The Affairs of the Martial World - Vol 3: Chapter 11

The journey was not just a day. From Chang’an to the Qilian Mountains, there were more than two thousand miles. The horse ridden by Zhu Que was a fine horse carefully selected by Meng Xingyue, capable of traveling about four hundred miles daily. A few days later, they arrived at the foot of the Qilian Mountains.

The Qilian Mountains stretched over a thousand miles. When Zhu Que arrived near the Qilian Mountains, he began to inquire with the locals about the location of the Wangyou Valley, but it seemed no one had ever heard of this place. An elderly local said, “The Qilian Mountains are so vast, with countless valleys inside, most of which are unnamed. Some people live in seclusion here and casually name the valleys they inhabit; who can know where they are?”

Zhu Que thought about it and realized the dilemma. The population was sparse at the foot of the Qilian Mountains. He traveled southeast along the official road at the base of the mountain. His judgment was based on reason; the Qilian Mountains run from the northwest to the southeast, and Zhu Que was located in the northern part of the range. Further northwest, the weather was even harsher and colder. He was convinced that Qiang Yan must be living in a place further south. He inquired along the way; after all, he wasn’t giving up—what if someone knew about this place?

However, after walking for four or five days and asking countless passersby along the way, not a single person knew the location of the Wangyou Valley.

One day, Zhu Que arrived at the rare vast grassland in the Qilian Mountains, known locally as Summer Tara. The endless grassland was dotted with herds of horses, sheep, and yaks of all sizes. Several small rivers meandered through, dividing the grassland into patches of green like a painting. Zhu Que gazed into the distance, where the sky and earth seemed to merge, the green grass and blue sky blending seamlessly, filling him with joy. He dismounted, allowing his horse to drink and graze, while he went to the riverbank to catch a few fish. He cleaned the fish by the river with his sword, built a small fire, and roasted them to eat. After resting on the grass for a while, he was startled awake by a loud clap of thunder. Sitting up, he saw his fine horse galloping away among a group of wild horses, seemed frightened. With all his belongings on the horse, he couldn’t let it escape, so he immediately used his lightness skill to chase after it.

At that moment, a few muffled thunderclaps echoed in the sky, and dark clouds gathered like heavy rain was about to fall. The herd of horses, however, quickened their pace and ran into the mountains. Zhu Que was initially only a little over a mile away from the horses and thought that within half an hour, he would surely catch up. But the horses seemed to be spurred on by the herd and ran faster than usual. After chasing for an hour, he found himself even farther away from them. When he reached the foot of the mountain, the horses no longer ran in a group but scattered up the slopes. Zhu Que paid no attention to this; he was determined to pursue the horse he was riding. The horse turned a bend in the mountain and suddenly disappeared. By the time Zhu Que also turned the bend, the rain began to pour down like beans, and the horse had already run off, leaving him unaware of its whereabouts.

Zhu Que silently lamented, his clothes quickly soaked through. Thinking that he couldn’t get any wetter anyway, and with the horse gone, he decided to stroll through the mountains. The mountain path was slippery in the rain, but with his exceptional lightness of foot, Zhu Que paid it no mind. After crossing two small hills, he was suddenly stunned by the beautiful scenery before him. Although this place was not far from the Summer Tara outside the mountains, it felt like two different worlds. The Summer Tara was a realm of grass, while here was a sea of flowers, with various exotic blooms occupying most of the valley, making one forget their worries (1). Zhu Que’s heart stirred; could this be the Wangyou Valley?

If this was really the Wangyou Valley, it was quite a coincidence. Zhu Que looked at the flowers, which didn’t seem to grow naturally but were deliberately cultivated; otherwise, how could there be such a dense flowerbed? Zhu Que wandered around and saw a few cabins in a corner of the valley. Overjoyed, Zhu Que immediately approached, having been drenched by the rain for too long and feeling quite uncomfortable. As he got closer, he noticed that these cabins were built from wood and vines, with roofs made of long grass bundled together, simple and practical yet retaining a natural charm. The rainwater fell on the roof and flowed down the grass, forming a stream in front of the cabins, which was also directed into the flowerbed. Zhu Que knocked on the door, but no one answered. He knocked on the next cabin, but still no response. Could it be that no one lived here anymore? Just as he contemplated whether to break in, the door of another cabin suddenly opened, and a man stood at the entrance. Zhu Que turned to look, his heart jolting as he froze on the spot; it turned out that the man who came out was Xie Tingyu.

Zhu Que suddenly understood two things: first, this was indeed the Wangyou Valley, and by sheer coincidence, he had stumbled upon it. There were countless valleys in the Qilian Mountains, and he had come here in search of a horse; it could truly be said to be fate. Second, Xie Tingyu was indeed Qian Yan’s son. After he killed those people, he immediately returned here, and no matter how hard those in the martial world searched the Central Plains, they would never find him.

Xie Tingyu also recognized the drenched Zhu Que and coldly asked, “It’s rare for you to find this place. Did anyone else come along?”

Zhu Que shook his head and said, “What a delightful surprise to meet again in a different place! Why not invite me inside for a chat?” Without waiting for Xie Tingyu’s permission, he stepped past him into the cabin. The interior was simply furnished with homemade tables, chairs, and a bed, all in good order. Dried meat hung from the wooden walls, and the room was dry, indicating that despite the heavy rain, no single drop had leaked inside. A small stove was lit, and on it sat an iron kettle. Zhu Que took down the kettle, removed his damp outer coat, and began to dry it by the stove.

Xie Tingyu also walked in. He was somewhat annoyed by Zhu Que’s attitude of taking the lead, but helplessly, he said nothing. He sat down to the side and watched Zhu Que dazedly as Zhu Que warmed himself by the stove.

The two sat in silence, and finally, Zhu Que broke the silence and asked, “You can at least tell me why you want to kill these people, right?”

Xie Tingyu listened, still in a daze, showing no reaction to Zhu Que’s words.

Zhu Que asked, “Qian Yan is your mother, right? Where is she? Perhaps she can tell me the reason for all of this.”

Xie Tingyu suddenly stood up, picked up two umbrellas, and handed one to Zhu Que. Zhu Que asked, “Where are we going?”

Xie Tingyu replied, “Aren’t you looking for my mother? I’ll take you to her.”

Zhu Que noticed his change in attitude and feared he might backtrack, so he quickly put on his still, damp clothes. The two, holding an umbrella, stepped outside. Amid the torrential rain, Xie Tingyu led him deep into the flowerbed. Zhu Que said, “So you and your mother don’t live together.” After saying this, he looked up and saw that there seemed to be no cabins in the surrounding area. Xie Tingyu stopped in front of a small hill, and upon seeing the small mound, Zhu Que’s heart tightened, unable to help but ask, “Has your mother already passed away?”

Xie Tingyu nodded, put down the umbrella, and let the rain soak him. His hair became wet and stuck to his ears. He tilted his head back, and the rain hit his scarred face, flowing down his cheeks. Under the rain, it was hard to tell if he was crying; after all, it was difficult to distinguish between rain and tears. But why did his body tremble uncontrollably?

Before the small hill stood a stone tablet inscribed with “Grave of Mother Qian Yan” and the words “Unfilial Son Xie Tingyu respectfully erected.” The mound was covered with various flowers, and in front of Zhu Que, the lines of the poem “The Poppy: The Fallen Flowers Dance Before the Wind” seemed to resurface. A few flower petals on the grave couldn’t withstand the heavy rain and fell to the ground, allowing time to grind them into mud. These petals were like Qian Yan in the storms of the martial world; no matter how extraordinary the beauty or the entangled grievances, everything would eventually return to dust. However, her son, Xie Tingyu, did not allow this to fade into the martial world; instead, he took up his sword and killed all those who had improper intentions towards his mother back then.

Zhu Que saw a grave not far away and couldn’t help but walk over to look. A stone tablet was also in front of the grave, inscribed with “The grave of Xie Tongxuan, Qian Yan’s set up.” It turned out that Xie Tongxuan had died even earlier than Qian Yan. Zhu Que imagined the solitary figure of Qian Yan living in seclusion in the valley with her son after Xie Tongxuan’s death. What was she thinking at that time? Why did she allow her son to inherit such a great hatred?

Under Zhu Que’s persuasion, Xie Tingyu returned to the wooden cabin with him. Soon, Xie Tingyu recovered from his sadness; he opened a box and found that there was still some alcohol-milk wine he had purchased from a local herdsman. While trying this wine for the first time, Zhu Que found it quite unpalatable, but after a few sips, he felt warmer and no longer thought it tasted that bad. Both of them had their worries and drank until they were oblivious.

The next day, the two woke up to clear skies. The valley was a muddy mess. They sat in the wooden cabin preparing breakfast when they heard the soft whinny of a horse outside. Zhu Que went out to take a look and found that the disobedient horse had wandered into the valley, perhaps attracted by the flowers and grass here. Zhu Que led the horse back and tied it under a tree, where its saddle and gear remained intact. Gently stroking the horse’s mane, Zhu Que felt grateful for its companionship for bringing itself here; he cut a good amount of grass for it to eat. After settling the horse, Zhu Que returned to the cabin, where Xie Tingyu had already made a pot of meat porridge, and they shared the meal.

After dinner, Zhu Que asked about Qian Yan again, and this time, Xie Tingyu finally spoke up. Qian Yan was originally a disciple of the Emei Sect but later developed feelings for a male disciple within the sect, violating the sect’s rules. To protect himself, the male disciple falsely accused Qian Yan of seducing him. Heartbroken and devastated, Qian Yan did not defend herself and was expelled from the sect. As an orphan, although Qian Yan was already an adult when she was expelled, a woman without support could only wander in the martial world, drifting from place to place. With her outstanding appearance, it was inevitable that some would take an interest in her while she roamed the martial world. She could handle ordinary petty thieves, but everything changed when she encountered the notorious Flower Thief, Shi Feng. Shi Feng was highly skilled, and just as he was about to take advantage of Qian Yan, the Shadowless Sword Yin Wuxing stepped in to save her.

Hearing this, Zhu Que thought to himself, ‘So it seems that Yin Wuxing has done a debt of gratitude to Qian Yan; how could he be killed as well?’

Xie Tingyu continued speaking, and Zhu Que understood.

Yin Wuxing also had ulterior motives, attempting to take possession of Qian Yan’s body, but found it inconvenient because Yin Wuxing brought Qian Yan with him and quickly encountered people from various sects, and upon seeing Qian Yan, these individuals harbored ill intentions. In the green forest (2), such behavior was already looked down upon, let alone those from reputable sects. If they truly wished to marry Qian Yan, it would be one thing, but some already had wives, while others were concerned about their status and would never openly marry Qian Yan. What they desired was merely to possess her body. This included people from the Huashan, Taishan, and even Wudang Sect. On the surface, they all appeared to be gentlemen, but inwardly, they were all despicable. Qian Yan saw through their intentions but knew she could hardly resist with her own strength, so she had to find ways to navigate among these individuals. To please Qian Yan, they were willing to impart their proud martial arts skills. Qian Yan pretended to learn, hoping that by mastering their skills, she could escape their clutches. However, the martial arts of these sects required years of practice to show results; how could she learn them in such a short time, let alone master them? Fortunately, the individuals kept each other in check and supervised one another, preventing any truly improper actions from occurring.

One day, the arrival of a person disrupted the balance among these individuals. At this point, Xie Tingyu asked Zhu Que, “Can you guess who this person is?”

Zhu Que was taken aback, thinking that whoever could break the balance among these individuals must be more skilled than them, and guessed, “Could it be Lan Jingyan of the Black Mist Sect?”

Xie Tingyu shook his head and said, “Lan Jingyan is still a better person compared to this person.”

Zhu Que guessed a few more people, but none were correct. Xie Tingyu said, “You won’t be able to guess. This person is Ji Wuyou of the Tianshan Sword Sect.”

Although Xie Tingyu spoke of this person calmly, Zhu Que felt a storm brewing in Xie’s heart. Ji Wuyou of the Tianshan Sword Sect was truly a legendary figure in the martial world. Not only did his martial arts dominate the Western Regions, but each of his disciples was also a person of great renown in their own right. They acted with righteousness, punishing evil and upholding justice, and there had never been any reports of the Tianshan Sword Sect doing anything wrong. For a moment, it was hard to believe, and he almost thought he had misheard.

Xie Tingyu said, “Not long after Ji Wuyou arrived, he took my mother away, and no one dared to stop him. My mother actually liked him and willingly went with him. Soon after, she became pregnant with me, but Ji Wuyou disappeared without a trace, leaving her in the lurch, which is truly despicable. My mother said his martial arts were too high, and she didn’t want me to seek revenge. She said that being able to bear his child was enough for her. Ji Wuyou is a lofty figure, a phoenix in the sky, while she is a yellow oriole on the ground, unworthy of him. While pregnant with me, she could no longer roam the martial world, so she reluctantly married a scholar who had no martial skills at all. They came to this desolate place to live in seclusion, wanting to distance themselves from the martial world and those who had ill intentions towards her, dedicating all their efforts to raise me. My mother said I need not stay in this valley for life; I could go to the Central Plains anytime. Although there are many bad people in the martial world, there are still more good ones. However, I do not want to let them off so easily; I want them to pay for their hypocritical actions. I wrote to them, and anyone who does not respond indicates he has no ulterior motives towards my mother, and that would be fine, but those who come to the appointment are all ill-intentioned, and I will kill them. However, Ji Wuyou is my biological father; how can I kill him to take revenge? Alas, my mother once loved him, and if I truly seek revenge, regardless of who lives or dies, it is something she would not want to see from the underworld.”

Zhu Que wanted not to believe, but how could Xie Tingyu slander his own mother? He was simply being too biased in his thoughts. What he said was heartfelt and reasonable for personal conduct if it aligns with the principles. After a moment of silence, he finally understood the cause and effect of the matter, but this story was indeed so unbearable.

After Xie Tingyu finished speaking, he seemed much more relaxed. Zhu Que couldn’t help but ask, “Your martial arts skills are impressive. Besides the techniques from these few sects, it seems you’ve also learned other martial arts.”

Xie Tingyu answered, “That’s right. When I was ten years old, I went into the mountains to gather bamboo shoots and encountered a masked man in black. He taught me many skills. Unfortunately, after two years, I could no longer see him. He refused to reveal his name and would not let me see his face.”

Zhu Que had seen Xie Tingyu’s martial arts and found them somewhat familiar but could not think of who this person in black was.

After talking for half a day, they both felt a bit hungry. After sharing these matters with Zhu Que, Xie Tingyu’s mood improved somewhat, and he invited Zhu Que to go into the mountains to hunt. If they could catch some wild game, they would be able to enjoy a good meal.

Zhu Que, feeling inspired, also agreed. They took their bows and arrows and headed towards the back mountain.

Although the mountain path was muddy, both were skilled in lightness of foot and did not find it difficult. Soon, they caught a roe deer weighing about fifty to sixty pounds, enough for the two of them to eat. Xie Tingyu said that as long as there was enough to eat, they shouldn’t hunt more, and he urged them to head back. Although Zhu Que wasn’t fully satisfied, he followed along back.

The two of them roasted deer meat and ate their fill. While Xie Tingyu was grilling the meat, he added a lot of seasonings collected from the wild, which Zhu Que couldn’t name but found extremely delicious. He asked Xie Tingyu how he had survived in this desolate place from childhood to now. Xie Tingyu then explained in detail, and hearing about the difficulties made Zhu Que admire Qian Yan even more. Zhu Que mentioned Xie Tongxuan, and Xie Tingyu spoke of him with great respect, saying that his martial arts were taught by his mother, but what was truly commendable was that Xie Tongxuan didn’t mind that Xie Tingyu wasn’t his biological son; instead, he patiently guided him and taught him to read and write. In comparison, even though he had never met his renowned biological father, Ji Wuyou, Xie Tingyu would rather have Xie Tongxuan, who knew nothing of martial arts, as his father.

Zhu Que looked at the Wangyou Valley, a paradise that truly allowed one to forget the troubles of the world, to cleanse the heart and mind, freeing one from the burdens of complicated relationships and grievances in the martial world. According to Xie Tingyu, all the flowers here were planted by Qian Yan; a variety of blooms filled the valley, a riot of colors that was hard to describe. Such a beautiful person, with a beautiful heart, Zhu Que, however, could not see her, leaving him feeling somewhat lost. He accompanied Xie Tingyu for a few days, hardly wanting to leave.

(1) making one forget their worries — ‘Wangyou’ of Wangyou Valley 忘忧谷 means to forget one’s sorrows. This indicates that the scenery here is exactly like its name.

(2) In the green forest — refers to martial artist wanderers