Chapter 57: The Mysterious Old Man

Rumors had been circulating since last autumn that Magistrate Jiang Dadao intended to spend a hefty sum to hire a top-tier imperial guard instructor to teach martial arts at the county academy. After months of gossip that eventually faded into silence, just when everyone was about to give up hope, the rumor was unexpectedly turning into reality.

Li Yanqing smiled without a word. He knew it was true; Zhou Tong was definitely coming.

Wang Gui was the first to jump up and shout, "Is it true or just a rumor?"

"My father said so. He just came back from the county seat and said the academy preceptor has already announced it."

Li Er's father, Li Zhen, had taken over the post of head bailiff from Li Wengui last year. His words certainly were not groundless. Wang Gui let out a whoop of joy, while Tang Huai shook his folding fan and remarked, "He's going to teach at the county academy, not us. What are you getting so excited about?"

Li Yanqing chimed in to tease him, "Didn't old Gui just make a grand vow? Said he'd tie a rope around his neck and stick a needle in his backside, and that he'd surely pass the county academy exam. Old Gui, isn't that right?"

Yue Fei fished a sewing needle out of his desk and handed it to Wang Gui with a straight face, "I happen to have a needle right here."

Roars of laughter erupted in the classroom. Wang Gui was not annoyed in the least; instead, he said triumphantly, "I'm not afraid of your jealousy. My grandfather has already visited Magistrate Jiang, and the magistrate has personally promised to exempt me from the entrance exam. What do you think about that?"

Gasps of astonishment swept through the twenty-odd prospective students in the classroom, all of them filled with envy. Tang Huai, however, curled his lip and sneered, "If you don't take the county exam, will an eighty-thousand-strong imperial guard instructor even deign to look at you? The rest of us will study under the imperial guard instructor as our master, while you're still grinding your sword with that old beetle of yours. It'll drive you mad!"

Tang Huai's words suddenly planted a seed of anxiety in Wang Gui's mind. Although martial arts was a mandatory subject in the county academy exams, Magistrate Jiang allowed some flexibility—those who paid to enter the academy to study could be excused from the martial arts test. But... with an imperial guard instructor sitting in the chief examiner's seat, if one did not catch his eye during the county exams, would the imperial guard instructor ever take notice of them later?

Li Yanqing patted him on the shoulder and smiled, "That's why! You can't take shortcuts. You'd better go take the martial arts test; you shouldn't have any problem with it."

Wang Gui instantly lost his enthusiasm, slumped back into his seat despondently, and fell silent. The others also began to quietly resume their studies.

The county academy examinations were to be held ten days later, on the fifth day of the second month. Having tested for so many years, everyone knew each other's foundation well. The exam itself was not difficult, covering just three classics: *The Analects*, *Mencius*, and *The Classic of Filial Piety*, focusing on the students' comprehension. As long as one could recite these three texts fluently and thoroughly practice the previous years' exam questions, academic knowledge wouldn't be much of an issue. The difficult part was calligraphy. The county academy exam had high standards for calligraphy; if someone failed, it was almost certainly because their calligraphy was subpar.

As for martial arts, Magistrate Jiang was actually quite humane. As long as one was physically strong, ran five laps around the county academy wall within the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, lifted a fifty-catty weight, and shot ten arrows, they would pass.

Therefore, the key to the county exam lay in calligraphy. On the eve of the examination, everyone was diligently practicing their penmanship. The room was dead silent, save for the rustling sound of writing.

Over the past five years, Li Yanqing's calligraphy had evolved from its initial neat and delicate style toward the emulation of the great masters. The calligraphy of the four great masters of the Northern Song—Su, Huang, Mi, and Cai—was the most widely copied. Li Yanqing was especially adept at running script, combining the grand and vigorous style of Yan Zhenqing with the clear and refined grace of Su Dongpo, while diligently practicing the running scripts of Huang Tingjian and Mi Fu. His handwriting grew increasingly superb, to the point where even his father, Li Daqi, and his master, Yao Ding, felt somewhat inferior by comparison.

Precisely because his calligraphy was rock-solid, his father Li Daqi hoped he would directly take the provincial imperial examinations instead. In comparison, Yue Fei's calligraphy was slightly inferior, though it lacked only a fraction of Li Yanqing's spiritual resonance. His basic training was just as solid, ranking second only to Li Yanqing at Lushan Academy.

While Li Yanqing was writing with a focused mind, a slip of paper suddenly appeared on his desk. He unfolded it to find a note from Wang Gui, challenging him to a martial arts spar by the river after school.

Over the past five years, while focusing on their studies, the youths had not abandoned martial arts. As their bodies developed, each of their individual strengths gradually emerged. Li Yanqing retained his gift for speed; he had practiced the swordplay manual left behind by Uncle Hu to perfection. His sword flashed like lightning, with unrivaled velocity. Next was his extraordinary skill with stone-throwing, hitting the bullseye nine times out of ten within a range of seven zhang.

In terms of raw physical strength, however, Li Yanqing lagged behind Yue Fei. Yue Fei was naturally gifted with divine strength, favoring a fierce and ferocious style that carried a hint of Uncle Hu's imposing aura back in the day.

Among the four, Tang Huai favored lightness skills. He was the oldest, yet the shortest and most agile. Wang Gui's characteristic was versatility—he dabbled in a bit of everything but excelled at nothing. He had even learned stone-throwing from Li Yanqing, but his talent was limited, and his accuracy barely extended to one zhang.

Li Yanqing smiled and wrote the word "approved" on the paper, then crumpled it into a ball. Wang Gui's face lit up with joy; he had spent the past half-year bitterly practicing a set of whip techniques and was eager to test his skills against Li Yanqing.

.........

After school in the afternoon, the four youths crossed the imperial highway and arrived at the banks of the Tang River behind the shops. This was also the exact spot where Li Yanqing and Wang Gui had first sparred. A vast lawn stretched along the riverbank, the air imbued with a warm breath. Willow branches had sprouted tiny green buds, and the river ice had just thawed. Very few boats plied the water, save for a single passenger boat moored by the bank while the boatman had temporarily gone off to make purchases. The sole passenger on board was an elderly man standing with his hands clasped behind his back at the bow, gazing at the fresh buds on the willow branches.

"We're about to start!"

Wang Gui was brimming with excitement, warming up his muscles and joints with a wooden whip. He hopped and skipped in place much like a monkey. Half a year ago, he had learned an advanced set of whip techniques from a martial arts instructor and had long yearned for a rematch with Li Yanqing.

"The two of you act as witnesses! I'm going to fight to the finish with old Li!"

Wang Gui struck a pose that looked somewhat like a white crane spreading its wings, imbued with the spiritual charm of Huang Feihong. He curled his fingers slightly and beckoned to Li Yanqing. Li Yanqing, meanwhile, stood casually holding a wooden sword, watching Wang Gui's antics with a smile.

The other two, acting as judges, were not paying attention. Tang Huai was twirling his folding fan, affectedly chanting a few romantic lyrics by Liu Sanbian. He had never had any interest in poetry, but ever since acquiring this folding fan, he had managed to memorize hundreds of romantic verses.

Yue Fei was also distracted, chewing on a blade of grass in his mouth and staring blankly at the Tang River. He was pondering his future: should he go to the prefecture academy for further studies, or join Li Yanqing at the end of the year to try his hand at the provincial examinations in Xiangzhou?

Feeling ignored, Wang Gui glared at Li Yanqing and shouted fiercely, "This time is different from before! If you don't take this seriously, don't come crying to me after you get beaten!"

"Come at me with everything you've got!"

Li Yanqing shouted back. His words caught the attention of the old man at the bow of the boat. Turning his head, the old man spotted the youths sparring and found himself growing somewhat interested.

"Then I won't hold back!"

Wang Gui bellowed, and his whip began to flailing wildly, as if he had sprouted three heads and six arms. Thrashing and whirling, he charged toward Li Yanqing. Though the movements appeared chaotic at first glance, a closer inspection revealed a distinct methodology.

This was the ultimate whip technique belonging to Master Lu, the martial arts instructor retained by the Wang family. Since Master Lu was preparing to resign and return to his hometown in Daming Prefecture, out of gratitude for the kind treatment he had received at the Wang household over the years, he had taught Wang Gui several genuine techniques, of which this chaotic whip form was one.

However, Wang Gui had only practiced it for a few months and had yet to thoroughly grasp the subtle nuances of the whip style, retaining only its outward appearance while lacking its deeper soul.

The old man on the boat stroked his beard and nodded approvingly. The youth's whip technique had some merit; though wild, it was not disorganized. It was the renowned chaotic whip technique of the Lu family of Daming Prefecture, rarely taught to outsiders. To see it wielded by a youth in Tangyin County suggested that this small county was truly a crouching tiger, hidden dragon.

Li Yanqing remained completely still. As Wang Gui closed in, Li Yanqing suddenly let out a loud laugh, his figure flashing into motion. Moving as swiftly as lightning, with a single thrust of his wooden sword, he struck Wang Gui's left shoulder.

"Splendid swordplay!"

The old man at the bow of the boat involuntarily cried out in astonishment, causing all four youths to turn their heads simultaneously, finally noticing the presence of the elderly spectator.

The old man had seen it with absolute clarity. Li Yanqing's thrust was simple and plain, devoid of any flashy embellishments. Yet, coupled with lightning speed, it had become fiercely formidable. Even a seasoned martial artist could never execute such swordplay; this had already crossed into the realm of the grandmasters, simplifying the complex down to its essence.

The old man was momentarily stunned. He could never have imagined witnessing such brilliant swordplay in Tangyin County, and delivered by a mere youth at that.

Wang Gui's face flushed as red as a piece of crimson cloth. Master Lu had assured him that with this chaotic whip technique, he could roam Tangyin County's youth circles completely undefeated, filling him with such excitement that he hadn't been able to sleep for nights. He never expected his very first deployment to be shattered by Li Yanqing so easily.

Ashamed and infuriated, Wang Gui fiercely flung the wooden whip to the ground and cursed vehemently, "What kind of damn master is that? He's nothing but a fraud! If he ever dares show his face again, I'll tie him up with a rope and drag him to the officials!"

At that moment, the old man disembarked from the boat, picked up the wooden whip from the ground, handed it back to Wang Gui, and smiled, "There's no need to be upset. Your chaotic whip technique is actually quite good. That is the ultimate treasure of the Lu family of Daming Prefecture, rarely imparted to outsiders. You simply haven't mastered it yet. Practice for a few more years, and you would have been able to block that sword strike just now."

It was only then that Li Yanqing and the others noticed the old man's exceptionally imposing stature. Failing to realize it while he was on the boat, standing before them now, he loomed like a half-section of an iron pagoda, his arms appearing especially thick and muscular.

Wang Gui was overwhelmed by the man's imposing aura, and astonished that he recognized the Lu family whip technique. He stammered in a low voice, "You... how do you know?"

The old man smiled, then turned to Li Yanqing, saying, "I cannot tell the origin of that sword strike, but it must have been forged and refined through countless trials on the battlefield—it is a technique for taking lives. Use it with caution in the future, especially when wielding a real sword. Do not casually unleash this style against friends, or you might accidentally cause serious injury."

Li Yanqing quickly bowed and said, "Senior's words of gold and jade, Li Yanqing will engrave them on my heart."

"Your name is Li Yanqing?"

"Indeed! We are students of Lushan Academy. These are my close friends and classmates, Yue Fei, Wang Gui, and Tang Huai. Please bestow your guidance upon us in the future, Senior."

Li Yanqing introduced all three of his friends to the old man, and the three of them hastily bowed in salute. The old man nodded, "All fine talents. If we have the chance, we shall meet again."

At that moment, the boatman returned with his purchases and shouted cheerfully, "Master Zhou, we must be setting off!"

The old man boarded the vessel, waved goodbye to the group, and the boat drifted away from the bank, heading northward toward the direction of Tangyin County.

"Who on earth is that old man? He actually recognized my Lu family whip technique," Wang Gui muttered, still deeply astonished.

Li Yanqing gave a faint smile and replied, "If I'm not mistaken, he is the new imperial guard instructor for the county academy."

"How do you know?" the three asked in unison.

Li Yanqing did not answer, but in his heart, the picture was as clear as a mirror. With that stature and the surname Zhou, who else could it be if not the Iron-Armed Zhou Tong?