Chapter 11 - DESCENDING FROM THE HEAVENS

1

As the mongol host moved west, winning glory on the field, taking cities and quelling foes, Guo Jing was gaining in confidence as a general. By the time the army reached the Sughd River, his initial doubts were almost forgotten. Nonetheless, when his men had finished making camp, Guo Jing retired to his ger to study military tactics, as he had every evening since he had assumed command.

Suddenly, a quiet flapping noise reached his ears. The tent's flies parted. A man darted in, followed by a few heavy-footed sentries. The intruder waved his hand, and, though the tip of his finger merely grazed the soldiers charging after him, it was enough to send them sprawling, one after another.

The trespasser cackled and turned to Guo Jing, his face catching the candlelight.

Viper Ouyang.

Guo Jing leaped to his feet. "Where's Lotus?" He could not decide if he was shocked or relieved to find the Venom in this far-flung foreign land, thousands of li away from the Central Plains.

Does it mean she … He dared not get his hopes up.

"That's what I've come to ask you. Where is the wench? Hand her over!"

A smile spread across Guo Jing's face. Lotus is alive! She escaped!

"Where is she?" Viper Ouyang demanded.

"Wasn't she with you? You took her in Jiaxing. Is she … well?" Guo Jing bowed, tears of joy and relief rolling down his cheeks.

Could he really have no idea? Puzzled, Viper Ouyang sat down cross-legged on the rug, as if it was his own ger. He knew the young man was too principled to lie to him, but all the clues indicated that Lotus Huang was hiding somewhere among this army.

Guo Jing, meanwhile, had dried his eyes, unlocked the guards' acupressure points, and called for drinks to be brought.

Viper picked up a bowl of koumiss and drained it. He had decided to tell the truth. "I found the wench hiding in the Iron Spear Temple in Jiaxing, but she ran away not long after."

"How?" Guo Jing was thrilled. Lotus was the cleverest person he had ever known. Of course she would find a way to escape.

"We were at Roaming Cloud Manor on Lake Tai…" Viper trailed off and gritted his teeth. "Pah!… What more can I say? She got away." The proud martial Master could not bear to explain how he had been outwitted by a teenage girl.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" Those few words were enough for Guo Jing, for they confirmed that Lotus was safe. He could never forgive the Venom of the West for killing five of his shifus, but he was grateful that he had not harmed Lotus.

"Why thank me? I'm still hunting her. She got lucky and slipped away from me like a hare, but I made sure she couldn't get back to Peach Blossom Island. I tracked her as far as the Mongolian border … well, since you're here, she must be nearby—"

Guo Jing's heart leaped. "You've seen her?"

"Would I be talking to you now if I had? I've been watching your troops, day and night, but I haven't seen so much as a shadow resembling her. Tell me, where in hell have you hidden her?"

"… You've been watching us … and I had no idea…" Guo Jing stammered.

"Why would a mighty general notice a lowly soldier from the Western Regions in the Celestial Fore-Surge company?"

The idea that Viper Ouyang had been lurking among his men sent a chill through Guo Jing, though he had to admit that the martial Master, with his angular facial features and knowledge of the languages of the Western Regions, would blend in very well, especially since the army had been taking prisoners and recruiting surrendered soldiers along the way.

Had he wanted to kill me, I'd be dead already, Guo Jing said to himself. Then he asked, with an unmistakable note of hope in his voice, "Why do you think Lotus is here?"

"You couldn't have subdued the Khan's two sons or taken so many cities without her help. Since she won't show herself … well, I'll have to use you to get to her."

"I want nothing more than to see Lotus again, but why would I let you near her?"

"You don't have a choice. You might be a general with a large army, but I –" he sneered—"can come and go as I like. Who can keep me out of your ger?"

Viper took Guo Jing's silence as an acknowledgment of his words and continued: "Let's make a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"I promise not to touch a single hair on her head, if you tell me where she is. Or, I can look for her myself, and when I find her … I can't guarantee I will be so … pleasant."

Guo Jing knew this was no empty threat, and, since Lotus had not been able to return to Peach Blossom Island, it would only be a matter of time before he found her.

"Very well," he said after a pause. "We'll make a pact. But not on your terms."

"What do you propose?"

"Master Ouyang, your kung fu is far superior to mine, but I am much younger. One day, you will grow old and grow weak, and you'll be outmatched."

Guo Jing had previously called Viper "Uncle Ouyang" out of respect, but, with his shifus' blood on the Venom's hands, he would never address him with such familiarity again.

Viper Ouyang was startled by Guo Jing's comment, for it had never crossed his mind that he should consider the day when his physical prowess began to decline. Perhaps the boy was smarter than he seemed.

"And?"

"And, one day, I will find you, even if you hide at the heavens' edge. And I will avenge my shifus."

"Then I should kill you now, before I get old and weak."

Cackling wildly, Viper Ouyang took one step to widen his stance, crouched, and sent both palms hurtling at Guo Jing with a mighty surge of inner strength that could topple mountains and upend oceans.

Guo Jing shifted his footing a fraction, avoiding the blow, and countered with a Dragon in the Field. By now, he had mastered the Transforming Muscles, Forging Bones section of the Nine Yin Manual, and the power of those techniques had been boosted by Sole Light's interpretation of the Manual's final chapter and his growing familiarity with the other kung fu techniques described in the martial tract. His internal force had developed a new purity and strength.

The Venom threw up his arms and blocked Guo Jing's attack head-on. He was no stranger to Count Seven Hong's signature repertoire, Dragon-Subduing Palm, and knew the young man's neigong was no match for his; yet, still, a quiver went through his body at the contact. He had been careless and underestimated his opponent. It had almost cost him dearly.

This boy will catch up with me long before I am old and weak, Viper Ouyang thought warily as he swiped his left hand at Guo Jing.

The young man swerved away and thrust out his palm to parry. This time, Viper avoided a direct confrontation and twirled his wrist to dissipate the force of the boy's counter. But, though it appeared to be a straightforward defensive move, it concealed a sting in its tail. As the Venom's hand hooked over Guo Jing's, it unleashed a great burst of power into Guo Jing's face, compelling him to push back with his right arm.

Viper was reminded of the time they had fought palm to palm in the cave behind the waterfall, in the grounds of the Song Emperor's palace in Lin'an. Their two inner forces had clashed directly then, and, of course, his had proved stronger. He could sense that Guo Jing now had far greater powers of endurance; though, if it came to a battle of attrition, the young man would still end up dead or seriously injured.

So, the Martial Great tried the same maneuver he had pulled in the cave, luring his opponent into a trap. Just as he expected, Guo Jing drew his palm back slightly—a clear sign he was weakening. Viper summoned more strength to his arms, only to find his hand slipping. His young foe had evaded the brunt of the attack.

Roaring in fury, Viper sent forth a burst of neigong power, launching his palm into Guo Jing's chest as he made a silent promise. You will die today, boy!

And yet, before his fingertips could reach their target, Viper noticed that Guo Jing had lifted his left arm horizontally over his chest to guard it. The next thing he saw was the young man's right index finger spearing toward the side of his head. At the Great Sun pressure point on his temple.

Yang in Ascendance!

Guo Jing had seen Reverend Sole Light employ this technique to heal Lotus, and, in this desperate moment, he sought to emulate it, using the Competing Hands method to launch two different moves at the same time, guarding against Viper's attack while probing with his own.

It just so happened that Yang in Ascendance was the one skill that could counter the power of Viper's deadly Exploding Toad kung fu. How could the Venom fail to be alarmed by Guo Jing's imitation?

Leaping back, he yelled, "Even that old bore Duan Zhixing wishes to make trouble for me?"

In truth, Guo Jing's jab only superficially resembled the King of the South's signature move, for he had not been taught the skill and had no grasp of its subtleties. Moreover, it was not imbued with Cosmos neigong, so it could do no harm to the store of energy, accumulated over many years, that Viper used to launch the Exploding Toad.

From a safe distance, the Venom asked himself why Guo Jing had given up after a single attempt. Maybe the boy has not learned the whole repertoire? The thought reassured the martial Master, and he raised his palms. He held one hand above the other in front of his chest and let his energy pour forth for a brief moment before withdrawing it.

An attack with explosive speed.

Guo Jing threw himself to the side, his body reacting quicker than his brain to dodge the blow.

Crack! A low table behind the young man shattered.

In control once more, Viper Ouyang aimed a follow-up palm thrust. Just then, a gust of wind whipped into his back. Sneering at the attempted ambush, the Martial Great kicked out with his left foot without turning—making contact with the leg that was sweeping into him, striking it on the shin.

The assailant was sent flying, but, to the Venom's great surprise, he failed to break the man's bone. He snapped around. Three bearded vagrants stood in the ger's entrance. The Beggar Clan Elders: Lu, Jian and Liang.

Surefoot Lu had recovered from the exchange with Viper Ouyang and was now clasping arms with Jian and Liang in a wall formation, the Beggar Clan's technique for overcoming a stronger opponent by making use of their numbers. Guo Jing and Lotus had been given a taste of its potency at the Beggar Clan Assembly at Jun Hill, when dozens of human walls, formed by hundreds of Clan members, had almost driven them off a cliff.

Viper Ouyang had never fought these three men before, but, judging from the strength contained in the kick he had deflected, they were a force to be reckoned with. He reappraised the situation: he could easily handle Guo Jing in single combat, but if, these stinking beggars insisted on meddling, it would be more trouble than it was worth …

"Your kung fu has improved a lot, lad." He let out his metallic laugh and sat down on the rug in the same cross-legged posture as before. "So, tell me about your terms." He resumed the conversation as if no blows had been exchanged and the beggars were not present.

"You want Lotus to explain the Nine Yin Manual," Guo Jing said. "Whether she's willing to help you is up to her. You must not harm a single hair on her head."

Viper chuckled. "Why would I, if she's compliant? After all, who wants a quarrel with Old Heretic Huang? And the silver-tongued little thing makes an amusing companion. However, if she insists on being difficult, it is only fair to use a little … persuasion."

"No!" Guo Jing shook his head.

"What do I get in return?"

"The next three times you fall into my hands, I will spare your life."

Viper Ouyang rose, drawing himself up to his full height. A grating, high-pitched laugh erupted from his belly, ringing out across the steppe. Hundreds of horses whinnied uneasily.

Guo Jing merely fixed his eyes on the Venom and said in a quiet voice, "It's not a joke. You know our paths will cross again."

The Martial Great had not, in truth, found Guo Jing's words amusing. He was wary of this boy, who knew the secrets of the Nine Yin Manual, and whose kung fu improved by leaps and bounds each time they met, because of this knowledge. This was a foe he could not afford to underestimate. And so, he laughed and calculated his options.

"Why would I, Viper Ouyang, need mercy from a runt like you?" The Venom paused. "But, so be it. We shall see."

Guo Jing reached his hand out. "The word of a gentleman—"

"—is as true as a horseman's whip."

Sniggering, Viper slapped his hand against the open palm, before flipping it around, allowing Guo Jing to strike the back of it, and then with a quick flick of his wrist, their hands met for the third time as the pact was sealed with three ceremonial claps, in the Song custom.

The Venom was about to question Guo Jing further about Lotus, when he caught a fleeting form through the gap between the ger's flies. Recognizing the figure's swift footwork, he rushed outside, but there was not even a shadow in sight. He cast one final look at Guo Jing. "I will be back within ten days. Let's see who spares whose life then." And, in a flash, his cackle was jangling from more than a dozen zhang away.

Elders Lu, Jian and Liang stared in wonder, finding astonishment in each other's eyes. They now understood why this man's kung fu was ranked alongside that of their former chief, Count Seven Hong.

2

"Nonsense!" Surefoot Lu exclaimed after Guo Jing told them that Viper Ouyang thought Lotus was hiding in the army. "How would we not realize our Chief was here? After all—"

"Actually, I think it makes sense." Guo Jing sat down and rested his chin in his hand. He was speaking slower than usual. "I've often felt Lotus was by my side. Every time I was out of my depth, I was given the cleverest advice, like she was with me. But, however much I miss her, I don't get to see her." Tears were threatening to fall.

Surefoot Lu consoled the young man. "Take heart. This separation is temporary. You will be reunited."

"I've wronged her. She probably doesn't want to see me ever again. I don't know what I can do to make amends."

The three Elders exchanged glances, but made no reply.

"I don't mind if she won't speak to me," Guo Jing continued. "I just want to see her one more time."

"We should let you rest," Elder Jian said. "As for Viper Ouyang … We can discuss tomorrow how to deal with him when he returns."

In the morning, the army resumed their march west, and, at sundown, they set up camp again. Surefoot Lu came into Guo Jing's ger and laid a scroll on the table. "I came across this painting in the South, but I don't know how to appreciate this kind of art. I thought it might find a better home with the General than with a humble beggar such as myself."

Guo Jing unrolled the artwork and stared agape at the image. A young woman sat at a loom, weaving, her hair fastened with a floral hairpin. She had Lotus's features, but she looked drawn and waxen, her eyes vacant, her brow creased. His gaze lingered on her face for some time before turning to the two lyric poems inscribed alongside the image:

For the seventh time the loom is ready,

The silkworm spits the last thread of its life,

Let not silk sheer or twilled be cut wantonly.

Sundered for no reason,

The colored phoenix and its immortal mate,

Split apart on different sides of the robe.

For the ninth time the loom is ready,

Flying as one, leaves conjoined, branches entwined,

For the fickle, partings aplenty since times bygone.

From the beginning to the end,

Through one strand of silk,

Are the hearts linked and interwoven.

The verses were modeled after the one Madam Ying had embroidered on the handkerchief she once gave Zhou Botong, but the sentiment conveyed was more heart-wrenching and the allusions more subtle. Guo Jing could not fathom the depths of every word, but the meanings of the more straightforward lines were obvious enough. He was certain that the painting was Lotus's work, but the key question remained: how had Elder Lu come by it? He looked up to ask him, but the beggar had withdrawn from the ger while he was reading. Guo Jing immediately sent for him and was told that it was purchased from a bookseller in the South.

Now even Guo Jing could tell that something was amiss. What use would a man like Surefoot Lu—a beggar, after all—have for such a painting? And why did the woman look so much like Lotus? The only plausible explanation was that Surefoot Lu was hiding something from him, but Guo Jing was reluctant to question him further. He decided to bide his time.

As these thoughts were running through Guo Jing's mind, Elder Jian entered the ger and said in a low voice, "I just saw a shadowy figure flitting past the northeast corner of the camp. Viper Ouyang may be coming tonight."

"Good. The four of us will wait for him here," Guo Jing replied.

"Might I propose a plan of action?"

"Of course."

"We dig a deep pit in the ground here, and have twenty men stand ready outside with bags of sand. If the Venom falls into our trap, we'll make sure he can't get out again."

Guo Jing smiled. It was a brilliant idea. Given Viper Ouyang's arrogance and disdain for others, he would not suspect such a simple, old-fashioned ruse. Guo Jing let the three Elders take charge and called in soldiers to start the digging. When the pit was ready, they covered it with a rug and placed a light wooden chair over it, while twenty soldiers lay in wait outside with sandbags. It was common for armies advancing through arid terrain to dig wells for water, so what they had done did not draw any attention.

Once everything was ready, Guo Jing settled down to wait by candlelight, but Viper Ouyang did not make an appearance. In the morning, the troops were on the move again, and, as evening fell, when Guo Jing's ger was being set up, another team of men prepared a second trap. Again, there was no sign of Viper Ouyang.

The fourth night. Guo Jing sat in his tent, listening to the tolls of the diaodou, a cooking pan that doubled as the nightwatchman's gong. His thoughts were surging and ebbing to its undulating tones when a rustling sound like a falling leaf broke the pattern, and Viper Ouyang's unmistakeable cackle filled the air. Moments later, he strode in and sat down on the chair over the rug.

With a clatter and a crash, the Venom of the West hit the bottom of the pit, crushing his seat beneath him.

Even a martial Master of Viper's stature could not overcome the shock of falling into a narrow shaft, seven or eight zhang deep, quickly enough to jump straight out. And, at Guo Jing's signal, the soldiers rushed in and threw forty large sandbags into the pit.

Surefoot Lu chuckled merrily. "Just as Chief Huang—" He caught Elder Jian's glare and swallowed the rest of his words.

"What did you say?" Guo Jing asked brusquely.

"Chief Hong. I meant Chief Hong. It would tickle Chief Hong to see the Venom like this."

Guo Jing eyed Surefoot Lu suspiciously, but shouts of alarm outside the ger cut his interrogation short. He rushed out with the Beggar Clan Elders and found his guards staring with apprehension at something on the ground. He pushed through to see a mound of sand growing higher. He understood instantly—Viper Ouyang was using his kung fu to burrow out!—and ordered a troop of horsemen to ride over the pile of loose earth.

The Venom's strength, however potent, was no match for the weight of dozens of cavalrymen on galloping horses. The first heap began to collapse in on itself as a new one bubbled up elsewhere. The horsemen hastened over to trample the rising ground. Several more dunes emerged, only to be flattened, then all was quiet for some time. Could it be that Viper Ouyang had suffocated?

It was close to midnight. Guo Jing ordered the riders to dismount and dig for the Venom's body. A dozen soldiers surrounded the location of the last mound with torches, while the same number of men worked with shovels. When the pit was one zhang deep, they found Viper Ouyang, stiff and unmoving. It was staggering how far the Martial Great had managed to tunnel from the ger, with very little air and just his bare hands to work with—like a mole. It was a testament to his great inner strength, and, for soldiers who knew no kung fu, it was an almost unimaginable feat. In awe, they pulled him out of the ground and laid him down on his back.

Surefoot Lu placed his hand under Viper Ouyang's nose. Nothing. He touched the martial Master's chest. Still warm. The beggar shouted for iron chains. And, with the words still hanging in the air, the Venom drew a few quick but undetectable breaths, leaped to his feet, and seized Surefoot Lu's right wrist with a howl of rage, locking his pulse to cut off his strength. Realizing that he could not break through beneath the pounding hooves, he had decided to feign death, since Guo Jing would be certain to dig him out. Once he was above ground, he reasoned, he would have a fighting chance of getting away.

The soldiers were horrified to see the stranger rise from the dead, but Guo Jing had kept his guard up all along. At the first sign of movement, he pressed his left palm against the Kiln Path acupoint on the martial Master's back and thrust his right into the Spinal Center point on his waist.

Although unsettled, the Venom readied himself to swipe a backhand slash at Guo Jing. However, before he could even lift his arm, he felt a faint numbness spreading through his body. He cursed. The boy would not have got near his vital pressure points if he had not been half crushed by the weight of the sand and exhausted from trying to burrow his way out.

A cold fear gripped him. If he lets his strength flow, my inner organs will be turn into pulp. Even if I keep his hands away from my pressure points, I can't be sure that I can subdue him in my weakened state.

With that thought, Viper Ouyang let go of Surefoot Lu and concentrated on standing upright and steady to mask the lethargy in his limbs.

Guo Jing was the first to speak, breaking the hushed silence surrounding them. "Master Ouyang, have you seen Miss Huang?"

"I caught a glimpse of her earlier. That's why I'm here."

"Are you sure?"

"Could you have come up with this scheme without the vixen's help?"

Guo Jing wavered for a moment. "Go on your way. I said I would spare you."

With a light shove, Guo Jing sent the martial Master more than one zhang away—a necessary precaution, given the Venom's unscrupulous nature.

Viper Ouyang was content to keep his distance for now, simply fixing his young opponent with a baleful stare. "It is not my habit to use weapons against a junior in single combat," he said in a frosty tone, "but, since the devious little witch is helping you, I am going to make an exception. I will be back within ten days with my Serpent Staff. You have witnessed the power of the poisonous snakes inside. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Guo Jing watched the Venom glide off into the darkness with the aid of his lightness qinggong. A northerly gust of wind swept across the steppe and he shivered involuntarily, though whether at the chilly air or from memories of the Serpent Staff's might as a weapon, he could not tell. He cast his mind over the armed fighting techniques he had learned from the Six Freaks of the South, but none could be considered a supreme kung fu and wielding weapons had never been his strong point. Still, facing the Serpent Staff barehanded was unthinkable.

He gazed into the night sky, at a loss what to do. Snowflakes began to drift down, gleaming in the moonlight. He headed back into his ger and was struck by the bitter cold inside. An attendant was stoking the coal fire; all throughout the camp, soldiers were busy bringing their horses into the tents for shelter.

This unexpected drop in temperature caught the Beggar Clan members out, for they had not brought furs or warm winter clothes with them and had nothing but their neigong power to keep them warm. Guo Jing gave orders for sheep to be slaughtered and skinned. There was no time to treat the pelts, so, once the blood had been cleaned off, they were distributed to the beggars.

3

It was biting cold the next morning. The snow had been packed into ice overnight. The Khwarazm army took advantage of the extreme weather to mount an assault, but Guo Jing was prepared, breaking their charge with the Soaring Dragon formation and hunting the survivors through the night.

Although the Mongolians were victorious, it did not lessen the harsh realities faced by soldiers as they battled in the icy and windy Western Regions, which have captured many a poet's imagination over the centuries:

The general keeps his armor on all the time,

The soldiers' dagger-axes clank in the night march,

The wind like a razor cuts and slashes the face.

The steed's mane weighed by snow, their sweat turns to steam,

The warhorse's coat hardens into ice, hiding the clipped pattern,

Inside the tent the writing ink freezes on the inkstone.

The fighting spirit of enemy soldiers soars to the sky,

White bones on the battlefield twine with roots of weeds.

In Jianhe, the wind urgent, the snow falls fast,

In Shakou, the stones cold, the horses' hooves split.

The piercing cold did not affect Guo Jing much, since he had grown up in the northern deserts, but how could Lotus—if she really was with the army—endure the bitter weather, when she had only known the mild climate of the South? The thought of her discomfort ate away at the young General, so, the day after the surprise attack, when the march was halted for the night, he went in secret around the whole camp, checking every ger, but he did not find a single sign of her presence.

With a heavy heart, Guo Jing went back to his tent, and was surprised to find his men digging a pit, under Surefoot Lu's supervision.

"Surely Viper Ouyang is too cunning to fall for the same trick twice?"

"Well, the Venom will expect us to come up with a different ploy, so we're giving him another taste of what he enjoyed so much." The Beggar Clan Elder then added mysteriously, "In artifice there is substance, in substance there is artifice. Whether artifice or substance, it cannot be augured."

Guo Jing shot Surefoot Lu a sideways glance. The man who said he had no need of military tactics to lead beggars was now quoting battlefield wisdom.

"But, if we try to catch him out with sand again, he will find a way around it," Surefoot Lu went on, paying Guo Jing's reaction no heed. "So, this time, we'll use boiling water."

Guo Jing recalled passing a cluster of cauldrons when he had entered the ger. He stepped outside again. The Beggar Clan Elders had arranged for twenty large iron pots to be set up outside. Dozens of soldiers were bustling around them. Some were building fires, while others broke large mounds of packed snow into smaller chunks with axes and shoveled them into the cauldrons.

"Wouldn't that kill him?"

"You promised to spare his life the next three times he falls into your hands. If he's boiled alive by scalding water, he didn't exactly fall into your hands, and no one could accuse you of breaking your word."

When the pit was ready, it was masked by the rug, on which a wooden chair was placed, just as before. Outside, fires were lit and the snow started to melt in the cauldrons, though the air was so cold that thin layers of ice would form on the surface if the fuel was not replenished fast enough.

"More firewood here! Quick!" Surefoot Lu shouted as a dark figure flashed across the white landscape.

Viper Ouyang parted the ger's flaps with the Serpent Staff and strode onto the rug, crying, "I don't fear your traps!" Then he plunged, rug, chair and all, uttering a string of curses.

The Beggar Clan Elders listened in alarm to the commotion inside the tent. They had not anticipated the Venom would come so early in the night. The snow in the pots had only just melted; it was not even warm enough to use as bathwater. There were no sandbags close at hand. And they knew the martial Master could leap out of the pit with the same ease as he might turn his palm upside down.

"Guo Jing, run!" the Elders cried, just as a voice from behind them hissed, "Pour!"

Surefoot Lu caught the command and bellowed the word out loud: "Pour!"

The soldiers grabbed the cauldrons and rushed into the ger.

Viper Ouyang was already midair, halfway up the shaft, when several potfuls of water crashed onto him. The shock caused him to gasp, letting out the breath he had been holding. In free fall, he struck the butt of his staff against the base of the pit, sucked air into his lungs and pushed, propelling himself once more toward the opening.

A second wave of water lashed down onto him, but he was prepared this time, and it did not arrest his explosive upward motion. Yet, in this numbing cold, much of the water froze the moment it left the cauldron, and the Venom found himself hurtling painfully into fragments of ice as they rained down on his head.

And little did he know that the water at the bottom of the pit was also freezing fast. Having fallen short with his second leap, Viper was about to launch himself a third time when he sensed something pulling at his feet—they were trapped in a block of ice. Howling, he channeled his inner strength along his legs to the tip of his toes and broke through with a violent burst of energy, but, seconds later, more water cascaded down, solidifying around his upper body. In panic, he flung a sleeve over his face and managed to trap a pocket of air before his whole person was encased in ice. He then slowed his breathing using the Resting Tortoise technique, in the hope of preserving his life.

Although the water had failed to reach boiling point, the way in which the twenty cauldrons had been deployed was well planned out and rehearsed. Each vessel was manned by four soldiers, whose faces and forearms were wrapped in layers of cloth to protect against what would have been scalding splashes. The teams moved as one and stepped smartly aside once the load was discharged, to make way for the next group, sending down an all but constant stream of water. In no time at all, the pit was entirely filled.

The freezing water turned out to be an effective deterrent, securing Viper Ouyang in an ice pillar nearly five zhang in height and seven chi in diameter. Thrilled by their unintended success, the Beggar Clan Elders ordered men to dig around the block of ice and loop thick ropes around it, then had it dragged out of the ground by a team of twenty horses.

The news of this unusual sight spread like wildfire and soldiers from all over the camp gathered outside their commander's ger to marvel at it, lending a hand to help pivot the giant block of ice upright. By torchlight, it was apparent that Viper Ouyang had been frozen mid-action, one arm and one foot raised, his lips curled in a snarl and his eyes blazing. The crowd cheered at the spectacle, but Surefoot Lu feared that the martial Master might use his neigong to melt the ice and ordered more water to be brought to strengthen it.

But Guo Jing would not allow it. "I promised to spare him three times," he said. "Break the ice. Let him go!"

Though the Beggar Elders felt it would be a pity to set the Venom loose, they understood it was important for martial men to abide by their word. Surefoot Lu fetched a hammer, but, just as he was about to swing it down, Elder Jian held him back and turned to Guo Jing. "How long can Viper Ouyang survive like this?"

"Perhaps two hours? Not much longer than that."

"In that case, I suggest we free him then. I don't think it would be amiss to subject him to a little hardship before we spare his life."

Guo Jing nodded. He had not forgotten that this man was responsible for the deaths of five of his shifus.

By now, word had spread to nearby camps and soldiers from other parts of the army were coming to see the man in the ice for themselves. Surveying the growing mass of onlookers, Guo Jing turned to the beggars. "As the saying goes, 'A man would sooner be killed than be mocked.' The Venom may be a villain, but he is also a grandmaster of the martial arts. He should not be reduced to a laughing stock." With that, he sent soldiers to set up a ger over the ice pillar and assigned men to keep watch, with firm orders that absolutely no one was allowed inside.

The three Elders released Viper Ouyang two hours later. Although the Venom had managed to survive on a small amount of air, thanks to the Resting Tortoise method of breathing, his primal qi was badly damaged. He sat cross-legged on the ground and channeled his energy around his body. Eventually, he coughed out three mouthfuls of blackened blood and left without a word, his countenance waxen but his movements unaffected by the ordeal. Guo Jing and the beggars watched in awe, impressed by the depth of his kung fu.

For the whole duration of Viper Ouyang's imprisonment, Guo Jing had felt unsettled. At first, he thought it was because he was threatened by the Martial Great's presence, but the agitation did not diminish when he was gone. He made a conscious effort to gather his spirit and quiet his mind, and, in the time it takes to drink a pot of tea, he managed to silence his emotions and empty his head. Then it dawned on him. The reason he had been so restless. The voice that had prompted Surefoot Lu to pour the ice-cold water on Viper Ouyang was one Guo Jing knew very well. It was Lotus's. He was almost certain of it. The Venom might have had his full attention at the time, but he could still hear that one word—"Pour!"—lingering in his ears … Only, he could not quite catch it in his heart. It was not possible for Guo Jing to sit still any longer. "Lotus is in the camp," he said aloud to himself. "I'll summon all my troops for inspection. That way, she'll have nowhere to hide … But I shouldn't force her to reveal herself to me if she doesn't want to…" He unrolled the painting Surefoot Lu had given him. The sight of the young woman in the picture filled him with a bittersweet longing.

4

Galloping horses broke the silence of the night. Their hurried approach was greeted by shouts from Guo Jing's guards. Presently, a herald entered his ger with orders from Genghis Khan.

The Mongolian army had been divided into four smaller forces when they had embarked on their western campaign, each riding unimpeded and victorious along a different route into Khwarazm. But now the Great Khan's sights were set on Samarkand, a new city that had replaced Gurganj as the capital. It was garrisoned by more than a hundred thousand Khwarazmians, their artillery primed, their grain stores full. The city's fortifications were sound: no defensive wall under the heavens was known to be thicker or better equipped. When his reconnaissance units had returned with their findings, Genghis Khan issued an urgent summons, recalling his men from different parts of the country to mount an assault on the city with the full might of the Mongol cavalry.

Guo Jing led his division south the next morning, following the Sughd River. Ten days later, they reached Samarkand, the first Mongols to arrive. The city gates opened and out poured the entire garrison. The Khwarazmians thought they could crush this little Mongolian detachment with ease, but, within half a day, more than five thousand of their soldiers had fallen to the Rising Wind and Hanging Cloud formations employed by Guo Jing's riders. The battle-weary defenders scuttled back behind their city walls, their fighting spirit crushed.

On the third day, Genghis Khan, Jochi and Chagatai arrived with their armies. The full Mongolian force of more than a hundred thousand men had come together to put Samarkand under siege. Several days of intense attacks did little to damage the sturdy city walls or force the defenders from their ramparts. The casualties mounted and still the Mongols failed to make a breach.

The sun rose on another day. Chagatai's eldest son, Mutukan, led the charge this time, eager to secure honor on the field. An arrow flew from the battlements and pierced his skull. Genghis Khan, overwhelmed by grief and fury, sent his personal guards to retrieve the body. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he clasped his favorite grandson to his chest and plucked the arrow from the boy's head. A barb shaped like a wolf's fang, fletching made from condor feathers, and the shaft—gilded in gold—had words inscribed on it. An officer recognized the characters as Jurchen script and relayed their meaning:

PRINCE ZHAO OF THE GREAT JIN

"Wanyan Honglie!" the Great Khan howled as he leaped onto his steed's back. "Hark, my brothers-in-arms! Whosoever breaches this city and captures Wanyan Honglie to avenge my grandson will be rewarded with all the silks and jade and men and women behind these walls."

A hundred riders of Genghis Khan's personal guard stood on the backs of their horses and echoed his words in one voice, rallying the army into action. Arrows buzzed through the air like swarms of locusts. War cries shook the heavens. Some units worked together to scale the walls, heaping mounds of earth, raising cloud ladders and throwing grapnels. Other teams brought a battering ram to bear upon the city gates. From the ramparts, the Khwarazmians worked tirelessly to repel the invaders, and, by sundown, Genghis Khan had lost more than four thousand soldiers, yet Samarkand stood as firm as a mountain. The Mongolians had not suffered such a thorough defeat since they had first marched into the country. When the Great Khan returned to his ger that night, his rage erupted like a burst of thunder, fueled by the pain of bereavement.

GUO JING consulted The Secret to Defeating the Jin, hoping to find a way to take the city, but the fortifications of Samarkand were very different from those of the great cities of the Central Plains, so the methods of siegecraft set down by General Yue Fei were of little use to him.

He understood that, when an army besieged a city, their food and fodder would dwindle with time, and that the quickest way to replenish one's provisions was to take the city and plunder its stores, but that did not seem likely in the current situation. If the defenders sallied out, he was confident that the Mongolians would crush them with the ease with which one snaps a wilted twig or crumbles rotten wood, but there was nothing they could do if their enemies stayed behind their thick walls. As time wore on, they would soon be plunged into the depths of winter, and with the cold would come anxiety and impatience—the first signs of an army disintegrating from within.

Frustrated, Guo Jing called Surefoot Lu into his ger and explained his concerns, knowing the beggar would go straight to Lotus for guidance. Once Lu took his leave, Guo Jing tiptoed after him, but his plan was thwarted the moment he left the tent. Surefoot Lu was surrounded by a great mass of his clansmen, and they greeted Guo Jing as loudly as their voices would allow.

This must be another one of Lotus's ploys, Guo Jing thought with a sigh. She anticipates my every move and she can always come up with new ways to avoid me.

Surefoot Lu returned two hours later. "Such a large city cannot be taken in a rush," he said. "I can't think of any good strategies at present. Let's observe the defenders for a few more days. Perhaps they'll reveal a weakness."

Guo Jing nodded and the Beggar Elder took his leave. The young man's mind drifted back to Lotus again, and to the verses on the scroll painting. When he had left Mongolia for the South, more than a year ago, he had been a simple, unworldly boy, but the adventures and hardships along the way had made him more perceptive. Tonight, he felt he could almost grasp the affection that flowed through the poems and he grew more certain that Lotus still had feelings for him.

She's probably waiting for me to apologize. What can I do to make it up to her? he asked himself, wishing that he were not so dull-witted.

The question continued to plague him, keeping him awake well past midnight. When he at last dozed off, to fitful dreams of Lotus, he grabbed the chance to ask her what he should do. She gave her reply in hushed tones in his ear; yet, when he woke up, he had no memory of the words exchanged. No matter how hard he tried, nothing she said would come back to him. Joy turned to exasperation. He thought perhaps Lotus would appear in his dreams again, but sleep would not return to him. Knocking himself on the head in frustration, he suddenly had an idea.

I can't recall what she told me in the dream, but I can ask her! With that thought, he cried, "Send for Elder Lu!"

Surefoot Lu threw on a sheepskin and ran into Guo Jing's ger barefooted, thinking there had been urgent developments on the frontline, only to be greeted with a startling request.

"Elder Lu, I need to meet with Lotus tomorrow night. I'm giving you until noon to tell me where to find her."

"How … how's that possible? Chief Huang isn't here."

"You're smart and you'll find a way. If I don't get the answer I expect by noon, you'll be sorry." Guo Jing laughed silently at his unreasonable demand and turned to call in a guard before Surefoot Lu could argue back. "I want a team of executioners outside my ger at noon tomorrow," he told the man.

With the soldier's affirmative reply ringing loudly in his ears, the beggar left the tent, his face a picture of misery.

5

Heavy snowfall arrived with the new day. The city walls, now coated in ice, were extremely slippery, as though they had been greased with oil. With no hope of scaling them until it thawed, Genghis Khan had the troops stay in the camp. The impasse weighed on him. Winter would soon be upon them. It would only grow colder in the coming months, and the temperature would not start to climb until the arrival of spring, in the second or third moon after the turn of the year. If they gave up on capturing Samarkand and continued to march west, they would leave their rear open to a hundred thousand enemy soldiers who could cut off their route home. If they stayed in the field and maintained the siege, they might end up trapped between the city walls and Khwarazmian reinforcements, horribly outnumbered. The likely outcome of either scenario was the complete destruction of the Mongolian army—not a single horse could hope to escape.

Genghis Khan paced back and forth outside his ger, his hands clasped behind his back. For once, he had no idea what to do. He stared with a frown at the towering snow-capped mountain that anchored the city's fortifications. It was a curious sight, rising up from the flat grassland like a tree trunk with neither branches nor leaves. The sheer craggy surfaces were of the hardest, most impenetrable rock; no vegetation could take root; not even monkeys or apes could find a foothold. The local people called it Bald Tree Peak.

It had been a masterstroke to build the city against this mountain, making use of the unusual terrain to form the western side of the city walls. This effective natural defense was not only impregnable, it had also lightened the burden of the capital's construction on the Shah's coffers.

Outside the walls, the Mongolian camp, its tents, horses and camels, were covered in a blanket of snow; within the city, cooking smoke rose from every household, curling up into the sky. The sight fueled the conqueror's black mood. Through all the hundreds of battles I have fought, never have I been in such a desperate situation. Is this the end the heavens have in store for me?

GUO JING had problems of his own. What if Surefoot Lu kept his lips sealed regarding Lotus? He could not go through with his threat to have the Beggar Elder beheaded. Could he really hope to outsmart Lotus with this heavy-handed scheme? He knew full well he had no hope of besting her in a game of wits.

Midday was approaching. He sat sullen in his ger, the executioners, with their broad sabers, lined up outside. A horn blast signaled that it was noon.

Surefoot Lu entered and announced, "I have a plan, but it may be too difficult to put into practice."

"Tell me! I'd give my life. I'll do anything."

The beggar pointed to Bald Tree Peak. "Chief Huang will meet you at the summit at midnight."

"Is this a jest? How do we get up there?"

"That's why I said it might be too difficult to realize." With that, Surefoot Lu bowed and left Guo Jing to his thoughts.

One word from Lotus and I'm stumped. The dejected young man sighed, staring vacantly at Bald Tree Peak. It's several times higher than the middle crag of the Iron Palm Mountain, and far more treacherous than the Mongolian cliffs. If only there were a deity up there to throw me a rope …

Guo Jing dismissed the executioners and rode glumly to the foot of the Peak. The mountain rose straight from the ground like a column—its bulk did not seem to taper as it reached for the sky. Its frozen surface glistened like polished crystal, reminding Guo Jing of the block of ice in which they had trapped Viper Ouyang.

He tilted his head back and fixed his eyes on the summit, where no man or beast, except those with wings, had ever set foot. His fur hat fell to the ground with a gentle thud.

I'd rather fall to my death than miss a chance of seeing Lotus, Guo Jing told himself. The ascent may be dangerous, but I'll stake my life on the attempt. If I fail, at least I'll be dying for her.

His mind made up, Guo Jing returned to camp feeling lighter, and he ate heartily that evening.

The sky was clinging to the last vestiges of light when Guo Jing stepped out of his ger. He had the golden dagger tucked into his belt and a long coil of rope wound around his waist. He found the three Beggar Clan Elders waiting for him.

"We're here to escort you up the mountain," Elder Jian said.

"Huh?" Guo Jing was at a loss for words.

"Don't you have an appointment with Chief Huang?" Surefoot Lu asked.

So, Lotus wasn't deceiving me! Giddy with anticipation, Guo Jing followed the Elders to the foot of Bald Tree Peak. A small company of a few dozen warriors was waiting for their arrival. They were accompanied by scores of oxen, sheep and goats.

"Begin!" Surefoot Lu ordered.

A soldier swung his saber, cut off the hind leg of a goat, and pressed the bloody flesh to the cliff face. The warm blood froze instantly, attaching the limb firmly to the icy surface, as if it had been nailed in place.

Guo Jing could not understand what they were doing. He watched as the soldier's action was repeated. The second stump was attached four chi higher than the first, and he suddenly realized they were building a makeshift stairway. This was indeed a shrewd solution, given the freezing cold. Surefoot Lu leaped up onto the highest goat's leg and caught a shank thrown by Elder Jian, affixing it to the rock.

Soon, the grisly ladder was more than a dozen zhang high. At first, the soldiers slaughtered the animals on the ground and tossed the limbs up to Guo Jing and the three Elders. But, as they climbed higher, they found the warm flesh was frozen stiff by the time it reached them, so ropes were let down to hoist the livestock up, and the four men prepared the footholds themselves.

Before long, they were approaching the halfway point, where the lashing of the wind was far more intense than on the plain below. Fortunately, the four men were martial Masters, so, although their bodies swayed with the gusts, their feet remained firmly fixed on the improvised perches. Still, to guard against plunging to their deaths should they slip, they looped a rope around their waists, tying themselves together for additional support. They reached the top just before midnight; the Beggar Elders were exhausted and Guo Jing was drenched in sweat.

Once Surefoot Lu had caught his breath, he said with a laugh, "Will you let me keep my head, now?"

"I don't know how to repay this kindness." Guo Jing wrapped his palm over his fist, feeling both wretched and grateful.

Surefoot Lu bowed, moved by the respectful gesture. "We have to obey our Chief's every order, even the impossible ones. What can we say? We have a very mischievous leader."

Laughing, the three Elders took their leave and began the long descent. Guo Jing watched them go, until they were halfway down the crag, then turned around to take in the magnificent scenery on the mountaintop. A crystalline world that had stayed frozen in the same state for tens of thousands of years. Some of the ice clusters looked to Guo Jing like flowers and plants made of jade. Others were shaped like exotic birds and beasts, or mirrored rugged mountain rocks, or were gnarled and twisted like twigs and branches. Enchanted, Guo Jing could feel that the prospect of being in Lotus's company was causing his body temperature to rise, his blood to bubble in anticipation, and his cheeks to flush red.

A giggle sounded from behind him, soft, almost inaudible, but it hit Guo Jing like a thunderbolt. He spun round. A young woman, gilded by moonlight, offering him an elusive smile.

Lotus!

Although Guo Jing knew that the only reason he had climbed the mountain was to meet with her, to actually find himself in her presence struck him as unreal, and he feared it was all a dream. Their eyes met, the joy of the moment mingling with the sorrows of the past months. They ran toward each other with no regard for the ice underfoot. They slipped and skidded at the same time, but, before Guo Jing hit the ground, he summoned his internal strength and propelled himself forward, wrapping Lotus in his arms. He could not bear the thought of her falling and hurting herself. It had been nigh on a year since they had parted, and the longing had driven them almost out of their minds. Now that they were reunited, how could they let go again?

It was a good while before Lotus wriggled out of the embrace and found an ice mound that was a convenient shape to sit on.

"I wouldn't have agreed to see you if you hadn't been so miserable."

Guo Jing gazed at her, unable to utter a word. After a long pause, he murmured, "Lotus…" His voice gained strength through his joy and he forced her name past his lips again.

She chuckled. "How many times have you said my name already? You've been calling it at least three dozen times a day."

"How do you know?"

Lotus gave him an impish smile. "You can't see me, but I see you all the time."

"Why didn't you let me see you sooner?"

"How dare you ask that? Do you take me for a fool?" Lotus pretended to chide him. "If you'd known I was alive, you'd have married your Princess Khojin! That's why I kept it a secret."

The mention of Khojin dampened Guo Jing's mood, reminding him of the promise he had made.

"Let's talk in that crystal palace." Lotus took Guo Jing's hand and led him to a huge, hollowed-out ice block a few paces away. Gleaming in the moonlight, it looked as though it was carved from crystal. They sat down, Lotus pressing close to him. "Should I forgive you for how you treated me on Peach Blossom Island?" she asked.

Guo Jing stood up and faced Lotus solemnly. "I will kowtow a hundred times to beg your forgiveness." He knelt and knocked his forehead on the ground, counting earnestly, "One, two, three, four…"

"Get up." Lotus reached out, beaming. "If I weren't ready to forgive you, you could behead Surefoot Lu a hundred times and I still wouldn't bother to climb this cliff."

"You're so good to me, Lotus."

"Am I? You thought only of avenging your shifus. You didn't have room for even my shadow in your heart. Why would I not be furious? But, when I saw you make that pact with Viper Ouyang, that you were willing to spare him three times if he promised not to hurt me, I realized I meant more to you than revenge."

"Did it take you so long to know my heart?" Guo Jing dipped his head in disappointment.

"Look what I'm wearing," Lotus said, hiding a shy smile.

Guo Jing's focus had not strayed from her face all this time, and only at her prompting did he recognize the black sable coat—the one he had given her when they first met in Kalgan. His heart quickened at the memory, and he clasped her hands in his.

They sat leaning against each other for a while, feeling no need to speak. At last, Guo Jing broke the silence. "How did you get away? First Shifu said you were taken by Viper Ouyang at Iron Spear Temple."

"Thanks to Brother Zephyr Lu's Roaming Cloud Manor … What a pity, though." Lotus sighed. "The Old Toad wanted me to explain the secrets of the Nine Yin Manual, but I told him I needed a quiet and peaceful environment. He thought we should go to a secluded temple, but I refused, saying I couldn't stand monks and their dreary vegetarian fare. Eventually, I managed to coax him into asking me where I wanted to go. That was when I mentioned Roaming Cloud Manor, telling him how it was built on the shore of the beautiful Lake Tai and how refined the food and drink were in that grand house. And then I brought up the sticking point: the master of the estate was my friend."

"He wouldn't like that."

"Have you forgotten how conceited the man is? He holds everyone else in disdain. The more I talked about Roaming Cloud Manor, the more he wanted to go there. He said it mattered not how many friends I could call on, he'd be able to deal with them all. And so we went to Wuxi, but Brother Lu had already left for Baoying with Laurel and Emerald, to visit her parents. I'm sure you remember that the Manor's grounds were designed according to Papa's interpretation of the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams. The moment the Venom set foot inside, he realized he'd been fooled and tried to drag me out, but I turned a couple of corners and disappeared. He couldn't find me, so, in his rage, he burned the whole place to the ground."

"Ah!" Guo Jing gasped. "That's why all I found was ruins when I went there looking for you."

"I knew he'd do something like that, so I found a way to warn the household staff before I led him inside. But the crafty Venom kept watch over the route from Lake Tai to Peach Blossom Island and very nearly caught me several times. That was when I decided to head north to Mongolia. The whole time, he was hot on my heels. It's lucky that you aren't as sharp as he is, otherwise I'd have been hunted from every direction, with nowhere to hide."

Guo Jing gave a sheepish grin.

"But you're clever in your own way. You made Surefoot Lu come up with this plan for you."

"You showed me how."

"Did I?"

"Yes, you told me what to do," he said, and he went on to describe his dream.

Moved by his account, Lotus's smile turned solemn and her words came slowly. "People have said of old, 'True faith splits metal and rock.' I should have agreed to see you sooner, knowing how much you've missed me."

"Don't leave me again. Please."

Lotus gazed at the sea of clouds swirling around the peak and muttered, "I'm cold, Guo Jing."

He untied his fur cloak and wrapped it around her. "Let's go down."

"Meet me here tomorrow night. I have something to tell you about the final section of the Nine Yin Manual."

"Huh?"

Sensing Guo Jing's confusion, Lotus gave his hand a squeeze. "Papa worked out the meaning of the mysterious language at the end. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

Guo Jing was even more perplexed. Why would she claim her father was the translator, when it was Reverend Sole Light who had deciphered it? But, before he could raise this question, he felt her grip tightening again. He told himself there must be a reason for her strange behavior and agreed to return the next day.

The two of them climbed down from Bald Tree Peak and headed to Guo Jing's ger. Only when they were inside did Lotus whisper under her breath, "Viper Ouyang was spying on us."

"He was!?"

"He was hiding behind our crystal palace, but the Old Toad overlooked the fact that ice isn't opaque, even in the dark. When the moonlight fell on him, I caught a glimpse of his silhouette."

"That's why you brought up the Nine Yin Manual."

"Yes. We're going to trick him into going back. Then, we'll remove the footholds. He can stay up there working on his qi until he becomes an Immortal."

6

The next day, Genghis Khan resumed the attack on Samarkand, and, before long, more than a thousand of his best soldiers lay dead before the city walls. The Khwarazmian troops jeered and hurled abuse from the battlements, making the Great Khan curse and spit with rage. Fear began to creep into the great warrior's heart. In the wilderness all around their camp, the ground was littered with the carcasses of oxen, goats and horses that had frozen to death. If he failed to breach the city within ten days, at least half his army would perish in the bitter cold. He could not come up with a strategy to turn the situation around, and nor could he escape the idea that he, Genghis Khan—who had led a hero's life beyond compare—would meet his end here.

That night, Guo Jing, Lotus and the Beggar Clan Elders made preparations to quickly take down the makeshift footholds once Viper Ouyang had ascended Bald Tree Peak. They waited and waited, but there was no sign of the Martial Great. The Venom was keeping watch from a distance for any movement at the summit. He would not commit himself until he was certain that Guo Jing and Lotus were up there.

Eventually, Lotus realized they would have to take the initiative to lure the Old Toad out. She adjusted their plan, asking for several long ropes to be soaked in rock oil.

Found below the ground in Khwarazm, rock oil had first been discovered more than a thousand years before. When the locals dug wells for water, they came across a dark liquid that ignited readily. Ever since, they had been using it to cook and light fires, calling it fire oil. The Mongolian army had been seizing stores of it on their march through the country, amassing their own supply of fuel.

After securing the oil-soaked ropes on their backs, Guo Jing and Lotus made their ascent. Once they reached the summit, they concealed the coils behind a rock and sat down in the same ice cave as the night before. Viper Ouyang followed the young couple in absolute silence, confident that they would be unable to detect his movements thanks to his supreme lightness qinggong, though in fact they had already spotted his indistinct outline through the ice.

Lotus began to explain a passage from the Nine Yin Manual and Guo Jing played along by prompting her and asking questions. It was all for show, but she was quoting directly from the martial tract. Viper listened intently, overwhelmed by the wisdom that was reaching his ears. Even if he did manage to cow the wench into sharing these martial secrets with him, she would never go into such detail. How fortuitous that he had this opportunity to spy on them instead. And yet, the Venom soon grew frustrated at Guo Jing's endless questions. This boy is indeed awfully stupid, he concluded.

Suddenly, urgent horn blasts filled the air, making Guo Jing jump to his feet. "The Great Khan's summons! I have to go."

Of course, the bugle call was part of Lotus's plan.

"Let's meet here tomorrow."

"Can't we talk in my ger? It must be tiring for you to climb up and down."

"The Venom has been searching for me all over the camp. There's nowhere to hide down on the ground, but even he wouldn't think to look for me up here."

Hearing this, Viper Ouyang could not resist a smirk. You think this little hill can stop me? You can run to the sky's edge and I'll still find you.

"Wait for me here. I'll be back in an hour."

At a nod from Lotus, Guo Jing began his descent. He was anxious about leaving her alone with Viper Ouyang, but, since the Martial Great wanted to listen in on their discussion about the Nine Yin Manual, it was unlikely that he would reveal himself or do anything untoward. As he made the long climb down, Guo Jing coiled the oil-soaked ropes around each frozen foothold.

Viper watched as Lotus appeared to grow increasingly restless, until she stood up and began pacing and muttering to herself. "Why's Guo Jing taking so long? This place is probably haunted. What if the ghosts of Yang Kang and Gallant Ouyang appear? I should go down. I can always come back up with him later."

Fearing that he would be discovered, Viper stayed huddled behind the ice block, utterly still, watching her disappear from view over the edge of the cliff.

Guo Jing and the Beggar Elders were waiting for Lotus at the foot of the mountain. The moment she was safely on firm ground, they lit the ropes. The flames licked higher and higher, feeding greedily on the rock oil and melting the frozen blood that had kept the severed animal legs affixed to the cliff face. They fell to earth, one by one, as the fire devoured the ropes, slithering toward the summit like a blazing snake. Against the inky sky and the brilliant white snow, it was a magnificent sight.

Lotus clapped and cheered, then turned to Guo Jing. "Are you going to spare him again?"

"Yes, but this is the last time."

"I know a way you can stay true to your word and claim his life to avenge your shifus."

"Lotus, you really are full of ideas!" Guo Jing gushed.

She gave him a smile. "It's just a simple plan. We'll let the Old Toad eat a bellyful of icy wind up there for ten days and nights. When he's hungry and cold and exhausted, we'll build a new stairway to bring him down. And that will be three times you've spared his life, won't it?"

"Yes."

"So, once he's back on the ground, we won't have to be courteous to him anymore. The two of us can dispatch a sickly, half-dead man, can't we? With the Elders' help, of course."

"We can … but finishing him off like that wouldn't be very honorable."

"What's the point of being honorable with a scoundrel like him? Did he show mercy to your shifus? Was he honorable when he made his snake bite your fourth shifu in the tongue?"

White-hot rage flooded Guo Jing's veins at this reminder of the Venom's cruelty. He knew he might not get another chance to claim revenge.

"You're right. Let's do it," he said, his jaw clenched.

Lotus accompanied Guo Jing to his ger, where they resumed their discussion of the Nine Yin Manual, only, this time, they could throw themselves into it without the need to put on an act. Throughout their exchange, they were both thrilled to discover how much the other's martial understanding had improved over the past year. Unlike Guo Jing, Lotus had never memorized the original Sanskrit-inspired passage, and, since Reverend Sole Light's translation had been in Guo Jing's possession, her grasp of the Manual's key tenets was incomplete. Now that she at last got to see the full picture, she felt energized, despite the late hour.

After a time, Guo Jing turned the conversation to another of his sworn enemies. "Wanyan Honglie is hiding in Samarkand, but we're stuck outside the city walls. We can't get to him. Have you got any idea how we can breach the city?"

"I've been thinking about that ever since we got here, but none of the plans I've come up with guarantee success."

"What if we scale the walls? Among the Beggar Clan brothers, there must be at least a dozen with good enough lightness qinggong who could join us. Would that work?"

Lotus shook her head. "Archers are positioned almost shoulder to shoulder all the way along the ramparts. And, even if we managed to dodge the arrows on our climb and find a way into the city, how could so few of us tackle an army of a hundred thousand? We wouldn't be able to force the gates open."

The young couple were still talking at dawn the next day when Genghis Khan launched another attack on Samarkand. Thousands of soldiers manned his catapults, raining boulders down on the city. They also brought to bear the numerous cannons they had seized from the Jin and the Song armies. The bombardment, however, did little damage to the Khwarazmian troops taking shelter inside their barracks, and it was the common people who suffered, with many homes destroyed. The artillery assault continued for three days, but to little effect.

On the fourth day, snowflakes the size of goose down tumbled from the heavens. Guo Jing looked toward the mountaintop and shivered. "Viper Ouyang may not last ten days, in this weather."

"He'll live. Don't forget his supreme neigong—" Lotus's reply was swallowed by a gasp. Was that the Venom she could see jumping from the summit? "The Old Toad must have had enough. He's seeking solace in death," she said, pointing out the faraway speck in the sky.

She was just about to applaud his courage, when she noticed something strange about the distant figure. "How curious!" she muttered.

Rather than plunging straight down, Viper's body was drifting and gliding like a kite. Could he have employed sorcery to slow his descent? Was that why he was floating to earth in such a leisurely manner? He was now closer to the ground, and Lotus could see him more clearly. The martial Master was stark naked, holding two conjoined balloons above his head.

"Pity!" Lotus sighed, realizing what he had done.

For all his martial prowess, Viper Ouyang had been dismayed to find himself trapped on Bald Tree Peak, a thousand zhang above the ground, with no way of getting down. But, after several days, chilled to the bone and with nothing to warm his stomach, he fixed upon a desperate idea. He took off his trousers and tied a tight knot at the hem of each leg, then removed the rest of his clothes, using them to reinforce the fabric. Gripping it by the waistline, he swung his creation windward and watched as it filled out with air. Gritting his teeth, he leaped from the mountain.

It was an extremely risky endeavor, a wild attempt to cling to life by embracing death, but Viper had no choice. The trousers billowed out as he had hoped, greatly reducing the downward pull of the fall. With nothing to protect him from the bitter cold, he was almost frozen stiff. All he could do was to draw on the full depths of his inner strength, forcing his qi around his body to resist the icy air and numbing snow.

Lotus could not decide if she found the Venom's escape amusing or infuriating, but one thing was certain: she could think of no way to thwart his attempt. Meanwhile, every soldier in the two opposing armies, altogether several hundred thousand men, was staring up at the sky to marvel at the descent of this airborne figure. Many even prostrated themselves on the ground to greet what they believed to be the coming of a divine Immortal among men.

Studying the trajectory of Viper's flight, Guo Jing realized that he would land within Samarkand's walls, and, when the Martial Great was just several dozen zhang from the ground, he took an iron bow from a nearby soldier and let fly a number of arrows in quick succession. He guessed that the Venom would have difficulty twisting out of the way midair, but he was careful to aim for a part of his body that would not be susceptible to fatal injury, honoring his promise to spare the villain's life for a third time.

Blessed with unrestricted sightlines as he glided down, Viper spotted the arrows hurtling toward his lower body and tucked in from the waist, hunching his back and kicking out with both feet to knock them off course.

Amid the general hubbub, Genghis Khan received a brief report from Guo Jing about the mysterious figure in the sky and ordered his archers to bring the Venom down. Ten thousand bows were drawn at once, and arrows flew across the sky like a meteor shower, every single one aimed at Viper Ouyang. Even if he had a thousand arms and ten thousand legs, he could not have deflected them all. And, since he was using every stitch of his clothing to slow his descent, he had nothing to twirl as a soft shield—and there was nothing he could dodge behind in the sky. The martial Master knew he needed to change his course drastically before he was impaled by countless arrows and reduced to a flying hedgehog.

Viper let go of his inflated trousers and immediately found himself flipped upside down, plummeting head first.

Every soldier cried out in shock, their voices shaking both heaven and earth.

The Venom flexed his stomach and launched himself toward a large banner flying from the ramparts, just as a blast of wind pulled the fabric taut, stretching it from west to east. Viper shot out his left hand and caught a corner of the flag. This brief contact allowed the Martial Great to transfer the force of the fall, tearing the banner in two and buying himself time to flip into a somersault, hook his feet around the flagpole and slide down, disappearing behind the defensive wall.

Awed by this amazing feat, the soldiers took to discussing at great length what they had just witnessed. Indeed, for a time, both sides seemed to have forgotten that they were in the midst of war.

Guo Jing watched the display in frustration. Lotus won't be pleased that I'll have to spare the Venom on our next encounter, he said to himself, and yet, when he turned to her, she was grinning radiantly. "Why are you so happy?"

She clapped her hands. "I've got a present for you. Are you excited?"

"What is it?"

"The city of Samarkand."

Guo Jing was flummoxed.

"The Venom has shown us the way into the city. Get your soldiers ready. We will win a great victory tonight." She then leaned close, speaking in a whisper. Her words had him applauding in delight.

7

Guo Jing's men received their covert orders in the early afternoon. They were to cut up their gers to fashion circular canopies on which they would fasten strong leather ropes. And they had just three hours to produce ten thousand of them. The soldiers were hesitant. If they dismantled their shelters now, how would they survive the bitter cold at night? And yet there was no question of defying their commander.

Meanwhile, Guo Jing arranged for all the cattle in the camp to be herded to the base of Bald Tree Peak. Then, he gave his men their orders. Ten thousand men were to wait out of arrow range in sight of Samarkand's north gate, split into four formations: Shielding Sky, Embracing Earth, Rising Wind and Hanging Cloud. They were warned to be on the lookout for enemy generals and other high-ranking officers coming their way. Another ten thousand fighters would conceal themselves at the foot of the wall either side of the north gate, divided into Soaring Dragon, Winged Tiger, Gliding Bird and Coiling Snake battle arrays, responsible for driving enemy soldiers into their brothers-in-arms facing the gate. A third unit of ten thousand was told to arm themselves lightly and wait for his instructions.

At nightfall, after the troops had filled their bellies, the two divisions marched for the north gate. Three hours before midnight, Guo Jing sent word to Genghis Khan that Samarkand's defenses would soon be breached and that the whole army should be ready to storm the city. Stunned by Guo Jing's claim, the warrior demanded that the young commander explain himself in person, but the messenger simply replied, "The Prince of the Golden Blade has already set off. He looks forward to toasting your victory."

Guo Jing sounded the bugle from the base of Bald Tree Peak, and a thousand of his men began to slaughter the cattle, pressing warm, bloody flesh to the icy crag to construct the makeshift stairways. The martial Masters from the Beggar Clan hopped up and down using their lightness kung fu, passing around animals and body parts, and, in no time, several dozen ladders were ready.

At Guo Jing's command, ten thousand soldiers clambered after their General, scaling the cliff, each man fastened to the next by a length of rope. Despite their numbers, they ascended in absolute silence, for they had been warned not to make the slightest sound. From afar, it looked as though dozens of dragons were winding their way up the mountain on this cold, dark night.

The summit was just about large enough to accommodate ten thousand men tightly packed together. Guo Jing ordered the soldiers to attach the canopies they had made that afternoon to their shoulders and jump down into the city, weapons at the ready. Their target was the south gate.

Striking his hands together, Guo Jing gave the signal to commence and leaped from the cliff, followed by several hundred Beggar Clan members. The Mongolian troops were known for their exceptional courage, so, despite the obvious dangers of jumping from such a great height, they boldly followed their commander's lead. After all, they had seen Viper Ouyang's graceful descent, and his equipment had been far less sturdy than what was now strapped to their backs. As the soldiers stepped off the edge of the mountain, the canopies billowed out like ten thousand flowers blooming all at once, allowing the men to drift steadily down.

A flush of excitement washed over Lotus as she watched the successful realization of her plan. She cared little if Genghis Khan took this city, for the Mongolians' military exploits meant nothing to her, but, if Guo Jing were victorious, he could ask for something that meant a great deal to both of them—if he were willing to listen to her advice.

The moment Guo Jing's feet touched the ground, he ripped the canopy from his back and swung his saber at a knot of enemy soldiers. By now, a small portion of the city's troops had woken to the sight of the Mongols descending from the heavens. As they registered the scale of the aerial assault, their fighting spirit instantly dissolved and mass panic took hold.

The first group to land were the Beggar Clan members. Well trained in the martial arts, they did not take long in battling through the demoralized defenders to close in on the city's south gate.

Although most of the Mongolian troops survived the descent, only one or two thousand managed to land near the assembly point, and several hundred men perished because their canopy failed or they were hit by arrows. More than half were scattered by the wind to different parts of the city, where, outnumbered by the Khwarazmians, many were captured or killed. Guo Jing split the warriors he had on hand into two groups: one to seize control of the south gate, the other to protect their comrades, fending off attacks from their foes.

Astonished and delighted by the sight of Guo Jing's troops descending into Samarkand, Genghis Khan mobilized the whole army. They arrived to find the south gate already open, guarded by several hundred Mongolians. Battalions of a thousand men filed in, one after another, joining their brothers-in-arms inside to subdue the city's garrison.

The Khwarazmian army, though more than a hundred thousand strong, was fast collapsing. As the Mongolians advanced, they doused buildings with rock oil, and soon the city was ablaze, which only added to the chaos. Assured that his men still held the city's north gate, Shah Muhammad decided to flee in that direction, emerging to find Guo Jing's men waiting for him outside. The Shah had no desire to engage them. He sent word ordering Wanyan Honglie to maintain a rear guard and spurred ahead, surrounded by his personal guards.

Guo Jing caught a flash of Wanyan Honglie's golden helmet in the midst of the retreating troops and led a unit in pursuit. He was determined to capture the Jin Prince, but although the Khwarazmian army had suffered a crippling defeat, they were still a force to be reckoned with. They threw themselves at Guo Jing's soldiers outside the north gate like cornered beasts, for breaking through seemed their only hope of getting out alive.

Word soon reached Guo Jing that the Khwarazmians were pushing back the two divisions he had ordered to lie in ambush. The situation brought to mind an ancient Chinese military maxim that urged commanders to show mercy when they held the advantage: "Fall not for bait, strike not those in retreat, trap not those under siege, chase not the desperate." With this in mind, Guo Jing called for a change in tactics.

Responding to a wave of the signal flag, the four formations facing the north gate—Sky, Earth, Wind and Cloud—parted to allow their fleeing adversaries through. Once the majority of Samarkand's routed troops had charged past, the flag was raised and cannons sounded to call the four formations back into position, ready to face the last remnants of the Khwarazmian rear guard. Despite their fearsome reputation, these elite troops had lost all desire to fight after the city's fall, and, since they were also heavily outnumbered, they were quickly surrounded and disarmed. Guo Jing personally inspected the prisoners, one by one, but he did not find the Jin Prince hiding among them. He might have won the day, but he did not feel the flush of triumph, for his two arch enemies, Wanyan Honglie and Viper Ouyang, had evaded him amid the chaos of battle.

8

Samarkand's last remaining forces had been mopped up by the time the sky was fully light. Genghis Khan installed himself in Shah Muhammad's palace and summoned his generals.

Guo Jing was visiting the wounded when he heard the Great Khan's golden bugle. He immediately followed the sound of the call, which brought him to the square outside the royal residence. By its grand entrance stood a small knot of warriors, among them Lotus and the Beggar Clan Elders. Spotting Guo Jing, Lotus clapped her hands and two soldiers dragged forward a large sack, setting it at her feet.

"Guess what's in here," she said with a chuckle.

"How can I? This city has everything."

Lotus gave the sack a tug and out rolled a man. Disheveled hair, a split lip—he was wearing the standard-issue fur coat worn by the Khwarazmian soldiers, but it was a face Guo Jing knew well. The Jin Prince Wanyan Honglie.

"Marvelous! Where did you find him?"

"I spotted a unit with the Prince of Zhao's banner among the troops fleeing through the north gate. A general in a gold helmet and brocade robe led them east. I didn't believe that someone as calculating as Wanyan Honglie would withdraw under his own flag, so I knew they were a decoy. Since they were heading east, it meant the cunning fox must be going west—and he ran straight into my ambush."

Lotus produced a dagger and held it out solemnly. It was the one given to Skyfury Guo by Qiu Chuji when the Taoist came up with Guo Jing's name, carving it on the hilt. Another, presented to Ironheart Yang, was inscribed with the characters Yang Kang and was now in Mercy Mu's possession.

"My congratulations," she said, "for you shall avenge your father today. Use this," she added as she handed over the dagger. "It will please his spirit in the heavens to know that it dealt the fatal blow."

Guo Jing took the weapon and bowed low. "Lotus, I don't know how to thank you for helping me in this matter."

She smiled. "It was just luck. Now listen, you've won a major victory today, and the Great Khan is sure to reward you handsomely. You should think about what you'd like from him."

"There's nothing I want."

"Come here." She beckoned him over, taking a few steps away from the others, so they would not be overheard. Once Guo Jing was up close, she said in a quiet voice, "Is there really nothing in the world that you'd like?"

Guo Jing thought hard, sensing there were hidden depths to her question. "There is one thing," he said eventually. "I never want to be parted from you again."

"Considering what you've achieved today, I think the Great Khan will overlook any offense your request may cause."

Guo Jing grunted in vague agreement, but he did not seem to have grasped her meaning. Lotus was forced to spell it out: "If you ask him for any rank or title, he'll agree to it, but you can also ask him to take away any rank or title already granted. It will be hard for him to refuse—so long as you first get him to give his word that he'll grant you anything you ask."

"Right…"

The sluggish way he uttered this one-word reply and the sheepish manner in which he scratched his head infuriated Lotus. "You rather enjoy being the Prince of the Golden Blade, don't you?"

"Oh!" At last, Guo Jing caught on to what Lotus was trying to get at. "You want me to ask the Great Khan to free me from my betrothal to Khojin."

"That's your decision. Maybe you do really want to be a Prince." Lotus's displeasure was apparent.

"Khojin's feelings for me are genuine, but I've only ever thought of her as a sister. If the Great Khan agrees to call off the engagement, it would be for the best."

Smiling, Lotus gave him a sidelong glance, but at that moment the golden horn sounded for a second time. Guo Jing took Lotus's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Wait for my good news," he said, before turning away to drag Wanyan Honglie into the palace.

The moment Genghis Khan saw Guo Jing, he came down from the throne and took the young General by the hand to lead him inside. Then he asked an attendant to bring a brocade stool and set it down next to the royal seat for the hero of the hour. Guo Jing briefed the conqueror on the capture of Wanyan Honglie, who was prostrating himself in utter subjugation on the floor.

Genghis Khan strode up to the Jin Prince and planted his foot on the man's head. "Did you imagine you'd end up like this when you first came to Mongolia to show off your might?"

Knowing that his death was assured, Wanyan Honglie fixed his eyes on Genghis Khan. "It is regrettable that we failed to wipe out your measly tribe when we Jurchens were at the height of our power. If we had, we would not be here today."

Laughing, Genghis Khan ordered his men to get Wanyan Honglie out of his sight and behead him in the square before the palace.

The command aroused mixed feelings in Guo Jing. On the one hand, he was pleased that his father's death would at last be avenged; on the other hand, he had always imagined exacting this vengeance himself, using the dagger Qiu Chuji had given his father. And yet, the despondent look on the face of the once haughty Prince dulled the hatred and anger he had nurtured for so long, and he realized that he did not need to dispatch the man by his own hand.

Genghis Khan turned to Guo Jing. "I decreed that the man who gave me this city, along with the head of Wanyan Honglie, would be rewarded with all the silks, jade and men and women within its walls. Send your men to claim your prize."

Guo Jing shook his head. "My mother and I have long enjoyed the Great Khan's generosity. We want for nothing and can find no use for more servants, gold or silks."

"You have the character of a true hero. Tell me, what do you want, then? I shall grant you anything you name."

Guo Jing stood up and bowed deeply. "I do have one thing to ask of the Great Khan, and I beg him not to be angry with me."

"Speak your mind," the conqueror said with a smile.

But, just as Guo Jing was about to make his request, a gut-wrenching wailing rose up from somewhere beyond the palace, reaching as far as the heavens and rocking the earth, making the hearts of all those within earshot skip a beat. The generals leaped from their seats and drew their weapons, thinking that the locals they had just subdued had risen up against their invaders. But Genghis Khan stopped them before they could rush out of the hall.

"All is well," the conqueror said, with a dry chuckle. "This cursed city refused to bend to the heavens' will, costing me not just soldiers and generals, but my dear grandson too. It deserves a thorough purge. Come, let us watch."

Genghis Khan led his generals out of the palace, where they mounted their steeds and rode for the nearest gate, the shrieks growing ever more piercing and desperate. Once outside the city, they saw thousands of Samarkandians on the run, crying, screaming, shoving each other, falling to the ground, all trying to avoid the galloping Mongol riders and the long sharp sabers that were slicing into them.

When the Mongolians entered Samarkand, they ordered its people to leave the city. At first, the locals thought they were being sent outside the walls to help the conquerors flush out any soldiers lurking among them, but the Mongols began to confiscate all items that could be used as weapons, then to single out all the skilled craftsmen and select the good-looking women and girls from the masses gathered, binding their hands with ropes. The Samarkandians at last understood the disaster that was about to befall them. Some resisted and were cut down by sabers or run through with spears. Then, a dozen battalions roared and charged into the crowd, hacking and slashing with their blades. A massacre most brutal and savage. Men, women, children, the elderly—no one was spared. Trembling white-haired ancients, infants who had never left their mother's embrace, all butchered without a second thought. By the time Genghis Khan arrived with his generals, more than a hundred thousand had been slaughtered. Mutilated bodies carpeted the ground in all directions. The iron-shod hooves of the Mongolian horses thundered indiscriminately, treading them into the blood-soaked earth.

"Excellent! Kill them all!" Genghis Khan roared in good humor. "Show them the might of Genghis Khan."

Unable to witness this carnage any longer, Guo Jing urged his horse over to the conqueror's side. "Great Khan, spare them, please!"

But the warrior waved him away testily and shouted, "Slay them all! Do not leave a single soul alive."

Guo Jing bit his lip and swallowed his words. A child of seven or eight broke away from the crush of shivering, defenseless bodies and threw himself at a woman who had just been knocked over by a warhorse. "Mama!" he screeched as a rider charged at them. One swing of the saber and mother and child were cut clean in two, the boy's lifeless arms still wrapped tightly around the woman.

The sight made Guo Jing's blood boil. "Great Khan!" he called at the top of his voice. "Didn't you say that the silks, jade, men and women of this city were mine? Why did you order this massacre?"

"What concern is it of yours?" Genghis Khan replied, with a cackle. "You said you didn't want them."

"And you said you'd grant me anything I name. Is that true?" Once he had the conqueror's affirmation, Guo Jing went on: "The Great Khan's word is as immovable as any mountain. I beg you to spare the people of this city."

Genghis Khan's expression hardened. He had never imagined Guo Jing would ask for clemency, but the boy had the right of it. He had given his word, and he could not take it back. Fury burned in his chest and fire glittered in his eyes as he glared at Guo Jing, clutching the hilt of his saber. "Is this really what you want from me, boy?"

The generals flanking Genghis Khan had fought shoulder to shoulder with the warrior through countless campaigns, and never once had they feared for their lives, for they saw death as nothing but a homecoming. And yet, at this moment, their commander's bitter wrath sent a chill through their hearts, leaving them quaking in terror.

Guo Jing had never been regarded by Genghis Khan with such severity, and he could not stop himself from shuddering with trepidation. He steeled himself to repeat his demand. "I beg the Great Khan to spare the people of this city."

"You won't come to rue this decision?" the warrior growled.

Guo Jing recalled Lotus advising him in the square outside the palace to use this opportunity to end his betrothal to Khojin. He was aware that he only had one chance before he lost the Great Khan's favor for good—a loss he could accept, if it weren't for the fact that his future with Lotus would flow by like running water along with it. And yet, how could he stand by and listen to the screams of tens of thousands of common people? How could he watch them be brutally butchered?

"I will have no regrets," he said, trying to sound certain.

Even so, Genghis Khan could detect the tremor in his voice. The young man was frightened, but he acted according to his heart, and the conqueror felt a grudging admiration for his stubborn courage. He unsheathed his saber and shouted, "Stand down!"

At the call of the bugle, the blood-soaked Mongolian riders withdrew from the terrified Samarkandians, and lined up neatly in columns, forming several divisions of ten thousand men.

No one had gone against the wishes of the Great Khan since he had earned that title, and to have his bloodlust so frustrated filled him with an unaccountable rage. He let out a howl, hurled his saber to the ground and galloped back to the palace. The generals glowered at Guo Jing. They had thought that taking such a grand city would offer them several days of plunder and bloodshed, but now all they would receive as a reward was their commander's black moods and the unknowable ways in which he might lash out. The exhilaration of taking Samarkand had come to naught.

GUO JING was conscious of the resentment from those close to Genghis Khan, but he paid them no heed, instead urging Ulaan to carry him farther into the wilderness beyond Samarkand. During the siege and the assault on the city, tens of thousands of houses on both sides of the city walls had been torched, and now the earth was littered with countless bodies, staining the snowy plains red with blood.

There is no escaping the cruelty of war, Guo Jing thought as he rode through the devastation. To avenge my father, I brought an army here and killed all these people. In conquering the world, the Great Khan has butchered many more. But what sins did these tens of thousands of soldiers and common people commit to deserve such a fate? To have their brains and innards smeared on the ground, their bones abandoned in the wastes? Was I right to help breach the city in my thirst for vengeance, and bring death to so many?

The more Guo Jing turned over the events of the recent past in his mind, the more unsettled he became. He wandered aimlessly, with only his anguished reflections for company, and did not return to the city until long after dark, when he found two of Genghis Khan's personal guards waiting for him. They bowed, and one of them said, "The Great Khan requests the company of the Prince of the Golden Blade."

Guo Jing was uneasy about the summons, and told his own guards to inform Surefoot Lu of where he was headed.

I went against his wishes today. Perhaps he will have me beheaded for insubordination, he said to himself. He may try to intimidate me into changing my demands, but whatever happens, I must save the people of Samarkand. He is the Great Khan—he cannot go back on his word.

Guo Jing arrived at Shah Muhammad's palace expecting to find Genghis Khan in a foul mood, but the sound he heard echoing through the building was the conqueror's ebullient laughter. Surprised, he quickened his steps, entering the hall to find the Great Khan had company. Khojin was sitting on the floor at his feet, leaning against his knee. And by his side was a Taoist monk with a glossy black beard that flowed down his robes—Eternal Spring Qiu Chuji.

Delighted, Guo Jing hurried over to pay his respects, but Genghis Khan snatched a halberd from his attendant, twirled it around and swung its blade down at Guo Jing's skull with his full strength. Startled, the young man tilted his head to one side. The shaft struck his left shoulder—thwack!—and split in two.

Laughing, Genghis Khan said, "There, boy, I shall let it pass. I would have taken your head today, were it not for Master Qiu and Khojin—and the victory you won."

Khojin jumped up to her feet. "Pa, if I weren't here, you would've been nasty to my Guo Jing!"

"Who says so?" Genghis Khan threw the broken weapon down in good cheer.

"I saw you! Don't try to deny it. I was worried—that's why I asked Master Qiu to come with me."

Smiling, Genghis Khan took his daughter's hand, and reached out for Guo Jing's. "Enough of your chatter, let's hear Master Qiu's poems."

AFTER THE fight at the Tower of Mist and Rain in Jiaxing, Qiu Chuji and his brethren apologized to Apothecary Huang, for they had then seen with their own eyes that the Heretic had not harmed their martial uncle Zhou Botong, and they had also learned that Viper Ouyang was behind their brother Tan Chuduan's death. Some days later, they came across Ke Zhen'e, who gave them a detailed account of how Yang Kang had accompanied Viper Ouyang to Peach Blossom Island and played a part in the murder of his five martial siblings, describing also the young man's untimely end.

Yang Kang's fate hit Qiu Chuji hard. He rued his negligence regarding his disciple's training. He might have taught the boy kung fu, but he had also let him stay on in the Jurchen palace. It was the Taoist's fault that the young man had become accustomed to rank and wealth, causing him to lose his way. Qiu Chuji had only himself to blame for Yang Kang's tragic end.

As such, when he received the letters from Genghis Khan and Guo Jing inviting him to Mongolia, he accepted the offer readily. He was aware that, at the rate the Mongol Empire was expanding, it would not be long before they were masters of the whole of China. If he could win Genghis Khan's ear, he might be able to rouse the conqueror's sense of charity, sparing tens of thousands from slaughter. If he were successful, it would be a deed of immeasurable worth. Besides, he was eager to see Guo Jing again. And so, he led a dozen disciples and traveled westward, despite the approach of winter.

Now sitting in comfort in the Shah's palace, Qiu Chuji was delighted to at last set eyes on the boy. He had grown stouter and stronger than when they parted, a year before, and the wind and snow had lent him a tawnier complexion. Before Guo Jing's arrival, the Taoist had been regaling Genghis Khan with tales of all he had seen and heard on his journey, telling him how the scenery and changing customs along the way had inspired him to pen some verses. Now invited to share them, with a stoke of his beard, the monk began to recite:

"A decade plagued by war, the sorrow of the common men,

Of the many thousands, no more than one or two remain.

Last year with fortune received the kindly summons,

This spring a trip despite the cold is to be made.

Shirk not from the three thousand li of ranges north,

Thinking still of the two hundred townships of mountains east.

The poor and desperate, eluding slaughter, gasp under strain,

Here's hoping the strife of the people will soon cease."

Urtu Saqal, an official with a sound grasp of the Chinese language, translated the poem into Mongolian. Genghis Khan acknowledged it with a nod, but made no comment.

Qiu Chuji turned to Guo Jing. "When your seven shifus and I fought at the Garden of the Eight Drunken Immortals, your second shifu picked the inside pocket of my robe and found an unfinished poem. On my way here, I thought often of my old friends, and at last I completed it." And he began to chant:

"Since ancient times mid-autumn's moon,

Radiant, as icy winds clean the night;

Heavy hangs the Milky Way

As water dragons vault the seas.

"Your second shifu saw these lines all those years ago, and now I've written four more to go with them. But, alas, he'll never get to read them …

"Songs fill the towers of Wu and Yue,

Wine flows among the armies of Yan and Qin.

My emperor, residing beyond Linhe,

Wishes to end war and bring peace."

Tears filled Guo Jing's eyes at the thought of his martial teachers.

At last, Genghis Khan threw off his silence. "Master Qiu, you must have seen the might of my army on your journey here. I wonder if you have verses to praise them?"

"Along the way, I did indeed witness the force with which the Great Khan breaches cities and claims land," Qiu Chuji replied. "And I was moved to write two poems. This is the first of them:

"The gray heavens look down on the earth

Why does it not save ten thousand souls in pain?

These souls, day and night, in suffering and torment,

Hide their gasps, swallow their voices, die in silence.

Howling at the heavens, they answer not,

A matter too minor, too small, too futile.

Let not the many thousand worlds return to chaos,

Let not the divine maker create more spirits."

Urtu Saqal hesitated, asking himself whether he dared to provide a translation. It was obvious that the content would not please his commander, but, before he could make up his mind, Qiu Chuji began again:

"The second poem was:

"Ah, the heaven and earth split wide apart,

Granting life to creatures in thousands and millions.

Brutal violence invades without pause,

The cycle of suffering without end.

Heaven and earth are both divinities,

Why look on the dying without giving help?

Minor officials have compassion but not the blessing,

Night and day, fruitless labor in aching grief."

Though the prosody of the poems was not particularly neat, the compassion and humanity they conveyed shone through. Guo Jing thought of the scenes of carnage that morning and sighed with the full weight of a heavy heart.

Genghis Khan turned to Urtu Saqal. "The Master's poems are surely most excellent. Quickly, tell me what they say."

The official considered how he should respond. Many times have I entreated the Great Khan to avoid killing innocents, but he has never heeded my words. Maybe the Taoist's benevolent heart as expressed through these poems will move him. With that thought, he went on to translate the poems faithfully.

Genghis Khan was visibly vexed. "I have heard that the Chinese have a method for living long without growing old. I hope the Master will teach me," he said, changing the subject.

"Such a method does not exist in this world," Qiu Chuji responded flatly. "But the Taoist training of one's qi can help guard against illness and prolong one's life."

"What is the key to this practice?"

"'The Way of the heavens is impartial, yet on the benevolent it always bestows.'"

"And who are deemed 'benevolent'?"

"'The sage has no fixed intent, his heart follows the people's needs.'" Qiu Chuji continued, ignoring the Khan's question. "We have a revered text known as the Classic of the Way and Virtue. It is particularly cherished by us Taoists. What I quoted just now is from this book. It also says, 'Soldiers and arms are instruments of ill portent, not tools of the noble virtuous. Only to be resorted to when there is no other choice, and with calm composure. Delight not in victory, for those who find delight, find pleasure in slaughter; and those who find pleasure in slaughter will never realize their ambitions under the heavens.'"

Genghis Khan had been greatly pleased by the Taoist's arrival, thinking he was soon to learn the secret to immortality—or at least a way to extend his years—for, in recent months, he had been feeling his age, keenly aware of his waning strength. But all he had heard so far were entreaties to refrain from waging war and slaughtering innocents … It was not a conversation he was interested in continuing. Before long, he turned to Guo Jing. "Accompany the Master to his quarters so he can rest."