U | Chapter 9

This was the first time Luan Qiu had seen such intense shock and interest on Li Shu’s face. The contradiction between the two made Li Shu’s usually carefree eyes light up for an instant, but he immediately lowered his eyelids and took a small sip of wine with a slurp.

“How did you know? Did Wei Wenxing or Mingye Hall tell you?”

“It wasn’t hard to deduce,” Luan Qiu said.

The reason Mingye Hall had posted Ying Ze’s wanted notices all over the nine towns and thirteen villages nearby was to warn everyone that a dangerous poison was in the area. In other words, Mingye Hall was certain that the injuries Zhang Mo had inflicted on Ying Ze were serious enough that Ying Ze couldn’t possibly get far from Jiangzhou in the short term, much less leave Dayu.

Since that was the case, there was no need to travel thousands of miles to Jinqiang to wipe out the Kulian Sect. Ying Ze had killed five elders last year, and the Kulian Sect’s current ten elders, some new and some old, were far weaker than before. Finding and killing Ying Ze would deal a devastating blow to the Kulian Sect’s morale.

But more than a month had passed since the battle between Zhang Mo and Ying Ze, and Ying Ze was still nowhere to be found. Either he was dead, or he had hidden himself away somewhere safe.

To catch a fish hiding in a crack in the rocks, you needed particularly fragrant bait.

“The blind man from the Kulian Sect is the bait. Under the pretext of reorganizing the Zhuxie Alliance, Mingye Hall is spreading word about the blind man, saying that he has renounced evil and embraced good and will guide the people of the Zhuxie Alliance. That blind man isn’t just a member of the Kulian Sect. He’s also Elder Songta’s son, so he knows far more secrets than you or I do. If you were the Sect Leader of the Kulian Sect, would you leave him alive after hearing this?”

When Li Shu didn’t respond, Luan Qiu continued, “Ying Ze definitely didn’t come to Dayu alone. Mingye Hall surely wants to catch them all in one net. Ying Ze has been hiding for so long. If he’s still alive, then the people hiding him must be Kulian Sect criminals.”

Li Shu said, “Mm……”

Luan Qiu finished the wine in his own bowl, snatched Li Shu’s bowl away, and drained it in one breath.

“Mingye Hall is determined to succeed,” Luan Qiu said. “After this, they might become the leaders of Dayu’s martial world.”

Li Shu’s heart stirred, and he asked directly, “Why don’t you like Mingye Hall?”

Luan Qiu disliked Mingye Hall for much the same reasons as most people in the martial world who looked down on it.

First, Mingye Hall was far too good at making money. Most martial artists were wandering heroes in plain clothes. People dressed as brightly and flashily as those from Mingye Hall were irritating to look at. Heroes rose from desperate circumstances, and true character showed at the end of the road. Mingye Hall didn’t follow the path of ordinary martial artists, so ordinary martial artists naturally didn’t care for it much. Besides, Mingye Hall was extravagantly wealthy and generous with its money. Poor wanderers might not say so aloud, but they always felt a little inferior to them.

Second, Mingye Hall had connections with people in the imperial court. The Northern Army’s commander and Hall Master Zhang Mo were sworn siblings. The Northern Army’s Wolf-Face Marquis was a close friend of Mingye Hall. One way or another, Mingye Hall maintained close correspondence with high officials of the court. In short, their ties were so close they could neither be severed nor cut apart. Martial artists violated the imperial taboos with their weapons and cared only about the rules of the martial world. They disliked court officials more than anything, and anyone connected to the court’s lackeys was despised by everyone. There was even a rumor circulating among the people that the man currently seated on the imperial throne had once received a great deal of help from Mingye Hall.

Those two reasons combined were enough to make the martial world quite critical of Mingye Hall.

Li Shu pretended not to understand. “You’re really petty.”

“How is that petty?” Luan Qiu didn’t like hearing that. “It’s called having principles.”

He felt he had to explain clearly to Li Shu that he wasn’t the only “petty” person in this vast martial world. Martial artists had many unwritten rules, convictions carved into their flesh from the day they first entered the jianghu.

“There are actually many factions with objections to Mingye Hall,” Luan Qiu said. “Yes, I don’t like them. Wei Wenxing of Qixia Dock, who brought the fish today, feels the same way. When he learned that Mingye Hall planned to take the lead in reorganizing the Zhuxie Alliance, and would even hold some kind of Demon-Slaying Convention in Jiangzhou City half a month from now, he was so angry that he came to find me. I……”

He hesitated, and Li Shu picked up the thread. “You disappointed him.”

In the silence, the two frail pear trees in the small courtyard stirred in the night wind, shedding sparse petals. The trees had been sickly from birth, their trunks no thicker than an arm. They had been planted from cuttings taken from the tree beside the main hall, the one that blotted out the sky. The people of the manor had left or scattered, and no one had taken care to tend this little courtyard, so the trees had continued to cling to life, half-dead.

Then Li Shu came.

Perhaps because someone now caught the insects and watered them, the two trees bloomed late, but at least they managed to put on a passable show of flowers.

The petals were like the delicate, weightless wings of butterflies crushed to pieces. The moonlight dyed them an even colder white, and one fell into the wine bowl in Li Shu’s hand, floating on the amber liquid.

Li Shu was lost in thought.

To Luan Qiu, this was truly novel. It was as though this noisy, talkative young man had suddenly cooled, dark shadows flickering faintly across that irritating face. Holding his wine bowl, Luan Qiu watched Li Shu’s quiet profile.

Compared to whether Le Qi lived or died, using the opportunity presented by the reorganization of the Zhuxie Alliance to catch all of Dayu’s righteous martial factions in one net was what Li Shu wanted most.

Mingye Hall wanted to use Le Qi to draw him out, but he could use Le Qi to turn the tables on them.

The Demon-Slaying Convention was the perfect opportunity. The reorganization of Dayu’s Zhuxie Alliance looked like a certainty. That meant Li Shu had to make Haoyi Manor its leader. Otherwise, the Kulian Sect would be in danger.

He made up his mind, then looked toward Luan Qiu, only to discover that Luan Qiu was looking at him too.

“When you don’t talk, you look like a respectable person,” Luan Qiu said.

Li Shu said, “High praise. I don’t want to be a respectable person.”

There were still a few drops left in the wine bowl. Luan Qiu raised it to his lips, tilted back his head, and extended his tongue to catch the dripping wine. When the last drop was gone, he still wasn’t satisfied and went on to lick the rim.

“Luan Qiu, don’t,” Li Shu suddenly said.

Luan Qiu withdrew the tip of his tongue and looked at the bowl. Only then did he remember that Li Shu had just used it to drink too. He didn’t know which side Li Shu had drunk from, but…… Holding the bowl, Luan Qiu found himself unable to set it down or keep holding it. His ears began to burn faintly again.

“The reorganization of the Zhuxie Alliance absolutely cannot be handed over to Mingye Hall!” Li Shu declared.

Luan Qiu said, “……Hm?” Only then did he remember what his original worry had been.

“One, you don’t like Mingye Hall, and neither do I. There are plenty of others in the martial world who don’t like them either. Even though the Zhuxie Alliance has been disbanded for many years, it’s still a name that carries weight. Otherwise, so many people wouldn’t have come looking for you.” Li Shu said, “Your master lived an upright life, and even died for the Zhuxie Alliance. Can you really bear to hand over the thing he valued most in his life to people you look down on?”

Luan Qiu was stunned. After a long while, he countered, “You knew my master?”

Li Shu thought, He’s been dead for sixteen years. How could I have known him? He suspected that Luan Qiu had a poor tolerance for alcohol and was already a little drunk. “Li Shu’s greatest regret is that he never had the chance to meet such a great hero as Elder Qu Tianyang.”

Luan Qiu said, “That’s not right. You’ve always looked down on people like us from the martial world.”

Li Shu was annoyed that, even drunk, Luan Qiu was so perceptive. “If I’d known Elder Qu, I would have joined your Haoyi Manor long ago and properly become your junior fellow disciple.”

Luan Qiu nodded. “Yes…… That’s right. Master always stood tall beneath heaven and earth. If you met him, you’d certainly be won over.”

Li Shu continued, “Second, can a disreputable faction like Mingye Hall properly run the Zhuxie Alliance? It reeks of money inside and out. Their methods of amassing wealth might be even more vicious and underhanded than I imagine. In the future, whenever people mention the Zhuxie Alliance, I’m afraid even Elder Qu and Haoyi Manor’s good name will be tarnished.”

He understood the concerns of someone like Luan Qiu and had struck every point where it mattered. Luan Qiu listened intently, then smiled. “The smell of money, huh? At least you’re self-aware.”

Too lazy to argue with him, Li Shu hurriedly said, “Third, as someone who practices martial arts, even if you don’t aspire to establish great achievements, you should still punish evil and uphold justice, right? A vile sect like the Kulian Sect……” He clenched his teeth and steeled his heart. “Such a vicious, treacherous, universally reviled evil sect must be rooted out completely. In my opinion, only by skinning that Sect Leader, tearing him limb from limb, and ripping out his heart and lungs can we restore peace to the world!”

“……There’s no need to be that ruthless,” Luan Qiu said. “I couldn’t do something like that.”

Li Shu thought, Thank goodness for that. He was about to continue when Luan Qiu stared at the sparse pear branches overhead and muttered, “But my mother……”

“Your mother wanted you to protect the manor so that you could protect Qu Er and Qu Miaomiao,” Li Shu said, already prepared for this. “Everyone in the martial world knows that Haoyi Manor organized the Zhuxie Alliance back then. Ying Ze is in Dayu now. How could he not know? If we let the Kulian Sect go this time, they’ll hold a grudge and come after Haoyi Manor. Without anyone to rely on and without any friends, how will you resist them? Do you really think you and Senior Sister can protect the two of them?”

Li Shu became agitated and grabbed Luan Qiu by the collar. “Luan Qiu, I’ll ask you just one last question. In your whole life, have you never once thought of becoming a hero who stands tall beneath heaven and earth, just like your master?”

His points were laid out clearly, and every word made sense. Li Shu couldn’t help wildly applauding himself in his heart.

Luan Qiu finally nodded. His gaze had grown somewhat unfocused, and he kept looking only at Li Shu, nodding repeatedly. When Li Shu let go, he promptly collapsed onto the ground and laughed aloud. “What?” Li Shu asked, leaning closer to hear him mutter.

“……You’re really interesting.” Luan Qiu’s drunkenness seemed half genuine and half feigned. “If I could live as freely as you do, what would it matter if I never became a hero?”

That sounded far too much like a sincere confession.

Li Shu hurriedly hauled him up from the ground. “Don’t say foolish things.”

Luan Qiu suddenly caught the strong fishy smell clinging to both himself and Li Shu, and its intensity distracted him.

“Heat some water and wash up. I remember everything you said.” Luan Qiu shook his head. “But you stink too badly to lie down like this. You’ll dirty the bedding.”

“……Wash together?” Li Shu hesitated. “Could it be that you really have……”

Luan Qiu’s gaze instantly cleared in shock.

At dawn, everyone in Haoyi Manor was jolted awake by Luan Qiu’s furious roar: “No! No!!!”

After watching Luan Qiu leave with both ears bright red, Li Shu knew he wouldn’t come looking for him again anytime soon. He immediately vaulted over the wall and left Haoyi Manor. He followed a path, whistling like a little bird, and before long, Shang Ge appeared before him.

“Go find Bai Huanxi at once,” he ordered Shang Ge. “Mingye Hall set a trap. He must have taken a hard hit tonight. Do as I say and go to Qixia Dock, this and that……” He gave her a thorough set of instructions.

By late morning the next day, Luan Qiu was still too drunk to wake up. Li Shu went to his courtyard to check on him. He was sleeping deeply, his brows knitted, unable to rest even in his dreams.

Yu Sheng took the money returned by the debtors and went with Qu Er to Silang Town to settle a year’s worth of Haoyi Manor’s unpaid bills. Li Shu called Qu Miaomiao and Zhuo Bufan over and sent one of them upstream from Qixia Dock and the other downstream, ordering them to help him find two kinds of medicinal herbs.

The two of them had been worrying about how to escape the fishy smell permeating the entire manor, so they happily went out at once. Just before they left, Li Shu grabbed them by the backs of their collars. “What does the righteous martial world do?”

Zhuo Bufan said, “B-big things!”

“What must you remember when doing big things?”

Qu Miaomiao’s eyes rolled. “Announce your identity!”

“Very good.” Li Shu released them in satisfaction. “Go on.”

By the time Luan Qiu woke up, it was already evening. His head was splitting, and the first thing he smelled upon opening his eyes was grilled fish. Li Shu was grilling fish in his courtyard, fanning the smoke and aroma into Luan Qiu’s room.

Luan Qiu snatched away the fan and fanned in the opposite direction, choking Li Shu until he coughed and cursed. He knew the gesture was childish, but since it was Li Shu, he could be childish with all his might. Once Luan Qiu had washed and freshened up, he looked every inch the dashing young hero, and Li Shu clicked his tongue in admiration.

They had eaten half the grilled fish when Qu Miaomiao and Zhuo Bufan burst through the door with a bang. Zhuo Bufan’s hair was soaked through, and he was dressed in dockworker’s clothing from Qixia Dock, while Miaomiao was carrying a basket of river delicacies.

Before Li Shu could ask whether his plans had succeeded, he couldn’t help letting out a loud scream: “Why is it fish again!!!”

Qu Miaomiao and Zhuo Bufan rushed over to Luan Qiu, exchanged a glance, and said in unison, “Second Senior Brother! We upheld justice today!”

Luan Qiu was too busy checking where they might have been injured. Qu Miaomiao shoved the river delicacies into Li Shu’s arms, her face wreathed in smiles. “Bufan and I rescued the people of Qixia Dock today. Now the entire Qixia Dock knows the name of our Haoyi Manor!”

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A word from the author:

Li Shu imitated a birdcall, and Shang Ge appeared at lightning speed.

Li Shu: ……You got here fast.

Shang Ge: I’ve been nearby the whole time.

Li Shu: Huh? In the mountains? Where do you sleep? What do you eat? What do you drink? What do you do when nature calls? What about mosquito bites? You don’t change your clothes or wash your hair?

Shang Ge: ……I don’t know either. The author never decided on any of that.

Li Shu snapped: So you only care about looking cool and not about the details?

(Mr. Liang Chan: Who would decide things like that!!!)

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Thank you to all the martial heroes who sent thunderclaps and managed nutrient fluids, hehe. I’ve arranged excellent seats for everyone in the pear trees, so there’s no need to thank me.

(Luan Qiu: You’re the one who crushed all the trees in my manor by sitting on them, aren’t you?)