Chapter 627: Wherever There Are People, There Is Jianghu
Chapter 627 -350: Wherever There Are People, There Is Jianghu
“Junior Aunt-Master, my… my Medical Dao is still lacking. I lost a round.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Chen Yi said that victory and defeat are commonplace in war. You lost this time, so just work harder in the future.”
“Mhm…”
The onlooking commoners gradually dispersed after the spectacle concluded. However, the wandering martial artists had left much earlier. How early? Roughly around the time Pei Guanli threatened to have her Ah Ma make a move. Thus, the well-informed wanderers easily guessed her identity: the granddaughter of the Mountain Race’s Granny Shan. How could they dare stick around after that? If Pei Guanli suffered even a single scratch, heaven knew if those Mountain Race people would blame it on them.
Before long, the bustling and noisy Jishi Medicine Hall returned to peace. Pei Guanli glanced around, then grabbed Yuan Liu’er’s hand and skipped out of the medicine hall.
“Junior Aunt-Master, where… where are you taking me?”
“Come on, I’m taking you to the Xiao Mansion to practice martial arts.”
“I… I…”
Yuan Liu’er wanted to say that she had little interest in martial arts and preferred staying at the medicine hall. But after struggling a few times and failing to break free from Pei Guanli’s grip, she could only let herself be dragged along.
“The Xiao family, the Dingyuan Marquis’s Mansion. Is that… is that really a place I can go?” she asked.
As a native of Shu State, Yuan Liu’er had grown up listening to the tales of Duke Dingyuan. Not just the current Duke Dingyuan, but the heroic exploits of all the dukes over the past two hundred years. These included driving the Barbarian Race out of Shu State, leading grand armies to trample the barbarian heartlands, and the great battle at Mengshui Pass. These stories were household legends; any randomly chosen citizen of Shu State could recount a few. Yet, Yuan Liu’er had never imagined that she would one day step foot into the Xiao Mansion. Even when simply walking past their gates, she had always worried that her heavily patched cloth shoes might dirty their bluestone pavement.
Unaware of these thoughts, Pei Guanli pulled her toward the Xiao Mansion while chattering away. “Your Grandmaster is the world-renowned Mr. Qingzhou! If you learn medicine and martial… ah, no, if you learn the Calligraphy Dao from him, you’ll eventually become just as amazing as he is.”
Thinking of Chen Yi, the image of him treating her brother, Yuan Hao, that day surfaced in Yuan Liu’er’s mind. “Is he my Grandmaster? If so, he really is amazing,” she thought.
Yuan Liu’er’s horizons were somewhat limited due to the environment she grew up in, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew that Chen Yi was the Mr. Qingzhou famous throughout the world for his Calligraphy Dao and poetry. She had also learned from Ma Liangcai that Chen Yi’s Medical Dao was equally extraordinary. If the person who visited her home that night was also Chen Yi… then she had a Grandmaster who had achieved mastery in the Calligraphy Dao, the Medical Dao, and martial arts. In the past, she wouldn’t have even dared to dream of crossing paths with such a figure, yet he was now her Grandmaster.
“Junior Aunt-Master, could you tell me more about our venerable Grandmaster?”
“Venerable?” Pei Guanli tilted her head and burst into a fit of giggles, laughing so hard she bent over. “If Chen Yi knew you called him that, he definitely wouldn’t be happy.”
Yuan Liu’er subconsciously scratched her head. Recalling Chen Yi’s gentle demeanor, she nodded and said, “Grandmaster… he is very young, and… and very formidable.”
Pei Guanli smiled. “Of course! Chen Yi is the most, most formidable person in the entire world.
“Let me tell you, back when I first came to Shu State…”
As they passed the examination hall, Pei Guanli playfully pointed inside and told Yuan Liu’er that her Grandmaster was in there taking the Annual Examination. Yuan Liu’er’s face revealed a look of envy. She made up her mind that once she had money in the future, she would fully support her brother Yuan Hao’s studies.
“Junior Aunt-Master, do you think if I asked Grandmaster to teach my brother to read, he would agree?”
“Teach your brother? I reckon Chen Yi wouldn’t agree.”
“Why not?”
“He hates trouble more than anything. If it weren’t for your exceptional talent, he wouldn’t even want to take you in.”
“Oh…”
The two chatted and laughed as they returned to the Xiao Mansion. Little did they know, inside a rather low-roofed tavern just outside South Street, Shui Hetong was currently watching their departing backs with a smile.
“Granny Shan’s granddaughter, and the grand-disciple of Junior Sister Xiao’s husband… How interesting…”
After parting ways with Xiao Jinghong last night, Shui Hetong had arrived in the Prefecture City before dawn. However, he didn’t make a big show of visiting the Xiao Mansion. Instead, he decided to keep watch outside. Firstly, it made it easier to operate. Secondly, he wanted to get a look at Chen Yi.
“Master must have noticed something earlier, otherwise he wouldn’t have mentioned Chen Yi’s existence to Lone Immortal Ye,” he thought. “I definitely need to get a good look.”
Shui Hetong knew quite a bit about Chen Yi. Things like Mr. Qingzhou, his Calligraphy Dao, his poetry, and “Dragon Tiger” Liu Wu, who had recently stirred up a storm in Shu State. He naturally understood how formidable Chen Yi was in the Calligraphy Dao, Medical Dao, and martial arts. It was precisely because of this that he was somewhat curious. Did someone with even higher natural talent than his master, Immortal Bai, truly exist in this world? And, of course, much higher than his own.
Shui Hetong didn’t deny his own outstanding talent. Having practiced martial arts for twenty years, his cultivation had reached the Upper Three Grades Realm, and his Fist Dao had achieved Perfection. Compared to Immortal Bai in his youth, he was not far behind. Yet, everything Chen Yi had learned was truly astonishing.
While Shui Hetong was lost in thought, he spotted two figures approaching from the West Market. One of them wore blue robes with a jade belt tightly fastened around the waist, a long sword hanging by his side. The other was a woman with a graceful figure, wearing a silk gauze veil over her head. Shui Hetong’s gaze landed on the sword-bearing man, and a hint of surprise appeared on his demonically handsome face.
“Why is he in Shu State?” he wondered.
The man seemed to sense his gaze and stopped to look over. Upon seeing his figure, the man’s wariness completely faded. He smiled warmly, his lips moving slightly to project his voice. “It’s been a long time, Brother Shui.”
Shui Hetong temporarily suppressed his thoughts and nodded. “Brother Song, we meet again.”
The newcomers were none other than Song Jinjian and Liu Zhaoxue. After a brief greeting, Song Jinjian whispered a few words to Liu Zhaoxue, then entered the tavern alone and sat across from Shui Hetong. That world-renowned long sword, Non-Struggle, was placed right on the table.
Song Jinjian sized up Shui Hetong and asked with a smile, “I heard earlier that your master was coming to Shu State, and I was wondering if you would follow him here.
“Sure enough, you’re a man who can’t stand loneliness.”
Shui Hetong glanced at the Non-Struggle Sword, a smile on his face. Back then, when he had just finished his apprenticeship and first arrived in the Capital Prefecture to visit a reclusive senior in the Jianghu, he had accidentally befriended Song Jinjian, who was also there. At first, he wasn’t aware of Song Jinjian’s identity. It was only later that he learned the man was a famous swordsman in the Jianghu, and that he served a minister of the Imperial Court.
From then on, Shui Hetong abandoned any plans of forging a deep friendship with him. The Jianghu and the Imperial Court existed under the same sky, but they were two completely different paths. Setting aside someone like Song Jinjian, who willingly acted as a household servant at another’s beck and call—even his junior sister, Xiao Jinghong, would be someone he kept at a distance if it weren’t for her connection to Li Wudang.
“Brother Song, you know I haven’t encountered a worthy opponent in a long time. There is no time like the present. How about you accompany me outside the city to exchange a few moves?”
Song Jinjian couldn’t help but laugh. Shaking his head, he replied, “I am not like you. I still have important matters to attend to, so please forgive me for being unable to accompany you.”
“Oh? The Cui family’s matters?”
“Yes, the eldest miss of the Cui family is currently in Shu State. That lord dispatched me here to ensure her safety. You must have heard about the recent situation in Shu State. Things have gotten a bit chaotic.”
Shui Hetong gave a slight nod and said with considerable regret, “Since that’s the case, I won’t say any more.”
Naturally, Song Jinjian didn’t bring it up again either. Instead, he looked around and asked, “I wonder if your esteemed master is also in the Prefecture City?”
Shui Hetong shook his head, then nodded. “My master comes and goes like the wind. As his disciple, I wouldn’t dare ask too many questions.”
The fewer people who knew about Immortal Bai going to You State, the better. Naturally, Shui Hetong wouldn’t run his mouth.
Hearing this, Song Jinjian believed him. He sighed with a hint of emotion, “Senior Bai hasn’t appeared in the Jianghu for a long time. Now that he has finally shown himself, it certainly makes me curious.”
“Haha, it isn’t just you, Brother Song. Who in this Jianghu isn’t curious about my master’s movements?”
Seeing Shui Hetong speak this way, Song Jinjian’s smile remained unchanged, but he didn’t ask any further questions. Instead, he switched to drinking some wine with him.
About an incense stick’s time later, Song Jinjian stood up to take his leave. Before departing, he cupped his fists and said, “It’s unfortunate today. I couldn’t allow Brother Shui to enjoy himself to the fullest. We shall find another place to spar next time.
“However,” he continued without waiting for Shui Hetong to speak, “I heard that Daoist Hua of Wudang Mountain has already arrived in Shu State, and perhaps he is right here in the Prefecture City. If your hands are itching for a fight, Brother Shui, why not seek him out for a bout?”
Shui Hetong gave a noncommittal nod. “Many thanks, Brother Song.”
After Song Jinjian left with a smile, the grin on Shui Hetong’s face gradually faded as he stared straight out the window. Similarly, Song Jinjian’s smile vanished the moment he stepped out of the tavern. A flash of icy coldness crossed his eyes as he strode away.
The sun slanted toward the west, taking its warmth with it as a cool breeze blew gently. A withered, yellow leaf fell in front of the tavern.
Shui Hetong withdrew his gaze, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. Given his identity as one of the tower masters of the Wind and Rain Tower, he naturally knew of certain closely guarded secrets. This included the real reason why Song Jinjian had entered the Cui family.
“Where there are people, there is the Jianghu… Look out for yourself, Brother Song,” he murmured.