Book 45 - Chapter 6 – Ten Moves to Save the City
The city gate was opened wide. Upright and unafraid, Ba Fenghan, under escort of Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Song Shidao, Zong Xianghua, Kesubie, and other high-ranking military officers of Longquan, went out of the city to take up the challenge.
The other three leaders of the coalition forces besieging the city: Pusa of Huihe, Tiefuyou of Black River Mohe, Abaojia of Qidan, all had heard the news and rushed over. On invitation, the latter two entered Xieli’s crowd watching the fight, only Pusa was showing brotherhood sentiment toward Kou Zhong, three men. Along with his personal guards, he watched the battle from the west side. Translated by foxs
Under the illumination of the lighthouse [see note near the beginning of Book 44 Chapter 6] and the torches, the arena of the decisive battle was as bright as daytime, everything could be seen clearly. Ke Dazhi appeared and took his position behind and to the side of Xieli, but Tuli was still nowhere to be seen.
The allied armies outside the city, the Sumo warriors on top of the city wall, the two groups of people standing in confrontation on the arena of the decisive battle all stood in solemn silence. In the dark night just before the light of dawn was about to appear, the heavy atmosphere was like a stretched-taut bowstring about to snap.
Bi Xuan was the first to step out of the troop disposition, each movement was elegant and immaculate, without revealing the slightest bit of flaw, the leisure-and-at-ease, like-a-soldier-that-did-not-go-to-battle-but-was-wronged-by-others air of a grandmaster, immediately provoking the Tujue warriors’, who regarded him as a deity – exploding-the-heaven-shaking-the-earth shouts and cheers, which also elevated his already suffocating, making-people-breathless astonishing momentum.
Both sides, the enemy and us, whether they were hoping that Bi Xuan would succeed or would fail in ten moves, they all deeply felt that to be able to witness this number one martial art’s – who had hung his name over the prairie for nearly sixty years – elegant manner, they would die without any regret.
Ba Fenghan was still as cool-headed as usual, the corner of his mouth carried a hint of smile emitting strong confidence and fighting spirit. Upright and unafraid he went down the arena. First, he threw his head back in long laughter, and then he looked around proudly and spoke coldly, “This is the second mistake that you are making. The first mistake was to use up all your strength but still failed to kill me. The second mistake is underestimating me tonight. Oh, Bi Xuan! Your days to proclaim yourself hegemon in the prairie can be counted on one’s fingers.”
The warriors on the Sumo side, infected by his defying-authority heroic feeling and powerful air, immediately burst into applause filling the air.
On the Tujue side, however, everybody was greatly surprised; they never thought that Ba Fenghan, the general of the defeated army under Bi Xuan’s hands, was not only without the slightest big of stage fright, but his guts and aggressiveness could make him claim as an equal to the intimidating-the-prairie Bi Xuan. At least, in term of the battle in momentum, he was not inferior in any respect.
Bi Xuan revealed an appreciative expression. Smiling, he strode several steps forward, reducing the distance between the two men to about five zhang, and spoke glibly, “Defeated yet not discouraged, it is indeed hard to come by. Less nonsense, let Laofu see what progress you are making.” Translated by foxs
The two men spoke to each other in Tujue language, opposing each other with equal harshness, without yielding the slightest bit. Although they had not fought for real, the spectators all around were already greatly excited but nervous at the same time.
The instant Bi Xuan halted his steps, Ba Fenghan suddenly took three steps forward, shrinking the distance between the two men to four zhang, his right hand pressed on the hilt of the Stealing the Heaven Sword, although the sword was still inside the sheath, yet the person already became as sharp as the sword blade, fierce and severe sword qi burst forth, it surged powerfully toward this fellow clansman, a grandmaster of the martial art study. His countenance became incomparably cold, his pair of eyes flickered with focused gaze as if it had substantial powerful self-confidence, his body was like the proud pine and ancient cypress pulled up by the sky that no matter what storm it encountered in its life, he would still stand tall without falling over.
Behind him, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling felt relieved at the same time, knowing that his self-confidence had completely recovered from the previous crushing defeat, and had returned to high fighting spirit.
An astonished look flashed through Bi Xuan’s eyes. Under the attack of the sword qi, at first the clothes on his entire body was rolling up, brushing away and fluttering like waves, but suddenly became absolutely still, without neither motion nor noise. He neutralized the opponent’s sword qi in an understated way, immediately arousing the warriors on his side to cheer for him.
A hint of smile brimming with fantastic charm escaped from the corner of Ba Fenghan’s mouth, his eyes were fixed on the sword hilt, he spoke softly, “This sword is no longer called the Beheading Mystery, but Stealing the Heaven.”
Finished speaking, his right shoulder swayed backward, his left foot took a step, and then he moved his left shoulder, his other foot step forward. When his right shoulder barely move backward, ‘Qiang!’ with a clear ring, his right hand pulled the Stealing the Heaven from the sheath, completely without stopping or hesitation the qi pierced through the sword blade, man and sword became one and transformed into long rainbow, traversing the four-zhang distance, grasping the various movements and stringing them into one simple entity, giving people the mystery-within-a-mystery feeling.
Perfectly straight, the man and sword as one shot toward Bi Xuan. In this sword strike, not only the hand, the eyes, and the steps matched perfectly like seamless heavenly clothes, it also made people feel that his sword contained the condensed power of his whole body, his whole being, and the intention passing through, the spirit gathered together. No one, unless in terms of power and eyesight all far surpassed others, would dare to meet the blade head-on, and would only opt to withdraw.
Nevertheless, Bi Xuan was standing still, his pair of eyes emitted abstruse, boundless, unfathomable secret refined light enveloping the opponent. Letting out a cold snort, his right hand went behind his back, the other hand’s fingers gathered together in a palm chop, he hacked sharply straight ahead. It appeared to be a simple palm strike, but all martial art masters of Kou Zhong’s caliber could see that it indeed contained mysterious power that penetrated heaven and earth and nature; there was no trace to be found, there was no crack to be exploited even more, it did not matter how Ba Fenghan’s sword move changed, in the end the only way left was to shake it head-on. Translated by foxs
For Ba Fenghan, who was right in the midst of it, there was another feeling altogether. He did not sense Bi Xuan’s Yan Yang Qi Gong at all, yet he knew that Bi Xuan’s Yan Yang Da Fa was in full swing, hence he was not affected by Ba Fenghan’s rushing-out sword qi. Last time Bi Xuan was using changes to control his changes; but this time he was using no-changes to deal with his many changes. It was just a simple and direct chopping palm, yet it was plain to see that it could enshroud every possible attack point of his Stealing the Heaven Sword, so that the sword, which originally had the stealing-the-heaven wonder immediately became nothing-extraordinary anymore.
In Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling’s eyes, actually Ba Fenghan had made remarkable progress, because his shenfa, bufa [footwork] resembled nature itself, so ingenious that Bi Xuan did not dare to use changes to face changes, and changed into using stillness to control movement, to using clumsy to defeat skillful, to force Ba Fenghan to meet the move head-on. From this, they knew that this moment Bi Xuan could no longer see through, could no longer understand thoroughly the ‘reborn’ Ba Fenghan due to the Huan Ri Da Fa.
‘Thump!’ Like a muffled thunder, the sound of qi power was barely heard. Clashing with the palm, Ba Fenghan was jolted backward. While retreating, the Stealing the Heaven Sword produced a subtle change, emitting burst after burst of sword qi, so that the standing still Bi Xuan, due to the obstruction of the sword qi, was unable to seize the opportunity to pursue and attack.
There was no cheering, but the breathing of the warriors from both sides became heavy and hurried; no one ever thought that unexpectedly Ba Fenghan could take Bi Xuan’s move head-on without showing the slightest sign of defeat.
Ba Fenghan felt that the space he was in became burning hot and boiling, the other side’s Yan Yang [flame and yang in nature] true qi was locking him tightly and trapped him securely. Fortunately, each time he sent out a burst of sword qi, it made the opponent’s terrifying true qi’s temperature to drop a little bit. Otherwise, if he let the Yan Yang true qi to continue until its peak, then even Dai Luo Jin Xian would not be able to help him escaping from Bi Xuan’s hands. He retreated to his original spot about four zhang away, only then did he stop. The Stealing the Heaven Sword pointed at the opponent from a distance, both sides returned to their previous position opposite to each other.
Bi Xuan went back to his previous position, keeping his right hand behind his back and his left palm chop in front. Laughing cheerfully, he said, “Delighted! Delighted! Ba Fenghan, not only your internal injury has completely healed, your skill [the same Chinese character can also mean power] is especially advancing, making one feel that the younger generations will surpass us in time; if you are not eager to seek victory, I really cannot send you to your death within ten moves.”
At first the people on the Sumo side were stunned, but then they burst into ear-splitting cheer. Whether in term of insight or bearing, Bi Xuan really made them full of admiration from the heart. Just in one move he already saw that it was difficult to take Ba Fenghan’s life within ten moves, yet he was magnanimous enough to admit that his original estimate was wrong, which precisely represented the broad-minded air, the reason why he could ascend to the grandmaster position of the martial art way.
When even the men on Xieli’s side also thought that Bi Xuan was about to give up and withdraw troops at this point, Bi Xuan laughed calmly and said, “There are still nine moves. Ba Fenghan, you’d better be careful, so as not to incur injury that will never heal.” Translated by foxs
Unexpectedly the sound of deafening cheer could not conceal his soft voice; everybody heard it very clearly, so that the decisive battle arena quieted down abruptly.
Ba Fenghan was rushing out his sword qi to resist Bi Xuan’s Yan Yang true qi, to forcefully press down the constantly climbing temperature. Furthermore, he knew that Bi Xuan’s qi was locking him tightly, so that he was caught in an absolute-passive position and could only watch for an opportunity to counterattack. But he still had not the slightest bit of fear; he smiled and said, “Stealing the heaven begins to be able to exchange the sun, I, Ba Fenghan, am waiting with all my strength.” Finished speaking, the Stealing the Heaven Sword moved slightly to the left, and then he dropped his elbow and pulled it back.
All the spectators were overcome with an extremely strange feeling; this series of micro movements should not be a threat to Bi Xuan, who was four zhang away, yet no one did not feel that there seemed to be an invisible link between these two martial art masters, that even by moving a finger one could affect the development of the battle.
As a result, Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Song Shidao, Xieli, and so on started to really understand Ba Fenghan’s brilliance, because if he let himself caught in a passive position, due to his power and self-cultivation was still some distance away from Bi Xuan, in such a true qi stalemate, the situation would only get nasty really fast for him. His movements represented his counterattack, pulling away and washing and discharging the changes in Yan Yang Dafa field of qi, forcing Bi Xuan to take the initiative to make his move. Although it was extremely risky, but it was the only way to get out of the current range of the wonderful method.
As expected, under the pull of the qi, Bi Xuan let out a cold humph and took a big stride forward. His left hand dropped down, the hand behind his back sent out a punch, both feet sprang up about a cun off the ground, and he seemed to be floating like that. His posture was elegant, to the point of no gap could be stricken.
Ba Fenghan suddenly felt his tiger-body lightened, the qi power pressing down on his body disappeared with not even a drop remaining. His whole body empty and fluttering, with no place to set his foot, making him nearly wanted to vomit blood. Following the opposite side’s punch, a column of hot energy, like an iron pillar – rushed in. If he let it reaching his body, it would be like he was taking a solid, heavy blow, so that any true qi protecting his body would not be able to save his little life.
Ba Fenghan let out a long whistle, the Stealing the Heaven Sword creating buzzing noise, it pierced at an angle, while at the same time he sidestepped to the left. The qi power exploded, creating a loud noise like a muffled thunder.
When Ba Fenghan was slightly staggering backward, Bi Xuan, in a ghost-and-deity’s unfathomable speed – traversed the more than three-zhang distance, darted toward Ba Fenghan’s right side, raised his elbow and chopped with his palm, horizontally slashing the right side of Ba Fenghan’s neck. His movements were like moving clouds and flowing water, as if made by heaven. Translated by foxs
The two men finally fought at close quarters.
Ba Fenghan suddenly twisted his imposing body, the Stealing the Heaven Sword in his bosom burst into a ball of moving and rotating sword light, which, because it reflected the light from the light tower and the torches, looked like fantasy but actually a reality as it met up with Bi Xuan’s chopping palm.
Bi Xuan laughed aloud. His palm turned into fingers, he executed an abstruse beyond human comprehension’s move, piercing through the originally without any crack net of sword light, using an extremely skillful technique to jab the space between Ba Fenghan’s eyebrows, as if Ba Fenghan’s Stealing the Heaven Sword was impressive-looking but useless, a false pretense completely without any power to defend himself.
However, facing death, Ba Fenghan did not panic. Right the instant where on Kou Zhong’s side everybody was unwilling to witness the outcome, the Stealing the Heaven Sword’s light withdrew, the sword hit back, at the last moment it met and sealed Bi Xuan’s able-to-snatch-heaven-and-earth-and-nature finger jab.
‘Boom!’
The sword light flared again, it turned into a hard-to-tell-if-it’s-real-or-sham mirage filling the whole sky, like mercury flowing out swiftly to the ground, no-hole-was-not-entered, attacking toward Bi Xuan’s rapidly withdrawn finger.
It was a passive defense and not an active offense at all, but because the two men were moving too fast, it created that illusion to the naked eye.
Bi Xuan shouted coldly, “Fourth move!”
Both hands rose up like holding a tray, a strong qi power rolled out like a cyclone, rushing forth to envelope Ba Fenghan’s head and face, as if his Stealing the Heaven Sword was nothing.
Ba Fenghan felt as if he was in the middle of an ocean of fire and heat wave. He was well aware that he was facing the power that Bi Xuan had amassed his entire life. If he met the attack head-on, even if he did not die, he would surely be injured. The question was that if he continued to withdraw, it would be difficult to strive for the initiative. And then whether he would be able to withstand the remaining six moves, perhaps nobody, himself included – had the answer.
The refined light in Ba Fenghan’s pair of eyes flaring greatly, he flashed swiftly sideways. The filling-the-whole-sky-threading-and-moving-fiery-snake-dancing-wildly sword light turned back into the Stealing the Heaven Sword, a plain and simple sword sweeping horizontally across. The originally ordinary, even somewhat clumsy-looking sword strike, yet it could make the spectators felt like they were witnessing the bloodbath of magnificent army with thousands of men and horses fighting at close quarters, dead bodies scattered over the wilderness, the sun and the moon lost their lights – that kind of tragic feeling.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling could not help cheering in unison. Now, this was Ba Fenghan’s true skill. Translated by foxs
‘Bang!’
The sword blade swept the edge of Bi Xuan’s holding-tray qi power, true qi collided, Ba Fenghan suddenly spurted out a mouthful of blood, unexpectedly instead of retreating he was advancing. ‘Swish! Swish! Swish!’ he even sent out three sword slashes!
Bi Xuan casually swept with his hand. It looked casual, but it actually sealed the Stealing the Heaven Sword’s offensive completely, and finally it even jolted Ba Fenghan three steps back.
Bi Xuan did not pursue and attack. Spreading out both hands, he laughed indifferently and said, “These several sword strikes are not bad at all, enough to enable you to move unhindered across the prairie. There are two more moves.”
Ba Fenghan stood with the sword across in front of him, he did not look like someone who had just spurted blood and injured at all. His countenance was tranquil without any ripple, the divine light in his pair of eyes deep and clear, he fixed his gaze on Bi Xuan and spoke heavily, “This is Wu Zun’s only chance to kill me.”
Bi Xuan threw his head back in long laughter. He nodded and said, “Good! The newly grown grass is thriving and tender green. If within the remaining two moves I fail to take your life, the next time you can pick the day and time.”
The crowd even nearly forgot to breathe; they admired Ba Fenghan’s guts and valor of viewing death as a return home, but also revered Bi Xuan’s broad-minded bearing. Furthermore, anybody would know that they were about to see the real skill that Bi Xuan kept at the bottom of his trunk.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling put down at least half the load on their mind, because Ba Fenghan’s speech indicated that he was determined to save his life with all his strength, and would not let Wu Zun to prevail in the remaining two moves, hence his remark that these two moves were the only chance to kill him; afterwards, he could prepare with all his strength for the next decisive battle against Bi Xuan. Furthermore, he had the confidence that he could wash away the disgrace of the previous two battles. And Bi Xuan was able to see through this young opponent’s way of thinking, hence the heroic, grandiose remark. The fact was that he was also forcing himself to make the impossible possible.
On Zong Xianghua’s side, everybody’s countenance changed. Previously Ba Fenghan spurted out blood and was injured; it was an ironclad fact. Whether the injured Ba Fenghan would be able to safely withstand the remaining two moves, it suddenly became a question.
Most of the people were at a loss; at the beginning of the battle, Bi Xuan already stated his judgment that due to not only Ba Fenghan’s old injury has been healed completely, but also his skill has made substantial progress, he would be unable to kill him within a short ten-move limit. However, now it appeared that he was going to accomplish it by all means, so that people were unable to make any sense of the matter. Translated by foxs
The two men stood opposite to each other, separated by less than ten paces. Like lightning, two pairs of eyes clashed; whether in terms of momentum or spirit, neither one yielded the slightest bit.
Bi Xuan again revealed a hint of indifferent smile. Spreading out his hands, he shook them in the air.
Immediately Ba Fenghan felt the air around him was burning, so he knew that Bi Xuan was raising and gathering Yan Yang true qi. If he let Bi Xuan to amass the qi to its peak and let him make his move in full power, it would become irresistible momentum. He laughed coldly in his heart, thinking that how could he allow Bi Xuan to attack under these circumstances? But then the divine light flashed in his mind; with the opposite side’s cultivation in martial art study and his intelligence, how could he have an opening to allow him seizing the opportunity to send a sword strike? Obviously it was scheme to lure him to make his move.
Thinking to this point, he let out a roar, the Stealing the Heaven Sword slowly stretched out straight, and then he raised it high overhead, his other hand also grabbed the handle of the sword, so that it became a double-handed sword momentum. However, he was holding the light thirty-jin treasured sword as if it was heavy, as if he was concentrating the strength in his entire body, carrying a burst of powerful, fierce and severe, focused and not scattered sword qi.
The heat wave was rolling endlessly on both sides of him like a tide.
Ba Fenghan let out another loud shout. This shout made those watching-the-battle-with-comparably-lower-power’s heart cold and their guts trembled. When the Stealing the Heaven Sword looked like it was about to swiftly hack down on Bi Xuan’s head, the Yan Yang true qi suddenly disappeared without any trace.
Immediately Ba Fenghan was overcome with a feeling that he was about to fall forward, an unbearable feeling that he had no place to put down his strength. Were it not for he already had a premonition early on, he was able to see through Bi Xuan’s trick in trying to lure him, the only option this moment was to risk his life in frontal attack, and then he would fall into Bi Xuan’s carefully laid scheme.
As a result, instead of being alarmed, he was delighted. The Stealing the Heaven Sword moved forwards a bit to hack, but promptly changed direction, reversing the sword momentum overhead, drawing a perfect circle in the air. The movement appeared to be slow, but appeared to be fast, the intention seemed to be clear, but mysterious, so that the spectators failed to understand the reason.
Song Shidao, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling cheered at the same time.
An astonished look flashed in Bi Xuan’s pair of eyes. He discovered that all of a sudden the sword qi that the opponent was urging and forcing over was entirely concentrated into the narrow, small-ranged sword circle above his head, building up but not scattered, prominent but not easy.
It should be noted that when martial art masters are vying against one another, they rely entirely on the interaction of the qi. This moment, Ba Fenghan’s technique in focusing his qi power was of different tunes played with equal skill, as amazing as Bi Xuan’s revoking the Yan Yang qi field, which was the tactic of not letting the opposite side determine the advance and attack or retreat and defend from the momentum distribution, the changes of its strength and weakness. If there were no ten-move limit, most probably Bi Xuan would use all kinds of techniques to force Ba Fenghan to expose a flaw. But since they barely had two moves left, it was difficult for Bi Xuan to stay calm and unruffled in the midst of chaos, he had no choice but to make his move with all his strength. Translated by foxs
From this, it could be seen that Ba Fenghan was no longer the General Lü Meng of the southern state of Wu [idiom: model of self-improvement by diligent study] of when he battled Bi Xuan for the first time. When the battle started, he had the power but was difficult to carryout, and he showed mistakes. But now he had the way, as well as the capability, to make claims as an equal with Bi Xuan. At least he still had the strength to fight back, unlike a good-for-nothing marionette, which Bi Xuan wanted him to go east he would go east, he wanted him to go west he could not move to the south or to the north, or like a pawn in the game of chess, having his hands and feet bound.
Letting out a cold snort, Bi Xuan soared into the air.
The true qi in Ba Fenghan’s entire body was focused into the sword circle above his head. Bi Xuan was sweeping above him, as long as he took advantage of his momentum by sending out a strike with the sword qi accumulated to its peak, it was akin to Bi Xuan voluntarily sacrificing his own life to meet the sword head-on.
However, naturally there was no such convenience on earth, especially since the other side was the grandmaster of this generation. Moreover, he knew that there was still some distance between him and Bi Xuan. Therefore, Ba Fenghan, who wholeheartedly try to save his life and pass this obstacle, let out a long laughter and said, “I get to choose the day and the time, right?”
Lightning fast, the long sword slashed down, but it suddenly stopped in front of his chest and abdomen, and pointed at an angle toward Bi Xuan, so that it was unclear for the spectators whether he was attacking or defending. But all felt that this move had both offense and defense aspects; marvelous and unfathomable.
Bi Xuan let out a long whistle. Unexpectedly he dropped down from midair, until the instant he was only about a cun from the ground, and then suddenly his fist exploded out.