by Jin Yong
Chapter 8 - The Journey Home after Ten Years (Translated by Meh)
Xie Xun grabbed the Dragon Saber, unsheathed it, and ‘Swoosh!’ cut the tree in half.
Then came a loud crash, as the tree fell down. Xie Xun put back his saber, said, “Can you see the power of my ‘Fists of Seven Damages’ now?”
Xie Xun continued, "I still remember that night as if it were yesterday. I sat in my hotel room, circulating the inner chi in my body, and thought about the ‘Fists of Seven Damages’ in my head a few more times. Fifth brother, you’ve never seen my ‘Fists of Seven Damages’. Do you wish to take a look?” Before Zhang CuiShan could answer, Yin SuSu cut in, "I’m sure it’s without doubt an exquisite fist technique, unparalleled in power. Big brother, how come you didn’t go kill Eldest Hero Sung that night?”
Xie Xun chuckled, said, "You’re afraid that when I demonstrate, I might hurt your husband, right? Don’t worry, if I can’t release and retract my power at will, then what kind of ‘Fists of Seven Damages’ would it be?” As he spoke, Xie Xun stood up, and walked over to a large tree. Accompanied by a roar as loud as the thunder, he punched the tree on the trunk.
Considering Xie Xun’s ability, he could at least make a hole in the trunk, if not break the tree outright. Who’d have thought that when Xie Xun retracted his palm, the tree remained perfectly fine. Not even a piece of tree bark fell off. Yin SuSu felt badly for Xie Xun, thought, "Looks like after living on the island for nine years, big brother’s kung fu has deteriorated greatly. Well, it’s hardly surprising. I’ve never seen him practice kung fu.” But afraid that he’ll be sad, she still applauded him.
Xie Xun said, "Fifth sister. Your applause didn’t seem very sincere. You’re thinking that my ability is not what it used to be, right?” Yin SuSu said, "On this island, there’s only the four of us. What’s the need for kung fu?” Xie Xun asked, "Fifth brother, can you see the profoundness in my punch?” Zhang CuiShan said, "You performed this punch using great power. Yet not a single leaf vibrated upon impact. I’m not certain why this is so. Even had WuJi punched the tree, the leaves would have moved.”
WuJi yelled, "Yes, I can do that!” He swiftly ran over to the tree and punched on the trunk. The leaves really did move around, causing their shadows to shiver under the moonlight.
Upon seeing the power of their son’s punch, Zhang CuiShan and Yin SuSu were both delighted. Both gazed upon Xie Xun, seeking his explanation.
Xie Xun said, "Three days later, the leaves will turn yellow and wither. Half a month later, the tree
itself will shrivel up and die. My punch had broken the veins of the tree.”
Zhang CuiShan and Yin SuSu both were hesitant to believe him, but they knew Xie Xun to be a man of his words. So he must be right. Xie Xun grabbed the Dragon Saber, unsheathed it, and ‘Swoosh!’ cut the tree in half. Then came a loud crash, as the tree fell down. Xie Xun put back his
saber, said, "Can you see the power of my ‘Fists of Seven Damages’ now?”
Zhang CuiShan and his family walked over to examine the inside of the tree, only to see most of the tree’s water passageways wrecked: some bent, some shattered, some broken into pieces, some only semi-broken. Signs that this punch incorporated many different simultaneous forces. Zhang and Yin were both very impressed. Zhang CuiShan asked, "Big brother. This was an amazing demonstration.”
Xie Xun couldn’t help but respond in a proud manner, "This punch contained seven different types of force, some hard, some soft, some contain softness within hardness, some contain hardness within softness, some forces sweep across, some strike vertically, and some shrivel. An enemy might block the first force, but not the second one. If he blocked the second one, then how does he deal with the third force? That’s where the name ‘Fists of Seven Damages’ came from, as one can damage the opponent in seven different ways. Fifth brother, remember that day when you matched palms with me? Had I used ‘Fists of Seven Damages’, you would’ve immediately lost.” Zhang
CuiShan said, "You’re right.”
WuJi wanted to ask his father why he matched palms with godfather, but Yin SuSu immediately shook her head at him, telling him not to inquire further. However, WuJi couldn’t help but ask, "Godfather, can you teach me this ‘Fists of Seven Damages’?” Xie Xun shook his head, said, "No!” WuJi was disappointed, and wanted to plead some more. Yin SuSu said with a smile, "WuJi, don’t be silly. This kung fu is too difficult for you. Unless you have incredible inner power, how can you possibly learn it?” WuJi said, "I see. In that case, I’ll first make sure to acquire superior inner power first, and then learn it.”
Xie Xun shook his head, said, "Actually, there’s no need to ever bother with this ‘Fists of Seven Damages’! Everyone’s body has two chi, yin and yang, plus ‘Gold-Wood-Water-Fire-Dirt’ five major regions. Your heart belongs to fire, lungs belong to gold, kidneys belongs to water, spleen belongs to dirt, and liver belongs to wood. Seven injuries to one person, or injuries to seven people. Unfortunately, every time you practice this Fists of Seven Damages, you will damage your own body. The ‘seven damages’ here means seven damages to your body first, then seven damages to your opponents. Had I not injured my veins while practicing ‘Fist of Seven Damages’, I would’ve never had problems with madness.”
Zhang CuiShan and Yin SuSu now realized why despite being such an intelligent, powerful person, Xie Xun would lose his mind on occasions.
Xie Xun continued, "Had my inner power been really high, to the point of Reverend Kong Jian, or perhaps Wu Dang’s Taoist Zhang, I wouldn’t have hurt myself like this. Unfortunately, I was too keen on revenge in my youth. I stole a copy of the from the Kong Dong Sect. Upon getting the manual, I immediately began to practice hastily. I was in a hurry, in case my master would pass away before I complete my training. By the time I realized the side effects, it was already too late. I should’ve recognized something from the beginning. Why would the Kong Dong Sect have such a powerful fist manual, yet couldn’t dominate the martial world? In addition, I realized that the sound of the punches were thunderous and crisp, which was very useful. Fifth sister, do you know why I say this?”
Yin SuSu thought for a moment, then said, "Because its similar to your master’s kung fu?”
Xie Xun said, "You’re right. My master’s nickname is ‘Lightning Hands of the Originating Formation’. His palm carries wind and thunder, its power unimaginable. Once I find him, and use the ‘Fists of Seven Damages’ on him, he would surely mistake it for the kung fu I learned from him. By the time he finds out, it would be too late. Fifth brother, don’t blame me for being so devious. Although my master looks coarse, he’s one of the most devious person you’ll ever find. If I don’t try to trick him, how could I get my revenge. sighs, so I’ve told you some of what happened afterwards, right? Anyway, I haven’t gotten to Reverend Kong Jian yet. That night I went over the inner power circulation for ‘Fists of Seven Damages’ three times, and jumped out the wall to look for Song YuanQiao.
"In the middle of the jump, before I hit the ground, a person suddenly tapped my shoulder from the back. I was quite astonished, for I couldn’t imagine anyone capable of doing that without me noticing. WuJi, think about this for a moment. Had he used his full force to attack me, he could’ve at least seriously injured me. I reached with my hand to grab his arm, only to find nothing there. I then tried to turn around and punch him, but of course didn’t hit anything. So I turned back. Just at this moment, my shoulder was tapped once again from the back. At the same time, a person sighed, said, " ‘The Sea of Misery is endless, turn around towards the shore.’”
WuJi found this pretty funny, and laughed. He said, "Godfather, is this person playing a game with you?” Zhang CuiShan and Yin SuSu both knew that this must be Revered Kong Jian.
Xie Xun continued, "At that moment, I was scared stiff. It was obvious that he could kill me any time he wants to. He spoke ‘the sea of misery is endless, turn around towards the shore’ in a time to blink an eye. Yet he spoke it in a very cohere
nt manner, so I heard every single world clearly, in addition to his merciful, compassionate tone. But at that time, I only felt anger. So I turned around quickly, only to see a white-robed monk standing about thirteen meters from me. As I turned, he was at most two or three feet away from me. Who’d have thought that after that tap, he immediately flew backward thirteen meters. I’ve never dreamed of speed and agility like that.
"At that moment I thought of only one thing, ‘He must be a ghost, someone I killed who’s haunting me now!’ For surely no living person could have this level of lightness kung fu. Once I figured that he was a ghost, I became braver, yelled, "Look, I don’t care if you’re a phantom or a ghost. Your old man I am afraid of neither the Heaven nor the Underworld. So do you think a ghost can scare me?’ That white-robed monk put his palms together, said, ‘Mr. Xie, my name is Kong Jian.’ When I heard the words ‘Kong Jian’, I recalled the saying ‘Shaolin’s Divine Reverends, Jian-Wen-Zhi-Sheng’. As the first among the four divine reverends, no wonder his kung fu is so formidable.”
Zhang CuiShan remembered that this Reverend Kong Jian later died in his big brother’s hands, and could help but feel uneasy.
Xie Xun continued, "So I asked, ‘Are you Shaolin’s Divine Reverend Kong Jian?’ That white-robed monk answered, ‘I don’t deserve the title Divine Reverend. However, I am Shaolin’s Kong Jian.’ I said, ‘We have never met before. Why do you toy with me so?’ Kong Jian said, ‘I do not dare toy with Mr. Xie. Mr, Xie, may I ask where are you going?’ I said, ‘Where I go is none of your business.’ Kong Jian said, ‘If I guessed correctly, you are trying to kill Wu Dang’s Hero Song YuanQiao tonight, right?’
"I was surprised that he knew of my intentions. He added, ‘You want to commit another crime, one that would shock the entire martial world, so ‘Lightning Hands of the Originating Formation’ Cheng Kun would appear, allowing you to avenge your family’s death, right?’ I couldn’t believe he said my master’s name, for I had never told anyone about my master murdering my family. Since this was a hideous crime, my master would surely not tell anyone either. So how could this reverend know?
"At that moment I shuddered, said, ‘If reverend can point out my master’s location, I will repay you in any way you wish.’ Kong Jian sighed, said, ‘Cheng Kun’s crime was indeed horrifying. Yet for revenge, you have killed so many people, done so many terrible deeds.’ I wanted to say, ‘Who asked for your opinion?’ But then I remembered his kung fu skills, plus the fact that I needed to ask him for a favor. So I held my anger in check, said, ‘I was forced to do these deeds, for Cheng Kun had gone into hiding. With the world so vast, how can I possibly find him?’ Kong Jian nodded, said, ‘I realize that your heart is filled with bitterness, and nowhere to release them. Hero Sung is the eldest disciple under Wu Dang’s Taoist Zhang SanFeng. If you kill him, your crime will be too immense.’ I said, ‘That is just what I want. The bigger the crime, the more likely I can get Cheng Kun to reappear.’
"Kong Jian said, ‘Mr. Xie, if you kill Hero Sung, Cheng Kun would indeed have to appear. Yet the Cheng Kun today is no longer the Cheng Kun of the past. You kung fu is nowhere near his level. You can’t possibly get your revenge.’ I said, ‘Cheng Kun’s my master. Surely I can judge his kung fu better than you can.’
"Kong Jian shook his head, said, ‘He has sought after another master, so his martial arts has grown immensely. Although you learned Kong Dong Sect’s ‘Fists of Seven Damages’, you still can’t hurt him.’ I didn’t know what to make of this person. I had never seen him before. Yet he
seemed to know everything about me. I hesitated for a moment, then asked, ‘How do you know about that?’ He said, ‘Cheng Kun told me.’”
At this moment, Zhang and Yin both gasped.
Xie Xun said, "You must’ve been quite surprised to hear this. When I heard it back then, I immediately jumped up, and yelled, ‘But how did he know?’ He said, ‘For the past few years, he has been following you. Only he kept changing his disguises, so you never recognized him.’ I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I can’t recognize him? He can turn into dust, and I’d still recognize him.’ He said, ‘Mr. Xie, you are certainly a very perceptive person, but for the past years, you cared only for learning martial arts and revenge. You never tried to examine your surroundings. In addition, you were in the light, while he was in the dark. It’s not that you can’t recognize him, but rather you never attempted to recognize him.’
"What he said made a lot of sense. Besides, Reverend Kong Jian is a world-renowned reverend.
He can’t possibly lie to me. I said, ‘If so, then how come he just didn’t kill me?’ Kong Jian said, ‘He could have easily killed you had he wanted to. Mr. Xie, you have tried to fight him two times for revenge. Each time he defeated you. Why did he not kill you then? Besides, when you were stealing the , you matched palms with three of the ‘Five Elders of Kong Dong’. Where were the other two elders? Had the other two elders also appeared, do you think you could have escaped?’
"That day after I injured three elders of Kong Dong, I found the other two also injured, which was quite strange. I thought that perhaps Kong Dong Sect had some sort of internal conflict, or another kung fu expert had helped me. So when I heard Reverend Kong Jian spoke of the matter, my mind stirred, said, ‘Did Cheng Kun injure the other two elders?’”
Zhang CuiShan and Yin SuSu found the story more and more bizarre. Despite their experiences in the martial world, neither could figure this particular story out. Both thought Xie Xun was one of the impressive people they’ve ever seen. Yet his master Cheng Kun seemed even more impressive.
Yin SuSu said, "Big brother, did your master really injure the other two elders?”
Xie Xun said, "When I asked Kong Jian, he said, ‘Did you see their injuries that night? What did their faces look like?’ I thought about it for a while, then said, ‘So they really were injured by my master.’ That night, I saw the two elders lying on the floor, their faces filled with blood spots. From their appearance, they seemed to have used a powerful Yin-style inner power to attack someone, but an expert forced it back with the ‘Art of Origination’. Other than having one’s force repelled with ‘Art of Origination’, only a select few illnesses could provide the same symptoms. Yet that same morning, all five of them were perfectly healthy, so they certainly did not get ill. In the martial world, only the my master and I know the ‘Art of Origination’
"Reverend Kong Jian nodded, sighed, said, ‘Your master became mad after drinking too much, and unknowingly killed your family. Afterwards he felt incredibly guilty. That is why he did not kill you during those fights. But since you fought so wildly, he had no way to escape unless he injured you. Afterwards he followed you for a few years. You later encountered three major perils. Each time he helped you live through them.’ I thought about it, and found that I did go through three life-and-death situations. Each time, my enemies miraculously retreated. Reverend Kong Jian continued, ‘He knows that his crimes are too severe, and does not ask for your forgiveness. His only hope is that with time, your pain will lessen. Who knew that your thirst for revenge magnified instead, killing more and more people. Should you kill Hero Song YuanQiao, it would be impossible to clean up this whole mess.’
"I said, ‘If so, then ask my master to come see me, so we can settle our differences.’ Reverend
Kong Jian said, ‘Your master says that he has no face to see you. Besides, you are hardly his match anyway. So seeing him would be pointless.’ I said, ‘I know you are a venerable reverend. You should know about right and wrong. Are you telling me that I should simply forget the death of my family?’ He said, ‘I am also saddened by your misfortune. But your master did not willingly commit those crimes. Besides, he has since repented. On the account of your past master-disciple relationship, he hoped you would leave him be.’ I became quite angry, said, ‘If I cannot defeat him, then he can just go ahead and kill me. I would rather die than leave my family unavenged.’
"Reverend Kong Jian tho
ught for a long time, then said, ‘Mr. Xie, your master’s kung fu is not what it used to be. Even though you’ve learned the ‘Fists of Seven Damages’, you are still not his match. If you do not believe me, then try hitting me a few times.’ I said, ‘I have no quarrel with you, why should I hit you? Although my kung fu is low, the ‘Fist of Seven Damages’ is nonetheless not easy to absorb.’ He said, ‘Mr. Xie, let us make a wager. Your master killed thirteen people in your family. Today you can hit me thirteen times. If you can injure me, I will get out of your way. Your master will then come out to see you. Otherwise, you must promise to let go of revenge.’ I did not respond. His kung fu is amazing. If my ‘Fists of Seven Damages’ could not hurt him, then what about my revenge?
Reverend Kong Jian added, ‘Let me be frank with you. Since I decided to concern myself in this matter, do you really think I can let you keep hurting others? If you go back to doing good deeds, and give up on vengeance, I can forgive for your past crimes. Otherwise, if you can seek revenge, what about the relatives of those you killed? Do they not deserve their vengeance too?’
"Upon hearing his voice becoming stern, I got quite annoyed, yelled, ‘Fine, I will go ahead and give you thirteen punches! You can give up any time you want to. However, do not go back on your promise. You better ask my master to come see me.’ Reverend Kong Jian smiled, said, ‘Please go on ahead!’ His body was very short and thin, with white hair and white eyebrows, and a gentle, compassionate face. I didn’t want to really hurt him. My first fist only used thirty percent of my power. Pang! The fist landed on his chest.”
WuJi gasped, yelled, "Did you use the ‘Fists of Seven Damages’ that destroyed the tree?”
Xie Xun said, "No! I used my master’s ‘Lightning & Thunder Fist’. When my punch landed, his body lightly shook, and retreated a step. Realizing that this punch can make him back off, I figured the ‘Fists of Seven Damages’ would probably kill him in three punches. So I added a bit more power to my second punch. Again his body lightly shook, and retreated another step. My third punch incorporated seventy percent of my power. But once again, his body just light shook, and retreated a step. I was surprised, as I have more than doubled my power, yet his expression remained the same. Considering his thin body, my punches should at least break his bones. Yet I found no signs of a competing force to negate my punch. It’s as if his body simply absorbed my power.