Li Diudiu had always been curious about one thing. In his eyes, his master was absolutely not a proper Daoist priest, yet during all these years wandering back and forth through the seven counties of Youzhou, he had seen how much the common people respected his master. Even the bandits never made trouble for him. Li Diudiu could not understand why.

“Master.”

“Mm?”

“Why do the bandits kill people without blinking, yet you dare to carry around so much silver and copper cash everywhere? Aren’t you afraid of them?”

“I’m not afraid, and yet I am.”

As they walked, Daoist Changmei explained, “You’re still young. Even if I told you some things, you wouldn’t understand them, but you can remember them... People change. They’re very fickle. In prosperous times, no matter what people claim to believe in—Daoism or Buddhism—in the end what they truly believe in is the imperial court. The court is the foundation of whether people’s hearts are stable. But in chaotic times, people stop believing in the court, and then they can only believe in gods and Buddhas. Even fear of ghosts and spirits becomes greater than fear of the court.”

Little Li Diudiu truly did not understand these words very well, but he remembered all of them. What his master said could never be wrong.

“Those bandits dare to kill officials, but they won’t touch wandering Daoists like us because they’re afraid of karmic retribution. They commit evil deeds, yet still think that sparing one Daoist priest counts as accumulating virtue. Tell me, isn’t the human heart sinister?”

Li Diudiu shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

His master smiled. “Then don’t understand.”

The master raised his head and looked ahead. In the distance, the outline of a great city had already appeared. That was where they were headed—Jizhou.

The Great Chu Empire had thirteen provinces under heaven, and Jizhou was one of them, located in the northern Central Plains. Under Jizhou there were another nineteen prefectures, with Youzhou being the northernmost. Beyond Youzhou lay the Yanyun Mountains, and beyond those mountains was enemy territory.

“Master, what are we doing in Jizhou?”

Li Diudiu could not resist asking again.

This time his master did not speak of “buying life” again. Instead, his tone was filled with hope as he said, “Your master has an old friend in Jizhou. Though we haven’t met in many years, our relationship hasn’t changed. The friendship of gentlemen is as plain as water. I came this time to ask him to help me with something.”

After speaking, Daoist Changmei unconsciously patted the bundle on his back. Inside it were all the savings he had accumulated over the years.

The inspections at the city gate were not very strict. Though his master was clearly reluctant, he still handed a small piece of silver to the squad leader overseeing the gate inspections and tossed out a few flattering words besides. The old Daoist’s tongue was so smooth he could charm even ghosts into laughter, let alone a petty officer greedy for money.

Half an hour later, after asking directions all along the way, Li Diudiu and his master arrived outside a grand mansion. His master told him to wait at the gate while he himself walked forward. Li Diudiu noticed that his master’s expression had become unusually serious. He even took special care to straighten his clothes, though the robe was already filthy beyond filthy, wrinkled and knotted everywhere.

After knocking on the gate, his master stepped back two paces and waited. Before long, an elderly servant opened the door, narrowed his eyes at the Daoist, then shook his head.

“Daoist priest, there’s nothing here requiring your services. You’d better try somewhere else.”

Daoist Changmei took an old yellowed envelope from his robe—so old its age could not even be guessed—and respectfully handed it over with both hands.

“Please inform Lord Registrar that his old acquaintance Changmei seeks an audience.”

This was the residence of Zhou Huaili, Grain Administration Registrar of the Jizhou prefectural government.

For some reason, the old servant froze briefly and looked at Changmei with pity.

“You probably don’t know that my lord already retired from office, do you? Back when he was still serving, every year all sorts of relatives and old friends came around to freeload food and drink. You came too late.”

Changmei truly did not know Zhou Huaili had stepped down. Anxiety immediately appeared on his face.

“Please, just inform him for me. I’m not here to freeload. I truly have urgent business.”

“Fine.”

The gatekeeper said, “Wait here. I’ll ask the master.”

Changmei hurriedly thanked him and bowed deeply. Watching from nearby, little Li Diudiu suddenly felt a sharp ache in his heart as he saw his master lowering himself to beg for an audience. He thought to himself that if he ever became capable in the future, he would never let his master humble himself like this just to see someone.

“Master, is the Registrar a very high-ranking official?”

Li Diudiu walked to his master’s side and whispered softly.

“Shh...”

Daoist Changmei signaled for him not to speak carelessly, then replied in an extremely low voice, “Though Registrar Zhou isn’t that high-ranking, he’s the biggest official your master knows. If I want to help buy your life, I can only ask him.”

“Why does Master always say he wants to buy my life?”

“Because your master doesn’t want you to spend your whole life following me around like a beggar. You’re clever, and eager to learn. All these years I’ve been saving money because I wanted to let you live a different kind of life. The Four Pages Academy of Jizhou has a great reputation. If you can enter the academy to study, then once you finish your education you’ll be able to find work in the government. Even if you only become a bookkeeper in an office, it would still be a respectable life. Besides, how could a disciple of Four Pages Academy end up as merely a bookkeeper?”

“I won’t!”

At last Li Diudiu understood what his master meant by “buying life.” His master had mentioned Four Pages Academy several times before, intentionally or otherwise, saying that its headmaster, Gao Shaowei, was a great scholar famous throughout the land. Even many powerful and influential court officials had once been Gao Shaowei’s students.

Even the Jizhou Military Governor—a frontier lord of immense authority—had been Gao Shaowei’s student.

When Changmei heard Li Diudiu say “I won’t,” his expression immediately darkened.

“You child, don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m not talking nonsense! If I enter some Four Pages Academy, what will happen to you, Master?”

“Me?”

Daoist Changmei forced a smile. “Once you little burden stop following me around, who knows how carefree my life will become? I won’t need to save money for you anymore. I can eat whatever I want and wear whatever I want. Do you think I can’t live without you? Without you dragging me down, I’d live freely and comfortably.”

Li Diudiu’s eyes immediately grew wet. “Master, are you saying I’m a burden?”

Daoist Changmei clenched his teeth. “Yes. You are my burden. If I hadn’t been raising you all these years, would I have lived so hard a life?”

Li Diudiu bit down on his own lip, refusing to let himself cry.

Just then the old gatekeeper came out smiling.

“My master invites you in. Stamp your feet first though—don’t bring dust into the reception hall.”

Soon after, the old and young pair entered the courtyard under the servant’s guidance. Standing at the entrance to the main hall was Zhou Huaili himself, his temples already graying. The moment he saw Daoist Changmei, he hurried down the steps.

“My old elder brother! What happened to you? You’ve come all this way covered in dust and hardship.”

But inwardly Li Diudiu snorted. He thought the man was merely pretending. If he truly regarded his master as an “elder brother,” shouldn’t he have personally come outside to greet him?

Zhou Huaili took Changmei’s hand and led him into the reception hall, ordering servants to prepare tea. After hearing the purpose of Changmei’s visit, however, Zhou Huaili’s face clearly became troubled.

“Old brother, I retired from office over two years ago. I barely interact with government officials anymore. In the past I still had opportunities to meet Mister Gao, but these past two years I’ve kept to myself... I truly... truly can’t help much. Old brother, listen to my advice. Four Pages Academy only accepts fifty students each year, and all of them come from prestigious families. You...”

He left the rest unsaid, assuming Changmei would understand.

“All these years I’ve wandered everywhere, but I never forgot how you once told me that you loved Master Songming’s calligraphy above all else.”

Daoist Changmei opened his bundle and removed a scroll.

“This is an authentic work by Master Songming. It took me nine years to find it.”

The moment Zhou Huaili heard those words, his eyes lit up.

“An authentic work by Master Songming?”

Excitement made his hands tremble.

Master Songming had been a famous scholar of Great Chu more than two hundred years ago. Every surviving piece of his calligraphy was priceless, beyond even monetary value. To lovers of calligraphy, an authentic work by Master Songming was a treasure beyond compare.

Zhou Huaili did not dare open the scroll immediately. First he washed his hands, then carefully and reverently unrolled it bit by bit. The expression on his face looked almost like a lecher slowly undressing a woman.

For some reason, Li Diudiu found the man unbearably hypocritical. He disliked him.

“Authentic... it truly is Master Songming’s authentic work.”

Zhou Huaili was so moved that tears even shimmered faintly in his eyes.

Li Diudiu had seen that calligraphy scroll before. When bored, he had even squatted on the ground copying its characters for fun. His master had once looked at his imitation and said it captured seven-tenths of the original spirit. Yet Li Diudiu himself had never thought the writing particularly beautiful.

“Um...”

Zhou Huaili’s eyes could not leave the calligraphy, yet he still waved a hand and instructed, “Quickly prepare food for my old elder brother. He must be starving.”

Inwardly, Li Diudiu snorted again.

So when it came time to eat, he showed absolutely no restraint whatsoever.

Half an hour later, Daoist Changmei emerged from the Zhou residence holding Li Diudiu’s hand, a smile on his face. Zhou Huaili had kept the calligraphy scroll, and had also accepted the savings Changmei had accumulated over several years, promising to “pull some strings.”

“He might embezzle your money.”

Li Diudiu looked at his master. “Just look at his face!”

“No talking nonsense.”

Daoist Changmei glared at him. “Don’t think so badly of people.”

The candles in Zhou Huaili’s study remained lit the entire night. He stared at the calligraphy scroll without sleeping at all, unable to look away. To him, the scroll was a peerless treasure. The more he looked at it, the more he loved it. He loved it so much that it might as well have become his very life.

The next morning, Zhou Huaili bathed, changed clothes, and departed in a carriage.

Outside Four Pages Academy, Zhou Huaili waited quite a while before finally being invited inside. He was informed that Mister Gao had just finished teaching and was waiting in the study. Carrying a reverent heart like a schoolboy meeting his teacher, Zhou Huaili entered Gao Shaowei’s study.

Gao Shaowei appeared to be around sixty years old. His spirit was vigorous enough, though his manner was somewhat indifferent. Given his status, agreeing to see Zhou Huaili at all was already a favor.

“Sir.”

Zhou Huaili first bowed deeply.

“Brother Huaili, I still need to visit the Military Governor’s residence shortly. If you have urgent business, speak directly.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

Zhou Huaili opened the bundle he had brought with him. Inside was an exquisite wooden box. He carefully set it on the table and slowly opened it.

“I recently obtained an authentic work by Master Songming—the ‘Ascending Sparrow Terrace’ piece...”

Before he could finish, Gao Shaowei’s eyes brightened.

“Mm? Truly?!”

“Truly!”

Zhou Huaili removed the calligraphy and handed it over. After opening it, Gao Shaowei wore exactly the same expression Zhou Huaili had worn the previous day.

“Sir.”

Zhou Huaili cleared his throat. “I... I have a nephew of an old family friend...”

Before he could finish speaking, Gao Shaowei glanced up at him.

“He wishes to enter the academy? Bring him tomorrow for me to see. Coincidentally, several other children will also be coming tomorrow. I’ll examine them all together and choose the best among them.”

“Yes, yes, yes...”

Zhou Huaili immediately bowed deeply again. “Many thanks, Sir.”

Gao Shaowei looked at him, then at the calligraphy.

“As for this ‘Ascending Sparrow Terrace’ piece...”

Zhou Huaili quickly replied, “Sir may keep it for appreciation. I am not gifting it to you—it is merely being temporarily stored here for your scholarly enjoyment. You may admire it for as long as you wish, for as long as you wish.”

Gao Shaowei immediately smiled. “How could I dare accept something so precious from you? I’ll simply keep it here for a few days of careful appreciation, then have someone return it to you afterward.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

Zhou Huaili bowed repeatedly. “Then I won’t disturb Sir any longer.”

Gao Shaowei’s eyes never left the calligraphy, but he waved his hand.

“Someone, prepare wine and dishes. Brother Huaili and I haven’t seen each other in a long time. We should talk a little more.”