Stranger Danger

Chapter 305: The Jixia Academy

Hong Jianglong broke into a vicious grin. “I look forward to the good news then. And don’t worry about holding back. If you put a hole in the sky, the Tian Yong Pacification Bureau will cover for you. If not, there is still the emperor. No matter what happens, Chu will never be the playground of these jianghu rats!”

“Your support is much appreciated,” Gu Suitang replied firmly.

“Oh right, where’s Xiaoman?” Hong Jianglong asked.

“Some of the villages in Luo Shui were attacked by Strangers due to the Demon’s Tomb’s emergence. Xiaoman is currently handling it with some of my best men,” Gu Suitang answered.

“That’s a shame. I was planning to enjoy a drink with you two before returning to Tian Yong.” Hong Jianglong sighed. “Well, there\'s always next time.”

But Gu Suitang exposed him immediately. “Bullshit! You just want to tour the Eighteen Boats of Luo Shui!”

Caught off guard, Hong Jianglong let out an embarrassed cough before declaring, “The hell you’re talking about? Do I look like that type of person? You need to change the way you think, Old Gu!”

Unbeknownst to the others, Hong Jianglong was holding another conversation with Gu Suitang via sound transmission, “You fucking bastard! Why are you saying this all of a sudden? Think of the children! How am I supposed to face them in the future?”

Gu Suitang scoffed, “I don’t know you care about face so much—but not enough to quit your vices, evidently. Also, who are you calling a bastard? Every time we visit the Eighteen Boats, it’s always Xiaoman or me who foots the bill! Never you!”

“Ahem... I’m your guest. It’s only natural for the host to treat their guest, isn’t it?” Hong Jianglong argued weakly, “Plus, you know how expensive the prices in Tian Yong are. I barely have enough to cover my daily expenses with what I earn.”

Gu Suitang exploded, “As if our salary or cost of living is any better than yours! Anyway, we don’t have the money to treat you to a night with the prostitutes, so forget it! You’ll get a cup of tea, and no more than that!”

“Come now, Old Gu!” Hong Jianglong chuckled. “I’m okay with not touring the Boats, but you gotta treat me to some wine at least! The tea you serve barely tastes any different from plain water. I have no idea why you stock it at all!”

“There’s only tea at my place. If you don’t like it, then you can fuck right off!” Gu Suitang harrumphed.

“So stingy!”

Their conversation was quite heated, but their face fu was impeccable. No one had a clue that the two Chiefs of Bureau had just had a most inappropriate conversation with each other. No one... except Ye Qing.

Ever since he practiced the “Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon Sutra”, and especially since he converted all of his spirit into demonic thought, Ye Qing had become much better at grasping people’s emotions and thoughts. As a result, he was able to eavesdrop on their private conversation even though he didn’t mean to.

He was surprised to say the least. Both Hong Jianglong and Gu Suitang looked the picture of a man who spurned all women for the sake of their career and self-improvement, but in reality... they were still men. He could barely keep his expression under control when he learned that they often frequented the Eighteen Boats for uh, stress relief purposes. Truly, one couldn’t judge a book by its cover!

More importantly, just how poor were these fuckers? Why did it sound like he was wealthier than the two of them combined?

On a more serious note, it was clear that Hong Jianglong, Gu Suitang and Fang Xiaoman shared a close relationship with each other.

“Oh right, I almost forgot.” Hong Jianglong recalled something. “One month later on the sixth of June, Tian Yong would be holding the triennial[1] Hidden Dragon Meet. Don’t forget to send your best men.”

Hidden Dragon Meet? Ye Qing frowned. He had never heard something like that.

Gu Suitang noticed Ye Qing’s expression and explained, “It’s nothing. It’s just a bunch of overly ambitious and free people competing against each other for meaningless fame and glory.”

“The fuck are you talking about? The Hidden Dragon Meet is hardly meaningless!” Hong Jianglong argued, “The Hidden Dragon Meet is a festival the imperial court holds every three years to unearth bright, young talents. The best and brightest of the clans and sects would be gathering at Tian Yong to show off their skills.”

“Barring exceptional circumstances, those who performed outstandingly would not only be famous throughout the jianghu, but also offered the chance to serve the imperial court. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.”

“Even those who don’t wish to join the imperial court may become the disciple or guest warrior of major clans or sects. They could even become a student in the Jixia Academy[2].”

“The Jixia Academy?” Ye Qing was surprised to hear this. The Jixia Academy was an academy created by the founder of Chu himself. It was the center of a thousand years of knowledge, expertise, and all kinds of talents. It was one of the foundational stones of Chu and the academy that had produced many geniuses of the ages.

The founder’s son, Emperor Jin Run, inherited the throne after his father passed away, but at the time he was too young to possess much political clout. From the beginning, his court was rife with hidden enemies aiming for the throne themselves, and both Yan and Wei were just waiting for an opportunity to invade Chu. However, Bai Xinyue, a Jixia Academy student in his twenties, had stepped up to eradicate the traitors, repel the invaders, strengthen the borders, and save Chu from disaster. He was later heralded as Chu’s greatest prime minister, and he still held that title to this day.

During the third year of the Tai Kang era (ruled by Emperor Gao Zong of Tai Kang), Yan, Wei and Qi joined forces and attacked Chu’s borders. Despite owning an army of over a million, Chu was unable to hold their borders against the combined might of three nations and lost over half of their territories in three months. When all hope seemed lost, three hundred students of the Jixia Academy entered the battlefield. They initially rushed to the borders and slew over ten thousand enemies. Then, they ran all across the realm destroying many enemy camps and slaying countless nemeses of Chu. Somehow, they were able to repel the three nations’ army of millions with just the three hundred of them and protect Chu from destruction. When all was said and done, they were conferred as the The Three Hundred Divine Guardians of Chu by the emperor himself.

During the fifth year of the Xuan Hua era (ruled by Emperor Ying Zong of Xuan Hua), constant rain beset Chu and caused the rivers and lakes to overflow, destroying countless homes and killing countless civilians. It was a natural disaster like nothing Chu had ever experienced. Thankfully, Chen Changfeng of the Jixia Academy stepped up and submitted a proposal called the “Ten Strategies To Treat Water” to the imperial court. His irrigation strategies not only saved Chu from the natural disaster, but also greatly improved the livelihoods of the people. In fact, the people of Chu never had to worry about floods again to this day.

During the Jin An era, a scholar named Kong Ru created a national motto for Chu, established a national ideal for the people, paved the road for those who wished to pursue Sagehood, and planted the seeds that could lead to eternal peace for the realm with his books and his sword. He was the one who abolished the old custom where education was a right that only belonged to the privileged, enlightened countless people, and improved the education level of the entire country as a result.

During the An Ping era, Xu Changan was the single greatest swordsman who was said to have “saved the world” singlehandedly. His sword qi was said to span from one end of the world to the other, and he had trounced the enemies of Chu to the north and the south all by himself. No one in the entire world was a greater swordsman than him during that time, and he remained unrivaled until the very end.

During the Cheng Hua era, a qi practitioner named Shi An also performed many amazing feats in service of Chu. A master diviner and strategist, he often traveled everywhere to set in motion things that would benefit Chu one way or another. Not only that, he was an incredibly powerful warrior who had supposedly severed a Dragon Vein[3] with a single finger from thousands and thousands of kilometers away. He was also the reason Yan and Wei were caught up in turmoil for sixty years straight.

......

When people said that Jixia had left its mark throughout the millennia-long history of the four human countries, they weren’t joking. In fact, their influence and geniuses had long since escaped the boundaries of Chu and encompassed Yan, Wei and Qi as well. Some of them were the heads of a prestigious temple or court, some represented the pinnacle of the jianghu, some possessed knowledge that was countless years ahead of their time, and some created art that would be remembered for eternity.

Over time, the Jixia Academy became the place to join for all scholars and warriors of Chu. It was so prestigious that even millennia-old sects such as the Two Temples of Buddha or the Three Temples of Dao ranked lower under their priority. There was no one who didn’t take pride in being able to join the Jixia Academy; not even a member of the royal family.

Although the Jixia Academy accepted people of all walks of life, they did have one criteria: anyone they recruited must possess outstanding talent. If you weren’t a genius of some sort, you would not be accepted into the Jixia Academy even if you were royalty.

Back to the present, Gu Suitang popped Ye Qing’s daydream with a scoff, “Don’t listen to his bullshit. As if it is that easy to enter the Jixia Academy. Countless people have performed outstandingly in the Hidden Dragon Meet, but how many of them were actually recruited into the Jixia Academy?”

“Not many, but some were recruited into the Jixia Academy,” Hong Jianglong retorted. “Seriously, I know you’re still resentful that the Jixia Academy didn’t pick you when you participated in the Hidden Dragon Meet, but that is no excuse to doom your men’s prospects, is it?”

Gu Suitang denied the accusation indignantly, “What the fuck are you talking about? I’m not resentful!”

“Come now. You may be able to fool others, but I can read you like a book.” Hong Jianglong guffawed. “Anyway, just because you failed doesn’t mean that everyone else is gonna fail as well. Joyless, for example, has a pretty good chance of succeeding, don’t you think?”

“You flatter me, my lord. I hardly think that I’m qualified to join the Jixia Academy.”

Ye Qing wasn’t acting humble. One of the main reasons he was able to survive until now was because he had good self-awareness. He was no weakling, but he hardly thought that he was the strongest warrior there was at his level.

“Why is the meet named ‘Hidden Dragon’, my lord?”

Gu Suitang answered, “There are two meanings. One, it refers to youngsters with unlimited potential like you. Two, it refers to those whose poor fame didn’t match their incredible skill and power. The Hidden Dragon Meet is intended to bring these people to the light and give them the opportunity to soar to the heavens like the dragons they are.”

“I see. Thank you for enlightening me, my lord.” Ye Qing said.

Gu Suitang wasn’t looking at him, however. Seeing that Hong Jianglong was gearing up to launch into another long rant, he interrupted, “Anyway, are you done? If you’re done, then get lost already! Unlike you, I still have plenty of work to do!”

“Seriously? You can’t even let me finish a cup of tea?” Hong Jianglong complained unhappily. “If you were ten years younger, I would definitely kick your ass until you call me daddy.”

Noting that Gu Suitang’s face was turning a fine shade of purple, Hong Jianglong wisely stopped taunting the middle-aged man and declared, “Alright, I’m leaving now! Don’t forget! The Hidden Dragon Meet will happen a month from now!”

With that, Hong Jianglong rose to his feet and headed toward the exit.

Gu Suitang could pretend that Hong Jianglong didn’t exist, but not Ye Qing. He hurriedly bade the chief goodbye, “See you later, Lord Hong!”

“Take care, Lord Gu, Brother Ye.”

“Until we meet again, my lord, Brother Ye!”

Luo Zhan, Sui Yan and the others also bade him and Gu Suitang goodbye.

Gao Ningan even offered, “Joyless, join me for a drink a month later! My treat!”

“I will if I decide to go to Tian Yong, Brother Gao. Thank you!” Ye Qing replied smilingly.

“Goodbye, Brother Ye.” Chu Qingge shot him an indifferent look. “See you at Tian Yong!”

“But... I haven’t decided if I’m going yet...?” Ye Qing replied, but Chu Qingge was already gone.

After everyone was gone, Ye Qing saluted Gu Suitang and bade him goodbye, “If there’s nothing else, I’m heading back to the Inspection Bureau, my lord.”

“Yeah. Go catch some rest!” Gu Suitang nodded.

Right as Ye Qing was about to cross the threshold, Gu Suitang suddenly asked, “Do you want to join the Hidden Dragon Meet, Ye Qing?”

A pause later, Ye Qing looked back at the deputy chief and smiled. “I’ll think about it.”

“You should join,” Gu Suitang said seriously, “You deserve to give yourself a better future.”

“I’ll definitely think about it, deputy chief. Thanks.”

With that, Ye Qing finally left the room.

Gu Suitang watched as the young man strode away under the sun. His back looked tall, his footsteps were firm, and he had no one to prove to except himself.

It reminded him of himself when he was younger.

1. Once in three years. ?

2. The Jixia Academy was briefly mentioned in the very early chapters where Ye Qing had asked to know what are the best martial arts out there and nearly bled himself to death because his question was too broad. ?

3. Dragon Veins are a concept in Feng Shui. It refers to channels of energy flowing through Mountain ranges. They are underground channels of Qi. ?