Chapter 1: The Foolish Child

“Move! Still moving! You still dare move!”

A voice tore through the air with thunderous volume.

“It’s you looking at others! Third row, second position! Don’t move your hands!”

Under the blazing sun on a vast training ground, a middle-aged man stood imposing with authority, wielding a green cane with malicious intent as he gazed at the hundred or so tender children below. The children were all drenched in sweat, arms extended forward, gripping half-foot-long iron rods in their hands. The rods were dark and black, clearly forged from fine steel and considerably heavy.

“I told you not to move and you still move! Are you deaf?”

The man roared, his face flushed crimson, and rushed toward a small child in the ranks. The frightened child looked left and right, seemingly unaware that the man’s angry shout was directed at him.

While still in panic, his ear was suddenly grabbed and lifted. The child cried out in pain, both hands flailing, and the iron rod fell from his grip.

The man angrily said, “Good for you, Xiao Anzi! You have the gall to come to Mount Hua to learn martial arts, yet you still dare cry out in pain! Come with me!” He grabbed the boy and dragged him toward the side of the training ground for punishment.

Hearing Xiao Anzi’s loud wailing, the other children were all frightened out of their wits, desperately holding their positions, fearing that even the slightest movement would result in being dragged away for a severe beating.

Just then, two people entered the training ground. One was extremely short and fat, resembling a large orange, while the other was thin as a bamboo pole with a horse-like face that was truly frightening. The middle-aged man glanced sideways at the two, his cane still falling without pause, paying them no heed.

The short, fat man walked over and blocked him, saying, “Stop beating him. Let the children rest.” Upon hearing these words, all the children secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing their savior had arrived.

The middle-aged man snorted and said, “Third Senior Brother, today it’s my turn to discipline the disciples. Don’t interfere with me.” He pressed down on Xiao Anzi and beat him even harder. Xiao Anzi wailed loudly, wanting to escape but powerless to do so, his small face filled with panic and pain.

The bamboo pole-like man couldn’t bear to watch. He suddenly snatched the cane and broke it in half, cursing, “What the hell is this? Did you get rejected at the brothel last night? Must you beat children like this?”

The middle-aged man was stunned and hadn’t had time to respond when the many children were already overjoyed and let their iron rods drop.

The middle-aged man flew into a rage and shouted loudly, “Two Senior Brothers! Haven’t you seen how Shaolin and Wudang discipline their disciples? They carry water straight up the mountain! These children have only practiced for an afternoon and you already feel sorry for them. How will our Mount Hua compete with others in the future?”

Seeing that the children in the field were already slacking off, he glared at the young disciples and shouted, “Seven days from now, when our Patriarch emerges from seclusion, he will examine your progress. Still dare to slack off! Practice!”

Upon hearing this, the children shuddered again and immediately raised their iron rods high, enduring the painful strain.

This place was the famous Mount Hua Yuqing Temple, a renowned martial arts center in Central China. These hundred or so children were none other than the younger generation disciples of Mount Hua, practicing basic skills under their teachers’ supervision.

The disciplining man was surnamed Zhao, ranked fifth in the sect. His current demand for the young disciples to hold iron rods horizontally was intended to strengthen these children’s arm strength, lest they venture into the martial world in the future only to find their swords unable to harm enemies but injuring themselves first. With great difficulty, this painstaking effort was showing results, but it was disrupted by two ignorant fellow disciples, and it seemed all would go to waste.

The short, fat man was called “Feicheng Guai” (Scale Monster), and the tall, thin man “Suanpan Guai” (Abacus Monster). Both were direct disciples under the sect leader’s tutelage. Although they had entered the sect two years earlier than the middle-aged man, their naturally humorous dispositions and inconsistent behavior meant they weren’t greatly respected, so they endured Zhao Laowu’s harsh scolding.

After practicing for another incense stick’s duration, Zhao Laowu saw that the young disciples were indeed exhausted and allowed them to go to the dining hall for refreshments and rest. The young disciples, as if receiving imperial amnesty, immediately cheered and shouted, rubbing their aching shoulders as they rushed into the dining hall. That Xiao Anzi, who had been beaten on his bottom, now ran the fastest. Just moments ago he was crying loudly, but now he acted as if nothing had happened, grinning mischievously as he charged to be first.

Zhao Laowu sighed and thought to himself, “Today’s children can’t endure any hardship. If this continues, what will become of our Mount Hua?” Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly noticed a child still remaining in the field. He frowned and said, “Xiao Gouzi, you can rest now. Why aren’t you following your senior brothers?”

This child had a wretched appearance and short stature. Standing among his peers, he was half a head shorter than ordinary children. Though clearly twelve years old, he looked like he was only five or six. While usually diligent in his studies, he was exceptionally slow-witted. Principles that ordinary children could understand after hearing once required others to patiently explain to this child for ages, which gave all the teachers headaches upon seeing him.

Zhao Laowu saw the child still standing there dumbly and repeated his words with a sigh.

The child dumbly raised his head to look at Zhao Laowu, his face still hanging with a thick yellow stream of snot, his gaze scattered and vacant, appearing mentally deficient.

Zhao Laowu walked over and patted his head, saying, “Come with your uncle-teacher to the dining hall for refreshments.”

The child didn’t respond. Suddenly, he raised both hands above his head and spun in a circle as if dancing, then began jumping up and down continuously, like performing a temple festival dance. Zhao Laowu covered his face with his hand and thought, “This child is truly too foolish.” He shook his head slightly and sighed. Just as he was about to turn and leave, the child suddenly grabbed his hand and called out, “Dance! Uncle-teacher, dance together!”

Seeing this foolish behavior, Zhao Laowu couldn’t help but sigh deeply, saying, “The clever children are lazy, and the diligent ones are foolish. If our Mount Hua doesn’t encounter exceptional talent, I fear our reputation won’t be preserved in the future.”

Feicheng Guai laughed and said, “Why think so much? Look how worried you are. Come on! Let’s go rest too.” He grabbed Zhao Laowu and headed toward the dining hall. Zhao Laowu shook his head, dropped the broken cane, and followed his two senior brothers.

The red evening sun shone on the child, who could be seen with eyes tightly closed, still dancing without rest.

“We respectfully welcome our Patriarch’s emergence from seclusion!”

Several days passed, and finally came the day when the Patriarch would emerge from seclusion. Under the bright red sun, dozens of disciples stood solemnly in neat rows before a large door, waiting. The temple’s elders were arranged in the first row, with the rest standing according to their seniority. Everyone was quietly silent, waiting for the Patriarch to emerge from seclusion.

Mount Hua Yuqing Temple belonged to the Daoist tradition and was famous throughout the world for its swordsmanship. The founding Patriarch, Tianyin Daoist, had established the sect hundreds of years ago, leaving behind the profound and mysterious “Three達 Sword.” Although this “Three達 Sword” was immensely powerful, the sword manual had been lost a hundred years ago due to circumstances, leaving only remnant techniques to piece together the swordplay. The missing techniques were troublesome enough, but most critically, they lacked a set of footwork. This footwork connected all the sword moves and was called “Crane Dance Seven Star Steps.” Without this footwork, the sword techniques became useless. Throughout the generations, sect leaders had exhausted their efforts, entering seclusion every three years to contemplate, but after 140 years, no one had been able to solve this mystery.

Following a century-old custom, Mount Hua’s triennial grand examination was also held at this time. The disciples’ hard work over the years would be presented before the Patriarch sect leader. The adult disciples were in high spirits, all eager to show their skills, while the young children looked distressed, staring at the seven copper rings in the training ground as if they were monsters.

The Mount Hua sect rules were strict. Young disciples entering the sect had to first endure three basic skills: horse stance, muscle relaxation, and then pass the “Seven Ring Challenge” before they could formally become disciples and learn martial arts. This Seven Ring Challenge was simple in description: seven copper rings the size of teacups were strung on hemp rope, spaced three inches apart. After the seven rings hung a sheet of glutinous rice paper with a red heart drawn on it. If a disciple could thrust their sword through the seven rings without touching the rings and pierce the paper, they would pass; hitting the red heart exactly would be exceptional. If the sword failed to pass through the rings and instead struck them, causing the bells inside to ring, that would result in punishment to the palms.

One ring meant two strikes, two rings four strikes, three rings eight strikes. If they couldn’t even pass the first ring, that would be a full 128 strikes.

Most of the young disciples looked pale and worried as they gazed at the copper rings before them. However, one child appeared utterly lazy – it was Xiao Anzi, who had been beaten severely a few days ago. He looked at the copper rings, suddenly grinned, and pulled out something white and greasy from his bosom, frantically rubbing it on his hands.

The nearby children were greatly curious and craned their necks to see, asking, “What is that thing?”

Xiao Anzi whispered, “This is a ball of lard. I risked my life to steal it from the kitchen last night. You all rub some on your palms first, and it won’t hurt as much when you get beaten later.”

Hearing of such a treasure, the young disciples were all delighted and came to rub some on. Standing apart were several other children, all with proud expressions. Seeing their companions’ uselessness, they couldn’t help but mock them: “You bunch are really pathetic. It’s just a Seven Ring Challenge and you already want to cheat. You might as well go home to find your mothers for milk.”

Xiao Anzi was applying the lard when he heard these words and became angry, immediately retorting, “You few think you’re so great, go ahead and be proud! When you get beaten to death later, don’t cry out in pain or call for your mothers, lest you lose face!” Those few also became furious and began quarreling.

The two groups of children formed opposing sides, pointing fingers and cursing each other. Amid the noisy chaos, only one child remained silent, staring dumbly at the seven copper rings. Judging by his vacant expression, it was the same foolish child from the training ground a few days ago.

One child pushed the fool and whispered, “Xiao Gouzi, come quickly and rub some lard so it won’t hurt later!”

Xiao Gouzi heard the words but only grinned foolishly, his gaze never leaving the copper rings.

The child saw that he was ignoring him and was about to speak again when Xiao Anzi pulled him away, mocking, “Are you new here? This stupid dog can’t say two sentences in a year and just loves to dance, like an idiot. Don’t waste our precious lard.”

While everyone was laughing and making noise, they suddenly heard a thunderous shout: “All disciples must not make noise or fight! Begin reciting the scriptures!”

The young disciples immediately fell silent and stood at attention, loudly chanting: “Mount Hua’s sword way hides celestial secrets, front three back five turn both sides, within lies Taiji’s cosmic stability, attack one attack three occupy the left side; the sword moves light and agile following will, the sword falls in four directions with true qi…”

This verse was the entrance teaching of Mount Hua. Though the words were simple, they were the foundation of Mount Hua’s martial arts. Only after learning this could young disciples progress step by step toward advancement. Feicheng Guai, Suanpan Guai, Zhao Laowu and others naturally knew it by heart and could only yawn listlessly while listening.

Although the foolish child was simple-minded, he now acted contrary to his usual behavior, opening his mouth and shouting along with everyone else, though it was unclear whether he was reciting correctly or not.

Amid the children’s recitation, an elder with a dignified Daoist appearance stepped forward first. He raised his hand to stop everyone’s chanting and announced loudly, “Noon approaches. Entry-level students will now begin the ‘Seven Ring Challenge’ according to sect rules.” He clapped several times and led a large group of disciples to stand behind the rings to observe.

Upon hearing that the test was beginning, all the young disciples were frightened out of their wits. Only a few children who had been diligent in their daily practice showed excited expressions, rubbing their hands together and waiting to take the stage and show their prowess.

Feicheng Guai then called out names loudly. The young disciples, upon hearing their names, stepped forward to test their swordsmanship. Several disciples held canes, waiting for the results to begin beating people.

Although the young disciples usually practiced together, their private efforts varied. Now under examination, each person’s cultivation depth and dedication were revealed one by one. Some children who had been lazy daily could barely pass three rings before making the bells ring crisply. With pale faces, they were naturally dragged away for severe beatings. Other children who had been diligent thrust their swords out with a swish, hitting the red heart exactly, and proudly withdrew amid applause.

The adult disciples would also engage in paired combat and martial arts competitions after the sect leader emerged from seclusion, so naturally they had no interest in watching children practice swords. Only the various elders watched intently, carefully examining the young disciples’ aptitude for future tailored instruction.

When the examination began, Xiao Anzi, usually lazy, was naturally extremely nervous and huddled with several close friends in the crowd to peek. Seeing several fellow disciples beaten until they cried out to heaven and earth, while many others passed easily, the young disciples’ hearts were all uneasy, not knowing what fate awaited them when their turn came – hopefully they wouldn’t be beaten to death.

While the children worried, they suddenly heard Zhao Laowu shout, “Whoever finishes last today, watch out – I’ll break your legs!”

These few young disciples were usually the laziest and were scared out of their wits upon hearing this threat. While they were afraid, they suddenly saw Xiao Gouzi drooling, staring vacantly at the copper rings with a completely vacant expression. The children patted their chests and thought, “Thank goodness this guy is here, otherwise we’d definitely be beaten to death.” No matter what they did, this idiot would always be the first to receive beatings and scoldings from the teachers. Thinking that the bottom position was already reserved, the children naturally breathed a sigh of relief.

Half an hour passed, and dozens of people each took their turn and returned. Some rubbed their red, swollen palms with tears in their eyes, while others strutted about boasting loudly. Xiao Anzi saw that his turn was approaching. Looking left and right, he felt only fear. He usually spent his time fooling around and had never practiced properly even once. Seeing that the critical moment had arrived with no escape, he couldn’t help but swallow hard, feeling quite nervous.

Suddenly he heard Feicheng Guai call out, “Wu Anzheng, your turn!”

Xiao Anzi saw his uncle-teachers holding long, thin canes with fierce expressions, and his heart leaped in terror: “This time I’m dead! Let me delay for a while!” He immediately twisted his mouth and began crying out about stomach pain.

Zhao Laowu was furious and rushed over, shouting, “You little rascal, what are you trying to do now? Don’t tell me you want to escape?”

Xiao Anzi paid no attention to his words and just rolled on the ground, calling out for his father and mother.

Feicheng Guai frowned and said, “If Wu Anzheng is unwell, then let’s call the next one.” He looked at the roster in his hand and said, “Ning Wangcai, step forward!”

Upon hearing this name, all the young disciples felt curious: “Ning Wangcai, what a vulgar name. Who is that?”

While everyone was guessing, they saw a child with a long stream of snot on his face walking forward dumbly. Seeing his foolish appearance and vacant gaze, everyone recognized him as “Xiao Gouzi” and finally learned that his real name was “Ning Wangcai.”

A disciple stepped forward and placed a wooden sword in Xiao Gouzi’s hands, saying, “You hold the sword and go pierce the red heart on that glutinous rice paper, but you cannot touch those rings…” Before he finished speaking, he suddenly saw the foolish child raise the long sword above his head and spin in a circle on the spot. The disciple saw his strange behavior and couldn’t help but frown, “What are you doing?”

The foolish child giggled foolishly and gestured wildly, as if performing a ritual dance. He hopped and jumped forward, and soon reached the glutinous rice paper. The disciple frowned, “What exactly are you trying to do?”

The foolish child, with snot flowing, laughed and said, “Dance! Dance together!” He raised the wooden sword in his hand and immediately pierced the red heart. Seeing him being foolish to this extent, everyone burst into laughter.

The disciple was furious and slapped him hard across the face, cursing, “Idiot! Who told you to walk over there! You stand here and thrust your sword through these rings! Do you hear me?”

The foolish child’s cheek immediately swelled from the slap. The disciple pointed at the copper rings and shouted loudly, “Raise your sword! Pierce through these rings! Understand?”

Seeing that the foolish child stood there dumbly without speaking, the disciple dragged him back to the original position and shouted, “Stand there and thrust properly for me!”

The foolish child looked bewildered and slowly extended his sword. The sword was crooked and weak, and with a “clang,” it had already struck the first copper ring. Everyone in the field saw this sword thrust was truly ridiculous and burst into laughter again.

The disciple’s anger flared. This Seven Ring Challenge wasn’t some great difficulty – even ordinary people who didn’t know swordplay could at least reach the second ring. In his ten-plus years of learning martial arts at Mount Hua, he had never seen such a strange thing. He immediately cursed, “Bastard! How can you not even pass the first ring! Can’t you understand human speech!” He delivered another slap. This palm strike wasn’t light, knocking Xiao Gouzi to the ground with blood at the corners of his mouth.

The disciple roared, “Stand up! Thrust again for me! At least get past the second ring for me! Otherwise, you’ll be sent down the mountain tomorrow!”

The foolish child touched his swollen cheek, tears in his eyes, sitting dumbly on the ground, murmuring softly, “Dance… dance together…” Though his appearance was foolish, it somehow made people feel sorry for him.

Seeing this, everyone shook their heads and sighed. Feicheng Guai walked over and crouched in front of the foolish child, saying softly, “Child, if you can’t pass the second ring, you’ll be sent down the mountain tomorrow. This teacher-uncle may seem fierce, but he’s actually helping you, understand?”

The foolish child heard these words and slowly stood up, looking at the copper rings but not responding.

Feicheng Guai patted his shoulder and said gently, “Be good and listen. If you still want to stay at Mount Hua to learn martial arts, then thrust your sword properly.”

The foolish child’s eyes were askew, making unclear sounds, and it was uncertain whether he understood.

He ran to the copper rings and opened both hands, then closed them. With a loud “clang,” the sword had already struck the copper ring. Not only did he fail to pass, but he also made the copper rings sway violently left and right, ringing loudly. The supervising disciple, seeing his utter absurdity, was so angry he couldn’t speak.

The foolish child didn’t know he had caused trouble and was still dancing around, jumping about wildly again. The elders, seeing this foolish child was so stupid, all thought, “This child is too dull for martial arts training.” Feicheng Guai looked quite dejected and just shook his head, retreating to the side.

The foolish child danced for a while, and seeing no one paid attention to him, turned back to look at everyone. Seeing them either covering their faces and sighing or showing mocking expressions, but not one person dancing with him, he stared blankly. Suddenly his eyes reddened and he screamed loudly, waving his arms and legs while his long sword continuously struck the copper rings, as if deliberately throwing a tantrum.

The disciple was furious and snatched a cane from a fellow disciple, striking forcefully at his back while shouting, “What are you doing! Do you want to defy sect rules?” His left hand beat the child while his right hand grabbed the child’s arm, trying to force him to pass through the copper rings.

In the chaos, the child continued dancing wildly. His face was covered with tears, teeth tightly clenched, his buttocks and back struck with crackling sounds, but the wooden sword in his hand resisted desperately, only making the copper rings sway left and right while the long sword couldn’t pass the first ring.

All the sect members, seeing this child’s aptitude was so foolish yet his temperament so stubborn, secretly felt pity.

By this time, the disciple’s anger had reached its peak and he no longer cared whether he might hurt the foolish child. The cane fell on his head and face with crackling sounds. In his urgency and anger, he cursed, “You stubborn fool, I’m trying to help you!” The two struggled fiercely. The disciple used all his strength, determined to force the foolish child to pass through the copper rings, while the foolish child’s face turned red as he desperately resisted.

“Creak…”

Just as the scene was in chaos, a light sound was heard. The vermillion red door slowly opened, revealing a crack. It seemed the Patriarch sect leader was about to emerge from seclusion.

The disciple who had been beating the child suddenly saw the door open and quickly dropped his cane, bowing deeply, not daring to make any more moves. The rest of the people also put down what they were doing, turned around together, and called out in unison, “Disciples respectfully welcome the sect leader’s emergence from seclusion!”

While all the sect members paid respects to their patriarch, the foolish child remained completely unaware. He could be seen with tears in his eyes, tightly gripping the wooden sword, his gaze never leaving the copper rings.

At noon with sunlight filling the ground, an old Daoist slowly emerged from the door. His hair and beard were completely white, appearing to be over a hundred years old, like an immortal. Seeing the Patriarch sect leader emerge from seclusion, the hundred or so people in the field all remained quietly silent, waiting for him to speak.

In the complete silence, suddenly a “clang” sound was heard, as if someone was striking something. In this peaceful and serene moment, it sounded extremely jarring.

Everyone frowned, not knowing who was making such noise. Looking back, they saw the foolish child had started dancing again. He held the wooden sword and was frantically thrusting at the copper rings while making strange cries. Everyone had initially felt some sympathy for the foolish child, but seeing his such rudeness, they all felt displeased.

Zhao Laowu saw the Patriarch sect leader’s long eyebrows furrowed with an unkind expression, fearing trouble would arise. He quickly rushed forward and shouted, “The sect leader is present – what is this disturbance! Quickly stop this child!”

The disciples responded and hurried to pull the child. Seeing people coming to grab him, he suddenly screamed and stepped back, hugging the wooden sword tightly with both hands.

The disciples shouted, “Hand over the wooden sword!”

The small child looked up at the sky, then suddenly gripped the sword handle with both hands, raised it above his head, and spun in a circle. A disciple reached out to grab him, but the foolish child stepped forward three steps and stepped left twice, actually dodging him.

The foolish child raised his sword toward the sky and called out loudly, “Dance! Dance together!” The disciples, seeing this foolish child covered in wounds with blood at the corners of his mouth yet still calling out so earnestly, were all stunned.

Zhao Laowu, seeing the child still jumping about incessantly, was so angry he nearly fainted. He shouted, “What are you all standing there for? Quickly stop this little rascal!” The disciples immediately came to their senses and roared as more than a dozen arms reached out to grab him together.

Just as the disciples were about to catch the child, they suddenly felt pain in their backs as if some strange force had pushed them, and the disciples all tumbled to the ground. The other sect members were greatly shocked to suddenly see a person with white eyebrows and long beard rushing forward – it was the Patriarch. He stood three feet in front of the foolish child, staring directly with eyes that revealed neither joy nor anger.

Zhao Laowu knew the Patriarch had quite a temper and feared he might kill this child in his anger. He exchanged glances with Feicheng Guai, and both were about to step forward to persuade him.

Suddenly, the Patriarch raised both hands above his head, spun in a circle, and began dancing too.

In their amazement, everyone didn’t know what to make of it, when they suddenly saw the Patriarch step forward three steps and step left twice, jumping up and down incessantly. The footwork he performed was exactly the same as the foolish child’s!

The foolish child, seeing someone dancing with him, was even more moved to tears and cried out loudly, “Dance! Dance together!”

Under the blue sky and white clouds, one old and one young danced face to face as if they had rehearsed countless times beforehand, their footsteps perfectly synchronized. Feicheng Guai exclaimed, “What’s happening? Has our sect leader been possessed by a ghost?” Zhao Laowu was equally bewildered. Looking sideways, he saw all the great elders had their mouths wide open, apparently all stunned.

Zhao Laowu coughed and was about to step forward to persuade them when suddenly an elder rushed out, blocked his path, and shouted, “Don’t disturb them! They’re performing the ‘Crane Dance Seven Star Steps’!”

“Crane Dance Seven Star Steps!”

Upon hearing these words, the other elders immediately cried out in amazement. Everyone rushed into the field and stared wide-eyed at the footwork beneath the foolish child’s feet. Zhao Laowu, hearing these five words, exchanged glances with Feicheng Guai, both drawing in sharp breaths.

According to ancient tradition, all of Mount Hua’s martial learning was contained within the “Three達 Sword.” The so-called “Wisdom Sword Levels Eight Directions,” “Benevolence Sword Shakes with Sound,” and “Courage Sword Cuts the Celestial Dipper” were Mount Hua’s three great secrets, long lost. Among them, the “Crane Dance Seven Star Steps” was the crucial key to mastering the “Three達 Sword.” For over a hundred years, successive sect leaders of Mount Hua had entered seclusion to contemplate this footwork. However, this footwork was too extraordinary. Despite the high martial arts skills of generations of sect leaders, they always failed to grasp its mysteries. They could figure out the first step but couldn’t think of the second. Even if they barely found the second step, they couldn’t transition smoothly, never able to devise a naturally flowing set of steps. Who would have thought that today, by sheer coincidence, the complete “Crane Dance Seven Star Steps” would reappear in the world beneath a foolish child’s feet. Had the sect leader not studied this footwork day and night, even with Mount Hua’s many experts, no one would have recognized the mystery in the foolish child’s footwork.

The elders, in their excitement, all looked toward the child. They saw him with eyes closed, hands constantly moving up and down like a white crane spreading its wings, while his footwork was extraordinarily strange – sometimes moving forward, suddenly retreating, as if containing some miraculous principle, but incomprehensible in a moment.

More than ten elders rubbed their eyes and hurried to jump up and down following the small child, but this foolish child’s footwork was unpredictable and they couldn’t keep up, only jumping about in confusion with numerous mistakes. Many elderly people even fell to the ground, looking quite ridiculous.

For a time, all the elders of the mountain danced gracefully following a dirty child. If unknowing guests were to spread this story, it would likely become the greatest joke since Mount Hua’s founding. Xiao Anzi and the other young children, not understanding the significance, looked at each other and scratched their heads in complete bewilderment. Even the second-generation disciples couldn’t see the mystery within and only felt it absurdly ridiculous.

White clouds drifted leisurely, all around was peaceful and quiet. One old and one young gazed at each other, both sizing up the other.

The old Daoist, with excited expression, asked his disciples, “What is this child’s name?”

Zhao Laowu hurriedly consulted the roster: “This child is called Ning Wangcai. He was sent here for care by an elderly couple.”

The old Daoist nodded, crouched down, and gently stroked the foolish child’s head, saying softly, “Good child, your dance is beautiful. I like it very much.”

Upon hearing this praise, the foolish child immediately wiped away his tears and broke into a smile: “You dance very well too!”

The disciples on both sides, hearing his disrespectful speech, were all furious and about to step forward to scold him, but the old Daoist paid no mind and waved his hand to signal them to retreat. He took the foolish child’s hand and said gently, “Good child, who taught you this dance?”

The foolish child wiped his nose and laughed, “You taught me!”

The old Daoist was stunned again: “I taught you?”

The foolish child nodded vigorously and suddenly opened his small mouth to recite loudly: “Mount Hua’s sword way hides celestial secrets, front three back five turn both sides, within lies Taiji’s cosmic stability, attack one attack three occupy the left side…”

This verse was simple in meaning, exactly the song that all young disciples learned upon entry, personally passed down by the sect leader. The old Daoist suddenly understood and cried out loudly, collapsing to the ground. Zhao Laowu was greatly alarmed and hurried forward: “Patriarch, what’s wrong with you?”

The old Daoist stared at the foolish child in a daze, tears streaming down like rain. He had painstakingly studied the Crane Dance Seven Star Steps for more than thirty years without success. Only now, at this time and place, did he realize that his sect’s highest secret was hidden within that unremarkable entrance song.

The Way of nature is natural, without artifice or force. This foolish child, with a pure heart and understanding a thousand times greater than ordinary people, had actually solved the puzzle that no one could answer for 140 years through a simple, easy-to-understand verse. The old Daoist, in his mental excitement, suddenly raised his head and let out a long, resonant whistle. All the sect members, hearing this magnificent whistle, felt even more alarmed and remained motionless.

After a long time, the old Daoist stopped his whistle. He wiped away his tears and gazed at the great elders, sighing, “Mount Hua has waited 140 years and finally encountered its destined successor.” He sighed for a long time, then summoned the foolish child and placed his hand on the child’s head, saying softly, “Considering your extraordinary ability and talent, I specially bestow upon you a dharma name in the name of Patriarch Tianyin.”

Sunlight fell, full of radiance. All the sect disciples remained silent, listening to the sect leader bestow the name.

“From today on, you shall be called Bufan.”

“Bufan. Ning Bufan. Rather die than be ordinary(Ning si ye Bufan).”

The great elders knew that the sect’s martial arts were about to advance greatly, and Mount Hua’s dominance over the world was just around the corner. In their excitement, everyone trembled and wept uncontrollably.

This was the second year of the Jingtai era, the fifth month, Dragon Boat Festival. Ning Bufan was twelve years old.