WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Martial Alliance Rulebook Archives ◈

Chapter 56: The Records Officer's Cleanup (2)

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I reflected on the story of that night, now condensed into just a few lines in the rulebook.

The remains of three chickens. The bandits' attack. The password, "Murong." And finally, Iron-Headed Fire Axe's death.

All the information drawn from such a fierce battle amounted to only a few brief sentences in the rulebook.

"Does it feel empty?"

The special physician suddenly asked. I nodded.

"When I think of the blood price paid by those who died to write these lines, it hardly seems worth it."

The special physician gave a bitter smile.

"It can't be helped. That's what investigating Anomalies is like. Even if a martial artist tries to fulfill their duty, their life can be cut short by a blow that defies common sense and reason. Paoxiao's mutation was that kind of thing."

"If those Many-Eyed Court bastards hadn't sent that strange chicken-headed thing..."

...Even then, the outcome might not have changed. Iron-Headed Fire Axe and I had been prepared to fight to the death from the start.

To the dead, there was likely little difference between dying to an Anomaly and dying after losing to us.

Perhaps I would have felt more at peace than I did now. The present me knew Iron-Headed Fire Axe's last request. Yet in the future I did not take, where I defeated him alongside Murong Sung, I probably would not have given him time to leave any last words.

It was truly strange. I had defeated a Peak realm master from the unorthodox sects without even lifting a hand, yet something like a stain still lingered inside me.

Seeing my expression, the special physician brought up something unexpected.

"That is chivalry."

"Pardon?"

"The reason you're bothered by that dead bandit leader."

"According to your diagnosis, is this discomfort I feel because I failed to practice chivalry?"

The special physician readily nodded. He explained what chivalry meant to him.

"I believe chivalry is being able to face your own heart without shame. You could not grant Iron-Headed Fire Axe's request, so of course it weighs on you."

I frowned, then scratched my head and asked,

"Iron-Headed Fire Axe's last request was to give his sworn younger brother a chance to surrender. His sworn younger brother was a deputy stronghold chief, so he must have extorted plenty of wealth and killed people. His martial arts would be abolished, and he would be reduced to slavery, but would letting someone like that live not go against the Martial Alliance's will?"

The special physician nodded.

"Chivalry has always been a little twisted."

"You?"

"Since you said 'you,' shall I tell you about someone whose name begins with Yu?"

The special physician brought up an old tale. It was about a scholar named Yu Rang, who sought revenge against the person who killed his lord.

Yet Zhao Xiangzi, the target of Yu Rang's revenge, was praised for benevolent rule. As an exemplar among rulers, Zhao Xiangzi was someone a scholar ordinarily should not have killed.

"Chivalry exists apart from social norms and morality."

It might require directly defying the principles that many people agreed were right.

Conversely, one might have to stand alone against a great undertaking that everyone called wrong, yet whose momentum was so overwhelming that no one else could resist it.

The driving force that compelled martial artists to act that way was chivalry. According to the special physician, it was ultimately an attitude toward life, a desire to remain unashamed before oneself.

"Wouldn't that make someone a public enemy?"

"Of course. Why else would Confucius have classed martial artists among strange phenomena, feats of strength, disorder, and spirits? Their minds have to be extraordinary, for better or worse."

Then the special physician added,

"But at the end of that effort to become unashamed before oneself lies martial arts. The martial way of one who holds righteousness in their heart is ultimately completed as a path on which they may follow their heart's desires without straying from proper bounds."

The special physician's advice ended with the instruction to keep studying and struggling without cease. Unable to hold back any longer, I asked,

"Then what about the Unorthodox Path?"

"They have firm convictions. In the direction of madness."

"Ah."

* * *

My work did not end after I added Paoxiao's new rule. Besides the concise rulebook, I also had to submit a separate investigation report that carefully recorded the circumstances of the Anomaly investigation.

As I wrote, "Presumed to be affiliated with Many-Eyed Court," under Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner's entry, I spoke up.

"It seems our side handles most Anomaly-related duties through the Anomaly Records Office alone. Is the Black Lotus Society different?"

The special physician readily nodded.

"It's broadly divided into three parts."

"No, then why did you only tell me about the Anomaly Destruction Hall?!"

"Cough, cough. My apologies. Many-Eyed Court and the other organization do not usually appear openly like this."

The Black Lotus Society's Anomaly-focused divisions included the Anomaly Destruction Hall. They played the role of collectors, recovering Anomalies that appeared.

Many-Eyed Court was closer to a scouting force that detected Anomaly activity and gathered information, fitting for those who commanded Anomalies with many eyes. Like any intelligence organization, they valued secrecy and trained their members to a standard comparable to assassins.

"Still, doesn't it seem like something is missing between the two? Even if the Anomaly Destruction Hall captured an Anomaly, Many-Eyed Court could not immediately put it to use."

That was certainly true. The Three-Headed Six-Legged Fowl itself, that three-headed chicken, was said to be an altered offshoot of the original Anomaly.

There had to be a kind of research and development division that found ways to modify Anomalies for their own purposes or devised martial arts specialized for fighting Anomalies.

"The Infiltration Warfare Office. It was named that because it seeps into the midst of battle and plans many things."

After thinking it over, a sense of injustice welled up in me, and I blurted out,

"No, why are the unorthodox sects more systematic?"

The Martial Alliance shoved all Anomaly work into the Anomaly Records Office, then left the Records Officers to deal with it themselves.

Wasn't the organizational chart of those unorthodox bastards far more reasonable?

The thought of the Life-and-Death Gambler saying, "Ah, this is called division of labor. It's efficient," flashed through my mind, then vanished.

The special physician awkwardly stroked his beard.

"Well. Strong people usually don't think much."

"What?"

"I hear they do not provide more support because the Director is too capable."

"Damn it!"

This was completely like a small company. An excessive workload fell on the capable person holding the organization together, and because they somehow managed it all, everyone decided there was no need to hire more people. It was a vicious cycle!

'Once I become a proper Peak realm master, I should seriously submit a proposal to the Martial Alliance leadership.'

For now, though, that was far off. I gritted my teeth and continued writing the report, then looked up when I reached the part about Paoxiao's corpse disappearing.

"Come to think of it, something strange happened."

"Stranger than Paoxiao using Six Harmonies Voice Transmission?"

"Yes. After I defeated Paoxiao, its corpse evaporated under the sunlight..."

* * *

After hearing my story, the special physician seemed lost in deep thought. He had already muttered "Hmm" at least five times.

At last, after uttering his seventh "Hmm," the special physician spoke.

"First, Paoxiao has been sighted many times before."

"Yes, I heard."

The case collections left by my seniors stated that Paoxiao had been beaten to death whenever it appeared. Yet none of those cases mentioned Paoxiao evaporating like this.

"But I believe there were not truly many Paoxiao. I think it was one Paoxiao that kept reviving and appearing in new places."

I had heard something similar before.

"Like the demonic arts sown by the Heavenly Demon?"

"Exactly. Just as the same demonic arts appear after changing owners, I believe Paoxiao is the same creature appearing after changing locations. In Buddhist terms, perhaps it is reincarnation with an extremely short cycle and a fixed target of rebirth."

The Chaotic World Domain an Anomaly unfolded to fully exercise its abilities also served as its refuge.

When it wished to hide from the world, it cut off its connection to the present world, crouched inside its domain, and slowly gathered natural qi to build up its strength.

It was a theory established to analyze where Anomalies hid during their dormant periods.

According to that theory, a defeated Anomaly lost only its physical body, while its essence returned to its domain and revived once more.

"Then what happened to the Paoxiao I killed?"

"You shattered its cycle of reincarnation."

It was like devouring the red shadow of Soul-Severing Mountain Villa and destroying the villa itself. I had devoured the source of vitality within Paoxiao.

By devouring the Anomaly's equivalent of True Origin Qi with the Demon-Breaking Vajra Art, which had absolutely nothing to do with the Star-Absorbing Great Method, I had finished it off so completely that it could never revive.

"Perhaps that's why it crumbled without leaving even a shell behind. I told you before, didn't I? Anomalies belong to the contrary order. Since they cannot properly wield their strength in the present world, they must corrupt it into a domain."

The special physician believed that, stripped even of the strength to unfold its domain, Paoxiao was destroyed when it faced sunlight, a sign of the natural order.

"That means!"

Hope naturally swelled inside me.

I had absorbed an Anomaly's vitality so thoroughly. Wasn't that the same as feeding top-grade nourishment to my shattered acupoints?

"Elder Special Physician, please take my pulse! Let's see how much my lifespan has increased!"

Author's Note

I, too, merely threw you bottomless vessels into my heart. - Hi! Dharma! (2001)

Footnotes:

Bottomless vessels: In Hi! Dharma! (2001), a bottomless-jar challenge is solved by placing the jar in water. The author adapts that scene by casting the readers as bottomless vessels thrown into the heart.

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