Der Gipfel der Kampfkunstwelt

Kapitel 36

Finally back in the long-lost village, Adi drove the horse-drawn carriage back to the courtyard where they used to live. The gate was open, and several children were playing at the entrance. Seeing a stranger arrive, they stopped and peered curiously. Adi smiled and walked over, bending down to say, "Don't you remember me?"

The children tilted their heads and thought for a moment, then one of the older ones suddenly pointed at him and shouted, "Adi!!"

As if a floodgate had been opened, the other children joined in with excited shouts of "Adi! Adi!" and swarmed around him. Adi, who was bent over, lost his balance and was tackled to the ground, helplessly surrounded by the children.

"Adi! Adi is back!"

"Adi, Adi! Now that you're back, you're not leaving again, are you?"

"Adi's mother said you went to a really fun place. How fun was it?"

"Adi, Adi..."

Ah Di was surrounded and didn't even have a chance to say a word. Luckily, the landlady heard the commotion outside and came out to see what was going on. When she saw Ah Di, she was delighted. "Oh, Ah Di's back! -- Go away -- Don't bother Ah Di, what kind of behavior is this! -- Come on, get up! Oh, these naughty children..."

Ah Di finally had a chance to catch his breath, got up from the ground, and greeted her with a smile, "Sister-in-law, long time no see."

"You're finally back! The house is still open for you... Where's your sister?"

"She's in the car. She hasn't been feeling well lately. Could you please help make the bed?"

"Oh dear, what happened? Didn't you already recover? Traveling around all day just won't do you any good. Now that you're back, you must take good care of yourself. I'll go now, you go and help her in." The neighbor's wife turned and went inside. Adi lifted the carriage curtain and carried Queyue down.

The children seemed to remember that the older sister was unwell, and just as their mother and Adi had instructed them in the past, they did not disturb her, but instead stared up at her with their round eyes.

Queyue lowered her head in Adi's arms and smiled slightly at them—their little faces immediately turned as red as apples. This beautiful smiling face of the [fairy sister in the mural] was thus imprinted in their minds, sowing the seeds of future dissatisfaction and sighs when facing their future wives.

As she reached the door, the neighbor's wife was just making the bed and coming out of the bedroom. Queyue smiled and nodded, "Sister-in-law."

The neighbor's wife was stunned for a moment. In her memory, she had never seen this girl smile before. Her face was expressionless, as if it had no other expression at all.

The furnishings in the room remained unchanged from before. It was as if the two of them had been reborn. Returning to a familiar environment brought them peace of mind.

That evening, the eldest brother of the landlord returned and insisted on inviting Adi over for a few drinks. Adi took care of Queyue, feeding her, giving her medicine, and watching her fall asleep before going to the main house herself. The wine was homemade, not very strong, but it had a familiar taste. Adi had her own thoughts on her mind, and she was somewhat absent-minded while drinking.

The eldest brother of the landlord noticed and asked, "Brother Adi, what's troubling you? Is your wife not doing well?"

"No, that's not it. It's just... she's not actually my wife yet..." The landlord's older brother was slightly surprised by Adi's words. When they first came here, to avoid gossip and for convenience, they had always referred to themselves as husband and wife. The landlord's wife, however, looked as if she knew it all along. "I knew it! You two are such a young couple, yet your relationship seems lukewarm at first glance. Something's missing. But you two have always lived in the same room; it's not good for the young woman if you don't get things done soon."

“I know, that’s why I wanted to trouble you two… I really don’t know how to handle things like marriage.”

The woman from the east chuckled, "I understand, I understand. How would a young man like you know about these things? Don't worry, leave this to us. The aunties in the village have helped with this many times. Tomorrow, I'll have your older brother go to town and buy some red cloth. The aunties and I will make a beautiful wedding dress for my sister! Just focus on helping her recover, and we'll pick an auspicious day for the wedding!"

"Thank you so much, sister-in-law and elder brother!"

"Don't be so polite with us!"

The next day, the eldest brother of the landlord went to town, and his wife visited each house in the village, immediately making the small village lively. The place was small and remote, with simple and honest folks. Adi had been very popular here before, and the whole village happily got to work.

No one seemed to care that the two weren't married yet; they only knew that Adi's fiancée, as beautiful as a fairy, was about to enter the family. The village was buzzing with excitement, but the bride-to-be, Queyue, who was recovering from her injuries, knew nothing of it. That afternoon, the neighbor's wife brought back red cloth and a whole bunch of patterns from her husband to Queyue's room, placing them on the bed. "Come, sister, see which pattern you like? Decide quickly, we need to embroider quilt covers, pillows, and clothes; time is tight—"

Queyue was stunned. Looking at the large red blob on the bed and the embroidered patterns of peonies and mandarin ducks, she asked blankly, "Sister-in-law, what are these for?"

"Hey? Brother Adi hasn't told you yet...?"

Ah Di was carrying a bowl of medicine in when he came out of the kitchen and saw his sister-in-law enter the house, but he couldn't stop her in time.

Both of them looked at Adi, who awkwardly looked away, focusing only on the bowl in his hand. His sister-in-law chuckled, "Brother Adi, are you still shy?" She simply ignored him and turned to Queyue, saying, "Brother Adi, we've asked you to arrange your wedding. The auspicious day is in a few days, so hurry up and get ready, don't delay."

Queyue paused slightly, her eyes once again filled with a vibrant red color and the embroidered pattern of peonies and mandarin ducks, before finally processing what her sister-in-law had said. After a moment of bewilderment, she looked at Adi, who was intently staring at the medicine bowl, and then at the splash of red on the bed, her face suddenly turning bright red.

—Although this was something that shouldn't have been a suspenseful matter, Ah Di had always clearly stated that he wanted to spend his whole life with her, so she decided to stay by Ah Di's side, and marriage was probably just a matter of time—but, but, isn't this a bit too sudden...? She, she had never really thought about this before...

The neighbor's wife looked at Queyue's flushed face, suppressing a laugh—young girls are easily embarrassed and can't stand being laughed at—but when she turned around, she saw that the person behind her, intently staring at the medicine bowl, also had a bright red face. Her smile vanished instantly, and she glared at Adi—the young lady was just being shy, what were you doing, a grown man, getting in on the fun! We've lived together in this house for so long and you've never seemed embarrassed, but now you're all blushing!

Adi was startled awake by her glare—it seemed that he shouldn't be shy.

Thinking about it this way, his smile returned—it's just a matter of getting married; the new bride can be shy, and he just needs to be happy and cheerful.

So he smiled and walked forward with a cheerful expression, "Come on, Zhijin, drink the medicine while it's hot and then slowly pick out the herbs."

Queyue reached out to take it, but he wouldn't let go, insisting on feeding her by hand.

Queyue glanced at her sister-in-law, who was pretending not to see anything, and then opened her mouth to drink the medicine that was handed to her. She just couldn't understand why men, whether it was Yi Moran or Adi, could be so gentlemanly one moment and so shameless the next.

From that day on, not only the landlord's courtyard but also Queyue's room became much livelier. Every day, several village women would come to the landlord's room to help embroider quilts and pillowcases, and they would also occasionally sit in Queyue's room, though they were reluctant to make a fuss because of her poor health. Nevertheless, this joyful atmosphere was still brought in, and gradually Queyue and Adi got used to it.

Queyue focused on recovering from her injuries and preparing to become her bride. Meanwhile, Adi, always with a smile on his face, would arrange Queyue's treatment and then go to town with the villagers to buy supplies, preparing joyfully for his wedding.

As Adi went in and out of town, Queyue watched as the small items in the house were replaced one by one, replaced with new ones, all in auspicious colors—as if, as if they were going to live here for the rest of their lives…

If life could be like this forever, how wonderful that would be!

Chapters 61-62 (The End)

"Brother Adi, what are you looking at?"

The shopkeeper stopped on the street and looked at Adi, who seemed to be staring at something. Following his gaze, he saw that Adi was looking at a jewelry shop. The villagers were different from the people in town; even when buying jewelry for the women in their families, they would choose from the market stalls and rarely go into shops. In their view, buying just one item from that shop would be enough for them to eat and drink well for a month or two.

"Brother, let's go in and take a look."

"Ah...but..." Before he could say "but," Adi had already gone inside. The landlord thought for a moment, and since marriage was a big deal, it was only right to buy some nice jewelry. So he hurriedly followed her inside.

On the street outside the shop, two people were watching the two people who walked into the jewelry store—didn't they look...familiar?

"Look at that person who just came into the store..."

"Should we go back and inform them?"

"Let's find someone to inquire first and see if it's true..."

Inside the shop, the owner's face was gradually turning ashen.

Adi skipped over the affordable jewelry, focusing instead on the exquisite, meticulously crafted pieces, which naturally commanded higher prices. She watched as one piece after another fell out of favor, and each new piece she picked out became increasingly expensive.

If it weren't for Adi's handsome appearance, calm demeanor, and conversation that didn't resemble that of an ordinary farmer, the shopkeeper would have thought they were deliberately trying to act like big shots. However, he should be grateful for his patience today; Adi ultimately purchased a finely carved jade hairpin and a jade pendant at a high price. He knew that top-quality jade wouldn't be available in this kind of place, but the exquisite craftsmanship of the hairpin and pendant made up for the lack of quality. Most importantly, it was this place, this moment; regardless of their monetary value, they were worth treasuring for a lifetime.

When he pulled out the silver, the boss's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Once outside the store, he nervously grabbed Ah Di, "Brother, tell Big Brother, you wouldn't...you wouldn't have done something..."

"Brother, you're overthinking it. Nothing's wrong."

Nothing? Nothing at all. How could a mere pharmacist possibly spend so much money on just two little gadgets?

Adi smiled helplessly and could only make up an excuse: "I just had an opportunity to cure a strange disease in a wealthy family, and they rewarded me with it."

"Oh, oh..." The landlord finally relaxed and accepted the reason—wealthy families don't treat silver like silver, so it's not surprising that they gave a large sum of money as a reward. However, Ah Di's extravagant lifestyle can't continue. "I'm telling you, Brother Ah Di, it's fine to buy a few nice things for your wedding this time, but you can't spend money like this in the future... Even if people give you a lot, it will eventually run out. You have a family to support now, you can't be so wasteful..."

Adi smiled helplessly and could only nod in agreement.

The festive red silk, the bright red wedding dress embroidered with peonies symbolizing wealth and prosperity, the bright red quilt cover and pillowcases with mandarin ducks playing in the water—the patterns were all chosen with the help of the village women. The fabrics weren't of the finest quality, but they were soft and warm, and the embroidery wasn't top-notch, yet they were completed stitch by stitch amidst the laughter and chatter of these women. Queyue didn't particularly like or dislike anything, but she felt a sense of warmth, and on this special day, she accepted these things that were originally unrelated to her.

Her face looked somewhat pale in her bright red wedding dress, so she applied rouge, which made her look like a bright red camellia in full bloom.

Someone covered her head with a veil, and all she could see was a warm, dazzling red.

With people supporting her on both sides, she slowly stepped out of the room.

Today, almost half of the villagers came. Tables were set up in the courtyard, and the women from each family came to help in the kitchen, busily preparing food and drinks.

Ah Di, dressed in new clothes with a red silk flower on his chest, smiled as he watched his bride approach.

When we met, how could we have imagined today's scene? How could we have foreseen our feelings today? This peace, this contentment, all settled down as the person beneath the red veil walked to his side.

It all started in this small village, and it will end in this small village. Finally, I'm going to marry her.

Ah Di's smile never faded, but grew even wider. He was now very glad he made the decision to come back here to arrange the wedding—if it weren't here, how could he have gotten married so smoothly and easily, without the various difficulties caused by [certain people], and perhaps the wedding would have been turned upside down.

Queyue had already walked up to him, and he reached out and grabbed her. Although it was a bit against the rules, everyone knew that the new bride was still weak, and the villagers didn't care about such things.

One of the people supporting the bride stepped back, leaving a young woman to gently support her so she wouldn't be unable to stand for too long.

The beautiful woman was already beside him, and they calmly and peacefully bowed to heaven and earth. Although it was just a ceremony, and even without this ceremony, they would still spend their lives together. But the sight of the newlyweds dressed in wedding attire for him was enough to stir his heart.

He was holding one end of the red ribbon, about to escort the bride into the bridal chamber, when he suddenly heard a commotion outside the courtyard gate. A dozen or so martial arts practitioners surrounded the gate, and some of them pushed aside the villagers in the courtyard and rushed in.

—A江湖人 (jianghu person)?

Adi was a little confused. The matters of Qingzunlou and Ange had been settled, so did he still have any dealings with other Jianghu people? Looking at those people, he seemed to have seen them somewhere before.

The villagers in the courtyard were startled and hurriedly moved aside. They vaguely heard the words "Liang Manor" and "guards"—a thought suddenly struck them: that's right, why did they leave here in the first place? Liang Manor bullies people—aren't these the Jianghu people that Liang Manor employs?

They probably somehow found out they were back, and haven't forgotten their past grievances, which is why they came knocking. But to pick today of all days, they really know how to invite bad luck.

He patted Queyue's hand and came out of the house, his smile still gentle and kind. "What brings you gentlemen here? Today is a joyous occasion at my humble abode. If you don't mind, please sit down and have a drink with me."

"Drink your—" The sentence was abruptly cut off in his throat. The man tried desperately to speak but couldn't utter a single word. He had been silenced by a pressure point.

"You—" Another person saw this and wanted to step forward, receiving the same treatment as before.

The leader was slightly taken aback. The man before him stood there with a harmless smile, politely, without even seeing him make a move. They hadn't forgotten the first time they encountered this man; his uncanny movements had disarmed them. But, after all, they outnumbered him. Were they really afraid of just one person?

"Boy, it seems you do have some skills, otherwise you probably wouldn't have dared to come back after offending Liang Manor—" The speaker was Eagle, One-Eyed Eagle. He glanced into the hall, and when his gaze fell on the bright red figure, his arrogant demeanor subsided slightly. He said, "We naturally know that today is Miss Queyue's special day, but back then you cut off one of the brothers' ears in the manor. That debt cannot be forgotten!"

Adi showed no shame and replied gently, "Back then, it was your manor that provoked us first, and we were merely defending ourselves. However, since you have come here for this matter, I will naturally not turn my back on you. But today is a joyous occasion, and it is not appropriate to discuss such bloody matters. Please wait until after the wedding, and I will discuss this with you in detail."

"Now that we're here, are you going to send us away so easily?!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ah Di suddenly tossed an object over. Eagle Master caught it instinctively and heard Ah Di say, "Use it as collateral for now. I will not renege on my debt." Looking down, he saw that it was actually the Qingzun Tower token!

—A token from Qingzun Tower, the number one restaurant in the world!? This...this is something that insignificant people like them can't afford to offend!?

Eagle Master broke out in a cold sweat. Ah Di smiled and clasped his hands in a polite gesture, "Excuse me, but if you don't mind, please stay and have a drink at the wedding." He turned and went back. Eagle Master didn't dare to stay any longer. He hurriedly put the token on the table and led his men away. They never came back.

The villagers looked at Adi with almost worship, unable to understand how their kind and gentle pharmacist had become so remarkable after being away for a while, that even the people of Liang Village had to be wary of him.

Adi returned to the house and no longer insisted on holding onto one end of the red silk. Instead, she took Queyue's hand, smiled at the matchmaker to indicate that she could let go, and personally helped Queyue into the bridal chamber.

The courtyard became lively again. Food and wine were served, everyone took their seats, and the wine was poured, waiting for the groom to come out so they could show off their skills.

Adi led Queyue into the bridal chamber, helped her sit down, and asked softly, "Are you tired?"

"fine."

"Lie down first, don't sit and wait for me. I'll go call your sister-in-law to come in and take care of you." He gently lifted Queyue's veil, helped her lie down, and then left the room.

They drank until midnight, but Ah Di, who always had a high tolerance for alcohol, never got drunk. After seeing off the guests, he washed off the smell of alcohol before entering the room. He stood by the bed, looked at the sleeping Queyue, leaned down and kissed her forehead, then sat on the bed, held her hand, and fell asleep against the headboard.

The next morning, Ah Di woke up early and skillfully went to brew medicine, chop firewood and fetch water for his employer, leaving his employer, who was still hungover, astonished—how could his groom get up earlier than him?

Queyue had gotten up sometime earlier and was leaning against the bed, watching Adi busy at work through the window. She finally felt an unusual sense of satisfaction—she really did like watching men do heavy work... But... Lord Qingzun probably won't have many opportunities to do manual labor in the future.