Fated with Mr. Zhang

The refugees, originally a disorganized mob, saw they couldn't chew through the tough bone that was the Wei Residence and headed for other territories.

Wei Youcai descended from the corner tower with Wei Yuan, took his seat in the main hall, and began handling the aftermath. Little Wei Yuan, covered in blood, was taken away to bathe and change. After he was cleaned up, Wei Youcai had him brought back to the main hall, a chair set up beside him. Wei Yuan sat there, watching Wei Youcai manage the cleanup.

After the great battle, tasks piled up like mountains. Dozens of household guards who had fought were all injured, and several had died. Dozens of refugee corpses lay on the walls and in the courtyard; these were to be removed first. The steward then selected a few bold and meticulous household guards to search the refugee corpses for valuables. In a year of great disaster, any extra wealth was a good thing.

As Wei Youcai gave instructions one by one, Baldy Liu entered the main hall carrying someone. He threw the person onto the ground and said, "Big Brother, I found someone among the refugees."

The person was dressed in scholar's robes, hands bound, mouth stuffed tightly with rags. Other than that, there was nothing else. The scholar's robe was just a bit dusty, clearly showing no signs of hardship.

Seeing the scholar, the steward felt a sense of familiarity. Upon closer inspection, he gasped, "Mr. Zhang!"

Wei Youcai looked towards the steward, who said, "This is the scholar who gave Young Master his name, Yuan'er, three years ago."

Wei Youcai slapped his thigh. "So it's Mr. Zhang Sheng! How did he end up like this?"

He quickly walked to Zhang Sheng, personally untied the ropes on his hands, and then shot Baldy Liu a fierce glare.

Baldy Liu immediately protested, "It's not my fault! When I found him in the refugee camp, he was already like this!"

Zhang Sheng removed the rags from his mouth and gave a wry smile. "Indeed, it has nothing to do with this brave warrior. I should thank him for rescuing me."

"Yuan'er's name was given by you, Mr. Zhang, so you are not an outsider." Wei Youcai ordered a chair to be brought for Zhang Sheng, letting him sit before asking, "Mr. Zhang, why were you among the refugees?"

Zhang Sheng sighed and said, "It's shameful to speak of. I was originally teaching in Lin Commandery, hoping to earn some travel expenses. I never expected such a large group of refugees to suddenly appear. The city garrison fled at the first sign of trouble, abandoning all the county's residents to the refugees. A refugee leader saw that I was literate and insisted I become his strategist. When I refused, he tied me up and brought me here. He treated me reasonably well along the way, but if he loses patience in a few more days, he might just boil me like the others."

Wei Youcai asked in surprise, "I recall you being a master with Magical Power, how could you be captured by refugees?"

Zhang Sheng stammered, unable to give a clear answer. Seeing this, Wei Youcai didn't press him. He looked Zhang Sheng up and down, a smile suddenly appearing on his face, which made Zhang Sheng feel a chill.

Wei Youcai cupped his hands towards Zhang Sheng and said, "Three years ago, my son, no, my son Wei Yuan, was bestowed his name by you upon birth. To meet you again three years later, it truly is fate!"

"No, it's not!" Zhang Sheng blurted out, startling Wei Youcai.

Seeing Wei Youcai's expression change, Zhang Sheng quickly added, "What I mean is, the young master has profound fortune and deserves this name. I had no part in it."

Wei Youcai's smile widened. "You are a man of great talent. I don't know how great, as I am unlettered, but no one within dozens of miles is more literate than you. With the current chaos and war, my son is also of an age for enlightenment. Why don't you enlighten him, teach him to read and write, and learn the ways of the sages?"

For some reason, seeing Wei Youcai smiling and speaking in such a half-literate manner sent another shiver down Zhang Sheng's spine.

Zhang Sheng quickly declined, "Master Wei is too generous. My talent is shallow, and teaching would only mislead the students. Besides, all my studies are in Daoist studies, which are far from the ways of the sages."

Zhang Sheng was being tactful, but what he really meant was he didn't want to stay here any longer.

Wei Youcai seemed to completely miss the meaning in Zhang Sheng's words and said with a smile, "Teach for as many days as you wish, Mr. Zhang. No need to decide now, please sit first!"

Whether intentionally or not, two stout household guards flanked Zhang Sheng, with Baldy Liu standing behind him, his hand resting on his saber. Baldy Liu still had several fresh wounds, his blood seeping through the bandages, giving him an aura not only of killing intent but also of fresh blood.

Wei Youcai returned to his seat and continued to handle the aftermath. Zhang Sheng then said, "It seems inconvenient for me to be here. It would be best to avoid suspicion."

Wei Youcai waved his hand with a smile. "It's fine, Mr. Zhang is not an outsider. Feel free to watch!"

Zhang Sheng couldn't leave now, so he could only sit.

At that moment, the steward hurried in again. He glanced at Zhang Sheng, hesitated to speak. Wei Youcai then said, "Mr. Zhang is one of us, it's fine. Speak freely."

The steward said, "Master, there are many injured refugees outside. Most of them are severely wounded and unable to move. I've counted over ninety. How should we deal with them?"

At this, Baldy Liu let out a scoff. "Old Eight, these people were trying to take our lives just now. You still need to ask? After all these years, you still haven't changed your soft-hearted nature. Fine, I'll tell you what to do. Dig two large pits. Bury the dead first, bury them deep. Then place the living by the edge of another pit and see who's still alive tomorrow morning. If anyone is still alive then, save them."

Zhang Sheng frowned.

The least injured of those refugees had been deeply cut. Those who could move would have already fled. Leaving them in the wilderness overnight, how could they possibly survive? Wasn't Baldy Liu's suggestion essentially abandoning them to die?

Zhang Sheng looked towards Wei Youcai. He saw Wei Youcai squinting, as if he had already fallen asleep, hearing nothing. The steward, without waiting for Wei Youcai's reply, left the room, clearly intending to follow Baldy Liu's instructions.

Zhang Sheng turned his head and met Baldy Liu's gaze. Baldy Liu grinned widely at him, a sinister smile. Zhang Sheng immediately understood his meaning: if you dare to say another word, we'll bury you too.

Only after the steward left did Wei Youcai seem to have finished his nap. He slowly opened his eyes and asked, "Where's Old Eight?"

The steward hurried back in. "He just went to handle a small matter. Big Brother... Master, do you have any instructions?"

Wei Youcai smiled and said, "I've said Mr. Zhang is not an outsider, no need to be so formal with titles. Tell me again about the acres of land and stored grain."

The steward answered without hesitation, "The estate currently has fifty-three mu and five fen of first-class land, one hundred and thirty-seven mu of second-class land, and sixty mu of third-class land. We have a total of one hundred and seven tenant households farming our land, each renting about two mu and three fen. We sold some old grain at the beginning of the year, and now there are still two hundred and thirty shi of various stored grains in the granary."

Wei Youcai said slowly, "This year is definitely a crop failure. If we only aim to survive the winter until spring, how many people can this grain support?"

The steward thought for a moment and said with some difficulty, "Sixth Master can hunt..."

Baldy Liu snorted. "There's no grass left on the mountains, where would the game come from?"

"In that case, it can support about two hundred and forty people, at three liang per person per day, and no less."

Wei Youcai said slowly, "So, besides the people in the residence, if our own tenants return, only thirty percent will survive."

If only thirty percent of the tenants could survive, the rest would either starve to death or flee, becoming refugees. If they didn't want to starve and didn't want to flee, there was only one path left.

Hearing this, Zhang Sheng understood. The Wei Residence's food stores weren't even enough to support their own tenants, let alone the severely wounded refugees outside. This was the first time in years that Zhang Sheng had faced such a cruel choice.

In this brief moment, Zhang Sheng observed coldly and came to a realization: everyone in this room was likely ruthless.

He suddenly remembered the fortune he had seen three years ago when he set up the Wushui Heguan Array, and his heart suddenly leaped.

"Mr. Zhang!" Wei Youcai suddenly looked at Zhang Sheng, squinting and smiling as he asked, "Have you considered it, Mr. Zhang? Are you willing to enlighten Yuan'er?"

Looking at Wei Youcai's smiling eyes, Zhang Sheng thought of the two large pits being dug outside the estate. If he dared to say no, he would likely be buried in the same pit as the refugees. In the past three years, Zhang Sheng had experienced misfortunes, and his Dao Power was completely unusable, leaving him no different from an ordinary person. Now, with refugees passing through, even the grass within a hundred-mile radius had been gnawed clean, leaving only barren earth as far as the eye could see. Even if Zhang Sheng could escape, he would starve to death in the wilderness. If he died now, it would be a death of no value.

After much thought, Zhang Sheng found himself with no way out.

He thought about how teaching was a noble profession, and that he had originally intended to teach in Lin Commandery. Zhang Sheng could only say, "I am naturally willing."

Wei Youcai was overjoyed and immediately pulled Wei Yuan forward to perform the disciple-greeting ceremony. Little Wei Yuan was very obedient and knelt before Zhang Sheng, bowing down.

Zhang Sheng's face turned green and white several times. He wanted to stand up and flee, but Baldy Liu and his great saber were behind him, so there was no escape. He hesitated for only a moment before little Wei Yuan finished his three kowtows.

Zhang Sheng sighed deeply in his heart. Since he had accepted this disciple-greeting ceremony, this fate was sealed.

"Accept what comes and make the best of it." After completing the ceremony, Zhang Sheng felt a bit more at ease. He stepped forward, helped little Wei Yuan up, and examined him closely.

Zhang Sheng had left in a hurry three years ago and had never actually seen Wei Yuan. This was the first time he was seeing him now. He saw that little Wei Yuan had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, with a pair of especially beautiful, spirited big eyes. Zhang Sheng felt a sense of fondness looking at him.

Little Wei Yuan also looked up at Zhang Sheng, and suddenly his lips slowly curved upwards into a smile. He could feel that Zhang Sheng was the fourth person to show him affection.

Looking at the little face that slowly bloomed with joy, Zhang Sheng's heart gradually softened.

Seeing that the disciple-greeting ceremony was complete, Wei Youcai said, "For the next three years, Yuan'er will be entrusted to you, sir."

"Three years?" Zhang Sheng was startled. He hadn't planned to stay that long, only intending to teach him to read before getting away.

Wei Youcai narrowed his eyes, picked up his teacup, and took a slow sip before saying, "Three years from now is the date of the Great Tang Immortal Sect Unified Examination. Yuan'er will be six years old then, just the right age to register for the exam. Three years of enlightenment is already very tight."

Zhang Sheng smacked his forehead. He had almost forgotten about the important matter of the Immortal Sect's unified recruitment examination. But three years was truly beyond his plan, so he could only say, "I have important matters that require me to go to Southern Qi, and I'm afraid I won't be able to stay for three years."

Wei Youcai smiled enigmatically and said, "Refugees are everywhere in the surrounding commanderies now. In the blink of an eye, refugees will turn into bandits. It won't be stable on the ground for two or three years. You haven't left Yongzhou in the past three years, sir. Will you be able to leave in the next three?"

Zhang Sheng was taken aback and pondered carefully.

With things said this way, Zhang Sheng knew he wouldn't be able to leave for the next three years. He composed himself and said seriously, "To participate in the Immortal Sect Unified Examination, three years is indeed very tight. In that case, please prepare yourself, sir. We will start classes tomorrow morning."

Wei Youcai was overjoyed and quickly ordered his servants to tidy up the rooms, arranging Zhang Sheng's residence and Wei Yuan's study room. After everything was arranged, Wei Youcai picked up his teacup, took a gentle sip, and smiled, "Since you're no longer an outsider, sir, I'll forget about the incident where you threw a wild chicken into my courtyard."

Zhang Sheng broke out in a cold sweat again.

At the crack of dawn the next day, the Wei Residence was filled with the sound of reading aloud for the first time.

In the study room that had been tidied up overnight, Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan sat facing each other. Zhang Sheng's clear voice echoed in the room:

"The general trend of the world is that after a long period of division, it will unite, and after a long period of union, it will divide. The Seven Weeks... cough cough! I misspoke, it's this: The Great Tang has been established for a thousand years, initially setting up Jin Qi..."

Outside the room, under the window, Wei Youcai, Baldy Liu, and the steward were squatting against the wall, straining their ears to listen.

After listening for a while, Wei Youcai slapped his thigh and whispered, "The general trend of the world is that after a long period of division, it will unite, and after a long period of union, it will divide! Although I haven't read any books, I feel this passage makes a lot of sense! This teacher is truly talented!"

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

In the blink of an eye, the mountains were green again, the Tong River surged with waves once more, and Zhang Sheng had crammed into Wei Yuan what normally took others ten years to learn.