Longzang

Chapter 4 Human Affairs, Immortal Affairs (Part 1)

The sun was not yet high in the sky, the sky was bright and clear, and Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng had been discussing their lessons in the study for an hour. The desk in front of Wei Yuan had been replaced by a proper desk, and the bookshelves on both sides, which had been empty, were now filled with bound books. The books on the shelves were all written by the two of them, one shelf for Zhang Sheng and one shelf for Wei Yuan.

When Zhang Sheng was rescued, he was only wearing the clothes on his back. The Wei residence had very few books, mostly almanacs and account books. Therefore, the books Zhang Sheng used for his early education were all written by himself. Most of the books on Wei Yuan's shelf were copies of Zhang Sheng's works, used for memorizing classics and practicing calligraphy, but there were also a few that truly reflected his own thoughts. However, these few books were no longer on the shelf, but were placed in front of Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng was now rereading Wei Yuan's writings. The room was silent, with only the sunlight falling in, which seemed to stir up a faint murmur.

Wei Yuan's writing is naturally immature, but it's clear that the author has his own ideas and doesn't follow clichés. What's especially commendable is that he can make his own points coherent. However, at this point, the writing is beginning to show its sharp edge, and it's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.

While Zhang Sheng was reading, Wei Yuan sat still, as calm as a statue.

After a moment, Zhang Sheng came to his senses and looked at his disciple, with whom he had spent three years, carefully once again. He said, "I have already taught you all the three thousand things of the mortal world. As for the matters of the immortals, you will naturally learn them when you enter the sect to cultivate. For the past three years, five hours a day, rain or shine, I have given you the essential essence of what I have learned in my life. The rest is nothing more than polishing the details."

Zhang Sheng paused for a moment, then said solemnly, “But you must remember one thing: in human affairs, it is difficult to distinguish right from wrong. The way to choose is up to one’s own heart. What I teach you is only how to see all aspects comprehensively and how to weigh the pros and cons, but the final decision always depends on yourself. I cannot teach you this, nor can the sages.”

Wei Yuan nodded.

Zhang Sheng looked at him, suddenly smiled, and said, "Stand up and let your teacher see you!"

Wei Yuan stood up in response, standing as straight as a pine tree.

At this time, Wei Yuan had just turned six, but he was already taller than most children in farming families who were around ten years old. His features had matured, losing much of his childishness and gradually revealing a youthful spirit. However, he had always been quiet and reserved, only becoming eloquent when discussing current affairs with Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng looked Wei Yuan up and down several times and sighed, "When I first met you, you weren't even up to my waist. Now you're already taller than my shoulder. Time really flies."

Wei Yuan suddenly bowed deeply and said, "I will forever remember your kindness, teacher!"

Zhang Sheng chuckled and reached out to pat Wei Yuan's head. Wei Yuan was naturally reserved and quiet, so it was rare for him to speak so directly. But it was precisely because of this that it showed his words came from within, and that he couldn't express himself without saying them.

However, Wei Yuan was already quite tall at this point, so patting his head was not so easy.

Zhang Sheng sighed, "You're a child who's cold on the outside but warm on the inside. You're born with a handsome face and are very opinionated. I'm not afraid of anything else, but I'm afraid you'll suffer in matters of the heart in the future. Sigh, why am I telling you all this? If I hadn't thought about it carefully, I would have almost forgotten that you're only six years old."

"That was the last lesson. Our three years as master and disciple have been quite fulfilling. Next month is the Immortal Sect's unified examination, which is held every five years. You must not miss it. I will go to the prefectural government with you to take the exam. These next two days, I need to organize my writings and notes from the past three years. You should have a good time for the next two days!"

Wei Yuan finally said, "...I'll help you pack."

Zhang Sheng smiled and said, "Alright."

Outside the window, Wei Youcai let out a long sigh of relief, then quietly left with the bald man and the butler.

After walking a few steps away, Wei Youcai patted his thigh, let out a long sigh, and said, "Finally, I don't have to squat against the wall anymore! Three years! My legs are as hard as iron. You two have been squatting for three years, what have you learned?"

The sixth brother touched his bald head and said, "After hearing so much about the world, I finally understand that what I thought before was right. There's no such thing as morality in this world, it's all about one word: fight! If you win, you'll be emperors and generals; if you lose, you'll be nothing but dead bones of bandits. It's that simple!"

Wei Youcai sighed and looked at the butler: "And you?"

The steward calmly replied, "I have gained further insight into the military strategies I learned in my youth. There are no fixed formations in warfare, just as water has no constant shape! If we encounter those refugees again, why would we need to guard the house? My sixth brother and I will take a dozen or so men and follow the refugee caravan. We'll light smoke signals during the day and set fires at night. We'll fire arrows whenever we have nothing else to do. If they dare to chase us, we'll pull them away and cut them down. No matter how many thousands they are, they'll be exhausted in a few days and disperse on their own."

The bald man snorted, indicating his disbelief: "You really studied the art of war? How come you don't seem to know many characters?"

The butler blushed and argued, "My teacher only taught orally. He didn't need to be literate; what came out of his mouth went into my ears."

The bald man scoffed, "Your cheap teacher is probably illiterate too."

After arguing for a while, the two realized that Wei Youcai had been silent for a long time. When they looked over, they saw Wei Youcai looking up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.

The bald butler and the butler exchanged a glance and asked, "Brother, something's on your mind?"

Wei Youcai didn't lower his head, but just blinked hard and said, "It's nothing. I was just thinking that now that Yuan'er has joined the Immortal Sect, I don't know when we'll see each other again."

The butler and the bald man exchanged bewildered glances, their smiles fading. The butler tried to console them: "I've heard that cultivating oneself greatly increases one's lifespan; as the saying goes, a day in heaven is equivalent to a day on earth..."

The butler was too quick to speak; by the time he realized something was wrong, he had already said half of what he was going to say.

"It's alright, I'm just a little tired and want to go back to my room to rest. You all go about your business." Wei Youcai waved his hand and went back to his bedroom.

Three days later, as dawn broke, Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan set off for the county town. In addition to their mounts, they also had two mules carrying their luggage.

Wei Youcai accompanied him for thirty li before turning back. He simply stayed by his side silently the whole way, saying little, and when they parted, he merely waved and turned away.

In the afternoon, Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng finally left the rugged mountain path and got onto the main road leading to the county town.

The so-called "main road" was actually a rammed earth road, only wide enough for two mule carts to pass side by side. The surface was full of potholes, with four deep tire tracks in the middle, clearly indicating that it had been in disrepair for many years. However, this was a better road than Wei Yuan had ever seen before. The mountain roads in Ye County were rugged and difficult to travel on, making it impossible for carts to pass. Only mules could be ridden, and only wealthy families owned donkeys, and even then, they had only a few.

The mule is short and slow, about the same walking speed as an average person. Its advantage is its long endurance, ability to carry heavy loads, and ability to eat coarse feed, so it is widely distributed in mountainous areas.

Zhang Sheng wanted Wei Yuan to see more of the world outside the mountains, so he didn't walk very fast.

Looking ahead at the main road, Zhang Sheng was suddenly filled with emotion and said, "Twenty years ago, I went to participate in the Immortal Sect's unified examination, just like you. At that time, your grandmaster spotted me among more than twenty people. And I did not disappoint, overpowering the others, not only becoming the number one in this prefecture, but also having no rivals in the entire Yunzhou. Later, I achieved success in my cultivation and entered the world to gain experience. I thought I could do something great like you, but I never expected to suffer repeated setbacks and achieve nothing after many years."

At this point, Zhang Sheng glanced at Wei Yuan and smiled, "But now that I have you, these years haven't been wasted. Since you are my disciple, the Immortal Sect's unified examination will be a piece of cake. If I don't leave the second place far behind, it would damage my reputation. Now, let me tell you about the lineage's inheritance. Although it's unconventional, it's not a big deal."

After a pause, Zhang Sheng exuded an air of arrogance and said, "I come from the Tianqing Hall of the Taichu Palace. After you pass the unified examination, that will also be your place of cultivation."

Although Wei Yuan was usually calm, he was also greatly surprised at this moment: "Taichu Palace? Taichu Palace, one of the four great immortal sects?"

“The Taichu Palace, the head of the four great immortal sects,” Zhang Sheng corrected.

Wei Yuan looked at Zhang Sheng with some suspicion and said, "You said that in our remote little county, apart from the Red Tide Sect of this county, only one or two third-rate sects come to recruit disciples all year round. The Tai Chu Palace is high and mighty, why would it come here?"

Zhang Sheng had previously explained the basics of the Immortal Sect Unified Examination to Wei Yuan. The numerous sects participating in the examination were divided into four ranks. Rank four sects, like the Crimson Tide Sect, could only recruit disciples within their own prefecture. Rank three sects, called Blessed Lands, could recruit disciples within a single prefecture, though occasionally they could recruit disciples in other prefectures, with strict limits on the number of disciples they could recruit. Rank two sects, called Grotto-Heavens, could recruit disciples within their own country.

At the very top are the Four Great Immortal Sects, who can recruit disciples throughout the entire Great Tang Dynasty. However, the Four Great Immortal Sects are extremely high and mighty, and the number of disciples they recruit each year is very limited. In the past 50 years, the Four Great Immortal Sects have only come to Fengyuan County three times, giving out a total of five disciples.

That's why Wei Yuan asked this question.

However, Zhang Sheng smiled slightly and said slowly, "Don't worry, this time it's uncertain whether other immortal sects will come, but the Tai Chu Palace will definitely come. But there's no need to be concerned. You have already received my true teachings. If someone else is exceptionally talented and very diligent, they might only reach 70% of your level."

After studying diligently with Zhang Sheng for three years, Wei Yuan learned one thing: not to blindly believe or follow others, including Zhang Sheng.

His doubts remained, and he continued to press, "But I still don't understand why the Taichu Palace would give our prefecture a spot?"

Zhang Sheng finally waited for him to ask the question, and then casually said, "Your grandmaster's Daoist name is Burning Sea True Man, one of the three True Men of the Azure Sky Hall of the Primordial Palace; the Supreme Ancestor, Mysterious Moon True Man, was the Hall Master of the Azure Sky Hall two hundred years ago. All the grandmasters value the inheritance of the Daoist lineage the most, so once you enter the Azure Sky Hall, you will naturally receive many benefits. However, he is very concerned about his reputation, so you must fully demonstrate your knowledge in this unified examination and eliminate all the others, so as not to disgrace him."

Wei Yuan listened with skepticism. Was his teacher really that important? Moreover, judging from Zhang Sheng's implication, it was because he had taken on a student in Fengyuan County that the Taichu Palace had made an exception and given him a spot.

Although Wei Yuan was unclear about the rules and regulations within the Taichu Palace, he felt that Zhang Sheng, as the grand-disciple of one of the palace masters, was not capable of handling such a significant matter.

I wonder how many disciples and grand-disciples the Mysterious Moon True Lord has. Historical records say that a prince of the Northern Qi Dynasty once loved to recruit talented people, taking in all sorts of scoundrels and petty thieves, and ended up with three thousand retainers. Cultivators live long lives, so if the Mysterious Moon True Lord also likes to have disciples all over the world, perhaps he has more than three thousand disciples and grand-disciples.

Zhang Sheng, of course, had no idea that Wei Yuan was secretly gossiping about him. At this moment, he was gazing into the distance, his thoughts already drifting to the distant prefectural capital. Just as he was feeling relaxed and carefree, he suddenly heard the rapid sound of hooves from behind. Several knights galloped up from behind.

The knights rode towering, dark blue warhorses, each a zhang tall, their iron hooves thundering on the ground, their aura overwhelming. Seemingly in a hurry, they galloped at full speed, rushing past Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan like the wind. Their drum-sized hooves kicked up clouds of sand and dust with each stomp on the road, showering Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan with a deluge!

The road was narrow, and Zhang Sheng couldn't dodge in time. His Daoist powers were also sealed, so he was completely covered in dirt. His original air of otherworldly grace and serene composure was utterly obliterated by this patch of earth.

Looking at Zhang Sheng, who was covered in dust and dirt, Wei Yuan suddenly felt that even if Tai Chu Palace really gave Feng Yuanjun a spot this time, it probably wouldn't have anything to do with Zhang Sheng.

(End of this chapter)