Visiting a Worthy Man Through Wind and Snow

Zhong Mountain Courtyard.

Yu Liang sat alone by the window, several scrolls of documents spread out on the table, the ink still wet. Snow had begun to fall outside the window, the fine snowflakes landing softly on the bamboo leaves.

He put down his pen and looked out the window.

The world was a single color, serene and boundless. Zhong Mountain was covered in snow, the Qinhuai was frozen with cold, and even the pleasure boats that had been reveling all night were silent tonight.

"Heavy snow in Jiangnan..." he murmured softly.

I've been in Zhong Mountain for three months now.

Three months ago, he was a frustrated and unsuccessful Rogue Cultivator from a poor family in Guangling City. He had a wealth of knowledge and talent, but he kept running into obstacles in the officialdom of Huainan, which was dominated by the Aristocratic Clan.

The way those scions of the Aristocratic Clan looked at him was like looking at a stray dog trying to squeeze into a feast.

Now, he is Young Master Ye's scribe, in charge of official documents and advisory services. One of the lights in Zhong Mountain Courtyard is lit for him.

When serving others, one should do one's utmost.

He closed the window and sat back down at his desk.

He had been thinking about the things the young master had asked him to do.

How can we help the Ye Clan recruit Jiangnan from Jiangnan and cultivate their reputation Jiangnan? How can we let the poor families of the world know that there is a door open at Zhong Mountain?

A thousand pieces of gold, a horse's bones, a golden platform.

This principle has been passed down since ancient times: resources, wealth, fame, and status are things that no one can escape. However, as long as the hearts of the people are with you and the court is still in power, you cannot go too far.

He picked up a pen, wrote a name on the paper, then crossed it out. He wrote another name, then crossed it out again.

In the Jiangnan Aristocratic Clan, powerful families are deeply entrenched, while impoverished families Rogue Cultivator scholars are a mixed bag. Choosing the wrong person would only make one a laughingstock.

Choosing the right person brings unanimous support.

He needs someone who can win people's hearts, someone who can convince those from humble backgrounds who are still observing.

The Ye Clan are truly willing to give them a chance.

But where are people like that?

He put down his pen and looked out the window.

The snow was falling heavier and heavier.

He suddenly remembered someone.

A spirit boat floated through the swirling snow, cutting through the air.

The boat was three zhang long, entirely bluish-gray, with little decoration except for a high-grade magical Law Artifact hanging at the bow, called the Azure Nether Wind Lantern.

It was inconspicuous in the wind and snow, but upon closer inspection, one could see that it bore a specially made inscription by the Ye Clan, representing their status and position.

In the Jianghuai region, anyone with the surname "Ye" is comparable to a low-ranking prince in the Great Jin Dynasty, and even more prestigious than some heads of minor Aristocratic Clan families.

Wherever he went, cultivators treated him with courtesy, noble Aristocratic Clan showed him respect, and even some hurried powerful Purple Mansion level would pause for a moment to pay him some attention.

As for ordinary people, they simply prostrate themselves in devout worship; this kind of power and status...

Normally, Yu Liang was just a poor scholar Foundation Establishment. Although he had some reputation, he Guangling, the capital of Yangzhou.

Foundation Establishment are a dime a dozen; any powerful family could easily crush him, so he wouldn't dare to be so ostentatious.

But now, all of this was bestowed upon Yu Liang by Ye Jinyu.

The Law Artifact implements were not of high grade, but they proved that the person was of extraordinary status, and their strength lay in their low-key and simple nature.

Yu Liang stood at the bow of the boat, letting the wind and snow lash his face, but the Azure Nether Wind Lantern kept him away, allowing him to enjoy this glory.

As the spirit boat sailed by, snow-capped mountains lined both banks, and mist rose from the river outside the city. Occasionally, cultivators streaked across the sky in their escape lights, only to come forward and offer some flattery.

After decades of cultivation, to achieve such a state in a single day—how exhilarating! His high-profile return to his hometown in wealth and honor is also intended to bring fame to Young Master Ye.

After all, people are in a hurry, rushing around for a few coins. This kind of tangible joy and carefree spirit is like the exhilarating feeling of realizing a bold statement like "Never underestimate a young man's potential."

Over the decades, many poor cultivators have died on their journeys, and many others have wasted their lives. How many people, like him, have struggled to survive in the cracks between the poor and the Aristocratic Clan?

He looked down at the old blue robe he was wearing.

Clothes may be better when they're new, but people still retain some of their old charm.

Three months ago, when I wore it, people looked on with indifference, even mocking and ridiculing me.

Yu Yuangui was a scholar from a poor family. He had no family background, so neither Heaven nor Earth knew him. Even if he had extraordinary talents, he was not as good as a son of the Aristocratic Clan.

Now that I have gained fame and fortune at Zhong Mountain, I am still wearing my old clothes. How much do people see me as I used to be?

Thinking of this, Yu Liang's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Perhaps it was the trepidation of returning home, or perhaps it was the excitement of achieving success and wealth, which dispelled the restlessness in his chest.

Of course, Young Master Ye was very wealthy and generous, so he did reward him. The things Young Master Ye gave him were enough to buy him ten new outfits, or even a hundred.

But he couldn't bear to change; he insisted on wearing his old clothes.

These old clothes remind him—where you come from.

As dawn approached, the snow fell heavily; we had arrived at Guangling!

Guangling, the capital of Yangzhou.

"Mr. Yu, we've arrived."

The spirit boat hovered slowly above Guangling.

On the spirit boat, the attendants bowed to Yu Liang.

Yu Liang nodded, lightly touched the snow with his toes, and landed on his own. The wind and snow in Guangling were colder than those in Zhong Mountain. The cold air penetrated the body, and ordinary cultivators had to circulate their spiritual power to resist it.

The snow was ankle-deep underfoot, making a soft crunching sound as I stepped on it. Several people followed behind me as my attendants.

Most of the shops along the city streets were closed, with only a few spirit material shops and talisman shops still dimly lit, where cultivators sat cross-legged behind the counters, breathing and regulating their energy to ward off the cold.

When pedestrians occasionally pass by, they all activate their protective spiritual light, shrink their necks, and hurry along.

Yu Liang walked very slowly.

Observing the atmosphere, discerning the situation, and memorizing the formations— Guangling truly lives up to its reputation as the capital of Yangzhou; it has unique expertise.

In recent days, several more shops in Guangling have been displaying the spirit lanterns and magic cages of the Huainan Gu Clan. The spiritual energy fluctuations are subtle, indicating that they have set up warning arrays.

There were also several spirit armored official ships docked at Guangling Wharf. The two characters "Azure Waves" were engraved on the hulls, and the soldiers on board were wearing spirit armor, their Divine Sense scanning the surroundings.

The tallest pavilion in Guangling City was originally a place where the cultivators of Guangling discussed the Dao, but now the plaque has been changed.

Named Azure Waves Heaven Tianyi, the building is surrounded by detection arrays, exuding a chilling aura.

Before long, several cultivators from Azure Waves Heaven, dressed in brocade robes, walked out of the building, their airs arrogant and haughty. Behind them, armored soldiers held spirit shackles and iron chains, escorting a dozen or so ragged, poor, Rogue Cultivator cultivators towards the official ship at the dock.

The leading man tried to unleash his spiritual power to resist, but the armored soldier shattered his protective aura with a single blow, causing him to scream and fall to his knees.

These cultivators mostly had deep-set eyes and high cheekbones, and their features did resemble those of the Northern Region nomadic tribes. Two of them had mixed Spiritual Qi around them, with a faint hint of pale blue demonic energy.

That was the Azure Wolf Qi Refinement Instruction, which was widely circulated in the Guangling. Although it was a side sect, it was still a cultivation method for humans and not a true demon.

"I am from Guangling, but I cultivate the Azure Wolf Qi Refinement Instruction, not the demonic arts of the Hu tribe! What right do you have to arrest me!"

The armored warrior sneered, sweeping his staff horizontally and shattering the thin layer of protective spiritual light around him.

"Cultivating demonic energy and resembling a barbarian, what else could he be but a barbarian?!"

"What the higher-ups want is to offer prisoners as a sacrifice to Heaven. Whether you accept it or not is up to you."

An old man beside him pleaded in a trembling voice, "I have spent my entire life guarding Guangling, never stepping outside of Jiangnan, how could I be a barbarian..."

"The resemblance is proof of guilt! Cultivating demonic energy is treason!" the armored soldier shouted sternly.

"Azure Waves Heaven makes a decision, do you think you can argue your way out of it?"

The man's eyes were bloodshot, but he was firmly bound by the spirit shackles, unable to move an inch of his cultivation.

"If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext..."

Upon seeing this, Yu Liang remained calm and secretly Divine Sense.

He saw things clearly.

Those who practice unorthodox methods will be arrested; those who follow unorthodox practices will be arrested; those who are destitute and helpless will be arrested.

The one from Azure Waves Heaven never wanted real prisoners, but rather a group of living sacrifices to be offered to the heavens, to seize credit, and to prove one's Dao.

Yu Liang knew where these people would be taken.

They would be taken prisoner by the barbarians and forced to kneel and surrender at the prisoner-of-war ceremony. They would be paraded through the streets of Luoyang as spoils of war, serving as a testament to the military prowess of the Great Jin and leaving a mark on history as a great victory on the Northern Frontier, capturing countless prisoners.

But they were not barbarians.

They were the people of Guangling, the subjects of Huainan, and ants under Sima Canglan's rule. A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an anthill.

He wouldn't take action; he would simply memorize each of those faces.

Yu Liang then withdrew his gaze and continued walking towards his former residence.

He was thinking about how to use these things to gain benefits in the future.

These were the sharpest pillars of public sentiment and righteousness that the Ye Clan would later rely on when they plotted to seize control of the Jianghuai and confront the Sima Clan.

Living in Guangling is no easy feat.

In a secluded alley south of the city lies the former residence of Yu Liang; historically, the south has been poor while the east has been noble.

The wealthy and powerful families gathered in the eastern part of the city, while in the south, shantytowns stretched out, where poor scholars lived in clusters, where the wind and snow were fiercer, and the Spiritual Qi was mixed and chaotic.

A dilapidated courtyard, the spirit patterns on the walls peeling off, the wooden door ajar, the copper rings rusted, even the most basic protective formations have been abandoned.

Yu Liang stood at the door without knocking, simply standing there quietly, letting the wind and snow fall on his shoulders. He had his spiritual power completely concealed, making him appear no different from an ordinary person, but his demeanor and bearing had changed.

After a long while, the courtyard gate opened slightly.

An aged voice came from within, its wary Divine Sense sweeping across:

"Who?"

Yu Liang said softly, "It's me."

After a moment of silence within the crevice, Divine Sense suddenly focused:

"Yuangui?"

Yu Liang nodded.

The courtyard gate was wide open.

The old man had white hair and beard, a hunched back, and his spiritual energy was weak and almost exhausted. Clearly, he had been suffering from poverty for many years, and his cultivation had regressed instead of progressed.

He looked at Yu Liang, at his already somewhat otherworldly demeanor and composure, and at the several attendants standing with their hands at their sides behind him. A complex emotion flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"You... have attained enlightenment?"

Yu Liang gently shook his head:

"It was just luck; I found a job and can Spirit Cuisine salary."

The old man remained silent for a moment, then stepped aside to let him pass.

"Come in, you're home now."

Yu Liang did not step into the courtyard, but instead took out a Storage Bag from his pocket and handed it over.

A faint glimmer of light emanated from the bag.

"Here are three Foundation Establishment and ten thousand low-grade Spirit Stone, enough for Uncle to cultivate peacefully for a while."

The old man looked at the Storage Bag but did not take it.

"What are you doing...?"

"It was a gift from Young Master Ye Clan." Yu Liang said calmly, "I serve under Young Master Ye, handling confidential matters and intelligence planning. My salary is decent, more than enough."

The old man's gaze sharpened:

"The Cloud Mist Ye Clan... Ye Jinyu, the seventh-ranked Hidden Dragon?"

Yu Liang nodded.

The old man remained silent for a long time, then suddenly chuckled softly, a smile tinged with both relief and bittersweetness.

"Okay... okay..."

He finally reached out and took the Storage Bag, his fingertips trembling slightly.

"How are you yourself? Is the Ye Clan truly sincere towards you?"

Yu Liang's lips curled slightly, revealing a rare hint of sincerity:

"The young master is cold on the outside but wise on the inside. He trusts those he employs and grants me power and a path forward. I have sold my life to the Ye Clan."

The old man nodded emphatically.

"It's not easy for us cultivators from humble backgrounds to have achieved what we have today."

Yu Liang bowed deeply, performing the most respectful gesture of a junior.

"Uncle, please take care of your cultivation and be cautious in all matters."

He turned and walked towards the alley entrance.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned his head without looking back:

"I have witnessed everything that has happened in Guangling City. The Gu Clan, Azure Waves Heaven, the captured civilians and cultivators... Uncle, if you encounter any difficulties, you may send a message to me."

"Of course, it would be good if you could help me spread the word a little. After all, my uncle is my only relative, and he is the role model I stand for in Guangling."

"Moreover, the Ye Clan wields immense power in Guangling!"

The old man watched his retreating figure, his voice weathered and worn:

"Yuangui, you've changed."

Yu Liang did not turn around; the wind and snow ruffled his robes, his figure solitary yet resolute.

"Yes."

He responded softly.

I've changed.

In the wind and snow, the figure gradually receded into the distance until it blended into the white expanse of snow and disappeared without a trace.

The old man stood at the door, motionless for a long time.

After a long while, he lowered his head, gripped the Storage Bag tightly in his hand, and murmured softly, his voice trembling slightly:

"Perhaps, even those from humble backgrounds have a chance to rise in status and gain power."

In the most dilapidated part of the south side of the city, there are a few thatched huts.

The thatched hut was rudimentary, lacking even the most basic protective measures, and swayed precariously in the wind and snow.

Yu Liang looked at the few thatched huts with a complicated expression.

This is the place where Jia Ru, the treacherous scholar from Huainan, once lived.

Yu Liang stopped in front of the thatched hut.

The door was ajar.

He didn't push the door open; he simply stood in the snow, quietly gazing at it.

A moment later, he turned and walked toward the spirit boat.

The attendant asked in astonishment, "Mr. Yu, aren't you going in?"

Yu Liang shook his head.

"I set out on a whim, and will return when the whim is over; why should I bother seeing Jia?"

As soon as Yu Liang had a thought, the spirit boat flew over Guangling, causing a commotion.

He then boarded the spirit boat, and his attendants, not daring to ask any questions, followed closely behind.

As the boat sailed further away, the thatched hut grew smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared into the snow and mist.

Yu Liang stood at the bow of the boat, gazing at the road they had come from, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He knew that Jia Ru must be inside the house.

He also knew that Jia Ru must know he had been there.

That's enough.

The deepest affections in the world do not lie in physical meetings, but in the fleeting moments of wind and snow, the deepest feelings, and the unspoken understanding between kindred spirits.

Inside the thatched hut.

A man in a blue robe sat cross-legged on a futon, with a tattered scroll of documents spread out in front of him.

He was extremely ordinary-looking, with a pale complexion that suggested he had never seen the sun in his life. However, when he occasionally raised his eyes, a glint of shrewdness would flash within them.

Jia Ru.

He looked up and gazed out the window from the thatched hut.

On the snow, a line of footprints was clearly visible, stretching from the riverbank all the way to the door, and then—abruptly ending.

There was no knocking, no voice transmission, nothing at all.

The man stood in the snow for a moment, then turned and walked away.

Jia Ru stared at the footprints for a long time in silence.

Then he laughed.

The laughter was soft, echoing in the empty thatched hut.

He got up, walked to the door, and pushed it open.

As the wind and snow poured in, he squinted, Yu Liang's spirit boat was no longer visible.

But in front of the thatched hut, a line of footprints remained in the snow, like a wordless letter.

"Yu Yuangui..." he murmured.

He looked down at the old, broken string in his sleeve.

That's something from many years ago.

At that time, he was a retainer in a prominent Aristocratic Clan, handling shady matters for his master.

Later, when his master fell from power, he managed to escape and lived in anonymity in this thatched hut for ten years.

Ten years have passed, and no one has dared to come looking for him.

Now, an old friend has come, perhaps bringing with him power and wealth.

Looking at the footprints, Jia Ru suddenly felt that the snow didn't seem so cold anymore.

He turned and went back into the house, took out a Jade Slip, and placed it between his eyebrows.

A moment later, he put down the Jade Slip, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Considering the recent situation in the Jianghuai, Yu Liang's intention was simple—"So he's sided with the Ye Clan! And then he's come to question me?"

What should I, Jia Ru, do?

I have nothing but a worthless life. I've had enough of these ten years of loneliness.

Since I'm skilled in underhanded schemes and have a tarnished reputation, why not sell myself for a good price and enjoy endless glory!

Before long, Jia Ru understood, got up, and began to pack his things.

Of course, he didn't have much to pack up. A few tattered scrolls of documents only recorded some insights he had left behind, some arrangements he had made in Jiangnan, and the connections he had built up.

An old, broken string is the spoils of war from the first time I schemed to destroy someone else's family.

His tattered blue robe was a symbol of his scholarly nature; after all, he once aspired to be a refined and elegant gentleman.

This is all that I have.

Jia Ru put these things into his Storage Bag, then pushed open the door and went out.

Outside, the snow was still falling.

He glanced back at the few thatched huts, then turned and walked away through the snow without looking back.