Chapter 90. The Jade Scroll (1)

I continued heading towards Mount Ami, enduring the jabs from the Prefect of Pianchuan. However, there came a moment when I could no longer bear it.

'This is not right.'

Immediately after being stabbed while eating, I threw down my chopsticks and declared, "I'll just ask for a refund."

"What nonsense! There is no word for refund in this old man's jade tablet!"

With that, the Prefect of Pianchuan jabbed me again, this time on the collarbone, while insisting that it was all for my own good.

'What a lucky bastard.'

I had to endure it, cursing the Prefect of Pianchuan's 18 generations of ancestors in my heart.

Actually, the Pianchuan Prefect's training method wasn't entirely useless. After being stabbed for four days straight, I could now avoid about three out of ten jabs, sensing something was off. However, that didn't mean I could tolerate being stabbed. I was stabbed over a hundred times a day, and it was driving me mad.

"Let's stop here for today."

"Hmm, fine."

I unfolded the map and pointed to the village we planned to visit today, Goshang Village, which was a midpoint with mulberry trees and primarily engaged in sericulture, but was otherwise an unremarkable small village.

The Prefect of Pianchuan, who had been listening to me indifferently, looked at the map and pointed to a spot, saying, "Why don't we go directly from here? It looks closer and the road seems wider."

"There's a mountain stronghold there."

The place the Prefect of Pianchuan pointed to had a small mountain stronghold called Guguchai, which housed about fifty bandits, not a particularly significant group.

If it were a large caravan, they would have to pass through the area due to the road, but since it was just the two of us, we could take a slight detour and avoid paying the toll.

Upon hearing my explanation, the Prefect of Pianchuan clicked his tongue and said, "What do I have to fear from bandits?"

"You have a point."

Indeed, when I thought about it, the Prefect of Pianchuan was right. What bandit could possibly demand a toll from a peak-level expert? Even the notorious Green Forest King would find it difficult.

I folded the map, thinking I had overthought it. "Then let's take that route."

"Alright, good."

With that, we decided on our route and hurried along. We needed to move quickly to reach Goshang Village and rest by the end of the day.

*Thud!*

Fortunately, I managed to avoid it this time.

"Hey, cut it out!"

"Have you ever seen an enemy take a break?"

Compared to the harsh training from Beigong Lin, this guy was a hundred times worse. He jabbed without any warning, and it brought back painful memories of my school days.

'Why did I make such a foolish deal?'

Just as I was lamenting and about to pass by the Guguchai territory, a very unpleasant smell wafted to my nose.

'What is this smell?'

It was an extremely unpleasant odor, reminiscent of rotten food and a pungent stench. The Prefect of Pianchuan, who was sniffing, frowned.

"What is this smell?"

"I'm not sure... It smells like something is rotting."

It was like the smell that comes from a bin of food waste in the summer. When I said this, the Prefect of Pianchuan frowned and said, "Could it be the smell of a decaying body?"

Upon taking a closer whiff, it did indeed seem to be that.

'Really the smell of a decaying body?'

This area was within the Guguchai territory, so if something had happened, the bandits would have cleaned it up. It was a strange situation. The Prefect of Pianchuan, unable to contain his curiosity, suggested we go and see.

"Let's go and take a look."

"Alright."

Since we weren't going out of our way and I was curious, we followed the Prefect of Pianchuan's suggestion and headed towards the source of the smell. As we approached Guguchai, the stench of decay became overwhelming, almost unbearable.

'Could there be an epidemic?'

It wasn't uncommon for a mountain stronghold to be wiped out by an epidemic. Bandits often lived in unsanitary conditions and had difficulty calling for doctors, so if an epidemic broke out, it often led to mass deaths.

'But this is a bit...'

As I felt my stomach turn from the stench, we arrived at Guguchai and soon discovered the truth. The scene was horrific.

"...It really is the smell of decaying bodies."

"Hmm, even this old man is surprised."

Massacre (殺劫)!

There was not a single living soul in Guguchai. Only the bodies of the bandits lay scattered everywhere.

Looking around at the destroyed huts and the bodies left unattended, the Prefect of Pianchuan quietly said, "Hmm... This doesn't seem like the work of the government. It looks like the work of martial artists."

While the government sometimes sent troops to eliminate bandits, this scene was very different. Normally, when the government carried out a raid, they would take the heads as proof of their success. However, most of the heads on these bodies were still intact.

'And the bodies are not even organized.'

Moreover, there were clear signs of martial arts techniques everywhere. The only way to cause such damage to the walls without using explosives was through martial arts.

"It definitely seems like the work of martial artists."

"Hmm. I wonder what idle person did this?"

As the Prefect of Pianchuan looked around, he stopped in front of a body and pointed to its wounds, saying, "These guys seem to be involved with the Nine Dragons Sect."

"Really? The Nine Dragons Sect?"

"Yes. Look at this guy's wounds."

The body the Prefect of Pianchuan pointed to appeared to be the leader of the stronghold, judging by its size. He had died with numerous, elaborate wounds. I looked at them and said matter-of-factly, "He was cut by a sword."

"No, that's not it."

Then what?

When I gave him a look that said, "What are you trying to say?" the Prefect of Pianchuan explained, somewhat exasperated, "These are wounds from the Nine Dragons Sect's Seven-Section Nine-Dragon Sword. To inflict such wounds, the user must be at least a 5-star expert in the Seven-Section Nine-Dragon Sword..."

Sorry, that's a stretch.

The Prefect of Pianchuan was excitedly explaining, but I honestly couldn't understand a word. However, I couldn't tell him, "What the hell is that, you nerd?" so I just nodded along unenthusiastically.

"Right. Hmm. Oh, ah. Hmm, oh, yeah."

Fortunately, the Prefect of Pianchuan didn't notice and continued excitedly.

"...So, this is definitely the work of the Seven-Section Nine-Dragon Sword. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand very clearly."

I nodded emphatically, and the Prefect of Pianchuan smiled, seemingly satisfied with my answer.

"Right, right. Still, I can't understand why the Nine Dragons Sect would do this. They're not the type to go around exterminating bandits."

"That is indeed strange."

The Nine Dragons Sect was a well-known martial arts sect of the evil path, famous enough that even I had heard of it. In terms of size alone, it was comparable to one of the major orthodox sects.

"They're not the type to go around exterminating bandits. Hmm..."

Curious, the Prefect of Pianchuan began searching for clues that might reveal the cause of the incident. I turned my gaze to the bodies.

'I should tell the people in the village later.'

Even though the dead were bandits, it felt wrong to leave them like this.

I decided to inform the people of Goshang Village and was about to do so when the Prefect of Pianchuan, who had been examining the bodies, seemed to have reached a conclusion.

"From the traces, it looks like a typical massacre."

"Can you tell that from the traces?"

"Yes. The feeling is very clear. Look here. They chased down and cut the backs of those trying to escape."

The Prefect of Pianchuan pointed to a body that had fallen face down with its eyes wide open, having been cut from behind while trying to escape. He continued, "In a normal situation, they would let the lower ranks escape. There's no significant problem in letting them live. But they were still cut down. That's a typical massacre."

After confidently explaining this to me, the Prefect of Pianchuan, who seemed to enjoy such things, continued searching for a while.

At first, I thought it was just an old man's hobby, but after an hour, I couldn't take it anymore.

'Does he like detective stories?'

Thinking we would be stuck here until dark, I grabbed the Prefect of Pianchuan and suggested we leave.

"Let's go. Prefect Ban."

"No, if we search a bit more, we might find something..."

"What would we do with that information?"

We'll be here all night if this continues.

After hesitating several times, the Prefect of Pianchuan finally turned around due to my persistent persuasion. Before leaving, I paused to pay my respects to the pile of bodies, wishing them well.

'May you find peace.'

We resumed our journey to Goshang Village. As we walked, the main topic of conversation for the Prefect of Pianchuan was the massacre at Guguchai.

The Prefect of Pianchuan, using his limited brain cells, began to share his theories with me.

"This is definitely related to a treasure!"

"A treasure?"

I responded indifferently, thinking it was just another wild theory. However, the Prefect of Pianchuan, with a gleam in his eye, continued passionately.

"Yes, a treasure. It could be a secret manual!"

"Right, right."

He looked like he was about to set off on a great adventure. The Prefect of Pianchuan, getting more and more excited, continued to share his theories.

"This old man has pursued such treasures before. The Jade Scroll of the Supreme Sword, which is said to contain the insights of the Supreme Sword Master, who once reached the peak of martial arts."

"Who is the Supreme Sword Master?"

"Really, you don't know the Supreme Sword Master?"

"Yes, I'm not from the Central Plains."

Thinking it was better to humor the old man rather than endure more jabs, I asked, even though I wasn't particularly curious.

The Prefect of Pianchuan smiled and continued, "Alright, I'll tell you about the Supreme Sword Master."

***

The Supreme Sword Master (太乙劍尊) Jeong Il was one of the most significant figures in the long history of martial arts and among the countless martial artists. Without him, there would be no Martial Arts Alliance, and the Central Plains martial arts world would not exist.

Born into a humble family in Henan, he lost his parents to an epidemic and was taken in by a passing Taiqing Daoist, eventually joining the Wudang Sect.

Initially, he was known as a bright child, but once he began practicing martial arts, he quickly surpassed his senior disciples and reached the level of a master at the young age of fifteen.

Prodigy (神童)

This was the term used to describe him in Wudang.

Despite achieving such success at a young age, he remained focused on his training, never descending the mountain or interacting much with his senior disciples. One day, he suddenly attained enlightenment and reached the peak of martial arts.

He had just passed his youth when this happened.

'Wudang has a world-class talent.'

Such rumors were widespread, but even after reaching the peak, he did not reveal himself to the martial arts world. He continued to train in silence.

His first appearance in the martial arts world was due to the emergence of the Blood Sect.

What later became known as the Blood Demon Chaos began when the Blood Demon invaded the Central Plains, aiming to unify the martial arts world. The orthodox martial arts world, scattered and disorganized, realized they could not stand against the Blood Sect and formed the Martial Arts Alliance.

At this time, he descended from Wudang Mountain for the first time and was dispatched to the alliance.

Thus, he appeared on the front lines of martial arts history, engaging in countless battles against the Blood Sect, cutting down numerous Blood Sect members, and ultimately beheading the Left Guardian of the Blood Sect.

The Blood Sect's power was completely shattered, and they fled to the west, restoring peace to the Central Plains.

However, this peace was short-lived, as the Central Plains martial arts world was soon plunged into chaos again, this time due to the invasion of the Devil Sect, which saw the weakened Central Plains as an opportunity.

The Central Plains martial arts world, having lost most of its experts in the Blood Demon Chaos and weakened, found itself in a precarious situation.

As the saying goes, crisis calls for a hero.

At this time, Jeong Il reappeared.

In the interim, he had transcended the Life and Death Pass and reached the realm of Transformation. He fought against the Devil Sect, defeating countless Devil Sect members.

The Devil Sect, realizing they could not conquer the Central Plains without defeating Jeong Il, sent out the contemporary First Devil, known as the Heavenly Devil. The two met on Mount Tai and engaged in a fierce battle that lasted seven days and nights, even altering the landscape.

In this battle, known as the Tai Mountain Duel, Jeong Il emerged victorious.

The defeated First Devil lamented Jeong Il as "a peerless hero of the mortal world" and returned to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, vowing to return someday.

Thus, Jeong Il, who had saved the Central Plains martial arts world twice, then took a surprising step. He left the Wudang Sect and returned to his hometown in Henan, where he established a small manor called Iga.

The martial arts world, which had found peace, seemed to be at rest.

However, ten years later, war broke out again, this time in the Western Regions.

The Central Plains martial arts world, still recovering from the two major wars, crumbled like a bamboo stick. It seemed that the Central Plains martial arts world was about to end.

But once again, Jeong Il stood as a barrier. With his resolute return, he defeated numerous lamas and high lamas, and when the Western Regions lost their Eight Great Venerables, they had to retreat, swallowing their tears.

Having saved the martial arts world three times, Jeong Il did not return to Iga but disappeared without a trace, vanishing as if he had never existed.

Some said he had transcended, while others claimed he had fallen into madness due to internal injuries sustained in the battle with the Eight Great Venerables and was hiding to recover. The truth was unknown to anyone.

***

"Thus, the Supreme Sword Master disappeared. Later, rumors spread that his insights were hidden somewhere."

"How many years ago was that? This person."

"Hmm... Let me see. About a hundred years ago."

The Prefect of Pianchuan, counting on his fingers, said this. I was taken aback and snorted, "You're still looking for it after a hundred years?"

A hundred years is enough time for a company CEO to become the Emperor of Mars. It's unlikely that it would still be around.

Moreover, a hundred-year-old martial arts technique would be outdated. Martial arts have evolved over the years, and it seemed strange to go to such lengths to find an old technique.

However, the Prefect of Pianchuan had a different view.

"Would the insights of a contemporary first-rate expert be outdated after just a hundred years? It's just that no one has found it. It's definitely still a world-class technique."

"Even so, in a hundred years, someone must have found it and used it or sold it."

"While there are such opinions, the prevailing view is that no one has found it."

"Is there any reason for that?"

When I asked, the Prefect of Pianchuan said with confidence, "It's because of the Moonlight Scroll, which caused a stir in the martial arts world twenty years ago."

"The Moonlight Scroll?"

Oh, keep introducing difficult reader settings.

What is that?