Han Yuan was missing.

Classes were canceled the next day. Their master, together with the Taoist children, searched every nook and cranny all over the mountain, but no trace of him.

Honestly, Cheng Qian didn’t have a clear idea about what the cave was, nor did he realize the gravity of this matter initially. Therefore, when asked by his master, he just came clean and told him frankly that Han Yuan came to talk him into exploring the cave together last night.

His master turned pale on the spot.

Yan Zhengming was sitting slumped against the stone table. Hearing the background, he suddenly straightened up. “Exploring the cave in the evening of the fifteenth day? Was he asking to die?”

Ever since the Taoist child ran to report Han Yuan’s disappearance, Li Yun had remained in silence with his head down, pretending he had nothing to do with that. But hearing what Yan Zhengming said, he finally looked up. With some urgency in his tone, he asked, “First Senior Brother, what exactly is there in the evening of the fifteenth day?”

Factually, the alleged “cave” referred to a natural pond at the back of the mountain with nothing peculiar. At most, if you had to know, the water is a little deep.

The sect rules only prohibited visits in the evening of the first and fifteenth days. Li Yun had been there more than once, but he never sussed out what was special about the pond.

Yan Zhengming turned to him, his eyebrows gradually knit. “Li Yun, if my memory doesn’t fail me, I told you, didn’t I? The cave connects to the Demons Valley at the back of the mountain. There’s a strong monster guarding the gate. But the phases of the moon on the first and fifteenth evening have special power, so the gate will open itself. Some monsters with low cultivation levels that didn’t rid themselves of natural ferocity will try to come out. To avoid any potential tragedy, it is forbidden for unskilled disciples to hang around the mountain on these two nights.”

Li Yun was dumbfounded – Yan Zhengming did tell him that when he pressed about the cave. But he gave a different version which didn’t prove well-founded. His original words went like this, “What is there in the cave? Big monsters for sure. A little dainty sheep like you is not enough to fill their tooth gap. Don’t go deliver yourself as a dish to them.”

Good Heavens! Who could have believed that a remark as deceptive as the lie, “the wolves will eat you up if you don’t sleep”, was actually the truth!?

In the next moment, Li Yun’s face went deathly pale.

It was him that had egged Han Yuan on to explore the cave. Beyond gainsaying, he had ulterior motives to designedly entice Han Yuan into navigating the way for him. But he was only thinking that, if by any chance Han Yuan was caught breaking the rules, the worst that he would be facing was nothing more than being made to write the sect rules a couple of times.

The thought of wanting Han Yuan to die never, ever entered his mind!

Muchun Zhenren paced back and forth apprehensively. Suddenly, he halted and got hold of Cheng Qian by his shoulders. “Did Han Yuan tell you why he was going there?”

Cheng Qian hadn’t recovered from the astonishment – nor did he feel any better than Li Yun. He was well aware that, in a sense, he was also a person in the know, and one who stood and looked through the sidelines.

Despite his indifference and sharp tongue, he was far from venomous. If Han Yuan ended up being dragged back and beaten in the palm by master, he would, without a shadow of doubt, be perversely delighted; but if what awaited Han Yuan was death…

Cheng Qian felt ice-cold inside. Under his master’s steady gaze, he remained silent for a good while, until he, with great difficulty, found his voice. “Junior Brother said, that those who just started cultivating could acquire energy feel in the cave, on the first and fifteenth nights of every month…”

Cheng Qian didn’t expose Li Yun, because in his mind, he was equally despicable as Li Yun. It would be utterly shameless if they passed the buck to one another at this particular moment.

But things didn’t happen as Cheng Qian wished. The brainless young master Yan, who always spoke his mind, completed Cheng Qian’s sentence automatically when he had hardly finished speaking.

“That ugly brat doesn’t even know what energy feel is.” Said Yan Zhengming impersonally. “Decidedly, Li Yun told him that.”

Li Yun drew himself up instinctively with a guilty haste. In a fluster, he defended himself. “I… I only told him a speculation, and didn’t ask him to go to the cave. I didn’t anticipate that he would dare to flagrantly violate the rules even though it’s only a few days since he was initiated…”

“How could you have the cheek to talk nonsense now? Li Yun, your evil designs are no stranger to me. Don’t think you can fan the flames in the dark and no one will notice – as for that ugly beggar, I don’t think there’s a need to look for him. Supposing he has been dragged into the Demons Valley for one night, it is too late to even collect his body. Most likely, even bones are not left.” Yan Zhengming interrupted him coldly.

Li Yun didn’t feel any uncomfortableness about the first part of Yan Zhengming’s sentence, for they had been long loathing each other. But the second part genuinely painted his face paler.

Li Yun rose to his feet, nearly knocking over the ink on the desk. “Master, I… I… I…”

He stuttered three “I”, unable to complete the sentence.

Li Yun was all at sea with his mind blank. Muchun Zhenren’s heavy look fell upon him, which he evaded out of his own accord – It was too difficult for him to either acknowledge it was he who incited Han Yuan, or to confront the fact that he might have caused his little junior brother’s death.

If he had enough courage, he would have gone to the cave himself; would it be necessary for him to find a scapegoat then?

Cowardice is a trap that one might easily fall into. Nonetheless, the resultant remorse was too heavy, a young man could hardly bear it.

Li Yun had no place to rest his evasive eyes. Eventually he looked at Cheng Qian and said to him as if clutching at the last straw, “Third Junior Brother, you heard it. I… I didn’t intend to incite him to go to the cave, right? And I warned him that it was a violation of the sect rules.”

Cheng Qian bowed his head deep to the ground, silent. This topic was weighing down his mind, and he could hardly breath under the smite of his conscience.

Muchun Zhenren stood up. Panicking, Li Yun shouted, “Master…”

But a bang interrupted him – Muchun Zhenren slumped back into the stone chair as though he was pulled by some force in the air.

The sound was so loud that even Yan Zhengming, who was busy quarreling with Li Yun, turned around. Baffled, he asked, “Master, what’s wrong?”

Muchun Zhenren didn’t reply instantly, however. It looked like he didn’t feel the pain in his bottom as he calmly adjusted his sitting position and said waving his hand, “Silence! – Cheng Qian, fetch me the old sandalwood tablet hanging over there.”

Cheng Qian did not dare to delay for even a moment. He trotted to fetch the tablet, that was half a Chi¹ square, in the corner of Mission Hall, and presented it to his master. Simultaneously, he gave his master a few secretive glances.

Muchun Zhenren sat erectly with his eyelids slouching. He seemed to be the same as usual. But Cheng Qian was an acute observer that could perceive one’s happiness, anger, grief and joy from a mere exhalation. He couldn’t explain why, but he had an unceasing feeling that there was something wrong with his master.

Despite Cheng Qian being acquainted with that face and sitting posture, he felt as if Muchun Zhenren was wrapped in a mantle of ineffable gloom and frost.

Was master in a temper because of Han Yuan? Or was he hit on the tailbone by the bang just now?

But Cheng Qian had no time to give it further reflection, as Muchun Zhenren suddenly reached out a hand, put his fingers together into the shape of a knife, and slashed at the tablet. His hand was pallid and wizened, as shrunken as a chicken’s feet. Whereas his fingertips were sharpened with fierce strength, like an iron sword in icy water.

It was only at this moment, that Cheng Qian developed a brand-new notion of charms – people without energy feel could also notice the formidable power of charms, depending on who created it. That strong power forced him back and made his flesh creep.

Everyone on the spot had touched the incredible power in the course of forming a talisman. The whole Fuyao Mountain seemed to be startled and trembling. In half a shake, the talisman was made. Muchun Zhenren retracted his hand, which had no sawdust on its fingers, and took a good look at the charms with some nameless apathy.

That was not the expression of someone looking at a lifeless object. But rather, it seemed like he was looking at a human being, with elements of harshness and scorn.

“Zhengming, come here.” Muchun Zhenren called over his first apprentice. His regular drawl vanished, replaced by an energetic tone. He spaced each word for emphasis, like a forceful man in exalted position, making it hard for the listener to defy him.

He handed the tablet over to Yan Zhengming, who was petrified by the genuine power of charms, and said, “Take this and go to the cave to find Zipeng² Zhenren. Tell her the whole story, and ask her to help searching – Don’t worry, your little junior brother is still alive, he may survive from those monsters, as long as you make haste.”

A bundle of lethargy passed through Yan Zhengming, but he decided to prioritize this, as he knew what was at stake. Knowing his master had no one else to assign, he didn’t complain hearing the order, without retorting or even glancing at the cane chair which he used as means of transportation in the mountain. He simply took the talisman, turned around, picked up his sword, and popped off towards the outside.

Cheng Qian stopped brooding over what was wrong with his master at once. Because in his mind, first senior brother was the most unreliable person in the world. He doubted that Han Yuan could survive if master sent Yan Zhengming to his rescue.

So he took up a wooden sword and said without even thinking, “Master, I am going too.”

Muchun was surprised. Presently he nodded as Yan Zhengming rolled his eyes. “Well, go.”

For a moment Li Yun was stunned. Then he hastily got up and pleaded in a tentative voice, “Master – Senior Brother, take me, please.”

Yan Zhengming stared at him with a stony glance, saying nothing. He quickened his pace, letting Li Yun follow.

Young master Yan fished a white handkerchief out of his bosom and threw it to Cheng Qian with the sandalwood tablet, and ordered, “You can do nothing other than be a drag on me. Wipe the sawdust off the tablet first.”

First senior brother rarely acted so swiftly; and Cheng Qian was rarely so cooperative.

He was racked with guilt for letting Han Yuan trespass into the forbidden area, and had already taken it as his responsibility to rescue Han Yuan. For now, whatever Yan Zhengming said, he wouldn’t take it personally. Contrarily, he even buried his previous ill will and followed up. Wiping the tablet, he asked in a good-natured way, “Senior Brother, who is Zipeng Zhenren?”

Not getting his expected retort, Yan Zhengming winded down. Then it suddenly struck him that he was actually bothering with a kid that didn’t reach the height of his chest. Thinking of this, Yan Zhengming felt somewhat ashamed.

So he went silent for a while, and then answered flatly, “Zipeng Zhenren is the big monster guarding the mountain cave. She is reasonably open to talking. I’ve paid a new-year call to her.”

“What kind of monster?” Cheng Qian asked again. “Wouldn’t it be better if master himself visits her?”

“Of course not.” Yan Zhengming looked quite impatient. He walked so fast that Cheng Qian had to run in order to catch up with him. He heard first senior brother’s reply coming from the wind, “It’s not suitable for master to visit Zipeng Zhenren, because she is a hen – Hey, stay close and do not question me. Be careful to not break a taboo in the Demons Valley, if you don’t want to be detained as Han Yuan’s companion that is.”

It took a while for Cheng Qian to understand that their master wouldn’t personally visit Zipeng Zhenren, probably to avoid being offensive – after all, “the weasel goes to pay his respect to the hen”³ didn’t sound very pleasing.

Come to think of it, his eyelids twitched sharply. He suddenly realised that his master was a real, genuine, living weasel, who secluded himself in the deep mountains!

Nevertheless, at present, the recluse weasel’s situation was not so optimistic. After Cheng Qian and his senior brothers left, he ordered the Taoist children to clear out, after which he instantly collapsed onto the table, and a gust of dark smoke poured out of his chest. The thing that had possessed his body landed on the ground, taking the hazy shape of a human being.

Muchun Zhenren’s hand which had just carved the charms shivered heavily. After a long time, he said in a hoarse voice, “Are you crazy?”

The black shadow stood in silence for quite a while, and said softly, “The monster king must show respect where my marks go. As long as they hold on to my talisman, they’ll be safe and sound. Relax. This is a mere adventure for them.”

Muchun Zhenren wore a rather sullen expression, but he couldn’t stand up as though his body was fettered. He deepened his voice and said, “Although I have very limited ability and knowledge, and my sight dimmed from old age, I’m still far from being unable to notice invisible charms integrated with visible ones. For a single trip to the Demons Valley, the common lightning-summoning charm is sufficient for them to protect themselves. And considering the type of person Zipeng Zhenren is, she won’t make things difficult for several kids… What the hell are you up to? What is this carrier that you embedded in the invisible charms?”

This time, the black shadow didn’t respond though.

“Speak!” Muhun Zhenren thundered.

However, the black shadow had already vanished like a billow of smoke, leaving no trace but a faint disappearing sigh.

As if it never existed.

Muchun Zhenren had taken it for granted that his decision was perfect – his first apprentice was highly fickle although he always looked on the brighter side of things; while the little apprentice was prone to split hairs despite his calmness. It couldn’t be better if the two busters could complement each other.

Unfortunately, it turned out they were going to explode before complementing each other.

Muchun Zhenren had no choice but to separate them by force. He asked a Taoist child to take Cheng Qian to have a bath and change his clothes, for he was sweaty from practicing swordplay. Then he zeroed in on his tough first apprentice by droning dully the Scriptures on Clarity and Stillness again.

Their master’s chanting was the living representation of an “eyesore and earsore”. With the figure of a weasel and the voice of a duck quacking, he resoundingly stilled the running sandglass, and irritated his first apprentice who almost rose to bite his master murderously.

Yan Zhengming’s forbearance was driven beyond its limits. He threw the graver onto the desk and raged, “Master, what are you doing?”

“You are uncalm. I am chanting to rest your mind.” His master answered without even lifting his eyelids.

When the chant was paining Yan Zhengming, Cheng Qian returned. Yan Zhengming finally got an opportunity to unleash his vexation. He sniffed and shouted, “You incensed his clothes with sandalwood? What’s wrong with you? Is he going to become a monk?”

The Taoist child meekly mumbled “yes, yes”. He was too afraid to say Cheng Qian wanted that incense.

“Change the incense to hibiscus –” Yan Zhengming yelled at him.

“– the heaven is active; the earth is calm…” Muchun Zhenren’s voice grew even louder.

His voice was like the crunch that sew the timber, which made Yan Zhengming go hot under the collar. “Master! I am not uncalm!”

Muchun lifted his eyelids and said in a placid manner, “You’re uncalm so you will be disturbed by external things, and care about whatever the incense. Don’t take your third junior brother as a censer. – How about this? To assist you with your cultivation, I move to your Land of the Tender today and chant all night for you.”

Yan Zhengming: “…”

The old weasel had an addiction to chanting, so he definitely meant it. Could he possibly live to see tomorrow if the weasel really chanted all night long?

Yan Zhengming was forced to swallow his anger and sat back. Enduring the incense of sandalwood which smelled like rotten wood to him, he picked up the graver indignantly and began carving vertical lines in the wood as though whipping a corpse.

The “censer” Cheng Qian sat down silently to continue his homework, with the feeling that he was sitting next to an irritable big rabbit.

Their master had assessed Han Yuan as flighty and impulsive, but he definitely proved no match for Yan Zhengming. At least Han Yuan’s being flighty affected nobody else, while Yan Zhengming would always involve everyone around him.

Cheng Qian started to see the benefits of being with first senior brother – there was a distinct contrast.

Once Cheng Qian got serious, he could break away from the external disturbance. He carefully imitated the calligraphy from his memory, and soon became engrossed in the fun of writing. Bound in the smell of sandalwood, which seemed to have the effects of smoothing the nerves, Cheng Qian gradually brushed aside his composure-lacking first senior brother.

Yan Zhengming was holding in a bellyful of sulks. He clamored for desserts, but felt over stuffed after that. So he stood up and walked around the pavilion.

But soon he found he was left out. His master was sitting upright on a hassock absorbedly in meditation while chanting quietly; he was persistently immersed in scriptures. And his junior brother was writing his ugly characters carefully as if doing embroidery, without once lifting his head.

With the two, the atmosphere in the pavilion became so serene that it almost stilled, even the Taoist children standing in attendance couldn’t help but hold their breath.

The serenity gave young master Yan some embarrassing boredom. He resigned himself to sitting back in front of the sandglass. After chilling out for some time, he had no alternative but to pick up the graver again and got down to the monotonous routine practice.

Amazingly, he didn’t rock the boat this time. It was the abrupt ringing of the sandglass that brought Yan Zhengming back to senses. He unbelievingly found today’s practice actually ended prematurely.

The next few days followed the routine. Every morning, the four apprentices would suffer the torture of listening to their master chanting.

They were unclear about where their master managed to find so many scriptures. He read one book per day with no repetitions. After Taoist scriptures there were Buddhist scriptures, and following Buddhist scriptures came his self-composed ones, whose content was unstrained and not limited by the sect, leading to frequent self-contradictions.

After chanting was the swordplay practice.

Yan Zhengming shamelessly pretended to be well versed in the first three forms in spite of a superficial understanding, and asked his master to teach him the fourth. Li Yun restrained himself a bit and stopped making trouble all over the mountain as he learned some new moves. And there was no need to mention Cheng Qian. Only Han Yuan was firm in being a drag on his senior brothers and destroyed every bird nest around Mission Hall heartlessly.

Every afternoon, Yan Zhengming would be trapped in the Mission Hall, carving charms with dark clouds of discontent overhead. Cheng Qian either did homework next to him, or helped his master prune the flowers and grass. It seemed like his master had the intention to make up for the love he didn’t enjoy in his earlier ages. He always saved for him some snacks that children liked; and while Yan Zhengming was carving the wood resentfully, he would deliberately ask Cheng Qian to take a break, and tell him several eccentric folk tales.

Yan Zhengming sometimes felt that the short kid was here to compete, against him, for their master’s love. However, it was undeniable that with Cheng Qian by his side, he could sit for a little bit longer due to his influence.

Yan Zhengming fell into a daze when the sand ran out today, the numbness lingering in his hand. Just now, he felt a mysterious power developed from the friction of the graver against the wood.

“Concentrate. Absorb Qi into your body.” A hoarse voice rang out in his ears. “The great I call the departing, and the departing I call the beyond. The beyond I call home… Around it moveth, and it suffereth not –”

Cheng Qian had an ability to take stock of the situation. He stood up and stepped backwards spontaneously before his master asked him to. In the meantime, he felt an inarticulate current of air hovered around his body for a moment, and then flowed over into first senior brother’s body like the rivers running into the sea.

It was his first contact with the subterranean area behind the depressing world. Cheng Qian didn’t have a clue to Yan Zhengming’s feelings at that time, but he heard an indistinct voice as well. Right now, the sun had set to the other side of Fuyao Mountain; the dimly discernible echoes reached every corner of the mountain teeming with spiritual energies. Countless different sounds converged as one and engendered a strange feeling in Cheng Qian. They sounded like the remote past and the vague future were whispering to each other across the time present. He desperately tried to make out what they were saying, but their words just flowed by him gently like quicksand in the river of time.

Cheng Qian was practically obsessed.

Suddenly, a hand grasped his shoulder and Cheng Qian got startled, as if he jolted out of a bizarre and motley nightmare. He looked behind and saw Muchun Zhenren dimly.

Muchun’s stare fell upon him from above. Cheng Qian felt his face coolish. He reached his hand to wipe his face, only to find that tears were streaming down his cheeks.

He felt awkward, and was at a loss as to what had happened, so he looked at his master blankly.

“The five colors combined the human eye will blind. The five notes in one sound the human ear confound. The five tastes when they blend the human mouth offend.” Muchun Zhenren’s voice thinned into a thread and pierced into Cheng Qian’s ears. “How can you be ‘free and easy’¹ when you see too much, hear too much, think too much, and wish too much? Wake up! Now!”

His words were like a wake-up call. There was a buzzing in Cheng Qian’s head, and after a blink, he recovered his sight and saw first senior brother sitting rooted in place rigidly. It looked like he was deep in meditation. The wooden blocks inscribed with messy lines lay scattered across the desk.

Cheng Qian sat there in a daze as Muchun Zhenren ruffled his hair. He asked, “Master, just now I heard people talking…”

“Oh, they are all forefathers of our sect.”

Cheng Qian was shocked.

“Our sect has a history of over one thousand years, is it strange that we have a bunch of forefathers?”

“Where are they now?”

“Of course they are all dead.”

“Didn’t they ascend to the heaven?” Cheng Qian goggled.

Muchun lowered his own head. Looking at him kindly, he asked in reply, “Is there any distinction between ascending to the heaven and being dead?”

“There is, of course. Doesn’t ascending to the heaven mean immortality?”

Muchun froze temporarily, and then he seemed amused by him. He didn’t give a straight answer, instead, he said, “Ah… You are still a little kid, don’t keep talking about death. Those are things you will understand when you grow up.”²

With that, he walked back to the seat of the host and sat down. He looked at Yan Zhengming, wearing a woebegone face. Cheng Qian heard him mutter, “Why must he get into meditation now? He really chose a terrible moment. Where shall I have my dinner?”

Cheng Qian: “…”

Consequently, the dinner was moved to the Mission Hall, which should have been a place to transmit wisdom, impart knowledge and resolve doubts. Amid scattered charms and scriptures lay a toasted chicken, surrounded by other dishes and the unconscious first senior brother.

Muchun asked Cheng Qian to sit on the floor with him. He picked up a chunk of meat for Cheng Qian lovingly, and dragged over a piece of paper covered with scriptures and placed it on the desk. Then he urged, “Have some more, and you will grow taller – spit the bones on the paper.”

Cheng Qian took up his bowl quietly, feeling that he could hardly have the least bit of awe of the Mission Hall from this moment on.

After dinner, Muchun had to keep guard over first senior brother. He commanded a Taoist child to wrap up a half Jin³ of desserts for Cheng Qian in case he went hungry in the night. Today was exactly the fifteenth day of the month, the day when going to the mountain cave was forbidden. But Muchun didn’t repeat his warning to Cheng Qian; he was confident that Cheng Qian wouldn’t go out to cause trouble and would write the sect rules instead.

Indeed, Cheng Qian wouldn’t, but someone else would.

No sooner had he entered the door of Qing’an Dwelling than Han Yuan followed in. Han Yuan made a big fuss over everything in the yard, after which he took up the desserts Cheng Qian left there, and praised profusely as he ate most of them. Splashing the scarps of the desserts, he said, “It’s no fun for you to stay with first senior brother all day – you’d better play with us. Today second senior brother taught me quite a few moves, I almost learned all the moves of the first form.”

Cheng Qian dodged all the scraps which were as many as snows. He smiled in silence at his idiot junior brother, and thought in mockery, presumably he should go up to the heaven in a few days since he learned the first form so quickly.

Pointing at the yard, Han Yuan said to Cheng Qian, “Your yard is so shabby, barely better than Master’s. You have to see mine tomorrow. My yard is ten times as large as yours, and there’s a pool at the back, we can go swimming in summer – can you swim? Ah, forget it. You domesticated kids wouldn’t dare go out of home, much less go swimming. I’ll teach you to swim. I promise you’re bound to be a good swimmer in one summer.”

Cheng Qian declined his kindness. The fact was he didn’t want to go around with dregs like Han Yuan.

The little beggar ate up the desserts during the time he chatted. At length, he stopped shooting the breeze pointlessly and got into the subject.

He burped and straightened up. Lowering his voice, he said, “Do you remember the cave… second senior brother mentioned?”

Cheng Qian had expected this, so he replied placidly, “Junior Brother, that’s violation of the sect rules – now that you have almost mastered the first form, can you read the characters of the sect rules?”

Han Yuan thought this senior brother who was even younger than him was literally unreasonable. So he lectured him with an air of superiority. “What’s the benefit of memorizing the sect rules? I’ve never seen someone that is as stubborn as you. Didn’t you hear what second senior brother said? Without energy feel, you are at best an acrobat even if you master the full set of swordplay. How long will it take if you cultivate step by step? You can’t always stay in th… the…”

“Stay in the rut.” Uttered Cheng Qian.

“Whatever. I’m going to the cave anyway, are you in?” Han Yuan waved his hand.

Cheng Qian showed plainly that he was a “honest and good” boy by saying, “I dare not.”

He rebuffed without a second thought. Han Yuan was disappointed at first, and then felt disdainful – kids like Han Yuan that were sturdily built but simple-minded always held in detestation “good kids” like Cheng Qian, who were obedient and adhered to rules.

“Domesticated.” Han Yuan grimaced and darted an unhappy look at Cheng Qian.

Cheng Qian, in turn, completely took his junior brother as a stupid mangy dog. He felt any like or hate towards him was a waste of his feelings. So he took up the teacup, showing no attitude.

Han Yuan took a few more looks at him. For the sake of that sachet of pine-nut candies, his temper gradually passed off. With kind of pity and sympathy, as well as the superiority of a stray dog viewing a domestic cat, he shook his head and sighed, “Domesticated kids are all porcelain.”

This afternoon in the Mission Hall, Cheng Qian had an impression of the spirituality of the mountain and its lurking mysteries. And he also knew what Li Yun was thinking about. Li Yun must be wondering what exactly was there in the cave in the evening of the first and fifteenth days of every month, but he didn’t want to risk breaking the rules. Assumedly he had already planned to get a fall guy for him.

Although Han Yuan failed to persuade Cheng Qian, he didn’t leave empty-handed. At least, he had a late-night supper at Cheng Qian’s place. “Porcelain” Cheng Qian saw Han Yuan out courteously and watched him leave, waiting to see what the sucker would end up with.

“What would happen if he breaks the rules?” Cheng Qian thought unconcernedly. “Will he get a caning? Have his palm beaten? Or be made to transcribe scriptures? – it’s not a big deal if the punishment is to transcribe scriptures.”

Unexpectedly, however, Han Yuan didn’t return that night.

Having figured that out, Yan Zhengming knew he should go down the mountain on a journey.

Sufferings and miseries could exercise a man’s body, while delight of meeting and grief of parting could temper a man’s mentality.

Although Fuyao Wooden Swordplay was only a primary swordplay, it implicated the ups and downs of a mortal life. It was not something created from imagination and divorced from reality. If he kept hanging around in the Land of the Tender, one thousand or ten thousand years would bring the same result, that his pace would be forever unable to catch up to the ever changing world.

Not everybody could get enlightened as luck would have it. If an ordinary cultivator could find out where the rub was, they would probably be delirious with joy, and take the bull by the horns to strive for a breakthrough.

But was young master Yan anywhere near ordinary?

The words “go down the mountain on a journey” only flashed into his head for a split second, and then were rapidly submerged by his imagination of the hardships and inconveniences of an arduous journey.

Speaking of going down the mountain, Yan Zhengming felt a terrible headache at the bare of idea of how many pieces of luggage he would have to take, and his laziness would rebel against him and take the control of his body, hampering him from heading for a promising future.

“Traveling? Whatever! I am not going anyway — screw the bottleneck, who cares.” The young master thought. He finally decided not to lend himself to worries.

Yan Zhengming had made up his mind to neglect the bit of nonfluency in his moves. He deluded himself into thinking that he had mastered it as he remembered the moves, and was planning to ask his master for the fourth form tomorrow.

The unambitious and perfunctory first senior brother began to slack off comfortably. He tossed several stones at his fourth junior brother who was climbing up the tree for the bird nest, accurately, but with moderate strength.

Looking at Han Yuan howling on the ground, Yan Zhengming felt that he had made an achievement in cultivation and there was no need for him to be too serious.

At midday, the mutual torture for the master and his apprentices came to an end.

Everyone except first senior brother went back to their own yard for lunch and rest, and would practice independently in the afternoon — those who were unwilling to practice could play with monkeys in the mountain.

Muchun Zhenren gave his apprentices enough freedom. He only warned them to obey the sect rules and not to wander around the mountain in the evening of the first and fifteenth day of every month.

Only Yan Zhengming had to stay and continue to face his master’s wizened face in the afternoon.

Seeing Taoist children successively bringing wood and a graver, Li Yun explained to his junior brothers, “They are used for carving charms. Charms are categorized into two groups, visible charms and invisible charms. Visible charms are inscribed on material objects; the most common is the wood. Some ace masters can also use gold as material. Invisible charms are way more powerful, they can be inscribed in the water and on the air, even mere thoughts can make them — that is a legend though, as none ever saw one. Probably only almighty beings can make it.”

Cheng Qian feigned disinterest, but was actually straining his ears.

After all, charms were the root of magic tools, and magic tools were the most direct impression of cultivation for ordinary people.

Han Yuan came closer and asked intimately, “Second Senior Brother, what is an almighty being?”

Li Yun grinned at him and said, “Nowadays, who on earth dare to claim to be almighty? True almighty beings have already ascended to the heaven.”

Han Yuan didn’t have a good impression of first senior brother, but he also knew he couldn’t afford to provoke him. On top of that, the little beggar didn’t have so high self-esteem as Cheng Qian, and he wasn’t the sort of person to bear a deep grudge, a sachet of pine-nut candies was enough to make him give up his hatred with a smile.

Watching Yan Zhengming’s relaxed figure admiringly, he asked Li Yun eagerly, “Senior Brother, when can we learn that?”

“We can’t learn it yet.” Li Yun waved his hand and said in mock regret. “To learn charms, you should have energy feel first — don’t ask me what energy feel is, I don’t know either. According to Master, it is a mysterious ability to communicate with the heaven and earth… but as you will know in the future, you can’t take his words too seriously because they are abstruse and don’t make sense.”

Li Yun had a mean curling mouth, which made him look like he was smiling all the time. But when he actually smiled, he looked even more vicious. Speaking of this, he paused purposely and frowned affectedly. “However, due to poor talents or bad luck, some people may never have energy feel.”

At that, Han Yuan tensed and straightened up unconsciously. “That’s a pity.”

“Of course it is.” Said Li Yun. “Without energy feel, however proficient we are in swordplay, we can do nothing more than keep fit with it.”

To start with, Cheng Qian didn’t take Li Yun’s words to heart, because he had concluded that Yan Zhengming was only a macaroni. If even a macaroni could acquire energy feel after frittering away seven or eight years, he might as well give up on cultivating and go back to being a farmer or trading, if he couldn’t do at least this much.

But at this point, Cheng Qian had perceived the insinuation and hook in Li Yun’s words.

Cheng Qian turned around. Looking straight at Li Yun, he asked in a lazy tone, “Second Senior Brother, you sound like you already know the method to arouse energy feel, right?”

Li Yun smiled at him, his eyes as well as brows crinkled into crooks. He didn’t respond though, instead, he stared at Cheng Qian meaningfully.

But Cheng Qian wouldn’t be hooked. He said indifferently, “Oh. That’s awesome. May senior brother get what you wish soon.”

If a method to arouse energy feel really existed, why hadn’t Li Yun tried it out himself? Evidently he had an axe to grind and wanted a fall guy to test for him.

The brat was oversensitive, Li Yun thought as his crooked eyes twitched.

But Han Yuan could hardly repress his curiosity. He pursued impatiently right away, “What? What method?”

Li Yun thus shifted from Cheng Qian to Han Yuan. But he kept him in suspense. “I can’t say, or I will break the rule.”

Though what he was saying was “I can’t say”, he sounded like “come and ask”.

Li Yun dug a huge hole in front of him, and Han Yuan was so cooperative that he jumped in without demur.

Han Yuan seemed to think that he became good friends with his second senior brother during the toad incident. He kept pumping Li Yun for the answer. With all his pretended dodging failed, Li Yun was “compelled” to reply in whispers, “I’ve read a book about sceneries of Fuyao mountain. It says that there’s a strong monster pressed down under the mountain, and every night of the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, the monster’s demonic energy will echo with the moon, and pure and turbid energy veiling the mountain will swirl and surge. At that time, if one stands on the caves where the two energies meet, even a mortal could easily obtain energy feel.”

Then he suddenly changed his tone. “Of course, sect leader — our master has commanded, we are not allowed to go out of the yard on these two nights. The cave in the mountain is especially a forbidden area.”

Han Yuan seemed to be lost in thought at his words.

“Junior brothers shouldn’t have finished writing the sect rules 49 times yet. It is written plainly that you have to cultivate in a systematic way. You own good aptitudes, so you will have energy feel sooner or later. It’s not worthwhile to take a shortcut by breaking the rules. Do you agree, third junior brother?” Li Yun pretended to be exhorting them.

“Of course second senior brother.” Cheng Qian smiled stiffly.

Li Yun: “…”

Li Yun scrutinized Cheng Qian from head to toe. His reticent third junior brother was thin and tiny as though he hadn’t reached the age of growth, and no one would see his face once he lowered his head.

Li Yun developed a temporary confusion about whether his third junior brother’s inarticulacy was because of his young age and cowardice or a result of his oversensitivity.

Cheng Qian’s echoing his words placed Li Yun in dilemma. He forced a smile and said, “Third junior brother is well-mannered indeed.”

Not far away, Yan Zhengming took over a bowl of osmanthus and plum soup from a Taoist child’s hands. He lifted his head and happened to see the scene. He had always felt that Li Yun was a rogue with sinister designs, so he somehow saw evil plots from his second junior brother’s eyes when he grinned.

On a whim, Yan Zhengming turned around and said to the Taoist child, “Go and ask that little… the shortest kid. I forgot again, what’s his name?”

“That’s third martial uncle, Cheng Qian.” The Taoist child answered with reverence and awe.

“Oh yes.” Yan Zhengming nodded. “Tell him to wait. Just say Master asked me to give some advice on his swordplay after I finish talisman practice.”

“He didn’t give a shit when I asked him to do so, and now he uses me as a pretext.” Muchun Zhenren thought to himself. He looked at Yan Zhengming but didn’t lay bare his lie — the young master was quite lonely growing up on such a large mountain and he seldom got a kid as a companion.

The Taoist child trotted to pass the word. Hearing that, Cheng Qian didn’t give a comment, he only thought that first senior brother might have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.

But Han Yun was reluctant to leave. He grumbled, “I was thinking of going to your place to play.”

Cheng Qian glanced at him and thought, “You’d better be played by your second senior brother.”

Harboring such mockery, he nonchalantly said goodbye to Li Yun and Han Yuan, and waited aside as told quietly — certainly not for young master Yan, whom Cheng Qian was uncertain whether to call senior brother or senior sister. He was in fact curious about the so-called “charms”.

But soon he found out that people without energy feel were unable to sense the profoundness of charms — at least from what he could see, first senior brother did nothing that whole afternoon. He was simply carving vertical lines on the wood, with a knife, under his master’s nose.

The only gain was that Cheng Qian saw their master’s strictness.

As expected, first senior brother was a hundred-percent macaroni. He had only sat for a short while before he rocked from side to side as if there were nails on his bottom, and bustled the Taoist children and maids around.

One minute he felt his hair knot was too tight and required re-combing, and the next he disliked the sweats on his body and would like to get his clothes changed; and now he felt like going to the restroom, then he thirsted… but when the water was served, he either found it too cool or thought it scalding. Nothing was to his liking. In a nutshell, he couldn’t remain seated.

And he often lost his concentration and often glanced this way and that; he sometimes criticized Li Yun and Muchun unvoiced in his heart, and on occasion hummed a tune lately composed by the maids. In a word, his mind was not on carving the wood at all.

Although Cheng Qian had no idea about the benefits of carving the wood, he despised first senior brother’s behavior a lot. “Idle folks lack no excuses.” He thought.

Muchun Zhenren already knew his undeserving apprentice would make a fuss about nothing. He placed a sandglass on Yan Zhengming’s desk. It only took half an hour for the sand to run out, and that was when Yan Zhengming’s practice would end. But as soon as his attention wandered, the sand would stop flowing. Therefore, the half-hour practice would usually be prolonged until it got dark.

Yan Zhengming had thought he and his master could become bosom friends in the aspect of “floating through life”, but when it came to practicing charms, his master became so unlike him, to the point of being insensitive.

Muchun Zhenren had said, Yan Zhengming’s Tao was actually the Tao of sword. Such cultivators mostly had a strong willpower, but there were exceptions, Yan Zhengming was one of them. Therefore, he must be trained doubly so that his talent would not be dissipated.

Cheng Qian watched for a while and felt he got not benefit from it at all, so he withdrew his sight and asked the Taoist child beside him for paper and writing brushes, and got down to doing homework for today — write sect rules first, then Scriptures on Clarity and Stillness his master read this morning.

Seeing that, Muchun softened his severe expression and beckoned Cheng Qian: “Cheng Qian, come here. The light isn’t good there.”

Yan Zhengming frowned and looked upward right into his master’s bird-eyes.

Where could the light be poor at noon? Clearly his master was disgusting him by letting him know he wasn’t as dependable as a little kid.

Yan Zhengming turned to have a look at Cheng Qian’s handwriting. He briefly forgot the fact that it was himself that had asked him to stay. Venting his anger on Cheng Qian unreasonably, he said, “A dog’s footprints are far better than your writing.”

Cheng Qian was too young, after all, he didn’t have an involved mind. Hearing that, he retorted without even making a peep, “Thanks for senior brother’s edification. But it makes no difference however neat the prints are, because the little beast cannot remain seated at all.”

Finishing the words, he flashed an ironic glance at the sandglass. Yan Zhengming fumed, because he found the bloody sandglass stopped flowing again, expectedly.