Prologue

In the small hamlet of Mee Peng at the base of a blue mountain, farmers eke out a bare living sowing seeds and harvesting wheat.

In this hamlet lived two good friends, Yan Hui, a scrawny bookworm with erudite features due to long hours of study, and Lee Min, a muscular young man who worked out frequently and whose beard grew faster than he could shave them.  Two opposites in terms of physique, yet their personalities connect perfectly like pieces of a puzzle.

The two fellows were, to say the least, a major headache to the people of the village.  Professional farmers by trade, the villagers expected their sons to immerse themselves in the vicissitudes of sowing, planting and harvesting according to timing of seasons, weather and time of day.

Instead, the interests of the two men clashed beyond repair with the farming profession.  Yan Hui possesses an obsessive love of books and would often stay up late to read by candlelight.  Still his reading bought him no advantage over his kinsman in making a living and his family is much too poor to allow him to enter into the imperial examinations in the city. 

Lee Min has no other interests besides looking at girls.  He often does this stealthily and sometimes he was found out and ended up getting into loads of trouble.

The bookworm Yan Hui was eventually forced to learn the tools of the farming trade.  His efforts to grasp the concepts were half-hearted for his mind and heart were constantly with his beloved books.  His attempts at practicing the trade were even worse; he would accidentally step on developing saplings and continue on unknowingly with his head in the clouds.  He would repeat this repeatedly despite being reminded numerous times.

As for Lee Min, his very presence is an affront to delicate plants and flowers.  Wheat would droop in his shadow and roses wither at his touch.  But at least he could be assigned menial labor like cutting wood, lugging buffalos, carrying sacks and other duties which require his strength.

Even so the two were the main source of exasperation for the villagers.  But that would soon change…

One fateful day, Lee Min was spying on a young girl who was bathing in the river.  Being quite engrossed, he accidentally stepped on a dry twig and alerted the girl to his presence.