Chapter 4 Mortal World Affairs, Immortal Affairs Part 1

That day, before the sun reached mid-sky and the sky was brilliantly clear, Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng had already spent an hour discussing lessons in the study. Originally, the low table in front of Wei Yuan was replaced with a desk of normal height, and the bookshelves on both walls, which were initially empty, were now filled with volumes of bound books. The books on the shelves were written by the two themselves, one shelf belonged to Zhang Sheng, the other to Wei Yuan.

When Zhang Sheng was rescued, he had nothing but the clothes on his back, and there were hardly any books in the Wei Mansion—just a few almanacs and account books. Thus, the books initially used for enlightenment were all written by Zhang Sheng himself. Most of the books on Wei Yuan's shelf were transcriptions of Zhang Sheng's works to memorize the classics and practice calligraphy, but there were also a few books that were truly his own thoughts and ideas. However, these books were not on the shelf but were laid out in front of Zhang Sheng.

At this moment, Zhang Sheng revisited the articles written by Wei Yuan, and the room was engulfed in silence, with only the sunlight stirring a faint, almost imperceptible hum as it fell inside the room.

The writings of Wei Yuan were naturally immature, but they already showed that the writer had his own ideas and did not conform to stereotypes. What was especially rare was his ability to justify his thoughts. However, by this time, the articles had already begun to show a sharp edge, and it was unclear whether this was good or bad.

During the reading, Wei Yuan sat motionless, as still as a statue.

After a moment, Zhang Sheng regained his composure and took another careful look at the disciple who had been with him day and night for three years, and he said, "Mankind's three thousand affairs, I have already taught you all. Matters of the Immortals, you will naturally learn once you enter the Sect for cultivation. For the past three years, five hours a day, rain or shine, I have already given you the essence of all I've learned in my life. What remains is nothing more than refining the minutiae."

Zhang Sheng paused, then said solemnly, "But you must remember one thing, human affairs are hard to define in terms of right and wrong, gains and losses. The principles are all within one's heart. What I taught you is how to consider all aspects thoroughly and how to weigh the pros and cons. But the final decision always depends on you. This is something I cannot teach you, nor can the saints."

Wei Yuan nodded his head.

Zhang Sheng looked at him, then suddenly smiled and said, "Stand up and let your master see you!"

Wei Yuan rose to his feet, standing as straight as a pine.

By this time, Wei Yuan had just turned six, but he was already taller than the children of typical farming families who were a decade old. His features were more defined, shedding much of his childishness, gradually revealing a youthful vigor. It was only when he discussed current affairs and principles with Zhang Sheng that he became very talkative.

Zhang Sheng examined Wei Yuan up and down several times and exclaimed, "When I first saw you, you hadn't even reached my waist. Now you have already grown past my shoulders, truly time flies."

Wei Yuan suddenly bowed deeply, "Teacher's kindness, I will remember forever in my heart!"

Zhang Sheng chuckled and reached out to touch Wei Yuan's head. Wei Yuan, by nature, was reticent and calm; to speak so straightforwardly was rare for him. But it was precisely for this reason that it indicated his sincerity, unable to be expressed otherwise.

But by now, Wei Yuan had grown quite tall, making it somewhat awkward to reach his head.

Zhang Sheng sighed, "You are outwardly cold but warm inside, born with good looks and very opinionated. I'm not afraid of anything else; I'm just afraid that you might suffer losses in matters of affection. Ah, why am I talking about this? Without much thought, I almost forgot you are only six years old."

"That was the last lesson. The three years of our teacher-student relationship is indeed complete. Next month is the Immortal Sect's general exam, which occurs once every five years and must not be missed. I will go with you to the county government to participate in the exam. I need to organize the writings and insights from the past three years these next two days, and you should have some fun!"

Wei Yuan finally said, "…I'll help you organize."

Zhang Sheng smiled and replied, "That would be good."

Outside the window, Wei Youcai sighed heavily, bending his back as he quietly left with the bald man and the steward.

After moving away a few steps, Wei Youcai slapped his thigh, exhaled deeply, and said, "Finally, no more crouching by the wall! After three years, my legs have turned to iron rods from squatting. You two have been squatting for three years; have you learned anything?"

Lao Liu rubbed his bald head and said, "After hearing so much about human affairs, I finally understand that what I thought before was right. What is righteousness in the world? It is just one word, fight! Win and you are among emperors and ministers; lose, and you are but a thief's bones. It's that simple!"

Wei Youcai sighed, then looked at the steward, "And you?"

The steward spoke confidently, "I have gained new insight into the Immortal Military Strategy I studied in my youth. The military does not have a fixed form, like water doesn't have a permanent shape! If we encounter those refugees again, why bother defending the house? Together with Sixth Brother and a dozen men around the refugee camp, setting smokes by day and fires by night, shooting arrows when there's nothing better to do, and if they chase us, we draw them out and chop them down, no matter the thousands, they'll exhaust in a few days and disperse on their own."

The bald man huffed, indicating disbelief, "You really studied Immortal Military Strategy? Yet, why haven't I seen you recognize a few more characters?"

The steward's face turned red, retorting, "My teacher passed it orally, his words not meant for others' ears—from his mouth to my ears, no need for literacy!"

The bald man scoffed, "Your cheap teacher was probably illiterate too."

The two quarreled a few sentences, then remembered Wei Youcai who hadn't spoken for a long time. When they looked over, they saw Wei Youcai looking up at the sky, lost in thought.

The bald man and the steward exchanged glances, then asked, "Big brother, something on your mind?"

Without lowering his head, Wei Youcai merely blinked forcefully and said, "Nothing much. I was just thinking, once Yuan'er joins the Immortal Sect, who knows when we will see him again."

The steward and the bald man looked at each other, unable to muster a smile anymore.

The steward tried to offer comfort, "I heard that after cultivating, one's lifespan increases significantly. It's like a day in heaven is equivalent to..."

The steward spoke too quickly and realized his mistake mid-sentence.

"It's fine, I'm just a bit tired and want to go back to my room to rest. You all go about your business," Wei Youcai waved his hand and returned to his bedroom.

Three days later, as the sky brightened, Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan set out on the road to the county. Besides their mounts, they had two mules carrying luggage.

Wei Youcai had traveled with them for thirty miles before he was willing to turn back. He had been silent throughout the journey, and at parting, he merely waved and then turned away.

In the afternoon, Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng finally left the rugged mountain path and took to the main road leading to the county.

The so-called main road was actually compacted earth, wide enough for two mule carts to pass side by side, pitted and uneven, with four deep wheel ruts clearly visible from years of neglect. But for Wei Yuan, who had never seen better, the roads in Ye County's mountains were so rough that carts couldn't travel on them, and only wealthy families owned donkeys, of which there were few.

The mules, small and not very fast, could keep pace with a walking person. Their advantage was their stamina and ability to carry heavy loads on rough terrain, which made them prevalent in mountain areas.

Zhang Sheng intentionally slowed their pace to let Wei Yuan see more of the world beyond the mountains.

Gazing down the road, Zhang Sheng suddenly became reflective and said, "Twenty years ago, I too embarked on a journey to participate in the Immortal Sect's entrance exam. At that time, out of more than twenty people, your grandmaster spotted me instantly. And I didn't let him down; I surpassed the rest, not just as the top candidate from our county but in the whole Yun State. Later, when I attained success in my cultivation and entered into the world, I thought I could achieve greatness like my predecessors, but repeatedly faced setbacks and ended up accomplishing nothing over the years."

Pausing, Zhang Sheng looked at Wei Yuan and smiled, "But now, having you these years hasn't been in vain. Since you are my disciple, the Immortal Sect's exam should be a breeze. If you don't leave the second-place competitor miles behind, it would be a dent to my reputation as Zhang Sheng. Now, let me first tell you about our lineage's Dao inheritance; although it's against the rules, it's not a big deal."

After a pause, a proud aura emanated from Zhang Sheng, "I hail from the Sky Blue Hall of Taichu Palace. Once you pass the exam, that will be the place for your cultivation too."

Although Wei Yuan was usually composed, he was taken aback now, "Taichu Palace? One of the four great Immortal Sects, Taichu Palace?"

"The foremost of the four great Immortal Sects," Zhang Sheng corrected.

Wei Yuan looked at Zhang Sheng skeptically, "You've mentioned that our remote county only has the Red Tide Sect and occasionally a couple of third-class sects recruiting disciples. How would a high and mighty sect like Taichu Palace come here?"

Zhang Sheng had previously explained the basics of the Immortal Sect's entrance exam to Wei Yuan. The countless sects participating in the exam are divided into four levels: Fourth-class sects can only recruit within their own counties, like the Red Tide Sect. Third-class sects, known as 'blessed lands,' can recruit throughout a state and occasionally from other states with strict quotas. Second-class sects, called 'Grotto Heavens,' can recruit nationwide.

The top tier comprises the four great Immortal Sects, which can recruit from all across the Great Tang. However, being lofty and elite, the places in these sects are extremely limited. In the past 50 years, the four great Immortal Sects have only come to Fengyuan County three times, offering a total of five spots.

Thus, Wei Yuan had this question.

However, Zhang Sheng merely smiled and slowly said, "Don't worry, I can't speak for the other sects, but Taichu Palace will definitely come this time. But you don't need to be too concerned; you've inherited my true teachings. Others may reach 70% of your level if they have exceptional talent and work extremely hard."

Having studied arduously under Zhang Sheng for three years, Wei Yuan had learned one thing: not to trust blindly, including Zhang Sheng.

His doubts still unassuaged, he persisted, "But I still don't understand why Taichu Palace would allocate a spot for our county?"

Zhang Sheng had been waiting for him to ask this and casually replied, "Your grandmaster, known as Master Fen Hai, is one of the three True Monarchs of the Sky Blue Hall of Taichu Palace; the Supreme Ancestor Xuan Yue True Monarch was the Hall Master of Sky Blue Hall two hundred years ago. Our masters value the transmission of Dao inheritance most. Once you enter the Sky Blue Hall, naturally, you'll benefit greatly. However, the old man is quite conscious of his reputation, so in this exam, you must show all you've learned and thoroughly outperform the rest, thus honoring him."

Wei Yuan listened with a mix of belief and skepticism. His teacher had such a powerful background? Moreover, from what Zhang Sheng implied, it seemed Taichu Palace decided to give a spot because he had taken a student in Fengyuan County.

Although Wei Yuan was not clear on the specific disciplines within Taichu Palace, he suspected that being a grand disciple of a Hall Master of Taichu Palace might not warrant such influence.

He also wondered how many disciples and grand disciples the Xuan Yue True Monarch had. Historical texts mentioned a prince before the Beiqi period who loved to gather talents and collected all sorts, resulting in three thousand disciples and grand disciples. Considering that cultivators lived long lives, if Xuan Yue True Monarch also favored a world full of disciples, perhaps the count of disciples and grand disciples might even exceed three thousand.

Unbeknownst to Zhang Sheng, Wei Yuan was secretly assessing him, his thoughts drifting to the upcoming trip to the county government. Lost in joyous anticipation, unexpected sounds of rapid hoofbeats suddenly approached from behind, and a group of knights on horseback galloped toward them from the rear.

The knights rode majestic, ten-foot-tall dark blue warhorses. Their iron hooves thundered against the ground, an impressive display of power. They seemed to be urgent, speeding at full gallop, and whisked past Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan like the wind. The huge hooves, as big as drum skins, dug into the road, kicking up clouds of dust and gravel that pelted Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan in the face!

The narrow road left no room to dodge, and with his Dao Power sealed, Zhang Sheng got a full face of dirt. The dust obliterated his previously ethereal and dignified appearance.

Looking at the dirt-smudged Zhang Sheng, Wei Yuan suddenly felt that even if Taichu Palace genuinely allocated a spot for Fengyuan County this time, it probably had nothing to do with Zhang Sheng.