The Back Door Awaits

Xu Yao's words caught Gu Huo off guard. He had never expected this seemingly simple, honest mountain village youth to know how to seize an opportunity like this. Gu Huo fixed his gaze on him, sizing him up with some surprise, and suddenly broke into a wide grin. This time, his laughter was truly hearty. "So you've got some clever schemes of your own after all, boy. Not quite as simple as you look—actually trying to take the back door with me." Xu Yao smiled bashfully. Since the chance had presented itself, of course he had to ask. Who knew, maybe he really could slip through a back door. He had his own little calculations, and if they were seen through, it hardly mattered; his intentions were out in the open. Whether it was appropriate to ask was not something Xu Yao dwelled upon. In this lifetime, he might never get a second chance like this. "But you've asked the wrong man. I truly know nothing about promotions down in the ranks. That's far too distant for me, and I've forgotten it completely." Gu Huo smiled faintly. Then he paused thoughtfully and added, "However, before long, at the year-end assessment, there will be promotion quotas and specific criteria." Xu Yao's eyes instantly flared with dazzling brilliance. Gu Huo chuckled, speaking with pointed meaning: "Relying on connections to take the back door—back doors exist anywhere, in any environment, in every department. Even in otherworldly sects, imperial harems, and the imperial court, they exist. "That you know how to seize an opportunity is excellent. "Yet while back doors exist, one must still be capable of walking through them oneself." Gu Huo looked at Xu Yao's youthful, still somewhat tender face, smiling. "I have a back door here as well, but right now, you lack both the qualifications and the strength. Let's see if you can walk through it in the future." "Yes." Xu Yao respectfully bowed his head. "Thank you, sir." Gu Huo smiled, his eyes searching. "What are you thanking me for? Thanking me for opening a back door? You haven't walked through it yet." "I sought a shortcut, and you have already pointed out the direction for me," Xu Yao said respectfully. "Yet your teachings when pointing that direction are what matters most... I thank you for both!" "And if one must come before the other?" Gu Huo pressed. "First for the shortcut, then for the guidance," Xu Yao replied. Gu Huo burst into hearty laughter. "A path must exist before one can walk it. Well said, well said." He asked, "Do you know what to say when you get back?" "I do." "Good." Gu Huo nodded with a faint smile and took a single step forward. Xu Yao only saw a flash of golden light before his eyes, and Gu Huo had vanished without a trace. As if he had stepped straight into nothingness. Xu Yao stood at the fork in the road, his head lowered, a sudden glow shining in his eyes. *** Gu Huo's figure shot like a straight arrow through the air, speeding toward the administrative office. Clouds and mist swept past his eyes, dreamlike and ethereal. All along the way, he remained deep in thought. He was not thinking of anyone else, but of the mountain lad Xu Yao's eyes. Those eyes were rather peculiar. He considered that whenever possible, he should consult his teacher, or return to Mountain and River Prison headquarters to look through the ancient records. He had originally set this matter aside before encountering Xu Yao a second time, but now it weighed on his mind once more. Beyond that, the other favors he had done were merely a sudden impulse. If the boy proved clever and discreet, perhaps he could visit a few more times in the future. To see how that mountain village mother was doing. If Xu Yao were to reveal his identity, however... he would not be able to return. His thoughts then shifted to the celestial phenomena over Black Mountain. Lately, the weather in the southeast had been shifting frequently, with violent storms and thunder concentrating far too heavily over Black Mountain. He would definitely need to come here several more times. Gu Huo had a faint premonition: the next thunderstorm would likely be when things truly came to light. After all, once, twice, but never thrice! Upon his return, he would need to prepare thoroughly. *** Xu Yao pondered all the way home. Gu Huo suddenly acting so "down-to-earth" struck him as very strange, but powerful figures acted entirely on whim. Realizing he could never guess the reason, Xu Yao put it out of his mind. Still, a few points stood out: Gu Huo was surnamed Gu, and Elm Gully was also inhabited by the Gu family. Next: he took a particular interest in past disaster years. Furthermore: those two pills—he had not brought them out before the meal, nor during it, but had only handed them over upon parting outside the gate... What was the intention behind that? Xu Yao thought for a long time without unraveling it, so he buried these questions deep in his heart. He only felt deeply invigorated: at the end of the year, there would be an assessment! This news was important! Crucially important! He arrived back home. His mother had already cleared the dining table. Seeing Xu Yao return, his mother Liu Taohua beamed, squinting with a smile as she said, "Big Fatty, that man was a high official, wasn't he?" Xu Yao was surprised. "How did you know?" "Heh-heh... your mother isn't stupid. One look at his bearing and the way he talked, and you'd know he was a big shot." Liu Taohua said proudly, "He speaks slowly, very slowly." Beside her, his father nodded vigorously as well. "Yes, he spoke very slowly. Your maternal grandfather once had a saying—what was it again... noble people are a bit late when they talk." Xu Yao's forehead lined with black lines. "That's 'A noble man speaks with deliberate slowness.'" "Right, right!" Physician Xu had a look of gratification. "That saying has real learning in it." Xu Yao smiled. Although his parents were mountain folk, they truly possessed a way of identifying prominent figures unique to ordinary commoners. He praised them: "Impressive! That meal you two made was a huge help to me." At once, Liu Taohua's face lit up with pride, and she chuckled, "We didn't do much anyway, just provided a meal. For someone like that to be willing to eat our food is our blessing. We don't expect him to look after us, but if he gives my son a kind look, it's worth it." Xu Yao smiled and said, "He didn't eat for free. He had me give you two pills, saying they're specially meant for people over thirty." With that, he brought out the pills, and a rich fragrance immediately drifted through the room. "Good stuff!" Physician Xu twitched his nose, sniffing carefully, and said, "There is a pure medicinal fragrance in this; it's good for the body. Taohua, you and Big Fatty take them." Liu Taohua was displeased: "...Don't call me by my pet name in front of our son. These pills... let's save them for when Big Fatty is in his thirties." "You two eat them right away. That gentleman said this medicine spoils a few days after being brought out. How could you keep it until then?" "...Ah! Is that so?!" Hearing their son say this, Physician Xu and his wife widened their eyes. "Then one each for us." Both swallowed their pills, sighing as they ate: "What a waste, not being able to save them for Big Fatty. That gentleman is a bit stingy..." Xu Yao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Physician Xu and his wife then wanted to know the gentleman's true identity, but Gu Huo had kept his mouth tightly shut all evening. How could Xu Yao dare say anything? He could only be vague: "I only know he's a high official, but really nothing else. I've only gone out into the world a few times, so how could I know?" Physician Xu and his wife thought about it and found that reasonable. So they pressed no further. A chance encounter, yet he had been willing to give two pills—he was already an exceptionally good man who repaid kindness. Why ask for too much? Physician Xu shook his head, dizzy from the wine, and chuckled: "Next time I'll prepare some good liquor. If he comes again, we must keep him for a meal." Liu Taohua nodded, delighted: "It'll be like having another relative... if he's willing to come, that is." Xu Yao smiled silently. As long as the two of you are happy. After swallowing the pills, Physician Xu and Liu Taohua soon felt a wave of exhaustion, swaying on their feet. So sleepy they could barely stand, they collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep. Xu Yao pulled the quilt over his parents, shut the door, and returned to his own room. Looking at the moonlight outside the window, he silently circulated the Purple Mansion Qi Circulation Art. This was his only reliance for moving forward. He could not slack off for even a moment. The moon hung like a silver wheel in the sky, the wind was gentle, heaven and earth were silent, and the faint snoring of his deeply sleeping parents drifted in continuously. He suddenly felt that time was so steady and peaceful. An indescribable tranquility filled his heart, deeply content. *** Morning. Before dawn, Xu Yao heard thudding sounds outside. He got dressed and rose, preparing to head up the mountain peak to inhale purple qi and then proceed to the compound for morning practice. Yet he saw that his parents were already up. Moreover, the old couple was actually in the courtyard next to the millstone, hopping up and down, twisting their waists and swinging their hips, full of vigor! The thudding sounds had come from that! Xu Yao had never seen his parents so lively and endearing, and he couldn't help staring dumbstruck: "..." Liu Taohua rushed over and grabbed her son's hand, overjoyed: "Big Fatty, Big Fatty, let me tell you, those two pills from yesterday really work! Heh-heh, in the middle of the night, your father smelled so awful... The two of us crawled up to wash ourselves off, and then our spirits were soaring! All those aches and pains in our waists and legs from old age are gone! Look at my hair—it's completely black, not a single white strand! And most importantly, look at my face, look closely, do you see any change?!" "...A bit fairer?" "Look again!" "...A bit rosier?" Xu Yao scratched his head. Liu Taohua gritted her teeth: "...Look again!" "..." Xu Yao stood there, completely bewildered. "...Did you not see that the wrinkles by my eyes are gone? My eyes are clearer? My skin is smoother? Like an eighteen-year-old maiden?!" "Your father couldn't see a thing, and you can't see anything either?!" Liu Taohua flared in fury, exasperated: "Big Fatty, if you've inherited your father's blindness, how will you ever find a wife?!" Physician Xu: "..." Xu Yao: "..."