Chapter 139: The Return of the Traveler After the Storm
rain.
Summer rain comes suddenly, the morning light in the sky turns into a rain-soaked bell, the rain connects with the sun, and floods the city, making it gloomy and dark.
thunder.
A thunderclap came swiftly, like a thousand layers of forests in the sky, suddenly rising and pressing down in the darkness, the shadows of clouds shattering and ringing in the ears.
And so, lightning swept across the city, mountain streams ceased to flow, torrential rain boiled like boiling water, and the sky seemed to sink, tearing even the once-glorious Bianjing (Kaifeng) to shreds in a thunderstorm. The Bian River, too, roared in fury, its cries breaking the hearts of passersby. In the raging torrents, day and night blurred, the summer heat made travel impossible, and one was utterly disoriented. Within the high walls, there was hardly a soul; fear gripped the heavens, and one imagined celestial palaces collapsing and scattering like overturned pots. A sense of impending doom gripped the city; half of it was now deserted.
However, there are also those who sit and talk, those who light lamps in the tower, and those who remain steadfast amidst the murmuring of the undercurrents and the resounding thunder.
As the shadow of an umbrella drew closer, the thunderstorm subsided, revealing the green bamboo handle of the umbrella, its white color like jade. Only when the shadow of the tree drooped and collapsed could the approaching person be seen.
Many people in the world do not recognize him, but once they see him, not one of them will fail to recognize him. Di Feijing is so handsome that he should rightfully be Di Feijing. No other name is more worthy of his face, nor is any other name worthy of his imposing presence. He is captivating even in stillness, and deadly even in stillness. In the rain, he is like a white bird, skimming over the rain and the pool, his feathers untouched by mud, before flying into the high-rise building.
The disciples of the Six and a Half Hall on both sides bowed their heads in unison, speaking respectfully, and said in unison, "Grand Hall Master."
Di Feijing remained silent.
If he had nothing to do, he wouldn't have gone out on such a stormy night; if he did have something to do, he shouldn't have been so unhurried, glancing upstairs carefully before slowly putting away his umbrella without asking someone to do it for him.
Sometimes, this kind of behavior makes people wonder if he is really the famous Di Feijing, whose talent astonished the capital and who remained unrecognized even in his old age. Di Feijing never answers these questions. Those who meet him will have the answer, and those who don't will never have anything to do with him in their lives.
After carefully adjusting the umbrella, Di Feijing began to speak, not looking at anyone, but staring at the tip of the drooping umbrella: "Have the people from Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion arrived yet?"
"Reporting to the Grand Hall Master," replied a disciple of the Six and a Half Hall who appeared to be of higher rank, "Su Mengzhen has arrived and is currently playing a game with the Grand Hall Master. As for Yang Wuxie, he has not come."
This wasn't what was agreed upon, but Di Feijing still didn't look up. A drop of water fell from the tip of the umbrella and shattered on the ground: "Why didn't you come?"
"Su Mengzhen said that Yang Wuxie had official duties to attend to, so he brought another person with him, a young lady surnamed Lin. According to him, she was Xie Huailing's student, and she was brought tonight as a half-assistant, so it couldn't be considered a breach of contract."
Di Fei's eyes flickered for a moment, then froze, and he said nothing more.
He handed the umbrella to his disciple, then walked upstairs alone without taking anyone with him. The distance between the third and fourth floors was only a few dozen breaths, and he quickly left them behind. When he reached the fourth floor, at the end of the wooden stairs, he saw his disciple who could "cut the sky with his bare hands".
He was very familiar with her teacher, but had never heard of her before. In fact, he had only just heard of her for the first time. This was typical of her teacher's behavior, which made Di Feijing think it wasn't surprising that such a person existed. He first took a look at her.
She had none of the airs of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry), a striking similarity to Xie Huailing. She was almost completely ignorant of martial arts, possessing only meager internal strength, a trait that made them particularly compatible. Furthermore, she had a serene and elegant appearance, seemingly both sorrowful and timid, with her eyes half-raised and unfocused, as if she had just come from a secluded boudoir and had never experienced such a scene before. He could see through her confusion, nervousness, unease, and trepidation without needing a second glance.
What did she learn from Xie Huailing?
Di Feijing did not look for answers at first.
He doesn't look down on her. Looking down on anyone is a losing proposition. You won't gain anything by looking down on her, but you'll pay a heavy price for misjudging her. So he rarely makes judgments about anyone, and when he does, he considers it carefully first.
Seeing him arrive, Lin Shiyin clenched her fists. She had never heard Xie Huailing mention Di Feijing; she almost never talked about him. This made her extremely flustered. But then she thought, well, she hadn't seen much of the world in the martial arts world, so it didn't matter, did it? Thinking of this, even her great tension eased a little.
Not to mention—it was she who took the initiative to tell Su Mengzhen that she wanted to come tonight.
No one would have guessed that she was the one who asked to replace Yang Wuxie, leaving Yang Wuxie to guard the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion.
Sometimes, a certain amount of determination is required. Lin Shiyin was always afraid and didn't possess such shrewdness, but she wasn't someone lacking in determination. She was also someone who, even if she regretted it, would stubbornly insist on taking responsibility for her choices. Such a person might not necessarily succeed, but she was sure to cause trouble. Holding her resolve, she greeted, "Master Di."
Di Fei replied politely, "Miss Lin."
Inquiring about Lin Shiyin's name and position at the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion was something that needed to be asked, but not something to be asked tonight. After this exchange of greetings, Di Feijing asked directly, "I've just arrived at the pavilion. Miss Lin, could you tell me how the chess game between the head hall master and Pavilion Master Su is going?"
Lin Shiyin had been waiting outside, so she couldn't see the chess game. What Di Fei was asking about was the conversation between Su Mengzhen and Lei Sun. After understanding what they were talking about, she was afraid of saying the wrong thing. Knowing that she wasn't a shrewd person, she would rather be at a disadvantage and be looked down upon than admit that she was deaf and dumb. She said apologetically, "My teacher hasn't taught me chess yet. Master Di, you've asked the wrong person."
After saying that, she lowered her head. Fear is also a tactic. If she is looked down upon, so be it. Instead of pretending to be calm when she is afraid, she might as well attribute everything to fear and make her fear more obvious. Does that mean you can peel back her heart to see through her?
When you encounter someone smarter than yourself, you should say less to avoid making mistakes.
Di Fei was surprised to see through Lin Shiyin's trick, but the tactic was indeed effective; she was willing to feign ignorance to block his words, and it did work. He didn't need her answer; he had his next move. He said, "In that case, I might as well go in first. Miss Lin, please."
They've arrived.
Lin Shiyin swallowed hard. To expect her to handle Di Feijing in such a large-scale situation was far too difficult; she would immediately falter at the slightest hint. But ultimately, she hadn't come here to challenge Di Feijing. Xie Huailing had asked her to stay by Su Mengzhen's side during a crisis, not because of her negligible experience.
She naturally possesses a quality that no one in the Six and a Half Hall can match.
Without refusing, Lin Shiyin followed Di Feijing into the house.
He pushed the door open directly, without knocking or greeting Lei Sun. He simply pushed the door open gently, and the air was thick with the scent of a stormy night. Three or four lamps illuminated the room.
The young man was sickly, his bones frail and emaciated. The lamplight cast shadows on his face, highlighting his excessively thin features, making him appear almost ghostly. As the door opened, he was just about to play a game of chess; a gust of wind rushed in, and he covered his mouth and nose, coughing. He was utterly skeletal, a withered tree before his desk. Yet, he was destined to be a hero, his long illness sharpening his blade. Like a gentle rain and a crisp wind piercing his sword, he could have remained even more ill, and no one would have looked down on him.
No one looked down on him, which is why he is here today.
Di Feijing's action of closing the door was slow, or rather, he didn't intend to close it so quickly. It was Lin Shiyin who saw Su Mengzhen coughing. Having taken care of Li Xunhuan so many times, she was quite skilled at this and immediately went to close the door.
Only then did the cold wind stop chilling Su Mengzhen's lungs, and he was able to catch his breath.
"The second brother is here, please sit down." Across from Su Mengzhen was Lei Sun. Time had taken its toll on his face, making him look old and frail, but his shrewdness was something that could never be etched into his bones, even until his death. "And this Miss Lin, please sit down as well."
The fact that he dared to say that meant that he held the initiative tonight. He had been preparing for this night for a long time, and the effort he had put in was almost draining him and Di Feijing. With Xie Huailing not yet back, there would be no better opportunity than this.
The chessboard is square and clear, with black and white pieces clearly distinguished, but the way to play it is neither Go nor any other game. The political landscape of the capital city spans the board, representing the Golden Wind and Drizzle Pavilion and the Six and a Half Hall. Each piece has its own symbol, and the back-and-forth, the attack and the kill, the bloodshed, can also be expressed simply as black and white.
After saying this, Lei Sun didn't even look at Di Feijing and Lin Shiyin. He smiled and looked at Su Mengzhen, saying, "Going down here is not a wise choice. Master Su might as well reconsider."
"Once a move is made, there's no going back." Su Meng's face remained calm as she let Lei Sun speak.
Lei Sun laughed, shook his head, and picked up a black chess piece. He said to Su Mengzhen, "It would be better to reconsider what I said. Su Mengzhen is a smart person. Refusing some things will only hurt yourself."
His eyes gleamed, a hint of fire in them. Su Mengzhen glanced at Lei Sun, determined not to follow this path, and said calmly, "Then Chief Lei should also know that trying to win in the short term by dealing with a tiger will only harm yourself."
Lei Sun smiled without changing his expression and gestured for him to continue: "Winning for a while is my skill, but whether I can keep winning is also up to my skill. Instead of saying so much, Master Su, let's focus on the matter at hand."
He placed the black piece directly in front of the white piece, the sound of it hitting the board signifying a kind of pressure, and said, "I've come tonight to advise you. After all, it's an invitation from Prime Minister Cai. If you can't give a satisfactory answer, it won't be good for the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion."
"Advice?" Su Mengzhen retorted, "Do you think I don't know how this invitation came about?"
It was as if a storm had entered, and the house was about to shake violently, all after that one sentence. The atmosphere tightened, and everyone held their breath.
Startled, Di Fei finally slowly opened his eyes. He didn't drink a drop of tea or eat anything, staring directly at Su Mengzhen. The entire building instantly became a bubble of confrontation, waiting for the bubble to burst and unleash a deafening roar.
Lin Shiyin lowered her head even further. She didn't belong here at all, and as a result, she became increasingly frightened and restless. The more frightened she became, the more her hands trembled, and eventually, the hidden dart she was using for self-defense peeked out from her sleeve, but it wasn't anything suspicious.
Lei Sun's smile gradually faded. Even after the smile disappeared, the wrinkles on his face remained as they were, like a piece of tree bark pasted on a person's face, each furrow a sign of ill intent. But his voice was still slow, as he said slowly, "Lord Su, are you unwilling to make this move? It's a pity that if you don't finish this game, you won't be able to leave tonight."
The rain poured down like a torrential downpour, and the wind howled relentlessly. It seemed as if all the wind and rain in the world were pressing down on this person in Bianjing tonight, leaving his sick soul like an autumn wren.
Su Mengzhen remained silent, but this was not silence; rather, the rain fell heavier with each passing moment he did not speak.
It felt so heavy that it was almost unbearable for a person to bear, and Lin Shiyin gripped the sleeve dart tightly on her wrist. Di Feijing fumbled with his knuckles and caught a glimpse of her action, only to see that she wasn't trying to manipulate it, but rather that her fingers were wedged into the knob of the sleeve dart, making the dart point directly at herself.
Shock. Di Fei suddenly realized something was wrong, but it was too late for shock, too late to react, and Su Mengzhen's decision was also too late at this moment.
The next moment, it started raining again.
The rain, startled by the sound, and the sound, startled by the rain, suddenly came from afar and then from below, and from a few steps away, the sky clouds trembled and lightning flashed. It must have been a returning traveler covered in rain. With a push of her fair hand, she opened the closed wooden door with a loud bang.
Then, a sudden, violent rainstorm, as if wishing the heavens would never end, scattered and shattered without any cover. Further away, it was described as mountains floating, a thousand horses galloping, lightning flashing like arrows, and lightning traveling ten miles in an instant. It was as if the sky wanted to stop, but the rain did not recede; as night approached, the thunder did not give way. It was also called a dead end, and people trembled with fear.
But all of this was behind her.
When she returns, nothing will be able to get past her.
Lightning illuminated his face, his clothes fluttered, he was as thin as a willow branch, yet he could not be shaken by the fierce wind or startled by the thunder and rain. He stood still, his beauty was exquisite, and he seemed as ethereal as the moon, serene and detached from the world. He was truly a celestial being.
"It's just bad timing of my return today. The first thing I heard when I arrived was, 'You can't leave.'"
No one expected her to return, but she did anyway. Xie Huailing glanced at the terrified Lei Sun and said loudly, "The master of my Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion can leave whenever she wants. If I want to take the master away, no one can stop me."
Their soft words, though gentle, overwhelmed the thunder and rain, and were a wake-up call.
Su Mengzhen suddenly turned to the side, his heart pounding like a drum. Through the rain, he met her eyes. The lamplight was extinguished, but he could see her more clearly than ever before. Suddenly, a surge of heroic spirit arose within him.
————————!!————————
Let's speedrun the "Get Your Boss" dungeon, and while we're at it, speedrun the "Boss" dungeon too!
To explain, Ms. Lin was planning to stab herself.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com