Chapter 29 Tough Guy Guan Ye has seen muscles bigger than yours...
“Her name is Ji Yuan,” Ajiu said softly. “The place where we practice swordsmanship is not far from the Ji family’s residence. A Yuan often secretly brings us some fresh fish.”
The girl, who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, was dressed in a coarse blue cloth outfit. She ran towards them, her bangs sticking to her face with sweat, indicating that she had been working for a long time. But she looked happy, and the dimples at the corners of her mouth swayed playfully with her steps. Her face was delicate and lovely, like a flower blooming in the dust.
Ji Yuan grabbed Ji Fang's wrist and shook it hard. Her large eyes swept over the familiar boy and landed on Guan Ye, whom she was meeting for the first time. She released her grip and gestured a few times around Guan Ye's body, making a "ee" sound. "You're really tall. Are you a new swordsman?"
Ji Fang patted the girl's hand. "Her name is Guan Ye. She works in the neighborhood."
"Ee-yah?" Ji Yuan's eyes lit up suddenly. "Then do you know how to forge iron?"
"Foolish." Feng Shisan interrupted, "What woman does blacksmithing? She..." Feng Shisan wanted to say something but didn't dare, scratching his head and saying, "Anyway, it's better than fishing."
Ji Yuan stepped forward and stomped hard on Feng Shisan's foot, making him howl in pain. "I caught thirty catties of fish today. What great thing did you do? You're soaking wet. You probably almost became fish food."
"You...you..." No matter how angry Feng Shisan was, he couldn't hit a woman. It was true that he was all wet. "A good man doesn't fight with a woman. You win."
Guan Ye rolled up her sleeves and pretended to be very strong, then winked at Ji Yuan, "You can catch thirty catties of fish, and I can carry fifty catties of bags. We're about the same."
“My older brother isn’t even as good a fisher as me.” Ji Yuan felt a good impression of Guan Ye and reached out to take her arm and lead her into the courtyard. “He only practiced swordsmanship because he couldn’t fish.”
The others laughed upon hearing this, and Ji Fang blushed again, "You insisted on coming, now you regret it, you might as well have gone back to the neighborhood."
Amidst laughter and conversation, Ji Yuan had already started a fire in the courtyard. He pulled Guan Ye back into the house, picked out a few unmended clothes from his limited wardrobe, and handed them to Guan Ye without hesitation. "I was born small, so these probably won't fit you. Just make do with these for now, and change into them once they're dry."
Guan Ye didn't hesitate. She took off her outer garment and put on Ji Yuan's clothes. Her stiff hands and feet looked quite comical. The two looked at each other for a moment and then burst out laughing.
In the courtyard, the group had stripped off their undergarments. Years of self-discipline had given them strong and tall physiques, broad chests and sharp backs, and resolute features. Even the thinnest Ji Fang was still robust. The firelight reflected off their glistening muscles, and each of them was like a sword waiting to be drawn, concealing a world-shaking sharpness.
Guan Ye had never seen a man's body before. Having lived in the Lou family for several years, she would hide in her house at night, afraid of bumping into Lou Shitou, who was wandering around the yard shirtless. Now, this unexpected blessing not only allowed her to see him, but she saw four of them at once... Guan Ye wiped her nose, afraid that she would end up with two lines of nosebleeds like Ji Fang.
"What are you looking at?" Ji Yuan peeked out and saw Guan Ye staring blankly at the man's body. She smiled and said, "Haven't you seen this before? I'm tired of seeing it."
"Huh?" Guan Ye thought she had misheard.
“They practiced swordsmanship in the back mountain for several years. I would go and watch them whenever I had free time. Back then, they were all like chicks, not fully grown. It’s only in the last two years that they’ve developed some muscle.” Ji Yuan pouted. “I’m just afraid they’ll look good but be useless, wasting all those muscles.”
Guan Ye blinked her big eyes, not daring to underestimate the still-childish girl in front of her. She was a few years older than her, so why did she seem like someone who had never seen the world? Guan Ye straightened her back and stepped over the threshold with confidence, "What haven't I seen? I've seen all the older ones."
"Really?" Ji Yuan exclaimed, "Guan Ye is amazing! Tell me about what you've seen."
Hearing the noise, Ajiu turned around. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, a wide chest, and clearly defined abdominal muscles. His tanned skin was still wet with seawater. His lean figure was laid bare before Guan Ye's eyes. Seeing that she couldn't take her eyes off him, Ajiu smiled deeply and lowered his head to wring out his wet clothes.
“Ji Fang, your sister’s gone a bit too far.” Xiao Ma nudged him with his elbow. “We’re all upright swordsmen, how can we be looked at like that by a little girl like her?” Xiao Ma straightened his sturdy back. “I don’t have anything to hide, but look at her eyes, what do she take us for?”
"What's wrong with looking at you?" Ji Yuan, with her sharp ears, stepped forward and put her hands on her hips, saying, "Guan Ye has seen muscles bigger than yours, who would want to look at you?"
Ah Jiu paused, her dark eyes slightly lifting as she glanced at Guan Ye, oblivious to the dripping seawater seeping into her boots and socks.
Feng Shisan couldn't stand being mocked like that by a little girl, so he immediately jumped up, eager to have a match with her. "Ji Fang, you're just going to watch like this? She's your sister!"
"What can I do?" Ji Fang chuckled. "A Yuan already said that I only took up swordsmanship because I couldn't fish. A Yuan inherited the family business for me, so she is naturally better than me."
Xiao Ma jumped up, crossed his arms, and approached the stunned Guan Ye. "What you saw, was it the smelting master? Or... the Lou family's big stone?"
Guan Ye ignored him, lowered her eyes and squatted by the fire, spreading her wet clothes to cover her reddened face. Logically speaking, there was nothing wrong with it, so why... Guan Ye stole a glance at A Jiu, seeing that he seemed not to have heard the conversation just now, and calmly spread his clothes to warm himself by the fire like her. Guan Ye peeked at him for a while, and seeing that A Jiu had no reaction, she raised her voice and said, "Lou Shitou is stronger than you. Compared to him, you are still a bit inferior."
Ajiu silently draped the dried undergarment over his back, giving Guan Ye a cold glance. Guan Ye met his gaze head-on without backing down, and they fought to a draw in the blink of an eye.
"Ji Fang, ask your sister to make some food; everyone's hungry." Feng Shisan insisted on making some noise.
Ji Fang got up to go to the kitchen, but Feng Shisan quickly stopped him, saying, "You've had a long day, and I didn't ask you to do anything."
Ji Fang looked at his sister with pity, "A Yuan has to take care of the family while fishing, unlike us who are waited on hand and foot. It's rare for me to come back, so it's my turn to do the work for her. You all wait and see what my cooking is like."
A-Yuan made a face at Feng Shisan in a provocative manner and chased after her brother into the kitchen.
“Your injury…” Xiao Ma pointed to A Jiu’s eyebrow, “It’s bleeding again, Guan Ye, you should take a look at it quickly.”
"I'm not a doctor," Guan Ye snorted. "And you're expecting me to do whatever I want?"
"Wasn't it you last time..." Xiao Ma started to say, but was stopped by A Jiu's murderous gaze.
"They won't die," Ajiu whispered. "Why force them?"
Xiao Ma seemed to realize something, opened his mouth, swallowed, then shook his head and muttered that he was hungry, while shifting his position closer to Feng Shisan.
Before long, the Ji siblings had brought over a steaming hot meal. The freshly caught fish was stewed together, and fragrant pancakes were fried next to the pot. Before the pot was even out of their hands, Feng Shisan had already picked up the biggest fish, tilted his head back to catch the dripping soup, and sucked on it. It was simply delicious.
"It'll burn you to death." Ji Yuan rolled her eyes. "Guan Ye, you eat it."
After all that fuss, she was really hungry. The fish had a lot of bones, making it difficult to eat. Guan Ye peeled off a piece of flatbread, dipped it in the soup, skillfully rolled it up with her fingertips, took a bite, and gave Ji Yuan a thumbs up. "This soup base is great. A Yuan, do you have enough flatbread?"
"Big brother is still adding more." Ji Yuan smiled innocently. "Eat as much as you like."
Guan Ye reached out to lift the pancake again, but A Jiu gently stopped her hand. "How can you eat pancakes without eating fresh fish? Haven't you had enough steamed buns yet?" As she spoke, she picked up a pancake and put it into Guan Ye's bowl, then tore the pancake from Guan Ye's hand, broke it into small pieces, and stuffed them into her mouth.
Guan Ye picked at the fish in her bowl, then suddenly tilted her head to look at A Jiu's bleeding brow bone. "A Yuan doesn't have any wound medicine at home, so I was thinking of going up the mountain to find some for you after we finish eating..." Guan Ye lowered her eyes, picked up a piece of fish and chewed it carefully. A Jiu swallowed her food, pursed her lips as if she was holding back, but after a while, a laugh still spilled out. "What are you laughing at?" Guan Ye looked away.
“I think Ji Fang’s pancakes are good.” Ajiu took another one, broke it in half and handed it to Guan Ye. “If you like them, eat more. If you’re full, your legs will be more agile when you go up the mountain later.”
"A-Jiu!" Guan Ye called out, then abruptly stopped, her cheeks red from the smoke of the firewood.
Xiao Ma glanced at the two men's ambiguous expressions and saw that Feng Shisan was eating with gusto as if he hadn't heard anything. He then raised his chopsticks and tapped the rim of Feng Shisan's bowl, saying, "Eat, eat, all you know is eating. When can't you eat?"
"Aren't you hungry? Aren't you going to eat?" Feng Shisan glared at him, "Ajiu already said that we should eat our fill before going up the mountain."
Xiao Ma was taken aback at first, then laughed and punched Feng Shisan on the back. The two of them suppressed their laughter.
"What are you laughing at?" Ji Fang brought over some more food, looking suspiciously at the group of people who were chuckling. "Tell me."
"She said Guan Ye is going up the mountain," Ji Yuan said seriously, "to gather herbs to treat A Jiu's injuries."
“Aren’t you afraid of being carried off by wolves?” Ji Fang sat cross-legged on the ground. “Guan Ye, let A Jiu accompany you. His swordsmanship is the best, and he will definitely be able to protect you.”
“Speaking of which,” Feng Shisan looked around the Ji family’s courtyard, “only A-Yuan is usually at your house. Aren’t you afraid that wolves will eat her?” Seeing that the courtyard was surrounded by a fence more than a meter high and the tree trunks were as thick as bowls, Feng Shisan clicked his tongue and stopped talking.
“That’s not all,” Ji Yuan said proudly. “Wolves are afraid of fire. Every night, I light a fire, and they dare not come near when they see the firelight from afar.”
"Ji Fang," Xiao Ma said, remembering something, "The Imperial Preceptor took the Meteor Sword away today, and we'll definitely be returning to Rongdu soon. Will A Yuan come with us?"
Ji Yuan's face suddenly darkened. She picked up a stone and threw it into the fire. Sparks flew all over Feng Shisan, who grimaced in pain. He pointed his finger at Ji Yuan, but with so many people watching, he couldn't really beat the girl up.
“Ah Yuan is capable. If you want to go, we can talk to Steward Pei.” Xiao Ma rested his chin on his hand, looking like he was planning something. “If you don’t dare to speak up, I’ll go for you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Ji Yuan jumped up. “I’m staying here, on the island, and I’m not going anywhere.”
"You little brat." Feng Shisan brushed the sparks off his clothes. "We have good places we'd like to take you with us, but not everyone can go. Your older brother earned his future with his sword, and you still look down on him?" Seeing that Ji Yuan was about to explode, Feng Shisan's mind raced. "Just like the Lou family's big rock, he wants to go but can't."
Upon suddenly hearing the name "Lou Shitou," Guan Ye felt displeased and slammed down her bowl, saying, "Everyone thinks it's good, but it might not actually be good. Rongdu is like a besieged city; you want to get in, but others want to get out."
“Ah Yuan will stay on the island and not go anywhere.” Ji Fang pulled the girl to sit down next to him, looked at her face which was red with anger, poked her nose and smiled indulgently. “I don’t want to go to that Rongdu either, but Xingguo Ward has been kind to my family. My parents were buried with the help of the ward. The ward master asked me to be a swordsman, so I will be a swordsman. Xingguo Ward is small in number. I’ll just go there to make up the numbers and fill in the gaps for you. We can’t let people look down on our ward.”
"Can I not go?" Ji Yuan asked, her voice trembling with tears.
Ji Fang gently stroked the girl's hair and shook his head. "As I told you, Xingguo Ward has done a great favor for our family, and those guys have a sense of loyalty to me. With this debt of gratitude on my shoulders, I have to go there no matter what. But I promise you, I'll go with them to Rongdu to take a look. Once Xingguo Ward has established itself and has more swordsmen, I will definitely talk to the ward master and ask him to allow me to return to the island."
"Really?" Ji Yuan was skeptical. "But you don't know how to fish. What can you do if you come back?"
"Silly." Seeing the girl speak like that without regard for the presence of so many people, Ji Fang was both amused and exasperated. "I'll cook for you every day, is that alright?"
"I want to eat your pancakes every day." Ji Yuan took a big bite, venting her anger.
"Little Ma." Feng Shisan moved closer to him. "If I heard you right, you just said...you said...you're also going back to Rongdu? Back to Rongdu? Where are you coming from?"
As soon as Xiao Ma said it, he realized he had misspoke. He thought no one would care, but Feng Shisan, this roughneck, had actually heard it. He could only pretend to be stupid and pick up his chopsticks to stir the mushy pancakes in the pot.
After waiting for a while without Xiao Ma responding, Feng Shisan's voice boomed like thunder, "The sect leader said that everyone on the island has one life. Today, everyone here is either a brother or a sister, and their lives are tied together. Xiao Ma dares not say, but I, Feng Shisan, have nothing to hide. I was born in Rongdu."
Seeing that no one responded, Feng Shisan tapped his bowl and said, "I was born in Rongdu."
Ji Fang covered his mouth, "Keep your voice down, why are you talking nonsense? The keeper said we're all from the island."
Even though he hadn't been drinking, why were Feng Shisan's eyes bloodshot? He said he was born in Rongdu. Guan Ye, with her sharp ears and eyes, naturally heard him clearly. She and Ajiu were taken to Canglang Island by Hu Xian. Feng Shisan and Xiao Ma had arrived on the island earlier than them. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, they could only have been on Hu Xian's boat, the one with the same curved sword flag as Xingguo Fang.
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