In the morning sunlight.
Yanling Ghost King saw the boats shuttling at the ferry and heard the rope-pulling shouts of the boatn. On the side of the road, there was a writing stall, next to which stood a middle-aged man with the appearance of a fallen scholar, holding a book and reciting:
"Three cups betray promise, the Five Peaks beco light.
After dizziness and heat, the spirits soar..."
His voice and verses caused the listeners around to beco deeply entranced, as a sense of heroism unknowingly surged in their hearts.
Until the scholar finally recited:
"Though dead, the hero’s bones are fragrant, not ashad of world heroes!
Who can write under one’s na, gray-haired..."
"Clap clap clap!"
"Good! Good poem—"
The scholar sighed, and before he could finish reciting the last three words of the poem, the crowd was already applauding in excitent.
So were not only excited but trembled all over.
Another, seemingly familiar with the poem, loudly interjected: "Who can write under one’s na, gray-haired Supre Mysterious Scripture! Mr. Luo, what is the ’Supre Mysterious Scripture’?"
The middle-aged scholar held the book, with paper spread out on the stall before him.
His face bore traces of hardship, his chin had a short beard, yet he calmly answered the questioning voices: "The ’Supre Mysterious Scripture’ is written by the Western Han sage Yang Xiong.
This scripture mirrors Zhou Yi, vast and profound, observing the tis, exploring the great path..."
He spoke eloquently, explaining the ’Supre Mysterious Scripture’, but it was like playing the lute to a cow as the crowd was uninterested in the obscure scriptures.
The crowd urged impatiently: "Mr. Luo, we don’t understand this ’Supre Mysterious Scripture’, tell us more about the story of the knight and the Beast Creation!"
"Exactly, exactly, what ’Supre Mysterious Scripture’, we aren’t seeking official titles, it gives us headaches, stories are interesting..."
The crowd caused a commotion, and the middle-aged scholar Mr. Luo, unable to resist, flipped through a few pages of his book and began to narrate:
"Speaking of our Jichuan County in Yunjiang Prefecture, there is a scholar nad Chen Xu..."
Yunjiang Prefecture, Chen Xu!
Yanling Ghost King, upon hearing this, was deeply moved by that poem of Knight’s Journey, and now felt as if an invisible thunderbolt had struck him from head to toe.
As a ghost, his chest was cold, his heart didn’t beat like a living person.
Yet, the poem truly struck with each word and sentence in his heart, even making him feel as if his heart was beating.
He ca to the mortal world at midnight, passing by the village at the foot of the mountain.
Initially, hearing the illicit coupling of lovers, he didn’t want to ddle. Later, as he heard of their sinister intent to harm the lawful spouse, Yanling Ghost King acted on impulse, no longer tolerant.
He punished the two evil individuals, left the village feeling relieved.
In doing so, Yanling Ghost King rely acted casually, not realizing he did any kind of good deed.
He just saw sothing unpleasant on the roadside and casually removed it.
Unexpectedly, he ca to Langfeng Ferry. Untouched by mortal clamor, he first heard the line "Ten Steps Kill One"!
At that mont, Yanling Ghost King felt as if so marvelous emotion had hit his heart.
What was it?
He remained silent for a mont, listening quietly from the crowd.
He heard the middle-aged scholar passionately narrate the story of the Beast Creation, and the crowd excitedly applauded:
"Good! Well-killed, such vile thieves are not fit to be called humans, deserve to die!"
"Unbelievable, there is such a strange thing as Beast Creation in this world. It’s terrifying that a perfectly good human can be transford into a pig, cow, dog, or sheep by an evil technique."
"Henceforth, when we see soone selling cows and sheep at the market, we must demand that the vendor water the livestock abundantly, or we won’t buy!"
"Exactly, exactly, that’s right, that’s how we should act..."
"If we act like this, we can save so unfortunate people ensnared by the Beast Creation Technique, wouldn’t that make us knights, upholding justice?"
Upon hearing this, the crowd imdiately began to imagine.
A boy, seemingly disheveled like a ruffian, said: "Do we really need the Beast Creation Technique to uphold justice? My neighbor next door is a scoundrel with no abilities, gambling and drinking every day.
When he loses at gambling and gets drunk, he returns ho not beating his mother but his wife and children.
Oh, what misery his family suffers, his father died early, he was raised by his mother.
In the end, he got married, had a grandson, yet becos despicable.
Guess what I did to him?"
The crowd, loving gossip, imdiately perked up and asked: "So, what happened? Did you intervene and beat him up?"
The ruffian boy laughed: "What’s the use of a beating? I broke the scoundrel’s leg! The kind that doesn’t heal."
I dare him to go to the gambling den again, dare him to get drunk and think he’s a king, haha, I’m his daddy!"
The crowd roared in applause.
"Ge Xiao Er, never expected you were such a..."
Soone gave a thumbs up to the boy.
The boy proudly puffed his chest and said: "Thanks to you, my neighbors for holding in high regard. Though I don’t like doing serious things, I won’t do bad things either.
If I can’t be like the knights in the stories, killing one in ten steps, burning human demons, and being sung throughout the land.
But, I, Ge Xiao Er, declare here now, when witnessing any evil acts, any injustice that is within reach, I will intervene."
"Good!"
The crowd imdiately applauded and cheered: "Isn’t this upholding justice?"
"Well done! Ge Xiao Er."
In the crowd, the boy stood proudly.
The middle-aged scholar by the ferry quickly took up his brush and ink and began to write vigorously on the paper.
Curiously, others asked: "Mr. Luo, what are you writing?"
The middle-aged scholar said: "I am heading to Pingyang City for the imperial examination, though I write letters for the villagers along the way to make so money, I also docunt the sights and stories.
This young hero Ge’s act of justice is certainly noteworthy."
Ge Xiao Er was elated at being called "young hero", feeling as if he was flying in the sky.
He was always aimless, chased by his parents, despised by neighbors, never imagining he would be called "young hero" one day?
And now, not only is soone calling him a young hero, this person is a scholar going for the imperial examination, claiming to record his deeds in writing.
Does this imply that Ge Xiao Er might beco famous like the knight in the Beast Creation story, known and sung by people across the world?
Ge Xiao Er laughed heartily, as if drunk, saying: "What’s an occasional act of justice? From now on, I will, I will uphold justice daily..."
By the ferry, the crowd erupted once more with applause like a storm.
The bustling noise resembled drumbeats.
Yanling Ghost King placed his cold hand on his chest, seemingly hearing the drumbeats within himself.
"Yunjiang Prefecture, Jichuan County, Chen Xu, Brother Chen..."
The Ghost King exclaid.
"Knight’s Journey, I should be like that too!"
He laughed loudly, walking toward the ferry in the morning sunlight, the long river flowing mighty.
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