Chapter 11
The broken sword tip landed on the muddy ground, kicking up dust, and the sound echoed in the empty courtyard.
The boy's face flushed even redder, his chest heaved violently, and the broken sword in his hand trembled slightly.
How could that be?
This was a sword he had just bought for over a thousand taels of silver. It was forged from the black iron of Nanshan and should be able to cut through iron like mud. How could it be so easily broken by two fingers?
He stared at Shen Yu unwillingly, but the coldness in her eyes chilled him to the bone, and he swallowed back the harsh words that were about to come out.
"You...you all wait!"
After saying that, he ran out the back door.
"Who wants to wait for him?" Shen Yu scoffed.
She looked up at Qiu Chiyan: "I pushed you in a moment of panic, are you alright?"
She only realized after she had finished treating the patient that the injury hadn't fully healed, which made her somewhat annoyed.
"...It's alright."
The backyard fell silent for a moment.
What are you spying on?
Shen Yu turned around and saw that Gong Er's door was slightly ajar, revealing three pairs of eyes, which looked quite eerie.
Gong Er and his two junior brothers pushed open the door and walked out, looking somewhat embarrassed, huddled together.
"How come I didn't know you could do this trick before?"
"You can't?" Shen Yu retorted.
“…”
Maiya combed her hair over her shoulder, and although it got messier and messier, Shen Yu didn't stop her.
"Using internal force to power it... May I ask, Manager Shen, from whom did you learn your skills?"
Viktor bowed respectfully to Shen Yu for the first time.
“My father,” Shen Yu answered truthfully, her expression sincere. “Is that so difficult?”
“...It’s difficult.” Qiu Chiyan replied when no one answered.
The hardness of Xuan Tie is beyond the reach of ordinary materials. To break its edge, one must possess pure internal energy. Even among the most prestigious sects in the martial world, only a handful of people can accomplish this, and most of them are elders over forty years old.
But Shen Yu seemed to do it effortlessly.
“Practicing martial arts naturally requires cultivating both internal and external strength. Internal strength varies from person to person, so it’s not surprising.” Shen Yu coaxed Mai Ya for a while, then sent it back to the beam. He picked up the broken sword and threw it in a corner so it wouldn’t accidentally hurt anyone.
Kaiping and his companion suddenly decided to willingly make the trip to Yanyu Pavilion. They solemnly clasped their hands in a fist salute to Gong Er and went out the door.
Gong Er didn't know where their enthusiasm came from. He tried to persuade them for a long time, but they still made excuses. Now, however, they suddenly changed their attitude.
That's fine, it saves him the trouble of arguing.
"The shopkeeper is amazing. The last time I saw someone break a blade with their bare hands was Master Xu of Luoxia Sword Manor." Qiu Chiyan leaned against the millstone, staring at Shen Yu with great interest.
Shen Yu blinked: "Never heard of it."
Gong Er introduced him to her, saying, "When he became famous, your family was probably still traveling in the Western Regions, so it's normal that you haven't heard of him. You just need to know that he was very powerful. Back then, he ranked fifth in the Hundred Gates Sacrifice Blade Competition. In battle, he could project his internal energy and break his opponent's weapon!"
"This is actually ranked fifth?" Shen Yu was genuinely surprised. "I thought my technique was terrible. I've seen my father use his internal energy to control his strength and break swords with a flick of his finger."
She spoke naturally, without any hint of boasting. But to Qiu Chiyan and Gong Er, it sent a jolt through their hearts.
The two looked at each other, and Gong Er immediately said, "Don't look at me, I've never seen this before either."
But who wouldn't want to see such a technique with their own eyes?
Gong Er recalled the moments he had spent living with their family and couldn't help but feel nostalgic: "I wonder where you are now, sir. Will you also come to this Hundred Gates Sacrifice?"
“He definitely won’t participate,” Shen Yu denied decisively. “However, it’s possible he might come to see an old friend.”
"That's fine too!"
…
Qiu Chiyan watched them chat quietly, a smile still on his lips, but a subtle feeling inexplicably arose in his heart.
That past that belonged to them was perhaps truly wonderful. So wonderful that even when they talked about it, a hint of light would unconsciously shine in their eyes.
Perhaps it's because he wasn't among them.
Qiu Chiyan knew that this idea was strange, but it was only natural for people to yearn for beautiful things.
He felt that his parents had died early and that he was only close to one maternal grandfather.
He was far away in the Six Doors, unable to see his family, and rarely had time to be with them. He was either traveling or buried in his books, with little free time.
If I hadn't been forced to rest due to injury, I'm afraid I would have had to work non-stop on this trip.
"Shopkeeper," he suddenly interrupted their conversation, his smile widening, "I'm hungry."
"Oh yeah, it's almost lunchtime. It's all that kid's fault!"
Shen Yu muttered to herself as she entered the kitchen and began to work with great enthusiasm.
There weren't many guests today. In the afternoon, the three of them, plus Xu Dahe, played a leaf game in the lobby. Yao Liuliu was too lazy to play, so she just watched from the sidelines.
Xu Dahe had never played with this before, and his face was covered with paper strips.
But he's a novice with a big addiction. He's usually timid and submissive, but today, when he got carried away, he dared to boss people around.
However, no one cared; the others were happy to see him so uninhibited.
Just as they were having fun, a man and a woman appeared to be standing at the door. Qiu Chiyan glanced at them out of the corner of his eye and they looked like the troublemakers from noon.
And that woman…
"Brother Qiu?" The other person recognized Qiu Chiyan first, and was pleasantly surprised. He strode in, his eyes flashing. "What are you doing here?"
Qiu Chiyan nodded with a smile, but didn't explain in detail. Instead, he introduced Zhou Siyao to Shen Yu and the others: "This is Zhou Siyao from Changfeng Manor."
The boy behind him reluctantly followed in, not even wanting to lift his head.
"Then who is he..." Qiu Chiyan realized that the two men had some similarities in their eyes and eyebrows when he saw this.
Zhou Siyao clasped her hands in a fist and bowed to everyone in the inn: "Today, it was my younger brother Zhou Sinian who acted impulsively and ignorantly, offending you all. So I brought him here to apologize to you all."
"Sister! It really was just a monkey we caught!" Zhou Sinian couldn't help but retort, his tone still full of dissatisfaction.
"Shut up!" Zhou Siyao scolded him, "All things have a spirit. If you hadn't provoked it, how could anything have happened afterward!"
"...If you can't beat them, just say you can't beat them. Why say all this..." the boy muttered under his breath.
The siblings, who were always at odds, lost their composure in public. Zhou Siyao's face turned red and then pale, and she almost lost her temper on the spot.
Shen Yu stepped in to smooth things over: "Never mind, I don't necessarily need him to apologize. Since we're incompatible, let's just not associate with each other."
Her words were blunt and unvarnished. To Zhou Siyao, however, they were like sharp blades, piercing straight to her heart.
The more ashamed he felt, the redder his ears became.
Qiu Chiyan chuckled to himself. Shen Yu always spoke these kinds of words that would make others lose face, yet she always spoke them frankly and honestly, as if they were the most genuine thing in the world.
“Miss Zhou, please don’t take it to heart. It’s normal for young people to have a few quarrels.” He then genuinely tried to smooth things over.
Zhou Sinian muttered something under his breath behind her, which Zhou Siyao naturally heard. She stomped on his foot hard, but remained respectful to everyone else: "Even if you are all magnanimous, the fault still lies with us..."
Yao Liuliu was getting sleepy listening from behind.
People from these sects love to show off their knowledge, repeating the same thing over and over again.
Gong Er naturally noticed her behavior and covered his face to chuckle.
However, since he is an acquaintance of Qiu Chiyan, we should still offer him a simple welcome.
Shen Yu brought out several bowls of stewed hawthorn and let them eat and talk.
Zhou Sinian is quiet now.
He knew he was in the wrong, but he refused to admit it just to save face.
But deep down, he acknowledged Shen Yu's abilities and culinary skills.
Hawthorns aren't produced much in their Changfeng Mountain Villa area, let alone this dessert.
The hawthorn berries, cooked until smooth and creamy, are soaked in syrup and look as beautiful as amber. They taste sweet and sour and melt on the tongue.
He couldn't help but finish it in just a few bites.
Still wanting more. Just as I was looking at my sister's bowl, another bowl was handed to me.
Shen Yu withdrew her hand as if nothing had happened, and then listened attentively to Qiu Chiyan and Zhou Siyao reminiscing.
"Since we parted two years ago, I thought that the world was vast and it would be difficult to meet again. I never expected that we would meet again here." Zhou Siyao smiled, and although the joy in her eyes was great, she restrained herself in front of everyone and refused to show it completely.
"I left early after the bandit suppression that day due to other business. I wonder how things are on Qingwu Mountain now?"
"The local government has sent people to guard the area, and the Six Doors are also keeping a close watch. Bandits have long since disappeared. The people can live in peace, and there are many more merchants traveling the road."
"That's good. If it weren't for Miss Zhou leading the way and protecting us, we might not have been able to have such a smooth journey."
"Brother Qiu, what are you saying..."
Zhou Sinian, watching from the side, nearly dropped his jaw. His elder sister was always decisive and had never been so gentle before. Yet today, she was completely different towards Qiu Chiyan.
He secretly grinned behind his sister's back, making an exaggerated and comical face.
Anyway, he has lived to this day and has never heard his sister say anything like that to him.
But as he twitched, his peripheral vision caught Shen Yu's gaze. Those eyes, filled with amusement, clearly took in his little action.
Shen Yu smiled slyly, her eyes seemingly saying, "I saw it all."
This woman!
Zhou Sinian gritted his teeth and turned his face even further to the side.
Qiu Chiyan was very polite from beginning to end, and his words were all formal and polite.
However, it wasn't entirely fruitless.
The source of today's trouble is that Zhou Sinian heard that someone from the Casting Gate had come here, and he came specifically to find that person.
On his way to Sanhe Town, he got into a fight and lost his composure, resulting in his sword being broken in two. Although he managed to buy a new one that suited him, he still wanted something better.
Upon hearing this, Gong Er suddenly regretted letting his two junior brothers go out. If they had shown up, wouldn't this trouble have been better than going to the Misty Rain Pavilion?
However, he didn't bring it up himself; it's more interesting to do things like kicking someone when they're down in person.
"Since we have disturbed you this far, my brother and I will not stay any longer."
Zhou Siyao finally grabbed her younger brother and made him apologize properly. It was getting late, and they had other things to do, so they had to leave.
After they left, Gong Er crossed his arms, clicked his tongue, and shook his head, sighing, "What's wrong with Officer Qiu? He leaves a lover behind wherever he goes?"
"...Don't talk nonsense. It's just that the people from Changfeng Manor helped the Six Doors suppress bandits for a period of time. I have no dealings with Miss Zhou."
As he finished speaking, for some reason, he subconsciously glanced at Shen Yu.
As a result, Shen Yu reached out and pinched Yao Liuliu's face, casually kneading her sleepy features, his eyebrows and eyes full of smiles, not taking his argument to heart at all.
Qiu Chiyan looked away, but had no desire to continue joking and teasing Gong Er.
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