Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Loose Swordsman and the Fight Against the Sound of the Flute
In the world of martial arts there are various kinds of philosophies and ways of thinking, which are then carried out as a stance in the political arena and it manifested itself into various martial arts moves . Common people who have never seen or realized the presence of a martial artist in his life, for example, At least have heard that there are two major factions, namely the unorthodox and the orthodox faction . The two were always facing each other, because each one considers each other enemies, without considering whether they have any problem in the first place .
The unorthodox faction did indeed take the dark road of life . For them, stealing, robbing, killings and raping are not a mistake at all . Deception, cheating, and cunning are considered valid ways to achieve victory . For them, what is believed to be right and wrong is almost the opposite of what the orthodox faction believes . This can be traced from the martial arts or the waepons which was created only to torture and hurt . The same is true for their martial arts moves which are cunning, cruel, direct, and deadly, as if they do not know the art of motion at all . Even in terms of their weaponry, they are not hesitant to use cunning secret weapons such as vapor and poisonous powders, as well as unexpected deathly traps .
Of course this is very different from the attitude of the orthodox faction, which upholds everything they consider holy and sublime, but for the orthodox faction a reconsideration for the unorthodox one is never a possibility . For the orthodox faction, with or without problems, the unorthodox faction must be eradicated to the root . Weapons and martial arts of the orthodox faction are always straightforward . Their weapons are weapons that are also known in everyday life such as swords, and most of them are swords, spears, or a trident . Very different from the unorthodox faction whose various forms of weapons are like works of art, but represent the thought to cruel killing . Weapons and all forms of orthodox martial arts are developed to cripple, and only if they are forced then they would kill . However, the histories showed that these orthodox warriors more often destroyed their opponents, rather than paralyzing them and handing the criminals to justice .
I have already mentioned that the people from the orthodox faction cannot just be paralyzed, especially if they are handed over to common people whose martial arts does not have any internal power imbued within it . The emergence of the warriors in the pugilistic world precisely because of the height of the martial arts of the peoples from the unorthodox faction is increasingly difficult to overcome . Thus the orthodox faction warriors devoted themselves to humanity, defending the common people who are weak and oppressed by the tyranny of the people from the unorthodox faction .
But apparently the pugilistic world is not so black and white, which is marked by the presence of the warriors from the loose faction . Actually, these warriors can never be classified into a faction, because each has a free and independent attitude, so that each of them becomes different, not bound by a policy and virtue professed by many people . For example, they did not originate or join a particular school . If a martial arts school can have students ranging from one hundred to five hundred people, then the teachers of the loose warriors more often only accept students between one to two people, it could also be up to three people, but it won’t be more than that .
Then if these students later appoint their own students, it is also very rare for them to build a martial arts school . They also will only accept one or two students, or sometimes they choose themselves, more often than not, it’s through a secret teaching . So it is very possible that among the loose warriors, many had never met their teacher at all, either because the teacher had avoided meeting them face to face, or the teacher died and had only left books or pictures about martial arts on a stone walls, which can be found and studied by anyone who is interested and able to .
As is often heard in the ordinary world, the warriors are indeed very likely to find books of martial arts that are deliberately not bequeathed to certain students, because these warriors did exert all their life force to look for them . A warrior wanders from mountain to mountain, up and down the hills, valleys, and ravines to seek knowledge-especially for the sake of improving his own martial arts . This distinguishes the philosophy of the loose warriors from the philosophy of the orthodox faction, which is to eradicate the unorthodox faction as their way of life . I was one of those who used to seek knowledge like that, and because of that I know how most of the loose warriors are very selfish in nature .
Freedom means free from all obligations, including the obligation to eradicate crime . Indeed, there are times when they exterminate the people from the unorthodox faction who are committing crimes, but different from orthodox faction warriors, they prefer to stay away from the crowd, wandering following the flow of the wind and their heart desires, they do not want to interfere with affairs of the people . Most of them only care about themselves, and in general they think the higher martial art knowledge they have, the higher their achievement of perfection in life . Thus, the way of martial arts is considered the way of the perfection of life .
Besides the three factions that I have mentioned, there is still one more faction that I must tell, namely the mercenary . But I will tell you later, because I have only just realized my presence in the midst of dead bodies .
… . .
Who stole the Golden Dragon Sword? I’m still stunned . Abstaining from civilization for 25 years makes me lose the sight to judge the situation . Who are the main actors in the pugilistic world now? Why were military people involved in hunting me down in that cave? How did they find me? Who is now in power in Yawabumi? Is there still a kingdom of Srivijaya which when I left had accommodated and raided Balaputradewa in Suwarnadwipa? How has the jockeying for influence between the priests of Shiva and Buddha influenced common people’s life and the pugilistic world? 25 years as if it has made me lose my present . I look like a misplaced human . Even the Swordsman Melati who always fascinated me wants to kill me .
Amidst the dead bodies, I shook my head . Does my 100-year age have any effect on my thinking process? I was very afraid that I had become senile and completely out of touch with the real world .
Then the flute sounded . Hmmm . I feel like a fish coming back into the water . The danger had made me feel like I am back home, as I was supposed to live in the green jungle of the martial art world that I had left long ago .
I darted into a tree and immediately engaged in a battle in my mind . There are moves that attack the body, there are moves that manipulate the mind, and there are moves that shake the soul . The flute tried to absorb my thoughts, making me sink into his melancholy tones . I had heard of this knowledge, an ability to make pitched sounds to shake the soul, and in turn be able to make notes like solids that thrill the human body so that the opponent will fall with blood all over their body as if they were hit by sharp weapons when the flute song wafted through the air .
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This means I have to move faster than the sound, the problem is that the sound itself greatly affects the soul . I have to move faster towards the origin of the sound, but who would want to be chased and then paralyzed anyway? He darted flashed from tree to tree while blowing his flute . It was like a dodge, but the sound of the flute as long as it was heard it is still a deadly attack .
I darted and jumped like avoiding the waves at the beach every time the sound waves surrounded me . Borrowing the air as a voice transmitter, made me have to mark which part is parted by the sound of the flute, the sound that has the sharpness of a mustika sword .
“Huaaahhhh!”
I shouted with force to hit the sound of the flute again . The flute user managed to dodge, but some trees fell and made the birds fly . A shadow flashed closer . Gosh, now he directly attacked me!
I jumped up three times to make a distance, but he stepped on a tree and chased after me . I moved my hand forward, pulling out a Wind Pushing Style that I rarely used . He was blasted back to the ground, I saw a bamboo flute float slowly in the air . I took a breath, my body became very light and did not immediately go back down to earth, so I could grab the flute and blow it while descending slowly .
I blushed the same melancholy song and the battered flute user was now in tears . Backfired! With Shadow Mirror Art I will always make every knowledge used to attack me turn towards its own owner . I descended like a god from the sky blowing a flute . His tears fell and her mouth was covered with blood . I hit him hard . He will increase the number of the dead bodies . I still held the flute when I approached him . “You will die soon,” I said, “say something to reduce your sins . ”
Only one breath left . He shook his head weakly . What does it mean he is not religious? Or does his religion not include the meaning of sin? In Yawabumi during my era, too many people accepted the teachings of Shiva and Mahayana Buddhism together . If they quit the teachings of Shiva and then accept the teachings of Buddha, it does not necessarily mean that they will leave Shiva altogether . Especially if you have already received the understanding of the power of Shiva whose eyes are as broad as the sky and it can envelop the world . In Yawabumi, the religions that came are accepted as respected guests . Received with appreciation, but used only to the extent that their faith originally allows . So it can never be known what Yawabumi people’s religions are .
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“Say something that can explain why I was hunted!”
I am 100 years old, but I am not a wise and patient priest, after all, even though I am 100 years old, my spirit of resistance will be ignited in the event of oppression . His eyes looked at me blankly . He is not lifeless anymore . I pay attention to the luxurious makeup . He seemed rich and well-off . His Clothing is indeed that of a martial artist’s clothing who is prepared for battle, but its soft fabrics and the way it is sown shows a high taste .
He wore a beaded bracelet, a silver necklace, a gold ring, and under his shirt was a bag filled with coins . His long hair was tied with beautifully embroidered hair bands .
Then I saw his fat belly, the sign of food that he consumed was always luxurious and plenty . Even the flute bags made of snakeskin are tanned with high quality . Why would someone wealthy try to hunt me down?
I don’t have any money, so I take the money bag . He meant to kill me right? I need the money if I enter civilization because the wheels of civilization, including myself in it, will never be able to walk without the presence of money . When I took the leather coffers, a sheet of tal leaves pulled out . Can I possibly get any information from this tal leaf? (TL: through processing, this leaf will be transformed into paper, not a literal paper, a media for writings) .
I was shocked when I looked at it . There is a picture of me there . Complete from head to toe . I look like a sadhu, only with undergarments and dreadlocks . The image is very rough, but very similar . Underneath is a writing in Kawi language .
Unnamed Swordsman
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State Traitor
10,000 pieces of gold If you managed to kill him
My chest trembled from holding back anger, but my head was throbbing with dizziness with a bluish ambiguity . So the one I killed just now is a tikshna, a hitman — who is chasing a big prize this time . With only 1,000 gold pieces with a simple Yawabumi size, one can live luxuriously for one year, not to mention 10,000 pieces of gold . Who would not be interested in getting one?
I remember Melati’s attack . Is she also chasing me for money? Among the warriors, Pendekar Melati is very friendly and respected by the orthodox faction, meaning that she would likely have the same opinions as the orthodox faction warriors . they will not use their martial arts for money . It would be more appropriate for her to hunt me down for believing I was indeed a traitor to the country .
What exactly are these events related to? Does it have anything to do with the loss of the Golden Dragon Sword? I disappeared from the pugilistic world for 50 years . In the first 25 years I disappeared by melting into the daily life of common people, it means that I was in the country at that particular period .
I can’t remember anything from that period that had anything to do with the country, nor from the past, the past when I was still treading the waves of the pugilistic world . Is it related to the second half of my 50 years of seclusion, when I resign completely from civilization, and don’t know anything about the development of the country?
Twenty-five years is not a short time . I am 100 years old but my knowledge of the country in the past 25 years is like a newborn baby . I will have to start from scratch . Fill it with knowledge . It won’t be easy for me with the head of a 100 years old . I took the leather coffers and my wanted picture . But then I am now completely confused, wasn’t I just wearing a pice of undergarments? (TL: LOL)
I looked around . Corpses lying around . The horses are also just randomly lying around and some of them are even calmly mounching for the grass . They don’t need clothes . If my image as a sadhu has been circulating everywhere, I must change my appearance . I have to disguise myself . So I took various pieces of clothing from here and there among the dead bodies and chose a horse . I have to avoid being recognized as myself or as someone else . I failed to disguise myself in the first 25 years of my seclusion . Now that can’t happen again .