n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âWhen are you going back?â Wang Yao asked.
âWhat do you mean?â Su Zhixing was stunned. âAm I so annoying?â
âI think there should be a lot of things to be done in the army,â Wang Yao said. âAs youâve said just now, the task of training is very heavy. You are also a leader. You should go back early.â
âTsk tsk, youâre viewing me as the third wheel, arenât you?â Su Zhixing laughed. âDonât worry, Iâll be back in the army tomorrow.â
âWhere are your troops stationed?â Wang Yao asked.
âHmm, Iâm not telling you because itâs confidential, but if youâre going to be an instructor for us, thatâs another matter,â Su Zhixing said. He had always wanted to get Wang Yao into their army to teach the soldiers kung fu skills.
âIâve said it before, I will not go, so give up,â Wang Yao said with a laugh.
After the meal, they chatted for a while. Su Zhixing left first. Wang Yao waited for Su Xiaoxueâs class to end. She had two major classes in the morning, one public class and one professional class, and two professional classes in the afternoon.
âYou donât have to accompany me here,â Su Xiaoxue said. âWhy donât you walk around Jing?â
She was studying hard to finish college life as soon as possible so that she could better accompany Wang Yao.
âAlright, Iâll walk around,â he replied.
In the afternoon, Su Xiaoxue attended class while Wang Yao went to visit Chen Ying. The siblings were surprised at his arrival. Chen Zhouâs illness had been cured. He was now studying and living a normal life.
âAlright, I wonât bother you guys anymore,â Wang Yao said after they chatted awhile. âIâll go out and explore.â
âIâll accompany you,â Chen Ying said.
âItâs fine, you can continue with what youâre doing,â Wang Yao said. âIâll be fine by myself.â
Walking in the prosperous Jing alone, Wang Yao did not have much interest in modern buildings. They were made of pure reinforced concrete. He preferred to see ancient buildings that had historical accumulation and the wonderful ideas of ancient craftsmen. There were many such ancient buildings in Jing.
A place popped up in his mind, so he went there. Yuan Ming Gardens, once the Royal Garden, was the most exquisite garden among them all. Upon entering, Wang Yao could see many ruins and broken walls, telling its tragic past. It used to be prosperous for several periods, but it was burned to ashes by a big fire like the dynasty itself.
In the distant grass, there came the voice of a young man and woman.
âBe gentle,â the woman said.
âDonât worry, thereâs nobody here,â the man said.
âKeep your voice down,â the woman said.
After hearing them, Wang Yao laughed and shook his head. He turned around and left for another place. Most of the antiquities there were incomplete. Most people didnât really like to go there. They would just feel sentimental and sad.
After arriving at a place, Wang Yao stopped. Hmm, the aura here...
Where he was at would have once been a pond. Not far away were some broken walls and ruins. Wang Yao felt that the aura was different from the other places. It was stronger.
He thought, The problem is with the water. He looked down at the small pool of water. It did not look very deep. There were a lot of weeds under the water, so he could not see anything special.
He still found it interesting. Wang Yao walked around the pool thinking that there had to be something in the water. He dismissed the thought of going down and exploring and went elsewhere.
Only a part of Yuan Ming Garden was open to the public. The part that could be explored was vast if it was a person like Wang Yao who enjoyed looking around. As he wandered around, time slipped by. It was already past 5 p.m.
A text message came from Su Xiaoxue. She would soon finish class. Wang Yao turned back to returned to Yanjing University. He happened to bump into a couple when he went out. He thought, Wow, they lasted so long!
After meeting Su Xiaoxue, they went to Wang Yaoâs second auntâs house. Every time they came to Jing, he would visit his elder. She had always loved him very much since he was a child.
âAre you staying for dinner tonight?â she asked.
âNo thanks, Auntie, we already have plans,â Wang Yao smiled replied. They were going to have a candlelit dinner.
âTomorrow then?â his aunt asked.
âThereâs no need,â Wang Yao said. âIâm just here to see you. Is Uncle not back?â
âSigh, his company has been busy lately,â his aunt replied.
âWhereâs my cousin? How are her studies going?â Wang Yao asked.
âNot bad.â his aunt said.
After staying at his auntâs house for a while, the two left, found a restaurant, ordered several dishes, and chatted while eating. Soon, it was pitch dark outside. After dinner, they took a walk arm in arm. It was past 9 p.m. before Wang Yao took Su Xiaoxue back.
âRest well,â Wang Yao said.
âYes, you too,â Su Xiaoxue.
When she returned home, she discovered that her brother had left.
âWhereâs brother?â Su Xiaoxue asked.
âThe army has a mission, so he went back,â Song Ruiping said.
âOh,â Su Xiaoxue replied.
âHappy today?â Song Ruiping asked.
âVery happy,â Su Xiaoxue said.
Nothing happened overnight. In the morning, the weather was chilly.
...
In the mountain village, a man arrived early outside of the clinic. Zhong Liuchuan had gotten up in the morning to exercise. He saw the man and ran over.
âThe doctor is not here,â he said. âHow about coming another day?â
He had already seen this man waiting outside the clinic early in the morning the day before and told him the same thing, but the man did not listen.
âWell, when will he be back?â the man asked.
âI donât know,â Zhong Liuchuan said. âIf itâs short, maybe three or five days. If heâs away for long, maybe a week or so.â
The man sighed and turned away helplessly. He was worried that his daughterâs health would worsen.
Zhong Liuchuan ran to the top of the Dongshan Mountains and came to a place near Nanshan Hill. He sat cross-legged and began to practice the method of self-renewing. He had just passed through this area some time ago, mainly to take a look at Nanshan Hill. He was afraid that others would go to Nanshan Hill during the absence of his master. He realized that the air there was very good. He was amazed at the fact that he could practice the method of self-renewing there with half the effort. Therefore, he had been going there every morning and evening to practice the past few days. It turned out to be very effective.
After he practiced, he went down the mountain again and made breakfast. After eating, he brought it to Jia Zizai.
âOh, youâre finally here,â Jia Zizai said. âYouâre starving me. Whatâs there to have this morning?â
Zhong Liuchuan did not speak. He put down the lunch box and opened it.
âNo way, noodles again?â Jia Zizai asked. âDonât you know how to make anything else, such as wontons, tofu, and so on? You can buy them if you donât know how to make them.â
He slurped up a big mouthful of noodles. âHas Master come back yet?â
âThe doctor will not accept you as an apprentice,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âWell, faith moves mountains and sincerity cracks metal and stones. I will impress him with my sincerity,â Jia Zizai replied while eating the noodles.
âI did not expect you to be so brazen.â
âHey, youâve gone too far with that,â Jia Zizai said after a mouthful of noodles. âWhat do you mean by brazen? I call it persistence. Tell me, why is the company is so anxious to get rid of you? Maybe I can help you.â
âI saw something I shouldnât have seen,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âWhat thing? The boss and the second in charge out of the closet?â Jia Zizai asked.
âNo,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âWhat is it?â Jia Zizai asked.
âThe boss was with a Dongying man,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âWhat?â Jia Ziâs eyebrows slightly furrowed. âDongying man? Are you sure?â
âOf course, that person was not an ordinary person,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âJiro Musashi?â Jia Zizai asked.
âTsk, how did you guess that?â Zhong Liuchuan was somewhat surprised.
âReally?â Jia Zizai asked.
âOf course. I still have pictures of them secretly meeting,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
Jia Zizai was silent for a moment before saying, âNow that you know about it, he shouldâve attacked you right away. Itâs impossible for you to last so long.â
âIn the beginning, he most likely did not know that the man was me,â Zhong Liuchuan. âIt was only recently that he knew, so you guys came.â
âThatâs bad. Heâs probably going to send someone over,â Jia Zizai said.
âWith so many of his powerful men dead in succession, do you think heâll just send somebody to die without thinking it through?â Zhong Liuchuan asked.