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Nevermind the others who hadn’t expected it, even Shen Qiao couldn’t have predicted that Yan Wushi would suddenly appear, drop this threatening line, everyone thought he was going to challenge Hulugu to a fight to the death, instead he picked up the person and ran, even his disciple he neglected.
Xuandushan’s “tiankuohongying” stood on its own merit, Huanuye Sect’s qinggong was not as famous, but it was Yan Wushi using it, in an instant their shadows were no longer visible, even Hulugu was left watching the dust, nevermind the others.
Of course, it could have been that Hulugu didn’t expect to meet this shameless of a grandmaster.
Shen Qiao also hadn’t expected it.
His body carried injuries, qi and blood churning, he couldn’t move easily, Yan Wushi had traversed ten plus li carrying him in his arms, but it was steady as flat ground, not a single bump or jolt, his face was unencumbered, his mouth had a hint of a smile, as if it was all effortless.
Once Shen Qiao realized what had happened, he wanted to say something, a bolus of blood rose in his throat, he managed to swallow it, coughed twice: “Put me down…”
Yan Wushi, unperturbed: “What’s the rush, we’ve only just made it off the mountain, in case Hulugu catches up, wouldn’t this have all been a waste?”
With beauty in his arms, what would be another ten li in his embrace?
It wasn’t that Yan Wushi had remedied his ways since he encountered Shen Qiao, but that he understood his character, this daozhang tolerated soft approaches and not forceful ones, if hard-pressed to the notched arrow, don’t expect another chance the remainder of your days, but a completely soft approach also wouldn’t work, this kind of pure-hearted, aloof, pretty Daoist, usually wouldn’t be moved by corporeal sentiment, had cultivated beyond the mortal realm’s smoke and fire, tenacious as the water reeds, no way would they yield to a large rock.
Although Yan Wushi would never compare himself to the common rock, if he wanted to, even the constellations in the sky were his for the taking.
Shen Qiao didn’t know what to say: “I thought you were going to fight Hulugu back there.”
Yan Wushi smiled: “Fighting him now, things are a bit lacking, why waste all my effort and get nothing in return, if I were to make a move, then things should be at least nine parts considered, using a woven basket to gather water is not a habit of this venerable one’s.”
He never avoided taboos when speaking the truth, even if it was the truth, it would still carry the Yan Wushi brand of arrogance.
Shen Qiao made no reply, the truth was that the fight had exhausted him, suffering internal injuries, tired to the point of collapse, unknowingly he closed his eyes, then fell into a deep sleep.
Yan Wushi looked down and saw this, the corners of his lips curled into a smile, he carried the person in his arms steadily another dozen li, left Qingcheng Town behind, headed towards the northeast.
It had been a long time since Shen Qiao had slept properly like a common person.
This was not to say that he didn’t need sleep, but for a martial arts practitioner, sleep was training, training was sleep, letting zhengqi circulate the body, it was exercise and training, it was also rest, although Shen Qiao didn’t care much for glory in name, he understood that his potential was strong, not easily slain by others, ever since he remolded his foundation, he trained diligently everyday without cease, when resting at night, he often resorted to meditation as training and as a way to unwind.
In the fight against Hulugu, he had depleted nearly all of his inner reserves, his mind blank, his core momentarily empty, usually when he slept he still reserved a fraction of energy to watch his surroundings, but to do this now was impossible, after closing his eyes he simply lost consciousness, and entered a curious dream realm.
When he woke, he was lying on a bed, turning his head he saw it was already dark outside, only several flickering candles on the nightstand illuminated the room.
Before Shen Qiao had departed fully from his dreamscape, a teasing phrase wound its way into his ear: “What beautiful dream did you have, that even after waking you linger in it?”
Shen Qiao felt then that something was off, the thing he was resting on, clearly wasn’t a pillow but…
Yan Wushi’s lap.
He woke up cushioned in Yan Wushi’s lap.
No matter how calm Shen Qiao was, after making this discovery he became not very good, he propped himself on his elbow and made to rise, Yan Wushi however held him by the shoulder: “You still have internal injuries, no haphazard movements.”
Shen Qiao’s chest ached dully, his flow of zhengqi was considerably hindered, but he wasn’t at the point where he couldn’t even sit up, he persisted in moving to one side of the bed.
Only after feeling a hard surface behind him did he breathe a sigh of relief, his back against the bedframe felt safer and more reliable.
Yan Wushi watched all this, very amused: “What did you dream, to take on this appearance of a blossoming face and misty eyes.”
Shen Qiao: “…”
Hearing this description, someone would think he had a wet dream.
Yan Wushi even reached out a hand: “Your face is burning, it must have been a wet dream, did you dream of this venerable one?”
The corner of Shen Qiao’s mouth spasmed: “No, to disappoint Yan-zongzhu, I dreamt I was fighting against many people, even awake I feel quite exhausted.”
He refused to say that Yan Wushi was among the people he was fighting, who knew what ludicrous thing the other would have to say to that.
But he still gravely underestimated Huanyue Sect zongzhu’s shamelessness, even if he didn’t say it, the other still made a shameless remark: “Fighting? Where were you fighting, was it underneath the sheets?”
Shen Qiao, enraged: “If Yan-zongzhu continues to speak this offensively, this poor one will no longer speak with you!”
Even when their A-Qiao was making threats, it was cottony without a scrap of intimidation, Yan Wushi laughed: “Fine, fine, I won’t say more, why don’t you say something, you go first!”
Shen Qiao composed himself: “How long was I asleep for?”
Yan Wushi: “Easy, one day and one night.”
Shen Qiao was surprised, he hadn’t expected himself to sleep for that long, his injuries weren’t going to heal overnight, but on waking the pain in his body had diminished greatly, it would appear Yan Wushi had assisted him while he was passed out asleep, so he folded his hands in respect and said: “Thank you Yan-zongzhu, in the future if Yan-zongzhu has any needs, as long as it doesn’t go against the heavens or cause harm, Shen Qiao will certainly do all I can to help.”
Thinking back to the other’s usual antics and unconventional logic, and his abrupt actions at Bixia Sect, Shen Qiao was a bit uneasy, added one more clause: “And it can’t be too preposterous, beyond what people can accept.”
Shen Qiao was no longer Xuandushan’s zhangjiao, but was still a grandmaster ranked within the world’s top ten, moreover with his character, to receive this promise, was worth its weight in gold.
Yan Wushi smiled, but lightly diverted: “Easy, right before this I already claimed my compensation, no need for formalities, and with the relationship we have, there’s no need to be so distant with this venerable one.”
What relationship do we have, how come I don’t know about it? Shen Qiao gaped, he felt that Yan Wushi with the available time he had over the years, probably spent it on training and running a sect, but certainly on cultivating face thickness.
Yan Wushi looked at him merrily: “A-Qiao, are you thirsty?”
Shen Qiao made to reply: “No, thanks Yan-zongzhu for your attention.”
Yan Wushi: “It should be this way, when you were sleeping, I already fed you some honeywater.”
A sense of dread crept up in Shen Qiao’s heart: “How was it fed?”
Yan Wushi, incredulous: “Naturally the cup to your mouth, how else would you like to be fed?”
Not waiting for Shen Qiao’s response, his expression transformed into one of realization: “Did you think it was mouth to mouth? A-Qiao ah, you’ve always been so moral and upright, when did you also become so lewd?”
Shen Qiao: “…”
He’d already been rendered speechless, no matter how good Shen-daozhang’s manners were, at this moment he really wanted to roll his eyes.
Yan Wushi even consoled him: “It’s not your fault you thought this way, I already told you, Hehuan Sect are not good people, Yuan Xiuxiu Bai Rong those witches, next time you see them just keep as far away as possible, our A-Qiao is so upstanding and refined, how can we let him be sullied by those people?”
Your Huanyue Sect’s reputation isn’t that much better than Hehuan Sect’s?
And, what is “our A-Qiao”? Who belongs to who?
Shen Qiao slandered the other mercilessly in his mind, but when it came down to the art of dispute, he could not compare to Yan Wushi, if he said one sentence, the other would surely have another ten waiting.
Before he had been passed out asleep and oblivious to the world, now awake, Shen Qiao’s first thought was for the people who remained on Qingchengshan.
“I don’t know how Zhao-zongzhu and the others are faring, tomorrow I should return to see how things are.”
Yan Wushi smiled: “Hulugu’s target was you, with you gone, why would he regard any of the others, as long as they didn’t step up to seek death, with Hulugu’s pride, he wouldn’t kill those he saw as mere grass and weed.”
Hulugu as a grandmaster was not going to start a massacre, but Duan Wenyang and the Hehuan Sect opportunists were another story, but they were in Chunyangguan territory, and Zhao Chiying and the others were hardly children who couldn’t even slaughter a chicken, if they were so easily killed, they might as well just retire from the jianghu.
Shen Qiao reminded him: “Yu Shengyan is still on Qingchengshan.”
Yan Wushi was even more honest: “If he can’t even deal with this kind of inconvenience, he’s not qualified to be this venerable one’s disciple.”
In Yan Wushi’s eyes, people without potential were not worth his regard, in all these decades, Shen Qiao had been the exception, and only for Shen Qiao, others were not deserving of his extra efforts, his disciples included, the skills he had taught, but if in every matter they required his protection, then why bother wandering the jianghu, might as well smash their heads in instead.
Shen Qiao did not really agree with this kind of worldview, he could logically comprehend the truth in Yan Wushi’s words, so Zhao Chiying Li Qingyu might be able to preserve themselves, but Fan Yuanbai Zhou Yexue’s wugong was not as good, when the fighting began, in the chaos they might not be able to receive the timely protection of their seniors, and avoid injury.
Yan Wushi saw his mind wander, stretched out a hand and pinched his cheeks: “When will you change this bad habit of yours of worrying for the rest of the world, you’re injured, if you go you will only be a hindrance, and you still intend to save others? And it’s been a night and a day, the fights must have come to a cease, what’s the use of going?”
Shen Qiao was caught by his motion, he leaned back and turned his head away: “Yan-zongzhu, please respect yourself!”
Yan Wushi smiled: “A-Qiao is too argumentative, I’ve carried you, touched you, fed you, what part of your body has this venerable one not touched, what more is pinching your cheeks? I see that you’re usually not like the other girls with their rouge and powders, but your face is not any less fine or smooth as theirs, if you dressed as a woman, your appearance would also be exceptional.”
Shen Qiao was thinking of proper matters, hearing this just assumed it was nonsense, entering the left ear and exiting the right, he creased his brow: “Before Yan-zongzhu had other worldly insight, saying that Hulugu was still alive, I didn’t believe you fully, now this one phrase becomes prophesy, Hulugu remerges in the jianghu, my master however is dead, under the heavens, there’s no one that has power over him, Tujue is close to Yuwen Yun, Yuwen Yun is also conspiring with Hehuan Sect and the Buddhist sects, shijiandahui is now the aftermath of a battlefield, coming to a premature end, Chunyangguan suffering this calamity, I’m afraid the jianghu after this will never see another quiet day.”
Yan Wushi reclined on the bedframe,  said lazily: “What set of concerns is this? Chunyangguan diminished, isn’t that a great opportunity for Xuandushan, with your strength as is, you can easily beat Yu Ai into the ground, to kill your way back to Xuandushan and reclaim your zhangjiao position wouldn’t be a hard thing, why sew bridal clothes for others? If you have this intention, I will certainly assist.”
Shen Qiao looked at him, resisted, resisted again, unable to tolerate it any longer, he said: “When you’re speaking just speak, can you not put your hand on my leg? This is not very respectful.”
If he wasn’t positioned on the inside, and still injured, he would have long turned and gotten up.
Yan Wushi slapped it twice, chuckled: “It was your leg underneath here, I thought it was a pillow.”
Saying this he reached underneath the blankets, pulled out the pillow beside Shen Qiao’s leg, rested his hand on it, slapped it gently.
Shen Qiao: So shameless.