Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain by Jin Yong (41 page)

Increasing chill smote Fox's heart as he listened to the names of the assemblage introduced by Wish. Besides the Imperial Guardsmen comprising Commissioner Sai's regiment of seven emissaries, the remainder were each renowned warriors in their own right from among the outlawry. Present in the room were Profundity the Taoist Phongie of the Kokonor-Tibetan School; Spirituality the Buddhist Devotee of the Altyn Tagh in Chinese Turkestan; and Jiang the Senior Mentor in Pugilism of the Absolute Lodge south of the Caramoran. Others among the group were either Grand Masters and famed champion fighters of different Lodges or Principal Chieftains of the Outlawry or Chief Escorts of various convoys, each attracting celebrated titles in his own right. As for the seven Imperial Guardsmen, they were reputed veteran experts in the Martial Brotherhood.

Slowly considering everything in her mind, Orchid reflected, "So scantily clad am I, and yet I am so very close to him. A web of all-embracing treachery has entangled his and my families. I do not know what he will do to me. Crude and brash he appeared at our first meeting this morning, and yet he is a marvel, accomplished in both martial feats and scholarly works. It is hard to imagine that he would have the impudence to be unmannerly." Though Orchid did not consider Fox's behaviour towards her to be in any way appropriate, somehow neither grudge nor wrath was in her heart. She could not help liking him a little and grew oblivious to the excited discussions around her.

Fox was by ten years Orchid's senior and had seen much of the world so he understood that the topic under discussion amounted to a matter of great consequence. He was at a loss, feeling both glad and afraid. But every word muttered on the other side of the curtain registered itself in his ears. Counting on his fingers the number of accomplished fighters Wish had introduced, Fox came only to sixteen. Wish stopped at that figure, causing Fox to ponder, "Eighteen altogether on the other side of the curtain. Discounting Wish, the number should stand at seventeen. Who is the last person?" Fox pricked up his ears with a curious sense of foreboding. Some attentive ears on the opposite side of the curtain also noted the discrepancy. A voice was heard asking, "Who is the remaining one?" No answer came from Wish.

After a pause, Commissioner Sai offered his answer, "Good! I shall tell you now. He is Fan, Ringleader of the Cathay Outlawry."

The remaining group was taken aback. One or two of the fighters had heard earlier that the Imperial Court had already captured Fan. The remainder knew also that Fan the Ringleader had always fought against authority; there was no possibility that he would join with the Imperial Guardsmen. Fan's sudden appearance on the mountain, therefore, brought puzzlement to the assembly.

To ease their anxiety Sai began explaining, "The story is as follows: you have all been invited to this mountain by Master Wish to join with him against Fox Volant of the Snowy mountain. But before going for the fox, we have to carry a buddha down the mountain first." Laughter followed.

"Is it the Gilt-faced Buddha?" asked someone.

"You are right." Sai replied. "We took pains to capture Fan the Ringleader intending to hook him as bait for Phoenix in Peking. Nets were spread and pits were dug in the Imperial Jail to await the visit of his honour. However, Phoenix was so nimble-witted that he eluded our hook." One of the Imperial Guardsmen present made a choking sound but remained silent.

Sai had, in fact, held back part of the story. Did Phoenix not travel to Peking? He fought his way to the Imperial Jail, on his own, to rescue Fan the Ringleader. Though he failed in his attempt, he dispatched eleven Imperial Guardsmen with blows from his long sword. Commissioner Sai also received a blow on his arm. Ingenious though his plan was, Sai failed to capture Phoenix whose feats were outstanding. This failure counted as the most shameful defeat in his life, and would, of course, forever be kept an absolute secret by the Commissioner.

Sai again picked up his story: "Master Wish and Master Fan, whose great heroic spirits are much talked about by Brothers of the outlawry, pledged to assist us. I am most humbly grateful and will report the case to the Emperor after the matter has been concluded and you will certainly be rewarded handsomely ..."

At this point, the sound of footsteps was heard coming faintly from afar. Sai, whose ears were extremely sensitive, at once sensed these footsteps, though they were faint and distant. Sai lowered his voice, "The Gilt-faced Buddha is on his way. Imperial servants should lie in ambush here while the rest of us go and receive him outside." Thereupon, Master Wish, Fan the Ringleader, Profundity the Taoist Phongie, Spirituality the Buddhist Devotee, Jiang the Senior Mentor in Pugilism and others all got to their feet and walked out of the room together, leaving only seven Imperial Guardsmen behind in the room.

In a moment the footsteps reached the outside of the eyrie. Hardly anybody had expected Phoenix to arrive in such a short time. It could be likened to a boat entering a storm in the vast ocean. No sooner are the signs visible far off than the sails are smashed by stormy rainwater. Or it could also be likened to a person's failing to muffle his ears with his hands before thunder strikes. No sooner is lightning seen than thunder is heard.

Commissioner Sai and his six henchmen were given the fright of their lives. They all instantly whipped out their blades. "Lie flat and be still!" ordered Sai. One guardsman raised the gauze curtain, intending to hide in the bed. Sai bawled at him, "Stupid fool, would you not be found out just as easily in the bed?" The man drew back his hand. The seven then hid themselves either under the bed, inside the closet or behind the bookcase.

Deeply amused, Fox thought to himself, "You call others stupid fools, when you yourself are the biggest fool." Orchid brushed his face gently with breath from her nostrils. Once more Fox faltered. He reached out his lips and stole a kiss on her cheek. Feeling both exhilarated and ashamed, Orchid tried to avoid his move but to no avail as she had been rendered immobilized. This one kiss instilled guilt in Fox who could not help thinking, "She is such a gentle and fair lady, how could I put her to shame?" Just as he was about to shift his body outward to move a little away from her, two guardsmen under the bed fidgeted a little. They cursed in low voices. The space under the bed was too confined to hold so many people. One guardsman chanced also to thrust his elbow into the nose of another, hurting him and causing him to swear.

Fox always had in store a sense of good humour for his enemies. On another day, his temperament would have dictated that he rip open the bedding and urinate copiously down beneath the bed, thereby pounding wisdom of a sort into each of the brains of the guardsmen. But the thought of Orchid lying close to him dispelled all thought of such a malicious prank. How could he dare?

A short time elapsed. Master Wish, Jiang the Senior Mentor, and others were returning with someone towards the eastern wing, all laughing and talking. The new arrival was Phoenix Miao. Someone led the way with a candle in his hand.

Earlier on, Wish had begun to wonder where all his family members and servants were. Not a soul was in sight. However, he had pushed such domestic thoughts to the back of his mind once Sai had announced his presence and was followed by Phoenix arriving on the mountain. Wish gave Phoenix a sidelong glance. Phoenix wore a solemn and grave expression. Something was occupying his mind.

After seating themselves inside the room, Wish began, "Brother Phoenix, your little brother here made an arrangement to settle an old debt with Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain. Little brother is most grateful that Brother Phoenix and the good friends here have imparted to him their heroic spirits by travelling all the way here to join together against Fox. Now it is getting dark and Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain has not yet arrived. The celebrated titles of all you here must have scared him off, forcing him to flee with his fox-tail between his legs." Rage at once filled the proud chest of Fox. He would have liked to leap out and deal a resounding slap to Wish's face.

Suddenly, Phoenix cleared his throat and addressed Fan the Ringleader, "Brother Fan finally escaped unscathed, then?" Thereupon the Ringleader got to his feet and performed a low bow, remarking, "Master Phoenix penetrated the perilous zone himself. Such benevolence and merit will be deeply ingrained forever in the mind of little brother. Brother Phoenix created havoc in Peking. Later, Brothers from my humble outlawry mustered forces for my rescue. Fortune ensured that a mass of supporters showed up. And wielding the awe of Master Phoenix, little brother finally managed to escape danger."

* * *

Nonsense was all that Fan the Ringleader ever uttered. Phoenix did journey to the Imperial Jail in person. Though he eluded capture, he failed to free Fan the Ringleader from prison. Neither had the Cathay Outlawry stormed the jail in the capital. Seeing his foremost evil design wrecked, Sai contrived another scheme. A lengthy discussion with Fan then took place inside the Imperial Jail. Sai threatened to dispatch him; but Fan was stubborn and unbending, shaken neither by threat nor by bribery. Sai was a shrewd old man to whom the years had given a reliable understanding of human weakness and an ability to divine others' thoughts. A few days' observation led Sai to shape his new actions accordingly. The crafty and shrewd Commissioner was convinced that Fan had a weakness for flattery and the more flamboyant forms of deference. Blandishment was the only tool that could bend the stiff neck of such an iron nature, as he would succumb to neither offers of wealth nor position. Having hatched his crafty scheme, Sai invited Fan to move into his residence and even saw him to his mansion in person. Then Sai ordered flattering minions talented in sycophancy to toady to Fan, gratifying him with such titles as "Ultimate Hero Fighter of the Outlawry" and "Might of the Ringleader Overawes the Banditry". From morn till night, unction like this pampered his ears. At first Fan the Ringleader found it rather offensive. However, within a few days, Fan's headstrong opposition had considerably weakened. This fulsome praise eventually caused him to laugh and talk. By then the time was ripe for Sai to join the knot of adulators to dispel whatever residual resistance remained in Fan. Commissioner Sai deployed his talents to the full and continued to lavish more flattering words on him. Eventually the question came up of who deserved the title Hero Fighter of the Age. Though Fan had every reason to think very highly of himself, he still decreed Phoenix to be the Invincible Under the Sky. But Commissioner Sai speedily cajoled, "Master Fan is being too modest. Little brother tends to think the Gilt-faced Buddha may not necessarily possess the prowess to overpower your good self, even though he bears the sobriquet the Invincible Under the Sky." This unctuousness thrilled Fan's heart. Fan began to convince himself that, after all, he may not necessarily be that far off from Phoenix, who, as he noted, was a fighter endowed with martial accomplishments.

Commissioner Sai and Fan the Ringleader carried on the discourse well into the early hours. And the next morning, Sai suddenly introduced his own feats. Soon his guardsmen also added their comments. They claimed that in a recent combat between the Commissioner and Phoenix, the first two hundred tricks saw neither side gaining any vantage. Nearing the end of the battle, just as Sai was on the verge of outmanoeuvring Phoenix, the latter took to his heels when the first opportunity offered itself. Had he stayed on, the Commissioner would certainly have beaten him after unravelling another few hundred moves. This immediately produced an expression of doubt on Fan the Ringleader's face.

Commissioner Sai, however, continued to fabricate, wreathed in smiles, "I have long admired the unique series of eighty-one styles in your Quintet Swordplay of the Tiger. Our venturing to tamper with the might of the tiger, though itself decreed by the Emperor, is largely due to our fellow guardsmen's wanting to see the Ringleader himself parading his martial arts. As we were eager to earn our merits, we therefore resorted to mustering the forces of all eighteen Champions of the Imperial Court. Only by contriving thus could we succeed in persuading you to accept our invitation. It is regrettable that little brother has never been given the opportunity to meet fairly with the Ringleader, man to man and sword to sword. Now that we have become better acquainted, why not test a few of your moves here and now?"

Soothed by such flattery, Fan the Ringleader replied peremptorily, "As the Commissioner has beaten Phoenix, I am afraid you may find my humble self too weak for you."

"Your excessive modesty does us both injustice," answered Commissioner Sai with a smile.

After exchanging a few more words, the two contestants fell to testing their feats in the arena of the Commissioner's residence.

The Ringleader brandished a knife. The weapon wielded by the Commissioner was rather unusual: a pair of spiked cudgels with short hafts. Mighty blows he struck with this weapon. And an adept in martial ability Sai truly proclaimed himself to be. The battle raged fast and furious, and went on for three hundred or so tricks without either side gaining much advantage. The combatants were so evenly matched that neither struck decisive blow at the other. A short while later, Sai began to look weary and to show signs of defeat. He was cornered by Fan hurling his blade. Try as he might, Sai could not manage to elude the circle swept by his opponent. Sai had landed himself in a tricky situation. He had to admit defeat, saying, "The Ringleader has proven himself a fierce fighter. I humbly acknowledge myself beaten." Fan broke into soft laughter and leapt away, whirling his weapon. With bitter wrath Sai flung his cudgels to the ground, sighing, "I have always been swollen with the pride that I am unbeatable. Heaven knows that there is a sky beyond the sky, a Master above another Master." Thereupon he wiped his sweat away with his sleeves, panting heavily.

After the contest, Fan relented further, allowing himself to be cajoled into believing that he had attained the rank of deity. Even the guardsmen had now become his fast friends. And increasingly, Fan bent to Sai's imperious will. Fan, a loutish fellow, never saw through Sai's trick. The Commissioner had contrived this contest deliberately to let Fan overpower him. Had they met in fair play, man to man and sword to sword, Fan would certainly have been beaten by the cudgels in less than a hundred tricks.