Unsheathed

After emerging from the city gates, Chen Ping’an stood beside the lively and bustling official road to rest.

There was a tea shop not far away, and after some hesitation, Chen Ping’an bought a bowl of tea, then sat down to drink it.

He very rarely regretted anything, but he was beginning to regret leaving the capital city of Great Sui Nation so early.

Just as Cui Chan had said, what if the three children were picked on by others, and he wasn’t by their side to protect them?

Chen Ping’an hadn’t seen much of the world, but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t seen the good and bad sides of human nature. His upbringing had been quite rough, and he was forced to do everything in his power just to survive. As a result, he knew far more about the hardships of life and the ugly side of human nature than Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi.

In particular, through hearing all of Cui Chan’s errant ramblings along the course of this journey, Chen Ping’an had come to realize something: just because someone was in a lofty position of power didn’t mean that they were smart, and just because someone was well-read didn’t mean that they were a good person.

Chen Ping’an continued to sip on his tea, and he silently arrived at a decision as he cast his gaze toward the city walls.

————

In Mountain Cliff Academy on Eastern Splendor Mountain, there was a hall with a plaque that read “Pine Wave” hanging above its entrance, and this was essentially the teacher’s office in the academy.

The mountain master and the head minister of Great Sui Nation’s Ministry of Rites were taking advantage of a rare break to have some tea, and both of them were looking quite relaxed. The other people present in the room were all teachers of the academy who were quite advanced in age, and the three deputy mountain masters were also present.

One of them was an elderly man with a square face, and he tried to resist the urge to speak for a moment, but ultimately gave in as he complained, “Those children are a bunch of troublemakers!”

It seemed that this piece of criticism wasn’t sufficient to vent his fury, and he added, “They’re completely incorrigible!”

Not only was this deputy mountain master an extremely reputable scholar who was responsible for holding large-scale lectures in the new academy, he also possessed the official title of “noble person”, and his name was recorded in one of the three schools of Confucianism. As such, the words that came out of his mouth carried more weight than those uttered by his peers.

The head minister of the Ministry of Rites was an unremarkable-looking old man with a benevolent appearance. If it weren’t for the official robes that he was wearing, one would’ve struggled to imagine that he was a second-rank official. Furthermore, scholars and well-read individuals were held in extremely high regard in Great Sui Nation.

For example, the title of heavenly official was assigned to the head minister of the Ministry of Personnel in the Great Li Empire, but that title was given to the head minister of the Ministry of Rites in Great Sui Nation.

The head minister’s smile remained unchanged as he prompted, “Why don’t you tell just what makes them so incorrigible?”

The deputy mountain master was more than happy to voice his complaints, and he grumbled, “Lin Shouyi possesses exceptional aptitude and a good foundation, but his personality is… I don’t know what to say. He’s always skipping classes to go read books in the scripture library. That in itself isn’t a bad thing, but he hasn’t even read a single Confucian classic.

“Instead, he’s read a bunch of unorthodox Daoist secret scriptures. He’s only been attending the academy for a short time, yet he’s already borrowed 20 to 30 such books. This is ridiculous! I’m not saying that students of Confucianism should be forbidden from reading Daoist scriptures, but at his age, he has to read the classics first to establish a good theoretical foundation.

“If he strays down the wrong path from his readings, how will I face the former mountain master on the other side?”

The head minister nodded in response, and he had clearly slowed down in the drinking of his tea.

The more the deputy mountain master complained, the more incensed he became. “And that girl, Li Baoping, is even more disobedient! She’s always spacing out during lessons, and she doesn’t give her teachers any of the respect that they deserve!

“She’s either flipping through the pages of that travel journal that she’s already read countless times, or she’s drawing little figures on its pages. Not only that, but those figures are all depicting fighting techniques used by those barbaric martial artists!”

The head minister resisted the urge to chuckle as he lowered his head and took another sip of tea.

“As for Li Huai, he does everything that he should. He doesn’t flunk lessons, nor does he cause any trouble, and he always completes the homework assigned to him by his teachers, but his learning ability is simply… I sometimes feel like there’s a block of wood in his head as opposed to a brain!

“He’s always nodding off and drooling all over his desk during his lessons, how could he possibly be a direct disciple of the former mountain master? These children will be the death of me, I tell you!”

One of the younger deputy mountain masters chuckled, “Our Mountain Master Liu has plucked out quite a few of his beard hairs already in frustration while dealing with these children.”

“I’m only a deputy mountain master,” the square-faced old man corrected with a stern expression.

The head minister burst into laughter upon hearing this, and he set his teacup down beside him as he asked, “Is there no good news at all? If it’s all just going to be bad news, then I wouldn’t dare to visit again.”

The square-faced old man’s mood took a slight turn for the better upon hearing this, and he nodded as he replied, “There is some good news. Surprisingly, Yu Lu and Xie Xie have displayed particularly outstanding aptitude, and they’re far more well-aligned with the standard mold of what a Confucian scholar should be like.

“They treat others in a very sensible fashion, and they’re quite respectful to their teachers. In particular, Yu Lu is an extremely pleasant and courteous young man. I would say he’s the pick of the bunch, and I think he’ll go on to achieve great things.”

The head minister wasn’t in any hurry to jump to conclusions, and his smile remained unchanged as he turned to a tall old man, who had been dozing off in secret this entire time, “What do you think, Elder Mao?”

The tall old man had a redwood ruler strapped to his waist, and he immediately snapped out of his stupor as he blurted out, “Wha? The head minister is going to leave? Won’t your stay a while longer?”

The head minister was quite amused, and he said, “Well, if you insist that I stay a while longer, then it would be rude of me not to oblige.”

A chorus of laughter instantly rang out within the office.

The head minister patiently summarized and relayed Deputy Mountain Master Liu’s complaints to Mao Xiaodong, and after hearing what the head minister had to say, an enlightened look appeared on his face as he said, “I see. In that case, I really do have something to say about this.”

“We’re all eagerly awaiting your input,” the head minister prompted.

Mao Xiaodong sat up straighter as he asked, “Let me ask all of you this: is Qi Jingchun a more accomplished scholar than all of us here?”

His question was met with complete silence.

Was this a rhetorical question?

Mao Xiaodong then asked, “Does Qi Jingchun have a better eye for students, or are we superior in this regard?”

Once again, the answer was obvious.

Deputy Mountain Master Liu was silent for a moment, and he didn’t directly refute what Mao Xiaodong was implying. Instead, he lowered his slightly as he said, “Elder Mao, we all know that Jewel Small World is a tiny place. I heard that its total population was only 5,000 to 6,000 people, so there definitely wouldn’t have been many children to choose from among them. Could it be that Mr. Qi didn’t have the luxury of choice?”

Mao Xiaodong had been by Qi Jingchun’s side the entire time during the founding of the Great Li Empire’s Mountain Cliff Academy, and he was the undisputed top-ranking figure in the new academy regardless of whether it was in terms of cultivation base, seniority, or morality and scholarly accomplishment. Hence, everyone, including the head minister of the Ministry of Rites, respectfully referred to him as Elder Mao.

After hearing Deputy Mountain Master Liu’s question, Mao Xiaodong smiled and replied, “Of course that’s a possibility. In fact, it’s not just a possibility, it’s the undeniable truth!”

Everyone was completely dumbfounded by this response.

Mao Xiaodong looked around the room as he continued, “It’s your Great Sui Nation that expects all of these children to be geniuses who will go on to achieve great things. Furthermore, you want them to pledge their allegiance to Great Sui Nation when they grow up so you can use them to gloat over the Great Li Empire. I don’t harbor such selfish desires, so I don’t have such lofty expectations of

The head minister hurriedly coughed into his sleeve a couple of times, and that gave him an excuse to pick up his teacup before taking a sip of tea.

Mao Xiaodong paid no heed to the head minister’s awkward reaction as he continued to speak without any qualms. “If I had my way, then those children can do whatever they want. They can eat or drink whatever and whenever, and if they want to learn, then I’ll teach them, but if they want to slack off, then I’ll leave them be.

“I don’t care if they go on to achieve great things or not. My official role is the deputy mountain master of this academy. I already have so many students to teach, and with each passing year, I’ll only have more and more students to look after. I don’t have the time and energy to hear all of you bickering about which child climbed a tree, or flunked their lessons, or drew some little figures in a book.”

Everyone in the room was left staring at each other with dumbstruck expressions, and the head minister continued to drink from his cup, but the tea inside had actually already run out.

Mao Xiaodong smiled as he rose to his feet and said, “If you’ll all excuse me, I have more important matters to attend to, so I won’t be able to sit here and sip tea with you any longer, esteemed Head Minister.”

The head minister rose to his feet with an amicable expression as he said, “In that case, I’ll take my leave as well. I’ve taken up far too much of your valuable time already.”

“Don’t be in such a hurry to go, esteemed Head Minister. Why don’t you finish your tea first?” Mao Xiaodong urged.

He then got up slightly onto the tips of his toes and peered into the head minister’s cup. “Oh, you’ve already finished your tea. Even so, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Have another cup before you go.

“If someone hears that you only had one cup of tea before you left, they’d think that our hospitality was lacking and that we drove you away. What if the Ministry of Revenue decides to stand up for you and intentionally cut our academy’s funding? We would all be kicking ourselves if that happened!”

A wry smile appeared on the head minister’s face as he cupped his fist in a salute and implored, “Please spare me, Elder Mao. How about this? From now on, you can be the mountain master, while I’ll be a deputy mountain master!”

“That won’t do at all!” Mao Xiaodong chuckled as he turned and departed.

Following his departure, the head minister heaved a resigned sigh, then grumbled, “I came here for some peace and quiet, but here I am, being lectured by Elder Mao. I don’t think I even have the courage to come back here again!”

A chorus of laughter rang out within the office, and even the ever-serious Deputy Mountain Master Liu was quite amused.

————

Compared with the Five Mountains, Eastern Splendor Mountain of Great Sui Nation wasn’t particularly imposing at all. Instead, it was only taller compared to all of the other mountains in the area, and that made it appear more important.

On the mountain summit was a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree, and after sitting on one of the tree’s branches and spacing out for a while, she wrapped her arms around the trunk of the tree and slid down to the ground in a well-rehearsed fashion.

As soon as she did this, she spotted a tall old man who was watching her with narrowed eyes and a sly grin, and he didn’t seem like a good person.

“Are you skipping your lessons again?” Mao Xiaodong asked.

To her credit, Li Baoping was very honest, and she said, “I know the academy has rules. I accept my punishment.”

“Did Qi Jingchun punish you for skipping lessons?” Mao Xiaodong asked.

Li Baoping shook her head in response. “He wouldn’t punish me for skipping lessons, he never cared about things like that. However, if we recite what he taught us incorrectly, then we’ll receive a reminder from him the first time, but we’ll be punished with a beating the second time.”

“I see,” Mao Xiaodong replied, then asked, “What were you looking at up there?”

Li Baoping faltered slightly upon hearing this, as if the answer should’ve been obvious, and she replied, “The scenery.”

Mao Xiaodong became even more intrigued as he asked, “What type of scenery is out there? How come I’ve never heard of any good scenery in this area?”

Li Baoping blinked innocently as she suggested, “Why don’t you climb up there and take a look for yourself?”

“It’s unbecoming behavior for scholars to climb trees,” Mao Xiaodong said, following which an enlightened look quickly appeared on his face. “I see what you’re doing. You want me to break the rules as well so I won’t be able to report you, right? You’re a pretty smart little girl!”

Li Baoping shook her head with a smile on her face.

Mao Xiaodong could clearly tell that she disagreed with his statement, so he asked, “Do you think I’m incorrect to say that climbing trees is behavior that is unbecoming of scholars?”

Li Baoping patted down her clothes as she explained, “One time, when I got my kite stuck in the branches of a tree, it was Mr. Qi who climbed the tree to get it down for me. Another time, I tossed Li Huai’s underpants onto a tree, then ran home by myself, and afterward, I heard that it was Mr. Qi who got his underpants down for him. The scholars of your academy always like to fixate on these pointless little things.”

“It’s our academy, not my academy,” Mao Xiaodong corrected.

He clasped his hands behind his back as he looked down at Li Baoping with a smile and asked, “You must feel like Qi Jingchun is better than all of the teachers here, right?”

Li Baoping heaved a faint sigh, and she couldn’t help but wonder why this old man was asking her all of these stupid questions when he should’ve been old enough to know better.

Mao Xiaodong said in an earnest and heartfelt voice, “While it’s true that your teacher was a far more accomplished scholar than we are, it wouldn’t be right for you to denounce all of our rules just because of that. These rules exist for a reason. You’ve heard of the saying ‘one can do as they please, but not break the rules’, right? Do you know what comes before that?”

Li Baoping nodded in response. “It’s ‘at 17’, and before that, it’s ‘at 16, one learns to correctly process even things they don’t like to hear’.”

Mao Xiaodong was rendered completely speechless.

As an extremely accomplished scholar in his own right, he knew what Li Baoping was trying to say, but he couldn’t understand how such a strange answer had popped into her head. [1]

Li Baoping waved at Mao Xiaodong as she prepared to rush away. “My name is Li Baoping, and I only recently enrolled in the academy. Rest assured, I won’t try to evade my punishment. I’ve already read all of the rules, and I know that I have to write out a copy of a text within three days.

“I’ll complete that tonight, then hand it in to Mr. Hong. If you don’t believe me, you can go to Mr. Hong yourself for confirmation. I write even faster than I run, so I’ll definitely be able to get it done in time!”

Mao Xiaodong was left feeling rather exasperated, and he hurriedly called out to stop Li Baoping. “Don’t be in such a hurry! I still haven’t finished preaching to you. After you’ve heard what I have to say, that will serve as a substitute to your punishment.”

Li Baoping had already raised her foot to prepare rushing away, but she could only stop in her tracks upon hearing this, and she turned back to Mao Xiaodong with wide eyes as she said, “Go ahead, but if you don’t have anything good to say, then I’d rather go back and write out a text.”

Mao Xiaodong was rendered speechless for a moment upon hearing this, but he then quickly gathered himself as he said, “Think about it this way: even the Paramount Sage of Confucianism only dared to do as he pleased upon reaching 70 years of age. If the average person were to do the same without any regard for rules or consequences, wouldn’t that be really bad?”

“Of course,” Li Baoping replied with a nod.

Mao Xiaodong smiled as he said, “Alright, that’s all I have to say. You won’t have to write out a text for your punishment now.”

It was Li Baoping’s turn to be dumbstruck upon hearing this. “That’s it?”

She then heaved a long sigh as she took a glance at Mao Xiaodong, and she seemed to have wanted to say something, but she refrained from doing so in the end, and she extended a respectful curtsey before preparing to rush down the mountain.

Mao Xiaodong became even more exasperated upon seeing this. “Why did you just look at me like that? I bet you’re thinking that I’m older than Qi Jingchun, but I’m not as well-read as he is, aren’t you?”

Li Baoping nodded in response. She was determined not to actively deceive anyone, and seeing as Mao Xiaodong had already seen through her, she naturally wasn’t going to deny it.

Mao Xiaodong smiled as he said, “The truth is that I only look old, while Qi Jingchun appears young. In reality, he’s even older than I am, so it’s no wonder that he’s more well-read than me.”

Li Baoping was very skeptical of this claim.

Mao Xiaodong seemed to have been incensed by her skepticism, and he snapped, “Why would I lie to a little girl like you?”

All of a sudden, Li Baoping wasn’t in a hurry to rush down the mountain anymore. Instead, she crossed her arms and took a few steps to the left, then a few steps to the right before looking up at Mao Xiaodong, then asked a rather inexplicable question. “Even if it’s true that you’re younger than Mr. Qi, and that’s why you’re not as well-read as he is, why is it that my junior uncle is way younger than you, but he’s also more well-read than you?”

“Your junior uncle is more well-read than me? I don’t believe you,” Mao Xiaodong mused.

A hint of urgency appeared in Li Baoping’s eyes, and she took a careful look at her surroundings, then placed a little hand beside her mouth as she said in a low voice, “I’m telling you a secret, make sure you don’t tell anyone else.”

She then indicated to the top of her own head as she continued, “If Mr. Qi has this much knowledge, then my junior uncle has at least this much knowledge.”

She indicated to her shoulder as she spoke for a point of comparison. She then raised her hand slightly so that it was level with her ear as she concluded, “Once he learns how to read on the trip back home, he’ll have this much knowledge!”

Mao Xiaodong was dumbstruck to hear this, and in the end, he could only play along. “In that case, your junior uncle must be an amazing person!”

Li Baoping nodded vigorously in response. “You’re right! My junior uncle is incredibly amazing!”

“That’s good,” Mao Xiaodong suddenly sighed as a forlorn look appeared on his face. “The more incredible he is, the better he’ll be able to protect our precious little Baoping in the future.”

A slightly sullen look appeared on Li Baoping’s face, and she forced a smile onto her face as she rushed away, waving farewell to Mao Xiaodong as she ran down the mountain. “I’m going. I actually think you’re quite well-read as well. I’d say you have this much knowledge…”

She was just about to indicate her perception of Mao Xiaodong’s level of knowledge with her hand, but as she did so, she became distracted and fell flat on her face. She then picked herself up with incredible speed and efficiency before rushing down the mountain at an even faster pace than before.

Mao Xiaodong patted the ruler that was strapped to his waist as he looked on at Li Baoping’s departing figure, and he sighed to himself, “You should’ve told me about him, Jingchun. If I had known that he was so amazing, I would’ve loved to have met him.”

1. The actual quote is: “at 60, one learns to correctly process even things they don’t like to hear; at 70, one can do as they please, for their desires no longer lead them to break the rules”. Here, Li Baoping is mixing sixty up with sixteen and seventy up with seventeen. ☜