by Jin Yong
Yang Kang gaped at her before assuming a haughty tone. “How do you know about that? Did Mercy mention it in your dream?”
“For that, I have no need to dream.” A triumphant smile. “After you struck Zhu Cong down, you stuffed gems and jewels from the tomb into his robes, so it looked like he’d come to steal my mother’s offerings and got himself caught and put to death by my father. I have to admit that it was a very clever plot to frame him. But you forgot one vital detail. Zhu Cong was known as Quick Hands.”
“So?” Viper asked.
“Well, you thought you were planting the proof of his greed on him, but you had no idea he’d pilfered the proof of your guilt from you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Zhu Cong’s kung fu might have seemed insignificant to you.” She inclined her head toward Viper Ouyang. “But, with his last breath, he lived up to his name, and picked the young Prince’s pocket, clinging tight to his prize. His sleight of hand was so swift that neither of you—to this day—ever realized. If not for this object, I’d never have imagined that a young prince of the Great Jin Empire would deign to grace Peach Blossom Island.”
“This is most amusing. So, Zhu Cong spoke to the living from beyond the grave.” Viper laughed. “I did indeed underestimate the might of his quick hands. I presume the object he took was this jade shoe?”
“That’s right. I know every single offering that was interred with my mother, and I had never before set eyes on the jade shoe clasped so firmly in Zhu Cong’s hand as he died. There had to be a reason why it was there. The little shoe has the character bi on the sole and the character zhao carved on the heel. I couldn’t make any sense of it—they don’t form any comprehensible sequence. But then, that night, when I dreamed of Sister Mu fighting in the marketplace, that’s when I saw the characters on a banner flapping by the stage. Bi wu zhao qin. Duel for a Maiden. That was when everything became clear.”
“I wouldn’t have suspected there was such a romantic story behind this little jade shoe.” Viper laughed once more, greatly entertained.
“When Uncle Yang organized the Duel for a Maiden in Zhongdu, our young Prince, here, showed off his skills against Sister Mu, and I was lucky enough to catch the display,” Lotus explained. She knew the Venom was not interested in such details, but Ke Zhen’e needed to understand how she worked out who was responsible for the massacre. “The young Prince pulled off Sister Mu’s shoe, and that was enough to win the duel. How he treated his prize of the maiden later … Well, that’s another story entirely.”
And, indeed, much had stemmed from the Duel for a Maiden. The martial Masters in the service of Wanyan Honglie were present at this fight—Graybeard Liang, Hector Sha, Tiger Peng … They had also witnessed the Consort’s death and Yang Kang’s attitude toward his birth father and the maiden’s godfather, Ironheart Yang. Thinking back on all that had occurred since the duel on that snowy, wintry day, just six months or so ago, even these battle-hardened men felt almost wistful.
“Thanks to the duel, everything fell into place. It made sense that, when the young Prince and Sister Mu promised themselves to each other, their love token would be a pair of jade shoes. I expect they each kept one. This one has the characters bi and zhao, and I imagine Sister Mu’s has the characters wu for martial and qin for familial. Am I right, Your Highness?”
Lotus waited for a reply, but Yang Kang was not prepared to grant her the satisfaction.
“Now, it really can’t be more obvious and straightforward. Ryder Han was taken by the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw. Twice Foul Dark Wind were the only two warriors in this world who knew that kung fu, and they are both gone. It’s assumed that their teacher would’ve been skilled in the technique, but few know that Papa has never practiced a single technique described in the Nine Yin Manual—or that Iron Corpse Cyclone Mei actually took a disciple.
“Jade Han saw with her own eyes the young Prince kill her cousin Ryder Han with the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw. After she put the sword to her throat, she dabbed her fingers in her own blood to write the name of the killer. Alas, life left her before she could set it down. All she bequeathed us was a small cross. A horizontal line intersects with a vertical one. The muddle-headed Guo Jing insisted it was the first two strokes of Huang, but she was actually trying to write down the character of Yang, which begins with the same stroke order…”
Lotus tailed off, subdued by the thought of the irreparable breach between herself and Guo Jing, but Viper Ouyang was in exceedingly good humor, roaring with mirthless laughter.
“I was going to wipe away this little cross, but Kang knew better. ‘This could be the first two strokes of the character Huang,’ he said. So I let it be. No wonder the Guo boy fought your father with so little thought for his own well-being.”
“I cannot deny the ingenuity of your plan, and poor Guo Jing did not have the capacity to discern the truth in his state of extreme grief. You know, I had assumed that you’d coerced the servants into showing you around the island. I’d never have guessed that she was your guide, but seeing her here, I imagine that Your Highness must have promised to bring her back to Ox Village. That’s why she likes you and calls you her ‘nice brother’, obeying your every command.
“Actually, even without her, you’d be able to navigate the island, since you’ve got the map. I dare say you were hiding near the tomb, and you told her to tell the Freaks that my father would meet them there. With Uncle Ouyang on your side, what chance did they have? It’s a perfect plan—like catching turtles in a tank.”
Ke Zhen’e was amazed. Her description was so close to what he had experienced, it was as if she had been there with him. How well he remembered being ambushed in the antechamber, and how he had hobbled up the passage from the subterranean room with Woodcutter Nan …
“Uncle Ouyang must have picked up Papa’s discarded robe when he disembarked. In the dim light of the tomb, if he donned the garment, he might pass for him, especially when several of the Freaks were already seriously wounded. Woodcutter Nan, being the vigilant one, must have entered the tomb passage last, and when he heard Gilden Quan’s steelyard being snapped, he pulled Ke Zhen’e along with him. At the time, he believed it was my papa who had dealt the death blow. But, in fact, Gilden Quan and Zhu Cong were killed by Uncle Ouyang, and the young Prince killed Ryder Han, while Jade Han slit her own throat. You always intended to let Ke Zhen’e live, but not Woodcutter Nan. His escape wasn’t part of your plan. He managed to find a secluded spot on the island and cheated death for a few days, but eventually you caught up with him and killed him with your snake.
“After your killing spree in the tomb, you went to Papa’s study and turned the place upside down, so it looked like Papa and the Freaks had had a nasty fight. But, Uncle Ouyang, if Papa wanted to do away with them, do you think they could put up enough of a fight to leave the room like that? Don’t you think you were trying too hard to cover up your tracks and ended up flaunting your crime instead? I sensed something was wrong the moment I stepped into Papa’s study.”
“I cannot fault your version of the events,” Viper said, impressed by her account. “Though, I must say, it was the Freaks who sealed their own wretched fate. Kang and I didn’t know they would be there when we set off for Peach Blossom Island.”
“Well, to be honest, I suspected that too.”
“I can’t hide anything from you, you clever little thing.”
“Let me guess—and please don’t be offended if I get it wrong. When you first came ashore, you were hoping that the battle between the Quanzhen Immortals and Papa would end in injuries or worse for both parties, so you could rid yourself of both the Quanzhen Sect and Peach Blossom Island in one fell swoop, just like how Bian Zhuangzi slayed the war-wearied tigers.
“But, as it turned out, you arrived too late. The Taoists and Papa had left the island. Then, the young Prince found out from the Qu girl that the Freaks were there, and that was when you hatched your plan, and showed off your cunning, frami
ng my father for the death of five of the Freaks. Once the deed was done, you slaughtered every single servant on the island and disposed of their bodies, so no one could dispute your story. Then you spent a few days hunting down Woodcutter Nan.
“Your hope was that, when word of the atrocity spread, Count Seven Hong and King Duan would have to stand against Papa. The young Prince was worried that, when Papa returned, he would see through your ploy and destroy the incriminating evidence, so, as insurance, you let Ke Zhen’e get off the island alive. He’s lost the use of his eyes, but not the use of his tongue, and you wagered that his blindness would prevent him from seeing the truth and that he would make the necessary accusations for you.”
Ke Zhen’e had never felt more ashamed or angry at himself. He really had been as blind as a bat!
“I truly am envious of the Old Heretic that he should sire such a daughter,” the Venom said admiringly. “You have worked out every twist and turn of the whole sorry business as if you were there. Young lass, I don’t enjoy acknowledging this, but you are incredibly bright.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE ARMY MARCHES WEST
1
“Uncle Ouyang, you’re too kind.” There was a tinge of sadness to her tone, and none of the satisfaction Viper had been anticipating. “Guo Jing has fallen for your ploy and vowed to kill my father, even if it costs him his life, severing all ties…” She trailed off, struggling to maintain her composure. “When you save Papa tomorrow … Were your nephew still with us … our troth-plight…” A heavy sigh, conveying all that she was unable to put into words.
Why does she bring up my boy and that business again? Viper Ouyang’s natural suspicion sprang into life.
Lotus turned to the Qu girl. “Hey, your nice brother treats you very well, doesn’t he?”
“Yes! He’s taking me home. I didn’t like the island. I want to go home!”
“Why do you want to go home? It’s haunted. Someone died there.”
The girl gasped and screamed. “Ghost! A ghost in my home! I don’t want to go back!”
“Who killed that man?”
“I saw nice brother—”
Clink, clink, something clattered to the floor.
“Why did you try to hurt her, Your Highness? Why won’t you let her speak?”
“The idiot girl talks nonsense!” Yang Kang squawked.
“You know this grandpa wants to hear your story,” Lotus cajoled.
“No, I’m not talking. Nice brother doesn’t want me to.”
“There’s a good girl,” Yang Kang said in a honeyed tone. “Lie down now and sleep. If you open your mouth and say even one word, I’ll tell the ghost to come and eat you alive!”
Cowering, the Qu girl muttered her assent and wriggled back into her bedding, pulling the blanket over her head.
“Hey, if you won’t talk to me, I’ll get Grandpa to drag you back,” Lotus said darkly.
“No! No!” the girl yelled through the coverlet.
“Then tell me who the nice brother killed in your home.”
The specificity of her demand left everyone open-mouthed.
Yang Kang pooled his strength in his right hand, ready to plunge his fingers through the Qu girl’s skull with the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw if she breathed a word of what he had done in Ox Village. He could not allow Viper Ouyang to learn the truth.
I should’ve got rid of her on Peach Blossom Island. He rued his soft-heartedness. I thought there were just the four of us at the inn—me, Mercy and the young couple. This half-wit must have been hiding somewhere.
Everyone waited for the Qu girl’s answer with bated breath. Ke Zhen’e scarcely dared to inhale. Time passed, and soft breathing, then snores, began to fill the silence.
She’s fallen asleep! Yang Kang let out a sigh of relief, his palm sweaty from the tension. She’s a threat to me as long as she lives, he said to himself as he stole a glance at Viper Ouyang. The Martial Great was sitting with his eyes closed. Moonlight, reaching through the window, bathed one side of his face in its cool wash. He looked detached, unconcerned by the exchange that had just taken place.
Since the Qu girl was deep in slumber, the men settled down with their makeshift bedding and closed their eyes, drifting off.
Then the Qu girl cried out in a drowsy haze—“Ow! Who pinched me?”—and jumped up.
“A ghoul!” Lotus shrieked. “A ghoul with broken legs! It’s you! You killed him. He’s coming to take your life!”
“No! Not me!” the Qu girl screeched. “Nice brother—”
A hiss then a thump. Yang Kang’s attempt to dig his fingers into the Qu girl’s crown was forestalled by Lotus. She had flipped his legs out from under him with the Dog-Beating Cane.
Hector Sha and his companions scrambled to their sleepy feet and surrounded Lotus.
She took no notice, pointing at the temple gate. “Come. Your killer’s here.”
The Qu girl followed Lotus’s finger, but could see nothing in the dark. Still, the thought that there could be a ghost lurking nearby was enough to terrorize her. She pulled Lotus’s sleeve and cried, “Don’t come for my life. It wasn’t me! It was the nice brother. He killed you with his spearhead. I saw it. I was hiding in the kitchen. I saw everything … Legless ghoul, don’t, don’t come for me!”
It had never occurred to Viper Ouyang that Yang Kang might be his son’s murderer, yet he knew the Qu girl was not clever enough to lie. He let out a shrill laugh of grief and wrath.
“Your Highness, my nephew deserved his fate.” He glared at Yang Kang. “You did well in killing him. My congratulations!”
His words pierced the ears of all within hearing, like a thousand tiny needles. They tried in vain to stop their bodies from shuddering and their teeth from chattering. Even the crows in the pagoda were roused by his voice, croaking and flapping their wings in fear. Some took to the sky in fright.
Yang Kang knew that, if he stayed put, he faced certain death. He cast his eyes around the main hall, searching for an escape route.
Wanyan Honglie began pleading with the Venom when the crows had calmed down enough for him to be heard. “This girl is not of her right mind. I trust Master Ouyang does not believe her words. It was I who invited your nephew to join my enterprise, and both myself and my son came to rely on his wisdom and knowledge. Why would we wish harm upon him?”
Viper had been sitting on the floor, but, with one flex of his toes, his whole person flew up into the air. Then, without straightening his body, he leaped across and was suddenly sitting next to the Qu girl in the same cross-legged posture. He grabbed the girl by the arm.
“Why did he kill my nephew? Tell me!”
“I didn’t kill him. Don’t come after me!” She thrashed around, but she could not free herself from the Venom’s iron grip.
“Pa! Pa!” she wailed.
Viper hissed his question again and again, to the point where the Qu girl ceased to cry and simply stared blankly.
“Hey, don’t be afraid,” Lotus cooed. “Grandpa just wants to give you some cake.”
Viper fumbled in his robe at this reminder—fear would only make her clam up—and pulled out a mantou. He let go of her arm and stuffed the cold bun into her hand. “Here! Cake!” A grim approximation of a smile.
The Qu girl clung to the bread, still terrified. “Grandpa, it hurts!”
“I won’t do that again. You’re a good girl.” Viper spoke in a gentle voice that was almost laughably out of character.
“That day, the sir with the broken legs was holding a girl in his arms, wasn’t he? Was she pretty?” Lotus asked.
“Very! Where is she now?”
“You don’t know who she is, do you?”
The Qu girl clapped and smiled smugly. “I do! I do! She’s the lady-wife of my nice brother.”
This was all the confirmation Viper Ouyang needed. He had always known of his boy’s fondness for women, and was not surprised that a woman was the cause of his downfall. And yet one thing nagge
d at him. Even though Gallant had lost the use of his legs, he was still the superior fighter of the two. Yang Kang did not have the skill to cause him harm. How had it happened? He snapped around to face Yang Kang. “My nephew gave offense to the young Consort, and for that he deserved a thousand deaths.”
“No … no … it wasn’t me…”
“Who, then?”
Viper’s roar scattered Yang Kang’s wits and left him limp and weak. Drenched in sweat, he could not string two words together.
“The Heretic gave the map of Peach Blossom Island to my nephew,” the Venom went on. “I asked how it came into your possession, and you told me you were good friends and that you’d borrowed it to learn about the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams. I must say, I was not entirely convinced at the time, and now I know why. You killed him and took it from him, didn’t you?”
Terror had reduced Yang Kang to a mute, shivering wreck.
“Uncle Ouyang, you mustn’t blame His Highness for his cruelty, or your nephew for his wanton ways. You only have your kung fu to blame,” Lotus said with a sigh.
“What do you mean?”
“When I was in Ox Village, I heard an exchange between a man and a woman. I haven’t been able to place the speakers, until now.”
“Huh?” Viper had not the faintest idea what she was talking about.
“Let me repeat what I heard word for word. I wasn’t able to see their faces, so I didn’t know who they were. The man said, ‘They saw me kill Gallant Ouyang. What if they tell someone?’ And the woman replied, ‘Real men are brave and get things done. You shouldn’t have killed him if you were going to worry so much…’” Lotus let the words hang in the air.
“She’s right,” Viper said a beat later, realizing that she was not going to continue. “What did he say to that?”
Forced to listen to his own words from Lotus’s lips, Yang Kang could barely contain his panic. The moon, reaching in through the doorway, was now shining on the floor before the statue of General Wang the Iron Spear. He skirted around its sheen and tiptoed into position behind Lotus.