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越女劍 SWORD OF THE YUEH MAIDEN
“請！”“請！”
兩名劍士各自倒轉劍尖，右手握劍柄，左手搭於右手手背，躬身行禮。
兩人身子尚未站直，突然間白光閃動，跟着錚的一聲響，雙劍相交，兩人各退一步。旁
觀衆人都是“咦”的一聲輕呼。
青衣劍士連劈三劍，錦衫劍士一一格開。青衣劍士一聲吒喝，長劍從左上角直劃而下，
勢勁力急。錦衫劍士身手矯捷，嚮後躍開，避過了這劍。他左足剛着地，身子跟着彈起，刷
刷兩劍，嚮對手攻去。青衣劍士凝裏不動，嘴角邊微微冷笑，長劍輕擺，擋開來劍。
錦衫劍士突然發足疾奔，繞着青衣劍士的溜溜的轉動，腳下越來越快。青衣劍士凝視敵
手長劍劍尖，敵劍一動，便揮劍擊落。錦衫劍士忽而左轉，忽而右轉，身法變幻不定。青衣
劍士給他轉得微感暈眩，喝道：“你是比劍，還是逃命？”刷刷兩劍，直削過去。但錦衫劍
士奔轉甚急，劍到之時，人已離開，敵劍劍鋒總是和他身子差了尺許。
青衣劍士回劍側身，右腿微蹲，錦衫劍士看出破綻，挺劍嚮他左肩疾刺。不料青衣劍士
這一蹲乃是誘招，長劍突然圈轉，直取敵人咽喉，勢道勁急無倫。錦衫劍士大駭之下，長劍
脫手，嚮敵人心窩激射過去。這是無可奈何同歸於盡的打法，敵人若是繼續進擊，心窩必定
中劍。當此情形，對方自須收劍擋格，自己便可擺脫這無可輓救的絶境。
不料青衣劍士竟不擋架閃避，手腕抖動，噗的一聲，劍尖刺入了錦衫劍士的咽喉。跟着
當的一響，擲來的長劍刺中了他胸膛，長劍落地。青衣劍士嘿嘿一笑，收劍退立，原來他衣
內胸口藏着一面護心鐵鏡，劍尖雖是刺中，卻是絲毫無傷。那錦衫劍士喉頭鮮血激噴，身子
在地下不住扭麯。當下便有從者過來擡開屍首，抹去地下血跡。
青衣劍士還劍入鞘，跨前兩步，躬身嚮北首高坐於錦披大椅中的一位王者行禮。
那王者身披錦袍，形貌拙異，頭頸甚長，嘴尖如鳥，微微一笑，嘶聲道：“壯士劍法精
妙，賜金十斤。”青衣劍士右膝跪下，躬身說道：“謝賞！”那王者左手一揮，他右首一名
高高瘦瘦、四十來歲的官員喝道：“吳越劍士，二次比試！”
東首錦衫劍士隊走出一條身材魁梧的漢子，手提大劍。這劍長逾五尺，劍身極厚，顯然
份量甚重。西首走出一名青衣劍士，中等身材，臉上盡是劍疤，東一道、西一道，少說也有
十二三道，一張臉已無復人性，足見身經百戰，不知已和人比過多少次劍了。二人先嚮王者
屈膝致敬，然後轉過身來，相嚮而立，躬身行禮。
青衣劍士站直身子，臉露獰笑。他一張臉本已十分醜陋，這麽一笑，更顯得說不出的難
看。錦衫劍士見了他如鬼似魅的模樣，不由得機伶伶打個冷戰，波的一聲，吐了口長氣，慢
慢伸過左手，搭住劍柄。
青衣劍士突然一聲狂叫，聲如狼嗥，挺劍嚮對手急刺過去。錦衫劍士也是縱聲大喝，提
起大劍，對着他當頭劈落。青衣劍士斜身閃開，長劍自左而右橫削過去。那錦衫劍士雙手使
劍，一柄大劍舞得呼呼作響。這大劍少說也有五十來斤重，但他招數仍是迅捷之極。
兩人一搭上手，頃刻間拆了三十來招，青衣劍士被他沉重的劍力壓得不住倒退。站在大
殿西首的五十餘名錦衫劍士人人臉有喜色，眼見這場比試是贏定了。
衹聽得錦衫劍士一聲大喝，聲若雷震，大劍橫掃過去。青衣劍士避無可避，提長劍奮力
擋格。當的一聲響，雙劍相交，半截大劍飛了出去，原來青衣劍士手中長劍鋒利無比，竟將
大劍斬為兩截，那利劍跟着直劃而下，將錦衫劍士自咽喉而至小腹，劃了一道兩尺來長的口
子。錦衫劍士連聲狂吼，撲倒在地。青衣劍士嚮地下魁梧的身形凝視片刻，這纔還劍入鞘，
屈膝嚮王者行禮，臉上掩不住得意之色。
王者身旁的一位官員道：“壯士劍利術精，大王賜金十斤。”青衣劍士稱謝退開。
西首一列排着八名青衣劍士，與對面五十餘名錦衫劍士相比，衆寡甚是懸殊。
那官員緩緩說道：“吳越劍士，三次比劍！”兩隊劍士隊中各走出一人，嚮王者行禮後
相嚮而立。突然青光耀眼，衆人均覺寒氣襲體。但見那青衣劍士手中一柄三尺長劍不住顫
動，便如一根閃閃發出絲光的緞帶。那官員贊道：“好劍！”青衣劍士微微躬身為禮，謝他
稱贊。那官員道：“單打獨鬥已看了兩場，這次兩個對兩個！”
錦衫劍士隊中一人應聲而出，拔劍出鞘。那劍明亮如秋水，也是一口利器。青衣劍士隊
中又出來一人。四人嚮王者行過禮後，相互行禮，跟着劍光閃爍，鬥了起來。這二對二的比
劍，同夥劍士互相照應配合。數合之後，嗤的一聲，一名錦衫劍士手中長劍竟被敵手削斷。
這人極是悍勇，提着半截斷劍，飛身嚮敵人撲去。那青衣劍士長劍閃處，嗤的一聲響，將他
右臂齊肩削落，跟着補上一劍，刺中他的心窩。
另外二人兀自纏鬥不休，得勝的青衣劍士窺伺在旁，突然間長劍遞出，嗤的一聲，又就
錦衫劍士手中長劍削斷。另一人長劍中宮直進，自敵手胸膛貫入，背心穿出。
那王者呵呵大笑，拍手說道：“好劍，好劍法！賞酒，賞金！咱們再來瞧一場四個對四
個的比試。”
兩邊隊中各出四人，行過禮後，出劍相鬥。錦衫劍士連輸三場，死了四人，這時下場的
四人狠命相撲，說什麽也要贏回一場。衹見兩名青衣劍士分從左右夾擊一名錦衫劍士。餘下
三名錦衫劍士上前邀戰，卻給兩名青衣劍士擋住，這兩名青衣劍士取的純是守勢，招數嚴
密，竟一招也不還擊，卻令三名錦衫劍士無法過去相援同伴，餘下兩名青衣劍士以二對一，
十餘招間便將對手殺死，跟着便攻嚮另一名錦衫劍士。先前兩名青衣劍士仍使舊法，衹守不
攻，擋住兩名錦衫劍士，讓同伴以二對一，殺死敵手。
旁觀的錦衫劍士眼見同伴衹剩下二人，勝負之數已定，都大聲鼓噪起來，紛紛拔劍，便
欲一擁而上，就八名青衣劍士亂劍分屍。
那官員朗聲道：“學劍之士，當守劍道！”他神色語氣之中有一股凜然之威，一衆錦衫
劍士立時都靜了下來。
這時衆人都已看得分明，四名青衣劍士的劍法截然不同，二人的守招嚴密無比，另二人
的攻招卻是凌厲狠辣，分頭合擊，守者纏住敵手，衹剩下一人，讓攻者以衆凌寡，逐一蠶食
殺戮。以此法迎敵，縱然對方武功較高，青衣劍士一方也必操勝算。別說四人對四人，即使
是四人對六人甚或八人，也能取勝。那二名守者的劍招施展開來，便如是一道劍網，純取守
勢，要擋住五六人實是綽綽有餘。
這時場中兩名青衣劍士仍以守勢纏住了一名錦衫劍士，另外兩名青衣劍士快劍攻擊，殺
死第三名錦衫劍士後，轉而嚮第四名敵手相攻。取守勢的兩名青衣劍士嚮左右分開，在旁掠
陣。餘下一名錦衫劍士雖見敗局已成，卻不肯棄劍投降，仍是奮力應戰。突然間四名青衣劍
士齊聲大喝，四劍並出，分從前後左右，一齊刺在錦衫劍士的身上。
錦衫劍士身中四劍，立時斃命，衹見他雙目圓睜，嘴巴也是張得大大的。四名青衣劍士
同時拔劍，四人擡起左腳，將長劍劍刃在鞋底一拖，抹去了血漬，刷的一聲，還劍入鞘。這
幾下動作幹淨利落，固不待言，最難得的是齊整之極，同時擡腳，同時拖劍，回劍入鞘卻衹
發出一下聲響。
那王者呵呵大笑，鼓掌道：“好劍法，好劍法！上國劍士名揚天下，可教我們今日大開
眼界了。四位劍士各賜金十斤。”四名青衣劍士一齊躬身謝賞。四人這麽一彎腰，四個腦袋
擺成一道直綫，不見有絲毫高低，實不知花了多少功夫纔練得如此劃一。
一名青衣劍士轉過身去，捧起一隻金漆長匣，走上幾步，說道：“敝國君王多謝大王厚
禮，命臣奉上寶劍一口還答，此劍乃敝國新鑄，謹供大王玩賞。”
那王者笑道：“多謝了。範大夫，接過來看看。”
那王者是越王勾踐。那官員是越國大夫范蠡。錦衫劍士是越王宮中的衛士，八名青衣劍
士則是吳王夫差派來送禮的使者。越王昔日為夫差所敗，臥薪嚐膽，欲報此仇，面子上對吳
王十分恭順，暗中卻日夜不停的訓練士卒，俟機攻吳。他為了試探吳國軍力，連出衛士中的
高手和吳國劍士比劍，不料一戰之下，八名越國好手盡數被殲。勾踐又驚又怒，臉上卻不動
聲色，顯得對吳國劍士的劍法歡喜贊嘆，衷心欽服。
范蠡走上幾步，接過了金漆長匣，衹覺輕飄飄地，匣中有如無物，當下打開了匣蓋。旁
邊衆人沒見到匣中裝有何物，卻見范蠡的臉上陡然間罩上了一層青色薄霧，都是“哦”的一
聲，甚感驚訝。當真是劍氣映面，發眉俱碧。
范蠡托着漆匣，走到越王身前，躬身道：“大王請看！”勾踐見匣中鋪以錦緞，放着一
柄三尺長劍，劍身極薄，刃上寶光流動，變幻不定，不由得贊道：“好劍！”握住劍柄，提
了起來，衹見劍刃不住顫動，似乎衹須輕輕一抖，便能折斷，心想：“此劍如此單薄，衹堪
觀賞，並無實用。”
那為首的青衣劍士從懷中取出一塊輕紗，嚮上拋起，說道：“請大王平伸劍刃，劍鋒嚮
上，待紗落在劍上，便見此劍與衆不同。”眼見一塊輕紗從半空中飄飄揚揚的落將下來，越
王平劍伸出，輕紗落在劍上，不料下落之勢並不止歇，輕紗竟已分成兩塊，緩緩落地。原來
這劍已將輕紗劃而為二，劍刃之利，實是匪夷所思。殿上殿下，采聲雷動。
青衣劍士說道：“此劍雖薄，但與沉重兵器相碰，亦不折斷。”
勾踐道：“範大夫，拿去試來。”范蠡道：“是！”雙手托上劍匣，讓勾踐將劍放入匣
中，倒退數步，轉身走到一名錦衫劍士面前，取劍出匣，說道：“拔劍，咱們試試！”
那錦衫劍士躬身行禮，拔出佩劍，舉在空中，不敢下擊。范蠡叫道：“劈下！”錦衫劍
士道：“是！”揮劍劈下，落劍處卻在范蠡身前一尺。范蠡提劍嚮上一撩，嗤的一聲輕響，
錦衫劍士手中的長劍已斷為兩截。半截斷劍落下，眼見便要碰到范蠡身上，范蠡輕輕一躍避
開。衆人又是一聲采，卻不知是稱贊劍利，還是範大夫身手敏捷。
范蠡將劍放回匣中，躬身放在越王腳邊。
勾踐說道：“上國劍士，請赴別座飲宴領賞。”八名青衣劍士行禮下殿。勾踐手一揮，
錦衫劍士和殿上侍從也均退下，衹除下范蠡一人。
勾踐瞧瞧腳邊長劍，又瞧瞧滿地鮮血，衹是出神，過了半晌，道：“怎樣？”
范蠡道：“吳國武士劍術，未必盡如這八人之精，吳國武士所用兵刃，未必盡如此劍之
利。但觀此一端，足見其餘。最令人心憂的是，吳國武士群戰之術，妙用孫武子兵法，臣以
為當今之世，實乃無敵於天下。”勾踐沉吟道：“夫差派這八人來送寶劍，大夫你看是何用
意？”范蠡道：“那是要咱們知難而退，不可起侵吳報仇之心。”
勾踐大怒，一彎身，從匣中抓起寶劍，回手一揮，察的一聲響，將坐椅平平整整的切去
了一截，大聲道：“便有千難萬難，勾踐也决不知難而退。終有一日，我要擒住夫差，便用
此劍將他腦袋砍了下來！”說着又是一劍，將一張檀木椅子一劈為二。
范蠡躬身道：“恭喜大王，賀喜大王！”勾踐愕然道：“眼見吳國劍士如此了得，又有
甚麽喜可賀？”范蠡道：“大王說道便有千難萬難，也决不知難而退。大王即有此决心，大
事必成。眼前這難事，還須請文大夫共同商議。”勾踐道：“好，你去傳文大夫來。”
范蠡走下殿去，命宮監去傳大夫文種，自行站在宮門之側相候。過不多時，文種飛馬趕
到，與范蠡並肩入宮。
范蠡本是楚國宛人，為人倜儻，不拘小節，所作所為，往往出人意表，當地人士都叫他
“範瘋子”。文種來到宛地做縣令，聽到范蠡的名字，便派部屬去拜訪。那部屬見了范蠡，
回來說道：“這人是本地出名的瘋子，行事亂七八糟。”文種笑道：“一個人有與衆不同的
行為，凡人必笑他胡闹，他有高明獨特的見解，庸人自必駡他糊塗。你們又怎能明白範先生
呢？”便親自前去拜訪。範避而不見，但料到他必定去而復來，嚮兄長藉了衣冠，穿戴整
齊。果然過了幾個時辰，文種又再到來。兩人相見之後，長談王霸之道，投機之極，當真是
相見恨晚。
兩人都覺中原諸國暮氣沉沉，楚國邦大而亂，眼前霸兆是在東南。於是文種辭去官位，
與范蠡同往吳國。其時吳王正重用伍子胥的種種興革措施確是才識卓越。自己未必勝得他
過。兩人一商量，以越國和吳國鄰近，風俗相似，雖然地域較小，卻也大可一顯身手，於是
來到越國。勾踐接見之下，於二人議論纔具頗為賞識，均拜為大夫之職。
後來勾踐不聽文種、范蠡勸諫，興兵和吳國交戰，以石買為將，在錢塘江邊一戰大敗，
勾踐在會稽山被圍，幾乎亡國殞身。勾踐在危機之中用文種、范蠡之計，買通了吳王身邊的
姦臣太宰伯pi，替越王陳說。吳王夫差不聽伍子胥的忠諫，答允與越國講和，將勾踐帶到
吳國，後來又放他歸國。其後勾踐臥薪嚐膽，决定復仇，采用了文種的滅吳九術。
那九術第一是尊天地，事鬼神，令越王有必勝之心。第二是贈送吳王大量財幣，既是他
習於奢侈，又去其防越之意。第三是先嚮吳國藉糧，再以蒸過的大𠔌歸還，吳王見𠔌大，
給農民當𠔌種，結果稻不生長，吳國大饑。第四是贈送美女西施和鄭旦，使吳王迷戀美色，
不理政事。第五是贈送巧匠，引誘吳王大起宮室高臺，耗其財力民力。第六是賄賂吳王左右
的姦臣，使之敗壞朝政，第七是離間吳王的忠臣，終於迫得伍子胥自殺。第八是積蓄糧草，
充實國傢財力。第九是鑄造武器，訓練士卒，待機攻吳。
八術都已成功，最後的第九術卻在這時遇上了重大睏難。眼見吳王派來劍士八人，所顯
示的兵刃之利、劍術之精，實非越國武士所能匹敵。
范蠡將適纔比劍的情形告知了文種。文種皺眉道：“範賢弟，吳國劍士劍利術精。固是
大患，而他們在群鬥之時，善用孫武子遺法，更是難破難當。”范蠡道：“正是，當年孫武
子輔佐吳王，統兵破楚，攻入郢都，用兵如神，天下無敵。雖齊晉大國，亦畏其鋒，他兵法
有言道：'我專為一，敵分為十，是以十攻其一也，則我衆而敵寡。能以衆擊寡者，則吾之
所與戰者，約矣。'吳士四人與我越士四人相鬥，吳士以二人專攻一人，以衆擊寡，戰無不
勝。”
言談之間，二人到了越王面前，衹見勾踐手中提着那柄其薄如紙的利劍，兀自出神。
過了良久，勾踐擡起頭來，說道：“文大夫，當年吳國有幹將莫邪夫婦，善於鑄劍。我
越國有良工歐治子，鑄劍之術，亦不下於彼。此時幹將、莫邪、歐治子均已不在人世。吳國
有這等鑄劍高手，難道我越國自歐治子一死，就此後繼無人嗎？”文種道：“臣聞歐治子傳
有弟子二人，一名風鬍子，一名薛燭。風鬍子在楚，薛燭尚在越國。”勾踐大喜，道：“大
夫速召薛燭前來，再遣人入楚，以重金聘請風鬍子來越。”文種遵命而退。
次日清晨，文種回報已遣人赴楚，薛燭則已宣到。
勾踐召見薛燭，說道：“你師父歐治子曾奉先王之命，鑄劍五口。這五口寶劍的優劣，
你倒說來聽聽。”薛燭磕頭道：“小人曾聽先師言道，先師為先王鑄劍五口，大劍三，小劍
二，一曰湛盧，二曰純鈞，三曰勝邪，四曰魚腸，五曰巨闕。至今湛盧在楚，勝邪、魚腸在
吳，純鈞、巨闕二劍則在大王宮中。”勾踐道：“正是。”
原來當年勾踐之父越王允常鑄成五劍後，吳王得訊，便來相求。允常畏吳之強，衹得以
湛盧、勝邪、魚腸三劍相獻。後來吳王闔廬以魚腸劍遣專諸刺殺王僚。湛盧劍落入水中，
為楚王所得，秦王聞之，求而不得，興師擊楚，楚王始終不與。
薛燭稟道：“興師曾言，五劍之中，勝邪最上，純鈞、湛盧二劍其次，魚腸又次之，巨
闕居末。鑄巨闕之時，金錫和銅而離，因此此劍衹是利劍，而非寶劍。”勾踐道：“然則我
純鈞、巨闕二劍，不敵吳王之勝邪、魚腸二劍了？”薛燭道：“小人死罪，恕小人直言。”
勾踐擡頭不語，從薛燭這句話中，已知越國二劍自非吳國二劍之敵。
范蠡說道：“你既得傳尊師之術，可即開爐鑄劍。鑄將幾口寶劍出來，未必便及不上吳
國的寶劍。”薛燭道：“回稟大夫：小人已不能鑄劍了。”范蠡道：“卻是為何？”薛燭伸
出手來，衹見他雙手的拇指食指具已不見，衹剩下六根手指。薛燭黯然道：“鑄劍之勁，全
仗拇指食指。小人苟延殘喘，早已成為廢人。”
勾踐奇道：“你這四根手指，是給仇傢割去的麽？”薛燭道：“不是仇傢，是給小人的
師兄割去的。”勾踐更加奇怪，道：“你的師兄，那不是風鬍子麽？他為甚麽要割你手指？
啊，一定是你鑄劍之術勝過師兄，他心懷妒忌，斷你手指，教你再也不能鑄劍。”勾踐自加
推測，薛燭不便說他猜錯，衹有默然不語。
勾踐道：“寡人本要派人到楚國去召風鬍子來。他怕你報仇，或許不敢回來。”薛燭
道：“大王明鑒，風師兄目下是在吳國，不在楚國。”勾踐微微一驚，說道：“他……他在
吳國，在吳國幹甚麽？”
薛燭道：“三年之前，風師兄來到小人傢中，取出寶劍一口，給小人觀看。小人一見之
下，登時大驚，原來這口寶劍，乃先師歐治子為楚國所鑄，名曰工布，劍身上文如流水，自
柄至尖，連綿不斷。小人曾聽先師說過，一見便知。當年先師為楚王鑄劍三口，一曰竜淵、
二曰泰阿、三曰工布。楚王寶愛異常，豈知竟為師哥所得。”
勾踐道：“想必是楚王賜給你師兄了。”
薛燭道：“若說是楚王所賜，原也不錯，衹不過是轉了兩次手。風師兄言道，吳師破楚
之後，伍子胥發楚平王之棺，鞭其遺屍，在楚王墓中得此寶劍。後來回吳之後，聽到風師兄
的名字，便叫人將劍送去楚國給他，說道此是先師遺澤，該由風師兄承受。”
勾踐又是一驚，沉吟道：“伍子胥居然捨得此劍，此人真乃英雄，真乃英雄也！”突然
間哈哈大笑，說道：“幸好夫差中我之計，已逼得此人自殺，哈哈，哈哈！”
勾踐長笑之時，誰都不敢作聲。他笑了好一會，纔問：“伍子胥將工布寶劍贈你師兄，
要辦甚麽事？”薛燭道：“風師兄言道，當時伍子胥衹說仰慕先師，別無所求。風師兄得到
此劍後，心下感激，尋思伍將軍是吳國上卿，贈我希世珍寶，豈可不去當面叩謝？於是便去
到吳國，嚮伍將軍致谢。伍將軍待以上賓之禮，替風師兄置下房捨，招待極是客氣。”勾踐
道：“伍子胥叫人為他賣命，用的總是這套手段，當年叫專諸刺王僚，便是如此。”
薛燭道：“大王料事如神。但風師兄不懂得伍子胥的陰謀，受他如此厚待，心下過意不
去，一再請問，有何用己之處。伍子胥總說：'閣下枉駕過吳，乃是吳國嘉賓，豈敢勞動尊
駕？'”勾踐駡道：“老姦巨滑，以退為進！”薛燭道：“大王明見萬裏。風師兄終於對伍
子胥說，他別無所長，衹會鑄劍，承蒙如此厚待，當鑄造幾口希世的寶劍相贈。”
勾踐伸手在大腿上一拍，道：“着了道兒啦！”薛燭道：“那伍子胥卻說，吳國寶劍已
多，也不必再鑄了。而且鑄劍極耗心力，當年幹將莫邪鑄劍不成，莫邪自身投入劍爐，寶劍
方成。這種慘事，萬萬不可再行。”勾踐奇道：“他當真不要風鬍子鑄劍？那可奇了。”薛
燭道：“當時風師兄也覺奇怪。一日伍子胥又到賓館來和風師兄閑談，說起吳國與北方齊晉
兩國爭霸，吳士勇悍，時占上風，便是車戰之術有所不及，若與之以徒兵步戰，所用劍戟又
不夠鋒銳。風師兄便與之談論鑄造劍戟之法。原來伍子胥所要鑄的，不是一口兩口寶劍，而
是千口萬口利劍。”
勾踐登時省悟，忍不住“啊喲”一聲，轉眼嚮文種、范蠡二人瞧去，衹見文種滿臉焦慮
之色，范蠡卻是呆呆出神，問道：“範大夫，你以為如何？”范蠡道：“伍子胥雖然詭計多
端，別說此人已死，就算仍在世上，也終究逃不脫大王的掌心。”
勾踐笑道：“嘿嘿，衹怕寡人不是伍子胥的對手。”范蠡道：“伍子胥已被大王巧計除
去，難道他還能奈何我越國嗎？”勾踐呵呵大笑，道：“這話倒也不錯。薛燭，你師兄聽了
伍子胥之言，便助他鑄造利劍了？”薛燭道：“正是。風師哥當下便隨着伍子胥，來到莫幹
山上的鑄劍房，衹見有一千餘名劍匠正在鑄劍，衹是其法未見其善，於是風師兄逐一點撥，
此後吳劍鋒利，諸國莫及。”勾踐點頭道：“原來如此。”
薛燭道：“鑄得一年，風師哥勞瘁過度，精力不支，便嚮伍子胥說起小人名字，伍子胥
備下禮物，要風師哥來召小人前往吳國，相助風師哥鑄劍。小人心想吳越世仇，吳國鑄了利
劍，固能殺齊人晉人，也能殺我越人，便勸風師哥休得再回吳國。”勾踐道：“是啊，你這
人甚有見識。”
薛燭磕頭道：“多謝大王奬勉。可是風師哥不聽小人之勸，當晚他睡在小人傢中，半夜
之中，他突然以利劍架在小人頸中，再砍去了小人四根手指，好教小人從此成為廢人。”
勾踐大怒，厲聲說道：“下次捉到風鬍子，定將他斬成肉醬。”
文種道：“薛先生，你自己雖不能鑄劍，但指點劍匠，咱們也能鑄成千口萬口利劍。”
薛燭道：“回稟文大夫：鑄劍之鐵，吳越均有，唯精銅在越，良錫在吳。”
范蠡道：“伍子胥早已派兵守住錫山，不許百姓采錫，是不是？”薛燭臉現驚異之色，
道：“範大夫，原來你早知道了。”范蠡微笑道：“我衹是猜測而已，現下伍子胥已死，他
的遺命吳人未必遵守。高價收購，要得良錫也是不難。”
勾踐道：“然而遠水救不着近火，待得采銅、煉錫、造爐、鑄劍，鑄得不好又要從頭來
起，少說也是兩三年的事。如果夫差活不到這麽久，豈不成終生之恨？”
文種、范蠡同時躬身道：“是。臣等當再思良策。”
范蠡退出宮來，尋思：“大王等不得兩三年，我是連多等一日一夜，也是……”想到這
裏，胸口一陣隱隱發痛，腦海中立刻出現了那個驚世絶豔的麗影。
那是浣紗溪畔的西施。是自己親去訪尋來的天下無雙美女夷光，自己卻親身將她送入了
吳宮。
從會稽到姑蘇的路程很短，衹不過幾天的水程，但便在這短短的幾天之中，兩人情根深
種，再也難分難捨。西施皓潔的臉龐上，垂着兩顆珍珠一般的淚珠，聲音像若耶溪中溫柔的
流水：“少伯，你答應我，一定要接我回來，越快越好，我日日夜夜的在等着你。你再說一
遍，你永遠永遠不會忘了我。”
越國的仇非報不可，那是可以等的。但夷光在夫差的懷抱之中，妒忌和苦惱在咬嚙着他
的心。必須盡快大批鑄造利劍，比吳國劍士所用利劍更加鋒銳……
他在街上漫步，十八名衛士遠遠在後面跟着。
突然間長街西首傳來一陣吳歌合唱：“我劍利兮敵喪膽，我劍捷兮敵無首……”
八名身穿青衣的漢子，手臂輓着手臂，放喉高歌，旁若無人的大踏步過來。行人都避在
一旁。那正是昨日在越宮中大獲全勝的吳國劍士，顯然喝了酒，在長街上橫衝直撞。
范蠡皺起了眉頭，憤怒迅速在胸口升起。
八名吳國劍士走到了范蠡身前。為首一人醉眼惺忪，斜睨着他，說道：“你……你是範
大夫……哈哈，哈哈，哈哈！”范蠡的兩名衛士搶了上來，擋在范蠡身前，喝道：“不得無
禮，閃開了！”八名劍士縱聲大笑，學着他們的聲調，笑道：“不得無禮，閃開了！”兩名
衛士抽出長劍，喝道：“大王有命，衝撞大夫者斬！”
為首的吳國劍士身子搖搖晃晃，說道：“斬你，還是斬我？”
范蠡心想：“這是吳國使臣，雖然無禮，不能跟他們動手。”正要說：“讓他過去！”
突然間白光閃動，兩名衛士齊聲慘叫，跟着當當兩聲響，兩人右手手掌隨着所握長劍都已掉
在地下。那為首的吳國劍士緩緩還劍入鞘，滿臉傲色。
范蠡手下的十六名衛士一齊拔劍出鞘，團團將八名吳國劍士圍住。
為首的吳士仰天大笑，說道：“我們從姑蘇來到會稽，原是不想再活着回去，且看你越
宮要動用多少軍馬，來殺我吳國八名劍士。”說到最後一個“士”字時，一聲長嘯，八人同
時執劍在手，背靠背的站在一起。
范蠡心想：“小不忍則亂大謀，眼下我國準備未周，不能殺了這八名吳士，緻與夫差起
釁。”喝道：“這八名是上國使者，大傢不得無禮，退開了！”說着讓在道旁。他手下衛士
都是怒氣填膺，眼中如要噴出火來，衹是大夫有令，不敢違抗，當即也都讓在街邊。
八名吳士哈哈大笑，齊聲高歌：“我劍利兮敵喪膽，我劍捷兮敵無首！”
忽聽得咩咩羊叫，一個身穿淺緑衫子的少女趕着十幾頭山羊，從長街東端走來。這群山
羊來到吳士之前，便從他們身邊繞過。
一名吳士興猶未盡，長劍一揮，將一頭山羊從頭至臀，剖為兩半，便如是劃定了綫仔細
切開一般，連鼻子也是一分為二，兩片羊身分倒左右，劍術之精，實是駭人聽聞。七名吳士
大聲喝彩。范蠡心中也忍不住叫一聲：“好劍法！”
那少女手中竹棒連揮，將餘下的十幾頭山羊趕到身後，說道：“你為甚麽殺我山羊？”
聲音又嬌嫩，也含有幾分憤怒。
那殺羊吳士將濺着羊血的長劍在空中連連虛劈，笑道：“小姑娘，我要將你也這樣劈為
兩半！”
范蠡叫道：“姑娘，你快過來，他們喝醉了酒。”
那少女道：“就算喝醉了酒，也不能隨便欺侮人。”
那吳國劍士舉劍在她頭頂繞了幾個圈子，笑道：“我本想將你這小腦袋瓜兒割了下來，
衹是瞧你這麽漂亮，可當真捨不得。”七名吳士一齊哈哈大笑。
范蠡見這少女一張瓜子臉，睫長眼大，皮膚白晰，容貌甚是秀麗，身材苗條，弱質纖
纖，心下不忍，又叫：“姑娘，快過來！”那少女轉頭應聲道：“是了！”
那吳國劍士長劍探出，去割她腰帶，笑道：“那也……”衹說得兩個字，那少女手中竹
棒一抖，戳在他手腕之上。那劍士衹覺腕上一陣劇痛，嗆啷一聲，長劍落地。那少女竹棒挑
起，碧影微閃，已刺入他左眼之中。那劍士大叫一聲，雙手捧住了眼睛，連聲狂吼。
這少女這兩下輕輕巧巧的刺出，戳腕傷目，行若無事，不知如何，那吳國劍士竟是避讓
不過。餘下七名吳士大吃一驚，一名身材魁梧的吳士提起長劍，劍尖也往少女左眼刺去。劍
招嗤嗤有聲，足見這一劍勁力十足。
那少女更不避讓，竹棒刺出，後發先至，噗的一聲，刺中了那吳士的右肩。那吳士這一
劍之勁立時卸了。那少女竹棒挺出，已刺入他右眼之中。那人殺豬般的大嗥，雙拳亂揮亂
打，眼中鮮血涔涔而下，神情甚是可怖。
這少女以四招戳瞎兩名吳國劍士的眼睛，人人眼見她衹是隨手揮刺，對手便即受傷，無
不聳然動容。六名吳國劍士又驚又怒，各舉長劍，將那少女圍在核心。
范蠡略通劍術，眼見這少女不過十六七歲年紀，衹用一根竹棒便戳瞎了兩名吳國高手的
眼睛，手法如何雖然看不清楚，但顯是極上乘的劍法，不由得又驚又喜，待見六名劍士各挺
兵刃圍住了她，，心想她劍術再精，一個少女終是難敵六名高手，當即郎聲說道：“吳國衆
位劍士，六個打一個，不怕壞了吳國的名聲？倘若以多為勝，嘿嘿！”雙手一拍，十六名越
國衛士立即挺劍散開，圍住了吳國劍士。
那少女冷笑道：“六個打一個，也未必會贏！”左手微舉，右手中的竹棒已嚮一名吳士
眼中戳去。那人舉劍擋格，那少女早已兜轉竹棒，戳嚮另一名吳士胸口。便在此時，三名吳
士的長劍齊嚮那少女身上刺到。那少女身法靈巧之極，一轉一側，將來劍盡數避開，噗的一
聲，挺棒戳中左首一名吳士的手腕。那人五指不由自主的鬆了，長劍落地。
十六名越國衛士本欲上前自外夾擊，但其時吳國劍士長劍使開，已然幻成一道劍網，青
光閃爍，那些越國衛士如何欺得近身？
卻見那少女在劍網之中飄忽來去，淺緑色布衫的衣袖和帶子飛揚開來，好看已極，但聽
得“啊喲”、嗆啷之聲不斷，吳國衆劍士長劍一柄柄落地，一個個退開，有的舉手按眼，有
的蹲在地下，每一人都被刺瞎了一隻眼睛，或傷左目，或損右目。
那少女收棒而立，嬌聲道：“你們殺了我羊兒，賠是不賠？”
八名吳國劍士又是驚駭，又是憤怒，有的大聲咆哮，有的全身發抖。這八人原是極為勇
悍的吳士，即使給人砍去了雙手雙足，也不會害怕示弱，但此刻突然之間為一個牧羊少女所
敗，實在摸不着半點頭腦，震駭之下，心中都是一團混亂。
那少女道：“你們不賠我羊兒，我連你們另一隻眼睛也戳瞎了。”八劍士一聽，不約而
同的都退了一步。
范蠡叫道：“這位姑娘，我賠你一百衹羊，這八個人便放他們去吧！”那少女嚮他微微
一笑，道：“你這人很好，我也不要一百衹羊，衹要一隻就夠了。”
范蠡嚮衛士道：“護送上國使者回賓館休息，請醫生醫治傷目。”衛士答應了，派出八
人，挺劍押送。八名吳士手無兵刃，便如打敗了的公雞，垂頭喪氣的走開。
范蠡走上幾步，問道：“姑娘尊姓？”那少女道：“你說甚麽？”范蠡道：“姑娘姓甚
麽？”那少女道：“我叫阿青，你叫甚麽？”
范蠡微微一笑：心想：“鄉下姑娘，不懂禮法，衹不知她如何學會了這一身出神入化的
劍術。衹須問到她的師父是誰，再請她師父來教練越士，何愁吳國不破？”想到和西施重逢
的時刻指日可期，不由得心口感到一陣熱烘烘得暖意，說道：“我叫范蠡，姑娘，請你到我
傢吃飯去。”阿青道：“我不去，我要趕羊去吃草。”范蠡道：“我傢裏有大好的草地，你
趕羊去吃，我再賠你十頭肥羊。”
阿青拍手笑道：“你傢裏有大草地嗎？那好極了。不過我不要你賠羊，我這羊兒又不是
你殺的。”她蹲下地來，撫摸被割成了兩片的羊身，凄然道：“好老白，乖老白，人傢殺死
了你，我……我可救你不活了。”
范蠡吩咐衛士道：“把老白的兩片身子縫了起來，去埋在姑娘屋子的旁邊。”
阿青站起身來，面額上有兩滴淚珠，眼中卻透出喜悅的光芒，說道：“范蠡，你……你
不許他們把老白吃了？”范蠡道：“自然不許。那是你的好老白，乖老白，誰都不許吃。”
阿青嘆了口氣，道：“你真好。我最恨人傢拿我的羊兒去宰來吃了，不過媽說，羊兒不賣給
人傢，我們就沒錢買米。”范蠡道：“打從今兒起，我時時叫人送米送布給你媽，你養的羊
兒，一隻也不用賣。”阿青大喜，一把抱住范蠡，叫道：“你真是個好人。”
衆衛士見她天真爛漫，既直呼范蠡之名，又當街抱住了他，無不好笑，都轉過了頭，不
敢笑出聲來。
范蠡輓住了她的手，似乎生怕這是個天上下凡的仙女，一轉身便不見了，在十幾頭山羊
的咩咩聲中，和她並肩緩步，同回府中。
阿青趕着羊走進范蠡的大夫第，驚道：“你這屋子真大，一個人住得了嗎？”范蠡微微
一笑，說道：“我正嫌屋子太大，回頭請你媽和你一起來住好不好？你傢裏還有什麽人？”
阿青道：“就是我媽和我兩個人，不知道我媽肯不肯來。我媽叫我別跟男人多說話。不過你
是好人，不會害我們的。”
范蠡要阿青將羊群趕入花園之中，命婢僕取出糕餅點心，在花園的涼亭中殷勤款待。衆
僕役見羊群將花園中的牡丹、芍藥、玫瑰種種名花異卉大口咬嚼，而范蠡卻笑吟吟的瞧着，
無不駭異。
阿青喝茶吃餅，很是高興。范蠡跟她閑談半天，覺她言語幼稚，於世務全然不懂，終於
問道：“阿青姑娘，教你劍術的那位師父是誰？”
阿青睜着一雙明澈的大眼，道：“什麽劍術？我沒有師父啊。”范蠡道：“你用一根竹
棒戳瞎了八個壞人的眼睛，這本事就是劍術了，那是誰教你的？”阿青搖頭道：“沒有人教
我，我自己會的。”范蠡見她神情坦率，實無絲毫作偽之態，心下暗異：“難道當真是天降
異人？”說道：“你從小就玩這竹棒？”
阿青道：“本來是不會的，我十三歲那年，白公公來騎羊玩兒，我不許他騎，用竹棒來
打我，我就和他對打。起初他總是打到我，我打不着他。我們天天這樣打着玩，近來我總是
打到他，戳得他很痛，他可戳我不到。他也不大來跟我玩了。”
范蠡又驚又喜，道：“白公公住在哪裏？你帶我去找他好不好？”阿青道：“他住在山
裏，找他不到的。衹有他來找我，我從來沒去找過他。”范蠡道：“我想見見他，有沒有法
子？”阿青沉吟道：“嗯，你跟我一起去牧羊，咱們到山邊等他。就是不知道他什麽時候會
來。”嘆了口氣道：“進來好久沒見到他啦！”
范蠡心想：“為了越國和夷光，跟她去牧羊卻又怎地？”便道：“好啊，我就陪你去牧
羊，等那位白公公。”尋思：“這阿青姑娘的劍術，自然是那位山中老人白公公所教的了。
料想白公公見她年幼天真，便裝作用竹棒跟她鬧着玩。他能令一個鄉下姑娘學到如此神妙的
劍術，請他去教練越國吳士，破吳必矣！”
請阿青在府中吃了飯後，便跟隨她同到郊外的山裏去牧羊。他手下部屬不明其理，均感
駭怪。一連數日，范蠡手持竹棒，和阿青在山野間牧羊唱歌，等候白公公到來。
第五日上，文種來到範府拜訪，見範府掾吏面有憂色，問道：“範大夫多日不見，大王
頗為挂念，命我前來探望，莫非範大夫身子不適麽？”那掾吏道：“回稟文大夫：範大夫身
子並無不適，衹是……衹是……”文種道：“衹是怎樣？”那掾吏道：“文大夫是範大夫的
好友，我們下吏不敢說的話，文大夫不妨去勸勸他。”文種更是奇怪，問道：“範大夫有什
麽事？”那掾吏道：“範大夫迷上了那個……那個會使竹棒的鄉下姑娘，每天一早便陪着她
去牧羊，不許衛士們跟隨保護，直到天黑纔會來。小吏有公務請示，也不敢前去打擾。”
文種哈哈大笑，心想：“範賢弟在楚國之時，楚人都叫他範瘋子。他行事與衆不同，原
非俗人所能明白。”
這時范蠡正坐在山坡草地上，講述楚國湘妃和山鬼的故事。阿青坐在他身畔凝神傾聽，
一雙明亮的眼睛，目不轉瞬的瞧着他，忽然問道：“那湘妃真是這樣好看麽？”
范蠡輕輕說道：“她的眼睛比這溪水還要明亮，還要清澈……”阿青道：“她眼睛裏有
魚遊麽？”范蠡道：“她的皮膚比天上的白雲還要柔和，還要溫軟……”阿青道：“難道也
有小鳥在雲裏飛嗎？”范蠡道：“她的嘴唇比這朵小紅花的花瓣還要嬌嫩，還要鮮豔，她的
嘴唇濕濕的，比這花瓣上的露水還要晶瑩。湘妃站在水邊，倒影映在清澈的湘江裏，江邊的
鮮花羞慚的都枯萎了，魚兒不敢在江裏遊，生怕弄亂了她美麗的倒影。她白雪一般的手伸到
湘江裏，柔和得好像要溶在水裏一樣……”
阿青道：“范蠡，你見過她的是不是？為甚麽說得這樣仔細？”
范蠡輕輕嘆了口氣，說道：“我見過她的，我瞧得非常非常仔細。”
他說的是西施，不是湘妃。
他擡頭嚮着北方，眼光飄過了一條波浪滔滔的大江，這美麗的女郎是在姑蘇城中吳王宮
裏，她這時候在做什麽？是在陪伴吳王麽？是在想着我麽？
阿青道：“范蠡，你的鬍子中有兩根是白色的，真有趣，像是我羊兒的毛一樣。”
范蠡想：分手的那天，她伏在我肩上哭泣，淚水濕透了我半邊衣衫，這件衫子我永遠不
洗，她的淚痕之中，又加上了我的眼淚。
阿青說：“范蠡，我想拔你一根鬍子來玩，好不好？我輕輕的拔，不會弄痛你的。”
范蠡想：她說最愛坐了船在江裏湖裏慢慢的順水漂流，等我將她奪回來之後，我大夫也
不做了，便是整天和她坐了船，在江裏湖裏漂流，這麽漂遊一輩子。
突然之間，頦下微微一痛，阿青已拔下了他一根鬍子，衹聽得她在咯咯嬌笑，驀地裏笑
聲中斷，聽得她喝道：“你又來了！”
緑影閃動，阿青已激射而出，衹見一團緑影、一團白影已迅捷無倫的纏鬥在一起。
范蠡大喜：“白公公到了！”眼見兩人鬥得一會，身法漸漸歡樂下來，他忍不住“啊”
的一聲叫了出來。
和阿青相鬥的竟然不是人，而是一頭白猿。
這白猿也拿着一根竹棒，和阿青手中竹棒縱橫揮舞的對打。這白猿出棒招數巧妙，勁道
凌厲，竹棒刺出時帶着呼呼風聲，但每一棒刺來，總是給阿青拆解開去，隨即以巧妙之極的
招數還擊過去。
數日前阿青與吳國劍士在長街相鬥，一棒便戳瞎一名吳國劍士的眼睛，每次出棒都一式
一樣，直到此刻，范蠡方見到阿青劍術之精。他於劍術雖然所學不多，但常去臨觀越國劍士
練劍，劍法優劣一眼便能分別。當日吳越劍士相鬥，他已看得擠舌不下，此時見到阿青和白
猿鬥劍，手中所持雖然均是竹棒，但招法之精奇，吳越劍士相形之下，直如兒戲一般。
白猿的竹棒越使越快，阿青卻時時凝立不動，偶爾一棒刺出，便如電光急閃，逼得白猿
接連倒退。
阿青將白猿逼退三步，隨即收棒而立。那白猿雙手持棒，身子飛起，挾着一股勁風，
阿青急刺過來。范蠡見到這般猛惡的情勢，不由得大驚，叫道：“小心！”卻見阿青橫棒揮
出，拍拍兩聲輕響，白猿的竹棒已掉在地下。
白猿一聲長嘯，躍上樹梢，接連幾個縱躍，已竄出數十丈外，但聽得嘯聲凄厲，漸漸遠
去，山𠔌間猿嘯回聲，良久不絶。
阿青回過身來，嘆了口氣，道：“白公公斷了兩條手臂，再也不肯來跟我玩了。”范蠡
道：“你打斷了它兩條手臂？”阿青點頭道：“今天白公公兇得很，一連三次，要撲過來刺
死你。”范蠡驚道：“它……它要刺死我？為什麽？”阿青搖了搖頭，道：“我不知道。”
范蠡暗暗心驚：“若不是阿青擋住了它，這白猿要刺死我當真是不費吹灰之力。”
第二天早晨，在越王的劍室之中，阿青手持一根竹棒，面對着越國二十名第一流劍手。
范蠡知道阿青不會教人如何使劍，衹有讓越國劍士模仿她的劍法。
但沒一個越國劍士能當到她的三招。
阿清竹棒一動，對手若不是手腕被戳，長劍脫手，便是要害中棒，委頓在地。
第二天，三十名劍士敗在她的棒下。第三天，又是三十名劍士在她一根短竹棒下腕折臂
斷，狼狽敗退。
到第四天上，范蠡再要找她去會鬥越國劍士時，阿青已失了蹤影，尋到她的傢裏，衹餘
下一間空屋，十幾頭山羊。范蠡派遣數百名部署在會稽城內城外，荒山野嶺中去找尋，在也
覓不到這個小姑娘的蹤跡。
八十名越國劍士沒學到阿青的一招劍法，但他們已親眼見到了神劍的影子。每個人都知
道了，世間確有這樣神奇的劍法。八十個人將一絲一忽勉強捉摸到的劍法影子傳授給了旁
人，單是這一絲一忽的神劍影子，越國吳士的劍法便已無敵於天下。
范蠡命薛燭督率良工，鑄成了千千萬萬口利劍。
三年之後，勾踐興兵伐吳，戰於五湖之畔。越軍五千人持長劍面前，吳兵逆擊。兩軍交
鋒，越兵長劍閃爍，吳兵當者披靡，吳師大敗。
吳王夫差退到余杭山。越兵追擊，二次大戰，吳病始終擋不住越兵的快劍。夫差兵敗自
殺。越軍攻入吳國的都城姑蘇。
范蠡親領長劍手一千，直衝到吳王的館娃宮。那是西施所住的地方。他帶了幾名衛士，
奔進宮去，叫道：“夷光，夷光！”
他奔過一道長廊，腳步成發出清朗的回聲，長廊下面是空的。西施腳步輕盈，每一步都
像是彈琴鼓瑟那樣，有美妙的音樂節拍。夫差建了這道長廊，好聽她奏着音樂般的腳步聲。
在長廊彼端，音樂般的腳步聲響了起來，像歡樂的錦瑟，像清和的瑤琴，一個輕柔的聲
音在說：“少伯，真的是你麽？”
范蠡胸口熱血上涌，說道：“是我，是我！我來接你了。”他聽得自己的聲音嘶嘎，好
像是別人在說話，好像是很遠很遠的聲音。他踉踉蹌蹌的奔過去。
長廊上樂聲繁音促節，一個柔軟的身子撲入了他懷裏。
春夜溶溶。花香從園中透過簾子，飄進館娃宮。范蠡和西施在傾訴着別來得相思。
忽然間寂靜之中傳來了幾聲咩咩的羊叫。
范蠡微笑道：“你還是忘不了故鄉的風光，在宮室之中也養了山羊嗎？”
西施笑着搖了搖頭，她有些奇怪，怎麽會有羊叫？然而在心愛之人的面前，除了溫柔的
愛念，任何其他的念頭都不會在心中停留長久。她慢慢伸手出去，握住了范蠡的左手。熾熱
的血同時在兩人脈管中迅速流動。
突然間，一個女子聲音在靜夜中響起：“范蠡！你叫你的西施出來，我要殺了她！”
范蠡陡地站起身來。西施感到他的手掌忽然間變得冰冷。范蠡認得這是阿青的聲音。她
的呼聲越過館娃宮的高墻，飄了進來。
“范蠡，范蠡，我要殺你的西施，她逃不了的。我一定要殺你的西施。”
范蠡又是驚恐，又是迷惑：“她為甚麽要殺夷光？夷光可從來沒得罪過她！”驀地立心
中一亮，霎時之間都明白了：“她並不真是個不懂事的鄉下姑娘，她一直在喜歡我。”
迷惘已去，驚恐更甚。
范蠡一生臨大事，决大疑，不知經歷過多少風險，當年在會稽山被吳軍圍困，糧盡援絶
之時，也不及此刻的懼怕。西施感到他手掌中濕膩膩的都是冷汗，覺到他的手掌在發抖。
如果阿青要殺的是他自己，范蠡不會害怕的，然而她要殺的是西施。
“范蠡，范蠡！我要殺了你的西施，她逃不了的！”
阿青的聲音忽東忽西，在宮墻外傳進來。
范蠡定了定神，說道：“我要去見見這人。”輕輕放脫了西施的手，快步嚮宮門走去。
十八名衛士跟隨在他身後。阿青的呼聲人人都聽見了，耳聽得她在宮外直呼破吳英雄範
大夫之名，大傢都感到十分詫異。
范蠡走到宮門之外，月光鋪地，一眼望去，不見有人，朗聲說道：“阿青姑娘，請你過
來，我有話說。”四下裏寂靜無聲。范蠡又道：“阿青姑娘，多時不見，你可好麽？”可是
仍然不聞回答。范蠡等了良久，始終不見阿青現身。
他低聲吩咐衛士，立即調來一千名甲士、一千名劍士，在館娃宮前後守衛。
他回到西施面前，坐了下來，握住她的雙手，一句話也不說。從宮外回到西施身畔，他
心中已轉過了無數念頭：“令一個宮女假裝夷光，讓阿青殺了她？我和夷光化裝成為越國甲
士，逃出吳宮，從此隱姓埋名？阿青來時，我在她面前自殺，求她饒了夷光？調二千名弓箭
手守住宮門，阿青若是硬闖，那便萬劍齊發，射死了她？”但每一個計策都有破綻。阿青於
越國有大功，也不忍將她殺死，他怔怔的瞧着西施，心頭忽然感到一陣溫暖：“我二人就這
樣一起死了，那也好得很。我二人在臨死之前，終於是聚在一起了。”
時光緩緩流過。西施覺到范蠡的手掌溫暖了。他不再害怕，臉上露出了笑容。
破曉的日光從窗中照射進來。
驀地裏宮門外響起了一陣吆喝聲，跟着嗆啷郎、嗆啷朗響聲不絶，那是兵刃落地之聲。
這聲音從宮門外直響進來，便如一條極長的長蛇，飛快的遊來，長廊上也響起了兵刃落地的
聲音。一千名甲士和一千名劍士阻擋不了阿青。
衹聽得阿青叫道：“范蠡，你在哪裏？”
范蠡嚮西施瞧了一眼，朗聲道：“阿青，我在這裏。”
“裏”字的聲音甫絶，嗤的一聲響，門帷從中裂開，一個緑衫人飛了進來，正是阿青。
她右手竹棒的尖端指住了西施的心口。
她凝視着西施的容光，阿青臉上的殺氣漸漸消失，變成了失望和沮喪，再變成了驚奇、
羨慕，變成了崇敬，喃喃的說：“天……天下竟有着……這樣的美女！范蠡，她……她比你
說的還……還要美！”纖腰扭處，一聲清嘯，已然破窗而出。
清嘯迅捷之極的遠去，漸遠漸輕，餘音裊裊，良久不絶。
數十名衛士疾步奔到門外。衛士長躬身道：“大夫無恙？”范蠡擺了擺手，衆衛士退了
下去。范蠡握着西施的手，道：“咱們換上庶民的衣衫，我和你到太湖划船去，再也不回來
了。”
西施眼中閃出無比快樂的光芒，忽然之間，微微蹙起了眉頭，伸手捧着心口。阿青這一
棒雖然沒戳中她，但棒端發出的勁氣已刺傷了她心口。
兩千年來人們都知道，“西子捧心”是人間最美麗的形象。[完]
Background:
This story is based on real historical events that occurred during the 5th century B.C. It 's a period between what's known as the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring Kingdoms period. China was yet to be united under the First Emperor. The so-called Han race didn't exist yet. China was divided into big and small kingdoms, dukedoms and counties which warred with each other constantly.
It all started when the king of Chuh slept with his son's fiancee. Bad move, for any era. The king now feared that his son will turn against him. The fear was fanned into action by the allegations of an ambitious minister who wanted to destroy the crown prince's faction. The resulting purge destroyed many clans and families. One of the family, almost peripheral to the whole thing, was the House of Wu. The youngest son, Wu Tzu-Shi, escaped and vowed bloody vengeance.
After a long and dangerous journey through several kingdoms unwilling to help, he arrived at the newly founded kingdom of Wu (No, the Chinese characters for the Wu in Wu Tzu-Shi is actually different from the character Wu in the Wu kingdom). He helped Prince Ho Lu to assassinate his cousin the king in a convoluted power struggle. Then he built up the kingdom of Wu from a barely civilized kingdom to a modern kingdom with the best trained army in the known world. Sun Tzu, who wrote the immortal Art of War, served in Wu at this time.
When Wu Tzu-Shi was ready, he managed to convince King Ho Lu to invade Chuh. At the time Chuh was a superpower and Wu was an upstart kingdom, but the upstart kingdom managed to destroy Chuh's army utterly. Unfortunately, Wu Tzu-shi's vengeance was hollow. The object of his vengeance had already died several years ago. In his rage, Wu Tzu-Shi exhumed the body of the dead king and flogged it until it fell to pieces.
The kingdom of Wu proved itself incapable of absorbing the far larger kingdom of Chuh, so Wu Tzu-Shi had to take his army back to Wu. Then, Ho Lu began a series of wars to establish hegemony over the rest of China. It's in one of those wars when he ran into the kingdom of Yueh. The Yueh people was then even more primitive then Wu was a few decades ago, but they were great fighters. They were ruled by King Kou Chiang. In a pitch battle, King Ho Lu was struck by a poison arrow and died.
Ho Lu's son Fu Chai became king. He was intent on avenging his father. A personal guard was ordered to remind him of this fact periodically by saying "Fu Chai, did you forget to avenge the death of your father?" Fu Chai then rallied his army and destroyed the army of Yueh. King Kou Chiang became a prisoner of Fu Chai for several years. However, Fu Chai was not a brutal man. Instead of annexing the kingdom of Yueh and turning Kou Chiang into a slave, he released Kou Chiang after extracting an oath of fealty from the king of Yueh. Unfortunately, that gesture of mercy was completely lost on King Kou Chiang. Kou Chiang, like Wu Tzu-Shi and Fu Chai before him, was possessed by the burning desire to avenge the wrongs done him.
Kou Chiang hired two wise men from the kingdom of Chuh. One of them was Feng Li, the other was Wen Chung. The two began to build up the barbaric kingdom of Yueh so one day their king could challenge the power of Wu. Many legends are associated with this period of history. One of the legends was the legend of the Yueh Maiden.
Story:
"After you."
"After you."
The two swordmen turned the point of their blades downward. Their right palm holding the sword hilt, their left palm covered their right palm, then they bowed deeply to each other in a warrior's salute.
Even before the two straightened, a sudden flash of white, then the sound of clanging. The two swordmen each retreated one step. The audience gave out a soft cry
. The swordman in blue cut three times. The liveried swordman blocked each cut. The swordman in blue shouted and slashed his sword from the upper left corner straight downward. The slash was powerful and fast. The liveried swordman was too agile to be caught. A simple jump got him out of the way. His body bounced barely after his left feet touched the ground. He returned two slashes. The swordman in blue stood still with a grim smile. He moved his sword lightly and blocked the attack.
The liveried swordman suddenly began running around the swordman in blue. He ran faster and faster. The swordman in blue merely stared at the point of his enemy's sword. He was ready to strike anytime that point moved to attack. The liveried swordman at first ran one way, then the other. The swordman in blue started to feel a bit dizzy and said "Are you fighting, or running for your life?" The liveried swordman continued running. The swordman in blue attempted to cut him down a few times, but his sword always fell short.
The swordman in blue pulled his sword back to the side of his body and bowed his right leg slightly. The liveried swordman thought he saw an opening and lounged at his left shoulder, the swordman in blue was merely luring his enemy. His sword circled into a direct thrust at the liveried swordman's throat. The thrust was too fast to be avoided. The liveried swordman was surprised. He threw his sword toward the heart of his enemy. The liveried swordman hoped to force the swordman to abort the thrust in order to save his own life.
Unexpectedly, the swordman in blue didn't attempt to defend himself. With a move of his arm, the point of his sword entered the liveried swordman's throat. Then the liveried swordman's thrown sword hit his chest with a loud clang and fell to the ground. The swordman in blue laughed coldly and pulled his sword back. He was wearing a round plate of iron in front of his chest, just under the garment. That's why the sword did him no harm. The liveried swordman's throat spurted blood and his body convulsed. The servants stepped in to remove the body and began to wipe up the blood on the ground.
The swordman in blue sheathed his sword. He stepped forward and bowed toward the north of the hall where the king sat. The king wore a purple robe. He is of strange appearance. His neck was excessive long and his mouth was sharp as a bird's beak. He smiled and said in a croaking voice "The strong one has wonderful sword skill. Award him ten pounds of gold." The swordman in blue knelt down on his right knee and bowed "Thank you for the award." The king waved his left hand. An official on his right shouted "Swordmen of Wu and swordmen of Yueh,second contest!"
From the east end of the hall, another liveried swordman walked out from his group. This man was tall of stature and held a great sword. The sword was nearly four feet in length. The blade was extremely thick and was obviously quite heavy. From the west of hall, another swordman in blue walked out. He was of medium height. His face was crisscrossed by at least twelve or thirteen sword scars. The face seemed no longer human. He must have fought hundreds of battles with countless swordmen. The two knelt to the king, then they saluted each other.
The swordman in blue straightened his body and smiled. His face made the smile seemed ugly and cruel. The tall swordman shivered. Then he sighed deeply and held his sword with both hands.
Suddenly the swordman in blue howled madly like a wolf and thrusted his sword. The tall swordman cried, lifted his great sword and cut down toward his opponent's head. The swordman in blue dodged while his sword made a slash from left to right. The tall swordman lifted the great sword and whirled, making the sounds of a great wind. The great weight of the sword didn't slow him down in the slightest.
The two made thirty passes at each other. The swordman in blue couldn't oppose the weight of his opponent's sword. He kept retreating. All the other liveried swordman began to show hope on their faces as they anticipated their side to win at last.
Then the tall swordman made a great cry like the sound of a thunderclap and made a horizontal cut with his great sword. The swordman in blue couldn't avoid it. He could only block it with his own sword with all his strength. Clang! The two swords met. The great sword broke and half of the blade flew away. The swordman in blue wielded a far sharper sword. Then the swordman in blue made a vertical cut which opened up the tall swordman from throat to crotch. The tall swordman howled and kept on howling as he felt to the ground. The swordman in blue looked at his fallen opponent for a while before returning his sword to the sheath. Then he knelt toward the king. His face couldn't disguise his joy of victory.
The official said "The strong one's sword skill is impressive. The award is ten pounds of gold." The swordman in blue bowed in thanks. There were only eight swordmen in blue. Compared with fifty liveried swordmen standing at the east side of the hall, they were badly outnumbered.
The official said "Swordmen of Wu and swordmen of Yueh, the third contest."
Again, one swordman from each walked to the center of the hall. The sword of the swordman in blue trembled and shone like bright silk. The official said "Good sword!" The swordman in blue thanked his praise. The official then said "We have seen one-to-one contests twice. This time, two against two!"
Two more swordmen entered the arena. The four again saluted the king first before saluting each other. Then the swords flashed as the combat began. This time, each of the two swordmen on the same side must reinforce each other. After a few passes, a liveried swordmen's sword was cut into half by his enemy's sword. This liveried swordman was very courageous. He carried his broken and jumped toward his enemy. His opponent's sword flashed and cut away his right arm together with his right shoulder. Then the sword impaled his heart.
The other pair was still fighting. The victorious swordman in blue watched for a while, then his sword moved. Again, the liveried swordman's sword was cut into half, leaving him wide open. His oponent's sword entered his chest and exited from his back
. The king laughed and clapped "Excellent swords! Excellent sword skills. Award them wine and gold. Let us see one contest of four against four!"
Four swordmen from each side began combat. The swordmen from the east side had already lost three contests. These four fought desperately with all their skills. Even if they lost their lives, they meant to win at least one contest. Two swordmen in blue concentrated on one liveried swordman. The other two swordmen in blue defended them against the other three liveried swordmen. These swordmen in blue only defended. Their skill of defense was impenetrable. They also made no attempt to attack, all they did was preventing the three from aiding their comrade. The other two swordman in blue easily killed their lone opponent. Then they repeated their tactic again and killed another liveried swordman.
The other liveried swordmen saw the death of their comrades. They drew their swords and was ready to aid their comrades and chopped the swordmen in blue to bits.
The official cried out in a clear voice "Those who learned the way of the sword, must obey the laws of the swor !"
His voice was authoritative. The liveried swordmen quieted down. By now everyone could see that the swordmen in blue used completely different sword skills. The two who defended were specialized in defense. The two who attacked specialized in attack. The attackers always outnumber their victim because the defenders watched their back. They could win even if their opponents numbered six or even eight. The swords of the two defenders formed a sword net which could handle five or even six swordmen easily.
The two defenders had cornered a liveried swordman so he was virtually neutralized while the two attackers already killed the third liveried swordman. The two defenders moved left and right and watched for more enemies while the two attackers began on the lone swordman. Even though the liveried swordman had no hope of winning, still he didn't throw down his sword to admit defeat. Suddenly the four swordmen in blue shouted loudly and their four swords impaled the liveried swordman from four directions.
The liveried swordman died immediately, but his eyes were opened like round saucers. His mouth opened widely. The four swordmen in blue pulled out their swords at the same time. The four wiped their swords at the sole of their shoes, then they returned their swords back into the sheath. The movements were completely synchronized.
The king laughed and clapped his hands together again "Excellent sword skill! The swordmen of the great kingdom were truly invincible. It's only today that we're treated to such a spectacle. Award each swordman ten pounds of gold." The four bowed in thanks. They bowed at the same exact angle. No one knew how long they practiced to achieve such precision.
A swordman in boue turned, picked a long box covered in gold paint and said "Our king thank the generous gifts of Your Majesty. His Majesty ordered us to return the favor with one precious sword. This sword is newly forged in our kingdom for the enjoyment of Your Majesty."
The king smiled "Thank you. Minister Feng, bring it over here."
The king was Kou Chiang, King of Yueh. The official was Feng Li, the royal advisor. The liveried swordmen were the Royal Guards of Yueh. The eight swordmen in blue were the messengers sent by Fu Chai, King of Wu. Kou Chiang was defeated by Fu Chai and he waited for a chance for vengeance. While he was submissive to the Kingdom of Wu on the surface, he secretly trained soldiers in preparation for an attack on Wu. In order to test the skill of Wu warriors, he sent out the best of his swordmen. He could not expect that the Wu swordmen easily killed eight of his finest swordmen. He was surprised and angry, but he showed none of it. Instead, he praised the sword skills of the Wu swordmen and showed his heartfelt admiration.
Feng Li took the golden long box. The box felt very light, as thought it's empty. He opened up the cover. Before the other people in the hall could see what's in the box, Feng Li's face was illuminated by a faint blue light. Everyone cried in surprise.
Feng Li took the box to Kou Chiang and bowed "Please look, Your Majesty." Kou Chiang saw that the box was lined with red silk. The sword inside it had a very thin blade. The light it reflected flowed on its surface like water. He said "Excellent sword!" He took the hilt and lifted up the sword. The blade trembled slightly, almost as though he could break the blade with a flick of his wrist. He thought "The sword blade is too thin. It might look good, but it has no practical use."
The leader of the swordmen in blue took out a piece of gauze from his pocket and threw it into the air. "Please, Your Majesty, point the edge of the sword upward so it will meet this falling gauze. You will see that this sword is different." The thin gauze fell upon the edge of the sword, but the gauze didn't stop falling. It kept falling, as two separate gauzes. The people on the hall cheered.
The swordman in blue said "This blade might be thin, but it will not break even if it blocks a heavy weapon."
Kou Chiang said "Minister Feng, try it."
Feng said "Yes." He walked in front of a liveried swordman, took out the sword and said "Draw, let's try it." The liveried swordman bowed, drew his sword, but he didn't dare to strike. Feng Li cried "Strike!" The swordman cut downward. Feng met it with his sword. The two swords met. The sword blade of the liveried swordmen was cut into two pieces. Before one of the pieces flew into him, Feng Li dodged wit great agility. The people inside the hall cheered. Were they cheering the sharpness of the blade, or the agility of Feng?
Feng Li put the sword back into the box and put the box next to the feet of the king. Kou Chiang said "Swordmen of the great kingdom, you are invited to the next hall for a feast and be awarded for the contest." The eight swordmen in blue bowed and left the hall. Kou Chiang waved his hand, all the swordmen, servants and ministers left, except for Feng Li.
Kou looked at the sword and the blood on the ground and said "What you do think?"
Feng Li said "Not all the Wu soldiers are as good as these eight. Not all swords wielded by them are as sharp as this one. But from this small example, we can see the rest. The most terrifying aspect is their technique of group fighting, they used the methods of Sun Tzu. I believe that they currently have no match in the world."
Kou Chiang said "Fu Chai sent these eight just to give me this sword. What does he have in mind?"
Feng Li said "He wants us to know the difficulty of vengeance."
Kou Chiang became angry. He took up the sword and made a backhand stroke. The stroke cut up the half of the back of his chair. He shouted "Even if the difficulty is one thousand, ten thousand times greater, Kou Chiang will not retreat from his goal! One day, I will capture Fu Chai, king of Wu and cut off his heead with his sword." Another stroke of the sword cut the chair into half.
Feng Li bowed and said "Congratualations, Your Majesty."
Kou said in surprise "After seeing the ability of the Wu swordmen, what's there to congratulate about?"
Feng Li said "As long as You Majesty have the determination, anything can be accomplished. Concerning this difficulty, I must discuss it with Minister Wen."
Kou Chiang said "Good, summon Minister Wen." Feng Li left the palace and ordered the palace servant to summon Minister Wen Chung. In a while, Wen Chung arrived on a speedy horse, then the two walked back into the palace
. Feng Li was originally a native of Wan, in the Kingdom of Chuh. He was not a man concerned with the details of etiquette. Often, he did things beyond the expectations of other people. People of his homeland called him "Feng the Crazy". When Wen Chung came to be the magistrate of Wan, he heard of the Feng Li's reputation. He sent subordinates to summon Feng. The subordinates said "That Feng is the famous crazy man of this land. Nothing he does makes any sense." Wen Chung smiled "When a man try to do something different, other people always say that he is mad. When he has a superior opinion, the common of wit will call him stupid. How can you understand Master Feng?" So Wen Chung went to visit Feng himself, but Feng avoided him. Feng expected that Wen would not give up so easily, so he borrowed some proper clothes from his brother. When Wen came back, Feng was ready. The two talked and found that they had much in common.
They both felt the kingdoms were weak. The kingdom of Chuh was large, but chaotic. The only kingdoms which could rise to command the rest were located at southeast. Wen Chung resigned his position and went to the kingdom of Wu with Feng Li. At the time. the king of Wu's favorite was Wu Tzu-Shi. The two lived in the capital for a few month and saw that Wu Tzu-Shi was indeed a wise man. They were not necessarily better than him.
After some discussion, they decided that although Yueh was a smaller kingdom, but they could put their talents to use there. Kou Chiang received them warmly and gave them both high positions.
Then Kou Chiang ignored the advise of Wen Chung and made war with Wu. His army was defeated by the shore of Chiang Tang River. Kou Chiang was surrounded at Kuai Chi Mountain and almost died along with his kingdom, but he listened to the advise of Feng Li and Wen Chung and bribed the Prime Minister of Wu. Fu Chai then listened to the Prime Minister instead of the wiser Wu Tzu-Shi and agreed to a peace treaty. Kou Chiang lived in Wu as a hostage for a few years, but he was released later. Then Kou Chiang slept only on beds made of thorny branches and tasted the bitter juice of beef gall bladders to remind himself of the humiliations he suffered. He used Wen Chung's Nine Methods to subvert Wu and strengthen Yueh.
The Nine Methods were. One, pay respect to the gods and spirits. Two, give Fu Chai vast amount of money so he will feel secure as well as becoming soft in luxury. Three, borrow food from Wu and return seeds which will not grow, causing famine in Wu. Four, give Fu Chai beautiful women such as Si Shi and Cheng Dang, so Fu Chai would be paying more attention to the beautiful women rather than the affairs of the state. Five, give Fu Chai engineers so he started building expensive palaces which drained the economy of the country. Six, bribe the ministers of Wu. Seven, distance Fu Chai from his wise ministers. The wise Wu Tzu-Shi was eventually forced to committ suicide as punishment of a false charge of treason. Eight, hoard food so the kingdom of Yueh will have great reserve available. Nine, make weapons, train soldier and wait for the chance. Eight methods have succeeded, but the ninth had run into great difficulty.
Everyone could tell that the eight warriors of Wu were better than anyone Yueh could produce. Feng Li told Wen Chung the results of the contest. Wen Chung frowned "Brother Feng, the sharpness of their swords is a major problem, also the way their swordmen worked together in groups in accordance to Sun Tzu's Art of War." Feng Li said "Yes, decades ago, when Sun Tzu helped the king of Wu. They destroyed Chuh, the most powerful kingdom in the world at the time. In his book, it's said "If I concentrate my forces and the enemy's forces is fragmented into ten parts then I can use my unified one to attack his ten fragments. Then I will outnumber my enemy and the battle will be over." Wu used this principle to achieve local superiority against our swordmen."
When they talk they arrived in front of Kou Chiang. Kou Chiang was staring at the gift sword. After a long while, Kou Chiang lifted up his head and said "Minister Wen. Years ago, Wu had the husband-wife team of swordsmiths, Keng Chiang and Mo Shei. Yueh had O-Yeh Tzu. Now, all three have died. Wu still have great swordsmiths, yet we have no one to succeed O-Yeh Tzu."
Wen Chung said "I have heard that O-Yeh Tzu had two students. One is named Fong Hu-Tzu, The other is called Hsieh Chu. Fong Hu-Tzu is in the kingdom of Chuh. Hsieh is still in Yueh."
Kou became glad and said "Summon him. And order someone to go to Chuh with gold so we can get Fong Hu-Tzu here as well."
The next morning, Wen Chung reported that he already sent someone to Chuh. Meanwhile, Hsieh Chu was already here. Kou Chiang grant Hsieh an audience and asked "Your master O-Yeh Tzu once followed my father's ordder and forged five swords. How do you grade those five swords?"
Hsieh said "I have heard my master said that he forged five swords for the king. Three large swords and two small swords. They are Trembling Reed, Pure Edge, Defeater of Evil, Fish Intestine and the Great Tower. Now, the Trembling Reed is in Chuh. Defeater of Evil and Fish Intestine are in Wu. Your Majesty still have Pure Edge and Great Tower."
Years ago, the Prince Ho Lu of Wu heard of the swords and asked Kou Chiang's father for some of the swords. Kou Chiang's father feared the might of Wu and gave Holu Trembling Reed, Defeater of Evil and Fish Intestine. Using Fish Intestine, Ho Lu assassinated his cousin the king and took the throne. Trembling Reed fell into a river and was acquired by the king of Chuh. King of Chin heard of this and asked for it. Even after a few wars, the king of Chuh still refused to give it up.
Hsieh said "My master said, of the five swords, Defeater of Evil is of the highest grade. Pure Edge and Trembling Reed are next. Fish Intestine is lower and Great Tower ranks last. When Great Tower was forged, the alloy was not pure, so it was only a sharp sword and not a truly precious sword."
Kou Chiang said "Are you saying my Pure Edge and Great Tower are not as good as Fu Chai's Defeater of Evil and Fish Intestine?"
Hsieh dare not admit that Kou Chiang's swords was inferior, but Kou Chiang knew the answer anyway.
Feng Li said "You have the skill of your master. You can forge a few swords of your own. They might not be inferior to those owned by Wu."
Hsieh said "I cannot forge swords anymore."
Feng Li asked "Why?"
Hsieh held up his hands. On both his hands, the thumb and the index fingers were gone. He said sadly "Thumbs and index fingers are required for forging swords. I am a cripple."
Kou Chiang said "Did you enemy cut away your fingers?"
Hsieh said "No, my fellow student did it." "Your fellow student? You mean Fong Hu-Tzu? Why did he doe it? Ah! It must be that you have greater skill than he. He beame jealous and cut away your fingers." Hsieh remained silent.
Ko Chiang said "I was thinking about inviting Fong from Chuh, but now I see he won't come because he fears your vengeance."
Hsieh said "Your Majesty is indeed wise, but Fong is no longer in Chuh. He is in Wu.
Ko Chiang said "He...He's in Wu? What's he doing there?"
Hsieh said "Three years ago, Fong came to my home and took out a precious sword for me to inspect. I was astounded. That sword was forged by my master for Chuh. It is named the Flowing Fabric. The blade was full of runes that flowed like water. I heard from my master that he forged three swords for Chuh. That was one, the others were Dragon Spring and Ching Ah."
Kou Chiang said "Then the king of Chuh must have given it to Fong."
Hsieh said "Indirectly. Fong said that after the army of Wu broke the capital of Chuh. Wu Tzu-shi took the sword from the grave of the previous king. When he returned to Wu, he heard of the skills of Fong, so he gave the sword to him as a gift. He said the sword was a legacy from our master and that Fong was the rightful owner."
Kou Chiang said "Wu Tzu-Shi let the sword go? He is truly a great hero to let such a treasure go." Then he laughed "Fortunately, Fu Chai has already taken care of him for me." Then he asked "What did Wu Tzu-Shi wanted in return from Fong?"
Hsieh said "Wu Tzu-shi merely said that he admired our master. Fong felt grateful after he received the sword, so he went to Wu and thanked Wu Tzu-Shi in person. Wu Tzu-Shi treated as an honored guest."
Kou Chiang said "That's how he make people become loyal to him, even onto death."
Hsieh said "Your Majesty is wise, but Fong didn't understand Wu Tzu-shi's true intentions, so he asked again and again how he could repay the great favor done to him. Wu Tzu -Shi merely said he would not ask anything of an honored guest."
Kou Chiang said "The old fox!"
Hsieh said "Fong finally said to Wu Tzu-shi that he had little skill except forging swords. In return for Wu Tzu-Shi's favors, he will forge a few precious swords for him."
Kou slapped his thigh and said "Got him!"
Hsieh said "But Wu Tzu-shi said the kingdome of Wu already had many precious swords and needed no more. Besides, the forging of a precious sword is a tremendous labor. Years ago, when Keng Chiang and Mo Yeh were forging their sword, the sword refused to come into being until Mo Yeh flung herself into the fire. Wu Tzu-shi had no intention of repeating that kind of tragedy."
Kou Chiang said "He didn't want Fong to forge swords for him? Strange."
Hsieh said "Fong was baffled too. Then Wu Tzu-shi visited him again. They said that the army of Wu was fully capable of fighting with superpowers like the kingdoms of Chi and Jin. Wu's warriors were courageous, but their skills in chariot warfare were inferior. Moreover, their swords and spears were not sharp enough. Fong began to talk to Wu Tzu-Shi about the way of forging swords. What Wu Tzu-Shi wanted wasn't a few precious swords with mysterius powers, what he wanted was thousands and thousands of sharp swords."
Kou Chiang understood and looked at Feng Li and Wen Chung. Worry filled Wen Chung's face. He asked "Minister Feng, what do you think?"
Feng Li said "Even though Wu Tzu-shi is crafty, he is not wise enough to escape Your Majesty's schemes."
Kou Chiang laughed "I am afraid that I have never been Wu Tzu-shi's match."
Feng Li said "Wu Tzu-shi is already dead. What more can he do to threaten Yueh?"
Kou Chiang laughed "True. Hsieh Chu. Did Fong finally started forging swords?"
Hsieh said "Yes. He went to Mt. Mo Keng. He saw one thousand swordsmiths working there. He corrected and improved their techniques. After this, every sword in Wu is sharper than anything made in other kingdoms."
Kou Chiang nodded "So that's why."
Hsieh said "After one year, Fong became too fatigued to continue, so he told Wu Tzu-shi my name. Wu Tzu-shi readied lavish gifts and asked Fong to invite me to work for him as well. I remembered the hatred between Wu and Yueh. If Wu's sharp swords could kill the people of Chi and Jin, they could also kill the people of my home, so I counseled Fong not to return to Wu."
Kou nodded in approval "You have foresight."
Hsieh said "Thank for your praise, Your Majesty, but he didn't listen to me. That night he slept in my home. In the middle of the night, suddenly he put his sword at my neck, then he chopped off four of my fingers so I'll never forge another sword."
Kou Chiang became angry "If he fell into my hands, I would chop him into meat paste!"
Wen Chung said "Master Hsieh, even though you cannot forge swords by yourself, but you can teach our swordsmiths. We, too, can make as many sharp swords as the Wu swordsmiths."
Hsieh said "Minister Wen, both Yueh and Wu produce the necessary iron needed for sword blades, but Yueh produces copper and Wu produces zinc."
Feng Li said "Wu Tzu-Shi is guarding the zinc mines and forbids any private mining, is that right?"
Hsieh showed surprise on his face "So you knew already."
Feng Li smiled "No, I am merely speculating. Now that he's dead, his order may not be followed anymore. We now can purchase zinc, if we're willing to pay for it.."
Kou Chiang said "But a source of water far away cannot extinguish a nearby conflagration. By the time we gather all the materials, train the swordsmiths and start production, at least two or three years would have passed. That's not counting any setbacks along the way. If Fu Chai died before we're ready, wouldn't that be the greatest regret in our lives?"
Feng Li and Wen Chung bowed deeply "Yes, we will find another way."
Feng Li walked out of the palace, thinking "His Majesty couldn't wait two or three more years? Why, I can't even wait one more day...." A dull pain came to his chest as he remembered the image of that unmatched beauty which could stun the world.
Her name was Si Shi. She lived next to Huan Sha River He found that woman who gathered all the beauty of the land of Yueh into her person and he had to send her away into the palace of Wu.
The road from the capital of Yueh to the capital of Wu was not long, only a few days by river, but that was long enough for love to grow beyond control. The white face of Si Shi was full of pearl-like tears and her voice was soft as a whispering stream "Shao Bo, promise me that you will come and get me as soon as possible. I will wait for you, day and night. Say that you will never forget me, forever and ever."
Vengeance against Wu could wait, as far as Feng Li was concerned, but Yi Kwan,that's his name for Si Shi, was in the embrace of King Fu Chai. Love and jealousy gnawed at his heart. He must find to way to make as many sharp swords as possible, even sharper than those wielded by the invincible Wu swordmen....
He walked aimlessly on the street. Eighteen armed guards followed him faithfully.
Suddenly someone was singing a Wu song "My sword is sharp! My enemy has no courage! My sword is sharp! My enemy has no head!"
Eight men in blue, arm in arm, swaggered down the street, showing no concern for the pedestrians who were hurrying out of their way. They were the eight Wu swordmen. They were obviously very drunk.
Feng Li frowned. He could feel his anger rising.
The eight swordmen stopped in front of Feng Li. One of them looked sideways with his drunken eyes and said "You...you are Minister Feng?" Then he broke into uncontrollable giggles. Two guards leaped in front of Feng Li and said "Don't be so rude. Make way!"
The eight swordmen merely laughed and mimicked their words "Don't be so rude. Make way!"
Two guards pulled out their swords and cried "By royal decree, those who dare to interfere with Minister Feng's welfare is to be executed!"
One of the Wu swordman's body swayed as he said "Execute you, or me?"
Feng's mind was working. "They were the subjects of Wu. Even though they are rude. We cannot affford to fight them." Before he could tell his guards to pull back, a bright sword flashed. The guards screamed. Then their swords dropped to the ground. One of the Wu swordman returned his sword into the sheath, his face was full of gloating pride. The rest of Feng Li's guards pulled out their swords and surrounded the eight Wu swordmen.
The leader raised his head and laughed "We never planned to return to Wu alive anyway. Let's see how big an army you need in order to kill us!" With a shout, eight swords leaped out of their sheaths. Eight swordmen stood back to back, forming a circle.
Feng Li thought "If one could not endure small slights, then one would never achieve great things." He shouted "These eight are ambassadors from the Great Kingdom. Don't treat them with ill manners. Back!" Then he retreated to the side of the street. His guards were angry enough to spit fire from their eyes, but they dare not disobey him. Reluctantly they retreated to the side of the street as well.
The they heard the cries of a herd of goats. A young maiden dressed in pale green robe herded tens of goats down the street. The goats started to go around the eight Wu swordmen. One swordman was feeling cheated of a good fight, so his sword moved and a goat was neatly bisected. The cut was so neat that even the nose of the goat was severed into two precisely equal parts. His seven friends cheered. Even Feng Li could not fault his sword skill.
The young maiden's bamboo stick moved and herded the rest of goats behind her. Then she said "Why did you kill my goat?" The voice was feminine and clear, but it also contained anger.
The goat killer cut his sword into air a few times and laughed "Little girl, I will cut you into half just like this goat!"
Feng Li cried "Lady, please come over here. They are drunk."
The maiden said "Even if you are drunk, that's no excuse to behave rudely."
The swordman's sword circled above her head. "I was thinking of cutting off your head, but now I see you're quite pretty, so I changed my mind." His seven friends laughed again.
Feng Li looked at her. She had an oval face, long eyelashes and clear, white skin. Her face was pretty and her body was slende, even seemingly frail. He cried again "Lady, over here." The maiden said "Of course."
The Wu swordman's sword reached out toward toward her belt. "Why..." Before he could finished, the maiden's bamboo stick flickered and stabbed into his wrist. The swordman only felt a sudden pain on his wirst and dropped his sword. The bamboo stick raised upward, followed by another stab into the swordman's right eye. The swordman screamed as he covered his blinded eye.
The maiden's movement might be simple, but for some reason, the Wu swordman could not block or even avoid her bamboo stick. The other seven swordmen was much surprised. One of them pulled back his sword and thrusted it toward the maiden's right eye. As the sword sped forward, everyone could hear a loud whoosh, signaling the strength behind the thrust.
The maiden didn't even move her feet. Her bamboo stick moved again. This time she stabbed at the swordman's shoulder. The stab was so fast that although it started after the thrust, it arrived well before the thrust could reach her. The swordman cried out in pain as all the strength went out of his thrust. Then the maiden's wrist flicked and the bamboo stick went into his right eye. The swordman screamed like a butchered pig as his two fists waved aimlessly.
Now, the maiden made four moves and two Wu swordmen were disabled. The spectator only saw her making some movements with her bamboo stick. Even though she moved too fast to be seen clearly, but the technique she used was clearly derived from some sort of high sword skill. Feng was both surprised and gladdened, but now he saw that the maiden had to face six Wu swordmen. He hurriedly said "Swordmen of Wu. It would be bad for the honor of Wu if the six of you gang up on a defenseless girl. Even you win with you superior numbers......" He clapped his hands together. His guards leaped into the street and surrounded the Wu swordmen.
The maiden smiled "Even the odds of six against one is not enough for you." Her left hand lifted slightly. The bamboo stick on her right hand thrusted toward yet another swordman's eye. She moved her stick and stabbed toward another swordman's chest. Three swords sped toward her. She moved agilely and avoided all three sword, then she counterattacked. One swordman was stabbed on the wrist and lost hold on his sword.
Feng Li's guard was ready to leap into battle, but they could not penetrate into the sword net formed by the Wu swordmen.
The maiden moved between the six swordmen. Her long sleeves and long belt waved in the wind beautifully. Then the cries of pain came from one after another Wu swordmen as their swords dropped to the ground. The fight was over. Each of the Wu swordmen lost an eye. Some lost the right eye. Some lost the left eye.
The maiden pulled back her bamboo stick and said "You killed my goat. Now compensate me."
The Wu swordmen were angry and scared. Some were roaring in fury. Some were shivering in fear. These eight were battle-hardened veterans. Ordinarily they would not lose control of their demeanor even if someone cut of both of their hands, but what happened to them was so beyond their comprehension that they had not idea how they should act.
The maiden said "If you don't compensate me for my goat, I will take your other eye." The Wu swordmen jumped back involuntarily.
Feng Li said "Lady, I will give you one hundred goats, but let these eight men leave."
The maiden smiled "You're a nice man. I don't want one hundred goats. I only want one."
Feng Li said to the guard "Accompany the ambassadors from the Great Kingdom back to the palace. Summon the physicians to treat their wounds." The eight Wu swordmen left crestfallen, like cocks who had lost a fight.
Feng Li walked toward the maiden and said "Lady, what is your respected surname?" The maiden said "What did you say?" He rephrased the question "What is your name?" The maiden said "Oh, my name is Ah Ching. What is yours?"
Feng Li smiled and thought "So she is just a simple country girl unversed in courtly manners. Yet she learned this godlike sword skill. I only have to learn who her master is, then I can invite her teacher to train Yueh warriors. Wu will not be able to stand against us." His heart warmed as he realized that he's closer to bring Si Shi back. Then he said "I am called Feng Li. Lady, why don't you have a meal in my home?" Ah Ching said "No, I have to herd the goats to pasture." Feng Li said "I have a large lawn in my home. Your goats can feed there, then I will compensate you with ten fat goats."
Ah Ching clapped her hands together and laughed "You have a big lawn? Good, but I don't want any goat from you. You didn't kill this goat." She knelt to the ground and petted the dead goat. Then she said sadly "Old White, bad man killed you. I can't save you this time."
Feng Li ordered his guard "Sew the body back together and bury it next to this lady's house."
Ah Ching stood up. Her face was stained by tears, but her eyes was happy. "Feng Li, you won't let them eat Old White?"
Feng Li said "Of course not. That's your Old White. No one is permitted to eat him."
Ah Ching sighed "You are nice. I always hate to let other people kill my goats so they can eat the meat, but mother said that unless we sell our goat, we will not have money for rice."
Feng Li said "From today on, I will ask people to send your mother rice and good clothes. You don't have to sell your goats anymore."
Ah Ching became happy and embraced Feng Li "You are a good man."
Feng Li held her hand, afraid that she might disappear like some immortal from legend. The goats followed them back to his mansion.
As Ah Ching herded her goats into the mansion she said "Your house is so large! How can you live here alone?"
Feng Li smiled "Yes, I think this house is too big for me. Why don't you come live here with your mother? Who else do you have in your family?"
Ah Ching said "Just me and my mom. I don't know if my mom wants to come. She always says that I shouldn't talk to strange man, but you are a good man. You won't harm us."
Feng Li told Ah Ching to leave the goats in the garden and ordered his servants to pick out the best snacks for Ah Ching. The servants watched in shock as the goats devoured the expensive flowers in the garden. They were even more shocked when they observed their master watching the destruction with a happy smile.
Ah Ching ate the pastries and drank the tea. Feng Li talked with and discovered that she's innocent of the intrigues of the world. Finally he asked "Ah Ching, who taught you sword skills?"
Ah Ching's large, clear eyes opened wider and said "Sword skill? No one ever taught me anything."
Feng Li said "The way you used that bamboo stick. That's sword skill. Who taught that?"
Ah Ching shook her head "No one. I always knew how to play with the bamboo stick."
Feng Li saw that she was too innocent to lie and thought "Did heaven finally send down a miracle?" He asked again "Do you know how to play with this bamboo since you're a child?"
Ah Ching said "No. When I was thirteen, Grandpa White came to ride my goats. I wouldn't let him and beat him off with my bamboo stick. He returned with a bamboo stick. I then fought with him. At first, he always score hits on me and I can't score hits on him. I play this everyday. Now, I score hits on him most of the time and he can't score hits on me. He isn't coming back as often now."
Feng thought he finally hit something and said "Where does this Grandpa White live? Can you take me to him?"
Ah Ching said "He lives in the mountains. You can't find him. He usually comes and find me. I never tried to find him."
Feng Li said "I want to meet him. Is there a way?"
Ah Ching said "Hmm. You can follow me to pasture. We will wait for him on the mountain side. I don't know when he'll show though." She sighed "I haven't seen him for a while now."
Feng Li said to himself "This is for Yi Kwan and the kingdom of Yueh. A little goat herding won't hurt." so he said "Good, I'll accompany you and wait for Grandpa White." He thought "Grandpa White must be the sword sage who taught this girl. He must have loved her youth and innocence, so he used play to teach her. He could make a young girl into the such a great master, then he could make our warriors destroy Wu.
After the meal, Feng Li followed her to mountain pastures to her goats. His subordinates didn't understand the reason. They were all baffled. Day after day, Feng Li went with Ah Ching to herd goat and sang songs, waiting for Grandpa White.
On the fifth day, Wen Chung came to Feng Li's mansion and saw a very worried chamberlain. He asked "I haven't seen Minister Feng for a few days now. The King is worried and ordered to me to visit. Did Minister Feng come down sick?"
The chamberlain said "Minister Feng is healthy, but...but.."
"But?"
"Minister Wen is the best friend of Miister Feng. You can say things to him that are not appropriate for us to say. Why don't you try to talk some sense into him?"
Wen Chung was baffled "Sense? What's wrong with Minister Feng?"
"Minister Feng fell love with that little shepherdess. Every morning he leaves with her and don't return until after sundown. He won't permit any guards following him. He will not be bothered even when I have urgent affairs."
Wen Chung laughed and thought "When Brother Feng was living in the kingdom of Chuh, everyone called him Feng the Crazy. He never does things like other people."
At that time, Feng Li was sitting on a mountain side grassland and telling Ah Ching the story of the goddess Hsiang Fei. Ah Ching was sitting close by his side and listened to him intent, her large bright eyese never left his face. Suddenly she said "Hsiang Fei is really that beautiful?"
Feng Li said "Her eyes are clearer and brighter than the water in this mountain stream..."
Ah Ching said "Does she have fish in her eyes?"
Feng Li continued "Her skin is like the clouds, but fairer."
Ah Ching said "Are there birds flying in those clouds?"
Feng Li continued obliviously "Her lips are softer than the petal of this flower and redder. Her lips are moist, even more than the dews on this petal. When Hsiang Fei stands next to the river, the beauty of her reflection made all the riverside flowers wilt in shame. Even fish dare not swim in water for fear of rumpling her reflection. When her white hand is dipped into the river, it was so soft that it could almost melt into the water..."
Ah Ching said "You saw her, didn't you. How else can you describe her so clearly?"
Feng Li said "I saw her. I saw her very, very clearly."
Of course, he was referring to Si Shi, not the goddess Hsiang Fei.
He looked at the north. His eyes looked beyond a wide, roaring river. Is the beauty in the royal palace of Wu. Is she with King Fu Chai? Is she thinking about me?
Ah Ching said "Feng Li! Your beard is strange, can I touch it?"
Feng Li thought "Is she weeping, or laughing?"
Ah Ching said "Feng Li, you have two strands of white beard, just like my goats."
Feng Li thought "When we're separated, she wept on my shoulder. Her tear soaked half of my robe. I never washed that robe. My tears were mingled with hers on that robe."
Ah Ching said "Feng Li. Can I pull out one of your beard? I will pull gently. You won't feel a thing."
Feng Li thought "She said she loved riding in a boat and float with the currents. After I take her back, I will not be a court minister anymore. I will ride a boat with her, floating in rivers and lakes, for the rest of my life."
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his chin. Ah Ching pulled out a strand of his beard. She laughed prettily. Suddenly the laugh was cut off and she said "You're here again!"
A green shadow flashed as Ah Ching shot forward. A green blur and a white blur was moving quickly around each other.
Feng Li cried gladly "Grandpa White's here!" It's a while before the two combatants slowed down enough for him to get a good look. Then he got a great surprise.
The one fighting Ah Ching wasn't human. It was a white ape.
The white ape, too, was holding a bamboo stick. The white ape performed intricate sword forms. The whooshing sound of the stick signaled the great strength it put into each form. But everytime he attack, Ah Ching was always able to block or redirect each blow and counterattack using even more intricate sword forms.
When Ah Ching fought the Wu swordmen, the forms she used were minimal. Only now Feng Li witnessed the vast skill Ah Ching wielded. He was no expert in swords, but he had looked at the Yueh swordmen train for many years. Now, he realized that the best swordmen of Yueh were but children playing with toys when compared to Ah Ching and Grandpa.
The white ape's attacks sped up faster and faster. Ah Ching slowed down instead. She stood still, but each time she thrusted with her bamboo stick, the white ape was forced to jump back.
Ah Ching forced the white ape three steps, then she pulled back her stick and stood still. The white ape held his stick in two hands and jumped to attack. Feng Li saw the strength of the attack and cried out "Watch out!" Ah Ching's stick moved too fast to be seen. There were two muffled sounds of impact, then the white ape's bamboo stick dropped to the ground. The white ape howed and jumped up to a tree. Then it leaped away. The howl was intense, but became muter as the it went farther away. The howl reverberated long after the white ape was gone.
Ah Ching turned back and sighed "Grandpa broke both of his arms. Now he won't come play with me anymore."
Feng Li said "You broke his arms?"
Ah Ching nodded " Grandpa is very angry today. Three times, he tried to leap over and kill you."
Feng Li said in surprise "Kill me? Why?"
Ah Ching shook her head "I don't know."
Feng Li became scared in secret "If Ah Ching didn't stop it, that white ape can kill me, easy as blowing away a pile of ash!"
The next morning, Ah Ching faced twenty of the best swordmen of Yueh alone. Feng Li knew that Ah Ching could not teach other people how to use the sword the way she did, so the only way was for the Yueh swordmen to imitate her.
The problem was no Yueh swordmen could last three passes from her.Whenever Ah Ching's bamboo stick moved, her opponent either lost his sword, or got stabbed in some delicate area.
The next day, she defeated thirty swordmen. The third day, thirty more lost.
The fourth day, Feng Li went to ask her for another lesson, but he could not find her. He went to her home, but the house was empty. Feng Li sent hundreds of his servants and guards into the mountains to look for her, but no one could find any trace of her.
The eighty Yueh swordmen didn't learn the true sword skill from Ah Ching, but they saw the smallest portion of the ultimate sword skill. All the swordmen now knew the true height sword skill could go. The eighty swordmen tried to teach the small portion they could understand to their comrades. Even this pale shadow of a pale shadow of the ultimate skill was enough, Yueh swordmen became invincible.
King Kou Chiang ordered Hsieh Chu to forge thousands of sharp swords.
Three years later, Kou Chiang attacked Wu. The armies of Yueh and Wu met next to a lake. Five thousand Yueh swordmen marched forward. Wu swordmen met them. Yueh swords flashed and the Wu army was shattered.
King Fu Chai retreated to Yu Hong Mountain. The army of Yueh followed. The second battle ensued. The Wu army was again defeated. Fu Chai committed suicide in order to avoid the cruel fate Kou Chiang had in store for him. Yueh took the capital of Wu.
Feng Li led one thousand swordmen and rushed to King Fu Chai's resort palace. That was where Si Shi lived. He ran into the palace, shouting "Yi Kwan! Yi Kwan!"
He ran past a long corridor, his footstep echoed clearly. The corridor was hollow underneath. Si Shi walked lightly, the rhythm of her steps was more enchanting than any music. Fu Chai built this palace, this corridor in order to listen to the melody of her footsteps.
At the other end of the corridor, music came, like the sound of a happy mandolin, like the clear sound of a zither. A soft voice said "Shao Bo, is that really you?"
Feng Li felt blood rushing upward from his chest and shouted "It's I. It's I. I have come for you." His own voice seemed like the voice of a stranger, speaking from far away. He ran forward with uneven steps.
The music came down the corridor, a soft body entered his embrace.
The spring night was meltingly warm. Flower fragrance floated through the curtains, entering the chambers of the resort palace. Feng Li and Si Shi talked about their longing for each other.
Suddenly the sound goat penetrated into their awareness.
Feng LI said "You can't forget you homeland? You have goats here?"
Si Shi shook her head. She wondered about the goats, but she couldn't think of anything else in the presence of the man she loved. She held Feng Li's hand, and fiery blood flowed faster through their arteries.
Suddenly, the voice of a woman sounded "Feng Li! Bring out you Si Shi. I'll kill her!"
Feng Li stood up. Si Shi felt his palm suddenly turning cold. Feng Li recognized Ah Ching's voice. Her voice came from outside of the resort palace.
Feng Li was fearful and puzzled. "Why does she want to kill Yi Kwan? Yi Kwan had never wronged her." Then he understood "She's not really a simple village girl. She always liked me." The understanding only made him more fearful.
He had gone through many, many difficult decisions as well as dangerous situations. The fear he felt when he was trapped with Kou Chiang in a Wu siege was far less than what he felt now. Si Shi felt his palm trembbling and covered with cold sweat.
Feng Li was not afraid of his own death. He feared for Si Shi.
Feng Li pulled himself under control and said "I will go see this person." He released Si Shi's hand and walked out of the palace.
Eighteen swordmen followed him. They all heard Ah Ching's cry. They were baffled and curious. Feng Li oly saw the clear moonlight outside, but no one was visible. He cried out loudly "Lady Ah Ching, please come here. We have things to talk about." But he heard no reply. He waited, but Ah Ching did not come. He ordered one thousand armored soldiers and one thousand elite swordmen to be moved to the resort palace.
He returned to Si Shi and held her hands again. He didn't say anything. He was planning as he never planned before "Should I let one of the servant maids pretending to be Si Shi and let Ah Ching kill her? Should I commit suicide before Ah Ching so she will spare Si Shi? Should I order two thousand archers surrounding this place and shoot Ah Ching full of arrows if she tries to force her way in?" Every plan he had was flawed. He also didn't want to kill Ah Ching, who had made the destruction of Wu possible. He stared at Shi Si. Suddenly he felt warmth in his heart "It's good that we'll die this way. At least we spend sometime together before we die together."
Hours passed. Si Shi felt that Feng's hand became warmer. He lost his fear and began to smile.
The rising sun cast its rays through the window.
Suddenly the the sound of a fight came from outside the palace door. Then the incessant sound of weapons dropping to the ground. The sound drew closer and closer, like a giant serpent worming its way into the palace. Then the sound of dropping weapons came from the walkways just outside the room they were in. Two thousand warriors were not enough to stop Ah Ching.
Ah Ching's voice said "Feng Li, where are you?"
Feng Li said calmly "Ah Ching, I'm here."
Before he even finished the word "here", the curtain parted and a green shadow came flying in. Ah Ching, dressed in her usual green stood before them. She pointed her bamboo stick at Si Shi. She stared at the face of Shi Si, the killing rage on face gradually disappeared, replaced with disappointment and self-pity, then it changed to surprise, admiration and finally worship. She whispered "There...there really is such beauty under heaven! Feng Li, she is even more....more beautiful than you described." Her slender waist turned. With a cry, she flew up through the window. The cry went farther and farther until its reverberation was left.
The surviving guards ran inside the room. One of them bowed "Minister, are you all right?" Feng Li merely dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Then he held Si Shi's hand and said "Let's change into the clothes of commners. We'll go rowing a boat upon Lake Tai and never return to this place."
Happiness shone from Si Shi's eyes. Suddenly she frowned and she reached toward her heart. Ah Ching's bamboo stick didn't touch her, but the pure chi from the stick had reached into her body and did her some slight harm.
In the next two thousand years, all people know that the most beautiful image in the world was Si Shi holding her hands in front of her bosom.
Where are they now?
King Kou Chiang finally got his vengeance, but something had happened to him during all those years when the only emotion he could feel was hate. Feng Li must have sensed it. He resigned his post and told his buddy Wen Chung to resign with him. He said "Kou Chiang is someone who you can depend on during hard times, but it will be impossible to share good times with him." Wen Chung didn't believe his old friend. He believed that he could finally enjoy the rewards he deserved.
Feng Li disappeared from history. Some said that he became a hermit. Some said that he became a merchant prince who owned the wealth of kingdoms. Si Shi became the Chinese version of Helen, the beauty who destroyed a great kingdom. Some said that Si Shi went with Feng Li and they lived happily ever after. Some said that Si Shi died when Kou Chiang's wife, fearing losing her husband, tied a rock to the woman's back and sank her in a lake, gloating "Now, you never have to grow old." You can pick the ending you prefer.
Kou Chiang became as Feng Li predicted, cruel and merciless. Wen Chung was forced to commit suicide when he was wrongfully charged with treason. The end he inflicted upon Wu Tzu-shi became his own end. Kou Chiang became full of pride. He made war with the great powers of northern China. The wars brought no decisive victory. Then he died. After his death his kingdom fell apart. Eventually, Chuh absorbed the territories of Wu and Yueh. The Yueh people fled south. Over the centuries, they were pushed farther south by the expanding Chinese empire until they entered present day Vietnam. They are there still.
Recently, an archaeological excavation in Hunan uncovered two bronze swords. One of them was thought to be the sword of Fu Chai. The other was attributed to be the sword owned by Kou Chiang. The legends of the precious swords have some basis in fact. If anyone know more about the archaeological findings, please e-mail me. The swords Fish Intestine and Defeater of Evil were buried with King Ho Lu, Fu Chai's father. The locals swore that they periodically saw a white tiger standing upon the tomb of Ho Lu. The white tiger was the symbol of metal, so the locals believe that the tiger was the personification of the magic swords under there. Believe it or not.
As for the Yueh Maiden, she never existed in real history. She always existed in the land of legends and there, presumably, she roams still. Doubtlessly she has performed many great deeds there, deeds which will remain unknown until some scribe comes and tell the tales as they deserve to be told.
兩名劍士各自倒轉劍尖，右手握劍柄，左手搭於右手手背，躬身行禮。
兩人身子尚未站直，突然間白光閃動，跟着錚的一聲響，雙劍相交，兩人各退一步。旁
觀衆人都是“咦”的一聲輕呼。
青衣劍士連劈三劍，錦衫劍士一一格開。青衣劍士一聲吒喝，長劍從左上角直劃而下，
勢勁力急。錦衫劍士身手矯捷，嚮後躍開，避過了這劍。他左足剛着地，身子跟着彈起，刷
刷兩劍，嚮對手攻去。青衣劍士凝裏不動，嘴角邊微微冷笑，長劍輕擺，擋開來劍。
錦衫劍士突然發足疾奔，繞着青衣劍士的溜溜的轉動，腳下越來越快。青衣劍士凝視敵
手長劍劍尖，敵劍一動，便揮劍擊落。錦衫劍士忽而左轉，忽而右轉，身法變幻不定。青衣
劍士給他轉得微感暈眩，喝道：“你是比劍，還是逃命？”刷刷兩劍，直削過去。但錦衫劍
士奔轉甚急，劍到之時，人已離開，敵劍劍鋒總是和他身子差了尺許。
青衣劍士回劍側身，右腿微蹲，錦衫劍士看出破綻，挺劍嚮他左肩疾刺。不料青衣劍士
這一蹲乃是誘招，長劍突然圈轉，直取敵人咽喉，勢道勁急無倫。錦衫劍士大駭之下，長劍
脫手，嚮敵人心窩激射過去。這是無可奈何同歸於盡的打法，敵人若是繼續進擊，心窩必定
中劍。當此情形，對方自須收劍擋格，自己便可擺脫這無可輓救的絶境。
不料青衣劍士竟不擋架閃避，手腕抖動，噗的一聲，劍尖刺入了錦衫劍士的咽喉。跟着
當的一響，擲來的長劍刺中了他胸膛，長劍落地。青衣劍士嘿嘿一笑，收劍退立，原來他衣
內胸口藏着一面護心鐵鏡，劍尖雖是刺中，卻是絲毫無傷。那錦衫劍士喉頭鮮血激噴，身子
在地下不住扭麯。當下便有從者過來擡開屍首，抹去地下血跡。
青衣劍士還劍入鞘，跨前兩步，躬身嚮北首高坐於錦披大椅中的一位王者行禮。
那王者身披錦袍，形貌拙異，頭頸甚長，嘴尖如鳥，微微一笑，嘶聲道：“壯士劍法精
妙，賜金十斤。”青衣劍士右膝跪下，躬身說道：“謝賞！”那王者左手一揮，他右首一名
高高瘦瘦、四十來歲的官員喝道：“吳越劍士，二次比試！”
東首錦衫劍士隊走出一條身材魁梧的漢子，手提大劍。這劍長逾五尺，劍身極厚，顯然
份量甚重。西首走出一名青衣劍士，中等身材，臉上盡是劍疤，東一道、西一道，少說也有
十二三道，一張臉已無復人性，足見身經百戰，不知已和人比過多少次劍了。二人先嚮王者
屈膝致敬，然後轉過身來，相嚮而立，躬身行禮。
青衣劍士站直身子，臉露獰笑。他一張臉本已十分醜陋，這麽一笑，更顯得說不出的難
看。錦衫劍士見了他如鬼似魅的模樣，不由得機伶伶打個冷戰，波的一聲，吐了口長氣，慢
慢伸過左手，搭住劍柄。
青衣劍士突然一聲狂叫，聲如狼嗥，挺劍嚮對手急刺過去。錦衫劍士也是縱聲大喝，提
起大劍，對着他當頭劈落。青衣劍士斜身閃開，長劍自左而右橫削過去。那錦衫劍士雙手使
劍，一柄大劍舞得呼呼作響。這大劍少說也有五十來斤重，但他招數仍是迅捷之極。
兩人一搭上手，頃刻間拆了三十來招，青衣劍士被他沉重的劍力壓得不住倒退。站在大
殿西首的五十餘名錦衫劍士人人臉有喜色，眼見這場比試是贏定了。
衹聽得錦衫劍士一聲大喝，聲若雷震，大劍橫掃過去。青衣劍士避無可避，提長劍奮力
擋格。當的一聲響，雙劍相交，半截大劍飛了出去，原來青衣劍士手中長劍鋒利無比，竟將
大劍斬為兩截，那利劍跟着直劃而下，將錦衫劍士自咽喉而至小腹，劃了一道兩尺來長的口
子。錦衫劍士連聲狂吼，撲倒在地。青衣劍士嚮地下魁梧的身形凝視片刻，這纔還劍入鞘，
屈膝嚮王者行禮，臉上掩不住得意之色。
王者身旁的一位官員道：“壯士劍利術精，大王賜金十斤。”青衣劍士稱謝退開。
西首一列排着八名青衣劍士，與對面五十餘名錦衫劍士相比，衆寡甚是懸殊。
那官員緩緩說道：“吳越劍士，三次比劍！”兩隊劍士隊中各走出一人，嚮王者行禮後
相嚮而立。突然青光耀眼，衆人均覺寒氣襲體。但見那青衣劍士手中一柄三尺長劍不住顫
動，便如一根閃閃發出絲光的緞帶。那官員贊道：“好劍！”青衣劍士微微躬身為禮，謝他
稱贊。那官員道：“單打獨鬥已看了兩場，這次兩個對兩個！”
錦衫劍士隊中一人應聲而出，拔劍出鞘。那劍明亮如秋水，也是一口利器。青衣劍士隊
中又出來一人。四人嚮王者行過禮後，相互行禮，跟着劍光閃爍，鬥了起來。這二對二的比
劍，同夥劍士互相照應配合。數合之後，嗤的一聲，一名錦衫劍士手中長劍竟被敵手削斷。
這人極是悍勇，提着半截斷劍，飛身嚮敵人撲去。那青衣劍士長劍閃處，嗤的一聲響，將他
右臂齊肩削落，跟着補上一劍，刺中他的心窩。
另外二人兀自纏鬥不休，得勝的青衣劍士窺伺在旁，突然間長劍遞出，嗤的一聲，又就
錦衫劍士手中長劍削斷。另一人長劍中宮直進，自敵手胸膛貫入，背心穿出。
那王者呵呵大笑，拍手說道：“好劍，好劍法！賞酒，賞金！咱們再來瞧一場四個對四
個的比試。”
兩邊隊中各出四人，行過禮後，出劍相鬥。錦衫劍士連輸三場，死了四人，這時下場的
四人狠命相撲，說什麽也要贏回一場。衹見兩名青衣劍士分從左右夾擊一名錦衫劍士。餘下
三名錦衫劍士上前邀戰，卻給兩名青衣劍士擋住，這兩名青衣劍士取的純是守勢，招數嚴
密，竟一招也不還擊，卻令三名錦衫劍士無法過去相援同伴，餘下兩名青衣劍士以二對一，
十餘招間便將對手殺死，跟着便攻嚮另一名錦衫劍士。先前兩名青衣劍士仍使舊法，衹守不
攻，擋住兩名錦衫劍士，讓同伴以二對一，殺死敵手。
旁觀的錦衫劍士眼見同伴衹剩下二人，勝負之數已定，都大聲鼓噪起來，紛紛拔劍，便
欲一擁而上，就八名青衣劍士亂劍分屍。
那官員朗聲道：“學劍之士，當守劍道！”他神色語氣之中有一股凜然之威，一衆錦衫
劍士立時都靜了下來。
這時衆人都已看得分明，四名青衣劍士的劍法截然不同，二人的守招嚴密無比，另二人
的攻招卻是凌厲狠辣，分頭合擊，守者纏住敵手，衹剩下一人，讓攻者以衆凌寡，逐一蠶食
殺戮。以此法迎敵，縱然對方武功較高，青衣劍士一方也必操勝算。別說四人對四人，即使
是四人對六人甚或八人，也能取勝。那二名守者的劍招施展開來，便如是一道劍網，純取守
勢，要擋住五六人實是綽綽有餘。
這時場中兩名青衣劍士仍以守勢纏住了一名錦衫劍士，另外兩名青衣劍士快劍攻擊，殺
死第三名錦衫劍士後，轉而嚮第四名敵手相攻。取守勢的兩名青衣劍士嚮左右分開，在旁掠
陣。餘下一名錦衫劍士雖見敗局已成，卻不肯棄劍投降，仍是奮力應戰。突然間四名青衣劍
士齊聲大喝，四劍並出，分從前後左右，一齊刺在錦衫劍士的身上。
錦衫劍士身中四劍，立時斃命，衹見他雙目圓睜，嘴巴也是張得大大的。四名青衣劍士
同時拔劍，四人擡起左腳，將長劍劍刃在鞋底一拖，抹去了血漬，刷的一聲，還劍入鞘。這
幾下動作幹淨利落，固不待言，最難得的是齊整之極，同時擡腳，同時拖劍，回劍入鞘卻衹
發出一下聲響。
那王者呵呵大笑，鼓掌道：“好劍法，好劍法！上國劍士名揚天下，可教我們今日大開
眼界了。四位劍士各賜金十斤。”四名青衣劍士一齊躬身謝賞。四人這麽一彎腰，四個腦袋
擺成一道直綫，不見有絲毫高低，實不知花了多少功夫纔練得如此劃一。
一名青衣劍士轉過身去，捧起一隻金漆長匣，走上幾步，說道：“敝國君王多謝大王厚
禮，命臣奉上寶劍一口還答，此劍乃敝國新鑄，謹供大王玩賞。”
那王者笑道：“多謝了。範大夫，接過來看看。”
那王者是越王勾踐。那官員是越國大夫范蠡。錦衫劍士是越王宮中的衛士，八名青衣劍
士則是吳王夫差派來送禮的使者。越王昔日為夫差所敗，臥薪嚐膽，欲報此仇，面子上對吳
王十分恭順，暗中卻日夜不停的訓練士卒，俟機攻吳。他為了試探吳國軍力，連出衛士中的
高手和吳國劍士比劍，不料一戰之下，八名越國好手盡數被殲。勾踐又驚又怒，臉上卻不動
聲色，顯得對吳國劍士的劍法歡喜贊嘆，衷心欽服。
范蠡走上幾步，接過了金漆長匣，衹覺輕飄飄地，匣中有如無物，當下打開了匣蓋。旁
邊衆人沒見到匣中裝有何物，卻見范蠡的臉上陡然間罩上了一層青色薄霧，都是“哦”的一
聲，甚感驚訝。當真是劍氣映面，發眉俱碧。
范蠡托着漆匣，走到越王身前，躬身道：“大王請看！”勾踐見匣中鋪以錦緞，放着一
柄三尺長劍，劍身極薄，刃上寶光流動，變幻不定，不由得贊道：“好劍！”握住劍柄，提
了起來，衹見劍刃不住顫動，似乎衹須輕輕一抖，便能折斷，心想：“此劍如此單薄，衹堪
觀賞，並無實用。”
那為首的青衣劍士從懷中取出一塊輕紗，嚮上拋起，說道：“請大王平伸劍刃，劍鋒嚮
上，待紗落在劍上，便見此劍與衆不同。”眼見一塊輕紗從半空中飄飄揚揚的落將下來，越
王平劍伸出，輕紗落在劍上，不料下落之勢並不止歇，輕紗竟已分成兩塊，緩緩落地。原來
這劍已將輕紗劃而為二，劍刃之利，實是匪夷所思。殿上殿下，采聲雷動。
青衣劍士說道：“此劍雖薄，但與沉重兵器相碰，亦不折斷。”
勾踐道：“範大夫，拿去試來。”范蠡道：“是！”雙手托上劍匣，讓勾踐將劍放入匣
中，倒退數步，轉身走到一名錦衫劍士面前，取劍出匣，說道：“拔劍，咱們試試！”
那錦衫劍士躬身行禮，拔出佩劍，舉在空中，不敢下擊。范蠡叫道：“劈下！”錦衫劍
士道：“是！”揮劍劈下，落劍處卻在范蠡身前一尺。范蠡提劍嚮上一撩，嗤的一聲輕響，
錦衫劍士手中的長劍已斷為兩截。半截斷劍落下，眼見便要碰到范蠡身上，范蠡輕輕一躍避
開。衆人又是一聲采，卻不知是稱贊劍利，還是範大夫身手敏捷。
范蠡將劍放回匣中，躬身放在越王腳邊。
勾踐說道：“上國劍士，請赴別座飲宴領賞。”八名青衣劍士行禮下殿。勾踐手一揮，
錦衫劍士和殿上侍從也均退下，衹除下范蠡一人。
勾踐瞧瞧腳邊長劍，又瞧瞧滿地鮮血，衹是出神，過了半晌，道：“怎樣？”
范蠡道：“吳國武士劍術，未必盡如這八人之精，吳國武士所用兵刃，未必盡如此劍之
利。但觀此一端，足見其餘。最令人心憂的是，吳國武士群戰之術，妙用孫武子兵法，臣以
為當今之世，實乃無敵於天下。”勾踐沉吟道：“夫差派這八人來送寶劍，大夫你看是何用
意？”范蠡道：“那是要咱們知難而退，不可起侵吳報仇之心。”
勾踐大怒，一彎身，從匣中抓起寶劍，回手一揮，察的一聲響，將坐椅平平整整的切去
了一截，大聲道：“便有千難萬難，勾踐也决不知難而退。終有一日，我要擒住夫差，便用
此劍將他腦袋砍了下來！”說着又是一劍，將一張檀木椅子一劈為二。
范蠡躬身道：“恭喜大王，賀喜大王！”勾踐愕然道：“眼見吳國劍士如此了得，又有
甚麽喜可賀？”范蠡道：“大王說道便有千難萬難，也决不知難而退。大王即有此决心，大
事必成。眼前這難事，還須請文大夫共同商議。”勾踐道：“好，你去傳文大夫來。”
范蠡走下殿去，命宮監去傳大夫文種，自行站在宮門之側相候。過不多時，文種飛馬趕
到，與范蠡並肩入宮。
范蠡本是楚國宛人，為人倜儻，不拘小節，所作所為，往往出人意表，當地人士都叫他
“範瘋子”。文種來到宛地做縣令，聽到范蠡的名字，便派部屬去拜訪。那部屬見了范蠡，
回來說道：“這人是本地出名的瘋子，行事亂七八糟。”文種笑道：“一個人有與衆不同的
行為，凡人必笑他胡闹，他有高明獨特的見解，庸人自必駡他糊塗。你們又怎能明白範先生
呢？”便親自前去拜訪。範避而不見，但料到他必定去而復來，嚮兄長藉了衣冠，穿戴整
齊。果然過了幾個時辰，文種又再到來。兩人相見之後，長談王霸之道，投機之極，當真是
相見恨晚。
兩人都覺中原諸國暮氣沉沉，楚國邦大而亂，眼前霸兆是在東南。於是文種辭去官位，
與范蠡同往吳國。其時吳王正重用伍子胥的種種興革措施確是才識卓越。自己未必勝得他
過。兩人一商量，以越國和吳國鄰近，風俗相似，雖然地域較小，卻也大可一顯身手，於是
來到越國。勾踐接見之下，於二人議論纔具頗為賞識，均拜為大夫之職。
後來勾踐不聽文種、范蠡勸諫，興兵和吳國交戰，以石買為將，在錢塘江邊一戰大敗，
勾踐在會稽山被圍，幾乎亡國殞身。勾踐在危機之中用文種、范蠡之計，買通了吳王身邊的
姦臣太宰伯pi，替越王陳說。吳王夫差不聽伍子胥的忠諫，答允與越國講和，將勾踐帶到
吳國，後來又放他歸國。其後勾踐臥薪嚐膽，决定復仇，采用了文種的滅吳九術。
那九術第一是尊天地，事鬼神，令越王有必勝之心。第二是贈送吳王大量財幣，既是他
習於奢侈，又去其防越之意。第三是先嚮吳國藉糧，再以蒸過的大𠔌歸還，吳王見𠔌大，
給農民當𠔌種，結果稻不生長，吳國大饑。第四是贈送美女西施和鄭旦，使吳王迷戀美色，
不理政事。第五是贈送巧匠，引誘吳王大起宮室高臺，耗其財力民力。第六是賄賂吳王左右
的姦臣，使之敗壞朝政，第七是離間吳王的忠臣，終於迫得伍子胥自殺。第八是積蓄糧草，
充實國傢財力。第九是鑄造武器，訓練士卒，待機攻吳。
八術都已成功，最後的第九術卻在這時遇上了重大睏難。眼見吳王派來劍士八人，所顯
示的兵刃之利、劍術之精，實非越國武士所能匹敵。
范蠡將適纔比劍的情形告知了文種。文種皺眉道：“範賢弟，吳國劍士劍利術精。固是
大患，而他們在群鬥之時，善用孫武子遺法，更是難破難當。”范蠡道：“正是，當年孫武
子輔佐吳王，統兵破楚，攻入郢都，用兵如神，天下無敵。雖齊晉大國，亦畏其鋒，他兵法
有言道：'我專為一，敵分為十，是以十攻其一也，則我衆而敵寡。能以衆擊寡者，則吾之
所與戰者，約矣。'吳士四人與我越士四人相鬥，吳士以二人專攻一人，以衆擊寡，戰無不
勝。”
言談之間，二人到了越王面前，衹見勾踐手中提着那柄其薄如紙的利劍，兀自出神。
過了良久，勾踐擡起頭來，說道：“文大夫，當年吳國有幹將莫邪夫婦，善於鑄劍。我
越國有良工歐治子，鑄劍之術，亦不下於彼。此時幹將、莫邪、歐治子均已不在人世。吳國
有這等鑄劍高手，難道我越國自歐治子一死，就此後繼無人嗎？”文種道：“臣聞歐治子傳
有弟子二人，一名風鬍子，一名薛燭。風鬍子在楚，薛燭尚在越國。”勾踐大喜，道：“大
夫速召薛燭前來，再遣人入楚，以重金聘請風鬍子來越。”文種遵命而退。
次日清晨，文種回報已遣人赴楚，薛燭則已宣到。
勾踐召見薛燭，說道：“你師父歐治子曾奉先王之命，鑄劍五口。這五口寶劍的優劣，
你倒說來聽聽。”薛燭磕頭道：“小人曾聽先師言道，先師為先王鑄劍五口，大劍三，小劍
二，一曰湛盧，二曰純鈞，三曰勝邪，四曰魚腸，五曰巨闕。至今湛盧在楚，勝邪、魚腸在
吳，純鈞、巨闕二劍則在大王宮中。”勾踐道：“正是。”
原來當年勾踐之父越王允常鑄成五劍後，吳王得訊，便來相求。允常畏吳之強，衹得以
湛盧、勝邪、魚腸三劍相獻。後來吳王闔廬以魚腸劍遣專諸刺殺王僚。湛盧劍落入水中，
為楚王所得，秦王聞之，求而不得，興師擊楚，楚王始終不與。
薛燭稟道：“興師曾言，五劍之中，勝邪最上，純鈞、湛盧二劍其次，魚腸又次之，巨
闕居末。鑄巨闕之時，金錫和銅而離，因此此劍衹是利劍，而非寶劍。”勾踐道：“然則我
純鈞、巨闕二劍，不敵吳王之勝邪、魚腸二劍了？”薛燭道：“小人死罪，恕小人直言。”
勾踐擡頭不語，從薛燭這句話中，已知越國二劍自非吳國二劍之敵。
范蠡說道：“你既得傳尊師之術，可即開爐鑄劍。鑄將幾口寶劍出來，未必便及不上吳
國的寶劍。”薛燭道：“回稟大夫：小人已不能鑄劍了。”范蠡道：“卻是為何？”薛燭伸
出手來，衹見他雙手的拇指食指具已不見，衹剩下六根手指。薛燭黯然道：“鑄劍之勁，全
仗拇指食指。小人苟延殘喘，早已成為廢人。”
勾踐奇道：“你這四根手指，是給仇傢割去的麽？”薛燭道：“不是仇傢，是給小人的
師兄割去的。”勾踐更加奇怪，道：“你的師兄，那不是風鬍子麽？他為甚麽要割你手指？
啊，一定是你鑄劍之術勝過師兄，他心懷妒忌，斷你手指，教你再也不能鑄劍。”勾踐自加
推測，薛燭不便說他猜錯，衹有默然不語。
勾踐道：“寡人本要派人到楚國去召風鬍子來。他怕你報仇，或許不敢回來。”薛燭
道：“大王明鑒，風師兄目下是在吳國，不在楚國。”勾踐微微一驚，說道：“他……他在
吳國，在吳國幹甚麽？”
薛燭道：“三年之前，風師兄來到小人傢中，取出寶劍一口，給小人觀看。小人一見之
下，登時大驚，原來這口寶劍，乃先師歐治子為楚國所鑄，名曰工布，劍身上文如流水，自
柄至尖，連綿不斷。小人曾聽先師說過，一見便知。當年先師為楚王鑄劍三口，一曰竜淵、
二曰泰阿、三曰工布。楚王寶愛異常，豈知竟為師哥所得。”
勾踐道：“想必是楚王賜給你師兄了。”
薛燭道：“若說是楚王所賜，原也不錯，衹不過是轉了兩次手。風師兄言道，吳師破楚
之後，伍子胥發楚平王之棺，鞭其遺屍，在楚王墓中得此寶劍。後來回吳之後，聽到風師兄
的名字，便叫人將劍送去楚國給他，說道此是先師遺澤，該由風師兄承受。”
勾踐又是一驚，沉吟道：“伍子胥居然捨得此劍，此人真乃英雄，真乃英雄也！”突然
間哈哈大笑，說道：“幸好夫差中我之計，已逼得此人自殺，哈哈，哈哈！”
勾踐長笑之時，誰都不敢作聲。他笑了好一會，纔問：“伍子胥將工布寶劍贈你師兄，
要辦甚麽事？”薛燭道：“風師兄言道，當時伍子胥衹說仰慕先師，別無所求。風師兄得到
此劍後，心下感激，尋思伍將軍是吳國上卿，贈我希世珍寶，豈可不去當面叩謝？於是便去
到吳國，嚮伍將軍致谢。伍將軍待以上賓之禮，替風師兄置下房捨，招待極是客氣。”勾踐
道：“伍子胥叫人為他賣命，用的總是這套手段，當年叫專諸刺王僚，便是如此。”
薛燭道：“大王料事如神。但風師兄不懂得伍子胥的陰謀，受他如此厚待，心下過意不
去，一再請問，有何用己之處。伍子胥總說：'閣下枉駕過吳，乃是吳國嘉賓，豈敢勞動尊
駕？'”勾踐駡道：“老姦巨滑，以退為進！”薛燭道：“大王明見萬裏。風師兄終於對伍
子胥說，他別無所長，衹會鑄劍，承蒙如此厚待，當鑄造幾口希世的寶劍相贈。”
勾踐伸手在大腿上一拍，道：“着了道兒啦！”薛燭道：“那伍子胥卻說，吳國寶劍已
多，也不必再鑄了。而且鑄劍極耗心力，當年幹將莫邪鑄劍不成，莫邪自身投入劍爐，寶劍
方成。這種慘事，萬萬不可再行。”勾踐奇道：“他當真不要風鬍子鑄劍？那可奇了。”薛
燭道：“當時風師兄也覺奇怪。一日伍子胥又到賓館來和風師兄閑談，說起吳國與北方齊晉
兩國爭霸，吳士勇悍，時占上風，便是車戰之術有所不及，若與之以徒兵步戰，所用劍戟又
不夠鋒銳。風師兄便與之談論鑄造劍戟之法。原來伍子胥所要鑄的，不是一口兩口寶劍，而
是千口萬口利劍。”
勾踐登時省悟，忍不住“啊喲”一聲，轉眼嚮文種、范蠡二人瞧去，衹見文種滿臉焦慮
之色，范蠡卻是呆呆出神，問道：“範大夫，你以為如何？”范蠡道：“伍子胥雖然詭計多
端，別說此人已死，就算仍在世上，也終究逃不脫大王的掌心。”
勾踐笑道：“嘿嘿，衹怕寡人不是伍子胥的對手。”范蠡道：“伍子胥已被大王巧計除
去，難道他還能奈何我越國嗎？”勾踐呵呵大笑，道：“這話倒也不錯。薛燭，你師兄聽了
伍子胥之言，便助他鑄造利劍了？”薛燭道：“正是。風師哥當下便隨着伍子胥，來到莫幹
山上的鑄劍房，衹見有一千餘名劍匠正在鑄劍，衹是其法未見其善，於是風師兄逐一點撥，
此後吳劍鋒利，諸國莫及。”勾踐點頭道：“原來如此。”
薛燭道：“鑄得一年，風師哥勞瘁過度，精力不支，便嚮伍子胥說起小人名字，伍子胥
備下禮物，要風師哥來召小人前往吳國，相助風師哥鑄劍。小人心想吳越世仇，吳國鑄了利
劍，固能殺齊人晉人，也能殺我越人，便勸風師哥休得再回吳國。”勾踐道：“是啊，你這
人甚有見識。”
薛燭磕頭道：“多謝大王奬勉。可是風師哥不聽小人之勸，當晚他睡在小人傢中，半夜
之中，他突然以利劍架在小人頸中，再砍去了小人四根手指，好教小人從此成為廢人。”
勾踐大怒，厲聲說道：“下次捉到風鬍子，定將他斬成肉醬。”
文種道：“薛先生，你自己雖不能鑄劍，但指點劍匠，咱們也能鑄成千口萬口利劍。”
薛燭道：“回稟文大夫：鑄劍之鐵，吳越均有，唯精銅在越，良錫在吳。”
范蠡道：“伍子胥早已派兵守住錫山，不許百姓采錫，是不是？”薛燭臉現驚異之色，
道：“範大夫，原來你早知道了。”范蠡微笑道：“我衹是猜測而已，現下伍子胥已死，他
的遺命吳人未必遵守。高價收購，要得良錫也是不難。”
勾踐道：“然而遠水救不着近火，待得采銅、煉錫、造爐、鑄劍，鑄得不好又要從頭來
起，少說也是兩三年的事。如果夫差活不到這麽久，豈不成終生之恨？”
文種、范蠡同時躬身道：“是。臣等當再思良策。”
范蠡退出宮來，尋思：“大王等不得兩三年，我是連多等一日一夜，也是……”想到這
裏，胸口一陣隱隱發痛，腦海中立刻出現了那個驚世絶豔的麗影。
那是浣紗溪畔的西施。是自己親去訪尋來的天下無雙美女夷光，自己卻親身將她送入了
吳宮。
從會稽到姑蘇的路程很短，衹不過幾天的水程，但便在這短短的幾天之中，兩人情根深
種，再也難分難捨。西施皓潔的臉龐上，垂着兩顆珍珠一般的淚珠，聲音像若耶溪中溫柔的
流水：“少伯，你答應我，一定要接我回來，越快越好，我日日夜夜的在等着你。你再說一
遍，你永遠永遠不會忘了我。”
越國的仇非報不可，那是可以等的。但夷光在夫差的懷抱之中，妒忌和苦惱在咬嚙着他
的心。必須盡快大批鑄造利劍，比吳國劍士所用利劍更加鋒銳……
他在街上漫步，十八名衛士遠遠在後面跟着。
突然間長街西首傳來一陣吳歌合唱：“我劍利兮敵喪膽，我劍捷兮敵無首……”
八名身穿青衣的漢子，手臂輓着手臂，放喉高歌，旁若無人的大踏步過來。行人都避在
一旁。那正是昨日在越宮中大獲全勝的吳國劍士，顯然喝了酒，在長街上橫衝直撞。
范蠡皺起了眉頭，憤怒迅速在胸口升起。
八名吳國劍士走到了范蠡身前。為首一人醉眼惺忪，斜睨着他，說道：“你……你是範
大夫……哈哈，哈哈，哈哈！”范蠡的兩名衛士搶了上來，擋在范蠡身前，喝道：“不得無
禮，閃開了！”八名劍士縱聲大笑，學着他們的聲調，笑道：“不得無禮，閃開了！”兩名
衛士抽出長劍，喝道：“大王有命，衝撞大夫者斬！”
為首的吳國劍士身子搖搖晃晃，說道：“斬你，還是斬我？”
范蠡心想：“這是吳國使臣，雖然無禮，不能跟他們動手。”正要說：“讓他過去！”
突然間白光閃動，兩名衛士齊聲慘叫，跟着當當兩聲響，兩人右手手掌隨着所握長劍都已掉
在地下。那為首的吳國劍士緩緩還劍入鞘，滿臉傲色。
范蠡手下的十六名衛士一齊拔劍出鞘，團團將八名吳國劍士圍住。
為首的吳士仰天大笑，說道：“我們從姑蘇來到會稽，原是不想再活着回去，且看你越
宮要動用多少軍馬，來殺我吳國八名劍士。”說到最後一個“士”字時，一聲長嘯，八人同
時執劍在手，背靠背的站在一起。
范蠡心想：“小不忍則亂大謀，眼下我國準備未周，不能殺了這八名吳士，緻與夫差起
釁。”喝道：“這八名是上國使者，大傢不得無禮，退開了！”說着讓在道旁。他手下衛士
都是怒氣填膺，眼中如要噴出火來，衹是大夫有令，不敢違抗，當即也都讓在街邊。
八名吳士哈哈大笑，齊聲高歌：“我劍利兮敵喪膽，我劍捷兮敵無首！”
忽聽得咩咩羊叫，一個身穿淺緑衫子的少女趕着十幾頭山羊，從長街東端走來。這群山
羊來到吳士之前，便從他們身邊繞過。
一名吳士興猶未盡，長劍一揮，將一頭山羊從頭至臀，剖為兩半，便如是劃定了綫仔細
切開一般，連鼻子也是一分為二，兩片羊身分倒左右，劍術之精，實是駭人聽聞。七名吳士
大聲喝彩。范蠡心中也忍不住叫一聲：“好劍法！”
那少女手中竹棒連揮，將餘下的十幾頭山羊趕到身後，說道：“你為甚麽殺我山羊？”
聲音又嬌嫩，也含有幾分憤怒。
那殺羊吳士將濺着羊血的長劍在空中連連虛劈，笑道：“小姑娘，我要將你也這樣劈為
兩半！”
范蠡叫道：“姑娘，你快過來，他們喝醉了酒。”
那少女道：“就算喝醉了酒，也不能隨便欺侮人。”
那吳國劍士舉劍在她頭頂繞了幾個圈子，笑道：“我本想將你這小腦袋瓜兒割了下來，
衹是瞧你這麽漂亮，可當真捨不得。”七名吳士一齊哈哈大笑。
范蠡見這少女一張瓜子臉，睫長眼大，皮膚白晰，容貌甚是秀麗，身材苗條，弱質纖
纖，心下不忍，又叫：“姑娘，快過來！”那少女轉頭應聲道：“是了！”
那吳國劍士長劍探出，去割她腰帶，笑道：“那也……”衹說得兩個字，那少女手中竹
棒一抖，戳在他手腕之上。那劍士衹覺腕上一陣劇痛，嗆啷一聲，長劍落地。那少女竹棒挑
起，碧影微閃，已刺入他左眼之中。那劍士大叫一聲，雙手捧住了眼睛，連聲狂吼。
這少女這兩下輕輕巧巧的刺出，戳腕傷目，行若無事，不知如何，那吳國劍士竟是避讓
不過。餘下七名吳士大吃一驚，一名身材魁梧的吳士提起長劍，劍尖也往少女左眼刺去。劍
招嗤嗤有聲，足見這一劍勁力十足。
那少女更不避讓，竹棒刺出，後發先至，噗的一聲，刺中了那吳士的右肩。那吳士這一
劍之勁立時卸了。那少女竹棒挺出，已刺入他右眼之中。那人殺豬般的大嗥，雙拳亂揮亂
打，眼中鮮血涔涔而下，神情甚是可怖。
這少女以四招戳瞎兩名吳國劍士的眼睛，人人眼見她衹是隨手揮刺，對手便即受傷，無
不聳然動容。六名吳國劍士又驚又怒，各舉長劍，將那少女圍在核心。
范蠡略通劍術，眼見這少女不過十六七歲年紀，衹用一根竹棒便戳瞎了兩名吳國高手的
眼睛，手法如何雖然看不清楚，但顯是極上乘的劍法，不由得又驚又喜，待見六名劍士各挺
兵刃圍住了她，，心想她劍術再精，一個少女終是難敵六名高手，當即郎聲說道：“吳國衆
位劍士，六個打一個，不怕壞了吳國的名聲？倘若以多為勝，嘿嘿！”雙手一拍，十六名越
國衛士立即挺劍散開，圍住了吳國劍士。
那少女冷笑道：“六個打一個，也未必會贏！”左手微舉，右手中的竹棒已嚮一名吳士
眼中戳去。那人舉劍擋格，那少女早已兜轉竹棒，戳嚮另一名吳士胸口。便在此時，三名吳
士的長劍齊嚮那少女身上刺到。那少女身法靈巧之極，一轉一側，將來劍盡數避開，噗的一
聲，挺棒戳中左首一名吳士的手腕。那人五指不由自主的鬆了，長劍落地。
十六名越國衛士本欲上前自外夾擊，但其時吳國劍士長劍使開，已然幻成一道劍網，青
光閃爍，那些越國衛士如何欺得近身？
卻見那少女在劍網之中飄忽來去，淺緑色布衫的衣袖和帶子飛揚開來，好看已極，但聽
得“啊喲”、嗆啷之聲不斷，吳國衆劍士長劍一柄柄落地，一個個退開，有的舉手按眼，有
的蹲在地下，每一人都被刺瞎了一隻眼睛，或傷左目，或損右目。
那少女收棒而立，嬌聲道：“你們殺了我羊兒，賠是不賠？”
八名吳國劍士又是驚駭，又是憤怒，有的大聲咆哮，有的全身發抖。這八人原是極為勇
悍的吳士，即使給人砍去了雙手雙足，也不會害怕示弱，但此刻突然之間為一個牧羊少女所
敗，實在摸不着半點頭腦，震駭之下，心中都是一團混亂。
那少女道：“你們不賠我羊兒，我連你們另一隻眼睛也戳瞎了。”八劍士一聽，不約而
同的都退了一步。
范蠡叫道：“這位姑娘，我賠你一百衹羊，這八個人便放他們去吧！”那少女嚮他微微
一笑，道：“你這人很好，我也不要一百衹羊，衹要一隻就夠了。”
范蠡嚮衛士道：“護送上國使者回賓館休息，請醫生醫治傷目。”衛士答應了，派出八
人，挺劍押送。八名吳士手無兵刃，便如打敗了的公雞，垂頭喪氣的走開。
范蠡走上幾步，問道：“姑娘尊姓？”那少女道：“你說甚麽？”范蠡道：“姑娘姓甚
麽？”那少女道：“我叫阿青，你叫甚麽？”
范蠡微微一笑：心想：“鄉下姑娘，不懂禮法，衹不知她如何學會了這一身出神入化的
劍術。衹須問到她的師父是誰，再請她師父來教練越士，何愁吳國不破？”想到和西施重逢
的時刻指日可期，不由得心口感到一陣熱烘烘得暖意，說道：“我叫范蠡，姑娘，請你到我
傢吃飯去。”阿青道：“我不去，我要趕羊去吃草。”范蠡道：“我傢裏有大好的草地，你
趕羊去吃，我再賠你十頭肥羊。”
阿青拍手笑道：“你傢裏有大草地嗎？那好極了。不過我不要你賠羊，我這羊兒又不是
你殺的。”她蹲下地來，撫摸被割成了兩片的羊身，凄然道：“好老白，乖老白，人傢殺死
了你，我……我可救你不活了。”
范蠡吩咐衛士道：“把老白的兩片身子縫了起來，去埋在姑娘屋子的旁邊。”
阿青站起身來，面額上有兩滴淚珠，眼中卻透出喜悅的光芒，說道：“范蠡，你……你
不許他們把老白吃了？”范蠡道：“自然不許。那是你的好老白，乖老白，誰都不許吃。”
阿青嘆了口氣，道：“你真好。我最恨人傢拿我的羊兒去宰來吃了，不過媽說，羊兒不賣給
人傢，我們就沒錢買米。”范蠡道：“打從今兒起，我時時叫人送米送布給你媽，你養的羊
兒，一隻也不用賣。”阿青大喜，一把抱住范蠡，叫道：“你真是個好人。”
衆衛士見她天真爛漫，既直呼范蠡之名，又當街抱住了他，無不好笑，都轉過了頭，不
敢笑出聲來。
范蠡輓住了她的手，似乎生怕這是個天上下凡的仙女，一轉身便不見了，在十幾頭山羊
的咩咩聲中，和她並肩緩步，同回府中。
阿青趕着羊走進范蠡的大夫第，驚道：“你這屋子真大，一個人住得了嗎？”范蠡微微
一笑，說道：“我正嫌屋子太大，回頭請你媽和你一起來住好不好？你傢裏還有什麽人？”
阿青道：“就是我媽和我兩個人，不知道我媽肯不肯來。我媽叫我別跟男人多說話。不過你
是好人，不會害我們的。”
范蠡要阿青將羊群趕入花園之中，命婢僕取出糕餅點心，在花園的涼亭中殷勤款待。衆
僕役見羊群將花園中的牡丹、芍藥、玫瑰種種名花異卉大口咬嚼，而范蠡卻笑吟吟的瞧着，
無不駭異。
阿青喝茶吃餅，很是高興。范蠡跟她閑談半天，覺她言語幼稚，於世務全然不懂，終於
問道：“阿青姑娘，教你劍術的那位師父是誰？”
阿青睜着一雙明澈的大眼，道：“什麽劍術？我沒有師父啊。”范蠡道：“你用一根竹
棒戳瞎了八個壞人的眼睛，這本事就是劍術了，那是誰教你的？”阿青搖頭道：“沒有人教
我，我自己會的。”范蠡見她神情坦率，實無絲毫作偽之態，心下暗異：“難道當真是天降
異人？”說道：“你從小就玩這竹棒？”
阿青道：“本來是不會的，我十三歲那年，白公公來騎羊玩兒，我不許他騎，用竹棒來
打我，我就和他對打。起初他總是打到我，我打不着他。我們天天這樣打着玩，近來我總是
打到他，戳得他很痛，他可戳我不到。他也不大來跟我玩了。”
范蠡又驚又喜，道：“白公公住在哪裏？你帶我去找他好不好？”阿青道：“他住在山
裏，找他不到的。衹有他來找我，我從來沒去找過他。”范蠡道：“我想見見他，有沒有法
子？”阿青沉吟道：“嗯，你跟我一起去牧羊，咱們到山邊等他。就是不知道他什麽時候會
來。”嘆了口氣道：“進來好久沒見到他啦！”
范蠡心想：“為了越國和夷光，跟她去牧羊卻又怎地？”便道：“好啊，我就陪你去牧
羊，等那位白公公。”尋思：“這阿青姑娘的劍術，自然是那位山中老人白公公所教的了。
料想白公公見她年幼天真，便裝作用竹棒跟她鬧着玩。他能令一個鄉下姑娘學到如此神妙的
劍術，請他去教練越國吳士，破吳必矣！”
請阿青在府中吃了飯後，便跟隨她同到郊外的山裏去牧羊。他手下部屬不明其理，均感
駭怪。一連數日，范蠡手持竹棒，和阿青在山野間牧羊唱歌，等候白公公到來。
第五日上，文種來到範府拜訪，見範府掾吏面有憂色，問道：“範大夫多日不見，大王
頗為挂念，命我前來探望，莫非範大夫身子不適麽？”那掾吏道：“回稟文大夫：範大夫身
子並無不適，衹是……衹是……”文種道：“衹是怎樣？”那掾吏道：“文大夫是範大夫的
好友，我們下吏不敢說的話，文大夫不妨去勸勸他。”文種更是奇怪，問道：“範大夫有什
麽事？”那掾吏道：“範大夫迷上了那個……那個會使竹棒的鄉下姑娘，每天一早便陪着她
去牧羊，不許衛士們跟隨保護，直到天黑纔會來。小吏有公務請示，也不敢前去打擾。”
文種哈哈大笑，心想：“範賢弟在楚國之時，楚人都叫他範瘋子。他行事與衆不同，原
非俗人所能明白。”
這時范蠡正坐在山坡草地上，講述楚國湘妃和山鬼的故事。阿青坐在他身畔凝神傾聽，
一雙明亮的眼睛，目不轉瞬的瞧着他，忽然問道：“那湘妃真是這樣好看麽？”
范蠡輕輕說道：“她的眼睛比這溪水還要明亮，還要清澈……”阿青道：“她眼睛裏有
魚遊麽？”范蠡道：“她的皮膚比天上的白雲還要柔和，還要溫軟……”阿青道：“難道也
有小鳥在雲裏飛嗎？”范蠡道：“她的嘴唇比這朵小紅花的花瓣還要嬌嫩，還要鮮豔，她的
嘴唇濕濕的，比這花瓣上的露水還要晶瑩。湘妃站在水邊，倒影映在清澈的湘江裏，江邊的
鮮花羞慚的都枯萎了，魚兒不敢在江裏遊，生怕弄亂了她美麗的倒影。她白雪一般的手伸到
湘江裏，柔和得好像要溶在水裏一樣……”
阿青道：“范蠡，你見過她的是不是？為甚麽說得這樣仔細？”
范蠡輕輕嘆了口氣，說道：“我見過她的，我瞧得非常非常仔細。”
他說的是西施，不是湘妃。
他擡頭嚮着北方，眼光飄過了一條波浪滔滔的大江，這美麗的女郎是在姑蘇城中吳王宮
裏，她這時候在做什麽？是在陪伴吳王麽？是在想着我麽？
阿青道：“范蠡，你的鬍子中有兩根是白色的，真有趣，像是我羊兒的毛一樣。”
范蠡想：分手的那天，她伏在我肩上哭泣，淚水濕透了我半邊衣衫，這件衫子我永遠不
洗，她的淚痕之中，又加上了我的眼淚。
阿青說：“范蠡，我想拔你一根鬍子來玩，好不好？我輕輕的拔，不會弄痛你的。”
范蠡想：她說最愛坐了船在江裏湖裏慢慢的順水漂流，等我將她奪回來之後，我大夫也
不做了，便是整天和她坐了船，在江裏湖裏漂流，這麽漂遊一輩子。
突然之間，頦下微微一痛，阿青已拔下了他一根鬍子，衹聽得她在咯咯嬌笑，驀地裏笑
聲中斷，聽得她喝道：“你又來了！”
緑影閃動，阿青已激射而出，衹見一團緑影、一團白影已迅捷無倫的纏鬥在一起。
范蠡大喜：“白公公到了！”眼見兩人鬥得一會，身法漸漸歡樂下來，他忍不住“啊”
的一聲叫了出來。
和阿青相鬥的竟然不是人，而是一頭白猿。
這白猿也拿着一根竹棒，和阿青手中竹棒縱橫揮舞的對打。這白猿出棒招數巧妙，勁道
凌厲，竹棒刺出時帶着呼呼風聲，但每一棒刺來，總是給阿青拆解開去，隨即以巧妙之極的
招數還擊過去。
數日前阿青與吳國劍士在長街相鬥，一棒便戳瞎一名吳國劍士的眼睛，每次出棒都一式
一樣，直到此刻，范蠡方見到阿青劍術之精。他於劍術雖然所學不多，但常去臨觀越國劍士
練劍，劍法優劣一眼便能分別。當日吳越劍士相鬥，他已看得擠舌不下，此時見到阿青和白
猿鬥劍，手中所持雖然均是竹棒，但招法之精奇，吳越劍士相形之下，直如兒戲一般。
白猿的竹棒越使越快，阿青卻時時凝立不動，偶爾一棒刺出，便如電光急閃，逼得白猿
接連倒退。
阿青將白猿逼退三步，隨即收棒而立。那白猿雙手持棒，身子飛起，挾着一股勁風，
阿青急刺過來。范蠡見到這般猛惡的情勢，不由得大驚，叫道：“小心！”卻見阿青橫棒揮
出，拍拍兩聲輕響，白猿的竹棒已掉在地下。
白猿一聲長嘯，躍上樹梢，接連幾個縱躍，已竄出數十丈外，但聽得嘯聲凄厲，漸漸遠
去，山𠔌間猿嘯回聲，良久不絶。
阿青回過身來，嘆了口氣，道：“白公公斷了兩條手臂，再也不肯來跟我玩了。”范蠡
道：“你打斷了它兩條手臂？”阿青點頭道：“今天白公公兇得很，一連三次，要撲過來刺
死你。”范蠡驚道：“它……它要刺死我？為什麽？”阿青搖了搖頭，道：“我不知道。”
范蠡暗暗心驚：“若不是阿青擋住了它，這白猿要刺死我當真是不費吹灰之力。”
第二天早晨，在越王的劍室之中，阿青手持一根竹棒，面對着越國二十名第一流劍手。
范蠡知道阿青不會教人如何使劍，衹有讓越國劍士模仿她的劍法。
但沒一個越國劍士能當到她的三招。
阿清竹棒一動，對手若不是手腕被戳，長劍脫手，便是要害中棒，委頓在地。
第二天，三十名劍士敗在她的棒下。第三天，又是三十名劍士在她一根短竹棒下腕折臂
斷，狼狽敗退。
到第四天上，范蠡再要找她去會鬥越國劍士時，阿青已失了蹤影，尋到她的傢裏，衹餘
下一間空屋，十幾頭山羊。范蠡派遣數百名部署在會稽城內城外，荒山野嶺中去找尋，在也
覓不到這個小姑娘的蹤跡。
八十名越國劍士沒學到阿青的一招劍法，但他們已親眼見到了神劍的影子。每個人都知
道了，世間確有這樣神奇的劍法。八十個人將一絲一忽勉強捉摸到的劍法影子傳授給了旁
人，單是這一絲一忽的神劍影子，越國吳士的劍法便已無敵於天下。
范蠡命薛燭督率良工，鑄成了千千萬萬口利劍。
三年之後，勾踐興兵伐吳，戰於五湖之畔。越軍五千人持長劍面前，吳兵逆擊。兩軍交
鋒，越兵長劍閃爍，吳兵當者披靡，吳師大敗。
吳王夫差退到余杭山。越兵追擊，二次大戰，吳病始終擋不住越兵的快劍。夫差兵敗自
殺。越軍攻入吳國的都城姑蘇。
范蠡親領長劍手一千，直衝到吳王的館娃宮。那是西施所住的地方。他帶了幾名衛士，
奔進宮去，叫道：“夷光，夷光！”
他奔過一道長廊，腳步成發出清朗的回聲，長廊下面是空的。西施腳步輕盈，每一步都
像是彈琴鼓瑟那樣，有美妙的音樂節拍。夫差建了這道長廊，好聽她奏着音樂般的腳步聲。
在長廊彼端，音樂般的腳步聲響了起來，像歡樂的錦瑟，像清和的瑤琴，一個輕柔的聲
音在說：“少伯，真的是你麽？”
范蠡胸口熱血上涌，說道：“是我，是我！我來接你了。”他聽得自己的聲音嘶嘎，好
像是別人在說話，好像是很遠很遠的聲音。他踉踉蹌蹌的奔過去。
長廊上樂聲繁音促節，一個柔軟的身子撲入了他懷裏。
春夜溶溶。花香從園中透過簾子，飄進館娃宮。范蠡和西施在傾訴着別來得相思。
忽然間寂靜之中傳來了幾聲咩咩的羊叫。
范蠡微笑道：“你還是忘不了故鄉的風光，在宮室之中也養了山羊嗎？”
西施笑着搖了搖頭，她有些奇怪，怎麽會有羊叫？然而在心愛之人的面前，除了溫柔的
愛念，任何其他的念頭都不會在心中停留長久。她慢慢伸手出去，握住了范蠡的左手。熾熱
的血同時在兩人脈管中迅速流動。
突然間，一個女子聲音在靜夜中響起：“范蠡！你叫你的西施出來，我要殺了她！”
范蠡陡地站起身來。西施感到他的手掌忽然間變得冰冷。范蠡認得這是阿青的聲音。她
的呼聲越過館娃宮的高墻，飄了進來。
“范蠡，范蠡，我要殺你的西施，她逃不了的。我一定要殺你的西施。”
范蠡又是驚恐，又是迷惑：“她為甚麽要殺夷光？夷光可從來沒得罪過她！”驀地立心
中一亮，霎時之間都明白了：“她並不真是個不懂事的鄉下姑娘，她一直在喜歡我。”
迷惘已去，驚恐更甚。
范蠡一生臨大事，决大疑，不知經歷過多少風險，當年在會稽山被吳軍圍困，糧盡援絶
之時，也不及此刻的懼怕。西施感到他手掌中濕膩膩的都是冷汗，覺到他的手掌在發抖。
如果阿青要殺的是他自己，范蠡不會害怕的，然而她要殺的是西施。
“范蠡，范蠡！我要殺了你的西施，她逃不了的！”
阿青的聲音忽東忽西，在宮墻外傳進來。
范蠡定了定神，說道：“我要去見見這人。”輕輕放脫了西施的手，快步嚮宮門走去。
十八名衛士跟隨在他身後。阿青的呼聲人人都聽見了，耳聽得她在宮外直呼破吳英雄範
大夫之名，大傢都感到十分詫異。
范蠡走到宮門之外，月光鋪地，一眼望去，不見有人，朗聲說道：“阿青姑娘，請你過
來，我有話說。”四下裏寂靜無聲。范蠡又道：“阿青姑娘，多時不見，你可好麽？”可是
仍然不聞回答。范蠡等了良久，始終不見阿青現身。
他低聲吩咐衛士，立即調來一千名甲士、一千名劍士，在館娃宮前後守衛。
他回到西施面前，坐了下來，握住她的雙手，一句話也不說。從宮外回到西施身畔，他
心中已轉過了無數念頭：“令一個宮女假裝夷光，讓阿青殺了她？我和夷光化裝成為越國甲
士，逃出吳宮，從此隱姓埋名？阿青來時，我在她面前自殺，求她饒了夷光？調二千名弓箭
手守住宮門，阿青若是硬闖，那便萬劍齊發，射死了她？”但每一個計策都有破綻。阿青於
越國有大功，也不忍將她殺死，他怔怔的瞧着西施，心頭忽然感到一陣溫暖：“我二人就這
樣一起死了，那也好得很。我二人在臨死之前，終於是聚在一起了。”
時光緩緩流過。西施覺到范蠡的手掌溫暖了。他不再害怕，臉上露出了笑容。
破曉的日光從窗中照射進來。
驀地裏宮門外響起了一陣吆喝聲，跟着嗆啷郎、嗆啷朗響聲不絶，那是兵刃落地之聲。
這聲音從宮門外直響進來，便如一條極長的長蛇，飛快的遊來，長廊上也響起了兵刃落地的
聲音。一千名甲士和一千名劍士阻擋不了阿青。
衹聽得阿青叫道：“范蠡，你在哪裏？”
范蠡嚮西施瞧了一眼，朗聲道：“阿青，我在這裏。”
“裏”字的聲音甫絶，嗤的一聲響，門帷從中裂開，一個緑衫人飛了進來，正是阿青。
她右手竹棒的尖端指住了西施的心口。
她凝視着西施的容光，阿青臉上的殺氣漸漸消失，變成了失望和沮喪，再變成了驚奇、
羨慕，變成了崇敬，喃喃的說：“天……天下竟有着……這樣的美女！范蠡，她……她比你
說的還……還要美！”纖腰扭處，一聲清嘯，已然破窗而出。
清嘯迅捷之極的遠去，漸遠漸輕，餘音裊裊，良久不絶。
數十名衛士疾步奔到門外。衛士長躬身道：“大夫無恙？”范蠡擺了擺手，衆衛士退了
下去。范蠡握着西施的手，道：“咱們換上庶民的衣衫，我和你到太湖划船去，再也不回來
了。”
西施眼中閃出無比快樂的光芒，忽然之間，微微蹙起了眉頭，伸手捧着心口。阿青這一
棒雖然沒戳中她，但棒端發出的勁氣已刺傷了她心口。
兩千年來人們都知道，“西子捧心”是人間最美麗的形象。[完]
Background:
This story is based on real historical events that occurred during the 5th century B.C. It 's a period between what's known as the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring Kingdoms period. China was yet to be united under the First Emperor. The so-called Han race didn't exist yet. China was divided into big and small kingdoms, dukedoms and counties which warred with each other constantly.
It all started when the king of Chuh slept with his son's fiancee. Bad move, for any era. The king now feared that his son will turn against him. The fear was fanned into action by the allegations of an ambitious minister who wanted to destroy the crown prince's faction. The resulting purge destroyed many clans and families. One of the family, almost peripheral to the whole thing, was the House of Wu. The youngest son, Wu Tzu-Shi, escaped and vowed bloody vengeance.
After a long and dangerous journey through several kingdoms unwilling to help, he arrived at the newly founded kingdom of Wu (No, the Chinese characters for the Wu in Wu Tzu-Shi is actually different from the character Wu in the Wu kingdom). He helped Prince Ho Lu to assassinate his cousin the king in a convoluted power struggle. Then he built up the kingdom of Wu from a barely civilized kingdom to a modern kingdom with the best trained army in the known world. Sun Tzu, who wrote the immortal Art of War, served in Wu at this time.
When Wu Tzu-Shi was ready, he managed to convince King Ho Lu to invade Chuh. At the time Chuh was a superpower and Wu was an upstart kingdom, but the upstart kingdom managed to destroy Chuh's army utterly. Unfortunately, Wu Tzu-shi's vengeance was hollow. The object of his vengeance had already died several years ago. In his rage, Wu Tzu-Shi exhumed the body of the dead king and flogged it until it fell to pieces.
The kingdom of Wu proved itself incapable of absorbing the far larger kingdom of Chuh, so Wu Tzu-Shi had to take his army back to Wu. Then, Ho Lu began a series of wars to establish hegemony over the rest of China. It's in one of those wars when he ran into the kingdom of Yueh. The Yueh people was then even more primitive then Wu was a few decades ago, but they were great fighters. They were ruled by King Kou Chiang. In a pitch battle, King Ho Lu was struck by a poison arrow and died.
Ho Lu's son Fu Chai became king. He was intent on avenging his father. A personal guard was ordered to remind him of this fact periodically by saying "Fu Chai, did you forget to avenge the death of your father?" Fu Chai then rallied his army and destroyed the army of Yueh. King Kou Chiang became a prisoner of Fu Chai for several years. However, Fu Chai was not a brutal man. Instead of annexing the kingdom of Yueh and turning Kou Chiang into a slave, he released Kou Chiang after extracting an oath of fealty from the king of Yueh. Unfortunately, that gesture of mercy was completely lost on King Kou Chiang. Kou Chiang, like Wu Tzu-Shi and Fu Chai before him, was possessed by the burning desire to avenge the wrongs done him.
Kou Chiang hired two wise men from the kingdom of Chuh. One of them was Feng Li, the other was Wen Chung. The two began to build up the barbaric kingdom of Yueh so one day their king could challenge the power of Wu. Many legends are associated with this period of history. One of the legends was the legend of the Yueh Maiden.
Story:
"After you."
"After you."
The two swordmen turned the point of their blades downward. Their right palm holding the sword hilt, their left palm covered their right palm, then they bowed deeply to each other in a warrior's salute.
Even before the two straightened, a sudden flash of white, then the sound of clanging. The two swordmen each retreated one step. The audience gave out a soft cry
. The swordman in blue cut three times. The liveried swordman blocked each cut. The swordman in blue shouted and slashed his sword from the upper left corner straight downward. The slash was powerful and fast. The liveried swordman was too agile to be caught. A simple jump got him out of the way. His body bounced barely after his left feet touched the ground. He returned two slashes. The swordman in blue stood still with a grim smile. He moved his sword lightly and blocked the attack.
The liveried swordman suddenly began running around the swordman in blue. He ran faster and faster. The swordman in blue merely stared at the point of his enemy's sword. He was ready to strike anytime that point moved to attack. The liveried swordman at first ran one way, then the other. The swordman in blue started to feel a bit dizzy and said "Are you fighting, or running for your life?" The liveried swordman continued running. The swordman in blue attempted to cut him down a few times, but his sword always fell short.
The swordman in blue pulled his sword back to the side of his body and bowed his right leg slightly. The liveried swordman thought he saw an opening and lounged at his left shoulder, the swordman in blue was merely luring his enemy. His sword circled into a direct thrust at the liveried swordman's throat. The thrust was too fast to be avoided. The liveried swordman was surprised. He threw his sword toward the heart of his enemy. The liveried swordman hoped to force the swordman to abort the thrust in order to save his own life.
Unexpectedly, the swordman in blue didn't attempt to defend himself. With a move of his arm, the point of his sword entered the liveried swordman's throat. Then the liveried swordman's thrown sword hit his chest with a loud clang and fell to the ground. The swordman in blue laughed coldly and pulled his sword back. He was wearing a round plate of iron in front of his chest, just under the garment. That's why the sword did him no harm. The liveried swordman's throat spurted blood and his body convulsed. The servants stepped in to remove the body and began to wipe up the blood on the ground.
The swordman in blue sheathed his sword. He stepped forward and bowed toward the north of the hall where the king sat. The king wore a purple robe. He is of strange appearance. His neck was excessive long and his mouth was sharp as a bird's beak. He smiled and said in a croaking voice "The strong one has wonderful sword skill. Award him ten pounds of gold." The swordman in blue knelt down on his right knee and bowed "Thank you for the award." The king waved his left hand. An official on his right shouted "Swordmen of Wu and swordmen of Yueh,second contest!"
From the east end of the hall, another liveried swordman walked out from his group. This man was tall of stature and held a great sword. The sword was nearly four feet in length. The blade was extremely thick and was obviously quite heavy. From the west of hall, another swordman in blue walked out. He was of medium height. His face was crisscrossed by at least twelve or thirteen sword scars. The face seemed no longer human. He must have fought hundreds of battles with countless swordmen. The two knelt to the king, then they saluted each other.
The swordman in blue straightened his body and smiled. His face made the smile seemed ugly and cruel. The tall swordman shivered. Then he sighed deeply and held his sword with both hands.
Suddenly the swordman in blue howled madly like a wolf and thrusted his sword. The tall swordman cried, lifted his great sword and cut down toward his opponent's head. The swordman in blue dodged while his sword made a slash from left to right. The tall swordman lifted the great sword and whirled, making the sounds of a great wind. The great weight of the sword didn't slow him down in the slightest.
The two made thirty passes at each other. The swordman in blue couldn't oppose the weight of his opponent's sword. He kept retreating. All the other liveried swordman began to show hope on their faces as they anticipated their side to win at last.
Then the tall swordman made a great cry like the sound of a thunderclap and made a horizontal cut with his great sword. The swordman in blue couldn't avoid it. He could only block it with his own sword with all his strength. Clang! The two swords met. The great sword broke and half of the blade flew away. The swordman in blue wielded a far sharper sword. Then the swordman in blue made a vertical cut which opened up the tall swordman from throat to crotch. The tall swordman howled and kept on howling as he felt to the ground. The swordman in blue looked at his fallen opponent for a while before returning his sword to the sheath. Then he knelt toward the king. His face couldn't disguise his joy of victory.
The official said "The strong one's sword skill is impressive. The award is ten pounds of gold." The swordman in blue bowed in thanks. There were only eight swordmen in blue. Compared with fifty liveried swordmen standing at the east side of the hall, they were badly outnumbered.
The official said "Swordmen of Wu and swordmen of Yueh, the third contest."
Again, one swordman from each walked to the center of the hall. The sword of the swordman in blue trembled and shone like bright silk. The official said "Good sword!" The swordman in blue thanked his praise. The official then said "We have seen one-to-one contests twice. This time, two against two!"
Two more swordmen entered the arena. The four again saluted the king first before saluting each other. Then the swords flashed as the combat began. This time, each of the two swordmen on the same side must reinforce each other. After a few passes, a liveried swordmen's sword was cut into half by his enemy's sword. This liveried swordman was very courageous. He carried his broken and jumped toward his enemy. His opponent's sword flashed and cut away his right arm together with his right shoulder. Then the sword impaled his heart.
The other pair was still fighting. The victorious swordman in blue watched for a while, then his sword moved. Again, the liveried swordman's sword was cut into half, leaving him wide open. His oponent's sword entered his chest and exited from his back
. The king laughed and clapped "Excellent swords! Excellent sword skills. Award them wine and gold. Let us see one contest of four against four!"
Four swordmen from each side began combat. The swordmen from the east side had already lost three contests. These four fought desperately with all their skills. Even if they lost their lives, they meant to win at least one contest. Two swordmen in blue concentrated on one liveried swordman. The other two swordmen in blue defended them against the other three liveried swordmen. These swordmen in blue only defended. Their skill of defense was impenetrable. They also made no attempt to attack, all they did was preventing the three from aiding their comrade. The other two swordman in blue easily killed their lone opponent. Then they repeated their tactic again and killed another liveried swordman.
The other liveried swordmen saw the death of their comrades. They drew their swords and was ready to aid their comrades and chopped the swordmen in blue to bits.
The official cried out in a clear voice "Those who learned the way of the sword, must obey the laws of the swor !"
His voice was authoritative. The liveried swordmen quieted down. By now everyone could see that the swordmen in blue used completely different sword skills. The two who defended were specialized in defense. The two who attacked specialized in attack. The attackers always outnumber their victim because the defenders watched their back. They could win even if their opponents numbered six or even eight. The swords of the two defenders formed a sword net which could handle five or even six swordmen easily.
The two defenders had cornered a liveried swordman so he was virtually neutralized while the two attackers already killed the third liveried swordman. The two defenders moved left and right and watched for more enemies while the two attackers began on the lone swordman. Even though the liveried swordman had no hope of winning, still he didn't throw down his sword to admit defeat. Suddenly the four swordmen in blue shouted loudly and their four swords impaled the liveried swordman from four directions.
The liveried swordman died immediately, but his eyes were opened like round saucers. His mouth opened widely. The four swordmen in blue pulled out their swords at the same time. The four wiped their swords at the sole of their shoes, then they returned their swords back into the sheath. The movements were completely synchronized.
The king laughed and clapped his hands together again "Excellent sword skill! The swordmen of the great kingdom were truly invincible. It's only today that we're treated to such a spectacle. Award each swordman ten pounds of gold." The four bowed in thanks. They bowed at the same exact angle. No one knew how long they practiced to achieve such precision.
A swordman in boue turned, picked a long box covered in gold paint and said "Our king thank the generous gifts of Your Majesty. His Majesty ordered us to return the favor with one precious sword. This sword is newly forged in our kingdom for the enjoyment of Your Majesty."
The king smiled "Thank you. Minister Feng, bring it over here."
The king was Kou Chiang, King of Yueh. The official was Feng Li, the royal advisor. The liveried swordmen were the Royal Guards of Yueh. The eight swordmen in blue were the messengers sent by Fu Chai, King of Wu. Kou Chiang was defeated by Fu Chai and he waited for a chance for vengeance. While he was submissive to the Kingdom of Wu on the surface, he secretly trained soldiers in preparation for an attack on Wu. In order to test the skill of Wu warriors, he sent out the best of his swordmen. He could not expect that the Wu swordmen easily killed eight of his finest swordmen. He was surprised and angry, but he showed none of it. Instead, he praised the sword skills of the Wu swordmen and showed his heartfelt admiration.
Feng Li took the golden long box. The box felt very light, as thought it's empty. He opened up the cover. Before the other people in the hall could see what's in the box, Feng Li's face was illuminated by a faint blue light. Everyone cried in surprise.
Feng Li took the box to Kou Chiang and bowed "Please look, Your Majesty." Kou Chiang saw that the box was lined with red silk. The sword inside it had a very thin blade. The light it reflected flowed on its surface like water. He said "Excellent sword!" He took the hilt and lifted up the sword. The blade trembled slightly, almost as though he could break the blade with a flick of his wrist. He thought "The sword blade is too thin. It might look good, but it has no practical use."
The leader of the swordmen in blue took out a piece of gauze from his pocket and threw it into the air. "Please, Your Majesty, point the edge of the sword upward so it will meet this falling gauze. You will see that this sword is different." The thin gauze fell upon the edge of the sword, but the gauze didn't stop falling. It kept falling, as two separate gauzes. The people on the hall cheered.
The swordman in blue said "This blade might be thin, but it will not break even if it blocks a heavy weapon."
Kou Chiang said "Minister Feng, try it."
Feng said "Yes." He walked in front of a liveried swordman, took out the sword and said "Draw, let's try it." The liveried swordman bowed, drew his sword, but he didn't dare to strike. Feng Li cried "Strike!" The swordman cut downward. Feng met it with his sword. The two swords met. The sword blade of the liveried swordmen was cut into two pieces. Before one of the pieces flew into him, Feng Li dodged wit great agility. The people inside the hall cheered. Were they cheering the sharpness of the blade, or the agility of Feng?
Feng Li put the sword back into the box and put the box next to the feet of the king. Kou Chiang said "Swordmen of the great kingdom, you are invited to the next hall for a feast and be awarded for the contest." The eight swordmen in blue bowed and left the hall. Kou Chiang waved his hand, all the swordmen, servants and ministers left, except for Feng Li.
Kou looked at the sword and the blood on the ground and said "What you do think?"
Feng Li said "Not all the Wu soldiers are as good as these eight. Not all swords wielded by them are as sharp as this one. But from this small example, we can see the rest. The most terrifying aspect is their technique of group fighting, they used the methods of Sun Tzu. I believe that they currently have no match in the world."
Kou Chiang said "Fu Chai sent these eight just to give me this sword. What does he have in mind?"
Feng Li said "He wants us to know the difficulty of vengeance."
Kou Chiang became angry. He took up the sword and made a backhand stroke. The stroke cut up the half of the back of his chair. He shouted "Even if the difficulty is one thousand, ten thousand times greater, Kou Chiang will not retreat from his goal! One day, I will capture Fu Chai, king of Wu and cut off his heead with his sword." Another stroke of the sword cut the chair into half.
Feng Li bowed and said "Congratualations, Your Majesty."
Kou said in surprise "After seeing the ability of the Wu swordmen, what's there to congratulate about?"
Feng Li said "As long as You Majesty have the determination, anything can be accomplished. Concerning this difficulty, I must discuss it with Minister Wen."
Kou Chiang said "Good, summon Minister Wen." Feng Li left the palace and ordered the palace servant to summon Minister Wen Chung. In a while, Wen Chung arrived on a speedy horse, then the two walked back into the palace
. Feng Li was originally a native of Wan, in the Kingdom of Chuh. He was not a man concerned with the details of etiquette. Often, he did things beyond the expectations of other people. People of his homeland called him "Feng the Crazy". When Wen Chung came to be the magistrate of Wan, he heard of the Feng Li's reputation. He sent subordinates to summon Feng. The subordinates said "That Feng is the famous crazy man of this land. Nothing he does makes any sense." Wen Chung smiled "When a man try to do something different, other people always say that he is mad. When he has a superior opinion, the common of wit will call him stupid. How can you understand Master Feng?" So Wen Chung went to visit Feng himself, but Feng avoided him. Feng expected that Wen would not give up so easily, so he borrowed some proper clothes from his brother. When Wen came back, Feng was ready. The two talked and found that they had much in common.
They both felt the kingdoms were weak. The kingdom of Chuh was large, but chaotic. The only kingdoms which could rise to command the rest were located at southeast. Wen Chung resigned his position and went to the kingdom of Wu with Feng Li. At the time. the king of Wu's favorite was Wu Tzu-Shi. The two lived in the capital for a few month and saw that Wu Tzu-Shi was indeed a wise man. They were not necessarily better than him.
After some discussion, they decided that although Yueh was a smaller kingdom, but they could put their talents to use there. Kou Chiang received them warmly and gave them both high positions.
Then Kou Chiang ignored the advise of Wen Chung and made war with Wu. His army was defeated by the shore of Chiang Tang River. Kou Chiang was surrounded at Kuai Chi Mountain and almost died along with his kingdom, but he listened to the advise of Feng Li and Wen Chung and bribed the Prime Minister of Wu. Fu Chai then listened to the Prime Minister instead of the wiser Wu Tzu-Shi and agreed to a peace treaty. Kou Chiang lived in Wu as a hostage for a few years, but he was released later. Then Kou Chiang slept only on beds made of thorny branches and tasted the bitter juice of beef gall bladders to remind himself of the humiliations he suffered. He used Wen Chung's Nine Methods to subvert Wu and strengthen Yueh.
The Nine Methods were. One, pay respect to the gods and spirits. Two, give Fu Chai vast amount of money so he will feel secure as well as becoming soft in luxury. Three, borrow food from Wu and return seeds which will not grow, causing famine in Wu. Four, give Fu Chai beautiful women such as Si Shi and Cheng Dang, so Fu Chai would be paying more attention to the beautiful women rather than the affairs of the state. Five, give Fu Chai engineers so he started building expensive palaces which drained the economy of the country. Six, bribe the ministers of Wu. Seven, distance Fu Chai from his wise ministers. The wise Wu Tzu-Shi was eventually forced to committ suicide as punishment of a false charge of treason. Eight, hoard food so the kingdom of Yueh will have great reserve available. Nine, make weapons, train soldier and wait for the chance. Eight methods have succeeded, but the ninth had run into great difficulty.
Everyone could tell that the eight warriors of Wu were better than anyone Yueh could produce. Feng Li told Wen Chung the results of the contest. Wen Chung frowned "Brother Feng, the sharpness of their swords is a major problem, also the way their swordmen worked together in groups in accordance to Sun Tzu's Art of War." Feng Li said "Yes, decades ago, when Sun Tzu helped the king of Wu. They destroyed Chuh, the most powerful kingdom in the world at the time. In his book, it's said "If I concentrate my forces and the enemy's forces is fragmented into ten parts then I can use my unified one to attack his ten fragments. Then I will outnumber my enemy and the battle will be over." Wu used this principle to achieve local superiority against our swordmen."
When they talk they arrived in front of Kou Chiang. Kou Chiang was staring at the gift sword. After a long while, Kou Chiang lifted up his head and said "Minister Wen. Years ago, Wu had the husband-wife team of swordsmiths, Keng Chiang and Mo Shei. Yueh had O-Yeh Tzu. Now, all three have died. Wu still have great swordsmiths, yet we have no one to succeed O-Yeh Tzu."
Wen Chung said "I have heard that O-Yeh Tzu had two students. One is named Fong Hu-Tzu, The other is called Hsieh Chu. Fong Hu-Tzu is in the kingdom of Chuh. Hsieh is still in Yueh."
Kou became glad and said "Summon him. And order someone to go to Chuh with gold so we can get Fong Hu-Tzu here as well."
The next morning, Wen Chung reported that he already sent someone to Chuh. Meanwhile, Hsieh Chu was already here. Kou Chiang grant Hsieh an audience and asked "Your master O-Yeh Tzu once followed my father's ordder and forged five swords. How do you grade those five swords?"
Hsieh said "I have heard my master said that he forged five swords for the king. Three large swords and two small swords. They are Trembling Reed, Pure Edge, Defeater of Evil, Fish Intestine and the Great Tower. Now, the Trembling Reed is in Chuh. Defeater of Evil and Fish Intestine are in Wu. Your Majesty still have Pure Edge and Great Tower."
Years ago, the Prince Ho Lu of Wu heard of the swords and asked Kou Chiang's father for some of the swords. Kou Chiang's father feared the might of Wu and gave Holu Trembling Reed, Defeater of Evil and Fish Intestine. Using Fish Intestine, Ho Lu assassinated his cousin the king and took the throne. Trembling Reed fell into a river and was acquired by the king of Chuh. King of Chin heard of this and asked for it. Even after a few wars, the king of Chuh still refused to give it up.
Hsieh said "My master said, of the five swords, Defeater of Evil is of the highest grade. Pure Edge and Trembling Reed are next. Fish Intestine is lower and Great Tower ranks last. When Great Tower was forged, the alloy was not pure, so it was only a sharp sword and not a truly precious sword."
Kou Chiang said "Are you saying my Pure Edge and Great Tower are not as good as Fu Chai's Defeater of Evil and Fish Intestine?"
Hsieh dare not admit that Kou Chiang's swords was inferior, but Kou Chiang knew the answer anyway.
Feng Li said "You have the skill of your master. You can forge a few swords of your own. They might not be inferior to those owned by Wu."
Hsieh said "I cannot forge swords anymore."
Feng Li asked "Why?"
Hsieh held up his hands. On both his hands, the thumb and the index fingers were gone. He said sadly "Thumbs and index fingers are required for forging swords. I am a cripple."
Kou Chiang said "Did you enemy cut away your fingers?"
Hsieh said "No, my fellow student did it." "Your fellow student? You mean Fong Hu-Tzu? Why did he doe it? Ah! It must be that you have greater skill than he. He beame jealous and cut away your fingers." Hsieh remained silent.
Ko Chiang said "I was thinking about inviting Fong from Chuh, but now I see he won't come because he fears your vengeance."
Hsieh said "Your Majesty is indeed wise, but Fong is no longer in Chuh. He is in Wu.
Ko Chiang said "He...He's in Wu? What's he doing there?"
Hsieh said "Three years ago, Fong came to my home and took out a precious sword for me to inspect. I was astounded. That sword was forged by my master for Chuh. It is named the Flowing Fabric. The blade was full of runes that flowed like water. I heard from my master that he forged three swords for Chuh. That was one, the others were Dragon Spring and Ching Ah."
Kou Chiang said "Then the king of Chuh must have given it to Fong."
Hsieh said "Indirectly. Fong said that after the army of Wu broke the capital of Chuh. Wu Tzu-shi took the sword from the grave of the previous king. When he returned to Wu, he heard of the skills of Fong, so he gave the sword to him as a gift. He said the sword was a legacy from our master and that Fong was the rightful owner."
Kou Chiang said "Wu Tzu-Shi let the sword go? He is truly a great hero to let such a treasure go." Then he laughed "Fortunately, Fu Chai has already taken care of him for me." Then he asked "What did Wu Tzu-Shi wanted in return from Fong?"
Hsieh said "Wu Tzu-shi merely said that he admired our master. Fong felt grateful after he received the sword, so he went to Wu and thanked Wu Tzu-Shi in person. Wu Tzu-Shi treated as an honored guest."
Kou Chiang said "That's how he make people become loyal to him, even onto death."
Hsieh said "Your Majesty is wise, but Fong didn't understand Wu Tzu-shi's true intentions, so he asked again and again how he could repay the great favor done to him. Wu Tzu -Shi merely said he would not ask anything of an honored guest."
Kou Chiang said "The old fox!"
Hsieh said "Fong finally said to Wu Tzu-shi that he had little skill except forging swords. In return for Wu Tzu-Shi's favors, he will forge a few precious swords for him."
Kou slapped his thigh and said "Got him!"
Hsieh said "But Wu Tzu-shi said the kingdome of Wu already had many precious swords and needed no more. Besides, the forging of a precious sword is a tremendous labor. Years ago, when Keng Chiang and Mo Yeh were forging their sword, the sword refused to come into being until Mo Yeh flung herself into the fire. Wu Tzu-shi had no intention of repeating that kind of tragedy."
Kou Chiang said "He didn't want Fong to forge swords for him? Strange."
Hsieh said "Fong was baffled too. Then Wu Tzu-shi visited him again. They said that the army of Wu was fully capable of fighting with superpowers like the kingdoms of Chi and Jin. Wu's warriors were courageous, but their skills in chariot warfare were inferior. Moreover, their swords and spears were not sharp enough. Fong began to talk to Wu Tzu-Shi about the way of forging swords. What Wu Tzu-Shi wanted wasn't a few precious swords with mysterius powers, what he wanted was thousands and thousands of sharp swords."
Kou Chiang understood and looked at Feng Li and Wen Chung. Worry filled Wen Chung's face. He asked "Minister Feng, what do you think?"
Feng Li said "Even though Wu Tzu-shi is crafty, he is not wise enough to escape Your Majesty's schemes."
Kou Chiang laughed "I am afraid that I have never been Wu Tzu-shi's match."
Feng Li said "Wu Tzu-shi is already dead. What more can he do to threaten Yueh?"
Kou Chiang laughed "True. Hsieh Chu. Did Fong finally started forging swords?"
Hsieh said "Yes. He went to Mt. Mo Keng. He saw one thousand swordsmiths working there. He corrected and improved their techniques. After this, every sword in Wu is sharper than anything made in other kingdoms."
Kou Chiang nodded "So that's why."
Hsieh said "After one year, Fong became too fatigued to continue, so he told Wu Tzu-shi my name. Wu Tzu-shi readied lavish gifts and asked Fong to invite me to work for him as well. I remembered the hatred between Wu and Yueh. If Wu's sharp swords could kill the people of Chi and Jin, they could also kill the people of my home, so I counseled Fong not to return to Wu."
Kou nodded in approval "You have foresight."
Hsieh said "Thank for your praise, Your Majesty, but he didn't listen to me. That night he slept in my home. In the middle of the night, suddenly he put his sword at my neck, then he chopped off four of my fingers so I'll never forge another sword."
Kou Chiang became angry "If he fell into my hands, I would chop him into meat paste!"
Wen Chung said "Master Hsieh, even though you cannot forge swords by yourself, but you can teach our swordsmiths. We, too, can make as many sharp swords as the Wu swordsmiths."
Hsieh said "Minister Wen, both Yueh and Wu produce the necessary iron needed for sword blades, but Yueh produces copper and Wu produces zinc."
Feng Li said "Wu Tzu-Shi is guarding the zinc mines and forbids any private mining, is that right?"
Hsieh showed surprise on his face "So you knew already."
Feng Li smiled "No, I am merely speculating. Now that he's dead, his order may not be followed anymore. We now can purchase zinc, if we're willing to pay for it.."
Kou Chiang said "But a source of water far away cannot extinguish a nearby conflagration. By the time we gather all the materials, train the swordsmiths and start production, at least two or three years would have passed. That's not counting any setbacks along the way. If Fu Chai died before we're ready, wouldn't that be the greatest regret in our lives?"
Feng Li and Wen Chung bowed deeply "Yes, we will find another way."
Feng Li walked out of the palace, thinking "His Majesty couldn't wait two or three more years? Why, I can't even wait one more day...." A dull pain came to his chest as he remembered the image of that unmatched beauty which could stun the world.
Her name was Si Shi. She lived next to Huan Sha River He found that woman who gathered all the beauty of the land of Yueh into her person and he had to send her away into the palace of Wu.
The road from the capital of Yueh to the capital of Wu was not long, only a few days by river, but that was long enough for love to grow beyond control. The white face of Si Shi was full of pearl-like tears and her voice was soft as a whispering stream "Shao Bo, promise me that you will come and get me as soon as possible. I will wait for you, day and night. Say that you will never forget me, forever and ever."
Vengeance against Wu could wait, as far as Feng Li was concerned, but Yi Kwan,that's his name for Si Shi, was in the embrace of King Fu Chai. Love and jealousy gnawed at his heart. He must find to way to make as many sharp swords as possible, even sharper than those wielded by the invincible Wu swordmen....
He walked aimlessly on the street. Eighteen armed guards followed him faithfully.
Suddenly someone was singing a Wu song "My sword is sharp! My enemy has no courage! My sword is sharp! My enemy has no head!"
Eight men in blue, arm in arm, swaggered down the street, showing no concern for the pedestrians who were hurrying out of their way. They were the eight Wu swordmen. They were obviously very drunk.
Feng Li frowned. He could feel his anger rising.
The eight swordmen stopped in front of Feng Li. One of them looked sideways with his drunken eyes and said "You...you are Minister Feng?" Then he broke into uncontrollable giggles. Two guards leaped in front of Feng Li and said "Don't be so rude. Make way!"
The eight swordmen merely laughed and mimicked their words "Don't be so rude. Make way!"
Two guards pulled out their swords and cried "By royal decree, those who dare to interfere with Minister Feng's welfare is to be executed!"
One of the Wu swordman's body swayed as he said "Execute you, or me?"
Feng's mind was working. "They were the subjects of Wu. Even though they are rude. We cannot affford to fight them." Before he could tell his guards to pull back, a bright sword flashed. The guards screamed. Then their swords dropped to the ground. One of the Wu swordman returned his sword into the sheath, his face was full of gloating pride. The rest of Feng Li's guards pulled out their swords and surrounded the eight Wu swordmen.
The leader raised his head and laughed "We never planned to return to Wu alive anyway. Let's see how big an army you need in order to kill us!" With a shout, eight swords leaped out of their sheaths. Eight swordmen stood back to back, forming a circle.
Feng Li thought "If one could not endure small slights, then one would never achieve great things." He shouted "These eight are ambassadors from the Great Kingdom. Don't treat them with ill manners. Back!" Then he retreated to the side of the street. His guards were angry enough to spit fire from their eyes, but they dare not disobey him. Reluctantly they retreated to the side of the street as well.
The they heard the cries of a herd of goats. A young maiden dressed in pale green robe herded tens of goats down the street. The goats started to go around the eight Wu swordmen. One swordman was feeling cheated of a good fight, so his sword moved and a goat was neatly bisected. The cut was so neat that even the nose of the goat was severed into two precisely equal parts. His seven friends cheered. Even Feng Li could not fault his sword skill.
The young maiden's bamboo stick moved and herded the rest of goats behind her. Then she said "Why did you kill my goat?" The voice was feminine and clear, but it also contained anger.
The goat killer cut his sword into air a few times and laughed "Little girl, I will cut you into half just like this goat!"
Feng Li cried "Lady, please come over here. They are drunk."
The maiden said "Even if you are drunk, that's no excuse to behave rudely."
The swordman's sword circled above her head. "I was thinking of cutting off your head, but now I see you're quite pretty, so I changed my mind." His seven friends laughed again.
Feng Li looked at her. She had an oval face, long eyelashes and clear, white skin. Her face was pretty and her body was slende, even seemingly frail. He cried again "Lady, over here." The maiden said "Of course."
The Wu swordman's sword reached out toward toward her belt. "Why..." Before he could finished, the maiden's bamboo stick flickered and stabbed into his wrist. The swordman only felt a sudden pain on his wirst and dropped his sword. The bamboo stick raised upward, followed by another stab into the swordman's right eye. The swordman screamed as he covered his blinded eye.
The maiden's movement might be simple, but for some reason, the Wu swordman could not block or even avoid her bamboo stick. The other seven swordmen was much surprised. One of them pulled back his sword and thrusted it toward the maiden's right eye. As the sword sped forward, everyone could hear a loud whoosh, signaling the strength behind the thrust.
The maiden didn't even move her feet. Her bamboo stick moved again. This time she stabbed at the swordman's shoulder. The stab was so fast that although it started after the thrust, it arrived well before the thrust could reach her. The swordman cried out in pain as all the strength went out of his thrust. Then the maiden's wrist flicked and the bamboo stick went into his right eye. The swordman screamed like a butchered pig as his two fists waved aimlessly.
Now, the maiden made four moves and two Wu swordmen were disabled. The spectator only saw her making some movements with her bamboo stick. Even though she moved too fast to be seen clearly, but the technique she used was clearly derived from some sort of high sword skill. Feng was both surprised and gladdened, but now he saw that the maiden had to face six Wu swordmen. He hurriedly said "Swordmen of Wu. It would be bad for the honor of Wu if the six of you gang up on a defenseless girl. Even you win with you superior numbers......" He clapped his hands together. His guards leaped into the street and surrounded the Wu swordmen.
The maiden smiled "Even the odds of six against one is not enough for you." Her left hand lifted slightly. The bamboo stick on her right hand thrusted toward yet another swordman's eye. She moved her stick and stabbed toward another swordman's chest. Three swords sped toward her. She moved agilely and avoided all three sword, then she counterattacked. One swordman was stabbed on the wrist and lost hold on his sword.
Feng Li's guard was ready to leap into battle, but they could not penetrate into the sword net formed by the Wu swordmen.
The maiden moved between the six swordmen. Her long sleeves and long belt waved in the wind beautifully. Then the cries of pain came from one after another Wu swordmen as their swords dropped to the ground. The fight was over. Each of the Wu swordmen lost an eye. Some lost the right eye. Some lost the left eye.
The maiden pulled back her bamboo stick and said "You killed my goat. Now compensate me."
The Wu swordmen were angry and scared. Some were roaring in fury. Some were shivering in fear. These eight were battle-hardened veterans. Ordinarily they would not lose control of their demeanor even if someone cut of both of their hands, but what happened to them was so beyond their comprehension that they had not idea how they should act.
The maiden said "If you don't compensate me for my goat, I will take your other eye." The Wu swordmen jumped back involuntarily.
Feng Li said "Lady, I will give you one hundred goats, but let these eight men leave."
The maiden smiled "You're a nice man. I don't want one hundred goats. I only want one."
Feng Li said to the guard "Accompany the ambassadors from the Great Kingdom back to the palace. Summon the physicians to treat their wounds." The eight Wu swordmen left crestfallen, like cocks who had lost a fight.
Feng Li walked toward the maiden and said "Lady, what is your respected surname?" The maiden said "What did you say?" He rephrased the question "What is your name?" The maiden said "Oh, my name is Ah Ching. What is yours?"
Feng Li smiled and thought "So she is just a simple country girl unversed in courtly manners. Yet she learned this godlike sword skill. I only have to learn who her master is, then I can invite her teacher to train Yueh warriors. Wu will not be able to stand against us." His heart warmed as he realized that he's closer to bring Si Shi back. Then he said "I am called Feng Li. Lady, why don't you have a meal in my home?" Ah Ching said "No, I have to herd the goats to pasture." Feng Li said "I have a large lawn in my home. Your goats can feed there, then I will compensate you with ten fat goats."
Ah Ching clapped her hands together and laughed "You have a big lawn? Good, but I don't want any goat from you. You didn't kill this goat." She knelt to the ground and petted the dead goat. Then she said sadly "Old White, bad man killed you. I can't save you this time."
Feng Li ordered his guard "Sew the body back together and bury it next to this lady's house."
Ah Ching stood up. Her face was stained by tears, but her eyes was happy. "Feng Li, you won't let them eat Old White?"
Feng Li said "Of course not. That's your Old White. No one is permitted to eat him."
Ah Ching sighed "You are nice. I always hate to let other people kill my goats so they can eat the meat, but mother said that unless we sell our goat, we will not have money for rice."
Feng Li said "From today on, I will ask people to send your mother rice and good clothes. You don't have to sell your goats anymore."
Ah Ching became happy and embraced Feng Li "You are a good man."
Feng Li held her hand, afraid that she might disappear like some immortal from legend. The goats followed them back to his mansion.
As Ah Ching herded her goats into the mansion she said "Your house is so large! How can you live here alone?"
Feng Li smiled "Yes, I think this house is too big for me. Why don't you come live here with your mother? Who else do you have in your family?"
Ah Ching said "Just me and my mom. I don't know if my mom wants to come. She always says that I shouldn't talk to strange man, but you are a good man. You won't harm us."
Feng Li told Ah Ching to leave the goats in the garden and ordered his servants to pick out the best snacks for Ah Ching. The servants watched in shock as the goats devoured the expensive flowers in the garden. They were even more shocked when they observed their master watching the destruction with a happy smile.
Ah Ching ate the pastries and drank the tea. Feng Li talked with and discovered that she's innocent of the intrigues of the world. Finally he asked "Ah Ching, who taught you sword skills?"
Ah Ching's large, clear eyes opened wider and said "Sword skill? No one ever taught me anything."
Feng Li said "The way you used that bamboo stick. That's sword skill. Who taught that?"
Ah Ching shook her head "No one. I always knew how to play with the bamboo stick."
Feng Li saw that she was too innocent to lie and thought "Did heaven finally send down a miracle?" He asked again "Do you know how to play with this bamboo since you're a child?"
Ah Ching said "No. When I was thirteen, Grandpa White came to ride my goats. I wouldn't let him and beat him off with my bamboo stick. He returned with a bamboo stick. I then fought with him. At first, he always score hits on me and I can't score hits on him. I play this everyday. Now, I score hits on him most of the time and he can't score hits on me. He isn't coming back as often now."
Feng thought he finally hit something and said "Where does this Grandpa White live? Can you take me to him?"
Ah Ching said "He lives in the mountains. You can't find him. He usually comes and find me. I never tried to find him."
Feng Li said "I want to meet him. Is there a way?"
Ah Ching said "Hmm. You can follow me to pasture. We will wait for him on the mountain side. I don't know when he'll show though." She sighed "I haven't seen him for a while now."
Feng Li said to himself "This is for Yi Kwan and the kingdom of Yueh. A little goat herding won't hurt." so he said "Good, I'll accompany you and wait for Grandpa White." He thought "Grandpa White must be the sword sage who taught this girl. He must have loved her youth and innocence, so he used play to teach her. He could make a young girl into the such a great master, then he could make our warriors destroy Wu.
After the meal, Feng Li followed her to mountain pastures to her goats. His subordinates didn't understand the reason. They were all baffled. Day after day, Feng Li went with Ah Ching to herd goat and sang songs, waiting for Grandpa White.
On the fifth day, Wen Chung came to Feng Li's mansion and saw a very worried chamberlain. He asked "I haven't seen Minister Feng for a few days now. The King is worried and ordered to me to visit. Did Minister Feng come down sick?"
The chamberlain said "Minister Feng is healthy, but...but.."
"But?"
"Minister Wen is the best friend of Miister Feng. You can say things to him that are not appropriate for us to say. Why don't you try to talk some sense into him?"
Wen Chung was baffled "Sense? What's wrong with Minister Feng?"
"Minister Feng fell love with that little shepherdess. Every morning he leaves with her and don't return until after sundown. He won't permit any guards following him. He will not be bothered even when I have urgent affairs."
Wen Chung laughed and thought "When Brother Feng was living in the kingdom of Chuh, everyone called him Feng the Crazy. He never does things like other people."
At that time, Feng Li was sitting on a mountain side grassland and telling Ah Ching the story of the goddess Hsiang Fei. Ah Ching was sitting close by his side and listened to him intent, her large bright eyese never left his face. Suddenly she said "Hsiang Fei is really that beautiful?"
Feng Li said "Her eyes are clearer and brighter than the water in this mountain stream..."
Ah Ching said "Does she have fish in her eyes?"
Feng Li continued "Her skin is like the clouds, but fairer."
Ah Ching said "Are there birds flying in those clouds?"
Feng Li continued obliviously "Her lips are softer than the petal of this flower and redder. Her lips are moist, even more than the dews on this petal. When Hsiang Fei stands next to the river, the beauty of her reflection made all the riverside flowers wilt in shame. Even fish dare not swim in water for fear of rumpling her reflection. When her white hand is dipped into the river, it was so soft that it could almost melt into the water..."
Ah Ching said "You saw her, didn't you. How else can you describe her so clearly?"
Feng Li said "I saw her. I saw her very, very clearly."
Of course, he was referring to Si Shi, not the goddess Hsiang Fei.
He looked at the north. His eyes looked beyond a wide, roaring river. Is the beauty in the royal palace of Wu. Is she with King Fu Chai? Is she thinking about me?
Ah Ching said "Feng Li! Your beard is strange, can I touch it?"
Feng Li thought "Is she weeping, or laughing?"
Ah Ching said "Feng Li, you have two strands of white beard, just like my goats."
Feng Li thought "When we're separated, she wept on my shoulder. Her tear soaked half of my robe. I never washed that robe. My tears were mingled with hers on that robe."
Ah Ching said "Feng Li. Can I pull out one of your beard? I will pull gently. You won't feel a thing."
Feng Li thought "She said she loved riding in a boat and float with the currents. After I take her back, I will not be a court minister anymore. I will ride a boat with her, floating in rivers and lakes, for the rest of my life."
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his chin. Ah Ching pulled out a strand of his beard. She laughed prettily. Suddenly the laugh was cut off and she said "You're here again!"
A green shadow flashed as Ah Ching shot forward. A green blur and a white blur was moving quickly around each other.
Feng Li cried gladly "Grandpa White's here!" It's a while before the two combatants slowed down enough for him to get a good look. Then he got a great surprise.
The one fighting Ah Ching wasn't human. It was a white ape.
The white ape, too, was holding a bamboo stick. The white ape performed intricate sword forms. The whooshing sound of the stick signaled the great strength it put into each form. But everytime he attack, Ah Ching was always able to block or redirect each blow and counterattack using even more intricate sword forms.
When Ah Ching fought the Wu swordmen, the forms she used were minimal. Only now Feng Li witnessed the vast skill Ah Ching wielded. He was no expert in swords, but he had looked at the Yueh swordmen train for many years. Now, he realized that the best swordmen of Yueh were but children playing with toys when compared to Ah Ching and Grandpa.
The white ape's attacks sped up faster and faster. Ah Ching slowed down instead. She stood still, but each time she thrusted with her bamboo stick, the white ape was forced to jump back.
Ah Ching forced the white ape three steps, then she pulled back her stick and stood still. The white ape held his stick in two hands and jumped to attack. Feng Li saw the strength of the attack and cried out "Watch out!" Ah Ching's stick moved too fast to be seen. There were two muffled sounds of impact, then the white ape's bamboo stick dropped to the ground. The white ape howed and jumped up to a tree. Then it leaped away. The howl was intense, but became muter as the it went farther away. The howl reverberated long after the white ape was gone.
Ah Ching turned back and sighed "Grandpa broke both of his arms. Now he won't come play with me anymore."
Feng Li said "You broke his arms?"
Ah Ching nodded " Grandpa is very angry today. Three times, he tried to leap over and kill you."
Feng Li said in surprise "Kill me? Why?"
Ah Ching shook her head "I don't know."
Feng Li became scared in secret "If Ah Ching didn't stop it, that white ape can kill me, easy as blowing away a pile of ash!"
The next morning, Ah Ching faced twenty of the best swordmen of Yueh alone. Feng Li knew that Ah Ching could not teach other people how to use the sword the way she did, so the only way was for the Yueh swordmen to imitate her.
The problem was no Yueh swordmen could last three passes from her.Whenever Ah Ching's bamboo stick moved, her opponent either lost his sword, or got stabbed in some delicate area.
The next day, she defeated thirty swordmen. The third day, thirty more lost.
The fourth day, Feng Li went to ask her for another lesson, but he could not find her. He went to her home, but the house was empty. Feng Li sent hundreds of his servants and guards into the mountains to look for her, but no one could find any trace of her.
The eighty Yueh swordmen didn't learn the true sword skill from Ah Ching, but they saw the smallest portion of the ultimate sword skill. All the swordmen now knew the true height sword skill could go. The eighty swordmen tried to teach the small portion they could understand to their comrades. Even this pale shadow of a pale shadow of the ultimate skill was enough, Yueh swordmen became invincible.
King Kou Chiang ordered Hsieh Chu to forge thousands of sharp swords.
Three years later, Kou Chiang attacked Wu. The armies of Yueh and Wu met next to a lake. Five thousand Yueh swordmen marched forward. Wu swordmen met them. Yueh swords flashed and the Wu army was shattered.
King Fu Chai retreated to Yu Hong Mountain. The army of Yueh followed. The second battle ensued. The Wu army was again defeated. Fu Chai committed suicide in order to avoid the cruel fate Kou Chiang had in store for him. Yueh took the capital of Wu.
Feng Li led one thousand swordmen and rushed to King Fu Chai's resort palace. That was where Si Shi lived. He ran into the palace, shouting "Yi Kwan! Yi Kwan!"
He ran past a long corridor, his footstep echoed clearly. The corridor was hollow underneath. Si Shi walked lightly, the rhythm of her steps was more enchanting than any music. Fu Chai built this palace, this corridor in order to listen to the melody of her footsteps.
At the other end of the corridor, music came, like the sound of a happy mandolin, like the clear sound of a zither. A soft voice said "Shao Bo, is that really you?"
Feng Li felt blood rushing upward from his chest and shouted "It's I. It's I. I have come for you." His own voice seemed like the voice of a stranger, speaking from far away. He ran forward with uneven steps.
The music came down the corridor, a soft body entered his embrace.
The spring night was meltingly warm. Flower fragrance floated through the curtains, entering the chambers of the resort palace. Feng Li and Si Shi talked about their longing for each other.
Suddenly the sound goat penetrated into their awareness.
Feng LI said "You can't forget you homeland? You have goats here?"
Si Shi shook her head. She wondered about the goats, but she couldn't think of anything else in the presence of the man she loved. She held Feng Li's hand, and fiery blood flowed faster through their arteries.
Suddenly, the voice of a woman sounded "Feng Li! Bring out you Si Shi. I'll kill her!"
Feng Li stood up. Si Shi felt his palm suddenly turning cold. Feng Li recognized Ah Ching's voice. Her voice came from outside of the resort palace.
Feng Li was fearful and puzzled. "Why does she want to kill Yi Kwan? Yi Kwan had never wronged her." Then he understood "She's not really a simple village girl. She always liked me." The understanding only made him more fearful.
He had gone through many, many difficult decisions as well as dangerous situations. The fear he felt when he was trapped with Kou Chiang in a Wu siege was far less than what he felt now. Si Shi felt his palm trembbling and covered with cold sweat.
Feng Li was not afraid of his own death. He feared for Si Shi.
Feng Li pulled himself under control and said "I will go see this person." He released Si Shi's hand and walked out of the palace.
Eighteen swordmen followed him. They all heard Ah Ching's cry. They were baffled and curious. Feng Li oly saw the clear moonlight outside, but no one was visible. He cried out loudly "Lady Ah Ching, please come here. We have things to talk about." But he heard no reply. He waited, but Ah Ching did not come. He ordered one thousand armored soldiers and one thousand elite swordmen to be moved to the resort palace.
He returned to Si Shi and held her hands again. He didn't say anything. He was planning as he never planned before "Should I let one of the servant maids pretending to be Si Shi and let Ah Ching kill her? Should I commit suicide before Ah Ching so she will spare Si Shi? Should I order two thousand archers surrounding this place and shoot Ah Ching full of arrows if she tries to force her way in?" Every plan he had was flawed. He also didn't want to kill Ah Ching, who had made the destruction of Wu possible. He stared at Shi Si. Suddenly he felt warmth in his heart "It's good that we'll die this way. At least we spend sometime together before we die together."
Hours passed. Si Shi felt that Feng's hand became warmer. He lost his fear and began to smile.
The rising sun cast its rays through the window.
Suddenly the the sound of a fight came from outside the palace door. Then the incessant sound of weapons dropping to the ground. The sound drew closer and closer, like a giant serpent worming its way into the palace. Then the sound of dropping weapons came from the walkways just outside the room they were in. Two thousand warriors were not enough to stop Ah Ching.
Ah Ching's voice said "Feng Li, where are you?"
Feng Li said calmly "Ah Ching, I'm here."
Before he even finished the word "here", the curtain parted and a green shadow came flying in. Ah Ching, dressed in her usual green stood before them. She pointed her bamboo stick at Si Shi. She stared at the face of Shi Si, the killing rage on face gradually disappeared, replaced with disappointment and self-pity, then it changed to surprise, admiration and finally worship. She whispered "There...there really is such beauty under heaven! Feng Li, she is even more....more beautiful than you described." Her slender waist turned. With a cry, she flew up through the window. The cry went farther and farther until its reverberation was left.
The surviving guards ran inside the room. One of them bowed "Minister, are you all right?" Feng Li merely dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Then he held Si Shi's hand and said "Let's change into the clothes of commners. We'll go rowing a boat upon Lake Tai and never return to this place."
Happiness shone from Si Shi's eyes. Suddenly she frowned and she reached toward her heart. Ah Ching's bamboo stick didn't touch her, but the pure chi from the stick had reached into her body and did her some slight harm.
In the next two thousand years, all people know that the most beautiful image in the world was Si Shi holding her hands in front of her bosom.
Where are they now?
King Kou Chiang finally got his vengeance, but something had happened to him during all those years when the only emotion he could feel was hate. Feng Li must have sensed it. He resigned his post and told his buddy Wen Chung to resign with him. He said "Kou Chiang is someone who you can depend on during hard times, but it will be impossible to share good times with him." Wen Chung didn't believe his old friend. He believed that he could finally enjoy the rewards he deserved.
Feng Li disappeared from history. Some said that he became a hermit. Some said that he became a merchant prince who owned the wealth of kingdoms. Si Shi became the Chinese version of Helen, the beauty who destroyed a great kingdom. Some said that Si Shi went with Feng Li and they lived happily ever after. Some said that Si Shi died when Kou Chiang's wife, fearing losing her husband, tied a rock to the woman's back and sank her in a lake, gloating "Now, you never have to grow old." You can pick the ending you prefer.
Kou Chiang became as Feng Li predicted, cruel and merciless. Wen Chung was forced to commit suicide when he was wrongfully charged with treason. The end he inflicted upon Wu Tzu-shi became his own end. Kou Chiang became full of pride. He made war with the great powers of northern China. The wars brought no decisive victory. Then he died. After his death his kingdom fell apart. Eventually, Chuh absorbed the territories of Wu and Yueh. The Yueh people fled south. Over the centuries, they were pushed farther south by the expanding Chinese empire until they entered present day Vietnam. They are there still.
Recently, an archaeological excavation in Hunan uncovered two bronze swords. One of them was thought to be the sword of Fu Chai. The other was attributed to be the sword owned by Kou Chiang. The legends of the precious swords have some basis in fact. If anyone know more about the archaeological findings, please e-mail me. The swords Fish Intestine and Defeater of Evil were buried with King Ho Lu, Fu Chai's father. The locals swore that they periodically saw a white tiger standing upon the tomb of Ho Lu. The white tiger was the symbol of metal, so the locals believe that the tiger was the personification of the magic swords under there. Believe it or not.
As for the Yueh Maiden, she never existed in real history. She always existed in the land of legends and there, presumably, she roams still. Doubtlessly she has performed many great deeds there, deeds which will remain unknown until some scribe comes and tell the tales as they deserve to be told.
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