Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain by Jin Yong (25 page)

The man with the disfigured visage took up the story: "Twenty-seven years ago, I was a janitor who fuelled the stove and chopped firewood at the staging post in that small village in Cangzhou. In the winter of the year in question, my family was beset by calamity: my father had borrowed five taels of silver three years before from a rich landlord, Zhao. In the intervening time, with interest compounding and multiplying itself several fold, the debt had finally reached the monstrous sum of forty taels of silver. Lord Zhao had my father seized. He tried to coerce him into signing a concession to sell my mother into his possession as a concubine.

"As my father staunchly refused to effect the vile transaction, he was savagely beaten up by the landlord's runners. After my father was finally released, he resolved things with mother. They arrived at the conclusion that the forty taels of silver would double in the following year. They despaired that they would ever be able to discharge their debt during the remaining days of their life. My parents wanted to cancel the debt by taking their own lives, and yet they could not bear the thought of abandoning me. So the three of us clung together and wept bitter tears. In the day-time, I went as usual to chop firewood at the inn. In the evening, even though I was filled with panic and fright, somehow I tried to maintain a close watch over my parents, lest they should commit suicide and leave me behind to strive miserably on my own.

"One evening, there arrived at the staging post many patrons who were afflicted with cuts from edged weapons. The innkeeper kept me throughout the long night, as he had to have extra staff on duty in the kitchen. Then came Master Gully on the following day. As his wife had given birth to a young heir the same day, extra hands were needed to look after the kitchen and stove. It went without saying that I was detained by the proprietor of the inn for another night. I missed my parents terribly. I was preoccupied, and several bowls slipped from my hands. The innkeeper slapped me across the face. I sidled to the side of the stove and sobbed as quietly as I could. When Master Gully heard my sobs as he walked past the kitchen, he came in and asked me why I was crying. His formidable looks frightened me, and I dared not utter a word. The more he asked me about it, the more violently I cried. Only after he had made himself more approachable and talked to me in a more amicable and friendly manner did I begin to pour out to him all the troubles besetting my family.

"Master Gully grew furious on hearing them. Hastily he assured me, 'This terrorising bully Zhao certainly deserves more than my dispatching him with one blow. But, as I am fully engaged at the moment, I cannot spare myself to gain revenge for your family. I shall give you one hundred taels of silver instead. You must take the money to your father so that he can clear his debts. Try to live frugally on the remaining sum and never again borrow money from the usurers.' I did not take his words seriously, thinking that he was just trying to cheer me. I was surprised when he offered me five silver ingots immediately. Did I dare to take the money? Master Gully then charmed me by saying, 'I was blessed with a baby boy today. I love my son dearly and care for him above all else. Your father and mother feel the same way about you. Now run home quickly! I will let the innkeeper know that I have sent you home, and he will not dare to treat you cruelly.'

"For a long while, I stared at him. My heart was throbbing and thumping, and I was at an utter loss. Master Gully seized a piece of cloth and wrapped the five ingots into a tidy package and strapped it on my back. He gave me a gentle kick, telling me with a laugh, 'Little dumb one, out you go: quick!'

"I turned on my heels and went home, making all speed. I did not quite understand what had happened. I told my parents and the three of us at once leapt up, rejoicing hysterically, finding it hard to believe that kind people like him did exist. We still could not believe that the five silver ingots glistening on the bench were real. It took us a while to realize that it was not a dream. Presently, my mother and I helped my father all the way to the inn to express our gratitude to Master Gully. We wanted to perform kowtows. But Master Gully at once stopped us, telling us that he disliked people thanking him. At that, he pushed us outdoors.

"Just as my parents and I were about to be on our way home, there suddenly came the sound of horses' hooves. A large group of people came barging into the staging post. They were Master Gully's enemies. I could not set my mind at rest. I asked my parents to go home first while I stayed behind to find out how things would turn out. I told myself that, as Master Gully had saved all three of us in the family, I would endeavour to make myself useful, even if it meant drowning or suffering burns. I would never hesitate to assist him.

"Presently, the Gilt-faced Buddha and Master Gully seated themselves opposite each other and began to drink. Master Tree was correct in informing us that Master Gully could not set his mind at rest about his newly born, but what he has overlooked was that, whilst Master Gully and his wife were talking to the osteopath inside their room, a janitor, who was in charge of chopping firewood, was also present, bearing witness to the happenings next door."

Suddenly, at this point, Tree started from his seat. Pointing his finger at the male attendant, the old monk roared out, "Who might you be? Who gave you instruction to blab such nonsense here?"

The story teller remained placid. He simply remarked drily, "I go by the name of Quad. I knew Yama the osteopath. Of course that osteopath Yama did not know me. I was then only a boy-of-all-work, with a scabious head, who chopped firewood at the inn."

The colour rushed into Tree's face when the name Yama was mentioned. Registering vaguely in his memory was a villain at the inn, whose head was scarred by scabies. As he had not even taken the slightest note of his looks or appearance at that time, Tree's memory certainly failed him now. Tree stared coldly at the wooden tablet which Quad was holding to his bosom. He swore aloud, "Damnation!"

Presently, Quad resumed his narration: "In the middle of the night, I heard Master Gully wailing. It gripped my heart and I could not set my mind at rest, so I hurried to his room. As I was nearing the entrance, I saw a dark outline clearly silhouetted against the casement of the adjoining room. The shadow was motionless. I wheeled around and looked out through a spy-hole in one of the windows and there was Yama, the osteopath, straining his ears and listening with bated breath to catch every word on the other side of the partition. As I was about to report this to Master Gully, out he walked into the open. He made his way directly to Yama's room and talked to him for some time. I now wonder why Master Tree has divulged absolutely nothing of the discourse held inside his room.

"Master Gully talked with Yama for a considerable time. Part of their conversation was beyond me, but what I could gather was that Yama was to embark on a mission the following day, on behalf of Master Gully, to explain to the Gilt-faced Buddha, Phoenix the Knight-errant, several matters of interest. The task assigned to Yama did, in fact, carry implications of enormous potential consequence. Master Gully should never have entrusted this job to an utter stranger in the first place. The point was that his wife had just delivered a child, making it inconvenient for her to go outdoors. Master Gully was known also to be quick-tempered, and if he were to go and explain things himself to Phoenix, he would almost certainly end up openly confronting Fan the Ringleader, Tian the Young Master and their retinue, with both parties eventually resorting to arms. Therefore, it would not matter whether he attempted an explanation or not, as a battle would inevitably ensue. Master Gully's last ploy was to turn to Yama, an outsider, and hope that he would convey the message for him. Master Tree has just told the Company that he was given a handsome reward for delivering a letter for Master Gully. There he has made an error. Imagine: what is the need to give a handsome reward for a task as simple as delivering a letter? Why did the couple have to spend half a day arranging all details? Master Tree might not have remembered all that Master Gully had instructed him; but I registered his every word."

From Quad's account the Company deduced that Tree had once gone by the name Yama, before being called to the Buddhist vocation. Judging from the expression on both Quad's and Tree's faces, the Company realized that the monk must have been intricately involved in the death of Gully. He had also deliberately misinformed the party by holding back from them certain facts when recounting his story. Piqued by curiosity, they eagerly looked forward to Quad's unravelling of this mystery. At the same time, they also harboured the fear that Tree might resort to underhand schemes if he was infuriated by Quad's divulging the real secret. For up here on the summit, Tree was the paragon of fighters: no one was his match, and none was able to offer Quad protection. Even if the Gilt-faced Buddha could eventually retaliate against Tree, the secret in question would die with Quad.

Everybody began to show concern for Quad's safety. Quad, nonetheless, remained placid and utterly fearless, as if he had hidden resources. Eventually, he continued his story: "I was standing on the other side of Yama's window when Master Gully and Yama were talking inside. I did not mean to eavesdrop on Master Gully. But knowing that the osteopath had always ingratiated himself with Zhao, the rich landlord who had trampled on my parents, I believed that he was not a decent fellow either, and he might do Master Gully harm. As I was quite young and not well educated, much of what Master Gully told Yama was beyond me. However, I registered carefully every sentence in my memory. As I grew older, I gradually learned to grasp fully the significance of their conversation.

"That evening, Master Gully instructed Yama to furnish the Gilt-faced Buddha with explanations of three different issues. The first was the root of the vendetta sworn by the ancestors of the four families. The second was about the circumstances surrounding the death of the fathers of the Gilt-faced Buddha and Tian the Young Master. The third concerned the Dashing King's poniard."

The Company all turned their heads around and fixed their gaze on the poniard lying on the table, growing increasingly anxious to get to the heart of the matter.

Quad again continued, "Miss Miao has told you the reason why the forefathers of the four families had pursued the vendetta in previous ages. However, a great secret was shrouded in this matter, which has been concealed from everyone. Even Phoenix the Knight-errant, until the present, has been kept in the dark.

"The incident took place in the second year of the Reign of Yongchang in the Dashun Dynasty of the Dashing King, being the year Yi You, or the second year during the Reign of Emperor Shunzhi under the Tartar rule. In that year, the forefathers of the four families pledged that, should the Manchu Dynasty survive, the secret should be held back for one hundred years, and could only be divulged in the year Yi Chou, being the tenth year during the Reign of Emperor Qianlong, which was some thirty years ago. It was assumed, twenty-seven years ago, when Master Gully entrusted Yama with the mission, that the one-hundred-year period had already expired. There was no further need for not divulging the secret.

"This secret indeed carried an implication of enormous consequence: the Dashing King had stayed alive after his enemies had besieged Jiugong Mountain."

This sudden pronouncement caused everyone to jump from their seats.

"Really?" cried out the Company in unison.

Tree alone remained complacent in his seat, wholly unaffected. He had apparently learned about this secret some time before.

After a few moments, Quad went on, "The Dashing King had indeed survived the siege on Jiugong Mountain. On that eventful day, he was surrounded on all sides by the Manchu army, making it wholly impossible for him to effect an escape. His three myrmidons, Miao, Fan and Tian, fought their way down the mountain, in an attempt to raise support elsewhere. A long time had elapsed, and no reinforcements were forthcoming. The enemies were gaining momentum and were closing in. The Dashing King's army officers were killed in great numbers, and many soldiers were sorely wounded. They were destined for defeat. The disastrous situation brought the ruler to despair. As he was about to raise his poniard to slash it across his throat, he was prevented at the last moment by his myrmidon Hu, known also as Lynx of the Sky.

"Lynx suddenly had an idea. He picked from the pile of dead bodies one whose build matched his Master's. After slipping the russet imperial robe and the king's hauberk onto the dead body, Lynx hung the imperial seal around its neck and showered blow after blow on its face, mangling its features beyond recognition. Lynx next flung the corpse on his back, reported to the Manchu camp, and gave himself up to the Tartar army, informing them that he had slaughtered the Dashing King and had come expressly to claim his credit and reward. This would indeed have been a job well executed, meriting measureless credit. Those reporting this case would certainly be rewarded by a soaring rank and a mounting fortune. No one in the least suspected the true identity of the body. If anyone had, he would have taken great pains to cover it up in order to claim credit and gain advancement himself. The enemies ended the siege of Jiugong Mountain the same day that the death of the false Dashing King was announced. By then, the real Dashing King had already disguised himself as a commoner, and easily made his way down the mountain. So the Dashing King did escape his fate, but only at the expense of dooming Lynx of the Sky, his most trusted myrmidon.

"Lynx had exhausted his wits in coming up with such a scrupulously well-intentioned plan. Among the outlawry, fighters quite commonly take up arms for Brother-at-Arms in the name of the Chivalric Code and Righteousness. In his attempt to effect the rescue of the Dashing King, Lynx was obliged to humble himself by surrendering to the enemies, bringing on himself the unfounded disgrace of having sold his Master for his own selfish gains. In former days, Lynx of the Sky had always been spoken of with awe by the Martial Brotherhood. The very mention of his sobriquet would invariably induce the fighters to turn up their thumbs and sing his praises: 'He is an excellent fellow!' It must have caused Lynx anguish to taint his name forever instead of placing himself in the ranks of righteousness.