Chapter Eighty-Eight: Recruitment

Runzhou.

The night passed in silence.

At dawn the next day, Kong Sheng rose early and kept to his morning training.

In truth, it was nothing more than simple physical exercise. Since he was unfamiliar with the city, he did not go out for a run. Instead, he stood on the snow in the inn’s courtyard and, amid the whirling flakes, practiced a round of swordplay and then did more than two hundred textbook-perfect push-ups. By such monotonous and wearisome persistence, he sought to preserve his vigor and the keen responsiveness of his body.

Mu Changfeng, wrapped in a light fur cloak, gazed at Kong Sheng in the yard as he moved with meticulous precision, his seriousness almost taking on the air of devotion, and his expression showed a trace of admiration. He had practiced martial arts since childhood, and in these years of roaming the martial world he had seen all kinds of people, yet this was the first time he had ever seen such extraordinary perseverance and willpower in a scholar.

This young man was uncanny in wisdom, steadfast in spirit, and accomplished in both letters and martial arts; when the winds of fortune converged, he would soar at once and become a dragon.

Mu Changfeng’s feelings grew more and more complicated. At first, he had followed by Kong Sheng’s side merely to honor a promise, and because that promise had been forced upon him, there had still been some unwillingness and resentment in his heart. But as time passed and his understanding of Kong Sheng deepened, he gradually came to be conquered by Kong Sheng’s personal charm.

The Wu brothers rubbed the sleep from their eyes and, with outer garments thrown over their shoulders, stepped out of their room, taking in the scene of Kong Sheng’s morning practice. They exchanged a glance, and each read the other’s strong shock. An intuition within them grew ever more intense: this journey of Kong Sheng’s to Suiyang to take office would surely lead to earthshaking deeds.

In their eyes, Kong Sheng was becoming ever more inscrutable. Who could know what formidable power was hidden within that apparently slender body?

At that moment, the onlookers to Kong Sheng’s morning training were not only Mu Changfeng and Wu Xian and Wu Jie, but also the young nobleman Li Xuan, together with his three attendants, who were staying at the same inn in another bamboo pavilion, as well as a number of other travelers.

Li Xuan stood motionless before the railing. Letting the cold wind brush his slightly reddened, delicate face, his eyes showed faint astonishment.

Could it really be the “Jiangnan talent Kong Sheng” he had encountered by chance yesterday at Xiangwu Pavilion?

Awakened by the noise from the courtyard, he had gotten out of bed just in time to see Kong Sheng leap and spin as he practiced swordplay. The sword technique Kong Sheng used was the profound and exquisite Heavenly Purity wondrous art passed down by Sima Chengzhen. After persevering in practice for so long, every movement had been polished by Kong Sheng to a high degree of mastery, and every detail corrected to the last hair’s breadth, reaching a perfection beyond criticism. When the entire sword form was performed, the motions flowed smoothly and in one continuous breath, leaving even Li Xuan, himself a master swordsman, unable to find the slightest fault.

All things come from familiarity and practice. No matter one’s talent, with unrelenting perseverance one will eventually achieve brilliance. By now Kong Sheng had gradually met the standard Sima Chengzhen had once demanded of him, blending internal energy work into the dance of the sword. The adjustment of his channels and the circulation of inner force accompanied the rhythm of each move, ceaselessly cycling, again and again.

As he wielded the sword, Kong Sheng could clearly sense a tremendous force ready to burst forth at the tip of the blade, only temporarily held in check, as though the moment had not yet come. He had a powerful premonition that given time, he would be able to strike out sword energy like the sword heroes of martial fiction, injuring people from afar without leaving a trace.

It was an exceedingly mysterious sensation.

A rascal who knows martial arts is impossible to stop. So what of a scholar who knows martial arts?

Li Xuan’s attendant Li An came near and said softly, “My lord.”

Without turning around, Li Xuan replied indifferently, “Li An, this Kong Sheng truly excels in both letters and martial arts. No wonder rumors throughout Jiangnan say that his great natural strength made him always fond of brawling and rough play. Yet somehow, he suddenly transformed from a street loafer into a peerless talent. There must be some hidden reason behind it, though unfortunately we have no time to investigate.”

Li An curled his lip. “My lord, his swordsmanship is nothing but flashy but hollow posing. What is there to admire?”

“No, you are mistaken. His swordsmanship has already entered the hall of mastery. Still, mere swordsmanship is not frightening. If he truly is as the rumors say, possessing strength comparable to that of the late Prince Wei Huai, Xuanba, and can apply that power within swordsmanship, then he would be extremely formidable indeed, with the valor to stand against ten thousand men, a true enemy of a thousand armies.” Li Xuan’s voice, at first exceedingly soft, gradually rose in pitch.

A mere scholar, a beardless youth, could become a foe to ten thousand? Li An would never believe it, even if beaten to death.

Though inwardly unconvinced, Li An knew very well that his young master came from a noble line, had studied under renowned masters since childhood, and was proficient in martial arts and horsemanship alike, highly trusted by the Prince of Guo. The very fact that Li Ju had entrusted him with the secret mission of going south to Jiangnan to gather and transport grain and supplies was proof enough.

This was a young master of considerable authority and influence. Li An did not dare oppose him, and so could only probe cautiously. “My lord, after entering the city yesterday, this servant looked into his background. He is from the Kong clan of Jiangnan; his father and grandfather both once held office in the court. But in the last two years the family fortunes declined, and now only he remains, living in the residence of Yang Qi, the Jiangnan Commissioner. In Jiangning he is famous for being a profligate loafer, utterly worthless. What is strange, however, is that in the past half year his reputation has suddenly risen. They say the prodigal son has returned, the loafer has become a talent, and he has made quite a name for himself... In any case, there are many rumors and much hearsay about him; this servant believes that most of it is probably just empty show...”

Li Xuan arched his brow. “Kong Sheng is known as the foremost of Jiangnan talents. His literary fame may well have been exaggerated through rumor and embellishment, but this swordsmanship is the real thing. To be truly accomplished in both letters and martial arts—I did not expect that. And look at that man over there—”

Li Xuan lifted his hand and pointed at Mu Changfeng in white, standing opposite on the bamboo pavilion and looking down with a smile at Kong Sheng’s morning practice. He said coolly, “That man must be one of those wandering knights. His skill is quite good, and those two attendants are also sturdy and powerful. Thinking of it now, with such people following him, how could Kong Sheng be an ordinary man or a street loafer?”

Li An was stunned, then lowered his voice. “Could it be that my lord has taken an interest in recruiting this man?”

Li Xuan laughed. “Yesterday at Xiangwu Pavilion, my impression of him was actually not good. I thought he was like many of those sour Jiangnan pedants—shameless, and nothing but a fraud who steals fame under false pretenses. But after seeing him today, my impression has been overturned little by little. Looking at it this way, ‘I long to feast on the flesh of the northern barbarians and, laughing, quench my thirst with the blood of rebel traitors’ seems to have a certain flavor after all.”

“Since this man is accomplished in both letters and martial arts and bears lofty ambitions, and since the court now urgently needs talent in suppressing rebellion, it would also be a fine thing if we could bring him under the banner of the army.”

“It’s just that I do not know whether he would dare answer the nation’s call and serve in the northern armies. No matter. In a while I’ll test him myself. If he is merely one who fears death, then so be it.”

Li An fell silent. His master’s resolve was already set, and he no longer dared say anything.