The Sorceress' Revolt - Ko Biji's Story - Part 4 Chapter 5 by Translations by Ainikki / Anime Blog Tracker

The Sorceress' Revolt - Ko Biji's Story - Part 4 Chapter 5

The Sorceress' Revolt Author: Toriumi Jinzō Translator: Ainikki the ArchivistKo Biji's StoryPart Four: The Heavenly BookChapter 5 The two left the hut and set out for Mount Hua. They passed through Hubei Province on the Jingxi South Road, headed further north, and continued their journey west along the Yellow River from Luoyang in Henan Province. They overshot their mark and had to get on the Jinxi North Road to course-correct. When they had traveled for about twenty days, Mount Hua appeared in the distance, only a few days' travel away. About twenty days had passed since they'd left the environs of Yunmeng Mountain. They were in Henan Province, approaching the city of Sanmenxia. The city was named for the steep, deep gorge that split in three directions in the middle of the mountains. Because of the gorge, travel from Sanmenxia was treacherous and difficult. There were two rocky islands at the bottom of the gorge, with the Yellow River flowing between them. The cliffs towering on the sides of the gorge were rough and uneven, appearing as if they'd been crushed into shape by the movements of an enormous serpent. Sanmenxia had a rich history. During the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BCE - c. 256 BCE), Sanmenxia was part of the State of Western Guo. Guo moved its capital from modern-day Baoji to Shangyang, which was next to Sanmenxia. The move lent the city great political importance. Archaeological finds have revealed mass chariot graves and the bronzeware of Western Guo State rulers. A portion of the road has been declared a heritage site, since the city was a significant stop on the Silk Road. The Yellow River split in three in the gorge, and the tributaries were named Jinmon (The Gateway of Man), Kimon (The Gateway of Devils), and Shinmon (The Gateway of Gods). Only Jinmon was deep enough to allow boats passage; the other two tributaries were too shallow and violent. Tanshi and Ko Biji entered Sanmexia from the northeast: an unlucky direction, since it was the same way Kimon flowed. It was autumn, and the sky was sunny and cloudless. Tanshi's monk outfit was stained from travel and Ko Biji's brilliant red cloak drew many eyes. Tanshi had lost his pewter staff in Hakūn-do Cave. He carried a new staff made from the thick, straight branch of an oak tree. Less a weapon than a cane, Tanshi was nevertheless grateful for it as he and Ko Biji trekked through the mountains. Ko Biji disliked the usual uniform of Daoists and dressed herself as a young lady from a reputable family. Tanshi understood her in will in this; who could look at Ko Biji and insist that she wear ill-fitting street clothing? There was a line of travelers entering the city, and by the time it was Tanshi and Ko Biji's turn, the sun was getting low in the sky. Since this was an important city for trade and government, gate inspections were quite strict. People streamed in and out of the gate, passing by lines of stern city guards wielding spears. Just as Tanshi and Ko Biji were about to enter the gate, two guards stopped them. One was as thin as a rail, the other as obese as a panda bear. "Hm, a monk? Halt, and wait for a moment," the panda-man called out. Tanshi and Ko Biji remained calm, but exchanged reflexive glances. Tanshi had never been stopped by gate guards before, maybe because he was dressed as a monk or maybe because he appeared strong. Sanmenxia's reputation for strictness at the gates was thus proven. The thin man, thin as a kappa[ ], looked over Tanshi and Ko Biji with a critical stare. "All travelers are to be questioned," he said. Ko Biji and Tanshi looked at each other again. Questions? What kind of questions? "Where are you going?" the thin guard asked. "We're headed for Mount Hua," Tanshi said. The guard who was as burly as a panda bear stared at Ko Biji. "Both of you?" he asked. "This woman is traveling with you?" "Yes." "What is your name?" "Um, uh, F-Funayama is my name," Tanshi said. "Funayama?" "You two are married?" the large guard asked. "No, we're acquaintances," Tanshi said. The guard grinned. "I see. It's not like a monk can take a wife, right?" The thin guard stared at Tanshi as if he were trying to see right through him. "Are monks allowed to have female 'acquaintances?'" he asked. The large guard leered at his companion. "She's too good for a monk, anyhow." He chuckled. Ko Biji gave the guard a flensing stare. "We are simple travelers, just passing through," she said. "All we want is to continue our journey." "You're traveling together, yes. Is the monk some kind of bodyguard?" The thin guard fixed his full attention on Tanshi. "You know, I've heard some reports of salt smugglers moving through the area of late. One set of smugglers had a monk working with them, if the rumors can be believed." Tanshi froze in horror. Not only was Ryū Gen wanted by the authorities, but he was, too? The look that Ko Biji gave him expressed her resolve. They might have to fight, and that glance let Tanshi know that she was ready, if it came to it. Other travelers were watching from a polite distance. Among them was a muscular man in his prime who looked like a Daoist. He carried nothing but a gourd for water at his waist, but there was a strange murderous intent in his eyes. The thin guard clenched his jaw. "Let's go to the checkpoint to examine these two further. I'm sure they won't cause trouble." The large guard seized Ko Biji's arm with a wide smile. "You're right. We'll need to do a cavity search. That might take awhile, heh." Ko Biji caught Tanshi's eye and nodded. They couldn't take the time to be detained, and these two guards were too dangerous to risk cooperation. Ko Biji's leg snapped out, kicking the large guard squarely in the crotch. The guard fell and rolled onto his back, clutching his abused manly bits in agony. The thin guard raised his spear at Tanshi. "Huh. Never thought we'd catch you here," he said. Tanshi caught the spear on his oak staff, staggering the thin guard. While the guard was off-balance, Tanshi punched him in the gut. He fell to earth beside the other guard, crawling and trying to get to his feet. "Ko Biji, we have to run." There was no time to think. Several other guards rushed out of the checkpoint the instant they noticed their comrades were down. The thin guard rallied, raising himself up and shouting: "The monk is a wanted man! Don't let him get away!" There was no way for Tanshi and Ko Biji to flee now. Ko Biji took a low defensive stance. With her back to the burning sun as it set, Ko Biji opened her arms in invitation to the attackers. "Ko Biji!" Tanshi was stunned at her boldness. There was no way a single unarmed woman could win against several armed guards. "They plan to fight us!" one of the guards shouted. "I won’t show mercy, even to women," one called back. That was when the guards readied their spears. Ko Biji moved like light, taking a silent leap and hanging in the air for a moment with her leg raised high. At the same time, one of the guards collapsed to the ground, vomiting blood. The other guards closed in faster after that. Ko Biji didn't move or make a sound, suspended in midair with her leg outstretched. "Got her," one of the guards spat. He stabbed at her with his spear, but she moved out of the way, gliding on the wind as smoothly as a butterfly. Another guard collapsed, moving like a sea urchin along the rocky ground. Tanshi punched him in the head and he went still. A cloud of butterflies obscured Ko Biji's form, then flew out in all directions around her. She reappeared, still in midair, and spit into three. The guards gaped open-mouthed in wonder and confusion. "A sorceress!" "Which one is the real one?" The real Ko Biji kicked down toward the earth and knocked three guards in the face as she descended, crying out to make her blows stronger. Her duplicates landed to either side of her, also fighting. The guards' eyes were dazzled and they couldn't tell what was real. They retreated by slow steps, panicking. Eventually, only the real Ko Biji remained on the battlefield. Tanshi was fascinated by the sight of all this. It wasn't until he came to his senses that he remembered to fight with his oaken staff. His heart wasn't in this fight, and his new weapon wasn't as effective at dealing blows as the pewter staff that he'd left behind at Hakūn-do Cave. The staff was light and easy to wield, but a blow from it wasn't enough to fell an enemy. Tanshi stopped swinging his staff around, since that did little, and focused on thrusting the ends into vital areas. The weapon still wasn't very effective, but thrusting did work better than slashing and swinging. The guards were in disarray from Ko Biji's display of magic, and they were easy to take down when they were distracted. If this was all they had to deal with, Ko Biji and Tanshi could fight their way out... but there were more guards coming. A prolonged fight was not in their favor. "Run!" Tanshi called to Ko Biji. Tanshi and Ko Biji ran down the street and into an alleyway lined with shops. "Don't let them get away!" The stunned, downed guards staggered to their feet and gave chase. A suspicious-looking middle-aged man stared after Ko Biji and Tanshi as they ran through the maze of alleyways in Sanmenxia. They cut through a field and ran toward a wooded area. The guards were too slow to keep up and eventually gave up chasing the fugitives. The middle-aged man followed Tanshi and Ko Biji to the edge of the woods and kept going, muttering in frustration, "Why do they have to run so fast?" The sun listed toward the western horizon as Tanshi and Ko Biji fled to the west wall of Sanmexia. They took shelter in a farm equipment shed. Wooden boxes and straw bundles were nearly arranged on shelves in the shed. The bundles were labeled for shipping. There were no workers around at this hour; some had left behind neat piles of potatoes and melons that would probably be packed up the next day. Tanshi and Ko Biji built up a small fire outside and roasted some potatoes for dinner. "You're strong, Ko Biji," Tanshi said. "I haven't had to be that violent in a long time," she said. "It's somewhat liberating." "I was really surprised when you split your body like that. What technique is that?" "Technique? Oh, it wasn't that." "What?" "The sunset tricked their eyes and made an optical illusion. All I needed to do was move quickly from side to side, and that made it look like there was more than one of me." "And the disappearance of your body doubles happened when the optical illusion wore off?" "Yes." She shrugged. "All I needed to do was keep my back to the light and make sure the sun was in their eyes. Simple." "You learned that from your mother, right?" "Yes. It took me five years to learn." Ko Biji knew many self-defensive arts, since she had to travel on her own. "My mother knows far more than I do. But the Heavenly Book is probably full of great knowledge for us to use. I wonder what it says." "Me, too." Tanshi focused on his goal. He still didn't know if it was possible to decipher the Heavenly Book. He didn't know if Ko Biji's mother would be friendly to him, either. He supposed that he would find out soon enough. "Traveling in the daytime will be dangerous now that they're looking for us," Tanshi said. "Then we'll travel at night." "Are foxes nocturnal?" "They are. If you can't keep your eyes open, little bird, I'll lead the way and keep you awake." Her tone was more cheerful than it had been since they'd left the environs of Yunmeng Mountain. Ko Biji hadn't wanted to leave the hut to travel to Mount Hua. Tanshi had persuaded her to come with him. The fact that they were able to fight through the dangerous checkpoint together and escape successfully had put her at ease. They had fought together now, and that increased the trust they shared. "Let's go to sleep now," Tanshi said. "All right." Ko Biji approached Tanshi and lay down next to him. That was getting to be something of a habit. The autumn evening faded into night.

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