Chapter 9
The backyard of the inn.
Shen Yu wore only a plain-colored, narrow-sleeved robe, the belt at her waist slightly cinched. A long sword lay in her hand, its blade reflecting a cold light. She stood sideways, her demeanor unlike her usual self.
Qiu Chiyan felt that the person holding the sword at this moment resembled a crane with its head held high, elegant and aloof.
Zhao Ze stood opposite him, his steps slowed, and he drew his sword with a clang: "Shopkeeper, I apologize for offending you today."
The next instant, his longsword moved like a whirlwind, aimed straight at Shen Yu's shoulder.
The two swords clashed, the sound as soft as leaves striking each other.
Shen Yu spun around on her toes, her body as light as a swallow, but her sword stance suddenly changed, from defense to offense. The sword light spread out like a gentle breeze, forcing Zhao Ze to take a half step back.
"What a brilliant move, using minimal force to overcome great strength!" Zhao Ze thought to himself, then seized the opportunity to flick his wrist, the sword blade grazing past her sleeve.
Shen Yu did not retreat. Instead, he used that inch of distance to get close and flicked his sword. The sword rose with the wind, like a dragon turning around. The sword intent was both soft and tough, forcing Zhao Ze to withdraw his sword and parry horizontally.
The two swords clashed, their blades flashing and clanging crisply.
Maiya squatted on Qiu Chiyan's shoulder, moving up and down with the rhythm of the two of them, and also looked into the room.
Zhao Ze gradually felt the strain and didn't have time to figure out Shen Yu's methods.
It seems that her sword, without relying on force or moves, is like a gentle breeze, yet it can subtly influence the entire situation.
He uses all his skills in a superficial way, which is really infuriating.
A gust of wind swept by, and Shen Yu used the wind to rise up. With a slight, subtle force, she deflected Zhao Ze's sword by half a step.
As he turned around, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck.
"Today's income: one qian," Qiu Chiyan announced promptly, transferring the silver to his own side.
"Shopkeeper, you're quite the expert..." Zhao Ze gritted his teeth, laughing instead of getting angry.
"You flatter me!" Shen Yu cupped her hands and walked up to the three shop assistants in her shop.
She glanced at the dumbfounded Xu Dahe, then slapped him on the shoulder: "Breathe."
Xu Dahe had never seen anyone with such good kung fu skills. The shopkeeper, who usually worked in front of the stove, even defeated the government officials.
I was so engrossed in watching that I forgot to breathe.
"Shopkeeper, you're so amazing!" The young boy couldn't bear to see such a sight, and his admiration was overflowing on his face.
"It's alright, let's warm up first today."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ze immediately covered his head and moved closer, his entire face less than a foot away from hers: "What did you say?"
Qiu Chiyan pulled him away a bit: "They're letting you off easy, otherwise you wouldn't be able to make it past the eighth move."
"…impossible!"
Zhao Ze denied it reflexively, but as soon as he finished speaking, his brow twitched slightly, and a hint of uncertainty surfaced in his heart. It seemed…
Shen Yu has been trying out different approaches.
"Shopkeeper, who taught you swordsmanship? You're so skilled!"
“With my dad.”
"The family tradition is truly remarkable..."
Zhao Ze loosened his wrists, constantly reviewing the situation in his mind. He was still somewhat unwilling to give up, and inquired about Shen Yu's father and cultivation method.
Shen Yu did tell him everything, but he had never heard of Shen Jingyuan or Qingchen Sword Technique.
Searching my mind for famous figures in the martial arts world yielded no results. Perhaps it's true that there are always people more skilled than oneself, and true masters are indeed few and far between, and too lazy to show off their talents.
"With the shopkeeper's skill level, he could probably participate in the Hundred Gates Sacrifice Ceremony, right?"
“I’m not going,” Shen Yu replied outright.
For some reason, Qiu Chiyan detected a subtle hint of impatience in Shen Yu's voice. This was quite rare for her.
"What's the point of so many people fighting and killing each other?" Yao Liuliu said from the side, also scoffing at this grand martial arts event. "Those people call it sparring, but they just go at each other to the death on stage. After the fight, they still have to politely bow and praise each other. It's much more interesting to find out their inside gossip."
“That’s right, that’s right,” Shen Yu echoed.
"Alright," Qiu Chiyan stepped in to smooth things over, saying to Zhao Ze, "Your business is finished for today, please leave."
"...So you're crossing the river and then burning the bridge, huh! No way! I'm having dinner here!" Zhao Ze yelled.
Shen Yu put the items she had previously put away back in their original places, looked at the sky, and suddenly remembered: "Why hasn't Gong Er returned yet? We're going to miss the mealtime to prepare the ingredients."
"Then I'll go look for it." Xu Dahe responded immediately and jogged out the back door.
But he immediately ran back.
"Brother Gong is back, and there are two other people following him."
Everyone peered over, and Gong Er walked ahead with his head down, carrying a vegetable basket, while two others carried meat behind him, their steps in unison.
The three burly men walking together looked rather imposing.
Who are these people?
Gong Er didn't introduce himself when he entered the backyard; it was Yao Liuliu who asked him.
“…Oh, this is Kaiping, and this is Vichi.” Gong Er casually pointed without even looking up.
Instead, the two men immediately bowed in unison and introduced themselves—
They said they came from the Casting School and were Gong Er's junior apprentices.
Zhao Ze turned his face away and silently opened his mouth: Huh?
Qiu Chiyan nodded silently, which was his response.
Holy crap?
Zhao Ze sighed silently again.
What's going on with this inn?
In the end, Shen Yu went to greet them, preventing the two from feeling too awkward.
However, Kaiping and Weiqi were not talkative people, and they were quite pleased that Gong Er ignored them.
He stood in the backyard, occasionally watching Gong Er's busy figure, without disturbing him or causing trouble for anyone else.
It was lunchtime and there were many people, so no one paid much attention to the two of them until they were finished and then invited them to sit down and eat together.
Zhao Ze should have left long ago, but people from the Casting Gate are not often seen, and besides, there seem to be three sitting here today.
There are many sects in the martial arts world, and none of them have ever been willing to submit to the others, except for the Casting Sect.
They stayed away from the troubles of the martial world, focusing solely on forging swords and knives to supply skilled craftsmen from all sides. Thanks to this craft, their forging business was both wealthy and stable, earning them the respect of everyone in the martial world.
Zhao Ze, holding his bowl and chopsticks, secretly sized up Gong Er.
Aside from body shape, they don't resemble each other at all...
This guy is usually lazy and undisciplined, which is completely different from the strict style of the Casting Gate legend.
Everyone tacitly agreed not to mention Gong Er's identity, nor did they ask any further questions about these two suddenly appearing "junior brothers".
After all, none of the parties involved have spoken.
Not long after, Gong Er finished the last grain of rice and slammed his hand on the table, standing up abruptly: "You've finished eating, you two should go back. It's not good to leave the group without permission."
"That won't do."
The two of them spoke in unison, their refusal exceptionally decisive.
“This is an inn, there’s no reason to turn away guests,” Kaiping said leisurely, picking through the meat slices.
"Wow, you've really gotten some nerve..."
Yao Liuliu suddenly stood up and pushed Gong Er, who was about to throw a tantrum, aside: "If we're staying at the hotel, how many rooms do you need?"
"Two rooms."
Gong Er stared at her in shock.
They sold it way too fast!
Yao Liuliu smiled like a fox, leading the two upstairs. A moment later, she excitedly jumped down the stairs again.
"As expected of someone from the Casting Gate, they are very generous."
"Hurry up, hurry up and chase them away. Stop loitering around here all day long..." Gong Er stammered anxiously, his finger flicking across the table, leaving afterimages.
"Why did they suddenly come looking for you?" Shen Yu asked, sipping her soup slowly.
Zhao Ze and Qiu Chiyan secretly perked up their ears, even lowering their chopsticks slightly.
"...The Hundred Gates Sacrifice is imminent, and they were invited to watch. I don't know who was being so gossipy, but they said I was in town, and those two kids started looking for me everywhere. I ran into them on the street today." Gong Er sighed, showing no joy at seeing an old friend, only a desire to get rid of them.
"Is there trouble?"
"No, they... explained everything clearly."
"Then let them stay there."
"That won't do!" Gong Er reacted strongly. "They want me to go back."
Upon hearing this, Yao Liuliu stopped urging him on and immediately fell silent.
Xu Dahe, however, spoke up weakly: "Aren't they...very rich...it's a good thing they're going back..."
"...Kids shouldn't talk nonsense if they don't understand." Gong Er clearly didn't want to elaborate.
"Whatever you want." Shen Yu stood up and looked around the table. "Whose turn is it to wash the dishes today?"
The crowd looked at each other, and finally their gazes fell on Zhao Ze.
"Well, I have something to do, so I'll be going now."
He dodged very quickly, and Yao Liuliu couldn't catch him.
"I'll do it," Gong Er said in a muffled voice.
Yao Liuliu looked at him as if she had seen a ghost, but still silently carried the bowl to the kitchen for him.
The sound of running water continued, and everyone else dispersed, leaving only Gong Er cleaning up in the kitchen.
His movements appeared unhurried, but a surge of emotions welled up inside him.
He washed the dishes half-heartedly, just trying to find some peace and quiet in the kitchen.
Not long after, the curtain was lifted and Shen Yu walked in carrying four chickens.
"We're having chicken stew tomorrow, so I'll prepare it tonight." She deftly rolled up her sleeves, pulled out four rough earthenware jars from the bottom, and casually stuffed them into Gong Er's arms. "Help me wash them, just make sure there's no dust left."
"I only bought four chickens. If I make braised chicken, I can make four dishes. It's not worth it."
"I want to eat."
Shen Yu spoke with conviction, and Gong Er smiled.
She's always been like this; money can't buy her happiness, and the phrase "she wants it" is considered the ultimate truth.
Shen Yu placed the chicken on the cutting board, cleaned its internal organs, removed the chicken fat, and cleaned away any blood. With swift and clean strokes, she cut the chicken.
Gong Er would glance at her from time to time, but she was always extremely focused when cooking, never saying a word, as if the only things in the world were the pots, pans, knives, and chopping boards.
In the end, he was the one who spoke first.
"Today they said that the matter from back then has been investigated and clarified."
"That's good! Does that mean you've been cleared of suspicion?"
"…yes."
"Then why are you being so awkward?"
Gong Er turned his head away, a bitter smile on his lips: "You're so young, how can you have no empathy... You at least know how humiliating it was for me back then..."
The wind rustled past the eaves, causing the wind chimes under the tiles to chime softly.
Looking back, he grew up in the foundry industry, always accompanied by furnaces and hammers. He rose to fame in the foundry industry in his youth and gradually gained a place in the martial arts world.
He thought that his life would pass by peacefully like this.
Until the black money case.
Rumors circulated in the martial arts world that someone was secretly substituting materials and cutting corners to make a profit, which nearly destroyed the reputation of Zhumen.
Duan Yun's name was thrust into the spotlight simply because he had entered the warehouse alone.
His master had passed away by then, and his branch of the family had no one to support him. He was also unwilling to waste his breath on a bunch of rumors.
That night, he extinguished the fire in the furnace, broke the hammer, and didn't even respond to the sect elders' summons. The next morning, as dawn broke, he carried his bag and descended the mountain.
From then on, the renowned forgesmith Duan Yun was no more in the martial arts world.
"The Forging Sect has been kind to you, but if you think about it carefully, it's your master who has been kind to you. The sect is just a status symbol to you. Once this happens, that status is gone, and you'll have no more personal ties with the Forging Sect. Since you've already made up your mind not to go back, what's there to hesitate about?"
With a swift motion, Shen Yu chopped off the chicken's head.
"That makes sense, but when you actually experience it, it's a completely different story." Gong Er smiled bitterly, looking up at the ceiling. "Do you think I'm getting old? Thinking back on the past, I still feel a little reluctant to let go."
Shen Yu sheathed her knife and casually wiped her hands on her apron: "Does being unable to bear the truth mean you were doing well back then? If that's the case, then don't let happiness trap you in your present self."
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