Brothers meet again - Part Three

Xiang Wu, who had rushed into the alleyway first, also noticed something amiss behind him. He quickly realized that someone was following him.

Xiang Wu quickened his pace several times, and the beggar who had caused the commotion—by stealing the medicine bag—maintained a proper distance from him, leaving only his back view at the corner of the alley ahead.

Behind Xiang Wu, the pursuers had completely abandoned any thought of concealing their tracks. Xiang Wu could even hear the sound of longswords scraping against the stone wall. If it weren't for the intricate layout of the alleyways, with their many turns, they would probably have already pounced on him in droves. He couldn't go back to the blacksmith shop; now he had to lure away these hyenas who had come seeking their prey. Xiang Wu made up his mind.

The beggar's familiarity with Sword Forging City far exceeded Xiang Wu's expectations. As Xiang Wu gradually adapted to the cramped alleyway, the two quickened their pace. In the winding alley, the hunched beggar and the limping Xiang Wu darted and weaved, soon leaving their tails behind.

After chasing for a while, Xiang Wu leaped into the courtyard of a farmhouse. Half of the roof of the farmhouse had been removed, and piles of old tiles lay in front of the house, fragments flying everywhere, even a few lying haphazardly at Xiang Wu's feet. In one corner of the courtyard, piles of rain-soaked firewood and some nearly new roof tiles were stacked.

This was clearly a dwelling still under renovation. The entire courtyard was laid out before them, but there was no sign of the beggar. Just as Xiang Wu was wondering what was going on, a broad, kind hand landed on his shoulder.

Xiang Wu drew his sword, turned around, and slashed horizontally in one smooth motion.

The man behind him retreated rapidly, the tip of the sword barely grazing his chin. The beggar stopped, quickly raising both hands in front of him with open palms to signal Xiang Wu to stop; the medicine packet he had snatched earlier still hung precariously on his left thumb. All that could be heard was him saying, "It's me, it's me."

The beggar's face was covered in patches of black and white, grime and dust, making his features unrecognizable. But his voice stirred memories that had been buried deep within Xiang Wuchen for a long time.

With a cracking sound, Xiang Wu saw the beggar slowly straighten his back, his shrimp-like body soon becoming tall and imposing. Xiang Wu was very familiar with this physique; for a long time, he could recognize a person simply by seeing his back.

The beggar tucked his disheveled hair behind his ears and tried to wipe the grime off his face with his equally dirty sleeve.

"Is it you?" Xiang Wu's voice trembled slightly.

"It's me." The beggar's face looked even worse than before, and he completely gave up on the idea of ​​wiping it.

"It really is you, senior brother."

"I feel so sorry for you." Xiang Yu looked at Xiang Wu's legs, her eyes full of pity. "How did it get like this?"

For the first time in a long time, a feeling of grievance welled up in Xiang Wu's heart. "I've been waiting for you at home for so long."

"Feel sorry."

Outside the wall, the sound of a long sword slicing through the stone wall rang out again. The two brothers fell silent and looked in the direction of the sound. Only when the sound had faded away did they turn their gazes back to each other.

"We did not kill Li Zizhan and Bai Jie," Xiang Wu explained.

“It’s no longer safe here. The people chasing you have laid a trap.” Xiang Yu lifted Xiang Wu’s sleeve, examined the wound on his arm, and sighed, “Go east of the city. There’s still a chance of survival if you leave from there.”

"Oh no, Jenna..."

Xiang Yu grabbed Xiang Wu's arm, forcibly stopping him from leaving. "We can't go back. The place is already surrounded."

Xiang Wu looked back into Xiang Yu's eyes.

How long ago was the last time I knelt before Buddha and chanted sutras? Maybe a year?

Is a year a long time? Xiang Wuwen wondered to himself. Looking back, it seemed unbelievable that he had actually left Senluo Temple, left his master and fellow disciples, and wandered alone in the outside world for a year. In that year, he and his fellow disciple both grew hair, which must have been an unbearable slovenliness for monks; in that year, he killed and loved, breaking the four major precepts; in that year, he became lame, and his fellow disciple was ragged and filthy.

Xiang Yu's calm and unwavering gaze made Xiang Wu's heart sink. Xiang Wu understood that what his long-lost senior brother had said was true. This was only natural; he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to meet him in such a disheveled state just to tell a few fabricated lies.

"It started last night."

"Um."

"That's why the area around my house is so quiet when I go out."

"Run away."

"Senior brother," Xiang Wu lowered his eyes, "Are you with them?"

Xiang Yu fell silent.

Why did you save me?

I won't hurt you.

Xiang Yu reached out his hand to Xiang Wu, but Xiang Wu took a step back to avoid it.

"Run, Xiang Wu," Xiang Yu urged again, his words filled with genuine urgency.

Xiang Wu raised his eyes and met Xiang Yu's gaze once more: "Senior brother, Master is dead."

Although it was only for a moment, Xiang Wu still saw the glint in Xiang Yu's eyes. Xiang Wu asked, "Do you know?"

Xiang Yu looked at his junior brother, who did not avoid his gaze, and silently shook his head.

"Thank you for saving me today, senior brother." Xiang Wu sheathed his longsword and turned to walk towards the entrance of the courtyard.

"Junior brother."

“Master is still on Xieyue Mountain. If I am unable to return,” Xiang Wuting stood in front of the door for a long time and said, “Please make sure he is settled for me.”

The old wooden door creaked and cried out, as if Wu had pushed it open and strode out.

*

Turbulent times breed heroes—this is a well-worn saying. However, compared to heroes, chaotic times actually give rise to far more sinister and monstrous figures.

For example, in front of an unmarked mansion under Xuanhua Road in Wuling City, there are now about a dozen men holding knives, spears, swords, and forks. Some have oily faces and big bellies; some are skin and bones, with sunken eyes and eyebrows and noses squeezed together; the remaining few, who are still somewhat human-like, are squinting and looking the girl in front of the mansion up and down.

In times of peace and prosperity, one rarely sees these kinds of people or things. They are either hiding, or they disguise themselves well, and some have just wandered over from other places. When order is disrupted, demons and monsters crawl out from the shadows, taking advantage of the situation to do things that harm others for their own benefit.

Song Xue looked up at Ma Shou Mountain. The Ping An Courtyard, which Mu Xiong had painstakingly renovated, was now in a mess. A few days ago, the army of the Prince of Dingxi passed through and looted the entire Ping An Courtyard, knocking down three of the four sword god statues.

"Little girl," a fat man with wrinkles on his neck shouted, "I heard that the murderer who killed Master Li is hiding in your courtyard. Today, we brothers must rid the people of this scourge. If you know what's good for you, you'd better open the gate and let us in."

Song Xue frowned and looked at the man who had spoken. It had only been a few days into the month, and this was already the third group of people trying to use this as an excuse to enter the house.

“We are all weak women in this courtyard, unable to even kill a chicken. There is no murderer who killed Master Li.” Song Yu’s voice was strong. “Gentlemen, you should look for the murderer elsewhere.”

"I've heard that the one who harmed Master Li was a woman, and she must be in your courtyard." The crowd immediately started making a fuss.

Song Xue snorted coldly. What these people really wanted was written all over their faces.

"You brat, you're just a maid." A gaunt man with sunken cheeks seized the opportunity to attack: "I noticed earlier that you've been looking down on everyone with this cold attitude. It's downright arrogant! Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson for your master!"

The men, carrying weapons, stepped forward and slowly approached the gate of the mansion.

Song Yu's face also darkened; she knew she couldn't delay any longer. Just then, the door behind her opened.

"Song Yu, Song Xue. Miss has been brought back," said the girl who opened the door.

Song Yu breathed a sigh of relief. "Where are the girls?"

"They've all gone back to their rooms."

Song Yu glanced at the group of men approaching again, but this time she made no attempt to stop them. She pulled Song Xue into the house and said coldly, "Those who want to come in, come in."

The men, each armed with their own weapons, had just crossed the gate when their attention was immediately drawn to two young women in the center of the courtyard. One woman, dressed in a bright red dress, sat gracefully in a chair; even seated, her slender figure was undeniable. The other woman, dressed in an elegant blue dress, was equally charming; she stood behind the chair, her hands resting lightly on the backrest.

The men walked straight toward the girl, completely unaware that the door behind them had already closed.

“What a beauty.” The obese man’s face flushed red, and his breathing became rapid. Sweat streamed down the folds of his fat neck. He glared at them and snapped in an unyielding tone, “Come inside with me. I have something to ask you.”

"Brother He, you're too greedy," the short man beside him teased, squinting his eyes.

The fat man, panting, looked around at everyone and said, "There are many more women in this house; you can go and find them."

“That won’t do,” a fairly decent-looking man immediately objected, pointing to one of the girls: “I want to sit here.”

The fat man looked at him, his eyes filled with displeasure, but he didn't dare say anything. "Then I'll take the one standing." After saying that, he glared fiercely at the other men who had come with him, warning them not to cause any more trouble.

"Didn't anyone ask for our opinion?" The girl being pointed at by the man placed her right elbow on the armrest of the seat, her palm facing upwards as if she were holding something up.

"That's interesting. Do you have a unique preference for Brother He?" The man made no attempt to hide his disdain for the fat man.

The fat man's eye twitched, but he still didn't say anything.

The girl in red glanced at the fat man who dared not speak out in anger, and muttered, "This is really boring."

"What did you say?"

"I'll give you a choice."

"Oh?" The man revealed a smug smile and said flippantly, "It wouldn't hurt to listen to what a beauty has to say."

The girl's voice turned cold. "Stop your disgusting smile and get out of here right now."

"You're so arrogant!" The man was furious, his face hardening as he drew his sword and charged forward.

"I'll count to three. After that, none of you are leaving," the girl declared.

The others wore malicious smiles, looking like they were watching a spectacle.

"three."

A breeze picked up in the courtyard.

"two."

The girl in green raised her right hand, her eyes indifferent.

"one."

The girl in green placed her right palm down and joined it with the girl in red's palm.

Two gusts of wind blew, one from the sky and the other from the ground. The man wielding the sword turned into a pool of blood, and the longsword fell to the stone floor with a crisp clinking sound.