Chapter IV: Meeting of the Orthodox Sects on Mt. Kunlun1286Please respect copyright.PENANAPhHNq7azhM
The sun shines brightly on the clear blue morning sky on Mt. Kunlun. On the Great Hall of the Kunlun School, the Chiefs of Kunlun, Huashan, Wudang, Emei, Kongtong and Qingcheng Sects, as well as the Abbot of Shaolin, meet in order to discuss about how to deal with Lung Chang. All Chiefs are served tea while servants of the Kunlun School fan them with white folding fans. Piao Zhen, Chief of Kunlun Sect, sits on a simple wooden chair on the center of the Hall, in contrast with the other Chiefs who sit on lavishly decorated with gold chairs. All Chiefs, except for Priest Yue Li, Chief of Wudang Sect, and Abbot Yongyu of Shaolin, who wear their religious clothes, wear lavish gowns made of silk. Only Piao Zhen wears a simple black gown.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAyKmJ8x1UBe
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA2mANuZZGTN
Piao Zhen smiles and sips his tea. He then says: "Honorable Chiefs of the Orthodox Martial Arts Sects, I welcome all of you to Mt. Kunlun and hope that this meeting shall solve the recent troubles of the Martial Arts World."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAwmXtb7wmRH
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAKhpgtwsHvV
All Chiefs respectfully greet Piao Zhen and thank him for hosting the meeting, except for the Chief of Qingcheng Sect, the elderly Pan Tong, who just sighs. Because Piao Zhen is a relative young Chief, only in his late twenties, Pan Tong, who is in his early eighties, does not respect him much. Piao Zhen ignores Pan Tong's rudeness and continues his speech.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAcClQ5JcDk6
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAJeNjnBoZJI
"Honorable Chiefs, although I am the youngest of all of you and the Kunlun Sect is not nearly as populous or powerful as your Sects, I took the initiative to host a meeting of the Orthodox Sects on Mt. Kunlun because the one who massacred the Guan and Jia families in Kaifeng was once a student of our school."1286Please respect copyright.PENANApjWBIA2Ux9
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAv0nwm7TvCf
"At least you know your place!", Pan Tong shouts loudly. Piao Zhen, however, manages to stay calm and ignores him. He is not nicknamed 'Gentleman Swordsman' for nothing.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAHHHd3IeY3H
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAsSeg0sA9DR
"I do not believe Lung Chang committed those massacres.", Priest Yue Li says. "I met him on Mt. Dragon and he proved to be a real gentleman and a chivalrous hero. Also, if he did commit the murders, why did he wrote his name on the Mansions of the Guan and Jia families?"1286Please respect copyright.PENANATkf0EsjayJ
1286Please respect copyright.PENANABZgJnZyVjq
"Indeed.", adds Abbot Yongyu of Shaolin, an old man with long white beard, long eyebrows and prayer beads around his neck. "Only a lunatic would do that."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAZu5Z4bJWZ7
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAAthSz5HIab
"But he is a lunatic.", replies Abbess Meijoui of Emei Sect, an old woman with long grey hair and wearing a grey Taoist robe. Abbess Meijoui is well known for her great martial arts and swordsmanship skills, as well as for her strict moral code. "His killing of Wu Jing last year was witnessed by many people. Also, it is well known that he is very proud. That's why he massacred Master Wu Kang and his entire family after being forced to apologize to them by his Master, the late Master Song Yan. He then murdered his own teacher and the proof for this is that Master Song Yan's last words were Lung Chang's name. He is an erratic man who enjoys gaining fame by massacring people. That's why he paints his name on the walls of the Mansions' of his victims."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAnc80kLdvca
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAxd44wtSUYU
The rest of the Chiefs applaud Abbess Meijoui and Yue Li and Abbot Yongyu realize that they cannot do anything to help Lung Chang. Although the evidence that Lung Chang's enemies have could not really be called and the most strong, there are nevertheless evidence, while Yue Li and Abbot Yongyu have no evidence of Lung Chang's innocence at all. And since they do not have any evidence, they have to accept the official position of the Orthodox Sects, that Lung Chang is a lunatic murderer.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAsPIwckHXKA
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAD9af0PCCBy
Piao Zhen continues his speech: "Those massacres, and our inability to prevent them, show that there is something wrong with what we are doing. Lung Chang is only one person, but through so many centuries countless such evil people or even whole Sects appear that cause uproar in the Martial Arts World and do not allow peace and justice to exist. Killing Lung Chang could stop the problem for now, but sooner or later an other evil man or organization shall shake the Martial Arts World. The only way to stop this is for all Orthodox Martial Arts Sects to unite."1286Please respect copyright.PENANADTraI5uvcF
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA26Sg2BMWnA
"Indeed!", Abbess Meijoui agrees. "We should unite in order to stop evil from spreading. Lung Chang is just the problem of those years. A few years later, someone else will appear and cause an uproar. If we unite, however, no evil men shall cause trouble in the Martial Arts World and even if they dare to, we shall be able to respond quickly and with overwhelming force."1286Please respect copyright.PENANATCdawgy2jb
1286Please respect copyright.PENANANKtZOMIsRO
"I agree!", Pan Tong states. Although he disregards Piao Zhen, he knows that what he said was logical. He also has the ambition of him becoming leader of the new Alliance. "United we are strong, divided we are weak! One arrow can easily be smashed. But many arrows together are impossible to be smashed."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAA3wtYTdBMK
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAy5ZdtUfa9O
Soon, all other Chiefs express their agreement, except for Yue Li and Abbot Yongyu, who do not like the idea of all Orthodox Martial Arts Sects being united under one man. So, when Piao Zhen asks Priest Yue Li for his opinion, he replies: "Our Sects have each a history of hundreds of years. Each Sect has it's own traditions and rules, so how can we possibly merge them and forget our traditions? And how can we trust one man to become leader of the entire Martial Arts World? I strongly disagree!"1286Please respect copyright.PENANASoAXfr5gOL
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAvonyr0ERfj
"Since Priest Yue Li disagreed, I, Abbot Yongyu of Shaolin, because of the long standing friendship between Shaolin and Wudang, cannot agree."1286Please respect copyright.PENANApypRqqyD7g
1286Please respect copyright.PENANApkTyeiBEy3
"Very well.", Piao Zhen replies. "However, I would like to ask all Chiefs to stay here in Mt. Kunlun, so we can meet five days later. Merging the Orthodox Sects is an important issue which cannot be decided in just a few minutes. So, in those days, everyone please think about and make a wise decision."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAx7h4ewwsBL
1286Please respect copyright.PENANACr8acyTa7c
Many hours later, in the night, Priest Yue Li argues in his room with his brother in arms, Zhang Yude. Although Zhang Yude is a senior of Yue Li, their teacher made Yue Li instead of him Chief of Wudang and this makes Zhang Yude very jealous. However, this is not the reason why they are arguing. The reason is that Zhang Yude is a firm believer of Piao Zhen's proposition and wants the Orthodox Sects to unite.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAbx9MScoUMg
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAvvqe1hsL82
"Chief!", Zhang shouts, "You should agree to Piao Zhen's proposal. For centuries, the reason the Orthodox Sects have been unable to prevent evil men from doing harm is their disunity. This is a chance to unite and achieve ever lasting peace in the Martial Arts World. How can you refuse it?!"1286Please respect copyright.PENANABI5PFIqhFw
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAyqeLaj1rEJ
"Brother Yude, each Sect has a history of hundreds of years. Each Sect has it's own traditions and laws. I am not against closer cooperation between the Orthodox Sects, but we cannot just merge all Sects."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAIFZrgILNCa
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAfi4QCeLF1L
"In my opinion, you are only interested in keeping your position as Chief!"1286Please respect copyright.PENANAf4TjLadwzE
1286Please respect copyright.PENANATiRdtaOVRt
Zhang Yude storms out of the room. He then walks alone on a cliff on Mt. Kunlun and gazes at the bright moon. The moon and the stars on the night sky remind him certain lyrics of Cao Cao's 'Short Song Style' poem:1286Please respect copyright.PENANATbH60RN2Vp
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA5cWs86PBYG
"Bright is the moon's spark, when can I pick it apart?" and "Stars around the moons are few, southward the crows flew."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAtULYCTTbL0
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAClLBHtjxuM
He sighs as he remembers the day when his teacher gave the 'Seal of Command' to Yue Li instead of him. "Yue Li was my junior, but he became leader of the Sect! It is so unfair. Teacher was biased and a fool.", Zhang Yude thinks. Anger, jealously and hatred flare up within Zhang Yude all at once. "Instead of giving to me the 'Seal of Command', he gave it to that idiot! And now, this stupid and muddle-headed idiot gets on the way of bringing peace to the Martial Arts World! Thanks to his persistence in maintaining his position as Chief, the Orthodox Sects shall never be united!"1286Please respect copyright.PENANApua6bJXLo2
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAqrByuDPAV3
All the anger and jealously of Zhang Yude comes spilling out. He pulls out his sword, a long, elegant and thin blade, roars and practices the 'Divine Gate Thirteen Swords (神門十三劍)' swordplay with immense fury and hatred.1286Please respect copyright.PENANADDx4E3zscG
1286Please respect copyright.PENANABekhAJzSVU
Suddenly, he hears the sound of steps. He turns round and sees an old man, who has long white hair and beard, and wears a brown gown. Zhang Yude had not seen him before on the Mt. and he does not look like a Kunlun student, so who could he be?1286Please respect copyright.PENANANxIOqlXZXK
1286Please respect copyright.PENANApGE8jDTPVV
"Who are you?", he politely asks the old man.1286Please respect copyright.PENANA9FHQDjXpEi
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA8UzRoQyriL
The man just laughs for a few second and then replies: "I am an elder of Wudang Sect."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAoQKXj0QZ9f
1286Please respect copyright.PENANATQG8Q7qpm6
"That's impossible! I've never seen you and neither teacher nor any other elder of Wudang ever mentioned anything about you."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAs6KyCTYQzs
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAsoCPUM26ig
"Ai-ya! So, they forgot about me so quickly?". The old man remains silent for a few seconds before speaking again: "Your teacher must have told you of a man called Sun Shiyi, right?"1286Please respect copyright.PENANAjPWH4y8DxV
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAspn0z5eTK3
"Eee......yes, I remember teacher mentioning that man once. He said that Sun Shiyi was his brother in arms. He fell in love with a young and very beautiful woman and she liked him too. But because the woman was the daughter of a high ranking Official and she was very beautiful, she became a concubine of the Taichang Emperor, father of the current Emperor, Emperor Chongzhen. Sun Shiyi went crazy when he learned this and no one knows what happened to him."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAzDL5HpijtR
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAvM3SxSkiQd
"Good. It seems that my brother in arms had not forgotten about me."1286Please respect copyright.PENANATUEqhsWKIC
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAIMSypzkjij
Zhang Yude laughs. "Do you expect me to believe that you are Sun Shiyi?"1286Please respect copyright.PENANA5Vmpsmeii1
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAg9qm6rBT9S
"Let us have a fight and I will prove to you that I really am Sun Shiyi!"1286Please respect copyright.PENANAZ2yqMk5rGh
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAHdbPmH9QkW
"I accept your challenge!"1286Please respect copyright.PENANAW6PB2fsjtD
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAVbgQMDQpfL
The old man pulls out a narrow, double-edged Jian Sword with a thin blade and a tassel attached to the pommel. He sweeps his sword across with almost superhuman speed. Zhang Yude ducks down to avoid it, then counters with a thrust from his sword. The two fight round and round. Zhang Yude, seeing that his opponent's swordsmanship is even greater than that of his own master and knowing that he will never be able to defeat him, concentrates instead on trying to tire the old man out. But his Internal Energy is profound and, as time passes, Zhang Yude cannot discern the slightest slowing of the old man's actions. Instead, his sword seems to whirl and dance with ever increasing speed. Finally, the old man's sword clashes with Zhang Yude's sword, a 'clang' is heard and Zhang Yude's sword snaps clean in two.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAzEBl4ZOwgI
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA7dvIDW5XJB
"Now, do you believe me?", the old man asks.1286Please respect copyright.PENANA2eIus9qXg2
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA5DPVuKfP7H
Zhang Yude bows before him and says: "Greetings Elder Sun! Forgive me for my rudeness."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAfUGotrGGmF
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAFIQaDHkC1N
"My brother in arms was muddle-headed."1286Please respect copyright.PENANApT1Xh2WC0m
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAGMylHjVaUz
"Why do you say so?"1286Please respect copyright.PENANAITmjr5EkkZ
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAlaxb1cgtvc
"Because instead of making Chief of Wudang a great and able man like you, he gave the 'Seal of Command' to that idiot Yue Li."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAlc0YXmazwP
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAdnSmrCvHR3
Zhang Yude cannot hide his happiness upon hearing those words. Maybe Elder Sun can help him become Chief, he thinks.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAdx5g1oVDER
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAnCLpvE1BKs
"Elder Sun, I need your help. Yue Li refuses to accept the merge of all Orthodox Sects and this will prevent the Martial Arts World from having peace and stability. Also, evil people like Lung Chang will be able to continue their massacres. Please, change his mind."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAuGc7uVstuF
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA2QEYm2VlLV
"You are right. But Yue Li will never listen to anyone. There is only one way to make sure that the Orthodox Sects merge."1286Please respect copyright.PENANATV91XHz4eb
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAC0toQrsqDC
"What is it?"1286Please respect copyright.PENANAmUEMlgSCiw
1286Please respect copyright.PENANARDms6dombi
"To kill Yue Li!"1286Please respect copyright.PENANAsjYQyKRIkM
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAuO3ZsBbJuG
"Kill....kill....kill Yue Li?"1286Please respect copyright.PENANAu1GmhU8sqx
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAqvzs2IPUka
"It is the only way to make sure that the Martial Arts World has peace."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAs4crNviUnL
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAZmJApps3j7
"But....how should I kill him? My skills are not good enough."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAG0fxnDYobb
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAfniCHw6FMb
"Take this."1286Please respect copyright.PENANABThoxPT4Kp
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAXvlhJubUpg
Sun Shiyi gives Zhang Yude a red pill and a jar of wine.1286Please respect copyright.PENANA7ourk6uoEl
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAcwKdXn2gvS
"I...will poison him?"1286Please respect copyright.PENANAg0a2HktYhG
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAekXJoPyxJM
"Yes. Before you go and see Yue Li, swallow the red pill. This will make sure that the poison will not affect you."1286Please respect copyright.PENANANFDTli2Eca
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAOPrazkTKCn
"Thanks for your help, Elder."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAE563Q1omJF
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAJHPJkEhinQ
Zhang Yude swallows the pill and runs back to the Kunlun School. He knocks the door of Yue Li's room. Yue Li opens the door and warmly says: "Brother Yude, come inside."1286Please respect copyright.PENANA3TJKSoXF2F
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAOPCfXLlrRD
When Zhang Yude enters the room, he bows before Yue Li and, with tears in his eyes, shouts: "I have unjustly insulted you! Chief, please punish me!!"1286Please respect copyright.PENANANR5GOWYUr4
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAbffLWsQ8ug
Yue Li, smiling, helps Zhang Yude gets up and says "Since you know your mistake, there is no need for me to punish you."1286Please respect copyright.PENANAqYWFAczJGM
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAi8CWW5o2PR
"Chief, I have bought some wine. Would you like to taste it?"1286Please respect copyright.PENANA9umCVRh2J6
1286Please respect copyright.PENANATQXmRO66nJ
Zhang Yude takes a large gulp from the jar with the wine and remarks "Excellent wine!"1286Please respect copyright.PENANApBZMGKYaT7
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAf7KT86UVOZ
Yue Li, who likes good wine, takes the jar from Zhang Yude's hands and drinks it.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAoM6bl5kAaq
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA9qppdUNudk
"Quite good wine indeed!", he says. He had more than a week to drink wine.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAzmxNkNG3cU
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA8fLO8FLk6f
Suddenly, Yue Li feels a pain on his stomach and vomits blood. As Yue Li shouts in pain, Zhang Yude pulls out a dagger and stabs thrice Yue Li's chest before Yue Li kicks him on the stomach. Yue Li tries to grab his sword but, as he is dizzy, he he is not able to do so. Instead, he moves left and right and cannot stand on his feet. Zhang Yude, fearing that his assassination attempt will fail and that he will surely die, attacks again, this time with immense hatred and stabs more than twenty times Yue Li's stomach to make sure that he is dead. He then calms down and realizes that his arch-enemy is finally dead and laughs hysterically.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAlriKzTDEFd
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAUGCmT9cd9S
As he is laughing, he realizes something that makes him desperate again: the other students of Wudang will inquire how Yue Li died. Even without close examination, just by looking at Yue Li's body, one can come to the concussion that he got stabbed to death. And of course, sooner or later, Zhang Yude will be suspected. So, he must find a way to prevent this. He thinks for a few seconds, and then an idea comes: he will throw one of the candles of the room onto the floor, starting a fire. Everyone will think that the fire was started by an accident and that Yue Li did not manage to get out in time and got burned alive. So, he lights a candle and throws it on the wooden floor of the room. Zhang Yude runs out and soon the flames engulf much of the Western Section of the Kunlun School. Only after two hours are the pugilists of the Orthodox Sects able to put down the fire. In total, twenty people were burned to death.1286Please respect copyright.PENANA9nD84Qj7ny
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAKJ0k9ubBy8
The next day, the Wudang students find the burned body of their Chief, which is barely recognizable, and they bury him. They then elect Zhang Yude as the new Chief of Wudang. Four days later, the Chiefs of the Orthodox Sects meet again on the Great Hall of the Kunlun School.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAyxEmfs5bTP
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA3NMgZxbxrw
"Honorable Chiefs!", Piao Zhen says. "I hope that in those five days you had, you have thought about my proposal. So, do you agree to the merger?"1286Please respect copyright.PENANAdBOLIPmdnB
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAyiwQOLmN6X
"I agree!", Zhang Yude shouts.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAghDDnP7BX0
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA3mtUcpIkjr
"Me too!", Abbess Meijoui of Emei Sect adds.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAd61fhkwuko
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA2aAWWukYaV
"I also agree.", Abbot Yongyu says, sighing. He knows that it is of no use to try and oppose alone the merger.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAC8GPvYU8ar
1286Please respect copyright.PENANA8rGvf6Wq2D
All other Chiefs follow suit. Piao Zhen cannot hide how relieved he is that everyone agreed. "So, how shall we choose the leader of the Alliance?", he asks. "I say that we hold a Martial Arts Tournament in four months and the victor shall become leader of the Orthodox Sects. Also, I propose that we hold the tournament on Shaolin, if Abbot Yongyu agrees, as all Martial Arts originate from Shaolin."1286Please respect copyright.PENANA1Upd1X8uOo
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAKUKOe6WcTR
"It will be my honor to host such an event.", Abbot Yongyu replies.1286Please respect copyright.PENANAI8XiKdeQNL
1286Please respect copyright.PENANAaYvp8uBDI8
The other Chiefs agree to Piao Zhen's proposal. So, the meeting of the Orthodox Martial Arts Sects on Mt. Kunlun ends with a historic decision: for the first time in the history of the Martial Arts World, all Orthodox Sects shall merge. The same night, Sun Shiyi gallops away from Mt. Kunlun with his strong and tall white horse. "My dear Shunu, I will take revenge for you!", he thinks. "That bastard Taichang Emperor snatched you away from me. He made you his concubine and forced you to sleep with him and give him a son, the current Emperor Chongzhen. But your heart remained loyal to me. So, he had you executed. But now, I shall take revenge for you. Although Taichang died before I could take revenge, I shall avenge you by bringing down the Ming Empire. In four months, the Martial Arts World will come under Manchu control. And then, the Manchu Armies shall conquer the Ming Empire and I will have avenged you!!"1286Please respect copyright.PENANAjzPIBALFFo