Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Who Are You? (2)

They say that crazy people hear things like auditory hallucinations. A voice that sounds clear to their ears, but others can't hear it, leading them to start feeling a disconnect from reality and eventually go wild.

So, am I really hearing hallucinations because I'm crazy? Frankly, it seems more realistic to think that this is just a hallucination rather than the real voice of Inspector Zhang Sanfeng. After all, it's unprecedented for Inspector Zhang Sanfeng to speak to me.

But.

"Yes, I can hear you clearly."

"It's so clear it's almost troublesome."

I made up my mind.

To believe the words that echo in my head.

Although a part of my mind still had doubts, I folded and organized them away.

There were aspects that didn't make sense if I thought this was a voice from my madness.

For example, the instructions to completely dismantle Yun Shihu's movements.

Those instructions couldn't have come from me. They were beyond my level.

So, I had no choice but to believe.

I had to believe.

"..."

Reflecting on it again, the tone is really cheap.

It's so casual that it's almost troublesome. I don't know how to handle this voice, and I can't quite figure out where to place it.

I suppressed a smirk and opened my mouth.

"Well, I did consider the possibility that I might be crazy..."

"Isn't it better to think that this voice is really Inspector Zhang Sanfeng rather than being crazy?"

Special and abnormal.

If I had to choose one, I'd rather be special.

It might seem a bit shameless, but what's the harm?

After all, this voice starts and ends within me. It doesn't seem like anyone else can hear it.

Good is good.

The voice in my head laughed loudly, as if my answer pleased it.

"Inspector, you're more interesting than I thought."

I recalled the words Inspector Zhang Sanfeng had said, frustrated by my martial arts.

Goodness, if I hadn't heard it myself, I wouldn't have believed it. Who would believe that the founder of Wudang, Inspector Zhang Sanfeng, could talk so bluntly?

But paradoxically, it was precisely because of this that I believed this voice was really Inspector Zhang Sanfeng.

If I were really crazy and creating a fictional personality, the Inspector Zhang Sanfeng I imagined wouldn't have this kind of character.

I would have made him more comforting.

Thinking about it, should I be relieved that Inspector Zhang Sanfeng has this kind of character?

This thought crossed my mind as I changed my perspective.

Then, I suddenly remembered the nickname Inspector Zhang Sanfeng had when he was alive.

"Zhang Lata (張邋遢) (Lata: dirty and unkempt). Lata Daoist."

A strange person who treated everyone, from the most noble emperor to the lowliest commoner, without discrimination, without any formalities.

If he had been a high-minded and pretentious person, the nickname given to him by later generations would have been very different.

Zhang Lata. Lata Daoist.

Nicknames he was called while alive.

Since he hasn't been called that since he became an immortal and ascended to heaven, the voice in my head spoke with a deep sense of nostalgia.

'Come to think of it, this person is an immortal...'

Perhaps because I accepted it a bit late, the fact that Inspector Zhang Sanfeng, with whom I'm now conversing, is an immortal, really hit me.

An immortal is an immortal, after all.

With this thought, the most curious thing came to mind.

It's a curiosity that anyone who has ever lived would have at least once.

"What is heaven like?"

The afterlife. The place people go when they die.

If Inspector Zhang Sanfeng, with whom I'm now conversing, is real, then the afterlife must also exist.

What does it look like, indeed...

"..."

...Excuse me?

What is this sudden cheapness?

I knew about Inspector Zhang Sanfeng's character, but this is a bit much.

"Yes, well..."

"..."

"Um, then..."

"..."

It seems there are many things you can't talk about in heaven.

Maybe it's because it's a story from such a high place that it doesn't feel real.

"Still, you're an immortal..."

Is this for real?

"Demons of Heaven... those demons of heaven?"

The demons of heaven, the great demons that the demon sect disciples worship every day of the year.

"Are they... your drinking buddies? The demons of heaven and you?"

"No, that's beyond the realm of being funny."

It feels like I'm hearing something I shouldn't.

The names suddenly make sense.

"Then, Inspector..."

"No, no."

It feels like I'm asking something I shouldn't.

It feels very much so!

I shouldn't have asked.

I'll keep my mouth shut.

Inspector Zhang Sanfeng, who was complaining about his successor, suddenly stopped speaking.

Then he made a strange snort.

What is this, a hunter's voice upon spotting prey?

"Yes?"

Zhaoging, the Fengshen Battle Array, the Law of Cause and Effect.

Stories that I can't understand at all.

Then, Inspector Zhang Sanfeng's voice stopped.

"Yes, tomorrow."

I was about to say something, but Inspector Zhang Sanfeng's voice, which suddenly left, left me slightly disappointed.

***

Unlike the strict discipline of the main disciples, lay disciples enjoy a relatively comfortable life.

Although they are confined (or imprisoned?) within Wudang, which is detached from the secular world, it's not a big problem for most of them.

They only need to participate in the group training led by the main disciples in the morning, and the rest of the time is largely left to them.

It's almost a laissez-faire approach.

If there's one more thing to mention, it's the occasional sparring matches among lay disciples to check their progress.

This wasn't always the way lay disciples were treated.

But it is now.

This is because there are some precious people on this side.

For example, the second or third sons of prominent families.

They are not the heirs to the family, but they can't just be left idle, so they are sent here to do something.

Because everyone thinks similarly, these people gather, and it naturally becomes a place to build connections.

Building connections in a place where many people from prominent families gather can be quite powerful. Just having good connections can save you from being a nobody.

As a bonus, you get to learn Wudang martial arts and gain the title of a Wudang lay disciple.

If I were to mention the good points, this place seems almost perfect.

But as there is light, there is also darkness, and of course, there are bad points.

Like the appearance of someone like Yun Shihu.

There are cases where people come here with a passion for martial arts like me, but if someone comes here for connections, they will inevitably try to befriend those with backgrounds.

For someone treated as a nobody at home, this is a matter of life and death. To be treated as a person at home, they must create their own value.

Unfortunately, Yun Shihu's family is a powerful one in many aspects.

That's why I had a hard time.

"The cold atmosphere is probably because of that."

The looks that seem to ask, "Why don't you bow to Yun Shihu?" I met each of those cold looks, as cold as the mountain air in the morning, with a shrug.

If I were to be intimidated by this atmosphere and tremble in fear, I wouldn't have stayed here in the first place.

Amidst the cold gazes, I stretched my body demonstratively.

Then someone spoke to me.

"Is your jaw okay?"

It was a main disciple who watched my sparring with Yun Shihu yesterday.

Was his name Mingjin?

"Ah, yes."

We had always been distant, but he spoke to me first today.

Mingjin is a main disciple. His situation is different from that of lay disciples. He doesn't need to change his attitude toward me.

So, why now?

"You look like you're wondering why I'm talking to you."

"Probably."

Honestly, it's awkward.

The fundamental reason Yun Shihu can act so recklessly is that the main Wudang sect tolerates such situations. While I can't blame the main disciple here for the policies of the main sect, it would be a lie to say I have no feelings about it.

Mingjin chuckled at my frank expression.

"Yun Shihu is still in the medicine room. He seems to have taken quite a hit."

"At least I'll have some peace for a while."

"For a while, yes."

It's a meaningful statement.

Hearing this, I understand why he's talking to me.

"Yun Shihu said he won't let you off next time."

"..."

"I'm prepared."

If I know Yun Shihu, he will definitely do that. I know from his character that he has a lot to settle with me.

A bitter Yun Shihu will likely use the sparring as an excuse to go too far. No, it's not a matter of likelihood; it's a certainty.

Mingjin is saying, "If you don't want to end up crippled by the next sparring, either run or get stronger."

"Your Six Peaks Saber Technique yesterday was excellent."

If I were a hopeless case, he wouldn't have said this. It seems Mingjin saw potential in my response to Yun Shihu's moves. He probably didn't like Yun Shihu much either, if he's suggesting I should knock him down again.

After all, how many people genuinely like that guy?

"The morning training is about to start!"

After finishing his business, Mingjin headed to the platform and began the morning training as usual, leading the Tai Chi Chuan form.

The lay disciples followed Mingjin's lead and performed the Tai Chi Chuan form.

I also followed the form like the other students, but my mind was elsewhere.

What should I do about Yun Shihu?

"I don't want to run."

If I were the type to run at the first sign of fear, I would have left long ago and found another path.

I'm not a coward who runs away when it's time to fight.

If this were just stubbornness, it would be reckless, but fortunately or unfortunately, this decision is not based on mere stubbornness.

The voice, filled with excitement as if it had been waiting for this moment, made me smile and respond.

"Seems so."

You're picking on a strange point.

"Maybe I'm a strange person. Don't you like strange people?"

Inspector Zhang Sanfeng laughed loudly, as if it hurt his head. Then, with a smile, he continued.

"I want to become stronger!"

"Understood!"

One of the legends who left the deepest mark in martial history.

The founder of Wudang, Lata Daoist Zhang Sanfeng.

"Please take care of me, Master!"

From today, he is my master.