Chapter 36: Carefree Idler All reproductions of this work not on volaretranslations are stolen copies.
During the year of Qing[1], the sovereign passed away. The crown prince ascended to the throne and changed the name of the dynasty to Yao[2].
Emperor Han took charge over affairs of state and annulled the exorbitant taxies and levies. The country gain prosperity and military might, and he was praised as the brilliant ruler, though he expressed no wish to take in an empress or concubines. The loyal ministers of Emperor Han grew confused and remonstrated with him, but to no avail.
Five years later.
Everything grew peaceful.
There were sayings that because Han Zichuan had ascended the throne, the country was extremely peaceful, and its people able to live and work in contentment. However…within the jianghu, people’s hearts trembled in fear at the mention of a certain qin player. At the same time, they took great delight in dwelling on his deeds over tea and meals.
This person wasn’t particularly out of the ordinary.
In fact, nobody knew whether they were male or female. His face was always hidden by a chiffon cloth mask and he dressed like a man, but spoke like a woman. He was used to wandering about like drifting clouds and wild storks–free and unrestrained–and came and went without a trace[3].
He only had one hobby, and that was to collect pretty, charming men. Every time he took a fancy to a young master, he’d sit down at the qin, those fingers playing a tune to stir one’s very soul. His heavenly pieces lingered in the air long after a performance like a celestial melody descended to earth. Only after recovering their bearings would the listeners discovered he’d abducted another young lord.
Rumors had it…that when the leader of the martial arts circles vanished last year, the qin player was involved as well. They were three versions of the story.
1) One day, the leader was leisurely rowing a boat on the river and admiring the scenery of the mountains and waters. Just when he was sighing with feeling over his attractiveness, this top, unmatched martial arts expert under the earth…realized that there was no wife in the world who could match him in looks. He couldn’t help but shed silent tears, feeling rather melancholy. No sooner had he thought than the pond waters billowed with the sweet, plaintive notes of a qin from the mountains. A fairy-like beauty came trippingly over the waters and gave him a shock. He fell in love at first sight and decided to spend the rest of his life at her side. Thus, she effortlessly seduced him and from then on, the martial arts circle leader disappeared.
2) One day, when the leader was resting in bed with his eyes closed, he heard the melody of a qin within his quarters. A highly-skilled figure broke through his windows late at night as a thief, and the two had a fierce battle indoors. The leader was no match for the intruder and was made captive by the notes of the qin. Thus, both him and his incomparable martial prowess vanished from the jianghu.
3) Before the leader became the head of the martial arts circles, he was deeply poisoned by a villainous scoundrel. Fortunately, a mysterious female rescued him. This woman became unforgettable in his memories, so much that he constantly thought of her all day and lost his appetite from melancholy yearning. On a certain day, he was severely shocked to see her masked, fairy-like form playing the qin for a handsome gentleman in the streets. Irritated, he shouted out, “Since you’re here, why not come with me?”
Thus, he went to drag over the fairy-like beauty, jealously striking his arm towards the other gentleman. Yet one dodged while the other rose to block, resulting in an unsightly scene of tug-of-war. With no other choice, the masked beauty threw aside her qin and grabbed both men before stalking off.
After that, two figures disappeared from the world. One was the leader of the martial arts circles, the other a general’s son from the previous dynasty who had been branded a lifelong criminal by the imperial court. His looks were handsome, and he had in possession a treasured map and many unique martial arts manuals. Sadly, he was too frail to practice the techniques himself, and couldn’t talk because he was a mute.
As for the qin, which broke in half upon being flung to the ground…
Rumors say it was snatched away by the masses and a single fragment of its strings or wood could be sold for up to ten thousand gold taels.
But these are all rumors…
However, the qin playing expert gained Seven Princes[5] as followers. No one knew what they looked like, because no one could enter their house.
The First (Yi’er) spoke little but had ruthless business methods and was rich in accumulated properties.
Of the Second (Er’er) and Third (San’er), one was immune to hundreds of poisons while the other poisoned everyone on sight, making them two sides of the same jade.
Fourth (Si’er) was proficient in techniques of the Five Elements and naturally talented in the art of face-changing.
Fifth (Wu’er) was reportedly very ugly, but had unfathomable internal energy.
As for Sixth (Liu’er), he was as beautiful as Fifth was ugly, and his lightness technique[4] was incomparable. Unfortunately, he couldn’t speak.
Seventh (Qi’er) was lively, energetic, and possessed a spirited intelligence. He was the only person the qin player had brought from back home and was the obvious favorite. Typically, he was the one who took charge of everything.
As for this qin playing expert, his courtesy name[6] was Zang (葬) and his given name[7] Hua (华). He self-professed to be a carefree idler.