by Derek Dorris
Bai Feng walked up to the motionless bodies and looked downwards, his insides boiling with power. He had never killed anyone before. He had come close with the handsome Yi Jin and had felt wretched because of it. Now, he had gone all the way and he felt nothing. How could it be so easy? he asked himself. And why now? Is this the world of Wulin? No! He told himself self-righteously. It's the world of the Qui. They started this.
Bai Feng was all too happy to see the Jade Tiger Sect as an extension of Qui. Yu Guo Wei had hired the Jade Tigers to follow his group and Yu Guo Wei was working for the Qui. Bai Feng had no intention of sparing anyone.
Throwing his eyes over the battlefield, he saw what looked like a command tent. Without a single care for who was in the way, he sprinted towards it, throwing his hands out as he ran.
The guard outside the Qui command tent saw a number of soldiers fall in succession. However, before he realised they were being attacked, a tall young man with a shaggy ponytail and fierce glowing eyes was on top of him. Inside, a General stood over a map pointing something out to his two aids. He turned around to see the young intruder standing beside him.
“Where is that pig king of yours?” the intruder demanded with a voice that shook his very bones. Before he could shout for his guards, his face was pressed against the map and he felt a burning pain crawling up and down his spine. Somewhere to his right and left, he heard the sounds of his two aids falling in a bundle. “Where is your king?”
The general's instructions were to lay siege to the mountain and clean up the pockets of resistance which many of the senior Shaolin experts were orchestrating throughout the mountain. The main force, under Reverend Tai, was holed up inside the temple and the task of breaching the temple was being led by Rui’In’s kung fu experts. As far as the general knew, Rui’In was with them, supervising how everything played out under the directions of that smelly hunchback. After all, little skill was required in laying siege to a temple full of monks. The trick was in defeating their leadership and military tactics didn't work at that level. To Rui'In, the temple was more a symbol than a dangerous fortification. He could destroy it in a day but if didn't get the Reverend Tai while doing so, an important symbol of Liu nationalism would live on. That's why he gave Yu Guo Wei the freedom to call the shots. But nor did he fully trust the Divine Alchemist. He wanted to make sure it all happened like they agreed so he embedded himself within the martial experts as they stormed the temple.
When the Qui general told his interrogator everything he knew, the crawling pain stopped. Unfortunately for him, so did everything else. His body joined those of his aids as the raging youth left the tent and went straight for the temple. Behind the temple, to the east, day was breaking.
It was the twelfth day of the Qui siege.
The Siege of Mount Song
A large shaven headed man stood in the centre of the Shaolin’s main hall, waiting to greet some distinctly uninvited guests. With a small white beard, thick black eyebrows, and burning bright eyes, his age was difficult to determine but a good guess would have placed him over a hundred years of age. In fact, he was considerably older, very likely the oldest man alive, and certainly the most respected holy man in the country. He was the Head Abbot of Shaolin, Reverend Tai, known across Wulin as Infinite Sky.
Reverend Tai had been the Head Abbot for seventy years now, ever since Yu Guo Wei murdered his master, the old Reverend Tung, Gilded Divinity. Known far and wide as a man of principles, even more so than his predecessor, Infinite Sky always upheld the Buddhist teachings without any concessions. He was also possibly the strongest kung fu expert in the world but so rarely did he resort to violence as means for conflict resolution that few had borne witness to his legendary Boundless Palms Form.
So it went that those who were honoured to witness his style were those who dishonoured themselves so completely in front of the Abbot that he saw no other recourse than to fight them. This certainly was the case inside the temple’s main hall on the eighth day of the Qui siege. Earlier that morning, the Shaolin monks began to weaken due to a combination of hunger, thirst, and fatigue. By midday, Yu Guo Wei and his experts had duly broken through. As they entered the temple hall, the waiting Reverend Tai cupped his fist and bowed politely. “Welcome to our humble temple. You are well Brother Wei?”
“I'm old, like you Brother Tai,” Yu Guo Wei replied, scratching absent-mindedly. “But I've managed to get this far. It's nice to be back here, it's been... many years.” His baiting voice was cracked and dangerous, his expression goading.
Reverend Tai merely smiled back at him. The Abbot of Shaolin had long since decided against seeking vengeance for his master’s murder. Their paths would cross some day. It was inevitable and, when they did, Infinite Sky would meet him in any way he wanted. But he would not seek him out with the express purpose of doing violence.
Yu Guo Wei continued. “Your disciples are roaming around Mount Song attacking my troops like pesky mosquitoes. The most peaceful solution here would be for you to order them to surrender.”
Yu Guo Wei knew the Reverend would not trust him to spare his men so there was little chance of him acquiescing to this request. It was much more likely the Abbot would use this opportunity to avenge his former master. Yu Guo Wei had spent the previous few weeks recovering from his own poison not to mention the humiliation of what happened at the meeting of southern experts. He was back to his full strength now but he wasn't about to tackle this ancient old monk head on. Yu Guo Wei would do what he always did, allow his subordinates to attack Infinite Sky en masse while he walked among the lesser disciples picking them off one by one, barely a sweat broken.
Reverend Tai made light of the small talk and simply moved forward. Ready as always, Yu Guo Wei gave the signal to attack and twenty of his experts converged on the Abbot. The experts weren't stupid. They knew who it was they were attacking. But this is the path they had chosen. It was all or nothing.
A rough warrior with battle scars etched all over his face led the contingent. Swinging two dagger axes horizontally in front of his leathery face, he rushed toward the Abbot.
Infinite Sky moved like a humming bird. His feet barely touched the ground as his palms swept in defensive circles. None of the experts could lay a hand on him and soon enough they began shooting backwards one by one as the monk’s Boundless Palms exploded forward with inconceivable power. The axe wielding warrior was the first to experience it. His two weapons crossed in front of him, seemingly of their own volition, and he felt a wave of scorching hot air driving them into his own chest as he himself was blown clear across the room, broken. None of his comrades fared any better. Ribcages shattered, skulls were crushed, spines snapped.
Yu Guo Wei was taken aback by the ferocity of this peace-preaching monk’s technique so he got to work quickly, darting east and shooting west among the floundering Shaolin disciples.
Infinite Sky could see what his plans were but there was nothing he could do. There were still at least fifteen expert mercenaries between him and Yu Guo Wei with more piling in from outside. In the background, he could see Rui'In watching intently surrounded by twenty elite archers and eight bodyguards dressed in red. The Qui King was ready to give the order to slaughter.
So this is the end of me, the Reverend thought. That is insignificant; yet how do I save the sect?
He staked everything on one action. He grabbed a precocious mercenary who had leapt forward on his own volition and threw him towards the centre of Rui'In’s circle of guards. The pace with which he flew caught the Eight Knives by surprise but, once reassembled, they flew into action. As Infinite Sky darted for the Qui King, the order was given for the archers to fire and the room was consumed with the sound of arrow shot. Leaping through the air, Infinite Sky didn't even blink, his palms simply waved left and right, deflecting arrows en masse and even catching the last two. Before he even landed, he had sent those two arrows back to where they came from but with a force that didn't quite make sense. Only two ar
chers were hit but five or six of the surrounding archers tumbled backwards as if the arrows came with a wave of energy several meters in width.
As Infinite Sky landed in front of the Eight Knives, his plan clicked into gear. Yu Guo Wei panicked and, ignoring the remaining Shaolin disciples, he flew towards the king’s party.
The moment had come for the Shaolin disciples to save themselves. However, even though it was pre-ordered, they couldn't simply leave their master to die alone. They rallied and ran towards him.
Reverend Tai groaned inwardly as he saw his disciples giving up their lives in vain. But that wasn't his only shock; far from it. The Eight Knives had turned out to be incalculably more powerful than he anticipated. Almost nothing was known about their skills because nobody had ever seen them fight but the Abbot had gambled on them being a mere smokescreen. They were anything but and, as he matched hands with them, he realised they weren't in any way below the level of the Ten Greats. Collectively, they are far beyond any of us, he thought.
Even Yu Guo Wei had yet to see them fight and, as the old hunchback approached the frenzied fight in a bid to offer assistance, he was stopped in his tracks at the magnificence of their skill. He noticed Rui'In standing to one side, smiling with satisfaction. So he kept their true power hidden from me, he thought. I should've expected nothing else from that clever snake.
Yu Guo Wei was unlike his egomaniacal disciple, Wangchuk Drup, in that he cared little for his reputation. He was only interested in actual power and he was determined to acquire it through Rui'In. He wanted to rule Wulin and if he rendered great enough service to the Qui, then the king might grant him that position. But he was aware how smart Rui'In was, and couldn't rely simply on being in his good favour. His backup plan was simple. After Rui'In wins power, kill him. After all, who in his inner circle could match the abilities of the Divine Alchemist, he thought. Now, watching the great Infinite Sky struggle against these elite bodyguards, Yu Guo Wei realised he was one step behind the ingenious general. He turned around and allowed the fight to end itself while he dispatched the remaining Shaolin disciples.
Unsurprisingly, Infinite Sky was a man of great mental discipline, so despite using a significant degree of internal power in his external kung fu, he could remain clear headed and egoless longer than most. It was fair to say that his Boundless Palms Form was the most exquisite hard kung fu in the martial world, only potentially rivalled by Wong Shi Hong's 100 Fists of Majestic Oak. Although the Eight Knives’ external martial arts were deeply varied and profound, they weren't a match for the Reverend’s. However, their combined inner strength was more than a match. Therefore, it wasn't long before they made this contest a largely internal one.
Reverend Tai responded with an increase in internal power only his kung fu would begin to suffer as thoughts of domination gained a foothold in his previously clear mind. Eventually, he'd have no choice but to fall back completely on his inner power. Rather than waiting, he committed everything he had there and then.
Striking the nearest two Eight Knives with a palm each, he dropped his right shoulder to avoid a third attack and then stood tall, sweeping his left arm upwards catching the third and fourth opponents on the outside of their attacking arms and smashing his right palm into the side of the nearest opponent. This last strike was strong enough to travel all the way through to the man next to him so that both men faltered. Infinite Sky’s internal strength was gargantuan so he successfully redressed the balance for a brief period of time. However, the combined power of the Eight Knives eventually began to take its toll.
At a hundred and fifty years of age, endurance quickly becomes a factor no matter how deep one's internal structure is and there were no two ways about it, Reverend Tai was starting to tire. His palms slowed and the Eight Knives increased the ferociousness of their attacks.
With their long red robes and similar heights, it was impossible to pick one out over the other. Even their fighting styles were identical. One by one, they accelerated their movements and soon enough, the Shaolin Abbot was immersed in a disorienting cloud of red. Then, as if by telepathic command, eight daggers sang in unison as they were drawn from their scabbards. Infinite Sky was cut, once, twice, three, four times. By now, his disciples were gone and he was the last Shaolin monk alive in the temple. He staggered backwards against the wall so his back was no longer open to attack but now it was easier for the Eight Knives to squeeze him. At the point of final defeat, Reverend Tai closed his eyes to proffer a blessing on the memory of those who had given their lives in defence of the Temple.
“Stop.” The word was spoken with a note of unblinking authority. The Reverend opened his eyes to see Rui'In had moved to the forefront of his men.
“Spare him for now,” the Qui king ordered casually, almost amusedly. “Bind him in chains and secure him in the antechamber.” The Eight Knives obeyed without hesitation. Walking in the direction of his hunchback general, Rui'In was quick to praise Yu Guo Wei for his service, “Thank you Brother Wei. Your plan worked flawlessly, yet again. However, I see a use for this old monk so I'm going to keep him alive a while longer.”
Suddenly, Yu Guo Wei was feeling increasingly marginalised. His intention had been to use Rui'In and his troops to break the Shaolin resistance so he could eliminate Infinite Sky. It was nothing more than a happy coincidence that his personal objective was in alignment with that of the Qui’s and he was taking full advantage. But now, the slippery general-king was changing the plan. Having just witnessed the Eight Knives in action, a feeling of insecurity crept into Yu Guo Wei for the first time in a long while.
Reverend Tai was brought to the room behind the main hall and was left guarded by the dozen or so mercenaries who survived the skirmish. The great master was injured but not life threateningly. He contemplated what great shame the Qui king was planning for him. Whatever it was, no doubt it would be used to demoralise the Liu people. Naturally, he wouldn't let that happen. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing with the intention of stopping his own heart but, as he began, he felt overcome by a wave of nausea. His head lightened and he weakened all over, the control over his body gone. He looked up and saw a large incense stick burning in the corner of the room. Another vile concoction of that filthy alchemist’s, he surmised. Who would've thought his rotten tinkering could strip someone like me of my internal energy. Hanging his head he sighed deeply, I've been too arrogant. Believing my abilities would prevent disaster from befalling our great temple. Look at us now.
* * *
For three days and nights, he sat in that room. Every six hours, one of the experts guarding him would come and replace the burnt incense stick with a fresh one, handling it like they would a viper. Unable to meditate, the Reverend couldn't even heal his injuries. He refused to eat or drink so had to suffer the ignominy of having water poured down his throat by Yu Guo Wei's lackeys. Yet, his air of dignity remained. No matter how much his guards had taken to mocking him, he was the Head Abbot of Shaolin.
He and his guards were the only people staying in the temple. Rui'In had left for the western cities immediately after the fall of the temple, leaving Yu Guo Wei and his men to clean up the small pockets of resistance throughout Mount Song. Yu Guo Wei was staying near the command tent and would spend most of his time meditating inside his own tent.
So it was that late in the eleventh night of the siege, nobody heard the small commotion outside Reverend Tai’s room with the exception of the Abbot himself. Peering through the incense smoke, his vision focused around four brightly dressed martial brothers standing in front of him. A tall burly looking man dressed in a sky blue robe was bowing deeply towards the Abbot. “Please forgive our lateness your eminence but the Earthly Dragon is here to render assistance.”
Reverend Tai smiled kindly. “Earthly Dragon is truly a worthy ally. I'm not sure I'm worth saving, however. I have proven quite useless of late.”
A small thickset monk dressed in gold approached the Abbot and bowed. “Your emi
nence, you have been outnumbered by the Qui dogs. All the masters under the heavens would struggle to escape their clutches.” It was of course the Fourth Guardian, the Artless Monk.
“Good boy,” replied the Reverend. “Douse that incense stick. It'll strip you of your inner strength as it did mine.”
The Eighth Guardian, the white robed Guileless Monk flicked his palm at the incense to smother it while his guardian brothers undid the Abbot’s chains. As they were propping him up, the Seventh Guardian, the Deedless Monk entered the room in a hurry. “Your Eminence, brothers, we need to leave immediately.”
“What is it?” asked the Nameless Monk.
“Yu Guo Wei is coming this way,” the green robed monk replied calmly yet with an air of seriousness. “He's accompanied by the Heavenly Tailor and the Heavenly Seamstress.”
There was a collective gasp at the thought of three grandmasters, one as cruel as the other, coming their way.
The black robed monk, the Third Prideless Monk, looked straight at his first brother. “We need to run. We'll be nothing but fodder against the three of them.” The Deedless Monk nodded and, with a quick glance, he addressed each of his brothers before turning to the Abbot.
Before he could say anything, Reverend Tai nodded also in understanding, “The Third Guardian is correct. We should leave immediately.”
After helping the Reverend to his feet, the six entered the hall and moved straight to the rear of the temple; the Nameless and Guileless monks leading the way, the Reverend in the middle, the Deedless, Prideless, and Artless Monks protecting the rear. Sliding the back door quietly open, they exited the temple only to find their escape route blocked by a significantly sized Qui force.