The Sorceress' Revolt
Author: Toriumi Jinzō
Translator: Ainikki the Archivist
Ko Biji's Story
Part Seven: The Pewter Staff
The eastern sky was beginning to lighten, but Tanshi didn’t notice. He sat meditating in Daruma Cave alone. Three months had passed since he first entered the Shaolin Temple.
Daruma Cave was located to the north of the Shaolin Temple, near the top of Mt. Song. The climb was steep and arduous. After sitting meditation, several dozen warrior monks gathered in the main hall to begin their morning worship service. Next came basic training in Shaolin kung fu, which developed flexibility and strength of the body. Shaolin kung fu was characterized by its dynamism; practitioners blended speed with efficiency of movement.
After basic training, monks took up more specialized forms of martial arts according to their interests and gifts. Some learned swordsmanship. Some learned different techniques for rolling and throwing opponents. Tanshi focused his martial efforts on staff techniques in order to bring out the potential in his weapon. Sometimes, Tenryū Sōjō would come and give Tanshi one-on-one training.
Tanshi mastered basic training in Shaolin kung fu first, then worked hard on understanding what force had allowed him to summon lightning through his pewter staff and disrupt Tenryū Sōjō’s Celestial Dragon technique. This he did by focusing on the meaning of zen: selflessness, mercy, and self-possession. He also tried to apply the knowledge of the Way of Shattering Earth that he’d gained from his fragmentary translation of the Heavenly Book to his staff techniques. He was convinced that this knowledge would prove critical in the future.
After training came dinner. Tanshi went up the mountain alone after he ate and studied what he could of the Heavenly Book. First, he practiced the multi-body technique. This was a technique that would allow Tanshi to project several clones of himself to his opponent, and while his opponent was confused, Tanshi could attack. Ko Biji knew a similar technique, but it relied on sunlight to blind and distract while she formed her illusory clones. The technique that Tanshi practiced could be performed anywhere and at any time, even in dark environments. Tanshi’s practice of Shaolin kung fu taught him other ways of distracting an opponent, not just light, and his greater understanding of zen centered his focus on what was truly important within the Heavenly Book. He wasn’t trying to master knowledge to be powerful, or to kill people. He wanted this knowledge for selfless, helpful reasons. If possible, he wanted to help others with what he learned.
In the mountain forest under the moonlight, Tanshi trained with everything he had, but there were times when he gave up—times when he threw himself on the ground in terrible despair, his legs and arms weak and shaking. The only thing that kept him going some nights was his faith that he would find Ko Biji again. He would save her, but only if he was strong enough.
This night, three months after his arrival in the temple, Tanshi sat in Daruma Cave and meditated on what he’d learned. It was a pleasant night in spring on a day without rain. The bright yellow-white full moon shone in the deep blue sky, almost as bright as day. The wind had picked up speed at sunset and sent a chill down Tanshi’s spine.
Tanshi rose from his meditation pose, then gripped his pewter staff. The shadow of his body and the staff moved on the rock walls of the cave in the half-darkness. Tanshi was now better accustomed to moving with his staff instead of attempting to influence its direction. He had been a good staff fighter before, but he was now well on his way to becoming a great one.
“Tanshi?”
“Oh, it’s you, Ryou?”
Ryou was one of the warrior monks who had been guarding the gate to the temple when Tanshi had first arrived.
Ryou's sword slashed down on Tanshi’s staff. Tanshi blocked the strike, and they circled around one another in the confines of the cave. Ryou was the best swordsman in the temple and had the same training in Shaolin kung fu that Tanshi had. Training against him was always helpful.
The warrior monk lowered his sword and ran up the cliff, out of the cave. Tanshi followed him.
Ryou turned to face Tanshi atop the cliff. “Wanna spar?”
Tanshi agreed immediately. While there was no shortage of sparring partners in the Shaolin Temple, Tanshi didn’t usually fight with others at night, high on the mountain. And Ryou was a superior sparring partner, one that he could really test his strength against.
Since it was a spar, strikes wouldn’t be at full power and Ryou wouldn’t actually cut into his flesh. Fighting this way required finer control than fighting in a real battle. Sparring with real weapons required great trust between them. One slip, one mistake, could result in injury—or death.
Ryou faced Tanshi and raised his sword.
Tanshi’s whole body went numb and stiff, as if he’d been struck by lightning. A bolt of lightning shot out from the tip of his staff and stopped Ryou's sword in midair.
Ryou gasped and backed up. It took him a moment to move the sword again after Tanshi had disrupted his first slash with the lightning.
Tanshi stood still and moved his staff in accordance with Ryou's movements. He chose to remain anchored in place while his weapon blocked all attacks.
Ryou slashed out again with tremendous speed. Tanshi sensed that this was close to a real strike and concentrated hard on blocking it.
When Ryou's sword was just about to cut into him, lightning erupted all around Tanshi’s body, forming a shield that repelled the sword harmlessly away.
Tanshi and Ryou both froze in shock and stared at Ryou's sword as the blade bounced away from the lightning.
In an instant the lightning stopped, and the blade fell to the ground. Ryou went pale. He held only the hilt of his weapon now. The sword was broken.
Tanshi held up his staff to the moon.
“That’s absolutely terrifying,” Ryou said.
“You summoned lightning and there aren’t even any clouds,” Tenryū Sōjō said. “What do you think, Tanshi?”
Tanshi blinked at Tenryū Sōjō. Apparently he’d been watching the spar from the start.
“I think Ryou is right,” Tanshi said. “The technique is terrifying.” It was something he’d gained a better understanding of while studying the Way of Shattering Earth. If he could control lightning at will, he would certainly be able to rend the ground asunder beneath his enemies’ feet.
“Yes, it is the law of heaven. The yin and yang energies of the pewter staff have resonated with your own power and understanding of zen. With the right training, this can become quite a fearsome technique.”
“Thank you, head priest. I’ll train well,” Tanshi said. His face shone in the moonlight.
Tanshi’s staff had a steel core. The method of making steel from pig iron (crude iron made by melting iron ore) had already been perfected by 200 BCE. It was also known that when steel was heated to a high temperature and then cooled, it became magnetic. En Kō enacted this change on Tanshi’s staff using the power of divine lightning. The magnetized staff harmonized with Tanshi’s own power and will, generating great potential magnetic force.
Tenryū Sōjō gave Tanshi a stern look. “Tanshi, right now you are lost in your own goals. Daoism relies on understanding the principles writ large in heaven and hearth, not just your own path through the world. Forget yourself and have compassion to save all those in need. Don’t forget the wisdom of the Buddha, Tanshi.”
Tanshi bowed deeply. It could be said that he had been working so hard just so that he could save Ko Biji. He wasn’t thinking about saving anyone else at all. Even his desire to help others with his knowledge was an abstract thing. All he wanted at this moment was to help Ko Biji—no one else.
Tanshi didn’t have the capacity—mental, physical, or magical—to save everything and everyone.
Not yet.
***
Months after her initial disappearance, Sei Koko was still nowhere to be found. No one had seen her and no one knew where she was.
People looked for her, of course. Imperial Guardsmen searched Sei Koko’s ruined estate for clues as to where she had gone based on Yang Chun’s testimony of events. The gold and silver concealed in the estate’s basement was gone by the time the guards began their search. In addition, the belongings of some missing worshipers, bone fragments and ashes were found near the site.
Sei Koko had vanished without a trace, and no one knew how to find her. Her trail went cold.
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