Chapter 9 A little bickering is good for the soul; a casual chat after waking up
East of the coast, wooden houses.
"I have to say, Zhang Xuan's knife is really interesting. It uses its master's blood to unleash its power, which is quite similar to the way demons operate."
Qingyu lay comfortably on a deck chair in the courtyard, basking in the sun, and said with her eyes closed.
Wen Chuan ignored her; he was busy examining the two halves of the jade pendant.
Seeing that he was ignoring her, Qingyu pouted.
Unconsciously, Qingyu recalled their discussion about the "Qingyu (escaping) from the Qingshui" incident after their return—
At that time, Qingyu stubbornly insisted, "This isn't my fault. You yourself said things like the child is grown up and can leave without saying a word..."
Although her words were incoherent, her attitude was firm. It was rare to see Wen Chuan laughing in anger amidst her rambling nonsense. "Qingyu, I don't believe you didn't know I was talking about Cai Cai back then. Besides, if you wanted to leave without saying goodbye, would you deliberately make me get up early to go to the city so you could leave smoothly?"
Qingyu remained silent for a moment, finding it quite novel to see Wen Chuan so angry with her.
Seeing her like this, Wen Chuan knew she hadn't heard him at all. He sighed inwardly, his face expressionless.
After a moment, he called out to the girl.
"Qingyu".
“Eh…” Qingyu came back to her senses and looked at Wen Chuan.
Qingyu opened her lips, wanting to say something serious, but Wen Chuan decided to give up on discussing the matter with her and was prepared not to hold it against her. The young man said with a hint of helplessness,
"Fine, I just don't like it this way. Just remember to tell me next time you leave."
After saying that, Wen Chuan turned around and prepared to go back to his room to catch up on sleep.
Qingyu was stunned for a moment.
She looked at Wen Chuan's back, took a few steps forward, and unconsciously called out to him.
Wen Chuan turned around.
In an instant.
They were standing very close together.
Qingyu didn't seem to notice; her eyes were a little unfocused, but thankfully, she spoke very seriously.
“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s just that I’ve never been good at saying goodbye, I really am. When I left my hometown before, I left quietly… and we also made a promise that I would come back after I finished my business, and if I didn’t come back, you would know that I had died… I, I can’t really say what I want to say… it’s just, that’s the gist of it, I just don’t like scenes of parting, especially since I feel, I feel that we have a pretty good relationship, and you have been kind to me…”
It was nearly morning by then. They had been busy all night on the east coast, battling wind and demons, and hadn't slept all night.
Qingyu felt her mind was a bit muddled; after talking for so long, she didn't seem to know what she was saying.
Wen Chuan lowered his eyes to look at the flower hairpin on the girl in front of him. It was a pink and white evening primrose in summer. The few small flower buds seemed to have a life of their own, swaying back and forth as their owner spoke, which was a little annoying.
He remained silent, then reached out and gently touched the girl's forehead.
Qingyu was startled and looked up.
The boy's finger was still on her forehead, and Wen Chuan paused for a moment.
She looked at him.
He looked at her.
They were very close, and their eyes met for a second.
That second passed quickly; they couldn't quite see each other's eyes. Yet, that second also seemed to pass very slowly, so slowly that they both wanted to do something to get through it.
"I see……"
Before Wen Chuan could finish speaking, Qing Yu took a step back, following his lead.
The atmosphere seemed to freeze for a moment, almost imperceptibly, like intertwined glue separating.
Qingyu unconsciously broke into a bright smile: "It's good that you know!"
She then made a flipping motion as if turning a page in a book, saying, "Then let's put this matter behind us!"
"I'm sleepy! I'm going to bed now!"
With that, she quickly turned around and went back into her room, ignoring the people behind her.
For a moment while walking, her mind was incredibly clear, but soon she realized that his reaction was simply that he was sleepy and wanted to sleep, since they were both tired.
In fact, Wen Chuan behind her had similar thoughts. The boy simply rubbed his fingers and silently went back to his room.
He was thinking that perhaps he really was a little sleepy.
...
Qingyu opened her eyes, her thoughts returning to the present.
It was already late afternoon, and the twilight was shimmering.
The courtyard was peaceful.
Qingyu yawned, raised the back of her right hand to her forehead, closed her eyes, and calmed herself down.
"The spiritual energy in that jade pendant is very strange, so be careful."
Why can't the mermaid demon devour humans? Over the years, the human and demon have merged, becoming neither human nor demon. Madam Gao brought the other half of the jade pendant to the east coast. The two jade pendants met, which caused the demon's aura to surge last night, creating fog and building a pavilion.
"There is some power in it, but it's alright."
Wen Chuan fiddled with the jade pendant. He had been fiddling with it ever since he woke up, and hadn't even cooked a meal.
He got up and went to his room to get some things, saying to Qingyu as he went.
"If you're hungry, there's rice cake in the kitchen."
Qingyu said "Oh—" but didn't move. She was hungry, but she was lazy.
She shifted her legs, going from lying down to sitting, and looked at Wen Chuan with a puzzled expression as he dragged out a piece of wood.
"what are you up to?"
Wen Chuan: "Carve something."
Qingyu let out a small, silent "wow," staring blankly as Wen Chuan pulled out a saw, carving knife, chisel, and other odds and ends.
"I've never seen these things before. When did you learn how to do it?"
Wen Chuan laid out his various tools and replied, "I learned them years ago."
Qingyu stood up, watching Wen Chuan draw on the wood and cut it with curiosity. "So, you studied woodworking a few years ago, and now you've been learning to cook..."
Wen Chuan slowed down a bit. He looked up at Qing Yu, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
"It's just that I haven't had much to do these past few years, so I like to learn more things."
"What do you want engraved?"
Qingyu had already squatted down in front of him, moving carefully so as not to disturb him, but her eyes were full of interest.
Wen Chuan was still drawing. He was moving very quickly, but his drawings were messy, and Qing Yu didn't quite understand what he was trying to sculpt.
Wen Chuan: "It's nothing, we'll just sculpt whatever we draw."
Qingyu obediently squatted down beside him, nodding vigorously, watching him draw quietly and curiously, and occasionally helping him move the wood to cut the necessary timber.
Qingyu wondered, if Wen Chuan went to work as a helper at Wanfulou to learn cooking, would he also work as a helper if he became a carpenter?
She voiced her doubts.
Wen Chuan's men kept moving, responding to Qing Yu. In fact, he had indeed been an apprentice in a woodcarving workshop in the city.
The master craftsman at the wood carving workshop knew his father. After his father passed away, the master craftsman even considered taking him on as an apprentice, but he refused. After all, learning wood carving was just a hobby for him, and he didn't have enough passion for the profession.
"Speaking of which, if I had really become a carpenter back then, I would have become a fellow apprentice with that Master Gao."
Qingyu: "How did this get involved with Master Gao again? Isn't he a wealthy merchant from Qingshui? Does he also know how to do this?"
Wen Chuan: "There's nothing strange about it. Everyone has their hobbies."
I heard that when Mr. Gao was young, he liked these things and even pestered the old carpenter to teach him. Later, perhaps after he settled down and started a family, he rarely touched these things anymore.
During those years, Wen Chuan was an apprentice in the neighborhood, and he had met him a few times, which gave him a way to deliver seafood to wealthy families.
Qingyu clicked her tongue a few times. Some things are really amazing. Some people brush past each other and greet each other politely, while others have a deep connection but hesitate because of feelings.
Before I knew it, it had gotten dark.
A breeze blew by, gently veiling the seawater with a layer of dark ink.
In the stillness, candlelight was lit inside the small house.
Qingyu ate rice cakes, while Wenchuan kept busy.
Qingyu: "You've created something new to hold that spiritual energy, but what about those two jade pendants?"
Wen Chuan: "The jade pendant was already broken in two, so it's very difficult to repair."
He paused for a moment, then said softly, "Return both jade pendants in a few days."
Qingyu nodded, resting her chin on her hand, and took another bite of rice cake. "Let's wait until Zhang Xuan wakes up before we talk about it. It'll be easier for us if he's here."
As she spoke, she looked at the two halves of the jade pendant on the table.
Stripped of its spiritual aura, this jade pendant is actually made of very ordinary material. After years of wear and tear, it has become quite dull and has lost the unique charm of jade. However, upon closer inspection, Qingyu noticed that the patterns carved on it were quite special.
By candlelight, she gently moved the two jade pendants together with her fingers, barely managing to put them back together.
After seeing it clearly, Qingyu smiled.
Oh, it's a dandelion.
Flowers that are very free.
…
The next day.
The main palace of Qingshui City.
Zhang Xuan opened his eyes, and the white bed curtains and familiar furnishings came into view.
Before he could react, the young man's calm voice came from above.
"woke up?"
Zhang Xuan tried to move his body, but felt pain all over his body. Helpless, he moved his eyes and looked at Lin Fengdu standing by his bed.
The young man had a cold demeanor, holding a black cat in his arms. His usually gentle face gave a strange smile, as if he was amused by Zhang Xuan's current miserable appearance. He turned around and sat down.
"It's good that you're awake, so your brother-in-law won't keep checking on his wife and then looking at you, his brother-in-law."
Zhang Xuan opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word. He was seriously injured this time, lost too much blood, and lay on the beach for half an hour. Fortunately, there were no problems with his heart and other vital organs, otherwise he wouldn't have woken up in just one day.
Seeing Zhang Xuan like this, Lin Fengdu felt that he was really in trouble.
He had only been away for one more day, but who knew so many things would happen? He only realized it when the demonic energy surged on the coast. When he arrived, Zhang Xuan, Zhang Ling, and Madam Gao were lying on the beach. Zhang Xuan was covered in blood, and the scene was quite tragic.
Thinking this, he slowly poured himself another cup of tea. "It's good that you're like this. The Azure Water Demon's aura was strong last night, and the people from the Demon Suppression Pavilion have already arrived. They will be here tomorrow."
Zhang Xuan closed his eyes. Annoying.
Nowadays, people are divided into humans, demons, and cultivators.
Cultivators are essentially people who aspire to the Dao. Spiritual energy exists in the world, and cultivators all enter the Dao through spiritual energy. All things have spirit, therefore all things can be cultivated. Swords, spears, halberds, poetry, books, music, zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—as long as one has the heart and the talent, one can use spiritual energy to enter the Dao and become a cultivator.
Demons, on the other hand, are special. They achieve enlightenment through a combination of cultivation and slaughter, which makes them unpopular with humans. In particular, many years ago, demons caused chaos and disorder throughout the human world, making humans and demons irreconcilable enemies ever since.
The Demon Suppression Pavilion was established for this purpose, recruiting independent cultivators from all over the world to suppress the demon race. Under the guise of cultivation, it operated independently of the imperial power.
Zhang Xuan had wanted to join the Demon Suppression Pavilion before, but his stubborn father was extremely insistent on this matter. The Grand Chancellor Zhang always believed that letting Zhang Xuan join the Demon Suppression Pavilion was the beginning of Zhang Xuan becoming a cultivator, so he would never give in.
Thinking of this, the boy opened his eyes again. He thought of Qingyu and Wenchuan, the two rogue cultivators, and couldn't help but grit his teeth. They had managed to slip away quickly, leaving him alone on the beach.
Lin Fengdu ignored Zhang Xuan. He had always lived a solitary and carefree life, and even though he knew it was impossible for Zhang Xuan to fight the demon alone, he had no interest in investigating.
They're just rogue cultivators or demons, what does it have to do with him?
Thinking of this, the young man looked at Zhang Xuan, who was lying on the bed unable to move and covered in bandages. He was so pitiful, especially his left hand, which was wrapped up like a steamed bun.
He rarely sighed. Although his Lin family had always produced doctors and cultivators, he deliberately avoided this path. He could only simply transfer some spiritual energy to him and ask the doctor to wrap him in more gauze.
Of course, there was also an element of deceiving the people from the Demon Suppression Pavilion.
Lin Fengdu put down his teacup, his well-defined knuckles stroking the black cat in his arms. He slowly shifted his gaze away from the pitiful Zhang Xuan.
He wasn't worried about Zhang Xuan's injury. Zhang Xuan was, after all, a sword cultivator. The injury was just scary to look at, but he would be fine after resting in bed for a while.
What bothered him was that he had clearly promised to take good care of Zhang Xuan, but he had ended up with the child in this state, which put him in a difficult position.
...
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