Chapter 034｜The Starry Night

After an hour, Li Jing finally gave a rough account of the journey, naturally omitting his affair with Meiniang. As they listened, the group sighed at the unpredictability of life. Monk Xuyun admired Xie Kangtu deeply, Yuan Shoucheng was fascinated by Hua Qingfeng's mechanical skills, and Wende held boundless respect for the Fisherwoman of Wushan.

After hearing the story, Sun Simiao said calmly, "Though fate plays a role, human effort also matters. Fate accounts for seven parts, and human effort for three. If those three parts are used well, the situation can change. Currently, Liang is in a precarious position, with seven-tenths of it swallowed up, and the remaining three-tenths depend on Lord Wen. Although the Wen family was not of noble lineage, their deep-rooted influence over generations should not be underestimated. Chen relies on the natural barrier of the great river, boasting a strong and wealthy nation. Yet, its ruler sends generals to hunt down a young girl—such a ruler lacks virtue and will surely fall sooner or later. General Han, a tiger of his time, is a master strategist. If he conquers Jiankang and unites the north and south, he may achieve unparalleled feats."

Guxing, already full, walked over to Yuan Ji and rubbed against him affectionately. Yuan Ji's eyes softened as he clasped his hands toward Sun Simiao and said, "General Han sent Brother Li to escort Guxing to Sichuan to find you, hoping you would take Guxing as your disciple. Since meeting Guxing in Wanchuan, I've felt a deep connection. Guxing has also grown close to me along the way. I've wandered half my life without a child, and Shoucheng has devoted himself to Taoism, never marrying or having children. The Yuan family line is at risk. I beg you, Master Sun, to allow Guxing to be adopted into the Yuan family and continue our lineage."

Sun Simiao replied, "Guxing is of royal blood, but the current emperor and empress do not tolerate outsiders. Many skilled individuals have died or been injured along the way. That's why I asked your brothers and Monk Xuyun to deliver my letter to Prince Guangping, explaining that if Guxing is to live in peace, he must live in seclusion; otherwise, he will face mortal danger. General Yang, who has guarded the emperor for years, is a trusted confidant. His return to Chang'an to report indicates that the emperor has no other choice. Since Brother Yuan has bonded well with Guxing, I will make the decision: Guxing will take the Yuan surname, and I will inform General Han. From now on, there will be no more Ouyang Guxing, only Gu... However, the name 'Guxing' might need to be changed—it sounds a bit sorrowful."

Yuan Ji was overjoyed, and Yuan Shoucheng was equally delighted. Monk Xuyun downed a cup of wine and laughed, "The name 'Guxing' is indeed unsuitable. How about 'Liuyun' (Flowing Cloud)? That way, I'm Xuyun (Empty Cloud), and he's Liuyun—both flying in the sky, like brothers."

Yuan Ji ignored him and bowed to Sun Simiao, "Please, Master Sun, bestow a name."

At that moment, a meteor streaked across the night sky. In the northeast, the Big Dipper shone brightly, its stars connected like a wine dipper. Sun Simiao stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the stars, and said, "The seven stars of the Big Dipper are called the Northern Dipper. The first star represents heaven, the second earth, the third humanity, the fourth time, the fifth music, the sixth law, and the seventh stars. Brother Yuan, you took the character 'Ji' (玑), which represents humanity, numerology, and fortune. Look, the handle of the Dipper points north, known as 'Tiangang' (Heavenly Stem). Since Guxing was born in the north, I name him 'Yuan Tiangang.' What do you all think?"

Everyone clapped in approval. Yuan Ji led Guxing to kneel before Sun Simiao and said, "From now on, you are Yuan Tiangang. Tiangang, bow to your master."

Guxing bowed three times and said clearly, "Thank you, Master, for bestowing this name! From now on, I am Yuan Tiangang. I will honor my parents, respect my teachers, and live up to the expectations of the Yuan family and my master."

Sun Simiao picked him up, held him in his arms, and gazed into his eyes. "Tiangang, you are still young. First, return to Chengdu with your father. I will visit you often. You will begin by studying numerology, then medicine, and also learn self-defense and health preservation. Once you've mastered these, your elder brother may need your assistance." With that, he glanced at Li Jing.

Li Jing felt relieved and immediately bowed. "Thank you, Master Sun. I am overjoyed that Guxing—now Tiangang—has met such a great teacher. My mission is complete, and I must return to Luzhou to report to my uncle..."

Sun Simiao smiled. "There's no rush to return to Luzhou. I will send a letter to General Han explaining the situation. Since ancient times, Sichuan has been home to many extraordinary individuals. This trip to Sichuan was not easy for you, and now that you're here, you shouldn't leave empty-handed. Take these individuals before you, for example: the Yuan brothers are masters of esoteric arts, Monk Xuyun is a great metallurgist, Brother Zhen is skilled in medicine, and Wende excels in multiple fields. If you can learn even a little from them, it will be a rare opportunity. Moreover, you are the third in your family, and these are all your elders. Calling you 'little brother' no longer seems appropriate—'Third Brother' sounds more fitting."

Li Jing bowed in agreement. Monk Xuyun said, "In truth, our skills are nothing compared to Master Sun's. Third Brother, why don't you spend a few months working as a blacksmith with me? It'll toughen you up."

Yuan Shoucheng added, "This wine-loving monk does have some real skills, though he rarely teaches them. How about this: Third Brother, stay here and learn for now. After the New Year, come to Chengdu to find us. We may not be masters, but we know a thing or two about swordsmanship and martial arts. We can also teach you how to train pigeons..."

Sun Simiao's eyes lit up. "Brother Shoucheng, have you mastered the art of pigeon messaging?"

Yuan Shoucheng scratched his head and said sheepishly, "To be honest, I'm not quite there yet... The pigeons can find their way home, but they often deliver messages to the wrong places."

Sun Simiao stroked his beard and sat quietly, gazing at the starry sky. After a long while, he said, "If you two can train pigeons to deliver messages over long distances, it could change the course of wars."

When Li Jing was in the military, Han Qinhu had explained to him the methods of transmitting information. Typically, the army relied on scouts who delivered military reports and letters via fast horses. In the northern plains, they could cover hundreds of miles in a day, but in the south and mountainous regions, the terrain made travel difficult, sometimes limiting progress to just a few dozen miles a day. The distance and effort aside, if scouts encountered enemy ambushes, military orders, reports, and dispatches could be delayed or intercepted, directly affecting the outcome of battles. If pigeons could be trained to deliver messages, covering thousands of miles in a day, it would indeed change the tide of war—and with it, the fate of the world.

Yuan Shoucheng said, "Legend has it that when Su Wu was herding sheep in the northern deserts, the Xiongnu chieftain refused to let him return to Han, claiming he was dead. During Emperor Zhao's reign, the envoy Chang Hui claimed that the Han emperor had found a letter from Su Wu tied to the foot of a wild goose that had been shot down. The letter stated that Su Wu was herding sheep by the North Sea. The chieftain had no choice but to release Su Wu. If wild geese can deliver messages, surely pigeons can too..."

Sun Simiao shook his head gently. "That was Chang Hui's clever ploy, not an actual case of wild geese delivering messages. Wild geese migrate with the seasons, so it's possible Su Wu tied a letter to one, but how could that goose have flown straight to the Shanglin Garden? Such an occurrence is one in a thousand, and Su Wu couldn't have tied letters to a thousand geese. However, wild geese do migrate south in autumn and north in spring. If we study the habits of birds closely, we might indeed find a way to use them for messaging."

Yuan Shoucheng seemed enlightened and bowed. "Thank you, Master Sun, for your guidance. I have hundreds of pigeons at home. I will return tomorrow and study them carefully. Tiangang, you must assist your uncle."

Li Jing suddenly remembered an incident at Nanchao when Zhen Shicheng released a pigeon and later met Master Sengcan at Liucun Ferry. He recounted this detail. Yuan Shoucheng listened intently and said to Zhen Quan, "Brother Zhen, so your uncle trained messenger pigeons! I'll go find him tomorrow!"

Zhen Quan was puzzled. "As far as I know, my uncle never raised pigeons. How could he have trained messenger pigeons?"

Sun Simiao said, "It's likely not your uncle who trained the pigeons, but Master Sengcan. Brother Shoucheng, when you train pigeons, do they always find their way home, no matter how far you take them?"

Yuan Shoucheng nodded repeatedly. "Exactly. But if I take them to Langzhong, they won't come back."

Sun Simiao said, "Pigeons may have extraordinary memory, or perhaps there is something within them that we don't yet understand—something that helps them navigate using the sun and moon as references. However, the fact that the pigeons could find Master Sengcan, who moves unpredictably, rather than returning home directly, is truly perplexing."

Wende, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "Perhaps Master Sengcan, who practices medicine and helps people in the Luzhou area, and your uncle, who works as a boatman in Nanchao, had an agreement to support each other. Maybe their pigeons were trained for short-distance messaging within a specific region and wouldn't work over longer distances."

Sun Simiao looked at him and nodded approvingly. "Wende makes an excellent point. We won't know for sure until we meet Master Sengcan..."

Yuan Shoucheng was already itching to leave. He stood up and said, "Brother, take Tiangang home first. I'm going to Mount Sikong to meet Master Sengcan..." With that, he bowed to Sun Simiao and left the courtyard. Soon, the sound of a horse neighing could be heard outside as he rode away.

Sun Simiao stroked his beard and smiled. "Shoucheng is impulsive, but he never delays when it comes to important matters. If we all approached our studies with such dedication, there would be no field of knowledge we couldn't master."

Li Jing listened, feeling a sense of enlightenment.

The next morning, Sun Simiao and Yuan Ji took Yuan Tiangang back to Chengdu. Li Jing saw them off at the gate, reluctant to part.

Sun Simiao said, "Third Brother, though you've endured a thousand miles of hardship, you're still not fully tempered. I want you to learn sword forging from Monk Xuyun to refine your character and gain skills for future use. As for General Han, I will send him a letter."

Li Jing had no desire to learn sword forging, but he couldn't refuse Sun Simiao's earnest request. However, what followed was beyond his expectations, and he deeply regretted not leaving Langzhong earlier.

At first, Monk Xuyun treated Li Jing with great courtesy, arranging for him to share a room with Wende and providing lavish meals daily. But after ten days, Xuyun's demeanor changed. He made Li Jing wear coarse clothing and put him to work in the smithy.

Xuyun's smithy was located in the backyard, consisting of five rooms: a wood storage, a material storage, a furnace room, a water room, and a meditation room. The wood storage held firewood and charcoal, the material storage contained raw materials like iron, copper, tin, and lead, the furnace room housed the furnace, crucibles, and bellows, and the water room had casting molds, quenching pools, and finishing tables. Strangely, Xuyun had a dedicated meditation room for himself and the craftsmen, where they would meditate and purify themselves before and after forging.

Initially, Li Jing worked alongside Wende and a few craftsmen, mainly identifying materials and preparing mixtures. Since gold was extremely valuable, Xuyun handled it personally, adding it only when necessary. Other materials like copper, iron, and tin were taken from the storage and melted in the crucible according to strict proportions. Melting was a delicate process, requiring the ability to judge the heat by the color of the flames and the metal. After multiple meltings, the molten metal was poured into molds to cool and solidify into blanks. These blanks were then repeatedly heated, hammered, and quenched in the water room. After repeated forging and refinement, the sword was fitted with a hilt, a scabbard, and decorations, completing the process.

However, this process was grueling. A single mistake could ruin the entire effort. Wende had mastered the art, but even he had to reforge two or three out of every ten swords. As an apprentice, Li Jing often faced Xuyun's harsh scolding and was frequently punished with tasks like cleaning slag, chopping wood, carrying water, or sweeping the floor. Sometimes, he had to operate the bellows for hours on end. Under such labor, Li Jing no longer resembled a young nobleman. His coarse clothes were riddled with burn holes from flying sparks, and he sweated through his clothes a dozen times a day. At first, he gritted his teeth and endured, dreaming of escape, but gradually he grew accustomed to it, feeling an endless reserve of energy.

Three months passed. The New Year had come and gone, and spring was beginning to warm Sichuan. One day, Xuyun called everyone to the meditation room and instructed the craftsmen to collect the urine and fat of five animals: ox, sheep, pig, dog, and chicken. After the craftsmen left, Xuyun closed the door and mysteriously brought out several ingots of gold and a piece of raw iron with spiral patterns. "Wende, Third Brother, guess what this is."

Wende felt the heavy iron piece and said after a while, "Master, is this ancient divine iron?"

Xuyun handed it to Li Jing. Li Jing reached out to take it, but the iron was unexpectedly heavy. He had to squat to hold it, nearly straining his back.

Xuyun said, "This is Damascus steel from the kingdom of Jibin in the Western Regions. It's extremely rare, and I went to great lengths to acquire this piece. This steel is incredibly difficult to melt, and during quenching, it requires the urine and fat of five animals. Only by using both liquids can the steel achieve the perfect balance of hardness and flexibility, making it unbreakable and capable of cutting through iron like mud."

Li Jing asked, "Master, why use the urine of five animals for quenching?"

Xuyun explained, "In the past, there was a master blacksmith named Qiwu Huaiwen who served as an official in Xinzhou and created the 'Su Iron Method.' Initially, he used cold water for quenching, but the better the steel, the more prone it was to breaking. One day, in frustration, he threw a newly forged knife into a cattle pen. The pen was large, housing oxen, sheep, pigs, dogs, and chickens, so the ground was covered in their waste. The next day, remembering the effort he had put into the knife, he retrieved it and reforged it. To his surprise, the knife became both hard and flexible, capable of piercing ten layers of armor."

Wende said, "So, the urine of the five animals makes the steel harder during quenching, while their fat makes it more flexible and unbreakable."

Xuyun shook his head. "The urine cools the steel faster, making it harder, while the fat makes it more flexible and prevents it from breaking. Qiwu Huaiwen stumbled upon this by accident, but I've spent years refining the technique."

Li Jing felt dizzy trying to follow but did as Xuyun instructed, placing the iron into the crucible along with high-quality charcoal and dry wood. He stoked the furnace with the bellows, but after a long time, the iron still hadn't melted. Beads of sweat formed on Xuyun's bald head, and even the usually calm Wende looked anxious.

Xuyun ordered Li Jing to bring out dusty leather bellows. Made of ox hide, they bulged like sails. Li Jing and Wende operated two bellows, pushing and pulling with all their might. The flames roared, and the crucible sizzled as Xuyun carefully added gold, copper, and tin. Finally, the iron began to melt, but the crucible was on the verge of cracking. The three men, stripped to the waist, were drenched in sweat.

By then, the craftsmen had returned with the animal urine and fat. Xuyun had them prepare the quenching liquids, and the four of them used iron rods to tilt the crucible and pour the molten metal into the sword mold. Li Jing noticed that the amount of molten metal was just enough to fill the mold, which struck him as remarkable.

Once the blank had cooled, Xuyun personally controlled the heat, reheating it in the furnace until it glowed red. He then quenched it in the animal urine, reheated it, and quenched it again in the animal fat. This process was repeated to remove impurities and shape the sword. As Li Jing worked, he heard the rooster's crow and realized it was already dawn.

However, when Xuyun tried to attach the hilt, he found a small gap that wouldn't close no matter how much he hammered. Xuyun clasped his hands in prayer and said to Li Jing, "This sword is no ordinary weapon. It may require the blood of a living being to complete. Third Brother, use your blood to seal the hilt." He instructed Wende to stoke the furnace and reheat the sword. When the blade glowed uniformly, Xuyun placed it on the anvil. Li Jing drew a short knife from his leg and cut his left middle finger, letting the blood drip into the gap. With a sizzle, smoke rose from the sword, and a burnt smell filled the air. Xuyun seized the moment, hammering evenly until the gap miraculously closed.

The sword was complete. Xuyun wiped his sweat with his sleeve and led Li Jing and Wende into the courtyard. He had Wende bring out armor, which they tied to a tree in fifteen layers. With a shout, Xuyun thrust the sword forward. The blade pierced through all fifteen layers and embedded itself deep into the tree trunk. Wende peeled back the armor, revealing the sword's tip protruding from the other side. Xuyun sighed, "Qiwu Huaiwen's finest blades could pierce ten layers of armor. This sword has pierced fifteen with ease—it is truly a masterpiece of our time!"

As the sky brightened, only one star remained visible in the east. Xuyun solemnly handed the sword to Li Jing. "Third Brother, this sword is yours. Take it." Li Jing knelt and accepted the sword, feeling its weight. He was at a loss for words, his eyes filled with gratitude.

Wende congratulated him, saying, "This sword will help you uphold justice and achieve great deeds. Such a masterpiece deserves a name. Master, please bestow one."

Xuyun gazed at the morning star and said after a long pause, "The star hangs over the plains, shining alone for eternity. Third Brother, Tiangang was once named Guxing (Lone Star), perhaps because Lord Ouyang had deeper intentions. Like this star, though it shines alone, its light illuminates the world. Let this sword be called 'Guxing.'"

Li Jing bowed deeply, holding the sword. In his heart, the sword carried profound meaning. It was not only a symbol of Tiangang but also a beacon of light, shining brightly for all to see.