"You wicked slave! How dare you seize your master's property! Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the authorities?" A thin scholar dressed in blue struggled up from the ground. Without bothering to brush the dirt and grass off himself, he pointed at the servant before him, a youth about his own age but considerably sturdier, and shouted.
"The authorities? Scholar Huang, we're out in the wild mountains. Where are you going to find the authorities? Besides, even if I, Huang San, killed you here, no one would ever know." Huang San laughed.
"You wouldn't dare!" Hearing his wicked slave's words, Scholar Huang felt a little uncertain. If the man truly intended to kill him and dump his corpse in the wilderness, probably no one would know. He had foolishly believed the claim that taking a shortcut would cut several days off their journey, and that was why he had chosen this wilderness trail. Now it was too late for regrets.
"Heh!" Huang San rummaged through the bundle in his hands and pulled out a few taels of broken silver, along with a pale greenish-white Jade Thumb Ring. He grinned. "Tsk, tsk. Not much silver, but you've worn this Jade Thumb Ring since childhood. Fine jade like this must be worth at least a few dozen taels. For the sake of that silver, I'll spare your life."
"No! You can have the silver, but not the Jade Thumb Ring!" How could Scholar Huang let someone take his Jade Thumb Ring? Though it was no great treasure, his father had told him he must keep it safe, and it counted as a memento of his father. Shouting, the scholar lunged at Huang San, but he was no match for the sturdy, wicked slave.
Before Scholar Huang could get close, the other man kicked him hard, sending him sprawling again. He spat and said, "Don't be ungrateful. You haven't the strength to truss a chicken, yet you want to fight me? What the hell are scholars like you good for besides burying yourselves in books? Don't spit on the face I'm giving you. I'm only sparing you today because I'm in a good mood. And you can have your damned sages' writings back, too."
With that, he stepped forward and kicked Scholar Huang hard several more times, then threw down the bundle, which held only a few pieces of clothing now, along with the large bundle he had been carrying on his back. When that large bundle hit the ground, several books spilled out.
Scholar Huang's name was Huang Xiao. He was sixteen that year and held the scholar's qualification. He had traveled to the provincial capital to take the provincial examination, but unfortunately, his name had fallen below the final name on the list.
Huang Xiao had been born to his parents late in their lives, but he looked nothing like either of them. There had been plenty of gossip in the neighborhood, with people saying he was not their biological son and the like. Naturally, Huang Xiao had heard some of it, but he had paid it little mind. The elderly couple had died two years earlier, leaving him several dozen mu of farmland, so he had no worries about his livelihood. However, he devoted himself to studying for the examinations, eating away at his resources without replenishing them, until he had now sold off the family fields and taken one servant with him to sit the examination. Unfortunately, after he failed, that servant developed designs of his own and seized his last few taels of silver.
Picking up the bundles from the ground, Huang Xiao sank into sorrow. He had entered this provincial examination full of confidence, thinking he could earn the provincial graduate's degree. If so, even exhausting his entire fortune would have been worth it. But he still did not understand the ways of the world and people's hearts. Without money to grease the examiners' palms, however well he wrote his essays, it was useless.
Huang Xiao sat there in a daze for a long time before letting out a deep sigh. "None so useless as a scholar. The ancients truly did not deceive me. Now I have not a coin to my name and no means of making a living. Enough, enough. If Heaven means to destroy me, why should I struggle any longer?"
Huang Xiao gathered up his books, his mind muddled. Between the blow of failing the examination and the desolation of being penniless, and with no knowledge of the way through these wild mountains, he could only follow the trail onward.
"Halt! I opened this road, I planted these trees! If you want to pass this way, leave your toll!" After an unknown stretch of time, several figures sprang out beside the mountain path and shouted at Huang Xiao.
The shout brought Huang Xiao back to his senses. When he looked up, a dozen or so burly men already stood before him, holding assorted weapons: steel sabers, iron forks, wooden clubs, iron swords, and more.
Huang Xiao knew he had encountered mountain bandits, and instinctive fear stirred in his heart. But then he suddenly remembered that he had all but reached the end of his road. What difference was there between starving to death and being killed by bandits?
At this thought, his courage suddenly swelled, and he roared at the bandits before him, "You brigands! I am a scholar, an upright man of letters! How could I submit to villains like you? If you have the guts, come kill me!"
"Oh?" The bandit in the lead was plainly surprised. He had not expected this scrawny boy to possess such courage.
"Third Chief, this lad is a qualified scholar!" a bandit beside the leader told him quietly.
"I didn't expect you to have such nerve, lad. I'll ask you one question. Answer well, and perhaps I'll spare your life," the third chief said to Huang Xiao.
"Hmph! If you're going to kill me, do it. Why waste words?" Huang Xiao had thrown all caution aside.
"Are you really a qualified scholar?"
"How could that be false?" Deep down, Huang Xiao still valued his status as a qualified scholar greatly. After all, what did a man of letters strive for, if not success in the examinations? Although he had just said, "None so useless as a scholar," he still cared.
"Good, then. Take him away!" A smile appeared on the third chief's face as he waved a hand.
Before Huang Xiao could work out what was happening, two burly men came forward and seized him, one on either side.
"What are you doing?" Huang Xiao realized these bandits did not seem to intend to kill him. His earlier bravado vanished at once, and his instinctive fear and terror returned.
"Count yourself lucky, lad. Our chief would like to see you," one of the bandits holding Huang Xiao said with a chuckle.
Huang Xiao struggled a little, but his meager strength was practically negligible in the hands of these two burly men.
Half an hour later, Huang Xiao was brought into a mountain valley, where a rudimentary Mountain Stronghold had been built. He discovered that the place was not filled entirely with ferocious-looking bandits. There were also many elderly people, women, and children, and he noticed that the bandits' fierce expressions disappeared once they returned. On reflection, that made sense to Huang Xiao. This was their Mountain Stronghold; there was no need for them to keep looking so vicious.
"Chief, look who I've brought you!" the third chief called as he led Huang Xiao into a courtyard in the middle of the Mountain Stronghold.
It seemed they had brought him to meet the bandit leader. Huang Xiao felt uneasy, not knowing what the bandit leader wanted him to do. Whatever it was, though, it could hardly be anything good.
"Third Brother, you're back. I've told you, there's no need to call me Chief at home. Save that for outside." A middle-aged man emerged from the house, smiling. "Oh? And this young fellow?"
"Yes, Big Brother. He's a qualified scholar," Third Brother said.
"A scholar?" Delight appeared on the elder brother's face, and he strode quickly over to Huang Xiao.
Huang Xiao shrank back fearfully and shouted, "You brigands have committed all manner of evil! Retribution will come for you!"
Seeing Huang Xiao's alarm, the elder brother hurriedly said, "Don't misunderstand, young fellow. We're not really bandits or robbers. We only took to these mountain roads because we couldn't survive, robbing landlords who grow rich without a scrap of humanity. We don't harm ordinary people. Third Brother, did you take anything from our scholar friend?"
"Of course not! Look, these are his two bundles. I've been carrying them for him. Judging by his looks, he may not be quite like that shabby scholar we used to have in our village, but he's not much better off." Third Brother set the two bundles beside Huang Xiao's feet.
Huang Xiao looked at the two men, puzzled. Could they really not be bandits? Or were they deceiving him? Yet there seemed to be no need to deceive him. Despite these thoughts, Huang Xiao could not possibly trust them completely.
"Enough chatter. Go on home." The elder brother stopped Third Brother from saying more. After Third Brother left, he watched Huang Xiao straighten out his bundles, then asked with a smile, "Rest assured, young fellow. We're all ordinary folk. Unless something belongs to those wealthy landlords who squeeze us dry, we won't take it."
"Everything is here," Huang Xiao replied.
"Good. My name is Liu Qiang. I'm the chief of this Mountain Stronghold," Liu Qiang said.
"Chief Liu, since you're not mountain bandits, would you let me leave?" Huang Xiao asked.
"Young fellow, I only hope you'll stay in the Mountain Stronghold a few days and do me a small favor. In a few days, I'll certainly see you out," Liu Qiang said.
"What do you want me to do?" Huang Xiao did not know what help he could offer.
"It's actually very simple for you. I can't read, and no one else in the Mountain Stronghold can either, so I'd like you to explain the meaning of a book to me," Liu Qiang said with a smile.
"That's all?" Huang Xiao paused, taken aback. He truly had not expected this to be the favor Liu Qiang wanted.
"Yes. It's simple for educated men like you, but for illiterate people like us, it's harder than climbing to Heaven," Liu Qiang said with a wry smile.
"All right. I can help you," Huang Xiao said.
"Thank you so much." Liu Qiang smiled, but immediately added another question. "Young fellow, do you know martial arts?"
"Martial arts?" Huang Xiao froze for a moment, then asked in return, "If I knew martial arts, how could you have brought me here?"
Liu Qiang smiled awkwardly. "We've given offense this time. Please forgive us, young fellow. By the way, what is your name?"
"Huang Xiao," Huang Xiao said. "All right, give me the book. I'll explain it to you."
"There's no rush, no rush. It's getting late. Stay here tonight. Tomorrow will be soon enough," Liu Qiang said.
Since Liu Qiang had said so, Huang Xiao naturally left the arrangements to him.
That night, just as Huang Xiao was preparing to go to bed, a knock sounded at the door.
When Huang Xiao opened the door, he found a young girl standing outside. She looked about eleven or twelve. Though she too wore coarse cloth, it could not conceal her delicate, pretty looks.
"Are you Scholar Huang, Brother Huang, whom Third Uncle invited here today?" Before Huang Xiao could speak, the girl looked at him and asked first.
"Yes, I am. And you are, miss?" Huang Xiao answered, though inwardly he muttered that he had not been invited here today, but abducted.
"Then you must know a lot. Could you teach me to read?" Hearing Huang Xiao confirm it, the girl asked happily.
"Well..." Huang Xiao hesitated. Though he did not know the girl's name, he knew she was most likely Liu Qiang's daughter. He could not stay here long, so naturally he could not teach her much.
"Brother Huang, could you?" The girl gazed at Huang Xiao hopefully, blinking her large eyes.
"Let me think about it." Huang Xiao certainly would not agree. Once he had helped Liu Qiang explain the book he could not understand tomorrow, he would leave. Whether this was a bandits' den or not had nothing to do with him.
Suspecting nothing, the girl still answered happily, "All right, Brother Huang. Have a good rest. Oh, my name is Liu Qin. The chief is my father."