Chapter 24: The Last Battle

In the past, on the nine rivers, I gazed at the peak of Mt. Jiuhua,

The Milky Way hung within black waters, with nine lovely lotuses appearing within.

I wish to wave my hand about, who is willing to follow me?

Sir, you are the host of this party, and thus now I lie relaxed amidst the clouds.

Li Bai

Mt. Jiuhua was forty li southwest of Anhui province’s Qingyang city. It was next to where the two cities of Jingxian and Lingyang were during the Han dynasty.

In the Three Kingdoms period, the Eastern Wu kingdom established the Lincheng county. After the Sui dynasty collapsed, the Tang dynasty created the Qingyang prefecture. The mountain had already become famous and was considered part of Chizhou prefecture. The mountain was five li north of the county, past the Plum Family Ridge and bordered by Guichi province.

Mt. Jiuhang was north of Linyang, east of Qiupu, was five small streams south of Datong, and bordered the Twin Dragon-Mouth Peaks to the west. In ancient days, it was named Mt. Jiuzi.

The Tang dynasty’s Li Bai toured Mt. Jiuzi. When he saw the mountain peak, which appeared like a blooming, nine-petaled lotus, he changed its name to Mt. Jiuhua.

It is recorded in books that “the old name was Mt. Jiuzi. The Tang dynasty poet saw that the nine peaks of the mountain appeared like they had been whittled into the shape of lotus petals, and thus changed the name to Mt. Jiuhua.”

It is also recorded in the annals of Qingyang province that “the mountain is forty li west of the county. There are forty eight famous peaks, fourteen crags, five caves, eleven ridges, eighteen springs, and two river sources. There are a number of other different, unique stone platforms, ponds, ravines, and brooks.”

‘Knowing and Doing Becoming One’, Wang Yangming, once studied within the reaches of this mountain. Throughout the ages, the place has held equal fame with Li Bai’s study.

The god of poetry, Li Bai, ‘changed Mt. Jiuzi to Mt. Jiuhua’ in an orderly fashion.

“ ... the Grand Historian’s tour of the south was described but not recorded. This matter definitely happened as the old men say, but no virtuous man of ability recorded it. Celestial spirits inspired and moved his pen, causing him to scratch out the old name and bestow the new one, Mt. Jiuhua. Next, he paid a visit to the men nearby, travelling with them to Xiahou Hui’s home. They sat down upon the snow from the pines, and left behind two or three lines for posterity.”

This was their poem.

“The amazing west is divided in two, Mt. Lingshan opens to Mt. Jiushan.” – Li Bai.

“The layered mountain holds back the tardy sun, half the cliffs are covered with bright, rosy clouds of dawn.” – Gao Ji.

“The accumulated snow gleams across the gully, and the joyful sun flies across the cliff.” –Wei Quanyu.

“The dazzling, jade-like trees, a vast mist floats about.” – Li Bai

But Mt. Jiuhua wasn’t just a place for poets. It was also chief amongst the places where Buddhists held their sacred rites to honor Bodhisatvva Ksitigarbha.

The Sutra of the Ten Wheels of Bodhisatvva Ksitigarbha: “Tranquil endurance as still as the earth. Quiet pondering as deep as a deep depository.” Thus, the name taken was ‘Ksitigarbha’, meaning ‘earth depository’.

This was recorded in the Mahayana sutras: “Upon a request by the World Honored One, Ksitigarbha pledged that until he had saved all the living things of the Six Paths, he would not become a Buddha. He often submerged his own body into hell, and had saved countless lives from torment. Thus, he is called the ‘Patriarch of the Nether World.’”

There were two rolls to the sutra of the Original Vows of the Bodhisatvva Ksitigarbha. It is very difficult to interpret this Tang scripture, but within it, this was recorded: “The Buddha ascended to Trayamatrimsa Heaven to expound on the dharma to his mother. Next, he called Bodhisatvva Ksitigarbha to him and made him the eternal ‘Patriarch of the Nether World’, so as to eventually bring all the people in the world to ascend to the highest joy.”

This sutra talked a great deal about hell and how to pursue merit to avoid it. It was a mourning sutra of Buddhism.

The sutra also discussed how Bodhisatvva Ksitigarbha rescued countless souls and brought them to salvation. He did not make an empty vow when he promised to not become a Buddha until his great work was done. And thus, the name of this sutra was the ‘Original Vows of the Bodhisatvva Ksitigarbha.’

Thus, not only was the sword skill of the ‘Mt. Jiuhua Sword Sect’ exquisite, it also possessed the romanticism of poets and the mysterious secrets of Buddhism.

There were seven great sword sects in the martial world. Mt. Jiuhua wasn’t actually one of them, because they were always very few disciples of the Mt. Jiuhua sect, and even more rarely did they travel abroad in the martial world.

Long ago, the martial world conflated the Mt. Jiuhua Sect with the Netherworld Sect. Both of them worshipped the same two founders. The first was Bodhisatvva Ksitigarbha. The other the dissolute man of poetry and wine, the eternal, unmatchable Li Bai.

It was said that the lay Buddhist Qing Lian was not only a god of poetry, but that also a god of the sword. The Mt. Jiuhua Sword Technique was passed down from him. After hundreds on hundreds of years, another amazing hero appeared in the martial world, Li Mubai. He was also a direct descendant of the Mt. Jiuhua sect.

These legends made the Mt. Jiuhua sect even more mysterious and mystical in the hearts of the people of the martial world. The whereabouts of the disciples of the Mt. Jiuhua sect became even more secretive, and in recent years, they seemed to have vanished from the martial world.

But none of these things were the reason for Fu Hongxue’s shock. What shocked him was Master Ruyi.

Master Ruyi wore a white robe, and was barefoot in grass shoes. A bald head, a solemn expression, and light radiating from the pupils. Master Ruyi was, without a doubt, a Buddhist of extremely great learning. A female Buddhist.

She looked as though she were already in middle age. Her figure was moderately covered, her appearances was upright, her bearing was respectable and polite. There was nothing particularly attractive about the solemn expression on her face, and even less was there something which should surprise people. No matter who looked at her, they would only see a middle-aged nun who strictly followed Buddhist rules, who was not one bit different from the thousands on thousands of other nuns in the world.

But in Fu Hongxue’s eyes, the situation was totally different.

Although her appearance was ordinary and sedate, her jade-white hands were as beautiful as spring scallions, so soft as to appear boneless. She was barefoot in grass shoes, not wearing any socks, revealing a pair of feet which were as white as the snow, so beautiful they could dazzle. Her white Buddhist robe was spacious and soft, without a speck of dust on it, concealing a large part of her body.

No one would fantasize about what the body and figure of a middle-aged nun would be like, underneath her Buddhist robe.

But Fu Hongxue couldn’t help but think about it.

The spotlessly white Buddhist robe on the railing. The beautiful, lush body in the bathing pool. The groans and moans in the darkness. The warm, smooth embrace. And those two hands which brought him into the dream world.

In his mind, he actually couldn’t separate this outwardly-moral appearing nun with the ripe woman, filled with longing, from last night. Although he forbade himself from thinking about it, he still couldn’t help himself.

Although he had already become indifferent to all things, unmoved and untouched, but this extremely solemn, rule-abiding nun caused his heart to be thrown into chaos. He could already feel his lips go dry, his heart rate increase, as though there was no way for him to control it.

Master Ruyi only dully glanced at him. Her dignified, solemn face did not reveal a single trace of an expression.

Fu Hongxue almost couldn’t resist rushing over there, tearing open her Buddhist robe to see if she was that woman from last night. But he still managed to force himself to stay still.

He seemed to hear her ask, “So this would be the world famous benefactor, Fu Hongxue?” [Benefactor is a term which monks and nuns use to address secular people.]

He seemed to hear his own voice reply, “Yes. I am Fu Hongxue.”

Madame Zhuo looked at them. The expression in her eyes was crafty and sly.

Did she already know about them?

She suddenly laughed. “Master, you have been stationed long at Mt. Jiuhua. I didn’t imagine that even you would have heard of Hero Fu’s name.”

Master Ruyi said, “Although this humble nun is located in distant lands, I am not totally unaware of the matters of the martial world.”

Madame Zhuo said, “Master, didn’t you meet him before?”

Master Ruyi mumbled to herself, then actually nodded. “It seems that I saw him once. Only, at that time, it was already very dark, and I did not see him clearly.”

Madame Zhuo laughed. “But although you did not see him clearly, master, he definitely saw you very clearly.”

Master Ruyi said, “Oh?”

Madame Zhuo’s laughter became even more mysterious. “Because this Hero Fu has perfect night vision. Even in the darkness, he can clearly perceive each hair on an animal’s body.”

It seemed as though a strange expression had appeared on Master Ruyi’s face.

Fu Hongxue’s heart was sinking as well. Last night, in the dark room, he hadn’t actually seen her clearly. He had only faintly seen the outlines of her body.

He hadn’t realized this up til now. Only now did he realize that his eyesight had unknowingly suffered damage. That must have happened after he saw the old man in the iron cabinet.

Could it be that within that old man’s eyes, there was a power which could make others slow and sluggish? Why wouldn’t he allow Fu Hongxue to see the woman in the darkness? Why was she waiting for him in the darkness?

The last two witnesses were also invited in by Gongzi Yu, but Fu Hongxue actually didn’t notice who they were.

His heart was thrown in turmoil again. He couldn’t forget the events of last night, nor could he turn a living woman into a tool.

Boss Chen’s grief and pain and Ni Baofeng’s hatred-filled gaze suddenly became intolerable to him as well.

And that scarlet red sword. How could this sword be in Gongzi Yu’s hands? If the sword was in his hands, where was Yan Nanfei?

What type of mysterious relationship was there, exactly, between these two? Why was it that Gongzi Yu, up to this very moment, was still refusing to reveal his true features?

The torch fires rose up high. The stone platform was as bright as daylight.

Fu Hongxue finally walked on to the stone platform. He tightly gripped his sabre, even more tightly than normal. When he was sorrowful, vexed, suffering, or helpless, only this sabre had the power to stabilize him.

To him, this sabre was far more important than a blind man’s walking stick. There was already a strange emotional bond between him and the sabre, one which no person in the world could ever understand. Not only did they understand each other, they also trusted each other.

Gongzi Yu stared at him. One word at a time, he slowly said, “You can draw your sabre at any time, now.”

Now, the sword was already in his hand. Anybody could tell that he had even more confidence than Fu Hongxue.

Fu Hongxue unexpectedly said, “You can’t just wait a bit longer?”

A cynical look appeared in Gongzi Yu’s eyes. “I can wait. Only, no matter how long I wait, victory and defeat will not be affected.”

Fu Hongxue did not listen to his words. He suddenly turned around, left the stone platform, and walked to Master Ruyi.

Master Ruyi lifted her head up to look at him, appearing surprised and uncertain.

Fu Hongxue said, “Master, from whence do you come?”

Master Ruyi said, “I come from Mt. Jiuhua.”

Fu Hongxue said, “Where did the Prince come from?”

Master Ruyi said, “He came from Silla.” [Part of modern Korea.]

Fu Hongxue said, “Why did he give up his riches and honor?”

Master Ruyi said, “To abandon all to study Buddhism.”

Fu Hongxue said, “Since he sacrificed everything to study Buddhism, why did he vow not to become a Buddha?”

Master Ruyi said, “Only to bring all life to salvation.”

Her expression had become peaceful, and her expression had become even more solemn. But others couldn’t understand at all what they were talking about.

As it was, when the emperor of the Tang dynasty sent out troops to help quell a rebellion in Silla, the prince of Silla, Jin Qiaojue, gave up his glories and came to China to study Buddhism. By himself, he scaled Mt. Jiuhua, where he cultivated himself and meditated. All the deeds he had done in his life were identical to those done by the Bodhisatvva Ksitigarbha. In the eleventh year of Emperor Tang Dezong’s reign, he ascended to Parinirvana. Before departing, his appearance was exactly the same as that of the original appearance of the Bodhisatvva Ksitigarbha. According to legends, he left behind his flesh to future generations, as his body became a pagoda at the peak of the mountain. The pagoda was exquisitely made in all aspects, resplendent in gold and jade, with copper vases in each corner, the colors of cinnabar and jadeite. Within them, there was holy oil which can grant people peace and and tranquility. The disciples of the Mt. Jiuhua sect carried this oil with them at all times.

Fu Hongxue asked again, “Where is the Prince now?”

Master Ruyi said, “He is still at Mt. Jiuhua.”

Fu Hongxue said, “The Prince will bring all life to salvation. How about you, Master?”

Master Ruy said, “This humble nun has that desire as well.”

Fu Hongxue said, “Since that is the case, I hope that you, master, will give me your blessing and allow my heart to become pure and tranquil.”

Master Ruyi’s hands folded together. “Yes.”

She really did remove a small wooden vase from her clothes, poured out a few drops of holy oil, gently rubbing it against Fu Hongxue’s face and hands. She also repeatedly murmured Buddhist prayers, then asked again, “What desires do you have?”

Fu Hongxue chanted, “To be as stable and unmoving as the earth, as peaceful and as deep as an earth depository.”

Master Ruyi lightly tapped him on the crown of his head with the palm of her hand. “Alright. Go.”

Fu Hongxue said, “Yes. I go.”

He lifted his head. His pallid face was already gleaming with light. It wasn’t the light of oil. It was a holy light of serenity and peace.

He once more ascended to the stone platform, then walked to stand in front of Madame Zhuo. He suddenly said, “Now, I already know.”

Madame Zhuo said, “Know what?”

Fu Hongxue said, “Know it was you.”

Madame Zhuo’s face suddenly changed. “What else do you know?”

Fu Hongxue said, “I know everything which I should know.”

Madame Zhu said, “You ... how could you know?”

Fu Hongxue said, “Quietly pondering deep secrets, like an earthen repository.”

He walked onto the stone platform. Facing Gongzi Yu, not only did he seem as calm as a huge boulder, he really did seem as unshakable as the earth itself.

Veins had already appeared on the hand with which Gongzi Yu gripped his sword.

Fu Hongxue looked at him. He suddenly said, “You have already been defeated once. Why must you insist on being defeated again?”

Gongzi Yu’s pupils contracted. Suddenly, with a loud shout, his sword left the sheath. Scarlet sword light flashed like a rainbow lightning bolt.

Only people with extremely strong eyesight could see that there seemed to be a faint flash of sabre light within in the rainbow lightning bolt.

With a ‘ding’, all movement seemed to coalesce. All things and all creatures on the earth came to a halt in that moment.

Fu Hongxue’s sabre had already entered his sheath again.

Gongzi Yu’s sword was only an inch away from his throat, but he didn’t pierce him through. His entire body seemed to have suddenly stiffened. And then, the bronze mask on his face slowly split apart, revealing his own face.

A handsome, spirited, and attractive face, but one filled with shock and terror.

That ‘ding’ was heard again as the mask fell to the floor. The sword fell to the floor as well.

This person was actually Yan Nanfei.

The fire light was still flickering without pause, but the great audience hall was as deathly silent as a tomb.

Yan Nanfei finally spoke. “When did you find out?”

Fu Hongxue said, “Not long ago.”

Yan Nanfei said, “When you drew your sabre, you already knew it was me?”

Fu Hongxue said, “Yes.”

Yan Nanfei said, “So you were already certain of victory.”

Fu Hongxue said, “Because my heart was already orderly and unmovable.”

Yan Nanfei let out a long sigh. Dispiritedly, he said, “Of course you should have been certain, because I should have died to you already.”

He lifted up the long sword, then offered it forwards with both hands. “Please. Please finish it.”

Fu Hongxue stared at him. “Now, is your deepest desire ended?”

Yan Nanfei said, “Yes.”

Fu Hongxue dully said, “Then you are already a dead man. Why should I bother to kill you?”

He turned around, not sparing Yan Nanfei another glance.

Only to hear a sigh coming from behind him. A drop of blood splashed towards him, falling near his feet.

He still didn’t turn around, but an indescribable, unescapable sorrow appeared on his face.

He knew this result. Some results, nobody could ever change. Some people’s destinies were the same.