Chapter One

  "Not turning back, why must one remember; since there's no fate, why make vows; today's events, like water without a trace; tonight or some other night, you're already a stranger..."

  The mournful lyrics echoed over the Qiantang River. The singer was a woman of about forty, with two lines of clear tears streaming down her face. But her demeanor and bearing forbade anyone from looking down on her. Next to her, an old man was fishing, but his expression seemed to be elsewhere. "Miss, he won't come back, his heart is not with you, isn't the purpose of his pursuit just that book of secret martial arts techniques passed down in your family? Why are you so foolish?" The old man sighed.

  "White Uncle, you say his goal is that book, don't I have any status in his heart at all?" "Miss, you're too naive. I heard he's already become a guest of the Ning State's Chancellor in the North. I think it won't be long before he takes over as the Great General of Ning State. What a good strategist! Tang Tang didn't even take the martial arts exam but became a guest, humph!"

  The woman's name was Bai Ying, said to be a descendant of General Bai Qisheng 500 years ago. Bai Qisheng was a legendary figure who had won every battle he fought and never lost once, but some people also said that he had lost one battle, and very badly at that, though no one knew the truth. However, he was revered as a god of war by many military strategists, and had written two books: "Victory or No Battle" and "Understanding the Enemy's Mind". The first book explained the essentials of military tactics and troop deployment, while the second book contained secrets that only the direct descendants of the Bai family could know.

  "Hey Bai Shu, why do you think that way?"

  "Miss, you think, with his ability, how could he not get the top spot in that small Ning country's martial arts competition? But his ambition is not there, his heart is big, he wants to first gain favor with Ning country's Prime Minister Zhang Rui, and then use his hand to climb up to the position of great general. At that time, as long as he wins one or two battles, won't he be able to get what he wants? It's much better than just being a martial arts champion with an empty title, and also it's not easy to attract other people's attention."

  "Bai Shu, I'm not willing to give up, I want revenge, and I also want him to remember my name forever."

  "Miss, Yang Chun took away 'Invincible', only 'The Enemy's Heart' can defeat him. However, many of our ancestors did not understand the true meaning of this book. Miss, you want to understand and apply it, I'm afraid it won't be easy!"

  "White Uncle, don't worry. In my opinion, this book is because our ancestors have followed the ancestral teachings since the war god ancestor, 'none of my descendants can be officials'. Everyone has left the official circle, which is a big dye vat. Only if we let one person first practice in the official circle and then apply it to the battlefield can we gain a comprehensive understanding."

  "Miss, what are you going to do?"

  "Hmph, I have my own plans, and you'll find out what it means to be ashamed of yourself, Yang!"

  "Please pity me, I haven't eaten for a long time. My brother died and we didn't even have money to bury him. Uncles and aunties, please show some mercy." A 14-year-old beggar was shouting.

  "Ah yo, who stepped on me? He's asking to die!" The beggar who was pretending to be dead suddenly jumped up with a 'ting' sound.

  "Big brother, how did you get up? Run quickly."

  As soon as the words were spoken, the little beggar grabbed the big one and ran, but was quickly stopped by several thugs. "You're really bold enough to cheat us all the way to our doorstep, aren't you? Don't hit me!" The leader of the thugs shouted.

  "Big Brother Zhang said that you two little rascals haven't paid protection fees recently, looks like you haven't learned your lesson. Brothers, let's teach them a lesson." one of the thugs shouted.

  At once, the thugs started beating them up. "Stop it, you haven't even seen how to bully people!" An old man walked over and somehow managed to pull those two beggars over. "Smelly old man, you're really something, be careful I'll beat you up too." Zhang Daqi shouted.

  "How much do they owe you, I'll pay?" The old man was Bai Shu, he heard the young lady say that she wanted to find someone, and it couldn't be a real person, otherwise the Book of Small People might not be understood. So he started searching in Jing'an City, and when he heard the noise, he came over.

  That group of rascals conferred for a moment and said "10 taels of silver!"

  "Damn you, I didn't borrow money from you, and the protection fee isn't that expensive. You're not even worth robbing, but it seems like Er Long Shan doesn't accept trash like you." The little beggar cursed loudly.

  "Take it and be satisfied." Bai Shu tossed a silver ingot to the beggar, pulled the two cripples along, turned around and left.