Qin Fei frowned slightly and saw that Zhao Xiujie still had a stubborn look on his face, and said coldly,
"A young master? How skilled?"
Zhao Xiujie glared back and shouted,
"Speaking of him, don't be scared but he can break the hard wood on the mountain with his bare fists and carry it down. He's also always wrapped in chains weighing over a hundred pounds, moving as if it were nothing. He even subdued a ferocious black bear with those chains!"
As his voice fell, Qin Fei felt even colder. He walked slowly toward Zhao Xiujie, causing the latter to feel somewhat uneasy. When the young man in a white shirt stopped three steps away from Zhao Xiujie, his hanging right hand's fingers twitched, and then he slowly clenched them into a fist, and said indifferently,
"Yes, the furniture newly made in my room was smashed down by his fists!"
At this point, Zhao Xiujie's anger has indeed dissipated quite a bit, but with the situation like a drawn bow, he was reluctant to show weakness. Looking at Qin Fei, who bore a murderous aura similar to that described in books when he had overturned several men just moments ago, Zhao tenaciously said,
"In Great Liang Village..."
Again feigning a disdainful and smug attitude, he lifted his chin and jutted it out toward the other, saying,
"What, do you still have the guts to go?"
Qin Fei glanced at him, his eyes sharp and cold, making Zhao step back as he felt a chill in his heart. When he no longer saw the youth before him, he heard a voice from behind,
Zhao Xiujie felt a slight tingle on his scalp and a faint sense of panic over causing a terrible disaster. Qin Fei had already passed him, calling out sharply,
From among the attendants, two tall and strong men stepped forward, silently bowing with a clasped fist.
"Fetch the gauntlets brought this time."
The two strong men nodded silently and then swiftly strode away, the ground seeming to surge with currents under their feet. In just a few moments, they returned, each holding a box. Qin Fei casually opened one, and within the black silk lining lay a pair of gauntlets, very sleek, enough to cover the entire forearm.
The material was gold and jade, providing sufficient protection and enhancing the power of punches and palm strikes.
Amidst the crisp ringing sound, Qin Fei fitted the gauntlets onto his forearms, adjusting them while he nonchalantly ordered,
"No need to put the other set away; you two come with me, consider it a gift."
"Ah Da, go directly to Mother Wang and take three hundred taels of silver; I need it to visit a friend. Also, take a pair of old mountain ginseng and three portions of Blood Jade Ointment from the cultivation materials."
Zhao Xiujie's expression slightly froze.
Though it wasn't his wish, this was utterly different from what he had envisioned...
He couldn't help but turn his body and see Qin Fei in white robes adjusting the position of his arm gauntlets. His profile became even more refined under the winter sun. Qin gave him a calm look and said,
"Do you think I'm going to 'clean him up'? Hmm?"
Zhao Xiujie dumbly nodded.
Qin Fei didn't directly respond but looked down calmly adjusting the gauntlets, saying,
"That carpenter must know you admire that young man, thus he made a display piece from the side carved with fist imprints, adding water to mimic a lake. That's one point."
"Secondly, your description isn't baseless. Such methods of cultivation indeed exist in Jianghu."
"I just can't stand swindlers in Jianghu, not that I am reckless and foolish. A martial artist should first establish virtue, intervene in injustices, and handle swindlers, but not to compete in strength and invite enemies everywhere. Moreover, even a simple carpenter can see the conflicts within you; how will you manage to inherit your family business in the future?"
"Indulging in play loses one's purpose in martial arts without advancing an inch, and the ways of personal conduct remain as naive as a child's. Even Ah Xiao understands this better than you. From what you said earlier, although unintentional, you have already caused discord, using me as a blade to kill. If today you weren't my cousin..."
Qin paused and looked at Zhao Xiujie, saying,
"You would have been slaughtered under my fist."
Though these last four words were uttered calmly, an indescribable sensation shot up Zhao Xiujie's spine, making his scalp tingle. In that moment, he seemed to see the black bear that roared at him a month ago, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
His face turned slightly pale, his legs weak, he instinctively stepped back two steps, swallowed twice, and stammered,
"No, no more fighting... then what are you going to do?"
"Who said no more fighting?"
Qin Fei withdrew his gaze, swung his right hand, producing a heavy whooshing sound and said coldly,
"For such a person, enduring great hardship and cultivating diligently, even if a beauty stands before him, she is but mere bones."
"Having been in Wangxian County for several days, it was rather dull until I met this man. How could I let such an opportunity pass? As a Martial Artist, it is natural to make friends through Martial Arts, but I wonder… is he available today, or would it be offensive to approach him now?"
As he spoke, doubt crept into his tone. However, by then Da already approached with a brocade box, so he decided not to overthink and turned his head to speak gently to a delicate-looking young boy:
"Axiao, you wait here in the residence."
Turning to look at Zhao Xiujie, whose complexion was slightly pale, he spoke in a cool voice, concise and to the point:
Zhao Xiujie felt a bitter taste in his heart and an inexplicable stir at being commanded in an unwelcome tone by someone with whom he had never seen eye to eye, yet he silently led the way. The child called Axiao, seeing his older brothers leave, pretended to be mature and sighed:
"How many times has it been now…"
"Ah, each one is still so immature despite their age…"
With his hands behind his back, the small child imitated an adult and walked back to his room, where he promptly shut the door and suddenly became very agile. He sifted through Zhao Xiujie's room with practiced ease, found paper, ink, brush, and inkstone, and sprang onto the chair. Taking up the brush and exhaling lightly, he wrote neatly on a white paper:
"Sister Yu'er, who looks just like a fairy, I hope everything is well with you today."
"Brother praised sister as a beauty."
"But he also said that a beauty compared to a lumberjack is as unpleasant as a pile of bones…"
In Great Liang Village.
From Jiang Shouyi's room drifted melodious sounds of the zither, causing villagers passing by to carefully slow their pace and listen attentively.
Only after they passed the old locust tree-lined street did they express admiration:
"Mr. Jiang's zither music is still so pleasant…"
An elderly man nodded and said, "Indeed, I wonder what has happened, it just feels like Mr. Jiang is in a rather good mood today."
A curious onlooker asked:
The elderly man stroked his beard and chuckled, "This old man has traveled a bit too. Although Mr. Jiang's tunes haven't changed and are as beautiful as ever, the melody is clearly crisper, definitely a sign of a good mood."
"Uncle Zhang, you are really quite astute."
After a round of compliments, as snowflakes discreetly began to fall, they spoke quietly about the odd weather and hurriedly went home. The snow, fluffy like cotton, settled on the locust tree and gradually accumulated in the courtyard. The music from the zither softened and gently ebbed away, producing lingering tones that floated afar, invisible in their path.
Jiang Shouyi raised his hand, picked up a tea cup nearby, and took a sip, commending:
"Not bad, this tea is indeed well-brewed… Although still slightly rough, it is now drinkable."
"You flatter me, sir."
Jiang Shouyi shook his head, his lips curving slightly, and said softly:
"But compared to your piece, 'Celestial Light and Shadows,' it still falls several levels behind…"
The music briefly paused, and a young man in blue sat cross-legged in front of him, his hands lightly resting on the trembling strings of the zither, his body bound by thick chains, standing solid like a rock, his presence imposing yet his expression serene, like a clean stream without dust, he softly said:
"It is because of your good teaching, sir."
Jiang Shouyi remained silent, sipped his tea, then smiled and said:
"You have been learning only this piece for a month now; you could learn many more."
Wang Anfeng shook his head and replied:
"Did you not say, sir, that learning the zither is merely for personal amusement, to mirror one's heart in adjustment?"
"Since it's for personal enjoyment, there is no need for much, nor little, moreover just this one piece is still far from your level, sir, I can hardly claim to have mastered it, how then could I aspire for more?"
Jiang Shouyi's lips twitched slightly, yet paradoxically, he asked again:
"But you are a Martial Artist, capable of controlling your strength, no technique should be too difficult."
"Techniques may be easy to learn, but the mental state is hard to attain."
The scholar couldn't help but let out a laugh of joy and appreciation upon hearing this. After a few moments, as his laughter subsided, Jiang Shouyi gazed at the young man before him and said:
"You have entered the threshold..."