The Strength Gu tribe.
In the three-courtyard manor of their chief, Longtu, Xu Qi’an swept his gaze over the furnishing style of the inner hall. It was clearly modelled after the Central Plains, yet it couldn’t rid itself of the Southern Marches’ roughness and simplicity, making it look rather mismatched.
“The Gu God’s power in the Abyss won’t threaten you for the time being. If a similar crisis happens again in future, just inform me in advance.”
Xu Qi’an sat in a large chair, lifted his teacup, and took a sip of the Southern Marches’ local tea.
Below him, Longtu, Chunyan, and the other chiefs were all smiles, warm and respectful.
Chunyan said with a smile,
“Many thanks to Silver Gong Xu for your help. The shaman clans will remember your kindness, and may the friendship between the Great Feng and the Southern Marches endure forever.”
With her legs crossed, Luanyu cast bright, lively glances and said in a coquettish tone,
“Silver Gong Xu came to the Southern Marches without even telling little old me. You had us thinking some beyond-mortal Gu beast had been born. You nearly scared me to death!”
As she spoke, her pale little hand patted her chest.
Because of her accent, some of the words were a little garbled, but her voice was soft, magnetic, and faintly syrupy. One could tell at once she was a seductress.
Xu Qi’an ignored her and said seriously,
“I know the Great Feng’s reputation isn’t very good. Before this, you didn’t trust the Great Feng either. The reason you formed an alliance was because of me.
“This Silver Gong can guarantee to you all that as long as I’m around, the Great Feng and the shaman clans will always be allies.”
How the Great Feng saw itself: the rightful orthodox power of Jiuzhou, a land of propriety, powerful and dignified.
How the various major factions saw the Great Feng: faithless, despicable, shameless turncoats!
On that point, the Buddhist sect and the Church of the Warlock God had the most right to speak.
The promise of a first rank martial artist greatly heartened Longtu and the others, while Chunyan, seeing that Silver Gong Xu paid no heed to Luanyu’s flirtatious glances and seduction, silently raised her estimation of him.
After all, Silver Gong Xu was famous for his womanising ways. Before he’d made his name, he’d spent his days in the Jiaofangsi, maintaining close ties with a whole host of Oiran, and he held quite a status in those circles.
“As for the supplies promised to you, it may take one or two years. The Central Plains are rebuilding from ruin, and we truly can’t spare the funds and grain. But I’ve already brought the compensation for the fallen Gu tribe soldiers.”
Xu Qi’an looked at Chunyan and said apologetically,
“I’m sorry. The five hundred flying beast troops of the Heart Gu tribe were wiped out to the last man.”
A trace of sorrow flashed through Chunyan’s eyes as she said softly,
“I believe they were long prepared to die on the battlefield. They were the bravest warriors of the Heart Gu tribe. The tribe will look after their wives and children.”
Xu Qi’an nodded and said in a low voice,
“They’re heroes of the Great Feng as well. I’ve discussed it with His Majesty. Schools will be set up in the border markets of Yongzhou. The descendants of these soldiers who died for the Great Feng may attend free of charge. Food, clothing, lodging, and travel expenses will all be borne by the border markets.
“If other children of the shaman clans wish to study and learn to read as well, they may come too, but they’ll have to pay tuition.”
The delight on the faces of the chiefs was impossible to hide. Confucianism currently had the most complete educational system in Jiuzhou, including but not limited to History, Medicine, Law, Rites, Arithmetic, and Geography.
Once the children of the shaman clans gained a strong cultural foundation, they could write the history of the clans, establish sound laws and rituals, and bring endless benefits.
To give a more practical example, if Lina had studied geography, then when she’d headed north back then, she wouldn’t have got lost, nor would she have been cheated out of all her silver.
Or again, when the shaman clans traded with merchant caravans from the Central Plains, they were often swindled because they didn’t know arithmetic.
The chief of the Poison Gu tribe, Baji, stood up. Looking sincere, he copied the etiquette of the Central Plains and cupped his hands in salute.
“For the shaman clans, this is a merit that will benefit a thousand autumns. Many thanks, Silver Gong Xu. The shaman clans will remember your kindness for generation after generation.”
Longtu suddenly stood up and said in his deep, booming voice,
“Then it’s settled! On behalf of everyone in the Strength Gu tribe, I thank Silver Gong Xu.”
His eyes shone, as if he’d just picked up the bargain of a lifetime.
Ah, well, I hadn’t finished. Children of the Strength Gu tribe will have to bring their own rice… Xu Qi’an said helplessly,
“The places are limited, and there’ll be an assessment once every three months. Any child who fails will be sent back.”
…
At the summit of the immortal mountain, Heavenly Venerable Hall.
Li Miaozhen and Li Lingsu descended on flying swords into the square outside the hall. Li Lingsu glanced at the lofty and majestic palace and felt somewhat timid.
Li Miaozhen, meanwhile, said nothing.
“Remember your master’s instructions.”
Daoist Xuancheng gave a warning.
Li Lingsu nodded obediently.
Li Miaozhen pressed her lips together and said in a low voice,
“Master, where exactly did this disciple go wrong?”
Bingyi Yuanjun gazed at Li Miaozhen and said indifferently,
“You were wrong to hate evil as if it were your enemy, wrong to rush to uphold justice, wrong because your eyes couldn’t tolerate a grain of sand.
“Do not defy the Heavenly Venerable. Accept punishment, and you’ll pass through this tribulation safely. Otherwise, even your master won’t be able to save you.”
With that, Daoist Xuancheng and Bingyi Yuanjun stepped into Heavenly Venerable Hall.
Crouching dragon gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and with the attitude that dying sooner or later was still dying, followed his master into Heavenly Venerable Hall.
Fledgling Phoenix followed silently behind senior brother.
The Heavenly Venerable Hall had been built on an exceptionally grand scale. Judging from the exterior alone, it looked more like a palace built for giants.
Massive pillars supported a dome over a hundred feet high, and each pillar required ten men to encircle it with joined arms. As Li Miaozhen and the others walked down the passage through the middle of the hall, even their footsteps echoed inside.
At the end of the passage stood a high imperial seat. The Heavenly Venerable, with white hair and beard, sat cross-legged upon a lotus dais, head slightly bowed as though asleep. Behind his head revolved a four-coloured halo of “earth, wind, water, fire”.
On either side of the seat stood nine elders of the Heaven Sect, men and women, some young, some old. At this moment, they looked towards Li Miaozhen and Li Lingsu with indifferent expressions.
It was as though they were looking at people of no consequence at all, with none of the air of “hating iron for not becoming steel” or of coming to call them to account.
But Li Miaozhen and Li Lingsu knew their own situation well. The Holy Sons and Holy Maidens of the Heaven Sect through the generations were always warned by their elders with one sentence when travelling the jianghu:
Do not become entangled in karma.
What that meant was to viej things as far as possible from the perspective of an onlooker, to watch the changes of the world, the shifts in the situation, and the struggles of all living beings trying to survive in the mortal world.
Through this, one could comprehend the Supreme Detachment from Emotion.
Confucian scholars also liked to travel with book box on their backs for the same reason. When you had seen all living beings, you would understand them.
The situation of the Heaven Sect, however, was a little different. To be honest, Li Miaozhen and Li Lingsu’s approach was correct, to first have emotion, then forget emotion.
That was certainly easier for gaining insight than simply standing by and watching.
But the problem was that the risk was too great. Li Lingsu and Li Miaozhen weren’t unique cases. In the past, there had also been Holy Sons and Holy Maidens of the Heaven Sect who sank too deeply into the mortal world and couldn’t pull themselves free.
Some betrayed their sect, married and had children, or became dutiful husbands and wives.
That was still the better outcome. A very few even fell into the demonic path and became fiends who brought calamity to a whole region.
First have emotion, then forget emotion. Easy to say, but how many who first had emotion only sank ever deeper and never emerged again?
Was it easy for the Heaven Sect to raise Holy Sons and Holy Maidens?
So later on, the elders would warn the Holy Sons and Holy Maidens, do not become entangled in karma.
And they kept a particularly close watch on Holy Sons and Holy Maidens who went down the mountain.
“Greetings to the Heavenly Venerable!”
Daoist Xuancheng and Bingyi Yuanjun saluted in flat tones and with expressionless faces.
“Greetings to the Heavenly Venerable!”
Li Lingsu and Li Miaozhen copied their masters’ manner and offered a cold salute.
It was like two huskies had somehow mixed themselves into a pack of wolves.
It just gave people the feeling that something was off.
The Heavenly Venerable sat with head bowed, cross-legged. Though no one saw him open his mouth, his vast voice echoed through the hall:
“Li Lingsu, you went down the mountain to travel for three years, and in that time you made three hundred and ninety-two female confidantes, spread across the Central Plains, the Southern Marches, and elsewhere. You indulged in lust and couldn’t pull yourself free. We ask you, how exactly do you intend to achieve supreme detachment from emotion?”
Good grief, you animal, that many?!
Li Miaozhen tilted her head and quickly shot a glance at her senior brother, almost failing to maintain her cold expression.
Li Lingsu wore a tragic look as he said:
“The Heavenly Venerable has miscalculated. It was three hundred and ninety-seven. Four of them died in the chaos of war, and this disciple’s heart aches greatly…”
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the temperature in the hall plummet. It actually felt a bit cold, so he hurriedly added:
“This disciple’s heart aches greatly, and feels that I’m already not far from supreme detachment from emotion.”
The Heavenly Venerable didn’t respond.
Li Lingsu took a deep breath and began to explain his own philosophy:
“This disciple feels that if one wishes to forget emotion, one must first understand what emotion is, and what love is.
“In order not to disappoint the high hopes of the sect, this disciple chose to brave the danger personally and throw myself into emotion. But this disciple is slow-witted. At first, I only felt the wonder of love and affection, and didn’t understand why one had to forget emotion.
“But the sect’s secret art can’t be wrong, so this disciple broadened my romantic ties, seeking female confidantes again and again, trying to see through love and passion.”
Seated to the left of the imperial dais, an old Daoist with greying hair asked expressionlessly:
“And have you gained any insight into supreme detachment from emotion?”
Li Lingsu shook his head.
“This disciple is—is still a little short of it. But I ask the Heavenly Venerable and all the elders to believe that this disciple isn’t indulging in women. This disciple is doing it in order to comprehend supreme detachment from emotion.”
The greying old Daoist gave a faint nod, then turned to the Heavenly Venerable and said:
“The Holy Son is addicted to women. Heavenly Venerable, you may as well consider castration.”
Li Lingsu’s face went white, and he stammered:
“W—wasn’t it agreed that it would be ‘sever worldly ties and cut mortal desires’?”
The Heavenly Venerable’s vast voice echoed through the hall:
“What do the rest of you think?”
The elders each pondered in silence, then shook their heads together and replied:
“We believe that Holy Son Li Lingsu is incapable of forgetting emotion. His memories should be cut away, and his heart method cultivated anew.”
The Heavenly Venerable said slowly:
“So be it!”
Li Lingsu’s lips moved. He wanted to argue, wanted to protest, but in the end he chose silence. He had no power to change the sect’s decision.
Li Miaozhen glanced at him and suddenly felt a little bleak.
The Heavenly Venerable’s voice echoed again:
“Holy Maiden Li Miaozhen, after going down the mountain, you robbed the rich to help the poor, upheld justice and chivalry, and one year later went to Yunzhou, where you raised a private army to suppress bandits. Afterwards you entered the capital in Heaven Sect’s place to carry out the conflict of Heaven and Man…”
The Heavenly Venerable spoke at length, summarising Li Miaozhen’s deeds in the martial world.
“Li Miaozhen, you hate evil as if it were your mortal enemy, and can’t abide the slightest speck of grit in your eyes. Though you do good deeds, you are bound by emotion. It is emotion that commands you, not you that command it. What have you to say?”
All the elders looked at Li Miaozhen in unison.
Compared with Li Lingsu, the Holy Maiden’s situation was the truly serious one. Heaven Sect preached supreme detachment from emotion, and at its core, that meant transcending emotion and standing above it.
Li Miaozhen was the exact opposite. Her emotions were too vigorous. It was emotion that controlled her.
On the Yongzhou battlefield, she would rather live and die alongside her fallen comrades than survive alone. That was the clearest example.
“This disciple has nothing to say.”
Li Miaozhen spoke softly.
“Are you willing to accept the punishment of having your memories severed?” The Heavenly Venerable’s voice echoed through the hall, and also by her ears.
Li Miaozhen lowered her head and remained silent, silent still.
Bingyi Yuanjun turned to look at her and said emotionlessly:
“The Heavenly Venerable is asking you a question.”
The Daoist nun seated on the right said coolly:
“The Holy Son can at least part with his many female confidantes. You travelled down the mountain for three years. Of all those rabble you met and saw, what is there that you can’t part with?”
Li Lingsu’s face was full of bitterness.
The greying old Daoist said in a cold tone:
“You and the Holy Son both possess beyond-mortal talent. If you comprehend supreme detachment from emotion, you may roam freely between Heaven and Earth, with boundless lifespan, and continue Heaven Sect’s legacy. The mortals of the secular world live only a short hundred years. They ought not to become your fetters and your obstacles.
“Their lives are meaningless. Sever your memories, and you’ll still be Heaven Sect’s Holy Maiden.”
Meaningless?
At that moment, all the things she had experienced since going down the mountain, all the people she had met, flashed through her mind.
There were heartless local gentry who enriched themselves without mercy. There were officials who occupied their posts while doing nothing. There were common people who had suffered hardship and oppression. There were the sincere smiles of gratitude after receiving help. There were scholars travelling with packs on their backs in search of learning. There were the heroes who had followed her to Yunzhou to pacify the rebellion. There was the young hero who had quietly liked her for a long time yet never dared confess his feelings. There were the comrades who had died in Yongzhou. There were the members of the Heaven and Earth Society who watched over and helped one another.
And there was him…
The him in Yunzhou, whose one promise weighed a thousand tons of gold. The him in the Buddhist contest, who vowed unto death that he wouldn’t return. The him at the execution ground, who furiously slew a duke and from then on refused to be an official. The him at Yuyang Pass, who swallowed a golden core and leapt down from the city wall. The him who stormed the imperial palace and shouted that when a common man was enraged, all under Heaven would be clothed in mourning.
She couldn’t forget the comrades who had died in Yongzhou. To do that would be a betrayal of them.
She couldn’t forget the people she had once helped, because those were the most precious memories of her life, the meaning of her three years wandering the martial world.
She couldn’t forget that person, the person she spoke of with disdain, yet had always admired and looked up to in her heart.
Everyone in the world knew that Lady Flying Swallow was swift to help the needy, upheld justice, and punished evil.
Everyone in the world knew that Silver Gong Xu served the nation and the people, with an iron will and a loyal heart.
She wasn’t alone.
Li Miaozhen raised her head and said:
“This disciple is unwilling!”
The Heavenly Venerable said nothing, but the temperature in the hall plunged sharply, sending chills through every body.
Li Miaozhen stood fearless, staring straight at the bowed figure of the Heavenly Venerable seated in meditation, and said word by word:
“This disciple has acted openly and honourably. In these three years, I may have failed the sect, but I haven’t failed Heaven and Earth, nor the people of the Central Plains. To aid all under Heaven, to punish evil and promote good, this has always been this disciple’s cherished wish.
“The Heavenly Venerable may kill me, may cripple me, but must not disgrace me by severing my memories.
“I ask the Heavenly Venerable to grant it.”
The hall fell utterly silent. All the sect members turned in unison to look at the Heavenly Venerable.
After a moment of silence, the Heavenly Venerable’s vast voice echoed out:
“As you wish.”
Bingyi Yuanjun’s pupils seemed to contract slightly.
Daoist Xuancheng, along with the elders on both sides, closed their eyes.
Li Lingsu’s face was white as paper.
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