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Chapter 3: Sixteen Years

  At dawn, the rooster crows, and a group of Taoist priests hurry to the Zixiao Temple in Wudang Mountain for their morning lesson. After entering the temple, they quickly take their seats, as today's lecturer is none other than the strict and just Law-Enforcing Master Gu Xuzi. The students are both respectful and fearful of him, respecting his impartiality and severity, while fearing his harsh punishments, which are the most severe since the founding of Wudang. Therefore, all the students are diligent in their morning lesson today, afraid that any sign of laziness will be discovered by Gu Xuzi, lest they be punished with sweeping the mountain paths for three days.

  The side door of the grand hall creaked open, and a middle-aged Taoist priest walked in, wearing a green robe, a Five Peaks crown on his head, and ten-square shoes on his feet. The Taoist priest was quite tall, about seven feet, with a square face and a cold expression - it was none other than the Law-Enforcing Taoist Master Gu Xuzi.

  Gu Xuzi sat on the couch, picked up a volume of scriptures from the shore and said in a solemn voice: "Today's lecture..." Gu Xuzi had not finished speaking when he found someone outside the main hall door. He thought to himself that this person was disrespecting the rules by sleeping late and waking up late. Just as he was about to scold the person, a round little face popped out from the doorway, and it turned out to be a six-year-old child.

  Gu Xuzi's rarely seen smile said, "So it's Little Zhang Feng, why aren't you studying with your master? What brings you to the Zi Xiao Grand Hall?" It turned out that the child outside the hall was the infant Little Zhang Feng who had returned to the mountain with Qing Xuzi six years ago. In the blink of an eye, six years had passed, and Little Zhang Feng had transformed from a baby in swaddling clothes into a six-year-old little Taoist priest.

  That day, Qingxu Zi brought back little Zhang Feng to Wudang Mountain. The fellow disciples on the mountain were overjoyed to see Qingxu Zi return, but when they saw the infant in his arms, they were at a loss. How could these male Taoist priests take care of such a young child? Everyone was helpless, and Yu Xu Zi, the head of the sect, had no choice but to instruct Qingxu Zi to continue taking care of little Zhang Feng and sent a young apprentice down the mountain to ask around how to raise an infant. From then on, little Zhang Feng followed Qingxu Zi and lived on Wudang Mountain, and Qingxu Zi regarded little Zhang Feng as his own child, playing the role of both master and father.

  On this day, Qingxu Zi was thinking of teaching Xiao Zhang Feng to read the "Dao Jing", so he let Xiao Zhang Feng rush to the Zixiao Grand Hall before the morning class began to borrow a copy from today's lecturer Daozhang. Xiao Zhang Feng was at an energetic and lively age, playing and frolicking on the way, missing the time, and when he arrived at the grand hall, everyone was already seated and ready for the morning class. Xiao Zhang Feng didn't dare to enter directly to borrow books, so he climbed up the door of the hall to take a look inside, just in time to be discovered by Gu Xu Zi.

  "Ah" Little Zhang Feng covered his face in embarrassment, stuttering to Gu Yu Zi: "Gu...Gu Yu Zi Shu Shu, Master asked me to come and borrow some scriptures."

  "Come, Little Zhang Feng, come tell Shifu what scriptures you want to borrow." Gu Xu Zi said with a smile on his face. The other disciples were stunned to see Gu Xu Zi, who normally had a stern expression, smiling so happily.

  "What are you doing? You're dazed during the early lesson, and you're not even studying the scriptures." Gu Xuzi suddenly scolded the other disciples with a stern face.

  All the Taoist priests hurriedly sat up straight, picked up their scriptures and pretended to do their homework, but in fact they were all thinking: "You didn't say what we should do for today's morning lesson either."

  Gu Yu scolded his disciple and then beckoned to Xiao Zhang Feng, who ran over with her head lowered in embarrassment.

  "Your master wants you to borrow what book from me?" Gu Xuzi asked softly to Xiao Zhang Feng.

  "It's... it's 'The Way of the Tao'", Little Zhang Feng said with a small and timid voice.

  Gu Yu Tzu gently stroked Xiao Zhang Feng's head with his hand, then turned sideways to take out the first part of "Tao Te Ching" from the book box and handed it to Xiao Zhang Feng.

  "Here, this is the Taoist scripture, quickly take it to your master."

  "Thanks... thanks Master Guxuzi."

  Xiao Zhang Feng took the scripture and walked quickly out of the main hall with small steps. Gu Xu Zi smiled and stroked his beard, glanced at the disciples in the hall, picked up the scripture on the desk and continued this morning's early lesson.

  On the other hand, Xiao Zhang Feng hugged the "Tao Te Ching" and quickly ran back to his usual room for reading and writing. As soon as he entered the door, he shouted: "Master, I'm back."

  Qing Xuzi was sitting in the house with his eyes closed, cultivating his spirit. When he heard Xiao Zhang Feng return, he opened his eyes and looked at him kindly, asking: "How come it took you so long to borrow the book?"

  "Sorry, Master. I was having fun on the way here, but I didn't dawdle on my way back," Little Zhang Feng said with embarrassment.

  Qingxu Zi helplessly shook his head. Which child isn't mischievous? "Alright, sit properly, today we're going to study the 'Tao Te Ching'."

  Xiao Zhang Feng hastily handed over the scriptures to Master, climbed onto a chair and really prepared to listen to Master's lecture.

  "The way that can be told is not the eternal Way; the name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The nameless is the origin of heaven and earth, the named is the mother of all things..." Accompanied by the sound of an old man and a young boy reading together in a small room, a new day has begun on Mount Wudang.

  Ten years later, in the same place, with the same two people, only Zhang Feng (oh no, can't be called little anymore~) has grown up to become a young man. With years of living on Wudang Mountain practicing martial arts and strengthening his body, Zhang Feng is now quite handsome, but paired with his naturally round face, he doesn't look particularly dashing, instead giving off a kind and approachable feeling.

  "Master, when you picked me up back then, did you know who killed my mother?" Zhang Feng asked Qingxuzi, whose face was already lined with wrinkles and had a hint of white hair.

  "Ah, it's been 16 years. Back then, I was on my way back to the mountain from Xiangzhou Zhangzhuang when I found your mother and a bandit's corpse by the side of a small path in the woods. It was freezing cold and you were still wrapped in swaddling clothes. Your mother's body wasn't even buried properly. All I remember is that the bandit had a hairstyle unlike ours, it seemed to be the shaved head of a Mongol." Qingxuzi stroked his beard slowly as he spoke.

  Zhang Feng furrowed his brow tightly, his eyes flashing with an inexplicable light. After a moment of silence, Zhang Feng slowly exhaled, as if he had made up his mind about something.

  "Master, I..." Zhang Feng was about to say something when Qingxuzi waved his hand to stop him. Qingxuzi got up and walked out of the room, Zhang Feng hesitated and followed. The two stood in the courtyard, a gentle breeze blew by, Qingxuzi's three long whiskers under his chin swayed gently in the wind, Zhang Feng looked at Qingxuzi's aged back silently.

  "As a teacher, I know what you want to say and what you want to do. In those years of war, countless people died or were injured, today the dust has settled but tigers and wolves are still lurking outside, watching our Central Plains. As your teacher, I only hope that you can distinguish between family and country, but no matter what achievements you have in the future, remember these four words: 'Ask your heart to be guiltless'!" Qingxuzi said calmly with his back to Zhang Feng.

  Zhang Feng's face was filled with sorrow, and he knelt down on one knee, saying: "The unfilial son Zhang Feng thanks the master for the years of nurturing. The family feud and blood hatred all originated from being oppressed by the Mongols. I will go down the mountain to the border town to make a decision." After speaking, he heavily knocked his head three times against Qingxu Zi.

  "Clouds follow the dragon, winds follow the tiger. As a teacher, I wish you to ride on clouds and become a dragon. These two characters 'cloud' and 'dragon' are the courtesy name given by me to you. Today, our worldly connection has come to an end, go down the mountain..." Qingxuzi waved his hand and slowly walked out of the yard.

  Zhang Feng walked on the mountain path of Wudang Mountain with his luggage, turned back to look at the faintly visible gate of Wudang Mountain, and resolutely turned his head to walk down the mountain.

  Qingxu Zi, Guxu Zi and the leader Yuxu Zi along with a few other Wudang Taoists stood on the cliff watching Zhang Feng's gradually disappearing figure. In these sixteen years, young Zhang Feng had brought them joy and worry. Now as they watched him leave the mountain to enter the world, their inner thoughts were not necessarily as calm as their surface expression. But Zhang Feng was destined not to belong to Wudang, so all they could do was silently wish him well in their hearts. The wind passed and the mist rose, Zhang Feng's figure gradually disappeared from view, this layer of white mist separating the two different worlds above and below the mountain.

  In the 13th year of Hongwu, this year Ming Left Chancellor Hu Weiyong's clan was exterminated, and Yan King Zhu Di set out from his hometown Fengyang to go to Beiping in northern capital... Zhang Fang also left Wudang Mountain and went north to the border...

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