World of Honor

The City of Seven Partings.

A tavern at dawn.

A drunken man was waving his chopsticks, reciting a poem in a leisurely manner, “On the mountain cold and high I meet old friends from days gone by. With a horse to carry me along. And a flask of wine to cheer my song…”

There were always drunkards in the tavern, and many of them liked to chant poems. People were used to seeing them, but this man still drew the attention of the whole tavern, because he was a monk.

His bald head and white robe revealed his identity.

“He’s just a madman who breaks the rules, why does the chief care so much about him?” Two monks entered the tavern. The one in front was tall and burly, with fierce eyes and a huge string of beads on his chest. His imposing aura made the waiter hesitate to greet him. Fortunately, the other monk had a kind face and a gentle tone. He said to the waiter, “We are here to look for someone, you don’t need to serve us.”

“Alright… alright.” The waiter quickly stepped aside, glancing at the drunken monk, who was still reciting poems. He thought they must be from some big temple, here to catch a monk who broke the rules.

“This wine is good, waiter, bring me another flask.” The drunken monk slammed the table.

“No need.” A huge palm landed on the table, drowning out the drunken monk’s voice.

The drunken monk looked up. He was quite handsome, and looked no older than twenty. His eyebrows were like two sharp swords, and his eyes were bright as stars, even though he had drunk wine. He truly deserved the phrase “sword-like brows and starry eyes”. He smiled slightly at the fierce monk. “Ah, it’s Brother Jie Xue. How about joining me for a drink?”

“I’ll make you drink!” The fierce monk frowned, smashing the wine flask on the table with his palm. “You know you’re wrong, but you still break the rules. How did our Courtyard of Punishment and Law produce such a disciple like you!”

The drunken monk didn’t get angry. He pointed his finger and guided the spilled wine to the air. Then he spun it lightly and turned the wine into a thread. He tilted his head and opened his mouth, and the wine fell into his mouth. He licked his lips, burped and smiled. “I paid for this, I can’t waste it.”

“How dare you!” The fierce monk shouted, and everyone in the tavern covered their ears.

“You are being insolent.” The drunken monk raised his eyebrows, his voice was not loud, and only the three of them could hear it. But the fierce monk’s voice was instantly suppressed, and the beads on his chest suddenly cracked with a “bang”.

“Alright, alright, we are all brothers from the same sect.” The kind monk tried to mediate. “We came to find you today, not to quarrel with you.”

“That’s even worse. If it’s just a trivial matter like a quarrel, that would be fine.” The drunken monk smiled. “There must be some big trouble.”

“We don’t know what it is, but you’ll know soon.” The kind monk always had a gentle smile. “The chief is waiting for you, come with us.”

“The chief?” The drunken monk was stunned.

“The chief is already in the City of Seven Partings.” The kind monk said.

“Oh.” The drunken monk fell on the table, and the fierce monk and the kind monk looked at each other, puzzled, until they heard a low snoring sound from the drunken monk. The kind monk smiled wryly, probed his breath with a finger, and shook his head. “He passed out? He really knows how to pick a time.”

TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator’s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.

Lake Deer Temple.

In a quiet meditation room, a middle-aged monk was turning the beads in his hand, reciting the scriptures in a low voice, until he heard footsteps outside. His hand suddenly stopped.

The door was opened, and two monks carried a drunken monk in. They tried to make him stand up, but as soon as they let go of him, his legs went limp and he fell forward, lying flat on the ground.

“Chief…” The two monks sounded somewhat helpless.

“Go out.” The middle-aged monk who was called the chief waved his hand.

The two monks respectfully chanted a Buddhist name and immediately closed the door and left.

“Jie Se.” The middle-aged monk sighed. “Long time no see.”

The drunken monk’s snoring was thunderous.

“You don’t have to pretend.” The middle-aged monk stood up, turned around, and walked to the drunken monk’s side. “Senior brother came to find you, there is a very important matter that he needs you to do.”

The drunken monk turned over and scratched his belly.

“You know that Shanglin Tiangong is not what it used to be. The three towers and the four courtyards are divided and estranged. Everyone wants to gain an advantageous position in the upcoming struggle. Our Courtyard of Punishment and Law is in charge of the punishments within the sect, and we have never been popular.” The middle-aged monk’s expression revealed a bit of helplessness. “So, we have to take the initiative and act first.”

The drunken monk burped, and the room was filled with alcohol for a moment.

“Recently, someone has returned to the Shanglin Tiangong. I originally wanted to take him away first, but I couldn’t beat him.” The middle-aged monk sighed.

The drunken monk’s eyes suddenly opened. “It’s him.”

“The master of the Misty Rain Tower, Xie Kanhua, he’s back.” The middle-aged monk turned around. “But he came back empty-handed, he didn’t bring back that thing. Bai Jile guessed that the thing is on Xie Kanhua’s disciple, and he has already sent assassins from the Clear Sky Courtyard to find him.”

The drunken monk jumped up. “When did Xie Kanhua take a disciple?”

“It’s a young man.” The middle-aged monk took out a portrait from his chest and put it on the ground. “I saw him that day, this is his portrait. I wanted to take him away that day, but I was stopped by Helian Xiyue. Now that Bai Jile has intervened, our Courtyard of Punishment and Law can’t act rashly, but Jie Se, you haven’t returned to Weilong Mountain for ten years, they won’t even recognize you.”

“I wondered why senior brother was willing to let me go down the mountain back then.” The drunken monk smiled. “So you had this plan in mind. But those are the assassins of the Clear Sky Courtyard, can I beat them by myself?”

“You should be more familiar with them than me.” The middle-aged monk said slowly. “You are the only child who was born in the Clear Sky Courtyard.”

“Senior brother, you are talking about a dangerous topic.” The drunken monk’s voice suddenly became cold.

“Go, Jie Se. Find Su Baiyi, and bring him to me.” The middle-aged monk said solemnly. “Now that the three towers and the four courtyards are about to face a storm, our Courtyard of Punishment and Law’s survival depends on you.”

“What a troublesome matter. I don’t care about the survival of the Courtyard of Punishment and Law.” The drunken monk picked up the portrait from the ground and put it in his chest. “But I’ll take this job.”

“Be careful, Jie Se.” The middle-aged monk said.

“Senior brother, don’t call me this ugly name anymore. I changed my name after I went down the mountain.” The drunken monk’s mouth curled up. “From now on, call me Jie Qing Bu Jie Se.”

The middle-aged monk was stunned, then scolded, “Nonsense, there is no five-word name.”

“Nonsense? Isn’t that what I am?” The drunken monk raised his eyebrows and pushed open the door.