Chapter 3: The Childhood Sweetheart Who Came Braving the Flames and Two Unlucky Walnuts...
Changsun Wuji sheathed his sword and staggered into the long-abandoned house.
"We'll settle accounts with them later." Wuji helped his mother up. "We saw Mother's note, and we'll follow her wishes. Now, let's take advantage of the chaos and escape. We'll discuss this further at Uncle's house. I'm determined to get to the bottom of this."
The three of them moved cautiously through their home. Suddenly, Changsun Qingjing pointed at a dark figure lunging at them and shouted, "Oh no! We've been discovered!"
Changsun Wuji drew his sword once more, determined not to harm his mother even if it was his own brother. In an instant, screams, blood, and scattered feathers filled the chaotic, fiery twilight, creating a cruel, mysterious, and inescapable rite of passage for those who desperately tried to escape it.
He gasped for breath as he approached the half-dead monster, lifting its belly with his toe, only to find it was a false alarm.
"Sister, I'm so sorry, I accidentally hurt your right-hand goose. I guess the fire frightened it..." He was glad he hadn't killed anyone; he was afraid of growth nourished by blood.
Changsun Qingjing had no time to think about what had happened; she only felt that her mother was ice-cold and barely breathing. The young child couldn't understand the treacherous situation within the mansion, but she knew that once she left, she would never return, and that a golden knife in the darkness had forcibly severed the past from the future.
The fire seemed to be under control, and thick, murky black smoke, a sign of recovery, began to replace the all-consuming flames.
"Mother, we're almost at the door!" The slightly thin Changsun Wuji carried Gao Shi on his back, determined to leave Yongxing Lane when the evening drum sounded. The world was vast; surely there would be a place for him. He could endure hunger and poverty, and had even considered going to the battlefield to fight for fame and fortune, but he refused to watch his mother suffer an injustice, nor did he want to eke out a living under the strange gazes of relatives and friends.
His pride drove him to leave the home that no longer wanted to protect them, along with his sister, Changsun Qingjing, and his mother, Lady Gao.
Two burly men with broad backs and thick waists blocked the young man's path. "The young master has ordered that neither he nor his wife may leave the mansion without permission, Madam!"
"How dare you! My hair is already styled in a bun. Where I go or not is none of your business, you servant!" Wuji put his mother down and had his frail sister use all her strength to support her. He whispered to the two of them, "I'll hold off these two of An Ye's henchmen. You two try to break out. There are many eyes and ears in the neighborhood. Just wait for me to shout that the elder brother is unfilial and disrespectful, abusing Mother and younger brother. I think An Ye will be afraid of causing trouble and won't dare to arrest us in the street!"
The three had reached a decision and had no other choice. Changsun Wuji drew his sword and pointed it directly at Changsun Anye's henchmen: "I am the young master of this household, your master! Who dares to harm me even a little!"
"Young master, please forgive our rudeness!" The gatekeepers showed no respect for Wuji. Changsun Wuji trembled all over. He had no way out. If he didn't try to fight this time, he feared that tomorrow he would become the rebellious younger brother in An Ye's words, and his mother, already driven mad by slander, and his sister, too weak to protect herself, would surely become a spoiled, unruly girl relying on her half-brother's leniency to survive. They would be completely wiped out by the family, without even a ripple of public opinion.
He gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, envisioning a thousand possible moves from his opponent and his own methods of countering them. Perhaps his opponent only intended to capture the three of them to claim credit, without planning to kill them. But he had to deliver a fatal blow!
He calculated the direction and speed of the blade's slashes, the optimal distance, and maneuvered around the two women simultaneously. His opponents, in turn, were also cautiously advancing, trying to force him into a blind spot while remaining vigilant for the mother and daughter's movements.
The boy picked up the knife, twisting his wrist to the perfect position, preparing to commemorate his growth with blood. Suddenly, two muffled thuds were heard, and the two henchmen fell to the ground, their faces covered in blood.
"Mr. Gao, we're almost late!" Outside the open gate, a twelve-year-old boy, holding a slingshot, sat on a tall horse, jokingly addressing Gao Shilian, who had come to rescue his sister and nephew. The boy was the same size as an adult, wearing a black turban and a red headscarf to signify his martial arts background. However, compared to a true martial artist, his actual physique, hidden beneath his nomadic attire, appeared somewhat frail. Most fatally, his clear, childlike speech in the refined dialect of the Heluo region betrayed his underage status. Otherwise, his attire and agile archery skills could have easily created a false impression of strength.
"Videha! Li Shimin! I knew you would come to save us!" Changsun Wuji looked at his close friend with a sense of ecstatic joy at having escaped from a desperate situation.
"Brother!" Gao said weakly and in surprise.
"Uncle!" the two children cried out in relief.
Upon hearing the news, the troops of the Changsun family who rushed to the scene were locked in a stalemate with the dozen or so strong men led by Gao Shilian, and many passersby stopped to watch.
Changsun Wuji helped his mother up and brought her to his uncle's side. The young man dismounted, draped his cloak over the still-terrified Changsun Qingjing, and bent down to say softly, "Your name is Qingjing, and your nickname is Guanyinbi, right? I am your brother's good friend, Vitiha. After receiving the 'Captain's' distress call, I tried to come and rescue you."
Changsun Qingjing nodded, trying to appear calm. He sniffed and wiped away his tears with his soot-covered fingers, only to smear them on his face. The girl used her dirty little hands to tie her messy hair back, then bowed deeply in gratitude. The boy, startled, returned the bow solemnly.
The boy found the girl's feigned composure amusing. Recalling the perilous details in the letter carried by the white hawk, and the agonizing experience of his friend and his two children, he felt a surge of pity. He picked up the petite girl, who resembled a raccoon, and gave her his mount.
"Zhi Li Lang, wait!" Changsun Anye, surrounded by his retainers, tried to stop Gao Shilian from leaving with his sister and nephews.
"My mother is overthinking things and is suffering from a serious illness. She may not be able to withstand the arduous journey. I hope that you, Master Zhili, will not act rashly!" Changsun Anye used his silver tongue to cover up his crime.
Gao Shilian cupped his hands and said, "When my mother heard that my sister was unwell, she was extremely anxious and even suffered a heart attack, vomiting blood repeatedly. She insisted on seeing her daughter, grandson, and granddaughter in person before she could feel at ease. She came here specifically to inform you that although the Gao family only has a few acres of meager land, it is enough for them. From now on, there is no need for you, eldest grandson, to take care of my sister and her two children. Farewell!"
Changsun Anye was stunned by this declaration of severing all ties; such was the nature of a cunning scheme that could not be countered.
He had assumed the Gao family would eventually fight him to the death over the inheritance. But the Gao family, with their resolute determination and unyielding pride, delivered a harsh slap in the face.
Everything ended, in the most undignified and tragic way. The stepmother lost her status as the matriarch, the youngest son lost his inheritance rights as a member of a prominent family, and the youngest daughter lost her illustrious family background and future dowry.
As the evening drum sounded, everyone had returned to the Gao family mansion in Lizheng Lane. Old Madam Gao and Madam Gao's daughter were reunited, feeling as if a lifetime had passed, and were filled with emotion.
While preparing the meal, Gao Shilian's wife, Xianyu, instructed her maid to bathe and change the clothes of the young master, He Xiaoniangzi.
The young master, whom Changsun Wuji called "Vitiha," watched the family reunion, but he couldn't join in or get a word in edgewise.
The evening drum had stopped, the inner gate was closed, and he could not return to his own home. Bored out of his mind, he avoided the Gao family servants who had been entrusted by Gao Shilian to fawn over him, and sat quietly alone on the veranda beside the main hall.
As he breathed a sigh of relief, he noticed several calluses and blisters on his fingers and palms, which he rubbed occasionally to relieve the pain. Suddenly, a green figure flashed behind the door, and soon returned to him.
The boy was startled and obediently knelt down in front of Changsun Qingjing. Changsun Qingjing pried open his curled fingers, carefully applied the medicine, and occasionally blew on them like an adult.
“Vitiha, you must play the pipa very well, right?” Qingjing blinked and picked up the small porcelain bottle to demonstrate.
"My name is Guanyinbi." The girl wrote her nickname on the boy's palm with her index finger. "Did you remember it?"
“I remember.” The boy solemnly knelt up. “Vitiha is also my nickname. My surname is Li, and my given name is Shimin, the ‘Shimin’ in ‘saving the world and bringing peace to the people’ and ‘assisting the world and leading the people’.”
"Thank you for rescuing us. I released that white hawk without permission."
"Thank you for the wound medicine. After the white hawk delivered the message, I found your uncle."
Li Shimin straightened his clothes, tightened his loose turban, dusted off the collar of his Hu-style robe, and solemnly bowed to Qingjing with his hands clasped: "All is well, Lady Changsun."
Changsun Qingjing followed suit: "All is well, Young Master Li."
The stars in the sky grew brighter, and Qingjing's eyes filled with light. "Does your hand still hurt?"
"The medicine worked, and the pain is gone." He admitted that he was being a bit stubborn, but he was willing to do it.
The girl suddenly pulled two walnuts out of her sleeve and placed them in front of his lap: "I'm hungry, but I don't want to eat crystal rice."
Li Shimin chuckled, finding the girl, who possessed a mix of pitifulness, cuteness, courage, and cunning, quite amusing. He deliberately teased her, saying, "Watch closely, I'm casting a spell." He placed two walnuts in his palm and crushed their shells with brute force.
Qingjing clapped her hands slightly and took the crushed walnuts from Li Shimin's hand. She gently peeled off the shells, secretly glancing at him, picking out a large walnut kernel for Li Shimin and another large walnut kernel for herself; she picked out a small walnut kernel for Li Shimin and another small walnut kernel for herself... One carefully distributed the kernels, and the other obediently accepted them, and then they happily chewed on the kernels together.
The righteous young man before her carried the scent of alfalfa, a fragrance that Changsun Qingjing loved. The fresh scent of the fields, mingled with the delicate warmth of the sunshine and the roughness of the earth, filled her with a sense of security. She couldn't help but crawl to Li Shimin's side. Loosely taking his arm in hers, she earnestly inquired, "Tell me, do I have no home now?"
Changsun Qingjing smiled through her tears. The day's rollercoaster of experiences had left her exhausted; her mind was heavy, her vision blurred, and she unconsciously leaned against her not-so-strong arm, feigning sleep…
The cries of family and servants searching for them rose and fell, but the two children huddled together asleep. In their dreams, a gentle breeze blew, and before them stretched a vast expanse of low-lying alfalfa, from which the faint scent of walnut milk wafted.
Everything seemed both real and absurd.
Author's Note:
The male lead appears, saving me from certain death.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
