Xiang Yu laughed and said, "I do remember a few. There was Yang Lin, the Prince of Kao Shan, who was Emperor Yang Guang of Sui's uncle. He died under Luo Cheng's counterattack. There was also Ding Yanping, who was also tricked by Luo Cheng. And that Li Yuanba killed Yuwen Chengdu and Wu Tianxi, two of the Eighteen Heroes. In short, not many survived in the end, and they all died fighting each other to the death. You can make a list of their relationships if you want; it's a mess anyway."
What kind of situation is this? I have to ask someone from the late Qin Dynasty to tell me about the heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. I had a headache and said, "Alright, alright, I'm leaving now, Brother Yu. If it's convenient next time, I'll bring Li Yuanba over, and you two can arm wrestle."
Xiang Yu laughed and said, "Forget it, I admit defeat if it's just a contest of strength." The implication was that he was still very confident in his other abilities.
I glanced at Fan Zeng, who was looking quite frustrated, and said to Xiang Yu, "Brother Yu, let me remind you, if you want to win against Bangzi, you should listen to this old man's advice."
Xiang Yu said impatiently, "I know, go ahead."
I got on the bus and thought for a moment whether I should go and say goodbye to Baozi. But recalling her terrifying chime bells, I resolutely headed straight for Yucai School.
On the way back, looking at the empty seat next to me, I suddenly gave a bitter smile. This trip had just benefited two more people who couldn't stand being alone, leaving me all alone—oh wait, there are still eighteen heroes waiting for me to mediate.
I'm not entirely unfamiliar with the heroes of the Sui and Tang dynasties; names like Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, Luo Cheng, and Li Yuanba are quite familiar. However, I lack a systematic understanding of the Eighteen Heroes. I've also heard of Yang Lin and Yuwen Chengdu, mentioned by Xiang Yu; they seem to have been royalists and generals of the Sui Dynasty, belonging to the imperialist faction. The Wagang Army, represented by Qin Qiong, was a rebel army that later supported Li Shimin, somewhat like King Wu and Jiang Ziya in the Investiture of the Gods. They were two seriously hostile factions. If the minor clashes among the Liangshan heroes due to their class background were internal conflicts, then Qin Qiong and Yang Lin were class enemies, a different nature from the class-based infighting among the Eight Heavenly Kings and the Liangshan heroes.
Putting all that aside, what if these people start causing trouble? As far as I know, these eighteen were ranked strictly according to their fighting prowess. For such a vast place as the Sui and Tang dynasties, they only managed to produce eighteen top-tier individuals; a fight like this would be no less intense than a missile bombardment. Even with Fang Zhenjiang and Bao Jin, and perhaps even Cheng Fengshou and his group, they might not be able to control the situation. I'm truly afraid that when I return to Yucai, I'll find a desolate wasteland, or worse, a field littered with corpses. That would wipe out my entire family, and I'd have to wander the martial arts world to avenge Yan Jingsheng and the others…
When we passed through the Three Kingdoms and Northern Song periods, I barely managed to stop and drag Guan Yu and the bandits along as backup. It suddenly occurred to me: these people might not even be a match for Li Yuanba…
I was frantic and hurried along, finally arriving in 2008 after a long journey. The location was a quiet alley not far from Yucai School. Looking into the distance, the huge, floating image of Yucai School still stood before me; it seemed that despite the fighting, the buildings hadn't been demolished yet. I carefully observed the area along the way, but didn't seem to notice anything unusual. Passing by a large screen in a themed plaza, advertisements were still playing—usually, any major news in the city would be reported there.
When I parked my car in front of the school, it seemed a little quieter than usual. I got out and crept along the old school wall toward the lecture hall where clients held weekend meetings. Looking up, I saw a child staring at me with wide eyes. I stared at him, and he stared back at me silently. In his clear eyes, I saw fear, sadness, despair, and helplessness…
My heart skipped a beat. These beasts, it seems they didn't even spare the children. Look how terrified they've become of my student! I couldn't imagine what more horrifying scene could have terrified him like that, except for seeing a river of blood that a child shouldn't be witnessing. I looked around; it was quiet. It seemed this poor child was the only survivor. I slowly put my index finger to my lips, making a shushing gesture. The child obediently nodded, and I shrank back, continuing to grope my way forward. The next second, the child suddenly stood on the wall and shouted, "Oh no! The principal's coming! Run!"
After a series of loud crackling sounds, I watched as countless children, who had been so empty just moments before, leaped onto the wall like fleas flitting about in the bushes and flowerbeds, disappearing in the blink of an eye, shouting, "Run! Run! If the principal catches us, we'll be punished again..."
I turned around in surprise and saw the child on the wall make a face at me before jumping over there—our school's rules state that students can go to the old campus, but only by walking along the wall and not being caught by me. So… was that child's look because he saw me?
I breathed a slight sigh of relief; it seemed the students were safe. But my heart quickly tightened again: why wasn't a single teacher in this huge old campus? Where were Fang Zhenjiang and Lao Wang? Had they ultimately succumbed to the effects...?
Now that I'd already alerted them, I straightened up and walked into the teaching building. It was still too quiet...
No, this is strange. It's never usually this oppressive here. Wang Yin and Bao Jin are usually the loudest and most boisterous types, and you can usually hear Tong Yuan and Xiu Xiu's silvery laughter here. Oppressive, eerie…
I slowly made my way to the lecture hall door, pressed my ear against it, and listened for a while. It sounded like someone was calmly speaking inside, or perhaps it was just my imagination. The entire corridor was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere…
Here's what happened: The uninvited guests from the Sui and Tang dynasties arrived at Yucai School and were led to the old campus's lecture hall, which immediately became the second battlefield in the Sui-Tang war. The domineering Li Yuanba launched the first attack, staging another bloody spectacle of splitting a living person in two. Yang Lin and Ding Yanping, seeking revenge, and Luo Cheng, unable to withstand the attack, shouted for his cousin Qin Qiong. Qin Qiong and his companions were caught off guard by Fang Zhenjiang and his group, resulting in Luo Cheng's tragic death. Enraged, Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin immediately mistook them for an enemy ambush. A chaotic battle ensued. Hua Rong, Wang Yin, and others were forced to temporarily side with Emperor Yang of Sui. Although they gained the upper hand, their duties prevented them from taking sides. Soon, Yuwen Chengdu's faction also turned against the teachers of Yucai. In the extreme chaos, everyone perished, including the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove who were caught in the crossfire. Only Li Yuanba survived. The domineering Li Yuanba, suffering a relapse of his old habit, threw a blackboard eraser high onto the roof. But as the saying goes, even a spent arrow cannot pierce thin silk, and the poor little thunder god was the last to fall in a pool of blood...
That must be it!
It's a pity about the newlyweds, Fang Zhenjiang and his wife; their new house was almost finished being renovated. Even more pitiful was Xiuxiu, who, even in her dying moments, clung tightly to Hua Rong's sleeve…
Even more pitiful... even more pitiful is me. What did I do to deserve this?
Thinking of this, I was on the verge of tears and furious. With mixed emotions, I forced myself to push open the door of the lecture hall, suppressing my grief and fear.
The room was packed with people!
The whole room is full of people who can breathe!
Not only was he panting, but Fang Zhenjiang, sitting in the last row, also had a cigarette between his fingers, the ash burning his fingers, yet he was intently scribbling something in his notebook. In front of him, Lao Wang, Bao Jin, Hua Rong, and others were all seated, intently watching the stage. Around them were many other people I didn't recognize. If I wasn't mistaken, the sallow-faced man with a hint of elder brotherly authority was Qin Qiong, Qin Shubao, and the handsome, fair-skinned man to his left was his cousin, Luo Cheng—so, the anti-Sui army had achieved final victory? But when I counted, the extra people I hadn't seen were exactly 26. That is to say, if Cheng Yaojin is included, all eighteen heroes and the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove are still alive—
What I couldn't understand was that these people not only stayed together peacefully without causing trouble, but they were also all quietly looking at the podium. There stood a man in his fifties with stubble hair, and the voice he spoke was the same one I had heard in the corridor.
I nudged Fang Zhenjiang: "What are you doing?"
Fang Zhenjiang threw his cigarette butt on the ground and said indifferently, "Stop fooling around, we're listening to Teacher Chen's lesson."
I noticed that since I came in, basically no one was interested in me. Some people didn't even look up, while others glanced back at me and continued listening to the old man on the podium.
...The mystery continues. What on earth are these people doing? Leaving aside why Fang Zhenjiang, who never even reads a page of a book, is making notes, Qin Qiong and Yang Lin are mortal enemies!
I glanced at the blackboard and saw a curved line drawn on it, winding and twisting upwards. The horizontal and vertical axes on both sides of this line were vaguely visible—a candlestick chart!
I immediately became very interested and sat down next to Fang Zhenjiang, saying, "The stock market is finally going to rise? Who hired this expert?"
Fang Zhenjiang said, "Don't talk nonsense, that's a map of the pilgrimage route."
"Wh...what is this?" I asked, puzzled. What could possibly attract so much attention than stock market updates?
At this moment, the "stock market guru" on the podium smiled and said, "Amitabha, new benefactor, are you Xiaoqiang?"
I asked in surprise, "You know me? Who are you?"
The man smiled and put his palms together, saying, "This humble monk is Xuanzang!"
Chapter 137 Empty
Xuanzang, isn't that Tang Sanzang? I vaguely remember Yan Jingsheng mentioning him to me a few days ago when I took Baozi to see Fatty Ying, but I've been so busy these past two days, and with my mind full of the Eighteen Heroes, I've almost completely forgotten about this old monk.
But what was he doing standing on the platform? I saw the old man patting chalk dust off his hands, smiling as he waited for me to go up, so I had no choice but to walk up to him from the last row. Looking closer, this "monk" didn't seem like a monk at all, wearing a drab gray jacket—which was understandable, as new clients usually change their clothes the first thing they do when they come to Yucai. With the client's needs in mind, we have various styles of clothing, mostly simple and retro, but we don't have monk's robes.
Looking at his hairstyle, it's not a bald monk's head at all; it's sparse and unshaven, with a rather stray beard. To put it simply, this most famous monk in history doesn't have the slightest dignified appearance; he's even less impressive than those actors in second-rate TV dramas who wear wigs and pretend to be monks.
Seeing me come up, Xuanzang extended his hand and shook mine—it seemed he was already quite familiar with modern etiquette—and then smiled and said, "Brother Xiaoqiang, where have you come from?"
Calling someone a brother? Well, given my special status, I'm not surprised at all by calling the emperor a brother, but this is the first time I've ever been on equal footing with a monk. I chuckled dryly, "I just went to the Qin Dynasty."
Xuanzang took my hand and said to the crowd, "Let me take the liberty of introducing you all. This is Xiaoqiang, the host of this place. Please get to know him well. Alright, that's all for today's lesson."
The people below seemed a little unsatisfied, letting out a soft sigh before packing up their books and leaving their seats. Suddenly, a child stood up and asked, "Xiaoqiang, have you seen my brother?"
His words startled me. Judging by his height, he was only sixteen or seventeen, his face wrinkled and his hair thinning, yet he still retained a touch of childishness. But his voice was deep and resonant, echoing faintly throughout the classroom. He stood up, blocking the view of the person behind him. That person was a burly man with a golden face and a light beard, quite imposing in appearance. This man reached out and pulled the boy down, saying, "Sit down, you're blocking my way."
The boy flung his hand away, turned around, and angrily shouted, "Yuwen brat, do you want to die again?"
The burly man with the golden mask wasn't angry; he just smiled slightly.