This novel is not mine and is not translated by me.

The original author is Meng Xi Shi and translated by MoMoePom

Half-Step Peak, as its name suggested, had only a few square inches of space for one to stand such that just half a step forward would bring you to the edge of a cliff thousands of meters high. On top of it, queer rocks towered aloft, and odd trees grew wildly, while below it fogs and mists billowed boundlessly. The image of a screaming god or a standing ghost would not be bizarre compared to this jagged and perilous scenery; even the sky and earth seemed unable to touch each other here.

Across from this was another peak called Regret Peak, which was no less cloud-piercing and precipitous than Half-Step Peak. Its ridge rose hundreds of meters high vertically as if it had been sliced with a knife and left seemingly no space for one to set their feet on. Although there was still some greenery, all were rooted shallowly on the stones without any dirt to cover their roots, making anyone who dared take a glance tremble and regret climbing to the top of the peak. This was exactly where the “regret” in its name came from.

Between the two peaks was a natural barrier. Looking down from the top of it, the sea of clouds seemed stagnant, making it impossible to tell the depths of the crevice. Vaguely, one could hear the sound of water from a river flowing endlessly in a powerful momentum like that of a thirsty tiger or a running lion. Even ordinary woodsmen and hunters dared not climb it. If a Xiantian [1] expert [2] was ever to stand there, he too would be moved by the insignificance of men’s will compared with that of the Heavens.

Yet, down below the clouds and haze, at the bottom of the cliff and between the river and the mountainsides, lay a narrow and rugged stone path paved with strange-shaped rocks. At that moment, two people were walking on it, one following the other.

The turbulent river surged onwards, with its waves occasionally curling up and smashing themselves onto the wet and slippery rocks. It was easy for the ones who walked along the path to become soaked, if not by falling into the river then from the forcefully splashing waves of it at least. But if one tried to lean into the cliff, they would end up hitting the sharp, jagged rocks on the surface of the tilting, steep stone walls. In such a difficult situation, anyone would be stuck like a drowned mouse. It was utterly impossible to remain carefree and graceful while strolling leisurely as though one was pacing in a courtyard — like the two people right here.

“It was said that twenty years ago, the Daoist Master Qi of Mount Xuandu defeated Hulugu, the number one expert in Tujue [3], right here on top of Half-Step Peak, and forced him to swear not to enter the Central Plains [4] again for the next twenty years. It was a pity that I was too young to witness the fight back then, though I imagine its brilliance must have been unequaled.”

The young man who had spoken was the one who followed behind. Their pace was moderate, yet they remained three steps apart from each other.

The man in front took small steps, appearing to be at such ease that it truly seemed as though he was walking on flat ground. The young man behind had slightly larger steps; though he was also as graceful as an immortal when seen alone, it was not difficult to distinguish the minute difference if one was to compare them together.

 Yan Wushi sneered, “Considering all that was under the Heavens, Qi Fengge in those years truly deserved to be called ‘number one’. Hulugu, who was just an uncivilized barbarian, had only himself to blame as it was his overconfidence that brought shame onto himself. It was just that Qi Fengge held on too tightly to the aloofness of the Daoist sects and refused to deliver killing blows to him, insisting on making some twenty-year covenant instead. Besides planting the seed of future troubles for Mount Xuandu, in what way was it helpful?

Yu Shengyan asked curiously, “Master, are Hulugu’s martial skills really that good?”

 “If I were to fight him right now, there would still be no certainty of my victory.”

“Is he really that strong?!” Yu Shengyan’s expression turned fearful. He knew exactly how strong and unfathomable his master’s martial skills were. Since Hulugu received a comment like this from Yan Wushi, his level must have been just as dreadful. Perhaps he could even make it into the top three under the Heavens.

Yan Wushi’s voice sounded indifferent: “Otherwise why would I say that Qi Fengge had left his generations of disciples endless troubles? It was true that twenty years ago, Hulugu was slightly inferior compared to Qi Fengge, but this gap was not something impossible to make up within two decades. Now that Qi Fengge is dead, Mount Xuandu can never find a second Qi Fengge.”

Yu Shengyan let out a soft sigh: “That’s right, Daoist Master Qi ascended to the Heavens [5] five years ago.”

“Who’s the sect leader of Mount Xuandu now?”

“It’s a disciple of Qi Fengge named Shen Qiao.”

Yan Wushi barely showed any reaction to the name. He had met Qi Fengge only once, and that was twenty-five years ago. At that time, Shen Qiao had just been accepted by Qi Fengge as his personal disciple [6].

Even though Mount Xuandu was called “the number one Daoist sect under the Heavens,” in the eyes of Yan Wushi, who had just come out from a ten-year Closed Door Meditation [7], besides Qi Fengge, there was no one in Mount Xuandu that was worthy enough to be his match.

But Qi Fengge was already dead.

Seeing his master not showing much interest, Yu Shengyan continued, “I’ve heard that Hulugu’s disciple, Kunye, the Tuqi King of the Left [8] and also the number one expert in Tujue nowadays, had challenged Shen Qiao for a duel today on the top of Half-Step Peak, claiming it as revenge for the humiliation back then. Would Master be interested in going for a look?”

 Yan Wushi did not bother to reply, but instead asked, “During the ten years while I was in Meditation, was there any other major event besides Qi Fengge’s death?”

Yu Shengyan thought for a moment: “Not long after you entered Meditation, Gao Wei ascended the throne as the new Emperor of Qi [9]. But he is a man wallowing in sensual pleasures and indulges in high living, so over the past ten years, the national power of Qi has declined drastically. There are rumors that Yuwen Yong, the Emperor of Zhou [10], is planning on attacking Qi. I’m afraid that the northern area will soon fall into the hands of Zhou.”

“After Qi Fengge’s death, the rankings of the top ten experts have also changed. Among them, Yi Bichen of the Chunyang Daoist Temple of Mount Qingcheng, Zen Master Xueting of Zhou, and Master-in-Charge Ruyan Kehui of the Linchuan Institute [11] are generally acknowledged as the top three, and the three of them happen to represent the Three Schools [12] of Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.”

“But some say that Sage [13] Jushe of Tuyuhun [14] should also be one of the top three. Hulugu as well. If he has advanced further in skills over the past twenty years, then when he re-enters the Central Plains this time, it might not be impossible for him to even strive for the position of number one. ”

 Seeing that his master was still moving forward without responding, Yu Shengyan further persuaded: “Master, Kunye has challenged Shen Qiao to a duel today, presumably a splendid fight hard to come by. Shen Qiao as a person lives a very secluded life. Ever since he took charge of the Purple Mansion of Xuandu [15], he engages even less in fights with others. Simply because of his master Qi Fengge’s illustrious reputation, he is also ranked among the top ten experts. If Master wants to take a look at the actual strength of Mount Xuandu, the fight today is definitely something we don’t want to miss. I’m afraid that at this moment, the summit of Regret Peak is already packed with experts who have come to watch it.”

“Do you think the reason that I came here today was to watch the fight?” Yan Wushi finally stopped.

Yu Shengyan was a bit nervous: “Then Master’s plan is?”

He was only seven years old when Yan Wushi took him as his disciple. Three years later, Yan Wushi was defeated in the battle against the Grand Master of the Demonic Sect, Cui Youwang, and entered Closed Door Meditation while wounded — a Meditation that had lasted ten years.

 In that ten years, Yu Shengyan continued to practice as Yan Wushi had instructed and also traveled to many places. His progress was far beyond what it had been, as he was already among the first-rate experts since long ago. However, it had been ten years since they had last seen each other, and naturally, there were some gaps and unfamiliarity between them. Moreover, as the martial state of Yan Wushi became deeper and more profound, the awe in Yu Shengyan’s heart became greater as well. Even his usual casualness in front of others had turned into a sort of careful caution in front of his master.

 With his hands clasped behind his back, Yan Wushi said in a plain voice, “I saw the duel between Qi Fengge and Hulugu many years ago. Both Shen Qiao and Kunye are their disciples, but still young; no matter how skillful they are, it’s impossible that their fight will surpass the spectacle of the fight between Qi and Hu. I brought you here because, with the rapid flow of water and its arduous landscape, this place connects upwards to the shadows of the heavens and downwards to the spirit of the earth–an optimum place for practicing and comprehending martial arts. When I was in Meditation, I didn’t have time to take care of you. Now that I have come out, I can no longer let you linger in your current progress without any breakthroughs. Until you can comprehend and reach the fifth stage of the Fundamental Records of Phoenix-Qilin, you shall remain here.”

Yu Shengyan suddenly felt a bit wronged. Over the past ten years, even throughout his travels, he had never missed even one day of practice. Now he was barely twenty, yet he had already reached the fourth stage of Fundamental Records of Phoenix-Qilin and was acknowledged among the best of the younger generation. He was quite satisfied with himself, but after his master’s words, it seemed like he had accomplished nothing of merit.

As if he was aware of Yu Shengyan’s feelings, a sarcastic smile appeared on Yan Wushi’s face as he curled up the corner of his mouth: “By the time I had reached your age, I had already attained the sixth stage. What is it that you are so proud of? Rather than competing with those little fishes and shrimps, why don’t you compete against me?”

Some grizzle was scattered among his sideburns, but that did in no way reduce his charms. In fact, the traces of that faint smile made it even harder to take one’s eyes off his handsome appearance.

The white robe rustled in the gale, but the person in it remained unshakable. Just standing there with his hands clasped behind his back, an invisible aura of deterrence formed with such arrogance as though he was looking down from the top of the world, challenging anyone who entered.

 At that moment, Yu Shengyan stood across him and felt a sense of suffocation that compelled him to take a few steps backward. In profound reverence and fear, he said, “Master possesses heavenly talents, how dare I, your disciple, compete against you!”

“Greet me with your most powerful moves. I want to see your progress during these years.”

 Ever since his master’s Meditation, Yu Shengyan had never tested his martial skill, thus he was slightly hesitant after hearing the challenge, but at the same time itching to try. However, that hesitation vanished as soon as he saw the hint of impatience that flashed across Yan Wushi’s face.

“Then please excuse your disciple for his rudeness!” Before his voice could fade, his body had already moved in accordance with his mind, and the sleeves of his robe flew up in the air. Without much movement, he was already close enough to Yan Wushi.

Yu Shengyan raised his sleeve and attacked with his palm. In the eyes of others, his move was not in the least powerful, much like picking up a flower on a spring day or swiping away dust on a summer night. Its lightness was almost otherworldly.

Only those close to it were able to feel that as his palm was striking out, all the plants within a meter shook and the river started to backflow, its waves tempestuous and foam flying in a flow of air that surged up with a roar and rushed towards Yan Wushi!

However, this flow, with a momentum that could stop the rivers or even turn the tide of the sea, split and ran off to either side as it reached Yan Wushi as if it were blocked by an invisible screen.

He was still standing there. His posture had not changed even a bit. As Yu Shengyan’s palm approached his eyes, he simply struck out with a finger.

 One finger only, and nothing more.

 This single finger literally stopped Yu Shengyan’s offensive in mid-air.

Yu Shengyan felt that the entire airstream surrounding the palm he had just thrown out was turning back towards him. The counter-charged reflux that blasted back at his face was several times more powerful than he had created just now. Astonished, he used the power of the flow to assist his feet in a hurried retreat!

 This retreat carried him back more than ten steps!

Until he finally stabilized himself on one of the stones, he was still palpitating with fear. “Thanks Master for your mercy!”

 There were few people in the pugilistic world that could withstand this palm strike of his. Yu Shengyan had been quite complacent with it prior to this.

 But Yan Wushi, with only one finger, was able to force him to withdraw the palm in self-defense.

‘Fortunately, Master was only testing my progress and did not push the advantage with further attacks. If it had been an enemy…’

Considering this point, Yu Shengyan was covered in cold sweat as he panicked and dared not walk on air anymore.

 Knowing that he had already attained his objective, Yan Wushi did not intend to say more. “Don’t waste your superb talents. In a few days, I will leave for Tujue for some time. After you reach the fifth stage here, if there is nothing else to do, you can go find your senior martial brother. Don’t spend too much time loitering outside.”

Yu Shengyan replied most respectfully, “Yes.”

Yan Wushi continued, “This place’s views are crafted by nature and is seldom visited. I wish to take a tour around, so there’s no need for you to…”

Before he finished, a rattling sound came from not far above them. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw someone, as if he had been thrown from above, breaking layers of branches and hitting the bottom of the cliff. Even Yu Shengyan could not hold back an “ouch!” after hearing the muffled thud of the landing.

Falling from such a high peak, even for a Xiantian master, would still be hard to survive.

Not to mention that this person definitely did not fall without reason: it must be because he had been severely wounded.

“Master?” He looked at Yan Wushi for instructions.

“Go take a look,” said Yan Wushi.

His Daoist robe was torn in many places, likely by branches and jags while he was falling. With the bloodstains and fresh blood crisscrossing his torn flesh, it was even harder to recognize his original appearance.

The person had already passed out and was unconscious, unable to even hold onto his sword. As he hit the ground, his sword followed after and fell not far from him.

“I’m afraid that a number of his bones were broken.” Yu Shengyan examined the fallen man for a while with his eyebrows wrinkled and expressed his sympathy with some clicks of his tongue. He took his pulse, then felt there was still a slim chance of survival.

But for a person like this one, even if his life could be saved, the result might not be much more pleasant than death to him.

Yu Shengyan was a disciple of the Demonic Sect after all. In spite of him being still young, the amount of kindness he had was quite limited. Therefore, even though he had the Great Healing Pills on him at the time, he showed no intention of using it on the person.

But…

“Master, today is the date of the duel between Shen Qiao and Kunye. This person fell down from above, could it be…”

Yan Wushi came over. Instead of looking at the man, he picked up his sword first.

Its blade was cold like the autumn water, without the least bit of damage, and the reflection of the rivers and the mists on it made it appear as if the blade itself was rippling. Near the handle of the sword were four seal characters [16].

Yu Shengyan came closer for a look, then let out a shout in surprise: “Grieving Celestial [17] Sword! This sword belongs to the sect leader of the Purple Mansion of Xuandu, so he is indeed Shen Qiao!”

Staring at Shen Qiao, who was seriously wounded to the point of dying, he felt it almost incredible: “Qi Fengge was the strongest martial artist. How come Shen Qiao, his personal disciple as well as the sect leader of Mount Xuandu, was defeated so completely?”

Yu Shengyan squatted in front of Shen Qiao and his eyebrows furrowed. “Could it be that Kunye’s martial skills have reached a point where he has even surpassed his master Hulugu?”

If any other person from Mount Xuandu had fallen, Yan Wushi would take no interest or even give them another glance. But Shen Qiao, who was the sect leader after all, was indeed special.

He threw the Grieving Celestial Sword to Yu Shengyan, then stared at Shen Qiao’s unrecognizable countenance for a moment. Suddenly, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

“Give him a Great Healing Pill to take for now.”

Translator’s Notes:

[1] Xiantian/Houtian (先天/后天): the names of two cultivation stages which appear in several novels, with the Houtian stage preceding the Xiantian stage. Houtian can mean Posterior Heaven / Post-celestial / Acquired. Xiantian can mean Anterior Heaven / Pre-celestial / Innate. Very roughly, the idea is that something “Xiantian” is primordial and thus close to the Dao, while something “Houtian” is degraded or further away from the Dao.

These two terms are derived from Daoism and Internal Alchemy. There’s a belief that people are born with a small amount of Xiantian treasures (Essence, Qi and Spirit). By practicing Daoist cultivation and internal alchemy, they can absorb and refine the Houtian Qi of the natural world to steadily increase their supply of Xiantian treasures (which grant health and longevity benefits).  [Source]

[2] Expert: From now onwards, “expert” will often be used as an abbreviation for “expert of martial arts”.

[3] Tujue (突厥): A nomadic confederation of Turkic people in medieval Inner Asia, also known as the Göktürks/Celestial Turks/Blue Turks/Kok Turks. [Source (wiki)]

[4] Central Plains (中原 zhongyuan): The area on the lower reaches of the Yellow River which formed the cradle of Chinese civilization. In was considered to be the center of the world by ancient Chinese, and in a broader context, the term also refers to Chinese civilization and China proper, regions directly governed by centralized Chinese governments and dynasties. [Source (wiki)]

[5] Ascended to the Heavens (登遐 dengxia): A polite term for “death”.

[6] Personal Disciple (入室弟子 rushi dizi): Also referred to as in-house disciple, a disciple who has a very intimate relationship with their master and is chosen to be taught by their master personally. Usually, their master passes down everything they know to their personal disciples as well.

[7] Closed Door Meditation (闭关 biguan): Also called Closed Door Training or Closed Door Cultivation. Training done in seclusion, usually to focus on breaking through a bottleneck, to heal injuries/wounds, or to avoid becoming distracted at a crucial moment and suffering a backlash as a result. [Source]

[8] The Tuqi King of the Left (左屠耆王 zuo tuqi wang / 左贤王 zuo xian wang): A high office of the Xiongnu, a title also knowns as “the left worthy/wise prince/king”, which is the expression used by Chinese analysts in reference to the Eastern Turkic Khaganate (aka Tujue here) in the 6-8th centuries, which is the historical settings this novel is in.

The Tuqi King of the Left was generally designated as the successor of the Chanyu/Khan, the leader of the confederation of the nomadic groups (Xiongnu/Tujue). Two titles were awarded with each of them a commander-in-chief who derived his power from the eastern and western territories respectively. These served as two wings alongside the leader’s main domain. The Chinese annalistic explanation was a “Worthy Prince of the Left (East)” and “Worthy Prince of the Right (West)”. This organization of the state was traditional for the Eurasian nomadic states from the Khans to the Turkic Khanates. [Source (wiki)]

[9] Qi: Referring to the Northern Qi, one of the Northern dynasties during the period of Southern and Northern Dynasties in Chinese history. For more information, a wiki page for it is here.

[10] Zhou: Referring to the Northern Zhou. Wiki page can be found here.

[11] Institute (学宫 xuegong): An official Confucian school founded by government. In this novel, this school also serves as an Confucian Sect.

[12] The Three Schools: From now onwards, it will be used as an abbreviation for “the Three Schools of Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism”.

[13] Sage (智者 zhizhe): An honorific given to monks from the Tibetan Buddhism with high ranks.

[14] Tuyuhun (吐谷浑): A powerful kingdom established by Eurasian nomads related to the Xianbei in the Qilian Mountains and upper Yellow River valley.

[15] Purple Mansion of Xuandu (玄都紫府 Xuandu Zifu): Purple Mansion (Zifu) is often used to refer to the place/palace/state where the Immortals live. The Purple Mansion of Xuandu (Xuandu Zifu), is the place where “the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord (太上老君 Taishang Laojun)” lived, who is also known as “the Universally Honoured Virtuous One (道德至尊 Daode Zhizun)” or the Taoist Ancestor. In here, it is used as a name for the Daoist Sect on Mount Xuandu.

[16] Seal Character (篆体): An ancient style of writing Chinese characters that was common throughout the latter half of the 1st millennium BC, evolved originally out of the Zhou dynasty script. Later, it is widely used for and only appears in decorative engraving and seals. [Source (wiki)]

[17] Grieving Celestial (山河同悲 Shanhe Tongbei): Literally means “The Mountains and Rivers grieves together [with them/it]”, while “Mountains and Rivers” is a term often used to refer to “the World/the entire land/the Nature”. There are four characters in Chinese, hence the “four seal characters” in the paragraph above.

This novel is not mine and is not translated by me.

The original author is Meng Xi Shi and translated by MoMoePom

There was no way that Yan Wushi would carry a wounded, dying man on his back, despite that man being the leader of Mount Xuandu.

A disciple was at hand to do the hard jobs. Thus, the task fell to Yu Shengyan.

The Cleansing Moon Sect had a spare mansion in Funing District near Half-Step Peak. It was not easy to walk with someone like Shen Qiao on one’s back, since almost all of his bones had been broken. Especially, one had to also bear in mind the power they were exerting to make sure that Shen Qiao’s condition would not be worsened by it. Although Yu Shengyan’s lightness skills [1] and footwork were top-notch, it still took him almost two hours to reach the mansion.

Yan Wushi had gone on ahead of him. At the moment, he was already having tea at ease.

“Master, are you really saving Shen Qiao?” After settling down the wounded man, Yu Shengyan came to report.

“Should I not?” Yan Wushi asked in reply.

“Pretty much all of his meridians [2] are broken. Many of his bones are fragmented as well. It’s true that he has retained some of his inner qi [3], but even if we can save his life, there is little hope that he would be able to gain his martial arts back. Besides, the back of his head is also cracked from the fall. He may even wake up as an idiot.”

Yan Wushi smiled faintly, although the smile had no warmth to it, and said, “Qi Fengge’s disciple. The sect leader of Mount Xuandu. The commander of all the orthodox sects. He was once bathed in the highest glory, yet with only one defeat, he ended up being worse than useless. Even if he could return to Mount Xuandu, he can never be the sect leader again. Once he wakes up and knows the situation he’s in, I wonder what his feelings will be?”

Yu Shengyan sighed, “That’s true. Even an ordinary person would not be able to accept a fall like this, not to mention someone like Shen Qiao, who has always been favored by the Heavens. The higher one stands, the harder they fall!”

He then doubted, “But after all, since Shen Qiao was a disciple of Qi Fengge and the leader of Mount Xuandu, who also ranked in the top ten, his martial skills must have been outstanding. Even if Kunye was able to defeat him, how could he defeat him in such a crushing way? Could it be that Kunye’s martial skills are even better than that of Hulugu from the past?”

Yan Wushi smiled once again and replied, “As for this question, if Shen Qiao does not wake up as an idiot, then you can ask him.”

Yu Shengyan had a feeling that ever since they picked up Shen Qiao, his master seemed to be in such a good mood that even the number of times he smiled had increased compared to before.

But this was definitely not enough to give him the wrong impression that his master had a soft spot for Shen Qiao, someone he had just met for the first time without even seeing his face clearly.

He asked tentatively, “Did Master decide to save Shen Qiao in order to make Mount Xuandu indebted to us?”

Yan Wushi explained with quite some gusto: “If he died upon his defeat, it could be seen as a good way to end his future troubles. But what if he wakes up and finds out that not only is he still alive but he has also lost everything he once owned, with his body seriously injured, all his meridians broken and his martial arts completely gone–how will he feel? The more power and authority he once held, the harder it will be to accept a blow like this. His mentality will definitely break down. If I then take him as my disciple, gradually turning this once hypocritical, kind-hearted sect leader of Mount Xuandu into a disciple of the Demonic Sect as someone who knows no moral baselines in the eyes of the public, won’t it be quite interesting?”

Yu Shengyan stood aghast as he listened: “…What if he becomes an idiot?”

Yan Wushi replied as if the matter had little importance, “Then just bury him alive wherever you like.”

Yu Shengyan hesitated: “Master, Shen Qiao’s status was quite special. Why don’t we trade him with Mount Xuandu for a favor? For their reputation’s sake at least, they will not leave their sect leader stranded outside, right?”

Yan Wushi sneered faintly. If the person who was here today was Bian Yanmei, his eldest disciple, he certainly would not have asked a question as naive and laughable as this. Yu Shengyan was still too green.

But his mood was rather good today, so he did not stint to explain further: “You know as well that Shen Qiao stands among the top ten martial artists of the day. Even if he dwells in deep seclusion so that only few people have actually seen his skills, since he was able to take over the mantle [4] of Qi Fengge, how bad could he possibly be? After all, Kunye is not Hulugu, who has reached the realm of Xiantian experts. Even if Shen Qiao has lost to Kunye, it still shouldn’t have been a problem for him to retreat safely. Why did he end up like this instead?”

Yu Shengyan was not that dumb indeed. Upon hearing it, he immediately followed up, “Something unforeseen must have happened. If it’s something internal to Mount Xuandu, then even if we hand over Shen Qiao to them, they might not accept him. At that time, it is very likely that not only will we not get a favor from them, but we may even bring unnecessary troubles to ourselves.”

‘At least he is not completely hopeless.’ Thinking that, Yan Wushi looked askance at his disciple, “As long as I’m here, the Cleansing Moon Sect need not consider anyone else’s opinion and there will never be a need to trade for any kind of favor.”

It was true that Shen Qiao’s status was quite special, but for Yan Wushi, he was no different from a somewhat rare plaything.

What he said sounded extremely overbearing, but the Yan Wushi today was truly qualified enough to say something like this.

Ten years ago, although he was defeated and injured in his fight with Cui Youwang, the Sect Master of the Demonic Sect, his opponent did not leave safe and sound either. Moreover, at that time, Cui Youwang’s martial power was already unfathomable to the point that it was keeping up with that of Qi Fengge, with hardly any match for him in the entire world.

Ten years later, Cui Youwang and Qi Fengge were both dead, yet Yan Wushi, after seeing the truth of the ninth stage of the Fundamental Records of Phoenix-Qilin, had scaled new heights. Even though his progress in martial power was yet to be tested, it would definitely not be any lower than that of ten years ago.

Nowadays, only very few people knew that he had reappeared in the pugilistic world, otherwise it would have caused a greater stir.

Perhaps, the rankings of the top ten would need an update as well.

Thinking to this point, Yu Shengyan felt a rush of blood in his heart and became a bit excited: “While you were in Meditation, the Harmony Sect has been causing us troubles almost every day. I fought hand to hand with Sang Jingxing once and was injured, having to leave for somewhere far away, which was the reason for my many years of loitering outside. Fortunately, you are finally back…”

The term “Demonic Sect” that the others used, was in fact only a general name.

Initially, the Demonic Sect referred to the Sun Moon Sect located at Mount Sun Moon on Phoenix-Qilin Isle. Later, the Sun Moon Sect split into three smaller ones: the Cleansing Moon Sect, the Harmony Sect, and the Mirror of Arts Sect [5]. Even though the three of them all belonged to the Demonic Sect, they remained friendly only in appearance, while in fact, they had never stopped fighting with each other both openly and secretly.

After Yan Wushi entered Closed Door Meditation ten years ago, seeing that the Cleansing Moon Sect was now without a leader, the Harmony Sect had intended to merge the Cleansing Moon Sect into itself. However, the disciples of the Cleansing Moon Sect were not only few in number but also scattered, making it hard for the Harmony Sect to take care of every place at the same time. The eldest disciple, Bian Yanmei, had ways to handle matters while staying low-key, thus secretly creating a considerable amount of trouble for people of the Harmony Sect as well.

With their efforts canceling out on each other, the Harmony Sect did not gain many advantages in reality.

It was only Yu Shengyan since he had entered the sect the most recently and was still young in age, that had suffered quite a few losses.

Now that Yan Wushi was out, the people of the Cleansing Moon Sect, much like lost children who had finally found their mother, naturally flew into raptures.

Yan Wushi said, “Ordinary servants will not be able to handle the wounds of Shen Qiao. You stay here and take care of him for a few days till he wakes up, then return to the foot of Half-step Peak and make sure to fully grasp the fifth stage of Fundamental Records of Phoenix-Qilin.”

Yu Shengyan complied respectfully: “As you command.”

…

Shen Qiao’s injuries were very serious, but most of the wounds on his face were mere scratches created during his fall. After all the blood was cleared, his true appearance was revealed.

Even with the wounds on his face and a stripe of gauze circling his head, his handsomeness was in no way damaged. Whether it be his arched nose bridge or the lips that were tightly pressed together, all his features gave him a rather abstinent flavor, fully in keeping with the impressions people had of the Daoist priests of Mount Xuandu–oblivious to the filth of the human world.

It was not hard to imagine what kind of grace this pair of eyes would bring to his current splendor when they opened.

Yu Shengyan was definitely not ugly since he had been taken as a disciple by Yan Wushi. He had traveled all over the world and had seen rather a lot of outstanding beauties himself. But even though the face of Shen Qiao in front of him was covered in wounds, he still spaced out for quite a while before he could pick up the ointment and apply it while sympathizing with him inside.

Even though fractured bones could be set and broken meridians could be reconnected, the seriously wounded internal organs were not that easy to repair. Moreover, his level of cultivation [6] had been greatly reduced, and he would probably remain weaker than even ordinary people for the remainder of his life. Just imagining the loss of all of his martial arts that he had gained through many years of hard work over a single night, Yu Shengyan found it hard to picture and even more so to accept. Putting himself in others' shoes, the conflicts that Shen Qiao was experiencing could only be greater than what he had imagined.

‘What a pity.’ Yu Shengyan said to himself, staring at Shen Qiao’s pale complexion.

The reason that Yan Wushi decided to reach out to save him was merely a sudden impulse. After the saved one was brought back, everything became Yu Shengyan’s responsibility, and Yan Wushi never asked about it again.

Funing District was a rather small district. Normally only a few travelers would stop by, but because the fight on Half-Step Peak had caused such a sensation in the pugilistic world, a number of martial artists came down from Half-Step Peak these days and, while passing by the Funing District, decided to put up at an inn for the night. Yu Shengyan was able to hear plenty of news during his occasional trips outside.

For example, the fight between Shen Qiao and Kunye was splendid. But after all, Shen Qiao was not Qi Fengge, and his level was still very distant from that of his master. On the other hand, even though Kunye was not as good as his master Hulugu yet, he had rather amazing talents. Hence, not only was the Daoist Reverend Shen unable to compete against Kunye, he even fell down the cliff due to Kunye’s attacks, with his remains nowhere to be found.

Prior to it, a lot of people were filled with righteous indignation after hearing Kunye Lama [7]sending the letter of challenge to Shen Qiao, eager to give it a try and wishing to deflate the Tujue people’s arrogance. However, after the fight, seeing that even the sect leader of Mount Xuandu had suffered such an overwhelming loss, all of those who had once offered to stand up for Shen Qiao now yielded spontaneously and dared not brush against Kunye’s spear anymore.

After this battle, Kunye’s reputation was greatly boosted as he replaced Shen Qiao in the rankings of the top ten. It was said that during his trip in the Central Plains this time, he would challenge the masters of the Central Plains in order, and it was very likely that his next target would be the Zen Master Xueting of Zhou.

Since the Jin people’s migration to the south and the uprising of the five barbarians, there had not been a grand unification on the land. These days, in the north there were Zhou, Qi, and in the south, there was Chen Dynasty, with Tujue and Tuyuhun on the side, each occupying a vast expanse of land around the border area. Sects and families each served their own master, and Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism all had their factions set up separately, making a clear distinction between each school.

As the head of all Daoist sects, Mount Xuandu had held fast to its neutral position since Qi Fengge, staying away from all power struggles. Now since Shen Qiao had been defeated by Kunye and his life was still uncertain, no one knew who would succeed him as the sect leader of Mount Xuandu or whether the successor would continue the standpoints of his predecessors.

The main character in the center of the vortex, Shen Qiao, however, was still lying in bed. Yu Shengyan and the servants in the spare mansion would come every day to change his dressings and apply medicine. Without consciousness or sense, feeling neither grief nor joy, he was totally unaware of what was happening in the outside world.

It was not until half a month later that he finally made his first movement.

Yu Shengyan, who was brought by the servants in a haste, was watching Shen Qiao gradually opening his eyes.

“You are seriously injured. The broken bones have not yet recovered, so you’d better not move.”

The other frowned slightly. His lips touched once in an attempt to move them as if he wanted to say something, but then it was replaced by a vacant look that appeared on his face.

‘Don’t tell me he really became an idiot from the fall?’

Yu Shengyan thought as he asked, “Do you still remember your name?”

He slowly blinked once then gradually shook his head. The arc it made was too small to even notice.

Amnesia? Actually, it would be normal, since his head had experienced such serious trauma. Yu Shengyan still remembered that on the day Shen Qiao was brought back, the opening on the back of his head was so deep and long that he could almost see the white skull beneath it.

“This brother…” Speaking seemed to be a very strenuous task for him. Yu Shengyan had to move closer in order to hear him clearly. “As I can only find darkness around me, perhaps, I have lost the ability to see…”

Yu Shengyan was shocked. ‘So he did not become an idiot, but a blind man instead?’

Translator’s Notes:

[1] Lightness Skills (轻功 qinggong): often left untranslated as “Qinggong”. The ability to lighten the body and move with great agility and swiftness. At high proficiency, practitioners of this skill can run across water, leap to the top of trees, or even glide through the air.  [Source]

[2] Meridians (经脉 jingmai): the network of vessels/channels in the body through which Qi flows. Like blood vessels, but for Qi instead of blood.

[3] Inner Qi :  Used in place of Inner Breaths (内息 neixi), which is also referred to as Inner Power (内力 neili) sometimes.  It is the foundation of how much power one can exert on their moves and can be increased through cultivating inner arts.

[4] Mantle (衣钵 yibo): A buddhist term that is often used to depict the passing down of position and knowledge. The disciple who is chosen by their master to succeed their position is often referred to as their “mantle disciple”. As in here, it means since Shen Qiao was able to take over the position of Qi Fengge as the new leader of Mount Xuandu.

[5] Mirror of Arts (法镜 fajing): A more accurate translation is Mirror of Dharma, as in “the Dharma of Buddha is like a mirror”.

[6] Level of cultivation: This is not an xianxia novel, but it’s a high-end wuxia novel that borrows a lot of terms from xianxia. Cultivation refers to cultivating in martial arts here.

[7] Lama: “chief” or “high priest”. It’s a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism.

This novel is not mine and is not translated by me.

The original author is Meng Xi Shi and translated by MoMoePom

“Your name is Shen Qiao, originally a disciple of our Cleansing Moon Sect. Somehow, you were injured severely, but luckily I found you while passing by so I was able to bring you back in time. The enemies who hurt you are from Harmony Sect. Since I was no match for them either, I had to bring you to safety first. You can take revenge on them after you recover and gain your martial skills back.”

Yu Shengyan was talking gibberish solemnly, but Shen Qiao listened to him in true earnestness as well.

In the end, he asked, “Then…how should I address you?”

“My family name is Yu. Yu Shengyan. I’m your senior martial brother.”

This sentence was truly said without conscience. Yu Shengyan was just over twenty this year. Even though Shen Qiao’s appearance did not give away his age, since he was the disciple of Qi Fengge and had been the head of Mount Xuandu for five years, it was impossible that he would be younger than Yu Shengyan.

It was obvious that Yu Shengyan was intentionally exploiting his blindness for an advantage in the form of address.

But Shen Qiao really greeted him tamely: “Senior martial brother.”

“…” Looking at his innocent face, Yu Shengyan somehow felt a bit guilty.

He cringed with a laugh: “Be good. Since you can’t get up yet, you should stay in bed and rest. After you are fully recovered, I will bring you to pay respects to Master.”

Shen Qiao responded, “Alright.”

He closed his eyes but re-opened them soon after. Due to the lack of focus, his eyes appeared a little slack and the usual brightness within them had vanished as well. “Senior martial brother…?”

“Is there anything else?” Yu Shengyan believed himself to be someone with a tender heart for fair beauties. Seeing Shen Qiao, he said “pity” to himself once again and thought: ‘It is indeed a pity that the once glorious leader of all Daoist sects would end up like this. If it was back then when he was in charge of the sect with his martial powers in full bloom, what kind of bearing and demeanor would he have?’

“I want to drink some water…”

“Don’t drink water for now. Your medicine will be ready soon. Right now, you need to consider medicine as your water.”

Right after he finished, a servant girl came over with a decoction in her hands. Perhaps it was his faking of Shen Qiao’s history just now that had evoked a rare sense of guilt deep inside him; Yu Shengyan took the soup bowl, asked the girl to elevate Shen Qiao’s head with a pillow behind his neck, then fed the decoction to him spoon by spoon.

Not all of Shen Qiao’s bones were broken, but it was not far from it. On top of the injured meridians, his chances of survival were close to none. The good foundation of his health was the sole reason that he could wake up within only one month. Now, without at least three more months in bed, he should not expect to be able to move around.

Even though Yu Shengyan suffered a hard time during practice ever since he became a disciple of Yan Wushi, since the lifestyle of the demonic sect had always been extravagant, his everyday food and clothing were by no means lower in standard than that of the young masters of noble families. For someone like him to feed decoctions to others with his own hands, no matter how careful he was, there were still occasional spills onto Shen Qiao’s robe. But Shen Qiao drank every spoonful he was fed without any signs of discontent. After he finished drinking, Shen Qiao even flashed Yu Shengyan a faint smile and gratefully said, “Thank you, senior martial brother.”

Gentle and amenable, beautiful and kind.

Even though it was merely a slight smile, it was enough to bring out a warm color onto his pale face. The servant girl on the side blushed quietly and immediately averted her eyes.

He did not ask about anything, which actually made Yu Shengyan wonder. If he were to wake up with no memories in his head, blind and seriously injured to the point that he could not even get out of bed, even if he were to not break down mentally, it would still be impossible for him to stay calm the way Shen Qiao was.

“Why don’t you ask me when you will fully recover?”

“Master and senior martial brother must have been running about, exhausted both physically and mentally, because of me.” Shen Qiao coughed a few times, pulling the muscles around his wounds, and causing his eyebrows to furrow. “If I am to ask, won’t it add even more grief to you and Master?”

As though he had never seen someone so attentive and considerate of others, or maybe it was because Shen Qiao’s face could easily evoke one’s guilt, Yu Shengyan was speechless for a moment, unsure what to say. After a while, he finally said, “Then you should have a good rest. I’ll leave for today, but I’ll come again tomorrow to help you with the treatment.”

“Thank you, senior martial brother. Please deliver my greetings to Master on my behalf.”

“I will.” Suddenly, Yu Shengyan had a feeling that if he was going to stay any longer, it would only increase the awkwardness. Touching his nose a few times, he threw out the sentence and left.

At first, he was a little suspicious whether Shen Qiao’s amnesia was merely an act of playing dumb. But since that day, he would visit Shen Qiao almost daily, and just like the way he was the first time he woke up, he remained gentle, optimistic, and extremely grateful towards Yu Shengyan.

Whatever Yu Shengyan said, he believed it all without a single doubt, as innocent and pure as a piece of white paper.

After he was able to get out of bed and move around a little, Shen Qiao even suggested a visit to “his master” Yan Wushi to thank him personally.

…

If Yu Shengyan did not remind him, Yan Wushi would have already forgotten the presence of Shen Qiao.

Within the ten years of his Meditation, lots of things had changed in the world. It was not something that could be summed up by others into a few sentences.

There were many sects in this world, and each of them had its own faction and political influence backing them.

The Gao family of Qi was known for their absurd and unreasonable behavior, thus every generation of its emperor tended to affiliate more with the Demonic Sect. Now it was the generation of Gao Wei, who had a very close relationship with the Harmony Sect, therefore Harmony Sect’s influence in the country of Qi had risen greatly.

In the country of Zhou, when Yuwen Hu was in charge of the court before, he had respect for Buddhism, therefore Zen Master Xueting was once honored with the position of the Grand Preceptor of Zhou. However, after Yuwen Yong ascended to power, the trend changed. This new emperor believed in neither Daoism nor Buddhism. He even banned both schools throughout the country, therefore the influence of Buddhism in Zhou right now was much weaker compared to the past.

As for the Chen Dynasty in the south, it was headed by the Linchuan Institute of Confucianism. Master-in-Charge Ruyan Kehui assisted the Emperor of Chen in governing the country wholeheartedly and was greatly respected and heavily relied upon.

Before Yan Wushi entered Meditation, he had been an official in Zhou under a different identity–the assistant-in-governing for Yuwen Yong, who was the Duke of Lu at that time. Later he escaped far away after he was injured in the battle with Cui Youwang, but before he left, he ordered his eldest disciple, Bian Yanmei, to stay by Yuwen Yong’s side.

Now that he had emerged from Meditation, surely he would take a trip to the country of Zhou and pay a courtesy call to Yuwen Yong, who had already ascended the throne as the Emperor and taken back his power from the hands of Yuwen Hu.

In these years, the Northern Zhou had strengthened itself step by step, which was not something the other countries were happy to see. Moreover, even the Three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism were not on intimate terms with this Emperor of Zhou, since he not only banned the latter two but also disallowed the first from setting up public teachings to gain followers.

It was exactly this kind of background that allowed the Cleansing Moon Sect to approach and support Yuwen Yong, while at the same time, Yuwen Yong also needed the Cleansing Moon Sect to maintain his rule.

After his meeting with Yunwen Yong, Yan Wushi left Northern Zhou and paid a visit to Mount Xuandu along the way, and then went to check out Kunye, the so-called number one expert of Tujue who had defeated Shen Qiao.

Fighting hand-to-hand with each other for one round, Kunye was defeated. The name Yan Wushi the “Demonic Sovereign” reappeared, reverberating throughout the entire marital world. Everyone was saying that in addition to Cui Youwang, the Demonic Sect would give birth to another powerful yet dreadful man.

Only this time, without Qi Fengge, there was one less person able to equal him in force.

In Yan Wushi’s opinion, Kunye’s skills were good and his talents were outstanding as well, yet he was still nowhere near the Hulugu in those years. Even when compared with the others on the current list of the top ten, he could not be considered distinguishable. The fact that someone like him could severely injure the sect leader of Mount Xuandu was itself somewhat strange.

But this was not the key point of his concerns. What exactly was behind Shen Qiao’s injury or whether it had anything to do with Kunye–Yan Wushi had no interest to find out. The only reason that he made Kunye his first target was to spread the news of his re-emergence in the pugilistic world. Since Kunye had just defeated the sect leader of Mount Xuandu recently and become the focus of everyone, he was the optimum choice.

More importantly, the biggest gain of Yan Wushi’s journey this time was neither to make a name for himself nor to defeat Kunye, but to find out the whereabouts of one of the remaining books of The Strategy of the Vermilion Yang.

Legend has it that fifty years ago, the grandmaster of that generation, Tao Hongjing, encountered an immortal on Mount Mao and was handed down a book named The Key to Ascend the Truth. The book consisted of a total of four parts. Tao Hongjing reorganized three of them into another book and named it The Secret Key to Ascend the Truth.

For the small part that was left out, because the content was obscure, with most of it related to cultivation between Man and the Heavens, Tao Hongjing organized it into a separate book, mixing in the essence of the learnings and understandings of his lifetime–this was the well-renowned The Strategy of the Vermilion Yang.

Tao Hongjing delved deeply and studied the relationship between Man and the Heavens. Although a Daoist priest himself, he was a true expert in all of the Three Schools and was also blessed with all of the learnings of the Immortal Master Danyang, Sun Youyue. Thus, as a man whose martial skills had attained the acme of perfection that even Qi Fengge would willingly acknowledge defeat against him, he was indeed the number one martial artist beyond dispute.

Since it had such an origin, The Strategy of the Vermilion Yang naturally became a treasured script that people fell over each other in their eagerness to read. It was said that if one could fully comprehend all of its five books, they would be able to see through the ultimate of martial artists since time immemorial and enter a whole new realm that even ascending to heavens [1] would no longer be impossible.

Unfortunately, after Tao Hongjing ascended to the land of the Immortals, the Shangqing Sect of Mount Mao suffered enormously due to its involvement in politics. With each of its disciples in their own differing standpoint, together with the civil disorder that would later seize the Liang Dynasty, the five books of The Strategy of the Vermilion Yang were scattered everywhere and were unable to be retrieved.

It was not until ten years later when Qi Fengge admitted that his martial arts, besides the legacy of Mount Xuandu, also included the help from The Strategy of the Vermilion Yang, that the whereabouts of the scripts were finally discovered one after another. Rumors said that one book was the treasure of the country of Zhou, one book was owned by Tiantai Sect in Zhejiang, one book was kept in Mount Xuandu, while the locations of the other two remained a mystery over several decades and were still nowhere to be found till today.

Yan Wushi had the chance to come in contact with the one treasured in the Imperial Palace of Zhou in his early years. The substantial increase in his cultivation after the Meditation should be partially credited to that one book of The Strategy of the Vermilion Yang.

Only by experiencing it themselves, could one truly understand how ingenious The Strategy of the Vermilion Yang really was. From the one, the whole could be divined. In The Strategy of the Vermilion Yang embodied the fruit of the painstaking efforts of Tao Hongjing’s entire lifetime. It gathered together the martial arts and meditation ways [2] of all Three Schools, complementing and integrating them with each other, therefore was truly comprehensive and flawless. If it was possible to read through the remaining four books, not only was claiming the sovereignty of the martial artists only a matter of time, but even penetrating the ways of heavens and reaching the state of unity between Man and the Heavens would not be impossible anymore.

The purpose of Yan Wushi’s trip this time was to sneak into Mount Xuandu, making use of the opportunity that it was in a state of turmoil without a leader, to search for the book The Strategy of the Vermilion Yang. However, during his fight with Kunye, he happened to realize that although Kunye’s martial skills succeeded the direct lineage of the western regions, his inner arts and qi appeared there yet not there. It seemed like it was from the same origin as his, leading Yan Wushi to suspect that it was highly probable that the reason Hulugu was able to barely match Qi Fengge in power and only lost by half a move, in the end, was that he had gained help from The Strategy of the Vermilion Yang.

As one of the new generation experts of Tujue, given enough time, it would not be impossible for Kunye to match in strength with Hulugu. Since the combination of the meditation ways of the Western Regions [3] and The Strategy of the Vermilion Yang had brought up one Hulugu, it could definitely bring up a second.

This aroused a great amount of interest in Yan Wushi, therefore in the following days, he followed Kunye everywhere and would challenge him to a fight whenever he felt like it. Unable to win over him yet also having no chance to escape, Kunye almost had all of his nerves frayed and decided that he might as well return to Tujue in the end.

Yan Wushi had no plans to chase him all the way to Tujue at the moment, so he leisurely returned to the spare mansion.

Right after he returned, he heard from his disciple that Shen Qiao had awoken and now was able to get out of bed and walk around.

When Shen Qiao appeared, he had a bamboo cane in his hand. Step by step, he walked slowly, but steadily.

A servant girl was supporting him while softly explaining to him the different paths inside the mansion.

“My respects to Master.” After the girl showed him the direction, Shen Qiao bowed toward where Yan Wushi was sitting.

“Sit.” Yan Wushi put down the Weiqi [4] piece that was in his hand. Yu Shengyan, who was sitting across from him, looked so miserable that one could hardly bear the sight of his expression. But at the same time, he was so joyful as well, as if he had just been granted amnesty. Obviously, he was currently at a disadvantage in the game.

Shen Qiao sat down with the servant girl’s assistance.

After he woke up, the memories he had for most of the things appeared to be vague. He could not even remember his own name and where he had come from. As for Yan Wushi and Yu Shengyan, he had no impression of them at all.

“How do you feel?” asked Yan Wushi.

“Thanking Master for your care, I can get out of bed and walk around already. Just that my hands and legs still feel weak, and my martial arts…seems like it hasn’t recovered yet.”

“Hand.”

Shen Qiao gave him his hand obediently. Yan Wushi’s fingers immediately pinched his ‘gate of vitality [5]’ point.

He inspected the pulse for a moment, and a trace of surprise appeared on his formerly inattentive face.

He glanced at Shen Qiao meaningfully, though the latter, due to his inability to see, had a vacant and innocent look.

Yan Wushi asked, “Do you feel any discomfort?”

Shen Qiao thought for a moment: “Every night at around midnight, my body has alternating sensations between cold and hot, accompanied by a pain in my chest, sometimes to the point that I can hardly walk.”

Yu Shengyan added: “I’ve already had the doctor look at it. The doctor said that it was probably because junior martial brother has been seriously wounded that the process of recovery would take some time.”

Yan Wushi sneered faintly at the “junior martial brother” that seemed to slip out rather smoothly, then he said to Shen Qiao, “Your martial arts is not completely ruined. I sensed that there is still a faint trace of qi left inside your body that seems weak yet strong. Given enough time, it might not be impossible for your martial arts to recover. However, our Cleansing Moon Sect does not support good-for-nothing. I have an errand for your senior martial brother to run. You can go with him to assist.”

“Yes.”

He did not ask what the errand was about. Just like how he had treated Yu Shengyan, he agreed with whatever others said. For the rest of the time he just sat there serenely, without any excessive movements.

But Yan Wushi was by no means moved by all the indignity that Shen Qiao was experiencing after his fall. The weakness that Shen Qiao revealed had only caused an even richer malice to be conceived, making him want to violate and tainted this snow white from head to toe more than ever.

“You can go back and take a rest now,” he said plainly.

Shen Qiao stood up and excused himself docilely, then slowly left with the assistance of the servant girl.

Yan Wushi retrieved his line of sight from the back of Shen Qiao, and said to Yu Shengyan, “Make a trip to Qi directly and eliminate the entire family of the Grand Master of Remonstrance [6] Yan Zhiwen.”

“Yes.” Yu Shengyan accepted the order without hesitation. “Has he displeased Master in any way?”

“He’s a disciple of the Harmony Sect, and also one of the eyes that Harmony Sect has planted in Qi.”

Yu Shengyan was also excited after hearing the words: “Yes! The Harmony Sect has been acting arrogant for too long, and Yuan Xiuxiu, taking the advantage of your Meditation, has caused us much trouble. If we don’t teach her a lesson, won’t our Cleansing Moon Sect seem way too useless? I’ll take off within the next couple of days!”

Pausing for a moment, he held back the smile on his face and asked perplexedly, “Master wants me to bring Shen Qiao along? He has lost all of his martial arts. I’m afraid that he won’t be able to help with anything.”

With the shadow of a smile, Yan Wushi said, “Now that you have called him your ‘junior martial brother’, you should at least show him the world. It’s true that his martial arts haven’t recovered yet, but killing one or two people should not be a difficulty for him still.”

Yu Shengyan finally understood; Master was treating Shen Qiao like a piece of white paper and wanted him dyed completely black. Even if one day Shen Qiao came around to his senses or was able to regain his memories, since there was no way to undo what had been done, by that time it would be impossible for him to return to the orthodox side even if he wanted to.

How was being like them anything bad? One would handle matters with no constraints or scruples, do whatever one pleased, and be free from all of society’s rules. Moreover, Yu Shengyan firmly believed that the nature of man was evil and that a dark side existed deep within everyone. It all came down to whether there was a chance to express it or not. All those so-called Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian sects spoke profusely of virtue and morality and how one should always embrace benevolence when they were in fact merely covering up their own selfish desires with righteous causes. Not to mention that when it came to the competition for the throne of the world, the winner took it all. Under such circumstances, was there even a country’s ruler whose hands were not covered in blood? And who could claim to be cleaner than the others?

“Yes. I’ll make sure to guide junior martial brother well.”

Translator’s Notes:

[1] Ascending to Heavens (飞升): The term directly refers to becoming an immortal here, though it is often used as a way to avoid saying someone is dead by wishing them to achieve immortality.

[2] Meditation Ways (心法 xinfa):  Literally means the art of hearts, or ways of mental cultivation. It is the specific ways to cultivate one’s inner martial arts through meditations, such as specific paths for circulation of qi, and etc.

[3] Western Regions (西域 xiyu):  A term used in ancient China referring to the area west of the Yumen Pass, most of Central Asia nowadays.

[4] Weiqi (围棋): A chess game played in ancient China, which also known by the name “go” nowadays. (Yes! It’s the game played by AlphaGo.)

[5] Gate of Vitality (命门 mingmen): Refers to a position on the wrist of someone’s right hand in wuxia novels, as opposed to the actual acupoint in Chinese medicine which is located on the waist. It is a critical position for martial artists since it can be used to seriously injure or even kill someone easily.

[6] Grand Master of Remonstrance (谏议大夫 jianyi dafu): One of the category of prestigious officials called Remonstrance Officials or Speaking Officials whose principal function was to attend and advise the emperor, and especially to remonstrate with him about what they considered improper conduct or policy.