Chapter 39: The Eight Children of Wudang

  At the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, there was a young man with the surname Zhang who traveled to various places. One day, between two peaks, he suddenly enlightened to the Tao, changed his name to Sanfeng, established himself as a master, and founded the Wudang school.

  From then on, another big sect appeared in Jianghu.

  In his early years, Zhang Sanfeng had seven disciples. The eldest was Song Yuanqiao, who was nearly middle-aged. Yu Lianzhou and Yu Dairen were known as Yu Er and Yu San in Jianghu. Zhang Songxi was the fourth, and Zhang Cuishan was the fifth. Yin Litang and Mo Shenggu were still young and had not yet come of age. By the time Zhang Cuishan entered the sect, Zhang Sanfeng was already over 60 years old. Therefore, although Zhang Cuishan was the fifth in line, he was the last disciple to be personally taught by Zhang Sanfeng. When Yin Litang and Mo Shenggu entered the sect, they were both taught by Song Yuanqiao and Yu Lianzhou on behalf of their master.

  Seven second-generation disciples of the Wudang Sect, who were as close as brothers, traveled together through Jianghu and often did chivalrous deeds. With a compassionate heart that spared others whenever possible, they gave people a way out, never pursuing them to the end. Gradually, the seven men made a name for themselves, and in Jianghu, they were collectively known as the Wudang Seven Heroes.

  After entering Wudang Valley, Zhang Sanfeng had already closed his door and no longer accepted apprentices. However, on the winter solstice at the age of 85, he picked up a baby girl in front of the mountain gate during a heavy snowfall, and exceptionally took her as an apprentice, naming her Xue Zhu (Snow Bamboo) after the scenery at that time.

  There has never been a female disciple on Mount Wudang, and everyone is shocked.

  Zhang Cuishan asked Master Zhang Sanfeng why he accepted him as a disciple, but Zhang Sanfeng stroked his beard and remained silent. After a moment, it was Song Yuanqiao, who was skilled in physiognomy, who spoke up to explain that this child was born with a noble bone structure, leaving everyone astonished.

  As the girl gradually grew up, more and more people on Mount Wudang felt that she was extraordinary, and they gradually believed in Song Yuanqiao's words of the past. The girl did not cry or make a fuss, often using her unusually black and clear eyes to gaze at the sun and moon outside the window, the flowers and birds on the ground. If someone tried to tease her, she would not cooperate, only using her eyes to quietly look at the other person, until the other person could no longer continue with those actions of pinching her face or touching her head. It wasn't until a group of young and middle-aged people lost interest in teasing this child that they suddenly realized that she never spoke. At first, everyone thought she was born mute, thinking it was pitiful that such a child was born unable to speak, so they rarely mentioned words like "deaf", "mute", or "blind" in front of her, not wanting her to know that she was born with disabilities.

  When she was three years old, one day Zhang Sanfeng held her under the tree to watch the sunset and asked: "Xue Zhu, what are you looking at?"

  At that time, four of the Seven Heroes of Wudang were traveling around Jianghu. Zhang Cuishan, Yin Liting and Mo Shenggu were still young and had not yet come of age, so they stayed within the mountain gate to cultivate their skills. As a result, the three of them spent the most time with Xue Ju and had a deeper affection for her, especially Yin Liting who was particularly fond of Xue Ju. The three of them heard this and were shocked, thinking that their master was being foolish. Yin Liting even blushed bright red and almost ran out.

  Because Xue Zhu had not spoken for several years, the seven senior brothers both loved and pitied her, and did not want her to know that she could not speak due to a congenital disability. Therefore, they never used language that required a response when speaking to her, only asking questions that could be answered with a nod or shake of the head. Now, Zhang Sanfeng's question was obviously one that could not be answered with a nod or shake of the head, which was equivalent to forcing Xue Zhu to face the awkward situation of being unable to speak, how could it not shock the three people?

  Who would have thought that Xue Zhu, who had not spoken for several years, suddenly opened her mouth and replied in a clear and tender voice, as if reciting a poem.

  "Reach the ultimate emptiness, maintain quiet and deepness, all things are simultaneously created, I observe their return."

  Zhang Sanfeng smiled and stroked his beard, nodding his head and saying, "Very good."

  Zhang Sanfeng, although dressed as a Taoist, had seven secular disciples who did not practice Taoism. Each of them read Taoist scriptures, but whether they truly understood them was known only to heaven. Among the seven, Zhang Cuishan had the best comprehension, and Zhang Sanfeng therefore favored him, instructing him with great care. As a result, when Zhang Cuishan seemed to have gained insight from this conversation, Yin Liting and Mo Shenggu exchanged glances.

  Yin Litian asked in a low voice: "Fifth brother, is this sentence... from the Tao Te Ching? Who recited the Tao Te Ching to Little Shifu?"

  Yin Litian's question was not a random shot. Because Xue Zhu had not spoken for several years, the seven senior brothers never used language that required a response to her, and they were also afraid that she would be lonely on the mountain, so they came up with the idea of reading books to her. At first, it was Zhang Songxi who did this, being meticulous by nature. Later, several other senior brothers naturally followed suit, often bringing "Three Character Classic", "Analects" and "Mencius" to read whenever they had leisure time. Because Xue Zhu was young, the few of them originally didn't intend to enlighten her with these readings, only paying attention not to bring some messy books, nor did they pay attention to what each other was reading.

  Zhang Cuishan shook his head and said, "I brought 'The Three Character Classic'."

  Mo Sheng Gu was several years younger than Yin Li Ting, but he looked mature beyond his age. At this moment, he seemed to be about the same age as Yin Li Ting.

  The boy shook his head neatly, "It wasn't me."

  Yin Litian stared blankly at the little girl under the tree, as if she couldn't believe her junior sister had just spoken up.

  "Perhaps... it was what Master taught Little Sister."

  Yin Litang and Mo Shenggu heard this and both thought it made sense, so they stopped asking questions.

  Three people didn't know that at this moment, Zhang Sanfeng was also surprised and delighted. Three years ago, he had a premonition, went out of the mountain gate, and indeed found an infant on a snowy rock, with a clear and unusual bone structure, which could be said to be born with a Taoist bone. As soon as he saw the female infant, he felt that she was connected to him, so he made an exception and accepted her as his disciple. For three years, although he didn't personally take care of her, he often thought about this child. Snow Bamboo didn't speak for several years, but Zhang Sanfeng wasn't anxious, thinking that extraordinary people must have extraordinary appearances, and if heaven gave someone a special talent, taking away their speech was also not an inexplicable thing. Seeing his seven disciples lovingly care for the young apprentice, Zhang Sanfeng was very happy in his heart. Sometimes he would hold Snow Bamboo outside to quietly observe the flowers, trees, stars, and moon, or take out Taoist classics to read aloud to her. Although Snow Bamboo didn't speak, Zhang Sanfeng could feel that when she listened to those classics, she indeed had some understanding, rather than being ignorant and confused.

  Today under the tree watching flowers for a long time, Zhang Sanfeng felt that the breath of the little girl in his arms had changed slightly, and he was shocked when he tried it with his inner strength.

  This child has already achieved a state of unimpeded flow of qi, with true energy circulating throughout his body. His internal power is slightly accomplished, and the pure and refined energy within him is not inferior to that of others. Moreover, the majestic and cyclical movement of his energy is truly astonishing.

  Zhang Sanfeng entered the Taoist sect at the age of thirty, cultivated for more than fifty years, and only recently understood the profound meaning of Taiji. However, his famous disciple was only three years old but had already touched on the meaning of Taiji.

  Born with a noble bone, endowed with extraordinary talent.

  Is this, Zhang Sanfeng has a question.

  After getting the answer, Zhang Sanfeng couldn't help but laugh heartily.

  Great goodness, natural great goodness.

  Some people are born with knowledge, some people cultivate it through practice.

  His three-year-old closed disciple entered the way, and his Taoist lineage had a successor.

  After that, Wudang Mountain was joyful for a while, and everyone was overjoyed that Xue Zhu could speak. However, when Yin Li Ting and Mo Sheng Gu went to find their little sister excitedly, she stopped speaking again. Yu Er and Yu San, who rushed back to the mountain upon hearing the news, also retreated in defeat in front of Xue Zhu's calm and indifferent expression. In the end, it was Zhang Song Xi who came up with a solution, bringing back a copy of "Tao Te Ching" and discussing it with his little sister while sitting together.

  Naturally, the phrase "sitting and discussing the Tao" was originally just a joke, but in Zhang Songxi's and Xue Zhu's question-and-answer session, the expressions on the faces of several fellow disciples changed again and again.

  Sitting and discussing the Tao, it wasn't a joke at all. Zhang Songxi was seriously exploring with his three-year-old junior sister.

  As time went on, one person asked a question and the other thought for a longer and longer time to answer, until finally Zhang Songxi was the first to fall into deep thought.

  Several fellow disciples looked at me, I looked at them, all with faces of incredulity.

  After a moment, Xue Zhu suddenly chuckled softly and said: "Fourth brother's kindness, I'm deeply grateful. Fourth brother isn't one to specialize in the Taoist scriptures, no need to force it. Today I'm also tired, let's discuss this another day?"

  That carefree and natural demeanor, if you don't look at her and ignore that childish voice, probably no one would think that the person in front of them is just a three-year-old child.

  Zhang Songxi quickly regained his composure, stunned for a moment before suddenly reaching out to hug Xue Zhu and then tossing her high into the air.

  Xue Zhu didn't expect this sudden change, and in his surprise, he couldn't help but let out a "huh" of astonishment. His short arms and legs flailed wildly in the air, but to no avail. It wasn't until then that his previously calm and collected young face finally revealed an innocence and naivety that matched his age.

  Xue Zhu shouted out in surprise, and the other few fellow disciples were also frightened. Although the older ones knew that Zhang Si was just playing with his younger sister, they still reflexively took action. In the end, Yu Lianzhu's lightness skill was better, and she steadily caught Xue Zhu, patting her back comfortingly, and glared at Zhang Songxi with a hint of annoyance.

  Zhang Songxi couldn't help but laugh and say, "We seven brothers, can't we really let our little sister fall? I just wanted to see if our little sister was a god who had returned to her youth, but it turns out she's still a little devil."

  Yu Lianzhou hadn't spoken yet when Song Yuanqiao spoke up.

  "Although she's young and playful, you must still be careful."

  The eldest brother spoke up, and Zhang Songxi naturally shut his mouth obediently, pretending to be remorseful. However, he couldn't help but glance at the little girl in Second Brother's arms, almost bursting out laughing on the spot.

  She was even mistaken for a young girl who had returned to her childhood, and was now in the arms of Second Master, with a sulky face, her small hands pushing against Second Master's hand but unable to break free. After several failed attempts, she pouted even more, her mouth corners drooping downwards.

  This is just a kid!

  Yin Litian then walked over and said in a low voice: "Fourth brother, don't scare little Shifu, look at her, she's about to cry."

  Mo Sheng Gu didn't say anything, but his face also had a similar meaning.

  Zhang Songxi looked at Xue Zhu and instinctively felt that she wasn't trying to cry, but rather didn't want to be held like that. He opened his mouth and said: "Second Brother, put Little Shifu down, it seems she's not used to being held like this."

  Yu Lianzhou looked down at Xue Zhu, who raised her head, and those big black eyes were already wet. Then she leaned on Yu Lianzhou's shoulder and sobbed softly, her shoulders shaking up and down, but the crying was extremely suppressed, looking very pitiful.

  Yu Lianzhou immediately glared at Zhang Songxi with anger and said: "Still don't apologize!"

  Zhang Songxi did not expect Xue Zhu to actually start crying, and for a moment he was flustered, involuntarily thinking of how in the past he had played like this with Liu Shidi and Qi Shidi, they were all very happy, why would Xiao Shimei cry?

  Isn't it because there's a difference between men and women, she doesn't like this?

  Zhang Songxi had no ill intentions and, seeing the situation, immediately apologized sincerely and softly.

  Xue Zhu crouched on Yu Lianzhou's shoulder, only sniffling and not making a sound. Song Yuanqiao and Yu Dailin spoke in turn, saying a few words to Zhang Songxi. Zhang Cuishan, Yin Litang, and Mo Shenggu were constrained by their seniority and did not dare to speak out, so they could only express their emotions with their eyes.

  Yu Lianzhou carried Xue Zhu out, saying he was taking her to see the flowers and birds, maybe she would feel better. Several people thought it made sense and followed them out the door.

  Zhang Songxi was unintentionally pushed to the back, he helplessly smiled and followed up, suddenly seeing the girl who was leaning on Er Shixiong's shoulder raise her head and smile at him with raised eyebrows, her face clean and without any tears. For a moment, Zhang Songxi couldn't help but laugh and cry.

  He was so proud of his intelligence, but he was actually fooled by a three-year-old girl. To make matters worse, he was the one who was in the wrong from the start and couldn't say anything. If she had just kept fooling him all along, that would have been fine, but instead, she let him know that she was just playing with him. Such childish behavior made him realize that he had mistakenly thought she was a wise and experienced person, when in fact she was just an exceptionally clever child.

  Zhang Songxi naturally didn't know that his thoughts had changed, and he went from being 90% correct to 30% correct. Xue Zhu was indeed not a case of "rejuvenation", but she wasn't just an exceptionally intelligent child either - in this life, she might be considered "born with knowledge" — because she still clearly remembered that her name used to be Yao Guang, and she had studied under the tutelage of Hua Shan Chun Yang, experienced the An Shi Rebellion, seen the palaces of Xianyang, and dueled with someone on a moonlit night.

  Yao Guang thought she was already dead, although there were regrets, but no remorse. At the boundary between life and death, she had gained some insight, even if this realization came too late, it was better than a lifetime of ignorance.

  Yao Guang never expected that she would wake up again in the form of an infant. It took her a whole month to accept this reality, and then she sank into contemplation to grasp that thread of enlightenment between life and death. This long thought lasted for three years. If it weren't for the fact that she was now in Wudang and her current "master" wasn't a Daoist master and a martial arts champion, perhaps she wouldn't have been able to grow up safely this time.

  Three years have passed, and Yao Guang has been taken care of by Wu Dang for a long time. How can he possibly leave Wu Dang in this childish form?

  Forget it...

  She is no longer the same as she used to be. Even if she joined Wudang, how could her master and senior brothers treat her like this? With such deep kindness and affection, yet without having repaid them, how can she abandon them?

  The author has something to say: In the original work, Wudang indeed does not accept female disciples, but this is a derivative work, so I opened a back door to let Yao Guang in. As for the various difficulties of raising infants, don't delve into it too deeply, anyway the child grew up (...).

  She said that if it's for the Wudang background, then Yao Guang could be set as a relative of one of the Seven Heroes of Wudang, and was brought up the mountain to be taught by Zhang Sanfeng. I flipped through the original work, apart from Song Yuanqiao having a wife and child, Zhang Cuishan's great tragedy is well-known, Yin Liting had an unmarried wife who died, the others didn't seem to have any mention of relatives. And I don't want Yao Guang to be siblings with that Song Qingxue, so I'll just make Golden Finger bigger into Golden Leg, and directly become Zhang Sanfeng's closed-door disciple.

  。

  Why am I stuck with Wudang and can't let go?

  Wudang is considered one of the Taoist schools.

  Two: Zhang Sanfeng's 90th birthday and 100th birthday each had a miserable event, which is really sigh-worthy.

  。

  What is the significance of writing about others?

  To make up for the regret, to change the tragedy, or simply because I like a certain character. It's this kind of love and regret that makes me want to write, so my fanfics will never follow the original plot, watching the tragedy unfold and saying "it's fate". The original story is already like that, if my fanfic is too, then I'm just stupid! As long as it's within a reasonable range, anything that can be changed, I'll change it, and I'll do it boldly.

  This is also why I want to write an original role.

  I think that in the original work's world, each character's personality has already been determined, and their fate is decided by their personality. It can be said that even if events were replayed several times, it's likely that the outcome would still be the same as the original work. To break this situation requires an external force, whether it's reincarnation or rebirth, which brings interference from outside the original work. Yaoke doesn't know the plot and there's no intention to change things for the sake of changing them; she simply exists, influencing events from her presence like a stone thrown into water, with ripples spreading out in all directions - even the stone itself doesn't know where they'll reach. This is the variable I want, not needing her to deliberately do anything, but rather following this variable, giving that world another possibility.