by Derek Dorris
As he watched the Jade Tigers wait for the remaining guardians to return from Mount Song and then promptly secure their surrender, Wangchuk Drup couldn't help but admire their efficiency. Even so, he scoffed at their one error for it was a big one. As the Jade Tigers brought the six unconscious and four conscious prisoners back across the Third Gorge, his eyes scanned the region and, soon enough, he found what he was looking for. Across from him, on a distant peak, something was moving among the trees. It was a long way off but the Yarlese’s eyesight was outstanding. He saw enough to know it was dressed in gold. It was the sole guardian missing from the Jade Tiger’s catch—his old friend, the Artless Monk.
“Contemplating a rescue, are we?” he said aloud with nobody around to hear him. “The Jade Tigers are certainly unaware of you. It seems I was right to come after all. But even I couldn't have anticipated this much luck.”
For ten years, Wangchuk Drup trained night and day to raise his kung fu to its current godly level. And all that time, one person's face was behind every sandbag he struck and every tree he chopped down—the person who utterly humiliated him on Earthly Mountain.
The Yarlese scanned the ridge the Artless Monk would follow to intercept his brothers and from his own previous reconnaissance, he quickly deduced the best place to intercept the interceptor. He waited for the Jade Tigers to disappear into the mountain and kicked his way down the slope before heading straight for that place.
Across from him, the Artless Monk headed straight into the Yarlese’s trap. His mind was still in turmoil after seeing his brothers being threatened from above and then watching helplessly as they were tied up at the bottom of Earthly Peak. He knew there was only one place he could attack this ransom gang, a narrow ravine where they could cross only one man at a time. He raced towards the ravine with the intention of setting up an ambush but, as he drew nearer, he felt like he was being followed. Whirling quickly, he saw the same interloper who he had punished ten years earlier—the giant Yarlese Wangchuk Drup.
“You,” the Artless Monk exclaimed. “You don't learn from your lessons, do you? I told you to never come back here and here you are helping those despicable Jade Tigers disgrace my grandmasters and brothers.” The monk stalked forwards with the intention of subduing the Yarlese and using him as either bait against the Jade Tigers or as his own hostage. But he had grossly miscalculated. Given the distance between their skills ten years earlier, The Artless Monk assumed it would be relatively easy to disable Wangchuk Drup but, as he came within fighting distance, the Yarlese exploded forward with incredible power.
Sitting on his horse watching the gold bundle unravel in front of the Jade Tigers and the Earthly Three, Wangchuk Drup felt two gripes were being satisfied at once. With one flick of his hand, he was going to show the arrogant Jade Tigers how they needed his help after all and the Earthly Dragon how superior to them he had become. As the cloth unravelled, a round object rolled towards the grandmasters’ knees. Though still extremely drowsy, the object still managed to jolt a sharp reaction from them. It was the head of the Fourth Guardian of Earthly Mountain, the Artless Monk.
“Ha-ha-ha,” the Yarlese boomed. “Look at him. Such a powerful master but he looks a lot less imposing with no body, don't you think?”
Tears flowed from the grandmasters’ eyes.
Turning to Tu Xiaobo, Wangchuk Drup snarled, “That is what I was doing on Earthly Mountain—stopping you amateurs from being ambushed.”
Tu Xiaobo blanched at the thought of his men missing one of the Eight Guardians. He hadn't received a full report from the runner. It had simply stated they had achieved their objective and were being followed by a Qui spy. That was the reason he quickly assembled a dozen men and rode southwest to the meeting point—to voice his complaint at the Qui’s disregard for his sect’s efficiency. But now this bastard was able to present, in the most dramatic manner, a glaring example to the contrary. Thankfully, his blushes were about to be spared by what was happening only twenty-five meters away.
Bai Feng had listened intently to the conversation between Tu Xiaobo and Wangchuk Drup. He kept his head down once he recognised the gigantic Yarlese for he knew—with his sharp eyesight—he'd be spotted in no time. However, when he heard Wangchuk Drup say the words “Look at your beloved disciple!” he couldn't stop himself from stealing a glance.
Bai Feng had been a vessel of torrential energy the last few days and the sight of his beloved Fourth Uncle’s head rolling in the dirt in front of his grandmasters, broke whatever control he had left. He couldn't even scream; he just exploded off the rock he was hiding behind and flew straight for the centre of the clearing.
Wangchuk Drup had been guarding against an unlikely attack from Tu Xiaobo or that spiky bearded Xu Déshì so his lateral vision was unattended. That combined with the speed of the inwardly raging but outwardly silent Bai Feng meant the first he knew of the attack was when he felt the air pressure change beside him. Nonetheless, he reacted with ingenious skill using the projected force of his attacker’s movement to slide down the far side of his mount and then shield himself with the animal.
From the other side of the horse, Bai Feng altered his movement by grabbing the horse's saddle at the last second, scooping his entire body, legs first, underneath the horse. His body flew like a dart straight into Wangchuk Drup's shins causing him immense pain. As the Yarlese flew backwards, Bai Feng curled his legs over his upward facing body, inverting himself into a downward facing position. Keeping his chest off the ground with his hands, he kicked off the horse's ribs to propel himself forward, straight into the downed Wangchuk Drup. Landing on the Yarlese, Bai Feng reined his fists down on top of him with all the raging power in his body.
Wangchuk Drup was stunned at how strong this mere kid had become since he last saw him. He was being genuinely dazed by his power. Nonetheless, it didn't take long for him to notice that all the precision and fluidity he had demonstrated only weeks earlier was gone. The kid was a ball of unrefined power yet his skill was almost non-existent. Wangchuk Drup threatened to strike with both hands and when Bai Feng grabbed his wrists to stop him, the Yarlese master threw his arms out laterally. Bai Feng’s arms went with him and he fell flat on Wangchuk Drup who, in turn, pulled on Bai Feng's right arm and pushed on his left. Bai Feng flipped onto his back. It was an elegant move followed by an inelegant kind of straddling which was the only way Wangchuk Drup could subdue Bai Feng's wild energy. Eventually, he attained control of Bai Feng's wrists and began to strike down with his forehead.
While Bai Feng lay stunned, the Yarlese stood up calmly and fixed his gown. A little embarrassed at how he was forced to handle this punk, he was now ready to demonstrate his true skill. At this point, however, he was interrupted by the screams of a young woman and he noticed an expression of shock on Tu Xiaobo's face.
“Father! Please save him!”
“Ling’er!” Tu Xiaobo shouted. “What are you doing here? I've been worried sick over you.”
Tu Ling had been watching with shock as Bai Feng attacked Wangchuk Drup. Initially, she assumed Bai Feng would kill him outright yet, to her greater surprise, the big man was incredibly skilled and subdued Bai Feng in only moments. As the Yarlese stood up and dusted himself off, she could see the intent to murder in his eyes. She could think of nothing else but to plead for her father's help. Running out from her hiding place, she embraced her father warmly. “Father, Bai Feng is my friend. I've committed the rest of my life to him. You cannot let that brutish man kill him.”
Tu Xiaobo was stunned. He looked at the raging Bai Feng, bloodied and bruised on the ground. Though he was clearly very powerful, he looked like a crazed savage. He glanced at Wangchuk Drup with a confounded expression.
The Yarlese was enjoying this turn of events. It gave him another opportunity to stab at the Jade Tigers. “This is very cosy indeed Chief Tu.”
“What… what do you mean by that?”
“Well, my dear chief. This young man is an Earthly Dragon m
aster. I'm somewhat at a loss to see a senior Jade Tiger on such close terms with the very people we paid you to take hostage.”
Tu Xiaobo's face turned white as he looked at his daughter for confirmation. “Ling’er, tell me now. Is this true?” Tu Ling didn't need to respond. He saw it written all over her face. He let her go and stepped back as if she was contagious.
“Father, I didn't know he was from Earthly Mountain when I met him. But so what if he is. I've chosen him.”
By now, Bai Feng had risen to his feet again and, ignoring Tu Ling completely, he readied himself in front of Wangchuk Drup. Calm, he commanded himself. Clear your mind. One thought. He moved forward with movements from the Fifth Guardian’s Swallow-Kick Form.
Wangchuk Drup assumed a wide stance in anticipation of a wide kicking attack from Bai Feng but this only allowed the younger man to suddenly change direction and get close to him. Once on his opponent’s inside, Bai Feng unleashed the close range elbow and palm strikes from the Seven Winds Form and caught the Yarlese completely off guard. Bai Feng's internal energy was immense and all over the place but he had temporarily purged his mind of hatred and ego and so he was not currently utilising it. He was fighting the Yarlese with external kung fu alone. No matter what Wangchuk Drup did, he moved in perfect synchrony with the big Yarlese, elbow striking and chopping as he went.
Of course, it wasn't long before Wangchuk Drup noticed Bai Feng wasn't using internal strength. Up until now, Wangchuk Drup had dismissed this kid as someone whose skill couldn't compare with his own. But to his amazement he found his external kung fu was exquisite and varied. Despite the considerable depth to the youngster’s internal strength, the better option was to make this an internal contest. Within moments, the big man had seized the initiative and struck Bai Feng in the stomach with all his internal power and followed that strike with a quick slap to the face. “As pathetic as that Artless bastard,” he spat with all the venom he could muster.
As the Yarlese predicted, Bai Feng snapped and lost all concentration. He fell back on his internal power. Although he stood a good chance against his opponent with his external kung fu, he had none now. Bai Feng repeatedly tried to injure Wangchuk Drup with blunt strikes.
The latter merely blocked and struck, blocked and struck. It had become a battle of internal strength and Bai Feng was losing.
Bai Feng's mind was awash with thoughts of domination. I'm fighting for the Earthly Dragon! he screamed inwardly; and with every recurrence of that thought, his mind grinded towards a complete halt. He felt like he saw every punch and kick a second too late until eventually he couldn’t think at all. Like the eleven year old Bai Feng fighting the village bully, he just stood there and took the punishment.
Wangchuk Drup was relishing the beating. He could’ve finished Bai Feng at any point but chose instead to simply hurt him. Tu Xiaobo was holding his daughter preventing her from getting involved. The sadist in the Yarlese was enjoying her screams of terror. To elevate his joy still further, he grabbed Bai Feng and flung him in front of his grandmasters. Overcome with grief over the death of the Artless Monk, they were now beside themselves as they saw Bai Feng's body, bleeding and bloated with bruises. “Don't think I'm bringing this trash back to Rui'In. Nothing was said about capturing him alive,” Wangchuk Drup laughed uproariously.
“That's enough!”
Four men had emerged from the same place Bai Feng and Tu Ling had come from. They were of course the four remaining guardian monks. Their training had stood them in better stead than Bai Feng's. When they saw their brother’s head tossed with disdain, they each buckled inside. However, their disciplined minds precluded any thoughts of vengeance from occurring. Bai Feng's mind was in turmoil so vengeance was the first thing he thought of.
Once the Qui arrived, the Nameless Monk, like Bai Feng, had concluded their best course of action was to follow the Qui and attempt to rescue their grandmasters en route to Gongsum. When they saw the Artless Monk had been killed, the value of that plan had not diminished one bit. But now watching Bai Feng beaten to within an inch of his life, they had no choice but to stake everything on an all-or-nothing battle with this monster and his cronies.
As soon as they stepped forwards, Sing Yi and the four other mercenaries moved to intercept them. Wangchuk Drup ignored the lot and casually turned back towards Bai Feng. He kneeled down closer to the young man's face and smiled gleefully at his battered appearance.
Tu Ling had been pleading continuously with her father. When she saw Wangchuk Drup throwing Bai Feng at his grandmasters’ feet, she despaired. Suddenly, she stood still and no longer resisted her father's hold. Continuing to stare at Bai Feng she leaned back against her father's chest and spoke slowly, clearly, and emotionlessly, “Father, if you do not help that boy, I will never talk to you again. You will never even see me again.”
Tu Xiaobo knew his daughter all too well. She was as determined a person as he ever knew. Although, he would've loved to have a son and heir to his sect, the truth was he doted on her. At this point, he knew she had betrayed him. The Jade Tiger sentries had clearly been dispatched by these Four Guardians. Only they had been led to this clearing by someone familiar with Jade Tigers tactics. They even sprang from the same hiding place she came from earlier. She was waiting in ambush with them. Rather than angering him, this realisation only worried him further. It lent even more credibility to her threat. She's clearly willing to turn her back on me forever.
And now, while standing there with his beloved child in his arms, he knew that turning her against him was something he would risk everything to avoid. He let go of Tu Ling and nodded to Xu Déshì who, in turn, signalled surreptitiously to the rest of the Jade Tigers.
The Four Guardians were making short work of Wangchuk Drup's hired experts. But soon, the Qui soldiers began to close in on them. This evened things up and their attempts to make their way to Bai Feng and their grandmasters were repeatedly thwarted. Priest Hou was swinging his monk’s spade at the Nameless Monk with devastating accuracy while Lin Fung and Lin Niu were circling the Deedless Monk attacking him in quick bursts with clever efficiency. Han Liang was handling the Guileless Monk with the help of five Qui soldiers with long spears. When the monk tried to grab their spears, Han Liang attacked him with his deer antler knives forcing him to retreat toward the Qui spears behind him. Sing Yi was having a harder time against the Formless Monk and his projectiles until he began using the Qui soldiers as a shield, holding them in front of him and throwing them at the monk. The tide was turning on the Earthly Dragon. Then suddenly, the Qui soldiers were attacked from their flank.
Realising it was the Jade Tigers, Wangchuk Drup wheeled on Tu Xiaobo. “What do you think you're doing? You want war with the Qui?”
Tu Xiaobo shouted loudly and clearly across the battlefield, “Hold until I say.”
His men held their positions immediately but so commanding was his voice, everyone else stayed their hands too.
He turned to the Yarlese. “I have delivered your prisoners bar five. Of those, you've killed one yourself and your men are currently subduing the other four. Take them and return to where you came from. The Jade Tiger Sect will not interfere with that. And of course, all fees are waived for this mission.” Then lifting his head and staring Wangchuk Drup straight in the eyes, he pointed at Bai Feng. “But the boy stays here. If you've a problem with that, then we'll all die here, together.”
There was a finality to these last two sentences that gave Wangchuk Drup enough cause to stay his hands and think. The Qui soldiers and his hired experts couldn't hold the Four Guardians at bay if the Jade Tigers got involved. Eventually, they would be wiped out by their combined strength and then it would be just him. Although, he was convinced he could escape with his life, it would be empty handed. This was a battle he could not win.
“You know what you're doing?”
“I am aware of the potential consequences”.
Pointing to the Four Guardians, Wangchuk Drup asked,
“You won't interfere if I subdue these four?”
“I won't.” Tu Xiaobo stepped back. With that, the entire Jade Tiger force also stepped back. The four monks were left surrounded.
Bai Feng was barely conscious but he heard this last exchange and groaned.
Tu Ling saw her opportunity. “But I will. If you want them, you have to kill me too.”
“Ling’er!” scolded Tu Xiaobo but the look on her face told him it was useless.
Wangchuk Drup saw it too. Not to mention her father's acceptance of it. He knew if he tried to subdue these remaining monks, he'd end up having to injure the Jade Tiger chief’s daughter and, with that, he'd be back to facing six masters and the Jade Tiger force. Raging on the inside, he signalled his men to retreat. At his say so, they picked up the Earthly Dragon grandmasters and the three sedated Guardians and began to leave. The four remaining guardians looked at Tu Ling.
Tu Xiaobo moved quickly. He had acquiesced to every one of Tu Ling's demands so far but couldn't risk what was certain to be her next one so he pressed her gently on the back and immobilised her.
The monks looked at each other. Getting Bai Feng to safety was the best they could hope for right now. They would have to attempt another rescue of their grandmasters at a later time.
* * *
As the Four Guardians carried Bai Feng out of the desert in the company of the Jade Tigers, the latter were extremely cagey of getting too close. After all, these were the very people whom they had previously captured. Worse still, they had just delivered their grandmasters and brothers into the hands of people who will surely kill them. However, the monks had a startling command over their egos so the idea of revenge didn’t even occur to them. If the Jade Tigers attempted to harm them again or if they stopped them from mounting another rescue attempt of their grandmasters, then they would simply kill them. But they wouldn’t attack them for reasons of petty vengeance. They simply didn’t feel insulted like normal people do.