Martial Paragon and the Youth
Unless my memory was awry, the first time I met Martial Paragon was at Emei. Emei is relatively close to Nanjiang, which was why it was within his active area. Since Shifu was close to them at the time, I frequented Emei with him. I remember seeing Lass Yu’s grandpa, Emei’s matriarch and Uncle Martial Paragon that visit.
I seldom visited people at New Year to pay my respects. Technically, I rarely visited any big events since I had a tendency to say things I shouldn’t. I usually said things like, “May good times last forever.” As a result, they tended to see me in the same light as my shifu – especially Uncle Martial Paragon. I had never been insulted so much until I saw the way Martial Paragon looked at us as though we were cut from the same cloth.
“Was there a need to turn the palace upside down just to see me?” The uncle I remembered sauntered into the hall with his nostalgic smile.
I didn’t catch his footsteps?
Given they only let me into the palace after I dropped a few hundred guards at the palace entrance, I figured it would be quite an ordeal to see him, yet he came to me.
Uncle Martial Paragon helped himself to a seat and said, “Don’t be flashy like your shifu. Kids should be modest and honest.”
At most, he was only a tad older, not so much appearance-wise but mentally, similarly to someone diagnosed with chronic stress.
I knew several Divine Realm adepts; however, there were only three whom I respect, Uncle Martial Paragon being one of them. I mean, the man was dressed in shoddy clothing, had two white buns on his head and was somewhat hunched over, yet he still looked cool. If I wanted to pick an appearance when I was an old man, I’d want to be him. It certainly would save me the trouble of dying my hair.
“Ooooh, they say the weather beats one ruthlessly, yet you have not aged at all.”
“… You still have your ‘unique’ way of complimenting people, I see. You trying to put me in a coffin sooner?”
“Eh?”
“You didn’t plunge the palace into chaos just to wish me eternal youth, did you?”
“No, no.” I offered a palm-fist salute. “Greetings, Elder Martial Paragon.”
“Just call me ‘Uncle’ as usual. I’m not used to you being polite. What did you want to see me for?”
“Oh, drop the pretence. You would not meet me here if you did not know. Long-story short, I have two reasons for seeing you.”
Uncle Martial Paragon had a nip of two. “First, you must want me to help you slay the beast in Nieyao, correct?”
“Glad you got straight to the point.” I sat down to have a sip of tea. “Exactly.”
“I refuse.”
I jumped to my feet: “Wait! Hang on! Hold up! Slow down! Do not refuse so fast!”
“I refuse your first request. You can tell me your second request now.”
“Come on. Let us talk about the first one!”
The six evil beasts were believed to be the descendants of the dragon race, each having different personalities. Since Heisina Tribe was forging a weapon to slay them, the beast may very well take offence to it and march out of Nieyao. If assailing it failed to bring it down, half of the blood it spilt would be from Nanjiang’s denizens.
Nobody could persuade me that the reason Uncle Martial Paragon came out of retirement wasn’t related to Nieyao. He cared about the wellbeing of his state and people as much as Emperor Yuansheng cared for his nation and people. I assumed it’d be tough to broach the second request, but he wasn’t going to turn me away when the safety of Nanjiang’s people was hanging in the balance. I envisioned him coming with me to Nieyao after my first request, allowing me to bring up my second request when the conditions were more “right”; I didn’t expect him to throw my script out the window.
I repeated everything he already knew again to then question, “Why do you refuse to help?!”
“I am no help.”
“I assume you do not know who has signed up for the expedition.”
You wouldn’t see Luo Ming, Abels and Lai Jingzhen fighting on the same team in decades. If we could add Uncle Martial Paragon to the team, we could reduce our death toll even further.
Subsequent to hearing who our forces consisted off, Uncle Martial Paragon digressed. “Nieyao… is Xiacang Anxi’s most ominous page of history. People want to turn the page, but they can’t. Heavenly Swordsman is an extraordinary swordsman and formed an amicable alliance with Heisina Tribe. Alas, his defeat was inexorable. He didn’t understand what Nieyao means to Xiacang Anxi. The ancient, cursed entity that a nation doesn’t want to face is still nestled in that city. Do you,” he made unshaking eye contact with me, “really comprehend what you are getting yourself into?”
Holding my gaze against his, I answered, “Nobody knows how to slay the calamitous beasts better than Mount Daluo, including… the secrets in Nieyao’s royal palace.”
Uncle Martial Paragon finally understood what I was getting at. He shut his eyes to mull on everything for a while. “I understand what you’re implying now. Still, I maintain my stance. This is Xiacang Anxi’s problem. We do not need outsiders getting involved. While I won’t stop you, you can’t tell me what to do.”
“I will say it again: nobody knows how to deal with them better than us. If we do not join the expedition and the beast surfaces, more people will die than you can count.”
“Alternatively, have peace with Heisina Tribe. Give them a proper identity. Give them land. Allow them to let go of their fixation on what happened in Nieyao.”
“They do not want land or status. You know that better than I do, no?”
“I do. Even so, this is an irresistible temptation. Heisina Beussent is my student, so I know him best. Peace may not change his goal. Nevertheless, most Heisina Tribe members will be satisfied with the offer and move on. Consequently, he will lose his allies without a fight.”
“You conniving coot…” I crossed my arms. “You do realise it is only a question of time, right? Heisina Tribe was never the root cause.”
Uncle Martial Paragon helped himself to another drink of tea. “My point is, your forces are not enough to tackle the challenge. I thought I made myself clear enough.”
“What do you mean by that?” I grumbled.
“Ming Huayu and your grandmaster have real experience slaying them. If they were here, I might cooperate with them. You, on the other hand, don’t have that experience. Do you know how many calamitous beasts are in there? Do you know their power levels? Do you know how to defeat them?”
“… I am not without a plan.”
“Do you think I’m underestimating you? I’m not underestimating your strength at all.” Uncle Martial Paragon returned his cup to the table. Looking into my eyes as if I was an open book, he expressed, “If you and I could rewind our clocks back ten years, we might be able to have a third match. Regrettably, I only have one arm left and have rusted. It would be your lopsided victory if we fought now, which is exactly why…
“Not only am I no match for you, but neither is Luo Ming, Abels nor Lai Jingzhen. Don’t forget, Ming Feizhen, you aren’t just invincible; you also have the potential to be the most calamitous demon in the world. I take it you haven’t forgotten what happened ten years ago.”
I subtly and bitterly lifted the corners of my lips: “I would not be able to… even if I wanted to.”
“You embody three incredible disciplines. Hardly anyone in the Central Plain could rival you by the time you were eighteen, yet the demon’s allure still lulled you in. While I don’t know the reasons for your decision, I believe I have the right to say something. The stronger you are, the more you are a problem in Nieyao.
“Nobody can foresee what will happen. Your fight with the beast may awaken your demonic side. Who can stop you if you give in to your demons again? How can your allies tell if you are their ally or another calamitous beast?”
I sat back down slowly and rubbed my head: “You… have a point.”
I never dismissed the risk or neglected it. If Young Shiyi got hurt in battle, I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t lose it as I did ten years ago.
“This is a surprise.” Uncle Martial Paragon cracked a smile. “I thought you’d feel insulted and challenge me,” he added, prior to ejecting qi that almost disfigured all the furniture.
… This old bugger has been keeping his guard up this whole time? Y-you’re bloody shrewd as hell!
“You’ve grown, though. You’re no longer as impulsive. Found the girl you were looking for back then?”
“… No, not yet. I am still searching. Thank you for asking.” I rubbed my face to avoid being teased. “Seeing as my first request has been rejected, I shall get straight to my second topic of interest. I believe you will not reject my second request.”
“That will depend on what it is about. If you’re going to ask for a money loan, you can quit while you’re ahead.”
“I do not think you will object to this.” I stepped away from my seat and kowtowed to Martial Paragon. “I sincerely thank you for saving me! Had you not sacrificed your arm to snap me out of it, my hands would be stained with immeasurable amounts of bloodshed and brought misfortune to innumerable families. I will always be grateful for your sacrifice.”
Glossary
May good times last forever – Not a very accurate translation. There are numerous ways to say, “Long live so and so,” and you don’t always add a subject to it. For that reason, selecting the appropriate thing to say is important because not all of them can be used to wish people a long life. Some are wishes for a long and healthy relationship. Some are wishes for good times to last etc. Ming Feizhen chose one for objects when he was wishing someone a long and healthy life.
The weather beats one ruthlessly – The meaning of “weather-beaten” in this phrase is meant to be used to say, “You must overcome difficulty in order to improve,” the weather in the phrase being used as a symbol of difficulty, so Ming Feizhen misused the phrase just as he does with New Year’s wishes.
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