Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 64 - Long Live Sichuan

Chapter 64 – Long Live Sichuan

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Immortal Hyeon-su looked directly at Ju-seong’s bewildered face and explained.

“If you make the antidote for the Qi-Scattering Poison, I’ll keep it. When I think this man deserves to take that medicine, I’ll give it to him then.”

Ju-seong pondered for a moment. The man called the Sword Saint was requesting permission from him, which showed he was a person of lofty character.

Moreover, his martial prowess was at a sublime height that Ju-seong at his current level couldn’t even dare to look up to.

If it was someone like this, he needn’t worry about entrusting that troublesome case.

The only question was why the man praised by the western frontier as the Sage of the Sword would volunteer to take on that utterly useless fellow.

“…Why do you want to take him in?”

Immortal Hyeon-su scratched his cheek at Ju-seong’s question for a moment, then answered.

“My heart tells me to do so, and I see no reason to suppress it. The heart is like water… if you forcibly divert it and make paths where there are none, it will rot and overflow.”

“Hmm… In any case, if the Sword Saint will take him in, I have nothing to worry about. I’ll make the antidote and give it to you.”

“Thank you.”

Ju-seong immediately processed the pill and made the antidote.

He watched the departing backs of April and Immortal Hyeon-su, who had received the antidote and were leaving together. Then he turned to Red Beggar.

“It’s about time we left too, Red Beggar.”

Red Beggar nodded and answered.

“We stayed in Yunnan Province too long.”

* * *

“…Immortal, do you truly intend to restore my martial arts?”

April cautiously asked the peddler walking ahead. In reality, he was not a peddler but an unparalleled master of the martial world.

Immortal Hyeon-su walked without answering. His back looked somewhat angry.

Having always answered kindly to whatever he was asked or whatever was said, this made April even more anxious.

“Immortal… Didn’t you receive that pill from Young Master Ju-seong? I don’t want to bother someone the world calls the Sword Saint. If you give me the antidote, I’ll live in seclusion for the rest of my life. I have no intention of doing assassin work anymore.”

At April’s words, Immortal Hyeon-su finally stopped in his tracks.

The field, packed dense with tall grasses, stretched endlessly both ahead and behind.

There in the middle, the old peddler spoke.

“You said you’d live in seclusion?”

“…Yes. While atoning for my sins.”

“Why do you need martial arts to atone and live in seclusion?”

“To live in seclusion alone, I figured I’d need martial arts to hunt beasts and protect myself…”

April gave a shabby answer. Immortal Hyeon-su stared at him, and only then did April confess honestly.

“Having lost martial arts that were like part of my body my whole life, the sense of loss is great. I’m having trouble adjusting to my heavy body, and the empty feeling in my dantian is hard to bear.”

“…You’re crying because your martial arts were stolen. Then what must those whose lives you stole have felt? Was crying all they wanted to do?”

“…I have nothing to say about that. Having been raised that way since childhood…”

“You say you have nothing to say, yet excuses follow. You said that once you regain your martial arts you’d immediately live in seclusion to atone?”

“…Yes.”

“Your atonement is easy indeed. I have to offer prayers to heaven for years over killing people a few days ago. To cover faults with merit, I have to perform good deeds that I don’t even mean, dozens, hundreds of times.”

April was at a loss for words. Partly from shame, but also because it was hard to believe this was coming from the Sword Saint of the Western Frontier, famed for doing good deeds.

“The world says much about me… that I’m a great hero, that I’m the sage of Kunlun. I’ve done enough good deeds to earn such words… But in truth, they were all done to wash away the sins of wielding my sword against evildoers.”

“But weren’t the men you eliminated a few days ago villains who deserved to die?”

“That’s only by human standards. But within the Tao, there is no human who deserves to die. Nevertheless… I must consider not only the Tao of heaven but also the Tao of humanity. I’m human, not an immortal. That’s why I had to commit the sin of killing them.”

“…Then what must I do to wash away my sins? You said that living in seclusion away from the world is not the answer. Must I too offer sacrifices to heaven and perform good deeds?”

Immortal Hyeon-su steadily regarded April and thought of the junior he had seen a few days ago.

Ju-seong, was it?

A fine junior of the martial world. Overflowing with chivalric spirit, not the type to calculate and weigh things.

His temper was foul, and killing intent was thick in his upper dantian, but what did such things matter? The most important thing was a person’s heart.

If one’s heart was upright, one could find the Tao even walking with eyes closed.

He hadn’t wanted to leave such dirty concerns with that already precarious-looking junior.

That’s why when Ju-seong asked him his reason for taking in April, he had made the vague excuse of following his heart as a Taoist. That the Tao was within his heart…

‘But the realm where the heart naturally follows the Tao is still far away for me, young master.’

His acceptance of this overgrown, immature assassin was not because his heart told him to.

If his heart had its way, he would have shattered the bastard’s dantian and dumped him on the roadside before leaving.

But to wash away the sins he had accumulated a few days ago, he had to perform new good deeds…

Guiding an evildoer was also a good deed.

Immortal Hyeon-su put his hands behind his back and turned away as he spoke.

“I killed evildoers by human standards. This is chivalry in the mortal world, but a transgression in heaven’s eyes, so I must ask heaven for forgiveness.”

“…”

April just listened while following.

“But you killed people for money. That is not something that can be washed away by praying to heaven. Not a chance… Heaven won’t accept such atonement.”

“…”

“First you must wash away your sins as a human, then ask heaven for forgiveness. That’s the proper order.”

“…How do I wash away my sins as a human?”

April knew the answer even as he asked. To wash away sins committed against heaven, one simply offers sacrifices and does good deeds.

But sins committed as a human must be punished by humans or forgiven by humans.

Instead of answering, Immortal asked back.

“Where did you commit your first kill, and who did you kill? Tell me.”

The field was wide open, and the weather was clear without a single cloud.

The sunlight pierced his eyes reproachfully.

April squeezed his eyes shut because it stung to have the sunlight enter him.

There was nowhere to hide his sins in this broad daylight.

* * *

“These days, the atmosphere in Sichuan Province is so suspicious… This backwater village has nothing to worry about, but I still can’t help feeling anxious.”

At waiter Hwang-gu’s words, the Divine Physician nodded while drinking white liquor paired with chicken dishes at the inn.

“The conflict between the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect deepens by the day.”

“Well, they are massive sects that control Sichuan Province, after all.”

The Divine Physician narrowed his eyes and looked out the window. A summer shower was passing by.

“It’s not like the court’s affairs are in chaos, and it’s not like the government is negligent and public order is lacking. Yet mere civilian martial factions making a fuss is causing such a profound impact… how is this not the end times?”

“Ah… Haha, the farther you get from Beijing, the more influence martial factions naturally gain. That’s just how it is, isn’t it?”

The Divine Physician shook his head at Hwang-gu’s words.

“It’s not natural. For the first time in centuries, a Han dynasty has risen… The martial world folk, being Han themselves, have grown arrogant and are flexing their power. They contributed considerably to establishing this nation, after all.”

Most martial artists were Han Chinese. From the beginning, the major sects that had led the history of Central Plains martial arts were mostly Han factions.

While the north and the Southern Barbarian lands had several powerful martial arts, the land was poor and conflicts were frequent, so martial arts couldn’t stably develop and be cultivated.

“Ah, that’s too complicated for me. Anyway, why do they fight so much? At least they’re not actually hitting and fighting yet.”

“That too won’t be long. They may be Taoists and Buddhists, but their essence is still martial world folk. When things go wrong, they’ll draw their swords.”

“How frightening. Our Jiulong Village is so remote it probably won’t be affected, though.”

“I hope that’s the case…”

The Divine Physician watched the rain with a melancholy face.

Sichuan Province’s atmosphere was being stretched taut with an inexplicable tension. The two massive sects that had been more zealous than the government in handling Sichuan’s public order had entered a cold war.

The powerful masters of the main mountains, and the lay disciples scattered like grains of sand throughout Sichuan, were the backbone maintaining Sichuan’s order and security.

The prefects and county magistrates had also maintained considerable relationships with the lay disciples of both sects, acquiescing to their dominance.

The Provincial Governor, who could be called the leader of the entire province, even exchanged letters with the sect leaders of both main mountains.

Exchanging letters meant that gold, pills made through Taoist or Buddhist secret techniques, and qualifications for relatives to enter prestigious orthodox sects like Qingcheng or Emei as disciples were also changing hands.

Why? Because there was no problem doing so.

Two sects belonging to the Seven Great Sects, Qingcheng and Emei, had neither reason nor motive for wrongdoing.

While it was true they skimmed some profit for themselves, the effect of stabilizing the public along the way was far greater.

And the ‘supplementary income’ falling to the officials was also substantial.

If you handed over some authority of the government to those who styled themselves as orthodox factions, and in return gained social stability and personal advancement, wasn’t it a great bargain?

But as a result of such laissez-faire, when the two sects entered a cold war, all of Sichuan Province began to shrink.

This was similar to, yet different from the situation when the Green Wood Lotus and Southern Commerce Association had been in conflict in Yunnan Province.

While Green Wood Lotus and Southern Commerce were factions with different interests temporarily gathered together, the lay disciples of Qingcheng and Emei felt profound belonging to their main mountains.

Naturally, the conflict between them would be incomparably fiercer.

“I heard that near Chengdu, there are already brawls between lay disciples, and more than a few martial artists have been crippled.”

“Dear me… How regrettable.”

“Still, that, what’s it called, the All-Living Clinic? The place they say has the best medical skills in Sichuan. They say they treat both Qingcheng and Emei devotedly without discrimination, so that area has become a sort of forbidden ground where no fighting happens.”

The Divine Physician nodded and stroked his beard.

In truth, while his disciple Seo-baek was indeed a physician of fine character, it wasn’t due to his noble medical practice that the All-Living Clinic had been designated as forbidden ground.

There was a master who had formed a personal friendship with Seo-baek, stationed at the clinic to protect it.

If that weren’t the case, the two sects would have fought even more fiercely to seize the clinic with its excellent physician.

Thinking such thoughts, the Divine Physician confirmed the shower had stopped, then rose and dusted himself off.

“I’ve bought all the supplies, and had good food and drink at the Ilmi Inn, so I should head back now. Thanks for the conversation. For a backwater villager, you’re well-informed.”

“Ah, anything for you, Elder. Being a waiter, I hear all sorts of news. I’ll share outside news whenever, so please come often.”

“Very well, I’ll visit often.”

* * *

Ju-seong felt that the atmosphere of Sichuan Province, his spiritual homeland he had returned to after a long while, was not as it used to be.

He had already parted ways with Red Beggar in northern Yunnan Province.

If Red Beggar wanted to go directly to his hometown in Henan Province, he had to pass through Guizhou and traverse Huguang Province.

-I’m planning to check on the Beggars’ Sect branches in each region along the way.

-Guizhou is evil faction territory, so be careful. Don’t think of it like Yunnan. It’s crawling with peak-level masters, and among evil faction martial artists, many are not sound of mind.

-How many years have I been a beggar? Of course I’ll be careful. Don’t worry.

Red Beggar also knew how to read the underworld at least as well as Ju-seong, despite his appearance.

In particular, his eye for discerning whether local Beggars’ Sect branches were run by scoundrels or decent beggars far exceeded Ju-seong’s.

As he was their branch head, that was only natural.

Anyway, with him saying this much, Ju-seong had no choice but to let him go without worry.

He had wanted to introduce him to his master and send him off with some nourishing elixirs, but since Red Beggar wanted to hurry back, he couldn’t hold him.

“By the way, what’s wrong with Sichuan?”

Ju-seong muttered with his hand on his waist.

The passersby had tense expressions, and here and there on the streets were bloodstains that hadn’t been cleaned up.

Of course, Sichuan men were the type to fight at the drop of a hat, but they didn’t use bladed weapons.

For blood to be scattered on the main road like that, and for it to be too much for nearby merchants to wipe away… such things never happened.

“Tsk… Is the dark path rampant in Sichuan Province? What are those Qingcheng and Emei bastards doing? Should this peak master overturn things?”

Left alone for the first time in a while, Ju-seong muttered nonsense while surveying his surroundings.

“Three Yang Tea House… I feel a fateful attraction. I should go in and take a look.”

The name “Three Yang” was often used as a martial terminology, but it was also frequently used as a name for restaurants and taverns.

It meant that they offer hearty meals, fine liquor, and beautiful courtesans that replenish the yang energy of essence, energy, and spirit.

Of course, courtesans were more the type to drain yang energy than replenish it, but anyway.

One must empty before it can fill up again quickly, right?

In that sense, it was quite peculiar for a tea house to be named Three Yang.

Did it mean they sold tea so good it was nourishing?

Ju-seong tilted his head, then slipped into the tea house’s entrance.

“Excuse me, proprietor. I’d like to have some tea.”

At Ju-seong’s words, the man standing behind the counter responded expressionlessly.

“We have only one kind of tea. Only one kind of snack too. Will you have some?”

“Well… give it to me. My, you must have tremendous confidence.”

Without a word, the man brought out a tray with a teapot, snacks, and a cup, and poured the steaming tea for him.

It was common in tea houses to pour the first cup personally, so the establishment seemed to have at least that much form.

Ju-seong drank the tea while savoring it with his keen sense of smell.

“Mmm… It’s Yunnan tea.”

The man pouring the tea raised one eyebrow.

“You seem to be a martial artist, but you’re quite knowledgeable about tea. That’s right. It’s Yunnan tea. Recently imported, and quite fragrant.”

“There’s a slight earthy smell to it, but for a neighborhood tea house, well.”

The man tilted his head as if unable to understand Ju-seong’s words, but soon decided he needn’t ask and returned to the counter.

Ju-seong also ate the prepared snacks. Rice cakes stuffed with red bean and duck egg yolk, very soft and sweet.

“Mmm…”

Ju-seong furrowed his brow slightly and let out a groan. Because it was just too delicious.

While away in Yunnan, he had eaten far too many foods that didn’t suit his palate.

But now he had returned to the land of Sichuan, called the Land of Heavenly Abundance, and put the richly flavored food in his mouth, and he was overwhelmed with emotion without even realizing it.

He felt overwhelmed with emotion and realized that Sichuan really was his spiritual homeland.

Thinking so, Ju-seong turned his head and spoke.

“Proprietor.”

“Yes.”

“Long live Sichuan.”

“…Pardon?”

“Long live Sichuan, I said.”

“…Yes. Sichuan is a good place to live. These days though… the atmosphere is quite bad.”

“Is it? What’s going on, why?”

“You didn’t know? Qingcheng and Emei are in a cold war these days.”

“Is that so? I had no idea. Why are they fighting? They were getting along fine until now.”

“Ha, it’s not about interests… Well, this isn’t something I can just tell you for free. It’s also quite a secret matter.”

“Oh? Do I need to pay you?”

“Well, if you want to know, pay up a few coins.”

“There should be a going rate.”

The proprietor snorted.

“Come on, you think there’s a price tag on loose talk?”

“Why not? I think there should be.”

“Hm?”

“This is the Ten Thousand Ears Gang’s place, isn’t it?”

-BANG!

The man pulled out a hand axe that had been hidden beneath the counter and threw it.

He wasn’t aiming at Ju-seong.

When the axe lodged in the upper part of the door, the string holding up the entrance curtain at the entrance was cut.

The curtain rolled down with a swishing sound, and the shop was momentarily plunged into darkness.

-Rattle, rattle.

The sound of the curtain swinging was heard quietly, and the yellow sunlight streaming through the gap drew a precarious line across Ju-seong’s face.

“Who are you?”

The man’s eyes gleamed menacingly in the darkness.