Volume One: The Wandering Youth

Chapter One: The Sloppy Daoist (Part One)

In the ninth year of the Tianbao era of the Great Tang, the world was at peace, and it was a time of prosperity and contentment.

This year, the weather was favorable, and Baishi Town benefited from these good times. Though it was a remote small town, it was thriving, and families were joyful. The people lived very comfortable lives.

“There are strange merchants in the world, selling only absurd dreams; to comfort the disappointed, buyers flock like the wind... Don’t ask when the dream will end, seek joy within the dream; what is life? A hundred years is but a dream.”

An elderly Daoist in a stained robe sang loudly at the front, while more than a dozen mischievous children behind him kept throwing bricks and stones, jeering as they followed. This old Daoist was extremely tall, his face covered with a thick layer of dirt, making it hard to discern any expression. His hair and beard were knotted into a tangled mess, who knows how long since he last tidied up, and the gray-black color only showed that he was already very old.

Despite being chased and pelted by so many children, he seemed completely unconcerned, striding along at his own pace. In the blink of an eye, he had walked from one end of the street to the other. The mischievous children couldn’t keep up with his stride and were gradually left behind.

At this moment, as the sun was setting, two youths who had just left the private school happened to pass by this small street.

One of them had a sallow face, looking somewhat listless and lacking in spirit. But as the old Daoist passed by the two youths, the sallow-faced boy suddenly stared at the Daoist’s back, lost in thought.

His companion was slightly taller and sturdier than him, with a round, rosy, and shiny face. Dressed in a silk robe, with a white jade pendant hanging from a silk sash at his waist, it was clear his family was quite well-off. Noticing the sallow-faced boy’s odd behavior, he turned to follow his gaze and muttered, “It’s just a filthy Daoist, what’s there to look at?”

The sallow-faced boy smiled faintly, his eyes darting with liveliness. He didn’t explain, only said calmly, “I have something to do and will be home late. If you see my mother, don’t forget to let her know for me.”

Without waiting for the sturdy boy to reply, he hurriedly stuffed the book in his hand into his companion’s arms and dashed off after the old Daoist’s figure.

These two boys were neighbors. The sallow-faced one was named Brian Carter, and the sturdier, wealthier one was called Henry Clark.

Brian Carter was born weak, but he was naturally energetic and mischievous, always coming up with countless odd ideas and getting into trouble everywhere. His father, who had studied for a few years and ran a small business, was an honest man. Seeing his son was hard to discipline, he gritted his teeth and paid some tuition to send him to study under the locally renowned strict teacher, Mr. Parker.

Although Brian Carter was mischievous, he was extremely clever, reading at lightning speed and reciting fluently, greatly pleasing Mr. Parker. The teacher told his parents, “This child has a deep understanding of his studies. If he takes the imperial exams in the future, he will surely have a promising path ahead.” He even advised them not to restrain him too much. With the teacher’s praise, his parents were comforted, hoping their son would have a bright future. Although Brian Carter still liked to do strange things, his family no longer interfered much.

Compared to Brian Carter, Henry Clark was sturdier but far less clever. He had started studying six months earlier than Brian Carter, but while Brian Carter was already reading the Analects and historical records, he was still stuck on the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames.

Just now, it was Brian Carter’s sharp eyes that noticed none of the stones thrown by the children actually hit the Daoist. Henry Clark didn’t find this strange, but Brian Carter saw that after the stones left the children’s hands, they somehow slowed down, and no matter how much force the children used, the stones would always fall harmlessly about half a foot from the Daoist.

Such an interesting thing—how could Brian Carter restrain his curiosity? He followed the Daoist all the way, trailing him through seven or eight streets, growing more and more amazed.

The sloppy Daoist didn’t seem to be walking fast, but even though Brian Carter ran with all his might, he could barely keep the Daoist’s figure in sight, unable to get any closer.

“This Daoist is really strange!”

Curious, Brian Carter kept going, but his body was not strong, and after running for a while, his legs grew sore and weak, and he started to tire.

Seeing the Daoist’s figure getting farther and farther away, Brian Carter grew anxious and couldn’t help but shout loudly, “Daoist up ahead, please wait! I have something to ask you!”

“Daoist! Daoist!”

Brian Carter called out several times, but the sloppy Daoist seemed not to hear, striding even faster. Seeing he couldn’t catch up, Brian Carter felt very frustrated, but he was unwilling to give up and kept struggling to follow. Suddenly, a small figure emerged from an alley, and Brian Carter, running too fast to stop, collided head-on with the person. All he heard was an “Ouch!”—a delicate cry of pain. Brian Carter ended up pinning the other person beneath him.

When he looked closely, he recognized her as Lily Bennett, the only daughter of Widow Lin, the famously beautiful and charming widow of Baishi Town. This girl, like her mother, was already a budding beauty at a young age. However, she had also inherited her mother’s fiery temper and never let anyone bully her. Brian Carter thought to himself, “Oh no! This little girl is not easy to deal with—I’d better get out of here first!”