"Yes, my Lord," the group answered in unison. Strategist Ji waved his hand at them and said gently, "Chen An, Li Yin, you stay. The rest of you may go about your business."
After the others had dispersed, only the two soldiers who had been standing in the middle walked over. Li Yan looked at the two men. One was about thirty, the other about twenty. Both were around seven chi tall. The older one had a square, ruddy face, while the younger one had a round face, large eyes, and slightly fairer skin.
Both were dressed in standard military uniforms. Strategist Ji pointed to the square-faced man. "His name is Chen An." He then pointed to the young, round-faced soldier with large eyes. "His name is Li Yin. These two are usually in charge of miscellaneous affairs in the valley. They are also knowledgeable about military matters. If I am not in the manor, you can just tell them what needs to be done. If you need to go into the city for any business, have them accompany you. Firstly, with them, it will be more convenient for you to handle matters. Secondly, they will be responsible for your safety. After all, this is a border city, and enemy spies often sneak in to gather intelligence. If they find out you are my disciple, they will surely try to target you."
Li Yan's heart tightened upon hearing this, but then a wave of warmth washed over him. He bowed and replied, "Thank you, Teacher." If his earlier use of "Teacher" had been a bit unfamiliar and awkward, this time it came from the heart.
Chen An and Li Yin also saluted Strategist Ji. "We will obey the Lord's command. Please rest assured, my Lord."
"Very well. Go and prepare his living necessities. Bring them over in a moment."
"Yes, my Lord."
After saying this, Strategist Ji called out to Li Yan and then turned to walk further in. Li Yan, however, having turned away, did not see Chen An and Li Yin exchange a look, their eyes glinting as they stared at his retreating back.
Li Yan had thought he would be living in one of the two rows of green stone houses, but he saw his teacher walk straight past them without a second glance. After they passed the end of the stone houses and turned right, a mountain valley suddenly appeared before them. On the stone wall at the side of the valley entrance, several large, bright red characters were carved: "Strategist's Manor."
'This is just a valley, why is it called the 'Strategist's Manor'?' Li Yan wondered, but he didn't stop, following his teacher into the valley.
The valley was not very large, about fifty or sixty zhang in size, and surrounded by mountains on three sides. Each side was a towering peak with nearly vertical slopes. The slopes were covered in a dense thicket of trees and shrubs of varying heights, their branches intertwining from the foot of the mountain to the top. This was the only entrance and exit. On the right side, just inside the entrance, there was another row of green stone houses, about three or four of them. By now, the sky had darkened, and the rest of the scenery in the valley was blurry and indistinct.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind. Li Yan heard the sound and turned to look. Two figures emerged from the darkness. As they drew closer, he saw that it was Chen An and Li Yin, whom he had just met.
They were carrying some items, which he guessed were the daily necessities his teacher had just mentioned. They were quite fast; it had only been a matter of moments.
The two quickly walked past them towards the few green stone houses. Soon, lights flickered on in the houses one by one. The light shone through the doors and windows, instantly making some of the scenery in the valley much clearer.
Strategist Ji turned back to Li Yan and said, "It's getting late today. In a moment, Chen An and the others will come over to show you around. Then you can have dinner and rest. You've traveled several hundred li from your home to get here today, so you should rest early. Come to my room tomorrow morning, and I will tell you about our sect."
As he was speaking, Chen An and Li Yin had already walked back quickly. They smiled and said, "Young Master Li, this place is cleaned every day, so we just needed to bring over some daily necessities."
Seeing them approach, Strategist Ji instructed, "Take Li Yan with you. You can just bring the food over later." With that, he smiled and nodded at Li Yan, then walked towards the first house near the valley entrance. His figure was momentarily silhouetted by the lamplight at the door before he entered and disappeared.
Li Yan stared blankly at Strategist Ji's back, thinking, 'My teacher is truly a straightforward man.'
Chen An now spoke with a low laugh, "Young Master Li, please follow us then." Li Yan thanked them and followed the two of them further in.
Chen An was very talkative, and Li Yin seemed to follow his lead, but he was quick and nimble and would occasionally add a few words. They talked as they walked, and Li Yan began to learn some things. It turned out that Marshal Hong had originally arranged for a manor for Strategist Ji in the city, but the Strategist preferred quiet solitude and was unwilling to live in the city. Later, he found this valley outside the city himself and lived there alone. But how could Marshal Hong let an official live in such a simple place? He tried to persuade him several times, but Strategist Ji remained unwilling to move into the city.
So, Marshal Hong could only send people to tidy up the valley, clear a hundred-zhang open space outside, and build houses and station soldiers to guard it. He also arranged for maids and servants to be in charge of the daily life and meals. But in the end, Strategist Ji only kept twenty soldiers and three women in charge of cooking. He sent everyone else back. According to Strategist Ji, it was best for him to be alone, but he couldn't completely refuse the Marshal's kindness. As for the name "Strategist's Manor," it was naturally named after a proper residence.
There were four houses in the valley. The first one near the entrance was where Strategist Ji lived. The one next to it was used by the Strategist for practicing his martial arts. The other two were empty and uninhabited.
According to Chen An, no one was allowed to enter this place casually. Except when Lord Ji had something for them to do, they could only enter to deliver meals and clean. Otherwise, they would be expelled from the valley by Lord Ji, and one could imagine how Marshal Hong would treat them upon their return to the city. Besides the four houses, the valley was also fully equipped with latrines and bathing rooms built at the side of the houses.
Li Yan ultimately chose the green stone house at the very back of the valley, built against the mountain wall. Chen An went in first and placed the bedding he was carrying on the bed. Li Yin and Li Yan followed him in.
The stone house was very spacious. It was likely built by soldiers, and things built by the army were always practical, sturdy, and durable.
The door of the stone house faced south, looking out into the valley. The floor was also paved with green stone and crushed rock, making it clean and bright. The simple furniture was all there, but it looked rather insignificant in such a large room.
On the north side, a large wooden bed was placed against the wall. On the east wall was a washstand with some toiletries. On the west wall was a four-tiered bookshelf with some books on it.
A wooden table was placed by the south window, with a few teacups and a kettle on it, and two chairs. At the head of the table, two large chests woven from old brown vines were placed side by side on the floor, almost flush with the tabletop. They were likely for storing clothes or other items.
The north and west sides of the stone house were built against the mountain, and the east wall connected to the other houses, so there was only one large window on the same wall as the stone door, also facing the valley. The window was tall with fine wooden lattices and was currently open. There was not a trace of stuffiness in the room; instead, the cool autumn night breeze blew in, bringing a sense of relaxation and comfort.
"Young Master Li, please rest for a while. The water in the kettle is hot. Someone will bring your meal over when it's ready. We cannot stay long in this valley. Lord Ji dislikes outsiders here. If there is nothing else, we will take our leave," Chen An and Li Yin said after placing the items.
Li Yan was still examining the room. Hearing their words, he quickly looked at the two of them. "Thank you for your trouble. In that case, please feel free." The two men cupped their hands in a salute and then left.
Li Yan walked to the table, took the bundle off his shoulder, and placed it on the table. He then went to the brown vine chests at the head of thetable and opened them one by one. The chests were empty, with a piece of black cloth lining the bottom of each, likely for placing clothes.
Li Yan took the bundle from the table, untied it, and neatly placed the few sets of coarse cloth clothes into one of the chests. These were sewn by his fourth sister and mother. Although the fabric was very rough, and some of it was cut from other old, tattered clothes, Li Yan felt as if his home in the village was right beside him, comfortably warm. Seeing them was like seeing his mother and fourth sister.
He didn't have many things, and the chest was wide, so his clothes only took up about thirty or forty percent of the space in one chest. After thinking for a moment, Li Yan took out the salted vegetables and dry rations from the bundle on the table and arranged them neatly against the wall. He did not put them in the other empty chest.
After closing the two chests, Li Yan pulled out a chair at the table, took the kettle and a teacup, and poured himself a glass of water. The water was indeed hot. It seemed that someone came every day to change the water and clean the room.
He was truly tired today. He had traveled over two hundred li, only eating some dry rations and water on the way. Now he was both hungry and thirsty, and his body felt weary. It was dark outside, and he had no desire to go out and explore. He drank his water while lost in thought, thinking about the day's events and where he was now, still feeling as if he were in a dream. After a short while and some water, he felt even hungrier and more tired. 'It's a good thing Teacher didn't arrange anything for me,' he thought, 'otherwise, I wouldn't be able to muster much spirit, and that would be embarrassing in front of him.' As he was pondering, he heard a sound of footsteps outside the door. His door was not closed, and in the silence of the mountain valley at night, the footsteps were very clear. 'That must be someone bringing food,' Li Yan thought. He turned his head and saw a shadow at the doorway. A woman was standing there, holding a wooden tray.
Li Yan stood up, walked to the door, and saw the woman still standing respectfully outside. He said, "Where is your kitchen? Next time, I can go and get it myself." Hearing this, the woman's face turned pale, and she quickly said, "Young Master Li, you mustn't do that. If Lord Ji finds out, it would be a huge disaster." Li Yan's hands, which were reaching out to take the tray, froze. "Why is that?" he asked, puzzled. The woman replied, "How can a lord or young master go to places like the kitchen? Those are places for us servants."
Li Yan was a bit bewildered at first, but after a moment's thought, he understood. At home, he could go anywhere he pleased, but now his change in status made him feel a little unsettled. He also knew that these rules of status were not directed at him personally, but were the laws of this world. After taking the wooden tray, he said, "Then next time you come, you can just put the food on the table in the room."
The woman glanced at him and then, as if remembering something, said, "Young Master Li, we are not allowed to enter this valley casually, except to deliver meals and clean. The Lord has also instructed that we are not to enter these four houses at will, so as not to disturb him. The Lord usually keeps his door closed when he returns. If we see a wooden plaque hanging on the handle outside the door, we will place the meal on the stone platform outside and come back to collect it later. If the meal has not been eaten, we will take it back, throw it away, and prepare a new one to be delivered again. As for cleaning the Lord's room, it is only done by a dedicated person with his permission. Your room and the one next to it were unoccupied, so we cleaned them every day without needing to ask the Lord for permission. But now that you are living here, we can no longer enter."
Hearing this, Li Yan noticed a black wooden plaque hanging on the inside handle of his door. He figured that when his teacher was cultivating, he would hang this plaque outside his door to avoid being disturbed. Although he didn't understand these profound martial arts, he had heard about them. It was said that during internal energy meditation, one absolutely could not be disturbed, otherwise phenomena like cultivation deviation could occur. Thinking of this, he understood.
The woman then told him that after he finished his meal, he could just place the utensils on the stone platform outside the room, and someone would come to collect them later. She gave Li Yan a slight bow and left.
Although the food was not a refined delicacy, it was still a meal the likes of which Li Yan had never eaten before. He ate with great relish, but then his thoughts turned back to his parents at home. He wondered if they had eaten yet, if they were still thinking about him. At this thought, his appetite suddenly waned.
He got up, collected the bowl and chopsticks, put them on the tray, and went outside. Sure enough, there was a stone platform in front of his door. He placed the tray on it. Looking up, he saw a dark expanse of trees stretching into the distance, all the way to the surrounding mountain peaks. Only a small circle of sky dozens of zhang above was sprinkled with a few stars. He stared blankly for a moment, then withdrew his gaze. He noticed that not far from his stone house, on the opposite side, near the stone platform, there seemed to be a pool of water. But at this moment, the young man, away from home for the first time, on his first night out, was lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, unable to forget his homeland. The weariness after his meal was even stronger, completely extinguishing any idea of taking a walk in the valley. He turned back into his room, washed up simply, closed the door and windows, and lay down on the bed. He fell into a deep sleep, his thoughts filled with his parents at home and every blade of grass and every tree in his village.