Chapter 4
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Twelve hundred steps carried.
Twelve hundred years of lifespan.
Such a statement carries a tremendous weight.
The insects and fireflies in the gauze bag seemed momentarily dazed. Qi Wuhuo raised his head to look at the old man, his chewing slowed, and he furrowed his brows, saying: “Are you perhaps joking, old sir?”
“According to legend, even Peng Zu only lived for eight hundred years. Twelve hundred years?”
The old man spread his hand and smiled with amusement: “Well, since you refuse this and refuse that, this old man is a bit annoyed, so I decided to make a joke. Haha… Ah, don’t be upset, just leave me the meat porridge!”
The old man wanted to continue with a few more jokes, but seeing that the young lad from the small town was about to take away his meat porridge as well, he couldn’t help but laugh. He called out a few times before the boy returned the porridge.
Qi Wuhuo, usually reserved and upright, only revealed the youthful character of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy in moments like these. The old man stroked his beard and smiled.
From then on, the so-called “good fate” was no longer mentioned.
Qi Wuhuo lived in a distant part of the small town, but news traveled quickly. The story of the Qi family’s young boy bringing back an old man from outside soon spread across several streets nearby.
Some said the old man was an elder of the same clan, some said he was involved in a marriage arrangement, and some even claimed that Qi Wuhuo was merely coveting the old man’s wealth, thus serving him well. To understand why, just look at the purple robe he’s wearing; you won’t find anything comparable in the entire town.
If it weren’t for this, how would the extremely impoverished Qi Wuhuo, who was on the brink of destitution, have brought him back?
These mixed speculations and gossip circulated, but Qi Wuhuo ignored them, saying: “A gentleman maintains his integrity and uprightness, without blame,” so people soon lost interest, and the news was overshadowed by other “big news” and “new topics.”
This is often the way in small towns and villages.
Another ten days passed, and the heavy snow fell continuously, making the entire town increasingly quiet as if isolated from the world. The old man who claimed to be surnamed Li, and was known as Liao Fan, leisurely brewed a pot of tea while Qi Wuhuo chopped wood in the courtyard.
For some reason, he felt that his strength had grown significantly over these ten days. The firewood, which was as thick as a large bowl, used to require two or three swings to be split even from a strong man, and he used to need five or six swings himself. Now, he could split it with a single chop.
With another swing of the axe, the firewood split with a crack, but the axe didn’t stop, it embedded deeply into the ground. The ax blade got stuck, unable to be pulled out immediately.
Qi Wuhuo was stunned.
The old man brewing tea suddenly teased with a smile: “Strength comes from within. I didn’t expect you, Wuhuo, to have some martial skills. Have you practiced any secret techniques or scriptures?”
Qi Wuhuo shook his head: “No.”
After a moment’s thought, he bent down to pry the firewood and said: “It’s probably because the firewood has been left out for too long, making the wood looser, which is why it splits so easily.”
Just then, a knock was heard from the door.
The small wooden house also had a small courtyard. The door had long been dilapidated, so Qi Wuhuo made a simple wooden gate with wooden stakes. It could be pushed open with ease, and some rough people might even kick it open. However, the visitor still knocked on the door, and Qi Wuhuo had a pretty good idea of who it might be.
He put down the axe used for chopping wood, tidied up a bit, and quickly went to open the door.
With a creak, the wooden door opened. Snow was on the door, and it fell to the ground with the motion of opening. Outside, there were three old pine trees by the road, and under the pine trees, there were people.
Qi Wuhuo looked up and saw the teacher in a green robe. The robe was thick but didn’t seem cumbersome. Beside him was a lady dressed in a white front-buttoned jacket embroidered with large peony patterns, holding a green bamboo umbrella to shield her from the wind and snow. The elegance of the man and woman contrasted sharply with the small town.
To anyone else, the difference between them and the impoverished youth in a brown short robe, with just a grass rope keeping his hair from being disheveled, was striking.
Qi Wuhuo slightly cupped his hands and spoke in a calm tone:
“I did not realize that Teacher Su and Madam were visiting. Please, come inside.”
Su Shengyuan raised his hand to stop him and smiled: “No need, no need. A heavy snow is coming. I’m accompanying my wife home to visit relatives. We need to continue to the next city tonight, and we still have a long way to go. We won’t trouble you.”
Qi Wuhuo slightly lifted his gaze and noticed a green carriage drawn by two horses on the main road, a few hundred steps away from the remote alley. A fiery red figure seemed to open the curtain of the carriage, looking toward this direction.
When the figure saw Qi Wuhuo, they waved their hand cheerfully.
Su Shengyuan glanced at his wife and coughed slightly.
The elegantly poised lady gave her husband a sidelong glance, then took out a package from her arms and handed it to Qi Wuhuo. She adjusted his collar slightly and spoke in a gentle voice: “It’s very cold in winter. Don’t catch a cold. Inside, there are two cotton garments and a pair of thick-soled shoes with fine stitches. Consider them for your use this March.”
“Don’t refuse.”
Qi Wuhuo was taken aback and said: “How can I accept this…”
Su Shengyuan smiled and raised his hand: “I know your character is upright, but haven’t you heard that ‘gifts from elders cannot be declined’? Alright, alright, Wuhuo, just accept your teacher’s wife’s good intentions without further refusal.”
After releasing a breath of cold air, he asked: “During these days of heavy snow and winter, we haven’t lectured much. How well have you mastered the things you’ve learned over the years? May I ask you a few questions?”
After the youth nodded, he immediately began to question.
Qi Wuhuo answered each question one by one.
Su Shengyuan stroked his beard for a long while and sighed: “Good, very good.”
He then patted Qi Wuhuo’s shoulder with force and said: “For the spring examination after March, I will recommend you. With your talent, you should be able to achieve great success with just one battle, and within three years, your reputation will spread across the counties and prefectures.”
“Do your best, do your best!”
Qi Wuhuo faintly seemed to hear the old man in the courtyard sneer dismissively.
But for some reason, Su Shengyuan didn’t seem to notice.
After exchanging a few more words of courtesy and encouragement with Qi Wuhuo, Su Shengyuan left at his wife’s discreet urging.
Once back in the carriage, he remained filled with emotion.
Even his wife was somewhat surprised by her husband’s reaction, asking: “That child… is his talent really that remarkable?”
Su Shengyuan sighed: “Not just that, he is practically born with innate wisdom! Every time he speaks, there is something astonishing about it. In my thirty years traveling across the nine provinces, I may have encountered those with more knowledge than him, but I have never seen anyone with greater talent.”
He pondered for a moment and then looked to the side.
There was a girl, about thirteen years old, with her hair in twin braids and dressed in red. She was playing with a small mechanism and was the daughter of the Su family. She was dearly loved at home, and her clothes were made of fire fox fur, with the cuffs and collar turned up to reveal white fluff, which accentuated her adorable features. In a few years, she would undoubtedly become exceptionally beautiful.
Su Shengyuan mused:
“Yue’er, do you remember Qi Wuhuo?”
The girl giggled and said: “Remember. He’s the one who always stands upright like a bamboo and is always the first one to arrive. You said he was very talented, Father, of course I remember.”
Su Shengyuan pondered for a moment and suddenly asked:
“If, in three years, you were to be betrothed to Wuhuo, what would you think?”