Flowers Bloom and Fade, Part Two
He Zi'an cried the first time he saw that face. At that time, the He family was at the height of its power, and they still maintained the tradition of visiting Ping'an Temple every year. The He family would travel together in May, and when they arrived in Wuling City, it was just the season when peaches ripened. It was at this time that they went to Ping'an Temple.
He Zian's first trip to Mount Mashou was with his mother. The departure was sudden, and the entire journey was somewhat rushed. His mother led him through every palace along the central axis, but never stopped. It wasn't until they reached the Sword God Temple that He Zian snapped out of his daze. It was at this point that his mother disappeared.
The four imposing statues stared at him with wide-open eyes. Young He Zi'an burst into tears.
"Little one, what's wrong?" An old woman placed her hand on He Zi'an's head and asked with concern.
“These four grandfathers,” He Zi’an pointed to the statue, “are terrifying.”
The old woman smiled. "They are revered sword gods. From princes to commoners, everyone comes to pray for them. How can you say they are terrifying?"
"Are they the Sword Gods?" He Zian asked, bewildered.
The old woman nodded.
He Zi'an looked up at the four statues again. From left to right, they were "Wind Sword" Jia Dongye, "Thunder Sword" Wang Zimei, "Water Sword" Liu Mengde, and "Fire Sword" Wang Wenfang. They had different expressions and shapes, but the only thing they had in common was the aura and oppressive feeling they exuded.
Looking at those pairs of eyes again, they seemed much gentler. The statues that had just filled him with fear now seemed to possess a divine radiance.
Are they very powerful?
The old woman looked into He Zi'an's eyes and said with a smile, "He has some skills, more or less."
"Will I be able to be better than them in the future?"
"Give it a try."
Sunlight streamed into the main hall, and a strong, robust young man appeared at that moment. He stepped firmly on the threshold, his lips pressed tightly together, and entered the hall with a solemn expression.
He was originally heading towards the other side of the statue, but changed direction after seeing the old woman. He approached her and greeted her in a low voice, "Good morning, Dr. Qu."
Qu Peng did not put on airs as an elder, and calmly replied, "Good morning, Elder Ma."
"Please don't call me that." The young man scratched his neck and said embarrassedly, "Just call me Xiao Hong. I should thank you for my foot injury last time."
"There's no need for thanks when a doctor treats patients," Qu Peng said dismissively, and asked, "So early, did you come up here alone to make your rounds?"
“Yes,” Ma Hong complained to Qu Peng, somewhat dejectedly, “The courtyard was robbed a few days ago. I mentioned it to the gang leader, saying that we should strengthen the defenses of Ping’an Courtyard. But the gang leader disagreed.”
"Thanks a lot."
"It's not hard work." Ma Hong immediately adjusted his emotions, revealing a smile that even He Zi'an found exaggerated. However, it was indeed a reassuring smile. Ma Hong bent his arm, patted his biceps, and said with his head held high, "Don't worry, with Xiao Hong here, no one will do evil in the future."
"Brother, are you even more capable than these old men?" He Zian suddenly asked.
Ma Hong made a gesture as if to laugh out loud, but restrained himself from making a sound. He squatted down in front of He Zi'an and said, "Brother, you're far from good enough."
"Then how do you punish those bad guys who steal here and aren't even afraid of the Sword God?"
"Keep up the good work and strive to become someone like the Sword God, someone who can bring peace to the world. You will be the one to punish those villains who aren't even afraid of the Sword God." Ma Hong held up his little finger and said, "Until then, your brother will hold on."
He had made a pinky promise with He Zi'an. Ma Hong stood up and asked, "Is this clever little fellow someone Doctor Qu recently adopted?"
“He got separated from his mother,” Qu Peng said. “I was just about to take her to look for her.”
"Do you need my help?"
“No need, the child’s mother shouldn’t have gone far.” Qu Peng took He Zi’an’s hand and said, “You still have an entire Ping’an Courtyard to take care of, so leave him to me.”
"Please let me know if you need anything," Ma Hong said earnestly. "We have plenty of manpower in Wuling City, so the search will be faster."
After parting ways with Ma Hong at the Sword God Hall, Qu Peng led He Zi'an down the stairs to the right of the hall, heading towards the side path in Ping'an Courtyard that deviated from the central axis.
"Mother-in-law, are you even more capable than them?"
"Who? That older brother from earlier?" Qu Peng explained, "The older brother is a hero of the Beggars' Sect, and the old lady is a doctor. We are different."
He Zian shook his head. "No. I meant those old men in the Sword God Temple."
Why do you think that way?
“Because I feel that you, Grandma, are not afraid of them at all,” He Zi’an looked up at Qu Peng, “unlike that brother.”
"Grandma is getting old." Qu Peng led He Zi'an to the peach trees by the side road, picked a ripe peach, and said, "When you get old, your eyes can't see clearly, so you're not afraid anymore."
Why can't I see clearly?
"It's probably because she's getting old," Qu Peng said, wiping the peach on her clothes. "But even though Grandma's eyesight is failing, her mind is still very sharp."
He Zian didn't understand what he meant, but just swallowed as he looked at the bright red peach.
"Esteemed heroes, now that you're here, why not show yourselves?" Qu Peng's tone changed from gentle to indifferent. "There's no one here, no need to hide anymore."
At the corner of the house, behind the eaves, one after another, five muscular men appeared and stood opposite Qu Peng and He Zi'an.
"I wonder if you gentlemen are here to see the old woman for medical treatment, or to see this young friend?"
"Old woman, don't cause trouble. Just hand this child over to us," a burly man said in a booming voice.
“Junior brother was rude, please forgive me, Granny. Since you were able to find us, you must also be a member of the martial arts world.” The shorter man next to him immediately pulled him aside and said amicably, “We have no intention of having any conflict with you. You just need to hand this young friend over to us.”
Where is the child's mother?
The short man looked in another direction. Two more men emerged from there, their clothes and longswords stained with fresh blood.
"The Shattering Star Sword isn't on that woman either," said the man who had just come out. "I think the only way to force that guy surnamed He to hand over the Shattering Star Sword is to take this kid away."
The short man then looked at Qu Peng and said slowly, "Grandma, you should know about the famous He family on the South Island."
I've heard a little about it.
“That makes things easier. We’ve already spoken to the four young masters of the He family.” The man said with a smile, “This young friend is the son of the He family patriarch. Please hand him over to us.”
Qu Peng crouched down, her gaze level with He Zi'an's. "Grandma hasn't asked you your name yet."
"He Zian".
"Grandma, what's your name?"
Qu Peng thought for a moment and said, "It's been too long, Grandma has already forgotten."
"Is Grandma sick?" He Zian wiped Qu Peng's forehead and said in a childish voice, "Just now in the palace, that older brother called you Doctor Qu."
“Grandma doesn’t lie to children.” Qu Peng reached out her aged hand and stroked He Zi’an’s hair, then said, “The He family may face many difficulties in the future. But you must be patient and self-disciplined.”
He Zi'an looked in the direction of the seven men and said, "I don't want to go with them. They seem scary. I need to find my mother."
“You don’t need to go with them,” Qu Peng said softly.
"Old man, don't be so stubborn!" the burly man roared.
"The dignified Seven Stars of the Hall of Longevity: Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, Yu Heng, Kai Yang, and Yao Guang." Qu Peng's gaze turned cold. "Yet now you're making things difficult for a child."
"This old fellow is indeed not simple." The man with narrow eyes let out a shrill laugh.
“Now that you know who we are, we can’t let you leave.” The short man remained calm and composed as always. “We gave you a chance.”
"The Seven Beauties of Misty Rain being on par with you is truly their greatest disgrace." Qu Peng looked up at the sky, let out a long breath, and said, "The Palace of Longevity has been living too comfortably these days. It's good for them to stretch their muscles occasionally."
Qu Peng placed a bright red peach into He Zi'an's hand and stood up. A hand covered He Zi'an's eyes and whispered, "Count to seven silently in your mind before opening your eyes."
The hand was full of wrinkles, which hurt He Zi'an. But it made him feel warm and at ease.
He Zian didn't dare open his eyes that day, and he didn't know how much time had passed.
"Zian!"
He Zi'an first heard his father's call, then felt the familiar, warm embrace. He Zi'an opened his eyes and saw seven men kneeling in a row in the distance, facing the direction of the Sword God Temple.
They clasped their hands together, utterly devout. Blood flowed from their seven orifices, dripping profusely.
He Zian looked down; his father's right arm was empty. The resolute man's face was covered in tears.
That day, my father kept repeating the same sentence.
"It's my fault as a father, it's my fault as a father who has let you down."
*
The god of the Sword God Temple is approaching in the manner that He Zian remembers.
Years later, He Zi'an still felt fear. But he was no longer the boy who would only cry and wait for someone to rescue him.
The mother who once guided him forward, and the mother-in-law who had soothed his terrified heart, would never appear again. Fortunately, he now had other trustworthy people by his side.
Jiaotu is breaking apart bit by bit, and He Zian is making a final effort.
"Can I do it?" He Zi'an asked himself. No, I must do it. Even if it's just maintaining the shape of Jiao Tu, even if Jiao Tu shatters at the last second before Liu Mengde kills him, he must hold on. What matters isn't the outcome of the sword and shield battle, but the location.
"Keep it up, kid! You've become a great guy," the young man said. "Until then, I'll hold on."
"You must be patient and self-disciplined."
“Grandma, brother, I’ve tried my best,” He Zi’an said.
What were his mother's feelings when she led him to the Sword God's Temple at the last moment, leaving him with the only chance of survival? Looking at the sparsely scattered shards of blade, He Zi'an once again thought of this question he had pondered countless times.
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