The Sage, the Swordsman and the Scholars

by Pierre Dimaculangan

  “Forgive my stench. I reek from a journey of a thousand wilderness li,” said Xin embarrassedly.

  She smiled and so did her eyes. She could not take them off of him.

  “Do not worry; I do prefer the smell of the wilderness to the stale, dusty city air. Besides, you can get a bath and a fresh batch of clothes by morning in the village’s bathhouse if you need refreshing.”

  He nodded with a faint smile. He was… shy. Shy around her. The feeling confused him for he had never felt bashful before.

  “I will see to that. Thank you for the food. Will you stay to dine with me?”

  “I’ll keep you company. I’m not feeling too hungry anyway.”

  She took a seat next to him on the blanket and watched Sun Xin eat. He was famished but he did his best to hide it by taking his time to savor every bite. The steamed rice was fragrant and sweet and the fresh stir-fried vegetables were cooked to perfection, sprinkled with garlic and spices just as he remembered. He had forgotten how much he had missed the food of home. It was far more satisfying and delicious than the bland rice cakes, stuffed buns, and dried-smoked fish he always packed on the road. He would be fortunate to have had even fruit on his travels.

  She was amused by watching him eat. He had not changed the way he took a bite or chewed his mouthfuls. He would always have bits of food on the corner of his mouth. She giggled at the fond memories she recalled as he chewed his food from his cheek pouches. This caused Xin to pause and eat less hurriedly.

  “Do you remember when we were children, Xin? My father would always have to remind you to slow down because you would get stomach aches from eating too fast. He did say you ate too much. Half our food expenses went into your mouth,” she said giggling.

  Xin then did something he had not done in a very long time. He laughed. “Yes, I do remember. By the time it was time for training, I would still be too full to get anything done.”

  There was a sustained awkward moment as Xin continued to consume his food.

  “I was heartbroken when you decided to set out on your own. I wanted to see you for as long as I could so I climbed a tree and watched you walk further and further away from the village,” Meiling recalled, her eyes wandering around the room. Xin did not know what to say although deep inside he still believed his leaving was not without its fruits.

  Meiling redirected her gaze toward his. “Over the years I began hearing rumors of a mysterious wandering swordsman eradicating wanted criminals throughout the country and even the most prominent of crime lords were looking over their shoulders in fear of his sword finding their backs. I knew immediately that swordsman was you.”

  “Yes, me. Over one thousand under the table contracts from prefects, nobles, and governors yet the work never ends,” he said shaking his head. His actions compelled the Underworld to place a bounty on his head. He decided not to tell Meiling that he had almost lost his life to hunters and mercenaries several times. “Many of them tried coming after me since I started my campaigns. I guess I was fortunate to always be one step ahead of them. I have forged powerful alliances over the years so I am never truly alone,” Sun Xin said to her with confidence as he took another bite.

  “Why have you come back?” Her head lowered and tilted, her eyes trying to look into his.

  He paused. “Well, I have missed this place and I wanted to see Master and you.” Meiling just stared inquisitively into his eyes knowing his answer was only the half-truth. “…and I also desire to complete my training,” continued Xin as he lowered his gaze.

  “I see, I see” Meiling muttered as she looked away. “I am glad you are living the adventure you have long sought since your youth… and I am sorry that a simple life here did not suffice for you.” Before Xin could answer, she picked up his tray and exited the shed saying “Enjoy your night and have a good rest. The blanket is new.”

  “Thank you, Meiling. Good night…” he said, his voice trailing away.

  The following morning, Sun Xin was awakened by the hammering sounds of the woodshop. Production had resumed for that day. He dressed himself and stepped out into the high morning sun and was irritated upon realizing that he had slept in. Master Lo was in his ancestral shrine near the shed and he stood solemnly with his hands behind his back.

  “This shrine and these tablets bear the memory and the spirit of my family from many generations past. My father before me and my grandfather before him always told me of the family’s grand legacy. The name ‘Luo’ or ‘Lo’ carries a great responsibility, for through it lies a history of many virtuous and heroic figures that employed our unique style of swordsmanship. It has been coveted by countless many and has been passed down and developed for a thousand years.” Master Lo continued to gaze upon the ancestral tablets as sticks of slow burning incense carried their unique aroma into the wind. “When my wife passed away giving birth to precious Meiling I had decided to never marry again, but I knew that one day she would marry and I would have no sons to continue the family name. My elder brothers and their sons perished in the wars against the Menggu in the steppe.” He turned to face Sun Xin who stood stiffly outside the shrine’s entrance. “Do you remember that day when I found you, Xin?” he asked pensively.

  “Yes, b-but barely,” Xin stuttered, unsure of how to respond.

  “Shall I tell it again? Your village was ransacked by mounted raiders who had destroyed the light military presence guarding that part of the province. I had a wagon full of fresh lumber and I happened to be passing by when they began to set the place on fire. I rushed in to see if there were any survivors but only the dead lay strewn in the streets. I slew enough of the remaining raiders to force the rest of their troop to retreat.” He sighed, looked up, and closed his eyes as he vividly recalled the events of that day. “I was about to leave when I heard horrific screams coming from one of the houses. I ran to see if there were any bandits remaining but instead I find you. Your parents and your baby sister lay lifeless in the corner. Around you were three dead men… and in your hand you gripped a bloodied sword. There you were, hardly eight years old and you had managed to slay your attackers. You defended yourself with that sword even though you could not save your family.”

  Sun Xin fell on his knees with his head slouched and a tear running down his cheek. “I do remember. I was not strong enough to save them.” Suppressed memories of that fateful day came flooding back forcefully into his mind and the same fury that surged through his being that day was still fresh.

  “A little boy should not have to bear the burden of protecting his family in any dynasty whether it is peaceful or full of turmoil. The fact that you were able to slay those three evil men was a miracle in itself,” said Master Lo as he stepped out of the shrine and stood directly in front of Xin. Then he whispered, “You had a bright fire in your heart that I recognized immediately. I took you as my own, my only pupil –my apprentice. I taught you how to tame that fury and how to channel it into martial skill. You were a prodigy, Xin. Never before have I ever seen anyone learn the ways of the sword or the words of the Classics so quickly, and I was very proud. For a while I thought I had finally found someone who could continue my family’s legacy.” Xin sat on his knees with his head still slouched, his long black hair tugging in the wind. He did not know what to say. He felt shame, regret, and guilt all at once –all of which he seemed to be experiencing for the first time in a long time. “Did you find the fulfillment you sought out there in the world, Xin?” Master Lo asked him seriously. “Did killing all those men fill the void inside your soul and bring you peace? Are you fulfilling your destiny? You certainly must be fulfilling something. I can smell the blood on you.”

  Xin was not even sure if he was supposed to answer the questions. He would not have known how to answer anyway. He was unsure himself.

  “Tell me something, my former apprentice. Why have you come back?” Master Lo asked with a tone that was distant and cold.

  “I came haughtily thinking I could finish my training. But
now I realize that I really should have come asking for the forgiveness that I do not even deserve,” replied Xin with a hint of guilt… and resentment.

  “You walked out on me ten years ago and have never visited until now and yet you think you can come here expecting to complete your training? You think you can just come here thinking you’re worthy to fully wield my family’s revered sword art for your petty and childish wiles?? You are not a sword master; you are an insolent brat that thinks he can save the Middle Kingdom just because he’s learned a few techniques of an undefeated sword style!” Master Lo shouted as his face burned red with anger and eyes that glared down at Sun Xin. He had every right to vent his fury on him. Xin was not worthy to be his apprentice and he knew it. It was his pride that caused him to walk away from this place and it was his pride that made him think he could just walk right back into his master’s life whenever he pleased. “The sword arts of the Lo family are sacred and you just used it however you pleased. Your blade is as guilty as those of the men you slaughtered. Tell me, Xin. Have you ever once considered the men whose lives you took all these years? Have you ever wondered that perhaps some of them were merely acting out of desperation or were in a way forced to enter the life they did? Many of them had families, homes, and carried with them loyalties and convictions as strong as yours. Continue resting your life’s principles and values on the Way of the Sword and in the end it might just be the very thing that takes your life,” he preached.

  “My sword has saved countless innocent lives and I can confidently say that I have very little regrets with what I have accomplished through your training over the years. With respect, I must tell you that one cannot put a price on the lives I have saved. You haven’t seen what I have— what the Underworld practices, what the crime syndicates plot in shadow, or the kind of corruption that occurs among the officials who collaborate with them. Were it not for me, thousands of innocents would have perished or have had their lives destroyed forever,” he protested.

  Master Lo scoffed. He walked into the house and returned with a sword in his hand and presented it to Sun Xin.

  “Draw this sword. If you can cut the hem of my garments I will consider your actions justified and I will call you ‘Master’. Surely your combat skill is equally matched by your personal philosophy!”

  Xin hesitated and wondered if this was some sort of test. “Go on. Try to see if you are able to land a cut on even my cloth,” Master Lo said seemingly tauntingly. Xin bowed, drew the sword, and assumed his stance while Master Lo stood before him completely at ease. His hands rested behind his back while his face sported a smug smirk. With the twitch of an eye Sun Xin lunged at him with a thrust of the sword that missed cleanly as Master Lo simply stepped to the side. Every succeeding attack was blocked, dodged, evaded, or thwarted with ease until he disarmed Xin and landed a solid open-handed strike to his chest.

  It was no use. Master Lo could predict his every move. He knew him too well; and knew even better the techniques he employed.

  Sun Xin doubled over and gasped for air, frustrated and angry. He dashed towards Master Lo and right before his fist could land on his face he slammed to the ground, in a daze, and barely awake. When he came to, his nausea was brought about by a headache that kept him from standing to his feet. Master Lo crouched to Sun Xin’s level and pressed down on vital points on his head to relieve the pain. Master Lo sat on the grass across from Xin.

  “You are arrogant, impulsive, overconfident, and angry; defeating a bunch unskilled of crooks wielding fancy weapons does not make you worthy to wield the techniques of the Guardian Lion Sword. Before one can take or save a life he must first learn the true value of it. You have yet to learn this principle. You can’t just go around killing enemies just because you can. The administration of justice is a high calling and you are not yet qualified. One cannot walk with a sword and live virtuously and righteously when he himself is empty. The condition of the heart that is inside you at this moment is a comfortable home for the Swordsman’s Curse. It grants its host unparalleled ferocity and martial ability at the cost of your own self-destruction. Think very carefully about the path you trod, student, and consider what meaning really means in your life. If the sword is the foundation of your life’s purpose, it will be the death of you.” Master Lo left Xin with these very words as he entered his woodshop and continued on with his day as usual.

  From a window in her room Meiling looked at Xin concernedly, worried for his very soul. It was hard even for her to think he was the same boy she used to play with in the grass and fields. Xin did not want to admit it but a small part of him knew that his master was correct. His pride had blinded him to his own ignorance about the way of the sword and the art of living. How can one who has yet to find the meaning of life be able to take it so quickly upon one’s own judgment? Xin could not even clearly define the moral law that stood for the basis of his actions. Xin remained outside Master Lo’s house staring at the old sword while reflecting on himself and the life that he had led for the past several years and wondering if he had done all the right things. Has anger and hatred been leading his life this whole time? He could not tell. He had been this way for as long as he could remember. The images of his murdered parents and sister forced their way back into his mind. Over the years he had forgotten the very reason why he began his campaigns. He had completely lost sight of the purpose of his mission. Now he remembered from where it was his inner rage was birthed— reminded of the reason why he set out on his own. Then the rains came and poured down on the valley while Xin climbed to a steep, tall hill and meditated under a pavilion that overlooked miles and miles of the landscape below and beyond. The faces of every single one of his targets –hundreds of man hunters, sect members, crime lords, mercenaries, gangsters, corrupt officials, and other bladesmen were flashing back into his sight. He still believed they deserved the death he had granted each and every one of them.

  ****

  First thing in the very next morning, Martial Scholar Tian Qiu presented his discoveries to the rest of the core group in the League and together they read through and analyzed the preserved documents of the Ming chronicler Ma Huan. The Scholars were speechless at this revelation of history and became even more troubled now they have confirmed the foreigners that have landed on their shores were the very same ones that Zheng He had personally encountered.

  “The information provided in these presented sources will prove to be invaluable in combating these Pale Foreigners,” said Lu Guanying. “I commend you for this discovery. We also have the previous generation of Hanlin Scholars to thank for salvaging these documents.”

  “Thank you, Headmaster ,” replied Tian Qiu. “I found it quite odd that an advanced civilization such as these Pale Ones would have no other prior documentation from the past. Logically I decided to search through our copies of historical records, thanks to the benevolence and cooperation of the old Hanlin Academy. Not surprisingly, the great Admiral Zheng He indeed has had a first-hand experience with these foreigners in their native land, a land which appears to be on an uncharted continent in the southern-most point of the sea, where all other seas converge.”

  Excited whispers made their way among the members of the council and Senior Academicians present in the council hall. There were mixed feelings of awe, disbelief, and even fear. Most of them were apprehensive about an impending conflict with the Pale Ones.

  With such a valuable discovery and its circulation amongst trustworthy government officials, war it seemed would be inevitable. The League of Scholars began to consider reconnecting with the Chancellor of Hanlin Academy whose access to the emperor would prove to be useful for their movement into the government and potential courses of action against the corruption. They continued to examine the chronicles of Ma Huan and took several moments to comprehend the magnitude of their current situation. How could knowledge of such momentous events be hidden away from everyone? It seemed impossible and utterly foolish to withhold this great turning p
oint in the history of the Middle Kingdom and the rest of the world. Hard questions were exchanged between the council though none could rationalize what they have learned.

  “How could such a monumental, world-shaking event in history been so easily censored and forgotten from all memory? It seemed so impossible!” they said amongst themselves.

  An Academician unexpectedly entered the council chambers and presented Zhang Sunzan with a rolled sheet of paper. He leaned his elbow against the armrest and read it with great care line by line. The others sat at the edge of their seats, looking to him in anticipation. Zhang Sunzan stood from his seat and presented to the Scholars’ Council the message he had just received from his trusted contact Fox. The avian had just swooped in with the message from Beijing.

  “A trusted colleague of mine has sent word from the capital,” he said as he reviewed and scanned both sides of the document. “He had successfully made contact with Wei Qiuyuan of the Censorial Office; according to them, it too has, unfortunately but expectedly, been corrupted by these meddling foreigners. Furthermore, Wei Qiuyuan has reported his observations regarding secret dealings between key officials and eunuchs and the Terukk. He has discovered extensive instances of bribery occurring in court. Bribery with addictive potions that can be consumed by mouth in small amounts. Some have even become… grossly addicted to it. In exploitation of this addiction, the Pale ones ask for land rights, ridiculous trading privileges, and unreasonably high leverage within the Ming political system. In summary, any virtuous within the bureaucracy who would dare ‘squeal’ have been imprisoned or are threatened with death or blackmail. In conjunction, the spy agencies along with the secret police have been compromised, with reports of widespread divisions, dissention, and desertion occurring in the bureaus. This renders them too dysfunctional for official government duty, according to Wei. The emperor is kept in the dark, largely unaware of what is transpiring in the empire, within his own inner court.” Zhang squinted at the scribble on the paper.