Chapter 41: The "Eastern" Cold Meditation

Page 1 of 3 Chapter 41: "Eastern" Cold Zen

After bidding farewell to Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang, Zheng Jian and his two companions had walked only a few miles when the sound of a huqin drifted from the nearby woods. At first, it was a few faint, ghostly notes, filling the heart with a sense of desolation—a sound like sighing, like weeping—that soon began to quiver and tremble. Lin Pingzhi and Qu Feiyan exchanged bewildered glances, but Zheng Jian recognized it at once: this was the signature erhu of Master Mo Da, the "Rain of Xiang in the Night" of the Mount Heng Sect. With this in mind, Zheng Jian suddenly called out, "A thousand-year pipa, a ten-thousand-year zither, but a single erhu determines one’s fate. We arrive in the world, full of excitement, but one blast of the suona and a lifetime is set. Grandmaster Mo, since you’re already here, why not show yourself?"

The sound of the huqin abruptly ceased, as if the mournful mood had been forcibly cut off. After a moment, a figure emerged from behind the trees. He was gaunt and frail, his shoulders hunched, as if a mere breeze might topple him. Master Mo Da glanced at Zheng Jian, then fixed a long, scrutinizing stare on Qu Feiyan, who immediately shrank behind Zheng Jian in fright. Zheng Jian could not help but twitch at the corner of his mouth, thinking, "Master Mo Da’s appearance is so authentic it could scare a crying child quiet!"

"Good, very good," Master Mo Da said at length, offering a faint word of praise.

"You’ve waited for me in these woods all this time just to say that?" Zheng Jian blurted out, then instantly regretted it—damn, how had his inner thoughts slipped out like that? In the original story, Mo Da was not only eccentric but notoriously temperamental...

"Heh, sharp-tongued! I already knew," Mo Da replied, not the least bit offended. On the contrary, there was a hint in his words that he’d long been aware of Zheng Jian’s reputation for verbal sparring.

"How did you know?" Zheng Jian asked, now unreserved and speaking his mind freely.

Mo Da’s face stiffened—this fellow truly feared neither heaven nor earth. "There’s a letter from Master Yue."

A man of few words.

Zheng Jian felt almost pained listening to him, but after some thought, he understood: before he had even arrived in Hengyang, Master Yue had written a letter to Mo Da, likely asking him to look after Zheng Jian. Of course, it probably included some warnings about his sharp tongue as well—hence, Mo Da’s claim that he already knew...

What a hassle!

Talking with Mo Da required one to bring along their own internal translator, or else one would never understand what he meant...

Still, Zheng Jian felt a warmth in his heart. Although Master Yue was not present, his care and concern were unmistakable, and this left Zheng Jian feeling a little embarrassed...

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Apparently satisfied that he had made his intentions clear, Master Mo Da did not linger. He turned and, with his erhu in hand, drifted away to the plaintive strains of "Rain of Xiang in the Night." Zheng Jian said nothing aloud, but in his heart he felt a certain respect for this master whose appearance was so unseemly. In the original story, Master Mo Da was the epitome of a true recluse.

He played "Rain of Xiang in the Night" his entire life. Liu Zhengfeng called him lonely and unfit for the stage, but in truth, it showed that he was truly at peace with a life among the common folk.

When chatting with Linghu Chong, he sometimes swore, carefree and unrestrained, with courage and integrity—a true man who had not lost his nature.

He endured his dissatisfaction with Songshan, suffered under the rumor that he was at odds with Liu Zhengfeng without refuting it—a natural politician.

But when he killed Fei Bin, challenged Yue Lingshan, and aided the Mount Heng Sect, his sharp edge was clear to see.

He was a genuine recluse, one who truly hid in plain sight, living like a desolate old man. The anger and frustration in his heart were poured into his music and his sword. Perhaps he was narrow-minded or mundane, but it was precisely this bottled-up anger and sorrow that made him seem more human than other reclusive masters.

Now, seeing him in person, Zheng Jian could not help but feel a sense of admiration.

Master Mo Da’s lingering gaze at Qu Feiyan showed that he had long been aware of Liu Zhengfeng’s friendship with Qu Yang, but he did not care.

Lost in these thoughts, Zheng Jian realized that Master Mo Da had already vanished into the distance. Suddenly, Zheng Jian came to his senses and was amazed to find—damn it!—he hadn’t managed to gain a single ounce of advantage!

In just a few brief exchanges, Zheng Jian had tried to provoke him several times, yet not a single bit of resentment had been earned!

It was truly an unprecedented feat!

He was the first person Zheng Jian had ever tried to provoke who hadn’t accumulated even a speck of resentment!

Even Feng Qingyang, with his extraordinary composure, had contributed a little resentment back then.

…

In the martial world, new rumors arise each day.

Within a few days, news of Liu Zhengfeng’s retirement from the martial world had spread far and wide, especially the part involving the Mount Song Sect, which was recounted with great relish.

Naturally, the title of "Heaven-Restoring Swordsman" Zheng Jian, first disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, now truly resounded throughout the martial world!

Almost every notable figure now knew that the Mount Hua Sect had produced a prodigious swordsman, the "Heaven-Restoring Swordsman," who, single-handedly, had faced the three great experts of the Mount Song Sect, slain two of them, and forced the remaining Crane-Hand Lu Bai to flee in disgrace!

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If, during his first appearance in Fuzhou, the "Heaven-Restoring Swordsman" had merely made his initial foray into the martial world, then with the stir he caused at the Golden Basin Hand-Washing, he could now be said to have truly shaken the entire jianghu.

No one dared regard him as a junior any longer. The great elders of each sect now saw him as a peer of their own level, and all instructed their disciples to keep their eyes wide open when traveling, lest they provoke that harbinger of misfortune.

Where there is joy, there is also sorrow; where some laugh, others must cry. Zheng Jian had made his name, but it was by treading on the Mount Song Sect to do so—one could well imagine Left Cold Zen’s feelings.

…

In the Mount Song Sect, Left Cold Zen sat sideways on the sect leader’s throne, draped in a dark red cloak. In the years that had passed, his once dominating aura had changed considerably, now showing a blend of strength and subtlety, with an almost feminine softness.

"Lu, my junior… Explain to me, in detail, what happened at the Golden Basin Hand-Washing?" Left Cold Zen’s voice was light and sharp.

Crane-Hand Lu Bai was drenched in cold sweat, not daring to conceal anything. He hurriedly recounted all that had happened in Liu’s mansion, taking care to embellish the story as he went.

Left Cold Zen listened quietly without interruption. When Lu Bai finished, he absentmindedly curled his fingers, his gaze as sharp as lightning, and fixed his eyes on Lu Bai. "So, you even told them about De Nuo?"

Lu Bai’s back was so tense with anxiety that it was soaked through. In recent years, he had seldom seen Lao De Nuo and had thought the sect leader no longer cared about that disciple. But now, it seemed he was wrong.

"Brother… I—I was confused, I was wrong, I—I was forced into it…" The Crane-Hand, so imposing when out in the world, now seemed like a schoolboy caught in a mistake, filled with terror and unease.

"Sigh… I know, I do not wish to blame you! But you even told them about De Nuo—how can I possibly explain this to him…" At this, Left Cold Zen’s brows knit together, as if suffering a hundred grievances.

Catching sight of this change in expression, Lu Bai was utterly stunned. All at once, he realized that his senior, the sect leader, was now entirely different from before!

Yet he could not say exactly how.

Were Zheng Jian present, he would surely see at a glance that Left Cold Zen was gradually becoming "invincible"…

…

(End of chapter)