Chapter 16

Chapter 017: The Legend of Immortals

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Lu Xiayu marveled at Li Wenjun's talent, often praising him in private for his aptitude for studying. He believed that if Li Wenjun applied himself, he might even pass the provincial exams and become a scholar, and with good luck, he could even become a jinshi, bringing glory to his ancestors.

Lu Xiayu also reported this to the head of the academy, Zhou Wei. Zhou Wei did not comment but instructed Lu Xiayu to continue teaching Li Wenjun well.

During this month, Li Wenjun spent most of his time reading and learning to write. He resisted his immense curiosity and did not open the two books he had received from the old Taoist, fearing that a superficial understanding might lead him astray.

Of course, no matter how hard one works, one cannot study all day long. A little rest is always necessary.

During these breaks, Li Wenjun met some people at the San Shan Academy. The academy gathered the best students from San Shan County and its neighboring counties. Li Wenjun did not try to get to know them all, but he paid attention to a few he thought were important.

Among these were a brother and sister, the sister named Wu Xuemei and the brother named Wu Yiming. The sister was two years younger than Li Wenjun, and the brother was about two years younger than his sister. Their father was the county magistrate, Wu Tao.

Because of Wu Tao, Wu Xuemei and Wu Yiming held a special status at the San Shan Academy, and no one dared to provoke them.

Wu Yiming was rather simple, but Wu Xuemei was a beauty, comparable to a celestial fairy. However, her temperament was far from gentle; she was quite domineering, proud, and looked down on others. She would slap anyone who disagreed with her.

Li Wenjun always avoided and cautiously dealt with this brother and sister, so he had not had any conflicts with them so far.

The others Li Wenjun paid attention to were the top scholars at the San Shan Academy. He thought that if he had the chance, he could learn from them to better understand the words in the old Taoist's books.

However, the texts Li Wenjun was currently studying were basic, and Lu Xiayu could answer most of his questions, so he did not need to seek help from the other students.

Moreover, these students had no interest in befriending Li Wenjun. He was neither a learned scholar nor a teacher who could influence their future. He was just a beginner, and they were not willing to waste their precious time on him.

Li Wenjun did make a friend at the San Shan Academy. Near the small courtyard he rented lived a family that had been collecting herbs and hunting small animals for generations. They had a son, Sun Jianing, who was about the same age as Li Wenjun. His mother was Lu Xiayu's sister, which allowed Sun Jianing to study at the San Shan Academy.

Li Wenjun studied with Lu Xiayu, and Sun Jianing was Lu Xiayu's nephew. They met by chance, found they got along well, and quickly became friends.

One day, as Li Wenjun was leaving Lu Xiayu's office, he saw Sun Jianing hiding behind a willow tree, waving at him.

Li Wenjun walked over and asked, "Xiao Ning, what's up?"

Sun Jianing said, "Brother Wenjun, what's the point of just reading all day? You might turn into a weak bookworm. How about going out to play with me tomorrow? My father is going to the mountains to collect herbs and has agreed to take me around the outskirts of Wufeng Mountain. You should come too."

The San Shan Academy had a day off every ten days, and tomorrow happened to be one of those days. Li Wenjun had planned to stay home and review what he had learned over the past month. He waved his hand and said, "I won't go."

Sun Jianing urged, "Brother Wenjun, please come with me. It will be boring if I go with my father alone."

Li Wenjun smiled and shook his head. He did not want to waste his precious time. He walked past Sun Jianing and headed out of the academy.

Sun Jianing quickly followed, jogging and saying, "Brother Wenjun, the mountains are really fun. You can collect many herbs and hunt small animals like rabbits and pheasants. If you're lucky, you might even encounter an immortal."

Li Wenjun's interest was piqued, and he stopped, asking, "An immortal? What kind of immortal?"

Sun Jianing, not expecting Li Wenjun to stop, almost bumped into him. "Brother Wenjun, watch out."

"Alright, I'll be more careful next time. Tell me, what kind of immortal? Is there an immortal in Wufeng Mountain?" Li Wenjun asked again.

"I don't know if there's an immortal in Wufeng Mountain. I just heard from my father that once, a herb collector was picking a herb on a cliff when a person flew down from the sky, gave him fifty taels of silver, and bought the herb. My father said that herb might not even be worth a tael on the market," Sun Jianing marveled.

Li Wenjun was trying to figure out how to meet someone like the old Taoist. Hearing about this incident in Wufeng Mountain, he decided to go there the next day. "Xiao Ning, are there many people who can fly in Wufeng Mountain or even in all of San Shan County?"

Sun Jianing shook his head. "My father said they are land immortals, and it's already amazing to see one. I've only heard of this one incident in my life."

Li Wenjun felt a bit disappointed but also somewhat relieved. His experience in Junbao Town had taught him that so-called immortals like the old Taoist might not be friendly to ordinary people. The old Taoist, who had no grudge against them, had still killed fifty to sixty children. Even the so-called land immortal Sun Jianing mentioned seemed to engage in forced buying and selling.

"Brother Wenjun, are you coming or not?" Sun Jianing asked.

Li Wenjun smiled and said, "Sure. Let's go to Wufeng Mountain together and see if we can find any immortal connections."

The next day, before dawn, Sun Jianing came to knock on Li Wenjun's door. Li Wenjun was already ready and followed Sun Jianing to Sun's house. Sun Jianing's father, a strong man known as Sun Baicao, was said to know every herb on the three mountains surrounding San Shan County.

Sun Baicao was preparing tools for the trip, including a herb-picking hoe, a herb-picking shovel, a basket, ropes, a machete, and a hunting spear.

He nodded at Li Wenjun and then said seriously, "Our profession is dangerous. One wrong move can cost you your life. Even I, with my experience, can't guarantee a safe return every time. You two must follow my instructions. Do what I tell you to do and don't do what I forbid."

Li Wenjun nodded and said, "I understand, Uncle Sun."

Wufeng Mountain was to the west of San Shan County, about five miles away. In the past, Sun Baicao had always walked there, but this time, to accommodate Li Wenjun and Sun Jianing, he hired a cart to take them to the foot of Wufeng Mountain.

By the time they arrived, it was just starting to get light.

Sun Baicao again emphasized to Li Wenjun and Sun Jianing the precautions they needed to take: follow his instructions, don't wander off, don't eat anything randomly, and don't drink water from unknown sources.

After confirming that Li Wenjun and Sun Jianing understood, Sun Baicao led them up the mountain.

The outer part of Wufeng Mountain was relatively gentle. Originally, there were many lush trees, but over time, the locals had cut them down for firewood or to make furniture and beams, so it was hard to find large trees. There were also few large wild animals, only some small ones like rabbits, pheasants, and badgers, and not many of them.

As they climbed, Sun Baicao introduced the basic situation of Wufeng Mountain to Li Wenjun and Sun Jianing.

Sun Baicao knew his son was not cut out for studying and had never intended for Sun Jianing to take the imperial exams. He planned to have Sun Jianing follow in his footsteps and become a herb collector. This was not the first time he had taken Sun Jianing to the mountains, and he was mainly speaking for Li Wenjun's benefit.

Sun Baicao had always looked favorably upon this young man who had fled hundreds of miles to settle in San Shan County. Otherwise, he would not have allowed Li Wenjun to join them. Each profession has its secrets, and no one would easily reveal their family's skills and experiences.

Li Wenjun found everything new and interesting, but he was most intrigued by the legend Sun Jianing had told him. He listened to Sun Baicao for a while and then tried to steer the conversation towards the legend.

When Li Wenjun brought up the legend, he was very cautious, fearing that he might arouse suspicion from Sun Baicao and his son. To his surprise, Sun Baicao chuckled and said, "It must be Jianing who told you. Don't believe his nonsense."

"Nonsense? Are you saying what Jianing told me is all false?" Li Wenjun asked, somewhat disappointed.

Sun Baicao laughed and said, "I can't say if it's true or not. Legends about immortals have been around in San Shan County for a long time. When I was younger—much younger than you—I also believed in these legends and searched for immortals. But after all these years, I still haven't found anything."