Chapter 20 Martial Arts Prodigy

A sudden clap of thunder jolted Shang Yuji awake. She found the sky overcast, with only a faint light filtering through the window, barely illuminating the windowsill.

It was still early, and Jiang Xi was still fast asleep. Her regular breathing brushed against his neck, and in his sleep, he snuggled into her arms again.

Shang Yuji did not push him away. Her mind, still foggy from just waking up, was trying to figure out why she had dreamed of the flooding of Jingzhou City.

Could it be that what you think about during the day manifests in your dreams at night?

But I didn't see anyone in my dream. Why is that?

She slowed her breathing and it took her a moment to calm down.

I wonder what the current situation is like in Jingzhou City...

The torrential rain pounded violently against the inn, occasionally accompanied by booming thunder. Shang Yuji fell asleep again amidst her worries.

Hopefully things will get better after they wake up, at least enough to get them back on their way.

The bad news is that the rain is still pouring down, and there's no sign of things getting better.

Yang Bai brought breakfast upstairs and said to Shang Yuji, "Miss, this heavy rain is not suitable for us to continue our journey. We should wait until the rain subsides before making a decision."

Shang Yuji understood: "Then let's wait a little longer."

Yang Bai added, "Many people came to take shelter from the rain last night. There aren't enough rooms, so everyone is crammed into the lobby. If you have nothing else to do, it's best not to come downstairs. Just call us if you need anything."

After thinking for a moment, she added, "Those who can travel at night are mostly people from the martial arts world. The martial arts world is vast, and there will always be people who don't understand each other's temperament and likes and dislikes, which can lead to unpleasantness."

Shang Yuji understood: "Don't worry, going to Jingzhou is our destination. It would be best to have as few distractions as possible along the way."

Even so, the heavy rain continued for ten days, and they were trapped in the inn for a full ten days.

During this time, an argument broke out in the inn's lobby. Even with the doors and windows locked, Shang Yuji could still hear the commotion below.

The incident stemmed from the inn being trapped, supplies running low, and the trucks carrying goods unable to get in. Coupled with days of continuous rain and a dark, gloomy sky, no hope could be found.

In a climate of fear and unease, even petty theft seems insignificant.

Fortunately, the inn was built on high ground, preventing it from being flooded. Otherwise, Shang Yuji couldn't believe what the inn's ultimate fate would have been.

The innkeeper went upstairs to explain the situation to them, saying that the meals would be reduced in the future to help them get through the food shortage crisis.

After some thought, Shang Yuji decided to allocate a portion of the grain originally intended for disaster relief in Jingzhou to quell the undercurrents surging in the unseen corners of the inn.

The only two requirements were that their identities not be revealed, and that the manager be told that the inn had enough reserve food to last until the heavy rain ended.

Another requirement is that the food be provided free of charge, with a daily limit per person. This would prevent the inn from profiting from it and ensure that everyone has enough to eat, thus reducing the possibility of trouble.

With the timely and timely supply of food from Shang Yuji, the friction within the hall visibly decreased. Although there were still disputes, they were mostly about who received how much food and what the quality of the food was.

According to Yang Bai's reports from the front lines, there is a highly respected senior figure in the martial arts world in the hall, who is in charge of the overall situation and has maintained a relatively stable situation.

Shang Yuji asked curiously, "Who is that senior?"

"The First Whip of the Western Regions, Senior Yi Sha, was a man of strong sense of justice and courage in his youth. He used his whip to punish many bullies and tyrants. She was one of the Four Elders of the Jianghu."

Seeing that she was interested, Yang Bai picked out some stories about the deeds of his predecessors to tell. Unexpectedly, someone came and called Yang Bai away, saying that Senior Yi had something to invite him to.

Not long after Yang Bai left, Jiang Xi opened the door with a worried frown. He had just gone downstairs to check the supplies, and was carrying snacks he had taken from the carriage. He placed the snacks on the table and slowly walked to the wooden stool next to her and sat down.

"Did something happen downstairs?" Shang Yuji asked, puzzled.

He shook his head, looking troubled, and stammered, "When I went upstairs, an old lady stopped me. She said..."

Jiang Xi stopped abruptly, his ten fingers nervously twisting under his robe.

This piqued Shang Yuji's curiosity, and she tilted her head: "What did you say?"

"She said I had extraordinary bone structure and was a martial arts prodigy, and that it was a real waste to waste such talent. She also said that it was fate that we were both trapped in the inn, and then she asked me if I wanted to become her disciple..."

Shang Yuji was surprised: "Huh?"

She paused for a moment, trying to understand what he meant: "You mean, you rarely come downstairs, and she noticed your talent for martial arts?"

"Yes, Ah Ji, this is the first time I've met her, and she came up to me and said she wanted to take me as her apprentice."

Jiang Xi looked up at her and said, "I think this is the scam that Aji mentioned, so I refused and ran back immediately. I did listen to Aji!"

"Just ignore it." Shang Yuji raised her hand and patted his shoulder, thinking it was just an interlude in the days of being stuck in the inn, and dismissed it without a second thought.

"Then Ah Ji, come and try the snacks I brought from the carriage." Jiang Xi also turned the page, turning his attention back to the snacks he had specially brought.

Ah Ji was bored to death being stuck in the guest room these days, and she was tired of the food at the inn. So he went downstairs specifically to find something interesting to cheer her up, and also to get some snacks for Ah Ji.

The continuous wind and rain blurred the passage of time under the dim sky. While Shang Yuji was eating snacks, Yang Bai, who had come downstairs, returned.

She entered with a furrowed brow and a puzzled look on her face.

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.

The last person to make this expression was Jiang Xi, wasn't he?

Yang Bai glanced at Jiang Xi several times and realized that the person in charge between the two was Shang Yuji. She then said to Shang Yuji, "Miss, Senior Yi Sha just called me down to talk to you about something."

At this point, she glanced at Jiang Xi out of the corner of her eye and saw that the other woman was sitting obediently next to Shang Yuji, seemingly unaware of what was going on.

"The old lady said that she saw that Jiang Langjun had an extraordinary talent and wanted to take him as her apprentice, but he had refused her. She was afraid that he did not know her name, and she really cherished his talent, so she asked me to act as an intermediary and ask him what he thought."

On one side was a customer she respected, and on the other was a senior colleague she admired. Although she was torn between the two, she was genuinely more inclined to side with Miss Shang.

Yang Bai knew that most of what Senior Yi had heard were rumors from the martial arts world, but Miss Shang had actually spent more than half a month with them. He knew which was more important.

She explained to the two of them carefully, "Miss, you are not very clear about the affairs of the martial arts world. I can say with certainty that the old senior's reputation is beyond doubt. It is no exaggeration to say that she is a top expert in the martial arts world. However, she has always been active in the Western Regions. I don't know why she would pass through this place."

After thinking for a moment, she added, "It is best to learn martial arts from a young age, when the body is still flexible and not yet fully developed. The older you get, the less suitable it is. At Jiang Langjun's age, it is no longer suitable for learning martial arts."

This is a truth everyone understands, and Elder Yi naturally understands it too, but she still insisted on taking the young master as her disciple. That can only mean that the young master's talent for martial arts is extremely high, perhaps even unparalleled, which is why the elder insisted on giving it a try.

If that's the case, then it's understandable why Yi Sha would take on a disciple who is nearly twenty years old.

Regardless of the path taken, extraordinary geniuses are completely defying common sense and cannot be viewed by universal standards.

But when Yang Bai saw it, he immediately dismissed the idea that had just arisen.

Miss Shang was deep in thought, while Jiang Langjun stared blankly at her, exuding an aura that whatever Miss Shang said was law.

There's not a single sign of genius in him!

He was lucky. His innocent nature was the kind of temperament that the world despised the most. Fortunately, Miss Shang cared about him and was willing to take him in, giving him a peaceful place to live.

Yang Bai looked at the two people in front of him, and his expression softened.

The two women reminded her of the Yang family gang, who also worked hard to carve out a safe haven for themselves in the mundane world.

Shang Yuji was repeatedly provoked by Yang Bai, and her eyes unconsciously kept falling on Jiang Xi. Finally, she couldn't help but reach out and pinch his arm.

It's a perfectly normal arm. What makes him different from other people?

Jiang Xi blinked, letting her pinch and pull her.

Shang Yuji's expression was somber, but her thoughts were quite different from her facial expression.

Is it the protagonist's halo at work?

When faced with a problem, blame it all on the protagonist's halo!

Wait a minute, if he's a martial arts prodigy, why is he being bullied by a group of people in the book?

Considering that Jiang Xi was imprisoned and had no human rights, those scumbags wished Jiang Xi wouldn't resist, so why would they let him learn martial arts?

The more I think about it, the more pathetic I feel.

Shang Yuji stroked his head affectionately, and Jiang Xi lowered his head to make it easier for her to move.

"Do you want to learn martial arts?" Shang Yuji asked.

"Does Yunxiao want me to learn martial arts?"

She nodded: "Of course I want to, but that's your business, and your thoughts are more important."

She not only wanted him to learn martial arts, but also wanted him to personally deal with the scum who bullied him in the book after he mastered it.

But it's just a thought; nothing's even close to being done yet.

“Then I want to learn!” he said with a smile that crinkled his eyes.

His own thoughts are the unimportant one; if Aji wants him to learn, then he should learn!

Jiang Xi looked at her softly, somewhat reluctant: "But I don't want to be separated from Yun Xiao."

Shang Yuji realized what was happening and pinched the red mole on his left cheek: "We don't need to separate. We don't necessarily have to learn from that senior Yi. If you are really talented, we can find a senior who lives in Yangzhou to become your apprentice."

"Mmm!" Jiang Xi's eyes sparkled as she looked at her with admiration.

"Yunxiao is so clever! She came up with a great idea that allows me to continue learning martial arts while we stay together!"

Yang Bai listened from the side and also thought it made sense: "Then when I get back, I'll look for some senior whip masters in Yangzhou who are skilled in using whips."

Shang Yuji understood what she meant. Senior Yi Sha used a whip, so maybe she thought Jiang Xi was very suitable to learn how to use a whip and that's why she wanted to take him as her apprentice.

"I'll have to trouble you then, Miss Yang."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. You've made things so convenient for us along the way, so we should do something to help you out!"

The two exchanged a few more words. Jiang Xi lowered his long eyelashes, his eyes showing a hint of hesitation. He reached out and tugged at Shang Yuji's hem.

Shang Yuji turned her head to look at him, and he whispered:

"Yunxiao, can I not learn the whip? Can I learn the broadsword instead, the kind of broadsword that Miss Yang uses?"