A young woman was walking slowly up the mountain path, murmuring: “Taiyi lies close to the Heavenly Capital; the ranges join the sea’s far corner. When I look back, white clouds gather close; blue mist enters my gaze, yet is not there. At the central peak the star-fields shift; sun and shade divide among the many ravines. Seeking a place to stay for the night, I ask a woodcutter across the water.”
“Wang Mojie truly had great talent. This poem about Cuihua Mountain has the bearing to be passed down for a thousand years.” The young woman had long legs, a slender waist, and a graceful figure; her almond eyes and peach cheeks were very beautiful. She wore a plain robe with archer’s cuffs, her clothes were neat, and a short blade hung at her waist. Clearly she was from the martial world.
Cuihua Mountain was not far from Chang’an. It was an offshoot of the Zhongnan Mountains, extremely high and precipitous. Crags and sheer cliffs rose all around; upward there was only swirling cloud and mist, while downward the white clouds stretched on and on. In the time of King You of Western Zhou, there had been a landslide, and someone of that age recorded: “The three rivers ran dry; Mount Qi collapsed.” Because of this, a Heavenly Pool had formed where the earth and stone caved in after the collapse. It was a magnificent sight, a famous scenic spot of the age. There was also a legend that the Perfected Taiyi had cultivated here and attained the Dao, so the mountain was also called Mount Taiyi. There were more than ten Daoist abbeys and pavilions on it, and it was one of the Twenty-Four Holy Sites of the Daoist Gate. The most famous of them all was Taiyi Temple.
The young woman’s surname was Lu, and her name was Yaoniang. She was nineteen, born into the Lu clan of Fanyang.
The Lu clan of Fanyang originated from the Jiang surname. They took their surname from the fief of Lu Yi, and their lineage dated back to the two Han dynasties. During the Tang dynasty, they had produced eight chancellors and more than a hundred jinshi, making them one of the greatest clans of the age. With such a background, Lu Yaoniang ought to have sat quietly in her chamber, read poems and books, waited to leave home, marry into a noble house, and become the mistress of a great family. But ever since childhood she had loved martial arts. She became a disciple of Daoist Guanlong at Taiyi Temple on Cuihua Mountain, and after mastering her training and leaving her master’s tutelage, she accomplished several earth-shaking deeds. Now her name was resounding in jianghu, and her nickname was Frost and Snow on the Wu-Gou.
She had gone back to Fanyang to visit her family, then wandered jianghu for some time. She had encountered a great matter, and knowing she could not manage alone, she had returned to her school to ask for help.
Her lightness skill was excellent. Although the mountain path was steep, rugged, and full of twists, she walked through danger as if on level ground and reached the top safely. After rounding a bend, she saw a great temple in the distance, with flying eaves and bracketed beams. Several shouts came from inside: “Shenting, Taiyang, Ermen, Jingming, Shenshu, Weilu, Jianjing, Taiyuan, Zusanli.”
“Fengchi, Danzhong, Jiuwei, Shenque, Guanyuan, Zhongji, Yingchuang, Zhangmen, Shangqu.”
Hearing the familiar voice of her Second Senior Brother, Lu Yaoniang felt a little glad. She did not even stop to push the gate open; using her lightness skill, she flipped onto the courtyard wall. In the northeast corner sat a middle-aged Daoist cross-legged, his face glowing with health, shouting endlessly.
A boy of about twelve or thirteen, with long arms like an ape and a slender waist like a wasp, and a very handsome bearing, held a long sword in each hand. He moved all over the courtyard, the two swords conjuring clusters of sword-flowers as he thrust at two straw training dummies.
With several thuds, the boy’s left sword struck without the slightest error the nine acupoints the middle-aged Daoist had called. His right sword deviated a little, striking only seven acupoints; two acupoints were struck askew.
Her eyes lit up, and she could not help crying out in admiration: “That Parted Stars Swordplay—“All things come in pairs; this alone is Shen and Shang. It drifts to and fro at ease, never sharing the same quarter”—already has nine-tenths of its mastery. At this age, my swordsmanship was far inferior.”
The middle-aged Daoist saw that it was his junior martial sister and smiled. “Junior Sister Lu has returned.”
Lu Yaoniang asked curiously, “Second Senior Brother, is this the little junior brother Master accepted in Chang’an a few years ago?”
The middle-aged Daoist answered, “Yes. Half a year ago, Master went down the mountain and brought Junior Brother Sun back to the temple. Though Little Junior is young, the depth of his mastery of our school’s swordsmanship surprises even me.”
The boy put away his double swords and bowed respectfully. “Sun Mingke pays his respects to Senior Sister Lu.”
Lu Yaoniang could not help smiling. “Mingke, the clink of jade and bells; coming and going through the palace gates—the name has a fine omen.”
Sun Mingke smiled and stuck out his tongue, looking every bit the lively youth.
Lu Yaoniang exchanged a few words with this little junior brother, then asked, “Second Senior Brother, where is Master?”
The middle-aged Daoist answered, “Master has recently gained some insight and has entered closed seclusion to create a new martial art. You will probably not see him for the time being.”
Lu Yaoniang was both surprised and delighted. “Master is already at the world’s pinnacle. This seclusion to create a martial art must be to create an invincible divine art under heaven. How marvelous must this art be?”
The middle-aged Daoist smiled without speaking. He knew why she was so excited. Their master, Daoist Guanlong, was generous and never held anything back when teaching his disciples. Apart from this little disciple, the five earlier disciples had each learned superb martial arts and made great names in jianghu. If he truly created a peerless art of the age, he would certainly pass it on to his disciples and would never hoard it selfishly.
Sun Mingke rubbed the double swords at his waist with both palms, a little distracted as he considered the shortcomings in his swordsmanship. Suddenly he heard wind slicing toward his face. Instinctively he drew the double swords at his waist, and with a light ring he blocked the incoming blade.
The boy looked closely and saw that Fifth Senior Sister Lu Yaoniang had attacked. The woman was smiling, but the short blade in her hand was fast as lightning, fierce as a violent storm, and he had no idea why. He could only defend with all his strength. The pair of long swords in his hands were slightly different in length: the left was three chi seven cun and named Nightglow; the right was three chi three cun and named Striking Waves. The two swords wove together, the sword moves continuous, and Taiyi Temple’s secret Parted Stars Swordplay rolled out. He guarded the space of one and a half chi before him so tightly that not even wind or rain could enter.
Daoist Guanlong stood among the world’s pinnacles, his martial arts having long reached the summit of perfection. Lu Yaoniang had excellent talent and was diligent. Under such a fine teacher, she had received the true transmission of Taiyi Temple martial arts; her own martial arts were firmly first-rate in jianghu, ranking at the bottom of the Ten Great Female Experts of the Jianghu. She had thought that even if she held back, two or three moves would be enough to break this little junior brother’s swordplay. Unexpectedly, after twenty or thirty moves, she still could not find the slightest flaw in Sun Mingke’s swordplay. His swordplay was rigorous in poise, every move seemingly natural. Unless she attacked with full power and pressed him with internal force, purely in terms of moves, countering move for move, she truly could not win quickly.
After another ten or twenty moves, Lu Yaoniang sheathed her blade and lightly withdrew. “Second Senior Brother, Little Junior’s swordplay really is not bad.”
The middle-aged Daoist smiled. “If he were not fine material and talent, why would Master accept him as a disciple and bring him back to the mountain?”
“Little Junior, why haven’t you thanked Fifth Senior Sister for her guidance?”
Sun Mingke cupped his hands and bowed. Smiling, he said, “Thank you, Fifth Senior Sister.”
“Just now, at least seven of my moves were wrong. Three moves were too slow, three moves were too fast, and one change was improper. I should have used “Swallows and Geese Do Not Fly Apart,” not “Riding a Horse West of the Mountain.””
Lu Yaoniang thought it over carefully and was greatly shocked. In her heart she cried, “Indeed. I actually failed to notice these flaws and use them to defeat Little Junior. Junior Brother Sun truly has such talent? No wonder Master took him as a disciple.”
Having said this, Sun Mingke suddenly shook his head. “Fifth Senior Sister’s martial arts are too high. Even if I did not make a single wrong move, I still could not withstand her.”
The middle-aged Daoist smiled. “So you still need to train hard.”
Sun Mingke’s face immediately turned bitter, making even Lu Yaoniang laugh. She asked, “Have Third Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Brother returned?”
The middle-aged Daoist answered, “They have not returned to the mountain yet. I estimate they will arrive in another day or two.”
Lu Yaoniang said, “I will first go pay my respects to Eldest Senior Brother. Little Junior, continue practicing your sword.” She drifted away, and in an instant vanished into the depths of the temple.
The middle-aged Daoist resumed a stern and proper expression and called out several more acupoints.
Sun Mingke pondered, sighed, and drew his sword.
This time the sword light trembled lightly, and both swords simultaneously struck nine acupoints on the straw training dummies. The sword tips landed without the slightest error. In just a short while, his swordsmanship had improved another level. Though the middle-aged Daoist knew this little junior brother had extraordinary talent, could learn any martial art instantly, and progressed quickly, he could not help being struck dumb.
After practicing swordplay hard for half a day, Sun Mingke returned to his quarters and sat in meditation for five or six two-hour stretches. He let his internal force flow naturally. When he opened his eyes, it was already deep night. As he slowly ended his meditation, he thought secretly, “This inner-power art progresses faster and faster. Could I be practicing it wrong? Shouldn’t a superior inner-power art become harder to break through the deeper one goes? When Master emerges from seclusion, I must ask him carefully.”
He was about to take a short nap, since dawn would mean more martial practice. He had just lain down in his clothes when he heard a vast long cry, like ten thousand waves striking the void, lingering without end. Then the temple erupted into noise, with people shouting again and again, “Grandmaster has emerged from seclusion! Grandmaster has emerged from seclusion...” Instinctively he rolled to his feet, grabbed his double swords, and ran straight for the back mountain where Guanlong had entered closed seclusion.
When Sun Mingke reached the back mountain using his lightness skill, he saw a lean old Daoist standing at the very front, stern and unsmiling, with an extremely solemn air. It was Eldest Senior Brother Qi Taiyi, the chief disciple of Taiyi Temple. His name was resounding in jianghu, and he was known as the Eight-Armed Divine Sword. His martial arts and swordsmanship had reached a divine level, and he already held the status of a grandmaster.
The middle-aged Daoist stood behind him, ethereal and tranquil, his bearing almost divine. This Second Senior Brother of Taiyi Temple rarely fought, so his reputation was not prominent in the martial world, but his position in the Daoist gate was extremely high. He had once received imperial patents from two emperors and was one of the Seven Perfected of the Daoist World.
There were also several dozen Daoists of varying ages, all third-generation disciples of Taiyi Temple. Their seniority was insufficient, so they could only wait respectfully beyond a hundred paces, whispering and discussing.
Lu Yaoniang had draped a large cloak over herself, a hint of excitement on her pretty face. Seeing Sun Mingke, she beckoned him to her side.
Suddenly a section of the mountain wall trembled slightly and burst open with a boom. A ruddy-faced old Daoist strolled out. Two streams of white breath spurted from his nostrils, each one and a half chi long, curling unpredictably. After the time of half an incense stick, the white breath curled and dispersed. He muttered, “When fruit ripens, it turns red of itself; when the Dao is complete, all kalpas cease. The flourishing and withering of a hundred years is entirely like a dream.” Seeing that only four disciples were waiting for him, he smiled wryly. “Though not all are here today, this is still a karmic connection. This old Daoist has comprehended an internal art method, and since my spirits are high, I will transmit it to you.”
The lean old Daoist beamed. The middle-aged Daoist looked as if he were celebrating. Lu Yaoniang could not suppress the corners of her mouth. All three were overjoyed. Daoist Guanlong was one of the Five Great Pinnacles; his martial arts were divine, and he could be called invincible under heaven. Any martial art he created must be a rare supreme art of the world. To hear such martial mysteries was a great fortune seldom encountered in a hundred years.
Daoist Guanlong spoke slowly, each word like a pearl. “In the beginning of the Nine Mysteries, the two images had not yet taken form. The void congealed into radiance; the spirit winds gathered the essence. Divine writings formed within undifferentiated wholeness; jade characters marked the solitary transformation. It stood upon the boundary of being and nonbeing, glowing before heaven and earth came into being.”
“Before the Great Void, silent and without images, how does the True One reside? The True One moves and operates, and the primordial qi transforms of itself. The primordial qi is being within nonbeing, nonbeing within being: vast beyond measure, subtle beyond perception. It gradually manifests in misty confluence; the undifferentiated origin is unmoving; it is the source of all phenomena.”
“The undifferentiated origin has no things and is silent without sound. All phenomena arise from it; the Five Phases are completed through it. The born have limits; the completed have deficiencies. Generation after generation, completion after completion, past and present remain clear and unmoving. This is what is called the Dao...”
After listening for a while, Sun Mingke felt a little surprised. This internal art method that Guanlong recited was one he had already learned seventy or eighty percent of; his master had explained all its profound meanings in detail. Only the details were slightly different. Following the method, he breathed lightly. His lower abdomen suddenly grew hot, as if a blazing torch had been thrown into a pot of hot oil. The internal force stored in his dantian seemed to catch fire, turning into more than ten threads of flame that wandered unpredictably through the eight extraordinary meridians and twelve regular meridians. They were like tiny streams, like fine threads, like a thousand rivers and ravines surging endlessly, grand as the sun and moon crossing the heavens, vast and rolling, accumulating thicker and thicker. His whole body became scalding...
“The formless is the most numinous. In emptiness, the spirit is still and unknowable. Its wonder is like a valley answering without flowing.”
“Before the inner wonders are enacted, first reach the principle of adaptation and change. If the six dusts do not cease and the ox-herding is not forgotten, when about to enter the first stage, the mind will wander beyond the four seas. Therefore, those who would command and master the myriad spirits and together attain the many wonders do not depart from this text. Dwell specially in void and whiteness; keep the will upon Supreme Harmony; forget intention and embrace purity; gradually enter the lineage of immortals.”
Daoist Guanlong let out a long breath and laughed heartily. “This scripture gathers all that this old Daoist has learned in a lifetime. It may be called the Nine Mysteries True Scripture.”
The disciples congratulated him together. “The marvelous method created by Master will surely open a wondrous branch in the martial world and make Taiyi Temple stand out as its own school.”
Daoist Guanlong glanced at Sun Mingke and suddenly laughed. “Have you memorized it all?”
Sun Mingke quickly said, “I have memorized it all.”
He could not suppress his doubt. “But why does this disciple feel that most of it seems already learned?”
Daoist Guanlong smiled. “I had a general outline more than ten years ago and worked out seventy or eighty percent of it, but I could not fully obtain many details. Your senior brothers’ martial paths were already fixed, and they could not change their course. That is why I accepted you as a disciple to test and practice this art. What you learned was the first version of the Nine Mysteries, so naturally most of it is familiar.” He raised his hand and patted the little disciple on the head three times. Sun Mingke’s meridians surged and churned, and more than ten unruly streams of internal force were all subdued and returned to his dantian. Essence and spirit spread through his whole body, his clothes billowed and rustled loudly, and his cultivation suddenly became many times stronger. The boy was startled and delighted. A thought naturally arose in his mind: “Have I already mastered the Nine Mysteries True Scripture?”
Daoist Guanlong smiled without answering and turned to his only female disciple. “Why did you happen to return today?”
Lu Yaoniang hurriedly cupped her hands. “This disciple has returned to the mountain to seek help. Recently, a lecherous villain styling himself White Chrysanthemum has run rampant across several provinces. He has not only defiled the purity of more than ten daughters of noble families and martial sisters, but also killed dozens of righteous martial world heroes who tried to besiege him. This disciple wishes to ask several senior brothers to go down the mountain to kill this villain together.”
Daoist Guanlong gave a laugh. “Perfect timing. Your little junior brother has just learned the Nine Mysteries True Scripture. Let him go down the mountain to help you.”
Lu Yaoniang still wanted to plead, but Daoist Guanlong drifted away.
Sun Mingke: Version One—I’m the protagonist! The author had my fortune told, and the fortune-teller said I don’t have what it takes to be a protagonist, so...