WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 89: I Was Once a Madman of Chu (11)
──────
The five most sacred mountains under heaven were collectively called the Five Great Mountains Under Heaven.
Mount Heng held the southern position among them, which was why it was known as Nanyue, the Southern Peak.
There stood the Nanyue Grand Temple, a vast temple devoted to the Great Emperor of Southern Peak, the mountain god of Nanyue, the Southern Peak.
The Great Emperor of Southern Peak was Zhurong, the god of fire. He was one of the Three Sovereigns among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, himself a great and ancient figure. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were said to have ushered in the dawn of Chinese civilization.
Among the many gods revered by Chinese civilization, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors could be considered the most deeply rooted.
For that reason, even emperors had periodically visited the Nanyue Grand Temple on Mount Heng since ancient times to offer sacrifices. Its grandeur was beyond description.
The rites offered to the Great Emperor of Southern Peak were state ceremonies conducted according to Confucian custom.
Yet Mount Heng did not embrace only faith in the Great Emperor of Southern Peak.
Buddhism was present here, as was Daoism.
As the cradle of Southern Chan Buddhism, Mount Heng was a vital sacred site that Buddhism could never afford to relinquish.
Daoism, meanwhile, regarded Mount Heng as a land where immortals dwelled, one of the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens, and the sacred place where Lady Wei ascended to immortality after cultivation.
Lady Wei in particular was a great immortal who even appeared in the old Korean novel The Cloud Dream of the Nine. The eight fairies who reincarnated as humans alongside the protagonist Seongjin had been celestial maidens serving Lady Wei of Nanyue, the Southern Peak.
Thus, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism all left their mark on Mount Heng, and the symbolic Nanyue Grand Temple came to be divided into three sections.
The center was the Confucian section.
It held eight magnificent halls, displaying a solemnity befitting state rites.
The left was the Buddhist section.
It held eight temple buildings, where the sound of sutra recitation echoed morning and evening.
The right was the Daoist section.
It held eight Daoist temple buildings, where mantras occasionally rang clear through the stillness.
The Hengshan Sect had begun as a gathering of martial artists cultivating themselves on spiritually potent Mount Heng.
Yet Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist influences all permeated the area around the Nanyue Grand Temple. It had been inevitable that the Hengshan Sect would claim to be the guardian of the Three Teachings.
At times, it learned from Buddhism.
At times, it learned from Daoism.
Under Confucian influence, it remained loyal to the emperor and received recognition in return.
That was how the Hengshan Sect came to possess a system of martial arts and influence uniquely its own, even among the countless martial sects under heaven.
It was a martial sect closely tied to the authorities through Confucianism, while also wielding considerable influence over the Daoist and Buddhist communities around Mount Heng and Hengyang.
Normally, it kept itself in check, acting like an attendant and guard serving all three traditions. But whenever it moved in earnest, it could wield all three and stir up enormous waves.
This was one such moment.
“Today, I met with Hengyang’s provincial governor. He was deeply flustered. With bloodshed having swept through the streets of Hengyang, that was only natural. But I told him I was even more flustered. I cannot say I bear no blame myself, but what exactly had the provincial governor been doing?”
The provincial governor who governed Hengyang was a high-ranking fourth-rank official.
Yet the leader of the Hengshan Sect showed no hesitation in speaking of him.
If anything, quiet anger showed through.
“Is Hengyang not under the provincial governor’s jurisdiction? Such a horrific affair occurred in Hengyang because of a band of heretics. Was that not disloyalty to His Majesty the Emperor on the provincial governor’s part? That was what I asked him. He had no answer.”
The more the leader of the Hengshan Sect spoke, the heavier the mood in the hall became. The elders lined up on either side could not raise their heads, and even the first-generation disciples hunched their shoulders.
“Fortunately. Truly, fortunately. Was it not only by the narrowest margin that we survived because Young Hero Yeon Sowol of the Guangdong Martial Alliance was there? What if Young Hero Yeon had not been there? What if we had failed to uproot those bastards with our own hands? That would have become another act of disloyalty on our part. The grass was crawling with snakes, yet we would have caught only one while we would have let the rest hide away.”
The leader’s eyes flashed.
“So I will make this clear. Make certain all of you understand it, and make sure those around you understand it as well.”
The leader of the Hengshan Sect unfastened the sword at his waist and held it out before him.
“I, Ungok, leader of the Hengshan Sect, am deeply grateful to Young Hero Yeon Sowol of the Guangdong Martial Alliance. So grateful that I have even given him Clear Mirror, my treasured sword that I always carried at my side. Make sure there is not a single person in Hengyang, no, in all of Hunan, who does not know it.”
A first-generation disciple cautiously stepped forward and accepted the sword with both hands.
After the disciple hurried off toward Yeon Sowol’s residence with the sword in his arms, Ungok stroked his long black beard, which brought Guan Yu to mind, and sank into thought.
“But isn’t this strange?”
One elder, who had been keeping their head lowered as they suppressed their somberness, responded.
“Yes, Sect Leader. There are far too many.”
Ungok nodded.
“That is exactly what I mean. There were too many Daoist temples that had fallen into corruption. Even Daoist temples with long histories in Hengyang... Yet that is not all. There were far too many kidnapped people as well. They committed the atrocious act of using people as materials for elixir pills, that much is clear... But even taking that into account, too many people were imprisoned. Considering the scale of their facilities, there was no way they could have used all of them as materials.”
“Yes, Sect Leader. We have gathered testimony from the survivors regarding that matter... There were signs suggesting some captives may have been transferred somewhere else.”
“Somewhere else?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“That is... We do not know.”
“Have the criminals been interrogated?”
“Yes, they have. But everyone who might have known the details killed themselves, and only small fry remain.”
“They killed themselves?”
“My apologies. We failed to take precautions in advance.”
“Hm...”
The shadow in Ungok’s eyes deepened.
“So this is not over yet.”
* * *
The name of a man not yet twenty struck Hengyang like a storm.
Yeon Sowol.
This time, it was completely different from before.
Back then, people only traded shallow talk about Guangdong’s Featherless Arrow, wondering who would win if he fought the Soaring Xiang Sword Wolf. This time, the weight of it was entirely different.
“I heard the one who rescued the kidnapped people this time was Guangdong’s Featherless Arrow?”
“I heard that too. Apparently, he saved hundreds of people?”
“What? That was Featherless Arrow? That Guangdong monkey?”
“I’m telling you, it was! My friend’s mother’s friend’s son was kidnapped and released this time. That’s how I heard about it. They said everyone would have died if not for him.”
“No, how does that make sense? The Hengshan Sect was there. Why would they say it wouldn’t have been possible without Featherless Arrow when the Hengshan Sect was there?”
“Uh... I don’t know. That’s just what they said.”
“Damn. Now I’m really curious.”
Curiosity was an instinct people found difficult to resist.
Until recently, Yeon Sowol’s name had only been mentioned lightly, with a trace of mockery. Now that he had suddenly emerged as a hero, people were intensely interested.
What exactly had Yeon Sowol done?
That was why...
“Huh? Isn’t that person a Hengshan Sect disciple?”
“Mm? You’re right! That emblem with the three circles! It’s a symbol the Hengshan Sect likes.”
Whenever people spotted a Hengshan Sect disciple, they swarmed over them.
“Great Hero, Great Hero.”
“If you have a moment, would you care to have a drink?”
“You’re running an errand? Oh, let us handle that. Waiter! Bring someone to run this errand for them! One tael in coins should do it, right?”
“Come, sit over here. You there! Bring the most expensive liquor and the finest dishes!”
“Um... You rescued the people who were kidnapped this time, did you not? Please tell us the details.”
All at once, Hengshan Sect disciples who came to Hengyang found themselves receiving attention and lavish treatment unlike anything they had experienced in their lives.
People even said that if they wanted free food and drink, they only had to stroll through the streets of Hengyang for a quarter of an hour.
As this continued, the Hengshan Sect disciples began competing to exaggerate their friendship with Yeon Sowol.
“Oh... I see. So that was what happened. Then if Great Hero Yeon had not found all those bastards at the time, they would still be...?”
“They would. A frightening thought.”
“My goodness. Then all the people of Hengyang owe him a debt of gratitude.”
“Great Hero, have you spoken with Great Hero Yeon Sowol as well?”
“...I have. ...I even greeted him this morning.”
“Ooooooh!”
“As expected!”
In truth, that Hengshan Sect disciple had only exchanged a brief nod with Yeon Sowol after passing him on the road.
But how could they say that now?
Not with people gasping in awe over one simple statement that they had greeted Yeon Sowol.
As such incidents repeated, the Hengshan Sect disciples gradually became confused themselves.
Even disciples with no real connection to Yeon Sowol began to feel as if they were close friends with him.
Above them, their sect leader had given up his treasured sword to praise Yeon Sowol’s achievement. Below them, the people of Hengyang showed Yeon Sowol immense interest while showering the disciples with food and drink.
Then things like this began happening.
“Hm. Did Guangdong’s Featherless Arrow truly do something like that?”
“That’s what I’m saying... That monkey...”
Whenever Hengshan Sect disciples heard people speak carelessly of Yeon Sowol like that, their eyes blazed.
“Silence!”
“Y-Yes?”
“Did you just insult Great Hero Yeon Sowol, the hero of Hengyang?! The Guangdong Martial Alliance’s Hidden Sun Sword! Sole Crimson, Great Hero Yeon Sowol?”
“T-That’s not what I meant...”
“I asked whether you insulted the benefactor of the Hengshan Sect, whom the Sect Leader personally honored by giving up his treasured sword!”
“Never! Absolutely not. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry, I’m sorry... Please show mercy just this once...”
“I will let it pass this once as a special exception, but there will not be a next time.”
“I’m sorry...”
As Hengshan Sect disciples brimming with a sense of closeness to Yeon Sowol began appearing everywhere, another rumor started circulating through Hengyang’s business community.
“Yeon Sowol of the Guangdong Martial Alliance is practically a sworn brother to the Hengshan Sect disciples.”
“That’s right. It’s not just one or two of them. They all seem quite close to Yeon Sowol.”
“We should treat the Yeon fellow well if we see him. We make a living doing business here, and it would be hard if we fell out of favor with the Hengshan Sect disciples, wouldn’t it?”
“Right. We need to be careful. What if we charge that person too much and word gets around?”
“Ugh. That would be terrible.”
“That’s why I plan to offer him a steep discount.”
“Oh?”
“Who knows? What if Yeon Sowol says one good thing about our shop to the Hengshan Sect disciples?”
“Oh... That makes sense. It really does.”
Yet Yeon Sowol’s name burned hottest among the Daoist temples scattered throughout Hengyang.
A grim mood hung over those places.
“Never. We must never fall out of Great Hero Yeon Sowol’s favor.”
“Great Hero Yeon Sowol will surely seek elixir pills as well. When that time comes, we must bring him to our Daoist temple!”
“Absolutely! Absolutely! Can’t you feel it too? The moment we step outside, everyone looks at us with suspicion. Once suspicion takes root, it doesn’t fade easily. The label of ‘Could you be one of them too?’ will follow us around for ten years.”
“Even Hengyang’s provincial governor seems to be on edge. Rumor has it that the leader of the Hengshan Sect gave him a severe scolding. They say he is watching for us to commit even one offense.”
“If only we can host Great Hero Yeon Sowol, everything will be resolved! He is the hero who solved this incident. The leader of the Hengshan Sect considers him a benefactor, and even the sect’s disciples hold him in high esteem. If we can bring Great Hero Yeon to our temple, who would dare suspect us!”
Every Daoist temple in Hengyang had reached the same conclusion.
Their eyes gleamed as they all said the same thing.
“Never! We must not let another Daoist temple take Great Hero Yeon from us!”
* * *
“It’s a fine sword. Perhaps even finer than the Demon-Severing Sword.”
Hummm-
Clear Mirror hummed in Yeon Sowol’s hand.
Clear Mirror, a sword named for a spotless mirror.
It had been the treasured sword carried by the leader of the Hengshan Sect.
True to its name, its blade was white and clear as a mirror.
In Confucianism, luminous virtue, the innate virtue of human nature, was often likened to a clear mirror. Scholars polished mirrors as they cultivated their minds.
In Daoism, the state of mind free from stray thoughts and wicked intentions was compared to a clear mirror.
In Buddhism, the clear mirror was used as a metaphor for Buddha-nature.
Clear Mirror was therefore a sword that embodied the Three Teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, a sword of Mount Heng itself. It was a spiritually potent sword that drove away wickedness and evil, surpassing even the Demon-Severing Sword he had used before.
Delighted by the unexpected reward, Yeon Sowol often drew the sword in the guest hall of the Hengshan Sect and admired it.
Then he sensed someone approaching.
“Young Hero Yeon. Are you inside?”
It was So Hye’s voice.
“Yes. What is it?”
Yeon Sowol sheathed Clear Mirror and opened the door. So Hye smiled softly.
“I thought it was about time for you to obtain elixir pills.”
“Ah.”
Only then did Yeon Sowol remember that the originally promised reward had been elixir pills. Clear Mirror had occupied his mind so thoroughly that he had forgotten for a moment.
“Good. Should we go obtain them right away?”
So Hye slowly shook her head at his question.
“No. I’m just going to find out what elixir pills you and your friends need.”
So Hye’s eyes sparkled.
“After that, I’m thinking of custom-making them.”
“Custom-made...?”
“The atmosphere among Hengyang’s Daoist temples looks quite entertaining right now.”
A mischievous smile appeared on So Hye’s face.
“I might be able to make some truly incredible medicine.”
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
