Martial King's Retired Life

“… Do you know much about Liaoliao’s martial arts?” inquired Gongsun Chu.

“Liaoliao’s martial arts? What a tongue twister,” responded Ming Feizhen.

“Maybe you should’ve done more reading.”

Since he couldn’t cover his mouth with his hands, Ming Feizhen turned his head away and cursed under his breath – even though he knew it wouldn’t bother Gongsun Chu whatsoever. Gongsun Chu had interacted with enough uncouth people before to not mind Ming Feizhen. To the contrary, he was reminded of the tough monarch he formerly served. It went without saying that Gongsun Chu promptly brushed off the thought and apologised inwardly since it was insulting to his former master.

“Liaoliao’s martial arts skills come from an inscription on a white wall at Cold Mountain Temple. He’s the first person who coincidentally comprehended the text that nobody could comprehend in ages.”

“How do you know so much?”

“In the twenty years I was hiding, I interacted with Cold Mountain Temple a fair number of times.”

“Don’t you hate him? He smashed Shang Bieshi, destroyed Fiends’ Genesis and threatened you for two decades.”

“No. My son committed his fair share of deeds in the pugilistic world. Neither he nor I should complain about our fates; we’re just doing our best.”

Ming Feizhen just bobbed his head a few times nonchalantly.

“You’re right about one thing, though. Liaoliao has done a commendable job of censoring information on himself. I’ve never looked into his martial arts background, nor have I ever wanted to. I know about it simply because it’s something I knew.”

Considering Gongsun Chu’s age, something that escaped Ming Feizhen for a moment, it shouldn’t have been strange if Gongsun Chu had been to Cold Mountain Temple and seen the white wall in question. It actually would’ve been strange if he hadn’t been to the ancient temple given his post in the former dynasty and his personality.

“Do you know who authored the text? One of them was the greatest monk in Buddhism at the time – Eminent Monk Tu Yunting from the Western Regions. Not only did he have a solid grasp on Buddhism, but he was also so formidable in martial arts that people of them time called him Buddha on Earth. If you looked at his accomplishments, there was no doubt he was a reclusive adept of Buddhism.”

“Oi, oi, your shifu is spilling pugilistic world secrets over here. He’ll silence you guys afterwards. Aren’t you going to chop him up before he does?” Ming Feizhen shouted to the twenty-four men, knowing Gongsun Chu’s reason for sharing the information.

“I’m not their shifu. I simply adopted them, fed them and taught them to read and write. None of them walk my path. I told you: they are the seeds I left for Confucianism. They have their own wishes and lives. There’s nothing strange even if they take the complete opposite path I take.”

Ming Feizhen stole a glance at the twenty-four blokes standing behind Gongsun Chu. “They don’t take orders from you? Have you even looked at them?”

“I am their benefactor. They’re merely repaying me. Do you orthodox sect people not advocate for the same behaviour?”

Ming Feizhen was wiser than to try debating a debate he couldn’t win. “So who was the other author?”

“A one-of-a-kind prodigious monk in the last millennium – Hanshan.”

Ming Feizhen flapped his eyelids. “Cold Mountain Temple’s Hanshan? His name is Cold Mountain?”

“He didn’t construct the temple, but Cold Mountain Temple’s name certainly was his Dharma name.”

After hearing the full story from Gongsun Chu, Ming Feizhen remarked, “They must’ve been two at the top of the peak, then. I wonder if they ever fought.”

“They did.” Gongsun Chu formed a small smile. “The two of them carved all their knowledge on the wall following their conversation. I… and a friend caught up with the abbot when we visited Cold Mountain Temple, which was when I learnt that the two of them also compared their Divine Realms. Tu Yunting made a lotus grow every time he took a step on the stone path. Hanshan brightly applauded the incredible discipline. It didn’t matter to Hanshan if the seven lotuses were authentic or illusions, but his smile was unquestionably more genuine than any of them, a fact that Tu Yunting respected from the bottom of his heart.”

“… Okay, Monk Hanshan is incredible.”

“From the perspective of us unenlightened folks, Tu Yunting only lost by a small margin. From Buddhism’s perspective, on the other hand, the order of arrival takes precedence; success is considered Buddha. Thus, Hanshan was Buddha and so was Tu Yunting.”

“Good call. Good call. Focusing on winning and losing isn’t the way of Buddhism.”

Gongsun Chu nodded. “The discipline that produced a lotus each step came from Tu Yunting. As for the unfettered mental cultivation, it came from Hanshan. Venerable Monk Jiyi has managed to synthesis the both of them for himself. Are you still betting on Tianhu winning?”

If it wasn’t already obvious, Gongsun Chu brought all that up to dampen Ming Feizhen’s spirit.

Ming Feizhen titled his head. “Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“You’re done?”

“I’m done.”

“I’m raising the stakes.”

Gongsun Chu wrinkled his nose. “… What did you say?”

“I said, I. Am. Raising. The. Stakes!”

Not only did Gongsun Chu doubt his hearing, but he even questioned Ming Feizhen’s sanity.

“If you win, I’ll return your family heirloom, all the other goodies and even pen a letter telling Mount Daluo to not avenge me or lay a finger on you.”

“Your weird shifu would take orders from you?”

“Hell no. In fact, he’ll do the complete opposite of my request and have someone kill you. Still, that’s better for you than him and Grandmaster ganging up on you, no?”

“That is true.”

“So are you playing along or what?”

“I’d be the loser if I didn’t,” Gongsun Chu answered with a smile, then pointed to the group behind him. “If you win, the twenty-four of them will be yours. You can rest assured that they will wait on you hand and foot.”

“You might as well have just said you’re folding!”

Ignoring the fact that they were students of an enemy, look at their aggressive expressions. Even if you personally recruited them, you’d think twice about trusting your back to them. Taking them back to Liu Shan Men would’ve been the equivalent of throwing rice into a mischief of rats.

“Don’t say that.” Gongsun Chu waved a hand. “A-Kang, show him.”

A man with wide shoulders and meaty wings for a back stepped out from the group. A single punch from him delivered hundreds of pounds of force, shattering bricks on the ground. If the other twenty-three were also on his level…

“Fine, I’ll respect my elders.”

“Isn’t the outcome dependent on the two of them?”

Gongsun Chu and Ming Feizhen focused on their hearing again. Alas, they couldn’t hear anything from the two engaged in combat for it all happened in silence.

The coalesced qi from the green lotus transformed into Buddha and, like a mountain dropping down, obliterated the black Enlightenment from existence all together. Venerable Monk Jiyi referred to Tu Yunting’s ability as “Lotus Every Step”. After the seventh step, the lotus would have sprouted, and impossible would virtually be just a word.

Venerable Monk Jiyi managed to wipe away the demon that refused to surrender with his third step, so he stopped, believing he had vanquished the demon until he heard…

“Lend me three mountains’ swords. Lend me the blade in the ocean. Lend me the wondrous warriors. Lend me the robe of the monarch. Grant me the unpredictable power of the red moon and stars. Sun. Grey dog. Grant me the nine realms’ fury to impose disaster. Severing Sword. Wipeout Broadsword. Rise divine soldiers. Don the monarch’s rob. Rise red moon. Transform stars. Rise sun. Howl dog. Let the fury of the clouds scream and wins howl!” As a giant black spear pierced the green lotus, Tianhu uttered, “I slay Buddha.”

In one swing, Buddha’s head rolled!

Glossary

Tongue twister – Gongsun Chu poses his first question in a manner that has you pronouncing “Liao” multiple times in the same tone. After Ming Feizhen fires back, Gongsun Chu makes it even more of a tongue twister by adding even more “Liao” characters. Unfortunately, I’m quite certain that’s impossible to replicate in English, so I improvised the section.