劍問蒼天 - 第9章 傳藝 - 翰墨軒

"Idiot!" Tian Lingsu suddenly planted her hands on her hips and cursed. Zhang Qingyue was so taken aback that for a moment he could not speak, only stare blankly at this senior sister of his.

Tian Lingsu, imposing and imperious—very much her mother's daughter—said angrily, "Don't you look at the time, and don't you think of anyone else? If you cut till dark, am I to keep you company till dark too? If you truly want to prove yourself, then from tomorrow on you should strive with all your might and find some way to finish your chore within two hours—not stand there spouting nonsense about cutting till dark!"

No sooner had she spoken than her blade came down, cleaving the air with a "chop chop chop chop" of four strokes, and the bamboo toppled at the sound—leaving Zhang Qingyue staring, eyes wide.

Tian Lingsu glanced at him and said mildly, "Let's go back." And she set off out of the grove. Zhang Qingyue felt shame and chagrin together; in his heart he vowed that in days to come he would throw every ounce of effort into doing his chores well.

By the time he dragged his weary body back to the living quarters on Dazhu Peak, it was already noon. Tian Lingsu walked off without a word toward the back of Shoujing Hall. Zhang Qingyue stood dazed a moment, then moved his aching legs with difficulty toward his own room. At the entrance to the covered corridor, he found Senior Brother Song Dayi standing there.

A faint smile touched Song Dayi's lips. "Well, little junior brother, tired out?"

Zhang Qingyue forced a smile and shook his head.

Seeing that one so young could be so stubborn, Song Dayi could not help but laugh. He walked with him toward his room. "There's usually hot water in the kitchen. From now on, when you come back you can go draw some and wash up first. In a little while it'll be time to eat, so rest for now—I'll come call you. After the meal we still have chores to do."

Zhang Qingyue was startled. "There are chores in the afternoon too?"

Song Dayi blinked at his alarm, then understood and laughed. "Oh, I misspoke. In the afternoon is when the disciples of our branch practice the Daoist arts. From today on, I'll be transmitting some elementary arts to you."

Zhang Qingyue breathed a sigh of relief, thrilled and anxious at once. He asked in a low voice, "Senior brother, are those Daoist arts very formidable? Very hard to learn?"

Song Dayi smiled. "Cultivated to the depths, they are naturally peerlessly formidable. As for whether they're hard to learn, that depends on each person's natural gifts and understanding. But it doesn't matter much if one's gifts are a little poor. You heard what Master said last night: the sea of the Dao has no shore; diligence is the boat. So long as you persevere and train hard, no matter how difficult it is, you can master it."

Zhang Qingyue nodded vigorously.

At noon that day, Tian Buhui asked a few questions about Zhang Qingyue's chores, and Tian Lingsu laid into him with embellishments aplenty, until Zhang Qingyue's face burned red and he dared not lift his head.

Listening to his daughter, Tian Buhui shook his head again and again, and at last waved a hand and said only two words: "Eat."

Tian Buhui simply couldn't be bothered to scold Zhang Qingyue, but in Zhang Qingyue's eyes it seemed that his master cared for him deeply, and that when he himself failed to do well, his master did not rebuke him but showed the greatest magnanimity—truly a rare, gracious teacher in this world. He felt ashamed and did not dare say much, only secretly vowed that he would train hard hereafter to repay his master's kindness.