Consultor de vida de la dinastía Song del Sur

Capítulo 1

Wanderings of a Young Man

Volume One: There is a Fish in the Northern Sea

1. Accession to the WTO

Suddenly, I heard of a fairy mountain in the sea, a mountain in the misty void.

This statement is absolutely true.

Far off on the shores of the East China Sea, amidst layers of white mist, lies a small island unknown to the world. So mysterious and ethereal, it has drawn wave after wave of seafarers,江湖人士 (jianghu figures), and outlaws to venture there, but none have ever returned. From then on, this overseas island became a forbidden place in the martial arts world, let alone in this vast and chaotic era.

The rising sun had already pierced through the misty morning fog above the East China Sea, quietly casting its light on the clean and tidy streets.

The shops lining both sides of the street had all been cleaned up, and the shopkeepers stood smiling in front of their doors, beginning their day's business. A coffin shop owner murmured, "In this world, I both yearn for peace and pray that there will be no more chaos..." A middle-aged man in a blue scholar's robe next to him smiled slightly at him.

The shopkeeper sized up the man: fair-skinned and beardless, no more than forty years old, wearing a scholar's square cap, holding a black paper fan, with gentle, jade-like eyes, and raising his thin hand to bow to him.

The shopkeeper, unusually polite, returned the greeting, quickly saying after a few quick thoughts, "Ah, it's Mr. Zhu Ge... I'm so sorry for not welcoming you sooner."

The strategist in green didn't point it out, but smiled slightly; "I dare not accept such praise."

"As usual, the doctor goes out to see patients on the 1st and 15th of each month; he truly has the heart of a bodhisattva." This man in blue robes, who calls himself "Zhu Ge," is a familiar face to the islanders. Every 1st and 15th of the month, he would step out of his clinic and set up his practice on the street. This man was gentle and approachable, not only possessing extremely high medical skills but also being a skilled fortune teller. However, all extraordinary talents in the world have peculiar habits: from the moment he opened his door each day, he would only see ten patients, and no one else would be seen.

Zhuge remained unfazed; "In that case, I won't disturb the boss's business." With that, he politely bowed and slowly walked onto the rocky street. Behind him followed closely a servant boy who walked briskly with his head down.

Mr. Zhuge arrived under the holly tree, set up his divination tools, and sat down gracefully. His eyes scanned the street as usual. After a while, he saw a young man in a white collar and blue shirt walking from the other end of the street. As dappled sunlight filtered through the sharp leaves, he couldn't help but squint.

The boy seemed to have been pulled from the sea; he was soaking wet from head to toe, his black hair glossy, his eyes large and coldly clear. He walked aimlessly through the morning mist, appearing unexpectedly before the island's inhabitants. Surprisingly, shards of ice still clung to his temples, but he seemed oblivious, walking straight ahead, water gushing down his path in the warm sunlight.

Zhuge was certain he had seen this person before, but where had he seen him? He couldn't help but lower his head in thought; the young man's aura of nonchalance and his cold, unfathomable black eyes were something that ordinary people could not easily imitate, and where had he seen his eyes before? This young Zhuge, known for his wit, pondered for a moment, then immediately stepped forward with a smile and stopped him.

The boy stood quietly, looking at him without saying a word.

Zhuge in blue inwardly praised him, and the smile on his face was irresistible. He bowed politely and said, "Please wait, young master."

The boy seemed to have foreseen this and silently took a step back.

Seeing that the young man did not resist, his smile became even warmer; "May I trouble you for a moment, sir? May I move with you to the side of the road so that I may tell your fortune?"

The boy remained as calm as a distant mountain, seemingly having not spoken for a long time, his voice low and hoarse as he finally uttered, "...Thank you for your trouble..."

"please!"

Two men in blue robes walked one after the other to the signboard of Zhuge Liang by the roadside and sat down at the table.

“Young master is not from the island.” Mr. Zhuge was certainly qualified to affirm this. He smiled and continued, “But I wonder how you came to this island?” Facing this unfamiliar young man, he couldn’t very well ask his questions, especially since he had just suddenly appeared on this small island without alerting the island’s experts.

The boy's face remained calm as he slowly began to speak: "When I first awoke, I saw Yunyi. On the shore stood a dark reef with the inscription 'Wufang' on it..."

Zhuge looked directly into the boy's eyes, which were clear and bright.

“Indeed, the island you are standing on now is ‘Wufang Island’.”

In the beginning of heaven and earth and all things, there was no square, no circle, no merit, and no name.

"This island is hidden behind the clouds, and its entrance can only be vaguely seen during high tide. The tide is also turbulent, and only a sturdy ship with strong hull can reach this place. You came alone, young master, and there are no ferries at the sea entrance, nor any news of anyone entering the island." Zhuge paused here, carefully observing the young man's expression, but the other party still kept his head slightly lowered, looking indifferent.

The strategist in blue calmly stopped the servant behind him from taking another step forward, and with a wave of his wide sleeve, he dispelled the faint killing intent behind him.

The young man in the blue robe seemed unaware. He lowered his head for a long time before raising it, his eyes fixed on Mr. Zhuge opposite him. He hesitated and asked, "Sir, you know everything. Could you tell me why I have come?"

Master Zhuge noticed the young man's eyes were wide open, staring intently at him, the confusion in his eyes seemingly genuine. He smiled slightly: "May I ask your honorable name, young master?"

The boy looked at him calmly and said, "A nobody, insignificant."

Zhuge didn't press the matter. He extended his clean and steady hands, picked up the tortoise and rhinoceros divination sticks, and cast a hexagram for him: "The hexagram indicates that the young master's fortune is auspicious. The hexagram indicates that the young master comes from afar and is waiting to accomplish the great thing he has been determined to do in his life. As long as you get through the hardships of the past six months, the young master will surely rise to prominence in the future."

The boy remained silent, listening quietly with a clear expression on his face.

"Whether you heed my words or not, I will tell you that there is a manor two miles away. Please be careful when entering."

The young man stood up and bowed deeply to Zhuge Liang: "Thank you, sir."

Zhuge smiled and returned the greeting, saying loudly, "If fate allows, we will meet again, young master." Upon hearing this, the young man slightly twitched the corners of his mouth, turned around, and calmly walked towards the end of the street.

Zhuge Liang, dressed in blue, watched the young man's retreating figure disappear around the corner, remaining standing for a long time. The streets gradually filled with people, becoming bustling and lively. The warmth of the rising sun dispelled the thin mist, finally revealing the island's first radiant glow. He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture upright, but his heart surged like a turbulent sea: "If he can evade the young master's scrutiny, this man is definitely more capable than Leng Qi. I just wonder if Wu Suanzi has spared him beforehand..."

In a quiet corner of the street, Zhuge Dongge, dressed in a scholar's robe, stood calmly beneath a tall, vigorous holly tree. On this peaceful seaside morning, he would never know that he had rewritten the fate of this boy of unknown origin. In his mind, he had merely turned his head slightly and whispered, "Tell Steward Wu: do not kill him."

"Yes, sir." The cautious servant behind him bowed and quickly disappeared behind a tree. His blue robes seemed to blend into the trees, a testament to their young master's strategic planning.

Zhuge Dongge stood quietly under the tree, motionless.

He could foresee that the young man was heading to the Evil-Slaying Manor, for the island was surrounded by water, and the final passage led to the manor. This young man, so deeply pleasing to his eye, profound yet not frivolous, reserved yet not impatient, had managed to safely reach Wufang Island from the chaotic outside world—a miracle indeed. He only wondered about the young man's fate, whether he could pass the severe tests within the manor. After all, only the intelligent could survive in this chaotic world, let alone in the deadly Evil-Slaying Manor.

Just as Zhuge Dongge had predicted, the young man indeed went to the Bixie Manor on Wufang Island.

The island's inhabitants could come and go freely, and as long as no one approached the manor, no one would care whether they lived or died. However, Wufang Island had a rule: anyone who trespassed into Bixie Manor would die. This young man seemed to have wandered off aimlessly, but eventually he still arrived at the manor, only to be never seen to leave again.

The situation at the mountain villa was vastly different from that on the island, and even a seemingly clueless young man could discern the difference. For instance, the villa was said to have four courtyards, yet they were not connected to each other. The young man's residence faced the easternmost part of the East China Sea. Stepping outside the gate, he was surrounded by a vast expanse of seawater, its reflection shimmering in the sunlight. When he had nothing to do, the young man would spend his days sitting by the sea, lost in thought.

A sea breeze blew by, and the vast expanse of blue sea remained completely still, a testament to its immeasurable size and depth. No waves were visible, nor did any seabirds glide by. The boy remained seated firmly in the cool, slightly fishy sea breeze, his body perfectly still.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about? Come and get some water!" A gruff voice rang out from the courtyard.

The young man in the white-collar shirt remained as still as an old monk in deep meditation.

"Are you deaf? You're asking for death!" The cursing voice was still a few feet away when, in an instant, the person appeared behind the boy, and a sharp gust of wind swept towards the boy's right shoulder.

"Understood, Brother Zhao." The boy was the one called "First Year".

Old Zhao didn't see how Chu Yi moved, but he slipped away smoothly from Zhao's "overbearing toast" gesture. He wasn't surprised by this, and continued to nag, "You're only so carefree in my backyard! If the head steward finds out, we'll all be in deep trouble!"

I knew in the first year that what he said was true.

It had been more than a month since he arrived at this courtyard. The number of people he could see in the manor was getting smaller and smaller, as if they had just disappeared into thin air. Later he learned that in addition to the manor lord, the young master Bixie, who never saw anyone else, there were four stewards in charge of the four main courtyards. However, he could not leave this dilapidated and desolate courtyard and had no chance to see the others.

Of the four stewards, Wu Suan, known as the "Poisonous Eye Judge," oversaw all affairs of the manor. Even in the most inconspicuous corners, he was fully aware of the servants' every move, demonstrating his formidable nature. Every year, Steward Wu would order the selection of strong and capable young men to be assigned to various courtyards. Without exception, Wu Suan not only knew the origins of these young men's ancestors for generations, but he also personally supervised those who survived. The rest either disappeared or, unable to contain their curiosity, triggered traps and died after leaving their courtyards.

Chu Yi didn't understand. The missing boys were all killed to silence them. At the very least, the survivors couldn't reveal anything about the village to the outside world.

Old Zhao watched as Chu Yi calmly walked towards the water's edge, inwardly cursing, "This dead man has no life at all. I wonder how he managed to get into the manor back then. With such an unperturbed temperament, it's amazing that he could stay calm and stay here when he knows nothing."

Old Zhao was unaware that nothing could pique Chu Yi's interest now, as he was practically a living dead. He couldn't help but recall the day he first met Chu Yi. It was early morning, and a young man in a white-collar shirt was blankly following the waterwheel into the back gate of the villa. His clothes were slightly damp, not from the mist, but from the dripping water all over his body. Before long, his clothes dried on their own.

Old Zhao glanced at the young man and immediately deduced that he possessed extraordinary skills. He reasoned that ordinary people's clothes wouldn't dry so quickly in the wind; it must be the unnatural flow of his internal energy that had dried the cold shirt. Old Zhao remembered being astonished at the time, wondering where he had found such a person. However, the young man said that just outside the gate, someone had asked him if he was a servant in the courtyard. Seeing him standing there blankly, the person impatiently told him to get in.

"So you rolled in here." Old Zhao stroked his chin with one hand while staring intently at the boy. The boy stood calmly under the tree, his thin, slender body and pale, cold face allowing Old Zhao to examine him thoroughly.

"Alright, you'll work in this courtyard from now on, and you'll be at my beck and call. But there's one condition: you mustn't attract attention. I'm keeping you here secretly; once you leave this courtyard, you won't be able to do what I want with you."

The boy nodded slightly.

"What's your name?" Old Zhao asked again.

"Nameless and without surname," the boy replied calmly, without giving it a second thought.

"Then let's call it the First Day of the Lunar New Year, since today is the first day." A hint of coldness, barely perceptible, flashed in Old Zhao's eyes.

The boy remained noncommittal, pursing his lips.

Thus, the boy called "Chu Yi" initially settled in the manor's outbuildings. He was a man of few words, always agreeing to whatever anyone asked him to do, and was efficient yet silent. Old Zhao seemed somewhat flustered in taking in this boy of unknown origin; he was certainly to blame, as the manor never kept anyone who hadn't been screened by the head steward. Fortunately, the new farmhand only did his work and didn't speak, making him easy to bully, and it was unlikely he could come up with anything new; moreover, the small island couldn't find enough servants for the head steward, and the young master never paid attention to the outbuildings, so everyone in the outbuildings tacitly accepted this quiet and unassuming boy.

Old Zhao had no idea that Wu Suanzi had seen through all their moves, and they had also forgotten an old saying: "Man proposes, God disposes."

2. First battle

Located on the coast of the East China Sea, Wufang Bixie Manor is surrounded by water on all sides. The manor sits in the center of this independent island, overlooking the vast expanse. The island is mostly planted with holly trees with pointed leaves and thick trunks, which remain evergreen all year round on this warm and humid island.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, as usual, I got up early to sweep the courtyard.

A misty fog lingered in the courtyard. Chu Yi moved nimbly, single-mindedly repeating his daily morning lessons without complaint. After some time, when Chu Yi looked up, he saw the fortune teller, Wu Suan.

Just as Chu Yi knew that this person was the Divine Calculator, Wu Suan also knew that the person in front of him was definitely the young man he was looking for.

Wu Suanzi, dressed in brocade robes, stood with his hands behind his back under the honeysuckle tree, watching Chu Yi calmly through the blue mist. His insightful eyes were definitely not those of a forty-year-old man; the shrewdness and competence emanating from them made him unforgettable to anyone who had seen him.

Chu Yi couldn't help but lower his head. Seeing that Steward Wu hadn't asked any questions for a long time, he had no choice but to step forward and bow: "Steward Wu."

The fortune teller's eyes remained calm as he coldly asked, "First day of the month?"

“Exactly.” Chu Yi still didn’t raise his head.

Wu Suan's face was expressionless, his wide sleeves were gathered behind his back, and his voice was flat: "Don't disturb anyone, come with me."

Thus, even if one were to go through fire and water, Chu Yi would have no way to resist.

He followed quietly behind Steward Wu, his body ramrod straight, without showing any surprise on his face, as if he had become accustomed to accepting whatever came his way.

Wu Suanzi led him for a long time, passing through many courtyards and corridors. The people in the manor went about their business quietly and methodically. Chu Yi kept his eyes straight ahead, but he still realized how formidable the hidden power of the Bixie Manor was—the servants were not only skilled in martial arts, but also extremely disciplined and well-trained. From beginning to end, no one ever glanced at them.

Finally, they arrived at a spacious courtyard with an open view in all directions. The bluestone pavement was spotless, and there were no trees planted in the area. The fortune teller walked to the center and stopped. Chu Yi also stopped without changing his expression, calmly looking at Steward Wu, but without asking any questions.

There was also a young man in black standing next to Wu Suan in the arena, with a handsome and elegant appearance, forming two flanking positions to block Chu Yi's attack.

Chu Yi was not entirely unaware of the purpose of this display. He glanced quietly at the boy in black and was astonished to find that he was seeing a celestial being for the first time.

The young man stood there calmly, his figure graceful as a willow reflected in water. His hair was soft and lustrous, so much so that even the dewdrops on the leaves outside the courtyard seemed to turn their heads in admiration. He remained silent, his thin lips pressed into a thin line, his dark pupils coldly scrutinizing the person before him. A gentle morning breeze caressed his fair cheeks, causing his hair to flutter lightly in the morning dew.

When I first looked at him, I was momentarily lost in thought.

The boy in black remained silent.