Chapter 78: Nameless Bamboo

Ma Beifang said, “There are many masters in the world. Why don’t you leave Emerald Bamboo Island and seek out extraordinary people in the martial world to help you unblock your meridians?”

The man shook his head. “No, no. I cannot let anyone know I am here before I am cured of this stubborn ailment. Besides, I do not trust those people.”

Ma Beifang replied, “My skills are meager, and my martial arts are not of the same lineage as yours. I fear I cannot help you in this matter.”

The man said, “Your limited skill is not the issue, nor is the difference in our martial arts. If I teach you all that I know, will those problems not be solved? But I still do not know your name, young man.”

Ma Beifang shook his head and answered, “I am Ma Beifang, a disciple of the Heavenly Thunder Hall of the Tianshan Sect. As for what you just mentioned, without my master’s permission, I cannot learn martial arts from other schools. Otherwise—”

The man interrupted with a cold laugh. “To become a master who commands the martial world, you must draw upon the strengths of all schools. If you obey your master in everything, at best you’ll be a cautious, unambitious man, nothing more! What prospects could you possibly have? I know the head of Heavenly Thunder Hall is Yang Wuji, a free-spirited and competitive man. If you become the top disciple of the Tianshan Sect, he’d only be delighted. What are you worried about!”

Ma Beifang was rebellious by nature, and Yang Wuji was not overly strict with his disciples. He thought to himself that he didn’t even know who his enemy was, nor what kind of foes he might encounter on the path of vengeance. Without astonishing martial prowess, even if he found his enemy, whether he could prevail was uncertain.

The humiliation of being beaten by Iron Scale half a year ago, coughing blood within a few moves, was still fresh in his memory. He immediately said, “Very well! I agree! From today on, I will study martial arts under you. Once I have mastered them, I will help you unblock your meridians.”

The man laughed heartily. “Truly a man destined for greatness! I did not misjudge you!”

Ma Beifang said, “But your inner strength is profound, and I am far beneath you. I do not know how many years it would take to reach your level.”

The man replied, “Do not belittle yourself. You have already cultivated the seventh level of the Primal Unity Technique. If I teach you the formulas of inner strength, you will be nearly my equal in at most a year.”

Ma Beifang was incredulous. “How can that be? What inner skill in the world can advance so rapidly?”

The man said, “You truly are like a frog at the bottom of a well! You think only the Tianshan Sect’s skills are peerless, but there are wonders in other schools as well. Each of the dozens of inner force techniques I possess is extraordinary. Imagine what would happen if you combined them all!”

Ma Beifang still did not believe. “If they are truly so miraculous, then they cannot be mastered overnight. It would take decades to grasp the essence of even one. In just a year, I doubt I could master even a single technique.”

The man said, “If you use ordinary methods, of course it’s impossible. Even after decades, mastering two or three would be remarkable. However, I have a secret method: instead of using the usual Ren and Du meridians, you run your inner energy along the side channels—taking an unorthodox path. A day’s practice is worth dozens.”

Ma Beifang said, “Your practice method goes against convention. It must be extremely dangerous.”

The man laughed. “It is indeed dangerous. Like me, you will have to drink blood regularly to suppress chaotic energy within.”

Ma Beifang was startled. “If I too am plagued by such an ailment, I’ll barely be able to care for myself, let alone help you.”

The man replied, “Only by doing this can we save both yourself and me. Do you think you’ll help me by using the standard energy transfer techniques of your Tianshan Sect? Far from it! You and I must clash palms and compete in inner force. When the contest reaches its peak and both our dantian energies surge forth, we will break through the side channels in one effort, turning them into main meridians and relegating the Ren and Du to secondary status. The ailment will then be cured. So, only when our inner strength is evenly matched can we attempt it. Otherwise, before my full power is unleashed, you would be killed by the backlash—how could you save me then?”

Ma Beifang solemnly bowed deeply to the man. “Disciple greets Master. However, since I have not informed my own teacher, I dare not kneel in full ceremony. Please forgive me.”

The man smiled. “There’s no need for us to call each other master and disciple. I am not passing on my legacy, only saving my own life. Still, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, so we should have proper forms of address.”

He gazed pensively at the starlit sky outside the cave for a long while before saying, “My name is probably no longer mentioned in the martial world. Perhaps it’s for the best if everyone has forgotten. Since I live on Emerald Bamboo Island and this cave is surrounded by endless bamboo, just call me Bamboo Nameless. Or Old Bamboo. And I’ll call you Little Ma.”

Though formal sect rules were strict, and the two were master and disciple in all but name, such informal address was truly startling. Luckily, Ma Beifang was easygoing and thought the names “Old Bamboo” and “Little Ma” rather endearing.

Bamboo Nameless smiled. “Dawn is nearly upon us. Come here again tonight after dark, and I’ll teach you the method of energy circulation. For now, you should think of how to explain yourself to your companions. Remember, they are never to disturb me again.”

Ma Beifang grinned. “That’s simple enough. I’ll handle it with a little trickery.”

Bamboo Nameless nodded and led Ma Beifang out of the cave. The cave was ingeniously chosen: a broad waterfall tumbled from the mountaintop, like a curtain completely concealing the cave entrance. Had Bamboo Nameless not led him, he would never have guessed there was a secret behind the falls. Even more cleverly, to the left of the entrance was a narrow stone path, barely wide enough for a person, hidden in the grass, allowing one to enter or exit the cave without getting drenched.

He couldn’t help but praise, “Old Bamboo, you have a keen eye. There must be only a handful of such water-curtained caves in the world, and you found one on this remote island.”

Bamboo Nameless gave a bitter smile. “It wasn’t so easy. When I first arrived, this was just a bare stone cave. I noticed the stream above, so in my spare time, I built a dam in the stream, diverting some of the water, and dug a channel along the mountainside to form a river that cascades over the cave entrance. That’s how it became what you see now.”

Ma Beifang saw the scale of the undertaking and was deeply impressed that Bamboo Nameless had accomplished it alone. He asked, “With your level of martial skill, you’d be a top master even in the Central Plains. Why did you end up here?”

Bamboo Nameless sighed. “It’s a long story. You don’t need to know why I left the Central Plains yet. Once I’m cured, I’ll return, and you’ll naturally learn my story. For now, I can only say that two years ago, I left the Central Plains due to a pressing matter. I took a sea ship intending to go to Japan, but a typhoon struck, making the voyage impossible. The ship had to stop at Emerald Bamboo Island for fresh water. I overheard the sailors say the island was a hundred miles wide, with abundant fresh water, lush bamboo forests, teeming wildlife, and plenty of fish and shrimp in the northern bay—a perfect place for seclusion. While the sailors spoke casually, I listened with intent. Since there was such a good place, why go to Japan? Besides, the island is close to the mainland and ships regularly come to resupply. When I wish to leave, it will be easy to find a ship. So I took some tools and cloth from the ship and slipped into the depths of the island to live in seclusion. Life here has been comfortable and worry-free. Anyway, it’s getting late. I’ll take you out now—see you tonight.” With that, he turned and walked through the waterfall back to the cave.

After dawn, He Jiahui and the others gathered several hundred men and stormed the mountain, arriving at the logging camp to find the corpses of over a dozen Japanese, but Ma Beifang was nowhere to be seen. The crowd was alarmed. He Jiahui bravely sent people to search, and after a while, someone shouted, “Found him! Found him!” Everyone rushed over to see Ma Beifang lying unconscious in the mud. They hurried to carry him back to the martial camp, along with the bodies of the Japanese.

Huang Shan was summoned. Seeing Ma Beifang’s wretched state, she burst into tears and held him tightly, refusing to let go. Though Ma Beifang pretended to be dead and dared not speak, he felt a warm comfort in his heart. He Jiahui urged, “Commander Ma is still breathing. We must get him back and have the doctors save him.”

Only then did Huang Shan let go, sobbing all the way back.

Back at the martial camp, after much emergency care, Ma Beifang finally let out a long sigh and regained consciousness. Everyone anxiously asked what had happened. Ma Beifang gravely claimed that he had encountered a monstrous creature, several stories tall, with a green face and fangs, that fed on human blood. He himself had only survived because the monster struck him with a lightning bolt and left him for dead.

Old Hu stamped his feet. “See, see! You youngsters never listen to your elders and suffer for it! I’ve said all along that the monster is not to be trifled with, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look—trouble! Now that you’ve angered it, who knows if we’ll all be killed?”

Everyone was so frightened they dared not speak. Ma Beifang said, “While I was unconscious, the Earth God appeared to me in a dream and said the monster dislikes being disturbed. As long as we offer it live chickens and sheep each day, we will be safe.”

The crowd breathed a sigh of relief. “Amitabha, if it only requires offerings, that’s easy.”

Someone asked, “Everyone else was drained of blood—why did Commander Ma survive?”

Ma Beifang was pondering how to answer when Old Hu clapped his hands and scolded, “Fools! It’s because Heaven took pity and let Commander Ma fall into the filth. That monster loves cleanliness; seeing him all dirty, it was disgusted and wouldn’t bite. Also, if Commander Ma had died, who would the Earth God have appeared to in a dream?”

Ma Beifang laughed inwardly at this.