A Legendary Copy of Biographies of Immortals

Chapter 45: A Legendary Copy of Biographies of Immortals

"Sir..." Zi Bofeng crouched in the corner, one hand on his forehead, his head bowed as he traced circles with his eyes on his toes, looking like a wronged little wife. The Prefect had already given him a furious scolding yesterday; he didn't want another from his teacher today.

"You, you... What am I supposed to do with you?" Old Scholar sat nearby, watching a little pot bubble away. Inside was a pot of fragrant porridge. After getting thoroughly drunk yesterday, Zi Bofeng had been throwing up everything he ate today. He was more trouble than a woman three months into pregnancy.

After getting a furious scolding from the Prefect, he'd been brought over by his teacher. He hadn't been lectured along the way, but his teacher had still rapped him on the forehead once: "Empty!"

Old Scholar looked at Zi Bofeng and shook his head. He truly didn't know what to say.

He'd thought his student had completely turned over a new leaf. Who knew he was still the same hot-tempered firecracker, unwilling to take a loss or compromise? Now he'd made a huge mess of things. What was he supposed to do next?

But seeing how dejected Zi Bofeng looked, his teacher walked over and reached out to rub his forehead. With a smile, he said, "At least I didn't leave a bump."

Zi Bofeng burst out laughing.

Seeing Zi Bofeng smile, his teacher smiled too. "If you do something like this again, think it through three times before acting. Fortunately, this time you haven't made too big a mess..."

"All right, actually, I'm pretty tough." Seeing that his teacher wasn't going to scold him anymore, Zi Bofeng immediately started acting cute again. "Luo Qianshan's the one who's really pitiful."

"You still have the nerve to say that!" Zi Bofeng hadn't been punished, only reprimanded. Luo Qianshan, on the other hand, had been punished.

At that moment, in the military camp, Luo Qianshan was doing push-ups, drenched in sweat. His little adjutant was counting loudly beside him. "Five hundred, five hundred and one, five hundred and two... General, you really have to do a thousand... Five hundred and eight... Six hundred..."

The little adjutant felt sorry for his general and secretly counted a few extra.

Zi Bofeng took the thin porridge his teacher handed him and slurped down a small mouthful. Then he smacked his lips, savoring the taste. His teacher was a wonderful cook. Even if he stopped teaching and opened a porridge shop, he could probably still feed his family...

After finishing the porridge, Zi Bofeng felt warm all over, and warm inside too. There were many things he couldn't complain about to his father, and couldn't ask others for advice about. But his teacher was different. It seemed that all he needed to do was quietly listen.

His teacher now was nothing like the strict instructor in the classroom. He was more like a dependable elder, listening to Zi Bofeng vent.

"That Feijianzi is just being unreasonable! What gives him the right to collect our jade?" Zi Bofeng grumbled.

"If a cultivator needs jade, nine times out of ten it's to repair the Spirit Gathering Array on their mountain," his teacher explained calmly.

"How do you know that, sir?" Zi Bofeng immediately opened his eyes wide and stared at him.

"It's no secret. It's just that cultivators have gradually declined over the years. Most have shut their mountain gates and stayed inside to cultivate in seclusion; few venture out. Meanwhile, ordinary people's lives have grown ever more difficult, and they're all struggling to make a living. They have no time to discuss such strange tales beyond the mortal world, so most young people these days don't know much about them."

"Is the Spirit Gathering Array the kind of array that gathers spiritual energy?" Zi Bofeng asked, eyes wide. The name did sound familiar. So it wasn't something a novelist had made up after all.

"That is indeed what it does." His teacher smiled. "But spiritual energy is so thin now that even a Spirit Gathering Array can hardly gather anything as dense as it once did. Its effectiveness is uncertain, and the cost keeps rising. The people at Bird-Mouse Temple are still struggling. They refuse to face reality and give up that illusory path to immortality. Why not enter the world, cultivate the heart, and finish their final journey? What's the point?"

"Whoa, sir, are you secretly some kind of master?" Zi Bofeng's eyes widened.

"A master?" His teacher smiled and shook his head. Then he turned, pulled out a book, and handed it to Zi Bofeng. "Here. Read it and you'll understand."

"Biographies of Immortals?" Seeing the title, Zi Bofeng felt rather helpless. But when he opened it and saw that the first piece wasn't about Guang Chengzi, but was instead an overview, his interest returned, and he began reading with relish.

His teacher said, "You didn't come here just to drink porridge and listen to me tell stories, did you?"

"Of course not." The way Zi Bofeng sat there slurping his porridge made him thoroughly unconvincing, but he still asked, "Sir, I came to ask how the students from our village did on their exams."

"Ha! You're starting to act like a Village Chief, aren't you?" His teacher smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry. They all did well."

"How many passed?" Zi Bofeng asked, eyes wide.

"You'll find out when the results are posted." His teacher shook his head, putting on an air of mystery.

"The results won't be posted for days! Tell me now!" After finishing his porridge, Zi Bofeng was feeling much better and began acting cute again. "They're all getting anxious waiting."

"I can't tell you now. If I do, you'll definitely let it slip, and telling only you wouldn't be fair to the others." His teacher shook his head. "So don't ask. Finish your porridge, then go home obediently."

"All right..." Zi Bofeng drooped.

When he was leaving, his teacher had Zi Bofeng take back the things he'd brought along. He said he didn't need anything at all to live by himself. But he kept one set of the Legend of the White Snake that Zi Bofeng had written.

Zi Bofeng rode Tauxue, his little donkey, back to Lower Yan Village. They swayed along until the sun was setting. Before they'd even reached the village, he heard a commotion.

"Say one more word and see if I don't kick you to death!" That was Si Gou's voice.

"Si Gou, picking on people again!" Zi Bofeng immediately objected.

"Scholar!" When Si Gou saw Zi Bofeng return, he hurried over to take Tauxue's reins and bowed. "You're finally back!"

"What's going on?" Zi Bofeng looked at Si Gou and another villager. The villager had several footprints on him. It seemed Si Gou had not only threatened him, but had followed through too.

"Scholar, this time it wasn't me picking on anyone. I swore to the old ancestor ages ago that I wouldn't bully people anymore," Si Gou hurriedly explained. "This brat's filthy mouth was asking for a beating!"

Huh, was having a mouth that asked for a beating an M trait unique to him? Other people had it too?

Zi Bofeng looked closely. The man was a villager he didn't know well, neither particularly good nor particularly bad. The sort who faded into the background.

A few others stood around watching, all looking at Zi Bofeng strangely.

"This bastard said Scholar, you offended an immortal in the city and were about to... about to..."

The man shrank back, but still stubbornly said, "You offended an immortal, and disaster's about to fall on your head! I told everyone to stay away from you so they wouldn't get dragged into trouble. What's wrong with that?"

Zi Bofeng was a little surprised. News of his eloquent confrontation with Feijianzi had already reached Lower Yan Village so quickly?

It had even caused a commotion among the villagers. Judging by the looks on their faces, they were clearly quite wary of him.

Zi Bofeng sighed quietly to himself, unsure what to say.

He could call these villagers ignorant, self-serving, or cowardly, but all he felt was pity for them. No wonder the books said peasants were a backward class. Did they know nothing but how to bear whatever came their way?

As for why he himself had acted so recklessly, there might have been many reasons, but when all was said and done, wasn't it because he felt they were being treated unfairly?

"Forget it, Si Gou. Come home with me," Zi Bofeng said.

"Si Gou, don't go!" A loud shout rang out. Yan Lao Wu stood beside the stone stele at the village entrance, watching them.

"Old Master," Zi Bofeng called weakly. The old man's thunderous shout carried even more authority than Feijianzi's.

"Si Gou, you did nothing wrong today. You beat him well! Give him a good beating—beat him to death, and I'll take responsibility!" Yan Lao Wu strode over. Looking at the villager trying to shrink back, he barked, "Kneel!"

The man glanced from side to side, hoping to win some sympathy, but everyone else shrank away. His former allies were so unreliable. All he could do was drop weakly to his knees.

"Unknowing and ungrateful wretch! Think about why Scholar offended an immortal. Wasn't it for the people of Lower Yan Village? And have you no conscience? Who helped our village get its taxes waived last time? It hasn't even been six months! You heartless bastard!" Yan Lao Wu kicked the man, knocking him to the ground, then turned to Si Gou. "Si Gou, beat him! Beat him hard!"

"Sure thing!" Si Gou grinned, baring his white teeth like a beast eyeing its prey.

"Si Gou, forget it." Zi Bofeng stopped him. "I've been traveling all day. I'm tired. Come with me. I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

"Scholar?" Si Gou was baffled. The man had offended Scholar, so why just let him go? What a perfect chance! Si Gou's hands and feet were already itching.

"Let's go." Zi Bofeng was a little dispirited.

"Bofeng, come eat at my place tonight. I caught a pheasant when I went up the mountain today. We can have a little feast."

"No, my father will be worried." Zi Bofeng shook his head, waved to the old man, and pointed toward home. Si Gou led Tauxue, carrying him along.

Watching Zi Bofeng ride away on the donkey, Yan Lao Wu felt a jumble of emotions. He suddenly took two steps forward and said, "If you're free tonight, I'll come find you. There's something I need to discuss with you."

"Then I'll wait for you at home, Old Master." Zi Bofeng waved. Twilight had already fallen, and his silhouette had blurred into the distance.

"You worthless fool, get your ass home! Keep spouting nonsense and I'll slap you silly!" Yan Lao Wu scolded the villager still kneeling on the ground, then turned and walked away with his hands behind his back.

Only after everyone else had left did the villager on the ground get up and limp away. Yan Lao Wu's kick had really packed a punch.

Even so, the news had already spread through the village. As he rode along, Zi Bofeng felt as though he'd returned to the day he'd first passed the county exam and come home as a Xiucai. Beneath the twilight, the village was very quiet. Who knew how many people were peeking from behind their doors as he rode his donkey through the narrow lanes?