Chapter 36: The First Disciple, Ji Hongluan
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After watching several of the brothers from the Ape Seven Gang disappear into the distance, Meng Xiaoli finally felt the intense pain in her right shoulder. She touched it and found that blood was still flowing, so she headed into the inn. Ji Hongluan hurried over and supported her, asking anxiously, “How are you?”
She glanced around, then said to Meng Xiaoli, “Go back to your room first. I’ll buy some medicine.”
Before Meng Xiaoli could stop her, Ji Hongluan had already run off at a brisk pace, her retreating figure resembling that of an untamed young rascal.
Ji Hongluan bought medicine for the wound at an apothecary and instructed the kitchen to prepare it. When she returned to Meng Xiaoli’s room, she saw the injury on her shoulder: five bloody holes with flesh turned inside out, a sight horrifying to behold.
Ji Hongluan took out a medicine bottle and said, “This is powdered pseudo-ginseng for external application. The decoction for internal use will be ready soon. Use them together, and the wound will heal faster.”
As she spoke, she moved to pour the powder onto Meng Xiaoli’s wound.
Meng Xiaoli instinctively recoiled. Seeing this, Ji Hongluan smiled. “Don’t worry. It isn’t poison. You and I have no enmity, and I certainly have no reason to take your life.”
She poured a little powder into her palm and licked it directly, demonstrating it for Meng Xiaoli. “See? Nothing happened to me. It’s merely medicine to stop bleeding and disperse blood stasis.”
Only then did Meng Xiaoli allow Ji Hongluan to treat her wound. After all, as she had traveled through the martial world, the heart that had once trusted it completely had been worn down into fearful caution. She no longer dared to trust anyone easily.
Watching Ji Hongluan earnestly tend to her injury, Meng Xiaoli asked, “Why are you following me? Why go so far as to buy medicine and treat my wound?”
Ji Hongluan glanced back at her and smiled faintly. “Because you saved my life. I admire you. I want to become like you—to wander the martial world, uphold justice, and help those in need.”
Meng Xiaoli sighed. “Is wandering the martial world truly so wonderful? You should understand that upholding justice means fighting one battle after another. How do you know which fight will cost you an arm or a leg, or which moment of carelessness will cost you your life? Look at me. I was injured for no good reason, and now my body is covered in scars. No one would marry me. Even if the people you save are all good and grateful, there are still plenty who will bite the hand that saved them and turn the blame back on you.”
Ji Hongluan wrapped gauze around Meng Xiaoli’s wound and replied, “Of course I know what you mean. Living alone in this world, I’ve suffered enough from the unpredictability of human nature. Not everyone is good. But I don’t live for wicked people. You saved me, so I’m repaying you.”
Meng Xiaoli said, “I don’t have aspirations as lofty as yours. I don’t want to become some great heroine. I learned martial arts only so that no one could bully me. I never intended to save you. I simply hate bandits as much as you do.”
Ji Hongluan slapped her chest, then sat down in the chair beside the bed, carelessly spreading her legs. If not for the faint charm naturally present in her features, even she might have forgotten the distinction between men and women.
With a laugh, Ji Hongluan said, “You couldn’t bear to kill someone as kind as me. That makes you compassionate. You aren’t a vicious person who slaughters the innocent, and that alone makes you worthy of my respect.”
Her words left Meng Xiaoli shaking her head with a bitter smile. Remembering the mob of malicious villagers she had killed earlier, she said, “Who says I don’t slaughter the innocent? The imperial court has probably already listed me as a wanted criminal. The Brocade Guards are searching for me everywhere.”
Ji Hongluan frowned and looked off to the side, pondering. “My martial arts may be poor, but I’m an excellent judge of character. I don’t think you’re a bad person. Even if you have killed, you must have killed those who deserved it. Good and evil depend on who passes judgment. People who don’t know the truth have no right to decide.”
Hearing this, Meng Xiaoli felt that Ji Hongluan was a remarkably sensible young woman, with more intelligence than most. She asked, “You must have some reason for following me, don’t you?”
Ji Hongluan quickly rose and poured Meng Xiaoli a cup of tea, giving an awkward laugh. “I want to take you as my teacher.”
Meng Xiaoli sized her up. Her dress was graceful enough, and she was undeniably beautiful, but she carried herself with the air of someone entirely unaware of her own beauty. She had no idea how to behave with restraint, and every movement was utterly unladylike. Her gaze burned with fierce enthusiasm; she was far from composed, though there was a rare spark of cleverness in her.
Meng Xiaoli therefore asked in return, “What benefit would I gain from taking you as my disciple?”
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Ji Hongluan seized Meng Xiaoli’s hand, pressed the teacup into it, and looked at her earnestly. “I can take care of you. I’ll fetch your food and water. If anyone provokes you, I can stand in your way. At night, you can sleep without worry while I keep watch. Whatever errands need running, I’ll run them. Whatever unknown danger lies ahead, I’ll test it for you. I can be an extra life for you. I can die in your place whenever necessary—though only once, of course. I don’t have many lives to spare. Whatever wish you have, I’ll help you fulfill it.”
Meng Xiaoli drank her tea while listening to Ji Hongluan’s vivid analysis. With half a smile, she nodded. “That sounds rather good.”
Seeing that she had a chance, Ji Hongluan hurriedly leaned closer and added, “Or you could keep me for a while first. If I’m no good, you can send me away whenever you like.”
Meng Xiaoli nodded again. “That sounds even better.”
Then she added, “The trouble is, I have no wishes. I only want to be an ordinary person.”
“Then don’t you have any desires? Money? Men? Power? To rule a territory? No grudges? Revenge for your parents? Revenge for your children? Revenge over a stolen lover? Revenge for humiliation?”
Meng Xiaoli gazed into empty space. Ji Hongluan’s words had struck a buried nerve, bringing to mind Long Ye, Jin Xiaodao, and her daughter, Long Ze. She sighed. “So much time has passed. I’ve already let some grudges go. Seeking repayment now would be useless. What has been lost is lost forever.”
Ji Hongluan smiled. “Then so be it. It’s good to live without resentment or regret. Let’s be happy, ordinary people. We can wander the four corners of the world and live a carefree life. That wouldn’t be bad.”
As she spoke, she lightly punched Meng Xiaoli on the left shoulder.
The gesture startled Meng Xiaoli. She looked up and met Ji Hongluan’s pure, guileless expression. Only then did she lower her guard and sigh softly.
“I truly only want to be an ordinary person. But ordinary people are not respected. If a person has nothing but kindness, others will laugh at them. Those who pursue a quiet and stable life are treated as good-for-nothings. Everyone only looks upward, toward those standing higher. They look straight ahead or lower their heads merely to mock others.
“For a time, the whole world treated me like a fool. Being treated as a fool is truly unbearable. Everyone has the desire to prove themselves. Resentment is a form of desire, and that desire is the respect of the world. If I want to be respected, I must act on behalf of everyone beneath heaven, saving those who once treated me as a fool. My heart cannot accept this injustice.”
Ji Hongluan suggested, “Then why not establish your own sect? With your abilities, you would surely gather a great many followers. Once your reputation spread, everyone under heaven would know your name.”
Meng Xiaoli turned to look at Ji Hongluan’s youthful, radiant face. After a long silence, she answered despondently, “In truth, my thoughts are strange. I really do want to be an ordinary person and live a simple life, but I want to be an ordinary person who can exchange respect with others. No mockery, no schemes, no betrayal. When people meet outside, they should treat one another with warmth and harmony. That would be enough.”
Ji Hongluan shook her head with a smile. “What you want is universal harmony, something even the emperor cannot achieve, let alone you and me. You want a quiet, ordinary life free from disturbance, the freedom that comes from having money, and the respect of the whole world. All of that should indeed be perfectly reasonable, but you can only change yourself. To obtain one thing, you must give up another. Life is a matter of choice.”
She looked seriously at the bewildered Meng Xiaoli and asked, “So which do you want? To remain an ordinary person and continue being mocked, or to give up your freedom and gain respect through success?”
Meng Xiaoli straightened her clothes and thought for a moment before answering, “For the first half of my life, I was ordinary enough to be mocked. Now I’m willing to try what success feels like. But my reputation is poor, I fear failure, and I’m afraid of the world’s condemnation.”
Ji Hongluan’s eyes shone. She sprang from her chair with a bang, her gaze resolute. “If that’s what you want, I’ll accompany you. At worst, failure will leave us exactly where we are now. You needn’t care what they say. Once you succeed, you are the law.”
Meng Xiaoli could not imagine what this so-called realm of success looked like. She lowered her eyes in thought, then asked in return, “Success means becoming the law? Do you truly mean that?”
“Of course. If you don’t believe me, we can try.”
Looking at Ji Hongluan’s sincerity, Meng Xiaoli felt deeply encouraged. She had never imagined that a few brief words from this young girl could awaken such boundless desire within her.
Seeing Meng Xiaoli lost in thought, Ji Hongluan continued, “That is why heroes of the martial world exist. Society is dark, and the common people suffer. Among the great mass of those who remain silent, someone must step forward and speak for justice. Those who dare to sacrifice themselves, speak for the people at the bottom, and challenge the powerful are heroes. We used to be among the oppressed. From now on, we will be heroes.”
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Meng Xiaoli stared into Ji Hongluan’s fiery eyes and pondered. She wanted to know what this so-called success truly meant. The word itself had driven countless people to pursue it unto death. Even if they were shattered to pieces, was success truly the highest honor, boundless glory, and absolute power? And what, exactly, was the way of the hero?
Was it like Jin Yan’er? Like the Heavenly Journey Sect?
Meng Xiaoli wanted to know. Perhaps it was curiosity. Perhaps it was the result of all the suppression she had endured. Perhaps it was a way to give an account to her departed master. Or perhaps the poisonous seeds continually cast upon her by the world had blossomed into flowers of evil, seeking an outlet through which to bloom.
Meng Xiaoli agreed to take Ji Hongluan as her disciple. From that day onward, Ji Hongluan became her first disciple.
Meng Xiaoli also gave Ji Hongluan the White Bone Umbrella for protection and taught her how to use it. Holding the black umbrella fashioned from white bone, Ji Hongluan looked it over in wild delight. She had no idea whose hands had wielded this weapon before, how many people it had killed, or what storms it had weathered alongside its former owner. And now, so easily, it had fallen into her own hands.
Meng Xiaoli put on the Ape Seven Gang’s Azure-Gold Claws. Together, she and Ji Hongluan formed a two-person band, following their hearts wherever they went and drawing their blades whenever they encountered injustice.
They raided hideouts where enslaved women were bought and sold, killed the traffickers, and set the women free. Those who had homes to return to were sent back; all the rest were taken under their protection.
After tasting the benefits of striking at the traffickers, Meng Xiaoli and Ji Hongluan led the remaining dozen or so women in successive assaults on more than a dozen human-trafficking dens, rescuing over a hundred enslaved women.
Meng Xiaoli and Ji Hongluan drank themselves into a stupor at one victory feast after another. Then they set their sights on brothels and houses of pleasure. They led their people into the brothels throughout the city, beating every man they encountered and herding all the women into the rear courtyards. Like bandits, they robbed the establishments of their gold and silver.
The brothel madam was no pushover. She drew a long sword and flew forward to resist, exchanging dozens of blows with Meng Xiaoli. Her martial arts were by no means weak, but Ji Hongluan ambushed her from behind, driving the umbrella through her back and killing her.
Dozens of courtesans, including Wu Yu and Gu Youyou, all joined Meng Xiaoli.
As Meng Xiaoli continued her bloody campaign, the evil energy within her grew stronger, and dark thoughts often tormented her. Her black hair flew wildly around her, contrasting with her red robes. Her eyes had taken on a dark, murky cast, her lips were faintly purple, and the Azure-Gold Claws on her hands were coated in blood.
Whether wealthy merchants and local gentry, ferocious bandits, or vicious villagers, Meng Xiaoli and Ji Hongluan moved forward beneath the banner of liberating enslaved women. Their cause flourished and swept all before it, stirring a considerable disturbance throughout the martial world.
No one under heaven knew whether they were good or evil. They had done nothing particularly wicked, yet neither had they done anything truly virtuous. Those who praised Meng Xiaoli spoke of her chivalrous heart; those who hated her showered her with every kind of condemnation.
This woman rescued people, yet gathered every woman she encountered beneath her banner. She robbed the wealthy of their money, yet not a single poor person had ever benefited from her. Wherever she went, corpses lay strewn across the ground. The people of the world all came to believe that, regardless of whether the dead were good or evil, this woman called Meng Xiaoli was a demoness who slaughtered in every direction, cruel and lawless.