In the tenth year of Guangde, early autumn of the seventh month.
A peculiar affair had recently occurred in Youzhou.
The young master of Zhoumu Fu had fallen gravely ill. No matter how many renowned physicians were consulted, none could cure him, and all declared that his days were numbered. In his desperation, Prefect Chang Yushan posted a notice offering a thousand gold pieces as a reward for anyone who could heal his son.
The thousand-gold reward was indeed tempting. No fewer than ten people came forward to accept the challenge, yet not one had the skill to turn the young master's fortune around. A few charlatans even lost their lives in the attempt.
Until half a month ago, when a wandering Daoist arrived.
The man wore a Daoist robe patched with mends, carrying nothing but a medicine basket—and in that basket lay a child still wrapped in swaddling clothes.
At first, everyone assumed he was just another swindler peddling superstition. But after a round of acupuncture, the young master, who had been unconscious for days, awoke at once. A few more doses of medicine, and the boy was restored to health.
The wandering Daoist instantly became a living immortal.
The Prefect was overjoyed. Not only did he pay the thousand gold pieces, but upon learning that this living immortal had previously roamed the four corners of the world without a fixed abode—and was now seeking a quiet place to settle down with his new disciple—he had a Daoist temple built on Yunyin Shan outside the city and gifted the deed to the Daoist.
And so, a new temple named Guiyi Guan appeared on Yunyin Shan. Its master styled himself "Qingxu," and the common folk called him Perfected Qingxu.
The construction of Guiyi Guan took three months from start to finish.
On the day he formally took residence in Guiyi Guan, Daoist Qingxu had already donned a new "appearance"—feathered robes and a star-patterned crown, which, combined with his naturally handsome features, gave him an unmistakable air of transcendent immortality.
Yue Shu, now wrapped in a brand-new swaddling cloth, lay in an equally new bamboo basket, his gaze following Qingxu's every movement.
Who would have imagined that when Qingxu had first spoken of "this temple master" and "my founding disciple," he hadn't even owned a temple?
Now, at last, that empty promise had been fulfilled…
Recalling those earlier words, Yue Shu couldn't help but smile.
Suddenly, a pair of hands scooped him out of the bamboo basket. Yue Shu was lifted high into the air, and the temple's plaque came into view.
"Guiyi Guan, Guiyi Guan…"
Daoist Qingxu recited the temple's name twice with solemn reverence, then beamed with joy: "My good disciple, from now on, this is our home!"
'Guiyi Guan? Not a bad name.'
The infant in swaddling clothes paused for a moment, then gently curved his clear eyes into a smile. Seeing the Daoist waiting eagerly for his reaction, he helplessly waved his little hands and let out two babbling sounds.
The Daoist broke into a hearty laugh.
And so, master and disciple settled on Yunyin Shan.
Daoist Qingxu had no prior experience raising a child, but fortunately Yue Shu was no ordinary infant. He never cried or fussed, and even his eating and elimination followed a regular schedule—remarkably easy to care for. Through Qingxu's gaze, filtered through at least ten layers of fond bias, there was no child in the world more well-behaved than his precious disciple.
Only one thing kept him worried day and night.
That was his good disciple's frail constitution.
When he had first found the child, the boy had been clinging to life by a thread. Perhaps the trauma in his swaddling days had damaged his Yuan-Qi and undermined his foundation. Despite Qingxu's careful nurturing, the child remained perpetually sickly. Medicinal decoctions never left his lips—he had become a medicine jar at a tender age.
For this reason, Daoist Qingxu gave him a childhood name: "Changsheng," hoping only that the child would live long and prosper.
This sentiment moved Yue Shu deeply.
Having lived two lives, he possessed no shortage of experience and willpower in fighting illness. Unlike a true infant, he didn't resist taking medicine or receiving acupuncture. He cooperated fully with Qingxu's treatments and found life on the mountain far preferable to being confined in a hospital.
Between doses of medicine, Yue Shu never forgot to exercise. Whenever he had a bit of energy, he would crawl diligently on his bed, stretching his little arms and legs. As a result, his body gradually grew stronger—at least he no longer had to live in fear of a one-year Lifespan.
Though Qingxu deliberately avoided mentioning it, Yue Shu was perfectly clear about his own health—even more so than Qingxu himself. He knew exactly how much longer he had to live.
For that, he had his Golden Finger to thank—
[True Name: Yue Shu]
[Soul Energy: 7]
[Lifespan: 10]
[Note: Is this what they call a short-lived wretch?]
Yue Shu ignored the acerbic note entirely, his gaze fixed firmly on the Lifespan column. There was not a trace of discouragement on his face.
…In any case, the Lifespan cap had already risen from one year to ten. How was that not a major breakthrough?
·
Meanwhile, Guiyi Guan gradually found its footing.
The temple's main business was not burning incense and worshipping gods, but healing the sick and saving lives. The son of the Youzhou Prefect was a living golden signboard.
Thus, master and disciple lived quite comfortably.
Daoist Qingxu spent most of his time at the temple, with patients naturally making the trip up the mountain. He only occasionally went down to treat severe cases, and whenever he did, he always brought Yue Shu along.
This also gave Yue Shu some understanding of the outside world.
It was quite miraculous, really. Since awakening his past lives, Yue Shu had never formally studied language or writing, yet he understood everything people said at first hearing. Perhaps this too was a benefit of reincarnation?
In short, from the fragments overheard from Daoist Qingxu and others, the master and disciple now found themselves in Youzhou, under the rule of the Great Chu Dynasty. This unfamiliar dynasty, which had never appeared in the history of his previous life, was a solid confirmation that Yue Shu had been reborn into a different world.
Since the founding ancestor of Chu had raised an army and seized the realm, the Great Chu Dynasty had endured for over two hundred years. Now, with a benighted emperor on the throne, frequent natural disasters, and the people displaced and destitute, the signs of a dynasty in its twilight were unmistakable. If things continued this way, the day the Great Chu Dynasty crumbled was not far off.
In this life, Yue Shu had been born into a humble household—merely one among countless families ruined across the land. Those who shared his fate were beyond number. That he had been taken in by Daoist Qingxu was already a stroke of immense fortune.
The grand currents of the world were far too distant for Yue Shu at this moment. For him, the most pressing matter was to nurse his body back to health—otherwise, whether he could even live to see the day the Great Chu Dynasty fell apart was anyone's guess.
—First, set a small goal: survive past the age of ten!
And so another two years passed.
At the age of three, Yue Shu finally began his education.
Originally, Daoist Qingxu had pitied his frail constitution and did not wish to tax his young mind too early. But Yue Shu was unwilling to wait any longer.
He was eager to grow, to turn knowledge into nourishment for his advancement. His limited lifespan spurred him forward, not daring to slacken.
Daoist Qingxu could not dissuade him and reluctantly agreed.
However, having taken on his first disciple and opened a child's mind for the first time in his life, he had neither experience nor a sense of proper measure—he simply used Daoist scriptures and medical texts as "beginner primers."
For any ordinary child, let alone making progress, they would have been driven away long ago by the experience of "listening to gibberish." It would be strange if they didn't develop a hatred of learning. Diligence and love of study? Nonexistent!
But Yue Shu studied with complete seriousness.
He still remembered his small goal!
If his master's abilities were limited, the only thing he could do was learn medicine to save himself. Even if the hope was exceedingly slim, at least it was a direction.
And so, the terms and phrases in the Daoist scriptures and medical texts became the first words Yue Shu recognized and the first characters he learned to write in this life.
He was naturally intelligent, and despite being hampered by his frail body in both lives, he studied with utmost devotion. Driven by the powerful urge to survive, his progress could only be described as meteoric.
Daoist Qingxu, utterly ignorant of how ordinary children learned, not only accepted this readily but praised his disciple's maturity to everyone he met.
Yue Shu couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at the praise.
Strictly speaking, had he not been a reincarnated soul with a mature mind, even a gifted ordinary child would have struggled to maintain such self-discipline.
However, only he himself knew the truth of this matter.
To those unaware, Yue Shu was the quintessential "other people's child"—the benchmark against which all his peers were measured. Any child compared to him could hardly avoid a sound thrashing from their elders.
From the Zhoumu Fu of Youzhou, earth-shaking wails erupted.
"What are you crying about? The little Daoist is only a few years old, and he can already recite an entire Daoist scripture from memory. And you? You stumble through writing out the Three Character Classic. Clearly, you haven't been putting any effort into your studies. From now on, your lessons will be doubled." Prefect Chang Yushan smacked his son's palm with a series of sharp cracks, then scowled and barked, "Stop crying!"
The little fatty, who had been wailing with all his might, hiccuped in fright and dared not cry any longer. But the look he shot to the side was extraordinarily resentful.
His gaze fell upon a tiny figure dressed as a Daoist acolyte. The child was exquisitely beautiful, as if carved from jade, seemingly blessed with the very essence of heaven and earth—except his complexion was pale, utterly bloodless, suggesting some underlying deficiency.
Thinking back to half a day ago, when he had naively chirped, "This little brother is so pretty—I hope he can stay and play with me!"—the little fatty, whose full name was Chang Yizhou, wished he could swallow those words back down.
Pretty little brother, indeed! This was a demon!
The moment he arrived, his lessons had doubled!
Having inadvertently become "other people's child," Yue Shu met the little fatty's resentful gaze, lifted the corners of his mouth slightly, and offered an apologetic smile.
He fished out a piece of malt candy and offered it as a gesture of friendship.
But the little fatty snorted and turned away huffily. The demon who had brought doubled lessons would not be so easily bought off!
Yue Shu naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against a small child.
The little fatty before him reminded him of his former young ward-mates from his past life—though compared to those who had never lived long enough to grow up, this one was far healthier and livelier. A hint of warmth leaked into his eyes.
The little fatty, who had turned away, secretly glanced back. Meeting Yue Shu's gaze, he quickly whipped his head around again, pretending nothing had happened.
"Haha, it seems the two children are getting along splendidly." Chang Yushan, who had observed the entire exchange between the two little beans, laughed heartily. "Daoist, rest assured. As long as the little Daoist stays in my residence, I, Chang, will treat him as my own nephew."
Beside him, Daoist Qingxu, having concluded his discussion with Prefect Chang Yushan, made a Daoist salute: "Then I thank Prefect Chang for his kindness."
Chang Yushan waved his hand. "The Daoist saved my son's life. This is a trifling matter—a mere gesture, hardly worth mentioning."
In a few brief exchanges, the two had settled Yue Shu's arrangements completely—he would remain at the Zhoumu Fu and study alongside Chang Yizhou.
The earlier session had indeed been an assessment of Yue Shu's foundational learning progress, so that the tutor could tailor his teaching approach accordingly. He had assumed that since Yue Shu was two years younger than Chang Yizhou, he would need to start with basic character recognition. Little did he expect that Yue Shu's learning progress would far surpass Chang Yizhou's by a significant margin, and the usually playful Chang Yizhou suddenly found himself caught in an unexpected misfortune.
Yue Shu listened quietly from the side, offering no objections. He knew this was the best arrangement his master could make for him.
This time, Daoist Qingxu had business to attend to outside, with no fixed date of return. He could hardly leave a four-year-old child alone on the mountain, so entrusting him to Zhoumu Fu was the only way to put Daoist Qingxu's mind at ease.
As for pestering Daoist Qingxu to take him along?
That thought only flickered through Yue Shu's mind for a moment before fading away. His small arms and legs would not allow him such willfulness.
Daoist Qingxu had not told him the purpose of this trip, which suggested the journey was likely far. If he could have brought him along, he would have done so long ago. Since that was not possible, why should he become a burden and hold his master back needlessly?
…
Having settled his disciple's arrangements, Daoist Qingxu felt at ease. He bade farewell to Chang Yushan and prepared to leave Zhoumu Fu.
Yue Shu followed closely at his heels.
"Alright, no need to see me off any further." Outside the vermilion gate, Daoist Qingxu turned around, his yellow robe fluttering wildly in the wind. He ruffled his disciple's head, his peach-blossom eyes curving into a smile. "My good disciple, rest assured and wait for your master to come back for you!"
The young boy in a Daoist robe nodded seriously, his clear black-and-white eyes fixed steadily on him. "Mm, take care, Master."
Yue Shu stood in place, watching the Daoist's figure grow farther and farther away, gradually merging into the crowd until he could no longer be found.
He turned to look at the vermilion gate of Zhoumu Fu.
For the time being, this would be his lodging and his place of study. A new life was about to begin.