by Derek Dorris
The grandmasters burst from their claustrophobic nightmare while the Qui watched in stunned silence as this ancient old man continued bounding for the city with their broken king in his right hand, the chicken leg in his left. “Come on Feng’er,” he shouted. “Let's start painting the corpse.”
Once in a Lifetime Personality
Liao Quan had pursued Wen Weisheng and Wen Zhu all the way to the western border as they attempted to evade his wrath. He caught up with them on several occasions dishing out a series of humiliating thrashings the most bizarre of which ended with him dying their hair blue. But they continued to dangle the knowledge of Bai Feng’s whereabouts in front of his nose and after sending him on more than a few wild goose chases, they decided the only place they could hide from the old maniac would be the Qui frontlines.
Liao Quan picked up their trace again and headed straight for them, bypassing the besieged Gongsum completely. With little concern for the politics of the world, he ignored the city's plight and went rummaging through the camp. Outside, an intense battle raged but Liao Quan paid it no more attention than he would a boring religious sermon. As he made his way into the command tent, he found a spread of food laid out and without thinking he sat down and began to eat. It was then he heard the voice of Bai Feng calling to Xun Da.
Liao Quan had practiced his unique style of Lightning Arms Kung Fu for decades under the impression he was not relying on internal power. The reason for this misunderstanding was twofold. Firstly, within his twenty-five stances, there was no emphasis on brute force whatsoever so it was easy to assume no internal power was required either. Secondly and more importantly, the old lunatic's kung fu always remained fluid no matter how much pressure he was under and it was a known fact that internal strength choked martial skill. What Liao Quan failed to appreciate, however, was his own unique genius—a genius born of a mind so open and uncorrupted by social convention that even the use of internal strength couldn't narrow his focus and choke his art. That same focus naturally bolstered his internal energy and ultimately fuelled the speed of his martial movements but because he was unaware of this dependency, the Old Fool never once attempted to deepen his reserve. The rest of the Ten Greats had spent decades meditating to build their internal reserves, deepening them far beyond his. That was until Liao Quan met Bai Feng and learned the secret meditations of the Five Yin Elementals and Five Yang Modulations.
From then on, his naturally egoless mind began deepening his reserve to miraculous levels. His physical strength, his speed, and his stamina increased exponentially to unrivalled levels. Now, for the first time in history, one of the most exquisite styles of kung fu was being combined harmoniously with the deepest internal strength. He was beyond question, the most powerful master in the world. The ultimate embodiment of everything both the Shaolin Buddhists and Taoists had striven for centuries to achieve—effortless perfection.
As he glided away from the Qui forces like a living deity, he had turned Rui'In's plans against him, almost as an afterthought. In one fell swoop, the Old Fool had broken the Qui’s fighting spirit like a stick over his knee. The eight Greats that remained stood by and simply watched in hushed awe as he bounded towards the city and disappeared over its walls.
Wong Shi Hong sighed in admiration before remembering where he was. While the Qui soldiers fell back in disorder, the Majestic Wanderer leapt onto the stage and unbound Reverend Tai and the Earthly Dragon monks. Far beyond feelings of shame or inadequacy, the seven monks merely smiled in thanks. By now the Eight Knives were coming to their senses after the strange incapacitation they suffered at the Old Fool’s hands. Looking around they saw the Majestic Wanderer and Infinite Sky staring at them. Bai Feng manoeuvred behind them and Xun Da moved to their left flank. Not far away, Folding Wind and the Blue Lady stood ready and though Wen Weisheng and Wen Zhu had fled, Jade Zither was falling into formation with the rest of her Liu brethren. In moments, the Four Guardians were there too, assuming positions on the Eight Knives’ right flank. They were surrounded by more elite fighters than they could ever hope to cope with. Saying nothing, they looked at each other with the kind of knowing glance that was typical to their interactions. They lowered their arms in acquiescence and turned to leave. Tao Huiqing looked at Wong Shi Hong for approval and then stepped aside.
It wasn’t until they mounted their horses and headed northwest that everyone relaxed their guard. For the time being, the Eight Knives would remain the great mystery of the martial world.
Walking over to Bai Feng, Reverend Tai placed a warm hand on his chest only to find the young man's internal energy in perfect balance. Ushering him towards the Earthly Three, he complimented him warmly. “Feng'er, what you have achieved is no small thing. It does us good to have seen it.”
To the young man’s surprise, Infinite Sky, the Majestic Wanderer, and the Earthly Three bowed deeply in front of him. “Seniors, this is wrong. I'm nowhere near your level.”
Kwan Dang spoke warmly, “But what you have achieved has removed the limits on what you can be in the future.”
“What about Brother Quan?” Bai Feng asked. “What he just did?”
The Reverend Tai sighed. “Brother Quan is a once in a lifetime type personality. But what you've achieved Feng'er, can be taught to others.”
“You'll need to name it,” Wen Dang said with an ironic smile. “Your style.”
Scratching his head, Bai Feng thought for a while and then, with an enthusiastic grin that reminded them of the kid they met eleven years ago, he told them.
Soaring Dragon
The Earthly Dragon monks returned to their mountain without much delay. Content as they were to see Bai Feng achieve their ultimate goal in life, they felt the loss of the Artless Monk. They also had to decide on the future of their sect. Bai Feng offered to impart his family’s completed kung fu to the Seven Guardians who in turn could teach future disciples. However, to a large degree, they felt the work of Earthly Dragon was done. Would they continue to train talented experts in the way of selfless combat or would they pass the baton to Bai Feng who had completed the puzzle for them?
At Gongsum, Bai Feng stayed on with Xun Da, Li Jing, and Wu Chen to help organise the city's future defences. Tao Huiqing had returned to Fangshen with Fu Xiaoli where they would settle into their twilight years—together. Wong Shi Hong was at last free from the burdens of command and returned to his life of wandering. With the demise of the Divine Alchemist and the unpredictability of the Old Fool, it was generally accepted that Infinite Sky would become the de facto figurehead of the Ten Greats from now on. However, his increasing age would see him rely on the Majestic Wanderer to keep the more vicious elements in line. The Heavenly Tailor and Seamstress were sent on their way with this warning in mind. Jade Zither disappeared like the wind but she too was aware the Ten Greats were now, for the first time, subject to an unwritten law which the more conscientious members would enforce.
Throughout the city’s reconstruction, Liao Quan was never far from Bai Feng's side although he had little interest in rebuilding boring infrastructure. He had taken to wearing Rui'In as a cloak and had become the centre of attention across the city's various drinking establishments where a strange tradition of “passing the cloak” emerged for a time. It was nearly two weeks before Bai Feng could persuade him to burn it once and for all.
Tu Ling had vowed to never involve herself in the world of violence again and after spending some time at the Lowly Sea monastery under the tutelage of a slowly recovering Mah Lok, she joined Bai Feng at Gongsum. She had turned her back on her father's sect but had left on good terms to the satisfaction of Bai Feng. From his practical perspective, the Jade Tigers could be useful in any future battles against the Qui so long as they changed their ways. With Tu Ling as a buffer, he felt he could influence such change. Making herself useful at Gongsum, she put her keen mind to work. Xun Da and particularly Li Jing found her advice on city and defence planning invaluable.
Bai Feng had grown fr
om a naive unworldly kid to a leader of Wulin in the space of a few months. His name was now renowned throughout the Jianghu and he was considered one of the Nine Greats to roam the Earth. Xun Da's art was improving under the combined guidance of Wong Shi Hong and Tao Huiqing and it was clear to everyone he would soon make the number of Greats ten again. Using Fu Xiaoli's pointers, Wu Chen also developed into a true expert and while, not at the level of Xun Da, he would go onto form his own school of modest renown.
Li Jing had found his talents lay elsewhere and after Wong Shi Hong left to wander the world again, he went on to lead the Plum Tree Brotherhood. He and Tu Ling found in each other a kindred spirit which pleased Bai Feng no end. They were both peculiarly intelligent and along with Xun Da, they became the Brotherhood’s brain trust. It wasn't until Tu Xiaobo came to visit his daughter and recognised Li Jing's silver sabre as his own that Bai Feng and Li Jing learned they were destined to become family after all.
Bai Feng and Tu Ling stayed on at Gongsum for another six months but—when Tu Ling wanted to spend some time on her own with Bai Feng—they made their way back to the southern mountains where they made their home on Mount Shen. There, Bai Feng's school of “Soaring Dragon Kung Fu” would take root and quietly affect the way of kung fu for decades to come.
As time went on, Bai Feng found himself missing his good friend Liao Quan. Tu Ling loved the old maniac too but hadn't figured on spending the rest of their lives with him. He had more energy than they did combined and seemed to be actually getting younger. She was surprised at how easily Liao Quan had allowed them leave Gongsum but was enjoying her time with Bai Feng so didn't dwell on it.
One afternoon, she called Bai Feng in from his practice to tell him something. “I think our school is going to receive another new member pretty soon,” she said with a coy smile on her lips and her hands on her belly. “A pretty important one.”
The couple ran to embrace each other when a ringing voice came from outside the window. “I knew you’d come round, Fourth Sister. Well done.”