Sichuan Journey - Deepening (3)
Sichuan Journey - Deepening (3)
The elder of the Taiji Sect felt he had been patient enough. Even if it caused him no personal harm and posed no hindrance to the promising future of the Yang Family Taiji Sect, he believed his long endurance entitled him to insolence before the Grandmaster.
The Grandmaster simply sat impassively, ignoring the elder's words. He remained in the lotus position, eyes closed, like a block of wood or stone. His silence—like a discarded husk left behind after ascending to immortality—filled the elder with unease and impatience.
"How can you do this? If you care about the Taiji Sect's future, this must not happen! Permitting the Crimson Ring Sect's Sect Leader to undergo our deepening process!"
"What is the problem?"
The Grandmaster finally opened his eyes. At his question, the elder fell silent. It was not a difficult question, but he could not answer easily. In truth, there was no problem. The Crimson Ring Sect's Sect Leader, Docheol, was in a common-law marriage with the direct disciple, Hong Ye. His desire to learn Taijiquan was strong, and since the Grandmaster permitted them to meet, they could hardly be considered strangers anymore.
Nor was he a man of shaky foundation. Having faced the wall of the peak realm at a young age, both his skill and talent were ample. He had already completed the fundamental course of Taijiquan; had his learning been even a little faster, he would certainly have played a prominent role at the last Dragon Phoenix Gathering.
Furthermore, he still maintained a decent relationship with the Zhuge family even after the disturbance in Hubei Province. Even if one scrutinized every point, there was not a single reason to oppose him.
"Th-that bastard, what if he leaks the Taiji Sect's secret teachings elsewhere? Isn't he a man whose origins we don't even know, who wandered in from who-knows-where? Couldn't he teach the Taiji Sect's secret teachings within his own sect however he pleases?"
The elder felt his own reasons were shabby. His face flushed, and he stammered throughout. Uncharacteristically for a martial artist, he became greatly agitated and tripped over his words. Having promised marriage to the direct disciple, Docheol was already no outsider to the Taiji Sect. Fearing he might leak secret teachings was like refusing to teach the secret manual to anyone lest a disciple defect and spread its contents as they pleased.
Of course, the elder was not saying this because he genuinely suspected Docheol. The Grandmaster, too, knew the reason the elder was being so unreasonable.
"Are you that frightened?"
"Wh-what do you mean?"
The elder retorted, puffing out his chest, squaring his shoulders, and putting strength into his eyes as if he feared nothing. But his bluffing posture made him look like a frightened puppy barking loudly.
"Are you that frightened of Hong Ye?"
"What preposterous things are you saying? How could I, an elder, fear a direct disciple? It is merely..."
"Is it not true that what you fear is not the man named Docheol? Are you not afraid that Hong Ye, by marrying a decent man and solidifying her standing in the Taiji Sect, will eventually succeed me and become the one to lead this sect?"
The elder clamped his mouth shut. His beard scattered like a ruined brush over his lips, which protruded like a duck's beak.
The elder twisted his lips and spoke.
"...She is of Southern Barbarian blood. The Great Grandmaster of the Taiji Sect made his name known throughout the world under heaven and established a foothold in the Central Plains, producing countless disciples to this day. While interpretations of the teaching may differ, the fact that this Yang Family Taiji Sect belongs to the Central Plains is an unchangeable truth. Yet, how can the Grandmaster seek to sell this great sect to those cruel and base wretches? This deep history! Its roots! How can you try to hand them all over to one of Southern Barbarian blood!"
"Did the Great Grandmaster teach Taijiquan while discriminating between people?"
The elder raised his voice even higher.
"He did not teach Southern Barbarians! Nor did he ever spread martial arts to the barbarians of the frontier! And he never said to hand the sect to them! How can you, having become Grandmaster, play word games! I have endured for a very long time! I have endured it all this time, thinking the Grandmaster had profound intentions and respecting them! But what is this! Not content with a direct disciple, you would even bequeath the sect! Why must it be Southern Barbarian blood? Why have you chosen a person of the Southern Barbarians and not a man of the Central Plains? It is a thing unprecedented under heaven!"
"Under heaven (天下)..."
The Grandmaster looked up at the sky. The firmly closed ceiling revealed nothing, but the Grandmaster was meeting the clouds beyond the wood. The room was so cramped it seemed suffocating, yet nothing obstructed the sky. The Grandmaster spoke.
"I have always thought it arrogant to call this land 'the world under heaven.' How can the land beneath the sky be only the martial world, and its people be only us?"
"Why must it be a Southern Barbarian! There is one decent child in the Taiji Sect. Even now, if we raise this child well and promote her..."
"Long years have passed since the Great Grandmaster realized the profound principles of yin and yang and founded Taijiquan. Even in times of chaos, there were no barriers to teaching, so why have we erected walls and divided people? Where is high or low in the desire to learn martial arts, and where is old or young in learning?"
"Even so, a Southern Barbarian is unacceptable. Just by making her a direct disciple, everyone is already sneering at the Taiji Sect behind their backs! It is a defilement of the Taiji Sect's history! Do not be buried in familial affection and make a wrong choice!"
"Four ounces deflects a thousand pounds."
The elder's face contorted at the Grandmaster's words. He, too, knew what "four ounces deflects a thousand pounds" meant. Was it not the foundation of Taijiquan? Once you understood the method of governing great force, you could wield the power of a thousand pounds with a small force. The elder could not understand why the Grandmaster recited those words as if muttering to himself.
The Grandmaster closed his eyes and spoke.
"I merely wish to break down the wall."
The Grandmaster did not continue the conversation any further. The sight of him sitting in the dark room was like a Buddha statue. The elder glared at the Grandmaster's back, then ground his teeth and walked outside.
*****
The elders were gathered in the meeting chamber. They were the ones who believed that the Taiji Sect's prestige had been damaged just by Hong Ye becoming a direct disciple, and that it was not right for her to lead the sect. They were convinced that no matter how good Hong Ye's skill was, a Southern Barbarian could never become the master of this sect.
"The Grandmaster has clearly gone mad. This is an unacceptable affair."
"Who would possibly accept a sect led by a Southern Barbarian? Who would even treat it as a sect? It is driving the Taiji Sect's prestige into the ground."
"This cannot be allowed. We must take some measures. How can we stand by and watch our noses be cut off? Should we not strike first before this unthinkable affair comes to pass?"
When someone broached that topic, the elders who had been arguing back and forth held their breath. One of the elders stood up, pounding the table. Seeing all gazes converge on him, he spoke in an even more resolute tone.
"If we are worried about Hong Ye leading the Taiji Sect, is it not enough to simply render her incapable of leading it any longer?"
No one nodded at those words. Half the elders cautiously eyed each other, hemming and hawing, while the other half cast glances, neither affirming nor denying. One elder, showing at least some initiative, spoke up.
"What exactly are you proposing we do? Are you suggesting we kill her with our own hands? Even if Hong Ye is of Southern Barbarian blood, how can the elders of the Taiji Sect kill her with our own hands?"
"I am not saying kill her. Would it not suffice to render her body incapable of using martial arts? And why do you show sympathy towards one of Southern Barbarian blood? That weak heart of yours! It is what raised Hong Ye to this position! We should have acted strongly from the very beginning! We should have cast her out decisively!"
The elders faced each other with solemn faces. The talk that was coming out now was effectively a rebellion against the Grandmaster. But the determination to protect the Taiji Sect burned brighter in their hearts than the fact that they were opposing the Grandmaster's opinion.
This was, in the elders' own way, a sense of chivalry, a sense of mission.
Even if no one openly agreed, the elders believed they were doing what must be done.
The Taiji Sect was a sect with history and tradition. They could never allow such a sect to be wielded by a Southern Barbarian.
"We must contact the Tang Clan."
With the great cause burning in their chests, the elders nodded.
******
"Um, Senior Martial Sister Hong Ye."
The junior martial sister awkwardly approached Hong Ye, who was training, with quick, short steps. Hong Ye, who had been resting after finishing a stance, saw the junior martial sister hesitating and asked.
"What is it?"
"C-could you look at my stance?"
Hong Ye stiffened with a slightly bewildered face. When she did not answer, the junior martial sister fidgeted with her fingers, unable to contain her restlessness, and spoke again impatiently.
"Wh-why do you react like that?"
"Ah, no. Alright. Then, let's start with the basic stances first."
The sun was at its zenith, so everywhere was bright. The figures of the two women were blending into the hazy landscape.
It was a week before Docheol arrived.