Chapter 687
Martial Saint
The snow on Changbai Mountain was falling heavier and heavier. Old Ears climbed up the ridge and looked at the distant village: "Look, that's Erdaobaihe Town. I have an old friend there. He has quite a few connections in Changbai Mountain. Ask him and you'll know if your Aunt Ping is alright."
Chen Ji looked at Old Ears with skepticism: "Really works?"
Old Ears said irritably, "You really don't trust me? I went through all that trouble to help you escape..."
Chen Ji interrupted, "Do you remember that I boarded the ship to avoid trouble, but you brought me here and I'm being chased by people?"
Old Ears was slightly embarrassed and walked down the mountain on his own, muttering to himself, "I risked my reputation to get those five swords for you."
It took the two of them two hours to climb the mountain and another two hours to descend. By the time they reached the edge of Erdaobaihe Town, it was already dark.
Chen Ji and Lao Erduo peeked out from the snow outside the town, side by side, looking into the town.
Erdaobaihe Town is small, with only about a hundred households, nestled on a gentle slope at the foot of Changbai Mountain.
The town had no city walls, not even a proper gate; only one road ran through the middle of the town, splitting it in two.
Smoke billowed from the chimneys of each household, rising into the air before being dispersed by the wind. The wind carried the aroma of the smoke, and Chen Ji and Lao Erduo swallowed hard.
Old Ears closed his eyes, savoring the taste: "Pickled cabbage, blood sausage, hazel mushrooms..."
Another gust of wind blew by, and he continued with his eyes closed, "Goose, braised pork ribs... this place is delicious."
Chen Ji asked in confusion, "How can you smell it from this far away?"
Old Ears opened his eyes and stroked his beard: "Just a guess."
Chen Ji said irritably, "You're making me hungry."
Old Ears looked around and said, "Alright, let's hurry into town. I haven't eaten all day because of you, and I'm starving."
He was about to get up, but Chen Ji pressed him back down.
Wuyun poked its head out from Chenji's arms, its ears perked up. After an incense stick's time, the rumbling of iron hooves came from the west. A troop of cavalry came through the snow, their iron hooves kicking up snowflakes.
Old Ears squinted and saw that all the cavalrymen had a large sword lying across their saddles: "The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry's Mo Dao Battalion, it's Yuan Heng Li Zhen returning to the Temple of Martial Arts."
Chen Ji looked closely and saw that the cavalrymen moved in perfect unison. The one in the lead was clad in heavy armor and wore a black mask. His long sword was different from the others, with golden patterns on the hilt, like a golden dragon spitting out the blade.
Marquis of Champion, Yuan Heng Li Zhen.
The Mo Dao Battalion passed through the town without stopping. Chen Ji watched as the five hundred Mo Dao soldiers passed through Erdaobaihe Town and headed deeper into Changbai Mountain: "What's the background of Yuan Heng Li Zhen?"
Old Ears smiled and said, "This is a secret of the Martial Temple. If you want to hear it, you have to follow the rules."
Chen Ji glanced at him: "Okay."
Old Ear let out a soft "hmm": "You don't even care about the Imperial Seal of the State, but you're curious about Yuan, Heng, Li, and Zhen? Why?"
Chen Ji casually replied, "Just answer."
Old Ears squatted in the snow and pondered for a moment: "I remember now, Yuan Heng Li Zhen's Mo Dao Battalion killed 67 Imperial Guardsmen outside Chongli Pass. You want to avenge them?"
Chen Ji remained silent.
Old Ears clicked his tongue in amazement: "Is dying on the battlefield considered an act of revenge? On the battlefield, it's nothing more than you killing me and me killing you, all of which are beyond our control. This old man has almost forgotten about these Imperial Guards. Logically speaking, apart from their parents, the world should have forgotten about them as well."
Chen Ji asked expressionlessly, "If someone killed your friend, what would you do?"
Old Ears thought for a moment: "Greet him."
Chen Ji turned his head in surprise, and Old Ears added, "His whole family."
Chen Ji calmly said, "If you can tell me about Yuan Heng Li Zhen's official career path, then you've revealed two secrets."
Old Ears' eyes lit up: "Really?"
Chen Ji said with certainty, "It's true."
Old Ear immediately said, "Legend has it that Yuan Heng Li Zhen was originally the son of the Marquis of Champion, who was sent to the Martial Temple by the Jing Dynasty royal family to cultivate. He practiced the Moon Halberd Technique in Changbai Mountain from a young age, but once when he was inspecting the talisman array on the mountain, he was buried by an avalanche. When the people of the Martial Temple dug him out, the body had already been replaced by another person."
Chen Ji countered, "Forty-nine heavens?"
Old Ears nodded: "That's right. This person claims to be from the Biyou Palace and Zizhi Cliff in the forty-ninth heaven, which is the mountain gate of the Jie Sect. Moreover, after waking up, this person abandoned the Moon Halberd Technique and turned to the Art of Cursing. This Art of Cursing is also an evil one, which can treat people as puppets and make ordinary people have the physique of officials."
Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat. It was a curse? So the person who cultivated the same path as Mr. Feng was Yuan Heng Li Zhen. He glanced at the old man with the ear. Could this old man really not be Lu Yang? Otherwise, why would he so easily reveal the secrets of the Martial Temple?
Old Ear continued, "Not long after Yuan Heng Lizhen awoke, he bid farewell to the Martial Temple and descended the mountain. He started as a centurion of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. His soldiers were brave and valiant, breaking through enemy lines and killing enemies as if they were nothing. He repeatedly made great achievements at Chongli Pass and rose all the way to the Grand Commander of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry." "Once he became the Grand Commander, he immediately formed the Mo Dao Battalion. The Mo Dao weighs about sixty catties and is more than seven feet long. Only officers can wield it. The Jing Dynasty's original Mo Dao Battalion only had a little over a hundred men, used as a heavy weapon for breaking through enemy lines. But Yuan Heng Lizhen easily raised a Mo Dao Battalion of five hundred men. Even if there were casualties, they could be immediately replaced by five hundred men. Not one more, not one less, and every one of them had the Innate Realm and was skilled in archery and horsemanship."
Chen Ji pondered, "So he uses witchcraft to control the Mo Dao Battalion. He can just grab any soldier and use them as Mo Dao soldiers... No wonder he takes the Mo Dao Battalion with him wherever he goes. This is his way of governing. By the way, I remember someone saying that this person aspires to be the first Martial Saint of two dynasties. What's the story behind that?"
Old Ears thought for a moment and said, "This so-called Martial Saint must be something that the Forty-Nine Heavens entrusted to him. For hundreds of years, the Forty-Nine Heavens have been doing this. Wang Zhu, Liu Cheng, and Qi Zheyun of the Ning Dynasty, Jiang Xu, Yuan Dong, and Yuan Henglizhen of the Jing Dynasty, so many people have been trying, but no one knows how to become a Martial Saint."
Chen Ji tentatively asked, "What do you think?"
Old Ears squatted in the snow, deep in thought: "I've also thought about this. If even the headmaster of the Martial Temple hasn't become a Martial Saint, then it means that the title of the best in the world isn't enough. Even if everyone in the world thinks you're the best, it won't work. You have to do something else. Yuan Heng Li Zhen probably thought the same thing, which is why he left the Martial Temple and joined the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to try his luck as a God of War."
Chen Ji grabbed a handful of snow and stuffed it into his mouth to quench his thirst: "What's the use of being a Martial Saint?"
Old Ears also grabbed a handful of snow, saying, "This old man doesn't know either."
Chen Ji said casually, "Could becoming a Martial Saint be related to the Imperial Seal of the State? Could one obtain an official title or reward from the Imperial Seal?"
The old man chewed on his snow and said, "The Imperial Seal of the State was previously..."
At this point, the old man stopped abruptly, looked at Chen Ji and said sarcastically, "You little brat, you want to get a secret from me for free, don't you? What does the Imperial Seal have to do with the Martial Saint? Which saint was appointed by the emperor?"
Chen Ji wasn't embarrassed at having his thoughts exposed: "Let's go, the Mo Dao Camp has already gone far ahead, let's go into town."
The two crouched low and stealthily approached. Old Ears, familiar with the place, led Chen Ji to the front of a house. The lintel of this house was larger than the others.
Old Ear knocked on the door, and a woman inside called out, "Coming, coming! Why are you back so soon? Doesn't the Martial Temple provide meals?"
With a creak, the courtyard gate opened, and the woman was startled as soon as she saw Old Ears, immediately taking a step back: "Oh my god!"
Old Ear stepped forward and covered her mouth: "Shh, keep your voice down, the Martial Temple is about to arrest us!"
The woman's mouth was covered, and her eyes darted around, sometimes looking at the old man's ears, sometimes at the traces behind him.
Old Ears said in a low voice, "We've known each other for a long time. If you promise not to say anything, just nod. I, Old Ears, owe your Hu family a favor."
The woman nodded frantically.
Old Ears slowly released his grip, and the woman hesitated before asking, "...Old Ears, what's wrong with you two?"
Old Ears pointed inside the house: "Let's go inside and talk."
The three of them lifted the cotton curtain and entered the main room, where a wave of heat hit them. Old Ears peeked inside and saw a table set up on the kang (a heated brick bed), with boiled corn, boiled eggplant, a dish of steamed eggs, and a dish of soybean paste on the table.
Old Ears didn't stand on ceremony. He sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), picked up a skewer of boiled corn, and started eating: "I'm starving."
The woman was also surprised and suspicious when she saw him wolfing down his food: "What are you doing here?"
After gnawing on half a ear of corn, Old Ears pointed at Chen Ji and said, "Where are Old Xianggen and the others? This kid has something to ask Hu Laosan. We'll leave after we've asked them."
The woman hesitated and said, "Old Xianggen was summoned by the Martial Temple. They said they were going to go up the mountain to arrest people, which means they're arresting you. But if you want to consult a shaman, I can do that too."
Old Ears was taken aback: "You've joined in too?"
The woman clutched the hem of her cotton-padded coat: "Look at what you're saying, in this village of Erdaobaihe, only Wang Ersha from next door hasn't stepped up yet."
Old Ears clicked his tongue: "Are there enough small animals from Changbai Mountain for you?"
The woman chuckled, "It's enough, it's enough."
Old Ear finished eating his corn and pointed at Chen Ji: "Hurry up and ask, we still have to get going."
The woman set up an incense table inside the house, placing the five-colored flags on it, and began to beat a leather drum: "The sun sets in the west, darkness falls..."
Old Ears clicked his tongue in amazement: "So one person can handle it? What kind of show do you usually put on?"
The woman ignored her, and after she finished singing, she looked at the old man with trembling hands, her voice hoarse: "May I ask..."
Old Ears raised his white eyebrows and pointed at Chen Ji: "Why are you looking at me? He has something to ask me."
The woman turned to look at Chen Ji, who asked in a deep voice, "There was a woman around forty years old on Changbai Mountain who lured away the Goryeo Chungmu Guard. Where is she now?"
The woman said in a hoarse voice, "The woman was chased by the Zhongwu Guards to the mountains and ambushed by the Wu Temple. But this woman was no ordinary fighter. She broke through the encirclement and jumped into the Yalu River, escaping death. Wu Temple Qiubai jumped into the Yalu River to chase after her, and Changsheng had no choice but to jump in after him. Now the three of them have drifted out of Changbai Mountain and their whereabouts are unknown."
Chen Ji frowned.
Just as he was about to press further, the sound of thunderous hooves echoed again from outside Erdaobaihe Town, even heavier and deeper than the previous hooves of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and the Mo Dao Battalion. (End of Chapter)