The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre Chapter 1 Part 1

Longing for you at world's end.

Boundless spring wandering—
each year at Cold Food Day,
the pear blossoms’ time.
White silk, patternless, fragrant and profuse,
jade branches and crystal buds heaped with snow.
In the stillness of deep night,
the floating glow soft and hazy,
cold-soaked in the melting moon.
Between heaven and earth,
molten silver and rosy mist shine through all.

Much like the goddess of Mount Gushe,¹
her heavenly grace luminous and rare,
her spirit set apart.
Myriad blossoms: who knows
she stands not among common flowers?
Her noble aura, clear and keen,
her immortal gifts surpassing,
beyond the mortal world’s discernment.
She has returned to the Jasper Terrace—
only in the Grotto-Heavens can such purity be seen.

The composer of this Wusunian² lyric was a renowned martial scholar and Daoist adept of the late Southern Song.³ His surname was Qiu, his given name Chuji, and his Daoist appellation Changchun—the Eternal Spring. He ranked among the Seven Zis of Quanzhen⁴ and was an exemplary figure within the Quanzhen Order.⁵

The Cipin⁶ praised this lyric thus: “Changchun is what the world calls an immortal, yet the purity of his verse is such.” Though the poem appears to express admiration of the pear blossom, its true intent is to honour a beautiful maiden clad in white, extolling her as “much like the goddess of Mount Gushe, her heavenly grace luminous and rare, her spirit set apart,” and further declaring “her noble aura, clear and keen, her immortal gifts surpassing,” “not among common flowers.”

The maiden thus honoured was the heir of the Ancient Tomb School,⁷ Xiaolongnü.⁸ She wore white throughout her life, truly like wind stirring jade trees, snow mantling crystal buds. With her cold and distant nature, she well deserved the description “cold-soaked in the melting moon.”

To title the poem Wusunian—No Vulgar Thoughts—was most fitting indeed. Master Changchun dwelt as her neighbour upon Zhongnan Mountains.⁹ Having once beheld her beauty and marvelled that such a peerless maiden could exist in the mortal world, he composed this lyric in her honour.

By now Qiu Chuji had long since passed from the world, and Xiaolongnü had wed Yang Guo¹⁰ the Divine Eagle Xia,¹¹ the two living in seclusion within the Ancient Tomb on Zhongnan Mountains. Yet upon a mountain path on Mount Shaoshi¹² in Henan, another young maiden was softly reciting this very lyric. She was eighteen or nineteen years of age, dressed in pale yellow, and rode a grey donkey as she made her unhurried way up the mountain. In her heart she mused, Only someone like Elder Sister Long could ever be worthy of him.

That “him” referred, of course, to Yang Guo the Divine Eagle Xia. She did not even draw the reins, letting the grey donkey amble where it would as they ascended. After a long while, she murmured again:

Joy in love, sorrow in parting—
amongst these, devoted hearts the most.
What words have you for me?
Ten thousand li¹³ of layered clouds,
a thousand peaks in twilight snow—
a lone shadow: where shall you go?

A short sword hung at her waist. Her face bore the dust of travel, marking her as one who had journeyed far. In the bloom of youth, at an age meant for gladness and freedom from care, yet her features betrayed a faint melancholy, as though sorrow pressed upon her—lodged in her brow, settled in her heart, with no means of escape.

The maiden’s surname was Guo, her given name a single character Xiang.¹⁴ She was the younger daughter of the daxia¹⁵ Guo Jing¹⁶ and the lady xia Huang Rong,¹⁷ and bore the sobriquet Little Eastern Heretic.¹⁸ With a donkey and a sword, she wandered alone, hoping to dispel the gloom in her heart. Yet wine in a troubled breast only deepens sorrow, and solitary wandering through famed mountains serves only to multiply melancholy.

The mountain path of Mount Shaoshi rose steep and imposing, yet the way itself was a long staircase of broad stone steps, grand in scale and demanding no small labour to construct. These steps had been carved by order of Emperor Gaozong¹⁹ of the Tang Dynasty for his imperial visit to the Shaolin Monastery,²⁰ stretching a full eight li in length. Guo Xiang rode her grey donkey up the winding path. Looking across to the opposite peak, she saw five waterfalls cascading down in sprays of pearls and jade. When she gazed down at the surrounding mountains, they seemed no larger than anthills. Rounding a bend in the path, she caught sight of yellow walls and jade-green tiles—a monastery of vast proportions.

She gazed at the sprawling buildings for a time, lost in thought. The Shaolin Monastery has long been hailed as the wellspring of all martial arts beneath heaven. Yet at both Huashan Sword Summits,²¹ why was there no Shaolin master among the Five Greats?²² Could it be that the monastery’s adepts lacked the confidence to compete and, fearing to tarnish their reputation, simply declined to attend? Or perhaps the monks have attained such profound cultivation that all desire for fame has been extinguished, and though their skills be high, they disdain to contend with others?

She dismounted from the grey donkey and walked slowly towards the monastery gates. There before her stood a dense grove of trees shading a forest of stone steles. Most of the tablets were damaged, their inscriptions worn and illegible. She thought, Even words carved in stone fade with the passing of ages. How is it that what is carved upon my heart only grows clearer as the years go by?

Her wandering gaze fell upon a large stele bearing an imperial edict from Emperor Taizong²³ of the Tang,²⁴ praising the Shaolin monks for their meritorious service in quelling rebellion. The inscription recorded that when Taizong was still Prince of Qin and led his armies against Wang Shichong,²⁵ the monks of Shaolin joined his forces and distinguished themselves in battle. Thirteen monks were named as the most valorous. Of these, only the monk Tanzong²⁶ accepted the title of General. The remaining twelve declined all official honours, each receiving instead a purple silk kāṣāya²⁷ bestowed by the emperor. Her imagination stirred: even in the tumultuous era of Sui²⁸ and Tang, Shaolin’s martial prowess was already renowned throughout the realm. After centuries of refinement, how many hidden masters might now dwell within these walls?

Three years had passed since Guo Xiang parted from Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü upon the summit of Mount Hua.²⁹ In all that time, she had received not the slightest word of the couple. She often thought of them, and so she informed her parents that she wished to travel and see the mountains and waters of the land. Certain that the couple must be living in seclusion within the Ancient Tomb on Zhongnan Mountains, she went directly there to pay her respects.

Two maidservants emerged from the tomb and explained that Yang Guo and his wife had departed and not yet returned. They invited Guo Xiang to stay and await them, and she bided three days within the tomb. But the couple had given no indication of when they might return, so Guo Xiang departed and wandered at will. She travelled from north to south, from east to west, covering nearly half of the Central Plains,³⁰ yet never once did she hear any recent tidings of Yang Guo the Divine Eagle Xia.

On this day she arrived in Henan³¹ and recalled that within Shaolin Monastery dwelt a monk named Wuse³² who was a friend of Yang Guo. On her sixteenth birthday, out of regard for Yang Guo, Wuse had sent her a gift through an intermediary. Though they had never met, she might inquire of him—perhaps he would know of Yang Guo’s whereabouts. And so she had come to Shaolin.

Lost in her reverie, she suddenly heard from behind the trees the clinking of iron chains and a voice chanting scripture, ‘Then the yaksha and the king made a vow before the countless assembly, and spoke this supremely wondrous verse: From love arises sorrow; from love arises fear. For one who is free from love, there is no sorrow, no fear…’³³

Hearing these four lines of verse, Guo Xiang stood transfixed, silently repeating them, From love arises sorrow; from love arises fear. For one who is free from love, there is no sorrow, no fear.

The clanking of chains and the chanting of sutras gradually faded into the distance.

Guo Xiang murmured to herself, I would ask him how one can become free from love—how one can be without sorrow, without fear.

She looped the donkey’s reins around a tree, parted the bushes, and followed after the voice. Behind the grove she found a narrow path leading up the mountain. A monk was walking ahead, bearing a pair of large buckets on a carrying pole. Guo Xiang quickened her pace to catch up. When she came within seventy or eighty feet, she started in surprise: the buckets the monk carried were made of iron, more than twice the size of ordinary water buckets. Moreover, thick iron chains were wound about his neck, hands, and feet, clanking against the ground with every step. The iron buckets alone must have weighed some two hundred pounds, and filled with water, their weight was astonishing. Guo Xiang called out: ‘Great Master, please wait! I have a question to beg of you.’

The monk turned his head. As their eyes met, both were startled. This monk was none other than Jueyuan,³⁴ with whom Guo Xiang had once crossed paths upon the summit of Mount Hua three years prior. She knew that though he was unworldly in manner, his internal cultivation ran as deep as any master of the age.

“I thought it was someone else,” she said, “but it is the Great Master Jueyuan. May I ask what cultivation brings you here?”

Jueyuan nodded slightly and gave a faint smile. He pressed his palms together in greeting but did not speak, then turned and continued on his way. Guo Xiang called after him, “Great Master Jueyuan, do you not recognise me? I am Guo Xiang.”

Jueyuan glanced back with another small smile and nod, but did not pause. Guo Xiang persisted, “Who has bound you in these chains? Why do they mistreat you so?”

Jueyuan extended his left palm behind his head and waved it several times, signalling her not to ask further.

Confronted with such a peculiar scene, how could she rest without understanding it? She hurried after him, hoping to overtake him and block his path. Yet though Jueyuan bore iron chains about his body and carried the great iron buckets, Guo Xiang could not draw ahead of him no matter how she quickened her pace. A spark of mischief kindled within her; she unleashed the qinggong³⁵ passed down through her family, kicked off the ground, and leapt forward, reaching for the rim of a bucket. She was certain her hand would close on it—but at the last instant, she fell two inches short. She exclaimed, “Great Monk, you are too skilled! I shall catch you yet.”

But Jueyuan continued at his unhurried pace, chains chiming like music, climbing ever higher towards the rear of the mountain.

By the time Guo Xiang’s breathing grew somewhat ragged, she still trailed about ten feet behind him. Admiration stirred in her heart. Father and Mother both said on Mount Hua that this great monk’s martial skill was exceedingly high. At the time, I hardly believed it. Now I see they spoke truly.

She watched Jueyuan circle behind a small hut and pour both buckets of water into a well.

Guo Xiang was astonished. “Great Monk, what are you doing—carrying water only to pour it into a well?”

Jueyuan’s expression was placid. He merely shook his head. A flash of understanding crossed Guo Xiang’s face. “Ah, you are practising some profound neigong.”³⁶

Jueyuan shook his head again.

Guo Xiang’s vexation grew. “I heard you chanting sutras just now. Surely you have not lost your voice—why will you not answer me?”

Jueyuan pressed his palms together, his face bearing a look of apology. Without a word, he lifted his buckets and descended the mountain. Guo Xiang peered down into the well. The water was clear, with nothing unusual about it. She stared after Jueyuan’s retreating form, utterly perplexed.

Her brief pursuit had left her slightly flushed and restless. She sat upon the stone rim of the well and surveyed the scenery. From this vantage she stood higher than all the monastery’s buildings. The layered cliffs of Mount Shaoshi thrust towards the heavens like a painted screen; below, mist and woodsmoke drifted in hazy veils, and the temple bells carried faintly on the wind, easing the clamour in her breast. After a time, she thought, Since the monk will not speak, I shall ask the young man. Where might his disciple be?

She rose and strolled down the mountain, intending to seek out Jueyuan’s disciple, Zhang Junbao,³⁷ and question him. Before she had gone far, she heard the clinking of chains—Jueyuan was ascending once more with his buckets. Guo Xiang slipped behind a tree. Let me watch in secret and see what mischief he is about.

Footnotes

1. 姑射山 – Gūshè Shān. A mythological mountain from the Zhuangzi, where an immortal goddess dwelt whose skin was white as snow and whose beauty transcended the mortal realm. See Wikipedia. ↩

2. 无俗念 – Wúsúniàn. Literally no vulgar thoughts. A ci poetry tune title. ↩

3. 南宋 – Nán Sòng. The Southern Song Dynasty, which lasted from 1127 to 1279 CE, forced to move its capital south after the loss of northern China to the Jin Empire. See Wikipedia. ↩

4. 全真七子 – Quánzhēn Qīzǐ. Wang Chongyang’s seven disciples who led the Quanzhen Order after his death. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 全真教 – Quánzhēn Jiào. Literally complete truth order. Daoist martial-monastic order founded by Wang Chongyang, one of the most influential orthodox factions. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 词品 – Cípǐn. Literally ranking of lyrics. A Ming Dynasty work of literary criticism compiled by Yang Shen (1488–1559) evaluating ci poetry. See Wikipedia. ↩

7. 古墓派 – Gǔmù Pài. Ancient Tomb School, a reclusive martial arts lineage founded by Lin Chaoying and based in the Tomb of the Living Dead beneath Zhongnan Mountains. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 小龙女 – Xiǎolóngnǚ. Her name meaning “Little Dragon Maiden”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

9. 终南山 – Zhōngnán Shān. Literally end of south mountain. Sacred Daoist mountain range south of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, where Wang Chongyang established the Quanzhen Order’s headquarters. See Wikipedia. ↩

10. 杨过 – Yáng Guò. His name meaning “Yang Surpassing” or “Yang Repentance”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 神雕大侠 – Shéndiāo Dàxiá. Literally divine condor great hero. Yang Guo’s epithet, earned through his legendary companion—a giant condor—and his heroic deeds. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

12. 少室山 – Shǎoshì Shān. Lesser Chamber Mountain, the western peak of Mount Song in Henan Province, where Shaolin Monastery is located. See Wikipedia. ↩

13. 里 – Lǐ. Traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 metres or 0.31 miles. Hence 10,000 li is a metaphorical term for a vast distance. For example, the Great Wall’s name in Chinese is literally the 10,000 Li Long Wall. ↩

14. 郭襄 – Guō Xiāng. Her name meaning “Xiang of Guo”, with Xiang referring to Xiangyang, the city where she was born. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 大侠 – dàxiá. Literally great xia. The highest and most honorable title in the jianghu, denoting a xia of exceptional martial prowess, moral integrity, and steadfast commitment to upholding justice and protecting the weak. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

16. 郭靖 – Guō Jìng. His name meaning “Serenity”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 黄蓉 – Huáng Róng. Her name meaning “Huang Lotus”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

18. 小东邪 – Xiǎo Dōng Xié. Literally little eastern heretic. A sobriquet referencing her grandfather Huang Yaoshi’s epithet of Eastern Heretic, one of the Five Greats. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

19. 高宗 – Gāozōng. Emperor Gaozong of Tang (628–683), the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty. See Wikipedia. ↩

20. 少林寺 – Shàolín Sì. One of the most famous Buddhist monasteries in China, founded in the fifth century and renowned as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and Shaolin martial arts. Located on Mount Shaoshi in Henan Province. See Wikipedia. ↩

21. 华山论剑 – Huàshān Lùnjiàn. Literally sword discussion at Huashan. The legendary gatherings atop Mount Hua where the supreme martial artists of the age contested for supremacy. The participants engaged in both martial exchange and philosophical debate on mastery, rather than mere physical combat. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

22. 五绝 – Wǔjué. The five supreme martial artists who competed at the Huashan Sword Summit for martial supremacy. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

23. 太宗 – Tàizōng. Emperor Taizong of Tang (598–649), the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty and one of the greatest rulers in Chinese history. See Wikipedia. ↩

24. 唐 – Táng. A dynasty ruled by the Han Chinese under the House of Li from 618 to 907 CE. See Wikipedia. ↩

25. 王世充 – Wáng Shìchōng. A warlord of the Sui-Tang transition period who briefly established a rival dynasty before being defeated by Li Shimin (the future Emperor Taizong). See Wikipedia. ↩

26. 昙宗 – Tánzōng. A Shaolin monk who led the rescue of Li Shimin and was subsequently appointed General by the Tang court. See Wikipedia. ↩

27. 袈裟 – jiāshā. The formal outer robe worn by Buddhist monastics, a patchwork garment symbolising renunciation of worldly status. Purple kāṣāya were particularly prestigious, denoting imperial favour . See Wikipedia. ↩

28. 隋 – Suí. A dynasty ruled by the Han Chinese under the House of Yang from 581 to 618 CE. See Wikipedia. ↩

29. 华山 – Huáshān. Literally splendid mountain. One of China’s Five Sacred Mountains, the Western Great Mountain located in Huayin, Shaanxi Province. See Wikipedia. ↩

30. 中原 – Zhōngyuán. Literally “Central Plains,” the heartland of Chinese civilization along the Yellow River valley. Historically refers to the cultural and political centre of China. See Wikipedia. ↩

31. 河南 – Hénán. Province in central China where Shaolin Monastery is located. Literally “south of the river,” referring to the Yellow River. See Wikipedia. ↩

32. 无色 – Wúsè. His name meaning “Formless” or “Colourless”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

33. 药叉 – yàochā. A class of nature spirits in Buddhist and Hindu mythology. This verse is from the Sutra of the Great Yaksha General. The gatha quoted here ultimately derives from the Dhammapada (verse 212–216). See Wikipedia. ↩

34. 觉远 – Juéyuǎn. His name meaning “Awakened Distance” or “Far-reaching Enlightenment”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

35. 轻功 – qīnggōng. Literally lightness skill. The ability to move with superhuman agility, and weightlessness through qi redistribution to leap over trees and roofs, and skip over water. See Wikipedia. ↩

36. 内功 – neìgōng. Literally internal skill. It is the skill used to increase one’s internal power. See Wikipedia. ↩

37. 张君宝 – Zhāng Jūnbǎo. His name meaning “Zhang Sovereign Treasure”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩