Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain by Jin Yong Read online

  "The second message, which Yama was to convey to Phoenix, concerned the circumstances surrounding the death of the fathers of the Gilt-faced Buddha and Tian the Young Master. These two elders never returned after making a journey to the land beyond the Pass one year earlier. Their loss was reported some ten years before Master Gully and Phoenix the Knight-errant challenged each other to a duel.

  "The two elders were both adept fighters, spoken of with awe by their Brothers-at-Arms. As their sudden disappearance was shrouded in mystery, it was held that the person who dispatched them must be a renowned warrior. Master Gully's usual domicile was the land beyond the Pass. His family was an inveterate enemy of the Miao and Tian Families. It therefore did not take anyone long to come to the conclusion that Master Gully was the culprit. For ten years or so before the incident in question, the Gilt-faced Buddha and Tian the Young Master had been making enquiries through the length and breadth of the country, but all to no avail. They failed even to make the acquaintance of Master Gully. Finally, the Gilt-faced Buddha's last ploy was to boast that his sobriquet was the Invincible Under the Sky. He hoped thus to taunt Master Gully into journeying from beyond the Pass. His enemy read his intention, and therefore did not pay heed to it. Meanwhile, Master Gully continued to travel far and wide in search of the two old ones, Miao and Tian. Only by locating them could he then hope to meet the Gilt-faced Buddha in person and prove his innocence.

  "Where there is a will, there is a way. After carrying out a reconnaissance for years, Master Gully finally succeeded in obtaining information about these two. By that time, his wife was already with child. She was a Southerner. She suddenly felt terribly homesick as she neared her delivery day. Being an affectionate and loving husband, Master Gully therefore accompanied her on the trip to the South. When he arrived at the town of Tang, he was challenged to a duel by Fan the Ringleader and Tian the Young Master. Later, he was challenged to another fight by the Gilt-faced Buddha.

  "When Master Gully dispatched Yama on his mission, he wished the Gilt-faced Buddha to know that soon after he had escorted his wife back to her village of origin, he would take him to retrieve the body of his father in person, so that Phoenix the knight-errant could gain first-hand information concerning the circumstances surrounding his death. The two seniors, Miao and Tian, had died in such disgrace that Master Gully felt it would be wrong to recount the circumstances to their heirs in person; the best way was to take them to the site and let them discover the truth for themselves.

  "The third part of the message that Yama was to take to Phoenix was about the poniard once wielded by the Dashing King. This poniard houses an enormous treasure. Needless to say, there is both gold and silver, as well as countless numbers of precious stones and prize jewellery."

  The Company was greatly surprised on hearing this. It seemed to them that the poniard did not even have room for a tiny ingot, so how could there be room to house a countless number of precious stones and prize jewellery?

  Quad carried on with his story: "That evening, Master Gully explained to Yama everything in connection with the treasure. You will be surprised if you listen to what I shall tell you next.

  "After the Dashing King had taken the capital, the Imperial Court of the Ming Dynasty, families of the Royal Household, ranking vassals, and army generals soon surrendered. These people had all led lives of wealth and luxury. The Dashing King's military officers decreed that they should relinquish their fortunes as ransom. Within a few days, the treasure poured in in heaps and piles, its worth reaching an astonishing figure. Later, when the Dashing King withdrew from the capital, he commissioned his trusted army leaders to convey the treasure to a secure place for concealment. He had been intending to use this priceless possession for maintaining and rewarding his followers to attempt an eventual come-back. He drew the hiding place for the treasure on a map and locked the key to decipher the map in the poniard. Before making his escape from Jiugong Mountain, the Dashing King handed both the map and the poniard to his myrmidon, Lynx of the Sky. When Lynx was killed, the map and the poniard then found themselves transferred into the hands of his sworn Brothers. Not long after this, Lynx's heir regained possession of these two articles by force.

  "In the course of the past hundred or so years, and in the course of the ensuing battles, these two objects kept changing owners. The poniard eventually remained in the safekeeping of the Tian Family of the Dragon Lodge, while the map became an heirloom of the Miao Family. Neither families knew that a great secret was hidden in each of their possessions. Hence, no attempt was ever made to retrieve the hidden treasure. Though this secret was known to members of the Hu Family who had been passing it down from generation to generation, they, likewise, could not recover the lost treasure as they had in their possession neither the map nor the poniard.

  "Master Gully furnished the Gilt-faced Buddha with information about the hidden treasure, asking him to retrieve the goods of value and distribute them as alms to all the poor. He even suggested staging a revolt using this fortune, to drive the Manchus beyond the Pass, and then returning the rule of China to the Hans.

  "Each of the three secrets Master Gully entrusted to Yama for transmission to the Gilt-faced Buddha carried an implication of great consequence. Master Gully was baffled, until death, by the Gilt-faced Buddha's insisting on challenging him to a duel and coming to grapple with him, even after his having divulged all the secrets. The Gilt-faced Buddha might have, after all, assumed the title of a knight-errant in vain, as he failed even to distinguish right from wrong; or, he might have refused to credit any of the three strange messages. To him, perhaps, all the events seemed too strange to believe." When Quad reached this part of the story, he heaved a heavy sigh.

  * * *

  All this while, Century had been listening with rapt attention in silence. Suddenly, he broke in, "I know the reason why the Gilt-faced Buddha insisted on challenging Gully to a duel. But I do not intend to dwell on it at the present moment. Answer me this one question: why are you here on this mountain?" This was the question everyone had long been awaiting.

  Immediately, Quad came forward with an answer, in awe-inspired tones, "I am here to take vengeance for the death of Master Gully."

  "Take vengeance? On whom?" returned Century.

  "On the one who took the life of Master Gully," shouted Quad, with a sneer in his voice.

  Orchid turned pale with horror, muttering, "Are you trying to harm my father?"

  Quad hastened to assure her, "Master Gully did not die at the hands of the Gilt-faced Buddha, but was dispatched by a creature known formerly as Yama, a one-time osteopath, who later renounced the world to become a monk, with the assumed name of Tree."

  The Company assembled was startled on hearing this, thinking to themselves, "How could Gully possibly have been dispatched by Tree?"

  Suddenly, Tree raised himself to his full height. He let out a loud laugh and said, "Well, I dare you to kill me. Attack me at once!"

  Quad replied, in a quiet tone, "I have already set my hand to it. I vouchsafe that you will not survive seven days and seven nights from this hour."

  Everyone shuddered when this verdict was pronounced, wondering how Quad had managed to play his vile trick in the dark. Tree could not hide his fear, and yet remained undaunted as he bawled the words, "You think you can plot against me, thick-headed as you are?"

  Quad immediately answered sharply, "It will not only be you. No one on this mountain, male or female, young or old, will last for more than seven days and seven nights."

  On a sudden, the Company feared for their lives. Some started to their feet, dumbfounded, while others were wide-eyed, preparing to stand up. Since reaching the summit, everyone had been gripped by a feeling of acute uneasiness. Quad's last sentence may have struck the ears as ludicrous, yet, under the circumstances, it was enough to fill everyone once more with a gloomy foreboding. The Company was gripped by fear, powerless to express what was preying on their minds.

  At
length, Tree spat angrily, "What have you mixed with the food and drink?"

  Quad answered, smiling coldly, "Not Poison which would soon dispatch you. I am not prepared to let you escape so easily. I wish to see you wither away with dragging slowness, from starvation."

  "Starvation?" echoed Curio, Century, Third and the others.

  Quad remained motionless for a considerable time before continuing, "Yes! This mountain had ten days' provisions to begin with, but now not a single day's are left. I have thrown it all down the mountain."

  Amid shrieks, Tree grasped Quad's left arm like the devil practising the Grapple. Quad, whose right arm had already been amputated, made no attempt to throw off his assailant. He continued sneering. At once, Curio and Radiant, who were standing before him, lashed out their arms and rubbed their fists, ready to shower blows on him the minute he made any feinting or aggressive move.

  At this moment, the steward of the eyrie rushed in. He had returned to the central hall in a flash, to inform the Company in a trembling voice, "All the victuals on the eyrie are gone; the pork, beef, chickens, ducks, vegetables have ... really ... really, everything has been thrown down the mountain by this fellow."

  To the ears suddenly came a thudding sound as Curio struck Quad in the chest, driving with full force. The victim let out a low cry. Bright blood came gushing from his mouth in an unstaunchable stream. Quad stood still, smiling sneeringly and fearlessly.

  Impatiently Tree demanded of the steward, "Not a soul was in the kitchen and in the pantry?"

  The steward slowly explained, "Three handymen were at the job, but they were all trussed up by him. While the two young fiends were creating havoc in the hall, all of us moved to the room to watch. This must have been a trick of Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain to lure us away from the site. Miss Miao, we took him to be one of the domestic helpers whom you brought along."

  Orchid shook her head and said, "No. I thought he was the steward of the eyrie."

  "Are there any foodstuffs left?" interrupted Tree, showing his impatience. The steward shook his head, deeply distressed.

  Curio was about to raise his hand, ready to deal Quad another blow, when Orchid interceded, "Easy, Master. You forget what I said."

  Puzzled by her words, Curio stood there, suspending his fist in mid air. Orchid then reminded him, "He is holding the wooden tablet with my father's name inscribed on it. I made it clear that no one is to do him any harm."

  Curio quickly remonstrated, "But he is weighing all our lives in the balance. You ... how can you ..."

  Orchid continued to shake her head. "Whether we are to live or die is a separate issue. I have to stand by what I said. Now this man has thrown all the victuals down the mountain, there is no escape for any of us. We shall all starve to death, and he will be no exception. One must have a good reason when embarking on a venture that puts one's own life at stake."

  Turning next to Tree and Curio, Orchid continued, "Heaven has decreed when each of us will have to go; there is no point in going against the Divine will. Let us listen to what he has to say to find out whether we really deserve to make our departure now." She delivered her speech with a calm sense of purpose, causing Tree to loosen his grip on Quad's arm. Finally, Curio returned his seat, crushed.

  Orchid then addressed Quad, "Master Quad, you are thinking of starving us all to death. Will you tell us the reason behind this? Are you doing this to avenge the death of Uncle Gully?"

  At once, Quad answered, "To address me as Master Quad is to do me too great an honour. In all my days, I have been pre-destined to address others as lord or Master, and I myself have not acquired merits enough to deserve this honour. Miss Miao, I was most grateful when, at the time in question, Master Gully gave me some silver ingots and saved three lives in my family. I was also equally grateful for another matter. People used to call me Quad the Scabby-headed. People looked down on me and trampled on me. But Master Gully alone hailed me as 'Little Brother', insisting also that I address him as Big Brother. I, Quad, have been at people's beck and call my entire life. Master Gully, however, told me that all men are equal before the Old One above, and there is no distinction between upper and lower class. I was awakened by him, as if I were a blind man suddenly recovering his sight after losing it for ten or so years. I knew Master Gully for less than a day, and yet I took to him as though he were my kinsman. I love and adore him like my natural parent.

  "After Master Gully and the Gilt-faced Buddha had battled each other for several days with neither being able to gain the advantage, I automatically began to feel worried for Master Gully. On the last day of the combat, Master Gully was taken by the poison on the blade, followed by his wife who committed suicide, sacrificing her life for her husband. The events were precisely the same as they were recounted by Miss Miao. I was there and witnessed the entire scene and will never allow a single detail to escape my memory."

  Turning to Tree, Quad posed the question, "Doctor Yama, on that particular day, did you not carry a kit-box in your left hand and a bundle containing ten or more silver ingots on your back? Did you have on that day a black cotton robe lined on the inside with lambswool, and on your head a tobacco yellow felt cap with holes?"

  Tree gave a start, turning pale with terror. His right hand holding the rosary trembled. He looked off into the distance, saying not a word.

  After posing these important questions, Quad continued, "The evening before the skirmish on the last day, Master Gully and the Gilt-faced Buddha were closeted together deep into the night. Yama the osteopath was straining his ears by the side of the window until he was finally dealt a blow by the Gilt-faced Buddha across the casement, giving him black eyes and a swollen nose. He told us that after the incident he went immediately to bed. However, I caught him doing one more thing before retiring to his bed. Master Gully and the Gilt-faced Buddha were then sharing the same room. Being both forthright and upright characters, they had left their weapons in the hall. Yama produced a tin of ointment from his kit-box and quietly smeared some of the ointment on their weapons. At that time, I was still a teenager, and I knew very little. It never occurred to me that Yama was laying a vile scheme. Only after Master Gully was injured by poison did it strike me that the edges of the blades had been smeared with poison. Yama wanted to see both Master Gully and the Gilt-faced Buddha's lives taken at the same time. Yama, you were really cruel-hearted!

  "It is quite understandable why Yama wanted to dispatch the Gilt-faced Buddha, simply to exact satisfaction from him. But why did Yama also smear poison on the Gilt-faced Buddha's blade? Master Gully, in fact, had never borne him any grudge. At that time, I could not understand why he had done that. Later, as I grew older, I began to see his real intention. This fellow, after all, had set his mind and heart on Master Gully's iron casket.

  "Yama the osteopath was lying when he said he did not know what was inside the casket. He surely knew what was inside. Master Gully emptied all its contents onto the table when handing the casket over to his wife. There were jewels and precious stones, glistening and sparkling. Master Gully told his wife, 'My love, you are martially accomplished, and should the need arise you can always help yourself to the gold and silver hoarded by corrupt officials and local ruffians. You may eventually be caught if you attempt this too often. I ... I ...' His wife cut him short, saying, 'My lord, do not worry. Should anything unforeseen happen to you, I shall bring up the child to be full of heart and soul. The money procured from selling the jewellery piece by piece will be more than enough to support both mother and child the rest of our lives. I shall never take up my weapon to challenge people to a fight, and never will I commit theft or larceny. Is this not a fine idea?'

  "Master Gully lauded the idea and laughed heartily. Then he took out a booklet and told her, 'This Canon here on Pugilism and Knife Techniques was copied out by my forefathers.' His wife took the pamphlet and remarked with a smile, 'Well, the martial ability of Lynx of the Sky is, after all, recorded in the text here. You have cert
ainly kept this to yourself. Not even I was aware of its existence.' Her husband explained to her, 'The esoteric feats of my forefathers are handed down only to the male heirs, and never to the female line; only to the nephews, and never to their wives. This is how it acquired the name Hu's Knife Techniques.' Thereupon, his wife answered, wearing a smile on her face, 'I shall let our child study the Canon himself when he knows how to read. I promise I shall not steal anything from him.' Master Gully heaved a sigh. Then he put everything back into the casket before tucking it away under his wife's pillow.

  "Upon the death of his wife, I rushed immediately into her room, only to find Yama the osteopath was already there. I was taken aback. I quickly hid behind the door with my heart still thumping. I saw Yama pick up the baby with his left hand and take the iron casket out from beneath the pillow with his right hand. He then followed exactly the same steps with which Master Gully had opened the box. The lid immediately sprang open. He took the jewellery out and fiddled with it for a while, salivating. Then he put the child on the floor and took out the Canon on Pugilism and Knife Techniques. While he was leafing through the booklet, the baby suddenly started crying violently. Yama quickly snatched a quilt lying at hand and pulled it over the head and the body of the little one lying on the floor, lest his crying should draw the attention of the others

  "I was shocked by what Yama did. I thought that the baby would surely be suffocated. I resolved to rescue the child at all costs as Master Gully had been so very kind to me. Being young and not well-versed in martial arts, I was no match for Yama. As luck had it, I found a door-bar beside the doorway. I quietly grasped it in my hands, tiptoed to his back and hit him full on the crown.