Chapter 3

Chapter 2: The Poor but Talkative Youth

If she were really your servant, it would be fine, but didn't you pick her up from a pile of corpses? Didn't you say the two of you relied on each other for survival? Even if we assume she is your servant, don't you think she is too young to bear such heavy and arduous labor? How did a young boy like you end up with such a lazy attitude? Why can't you do things yourself?

Perhaps it triggered unpleasant childhood memories, or perhaps the image of certain beautiful emotions in her heart was thoroughly destroyed by someone. The maid pushed the fence and walked in, her gaze falling on the bamboo recliner and the old book the youth had been reading intently. She said with a faint sneer, "I thought you were reading some great work of sages, which could make you forget all the commotion around you. I didn't expect it to be just the 'Tai Shang Ganying Pian,' which can be bought anywhere. Do you, a person like you, really aspire to enter the path of cultivation?"

Ning Que sat up, curiously glanced at the young lady in luxurious clothing who seemed out of place in Weicheng, then looked at the embarrassed captain. After a moment's pause, he explained, "I could only buy this one, so I had to make do with it. I was just curious, I don't have any grand aspirations."

The maid clearly did not expect the youth to respond so naturally and casually, which left her momentarily speechless. She then looked at the little servant girl who was sweeping the ashes by the door and said unhappily, "How can a great Tang dynasty have a man like you?"

Ning Que frowned in confusion, following her gaze to Sang Sang, who was standing by the window with a cloth in her hand. He understood the sharpness in her words. A dimple appeared on his left cheek as he smiled and said, "You look older than me, so... why don't you just consider me a boy, not a man?"

The maid had probably never met such a shameless and unscrupulous person in her life. The fists in her sleeves slowly clenched, and just as she was about to lash out, her gaze fell on the mud by the bamboo recliner, where some words were drawn with branches. Her thoughts stirred, and a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes, making her forget what she wanted to say.

In the best camp in Weicheng, the old man in the tattered robe was meditating with his eyes closed. Ma Shixiang, the deputy, was half-bowing and speaking to the noble in the tent, his attitude humble but with a hidden surprise.

"Are you dissatisfied with that guide?" he asked in confusion. "Why?"

The noble's voice was extremely dissatisfied, scolding, "I want a smart and capable guide, not a lazy youth who is full of dreams of cultivation and can't even tie a chicken."

Ma Shixiang coughed lightly and explained in a low voice, "From what I know, although Ning Que is still young, he has killed many barbarians on the grasslands over the past two years. If... it's just about tying a few chickens, I don't think there will be any problem."

The Tang dynasty was founded on martial prowess, and military achievements were highly valued. Although the person behind the tent was of extremely high status, since it touched on the army's most cherished honor, Ma Shixiang did not hesitate to counter, his explanation tinged with a hint of mockery.

The cold voice behind the tent paused for a moment, then said unhappily, "Can someone who can kill be a good guide?"

Ma Shixiang replied even more humbly, "Among the 300 subordinates in Weicheng, Ning Que is definitely not the one who has killed the most enemies, but I can guarantee with my head that no matter how fierce the battle, he will definitely be among the survivors."

Then he raised his head and smiled, "Because of his accumulated military achievements, he received a recommendation letter from the military department. This boy is indeed ambitious; he passed the initial review half a year ago. This time, he is going to the capital to report to the academy."

Upon hearing the word "academy," the person behind the tent fell silent and did not speak again.

After Ma Shixiang left, the old man in the tattered robe slowly opened his eyes. His aged and calm eyes rarely showed interest, but he looked at the tent and smiled gently, "In this small border town, a soldier actually managed to get into the academy, which is quite surprising. If so, this youth must be of excellent character and ability, and it wouldn't be bad to have him as a guide."

"Only a year has passed since I left the country, and I didn't expect that a place as sacred as the academy would start admitting such ruffians."

The tone was still cold and dismissive, but the attitude had changed. The noble no longer opposed Ning Que being the guide—just a name could change the mind of a great person, and this place called the academy must be extraordinary.

The old man mentioned another matter, his expression somewhat puzzled, "Earlier, I saw the words he wrote on the mud. They were from the third section of the 'Tai Shang Ganying Pian.' The lines were simple yet vivid. Even though he used just a branch, the strokes on the wet ground had the feel of a knife on clay. This soldier's calligraphy has already entered the right path... I wonder how he practiced and who his teacher was."

"That soldier only has a good hand, but it's just a novelty. After a closer look, it's just a trick. It's not the right path. In the future, he will probably just be a calligraphy seller outside the incense shops in the capital."

The noble responded coldly.

The old man shook his head and said, "The word 'novelty' is the key. I don't understand calligraphy, but when I saw the soldier's strokes, I could faintly sense the essence of metal and stone. This kind of calligraphy is very rare, and it somewhat resembles the techniques of the great masters of the Daoist altar."

"Are you talking about divine calligraphy?"

The noble behind the tent was taken aback and then mocked, "There are millions of people in the world, but only a dozen or so great masters of the Daoist path. These high-ranking people either hide in the palace or sit quietly in the temples, meditating and cultivating for their entire lives to condense the essence of heaven and earth into their calligraphy. This youth has no aura at all, just an ordinary person. Even if he reads the 'Tai Shang Ganying Pian' for fifty years, he won't even reach the initial stage, let alone be compared to those great masters."

The old man smiled and said nothing. Although he was a cultivator and highly respected by the other party, the difference in their status was too great. The respect was more out of pity for his age and talent. Therefore, it was better not to say things that shouldn't be said.

Of course, he did not agree with the noble's words. Regarding the soldier named Ning Que, the old man had his own judgment: in the secular world, everyone is ordinary, and those who can sense the essence of heaven and earth and enter the initial stage are one in a million. The initial stage is the most difficult to pass, and it is not easy. However, if Ning Que can enter the academy and, by chance, reach the legendary second floor and enter the path of cultivation, his unique and powerful calligraphy will greatly benefit him.

Even if he never opens his mind, his calligraphy alone would make the high-ranking people in the academy and the Daoist altar look at him differently, and at the very least, it would impress the literati and calligraphers.

Ning Que put down the book, shook his head, and walked out the door, his face still showing a faint sense of disappointment and unwillingness.

This 'Tai Shang Ganying Pian' he bought with the grain convoy when he went to Kaiping for a market as a child, as the noble's maid said, is a common item. He was very clear about this, yet he never forgot to read and study it, as if it were the legendary seven volumes of the Heavenly Book enshrined in the unknowable place of the Hao Tian Dao.

The book was already worn and torn, and if it weren't for Sang Sang sewing the spine with cotton thread, it would have turned into a pile of paper money and flown away in the wind to honor the poor and humble sages. Unfortunately, after so many years, although the pages were worn out and the words deeply etched in his mind, he still could not enter the initial stage of cultivation, let alone achieve the simplest induction mentioned in the book.

He had once been disappointed and even despaired, but later, when he realized that most normal people in the world could not sense the essence of heaven and earth, his mood became much calmer—yes, those legendary high-ranking people are not normal, they are freaks. Only extremely rare freaks can sense the essence of heaven and earth. Otherwise, with so many copies of the 'Tai Shang Ganying Pian' circulating in the world, why haven't we heard of flying swords and high-ranking people floating around in the night sky of Chang'an?

Ning Que is very normal, or rather, very ordinary. However, suddenly discovering a wondrous treasure mountain in front of you but being unable to take anything, or suddenly realizing that the world is filled with a mysterious thing called primordial energy, which is like invisible clouds, but you can't catch a single cloud, would still make you feel somewhat unwilling, right?

"Weicheng is so poor, and the barbarians on the grasslands have been scared by the emperor for years and dare not come over, so it's hard to accumulate military achievements quickly. Being able to return to the capital is good, and I don't have any regrets."

In the dimly lit military camp, Ning Que respectfully saluted the general in front of him, explaining earnestly, "But there is still some time before the academy's enrollment. I don't think it's necessary to leave so early. These years under your command, although I haven't made rapid progress, I have been shaped into a person by your teachings. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so lucky to get into the academy. I really want to stay in Weicheng, by your side, for a few more days, to listen to your teachings... even just to chat and pass the time."

Ma Shixiang looked at the youth in front of him, his beard slightly moving, whether from the night breeze or anger, and said irritably, "Ning Que, Ning Que, when did you become such a shameless person?"

Ning Que answered seriously, "As long as you need me, I can give up this face."

"Speak the truth," Ma Shixiang's expression turned cold, and he asked sternly, "Why don't you want to be this guide?"

Ning Que was silent for a long time, then said in a low voice, "General, that noble probably doesn't like me."

"Does the noble not like you?" Ma Shixiang scolded, "You seem to have forgotten your identity. Remember, you are not yet a student of the academy. As an imperial soldier, you must obey the orders of your superiors, and my orders! Whether the noble likes you or not is not your concern! As for whether you like the noble, no one cares! You just need to accept the order and complete it!"

Ning Que did not answer, looking down at the mud between his boots where a stubborn blade of grass was growing, silently indicating his opposition.

Ma Shixiang was helpless with this youth and sighed, "What are you trying to do? Why don't you want to go back to the capital with them?"

Ning Que looked up, his expression very serious, and said, "I've seen their convoy outside. They were attacked on the grasslands. There is a spring drought there now, and the chieftain of the Zuo Jinzhang died last year. The noble's maid has dark skin, so... I don't dare to go with them."

The convoy being attacked, the spring drought, the chieftain's death, and the maid's dark skin—these seemingly unrelated words, when combined, became the reason for his silent and stubborn refusal to leave Weicheng.

Ma Shixiang looked at him and sighed, "Did you guess it long ago?"

"Who in Weicheng hasn't guessed who they are?"

Ning Que spread his hands helplessly and looked at the other side of the camp under the night sky, saying, "Only the idiot princess, who grew up in the Chang'an palace and went to the grasslands to lord it over, didn't even notice her husband's death, would be foolish enough to think this is still a great secret."

Page break for ads

End of page break for ads