EMS Chapter 6

After agreeing to descend the mountain together, Chu Qian began to pack his belongings. All his possessions were in this thatched cottage. There weren’t a lot, and even fewer that he could take with him. Yet, as the moment to part with Wangchun Mountain approached, a wave of reluctance surged in his heart, wishing he could take every blade of grass and tree with him.

After tidying up for a while, he still hadn’t made much progress. Chu Qian’s emotions were both excited and down. The next day, after noon, he took Feng Lingjun to his master’s grave to pay respects, saying many farewell words. Feng Lingjun comforted him, saying that this journey was not a one-way trip, and they could return in the future. Chu Qian nodded, feeling a little better. 

They returned to the thatched cottage, and Chu Qian showed Feng Lingjun the “Secret Manual of Divine Skills” left by his master.

It was an old, yellowed book without a title, quite thick, containing illustrations of techniques and some hasty writings, the handwriting not very clear. Feng Lingjun carefully examined it and realised that it contained extremely complex internal martial arts principles, so he asked Chu Qian, “Can you understand it?” 

Chu Qian shook his head: “A half-baked understanding.”

His master said he had no talent for martial arts. At first, he was undeterred, trying various methods to teach him, hoping he would eventually understand. But later, he gave up, and his only requirement for him became self-defence, ensuring he wouldn’t be bullied by wild beasts while hunting in the mountains.

As Chu Qian grew older, his master finally took out the secret manual to show him, but only taught him a little, leaving the rest for him to comprehend on his own. His master said that he should go with the natural flow, whether he succeeded in his studies or not, the old man would not take on a second disciple.

However, Chu Qian did not understand the sorrow of his master at the impending loss of his unparalleled martial arts. He had no interest in such matters. Fortunately, life in the mountains was dull, and with nothing else to do, he often took out the secret manual to read and practice haphazardly. Although his skills weren’t impressive, at least he had become somewhat familiar with the dog-like mental techniques written in the book.

Feng Lingjun listened to his description, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Seeing his reaction, Chu Qian felt a bit uneasy and nervously said, “My skills aren’t great. Once we come down the mountain, will I hold you back?”

Feng Lingjun replied, “No, we’re not going to fight.” After thinking for a moment, he took Chu Qian’s hand and reassured him, “I will protect you.”

“……”

Chu Qian was filled with an unknown emotion, warm and comforting. He instinctively took hold of Feng Lingjun’s hand, gripping it tightly like a precious treasure, but then he noticed Feng Lingjun suddenly raise an eyebrow, his expression changing as he curiously handed him the secret manual to look at.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Qian asked, puzzled.

Feng Lingjun said, “Look at the last page, what does it say in that corner?”

“…‘A child’s body cannot master this skill’?” Chu Qian read it in surprise.

“Didn’t you notice it before? Your master is truly a remarkable person,” Feng Lingjun said. “Now that you’re no longer a child, why not give it another try? You might make significant progress.”

Feng Lingjun spoke earnestly, but Chu Qian felt embarrassed and turned red, quickly agreeing and pretending to be nonchalant as he put away the manual. However, his thoughts wandered. He recalled that there was a chapter in this mental technique about “dual cultivation”, which included illustrations and written descriptions that were quite inappropriate. When he first saw it, he inwardly scolded his master for being so indecent. Now thinking about it, if he could dual cultivate with Feng Lingjun..

Chu Qian’s mind conjured up an image, and his face turned even redder. Feng Lingjun raised a finger and poked his cheek: “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing, nothing at all!” Chu Qian jumped up, using the excuse of preparing dinner to make a hasty exit.

In the blink of an eye, another day had passed.

Chu Qian had already given up on packing his luggage. He owned very little, and bringing more would only be a burden, so he decided not to bring anything at all. He asked Feng Lingjun when they would leave, and the answer was still, “No rush.”

In reality, Feng Lingjun was indeed reluctant to leave. Wangchun Mountain was like a paradise, isolating him from the many disputes and troubles of the world. When he was down the mountain, when had he ever slept so soundly? He was the chief disciple of Yunhua Sect’s sect master. The martial world was full of disputes, and Yunhua Sect was closely tied to the Wulin Alliance¹武林 (wǔlín) – literally “Martial Forest”, figuratively refers to the “community of martial artists” within Jianghu. Wulin is typically controlled by an alliance formed by the Righteous/Orthodox sects in order to uphold justice., making it hard for him to remain uninvolved. Especially since two years ago, when his master announced seclusion, all manner of responsibilities had fallen onto him, leaving him no way to escape.

Why not take the opportunity now to rest for a few days?

Feng Lingjun wished he could keep Chu Qian from going down the mountain; wouldn’t it be nice if he could just stay here with him?

It would be nice, but unfortunately, it’s not possible.

On the third day after making the decision, Feng Lingjun still didn’t mention leaving, and Chu Qian finally became anxious. Feng Lingjun was bathing under the waterfall while he sat on the shore, tossing small stones into the water one by one, murmuring, “Are we even going to leave?”

Feng Lingjun stood naked, his long hair half wet, turned back to him and smiled, “It’s only been a few days, what’s the rush? Aren’t you afraid that after you leave, you’ll miss home too much? Aren’t you going to take this time to see your fill of this place?”

Chu Qian replied, “I’ve seen it for eighteen years, a few more glances won’t make a difference.”

“You’re eighteen this year?” Feng Lingjun grasped the main point and sighed, “That’s not very young. If you had grown up outside, you might have already married and had children.”

Chu Qian was surprised: “Really? What about you? Have you married and had children?”

“I haven’t,” Feng Lingjun chuckled, giving Chu Qian a teasing glance. “What would you do if I had already married and started a family?”

“……”

Chu Qian was choked up, and after a long pause, he finally said, “No way!”

After saying that one “no way”, he was unable to say anything more, his face darkening like the bottom of a pot. He picked up a large stone and smashed it down towards Feng Lingjun. Feng Lingjun sidestepped and dodged, wading through the clear pond water to the shore, extending a hand towards Chu Qian.

Chu Qian ignored him and turned to leave, looking as if he was in a great rage.

Feng Lingjun was not in a hurry. He slowly tied his clothes and followed with light steps, only to see Chu Qian stop in his tracks, inexplicably standing in front of a tree, seemingly observing something.

Feng Lingjun took a few steps closer and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Chu Qian pointed to a tree in front of him, where there were marks on the trunk, and asked, “What is this? It looks like it was just made recently, and many trees in this area have them. How strange…”

Upon hearing this, Feng Lingjun composed himself and focused his gaze. He noticed several notches carved into the tree trunk with a sharp tool. These notches were arranged in a very orderly fashion, coming together to form a special symbol, resembling some sort of secret code.

Feng Lingjun recognized it: “It’s my junior brother.”

He was so lost in bliss that he had completely forgotten about Wang Zizhao. He didn’t expect that after dealing with the remnant of that demonic cult, Wang Zizhao would not return to their sect but instead come looking for him? Unable to find his whereabouts, he even left so many clues, afraid that he might miss them? Was the situation really that urgent?

Feng Lingjun’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly filled with a sense of foreboding. Following the secret signal left by Wang Zizhao, he navigated through the woods for a while and found a note buried in the dead branches and soil. Feng Lingjun brushed off the dirt from the paper and carefully unfolded it.

“Senior Brother, the situation has changed, return quickly.”

Feng Lingjun’s expression instantly darkened.

Chu Qian didn’t understand the meaning behind it and tilted his head to look at the paper: “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“……”

Feng Lingjun couldn’t help but glance at Chu Qian. After staying in a peaceful place for too long, one could almost forget what the world below the mountain was like. It was easy for him to take Chu Qian down the mountain, but with Chu Qian following him, how could he ensure Chu Qian’s safety? At least he couldn’t do it now. He has to resolve those matters first.

“Qian’er.” Feng Lingjun crushed the paper, white scraps falling from his fingers, carried away by the wind. He took Chu Qian’s hand and said sincerely, “Can you wait for me a few more days? I need to go down the mountain to handle an important matter, and I’ll come back to get you once it’s over, okay?”

“……” Chu Qian was taken aback, seemingly not understanding, “What did you say?”

“I said—”

“No!”

Chu Qian interrupted him, indignantly saying, “Have you changed your mind? Are you trying to deceive me? No wonder you haven’t wanted to leave these past few days, it turns out you’re a liar! You’ve been deceiving me…”

“I didn’t deceive you,” Feng Lingjun sighed lightly and explained, “The situation arose suddenly, my junior brother urgently called me back to the sect. I don’t want you to get caught up in this mess with me. Once I resolve the crisis, I will naturally come back to find you. How could I possibly lie to you?”

“…”

This time, Chu Qian understood. Wasn’t it all because his skills were lacking and he’d hold them back? That’s why Feng Lingjun found it inconvenient to take him along?

“I understand.” Chu Qian felt disheartened all at once, seven parts blaming himself for being useless, and three parts fearing that Feng Lingjun might be deceiving him. These two emotions mixed together, brewing a complete sense of sorrow. He couldn’t help but feel a bit teary-eyed, tightening his grip on Feng Lingjun’s hand, and asked, “When are you leaving?”

Before Feng Lingjun could answer, his eyes reddened again, trembling as he asked, “When will you come back?”

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  武林 (wǔlín) – literally “Martial Forest”, figuratively refers to the “community of martial artists” within Jianghu. Wulin is typically controlled by an alliance formed by the Righteous/Orthodox sects in order to uphold justice.