Journey to Sichuan (3)
Upon reaching the pier, the group chose to continue on foot rather than seek another boat.
They had not quite made it to their intended destination of Yeonggang County, though they had come close enough. The chief reason for the change of plans was Yeobhwa’s inability to endure the seasickness any longer.
“Ugh…!”
The violent rocking caused by the rebound of Cheonhwa’s sword strokes—unleashed to keep the river bandits at bay—had been too much for him. Even after they docked, it took him a long while to regain his senses.
“Fair winds and fortune to you!”
With the crew’s send-off ringing in their ears, the party set out along the main road toward Sichuan Province.
Traveling a well-maintained highway, they met with no particular trouble. Before long they left Shaanxi behind and set foot in Guangyuan of Sichuan.
Guangyuan was guarded by the famous pass known as Sword Pavilion. Beyond that single gateway the land was sealed by mountains and sheer cliffs; entry by any other route was impossible.
Once they passed through Sword Pavilion, the change in climate became unmistakable. Compared with Shaanxi, the weather of Sichuan was remarkably mild. Spring had arrived with the Start of Spring, yet the warmth exceeded anything they had imagined.
With fine weather and no more river bandits to hinder them, the group savored the journey at a leisurely pace. Thus they arrived at the heart of Sichuan Province—Chengdu.
As befit a regional capital, the streets thronged with people. Pushing through the crowds, the party at last reached their true destination.
“This is Dang-ga-ta.”
Cheonhwa read the characters carved into the stone stele and looked upon the town that stretched before them.
Dang-ga-ta was, true to its name, a clan village inhabited almost entirely by those who bore the surname Dang. That surname, of course, referred to the Sichuan Dang Family—one of the Five Great Noble Families of the righteous path. It was no exaggeration to say the entire town was the Dang Family’s front yard.
The Sichuan Dang Family was hosting this year’s Dragon and Phoenix Gathering; anyone wishing to compete first had to visit the main estate that stood at the heart of Dang-ga-ta.
The moment they stepped inside the town, they found it as crowded as Chengdu itself. Through his sensory arts Cheonhwa took in the ambient information and felt a quiet surge of admiration.
From adults to children, every single person here carries a martial aura. Not one of them has failed to learn martial arts.
Even allowing for the many outsiders who, like themselves, had come for the Gathering, the fact that every soul radiated trained qi meant only one thing: the entire population of Dang-ga-ta practiced martial arts.
Before long the group halted before a massive gate. The plaque above it bore four bold characters: Sichuan Dang Family.
One of the guards stepped forward.
“What business brings you here?”
“We have come to take part in the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering.”
“May I see your invitation plaques?”
At the request, Cheonhwa drew the plaques from his robes and presented them. An invitation plaque served both as formal invitation to a martial contest and as proof of eligibility.
There were two principal ways to obtain one for the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering: either it was awarded to individuals or sects that had performed outstandingly in a previous tournament, or it was earned by winning a regional preliminary held under the name of the Martial Alliance. The plaques the Zhongnan disciples carried belonged to the former category.
The guard examined the seal of the Sichuan Dang Family stamped upon the plaques, then nodded.
“Confirmed. We will assign you a guide. Please follow them.”
The great doors swung open. The instant the party crossed the threshold, a young girl came scurrying toward them as though she had been waiting.
“Welcome to the Dang Family! Are you participants in the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering?”
“Yes, we are.”
“My name is Dang Soso. I’ll handle everything from registration to showing you to your lodgings. Just relax and follow me!”
Beaming with lively energy, the girl took the lead. The group fell into step behind her almost before they realized it.
Once inside the estate, Cheonhwa’s Six Harmony Sensory Path began to pick up a dozen different impressions at once. The distinctive bitter fragrance of medicinal decoctions hung in the air; the ring of hammer on iron, the sort of sound one heard only in a smithy, carried on the breeze. He almost wondered whether he had truly entered a martial clan at all.
As if reading his curiosity, Dang Soso launched into a cheerful explanation.
“Over there is where we research medicine—herbs and poisons alike. That side is the forge, where weapons and all manner of tools are crafted.”
“It feels as though a clinic and a smithy are living under the same roof.”
“That’s not far from the truth. The Dang Family is a martial clan, but we are also a hospital and a forge.”
According to her lively account, the Dang Family’s origins were quite unique. Physicians had first taken up martial arts simply to protect themselves. While refining medicine they had also studied poison arts, and to put those poisons to use they had mastered hidden-weapon techniques. Needing tools for both medicine and weapons, they had joined forces with master craftsmen—and so the house had been born.
“That’s why Dang martial learning embraces medicine, combat, and blacksmithing all at once.”
For that reason the family was also called the Dang Clan Gate—less a narrow bloodline than a school and sect formed by those close to the Dang name. Compared with ordinary martial houses, its roots were distinctly unorthodox; only the isolated geography of Sichuan could have allowed such a lineage to flourish.
“I got so carried away talking that we’re already here.”
While listening they had arrived at an elegant building. Inside, a middle-aged man who looked every bit a civil official greeted them.
“I am Dang Muncheong, head steward. May I see your invitation plaques?”
“Here they are.”
Cheonhwa presented the plaques. Dang Muncheong examined the seals exactly as the gate guards had done. When he sent a thread of true qi across the stamp, the seal answered with a faint glow—clearly no ordinary mark, but a special token designed to react only to a particular energy.
Satisfied, the steward returned the plaques.
“Genuine without doubt. Once again, welcome, Taoist disciples of the Zhongnan Sect. Lodgings have been prepared for the contestants in the outer compound. Please rest and recover from your journey there.”
“I’ll show you the way!”
Dang Soso stepped forward the moment the steward finished speaking. The group followed her out of the main estate and were led to a handsome inn standing within Dang-ga-ta itself.
“These lodgings were newly expanded for this year’s Dragon and Phoenix Gathering. Impressive, aren’t they?”
She mentioned that several other inns had likewise been prepared for the participants, then guided them to rooms inside.
“You’ll stay here for the duration of the Gathering. We’ve prepared two bedrooms so you can divide them by gender—plenty of space, so please make yourselves comfortable!”
After adding a few more practical notes, she smiled softly.
“That concludes the tour. It was a short time, but an honor to guide the Taoists of Zhongnan.”
With that graceful farewell, Dang Soso departed.
Once the group had unpacked and settled their sleeping arrangements, a sudden quiet fell over them.
“I’m going to rest.”
“Same here.”
Yeonhwa and Jeokhwa chose to recover from the road in their rooms.
“If this is the contestants’ lodging, people will be gathering. I can’t let a chance like this slip by.”
Myeonghwa, true to form, set off to collect information among the other guests.
“I hear there is a practice ground prepared for visitors. I shall go look it over.”
Yeobhwa decided to inspect the training yard near the inn.
“I think I’ll wander around Dang-ga-ta and see the sights.”
Last of all, Cheonhwa announced his intention to explore the town. The other four turned to him in mild surprise; normally he would have followed Yeobhwa straight to the practice ground.
“It’s my first time here. I’ll take a brief look around, then join you at the training yard.”
They nodded as though they had expected as much. With individual plans set, the five went their separate ways.
Cheonhwa left the inn and began to stroll the streets. True to a place that was simultaneously the front yard of a martial house, a medical center, and a forge, clinics and smithies lined the lanes. Ordinary inns and taverns stood among them, and street stalls had sprung up to do business with the outsiders drawn by the Gathering.
Nosing on snacks bought from a stall, he wandered at an easy pace—until he came face to face with a familiar figure. It was Dang Soso, the girl who had guided them earlier.
“Oh my, we meet again.”
“A pleasure to see you once more, Miss Dang. Have you finished your guiding duties?”
“Yes. You Taoists were my last group before the shift change.”
As she spoke, her eyes slid sidelong toward the hilt of Okgyeong strapped across Cheonhwa’s back. He had noticed her interest even during the earlier tour.
“Curious about my wooden sword?”
“Ah—forgive me.”
“Not at all. Looking doesn’t wear it out. As both a martial artist and a smith of the Dang Family, I imagine it catches your eye.”
“You noticed I’m interested in smithing? That’s impressive.”
“You yourself told us the Dang Family holds three identities. More decisive, though, were your hands.”
“My hands?”
Dang Soso glanced down at them. Calluses roughened the palms; here and there the faint traces of burns showed—marks that went beyond those of an ordinary martial artist.
“I know a craftsman who bears similar burn scars. He said they come naturally from forge work.”
“Heh-heh. If you’ve noticed that much, denying it would be the greater rudeness. You’re right—my interest in smithing made me curious about a wooden sword like yours. May I take a closer look?”
“Of course.”
Cheonhwa drew Okgyeong and handed it over without hesitation. Partly he trusted her as a member of the Dang Family, but the pure, sparkling curiosity in her eyes was the real reason.
Her eyes look a lot like the ones Junior Sister Yeonhwa sometimes shows.
Dang Soso examined the wooden sword with careful reverence.
“I expected it wasn’t ordinary wood, given the jade color… but this is beyond anything I imagined.”
A wooden sword fashioned from part of a spiritual tree. Its weight was one thing; more astonishing was the faint chill that radiated from the blade—as though she were holding cold iron rather than wood. Wood that could withstand flame so well was rare indeed.
“This sword was completed once, then changed afterward, wasn’t it?”
“How did you know?”
“The grain left on the blade. Those patterns weren’t made by human hands.”
Declaring that she had been privileged to examine a fine piece, she returned Okgyeong.
“I should be going. If fortune allows, let’s meet again.”
“Yes. Next time I hope I can see your true face.”
“…”
Dang Soso’s steps froze.
“…How long have you known?”
“From the first moment we met. The skin of your face alone felt strangely thick.”
“To notice that… your eye is extraordinary. I never thought anyone would see through the disguise.”
A mischievous smile touched her lips.
“Circumstances require me to hide my face while receiving guests. Would you keep this secret?”
“Of course. I have no wish to disrupt the host family’s arrangements.”
“Thank you, Taoist Cheonhwa.”
She offered one more word of gratitude, then turned toward the Sichuan Dang Family compound. Cheonhwa watched her retreating back.
Outwardly she was a bright, curious girl, yet the fact that she moved among them while concealing her face lent her an air of mystery. He did not know her reasons, but he suspected they were tied to the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering itself.
Since the Dang Family is hosting the tournament, we’ll likely meet again if the chance arises.
With that thought he turned his steps toward the practice ground.
Deep within the compound known as the inner fortress of Dang-ga-ta—the true heart of the Sichuan Dang Family—Dang Soso arrived and was greeted by a waiting maid.
“Welcome back, young miss.”
“Mm, I’m home. Tell me—does my disguise look easy to see through?”
“Certainly not. Even those who know you would never guess you were wearing one.”
“I thought so.”
Her disguise was perfect; until now not a single junior of the next generation had pierced it. Yet this young man had seen through a mask that even seasoned masters often missed—and he carried that peculiar wooden sword as well. He was interesting in more ways than one.
The senior disciple of Zhongnan’s third generation… Cheonhwa, was it?
He had said that next time they should meet with her true face revealed.
I wonder whether you’ll recognize me then.
Smiling at the thought, she peeled away the human-skin mask. The ordinary girl’s features vanished, revealing a beauty of startling radiance.
Her true name was Dang Sowol—direct descendant of the family head, the precious pearl of the Dang household.
Why had such a person gone so far as to disguise herself and personally guide the contestants? Because intelligence had arrived that certain parties intended to target the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering.
An event that draws countless outsiders is the perfect cover for infiltration.
The Martial Alliance itself had issued warnings about the dark forces at work; vigilance could not be relaxed. Even a direct member of the family had therefore taken up a disguise and begun to watch the situation with her own eyes.
I never expected to have an experience like that while standing guard, though.
Dang Sowol found herself hoping Cheonhwa would advance all the way to the main tournament. Only then would she have the chance to face him properly.
What expression will he make when he learns that the chance-met guide was none other than the Dang Family Head’s only daughter?
Anticipation sparkled in her eyes as a playful smile curved her lips, already looking forward to the day they would meet again.