Chapter 1377: [Barbarians] (Part I)

Gold Sand is still three hundred li from the capital city of Fragrant Drift in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, and there are two ways to get there: one is to continue by boat, sailing upstream along the inner river to reach Fragrant Drift City; the other is to disembark and travel overland to Fragrant Drift City, because the mouth of Gold Sand strictly controls vessels, and any ship entering inland must undergo a full inspection before being allowed in. Hundreds of ships are queued at the harbor to enter the inner river, and it just so happens to be the peak season for incoming ships. Their preliminary estimate is that waiting for permission to enter the inner river would take at least five days, which would greatly delay their itinerary.

After Hu Xiaotian and Xu Mubai discussed it, they decided to disembark early and travel overland from Gold Sand to Fragrant Drift City, which would greatly save waiting time; even if they traveled leisurely, they could arrive in at most two days and nights, and they could also enjoy the scenery along the way and experience the exotic atmosphere.

Hu Xiaotian had Xia Zhangming stay on board to take charge of steering the ship and to look after Xiao Rou, patiently waiting for permission to enter the inner river and travel by water to Fragrant Drift City. He, Xu Mubai, and Zhao Wusheng then selected four personal guards and set off overland.

Xu Mubai had visited the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom many times before and was very familiar with the local situation; he knew all the famous sights and historical sites like the back of his hand, and being well‑versed and knowledgeable, he could recount related anecdotes effortlessly—so much that even Zhao Wusheng admired the erudition of Hu Xiaotian's cousin.

At dusk that day, the group had already left Gold Sand seventy li behind; the sun was setting, and in the golden afterglow ahead they saw a white pagoda forest on the horizon bathed in golden light, with colorful prayer flags fluttering nonstop in the wind. Hu Xiaotian thought he was mistaken, blinked, and was convinced what he saw was not an illusion. In his impression, the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom worshipped the sea god, not Buddhism, so how could such a vast pagoda forest exist here? He voiced his puzzlement to Xu Mubai.

Xu Mubai laughed and said: "The pagoda forest ahead is the largest of its kind in the southeast and the only one; it is the place where the Numinous Treasure Dharma King entered nirvana. Although few in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom follow Buddhism, there are still Buddhist believers. One hundred fifty years ago, the Numinous Treasure Dharma King was invited from India to Dakang to lecture on sutras, but while passing through here he fell seriously ill from travel fatigue and acclimatization problems. Knowing his end was near, he had his disciples erect a Buddhist platform here and lecture on the spot. Though the Dharma King was gravely ill, when he ascended the platform to expound the Dharma he immediately became spirited, his dignified appearance shining, his whole body bathed in Buddhist light, with auspicious clouds swirling around. Someone reported this to the then king of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom. The king himself came from the capital and happened to hear the Dharma King's final lecture. After listening, he suddenly understood and gladly took the Dharma King as his teacher."

Xu Mubai paused there.

Everyone listened, lost in thought. Zhao Wusheng couldn't help but ask, "What happened next?"

Xu Mubai said: "At that time the Dharma King reached out and touched the top of the king's head, then smiled and asked, 'Do you understand?' The King of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom was overjoyed. He nodded repeatedly, the Dharma King intoned a Buddhist mantra, smiled, and sat down in meditation to pass away. The king buried the Dharma King's bodily remains in the largest pagoda here, then regarded himself as the Dharma King's disciple, and together with the other disciples built huts here to form a temple, performing memorial services for the Dharma King for ninety‑ninety‑eighty‑one days, and soon after returning, the king left a decree and departed mysteriously; no one knows where he went, only later heard that he wandered to India and became a monk. The queen of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, angry at this, ordered the pagoda forest destroyed, but the troops sent to carry out the order were struck by lightning midway, their commander dying on the spot. Though the queen did not believe in such things, she later fell seriously ill and never again spoke of destroying the pagoda forest."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "The Numinous Treasure Dharma King entered nirvana here, so why are there so many pagodas?"

Xu Mubai replied: "When the Numinous Treasure Dharma King came here to spread the Dharma, he brought a total of seventy‑two disciples. After his nirvana, none of them left; they wished to carry on his will and propagate Buddhism in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, but things turned out otherwise—the people's beliefs were hard to change, so all seventy‑two disciples eventually entered nirvana here, one after another until the last passed away, and their Buddhism never took root in the kingdom."

Zhao Wusheng said: "Wasn't there still the king of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom?"

Xu Mubai laughed and said: "The King of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom is also unique; looking back, he must have been a person of great wisdom and insight. After his awakening, he realized that promoting Buddhism in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom was impossible, so he abdicated and went to India to cultivate, while the remaining seventy‑two disciples of the Numinous Treasure Dharma King clung to their ideals and stayed here, ultimately unable to return. Nevertheless, this pagoda forest became the kingdom's sole Buddhist site; every year disciples from all over come to pay respects, not only because they admire the profound Dharma of the Numinous Treasure Dharma King, but also because they are moved by his and his disciples' unwavering profundity. For one hundred fifty years the incense has never ceased, making this place a far‑renowned Buddhist holy site. Strangely, however, no one in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom still follows Buddhism. The last time I came here, the big and small pagodas numbered six hundred seventy‑nine, and now there are probably even more. Some of these pagodas bury Buddhist relics, while many are tooth pagodas."

Hu Xiaotian had some knowledge of tooth pagodas: they are made when Buddhist believers die on the way to a holy site; their companions, to fulfill the deceased's wish, take out the front teeth and bring them to the holy site—some take them back home, others simply bury them in the pagoda as per the deceased's wish, which is why the number of pagodas here keeps growing.

Xu Mubai suggested going to the pagodas to offer incense and pay respects. Although Hu Xiaotian was not a believer, he greatly admired the spirit of the Numinous Treasure Dharma King and his disciples, so he followed along.

After the group offered incense and paid respects in the pagoda forest, night had fallen. After a brief discussion, they decided to spend the night at the nearby inn and set out again at dawn. Because of the Boundary Seal Pagoda Forest, this place has become a gathering point for monks and incense‑worshippers from all quarters, yet there is little commerce around; the nearest inn lies five li outside the pagoda forest.

Hu Xiaotian and his companions arrived at the inn. When Zhao Wusheng went to book a room, a group of people entered from outside; judging by their attire they did not look like Central Plains folk. These twenty‑odd people were mostly broad‑shouldered, thick‑waisted brawny men, their leader black‑faced with a luxuriant beard, a big head covered in tiny braids, speaking halting Chinese: 'Innkeeper, we've booked this inn for the night!' As he spoke he slammed a gold ingot weighing ten taels onto the counter, making a muffled 'thud'.

Zhao Wusheng had just asked the innkeeper for a room when the innkeeper hadn't even had a chance to reply, never expecting someone to intervene mid‑conversation.

Although the innkeeper was greedy for money, he could also see that Hu Xiaotian's party were no ordinary folk, and he put on a full‑face smile, saying: 'Sir, everything has its order of arrival; that gentleman arrived first, so don't rush, don't rush—our little shop has plenty of rooms…'

The big man rolled his eyes and said: 'Didn't you hear? We've booked this inn for the night! Is it not enough?' He then slapped down another gold ingot, clearly a man of great wealth and bravado.

The innkeeper looked rather embarrassed at Zhao Wusheng; he wished Zhao Wusheng would retreat when facing difficulty, but dared not speak up to offend him, after all the gentleman had arrived first.

Zhao Wusheng did not get angry either; he smiled and said: 'Innkeeper, we're not many—just prepare seven upper rooms for us and that will be enough.'

The big man glared viciously at Zhao Wusheng, trying to intimidate him with his gaze, but Zhao Wusheng, a veteran commander of many battles, would not be frightened.

The innkeeper smiled and said: 'Gentlemen, the shop's rooms should be sufficient…'

Before he finished speaking, the big man slapped the counter with a palm as large as a cattail fan, actually pressing the gold ingot deep into the surface, and glared at the innkeeper, shouting: 'Do you take my words as a fart?'

Zhao Wusheng replied: 'How foul! Even farting depends on the occasion.'

Suddenly the big man raised a fist the size of a vinegar jar and swung a punch straight at Zhao Wusheng's face; he lashed out at the slightest disagreement—truly a foreign barbarian.

Zhao Wusheng, not willing to show weakness before the crowd, met the punch with his own; the two fists collided head‑on with a 'boom', shaking both bodies slightly. The big man's expression showed a hint of surprise—he was taller and more robust than Zhao Wusheng, and had expected one punch to send him flying, yet in a straight‑up clash the opponent gave no ground at all.

The big man was clearly a brute; after his punch was blocked, he immediately launched a storm‑like barrage of attacks toward Zhao Wusheng.

Zhao Wusheng gauged the man's strength from that blow; he wasn't afraid of a head‑on clash, and in terms of fighting skill and agility he was far superior. The two brawled in the inn's hall, although each side had many companions, nobody thought to help the other, and Hu Xiaotian and Xu Mubai saw that Zhao Wusheng had victory firmly in hand.

Relying solely on sheer barbarian strength, his fists and kicks were fast, yet after half a day he hadn't even touched a corner of Zhao Wusheng's shirt; in frustration he grabbed tables, chairs, flowerpots and stands—anything he could get his hands on—and threw them about wildly.

In an instant the whole hall was reduced to a wreck by his smashing; the innkeeper fretted and kept crying out, but seeing how fierce the fight was he dared not approach.

Zhao Wusheng had toyed with the big man enough; taking advantage of his forward momentum, he sidestepped neatly, moved to his rear, and kicked his buttocks hard. The big man's forward charge was already fierce, but this kick made him unable to stop his feet; he staggered forward, lost balance, and fell with a 'thud', landing face‑first in dirt and grime, his hands sliced by shards of pottery—utterly miserable.

Hu Xiaotian's side immediately burst into laughter.

The big man, both ashamed and enraged, scrambled to his feet; with a 'clang' he drew the saber at his waist, gritting his teeth and snarling, 'I'll definitely cut off your head!' His fellow warriors also drew their weapons.

Hu Xiaotian's eyes narrowed; these barbarians were truly lawless, daring to run wild without even considering where they were.

Just then a low voice came from outside: 'Dahanlu, no recklessness!'

Two updates delivered, please support with monthly tickets. (To be continued…~^~)