Chapter Forty-Five: Origins

Sixteen years ago, I was just a child of about ten years old. On my way home from school, I saw a large crowd gathered in a circle. I squeezed through the people and saw a girl about my age begging. She was dressed quite ordinarily, with messy hair and a dirty little face, huddled against a wall and looking timidly at the surrounding crowd. Out of kindness, I gave her the fifty yuan I had with me. But as soon as I stepped out, I saw the crowd dispersing because a few people had snatched the fifty yuan I gave the girl, leaving her too frightened to move as she sat on the ground. Seized by a sudden surge of goodwill and a sense of justice, I rushed in, pulled her out, and brought her home. Along the way, I comforted her, telling her that fifty yuan was nothing to me and that I would give her more.

After I brought her home, she did not say a word, just staring blankly at the place where she sat. My parents and my older brother were very understanding of what I did, because our family was also an ordinary working-class household back then and could easily relate to her feelings. My father was even more generous, giving her a little money so she could support herself. We had her stay for lunch, and she left afterward—I didn't even know her name.

I walked her out when I went to school. She was in such a hurry that a small booklet fell out from her clothes without her noticing. I picked it up intending to return it to her, but I was captivated by its contents and figured that returning it a little later wouldn't matter. However, that very night, I came down with a high fever and was rushed to the hospital, lapsing into a prolonged coma. Strangely enough, no matter how hard the doctors tried, they could not figure out what illness I had, because all my vitals were completely normal. To make matters more sensational, some busybodies claimed that they saw the shadow of the Taiji Eight Trigrams hovering above me that night, predicting that I was bound to achieve great things in the future. Consequently, this story spread rapidly from person to person until many knew about it. Some disbelieved it, while others took it for truth. Given that my academic performance at the time was abysmal—ranging from elementary school through junior high, I was basically the kind of underachieving student whom no one bothered with as long as I didn't cause trouble, always relegated to the very last row whenever seats were rearranged—how could I possibly achieve greatness? Yet, I did it!

I proved to everyone who once looked down on me and mocked me as a bottom-feeder: what use are students who only know how to take tests? Absolutely worthless! Aside from insignificant perfect scores, they are mere trash, ultimately destined to be kicked around like balls by capable people. I understood this profound truth, so I decisively chose to abandon that path and embarked on another. In just a few years, I attained the honors that academically gifted people take decades, or even a lifetime, to achieve—honors that some never get in their entire lives. At the same time, I felt that I had finally become a human being in the true sense, rather than a prisoner shackled by scores.

Of course, no one knew what I had seen while I was in a coma. Even if anyone asked, I kept my lips tightly sealed.

What I saw during my coma was myself, sitting on a stone in a place that resembled a utopia, reading that very same booklet in my hands. The booklet was filled with characters I could not understand at all, yet these symbols were deeply etched into my mind and remained unforgettable for a long time. Just as I was about to wake up, I saw a line of text: "Though human words are light, do not treat this matter lightly." Thereafter, this would happen every time I fell asleep. I always thought these experiences were merely dreams, yet they felt intensely real because I could never forget those things. From then on, whenever I had a spare moment, I wanted to sleep, even during class, which often resulted in me being punished by standing. But I could fall asleep even while standing, leaving the teachers helpless and forced to turn a blind eye. Yet, whenever I woke up, I would find that every page of that booklet was a wordless heavenly book. As I slowly grew older and my knowledge broadened, the profound meanings of those characters gradually became clear to me.

On the night before I was taken away, thunder and lightning flashed across the sky, and that booklet mysteriously caught fire, burning down without leaving even a trace of ash! What was even more bizarre was that the flame was pale blue, just like the "will-o'-the-wisp" in a graveyard! When I gently brushed against it, I couldn't feel its existence at all; it was like air!

After that, I never saw that girl again, so I eventually put the matter behind me. Looking back now, I finally understand what was recorded in that booklet: mastering its teachings can not only transform a person's body and soul, granting supernatural powers to an ordinary mortal vessel and enabling them to cast spells against enemies, but it also imparts many unfathomable arts such as divination, geomancy, talismans, and military strategy. It is safe to say that many of the abilities I possess now originate from this very book.

Thinking about it now, the girl from back then does bear a striking resemblance to An Mingshan, no wonder my mother thought she was that exact same girl.

My father said, "Your mother always thought that the begging little girl had brought that master to make you disappear for so long, and Miss An looks so much like that girl from back then, especially the way she eats—it's like they were cut from the exact same mold."

An Mingshan reminisced for a moment and said, "That did happen. It's just that I was too young back then and couldn't remember what that boy looked like."

I said, "How about this? Take a look at these photos and see if any of them ring a bell." With that, I went upstairs and brought down a laptop to show An Mingshan the photos inside. Although my family was just ordinary folk back then, we were considered a relatively well-off, moderately prosperous household, and life was not too bad.

To my surprise, An Mingshan recognized my childhood appearance at a glance. Pointing to a family portrait we had taken back then, she said excitedly, "That's right, this is it! I will never forget it for the rest of my life!"

Then, she slowly pulled a crumpled fifty-yuan bill from her pocket and said, "This is the fifty yuan you gave me back then. It was retrieved for me by the person who taught me 'skills' in those years. I've kept it on me all this time to constantly remind myself to be grateful and repay kindness."

At this moment, my mother walked down the steps and said, "You are that girl from back then..."

An Mingshan said, "Yes... but I was forced by circumstances back then, I had no other choice! I'm sorry..." As she spoke, she slowly lowered her head.

My mother said, "So you're the one who 'kidnapped' and ran off with my son?"

I said, "Mom, let it go, put it behind us! She was forced by circumstances too. As the saying goes, 'Forgive others where you can, and spare them where possible.' Besides, look at your son—aren't I alive and well, with all my limbs intact? Someone predicted back then that I was destined for greatness, and now that I've made something of myself, you shouldn't blame her anymore."

My father chimed in, "Exactly. Our family has always been fond of helping others, right? Besides, as the saying goes, 'Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes; do not act like an ox or a horse for them.' Let him do as he pleases, so stop holding it against her."

My mother said, "You father and son are cut from the same cloth—neither of you holds grudges. Oh well, after all these years, I've come to terms with it. As long as she treats Shucheng wholeheartedly, I will... let the matter rest."

An Mingshan said excitedly, "Really? That's wonderful!"

I said, "Hold your horses! Hold your horses! Don't get so excited, learn from me and stay calm!"

An Mingshan calmed down and said with deep emotion, "Shucheng, thank you. Honestly, if it weren't for you back then, I probably would have died a premature death. You know what? That meal was the best and most filling meal I had ever eaten in my life. Ever since then, I've been thinking about how to find you and repay your kindness properly. Do you have any idea how agonizing it is to miss someone since you were nine years old? All these years, I've been controlled by them with no freedom to speak of, and I could only look at this money, hoping to see you again someday. This money saved my life, and I will keep it with me always. Looking at it reminds me of what happened back then."

Listening to her words, I said, "I only did what was my duty; no reward is necessary." I did not understand why such a small act of mine would make her remember me so deeply.

My father said, "Shucheng is right, these are all good deeds that accumulate merit and should be done as often as possible. By the way, Miss An, where are you staying?"

I said, "She is staying with me."

My father said, "You two..."

An Mingshan hurriedly said, "Uncle, please don't misunderstand, the two of us are just... oh, anyway, it's not what you're thinking."

I said, "As the saying goes, 'The pure are self-cleansing, the turbid are self-muddy.' The two of us haven't done anything, what are you explaining for?"

My mother said, "You two really haven't done anything?"

An Mingshan said, "Heaven and earth as my witness, nothing whatsoever happened between him and me, I..."

I said, "Don't go making vows so casually!"

My father said, "How did you know Miss An was going to make a vow?"

I said, "Is there any little thought of hers that I wouldn't know?"

At this moment, Song Linlin hurriedly ran outside.

An Mingshan asked, "What's wrong with her?"

I replied, "How would I know?"

At that moment, my master and the bureau chief also hurried outside. Passing by us, the bureau chief briefly stated, "Xu Qiuming has escaped."

Reader's Corner.
Q: Mr. Author, when did you start studying the I Ching (Book of Changes)?
A: Around the time I was in the fifth grade, which was when I was twelve as mentioned earlier. I remember it was during the Chinese New Year visiting relatives, and a relative came to our house wanting to watch Lam Chuen-ying's *Mr. Vampire* online, and I watched along from the side. For some reason, my initial curiosity gradually turned into a genuine interest in zombie films. Afterward, much like liking celebrities as mentioned before, I started watching all of Lam Chuen-ying's film and television works while learning everything about him and his movies. This led me to start studying the studies of the I Ching, including the Five Elements, the Eight Trigrams, the Heavenly Stems, and the Earthly Branches. The more I studied, the more I wanted to learn, to the point that I have never given it up to this day. I can say that ever since I started studying the *I Ching*, I realized how little reading I had truly done, and many things I had previously learned could be connected back to the *I Ching*. Therefore, I have never given up, continually relying on my own efforts to research the *I Ching*. It is a book that every Chinese person is worth studying for a lifetime.