The Legend of the Condor Heroes

Reverend Yideng was oblivious to his surroundings, he continued, "I was so shocked that I cried out and drew back several steps, almost tumbled down. My heart was in turmoil, I was totally at a loss. I saw her slowly stand up and in a low voice she said, 'There will come a day, I will stab your heart with this dagger.' She pointed her finger to the jade bracelet on her wrist and said, 'You gave this to me the day I entered the palace. Just wait, the day I return this jade bracelet to you, will be the day my dagger will follow!'"

Speaking to this point Yideng spun the jade bracelet on his forefinger one time; he showed a faint smile and said, "This is the jade bracelet, I have waited several years for this. At last that day has come."

"Uncle," Huang Rong said, "She killed her own son, what did it have to do with you? You did not injure her child. Moreover, she had used poison trying to kill you; what enmity she had for you had been paid in full. I am going down the mountain to send her off, I won't allow her to create any disturbance here …"

She had not finished her words when that young monk came rushing in. "Shifu," he said, "Somebody delivered this at the foot of the mountain." He held out both hands to present a small cloth bundle to his master.

Yideng took the bundle and unwrapped it. Everybody called out in alarm as one voice. Turned out inside that bundle was the 'du dou' made of the embroidered handkerchief. The silk had turned yellow of age, but the embroidered mandarin ducks were still bright as new. There was a knife hole in between the ducks; the edge of the hole was black from the bloodstain. Yideng stared blankly at the 'du dou', overwhelmed with grief. After a long time he finally said, "The weaving of mandarin ducks desiring to fly together right away, hey, desiring to fly together; in the end it was just a dream. She hugged her child's lifeless body tightly, uttered a long laugh, and jumped over the window sill, flew out of the room and in the blink of an eye disappeared without any trace. I couldn't drink, I couldn't eat, and was miserable for three days and three nights. Finally I came to my senses. I bequeathed the throne to my eldest son and decided to tread the immortal path by becoming a monk." He pointed at his four disciples and said, "They have followed me for a long time and did not want to leave me. Together we went out of the Dali city wall and lived at the 'tian long si' [celestial dragon temple]. For the first three years they took turns in helping my son to run the country. Later my son has understood the government affairs; the kingdom was at peace and nothing serious happened. So we went to the Big Snow Mountain to gather medicinal herbs. There Ouyang Feng injured my disciple and we moved to this place. We have never gone back to Dali ever since.

I was so hard-hearted that I was not willing to save that child's life. Hereafter for the last ten years or so, day and night I have never had a peaceful rest. I always hoped to save many people to redeem my great sin. They did not know my miserable inner feeling, so they always tried to hinder me. Ay, even if I could save thousand people, ten thousand people, that child would still be dead. How else would I repay his life if not with my own? Everyday I have been waiting for Ying Gu, waiting for her to stab her dagger into my heart. I was afraid she might come here too late; I am already dead, then it would be difficult to redeem my sin. Good, finally she will be here. Why would she mix the poison into the Nine-flowered Jade Dew Pills? If I knew she would arrive soon after she poisoned me, I wouldn't have wasted these past several hours trying to survive, also my martial brother would not need to waste his divine power to neutralize the poison."

Huang Rong indignantly said, "This woman's heart is so evil! She had found out Uncle's dwelling early on, but was afraid that her own martial art would be insufficient; so she deliberately waited for a good opportunity. Coincidentally she met me, suffering the Iron Palm injury, so she guided me to seek your help. She wanted to employ two methods to achieve one goal; first she wanted you to waste your strength, then to seize that opportunity to poison you. I was so gullible to become the unaware weapon of this wicked woman. Uncle, how did Ouyang Feng's drawing ended up in her hand? What does this drawing have to do with her?"

Reverend Yideng took The Great Buddist Scripture from the small table beside him, turned several pages and started to read, "The story of the picture is originated from an ancient Indian city: Once there was a king, his name was Shipi. He was a diligent ascetic practitioner, always followed the way of the true enlightenment. One day there was a hawk chasing a pigeon. The pigeon flew in and hid underneath Shipi's arm, seeking refuge. The hawk demanded the king to return the pigeon to him, he said, 'If the king saves the pigeon, the hawk will die of starvation.' The king realized he could not save one without harming the other. Thereupon he took a knife and cut his own flesh for the hawk. The hawk said, 'If the king cuts his own flesh, it must be the same weight as the pigeon.' Shipi ordered his guard to fetch a balance. He placed the pigeon on one end and his flesh on the other; but no matter how much he cut his flesh, the pigeon end was still low. The king cut his chest, his back, his arm, his side, but the pigeon was still heavier. Finally he put his whole body onto the balance. Right away the earth shook; music came from the sky, the deities scattered flowers and sweet fragrance filled the whole earth. The dragons, the demons and all heavenly creatures sighed, 'Shan zai, shan zai [lit. good, peace], there has never been this kind of bravery.'"

It was only a myth, but Yideng narrated it full of compassion and mercy, and the audience's hearts were moved.

"Uncle," Huang Rong said, "She was afraid you might not be willing to treat my injury, so she used this picture to move your heart."

Yideng smiled and said, "It seemed that way. When she left Dali that day, her heart was set on seeking revenge, so it seems logical for her to roam the Jianghu [lit. rivers and lakes] to learn martial art from a highly skilled person. Some way or another she met Ouyang Feng, and as Ouyang Feng learned about her intention he helped her plan this scheme, he drew this picture and gave it to her. This book is well-spread in the western region, and Ouyang Feng is from the western region, so he must be familiar with this story."

Full of hatred Huang Rong said, "The Old Poison used Ying Gu, in turn Ying Gu used me. This is an evil plan of murder with a borrowed knife."

Yideng sighed, "You don't need to be upset. If you had not met her, she would injure someone else and send that person to me to be treated. Only if that person does not have a highly skilled escort, he won't be able to go up the mountain easily. Ouyang Feng must have drawn this picture a long time ago; they have been setting up this plan for at least ten years. Contrary to their expectation, they were unable to find someone for ten years; that is also because of fate."

"Uncle, I know it," Huang Rong said, "She has something else in her mind which is more important than harming you."