many enemies and fought many battles. But then he was so very skilled in the martial arts that no other adept, be he of any School or Branch, was ever his equal. He lived like a hermit and had been little heard of among the outlawry for the last ten years. It was rumoured that he had died of an illness in Turkestan. There were no witnesses, however; it was hearsay. When the assembled company learned that he was still alive and that the Master of this eyrie was on his way to invite him to the mountain, they immediately began to feel uneasy.
Not only was this Gilt-faced Buddha an adept in martial arts; he was also a righteous man who abhorred evil and detested evil-doers. If news of any dishonourable behavior reached the ears of the Gilt-faced Buddha, he would seek out the evil-doer and remonstrate with him. This would cost the evil-doer either an arm or a leg, or his life, depending on the seriousness of his crime. The group now assembled on the mountain top had all of them, at one time or another, dabbled in misdeeds of varying degrees. When the name Gilt-faced Buddha fell suddenly on their ears, they were all seized with panic.
Tree smiled faintly and said, "I see your Master is taking no chances. Even if Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain does fight well, why making such a fuss over him?"
To this the man replied, "With you, the Great Master, having come all this way to assist us, we are already assured of victory. Fox Volant is said to be exceedingly fierce and cunning; my Master is taking great care to solicit extra help so that he won't be able to escape."
They now all began to ponder, "How fierce a fighter can this Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain really be?"
Tree and the man, thus engaged in conversation, were leading the way. After winding their way round several snow-covered pine trees, the group found themselves standing in front of a large, five-chambered, stone building, with shining white snow covering both the front and the back of the house.
The Company passed through the doorway, and walked along a long corridor before coming to the front hall. The hall was enormous. In each corner was planted a huge brazier, with flames blazing above the burning coal. In the centre of the hall hung calligraphic scrolls, each line of verse was inscribed on a separate wooden tablet:
Before Crossing The Manchurian Border,
I Considered Myself Invincible Under the Sky.
After Sojourning in the Northeast,
I Became Aware of Other Heroes in the Universe.
A sentence in small, light print was written in the upper right hand corner reading, "Presented to Senior Brother Wish with due respect, hoping to receive his comments and criticism." And in the lower left hand corner was a sentence in small, light print reading, "Scribbled in extreme intoxication by Phoenix Miao, the Abandoned and Incorrigible, now deeply regretting the wild talk of bygone years."
All present were outlaws and rustics. They failed to comprehend the meaning of the inscription on the tablets. They somehow had the impression that Phoenix Miao was ashamed of his own name. Every character was cut deep into the wood; without question the work of sharp knives.
Tree's face paled slightly, and he cried, "So your Master and the Gilt-faced Buddha must be on very intimate terms then?"
"Yes," returned the long-necked fellow boldly. "The Master of this eyrie has known Phoenix the Knight-errant for several decades."
"I see," commented Tree simply.
Hawk's heart was throbbing violently. He thought to himself, "So I have finished up by coming to the dwelling place of the friend of Phoenix. It is likely that I, now old, will lose my life." Soon he felt his palms begin to sweat profusely.
Now that they had all taken their seats, the long-necked fellow ordered tea to be served, and he himself stood humbly to one side.
"This Gilt-faced Buddha who was bold enough to call himself the Invincible Under the Sky years ago," commented Tree, "was once rather vain and
Not only was this Gilt-faced Buddha an adept in martial arts; he was also a righteous man who abhorred evil and detested evil-doers. If news of any dishonourable behavior reached the ears of the Gilt-faced Buddha, he would seek out the evil-doer and remonstrate with him. This would cost the evil-doer either an arm or a leg, or his life, depending on the seriousness of his crime. The group now assembled on the mountain top had all of them, at one time or another, dabbled in misdeeds of varying degrees. When the name Gilt-faced Buddha fell suddenly on their ears, they were all seized with panic.
Tree smiled faintly and said, "I see your Master is taking no chances. Even if Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain does fight well, why making such a fuss over him?"
To this the man replied, "With you, the Great Master, having come all this way to assist us, we are already assured of victory. Fox Volant is said to be exceedingly fierce and cunning; my Master is taking great care to solicit extra help so that he won't be able to escape."
They now all began to ponder, "How fierce a fighter can this Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain really be?"
Tree and the man, thus engaged in conversation, were leading the way. After winding their way round several snow-covered pine trees, the group found themselves standing in front of a large, five-chambered, stone building, with shining white snow covering both the front and the back of the house.
The Company passed through the doorway, and walked along a long corridor before coming to the front hall. The hall was enormous. In each corner was planted a huge brazier, with flames blazing above the burning coal. In the centre of the hall hung calligraphic scrolls, each line of verse was inscribed on a separate wooden tablet:
Before Crossing The Manchurian Border,
I Considered Myself Invincible Under the Sky.
After Sojourning in the Northeast,
I Became Aware of Other Heroes in the Universe.
A sentence in small, light print was written in the upper right hand corner reading, "Presented to Senior Brother Wish with due respect, hoping to receive his comments and criticism." And in the lower left hand corner was a sentence in small, light print reading, "Scribbled in extreme intoxication by Phoenix Miao, the Abandoned and Incorrigible, now deeply regretting the wild talk of bygone years."
All present were outlaws and rustics. They failed to comprehend the meaning of the inscription on the tablets. They somehow had the impression that Phoenix Miao was ashamed of his own name. Every character was cut deep into the wood; without question the work of sharp knives.
Tree's face paled slightly, and he cried, "So your Master and the Gilt-faced Buddha must be on very intimate terms then?"
"Yes," returned the long-necked fellow boldly. "The Master of this eyrie has known Phoenix the Knight-errant for several decades."
"I see," commented Tree simply.
Hawk's heart was throbbing violently. He thought to himself, "So I have finished up by coming to the dwelling place of the friend of Phoenix. It is likely that I, now old, will lose my life." Soon he felt his palms begin to sweat profusely.
Now that they had all taken their seats, the long-necked fellow ordered tea to be served, and he himself stood humbly to one side.
"This Gilt-faced Buddha who was bold enough to call himself the Invincible Under the Sky years ago," commented Tree, "was once rather vain and
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