Side Story 28. Yi-gang, Tianzhu (1)

Even now, in the Central Plains, that place is called Tianzhu.
The name Tianzhu referred to the sacred land where the Buddha was born.
Since the Tang Dynasty, the dream of monks had been to make a pilgrimage to Tianzhu, where the Buddha had once been.
Countless monks traveled the harsh roads to visit Tianzhu.
That was how exchange had continued through the years.

But Tianzhu is only the name used by the people of the Central Plains.
At present, an extremely powerful empire had arisen across that vast region.
It was called the Mughal Empire.
A great empire that encompassed everything from the Deccan Plateau to the Indus and the Ganges, from burning deserts to freezing snowy mountains.
The Emperor of the Mughals did not fall short of the Son of Heaven in authority.
And yet the people of the Central Plains did not know that.

Humans, in the end, could not help but be frogs in a well.
The larger the well, the harder it was to realize one was trapped inside it.
To know the true world, one had to leave the well.

That was why anyone who could leave the lands of the Central Plains and see the wider world was fortunate.
Jun Myung, who had departed from the Central Plains under the Forest Lord’s orders, had also been granted such an opportunity.

“Hoo……”

Jun Myung let out a long breath.
As recently as seven days and nights ago, when he exhaled like this, white vapor would pour from his mouth.
He had come by land, and to reach Tianzhu by land, he had had to cross many high mountains.

But now no vapor came from his mouth.
That was only natural, since rather than cold, it was hot and muggy.
The farther south he went, the stronger the heat became.
They said Tianzhu was a land without winter all year round.
The villagers he had met not long ago looked different from the people of the Central Plains.
Their eyes were deeper-set and their mustaches were dark and thick.
Men and women alike had long eyelashes and wore unfamiliar hats and clothes.
More than anything, the language was different, and so Jun Myung could tell he had arrived in a faraway foreign land.

Jun Myung touched the letters tucked inside his robes.
Inside the thick silk packet were several tightly written letters.
They were a bundle of letters sent from Azure Forest and from the Orthodox Murim Alliance.
Jun Myung’s task was to serve as a courier.
Though Honor Flower Disciples could communicate even over great distances, that too had its limits.

Heavenly Pillar Baek Yi-gang was exerting enormous influence even while absent from the Central Plains.
That was why even the Murim Alliance sent letters to Yi-gang, and Yi-gang in turn sent replies back to the Central Plains.
After entering Mughal territory, Jun Myung succeeded in making contact with the local authorities.
The officials knew of the white-haired Daoist from the Central Plains who traveled with their prince.
Since then, Jun Myung had been waiting in this village.

What was interesting was that Orthodox Murim was not the only side maintaining contact with Yi-gang.
The unorthodox Murim had also made contact with Yi-gang.
In fact, people directly sent by the Heretical Alliance Lord had already arrived here.

“Ugh, I’m so bored.”

They were a young woman and a middle-aged martial artist.
The woman seemed clearly to be of the northern peoples of the Central Plains.
Her skin was pale, her eyes lacked double lids, and her hair was a slightly faded brown. There was nothing gentle about the impression she gave.
She wore the dress of the Mughals here.
She was decked out completely in orange-colored luxurious cloth and gold ornaments.

“Ten Thousand Sword Lord, tell me something interesting.”
“S-something interesting?”

The middle-aged martial artist was flustered by that merciless demand.
Ten Thousand Sword Lord Gye Jeok was a well-known Transcendent master amongst the unorthodox faction.
Yet he was helpless before a woman who looked far younger than he was.
That was only natural.
Because this woman was none other than Seo Yeong-ji, the second daughter of Seo Mun-jae, the Heretical Alliance Lord.
The treasured jewel his father cherished most.

“Uh, um… that… ah, I’ve got one!”

Ten Thousand Sword Lord suddenly brightened and opened his mouth.

“Do you know of levitation?”
“Yes, I do. Floating in the air.”
“Do you know how to describe a monk levitating in six syllables?”
“…What is it?”

Seo Yeong-ji frowned, but she was still curious.
Jun Myung listened quietly as well.

Ten Thousand Sword Lord answered with a triumphant smile.

“It’s eojung-i tteojung-i.”¹
“…?”
“See! The monk floats! The monk…! Euhahahahahahahaha!”²

Ten Thousand Sword Lord burst into laughter all by himself.

“Hahaha… ha… ha. Was it not funny?”
“Aigoo.”

Of course, Seo Yeong-ji did not laugh at such a cheap joke.

“Kek.”

But from beside them, Jun Myung let out a quick laugh.
Hearing him laugh, Seo Yeong-ji’s eyes widened.

“What, so you really can hear after all.”

She said that because Jun Myung never spoke.
A clear sword scar ran across Jun Myung’s neck.
It was an old wound that had stolen his voice.
Jun Myung merely shrugged, then pointed in turn at the scar on his throat and at his ear.
It meant, ‘Can’t you see the scar? Of course I can still hear.’

Seo Yeong-ji crossed her arms and said,

“I know that, I’m being sarcastic. It’s because you keep ignoring me even when I talk to you.”

Even if they had once formed a common front, there was no way relations between black and white could be good.
Ever since ending up staying here with Jun Myung, Seo Yeong-ji had often picked little fights with him.
Of course, they were one-sided attacks on her part.

“Are all people from Azure Forest that boring?”

Jun Myung shook his head.
Being dull was probably just his own personality.

“Heavenly Pillar Baek Yi-gang is from Azure Forest too, so I suppose I’ll find out when I meet him.”

Seo Yeong-ji did not have very favorable feelings toward Yi-gang.
With no one to talk to in this distant place except Jun Myung and Ten Thousand Sword Lord, she had several times vented her irritation at having come all the way to Tianzhu.

“It’s not really my place to say this after coming all the way here myself, but I really don’t understand why the elders go this far.”
“……”
“What’s so important about one person that they keep sending people all the way to Tianzhu and back? What are they even trying to do by learning about matters of the Central Plains from here?”

Be it the orthodox or unorthodox faction, they all maintained contact with Yi-gang.
Seo Yeong-ji was not even twenty yet.
As was often the case with the young, she even felt disgust toward traditions that seemed useless to her.

Since no one answered, Seo Yeong-ji simply kept talking on her own.

“This is just wasted expense caused by overestimating him.”
“…?”

Seeing that Jun Myung had reacted, Seo Yeong-ji grew more spirited.

“I understand. The elders of the Heretical Alliance and the senior figures of the Murim Alliance all fought against the Evil Cult in the old days. And the hero of that war was Heavenly Pillar Baek Yi-gang. Anyone who knows the full story of that battle would naturally rely on him.”

It was certainly Yi-gang who stormed into the Evil Cult’s main headquarters and beat the Cult Leader to death.
People in the world thought Yi-gang’s feats might have been exaggerated, but that was not true.
If anything, there were many parts left out because they were simply too absurd.
Things like Pangu’s Eye, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of ancient times, and the like were matters known only to a small ruling elite.
As the second daughter of the Heretical Alliance Lord, Seo Yeong-ji was therefore aware of Yi-gang’s true exploits.

“But what about now? Is Heavenly Pillar Baek Yi-gang still truly the strongest man under heaven?”
“……”
“I’m asking you.”

Seo Yeong-ji demanded an answer from Jun Myung.
Instead of answering, Jun Myung merely gave a bitter smile.

“See? You can’t answer, can you? We heard it too. That Heavenly Pillar suffered grave injuries fighting the Evil Cult Leader that day. I heard he still hasn’t healed from those internal injuries. As for me, I think it’s questionable now.”

“My lady.”

Ten Thousand Sword Lord warned her.
Seo Yeong-ji paused for a moment to choose her words.
But she didn’t stop talking.

“And even if he is the strongest under heaven, that’s a problem too. This isn’t a world where one person’s strength can settle everything.”
“……”
“Apart from the Heretical Alliance’s intentions, I’m going to ask him myself. Whether he’s thought about finally returning to the Central Plains. And stopping all this trouble for everyone.”

Seo Yeong-ji looked as though she had said everything she meant to say.
She and Ten Thousand Sword Lord had already finished preparing to leave.

“We’re heading out first. No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem like word of our arrival has reached Heavenly Pillar. This place is in the middle of internal strife, isn’t it?”

The mighty Mughal Empire was not, in truth, in a state of peace.
It was going through a major internal conflict.
Emperor Babur had grown old, and the second emperor, Humayun, had taken the throne.
Humayun had tried to pass the throne to his brilliant son, Prince Akbar, but his own brothers were coveting the throne.
Prince Akbar was locked in a struggle of power with his uncles.
Seo Yeong-ji suspected that news of their arrival had been intercepted by those hostile to the prince.

“If we stay put, we’ll probably end up dealing with a swarm of soldiers. I’ve warned you, so I’m off.”

It was just as Seo Yeong-ji and Ten Thousand Sword Lord were about to leave.

-You’re probably right.

Seo Yeong-ji turned her head.
Was it sound transmission? No, looking beside her, it seemed Ten Thousand Sword Lord had also heard Jun Myung’s voice.
A person who could not produce a voice should not have been able to use sound transmission either.

-I learned the Heart Speech of Wisdom Light. It was thanks to Martial Uncle Yi-gang’s help.
“That’s a fascinating trick. But what exactly are you saying ‘is right?’”
-Martial Uncle Yi-gang is still the strongest under heaven.
“Hmph. Quite the pride.”

Seo Yeong-ji left coldly.
Jun Myung scratched the back of his head.
He had meant to wait here for Yi-gang, but perhaps Seo Yeong-ji had been right.
A few days earlier, he had overheard the local officials speaking suspiciously.

‘The cavalry is coming.’

Jun Myung’s Tianzhu language skills were not yet polished, but he had understood at least that much.
Was Yi-gang coming together with Prince Akbar’s cavalry? He could not know, but there was a risk involved.

“Mm.”

An hour later, Jun Myung made his decision as well.
When the officials came looking for Jun Myung and Seo Yeong-ji, there was no one left there.

And not long after Jun Myung set out on the road.
He ran into Seo Yeong-ji again almost immediately.
Seo Yeong-ji was running toward Jun Myung from up ahead, and Ten Thousand Sword Lord was with her.
They were moving with movement arts so light it looked as though they were flying.
But behind them, a cloud of dust was billowing up.

“See! I told you so!”

Seo Yeong-ji shouted it almost like a scream.

“I told you we stayed too long!”
“Aaah, Daoist of Azure Forest!”

Ten Thousand Sword Lord waved at Jun Myung.
Seo Yeong-ji’s prediction had been correct.
The Mughal royal Kamran Mirza had sent soldiers to capture the people who had come from the Central Plains.
And not just any soldiers, but a powerful cavalry force.
Unluckily for them, Seo Yeong-ji had run into them before leaving the area.

Jun Myung gave a bitter smile and drew the saber hanging at his waist.
Among the third-generation disciples of Azure Forest, Jun Myung was the one whose martial arts were the most overbearing.
His saber was large enough that the word great saber suited it perfectly.

Dududududu—

The dust cloud parted, and mounted cavalrymen came into view.
They were soldiers wearing turbans and carrying large crescent blades.

“Just run!”

Seo Yeong-ji shouted that.
But Jun Myung didn’t budge.
Seo Yeong-ji, who had been about to run past him, gritted her teeth, seized her saber, and turned back.
A bright red aura poured from her saber as well.
It was unmistakably the Shura Blood Heaven Blade, the exclusive saber art of Seo Mun-jae, the Heretical Alliance Lord.
The Heretical Alliance’s Ten Thousand Sword Lord also raised Sword Aura along his blade.

Seo Yeong-ji, whose martial skill was the weakest of the three, took the center.
The other two, both at the Transcendent Realm, took the left and right wings.

Dudududududu—

As the sound of hoofbeats drew closer, the earth shook beneath them.
They could hear the harsh breathing of the snorting horses.
Their eyes met the bloodshot eyes of the bearded warriors.
The commander in the center raised his crescent blade and shouted.

“Un-sab komardo!”

Kill them all!

With that shout, Jun Myung crashed into the cavalry.