The next day, Wang Anfeng presented the Buddha Beads from Ci and the scroll painting from Mr. Ying to Li Bo.
Today was supposed to be sunny and clear, but there was a sound like a longsword cleaving through the sky, chilling everyone in Great Liang Village to the spine and making their scalps explode. In the blink of an eye, however, they were enveloped by a warm and upright aura as if the terrifying moment had just been an illusion.
The melodious sound of the guqin under the old scholar tree suddenly stopped.
Jiang Shouyi slightly furrowed his brow, looking up at the sky that remained unchanged, and softly said:
"Heaven and Earth follow the Tao, tread lightly, and proceed without fault."
His voice resonated and dissipated; the world, frozen by the Qi mechanism, returned to normal; the sword Qi that soared to the skies slowly vanished with righteousness, leaving only the autumn sky clear as usual. The guqin music resumed, still serene, drawing birds to pause.
In the old house at the entrance of the village, the scroll painting unrolled on the table depicted an ink wash landscape, grand and supposed to be serene, yet filled with a harsh and severe aura. Next to it, the Buddha Beads gently hung in mid-air, emanating waves of tranquil luminescence.
Li Qidao looked at the scroll, where the sword Qi merged into the ink to fully express vast landscapes, his brows tightening. Then, glancing at the beads which were warm like the morning sun and subtly refining the body, he hesitated a moment before heaving a long sigh.
"Enough, enough, descendants have their own blessings... With the owner of these beads around, the boy's body should encounter no problems."
Softly securing the Buddha Beads, the old man glanced sideways at the imposing ink wash landscape, barely discerning the fury within it, and cracked a smile. Casually sweeping it aside, he threw the valuable scroll into a nearby wine jar, leaned back in his recliner, took a sip of turbid wine, and contentedly squinted his eyes, saying leisurely:
"It's this painting... It's terribly ugly, an eyesore to look at."
"The artist must be quite resilient..."
"He probably takes a beating really well."
Imagining the painter being enraged by his Gang Thunder Force, the old man's chest cleared of any pent-up frustrations. He took a sip of wine and chuckled lightly.
From that day onward, Wang Anfeng plunged into intense training. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the chains upon his body felt increasingly heavy. Yet, as he climbed mountains, his endurance seemed to be slowly improving; no longer did he completely lose consciousness as before, so he just assumed it was his own misperception.
After daily training, passing by Jiang Shouyi's residence, he was always invited in for a cup of tea, a piece of guqin music, and a little chat. He often felt something stir within, but couldn't quite grasp it. His respect for the gentle and indifferent Mr. Jiang deepened, and due to his calming presence during visits, Jiang Tianhong grew fonder of him too.
Eight days after Wang Anfeng returned to Great Liang Village, Jiang Shouyi established a small school in the village. He asked for no fee, inviting all interested to listen, discuss literature, and sometimes talk about simple and serene principles. Within days, the villagers held this learned man in high esteem, his status even subtly surpassing that of the village elders.
Therefore, at the end of each class, people would bring some local produce from their homes to offer to Jiang Shouyi and his family.
Jiang Shouyi, wearing a broad robe and belt, set aside the scroll in his hands and, looking at the villagers already gathering under the scholar tree, softly said:
"For today, let this be enough. When you return home, review on your own."
A group of about seven or eight little children stood up, bowed respectfully to Jiang Shouyi, who in turn set down his scroll, and stood to see them out.
He gently refused the enthusiastic villagers offering vegetables and eggs until he saw them disappear down the street. Only then did Jiang Shouyi turn and enter the house, sitting down at his desk.
The elegant lady poured him a cup of tea and softly said:
"We've been here for a month now."
Jiang Shouyi, understanding her hint, nodded slightly and said:
"Indeed... we shall stay for two more months before leaving."
"By initiating them with the melody of the qin, our Confucian Sect's method of enlightenment is enough to guide them to take their first step... What follows next depends on their own choices, for only those who can flap their wings can soar to the heavens."
"It's just... I feel for you and Tianhong."
Jiang Shouyi sighed softly, an apologetic look in his glance toward the woman, who pursed her lips and smiled lightly, looking at Jiang Shouyi, she revealed a playful charm and said,
"What, do you regret it now... You once said, although the world can be foolish, diminishing one person's ignorance adds to another's wisdom, even if I am insignificant, I shall not abandon this path in my lifetime..."
Jiang Shouyi paused, looking at the woman before him, and suddenly he remembered the carefree young scholar who had scolded the nobles in the great hall years ago. In a moment of reverie, it had been over twenty years, yet these words were never forgotten. He smiled and said,
"Never yield the duty to act righteously to another, let alone a king..."
The beautiful woman's lips curved into a smile as she said,
"This is the Shouyi Master of old..."
Jiang Shouyi laughed wryly, but the woman then changed the topic and asked,
"Since last month, I've noticed that the people of Great Liang Village are of ordinary talents, but what do you think of Wang Anfeng?"
Jiang Shouyi recalled the familiar youth and smiled, "In Great Liang Village, Anfeng is like a spike hidden in a sack, bound to stand out one day..."
"Such raw jade is a pity to have already been disciple to another; if he practiced the methods of our Confucian Sect, forty years later he would be a great Confucian, educating the world. If he entered the Taoist Sect, thirty years later, he would be a true Taoist master, wielding the True Martial Sword, sweeping away all demons."
The woman looked slightly startled and said, "Do you rate him that highly?"
Jiang Shouyi nodded and sighed,
"Given his nature, should he not meet an untimely end, one day he will become a grandmaster."
"Viewing all beings in this world, amidst the vast earthly dust."
"It's profoundly regrettable..."
On Great Liang Mount, having consumed the last Qi-absorbing Pill, Wang Anfeng shouted and his right fist struck forward evenly, his fist strength condensed into the mountain, chains clanked, seemingly ordinary, but observing the changes in his vigorous qi, it had smoothed the previously restless qi, truly like the great Yangtze River, vast and powerful.
His fist heavily landed in the center of the old tree trunk, a muffled sound was heard, and the old tree slowly toppled over, raising a cloud of dust and waves of air. Wang Anfeng stood up, took a light breath, and frowned slightly at his right fist, murmuring:
"Master Jiang spoke of the natural and the ordinary, this vigorous qi originally emanates from me, yet why can I still not control it, not achieving that perfectly balanced state..."
"Every punch always leads to a rebound of inner strength."
"If every bit of strength were directed to one place, it should be stronger."
As he frowned in thought, suddenly heavy footsteps sounded from the jungle behind him. The youth thought it was another woodcutter returning and turned to greet them, but then a fierce wind struck his face, his heart stopped abruptly, and he rolled backward, the wind grazing past his body.
The old tree beside him burst open, the thick wood that Wang Anfeng took hours to break was instantly torn with four massive crevices, the edges sharp, making the youth's pupils contract sharply, and at this moment, behemoth stepped out in front of him, eyes locked on the youth, its fangs dripping with thick saliva.
Deep roars echoed through the woods, startling a mountain of birds and sparrows.