Chapter - 508 Right And Wrong, Good And Evil (3) (1/2)
Looking at these ancient twelve rattans with their branches rising up to the sky, suddenly the 'fei long zai tian' [dragon flies to the sky] came into Guo Jing's mind. Following the Nine Yin Manual principles, these twelve rattans formed different stances of the dragon postures, creating twelve grand stances where the move might be executed. From being lost in thought, suddenly he woke up with a start, ”I was hoping I could forget the martial art I already learned, how I could think about creating a new move to defeat and to kill others? I have fallen too deep, truly I am incorrigible.”
Suddenly Qiu Chuji voice was heard, ”Mount Hua is our Taoist holy mountain; these twelve dragon rattans were supposedly planted by 'chen tuan lao zu', [ancestor Chen Tuan].
”Chen tuan lao zu?” Guo Jing asked, ”Was he the deity who slept for many years without waking up?”
”Chen tuan lao zu was born toward the latter part of the Tang Dynasty,” Qiu Chuji explained, ”During the Five Dynasties period: Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, Zhou, every time he heard the kingdom changed ruler, he was always worried and not happy; so he closed his door and refused to come out. Hence the people said he was sleeping for many years. Actually he was just troubled by the world's anxiety, that the common people always suffered hardships; that's why he was not willing to go out. Finally he heard 'Song Dai Zu' [the great ancestor of Song Dynasty] rose up to the throne; he laughed heartily and in his happiness he fell from the donkey's back, saying that the world henceforth would be peaceful. Song Dai Zu was kind and had a deep affection toward the common people; his contribution was truly not a few.”
”If Chen tuan lao zu were born today, he would unavoidably close his door and sleep for exhausting years and tiring months,” Guo Jing commented.
Qiu Chuji heaved a deep sigh and said, ”Mongolians rule in the north, deliberately will invade the south. It's a pity the Song Dynasty's princes and ministers are muddle-headed idiots; they have eyes but cannot see the problem we are facing. But we are real men, although we realize we are helpless, still we need to fight. Even though Chen tuan lao zu was an honorable person, he hid himself whenever the world was in trouble; that was a bad example of chivalry.”
Guo Jing silently agreed.
Two men had to leave their steeds at the foot of the mountain. They continued on foot; slowly climbing through the 'tao hua ping' [peach blossom plain], crossing the 'xi yi xia' [lit. rare barbarian box, I don't know what it is], climbing 'sha meng ping' [grassy dream plain]. The further they went, the more dangerous the terrain became. After reaching 'xi xuan men' [western mysterious gate] they had to ascend holding on to an iron chain. Utilizing their lightness kungfu, two men climbed up rapidly. After about seven 'li's, they reached the 'qing ping' [green plain]. Beyond this plain they saw a row of rocks that looked like they were truncated. Toward the north of this wall there was a big rock blocking the pathway.
”This rock is called 'hui xin shi' [lit. turn-around heart stone],” Qiu Chuji said, ”Beyond this stone the pathway is getting more rugged and dangerous than ever. Casual travelers are advised to turn back here.”
In the distant they saw a small stone pavilion. ”That is the 'du qi ting' [gambling chess pavilion],” Qiu Chuji explained, ”Legend has it that the Song Emperor, Song Dai Zu made a bet playing chess with Mister Xi Yi [the same 'xi yi' as in the paragraph above]. The Mount Hua was the stake. The Emperor lost, and ever since the Mount Hua territory is exempt from paying tribute.”
Guo Jing said, ”Genghis Khan, the Khoresm King, the Great Jin Emperor, the Great Song Emperor; seemed like they are all gambling with this world as the stake.”