Chapter 84 Chapter 84 You have the order of the general.

It is often said that those who are about to die will relive their lives.

She had lived two lives, and many of her past memories were already blurred. Her earliest memories could only be traced back to that year of famine.

I remember one dusky afternoon when I was five years old. A woman, riding an old green donkey, lurched past her home. She had just picked some wild fruit in the hills behind her house and was carrying it home when her eyes met the stranger's.

Strangely enough, the woman looked only in her early thirties, yet her hair was already covered in white. After staring at each other for a moment, the man pulled out a copper coin from his pocket and specifically asked to buy her.

"Mother."

The little girl watched, her eyes wide open, as the stranger thrust a coin into her mother's hand. Her father silently wiped away tears, never speaking a word.

"Xiaowu."

Her mother stared at her for a long moment, then finally took out a piece of coarse cloth and wrapped the only two steamed buns left in the family. "This lady will give you a good life. You...you should go with her."

She was confused, but didn't say anything more. She had no new clothes at home, and all she wore were her four older sisters' hand-me-downs, which she'd picked out and put on whatever barely fit her.

Turning back to the crowded dormitory, she rummaged through two or three pieces of clothing and held them in her hands. Then she followed the man on the green donkey and left home step by step, never to return.

It was only much later that she understood: her eldest, second, and third sisters were already adults, able to help with household chores. Her fourth sister had been disabled since childhood and needed care. Of all her children, she was the one her mother could least bear to part with.

After all, she doesn't even have a name, and everyone in her family just calls her Xiaowu.

The new master never revealed his name, but took her all the way south, and finally settled in a courtyard halfway up the mountain.

The courtyard was spacious. Upon entering, she first saw a lush bamboo grove, flanked by a small hexagonal pavilion. Several side rooms were interspersed, and even more surprising was the presence of servants dedicated to attending to the master's daily needs. However, the master never allowed anyone to clean his study; these servants usually spent their days pruning flowers and trees in the courtyard or serving at meals.

In the past, she always squeezed into a cramped dormitory with her four sisters, and her quilt was often snatched away at night. Now, with a new master, she not only has a room of her own, but also a clean, soft quilt with a faint floral scent.

Besides, she finally didn't have to wear other people's old clothes anymore.

There were special people who came to make new clothes for her, and they were not the coarse linen clothes that were rubbing against her hands.

It turns out that what my mother said was true. If I follow this man, I can really live a good life.

After a while, someone heard that the master had settled here. He often brought a few followers and valuable gifts to the gate of the courtyard and shouted, "Master Tianluan, can you tell my family's fortune and give me some guidance?"

At first I thought it was the name of my master, but later I found out that it was her real name, but I didn’t know her last name.

The master naturally did not receive these people. She saw that the master did not even open his eyelids, but just turned another page with his fingers, reading intently.

She couldn't understand why these people were so persistent and refused to give up even after being turned away for more than ten days in a row.

Later, she quietly hid at the foot of the wall and heard people whispering outside the courtyard gate.

"I heard that this Master Tianluan from Jiankang specializes in fortune-telling for the emperor, and his predictions are always accurate?"

"Of course it's true."

"If that's the case, then why don't you stay in Jiankang and come all the way south?"

"It seems this master made a prediction that shouldn't have been made, saying that the next princess will die of madness someday."

The voice was very low, but she had amazing hearing and still heard it.

She wondered, what does it mean to go crazy immediately? Could the master also predict fate?

She remembered this incident for a long time, until she entered the palace as a Jinwu Guard and finally understood what it meant to go crazy immediately. Oh, it turned out to be dying on a man's bed.

Tired of listening in the corner, she stood up and turned around to see her master standing not far away. She couldn't make out his expression in the backlight, but she could see his frost-covered hair gleaming silver in the sunlight.

From that day on, no one came to ask for divination.

The master treated her well, providing her with everything from food and clothing to shelter and transportation. However, he refused to teach her how to read and write, and instead gave her a few martial arts manuals. The books were filled with interwoven calligraphy and painting, but she couldn't quite understand them, so she held the books up and asked the master what the words meant.

The master simply moved the fishing rod slightly and put his hat over his face. "If you don't understand, find a way to figure it out yourself, don't ask me."

This man was truly peculiar! He provided her with food and clothing, but never gave her change for snacks, nor did he teach her to read or write.

"Then Master, please give me a name. Xiaowu has never had a name since he was born."

The master casually pulled a roll of bamboo slips from his tackle box and threw it over, "Pick two words yourself."

Isn't this putting her in a difficult position? She can't even read, how can you ask her to choose? It's so infuriating!

Later, she heard from her servants that there was a school at the foot of the mountain that taught people to read and write. However, she was penniless and could not afford the tuition, and she did not know how to hunt, so she had to secretly lie by the window every day to listen to the lectures.

Nine times out of ten, she would be caught red-handed. The teacher would always raise a ruler and angrily chase her away, and she would run away without a trace. After a long time, the teacher had no choice but to turn a blind eye to her.

After all, stealing knowledge is not as good as attending the class seriously. She could only barely recognize some words, but she never learned to hold a pen and write.

She took out the bamboo slips her master had given her and saw the first wooden plaque inscribed with "Astronomical Records." She pointed to a line of words, "The four stars in Kui are Xuanji, and the three stars in Shao are Yuheng."

From then on, she called herself Xuanji. This name was clear and pleasant, and it was particularly easy to pronounce. She was no longer a nameless wild child.

When the master heard that she had chosen this name, his eyelids trembled slightly, and the strange expression he had when they first met appeared again. He stared at her for a long time before turning away. When he returned, he tossed her a few martial arts manuals and said, "Practice on your own for now."

The osmanthus tree in the courtyard sprouted new buds in spring, offered dense shade in summer, released its fragrance in autumn, and withered in winter. Xuanji began practicing horse stance beneath the tree, diligently cultivating day after day. Later, she simply climbed to the top of the tree, cut off a branch, and roughly whittled it into a wooden sword, using it as a blade to continue her practice.

Every time he practiced swordplay, the master would gaze silently from beneath the bamboo window. His gaze seemed to be looking through the Xuanji, or perhaps examining some rare object, always revealing an indescribable strangeness.

Xuanji could never understand why her master always looked at her like that.

It is very boring to practice martial arts alone. You don't know how far you have practiced, nor do you know whether you can defeat others.

Once, while going down the mountain, she happened to see someone causing trouble and smashing a stall. In order to test the validity of her self-taught martial arts, Xuanji did not hesitate and resolutely intervened in this fight that had nothing to do with her.

She faced several people on her own, pinning them to the ground with ease. When they struggled to get up, she mercilessly pressed them down again, repeating this process several times until they completely surrendered and begged for mercy. Only then did she stop.

"What's it to you? Why are you meddling?" someone yelled.

"It's none of my business. I just wanted to see how I'm doing."

The stall owner was extremely grateful and gave Xuanji a small amount of money as a thank you. With this small amount of money in her hand, she went straight to the ironmongery and made her first horizontal sword.

When he returned with the new knife in his arms, he saw several green donkeys tied in front of the yard.

The servant whispered: These are Taoists from Shangqing Temple. They heard that the master no longer serves the royal family, so they came to invite the master to return to the temple to take charge of the situation.

It turns out that the master is the founder of Shangqing Temple.

In the end, the master did not go back with them, but just treated them to a good vegetarian meal.

Before leaving, a Taoist priest passed by Xuanji. After carefully examining her face, his eyes lit up. He clapped his hands and smiled, saying, "My friend, your eyes are like clear springs, and your bones are pure and extraordinary. You are capable of great responsibilities, whether in the secular world or beyond."

Suddenly, she smacked her lips and sighed, "What a pity that I was born with a face that shows a love for worldly things and a preference for male beauty." Then she changed the subject, "Why don't you come with us back to Shangqing Monastery to cultivate your body and mind, and see through everything..."

"She's not going."

A voice with a sense of vicissitudes interrupted the conversation.

The master, hands tucked into his wide sleeves, stood on the top step, looking at everyone with an indifferent expression, "She has no connection with the Daoist sect. Please return."

As the Taoists rode away on their green donkeys with regret, their backs dragged for a long time on the mountain path.

"New sword?"

The master's eyes swept over the sharp blade, "Where did you get the money?"

Xuanji subconsciously didn't want to tell the reason, but every time she went to the kitchen to eat secretly and lied, she would be exposed, so she had to honestly confess that she went down the mountain to beat people up.

"Do you know why I bought you?" the master suddenly asked. "Those Taoist priests were right. You are indeed talented in both literature and martial arts."

"But Master, you never taught me how to read or practice martial arts."

"Because if you get the chance, you will become a great threat to my people."

Yuan Tianluan stared at the girl in front of him with a complicated look, "I can't bear to see this pearl covered in dust, but I also don't want you to be too sharp and endanger the family."

"You have been ordered by the commander-in-chief to establish your reputation on the battlefield."

"That's your fate. Even without being taught how to read, you'll still be able to learn from others. Even without being taught martial arts, you'll still become a talent. This is what you deserve."

Xuanji was completely bewildered. The idea of ​​generals and generals on the battlefield was ridiculous. If she hadn't been bought by her master, she might still be playing in the mud in a pond.

It's unknown when Yuan Tianluan began to become bedridden. Initially, he'd only experienced occasional coughing, but later, he became drowsy and his vision blurred. Within a few years, he was so weak that he could barely get out of bed.

The attendant said that Yuan Tianluan had seen through too many secrets of heaven when she served the emperor before, so she was punished by heaven and her life was to be taken.

Before she died, she called Xuanji to her bedside and asked, "Xuanji, how do you feel about your teacher's treatment of you?"

"Master, you provided me with food and clothing, taught me to be independent, and have been very kind to me. If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be playing in the mud in the countryside."

Yuan Tianluan coughed violently, his skinny fingers suddenly clenching Xuanji's collar. "Very good... then you have to promise... if my people make mistakes..." his hoarse voice broke off, "I don't ask for your forgiveness... I just ask to pull them out of the quagmire..."

"When I die, bury me beneath that osmanthus tree. I've left you five strings of cash. Take it... and then go down the mountain."

Yuan Tianluan's skinny fingers suddenly loosened, and he sank back into the pillow. His hoarse breathing gradually faded, and finally fell silent.

"But Master, you haven't told me your last name yet." Xuan Ji asked softly.

A faint voice escaped from pale lips: "My last name is... Yuan, from the Yuan family of Runan."

Xuanji watched the person on the couch slowly close his eyes. His silver hair spread across the pillow, and his wrinkles crisscrossed like a dry riverbed in the candlelight. She called out "Master" a few more times, then reached out to check for breath, only to realize he was already dead.

According to his master's wishes, he buried him under a sweet-scented osmanthus tree and went down the mountain with five strings of cash in his pocket.

In the early days, she wandered the streets, gambling and fighting all day long, living a life on the edge of a knife. In the dead of night, she felt guilty, thinking she had failed her teacher, but then she thought, this carefree life is good, and military talent and battlefields should not have much to do with her.

Her master had misjudged him.

Until Wang Zhuozhang showed up and tricked her into going to Jiankang. When her name was registered in the military, and she was wearing armor and crossing numerous mountains and rivers to the northern border, she suddenly remembered Yuan Tianluan's prophecy.

Oh, Master, it turns out you were right.

She thought.

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The author has something to say: The foreshadowings filled in are:

Chapter 17: "Back then, after her master died, she went down the mountain alone with only five strings of cash in her pocket." "Back then, there was a famine and her family couldn't afford to feed so many people, so they sold me for one string of cash."

Chapter 23: She threw the brush onto the table. "My master gave me the martial arts manual. The martial arts moves in the book are illustrated with pictures. She never taught me to read. I learned the few words I could read secretly by hiding in front of the window of the private school."

Chapter 70 describes the emperor's excessive debauchery, requiring four or five men to accompany him every day, and ultimately his death on a man's bed. (After the previous emperor died of horse-riding madness, Ji Zhao ascended the throne.)

When I was writing, I was always wondering how to insert the heroine's past life. As I wrote, the answer emerged by itself. In order to write this book, I wrote a nearly 3,000-word biography of the heroine. As a cook, I always have to finish cooking.