Chapter 23: The Sage

Those who heard it naturally included Cao Er. Having just finished getting dressed with the service of Song Man, he heard the sound of reading aloud from outside. His brows knitted together instantly, and little Song Man, seeing this, timidly retreated half a step.

Cao Er did not pay her any mind. He quickly exited the courtyard gate and saw Li You by the dry riverbed, teaching a group of children, including Yu Zhengchun, to draw on the ground with tree branches...

"Song Baishun, I know you can write a few characters, but did I tell you to write characters now? Didn't I say to write strokes first... strokes, those things I just mentioned: 'horizontal, vertical, left-slant, right-slant, dot...'"

"Little Orange is the one writing well, stroke by stroke, straight and flat... She is only five years old, aren't you ashamed?"

Cao Er’s brows furrowed even more severely. He was a nostalgic and stubborn traditionalist who hated any new changes in the Longmen Shanzhai. Now, this kind of uncertain change made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

He had long regretted shielding Li You that day; he should have exposed his status as a scholar and let him die sooner.

However, secretly instigating Tian Si had only brought him bad luck. Now, the atmosphere among the three leaders was extremely subtle, and he could not figure out what medicine Wu Zhuge was selling in his gourd.

For these past few days, he had still ignored Li You, just waiting for Wu Zhuge’s next attitude before making a decision. But in just three or five days, Cao Er discovered that Li You had actually gained immense respect among the miners and salt slaves of Nanshan.

This did not make him wary; what made him most wary was that a portion of the mountain bandits, including his own direct personal guards Chen Shu, Mu Qianjun, and Xu Lifang, had actually begun to revere him, especially Wa Qingyun and Liu Longjin.

"Imperial aura?"

Cao Er muttered. After the Yingzong Emperor, Ming Dynasty thought became extremely diverse, and scholars mostly studied a wide variety of subjects. In the late years of the Chongzhen Emperor, natural disasters were constant, and the *I Ching* and the Tang dynasty’s *Classic of Qi Observation* were extremely popular. The "art of qi observation" was also highly esteemed by people in the marketplace.

In fact, the reason Li You could gain the simultaneous respect and admiration of the mountain bandits and slaves was not just because of the title of "Divine Physician" and his life-saving actions, but more because of his "personal charisma."

For a modern person accustomed to equality to arrive in a feudal era deep in red tape and dross, it would be strange if his every move did not stand out.

This was also the reason why Wa Qingyun felt he was very different the first time he saw Li You.

As soon as the thought of "imperial aura" flashed through Cao Er’s mind, his heart skipped a beat. His expression changed, and he immediately beckoned to Shi Jiuen beside him to whisper a few words. He cast a sinister glance at Li You and returned to the courtyard.

By the evening, after the miners and mountain bandits had finished their meal, they all huddled into their earthen pits.

An earthen pit was a dwelling made by digging a hole in the sandy ground to serve as a bed and covering it with grass leaves. When the "roving bandits" marched and fought, they rarely set up camps and mostly slept in earthen pits.

Li You came over to check on Wu Dading. Perhaps because he had heard him teaching earlier that morning, a miner named Song Jinyin asked him to tell a story.

Li You could not refuse, and the nightlife in ancient times was indeed too dull, so he tried telling a segment of *Tales of Jianghu Heroes*. However, this *Tales of Jianghu Heroes* differed significantly from the *Water Margin* of later generations.

Yet, it still received cheers from the crowd, and even many mountain bandits gathered to one side, listening with great interest.

As night fell, the dry riverbed gradually returned to its usual tranquility.

But by this time, it was already cold enough to make it hard to fall asleep.

The climate of the Yuan and Ming dynasties was extremely abnormal. *The Harvard History of Imperial China* states: "Except for the relatively warmer 17th and 18th years of the Wanli reign (1589, 1590), the entire late Ming period was very cold."

During the winter between the 25th and 26th years of the Wanli reign (1597, 1598), the Jesuit Matteo Ricci, after entering the capital for the first time and traveling south along the Grand Canal, discovered that "once winter arrived, the rivers of North China would all freeze over, making them impassable, and sometimes horse-drawn carriages could run on the ice."

Such low temperatures continued until the end of the Ming Dynasty, with the temperatures from the 2nd to the 16th year of the Chongzhen reign (1629–1643) being unprecedented in history.

The final decline of the Ming Dynasty was the magnificent 'Chongzhen Abyss' (1637–1643), and the seven-year great drought was merely its beginning."

With such eerie weather, one can imagine how painful it was for the miners and salt slaves sleeping in the earthen pits.

In this wind-sheltered area, the miners were divided into four large pits.

One was for the Xiang clan members from the local Xiang Family Village, one for the Dang clan members from Dangjiaping, one for the scattered, lone miners and salt slaves who had been abducted, and the last small pit was for Li Qinxiang and his six companions, whom Wu Dading followed.

Gao Conglong used a square stone as a pillow and shook the chains on his feet, unable to help but complain: "Sigh, in the blink of an eye it’s already been five days, how much longer do we have to endure...

If this goes on, we’ll be worked to death, frozen to death, or starved to death sooner or later... A bunch of unlucky ghosts, following you lot is bad luck. Poor my younger brother, he’s only seventeen this year, and his 'golden cudgel' hasn't even been consecrated yet!"

Gao Conghu was greatly embarrassed. He got anxious and roared: "Hey, brother, what are you saying!"

He had accidentally injured his hand two days ago and had it stitched up by Li You. Because the injury was not serious, he had long been driven back to work by Huang Mao.

Guan Hongxin sat up and said: "Donkey, if you ask me, when the chains were unlocked that day, we should have rushed up and killed this Wu the Big-Headed one, taking him down with us. Even if we died, it would have been worth it.

A bunch of cowards, you didn't move even when given the signal. Could it be that you really believed the nonsense of that scholar? That Wu the Big-Headed one is his grandmother's 'Son of Heaven's Mandate'? He's just scum!"

"Cowards? Kiss my ass!"

Gao Conglong also sat up and cursed: "I’ve been fighting since the third year of the Chongzhen reign. In the ninth year of the Chongzhen reign, I captured the 'Roaming King's' capable general Huang Youtian alive in Zhouzhi... I’ve seen all kinds of big storms and waves. Why should I go seek death when there is still a glimmer of hope?

My life is very precious. At worst, we can just be carefree bandits together! Look at that Mr. Li, he spoke so reasonably that day, but isn't he still living well here now? Damn it, he doesn't even have to do any work!"

Wang Tingxing said gloomily: "Heh, Gao kid, you talk about being a deserter so majestically?"

"You bastard, aren't you one too?" Zhou Yin, who was always quiet, seemed to be the first to be poked in a sore spot, turning his head to retort.

Gao Conglong squeezed his eyes and made faces happily.

Wang Tingxing snorted and couldn't be bothered to say more.

The younger Gao Conghu pulled on Gao Conglong beside him and said: "Brother, sit down... I think that Mr. Li is really very different. Maybe he can lead the Longmen Shanzhai to conquer the world!"

"Conquer the world? What are you thinking? He just has a glib tongue that bluffed Wu the Big-Headed one. It’s been several days, and I haven't seen him get appointed as a dog-headed strategist. Why is he running over here to be a damn accountant?

This iron mine and salt field are gold nuggets. The backers behind them probably have backgrounds that reach the heavens. Does Wu the Big-Headed one really have the guts to rebel?

Being an official-bandit is so comfortable! When the world is chaotic, you rob back and forth with no one to manage you; when the world is good, you transform and seek amnesty. At the very least, you can get a position as a Training Commander or a Police Inspector, right?"

Gao Conglong was a bit angry at his younger brother’s naive nature and lectured him fiercely: "When Wu the Big-Headed one truly forgets him completely, he’ll end up just like us!"

"Heh, this scholar being sifted through is a piece of fat meat. If he can be a scholar, his family background must be thick," Guan Hongxin suddenly giggled.

Gao Conghu stood up with a 'whoosh,' clearly truly angered: "Brother, Brother Guan, how can you curse Mr. Li like that? We were saved by him! And my hand was treated by Mr. Li!"

The previously joyful atmosphere vanished instantly. The group looked like ducks with their necks pinched, mouths agape, faces red, unable to speak. After all, it was true that Li You had saved them from Wu Zhuge.

But they didn't have any bad intentions; they just had foul mouths. Being poked by Conghu like this, they really did look like ungrateful wretches.

"Get closer to that group of people recently, the Xiang clan and the Dang clan. I feel they have something in the works... Perhaps following them, we can still make a gamble..."

Li Qinxiang had the most steady personality. At this moment, he spoke, and everyone quieted down.

But this Mr. Li was truly someone he couldn't see through. Young as he was, he had the fame of a scholar, and his eloquence was remarkable. Not only did he understand the Six Ren divination arts, but he was also highly skilled in surgical medicine.

What was most terrifying was that he possessed a good martial arts foundation that must have been honed for at least a dozen years. If this were a scholar of forty or fifty, perhaps Li Qinxiang could understand, but Li You was only nineteen!

Had he started learning all these skills from his mother's womb? Or was he a sage born with knowledge?