The Peach Blossom Spring, Part Three
Strictly speaking, the Sword God Hall is the summit of Mount Mashou. The entire Heian-in Temple is built along the mountain's contours, ascending step by step, with its halls and pavilions arranged in a staggered and orderly manner. Only upon reaching the Sword God Hall can one be considered to have reached the highest point of Mount Mashou.
After entering through the gate of Ping An Temple and walking along a flat stone path, the climb begins again.
The stairs branch off to the left and right, passing through the Hall of a Hundred Beggars, the Hall of All Stars, and the Twelfth Sword Intent Hall, finally reaching the Sword God Hall. The stairs on both sides form a loop, and generally one ascends from the right and descends from the left.
The placement of the four main halls is also quite particular. The center line of the main halls is on the central axis of Ping'an Courtyard, and also on the central axis of the entire Mashou Mountain, and even Wuling City.
Besides the four main halls in the center, there are several side halls symmetrically distributed on both sides, the original purpose of which is now largely unrecognizable. They were likely dining halls or similar structures.
Kim Ji-won climbed the stairs on the right.
Initially, there was no Hall of a Hundred Beggars in Ping'an Temple. Not long after Ping'an Temple was completed, the Beggars' Sect headquarters moved to Wuling. Over the course of thirty years, the position of sect leader passed through two generations. It wasn't until Ma Hong's generation that he organized the construction of the new Hall of a Hundred Beggars. The sages of the Beggars' Sect were cast into life-sized bronze statues, which were arranged in a spiral pattern in the hall.
Looking from bottom to top, the Hall of a Hundred Beggars was actually the most severely damaged, with none of the hundred bronze statues spared. This round of repairs was almost a complete overhaul.
Further up to the Hall of Stars, this is the only one of the four halls without any statues, and also the least damaged. Looking up from the center of the hall, you can see that the roof is covered with names, like a sky full of stars. They were all chivalrous heroes who died in the struggle under the Blood Palace Sword.
Above the Hall of Stars are enshrined the sixteen heroes who besieged and killed Xuanyuan. Among them, the four who ended Xuanyuan's life are enshrined in the Hall of Sword Gods, while the other twelve are mainly enshrined in the Twelfth Sword Intent Hall below.
The bricks and tiles of the Sword God Temple have all collapsed, and the second statue from the left is almost entirely embedded in the ground, upside down. The Sword God Temple cannot be repaired until this statue is returned to its original position.
The other three stood helplessly in the biting cold wind.
As they approached the Temple of the Sword God, the statue appeared even larger and more majestic. However, Kim Ji-won felt that at this distance, the statue lost some of its divinity.
Perhaps because I was so close and could see it more clearly, the statue still looked quite old. Kim Ji-won thought to herself.
The statues in the Twelfth Sword Intent Hall are symmetrically arranged on both sides, each with its own charm and graceful posture, inspiring awe.
Kim Ji-won passed through the center of the Twelfth Sword Intent Hall. Upon exiting through the door at the back of the hall, the first thing that caught her eye was a mural depicting "Subduing Demons at Horse Head Mountain." The mural was carved into the mountainside, with stone staircases built along the mountainside on either side, winding upwards.
The mural depicts a scene of sixteen people battling Xuanyuan, their hair and beards clearly visible, and they are incredibly lifelike. There was a poem inscribed in the upper right corner of the mural, but it was destroyed in the explosion, leaving only a signature.
Kim Ji-won gently stroked the mural, continuing to ascend from the right side.
After climbing the last few steps of Mashou Mountain, a huge pit suddenly appeared in front of Kim Ji-won's eyes.
Kim Ji-won then realized that the statue had not pierced the ground, but had broken through the roof of the darkroom and fallen into the ground.
The falling statue smashed open a large, dark room; more accurately, it revealed the dark room.
The ground in front of the Sword God Temple had completely collapsed, falling into the pit in front of us. From here on, no further progress was allowed.
Besides Kim Ji-won, other people had already arrived. They probably came up the stairs on the left.
The Beggars' Sect guards kept everyone outside the pit, preventing people from approaching the statue of the Sword God.
In the pit, directly beneath several statues, a headless, stark white human skeleton was firmly nailed to the wall by a rusty longsword.
Seeing this mutilated skeleton, Kim Ji-won had achieved her goal for this trip.
~
Kim Ji-won descended the stairs on the left, encountering many people climbing upwards along the way. When she reached the entrance of Ping An-won, Mok Woong-jin was no longer there.
She stepped out of the gate and onto the sword-scarred stone slabs in front of the Peace Palace. The situation was slowly becoming clear in her mind.
Others might not know these secrets of the martial arts world, but Kim Ji-won knew them inside and out. After all, before the emergence of the Unforgettable Pavilion, she had always considered herself an expert on the martial arts world.
The temple of the Sword God does not only enshrine the Sword God.
From left to right, the one with beaming eyebrows and flowing robes, seemingly riding the clouds, is "Sword Demon" Jia Dongye; the second one, with his hair standing on end in anger and his head banging on the ground, his face no longer visible, is "Sword Ghost" Wang Zimei; the third one, with his hair and beard like raging waves and broad shoulders and thick waist, is "Sword God" Liu Mengde.
This last one, with eyebrows like shooting stars and a completely red body, is the one that Kim Ji-won believes has the most exaggerated appearance. She always believes that it is impossible for a person to grow up to look like this.
The "Sword Saint" Wang Wenfang was the very hero who turned the tide, uniting various forces to fight against the Blood Palace, ultimately leading to the annihilation of Xuanyuan in Mount Mashou. Perhaps this is why the craftsmen added some unusual colors to the statue, making him appear more divine.
In Kim Ji-won's opinion, Liu Mengde might be more deserving of the title "Sword God," but the main hall on the top of Heian-won should be called the Hall of the Sword Saint.
As for the skull that had lost its head, it was naturally the invincible genius of the Blood Palace thirty years ago, Zhonggong Xuanyuan.
The entire Heian-in Temple exists solely to suppress his departed soul.
Even after his death, he still terrified great figures, to the point that they built temples in the hope of trapping his spirit.
"What a terrifying person he must be," Kim Ji-won thought.
The sun had peeked out from behind the clouds, turning the whole world bright and golden. Kim Ji-won turned around at the entrance of the ramp, and every sword mark on the flat ground gleamed like shimmering waves on a river.
The biting wind of early morning felt like a distant dream. At first, there was a lingering chill in the wind, but as you descended to the mountainside, the breeze that touched your face and embraced you became a gentle spring breeze. Even when you walked into the shade of the trees on Xuanhua Road, you didn't feel cold.
On days like these, people are reluctant to go into the shade. Just as one might seek coolness in the shade during summer, people tend to go into the light, basking in the warm sunshine with every inch of their skin.
A gust of wind blew in her face, making Kim Ji-won's ears ring. The strong wind completely lost its terrifying cold. Kim Ji-won squinted her eyes, enjoying this continuous flow of life force.
When she reached the foot of the mountain, Kim Ji-won finally understood what had happened on the night the Ping An Wharf was destroyed.
She touched the bundle hanging on her body, made up her mind, and resolutely walked towards the west of the city.
~
The Beggars' Sect, Council Hall.
"I disagree." The middle-aged man slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his eyes wide open as he stared straight at Xiang Yu, who was sitting at the end of the table.
“I disagree as well.” Another person chimed in, “Xiangyu, don’t forget why our Beggars’ Sect moved to Wuling.”
"Elders, after the battle at Ping'an Academy, the Hall of Longevity has completely severed ties with us." Xiang Yu responded fearlessly to every piercing gaze directed at him. He placed his hands on the table, stood up, and said, "In order to seize Xue Xuanyuan's sword heart, the Hall of Longevity did not hesitate to lure and kill the gang leader and the elders of my sect."
"We cannot jump to conclusions about this matter. Perhaps some treacherous person is stirring up trouble. We should write to Protector Jin."
"On Mount Ma Shou, our leader and elders were beheaded and unrecognizable. What should have been a joyous occasion turned into a massacre of our entire family." Elephant silently accused, tears streaming down its face. "The Sword Heart of Blood Xuanyuan and its leader, Yu Hui, are still missing. Isn't that obvious enough?"
"Of course I dare not forget why the Beggars' Sect moved to Wuling. It was to guard the sword heart left behind by Xue Xuanyuan. For the sake of the sword heart, rivers of blood flowed on Mount Mashou." Xiang Yu said indignantly, "Do you all still harbor any illusions about the enemy?"
Xiang Yu glanced around, his gaze finally settling on Du Taibai, who sat in the main seat. He didn't stop Xiang Yu from continuing.
“The elders know better than I what happened at Chief Ma’s house that day. That woman can come and go as she pleases under your command.” Xiang Yu continued, “
"Xiangyu, what do you mean by this!"
“That woman is the Sword Bone of Yijian Mountain, and now she’s colluding with the demoness of Liuli Palace.” Xiang Yu ignored the questioning voices and said to himself, “Since she intervened that day, it means that Changsheng Palace and Liuli Palace are now on the same side.”
“You’re right.” Some people’s resolve had already begun to waver, and he said hesitantly, “But even so, we don’t need to join forces with the Blood Palace.”
"With Bai Jie and Li Zizhan dead, the Northern and Southern Sword Sects are now without anyone to take charge." An elder from the old faction coughed a few times and chimed in, "The North is already in chaos, and the South is currently only being held together by that little girl from Li Zizhan's family. I don't think she can hold out for much longer."
“That’s right, the flames of war in the north will eventually reach here.” Xiang Yu continued, “Our Beggars’ Sect has suffered heavy losses this time. How will we cope in the future?”
Everyone remained silent.
“We all know that the imperial court is ignoring the chaos in the north in order to reap the benefits.”
"Hmph, although the martial arts of his Hall of Longevity are strong, there aren't many idiots among them," one person retorted. "The world is such a big pie, I don't believe he can eat it all by himself."
“The Glazed Palace has 108 subordinate halls. Tell me, can you handle them all?” Xiang Yu slammed his hand on the table and said in a booming voice, “The Hall of Longevity is clearly abandoning us, yet some of us are still clinging to illusions! The Beggars’ Sect’s century-old foundation is about to be destroyed in this generation.”
"you!"
"Alright, it's all for the sake of our ancestor's legacy." Du Taibai beckoned Xiangyu to sit down and scolded, "Xiangyu, you should say less."
Xiang Yu sat down as instructed, and all eyes turned to Du Taibai.
Du Taibai said slowly, "Who is the emperor is not important to me. I only want the legacy of my ancestors to continue."
"In my opinion, the only ones who can truly unify the martial world today are my Beggars' Sect, Xinyuan Temple, and Liuli Palace." Du Taibai looked into everyone's eyes and spoke eloquently. "Xinyuan Temple has always been indifferent to worldly affairs. In the end, the only ones who want to swallow up the martial world are us and Liuli Palace."
"When Emperor Gaozu of Han was repeatedly besieged in the Xingyang and Chenggao areas, he planned to cede the land and hold it. Li Sheng told Gaozu that two powerful forces cannot coexist, and the people's hearts were not yet settled. This was the time to demonstrate the strength of the Han army in controlling the situation and let the people understand the mandate of heaven. So Gaozu sent troops to control the supply lines and take strategic positions. As a result, the King of Qi was tempted to submit."
"The Beggars' Sect will never sit idly by and wait for death." Glancing at the group of people who were deep in thought, Du Taibai said firmly, "Since the imperial court has decided to abandon us and choose the demoness Pei Jiangxi as the middleman, then we can't blame them for finding another way out."
“I agree to the alliance with the Blood Palace,” Xiang Yu was the first to raise his hand.
I agree.
Inside the council chamber, voices of approval rose and fell. Regardless of whether it aligned with their own desires, the elders finally raised their hands one after another.
A small number of people remained unwilling to agree, and their faces inevitably turned ashen as they saw the situation was about to be settled.
After the number of people raising their hands stopped increasing or decreasing, Du Taibai waited a while and said, "The overall situation is settled. If there are any people who want to leave the Beggars' Sect, I, Du Taibai, will not force them to stay."
The oldest man in the hall said hoarsely, "We've all been fellow disciples, let's part ways amicably."
The chair scraped against the floor with an unpleasant sound. Xiangyu was the first to stand up and stride out of the room.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
