Sword Arrives

A scholar with graying temples, accompanied by a young man in a blue robe, left the village school and arrived beneath the archway. The town's most learned teacher, whose face bore signs of weariness, extended his hand to point at a plaque overhead. "The four words here—what do they mean?"

The young man Zhao Yao, both a student and the teacher's personal attendant, followed the teacher's gaze upward without hesitation and said, "In our Confucian teachings, the word 'ren' (benevolence) stands at the core. The four words on the plaque come from the saying 'When it comes to benevolence, do not yield to your teacher.' It means that as scholars, we should respect our teachers and uphold the way, but before benevolence and righteousness, we need not humble ourselves."

Mr. Qi inquired, "Need not humble yourself? What if we change 'need not' to 'cannot'? How would that sound?"

The young man in his blue robe had a graceful appearance, and compared to Song Jixin's sharp and aggressive manner, his demeanor was much gentler and more reserved, like a freshly bloomed lotus, naturally charming. When the teacher posed this subtle question, Zhao Yao didn't dare to take it lightly. He carefully considered the matter, feeling that his teacher was testing his learning, so he didn't dare to respond casually. The middle-aged scholar, seeing his disciple's nervousness as if facing an enemy, smiled knowingly and patted the young man on the shoulder. "It was just a casual question, no need to be so tense. It seems I've been too restrictive with your nature, over-polishing you. You've lived like a statue in the Wen Chang Pavilion, with a stiff face, always adhering to rules, and discussing everything with reason. Isn't that tiring? But in the end, it seems to have worked out well."

The young man was somewhat confused, but the teacher had already led him around to the other side, still gazing upward at the four-character plaque. The scholar's expression relaxed, and for some unknown reason, the usually stern teacher began to recount many amusing anecdotes and cases to his disciple: "The one who wrote the 'When it comes to benevolence, do not yield to your teacher' plaque was once the greatest calligrapher of the time, sparking many debates—disputes about the structure, the spirit and strength of the strokes, the praise and criticism of 'ancient simplicity' versus 'modern beauty'—which still remain unresolved to this day. Rhythm, technique, meaning, and form—these four elements of calligraphy—this person captured both the first and second place, leaving no room for peers to breathe. As for the phrase 'Let speech be simple and natural', it gets interesting. If you examine it closely, you'll see that although the brushwork, structure, and spirit are similar, the four characters were actually written by four different Taoist masters. At the time, two elderly immortals even exchanged letters over it, arguing fiercely. Both wanted to write the profound and mysterious 'natural', but neither wanted to write the plain and mundane 'speech'..."

The scholar then led the young man to another plaque that read 'Do not seek outward.' He looked around, his gaze distant. "Originally, the village school you studied at would soon be shut down because the teacher is leaving. Several prominent families will either stop the classes or simply tear it down to build a small Taoist temple or erect a Buddha statue for incense offerings, with a Taoist priest or monk in charge, year after year. There might even be 'replacements' every couple of decades to avoid suspicion among the townsfolk. But it's all just a crude trick to cover their eyes. However, performing even a trivial spell here, if done elsewhere, might be comparable to the grand spectacle of the gods striking a large drum or the thunder shaking the heavens..."

By the end of his words, the teacher's voice had become as faint as a mosquito's buzz. Even Zhao Yao strained his ears, but he could barely hear him.

Mr. Qi sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness and fatigue: "Many things are meant to remain hidden by heaven's will. At this point, it no longer matters. But we are scholars, after all, and we must maintain some dignity. Besides, if I, Qi Jingchun, were to take the lead in breaking the rules, it would be no different than robbing the very temple I guard. It would be an utterly embarrassing display."

Zhao Yao suddenly gathered the courage to speak, "Teacher, I know you are no common man, and this small town is no ordinary place."

The scholar, curious, smiled and asked, "Oh? Do tell."

Zhao Yao pointed to the imposing twelve-pillared archway, "This place, along with the Iron-Chained Well in Apricot Alley, the covered bridge under which two iron swords are rumored to hang, the old locust tree, the peach trees in Peach Leaf Alley, and the Fortune Street where my Zhao family resides—every year, we post the Guyu and Chongyang notices... all of it feels strange."

The scholar interrupted the young man, "Strange? How could it be strange? You've grown up here all your life and have never left. Have you seen the sights outside this small town? Without comparison, how can you call it strange?"

Zhao Yao's voice deepened, "Teacher, I've long memorized those books of yours. The peach blossoms in Peach Leaf Alley—what the books describe in their verses, they're quite different from what I see. Also, you teach only the three books of Confucianism, focusing on literacy. After learning the basics, what should we read next? What is the purpose of reading? What does 'establishing a career' mean? Why does the book say, 'In the morning, one is a farmer, in the evening, one enters the emperor's court'? What does 'the emperor values heroes, and literature teaches them' mean? The two former officials in charge of kiln operations, though they never spoke of the court, the capital, or affairs of the world, still..."

The scholar smiled in approval, "That's enough. There's no need to say more."

Zhao Yao immediately stopped speaking.