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墨書 Inktalez
At the end of 2013, after a busy year away, I returned to my hometown to prepare for the New Year. On the first night back, I went to see my master. He was in high spirits that day, and we talked a lot and drank a lot. He shared with me the loneliness and hardships he faced when he was young, while I opened up about my own struggles and frustrations as a young person. Eventually, our conversation turned to the future of Qiaoling. I expressed my unwillingness to see Qiaoling fade away after me.
My master, slightly intoxicated, squinted at me and said, "Brat, before I met you, I had already planned to let Qiaoling die with me. Your Grandmaster once told me that our small school is mostly passed down in single lines. It’s already remarkable that we have managed to carry it on for so many generations. The times are increasingly not allowing us to grow and develop. If fate allows, if you can take on another disciple, it would be a fulfilling conclusion; at least we would have continued into the twenty-first century."
My master often mentioned Grandmaster to me, though I had never met him. At that moment, I asked a question that had been on my mind: why do we have a rule that prohibits living masters from taking on disciples?
He looked at me and took a sip of his drink before responding, "Are you thinking of taking on a disciple? You don’t have that kind of fate."
I quickly shook my head. "No, not at all. I'm just curious about why we have this rule."
My master took another large gulp of his drink, cleared his throat, and said seriously, "Actually, there wasn’t this rule before. But during your Grandmaster's Grandmaster's time, something happened that led to the establishment of this rule."
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t press further because I knew my master's temperament; if he wanted to share something, he would do so in his own time. If he didn’t want to talk about it, asking wouldn’t help.
After saying that, my master looked at me again. He patted my shoulder and said, "You've grown up; you can handle things on your own now. There are some things I didn’t tell you before, but today I can finally share them with you."
I straightened up immediately and sat up straight like a soldier at attention. Although I could be playful and sometimes a bit careless, I understood when it was time to joke and when it was time to be serious without any sloppiness.
I lifted half a bowl of Rice Wine and clinked it with my master's before downing it in one go. "Master, please speak. I'm listening," I said respectfully.
After finishing his drink, my master began telling me the story of my Grandmaster's Grandmaster.
My Grandmaster's Grandmaster lived during the late Qing Dynasty; for simplicity's sake, let's call him Grandmaster. At that time, society was tumultuous and the Qing government was on the verge of collapse. Many passionate youths were joining the revolution; however, most people's thoughts were still quite conservative. While they raised slogans about learning from foreign powers and adopting their technologies, they also fostered a group of opportunists among them—one of whom was Grandmaster's senior brother.
In those chaotic times marked by wars and foreign invasions leading to territorial losses and reparations imposed on China by foreign powers, the national economy plummeted sharply. Taxes were burdensome, making life very difficult for ordinary people.
Grandmaster had three disciples; he was the youngest among them. His second senior brother died tragically during a job gone wrong. During those times when everyone struggled just to fill their stomachs, there were very few jobs available; even when there were jobs, they only offered minimal rewards—just a few measures of rice or bundles of firewood. A saying circulated back then: "Teach your disciples well and starve yourself."
This profession relied not on brute strength or youth but on accumulation and experience over time. Therefore, Grandmaster's senior brother couldn’t endure such hard times; despite having learned many skills, he found no opportunity to apply them. He had no choice but to leave home in search of better prospects elsewhere. No one knew where he went; however, three years later, he returned to the school—and brought someone back with him.
When that person returned, he was called Grandmaster Shifu, clearly a disciple taken in by his eldest brother.
According to the eldest brother, that person was exceptionally intelligent and kind-hearted, with a high level of comprehension. He was well-suited for the sect's legacy. Grandmaster's master had not seen the Eldest Disciple for a long time, so his sudden return was undoubtedly a great joy. He had no objections to the disciple introduced by the eldest brother; in his own words, "The master opens the door, but the cultivation is up to the individual."
The nominal three generations of master and disciples were particularly happy that day. Besides bringing back a disciple, the eldest brother also brought back a lot of liquor. It was the first time Grandmaster and his master drank liquor together, and that night they both got thoroughly drunk. Meanwhile, the eldest brother and his disciple remained sober. That very night, less than 24 hours after their return, the eldest brother and his disciple took advantage of Grandmaster and his master being intoxicated to leave under the cover of darkness. In their departure, they took everything of value from his master's room, even some important legacy items.
By the time the two masters woke up the next day, the eldest brother and his disciple had already left. The room was in disarray. Upon realizing this, they understood that their purpose for returning was not to perform a ceremony or visit but rather to plunder. Grandmaster's master was immediately furious and ordered Grandmaster to chase after them toward the county town to bring them back. At that time, there were no means of transportation; they could only rely on foot travel, so they couldn't have gone far.
Grandmaster understood that his master must have some means to retrieve the eldest brother, which is why he sent him to pursue them without hesitation. Still under the haze of alcohol, he ran out in pursuit. At that moment, Grandmaster's master took out a personal item belonging to the eldest brother along with a Birth Chart and summoned Five Spirits to go after them.
At that time, betraying one's sect was considered a grave offense; it was a disgrace for the entire sect and an embarrassment for all Grandmasters involved. It was also seen as a personal failure for those directly involved. Five Spirits rarely engaged in combat but were not above it either; given Grandmaster's high level of cultivation and his fury, they would not hold back.
The summoned elite Five Spirits quickly tracked down the eldest brother and his disciple.
Although the eldest brother had entered the sect first, he had the lowest level of cultivation. He was personally unambitious and careless about learning methods that could quickly make him wealthy through Feng Shui practices. After spending years away from home, he had forgotten much of what he once knew. When Five Spirits caught up with them, he didn't even put up a fight before being knocked down by them. However, his nominal disciple was different; not only did he avoid being defeated by Five Spirits, but he also managed to injure one of them. Although he himself did not fare well in that encounter, at least during that bout of magic combat, he managed to drive away Five Spirits.
When Grandmaster's master received news from Five Spirits upon their return, he was greatly surprised. He couldn't believe that his Eldest Disciple possessed such abilities. Moreover, Five Spirits' reports pointed directly at that nominal disciple of the eldest brother.
Later on, due to injuries sustained by Grandmaster's eldest brother making him unable to move quickly, it wasn't long before Grandmaster caught up with him. Grandmaster was also hot-tempered and impulsive; fortunately, he was quite robust from years of farm work at home. Without saying a word, he charged over and gave that disciple a beating before bringing back his eldest brother.
However, that Thief Apprentice managed to escape with some belongings.
Upon returning to the sect, Grandmaster's master exorcised evil spirits from the eldest brother and lifted any seals placed upon him before deciding to expel him from the sect.
Being expelled from a sect at that time was considered a significant disgrace; it meant one would essentially be unable to survive in that area—one could say it was akin to being treated like a rat in the street.
The eldest brother came from poverty; during his youth, his father died from hunger. His mother was ill and unable to support him alone. Thus, he was sent under his master's care to be raised by him. His master essentially became like a second set of parents for him. However, he was inherently unwilling to work diligently and always dreamed of achieving success overnight. When working independently, he often demanded exorbitant prices for his services, leading to a tarnished reputation while refusing agricultural work. Gradually, no one wanted to hire him for resolving Ghostly Affairs in that area anymore. Ultimately, he was forced to leave home in search of opportunities as he claimed existed elsewhere.
After the Eldest Senior Brother was healed, he realized that his sins were unforgivable. He knelt on the ground for a long time, heart-wrenchingly pleading to atone for his mistakes. He knew where that person lived and vowed to retrieve the lost treasures of their sect. He promised never to act recklessly again and to focus on his cultivation. With the Grandmaster's intercession, the Master ultimately set aside his grievances and allowed him to take the Grandmaster along to recover the lost legacies of their sect.
Not only did the Master soften his heart and agree, but he also provided nearly all of his money as travel and accommodation expenses for them to reclaim what rightfully belonged to their sect.
That evening, the two brothers left their sect with a single-minded purpose: to find the Eldest Senior Brother's Thief Apprentice.
The Grandmaster was inherently naive. Years of training in the Dao had led him to see everyone as a good person, and he rarely ventured far from home. Thus, his understanding of the outside world was almost non-existent.
So, he followed his once-playful and nurturing Eldest Senior Brother into the county town. At that time, being young, the Grandmaster was accustomed to listening to his Master when present and deferring to his Senior Brother in his absence. Because of this, not only did the Grandmaster fail to recover their sect's treasures, but he also fell victim to a trick played by the Eldest Senior Brother whom he had always admired.
The Eldest Senior Brother led him around the county town for a long time before entering a small courtyard. He instructed the Grandmaster to knock on the door. When someone inside opened it, the Eldest Senior Brother pushed him from behind, collaborating with those inside to capture and bind the Grandmaster.
It was only at that moment that the Grandmaster realized everything was a deception—a complex trap. He cursed his Eldest Senior Brother repeatedly, struggled fiercely, and begged for mercy, but they ignored him completely. They had their own agenda and would stop at nothing to achieve it. Their plan was well-crafted and meticulous; even the Thief Apprentice was prepared and unafraid of the Five Spirits.
Of course, their goal was not merely to deceive the Grandmaster into coming over and binding him; it was for something else—an ancient artifact that remained in their Master's possession. They kidnapped the Grandmaster with the intent of obtaining that item.
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