Chapter 4: Meeting an old friend and selling an apprentice

"Tomorrow at 5 p.m., in the small woods west of town, if you don't come, Wen Ranqi will be in trouble." Qiqi reread the note he'd dropped yesterday and tucked it into his belt. Seeing Wen Ranqi get up, he quickly brought her water to wash her face and placed a steaming hot breakfast on the table. It was as if he was filled with enthusiasm and boundless energy every day. No matter how busy the first day, he would always satisfy Wen Ranqi's unreasonable requests and serve him without complaint. At least that's what Wen Ranqi thought.

The injured arm had begun to scab over, and Wen Ranqi didn't feel any discomfort, so he had the energy to do something else.

"I'm going out this afternoon to pick some fresh fruits that need a different flavor. You stay home and watch over them."

"Master, let me go. There are many wild beasts in the mountains. What if you encounter one? It doesn't matter if I get injured. Master, if you get injured again..." Wen Ranqi of course had other purposes for going. He had just sent a pigeon letter to Yue Chi last night, asking him to come and discuss the matter of accepting a disciple. He just wanted Qiqi to leave him as soon as possible. Of course, he would not let Qiqi go with him or go for him.

Wen Ranqi had made up his mind, and Qiqi was not allowed to have any say. The atmosphere turned cold again in the morning. Qiqi hadn't slept all night since receiving the letter. Today, he had to make her do something.

In the afternoon, Qiqi closed the shop early and paced outside Wen Ranqi's door. He anxiously tried to push the door open, but Wen Ranqi opened it just in time to greet him. Seeing Qiqi not at the shop, he was about to get angry again. Qiqi knelt on the bluestone steps in front of the house, his knees hurting.

"Master, let me go. I promise to pick the freshest and largest fruits for you. You are injured recently, and the mountain road is very rugged. You may get lost or encounter wild animals."

"If you don't sell tea, you'll start meddling in my private affairs. Do I need your permission to go somewhere? Can you kill wild beasts in the mountains? A half-pound arm can't lift two ounces of meat. Do you know what fruit I want to pick?"

"I'm worried about you, Master..." Qiqi couldn't stop Wen Ranqi from leaving, and sat down on the stone steps, feeling uncomfortable and helpless. Wen Ranqi led the horse in the backyard. He wasn't very good at riding, and his skills were limited to the sightseeing horses he rode when traveling, so he walked very slowly.

Qiqi gave up the idea of ​​keeping the appointment and quietly followed Wen Ranqi who was riding slowly on horseback. If someone wanted to hurt Wen Ranqi, if he followed, even if he didn't know martial arts, he could rush forward in the first moment to block the damage for Wen Ranqi.

No matter what time, he was ready to sacrifice himself for Wen Ranqi.

Small woods outside the west of the town

Qiqi was hiding behind the bushes, not far from Wen Ranqi. Wen Ranqi first picked a small basket of mulberries, and then led the horse to a small hill.

The sky was overcast and the light in the woods was dim. Qiqi saw through the leaves that Wen Ranqi had tied his horse to a tree branch. A man walked out from his direction, half a head taller than Wen Ranqi.

"Ah Ran, I missed you so much when you left." The man's voice sounded very young, and he deliberately used a coquettish tone to talk to Wen Ranqi. His hand naturally rested on Wen Ranqi's wrist, seemingly nonchalantly but carefully pinching Wen Ranqi's pulse.

Wen Ranqi knew Yue Chi's personality. His coquettishness and seemingly unruly attitude towards him were just a tacit understanding between him and his friend.

"You're already taken, yet you still act like this. It seems your wife isn't disciplining you enough."

"Tsk" Yue Chi turned his head unhappily, and saw the tree where Qiqi was hiding out of the corner of his eye, "It seems that you are really worse than an ordinary person now. Although your body is better, your vigilance is gone. Have you been living a comfortable life in the past few years?" Qiqi curled up nervously at the roots of the tree. The man had already seen him. Should he go out? If he went out, the master would definitely hate him even more. But if he didn't go out, what if the man hurt the master? But the man seemed to be very familiar with the master?

"What kind of peaceful life is this? It's just a sneaky existence. If it weren't for you, I would have been a pile of bones under the cliff, and no one would know what happened." Wen Ranqi pulled Yue Chi to sit down. In the quiet forest, only the singing of birds and Qiqi's heartbeat could be heard.

"Do me a favor and take me in as an apprentice."

"You must be kidding. I run a pharmacy business. I don't know how to teach martial arts." Yue Chi stood up and shook off Wen Ranqi's hand. His eyes fell behind the bushes. He had no intention of rejecting Wen Ranqi.

"I know. You saw his talent before. He's a good candidate for martial arts. I also know you have a way to get him to learn martial arts. I can't practice martial arts anymore, but he can. Even if he can't become a master, he can still defend himself. With that little bit of flesh on his body, he can withstand a few punches."

"Wen Ranqi, you've changed, you've really changed. You used to just tell me you wanted me to be your disciple because you didn't want to see him and wanted him to leave you sooner, but I didn't expect you'd start to worry about him."

Wen Ranqi felt a pang of fear in his heart. Hmm? Did I go into something wrong again? Has this story happened before? Yue Chi smiled slightly and raised Wen Ranqi's face. "Hey, you, you always say one thing and mean another. Well, I'll take it in again. What do you want me to do?"

"Tomorrow, you come to my inn and pretend to be a passerby. Tell him that he has a strange figure and is a martial arts genius. In short, tell him how good he is at martial arts and that you plan to take him in as your apprentice. If he's willing, he can come to the inn to find you tomorrow. How to convince him from then on is my business."

"Okay, got it." Yue Chi glanced at Qiqi and asked Wen Ranqi, "Ah Ran, I want to know, do you really want to take this opportunity to make him leave you, or do you really want him to practice martial arts with me?" Qiqi's eyes were looking at Wen Ranqi.

Wen Ranqi initially intended to let Qiqi leave him, to escape the ending. But the unexpected plot twist filled him with doubt and unease. He didn't know what would happen if Wen Shi found him. Qiqi was a good disciple, and Yue Chi would train him to be a talent. Following him was useless. He didn't know if he could change the ending, but he suddenly didn't want Qiqi's life to be in vain because of him.

"After following me for so many years, he's still the same. He can't do this or that. What's the point of staying with me? Getting him to leave me is what I want your help for. From now on, no matter how much he begs you, you can't let him know where I am, and you can't tell him that I asked him to follow you."

Yue Chi agreed to Wen Ranqi's request, shook his head helplessly, glanced in Qiqi's direction, and walked into the woods, fanning himself, leaving in style. Wen Ranqi's hands were stained dark purple by the mulberry fruit, as if poisoned. However, just as it looked, Qiqi knew that Wen Ranqi's superficial abnormalities were all fake, and his master was still the same master.

Qiqi didn't have time to sigh or think. He rushed down the mountain and reopened the shop, everything as calm as before. After Wen Ranqi led the horse to the backyard to feed it, sorted out her clothes and sat in the living room, Qiqi calmly brought a cup of herbal tea and asked Wen Ranqi worriedly.

"Master, what fruits did you pick? Were you injured in the mountains? Did you encounter any wild animals?"

Wen Ranqi replied calmly, as if she had only gone there to pick fruit. "No, there aren't any wild animals here where people are coming and going. And you, if you dare to close the shop without permission again, you will have to kneel in the yard."

"I understand, Master. Please don't be angry. I will never go against your wishes again, not even once."

"That's good to know. I'm hungry. Go prepare something for me to eat."

"Okay!" Qiqi walked into the kitchen. A rooster was loitering by the stove, a horse was chewing hay under a tree, Ah Huang was wagging his tail as he followed Qiqi's steps, and the goldfish in the large tank were blowing bubbles. He would soon be leaving behind these familiar scenes.

A delicious crucian carp soup, a plate of vegetarian food, a plate of meat, and two bowls of rice. Qiqi sat at the table. Wen Ranqi glanced at him without saying anything. The two of them finished the whole table of dishes in silence.

Late at night, Wen Ranqi took out a full money box. Qiqi sat down across from Wen Ranqi and said, "Take it. The tea business is already well-organized, and I don't have much money to spend. Your birthday is in a few days, so buy yourself some good food and make some new clothes. Don't wear old clothes every day. The neighbors won't be able to stand it anymore. People who don't know me will think I'm mistreating you."

"Master, you provide me with food and clothing, and you saved my life, how could you treat me unfairly? Master, today is your birthday. I went to Boss Lin's shop to make a jade pendant. Although it's rough jade, it's not as exquisite as those made by other wealthy people." Qiqi held up a round, muddy jade pendant with both hands. A small Qilin was carved in the center of the jade pendant. "I am useless. I can't protect you, and I can't let you live the life of a wealthy family. Master, this is a gift from my heart. I hope you don't despise it."

Wen Ranqi hesitantly reached out and took Qiqi's jade pendant. Looking at the obedient Qiqi, she said, "You're actually quite nice. It's just that you've been against me lately."

Qiqi looked up in surprise, but then her eyes dimmed again. He put away the money box Wen Ranqi gave him and carried it back to the house.

The candlelight flickered, the jade pendant's murky sheen catching Wen Ranqi's eyes. He gazed at it for a long moment, lost in thought. He sat until the moon was high in the sky before returning to his room, where he placed the pendant in the furthest drawer. Qiqi clutched the money box, holding it tightly to his chest. He opened his bright eyes, trying silently to encourage himself as he struggled to make a firm decision.

Only if he becomes stronger will he be qualified to stand by Wen Ranqi's side for a long time and protect his master forever.