The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

He Mu, who could barely read, blankly shook his head. “I don’t know.”

With a book in his left hand, Meng Qi poured himself some wine with his right hand. After a sip, he slowly swallowed the wine and said, “This sentence is controversial. Some erudite men argue that the trio of the combination is Yin, Yang and the Sky. Yin could make things up, Yang could create things while the sky could foster things. When Yin, Yang and the Sky combine together, everything is created. Other erudite men who look up old scripts hold that Yin and Yang integrate with each other, creating the universe. And then everything is derived. Thus, in their poems, they doubt which of them is the noumenon and derivation.”

He Mu was confused like a duck listening to the thunder. He totally did not understand, so he could just ask, “Teacher Su, what do you think about it?”

“Tai Ji is the condition when the heaven and the earth is still in chaos. The movement is Yang and the stillness is Yin. The movement and the stillness combine with each other. The same with Yin and Yang. They are derived from each other. So they are both noumenon and derivation for they change with the momentum!” Meng Qi did not explain the poem but tried to answer this question.

He Mu was more confused. He thought it was beyond his apprehension. He understood nothing about Teacher Su’s words but just answered with “yes”.

After answering the question, Meng Qi said with a carefree smile, “It’s the law of the heaven and then earth. It’s naturally shown in the Kung Fu and movements. When one attacks, his movements contain Yin and Yang which create and promote each other. They change with momentum and enemies. When they fully combine with each other, it’s hard to tell which is Yin and which is Yang.”

It’s the supreme truth which Meng Qi learned from “Asking Heaven”. The truth was abstract, so it was hard to exert it on the movement, Kung Fu and details although many people knew about it. They had to figure out by practice. It would be best if there was a similar Kung Fu for Meng Qi to make reference. In that way, he could quickly get the Essence and all Essences of different kinds of Kung Fu and use it on bladesmanship and sword art.

He thought about it and felt that Youth Yao’s Yin-Yang Swords was quite similar with it. If he planned to pursue a way like Sword Blade Ambidexterity, this was also one of the ideas of Primary Instruction.

When it came to Kung Fu and movements, He Mu could understand a little, so he said in a low voice, “Some movements contain both Yin and Yang.”

“They’re different,” said Meng Qi with a smile while shaking his head, “What matters is the distinction of noumenon and derivation.”

I don’t understand… He Mu blankly looked at Meng Qi. “Teacher Su, is the answer in the poem?”

Meng Qi answered with a smile, “No. The whole poem is full of questions about nature. The poem might not be profound, but if who could – answer these questions, he truly understands the law of the universe. And different masters have different opinions about one question, so they have different ways to explain the same question.”

“Oh.” I still don’t understand… He Mu increasingly felt that Teacher Su was so profound that he hurried to say, “Teacher Su, today I…”

“After I finish my recital.” Meng Qi pressed down his right hand, put down the cup and continued to recite “Asking Heaven”.

“The circle has nine levels, and who could pass through them?”

…

“The sky has nine levels, where do the different things find their places?”

…

“Who owns the sun and the moon? How do we set out stars?”

…

The empty yard was surrounded by the light and bright sound of reading. When you listened to it, you felt that the words were asking the heaven and the earth.

The plum tree looked like a dragon. The fire flickered and the fragrance of wine scented the air.

Although he could understand the plain poem, He Mu felt he was calm. The joy, anxiety and worry slowly disappeared as Meng Qi read. It was an experience of refreshing his soul.

Worries were removed, stress and sadness were dismissed. He Mu just felt happy and peaceful, free of concerns.

“Did you win today?” Suddenly, he was “woken up” by Teacher Su’s gentle voice.

“Yes.” Looking at Meng Qi’s face, He Mu felt that Meng Qi acted like his brother although Meng Qi might just be four or five years older than himself. He regarded Meng Qi as a teacher who read a lot as he spent more time with Meng Qi.

“In our first battle…” He Mu described it in detail. When he was just about to end the story, he said, “Thanks to your guidance, Club Principal Master allowed me to take part in the contest.”

He anxiously waited for Meng Qi’s guidance.

“The contest between Martial Clubs?” With “Asking Heaven” in his hands, Meng Qi asked.

He Mu knew that Teach Su was a scholar who absorbed himself in books, so He Mu explained, “Kung Fu is popular in Yedu. While Wang family is so powerful that other sects and aristocratic families have little chance. Many who are interested in Kung Fu find it hard to have an opportunity to cultivate their Kung Fu. So many disciples of sects and aristocratic families open Martial Clubs to teach normal people like us. They only take little charge and do not occupy our lands and mines but enable us to have a chance to stand out.”

“Only after one lay a good foundation, is he then able to seek fame by learning in sects or taking part in Military Selectee.”

“The atmosphere has a history of over a hundred years. There are numerous Martial Clubs in Yedu, so naturally, they compete with each other. The top eight Martial Clubs including Sun-scorching Martial Club recommended that they hold a Kung Fu contest every three years. Every club chooses good Disciples to compete for rankings. The contest is influential within a large range, so Wang family from Zhou County, Huanhua Swords Sect, the Huang family from Yecheng, Tide-rising Sect and Afterglow Supersword School would send people to watch the game and pick out the excellent participants to be their Disciples or enable them to practice under the guidance of an aristocratic family. They’re likely to be Foreign Officials in the future. ”

Young, He Mu knew few words. He was thought to stumble when talking such a complex thing. But Club Principal He seemed to often tell him the meaning of the contest. Thus, he spoke with fervour and assurance without any stop.

“Wang family from Zhou County and Huanhua Swords Sect…” Meng Qi repeated them in a low voice. Over the past six months, aside from sparring with Qi Zhengyan and the occasional reading of Ranking List of Young Masters and Talents List of Zhou County, he almost knew nothing about Jianghu and Martial Artists Community. So when he heard these familiar names, he was kind of emotional.

After a cup of wine, Meng Qi looked at He Mu with a smile. “So are you worried that the ‘story’ would be too shallow in the contest?”

“Yes.” He Mu was a little shy. This is exactly why he was here.

Meng Qi stood up and walked back and forth with his hands behind his back in the yard. He said with a smile, “Your current story which only has an opening and an ending is really simple now. Your rival is not a disciple of your Martial Club, so he is not likely to be affected. Hehe, your reaction was quite good during the second battle. You know to use your wisdom, so you’re worth teaching.”

Praised by Teacher Su, He Mu could not help smiling. He was complacent.

Meng Qi turned around and looked at him. “So you have to prepare a complex and delicate story to attract them and lure them into your trap.”

“Teacher Su, what should I prepare?” He Mu subconsciously held his breath and waited for Meng Qi’s teaching.

After thinking, Meng Qi said, “Using sword art to tell a story is quite interactive. After finishing a part, you have to predict your enemy’s reaction. In other words, you have to prepare different reactions to potential defense and attacks. Then, you should have different plots in mind to lure your rival into your trap before he realized that he was trapped.”

“For example, after you use ‘Sails in Vast Sea’, your rival might attack your abdomen or he might hit you from your head… If you want to react in time, you have to save your energy in your previous movements…”

“Sure, the right way is to keep your rival going with your story and make sure that he only has few choices. But you’re unable to succeed now…”

Meng Qi “made up” a medium length “story” with “Tide-listening Swordsmanship”. Every interaction was about one plot. Although it was complex, He Mu could understand it. After all, he learned these sword arts but he could not clearly remember it.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to remember most of the story. He planned to practice every part of the story and understand each trap after he returned back.

“Do you remember?” After finishing his story, Meng Qi looked at He Mu with a smile.

He Mu nodded hard. “I remember!”

But he asked in confusion, “Why should the story go like this? Why my rival would react in these ways?”

“Good questions! You’re worth teaching!” Meng Qi laughed for He Mu asked about the essence of the story. “But it’s useless even if you know it now.”

He Mu was not obsessed with the question but said in confidence, “Teacher Su, see you later.”

“Okay. Don’t be nervous.” Meng Qi tapped one of his shoulders and said with a smile, “Use your sword to tell a good story to them.”

He Mu left. After the door was closed, Qi Zhengyan stepped out from the room and asked while thinking, “Why did you teach him the law of sword art?”

Even he had new understandings about the sword arts which he learned before after listening to Meng Qi’s teaching.

Meng Qi said with a smile, “Senior Brother Qi, Which reason do you want to know, the superficial one or the real one?”

“The superficial reason…” Qi Zhengyan had been tricked several times, so he chose to take the opposite direction.

“I’m thinking about and practicing Bright Sword and the setout. I’m trying to practice From Simple to Complicated. Thanks to He Mu, I plan to make up completely new stories and see their effects during He Mu’s battles with rivals that he never met with before. It’s just like properly arranging a chess game before inviting my rival.” Meng Qi seriously said.

Qi Zhengyan gently nodded. The reason is good and acceptable. If I do not favor Book of the Chaos more, I would like to give a try.

He took a small breath and asked, “Is it the superficial reason?”

This should be the real one!

Meng Qi chuckled. “The real words could be described in four words.”

“What?” Qi Zhengyan was kind of curious.

Meng Qi turned around and said with his hands behind his back. “I’m free and capricious.”

A cold wind blowed and the plum blossoms fell down to the ground. They immediately crystalized. Qi Zhengyan’s face twitched. He slowly opened his fist, “I’ve changed or your jewels to notes.”

Considering his own channels and cultivation, Meng Qi asked Qi Zhengyan to exchange horse bandits’ jewels for notes. In this way, he could buy the Refined Weapons and Long Swords without others’ notice.

Qi Zhengyan had many “bosses” in Yedu. He did not dare to act blindly, so he spent over a half year exchanging all the jewels for notes. It was 12700 silver in total.

“Langya Money Bank. Hei, the little foodie…” When Meng Qi saw the notes, he muttered to himself with a smile.

After thinking, Qi Zhengyan advised, “The contest attracts much attention, so if you want to hide your trace in Jianghu, you should stop where it should stop.”

“I know.” Meng Qi seriously nodded. He began to think about buying the Refined Weapons and Long Swords.