Mysterious Martial Arts: The Record of the Swordsman

Yuan Chengzhi was of medium height with slightly dark skin and was not particularly handsome. As a result, he was often looked down upon when he was traveling around the martial arts world. He was far inferior to Chen Jinnan and his nephew Chen Jialuo, who were elegant and handsome.

But having been tempered by the world, Yuan Chengzhi has undeniably gained a more composed demeanor. His eyes are like the water of an autumn pool, so deep that they can reflect the shards of the setting sun. He looks at Jiang Wen with a hint of inquiry, as if trying to see through that young face to understand some old stories.

He saw Jiang Wen's lips twitch almost imperceptibly, as if mocking himself or feeling helpless. His hand, which was behind his back, tapped lightly behind his back, seemingly a habit from holding a sword for a long time. At this moment, his empty hand seemed somewhat at a loss.

What Yuan Chengzhi didn't know was that Jiang Wen did indeed have the urge to draw his sword and kill someone at that moment.

He has recently been frequently troubled by the term "Nine Stars of the Chief Symbol," often being misunderstood, yet no one has been able to explain what "Nine Stars of the Chief Symbol" actually is.

This was nothing short of torture for Jiang Wen's overactive curiosity, like ants crawling all over his body.

“You say I am the ‘Nine Stars of the Chief,’ so I am the ‘Nine Stars of the Chief’—doesn’t that sound a bit like being appointed by imperial decree…”

Jiang Wen could only say, if you people can't make something up, then don't force it. If you, Yuan Chengzhi, don't give me a straight answer today, I'll go deaf on the spot and then commit suicide.

Yuan Chengzhi cautiously probed, pausing after each word as if to confirm whether the other party understood, while also fearing that the other party might take the opportunity to pretend to understand.

"Sect Leader Jiang, you should know about the Four Sects, right?"

Jiang Wen nodded and then replied.

"Of course I know. The so-called Four Teachings were evil practices that spread during the Song Dynasty. After the Taijia era of Emperor Ningzong of Song, Emperor Lizong of Song dismissed the remnants of the treacherous minister Shi Miyuan and was determined to cleanse the world. He then issued an edict ordering the four major teachings of the world to work together to drive out the evil cults."

"The four sects of Red, White, Green, and Purple, which act on imperial orders, are derived from this. White Yang is the Buddhist sect, Green Yang is the Taoist sect, Purple Yang is the Confucian sect, and Red Yang is extremely secretive, in fact, it is the incarnation of the Mingzun Sect of the previous dynasty..."

Jiang Wen had heard all of this from the Holy Mother of the Red Lotus while hiding among the remnants of the Red Sun Sect in Fuzhou, and he recounted it verbatim. Yuan Chengzhi breathed a sigh of relief after hearing it.

"It's a pity, it's a pity. As expected, Sect Leader Jiang is also investigating this matter... This is not something the sea traveler did unintentionally. White gulls are not something one can easily mess with. If one rashly touches these things, it will probably bring more disaster than fortune to the entire Wuyi Sect..."

Yuan Chengzhi hesitated, then saw Jiang Wen's murderous gaze and quickly continued.

"Sect Leader Jiang, please calm down. Let me think about where to begin."

Jiang Wen nodded, gesturing for Ning Die to quickly climb down from the roof beam. "I don't intend to make a move now," he said, "a mere secret from hundreds of years ago can't harm him at all."

What a joke! In the Red Sun Sect, Jiang Wen secretly holds the long-vacant position of Left Protector of Fuduodan, making him the number one person below the Holy Mother. In the White Sun Sect, he once wore the sanghati and was the future Buddha, but now he is retired and enjoys the privilege of not having to pay homage to the Buddha when entering the temple. In the Green Sun Sect, he is one of the few major enemies of the Green Sun Sect Leader Zhao Wuji. How high does one have to be to be considered a great official?

Jiang Wen wouldn't care about the mere secrets of the four religions.

After pondering for a moment, Yuan Chengzhi began to talk about his understanding of the four religions.

On the day of Jiwei in the fifth month of the twelfth year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty, someone reported that there were people in Kuilu who killed people to sacrifice to ghosts, and requested that this be strictly prohibited. The report stated that this was the most serious case of the spread of evil magic.

Kuizhou Road is located at the throat of the Yangtze River waterway and has been of great strategic importance since ancient times. At the end of the Song Dynasty, iron chains were set up to lock the river and defend against Mongol invasions. Therefore, Emperor Gaozong of Song said to Qin Hui, the prime minister of the court, that there must be a great shaman who started it. If the shaman is punished, this will stop. However, the court was corrupt and he sent people to impeach him many times, but to no avail.

Decades later, during the reign of Emperor Ningzong of Song, a mysterious sect called "Liu Sect" gradually became popular in Kuizhou Road. The name of the sect leader was kept extremely secret, and his followers only called him Liu Benzun. He lived during the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, and there are few historical records about him. Some are vague, and some are even contradictory.

This sect suddenly began building shrines, temples, caves, and statues in various places, enshrining obscure paintings of "Liu Benzun's Ten Refinements." They practiced Tantric methods of unknown origin, often using extreme methods such as burning fingers, refining the top of the head, cutting off ears, severing arms, removing yin, and cutting off knees for cultivation, which was horrifying to hear about.

The Song Dynasty, confined to the southeast, was teetering on the brink of collapse, entering an era of extreme madness, marked by acts of murder as a form of ritual sacrifice or self-immolation for spiritual cultivation. After investigation, the authorities discovered a sorcery called "Northern Method" circulating, teaching the doctrine that "killing someone grants one divine access," and spreading techniques for using corpses for wealth or spiritual cultivation. This practice eventually spread to various regions, leading to widespread natural disasters and anomalies.

In response to this situation, in addition to the firm opposition from the orthodox Taoist and Confucian schools at the time, Han Buddhism itself also strongly rejected such sorcery. After several summons during the Chunyou era of Emperor Lizong of Song, the three religions finally selected eminent monks, true men, and great Confucian scholars to gather at the Golden Summit of Mount Emei on the day of Guimao to preach, which was called the "Golden Summit Alliance".

The three individuals were: He Ji, a great Confucian scholar from Wuzhou, was summoned because he was a disciple of Zhu Xi and deeply studied the "Reflections on Things at Hand." He was teaching in seclusion in the North Mountain and was summoned three times by imperial decree. Zen Master Daochong, the most eccentric master of the Linji school, was summoned to Lingyin Temple in Lin'an. He was a respected elder of the Linji school and had been summoned to serve as abbot of Lingyin Temple in the fourth year of Chunyou. He was famous for "promoting the school's spirit and dispelling confusion and revealing the truth." At that time, he had just retired to Jinling. Upon receiving the decree, he immediately went west with his disciple, Jianweng Jingci. An envoy was sent to Zhangren Temple on Qingcheng Mountain to summon Yang Gengchang, a master of the Taiyi Fire Palace school. During the Chunyou period, he had performed meritorious service in praying for rain on the Su Causeway in Hangzhou and was given the title "Qingyin." He was skilled in Taiyi thunder magic and could exorcise evil and avert disasters.

"Brother Yuan, could this great Confucian scholar He Ji from Wuzhou be the 'Nine Stars of the Chief Deity' you mentioned? But this is supposed to be the alliance of the three schools of Qing, Bai, and Zi, isn't it missing a color?"

Yuan Chengzhi suddenly stood up, walked to the window, put his hands behind his back, looked at the bamboo shadows outside the hall and paced back and forth a couple of times before continuing.

"Sect Leader Jiang, this is the story of the four sects that you know, right? But do you know that this is not the first time? The reason why the alliance of the three sects was able to proceed so smoothly is because a similar thing had happened before this."

Jiang Wen hesitated for a moment, then seemed to remember something and quickly said:

"Are you referring to the incident in June of the second year of the Tianxi era of the Song Dynasty, when the people of the capital spread rumors that a hat demon had come from Xijing, and the government summoned 127 martial arts masters, all of whom ultimately lost their lives?"

The half of the painting, which exudes a bloody mist when unfolded, is the "One Hundred and Twenty-Seven Praises of the Supreme Beings," a painting commissioned by Emperor Zhenzong of Song for sacrificial rites and prayers and privately drawn. It is still in Jiang Wen's possession, so he is naturally not surprised by it.

However, he did realize that he had overlooked some things.

Jiang Wen's initial thought was that this was an accidental event under an imperial decree. However, it was easier to deal with the Buddhist and Taoist sects, since they were both outside the realm of civilization. No matter how high their status, it only mattered to Laozi and Buddha. Since the emperor had issued an edict, they could naturally be commanded.

But the Confucian school is different.

The true leading figures of Confucianism, apart from a few great Confucian scholars who devoted themselves to the study of hidden meanings and exegesis and lived in seclusion in famous academies, mostly held a place in the officialdom, some even serving as prime ministers. They were the ones who always spoke of the Master’s prohibition against talking about strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, and spirits. How could they be easily persuaded by the emperor to sit at the same table with those charlatans in their eyes?
Unless... there was originally such a group of people in the Confucian school?!
"exactly!"

Yuan Chengzhi slammed his hand on the tea table, but this time he used a clever force, causing the two teacups to gently collide and produce a crisp echo.

"As early as the second year of Emperor Huizong's Xuanhe reign, the Daoist Emperor, who was devoted to cultivation, was worried about strange events happening in various places. He ordered many civil and military officials to select nine officials who were proficient in divination techniques such as Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, Tai Xuan Jia Zi, and Feng Shui for future use. In addition, a Xuanji Pavilion was set up outside the Zhaowen Pavilion, Jixian Academy, and History Museum, and all the officials were appointed as Secret Pavilion Officials."

"After the ups and downs of the Jingkang Incident, the secret officials of the Xuanji Pavilion, although still in the official ranks, were regarded as the imperial palace eunuchs. The nine people who were usually in this position could not bear the harassment, so they used the nine stars of the Big Dipper as their order and the nine stars of Qimen Dunjia as their names to carry out secret activities."

Jiang Wen immediately pressed for an answer.

"Brother Yuan, according to you, this Confucian scholar held this official position as early as Emperor Huizong of Song. So what exactly did he do?"

At this moment, Yuan Chengzhi picked up the teacup but did not drink it. He gently rubbed the bottom of the bowl with his thumb and said in a muffled voice.

"The deeds of the 'Nine Stars of the Chief Star' are not even recorded in the daily records, nor are they signed by the secret officials of the Xuanji Pavilion throughout history. I can only vaguely find the names of a few people—"

"For example, the first head of the Xuanji Pavilion during the reign of Emperor Huizong was Huang Shang, the prefect of Fuzhou who compiled the Wanshou Daozang; the head of the Xuanji Pavilion during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong was the Confucian scholar Zhu Xi, and Xin Qiji, who was serving as a compiler in the Secret Pavilion at the time, was also among them..."

Jiang Wen was immediately filled with respect.

Because the Xuanji Pavilion did private work for the emperor, they were not well-regarded. Therefore, when they went out, they were often referred to by nicknames. Over time, they became a group of mysterious people called "Nine Stars of the Chief Deity," and their experiences were equally tortuous and bizarre.

For example, Huang Shang, the first head of the Xuanji Pavilion, took office in the second year of the Xuanhe era and died in the third year of the Xuanhe era at the hands of Fang La of the Mingzun Sect. He then transformed into the "Skull Governor". Zhu Xi and Xin Qiji also witnessed the invitation of the immortals on Manting Peak at the foot of Wuyi Mountain not long after, and almost embarked on the banquet of ascending to immortality in the ravine with no return...

"By the way, Sect Leader Jiang, you just asked me why the Three Religions' Golden Summit Alliance was missing one sect, right? That's because the first thing the Xuanji Pavilion's Secret Pavilion Official, 'Nine Stars of the Value Symbol,' dealt with was the 'Vegetable-Eating Demons' who were frequently appearing in Zhejiang and Shunan prefectures, privately printing forged scriptures and causing trouble..."

Jiang Wen fell completely silent after hearing this.

According to Yuan Chengzhi, the Three Religions' Golden Summit Alliance originally had no direct connection with the Mingzun Sect. After all, the Ziyang Sect was the official organizer and would certainly not have much goodwill towards these people who started their rebellion, and might even have intended to wipe them out.

However, what followed gradually defied everyone's expectations. The harm caused by "Northern Law" was far more profound than imagined. Subsequently, "Black Omens" appeared, "Red Qi" invaded, the "Fuqing Divine Transport Stone" emitted a foul stench, and the "Wuzhou Wood Demon" tree cried out as if in weeping. Various strange phenomena appeared frequently, and eventually even naval shamans and folk religious sects were forced to participate. As the most important sect below the three major religions, the Mingzun Sect naturally began to participate as well, ultimately forming the four sects of Red, White, Green, and Purple.

Based on the common goal of fighting against the Northern Law, the Red, White, Blue, and Purple sects cannot be strictly considered as a sect, but rather as a secret society with a common objective. The participants are all highly skilled and knowledgeable individuals from the four religions, and they all learn to act in secrecy like the Purple Sun Sect's "Nine Stars of the Chief Talisman." They do not intend to establish a separate sect outside of the existing theories, so as not to increase the risk of internal strife. However, the secret society gradually drifted away from the mainstream of the four religions and eventually became a mysterious force that transcended the secular world.

Jiang Wen sat in the chair, pondering and slowly digesting the knowledge he had heard today.

Although the Huixi lineage has been passed down for thousands of years, it has taken on different forms of existence in different dynasties due to different backgrounds. In the Song Dynasty, the lineage did achieve a certain form of convergence, but this was too much of a fantasy for outsiders.

“Brother Yuan, why are you so certain that I am the ‘Nine Stars of the Chief Talisman’? I clearly only learned these things from you.”

Jiang Wen held the bottom of the teacup with his left hand, feeling that the celadon teacup was still too small and delicate, making it very unpleasant to drink from. He thought that he must restore the firing technique of Jian kiln Jian ware when he had free time.

Yuan Chengzhi also drank cold tea, not finding such an elegant affair as tea tasting troublesome, but he didn't look down on Jiang Wenniu's method of drinking tea like a peony.

"Later, when the Song Dynasty was in ruins, the last of the Nine Stars of the Chief Symbol refused to surrender and used the arts of divination and formations to repeatedly fight against the former Yuan Dynasty and the King of Shouluo. The last time they appeared was in the first year of the Zhizhi era of the Yuan Dynasty. It is said that the Nine Stars of the Chief Symbols set up a great formation at the foot of Huangshan Mountain. In the end, they were outnumbered and all perished in Huangshan Mountain. After that, they were never seen again."

"Sect Leader Jiang, the internal energy you just used is clearly from the same source as the Zixia Skill of my Huashan Sect, and even has its own profound and unfathomable aspects, which are different from the methods of my sect. According to my master, this internal energy seems to be the continuous and subtle energy of my Taoism, but in fact it contains a righteous and righteous energy of Confucianism."

"This Zixia Skill was not taught by the founder of our school. Instead, he learned it from a hermit scholar deep in the Huashan Mountains when he was learning martial arts in his early years. There were deep valleys and cliffs there, with coffins like a forest, like the dwelling place of gods. Occasionally, immortal figures would appear on the walls. This is what the locals call the Immortal's Chamber. It is just that it is all on the cliffs and cannot be climbed by people."

"My master practiced this skill for twenty years before he could gradually understand its subtle uses; he practiced it for another twenty years and pushed it to the point where the purple aura could last forever, only then did he realize that this skill was by no means ordinary."

"And this person just happens to claim to be a true Confucian, a descendant of the 'Nine Stars of the Chief of the State' from the former Song Dynasty—it seems that Headmaster Jiang also had such a strange encounter, but his fate was not yet ripe and he did not know the reason, so he could not guess that the other party was passing on his mantle as well."

Yuan Chengzhi sat casually in his chair, tapping the teacup on the table with his fingers. He heard a crisp sound from the celadon, and then tapped the floating tea leaves in the cup with his fingertips.

"The workings of fate in this world are wondrous, like these tea leaves floating in the tea. The presence of leaves is 'existence,' while the absence of leaves is 'non-existence.' Without either one, it is not tea—what does the sect leader think?"

Jiang Wen nodded expressionlessly, wondering whether Yuan Chengzhi was a martial artist or a fortune teller, how could he make the process completely wrong but the answer completely right?
His "Purple Cloud Divine Skill" was indeed learned from someone who was associated with Confucianism, but calling him a great Confucian scholar is a bit of a joke. A great Confucian scholar of the Southern Han Dynasty?

And what does "passing on the mantle" mean? It seems he was right; I've actually inherited the title of "Gentleman Sword"... (End of Chapter)