Staggering Journey (12)

In the rain, Zhang Xing was clearly startled and doubtful at the scene before him, but more than that, he felt a taut joy. By all ordinary reasoning, seeing living people, familiar or otherwise, meant he really was nearing his destination.

The Compass confirmed it. As he followed the road past the mound, it swung around, though rather too far-the needle bent through a full ninety degrees.

The transmigrator stopped and gazed blankly around him, then turned almost instinctively, the corpse on its wooden frame still on his back. Only when he passed the woman in plain white brocade did he belatedly stop, as though only now recognizing the female inspector who had traveled with him for several days and had even shown clear signs of wanting to recruit him.

Rain scattered and poured, yet not a drop wet her clothes. Against the overcast sky and red earth, amid the buffeting wind and rain, the beautiful woman stood alone with her sword, her brocade robes like snow, looking as though she belonged beyond the mortal world.

Zhang Xing paused briefly and made what had become their private joke. "Immortal or monster?"

"An ordinary living person." The female inspector composed her expression slightly and answered calmly, though there seemed to be a trace of something gentle in her eyes, impossible to put into words. "Merely a little further along in cultivation."

Zhang Xing nodded, followed the needle a few more steps, and reached the man before the mound. "Did you never leave in the first place, or decide to turn back halfway?"

The young man, already soaked through-Qin Bao-opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Silently lowering his head, he turned, took two steps, and stood aside to make way.

Zhang Xing nodded and continued forward. The needle in his hand pointed unwaveringly ahead, but the moment he climbed onto the mound, it suddenly went slack. So did the transmigrator's hand gripping the wooden frame behind him.

The frame toppled, and Du Meng's corpse, still giving off a chill, rolled halfway over on the red soil of his homeland before the ropes caught it, leaving it stuck against the mound.

At this point, the transmigrator could no longer deceive himself.

In truth, the moment he saw the two of them waiting beside that enormous mound, he had already guessed what had happened.

He simply could not believe it, could not accept it. After what might have been the hardest journey of his twenty-three years of life, after enduring untold hardships unimaginable in that peaceful world, after even killing five or six people, all with the single thought of bringing this "companion" home, he had discovered in the end that this supposed "homeland," the destination of his journey, had very likely vanished before he ever set out.

The rain kept falling. Gasping for breath, Zhang Xing suddenly felt all the strength drain from his body. His legs could barely support him, just as when he first transmigrated... as though something had been pulled out of him.

By rights, he and Du Meng had been "companions" in name only; by rights, this was merely a journey to drop anchor, to "take the opportunity to fit into this world"; by rights, it was only Du Meng's homeland that had been destroyed; by rights...

Yet in truth, a powerful, empathetic jumble of emotions-frustration, anger, sorrow, fear, and loss-still surged out beyond his control.

After all, that moment when he first saw the mound was hardly the only time he had deceived himself.

And Du Meng was hardly the only one whose journey had lost its possible destination before it even began.

A month had passed. Time to wake up.

I probably can't go home, and this world is so bloody and cruel. The hardships and dangers along the way aren't some novel, thrilling experience reserved for me, but the ordinary grind of life... Can a pampered pleasure-seeker from a peaceful age like me really endure it?

Almost simultaneously, images flashed through his mind, all but forced up by his own will: the incomparably powerful dragon beast, the magnificent river, the warm earthen bed, the romance of an immortal soaring on a sword, the glorious red soil. Something like a survival instinct, a yearning for strength, and curiosity and anticipation toward this new world seemed to mingle together. Deliberately driven onward by the transmigrator, they formed an inexplicable conviction that began fighting those negative emotions for control of his body, keeping him from collapsing to the ground.

Like the two currents of True Qi when he had fought that man named Han to the death, these two emotions consumed one another. Outwardly, the transmigrator standing on the red mound trembled without cease.

His psychological struggle had brought on physical trembling.

Qin Bao was a kindhearted lad. Naturally, he knew nothing of the hidden matter of transmigration, but the sight alone was enough to leave him deeply distressed. He stepped forward, wanting to offer some comfort, but could not find the words. In the end, he could only stand despondently to one side and look to the brocade-clad inspector for help.

Bai Yousi fell silent for a moment, apparently unsure how to respond to such a scene herself.

Just then, the transmigrator practically gritted the words out through the rain. "Might I bury my companion first?"

Bai Yousi nodded at once. As though he had finally found something to hold on to, Qin Bao hurried forward to help.

But the next moment, the female inspector drew her sword and made a few strokes through the air above the ground, easily carving a pit of moderate depth into the mound.

In the process, she also unearthed half a door panel and a wooden bowl.

Zhang Xing looked up at the swordswoman again, but only for a glance before lowering his head and setting to work. First, he placed Du Meng's corpse in the pit. Then, together with Qin Bao, he used a saber, wooden poles, the iron spade, and their hands to bury him along with the wooden bowl.

Once the burial was finished, the transmigrator wiped his muddy hands on the door panel, braced himself on the iron spade, and looked straight at the white-clad swordswoman.

"Inspector Bai, my mind is in turmoil, but that doesn't stop me from having countless questions to ask you!"

Bai Yousi was slightly taken aback. Naturally, she knew nothing of the countless stories in his heart, but as an inspector, she had seen far too many people lose all heart over a single turn of thought. She therefore knew how remarkable it was to rally oneself from such a shattered state. Coupled with his earlier ruthlessness against the bandits, his resolve in returning her gift, and the mind that had seen through everyone's circumstances from a few words... and, of course, the loyalty with which he had insisted on bringing his companion home, her respect for him only deepened.

Even so, the female inspector said nothing more and merely nodded slightly.

"Inspector Bai." The transmigrator wiped the rain from his face and asked earnestly, "What caused this defeat?"

"How could matters of war and state ever be explained clearly?" The female inspector sighed softly. "Besides, to put it bluntly, your thinking on politics and military strategy seems better than mine... All I can say is that Yang Shen's rebellion in the rear bears the greatest blame for the situation deteriorating so badly. Beyond that, faced with the destruction of their country, the Dongyi resisted at any cost, including summoning the Sea-Averting Lord early and risking a voyage around our rear to attack. Those were also roots of the defeat. Lastly, you would have to ask the commanders at the front."

"I understand." The transmigrator let out a long sigh. "Then the Mountain-Splitting Lord, the Sea-Averting Lord, these... these... where did they come from?"

"You don't even know that?" The female inspector found it hard to believe.

"I don't wish to deceive you, Inspector. After the defeat at Fallen Dragon Shoal, I must have exhausted myself and been wounded. When I woke up, my legs wouldn't work, and I could only let the man now under this soil carry me. My mind was a muddle too, and there's much I can't remember. Just think of me as an infant newly arrived in this world." Zhang Xing spoke with burning conviction, casually offering an excuse, seemingly no longer caring much about anything. "Whatever the case, please enlighten me."

"It's common knowledge, really. They are dragons. True Dragons." The female inspector stared at him for a while, but ultimately passed over that matter. Stepping forward with her sword held against her chest, she continued, "There are dragons in this world, and dragons take a hundred forms. Their shapes, sizes, intelligence, temperaments, and Divine Abilities vary without end. Among them, quite a few are willing to settle in a territory and communicate with humans. The Mountain-Splitting Lord, for instance, made an agreement with our Great Wei Dynasty's late emperor after he destroyed Eastern Qi, taking guardianship of the Thirteen Commanderies of the Eastern Territories. The Sea-Averting Lord, said to have grievances with him stretching back millions of years, has been the nation-protecting True Dragon of the Dongyi across Fallen Dragon Shallows for hundreds, even thousands of years."

"I see."

The transmigrator exhaled deeply. Within a particular cultural setting, some words explained themselves the moment they were spoken-dragon, for instance. "Then, since you and Brother Qin were waiting here for me, I imagine you investigated the eruption of the blood pool here a little? Did you find anything?"

"Someone of profound cultivation did indeed use some method to take part of the essence of a Blood Spring in the mountains..." The female inspector hesitated, but told the truth nonetheless. "But forgive my bluntness: he may not have intended anything of the sort. It seems more like fish in a pond caught in someone else's calamity. The place where he drew from the Blood Spring is dozens of li away, while this place appears to have been struck by a sudden mountainslide at night."

"I understand." The transmigrator's expression did not change. "Like a True Dragon emerging into the world, intending neither to harm nor to save anyone. Yet simply by being a True Dragon, a single movement is enough to split mountains and turn aside seas, deciding the life and death of tens of thousands..."

"Something like that. Though True Dragons don't actually appear so readily... The fact that one was persuaded to intervene at Fallen Dragon Shoal was itself startling and suspicious." The female inspector offered a brief reply.

"Then may I ask, Inspector, just how profound is this person's cultivation?" Unwilling to dwell on that issue, the transmigrator pressed on.

"If not a Great Grandmaster, then one of those near the bottom of the Grandmaster ranks." The swordswoman grew increasingly cautious in her wording. "Perhaps it wasn't just one person."

Even Qin Bao looked somewhat downcast at this.

"What does that mean?" the transmigrator continued calmly. "What is a Grandmaster, and what is a Great Grandmaster? I heard those terms by the river earlier. What realms are those?"

"There are only eleven Great Grandmasters in the Celestial Person realm in the world today," Qin Bao suddenly interjected. "As for the Grandmaster realm, even including the Dongyi, there are only a few dozen or so. They stand at the pinnacle of mortals."

"Then how powerful are these Great Grandmasters? Stronger than True Dragons like the Mountain-Splitting Lord and the Sea-Averting Lord? How do they compare to you, Inspector?" The transmigrator kept pressing. "Could you explain a little? I would be deeply grateful."

"Of course they aren't stronger than dragons, but they are far stronger than I am." Looking at the soldier bowing on the red earth before her, Bai Yousi grew still more earnest. "In youth, one spends a hundred days on Foundation Establishment, nurturing the dantian. Then one can draw the various kinds of True Qi between heaven and earth into it, before using different methods to open the meridians with True Qi... First, one opens the Twelve Orthodox Meridians to temper the body and refine qi, then the Eight Extraordinary Meridians to cultivate the spirit and refine one's life. Ninety-nine percent of cultivators are actually in the Meridian Opening realm. What ordinary people think of as cultivation usually refers to this..."

Zhang Xing nodded slightly. This was very easy to understand.

"Once one reaches Great Perfection of Meridian Unblocking, one can attempt to condense True Qi into substance and store it in the dantian. This is called Condensing the Core... That is my realm..." the female inspector continued. "After successfully Condensing the Core, one can attempt to visualize all things between heaven and earth and engrave those external scenes upon the Inner Core. That is the Core Formation realm...

"After Core Formation, one can project the external scenes previously visualized back onto heaven and earth, stealing the heavens and exchanging the sun, becoming master of a small world of one's own... Upon reaching this realm, one may be called a Grandmaster.

"As for Great Grandmasters, they are a realm above Outer Illumination, and there are only eleven in the world today. Ordinary people know only that their realm clearly surpasses that of Grandmasters. Compared with the heaven-stealing, sun-swapping feats of Outer Illumination Grandmasters, they seem instead to return to simplicity and truth, placing greater emphasis on unity between humanity and heaven and acting in accordance with nature. Hence, it is called the Celestial Person realm... As for how they cultivate beyond that, or what they cultivate, no one knows. We can only gather from historical records that most attempt Position Attainment!"

"Position Attainment?" The transmigrator grew more puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"No one can give a clear answer."

Bai Yousi answered helplessly, "We only know that once they reach that point, those Great Grandmasters begin behaving rather like certain dragons. Some seek treasures, some occupy mountains, some establish sects, and some enter worldly affairs to intervene in military matters and government... Some say that successful Position Attainment allows one to become a dragon; others say one only becomes a dragon upon failure, while success means becoming a True God or True Immortal. Still others say there are different kinds of positions: dragon positions, immortal positions, and divine positions, each with its strengths and weaknesses. Yet others say dragons are dragons, humans are humans, and realms are realms, while Position Attainment itself means seeking the acknowledgment of heaven and earth, unrelated to realms or whether one is human or dragon... They resemble dragons because some dragons are also pursuing Position Attainment."

The transmigrator nodded in realization. "I understand... A hundred days of Foundation Establishment, then Meridian Opening, then Condensing the Core, then Outer Illumination, making one a Grandmaster. After returning to simplicity and truth, one can glimpse the Great Grandmaster realm? And if one can attain a position, one can glimpse the truth of dragons? Is that what you mean?"

"I wouldn't call it wrong." Bai Yousi's eyes flickered.

"Then let me ask you one more thing, Inspector." The transmigrator's gaze still burned. "Can mortals really attain positions? Are there records?"

"Of course!" Qin Bao interjected again. "Mortals can not only attain positions, but even become Heaven-and-Earth Supremes."

The transmigrator stared openmouthed, then found it utterly inconceivable. "Qin Erlang, don't talk nonsense! You just said there are only eleven Great Grandmasters in the entire world... And beyond that, they clearly have to feel their way forward in cultivation. Going any further must be even harder. All eleven could die without a single one attaining any sort of position... What Supreme Ones? What realm is that? How do you attain it?"

"Young Master Qin isn't boasting," Bai Yousi put in. "The Heaven-and-Earth Supremes are none other than the Three Radiances and Four Sovereigns. The Three Radiances, one sun and two moons, are born deities, but the Four Sovereigns all arose between heaven and earth. At least two of those Supreme Ones-the Northern Black Emperor and Western White Emperor-were mortals of clearly documented origins who cultivated their way to those positions... Not only that, below the Three Radiances and Four Sovereigns, quite a few True Immortals and True Gods have indisputable origins as mortals who attained positions and the Dao. There are even rumors that certain famous True Dragons seem to have transformed from mortals."

The transmigrator's breathing grew heavy. After digesting this briefly, he hurried to change his question. "How does one enter the proper path of cultivation? Must one follow the Three Radiances and Four Sovereigns? Or is it controlled by the court?"

"All paths of cultivation are proper paths." The female inspector's expression eased slightly. "I understand what you mean... But cultivation is simply refining the True Qi of heaven and earth within the human body for one's own use. Thus, any method can transcend mortality and enter sagehood. Neither the court nor the great sects, gangs, or clans has any policy of suppressing cultivation... The reason there are only eleven Great Grandmasters in this world has nothing to do with cultivation itself."

"Please explain, Inspector," the transmigrator urged impatiently.

"It is simple... Look through the history books: in all eight thousand recorded years of this world, without an age of great contention, with blood flowing deep enough to float shields, true positions are hard to attain! Without a great changing of the tides, heaven and earth overturned, dragons falling and immortals perishing, gods dying and sovereigns lost, Supreme Ones are seldom seen!" Without changing expression, the female inspector spoke the final crucial point. "Conversely, whenever a great calamity strikes heaven and earth and the world falls into turmoil, Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters become as plentiful as carp crossing a river."

Everything suddenly became clear to the transmigrator-So that was it. So that was it. So that was it!

After a little thought, however, he suddenly cupped his hands repeatedly in the rain. "May I ask, Inspector, we traveled together for several days, but did I never tell you my name?"

"That's right." Bai Yousi gazed deeply at his rain-soaked face and spoke calmly. "I thought you had some taboo about it."

"It wasn't a taboo. As a remnant of the defeated army, I bore some resentment toward the court. Though I could see your kindness, Inspector Bai, and even sensed that you intended to advance my prospects, I kept pretending not to notice."

"So that was it."

"My name is Zhang Xing! I was a soldier in this dynasty's former Central Rampart Army." Maintaining his bow, Zhang Xing actually offered his services on the spot. "Now I am a man without a home, with nowhere to go... Still, I can endure hardship and travel long roads. I have military experience and have killed men. I know a little of human dealings, and my character is honest and upright. Perhaps I could be of use to you, Inspector. If you take me in, I will surely repay you generously someday."

The female inspector froze for a moment, clearly unfamiliar with this method of applying for work by presenting a self-aggrandizing résumé. After brief consideration, however, she was utterly decisive. "Very well... Back on the riverbank, I already took notice of your ability to uncover hidden circumstances from a few words. Traveling with you has only strengthened my faith in your character. I was just intending to recommend you to the bureau as my subordinate."

Zhang Xing felt a weight lift. For a moment, the ground beneath his feet seemed steady, and he finally stood completely firm.

"Wait here a little."

Bai Yousi's gaze fell to his feet, and she nodded slightly before turning straight around and taking flight. "I'll buy you a pair of boots... Now that we serve together, I certainly won't leave my subordinate without a shred of dignity."

Unable to hold back any longer, Qin Bao suddenly stepped forward, his face flushing red, and called after her. "Inspector Bai! I want a pair of boots too!"

Bai Yousi looked back at Qin Bao from midair, nodded slightly, then rode her qi away without another backward glance.

As for Zhang Xing, he could no longer be bothered with either of them. He merely propped the door panel upright in the rain, leaned it against the mound beneath him, drew the dagger at his waist, and carefully carved a line of simplified Chinese characters into it.

It read:

Grave of Du Meng, a wanderer of Red Mountain.

Then he turned it over and pressed it against the mound. With no further reservations, he sat straight down in the rain to await his new boots and prepare to walk a new road-Zhang Xing had made up his mind. Having seen a True Dragon and traveled through Red Mountain, he ought to use this mortal body to glimpse the foundations and truth of this new world. How could he halt his steps out of longing for the past life he had already lost?

As for the road being hard?

Hard is the road, hard is the road, so many branching paths-where now to go? A time will come to ride the wind and cleave the waves; hang my cloud-sail straight across the vast sea.

Tell me, where has the road ever not been hard?

PS: Damn, I only discovered Lord slyshen's Silver Alliance sponsorship last night! Silver for Overthrowing Han, Continuing Song, and Exorcising the Dragon alike... A true patron, and a true reader... All I can do is thank you a thousand times here, then work hard at writing.

While I'm at it, I recommend my friend Lie Ri Chui Bing's new book, Hong Kong Crossover: Starting with Five Combat Power. Those who enjoy nostalgia and a relaxed read can take a look.