Record of the Missing Sect Master Chapter 1 part1

“How long has it been – there's no news of sect master?"

“No, I don't know where he went… ah…”

Xiaoqing Mountain in Qingshui County is just like its name** (Little-green Mountain in Clear-water County). The sights are everywhere. The mountains and springs meander down, the ringing echos, although there is no famed mountain and river, it can also be regarded as “elegantly beautiful”. However, there are not many people in the nearby village who dare to come to this mountain.

There is reason for it – the illustrious demonic sect of the JiangHu(rivers-lakes, world of martial arts) fall here.

This demonic sect has been in existence for five or six years. At first, it was simply a chaotic situation. Those Jianghu people wielding swords and staffs, with a murderous air, soared up, and like people who have pissed their pants in terror, scampered down, noisily screaming, causing the surrounding common people to know that at Xiaoqing Mountain lived a severely evil faction.

Matters are inquired of all around, and it is known that it is a foreign martial art sect. It is said that it is not like the martial arts people of the Central Plains**(people of the Central Plains = Chinese people, what's regarded as 'normal/standard/civilized', as opposed to 'other/outsider/barbarian,' if you read enough cnovels or watch cdramas this is a common thing). Ferocious-looking, terrible, and they like to eat human flesh. Everyone was scared to the soul, and on edge, struggling to live their days, with such counterparts it was no wonder, but now there is a little peace of mind when not pressed.

They still dare not approach, but playful children have ran up the mountain, and upon return ran into a beaming gongzi*(honorific for son of a noble, polite, used for men even if they are not necessarily nobility), who was not only good-looking, but also had a lot of delicious items, and others said that they met a young lady, beautiful like a variegated butterfly.

The adults were shocked, fearing that their children had fallen under a demonic spell, and they sought the deities for divine help. At the end, they picked up their children and scolded them not to go again.

Year after year, there are fewer and fewer people in the Jianghu who dare to fight in Xiaoqing Mountain. The bandits also consciously bypassed the land. The people gradually began to feel that having a demonic sect was not such a bad thing. Of course, they also know clearly that the demonic sect is too terrible, causing others to dare not provoke, so toward this demonic base's Xiaoqing Mountain there is a respectful fear.

At this moment, the demonic sect who was demonized by the outside world did not kill people, or eat people, but lived leisurely.

Some went out to handle business and didn't return but there are a few backbones left behind, and there are people who study floriculture. They change between three sets of clothes for one day. They study the locusts**(Gu – poisonous insect commonly known to be used by/associated with evil sects/shady characters in wuxia because the use of poison is thought to be lowly and dishonorable), and occasionally go out and around to see if there are unusual spiritual bones**(common to xianxia but is also possible in wuxia or mixed stories, spiritual bones refers to a person's being and whether they have a strong ability/powers/potential for learning cultivation or martial arts). Those gifted and unusual children were noted and recruited.***(tbh, I had a hard time understanding this entire paragraph because of the grammar and I am likely off, here is the original Chinese: 做生意和外出办事的没回来，留守的几名骨干，种花看书者有之，一天换三套衣服者有之，研究蛊虫者有之，偶尔去逛一圈，摸摸有没有骨骼清奇，天赋异禀的孩子者更有之。)

But as days go by, they all realized one thing.

“Sect master has not returned yet?”

“No.”

“He didn't say where he went? And also did not send news?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh……”

Initially, it was just a few short conversations. After a few days, there was an increase to the number of inquiries, and then there was a little anxiety. Suspicion and uneasiness are like the dark clouds before the heavy rain, constantly increasing in thickness, pressing into the heart, waiting for the moment of a thorough eruption.

Finally one day, someone asked: “I say… the sect master should not have had an accident?”

“No,” said another human. “The teacher is so intelligent, can he have suffered losses?”

“But…”

“He left with Elder Bai, is there no news from Elder Bai either?”

“Asked, Elder Bai wrote back that he had been separated from the sect master. He did not know where the sect master was, but the sect master always liked to have fun. Maybe he has met an amusing matter. If he was far away, I'm afraid that for him to come back it'd take two months.”

“Well, the important thing is that if we rushed to disturb his good fun, we'll be out of luck, so don't worry, he surely must be out having fun, just wait.”

“It makes sense!”

The people comforted each other a bit, and whatever happens they will wait for the return of the sect master.

They wait and wait.

Wait, wait.

Wait, wait… Wait until the rain washes Xiaoqing Mountain back and forth more than ten times, and still can't see the figure of the sect master.

At an elder's table: “I am thankful for this pot of flowers! Why is he still not coming back?”

Others are also whispering guiltily.

Elder Mei's gorgeous skirt trailed as she walked around the study. She was worried: “The wisdom of the sect master is high, but martial arts can only be ranked in the Jianghu. If you encounter a first-class master… No, the grave thing is not meeting such a master, what there is to fear is a pervert, because his face is too calamitous and harmful.”

Another elder said: “A man who looks too good, I'm afraid if he's been sighted by an orthodox** sect(in wuxia stories, usually seen as the 'righteous' and 'legitimate' kinds of martial arts schools in opposition to the 'unorthodox' aka demonic sects) and captured…"

“No, he usually wears a mask. How can orthodox sect know that he is? What's more, he often goes out with ease.”

“If he's not careful and accidentally exposed himself?”

Elder Mei: “I still feel that the possibility of him having run into a pervert and imprisoned is a large likelihood.”

“Oh…” Elder Miao slowly studied the locust's buzzing. “Speaking of perverts, there is a person in my hometown. He liked to catch beauties, cut off the tongue and nose, break both legs, collar the neck, and pull them around leashed while they crawl on the ground in a show for people to see.”

Other people: “…”

Elder Miao: “Right, I heard that a eunuch who entered the palace was really good-looking. Suppose sect master was sold by evil-doers into the Imperial Palace…”

The rest: “……………”

Several people in their minds were filled with various pictures of their family's sect master, maltreated, and their faces gradually became serious. Just as they wanted to carry out some sort of actions, Elder Bai, who had went out to handle business, finally came back. They suddenly seized the life-saving grass**(metaphor, Elder Bai can possibly solve their problem of the missing sect master) and rushed to surround him.

Elder Bai did not appear as though he was quite awake, and toward work he seemed lukewarm, apart from fighting outside, what did they want to do, one should take steps slowly.

A few people hurriedly asked: “Where is the sect master? He didn't say where he went?”

Elder Bai shook his head and asked, “He hasn't returned yet?”

“No, there is no news.” Several people secretly thought maybe something really did happen to the sect master, and quickly ran out, intending to go out and find him.

Elder Bai, who was ruthlessly abandoned in the blink of an eye, silently rationalized his mind and said: “At the time the sect master left he said words.”

A few people who had already rushed to the yard immediately stopped anxiously and almost crashed into a heap. They didn't have time to fix their outfits. They uniformly returned and said: “What did he say?”

Elder Bai said: “The sect master said that he must do an important, earth-shattering matter, and rather not let us disclose it.”

A few people immediately took a sip of cold air and became frustrated: “Why didn't you say something so important earlier!”

Elder Bai slowly said: “I thought he was talking about looking for amusement.”

This was not impossible, and a few people are silent.

Elder Bai looked at this and looked at that again. “How is it good now?”

Several people looked at each other and some people speculated: “Sect master is a Central Plains person. Is there an enemy here?”

Although several of them are also Han Chinese, they grew up with outside clans and have not been involved with the Central Plains Wulin (**martial arts community/circles, in Wuxia, think of it as Wulin is the people, while Jianghu is the place). Sect master is different. He grew up in the Central Plains and later went outside.

Someone said: “I never heard him talk about it.”

“Can you guess the mind of the sect master?”

“This… I still feel like this isn't right. We have been moving for a few years. If there are really enemies. Let us help report on them early.”

“Are there gratitudes and grievances that we aren't aware of?”

“It is also possible that he was playing, but then really ran into a problem?”

Elder Mei suddenly got up: “In any case, we must go out to find him!”

A few people discussed it, and then they drew lots to decide who would leave, and those leaving quickly packed their valuables and wildly dashed to go.

Elder Bai, who was left behind to watch the base, slowly turned back to the room, remembered something when unpacking, and ran to the door. He shouted: “Sect master left a brocade sack.”

He used a little internal force, and to several people who were running down the hill it naturally was audible, and they anxiously stopped. They came back and without saying anything further gave him punches and kicks.

They opened the slip of paper and read ten lines at a glance**(rapidly read) and when finished they only felt confused. They raked everything out of the pockets and baggage and clothes of the Elder Bai. It was confirmed that he had not forgotten anything, so once again they ran, rumbling down the mountain.

______

Bear with me but I've decided to translate this wuxia novel using online machine translating and a browser dictionary. Sometimes I have a spark of inspiration and manifest a good line or a half but mostly I try to make the MTL more understandable. This is my first time ever attempting such a project so wish me luck and hope I get better.

Updates will be every Saturday. This novel consists of 120 chapters but I am splitting each chapter into two chapter parts, or three if a chapter is really long, and each update will be a chapter part instead of a whole chapter. Chunking it this way maintains my motivation better.

Chapter end