Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu (Novel) Vol. 1

by Meng Xi Shi

I believe that within every person’s heart lies their own answer. Even if we live plain and simple lives, we can depict beautiful scenes far grander than any landscape that can be found in the world. Thousand Autumns is the unfolding of one such story.

The two leads have extreme personalities that are diametric opposites: one finds joy in helping people, while the other resolutely believes that human nature is evil. But because both are them are incredibly strong, they cannot convince each other. And so when they meet, they’re destined to clash in a blaze of intense sparks.

“I heard that twenty years ago, Xuandu Mountain’s Perfected Master Qi defeated the Göktürks' number one martial artist Hulugu, right here on Banbu Peak. And then he forced him to swear an oath to stay out of the Central Plains for the next twenty years.

Yet, for the sake of upholding a Daoist sect’s pure and lofty image, Qi Fengge refused to kill him and chose instead to establish a twenty-year covenant. Apart from sowing the seeds of trouble for Xuandu Mountain’s future,

Yu Shengyan was curious. “Shizun, was Hulugu truly that great of a martial artist?” “If I were to fight him now, I would have no guarantee of victory.”

“Who is the current sect leader of Xuandu Mountain?” “A disciple of Qi Fengge’s, named Shen Qiao.” Yan Wushi had little reaction to the name. He’d met Qi Fengge only once, and that was twenty-five years ago. Back then, Shen Qiao had only just been accepted as one of Qi Fengge’s personal disciples.

in the opinion of Yan Wushi, who had just emerged from ten years of seclusion,2 no one on Xuandu Mountain was worthy of standing as his opponent, other than Qi Fengge.

“Shortly after you entered seclusion, the new emperor of Qi, Gao Wei, ascended to the throne. But he is a man of lustful indulgence and boundless extravagance, so Qi’s strength has plummeted since then. There are rumors that Yuwen Yong, the emperor of Zhou, is plotting to attack Qi—Zhou will probably annex the north soon.

Yu Shengyan was a bit flustered. “Then, what does Shizun mean to do?” He’d entered discipleship beneath Yan Wushi at only seven years old. Then, three years later, Yan Wushi had lost a battle to the grandmaster of the demonic sects, Cui Youwang. Injured, Yan Wushi entered seclusion—a seclusion that lasted a decade. During that time, Yu Shengyan continued his training according to Yan Wushi’s instructions and also traveled to many places.

Yu Shengyan suddenly felt a bit wounded. Though he had spent these past ten years traveling here and there, he hadn’t dared to neglect his training, not even for a day. Now he was only in his early twenties but had already attained the Fenglin Scriptures’ fourth stage. In the jianghu, he was considered one of the few martial experts of the younger generation, so he’d been quite satisfied. But now it seemed his shizun saw no merit in any of this.

Yan Wushi’s mouth tugged up in a mocking smile. “When I was your age, I had already broken through the sixth stage. What do you have to be proud of? Instead of comparing yourself to those small fry, why not compare yourself to me?”

Although the hair at Yan Wushi’s temples was peppered with white, it didn’t detract from his charm. In fact, that shadow of a smile made it even harder for anyone to avert their eyes from his handsome face. His white robe, long and loose, flapped and rustled in ...

Before he could finish, a series of noises came from a short distance overhead. The two of them followed the sounds and looked up to see a man plummeting down, as if he’d fallen from high above. He hurtled through layer after layer of branches before finally crashing to a stop at the bottom of the cliff. Even Yu Shengyan had to gasp at the muffled thump of his landing.

Yu Shengyan was from a demonic sect after all—he might have been young, but his kindness was limited. So, even though he had a Pill of Great Revival on hand, he had no intention of giving it to this injured man.

The blade was as cold as autumn water and wholly undamaged. As it reflected the river and the mists, subtle ripples seemed to dance across its surface. Near the hilt were four small characters, carved there in seal script. Yu Shengyan came over to take a look. “Ah, the Shanhe Tongbei5 sword! It’s the sword of the Xuandu Violet Palace’s sect leader. This man really is Shen Qiao!”

If any other person from Xuandu Mountain had fallen, Yan Wushi wouldn’t even give them a second glance. But Shen Qiao, the sect leader, was a special case.

“Nine-tenths of his tendons and meridians7 have snapped, and his bones are shattered in multiple places. A small portion of his internal breathing8 may remain, but even if we can save him, it’ll be hard for him to recover his martial arts. Not to mention that he cracked open the back of his head when he landed, so he might even wake up an idiot!”

Yan Wushi gave a small, cold smile. “Qi Fengge’s disciple, the head of Xuandu Mountain. He stood at the summit of the Daoist discipline, commanding the land in boundless glory. Yet with one defeat, he’s been rendered less than an invalid. Even if he returns to Xuandu Mountain, he can no longer be sect leader. Once he awakens and understands his situation, I wonder how he will feel?”

The greater one’s prestige and authority, the less they can withstand such a blow. His heart and mind will certainly break. And when they do, I will take him under my wing. I’ll gradually train the once-sanctimonious and tenderhearted sect leader of Xuandu Mountain into a disciple of the demonic discipline. In the eyes of the world, he will become someone completely immoral. Wouldn’t that be terribly interesting?”

Yu Shengyan had always known that Shizun was capricious, and the kind of man who did as he pleased. But he’d had little chance these past years to experience firsthand what he’d solely heard from the mouths of others.

Shen Qiao should have walked away from this duel unscathed, even if he did lose to Kunye. So why did he suffer such a terrible defeat?” It turned out that Yu Shengyan wasn’t a complete fool. Hearing this, he said, “Something unexpected must have happened during the duel. And if that something was Xuandu Mountain’s fault, then if we hand Shen Qiao over to them, they might not thank us for it.

Ten years ago, he’d battled Cui Youwang, and although he’d suffered injuries and defeat, Cui Youwang hadn’t escaped unscathed either. Back then, Cui Youwang’s power was already unfathomable, even on par with Qi Fengge’s. Ten years later, Cui Youwang and Qi Fengge were dead, and Yan Wushi had broken through the Fenglin Scriptures’ ninth stage and risen to even greater heights.

Initially, the demonic discipline referred to the practitioners of Riyue Mountain’s Riyue Sect in Fenglin Province, but later Riyue Sect splintered into three branches: Huanyue Sect, Hehuan Sect, and Fajing Sect. Although the three branches were all part of the demonic discipline, they were at odds with each other.

After Yan Wushi entered seclusion ten years ago, Hehuan Sect had eyed up the leaderless Huanyue Sect and aspired to absorb it. However, the disciples of Huanyue Sect were always scattered, and the sect itself was uncentralized.

Neither the abrasions on his face, nor the circle of gauze around his head could detract from his handsome beauty. From the curve of his nose to his tightly closed lips, all his features carried an air of aloof restraint. He looked very much like what anyone would expect from one of Xuandu Mountain’s Daoist practitioners—someone far removed from the common people.

Of course, Yu Shengyan wasn’t exactly ugly himself—he was one of Yan Wushi’s disciples, after all, and Yan Wushi didn’t take on ugly disciples.

Even worse, his cultivation had been greatly degraded—from now on, he might be even weaker than a common man. When Yu Shengyan tried to imagine losing all his hard-earned martial arts in a single night, his mind rebelled at the idea. And in Shen Qiao’s situation, the shock would be even greater.

The land had not been unified since the Jin’s mass migration to the south and the Uprising of the Five Barbarians. Now Zhou and Qi were in the north, the Chen Dynasty was in the south, and the Göktürks and Tuyuhun each occupied vast stretches of land along the borders, while sects and families all served their own masters.

Now that Shen Qiao had been defeated by Kunye and his fate was unknown, no one knew who’d succeed him as the leader of Xuandu Mountain, nor did they know if that successor would carry on the neutral stance of the previous generations.

Yu Shengyan still remembered the day he’d carried Shen Qiao back, and how there’d been a gaping gash on the back of his head so long and deep, he could nearly see the dense white skull inside.

At the end he asked, “Then…how should I address you?” “My surname is Yu, Yu Shengyan. I am your shixiong.” These words defied all decency. Yu Shengyan was in his early twenties. While Shen Qiao’s appearance didn’t show his age, he was Qi Fengge’s disciple, and he’d led Xuandu Mountain for five years. How could he possibly be younger than Yu Shengyan?

Yu Shengyan had endured much hardship beneath Yan Wushi when it came to training, but outside of training, the disciple’s lifestyle was no hardship at all. Demonic sects were always extravagant, so his food, clothing, and spending rivaled that of a rich family’s young master.

Gentle and well behaved, handsome and amiable. The curve of his smile wasn’t broad, but it was enough to tint his pale face with warmth. The maid at his side flushed quietly and quickly averted her eyes.

The Gao clan of Qi was known for their erratic and outlandish behavior, and many generations of their emperors had held intimate ties with demonic sects. Ever since Gao Wei became emperor, he’d grown close to Hehuan Sect, and so Hehuan Sect’s influence within Qi had surged as well.

Back when Yuwen Hu was in control of Zhou, he’d revered Buddhism. That’s why Buddhist Master Xueting had been honored as State Preceptor of Zhou. However, after Yuwen Yong came to power, the winds shifted. The new emperor believed in neither Daoism nor Buddhism, and even prohibited both by imperial edict.

As for the Chen Dynasty in the south, it was led by the Confucian Linchuan Academy. Its master Ruyan Kehui was single-minded in his service to the Emperor of Chen, and...

Before Yan Wushi had gone into seclusion, he served as an official in Zhou under another identity—as an assistant to...

After meeting with Yuwen Yong, Yan Wushi left Northern Zhou and made a side trip to Xuandu Mountain to meet Kunye, the rumored number one martial expert of the Göktürks and the vanquisher of Shen Qiao. They fought a match that ended in Kunye’s defeat. Yan Wushi’s moniker “Demon Lord” resurfaced in the jianghu, and both heaven and earth shuddered.

The true story behind Shen Qiao’s injuries, and if it was related to Kunye—Yan Wushi had no interest in learning more about either. The only reason he’d targeted Kunye was so that everyone would know he’d resurfaced in the jianghu.

Legend held that fifty years ago, Tao Hongjing, a grandmaster of his generation, met an immortal on Mount Mao and was granted the Dengzhen Instructions. That book contained four parts, and Tao Hongjing organized three of them into a manual called the Dengzhen Concealed Instructions.

As for the small remaining part, Tao Hongjing fashioned it into a separate book because its contents were cryptic, relating mainly to the union of man and heaven through cultivation. To this he added his lifetime of learnings and the key points of his understanding, and all together they later became the renowned Zhuyang Strategy.

It was said that if one could comprehend all five volumes of the Zhuyang Strategy, they’d finally be able to glimpse the zenith sought by all martial artists throughout the ages, grasp it, and break through to a new echelon beyond all others. It might even be possible to ascend to the heavens as an immortal.

Years ago, Yan Wushi had chanced upon the Zhuyang Strategy volume that was hidden within Zhou Palace. His incredible progress after his seclusion, his great leap in cultivation, was partially due to that very Zhuyang Strategy volume.

During their match, he realized that although Kunye’s moves traced back to the Western Regions, the source of his internal cultivation9 and true qi10 seemed different. In fact, they seemed, almost imperceptibly, to share a source with Yan Wushi’s.

Then he said to Shen Qiao, “Your martial arts aren’t completely lost. I felt a wisp of true qi within your body. It was not strong, but neither was it weak, so recovery may be possible with time.

In his current state, Shen Qiao was a fallen tiger, but Yan Wushi felt no sympathy for his plight. The man’s misfortune only ignited an even stronger malice within him. More and more, he wanted to dye that pure white completely black, to ruin it.

His master was treating Shen Qiao like a sheet of white paper, one that he wanted to dye a solid black. Even if Shen Qiao came to his senses or recovered his memory one day, anything he’d already done would be irrevocable. At that point, it would be impossible to return to the righteous path, even if he wanted to.

Yu Shengyan believed that it was human nature to be evil. Deep down, he thought, everyone possessed a dark side. The only difference was whether that darkness had the chance to awaken. Those so-called Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian ideologies went on and on about benevolence and virtue, morality and compassion, but in the end, they were just using righteousness to paper over their own selfish desires.

After all, Yu Shengyan was not yet Yan Wushi. A bit of compassion welled up inside him—a rare occurrence.

When the time comes, I’ll bring you there with me. Once I’ve killed Yan Zhiwen, I’ll grab a woman or child for you to take care of.” This was the first time that Shen Qiao heard what the task Yan Wushi had given them entailed. Surprise colored his face.