Youth Below the Mountain

"What Heaven mandates is nature; following nature is the Way; cultivating the Way is education. The Way, indeed, cannot be departed from for an instant; if it could be departed from, it would not be the Way."

"Therefore, the superior man is cautious and fearful of what he sees not, and apprehensive of what he hears not. Nothing is more visible than what is hidden, nothing more manifest than what is minute. Therefore, the superior man is watchful over himself when he is alone."

On the banks of the Central Province, surrounded by mountains and rivers, the sound of diligent reading could faintly be heard. Following the sound for several dozen steps, a bamboo forest concealed a winding corridor, and a bamboo building stood there. Looking inside, dozens of young disciples were reciting the classics of the sages, shaking their heads and swaying their bodies, very focused.

A man in scholarly robes, about forty years old, sat at the front. Listening to the young voices of these children, after reciting several times, he would break down the meaning of the text and explain it carefully to these young students.

When the sun was high in the sky, the sound of a zither rang out from the backyard of the bamboo garden. The scholar in the blue robe finally stopped his lecture, ending today's teaching with a smile and leaving some homework.

The children scattered with a roar.

Some began to play, while others chatted about holiday arrangements.

Among them were disciples dressed in fine silk, from well-off families. The teacher, with his hair tied with a bamboo pin, turned his gaze to the side of the bamboo forest. Indeed, he saw a green bamboo, as thick as a wrist, swaying slightly. He smiled and got up to leave.

There was no one by the window. However, hanging six feet above the ground on the green bamboo was a plump rabbit. The teacher reached out and felt it. This rabbit was plump and heavy. As winter approached, rabbits became mostly plump to survive the cold. Deep-fried, served with winter bamboo shoots, it tasted excellent.

The zither music gradually stopped, and footsteps drew nearer. His wife's voice came from behind him:

"Is it that child again?"

"His name is... Qi WuHuo?"

The scholar in the blue robe gave a hum and looked up. He could still vaguely see a young figure in ordinary short clothing, a light brown outfit, moving in the direction from this small bamboo building on the mountainside down to the small town. His back looked ordinary, but his posture was exceptionally straight.

A faint wind and snow began to rise. The boy, in this north wind and mountain snow, gradually walked further away.

The woman, who was originally from a prominent family but had become somewhat stern and sharp-tongued due to her experiences, slightly pursed her lips. Rarely showing weakness, she said, "Why bother? You already let him audit your classes, yet he refuses further kindness. His life is ordinary, but he still brings these things."

Her voice paused, then she added with some regret, "Does he still resent how I treated him poorly back then?"

The scholar in the blue robe chuckled and comforted her, "That's not his personality."

"I did ask him why he didn't want to come inside. At first, I thought it was just a child's pride. I'm confident in my learning, and I was once a county magistrate, handling hundreds of cases. I thought I could persuade a small child, but in the end, I couldn't. Instead, I was awestruck by him."

His voice paused slightly.

His wife looked at him suspiciously, "What did that child say?"

The scholar in the blue robe stroked his beard and said, "He said that of all things, one should not worry about scarcity but about inequality, and that fairness should be pursued."

"Since I receive tuition from the families of many children to let them into the hall, there are also children whose families are not well-off, and who have to grit their teeth to send them to learn. If I were to let him in out of pity, their families might have some complaints."

"It would also harm my reputation."

"He said that he learns literature and literacy from me, but to do so would harm me and benefit others, which is unacceptable."

"And these things are his tuition fees for me."

His wife could not help but be surprised, "Not worrying about scarcity but about inequality... How could such words come from a small town child?"

The scholar in the blue robe said, "Indeed, but he is also truly stubborn."

"I asked the townspeople, and he is not from this area."

"He came here five years ago as a refugee from the disaster in Jin Province. Times were hard, and many people would do anything to survive. It is rare to find someone who can be so upright and righteous, yet also eager to learn, while living like this."

He hesitated for a moment, took his wife's hand, and said gently, "My dear, I plan to have the students compete after the new year. If he truly has talent, I will take him as a disciple and recommend him for the imperial examinations in the future, so that such talent does not go to waste in the mountains. What do you think?"

The woman gave her husband a look, "Recommending talent is the duty of a scholar like you. If he truly has talent and you don't recommend him, it would be dereliction of duty. I am also willing to contact my relatives to find him a good match."

The scholar in the blue robe was overjoyed and embraced his wife. Let's not mention it for now.

The young man came out of the schoolhouse, silently reciting the content of today's lecture in his heart, and silently reviewing the writing and meaning of these characters. Unconsciously, he had walked into the mountains. The wind and snow were not heavy, as if it were snowing in another mountain and carried here by the wind. It was slowly stopping.

When he was young, his hometown suffered a great disaster, with no harvest and rampant plagues and demons. His parents gave him their last remaining food, and he barely survived. He fled here mixed with refugees. Fortunately, this place took them in, and they found a place to settle.

Without the care of parents or elders, he would have become one of those ruffians and vagrants. However, since he was young, he would have strange dreams every night. In his dreams, iron birds soared into the sky, people came and went, tall buildings were densely packed in the cities, and there were many blocky characters.

He forgot many things in his dreams, but he remembered many things.

Especially those blocky characters.

Learning cannot cease.

A scholar cannot but be broad-minded and resolute, for his burden is heavy and his road is long.

It was as if some voices were reciting these words. He always felt that these things in his dreams were extremely important to him, so he firmly believed in the principles taught by these words.

It was cold today, and he feared that there would be heavy snow blocking the mountain later. He needed to gather more firewood to get through the coming winter. Qi WuHuo climbed the mountain with a basket on his back. Occasionally, he could pick up fallen pinecones. He was quite lucky, and he had filled his basket a quarter of an hour earlier than usual. He estimated that it would be enough to get through this snow, and then he could slowly turn around.

However, he didn't know when it happened that night mist began to rise in the mountains.

Qi WuHuo, a mortal, could not detect it. Only his soul, which was different from ordinary people, sensed something unusual. He frowned slightly, holding a long, straight branch, and slowly walked down the mountain. An ordinary mortal would have unknowingly descended the mountain, but his soul was several times stronger. By chance, he entered another place.

Looking back, he could no longer see the path ahead.

After walking less than a hundred steps, he suddenly heard a desolate voice singing rhythmically. The voice was old and clear, like the clashing of metal and iron, yet with the quality of jade, not jarring.

The Central Province had many strange places. In winter, there were insects that shone like candlelight.

They swirled and flickered, and had already arrived nearby.

Qi WuHuo's steps paused. He had unknowingly walked into a deep valley. He was unaware that insects and birds were accompanying him. In the night mist, a fierce tiger lowered its gaze. All the beasts and spirits were there, but only the sound of the chanted poem became clearer, with hands clapping a rhythm and singing a long song.

"Not a speck of dust from the mortal world, the hall is filled with 'immortal' people."

"My robes always carry the hues of mist and clouds, my staff and shoes accompany me on a journey of water and clouds."

"With an iron flute, I play beneath the moon over the vast ocean, my sleeves embracing all the spring of the grotto-heavens."

"Now, guests from all directions gather, let's see who among them is Dong Bin."

"Huh?"

"A guest has arrived!"

"Little guest, please step forward and let us talk."