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Kapitel 7

Upon returning to the mountain, the first thing Master said was—

"You should get ready and go down the mountain in March."

That year, she was fifteen years old and venturing into the world for the first time.

Before descending the mountain, Yichun's mother packed two bundles, each the size of a small mountain, one for her own daughter and the other for Yang Shen, and entrusted Erniu to deliver them to the mountain villa.

Yichun casually flipped through the box, and several pairs of chopsticks fell out with a clatter, along with a pile of wooden figurines she had loved as a child, scattered all over the floor.

She was a little stunned: "...Mother wishes she could make me move the whole house away."

Erniu covered her mouth and laughed: "That packet is for Brother Yang Shen, don't forget to give it to him, sis."

Yichun shook her finger seriously: "It's sheep kidney, sheep kidney, not kidney tonic. You need to change this accent in the future, so people won't laugh at you."

"You're the one who needs to change your accent..." Erniu glared at her, "What sheep kidney? I'd say horse kidney..."

Suddenly, she saw Yichun taking things out one by one, and in no time the mountain-like bundle became small and exquisite. She asked in surprise, "Sister, you don't want these things?"

“We’re going to travel the world to gain experience, not to go out for fun. Bringing so much stuff is a waste of our time. Here, you can take these back; you won’t need them.”

Erniu looked around and asked, "Sister, where's Brother Yangshen? Didn't he say he was coming down the mountain today? Aren't you coming with him?"

"Oh, Master was looking for him, saying he had something important to tell him. He just gave me a lot of instructions and even gave me a few visiting cards. He has a few old friends in Yangzhou."

Erniu's eyes lit up immediately: "Yangzhou! Sister, bring back some delicious food!"

Yichun sighed: "Didn't you understand what I just said? We're going there to gain experience, not to go sightseeing."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the door at the end of the corridor was suddenly pushed open and slammed against the wall with a loud thud, followed by the sound of a person's hurried footsteps, as if running in this direction.

The two peered out curiously, only to see Yang Shen stumbling towards them, his face a mixture of paleness and embarrassment—a rare sight for him. Yi Chun couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? What did Master say to you?"

He was startled again, as if he had just realized that Yichun and the others were standing opposite him. He stood there stunned for a long time before muttering, "No... it's nothing. Master said that the world is dangerous... we must be careful in everything we do."

Yi Chun couldn't help but laugh and said, "So this scared you? You're such a coward. What are you afraid of? I'm here to protect you."

Yang Shen grunted in response, his mind elsewhere.

****

This is a heavily revised chapter.

Chapter Four

Yang Shen didn't speak until he actually rode down the mountain and left the area of Jianlan Manor. Yi Chun laughed and joked with him, and his only replies were "oh" or "um".

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Finally, even the slow-witted Yichun realized something was wrong with him. She rode closer and reached out to touch his forehead. "Do you have a fever?"

In that instant, his whole body tensed up on alert. He pretended to hold the reins with his left hand, but secretly gripped his sword with his right.

However, the hand on her forehead was quickly removed, and Yichun said, "You don't have a fever. Hang in there, the town is just ahead, let's get some rest for the night before we go."

Yang Shen subtly removed his hand from his sword and nodded silently.

After walking another half mile, and seeing that it was getting dark, the two got lost in the woods, turning left and right but unable to find their way out.

Yichun reined in his horse, looked around, and sighed, "It's getting dark, Yangshen, can you still hold on?"

He lowered his head and said calmly, "I'm fine, no need for you to worry, Senior Sister."

No sooner had he finished speaking than she swiftly dismounted and drew her sword. He was taken aback and, almost instinctively, placed his hand on his own sword again.

The words of his master's warning before leaving echoed in his ears: "Don't let your guard down. Yichun is very powerful. If you miss your first strike, you will be utterly defeated."

Yang Shen felt like he was about to stop breathing, and cold sweat poured down his back.

Yichun whispered, "Yang Shen, there seems to be strange noise ahead! I heard that bandits are robbing travelers nearby, we need to be careful."

He was taken aback—bandits?

In the blink of an eye, a whooshing sound came from ahead, and a huge throwing knife spun towards them. Then, darkness fell overhead, as something like a fishing net came crashing down. Yang Shen ducked low and rolled off his horse.

The two horses were caught in the large net that fell from the sky, neighing and then letting out a mournful cry. The black horse that Yang Shen was riding had half its head sliced off by a flying knife and died instantly.

Yichun flew into a rage, drew his sword, and charged forward, shouting, "Who is it?! Get out here! Do you know how much a horse costs in the market right now?! Are you going to compensate me?!"

At this critical moment, Yang Shen felt a strange mix of amusement and exasperation. He saw more than a dozen men in black jump down from the trees opposite him, carrying gleaming swords and their faces covered with cloth—truly the legendary mountain bandits.

The two young men, fearless and unafraid of others, drew their swords and began hacking wildly. Fortunately, these bandits only knew a little bit of rudimentary martial arts; they were more than capable of robbing ordinary passersby, but dealing with the two who were seriously practicing martial arts was inevitably difficult for them.

Yang Shen used his sword to block the bandits' attack. Hearing the commotion in Yichun behind him, he couldn't help but turn around to look.

There's a reason why the master values Yichun.

After watching for a while, he suddenly realized that he was no match for her now.

Every jump, every dodge, every attack of hers was subtle and graceful, her movements unpredictable.

It's so light, almost weightless, like the thinnest and sharpest blade, approaching silently and killing without drawing blood.

It is this lightness and quietness that is chilling.

The bandits were quickly routed and scattered, whistling and signaling their retreat.

Yang Shen and Yi Chun chased after them from the left and right, blocking the three or four slowest runners. Yi Chun brandished his sword, looking extremely fierce: "Hand over your valuables! Pay for our horses!"

Yang Shen stepped forward cooperatively, glaring at them with a sinister expression. His villainous face was so vivid that it clearly told them: If you don't hand over your money, I'll skin you alive, gut you, and stew you.