Chapter 4

How big is the small village of Yishi? The villagers were envious of the foreign scholar staying at the Bai family’s house. Out of envy, they became overly concerned, and some mischievous boys would eavesdrop on the gossip by the wall. What kind of sounds would a gentle girl like Cao encounter with a charming scholar? It was truly something to look forward to...

In the end, what they heard was Cao calling for help and Bai Dong’s angry roars. What they saw was Chu Tong, holding his crotch, fleeing in a wretched manner. Sang Wazi saw it most clearly; the handsome and suave scholar didn’t even straighten his back when he fled, seemingly not even taking his luggage. How ruthless was Pingan Lang? Was he too bold, not knowing that beating a scholar would cause trouble?

In the world two thousand years ago, people’s hearts were relatively pure. The next morning, the villagers rushed into the Bai family’s courtyard. The old clan leader led the way, his grandson Sang Wazi carrying a large wine jar, waddling like a duck as he entered. Seeing Bai Dong, he pouted: “Pingan Lang, you’re really something. You clearly did something wrong, yet my grandfather still invites you to drink? If I see another foreign scholar, I’ll beat him up too, and my grandfather will definitely slaughter a chicken for me.”

Before he finished speaking, he received a heavy kick on his buttocks. The old clan leader, Bai Long, glared at his grandson: “Shut up, and pour the wine for Bai Dong. Bai Dong, this is the clan’s aged wine, hidden away when your father and the clan’s young men went to war. We originally wanted to wait for their triumphant return... Today, it will be your farewell drink...”

Sighing, the old man didn’t want to recall the sad past. Although they were just a branch of the Bai family, they had shed blood for the Great Qin. Unfortunately, in the battle of Hexi, only one out of twenty young men returned, and the state gave no compensation. The clan lost its young and strong men, and no longer had the strength to resist bandits. Out of frustration and anger, they moved the entire clan into the deep mountains, cultivating the land to be self-sufficient, and even stopped paying taxes. Over the years, not only the government but even bandits found it difficult to locate the village. Chu Tong had only stumbled in by chance, and was then beaten and chased away by Bai Dong.

How sour, is this vinegar or wine? Taking a sip, Bai Dong frowned, wanting to put down the bowl, but was held back by the old clan leader, who personally grabbed the wine jar and refilled it for him.

The large bowl, wider than his head, was filled three times. Bai Dong forced back the tears and snot that were about to overflow, respectfully put down the wine bowl, and walked to his mother, bowing eight times. His mother embraced him, gently stroking his back, while Cao rushed over, hugging his shoulders and crying: “Brother, Cao doesn’t want you to leave.”

“Uncle Long...”

“The Bai family doesn’t need to say more. Bai Dong must leave to avoid disaster, or he will endanger the entire village.”

The old clan leader stood straight, his eyes bright as he looked at everyone: “According to Qin law, if someone in the clan commits a crime, the entire clan must capture them, or they will all be punished. Bai Dong, who is not very capable, committed a serious crime by beating a scholar. However, he fled too quickly, and we couldn’t catch him, but we did try, didn’t we?” Over the past eighteen years, Bai Dong’s behavior was not normal, and when his head didn’t hurt, he was still dazed. No one had ever told him about the past, and the old clan leader, who was knowledgeable, had never discussed national laws with them before. So Bai Dong had to listen to Chu Tong’s account to understand the current situation.

The old Bai Long only knew that scholars were highly respected, but his understanding of the scholar class was far less than Bai Dong’s. He was still worried that Chu Tong would report to the authorities. In his youth, he had been a squad leader in the Qin army and had some knowledge, knowing how to exploit legal loopholes. At that time, the cruel official Wei Yang was still hitting walls in the State of Wei, and Qin’s laws were not yet as harsh as a man-eating tiger. It was still possible to play it safe.

“Yes, yes, we did try to catch him, but Bai Dong ran too fast. Even if the authorities ask, it won’t be the villagers’ fault.”

“That’s right. I tried to catch him and even got kicked. I still can’t straighten my back.” A clan member held his waist, groaning, indicating his pain.

Bai Dong’s eyes were watery, and he wanted to cry. Chu Tong wouldn’t actually report to the authorities, but the villagers were willing to take the risk of being investigated by the government to protect him. This kind of sentiment was hard to find in the future. Thinking of the era where even helping an old lady cross the street was considered dangerous, he felt he had come to the right place.

It was time to leave, not because of Chu Tong, but for his mother, Cao, and these kind and respectable clan members, for the lamp that Cao so eagerly awaited.

Kneeling before his fellow villagers, Bai Dong bowed deeply. Goodbye, Mother, Cao, my fellow villagers, I will definitely come back...

***

The little girl was not easy to console. Seeing her brother really leaving, no matter how good the stories were, they couldn’t erase the pain in Cao’s heart. Seeing the dry bread, aged wine, and precious salt collected by the villagers, Cao cried even harder. The more of these things there were, the farther her brother would go, and the longer it would take for him to return. Exhausted, she finally fell asleep in Bai Dong’s arms, still clutching his shirt in her sleep, occasionally calling out: “Brother, Cao doesn’t allow you to leave, Cao wants to hear your stories.”

When Bai Dong left, he could see the very bright North Star. He couldn’t leave during the day, as Cao would go crazy. He could only set out at night. Without a map or a navigation device, he had only the old clan leader’s memory to guide him. Following the secret path out of the village, he had to cross several mountain ridges to the north to reach a place called Lantian, and then continue north from Lantian to reach the most prosperous city of the State of Qin, Liyang.

For Bai Dong, Liyang offered many opportunities, much like the modern cities of Yanjing and Haicheng. The old Bai Long didn’t find it strange; in the early Warring States period, there were more beasts than people. Even if he had to leave to avoid trouble, he had to go to a densely populated area, which was both safe and conducive to hiding. Liyang was the best choice.

He was at the last mountain ridge. With disheveled hair and a dirty face, Bai Dong stood on the ridge and looked north, seeing a vast plain stretching for a thousand miles. The Guanzhong Plain was beautiful in this era, with undeveloped land covered in various plants, and even wolf packs could be seen moving through the forests. Gripping the bronze sword at his waist, Bai Dong felt a sense of security.

The simple and unadorned bronze sword was left by Chu Tong, along with half a bag of bamboo slips. Whenever he rested on the journey, Bai Dong would try to read these books, not to memorize them, but to find the changes in the writing system between this era and the simplified characters of the future.

Fortunately, the bamboo slips used large seal script. With some knowledge from his past life and a bit of guessing, Bai Dong gradually overcame the reading barrier. Although his writing wasn’t neat, he could now write and speak like a literate person. In his bag was a letter from the old clan leader, Bai Long, to an old friend in Lantian, but Bai Dong didn’t plan to use it. Since he had left the village, he had to grow into a strong person who could protect his mother, sister, and clan. It was better to present himself as a literate scholar than to rely on Grandpa Bai Long’s arrangements.

Washing his face in the stream, he untied his topknot, tied it into a bun, and secured it with a wooden pin made from a branch, symbolically performing the capping ceremony. In this era, men were capped at nineteen, and Bai Dong was still a year short, but he needed to package himself for his journey. Who had ever seen a scholar with a topknot?

Unfortunately, he didn’t have a cap, so he had to temporarily wrap his head with a hemp cloth. In this era, although most scholars were from noble families, there were also commoners who studied, as Confucius had said, “Education should be available to all,” including commoners and wild people.

“Hmm, sword and books, a full beard, no one can tell my real age. What kind of school should I join? Confucianism, Legalism, Mohism? Difficult, each has its own lineage, and some even engage in terrorist activities. I can’t join just any, or it will cause a lot of trouble...”

The sun was about to set. He ate half a wheat cake by the stream, pondering his background. He was about to leave the mountains, and these preparations were essential.

Legalism was the most convenient, as he had worked in law in his past life and knew the most about it. Unfortunately, as the last of the Hundred Schools of Thought to emerge, Legalism was still in its development stage, with a clear lineage, making it easy to be exposed.

Bai Dong was a bit worried.

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