ShiYan sat cross-legged opposite to ReZhui, with Eddisson beside him. They were in the main communal room with a low table placed at the center. Straw and cloth mats laid about, dyed a tame lime-green and brown. To the right of her, large sliding partition walls opened out to a tranquil view of a small garden. It was the ideal spot for relaxation.
However, that all faded away with the entry of MianJu through the arched doorway with a brown pot of hot tea in hand. Eddisson showed a similar reaction as the man sat down at the width of the table. As he did a minor tea ceremony, ShiYan realized how this gentle practice is completely juxtaposed with his appearance and earlier demeanor. She could never imagine how ReZhui was friends with this kind of individual who probably got lots of blood on their hands.
Donned in all shades of black, with the metal bracers and sleek greaves, padded robes and the ever-recognisable blindfold, ReZhui thought it was the usual for MianJu. Though, the other’s expressions said otherwise.
“Please, take a drink.”
MianJu gestured, and when they took a sip, ShiYan and Eddisson found it extremely soothing. The bitterness of the raw leaves was just in the right proportion to the heat in their mouths.
“I’m glad the two of you enjoyed it. ReZhui also had similar reactions when he first arrived.”
“I mean, the taste never gets old for these past years, Brother MianJu. When are you gonna tell me your secret?”
“Whenever I like it, ReZhui, so don’t use your friends to bait me in.”
“Haha…you got me.”
“...” Watching the two of them chatter, ShiYan needed to make sure this person was on their side.
“E-excuse me, SIr…”
“Oh, pardon me, ShiYan!” ReZhui interrupted.
“What’s now, ReZhui?”
“Since it’s your first time meeting each other, I think it’s right to make me do the introductions first.”
“Alright.” MianJu replied curtly.
“Go ahead,” ShiYan approved while Eddisson nodded.
“Very well, ShiYan, Eddi, meet Brother Jia MianJu, a lone blacksmith in the mountains with a very profound understanding of the martial arts. I met him several years ago after he saved me from a pack of wolves in these woods and now, he’s my combat master.”
A round of amazement arised from the other two.
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance. May fortunes continue our relationship.” MianJu bowed a formal greeting.
“Now, Brother MianJu, this here is Xu ShiYan, a close friend of mine whose father I worked under as an apprentice as well.”
“Likewise, may I call you Brother just like ReZhui?” She bowed back.
“Sure.” MianJu clasped his hands together.
Back to ReZhui, “On my side, his name is Eddisson He, the son of a Middle Kingdom woman and a foreign man. We met through quite the circumstance but everything turned out fine in the end. Now, he’s under the same mentorship as me under ShiYan’s aunt. Also, his mandarin may have several missed tones so please excuse him.”
“...”
“Eddisson, it’s a pleasure once again.”
“Y-y-yes…same with me too…”
MianJu never expected the character from Eddisson. Moreso, he was curious.
“ReZhui?”
“Yes?”
“Do you mind telling me about how you came across Eddisson?”
“I would love to!”
For the next few minutes, ReZhui told MianJu mostly everything. From the tasks set up by Teacher Woo, that conflict with the bastard Mayor of Luo ChengShi, the slum welfare event and the fight against his bullies, MianJu sat motionless, absorbing every piece of information without a single expression or interruption. In ShiYan’s eyes, that was incredible discipline.
“And that’s how we fought those guys off. What do you think, Brother MianJu?”
“You did well, though there is room for improvement. Don’t be complacent with just this win.”
“Understood…”
“That’s why I said technique, body and mind are necessary, intertwined together to produce a person’s greatest fighting form. You haven’t scratched the surface of what defines that.”
“Yes, Brother MianJu.”
“I’m glad you listened. The fact that you emerged the winner to save a person’s life is a sign of your headstrong righteousness. Be proud of it, ReZhui. Although, there would be times where you instinctively know that your opponent can end you with ease, it’s nature’s law for prey to run away for the sake of their survival. Follow it to fight for another day, even at the expense of another. Remember that.”
Albeit harsh and foreboding, ReZhui took it to heart, knowing this was his sign of concern.
“Don’t worry, Brother MianJu, I will grow stronger so that that time never comes. I’ll promise you that.”
“We shall see. I’ll still continue your training as always.”
“Speaking of that, Brother MianJu, could ShiYan and Eddi also join me?”
“Join you…I see no problem with that.”
“I suppose that was also too obvious?”
“Yes.”
“I see, alright.”
After that awkward exchange, ShiYan pumped up in excitement.
“Seriously, Brother, you are going to teach us!?”
Waving her to sit down, MianJu clarified himself.
“Yes, I won’t go back on my word. We can properly start on your next visit because I know you and Eddisson live quite far from here. Today, I will explain to the both of you how to practice some body strengthening and mind conditioning respectively for your individual needs.”
“Brother MianJu, what do you mean individual?” ReZhui asked.
“Unlike you, ReZhui, Eddission is a weak kid. A child with the fingers of a lady. He would never survive your intensive training and instead injure himself further. Therefore, I will lend him several beginner manuals about Arrays and Formations to get him started. A simple workout will suit his bodily needs for the time being. Do you get me, Eddisson?”
“I-I understand, B-brother MianJu.”
In response, MianJu nodded.
“Sorry to interrupt brother MianJu, but what are those moves you mentioned?”
“I haven’t told you yet? Alright, hear closely. An Array is the use of the certain landmarks, constellations, pinned flags, exerted Qi or numerous others to entrap or mislead opponents by changing their perception of reality. Overall, it’s the casting of an illusion.
On the other hand, Formations are coordinated movesets that amplify in specific aspects once activated. Whether it’s attack, defense, speed or situational awareness, the potency of Formations increases with the number of individuals, the skill of the individuals casting it in unison or the degree of synchronization of the casters.”
”Then…how does studying Formations help Eddi?”
“It’s true that they are not ideal currently, but Arrays and Formations come hand-in-hand with one another, and Arrays are the most useful for Eddisson at the moment. To some extent, the three of you can form a Formation in the future but that’s just running before crawling.”
“What about the Qi requirements?”
“Low-level arrays typically do not require them, and I doubt you will run into anything but grunts with swords around here. This will suffice.”
‘...Like last time huh?’ ReZhui scowled in thought, and as he did, ShiYan took her turn.
“Brother, what about my training?”
“ShiYan, in your case, I can pass you a beginner manual about the martial arts of Mt. Emei, called ‘Vocals of the Perpetual Fists under Spring’. It’s publicly standardized so it should be easy for you to self-learn in the time you aren’t here but be aware that there is progress to be made to turn it into your own and you would have to do some body strengthening as well.”
“I can’t wait, Brother!”
“I see.”
Having handled ReZhui’s enthusiasm for years. ShiYan’s spirit barely fazed him.
“Although, I am interested in knowing where is Mt. Emei is located. I imagine it with a peak way, way higher than this one!”
“You are correct with that prediction, ShiYan, but remember that when we say Mt. Emei, people will usually refer to the sect rather than the mountain itself.”
“Sect?”
“Exactly, Brother MianJu. Speaking of which, Eddi's aunt once told us about this faraway place of business and foreigners called ShanWe, have you heard of that before?”
“...!” With ShiYan’s and ReZhui’s inquiries, MianJu immediately realized that their scope of the world had significantly grown. Whether he should help expand that or limit their interest, it was something he had barely foreseen. In the end, he went silent under deep contemplation for proceeding his next actions. Ultimately, knowing too much could get these uninvolved children targeted and killed. MianJu would never want that.
As he seeked decisiveness, ReZhui felt something was up, that MianJu was hiding something.
“...” Perhaps ShiYan and even Eddisson eventually figured it out. To keep the fire burning, ReZhui decided to press forward with his dream.
“Brother MianJu, she told us many things.”
“...”
“Aunt He mentioned the existence of the prestigious White Crane Clan of the Righteous Iron Martial Sect.”
“...!”
‘That far?’ This reveal caught him off-guard.
“She talked about the Third young master of that clan, Bai LuJi, and his influence across the city. His skills were reminiscent of the four seasons and he once sliced a bullet in half from a…gun, I guess that’s how she calls it, at a very short distance.”
‘Even guns!’ MianJu was quickly losing ground. They already know a lot, even more than most adults around here.
“She describes him as one of the most powerful people she has ever met and I want to surpass that, Brother MianJu.”
“...”
“So please, tell us more about what you know.” It was no longer a request but a demand. The trio were curious. Too curious, and MianJu could only accept in silence.
“...Fine, I will give you everything.”
“YES!” In unison, the children finally cheered with glee and vigor.
In the background, MianJu could only watch and smile in surrender as they settled down.
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‘I’m sorry…He’s just that capable…’
.
.
.
“The Middle Kingdom is a vast empire of many lands that share the same culture and origin, dating back to the settlements of the Yellow River further North where the capital, ZhongXin, resides in all its glory for the past few thousand years.
Currently, we live under the Xie Dynasty, a bloodline that has ruled the Middle Kingdom for the last 600 years and are still under the seat of power.
While the emperor and his extended family continue to position themselves as the highest authority of the people and the destined inheritors of the Will of the God-Emperors, there are numerous other parties and factions that fight amongst each other to support them and gain further power, of which three are the most prevalent. There is the Imperial Court of Governance and the Eunuch Administrative Union whose power play mainly takes place within the fortified walls of the Forbidden City.
The Imperial Court of Governance consists of a large number of influential families that have assisted the Emperor for generations and are the nobility of the state. Rarely would there be any change of position to the status quo and it's a cesspool no sane man would come out alive.
The eunuchs are the ants of the greater executive head, carrying out everyone’s orders until they die. Sometimes, they have a say in the internal politics and many directly serve the Emperor. Hence, they proved an adversary for the Imperial Government.
As for the final contender and the most relevant one in your questions, we all call it, ‘JiangHu’.”
“whoa…” The trio repeated in unison. It sounded very mystical at first, but Eddisson quickly questioned the characters used.
“Brother MianJu, doesn’t that literally mean ‘Rivers and Lakes’. Why would you name yourself after that?”
“It has many connotations and meanings, varying from the dynastic rule or the time period they lived in, but, the one we martial artists always refer back to is the idea that, like how water stretches far and wide to all corners of the world, an untamable force of nature that civil society bends around and makes way, we are a class of people that are independent from the government and the dynasty.”
“Essentially…bandits and rebellious organizations?” ReZhui blurted out with innocent eyes.
“...Yes, originally JiangHu was such a place near the outskirts of the Middle Kingdom. Different factions held their own unique morals and way of life. Their eternal pledge to the Code they swore to serve under. I heard that was one of the wildest eras of JiangHu, however now, things have drastically changed. One must fight blade and tongue to survive out there, and these traditions were passed down from descendant to descendant, forming the martial arts and Cultivation that I am teaching you now.”
“oh…”
“Many of the successful factions grew to become powerful warlords that aligned well in cooperation with the next corresponding dynasty for wealth and prosperity. It was a steady balance until a fierce northern nomadic alliance under a Supreme Khataganate overthrew the weak Qiu Dynasty and subjugated it under foreign control. Backing the new ruler was an incredibly powerful force, that the remaining remnants of the previous dynasty and the Warlords took over two centuries to strengthen their forces and finally take back the capital, which was changed to ‘NanDu’ in the wake of the barbarian’s conquest.”
“...” This felt like a history lesson that Teacher Woo should be reciting. ReZhui was certain he would soon go back and ask him more about this time.
‘This is so much more interesting, why doesn’t Teacher Woo never bring this up?’
ReZhui wondered.
“The succeeding dynasty, the Yue, could not have liberated the Middle Kingdom without the absolute backing of the Warlords and their armies so the first Emperor of Yue, the GuiLian Emperor, established all the Warlords with such prestigious positions of power, ranging from the management of cities, provinces and landmarks. Moreover, he coined a new title for the seven major factions and alliances that participated in his campaign. And you know what it's called.”
“The Seven Swords of Light…” ReZhui answered.
“Yes, and with the new reforms that favored the Warlords, their influence and power grew exponentially throughout the Middle Kingdom. One that was barely held back by the rising parties that I mentioned earlier. Until this very day, it had always been maintained as a three way equalizer.”
“Then, who do they consist of, Brother MianJu?”
“Now, present day JiangHu is drastically different than in the past as I said. Warlord’s and their followers renamed themselves as Sects with each promoting a new path of martial arts for newcomers. That is their main reputation nowadays despite their obvious handling of numerous other societal affairs like the White Crane Clan in ShanWei city.”
“I see…”
“These Sects can range from a single household to whole territories with fully manned armies.”
“...!”
“And to burst your bubble, the White Crane Clan, in spite of their dominance over that international trading hub, they still fall under an alliance far greater than you could imagine.”
“w-what…”
“In JiangHu, we have generalized all the factions into another three more categories based on the righteousness of their Code of Order.”
“...”
“For the most honorable with the strictest of regulations, we call them the Orthodox Sects. To those that stray away from that discipline, lacking in their ancestral prestige or go against the interests of the Orthodox Sects, they are deemed the Unorthodox Sects.
And finally, the ones that are detested by all and practice immoral crimes against humanity, they are labeled the Demonic Sects.”
“...!” The trio shivered once MianJu reached the end. His voice was a stern warning.
“Listen closely, regardless of whatever situation you found yourselves in, remember to never give a hand in the Demonic Arts. They are extreme, require human sacrifices or blood and can drive the practitioner insane. These vile beings basked in violence and chaos! So, do not ever give a thought about considering such a Sect, do you hear me?”
Frantically, they all nodded in fright.
“...” Taking another mouthful of the lukewarm tea, MianJu breathed calmly and continued.
“Let’s start off slowly with the major players. Within the Orthodox sects, there are sixteen factions that everyone in JiangHu knows about. We call them, ‘the Five Great Clans and the Nine Supreme Sects with the Beggars’ Union and the Hao Agency’.”
“what…”
“...!”
“...Brother, that’s quite the long name, and why are the last two distinctly separate?”
“The Beggars’ Union and the Hao Agency are actually very similar to each other. The reason they are here and separate is due to the fact that they fit in neither category, being not rich and not of a single bloodline, but are still one of the more powerful ones due to their sheer size and scope all over the Middle Kingdom. They say that the Beggar’s Union alone is the largest out of all individual sects. To each faction, beggars and prostitutes serve as the majority respectively. Both are also known for their neutrality against all conflicts and are the primary sources of intelligence gathering for all sides. After all, their only interest is the highest bidder. Together, they form the Lower District’s Plight Society, an alliance that takes up one of the seats of the Seven Swords of Light, in which they still formed despite their fair share of disputes.”
“...”
“Onto the Five Great Clans and the Nine Supreme Sects, they each govern their own provinces, assigned by the GuiLian Emperor but have endured some changes to the territories over the centuries, and practice a different form of martial art that is disparate from the others.
Starting with the Clans.
Firstly, there is the Tang of the southern regions, and they are infamous for their specialization in alchemy and concealment combat. In battle, their poisons are second to the Unorthodox Sects, but are the deadliest among the Orthodox members and are ahead of the Demonic Sects. They also have better doctors than the other Great Clans.
Next, we have the Murong Clan, which can trace their ancestors back to the Babarbian conquests so they are the youngest of the Great Five, but have the strength to back their title. They are much wilder as expected and have greater heightened senses than the others. They rule over parts of northern provinces and are probably the second line of defense from the tribes of the far North.
Nangong is the third Clan and they are considered the most righteous of all the Orthodox Sects. For their martial arts, they primarily are sword users and have produced some of the strongest warriors that JiangHu has ever seen, like the Almighty Sword Saint. In terms of numbers, they have the largest amongst the Clans and the Supreme Sects, managing the central regions.
Then, we have the Zhuge Clan, who are the descendants and disciples of an ancient strategist by the same surname. Eddisson, this is the family that specializes in Arrays and Formations, performing the strongest and largest casts that JiangHu has ever seen. They are the smallest family, with intellectuals and scholars who rarely hold a sword in combat but make up for it with their minds and tongues.
Finally, there is the Peng Clan further north. Influenced by the barbarians, they have connections to spirits and the supernatural, gaining enlightenment, experience and strength from them. They are also the least active in matters relating to JiangHu so they are the second smallest of the five with the least land given.
Is everyone still following well?”
“...”
That was a lot to take for them, but having been curious about this subject for a long time, especially ReZhui, they easily digested all of that. This was interesting.
“We are fine, Brother MianJu. Please tell us all!”
“...Alright, I oblige.
The Nine Supreme Sects.
While they typically do not rule over provinces such as the Five Great Clans, they are commonly found on specific landmarks that sometimes also represent a significant part of their martial arts, which are comparable to the Great Five.
There is the Mount Hua Sect, based at Hua Mountain, one of the Grand Peaks of the Middle Kingdom, and its surrounding lands. Their martial art usually uses swords with a deep fundamental thought about flowers and in particular, plum blossoms.
The Shaolin Temple is next. Based in two locations of the Northern and Southern temples atop their respective mountain ranges, they consist of regular monks and warrior monks that believe under Mahayana and Chan Buddhism. They have numerous combat styles but in all commonality, their physical vessels and mental consciousness are hard as the toughest iron.
In a similar vein, the Mount Emei Sect also follows the Buddha’s teachings and instead consists of Buddhist nuns of a similar role who live their lives on Emei Mountain. But in their martial arts, rather than the rock solid postures of their counterparts, theirs has a mixture of flexibility too.
Next, we have the Mount Qingcheng Sect, who are also nuns in manner but by practice, they closely follow Daoism, rather than Buddhism. Hence, although their martial arts is identical to Mt Emei on the surface level, their Qi and Aura controls are strikingly different.
We then have the Diancang Sect, based in the forestry of the southeastern regions. Quite a small school relative to the rest but they are well-known for heavily involving their Aura manipulation into their martial art, the greatest degree out of all the Sects. Simply because they practice flying swords.
Neighboring the Nangong sect, the Wudang Sect reigns over their domain. If Mount Hua is famous for their decorum and mystery, Wudang is popular for their leniency and their male to female disciple ratio at an exact one to one. Their martial art revolves around the concept of Taiji and all of their prominent moves are essentially redirection. One of the largest too.
Onto the Kongtong sect…all I can say about them is that they are the wildest of the Orthodox sects. A group that still retains their lowly bandit behavior from centuries ago and uses unconventional weapons. They are the only sect that labels fist as their primary.
The Zhongnan Sect is usually the overlooked one. They are a devoted school of Daoist thought with the most generic set of martial techniques that does not set itself unique. I would call their martial arts, a master of none. The only reason they inherited this title is due to their notable feud with the Mount Hua Sect, and are actually playing on an even field.
The last one on the list would be the Kunlun Sect, based at the Kunlun Mountain range that stretched below the Karagan desert and the plateaus of the northwest. They were once part of the Demonic Sect but they have slowly changed their ways and have proved their worth of morality over the centuries after a devastating defeat from the Southern Celestial Adret Sect. Now, they are regarded as the indirect messenger between the forefront of the Demonic Sect and the rest of JiangHu. For their martial arts, it’s a tamer version of their true Demonic Art and now uses animal blood as a major foundation.
For where they would fit in the Seven Swords of Light, the Mount Hua Sect and Shaolin Temple were each given one spot for themselves. The rest of the Orthodox Sects would gather under one banner called the Central Conformist Alliance or the Wulin Alliance, for short. This takes the next spot on the list.
So, that’s all of them.”
Immediately, ShiYan shot out a question.
“Brother, what is the Southern Celestial Adret Sect? And why does Mount Hua and Shaolin Temple get their individual titles?”
“Firstly, I will get there soon. For your second, there is no disclosed answer that I even cannot solve. But, I don’t recommend finding out when it’s none of your matter, ShiYan.”
“Alright…”
“As I was speaking, the last two categories are much less complex. The Unorthodox Sects only has two prominent players amongst other minor institutions.
The Poison Gourd Sect is a group that lives in the very south of the Middle Kingdom, where rainforests thrive in huge numbers. They are the warriors that produce the deadliest toxins in all of JiangHu with some that are said to be incurable and their methods of making them are unknown. For their martial arts, they heavily use ranged and projective weaponry, often mimicking poisonous animals.
Next, we have the Southern Celestial Adret Sect. Rather than a school, they are a military group that functions as a Sect. If you remember that the Muyong Clan is the second line, then the Southern Celestial Adret Sect is the first frontier against an invasion by the barbaric nomads and are tasked by everyone to hold the frontlines long enough for reinforcements. Originally, they were exiled members of all the sects of the Wulin Alliance but soon carved out their own identity as the protectors of the empire. Their martial art is catered to dealing with those barbarians so they are the only ones with horseback riders with an emphasis on halberds.
These two sects take up another two seats on the Seven Swords of Light. And now only one is left.”
“I understand now.” ShiYan nodded. Looking to ReZhui and Eddisson, they still gave him their undivided attention. This was one he was most reluctant to tell.
“...Anyhow, I will now talk about the Demonic Sects.”
“...” The trio held their breath in anticipation.
“Amongst the three factions, the number of Demonic sects are the least in number but do not let that fool your perception. While there are those that somewhat represent what they used to be in the past like the Blood Sect, the Joyous Corpse Temple, the Yama Cult and the Guilao Sect, the rest are absorbed by a much larger entity that I will tell soon. There is also another one of the same scale and each one lies in the shadows of the northern and southern parts of the Middle Kingdom.
In the southern provinces, the Heaven and Earth Society rules supreme in the darkness. Rather than say they are a school, it is a chaotic amalgamation of different clans and families that signed up under one banner. There is no uniform martial art and they do lots of criminal activities that I dare not speak about until you are older. Overall, it's a mess, but if grouped proper, they are a major treat to everyone.
Finally, we reach the last Demonic Sect. It is the one that had consumed all the other immoral sects; the one that is the true haven for outlaws, criminals, zealous pagans, vigilantes and vagabonds alike; the one who’s manpower ranks third, behind the Wulin Alliance and the Beggar’s Union; the one that takes the last position of the Seven Swords of Light; and the one who is deemed the ultimate nemesis of the entirety of Jianghu and its very existence, we called them…”
“...!”
“The Heavenly Demonic Cult”
As MianJu finally revealed it, the trio froze in fear and goosebumps surged through their bodies. Imagining what such a sect would be like was terrifying.
“Rather than calling it a sect, they instead functioned more like a religious cult of fanatics from the very start of its establishment. And…the one to lead them all, who everyone calls the embodying entity of malice itself, the venerable Heavenly Demon.”
“...!”
Below him, powerful beings of unfathomable strength, rivaling the power of many sect leaders, grovel glady underneath that entity’s feet without defiance. For in the world of hell, high above the Karagan Desert in the inhospitable landscape of jagged, steep mountain ranges, sky piercing snow peaks and elevated barren plateaus of the XInJiang province, only one law rules supreme, ‘The weak submits to the strong, there is no exception’.”
“...!”
“To strike with your mouth, you must first back it up with might, otherwise you will end up dead. And above all that, for the entity that reigns unbridled, the Heavenly Demon is the most powerful of them all, hailed as the strongest of all the demons and the divine warriors of the Wulin Alliance, it’s a miracle that the Heavenly Demonic Cult never overstepped its written boundaries and invaded the Central Plains.”
“...whoa…”
“Regardless of the status quo, we must remain wary…because throughout all of JiangHu, the Heavenly Demon has no peer equivalent.”