Shen Qiao didn’t expect that when he saw Yan Wushi again it would be like this.
Beforehand, hearing Bian Yanmei’s words, Shen Qiao hadn’t said anything, his mind though couldn’t help but wander.
At the pinnacle of Yan Wushi’s wugong, fighting Hulugu, he might be a notch below, but this notch would not decide the match, in a fight there’s ten thousand permutations in a breath, when masters cross paths, they’ll have to regard heaven and earth and person, one careless move, a wrong judgement, and perhaps the entire outcome will be overturned, but if the flaw in Yan Wushi’s demonic core was still present, then this small difference will be magnified, the chances of losing more certain.
Shen Qiao turned it over again and again in his mind, he thought for a long time, but could not devise a method that would guarantee his victory.
It was an impossible task of course, moreover the opponent was Hulugu, even if it was his shizun Qi Fengge in this position, he wouldn’t dare say that he was certain to win.
Like this, with his head full of worry he arrived outside the residence in Funing County, standing beside the unlatched doors he heard a lazy voice inside say: “No, A-Qiao, don’t bite that.”
A-Qiao? Don’t bite?
Shen Qiao, completely befuddled, pushed the doors open, and saw Yan Wushi half-reclining on his seat on the veranda, in one hand he held a jade flask of wine, his other elbow supported his weight, his face brimmed with the pleasure of idleness, hearing the door open, he raised his head, and saw Shen Qiao and Yu Shengyan enter.
In front of him stood a small deer, at the age where it was still unsteady on its feet, it was bleating, the sound similar to that of a goat, but slightly lower in pitch, the small deer extended its neck grasping the jade flask with its teeth, in a struggle with Yan Wushi.
Shen Qiao was momentarily dumb, he just didn’t expect that a person soon to be facing off against the number one martial artist under the heavens would have no sense of urgency, and would sit here leisurely…playing with a deer.
“A-Qiao?” Yan Wushi saw Shen Qiao and Yu Shengyan the two of them, completely overlooked the latter, motioned for Shen Qiao to come over: “You’re right on time, I just had them open a jar of mulberry wine, it’s one I buried ten years ago.”
The small deer thought he was calling him, let go of the jade flask and nudged his head over, only to have his head shoved away by Yan Wushi, his liquid black eyes revealed a rather pitiful expression.
Shen Qiao extended a hand to pat it, the small deer wasn’t afraid, turned its neck to rub against the palm of Shen Qiao’s hand, Shen Qiao thought maybe he had heard wrong, couldn’t help but ask: “Does it have a name?”
Yan Wushi: “Yes, it’s A-Qiao.”
Shen Qiao: “…”
Yan Wushi smiled: “Don’t you think he looks a lot like you?”
Shen Qiao looked at the small deer, the other was a sika deer, hadn’t yet reached the age to grow antlers, even its ears were soft and furry, on its neck it had a small white spot, and its eyes, pure and uncorrupted, dependent and trusting towards humans, sure it was cute, but Shen Qiao couldn’t see the slightest resemblance between them.
“I heard, you challenged Hulugu to a fight?” Shen Qiao addressed the matter at hand directly.
Although it was a question, but the answer was already known, this question was merely the preface.
Yan Wushi: “Yes.”
This “yes” was so nonchalant, as if he were about to attend a very leisurely flower viewing, and not some life and death duel.
Yu Shengyan was very observant and did not come inside, after he greeted Yan Wushi he wandered off to another section of the residence, in the courtyard only the two of them remained.
And one deer.
Shen Qiao, dust and wind blown from his rush over, at this moment was gradually placated by his presence, his emotions settled little by little, he sat down by his side, but his upright sitting posture was a distinct contrast to Yan Wushi’s brazen casualness.
Yan Wushi watching him found it a bit funny: “Are you worried about me, A-Qiao?”
The small deer again thought it was being called, wobbled over on its little legs.
Shen Qiao: “…”
Yan Wushi doubled over in laughter.
Shen Qiao, exasperated: “I have a matter, I would like to discuss with Yan-zongzhu.”
Yan Wushi stopped laughing, his eyes flashing: “Oh? Shen-zhangjiao now holds such an esteemed position, there’s no need for you to use the term ‘discuss’?”
Shen Qiao slowly said: “The fight with Hulugu, I will go in your stead, may I?”
It was rare for Yan Wushi to be at a loss, although his pause was very brief.
He recovered quickly: “You’ve already fought him.” And lost.
Shen Qiao: “I know, but twenty years ago he fought my master, twenty years later, my master is no longer with us, but logically I should continue this fight on his behalf.”
Yan Wushi suddenly broke into a smile: “You think that to divert Hulugu, so that he won’t go to Xuandushan to find you, was the reason I sent him the challenge letter?”
Shen Qiao: “I heard, your demonic core remains flawed, the last fight with Xueting only aggravated it.”
On Yan Wushi’s face passed a fleeting unreadable expression: “Bian Yanmei said this?”
Shen Qiao nodded.
Yan Wushi thought hard, should he admit to his disciple’s words, or just directly say that his disciple was lying.
If he admitted it, Shen Qiao would for sure persist that he go in his stead to fight Hulugu.
To say his disciple was lying, Shen Qiao would for sure be upset.
On this point, Yan Wushi for the first time decided that having a too capable disciple was not that great after all, but the disciple takes on his work, as for the black pot naturally the disciple will take it on as well.
So he said: “Last time you already checked my meridians, my injuries were not severe.”
He extended his arm.
Shen Qiao placed his hand over his wrist, after a moment, remained unconvinced: “Just from the meridians alone, it would seem your injuries are mostly recovered, but whether there’s a flaw in your demonic core, there’s no way to tell.”
Yan Wushi: “It’s fixed.”
Shen Qiao was even more unconvinced: “Then Bian Yanmei didn’t know that you’d recovered?”
Yan Wushi: “Perhaps.”
Shen Qiao: “This fight, you could have avoided it, or delayed it substantially.” In the end, he had been the cause.
Yan Wushi chuckled, then raised his chin, gestured towards the haitang on the other side: “What do you think of those flowers?”
Shen Qiao: “Incandescent, the red most enchanting.”
Yan Wushi casually picked up a fallen leaf by his side, flicked his fingers, and a branch of haitang fell to the ground.
Another flick, another branch of haitang fell to the ground.
Petal and leaf can be deadly weapons, this phrase was demonstrated aptly by Yan Wushi here.
A few more times, Shen Qiao couldn’t bare to watch any longer, and caught the other’s wrist: “What are you doing!”
Yan Wushi: “Ruining the flowers!”
His tone remained lazy, his posture unchanged, he didn’t move his hand, let Shen Qiao continue to hold it.
Shen Qiao: “They were blooming just fine, and weren’t bothering you, why hurt them?”
Yan Wushi smiled: “See, A-Qiao, this is where you and I are most different.”
“As I see it, those flowers have already bloomed past their peak, if they go on, will only wither with each passing day, I send them on their way, leaving their most beautiful snapshot in your heart, isn’t it better this way?”
His tone was casual and unhurried, he hadn’t moved his wrist, still in Shen Qiao’s grasp, but he did close his fingers, made a crushing motion, that fallen leaf was shortly rendered into powder, rustling down between his fingers.
“Many people toil away their days like flies for personal gain, entangled in small details, getting in their own way at every turn, this is a commoner’s sorrow, people of the jianghu are quick to act on virtue and revenge, put another way, it’s also to cast off a commoner’s sorrow. Living in the world, if you can’t live ferociously, to your own will, then what’s the point? People are the same as flowers.”
“Back then I was able to challenge Cui Youwang, Qi Fengge, now naturally I can challenge Hulugu, the outcome is undetermined, but it’s because it’s undetermined that makes it exciting, if the outcome was already decided, then how is different from a pool of deadwater? So this fight, you were part of the reason, but most importantly, it’s for myself.”
Reaching this point in their conversation, Shen Qiao would have nothing more to dissuade him.
Shen Qiao knew that he and Yan Wushi were two very different people, he relied on taking things step by step, slow and steady, Yan Wushi however, liked to do the least expected, risking his own body, but Yan Wushi himself didn’t consider it risky, he actually enjoyed the process, even if he were to die by Hulugu’s hands it would be no big deal, to him, this was how you live.
For most people, they would consider it overconfident and too arrogant, but this was Yan Wushi.
As he was thinking this, he heard Yan Wushi say: “A-Qiao, do you know?”
“En?” Shen Qiao turned to him.
Yan Wushi: “Before, I divided people into two categories.”
Shen Qiao remembered: “One category was opponents, the other was ants.”
Opponents could stand and sit as his equal, ants would not enter his field of vision.
The Shen Qiao from before, in his eyes was an ant.
Yan Wushi, unhurried: “But now, my way of thinking has changed. A-Qiao, you are different from most people in this world, in your marrow is a sensitivity to the world’s suffering, to the point you’re willing to shortchange yourself, not seeking anything in return, before I thought you were no different from the others, you can start out naïve and kind, but circumstances change, they’ll teach you how to adapt, but you exceeded my expectations, history is like running water, and you are that rock, no matter the current, you will never turn.”
Shen Qiao smiled: “It’s rare to hear good things about me from Yan-zongzhu, it’s no small feat, this poor one is very honoured.”
Yan Wushi: “Do you still hold grievances against me in your heart?”
Shen Qiao shook his head: “No, just the opposite, I really respect you, in this world there aren’t many who can live according to their will, Yan-zongzhu is certainly one of them. Before I left the mountain, all I knew of the world and the jianghu, was merely that inch of space told to me by my master, I’d never seen it with my own eyes, if I didn’t have Yan-zongzhu’s lessons, I might not be alive today here talking with you.”
This solemn and sincere expression and tone, Yan Wushi found it very cute, he didn’t restrain the impulse to reach out his hand, patted Shen Qiao’s head: “So you still won’t admit it looks like you? Turn around and look at it.”
There were plenty of smart people in the world, but not many could know themselves, acknowledge their own shortcomings, and be willing to address them, those willing to talk about it were even fewer, rare as a phoenix feather.
On Shen Qiao, there was a close-to-glass kind of transparency.
He actually understood everything, and was willing to use kindness and tolerance to accept all that was different from him.
Shen Qiao was unprepared for his gesture, scooted away slightly, finally turned his head to look.
The small deer was looking back at him earnestly with round eyes, in the black orbs was reflected his silhouette.
Shen Qiao felt his heart soften, he reached out to pet the other’s neck, the small deer lowered its head, licked the palm of his hand, Shen Qiao couldn’t help but smile.
Yan Wushi: “Thank you, A-Qiao.”
Under the heavens, who would have the fortune of hearing Yan-zongzhu’s thanks?
Shen Qiao froze, turned to look at him.
Yan Wushi laughed, looking at him: “Thank you for returning my badness with kindness, how many times you’ve saved me, I’ve lost count, shouldn’t I say a word of thanks?”
Shen Qiao: “You’ve also saved me countless times, what need is there to say thanks?”
Yan Wushi, meaningfully: “If you put it that way, then our relationship has gotten to the point where there is no need to say thanks?”
Shen Qiao felt there was something wrong with this phrase, but couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it.
Only to see Yan Wushi suddenly reach out, pull, with one motion he had pinned the person underneath his body, the speed with which it was done was totally in keeping with that of a martial master!
Before Shen Qiao could react, he heard the other say: “You know I have a lot of enemies, when it comes to life and death companions there’s only you, this fight between me and Hulugu, life or death is uncertain, to find someone I can entrust things to after I’m gone, I can only think of you.”
Very close, warm breath hit Shen Qiao’s face, his entire person was rendered useless, he didn’t know whether to push the other away first, or to reply to what Yan Wushi had just said, in that moment, his mind was blank.
“What, what after you’re gone?”
The author would like to say:
The closer to the conclusion, the more I have to run the content through my brain a couple times, so as to not rush it, so the word count is a little less~
Lao Yan has truly performed this phrase: As long as the peony blooms, becoming a ghost is cool, my life is a plaything…