Calamity Messenger

Chapter 140 - 113: A Rare Brush Exchange

"Wes, come out! Hurry up!"

In the dorm of the legal academy in Chang’an City, Wes was awakened by the sound of banging on the door outside. He got out of bed in the dark, nearly knocked over the chamber pot, stumbled to open the door, and found a group of students led by Wild Bear standing outside.

The name itself suggested Northern Border lineage, though not of much nobility; otherwise, they wouldn’t be waiting for the Enrollment Officer with these Central Plains People in the academy. Wes, being a scholar from afar, naturally didn’t dare provoke this group of Northern People, not even daring to lose his temper when disturbed, and he asked humbly, "What’s the matter?"

"I want to buy your pen!"

"Huh? I only have one..."

"I’ll pay with a Spiritual Jade!" Wild Bear impatiently pushed him and stuffed a Spiritual Jade into his hand: "It’s enough for you to buy ten pens tomorrow, so hurry up and hand over your pen!"

Wes was stunned. He bit the Spiritual Jade, soft, with a cool touch on the surface, instantly refreshing him despite just waking up. It was indeed a complete Spiritual Jade!

One Spiritual Jade could be exchanged for twenty Spiritual Shards in the market, and his family worked all year round to earn only forty or fifty Spiritual Shards. This Spiritual Jade was worth about half a year’s harvest for his family. The brush Wes used was merely an old one gifted by the landlord’s young master when he served as a scribe, which the master discarded after deeming it broken, though it wasn’t truly broken, just a bit frayed, and Wes always felt grateful for this deliberate act of kindness.

However, it was essentially a ten-year-old brush with a barely intact brush head, probably only worth a piece or two of Spiritual Shards at a pawnshop. Yet, Wild Bear offered a whole Spiritual Jade upfront, tempting Wes greatly. But for a poor lad like him, he never trusted in getting a windfall, much less when it came from Wild Bear; it sounded as dubious as the rumor of the Liang Court paying wages for conscription labor.

"Fine, but it has to be tomorrow morning, in front of everyone as witnesses, before I sell it to you."

Wes suspected Wild Bear intended to frame him. If he took the Spiritual Jade at night and Wild Bear claimed it was stolen, how would he defend himself? Who would believe Wild Bear spent a whole Spiritual Jade on a worn-out brush Wes used? It had to be done in daylight to be risk-free.

"Damn you, must be crazy!" Wild Bear impatiently snatched the Spiritual Jade back: "I need it urgently, why wait till tomorrow when I can just buy it from a shop? If you won’t sell, I’ll find someone else; you’re not the only one with a pen in the academy!"

With that, Wild Bear turned to leave, and his followers spat at Wes, filled with disdain, seemingly really giving up on the purchase. Wes felt a twinge of regret; it seemed Wild Bear genuinely wanted to buy the pen. If he got that Spiritual Jade, he could buy an excellent brush from Desong Studio and the "Annotations to the Seven Chapters of the Mystic Lord" he’s long desired...

But until Wild Bear was nearly out of the courtyard, Wes still didn’t call him back.

If tomorrow he heard Wild Bear bought someone else’s pen, he’d toss and turn in bed, regretting numerous nights in the future. Even so, he dared not take the risk. He had no right to take risks. His chance to study without farming came from the support of his family, who pinned their hopes on him. How could he gamble? It wasn’t that he wasn’t greedy; he simply couldn’t afford the cost.

Just as Wild Bear was nearly out, he suddenly turned back, shouting, "Lucky for you, I need it urgently. Bring the pen out now."

"Tomorrow."

"You stubborn kid," Wild Bear and his followers blocked Wes’s doorway menacingly, "Two Spiritual Jades, okay? You’ve hit the jackpot; two are enough for a night out in the provincial city. If you still hike the price, you’ll offend the Daye Family!"

Wes gulped; a scholar as weak as he had never faced such a scene, his legs nearly giving way, almost agreeing. But he remembered being in Chang’an City, safe from being beaten, and mustered the courage: "The transaction is tomorrow!"

"Won’t accept a toast but drink a forfeit, huh?" Wild Bear motioned to his followers and said sinisterly, "Hold him, I’ll go inside and find the pen!"

Seeing this, Wes quickly ran back to hide his pen in his arms, then squatted in the corner of the room. Wild Bear and his gang trembled with anger, kicking, punching, spitting, cursing at Wes, but the Chang’an City rules protected him. Wes didn’t feel pain, just felt like someone kept pushing him.

They would leave once tired, Wes thought. He didn’t know why Wild Bear was so fixated on a brush, but it wasn’t his first time being bullied. Any reason given by bullies is merely an excuse; at the root, it’s because they don’t like you. This made Wes cherish Chang’an; even if bullied, it didn’t bother him. He was determined to become an official in Chang’an, for his family and himself.

The outside world was too harsh; only Chang’an City provided a place for him to survive.

"The broad streets of Chang’an are linked by narrow alleys, green oxen and white horses with seven-fragrance carriages." Wes silently recalled the ancients’ praise of Chang’an: "New-register fancy wine costs ten thousand a bucket, how many years have roaming knights in Chang’an..."

However, Wild Bear did not leave, growing increasingly agitated. He spotted the chamber pot under the bed and shouted to pour it over Wes. Wes couldn’t remain indifferent; tomorrow was Master Chen’s lecture, whose yearly evaluation of the academy students determined if they could stay. He couldn’t miss it, nor attend reeking of urine.