Longzang

Chapter 3 A Fateful Encounter with My Husband

The refugees were a motley crew, and seeing that they couldn't take down the tough nut of Weizhai, they headed to other places.

Wei Youcai led Wei Yuan down from the corner tower and took his seat in the main hall to begin handling the aftermath. Little Wei Yuan was covered in blood and was taken away to bathe and change clothes. After he was cleaned up, Wei Youcai had him brought back to the main hall and placed on a chair to sit on, watching Wei Youcai handle the aftermath.

In the aftermath of the great battle, a mountain of problems piled up. Dozens of servants who had fought were all wounded, and several had died. Dozens of displaced people's corpses lay on the walls and in the courtyard; these had to be removed first. The steward then selected several brave and meticulous servants to search the corpses for valuables. In a year of great disaster, even a little extra wealth was welcome.

Wei Youcai gave instructions one by one, when Bald Old Six carried a person into the main hall, threw him on the ground, and said, "Brother, I picked up a person among the refugees."

The man was dressed as a scholar, his hands were bound, and his mouth was firmly gagged with a rag. Other than that, there was nothing else; the scholar's robe was just a bit dusty, so it was clear he hadn't suffered much.

Upon seeing the scholar, the steward felt a sense of familiarity, and upon closer inspection, exclaimed, "Mr. Zhang!"

Wei Youcai then looked at the steward, who said, "This is the scholar who gave the young master the name Yuan three years ago."

Wei Youcai slapped his thigh: "So it's Mr. Zhang Sheng! What happened to him?"

He strode up to Zhang Sheng, personally untied the ropes binding Zhang Sheng's hands, and then glared fiercely at Bald Lao Liu.

Bald Old Six immediately protested, "It's not my fault! He looked exactly like this when I found him in the refugee camp!"

Zhang Sheng removed the rag from his mouth and said with a wry smile, "It really has nothing to do with this brave man. I should thank him for saving me."

“Yuan’er’s name was given to him by the master, so he’s not an outsider.” Wei Youcai ordered someone to bring a chair for Zhang Sheng to sit down, and then asked, “How did the master end up among the refugees?”

Zhang Sheng sighed and said, "To my shame, I was teaching in a neighboring county, hoping to earn some travel expenses, but unexpectedly a large group of refugees suddenly appeared. The city's garrison fled at the mere sight of them, leaving all the people of the county to the refugees. A leader of the refugees saw that I could read and insisted that I become his strategist. I refused, so he tied me up and brought me all the way here. He has treated me fairly well along the way, but after a while, he will lose patience and might cook me and eat me like the others."

Wei Youcai asked in surprise, "I remember you were a highly skilled person with magical powers, how could you have been captured by refugees?"

Zhang Sheng stammered and couldn't explain clearly. Seeing this, Wei Youcai didn't make things difficult for him. He looked Zhang Sheng up and down, and suddenly a smile appeared on his face, a smile that made Zhang Sheng feel a chill run down his spine.

Wei Youcai bowed to Zhang Sheng and said, "Three years ago, my son, no, my unworthy son Wei Yuan, was given a name by you, sir. Three years later, we met again, sir. It seems we are indeed destined to be together!"

"No, no!" Zhang Sheng blurted out, startling Wei Youcai.

Seeing the change in Wei Youcai's expression, Zhang Sheng quickly said, "What I mean is that the young master is very fortunate and deserves this title. I have not made any contribution."

Wei Youcai's smile widened, and he said, "Sir, you are truly talented. I have never been to school and do not know exactly how talented you are, but no one within dozens of miles knows more characters than you. Right now, there is chaos and turmoil outside, and my son is of age to begin his education. Why don't you be the one to enlighten him, teach him to read and write, and teach him some of the principles of the sages?"

For some reason, seeing Wei Youcai smiling and speaking in a semi-classical style, Zhang Sheng felt a chill run down his spine.

Zhang Sheng quickly declined, saying, "Master Wei, you flatter me. I am not very learned and would only mislead people if I taught me. Besides, all I have learned in my life is Taoism, which is far removed from the teachings of sages."

Zhang Sheng put it tactfully, but what he really meant was that he didn't want to stay there any longer.

Wei Youcai seemed completely oblivious to the meaning behind Zhang Sheng's words, and said with a smile, "Teach for as many days as you wish, there's no rush to decide now, please have a seat!"

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the two fat henchmen sandwiched Zhang Sheng between them, with the bald old man, Lao Liu, standing behind him with his hand on the hilt of his knife. Lao Liu had several fresh wounds on his body, the blood soaking through the bandages, so he not only exuded a murderous aura but also a hot, pungent smell of blood.

Wei Youcai returned to his seat and continued dealing with the aftermath. Zhang Sheng then said, "It doesn't seem very convenient for me to be here; it would be best if I avoided suspicion."

Wei Youcai smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright, sir, you're no outsider, please feel free to look!"

Zhang Sheng could no longer walk and could only sit.

Just then, the steward rushed in again, glanced at Zhang Sheng, and hesitated before speaking. Wei Youcai then said, "Sir, you're one of us, it's alright, speak."

The steward said, "Master, there are still many injured refugees outside, most of them seriously injured and unable to move. I've counted them; there are more than ninety in total. What should we do with these people?"

At this moment, the bald-haired sixth brother chuckled and said, "Eighth brother, these people were just trying to kill us. You still need to ask? After all these years, you still haven't changed your cowardly and soft-hearted ways. Fine, I'll tell you what to do. Dig two big pits and bury the dead people first, bury them deep. Then put the living people next to the other pit and see who's still alive tomorrow morning. If they're still alive then, try to save them."

Zhang Sheng frowned.

Even the lightest wounded among those refugees were deeply slashed; those who could still move had already fled. Left to rot in the wilderness overnight, what chance did they have? Wasn't the bald, burly man's statement tantamount to abandoning them to their deaths?

Zhang Sheng looked at Wei Youcai, only to see that Wei Youcai had squinted his eyes, seemingly asleep and oblivious to everything. The steward left the room without waiting for Wei Youcai to speak, clearly following the bald man's instructions.

Zhang Sheng turned around and met the gaze of the bald, burly man. The man grinned, revealing a sinister smile. Zhang Sheng immediately understood his meaning: Dare to utter another word, and I'll bury you too.

After the butler left, Wei Youcai seemed to have just finished a nap, slowly opened his eyes, and asked, "Where's Lao Ba?"

The butler rushed in again and said, "I just went to take care of a small matter. Brother... what are your orders, Master?"

Wei Youcai smiled and said, "I've already said that Mr. Zhang is no outsider, so there's no need to worry about the form of address. Tell me again about the grain storage in the fields."

Without hesitation, the steward replied, "The estate currently has 53.5 mu of first-class fertile land, 137 mu of second-class land, and 60 mu of third-class land. There are 107 tenant households renting land from us, each renting approximately 2.3 mu. We sold some old grain at the beginning of the year, and there are still 230 shi of various grains stored in the granary." Wei Youcai said slowly, "This year's harvest is definitely a total loss. If we only hope to survive next spring, how many people can this grain feed?"

The butler thought for a moment, then said with some difficulty, "Sixth Master can hunt..."

The bald, burly man snorted and said, "There's not even grass left on the mountain, where would we find prey?"

"In that case, about 240 people can survive, each person receiving three liang (150 grams) per day, no less than that."

Wei Youcai said slowly, "So, apart from the people in the house, only 30% of our own tenants will survive if they come back."

Only 30% of the tenants survived; the rest either starved to death or fled to escape the famine, becoming refugees. Those who didn't want to starve or flee had only one option left.

Hearing this, Zhang Sheng understood that Wei Zhai's food supply couldn't even feed its own tenants, let alone support the severely injured refugees outside. This was the first time in all these years that Zhang Sheng had faced such a cruel choice.

In that short time, Zhang Sheng observed coldly and had a sudden realization: the people in this room were probably all ruthless killers.

He suddenly remembered the fortune he had seen three years ago when he set up the Water and Light Convergence Array, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Mr. Zhang!" Wei Youcai suddenly looked at Zhang Sheng, squinted and asked with a smile, "Sir, have you made up your mind? Are you willing to tutor Yuan'er?"

Looking into Wei Youcai's smiling eyes, Zhang Sheng thought of the two large pits being dug outside the village. If he dared to say no, he would probably be buried in the same pit as the refugees. Zhang Sheng had suffered many misfortunes in the past three years, rendering him completely powerless, no different from an ordinary person. Now, with the refugees passing through, even the grass within a hundred miles had been eaten clean, leaving only yellow earth as far as the eye could see. Even if Zhang Sheng managed to escape, he would starve to death in the wilderness. If he died now, it would be a meaningless death.

After much deliberation, Zhang Sheng found himself at a loss for what to do.

Thinking again that teaching and educating people is a noble profession, and that he was going to teach in the neighboring prefecture anyway, Zhang Sheng could only say, "Of course I am willing."

Wei Youcai was overjoyed and immediately pulled Wei Yuan over to perform the apprenticeship ceremony. Little Wei Yuan was very obedient and knelt down in front of Zhang Sheng to pay his respects.

Zhang Sheng's face turned pale and then red. He tried to stand up and run away several times, but behind him was Bald Old Six and his big knife. How could he escape? He hesitated for only a moment, and Xiao Weiyuan had already kowtowed three times.

Zhang Sheng sighed inwardly. Now that he had accepted the apprenticeship ceremony, their fate was sealed.

Since he was already there, he decided to make the best of it. After completing the apprenticeship ceremony, Zhang Sheng felt more at ease. He stepped forward, helped Xiao Weiyuan up, and examined him closely.

Three years ago, Zhang Sheng left in a hurry and had never actually met Wei Yuan. This was the first time he had seen him. He saw that young Wei Yuan had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and his big eyes were especially beautiful and full of spirit. Zhang Sheng was immediately pleased with him.

Xiao Weiyuan looked up at Zhang Sheng, and suddenly the corners of his mouth slowly turned up, revealing a smile. He could sense that Zhang Sheng was the fourth person to have feelings for him.

As he watched that little face slowly spread with joy, Zhang Sheng's heart softened.

After the apprenticeship ceremony was completed, Wei Youcai said, "For the next three years, I will entrust Yuan'er to you, Master."

"Three years?" Zhang Sheng was taken aback. He had no intention of staying that long; he only wanted to teach the students to read and then leave.

Wei Youcai squinted, picked up his teacup, took a sip unhurriedly, and then said, "The Great Tang Immortal Sect's unified examination will be held in three years. Yuan'er will be six years old then, just the right age to register for the exam. Three years of early education is already a very tight schedule."

Zhang Sheng slapped his forehead; he had almost forgotten about the important matter of the Immortal Sect's unified examination for accepting disciples. However, three years was indeed beyond his plans, so he had no choice but to say, "I have other important matters to attend to and must go to Southern Qi. I'm afraid I can't stay for three years."

Wei Youcai smiled enigmatically and said, "Right now, the surrounding counties are teeming with refugees. In the blink of an eye, these refugees will turn into bandits. It won't be peaceful for at least two or three years. You haven't even left Yongzhou in the past three years, and you expect to be able to leave in the next three?"

Zhang Sheng was taken aback and pondered carefully.

Having said all that, Zhang Sheng knew he couldn't leave for the next three years. He composed himself and said seriously, "Three years is indeed a very tight schedule if you want to participate in the Immortal Sect's unified examination. In that case, please prepare well, Master, and classes will begin first thing tomorrow morning."

Wei Youcai was overjoyed and quickly ordered his servants to tidy up the rooms and arrange Zhang Sheng's residence and Wei Yuan's study. After everything was arranged, Wei Youcai picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and smiled, "Now that you are no longer an outsider, I've forgotten about the time you threw a pheasant into my yard."

Zhang Sheng broke out in a cold sweat again.

The next morning, for the first time, the Wei residence was filled with the sound of students reading aloud.

In the study, which had been tidied up overnight, Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan sat facing each other, Zhang Sheng's clear and melodious voice echoing in the room:
"The world, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of unity, tends to divide. The seventh day of the seventh month... cough cough! I misspoke, it should be this: The Great Tang Dynasty, after a thousand years of existence, initially established the states of Jin and Qi..."

Outside the room, under the window, Wei Youcai, the bald man, and the butler crouched against the wall, eavesdropping.

After listening for a while, Wei Youcai slapped his thigh and whispered, "The world, after a long period of division, will unite; after a long period of unity, will divide again! Although I'm uneducated, I think this makes a lot of sense! This gentleman is truly talented!"

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the blink of an eye, the mountains turned green again, the Tong River surged once more, and Zhang Sheng filled Wei Yuan with all the lessons that others would take ten years to complete.

(End of this chapter)