Xia Fen wanted to go to Bailu academy to study, the main reason wasn’t to learn good abilities, rather to learn how to swear at people, better yet trade insults with the `delicate and frail` bookworms. He wondered how the bookworms knowing this, would react?
Bailu academy was considered to be the imperial academy of classical learning in Dayan. Not only do they take in the children of influential families and officials, at the same time the children of the imperial household also came to study, moreover every year they would choose two children of poor and humble background from all the big academies in the country, to study there free. Bailu academy wasn’t simply the centre of power for the younger generations, it was also the centre of training for backup officials. The poor and humble children vied to study there even if their heads split open, with delusions of a carp leaping through the dragon’s gate, and make friends with the influential officials’ children of the court in advance, hoping to someday rapidly go up in the world. And so the children of the influential families and officials, would also during their time studying find like-minded `close friends`, forming around each prince, eyes burning as they stare at the most respected position in the world, investing blood, sweat and tears for it.
To people with aspirations, the previous dynasty of Dayan were the adults’ battlefield, Bailu academy was the grappling ground for the younger generations.
The only difference was, the previous dynasty did not have women officials, yet the academy still accepted female students.
Xia Fen only started studying at six and a half years old, later than everyone else by one and a half years. Xia Ling Mei and General Xia usually taught him, common reading and instructions simply wasn’t a problem, his martial arts was even more outstanding, therefore after Xia Fen reported his name, he was directly stuck into the second years hall.
Even though Kong Xian and Wu Sheng were Xia Fen’s bodyguards on the face of things, they were a lot older than Xia Fen. But even Kong Xian and Wu Sheng had official positions, when they reached Beiding City they directly reported to the Ministry of War, naturally they couldn’t go and study with Xia Fen. Only every day after school, they would come to the Xia residence and practice martial arts manoeuvres with Xia Fen, teaching him some battlefield common sense.
Xia Ling Mei once again from the Xia family’s reserve shadow guards picked two children, intending to provide Xia Fen with bodyguards and at the same time study partners. Amongst the influential families, some guards were allowed to marry and have children, so much so that they change from shadows to public bodyguards. Each family had different circumstances, naturally the way to nurture talent was also different. The shadow guards in the Xia family were also separated into male and female, everyone had a teacher in charge of instructing their talents and martial arts. After the shadow guards had their adulthood ceremony they would turn to their teacher to be in charge of their marriage, choosing husbands or wives on their students’ behalf.
Looking at the Xia family, only the strongest had the power to choose, if the shadow guards wanted to control their own marriage, then they could only become the top three amongst the shadow guards. From fourth place on the students were entirely matched up by their teachers, unable to object. From the first day the shadow guards were chosen to enter the family, the first thing they learnt was to unconditionally comply with their master’s plans. And the shadow guards would arrange to get married the first year of their adulthood, within a year the female shadow guards are usually pregnant, if their child’s structure was good they may become the next generation of shadow guards, perhaps become public bodyguards, those who structure’s weren’t as good would be arranged to learn other skills, afterwards they would be sent to live in the businesses and farms of the Xia family in every part of the country, and some living incognito would be sent to be a spy in another country. Amongst these there were also weak and inept people unable to support themselves over a wall, being beaten to the dust in numerous competitions, their silhouettes could no longer be found.
Born at the same time, each fate was different.
Xia Fen was young, the general servants of the Xia family of the same age had already earlier on been assigned to the other young generations of the Xia family, even if there were people left over, they were simply those chosen to be left over by others.
Xia Ling Mei spoiled Xia Fen, and knowing his `grand ambitions`, therefore she was
especially cautious in selecting a study partner and bodyguard. Xia Fen did not understand poetry, Xia Ling Mei decided as such as before, choose a little tactician good at giving advice, like Kong Xian; then choose a modest and loyal si shi, like Wu Sheng. One literate and one martial, balancing and restricting each other.
These kind of children were difficult to find, Xia Ling Mei nearly became crossed-eyed. Xia Fen rarely looked down upon his mother, patting his own chest he said: “Watch me.”
The very small six years old child stood in front of a crowd of unevenly matched with different heights young children, directly saying: “All of you trade insults, the one who finishes last will be my military counsellor.” Afterwards he ran to the martial arts practice ground, facing the group of angry looking small tigers who was tanned almost like a crow under the sun he said: “All of you spar each other, the one who fights to the end and remains standing will eat meat with this young master.” Thinking about it, he thought meat this sort of thing was not uncommon, again adding a sentence: “After you grow up, become a general with me.”
As a result, the left side of the school, saliva and cooled eyes flew; the right side martial arts practice ground, beads of blood and sweat mixed.
Finally, Xia Fen’s military counsellor was one who looked short and fat, when he smiled he looked like the boy sitting under the Guanyin, amongst the literary shadow guards he was ranked nineteenth. Xia Fen asked him how he won? He said: “Young master made them throw insults at each other, with the least misgivings they started cursing. I watched, waiting for them to finish cursing until they were tired and exhausted their words, then I found the one who was proud to be the last and started cursing him. The other person had already long ago talked too much, I was still full of energy, so he became mute, I won.”
Xia Fen kicked the chubby kid with one foot: “You treacherous person.” The chubby child fell to the ground rolling a few times, his head hit the table leg, dizzily he asked: “Young master you want to curse me? I am the final winner, if you don’t keep your word your teeth will fall out.” Aiyo, he unexpectedly even threatened Xia Fen.
Xia Ling Mei felt this ranked nineteenth in literacy was too devious, afraid Xia Fen would not be able to control him in the future. Knowing, someone with great patience, a person who knows how to choose the perfect timing to attack another person’s weak point, the best at hiding a dagger in smiles, with a slip up he would murder his master.
The final winner of the martial arts competition was a skinny child, an insensitive eyes and expressionless child. Standing up he was almost the same height as Xia Fen, in reality he was older than Xia Fen by two years, both his eyes completely black, completely void of emotions, he was just like a blade to kill, sharp enough and without thoughts. The young shadow guards who have been trained harshly from childhood, half the children had this expression, standing there completely lacking in distinguishing feature, very able to shake still a public venue with his appearance, with one glance a ruthless murder.
Amongst the martial artists he was ranked twenty-one, a young seedling of a killer.
However Xia Ling Mei needed to choose a close bodyguard, his most important job is to protect Xia Fen, and not make him kill someone. Xia Ling Mei was not satisfied, on the other hand Xia Fen was fond of bullying, pointing at the two people he said: “Twenty-one, you beat nineteen up, beat him until he’s on his last breath. I’ll give you…thirty minutes.”
Thus, the expressionless Twenty-one immediately punched the beaming Nineteen flying into the air, smashing into a chair, the stick nearly penetrating through the child’s chest, three of his ribs broke, a tooth fell out, one ankle twisted.
Xia Fen jumped up slapping Twenty-one that half of his face swelled up: “I said thirty minutes, I didn’t tell you to beat him to death in a short moment.”
Twenty-one stood up straight, pulling Nineteen up who was still smiling like an inviting wealth boy, helping the other person wipe the bloodstain from the corner of his mouth, the suddenly hitting the other person sprawling onto the ground. The first hit could be said to kill someone quickly, right now the repeated beating had become a slow blade cutting apart flesh, Nineteen who was originally smiling broadly slowly turned from surprise to pain, again unimaginable, at last he noiselessly cried.
Xia Fen crouching to one side, watching Twenty-one without stopping push Nineteen into the palace hall of hell, unhurriedly he said: “A man, if he wants to laugh will laugh out loud, if he wants to cry will cry out loud. Right now you’re crying like a woman, who knows if you’re truly hurting or not? Are you acting?”
Xia Ling Mei turned her head looking around, the surrounding hundred odd children, most of the martial artists showed a disdainful expression, clearly they despised Nineteen who was crying like a kitten. To children who saw the fist as the boss, crying was an action of the weak. In this practice ground, traces of children who cried had long ago disappeared. But the other group of shocked and frightened children who were backing away were young scholars who had grown up with Nineteen, they believed they could go anywhere in the world relying on their silver tongues. However today, they finally learned what was brute force, what was known as scholars coming across soldiers.
The dizzy Nineteen felt time was a blade used to kill pigs, his pig trotters, belly, pig head, so much so even his pig’s tail were cut apart with each stab, he wished he would die straightaway. But again feeling, if he died he wouldn’t be able to seek revenge for himself, he would not resign, he wanted to live, he wanted to be strong.
Twenty-one really did beat Nineteen up until his last breath before giving up, at that time, Nineteen had already cried so much he didn’t know what was crying, a face full of tears and blood.
Xia Fen again punched Twenty-one on the other side of the face, right now Twenty-one’s head had swollen up into a black steamed bun.
Xia Fen said: “Remember, a scholar is a pretty boy, from now on you can’t hit him in the face. I still need to use his face to scam people.”
Twenty-one stared at Xia Fen, waves of displeasure showed in his eyes for the first time: “Then why can you hit my head?”
Xia Fen clapped his hands, arrogantly laughing heartily: “Because this young master like to.”
From then on, the literary Nineteen’s name changed, he was called Bai Shu, hoping he would grow up tall and big, become a man capable of supporting the heaven and earth; and the martial arts Twenty-one was called Nu Ju, he needed to grow up plump and strong, needing him to destroy all the hindrance for Xia Fen on his path to become an important general, be his lackey and brave and fierce unequalled war chariot.
Bai Shu laid in bed for more than ten days, the child’s foundation was good, it was easy for him to defeat any illness. Furthermore that sort of place that trained shadow guards, there was plenty of cruelty, Bai Shu experienced a lot, but was not extremely delicate. When his bones hadn’t completely healed, he laid in bed, yelling inside his heart once: I must kill Nu Ju, must kill him.
Every time Bai Shu faced Nu Ju he was itching to tear him apart, but when he saw Xia Fen, he could only remember his expression when he sent Nu Ju flying with one punch.
Compared to Nu Ju, Xia Fen was a child who genuinely licked blood on the edge of a blade, he did not care about human life. A marshal made on the white bones of thousands of average soldiers, Xia Fen could only see soldiers as chess pieces in his hand, a blade on the battlefield. Xia Fen ruthless and cold-bloodedness emitted from his inside blasted apart Bai Shu’s frail mental state, burying a seed in his very small brain. Nu Ju was even more impressive, yet he was a dog under Xia Fen’s foot, Bai Shu dared to eradicate this dog, but did not have the delusion to resist this dog’s owner.
Nu Ju had carried out an assassination mission with his parents, having seen life and death. On the martial arts practice ground there were many who wanted to kill him, not just Bai Shu.
From then onwards, behind Xia Fen there was a seemingly good-natured and sincere, but in reality deeply scheming chubby child, and a not lax in speech or smile, taciturn and of few words, unable to understand the ways of the world, mindless tanned child.
Xia Fen on his short tiny legs, stood on the rooftop, pointing at a roof ridge in the bustling Bailu academy, to the tottering Bai Shu and the firmly steady Nu Ju he said: “That is this young master’s next battlefield. I need to purge it, you better follow me closely.”