A Bond Undone Read online

  It was not an empty threat. She had not eaten in days.

  Guo Jing shuddered at the sight of her gleaming white teeth, too frightened to answer.

  “The Quanzhen Sect has a saying: ‘Three Splendours Gather at the Crown, Five Forces to the Origin.’ What does it mean?”

  Guo Jing knew she was after his knowledge of inner strength. I’d rather die than help you improve your kung fu! I know you’re planning to go after my shifus! he answered silently.

  Cyclone Mei squeezed, sending shards of pain into his wrist.

  Guo Jing closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, determined not to show his suffering. Then he said, “I’ll never share my neigong knowledge with you!”

  She loosened her grip a little and tried to make her voice sound soft. “I will take the herbs to Wang Chuyi . . . to save his life.”

  That reminded Guo Jing of the reason he came to the palace in the first place. That was more important than anything, right now! She won’t be a bother to my shifus anymore if she can’t walk.

  “Swear you will help Elder Wang first.”

  “I vow to deliver the herbs to Wang Chuyi after you have shared the secrets of Quanzhen neigong. If I break my word, I shall be paralysed for eternity.”

  5

  “COME OUT, YOU LITTLE RASCAL!”

  Guo Jing recognised the voice: Browbeater Hou, the Three-Horned Dragon!

  “She can’t have got far; there’s nowhere for her to go!” A second man.

  They were only a few score paces to his left. But it sounded like they were moving away from him.

  Lotus is still in the palace? Guo Jing turned to Cyclone Mei. “There’s one more thing you must promise me. Or I won’t tell you anything.”

  “What is it?” Mei snapped.

  “My good friend is being pursued by the martial masters of this palace. You must give me your word that you will help her escape.”

  “How do I know where she is?” Mei tensed the hand still wrapped around Guo Jing’s throat. “Explain the internal kung fu first!”

  “It’s down . . . to you . . .”

  “I, Cyclone Mei, have never bent to anyone’s will. Yet, today, I will let you have your way,” she said, with gritted teeth. “Is she your sweetheart? You are devoted to her, aren’t you? Let me be clear. I’m only agreeing to help the girl. I’m not saying I’ll let you live.”

  “Lotus, come here! Lotus . . .”

  They heard a rustle from a nearby rose shrub, and Lotus emerged. She had been listening in the undergrowth for some time and Guo Jing’s words had sent a flood of hot tears down her cheeks. They had only been friends for a matter of days, yet he was thinking of her even when his life was in mortal danger.

  Lotus had been dressed as a beggar boy when they met and she had been living the part for some time. She was furious with her father. For the first time in her life, he had reprimanded her.

  She knew that, to her father, she was dearer than life itself. Her mother had died in childbirth. As she grew up, she was his only companion. He was an eccentric man. He did not live by assumed etiquette or the prevailing social rules of the time – indeed, he despised and rejected them. He always let her have her way and never said a stern word to her.

  All she had done to incur her father’s wrath was to go on a wander around the island, find the place he used as a prison and strike up a conversation with a captive therein.

  He had been greatly amusing, this captive. He complained the wine her father served was flavourless, so she had the servants bring a flask of their best vintage, together with a few plates of delicacies. They whiled away hours, eating and drinking. The man was thrilled by the feast and she had fun talking to the irreverent uncle.

  Why should this have caused such anger from her father? Feeling grievously wronged, she ran away and roamed from town to town, alone and abandoned. She even convinced herself that her father did not love her anymore; she might as well become the most miserable little beggar in the world.

  It was in this guise that she met Guo Jing outside an inn, in the fortress town of Kalgan. At first, she abused Guo Jing’s hospitality, ordering the most lavish and expensive dishes at her new acquaintance’s expense, to vent her anger at her father. But, as they ate and talked, they each felt like they were in the company of an old friend.

  When Guo Jing gave her, a mere beggar boy, his sable coat, ingots of gold and his precious Fergana horse at their parting, she recognised the sincerity of his kindness. Now, being called his “sweetheart”, she felt a honeyed warmth grow inside her bosom.

  “Lotus! She’ll help you. Those men won’t bother you anymore!”

  “Let him go, Flora Mei!” Lotus cried.

  “Who are you?” Cyclone Mei’s voice trembled. She had not been called by her birth name for decades. No-one in the martial world knew it.

  “Ghosts of peach blossom cascade as the sword flies,

  Tides of the green sea billow as the jade flute sings.”

  Lotus recited these words before announcing, “My surname is Huang.”

  “You – you are . . .” Mei was stunned.

  “Fillip Peak, Pure Tone Cave, Verdant Bamboo Grove, Sword Trial Pavilion. Do you remember these places on Peach Blossom Island, in the Eastern Sea?”

  The very places Cyclone Mei had learned kung fu! That was a lifetime ago. Yet, how could she forget? She could see the verse inscribed on the pillars of the Sword Trial Pavilion in her mind’s eye, even now. They referenced two of her shifu’s proudest martial inventions.

  “Who . . .? Who are you to . . . Master Huang?” she stammered at last.

  “Good! You haven’t forgotten my father. He remembers you too! He’s here to see you.”

  Mei was certain her frightened soul had flown up beyond the highest heavens. She wanted to run away, but her legs would not respond.

  Then, a little spark of joy lit up within her. At last, she could see Shifu again! She murmured, “Shifu . . . Shifu . . .”

  “Let him go. Now!”

  Suddenly, doubt and distrust gripped Cyclone Mei. This little girl is trying to trick me. Shifu has not left Peach Blossom Island for years. He did not even pursue us when we took the Nine Yin Manual. He cannot be here.

  Seeing the change in Mei’s countenance, Lotus tapped her left foot and jumped high over the blind woman’s head.

  “Do you remember learning this from my father?”

  Cyclone Mei could hear a swooshing in the air. Two rotations mid-air, followed by a downward strike. A move from Cascading Peach Blossom Palm.

  Blossoms Fly over River Town.

  Mei now knew exactly who this girl was. She removed a hand from Guo Jing to ward off the strike. Lotus took her chance and tugged him free as she landed.

  “Little sister, where is Shifu?”

  Lotus Huang was the young child Cyclone Mei had seen on Peach Blossom Island all those years ago – her shifu Apothecary Huang’s only daughter.

  Though Lotus never knew any of her father’s disciples, as they were already banished by the time she was born, she had heard her father speak of them. From Mei’s mutterings, she had surmised the woman’s identity.

  Faced with such a lethal adversary, Lotus felt a small pang of regret at not being more focused on the martial arts in her education. She remembered pestering her father to teach her all his other skills, like yin yang, the Five Elements and other ways of divination derived from the I’Ching. Apothecary Huang might have been one of the greatest masters of the age, but Lotus had only just scratched the surface of Peach Blossom Island’s vast store of martial knowledge. If only her martial skills were more sophisticated, then she would be able to free Guo Jing with her kung fu. She would not have to pin all her hopes on her wit. Luckily, she had managed to frighten Cyclone Mei with the lie that her father was here too.

  By now, Cyclone Mei had flopped to the ground, all her martial training vanished. Her face had turned an earthen hue and she spoke fearfully, as if an enraged Apothecary Huang was st
anding before her. “Your disciple deserves ten thousand deaths for her crimes. I beseech Shifu to take pity on my blind eyes and crippled body, and show mercy with your punishment. I have wronged you grievously, Master. I am a nothing but a beast, even worse than a pig or a dog!” Her voice was trembling.

  Then she thought of the kindness Shifu had shown her, and the desire to be in his presence overcame her fright. Now, she sounded more certain. “No, Shifu must not be merciful. I deserve the most severe punishment you can devise.”

  Guo Jing was bewildered. Twice he had seen this fearless demon surrounded and outnumbered by martial masters in the treacherous terrain of Mongolia. And now all it took was the mention of Lotus’s father to reduce her to a whimpering heap!

  Chuckling silently at her effect on Cyclone Mei, Lotus took Guo Jing’s hand and pointed towards the palace wall.

  Just as they were about to make their escape, they heard a wolf whistle followed by a snigger.

  “Little girl! I won’t fall for your tricks again!”

  Not him again! Lotus recognised Gallant Ouyang’s voice. We can’t outrun him. His kung fu is too strong. Maybe she could hold him back?

  “Sister Mei, my father never says no to me. If you help me, I’ll speak for you. He’ll definitely forgive you.”

  “How can I help you?”

  “That man is here to make trouble with me. I’ll pretend to lose, then you step in and send him packing. My father will be very pleased when he sees you helping me.” Lotus pulled Guo Jing behind Cyclone Mei as she spoke.

  Chapter Two

  Eternal Spring Defeated

  1

  GALLANT OUYANG APPROACHED, FLANKED BY FOUR OF HIS concubines. He glanced in disdain at the shadowy mass of unkempt hair that was Cyclone Mei.

  With a casual wave of his fan, he reached over Mei to grab Lotus.

  Immediately, he felt a wave of enormous strength rush towards his chest, then saw her flashing claws. He jabbed his fan at her wrist, pivoting himself away from harm.

  Cloth tearing, metal snapping, screams of pain.

  He looked down and saw that the front of his robe was torn, his metal fan had been broken in two and all four of his women were slumped on the ground in a grey-red pool of blood and brain. Five holes were visible in their skulls, dug by a human hand.

  He had never known an attack so fast and so brutal. The crone was still crumpled on the ground, and he concluded with slight relief that she could not walk, then launched into the Snow Mountain Camel Palm, a boxing technique passed down in his family.

  Cyclone Mei flashed her talons. Each swipe tore the air with a whistle.

  Now, Lotus thought, and tugged at Guo Jing’s hand. They must run. But immediately she heard a howl of rage and felt fists flying at her from behind. She swerved to duck. Surprisingly, her attacker pulled back.

  Browbeater Hou had remembered, just before his punch landed between Lotus’s shoulder blades, that she was wearing the Hedgehog Chainmail. He most certainly did not want his hands pierced by the spiky steel shirt. He twisted away in time, but he was not able to arrest the momentum of the blow and his fist crashed into the three cysts on his forehead. He collapsed, yelping and bawling in pain.

  The commotion brought Hector Sha, Greybeard Liang and Tiger Peng to the scene.

  One look at Gallant Ouyang’s tattered robe and the woman’s claws, and Old Liang recognised the kung fu immediately. The demon in the cave! He lunged at her with a roar.

  Sha and Peng watched from the sidelines, stunned by the woman’s skill and ruthlessness. They were both thinking the same thing: Where on earth did this hag come from?

  “She is Twice Foul Dark Wind!” Tiger Peng gasped.

  Meanwhile, Browbeater Hou was on his feet and chasing Lotus, but he was neither fast nor agile enough to catch her. Lotus noticed that he was reaching for her head in an effort to avoid the Hedgehog Chainmail. She dived into a nearby patch of shrubbery and stuck her Emei Needles into her hair.

  “I’m here!” She poked her head out through the vegetation.

  “I’ll get you this time!” He grasped at Lotus’s hair.

  “Brother, she’s got spikes on her head too!”

  Too late. Browbeater Hou stared at his bloody palms and started hopping about in pain.

  “Shh!” Hector Sha silenced his martial brother and launched himself at Lotus.

  Unable to move freely, Cyclone Mei was in danger of being overwhelmed by the joint attack of Greybeard Liang and Gallant Ouyang. With one arm fending off her opponents, she reached behind her and grabbed Guo Jing.

  “Lift me up!”

  Guo Jing could not understand the purpose of her instruction. But they were fighting on the same side, for the moment, so he did as she asked, wrapping his arms around her legs.

  Mei blocked a palm strike from Gallant Ouyang with her left hand and clawed at Old Liang with her right.

  “Make for the Ginseng Codger!”

  At last, Guo Jing understood: she could not fight them off sitting down. He hoisted her onto his shoulders, lunging and retreating at her command. Cyclone Mei’s slight frame meant that she was an easy load, and did not affect the speed or agility of his lightness kung fu.

  Now a good three feet taller than her opponents, Cyclone Mei regained the upper hand. It gave her respite enough to question Guo Jing on the secrets to cultivating internal strength.

  “What position should one take to train neigong?”

  “Sitting cross-legged, with the Five Cores turned skywards.”

  “What are the Five Cores?”

  “The centres of the palms, the soles of the feet, and the crown of the head.”

  Excited by this knowledge, she attacked with renewed strength. She clawed at Greybeard Liang’s shoulder, drawing blood. The older man backed off. But, just as Guo Jing was about to give chase, he noticed that Hector Sha and Browbeater Hou were hounding Lotus.

  “We shall get rid of those two first!” He charged at them.

  Cyclone Mei thrust her left palm into Browbeater Hou’s back. He ducked, certain that he was now beyond her reach. Yet, immediately, he felt himself being lifted up. Can she extend the length of her arm at will?

  Petrified, he watched her right hand descend towards his head.

  “I surrender!” he squeaked.

  Hector Sha leapt up to block Cyclone Mei. Their wrists locked and their arms quivered in pain. Mei then felt a tremor in the air to her left and tossed Browbeater Hou in that direction.

  Aiya! Tiger Peng was hoping to ambush Cyclone Mei using his secret throwing weapons, his Copper Coin Darts, but they hit Browbeater Hou instead, as he sailed through the air.

  He’ll be seriously hurt if he is dashed to the ground like that, Hector Sha said to himself. He dived forward and thrust his palm into his martial brother’s waist.

  Browbeater Hou flew up into the air like a paper kite, the momentum of Cyclone Mei’s throw broken by his martial brother’s intervention, but, as he summoned his qi to cushion his landing, he found he was unable to stop his flailing arms from swinging once more into the cysts on his forehead, and he yelped in pain.

  It all happened in the blink of an eye – Cyclone Mei’s throw and Hector Sha’s desperate catch.

  All the while, Tiger Peng continued to fling his coins at Cyclone Mei. Gallant Ouyang and Greybeard Liang had repositioned themselves to encircle her.

  Cyclone Mei might have been blind, but her ears were as sharp as any eyes. She flicked her fingers in different directions and the clang of metal reverberated through the air. All of Tiger Peng’s projectiles were redirected back at him and his three companions. This was the Divine Flick, the technique she had started to learn shortly before her dishonourable departure from Peach Blossom Island. The counterattack bought her enough time to question Guo Jing further on the training of inner strength.

  “What is Garnering the Five Elements?”

  “Wood of the Eastern Spirit, Gold of the Western Soul, Fire of the Southern Life Force,
Water of the Northern Essence, Earth of the Central Mind.”

  I had it completely wrong, she said quietly to herself. “What about Harmonising the Four Forms?”

  “Holding the spirit in the eyes, garnering the tone in the ears, tuning the breath in the nose, binding the energy in the tongue.”

  “Really? What about the Five Forces to the Origin?”

  “Without seeing, gather the spirit in the liver; without hearing, pool the essence in the kidneys; without speaking, form the life force in the heart; without smelling, raise the soul in the lungs; without moving, hone the mind in the spleen.”

  These were secret formulas of Taoist neigong practice that Guo Jing had learned from Ma Yu.

  One day, Guo Jing had said, “I feel like there is a warm little mouse running around inside my tummy.” It was the first sign of his internal-energy flow being connected. The first step towards acquiring neigong.

  Ma Yu was not able to tell Guo Jing on the spot, in simple, everyday terms, how he could guide this warm little mouse in his stomach, nor how it could connect and tap into the Conception Vessel and Governing Vessel meridians, the body’s main rivers of energy. Nor did he wish to alter the formula of inner kung fu practice that had been passed on to him by his own mentor, aware of the damage a misguided energy flow, however slight, could wreak on the body. So he taught Guo Jing the only way he knew – the Quanzhen Sect’s method of channelling internal energy – while holding back from explaining the complexities within. After all, they were not master and disciple.

  Guo Jing had memorised the words, as per the kindly Taoist uncle’s instruction. He never thought of asking their purpose or meaning. That had always been the way he learned kung fu, by committing to memory tenets given to him and not questioning when he did not understand. When he learned the move Black Tiger Steals the Heart, he knew that it was a right jab to the chest, and that he could never use it on his Seventh Shifu Jade Han. He never pondered on how the tiger stole the heart. The physical gesture alone was often more than his poor brain could cope with.