The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

It was as if Meng Qi had been struck by lightning. It was like he was flying through the cosmos being burnt to a crisp on his outsides. He had prepared himself for when he saw the demoness Gu again and her claiming the child was his. He had thought that he sort of had a handle on how crazy people thought.

However, who knew she would actually bring the kid along – that crisp little voice saying daddy to Meng Qi was like being struck by Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship or Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth. His Vital Spirit had been shaken, his thoughts were a mess now and it was hard to form sentences. He felt as if he had no idea of having been “drugged and raped” by demoness Gu.

“Crazy people’s thoughts are so random…”

“It’s really not something that a normal person like myself can fathom or speculate!”

Meng Qi came back to reality. He was certain that he had never had any relations that precluded those of simply being enemies with the demoness Gu Xiaosang. He was both angry and annoyed. Inside, he was fuming, “Woman! How dare you fool around in this way! If I don’t get you back for this, then I am somebody who thinks gullible only has two Ls!”

It felt good to curse her, and suddenly he felt a little glad that none of this had taken place in front of the masters of the Ranking List of Young Masters at the Party of Happycloud. One should not show any weakness in front of the experts of the Exterior, or under the public gaze. If Gu Xiaosang brought the little girl in front of him to say “daddy” combined with tearful reproach for him having left her after having had his way with her, then his reputation would be shot.

Naturally, it was not like being ruined from some grand injustice with everyone looking down upon him. After all, it was demoness Gu they were talking about; most of what she said could not be trusted. And without a blood test, nobody would believe her anyway. Moreover, his compadres would resolutely support him.

In this regard, the matter would just become a funny story around Jianghu. In the days to come people would more than likely point at him with him being the butt of their jokes for things such as,

“Oh, so that’s the Killing Blade Su Meng that the great goddess took the child in front of; I heard it wasn’t even his!”

“Young Master Su, I know that the demoness wronged you, but I just have one question for you, just how old is your child now anyway? Hahaha.”

…

“No no no, why think so much about something that didn’t even happen?” Meng Qi put an end to his chaotic thoughts. His jaw ached a bit from thinking about the contempt he felt for Gu Xiaosang, and at the same time he thought it best to keep as much distance from her as possible. In case this “mental patient” found fit to come up with some new random act of madness.

Fortunately, he had never had relations with her, or he really would be in hot water!

“No no no, talking like this sounds like I almost got into a relationship with her!”

Meng Qi was no longer in any mood to sightsee along the river. He gave the old boatman, who looked on puzzled as Meng Qi leapt into the air and then alighted on the street on the left bank, some silver. He then disappeared into the crowd of people that were there enjoying the illuminations or making purchases for the Spring Festival.

He was very experienced and his cognitive training was not too shabby either. He gradually calmed down again after a short while and put the matter in the back of his mind. He started contemplating just why the demoness Gu may have come to Ying City at all.

“Anyway, that child isn’t mine!”

He knew she had traveled down south for a few months, and Six Fan School had not heard from her. Then suddenly she appeared in Ying City; it was unlikely to be an empty shot fired across the bows, or coincidence. Whichever way one looked at it, demoness Gu was not someone who was all that enamored with Kung Fu. It was unlikely she would voluntarily take the risk of coming to He Jiu’s tournament. Or was she seeking some sort of breakthrough?

Meng Qi thought that he understood Gu Xiaosang to some extent. She was very gifted and quite odd, yet quick-witted, making her very hard to predict. While she was able to apply herself at Kung Fu, she was not all that devoted to it. Besides this, there was not much else to it. It stood to reason, then, that she would not throw herself into action for the sake of a similarly matched opponent, temporarily discarding all other matters and risking so much in exchange. On the contrary, if Gu Xiaosang really met such a person she would most likely choose her moment and then just anihilate them.

“Wait, is an understanding of mental patients any kind of understanding at all?”Meng Qi found himself in deep thought.

He walked on and found that he had turned down a bustling street. He heard a familiar voice calling out to him,

“Brother Su.”

Following the voice, he looked up and saw someone standing by a window on the third floor to his right. The face held a smile and was holding up a glass of wine to him. He felt as if he was looking upon a familiar face from back home as he was away on the road.

He was in his early 20s wearing Confucian robes. His face was a little square and he had a broad nose and mouth. He did not have particularly memorable features, but his demeanor was dignified while he stood there as large as a mountain.

Meng Qi was surprised and elated all at once, and called out loudly, “Brother Wang, I didn’t reckon I’d be seeing you here!”

“At least I’ll have a ‘friend’ for the road ahead!”

It was none other than Right-guarding Sword Wang Zai, the son of a concubine from the Wang family of Zhou County.

“A grand event such as this Party of Happycloud is taking place in Jianghu. How could I miss it? At least, now I have run into you, brother Su!” Wang Zai boomed down, drawing many side glances.

“Brother Su?”

“Is it really him?”

“Could it be Killing Blade Su Meng?”

Rows of eyes from all around fell at once upon Meng Qi. They were a mix of sizing him up, envy, reverence, passing judgment, being unconvinced and so on. Meng Qi could not help but straighten up a little as he felt like he was standing under a spotlight.

“Hey now, Brother Wang can really talk! That’s no exaggeration at all!”

He swaggered into the inn, climbing up to the third floor he found Wang Zai by his lonesome next to the window drinking. He broke into a smile,

“Brother Wang, drinking on your own just makes your sorrows worse! How can good wine be enjoyed without good friends?”

Wang Zai laughed, “Was I not waiting for you?”

Seeing Meng Qi looking a little surprised, he added, “I had a rendezvous with someone, who then couldn’t come and cancelled at the last minute. But it’s alright, this way I get to have a drink with you, Brother Su.”

“Oh, well, we haven’t seen each other for half a year.” Meng Qi, with no airs or graces, planted himself in a chair like he owned the place and poured himself a glass while topping up Wang Zai’s at the same time.

This familiarity rather conveniently, and instintaneously, pulled them back to their time together in Yedu, as if they had never left.

After they had raised their glasses and toasted each other, Wang Zai slapped the table and lamented, “Really, only half a year? I thought that at least a year or two had gone by without me knowing it. Brother Su, you really are a fast mover! People are shocked that you’ve advanced so rapidly up the Ranking List of Young Masters. You were 19th and are now ranked in the top six.”

“You’re not doing so badly yourself Brother Wang, already 15th.” Meng Qi kept his pride in check, and returned the compliment.

“I used to think that I was very fast but when compared with you, Su, I feel ashamed. The last time I looked at the Ranking List of Young Masters and I discovered you had displaced first-rate opponents such as Shadow Cold Palm I couldn’t believe it. Suddenly you’re this high up…” Wang Zai said with sincerity while gesturing.

Meng Qi “modestly” said, “Brother Wang, you know all about my background, I have no respect for when I am surrounded.”

After making small talk for a while Wang Zai brought up an issue, “I’ve been staying in the Mi household these few days here in Ying City, and have had some dealings with the sect and aristocratic families. The younger generation is intrigued by the Party of Happycloud that He Jiu has organized and all these masters that are coming to Ying City. However, most of them have no means of getting in, so we thought about coming together and holding a pre-event tournament for the martial artists to compete in and demonstrate their skills at. Would you be interested in observing and refereeing it, perhaps giving them a few pointers?”

“To be a VIP…? ” Meng Qi knew that Wang Zai would not be making this up, and he nodded gently, “How could I refuse Brother Wang’s invitation? Which other masters from the Ranking List of Young Masters are attending?”

“Well, apart from you and I, Brother Yan, The Unstoppable, and Brother Chu, the Moving Stars and Moon. The rest are ranked beyond 20th on the Ranking List of Young Masters and are participants in the martial arts tournament…” Wang Zai said in detail.

After a brief exchange of views on the matter, the two men turned to drinking and chatting about their own Jianghu experiences and the upcoming Party of Happycloud.

“The Ledgerkeeper of Lives has confirmed his attendance but hasn’t arrived yet. Master Lotus won’t be here for a few days. Demoness Gu and Wolf King probably won’t dare show their faces in public, so they may or may not come. Bliss Mendicant, Modest Deity of the Earth, and the others are really far away and there is no news of them attending. Buddhist Heart Palm, Master Lotus and End of the World are all within shouting distance…” Wang Zai sketched out for Meng Qi the intel he already knew that came out of Six Fan School, but he still feigned to listen intently nevertheless.

They had a good chat and drank for a good three hours, then finally Wang Zai lamented, “Choosing to tread the path of Jianghu really has been a constant stream of trials and tribulations. I mean, if it’s not danger you’re facing, it’s all the odd people. The greedy, the petty, those that cannot see the overall picture; those that make a scene or the shameless, it’s enough to make one truly irritable. However, it’s hard to raise such difficult questions due to their upright status within society, while avoiding being pigeonholed by people as narrow-minded. There’s also the risk of losing one’s presence as a master. Aye, forget about it! After all, we’re cultured, let’s just put it down to us being afraid of them.”

Meng Qi grinned, “I’m not afraid.”

Wang Zai asked sincerely, “Huh, why not? Do you have some secret recipe that I don’t know about Brother Su?”

Meng Qi replied in earnest, “It’s because I am not cultured at all and I have always been narrow-minded.”

Wang Zai’s expression froze, surprisingly he had nothing to say.

…

In having finalized the VIP issue, Meng Qi and Wang Zai parted ways and returned to their quarters at their respective inns.

He had a long saber at his waist and was dressed in black clothes. His form was upright and masculine, like that of a soldier. In the eyes of passing guests, or even critical onlookers, he was someone with an outstanding demeanor, a master.

On seeing him enter the inn, one of the windows on the second floor gave a squeal as it shut.

Meng Qi passed through the inn’s gardens and arrived at a small courtyard at the rear of the inn, he pulled out some keys and opened the gate.

Nothing felt out of the ordinary, but as he entered the wing room his heart lurched, his alertness immediately rising. A clanging sound stemming from Heaven Inflicted Pain and his gaze was drawn to the bed.

All he saw was a woman dressed in a plain white dress lying on her side on the bed. She was dreamy, as pretty as a picture. She cradled her cheek in her hand and she was looking at him, smiling.

What she was wearing was all-enveloping so that apart from her arms, neck and face, no other piece of her skin was visible. However, this plain white dress followed every contour of her body, which was like a small range of hills. It was enough to make one’s throat turn dry from the irresistible seductive element.

“My husband, finally you’re home.” As she spoke her eyes were awash with a young woman’s charms, looking into them was like drowning in a deep pool of water. It could only be the demoness, Gu Xiaosang.

Meng Qi put himself on alert at the same time as he opened his mouth to cry out to anyone nearby, to expose Gu Xiaosang’s whereabouts and consequently assist in subduing her.

At that moment, Gu Xiaosang flicked her fingers and an object landed in front of Meng Qi. It made a tinkling sound.

It was a blue lotus flower, a fine resemblance to one at least, very poetic, and on top of it was inscribed, “Flower-washing, Qi Zhengyan”.

“Senior Brother Qi?” Meng Qi’s gaze froze, “What have you done to him?”

This emblem was used to identify one as a member of the Huanhua Swords Sect. It belonged to Qi Zhengyan. Meng Qi’s spirit scanned it and verified it as genuine.

“I saved him.” Gu Xiaosang sat up slowly, like silky black hair flowing, her movements were both lazy and enchanting.

“What?” Meng Qi was perplexed.

Gu Xiaosang giggled, but didn’t answer. She looked at Meng Qi seductively, “My husband, isn’t our child lovely?”

“Nobody has had children with you!” Meng Qi growled.

Gu Xiaosang got up and half-jokingly said, “The Six Realms can turn back time, creating potential realities. This is something I have experienced. We can go and explore the remnants of the Celestial Court. We can face and head off danger together, fall in love and have our child.”

Meng Qi was once more dumbfounded. He had had similar speculations about the Dominator of Samsara in the Six Realms. He stammered,

“No, it can’t be true?”

“Of course it is…” Gu Xiaosang revealed her moonlight and starlight supressing smile in a flash, “a lie.”

“You believed even something like that? I knew you had similar ideas about Samsara in the Six Realms, as do I too. However, just talking about it like that, you went and bought it, hook, line and sinker. You’re so daft…” Her smile was extremely lovely and cute.