Chapter 7: Blessed Water For Just One Wen
“Which two brothers are willing to volunteer and guard the well at night?”
Instructor Lin stood by the well, his loose short shirt revealing coiled muscles, his whole body resembling a raging ape.
“Wages will be paid as usual, and you won’t have to endure the midday heat… Hmm, I’ll give you two pointers next time.”
Instructor Lin looked toward the water carriers in the alley.
Chen Shun’an’s expression shifted slightly as he glanced at San Dezi and the other water carriers he was usually close with.
Instructor Lin was a jade tree, having refined from his toes to his shoulders, which placed him among those with deep strength even among second-rate warriors.
His willingness to give personal instruction was understandably enticing to this group of water carriers who were mostly at third-rate realm.
However, Chen Shun’an had no intention of stepping forward.
First, his top priority was to consolidate his foundation and nourish his declining qi and blood to peak, then he could smoothly breakthrough.
Second, after the slip incident, night patrol had become a hot potato.
If nothing else happened, it would be no merit and no fault.
But if something did happen, truly encountering thieves.
Would you stop them? Could you stop them?
If you stopped them, whose merit is it? How to divide it? Would Instructor Lin take a share? Would we divide it? If not, it would hurt the brothers’ harmony.
If you couldn’t stop them, who takes the fault? If muscles and bones are injured or even life is lost, who takes the blame? Who provides solatium? The brothers are all poor, wives and children are crying for food, if brothers have to pay, it would definitely hurt harmony.
Trouble!
And what Chen Shun’an could think of, many shrewd water carriers had also thought of, each staring at their noses, saying nothing.
“I’ll do it!”
A clear voice rang out.
Before Chen Shun’an turned his head, a gust of wind whistled past his ear.
He saw the tall young man Ah Hua from yesterday; his legs suddenly pressed down, his spine like a great dragon sank sharply, his whole body like a compressed spring, carrying fierce strength, leaping in front of everyone.
“Hoo…”
Legs landing, Ah Hua’s tense breath suddenly released, exhaling two thumb-thick streams of white mist.
Chen Shun’an’s eyes lit up.
Startled Sparrow Skill!
It was also lightness skill, mid-level martial arts!
It seemed Ah Hua’s dantian qi was nearly connecting through his legs, just one step from third-rate perfection.
Lightness skill is hard to practice, tedious and laborious, harder to pick up than fist techniques, palm techniques, and other martial arts.
Yet Ah Hua, only in his early twenties, had reached his current realm, just slightly weaker than old timers like Chen Shun’an.
He could be considered a minor genius.
Chen Shun’an clapped in praise: “Rising star, young talent, Ah Hua’s lightness skill is mastered.”
San Dezi also nodded in agreement, saying sourly,
“Indeed, this kid Ah Hua is no simpleton; that move shook me.”
Another water carrier also spoke up,
“Sigh, today’s young people are something else, surpassing me without a sound! Who knows when I’ll achieve force throughout the body.”
Voices of congratulations and self-deprecation came to his ears.
Especially gaining recognition from Chen Shun’an, this ‘senior’ who also practiced lightness skill.
Ah Hua’s mouth curved up, unable to hold back a smile, feeling light as a feather.
Ah Hua straightened his posture, chest out, cupped his fists toward Instructor Lin, and said,
“Instructor Lin, count me in, I’m willing to guard at night!”
“Good, good, good!”
Seeing this, a bit of joy appeared on Instructor Lin’s usually stern face.
“Anyone else?”
“Me, me!”
“Brother Hua is on, what do we have to fear?!”
A few young water carriers eagerly signed up.
But Instructor Lin just gave them a lukewarm glance, a flash in his eyes, and the young water carriers immediately wilted.
Their strength was insufficient, much weaker than Ah Hua.
Then Instructor Lin personally selected a trusted water carrier with second-rate cultivation to pair with Ah Hua.
The selection of night patrollers was settled.
Ah Hua turned around, politely saying to Chen Shun’an and the other elders,
“Then this errand of this junior will trouble the various elder brothers and uncles to share.”
Chen Shun’an smiled: “No trouble, no trouble, Ah Hua you’re too polite. During night patrol, if you notice anything wrong, just shout, and us brothers will come right away.”
Chen Shun’an gave a brief warning and drew a tiger head club, arm-thick and weighty, from under the water cart.
“This tiger head club is military training weapon from the auxiliary banner camp, though worn and ‘scrapped.’ But it’s sturdier than ordinary weapons; use it temporarily. For danger, use it to defend yourself, but don’t strike to kill.”
Ah Hua’s face showed joy as he took the tiger head club and nodded: “Thanks for the pointers, Uncle Chen; Ah Hua remembers.”
Ah Hua wasn’t stupid.
He had pretty much guessed the thoughts of Chen Shun’an and these elders.
Night guarding had risks, but also high income!
An opportunity for personal instruction from Instructor Lin wasn’t something you could find just anywhere!
At the county martial arts hall or discussion halls, without paying ten or eight taels as tea fee first, others wouldn’t even glance at you!
Chen Shun’an laughed that this young Ah Hua didn’t understand worldly affairs, keeping a low profile.
Ah Hua also laughed that these old timers like Chen Shun’an didn’t know to dare to fight and charge forward bravely!
In the end, both sides were very satisfied, each viewing the other as shortsighted.
The atmosphere was extremely harmonious.
……
“Elder Brother Chen, I’ll push the cart first! For the monthly package, I still have a few households to notify.”
A middle-aged man with a knife scar on his face informed Chen Shun’an and hurriedly pushed his cart away.
“Good, Old Liu, you go ahead. I’m still short one bucket of water.”
This Scarred Liu was the one from the other day who said he was going to Qianzhitang to buy Turtle and Deer Two Immortals Paste to forcibly achieve force throughout the body.
Just now, he was the one who sighed that this young Ah Hua was something else, having surpassed him.
After Qing Ji’s armor-changing horse and tendon and vein extension, Chen Shun’an had sharp insight into others’ lower body tendon tremors and strength flow.
At this moment, he keenly noticed that Scarred Liu’s strength had surged greatly compared to yesterday.
Muscles and bones tight and solid, clearly having achieved force throughout the body, entering third-rate perfection!
Well, everyone was pretending!
Just seeing who pretended deeper.
Chen Shun’an shook his head helplessly, turning a blind eye, pretending not to know.
Since Scarred Liu didn’t want to reveal it, he naturally wouldn’t expose it.
Just, he didn’t know if Scarred Liu’s wife was hot stove cold firewood.
The fields are fertile, but the ox is spent; what to do…
……
Early morning.
Silver Ingot Street, in a large courtyard.
Scholar Ma, in a green shirt, sleeves empty, three meals rough and sleeping rough, single clothes all seasons, paced back and forth in the messy courtyard, reading and reciting scriptures.
“To know when to stop leads to stability; stability leads to calm; calm leads to peace; peace leads to thought; thought leads to attainment… The heart is the abode of the spirit, the ancestor of all methods.”
The scripture voice was ethereal, drawn out and enduring.
It clashed with the courtyard’s splashing water, dumping chamber pots, chopping wood, beating children, and other mundane vibes.
Scholar Ma’s face was aged, over sixty, but his expression was content; even in the bustling market, he was like in a golden house.
The scripture commentary he recited was called《 Commentaries on Chapters and Sentences》, a famous work of rationalism, the outline of the Sacred Dynasty’s imperial examination.
Though Scholar Ma had read it hundreds of times and memorized it, each recitation brought new insights.
And in his dilapidated old room, the table, chair, bed were piled with shoe pads, worn boots, old clothing.
An old woman with eyes narrowed like needle tips was threading needles, sewing and mending clothes to supplement the family income.
“Head of the house, I’ve scraped together five taels of silver; today go find Instructor Shen to bribe officials, spend the money to get a provisional idle post!”
The old woman finished yesterday’s backlog, tremblingly reached into the hidden pocket sewn into her personal clothing, and took out a sachet.
Inside was a five-tael silver ingot, full weight and new.
Scholar Ma had tired of reading and returned to the room for a sip of murky tea.
Hearing this, he shook his head like a rattle.
“No, no, Ma Mou must be clean and upright; how can I do such filthy money-grubbing things!”
The old woman gripped the silver ingot tightly, expressionless: “Not going?”
Scholar Ma nodded: “Not going!”
“Really not going?”
“Really not going!”
Bang!
The silver ingot smashed hard on Scholar Ma’s head.
The old woman like an enraged lion, who knows where she got the strength, stood up from the chair with a thud.
She snatched the tea bowl from Scholar Ma’s hand, kicked it out the door with a bang, and cursed,
“Blockhead, manure pit stone! Since you’re not going, no dinner today! When the water delivery comes later, pay yourself!”
“Don’t be shameless and mooch others’ water!”
Madam unleashed a torrent of furious scolding.
Many in the large courtyard poked their heads out, curiously looking this way.
Scholar Ma’s old face was shamefaced beyond words, red as a monkey’s butt.
“Long hair short wits, utterly unreasonable, utterly unreasonable!!”
Scholar Ma covered his face and left; once out the courtyard gate, faced with the bustling crowds, he didn’t know where to go.
Helplessly, he could only sit on the stone slab by the courtyard gate, sighing.
“Scholar Ma, thrown out by your wife again?”
Suddenly, a teasing voice came.
Seeing the arrival, Scholar Ma stood up immediately, face joyful, then seemed to think of something, stammering,
“Brother Shun An, you saw it too; with a tigress at home, Ma Mou is penniless now and can’t buy your water!”
Hearing this, Chen Shun’an smiled, took two wooden buckets from the water cart, opened the valve on the side of the tank, and murky well water flowed out.
“Scholar Ma worries too much. Chen Mou went to Tanzhe Temple to burn incense some time ago; the abbot told Chen Mou that this year I turn fifty, afflicted by the malevolent star of the Grand Duke; I must do good deeds widely to turn misfortune to fortune.”
Chen Shun’an sighed: “To be honest, Chen Mou recently encountered a calamity, nearly lost my life! Now I want to deliver some ‘blessed water,’ only one wen per load.”
