At the sound of his words, the mechanism in the Red-clad Girl's hand clattered onto the carriage carpet with a dull thud. She seemed unable to process what her father had said.
A moment later, her face turned deathly pale. "Is Father joking?"
Su Shengyuan replied solemnly, "Marriage is no trivial matter. How could I treat it as a joke? This young man is so extraordinarily gifted, like a soaring dragon still roaming the wilds, only waiting for his moment. In just a few years, he is certain to rise into the clouds and soar across the Nine Provinces."
"By then, he'll be famous throughout the land. I fear even the aristocratic clans in the imperial capital will be fighting to recruit him as a son-in-law..."
He had meant to say that, by then, it would be difficult for his daughter to keep in touch with him.
But he paused and held his tongue, saying only, "He's upright and principled. He may be poor now, but it won't last long. If you treat him sincerely while he's down on his luck, then even when he rises into the clouds and his name resounds across the land, he won't betray you. He'd make an excellent husband."
Su Shengyuan spoke slowly.
Parents planned far into the future for their children.
A dragon in the shallows like this young man was the finest destination he could envision for his daughter. Yet the Red-clad Girl's face was deathly pale. She twisted her fingers together, then finally met her father's gaze, gritted her teeth, and slowly shook her head. "Your daughter... doesn't want to."
Su Shengyuan was taken aback. He wasn't angry; he only asked gently, "Why?"
The Red-clad Girl was about to answer, but she couldn't find a single fault in the young man's conduct or character. He wasn't strikingly handsome, but he was resolute and composed, with a natural dignity. After hesitating, she could only bite her lower lip and voice what she had been thinking. "He, he's poor, and he has no elders to support him. Even if he's talented, how far can he really go in the official world?!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she'd said the wrong thing. But she couldn't take them back, so she had to press on. "Father told me to study history. Since ancient times, there have always been peerless geniuses, but how many of them have actually made it to the top? Meanwhile, even mediocre members of the Five Clans and Seven Sects can earn official posts and move in high society."
"Is his talent greater than that of the Five Clans and Seven Sects?"
"Your daughter... doesn't want to."
Su Shengyuan sat stunned for a long while, looking at his daughter with complicated emotions in his eyes.
"I had you study history, and it seems you really did learn something from it..."
The carriage curtain lifted, and a handsome young man in brocade robes and a jade crown stepped inside, laughing brightly. "Uncle Su, Sister Yue'er may be a little off the mark, but doesn't she still have a point?"
"That Qi WuHuo may be talented, but the world is vast. Where is he supposed to find a way in, even with his learning? And though I make no claims to greatness, I'm confident I have some ability myself. Even without my family behind me, I may not be any worse than Qi WuHuo."
The handsome young man smiled, dashing and elegant. He was from Su Shengyuan's wife's clan and had come specifically to escort them. Rumor had it that he was distantly connected to the Cui Family, one of the Five Clans and Seven Sects. Seeing the young man's high spirits and his daughter's faintly flushed cheeks, Su Shengyuan let out a quiet sigh. He merely said, "Of course," and never brought the matter up again.
Qi WuHuo saw Mr. Su off, watching as their carriage sped away. Its wheels churned through the wind and snow as it thundered down the only broad road in the entire little town. Only then did he turn back.
He opened the bundle. Besides a few items of clothing, it held a little silver—about three strings' worth of copper coins. Rice was somewhat expensive now, but a pound still cost only ten coins. A hind leg of pork or mutton cost just over a hundred. In the city, maids and servants earned no more than five taels of silver. Three strings of coins were more than enough to see a household through the winter.
There were also several books, their pages filled with annotations.
Holding these things, Qi WuHuo felt their weight more keenly than before.
Suddenly, the old man rapped on the table in the courtyard and laughed heartily. "Lad, what are you standing there dazed for?"
"The tea's ready. Come have a few cups with me."
Qi WuHuo put the things away and replied, "I haven't cooked dinner yet."
The old man didn't seem to mind. He picked up the teapot and poured two cups. Holding one, he watched Qi WuHuo prepare the meal. Once the boy had set the rice to cook, he washed his hands and came to sit by the stone table.
The old man was skilled at brewing tea. Its fragrance was light and distant, almost ethereal. Even Qi WuHuo, who had never tasted much fine tea, could tell it was far better than the little jar Mr. Su had treasured so dearly.
The old man took a sip, glanced at the house, and smiled. "Was that Mr. Su teaching in this little town? I got the impression he had high hopes for you."
"What's this, little fellow? You're not interested in a house full of gold and silver, nor in a beauty as lovely as a fairy. Instead, you want to study and take the imperial examinations?"
Qi WuHuo sat upright, drank his tea, and nodded.
The old man stroked his beard. "Why?"
Qi WuHuo traced the rim of his cup with a finger. After a long while, he said, "When I was young, my father studied. He would pat my back and tell me that a man should study to display his talents, serve his country, and fulfill his ambitions."
"My hometown suffered a great disaster. As I traveled, I saw hundreds of thousands of people driven from their homes. The officials at the time did nothing. If they had taken action, I think many fewer people would have died there."
"If I could become a civil official, I could help reform the laws and put good policies into practice, benefiting the people. If I became a general, I could command elite troops to attack the Demon Kingdom and avenge the people unjustly slain by demons."
"I could give full rein to my ambitions."
He paused, then continued, "I could meet the great men of my age wherever I went, witness the many splendors of the Human World, and live without worrying about whether I'd have food tomorrow. I could achieve success and have my name written into the annals of history."
The old man only scoffed.
The boy said, "Was anything I said wrong?"
The old man stroked his beard and shook his head. "It's all wrong. Utterly wrong."
"You speak of serving as a civil official or a military one. If you become an official, you'll be no more than a blade in the emperor's hand, a hawk or hound kept in a cage. Wherever the emperor sends you, there you'll go. Whatever you do—relieving the people or resisting the Demon Race—will require the emperor's approval before you can mobilize anyone. And if the emperor has no such intention, then no matter how great your abilities, they'll be useless."
"Once you're no longer useful, he'll cast you aside."
"You say you won't have to worry about whether you'll have food tomorrow."
"Serving beside the ruler is like sleeping beside a tiger. How do you know which is more terrifying: the schemers at court or the demons beyond the realm? Hah. You'd be better off letting it all go. Fame, fortune, and rank are nothing but worldly desires."
The old man sighed. "You have talent. You can see through good and evil, and you know honor from disgrace. You scorn wealth and riches, and regard beauty as dust. Wine, women, wealth, and anger cannot lead you astray—so why can't you see through the one word, 'fame'?"
Qi WuHuo pondered for a long while, then answered frankly, "Those are words from the heart, old man."
"But I'm still young."
"There are so many splendors in this world I haven't witnessed yet: gifted scholars and beautiful women, lovers whose hearts beat as one, heroes and warriors. Perhaps after I've seen them all, I'll reach the same conclusion as you. But by then, I'll be old."
Qi WuHuo murmured wistfully, "The word 'fame'—I'll see through it in this lifetime."
The old man laughed. "See through it in this lifetime? Why make it so hard on yourself?"
After saying that, he didn't speak of it again. He simply invited Qi WuHuo to drink tea and chat. They did this three times, and before long the pot was empty. Suddenly, Qi WuHuo felt drowsy, his eyelids drooping, while the Millet Dream Rice was still nowhere near ready.
The old man smiled. "Sleepy, WuHuo?"
"If you're tired, go get some rest."
Qi WuHuo had meant to refuse, but the drowsiness was simply too strong. He could only agree. His steps staggered as he got up. When he returned, he realized his pillow was missing and searched for it for quite a while without success.
He had been about to lie down without one when the old man produced another pillow. It seemed to be made of jade, flawless white jade. Smiling, he beckoned. "Come, come. I have a pillow here. A wandering Taoist priest gave it to me. I hear it lets you see all manner of wondrous sights in your dreams. Take it and sleep. Don't worry; I'll come call you when the food's ready."
Even drowsier now, Qi WuHuo nodded, hugged the pillow, and went back to sleep. The old man sat in the courtyard, stroking his beard with a smile. "Fame, fortune, wealth, beauty, wine, and anger. Today I've given you a chance. Let's see whether you lose yourself in riches and rank—or see through your worldly desires."
"Go on, then. Dream a grand dream."
The old man poured himself tea. Though he'd just finished the pot, the tea now flowed endlessly. He lifted his eyes and murmured, "A pity there's tea, but no flowers to admire."
Suddenly, the earth split open, and a Strange Herb sprang up, growing in the wind. In the blink of an eye, it had become a Winter Plum Blossom, blooming in an instant. Its fragrance drifted far and wide, blending with the tea's aroma into something all the more exquisite.
"Another pity: flowers, but no snow."
In an instant, snowflakes began to drift down, yet none landed within the courtyard. Tea fragrance, winter plum blossoms, and falling snow—what an indescribably wonderful sight. The old man sipped his tea, ethereal and solitary, utterly unlike anyone of this world. He lightly tapped his cup against the stone table. With each tap, he murmured another word:
"Beauty, heroes, fame, fortune, wealth and rank."
"Hah..."
He shook his head and laughed. "All of it, nothing but dreams and bubbles."
He drank a cup of tea, held the teacup in his hand, and lowered his eyes to the withered winter grass. Then, after a moment, he softly intoned:
"See through the splendor."
"Then you may enter the immortal sects."
Before you continue