Equivalent Exchange... The words struck Song Qing's mind like a bolt of lightning, as if his very soul had been dealt a blow. The force of the impact was like a poem that would be passed down through the ages striking a scholar of letters.
Equivalent Exchange was the immutable principle of alchemy!
"Yes, that is it, that is exactly it..." Song Qing muttered to himself.
Whenever he succeeded in forging some object, the corresponding raw material would vanish, or transform into something else. This phenomenon had always been there, yet few people ever noticed. And even if they did notice, they did not think it through, did not dwell on it this deeply.
"Back when our teacher taught us alchemy, he said that the essence of alchemy is not 'transformation' but 'conversion'!"
"So that is what Equivalent Exchange truly means..."
That single sentence, holding the gist of it all, sent the fervent alchemy enthusiast trembling involuntarily.
After steadying his excited heart, Song Qing began to ponder what the name "Edward Elric" signified. Was it a name? How odd a name that would be. Was it a cipher, or some private jargon of the alchemical arts?
He could not work it out, and his curiosity itched unbearably. Song Qing drew a deep breath, steadied himself, and eagerly turned to the next page, reading the twisted, ugly handwriting with professional patience.
The opening line read: Step into the world of alchemy!
Was this teaching a person how to enter the realm of alchemy?
How arrogant! Song Qing thought to himself. Alchemy had always been passed down by word of mouth, master to apprentice. The gifted could begin in a year or two; the dull-witted might labor thirty or fifty years and still achieve nothing. The Directorate of Celestials to this day had no proper textbook at all.
But that opening line gave Song Qing enough patience.
"Section One: The Changes and Properties of Matter. In the natural world there exist countless examples invisible to the naked eye. These examples constitute matter, and between matter there exist many reciprocal interactions, forever undergoing ceaseless change..."
"I have classified these changes as: chemical changes and physical changes..."
Song Qing read on, and fell into deep thought.
What is chemistry. What is an atom. What am I reading. Why do I recognize every single character, yet when they are strung together, I can no longer understand them?
Even the sage's classics had collected commentaries — why, here, was there nothing?!
But Song Qing had not walked away empty-handed. He keenly sensed that this was a divine book beyond compare in this world. It set forth the true nature of the world, pointed to the most fundamental structure of all things under heaven.
Song Qing trembled slightly. For a moment, he wanted to tear the book apart — this was a secret that only gods might know, not something mortals should pry into. But deep within, another force sustained him: the most primal hunger for knowledge that lives in humankind.
The alchemy chamber fell silent.
The white-robed disciples exchanged glances, not daring to speak or disturb. They worried over their senior brother Song Qing's ever-shifting expression.
"Senior Brother is thinking up some other intolerable alchemy again."
"Yes — last year he tried to smelt a cat's flesh and blood into a tree, so that even if its head were cut off it could grow back. He was put under house arrest by the Chief Astronomer for a month."
Song Qing was lost in his own world, afraid and thrilled at once. As he read, his eyes suddenly lit up — for he had come upon a detailed exposition of how to forge the tax silver.
Step one: First, filter the saltwater to purify out the sodium chloride (fine salt).
Step two: Boil the saltwater dry, distill the crystals, and melt them at a temperature of eight hundred degrees Celsius.
Step three: Take note! This step is the key to forging the tax silver. Success or failure hinges upon it.
Song Qing's eyes blazed. At last, at last he was about to solve the puzzle that had so troubled him and his junior brothers.
This truly was a divine book.
Song Qing realized he had reached the end of the page. He wetted his fingertip with spittle and eagerly turned to the next page.
Blank!
Song Qing: "???"
It ended there?!
There was nothing more after that?!
What exactly was step three, and why was it not recorded? Who wrote this book? Writing it in such truncated chapters deserved to have its author sliced a thousand times over.
Song Qing spat a mouthful of old blood.
He opened his mouth, forgot whatever he meant to say, and asked in a low voice: "Who delivered this book?"
"Didn't notice."
"Didn't hear."
"Forgot."
His junior brothers' answers were painfully sincere.
Song Qing immediately went downstairs and found the disciple who had earlier received Warden Wang, pressing him for the full details.
This was an exchange... Song Qing concluded after his analysis.
"Senior Brother, what on earth is the matter?" The white-robed junior brothers chased him downstairs. "What is wrong with this book?"
Song Qing's face was utterly grave as he swept his gaze over them all. "Listen to me, brothers. This is an opportunity for the Directorate to rise with breathtaking speed. A chance that comes once in a thousand years. Alchemy may well be about to enjoy a glory it has never known."
...
Cotton Sheep Pavilion.
Two carriages rolled slowly along the official road, carrying the two Grand Confucian Masters who had just finished spewing choice curses at each other.
Xu Xinnian and his fellow students rode on horseback, trailing behind the carriages.
"I should not have spoken the truth just now." Xu Xinnian was a little remorseful.
The two Grand Confucian Masters had been quarreling, spittle flying, on the verge of a brawl. Xu Xinnian, in his bluntness, had said: surely Teacher and Master Mubai only want to win a poem that will be passed down through the ages.
The scene had grown quite awkward.
His words may have stopped the two Grand Confucian Masters from coming to blows, but Xu Xinnian also realized that telling the truth had been wrong.
"Mother is right — I have never known how to speak, and I must change!" Xu Xinnian underwent the Nth self-reflection of his life.
He reached into his bosom and touched the warm, smooth jade pendant. Xu Xinnian looked off into the distance, pleased with himself — when his gaze caught a figure galloping toward them at full speed.
In a few moments the figure came into view. It was his father, Xu Pingzhi.
Xu Xinnian blinked, then urged his horse and shot past the carriages to meet him.
"Father, why have you come..." The words died in his throat. His father's expression told him something was terribly wrong, even though he knew nothing of it.
Xu Pingzhi told Xu Xinnian everything as fast as he could.
The son of Vice Minister Zhou had molested his little sister in the open street... nearly trampled Lingyin to death beneath his horse's hooves... the elder brother had been taken to the Ministry of Justice... Xu Xinnian's mind blazed; rage surged through his blood.
"Xinnian, your elder brother's life is now in your hands."
"Father, do not panic." A dozen thoughts flash through Xu Xinnian's mind, and in no time he had an idea. He wheeled his horse about, forced the carriage to a halt, and called out loudly: "Teacher, Master Mubai, Cijiu has a request."
The curtain was thrown back, and Zhang Shen and Li Mubai poked their heads out. "What is it?"
"My elder brother is in trouble. I beg Teacher and Master Mubai to save him." Xu Xinnian repeated what his father had told him.
Zhang Shen fixed his eyes on him and said gravely, "The one who wrote 'Do not worry that ahead you'll find no friends, for who in all the world knows you not?'"
His tone was serious, as if this mattered a great deal.
"That is indeed him!" Xu Xinnian nodded.
Zhang Shen was about to speak when Li Mubai in the neighboring carriage cut in: "Cijiu, leave your elder brother's matter to me. You and your teacher return to the academy first."
"Humph!" Zhang Shen snorted coldly. "Meddler, do not stir up trouble. In my student's affairs I will handle them myself."
Xu Pingzhi was overjoyed. He had not expected his son's face to carry so much weight.
"Teacher, Master Mubai, my elder brother has been taken to the Ministry of Justice! Please hurry, lest something change if you delay!" Xu Xinnian urged anxiously.
This was no time for bickering.