Jin Se

Chapter 1

(*) 罄竹难书 (qing zhu nan shu) originates from a saying by Li Mi. In ancient China, writing was recorded on slats made from bamboo tree, so the phrase basically means 'innumerable crimes'

That year when Jianghua Sanren came to Jiulu mountain to drink and debate teachings with the Taoist master, since Jianghua Sanren never had paid much attention to customs and such, after getting drunk he decided to rest at the water drinking pavilion.

When he woke up, he only felt ice cold on his face, winds blowing at him. When he reached out with his hand, he discovered his long, god-like beard had been shaved clean since nobody knew when.

The beard grown for three centuries just like that got stolen by a brat to cushion a chicken's nest, not to even mention Jianghua Sanren's rage, Shi Wuduan got beaten up regardless. He also got hung up on the water drinking pavilion by the Taoist master for all the students. Since then, his name became infamous.

Shi Wuduan generally must have been fearless since in his mother's womb, since that time he was picked up by the Taoist master from the wolf cave, he was but a few months old baby, but regardless of whether he saw wolves to humans, he all observed with large eyes curiously shifting left and right, but did not cry at all.

When he learned how to walk, his short, chubby legs still shaky, but he did not even walk stably before excitedly trying to run. The moment his shixiong in charge of him's attention wandered away, he fell to the ground right away, and his chin, that was chubby enough the bone could not even be seen, got all scratched up.

Yet, he seemed to feel no pain, did not need anyone to pick him up nor assure him, and scrambled up like a meat worm, lifted up his chubby face, and flashed his alarmed shixiong a brilliant, carefree smile, revealing an empty cavity with only a few teeth.

When he grew a little more, Shi Wuduan spent his days climbing roofs and lifting tiles (*).

(*) means being destructive

The Taoist master of Xuan sect, who legend has it has lived for more than five hundred years, has always been a mildly-spoken intellectual, who devotes his life to the Taoist teachings, and who is someone's very smile can make people feel like they are bathed in spring wind, ever since accepting this sole student, his hundred-year long cultivation seemed to burst.

It was said every month he had to get mad a few times, breaking three to four rulers. It is also unknown whether he got punished too much that Shi Wuduan develop a steely, impenetrable layer of skin.

After he caused some disaster, the Taoist master would yell: "You devilish child, come here for your punishment!"

He would then obediently scuttle forward, then after getting hit 'bang bang' a few times, rub his butt, wipe his nose with no care in the world, and continue to mess up Jiulu mountain to absolute chaos.

A young boy being naughty is common, which child has not been through a few whoopings? But this brat Shi Wuduan is truly naughty to a new extreme, like he has been born without a few nerve endings and does not know what fear is.

Shaving Jianghua Sanren's beard to cushion the chicken's nest is but a small thing, when he was five, he ushered the revered animal 'Qingcu' out like bringing a goat for a walk, and almost got out the mountain's territory.

After a group of lumberjacks surrounded and pointed at Qingcu for a whole while, he finally got rushed back home by his shixiongs. When he was six and playing hide and seek with a group of kids, while no one was paying attention he already ran to the Cangyun valley where all sorts of spirits (*) gather and played with the spirit children.