Chapter 8 — The Beginning

By dinnertime, the sky had already darkened.

On Dazhu Peak, the back mountain was covered in vast stretches of bamboo forest. The buildings where everyone lived, however, were all on the front peak. The largest and most important was the main hall, Shoujing Hall, and Tian Buhui, his wife, and their daughter lived in the rear chamber within it. Beside Shoujing Hall was the covered corridor and small courtyard where the disciples lived. But since there were so few of them, there were more rooms than people, and each had a room to himself—even newcomer Zhang Qingyue got one. In terms of living conditions alone, Dazhu Peak had, for once, managed to surpass the other branches of the sect.

What remained were the Taiji Cave for martial training, the kitchen, and the dining hall. By now all the disciples had gathered in the dining hall, where the sixth disciple, Du Biyan, in charge of meals, brought dish after dish to the table—mostly vegetables, with little meat. The disciples took their seats in order along the right side of the long table. Song Dayi sat at the very front, while Zhang Qingyue humbly took the last seat. At the head of the table and on the opposite side were placed one large chair and two smaller ones, evidently prepared for Tian Buhui and his family.

Zhang Qingyue glanced at the empty seat beside him—that of the sixth disciple, Du Biyan, who was still busy. After a while, Du Biyan finally finished bringing out the food, washed his hands, returned to his seat, and waited with the others for their master.

Du Biyan looked rather young, with a thin, pointed face and large triangular eyes that darted about restlessly, giving him a clever, nimble air. After sitting down, he looked at Zhang Qingyue and smiled. "Little junior brother, what's your name?"

Zhang Qingyue answered honestly, "Zhang Qingyue."

Du Biyan said, "I'm your sixth senior brother, Du Biyan."

Zhang Qingyue called out respectfully, "Sixth senior brother."

Du Biyan cleared his throat, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "In a little while, you'll have a taste of your senior brother's cooking."

Zhang Qingyue, seeing the table full of dishes and catching their irresistible aroma, could not help swallowing, and nodded vigorously.

Du Biyan suddenly grinned, looking rather sly, and pointed toward the entrance of the hall. "Little junior brother, in a moment our master, mistress, and little junior sister will come in through that door. Shall we make a bet?"

Zhang Qingyue froze, and the others at the table all turned their heads, their faces wearing smiles. Someone sitting near Du Biyan said, "Old Six, you're gambling again?"

Beside him, the lean, sharp-featured He Dachuan laughed. "He hasn't won in so long he's reduced to cheating children now?"

"Go on, go on, go on!" Du Biyan waved his hand again and again, ignoring the others, and said to Zhang Qingyue with a face full of smiles, "Little junior brother, guess which of the three—master, mistress, and little junior sister—will be the first to step through that door. Hmm, you've just joined the sect, so I'll let you guess first. Don't say your senior brother bullied you."

From farther down the table, the second disciple, Wu Dayi, called out loudly, "Little junior brother, since it's a bet, you should first ask him what you get if you lose and what you get if you win!"

Du Biyan said, "Afraid I'll welsh on the bet? I, Du Biyan, have made my way through the world on the fame of my gambling honor—" (Everyone burst out laughing: "You've never won!") "—little junior brother, if you guess right, I'll chop bamboo for you for ten days. If you lose, you wash dishes for me for ten days. How about it?"

Everyone laughed again, and Song Dayi chuckled and cursed, "Hopeless."

Seeing how kindly his senior brothers smiled and how warm they were, treating him as no outsider at all, Zhang Qingyue felt a rush of warmth in his heart. "All right," he said.

Du Biyan slapped his thigh, and in an instant his whole manner became radiant and full of spirit. "Little junior brother, so tell me—among master, mistress, and little junior sister, who exactly will be the first to come in?"

Everyone's eyes fell on Zhang Qingyue. He turned it over in his mind: the Canglan Sect revered its teachers, so surely Master Tian Buhui would be the first to enter. At once he said loudly, "I bet it's definitely Master."

Everyone roared with laughter. Lü Daxin shook his head and said, "Never thought Old Six would actually win one today by tricking someone."

Du Biyan was beside himself with delight. Looking at a bewildered Zhang Qingyue, he said gleefully, "Little junior brother, let me tell you—actually, every time, among master's family, it's always little junior sister who comes rushing in first. Haha, you'll be helping me wash dishes later."

Zhang Qingyue scratched his head and could not help laughing too. He nodded and said, "Yes, sixth senior brother."

The third disciple, Zheng Dali, short and stocky, laughed. "Old Six, aren't you ashamed?"

Du Biyan said, "What are you talking about, Old Three? I didn't force or coerce anyone. A bet's a bet—isn't that right, little junior brother?"

Zhang Qingyue nodded, when suddenly he heard Song Dayi say, "Master's here."

Everyone straightened up and rose to their feet, facing the door to welcome their teacher. A moment later, Tian Buhui's short, stout figure appeared in the doorway—and behind him was...

Nothing at all!

He had come alone.

Everyone was stunned. Du Biyan said, "Master, where are the mistress and little junior sister?"

Tian Buhui glanced at him and said mildly, "Your mistress has taken your little junior sister to visit her family."

Everyone was taken aback, but a moment later someone could not help laughing out loud. They watched Tian Buhui amble in, while Zhang Qingyue looked thoroughly embarrassed, wanting to laugh but not daring to, and Du Biyan stood there gaping.

Tian Buhui sat down in his large chair, waved his hand, and said, "Let's eat."

Only then did the disciples sit down, each of them looking at Du Biyan with a half-smile. Tian Buhui glanced at Zhang Qingyue and said to Song Dayi, "Have you told him the sect rules and precepts?"

Song Dayi nodded. "Yes. The twelve sect rules and twenty precepts—I've told our little junior brother all of them. As for the basic cultivation methods, I saw that our little junior brother was a bit tired from arriving today, so I plan to formally teach him tomorrow."

Tian Buhui nodded in approval, then said to Zhang Qingyue, "Old Seven."

Zhang Qingyue did not catch on at first, until Du Biyan beside him gave him a nudge. Only then did he realize the master was calling him, and he hurriedly stood up. "Your disciple is here."

Tian Buhui shook his head, his confidence in this slow-witted disciple slipping another notch. "For now, follow your eldest senior brother. Remember to study with all your heart. The sea of the Way has no shore; diligence is the boat. Even if your aptitude is somewhat poor, so long as you endure and work hard, it is not impossible that you will succeed. Understand?"

Zhang Qingyue received this as though it were a sacred edict and said respectfully, "Yes."

Tian Buhui waved a hand. "Eat."

Zhang Qingyue was young and small, and holding a large bowl as he sat in his chair, he could not reach the dishes farther away. But Du Biyan beside him was quite kind and helped him to several portions, murmuring with a smile, "Little junior brother, eat more." From the look of him, he did not mind at all that he had lost the bet—his gambling honor was indeed sound.

Zhang Qingyue was grateful and nodded again and again. After eating a while, he asked quietly, "Sixth senior brother."

Du Biyan said, "What?"

Zhang Qingyue said, "Does the mistress really have a family to visit?" In his young mind, the people of the Canglan Sect were all immortals—how could they have worldly ties?