Chapter 10: Twelve Hours of Muwei Palace: End of Noon Hour
After arguing in the private room, Cai Zhao had purposefully tried to improve the atmosphere. Who knew that the pleasantness would only last a second. The young man in front of her changed his mood like lightning.
Cai Zhao’s chopsticks were frozen in the air.
“Your great-aunt knew that your mother only said she wanted to become a nun because of a fit of anger. She didn’t think about how your mother might feel or provide consideration or counsel. She actually encouraged her to do something so foolish—it really is a lotus flower from the same stem, as crazy as her mother!”
“Don’t speak ill of my elders!” Cai Zhao yelled.
“I’ll say what I want to.” Chang Ning laughed coldly. “Your aunt’s intelligence means she must have understood this. The world has many foolish elders. The kind that just like to use hypocritical rules to control the youth...”
Cai Zhao slammed her chopsticks on the table. “Chang shixiong’s eyes see so far and so wisely, this sister doesn’t dare to consort with someone so mighty. As the ancients said, to one’s friend there is an endless amount to say, but to some, to say one word is a waste of time. Looks like Chang Shixiong doesn’t need xiao sister to follow him!”
She was so furious she got up to start walking away. Who knew Chang Ning was even angrier than her. He did not say a word of explanation. He laughed coldly, and walked away. Cai Zhao was left speechless still standing at the table, her exit taken away!
Cai Zhao felt like she had been fed a pot of hot tea, she was so angry!
Cai Han lifted his head from his bowl and said quietly, “Ah-Jie, actually what Chang shixiong just said about grandmother and great-aunt has also been said by mom a few times...”
“Eat your drumstick!”
Cai Han continued in a small voice, “Ah Jie, when aunt was alive, she admired Hero Chang very much.”
“Be quiet! Eat your drumstick!”
“Chang Shixiong won’t run into any danger going out like this right? He won’t meet anyone waiting to beat him up?”
“Eat your drum-” Cai Zhao stood. “Stay here!” She ran after Chang Ning.
Cai Zhao passed the throngs of people outside. The entire way she asked the servants. That face full of boils stood out more than a person with three legs, so even the busiest servants couldn’t miss it. No matter how twisty the path he took, each servant she asked was able to point her along a continuous path.
Exiting the main doors, continuing to the left, going through a flower door, she entered a small storage courtyard. She spotted Chang Ning... and five bullies. It was Qi Lingbo and the outer sect disciples.
Cai Zhao wanted to cry to the heavens. Why had aunt never told her that being a hero was so difficult? She had just been irritated to death, hadn’t even had time to vent her anger, and now she had to come and save the one who angered her!
Chang Ning had a rip in his hem and his sleeves were rumpled like they had been pulled. The noon sunlight was bright, so the shadows on his face were not clear, but for a second Cai Zhao thought she saw a sliver of an intent to kill, violence.
A person with no martial arts dared to have such a big temper! Cai Zhao criticized in her head.
Qi Lingbo had been so warm and soft-spoken in front of her elders. But now her face was filled with outrage. “... where’s your arrogance now?” She taunted Chang Ning. “Now I don’t want your heart blood. Obediently kow tow to me eighteen times and eat that dog poop, and I’ll consider you still my fellow disciple!”
The other people jeered and threatened.
Chang Ning said coldly, “You like dog poop that much, eat it yourself. I am not the kind of person to take what someone else likes.”
“You...!” Qi Lingbo was angered speechless.
Cai Zhao took a deep breath, jumped and flew through the air. She landed like a flower petal in front of Chang Ning.
Chang Ning looked at the girl in front of him, the coldness in his eyes slowly receded. His clenched fists also loosened slightly.
Cai Zhao extended both hands in a universal gesture of peace. “Fellow disciples, shixiong, shijie, easy now.” In the corner of her eye, she saw Chang Ning’s pretty eyes looking at her with a hint of a smile.
Qi Lingbo gritted her teeth. “What a good Flying Flower move (飞花渡). Luoying Valley’s qing gong is indeed worth its reputation. Cai shimei came right in time. So, you want to be my enemy?”
Cai Zhao was fifteen. Other than important values or principles like the ingredients of her food and the temperature of the fire when you steam fish, which were things she would not back down, she was very easygoing. But ever since exiting Luoying Valley, she found that a lot of principles she took to be common sense, were not that common. As a member of the righteous sect, they could not pick on those weaker than them!
“Shijie, just now shifu had asked me to look after Chang shixiong. You probably heard it too. Why make it difficult for me?” Cai Zhao stopped smiling. “Even if we cannot help our elders, we shouldn’t make trouble for them. A snow Lotus Pill is rare, but it is not one in a million. In the future when our sect members travel outside, they will probably find another. At that time shijie could have it, and it wouldn't be too late.”
“Even though the grudge between Chang Ning and I started because of the snow lotus pill, but if he didn’t frequently say insulting things and humiliate me, I wouldn’t have kept going.”
Cai Zhao turned to Chang Ning. “What did you say about shijie?”
“Which time are you asking about?” Chang Ning smirked.
“Shijie, what did he say about you?”
“Cai Zhao! Are you humiliating me on purpose?”
This was when the outer sect disciples joined in.
A sharp mouthed disciple A said, “Shijie once delivered medicine for Chang Ning. But Chang said that the snow lotus pill was a holy medicine, if shijie ate it, it would be like feeding precious ginseng to a pig...”
“Another time shijie especially chose some nice fabric to make clothing for him, but Chang said that that shijie acted like a bootlicking servant.”
“Three months ago, shijie won the Jin Dao Sect’s disciple at Tian Chi, and so second shixiong gave shijie a title ‘Tian Chi Fairy’. But Chang Ning said that the Jin Dao Sect wanted to flatter our Sect Leader and told his disciple to lose on purpose. So, her title should really me ‘Relying-On-Daddy Fairy’.”
“Last month...”
“Enough!” Qi Lingbo wished she could close these idiot’s mouths.
Cai Zhao wanted to laugh, but held it in. She looked at Chang Ning with a raised eyebrow.
“I spoke the truth.” Chang Ning casually said.
“Even so, insulting someone is still not right.” She gave him a look.
“I’m injured, I didn't follow them around. If they hadn’t kept pestering me, would I even bother talking to them?”
That... was not incorrect.
“Nonsense, you should be grateful shijie is willing to speak to you!”
“Cai shimei,” Qi Lingbo jeered. “You’re going to protect this bastard? I’m not going to break his arm or his legs, just teach a small lesson.”
“Exactly! We won’t hurt him. Just make him eat some shit!”
“Hahaha, dog shit probably has lots of vitamins and minerals. Maybe it’ll cure his poison!”
“Hahaha!”
Cai Zhao forced a smile, starting to circulate her inner qi. “Shijie, my aunt said, the most important thing about travelling the Jianghu is to be reasonable. Some things may make you angry, but they are reasonable, so you have to suppress your anger for them.”
“Chang shixiong angered shijie and may be quite irritating, but he is the only member left of the Chang Family. If shijie really forced him to eat dog poop, will Hero Chang be able to rest in peace? And, right now Chang shixiong is still injured, so it would be unfair. Why doesn’t shijie wait a little? Once Chang shixiong recovers, no matter how much shijie wants to teach him, this shimei won’t stop you.
Qi Lingbo hesitated slightly but thought, it was easy for you to say. If she waited for Chang Ning to recover, what if his martial arts skill was good? If he became stronger than her then she wouldn’t be able to teach him anything.
“Besides, martial arts have a place like the language arts has its own competition stage. Chang Ning has never laid a finger on shijie. If shijie is truly angry, why not insult him back? You have lots of people. Insulting him with this many voices, wouldn’t that vent your anger?” Cai Zhao suggested.
“Insult? Insult how?” Qi Lingbo said.
“Ugly freak?” Chang Ning supplied helpfully, “Unlucky bastard, one that has such bad fortune that he cursed his family to death, homeless hobo, cowardly dog that hides at Qing Que Sect, a useless rice-eating dumbass... there are so many ...”
“His face is so thick, no matter what we insult he doesn’t take it to heart! What’s the point!” The point of insulting someone was so that you hurt them. Like Chang Ning who clearly didn’t take it to heart, it was a waste of time!
Cai Zhao hadn’t eaten properly all day after a long climb and was starting to lose her patience. “I’ve said all I could. If shijie can’t understand, then I only have one method.”
Cai Zhao leapt up and grabbed a handful of peach blossom petals. Her figure flashed towards the five bullies. She moved like lightning between them, and ‘pa pa pa pa pa’ five sounds rang out. By the time the last sound rang out, Cai Zhao had already returned to her original spot.
The bullies looked down and saw that each of their chests had been pressed with flower petals.
Cai Zhao said coldly. “All of you added together can’t beat me. I promised shifu I would look after Chang shixiong. If shijie is still unhappy, then go cry to your parents and your shixiong---”
Finished speaking, Cai Zhao pulled Chang Ning back to the banquet. She completely ignored Qi Lingbo’s yells behind her.
--
Cai Han was sitting at their table, happily biting into his fourth chicken drumstick. Cai Han said, “Don’t eat so much meat. Look how much fat you have. It’s enough to start cutting off and selling!”
Cai Han said sadly, “Ah jie, please consider me, after the Beichen Ancestor remembrance ceremony, I have to go with uncle to see maternal grandmother. I’ll have to stay with her for a few months at least. Grandmother believes in Buddha and has all of us eating vegetarian.”
“Grandmother is sick, it makes sense you are visiting her. Be nice to her! Make her happy and don’t make her angry!”
Cai Han almost had tears in his eyes. “Ah jie is so cruel. If you hadn’t become a disciple, you’d have to go too. At that time, don’t even mention if the wontons have hind leg or front leg meat, you’d only be able to see if it’s steamed cabbage today or boiled cabbage! And you ask me to be nice to grandma, if we both became monks and nuns, that would make her happiest, but would ah jie be willing?”
Chang Ning couldn’t hold in a small laugh. Cai Zhao shot him a look. “Stop talking, eat your drum—wait, that’s the last one!”
Finished lecturing her younger brother, Cai Zhao pulled Chang Ning to sit down and stared him down.
“Let me be straight with you. Let’s make three ground rules. Firstly, you’re not allowed to say bad things about my aunt! Secondly, you’re not allowed to say bad things about my parents! Thirdly, you’re not allowed to say disrespectful things about my elders! Xiao Han, don’t interrupt, eat your drumstick!”
Cai Han had been wanting to point out his sister’s mistake, but realized that it was more important to eat meat. Chang Ning covered his mouth with his sleeve, showing a beautiful pair of eyes that were crinkled in mirth.
Cai Zhao realized that there was an issue with what she just said.
She scratched her cheek with embarrassment and started over. “That doesn’t count. New ground rules. First, you’re not allowed to say bad things about all of my elders that I respect. Passive aggressive or sarcastic comments are not allowed either! Secondly, you’re not allowed to go around instigating conflicts. You can’t create conflicts and want me to clean up your messes. Thirdly.... I haven't thought of it yet, I’ll add it later!”
Chang Ning looked like he wanted to argue, but Cai Zhao said, “As long as you don’t cause trouble, before your injuries are completely healed, I will protect you. Ok?”
Chang Ning’s smile still had a bit of his coldness in it. Cai Zhao looked at him with her anger burning in her eyes.
Chang Ning replied slowly. “With Sect Leader Qi here, I would not really suffer any real harm.”
Cai Zhao hid a laugh. “Does eating poop count as a real harm?”
Chang Ning’s smile disappeared.
Cai Zhao glanced at the Chang Ning’s ripped robe, “Qi Lingbo is not the type to let things go. You may not be in danger of dying, but you’ll have plenty of humiliation. Stop pretending. You dislike these bullies, but right now your injuries are not healed, you can’t beat them. Right?”
“You clearly dislike me too, but you protect me. Is this something your aunt taught you too?”
“My aunt is a true martial arts hero. She helps the weak and punishes the evil. She’s not swayed by her own likes and dislikes, but by her sense of righteousness. I just hope that I don’t disappoint her teachings.”
Chang Ning looked outside for a second and said, “My father also wanted me to become someone like him. But I don’t think I can.”
“That’s alright, you have to avenge your family. So of course you have to have some bloodthirst. How can you be as gentle as Hero Chang?
Chang Ning stopped looking outside and looked at Cai Zhao. He lowered his voice and said, “Before, that was my fault. I shouldn’t have said those things about your elders. It’s just that it reminded me of something...” His long, refined fingers picked at the engravings on the table. “My father’s last wish was for me to look after one of our elders. An elder I looked down on. A person who was cowardly, weak, cruel, heartless, comfortable, and greedy for riches.”
“I don’t agree. Does an elder’s words have to be right? Not necessarily. But, those were unfortunately the last wishes of my father.”
Chang Ning’s fingers were white, long, and well-proportioned. Compared to the black table, it had a kind of contrasting beauty, almost like a rare jade.
“Then do you agree or not?” Cai Zhao couldn’t contain her impatience.
Chang Ning collected himself and his melancholy. His gaze met hers steadily as he said, “A promise is a promise.”
“Great.”
Cai Zhao lifted her chopsticks and stole the last chicken drumstick. In front of her crying younger brother, she took a large bite. She was going to help the weak—she was starting in her small inner circle (and she didn’t plan on expanding said circle). Hopefully her aunt in heaven would understand.
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