Good and Evil

Translated from the original French text by Grand Master Nam Anh, 1999

The forests and mountains of Lai Châu, on the Vietnamese-Chinese border, in the year 1935. Inside a house of earthen walls beneath a tilting, dilapidated roof, an air of desolation hung heavy. Nguyên Tế Công remained unhurried and composed as he fastened the last button of his night-traveling garments, then spoke to the one who had just broken in:

— How did you manage to find my whereabouts, Junior Brother?

Nguyên Minh replied, without answering the question:

— Master has ordered you to return to the Temple to account for your conduct. Word has spread throughout the martial world that Senior Brother has caused numerous massacres, and that your staff — the weapon Master bestowed upon you at your descent from the mountain — has now been stained with blood. You have committed grave violations of the precepts and have brought dishonor upon the name of Kim Cương Temple!

Tế Công suddenly burst into laughter — deep, resonant sounds that caused the entire dark forest in the dead of night to tremble:

— My dear Junior Brother, even the compassionate gates of the Buddha must be shut tight against bandits and violent outlaws. All the more so for me — I am one who acts on Heaven’s behalf, relieving the suffering of the oppressed and upholding justice. In what way have I erred? Of all those whose lives I have taken, show me a single one who was not a tyrant or a local despot — show me a single one who was not a corrupt and villainous official!

— The Way of Heaven proclaims virtue and cherishes life, Nguyên Minh reminded him. And there is the saying: “In the beginning, human nature is fundamentally good.” As one who walks the path of righteousness, why did Senior Brother not grant them one final chance to live? After all, we are but mortal beings of flesh and blood — good and evil are difficult to distinguish, and both exist within us. Therefore, extreme measures driven by emotion are not always necessary, nor are they always right!

Tế Công hung his pair of twin sabers back on the wall, concealed behind a bamboo curtain. He let out a long sigh:

— Very well! Out of reverence for Master, and in acknowledgment of Junior Brother’s wise counsel…

Stepping out of the makeshift shelter, Tế Công took Nguyên Minh by the hand and said:

— Come with me, and Junior Brother will come to understand that in a beautiful garden, there can be no place for weeds.

It was the height of summer, yet the air was bitterly cold. Beneath the moonlight, droplets of dew clung to the forest leaves, glittering like scattered jewels in the dark…