Mysterious Martial Arts: The Record of the Swordsman

Chapter 356 The Place Where Joy Remains and the Rhinoceros Burns

Chapter 356 The Place Where Joy Remains and the Rhinoceros Burns

Rejected by Jiang Wen, Lin Pingzhi said somewhat aggrievedly, "Master Jiang Wen, why can't I practice this martial art?"

"Cultivating the Purple Cloud Divine Skill requires a lot of hard work and perseverance."

Jiang Wen said irritably, "At your age, you're practicing martial arts so that you can start your career. The Whirlwind Sweeping Leaf Kick and Falling Flower Divine Sword Palm that I taught you, you still haven't mastered them. If you add another internal skill, it will be like biting off more than you can chew. When will you ever be able to bring glory to your family?"

After dissuading Lin Ping with these words, Jiang Wencai asked, "Pingzhi, weren't you traveling with the caravan ahead? Why are you coming back to join in the fun?"

Lin Pingzhi cupped his hands and said solemnly, "Master, I am not here to fool around. Just now, Chief Escort Huang said that the sky in the northwest is not right. The clouds are so heavy that even the mountain peaks cannot be seen. There is also a slight fishy smell in the wind. It is likely that there will be a heavy rain. We should hurry on our way and find a solid place to take shelter from the rain."

Jiang Wen looked up and saw that the sky, which had been shining brightly, was now completely swallowed by a dark cloud that rose into the air and turned into a lead-gray cumulonimbus cloud. The distant mountains seemed to be blocked by an invisible hand, and even their outlines were blurred into black shadows.

Among this group, the bodyguards from Fuwei Escort Agency were the most reliable guides. They knew the Chong'an waterway like the back of their hand. Therefore, when the escort agency warned them that something was wrong, everyone sensed something was amiss and hurriedly urged the people in front to quicken their pace.

However, after barely rounding a few foothills, the group suddenly felt a biting mountain wind, which swept in from the depths of the mountains, carrying damp moisture that made their clothes flutter and the bamboo by the roadside dance wildly, emitting a mournful wail.

"Tsk, they arrived so quickly."

Jiang Wen frowned, and before he could finish speaking, a pale white bolt of lightning tore through the sky, shaking the heavens and earth. Immediately afterward, deafening claps of thunder exploded overhead, even causing the rocks to tremble slightly.

Large raindrops pelted down, starting as a few scattered drops, but quickly turning into a torrential downpour. A white curtain of rain instantly enveloped the world, obscuring any figure beyond three steps.

The water on the murky shoal suddenly became turbulent, and the old boatmen who were crossing the treacherous shoal were also in a panic, wielding the oars and controlling the sails for fear of hitting the reef and sinking. At this time, the rainwater had already flowed down the cliff and formed countless muddy streams, turning the already uneven mountain road into a mud pit in an instant.

The mud underfoot became sticky and slippery after getting wet, and Fu Ningdie almost fell. Fortunately, Hu Fei was quick-witted and reached out to help her. She stuck out her tongue, whispered her thanks, and then followed closely behind Jiang Wen, no longer daring to be careless.

At this point, even the most skilled martial artist would be helpless, and they would have no choice but to find a place to hide from the rain.

Jiang Wen, fearing that someone might be struck by lightning halfway there, found a relatively low-lying rock and had everyone hurry over there in small steps, then hold their heads and wait for the heavy rain and mountain mist to pass. Geng Jingzhong's personal guards were more skilled; they first took out oilcloth and wrapped it around the horses' backs, then tied four or five horses together in a string, with men and horses closely huddled together.

Fortunately, the mountain rain came and went quickly. The thunder and lightning only raged for a quarter of an hour before the downpour gradually turned into continuous rain, giving us at least a chance to continue our journey.

The group trudged along for half an hour, stumbling and falling, until they finally arrived at the agreed-upon ferry dock. The dock was already in chaos, with boatmen shouting and desperately trying to tie the boats to the wooden stakes on the shore. The thick hemp ropes were stretched taut, making a creaking and screeching sound.

Geng Jingzhong first approached the boat manager and asked if it was possible to sail in the rain.

The boatman's foreman wiped the rain from his face, his expression pained as he waved his hands repeatedly: "Your Highness, this is absolutely unacceptable! Look at the water level; it's risen three feet higher than usual! The area around Dark Shores is already riddled with rocks, and nine out of ten boats capsize there. Now the water could submerge the reefs at any moment, and sailing out would be like entering a death trap!"

Geng Jingzhong was soaked to the bone by the heavy rain, but he still patiently asked, "In your opinion, what should be done?"

The foreman glanced back hesitantly, seemingly weighing the odds of offending one side, before mustering his courage to say, "Two cargo boats have already capsized on the reef ahead, with no passengers or cargo... In my humble opinion, we can only disembark here for now. You esteemed guests should proceed by land to Jianzhou City. Once the rain stops and the water recedes, I will steer the boat and slowly catch up."

Jiang Wen walked to the riverbank and looked at the surging and roaring river. He saw the turbid water carrying broken logs and stones rushing down, and the waves crashing against the rocks on the shore, splashing fierce spray.

He pondered for a moment, then nodded to Geng Jingzhong and said, “Young Prince, what the steward said makes sense. After the heavy rain, we are afraid of encountering flash floods. If that happens, all of us will be lost. It would be better to spread out and take the land route in turn. With the bodyguards ahead to take care of us, we can keep the morale of the main force from wavering.”

After pondering for a moment, Geng Jingzhong could only nod.

"In that case... let's do it this way."

Jiang Wen then said to Hu Fei and Lin Pingzhi, "Pingzhi, you take the empty caravan from the escort agency and scout ahead; Hu Fei, you are responsible for relaying messages, and report back immediately if anything unexpected happens."

"Yes, Master," the two replied in unison, and immediately went their separate ways.

Jiang Wen naturally knew what Geng Jingzhong was worried about.

In his view, he had just won over the hearts of his personal guards, and these decisive forces should not be wasted on pointless things. Moreover, who knows what trouble might have broken out in Fuzhou City recently? If it weren't for these personal guards to keep him in check, he was worried that he would not be able to control the situation when he returned and would not be able to hold onto his position in the Prince's Mansion.

However, in Jiang Wen's view, the most terrifying thing at this time was natural disasters such as flash floods and mudslides. On the contrary, the bandits and thieves that ordinary caravans were most afraid of were not even a concern for this elite force.

They had agreed to travel, so they had to walk. The official road from Andan Beach to Jianzhou City was only a little over a hundred miles long, which would normally take a day on horseback. But now, due to the heavy rain and mud, it had taken them two days to walk. Jiang Wen exclaimed that this was more like it, while thankfully the mudslide he had been worried about hadn't happened.

During the journey, the group rested twice at Daheng Post Station and Taiping Post Station. By the evening of the second day, when they finally saw the city walls of Jianzhou, everyone was soaked to the bone, with not a dry spot on their bodies. The thick mud on their feet felt like they were wearing iron shoes, making every step extremely heavy. The warhorses were led by their personal guards, listlessly snorting.

When the soldiers guarding the city saw the large group of people winding their way along the official road and carrying the banner of the Prince of Jingnan's Mansion, they naturally dared not be negligent. After verifying their identities, they quickly opened the city gates and let everyone into the city.

Because the post horses arranged by Guan Shengjun had run ahead of everyone else, the prefect ordered them to lead the group directly to Jianxi Water Station along the Tongxian Bridge in the south of the city.

This water station was quite large and was responsible for receiving officials of all levels traveling south and north along the Jianxi River, as well as canal transport officials and waterway messengers. It also provided food, lodging, and boat transfer services, serving as a resting place for officials traveling by water. The water station quickly arranged accommodations, and the young postmaster even had the station's cook boil more than a dozen pots of hot water to make ginger soup for everyone to ward off the cold.

Geng Jingzhong held a prestigious position, and after a short rest, he was personally visited by the Prefect and General of Jianning, along with thirty of his personal guards, and invited to stay at the Jianning Prefectural Office in the city. There were dedicated official residences there, specifically for receiving important officials passing through, and their standards were naturally far higher than those of ordinary post stations.

It was impossible to settle the three hundred personal guards on the spot. These soldiers, who were passing through, were temporarily settled in the post office in the west of the city. Since the barracks could not accommodate them, the monks' quarters of Ci'en Temple outside the city were temporarily requisitioned to settle them down.

………………

After dinner, Jiang Wen and his party, who were staying at Jianxi Water Inn, found that the rain had not only not subsided, but had become even heavier. The raindrops hit the green tiles of the inn and made a crackling sound, like countless bowstrings twanging. Even as night fell, no sparrow boats were seen rushing to the water gate.

It wasn't until late at night that the boatman's foreman, wearing a raincoat and soaked to the bone, ran in and reported to Jiang Wen: "Master Jiang, all the boats have been inspected. One boat has a large hole in its hull caused by a reef, and the masts of two other boats have been broken off by the strong winds, with their sails torn to shreds. It will take at least a day to repair them, and if the rain continues, it will take even longer."

"One day is fine, I guess."

Jiang Wen and Lin Zhennan exchanged a glance, thinking this was already good news. "Everyone is exhausted, so let's rest in Jianzhou City. Have the boatmen repair the ship properly and make sure it's safe. Money is not a problem."

The old boatman foreman responded and then retreated out again in the rain. The bodyguards breathed a sigh of relief and went back to their rooms to rest. Only Fu Ningdie, Hu Fei, and Lin Pingzhi remained in Jiang Wen's room, sitting around the oil lamp, waiting for Jiang Wen to begin his lecture for the day.

This is a newly established rule of the Wuyi School: no matter how tired one is from the journey, one must not miss one's daily lessons.

Jiang Wen searched the post station thoroughly before finally finding a yellowed thread-bound book among the items left behind by officials. He placed it on the table, and Fu Ningdie leaned over to take a look. She saw three words written on the cover: "Classic of Mountains and Seas".

“Master, are we going to read this today? My father said this book is dissolute and unreliable, and he has always told me not to read it.”

Fu Ningdie rested her chin on her hand by the oil lamp and asked curiously.

She was actually a little disappointed because Professor Jiang Wen's daily lessons were completely adapted to the local conditions. A few nights ago, when they couldn't find any books while staying at an inn in a deserted village, their master told them stories. She was actually quite curious today whether the young hero surnamed Fan could defeat the ape-man surnamed Pi with his Triceratops Fist.

"Reading books is about understanding the principles within them. As the saying goes, 'Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles,' only then can you know how vast the world is. Even listening to ghost stories can give you some insight into the wickedness of human nature."

Jiang Wen casually opened the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," his fingertips quickly turning the yellowed pages, making a rustling sound. "Look at this passage," he said, "in the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas, Southern Section,' it says: 'Min is in the sea, and to its northwest there is a mountain. Another saying is that the Minzhong Mountain is in the sea.' Do you know what this means?"

Lin Pingzhi pondered for a moment and said, "I once heard my father say that in ancient times, when Yu the Great controlled the floods, all nine provinces of the world became swamps. Could it be that at that time, the entire Fujian province was submerged in the sea?"

"Pingzhi is half right, but it wasn't during the time of Yu the Great."

Jiang Wen nodded. “In the ancient times, even before the time of Yu the Great, there were tectonic shifts and the seawater moved eastward. Today, most of the land of Fujian is indeed submerged by the sea, with only the tops of mountains like Wuyi and Daiyun standing above the sea, like islands scattered in the ocean.”

"It is possible that it was because someone discovered the traces left by these geological activities that the Classic of Mountains and Seas said 'Min is in the sea.' Later, as the sea receded and the land slowly rose, these islands were connected and became the land under our feet."

He paused, then pointed to the character "闽" and continued, "Look at this character again. It has a '虫' inside a '门' (door). This '虫' refers to a snake. In ancient times, the land of Min was densely forested and covered with venomous snakes. The local indigenous people used snakes as their totem, believing that snakes were their ancestors, and thus called themselves 'Min people.' As for us, and the people of the Minyue Kingdom, we were all outsiders who arrived later."

Fu Ningdie's heart tightened upon hearing this, and she interjected, "Are they really descendants of snakes? I'm terrified of snakes."

At this time, the only story about "The Legend of the White Snake" was "The White Snake Lady Forever Imprisoned in Leifeng Pagoda" in Feng Menglong's "Stories to Warn the World". In the story, the White Snake Lady is a vicious woman transformed from a white snake, and Xu Xuan is a lustful and cowardly man. Therefore, most people were not as open about the relationship between humans and snakes as the later outlaws.

Jiang Wen chuckled: "Then you're underestimating reproductive isolation. I'll teach you about that later. Anyway, humans aren't born from snakes—speaking of birth, never drink raw water, it really can contain snake eggs and worm sheaths, and your brain might get eaten alive..."

Starting with the opening of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Jiang Wen then began to talk about the history and customs of various places in Fujian. He talked about whatever came to mind, trying to impart knowledge to his disciples without being bound by any formalities. Before they knew it, it was midnight.

Outside, the wind and rain raged relentlessly. Suddenly, a blinding flash of lightning ripped through the night sky, illuminating the entire room as if it were daytime. Immediately afterward, a deafening clap of thunder boomed overhead, making the windows of Jianxi Inn rattle.

Fu Ningdie screamed in fright and then threw herself into Jiang Wen's arms, causing the oil lamp flame to shake violently and almost go out.

In the brief interval between the alternation of light and darkness and the dissipation of thunder, a strange sound drifted in with the wind and rain. It was intermittent and faint, yet it was incredibly clear amidst the pattering rain and rumbling thunder.

It wasn't the voice of one person, but the voices of countless men and women, old people and children, a chaotic and overlapping chorus, seemingly devoid of emotion, devoid of any inflection, simply mechanically reciting over and over again:

"Mahaprajnaparamita".

"Mahaprajnaparamita".

"Mahaprajnaparamita".

Jiang Wen's face instantly darkened. He gently pushed Fu Ningdie away, walked to the window, and flung it open. Outside, it was pitch black, with only occasional flashes of lightning illuminating the distant mountains; nothing could be seen. But the sound grew closer and louder, gradually interspersed with painful groans, as if it were right outside the walls, right beside his ears.

Suddenly, a commotion arose in the sky, seemingly shouts of battle.

It was as if thousands of troops were fighting on the open field. The clanging of weapons, the shouts of soldiers, the neighing of warhorses, and the screams of the dying were all intertwined, exuding a sinister and chilling atmosphere that penetrated to the bone.

"Could it be that bandits are attacking the city?" Lin Pingzhi asked in a low voice.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible."

Jiang Wen shook his head. "Jianzhou is the most important town in northern Fujian. There are over a thousand soldiers stationed in the city alone. Where do these bandits get the audacity to show up on a stormy night like this without torches? Aren't they afraid that a single trampling will cause them to collapse?"

Just then, the young postmaster knocked on the door, and this same reassuring knocking seemed to be happening at other inns along the Jianxi River: "This has happened before in Jianning Prefecture, sir, please do not panic."

Jiang Wen turned around and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is going on?"

The postmaster, holding an oil lamp, stood between himself and the Wuyi Sect members through a thin door, his slender figure silhouetted against it. He hesitated for a long time before answering.

"Because today is the fourth day of the fourth month..."

---

Note: The "Disasters and Auspicious Omens" section of Volume 12 of the "Ouning County Gazetteer" from the 32nd year of the Kangxi reign (1683) records: In the fourth month of the year Wuzi (1648) in the fifth year of the Shunzhi reign (1648), Wang Qi rebelled and occupied the city. A large army arrived and besieged it. On the sixth day, the city fell, and the massacre was extremely brutal; only one or two out of ten people survived. Palaces, temples, and residences were almost completely burned down. Afterward, strange occurrences repeatedly occurred in the county, with cries heard at night until dawn, which lasted for several years before ceasing.