Chapter 94: Guarding Heaven's Pass pt. 15

Jiang Linzhai was so startled by the sudden shout that his eyelids twitched. “In the middle of the night, what are you yelling about? If you’re not Jian Yi, who else could you be? Si-Di?”

Lin Changming, like a startled bird, immediately retorted, “What Si-Di? I’m Jian Yi! You... Shifu, what are you doing in my room in the middle of the night? Do you want to drink? Or—”

Jiang Linzhai interrupted, “I’m looking for something.”

Upon hearing the words “looking for something,” Lin Changming's scalp tingled. He still remembered Jiang Linzhai’s way of looking for disciples on the street and almost thought his own fabricated story had been exposed. He quickly asked, “What are you looking for?”

Jiang Linzhai extended his hand, and Lin Changming immediately pulled the blanket up to his throat, wishing he could wrap himself entirely. Jiang Linzhai said, “Why are you acting crazy? Get up. The thing I’m looking for is under your pillow.”

Lin Changming shifted and watched as Jiang Linzhai pulled out a few storybooks from under his pillow. He said, “You were looking for these?”

Jiang Linzhai flipped through the storybooks. “You’ve never shown interest in these before. Why are you now hiding Wu-Mei’s storybooks?”

Lin Changming's heart, which had just settled, started pounding again. He knew Jian Yi was a reserved person who, besides taking care of the family and practising swordsmanship, would never do something like hiding storybooks. He swallowed nervously and cautiously replied, “I don’t read them. I... I didn’t hide them. I don’t know when these storybooks ended up under my pillow.”

When in doubt, Lin Changming’s go-to response while pretending to be Jian Yi was to feign ignorance.

“It’s just you and me in this courtyard. If you didn’t hide them, who else could have?” Jiang Linzhai didn’t take it seriously and continued flipping through the books. “These storybooks are missing a few pages.”

Lin Changming couldn’t figure out Jiang Linzhai’s intentions, so he continued to feign ignorance. “How could pages be missing when they’re under my pillow?”

Jiang Linzhai said, “There used to be one page here that was really funny.”

He pondered for a moment, seeming a bit confused, unable to recall where that funny page had gone. Lin Changming carefully observed him and said, “Really? If you really want to see it, I can send a message to Wu-Mei tomorrow morning and ask if she’s seen it.”

Jiang Linzhai replied, “Forget it.”

Lin Changming asked, “Why forget it?”

Jiang Linzhai said, “Forget it means forget it. I’ve already read that page.”

The illusion was driven by his thoughts, and the missing pages from the storybook might be related to his deceased disciples. Lin Changming sighed quietly, unsure how to comfort him. He continued to play the fool and said, “The Shidi and Shimei must miss Shifu after returning to the mountain. I’ll send them a message and ask how Shizu’s health is.”

Besides his disciples, Jiang Linzhai’s other soft spot was his master. Sure enough, when he heard the word “Shizu,” his expression seemed to soften.

Lin Changming wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, formed a hand seal, and chanted a spell. “Wu-Mei, how have you been since returning home? We haven’t received any letters from you. Shifu is very worried.”

Jiang Linzhai interjected at the right moment, “I am not worried.”

Lin Changming knew Jiang Linzhai too well now. He reassured, “Alright, alright, you all heard him. Shifu is not worried about you. It’s me, Da-Shixiong, who is worried about you. How are things at home? Has Shizu’s health improved? Shifu and I are temporarily staying in this city with no set return date. If there’s an emergency, please feel free to send us a letter via Fly-Delivery Seal...”

Jiang Linzhai said, "You forgot Yaomei."

Lin Changming replied, "Alright. Er’Di, listen up. Now that Da-Shixiong is not home, you are the eldest. Take good care of Yaomei and don't let her play with mud anymore. The children on Dongzhao Mountain are already fully enlightened at her age, while she spends all day playing with mud. It's embarrassing if word gets out. Teach her whatever you can while you're at home..."

This message was initially meant to show Jiang Linzhai that he was doing something, but for some reason, the words just kept spilling out, and before he realised it, he had already been talking for nearly half an hour.

Jiang Linzhai said, "That's enough, send it."

As the message was sent, Lin Changming felt a strange sense of anticipation, as if he might actually receive a reply. Satisfied, Jiang Linzhai stood up and let Lin Changming go back to sleep. Lin Changming lay down and watched Jiang Linzhai adjust the candlewick and extinguish the light.

The slender shadow of the Wuyou flower branch cast across the window. Jiang Linzhai, with his robe sleeves draped around him, stood partially merged with the night, looking somewhat ethereal. Suddenly, Lin Changming called out, "Shifu."

Jiang Linzhai didn't look over but responded, "Speak."

Lin Changming didn't want to reflect on the truth at that moment. He felt a sense of melancholy, for Jiang Linzhai and for the message that would never receive a response. He said, "You came down the mountain to take us on a journey, but what about when you return? What do you want to do when you go back to the mountain?"

Jiang Linzhai said, "What else is there to do when I return? Just the usual things."

Lin Changming asked, "Do you not like being the sect leader?"

Jiang Linzhai loosened his robe sleeves. His moonlit figure turned slightly towards Lin Changming, without any reservations, "Who likes it? Do you? You can have it."

Lin Changming thought to himself: The position of the head of the Four Mountains is one that many people envy, but he was unwilling. Unfortunately, fate loves to play tricks on people, and the more unwilling someone is, the more they are forced to commit wholeheartedly to it.

"Everyone loves glory," Lin Changming said. "Shifu, if you don't like being the sect leader, then what do you like to do?"

Jiang Linzhai replied, "You sure are talking a lot tonight."

Lin Changming said, "In the past, it was always Si-Di and Wu-Mei who surrounded you.(1) Now that it's finally my turn, of course, I have to ask more questions."

He wasn't wrong. When his Shidi and Shimei were around, Jian Yi rarely pestered his Shifu. Perhaps it was because of this that Jiang Linzhai was more patient tonight.

"I don't particularly like anything," Jiang Linzhai turned his head to look at the window. The Wuyou flowers, beaten by the rain, had fallen quite a bit. He was speaking the truth—he really didn't have anything he particularly liked.

Lin Changming but didn't believe him, "Shifu, do you know about Lin Changming of Dongzhao Mountain? He once said that some people in this world like to drink, and others like to watch flowers, but there is no one who doesn't like anything."

Jiang Linzhai, seemingly clear-headed but actually quite muddled, said, "Lin Changming? Never heard of him."

Lin Changming was prepared for this, "He is the head of the Kuwu Clan, reportedly a handsome man with a great reputation across the Six Prefectures. I think there's some truth in what he says."

Jiang Linzhai said, "The world is full of people who talk sense. What's so special about him?"

Lin Changming said, "He's a man of his word. Isn't that rare?"

Jiang Linzhai seemed to chuckle, "You've spent your whole life on North Heron Mountain. Can you tell the difference between a true gentleman and a hypocrite?"

Lin Changming replied, "Shifu if you knew his story, you would understand that he is indeed a gentleman."

Jiang Linzhai said, "You never had any interest in other sects. Now that you're down the mountain, you're telling stories about others. Fine, let me hear it."

Lin Changming smiled, "This Lin Changming is said to have been born into a noble family, raised as the eldest son of the Kuwu Clan, but I heard that he is actually a posthumous child. His biological father was the old clan leader’s brother who died in battle, not the old clan leader himself."

Jiang Linzhai said, "Stories like this are common among clans and sects. It's not that rare."

Lin Changming gazed at the ceiling, "That's just the beginning, Shifu. Listen to the rest. After Lin Changming was born, he resembled the old clan leader’s deceased brother so much that the old clan leader despised him. He wore silk clothes, ate delicacies, and lived in a house carved from jade and gold, but no one spoke to him. He grew up to the age of four without uttering a word, and rumours spread among the clan that he was a fool."

Jiang Linzhai said, "But you said he later became the clan chief."

Lin Changming said, "That's right, he later became the clan leader. The position was originally his brother's. When his brother died in battle, he entrusted the old clan leader to manage it temporarily until the child came of age. Unfortunately, the old clan chief, seeing that they were orphans, decided to seize the position for himself. But after doing so, he feared that his actions would be despised, so he came up with a plan to raise Lin Changming as a useless person."

Jiang Linzhai's gaze deepened, "And how did Lin Changming overcome this?"

Lin Changming continued, "Despite the old clan chief's efforts, Lin Changming wasn't as foolish as they thought. He learned in secret, and when he finally spoke, he did so with wisdom that stunned everyone. He patiently waited for his moment, endured countless humiliations, and when the time came, he demonstrated his capability, earning the respect and support of the clan. Eventually, he reclaimed the position that was rightfully his."

Jiang Linzhai nodded a hint of admiration in his eyes, "Persistence and wisdom. It seems this Lin Changming is indeed a gentleman."

Lin Changming smiled, "Yes, Shifu. And perhaps there's something we can learn from his story."

Jiang Linzhai said, “Then after Lin Changming succeeded, did he murder the old clan leader?”

Lin Changming was silent for a moment, then smiled, "What's so noble about killing? What I admire about him is that after taking over, he didn't kill anyone. Not only did he spare the old clan leader, but they even became a legendary duo in the Six Prefectures. Shifu, wouldn't you say that makes him a true gentleman? Without a broad enough heart, how could he forgive such a grave offence of stealing his mother's and his position?"

Jiang Linzhai said, "It doesn't count. His sparing the old clan leader is the same reason the old clan leader didn't kill him back then—both were actions taken to maintain their reputation. This whole story revolves around the struggle for that position."

Lin Changming replied, "That position is prestigious. Lin Changming endured years of humiliation to reclaim it. He wanted to be the clan leader, and not just any clan leader, but the most prestigious and powerful one in the world. Isn't that a form of revenge against the old clan leader? The old clan leader would have to live in his shadow from then on, just like he did before, wearing silk, eating delicacies, living in a lonely house, and ultimately becoming a fool."

Jiang Linzhai said, "Isn't that just self-deception? Even if the old clan leader goes mad, Lin Changming's suffering won't disappear."

Lin Changming tilted his head, looking at him, "If it were you, what would you do?"

Jiang Linzhai reached out and adjusted the flower branch that had slipped inside the window, saying straightforwardly, "Kill the old clan leader. Whoever wants that position can have it."

"You don't care about these things, so naturally, you can say you don't want it. But if it were something you cherished..." Lin Changming trailed off, thinking of Jiang Linzhai's choice in the River God Temple. He listened to the rain for a moment, then asked softly, "If one day, you had to choose between saving a city and saving Shizu, whom would you choose?"

Jiang Linzhai replied, "Your Shizu."

Lin Changming blurted out, "Then why—"

Why did you kill Jian Yi without hesitation?

Jiang Linzhai lifted his sleeve, the Wuyou Sword at his waist touched by a bit of rain. He spoke slowly, "You find it strange? Of course. Your Shizu didn't teach you this way. She always taught you to sacrifice the small for the greater good. If you asked the Tongshen practitioners why they practice, nine out of ten would tell you it's 'for the world, for the people.' But Jian Yi, all 'for what' comes at a price.

"My previous answer was my choice, but if you asked the head of the Posuo Sect, then it would have to be the other choice. Everything in this world comes at a cost. The price for the glory of being the Four Mountains' leader is making that choice.

"Your Shizu called this choice 'Heaven’s Pass.' Do you know why it's called 'Heaven’s Pass'? Because the sky and sea hang above the Four Mountains. To be the leader of the Four Mountains, you must forsake personal desires. So, your question doesn't really need an answer. We already know it."

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Foot Notes

1.  Pretty sure there is a typo here in the original text. T97 writes 十四弟, which would be 14th Brother.