Zhang Jian's back had been turned on her as she entered so he didn't know she was referring to his paintings, so he turned around with a bewildered look and finally caught on to what she had been referring to as he followed her gaze,
"Oh it is nothing really. I was about to take a break anyway."
But Wang Yan wasn't listening. She had been bothered for a minute there by the bewildered look she had seen on his face earlier, but she quickly became distracted by the beauty of his paintings and his calligraphy skills.
"The peerless master's penmanship is truly divine! Such complex colors! Such intricately crafted words!"
The young impulsive girl didn't realize when she burst out into praises. It had been an impulsive act that stemmed from a profound and genuine love for his work. The amused Zhang Jian regarded her with a look of amusement on his face and thought to himself;
"This is one in whom there is no guile."
When Wang Yan caught the look Zhang Jian gave her, she misinterpreted his as him thinking what a discourteous creature she must be to have voiced out her thoughts in such a flagrant manner. Realizing quickly that she had infringed on his privacy, she began to apologize profusely;
"\A thousand apologies master! Please forgive this one's thoughtlessness!"
Zhang Jian was even more amused by her curt apology. She seemed to be a lively one given her bubbling personality. He paused for a while before asking her in suave voice;
"What is your name?"
Zhang Jian's voice reminded her of the cool breeze that follows after a rainy night. He was as placid as the deep waters and at the same time, as dangerous as shark concealed waters. This was truly a peerless master. Most masters of his class and status never even bothered to look at her talk less of trying to know her name. She willed her mind to focus and answered shyly;
"I am called Wang Yan great master."
She resolved to keep her answers simple and short from now henceforth. Nothing would deter her from achieving her goal.
Zhang Jian noticed her sudden stiffness and knew that she must be really yearning to ask something of him. To himself, he thought; "Here it goes."
Speaking aloud, he encouraged her:
"Do not be so stiff Wang Yan. I want you to speak freely."
Her eyes widened, so he had sensed the urgency of her mission?
"Freely?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes. I don't think that you are here by mistake. Your steps have been guided here by destiny."
Wang Yan was impressed by the master's astuteness. Of course, as a master, he probably knew why she was here already. She had heard of several powerful masters who had the disturbing ability to see things ahead of time by extrapolating information from current events or people. Zhang Jian's words kept re-echoing in her head; 'Your steps have been guided here by destiny.'
Zhang Jian observed her closely saw that she was still in doubt, so he asked her;
"Do you not believe in destiny?"
"I do master."
"So why act surprised?"
"Forgive me master!"
Zhang Jian gave up on having a regular conversation that didn't involve any etiquette. This one was clearly straight edged and couldn't do anything but play by the rules. He sighed. He could tell that she was of a jovial spirit and had a lot of personality, but years and years of social etiquette had kept her bound from expressing her true self. It was evident that Wang Yan was an energetic person.
So he skipped the mind games and went straight to the point;
"So, what brings you here Wang Yan?"
Wang Yan had yet again been caught off guard. She was been straining herself to try as much as possible to pick up on any trace of qi from Zhang Jian, but not even the slightest trace could be detected. This troubled her and yet excited her in the sickest sense. A conundrum such as this only came only once in a while. The man who stood before her was a walking, breathing contradiction. His lack of qi implied two terrifying things; either he was a regular Joe (which seemed very unlikely) or he had attained an unfathomable stage of great power and discipline that had gifted him the unique ability to cultivate while masking his spiritual presence. The unique and chilling ability to COMPLETELY shield ones qi was considered a feat worthy of only the greatest masters who walked the earth. It was the terrifying quality that distinguished the strong from the weak, master from disciple, and ultimately- PREDATOR FROM PREY. Either Zhang Jian was an ordinary man, or a dangerous malevolent entity that was simply biding his time. The situation presented itself in such a way that the evidence pointed both ways- equally.
As she cautiously prepared her answer, Zhang Jian ambushed her with another question she wasn't quite expecting;
"Were you sent by Xiao Luo?"
The poor Wang Yan turned white. She realized with staggering suddenness that in the relatively short time she had spent on this earth, never had she heard anyone call her master's full name in such a casual manner. The peerless master had casually thrown her master's name to her face like they were buddies- despite the glaring difference in their ages! This further solidified the nagging suspicion she had been having concerning this master. At this point, she was completely convinced that Zhang Jian was on the same stage with her master Xiao Luo. If anything, he seemed to be on an even higher level.
"Master," she began differentially; "I bow to your wisdom on this matter. I submit to whatever decision you take."
Zhang Jian pursed his lips and thought deeply, it was just as he feared. The young girl had come for old man Xiao's treasure. He had to ascertain if she was truly the right member of Xiao Luo's household to be given the privilege of holding on to such a priceless ornament. So, Zhang Jian asked her diplomatically;
"And you? What you make of this situation? What do you think?"
Wang Yan hadn't expected it to be so easy, she knew that she this was a master and she had to prove herself by passing his tests. One slip up and she would be met with undesirable outcomes. She paused as she recounted the journey that had brought her here, as well as the sequence of unfavorable events.
The whole thing had kicked off when her master, Xiao Luo had suddenly vanished. Now it wasn't strange at all as the old master was commonly known for his sporadic and irregular disappearances that usually lasted for short periods of time. No one knew where he usually went for these personal retreats, but even if they did, it wouldn't matter anyway as it was forbidden to disturb or seek him out while he engaged in whatever it was that the great masters did when they sought the comfort of their own solitude. Her wise master used to tell her often; 'the greatest problem of mankind is our inability to be alone with ourselves for a given period.'
But Xiao Luo's disappearance was not the main issue here, the main problem was that her sect (which also happened to be Xiao Luo's sect) had recently come under attack by the hands of a vicious band of foreign invaders. And at a time like this, when Xiao Luo was needed the most, he was off on one of his legendary retreats. It was an impossible situation!
Purple Mountain was the domain that Xiao Luo ruled over and it was also home to his disciples; the revered members of the Purple Sect.
The Purple Sect boasted of some the world's best and most skilled cultivators. Xiao Luo was the chief, leader and the most powerful cultivator of this elite sect. He was revered far and wide for his wisdom, strength and skill as a cultivator. Over Purple Mountain and all its inhabitants, Xiao Luo was lord and master.
But with Purple Mountain under serious attack on all sides and with their dear master gone, the entire sect was in disarray. The wicked adversaries who were behind this dastardly act had acted on the knowledge they had received regarding Xiao Luo's leave and decided to take the initiative by launching attacks upon attacks on the formidable Purple Sect. Any other sect would have collapsed under the crushing weight of the demonic hosts. But Purple Sect was not just any sect; they were a loyal, patriotic and highly resilient bunch. Despite being outnumbered three to one, they fought back and deflected each wave of attack. After successfully repelling each of the enemy's brutal wave of attack that consisted of lavishly coordinated demons, one question was on everyone's mind; "Where was their master?"
The attackers were far from dumb as well. They knew that the moment the old man returned, the tide of the battle would shift dramatically in the favor of the Purple Sect. Morale would definitely increase and energy would surge, and then, the hunters would become the hunted. So the attackers worked feverishly to vanquish their enemies. And so, this was what had brought about Wang Yan's journey. The mission she had been tasked with was to seek out the one thing that could greatly increase their chances of winning- a small object that was often referred to as 'Purple Sapphire.' It was a mystical object that went by many names and was sought after by all sides. It was the object that had come to be in Zhang Jian's possession by the arrangement of Xiao Luo.
On the other hand, Zhang Jian completely misread the entire situation. He assumed that the old man hadn't put his affairs in order before he died and that it was presently causing a commotion in his household as everyone scrambled to get a piece of the old man's fortune.
"These silly rich folks and their strange ways."
So, he assumed this to be the reason the young Wang Yan was here, and why earlier on, she made the comment on bowing to whatever decision he made- that is; to hand it over or not to hand it over.
"Hmm, this is a tough one." He thought to himself, "Old man Xiao you cunning devil, even from your grave you still manage to haunt me so."
Zhang Jian considered the facts as they were once more; how was it that she knew where to look for him? The old man must have really trusted the young girl to give Zhang Jian's location to her, and by extension, the location of the jade as well. To Zhang Jian, Xiao Luo's final task to him was to determine if the girl was worthy of the jade or not. The old man had probably entrusted it to him because he knew his household would fall apart the moment he departed from this life. He must have also envisioned the fact that the wolves would kick his wishes to the curb and try to rob his favorite vassal of her portion from him if he were to foolishly leave it in his estate. So, the wise old man prudently went ahead of her and kept it safe for the time being in the hands of Zhang Jian. He reflected deeply on the old man's wisdom as he gradually began to regard the young girl who stood before him in a new light;
"Poor girl, she probably has neither family nor anything concrete to fall back on."
There and then, he resolved to hand it over to her. If Xiao Luo thought her worthy, then she must indeed be worthy for he had always respected the old man as a good judge of character. He also liked the humble way with which Wang Yan had handled the case. She could have chosen to approach the subject in a more direct way by coming to his face and out rightly demanding for her inheritance. After all, it had been promised to her by Xiao Luo. Zhang Jian finally understood now. In choosing not to tell Zhang Jian anything, the old man had shielded the truth from him and accorded him the last say in this matter. It was the old man's final test, and she had passed with flying colors.
"Old man Xiao you sly fox." Zhang Jian chuckled to himself; "You've done it yet again."
Finally, after what seemed like a decade of deliberation, Zhang Jian finally answered her;
"I have made my decision."
Wang Yan's eyes widened in anticipation. And then with an air of importance, he passed his verdict;
"Don't move."
With that, he disappeared into his inner room to retrieve the item that was rightfully hers. The way and manner with which Zhang Jian had turned caused Wang Yan to think that he was disappointed in her. She couldn't believe her ears. Tears stung her eyes as she thought of her compatriots at Purple Mountain who were standing their ground at that very moment against the vicious, bloodthirsty impudent invaders. She had often heard (more often than she cared to admit) about Masters and how they hated being seen through. The typical master loved being elusive and hated being seen as an open book. They practiced for years to perfect the craft of shielding their qi- all so they could give off an air of mystery.
She thought this was why he had been so vague and it was probably why he had given off the vibe of one who knew why she came here in the first place. The poor girl was still drowning in a sea of uncertainties when her wandering eyes chanced on the calligraphy on Zhang Jian's desk. The surreal depth and ambiguity of the text's design and meaning pulled her towards it like a baby to a piece of candy.
The bemused Wang Yan walked over to Zhang Jian's work space in a daze. Lost in the beauty of the calligraphy, she beheld Zhang Jian's work in awesome wonder as she hovered over his desk. A skilful cultivator acted out the word "Tao." Tao is subjective and can be related to, but the related truth per say is not Tao.
In reality, the real essence of Tao is an abstract construct that can only be perceived by the mind and is therefore difficult to describe with words. It was a known fact, an established truth. Wang Yan knew that this subject had sparked many a heated debate in several circles. There were several schools of thoughts on the nature and teaching of Tao. Only the elite with deep understanding could proffer their thoughts on the subject.
Amongst her age group, there was no doubt that Wang Yan was a stellar cultivator. In skill and in power, she excelled far above all her contemporaries, so much so that she was regarded as something of a prodigy among her mates. But for all her skill and strength, she was far from being compared to being on the same level as a real master. In fact the difference between her and a master was as wide as the distance between the heavenly bodies and the earth. She was far from making top ten in terms of ranking. Compared to a real master, Wang Yan was nothing but a mere child.
Even though Wang Yan had spent barely two decades on the earth, she had progressed just fine by all standards, but at her age, Wang Yan's master had managed to attain the stage that was directly above the Nascent Soul Stage (the eight stage) which was the level that Wang Yan was presently on. For some reason, she had been stuck at the Nascent Soul Stage for a while now and she couldn't figure out why she hadn't been able to progress yet. Wang Yan, and practically every single disciple at Purple Mountain virtually adored Xiao Luo, for in their eyes, he was the most powerful cultivator they had ever seen. And yet, as powerful and as skillful as Purple Sect's master Xiao Luo was, on the grand scheme of things, he was only number five in history's greatest. Wang Yan was not even close, not even by half.
And now, as she gazed upon the astounding work of Zhang Jian's painting, she was spellbound by what she saw. She saw landmarks, she saw the elements of nature, and she saw the beauty of the earth in mountains, streams, trees, vegetation, valleys, coves and even streets. Zhang Jian had managed to capture the essence of nature on plain sheet and the impact it had on Wang Yan was staggering.
The enlightened one who was a true master of Tao blossomed with fullness and satisfaction of Tao. So much so that it reflected while he ate, walked and wrote. It hovered over his ordinary talk, saturated the limits of his consciousness and dominated his sleep even while unconscious.
On the outwards, the calligraphy appeared bland and ordinary, but it boasted of a hidden message that was cleverly concealed within. Wang Yan had mixed feelings and her ambivalence manifested in her thoughts as she took jabs at her own self;
"I think I'm getting real cocky. I just might have to review my state of mind."
Looking back in deep reflection, she realized that she had imbibed a lot from other masters and they were all impressive in their own rights. But Zhang Jian was a different breed. In him, she saw the type of greatness that one could only hear of in tales of the legends and heroes in times past.
As she thought deeply, the words of her master came flowing in her mind. Xiao Luo had always spoken of the pecking order, and how there was always one person who was stronger than the person who appeared to be the strongest. He had wisely stated that it was the universe's way of balancing power so men don't get carried away and think themselves to be gods fashioned by their own strength. Of course the stubborn Wang Yan vehemently resisted his knowledge. Her rebuttal was based on her confidence in herself as being the world's most promising prodigy who would exceed all expectations and ascend to the position of an immortal.
But even now, she realized how naïve she had been at the time. She now understood what her maser had meant when he said that it was the universe's way of checkmating the proud who depended on their own strength. Her confidence in her own capabilities had been the foundation of her self-esteem. She had come up as a prodigy amongst her mates and consequently, she grew up thinking that she was extremely powerful and could easily be compared with the likes of other great and skillful people. But even as she stood now, beholding the full power in Zhang Jian's painting and calligraphy, the shocking revelation that she hadn't indeed begun her journey. Even at her current level which was the Nascent Soul Stage (the eight stage), she couldn't fully fathom or grasp the daunting power that was contained in the landscape painting. It was far beyond her scope.
The surprisingly light footsteps of Zhang Jian crept up behind her and took her by surprise. The startled Wang Yan managed to return to the original place she had been standing before Zhang Jian retreated into his inner chambers. She made it just in time. After going through great pain to retireve the precious object from the elaborate hiding place Zhang Jian had structured for it, he finally emerged from his room clutching a very peculiar wooden box that no doubt housed the precious object. As Zhang Jian held on to it, he remembered the funny story of how he had felt when Xiao Luo had bartered this very box for one of his paintings in the past. He remembered how bitter he had been with the old man when he gave him this box in exchange for one of his paintings. Zhang Jian had viewed the old man's actions then as insensitive for Xiao Luo knew that Zhang Jian cared not for money, so it had baffled Zhang Jian as to why he had given him a money box.
He pushed those fond memories out of his mind and handed the box to Wang Yan saying;
"Well, is this what you seek?"
Wang Yan's shaky hands received the gift with a clash of emotions as she instantly recognized the box as her master's soul box. It was her turn to be hit with a flood of fond memories but not quite for the same reason as Zhang Jian. The ominous box which Zhang Jian had so casually handed to her was referred to as a 'Soul Box.' It had the unique power to bind both spirit and soul. It was no little wonder that the presence and qi of the Purple Sapphire had remained obscured from her. The only reason she had been able to track it down in the first place was because of its twin embedded at the hilt of her sword. It would have been impossible for her to hone in on the location of the gem without it.
Zhang Jian had been watching his strange guest all this time and had observed that she had never for once looked him in the eye as she spoke. Her head had always been bowed low and her eyes had remained fixed to the floor as though there was something interesting about it that was known to her only. He confronted her on the issue saying;
"Do you not know that it is rude to avoid eye contact when making conversation?"
The startled Wang Yan quaked on her feet as she wondered;
"Is the peerless master ordering me to look at his face?"
It was unheard of for a cultivator at her stage to brazenly look at a master's face. Respect and fear were the two primary reasons why she couldn't not do so. Tales of a genius who had once dared to gaze fully (without permission) into the eyes of a master were told in hushed whispers among lower level cultivators. The end of that presumptuous fellow had been a tragic one as his insolent eyes were rumored to have been plucked out from its sockets while he was still alive. It was truly an ending befitting of an insolent creature. For some reason, Wang Yan had believed this story greatly as a child for she knew that one day, given her curious nature, she would be tempted to indulge her curiosity by looking into the eyes of a master. That story stuck with her and didn't leave her mind well into her young adulthood.
But if this was a direct order from Zhang Jian, she knew she had to obey or suffer a fate worse than the impudent man in the story. The thought of her name being used in one as these exemplary tales as a caution to others irked her. So slowly, she lifted up her head to look into his eyes. The face that met her gaze was a simple one, the kind that one would look at and easily gloss over in public. There was no notable feature that set his face apart. Indeed, his was a face that could easily be forgotten after a first encounter. His face was the kind that left no lasting impression.
She also noticed a gentle look in his eyes. It was one of kindness. Not condescending like other masters. Wang Yan gasped in admiration; this was truly a master!
It was no hidden fact that an astute cultivator had attained a particular stage, they could easily manipulate their form and take on the appearance of another form. Her master Xiao Luo had cautioned her against imitating such pointless tactics. It didn't matter how hard they trained, the stage would definitely be more advanced for those who focused more on the physical. Wang Yan's mind was baffled as she thought of the level which this peerless master was at this time.
On the other hand, Zhang Jian looked at her real good for the first time and he saw a delightful young girl. Her simple outfit had done very little to douse the fire of her presence and fiery personality. Even though she tried to mask it with etiquette and courtesy, Zhang Jian could tell that the young girl was bubbling with youthful energy. She was full of life and Zhang Jian finally understood why Xiao Luo had kept her. Zhang Jian smiled as he thought to himself;
"The old man was always a good judge of character wasn't he?"