Return of Condor Heroes (166 page)

Only five of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen were still alive at this time, Tan Chuduan died a long time ago. Ma Yu had also passed away by now. Liu Chuxuan assumed leadership of Quanzhen for a short while before passing the leadership onto Qiu Chuji. The five masters were old and their vigour was declining. There were no exceptional talents amongst the third and fourth generation. With the Mongolians trying to invade the south, the country was in peril. The Five Masters of Quanzhen would be able to deal with Jinlun Fawang should he lead his disciples against Quanzhen or the Ancient Tomb Sect should they try to extract vengeance upon Quanzhen. However, if they waited another ten years or so, by that time both internal and external calamity would hit the Quanzhen School. At that point the Quanzhen School would face definite defeat. That is why the Five Masters agreed to contemplate and create a new martial arts skill to protect the reputation of Quanzhen. This skill would not only protect the Quanzhen prestige but also protect the country and save the people. That is why they could be bothered by other duties, and that is why they summoned Zhen Zhibing back to become acting leader of the Quanzhen School.

Zhen Zhibing and the others were heading northwest. Xiao Longnu followed them not too far behind. That day they entered Shanxi province. “Martial Brother Zhen,” said Zhicheng. “We are getting close to Chongyang Palace. Do you think this Miss Long would dare to pursue us?”

Zhen Zhibing only mumbled, “Hmmm.” He had no idea what her intentions were. He had pondered this in his heart for a while now. “Would she expose my evil conduct to the Quanzhen Five Masters? Will she attack mercilessly? Perhaps she was only going to the Ancient Tomb and took the same way. Also … also … she had shown mercy to me before, would she forgive me?” He couldn’t help blushing, secretly ashamed at his foolish delusion. He had always regarded her as a deity. How could a mortal be compared to an immortal? Though he already showed disregard for his own life or death, honor or disgrace; in reality his heart was filled with fear.

Several days later they arrived at the base of Mount Zhongnan. Qi Zhicheng took out a whistling arrow; and with his arm strength flung it into the sky. It shot up and made a loud whistling noise. Not too long after four priests wearing yellow Taoist hats descended the mountain. Bowing to Zhen Zhibing in respect one of them said, “Reverend Chonghe, you’re back. We have been waiting for a long time.”

‘Chonghe’ was Zhen Zhibing’s religious title; but apart from his own disciples, nobody had called him by that title before. These four Taoist were the third generation disciples from various Masters; they were the same level as he was and one of them was even older than him. These four suddenly changed their way of addressing him, Zhen Zhibing felt uncomfortable. He quickly dismounted his horse and reciprocate their bow and said modestly, “Four Martial Brothers are my seniors, your Younger Martial Brother is not worthy of such a title.”

The oldest priest was Ma Yu’s disciple. He said, “The five Martial Uncles have issued a decree that as soon as Reverend Chonghe arrives, he has to take the Interim Sect Leader position. The official inauguration will have to wait until the Fourth Uncle [that is, Qiu Chuji] finishes his meditation.”

“How long have Master and four Martial Uncles been in seclusion?” Zhen Zhibing asked.

“It has been 20 days,” came the answer.

While they were still talking, there came a sweet sound of music from the mountain. Sixteen Taoist priests came near playing either the sheng or qing and arranged themselves on either side of the road. Another set of sixteen Taoist priests came. They carried in their hands some wooden musical instruments, swords, earthen bowls, and other religious articles. They bowed toward Zhen Zhibing and surrounded him, acting as human shields, and together they walked back up the mountain, unwittingly leaving Zhao Zhijing behind without paying any respect to him. He was angry and envious at the same time. “Just wait till the Sect Leader position falls into my hands, I want to see your face then,” he said in his heart.

They arrived at the Chongyang Palace at dusk. There were more than five hundred Taoists arranged in the main hall all the way to the entrance outside the palace. Drums, cymbals and bells were struck simultaneously. The several hundreds Taoists austerely bowed to welcome their Sect Leader.

Seeing this grand scene Zhen Zhibing’s spirits soared. Escorted by the sixteen most senior disciples he entered the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, he walked forward to respectfully kowtowed to the statues of the Taoist Three Pure Ones, Heavenly Deity Worthy of the Primordial Beginning, Heavenly Lord Worthy of the Numinous Treasure and Exalted Supreme Lord Lao. Then, they progressed to the rear hall to pay respects to the painting of Wang Chongyang, the founding grand master of the Quanzhen Sect. Zhen Zhibing respectfully kowtowed to the painting. Then, the entered the third hall, this was the hall were the Seven Masters gathered to deliberate. Zhen Zhibing kowtowed to the seven empty chairs that were in the hall. After that they returned to the main hall, the Hall of the Three Pure Ones.

Qiu Chuji’s second disciple Li Zhichang took out the Sect Leader decree and read it out loud while Zhen Zhibing knelt down, listening attentively. The decree assigned Zhen Zhibing to take over the Interim Sect Leader position. Zhen Zhibing was proud to accept this lofty position; but he was touched and ashamed at the same time. He stole a glance toward Zhao Zhijing who stood to one side. Zhao had a smirk in his face, Zhen Zhibing shuddered.

As soon as the decree was read Zhen Zhibing stood up to express his humble acceptance. But before he could say anything, a priest suddenly barged in, loudly saying, “Reporting to the Reverend Sect Leader, you have a guest waiting outside!”

Zhen Zhibing was startled; he did not expect Xiao Longnu would dare to confront him during that important ceremony. He did not know how to deal with it, and thought that since he could not run away, he might as well brace himself and face her. He simply said, “Please bring the guest in.”

The priest bowed and turned around; and came back with two people. Not only Zhen Zhibing, but the others were surprised as well. The guests were a Mongolian officer and another man he had met at Khubilai’s camp in Hunan. The Mongolian high-level official spoke with a clear voice, “His Majesty the Emperor has made a decision to grant an Imperial Decree to the Sect Leader of the Quanzhen Sect.” He walked toward the center of the main hall as he was speaking. Stopping at the center he produced a yellow satin scroll; unrolling the scroll with both hands he read out, “Imperial decree conferred to the Sect Leader of the Quanzhen Sect the special position to act as: shen sian yan dao da zong zhi. [lit. The deity/divine person to develop an excellent model of learning and integrity] He is to be the religious leader of the ‘Great Way’ [dao of Taoism] and to reveal the mystery of respectable and perfect mankind. To be in charge of various sects of Taoism …”

Reading to this point he saw nobody kneeling down; he was annoyed and said, “Sect Leader, please kneel to accept the imperial decree.”

Zhen Zhibing moved forward and bowed in respect. “My Master Sect Leader Qiu Chuji is currently meditating in a closed room. I am the Interim Sect Leader. The Imperial Decree is not bestowed on me; how would I dare to accept it?” he said.

The Mongolian officer smiled and said, “His Majesty the Emperor has said that the Venerable Reverend Qiu – who was well respected by our Great Genghis Khan is old; His Majesty was not sure if he is still in this world. Therefore, His Majesty has bestowed this decree not to the Venerable Reverend Qiu but to the Sect Leader of the Quanzhen Sect. Whoever the Sect Leader is, he is worthy to accept this.”

“This lowly priest does not have competency; how would he dare to accept?” Zhen Zhibing insisted on refusing the decree.

The officer laughed and said, “Don’t be bashful; quickly accept this order.”

Zhen reluctantly said, “This decree is unexpected, I can’t accept it just like that. I respectfully ask Your Honor to take a rest and have some tea while I discuss this matter with my martial brothers.”

The officer was not happy, but he could not do anything. He tucked the imperial decree away and said, “Very well. But I really do not know what you have to discuss.”

Four priests on duty ushered the guests to the guest chamber and served tea.

In the meantime Zhen Zhibing invited sixteen third generation disciples to convene in another room in the courtyard. “This is not a small matter, this junior does not dare to act without Martial Brothers’ approval,” he said, “I will respectfully listen to your valuable suggestions.”

“The Mongolian Emperor has shown us kindness, it is just proper for us to gracefully accept it,” Zhao Zhijing said. “Obviously our Sect is getting more prosperous than ever so that the Mongolian Emperor does not dare to look down upon us.” He was speaking with self-satisfaction in his voice and could not hold in his happy laugh.

“No, I don’t agree!” Li Zhichang shook his head. “Mongolia invaded our country and cruelly massacred our people. How can we accept this decree?”

“Uncle Master Qiu himself had accepted Genghis Khan’s royal invitation and traveled thousands of miles to the west,” Zhao Zhijing countered. “Sect Leader Zhen and you, Martial Brother Li, were among those who accompanied him on the journey. Having this precedent, why do we refuse the imperial decree now?”

“It’s different,” Li Zhichang said. “At that time Mongolia was at war with the Jin dynasty and had not invaded our country. They even formed an alliance with our great Song dynasty. How can you compare our present situation to those times?”

“You have a very dangerous opinion,” Zhao Zhijing threatened. “Mount Zhongnan is under Mongolian rule; our Chongyang Palace is within Mongolian territory. If we refuse the decree, wouldn’t that mean we are inviting a great disaster?”

Li Zhichang was offended. “Martial Brother Zhao’s opinion is not right,” he said.

“What do you mean ‘not right?” Zhao Zhijing said harshly, “Would Martial Brother Li give us direction?”

“Give you direction, I do not dare,” Li Zhichang said. “But let me ask Martial Brother Zhao: what kind of person was Founder Reverend Chongyang? What kind of people are the Quanzhen Seven Masters?”

“Our Founder, Master and all Uncle Masters are religious people who held high position in our Sect,” Zhao Zhijing answered with consternation.

“They were also real men and woman with determined spirits; patriotic citizens who protect suffering people without regard to their own lives. They took up arms fighting the Jin who invaded us,” Li Zhichang added.

“Reverend Chongyang and the Quanzhen Seven Masters are honorable people who have shaken the river and lake region [Jianghu]. Who in the martial arts world doesn’t respect them?” Zhao Zhijing tried to change the subject.

“I am deeply touched by our predecessors,” Li Zhichang boldly said. “Without exception they were fearless people who resolved to save other people through oceans of water and fire. They taught us the meaning of bravery. Our bodies may perish, but our honor will have to stand.”

His speech had touched Zhen Zhibing’s heart, as well as more than ten other Martial Brothers’. Zhao Zhijing, on the other hand, kept pushing his agenda. He sneered and said, “Is Martial Brother Li the only one who is fearless about death? Do other people fear death and covet life? Our founder had undertaken great difficulties in founding our Sect. Our Sect has reached a high point today; I wonder how much pain and suffering the Founder and Quanzhen Seven Masters have suffered? If Quanzhen Sect fell due to our inability, how would we face our Founder in the underworld? How would we be accountable to the Five Masters when they finish their meditation?”

His speech sounded reasonable and several martial brothers voiced their support. Zhao Zhijing was encouraged and continued, “The Jin dynasty was our archenemy. Now the Mongolians have destroyed their country, wouldn’t that make them our ally? In the past our Founder was defeated by the Jin which resulted in him living in seclusion inside the Ancient Tomb. If he knew his enemy was defeated, wouldn’t his soul in heaven be comforted?”

After hearing his comments praising the enemy, Wang Zhitan, another of Qiu Chuji’s disciples said, “If after defeating the Jin the Mongolians formed an alliance with our Great Song and lived in peace with our people we certainly would treat them as brothers. However, the Mongolian armed forces have continued their large scale maneuvers to the south fiercely attacking Xiangyang. Our Great Song is in grave danger. You, I and all of us are people of the Great Song. How could we accept the enemy’s decree?” He turned his head to Zhen Zhibing and asked, “Martial Brother Sect Leader, if you accept this decree, you are a traitor of China; you will be condemned forever by our Quanzhen Sect. I, Wang Zhitan; even if the blood of my neck splashes to the ground, will not let you disgrace us.” He spoke with a solemn voice and stern countenance.

Zhao Zhijing leaped up and smacked the table. “Martial Brother Wang!” he bellowed, “Do you want to resort to violence? How dare you insolently threaten the Reverend Sect Leader?”

“We stand on justice!” Wang Zhitan harshly shot back. “Fight if you want, do you think I am afraid?”

Both sides looked in each other’s eyes, ready to draw their swords to fight. A grey haired Taoist priest quickly intervened, “Hold! The Martial Brothers don’t have to fight. We can talk it over.”

“What is Senior Martial Brother’s opinion?” Wang Zhitan asked, eyes bulging out.

“My opinion,” the senior priest said, “We … we are devout people, we have to have mercy toward the people, and we have to help them. If … if we accept the Mongolian Emperor’s Imperial Decree, we will be able to persuade the Mongolian rulers and the officers not to commit atrocities. Didn’t Fourth Martial Uncle Qiu Chuji do the same and was able to save a multitude of lives?” Several of Zhao Zhijing’s supporters echoed their agreement.

A terse and forceful Taoist priest shook his head. “The circumstances then and today are beyond comparison. Junior followed Master’s journey to the west and had met Genghis Khan himself. I saw with my own eyes how the Mongolian troops destroyed cities and massacred their people, and committed great atrocities. If we accept this decree, it means we fall under Mongolian influence. Wouldn’t that mean we are assisting a tyrant to do evil? We might be able to save ten or twenty lives, but as the Mongolian power rises, I wonder how many thousands or tens of thousands people will die.” The short and stocky priest who said that was Song Defang, one of nineteen disciples who came with Qiu Chuji to the west.