Chapter 13: One Technique to Subdue a Hundred Schools
That night, Li Shun lay on the new bed and turned restlessly from side to side, unable to sleep.
Partly because he had spent twenty-six years on a solid hardwood sleeping board, and the sudden change to a spacious, comfortable bedroom left him vaguely unsettled.
And partly because,
knowing that this government-granted residence was very likely under close surveillance by the Great Qian court, that his every movement, his every breath, might be watched made Li Shun feel as though something were pricking at his spine. The sensation of standing naked under a blazing sun made it nearly impossible to rest.
The next morning, Li Shun appeared in the courtyard with two dark rings under his eyes, pacing back and forth in his lurching, lopsided gait.
"There's no point in guarding against a thief for a thousand days.
"Rather than worrying about whether this courtyard is being watched, I should take the initiative and test it directly. I have the [Self-Reflection] ability, after all. Even if I stumble into an utterly irreversible catastrophe, I still have a way back.
"The Lengshan Vessel's seal has only about ten more days left before it dissolves completely, but it was just stolen, there's no possible way I could hand it over directly in exchange for merit right now. And that county magistrate Fang Xun is no easy man to deal with.
"For the short term, I should still remain lying low in Lengshan County...
"Besides, I still have over eighty stalks of Lengshan Grass in reserve. That's sufficient for emergencies."
After carefully weighing the costs and benefits in his mind, a look of ruthless resolve crossed Li Shun's eyes. His decision was made.
He pushed open the study door, picked up a brush, and without a moment's hesitation wrote a line of large characters on the fresh white plaster wall,
"When the day comes that I fulfill my soaring ambition, I shall dare to laugh that the Qian Emperor is no true man."
But Li Shun felt this was not enough. Afraid that any surveillance formation in the residence might have blind spots, he dragged his lame leg through every room in the small courtyard one after another, covering all four walls with shocking, seditious, treasonous words:
"Heaven will destroy the Great Qian."
"Though only three families remain of Xiang, it is Xiang that shall extinguish Qian."
When he had finished, he settled himself in the study's armchair with both hands folded over his stomach, closed his eyes, and waited with patient composure.
If the residence truly contained surveillance measures set by the government, then before long the fury of Lengshan County's Magistrate office would descend and a flood of Black Armor soldiers and constables would break down the door and drag him away as a rebel on the spot.
In the stillness of waiting, Li Shun idly picked up the calligraphy brush he had just used to write his treasonous verses.
The brush had not been purchased by him, it had come already stocked in the study of this small courtyard.
He had just dashed off several dozen lines across the walls without once re-inking the brush, and yet the tip remained as richly saturated as when he had begun, without the faintest sign of drying.
The brush was carved from an unusual wood with a golden-yellow luster. On the shaft were inscribed four small characters: Lang Zhou Qian Hao, "Langzhou Thousand-Hair."
At the very end of the handle was an exquisitely crafted, rotatable wooden knob. Li Shun unscrewed it and peered inside.
The source of that seemingly inexhaustible black ink was a square crystal embedded deep within the shaft, emanating a faint, dark luminescence. The light around it seemed to be silently absorbed into the crystal, then transformed within into an unending supply of ink.
Li Shun had already noticed the peculiarity of this brush during use: when held naturally and suspended vertically in the air, not a single drop of ink would fall from the tip.
Only when the bristles made contact with a surface and were pressed into motion would the ink flow through, responding to the writer's intention.
"Even from this small glimpse, the depth of Great Qian's power is plain to see." Li Shun reflected quietly.
One hour passed. Then two.
The sun climbed high in the sky. The small courtyard beyond the walls remained utterly undisturbed.
"It seems I overcautioned myself.
"After all, in the eyes of the Great Qian authorities, I am nothing but a lowly ex-laborer. No matter how suspicious Fang Xun may be, he would not waste his attention on me."
Li Shun let out a quiet, inward breath of relief.
"Still, since the Self-Reflection has already been activated, I shouldn't let this run go to waste."
His eyes moved with purpose. He tossed the Langzhou Thousand-Hair brush casually onto the desk and walked out of the small courtyard with wide deliberate strides, making sure to lock the front gate securely behind him against any unwanted visitors.
Before long, Li Shun made his way with easy familiarity to a bookshop in Lengshan County, the Jixia Bookshop.
Inside it was as dim and cool as ever, and apart from himself there was not another soul to be seen.
"Exempted from ten years of labor, your color has improved noticeably." The shopkeeper of the bookshop, Zhou Xunzhen, sat behind the counter and glanced up at Li Shun with a smile that was not quite a smile.
"Come to trade for more pages of the Emperor’s Records again, are you?"
Li Shun said nothing. He only turned his head, without drawing attention to the gesture, and looked at the half-open front door of the shop.
Zhou Xunzhen gave a quiet, knowing chuckle.
With an almost imperceptible sweep of a wide sleeve, the two heavy wooden doors of the bookshop swung shut without a sound, sealing out all the noise of the world beyond.
Only then did Li Shun drag his lame leg forward and lean both hands on the wooden counter, dropping his voice, enunciating each word with deliberate weight:
"This time, I'm not here for the Emperor’s Records. I want...
"Information, reliable, specific information... about [Borrow Longevity from Heaven - the Twelve Perpetual Lives]."
At those eight words, the expression on Zhou Xunzhen's habitually still face barely stirred. He gave a mild smile, his tone even. "The Twelve Perpetual Lives technique is no unspeakable secret among the upper ranks of Great Qian. In terms of how closely it is guarded, it is even less restricted than the Emperor’s Records pages you traded for previously. All who have received a noble title in Great Qian may know of it and practice it. But..."
Zhou Xunzhen's voice shifted abruptly, his gaze turning blade-sharp. "Beyond that, not a single syllable may be passed to the outside. Not ever.
"This technique was personally created by the reigning Emperor. To leak it without official authorization..." Zhou Xunzhen offered the same explanation Feng Guan had given. "Even I would suffer the consequences."
Li Shun's brow furrowed slightly at this, a thread of disappointment moving through him.
"However..." After a moment's silence, Zhou Xunzhen spoke again. "I can offer you some words. They may help you see more of the technique's deeper nature."
"Which words?"
Zhou Xunzhen did not answer. He only smiled and held up five fingers.
Li Shun shook his head with a wry smile, but his hands moved with practiced ease, reaching into his robes and producing a stalk of Lengshan Grass with its signature dim blue luminescence. He carefully pinched off five translucent, crystalline leaves and slid them across the counter.
This time, his face carried none of the pained reluctance he usually performed. Instead, there was a trace of rueful, self-deprecating humor. "Heh heh. Heaven has blessed me, ten years of labor lifted from my back, and my pockets have suddenly grown much heavier. But I'm already this old, and if I don't find a way to the longevity technique within ten years, I suspect these old bones will be buried in Lengshan County before I ever get there. Five leaves it is then."
Zhou Xunzhen's wide sleeve swept forward, drawing the five leaves of Lengshan Grass inside. Then, using his finger as a brush, he pressed a faint golden light from his fingertip and began to write on the surface of the wooden counter, each stroke flowing with effortless precision.
The golden light traced the several characters in the dimness of the bookshop, each stroke iron-firm and silver-sharp, hovering in the air without fading.
Li Shun looked. His pupils contracted sharply.
"With this method, the Emperor subdued the Hundred Schools."
...