Exhort!

"One thousand two hundred paces below.

One thousand two hundred years of life."

What an audacious claim.

Even the firefly light within the gauze pouch seemed to flicker for a moment. Qi WuHuo looked up at the old man ahead, his chewing slowing as he frowned. "Old sir, are you joking?"

"Even Peng Zu is said to have lived only eight hundred years. One thousand two hundred?"

The old man spread his hands with a wry smile. "Who told you to refuse this and refuse that? This old man got annoyed, so naturally I gave you a joke, heh heh... Ah, don't get upset, lad, but leave my meat porridge be!"

He was about to tease further when he saw the town youth moving briskly, about to take even the old man's meat porridge. Chuckling, he called out a few times before the boy put it back.

Qi WuHuo was usually silent, upright and stern. Only at times like this did the temperament of a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old show through. The old man stroked his beard and smiled.

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

Qi WuHuo lived in a remote corner of the town, but news spread fast. The story of the outsider boy Qi carrying an old man back soon traveled through several nearby streets.

Some said it was an elder of the same clan. Others claimed it was a recognized kinship. Still others insisted Qi WuHuo coveted the old man's wealth and thus cared for him—why else? Look at the purple robe he wore; not a single garment in the whole town could match it.

If not for that, why would the destitute, penniless Qi WuHuo bring him back?

These idle rumors drifted about, but Qi WuHuo paid them no mind. "A gentleman holds himself upright and blameless—No Fault." Finding no reaction, people grew bored, and gradually the news was buried under others' "big stories" and "fresh gossip."

Such was life in a small town.

Another ten days passed. Heavy snow fell, blanketing the town in silence as if cut off from the world. The old man, who claimed his surname was Li and his style Liao Fan, slowly brewed a pot of tea while Qi WuHuo split firewood in the yard with an axe.

For some reason, he felt his strength growing daily. Logs as thick as a large bowl—even a strong man needed two or three swings to split—had once taken him five or six. Now, one swing was enough.

Another chop, and the wood cracked open with a snap. But the axe's momentum didn't stop; it buried deep into the ground, the blade wedged so tight he couldn't pull it out.

Qi WuHuo stared blankly.

The old man, brewing tea, suddenly chuckled teasingly. "Strength growing on its own. Who'd have thought, WuHuo, that you have some martial arts skill? Practiced some divine technique manual?"

Qi WuHuo shook his head. "No."

After a moment's thought, he bent down and pinched the wood. "Maybe this wood has been sitting too long. The grain loosened, making it easier to split."

Just then, a knock came at the door.

The small wooden house had a little yard. The door had long been broken, so Qi WuHuo had made a simple wooden gate from stakes. It opened with a push, and some rough types would just kick it in. But this visitor knocked. Qi WuHuo already had a good idea who it was.

He set down the axe, straightened his clothes a bit, and hurried to open the door.

With a creak, the wooden door swung open. Snow on the top scattered to the ground with the motion. Outside, by the road, stood three old pines. Beneath them, someone waited.

Qi WuHuo looked up and saw the gentleman in a blue robe. The thick garment didn't seem cumbersome. Beside him was a woman in a white jacket embroidered with large peonies, holding a green bamboo-handled umbrella to shield against the wind and snow. Both had an air of elegance, utterly out of place in this town.

To others, the contrast with the poor youth in a brown short robe, his hair tied back with only straw to keep it from being a mess, was stark.

Qi WuHuo cupped his hands slightly and said calmly, "I didn't know Mr. Su and his wife were visiting. Please, come inside."

Su Shengyuan raised a hand to stop him, smiling. "No, no. Heavy snow is coming. I'm accompanying my wife home to visit family. We need to reach the next town by tonight—a long road ahead—so we won't come in."

Qi WuHuo lifted his eyes slightly and saw, on the main road a few hundred paces from this remote alley, a faint outline of a Green Curtain Carriage pulled by two horses. A Fiery Red Figure seemed to be pulling back the carriage curtain, looking their way.

Seeing Qi WuHuo, the figure waved cheerfully.

Su Shengyuan glanced at his wife and cleared his throat softly.

The elegant woman shot her husband a look, then took the initiative to hand over a bundle from her arms. She straightened Qi WuHuo's collar a little and said in a gentle voice, "Winter's cold—don't freeze. Inside are two cotton-padded clothes and a pair of thick-soled shoes with fine stitching. Wear them for these three months."

"And don't refuse."

Qi WuHuo was stunned. "How can I accept this..."

Su Shengyuan raised his hand with a laugh. "I know you're upright and honest, but haven't you heard, 'When an elder gives, one must not refuse'? Enough, enough, WuHuo. Your teacher's wife means well. Don't decline."

He exhaled a breath of cold air and asked, "These past days of heavy snow and deep winter, we haven't held lectures. How well have you grasped what you've learned these few years? Let me ask you a few questions, shall we?"

After the youth nodded, he began to quiz him.

Qi WuHuo answered each one.

Su Shengyuan stroked his beard for a long time, then sighed. "Good. Very good."

He reached out and patted Qi WuHuo's shoulder firmly. "Three months from now, at the Spring Examination, I will recommend you. With your talent, you'll dominate in one battle. Within three years, your name will resound across the prefectures and counties."

"Work hard! Work hard!"

Qi WuHuo vaguely thought he heard a disdainful snort from the old man in the yard.

But for some reason, Su Shengyuan seemed not to hear it.

After a few more pleasantries and much encouragement, Su Shengyuan finally left under his wife's subtle urging.

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

Even his wife was startled by her husband's reaction. "That child... is his talent really that remarkable?"

Su Shengyuan sighed. "Remarkable? He's practically born with knowledge! Every time he speaks, there's something astonishing. I've traveled across the Nine Provinces and Four Wilds for over thirty years. I've met those with greater learning, but never anyone with more brilliance."

He paused, then looked to the side.

A young girl of thirteen, with twin hair buns like feathers, dressed in red, toyed with a small mechanism in her hands. She was the daughter of the Su family, doted on by her household. Her clothes were made of fire fox fur, with the cuffs and collar turned outward to reveal white fluff, which only made her delicate features more endearing. In a few years, she would surely be exceptionally beautiful.

Su Shengyuan mused and said:

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

The young girl giggled and replied, "Of course I do—that one who always stands straight as a bamboo, always the first to arrive. Father, you said he was very talented. Of course I remember."

Su Shengyuan pondered, then suddenly said:

"What if, three years from now, you were betrothed to WuHuo?"