[22nd Day of the Month] Mohist studies abhor empty talk; superficial words only delay real progress. For this …
[22nd Day of the Month]
Mohist studies abhor empty talk; superficial words only delay real progress.
For this worldly journey, sect rules dictate I must return with a mechanism created from my true calling to complete my training.
I have been in the world for over three months. My blueprints are completely blank. I have no ideas, and I bring shame to my masters.
To ease my troubled mind and help the locals, I have recently headed to the eastern suburbs of Bianliang to rediscover the joy of farming I knew as a child.
[24th Day of the Month]
Mechanical puzzles can be solved, but a procrastinating heart cannot.
In the fields, all my worries disappear.
I shall farm.
[26th Day of the Month]
If I don't focus on inventing mechanisms for the greater good, how can I plow the world with just one man and one plow?
Qiu Ying, Qiu Ying, what a slacker you've become!
[1st Day of the Next Month]
A farm boy kindly gave me a melon from the east field.
The soil here drains poorly, making the fruit bland. If I use mechanisms to divert water into irrigation channels, it might help.
I shall farm.
[3rd Day of the Next Month]
Bumped into Yan Shu, an old peer from the sect. The man is arrogant and stubborn. We debated endlessly back at the pavilion, and he never admits defeat. He truly earns his nickname, "Yama Yan," tyrant of the underworld.
When I asked about his final project, he looked entirely too confident.
Irritating. Infuriating.
I'm going back to farming.
[5th Day of the Next Month]
Ran into Yama Yan again.
"Since you enjoy farming so much, Brother Qiu, why not make irrigation your project?"
He was just spouting nonsense to mock me. And yet...
He has a point?
[10th Day of the Next Month]
Mohist learning values the practical. A single log can become a pillar; a scrap of leather can mend a boot.
For my irrigation plow, I lacked a proper blade. Yan sent me a piece of hundred-forged steel. Pure Cizhou iron. Excellent steel.
Given his usual endless sarcasm, a sudden bout of conscience is rare.
[10th Day of Autumn]
I have honored my masters' teachings. The prototype of the irrigation mechanism is done, though it needs peer review.
I head back to the mountain today.
I owe Yan a debt of gratitude and should thank him, but surprisingly, he has been nowhere to be found for days.
[12th Day of Winter]
I still haven't seen Yan Shu.
I'm passing this journal to a disciple heading down the mountain, along with a letter. If you run into him, please deliver it.