Several idle clouds drifted across the boundless clear sky, like pale ink spreading across painting paper, adding a few touches of leisurely tranquility, as well as a few more worries and troubles.
On the open ground of the martial arts school, dozens of youths dressed in gray cloth garments stood in pairs, waving the wooden sabers in their hands as they sparred. Their saber techniques and footwork were orderly, while their shouts stirred up great waves of wind.
In a row house not far away, a youth stood before the window, frowning tightly. His eyes held a helplessness that his peers could not understand.
“Sigh, it finally doesn’t hurt so much anymore.”
Xiang Yuan shook his dizzy head and muttered, saying words that his peers would have found difficult to understand: “I only wanted to work everyone to death, or be worked to death by everyone... I was just saying it casually. I didn’t mean any harm, yet you really worked me to death.”
“And now transmigration, too? What kind of situation is this?”
As he spoke, his head hurt again.
Western Chu, Guanshan Road, Dezhou...
This was the fifth day since Xiang Yuan arrived in this World. Every time his head hurt, memories belonging to “him,” or not belonging to him, surged into his mind. Aside from passively enduring them, he had no other choice.
When the pain became unbearable, he comforted himself with the thought of Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly and a butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou. Perhaps if the pain killed him, he would transmigrate back.
The result was not very good. Transmigration was a one-way ticket; there was no returning trip, though he had gone through several rounds of agonizing pain.
Over these five days, he had received quite a few Memory Fragments in bits and pieces, gaining a general understanding of the World he was in and his identity.
The fifteen- or sixteen-year-old body he now possessed was also named Xiang Yuan. Orphaned and without support from a young age, he had wandered the streets before being taken in by the Imperial Court, which taught him to read, write, and practice martial arts.
There were many youths like Xiang Yuan, and even more whose circumstances were more miserable than his. Some had suffered natural disasters, others man-made calamities. Their lives were lighter than wild grass; without that bowl of life-saving rice from the Imperial Court, they would have starved to death in some forgotten corner.
It was very realistic: for the favor of one meal, after eating the Imperial Court’s life-saving rice, one had to sell one’s life as a dog to the Imperial Court for the rest of one’s life. If it told you to bite someone, you had to bite them.
More realistically, even dogs were divided by pedigree.
The Imperial Court had numerous institutions, with authority ranging from minor to great, so they could not all be treated the same. The Six Doors, for instance, which stood outside the Three Departments, could not possibly use the same kind of dog as an ordinary County Yamen.
Institutions with greater authority entered the dog market first, selecting the best-looking pups. The process continued downwards, and once everyone had finished choosing, the worst pups were sent to guard mines in the Wilderness, becoming no different from Wild dogs.
Someone had said that even if one had to be a dog, one should at least be reborn in the capital.
They had all suffered hardship and had almost starved to death on the streets. No one was willing to become a Wild dog. Everyone wanted to cut a commanding figure. If they had the Opportunity to enter the Six Doors, they would risk their lives to seize it properly.
“Xiang Yuan” was the best example. His Talent was above average among the youths, and he was the most diligent in practicing martial arts.
Being this strong and this hardworking, that boy would probably be selected by the Six Doors.
Everyone thought so.
As it turned out, the Six Doors had not even arrived before “Xiang Yuan” worked himself to death. He practiced day and night, then washed himself with a basin of well water after finishing. With a bang, he collapsed and gained baby-like sleep.
After three days of high fever, he woke up as Xiang Yuan.
During those three days, the Six Doors and several institutions with great authority had come and gone. They had already chosen nearly everyone they wanted.
As for Xiang Yuan, this hardworking freak with decent Talent, his martial arts examination results had always been excellent. The coach had put in a few good Words for him, but everyone was busy. Having one more or one fewer person made little difference, and no one took him seriously.
Everyone ahead of him had already been chosen. Could this sick patient really be an overlooked gem?
The two Xiang Yuans who had worked themselves to death merged into one. Upon waking, he had also developed Head Sickness, making him look rather unintelligent. Seeing this, the coach could not help but Sigh several times.
“This is truly a case of shared suffering...”
The pain faded away. Xiang Yuan rubbed his temples and saw the youths on the open ground putting down their wooden sabers and gathering together. He pushed open the door and hurried over.
The youths sat cross-legged, with Xiang Yuan at the very back. Together, they looked toward the coach in the middle of the grounds, Lu Ming, waiting eagerly for that day’s lecture on the legends of the Jianghu.
Lu Ming was a tall and strong Old man in his sixties. He was usually Taciturn, but after drinking, he became eloquent, especially fond of recounting stories from the Jianghu.
As he put it, he had once enjoyed a Glorious past in his youth. He had been a lay Disciple of Great Awakening Temple, skilled in saber and fist techniques, punishing villains and eliminating evil. No one in the Jianghu had been unaware of the name “Skyscouring Roc.” He had been a renowned Hero of his generation, traveling far and wide, with every place willing to show him some respect.
Later, the Six Doors recruited him, and he became an imposing chief Constable. Every strange case was solved, and every vicious criminal was captured.
After that, things went downhill. He had been schemed against by thirty-six Demons. Though he had fought his way out through a bloody path, he had lost seven or eight parts of his Divine Skill. He returned to his hometown to establish a martial arts school and, incidentally, train the Imperial Court’s pups.
The above was Lu Ming’s original account, and it had been spoken after drinking, so it was difficult to say what was true and what was false. The youths did not care, instead becoming completely Obsessed with his Jianghu adventures.
Fine clothes and spirited steeds, taking pleasure in repaying kindness and vengeance, treading down injustice and upholding benevolence.
Not to mention the youths, even Xiang Yuan, who had been bombarded by the information age, listened with exceptional enthusiasm. Whenever Lu Ming began lecturing after drinking, his head stopped hurting.
“Now, on that day, I, this coach, received a letter from a friend. The Three Demons of Dragon Lake had appeared, and numerous heroes gathered to discuss the righteous undertaking of slaying demons...”
Lu Ming sat cross-legged on the ground and raised his wine to drink deeply. On his cold Face, his eyes gradually brightened as the wine took effect, until he became exuberant.
He suddenly slapped his thigh and knee, sweeping his gaze over the youths who were Holding their breath and concentrating. Extremely satisfied, he continued: “When I, this coach, received the letter, I did not dare Delay. I traveled day and night, exhausting three dragon-blooded steeds in succession, and arrived at nightfall...”
“At a ruined temple in the Wilderness, the heroes fought the Three Demons with all their might. Among them, I, this coach, led the charge, fighting two Demons alone and killing until Heaven and Earth grew dim...”
Xiang Yuan listened silently, extracting useful information from Lu Ming’s Words.
Although his Head Sickness had caused many Memory Fragments to merge into him, giving him some Cognition of the World, it was still far from enough. “Xiang Yuan” came from humble origins, and through “Xiang Yuan’s” eyes, he could see only a tiny portion of the World.
Moreover, under Ordinary circumstances, the youths in the martial arts school were forbidden to go outside. Their food, clothing, lodging, and transportation were all handled by others, so he could not even see for himself if he wanted to.
Having just arrived in an unfamiliar place, with no knowledge of the people or surroundings, a Clear understanding was extremely important.
At the very least, he had to sort out the common knowledge that everyone knew.
Under these circumstances, Lu Ming became Xiang Yuan’s most important channel for understanding the World. Regardless of whether his drunken Words were embellished or whether they contained a certain degree of Self-glorification, battle reports could lie, but battle lines could not. These place names, personal names, customs, and favors of the people greatly thinned the mist before Xiang Yuan’s eyes.
It was still not enough!
Xiang Yuan slowly raised his hand, intending to ask about the current worldview in a roundabout way. Just then, a youth in front of him raised his hand and blocked him.
“Coach, could you tell us more about how Fierce our Western Chu is?”
Good boy, that question had struck the very depths of my heart.
Xiang Yuan silently lowered his hand and gave the youth who had cut in line a thumbs-up.
“I’ve mentioned this Before. Naturally, our Western Chu is Fierce...”
Lu Ming was not annoyed at being interrupted. He drank and said, “Very well, very well. You asked the right person. I once served in the Six Doors, with eyes seeing in all directions and ears hearing in all directions. There are few secrets in the major affairs of the World that I do not know. Today, I shall broaden your horizons.”
“As expected of the coach!”
Xiang Yuan’s exclamation rang out among the crowd, and the youths followed with their own cries of amazement.
Lu Ming secretly rejoiced in his heart and spoke rapidly: “The Southern Border is beyond Teach and reform, while the Western Regions are barren wastelands. There is no need to mention them. Chu, Qi, and Jin dominate the prosperous lands and are the protagonists Between Heaven and Earth. Though many Small Countries may rise, they will ultimately have no choice but to Submit as a vassal, unable to stir up any significant waves.”
“The Three Kingdoms form a triangle with one another. There is a saying that Western Chu, Northern Qi, and Southern Jin divide the World among themselves...”
Lu Ming gave a long and flowing description of matters, and as the effects of the wine rose, he became more and more impassioned.
Xiang Yuan secretly nodded as he listened, sketching out a large map in his mind and Barely gaining some common knowledge.
Lu Ming spoke for a long while before changing the subject. “The World has the World’s affairs, and the Jianghu has the Jianghu’s affairs. Most of you will be taken in by the various County Yamen of Dezhou to serve as the lowest-level Constables. Telling you about the World’s great affairs will be useless, so today I shall tell you more about the Jianghu. Listen carefully and remember it in your Hearts, lest you offend someone you should not, then die without even knowing how you died!”
At these Words, all the youths straightened their waists.
“In the present World, powerful figures and factions stand everywhere. There are famous mountains and great sects, as well as royal dynasties and Noble Families. There are Evil Heretics, as well as monsters and ghosts. Every family has its Inheritance, and every individual possesses a Divine Ability. They can bring down clouds and rain, move mountains and overturn seas, and there is no shortage of figures comparable to Immortals and Gods.”
Immortals?
Monsters?
Xiang Yuan’s Expression became Strange. This information was too explosive, and For a moment he could not tell whether Lu Ming had drunk too much or whether it was truly the case.
Yet seeing that no one around him questioned it, and that the youths all looked as though it were only natural, he could not help feeling a chill in his Heart. He Secretly said that this World was far too dangerous.
“The large and small Powers of the World are scattered like stars and chess pieces, truly as numerous as the stars in the sky. Speaking only of the First-class Powers of the present age, there are three Imperial Families, four Buddhist sects, five Daoist Sects, the Eight Great Fiends, ten Noble Families, and twelve famous mountains and great sects...”
The three Imperial Families and ten Noble Families could be classified together and collectively called the Thirteen Noble Families. Although Lu Ming was not part of the Imperial Court’s Staffing Quota, he received a salary from the Imperial Court, so he did not dare Talk nonsense here, fearing that rumors would spread and people would criticize him. He had deliberately distinguished them.
He had drunk too much, but his Buttocks remained perfectly clear-headed.
Next, Lu Ming briefly described the World-Class Powers, such as the three Imperial Families: the Divine Capital Xiao Clan of Western Chu, the Tai'an Liu Clan of Northern Qi, and the Shangyuan Li Clan of Southern Jin. Because of his Buttocks, he did not dare say much about the Western Chu Imperial Family.
Northern Qi and Southern Jin did not have such Luck. Lu Ming joked that the two families had the correct Buttocks, so they had no fear of being overheard and having their Words spread.
“Northern Qi borders the Western Regions. Although the Western Regions have no great nation, they possess countless second-rate Powers. They invade year after year and cause disturbances day after day. Northern Qi has no temper at all, putting aside the dignity of a great nation to Proactively send tribute. Every year, they provide enough silver, and they even built a wall...”
“Such cowardly people cannot be called a great nation!”
“Southern Jin is even worse. Ordinary people all say, ‘If the wealth of the World amounts to ten measures, Southern Jin possesses eight.’ Jiangdong is especially rich in fish and rice, with unmatched financial strength. Yet I know that ‘of the World’s ten Noble Families, Southern Jin possesses six.’ Internal strife and conflict have long exhausted them. My Western Chu need only send a great army to their borders to flatten them.”
At this, Lu Ming became extremely Heroic in spirit. Drinking deeply, he said, “Northern Qi cherishes its life and lacks ambition, so it cannot be called heroic. Southern Jin possesses only splendor, like dried bones in a grave. In the present World, only Western Chu is blessed with outstanding people and fertile lands. Its people are true heroes!”
Xiang Yuan: “...”
What kind of wine are you drinking? Was it mixed with childhood sweetheart plums?