Chapter Eight: The Extraordinary Figures of the Northern Sect

Li Chongyuan could not help but laugh inwardly: An old man like you, how could you have the slightest association with an elegant, dashing gentleman? Though these thoughts churned in his mind, he dared not let them show on his face, and replied, “I will remember, Master. The Tianshan Sect has a Northern Branch—does that mean there is also a Southern Branch?”

Qu Beiyuan answered, “Of course there is. When you first came up the mountain, the master you paid respects to was from the Southern Branch. Hmm, isn’t the head of the Southern Branch still that Wunan?”

Li Chongyuan was surprised. “Wunan? No, there’s no one by that name. There is only the Great Master Dunan.”

Qu Beiyuan burst out laughing. “So that little monk Wunan has become a great master now! Ha! That little fellow was indeed a man of his word. Years ago, he insisted on coming to this cave to challenge me. I told him, ‘If you can last more than ten moves, I’ll tell you everything you want to know. If you can’t, then there’s no point in there being a Wunan in this world.’ The little monk was bold enough to accept. He did pretty well—held on until the eighth move, then I struck him in the back. Seeing he was young, I couldn’t bear to kill him, so I only used half my strength. Even so, he coughed blood and fainted. Ha! So after escaping with his life, he changed his name to Dunan. Well then, I suppose there really is no more Wunan in this world.”

Li Chongyuan listened, dumbfounded. Though he had never seen Master Dunan’s martial arts, he had witnessed Li Jiu’s skills. Li Jiu was a disciple of Master Zi Wuzhuo, while Master Dunan was Zi Wuzhuo’s elder brother and the head of the sect—his martial arts were vastly superior to Li Jiu’s. Yet even he lasted only eight moves against Qu Beiyuan, and that was with Qu using only half his strength. This Qu Beiyuan was truly unfathomable.

Qu Beiyuan continued, “You must be wondering why you’ve only ever heard of the Tianshan Sect, but never of the Southern or Northern Branches, yes?”

Li Chongyuan replied, “Yes. No one in the Tianshan Sect ever mentioned such a thing.”

Qu Beiyuan said, “It’s a long story, but since you are now my disciple, you deserve to know. Over a hundred years ago, the Tianshan Sect already had Southern and Northern Branches. At that time, the Southern Branch not only practiced martial arts but also dabbled in medicine, divination, calligraphy, painting, and the myriad arts and trades. Their focus was scattered. The Northern Branch, on the other hand, specialized solely in martial arts, and abided by far fewer rules. Any powerful technique in the world, the Northern Branch would seek to steal, learn, and make its own. Over time, the Northern Branch surpassed the Southern Branch in martial prowess. Though the internal cultivation differed—the Southern Branch practiced the Primordial Unity Art, while the Northern Branch cultivated the Asura Art—the two were of the same family and often exchanged insights. Thus, whoever’s skills reached greater heights was a boon for the whole sect.

“But some fools in the Southern Branch began to slander the Northern Branch, calling their martial arts demonic. The Northern Branch, obsessed with martial arts for so long, became eccentric and extreme. Resenting the Southern Branch’s accusations, they discarded the ancestral rules and acted as they pleased in the world, earning an infamous reputation. Fifty years ago, they even stormed the mountain to challenge the Southern Branch, insisting on settling the matter of authenticity through combat. Pity those new disciples of both branches, who had barely learned the basics, forced to pick up weapons and fight each other. That battle greatly weakened the Tianshan Sect. The Southern Branch was no match for the Northern in martial skill and suffered heavy losses, scattering into exile. The Northern Branch seized Tianshan, but their head, Yin Liji, was a cruel and unpredictable man, given to extreme violence.

“On the martial scene, he committed endless atrocities, and from then on, the Northern Branch truly became a heretical sect. It was around that time I joined the Northern Branch. I was originally a young monk from a Central Plains temple, begging alms at the foot of the mountain when Yin Liji took a liking to me and forcibly brought me to Tianshan. To become Yin Liji’s personal disciple was both my great fortune and misfortune.

“Time passed, and in twenty years I grew from a boy to a young man. Yin Liji, for all his cruelty, was a dedicated teacher, and I inherited the true martial arts of the Northern Branch. I made quite a name for myself in the martial world. At that time, the Southern Branch produced a genius named Ye Changqing, who was extraordinarily intelligent and, before the age of thirty, became the foremost martial artist of the Southern Branch. By forty, he was the leader of the Central Plains martial world.

“Twenty years ago, he rallied the heroes in the name of eradicating evil and upholding justice and returned to Tianshan. The Northern Branch had also grown too close to foreign barbarians, and the current court considered them rebels. Thus, the government dispatched troops to assist in their extermination. Just then, Yin Liji mysteriously disappeared, leaving the Northern Branch leaderless. No matter how high their skills, a disorganized rabble could not withstand waves of attacks from the martial world and imperial troops. They were utterly defeated; only a few top experts broke through the siege, the rest were killed on the spot. The Southern Branch reclaimed Tianshan, and Ye Changqing ordered that the sect be known only as the Tianshan Sect—no more talk of Southern or Northern Branches. That’s why you’ve never heard of them.”

Li Chongyuan was stunned. He never would have imagined that beneath the pure, snowy Tianshan lay such a blood-soaked history.

After a long silence, he asked, “Master, were you one of those who escaped that day?”

“Heh, yes, I was one of the lucky few,” Qu Beiyuan said. “After leaving Tianshan, I hid my identity and became a constable in Fengxiang Prefecture. I thought I’d spend my days catching petty thieves and collecting taxes, living out my life in obscurity. But one day, I was ordered to capture a notorious bandit. That bandit, though little known in the martial world, was a true expert. A dozen constables could not get close to him. I arrived and subdued him in just a few moves, but he recognized my Northern Branch techniques and shouted, ‘That constable is from the Northern Branch!’ Though I killed him on the spot, the secret was out. Sensing danger, I fled south, killing over twenty martial experts sent to hunt me down along the way. Eventually, I was surrounded in Qianzhou. The Southern Branch, wanting to capture me alive, even hired Miao tribesmen to poison me. I was careless and fell victim to their venom, allowing them to seize me. I thought I was doomed, but instead of killing me, they dragged me back to Tianshan.

“There, they used chains forged from Black Sea iron to shackle me. Ye Changqing interrogated me personally, trying to force me to reveal all the Northern Branch’s martial secrets. These so-called righteous men who slandered the Northern Branch as evil only coveted our martial arts and wanted them for themselves. How could I betray them? When threats failed, Ye Changqing devised another plan—every day, he sent disciples to spar with me, hoping to glean the secrets of our skills. During my years in the martial world, I had acquired a method to suppress the poison, and with my deep inner strength, I slowly neutralized it, recovering half my power. Though I could not break the chains and escape, it was easy enough to kill those disciples with internal force while using only simple moves. Every time, I killed them outright. The only one who survived was Wunan. After losing dozens of disciples with nothing gained, Ye Changqing could neither bear to lose more students nor bring himself to kill me, so he had me imprisoned here, with only food brought daily. I have been here for nearly twenty years. Once a young man in his prime, now I am an old man.” With that, he gave a bitter, deeply sorrowful laugh.

Only now did Li Chongyuan notice the steel spike through his master’s left ankle, with a pitch-black chain attached, fastened deep into the stone wall. The chain was not thick—more like a dog’s leash—but for all his martial skill, Qu Beiyuan could not break free, proof of its strength. Fortunately, it was long enough not to hinder his movement within the cave, but leaving the cave was impossible.

After pondering for a while, Li Chongyuan asked, “The Southern Branch’s martial arts are already unrivaled in the world. Why do they still covet those of the Northern Branch?”

Qu Beiyuan sneered, “Unrivaled? If they truly were, they wouldn’t have been driven from Tianshan for twenty years. I suspect the Southern Branch’s motives are not just about dominating the martial world, but also because Ye Changqing’s internal energy had a fatal flaw. He was desperate to break through, so he violated the greatest taboo of Southern Branch cultivation, risking everything for a breakthrough. Though his power increased rapidly, the hidden wounds in his meridians grew ever more severe. He hoped to use Northern Branch techniques to remedy this. I once exchanged a palm strike with Ye Changqing and sensed his internal strength was unbalanced—his Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin was strong outside but weak within, already showing signs of collapse. Ye Changqing realized I was probing his meridians and did not strike again. As it turned out, I was right: Ye Changqing lost his mind to inner demons before he reached sixty, and died. After that, Dunan became head of the sect. Once Dunan took over, he kept me well-fed and comfortable. Life here as an old man is not so bad. Oddly enough, it used to be Song Changkong who brought my meals, but for the past few months, it’s been Miao Kewei. That fellow just drops the food, collects the bowls, and leaves, never saying a word. Does he think talking to me will cost him? Ha! That dolt Song Changkong only managed to win three tournaments in a row because I taught him a few tricks on a whim. With no one to talk to, these months have been unbearably dull.”

Li Chongyuan said, “A few months ago, Senior Brother Miao Kewei won the tournament.”

Qu Beiyuan nodded, “That explains it. Winning the tournament earns the right to bring me meals. Now, tell me, what happened with the man who injured you?”

Li Chongyuan then recounted his encounter with Ma Beifang. In truth, there was no great enmity between them; it was only because the men from the Shunfeng Escort Agency had stumbled into an ambush meant for him, resulting in Ma Youjin and the others’ deaths. Strictly speaking, Li Chongyuan was not the true culprit, but Ma Beifang nonetheless hated him for it. There was nothing he could do about that.

Just as he finished, Li Chongyuan suddenly felt a surge within him. His blood seemed to boil, his ears rang, his breathing quickened, and his vision swam with darkness. His body swayed, on the verge of collapse.