The Affairs of the Martial World - Vol 3: Chapter 9

The Ci’en Temple was built by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhi, when he was still the crown prince, in memory of his deceased mother, who later became Empress Dowager Changsun.

The temple’s name, Ci’en, carries the meaning of a mother’s compassion.

However, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was not built by Emperor Gaozong; it was constructed by the great monk Xuanzang after he returned from his journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures.

The scale of the pagoda was unparalleled at the time, leading to the saying that the first high monk built the first Buddhist pagoda.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was located in the western courtyard of Ci’en Temple, surrounded by many phoenix trees, where Zhu Que and others were hidden in the trees.

The time agreed upon in the letter was in the evening, truly a meeting after dusk, but the weather was uncooperative, and it started to drizzle, making it impossible to see the moon above the willow branches. 

Meng Changling held up a black oiled paper umbrella, waiting under the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

Despite having many outstanding disciples under the Dual Ring Sect, he refused to take even one disciple with him and came alone.

In the misty rain, a figure in white also held an oiled paper umbrella, a white umbrella, slowly emerging from the pagoda.

Zhu Que and others gathered quite far away, unable to clearly see the appearance of the figure in white. Remembering Meng Changling’s description of Qian Yan’s unparalleled beauty, they couldn’t help but wish to get closer for a better look.

Two oiled paper umbrellas leaned against each other, and the two seemed to be arguing about something. Zhu Que listened carefully but couldn’t hear what they were saying; he only saw the black umbrellas shaking and speculated that it was due to Meng Changling’s emotional turmoil.

Suddenly, the figure in white drew his sword at lightning speed and stabbed it into Meng Changling’s throat, causing Meng Changling to fall. Upon seeing that something was wrong, Zhu Que and the others leaped out from their hiding spots.

The figure in white, upon seeing people approaching, did not flee. Under the encirclement of the crowd, he slowly sheathed his sword.

Meng Changling was struck in the throat, lying on the ground breathless. The blood gushing from his throat mixed with the rainwater, enveloping his body within it.

What a swift sword! What a deadly sword!

Only then did Zhu Que and the others realize that the person in white was a man, not the stunningly beautiful woman they had imagined.

Yin Tianyun thought that his father, Yin Wuxing, had most likely died at the hands of this man. Unable to hold back any longer, he drew his sword and lunged forward.

Han Jinsong and others were also eager to try their hand at avenging their mentor, but since Yin Tianyun had already made his move, they felt it was inappropriate to rush in and join the attack.

Yin Tianyun was the only son of Yin Wuxing, and his swordsmanship had truly inherited the essence of the Shadowless Sword. When he drew his sword, its power was indeed immense. The blade produced several blossoms of sword light, making it impossible to discern the sword itself. The name ‘Shadowless Sword’ was truly well-deserved.

The sword energy surged, twisting the nearby rain and mist together, mixing authentic energy with raindrops, directly targeting the acupoint in Xie Tingyu’s chest. This was precisely a move from the Shadowless Sword Technique, and despite Yin Tianyun’s youth, he had unexpectedly mastered his swordsmanship to such a level. Perhaps it was due to his deep-seated desire for revenge on his father that made his swordplay sharper than usual.

The man in white was also quite young, with several newly healed scars on his face; this man in white was none other than Xie Tingyu.

Seeing the fiercely of his opponent’s swordplay, Xie Tingyu drew his sword, and with a clang, Yin Tianyun’s sword was deflected.

Yin Tianyun immediately changed his move, executing a technique that kept his form and shadows close. This was a sword move that transformed defense into offense. His sword was blocked by the opponent, and knowing the opponent’s swordsmanship was extremely high, he used this move to both prevent the opponent from taking advantage of the situation to counterattack and to force the enemy into a position where they had to defend.

Little did Yin Tianyun know; Xie Tingyu merely flicked the tip of his sword, and it was enough to block Yin’s sword attack.

After Yin Tianyun’s two unsuccessful attempts, he stepped back and decided to use the ultimate technique of ‘Casting Shadows with Sand.’ This technique was one that risked his own injury to ensure that his opponent would also be pierced under his sword, resulting in mutual destruction.

Zhu Que suddenly reached out to stop him and said, “Wait a moment, Brother Yin. Why don’t we ask him first why he did these and killed so many people?”

Yin Tianyun was taken aback and halted. His gaze fixed fiercely on the man in white. He knew he was no match for his opponent, but how could he not fight desperately for revenge?

Zhu Que also noticed this point. After two exchanges, Yin Tianyun had exhausted all his strength and could not gain the slightest advantage, while the man in white held a sword in one hand and an umbrella in the other, appearing completely at ease.

The two were too far apart in skill; continuing the duel would be no different for Yin Tianyun than seeking death.

Zhu Que asked, “May I ask who you really are? What is your relationship with Qian Yan? Why did you lure all these people out to kill them?”

Xie Tingyu slowly turned around, expressionless, and said to Zhu Que, “This is my secret, but I cannot tell you.”

Zhu Que noticed a few fresh scars on his handsome face, resembling shattered jade that had been glued back together. He couldn’t help but feel it was a pity; without these scars, he could be considered as attractive as Luo Cheng (1). Suddenly reminded that Qian Yan also possessed unparalleled beauty, he felt a stir in his heart and blurted out, “Are you Qian Yan’s son?”

Xie Tingyu neither denied nor confirmed it but simply asked, “You all came here, it seems, not just to talk about this nonsense, right?”

Han Jinsong of the Wudang Sect said, “I ask you, was Elder Ying Hua of the Wudang Sect killed by you?”

Li Yunshou of the Huashan Sect also asked, “What offense have we of the Huashan Sect committed against you that you killed my senior brother Liu Yunfeng?”

Meng Daohai of the Taishan Sect also asked, “Did my master uncle, Chang Qingzi, die at your hands?”

Xie Tingyu said, “That’s right. Over the past few months, I have killed Ying Hua of the Wudang Sect, Liu Yunfeng of the Huashan Sect, Yin Wuxing of the Shadowless Sword, Chang Qingzi of the Taishan Sect, and Lan Jingyan of the Black Mist Sect. Today, I’ve added Meng Changling of the Dual Ring Sect to that list. As for the reasons, the matters of the martial world are complex and difficult to clarify. It always comes down to the strong killing the weak; what does that even mean? If any of you have the ability, feel free to kill me.”

Upon hearing him admit to his actions, their eyes were burned with fury. Li Yunshou of Huashan and Meng Daohai of Taishan could no longer contain themselves. They both drew their swords, disregarding any notions of the martial world etiquette and lunged together at Xie Tingyu.

Zhu Que knew they were seeking revenge. Although he wanted to understand the reasons and the course of the whole matter, he felt it was not right to stop them.

Xie Tingyu held an umbrella in one hand and a sword in the other, fighting two opponents alone, yet he showed no signs of losing ground. However, his sword seemed to lack a particular ferocity; compared to the sudden thrust that had just killed Meng Changling, it lacked a sense of murderous intent.

At this moment, Yin Tianyun also charged in with his sword, and the three surrounded Xie Tingyu, but they still could not gain the upper hand.

Zhu Que observed from the side and noticed that Xie Tingyu was handling the three with ease, besides having exceptional swordsmanship, Xie seemed to have a considerable understanding of their techniques. Every time they made a move, he could predict the direction of their strikes in advance, as if he possessed the ability to foresee their actions, blocking their swords ahead of time.

If it weren’t for Xie Tingyu’s reluctance to continue killing, these three would likely have been injured by now.

Besides Zhu Que, Han Jinsong also did not join the fight.

The Wudang Sect had stringent rules; even for the sake of revenge, one could not join forces with outsiders to fight against a single person.

However, Zhu Que knew that even if Han Jinsong joined them, gaining the upper hand would still be difficult.

He vaguely thought to himself that the reason this man in white was so familiar with the martial arts of these individuals must be related to the woman named Qian Yan.

Xie Tingyu had been fighting with the three for over a hundred moves and became impatient. With a light whistle, he suddenly leaped into the air, shook the umbrella in his hand, and flung it out. The ribs of the umbrella shot out like powerful arrows released from a strong bow, aimed at the crowd.

The three fighting him, Li, Meng, and Yin, quickly leaped to the side. Taking advantage of their evasive movements, Xie Tingyu suddenly withdrew and used his lightness skill to flee.

Han Jinsong and Zhu Que couldn’t let him escape, so the two immediately chased after him.

Yin Tianyun and the others dodged the umbrella ribs and followed closely behind.

Exiting the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and heading east or south led directly into the Ci’en Temple, where there were numerous buildings, and it was easier to escape. If heading northeast, one could leap over the temple’s courtyard wall, leaving Ci’en Temple behind. The outside was a stretch of pine forest, which provided cover and made it easier to get away.

But Xie Tingyu chose to avoid taking either of these two paths and instead entered the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, with seven stories. In fact, at its peak during the Tang Dynasty, the pagoda had nine stories. There was a poem that said: “Ten stories rise abruptly into the void, with forty doors opening to the wind from all sides.” After hundreds of years of erosion from wind and rain, the top two stories were destroyed, so it was restored to seven stories.

When Zhu Que and Han Jinsong chased in, Xie Tingyu had already reached the second floor, and the two hurriedly pursued.

As the sky darkened, there were no lights lit in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. In the dim light, the two could not see which floor Xie Tingyu had reached, but the sound of footsteps on the stairs still echoed in their ears, leading them to believe that Xie Tingyu was fleeing upwards.

The two couldn’t help but slow their pace, partly because they were inside the pagoda and weren’t worried about where he could escape to, and partly because in the darkness, if the other party had set up any traps or launched any hidden weapons, it would be difficult to evade.

But after a moment, the sound of Xie Tingyu’s footsteps going upstairs disappeared, and instead, voices came from downstairs, indicating that Yin Wuxing and the others were chasing after them (2).

Han Jinsong, driven by his master uncle’s vendetta, no longer cared about the danger and quickened his pace to rush upward. Zhu Que, fearing for his safety, followed behind him closely. Fortunately, they encountered no obstacles along the way.

The two reached the seventh floor without finding any trace of Xie Tingyu.

Han Jinsong lit the candle on the candlestick, and with its light, they surveyed the seventh floor, but there was no sign of anyone there.

Zhu Que looked up and saw two lines of poetry written on the dome: “People praise Monk Tang Seng for his journey, one must travel to the Western Paradise to worship the Buddha first.”

They hadn’t seen any trace of Xie Tingyu along the way. Could he have flown away? The two focused their gaze on the top of the pagoda on the seventh floor.

The roof of the pagoda was layered with glazed tiles arranged in a stacking method, and in the center of the tower’s peak was a gourd-shaped spire about a foot in diameter, which housed the relics of Shakyamuni brought back by Master Xuanzang from the West. This was the most precious Buddhist relic of the Ci’en Temple.

The two listened carefully, but there was no sound from the top of the pagoda.

Zhu Que’s lightness skill was extraordinary; as the saying goes, “With great skill comes great boldness.” Zhu Que leaped out of the window, stepping on the window frame, and with a swift upward motion, executed the cloud-leaping technique that had made him famous, effortlessly reaching the top of the pagoda.

After reaching the top, Zhu Que immediately protected himself to guard against Xie Tingyu’s sudden ambush.

At the top, Xie Tingyu stood opposite Zhu Que. Across the pagoda’s peak, Xie coldly watched Zhu Que climb up, yet showing no intention of making a move.

Zhu Que looked at the strange attitude of the other party, which did not seem to harbor any hostility, so he relaxed his guard and asked Xie Tingyu, “What is your name?”

Xie Tingyu replied, then asked him back, “Among the people I have killed, who are you related to?”

This was not an easy question to answer. Zhu Que has never had direct contact with Yin Wuxing, not even seen his face. However, if he started with Gongsun Bai of the White Lotus Sect, he could be considered a friend of his sect. But how could one casually talk about the matters of the White Lotus Sect?

If he said that Yin Wuxing’s disciple, Yi Xue, is a friend of his, but Yi Xue has nothing to do with him. Although he once fantasized that Yi Xue was to him what Hong Fu Nu was to Li Jing (3), in reality, they had only met twice and exchanged three sentences. To say she is his friend was merely his one-sided wishful thinking.

If he said that he is friends with Murong Hanshan, the duel opponent of Yin Wuxing’s senior brother, Ji Wuyou; that was indeed true, but what kind of relationship was that? Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered that his purpose for coming here was not because of these people being killed but to stop the duel between Ji Wuyou and Murong Hanshan, and now, both of them were nowhere to be found.

Zhu Que shook his head, indicating that he had nothing to do with these people.

Xie Tingyu asked, “If that’s the case, why are you so relentlessly pursuing me?”

Zhu Que replied, “In the world, everything must be justified by reason. The people you’ve killed are renowned in the martial world and have done many good deeds. You must have a reason for killing them, right?”

Xie Tingyu scoffed disdainfully and blurted out, “They are reputable and have done many good deeds, but how can these things wash away their sins? They all have reasons to be damned.”

Zhu Que thought of the woman named Qian Qan and asked, “Their sins? Was it because of Qian Yan?”

Xie Tingyu pursed his lips, unwilling to say more. Zhu Que thought this might involve the woman’s reputation, so it was inappropriate to press further, only asking, “Then why did you use a fake name, ‘Qian Yan,’ to summon them?”

Xie Tingyu was silent for a moment and said, “If those who see the letter ignore it, I will let them go. But anyone who sees the letter must die. Since you have nothing to do with them, I don’t want to say more. I’m leaving now. Tell the people below they can come to find me, Xie Tingyu, if they want revenge.”

When Zhu Que heard he was leaving, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Then Xie Tingyu turned around and jumped down the high pagoda.

Zhu Que was taken aback and rushed over, unable to understand why Xie suddenly lost hope and sought his own death. With Xie’s skills, he could surely resist them if he fought back.

He walked to the spot where Xie Tingyu had just been and looked down, instantly understanding.

At this moment, Xie Tingyu had his arms and legs spread wide. The white garment he wore was specially made, with the fabric connecting his legs and arms resembling a giant white bat, slowly gliding away into the distance, never to be caught up with again.

It turned out that this person had already arranged an escape route for himself before assassinating Meng Changling, so once he was in a position to do so, he immediately returned to the top of the pagoda and left.

Zhu Que descended from the top of the pagoda, and Han Jinsong, Yin Tianyun, and the others all saw the departing Xie Tingyu from the window, momentarily exchanging glances, unsure of what to do.

Zhu Que guessed that they should be able to hear what he and Xie Tingyu were saying at the top, but he repeated it anyway. Now everyone knew his name, Xie Tingyu.

The major sects have united to deal with one person. Given the scars on his face, finding him shouldn’t be a problem.

They discussed how to contact and trace the whereabouts of Xie Tingyu when Zhu Que interrupted them, “First, let’s send Meng Changling’s body back. This way, you’ll have the help of the Dual Ring Sect.”

Recalling Meng Changling’s death tonight, their sense of shared enmity grew even stronger. 

Zhu Que suddenly felt a bit disinterested. He thought to himself that if these people who were killed had done something wrong to Qian Yan in the past, then there was nothing to say if their son came to seek revenge now.

The people killed by Xie Tingyu had their friends and relatives pursue Xie Tingyu for revenge, but there was nothing commendable about that either.

The grudges and grievances in the martial arts world always seem to end only in death. A sense of fed-upness rose in Zhu Que’s heart; no matter who killed whom among them, it was something he did not want to witness.

Zhu Que bid farewell to everyone, saying, “If you see Murong Hanshan or Ji Wuyou, please find a way to let me know.” He then told them where to send someone to inform him.

They tried their best to persuade him to stay, but Zhu Que had made up his mind to leave, so they could only bid him farewell.

(1) Luo Cheng — A fictional hero of the “18 Warriors of Sui-Tang Period.” He was an all-rounded, educated person in literature and martial arts, mostly known for his handsome appearance. 

(2) indicating that Yin Wuxing and the others were chasing after them — These are hallucination sounds that they heard inside the pagoda. 

(3) Hong Fu Nu was to Li Jing — search “Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust” for details