Chapter 37: Nine Schools

Chapter 37: The Nine Classes

Some time had passed since they left Wuligang, and the narrow forest path gradually widened; by now, they were no longer the only travelers, as horse-drawn carriages, ox carts, and farmers carrying shoulder poles all hurried forward together.

The increasingly dense footprints on the ground, along with the livestock dung, made Li Huowang realize that Jianye Town must be close at hand.

"Zhao Wu, are actors like Troupe Master Lu considered to be of low status?" Li Huowang asked Zhao Wu, who was wholly absorbed in practicing his calligraphy.

Holding a twig to trace characters in the dirt, Zhao Wu looked up, casting a surprised glance at Li Huowang before turning his gaze back to the Zhao family troupe ahead.

"Well, even though they might win cheers from the audience while performing, they are much like the women in the pleasure quarters—being liked is one thing, but social standing is quite another; actors sit at the very bottom of the Nine Classes."

"Is that so? What are the Nine Classes?" Li asked in surprise, for had it not been for the earlier incident, he would never have noticed.

"First are emperors and ministers, second are officials and generals, third are gentry and merchants, fourth are sects and gangs, fifth are artisans and scholars, sixth are healers, geomancers, and farmers, seventh are shamans, beggars, and slaves, eighth are thieves, swindlers, and robbers, and ninth are performers, actors, and prostitutes."

"And it is not merely a matter of being looked down upon, but also of differing treatment; for instance, those in the lower three classes cannot marry into respectable families, and there are restrictions on their clothing and conveyances—they may not ride horses or sit in palanquins, nor wear brocade, damask, or silk, and even when filing a lawsuit, their words carry three parts less weight."

Hearing Zhao Wu rattle this off as smoothly as a tongue twister, Li Huowang was quite astonished. "I didn't expect you to know so much."

"You flatter me, Senior Brother Li; my family lives in town after all, so I know these things, and most folks around here would know them too. Where are you from originally, Senior Brother Li, that you don't even know this?"

Zhao Wu had long noticed that this Senior Brother Li was rather unusual, but only today had he found the chance to ask.

"Heh, a very, very faraway place." As for his origins, Li Huowang was too lazy to explain; it would be a waste of breath, and these people might not understand anyway.

Seeing that Li Huowang would not answer, Zhao Wu pressed no further and continued his tale.

"We have it relatively good here; no matter which class you belong to, the Emperor still allows you to take the imperial examinations, and though success isn't guaranteed, it's at least a hope to cling to—I've heard that in other places, those in the lower three classes aren't even permitted to sit for the exams, leaving them with no way to rise for generations, so an actor remains an actor for life."

"So that's how it is." Li Huowang gained a new understanding of this world.

"Then what about a Daoist priest like me? What is my standing here?" Li Huowang asked again.

"Daoist priests belong to one of the Three Teachings and stand outside the Nine Classes; most people treat them with respect, and even those who don't will keep their distance, for who can truly make sense of matters involving gods and ghosts?"

Zhao Wu's words made Li Huowang abandon his plan to take off the Daoist robe he was wearing.

Since he would be traveling far and wide from now on, wearing this Daoist robe would clearly be far more convenient than plain cloth garments.

"By the way, Zhao Wu, what about beings like Danyangzi? Their status must be quite high, right?" Li Huowang immediately posed the crucial question.

"To be honest, Senior Brother Li, I don't know either; before I was taken away by him, I had no idea such powerful people truly existed in this world—I thought those were just tales made up by storytellers."

"Is that so..." Li Huowang mused thoughtfully; it seemed news traveled slowly in these parts, for logically there should be quite a few beings like Danyangzi, yet a local like Zhao Wu knew nothing of them.

However, he guessed that there must be someone to keep people like Danyangzi in check, otherwise he wouldn't have had to flee into the deep mountains and ancient forests to cultivate immortality in secret.

"Little Daoist Master! Little Daoist Master! Look at the city gates, we've arrived!" Hearing Lu Zhuangyuan's shout, Li Huowang raised his head and gazed ahead.

At the end of the road they had traveled for so many days appeared a row of low, moss-covered walls, and within those walls lay their destination: Jianye Town.

The Lu family troupe passed through without a hitch, but Li Huowang and his companions were not so fortunate, for their appearances were far too peculiar, and before they had been inside for long, the town's chief constable arrived with his men to cause trouble.

"Clang!" The constable held his blade aloft with both hands, his expression deeply wary as he demanded of Li Huowang, "Halt, halt! What is the meaning of this! What are you!"

"Constable Yan, it's me; these are all people I know, they mean no harm, they've specially escorted me home," Zhao Wu called out from the donkey cart in greeting.

At the sight of Zhao Wu's face, the constable's hostility instantly waned, and he sheathed his blade.

"Oh, it's the fifth son of the Zhao family; where have you been all this time? Tell these folks who look like you to behave themselves, buy some bamboo hats with veils to hide your faces, and don't frighten the neighbors."

"Many thanks, Constable Yan; has my family been well lately?"

"Well, of course they're well; by the way, your second sister has married into a good family, hurry back and see them."

To avoid further trouble, Li Huowang followed Zhao Wu's lead to a stall selling bamboo hats and bought several with black veils attached.

Once the human ingredients put them on, though they still drew the eye, they would at least no longer terrify people.

After arranging the next departure time with Lu Zhuangyuan, Li Huowang said to Zhao Wu, "Where is your home? Let's go there first."

Looking at the familiar surroundings, Zhao Wu grew somewhat emotional; he did not wear a hat, for everyone in town knew him.

With his limbs weak, Zhao Wu braced his hands against the donkey cart with great effort and hopped down.

Gouwa, standing nearby, was about to reach out and help him, but Li Huowang stopped him, drawing the long sword from his back and handing it to Zhao Wu.

Then he reached into his bosom, pulled out a stack of dying wish notes, and began to sort through them.

Leaning on the long sword with both hands, Zhao Wu stumbled and staggered his way toward his home.

Jianye Town seemed lively, with people coming and going on the streets, but it was not large, and Zhao Wu soon found his house.

It was a small rice shop, and seeing his busy family inside, Zhao Wu's eyes instantly filled with hot tears. "Father! I'm back!"

Zhao Wu's trembling shout made everyone in the rice shop look up.

"Fifth Brother!" A sturdy, bare-chested young man who was carrying rice threw the sack from his shoulder to the ground and rushed out excitedly, wrapping him in a tight embrace.

Right behind him, a little girl with her hair tied in ox-horn buns also dashed out, circling Zhao Wu in her excitement.

Just as Zhao Wu was lost in his overwhelming joy, Li Huowang, watching coldly from the side, noticed something amiss.

Apart from the two who had rushed out, the expressions of the others inside the house were utterly flat, which was hardly how ordinary family members would react.

"Senior Brother Li, what's wrong?" Bai Lingmiao, keenly sensing the shift in the atmosphere, gently tugged at the hem of Li Huowang's robe.

Li Huowang patted the back of her hand, saying nothing at all.

(End of Chapter)