Asking the Blind About the Dao

"Vicious Flood Dragon, Vicious Flood Dragon..." the old man muttered. His mind was no longer very clear.

In truth, Lin Su had fled a little too early. The Vicious Flood Dragon's roaring and thrashing in the river had not been an attempt to take his life; rather, the dragon itself had suffered a fatal wound.

Lin Su's Seven-Colored War Poem had injured it, but the injury itself had been extremely slight.

Yet the war poem had another effect. The ten thousand killing intents carried by it had destroyed the dragon's domain and shattered its ritual ground. Zhang Yiyu seized the opportunity and struck with all her strength. Her zither strings transformed into swords, piercing its head and extracting its demon core!

Once the demon core was lost, the Vicious Flood Dragon was doomed to die. Its final struggles were merely the struggles of a dying beast.

After collecting the demon core, Zhang Yiyu stepped onto the still-thrashing dragon's back and searched the river's surface. Where had the person who had just recited that war poem gone?

Within her Zither Domain, every living creature in the river was as clear to her as the lines on her palm, yet she had not discovered that person. She first searched ten li downstream, then turned back and searched upstream, but still failed to find him...

It seemed he had not fallen into the water. Someone capable of severely wounding a Mutated Black Flood Dragon with a war poem had to be a senior of the literary Dao. He would not fall into the water so easily. But who was he?

She only remembered that imposing war poem. She also remembered the structure of every character in it—it differed greatly from the writing styles circulating in the world and was highly distinctive. Right, she also remembered that when the poem appeared, it had carried a strange radiance. That was Original Sacred Light!

Original!

The matter was solved at that point!

That person had not borrowed someone else's poem. He had written it himself.

Seven-Colored Poems naturally circulated throughout the world. The creator could be found with a simple search.

Ahead stood a tall building by the riverbank. Zhang Yiyu moved, and her figure suddenly vanished from the river's surface. The next instant, she appeared before Haining Tower. After studying the three words "Haining Tower," she entered it.

The instant she entered Haining Tower, Seven-colored Rosy Clouds glimmered faintly.

Following the source of that rosy light, Zhang Yiyu saw the legendary poem: "Xiling Fine Wine Tulip, Jade Bowl Holds Amber Light, But Let the Host Intoxicate His Guests, One Knows Not Where Their Hometown Is."

Peerless poems always enraptured people, and Zhang Yiyu was no exception. She stared at it for a long while before softly sighing. It has been so long since I went home. I should go back and take a look.

"Shopkeeper, bring wine!"

A beautiful woman appeared before her. "Fairy, what kind of wine would you like?"

Zhang Yiyu said, "I have heard that a rare wine called Baiyunbian has appeared in the martial world. Bring me that wine."

"Please forgive us, Fairy. Today's supply of Baiyunbian Wine has already been fully allotted. This establishment cannot provide it."

Hmm?

"Reservations currently extend to ten days from now. If Fairy must have this wine, you may make an advance reservation. Half a month later, our establishment will certainly present it to Fairy with both hands!"

Though Zhang Yiyu was a Flower of the Great Dao and had always remained as calm as drifting clouds and gentle winds, she was somewhat irritated at this moment. "Such a vast Haining Tower, and I need to wait half a month just to drink a meal's worth of your wine?"

A voice came from nearby. "Haining Tower is not truly that large, while Quzhou is quite large. Great Cang and the Nine Countries and Thirteen Provinces are larger still. Though Baiyunbian is supplied exclusively by our tower, the market is broad, and it is difficult to attend to everything for the moment. But every matter has its exceptions. Since the Flower of the Great Dao from Bishui Immortal Sect has personally arrived, why should this tower not make an exception? This way, please!"

Zhang Yiyu slowly turned around. Behind her stood an old man—it was Ding Hai.

"So it is Manager Ding! A pleasure to meet you!"

Ding Hai was no ordinary person. Though merely a merchant, he attended many important occasions. Zhang Yiyu had met him once in Wuzhou.

"Fairy Zhang, please!"

The side hall was no longer as noisy as the main hall. Instead, it resembled a small farmhouse courtyard. Beneath a grape arbor sat a plate of small dishes, a pot of fine wine, and a poem.

This poem likewise shone with Seven-colored Rosy Clouds: "South Lake Autumn Water, Smoke-Free Night, Why Not Ride the Current Straight Up to Heaven, Let Us Borrow Moonlight From The Heavenly Court, And Sell the Boat for Baiyunbian Wine."

Ding Hai personally accompanied her and poured her a cup of wine. Its color was transparent and flawless; when it entered her mouth, it was precisely that familiar flavor from moments ago...

"Manager Ding, were these two extraordinary poems both inscribed by Third Young Master Lin?"

"Indeed!"

"It seems your friendship with him is truly quite good."

Ding Hai's face began to twist. Gritting his teeth... he nodded. "Mm, not bad!"

Zhang Yiyu lifted her wine cup, took a light sip, and smiled faintly. "Why does it seem to me that Manager Ding answered rather reluctantly? Did that brat leave you no profit in your cooperation?"

The fury filling Ding Hai's heart finally burst through the dike. "No! It is absolutely not like that! That brat... that brat is loyal. He is by no means someone who haggles over every last detail. In business, he is absolutely a true man, but... but he... he is stupid, stupid to the extreme..."

What was going on? Zhang Yiyu was full of suspicion...

The bitterness filling Ding Hai's belly finally poured forth...

Fairy Zhang, you are also an unparalleled talent in this world. Tell me, are genius and fool really separated by only a thread?

Could it be that geniuses must occasionally do some utterly foolish things to show how different they are?

Do not take offense—I truly am not pointing at the mulberry while cursing the locust. I am talking about that brat. Do you know what he did this morning?

He took the imperial examination!

Before the exam, he made a wager with twenty-three students...

Oh, no, a professor joined later as well!

They wagered on their examination results. Whoever lost would strip naked and run around the entire city three times, shouting "I am trash" ten times. In addition, the loser had to agree to one condition from the winner and answer any question the winner raised in complete detail, and had to tell the truth...

Tell me, is that something a human would do?

Fool! Fool! If that brat were not taking the imperial examination right now, I would twist off his head and use it as a ball to kick...

The frustration that had weighed on his heart all morning was finally vented. Ding Hai let out a long breath.

The corner of Zhang Yiyu's lips curved upward. "Since ancient times, celebrated scholars have been free and unrestrained. He probably regarded it as a game... It seems you truly care a great deal about him. Fine, let us not speak of this. I would like to ask Manager Ding whether he has heard a poem like this..."

Zhang Yiyu was not part of the business world and truly had no sensitivity at all toward matters such as commercial secrets. Thus, she had not heard where Ding Hai's true anger lay, naturally assuming that he cared deeply about the brat.

Heaven and earth could bear witness: Ding Hai truly did not care whether Lin Su ran naked through the streets. If it had nothing to do with him, Lin Su could run however he pleased. Even if he ran up to heaven, Ding Hai would not care...

But upon suddenly hearing Zhang Yiyu mention poetry, his thoughts began to wander. Poetry? After talking so much about that brat, she had suddenly brought up poetry. Could it be that the brat had written another poem?

Was there some business opportunity?

Thinking of poetry led him to business opportunities. That had probably become Boss Ding's conditioned reflex...

"How Is The Will Of Today's Beheading, Starting A Business Is Difficult, With Many Battles, This Journey to the Yellow Springs Shall Summon Old Comrades, Ten Thousand Banners Slay Yama..."

Ding Hai's eyes lit up. "What a poem of bold and heroic spirit! Did he write it? Was it seven-colored?"

"This is the first time Manager Ding has heard this poem?"

"Yes!"

Zhang Yiyu was disappointed. Then this was truly asking the blind about the Dao.

Right, the handwriting! His handwriting was highly distinctive. It differed greatly from the scripts of the world—round and flowing, unconfined by any single style...

What did the writing look like? Zhang Yiyu could not reproduce it with a brush, but her Zither Domain was exceptionally strange and could record scenes and preserve their forms.

With a movement of her mind, a manuscript appeared before her. It was precisely the poem from earlier.

"These characters are most strange, seemingly opening up an entirely new path." Ding Hai said, "Could it be a script newly created by some Great Confucian? If this script were systematically organized, it could almost open a new literary path..."

To Open Literary Path included creating a new literary form, a new school, or a new style. Naturally, it also included creating a new script...

Zhang Yiyu once more asked the blind about the Dao.

"Fairy, please enjoy your wine here in peace. This old man still has matters to attend to. It is all because of that brat... a perfectly good path to wealth and prosperity, yet he insists on turning it into a road beset with crises on all sides. What the hell is this? I truly surrender to him..."

He was anxious to deal with tomorrow's affairs. Tomorrow afternoon would be the posting of the ranks. Once the ranks were posted, the Baiyunbian formula would no longer be secure. Such a major matter required advance planning. Tonight, perhaps he could first communicate with the elders of those twenty-three people's households. Should the formula fall into their hands, he had to find a way to turn himself into the twenty-fourth member of the formula alliance!

The situation was urgent and the difficulties numerous, but Haining Tower could not simply wait for death.

After drinking at the tavern and admiring the two poems once more, Zhang Yiyu left the building.

Had she not met Ding Hai, she might have entered Lin Manor that very night. But after meeting him, she dismissed the notion. Third Young Master Lin was not at home—he was still taking the imperial examination. What would she do at his house?

She would Catch Him After The Ranks Are Posted tomorrow instead...

As for Lin Su, after leaving the little forest, he and the old man stood there in confusion. Where was this place?

They were lost!

After passing through the forest, they finally found a hunter. The hunter told them this was Big Mist Mountain, and beyond it lay Refugee Riverbank.

Oh, Refugee Riverbank? They knew this place well!

The two followed a path through the reeds. When they reached the entrance to Refugee Riverbank, the old man pointed across the Yangtze River and said that his home was over there. "Little brother, I must cross the river and return home. This voyage was the only failure in my old life as a boatman. I nearly cost little brother his life. A sin, a sin..."

He repeatedly clasped his hands in salute, then retreated to the riverbank, preparing to cross the river.

"Old man, your ferry was destroyed because of me. Let me compensate you with a boat. Otherwise, you will have no livelihood in the future."

The old man was greatly alarmed. "No! The ferry accident happened because this old man was blind and failed to read the water's signs clearly. Nearly harming little brother was already a grave sin. How could I dare let little brother compensate me? Absolutely not, absolutely not..."

"Take it. For no other reason than this: I earn money much more easily than you do!"

A small pouch was placed into the old man's hand. Trembling, he opened it and his face changed drastically. Inside lay a silver ingot—an entire fifty taels!

Fifty taels could buy ten boats like his old one!

Even after ferrying people for ten years, he could not earn fifty taels.

"Little brother..." Holding up the silver, the old man cried, "Wait..."

Lin Su strode away and had already gone far.

Suddenly, in the darkness, a group of riders galloped up from behind the old man. A hand flashed, and with a hiss, the old man's arm flew high into the air. A hand stretched out from midair, caught the severed arm, and took the silver ingot. The rider on horseback burst into laughter.

Lin Su abruptly turned back and saw this tragic scene.

The blood and qi throughout his body surged violently. He suddenly rushed back, arriving before the old man and catching him as he toppled headfirst to the ground.

The riders circled their horses, and four horses surrounded them.

"There is another brat? Could that silver ingot have been given to him by you?"

"How much more do you have on you? Hand over every last bit!"

A brilliant light flared in Lin Su's eyes. "In broad daylight, beneath the bright sky, you actually dare commit murder and robbery? Are you bandits?"

"Hahaha, what broad daylight? What bright sky? You mud-legged peasant, why are you imitating scholars and throwing around such flowery words? Immediately hand over everything on you, or we will kill you both first and search your bodies afterward!"

All four viciously drew their blades.

Lin Su had only just climbed ashore from a near-death escape in the river. He was covered in mud, and even the scholar's headcloth had been lost. These people truly took him for a mud-legged peasant.

Lin Su suddenly moved. In a single motion, he arrived before the man who had shouted the fiercest. That man reacted swiftly as well, raising his hand and slashing his blade at Lin Su's head.

Lin Su shot into the air. Bang! One punch sent the man flying onto his back. He crashed heavily into the river embankment, his brains bursting out.

He twisted around in midair and kicked. Another man's chest caved deeply inward. Before he could draw another breath, he died on the spot.

The remaining two were horrified. "Who are you..."

Hiss! A blade swept past, and a head flew up.

The fourth man screamed, "We are from the Haining Zhang Family..."