After releasing the lanterns, we stood up to move elsewhere when a man stumbled off a painting boat to our front right. His steps were unsteady as he rushed ashore, leaning against a tree trunk and doubling over.
Wait, he looked familiar. Wasn't that Yang Qingzhou?
Seeing an acquaintance, I happily went forward to greet him, only to be met with the pungent stench of alcohol. Without warning, Yang Qingzhou opened his mouth and began to retch. Fortunately, Ye Tan caught me by the waist and pulled me back, or I would have been caught right in the path of the filth.
Yang Qingzhou leaned over in pain, vomiting for a good while before sliding down the tree trunk. We quickly hauled him away and sat him on a chair at a nearby noodle stall. I reached into Ye Tan’s robes, fished out a silk handkerchief, and stuffed it into Yang Qingzhou's hand.
In this era without toilet paper, thank goodness for the all-purpose Ye Tan. He was truly useful.
"Xuanheng?" Yang Qingzhou regained some clarity after vomiting, finally recognizing me. "To think you would see me in such a disgraceful state. My apologies."
I had always seen him with the refined, effortless grace of a gentleman; I hadn't expected to see him so disheveled. It was indeed a surprise. I called the stall keeper to bring a bowl of clear broth and placed it before him. "You've been drinking?"
"Thank you." Yang Qingzhou took a shallow sip and replied, "Yes... I am quite afraid of drinking. Even a little makes me feel terrible."
I asked, "Then why do it?"
Yang Qingzhou gave a bitter smile. "When guests come, one must accompany them at the table. Even if I cannot drink, I must."
I didn't quite understand the logic of these people.
As I watched him drink the soup, I asked, "Why are you alone? Where is your brother, Yang Su?"
Yang Qingzhou replied, "He never attends these sorts of occasions."
I found it strange. "Isn't the Winter Solstice a holiday you should spend with those closest to you?"
Just like how A-Heng and A-Shu went home, how Qi-Qi went to find her little friends, and how Ye Xiao and Ye Lan paired off, while Ye Tan and I stayed together.
"It is perhaps for the best that he doesn't come." Yang Qingzhou set down the bowl and said softly, "Xuanheng, I'm sorry, but I must return to the boat."
"That boat is yours?" I had seen him come off it, and considering he was from a prominent local family, it wasn't surprising he owned a painting boat or two. I felt a sudden itch of curiosity. "Can you lend it to me for a row?"
Yang Qingzhou hesitated. "Now? You certainly pick your timing... How about another day?"
I was confused. "What's wrong with today?"
"There are others on the boat... it might not be very convenient."
Just as Yang Qingzhou said this, a man leaned over the railing of the boat's second floor and laughed loudly. "Brother Yang! You've only had a few drops and you're already trying to slip away? There are several rounds left, and we're all waiting for you!"
Ah, it was Yi Qiao from the Wu Yi Hills—the one who had spilled hibiscus soup on me at the Sword Tasting Assembly and later tried to provoke us.
Yi Qiao recognized me as well. His smile vanished instantly, and he clicked his tongue. "How unlucky." He gave a cold laugh and tapped the railing. "Brothers, come look! There's a 'great figure' down here."
Several more figures appeared, glancing in my direction and whispering among themselves.
Yang Qingzhou’s expression suddenly turned grim. Though he had just said he wanted to leave, he now stood frozen.
After finishing his gossiping, Yi Qiao suddenly asked loudly, "Brother Yang, why are you with someone like that? What exactly do you mean by this?"
He emphasized the words "someone like that" with such a snide, mocking tone that it grated on my ears. "We're just having a bowl of soup with a friend. What's wrong with that?"
The group of youths burst into raucous laughter, Yi Qiao most of all. "He says he's your friend! Do you admit it? Brother Yang, why don't you say it yourself? Don't go breaking the poor man's heart."
Yang Qingzhou turned pale and, to my surprise, did not answer.
I found the whole thing bizarre. Whether we were friends or not wasn't such a big deal. I couldn't help but frown. "Why do you all keep making things difficult for him?"
Yi Qiao snapped, "What did you say?"
I continued, "You are familiar with Qingzhou, so you naturally know he can't handle his liquor. Why do you keep forcing him to drink? Who he chooses to befriend is his own business. Why pressure him? If you truly consider yourselves his friends, why are you bullying him?"
Yi Qiao flew into a rage and began to curse. Before he could get more than a few insults out, a heavy, solemn voice interrupted him, shouting, "Enough."
Yi Qiao silenced himself immediately, turned, and bowed. "Old Master Yang, please forgive my rudeness."
The voice spoke again. "Qingzhou, stop making a spectacle of yourself. Come back."
Yang Qingzhou didn't give me a single glance. He turned and walked swiftly back to the boat. As soon as he boarded, the boatman weighed anchor, and the painting boat drifted away from the shore.
After settling the bill, I patted Ye Tan. "Let's go. Time to find that lost lamb, Ye Xiao."
Ye Tan suddenly asked, "Are you not angry, Master?"
I asked, "Do you mean at Yi Qiao or Yang Qingzhou?"
"Yang Qingzhou, I suppose." Ye Tan clearly didn't care about a low-level bit player like Yi Qiao.
"He was obviously forced by the situation. I'll just ask him clearly another day. If he truly doesn't consider me a friend, then it's no great loss." I sighed. "Sigh, I suddenly felt he was a bit pitiful today. It seems even people with boats don't necessarily live happier lives than anyone else."
Ye Tan lowered his head thoughtfully.
When he didn't move for a long time, I asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"I am thinking about many things... but I haven't figured them out yet," Ye Tan said seriously. "I will tell you once I have."
I nodded. "Alright, I'll wait."
A few days passed as we wandered about. I sent Ye Xiao, A-Heng, and A-Shu on several trips to the surrounding counties and towns, and we finally managed to gather the medicinal herbs I had borrowed from Yang Qingzhou. Once I finished the inventory and saw everything was correct, I went to Yang Lake to return them and offer my thanks.
Yang Qingzhou was somewhat surprised to see me. He didn't invite me inside, but instead led us away from the main gate to a simple little pavilion in the middle of the lake.
"Thank you for helping me out the other day, Xuanheng, and for not holding a grudge against me," Yang Qingzhou said earnestly. "Could it be that you truly... regard me as a friend?"
Shouldn't that be my line?
I said, "I told you before, I was never being insincere."
After the maid served the tea and left, Yang Qingzhou toyed with his teacup for a moment before speaking again. "Since Xuanheng considers me a friend, I have some questions... They may be presumptuous, but I wish to hear your own thoughts."
I said, "Please, go ahead."
Yang Qingzhou weighed his words carefully. "You must know something of the current movements in the martial world. That day at the assembly, when Autumn Manor and the One Sword Tomb asked you to choose a sword, they were testing your intentions. Had you chosen the one from Autumn Manor, you would have been an ally from then on, and everyone would be happy... But you chose the one from the One Sword Tomb. Xuanheng... what exactly are you planning?"
I was stunned. "...I'm sorry, I don't understand a single word of that."
Yang Qingzhou lowered his eyes. "Never mind. It was my blunder to ask."
I felt him suddenly distancing himself, so I hurriedly said, "I really don't know. What movements are happening in the martial world? What do Autumn Manor and the One Sword Tomb represent? I truly just chose the one that matched my clothes better. I didn't consider anything else."
Now it was Yang Qingzhou's turn to be skeptical. "You are a member of the martial world, Xuanheng. How could you know nothing?"
I sighed. "To tell you the truth, I've only been in this country for a month or two. I haven't heard even a whisper of the things you're talking about."
Yang Qingzhou’s suspicion grew. "You do not look like a foreigner, Xuanheng."
I had no choice but to spin a lie. "That's true. I used to live on a mountain. I was the only person on the entire mountain, and I didn't even know its name. Then one day, I went down the mountain, and I could never find my way back."
"Like a banished immortal who wandered into the mortal realm by mistake." Yang Qingzhou gave a light laugh. He looked at me intently for a moment and added, "If anyone else said that, I would take it as nonsense. But coming from you... I find I must believe it."
Before I could respond, I heard Ye Tan mutter to himself behind me, "No wonder..."
I looked at him, completely bewildered. *You actually believed it too?!*
I felt no pressure lying to others, but the thought of the poor, constantly-deceived Ye Tan being fooled by me again filled me with guilt. Fine, I'd explain it to him later when no one was around.
Having accepted this explanation, Yang Qingzhou seemed much more relaxed. "If that's the case... then it all makes sense. It was my own narrow-mindedness. I hope you won't take offense." He rose to give a regretful bow before sitting back down. "The martial world is currently divided into three major powers: the Horizontal Alliance, the Vertical Alliance, and the Zhongli Court. They are all at odds, locked in a stalemate. Because the Zhongli Court and the Vertical Alliance act with more aggression, the friction between them is even greater. Previously, because they feared the guard by Zhongli Zixi's side, Ye Sha, the various sects didn't dare move. But then Ye Sha defected to the Vertical Alliance, had his martial arts destroyed, and was expelled from the Zhongli Court. That stagnant pond has turned back into a raging torrent... After that incident, the tension between the Vertical Alliance and the Zhongli Court reached a breaking point. In this past month alone, they have fought over a dozen bloody battles."
I was secretly shocked. I hadn't realized Ye Sha’s expulsion would cause such a massive stir. During these past few months of wandering and sightseeing, we had been so preoccupied with fun that we had almost entirely forgotten the Eldest Young Master’s warning that "the Zhongli Court will soon face a great war."
"The worsening relations between the Zhongli Court and the Vertical Alliance, and the losses on both sides, are exactly what we in the Horizontal Alliance like to see. We only hope they fight until both are ruined so we can reap the benefits. However, because we are at this critical juncture, we fear other forces interfering. Therefore, lately, we have been paying close attention to any new, unknown faces..." Yang Qingzhou paused here and looked at me with a smile. "Among them, you, Xuanheng, are the most eye-catching new blossom."
We were just two salted fish with zero threat level. What was there to be eye-catching about?
Yang Qingzhou said, "When you first arrived at Yang Lake, I discovered many hidden guards lurking around you. I didn't know if they were your protectors or your pursuers, but either way—it proved that you two are not as simple as you appear on the surface."
"On the surface?" I asked, puzzled.
Yang Qingzhou smiled. "Since we are friends, forgive my rudeness. When we first met, I thought you two were both foolish and poor."
I pressed a hand to my forehead in pain. "I... really have nothing to say in my defense."
Yang Qingzhou laughed for a bit before continuing. "Neither your clothes nor your swords were sophisticated; you looked to be of humble origin. Yet the entry fee for the Sword Tasting Assembly was a fortune, and you didn't even blink, so you didn't seem poor. Your behavior during the banquet showed a complete lack of etiquette... even a mountain rustic wouldn't be so unrefined; calling it 'crude' wouldn't be an exaggeration. Yet when others came to provoke you, you struck back decisively with remarkable strength and a fierce spirit. That was when I knew... I had eyes but failed to recognize Mt. Tai."
...No, no, no, you're overestimating me.
Ten thousand protest comments scrolled through my mind, but my face remained calm. I hadn't felt anything was wrong with my behavior, but apparently, in the eyes of a normal person, it held so much deep meaning.
"Then came the competition. This silent guard of yours... Master Ye Tan, who shattered a hundred weapons with ease. With figures like you two, who would dare look down on you?" Yang Qingzhou rested his chin on his hand, watching Ye Tan intently. "Autumn Manor is an ally of our Horizontal Alliance, so they sent a sword to test the waters. If you had accepted it, you would have been a companion of the Horizontal Alliance. If you refused, you would be our enemy..." He sighed again, lowering his gaze. "Unfortunately, despite all our calculations, we didn't expect that you two would be so extraordinary that even the One Sword Tomb would be drawn to you. And you... it would have been one thing to refuse Autumn Manor, but you actually chose the One Sword Tomb."
I asked, "You are the Horizontal Alliance. What about the One Sword Tomb? I haven't heard of them being under the Zhongli Court. Do they belong to the Vertical Alliance?"
Yang Qingzhou shook his head. "The One Sword Tomb does not belong to the Vertical Alliance, nor are they on good terms with any power in the martial world... They are a pack of lunatics."
I looked at him in confusion.
"The One Sword Tomb believes that only the single strongest, sharpest sword should exist in this world, enshrined in their tomb for people to worship. All other weapons are a disgrace to the Way of the Sword. The reason they forge swords is, in fact, to bury them." Yang Qingzhou took a deep breath, his expression turning grim. "To accept their sword is to agree to bury every other weapon in the world on their behalf.
"Since you accepted the sword of the One Sword Tomb, no sect in the martial world will ever befriend you. The enemies the One Sword Tomb has made in the past will naturally settle their scores with you. That is why you could not board that boat on the Winter Solstice, no matter what. Under the watchful eyes of the public, I could never admit to being friends with someone from the One Sword Tomb.
"This is no longer about the Vertical Alliance, the Horizontal Alliance, or the Zhongli Court... Your choice back then meant that you intended to make an enemy of the entire martial world. Every martial artist in existence is now your mortal foe."
...
I was dumbstruck. "Can I still return it for a refund???"
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