Insufficient balance

  A small mountain village outside the city of Yu State, with mountains, water, clouds and wind, and dense flowers and trees. At this moment, near noon, the scorching sun's rays are scattered, and the mountain peaks cast a slanting shadow. Suddenly, a gentle breeze blows across my face, carrying the fresh scent of trees.

  In a mountain village, there is a magnificent and majestic villa, with a small stream in front of it, gently hitting the rocks, accompanied by the sound of gurgling water, surrounded by a vast expanse of lush green grass, willow trees swaying gently, birds occasionally perching on branches, and sometimes flying and playing on the treetops. This place is truly a secluded and serene retreat from the world.

  An inopportune shout broke the stillness of the afternoon, "Old master, madam is not well, not well, young master has gone into town again".

  A man in his seventies, with a head full of white hair, hastily walked out of the study and scolded the servant who was reading the bulletin: "Yi Tong, didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Young Master? How did you let him run away again?"

  The young man named Yitong looked worried and respectfully said, "Old Master, I've done my best. You know that if the young master wants to slip away, even ten of us can't keep an eye on him."

  The old man wanted to say something but stopped himself, waved his hand and sighed: "Forget it, forget it, let's talk about it when he comes back".

  Yi Tong's face was difficult, as if he had something stuck in his throat. After hesitating for a moment, he showed a determined look and said: "Master, I'm afraid the young master won't be back for a long time."

  The old man asked in confusion: "What do you mean by this? Is he not planning to return home?"

  Yi Tong hastily pulled out the letter from his bosom and handed it to the old man. The old man opened the letter, took a look, and his face turned white with rage, then green with anger. After finishing reading, he tore the letter into pieces and shouted: "Bastard, ungrateful son, unworthy descendant......"

  A middle-aged woman rushed over from another courtyard, seeing the old man's angry face and thinking that her son had probably made his grandfather angry again. She walked up to him and said: "Grandfather, has Han'er gone into town again?"

  The old man calmed down his anger and said in a soft tone: "Not only did he enter the city, but he also ran away."

  The middle-aged woman was taken aback, "He's run away, Han'er is outside with no relatives or friends, where can he go? I think he'll be back in a few days, don't get angry yet, father-in-law."

  The old man sighed heavily, "I reckon he won't be back so soon this time. You, his son, have wasted your natural talents - you can neither serve the country nor make a name for yourself. Instead, you've picked up the bad habit of being infatuated with beautiful women and spend all day causing trouble in the village, making everyone who sees him run away without a word." The old man grew more agitated as he spoke, coughing several times.

  The middle-aged woman hastily said: "Husband, don't get angry, be careful not to hurt your body."

  Yi Tianya can't help but get angry, this kid, with a mind full of books and strategies, is a rare talent in both literature and martial arts, yet he's just a carefree young man without great ambitions. He had pinned his hopes on Yi Han to revive the honor and prestige of the Yi family, but alas, fate has other plans.

  This old man was a famous general, Yi Wuyue, who spent his life on horseback, fighting countless battles and leading enemy armies to tremble at the mention of his name. Not only was he exceptional in both literature and martial arts, but he was also the soul of the country's military. As for why he ended up hiding in a remote mountain village in his later years, it had to do with a certain battle. In that war, Yi Wuyue suffered a crushing defeat, not only did several of his sons die on the battlefield, but the famous general himself was also defeated and lost his reputation.

  Swallows return: the wind is cold, who dares to block the pass? The swallow's spear returns, but the person does not, sorrow falls in the dark dust. The wind rises, the cicadas cry out, the golden wind has not moved, the cicadas are already aware, secretly sending off the unpredictable death.

  Unfathomable and profound, playing with all the heroes in the world, vast and desolate. I, Yi Wu, have not died yet, you must wait for me.

  A middle-aged woman saw Yi Wuya dazed and listless, "Husband, husband", urged a few words in a hurry. Yi Wuya heard the call and came back to his senses, letting out a deep sigh, "I arranged a marriage for Haner, but he found out about it. Originally, I wanted to use this to stabilize his temper, but unexpectedly, this kid ran away".

  "The public is afraid of explaining to General Xi Qing's side," a middle-aged woman asked in a low voice.

  "Xí Qīng is an old friend of mine, so I'm not too worried about that. Besides, Xí Qīng's granddaughter is a renowned talent in the capital city, it's hard to say whether she would even look at our family's poor son," said Yì Wú Yá calmly.

  The middle-aged woman said with a smile: "With Han'er's talent and appearance, which maiden wouldn't be delighted to see him, as if she had seen honey."

  Yi Tianya said coldly: "Hua's problem lies in his spoiled personality, that woman should have been on guard against him from the start."

  "My wife is uneducated, please forgive her," the middle-aged woman said weakly, hanging her head. This old man's prestige was such that in the entire Yi family, only Yi Han dared to defy him.

  Yi Tianya's eyes were sharp as a knife, and he was intimidating without being angry. "This matter is not your fault. As the commander of the three armies, those generals who fought on the battlefield would not dare to disobey me. But I couldn't discipline this idiot, so it can only be blamed on his nature."

  The middle-aged woman said: "Yes, he was still very young, and his eyes were fixed on the palace maid's body. I was so scared that I replaced all the servants around me with old mothers. Husband, what do you think about Han'er's marriage?"

  Yi Wuyan said in a loud voice, "That granddaughter of Xi Qing is a talented young lady from a good family, not some village girl or courtesan. Her family's standards are very high. When I discussed this matter with Xi Qing, he was embarrassed and repeatedly tried to shirk responsibility, saying he had to go back and ask his precious granddaughter for her opinion. Given Xi Qing's dignity, it's clear that this young woman must have some extraordinary qualities."

  Yi Wuyan sank into thought for a moment, then suddenly said: "No way, I must not miss this opportunity. Wait until I write a few letters and contact my old subordinates. Once there is news of Han'er, I will catch this little guy back."

  Little did he know, due to Mr. Yi's momentary negligence, Yi Han became a wanted fugitive.

  Wu's widow, with a flustered face, ran eastward, with several rascals chasing after her to flirt with her. However, she encountered the young master of the Yi family, who had been hiding for a long time. The young master was riding on a small donkey, with a faint smile on his face and his eyes gently staring at her. As his tightly closed lips moved, Wu's widow's heart skipped a beat, and she exclaimed, "I'm done for!" She immediately turned around and ran back.

  Yi Han shouted loudly in the direction Wu was running: "Sister-in-law Wu, don't run, I haven't done this kind of thing for many years!"

  Watching that widow Wu run further and further away, I shook my head lightly. It's been many years since I've been in this line of work, how did she still recognize me so clearly? It seems that my elegance has left a deep impression on her heart.

  "In the misty night, a beautiful woman with a slender figure appears, wearing a green silk jacket. She unties her fragrant sash and strips down to nothing, then inserts a small stick into her body and comes down to bite me."

  On the official road, a young man rode on a small donkey, wearing simple and plain farmer's clothes, with a face full of dust, holding a willow branch in one hand to drive the donkey, while singing a little song.

  "Finally free, from now on I can travel wherever I want, no one can escape my sight, and there's no one behind me pointing fingers at me, saying it's wrong to hold someone's hand, saying it's wrong to kiss someone." No wonder, Yi Tianya has been watching him like a prisoner all these years, he's been suffocated for too long.

  That day, he learned that the old man had arranged a marriage for him, and he made up his mind to run away from home. Missing this opportunity would mean being trapped in that small mountain village where birds wouldn't even shit, while wonders awaited him everywhere. How could he die on one tree? He decided to take action, leaving behind a letter, throwing off his easy-to-recognize clothes, and coming to Erniuzi's house, where he exchanged his new clothes for Erniuzi's tattered ones, plus a jade pendant, for Erniuzi's small donkey.

  Originally, at the beginning, Yi Han took out a silver ticket, but Er Niu Zi and his family's little donkey had a very deep affection. No matter how Yi Han explained that the silver ticket in his hand could buy dozens of donkeys, Er Niu Zi refused to exchange it. In the end, he had no choice but to take out his own jade pendant as well. Er Niu Zi still didn't agree, and just then his father came back after finishing his farm work, saw this scene, and slapped Er Niu Zi's face with a loud slap, scolding: "You good-for-nothing, Young Master Yi is being kind and generous, you stupid thing, how can you not give Young Master Yi some face?" He beat and scolded him until Er Niu Zi cried.

  Erniu's father, with a smile on his face, took the little donkey that he had snatched from Erniu's hands and handed it over to Yi Han, saying: "Young Master Yi, I'm in charge of this household, I'll exchange it for you." He then took the silver note and jade pendant from Yi Han. Yi Han understood that Erniu's father was doing this because he valued the silver note and jade pendant.

  Looking at Erniuzi sitting on the ground with a pitiful look, Yihans walked up and comforted him: "Erniuzi, I didn't cheat you, those papers I gave you can really be exchanged for several donkeys."

  "Me, I don't want it, I only want Little Gray, I don't want any other donkey", Erniuzi's father who was standing aside got anxious when he heard this, you damn kid, your old man has finally made a profitable deal and you're messing it up again, afraid that Yihancha would change his mind, rushed over and slapped Erniuzi hard on the face, scolding while hitting, as if Erniuzi was not his son but his archenemy.

  Yi Han Sheng was afraid of delaying time, the old man sent someone to find him and comforted Er Niu Zi: "Don't worry, I will treat this donkey well", the best treatment is to send it to reincarnate as soon as possible and become a human in the next life.

  It's been three days since he left the mountain village, and his outfit is exactly like that of a farmer, but the leisurely expression on his face is far from those real farmers, especially when he occasionally hums a lewd tune, which makes people feel that this young man is extremely strange.

  It is said that since ancient times, beautiful women have emerged from Jinling. His first destination was Jinling. Growing up, apart from going to the county town, he had never been on a long trip before. He didn't feel worried about the unknown world at all. When did the young master of Yi's family ever suffer a loss?

  After several days, I finally arrived in Jinling, a prosperous city in Jiangnan. As I entered the city, I saw a wide stone-paved road that could accommodate several horses and carriages side by side. The street was bustling with people and vehicles coming and going, creating a lively atmosphere. The streets were lined with shops, theaters, and brothels, which seemed to appear every few steps. Not to mention the wine houses and small stalls, the streets were filled with the sounds of hawkers and vendors, making it even more lively than a village during Chinese New Year celebrations.

  Occasionally visible are the grand mansions of former aristocratic families. Although time has passed and their splendor is no longer present, their majestic luxury can still be seen.

  It seems that reading ten thousand volumes is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, this saying is indeed true. Before coming, he had already prepared himself in his heart, but what he saw was still very exciting.

  This curious expression of looking east and west, however, became a complete country bumpkin in the eyes of passersby.