13 PAVILION OF IMMORTALS (1/2)
XIANYANG
STATE OF HAN
Both mountain and water face sun, hence the name of Xianyang. The scenery is beautiful like paintings, it possess many abundant products from the state of Wei.
It is also a key position in central are to the northwest of Aeropa.
It is a city steeped in history of ancient dynasties. One can even say it is the natural museum of Aeropa civilization.
Xianyang is the birth place of Eresian history and culture after their banishment from Midgard, and starting place of Han dynasty and culture.
Emperor Luo Xiu chose Xianyang as its capital, and made Xianyang the first ancient capital of Aeropa after Han falls in Midgard.
18 Tombs of the Han Emperor is in the city of Xianyang and was preserved even after Song Taizu becomes Emperor of the Song dynasty.
Charles marvels at the history, his teacher ponder longingly into the sky. Charles, in this couple of month has changed.
In mind and body.
With the training he has subjected himself to, his body is sturdy and his mind becomes even clearer.
Now, that he knows he needs to master the Heartless Sutra to maintain his longevity, Charles felt both relived and pressured.
Relieved because he was spared of a fate not knowing what kills him, not knowing why he died, Charles could not accept that.
Pressured because he knows if he could not master the Heartless Sutra, his life will be cut short.
One day, a thousand autumns, his mentality and his disposition also changed. Looking at the back of his teacher, the Purple Fairy Ziyan walk through the mountain trails without any showing of tiredness, her movements was graceful and elegant.
Energy was contained in her lithe little body; her long black hair flowed over her shoulders, straight and glossy.
Her lips were pink and vibrant showing the charm of a young woman. She was fifteen when she battles Charles uncle, now she is twenty five but her face doesn't seem to age.
Charles wondered what is the entanglement between his teacher and his uncle that for a decade she was not able to forget?
Shaking his head, he tries to forget his thought and keep following his teacher while at the same time practicing the First Move of Twelve Steps of Heaven.
Since it is only the first move, if one sees from afar one could see that Charles is walking in a weird way, such that it could elicit laughter from the surrounding.
Charles is only thankful that people rarely frequent this Mountain to the top and rarely that comes to this mountain at dawn.
Ziyan sometimes chuckle looking at Charles but she did not mock him. She just let him train and sometimes even offer pointers.
'Inject energy to your feet. Feel the cold air.'
For a normal practitioner the heat has to travel down to the feet area and then to cover the feet and enable a person to do the actions of the Twelve Step of Heaven.
But for Charles who has a different body constitution, his training is a little bit different. It was this way they travel the mountain, Charles practicing his moves, The Fairy instruct him.
Sometime as they travel to the top, they would see pagodas around the pond in the mountain rail.
The people inside the pagodas are all Jianghu people, and they all seem to training on the Mountain.
They also all seems to respect the Purple Fairy and even her suitors are waiting for her.
It was then that Charles knows why these pagodas are built in this mountain and why there are so many Jianghu people is here.
Since his teacher always comes here in the openings of spring every year, these people must have thought to court her during these moments.
From what Charles has seen his teacher is a pretty private person, a woman that is hard to meet.
'HEHEHE' Charles chuckles and laughed looking at his flustered teacher expression every time someone offers her a present or gifts.
'What are you laughing at?' Ziyan said glaring at Charles and Charles found it wise to shut his mouth.
Through all his experiences, they are moving closer to the Divine Immortal Peak.
As they come closer to the top the air becomes a bit colder and refreshing.
Charles takes a deep breath and smiles joyfully, unrestrained and carefree, like he has no burdens in the world, detached from the worldly ways and wiser than his age.
Reminded of the Earth he left behind he sighed and smiles, and his smile was him letting go of the past.
The maple tree was beautiful and lively, the two figures move quickly to the Peak while enjoying the scenery.
Reaching the top Charles quickly spotted a Pavilion. Etched on top of the Pavilion entrance it wrote Pavilion of Immortals.
And there was an old man with white hair and white long beard on his chin sitting in front of a weiqi board inside the Pavilion.
His white hair is long and blown by the wind, his demeanor is nobly and carefree.
From the top one could see the glorious view of the city of Xianyang, the wind is blowing calmly and gently, the air is cold and refreshing.
Yet the old man pays the view and the matters of his surrounding no mind and was looking intently at the weiqi board.
He then looks at Ziyan before laughing and tap the weiqi board with one of his fingers.
Gust of wind was formed and the weiqi stones flew to the air before landing respectively to their bowls
Charles was shocked. This kind of display of internal energy control shows that this old person is a very powerful martial expert.
'Master' Ziyan remarked and bow respectfully before glaring at Charles.
'Greet your grandmaster'
Charles stands upright and bowed in respect. This man is Ziyan master. It means that this man is also the current Patriarch of the Jade Palace Gate
'Charles greets Grandmaster.' The old man smiles and nodded but he pays Charles no mind, more like ignoring him.
'Ziyan, still waiting? After all of this years? Even abducting his nephew.' The Old man was shaking his head, clearly disappointed.
Charles was shocked.
How does this old man knows about his relation with Uncle Lancel?
But Ziyan was not.
The State of Han belongs to the Luo family but it also partly belongs to the Jade Palace Gate Sect in as certain sense.
Many of the generals that guard the borders of Han are the honorary disciple of Jade Palace Gate and the royal family of Han state owes many debt of gratitude towards the people of the Jade Palace Gate.
There is nothing that happens in the state of Han without his Teacher not knowing about it.
'You accept a boy of such origin as your disciple, this is intriguing' and the old man still sitting inside the Pavilion, open up his palm
The harmless looking old man suddenly seems to possess an imposing disposition and intimidating authority.
It was like a dragon being awoken, and energy roiled out from him as the clouds in the Peak of the Mountain even show slight movement like it was being repelled by this force coming out of the Old Man.
Old Immortal Ziyan shouted in anger and dash forward with her sword coming out of her sheath and resplendent light filled the mountain peak.
But the Old Man did not even panic as he uses his other hand to tap the floor of the Pavilion.
It was a gentle tap but energy ripples from the Pavilion and the bowls of weiqi stones was stirred as one of the stones float to the air.
And then the Old Man blows his breath to the floating weiqi stones and the weiqi stones were like a bullet as it darted through the wind and deflect the powerful momentum of Ziyan attack, forcing her to somersault backward and looking at her teacher with a hint of worry.
All of this happens in a matter of second and by the time of that clash ended, Charles found his head under the palm of that old man.
'Grandmaster, what are you doing?' Charles hated this, the feeling of powerlessness. Knowing that his life is under the Old man whims.
But he managed to control his anger and shows no fear instead calmly asking the Old Man what he intend to do with him.
The Old man did not reply his question but instead choses to inject internal energy inside Charles body and then a hot energy poured from the Old Man Palms and the heat travels from head and suddenly was stopped in his dantian and the Old Man looked at Charles with a n incredulous expression and smiles meaningfully.
Ziyan knows that smile. It means this is a complicated matter.
'A Poisonous Extreme Yin body. So, that's why. Hmm…this is troublesome' then he immediately releases Charles as Charles was flung back through the air but Ziyan jumped and quickly receive Charles in midair
Charles was dumbfounded but he spoke nothing.
'Hmm' the Old Man contemplated before sighed.
'Life is long' he said before heaving a long sigh and his disposition becomes carefree again.
'I am called Old Immortal Li.' The Old Man said.
'From now on, you are one of our own. And we Jade Palace Gate Sect protect our own.' Then Old Immortal Li look up to the scenery on his left and said
'This time you could let it go, Ziyan. He is coming. I hope this battle will end your desire. Come home'
Ziyan did not say anything. She did not object but neither did she refuse.
'Now, as we wait for him to arrive, can you accompany this old Man playing Weiqi?' He asks and Ziyan smoothed her robe and nodded.
She enters the pavilion and sits on the stone table and look at the golden plated weiqi board.
'Which one do you want?'
'White' she said and his teacher take the black. Charles also enters but his entrance was not warmly welcomed by Old Immortal Li.
But Ziyan allowed him to enter. This is not because of purely emotional reason. This is because Ziyan want Charles to look at Old Immortal Li playing style.
Maybe he could learn something.
Old Immortal Li is not only a great expert of Jianghu he is also a great tactician and strategist of state of Han.
But he has rarely coming out to enter the worldly matters so his name was forgotten by time and people of his era are mostly dead or too old.
There is a reason why the people of Jianghu called him Old Immortal Li. It is because he is 200 years old already.
Many people of Jianghu believe that Old Immortal Li has ways of practicing immortality.
Once, a King of Han even offers many riches and titles as long as his teacher would be able to teach him the method of immortality.
His teacher responded, that if he could leave his riches and palaces, his beloved harems and concubines, to be a normal man and accompanied him in meditation then maybe that King would be also eligible to cultivate the path of Immortality.
But the King could not do that and gives up. But Ziyan knows this is not true immortality. No one lives forever.
It is only that the cultivation of his teacher has reached the Heavenly immortal level that living a few hundred years is no longer a problem.
But in the end, he will die and buried under the ground just like others.
If there exists immortals like in the story, what use are armies and kingdoms, Immortals in the stories, with one hand governing everything?
But it is true, that to killed his teacher, is easier than done. And looking at Charles, Ziyan smiles. This disciple of hers is not only a fast learner but also very talented in weiqi.
In her time in the Sword Tomb of Heartless she once challenged Charles in weiqi, and lost. And the thirty battles after that, not even once she has won over him which astounded Ziyan.
Smiling Old Immortal Li put down his black stone on the right corner.
Ziyan then put down her white stone and the match begins. Ziyan was a timid and cautions. This is Charles evaluation.
While Old Immortal Li even though he looks peaceful and refined, his moves were aggressive and he keeps capturing and netting the white stones, like an undefeatable general.