The Azure Mountain

Chapter 133: Leaking Air

Under the porridge shed.

Wang Daosheng was distributing porridge to the refugees.

Zhang Zhuo grabbed an earthenware bowl and boldly thrust it in front of Wang Daosheng.

Wang Daosheng gave him a calm glance and silently filled the bowl with the wooden ladle.

Zhang Zhuo threw his head back, gulping down the watery porridge with loud glugging sounds before wiping his beard with the sleeve of his scarlet Official Robe.

Tossing the bowl casually onto the gray brick stove, he asked curiously, "Weren't you taking my daughter on a study tour to Luhun Villa? How did you end up touring all the way to this porridge shed? I heard that the people from both the Yellow Mountain and Mount Laojun Daoist Courts have arrived this time, along with eminent monks from Yuanjue Temple and Tuoluo Temple. They have incredibly brilliant scriptural debates every day. Why are you wasting time with these kids here?"

Wang Daosheng casually replied while continuing to serve porridge to the refugees, "Life is the greatest scripture. In the beginning, all the scriptural principles written by the sages were learned from life itself. Rather than following the sages to learn principles from books, we might as well learn directly from life. It's much closer to the original meaning."

Zhang Zhuo stroked his beard. "If only you spoke a little less of this heretical nonsense, Elder Hu wouldn't constantly beat you down. Man, when it's time to hide your edge, you have to hide it. As students, we shouldn't always go against our own teachers."

Wang Daosheng replied coolly, "Now you've turned around and are lecturing me."

Zhang Zhuo chuckled and jutted his chin toward Chen Ji. "What do you think of that kid?""Why do you ask?" Wang Daosheng asked calmly.

Zhang Zhuo raised an eyebrow. "Can I not ask?"

Wang Daosheng said casually, "Actually, you already have the answer in your heart. Asking me is nothing more than seeking to confirm what you already believe. But what I say might not align with your wishes."

Zhang Zhuo grew impatient. "Then just spit it out and let me hear it!"

Wang Daosheng cast a glance at Chen Ji before turning back to Zhang Zhuo. "This child has a murderous aura about him."

Zhang Zhuo was momentarily taken aback, examining Wang Daosheng closely. "People who have led troops really are a bit different, huh? You could even see that?"

Wang Daosheng scooped out a ladle of rice porridge and poured it into the bowl of a waiting refugee. "He has been enrolled for two days, and he has been late twice. When asked why he was late, he refuses to say. But every time I see him arrive, his face is practically brimming with killing intent. He doesn't look like someone coming to attend a school; he looks more like one of those infantrymen under my command who just finished slaughtering Japanese pirates and still has blood on his armor."

Zhang Zhuo shook his head. "He is no infantryman. A thousand troops are easy to come by, but a good general is hard to find. If you worked with him, you would understand. He has the makings of a great general."

"You certainly rate him highly." Wang Daosheng thought for a moment. "So, the man who stalled the refugees outside the west city gate the day before yesterday... was him?"

Zhang Zhuo hurriedly replied, "No!"

Wang Daosheng scoffed. "Someone who has worked with you, who just happened to be late on the morning of his enrollment that very day, and who is so highly valued by you—if it isn't him, who else could it be?"

Zhang Zhuo warned cautiously, "You had better not get any ideas about him."

Wang Daosheng sighed in exasperation. "What ideas could I possibly have about him? I'm just taking his Tuition Fee and teaching him some principles. That's all."

Zhang Zhuo suddenly asked, "Has your mourning period ended?"

Wang Daosheng nodded. "Yesterday."

Zhang Zhuo asked again, "What Official Position has Elder Hu arranged for you?"

Wang Daosheng replied casually, "My teacher wishes for me to return to the Capital City and serve as the Minister of the Ministry of War as well as a Scholar of the Hanlin Academy."

"What?!" Zhang Zhuo raised his voice.

Seeing some refugees looking their way, he quickly lowered his voice. "How can you jump two ranks at once and be promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War? Doesn't that mean you'll be entering the Grand Secretariat next?!"

Wang Daosheng didn't answer the question. He merely looked off into the distance at Chen Ji and suddenly said, "He certainly has a warm heart, though."

Zhang Zhuo also looked at Chen Ji. A moment later, he sighed. "He's being a bit too enthusiastic right now. He isn't usually like this..."

At this moment, Chen Ji was serving porridge to the refugees one by one.

In just half an hour, the originally cherry-red Furnace Fires within his body had gradually lightened to a pale red. Nestled within the flames, a wisp of yellow fire seemed to be gestating, as thin as a gossamer thread.

Feeling the surging vitality, Chen Ji felt as though he had been reborn. Even his very breaths seemed to flow with fire.

Suddenly, he realized something.

The Mountain Lord is the Dragon Swallower. The Ice Flow on government officials was the physical manifestation of Dragon Aura, while the hearts of the common people held the very root of that Dragon Aura. It was the very foundation of what made a nation a nation.

No wonder Old Yao had maintained his identity as an imperial physician even after cultivating the Mountain Lord Pathway. When he treated illnesses and saved lives, the Furnace Fires within his body must have undergone the exact same changes.

But why hadn't his Master told him about this? Did he not want him to discover this secret?

No, there had to be another reason.

...

...

The large cauldron in front of Chen Ji had already been scooped empty. It would take an entire two sticks of incense worth of time to boil a fresh batch of porridge. He looked at the long line of refugees standing before him, each one holding a brand-new earthenware bowl.

He walked over to Bai Li and said, "Go rest for a while. I'll help you."

"Ah, really?" Bai Li asked, pleasantly surprised.

With that, she looked around at the others. "But everyone else is still busy. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to rest alone."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "It's fine. Just stand to the side and rest secretly."

Bai Li stepped aside slightly. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Why didn't you go help my brother?"

Chen Ji explained, "The Prince Heir is stronger, so he can hold on for a bit longer. When he can't keep it up anymore, I'll go help him."

Bai Li let out a long, drawn-out "Ohhh."

Chen Ji grabbed the wooden ladle and briskly scooped out bowl after bowl of rice porridge for the refugees. That wisp of yellow flame grew increasingly distinct, like a golden dragon swimming through a sea of red fire. Once the commandery princess's pot was empty, he ran over to help the Prince Heir.

The Prince Heir rubbed his sore arm and immediately threw up a thumbs up. "A true child of The Jianghu! Loyalty itself!"

Once the Prince Heir's pot was entirely finished as well, Chen Ji meandered over to stand beside Chen Wenxiao.

Chen Wenxiao had been waiting for this moment for a long time. The second he saw Chen Ji approach, he immediately held out his wooden ladle.

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow. "Why are you handing me your ladle? Do your own tasks yourself."

Chen Wenxiao was confused. "Aren't you here to help?"

Chen Ji shook his head. "No, I'm just here to watch."

Chen Wenxiao: "?"

Chen Ji stood off to the side. Every time Chen Wenxiao served a ladle of porridge, the refugees would hurriedly express their thanks, and Chen Ji would beat him to the punch with a smiling, "You're very welcome."

After he had said it a few times, Chen Wenxiao couldn't help but confront him. "I'm the one standing here distributing porridge! Why are you pretending to be the good guy?"

But Chen Ji completely ignored Chen Wenxiao.

He had confirmed it. Even if he didn't personally ladle out the porridge, as long as the refugees believed in their hearts that he had a part in this act of kindness, his Furnace Fires would transform just a little more.

However, there was another condition for this transformation: the person receiving the favor had to know his identity.

Chen Ji took a deep breath. The core essence of the Mountain Lord Pathway was far more profound than he had imagined.

But what was the exact purpose of these transformed Furnace Fires?

He would probably have to ask Xuanyuan about this matter.

...

...

While he was lost in thought, Zhang Zhuo led the runners over, smiling cheerfully. "Thank you for all your hard work, everyone! We have finished registering the refugees. We will take over the porridge distribution from here."

Wang Daosheng handed his ladle over to a runner and patiently instructed, "You absolutely must not allow things like forcing decent women into prostitution or Exchanging Children to Eat Them to occur here."

Zhang Zhuo nodded with a smile. "Rest assured."

After saying that, he seemed to grow nostalgic. "If only I could set aside my burdens and join you all on your trip. When I was young, listening to people debate scriptures filled my mind with wisdom. If I heard there was a debate somewhere, I would rush over to listen, even if I had to skip meals and sleep to do it... But now, I can't break away."

"You Cannot Have Both the Fish and the Bear's Paw. What you are doing now is ultimately more important." Wang Daosheng waved to his disciples. "Let's go."

Chen Ji hadn't had his fill, but with no good reason to stay, he could only tear himself away reluctantly.

As he passed Chen Wenzong, the other man suddenly cupped his hands in a formal bow. "Third Brother, seeing you work tirelessly to serve porridge today and treat the refugees as warmly as a gentle spring breeze, I finally realize that I have misunderstood you greatly in the past. In the days to come, the three of us brothers will all be studying under Mr. Wang's tutelage. We must support each other more. If there are any scriptures you don't understand, feel free to come ask me. Although you missed this year's Imperial Examination, three years from now will be the time for you to shine."

Chen Ji gave him a weird look, offering a half-hearted, "Sure."

This time, everyone walked behind the ox cart. Not even Chen Wenzong or Chen Wenxiao hopped on. On the cart, only Prince Jing remained, with his hat brim pulled down low, driving the ox alone with his back facing the crowd.

After they had walked several hundred steps, Bai Li's eyes suddenly sparkled. "Since we have to walk all the way to Luhun Villa, why don't we just let the ox cart and its driver head back to Luo City? There's no need for him to accompany us."

Prince Jing's whipping motion instantly froze before he lashed out fiercely at the ox cart, pretending he hadn't heard a single word.

Bai Li continued, speaking to Mr. Wang. "Sir, they say reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles..."

Before she could even finish her sentence, Prince Jing stopped whipping the ox. He leapt up and jumped off the ox cart, swinging his whip straight at Bai Li.

Bai Li hurriedly hid behind Chen Ji and the Prince Heir, grabbing both of their arms and poking half of her little face out from the gap between them. "The driver is hitting people!"

Prince Jing gritted his teeth. "You little padded cotton jacket are leaking air!"

Seeing the face beneath the straw hat's brim clearly, the Prince Heir cried out in shock, "Father?!"

Hearing his son's shout, Prince Jing's fury only grew. He chased the Prince Heir all over the place. "So what if you're past the age of twenty? Do you think I can't manage you anymore?!"

The Prince Heir shouted indignantly, "Bai Li, you set me up!"

Chen Ji and Zhang Xia watched, utterly dumbfounded. Zhang Xia turned to Chen Ji. "Is this how Prince Jing, the Prince Heir, and the Commandery Princess normally interact?"

Chen Ji hesitated. "The Prince Heir and the Commandery Princess don't cause a scene every single day."

Smiling bitterly, Wang Daosheng stopped Prince Jing. "You really are something... To think you even kept this a secret from me. If we had run into bandits, how was I supposed to account for this to the princely estate and the royal court?"

Panting heavily, Prince Jing slowed to a stop and sighed. "I suppose I really am getting old. I'm too tired to even beat my own son."

Bai Li cautiously approached. "Father, I genuinely didn't want you to travel in disguise all by yourself. Yesterday, you caught a chill and fell unconscious. Physician Yao had to rush to the estate and keep watch over you for three whole hours. Now that you are far from home, what if something happens and Physician Yao isn't by your side?"

Prince Jing raised a hand to stop her. "Look, isn't your father perfectly fine right now? Yesterday, I was merely taking a midday nap. Your mother just made a mountain out of a molehill."

Bai Li looked him up and down suspiciously. At this very moment, Prince Jing indeed had a rosy complexion, not looking at all like someone who had just recovered from a severe illness.

She looked toward Chen Ji as if silently asking for help, but Chen Ji didn't say a word.

He was thinking about a question. If Prince Jing had really just been taking a nap, how could his master possibly have stayed in the princely estate for three entire hours without coming out? Therefore, Prince Jing's illness had to be real.

But since Prince Jing was sick, why did he insist on traveling in disguise?

Unless he had a reason that absolutely demanded he leave.

Wang Daosheng considered this for a moment before speaking. "Everyone, get on the cart. Since we have already set out, there is no sense in turning back halfway. None of you are to mention His Highness's identity to any outsiders. Just treat him as the carriage driver."