1 The Beginning (1/2)
Chapter 1: The Beginning
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
A long long time ago, there were many unknown places, in which there lived many unknown people.
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The sun was a massive fireball setting in the distance of the wilderness, radiating blistering red flames, retracting at a slow continuous decline. The newly sprouted moss that had appeared after the snowmelt had spread everywhere, and resembled burn scars. Silence prevailed, only to be interrupted by the occasional screech of an eagle or the trotting sound of gazelles in the distance.
There were three individuals that stood in the open and barren wilderness, and under a small tree, is where they had gathered. They didn't greet one another, instead, all three of them were looking down in tacit unison as if something under the tree had sparked their interest and was worthy of careful inspection.
There were two ant colonies fighting around the tree's roots that had broken through the icy soil. Perhaps a home as perfect as this was truly hard to find in this desolate place, and the battle was getting brutal, instantly leaving thousands of dead ant bodies behind. This might have sounded very tragic and bloody, though, in reality, all that was left was a peppering of little black dots on the ground.
The weather was frigid, but the three individuals weren't wearing much as if cold didn't bother them at all. They kept watching attentively, until one of them broke the silence and whispered, ”In this worldly kingdom of ants, wherefore is the Grand Tao?”
He was a slim, short and boyish-looking lad, wearing a pale blue collarless shirt, and he was carrying a sheathless, thin wooden sword. His jet black hair was carefully combed into a bun and held in place with a wooden fork that looked like it could slip out at any time, but at the same time, it remained unshakably rooted, firmly, like a pine tree.
”While the chief monk was preaching, I saw countless ants flying up as they bathed in the sunlight.”
It was a young monk who spoke this time. He was dressed in tattered cotton kasaya, and there was black, sharp, stubble sprouting from his scalp. This somehow resembled the strength and determination written on his face and conveyed by his words.
”Ants may be able to fly, but they will fall eventually. They shall never touch the sky,” the lad carrying the wooden sword exclaimed as he shook his head.
”If you hold this belief, then you will never be able to understand the true meaning of the Taoist Heart,” said the young monk as he slowly blinked his eyes, still looking down at the warring ant colonies, ”I heard your temple dean recruited a new child disciple with the surname of Chen. Then you should understand that you would never be the only prodigy at a place like the Zhishou Temple.”
The lad with the wooden sword raised an eyebrow and replied with a sneer, ”I will never understand how someone constrained like you is qualified to represent Xuankong Temple as its wayfarer in the world.”
”The ants will fly, just like they will fall. However, they are better at climbing, and they are good at letting their fellow ants climb upon them. They are not afraid of sacrifice and as they pile upon one another, as long as there are enough of them, they shall eventually pile up high enough to touch the sky,” said the young monk as he ignored the defiant comment and continued gazing at the anxiously scurrying ants below.
Amidst the increasing twilight, an eagle screeched sharply, sounding terrified. Perhaps it was the three strange individuals standing under the tree, or maybe it was the imagery of an enormous pile of ants that had reached the sky, or could it be something else entirely?
”I am really frightened.”
The wooden sword lad admitted abruptly while straightening his thin shoulders.
The young monk agreed by nodding, even though his facial expression remained just as calm and determined.
The third youth standing under the tree was of strong build and wrapped in clothing that resembled animal skin. His naked legs were as solid as rock and under the rough skin, the muscles seemed to contain explosive strength. He had remained quiet, without uttering a word, and yet the goosebumps on his skin exposed how he really felt at that very moment.
These three young men came from the three most mystical places of the universe, wayfaring this world under the order of their respective sects. They resembled the brightest of the stars across the world, but even they could not help but sense an overwhelming fear as they stood here in the wilderness on this day.
Eagles should not fear ants since they are simply black dots to the former. Ants should not fear eagles either because they are not even worth a bite to the eagle. The world of the ants had never seen or heard of a creature as powerful as the eagle, hence the latter remained unfathomable to the former.
Nevertheless, over the span of many centuries and millennia, a few very distinguished ants among the crowd would, out of enigmatic reasons, decide to strip their gaze from the rotten leaves and just for once, gaze up at the crystal blue sky...and then, the world was never the same to them.
The fear comes from seeing.
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The three youths were now looking at a shallow ditch only a few dozen feet away. There was nothing but darkness in the ditch, and it contrasted sharply with the mottled surface of the wilderness.
The ditch had appeared out of nowhere about two hours ago and immediately stretched all the way off into the horizon as if it was hacked by an invisible ghost with a massive hatchet the size of a mountain, or drawn out by a pillar-sized brush used by the divine craftsman. This was utterly shocking, puzzling and terrifying.
”I always thought Invariant Yama was just a legend,” said the wooden sword lad as he stared at the black gash.
”According to the legend, Invariant Yama bore seventy thousand offspring, perhaps one of them happened to be wandering in this world.”
”Legend is just legend,” said the wooden sword lad, with a poker face, ”Legend says a sage shall be born every millennium, and who has seen one in the past few millennia?”
”If you really didn't believe in it, why don't you dare cross that black slash?”
No one dared to cross the shallow ditch, regardless of how proud or powerful they may be.
Ants could crawl over it, insects could hop over it, gazelles could leap over it, eagles could fly over it, but not the humans.
They dared not cross it, precisely because they are human.
”If that child really exists, then...where is he?” asked the wooden sword lad as he gazed off at the horizon.
By that time, the sun was almost set and darkness poured in from all directions while the temperature in the wilderness plummeted. A harrowing sensation began to unravel throughout the world.
”The dark night has befallen, and it is spreading everywhere. Where could you search in this?”
The youth in animal skin finally broke his silence. In contrast to his age, his voice sounded deep and coarse, its vibrations resembling that of a tumultuous river, or the sound of rusty blades being sharpened on rocks.
Upon saying this, he left, in a rather peculiar way.
Several flames suddenly flared up from his strong naked legs, wrapping his lower body in a burst of crimson red, while the howling wind rolled the fine rocks off the ground incessantly. Then, as if grabbed by a source of an invisible force, his body flew up more than 40 meters into the sky, then he was howling and pounding down on the ground, and with this impact he bounced up immediately. Like this, the youngster bounded away like a rock in a seemingly arbitrary manner, looking extremely clumsy yet with extraordinary strength and speed.
”His name is Tang, just Tang. I don't know his full name.”
Thoughtfully, the wooden sword lad stated, ”In another time and in another place, between him and I, only one will live. How powerful would his master be if the disciple is already so adept? ... I heard his master has been pursuing the practice of '23 Year Cicada', I wonder whether he will end up carrying a thick shell once he emerges.”
There was nothing but silence. No one said anything. Puzzled, he turned his head.
The young monk had his eyes tightly closed, his eyelids trembled, as if thinking hard about something that was truly perplexing, actually the young monk had withdrawn himself to this bizarre state ever since the other youth in animal skins spoke the words about the dark night.