Chapter 40 Descending the Mountain
After changing her clothes, Jiang Xi stood by the bed and saw that Aji had fallen asleep again, her breathing steady and her long eyelashes trembling with her dreams.
A person who is usually refined and aloof, when closing their eyes, a mischievous glint appears in their eyes, and they seem somewhat obedient and serene.
At this moment, his heart felt full, and all his unease dissipated because of her presence; she was the anchor of his peace.
Jiang Xi moved nimbly, untied her outer garment, carefully tucked in the quilt, then sat on the bed and stared at her intently. It was almost time for martial arts practice when she got up and left.
He casually tied his long hair back, the sky-blue ribbon embroidered with the character "Xi" swaying as he walked. Before he even reached the backyard, he saw Yi Sha carrying a jar of wine, waving and calling out to him:
"That's it for today. Find some time to practice on your own. I'll be going now. Remember to tell Shang girl that the old woman took another jar of her wine!"
Jiang Xi went to respond, and after Yi Sha left a few steps away, he returned the way he came and stopped in front of the familiar door. He stood there blankly, not wanting to disturb the people inside, and was thinking of going back inside to finish the congratulatory gift.
After practicing martial arts, his hearing and eyesight improved. He heard rapid and unsteady breathing coming from inside the room. Anxious, he pushed open the door and entered. As he approached, he saw Aji with her brows furrowed and eyes closed in unease.
As if she were having a nightmare and was trapped in it, unable to wake up, Jiang Xi anxiously climbed onto the bed. Seeing that she was in pain, he also felt like he couldn't breathe.
He mimicked Ah Ji's soothing gestures, first turning her to lie on her side before gently patting her back.
Jiang Xi's rapid breathing gradually calmed down. She leaned closer to Shang Yuji's face, a few strands of dark blue hair falling to her cheek. Shang Yuji's brow twitched slightly. Jiang Xi gently pulled the hair back with her hand, then whispered:
"Ah Ji, can I sleep with you?"
Knowing full well that a sleeping person wouldn't answer, a moment later, a soft "hmm" seemed to be a response to his question.
Soon after, he too fell into a dream of pear blossoms in white.
Shang Yuji's nap was not peaceful; her dreams were hazy, as if something was repeatedly pulling her into a heavy dream.
She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally woke up in a daze.
I opened my eyes and a fluffy head came into view. Before I could even react, my hand was already ruffling his smooth hair.
The other person nuzzled her neck in response, then quietly fell asleep again.
The moment of leisure made her unwilling to get out of bed.
When Shang Yuji realized that it was already bright outside, she understood that it was late. Just then, Jiang Xi's hair was right next to her. She pulled it down and forcibly woke him up: "Get up. You've been practicing martial arts late. Don't keep Senior Yi waiting for you!"
Jiang Xi closed her eyes, ignoring her pulling, and hugged her tightly with both arms, then pressed her head close and murmured an explanation: "Master had something to do, so he took a jar of wine and left."
After waiting for a while, and seeing that Aji hadn't asked him why he went to bed, Jiang Xi quietly opened his eyes and saw that she was thinking about something, looking serious. He took the initiative to say:
“I asked Aji, and Aji agreed to let me sleep with him…”
She hadn't thought about it, since she had already tacitly accepted their relationship, and it was only a matter of time before she officially acknowledged it.
Although he didn't have any impression of agreeing to it, Jiang Xiqu wouldn't go against his wishes. Instead of dwelling on these details, it would be better to think about why Da'an was called Da'an.
Does this mean that the more you lack something, the more you need to supplement it?
Within just two years, Nanyang suffered a severe drought, Pingchang was plagued by locusts, and Luoling experienced an earthquake...
This place is anything but peaceful.
After the Jingzhou incident, she found it difficult to ignore her prophetic dreams.
Even though she fabricated a lot of mysterious, unknown big shots to endorse her inexplicable behavior, she knew that these big shots were all fake.
But looking at it now, it seems she'll have to continue with the pattern of meeting a benefactor on her way out and exclaiming that this child is extraordinary.
Shang Yuji dared not even think about what kind of reputation she had earned within the Princess's faction.
"Ugh—" Frustrated, she angrily rubbed the head in her arms. "It's hopeless, let it just be destroyed!"
The bullied person, ignoring their disheveled hair, laughed foolishly and said, "There's no hope. Let it be destroyed."
"Forget it, let's try again." Shang Yuji collapsed, resigned to her fate. "It's come to this point, there's no turning back."
Unable to understand the meaning behind her words, he hugged her and laughed.
.
Arriving before New Year's Day was a burly man with graying temples and piercing eyes. He was over eight feet tall and carried a long sword on his back. When he stood there, he was like a mountain, exuding a sense of oppressive pressure that made it hard to breathe.
"Senior Yi, who is this...?"
Yi Sha slapped the muscular arm of the strong man and said loudly, "Xiang Fei is the tenth generation sole successor of the Xiang family's sword technique. He's more than capable of teaching Xiao Jiang!"
It turned out to be the Xiang Family Knife. One of the four elders of the martial arts world was famous for his knife skills. If I remember correctly, that elder was also surnamed Xiang.
A few days ago, Yi Sha told Jiang Xi that he would teach him a few sword techniques, but he didn't expect it to be taught in this way. He found someone skilled with a sword to teach him.
Shang Yuji quickly said, "So it's Xiang Family Knife. My apologies for the disrespect. How should the reward be calculated?"
As a direct disciple of Master Xiang, receiving instruction from a renowned teacher would cost a fortune, and she tearfully clutched her purse, mentally preparing herself.
"Wine." The voice boomed like a bell, making Shang Yuji's heart tremble. It took her a while to come back to her senses.
Yi Sha: "Give him ten jars of wine, that's enough!"
Xiang Fei nodded: "It will last for one month."
Xiang Fei came to Yangzhou with his master, intending to see old friends and catch up. However, he was entangled by the strong liquor brought by Yi Sha. His master, who was addicted to alcohol, immediately lost his will to sell his apprentice's labor for a month to earn ten jars of strong liquor.
"Just keep teaching. If you make people happy, you might earn a few more jars!"
Recalling his master's words, Xiang Fei's eyes grew even fiercer; he was determined to teach him properly.
After handing Jiang Xi over, Shang Yuji pulled Yi Sha aside to talk.
After briefly introducing Hui Gu and A Cuo from Southern Xinjiang, Shang Yuji asked, "I want him to learn Gu poison. Will that conflict with your arrangements, senior?"
Yi Sha shook his head and said, "If it were someone else, the old woman would say that he was greedy and couldn't learn anything properly, and in the end he didn't learn any of them well."
But Xiao Jiang is different. He was allowed to learn, and since he had also mastered the whip, he stopped using it this month to focus on learning the knife and the Gu poison.
"This knife, my wife went through a lot of trouble to get it, I have to learn how to use it properly."
"Thank you for your hard work, senior."
Yi Sha waved his hand: "He learns quickly. In a while, even I won't know what to teach him anymore."
In the courtyard, Xiang Fei swung the sword on his back to one side, and with a whoosh, the long sword plunged straight into the snowdrift.
He clenched his fist and aimed it at Jiang Xi, but Jiang Xi shifted his footwork and dodged the attack. Xiang Fei then twisted his wrist and followed up with another punch.
The chase, which lasted for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, was temporarily halted when Xiang Fei called for a stop.
"Don't dodge, fight back."
"good."
The result was obvious. Jiang Xi, who had been training for half a year, was no match for Xiang Fei, who had practiced swordsmanship for many years. He could dodge with his footwork, but when he fought head-on, he gradually fell into a disadvantageous position and eventually there was no flesh left to be seen.
As Shang Yuji was being beaten and forced to retreat, she suddenly stood up. Yi Sha grabbed her hand and stopped her from leaning forward: "Little girl, let them hit you. I'm here, nothing will happen."
Or rather, her apprentice was exceptionally resilient; although she looked bruised and horrible, her health would improve and she would return to normal within a day.
Yi Sha glanced at Shang Yuji and regretted not tricking her away. When she was beaten before, Jiang Xi specifically asked that the injury not be in an obvious place, at least so that Shang Yuji wouldn't find out. But now, she was so happy to bring Xiang Fei here that she forgot to remind him of this.
"Little Shang, it's normal to bump into things when learning martial arts."
"So he's been going to the clinic alone to buy medicine for his injuries these past few days..."
That's how it is.
The sound of each punch landing was terrifying. Jiang Xi's lips were bleeding, and after becoming familiar with Xiang Fei's martial arts style, he began to fight back.
Xiang Fei was surprised by the opponent's quick reaction. He seized the opportunity when Jiang Xi made a mistake, and Jiang Xi actually managed to counterattack successfully.
They even became more courageous after setbacks, showing no signs of discouragement and demonstrating remarkable resilience.
As expected of a martial arts prodigy recognized by Master Yi...
Fearing that she might interfere with their martial arts practice, Shang Yuji exhaled a breath of stale air and chose to get up and leave: "Please... senior, keep an eye on him. When it's over, have him come find me and bring the medicine he bought."
Yi Sha responded, reassuring her.
But he secretly thought: Oh no, will my apprentice and his wife have a falling out?
If a conflict arises and the disciple loses interest in practicing martial arts, she can understand it.
After all, she had already seen through this guy who only had his apprentice's wife on his mind.
.
Longhushan Taoist Temple.
The mountain wind, carrying fine snow, howled past, and several buildings were hidden among the mountains and forests.
A young Taoist boy, dressed in a Taoist robe and with bright, clear eyes, ran into the crowd. Upon seeing the Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom on the altar, he shouted:
"Master—Your martial uncle is looking for you!"
Snowflakes clung to the man's long beard. His eyes were deep, as if he could see through all things in the world. He wore a brown Taoist robe, which was simple yet exuded a solemn and dignified aura.
Behind the young Taoist, the uncle he mentioned asked directly, "Senior brother, why did you suddenly decide to go down the mountain?"
"It's cold outside, let's go inside and talk."
The room was sparsely furnished, with wisps of smoke rising around it. A young Taoist priest was brewing tea, and the three of them sat around the tea table.
Xuanqing did not hide anything and said, "I observed the 'qi' and that's why I went down the mountain."
The "qi" he was referring to was the "vitality" of Da'an. The originally lifeless and dull "qi" had gradually come alive at some point.
Like a stagnant pool of water, filled only with suffocating silence, it suddenly transformed into flowing water overnight, its surface gurgling and clear.
“You mean…” Xuan Mingming understood, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Da’an… has come back to life. The turning point has arrived. I should also go down the mountain and enter the world. If I miss this opportunity, I may never have another chance.”
Perhaps this is a rare glimmer of hope that Heaven has given to Da'an.
Before any turning point, Da'an's fate was bleak; no matter what method was used, it was a dead end.
Xuanqing: "The turning point lies in two places, echoing each other from afar. I am overwhelmed by the situation alone. I wonder if Junior Brother would be willing to come down the mountain with me?"
Knowing his senior brother's ability to observe qi, Xuanming pondered for a moment and then replied, "Which two places?"
The mountain breeze outside carried the answer to his ears:
"Kyoto and Yangzhou."
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