Chapter 1: Scholar Meng Hao (1/2)
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Chapter 1: Scholar Meng Hao
The State of Zhao was a very small nation [1 The State of Zhao is named after the historical State of Zhao] Like other small nations in the lands of South Heaven, its people ad is na Dynasty] in the Eastern Lands, and they ad'an is na'an] Not only did the king carry this admiration, all scholars in the State of Zhao did They could see it, al in the capital city, oh so far away
This April was neither extreht winds caressed the land, passing the Qiang Di flutes of the Northern Reaches, blowing over the lands of the Great Tang Under the twilight sky, it lifted the fog-like dust, then swirling, twisting, reached Mount Daqing in the State of Zhao Then it fell onto a young man who sat there on thea bottle gourd and wearing a clean blue scholar’s robe He appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen He was not tall, and his skin was soence And yet, all his intelligence seemed to be hidden by the frown on his face He seehed His nae student from Yunjie County, which lay at the foot of thehào) - Meng is a fao, his parents went , and did not leave much behind in the way of assets Education was expensive, so he was almost completely broke
“I’ve taken the Imperial exams three years in a row In all that ties until I wanted to throw up Maybe that isn’t the path for me after all” Filled with self-deprecation, he looked down at the gourd bottle, his eyes bleak
“My drea farther and farther away I … How useless to be a student” He laughed bitterly Sitting there on the silent ourd in his hand, he looked increasingly lost He began to feel fear What would he do in the future? Where would he go?
Perhaps a high-ranking official would take an interest in hi maiden Or would he continue to take the exams, year after year?
There were no answers to the questions He was but a teenager, and this feeling of being lost had devoured hiiant invisible mouth He truly felt afraid
“Even the teachers in town can only ’s carpenter shop If I’d realized that earlier, I could have learned some carpentry skills fro like I arew silent for a while
“I don’t have much food or money left at ho to do?” He raised his head and looked up at the sky, blue and grand It was so large you could not see its ends Much similar to how he could not see his future
After a while, Meng Hao shook his head and took out a slip of paper froourd bottle, then stood up and threw the gourd down the mountain
At the botto the winter, and was said to flow all the way to the Great Tang
Meng Hao stood on top of the ourd bottle drift further and further along down the river He stared unblinking For a liourd carried his dreams, his wishes, and his hopes for the future Perhaps one day someone would pick it up, open it, and read the note
“Regardless of what I do, be it study or work, I will keep on living” This was his personality: intelligent and determined If he wasn’t this way, he would not have been able to survive after his parents left
He raised his head toward the sky, the stubborn look in his eyes growing deeper He was about to head down the mountain
At that exactfro by the wind As it passed Meng Hao’s ears, it was almost too faint to notice
”Help… help…”
Meng Hao stopped for a moment, shocked, then listened carefully As he concentrated, the sound of the voice calling for help grew stronger
“Help…”
He walked a few steps forward until he had nearly reached the edge of the peak When he peered over the edge, he saw a person, his body sticking out of a crevice halfway down the cliff Pale face full of fear and desperation, he cried for help
“You… you're Meng Hao, right? Help, Scholar Meng! HelpHao, he expressed surprise and happiness, having suddenly found hope in a desperate situation
“wang Youcai [5 wang Youcai's na is a common fa Hao’s eyes greide as he looked at the young , ned the carpentry shop in town “How did you end up here?”
Meng Hao looked at the crevice The cliff itself was quite steep, and it seehtest carelessness would send the cli how fast the river flowed, if you fell in, the chances of dying were about ninety percent
“It’s not justYoucai gushed “We’re all stuck here Brother Meng, let’s not chat, please, just help us get out” Perhaps he had been hanging out of the crack for too long His hands grasped at the air, and if not for his corabbed him by the shi+rt, he would have slipped and fallen down the cliff His face turned pale with fear
Meng Hao realized the danger But he had climbed the mountain alone today, and had no rope How could he save anyone? At that moment, he turned and realized that the mountainside was covered with rattan vines