21 Chapter Eleven: Energy Streams Part 2(2/2)
"I'll just be outside," Lin Pingzhi said in embarrassment.
"No, no! You stay here and watch over big apprentice brother," Yue Lingshan uttered and then rushed out of the door.
She ran straight toward her parents' room, but when she arrived at the door, she heard the using "Divine Art of Violet Twilight" to heal the injury discussion between her parents, so she waited at the door, daring not to interrupt.
"Go send out my order to everyone. I want everybody to come to the 'House of Integrity'," Yue Buqun said to Yue Lingshan.
"Yes, but what about big apprentice brother? Who's going to care for him?" Yue Lingshan asked.
"Tell Dayou to look after him," Yue Buqun answered.
Yue Lingshan took the order and then went on her way to inform everyone. Soon, all of Huashan School apprentices had gathered in the "House of Integrity" and lined up based on school seniority. Yue Buqun sat down in the armchair in the middle. Madam Yue sat in a chair next to him.
After casting a quick glance at the crowd and confirming that all except Linghu Chong and Lu Dayou had arrived. Yue Buqun started addressing all the apprentices.
"Among last generation senior masters of our sword school, some of them strayed into the wrong road. They kept perfecting sword techniques but ignored the practice of inner energy with Qi-Gong techniques. They hardly realized that all advanced martial arts require Qi-Gong techniques to build a solid foundation. If one can't master Qi-Gong techniques, then regardless of how well he has mastered his sword techniques, he would never be able to reach the acme of martial arts. But unfortunately, those last generation senior masters obstinately stuck to a wrong course. They went on their own way to create a new branch called Huashan Sword-Branch and called our orthodox Kung Fu Huashan Qi-Branch. The dispute between the Qi-Branch and the Sword-Branch went on for many decades, which greatly obstructed the development and growth of our Huashan School. What a great calamity it is." He paused and heaved a deep sigh.
Madam Yue thought inwardly, "Those five freaks could show up any moment, and you are still here telling old stories with leisure." She cast a side-glance to her husband but dared not to interrupt. Throwing a peek at the inscribed board where it said "House of Integrity," she thought to herself, "At the time when I first joined Huashan School to learn sword art, the words inscribed on the board were really 'Force of Sword Towering the Clouds.' But now it has been changed to 'House of Integrity.' No one even remembers where the old board might be. Alas, I was only a thirteen-year-old little girl at the time. Now..now..."
Yue Buqun continued. "But what's righteous and what's evil, what's right and what's wrong, the truth would eventually shine at the end. Twenty-five years ago, the Sword-Branch took a crushing defeat and withdrew from our Huashan School. I have been the Head Master of the Huashan School ever since. Several days ago, a group of expelled apprentices of our school, Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou, and some others, came back to Mount Huashan. I am not sure how they did it, but they succeeded in convincing the Alliance Chief of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, Chief Zuo, by cheats and lies, and came to seize the Head Master post of our Huashan School with Alliance Chief Zuo's Command Flag. I have been holding the post of Head Master in our school for many years. There are plenty of tedious internal tasks associated with the job, not mentioning all the things to deal with when the five sword schools meet. I've long thought about relinquishing my post in favor of somebody more qualified, so I could dedicate myself to the task of studying advanced Qi-Gong techniques of our school. I should really be only too glad to hear that somebody is willing to take over with the duties." At that word, he paused again.
"Master, Feng Buping and the other Sword-Branch expelled apprentices have all gone on the evil route. They are really no different from members of the Demon Cult. We should never even let them come back to join our Huashan School, how can we ever let them take the Head Master post of our school with their wishful thinking?" Gao Gengming commented.
"We'll never let their audacious plot succeed!" Lao Denuo, Liang Fa, Shi Daizi, and the rest of the apprentices exclaimed all together.
Seeing that all the apprentices' feeling ran high, Yue Buqun let out a slight smile. "It's really not important whether I am the Head Master or not. But if the heterodox people from the Sword-Branch ruled our school, all the hundreds of years worth of Huashan School's vast comprehensive and profound Kung Fu techniques would all be destroyed in a moment. When we one day return to the underworld, how would we ever face the spirits of many generations of Huashan School senior masters? And the reputation of our Huashan School would be held in contempt by everyone in the Martial World."
"That's right! How can we ever let that happen?" Lao Denuo and the bunch of apprentices said in unison.
"I wouldn't worry too much about Feng Buping and the rest of the Sword-Branch expelled apprentices," Yue Buqun went on. "But since they were able to bring the Command Flag of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance and also able to collaborate with people from Songshan, Taishan, and Hengshan those schools, this is no small matter. That's why..." He swept his eyes over the apprentices and then spoke again. "We'll be leaving today to see Alliance Chief Zuo at Mount Songshan, and have it out with him."
All the apprentices were shocked. The Songshan Sword School was the leader in the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, and the Head Master of the Songshan School, Zuo Lengchan, was considered a top notch in the Martial World. Not only had his Kung Fu skills reached the acme of perfection, his reputation as a quick-witted and resourceful mind was also well known. Anytime when the name "Alliance Chief Zuo" was mentioned, everyone would get a shiver of cold. In the Martial World, when one had it out with someone else, the dispute normally wouldn't stop at an oral discussion. Any heated word might lead to a fierce physical fight. All the apprentices couldn't help but thinking the same thought.
"Master's Kung Fu is excellent, but he most likely is still no match for Alliance Chief Zuo. Besides, the Songshan School's Alliance Chief Zuo has twelve apprentice brothers. People in the Marital World call them the 'Thirteen Guardians of Songshan.' Even though 'Great Songyang Palm' Fei Bin has passed away, there are still a total of twelve of them left. And each of the twelve is a first-class elite fighter – someone a second-generation Huashan apprentice would have no chance of resisting. Isn't it a bit too reckless to stir up trouble on Mount Songshan?"
Every one of the apprentices thought so, yet no one dared to speak up.
Hearing what her husband had just said, Madam Yue immediately praised inwardly. "This idea is awesome! We are leaving our base, Mount Huashan, so we could avoid the five Peach Valley's freaks. Once the news spreads out, Huashan School would have no face left. But if we were heading up Mount Songshan to have it out with Alliance Chief Zuo, others would only admire our courage. Alliance Chief Zuo is not the unreasonable type. Once we get to Mount Songshan, it's not necessary that we'll end up in a deadly fight. There's gonna be a lot of rooms and cushions in between." So she immediately picked up the line.
"That's right! Feng Buping did bring the Command Flag of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance up Mount Huashan. But who knows, he could very possibly have stolen or robbed the Command Flag from someone else. Even if it's true that Alliance Chief Zuo did award them the Command Flag of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, this is the internal matter of our Huashan School. The Songshan School has no say in this at all. Sure, Songshan School has a lot more members, and Alliance Chief Zuo has superb Kung Fu skills, but we, Huashan School members, would rather die than submit. Any one of you who has no guts and is afraid might as well stay."
None of the apprentices wanted to look like a coward, so they all answered, "We will follow Master and Master-Wife's orders and never hesitate to go through fire and water for Master and Master-Wife."
"Perfect! The matter brooks no delay. Go pack your stuff. We'll get on the road in one hour." Madam Yue commanded.
Before starting the trip, Madam Yue went to check on Linghu Chong again. Seeing Linghu Chong's lifeless face, she felt great pain and grievance deep in her heart. But the five Peach Valley's freaks could come back in any moment. She simply couldn't risk having Mount Huashan completely wiped out just for Linghu Chong's sake. So she had Lu Dayou move Linghu Chong into the little hut at the back.
"Dayou," she said, "we are going to Mount Songshan to have it out with Alliance Chief Zuo for the sake of our Huashan School's future. This is going to be a very risky trip. We just hope that under the direction from your Master, we will be able to uphold justice and all come back safely. Chong's injury is very severe. You will take good care of him. If any enemy comes to attack, try your best to avoid conflict even if you have to endure humiliation. Don't get Chong and yourself killed for nothing."
Lu Dayou nodded his acknowledgement with tears in his eyes.
After Lu Dayou saw Master, Master-Wife, and all the apprentice brothers and sisters off Mount Huashan, he went back to the little hut where Linghu Chong was resting. By now, the entire Huashan School on Mount Huashan only had two residents – one was his big apprentice brother who was still in a coma, the other one was himself, completely alone and on his own. He found himself in a state of anxiety. The deepening dusk only made him more afraid of the unforeseen future.
After making a pot of rice soup in the kitchen, he filled a bowl and propped Linghu Chong up to have some. Only at the third swallow, Linghu Chong coughed all the soup out. The white rice soup had turned red. Linghu Chong must have coughed all the blood in his stomach out together with it. While feeling terrified, Lu Dayou helped Linghu Chong lie down again. Setting the soup bowl down, he stared at the darkness outside of the window blankly and fell into a trance. He had no idea how long he had been in a daze when several owl caws woke him.
"It is said that when an owl caws, it is really counting a patient's eyebrows," he thought. "By the time the owl finishes counting, it would be the moment for the patient to die." So he put his finger into his mouth to gather some spit and then smeared it on Linghu Chong's eyebrows so the owl would have a real hard job counting them.
Suddenly sounds of footsteps came from the mountain path. Lu Dayou blew out the oil lamp hurriedly. His sword in his hand, he guarded by Linghu Chong's bedside. The sounds came closer and closer, and it seemed that someone was heading straight toward the little hut. Lu Dayou's heart almost jumped out of his chest. He thought to himself, "It seems that the enemy knows very well that big apprentice brother is resting over here. That's terrible! How can I protect big apprentice brother from any harm?"
Then he heard a girl's voice whispering into the room, "Monkey Six, are you inside?" It turned out to be the voice of Yue Lingshan.
"Is that little apprentice sister? I..I am in here," Lu Dayou answered with unspeakable joy. He lit the oil lamp again, but in the hurry and excitement, he splashed the oil all over his hands.
Yue Lingshan pushed the door open and walked in. "How's big apprentice brother?" she asked.
"He just coughed some more blood," Lu Dayou answered.
Yue Lingshan walked by the bedside and reached out to feel Linghu Chong's forehead. It was burning hot.
"How come he's coughing blood again?" she asked in a frown.
Suddenly, Linghu Chong spoke out. "Little..little apprentice sister, is it you?"
"Yes, big apprentice brother. How do you feel right now?" Yue Lingshan asked softly.
"I..I'm feeling..alright," Linghu Chong murmured.
Yue Lingshan took out a pack from her chest pocket.
"Big apprentice brother, this is 'Violet Twilight Manuscript.' Dad said that..."
"Violet Twilight Manuscript?" Linghu Chong uttered in surprise.
"That's right. Dad said that you are suffering from heterodox Kung Fu masters' energy streams and only our own school's most supreme inner energy techniques can dissolve them. Monkey Six, you read the manuscript word by word for big apprentice brother. But you must not study any of it yourself. Otherwise, if Dad finds out about it, humph, you know the consequences," Yue Lingshan exclaimed.
Lu Dayou was overjoyed. He answered hurriedly, "I am just a bum. How would I ever dare to secretly study the most supreme inner energy techniques of our school? You can rest assured. This is great! In order to save big apprentice brother's life, Master is even willing to make an exception and bestow the manuscript to him. Thank goodness, big apprentice brother can be saved now."
"You must not mention this to anyone. I stole the manuscript from underneath my dad's pillow," Yue Lingshan whispered.
"Whaaaat? Did you just say that you stole Master's..Master's manuscript of inner energy techniques? What if Master finds it out?" Lu Dayou was shocked.
"So what? You think I am gonna get killed for doing this? Dad will probably give me a good beating and scolding at most. If big apprentice brother could survive because of it, Mom and Dad will surely be overjoyed and forgive me for what I did," Yue Lingshan answered.
"Right! Right! Saving life is the more urgent matter here," Lu Dayou said in agreement.
"Little apprentice sister, you bring it back to..to Master," Linghu Chong suddenly interrupted.
"Why?" Yue Lingshan asked in surprise. "It was no easy task to steal the manuscript, and I had to travel miles of mountain path in the dark to make it back. Why don't you want it? This is not a matter of studying Kung Fu on the sly; this is a matter of life and death."
"She's right! Big apprentice brother, you don't have to study everything out of it, just enough so you can dissolve those six freaks' evil energy streams. Then you can return the manuscript back to Master. By then, Master will probably bestow the manuscript to you officially. You are the head apprentice of our school, so of course you are the one who will get awarded this manuscript. Who else will ever have the opportunity? You are only getting it a bit earlier. What's the matter?" Lu Dayou couldn't agree more.
"I..I would rather die than disobey Master's will," Linghu Chong replied. "Master said it before that I can't..study the Divine Art of Violet Twilight. Little..little apprentice sister, little..little apprentice sister..." Not able to catch his breath, Linghu Chong fell unconscious again.
Yue Lingshan checked under his nose. The breathing was weak, but at least he was still breathing. After a sigh, she said to Lu Dayou, "I've got to head back. Mom and Dad are gonna be so worried if I don't make it back to the temple by dawn. Talk to big apprentice brother, will you? Ask him to do as I said and study the Violet Twilight Manuscript. Tell him to not forget that..." She blushed for a second and then finished the sentence. "..I went through all the trouble of running about just for him."
"I will definitely talk to him," Lu Dayou replied. "Little apprentice sister, where are you lodging at?"
We lodged at White-Horse Temple tonight," Yue Lingshan answered.
"Oh, White-Horse Temple is like ten miles from here. Little apprentice sister, I am sure big apprentice brother will never forget the trouble you have gone through to make a twenty-mile round trip in one night."
"I only wish that he could survive and recover. That would be the best. What does it matter if he remembers this or not?" Yue Lingshan sobbed.
She gently set the Violet Twilight Manuscript booklet at the head of the bed. After staring at Linghu Chong's face for a moment, she ran out of the door.
Linghu Chong didn't wake up until over two hours later. Before he even opened his eyes, he had already cried out, "Little..apprentice sister, little apprentice sister!"
"She left already," Lu Dayou said.
"She left?" Linghu Chong cried out. All of a sudden, he sat up and grabbed onto Lu Dayou's collar band.
That gave Lu Dayou a good jolt. He explained hurriedly, "Yes, little apprentice sister has left. She said that if she couldn't make it back before dawn, Master and Master-Wife would get worried. Big apprentice brother, why don't you lie down to rest?"
"She..she left? She left with apprentice brother Lin?" Linghu Chong murmured as if he didn't catch any of Lu Dayou's words.
"She is together with Master and Master-Wife," Lu Dayou explained. But Linghu Chong only responded with a blank stare and a twitched face.
"Big apprentice brother," Lu Dayou said in a soft voice, "little apprentice sister cares about you very much. A young girl like her, running back from White-Horse Temple late at night, making a round trip of twenty miles, she really has deep affections for you. Before she left, she urged me again and again. She wants you to study the Violet Twilight Manuscript and not to forget..forget her feelings for you."
"Did she say that?" Linghu Chong asked.
"Yeah! Would I dare lie to you?" Lu Dayou replied.
Linghu Chong could no longer hold himself steady. The back of his head banged heavily against the brick bed as he fell back down, but he didn't feel any pain at all.
That gave Lu Dayou another jolt.
"Big apprentice brother, let me read it for you," Lu Dayou said. He picked up the Violet Twilight Manuscript. Turning to the first page, he started reading.
"All forms of martial arts use inner energy as the base. The vast amount of righteous energy is bestowed upon us from Heaven. But ordinary people are ignorant of the right way to preserve the energy and let their emotions to stand in the way instead. The perils of a martial are violent, arrogant, cruel, and evil. Being violent causes disturbance to the spirit, thus disrupts the energy flow; being arrogant causes separation of spirit, thus makes the energy impetuous; being cruel causes the void of humanity, thus drains the energy source; being evil causes vicious behavior, thus shortens the energy breath. Those four perils are all like blades that would block and cut off energy flow..."
"What are you reading?" Linghu Chong asked.
"Abstain the four perils and return to many types of delicate kindness. Restrain your violent and cruel emotion to preserve your righteous energy stream. Beat the Heaven Drum, drink the Jade Honey, rinse the Corona Pool, and tap the Golden Beam. [5] Follow the way and soon the effect will show."
"This is the secret formula of our school. By reading it recklessly, you have already violated our school rule. Put it away immediately," Linghu Chong admonished in a strict voice.
"Big apprentice brother, in urgent circumstances, a true man would do what is expedient, instead of rigidly adhere to details. Right now it's more important to save your life. Let me read to you some more," Lu Dayou said. He went on reading and the scripts started explaining the details of the advanced Qi-Gong techniques like how to "beat the Heaven Drum and drink the Jade Honey" and how to "rinse the Corona Pool and tap the Golden Beam."
"Shut up!" Linghu Chong yelled out loudly.
Lu Dayou was taken by shock. He raised his head and asked, "Big apprentice brother, are you..are you alright? Where does it hurt?"
"My entire body hurts when I hear..hear you read Master's..manuscript of inner energy techniques. Are you trying to make me a..disloyal and dishonorable man?" Linghu Chong roared angrily.
"No, no! How would that make you disloyal and dishonorable?" Lu Dayou was astounded.
"Master brought the Violet Twilight Manuscript up to the 'Cliff of Contemplation' the other day and wanted to teach me the techniques. But he found out that not only my way of practicing was way off, but also my natural endowment, so he changed his mind..mind..." Linghu Chong panted heavily and had a hard time to speak on.
"This time, it's for the sake of saving your life, not about studying the Kung Fu in sly, so..so it's a totally different matter," Lu Dayou argued.
"As apprentices, which is more important, our own lives or Master's orders?" Linghu Chong asked.
"The most important thing is that Master and Master-Wife both want you to stay alive, let alone..let alone little apprentice sister's affections for you. She had to make such a long round trip late at night. How can you let her down?" Lu Dayou said.
Linghu Chong felt a sudden urge to cry but he worked hard to hold the tears back.
"Just because she..she brought it here for me..I..Linghu Chong am a man with pride. Why would I ever take pity from others?"
As soon as those words came out, his body shivered as he pondered upon himself, "I am never a stickler for regulations. In order to save myself, what's the big deal if I do study the inner energy techniques of our own school? So the real reason why I don't want to study the Divine Art of Violet Twilight is because I am mad at little apprentice sister. Deep in my heart, I resented the fact that little apprentice treats apprentice brother Lin with much affection and treats me coldly. Linghu Chong, look at you. When have you become so stingy?" But when he thought that by the time of dawn, Yue Lingshan would join Lin Pingzhi again on the long trip to Mount Songshan and they would travel side by side, chatting and singing folk songs together again, he could no longer hold on to his tears.
"Big apprentice brother, you've thought it wrong. Little apprentice sister grew up together with you. You..you are almost like brother and sister," Lu Dayou persuaded.
"That's exactly what I don't want to be: brother and sister," Linghu Chong thought, but he couldn't speak it out loud.
Lu Dayou continued. "I'll read on. You listen carefully. If you can't memorize it, I'll read it a couple of more times. All forms of martial arts use inner energy as the base. The vast amount of righteous energy is bestowed upon us from Heaven..."
"Stop it!" Linghu Chong yelled out in a stern voice.
"Sure, sure, big apprentice brother," Lu Dayou answered. "In hope for your speedy recovery, I have no other choice but to disobey your order. I'll take all the blames for breaking Master's order. You don't want to listen, but I just wouldn't let you. It was I, Lu Dayou, who insisted on reading it. You never even touched the Violet Twilight Manuscript with a finger of yours. You never looked at a word in the manuscript either. What's your fault? You are laid up in bed and simply can't help it. It's I, Lu Dayou, who forced you to study it. All forms of martial arts use inner energy as the base. The vast amount of righteous energy is bestowed upon us from Heaven..." He just read on and on in a flow of eloquence.
Linghu Chong tried to ignore it, but words after words forced their way into his ears. He suddenly groaned loudly.
"Big apprentice brother, are you alright?" Lu Dayou asked hurriedly.
"Will you please pad..pad my pillow..pillow a bit higher?" Linghu Chong asked.
"Sure." Lu Dayou answered and reached forward to pad Linghu Chong's pillow.
Suddenly, Linghu Chong jabbed forward with all this strength, and his finger jabbed right onto the Tan-Zhong point on Lu Dayou's chest. Lu Dayou fell down onto the bed without even a groan.
"Sixth apprentice brother, I am sorry I have to do this. You can rest on bed for half a day and then your sealed pressure point..point will open by itself." Linghu Chong said with a wry smile.
Linghu Chong slowly struggled his way off the bed. Throwing a stare at the Violet Twilight Manuscript booklet for a moment, he finally heaved a sigh and walked by the door. Picking up the door bolt leaning against the wall, he used it as a crutch and stumbled out the door.
Greatly worried, Lu Dayou called out, "Big..big..where..are you..going..?"
Normally when someone's Tan-Zhong point was sealed, he would not be able to talk at all, but because Linghu Chong was so weak, his jab only made Lu Dayou's arms and legs numb and failed to completely paralyze him.
Linghu Chong turned his head back. "Sixth apprentice brother, I want to stay as far away from the Violet Twilight Manuscript as possible. I don't want anyone to see my dead body next to the manuscript and think that I studied the supreme techniques on the sly and died from fire deviation..I don't want to be looked down on by apprentice brother Lin..." At that word, he coughed again. More blood gushed out of his mouth and dripped down by his chin.
Afraid that he might not be able to leave at all with his almost exhausted strength from any more delay, he took a deep breath and walked forward with the help from the door bolt. Relying on his strong will, he slowly made his way forward and ultimately disappeared in the dark.
.......
[1] Three religions: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Nine schools of thought: the Confucians, the Taoists, the Yin-Yang, the Legalists, the Logicians, the Mohists, the Political Strategists, the Eclectics, and the Agriculturists.
[2] A phrase used to include all aspects of weaponry. The eighteen types of weaponry are: Saber, spear, sword, halberd, axe, battle-axe, hook, fork, whip, mace, hammer, talon, trident-halberd, cudgel, long-handled spear, short cudgel, stick, and meteor hammer.
[3] According to Chinese Medical Theory, these are main and collateral channels, regarded as a network of passages, through which vital energy circulates and along which the acupuncture points are distributed.
[4] Tai Chi is really a term used by ancient Chinese philosophers to refer to the infinite universe.
[5] Heaven Drum (Tian-Gu), Jade Honey (Yu-Jiang), Corona Pool (Hua-Chi), and Golden Beam (Jin-Liang) are four different major acupuncture points on a human body.