Nine Slope Village, a mountain hamlet surrounded by peaks, with clear waters and beautiful scenery.
Legend has it that deep within these vast mountains lies the burial place of a great general. When the general was buried, he lacked a head. His loyal and valiant subordinates crafted a golden head to complete his corpse for burial. The burial site was a place called “Nine Ridges and Thirteen Slopes”.
In the boundless mountains, no one knows how many ridges there truly are, nor how many slopes. Later generations could never pinpoint exactly which location “Nine Ridges and Thirteen Slopes” referred to.
On the mountain path behind the village, A Shi Heng walked forward with a bamboo basket and book satchel on his back. His washed-out clothes could not hide his clear and scholarly aura. Tall and handsome, with fair skin, he looked exactly as a scholar should.
He was the most accomplished scholar in all of Nine Slope Village, having passed the provincial examination this year as a juren. This journey was to head to the capital for the metropolitan exam.
Before setting out, he needed to make a trip into the mountains first.
Five or six li deep in the rear mountains from Nine Slope Village stood an ancient Daoist temple that had long lost its incense and worshippers. It was called Linglong Observatory.
He was going to find the master of Linglong Observatory.
The mountain path was rugged and difficult. A Shi Heng walked and paused, gazing at the vast mountain sea. His face alternated between red and pale, panting and wiping sweat as he rested, yet he refused to let the basket on his back leave his body.
Because hidden inside the basket was an item of utmost importance, something unimaginable to ordinary people.
His father had secretly told him before passing that this object was no small matter. It was said to be connected to immortals!
By the time he reached Linglong Observatory, shrouded in lush greenery, it was already noon. While still climbing the steps below the slope outside the temple, A Shi Heng heard a series of banging and clashing sounds of fighting.
What was happening? He quickly gathered his strength and rushed up to see.
The first thing that met his eyes was a rather distinctive black iron tower inside the temple grounds, followed by Linglong Observatory, where white mourning banners and remnants still lingered.
The old master of Linglong Observatory had passed away three months earlier. The temple seemed to have lost its backbone. After the disciples held the funeral, the white mourning items had been left hanging for months without anyone removing them. Grass grew on the walls and roof tiles with no one to tend it. The signs of the temple falling into ruin and disbanding were obvious.
Stepping onto the flat ground outside the temple gate, A Shi Heng’s eyes widened. He saw three bruised and swollen Daoists lying on the ground struggling, while a young Daoist with a ponytail was stepping on one of them, forcibly searching his body. Whatever money he found, he stuffed into his own robes.
At the moss-covered main gate of the temple hung a couplet:
The splendour of the world has no place for me.
The years in the mountains are matchless.
The two “no” characters in the couplet summed up the gains and losses of those who cultivate. In contrast to the scene of robbery at the temple gate, A Shi Heng was utterly speechless.
The young Daoist before him was named Yu Qing, the new master of Linglong Observatory, and also his childhood friend. The two were about the same age.
He had refused the villagers’ offer to escort him and deliberately came to find Yu Qing because he had secretly arranged with Yu Qing that this time Yu Qing would escort him all the way to the capital without others knowing. Comparatively speaking, Yu Qing was a martial practitioner, and his escort ability far surpassed that of ordinary villagers. In these chaotic times, it offered a few more degrees of safety.
Who would have thought that the agreed time had passed, he waited half the morning without seeing Yu Qing come down the mountain to meet him. Could that fellow have forgotten such an important matter? Not knowing what was wrong, he had no choice but to come personally. Now he finally understood. Linglong Observatory was in the midst of internal strife, with fellow disciples turning on each other!
The three Daoists beaten down on the ground were also familiar to him. They were all Yu Qing’s senior martial brothers. The oldest was already over fifty, and the youngest was nearly forty.
The old master had only these four disciples left.
How could Yu Qing alone defeat his three senior brothers?
If not for seeing it with his own eyes, A Shi Heng would not have believed it. Given his close relationship with Yu Qing, he had never known before that Yu Qing possessed such strength.
Previously he could not understand why the old master would pass the position of temple master to Yu Qing. In terms of age or seniority, Yu Qing was not qualified, and his character was far from steady and mature. Now it seemed he understood something. Perhaps the old master had chosen the disciple who could fight the best to inherit the mantle?
Having collected the money, Yu Qing tilted his head and saw A Shi Heng had arrived. The ferocious expression on his face vanished, replaced by a grin showing white teeth. It was still quite dashing, with a wild spirit in his brows from long years in the mountains, and a touch of untamedness in his every gesture.
The tender beard on his lips was rather eye-catching. Those who knew him understood that he had never grown a beard before.
He lifted his foot off his senior brother, walked to the steps below the temple gate, picked up a bundle, threaded his sword through it, slung it single-handedly over his shoulder, ignored the pained groans of his three senior brothers, strode past them, grabbed the stunned and doubtful A Shi Heng, and dragged him away.
The oldest senior brother finally caught his breath. Half-rising, he roared at the departing figures, “Yu Qing! For your own selfish desires, you openly rob your fellow senior brothers of their money. You are unworthy to be the master of Linglong Observatory, unworthy to be a disciple of Linglong Observatory. When Little Martial Uncle returns, he will never forgive you!” His tone carried endless grief and indignation, and blood stained his trembling beard.
The old master still had a martial uncle, a disciple of the old master’s own martial uncle. Yu Qing and his fellow disciples all called him Little Martial Uncle. He had long wandered outside and rarely returned.
Nowadays Linglong Observatory had only these five Daoists. It was truly declining beyond help. There was no choice. This was a dying profession. To still have a Daoist temple here was already a miracle.
A Shi Heng, being dragged down the mountain, heard the roar behind him and asked his childhood friend in shock, “You rascal, are you really robbing your fellow disciples’ money?”
Yu Qing snorted coldly. “Do not listen to their nonsense. Linglong Observatory is too poor. I wanted to re-plan the temple’s assets… They refuse to accept me as master, as you well know. I ordered them in my capacity as master to hand over the money. They disobeyed and even argued with me, so I had no choice but to resort to force after courtesy.”
What difference was there from robbery? A Shi Heng was genuinely startled. He knew this fellow had been greedy for money since childhood, but he never thought he would go so far as to rob his own sect brothers. Earlier, seeing him search for money, he thought there must be another reason. He never expected it really was robbery.
This was crossing the line! A Shi Heng glanced at the beard on his lips and sneered, “Your Little Martial Uncle has beaten you plenty since you were small, right? Growing a beard to pretend maturity will not help. He is even more shameless than you. Do not think that just because you are the master he will not deal with you. Go ahead and hop around for now. When he returns, he will definitely skin you alive!”
Yu Qing appeared calm and composed, scoffing disdainfully. Glancing back, he saw his scholarly friend struggling under the weight on his back. He reached out, removed A Shi Heng’s basket, casually stuffed his own bundle inside, and helped A Shi Heng carry it on his back.
The two avoided Nine Slope Village as they descended. By the time they reached the only major road out of the mountains in the village, Yu Qing had already changed his Daoist robes for ordinary clothes to avoid drawing too much attention.
It was not market day, so no other people were on the mountain path. The mountains were quiet, the wind gentle.
As they neared the exit to the official road, suddenly the sound of horse hooves broke the silence.
A carriage approached neither fast nor slow. Both men stopped and moved to the side of the road to yield, looking somewhat puzzled. Nine Slope Village was very poor. Horse carriages rarely came through.
The carriage did not pass by when it drew near. Instead it stopped right in front of them. The coachman’s behaviour was unusual, and Yu Qing immediately became alert.
The coachman, dressed like an ordinary commoner, removed his bamboo hat to reveal his true face. He had the bearing of a man of considerable presence, around fifty years old, with long eyebrows and a square face. He jumped down from the carriage and cupped his hands toward A Shi Heng.
A Shi Heng was clearly surprised. “Why has Mister Pu come here?”
They know each other? Yu Qing looked left and right.
Mister Pu saw Yu Qing beside him and did not recognise him, so he hesitated to speak.
A Shi Heng said, “He is one of our own. No need to worry. Mister Pu has come. Is there something the matter?”
Mister Pu pondered for a moment. “I have come to stop the young master from going to the capital. Please postpone this year’s examination. It will not be too late to take it next time.”
What was going on? Yu Qing’s eyes darted around, glancing back and forth between them.
A Shi Heng frowned. “The reason?”
Mister Pu looked around, put his bamboo hat back on to cover half his face, yet could not hide his grave expression. “The young master has lived in seclusion in the mountain village studying diligently, with no spare time to hear news from the outside world. Young master, something has happened. In the six provinces of the southwest in Jin Country, demons and monsters have suddenly appeared everywhere, acting wantonly and strangely. For some unknown reason, they frequently target candidates heading to the capital. Other counties have already seen examinees killed. For the sake of safety, the young master should postpone.”
A Shi Heng furrowed his brows. “How could there be such an absurd and unreasonable strange affair?”
Mister Pu pondered. “I do not know the specifics. The higher-ups have ordered the news sealed. But internally there are rumours that the matter seems related to the Si Nan Mansion. It appears the Si Nan Mansion has caused some incident. I think it is eighty to ninety percent true. The Si Nan Mansion has the influence to silence the government.”
Si Nan Mansion? Both A Shi Heng and Yu Qing felt a quiet shock in their hearts. They both knew that was no ordinary organisation.
Rumour had it that long ago, immortals once lived in this world. Later, for unknown reasons, they all vanished. Some said they returned to the immortal realm, and since then no immortal trace had been seen again. It was said that the cave dwellings of the immortals still existed, and some people had stumbled into them and gained fortunes. For some people, wealth and honour were not lacking. What they lacked was lifespan. Nothing compared to elixirs and wondrous medicines that could extend life, especially for emperors. The temptation was unimaginable.
To find the immortal cave dwellings and to eliminate interference from within the court, the emperor specially established a force dedicated to the search. That was the “Si Nan Mansion”.
The Si Nan Mansion gathered capable and strange individuals. More importantly, it served the emperor in seeking longevity. Although independent from the court, its power had grown increasingly vast. To call it overwhelmingly influential was no exaggeration.
Speaking of this Si Nan Mansion, Yu Qing could not help glancing at A Shi Heng’s reaction. This childhood friend’s father must have had a very deep connection with the Si Nan Mansion.
It was only three months ago, when his master was on his deathbed passing the position to him and revealing some secrets, that he learned A Shi Heng’s father, A Jie Zhang, the crippled old man in the village who had long sat in a wheelchair and had already passed away, had another identity.
Among the six ministries of the court, one was the Ministry of Works, which had four bureaus under it. The Bureau of Resources was headed by A Jie Zhang. A Shi Heng’s father was the Director of the Bureau of Resources.
Heading the Bureau of Resources was no small matter. Its influence extended far beyond the official rank.
Searching for immortal relics inevitably required frequent expeditions into deep mountains and old forests. When it came to techniques for attacking mountains, no one in the entire court could compare to the Bureau of Resources. Whenever the court undertook large construction projects or the Ministry of Works needed to build something, the timber, stone, and other mountain materials required were always procured by the Bureau of Resources.
Having dealt with mountains and forests for so long, they naturally became proficient in mountain-attacking techniques over time.
Cooperating with the Si Nan Mansion to search for immortal relics naturally became the responsibility of the Bureau of Resources.
As an important participant in the emperor’s cherished pursuit, and closely tied to the immensely powerful Si Nan Mansion, one could imagine what kind of figure A Jie Zhang had been back then.
And Linglong Observatory had also received great favour from A Jie Zhang during that period, which was why the two sides later developed their connection.