Chapter 32: Martial Arts Showdown, Renewing the Past
Holding it warm in my arms, I can see through a thin cloth bag that the marble has been glowing more and more frequently since late winter. It is not as bright as a lantern bulb, but like a firefly, emitting a faint and soft light.
Wen Ranqi carries it with him everywhere except when changing clothes and taking a bath.
The bright light wasn't blinding, but rather allowed for a closer look at the colorful marble. As Wen Ranqi watched, he felt sleepy and drifted off to sleep. Passing through the lights of countless homes and across the Milky Way, he found himself in a room in the blink of an eye. He recognized everything in it, a familiarity that couldn't have been more apparent.
The heating microwave oven, the smart TV, the rice cooker in the kitchen, even the color and model of the computer keyboard are the same as his, the patterns on the carpet, the display shelves with various blind boxes, voices came from the bedroom, Wen Ranqi pushed open the door, and saw two people talking with their backs to him. They were sitting on the ground looking out the window.
One of the tall and thin boys said to the person next to him, "Brother Wen, what's wrong with your stone lately? It keeps glowing. Is it about to bloom?" Wen Ranqi walked behind the two of them. They couldn't see or hear him. The man holding the stone lowered his head, but the stone in his hand was the same as his.
Wen Ranqi was surprised and wanted to leave, but the man stood up with the stone in his hand. It seemed as if the people and things around him stopped moving, and only he and that man could move freely.
The man turned around, and Wen Ranqi felt surprised but not frightened.
"It's you. You're the one I saw in my dream last time."
The man nodded and walked towards Wen Ranqi with the glowing stone in his hand. He looked exactly like Wen Ranqi, just like Wen Ranqi from another parallel world.
The second Wen Ranqi said, "He is still alive and has come to find you."
Wen Ranqi didn't understand what this meant for a moment. He asked, "Who is it? That mysterious person? Do you know that person?"
The second time, Wen Ranqi said, "No, think carefully about who cares about you the most. Wen Ranqi, remember, take the same stone as this one, go find that person, and take your people to find him."
Wen Ranqi was confused and woke up in the middle of the night. The light of the jade had dimmed. He poured himself a cup of tea and sat there until dawn.
He had not forgotten what Wen Yuhan had told him. When the first peach blossom bloomed in the spring of the following year in the south, he would take Qiqi and Yu Shi to the altar of the Huolie tribe to find a mysterious man who could help Wen Ranqi return to normal life.
But Qiqi had been killed by Wen Shi, and it was not a mysterious person who came to find him. Wen Ranqi thought about it over and over again, but couldn't figure out who else could go north with him.
Wen Shi had just finished dealing with important matters of the clan and hadn't even sat down when Wen Ranqi found him and looked at him with a puzzled look.
Wen Shi said, "What's wrong? If you have something to say, just tell me. Are you standing at the door like a door god?"
Wen Ranqi walked into the study and asked, "Tell me the truth, did you really kill Qiqi?"
Wen Shi's eyes flickered as he calmly held the brush and continued writing. "Killing means killing. I never show mercy to anyone in matters like this, nor do I make excuses."
After Wen Ranqi left in anger and before she could leave the yard, someone from the outer courtyard hurried in, went to the study and talked with Wen Shi for a while, and then Wen Shi hurried out.
Wen Ranqi suddenly had an idea and followed quietly behind. After listening to some words, he caught the man and heard that someone seemed to come to Wen Shi to ask for someone. He introduced himself as Wen Ranqi's apprentice and wanted to compete with Wen Shi.
Apprentice? Wen Ranqi only had one apprentice, Qiqi, Mu Qi of the Mu Yan Clan. When Wen Ranqi asked Wen Shi about this, he'd already felt strange. He'd been blinded by despair before, but now, thinking clearly, Wen Shi seemed completely different from what he'd imagined. He didn't torture him, nor was he as cruel as he'd described in the books. Instead, he treated him like a long-lost brother, treating him with delicious food, drinks, and entertainment every day.
Did he not kill Qiqi, but just trick him so he wouldn't leave? Wen Ranqi was ready to chase him out to find out what was going on. Wan Mingxing followed from the top of the wall. This time, he didn't stop Wen Ranqi, and he even blocked many obstacles along the way.
Wen Ranqi secretly followed Wen Shi out of the villa, and after hiding from place to place, he came to a large arena for a martial arts competition in front of the succession ceremony of the Fengyue clan's patriarch.
Heavy snow began to fall from the sky, the ground was slippery and cold, Wen Ranqi huddled together next to a nearby pillar, the snow on the ring had not melted yet.
Wen Shi first went up to the ring and took out a blunt sword that he had never used publicly before, but today one side of the blunt sword had a sharp edge.
A man of the same height as Wen Shi walked onto the ring with a sword on his back. Wen Ranqi was shivering with cold. He could only see half of it while squatting. It was snowing and he couldn't see clearly. Qiqi drew his sword with his back to him. The sound of the sword mixed with the rustling sound of falling snow, giving rise to a magnificent scene of swords and knives becoming heroes in the snowy night.
Wen Ranqi was still sighing, saying that this was no worse than the slow-motion effect with special effects on TV, and it even gave him goosebumps.
The young man drew his sword very quickly and his moves were very steady. Wen Shi was obviously surprised by the young man's speed and moves, and he was not as adept at resisting the attacks as before.
Wen Shi fought him for a few rounds before they stopped and stood on either side. Wen Shi said, "You've learned this much in such a short time. I have to admit that you're more of a genius than him."
A few years ago, he said calmly, "I am just trying to force things to happen. He is the real genius. But our purpose is different. I want to kill you, and he wants to save people. I am not worthy of being compared with him."
Wen Ranqi's voice sounded familiar, but the heavy snow obscured his vision, so he couldn't be sure. He slowly moved to the front of the pillar and hid in the flower bed near the arena.
Wen Shi continued, "The most taboo in martial arts is to rush for quick success. The slightest carelessness can lead to obsession. You rushed to catch up with me at such a high speed just to kill me and save him? You saved him, but what about you? What if one day your tendons burst and you die? What will happen to him? Will he let you die in front of him?" A trace of melancholy ignited in Qiqi's heart, but it disappeared in an instant. He pointed his sword at Wen Shi, his eyes firm as he said, "This is my last chance. Even if I can't save Master, I still want to see him. As long as I can spend a day or an hour with him, I'll be satisfied. It's better than being separated and ungrateful."
Wen Ranqi finally understood clearly that the person on the stage was Qiqi. Qiqi was not dead after all. Wen Shi had deceived him, but he did not kill Qiqi. The arena at the end of the story also changed. The arena competition that was originally held at the quadrennial martial arts competition in spring was moved forward to winter, and there were only Wen Shi and Qiqi.
Just as the two were about to fight for the second round, Wen Ranqi rushed forward and fell to the ground in the snow. Wen Shi and Qiqi started fighting again. Wan Ming walked up to help Wen Ranqi up, his eyes telling her, "Don't worry, I'll take you up."
Wan Ming supported the lame Wen Ranqi and slowly approached the arena. The surroundings were completely different from what he had imagined. He knew the arena that was crowded with people and where Qiqi confessed her love to him in public. Now there were only four of them here. The surroundings were silent except for the sound of falling snow.
Qiqi's sword moves were full of murderous intent. Wen Shi showed no mercy to Qiqi and his swift sword skills made it difficult for him to fight back. They were really fighting desperately in the snow.
Qiqi tried his best, combining all his moves, intending to give Wen Shi a final blow. He stabbed at Wen Shi's body as he landed, "Qiqi, don't kill him!"
Wanming pulled Wen Ranqi, and Wen Ranqi was dumbfounded. Qiqi's sword still pierced Wen Shi's body. Blood seeped out of Wen Shi's body and stained the snow. Qiqi's shoulder was only cut by Wen Shi's blunt sword, leaving a deep sword mark.
Qiqi's martial arts were always at a disadvantage, and Wen Shi never had the intention to kill her. This sword was given to Qiqi by Wen Shi. Wen Shi looked at Wen Ranqi in the snow, his eyes seemed relieved, perhaps he felt that he should pay back what he owed Wen Ranqi at this moment.
Wen Shi fell backwards weakly in the snow. Wan Ming no longer cared about Wen Ranqi. He jumped onto the ring, hugged Wen Shi and cried. Only now did he look like a real little brat.
Qiqi drew out the Fengyin Sword with trembling hands, and turned her head in disbelief with eyes red with killing intent, looking at Wen Ranqi with tears in her smile, a look of shock, joy, and pity.
"Qiqi, I'm fine. Can you put the sword down?"
Upon hearing this, Qiqi looked at her own hands covered in blood, kneeling in the snow in despair. Wanming kept plugging the bleeding wound for Wen Shi. He asked someone to keep today's events strictly confidential and announced to the outside world that Wen Shi had caught a cold and suddenly had a fever and fell into a coma. Everything inside and outside was normal.
A series of things were arranged as if Wen Shi and Wan Ming had already rehearsed them. Even though Wen Shi was half dead, Wan Ming was still able to arrange everything calmly.
Wen Shi fainted at this time. In fact, when Wen Ranqi shouted loudly, Qiqi heard Wen Ranqi's voice. The long sword in his hand deviated a few inches and did not hit Wen Shi's heart. Wen Shi could still be saved.
Wen Ranqi limped onto the ring, slowly moved to Qiqi's side, and hugged the distraught Qiqi. The warmth brought by the familiar embrace made Qiqi quickly wake up. He raised his head from his arms, hugged Wen Ranqi's waist tightly, and cried with joy, crying loudly because he had lost something and finally got it back.
Wan Ming asked someone to carry Wen Shi away and told Wen Ranqi that he was waiting for them in the study. He did not ask anyone to stay with them, nor did he cause them any trouble.
A lot of the story went as planned, and a lot of things survived.
Qiqi regained consciousness and found his cloak to wrap around the shivering Wen Ranqi. He squatted on the ring, turned his back to Wen Ranqi, and said proudly, "Come on, Master, I'll carry you. It's still a long way down, so let me carry you down."
Wen Ranqi held the sword, and the tassel swayed back and forth, just like his troubled heart. He still couldn't let go of the discomfort in his heart, but after taking two steps, his sprained foot began to hurt.
Qiqi squatted in front of him again, and said in a coquettish tone, "Master, everyone knows about you and me. They won't laugh at me if you let me carry you on your back. Master, let me carry you on my back."
Wen Ranqi couldn't resist, so he lay on Qiqi's back and put the sword around Qiqi's neck. He lay on Qiqi's back and felt that Qiqi had really grown a lot and was much stronger.
Qiqi asked as she walked, "Master, why don't you let me kill him?"
"He didn't kill you, why would you kill him? He didn't do anything to me. Look, I'm living a good life."
"Master, do you think he will let us go? If not, I will stay here. As long as he doesn't kill me, I will stay in the villa for one day."
"His cheating skills have improved. I don't know why, but he and I understand Wen Shi differently now. Maybe he'll let us go."
"Then I will take Master to find Chief Tana, Uncle Liang, and Yanyan."
When Wen Ranqi heard the word Yanyan, an idea suddenly occurred to him and he asked, "Yanyan, is there really such a person? Do you like her? Otherwise, Master can be a matchmaker for you two."
Qiqi was speechless. He quickened his pace, heading towards Wen Ranqi's courtyard. Wen Ranqi could only hold on to Qiqi tightly, leaning against his back. Qiqi's body was boiling with heat as he walked through the snow. He silently raised the corners of his mouth. He missed his master day and night, and finally he didn't have to be separated from him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
