Chapter 87
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Winds of Fortune Blow on Mingsha Mountain
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About seventy li southeast of Dunhuang stood a massive, majestic sand mountain coiled like a serpent, known as Mingsha Mountain.
Whenever the wind stirred the sands, it sounded like ghosts wailing, making it a remote place shunned by humans for ages.
Nestled in the crevices of this Mingsha Mountain stretched a gorge over a hundred li long, carved brutally by wind and sand for tens of thousands of years—the Thousand Buddha Caves Valley.
Even a thousand years before the Ming Dynasty was founded, countless rock caves had already been carved here, and no one knew their exact number even now.
Among those hundreds or thousands of caves, most enshrined Buddha statues and murals under Buddhist influence, but that wasn't all.
In truth, the first to carve caves here were devotees of the Ming Cult, which had risen in the ancient Western Regions over a thousand years ago and shaken the entire world with its might.
Later, the Ming Cult withered under endless persecution from worldly powers, and Buddhism and Huihui Islam began filling the void.
Thanks to that, the caves built by the Ming Cult side had been preserved intact over the long years, untouched by outsiders.
Now, rumors swirled that one of those Ming Cult caves hid a treasure that could upend the entire Central Plains martial world, drawing countless figures to seek it.
In the depths of that Thousand Buddha Caves Valley appeared, unexpectedly, the Azure Purity Sect's supreme master, Dew-Cutting Sword Guest Ilseonja, accompanied by dozens of elite experts.
The sun had passed its zenith, and the desert air scorched fiercely.
Ilseonja left his mounted entourage under the blazing sun and dismounted, twirling a compass needle tied to a string.
Beneath the compass lay a single map.
Moments later, the spinning needle halted, pointing in one direction.
Ilseonja then pulled out a small ink brush and marked a spot on the map.
"How about it? Have you got the sense of it now?"
An old beggar standing beside Ilseonja, gripping the reins, watched intently and asked.
Ilseonja stood, stowing the compass and map as he replied.
"Hmm. Looks like we've nearly found it. That big rock over there must be near the entrance."
Ilseonja raised a hand, pointing west to a yellow sandstone boulder jutting from the hillside.
The old beggar then issued the order.
"Alright, everyone, let's climb."
Dozens of elite experts waiting nearby spurred their horses toward the hill at his command.
Watching their backs, Ilseonja mounted his own horse.
"We've finally found it, but I wonder if this is truly the right thing to do."
Muttering to himself as he followed the group, Ilseonja had a coil of rope slung across his back.
Soon after, the party reached the base of the yellow boulder shaped like a turtle's head.
Their composition was complex.
About a dozen Taoists in blue robes, around twenty clean-cut beggars in rags, and another dozen nuns.
The Taoists were naturally Azure Purity Sect disciples, joined by Beggars' Sect members and Emei Sect nuns.
"Hurry and make preparations. We may be here for days, who knows."
At the old beggar's order, the Beggars' Sect disciples in rags moved first with practiced speed.
They unloaded gear from the packhorses and mounts, erecting several tents and stacking tools for digging.
Meanwhile, the Emei nuns prepared meals, while the Azure Purity Taoists cleared the ground around them and lit fires.
An elderly nun approached the old beggar as he watched.
"See? You've found it at last."
"You've worked hard, Elder Cheongmyeong."
Surprisingly, the two were Golden Summit Divine Nun Cheongmyeong and Drunken Dragon Divine Beggar Jin Kwae, each one of the Five Divinities.
Dew-Cutting Sword Guest Ilseonja arrived then and stood beside them.
"Welcome, Daoist brother. Well done."
Golden Summit Divine Nun Cheongmyeong greeted Ilseonja with warm affection.
The three, including Ilseonja, were of the same generation and close as brothers, battle-hardened veterans who had weathered the rivers and lakes' storms together and now united for this journey.
"That map has served its purpose at last. How anxious it's made me..."
Golden Summit Divine Nun Cheongmyeong murmured with a pleased smile.
Hailed as the Emei Sect's greatest master of the era, she appeared and spoke as humbly and kindly as any ordinary old nun.
Her gray robes were threadbare, and the prayer beads around her neck were common jujube wood.
Only the long sword in her left hand stood out—its ancient scabbard wrapped in blue dragon-scale leather gripping a hilt that marked it no ordinary blade.
Indeed, that sword was the Emei Sect's signature Azure Wave Sword, a treasure passed down through generations to its premier sword masters.
She had long mastered the supreme pinnacle of Emei swordsmanship, the Great Luo Sumeru Wisdom Sword, to the Twelfth Realm, shaking the martial world with her fame. In her later years, she was said to have cultivated the legendary Thoughtless Sword Form, an esoteric art transmitted only through personal insights within the Emei Sect.
Though one of the Five Divinities below the Three Hidden Ones and Four Wonders, she had no equal among the Five Divinities and could match any of the Four Wonders—that was the consensus of the rivers and lakes.
Despite rarely clashing or intervening in the world due to her nun's vows, her name ranked among the Five Divinities, a claim with solid basis.
In any case, she was undoubtedly the top female master in the current martial world.
Her appearance at this remote frontier was astonishing in itself.
Known for detachment from worldly affairs, she had severed ties to the martial world decades ago, devoting herself solely to Buddhist practice.
"Here, the map has fulfilled its duty. I'll return it to you, Divine Nun."
Ilseonja drew the rolled parchment from his sleeve and handed it to Golden Summit Divine Nun Cheongmyeong.
"My thanks. Without you, Ilseonja, what value would this scrap of hide have?"
Golden Summit Divine Nun Cheongmyeong received the parchment map respectfully, tucking it into her sleeve, and praised him.
"Haha... This old beggar feels ashamed, tagging along without doing a thing."
Drunken Dragon Divine Beggar Jin Kwae watched with a hearty laugh and chimed in.
"What false modesty? Without this Divine Beggar and the Beggars' Sect elders, how would this old nun have made it here?"
Golden Summit Divine Nun Cheongmyeong pressed her palms together in greeting and praised Jin Kwae in turn, but he waved it off.
"What are you saying? Our bond goes back over half a century— this much effort is nothing. Especially with a chance to reclaim our sect's treasure. How could I accept your thanks? Haha..."
Drunken Dragon Divine Beggar Jin Kwae's disheveled hair was pure white, but his towering frame and booming voice remained unchanged.
The Beggars' Sect now boasted its greatest prosperity since founding.
With over a hundred thousand disciples spread across the Central Plains, they meddled in every major and minor affair of the martial world. Their Chief held the greatest influence among the orthodox Nine Great Sects' leaders.
And the man who forged this current Beggars' Sect was none other than Drunken Dragon Divine Beggar Jin Kwae.
Having long served as Chief, he reformed the sect's tangled structure and united the long-feuding Filthy Robe Faction and Pure Robe Faction into its present harmony.
Three decades had passed since he yielded the Chief's seat to his successor; now, as Supreme Elder Chief, he roamed the world enjoying his twilight years.
Originally a Filthy Robe advocate, he shed his rags upon ascending to Chief, donning clean robes himself.
His garments still bore patches here and there but were immaculate, with a ten-knotted sash at his waist.
His internal arts, founded on the Hongwu Violet Flame Divine Method, were renowned as peerless in the martial world, and he had mastered all Beggars' Sect ultimate techniques, led by the Steel Cudgel Method.
Two months prior, Golden Summit Divine Nun Cheongmyeong's message had reached him at Emei, relayed through a lay disciple running an escort firm: she had acquired a strange map and wished to discuss countermeasures.
Joining them was Azure Purity Sect's Ilseonja, expert in geography, astronomy, and formations, and together they hurried to Dunhuang.
As the sun sank westward, about ten tents rose at the rock's base, with three large cauldrons hung and beginning to steam.
Meanwhile, preparations bustled for night work—bundling cotton for torches onto iron rods and more.
The first meal was served, naturally, to the trio of veteran masters.
Three young Emei nuns brought freshly cooked rice, stir-fried vegetables, braised dried tofu, and such, set the table, bowed, and withdrew.
"You must be starving. Eat up. But with no oily or fishy dishes, I feel apologetic."
Golden Summit Divine Nun Cheongmyeong urged the others while expressing regret.
Emei had led this expedition, with Azure Purity and Beggars' Sect in support—host and guests were clear.
"Heh heh. Emei disciples' culinary skills are famed in the martial world. No need for such humility. This is a feast to this Taoist."
Ilseonja picked up his chopsticks first in praise, and Drunken Dragon Divine Beggar Jin Kwae followed suit.
"Indeed. Where else in the world can one taste such delicious vegetables and tofu? A rare treat for this beggar's mouth. Though it won't do without a sip of wine... Heh heh..."
With that, Jin Kwae uncorked his gourd flask, took a swig, and passed it to Ilseonja.
Ilseonja drank deeply and heartily, smacking his lips.
"As expected, Drunken Dragon Divine Beggar's flask is a marvel of the martial world. Haha."
Thus the three ate and drank.
But moments later, Golden Summit Divine Nun Cheongmyeong abruptly set down her chopsticks with a clack.
"An unexpected guest approaches. Girl, do we have rice?"
At her call, a middle-aged nun preparing meals nearby approached and bowed.
"Did you call for me, Grand-Martial Aunt?"
"About thirty guests will arrive soon. Wash more rice and set it on the fire at once."
"Yes. As you command."