Joy of Life - V1C9
Prologue: Nice Guys Finish Last
1- A Child of the Tanmai
2- The Truman Show
3- The Legacy Book
4- Studies and Ghost Stories
5- The Noctural Visitor
6- Master Wu Zhu
7- Master Fei Jie
8- One Year Later...
9- Grandmasters and Divine Temple
10- Overpowering Bàdào Zhenqi
11- The Sea Salt Merchant
12- Farewell for now, Master Fei Jie
13- Mail Order and Newspapers
14- It Hurts Like Hell!
15- Housekeeper Zhou
16- Ay-ya-ya-yaaa
17- The Three Goals
18- The Attempted Poisoning
19- The Assassin
20- Clean Up After Yourself!
Chapter 9
Grandmasters and the Divine Temple
For the past year, he had taken this eight-year-old as his greatest source of consolation. Even more than that, he hoped Fan Xian would carry his mantle in the future and glorify all he had learned. For those reasons, Fei Jie became angry at the blind Wu Zhu when he heard this.
“Is Uncle Wu Zhu really strong?” Fan Xian squinted as he asked his question, looking like a little fox.
“Of course.” Fei Jie leisurely thought of the past. “It’s just that not that many people in this world know of Master Wu’s existence. Have you heard of the Four Grandmasters?”
Of course, Fan Xian had heard of them. In today’s world, worshipped by the commoners like gods, they were the Four Grandmasters whose martial arts prowess reigned supreme. “There were two in the Qing Empire, one in the Qi Empire, and another in Dongyi[i].”
The Qing Empire was already in a position of immense strength, led by its Emperor. Oddly enough, after the political turmoil of the previous year, the nation thrived while the Emperor fell silent, no longer pursuing territorial expansion. Naturally, it wasn’t surprising that the most powerful nation had two of the mightiest individuals within its borders.
“Indeed, we have two Grandmasters residing here,” Fei Jie remarked with a cool laugh. “Humans are naive; they only recognize power in combat. They fail to understand that if one's mastery of poison achieves extraordinary heights, they too can be considered a Grandmaster…”
Fan Xian cleared his throat, interrupting his teacher's boastfulness.
“…Excluding the most enigmatic temple, Qing possesses two of the Four Grandmasters, one of whom is the brother of the current Commander of Defense in Jingdu, Ye Liuyun.”
Fan Xian widened his eyes, realizing the significance of this reputation. The defense force was responsible for the region's safety, making it a crucial position. Ye Liuyun, being the brother of the commander, must be quite formidable.
“There’s another powerful individual who is said to reside in the imperial palace, though no one has actually seen him.”
“Hey, teacher, we were referring to Uncle Wu Zhu.”
“What's the rush?” Fei Jie shot a look at Fan Xian. “The one named Ye Liuyun has triumphed in seventeen duels without a single defeat. Yet, when your mother first arrived in the city, she decisively defeated the current Commander of Defense. That commander, Ye Zhong, is Ye Liuyun’s brother, which is why he attempted to create trouble for your mother.”
Fan Xian was stunned. He had no idea that the mother he had never seen was once so arrogant and had mastered martial arts so well.
Fei Jie chuckled, “But something happened later; Ye Liuyun suddenly stopped troubling your mother, and even Ye Zhong went to Taiping Temple to pour tea for her and apologize.”
“Huh?”
“No one knows what happened; it’s an absolute mystery. But I’m guessing Ye Liuyun and Master Wu Zhu fought once behind the palace walls. Master Wu was your mother’s servant, so it wasn’t unusual for him to come out and deal with such things.” Fei Jie raised the teacup and took a sip.
“Who won in the end?” Fan Xian’s eyes were full of curiosity. While he knew that Wu Zhu was strong, he did not expect the blind man to have the experience of duelling one of the Four Grandmasters, Ye Liuyun.
“No one knows, but it was probably a draw.” Fei Jie chuckled.
“After returning to his sword school, he trained his swordsmanship for half a year while blindfolded. After that, he gave up the sword and picked up a series of ancient Sanshou[ii], truly becoming a Grandmaster. Thinking back, that battle must have brought him much enlightenment.”
Fan Xian propped up his little face, thinking, “Four Grandmasters? Does that mean Wu Zhu is the fifth?”
Fan Xian’s eyes sparkled in awe at the fact that his blind servant would be so ridiculously strong! When he ventures out into the world someday, who would he have to be afraid of?
Suddenly, he had a question. “Teacher, didn’t you say these things are secret? How do you know all this?”
Fei Jie stated calmly, “I am a high-ranking official in the supervising department and the Headmaster of the Third Bureau of the Overwatch Council. For us, there are no secrets in this world.”
Fan Xian had always been interested in the strong people of this world, so he asked, “The other three, Teacher, have you met them?”
“The other one in the Qing Empire only exists in legends; I suspect he is in the imperial palace, but no one has seen him or her.” Fei Jie said, “As for the Grandmaster of Qi Empire, that would be their Head Priest, that bald man named Ku He.”
“Bald?” Fan Xian assumed that a world without Buddhism wouldn’t have monks.
“A monk. Hearsay that Ku He was once a pilgrim who knelt on the steps of a temple for three months, surviving solely on dry herbs and dew. They took pity on him, and as a result, he received teachings. It is said that he visited the Divine Temple and later became a Grandmaster.” Fei Jie spat in disgust, clearly skeptical of the pilgrim Ku He. “You can tell that Baldy is a liar just by looking at him.”
“Temple?”
“Divine Temple; the place is a holy place.”
“Teacher, you’re talking nonsense again.”
“The Divine Temple is the most mysterious existence on the continent; supposedly, it is where our ancestors worshipped. But unfortunately, other than some extremely fortunate bastards, no one could find exactly where it is, so no one knows what it is like inside.”
“Maybe this Divine Temple doesn’t exist at all?”
Fei Jie hit Fan Xian’s small head hard. “I don’t care if you mess around every day, but how dare you be so disrespectful towards such a holy place!”
Fan Xian held his head and looked at his teacher in shock, first from the fact that his teacher, who killed with poison without blinking, turned out to hold reverence towards a temple, and second, from the fact that he, himself, accepted what he heard so easily, superstitious things like Four Grandmasters and holy temples. Seems like I truly fit into this world after all.
"Who has proof of this temple's existence?" Fan Xian questioned, still holding the empirical beliefs of a modern man.
Fei Jie responded with pride, "Ku He, one of the Four Grandmasters, became one of the strongest figures on the continent after earning the temple's favor. Isn’t that proof enough?"
"Or maybe Ku He just abused stimulants and used the temple as a cover-up," Fan Xian countered
“Blasphemy! While I envy the luck of the bald Ku He, he has held the utmost reverence for the gods for the past few decades, and I do admire that. How can he use the Divine Temple as an excuse, and what is a ‘stimulant’?”
“It’s a medicine which boosts the body, something like an elixir. He must have had too much; otherwise, how did he lose all his hair?”
Fan Xian was joking with his teacher.
Fei Jie ignored him, “The Divine Temple is like the Tianmai; both can be found in the books and the imperial chambers of all Empires, with the most important part being the sacrificial temples. It’s just that the temples themselves want no part in worldly matters and never interfere. Therefore, all the ceremonies are held at the Heavenly Altar, three miles from the palace. The Qing and Qi Empires conducted large-scale sacrifices at their altars but never used them to influence politics and other national business. Only some pilgrims believe the Divine Temple to be ruins of the realms and take on journeys to train their hearts and bodies.”
Fan Xian was smiling, but inside, he thought, What is this temple really like? If it’s part of a belief system, then why doesn’t this world have things like churches? If those fundamental organizations don’t exist, then this belief system would have no authority; no authority equals no benefit, and without benefit, there is no reason for any organization to exist.
Therefore, he didn’t believe what his teacher had just told him about the Divine Temple being an existence transcending this world.
But at the same time, he thought, if a belief system truly is based on such a mysterious place, it’s not so bad since it doesn’t seem to interfere with people’s lives.
“Is Uncle Wu Zhu really strong?” Fan Xian squinted as he asked his question, looking like a little fox.
“Of course.” Fei Jie leisurely thought of the past. “It’s just that not that many people in this world know of Master Wu’s existence. Have you heard of the Four Grandmasters?”
Of course, Fan Xian had heard of them. In today’s world, worshipped by the commoners like gods, they were the Four Grandmasters whose martial arts prowess reigned supreme. “There were two in the Qing Empire, one in the Qi Empire, and another in Dongyi[i].”
The Qing Empire was already in a position of immense strength, led by its Emperor. Oddly enough, after the political turmoil of the previous year, the nation thrived while the Emperor fell silent, no longer pursuing territorial expansion. Naturally, it wasn’t surprising that the most powerful nation had two of the mightiest individuals within its borders.
“Indeed, we have two Grandmasters residing here,” Fei Jie remarked with a cool laugh. “Humans are naive; they only recognize power in combat. They fail to understand that if one's mastery of poison achieves extraordinary heights, they too can be considered a Grandmaster…”
Fan Xian cleared his throat, interrupting his teacher's boastfulness.
“…Excluding the most enigmatic temple, Qing possesses two of the Four Grandmasters, one of whom is the brother of the current Commander of Defense in Jingdu, Ye Liuyun.”
Fan Xian widened his eyes, realizing the significance of this reputation. The defense force was responsible for the region's safety, making it a crucial position. Ye Liuyun, being the brother of the commander, must be quite formidable.
“There’s another powerful individual who is said to reside in the imperial palace, though no one has actually seen him.”
“Hey, teacher, we were referring to Uncle Wu Zhu.”
“What's the rush?” Fei Jie shot a look at Fan Xian. “The one named Ye Liuyun has triumphed in seventeen duels without a single defeat. Yet, when your mother first arrived in the city, she decisively defeated the current Commander of Defense. That commander, Ye Zhong, is Ye Liuyun’s brother, which is why he attempted to create trouble for your mother.”
Fan Xian was stunned. He had no idea that the mother he had never seen was once so arrogant and had mastered martial arts so well.
Fei Jie chuckled, “But something happened later; Ye Liuyun suddenly stopped troubling your mother, and even Ye Zhong went to Taiping Temple to pour tea for her and apologize.”
“Huh?”
“No one knows what happened; it’s an absolute mystery. But I’m guessing Ye Liuyun and Master Wu Zhu fought once behind the palace walls. Master Wu was your mother’s servant, so it wasn’t unusual for him to come out and deal with such things.” Fei Jie raised the teacup and took a sip.
“Who won in the end?” Fan Xian’s eyes were full of curiosity. While he knew that Wu Zhu was strong, he did not expect the blind man to have the experience of duelling one of the Four Grandmasters, Ye Liuyun.
“No one knows, but it was probably a draw.” Fei Jie chuckled.
“After returning to his sword school, he trained his swordsmanship for half a year while blindfolded. After that, he gave up the sword and picked up a series of ancient Sanshou[ii], truly becoming a Grandmaster. Thinking back, that battle must have brought him much enlightenment.”
Fan Xian propped up his little face, thinking, “Four Grandmasters? Does that mean Wu Zhu is the fifth?”
Fan Xian’s eyes sparkled in awe at the fact that his blind servant would be so ridiculously strong! When he ventures out into the world someday, who would he have to be afraid of?
Suddenly, he had a question. “Teacher, didn’t you say these things are secret? How do you know all this?”
Fei Jie stated calmly, “I am a high-ranking official in the supervising department and the Headmaster of the Third Bureau of the Overwatch Council. For us, there are no secrets in this world.”
Fan Xian had always been interested in the strong people of this world, so he asked, “The other three, Teacher, have you met them?”
“The other one in the Qing Empire only exists in legends; I suspect he is in the imperial palace, but no one has seen him or her.” Fei Jie said, “As for the Grandmaster of Qi Empire, that would be their Head Priest, that bald man named Ku He.”
“Bald?” Fan Xian assumed that a world without Buddhism wouldn’t have monks.
“A monk. Hearsay that Ku He was once a pilgrim who knelt on the steps of a temple for three months, surviving solely on dry herbs and dew. They took pity on him, and as a result, he received teachings. It is said that he visited the Divine Temple and later became a Grandmaster.” Fei Jie spat in disgust, clearly skeptical of the pilgrim Ku He. “You can tell that Baldy is a liar just by looking at him.”
“Temple?”
“Divine Temple; the place is a holy place.”
“Teacher, you’re talking nonsense again.”
“The Divine Temple is the most mysterious existence on the continent; supposedly, it is where our ancestors worshipped. But unfortunately, other than some extremely fortunate bastards, no one could find exactly where it is, so no one knows what it is like inside.”
“Maybe this Divine Temple doesn’t exist at all?”
Fei Jie hit Fan Xian’s small head hard. “I don’t care if you mess around every day, but how dare you be so disrespectful towards such a holy place!”
Fan Xian held his head and looked at his teacher in shock, first from the fact that his teacher, who killed with poison without blinking, turned out to hold reverence towards a temple, and second, from the fact that he, himself, accepted what he heard so easily, superstitious things like Four Grandmasters and holy temples. Seems like I truly fit into this world after all.
"Who has proof of this temple's existence?" Fan Xian questioned, still holding the empirical beliefs of a modern man.
Fei Jie responded with pride, "Ku He, one of the Four Grandmasters, became one of the strongest figures on the continent after earning the temple's favor. Isn’t that proof enough?"
"Or maybe Ku He just abused stimulants and used the temple as a cover-up," Fan Xian countered
“Blasphemy! While I envy the luck of the bald Ku He, he has held the utmost reverence for the gods for the past few decades, and I do admire that. How can he use the Divine Temple as an excuse, and what is a ‘stimulant’?”
“It’s a medicine which boosts the body, something like an elixir. He must have had too much; otherwise, how did he lose all his hair?”
Fan Xian was joking with his teacher.
Fei Jie ignored him, “The Divine Temple is like the Tianmai; both can be found in the books and the imperial chambers of all Empires, with the most important part being the sacrificial temples. It’s just that the temples themselves want no part in worldly matters and never interfere. Therefore, all the ceremonies are held at the Heavenly Altar, three miles from the palace. The Qing and Qi Empires conducted large-scale sacrifices at their altars but never used them to influence politics and other national business. Only some pilgrims believe the Divine Temple to be ruins of the realms and take on journeys to train their hearts and bodies.”
Fan Xian was smiling, but inside, he thought, What is this temple really like? If it’s part of a belief system, then why doesn’t this world have things like churches? If those fundamental organizations don’t exist, then this belief system would have no authority; no authority equals no benefit, and without benefit, there is no reason for any organization to exist.
Therefore, he didn’t believe what his teacher had just told him about the Divine Temple being an existence transcending this world.
But at the same time, he thought, if a belief system truly is based on such a mysterious place, it’s not so bad since it doesn’t seem to interfere with people’s lives.
[i] Mao Ni, the author, made significant changes to names, cities, and historical events. After piecing together all the hints in the novel, my assessment is as follows: the Qing Empire lies to the south, the Qi Empire lies to the north, and Dongyi city (an independent territory) is situated on the eastern peninsula of the Yellow Sea (facing Korea). Donzhou is found on the eastern coast of the Qing Empire, positioned between Shanghai and Wenzhou.
[ii] A Chinese martial art combining elements of kickboxing and wrestling.
[ii] A Chinese martial art combining elements of kickboxing and wrestling.
|
|
|
 |