The Sorceress' Revolt -
Ko Eiji's Story
Author: Toriumi Jinzō
Translator: Ainikki the Archivist
Part Three:
True Divine Immortal Spiritual Religion
The bright sunlight of early summer made the fresh greenery of Mt. Zixia sparkle like emeralds. Ko Eiji leaped from a tree to the ground in a delicate motion. She stood in the middle of the mountain forest, practicing her magic.
Sei Koko had taught Ko Eiji the basics of sorcery, starting with self-defense and physical enhancement techniques. One day, Sei Koko would pass control of the True Divine Immortal Spiritual Religion to Ko Eiji, so at least some knowledge of sorcery and martial arts would be necessary.
The sorcerers served as Sei Koko’s and Ko Eiji’s supporters and protectors. Ko Eiji considered Sei Koko a saint and would have laid down her life to protect her, much as the sorcerers would. To the sorcerers, Ko Eiji represented hope for the future. They all loved her; she quickly gained the nickname Eiki, meaning “eternal queen.”
Sei Koko’s magical prowess was as astonishing to Ko Eiji as everything else. She knew multiple body techniques, levitation techniques, and smoke and cloud concealment techniques. These were all simple to the point of being rudimentary for Sei Koko, but Ko Eiji had never seen magic at all before coming to live with her. Ko Eiji was captivated by the charm of magic and began to practice self-defense and jumping techniques.
Sei Koko stood on a tree branch above, smiling down at her reincarnated daughter. She had taught Ko Eiji the technique she was learning. She was progressing through many skills quickly and showed a good aptitude for magic. Sei Koko was completely satisfied with her.
She is such a charming girl. There appear to be many benefits to reincarnation, Sei Koko thought. Until the end of last year, Ko Eiji had been a spoiled merchant’s daughter. Running around in the mountains and the fields would have been unthinkable for her.
“Ha!” Ko Eiji kicked the ground and jumped. The hem of her thin top tore open on a protruding branch.
“Whoa!” The next moment, she got her footing on the edge of a large tree branch and righted her clothes.
In addition to self-defense, Sei Koko also taught Ko Eiji how to swim and ride a horse. At the teahouse, she lectured on imperial studies, Daoism, and Buddhism every day. Her teaching materials were the history of Empress Wu Zetian and the doctrines of both Daoism and Buddhism. She also preached about the founding principles of the True Divine Immortal Spiritual Religion.
“The True Divine Immortal Spiritual Religion saves the people. Corruption runs rampant in our modern government. Those meant to govern us fairly for our own good instead line their pockets with tax money. Good people are suffering under high taxes and frequent thefts that go unpunished. They die in agony and poverty.
“The Imperial Court is no longer necessary. The True Divine Immortal Spiritual Religion will rebuild the country into one where the people can live in peace. The people will rally around us, and together we will overthrow the Imperial Court.
“It will not be easy. The Imperial Court will resist us every step of the way, but we will certainly emerge victorious,” Sei Koko said.
“I don’t have that kind of power,” Ko Eiji said from her seat in the shrine. The daughter of a simple citizen couldn’t seize control of the world.
“The divine spirit of Empress Wu Zetian will give us strength, child,” Sei Koko said with firm conviction. “Have no fear.”
Ko Eiji nodded. Sei Koko would brook no argument on this matter. She’d heard as often as Sei Koko’s sorcerers had that the plan was for Wu Zetian to overthrow the Imperial Court and change everything. She feared the destabilization of the country after the coup, but Sei Koko insisted that this was the will of the people. The support of the people was the root of prosperity. After becoming empress, Wu Zetian rarely persecuted ordinary people.
Thanks to Sei Koko’s rigorous education, Ko Eiji understood the importance of her role, but she also didn’t like to spend much time thinking of governing. She was sixteen years old and had lived a life of luxury for the most part. She dreamed of dressing herself in gorgeous clothing, adorning herself with gold, silver, and jewels, and living a carefree existence where others took care of problems for her.
***
On a day in early autumn at sunset, several men on horseback ascended a mountain path. They were all dressed in different styles, but they all had swords strapped to their waists and were cautious about their surroundings. They climbed up the path carefully, alert to all danger.
The man at the head of the group had a fine beard and looked to be a bold, muscular warrior in his mid-fifties.
All of the men coming up the path were salt smugglers. They had no hideout there, nor was there a place to hide illegal salt anywhere nearby. They certainly weren’t here to reclaim illegal salt that the government had confiscated. Mt. Zixia was a secluded mountain where the only dwellers were people who’d decided to retire from the world and hide from society.
Salt smugglers valued secrecy, but aside from that, they had little to do with the people who lived on the mountain. They bought illegal salt from the Khitan Empire and Western Xia and sold it to the general public for next to nothing. This interfered with the government’s tax revenues. They were the enemies of the imperial government and outcasts from society. If they were discovered by the Imperial Guard, they would be arrested immediately.
But they would not be caught easily. Their organization had branches all over the country and was supported by the vast majority of the people. In fact, more than twenty-two years before, the salt smugglers had successfully assassinated Rai Ingyō, a powerful eunuch who’d been highly placed in the Imperial Court. Even after that assassination, the salt smugglers were never caught.
Suddenly, a horse came cantering down the mountain path, shaded by trees. The girl riding the horse hurriedly pulled on the reins when she caught sight of the salt smugglers. The horse reared and the girl nearly fell off.
The leader of the salt smugglers was Ryū Gen. He had led them since before the assassination of Rai Ingyō, and he still led them now. He stared at the girl for a moment, considering. She wasn’t supposed to be here.
“Wait… Ko Biji?” Ryū Gen asked.
The girl gasped, but said nothing. She looked away.
Ryū Gen had only met Ko Biji once, shortly before her death. He had never forgotten her face. It wasn’t because she was a famous person, but because her beauty was so striking.
Is this her reincarnation? No way, Ryū Gen thought.
Ko Eiji turned her horse’s head, snapped her whip, and then galloped off.
Ryū Gen watched her leave. From the side of the path, he sensed danger. He gave the order to his men to halt and go back.
As the group turned their horses around, a fierce wind roared, shaking the trees along the path.
“Don’t let your guard down!” Ryū Gen shouted. “This is sorcerous magic!”
Chō Ki and several other sorcerers silently descended from the trees, swords drawn, and attacked.
With no way to escape, Ryū Gen glared at the sorcerers from horseback. “My work here is done, but it doesn’t look like you’re planning on letting me go, are you?”
Chō Ki shouted as a signal. All the sorcerers converged on Ryū Gen.
The salt smugglers fought on horseback with bows and swords. They pushed back the initial assault easily, likely because the sorcerers fighting them were only weak ones aside from Chō Ki. The constriction of the mountain path also worked to their advantage; the salt smugglers could retreat downhill and lure the sorcerers down a narrow path toward them.
Three weak sorcerers went down, along with their horses. Chō Ki clicked his tongue in annoyance and sprayed fierce flames at one of the salt smugglers.
A ball of fire about two feet (60 centimeters) in diameter spewed from Chō Ki's mouth. The nearest salt smugglers and their horses went up in flames.
“Retreat!” Ryū Gen shouted. The salt smugglers abandoned the fight and galloped down the mountain path in the direction they’d come. They were no match for Chō Ki's magic.
Later, Ko Eiji reported the skirmish to Sei Koko.
Sei Koko offered her reincarnated daughter a cynical smile. “So, he called you Ko Biji?”
“I didn’t know him. We’ve never met before.”
Sei Koko muttered something under her breath.
“Chō Ki said they were salt smugglers,” Ko Eiji said. “Will Tanshi show up next? He was friends with them, wasn’t he?”
Ko Eiji had heard about Tanshi from Sei Koko. She knew that he was a Daoist monk who had used Ko Biji to acquire the Heavenly Book, and that he’d abandoned her during the attack on Rai Ingyō’s estate. Sei Koko had also told her that Tanshi had exploited Ko Biji and Sei Koko to translate the Heavenly Book and that his actions had hastened Ko Biji’s death.
“He’s an enemy of the True Divine Immortal Spiritual Religion,” Sei Koko said. “Stay far away from Tanshi, and any salt smugglers.” Her voice was cold.
“It’s strange,” Ko Eiji said. “I’ve never met him, but it seems like I can remember him a little bit. Ko Biji loved him, didn’t she? I’d like to meet him at least once, even if we are enemies now. Maybe I feel this way because I’m Ko Biji’s reincarnation.”
Sei Koko hated Tanshi, but Ko Eiji couldn’t quite bring herself to. Complicated emotions had a hold of her.
An eerie smile appeared on Sei Koko’s face. “Don’t trouble yourself, child,” she said. “All will be well.” Internally, she thought, If she defies me, too, I’ll kill her.
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