Return of Condor Heroes, page 3
Everyone went back to the main hall. Lu Liding carried his daughter inside, and saw she had regained her consciousness, her face now white. She’s holding in the pain and refraining from crying, not particularly aware.
Madam Wu said, “Now that witch’s disciple had escaped, she herself will come here. Master Lu, I’m not looking down on you but even if you and your wife joined forces with me, we are never going to be able to compete with her. But even if we run it will be no use. We might as well wait for her and let fate decide.”
Mistress Lu then asked, “Who exactly is the witch waiting for? And what feud has our family with her?” Madam Wu looked Lu Liding in the eye and said, “Master Lu never mentioned this before?”
Mistress Lu replied, “He only mentioned that it was something to do with brother and sister-in-law, something to do with love affairs, he isn’t exactly sure himself.”
Madam Wu sighed, “It must be something to do with that. I’m an outsider so it is not my place to speak. Master Lu’s brother went to Dali ten years ago. Li Mochou, the Scarlet Serpent Deity is now infamous throughout the Jianghu world, but ten years ago she was a gentle beauty, and wasn’t yet a priestess. This was before she sinned, after she saw your brother and fell under the enchantment of love. After many twists and turns, your brother eventually married Ah Yuanjun. However this wasn’t any fault of Yuanjun. This kind of business is best kept under wraps; it’s just today’s events have forced me to retell these events. Yuanjun was my stepdaughter.”
The Lu couple simultaneously gave out an understanding sigh. Madam Wu touched her injured son’s shoulder in comfort. She stared into the flame of a candle and carried on.
“Your sister-in-law He Yuanjun was an orphan. We took her in and she became our stepdaughter. We loved her dearly. Eventually she met your brother, and they fell in love with each other, and wanted to get married. Firstly, my husband didn’t want her to leave the family; secondly, he was too strict saying Jiangnan people were crafty and cunning; they can’t be relied upon and forbade the wedding. Ah Yuan secretly ran away with your brother. On the wedding day, both my husband and Li Mochou went to find the couple and cause them trouble. Luckily, a high monk from the Dali Sky Dragon temple passed by and took the matter in his own hands. He requested, on his behalf, that they would grant the couple ten years of peace. Li Mochou and my husband agreed to this. My husband was angry, and after this event he became confused and disturbed; his teacher, fellow students and even I were unable to persuade him, or understand him. He just counted down the ten-year deadline. According to my calculations, today ten years exactly has passed. It was hard to predict that the couple would not enjoy the ten years of bliss that they had been granted.” She dropped her head after she finished, her whole face changed to a mournful look.
Lu Liding said, “So according to what you have said, the person who dug up brother and sister-in-law’s grave was your husband.”
Madam Wu replied in shame, “After hearing what the two misses have said, it is indeed my husband.”
Lu shaking his head said, “Your husband’s actions are not trivial. There wasn’t a feud in the first place. Even if there was, now that my brother and sister are dead, things should be bygones. But now he’s stolen the corpses, is that the action of a hero?”
When it comes to status, the Wu couple is higher than that of Lu’s. But now that his heart is full of fury, his words did not carry the proper tone of respect.
Madam Wu sighed, “Master Lu is right to blame my husband. He is confused and has stopped talking; he doesn’t deserve any pity. I’ve brought my two children along here, to try and stop the wrong doings of my husband. Right now, I’m the only person who he takes any notice of.” She looked at her two children and said, “Go and kowtow (kneel down) in front of Master and Mistress Lu to apologize for your father.” The boys did as they were told.
Mistress Lu gave a hand to help the boys up and asked what their names were. The one who threw himself down and cut his forehead was called Wu Dunru, the older brother; the younger was called Wu Xiuwen. The difference in age was one year, one of them twelve, the other eleven. The two had been taught martial arts and were relatively learned. Madam Wu and her husband were getting old, and hoped that they could reach a good level of kung fu and schooling, so they could withhold the Wu name in Wuxia, and not just rely on it.
Madam Wu did not divulge the darker reason for her husband’s behavior. She sighed and thought, “Those lies are only good for now. I mustn’t tell anyone about the truth.” In reality, when Yuanjun had grown to eighteen or nineteen she had become a beautiful woman. The feelings that Wu Santong had for her did not limit itself to the father daughter relationship. He was considered a hero in the Jianghu world so he could do nothing and he was relatively content. But when he saw that she had fallen in love with a Jiangnan youngster, he was angry that it wasn’t him. That’s why he said Jiangnan people are untrustworthy and unreliable, to get rid of his love rival. The reason he said this was that he had suffered the craftiness of Huang Rong. She tricked him into replacing Guo Jing in pushing down an ox and large stone, and couldn’t escape afterward. Although this matter was cleared up later, the words “Jiangnan people are untrustworthy” were etched into his head.
Madam Wu then said, “To think that before my husband had arrived, Li Mochou is already here seeking revenge.”
As she said this, a voice was heard from the roof.
“Ru’er, Wen’er, come with me!”
The words were unexpected, as no footsteps had been heard on the rooftop, yet someone was up there calling. The Lu couple gulped as they realized it was Wu Santong. Cheng Ying and Wushuang also recognized it was the weird lotus eating man. They saw a blur, as Wu Santong flew down and grabbed his sons, one in each hand before returning to the roof. Madam Wu shouted, “Hey, why don’t you come and see master and mistress Lu, and return the corpses that you took from them? Hurry.” Wu Santong did not reply as he had already long gone.
He ran wildly for a while, and hurriedly entered a forest. He put down Xiu Wen but still held on to Dun Ru, as his trace disappeared and his son was left alone in the forest. As Xiu Wen saw that his father had gone over hundred feet away, he shouted, “Father, father!” He heard a voice far away.
“Wait there. I’ll come back for you.”
Wu Xiuwen knew his father was always acting strange, and doesn’t plan anything. Although he was frightened alone in the black forest, he thought his father won’t be long and sat down on a log. After a long while, his father still hadn’t come. He said to himself, “I’ll go and find mother!” as he headed back to the Lu home.
Jiangnan is a place where roads lead in all directions, where paths are twisty and windy; it is hard to travel by day so what about traveling at night? As he ran, the paths got narrower, and on numerous times he stepped into the middle of muddy fields. Eventually he came across a forest, and realized he had gone in circles. He wanted to cry, and shouted, “Father, father! Mother… mother!” Who would hear him in the middle of the night? He heard a few noises, and recognized it was the call of a falcon. He once heard that falcons love to count the brows on people and if they counted clearly, it would be an ominous sign for the person. Immediately he spat out some saliva to wet his fingers, and then moistened his brow, so that it would be difficult for the falcon to count. But the falcon did not stop calling, He hid behind the trunk of a tree, keeping his brows covered with his finger, his heart jumping, not daring to move. After a while he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
In the morning, in a sleepy haze, he heard few clear screeches. He opened his eyes and looked above, and saw two extremely big white eagles hovering, wings spread out, looking magnificent. He had never seen this type of eagle before, his interest was raised and shouted, “Brother, come look at the big eagle,” not realizing he was alone, as he was always by his brother’s side.
Suddenly he heard two whistles behind him; the sound was gentle and soft, coming from the mouth of a little girl. The two eagles circled twice before descending. Wu Xiuwen turned around and saw a young girl, who was raising her arm to the sky. The eagles came down by her side. The girl gave one look to Wu Xiuwen and then stroked her two eagles saying, “Good eagle…clever eagle.” Wu Xiuwen thought, “So the two eagles are her eagles. He looked at the eagles, which were exuding an air of superiority, standing taller than the girl. He walked up to the girl and asked, “Are those eagles yours?”
The girl pouted, and her face changed color. “I don’t recognize you. I’m not going to play with you.”
Wu Xiuwen touched the backs of the eagles without any intentions. The girl whistled, and the eagles raised their left wing. There was a high force behind the wings, and Xiu Wen didn’t guard against it; he ended up on the ground. He rolled around on the ground, eyes fixed on the eagles, and said admiringly, “Those eagles are great and they really listen to you. I’ll get father to catch me one so I can train it.”
“Huh, you think your father can catch one?”
Wu Xiuwen was just curious, but each time she caused embarrassment. He looked at her closely; she was wearing an elegant green dress, a pearl necklace hung around her neck, her face was white, almost like butter, her eyes moving and face delicate. Wu Xiuwen thought she was extremely beautiful, and wanted to approach her but saw she was cold, and stayed back in fear. The girl stroked the eagles back with her right hand, and examined Wu Xiuwen. “What’s your name? Why are you alone?”
“My name is Wu Xiuwen. I’m waiting here for my father. What about you, what’s your name?”
“I don’t play with naughty boys,” said the girl as she turned her back and walked away.
Xiu Wen stood there before saying, “I’m not a naughty boy”, and trying to chase the girl at the same time. He saw that the girl was younger than him by two, three years; her steps aren’t very large and he should catch up with her very soon. Though he used his lightness kung fu, the girl’s steps were very fast, and in a flash a distance of ten feet was between them. The girl hurried a few steps and then shouted back, “Hey, can you catch me?” “Of course”, replied Xiu Wen and immediately stepped up his efforts. The girl turned and ran, and then hid behind a tree. Wu Xiuwen followed. As soon as he was near, she suddenly stretched out her left foot, and tripped him up. He didn’t anticipate this and fell forward. He wanted to use the “Iron Tree Stump Stance” but the girl stuck out her right foot and kicked him fiercely in the behind. Wu Xiuwen fell down, his nose hitting a stone as he fell, causing a nose bleed and blood poured over his clothes. When she saw the blood, she stopped, and wanted to run away and leave the boy there. Suddenly, a voice from behind said, “Fu’er, you are bullying again, aren’t you?”
“Who says? He just tripped by himself, what does it have to do with me? Don’t listen to what father says.” she replied without turning back.
Wu Xiuwen stood up and held his nose. Although it didn’t really hurt, the blood made him nervous. As he heard the voice talking to the girl, he turned around and saw an old man holding a metal walking staff. The hair on the man’s temple was like frost, his appearance was strange, his eyes where white, he was a blind man. He heard the man laugh and say, “Just because I’m blind doesn’t mean you can lie to me, I can hear everything. You act terribly now, so what’s going to happen when you get older?”
She walked over to the man and held his hand, and gently said, “Grandpa, don’t listen to what father says, okay. He tripped and he’s got a nose bleed. Can you stop the bleeding?”
The old man walked forward and grabbed Wu Xiuwen’s arm, then stretched out his right hand and used his finger to press on the “Wen Xiang Xue” (Smell Fragrant) pressure point by the nose. Wu Xiuwen’s nosebleed was beginning to slowly stop, and as he touched his nose a few times, it did. He felt the man’s fingers were like iron pliers, long and stiff, holding his arm tightly. He was scared, and didn’t move; as soon as his hand was released, he used the grabbing hand kung fu taught by his mother, he pushed out a palm in a semi circle to repel the man. The old man wasn’t anticipating this kid would strike out, and was hit by a sweetly timed palm. The man didn’t react and gave out an approving sigh, while holding to his wrist. Wu Xiuwen tried to distribute his chi in case he can’t escape and has to fight. The old man said, “Little fella, don’t be scared. What’s your name?”
“My name is Wu.”
“Your accent is not local. Where are you from? Where are your parents?” As the man said this he released his wrist. When he mentioned parents, Wu Xiuwen remembered that he has been away from his parents for a night and didn’t know how they were. He wanted to cry. When the girl saw his expression she sang, “Ashamed dog, eyes are red, ready to cry!”
Wu angrily replied, “I’m not going to cry again!”
The family was waiting at the Lu home for the enemy, when his father came and took him and his brother away; he spent a night alone in the forest. He was getting aggravated, his words were jumbled but the old man managed to make out seventy or eighty percent of it. They were from Dali, his father’s name is Wu Santong; his most refined kung fu was the “Solitary Yang Finger”.
“Your father is a disciple of Reverend Yideng, correct?”
“Yes, you know our emperor? You’ve seen him? I’ve never seen him,” said Wu Xiuwen.
Wu Santong was the head of the Imperial Wood Transport, when the Emperor was Duan Zhi. The emperor became a monk, with the new name “Yideng”. But Wu Santong couldn’t let the past go and still called him Emperor. That’s why his sons also refer to him as Emperor.
“I haven’t yet had the luck to meet the legendary “Southern Emperor”. This girl’s parents were the receivers of great kindness from him. That means we are not really strangers. Do you know who your mother’s enemy is?”
“I heard from mother and master Lu that it’s Scarlet something, something Chou.
The old man raised his head and mumbled, “Scarlet something?” He slammed his staff and said loudly, “Could it be the Scarlet Serpent Deity, Li Mochou?”
“Yes! It’s the Scarlet Serpent Deity!”
The old man’s complexion changed completely. He said, “You two play here. Don’t leave. I’ll go and take a look.”
The little girl said, “Grandpa, I want to come.”
“Me too,” added the boy.
The old man said, “No! Never! That witch is really powerful; I can’t beat her. But when there are friends in need, one must go. You must listen.”
He walked away, his staff digging into the ground as he took each step.
Wu Xiuwen said respectfully, “Old Grandpa is blind and lame, yet he moves so fast.”
The girl bent her lips and said, “What’s so strange? If you saw my father’s and mother’s lightness kung fu you would be even more shocked.”
“Your father and mother are also blind and lame?”
The girl angrily replied, “Your parents are blind and lame!”
It was now deep into the day, the farmers are in their fields; every man and woman was singing folk songs. He was originally from these parts. Though he was blind, he walked and asked for help at the same time, and in not too long he had reached the home of the Lu’s. From afar he heard the exchange of blades, the “ping ping pang pang” clashing indicating some ferocious stances. The Lu Zhanyuan family is a famous family in this area and he’s just commoner. Although he is now a fairly famous martial artist he didn’t approach and he also knew that he wasn’t the Scarlet Serpent Deity’s match. He knew that rushing in would just produce another corpse. But the matter involved a disciple of the Reverend Yideng and his debts to him were too many to measure (not exactly his debts, but what the girl’s parents owed Yideng), he couldn’t just stand by. He used more energy, and hurried to the village.
He heard fierce fighting on the roof involving four people. He turned his ear to one side to listen more carefully. From the breathing and sword clashing sounds, he could tell it was one versus three, though the three couldn’t fend off the enemy and were losing.
Last night Wu Santong had carried off his sons, and the Lu couple wondered what he was up to now.
Madam Wu’s spirits raised and said, “Though my husband acts wildly, when in danger he thinks clearly.” Mistress Lu asked what she meant by this. Madam Wu replied, “I don’t know if I’ve guessed correctly. Let’s just wait and see.”
As the night went on, Lu Wushuang fell asleep in her father’s arms. Cheng Ying also eventually fell asleep. Mistress Lu wanted to take the children into their rooms.
Madam Wu said, “Leave them for a little longer.” At that moment, someone shouted from the rooftop, “Throw them up here!” It was Wu Santong. His lightness kung fu was superb, mistress Lu didn’t even notice he was on the roof. Madam Wu took Cheng Ying outside and threw her up to Wu Santong who caught her. The Lu couple swallowed, as Madam Wu threw Lu Wushuang up to Wu Santong as well, who then took them away.
Lu Liding was concerned and said, “Where are you taking them?” as he leapt onto the roof. But it was pitch black; there wasn’t a trace of Wu Santong and the girls. Master Lu wanted to give chase, but Madam Wu shouted out, “There’s no need to chase them, he’s trying to do good.”
Lu jumped down back into the hall and quivering asked, “What good deed?”
Mistress Lu said, “Wu Santong is scared that the witch is going to harm the children, so he has delivered them to a safe place.” After he heard his wife say this he said, “Yes, it must be this.” But as he thought about how Wu Santong took the corpse of his brother and sister-in-law away, he started to worry.
