I whispered, "Maybe it's because she hates him that she refuses to keep me in her care."
The master looked somber and said with lowered eyes, "Xiao Mo, as children, no matter how wrong your parents are, it's a matter of the previous generation, so don't dwell on it. If you have the chance to see your mother in the future, you must be filial to her."
I gave a wry smile: "She probably doesn't care about my filial piety. Even if she sent me to Xiaoyao Sect for my own good, she hasn't seen me once in the past ten years."
Master raised his eyelids and stared into my eyes, saying, "She must have seen you! You know, you pawned that gold lock out of spite, and every time I followed you to redeem it, but every time someone else redeemed it before me! I think she must have come to see you in person every year on your birthday."
I was stunned and speechless, a strange feeling stirring within me. Madam Qi said that the bundle of clothes was prepared for me, but where did the gold lock inside come from? The Chongshan Sword Manual belonged to the Jiang family; there was no reason for her to include it in the clothes as a gift. Could it be that the bundle wasn't prepared by her at all, but by someone else—perhaps my mother? But why would Madam Qi lie to me?
Judging from Master's words, the bundle must be a gift prepared by my mother. Since she cares for me so much, I should be able to fulfill my wish when I go to Jinbo Palace.
"Master, you've been to Jinbo Palace. What was it like there?"
"Jinbo Palace was built on Liujin Island, a strategically important and easily defensible location. Liujin Island is connected to the mainland; at high tide, there is a five-mile waterway, and at low tide, a narrow path leads to the island, but it is entirely muddy and almost impossible to traverse. Decades ago, Murong Chou wiped out a wealthy family in Shanxi, looting their entire fortune, which enraged the martial arts world. Hundreds of people gathered to besiege Liujin Island. One group waited until low tide and used their lightness skills to traverse the muddy path, but several perished halfway. A few others barely made it to the island, but Murong Chou and his men, waiting in ambush, laid numerous traps and captured them all. Another group prepared boats and forced their way to the island at high tide, but Murong Chou, taking advantage of the chaos, had the boats burned. The martial arts heroes were cut off from their retreat and were all wiped out on Liujin Island. From then on, Jinbo Palace became infamous in the martial arts world. People despised Murong Chou's character but dared not provoke him."
I can't even lift my head when I hear about my grandfather's behavior; no wonder everyone despises him.
The master's expression was serious: "Xiao Mo, why are you asking this? Are you going?"
I quickly replied, "I... I was just asking."
Master softened his voice and said, "Jinbo Palace has nothing to do with you. Just remember that you are Yunmo of Xiaoyao Sect, and my last disciple Shijing. As for this mystery about your origins, just let it go in one ear and out the other. Don't take it to heart and don't feel any burden. Those old stories and grudges from your past life have nothing to do with you. Master only wants you to be carefree and happy."
I nodded silently, my vision blurring. My master's kindness to me was like a gentle spring breeze, nourishing silently. If only he were my father. Back in our quarters in the backyard, Jiang Chen asked in a low voice, "Why did you hide your trip to Jinbo Palace from Master?"
I sighed and said, "Didn't you hear what Master meant? He doesn't want me to have anything to do with Jinbo Palace, and he doesn't want people to know my identity. If I say I want to go somewhere, he definitely won't agree."
Jiang Chen said seriously, "You've misunderstood Master's meaning."
"Where did I go wrong?"
"He stopped you from going to Jinbo Palace only because he believed that your mother was not there at all. He was afraid that you would be in danger if you went there, not because he was stopping you from seeing your mother. I heard from my mother that she had disappeared from the martial arts world for more than ten years, and no one knew her whereabouts after you were born."
"I want to see if she is in Jinbo Palace. That's why I took the golden lock with me. If she's not there, we don't need to be so presumptuous as to force our way into Jinbo Palace; we can just return it immediately. If she is there, she will definitely recognize me when she sees the golden lock, and I think she will see me eventually."
I desperately want to see her. My master was right. No matter how much the world sees her as a witch or a demon, she is my mother. When Yun Zhi told me everything, I immediately forgave her. I want to tell her that even if she abandoned me, I will not resent her. If she is willing, I will take good care of her.
Jiang Chen nodded: "Okay, it's settled then. We'll set off tomorrow."
"good."
The next morning, I left a note for Xiao Hebao and then Jiang Chen and I secretly slipped down the mountain.
After chartering a boat at the ferry crossing outside the city, I breathed a long sigh of relief. Would I really be able to see her on this trip to Liujin Island? I both longed to see her and feared seeing her. I was afraid she wouldn't like me, afraid that seeing me would stir up those past memories.
The small boat drifted down the river towards the East China Sea. The beautiful scenery along the way and Jiang Chen's witty remarks broadened my melancholy mind. Life is not all about love. If love cannot be perfect, it is better to find another way and seek a more open and enlightened path.
I deliberately stopped thinking about my feelings for Yunzhou and focused all my attention on the Chongshan Sword Manual. If my mother would give me that half of the manual, I would give the women's version of the manual to Qi Chong as well, which would be my and Jiang Chen's small contribution to the extermination of the Japanese pirates.
A journey by water is mostly leisurely and boring, consisting mainly of sitting on the boat, enjoying the scenery, chatting and drinking tea, and gazing at each other. However, this gazing at each other can easily breed ambiguity.
Jiang Chen's eyes were more intense than the green tea in a cup, like the alluring, half-hidden charm of someone slightly tipsy. His affectionate gaze made me feel prickly all over, like being warmed by a small red clay stove, gradually generating a sense of tenderness.
I originally planned to use seasickness as an excuse to stay in the aft cabin all day, but Jiang Chen had prepared seasickness medicine in advance. After taking it, I felt rosy-cheeked and full of energy.
I was highly skeptical: "Is this really a seasickness medication?"
"Yes, last time you told your mother you were feeling seasick, so your mother specially asked Physician Lin to prescribe medicine for you. Knowing that you will often travel by water to visit your parents' home in the future, she prepared it in advance."
I felt secretly ashamed. Lady Qi was truly meticulous in her work; she was an impeccable mother-in-law. I had only mentioned it casually, yet she took it so seriously. I felt I should be more filial to her in the future. Thinking this, my face flushed slightly. Did having such thoughts mean I was determined to become the Jiang family's daughter-in-law?
I was already feeling embarrassed when Jiang Chen added fuel to the fire, saying, "Xiao Mo, you promised me something, but you haven't done anything about it yet."
"What's up?"
"We were both ambushed by men in black once. You promised to practice the Mandarin Duck Sword Technique with me, so why haven't you done anything about it?"
My face flushed. I had reluctantly agreed to this, but I kept putting it off because he had another condition: if I lost, he would have to kiss me. This put a lot of pressure on me.
Jiang Chen kept pestering me to spar with him, and I blushed and said shamelessly, "Sparring is fine, but you can't use your internal energy, and you have to give me ten moves."
He smiled and tapped my nose: "Okay, whatever you say."
I gained confidence and pushed him outside the door, saying, "Alright, we'll only exchange twelve moves."
His smile faltered. I suppressed a laugh and shut him out. I refused to believe he could beat me in two moves. He might try to cheat, but I could too. Hmph.
I opened "The Chongshan Swordplay" from the several storybooks in my bundle, flipping through it from back to front. The first move was called "Love at First Sight." No wonder "The Chongshan Swordplay" is also called "The Mandarin Duck Swordplay"—that name is just too romantic!
Jiang Chen's moves are the Free and Unfettered Sword Technique. I know this school's skills very well. I will learn the moves in the Chongshan Sword Technique and see how he defeats me within two moves!
At dinner time, Jiang Chen said with a smile, "Xiao Mo, after dinner, how about we have a spar?"
I felt I had mastered the "love at first sight" move by practicing it to a high degree today, so I nodded and said, "Okay, if I beat you, you have to promise me one thing."
He looked at me with a smile and readily agreed, "Okay!"
I was quite touched: "You agreed to my request without even asking what it was about?" He's too kind; it's almost like he's spoiling me.
He nodded and said with a grin, "Because you definitely can't beat me."
My initial感动 (feeling of being touched) vanished instantly. He's so awful! He's practically in cahoots with Xiao Hebao (a nickname for a woman), always taking pleasure in putting me down. Humph, this time I'm going to beat you!
After dinner, he indeed arrived with his sword. Lanterns hung in the cabin, casting a soft, hazy light. The space was cramped, so agility was crucial. If internal strength weren't a factor, I might not be his match. He had promised to give me ten moves, so I felt I had a good chance of winning. Therefore, I struck first, waiting to finish him off with a single blow on the eleventh move. Both of us were taught swordsmanship by our master, and we knew each other's techniques perfectly, so the exchange was uneventful and uneventful. He kept his word and indeed let me win, only parrying without retaliating.
For my eleventh move, I used "Parting the Clouds to See the Moon," and Jiang Chen immediately blocked it with "Hidden Spring in the Green Mountains." I had expected this, so I flicked my sword tip, turning it into "Love at First Sight" halfway through, and thrust it straight at his right wrist.
Just as the tip of my sword was about to pierce his tiger's mouth, I was about to stop when he suddenly leaned back, his long sword flashing from the tip of my sword to the hilt like a meteor. In a flash, his sword wrapped around mine, and I felt a numbness in my tiger's mouth, and the long sword slipped from my hand.