Yang God

Chapter 13

Right when the big snowstorm stopped, the streets of the Jade Capital were once again lively and bustling with its residents. The numerous large-scale stores were overflowing with people, an example being the Qu Yuan Floor with its drinks and food, other examples being the San Hua Floor with its girls, Qing Zhu Xuan with its silk, the Yi Gu Floor with its antique used items, the Jin Yu Hall with its pearls, etc. Those were the busiest places within the Jade Capital.

Several types of customers visited these large-scale stores: sons of n.o.bles with flashy clothing that could even anger a horse, scholars that wore garments that were the colors of nature, people with great wealth, and groups of idle government officials.

It was already December, and the new year was coming soon. The emperor needed to perform a ritual to the heavens, and also receive the envoys from other nations. Those envoys from Huoluo Country, Eastern Yunmeng Country, Northern Yuantu Country, Southern Shenfeng, and the Liuzhu Island Country all were living within the establishments of the capital city. Bizarrely dressed individuals were constantly moving about. Watching the Da Qian"s largest city, the Jade Capital"s hustle and bustle truly gives one a stronger sense of liveliness.

Since twenty years ago, when Da Qian had defeated the surprise attack by the Yunmeng Cavalry and had reversed the slaughter, the two countries had established a non-aggression treaty at the border, agreeing to never fight. The Da Qian Dynasty entered a golden age, becoming the largest imperial dynasty.

At the end of the 60th year, the Da Qian"s flourishing period reached it"s peak.

In addition to the bustle of the Jade Capital City, The "Manor of Marquis Wu Wen" had also become bustling. The servants had started to tidy up, cleaning every nook and cranny of dirt and dust, decorating the lanterns and banners, and preparing for the new year.

But no matter what, the hustle and bustle of the entire manor and the rest of the Jade Capital, had not a thing to do with Hong Yi.

Hong Yi had already returned from the western mountain, but his thoughts had most definitely been left in that deep valley.

The ten or more days he had spent with the foxes, teaching, organizing the book collection, training the spirit, learning martial arts, meeting Bai Ziyue, the 4 or 5 days straight spent drinking alcohol and talking are like a clear and distinct dream.

Now, after returning to the manor, he felt as if he had already experienced an entire lifetime.

The Manor of the Marquis was the same as before; there were no changes. The 700-800 people in the Manor of the Marquis were all busy getting ready to celebrate the new year. Only his lodge was not busy–no one dropped by, and it seemed as if he would be excluded in general.

Some clothing would be distributed to the servants, housekeepers, slaves and guards during new years. It also seemed that it wasn"t Hong Yi"s turn to get a bonus of Silver Taels.

However, he had now gotten money and had no shortage of it. When the purebred foxes had moved, they had given him ten pure gold coins as a parting gift.  Even one 80% gold coin could be exchanged for 15 Silver Liang–but this was  a 100%, pure gold coin. These ten pure gold coins, if taken to the "Golden Jade Hall," could be exchanged for two hundred Silver Siang at the very least, which was more than enough to cover Hong Yi"s expenses for a long time.  

"It"s a good thing that no one has come to disturb me. I can close the door and practice martial arts and study. I also recently have been happily relaxing, so I feel much stronger in my four limbs."

In the midst of training in his room, Hong Yi stood with one leg forward and another leg back. He bent over and used his hands to grab the tendons in his thighs. Then he fiercely shook them. Power flowed through his thighs and suddenly the tendons in his thighs omitted a faint sound.

Soon after, he quickly swapped hands and continued grabbing his leg. In between grabbing his calves and shaking them the same way he did his thighs, he pressed on his abdomen while moving his abdomen forward and taking a step.

This movement of grabbing the thighs and calves, pressing the abdomen and taking a step forward was like a big bull charging out. This wasn"t a easy movement to do.

This is exactly the movement of the Demonic Bull Strengthening techniques" The Horn Ramming of the Demonic Bulls.

Hong Yi made a few movements in a row. He felt his four limbs, abdomen, chest and the tendons in the trapezius of his back emit heat and were full of power. Thus, without making a sound, he rolled up his tongue, pressed it against his teeth and held his breath, while his mind was concentrating on striking with the fists on his arms, each punch hitting the air in front of him.

Hai!

His entire body shook when he punched. It seemed that a lot of the entire body"s power was concentrated on the punch, there was a feeling of unexplainable comfort and power.

"I"m no longer a scholar that doesn"t even have the strength to kill a chicken. I only need to continue training like to this to become stronger." Hong Yi, aware of his own body"s power, felt a type of fulfilling happiness, more so piece of mind, within his heart.

"No wonder scholars have to learn the art of archery on horseback. Having a strong body can steady one"s mind and boost one"s confidence."

Hong Yi finally understood why scholars listed the art of horseback riding at such an important position. having a strong body can steady one"s mind, the stronger one"s body is, the more stable one"s heart is.

It"s exactly like sailing on the big sea. If the vessel is extremely stable, then naturally the people on the vessel will be calm and orderly. No matter what stormy sea arises, they"ll keep calm.

If the vessel isn"t stable, then one can"t rely on the people on the vessel to be calm. They"ll also be afraid of incoming stormy seas.

Hong Yi sat in front of the table with his heart full of happiness. He flipped open a martial scripture and continued to read and a.n.a.lyze it.

This martial scripture was an item that was held on to by the Da Chan Temple; it had been annotated by a monk by the name of Yin Yue the Zen Master. Although the contents were incomplete and couldn"t be practiced, the concepts were very thoroughly explained, and it allowed Hong Yi better interpret the Demonic Bull Strengthening Fist.

Moreover, Hong Yi was a shrewd scholar. He was best at a.n.a.lyzing the text to figure out the author"s meaning.

"I don"t know if I have reached the Martial Student level? I probably haven’t, after all I have only trained for half a month. Although Bai Ziyue helped me by giving me Qiong Jiang Wine to strengthen my body, and guided me himself, I"m still rough around the edges."

Hong Yi wondered whether or not he had reached the level where his body was fully st.u.r.dy, the level just under that of a martial student in the army"s "Jiang Wu Hall."

Suddenly, steady footsteps could be heard from the door entrance of the small court yard.

"Who other than that servant girl Xiao Ning would come and seek out this small courtyard? Hong Yi pushed away the paper-like material lining the window and looked at the direction of the entrance, where he was greeted with a surprise.

"The head housekeeper?"

The person who came was an old man who wore black clothing, with white and ash gray hair.

Hong Yi recognized this old man. He is the head housekeeper of the entire Manor of the Marquis. He doesn"t serve the first lady of the family, nor the second, Yun Ting Zhai, and even less so the third. He was the direct housekeeper for the Manor of Marquis Wu Wen, his father.

Every time Hong Xuanji had to deal with affairs in the cabinet of the imperial palace located in the Forbidden City and worked very late, it was this person that delivered them food and clothing.  

The head housekeeper"s eyes looked over in Hong Yi"s direction for a split second just as Hong Yi was opening the window. There was a sense of discernment in the gaze.

After seeing Hong Yi, the head housekeeper stopped walking, nodded his head and exposed a smile. "Young Master Yi, Master is back and is calling for you. There is something he needs to discuss with you."

In the entire Manor of the Marquis, only the head housekeeper was polite to him.

Of course, the head housekeeper was polite to everyone No one has seen him get angry at anyone for many, many years.

"What? Father is back? Why is he calling me What does he have to discuss with me?"

Hong Yi was shocked. Marquis Wu Wen was his father, but he had only seen him a few times. In addition, he had more than ten siblings and he was the least remarkable and had the lowest status out of all of them. Even Hong Xuanji couldn"t talk to him.

Hong Yi sometimes doubted that Hong Xuanji knew  there was a son like him.

"c.r.a.p, the Martial Scripture is here, and contains the Da Chan Temple"s teachings. If I let my father know about this… luckily the other scriptures are already hidden well, but it"s too late to try to hide this one."

Hong Yi suddenly thought of something and made the decision to do it. He threw the copy of the Martial Scripture into the fire pit, where it burnt up.

He wasn"t comfortable leaving this book inside the library. If someone came in and discovered this book while he was out, there would be a lot of trouble.

And hiding it now was already too late.

Marquis Wu Wen and Hong Xuanji enforced strict etiquette rules. People called must immediately come or be subjected to punishment.

Hong Yi knew of one instance where a son in the third branch of the family by the name of Hong Gui had gotten drunk and Hong Ji Xuan had just happened to call him to test him on his homework. But Hong Gui was late for a very long time, so he was punished by having his legs be beat until they were crooked. It had taken him around six months of lying in bed  to recover.

Hong Yi suppressed his mind while watching the book go up in flames. He got up and organized his clothes, opened the door and followed the head housekeeper to go see his father.

As Hong Yi prepared to exit through his door, the copy of the Martial Scripture had already turned into ashes. Just as he was leaving though, he suddenly noticed a slightly darkened gold sheet of paper that looked like a golden leaf with many small scriptures and drawings packed on it. The paper somehow wasn"t burned into ash by the flames.

[]          []          []

Pa.s.sing through a few very long corridors with steps.

Walking through some big flowery gardens and pa.s.sing through a few large pools with ten circular fenced doors, Hong Yi followed behind the head housekeeper. Walking for no less than the time it took to eat a meal, he finally arrived at the center and official residence of the manor.
"Entering the manor is like entering a deep ocean." This comment describes Marquis Wu Wen"s Manor perfectly. Indeed, even Hong Yi is confused by the corridors; if it weren’t for the head housekeeper showing the road, he could get lost by losing his sense of direction. Of course, this is because Hong Yi lives in a nook and cranny of the manor, and he does not have any experience traversing the manor.

His status in the manor doesn"t allow him to travel much either.

Only when he was young did he follow his mom to the main manor. This alienation is like a blade of frost: it symbolizes that the manor is not his home.

"Why can"t I seem to stabilize my spirit?"

Right before arriving at the front of the main manor, Hong Yi suddenly feels anxious and frightened. He knows it’s because his father"s manor"s imposing aura is too heavy. If he were to suddenly call him here, he wouldn"t know what they will be talking about.

"Scholars need to stabilize their spirit. One"s face should not turn red, not even before the collapse of a mountain," Hong Yi thought internally, calming his anxious state of mind. He followed behind the head housekeeper, and finally stepped into the main manor.

The marquis" main manor is constructed to seem very imposing and formidable. The manor was decorated with the same monochrome colored large Artemisia Argyi plants, and limestone floors that are as flat as mirror and hard as iron.

In the main lounge there existed a row of simple and unadorned chairs. At the center, on the other hand, there existed a large character with a font that reminded one of oppression.

It is the character "礼(ceremony)."

Below the "礼" character there is a red sandalwood table for ceremony purposes that is large enough to allow 4 or 5 people to lie down on.

There were many goods and commodities on the table for sacrificial offerings, and they were all covered by a sacrificial bright yellow colored satin. It"s evident that the goods were bestowed by the emperor.

To the left of the tribute table, a person wearing embroidered flowery clothes and a purple crown sat atop a chair.

This person had grizzled hair on his temples, and his hands were currently pressing down on the armrests of the chair. He had a spotless, pure white-like demeanor, untainted by even a speck of dust. He gave others the feeling that he grasped in his hand inexhaustible power.

Once this person sat over there, a terrifying aura immediately appeared, causing people to be incapable of meeting his face head on and forced to lower their heads like obedient children.

He is the master of the entire Wu Wen manor: he is the manor"s Hong Xuanji. He is one of the pillars of the court, and the Great Qian Dynasty"s Martial Saint.

"Hong Yi, stand to the right side. I have words I want to say to you."

Seeing the housekeeper bringing in Hong Yi, the Marquis pointed his fingers at the spot he wanted Hong Yi to stand at.
Hong Yi complied with the command. He walked to the right side of the manor and stood there. He clearly uttered, "father do you have some sort of instruction for me?"

Just as Hong Yi was speaking, the head housekeeper that retreated to the edge of the room by the door suddenly had a disbelieving look in his expression. Hong Yi"s calm air was a bit beyond expectation because even if it’s the eldest son of the marquis" manor, in front of Hong Xuanji, even if he wasn’t trembling frightfully, he wouldn’t dare to release an imposing aura.

"I heard you used cursive when writing d.u.c.h.ess Yong Chun a poem? Why didn"t you use a normal and formal writing style? Displaying your writing style and poem making ability. Why do you not use your time to go study the cla.s.sic literature, rather than do these disrespectful deeds?"
Marquis Wu Wen asked. His freezing tone caused people to tremble and shiver.

Although he knew that keeping calm as mountains collapse is the virtue of a scholar, Hong Yi couldn"t help but break out in cold sweat.
"En?"

Seeing Hong Yi not replying, the Marquis let out a cold en sound.

Once this sound was made, the entire temperature in the room abruptly lowered. Hong Yi felt his legs soften, and he almost collapsed onto the ground.

If he hadn"t of learned the demonic bull strengthening punch, which strengthened his body a bit, the Marquis" aura would have probably caused him to collapse onto the ground.
"Father"s words are right, I will definitely not dare to do it again in the future."
Hong Yi lowered his head.

He knows that he can"t refute in front of Hong Xuanji: even if his reasoning is right, he can only capitulate.

The Marquis Manor focuses a lot on rules and regulations. Hong Yi knows, if he were to retort, the lightest punishment would be one of his bones being broken, while the heaviest, wouldn"t even be weird if it were – death.

The Marquis rules over his home with an iron fist. There are rules that are even famous in the imperial courts. They even managed to obtain appreciation from a few scholarly officials.
"En."

The Marquis once more made another en sound, but it wasn"t a cold one. The tone eased a bit, and Hong Yi felt as if the temperature in the room increased a bit, and he felt that his legs and stomach didn"t feel as weak anymore.

You violated the rules of the house. Normally the punishment would be hitting you with a rod 20 times, but you possess scholarly honor and will be taking the provincial test in the spring of next year. The country has set a law about you needing to partic.i.p.ate, so I will pardon you for now. If you are successful in the provincial examination, then the punishment will naturally be written off with one stroke. But if you aren’t" successful, then the rules of the house will be executed." The Marquis was expressionless as he explained Hong Yi"s paths.

"Yes, father." Hoong Yi lowered his head once more.

"My verses from the poem may not be righteous, but one can definitely feel a sense of shrewdness in my train of thought. But the verses you made are still unpresentable." The Marquis continued, "You are already 15 years old this year, so based on the laws of the Great Qian, you are already an adult. What plans do you have?"

"Father, I want to learn archery and horseback riding. I hope father can help." Hong Yi felt the warmness in his father"s aura, thus he bravely stated his plans.

Horseback riding and archery is something Hong Yi can"t afford to learn. He may have 10 pink gold coins, but even with those, he can afford a good bow, but not a good horse. Not to mention the costs of raising a horse, and the need of a groom to take care of the horse. After all, Hong Yi definitely cannot constantly groom and maintain the horse himself.

The first problem is status. After all,a scholar grooming a horse would make him infamous.

The second problem is tending to a horse is exhausting. Even at night one needs to wake up to feed it, while choosing the best feed. This activity consumes too much time and energy.

"You still haven’t fully mastered cla.s.sic literature, so how can you want to learn something like archery and horseback riding! Once Marquis Wu Wen heard, his brows scrunched up for a moment. It was apparent that he did not approve of Hong Yi learning archery and horseback riding. In a single breath he completely rejected Hong Yi"s idea. "First master the cla.s.sic literatures. Moving onto the martial arts before mastering cla.s.sic literature is stupid. Please don"t bring it up again in the future, got it?"

I understand." Hong Yi didn"t refute like before.

"Alright, then you can go. Head housekeeper Wu, take him to the accounting office and give him one hundred taels of silver to allow him to prepare for the test." After saying this statement, the Marquis waved his hand saying, "Go!"

"Why won"t he let me learn martial skills. Could it be that he is afraid of me becoming a successful candidate of the imperial examinations and performing outstanding service in the army, thereby becoming royalty? My mother would become t.i.tles a Dame disrupting the order and laws of the palace.

On the way back to his residence, Hong Yi closed his eyes and heavily exhaled.

If he could pa.s.s the highest level of imperial examinations, enter the army, and perform outstanding accomplishment for the military, he will be able to become a n.o.ble, and his mother a dame. At that time his mother’s memorial tablet will be immediately placed side by side among the other compa.s.sionate Dame"s. Even father at that time will need to light incense for mother during the ceremonies on making offerings to the G.o.ds and one"s ancestors.

This point, will fiercely damage the manor"s rules. Simply put, it is a change that"s like inverting heaven and earth itself.

This change would not be something the rule following marquis would be able to bear.

Hong Yi guessed that this is the fundamental reason his father wouldn"t let him learn martial arts.

Hong Yi maybe someone that has pa.s.sed the county level imperial exam, and preparing to pa.s.s the highest level of examinations, but he is still a huge distance away from securing a firm foothold and gaining merit in the military. But it is something he has huge faith in doing.

"I definitely have to do it. I have to strive to give my mother the t.i.tle of a Dame, and let the Marquis" Manor, the entire manor see the prestige!" Hong Yi clenched his fists, and secretly made an oath.

"But returning to topic, Ziyue is a Martial Saint, and even an spiritual immortal. But when being face to face with him, why didn"t I not feel much pressure. Could it be he suppressed the pressure? Sure enough, it"s me that doesn"t have the strength and stamina. The term scholars shouldn"t fear even when the mountain has collapsed now feels a bit empty and superfluous.

When before the imposingness of my father, Hong Yi at last understood. If one doesn"t have real power, a scholar’s calm and righteousness will always be superfluous and empty.

"If I was a Martial Saint, I would definitely dare to argue for what’s right when facing him. Only the strongest under the heavens can speak. If one is strong, a child can argue with his father. With true power, even a minister can argue against the ruler!"

"The ruler can admonish mistakes, not listen, and change the laws and regulations! The thought process of surrendering to my father, goes against the path of a scholar. But how can I strive forward with my reasonings?"

Hong Yi thought internally.

The emperor has faults, a scholar needs to advise the emperor. If the emperor repeatedly ignores the suggestions, clinging to his dignity, then the emperor needs to abdicate.

These are the true reasonings of a scholar! Unfortunately, without power though, none of these thoughts can be upheld and executed.

Thinking about this, thinking about that, Hong Yi walked back to his courtyard. As he was closing the door, he was still calmly deep in thought. Then looking at the top of the table, he suddenly felt pity about the "Dao Scripture" book that got burned.

Hong Yi"s line of sight can"t help but land on the burned Dao Scripture on the fire pan.

"Huh? What"s that"

Not looking at this is good, but once he looked, he noticed the ashes in the fire pan contained a golden scripture.

Hong Yi walked over, and used a tong to grab the scripture page. Noticing the scripture unexpectedly seemed to look like a silk scroll. Bringing up the large but thin object, he saw it was completely packed with characters. In the center there was an golden image of a buddha sitting upright among a void of innumerable suns, moons, and stars constantly revolving.

It"s not known what material this scroll is made of, but not even fire can burn it.

Hong Yi immediately saw the name of the scripture once he looked at the scroll.

Mituo Sutra!
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