EMS Chapter 4

Chu Qian asked, “Where are you going?”

Feng Lingjun pointed to himself and said, “Looking for a place to shower.”

“Looking for what place? Just wash up here.” Chu Qian walked past him into the room, placed the fruit he was holding on the table, and turned to say, “I’ve boiled a pot of hot water, so you don’t need to go out.”

Feng Lingjun was taken aback; how considerate! Not only did he hold no grudges, but he was also so warm-hearted. He smiled, “Did you boil it just for me?”

“Are there others besides you here?” Chu Qian snorted coldly, picking a fruit from the pile and handing it to him. Feng Lingjun couldn’t recognize what this wild fruit was, so he took a bite from Chu Qian’s hand; it was sour and sweet.

He was indeed a bit hungry, but the priority now was to take a shower. He wasn’t used to looking so unkempt. If his current scruffy appearance were to be seen by the junior female disciples, their hearts would probably shatter.

Thinking of this, Feng Lingjun couldn’t help but glance at Chu Qian again. 

Chu Qian is really good-looking, even more so than his junior sisters. Yesterday, it was too late, and perhaps due to the lighting, Feng Lingjun felt that Chu Qian looked a bit different from last night. It’s hard to say exactly why; maybe it was because the morning sunlight was bright enough to illuminate his features more clearly, highlighting his attractiveness even more.

Feng Lingjun suddenly felt a bit restless. The transition from admiring women to appreciating men was just a matter of thought, and the transition was surprisingly easy.

“Why are you staring at me?” Chu Qian snapped, feeling irritated by the intense gaze.

Feng Lingjun replied, “I’m just wondering, how can you be so good looking?”

“…” Chu Qian was taken aback by the comment, his face turning as red as a white cloth that had just fallen into a dye vat.

He was not good with words, and when it came to someone like Feng Lingjun, he was even more at a loss. After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out the phrase “smooth talker.” He wanted to insult him again but couldn’t find any other words, standing there awkwardly like a teased young bride, which only made Feng Lingjun want to laugh even more.

Feng Lingjun cleared his throat lightly and straightened his expression: “How about this, there’s no need for a hot bath. I’m feeling a bit stiff and would like to go out and stretch my muscles. Is there a stream nearby? Could you take me there?”

“Sure.”

Chu Qian, eager to escape the awkward situation, immediately pushed open the door and stepped out ahead of him.

It was late spring, and the flowering season of Wangchun Mountain was relatively late. When Feng Lingjun left his sect, the spring flowers at the foot of the mountain had already withered, but the flowering trees here were in full bloom. He followed behind Chu Qian, the two of them walked along the rugged mountain path. After a short while, they came across a grove of camellias. Passing through the grove,there was a waterfall hanging high on the cliff ahead.

Under the waterfall, there was a large pool of water, almost like a small lake. Feng Lingjun moved a bit closer, took off his clothes at the shore, and tested the water’s depth. Chu Qian said, “It’s not deep, I often bathe here.”

Feng Lingjun nodded and curiously asked, “How long have you lived here? Have you always been alone? Is there no village nearby?”

“There is.” Chu Qian found a rock to sit on casually and said, “There’s a village to the west. When my master was alive, he would occasionally take some mountain delicacies to the village to trade for some rare items from outside. But I’m not good at dealing with those people, so I haven’t been there in the past two years.”

“Your master?”

“Yeah, an old man who liked to brag, he lived in seclusion on Wangchun Mountain his whole life. I was the orphan he took in, he passed away three years ago.” Chu Qian’s tone was casual, as if he had already mourned when it was time to grieve, mentioning it again now, there was no longer any sentiment about life and death.

Feng Lingjun was momentarily speechless, but he increasingly felt that Chu Qian was both pitiful and endearing. How could Chu Qian live alone in the mountains for so long? If it were him, he would have been bored to death by now.

Feng Lingjun said, “Have you ever thought about going down the mountain? Leaving here to see the lively places.”

“…” Chu Qian was taken aback, unconsciously lowering his head, murmuring, “I don’t know where I could go, I don’t have anyone I know. Maybe… maybe I should just stay on Wangchun Mountain. I’m familiar with every blade of grass and tree here.”

Despite saying this, his mood was somewhat low,  and when he looked up again, there was a hint of expectation and longing in his gaze directed at Feng Lingjun.

Feng Lingjun’s heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier—he actually felt a sense of responsibility and guilt towards Chu Qian, as if he needed to take care of him. Chu Qian was not a girl and didn’t require him to take responsibility, did he?

“You..” Feng Lingjun hesitated for a moment, swallowing back the inappropriate words, and changed the subject, “Why does your master want to be called ‘master’? Has he ever taught you martial arts?”

Chu Qian didn’t seem like someone skilled in martial arts.

Sure enough, Chu Qian said, “He did teach me, but I didn’t learn well, so he lost patience and stopped teaching me. Later, he asked me to practice some kind of useless mental technique. I practiced for many years without seeing any results, but I’ve developed the habit of getting up early every day to practice it once.”

Feng Lingjun pressed on, “What mental technique?”

Chu Qian, perhaps too naive or completely unguarded with him as he did not hide anything and spoke straightforwardly: “My master often boasted that he was the number one expert in the world and had a set of the world’s top martial arts manuals. It’s right under my bed, I’ll take you to see it later.”

“……”

Feng Lingjun was skeptical; he had not heard of any senior expert living in seclusion on Wangchun Mountain. However, the martial world has always been full of surprises, with greater heights beyond the known and people beyond the ordinary¹天外有天，人外有人 – There are people who are wiser than the wise, just as there is another heaven beyond the heaven we see. Basically, there is always someone better.. The more places he traveled, the more he understood this truth.

Chu Qian, however, completely disregarded the matter, convinced that his master was just boasting. While Feng Lingjun was taking a bath, he took the opportunity to wash Feng Lingjun’s clothes, and after finishing, he hung them on a tree branch to dry in the mountain breeze.

When Feng Lingjun put them on, he couldn’t help but praise him, saying in a rather cheesy manner, “Qian’er is truly virtuous, marrying you would definitely mean having a wife who excels in both housework and cooking.”

“……”

Chu Qian was taken aback and immediately got annoyed: “I’m not a woman!”

Feng Lingjun quickly changed his words: “It’s the same thing, it’s the same thing.”

“What do you mean it’s the same thing? You’re talking nonsense, how ridiculous!” Chu Qian said angrily, as if he were genuinely upset.

Feng Lingjun was somewhat inscrutable. He was used to joking around with Wang Zizhao, his words flowing freely. Yet, Chu Qian had thin skin and a bad temper, truly resembling a young lady. Feng Lingjun found it amusing and wanted to tease him further, so he flew up to the forest on the east side of the waterfall and picked a branch of camellia flowers.

Feng Lingjun’s qinggong was impressive. Among the many masters renowned for their agility, he wasn’t the very best, but his movements were flashy, and he was good-looking. His long hair, still unbound, danced in the wind, gently sweeping through the camellia grove. When he landed, it seemed as if even his clothing was stained with the fragrance of flowers.

Chu Qian stared dazedly until Feng Lingjun approached and handed him a pure white camellia.

“For you.”

“…”

“Don’t be angry anymore.”

“Who is angry?” Chu Qian took the flowers and glanced at Feng Lingjun.

“Oh, you’re not angry?” Feng Lingjun said, “If you still won’t forgive me, I’ll just have to pick all the flowers on Wangchun Mountain and give them all to you. How about that?”

“Who… who cares!”

Chu Qian’s face instantly turned red. He turned his back to hide his embarrassment, but as his eyes glanced around, he suddenly noticed the mountain path they had come from. Just to the right of that path, there was a fork leading down the mountain.

Chu Qian turned his head back, his gaze flickering: “Are you planning to go back already, back to your ‘fox den’?”

Feng Lingjun was taken aback. He shouldn’t be lying about this matter, but with Chu Qian looking at him so earnestly, he certainly didn’t have the heart to say he would leave immediately.

Feng Lingjun replied, “No rush, are you eager to send me away?”

Chu Qian snorted and ignored him, turning to head towards the thatched cottage.

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  天外有天，人外有人 – There are people who are wiser than the wise, just as there is another heaven beyond the heaven we see. Basically, there is always someone better.