Encourage Him!

Burden: 1,200 paces.

Lifespan: 1,200 years.

What an audacious claim.

The bugs and lanterns inside the gauze pouch seemed to waver for a moment. Qi WuHuo raised his head and looked at the old man before him, slowing his chewing as he furrowed his brow. "Old man, are you joking?"

"They say even Peng Zu lived only eight hundred years. Twelve hundred years?"

The old man spread his hands and smiled teasingly. "Who told you to refuse this and refuse that? This old man was annoyed, so of course I was joking with you. Heh heh... Ah, lad, don't get upset. At least leave me my meat porridge!"

The old man was about to tease him a little more when he saw the boy from the town briskly reaching for his bowl of meat porridge, too. He couldn't help laughing and called out a few times before the boy finally put it back.

Qi WuHuo was usually quiet, upright, and unyielding. It was only at times like this that one could see the nature of a boy of thirteen or fourteen in him. The old man stroked his beard and smiled.

From then on, he never mentioned the so-called good karma again.

Qi WuHuo lived in a remote part of the town, but word spread quickly. The story of the newcomer, little Qi, carrying an old man back home soon made its way through the nearby streets.

Some said the old man was an elder from the same clan as him. Others said he had taken in a relative. There were also those who claimed Qi WuHuo was coveting the old man's wealth and was only tending to him so well for that reason. If anyone wondered why, they need only look at the purple robe he wore: there wasn't a single garment in the whole town that could compare.

If that weren't the case, why would the destitute, down-at-heel Qi WuHuo have brought him home?

The gossip went round and round, but Qi WuHuo paid it no mind. A gentleman conducts himself uprightly and without fault. The others soon found the subject dull, too, and before long, the rumor was buried beneath other people's "big news" and "fresh gossip."

That was how it went in a small town or village.

Ten more days passed. Heavy snow fell, and the whole town grew ever quieter, as if cut off from the world. The old man, who had said his surname was Li and his style was Liao Fan, leisurely brewed a pot of tea while Qi WuHuo chopped firewood in the yard.

For some reason, Qi WuHuo felt his strength growing with each passing day. The logs were as thick as the rim of a large bowl; even a strong man needed two or three swings to split one. Before, it had taken him five or six. Now he could split one with a single swing.

Another blow fell. The log split with a crack, but the axe's momentum didn't stop. It bit deep into the ground, the blade wedged fast and impossible to pull free.

Qi WuHuo stared, stunned.

The old man, brewing tea, suddenly chuckled mockingly. "Your strength is growing on its own. I never thought you'd have some martial arts training, WuHuo. Have you practiced some legendary manual?"

Qi WuHuo shook his head. "I haven't."

He thought for a moment, then bent down and felt the log. "It's probably been sitting here too long. The wood's gone soft, so it splits easily."

Just then, a knock came from outside.

The little wooden house had a small yard, too. Its gate had long since fallen into disrepair, and Qi WuHuo had made a simple wooden one from a few logs. It opened with the slightest push, and rougher visitors would simply kick it in. Yet this visitor was still knocking. Qi WuHuo already had a good idea who it was.

He set down the axe, straightened his clothes, and hurried over to open the gate.

The wooden door creaked open. Snow on it drifted to the ground as it moved. Three old pines stood beside the road, and beneath them waited someone.

Qi WuHuo looked up. It was the gentleman in the green robe, which was thick but not cumbersome. Beside him stood a woman in a white, cross-collared jacket embroidered with large peonies, holding an umbrella with a green bamboo frame to shield them from the wind and snow. The man and woman both had a refined air, utterly at odds with this small town.

The contrast between them and the poor boy in a brown short robe, his hair tied with nothing but a straw cord to keep it from hanging loose, was like night and day.

Qi WuHuo clasped his hands slightly and said calmly:

"I didn't know Mr. Su and Madam were visiting. Please, come inside."

Su Shengyuan raised a hand to stop him and smiled. "No, no. Snow's about to fall heavily. I'm accompanying my wife home to visit her family. We need to reach the next city tonight, and we still have a long way to go, so we won't come in."

Qi WuHuo lifted his eyes slightly. Only then did he spot, on the main road a few hundred paces from this remote alley, a Green Curtain Carriage pulled by a pair of horses. A Fiery Red Figure seemed to be inside, pulling back the carriage curtain to peer this way.

When she saw Qi WuHuo, she happily waved at him.

Su Shengyuan glanced at his wife and gave a slight cough.

The elegant woman rolled her eyes at her husband, then took a bundle from her arms and handed it to Qi WuHuo. She straightened his collar and spoke in a gentle, warm voice. "Winter is bitterly cold. Don't let yourself freeze. There are two cotton-padded jackets inside, along with a pair of thick-soled shoes with fine stitching. They should see you through the next three months."

"You're not allowed to refuse."

Qi WuHuo froze. "How can I accept this..."

Su Shengyuan smiled and raised a hand. "I know you're honest and upright, but have you never heard, 'A gift from an elder must not be refused'? All right, all right, WuHuo. Your teacher's wife means well. Don't keep turning her down."

He breathed out a cloud of cold air, then asked, "With the heavy snow and deep winter, I haven't been able to give lessons lately. How well have you mastered what you've studied these past few years? Shall I ask you a few questions?"

The boy nodded, and Su Shengyuan began questioning him.

Qi WuHuo answered each one.

Su Shengyuan stroked his beard for a long while, then sighed. "Good, very good."

He reached out and gave Qi WuHuo's shoulder a hearty pat. "For the Spring Examination in three months, I'll recommend you. With your talent, you'll sweep the field in a single match, and within three years, your name will resound across the prefectures."

"Keep at it! Keep at it!"

Qi WuHuo thought he faintly heard the old man in the yard scoff in disdain.

For some reason, though, Su Shengyuan seemed not to hear it.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries. Su Shengyuan offered Qi WuHuo plenty of encouragement, then finally left at his wife's subtle urging.

Back in the carriage, he was still sighing with emotion.

Even his wife was a little astonished by her husband's reaction. "That child... Is his talent really so remarkable?"

Su Shengyuan sighed. "More than remarkable. He's practically born knowing everything! Whenever he speaks, there's always something astonishing about it. I've traveled across the nine provinces and four wildernesses for more than thirty years. Perhaps there are learned people who surpass him, but I've never met anyone with greater talent."

He thought for a moment, then looked to one side.

A thirteen-year-old girl sat there, her hair tied into two little tufts and dressed in red, fiddling with a tiny mechanism in her hands. She was the Su family's daughter, doted on by the whole family. Even her clothes were made of fox fur, with white fur showing at the turned-back cuffs and collar, making her features look all the more adorable. In a few more years, she would surely be a great beauty.

Su Shengyuan mused:

"Yue'er, do you remember Qi WuHuo?"

The young girl giggled. "Of course! The one who always sits ramrod straight like a bamboo stalk, and is always the first to arrive. The one you said was very talented. Of course I remember him."

Su Shengyuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"How would you feel about getting engaged to WuHuo three years from now?"