Chapter 1

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in the city of Luoyang, there was a Swordsmanship Academy.

There were many martial arts schools in Luoyang that taught swordsmanship, but when people mentioned the Swordsmanship Academy, they generally referred to the academy of "Sword Saint" Wang Yue.

This was because his academy was the most famous and had the most disciples.

Shi A returned from outside and was about to enter the gate of the Swordsmanship Academy when his gaze fell on a "little beggar" kneeling not far away.

"Why hasn't he left yet?" Shi A asked a round-faced disciple beside him.

The round-faced young man replied, "Big Brother, this little beggar has a stubborn temperament and can't be driven away. Let's ignore him; let him kneel to death here."

Kneel to death at the gate?

That definitely wouldn't do.

Master is the emperor's swordsmanship instructor and must maintain his dignity. If someone were to kneel to death at the academy's gate, it would be embarrassing for Master.

Shi A walked up to the little beggar and asked, "Why do you want to become a disciple?"

The little beggar looked up at Shi A and said firmly, "To live, to learn the sword, to seek the Way."

Shi A was taken aback; he had never heard such an answer before.

"Have you read books?" Shi A asked again.

The little beggar nodded and said, "Yes."

Shi A asked, "What is your name?"

The little beggar replied, "Wang Xiyao..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Xiyao fainted and fell onto the street.

...

When Wang Xiyao woke up again, he found himself lying on a wooden bed, which was inside the Swordsmanship Academy.

He fell into deep thought.

He had been in the Eastern Han for almost a month. During this time, Wang Xiyao hadn't had a full meal. Luoyang, the capital of the Han Dynasty, was no different from the outside. It was extremely difficult for the common people to survive.

Ordinary people were truly starving, their lives as insignificant as grass. They were people without a tomorrow, and no one knew when or how they would die.

To live one day more was a blessing.

Wang Xiyao was originally 30 years old, but after being transported to the Eastern Han, for some reason, he had "rejuvenated" and become a teenager of about 13 or 14.

Since he had come to this era, Wang Xiyao's first priority was to find a way to survive.

Wang Xiyao had graduated from university with a degree in mathematics. Unfortunately, his professional knowledge was of no use, at least not for the time being.

To become a guest of a noble family?

Wang Xiyao didn't know the Four Books and Five Classics, nor did he have a teacher. His knowledge was not recognized by anyone. This path was not an option.

To join the army and become a soldier?

This was not a problem, but in battle, the battlefield was a meat grinder for soldiers, and Wang Xiyao could be crushed at any moment. He didn't want to take this path.

After wandering around Luoyang for a few days, Wang Xiyao finally found a way to survive.

Enter the Swordsmanship Academy and become a disciple of Sword Saint Wang Yue!

Wandering knights, somewhat like the mafia of later times, were unemployed and looked down upon by the powerful and the nobles. Even the most elite wandering knight, Wang Yue, was still looked down upon by the nobles.

Wang Yue had only managed to become the emperor's swordsmanship instructor, with no power or position, and not even an official rank.

However,

Being a wandering knight was Wang Xiyao's best choice, and perhaps his only choice to survive.

At first, Wang Xiyao was hesitant and couldn't bring himself to kneel, but when his hunger became unbearable, he threw away his pride and knelt at the gate of the Swordsmanship Academy.

He only hoped to be accepted as a disciple as soon as possible.

Moreover, kneeling to become a disciple was not shameful.

Creak.

The door opened.

The round-faced young man walked in and said, "Kid, you're awake. Follow me; Big Brother wants to see you."

Wang Xiyao got up and followed the round-faced young man, asking respectfully, "May I ask your name, Brother?"

The round-faced young man replied, "I'm Ji Yun. You can call me Senior Brother Ji in the future."

Wang Xiyao sighed in relief and said, "Yes, Senior Brother Ji." He had put aside his pride and knelt at the gate of the Swordsmanship Academy for a day and a night until he fainted, and now his wish had finally come true; he could join the academy.

With a glimmer of hope for survival, Wang Xiyao's anxiety and worry subsided.

Shi A saw Wang Xiyao and said, "Wang Xiyao, since you have read books and your desire to learn the sword is sincere, you can stay in the academy for now. When Master returns, I will inform him. Then you can officially become a disciple of the Swordsmanship Academy."

Wang Xiyao was grateful and said, "Thank you, Big Brother."

Wang Xiyao realized that the reason he had the opportunity to join the academy was not because of his sincerity in kneeling for a day and a night, but because he had read books and could read and write.

In this era, books were monopolized by the noble families, and it was almost impossible for poor people to gain knowledge.

Monopolizing wealth was not as terrifying as monopolizing books and knowledge. The common people were ignorant all their lives, manipulated by the noble families, and died without knowing how they had died.

Rumble.

Wang Xiyao's stomach growled.

Shi A said to Ji Yun, "Junior Brother Ji, take Wang Xiyao to eat something and help him settle in."

Ji Yun nodded and said, "Yes, Big Brother."

Wang Xiyao held a large earthen bowl and looked at the coarse food inside, feeling like crying. This was the first full meal he had eaten since coming to the Eastern Han.

...

Wang Xiyao carried a small bag of coarse grain and left Luoyang, heading to a small village ten miles to the east.

He wanted to visit a couple.

If it weren't for this couple who had saved him half a month ago, he might have starved to death on the roadside.

This couple were ordinary people, even without names. However, they were kind-hearted.

As the saying goes, a drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring.

Now that Wang Xiyao could survive, he naturally wanted to help the couple survive as well.

Arriving at the mud wall and thatched cottage, Wang Xiyao opened the bamboo door and called softly, "Uncle, Aunt, I'm back."

Hearing the voice, the elderly couple came out happily. They looked old, but they were only in their early forties. They had three children; the eldest son was conscripted into the army two years ago and never returned. The second daughter died of a cold at the age of two, and the youngest child starved to death.

The couple had saved Wang Xiyao and treated him like a son, hoping that he would be there to see them off when they died.

The old woman held Wang Xiyao's hand and said, "It's good that you're back. We thought you had abandoned us and wouldn't come back."

Wang Xiyao reassured her with a gentle smile, "Aunt, don't worry. I won't abandon you. I promised to take care of you in your old age, and I won't break my word. I found a job in the city, which delayed my return. I brought some grain. Aunt, Uncle, have you eaten yet? I'll cook porridge for you."

Hearing about the grain, the old woman's eyes lit up, and she said, "Cook porridge? Xiyao, you rest. I'll do it. Let me do it."

...

Wang Yue wore a black robe, with a thin face and gray beard, making him look like a learned scholar.

If someone didn't know him, they would never guess he was the "Sword Saint" Wang Yue.

Wang Yue returned to the Swordsmanship Academy with a belly full of grievances.

Shi A bowed respectfully and said, "Disciple greets Master."

Wang Yue nodded slightly and asked, "Has anything happened in the academy these few days?"

Shi A reported to Wang Yue about Wang Xiyao joining the academy. Wang Yue was the head of the academy, but Shi A was the one in charge of daily affairs and had the authority to recruit new disciples.

What made Wang Xiyao special was that he had read books.

Currently, only three people in the entire academy had read books: Wang Yue, Shi A, and the newly joined Wang Xiyao. The others were illiterate.

Wang Yue said, "A young man who has read books is willing to become a wandering knight and join the academy to learn the sword. That's quite interesting. Shi A, you can handle such trivial matters yourself. In the future, you will teach Wang Xiyao swordsmanship."

Shi A nodded and said, "Yes, Master."

Wang Yue asked, "By the way, where is Wang Xiyao?"

Shi A replied, "This morning, he took some grain and went out of the city to visit his elders."

Wang Yue stroked his beard and nodded slightly. Filial piety was the foremost virtue, and Wang Xiyao's filial heart indicated that he was not a bad person.

Seeing Wang Yue's heavy heart, Shi A said, "Master, did you suffer any委屈 in the palace?"

Wang Yue's face changed slightly, and he said coldly, "I haven't seen the emperor for half a year. He seems to have no interest in learning the sword. Today, I went to see Zhang Rang, hoping he could speak well of me to the emperor, but that childless old man even asked me for money."

Emperor Liu Hong was not a wise and ambitious ruler. He was greedy for wealth and women, and he even sold official positions and titles to make money.

Liu Hong's body, weakened by indulgence, had only three or four years left to live. How could he be interested in learning the sword? He might have already forgotten about Wang Yue, his swordsmanship instructor.

Wang Yue was deeply influenced by Confucian thought.

"Learn the arts of literature and martial skills, and offer them to the imperial family."

Wang Yue came to Luoyang to seek an official position. Unfortunately, he had no power, no wealth, and was a commoner by birth, making it extremely difficult for him to become an official.

In recent years, the academy had earned a lot of money, but most of it had gone into Zhang Rang's pocket. Although this money was a lot for Wang Yue, it was nothing to a eunuch like Zhang Rang.

To obtain an official position, Wang Yue would need to pay ten times the amount. He found Zhang Rang insatiable but had no choice.

After all, he had already invested so much and didn't want to give up easily.

Wang Yue asked, "Shi A, how much money does the academy have now?"

Shi A replied, "Master, the academy's funds are almost depleted. If we use all of it, the disciples won't have food. We need to wait until next month to get more money."

Wang Yue sighed and said, "If we can't satisfy Zhang Rang, he won't let me achieve my goal. We don't have enough money now. Forget it. We'll talk about this later."