrassed to say that we, as a large party of adults, have been unable to capture a fifteen-year-old boy. My teacher did indeed issue you with an invitation to Lingxiao City, so that both parties can discuss a fitting solution to this incident."
"You put in many ways," Shi Qing responded in a calm voice, "but you still want us to pay for Miss Bai's death with our lives. Brother Wang says that there are two more lives; what is that actually about?"
"The eighteen disciples that I mentioned earlier went about their tasks in two groups," answered Wang Wanren. "The first group, comprising of nine people, headed to Jiangnan. The other group, led by Brother Geng, looked for your son all over the Central Regions and met with some misfortune. Trouble never comes alone...."
"Younger Brother Wang, you do not have to continue," said Geng Wanzhong at once. "The matter is not related to Manor-Master Shi."
"Why not?" asked Wang Wanren. "If not for that boy, how could Elder Brother Sun and Younger Brother Zhu have died dubious deaths? Furthermore, we do not know who the enemy really is. How are you going to report the matter to our teacher when we get home? If our teacher becomes angered, I am afraid that you may lose an arm too. Manor-Master Shi and his wife have friends in many places, so what is wrong with asking them for some help?"
Recalling his Brother Feng's tragic dismemberment, Geng Wanzhong realised that he really did not have any explanation for the deaths of Sun and Zhu. Hence, it was not a bad idea to ask Shi Qing and his wife for help. So he said to his brother-at-arms: "All right, speak if you wish."
"Manor-Master Shi," Wang Wanren began, "three days ago, we heard that a man with the surname of Wu had obtained the Black Steel Symbol and gone into hiding by pretending to be a fried-cake seller in Hou Jian Ji outside the city of Bianliang. After a quiet discussion, my brothers and I felt that it is a matter of luck when it comes to capturing Shi Zhongyu. After all, where are we going to start looking for him, given that the immense population of the Central Regions? If we cannot find him in ten years, I am afraid we would not be able to return to Lingxiao City for ten years as well. On the other hand, if we get the Black Steel Symbol, we would be able to go back to our teacher with a suitable replacement for our failure to capture your son. During our discussion, someone cursed your son, saying that he deserved death for being so audacious at such a young age. Suddenly, we heard a loud laugh in an aged voice: 'Wonderful, wonderful! What a rare boy! Such talent and character is unrivalled in his time!'"
Shi Qing and Min Rou exchanged a glance. It was more difficult hearing someone praise their son in this manner than having them scold and curse him.
Wang Wanren went on: "At that time, we were talking in a guest-house. The four walls of the room were made of bricks, but the voice penetrated the walls and sounded so clear, as if the speaker was in front of us. The nine of us spoke softly, so we did not know how he heard us."
Shi Qing and Min Rou became alert at once: There is nothing strange about hearing someone's words through a brick wall. The wall could have a hole or crack in it, or the listener could be hidden below a window in the wall. The speaker inside the room could also be shouting without realising it. But for someone to speak through a wall and be heard in an extremely clear manner, his internal strength must be very rich. So, these people from the Snow Mountain School met a highly-skilled pugilist. This is indeed having one trouble follow another.
Ke Wanjun said, "We were stunned after hearing the voice. Brother Wang called out: 'Who is he that is so impatient with life, to eavesdrop on our conversation?' The man did not respond. However, a short while later, we heard the old scoundrel say: 'A'Dang, how many people have we killed today?' A female imp answered: 'Only one.' The scoundrel said: 'Then, we can kill two more.'"
"Ah! 'Not More Than Three a Day!'" said Shi Qing.
Geng Wanzhong, who had been silent for quite a while, responded at once: "Manor-Master Shi, do you know the old scoundrel?"
Shi Qing shook his head. "No, I do not know him," he replied. "However, my late father mentioned that there is such a man in the martial arts circle. His nickname is 'Not More Than Three a Day', for he allowed himself to kill only three people at the most. After the third killing, his heart would soften, so he could not take a fourth life."
"Damn! Is it not enough to kill three people a day?" said Wang Wanren in anger. "This evil, sinister and crafty person has actually been allowed to live until this day!"
Shi Qing did not respond. Instead, he thought: I have heard that this Senior Ding tends to tread the fine line between the upright and the unorthodox. Although he is a cruel man who enjoys killing people, I have not heard of him committing any great and evil crimes. Most of his victims seemed to have deserved their punishments as well. Shi Qing knew that the Snow Mountain School would be offended by this information, so he did not share it.
"What is the name of the scoundrel?" asked Geng Wanzhong. "Which clan or school is he from?"
"As for as I know, the man's surname is Ding," answered Shi Qing, "but I do not know what his given name is. Since he is nicknamed 'Not More Than Three a Day', most of the older generation know him as Ding 'Not Three' Ding Busan."
"Well, he is indeed neither three nor four ( busan-busi), a shady character who makes frivolous remarks!" said Ke Wanjun in an indignant voice.
"There are three of them altogether," Shi Qing continued. "His older brother is called Ding 'Not Two' Ding Bu'er, while his younger one is known as Ding 'Not Four' Ding Busi."
"What rubbish!" roared Wang Wanren. "Neither two nor three, and neither three nor four! There are actually people with such horseshit for names!"
Geng Wanzhong spoke up: "Brother Wang, do not use vulgarities in front of Sister-in-Law Shi."
"Yes," Wang Wanren replied, before turning to Min Rou and adding, "I am sorry."
Min Rou smiled and said, "I think those are just nicknames. No one would give themselves such strange monikers, would they?"
"Well, the three Ding brothers have quite a reputation in the martial arts circle," said Shi Qing to the Snow Mountain disciples. "It is likely that Old Master Bai has a conflict with them; hence, he is unwilling to mention their names. Consequently, you have not heard of them. What happened after that?"
"The scoundrel uttered more nonsense!" answered Wang Wanren. "He said: 'Is there someone called Sun Wannian? And also someone named Zhu Wanchun? Come out, both of you!' By then, we had reached the ends of our tethers, so the nine of us went out together, only to find the courtyard empty. There was no one there, so we started looking for him. I went up to the roof, but I did not see anyone at all. Then, Younger Brother Ke went into the room next to ours for a look. The door had been ajar. There was only a lighted candle in the room and nothing else. We felt that the whole affair was very strange."
"Suddenly, we heard the scoundrel's voice coming from our room! He said: 'Sun Wannian, Zhu Wanchun, why did both of you stare at my grand-daughter on the road to Jingzhou? Why did you pass frivolous comments and exchange lecherous looks? My grand-daughter may be young, but she is quite pretty. You beasts! You must have been entertaining dirty ideas in your hearts! So I am not accusing you unjustly, am I? Come in here at once!' Brother Sun and Brother Zhu became so angry that they rushed into the room with their swords. Brother Geng said: 'Be careful! Let us attack together!' Just then, the light in the room went out. Everything fell silent. I shouted: 'Brother Sun, Brother Zhu!', but they did not respond. There were no sounds of clashing weapons in the room either. A chill entered our hearts. We quickly shook a fire-booklet(5) alight, and saw our two brothers kneeling on the floor with their swords by their sides."
"Brother Geng and I rushed forward. When we tried to pull Brother Sun and Brother Zhu to their feet, they collapsed. They were dead, but there were no injuries or other marks on their bodies. We do not know what strange methods the old scoundrel used to murder them. Much to our embarrassment, we have not seen the scoundrel or his impish grand-daughter since."
Ke Wanjun chipped in: "Well, we did not notice the two on the road to Jingzhou. Even if Brother Sun and Brother Zhu had actually looked at his grand-daughter, it should not have been such a big issue."
Shi Qing and Min Rou nodded.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then, Shi Qing said, "Brother Geng, when did that niezhang(6) cause so much trouble in Lingxiao City?"
"On the tenth day of the twelfth month," answered Geng Wanzhong.
Shi Qing nodded. "Today is the twelfth day of the third month," he said. "Three months have passed since Brother Bai left Lingxiao City, so he must have burnt Xuansu Manor down a long time ago. Brother Geng, Brother Wang, firstly, my wife and I will have to track that niezhang down. Once he is captured, we will have him tied up and sent to Lingxiao City, so that our apologies may be offered to Old Master Bai, Brother Feng and Brother Bai. Secondly, we want to investigate the movements of 'Not More Than Three A Day' Ding Busan. Since my wife and I are unable to move him to visit your school, we will supply Old Master Bai with the information he needs to personally put an end to this matter. We take our leave!" He raised his clasped fists and bowed.
"Is ... is that all?" asked Ke Wanjun. "Are you leaving us with just a few sentences?"
"Brother Ke, do you have something to say?" asked Shi Qing in return.
"Since we cannot find your son, we have no alternatives but to invite you and your wife to Lingxiao City," answered Ke Wanjun. "You can see our teacher and present him with a suitable explanation for the matter."
"We will naturally have to visit Lingxiao City," said Shi Qing, "but there must first be signs of positive outcomes for the issues at hand."
Ke Wanjun looked at Geng Wanzhong. Then, he looked at Wang Wanren. Finally, he said in a huff, "If our teacher knows that we have met you but failed to invite you for a visit ... then ... then ..."
Shi Qing understood his intent. Ke Wanjun was thinking of seizing victory by sheer numbers and taking the couple to the Great Snow Mountain by force. Since they could not capture the son, the parents would do as well. Hence, Shi Qing said, "Old Master Bai enjoys high prestige and commands universal respect as the pillar of strength in the Western Frontiers, and I have always honoured him as if he was my own teacher. If Brother Bai were here on his father's orders and wanted us to visit Lingxiao City, we would naturally obey him. But now ... mmm, let us do it this way!"
Removing the black scabbard and sword from his waist, he turned to Min Rou and said, "Remove your sword as well."
His wife did as she was told.
Shi Qing took the pair of swords in his hands and presented them horizontally to Geng Wanzhong. "Brother Geng," he said, "please hold our weapons in your custody."
Geng Wanzhong knew that the razor-sharp Twin Swords of Black and White were among the rarest blades in the martial arts circle. Shi Qing and Min Rou loved them as dearly as their own lives, so the act of handing the swords over meant that they were honouring the Snow Mountain School. Consequently, the couple would have to visit Lingxiao City to retrieve their blades.
Geng Wanzhong wanted to say a few modest words, but Ke Wanjun spoke first: "My niece's life, Brother Feng's arm, my teacher's wife's departure, Sister-in-Law Bai's madness, as well as Brother Sun and Brother Zhu's meaningless deaths ... can these two metal swords really make up for them all? Brother Geng may have a friendship with you, but I, Ke, do not know you at all! Shi, you must go to Lingxiao City today regardless of whether you want to or not!"
Shi Qing smiled. "My son has offended your school deeply," he said. "Yet, there is nothing I can say beyond words of apology and guilt. Brother Ke, you are an up-and-coming Snow Mountain disciple with strong martial arts skills. Although I have yet to make your acquaintance, I have long admired you." As he spoke, he continued holding the pair of swords in his hands and waited for Geng Wanzhong to receive them.
Ke Wanjun thought: An intense fight is unavoidable if we want to take these two people back to the Great Snow Mountain with us. But it is good that the man has voluntarily presented us with their weapons, a true example of the saying, 'He who sins should not live'. Concerned that Shi Qing might suddenly renege on his word and take back the swords, Ke Wanjun took two steps forward, put his hands out and grabbed the swords tightly with the seizing techniques of the Snow Mountain School. "In that case, give us your weapons," he said.
As he retracted his arms, he suddenly felt a very strong suction coming from Shi Qing's palms that caused the swords to remain tenaciously stuck to them. As a result, Ke Wanjun could not take them away. Shocked, he tugged forcefully at the weapons with the strength of his arms and a shout: "Rise!"
At that moment, the suction in Shi Qing's palms vanished. A loud crack was heard, followed by a cry of pain: "A-yo!" Ke Wanjun's wrists were both dislocated. Apparently, he had exerted a force of several hundred jin (1 jin is about 500g) on the swords when he tried to take them. With the suction gone, the entire weight of the force acted on his own wrists and dislocated them.
Ke Wanjun's fingers loosened and the swords fell back into Shi Qing's hands.
All the onlookers could clearly see that Shi Qing's palms had been open during the brief episode. None of his fingers had moved. So it was entirely Ke Wanjun's fault for exerting his strength in an erroneous way that resulted in having his wrists broken by several hundred jin of force.
Both hurt and angered, Ke Wanjun lifted his right leg and sent a forceful kick towards Shi Qing's abdomen.
"Do not be rude!" shouted Geng Wanzhong at once, pulling his brother away by the back of his shirt and causing the kick to miss its target. He knew the extent of Shi Qing's internal strength. If the kick had struck him, Ke Wanjun's right leg would certainly have broken.
Since Geng Wanzhong's knowledge of martial arts was significantly higher, he took a breath and directed his energy to each of his ten fingers before reaching slowly for the swords. As soon as the tips of his fingers touched the weapons, his body shook, as if he had just had an electrical shock. A burst of heat filled his chest, indicating that Shi Qing had channelled his energy through the swords to himself. Oh no! thought Geng Wanzhong in dismay. Shi Qing has prepared this trap to draw me into a duel of internal strength.
Duels of internal strength between martial arts practitioners were known to be the most dangerous of combat undertakings. With no room for manoeuvrering, the strong would survive but the weak would often die. If the internal strength of one party did not differ much from that of the other, the pair would often carry the fight on until one or both of them died. On occasions where one or both parties wanted to stop the duel or give in to the opponent after a while, he/they would also be unable to do so.
Thus hindered by the circumstances, Geng Wanzhong had no alternatives but to exercise his internal strength in defence. Hence, he did not expect the force of his own energy to rebound as soon as it hit that of his opponent.
Shi Qing turned his palms over lightly and placed the swords into Geng Wanzhong's hands. "We are brothers, so how can we ruin the relationship between us?" he said with a smile. "We take our leave!"
By then, Geng Wanzhong had broken into cold sweat, for his internal strength was really far beneath Shi Qing's: How could I be his match when the force of my energy rebounded as soon as it met his? Besides, he was already being very merciful by preventing me from injury and shame. Thus, Geng Wanzhong stood dumbfounded and embarrassed with the twin swords in his hands.
"We had better go to Bianliang City," said Shi Qing to his wife.
Min Rou's eyes turned red again. "Our child ...," she began, only to have her husband shake his head and reply, "I would rather he suffer the same fate as Jian'er and be killed by someone's sabre. That would be a quick solution."
Tears rolled down Min Rou's cheeks: "You ... you ..."
Taking her by the hand, Shi Qing led Min Rou to the white horse and helped her onto the saddle. As the disciples of the Snow Mountain School watched the scene, they could hardly believe that this fragile-looking woman was the impressive 'Sword of Moral Integrity' that shook the realm of the rivers and lakes.
As the Twin Swords of Black and White rode away, Hua Wanzi returned. By then, Wang Wanren had already set Ke Wanjun's dislocated wrists, but the latter was still cursing his opponent at the top of his voice. After ascertaining the cause of her brother's condition, she frowned and said, "Brother Geng, I am afraid this matter is not right."
"Why?" asked Geng Wanzhong. "Our opponents are so highly skilled in martial arts that all seven of us would not have detained them even if we worked together. Now that we have their weapons, we will be able to explain ourselves when we return to Lingxiao City." As he spoke, he unsheathed the swords. The White Sword was as cold as ice, while the Black Sword was as dark as ink. The weapons exuded such a spine-chilling air that Geng Wanzhong's muscles began to ache involuntarily, testifying that these were indeed rare and treasured blades. "Well, the swords are certainly real!" he said.
"Of course they are!" answered Hua Wanzi. "Since we are unable to detain the owners of these swords, do you think we have the ability to keep these blades?"
Alerted, Geng Wanzhong responded with a question of his own: "What do you think, Sister Hua?"
"Last year, while I was chatting with Sister-in-Law Bai about valuable swords and sabres, the little scoundrel Shi Zhongyu interrupted us and bragged about his parents' swords," replied Hua Wanzi. "He said that the Twin Swords of Black and White ranked as two of the sharpest blades under the sun. He also said that his parents were more willing to part with him and send him to the Snow Mountain School than to part with the swords. Apparently, they did not seem bothered about leaving their son for several years, but could not be separated from their swords for even a day. Although Manor-Master Shi has given us the swords, he might take them back in a few days with a devious scheme. How then would we handle him when he shows up in Lingxiao City later and asks for the weapons to be returned?"
