A Deep and Unwavering Affection, Part Four (Newly Revised)
"Fortunately, Brother Yishan, you're not participating in this conference. Of the three of us, you've always been the most focused and practiced the best."
That soft voice appeared again, lingering in Su Yishan's ears.
A blurred face, candid language and personality. All of these combined to form a hazy portrait in Su Yishan's mind.
clang--
The longsword spun out and landed perfectly in a crevice in the artificial rockery in the center of the courtyard fishpond. Su Yishan was lost in thought again, staring blankly at his empty right hand.
This luxurious mansion was rented in advance by Master He, so that He Zi'an and Xin Rui'en would have a comfortable place to stay before the sword-testing tournament began. Of course, the sword apprentice and the servants accompanying them also stayed with them. Even so, many rooms and courtyards in the mansion remained empty.
It must be admitted that the He family has considerable resources. Even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse; they are not comparable to ordinary families. Even the Xin family is far inferior.
However, one point needs clarification, and I hope everyone will not misunderstand. Xin Rui'en's sword attendant is a beautiful and lively personal maid. She is about the same age as Xin Rui'en and is named Chunmei. As for why Chunmei is also called the sword attendant, it's because that's what everyone calls her.
The masters don't really care whether they are male or female. They are all called sword attendants, which saves a lot of trouble.
Xin Ruien always called Chunmei by her nickname, Ke'er.
In the most spacious courtyard at the center of the house, there were crabapple trees planted, where He Zi'an and Su Yishan often sparred and trained. Su Yishan pointed out many of his minor flaws. The more shortcomings Su Yishan corrected, the more confident He Zi'an became.
He Zi'an firmly believed that he could hone his swordsmanship to perfection before the sword-testing tournament. The more flaws he discovered, the more his swordsmanship would progress towards perfection.
As the two exchanged swordplay, the white petals of the crabapple tree twirled and fluttered down.
Just now, Su Yishan discovered an extremely hidden weakness in He Zian's sword technique. Then, a hazy image entered his mind, along with the figure of a man—the image of his imagined husband, Li Shixi.
The opportunity was fleeting, and He Zian's sharp upward thrust knocked Su Yishan's longsword away.
He Zi'an pressed his hands to his knees, sweat pouring down his face. He asked breathlessly, "Brother Yishan, what's wrong? You seem distracted."
Su Yishan stared at He Zian with his mouth agape. “It’s nothing. Your swordsmanship has improved. I was just a little dazed.”
"Take a rest, you two heroes."
Before they even saw anyone, the two heard Xin Ruien's lively voice. He Zian and Su Yishan both looked towards the entrance of the courtyard.
First, they rounded the edge of the moon gate, and what came into view was a slender, almost glowing white hand. Even without exerting any force, the veins on the back of the hand were clearly visible. Xin Rui'en deftly held a scroll in her left hand; it appeared to be a portrait. The painting was only half-unfurled and swaying from side to side, making it difficult to see clearly.
"Big news, big news!" Xin Ruien mimicked a street vendor's hawking, her eyes sparkling as she walked towards the two with a bright smile. "This is incredible! This conference is going to be amazing!"
He Zi'an held the sword in reverse, placed it behind his back, and asked affectionately, "What news have you heard this time, our little sword god?"
"Just now at Xihe Tower, I heard some incredible news," Xin Ruien glanced at Su Yishan, who was walking towards the fish pond to draw his longsword, and called out while beckoning, "Brother Yishan, where are you going?"
Su Yishan retrieved his sword and jogged back to the two of them, looking at Xin Ruien with expectant eyes. She could no longer contain her feelings and wanted to pour out her heart.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Su Yishan looked at the little girl, who was like a younger sister to him, with doting eyes.
"This is a very important matter!" Xin Ruien's face flushed slightly with excitement.
"Stop keeping me in suspense," He Zi'an said with a smile, looking at Xin Rui'en.
“Just now at Xihe Restaurant, there was a table of young monks from Xinyuan Temple.” Xin Ruien held up one finger and shook it as she said, “They said that an extra seat has been added for this Sword Trial Tournament.”
He Zi'an stroked his chin. "There is precedent for adding seats before."
"The young master of Canghai Sword Manor only got into the Sword Trial Tournament by adding a seat at the last minute back then," Su Yishan immediately chimed in. He was always very clear about the Sword Trial Tournament. "All of this was done to show off in front of the heroes of the world."
“He didn’t get away with it,” He Zi’an recalled. “He was utterly defeated in the first stage of the competition. I heard that it was for this reason that he ‘went on a journey.’”
“They’ve completely lost power in the Li family,” Su Yishan echoed.
“I’ve noticed that you two,” Xin Ruien squinted at them, “are so gossipy when you talk about these things, just like the aunties at the market. Do you still want to hear my big news?”
The two then came to their senses and nodded repeatedly at Shin Ye-eun.
"Whose young master is it this time? Anyone without real skills will be turned away."
He Zi'an was also searching his mind for families with such power, and who else hadn't made it into this sword-testing tournament and needed to be arranged through this special method. A brilliant performance would be fine, but a defeat could bring shame upon his family and invite ridicule from the world.
“He’s not some young master from a prestigious family,” Xin Ruien said smugly. “That’s why it’s big news, isn’t it?”
The two of them were momentarily taken aback by her words.
"It's the Sword Boy!" Xin Ruien exclaimed excitedly. She looked at Su Yishan, her eyes shining brightly: "Brother Yishan! It's the Sword Boy!"
Su Yishan suddenly realized.
He Zi'an was the first to react. "You mean there were sword apprentices participating in this sword-testing tournament? They were temporarily added seats."
This time, it was Xin Ruien who nodded repeatedly: "That's right."
"Which powerful family's sword attendant is he?"
“It’s the second young master of the Chen family,” Xin Ruien replied. “He asked the witnesses to add a seat, and he was the one who chose the person.”
"The Chen family has always been on good terms with the Canghai Sword Manor..."
“Not Canghai Sword Manor,” Xin Ruien immediately interrupted. “I said sword apprentices, sword apprentices from Sword Forging City!”
"Sword Forging City? There are no sects there."
“That’s right, he’s an ordinary swordsman through and through,” Xin Rui’en said. “That’s the most valuable thing about him!”
“A swordsman without a sect or a school,” Su Yishan murmured.
“Yes, a swordsman without a sect or affiliation.” Xin Ruien affirmed Su Yishan’s more concise and clear statement. “The second young master of the Chen family said that he wants to prove that commoners can also be swordsmen, and that chivalry is not the exclusive domain of aristocratic families.”
Su Yishan was speechless.
“We must make swordsmanship free from class distinctions,” Xin Ruien said excitedly, her cheeks flushed. She looked at Su Yishan and said, “What an amazing mind he has! I want to get to know him.”
Xin Ruien grabbed Su Yishan's arm and shook it: "Brother Yishan, you and Ke'er might be able to participate in the Sword Trial Tournament in the future. You will have your own place in the world. As long as you perform well this time."
He Zi'an happily grabbed his shoulders. Su Yishan could only see their lips moving, but he couldn't hear what they were saying.
"Brother Yishan".
"Brother Yishan!"
Su Yishan shook his head, staring blankly at the two smiling people in front of him, and stammered, "What's this person's name?"
“Li…Li something,” Shin Ye-eun put her index finger to her lips and thought for a moment:
"Li Letian".
Li Letian, that was a name I had never heard of before.
"Brother Yishan is so happy he can't stop laughing." He Zi'an patted Su Yishan on the back, also happy for his brother.
Su Yishan smiled awkwardly.
"I knew you'd be happy."
"What are you holding?" He Zi'an's attention then shifted to Xin Rui'en's hands.
It was a portrait painting that was half-unfolded.
“Ah! This,” Xin Ruien herself just remembered, “is a portrait that the craftsmen found at the ruins of Heian-in. Some painters have made copies and are selling them outside. They all say it is the goddess who protects the sword testers, and they are selling very well.”
Shin Ye-eun unfurled the scroll in her hand.
The hazy figure gradually became clearer in Su Yishan's mind, and his thoughts had become a tangled mess.
Her hair was as black as ink. Beneath her gentle eyes was a faint beauty mark, tinged with sadness.
*
In Wenqu City, one thing is almost a certainty—the next patriarch of the Chen family will be Chen Changgui, not his younger brother who only knows how to indulge in pleasure and debauchery.
Chen Changgui sat leisurely in the lobby, his gaze passing over the lacquered wooden door frame, surveying the unique and tidy courtyard under the sunlight. His left hand rested loosely on the edge of the round table, his index finger tapping incessantly on the rosewood surface, each tapping sound clearly reaching his ears.
A white jade pendant fell heavily from Chen Changgui's waist, hovering motionless in mid-air. This jade pendant was only in the hands of the Chen family patriarch and Chen Changgui; even the father of the two Chen brothers had never touched the patterns on this white jade pendant.
There is a children's rhyme among young children: "Wenqu is divided into three, Chen has no martial prowess, Bai has no strategy, and Qiu has no son."
The Bai and Qiu families originally intended to form a marriage alliance to take over the Chen family's business, but unexpectedly, the head of the Bai family disappeared without a trace, and the Canghai Sword Manor, which the Qiu family relied on, also suffered a heavy blow.
No one knows what exactly happened during Bai Jie and Li Zizhan's secret meeting that day.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves on the treetops, making them shimmer and sparkle, like pieces of gold adorning the branches.
It was only a matter of time before the position of city lord fell into his hands. Not only this courtyard, but the entire Wenqu City would eventually be his. Chen Changgui believed this was destiny, and the situation of various warlords dominating Wenqu City was about to end in his hands.
However, Chen Changgui is not without his troubles. These troubles are recent.
The clanging sound of the bell pierced the brick wall and reached Chen Changgui's ears first. Immediately afterward, two uninvited guests emerged from behind the wall and into the sunlight, appearing in his rather satisfactory courtyard.
Leading the group was Chen Changji's servant, head held high and chest puffed out, a scroll of painting held flat in his left hand. Behind him, a swordsman held a simple longsword, without a hilt, just a strip of cloth wrapped around the pommel as a makeshift grip. On his back, the swordsman also carried another precious sword, its scabbard ancient and worn, from which came a faint, tinkling sound.
The servant looked towards the main hall, stopped, and bowed to Chen Changgui. The swordsman, however, looked at Chen Changgui indifferently, his face expressionless and his body language nonchalant.
The servant bowed and led the swordsman forward, disappearing from Chen Changgui's sight once more.
“Young Master, this is the swordsman the Second Young Master found.” The butler standing behind Chen Changgui looked awkward: “Li Letian, the blacksmith from Sword Forging City.”
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