Chapter 105 The Five Elders
Ah Ji once said, "What should ordinary people do if they offend a big shot?"
Jiang Xi pulled Mo Xin behind him, repeatedly apologizing, "Sir, it's my fault for not teaching my child properly. Please forgive me for offending you..."
If it were a nitpicking nobleman, he would certainly not let Madam Zhen off the hook, but in order to maintain his image in front of Madam Zhen, Tian Mu handled it lightly: "Madam, what are you saying? It's good for children to be a little mischievous. The spirit of youth is something that many people seek but cannot obtain. I think those people in my household might be able to get along with her."
How could the children of the lowly be compared to his offspring? He didn't mind deceiving Madam Zhen to appease her and lower her guard. The young children in the anti-government camp were spoiled rotten, arrogant and ignorant of their place. If they were to befriend his youngest sons, they would likely end up being bullied…
Mo Xin, who had been hiding behind Jiang Xi, popped her head out. Remembering what Master Shang had said about pretending to be a naughty child to rescue Uncle Jiang, she grabbed Uncle Jiang's arm and shook it vigorously, drawing out her voice: "I'm hungry, Mother! I'm so hungry! When are we going to eat? I saw Mother buy some flatbread! I want to eat, I want to eat, I want to eat!!"
The little girl's high-pitched voice lingered in his ears, disrupting Tian Mu's thoughts. He put on a guilty look and said, "I've delayed you, sister-in-law. Why don't you go back and take care of the child first?"
"Alright, I won't bother you any longer... Let's go, Xin'er."
And so, Mo Xin pulled Jiang Xi along towards the Jia Mansion. Jiang Xi was eager to see A Ji behind the gate. The two of them, one big and one small, pulled each other along, and hurriedly ran back into the mansion, disappearing in a flash.
Tian Mu couldn't even take a few more glances.
Upon entering the mansion, Jiang Xi found Ah Ji waiting for him behind the door. He quickly walked over, carefully placed the things he was carrying behind her, and then hugged her without moving.
Shang Yuji patted his back comfortingly with one hand and touched Mo Xin's head with the other, praising him. Both hands were busy with their own tasks.
Give the two adults some space, and Mo Xin, having received the praise, will leave on her own.
Once Mo Xin left, she finally had a free hand and pulled him to the lobby to put away the breakfast and groceries they had bought: "What did that person say? Why is Qiu Shui so upset?"
Jiang Xi frowned and muttered, "He talks so much, he just keeps talking and talking, and he stopped me from coming back. He's so annoying."
How could someone whose mind was only focused on returning to the manor to see Aji understand the provocative meaning in Tian Mu's words? He completely ignored them, and all his talk was in vain.
However, there was one thing. Jiang Xi put down what he was holding and asked in a low voice, "He said it would be better if my husband lasted longer and had more skills in bed... Changtian, should I change my ways?"
"?" Let her go, and forgive yourself too!
Even if your pain tolerance is at its maximum, you can't ignore the fact that you have a low pain threshold!
Shang Yuji's gaze flickered for a moment, then she grabbed his arms with both hands, stared intently into his eyes, and asked solemnly, "Is he a good person or a bad person?"
"Bad guy."
"What did that bad guy say?"
"Bad things?"
"Is it worth listening to bad things and then doing them?"
"It's not worth it!"
"You're a promising young man," Shang Yuji said with satisfaction, patting his shoulder. "There are too many bad people out there. Be careful not to trust them, or you'll end up losing everything."
"We can't compensate, or Changtian will be ruined," Jiang Xi replied nervously.
"Then you should be careful and not trust everyone."
"Um!"
Seeing his convinced expression, Shang Yuji finally felt relieved. "Great," she thought, "she immediately protected both of their waists. Jiang Xiaoxi, if we don't have other people's strengths, we shouldn't try to follow their paths."
The epic battle that lasts three days and three nights belongs to the iron-willed protagonist of "The Overbearing Prince Falls in Love with Me," a storyline that is beyond the reach of us little shrimps.
Through his clothes, he gently massaged the aching area on his side. Shang Yuji, who hadn't moved before, suddenly grabbed his arm and said angrily, "No, he's saying I'm not a proper husband!"
A weak and incompetent husband who needs his wife's tenderness!
That thief Tian was using yin and yang on her!
Unforgivable!
Shang Yuji grabbed the front of his clothes, and Jiang Xi obediently bent down. Her bright and clear eyes stared straight at him: "I've changed my mind. Isn't it just that two ounces of meat that gives him confidence? If he loses those two ounces of meat, let's see if he can still jump around."
Jiang Xi smiled brightly: "Do you want it now? Cut it off, let it atrophy, or poison the limb?"
Anyone who dares to upset Aji must disappear without a trace and never appear in front of Aji again.
“To push him a little, naturally—” She pulled him down and whispered in his ear.
Don't thank her later; she's just doing a good deed every day.
...
Shang Yuji, as a junior friend of Yue Mingzhu, sent a visiting card to Madam Jiang and awaited her reply.
With no more trivial matters to worry about in Yangzhou, and having few acquaintances in the capital, she bought travelogues out of boredom and sat in the lobby reading them to pass the time.
Yi Sha, who was passing by, stopped and, knowing that she had nothing to do, remembered that she had promised her apprentice that if he learned the whip well, she would let Xiao Shang come and watch him practice martial arts. Now it seemed that the time was just right, so why not invite Xiao Shang to watch the master-disciple battle between her and her apprentice?
Upon hearing there was excitement to be had, Shang Yuji immediately jumped off the round stool, grabbed the pastries Jiang Xi had bought and the plum juice made by the cook hired by the household, and ran to the open space outside the main hall to wait. Hearing that Granny Yi was going to fight with her apprentice, Xiang Fengyun called his eldest apprentice and youngest grand-apprentice over to watch, while Mo Xin pulled Cheng Xiao over; A-Cuo, seeing the commotion in the open space in front of the hall, peeked out and, finding there was a good show to watch, also called Hui Gu over; as for Xuanming, he was already sitting there earlier than everyone else.
The crabapple trees in front of the hall were in full bloom, their frosty white blossoms beautiful and elegant. A large group of people crowded around the trees, and when they found there weren't enough stone benches, Qingfeng brought in round stools from inside the house. Several people gathered around a stone table under the crabapple trees, chatting idly, occasionally cracking jokes that brought laughter to the room. Cheng Xiao had a copy of the Thousand Character Classic on her lap, her eyes darting around, holding a piece of soft cake handed to her by Xiang Fei, and taking a bite.
The spring breeze is just right, the sunlight is warm, it's the perfect time of year.
Once everyone was present, except for the two main characters of the competition, Yi Sha pulled Jiang Xi out of the side room and said in a strong voice, "Let's go, let's have a fight."
Jiang Xi asked in confusion, "But Changtian said not to practice martial arts for the next few days..."
"What's there to be afraid of? If people come, we'll pretend to be a harmonious family. Besides, Xiao Jia agreed to watch us fight and personally watch you practice martial arts. How can we not go?"
"Ah Ji wants to see?" Jiang Xi instantly forgot all other thoughts and hurriedly got up, saying, "Let's go, Changtian said where to see it?"
Yi Sha waved from ahead: "They're all waiting in the open space in front of the lobby!"
Once Yi Sha and Jiang Xi arrived at the arena, Xiang Fengyun, acting as the referee, defined the scope of the fight. Jiang Xi untied the flying flower whip from her waist and stood with Yi Sha at opposite corners of the fighting platform. The whip snapped down with a sharp crack.
The long whip danced like a serpent emerging from its hole, swift as lightning, bringing with it a series of whistles. Yi Sha, who launched the first attack, was in front of Jiang Xi in the blink of an eye, and the whip's sound swept straight towards his face.
Back at the stone table, Xiang Fengyun sighed, "That old woman is a master whip user. She can handle all sorts of whip variations with ease. Little Zhen might not be able to withstand her."
He added, "If I were to fight her using the sword techniques I taught, there would be a way."
Shang Yuji couldn't keep up with the sights. All she could hear were the crackling sounds of whips cutting through the air and the heavy shadows of whips. She couldn't tell where the whips were going. With her eyes busy, she replied, "The Moon Chasing Blade is too obvious and easy to miss. So I'll hide it in the room."
By displaying their long swords in the open, they looked imposing, but what if they scared Tian Mu away and he wouldn't take the bait? So everyone present hid their long swords inside the house, except for a few inconspicuous whips and a few small insects. The Jia family appeared peaceful and harmonious.
"The Flying Flower Whip and the Moon Chasing Blade were both crafted by the same master craftsman. The name is derived from 'Flying Flowers Chasing the Moon,' which is rather literary, as flying flowers are fleeting and the bright moon hangs high." Xiang Fengyun had a strong opinion about the name. "It's not imposing at all. It would be much more domineering if it were 'Breaking the Moon, Slicing the Moon, and Cutting the Moon'!"
He thought that once the set of weapons was divided in two and given to him and his wife, there would be no overlap. Unexpectedly, many years later, the two of them took on the same apprentice, and "Flying Flowers Chasing the Moon" had a day of reunion.
It's all fate that brings us together.
"!" Shang Yuji heard this news for the first time and asked curiously, "Which master is it?"
Spinning, chopping, thrusting, circling... The two, coming from the same martial arts lineage, were extremely familiar with each other's moves and found it difficult to break through the other's defense. The two were locked in a fierce battle, evenly matched.
Xiang Fengyun chuckled and said, "Kang Daoquan is an old friend of my wife and me. He's one of the Four Elders of the Martial World. He has a bad temper, but his skills are really amazing. If he didn't know us, a bunch of martial arts masters, I don't know how many people would want to beat him up!"
The Four Elders of the Martial World? She knew of the Northern Saber, the Eastern Sword, and the Western Whip, but she didn't know about the Southern Region. She asked, "Is this master from the Southern Region?"
Three of the four elders are known for their martial prowess, while the remaining one is surprisingly unique, establishing himself in the area through his forging skills.
Xiang Fengyun clapped his hands and laughed, then explained after his laughter subsided: "No, no, no, he's in charge of the Central Region!"
"So, the Four Elders are actually five people?" Shang Yuji exclaimed in amazement.
"Indeed! There are five of the Four Elders of the Martial World, this is already a consensus in the martial world."
Every newcomer to the martial arts world is often taken aback by this. To maintain a certain narrow-mindedness, the title of the Four Elders of the Martial Arts World has remained unchanged for a long time, and it has almost become a source of confusion for newcomers.
The two men's conversation did not affect the master and disciple fighting in the arena. Their whips clashed in the air, producing a metallic sound, and the wind from the whips shook down a tree full of crabapple blossoms.
Shang Yuji couldn't understand the moves, but was amazed by the dazzling skills of the master and disciple. Although she was worried about getting hurt, she figured the two of them knew their limits, so she relaxed and continued watching.
Others might not understand, but Xiang Fengyun did. After such a long and tense standoff, Jiang Xi hadn't lost any ground and even seemed poised to launch a counterattack...
This isn't right, is it? When did he get stronger again? Didn't I lose to him last time?
All those words boil down to one sentence: This is truly bizarre! Where exactly is this person's potential?!
Unaware of the turmoil brewing in his heart, the others nearby suddenly remembered something. So far, the four elders of the martial world knew of four of them, but she still didn't know anything about the person from the Southern Region. So she took the opportunity to ask, "What is the one from the Southern Region among the four elders good at?"
While surprised by Jiang Xi's terrifying talent, Xiang Fengyun replied:
"The Southern Region has a great fondness for strange and ingenious skills, mostly rare and unusual techniques... That person is a puppeteer."
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