Chapter One: Iron Sword, Broken Zither, Old Servant

  "Heaven is vigorous and strong, a gentleman constantly strives for self-improvement; Earth is receptive and yielding, a gentleman cultivates virtue to carry all things."

  This is the famous school motto of Tansang Academy, from the Qian Gua and Kun Gua of the I Ching, for thousands of years, it has inspired countless students to strive tirelessly and fight relentlessly throughout their lives.

  These two sentences were engraved on a giant stone ten feet high in front of the school gate, constantly inspiring students to strive for self-improvement and never stop.

  At this time, in front of the giant stone inscribed with the famous school motto stood a young man carrying an iron sword and a broken zither on his back. He wore light gray robes, simple and unadorned, dressed like any ordinary student, without anything remarkable about him. However, on that lean face was a pair of exceptionally clear eyes.

  Her eyes were very dark, very bright and very clear.

  The young man stood in front of the giant stone, slightly raising his head. People came and went, gathered and dispersed around him, but he remained still, quietly gazing at the two lines of words on the stone.

  Characters like falling rocks, paintings like summer clouds, hooks like bent gold, spears like crossbows, with vertical and horizontal images, low and high with aspirations.

  However, what attracts young people's attention is not the profound meaning of calligraphy, but the rational connotation that makes people think deeply.

  Behind the young man stood an old servant, carrying a large book box, probably over sixty years old, with white hair and a pale face, his thin body slightly hunched under the weight of the book box, looking frail.

  At this time, the old servant saw the young man looking at the two lines of words on the giant stone and exclaimed, suddenly becoming excited, his body constantly trembling with excitement, saying: "Young...young master, you...you can see it?"

  "My eyes may be unable to see, but my heart can see and feel its existence."

  The young man's clear eyes gazed at the school motto written on the giant stone, saying calmly. Although invisible, who doesn't know the famous school motto of Tanxiang Academy? For thousands of years, it has inspired generation after generation of students.

  Heaven is vigorous and strong; a gentleman constantly strengthens himself without resting. Earth is receptive and yielding; a gentleman cultivates virtue to embrace all things.

  The old servant's excitement and surprise instantly turned into nothingness, those dull yellow eyes were filled with deep disappointment and loss, as if the whole person had lost all his strength at once, and his body became even more hunched.

  "Old Miao, hand over my letter of recommendation to the school."

  The young man stood in front of the giant stone for a long time and finally said just one sentence.

  "Master, are you sure you want to submit it? I've heard that the entrance exam for Tanxiang Academy is very difficult and the competition is fierce. And you, Master..."

  "For dozens of days, I, Li Tu, have not feared the hardships of mountains and waters, boats and carriages, crawling and wading through thousands of miles of difficulties to arrive here. It was all for the sake of entering the best school in Tanxiang County. Although the entrance examination is difficult, and my eyes are blind, I will not give up without even taking the exam. I must try at least once."

  "Sandalwood Academy is the best academy in Sandalwood County, it's my dream place to pursue knowledge, here I can learn what I want." The young man closed his eyes and whispered.

  "My eyes can no longer see anything, it's been a long time since I've seen the blue sky and white clouds, flowers, birds, fish, insects, mountains, rivers, and trees. The impression of everything in the world is becoming increasingly blurred in my mind. Old friend, even your face, I'm about to forget."

  "I have been blind for six years now, and the whole world in my mind has become increasingly blurred."

  "If I don't work hard and study diligently, in the future I will only become a useless person who is not even comparable to an ordinary person. So I want to enter the best school in Tansheng County to pursue my studies."

  "The school motto is: 'Heaven moves strongly, gentlemen should self-strengthen without ceasing; Earth's disposition is receptive, gentlemen should carry things with virtue.'"

  "If a school refuses to admit me just because I am blind, then I have nothing to say..."

  "This is fate!"

  The young man muttered softly, his voice very low, almost inaudible.

  But which school in this world would be willing to admit a blind student?

  For four years, the young man and his old servant traveled thousands of miles, visiting thirty-one academies, only to be met with a single sentence of ridicule from others.

  "A blind man reading books is truly an absurd idea."

  The young man understood, and the old servant also understood, they just didn't want to face this cruel reality.

  Sandalwood Academy is the best academy in all of Sandalwood County and their last stop. To take the entrance exam, one needs a letter of recommendation from either the local government or the local college, which also serves as an exam permit.

  However, there were only twenty places available in the county. To get a recommendation letter from the county, the young man sold his land and house, including his ancestral home, and spent all his family's wealth to obtain a recommendation letter from a greedy official.

  And this is just an opportunity to get into a school.

  For this letter of recommendation, the young man spent all his family's wealth.

  If the school rejects him because of his blindness, he will have nothing and may become a complete waste from then on, a blind man with nothing.

  Sandalwood Academy is the best academy in the entire county, so it will always be different from other academies. This is what young people think and expect.

  Perhaps the school will not refuse him just because he is blind?

  There is always a glimmer of hope in my heart.

  This thread of hope led him to squander his family's wealth on a single gamble.

  The old servant looked at the young man, with an extremely bitter heart, and let out a soft sigh. He then carried the large trunk around the huge rock and walked into the school gate.

  The young man stood quietly under the giant stone, his slender body carrying an iron sword and a broken zither, attracting not a few people's attention, but also without too much concern.

  In front of the school, people come and go, it's quite lively at this time.

  "I heard that the young lady from the Hou Manor is also taking the entrance exam this year."

  "Not bad, Miss Ji has a high talent for the guqin. I heard she's already become a master of it. The sound of her playing is something I've accidentally heard once, and it was truly enchanting, lingering in my ears for three days, making me forget about the taste of meat."

  "Can you afford to listen to the zither played by the young lady of the Hou family? Don't burst your cowhide drum."

  "Who says I haven't heard it before..."

  "Miss Ji is likely to take the top spot on the music chart this time."

  "That's for sure. Among the young generation in Gun Castle, who can surpass Miss Ji on the qin and xiao? Let alone those small places in the 36 counties, it's definitely not possible."

  "Also, I heard that Ning family's young master Ning Zhen is also enrolling this year."

  "Isn't the young master of the Ning family also sixteen this year? And he's a well-known genius in the county town, why is he only enrolling now?"

  "Hehe, because Miss Ji just started school this year."

  "Oh, I see, but there are many young and talented men in the county town who have Miss Ji's attention."

  "That's for sure, Miss Ji is as beautiful as a heavenly being, and that status, that position... tsk tsk..."

  However, Ning family's young master has quite impressive martial arts skills and is exceptionally skilled in archery and horse riding, perhaps he can take two first places.

  It is said that whoever can get the first place in the entrance examination of the Academy is a great talent.

  "That Zhāng Fēi is quite skilled in calligraphy, he might even get first place in the literary exam."

  ……

  About half a watch later, the old servant came out with a large box on his back and said: "Young master, the letter of recommendation has been handed over to the school, this is the examination card. The entrance exam will test the six arts, namely rites, music, archery, charioteering, writing and arithmetic. The exam will start in five days, with one subject per day, and you can enter the exam hall with the exam card at that time."

  The young man nodded, the entrance examination of the academy had always been testing the six arts, this was expected. He took over the exam card handed over by the old servant, touched it, and immediately engraved a few words on it.

  Sandalwood Academy Entrance Exam, Li Tu, First Place.

  The Danxiang Academy is located on the banks of the Wei River a few miles outside the county town, with a vast area of land and numerous buildings, including pavilions, towers, temples, painting galleries, small bridges and flowing water... The environment is elegant and the scenery is beautiful.

  Moreover, on the banks of the Wei River, there is a beautiful scenery, with bamboo buildings rising from the ground, either delicate or majestic, elegant or unique.

  This was built by local farmers and rented specifically to students of the academy to earn money to support their families.

  The old servant rented a small bamboo building with one hall and two rooms on the riverbank more than a mile away from the school.

  The bamboo building is ordinary but built with a unique charm, with a hint of elegance, facing the river and surrounded by elegant and quiet environment.

  A young man sat cross-legged on the corridor of a bamboo building, with an old guqin placed on his knees, facing the gurgling river water, and casually plucked the strings.

  Fingers fell on the strings, and one by one, pleasant notes burst forth, the melody jumping and changing within a wide range of tones. The subtle shifting of fingers between virtual and real sounds, the melody sometimes hidden, sometimes revealed, like the peak of a high mountain shrouded in mist, drifting aimlessly.

  The sound of the qin floated over the bamboo building, floated over the river water, and fell into the young man's heart, like a spring breeze brushing against his face...

  Clear and melodious sounds, lively rhythms, like "Gurgling and tinkling, the cold stream in the depths; clear and refreshing, the fine streams of the pine roots."

  ……

  Inside the bamboo building, an old servant with white hair and a hunched back was cleaning up everything in the room. The rag was constantly wiping between chairs and tables. At this time, it was early spring, the weather was still very cold, but beads of sweat were still dripping down the old servant's face full of wrinkles...

  In the afternoon, inside the bamboo building.

  "It was only when the king established the country, distinguished regions and positions, governed the country through fields and wilderness, set up officials and divided duties, for the benefit of the people. Then he established the heavenly official, the Grand Master, to lead his subordinates, and take charge of national governance, to assist the king in governing the country and managing the officials' affairs. There was one Grand Master, two Junior Masters..."

  The old servant picked up the "Zhou Li" from the Thirteen Classics of Confucianism and began to recite it word by word, his voice was hoarse and unclear but had a unique flavor.

  The young man sat in the chair quietly listening, his expression focused, and he silently recited every word.

  Since the year he was nine, after suddenly losing his sight, the young man could only read books by relying on the old servant to recite them one word at a time. Over these years, the old servant, who originally knew very few characters, had become an old scholar who had read tens of thousands of volumes.

  However, an old servant is still an old servant. No matter how many books he reads, he cannot become a knowledgeable scholar. Many principles in the book cannot be explained, and it is impossible to enlighten and persuade others, but can only serve as the eyes of young people.

  "The Grand Steward's duties, in charge of the six canons for establishing a state, to assist the king in governing the country. Firstly, the canon of governance, to govern the country, to govern officialdom, and to regulate the people. Secondly, the canon of education, to pacify the country, to educate officialdom, and to transform the people..."

  Since going blind, the boy's memory suddenly increased greatly, almost to the point of being able to remember everything he heard. A thousand-word article, as long as he listened to it two or three times, he could recite it back word for word without error. Moreover, his sense of hearing, smell, and touch also became stronger, and he was extremely sensitive to numbers, directions, and distances...

  The thirteen classics of Confucianism, the young man had long been familiar with them and could almost recite them from memory without missing a single word. He could have easily done without the old servant's reading. However, over the years, he had grown accustomed to the old servant's hoarse and mellow voice, which was unique in its own way. Every time he heard this voice, he would calm down, forget all his worries, and focus on his studies.

  "How wonderful it would be if I weren't blind!" The young man always thought this way.

  "If Master were not blind, how wonderful that would be! In the future, he will surely become a peerless national scholar." The old servant always thought so.