It was only when night fell that Xie Wuling finally returned to the Xie family’s little courtyard.
Before he even set foot inside, his tall body collapsed with a loud “thud” at the doorway.
Luckily, the old servant stationed there by the Pei household was keeping watch. Hearing the commotion, he hurried to fetch help from Aunt Liu next door, and together they hauled the heavy eight-foot man into the house.
Old injuries unhealed, yet he’d braved the rain to chase a hundred li and back—even an iron body couldn’t withstand that.
That night, Xie Wuling burned with fever, unconscious.
The next day, Old Li came to treat him. As he fanned the medicine stove with a palm fan, he cursed: “You brat, squandering your youth! Treating your body like this—wait until you’re old, then you’ll know suffering!”
Three great bowls of thick decoction morning, noon, and night. Only after three days did Xie Wuling’s high fever break.
Both Madam Liu and Old Li heaved long sighs of relief.
Lying pale and gaunt on the bed, Xie Wuling still forced a grin. “Old Li, don’t think I didn’t know you were cursing me while I was out cold. I’ve a hard life—living to ninety-nine won’t be any problem!”
Old Li snorted, tapping the table. “The consultation fee. I watched over you three whole days, dark circles under my eyes—this time you’ll pay double.”
Xie Wuling jerked his chin toward the chest on the table. “There, help yourself.”
That chest had been sent over days ago by Jinglin, along with the gift list and appointment letter. Just as it came, so it sat. Xie Wuling hadn’t even bothered to look at it.
Old Li, knowing his careless ways, didn’t stand on ceremony. He opened the chest himself.
He had expected to see broken bits of silver and copper coins. Who knew, when he lifted the lid—inside were neat rows, several layers thick, of gold ingots!
The chest glittered with blinding brilliance, dazzling Old Li and Madam Liu so much their eyes could hardly stay open.
“My heavens, is this real?” Madam Liu rubbed her eyes hard, disbelieving. “I’ve only ever seen this many gold ingots when burning paper money at Qingming for the ancestors!”
On the bed, Xie Wuling, upon hearing it was a chest of gold, was startled for a moment, but soon a trace of mockery flickered in his eyes.
That Pei fellow was truly lavish—one move and it was an entire chest of gold.
“Old Li, however much the consultation and medicine cost, take it yourself.”
“This… this doesn’t need so much. Three mace of silver is enough.”
“Then take one ingot. Think of it as thanks for the care you’ve given me all these years.”
Xie Wuling spoke lazily, then turned to Aunt Liu: “Aunt Liu, these three days it’s been thanks to you cooking and washing for me. You take one ingot too.”
Madam Liu flusteredly waved her hands. “No, no, I can’t accept that.”
Both of them declined, but in the end could not resist Xie Wuling’s urging, and each took one gold ingot.
Before leaving, Old Li said: “From now on, whenever you need me to treat you or give you medicine, it’ll be deducted from this ingot.”
Madam Liu also said: “If you need Auntie’s help with anything in the future, just speak up, don’t stand on ceremony.”
Xie Wuling smiled and agreed.
After they left, he forced his weak, aching body to rise from the bed, walked to the table, and picked up the gilded, flower-embossed gift list to read.
A thousand taels of gold, fifty mu of irrigated fields, fifty mu of dry land, three shops, several chests of silks and satins…
Such a hefty gift. Any one item, taken alone, was something an ordinary family might toil an entire lifetime and still never save up.
Besides the gift list, there was also the appointment letter from the yamen, which directly promoted Xie Wuling by two ranks— from the lowest errand-runner of the constables, to a Dianshi in the Dianshi office.
Although still a petty official of no real grade or rank, the yamen conducted assessments once every three years. With just one word from that Pei scion, he had saved himself six years of struggle.
For some reason, staring at the gift list and appointment letter, Xie Wuling suddenly recalled that widely-circulated saying: “Promotion, wealth, and the death of your wife.”
What a d*mnable piece of nonsense that was.
Clutching the gift list tight, he ground his teeth and thought darkly: if the dog b*stard who first coined that phrase were standing before him, he would beat him till his teeth scattered all over the ground! What kind of trash was worthy of having a wife? Pah!
He did not know how long he sat by the table in silence, until the sun sank beyond the western hills and crimson clouds spread across the sky. Then, in a haze, he recalled Shen Yujiao’s blushing face in shy embarrassment.
“One kiss, and it won’t hurt anymore.”
His rough long fingers brushed the corner of his lips. That touch from that day was vivid still.
So that was what a woman’s lips felt like—so soft, warm and moist, like a gardenia petal, like a cloud soaked in honey.
“Jiaojiao.” Lowering his gaze, Xie Wuling looked at the double-lotus embroidered pouch in his palm, eyes filled with tender affection, and murmured softly: “I knew it—you do have me in your heart.”
And because she had him in her heart, all the more he could not let her down.
—
The very next day, as soon as his body had somewhat recovered, Xie Wuling went straight to Sixth Master Chang.
“Sixth Master, I beg you, help me.”
“…”
Sixth Master Chang sat cross-legged on the couch, looking at the young man kneeling before him—already haggard and thinner after just a few days apart. His mung-bean eyes narrowed; he was not surprised at today’s visit. “Speak. How do you want me to help you?”
Xie Wuling lifted his swollen, bruised face, but his gaze shone bright and resolute. “I want to be a high official—one even greater than that Pei clan heir.”
Sixth Master Chang rolled the walnuts in his palm, silent for a long time, before finally looking at him. “I may be fat, but I am no Maitreya Buddha. If you want to dream, go find a Bodhisattva in a temple. What are you coming to me for?”
Then he gave a cold laugh: “Look at yourself, beaten into this sorry state, and you still dare boast of becoming a great official? I also want to be the Jade Emperor—do you think that’s possible?!”
Xie Wuling’s thick brows drew tight. “Sixth Master, I am not jesting with you.”
“I’m not jesting either! Just listen to yourself—what kind of nonsense is that?”
Sixth Master Chang glared at him bluntly. “Do you even know what the Hedong Pei clan’s background is? And what are you and I? To claim you’ll surpass the Pei heir—your audacity is boundless!”
Xie Wuling’s eyes dimmed slightly. He said in a low voice: “I know my words now sound like a fool’s dream. That is why I’ve come to you—for a way.”
He shuffled forward on his knees, gazing earnestly at Sixth Master Chang. “Sixth Master, I know you truly treat me well. Among everyone I know, you’re the most knowledgeable and capable. My whole life has been spent stuck in this Jinling City, I’ve little worldly experience. So I can only come to you, asking you to point me to a path. Tell me how I can become an official, rise above the crowd! I don’t fear hardship, or toil, or even death! So long as I can climb upward, whatever you tell me to do—I’ll do it!”
Indeed, Sixth Master Chang had always admired Xie Wuling.
This youth dared to think and dared to act. Most of all, that fierce, reckless spirit of fearing neither heaven nor earth—it reminded him quite a bit of himself in younger days.
If not for the fact that Xie Wuling was tall and handsome, looking nothing like him, he might almost suspect the boy was one of his youthful escapades come to life.
Though not father and son, there was a certain fatherly feeling between them.
After the wedding banquet that day, Sixth Master Chang had even pulled a few strings, inquiring into the little bride’s background.
A noble lady of Chang’an, from an illustrious family—truly of exalted status. If she were the clouds in the sky, then Xie Wuling was the mud beneath his feet. Cloud and mud were worlds apart—how could they ever be joined as one?
Now she had already been taken away, yet this foolish boy remained infatuated, coming to him in the guise of a lovestruck fool…
Naturally, Sixth Master Chang did not hold back, dousing him with cold water bucket after bucket. Yet no matter how he scolded, Xie Wuling remained as if possessed, still kneeling before him, repeating that same plea: “I beg Sixth Master to show me a path.”
Sixth Master Chang grew so furious he nearly hurled the walnut at his head. But seeing that handsome face already covered in bruises, he finally drew a deep breath and restrained himself.
“Fine, fine, fine. You want me to show you a path? Look at yourself—you’ve no family background, no literary talent. The only two things you can count as strengths are that face of yours, and your skill with your fists.”
“If it’s by looks, I’ve heard the present emperor’s own younger sister, Princess Jinhua, favors handsome men. As long as you can coax her into joy, wealth and glory would be within reach. If you want to try that path…”
“Sixth Master.”
Xie Wuling frowned, smiling wryly. “Don’t make fun of me. Even if I went into the palace as a eunuch, I’d never do anything that would betray my wife.”
Sixth Master shot him a glance, thinking to himself: I’ve lived so many years and only ever heard of women keeping themselves for men. This is the first time I’ve heard of a man keeping his chastity—truly an eye-opener, like a little knife stabbing the backside.
“Then the only road left is fists.”
Sixth Master lowered his eyelids, speaking lazily: “They say times make heroes. Jinling is a nest of peace and wealth—no matter how much skill you’ve got, there’s nowhere to use it. If you truly want to rise with your fists, then before you lies but one path—join the army.”
Here he paused, his sharp eyes locking onto Xie Wuling, his tone growing grave: “And it must be enlisting where it’s hardest and most dangerous. Only then can your skill be seen.”
Seeing that at last a feasible road was pointed out, Xie Wuling’s face grew solemn. He straightened his back, bowed with clasped hands, and said respectfully: “This youngster listens with all ears.”
“The most perilous fronts in our dynasty, where battles never cease, are two places: one, the Yan Prefecture Army guarding the north against the northern steppe dogs; two, the Ning Prefecture Army guarding the southeast against pirates and Japanese raiders.”
Sixth Master looked at Xie Wuling. “Yanbei is too far, and you’re unfamiliar. But the fame of the Ning Prefecture Army—you must have heard it often.”
Xie Wuling nodded. “The Ning Prefecture Army—fierce as tigers, fighting pirates like fighting dogs!”
Jinling, being in Jiangnan, wasn’t far from Ning Prefecture. That doggerel had spread from the coastal regions into Jinling, and soon even the street children were chanting it.
It was no exaggeration—Xie Wuling had grown up singing that rhyme, hearing the glorious feats of the Ning Prefecture’s Huo clan.
“General Huo Xiao is a hero of this age. The whole Huo family are heroes. This youngster admires him deeply!”
“Yes, heroes through and through…”
Sixth Master sighed long: “General Huo Xiao had four brothers—his three elder brothers all died, the title fell to him. At twenty-four, he brought his whole household from Chang’an to Ning Prefecture to take office. With his wife he had five sons and three daughters. But now—those five sons and three daughters are all dead. Even his grandsons—last year, a few of them were slain in revenge by the pirate Chen Liang. Now, only one grandson remains…”
Xie Wuling had only known the Huo clan as a house of rank and tradition, defending the seas for generations. He hadn’t imagined their line had dwindled so tragically.
“If even the Huo clan’s own bloodline has been cut down like this, it shows how vicious those Ning Prefecture pirates are.”
Sixth Master stroked his beard. “But as the saying goes, big winds and waves bring big fish. Those pirates risk life and limb because there’s gold to be had—real gold. Robbing a single merchant ship is enough to feed them for half a year. That ‘Sea Overlord’ Chen Liang is said to live like an emperor—emperors have three thousand concubines, he has ninety-nine concubines… ahem, off-topic. In any case, the Ning and Yan armies don’t care for family or background, only military merit. The more enemies you kill, the faster you rise.”
Xie Wuling’s eyes lit up. “Truly?”
“Why would I lie to you? In April, the Ning soldiers suffered heavy losses. Didn’t they go posting notices in the surrounding prefectures to recruit? Any able-bodied man willing to serve was granted three years’ tax exemption for his family, plus twenty taels household allowance. If killed in battle, another twenty taels death compensation.”
Everyone knew—serving in Ning meant ten went, three came back. That death payment had risen from twenty taels to eighty before people were willing to go—
Only families who couldn’t survive otherwise would think of gambling their lives on the coast.
In Jinling, anyone who could still fill their belly wouldn’t go to such a place to die. If you died at sea, not even a complete body could be retrieved—what was the point?
Sixth Master looked at Xie Wuling, his expression dead serious. “Ah Ling, if you stay in Jinling, you’ll live free and easy your whole life. But if you go to Ning to enlist…”
He gave a cold, mocking laugh. “Come next Qingming, I might be burning paper money for you.”
“Sixth Master, how can you curse me like that?” Xie Wuling called out with an aggrieved face.
Sixth Master slanted him a look. “Am I cursing you? You’re the one leaving an easy life to go courting death!”
Xie Wuling’s gaze flickered. He pressed his lips together in silence.
That silence made Sixth Master angrier: “For the sake of a woman, you’d throw away your life? How did I never see before—you’ve got so little spine?”
Xie Wuling was silent for a couple of breaths, then tilted his head back, giving Sixth Master a faint smile. “Sixth Master, she’s no ordinary woman. She’s the wife with whom I bowed to Heaven and Earth.”
“There are women everywhere in this world. Must it be her? I saw her last time too. Pretty, yes, but not the most exquisite beauty. If you just nod, I’ll find you someone even prettier.”
“Yes, the first time I saw her, I was struck by her face. But later…”
Xie Wuling lowered his gaze. Memories of the past two months with Shen Yujiao flashed through his mind one by one, and the corner of his lips couldn’t help lifting. His voice softened: “Jiaojiao is different.”
In a world full of women, there was only one Shen Yujiao.
“All my life, only after meeting you, Sixth Master, and rising by your favor, did I gain some standing—so others wouldn’t dare look down on me so easily. But I know, what they fear is my fists, and your power. Behind my back, they still look down on me.”
“I was born low, from childhood scolded as b*stard, mongrel, whore’s spawn… But Jiaojiao—she, with that kind of birth, that kind of learning and propriety—she never once looked down on me.”
A light gradually welled up in Xie Wuling’s eyes: “She taught me characters, taught me rites, and even told me—Wuling’s ling, from 阜 and 夌, means there is no mountain I cannot cross. She also said, ‘In youth, one must know lofty aspirations, to vow to be first-class under heaven.’ She believes I can make something of myself, believes I can rise high and prosper…”
She truly wanted to marry him, to live with him a lifetime, growing old together.
With a woman so good, how could he ever forget her, betray her.
“Before her, I never thought of living like a proper person.”
Xie Wuling looked at Sixth Master: “My head was muddled, every day just dawdling along, thinking so long as I had food to eat and a roof to sleep under, that was enough. Once I’d saved enough money, I’d just find a pretty wife and raise a nest of children, and that would be a complete life. But after meeting her, I felt it wasn’t enough. I had to climb upward, earn more money, strive to make something of myself—only then could I be worthy of her…”
Yes, worthy of her.
She was that good, like the moon in the sky. Standing beside that pale-faced scholar, the two of them looked like immortals in a painting, even their hair seemed to shine.
He, just a muddy peasant—getting near her, he feared dirtying her hem with mud.
“Sixth Master, thank you for pointing me toward a bright road today. I’ll go home and pack my bags at once!”
Xie Wuling dropped to his knees, knocking his head three times with heavy thuds before Sixth Master: “These years, for all your care of me—for your grace—if one day I have the chance, I’ll repay it!”
Those three kowtows landed so hard and loud, it was as though they struck straight into Sixth Master’s heart.
Watching that youngster rise, make a deep bow, and turn to leave, Sixth Master at last could not hold back: “Xie Wuling!”
“Sixth Master, don’t try to persuade me again…”
“I’ve no strength left to persuade you.”
Sixth Master snorted irritably: “Stand there. I’ll fetch something.”
Xie Wuling blinked, then grinned shamelessly: “If you’re giving me travel money, this youngster won’t be polite about it…”
“Hmph, you greedy beast. As if I don’t know how many baskets of gifts that Pei fellow already sent you? And still you’re trying to squeeze from me.”
Sixth Master got down from the couch, went into the inner room, rummaged for quite a while, then came back.
“Here, take this.”
Looking at the yellowed little finger bone Sixth Master handed over, Xie Wuling wrinkled his brows with some distaste. “This… whose is it?”
“Fan Yuping, captain of archery in the Ning Prefecture Army.”
“Whoa?”
“Fifteen years ago, I half-saved his life. I kept this little finger bone as a memento.”
Sixth Master said unhurriedly: “Take it. Give it to him, say you’re my son. For old times’ sake…”
“He can promote me?” Xie Wuling raised a brow.
“Still dreaming? What he can do is issue you a few more sets of crossbows, so you won’t be weaponless when facing enemies!”
“Oh…”
Xie Wuling rubbed his nose sheepishly, accepted the finger bone, and bowed: “Thank you, Sixth Master.”
Sixth Master came up to the sturdy young man, lifted his face to look at him for a long time, then at last raised a hand to clap his shoulder: “Good lad. Come back alive.”
Xie Wuling froze, then bared his white teeth in a grin: “I will. You too, take care.”
