Chapter 5: This Is Truly a Scholar

At night, shortly after the meal, the village fell silent, and only an occasional feeble dog bark could be heard.

These days are not like those a thousand years later; whether in the city or the village, after a meal the only pleasure is the brief merriment on the kang, and there is no activity at all. Of course, the noble families in Lin'an City must still continue their singing and dancing, seeking pleasure.

After the neighboring Chen Jin'er and Sha Gu fell into deep sleep, Niu Dingtian quietly changed into the gray robe he had prepared, and pulled out a large piece that tightly wrapped his head and face; the little scholar was not foolish enough to dress himself in a pitch‑black night‑clothing in this icy snow.

That was undoubtedly a message to others:

Haha

Someone's here!

Someone's here!

Afterward, slipping a dagger into his waist for self‑defense, Niu Dingtian tiptoed out, carefully feeling his way toward the village edge.

Niu Dingtian had never ignored the breathing method in his mind; though he did not understand the so‑called meridians and acupoints, as long as he silently recited and circulated his breath and spirit each day, he would reap considerable benefit, especially after two years of study, when the effect became especially pronounced.

Now, although he has a child's body, his form is extremely light and agile; when he runs, he is no slower than an adult, otherwise this fellow would not dare to venture out alone in the dead of night.

After all, in this era a handsome child like him is still favored by the aristocracy's pedophilic admirers. If he fell into the hands of a tooth‑selling old woman, he would fetch a good price.

Arriving at the tavern, Niu Dingtian walked straight to the side window, drew his dagger, slipped it into the crack, located the latch, found a fulcrum, applied a deft force, and pried the side window open.

The smooth, fluid motion from start to finish was unlike ordinary craft, showing that he had practiced this task many times in a past or present life.

He lifted the window, rolled inside, and immediately shut the window.

By the moonlight streaming through the window, the dust on the tables, chairs, and counters was thick, clearly indicating that no one had entered here for a long time.

"If nothing went wrong, my sister's father may already be dead in the secret chamber here," Niu Dingtian thought, and then headed toward the kitchen.

As soon as he pushed aside the door curtain, a foul stench hit his face; stepping in, he saw dust and cobwebs everywhere, the leftover rice in the pot had moulded, and the odor was emanating from there.

Across the wall in the inner hall, there was only a small bed, with a torn mat and a ragged blanket.

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian thought of Sha Gu, and his heart filled with mixed feelings; no wonder that a decade later even Huang Rong felt a pang of sorrow upon seeing it.

Putting his thoughts aside, after entering the kitchen he found a cupboard; when he opened it, a cloud of dust hit his nose, he lit a fire poker, and by the faint light saw seven or eight broken blue‑and‑white porcelain bowls on the shelf, with a dozen dead kitchen‑cockroach larvae beside them.

He took the blue‑and‑white bowls out one by one, and when he saw the last bowl on the far left, coated with a thick layer of scorched rust, he thought: this is the one.

Niu Dingtian remembered that this rusted iron bowl was the secret chamber's entrance switch; a decade later Huang Rong unintentionally discovered the hidden entrance here.

He twisted it forcefully left and right, and a "clatter" rang out as the cupboard walls split apart, revealing a pitch‑black opening.

A wave of foul odor burst out instantly, making anyone who smelled it want to vomit.

Niu Dingtian stood at the mouth; after the smell faded, he lit a handful of firewood inside and let it smolder for a while. When the stench had lessened, he endured the discomfort, crouched with the fire poker, and slipped inside.

Faintly visible, the secret chamber was small and filthy, with a neatly arranged human skeleton lying on its back, its clothing partially decayed.

He saw a bulge near the ribcage; after poking it with a firewood branch, the dust cleared to reveal an iron Bagua, and the leg bone was also broken.

Confirming it, Niu Dingtian packed away the iron Bagua, took out a black cloth he carried, and wrapped the skeleton.

In the original work, Qu Lingfeng is the senior disciple of the Eastern Evil Huang Yaoshi among the Five Greats, the highest‑level martial artist, nicknamed "Water‑splitting Sky Palm".

Because Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng stole the Nine Yin Classic, they and other disciples were implicated, and Huang Yaoshi broke their leg bones and expelled them from Peach Blossom Island; thereafter they lodged at the tavern in Niu Clan Village under the alias Qu San.

Later, seeking to steal gold, silver, and valuable paintings to present to his master, he repeatedly infiltrated the imperial palace and inadvertently stole the scroll that concealed the location of the Wu Mu's Legacy; he was then pursued by the imperial‑granted martial‑arts doctor and Defender of Zhongzhou, Shi Yanming, to the tavern's secret chamber, where they fought to the death, and their skeletons were discovered years later by Guo Jing, Huang Rong and others.

Now the girl Niu Dingtian has taken as his sister, Sha Gu, is Qu Lingfeng's daughter. He confirmed the leg bone to avoid any mishap, lest his sister later worship the wrong father.

Going further in, in the eastern corner of the secret chamber a skeleton lay atop a large iron chest, a long spear‑like knife thrust between its ribs and lodged in the chest lid.

Niu Dingtian reached out, pulled the knife out, and as he drew near the firelight, saw a character "Qu" engraved on the blade.

Looking down, a glittering object lay at the foot of the iron chest; picking it up, it was a gold badge set with agate, the back engraved with a line: "Imperial‑granted martial‑arts doctor, Defender of Zhongzhou, with imperial equipment, Shi Yanming."

Niu Dingtian glanced at it, curled his lip, and casually slipped it into his pocket.

Next, he pried open the skeleton, opened the chest, and rummaged through several layers inside and out but found nothing he sought, only some jewelry, curios, and scrolls of calligraphy and painting.

Indeed, Niu Dingtian's purposes this trip were the skeleton, and also to see whether he could find any martial‑arts manuals.

He didn't believe that a renowned martial artist's secret chamber would lack survival techniques; even a sliver of chance was worth trying.

As for the treasure chest, there was nowhere to store it back home, and he didn't want to frighten Chen Jin'er; when leaving he would just take a few as pocket money, and whenever he needed more he could come back to fetch them.

Unwilling to give up, the scholar Niu thought briefly, then wielded the knife again, tapping the handle lightly on the floor and wall, point by point, leaving no spot unchecked.

After nearly half an hour of busy searching without result, Niu Dingtian couldn't help feeling discouraged and, ignoring the dust, sat on the ground.

After a long while, Niu Dingtian stood up, ready to lift the skeleton and leave.

Suddenly!

He spun around sharply, stared at the chest, then lunged forward, pushed it open forcefully, grasped the knife handle and tapped the floor lightly:

"Dong—dong…"

Sure enough it was hollow, Niu Dingtian thought. Then he inserted the knife tip into the brick seams, prying the tiles bit by bit.

Lifting the tiles revealed a square stone pit containing three volumes, titled Azure Wave Palm, Jade Flute Sword Technique, and Splitting Sky Palm.

Overcome with excitement, Niu Dingtian didn't have time to examine them closely, slipped them into his bosom, then stood and grabbed a handful of golden beans to leave.

Just as he reached the opening, he paused, turned back, snatched the scrolls from the chest into his arms, still gripping the knife, and fled the secret chamber without looking back.

After all

This is truly a scholar's thing.

(End of chapter)