Gongshu Mu slammed a rolled-up blueprint heavily onto the table in front of Yun Ye. Yun Ye casually opened it, and with just one glance understood these were the blueprints for those movable walls. He rolled the blueprint back up, tied it properly, and handed it to Old Gongshu, saying to him: “Why has the master come here? I punished Li Tai because he relied on his petty cleverness to act recklessly and had not the slightest compassion for his fellow students. It was absolutely not intentional on my part to spy on the Gongshu family’s secret techniques. The old master has misunderstood.”
“Spying? You wouldn’t stoop to that. Since this old man has brought the blueprints here, it’s because I intend to let you see that the Gongshu family is not the type to hoard their treasures like trash. These are all crystallizations of wisdom from my family’s ancestors. They were able to find miraculous methods to move heavy objects—could we descendants be inferior to our ancestors? Since you’ve seen this blueprint, I believe it won’t be long before we improve upon it, so there’s no harm in you viewing it.”
Old Gongshu couldn’t bring himself to lose face. His most important disciple was wailing at the front gate, and as his teacher he was helpless—wouldn’t this damage his image as a master? This time bringing the blueprints must have been a decision made through gritted teeth. The implication was self-evident—he simply wanted to know the password to enter the academy gates. Old Gongshu could truly be called a gentleman. He actually only needed to open the connecting device to understand everything—reverse engineering would pose not the slightest difficulty for him. Yet he didn’t choose that path, instead swallowing his pride to exchange knowledge for knowledge. With such character, what could Yun Ye not tell him?
“The River Chart and Luo Script are actually just a game. To solve it, you only need to fill all the numbers into the empty spaces. Whether adding horizontally or vertically, including adding along diagonal lines, all must equal forty-five. There’s a mnemonic verse—old master, please remember it: two and four form the shoulders, six and eight form the feet, seven on the left and three on the right, wear nine and step on one with five occupying the center. As long as you multiply these numbers by three, that is the correct solution to the academy gate’s password.”
Old Gongshu paid no attention to Yun Ye. After muttering the verse twice under his breath, he shoved the blueprints in his hands into Yun Ye’s and hurried off to rescue his disciple.
Yun Ye unrolled the blueprints and examined them carefully. He couldn’t help but applaud and praise the Gongshu family’s ancestors. Those who could utilize flowing sand to such an extent—their thoughts and considerations were truly beyond the ken of gods or ghosts. In this exchange, the Gongshu family had suffered a great loss.
Master Lishi had been somewhat possessed lately, sitting all day in the room housing the dragon bones without speaking a word. Li Gang and his other old friends often went to visit him. He would only say he was fine, that there were some mental knots he hadn’t yet untied, and that staying beside the dragon head helped him think.
Everyone didn’t think much of it—they were even happy for him. Many great scholars experienced knowledge barriers. When a person’s accumulated learning reached profound depths, questions would arise. These questions could no longer be answered by others—only through his own contemplation could he think things through and achieve great enlightenment, making tremendous progress in his learning. Only by crossing this threshold could one be called a master of scholarship.
Yun Ye had never witnessed such a miraculous thing. Scholars in later generations never heard of anyone needing to pass through such a barrier. Could it be they were all false scholars who simply couldn’t even touch the edge of that wall?
Master Lishi’s meals were personally delivered by Master Yuanzhang. Yun Ye could only peek through the window. The breakfast sent in was brought back out untouched by Master Yuanzhang, who shook his head at Yun Ye. If this continued and his contemplation remained unresolved, Master Lishi would starve himself to death.
His face was extremely emaciated, his disheveled hair hanging down. He muttered under his breath. After listening for a long while, Yun Ye finally understood—he kept asking himself: “What am I to the vast heavens? What am I to time itself? An insect? Living at dawn and dying at dusk?”
“I see butterflies flying, I see fish swimming in shallow waters. The praying mantis before the cart wheel speaks with me. The boat-swallowing fish feasts on the people east of the river. The great roc flying ninety thousand li is nowhere to be seen—in the vast ocean there is only the kun. My teacher, where should I go from here?”
He suddenly became violent, continuously whipping himself and tearing at his clothes. Master Yuanzhang became greatly alarmed, grabbing Yun Ye and demanding he think of a solution. What good solution could there be? This was a patient with something like manic depression. Yun Ye’s method would be to restrain him and administer a sedative—but where could he find such a thing?
Perhaps feeling pain, Master Lishi stopped tormenting himself and began tormenting the dragon head instead. The dragon heads were all fossils—his thin arms and legs couldn’t harm them. Yun Ye was watching with great interest when his head suddenly exploded in pain. Turning back ready to curse, he discovered it was Li Gang with a face full of fury. Had he been a bit too gleeful just now?
Rubbing his head, he put on a sorrowful expression and continued watching the monkey show. A person could go mad contemplating the relationship between space and time? It wasn’t like he was practicing the Nine Yin White Bone Claw—was it necessary to roast himself over a fire like this?
“Lishi has gone down the wrong path. His understanding of the heavens and sun and moon has deviated. When did this begin? Hasn’t he always focused on the Five Classics? When did he start concerning himself with mind learning?”
Yun Ye suddenly understood. Master Lishi must have a close relationship with Tian Xiangzi. Tian Xiangzi was the founder of mind learning—not questioning fundamentals in all matters, only questioning one’s own heart. What a fine Master Lishi, what a fine Tian Xiangzi! If he hadn’t come to the academy to stroll around on a whim today, he wouldn’t have encountered Lishi’s madness. Without encountering Lishi’s madness, he wouldn’t have known about his relationship with Tian Xiangzi.
If Master Lishi suddenly turned against him, Yun Ye almost didn’t dare imagine those terrifying consequences. This was one of the few people he respected most! He had been wholehearted toward him, never imagining he harbored ulterior motives.
Xi Tong had once leaked many secrets to Yun Ye, including the origins of mind learning. Who else but Tian Xiangzi could teach mind learning to the point of creating a knowledge barrier?
Yun Ye’s face became gloomy as water. He no longer had the spectator mentality from moments before. He sincerely hoped Master Lishi couldn’t endure this barrier. That way he could respectfully send Master Lishi off, and no one would notice—this way feelings wouldn’t be hurt either. A happy outcome for all.
“Boy, quickly think of something!” Li Gang began urging Yun Ye. Anyone could see the panic in the old man’s eyes. Knocking Master Lishi unconscious now wouldn’t solve the problem—after waking he would become an idiot. There were such precedents, which was why Li Gang was so anxious.
“Did your teacher ever tell you anything about time? If so, recite it loudly—it might save Lishi’s life,” Master Yushan said, rushing over to speak to Yun Ye.
He admired Yun Ye’s teacher with utmost respect. His intuition told him this would work.
Yun Ye didn’t believe it. Such a severe psychological illness could be cured by a few sentences? What a joke! Since you want to hear it, I’ll recite it. Teacher Li Bai’s “Preface to a Spring Night Banquet in the Peach and Plum Garden” is impressive enough, right? If you want to hear it, I’ll recite it for you.
Clearing his throat, he recited loudly: “Heaven and earth are the travelers’ inn for all things. Time is the passerby of a hundred generations. And this floating life is like a dream—how much joy can there be?”
Who knew that after just two lines, Lishi would quiet down.
Li Gang was overjoyed. In his panic, he didn’t forget to praise Li Bai a few times, bobbing his head as if drinking fine wine.
“Heaven and earth are the travelers’ inn for all things. Time is the passerby of a hundred generations. And this floating life is like a dream—how much joy can there be?” Master Yushan continued reciting. Master Yuanzhang also joined in. The academy masters who had rushed over upon hearing the news began reciting loudly together. For a moment, the entire academy echoed with “Heaven and earth are the travelers’ inn for all things.” Yun Ye was filled with regret!
Master Lishi’s confused expression gradually calmed. Though his clothes were tattered and his body covered in wounds, he paced in the room with his hands behind his back, muttering: “Heaven and earth are the travelers’ inn for all things. Time is the passerby of a hundred generations. And this floating life is like a dream—how much joy can there be?” While reciting, he tapped his own head. Finally, he said loudly: “We are merely passersby!” After finishing, he fell backward. Master Yuanzhang caught him and, checking his breathing, found he had fallen asleep.
Sun Simiao called over two students to carry Master Lishi out of the room, hurrying back to his medicine lodge. There, Master Lishi would receive the best care.
Yun Ye was in a foul mood but had no choice but to face the flattery of everyone in the academy. They greatly esteemed those two lines. Li Gang stroked his few mouse whiskers, and after everyone quieted down, said to Yun Ye: “Good writing can bring the dead back to life and put flesh on dried bones. These words truly don’t deceive me! Boy, recite the rest of the essay—this old man is waiting to savor it.”
Since he’d used someone else’s writing, naturally he should do some promotion for them. Li Bai’s reputation spreading back a hundred years wasn’t bad either.
“This essay didn’t come from my teacher’s hand, but was composed at a banquet by someone named Li Bai. My teacher thought it excellent and had me memorize it. I’ll now recite the entire essay for all the masters.”
“Heaven and earth are the travelers’ inn for all things. Time is the passerby of a hundred generations. And this floating life is like a dream—how much joy can there be?”
“The ancients holding candles to roam at night had good reason. Moreover, spring summons me with its misty scenery, the great expanse lends me its splendid compositions. Gathering in the fragrant garden of peaches and plums, narrating the joyous affairs of kinship.”
“My younger brothers are all accomplished and refined, all comparable to Huilian. We compose and sing, though I alone am ashamed before Kangle. The quiet appreciation is not yet finished when refined conversation becomes even clearer. Opening jade feasts to sit among flowers, flying wine cups to become drunk beneath the moon.”
“Without fine compositions, how can we express elegant feelings? If poetry is not achieved, punishment shall follow the wine rules of Golden Valley.”
After finishing the essay, Yun Ye cupped his hands. Without waiting for everyone to urge him to stay, he went to Sun Simiao’s place. If this hidden threat of Master Lishi wasn’t eliminated, how could Yun Ye sleep? If Lishi had connections with Dou Yanshan, it would be a catastrophic disaster for the Yun family.
Master Lishi could do as he pleased in the Yun household. It wouldn’t take much trouble—a dose of poison would be enough to make Yun Ye regret for three lifetimes. Yun Ye couldn’t take this risk, nor was he interested in it. Better to eliminate the trouble.
Arriving at Sun Simiao’s residence, he thought Yun Ye was worried about Lishi’s health and said: “No harm done. Master Lishi only overtaxed his mind and damaged his heart meridian. After some time recuperating, he’ll recover completely. No need to worry.”
If there was anyone in this world whom Yun Ye trusted without reservation, aside from his grandmother, it was Sun Simiao. Sitting outside the medicine lodge, Yun Ye recounted the entire sequence of events to Sun Simiao. Old Sun was also greatly shocked.
“Boy, you deduced this matter from fragmentary clues. Have you considered that if you’ve wronged Lishi, the academy will immediately fall apart? This is certainly something you don’t want to see.”