Entering the Valley

"Yes, sir!" they answered in unison. Strategist Ji waved them off and said gently, "Chen An, Li Yin, stay. The rest of you, go attend to your own duties."

After the others dispersed, only the two soldiers who had been standing in the middle came over. Li Yan looked at them. One was around thirty, the other around twenty. Both stood roughly seven feet tall. The older one had a square face and a ruddy complexion; the younger had a round face, large eyes, and somewhat fair skin.

Both wore standard military uniforms. Strategist Ji pointed at the square-faced man. "His name is Chen An." Then he pointed at the young soldier with the round face and large eyes. "His name is Li Yin. The two of them usually handle miscellaneous matters in the valley and are familiar with military affairs as well. If I am not in the residence, you may instruct them to handle matters for you. If you need to enter the city on business, have them accompany you. First, having them with you will make things more convenient. Second, they will be responsible for your safety. This is a border city, after all. Enemy soldiers often sneak into the city to gather intelligence. If they learn that you are my disciple, they will inevitably set their sights on you."

Li Yan's heart tightened at those words, then warmed. He bowed and replied, "Thank you, Teacher." If calling him "Teacher" before had still felt awkward and unfamiliar, this time it came from the bottom of his heart.

Chen An and Li Yin also saluted Strategist Ji. "We respectfully obey your verbal orders, sir. Please rest assured."

"Good. Go prepare his daily necessities and send them over shortly."

"Yes, sir."

After speaking, Strategist Ji called to Li Yan and started walking farther inside. Yet after Li Yan turned around, he did not see Chen An and Li Yin exchange a glance, their eyes flickering uncertainly as they stared at his departing back.

Li Yan had initially thought he would be staying in one of the two rows of bluestone houses. Yet his teacher did not even glance at the houses on either side, instead walking straight ahead. When the two reached the end of the bluestone houses and turned right, a mountain valley suddenly appeared before them. On the rock wall beside the entrance were several large characters carved in vivid red: "Strategist's Residence."

Li Yan thought, It is clearly just a valley. Why is it called the Strategist's Residence? But his feet could not stop, and he followed his teacher into the valley.

The valley was not particularly large, spanning perhaps fifty or sixty zhang. Mountains surrounded it on three sides, their peaks soaring high, their slopes nearly sheer. Thin trees and dense shrubs grew across the slopes, some tall and some short, branches and twigs spreading thickly from the foot of the mountains all the way to their summits. This single entrance was the only way in or out. On the right side just inside the entrance stood another row of bluestone houses, perhaps three or four of them. By now, night had fallen, and the rest of the valley was blurred and difficult to make out.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded behind him. Li Yan turned at the noise. Two figures emerged from the darkness, and as they came closer, he saw that they were Chen An and Li Yin, whom he had just met.

They carried items in their hands, presumably the daily necessities his teacher had ordered prepared. They had come quite quickly; it had only been the time between one footstep and the next.

The two swiftly passed them and headed toward the bluestone houses. Before long, lights came on one after another inside several rooms. The lamplight streamed through the doors and windows, making many things in the valley much clearer.

Strategist Ji turned back to Li Yan. "It is getting late today. In a while, Chen An and the others will take you around so you can become somewhat familiar with this place. Then eat and rest. You have traveled several hundred li from home to here today, so you should retire early. Come to see me early tomorrow morning, and I will tell you about some matters concerning our school."

As he spoke, Chen An and Li Yin hurried back over. Smiling, they said, "Young Master Li, this place is swept every day, so we only needed to bring over some daily necessities."

Seeing them return, Strategist Ji instructed, "Take Li Yan with you. Send his meal over later." With that, he smiled and nodded to Li Yan, then walked toward the first house nearest the valley entrance. His figure darkened beneath the lamplight at the doorway, and then he entered and disappeared.

Li Yan stared blankly at Strategist Ji's back and thought, My teacher really handled matters simply and clearly.

Chen An chuckled softly. "Young Master Li, then come with us." Li Yan thanked him and followed the two deeper into the valley.

Chen An was quite talkative, while Li Yin deferred to him but was quick and efficient with his hands and feet, occasionally adding a few words of his own. As they walked and talked, Li Yan began to learn more. Marshal Hong had originally arranged a residence for Strategist Ji within the city, but Strategist Ji preferred quiet solitude and did not wish to live there. Later, he found this valley outside the city and lived here alone. Yet how could Marshal Hong allow an official to live in such a crude place? He tried persuading him several times, but Strategist Ji remained unwilling to enter the city.

Marshal Hong could only send people to tidy up the valley, clear more than a hundred zhang of open ground outside it, build houses, and station soldiers as guards. He also arranged maids and servants to handle daily living and meals here. In the end, however, Strategist Ji kept only twenty soldiers and three women responsible for cooking, sending everyone else back. In Strategist Ji's view, being alone was best, but he could not brush aside the Marshal's goodwill. As for the name "Strategist's Residence," it had naturally been given according to the name of an official residence.

There were four houses in the valley. Aside from the first one near the entrance, where Strategist Ji lived, the adjacent one was where he sometimes practiced his boxing and martial arts. The other two stood empty, with no one living in them.

In Chen An's words, people were normally not permitted to enter this place freely. Aside from when Lord Ji had business for them, they could only enter to deliver meals and clean each day. Otherwise, Lord Ji would drive them from the valley. Once they returned to the city, how Marshal Hong would deal with them was easy enough to imagine. Besides the four houses, the valley also had a privy and bathing room, all fully furnished and built at the corners beside the houses.

In the end, Li Yan chose the bluestone house farthest inside the valley, built against the mountain wall. Chen An entered first and placed the bedding he carried on the bed. Li Yin and Li Yan followed him inside.

The stone house was quite spacious. It had likely been built by soldiers; things built by the army always emphasized practicality, sturdiness, and durability.

The door of the stone house faced south, directly toward the valley. The floor inside was paved with bluestone slabs and fragments, clean and bright. The simple furnishings were complete enough, but placed within such a huge room, they seemed rather inconspicuous.

Against the north wall stood a broad wooden bed. Beside the east wall were a washstand and several washing articles, while against the west wall stood a four-tier bookshelf with several books upon it.

A wooden table stood by the south window, with several teacups and a water pot on top. There were two chairs, and at the head of the table stood two tall boxes woven from old brown rattan, placed side by side on the floor and nearly level with the tabletop. They were presumably for storing clothes or other belongings.

The north and west sides of the stone house were built against the mountain, while the east wall connected to the other houses. Thus, only the wall facing the same direction as the stone door had a large window, also overlooking the valley. The window was tall, divided into fine wooden latticework, and presently pushed open. There was not the slightest sense of stuffiness inside; instead, cool autumn night breezes drifted in, bringing a measure of ease and comfort.

"Young Master Li, please rest for a while first. There is hot water in the pot. Once the meal is ready, someone will bring it over. We cannot remain in the valley for long. Lord Ji does not like outsiders here. If there is nothing else, we shall take our leave." After Chen An and Li Yin had put everything down, Chen An said this to Li Yan.

Li Yan had been inspecting the room. Hearing this, he quickly looked toward them. "I have troubled you both. In that case, please do as you wish." The two cupped their hands and withdrew.

Li Yan walked to the table, removed the bundle from his shoulder, and set it down. Then he went to the brown rattan chests at the end of the table and opened them one after another. Both were empty, with a piece of black cloth laid across the bottom, presumably for storing clothes and such.

Li Yan took the bundle from the table, untied it, and carefully laid the several sets of coarse cloth clothing inside one chest, piece by piece. His Fourth Sister and mother had sewn them with their own hands. Though the cloth was rough and some of it had been cut from other old, worn garments, Li Yan felt as if his home village were right beside him. The warmth felt just right; seeing these clothes was like seeing his mother and Fourth Sister.

He had not brought much, while the chest was spacious. Even after putting all his clothes into one chest, they occupied only three or four tenths of the space. After thinking it over, Li Yan took the pickled vegetables, dried provisions, and other food from the bundle on the table and neatly arranged them against the wall atop the table. He did not put them into the other empty chest.

After closing both chests, Li Yan pulled out a chair and sat at the table. He took the water pot and a teacup, then poured himself a cup. The water really was hot. It seemed someone came every day to replace the water and clean the room.

He was truly exhausted today. He had traveled more than two hundred li, eating only some dried provisions and water along the way. Now he was hungry and thirsty, and his body felt weary as well. It was pitch-black outside, and he had no mind to go out and look around. As he drank, he thought over his concerns, all that had happened today, and the place where he was now sitting. It still felt like a dream. After a short while, he had drunk some water, but felt even hungrier and more fatigued. Fortunately, Teacher did not arrange anything for me to do. Otherwise, I truly would not have been able to muster much spirit. That would have been rather embarrassing before Teacher. While he was pondering this, a series of footsteps came from outside. His door was open, and this was a mountain valley, so the footsteps rang clear in the depths of night. Li Yan thought it must be someone delivering food. When he turned and looked up, he indeed saw the doorway darken as a woman carrying a wooden tray appeared there.

Li Yan stood and walked to the door. Seeing the woman still standing respectfully outside, he said, "Where is your kitchen? Next time, I can go and collect it myself." At his words, the woman's face turned pale, and she hastily said, "Young Master Li, you must not say such things. If Lord Ji learned of it, it would be a catastrophe as great as the sky." Li Yan's hands, which had reached out to take the tray, froze. He asked curiously, "Why is that?" The woman said, "How could places like the kitchen be places for lords and young masters to go? Those are places where servants like us stay."

At first, Li Yan was somewhat bewildered. After thinking briefly, he understood. Back home, he could stay anywhere, but the change in his status now left him feeling uncomfortable. He also knew that such distinctions of rank were not aimed at him alone; they were the rules of the worldly world. After taking the wooden tray, he said, "Then next time you come, simply place the food on the table inside the room."

The woman looked at him upon hearing this, as though she had remembered something. "Young Master Li, aside from delivering food and cleaning, we are not allowed to enter the valley freely each day. Lord Ji has also instructed that these four houses must not be entered casually, lest we disturb him while he works. Each time Lord Ji returns, he generally closes his door. If we see a wooden plaque hanging from the outer door handle, we place the meal on the stone platform outside and return after some time to clear it away. If the meal has not been eaten, we take it back, discard it, prepare another, and deliver it again. Lord Ji's room is also cleaned by designated people only with his permission. Since your room and the one beside it were unoccupied, they could be cleaned every day without asking Lord Ji. But now that you live here, we may no longer enter."

Only then did Li Yan notice a black wooden plaque hanging from the handle on the inside of his door. Presumably, when his teacher cultivated, he would hang this plaque on the outer door handle so as not to be disturbed. Li Yan did not understand such profound martial arts, but he had heard some things before. He had heard that when people meditated on internal cultivation, they absolutely could not be disturbed, or they might suffer something like qi deviation. Thinking of this, he understood a little more.

The woman reminded him that after finishing his meal, he only needed to place the dishes outside on the stone platform, and someone would come to collect them. She gave Li Yan a slight bow and left.

The food here was not exquisite delicacies, but it was still fare Li Yan had never eaten before. He ate this meal with lingering satisfaction, but later he thought of his parents at home again. Had they eaten yet? Were they still worrying about him? At that thought, his spirits suddenly fell.

He rose and gathered the bowls and chopsticks onto the tray. When he stepped outside, he indeed saw a stone platform before the door, so he placed the tray there. Raising his head, he saw a vast black mass of trees spreading near and far, all the way to the mountain peaks surrounding the valley. Only a little starlight spilled down from the circular patch of sky several dozen zhang overhead. He stared blankly for a while before withdrawing his gaze. Not far opposite his stone house, near the stone platform, there seemed to be a small pool of water. But on this first night away from home, the traveler's thoughts twisted through a hundred turns, unable to forget his native soil. Added to that, the weariness after eating grew even stronger, completely dispelling his thought of walking around the valley. He turned back inside, washed up simply, closed the doors and windows, and lay down on the bed. Thinking of his parents at home and every blade of grass and tree in the village, he fell into a deep sleep.