Chapter 40: Maid of Yue, Sword of Yunmeng

"Junior Brother, do you think I am brainless?"

"No."

Ouyang Rong shook his head without looking aside, meeting the gaze of the Junior Sister sitting opposite him. Well, he cared not at all about the future scale of the junior disciples' cafeteria.

"Such an obvious diversion, and yet I still fell for it."

"The most brilliant traps often appear the most unpretentious."

Xie Lingjiang felt a slight melancholy. "Is that so... Yet I have read so many books, and Father often tells me to use my brain before using my hands. But whenever I see an enemy wounded and fleeing, I just want to chase after them, thinking I can catch them in no time."

Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and comforted her, "Normal. In the past, I also always rushed into tower dives thinking I could secure a kill on a sliver of health, only to realize later that it was just an illusion of life."

"Tower dive... vital point... what does that mean?" Xie Lingjiang paused, probing tentatively, "Is Senior Brother also a Qi practitioner?"

"Not really... but close enough. That impulse when the kill you thought was in the bag flies away, I understand it," he sighed with emotion.

"Senior Brother." Xie Lingjiang's nose felt a bit sore.

"So Junior Sister is not brainless, just a bit big-brained... no... a bit slow. Train a bit more with Senior Brother, and you'll become sharp."

"..." Xie Lingjiang.

"If Senior Brother does not know how to comfort people, he can choose not to comfort them." Xie Lingjiang straightened her face and nodded.

Ouyang Rong smiled, picked up the half-broken bronze beast mask from the table, and examined it. "So, did Junior Sister see the appearance of that eccentric?"

"No, his face was painted with pigments, playing the ghost... He leaped across Butterfly Creek with his injuries and escaped."

Ouyang Rong caught the apologetic look on Xie Lingjiang's small face and said softly,

"Judging by the current situation, there is an eighty percent chance he was sent by the Liu family, and there might even be accomplices providing backup. Junior Sister did not rashly jump into the water on impulse; that was the right thing to do." Besides, the Junior Sister probably couldn't swim faster than him anyway, weighing a couple of pounds more than the other fellow.

Xie Lingjiang remained indignant. "It's mainly because I am not skilled in swordsmanship; otherwise, all these illusory sorceries would have been shattered by a single sword, striking directly at the main body."

Ouyang Rong, who had just wanted to offer a few words of comfort, twitched the corner of his mouth and glanced at the long sword at her waist. "You call this not skilled in swordsmanship?"

"Where is this even going? This must be Senior Brother's first time seeing a Qi practitioner, right?" Xie Lingjiang shook her head. "The Dao lineage I walk is not known for its swordsmanship. The one that can truly break all techniques with a single sword is another secluded Dao lineage."

"Does Junior Sister walk the Dao lineage of the scholars?"

"Mmm. Does Senior Brother also know about Qi practitioners?"

"I've heard Liulang mention some, but I'm not very clear about it." Pausing, Ouyang Rong asked curiously, "Are there distinctions of ranks among these Qi practitioner Dao lineages? And what realm is Junior Sister in?"

Although he intended to go home after managing the floods and slaying the dragon, there was no harm in indulging a bit of gossip, especially since he always suspected that the merit tower in his heart lake was connected to Qi practitioners...

From what he could see now, Qi practitioners like his Junior Sister were somewhat like experts in martial arts novels, just under a different name. What they practiced didn't seem to be external physical conditioning, but something called "Qi." Even a slightly heavier, delicate-bodied Junior Sister like her could vault over walls and walk on eaves, which showed it was indeed quite magical.

Moreover, the source of this power system could be traced back to the pre-Qin Qi practitioners mentioned only in fragments in ancient texts.

Yet he wondered where the source of those pre-Qin Qi practitioners could be traced back to. The ancient mythological era?

And what was the current state of the top existences among the community of Qi practitioners? Surely they couldn't truly attain eternal youth and vision, could they? Did the First Emperor of a thousand years ago manage to obtain the elixir of immortality... Well, presumably not. If Ying Ge were still around, the current Liqian and Weizhou would probably not exist.

"Matters of the martial world are not for Senior Brother to pry into." A certain aristocratic lady of the Xie clan seemed still angry that someone had just wasted her touched feelings.

Ouyang Rong smiled, peeled a tangerine, picked off the white pith, and handed it over. "Junior Sister, vent your anger."

Xie Lingjiang gave a light hum. "Not eating it. It causes heat."

The young magistrate thought for a moment, and silently pushed the pile of tangerine peels on the table toward her, along with the white pith.

This would reduce heat.

"..."

With a wave of her sleeve, Xie Lingjiang snatched back the peeled tangerine that her Senior Brother was about to take back, and glared at him with an expression that was both exasperated and amused.

"Eat the peel yourself. Peel two more for me."

Ouyang Rong smiled and nodded, peeled a few more and handed them over. "Let's talk about business."

Xie Lingjiang turned serious.

"There are nine ranks for Qi practitioners.

"But actually... there are six.

"Because the last three ranks leading to 'mythology' have long been lost.

"This is just like the official ranks of the Zhou court; the very top first, second, and third ranks, such as the Three Preceptors and Three Ducal Ministers, are not granted real power and are merely honorary titles.

"The first, second, and third ranks of Qi practitioners are similar. In today's martial world, both within and outside the mortal realm, it has been nearly a hundred years since anyone was heard to have reached this realm.

"However, even though it is lost, Qi practitioners throughout the entire martial world still use the nine-rank system. This is a standard that was born during the Wei and Jin dynasties along with the Nine-Rank Zhongzheng system.

"Among them, the ninth and eighth ranks are junior Qi practitioners, whose spiritual qi appears blue; the seventh and sixth ranks are intermediate Qi practitioners, whose spiritual qi appears vermilion; the fifth and fourth ranks are senior Qi practitioners, whose spiritual qi appears purple; and above that is the lost Celestial Human rank, existences of which ancient texts simply refer to as the Celestial Humans of Shenzhou."

Xie Lingjiang sighed with emotion.

Ouyang Rong couldn't help asking, "Spiritual qi has colors too? How come I didn't see yours?"

"First, I haven't reached the realm of external projection yet, and second, Senior Brother doesn't know how to observe qi."

He understood and asked again, "Then what do the nine mythological Dao lineages mean?"

Xie Lingjiang stuffed a segment of tangerine flesh into her mouth, her slender fingers tapping lightly against her vermilion lips as she weighed her words.

"All current arts of Qi practice originate from the nine mythological Dao lineages passed down from the pre-Qin period.

"Some say that the ends of all nine Dao lineages can lead to mythology; some say that ascending the nine ranks ultimately leads to immortality; others say that advancing to the first rank allows one to ascend to the Penglai immortal realm... But who knows?

"Mythology has long been lost, and eternal youth and the Penglai immortal realm are currently only pursued by that group of crazy alestors overseas and the most obsessive Daoist Qi practitioners.

"Having been passed down to the present day, the nine mythological Dao lineages have already undergone drastic changes.

"Either they vanished into the long river of history like the Mohist Dao lineage—a whale fall that gives birth to myriad things;

"Or, like the Military and Yin-Yang Dao lineages, they declined during the two great contentions over a thousand years, falling into the hands of imperial power and secretive aristocratic families;

"Or, like the scholar and Daoist Dao lineages, they have been passed down for a thousand years, still standing as towering, prominent orthodox sects that establish destiny and save the world;

"Or else... they retreat into the hidden realms beyond the mortal world, each with their own mission, each with their own obsession, and each with their own... madness."

Xie Lingjiang sighed softly.

Ouyang Rong was thoughtful. "Then does this scholar Dao lineage, which has been passed down completely, belong to our Confucian school?"

Xie Lingjiang shook her head. "The scholar Dao lineage is not exclusive to the Confucian school or Confucian scholarly families; there are also a few disciples of the Legalist and Vertical-Horizontal schools walking this path, it's just that the Confucian lineage is the most prominent under heaven, standing out among the hundred schools of philosophy during the pre-Qin period, and becoming the sole doctrine respected during the reign of Emperor Wu. Yet all the hundred schools of philosophy are scholars."

Ouyang Rong really wanted to ask why, since he was so good at studying in both his past and present lives, the academy hadn't passed down the art of Qi practice to him—did they not know the gold content of being the eighteenth top scholar?... But looking at how his Junior Sister didn't even mention this matter, he probably understood the reason.

He thought for a moment and nodded. "What rank is Junior Sister currently in?"

"Scholar Dao lineage, eighth rank, Gentleman." She paused, then explained, "Moreover, the martial world collectively refers to junior Qi practitioners from the Confucian school as Gentlemen, and intermediate ones as Worthy Sages..."

"No wonder Junior Sister kept emphasizing earlier that she was a Gentleman. You truly treat others with sincerity and didn't deceive Senior Brother..."

Xie Lingjiang shook her head and said softly,

"I thought Senior Brother knew a bit about this... Furthermore, possessing rank titles is a luxury because they are the summarized experiences of senior Qi practitioners, summarized by various Qi practitioner factions themselves, vaguely pointing out a path involving 'Qi.'

"Only mythological Dao lineages with complete inheritances can enjoy such treatment, like the three prominent orthodox sects. In the martial world, those miscellaneous Qi practitioners without stable inheritances simply refer to themselves by their numerical rank..."

"Then what was your ninth rank before?"

"Scholar." She replied with poised calm.

"And the seventh rank?"

Xie Lingjiang couldn't help glancing at her Senior Brother. She tilted her head slightly, wearing a half-smile. "Why does Senior Brother need to know so much?"

Ouyang Rong coughed, pointed at the bronze beast mask broken into two halves on the table, and nodded.

"Since this eccentric is connected to the Liu family, I must ask just in case, to make preparations in advance. Does Junior Sister know what Dao lineage this eccentric belongs to, and what his rank is?"

Xie Lingjiang hesitated for a moment and answered truthfully, "He should belong to the Immortal Alchemist Dao lineage, also eighth rank, but he must have just entered the eighth rank not long ago. If I remember correctly, the title for this eighth rank is... Seeking-Immortal Alchemist."

Pausing, she gave a serious admonition:

"The Alchemist Dao lineage is a mythological Dao lineage with a history as long as the scholar Dao lineage, but they are rather... heterodox, and their morality is generally unpredictable. They love seeking immortals overseas, excel in external elixirs, and frequently peddle the art of immortality to the powerful and noble of successive dynasties. It has been like this since the Qin dynasty, which is also the source of the conflict between our Confucian Qi practitioner seniors and them.

"Moreover, back when the Qin dynasty first established its unification, Confucian scholars and alestors both belonged to the First Emperor's command. The Confucian scholars assisted in the Mount Tai fengshan ceremony to promote the Kingly Way, while these alestors were even worse than the Legalists who merely fought over paths; they incited the First Emperor to seek immortality all the way, and later even deceived the sovereign, fled, and shifted the blame, leading to the burning of books and burying of scholars. The grudge has been forged ever since... Senior Brother must be extremely careful around such people, and never believe in any eternal youth."

Seeing his Senior Brother's expressionless look, Xie Lingjiang nodded with relief, though a trace of perplexity crossed her face:

"It's just that these alestors generally seek immortals in the northern seas and are rarely active in the south. I have no idea where the Liu family or others dug this eccentric up, and yet he dared to come so close..."

Ouyang Rong asked curiously, "Why are there fewer alestors in the south? Doesn't the Lingnan Circuit further south also border the sea? Can't they seek immortals there?"

Xie Lingjiang smiled. "Because the Southern Jiangnan Circuit and Lingnan Circuit constitute the Tiannan martial world, which has a mortal enemy of the immortal alestors."

Ouyang Rong reacted, "Ah, could it be that Dao lineage capable of breaking all techniques with a single sword?"

Xie Lingjiang pointed her index finger upward. "At the highest point of the Tiannan martial world, there is a top-tier secluded orthodox sect, which is the ancestral court of swordsmanship under heaven. This sect is called... Yunmeng Sword Marsh.

"This sect possesses the Yue maiden Dao lineage and only recruits female cultivators under strict conditions.

"And the female cultivators of Yunmeng are most fond of slaying alestors." Xie Lingjiang smiled.

"Yunmeng Sword Marsh... Wait, why does that sound so familiar?" Ouyang Rong frowned.

Xie Lingjiang finished the last segment of tangerine flesh, stood up to leave, and tossed out a sentence besides a table of tangerine peels:

"That's right, it's right in the neighboring Yunmeng Marsh. Speaking of which, it was their household that caused the waters to rise and flood Senior Brother's county city."

"..."

...

To the west of Donglin Temple, a simple yet neat house belonging to a family of three.

Inside a bright room with its windows reopened and no longer dim.

The tall and thin man with the character "Yue" branded on his face was lowering his head to pack his bundle.

An elderly woman with a worried expression was pulling at his arms on the side. The white hair hanging down her temples trembled in the air, and so did her words:

"Don't go down the mountain, Ashan, don't go down the mountain. Let's live our lives properly here in the temple."

Liu Ashan remained mute and expressionless, his movements continuing as before as he packed. Only occasionally would he cover his mouth and cough a few times, his body swaying with a bit of frailty—still bearing the weakness after being bedridden for a long time.

Yet the man's movements were clean and decisive. He left all the remaining money at home, simply stuffed a few changes of clothes into his bundle, and took only the essentials to go down the mountain.

"Ashan, don't go down, Mother is begging you..."

Liu Mother grabbed his hand with tears in her eyes, but Liu Ashan, with his back turned to her, shook his head.

At the doorway of the room, the curtain was gently lifted, revealing a pair of spiritual, wide eyes. Aqin silently watched the arguing mother and brother inside the room.

Her brother's illness had mostly recovered, and by last night he was already able to walk around the bed. Yet after resting for just one night, early this morning her brother got up to pack his things, saying he was going down the mountain to find the magistrate老爷.

Aqin wanted to speak but hesitated. She didn't understand her mother's anxiety, nor did she understand her brother's stubbornness.

However, she knew the magistrate was a good man. Her brother going to find the magistrate actually made Aqin quite happy, and moreover, when she went to look for her brother in the future, she would also have the opportunity to see the magistrate.

Only, Aqin was a bit worried about her brother's health. Besides... her mother had never seemed as sad as she did today, even when her brother had contracted a terminal illness, her mother had merely looked resigned and numb with despair.

Liu Ashan shouldered his bundle, turned around to kneel before his weeping and obstructing elderly mother, kowtowed heavily three times, and then stood up without a word to head out the door. He patted the head of his obedient younger sister outside the door, turned around silently, and left the courtyard.

Liu Mother chased after him from behind, crying out:

"Ashan, my lord, the nobleman won't care whether we repay this kindness or not! We can burn incense and pray for the rest of our lives, and be beasts of burden in the next life. Don't go down! This kindness cannot be repaid..."

Liu Ashan's steps did not stop, nor did he look back. His voice was hoarse and muffled:

"The young master told me to go down the mountain to find him once I recovered. Mother, go back."

Helped up by Aqin, the elderly woman blankly watched her child's back, muttering to herself:

"The grace of a nobleman is something poor people can never repay. Any small favor a nobleman grants us is greater than the sky. What do poor people have to repay with? Poor people only have one life..."

Yet apart from the bewildered Aqin, no one heard, and no one would listen.

The muffled voice of the man came from afar again:

"Aqin, take good care of Mother. Brother is leaving."

...