Several hundred years ago, at the end of a dynasty, the realm was in utter chaos.
What was more, Buddhism and Daoism flourished, and countless common folk revered Buddha, honored the Dao, and believed in gods and spirits.
Even among the great aristocratic clans, many worshiped Buddha and followed the Dao.
After all, for great clans, what mattered was that their household did not decline. As for what cultivation method they practiced, that was actually secondary.
At the time, there was a teacher in the west of the passes, known as Hengqu. Witnessing the chaos of the age, he was so grieved that his heart ached. He believed that the sickness of the realm did not lie in Buddhism and Daoism running rampant, but in the Confucian School shutting its doors and guarding itself.
The learning of the Confucian School at the time was all family learning. Fathers passed it to sons, sons passed it to grandsons. Even when outsiders were occasionally admitted through the gates, they were either outstanding talents beyond the ordinary ranks, or relatives and friends connected by marriage.
Master Hengqu loathed such conduct to the marrow, and so began the practice of private schools, teaching in his own home. Thus, the fashion of lecturing gradually arose.
Thus came the teachings of the Four Sayings of Hengqu, urging those of the Confucian School to establish the heart of Heaven and Earth, and shatter the emptiness of Buddhism and Daoism. To establish the destiny of the living people, they were to practice benevolence and righteousness to save all under heaven. To carry on the lost learning of the sages of old, they were not to begrudge the barriers between schools: in learning, they were to draw broadly from many sources; in teaching, educate without distinction. To open great peace for ten thousand generations, they were to promote the Confucian School and save the realm, bringing it to peace.
The great academies sprang up one after another. Within them, all kinds of Confucian School inheritances were widely established. Famous teachers did not hoard their secrets, each taking disciples. Students, meanwhile, were not divided into ranks high and low. So long as you wished to come and could pay that tiny bit of tuition, a road ahead awaited you.
The Martial Confucian Lineage gradually flourished.
Among the four great academies, White Deer Grotto Academy claimed to inherit Master Hengqu's orthodox lineage and revered the Four Sayings of Hengqu above all else.
Upon hearing Su Che recite the Four Sayings of Hengqu, the book boy laughed until tears came out.
"Young Master, sorry, but hearing the four sayings of the ancient sage from your mouth really is funny."
The little book boy shook his head, then asked, "When did you begin to suspect me?"
"To be honest, I can no longer remember the details of that incident three months ago."
Su Che was telling the truth. The situation he had taken over began with him in the carriage of that Ministry of War Vice Director's wife, clutching a purple silk sash in his hand and cackling sinisterly.
What followed was a savage beating.
There truly was a lack of detail concerning the entire course of events.
"But the first thing that later made me feel something was wrong was that when I proposed taking an official post elsewhere, my family's attitude was actually one of happy approval."
The previous generation of the Duling Su Clan had followed Great Liang's northern expedition and had nearly been wiped out to the last man. Of that generation, only the one in the palace remained; among the next generation, only Su Che and his two brothers remained.
Under such circumstances, even if Su Che had become useless, the Duling Su Clan could never let him go.
Keeping him at home to breed and have children—wouldn't that have been wonderful?
"So I made a deduction then. Perhaps the aftermath of my previous misdeeds had yet to dissipate. At the very least, in the eyes of my family elders, remaining in Jiankang was less safe than leaving."
"Reading the winds from this, Young Master, you are rather cunning."
That uncle held a position in the palace, so his intelligence channels were certainly well informed.
Since he had made such a judgment, it meant that what had happened to Su Che back then was far from as simple as a group of wandering young heroes happening to pass by and uphold justice.
"The second matter that deepened my doubts was the rewards I received when leaving Jiankang. Were they really useful to a cripple carrying severe injuries?"
After the incident, he had received quite a few things. Palace spirit pills, the Sealing Spirit Rope sent by the Yellow Heaven Sect, an ancient sword stored within the Sword Case, and so on.
"The meaning of compensation behind these things was far too obvious."
Faced with his condition, the best course the Su Family could take was first to lavish life-saving, injury-healing spirit medicines on him, then select an outstanding teacher and make up for his interrupted cultivation.
That would settle it. What did young descendants want? Nothing more than ability and prospects. As for external objects such as ancient swords, spirit pills, ropes, and manuals—
Were they important to someone so severely injured that he could barely cultivate?
In a sense, they could be said to be completely useless.
"Moreover, these things share an interesting common point. If used to subdue demons and vanquish monsters, they could be called great killing weapons. But against Confucian School experts who had deeply cultivated martial arts—or even a few bandits in the wilderness—they would be of no use at all."
The ancient sword in the case was an artifact left behind by a sword hero of the previous generation. When it encountered demons, it could fly out on its own and slay them. It was only that divine relics concealed their brilliance, and Su Che was not yet qualified to command it.
The Yellow Heaven Sect's Supreme Sealing Spirit Relic could handle demon ghosts like Little Fox, born from divisions of a Yin Spirit. But if it truly encountered mountain bandits, it would probably be little more useful than hemp rope.
"Isn't that a little too deliberate? And honestly, with the realm in such chaos, on this journey from Jiankang to Shanyin, aside from a few demons and monsters, I did not see a single bandit. Great Liang's lands truly are rivers clear and seas calm."
"All of this led me to one conclusion. My previous ordeal may have been the result of some faction pulling the strings. And that faction had a highly ambiguous relationship with the Duling Su Clan, so they only targeted my personal prospects. They did not intend to take my life; after everything happened, they even wished to console me."
"So I believed that everything before had been the court's scheme. But the one who later traveled with me was you. That gave me a new deduction."
The book boy listened quietly. Hearing this, he laughed again.
"What is wrong with me?"
"How could a dragon or phoenix among men submit to serving beneath a wastrel?" Su Che looked at him. "Do you not think you are far too removed from being a book boy?"
"Hahahaha, indeed, indeed." The book boy hooked a finger through his hair bun. "I truly did look down on you somewhat. But the fact that I came from White Deer Grotto Academy—that must have been told to you by someone else as well, right?"
"When I proposed taking an official post elsewhere, the Ministry of Personnel gave me seven counties to choose from. I imagine all seven counties already had your side's hidden stakes in them, so which county I chose made little difference. And with you by my side to watch me all along, there should not have been any problem."
"This one has more spiritual energy than yin energy. Presumably, he is not some yin creature, but a manifested demon spirit. Young Master Su, sparing your life was in consideration of your Su Family's loyalty in serving the court. Yet you collude with demon creatures. Ah, what should be done about that?"
The book boy slowly pressed his right hand against the Heavenly Pillar acupoint at the back of his neck. With a burst of true qi, he forced out a fine needle like ox hair, roughly an inch long.
The instant the golden needle left, the book boy's appearance immediately changed. His entire body grew taller section by section, his joints broadened, and his face changed as well.
Most importantly was his bearing. The little book boy now carried a tragic grandeur that would press onward even against ten million men.
"Golden Needle Body-Transformation Method?"
Little Fox muttered softly beside Su Che.
"Hey, hey, hey. You've run into a tough one this time."
"This is only what should be expected."
Everything was merely within his expectations.
"Young Master Su, your mind is meticulous indeed. Gu Yin of White Deer Grotto Academy—we can count this as our formal meeting."
Gu Yin's loose hair fell over his shoulders. The little book boy's clothes had already been stretched apart by his body. He stood six feet tall, with a face like polished jade. If he changed into a better outfit, he could also be called a graceful young gentleman amid a sullied age.
"Brother Gu, your bearing is enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with mine."
Though they stood on opposing sides, Su Che still offered him a heartfelt compliment.
"You are too courteous, Young Master. If our identities differed, it is not as though we could not have become friends. You guessed correctly. The earlier matter truly was a trap we arranged. As for me, I accompanied you to your post. You may take it as surveillance over you, and also as a layer of protection for you."
After Su Che left Jiankang, sending someone to accompany and watch him had naturally been the proper course.
It was merely that there were so many ways to watch a person in this world that he had not expected White Deer Grotto Academy to use the most ancient and clumsy method of all.
Personal surveillance.
For such a great power, would devising some method of seeing the earth and hearing the heavens have been so difficult?
"When I received this task before the Chief Instructor, Lesser Minister of Rites, I was rather puzzled. For someone like you, one sword strike would have settled the matter. Why spend so much thought? At the start of our journey, I only thought of finding some remote place to kill you and be done with it."
Were academy disciples all like the various prison escorts in The Water Margin?
"Later, seeing the way you conducted yourself, you did not seem to be someone beyond redemption in evil, so I did not act. But looking at today... Young Master, you collude with demon creatures after all. You are indeed skilled at disguising yourself; even I was deceived."
Gu Yin's aura rose higher and higher.
"But arriving early is not as good as arriving at the right time. If I kill you here today, then when I meet the Chief Instructor, Lesser Minister of Rites later, I will not fear having no explanation to offer."
Before his words had even fallen, Gu Yin had already leaped forward like a falcon seizing a rabbit.
The Martial Confucian Lineage began with nourishing qi. At the start, its disciples differed little from ordinary martial artists of the jianghu. After reaching Seventh Grade, however, the stages of cultivation changed, and all kinds of transformations emerged from the original martial foundation.
Gu Yin came from White Deer Grotto Academy and was proficient in the martial arts of the Confucian sect. His cultivation had already reached the Seventh Grade Innate Realm. In his movements, he possessed the power to summon transformations of wind and thunder.
His palms swung wide as he unleashed the Four-Domain Suppression Palm. Its first form, Ancient Emperor's Mandate, was grand and upright; layers upon layers of palm shadows surged like waves and billows.
Su Che retreated on both feet, employing the techniques of the Mirage Shadow Primordial Sword. He slid step after step, ghostlike in form, evading the layers of palm shadows.
"Young Master, your progress is remarkably swift. In only a few days, it seems you have reached the edge of Ninth Grade Sword Cultivation. What a pity, what a pity."
Gu Yin pressed forward closely. "What a pity that you have transformed sword techniques into movement techniques, lacking the Sword Cultivation spirit of having only oneself and no enemy. You will not escape this calamity."
Little Fox gave a long howl. Her white form became a whirlwind, sweeping Su Che backward once more.
When they looked again, there were unexpectedly two Su Ches in the alley.
"An illusion?"
The outstanding disciple of White Deer Grotto Academy gave a low chuckle and moved his palms again.
The palm shadows split apart, layers of force qi surging like the rising tide of a jade sea, ceaseless and unbroken.
Su Che and Qingqiu could only evade again and again.
"Interesting. Now this is more like it. Since you collude with demons, you ought to look like someone who colludes with demons."
Gu Yin laughed softly. "This palm technique of mine embodies the true meaning of ancient sages campaigning against demons in the four directions. Using it on you is perfectly timely—perfectly timely indeed."
The head of White Deer Grotto Academy was called the Chief Instructor, a term also generally used for the heads of academies. The origin of this term was White Deer Grotto itself. This book uses a patchwork historical setting, so Master Hengqu has been moved to the previous dynasty.
Thank you, everyone.