Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 80 - A Fateful Encounter on the Min River

Chapter 80 – A Fateful Encounter on the Min River

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Ju-seong saw the stone wall bulging outward as if it were cloth catching the wind.

Water was already spurting through the cracks, making it truly a desperate situation. Whether a peak master or a super-peak master, if swept up in that, one would become fish food.

“Cangue.”

Ju-seong muttered, urgently scanning the floor.

The stone wall collapsed and water poured in. The cavern’s torches were rapidly going out too.

He had to find a cangue before his vision went completely dark.

He wasn’t talking about a blade, but the wooden restraint device used to confine prisoners.

Since the underground cavern had served as a prison, cangues were scattered across the floor.

Ju-seong quickly found one, fitted it around his neck, and securely tied his belongings inside his clothes.

By that point, the water had already risen to his thighs.

‘Now, for mental preparation… ‘

Just as he was about to steady himself, the stone wall completely collapsed and the Jin River’s waters crashed over him with tremendous pressure.

-WHOOOOSH…!

His vision flickered and spun. He thought he glimpsed Sichuan’s cloudy night sky, thought he saw water plants growing on the riverbed.

The pool of blood that had collected in the cavern couldn’t stain the river flowing majestically and was cleanly dispersed.

‘Am I going to scatter and disappear like that too…?’

Pessimistic thoughts kept coming. Facing possible drowning while wounded made optimism difficult.

The river appeared azure or green from outside, but from within, the river was black.

The black water flowed, lying long across the land… this was the Black Dragon.

Lying atop the body of the Black Dragon he had so despised, Ju-seong drifted downstream, unconscious.

* * *

The Divine Physician had spoken about the importance of neck muscle training:

-When you’re out in the martial world, you’ll often roll down slopes or take a punch or palm strike to the jaw from fist or palm technique masters. What can save your life then is these neck muscles. You must have a neck as thick as a great bear’s, as sturdy as an elephant’s…

.

.

.

-Master, I think my neck will break before it gets stronger. How many more rotations?

-What, you were still doing that! Look at this madman.

Training by supporting the body only with the head and two feet to form the character “人,” then rotating the neck using the crown as an axis.

Without a cushion under his head, Ju-seong’s crown would probably be gleaming like a Shaolin monk’s by now.

Among the Divine Physician’s brand of physical training regimens, this neck training had been one of the most agonizing.

‘Yet Master’s teachings are thus invaluable.’

Ju-seong was grateful to see a new morning with his eyes open.

Even though he was currently floating along the Jin River, with fractures here and there in his limbs from tumbling through the rapids.

Fitting the cangue before drowning had been a flash of wit.

When a person loses consciousness in water, they float face-down.

To breathe, the nose or mouth must be above the water surface.

A ‘cangue’ was a restraint device made of wood. And wood floats on water.

If you clamp your head in it, naturally your head would bob above the surface… that had been his thinking.

Of course, that was nonsense.

Doing such a thing meant your neck bones would break from being tossed about, or worse, your head might separate from your body entirely.

Even as a ghost, at least a ghost with a head would feel less wronged and might pass on faster, right?

But Ju-seong was a peak-level master.

Moreover, he was a martial artist who had strengthened his body to the utmost through Samadhi Body Refinement, an ancient martial world legacy.

Even so, this situation was an ordeal for him.

“My neck…”

Ju-seong sighed quietly, letting the water carry him. He had no strength in his limbs, and they were all fractured anyway, so there was nothing he could do.

The Jin River was a tributary of the Min River, and the Min River was in turn a tributary of the vast Yangtze that crossed the Central Plains.

Ju-seong wondered if he would float all the way down the Yangtze to reach the distant eastern sea.

Then perhaps he could see Fujian Province again, which might be called his hometown.

Fortunately, Ju-seong’s journey ended before reaching the Yangtze. It was around the time his body was shivering and his teeth were chattering.

“Martial Sister, do you see that person? He’s alive!”

“My, wearing a cangue around his neck… must be an escaped convict.”

“He might have been captured by bandits or pirates and barely escaped! And even if he is an escaped convict, you’re not planning to leave him, are you?”

“When did I say that? Row closer, child.”

“Yes!”

They were women’s voices. Unable to lift a finger, Ju-seong could only shout.

“…Save me!”

“Oh my, he’s still conscious. Just wait a moment, young benefactor. We’ll fish you out soon.”

Soon, slender arms hooked under Ju-seong’s armpits and effortlessly lifted him out of the water like picking up a baby.

The instant the buoyancy that had been supporting his body vanished, Ju-seong felt excruciating pain from his limbs.

“Help me!”

“Martial Sister, for someone who floated down the river, this man seems awfully energetic?”

“Hmm… Must be a martial artist. Can you hear me, benefactor?”

“…I can hear you. You must be masters from Emei Sect.”

Ju-seong deduced they were Buddhist nuns from the term ‘benefactor,’ and noticed they were from Emei because they grew their hair long instead of shaving it.

Emei Sect was a Buddhist sect with strong Taoist influences, so they didn’t strictly follow traditional Buddhist customs.

Ju-seong lay on a small single-sail boat along the lower reaches of the Min River as it crossed the great gorge. White sails were neatly furled and draped, reflecting the sunlight. Cliffs surrounded them like folding screens, and the sailboat sat upon the deep blue river waters, creating a truly picturesque scene.

It was quite the immortal’s leisure, but…

Ju-seong was busy groaning in pain. Swallowing his embarrassment, he made a request.

“…In my clothes, there’s a large pouch… Inside that pouch are three smaller pouches. In the red one, there are two more pouches inside… please open the smaller one and put it in my mouth.”

“You sure have a lot of pouches. A pouch millionaire.”

The young woman called Martial Sister was rather talkative.

Inside the pouch was a medicinal pill with pain-relieving and blood-replenishing effects.

Being a sturdy leather pouch treated with oil, the pill hadn’t dissolved even when swept through the river.

Soon, an elegant medicinal fragrance spread over the boat.

“Heavens, he must be from a major sect.”

The young woman marveled quietly. The woman called Martial Aunt also nodded.

“Certainly not just anyone… Benefactor, can you hear me?”

“…I can hear you. I seem to have encountered masters from Emei Sect.”

Ju-seong lay in the boat, feeling the warmth of the sun.

“Thank you.”

The restorative pill entered his mouth, and a warm energy swept past his bones and organs, bringing color back to Ju-seong’s face.

Ju-seong managed to raise his arms now that the pain had somewhat subsided, and brought his hands together in a cupped-fist salute.

“I express my gratitude to the two masters of Emei Sect. This Ju-seong would have floated all the way to the land of the Eastern Barbarians if not for you two.”

“Oh my, no need to salute. You don’t look well. Martial Sister, is there anything to cover him? He looks cold.”

The woman called Martial Aunt was comparatively taciturn. She rummaged through the hold beneath the oar seat and pulled out an old reed mat to drape over Ju-seong’s body.

“Thank you.”

Why were masters of Emei Sect in this place? Emei Sect should be busy fighting tooth and nail with Qingcheng Sect.

But asking such things upon first meeting would be terribly rude, and besides, Ju-seong was utterly exhausted.

If they were masters of Emei Sect, they surely wouldn’t harm him while he slept.

With safety assured, Ju-seong’s tired body fell into a deep sleep immediately.

* * *

The crackling sound of a bonfire. Ju-seong drowsily opened his eyes.

He was lying close to the fire, while two women were chatting amiably as they boiled dried rations in a small pot.

“…Oh great and mighty martial artists of Emei… That food smells truly wonderful.”

“Ah, you’ve regained consciousness?”

A woman who appeared to be in her late twenties turned her head to examine Ju-seong.

Collecting himself and sitting up, Ju-seong nodded. Meanwhile, the young woman had already scooped food into a wooden bowl and pushed it in front of him.

“Please eat some.”

“Thank you.”

The moment Ju-seong took his first bite, the late-twenties woman introduced herself with windlike speed.

“I am called Ok-wol, and this child, not having received a Buddhist name yet, goes by her given name Yang So-so. We are second and third-generation disciples of Emei Sect.”

Ju-seong bowed his head.

“I pay respects to the Immortal Ok-wol and Young Lady Yang.”

Ok-wol reddened slightly as if embarrassed, and waved her hand.

“What ‘Immortal’ for someone who has left home? Just call me Venerable. And your name was… Ju-seong?”

Ju-seong nodded.

“My name is Ju-seong, and I have no family name. Being fundamentally without roots, that is. Just call me Master Ju, Young Hero Ju, or Benefactor Ju.”

“No family name… For having no family name, your presence is extraordinary and your physique is sturdy. Would you tell me your school affiliation, if you have one?”

Since Ju-seong’s master disliked exposure, Ju-seong had never revealed his school affiliation publicly.

It was also awkward to call it a school, given he’d just happened to meet an old man and learned martial arts from him.

But being overly secretive in front of the Emei masters who had saved his life wouldn’t do either.

Ju-seong spoke politely.

“I am from a small medicine school far away in Yunnan. Nothing impressive to speak of, but I can manage some medicine preparation.”

“Hmm…”

Ok-wol scrutinized Ju-seong up and down with some suspicion, but found nothing questionable.

“Young Hero Ju, how did you come to be wearing a cangue around your neck?”

Yang So-so, who appeared not yet twenty, asked with sparkling eyes.

“Martial Niece!”

Ok-wol rebuked sternly, but Ju-seong waved it off with a laugh.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Come now, you saved my life… of course you can ask. Isn’t that right? This Martial Aunt is quite particular.”

“Particular…?”

At Ju-seong’s naturally irreverent manners, Ok-wol’s thoughts briefly short-circuited, while Yang So-so simply laughed as if enjoying herself.

Ju-seong opened his mouth before Ok-wol could react.

“The truth is… This story all begins with the Heavenly Bone Fruit Wine.”

Ju-seong detonated a tremendous bomb in the two women’s minds before they could steel themselves.

“What!”

Ok-wol’s eyes went wide as she shot to her feet, and So-so also stared at Ju-seong with round eyes.

Ok-wol placed her hand on her sword hilt and asked sharply.

“Are you from Qingcheng Sect?”

Ju-seong just shook his head while blowing on his boiled rations.

“Now, now, you ladies… What’s with the emotional swings from people who are supposed to be nuns? I’ll explain everything carefully from here, so please sit down.”

Ju-seong recounted his experience… from how he came to obtain the Heavenly Bone Fruit Wine, to how he came to suspect the Ten Thousand Ears Gang.

“…Hmm, so where is the Heavenly Bone Fruit Wine now? With it as physical evidence, we could partly resolve the conflict between Emei and Qingcheng. Oh, but it’s probably useless now.”

Ju-seong nodded in agreement.

“Right. Qingcheng Sect is all riled up because their young prodigy was killed… The Heavenly Bone Fruit Wine is now beside the point. Besides, there’s hardly any left. I drank it all.”

“How very well done of you.”

“Thank you.”

Ok-wol stared hard at Ju-seong, who merely shrugged.

“Anyway, please listen. So I went into the Chengdu slums to catch those bastards’ trail.”

Ju-seong continued his narrative, filtering what needed filtering and sharing what needed sharing.

“Oh heavens!”

“Urgh.”

Just from listening, Ok-wol and So-so felt their stomachs churn. Ju-seong had vividly described the horrific scene he’d witnessed in the underground cavern beneath Vajra Pavilion.

The storyteller skills he’d honed were apparently still intact.

This was precisely why Ju-seong had risked being honest and explaining the situation.

Due to the Pavilion Master’s trap, all evidence of the human sacrifice had been swept away by the Jin River.

He needed a credible organization to speak out on his behalf about the Ten Thousand Ears Gang’s atrocities.

Emei Sect was perfect for that role.

Of course, second and third-generation disciples probably wouldn’t have much influence.

Anyway, opening this channel of communication was what mattered.

Once Ju-seong’s story ended, it was the two women’s turn.

The two women of Emei had their own need to proclaim their school’s innocence.

“That assassin was not sent by Emei Sect. All second and third-generation disciples of Emei have scattered across Sichuan to find that assassin. We made this decision despite the loss of fighting strength… it is to demonstrate our Emei Sect’s innocence.”

“Hmm, so you’re currently ‘tracking’ the assassin.”

“That would be the case.”

Ju-seong smiled slyly. He too needed to forge connections with a famous orthodox sect like Emei, and here heaven was helping him.

“I wonder if I mentioned to you two that I’m rather famous for my tracking skills. Even Squad Captain Helian Qui of the Martial Alliance deeply admired my tracking abilities.”

“Oh?”

“Tracking is me, and I am tracking… That artistic realm. This Ju-seong will do his utmost to help our Emei masters carve up that damned assassin… dismember him, separate sinew from bone, whatever it takes.”

“…We do not commit acts like ‘dismembering.'”

“So you don’t like dismembering. Anyway, just sit back and relax.”

Ju-seong grinned.

“Before the same moon rises again, I’ll have caught him for you.”