Chapter 14 – The Measure of an Ordinary Man
My shoulders felt as though someone had hung mountains from them.
Every muscle protested as I climbed down the stairs the next morning.
Even lifting my arms to wash my face was painful.
The old man glanced at me while stirring a pot of stew.
“You look terrible.”
“I feel worse.”
He nodded with satisfaction.
“Good.”
“…Good?”
“If you don’t ache after training, then you weren’t training.”
I wanted to argue.
Instead, I quietly sat down.
A bowl of steaming porridge appeared before me.
“You’ll need the energy.”
I looked at him suspiciously.
“…Free?”
“It’s yesterday’s leftovers.”
“Oh.”
“And if you don’t eat it, the chickens will.”
“…I’ll eat.”
The old man smirked.
⸻
Life settled into a rhythm.
Wake up before sunrise.
Clean the tavern.
Carry water from the public well.
Wash dishes.
Split firewood.
Practice sword swings.
Sleep.
Repeat.
It wasn’t exciting.
There were no miraculous treasures.
No ancient masters waiting to accept me as a disciple.
No hidden manuals falling from the sky.
Just…
Work.
The strange thing was…
I no longer hated mornings.
⸻
A week passed.
For the first time since arriving in this world…
I noticed a change.
Not in my cultivation.
Not in my strength.
In myself.
The water buckets no longer felt impossibly heavy.
The axe no longer slipped from my hands.
Even my breathing remained steady after carrying supplies across the market.
I wasn’t becoming powerful.
I was simply becoming… healthier.
A life I had neglected for years was slowly returning to me.
⸻
One afternoon, the old man tossed me a small sack.
“Go to the eastern market.”
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“Buy salt.”
He dropped three bronze coins into my hand.
“And don’t let anyone cheat you.”
“I’ve never bargained before.”
“Then today you’ll learn.”
⸻
The eastern market was louder than the central square.
Rows of colorful stalls stretched in every direction.
The scent of roasted meat mixed with incense and fresh herbs.
Blacksmiths hammered glowing ore.
Tailors displayed robes embroidered with silver thread.
Children chased one another through the crowd.
For the first time…
I wasn’t looking around like a lost traveler.
I was beginning to recognize faces.
The fruit seller who always shouted too loudly.
The old woman who sold medicinal herbs.
The baker who smiled at everyone except customers who asked for discounts.
This city…
Was slowly becoming familiar.
⸻
As I searched for the salt merchant, I heard shouting nearby.
A crowd had gathered around a small platform.
Curious, I stepped closer.
A young man stood proudly on the stage, wearing elegant blue robes.
Behind him fluttered a banner depicting a soaring hawk.
“The Azure Wind Pavilion!”
someone in the crowd whispered.
“They’re recruiting servants.”
“No.”
Another corrected.
“Outer disciples.”
The words caught my attention.
Disciples.
Cultivators.
Was this my chance?
The blue-robed youth spoke confidently.
“The Pavilion seeks young men and women under twenty years of age.”
“Those with spiritual talent may enter the path of cultivation.”
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
One by one, hopeful youths stepped forward.
Each placed a hand upon a crystal sphere resting on a stone pedestal.
Most of the time…
Nothing happened.
“Next.”
“Next.”
“Next.”
A girl no older than sixteen touched the crystal.
It glowed with a faint green light.
The examiner nodded.
“Wood affinity.”
“Low-grade.”
“Accepted.”
The girl’s parents burst into tears of joy.
The crowd applauded.
I couldn’t stop watching.
⸻
“Do you wish to try?”
The examiner suddenly looked at me.
The crowd turned.
Their eyes settled on my worn clothes.
Someone laughed.
“The beggar?”
“He probably doesn’t even know what cultivation is.”
Heat rose to my cheeks.
Part of me wanted to leave.
The other part…
Wanted an answer.
I stepped forward.
Slowly.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
The crystal was smooth beneath my fingertips.
I closed my eyes.
Please…
Even the lowest talent.
Just…
Give me something.
The crystal remained silent.
Nothing.
Not even the faintest flicker.
The examiner waited several seconds before withdrawing my hand.
“No spiritual affinity.”
His voice carried no cruelty.
Only indifference.
“Next.”
That single word hurt more than mockery.
The crowd quickly lost interest.
Another hopeful youth stepped forward.
My place…
Had already been forgotten.
⸻
I quietly walked away.
The three bronze coins in my pocket suddenly felt heavier.
Back on Earth…
I wasn’t talented.
Here…
Nothing had changed.
Even in another world…
I remained ordinary.
I laughed softly.
Perhaps destiny had a sense of humor after all.
⸻
“You forgot the salt.”
A familiar voice came from behind me.
I turned.
The old herb-selling grandmother looked at me with a gentle smile.
“I saw everything.”
“…Was it that obvious?”
She chuckled.
“Child…”
“Not everyone is born to cultivate.”
She pointed toward the market around us.
“Look carefully.”
I followed her gaze.
The butcher.
The carpenter.
The baker.
The tailor.
The children laughing.
The mothers shopping.
“Do you think all of them are cultivators?”
I slowly shook my head.
She smiled warmly.
“Then why do you think their lives have no value?”
I froze.
She continued arranging her herbs.
“The world is supported by ordinary people.”
“Heroes merely stand on their shoulders.”
Her words lingered in my mind long after I left.
⸻
When I returned to the tavern, the old man didn’t ask about the Pavilion.
He simply looked at my face.
“…You tried.”
It wasn’t a question.
I nodded.
“They said I have no spiritual affinity.”
The old man remained silent.
Then he handed me the sack of salt.
“You forgot this.”
“…Sorry.”
He shrugged.
“Everyone fails.”
“What matters…”
He picked up the wooden sword and tossed it toward me.
“…is what you do before the next sunrise.”
I caught the sword instinctively.
Outside, the evening bell echoed across the city.
Tomorrow would come.
Whether I was talented or not.
Whether the heavens acknowledged me or not.
The sun would still rise.
And perhaps…
For now…
That was enough.
End of Chapter 14