Chapter 186: Taiyi Sect

Chapter 186: Taiyi Sect

How lofty rises the head of the Five Great Mountains,

In Qilu, where lush and beautiful mountains cascade,

Divine the hands that shape creation’s dance,

Dividing yin from yang, night from day’s embrace.[1]

On Mount Tai, Zhao Changhe followed Xuan Chong, leisurely admiring the surrounding scenery as they climbed.

If it were not for the matter with the Wang Clan, Zhao Changhe might not have continued traveling with Xuan Chong. As Xuan Chong returned to Mount Tai, Zhao Changhe might have instead gone to Xuzhou, checking out if Pizhou existed in this world, reminiscing about Emperors Gaozu and Zhao of Han, then stopping by White Gate Tower to visit the person who had drifted through half a lifetime, wondering if he needed to learn from them.[2]

Although they were all in Jiangsu, the scenery here felt vastly different from Gusu and Yangzhou.

But due to the matter involving the Wang Clan, Zhao Changhe decided to forgo the reminiscing and head straight to Qilu. Linyi, at the north of Xuzhou, was actually where the Wang Clan of Langya was located, with their influence extending to the Eastern Sea. The entire area could be considered part of Langya, and their martial arts were closely related to the sea.[3]

However, the Wang Clan had only just started inviting people. In other words, the banquet was not going to happen just yet, so Xuan Chong invited Zhao Changhe to continue northward to visit his sect.

Zhao Changhe thought of how during his entire time in the jianghu, he had met with aristocratic families, gangs, and cults, but he had never interacted with a regular martial arts sect. And so, he happily agreed to broaden his horizons.

Besides, Mount Tai was well worth a visit.

His mindset had indeed changed. Back when he first left Beimang, he had no leisure to indulge in reminiscence or enjoy the scenery. But now, he could do both enthusiastically.

The vicious qi that used to often torment and plague him had not erupted ever since he left Yangzhou. Logically speaking, it should have erupted long ago, especially when he was practically bathing in vicious qi at the Sword Emperor’s tomb, but he was fine so far. He was fairly sure that Tang Wanzhuang’s efforts to help him calm himself down played a significant role in this.

Initially, Zhao Changhe thought that Beimang had shifted significantly northward, implying that there might be significant differences in geography between this world and the modern world. However, as he experienced more of this world, he found that most places had no differences. Instead, it was just that Beimang’s situation was peculiar, possibly connected to some changes in the basin between the Yellow River and the Luo River. There had to be a reason for it.

Culturally, there were some differences, such as Mount Tai not carrying the same significance that it did in the modern world due to the lack of ceremonies and religious connotations. In this world, it was just a famous mountain. Originally, there had been several large and small sects on the mountain, but with the leader of the Taiyi Sect making it onto the Ranking of Earth, some small sects were absorbed, while others relocated, leaving only the Taiyi Sect on Mount Tai.

In recent years, the Taiyi Sect had been flourishing. Xuan Chong, the direct disciple of its sect master, was already at the seventh layer of the Profound Gate despite his young age. Additionally, he used to be ranked twelfth on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons—with the recent developments, now ranking tenth. It was quite an honorable achievement, indicating the solidity of the Taiyi Sect’s heritage.

Perhaps due to the gentle nature of Daoist practice, from Zhao Changhe’s perspective, Xuan Chong didn’t have much of a presence, but that did not mean that he was weak. Even though he had indeed been suppressed by Chi Li, it had to be taken into account that Chi Li was simply on a much higher level than anyone else there. On the contrary, the fact that he had even been able to exchange a few moves with Chi Li and had not been defeated instantly was actually already quite impressive. At the very least, he was much stronger than Zhao Changhe was at that time.

The word “Chong” that made up his name might seem very dynamic, but in the context of Daoism, it represented emptiness, void, and humility. It was the opposite of fullness and profit.[4]

“?”

Xuan Chong, frustrated, stomped his foot and said, “Those idiots from the Wang Clan didn’t recognize him, but you can at least say it was because he wasn’t carrying his saber. But now, with this guy holding such a huge saber right beside me, what kind of brain do you guys have to discuss him right in front of his face this entire time?”

The disciples stammered, “N-no, it’s.... It’s because many men in the north have begun carrying such sabers lately. It’s become quite popular.... There are even some who deliberately scar their faces! How are we supposed to know if it’s really him? Wasn’t he just at Taihu Lake a few days ago?”

“Yeah, and I was in Yangzhou! What a bunch of idiots!” Xuan Chong sighed in exasperation. “Can ordinary people even pick up such a massive saber?”

“Ah, if they can’t carry a saber that size, they usually make do with a piece of wood covered in metal, or hollow metal. There is always a way,” the disciples said. As they stole glances at Zhao Changhe, their eyes showed a hint of admiration. These youths could not help but admire the bold and vigorous man in front of them more than they did their own senior brother, who was calm and gentle.

It was not surprising for people to start imitating him. Celebrities always set the trends. Back in Beimang or Yangzhou, everyone had been imitating Yue Hongling’s style, as it was being talked about everywhere. If you wanted a set of red clothes that would fit the look of a female warrior and a red scabbard for your sword, you could find them everywhere on the streets.

Zhao Changhe, on the other hand, was stunned for a while, and then suddenly ecstatic, “That’s great!”

Xuan Chong glanced at him, “Do you feel happy being famous? You do know that most people don’t like others imitating them, right?”

Zhao Changhe could not hide his joy. “I’ve always been worried about being too recognizable. It’s too troublesome. This is just the heavens helping me! It would be even better if more people tried to look like me and put scars on their faces!”

Xuan Chong was stunned for a moment, then he shook his head and smiled. I guess that makes sense...

Immediately, however, he restrained his smile and ignored Zhao Changhe’s self-indulgence. He asked one of the disciples seriously, “What happened? Why do you need to check our identities even to let us in?”

The disciples guarding the gate all shook their heads. “We don’t know either. Everything seems normal. If there was something big happening, would we be in the mood to be joking around? No idea why we got this order.”

Xuan Chong nodded, then suddenly smiled at Zhao Changhe. “I wonder why I suddenly had the thought to invite you to the sect... But now, it seems that there might be a case for you to solve.”

Zhao Changhe’s smile froze on his face. He almost wanted to throw away the jade token he got from the Demon Suppression Bureau down the mountain. Is this fate?

Of course, he wasn’t actually willing to just throw it away. His relationship with Tang Wanzhuang back then and now was vastly different, and the token was not from the Demon Suppression Bureau so much as from Tang Wanzhuang.

1. This is an excerpt from a poem by Du Fu titled “Gazing at Mount Tai.” The head of the Five Great Mountains refers to Mount Tai. Qilu refers to present-day Shandong. ☜

2. This references events from the period of the Three Kingdoms. ☜

3. Just a note that the Langya being referred to here isn’t present-day Langya County, but rather Langya Commandery of ancient China. ☜

4. His name is 冲, and it can be literally translated as “collision,” “assault,” and so on, also appearing in words that refer to animated movement or reactions. The word meaning fullness/profit is 盈. ☜