In the early morning, Li Yan awoke from a dream. The sky was just beginning to lighten. He opened his eyes in a daze to an unfamiliar environment. The ceiling was no longer the familiar, dark wooden beams of his old home, but a flat, dark green roof. His mind was momentarily confused. He slowly turned his head to look around the room and only then realized that this was not the old house he had lived in for over a decade. A sense of strangeness and loneliness washed over him. He took a breath, sat up with a blank expression, walked to the table, and pushed open the window. A cool breeze that pierced to the lungs blew in from the open window, instantly refreshing him.
Looking out the window, the valley was embraced by high peaks on three sides, soaring straight into the somewhat dark blue sky. A few stars in the brightening sky, tinged with the coolness of dawn, sprinkled down from above. Dark green vines and shrubs on the valley floor crept upwards from the bottom, rising and falling in layers, like the undulating back of a giant beast. The chirping of birds echoed through the valley, carrying a hint of ethereal crispness.
Nearby, behind the stone table outside his window, there was indeed a pool of water. A thin mist swirled and lingered above it, like a layer of fine gauze or rising wisps of cool air.
Li Yan stood blankly by the window, looking outside. After standing for a while, he felt much calmer. He turned back to the bed, got dressed, opened the door, and walked out. He glanced at the doors of the other rooms to his left; they were all still tightly closed. So, he lightened his steps and walked slowly towards the pool.
When he reached the edge of the pool, Li Yan found that it was about four or five zhang wide and oval-shaped. One side of the pool was against the mountain wall. Two or three streams of spring water flowed slowly down from the mountaintop, polishing the stone wall until it was smooth and glistening. The roots of many vines along the way had been washed bare, their tendrils swaying with the downward flow of the clear spring water. On either side of the streams, lush green moss grew thickly, forming several channels of clear spring water from the top of the mountain.
The surface of the pool rippled gently, lapping against the numerous pebbles on the shore, creating ripples. Above it, wisps of white mist swirled and drifted like several transparent white silk ribbons. The water was clear, but he couldn't tell how deep it was. Looking down, the water became dark and cold.
Li Yan squatted down, cupped some water in his hands, and washed his face. It was so cold it made his skin tingle, but it was incredibly refreshing.
Li Yan stood up and looked towards the south side of the pool. Only then did he discover a large patch of what looked like both a vegetable garden and a flower garden. He was about to go over for a closer look when a voice suddenly sounded in his ear. "That patch is just some vegetables and a few wildflowers that your teacher planted in his spare time."
Startled, Li Yan quickly turned to look for the source of the voice. He saw a man in a black robe standing between the two stone tables in front of the row of houses, smiling at him.
"Tea... Teacher," Li Yan quickly turned and saluted upon seeing who it was. "Student has disturbed Teacher's rest. Please punish me, Teacher."
The man in black was, of course, Strategist Ji. He waved his hand at him. "Your teacher has been up for a long time, just meditating and practicing in my room."
"This valley is only so big. You will have plenty of time to familiarize yourself with it later. The servants will be bringing breakfast soon. After you have washed up and eaten, come to my room."
Li Yan quickly replied, "Yes, Teacher."
After speaking, Strategist Ji gave him a gentle smile and turned to walk back. Watching his teacher's back, Li Yan, for some reason, felt a warmth like the love his parents had for him in their old house back home.
Not long after he returned to his room, the woman from last night brought breakfast. It was a light meal: a few steamed buns, a few small dishes of pickled vegetables, and a large bowl of century egg and lean pork congee. Li Yan ate with great relish. Even these common foods were a rare treat for him back home. But with the thought of his teacher wanting to see him, he ate very quickly.
After finishing breakfast, Li Yan hurried to the first stone house on the east side of the valley entrance. When he arrived at the door, Li Yan saw that it was not closed. His teacher must be waiting for him. So, he stood outside the door and said, "Teacher, disciple pays his respects."
"Oh, you're here. Come in then," a gentle, middle-aged voice came from inside. Li Yan entered as instructed. The room was about the same size as his own. There was a large wooden bed on the north side and a four or five-tiered bookshelf on the west side, but this one was filled with books. On the east side were similar simple toiletries. The difference was that a low table was placed on a large rug in the center of the room. On the low table was a guqin of ancient design. The body of the instrument was mottled in several places but was very smooth, clearly from being touched for a long time.
In front of the guqin was a small, exquisite incense burner with three sticks of clear incense inserted in it. Wisps of clear smoke slowly rose from the tips of the three incense sticks, and a faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the room, bringing a sense of peace to the mind.
Behind the table, a man in a black robe sat cross-legged, his hands tucked into his large sleeves. He was looking at Li Yan with a smile. It was Strategist Ji.
"Come, sit before the table," Strategist Ji said, raising his right hand from his sleeve, beckoning to Li Yan and pointing to the rug in front of the table. Li Yan quickly walked to the rug, took off his shoes, and knelt formally facing his teacher. These were etiquettes the old scholar had taught him. Seeing him do this, Strategist Ji couldn't help but smile faintly.
"Li Yan, today I will tell you about our sect," Strategist Ji said after Li Yan had settled down.
"Yes, Teacher. Disciple is all ears," Li Yan replied respectfully, looking at his teacher.
"Our sect is called the 'Woodshadow Sect.' It was founded six hundred years ago, but for generations, its members have not entered the world, usually hiding in the deep mountains, unknown to the common folk. Our sect's martial arts are a closely guarded secret. Furthermore, the requirements for cultivators are extremely strict, making the search for disciples akin to finding a needle in a haystack. For generations, there have only been two or three disciples. In my generation, there is only me. Needless to say, the martial arts of our sect, when practiced to a high level, may not be world-conquering, but they can certainly be considered peerless in their era," Strategist Ji's gentle voice explained slowly. He paused here.
Li Yan listened attentively and chimed in softly, "Yes, when I entered the city, I heard people say that Teacher could move through an army of ten thousand as if it were empty space. Such divine skill is truly unheard of."
Strategist Ji smiled and continued, "In the future, if you cultivate diligently, your achievements may not be beneath your teacher's." Hearing this, Li Yan quickly said, "Teacher is too kind. How could this disciple compare to Teacher? No matter how hard I train, Teacher will surely continue to improve day by day. I will never be able to catch up."
Strategist Ji smiled and said, "We of our generation should have a heart that scorns the world. You must not be like this."
Li Yan did not dare to say more and just nodded, saying, "Yes."
Strategist Ji then continued, "Your teacher's emergence from the mountains this time was for a reason. Besides being formidable in martial arts, the Woodshadow Sect's previous generations have also studied the path of herbal medicine extensively. For hundreds of years, generation after generation of masters have devoted themselves to studying the way of plants and trees in the deep mountains. Although they do not enter the world, they do travel and train, and at the same time, they practice medicine to save the world, curing the sick and saving those in peril. This is a tradition of our sect. To learn but not be able to use one's knowledge is useless. Martial arts are merely a means of self-preservation for us as we walk the martial world."
Hearing this, Li Yan couldn't help but feel a sense of solemn respect. 'So, besides martial arts, my sect also has such a practice of benefiting the common people. It is truly a righteous sect,' he thought.
"Your teacher also followed this path of cultivation and travel. Unfortunately, five or six years ago, while gathering herbs in the deep mountains, I was accidentally bitten by an unknown poisonous insect. After months of treatment, there was no improvement, and in fact, it worsened. In desperation, I visited many friends and famous doctors. Although their medical skills may not be stronger than your teacher's, who could know if they knew the origin of this poison? If I could learn the origin of this insect, it might not be impossible to find a cure. But things did not go as planned, and no one recognized this poison. As the poison has slowly invaded my internal organs, your teacher has still been unable to find an antidote. I can only temporarily suppress the poison with my skills, but I can only suppress it for seven or eight years. It has already been about six years now. If I cannot find an antidote in this time, then I can only say that it is my fate."
Li Yan was greatly shocked to hear this. Looking at his teacher's pale face, which had a faint blackish tint, his expression changed. "Then Teacher must not have found an antidote, otherwise your complexion would not be like this."
Strategist Ji nodded and smiled. "It's no matter. Life and death are decided by fate."
Li Yan said anxiously, "What should we do?"
Strategist Ji raised his hand and waved it at him. "Hehe, be patient. This is the reason your teacher has come out into the world. I want to find a disciple to inherit the sect's legacy. Otherwise, if the lineage is broken with me, how can I face the past masters and seniors in the afterlife? Alas! It is just that our sect's technique is so domineering that only those with a special constitution are suitable. If one were to forcibly cultivate it, their meridians would reverse their flow, and death would be certain. Such people are truly hard to find. In the past, when our sect looked for disciples, the masters of each generation would search for suitable people while traveling the world and practicing medicine. Although such a constitution is hard to find, in this vast world, it can eventually be found. But if I were to follow the old method of searching for disciples, I don't have that kind of time. Later, I could only think of this method, to come to the army. There are many young men in the army, and they
Hearing this, Li Yan thought, 'So Teacher came to the army to better search for a disciple. That strange silver needle pulse-testing method he used yesterday must be the way to find this special constitution.' However, the thought of the pain in his abdomen made him feel a faint sense of dread.
As if he had seen through his thoughts, Strategist Ji said to him, "This special constitution is a hidden one. It cannot be stimulated without using my sect's method. Although the stimulation process is inevitably painful, it is a necessary prerequisite to ensure the cultivation of our sect's technique. Your teacher has been in this army for five or six years, and I have tested most of these hundreds of thousands of soldiers. It took all this time to find only two people. One was found last year, and the other is you."
Li Yan was stunned. 'Two people? Isn't it just me and Teacher in this valley? I didn't hear Chen An or Li Yin mention anyone else yesterday. Besides Teacher's bedroom and the adjacent cultivation room, I've been in the other two rooms, and I'm even living in one of them.' At this thought, a vague impression seemed to surface in his mind. He thought carefully again and suddenly remembered that yesterday at the drill grounds, while he was lost in his own thoughts outside the tent, his teacher and Marshal Hong were talking. Marshal Hong seemed to have said something about "the person accepted last time..."
When Strategist Ji mentioned this, he saw Li Yan's dazed expression and couldn't help but wonder, 'Hong Linying also mentioned this matter yesterday. Why does he still look so surprised?' But after a moment's thought, he understood the reason. He didn't know, however, that Li Yan hadn't actually heard clearly what Marshal Hong had said yesterday.
"Are you surprised that you haven't seen the other person I mentioned? I should tell you about this matter." He took a slow breath and continued, "That person would be considered your senior brother. I found him at the beginning of last year, and he then joined our sect. Do you remember yesterday, after testing your constitution, I asked you if you could read?"
Li Yan nodded. Of course, he remembered that.
"Your senior brother had never studied before. After he joined, I thought that with my personal guidance, he could cultivate. But your teacher was too impatient and underestimated the domineering nature of our sect's technique. After your senior brother had been cultivating for over a month, one time when I had gone into the city to discuss matters with the Marshal, he rashly practiced the subsequent cultivation method he had just learned. Because his comprehension was insufficient, it caused his qi and blood to flow in reverse. By the time I returned, he was already... alas."
As he said this, a look of guilt and regret appeared on Strategist Ji's face. "This is also my fault for being too impatient. The poison in my body has been incurable, and my health has been getting worse and worse, so I have been anxious about the sect's inheritance. Besides needing the master's personal guidance, our sect's technique also requires one to comprehend its mysteries word by word, line by line, and then, in accordance with one's own body's condition, slowly guide the internal qi, proceeding step by step. But this time, I was too confident that with my personal teaching, there would be no problems. In the end, it resulted in an irreversible mistake." As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes.
Hearing this, Li Yan was shocked. 'So the person he found earlier is already dead. Yesterday, Marshal Hong seemed to be talking about comparing aptitudes. It seems he was talking about my aptitude, comparing it to my deceased senior brother. How can I be compared to a dead person? If that senior brother had a better aptitude than me and still met such an end, wouldn't my fate be even worse?' At this thought, a cold sweat broke out on his back.
He looked up at his teacher, his mouth moving as if he wanted to say that he was afraid he couldn't cultivate either. But seeing the tears and a trace of hope in his teacher's eyes, he became conflicted. This was a deadly task. His heart was in turmoil. After a long time, he steeled himself. 'If I back down now, I might be sent straight back to the village by my teacher. How would I face my parents then? Even if things turn out better, I'll still have to return to the army and start as a common soldier, fighting on the battlefield. Whether I live or die then will still not be up to me. Neither of these outcomes is what I want. I might as well take the risk. Besides, I'm well-read. In the future, when I'm studying and comprehending the techniques, if I can't understand something, I just won't rashly continue to the next step. Moreover, the reason my teacher's heaven-shaking abilities are as invincible as the legends say is precisely because of the domineering nature of our sect's martial arts. There's no such
Strategist Ji saw the look in his eyes and understood his thoughts. He smiled in relief and then continued, "Since that incident, I had actually given up much hope. Finding a suitable person, I thought there wasn't enough time, that it was too uncertain. Who knew that the heavens had eyes, that just before I was about to wither away in despair, there would be a new dawn."