Mortal Affairs, Immortal Affairs (1)

This day, before the red sun had reached its zenith, the sky was bright. In the study, Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng had already been discussing lessons for an hour. The low table in front of Wei Yuan had been replaced with a normal desk, and the bookshelves that were initially empty now held rows of bound books. The books on the shelves were all written by the master and disciple themselves; one shelf belonged to Zhang Sheng, and the other to Wei Yuan.

When Zhang Sheng was rescued, he had only the clothes on his back, and the Wei Residence had hardly any books. The few that were there were almanacs and account books. Therefore, the books used for his initial enlightenment were all written by Zhang Sheng himself. Most of the books on Wei Yuan's shelf were transcriptions of Zhang Sheng's works, serving to memorize classics and practice calligraphy. However, a few were genuinely his own thoughts and ideas. These few books were not on the shelf at the moment but were placed in front of Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng was currently rereading Wei Yuan's writings. The room was silent, with only the sunlight falling inside, creating a faint, almost imperceptible hum.

Wei Yuan's writings were naturally immature, but they already showed that the author had his own ideas, not following conventional paths. What was especially rare was his ability to make his arguments coherent. However, these writings were already beginning to show a sharp edge, and it was unclear whether this was a good or bad sign.

As Zhang Sheng read, Wei Yuan sat still, as composed as a statue.

After a moment, Zhang Sheng came back to himself and looked closely at the disciple he had spent three years with. He said, "I have taught you all the matters of the mortal world. As for immortal matters, you will learn them naturally once you enter a sect and begin your cultivation. For the past three years, five hours a day, rain or shine, I have given you the fundamental essence of all my knowledge. What remains are merely polishing the finer details."

Zhang Sheng paused and then said solemnly, "But you must remember one thing: the affairs of the mortal world are difficult to judge as right or wrong. The path of choice lies within one's heart. I have only taught you how to consider all aspects comprehensively and how to weigh the pros and cons. However, the final decision always rests with you. I cannot teach you this, nor can the sages."

Wei Yuan nodded.

Zhang Sheng looked at him and suddenly smiled, saying, "Stand up and let me see you!"

Wei Yuan rose at his command, standing as straight as a pine tree.

Wei Yuan had just turned six, but he was already taller than children of ten or so from ordinary farming families. His features had matured, shedding much of his childishness and gradually revealing a youthful heroic spirit. However, he had been taciturn since childhood, only becoming eloquent when discussing current events and principles with Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng examined Wei Yuan from head to toe several times and sighed, "When I first met you, you barely reached my waist. Now you've surpassed my shoulders. Time truly flies."

Wei Yuan suddenly bowed deeply and said, "Teacher's kindness will forever be in my heart!"

Zhang Sheng chuckled and reached out to pat Wei Yuan's head. Wei Yuan was naturally introverted and calm; for him to speak so directly was truly rare. But precisely because of this, it showed that his feelings came from within, and not expressing them would be insufficient.

However, Wei Yuan was already quite tall now, and patting his head was a bit awkward.

Zhang Sheng sighed, "You are a child who is outwardly cold but inwardly warm, with a good appearance and a strong will. I fear nothing for you, except that you might suffer in matters of the heart in the future. Alas, why am I telling you this? If I didn't think carefully, I almost forgot you are only six years old."

"That was the last lesson. Our three years as master and disciple can be considered complete. The Immortal Sect Unified Examination is next month. It's held every five years, so you absolutely cannot miss it. I will accompany you to the commandery city to take the exam. For the next couple of days, I need to organize my writings and insights from the past three years. You go and enjoy yourself for two days!"

Wei Yuan finally said, "...I'll help you organize."

Zhang Sheng smiled and said, "Alright."

Outside the window, Wei Youcai let out a long breath. Bending over, he quietly left with Old Six and the steward.

After walking a few steps, Wei Youcai patted his thigh and sighed, "Finally, I don't have to squat by the wall anymore! Three years, and my legs have turned into iron rods from squatting. You two have been squatting for three years, have you learned anything?"

Old Six touched his bald head and said, "After listening to so many worldly affairs, I finally understand that what I thought before was right. What is righteousness in this world? It's just one word: fight! Win and you're an emperor or general, lose and you're a bandit's skeleton. It's that simple!"

Wei Youcai sighed and looked at the steward, "And you?"

The steward said with composure, "I have gained new insights into the Art of War I learned in my youth. Water has no constant form, and an army has no constant shape! If we encounter those refugees again, why would we need to defend the residence? Sixth Brother and I can take a dozen people and follow the refugee group. Light fires during the day, set them at night, shoot arrows when bored. If they dare to chase, lure them away and cut them down. No matter how many thousands of them there are, they'll be exhausted in a few days and scatter on their own."

The bald man snorted, disbelieving, "You actually studied the Art of War? How come I don't see you recognizing many more characters?"

The steward's face turned red, and he retorted, "My teacher taught me orally. The teachings were not to be shared with others, passing from his mouth into my ear. I don't need to know how to read!"

The bald man scoffed, "Your cheap teacher was probably illiterate too."

After a few bickering remarks, they remembered that Wei Youcai had been silent for a long time. When they looked over, they saw Wei Youcai gazing up at the sky, lost in thought.

The steward and the bald man exchanged glances and asked, "Big Brother, is something on your mind?"

Wei Youcai did not lower his head but blinked hard and said, "It's nothing. I was just thinking, now that Yuan'er is entering an Immortal Sect, I don't know when we'll see him again."

The steward and the bald man looked at each other, unable to smile anymore.

The steward tried to comfort him, "I heard that one's lifespan increases greatly after cultivation. As the saying goes, a day in heaven is..."

The steward spoke too quickly. By the time he realized something was wrong, he had already said half of it.

"It's alright, I'm just a bit tired and want to go back to my room to rest. You two go about your business," Wei Youcai waved his hand and returned to his bedroom.

Three days later, as dawn broke, Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan set off for the commandery city. Besides their mounts, there were two Ding Mules to carry their luggage.

Wei Youcai escorted them for thirty miles before reluctantly turning back. Along the way, he simply accompanied them silently, speaking little. At the time of parting, he merely waved his hand and turned away.

In the afternoon, Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng finally left the rugged mountain paths and reached the main road leading to the commandery city.

The so-called main road was actually a rammed earth path, wide enough for only two mule carts to pass side-by-side. The road surface was full of potholes, with four deep ruts in the middle, clearly showing years of disrepair. However, such a road was already the best Wei Yuan had ever seen. The roads in the mountains of Ye County were rugged and difficult to travel, making it impossible for carts; one could only ride a Ding Mule. Wealthy families had donkeys, but not many.

Ding Mules were short and not fast, their speed comparable to a person walking. Their advantage was their endurance, ability to carry loads, and capacity to eat coarse fodder, making them widely distributed in mountainous areas.

Zhang Sheng intentionally wanted Wei Yuan to see more of the world outside the mountains, so he did not travel fast.

Gazing at the road ahead, Zhang Sheng suddenly felt a surge of emotion and said, "Twenty years ago, I also came to participate in the Immortal Sect Unified Examination just like you. Your grand-teacher saw me among more than twenty people at a glance. And I did not disappoint, surpassing all others. Not only was I first in this commandery, but I had no rivals in the entire Yunzhou. Later, my cultivation advanced, and I entered the world for experience. I thought I could achieve great things like my predecessors, but I never expected to face repeated setbacks, achieving nothing after many years."

At this point, Zhang Sheng looked at Wei Yuan and smiled, "However, with you now, these years have not been wasted. Since you are my disciple, the Immortal Sect Unified Examination will be a piece of cake. If I don't leave the second-place finisher a hundred thousand miles behind, it would damage my reputation as Zhang Sheng. Now, let me first tell you about the lineage and inheritance of our school. Although it's against the rules, it's not a big deal."

He paused, and an air of pride emanated from Zhang Sheng, "Your teacher comes from the Azure Hall of Taichu Palace. After you pass the Unified Examination, that will also be your place of cultivation."

Although Wei Yuan was usually calm, he was greatly astonished at this moment, "Taichu Palace? Taichu Palace, one of the Four Great Immortal Sects?"

"Taichu Palace, the foremost of the Four Great Immortal Sects," Zhang Sheng corrected.

Wei Yuan looked at Zhang Sheng with some suspicion and said, "You said that in our remote small commandery, besides our local Crimson Tide Sect, only one or two third-rate sects usually come to recruit disciples. Taichu Palace is so lofty, why would they come here?"

Zhang Sheng had already explained the basic knowledge of the Immortal Sect Unified Examination to Wei Yuan. The numerous sects participating in the recruitment were divided into four grades. Fourth-grade sects could only recruit disciples within their own commandery, like the Crimson Tide Sect. Third-grade sects were called Blessed Lands and could recruit disciples within a province, occasionally recruiting in other provinces with strict quotas. Second-grade sects were known as Cave Heavens and could recruit disciples within the country.

At the very top were the Four Great Immortal Sects, who could recruit disciples throughout the Great Tang. However, the Four Great Immortal Sects were highly esteemed, and their recruitment quotas were extremely small. In the past 50 years, the Four Great Immortal Sects had only visited Fengyuan Commandery three times, offering a total of five spots.

This was why Wei Yuan asked the question.

However, Zhang Sheng smiled slightly and said calmly, "Don't worry. I can't say for sure about other Immortal Sects, but Taichu Palace will definitely come. However, there's no need to be overly anxious. You have already received my true teachings. If others have exceptional talent and are extremely diligent, they might reach seventy percent of your level."

After three years of diligent study under Zhang Sheng, Wei Yuan had learned one thing: not to trust blindly, not even Zhang Sheng.

His doubts still lingering, he continued to press, "But I still don't understand, why would Taichu Palace give our commandery a spot?"

Zhang Sheng finally heard the question he'd been waiting for and casually replied, "Your grand-shizu, True Person Fen Hai, is one of the three True Persons of Taichu Palace's Azure Hall. Your grand-grand-shizu, True Monarch Xuan Yue, was the Hall Master of Azure Hall two hundred years ago. Our ancestors value the continuation of our lineage above all else. Once you enter Azure Hall, you'll naturally receive many benefits. However, he values his reputation, so for this imperial examination, you must display all your learned skills and eliminate all rivals to avoid disgracing him."

Wei Yuan listened, half believing, half doubting. Was his teacher's background really this significant? And from Zhang Sheng's words, it sounded like Taichu Palace had made an exception to grant a spot because he had taken on a student in Fengyuan Commandery.

Although Wei Yuan didn't know the exact workings of Taichu Palace, he felt that as a grand-disciple of a Hall Master in Taichu Palace, Zhang Sheng didn't seem capable of arranging something so significant.

He wondered how many disciples True Monarch Xuan Yue had. Historical records said that before the Northern Qi dynasty, a prince who particularly enjoyed recruiting talent would accept all sorts of scoundrels, eventually amassing three thousand retainers. Cultivators lived long lives. What if True Monarch Xuan Yue also liked to have disciples everywhere? Perhaps he had more than three thousand.

Unaware that Wei Yuan was secretly making fun of him, Zhang Sheng gazed into the distance, his thoughts already flying to the distant commandery capital. Just as he was feeling refreshed and invigorated, the sound of urgent hoofbeats suddenly came from behind. Several riders galloped towards them at full speed.

The riders were mounted on dark green warhorses, each a zhang high. Their iron hooves pounded the ground like thunder, exuding an imposing aura. They seemed to be in a hurry, charging past Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan like the wind. Their hooves, as large as drum faces, kicked up great clouds of sand and dust with every stride on the road, showering Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan!

The road was narrow, and Zhang Sheng couldn't dodge in time. Furthermore, his Dao Power was sealed, so he was thoroughly covered. His usual air of immortal grace and detached composure was completely buried under the dirt.

Looking at Zhang Sheng, who was covered in dust, Wei Yuan suddenly felt that even if Taichu Palace had truly given Fengyuan Commandery a spot this time, it probably had nothing to do with Zhang Sheng.