Ten Years Lantern on a Stormy Martial Arts World Night Chapter 3

The ones who remained were all young people. 

Song Yuzhi raised an eyebrow. “Three years ago when Cai heroine passed, father and brothers went to the funeral pay their respects.” The implied message was that Cai Zhao was pretending not to have met the Song father. 

Cai Zhao replied, “When aunt passed, I repeatedly had high fevers and couldn’t leave my room for two weeks. I didn’t even manage to make it to the funeral, so I never met the guests there.” 

Song Yuzhi unexpectedly was quite honest, he paused and said, “Cai Heroine went against all odds to save the martial arts world. But such a hero unexpectedly passed so young. It’s a great loss for the world.” 

Cai Zhao turned her head away and didn’t say anything.  

Song Maozhi got irritated. “My father is the Sect Leader of the Guang Tian Sect! A youngster like you dares to speak with such bad etiquette. I don’t even know who could have taught you!” 

“My aunt taught me,” Cai Zhao said. “Ever since I was born, it was my aunt who raised me. She said that people in the world all have to follow too many rules. Compared to rules, it’s having a kind heart that matters. As long as one has a kind heart, if one follows rules or not, that’s just a small detail.” 

“You dare to say that I’m not kind!” Song Maozhi roared. 

“No, how could I. I just think Second Young Master Song has no etiquette.”  

Everyone: …… 

Song Maozhi got angrier. “What did you say?!” 

Cai Zhao pointed to a stone sign half hidden by grass. “This sign says clearly ‘Dismount horses or carriages once past this point’. Sect Leader Song got off his carriage, yet Second Young Master Song remains on his horse.”  

Song Maozhi took a deep breath and yelled, “My father is as close as a brother to Sect Leader Qi! Sect Leader Qi wouldn’t care about these little details……”  

“My aunt is the sworn sister of Sect Leader Qi; they’ve done the eight bows of martial brotherhood. [1] Yet my mother and father haven’t been touting their own horn.”  

Because many generations of Qingque Sect Leaders were those of friendly temperament, not sticklers of rules, the words on this stone sign hadn’t been enforced in almost ten years. But Song Maozhi couldn’t say this fact out loud.  

“…Sect Leader Qi is a manganous person, he would not care about such a small thing!” 

“You can’t say that. If Second Young Master enters a store, and the shopkeeper says, ‘Seeing Second Young Master is the luck of three lifetimes’, would Second Young Master really believe it and think he doesn’t have to pay? My future shifu is just being polite. When a host is being polite, the guests can’t take it at face value. How can you give and inch and take a mile?” Cai Zhao thought this second young master song was not upright. 

Song Yuzhi on the side didn’t help, only quietly studied Cai Zhao. 

The girl was only fifteen. Her skin was beautiful and fair. Her features were youthful and joyful. Yet she pretended to have a mature air about her, like she was a righteous hero. The contrast was really funny. 

“What does that have to do with you!” Song Maozhi lost his cool.  

Cai Zhao thought that Song Maozhi was not only unrighteous, but also a little stupid. “Second Young Master is confused. In two days, I’ll become a disciple of Master Qi—this is my future Sect, my future Sect rules, my future shifu. How can this not be related to me?” 

“That means you aren’t a disciple of Qingque Sect yet!” 

“Second Young Master is sprouting nonsense again. If you see your fiancé going to a brothel house, would you say it has nothing to do with you since you haven’t been married yet?” 

“Our relationship is set in name; only a ceremony is remaining. How can that be the same?!” 

“My discipleship is also set. The elders on both sides have had years of letters, all has been agreed and only the ceremony is remaining. How is that not the same?” 

“You, you…” Song Maozhi shook on his horse. He almost lost his mind. 

Cai Han poked his head in. The young boy asked with an air of a curious good schoolboy, “Sis, how can a woman go to a brothel? I heard Uncle Scar from the back mountain say that only men can go to brothels to have fun.” 

Cai Zhao lovingly patted his head. “Uncle Scar from the back mountain is an honest man. When he travelled the Jianghu he only knew to kill and steal, once in a while murder an entire family. He is a very principled and simple man. He didn’t understand a lot of things. Actually, if someone wants to have fun at a brothel, they can go even if they are male or female, if they are not male and not female, or if they’re half male and half female.” 

Curious good schoolboy Cai Han nodded, showing that he learned something. 

Very principled and simple… 

Principled and simple… 

Simple… 

A chilly wind blew over the ground, lifting some leaves.  

All the disciples still standing around: …… 

“Er ge!” [2] Song Yuzhi wanted to quickly prevent his second brother from losing more face. “The person Cai shimei is talking about is One Palm Master, Purple Scar Faced Sun Dingzhou [3]. Though this person steals, he only steals riches acquired unethically. He gives his spoils to the poor. And though he kills, he only kills those that are villains.” 

Cai Zhao patted her younger brother’s head softly and continued to teach. “A-Han, you need to remember, if you don’t know the specifics, never make a huge fuss. It’ll just show people you’re a loser.” 

Cai Han nodded like a good school boy. This made Song Maozhi even angrier. Song Yuzhi quickly interrupted.  

“The entire family that was murdered was likely the Sang family of Shi Chuan. This was an event that shook the martial arts world. The Sang family’s five brothers were evil rapists and bandits. To ensure that their bandit hideout was safe, they didn’t keep females or children in any of their lootings. And those women that were kidnapped by them for their pleasure did not live more than a day.” 

Song Yuzhi continued, to the rapt attention of the other disciples. “At that time, the demonic sect’s leader was fighting the Beichen descendants, and neither side could move easily. If Hero Sun had not risked his life to break through the bandit hideout, the civilians around them would have suffered terribly. Er ge, just get off your horse.” 

Song Maozhi had been stunned by what he had heard. He slid off his horse unconsciously.  

Song Yuzhi tilted his head, looking seriously at Cai Zhao. “Purple scar faced hero Sun had disappeared from the martial arts world for almost ten years. No one knew where he had gone. So it turns out he went to Luoying Valley.” 

Cai Zhao replied. “Uncle Scar killed so many evildoers. He obviously has a lot of enemies. When Father brought him back to Luoying valley, his was covered in injuries, only hanging on to life by a thread. At the time, I was only five years old. So I often played with him.” 

The frowning Song Yuzhi said in a low voice, “I often hear people remember Hero Sun. I did not know that Hero Sun had settled down outside of the martial arts world. This does cause his friends to worry.” 

“Uncle Scar got drunk once and told me, he has no wife and no children, no parents, and no enemies. As for friends, it’s the same if he has them or not.” 

----The bleakness and loneliness in these words made one’s back felt cold. 

Surprisingly, Song Maozhi did not retort. He silently gave his bejeweled horse to his servants, and stood at one side. Song Xiuzhi looked with great pity, but he did not dare to speak. 

“Since Hero Sun has retreated from the martial arts world, retiring in Luoying Valley, isn’t it bad that you shared this information today?” Song Yuzhi stepped towards them, his eyes cold. 

Cai Zhao said clearly, “It’s not good or bad. Two years ago, Uncle Scar’s old wounds reactivated, and he passed away.” 

This is the Martial Arts World. Whether you have a good ending or not doesn’t depend on whether you are a kind person or a bad person. Cai Zhao had no interest in the marital arts world.  

Song Yuzhi listened with no expression, but at the same time he observed Cai Zhao more carefully.  

Jade hairpin at an angle, hair combed into a half-moon shape, short half sleeves that went down to her forearms, translucent silk robes, her sleeves swaying gently, cherry blossom embroidered edges of her dress, pink jade ornaments. Looking at the shape, it’s like a round and small… fat kitten? And it was yawning?  

Great. Really great. This is the disciple that his shifu had been eagerly anticipating. The rumored hardworking and obedient little shimei [4]. You really can’t trust the words of your elders there days. 

Noises rang out from the cliff edge. Zeng Dalou called, “Can the Song and Cai families please get ready! We can cross now!” 

At some point, two heavy chains had shot over from the far mountain. Cai Zhao watched as many Qingque Sect disciples flew along the chains like sparrows. They placed dark, interlocking metal plates neatly between the two chains. After a bunch of clinging and clanging, a suspension bridge appeared like this. Cai Zhao had been wondering, even if martial artists could use qi gong to cross, what about the horses and carriages? Now she knew.  

“When it was us, they just sent four metal chains over. When Sect Leader Song arrived, they not only sent another 4 chains, but also made a bridge. Are they looking down on Luoying Valley? Why don’t we leave?” Cai Zhao earnestly began sowing discord. 

Cai Pingchun and Ning Xiaofeng ignored her. 

The carriage slowly began crossing the small bridge hanging in the air. The depths below were filled with poisonous mist and traps left from the war between the immortals and demons. No one has ever survived a fall into the gorge here. 

The carriage wheeled forward on the hard metal boards, making a sound that pierced the ears. Ning Xiaofeng saw how the hairs on her children’s arms were standing on end and said, “Just a few steps on a chain and we would’ve been across. That Song just had to make a spectacle.”  

Cai Han was surprised. “Mom, you’re good at qing gong?” [5] 

Ning Xiaofeng’s face reddened. “We have your father here. He would help me over.” Her martial arts had always been average. And she had no intentions of working hard suddenly. 

“My qing gong isn’t good either,” Cai Han sighed. “Dad will need to help me over too.” 

Cai Zhao snorted. “Your qing gong is not good? Do you have qing gong?”  

Cai Han, the little beansprout, continued to sigh. “I know that ah-jie is not happy, so I won’t argue with ah-jie. But dad, does ah-jie really have to stay here for three years? If Ah-Hei and Ah-Gou bully me, who will help me scare them away?” [6] 

This thought made Cai Han even sadder and he sighed again.  

Ning Xiaofeng said, “Your father is the Luoying Vally Master, and you get frightened by little kids? Don’t you feel embarrassed?” 

Cai Zhao wrapped her arms around her younger brother. “This is because our young Cai Han is approachable. He never puts on airs of a Valley Master heir. So he can play with the other kids easily. Aunt used to say that my father was soft and stupid when young, but when he grew up, he became a really dependable man.” 

“If Ah-Han can be half of your father, I’d praise the heavens,” Ning Xiaofeng praised her husband smoothly. 

Cai Han leaned against his sister. Cai Zhao wrapped her hands around the little plump waist, and then said sadly, “Dad, do I have to become a disciple of Sect Master Nie? I don’t want to become a martial arts heroine…” 

Ning Xiaofeng replied first. “Who wants you to become a heroine? It’s to prevent you from becoming a demoness.” 

Cai Zhao frowned. “Dad, mom, yesterday you saw the town at the entrance of the mountain. The stores had more arrogance than the emperor. If you saw the sign, you’d know it was a perfume store. But if you didn’t, you’d think it sold coffins. Ah, that’s not right, even the coffin stores in Luoying Valley greet their customers with smiles.” 

Ning Xiaofeng snorted.  

“That’s not necessarily a good thing eh…” Cai Pingchun said helplessly. A coffin shop greeting its guests happily, that was a slightly creepy thing… 

Cai Zhao linked her elbow with her father. “The town below is already like that, the top of the mountain must be even more dreary, even more bitter. Not like in our town, we can have whatever we want. Walking west starting from the blind fortune teller’s stall at the entrance of town, you can have fried buns, swallow skin wontons, sugar rolls, stewed meat buns, pickled vegetable pancakes, crystal shrimp soup dumplings, mutton pot stickers, soy sauce pork belly rice dumplings, rice sugar soup... I can avoid eating the same for a month. Even in the middle of the night, I can still have a midnight snack, unlike here...” 

Cai Zhao was fine, but Cai Han started drooling. 

Cai Zhao looked disgusted, "It's not like here. Even if I'm an expert and brave enough to sneak down the mountain on the iron chains, I can only eat a watery noodle soup! The pockmarked guy didn't even put a sliver of green onion!" 

“True!” Cai Han was also very angry.  

"The wontons don't contain chopped green onion. It's outrageous that such a ridiculous thing exists in the world." Miss Cai Zhao's face was full of outrage. She looked as outraged as if she said the sun rose from the west. 

Ning Xiaofeng was laughing so hard she needed to turn around.  

Cai Pingchun helplessly replied, “"Zhao Zhao, think about Uncle Scarface in the back mountain. Qingque Town is actually similar. Those who sell fragrant powder, those who open noodle stalls, and the taciturn innkeeper where we stayed used to be martial artists that walked the Jianghu. When they were desperate, they asked for protection from the Qingque Mansion. Now they live in town and can be regarded as the gatekeepers of Jiuli Mountain.” 

“So what if they are gatekeepers? Why do they have to do business? Business has its own rules. It’s not good to go into another field and break the rules.” Cai Zhao sighed like a long-suffering adult. “Of course, I also know that it's not easy to be in the martial arts world. My aunt said that many heroes are majestic when they were young, but when they become disabled and old, they become desolate. Since ancient times, heroes, like beauties, are not allowed to grow white hair."  

Ning Xiaofeng laughed so hard that her shoulders shook wildly. 

At this time, the sect disciples outside the carriage shouted, "We've arrived." The four members of the Cai family hurriedly got out of the carriage and found that the carriage had moved from the iron plate to solid stone. Cai Zhao touched her temples and adjusted the hem of her skirt. At this moment she looked like a proper lady of a noble house, and then she looked up... 

At this glance, she was stunned. Her mouth couldn't close for a long time, and she didn't even know when her parents and brother were walking away. 

---

 [1] Sworn sisterhood/brotherhood 八拜之交: In ancient China (and I think ancient Greece too) you would become sworn brothers to people you felt was as close (or often closer) than family.  

[2] Er ge: Er means two. Ge means brother. So Er Ge is second brother.  

[3] 一掌定乾坤紫面疤客孙定洲。 

[4] Shimei: “shi” is a prefix meaning a relationship relating to being in the same sect. “mei” is younger sister. So shimei is what you call a fellow disciple that is the same generation than you but a slightly younger female. (And also since jie means elder sister, shijie is what you call your elder marital sister.)  

[5] Qing gong: Ability to jump high/fly in martial arts genre.  

[6] Ah-jie: Informal way to say “Jie” which means elder sister.  

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