Little Abacus

1,123 words

Between the two groups stood two bare-handed youths sparring with fists and feet. One of them was bulky, but his stance was stable and rooted, and his punches and kicks carried considerable force. It was none other than Wang Dapang, Han Li's former good friend. Despite his obesity, Wang Dapang was no slouch in a fight; with every shout, his punches whipped through the air with a formidable gust. His opponent was a short fellow, quick as a rat, who never bothered to parry Wang Dapang's strikes and simply dodged and weaved, clearly aiming to exhaust the big man before mounting a counterattack.

Seeing a friend in the middle of a spar, Han Li naturally felt a bias toward him.

He watched for a while. Wang Dapang's momentum remained fierce, and though Han Li knew nothing of martial arts, he could tell the big man would not lose anytime soon. He relaxed.

He looked around, hoping to ask someone what was going on.

Not far from his tree, near a rock, sat a youth who was gesturing as he watched, muttering to himself: "Hit him in the head! Kick his waist! Ah! Missed by that much! Yeah, yeah, kick his ass! Harder..."

The youth was cheering on the match, speaking a mile a minute.

From the tone, it sounded like he was on Wang Dapang's side.

Han Li found the fellow amusing, so he slowly climbed down from the tree and approached.

"Senior apprentice brother, do you know all those people in the ring? Why are they fighting?" Han Li wore a look of honest curiosity.

"What kind of question is that? Is there anyone Little Abacus doesn't know? They're fighting for... Huh? Who are you? I've never seen you before. A new disciple? No, it's still half a year before the next batch arrives. Who exactly are you?" The youth was about to answer drowsily when he suddenly realized he had never seen Han Li before. He snapped awake.

"I am Han Li. That incomparably valiant fellow in the ring, Wang Dapang, is my friend," Han Li replied solemnly.

"Wang Dapang's friend? I know all his friends. There's no one like you," the youth said warily.

"Oh, I've been in seclusion at a secluded spot for a few years and haven't come out for a long time. It's perfectly normal that you don't recognize me." Han Li's words were half true, half false.

"Is that so? You're a disciple who entered four years ago? I never thought there'd be someone inside the mountain that I, the one who knows everything, don't know." The youth glanced at Han Li's clothes, seemingly convinced.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the youth could no longer hold back and told Han Li the reason for the fight.

"You don't know, Junior Apprentice Brother, but this is all the trouble caused by a beautiful woman. It starts with..." This Little Abacus truly lived up to his nickname. He recounted the whole affair in excruciating detail.

Apparently, it all began with two people: a man named Wang Yang, Wang Dapang's cousin, and a man named Zhang Changgui, the son of a money-shop owner. Both were disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect—one an outer disciple, the other an inner disciple.

Though they lived in the same town, their paths should never have crossed. All of this was caused by a girl from another town, who had been promised to Wang Yang since childhood. But some time ago, during an outing, she caught the eye of Young Master Zhang, who happened to be passing by on his way home. Under Zhang's financial assault, the girl and her parents were won over. The engagement was changed to Zhang Changgui, and Wang Yang's betrothal gifts were returned. The woman's family, despising poverty and loving wealth, had switched their allegiance. This devastating news dealt a heavy blow to Wang Yang, who was deeply infatuated with the girl. After learning of it, he moped around all day, wishing he were dead, and in the end, he really couldn't take it and jumped into the river.

The matter should have ended there, a tragic story complete.

But Wang Dapang had always been close to his cousin. When he heard about it, he refused to let the matter rest. He sought out Zhang Changgui and demanded a duel: the loser would have to pour tea, bow, and admit fault.

Zhang Changgui, though proud, knew his martial arts were slightly inferior to Wang Dapang's. He demanded that friends be allowed to join, with several matches determining the overall winner. Wang Dapang agreed immediately. Zhang Changgui then threw his money around, generously bribing skilled disciples from wealthy families to fight for him. Wang Dapang, though without money, had a wide network of friends among the middle and lower ranks of the sect, many of whom were skilled and willing to help.

As a result, many disciples who heard about the fight came to watch and cheer, forming stark, hostile camps.

From the youth's tone, Han Li could tell that the conflict between the rich disciples and those from poorer backgrounds had grown even sharper.

All this for a single sparring match, drawing such a crowd.

"You're on Wang Dapang's side too, right? If they don't play fair, we'll all jump in and beat those rich bastards black and blue. Teach them never to bully us again!" The youth's mouth had not stopped since the beginning.

Han Li forced a wry smile. What did this conflict between the two factions have to do with him? It was hard to say who was right or wrong. After these years of sitting in meditation, the hot-blooded impulse of his youth had worn away. Besides, he had never practiced any martial arts, boxing, or sword techniques. He could currently not beat a single ordinary fellow disciple. Once the fight was over, he should obediently return to the valley.

"Excellent!" the youth suddenly shouted with joy.

Han Li turned his head toward the ring. Wang Dapang's opponent had ultimately failed to last until the end. He couldn't dodge Wang Dapang's massive fist in time, caught a blow to the forehead, and collapsed, unconscious.

Immediately, a portion of the crowd erupted in cheers, while another group's faces turned ugly.

Wang Dapang, smug, clasped his fists in all directions, then waddled back to his own side with a swagger, the ferocity of his earlier fight completely gone.

Two people from Zhang Changgui's side also stepped forward and dragged the unconscious disciple back.

Then, each side sent out another fighter—one with a blade, one with a sword.

Both seemed to be hot-tempered. Without a word, they raised their weapons and began to clash with a clang.

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Reading Guide Decoding

Class Warfare at the Mountain Gate

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

The Jianghu here is no romantic world of righteous heroes. The Seven Mysteries Sect functions as a miniature society with its own economics and class strife. Money translates directly into fighting force: Zhang Changgui buys allies, while Wang Dapang relies on personal connections. This zero-sum dynamic, where the gap between rich and poor is settled by public, violent contests, is a defining feature of the Mortal Stream's cruel realism. There is no "justice" here—only revenge purchased at the cost of life and reputation. Also note the ease with which a romantic tragedy becomes a pretext for group violence. This is a world where grief is acted out through the fist rather than the word.

Chapter Overview

Han Li wanders down to the mountain gate and witnesses a sect-wide grudge match that has split the Seven Mysteries Sect along class lines. He meets the relentless chatterbox known as Little Abacus, who fills him in on the whole backstory: a broken engagement, a wealthy man's gold, a poor man's suicide, and a cousin's vendetta. The sparring on the rocks is just the visible tip of a much uglier social divide.

Key Plot Points

Han Li spots his old friend Wang Dapang fighting in a bare-handed spar and is relieved to see he's holding his own.
He encounters Little Abacus, a talkative disciple who prides himself on knowing everyone and everything in the sect.
Little Abacus explains the cause of the fight: Wang Dapang's cousin, Wang Yang, was betrothed to a girl, but she and her family were bought off by the richer Zhang Changgui. Wang Yang, heartbroken, threw himself into a river and died.
Wang Dapang, seeking vengeance, challenged Zhang Changgui to a duel, which turned into a multi-match team contest.
The conflict has polarized the sect: the wealthy disciples stand with Zhang Changgui after being paid off, while the middle- and lower-class disciples back Wang Dapang out of loyalty and resentment.
Han Li listens, observes, and decides none of this is his business. He's not even a real martial artist—he has no combat skills to contribute.
Wang Dapang wins his match by a knockout, and the second round (blade vs. sword) begins.

Reading Guide

This chapter is a breather chapter that does genuine worldbuilding. The point isn't the fight itself, but the snapshot it gives of the sect's ugly social body. Read closely for how money, loyalty, and class collide in a way that makes even Han Li (who shrugs the whole thing off) seem refreshingly pragmatic. Also, meet Little Abacus: a perfect information-broker character who will later prove that loose lips and deep gossip can be just as valuable as a good sword arm. The chapter quietly reinforces Han Li's non-participatory character code—he watches, he judges, he walks away. He is not the hero of this conflict; he's the bystander who knows better.