Mysterious Martial Arts: The Record of the Swordsman

Chapter 365 Ambition to Reach the Sky

Chapter 365 Ambition to Reach the Sky

When Geng Jingzhong led five teenagers back into the small brick building of Rouyuan Post Station, Lin Lunyi, with a thick beard, was playing chess with Jin Yingyuan, an old man from Ryukyu. However, the beautiful Aragaki Rei was nowhere to be found, and the servants were nowhere to be found either.

Seeing that they returned to report the next day, Lin Lunyi paused in mid-air, his face full of surprise: "You guys are so fast? I thought I would have to wait at least several days to receive the news."

"The thatched hut is poorly guarded; it wouldn't be difficult to sneak in."

Geng Jingzhong dusted off his clothes and sat down in a chair next to him, his expression still carrying the same solemnity as Longyaoshan. "But the situation inside is much more sinister than I expected."

Upon receiving reliable news, Lin Lunyi and Jin Yingyuan immediately put down the chessboard, took out paper and pen, and laid them on the table: "Please speak, Your Excellency, and I will write down every word."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Geng Jingzhong gave a brief account of the scene, layout, and state of the believers at Longjiang Thatched Cottage, as well as the background and context of the middle-aged scholar's sermon.

However, whenever Lin Lunyi reached a crucial point, she would stop writing and inquire about various trivial details. Geng Jingzhong suspected that she was testing him to see if he was exaggerating or simply making up a story out of thin air. But seeing her serious expression and solemn demeanor, he felt that she was just making a mountain out of a molehill.

Through this back-and-forth process, Geng Jingzhong figured out which details the other party was more concerned about, and elaborated on them in particular at crucial points, citing various clues as supplementary evidence.

When talking about how everyone went into a frenzy while practicing the Genbei Method, Geng Jingzhong specifically mentioned that the technique seemed to have the effect of bewitching people. He himself was just going through the motions of breathing exercises, but he also felt something was off. As for the specific key points of circulating qi, he had not practiced them deeply at the time and was not very clear about them.

Seeing Lin Lunyi stop writing and frown again, He Lang'er quickly stepped forward and said, "I know, let me explain."

The young fisherman, He Lang'er, still had a pale face. He gestured to his body, "It started here, a little above my tailbone, it felt numb, like ants crawling on me. Then it went up my spine, stopped at my waist, it was burning hot, and then it started to itch and hurt in the middle of my back, like countless needles pricking me."

As he spoke, he pointed to his coccyx, mingmen point, and jiaji point with his fingers. Although he was not familiar with meridians and acupoints, he could accurately point out each part of his body by relying on his precise memory.

"When Mr. Dong shouted 'Qi reaches the jade pillow,' I felt a buzzing in the back of my head, and my whole body floated up, and then... then I saw my back."

"See your own back?"

Lin Lunyi paused, her hand holding the pen still, and looked up at He Lang'er with a sharp gaze.

"Yes! I really saw it!"

He Lang'er shuddered. "I was floating above my head, and when I looked down I could see myself kneeling on a prayer mat, my back hunched over, my bones protruding one by one. Then I saw something crawling on my back, wrinkled, like many layers of human skin stacked together, with strange arms and legs, crawling around on my back..."

Lin Lunyi wrote down these words with lightning speed, the ink from his pen leaving blurs on the rice paper at a pace that was almost too fast for the eye to follow.

After He Lang'er finished explaining the whole story, he put down his pen, tapped the table lightly, and said in a deep voice, "There is indeed a problem. It is no coincidence that Longjiang Thatched Cottage is built on the southern slope of Longyao Mountain."

"Oh? How do you say this?"

Geng Jingzhong asked.

There is a prophecy circulating in Fuzhou that goes, "Floating on Nantai, sinking into Lushan."

Lin Lunyi stroked his thick beard and slowly said, "It is said that the reason why Nantai Island rose to the surface is because Lushan Mountain sank into the river. If Lushan Mountain reappears, a great calamity will occur in Fuzhou. Lin Longjiang claimed that he was guided by a strange person and believed that Longyao Mountain was the tail vein of Lushan Mountain. Therefore, he built a thatched hut there to cultivate. Now it seems that he was just using prophecy to bewitch people."

"In my opinion, his so-called 'Genbei Method' is the real evil magic."

Geng Jingzhong said coldly, "If a perfectly healthy person practices this and can see those unclean things, what is it if not an evil art?"

"Young master, you are unaware of this."

Lin Lunyi shook his head. "This Genbei method is not an evil art. It is originally a method of guiding qi in Taoist internal alchemy, which is mixed with the Confucian theory of nourishing qi. It emphasizes 'stopping thoughts in the back and turning the gaze inward and listening inward.' It is originally used to calm the mind and cultivate character, and it is not profound or strange."

He paused, his tone becoming serious: "It's just that Lin Longjiang claimed to have received the true teachings of a master in his early years, and he changed this technique beyond recognition. After he passed away during the Wanli era, more than sixty years have passed since then. His disciples and successors have further altered it, adding a lot of witchcraft and evil magic, which is why it has become the way it is today, where everyone can sense its energy and it is extremely easy to attract evil spirits into the body."

"The so-called 'seeing the light of one's true nature' and 'opening the meridians' that believers claim are merely signs of external evils entering the body. When they go back to the streets, they claim to be practicing Taoism and spreading their teachings everywhere, which is almost the same as witchcraft. Sooner or later, this will cause great trouble."

He died during the Wanli era?

Geng Jingzhong and He Lang'er were not interested in these prophecies and alchemy, but upon hearing this, their expressions changed drastically at the same time.

They had just heard the servants in the thatched hut say that "Master Sanjiao has a poor appetite today," and that Dong Shi was giving a sermon on behalf of Master Sanjiao. Yet this man had been dead for over sixty years. Wasn't this hysteria spreading to everyone? Why did these people treat the dead as if they were alive?

Lin Lunyi, with his keen perception, immediately noticed their unusual behavior and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Why are you two so surprised? Did you perhaps overhear something in the thatched hut?"

Just then, Jin Yingyuan emerged from the inner room, leaning on his cane and carrying a heavy wooden box. He placed the box on the table and opened it. Inside, four ingots of fifty-tael horseshoe-shaped silver were neatly stacked. The gleaming silver shone with a warm luster under the candlelight, dazzling the eyes of the boys, who dared not even breathe.

Geng Jingzhong, quick-witted, glanced repeatedly at the silver ingot and said with difficulty, "I am a country bumpkin who has never seen the world."

"Hahaha. You've all worked hard. Here's the agreed-upon reward of two hundred taels."

Jin Yingyuan was quite pleased. He cupped his hands in greeting to everyone and said with only a slight accent, "This is just a small gift, nothing to show my respect."

Meanwhile, the other four youths who hadn't entered the thatched hut were already mesmerized, craning their necks to peer forward. Although they had heard about the reward beforehand, they had no real concept of two hundred taels. Only now, seeing it with their own eyes, were they so stunned that they were speechless.

You have to understand that two hundred taels is a sum that even if they had a stable job selling their labor in the future, it would take them forty or fifty years of saving without eating or drinking to reach that amount. It would be enough for them to buy dozens of acres of land outside the city and live a carefree life collecting rent every day.

Geng Jingzhong suddenly reached out and pressed down on the wooden box, looked up at Lin Lunyi and Jin Yingyuan, and slowly said, "Young Master Lin, Elder Jin, as the old saying goes, one should not accept rewards without merit. Before I answered your questions just now, I have something I would like to ask you."

He deliberately left no room for refusal and continued, "You two are of noble status and generous in your spending. Why would you condescend to ask us common folk to investigate a small thatched cottage in Longjiang? If I don't tell you the secret behind this, I'm afraid I won't be able to eat or sleep properly."

The cheerful atmosphere in the small building suddenly froze.

Lin Lunyi and Jin Yingyuan exchanged glances, seemingly communicating with each other. After a moment of contemplation, Jin Yingyuan sighed, sat down in a chair, and slowly said, "Since you have asked, I will no longer hide it. This matter concerns our Ryukyu Kingdom, so we dare not resort to common methods of surrender, lest they sell their goods to two different parties."

"In the eleventh year of the Chongzhen reign, the Ming Dynasty banned the export of white silk to Ryukyu. The livelihood of the people of Ryukyu depended entirely on the imperial court. With the ban in place, their lives became increasingly difficult, to the point that they had to pawn their islands and borrow money from Japan. I have been working on this for more than ten years, and this is my third time crossing the sea to come here. I only hope that the imperial court can recognize Ryukyu as a vassal state and thus reopen the tribute and border trade."

"Previously, I was deeply grateful for Lord Hong Chengchou's great help, but now Lord Hong has repeatedly requested to retire, so I have recommended Lord Lin, the Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. Although Lord Lin is willing to speak on behalf of Ryukyu in court, he has one condition—that we assist him in investigating the heretical and evil factions within Fuzhou. Recently, the influence of the Sanyi Sect has grown stronger, bewitching the people and harboring wicked people. Lord Lin has long wanted to eradicate it completely, but he has no concrete evidence."

Lin Lunyi also whispered from the side, "Those shamans use the pretext of burning incense to gather crowds, abduct children, extort money and kill people, causing suffering to countless families. My father also saw too much trouble in Fuzhou and could not bear to see his hometown suffer, so he wanted to restore peace to this place."

Geng Jingzhong nodded upon hearing this, and then asked, "According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, what crime should these people be charged with?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Lunyi smiled confidently: "The Qing Dynasty Code clearly states, 'Those who gather to burn incense, congregate at night and disperse at dawn, feign good deeds, and incite the people, shall be hanged if they are the ringleaders, and imprisoned pending trial. Those who follow them shall each be flogged one hundred times and exiled three thousand li.' As long as we obtain concrete evidence of their gathering to cause chaos, we can wipe them all out in one fell swoop."

After listening, Geng Jingzhong understood that the Sanyi Sect followers' actions at Longjiang Caolu had violated three red lines simultaneously: "not recorded in the official sacrificial rites" (Lin Longjiang was not in the official sacrificial rites), "hidden images" (privately engraving and offering images of the sect leader), and "burning incense and gathering crowds" (printing and practicing the Genbei method). Therefore, it could be completely classified as a target of the "prohibition of sorcery and witchcraft".

Geng Jingzhong's questioning dispelled Lin Lunyi's suspicions. After all, it's normal for someone who can remain so calm in the face of a large sum of money to have many doubts. At this moment, Lin Lunyi was all smiles, clearly satisfied with the other party's calm demeanor, which did not seem like a lie.

Geng Jingzhong then released his grip on the wooden box, but instead of taking the four ingots of silver, he said, “That may be true, but we only explored the surface this time, and our success is largely due to Lin Shaobao’s good reputation—therefore, we cannot take all two hundred taels of silver.”

These words shocked everyone present.

The boys suddenly looked up, their faces filled with disbelief, as if they had heard something unbelievable. Two hundred taels of silver! Enough for their whole family to eat and drink for a lifetime! And their eldest brother actually said he didn't want it?

Geng Jingzhong sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm.

He had previously been superstitious about the methods of training and commanding troops, and he only ate and lived with them, sharing food and clothing with them, but he forgot the coldness of human relationships and failed to consider the principle that a small favor can lead to a great enmity.

Money is certainly a good thing, but giving too much too easily can breed disloyalty. Just like the personal guards of the Prince of Jingnan under his command, who were usually supported by the Geng family in a life of luxury, once their money was cut off and they could no longer be supported, they turned against him and betrayed their trust in Jianzhou City.

The appearance of these two hundred taels has already aroused resentment and suspicion among the boys. Therefore, we must not allow their greed to fester. They must know who earned this money and who controls it...

"What do you mean by this, young master?"

Lin Lunyi was quite surprised and stroked his beard.

"As I always say, one should not accept rewards without merit."

Geng Jingzhong said eloquently, "We've only figured out the details of the thatched cottage this time, which isn't a great achievement. If we take all two hundred taels, it would be a waste to gain more than we need. How about this, we'll take one hundred taels first, and if we get concrete evidence of the Three Ones Sect's rebellion later, we'll shamelessly ask you two for the rest."

As he spoke, he indeed refused the fifty-tael horseshoe-shaped silver ingot, and only exchanged it with Jin Yingyuan for five ten-tael medium ingots and a bag of about fifty-tael small silver ingots.

The boys' faces immediately showed disappointment when they saw that their earnings had been halved. One of them couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "They clearly said it would be two hundred taels..."

"Shut up!"

He Lang'er turned around abruptly, glared at the boy, and said sternly, "We didn't do anything, and it's already a great favor that we got so much! If you dare to say another word, we'll confiscate your share!"

The boys shrank back after being scolded and dared not say another word.

Lin Lunyi looked at Geng Jingzhong, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes, and then smiled and said, "Young master is indeed a man of character, I admire him. Since you say so, then so be it. If you need anything in the future, just ask, and I will do my best to help you."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Geng Jingzhong led the boys to take their leave. Lin Lunyi and Jin Yingyuan personally escorted them to the entrance of Rouyuan Post Station. As they watched their figures disappear into the alley, the smiles on their faces gradually faded, replaced by a mysterious joy of great accomplishment.

………………

When the group returned to Tanwei Street, it was already afternoon. The spring sun shone through the low eaves and onto the muddy path. The smell of water and fish mingled together, and everywhere they saw the simple and tired figures of the villagers.

Geng Jingzhong gathered the boys in a deserted corner of the street, placed a bag of silver on a stone table, and said in a deep voice, "Do you think I'm old-fashioned, refusing two hundred taels of silver and insisting on taking one hundred?"

The boys lowered their heads, and this time no one dared to say a word.

“I tell you, if we take all two hundred taels, we will be courting death.”

Geng Jingzhong's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear: "Think about it, what are we? We're just a bunch of street thugs. Old Man Zeng almost got his entire family wiped out when he sold his daughter for two taels of silver. What will happen to us if we suddenly get back two hundred taels of silver?"

"Therefore, I did not take it all. I wanted the Lin family to know that we have great ambitions and that there will be opportunities for cooperation in the future. Only when people have long-term plans can they forget about short-term gains and avoid doing things that kill the goose that lays the golden eggs."

After hearing what Geng Jingzhong said, the boys seemed to understand somewhat, but they were still not as insightful as Lang'er. So Geng Jingzhong continued to scold them.

"Even if no one robs you, if you use this money incorrectly, you'll face a near-death experience. Today I'll teach you how to spend your money properly!"

Although Jiang Wen's evaluation of Geng Jingzhong is that he is outwardly fierce but inwardly weak, good at scheming but indecisive, and flexible in his stance and bottom line, he also has a bit of the air of a chivalrous playboy. He is most good at spending money to win people's hearts. What he is doing now is far beyond what a small family can do.

So the next day, instead of soliciting business, the members of the "Lingguan Society" were all busy.

Geng Jingzhong first counted out twenty taels from the silver and gave them to the village head, local officials, baozheng, and jiazhang of Jiachong Village. He said that the "Lingguan Association" usually operated in this area and needed their help. He hoped that they would turn a blind eye to any minor issues in the future.

These villagers were nothing more than insignificant figures planted by the government among the common people. Upon receiving such a generous gift, they were immediately filled with gratitude. Knowing that these gods of wealth needed to be protected, they naturally went out of their way to inform others.

Then, he took out twenty taels of silver and asked He Lang'er to take a few people to the grain store to buy rice, the oil and salt store to buy salt and firewood, and deliver one dou of rice, one jin of salt and one bundle of firewood to each of the more than one hundred households in Tanwei Street.

The rice wasn't good rice; it was just yellow millet and sweet potato rice. The salt was just local coarse salt. On the contrary, the fact that they were carrying loads of firewood was quite eye-catching. Nowadays, poor people in Fuzhou can only cut some miscellaneous firewood and don't have proper firewood. The area inside and outside Fuzhou has long been cleared of trees by logging. Going back and forth to cut firewood every day is a very difficult task, and people often go missing or die because of it.

Geng Jingzhong told them that the young men would inevitably flaunt their wealth later on, and if they didn't share some of the benefits, they would surely attract jealousy, as evidenced by their previous betrayal and arrest. To prevent anyone from stabbing them in the back, sending them some rice and salt wouldn't cost much, but it would buy them peace and a good reputation.

Geng Jingzhong's actions, though unintentional, attracted seven or eight idle youths from Tanwei Street. They felt that these youths had a bright future and insisted on joining the "Lingguan Society" on the spot, which expanded the gang to twelve or thirteen people.

Afterwards, Geng Jingzhong took out ten taels of silver and made a new set of cotton and linen clothes for each of the five boys, watching them happily put them on on the spot.

After working for most of the day, there were less than fifty taels of silver left in the account. Geng Jingzhong kept about twenty taels for himself as travel expenses, gave ten taels to He Lang'er, and five taels to each of the other four people.

"Take this money back to help with household expenses. But remember, you must not reveal any details about this. If I find out, you will be expelled from the Spirit Official Association immediately!"

"Thank you, brother!"

The boys took the silver coins and stuffed them into their waistbands, their faces beaming with joy. Their previous dissatisfaction had vanished, and their eyes were filled with reverence as they looked at Geng Jingzhong.

After all the arrangements were made, everyone was happy. The boys took their silver and went home. Geng Jingzhong also used the remaining silver to pay for the Zeng family's meal, buy some cotton and linen cloth, two sets of clothes and bedding, as well as firewood and lamp oil that they could only dream of on ordinary days.

The Zeng family of three, looking at the house piled high with things, were so excited they didn't know what to say, while Geng Jingzhong acted as if nothing was wrong and didn't care at all.

As evening fell, Zeng Amei cooked dried clam noodles, and the delicious aroma filled the entire courtyard. He Lang'er, claiming that his parents had died early and he had nowhere to go, went back to the Zeng family home with Geng Jingzhong for dinner.

Steaming hot noodles were served on the table, topped with two poached eggs, sprinkled with scallions and dried clams. The noodles were incredibly delicious, and the family ate in silence.

Halfway through the meal, Geng Jingzhong suddenly put down his chopsticks, looked at He Lang'er and asked, "Today at Rouyuan Post Station, you clearly guessed that it was the work of the rampaging soldiers, why didn't you say so?"

He Lang'er put down his chopsticks, looked up at Geng Jingzhong, and grinned: "Brother, you clearly know you can take two hundred taels of silver, so why did you only take one hundred?"

The two exchanged a glance and suddenly burst into laughter. Geng Jingzhong was quite satisfied with He Lang'er; he was bold yet meticulous, polite and grateful. Apart from having some hidden thoughts, he was a rare talent among the common people.

As night fell, spring rain poured down, and He Lang'er was unable to return home immediately. Geng Jingzhong saw that his face was still somewhat pale and his steps were slightly unsteady, as if he had been upset and distressed at the Longjiang thatched cottage, so he let him share a bed with him.

The two traveled forty miles back and forth during the day, and after a long day of travel, they were both exhausted. As soon as their heads hit the pillow, they fell into a deep sleep.

In the dead of night, all was quiet. The rain outside the window had stopped sometime earlier, and only the water droplets on the eaves continued to fall intermittently on the bluestone slabs, making a "tap, tap" sound that was particularly clear in the dead of night, as if someone was scratching at the stone.

Geng Jingzhong was fast asleep when he suddenly heard a very soft, rustling sound beside him, followed by intermittent murmurs: "Don't tie me up... I don't want to be a sacrifice... Don't lie on my back..." However, Geng Jingzhong was too sleepy to open his eyes. After a moment, he vaguely noticed He Lang'er's body slowly stiffening, and the murmurs gradually disappeared.

When Geng Jingzhong opened his eyes at dawn, he saw He Lang'er, who was facing inwards, with his eyes closed, his face full of fear, and his forehead covered with cold sweat, just like the one in Longjiang Thatched Cottage.

This time, however, He Lang'er's body was in an extremely strange posture—his head was tilted back as if trying to touch his back, his eyes, which were pressed against his eyelids, seemed to be staring back as if he had been frightened by something, while his spine was arched high, like a fully drawn bow, and his muscles were tense and trembling slightly.

"He Lang'er! He Lang'er!"

Geng Jingzhong quickly pushed him, only to find that his body was as hard as a rock and burning hot, clearly indicating that he had a high fever.

The commotion alerted Old Man Zeng in the outer room. He put on his clothes and came in. When he saw He Lang'er's appearance, he sighed and his face was full of pity: "What a tragedy, this child, his life is too bitter."

"You know him too?" Geng Jingzhong asked.

"Of course I recognize you."

Old Man Zeng sat by the bed, looking at the unconscious He Lang'er, and slowly said, "His father and I were both farmers. He was strong and healthy and made a living by fishing. He also knew some of the family's shamanistic arts. He would perform rituals for people in private to supplement the family income. Although life was hard after he got married and had children, he managed to get by."

"Later, in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen's reign, a great plague broke out in Fuzhou. His father, being kind-hearted, saw that the Dan people had nowhere to get medicine and were very pitiful, so he gave them some talisman water to help them in their time of need. As a result, he was falsely accused by the local sorcerer, who said that he 'bewitched the masses with talisman water, harmed countless people, and killed seven or eight out of ten.' The government arrested him without distinguishing right from wrong, beat him until he was crippled, and he endured it for five or six years before finally spitting blood and dying. The child's mother was also sold and remarried, leaving him all alone, growing up in loneliness and misery."

Old Man Zeng shook his head and continued speaking.

He Lang'er back then probably learned a little bit from his father, always claiming he could see things others couldn't, spouting nonsense. The shamans often chased and beat him until he bled profusely. He was only six or seven years old at the time and was completely powerless to resist, so he could only kowtow and beg for mercy every day, pleading with the shamans to let him go.

"Sigh, I don't know what evil spirits I encountered this time, that it turned out like this..."

The art of managing people that Geng Jingzhong learned taught him never to question why others were loyal. Only loyalty gained by providing sufficient resources would make someone a true confidant. But now he suddenly understood why He Lang'er would suddenly bring people to join him after he had withstood the Trinity Sect's exorbitant donations and driven away the street thugs.

"It's alright, I will do everything I can to wake him up."