An Ping felt that if he really was dreaming, he had probably been so shocked in reality that he had already rolled right out of bed.
He couldn’t have misheard, could he? That person’s name was Mu Gesheng? The same Mu Gesheng he knew?
He had thought Fourth Brother looked somewhat familiar earlier, but he hadn’t paid much attention to it. This young man seemed to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, whereas the Mu Gesheng he knew had repeated three years of school and was at least in his early twenties.
Perhaps their facial features were similar, but their temperaments were worlds apart.
An Ping studied the young man beneath the moonlight. His eyes and brows were bright, and his whole face radiated youthful spirit.
How had this person grown up to become a miserly, money-grubbing charlatan?
Well, he was still pretty stingy now, too.
Silver light flashed, and the two quickly became locked in combat. The full moon reflected on the lake shattered into fragments, and water splashed in every direction.
Mu Gesheng and Chai Shuxin seemed evenly matched. The two of them stirred up such tremendous waves that the entire lake looked as though it were being battered by a raging storm.
An Ping watched with growing excitement. It took him a while to realize something: with all this commotion, why hadn’t anyone from the Chai residence come out to stop them?
Did everyone in this family have such excellent sleep quality?
Mu Gesheng then voiced the very question that had occurred to him.
“We’re making such a racket. Is someone going to report us for disturbing the peace tomorrow morning?”
“The Chai residence has the Nine-Bend Corridor. Neither gods nor ghosts can enter.” Chai Shuxin’s voice was cold. “Once inside the corridor, you can enter, but you cannot leave. It’s impossible for any sound to escape.”
Hearing this, Mu Gesheng took out a copper coin and flicked it toward the covered corridor beside the lake.
“What about this, then?”
The copper coin pierced straight through the wall. A series of loud crashes followed, and half of the corridor immediately collapsed.
“There, now it’s the Eight-Bend Corridor.” Mu Gesheng clapped his hands. “The soundproofing must be weaker now. Disturbing the neighbors in the middle of the night is hardly gentlemanly conduct. I’ve heard that Young Master Chai has always been a man of restraint. Are you sure you still want to continue fighting?”
An Ping was stunned by this behavior of demolishing buildings at the slightest disagreement.
Chai Shuxin first froze, then flew into a rage.
“The Heavenly Calculation Sect has passed down forty-nine Mountain Ghost Flower Coins to each of its direct disciples for generations, and you’re using one to smash a wall?”
An Ping covered his face with his hand.
Bro, you’ve got your priorities all wrong.
Shouldn’t you be more concerned about Mu Gesheng’s money—or rather, your own house?
“No amount of money can buy something I don’t feel like doing.” Mu Gesheng was surprisingly generous at that moment. “This is called spending money to buy peace.”
Chai Shuxin flung his long sleeves aside, apparently deciding that there was nothing left to say to this man. Silver needles rained down like a torrential downpour, but Mu Gesheng refused to engage him head-on any longer. Instead, he turned around and ran.
A moment later, another tremendous crash rang out.
Another building collapsed.
The two fought from the middle of the night until daybreak, one running while the other chased him. In just a few short hours, Mu Gesheng had demolished three covered corridors and nine rooms in total.
When Second Brother arrived the next morning to pick someone up, he stared at the Chai residence’s now-bare entrance and asked, “What happened to your main gate?”
“Good morning, Young Master.” The servant bowed. “Young Master Mu smashed it with money.”
“Nonsense.” Second Brother rejected the explanation without a second thought. “Fourth Brother isn’t that generous.”
The servant was speechless.
Second Brother was led through the residence and stopped in front of a small building. It was the same medicine room as the previous day.
When he pushed open the door, he saw Mu Gesheng lying on a couch while having medicine applied to his wounds. His entire body was wrapped up like half a rice dumpling.
“Oh, Second Brother! Morning!”
Despite the bruises and swelling covering his body, the man was still grinning as though he didn’t feel any pain.
“I’m hungry. Has the wonton stall at the east gate opened yet?”
“I brought him here to treat his injuries.” Second Brother paused, then turned to look at the servant beside him. “Did your residence beat him up again?”
“Oh, no, no. Don’t make things difficult for them.” Mu Gesheng bit down on the bandage, speaking somewhat indistinctly. “I got into a fight with someone. Feeling sorry for me? Then buy me a meal.”
“Well done,” Second Brother said bluntly. “You’ve always been asking for a beating.”
“Now, that’s where you’re wrong.” Mu Gesheng looked extremely pleased with himself. “That little physician was even more badly injured than I was. They just dug him out from under a pile of rubble. He was crushed pretty badly. I’m afraid he’s in rough shape.”
“Little physician?” Second Brother raised an eyebrow. “Who did you fight?”
“Take a guess.”
“You fucking… Don’t tell me you beat up Chai Shuxin?”
The window flew open with a loud smack, and a burst of laughter rang out, startling the birds outside the corridor into flight.
“HAHAHAHAHAHA! You should’ve seen the look on that little physician’s face!” Mu Gesheng slapped the table and roared with laughter. “His expression was as cold as the dead of winter! HAHAHAHAHAHA! That guy is just too much fun!”
“You could’ve fought him, but why did you have to demolish his house?” Second Brother sat opposite him and snorted. “Pathetic.”
“Our skills are about evenly matched. If we fought seriously, I could end it quickly, but I wouldn’t last in a war of attrition.” Mu Gesheng laughed so hard he was practically falling off his seat. “Ordinary fights are no problem for me, of course, but that little physician comes from the Chai family of the Medicinal Clan. The Medicinal Clan may not be a martial family, but their technique of controlling needles with a flick of the hand isn’t something ordinary moves can defend against. I only had seventeen Mountain Ghost Flower Coins, while he must have had hundreds, if not thousands, of silver needles hidden in his sleeves. Wouldn’t fighting him head-on be suicide? I had no choice but to find other ways to make his life miserable!”
“Underhanded tricks. You won without honor.”
“I was an injured man! It was he who chased after me and kept attacking. That was winning without honor.” Mu Gesheng flopped down onto the couch. “Whatever. Neither of us came out of it any better. But that little physician is quite interesting. If I get the chance, I’ll go play with him again.”
“You demolished half the Chai residence, and you still think there’ll be a next time?”
“There’s always a way out.” Mu Gesheng pulled out a copper coin and tossed it up and down in his hand. “At worst, I’ll cast a divination before going there next time and figure out which gate to use. Oh, right, Second Brother. If that little physician fought you, how many moves could he last?”
“Twenty moves, if I didn’t use my saber.”
“That’s perfect!” Mu Gesheng slapped his thigh. “Next time, you’re coming with me. Then he won’t dare fight me!”
“In your dreams.” Song Wentong rejected the idea without the slightest hesitation. “I’m not going.”
“Huh?” Mu Gesheng froze, then asked in astonishment, “Now, that’s a first. Is there actually someone in this world whom you, Song Wentong, are afraid to fight?”
“He belongs to the Medicinal Clan. The Seven Great Schools prohibit internal fighting among their own members.”
“Don’t give me that lofty Mohist attitude of yours right now. When you chase after me and beat me up, where’s all that solidarity and brotherly love?”
“That’s because you deserve to be beaten,” Song Wentong replied. “You know Chai Shuxin’s identity, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. The Chai family of the Medicinal Clan is one of the Seven Great Schools. He’s the head of the Chai family, the current Lingshuzi, who holds authority over the Medicinal Clan and ranks among the Seven Masters.”
Song Wentong snorted at this. “Of the Seven Great Schools, six have survived to the present day: the Heavenly School’s Heavenly Calculator, the Immortal School’s Changshengzi, the Zhu School’s Xingxiuzi, the Medicinal School’s Lingshuzi, the Yin-Yang School’s Wuchangzi, and the Mohist School’s Mozi. The Chai family’s medical skills are unparalleled. Three thousand years ago, they rose to become the foremost family of the Medicinal School. Since then, every head of the Chai family has ranked among the Seven Masters. Even our teacher has to address him as ‘Lingshuzi.’ And you damn well went and beat him up! Do you think our teacher won’t punish you for it?”
“You don’t have to ramble on and on just to tell me he comes from a powerful family. So he’s one of the Seven Masters. That’s nothing special. I hang out with two of them on a daily basis, for crying out loud.” Mu Gesheng was completely unbothered. “Besides, aren’t you, the dignified Mozi of the Mohist School, always getting punished by our teacher? Are you afraid of him?”
“I can beat Chai Shuxin, and I’m not afraid of being punished by our teacher,” Song Wentong said. “But in the entire Ginkgo Academy, you’re the only one who would dare provoke him.”
“Why?”
“Overthrowing a king is a minor matter. Losing your life at the hands of the Medicinal Clan is a much bigger one. If you don’t have a life tough enough to withstand it, then don’t provoke the people who can save your life.”
Song Wentong slapped Mu Gesheng on the head.
“You’ve been dragged back from the gates of hell several times already. Who the hell do you think has the ability to save you when you’re half dead?”
Mu Gesheng went rigid, staring at him in disbelief. “The person who saved me those previous times… was that little physician? Seriously?”
Song Wentong merely gave him a cold look.
Mu Gesheng thought for a moment. “Am I doomed? Is it too late to apologize now?”
“Too late.”
“What if I cling to his leg and beg for forgiveness?”
“He’d probably beat you up all over again.”
“Then forget it. Why would I go out of my way to get beaten?” Mu Gesheng wasn’t particularly stubborn about it. He stood up carelessly. “If I get the chance in the future, I’ll apologize and make it up to him.”
“Give me a hand.”
“You’re as delicate as a woman. Don’t touch me.” Song Wentong stepped back and handed him the saber he was holding. “Use this as a walking stick.”
“Ah, look at me. My father doesn’t love me, my mother doesn’t care about me, and even my own brothers treat me like dirt.” Mu Gesheng hugged the saber and sighed mournfully. “I go out and offend people, then have to travel thousands of miles back to the mountain just to complain to our teacher.”
“Are you done talking yet?”
“Nope. Listen if you want to, or don’t.” Mu Gesheng rolled his eyes. “You’d better find some cotton and stuff your ears before we get back to the mountain. Once I see our teacher, I’ll have even more to say—Hey! What are you doing? I’m warning you, I’m an injured man!”
“Shutting your mouth.”
As the saying goes, there’s always someone better than you. The two were simply not on the same level when it came to martial arts. Mu Gesheng, who had caused havoc at the Chai residence for half the night without anyone being able to subdue him, was flipped over with a single move by Song Wentong and carried off like a piece of luggage.
Song Wentong carried him without slowing his pace in the slightest, taking him all the way out of the city.
Beyond the city stood a mountain. On the mountain stood a temple, and within the temple was an academy.
The courtyard was filled with ginkgo trees. Ancient trunks and towering branches stretched overhead, while golden leaves carpeted the ground. Four characters were inscribed on the plaque above the vermilion gate:
Ginkgo Academy.
The academy looked small from the outside, but beyond its gates lay deep, winding covered corridors. Song Wentong led the way through one turn after another before finally stopping in front of a waterside pavilion. He bowed respectfully through the bamboo curtain.
“Teacher, your student has returned to the mountain.”
“As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. Now, what trouble have you brought back with you this time?” A voice filled with amusement drifted out. “Oh? That’s quite a large piece of luggage. Is it a local specialty you bought in the city?”
The bamboo curtain was half raised. Inside the pavilion, a man dressed in white sat beside the water. His bearing was elegant and immaculate, like an immortal banished from the heavens.
Unfortunately, this immortal was physically impaired.
An Ping watched with a sigh. Indeed, nobody was perfect. Even handsome people had fatal flaws. Song Wentong had a mouth full of curses, Mu Gesheng was obsessed with money, and Chai Shuxin kept everyone at arm’s length. As for the master of Ginkgo Academy, he looked no older than thirty, yet his hair was as white as snow, and he sat in a wheelchair.
Song Wentong knelt and bowed.
“Fourth Brother has committed a mistake. I’ve brought him here for your punishment, Teacher.”
Mu Gesheng, bound tightly from head to toe, let out a muffled protest.
“All right, you lot are always taking turns reporting on one another.” The academy master smiled. “It seems Gesheng has finally been caught with his hand in the cookie jar this time. It’s rare to see you on the receiving end of bad luck. Go on, then. What did you do wrong?”
Mu Gesheng glared furiously at Song Wentong.
Song Wentong scoffed and untied him. Mu Gesheng pulled the gag out of his mouth and immediately launched a kick at him, which the other man blocked with his saber.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Mu Gesheng dropped to his knees. His expression changed in an instant, and he put on the pitiful, wronged look of a little wife.
“Greetings, Master.”
“Since you’ve committed a mistake, kneel for now.” The academy master smiled. “What kind of trouble have you caused this time?”
Mu Gesheng was unusually well-behaved. He knelt properly and recounted the whole story, leaving nothing out.
“Your disciple knows he was wrong. Master may punish me however you see fit, as long as you don’t make me pay for the damages.”
“Oh? And what if I do make you pay?”
“Then there’s nothing I can do about it.” Mu Gesheng answered honestly. “I’ll just have to steal Second Brother’s saber and pawn it.”
Before he could finish speaking, Song Wentong drew his saber an inch from its sheath with a sharp click, his expression utterly blank.
“…So, to avoid the tragedy of fellow disciples killing one another, I humbly ask Master to think this over carefully.” Mu Gesheng smoothly added the rest of his sentence.
“That wouldn’t be a good solution. Wentong’s Crimson-Licking Saber is certainly valuable, but it’s not worth as much as his face.” The academy master smiled and waved his hand. “If you had the ability to sell him to Guanshan Yue, that would be a truly profitable deal.”
An Ping was speechless. As expected, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. With a crooked master, it was no wonder the disciples had turned out crooked too.
Song Wentong seemed accustomed to hearing remarks of this sort. He wore a thoroughly sour expression. “Teacher, you jest.”
“It’s nothing serious. Shuxin isn’t an unreasonable person. Just find an opportunity to explain things to him.” The academy master waved his hand. “Gesheng, go kneel in the incense hall for ten shichen. Once you’re done, cast a divination.”
“Your disciple understands.” Mu Gesheng lowered his head and accepted the punishment. “May I ask what kind of divination Master wants me to perform?”
“Calculate the fate between you two and determine an auspicious time. See when it would be appropriate for you to go and apologize.”
“The Chai residence is still half in ruins. Aren’t you afraid Fourth Brother will be beaten out of there with sticks?” Song Wentong asked.
“That depends on whether Gesheng’s divination is accurate.” The academy master smiled. “If a disciple of the Heavenly Calculation School cannot calculate an accurate divination, then he deserves to be beaten and punished.”
It was the middle of the night, around the third watch.
Mu Gesheng was still kneeling in the incense hall. Despite its name, there were no statues of gods or Buddhas inside. The walls on all four sides were covered with white paper, and a pair of couplets hung on the wall directly opposite the entrance.
The upper line read: Small divination, ten coins.
The lower line read: Medium divination, two taels.
The horizontal inscription read: Pay up.
The window quietly opened, and Song Wentong jumped inside.
“You’re not done kneeling yet?”
“Demon, begone!” Mu Gesheng narrowed his eyes, dozing off. “Do not disturb this humble monk’s peaceful dreams.”
“Looks like you haven’t knelt enough yet.”
“Thank you for your concern. I have another half an hour to go.” Mu Gesheng stretched lazily. “Master really doesn’t hold back when punishing people. He opened his mouth and gave me ten shichen. I’ve already woken up from three separate naps.”
“Serves you right.” Song Wentong looked at the couplets on the wall. “Did you write those damn things? How come Master didn’t beat you to death?”
“They’re newly hung. Impressive, aren’t they? It’s called building wealth and prosperity starting with myself.”
Song Wentong ignored him. “Small divination, ten coins. Medium divination, two taels. What about a major divination?”
“I don’t do major divinations.” Mu Gesheng yawned. “Is this how you visit someone? You don’t even bring a little something to show your filial respect?”
“I did bring something.”
Song Wentong opened the bundle on his back, and a rich aroma immediately filled the room.
“I specifically asked someone to go down the mountain and buy these. Beef pan-fried dumplings from the wonton stall at the east gate, tofu-skin buns filled with pointed bamboo shoots, and the last batch of deep-fried duck tongues from Baiweiju…”
“Not bad, not bad! It’s rare to see you being so considerate, Second Brother.” Mu Gesheng looked delighted and reached out to take the food. Song Wentong, however, stepped away at once and leisurely walked to the opposite side of the room.
“They’re not for you.”
“What?”
“I’ll stand here and eat.” As he spoke, Song Wentong picked up a bun. “You can kneel there and watch.”
“…Song Wentong.” Mu Gesheng smiled pleasantly at him. “You son of a bitch.”