Living Immortal

Qin Sang fell silent, touched his chest, and fixed his gaze stubbornly on Bai Jianglan's eyes. "Brother Bai, you still haven't told me—if I start learning martial arts now, can I succeed?"

Bai Jianglan seemed somewhat surprised and smiled. "What do you consider success?"

Qin Sang tested the waters. "Cultivating inner force?"

Bai Jianglan shook his head. "Hard!"

Thinking of how Bai Jianglan had insisted on keeping him behind, Qin Sang asked, "Then... could I kill evil bandits?"

"Bandits have masters of martial arts among them too, but..."

Bai Jianglan's expression shifted slightly. "It is rare for you to have such aspirations. If you truly wish to learn, I can teach you a few forms of the Tiger Subduing Long Fist, enough to give you some ability to protect yourself. This is not some profound martial art. It is among the most common fist-and-leg techniques in the martial world, and can also be performed with spears or staffs. Ordinary escorts can usually throw out a few forms."

Overjoyed, Qin Sang dropped to his knees and bowed. "Qin Sang thanks Master for his grace!"

"No need for such ceremony!"

Smiling, Bai Jianglan pulled Qin Sang to his feet. "Three Witches City is almost here. I can only teach you three forms. Once we drift apart in the martial world, it will be hard for us to meet again. I would not dare call myself your teacher; we should still address each other as brothers. The Tiger Subduing Long Fist has ten forms in all. If you can truly persist, you can find any escort agency or martial arts school and take a master to learn the remaining seven forms. But do not disdain it for being crude and shallow. Though it is a crude art, with diligent training and sufficient talent, one can still achieve great things. It is said that there was once a prodigy in the martial world who cultivated powerful true qi with nothing more than the simplest Arhat Fist. Of course, there was only ever that one."

"Watch closely!"

"First form, Furious Dragon Emerging from the Sea..."

"Second form, Fist Force Reaching Heaven..."

"Third form, Vajra Subduing Tiger..."

The Tiger Subduing Long Fist truly was crude and shallow. After Bai Jianglan demonstrated the first three forms twice, Qin Sang had memorized the moves and mnemonics.

When it was Qin Sang's turn to practice, he could only assume the stances because of his injured leg. Yet he understood that there was a whole world hidden within them; they were nowhere near as simple as they looked. The same move appeared identical when he and Bai Jianglan performed it, but he could not learn how to exert force.

What followed was the process of guiding his strength and correcting his mistakes. Fortunately, the first three forms of the Tiger Subduing Long Fist focused on the arms and fists, using upper-body strength without requiring footwork. Qin Sang braced his injured leg against the gunwale and, for the time being, only learned the stances and methods of force exertion. It did not affect him much.

"Focus! Is that the stance of a vajra?"

"The form is the surface, the force is what lies beneath! Your punch is crooked, your force is wrong—forget cultivating inner force for the rest of your life!"

When teaching martial arts, Bai Jianglan did not leave Qin Sang the slightest shred of face. Being scolded was the least of it.

After the others finished practicing, they gathered around with grins and laughter to watch the show. Qin Sang took several vicious strikes across the back from a staff and no longer dared let his mind wander. By mealtime, he had truly mastered all three forms.

After they ate, the sun emerged as well. The mist over the river thinned at a visible pace. Suddenly, someone at the bow shouted, "Three Witches City is here!"

Supporting himself against the gunwale, Qin Sang rose to his feet. He saw the thin mist at the river's heart scatter into the green mountains. On the revealed river surface, ships of every size stood thick as a forest, stretching beyond sight. The morning sun's radiance flowed across the water, making for a scene of incomparable magnificence.

At the center of the gathered ships, the shore should have been the First Ferry Crossing. Though it was called a ferry crossing, its scale was already comparable to a town—several times larger than the small city where Qin Sanwa worked.

It was hard to imagine what a mighty city Three Witches City, beyond the ferry crossing, must be!

The ship sailed forward discreetly. Water Monkey sprang to the bow and waved signal flags. After a small boat eased alongside, he loudly settled the price with its boatman, then turned and called, "Brother Qin, get off!"

It was time to disembark.

"Until we meet again!"

Though his time with Bai Jianglan and the others had been brief, Qin Sang felt boundless reluctance in his heart. After bidding each of them farewell, he was lowered by rope in a wicker basket onto the small boat, where he watched the large ship depart.

Water Monkey was still waving from the bow.

"Is this your first time in Three Witches City, young master?"

The small boat nimbly weaved through the river, slowly drawing closer to the ferry crossing. An old man poled the boat. Seeing Qin Sang resting his head on his hand and staring blankly toward the docks, he struck up a conversation.

Qin Sang drew back his gaze and looked at the old man. Jokingly, he said, "Boatman, my surname is Qin. I dare not call myself a young master. I came to seek immortals. Judging by your skill, you must have been running boats on this river for many years. Have you ever seen an immortal?"

The old man burst into laughter. "Brother Qin, don't make sport of this old man. I have been running boats with my parents since I was eight, and in the blink of an eye, I have spent more than fifty years on this river. Yet I have never seen any immortals. Brother Qin, did you come to Three Witches City to do business, visit relatives and friends, or seek a livelihood? This old man has traveled all through Three Witches City and its surroundings. Perhaps I can be of some small help."

"Look at this leg of mine," Qin Sang said with a bitter smile, lifting his injured leg slightly. "I can barely stand steadily right now. I am not thinking of anything else; I just want to heal my leg first. Do you know where there is a miraculous physician at the ferry crossing? Please give me some guidance, sir."

"Oh?"

The old man lowered his head and carefully examined Qin Sang's leg, then shook his head. "Miraculous physicians are all inside the city, treating the illnesses of nobles. Why would they remain at a ferry crossing? Three Witches City is still thirty li from here... But this old man does know several elderly physicians with some reputation at the ferry crossing. If you can trust me, brother, I will take you there right away..."

As they spoke, the docks came into view. The ferry crossing was packed with a sea of heads, crammed with people. Most wore ragged clothes, and amid the noisy clamor, it was utter chaos.

Qin Sang asked in surprise, "Why are there so many people at the ferry crossing?"

"Brother Qin, you do not know..."

A mournful look appeared on the old man's face as he sighed deeply. "The ferry crossing was not this lively in the past. Recently, many refugees have come from the north. They say the north suffered a severe drought followed by a locust plague, leaving not a single grain in the fields. I have also heard that some people raised banners in rebellion, and warfare has broken out everywhere. They are all poor folk. Unable to survive in their hometowns, they can only flee south. To tell the truth, I am nearly sixty, and I have seen sights like this a few times—but never an age like this. It is not only the First Ferry Crossing. The ferry crossings below are all packed with poor people begging for a chance to live. Even the most miserable job of pulling boats has dozens fighting to do it. As for outside Three Witches City, there is no need to mention it. Everyone says the new emperor is foolish and cruel..."

The old man suddenly fell silent, looking sheepishly at Qin Sang.

Qin Sang did not mind. Holding the gunwale, he observed the docks. Just as the old man had said, ninety percent were sallow-faced, emaciated poor people.

Realizing he had misspoken, the old man hurriedly changed the subject. "Brother Qin, speaking of poor people reminds this old man of something. I have never seen a real immortal, but I have heard that there is a Living Immortal at Green Goat Temple on Cuiming Mountain!"

Qin Sang gave a soft cry of surprise. "What kind of Living Immortal?"

Seeing that Qin Sang's attention had indeed been drawn over, the old man looked pleased with himself. "This Living Immortal is quite famous around here. I mean Daoist Jixin, the master of Green Goat Temple. There are quite a few Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries on Cuiming Mountain, but Green Goat Temple had never been particularly famous. It only rose to prominence after this master of Green Goat Temple appeared. When it comes to him, what he is most known for is his saintly, benevolent heart. Calling him a Living Immortal is not the slightest exaggeration."