Zhan Chun - Chapter 73
Watching Mo Yunqing and Wen Jing's carriage disappear at the end of the road, Yi Chun remained silent for a very long time.
Suddenly, someone patted her on the shoulder. Shu Jun looked down at her and asked, "Xiao Ge, where are you going next?"
Yichun replied without hesitation: "Go to Suzhou to see sheep kidneys."
After saying that, she smiled slightly and said, "I'd also like to visit Shu Jun's home."
Shu Jun crossed his arms and glanced at her sideways, his voice carrying a hint of malice: "Since you insist on dragging me along, I'll have to give you face. Little Pumpkin, let's go."
Little Pumpkin answered with great joy this time; Miss Ge has finally figured it out! Spring has arrived for her master!
He was almost in tears.
As autumn turned to winter, when they arrived in Suzhou, it had been exactly one year since Yang Shen had died.
After a year's absence, Yang Shen's tomb was kept very clean, with ashes of paper money still burning in the copper basin.
Yichun looked at Shujun, who had his hands tucked into his sleeves and said casually, "I asked a kind old man to take care of the grave, and thankfully he didn't slack off."
She smiled, said no more words of thanks, and simply looked down quietly at the small grave.
There was no snow in Suzhou this year; the sky was overcast, and a light drizzle fell, quickly wetting the three people's hair.
“Master…” Little Pumpkin tugged at Shu Jun’s sleeve, wanting him to speak up and ease the atmosphere, but he shook his head, grabbed his ear, and dragged him away.
Yi Chun raised his hand and touched the wet tombstone. He wasn't famous when he was alive, and after he died, only the four simple words "Tomb of Yang Shen" could be engraved on his tombstone.
To outsiders, it was just an ordinary grave; death is the end of everything. None of them knew how hard the boy sleeping in the grave had lived, or how much he had longed for happiness.
"Yang Shen, I've come to see you," she whispered. "I also brought you a gift."
I could almost hear him sighing angrily on the other end, frowning as he said, "It's Yang Shen, Yang Shen! How smug you are to pronounce someone else's name like that!"
Yichun grinned, slowly took the Zhanchun Sword from his back, and bowed slightly to the tombstone: "Let's practice the Returning Swallow Sword Technique one more time."
When the Spring-Slaying Sword was drawn, its blade was covered in brownish-red rust and had no imposing presence whatsoever.
She made a sword gesture, and suddenly thrust the sword out horizontally. The crystal rainwater rolled down the blade and landed on the monument with a soft "smack".
The Swallow Sword Technique comprises twenty-one moves: spinning, diagonal thrust, and leaping vertical slash. Each move is linked together, flowing smoothly and without any hesitation.
The cold rain slid down her cheeks and gathered on her chin, like the sweat on her face from diligent sword practice.
We returned to the Golden Terrace, where camellias bloomed in abundance. The air was filled with the fragrance of pine resin, and the iron swords clashed together, producing a crisp, clear sound.
Yang Shenzheng stood opposite him, his face a villainous grin, his eyes clear and bright.
He still had a large patch on his shoulder, sewn haphazardly, her handiwork, and hadn't had time to change into new clothes yet.
"One game to decide the winner, the loser pays twenty coins." He said it so frankly, if his master heard it he would definitely give him a good scolding.
Yichun said in a low voice, "You still owe me thirty taels of silver. When are you going to pay me back?"
No one answered her.
The twenty-first move of the Returning Swallow Sword Technique, "The Swallow Does Not Return," saw the Spring-Slaying Sword fly straight from her hand and embed itself in a holly tree behind the tomb.
No one ever paid her back the thirty taels; the debt was completely and utterly evaded.
Yichun gasped for breath and stood straight in front of the tomb.
"I'll give you Zhanchun," she whispered, slapping the hilt of the sword.
The renowned Zhan Chun sword was instantly broken into three or four pieces, falling into the mud and water, its shape unrecognizable.
"……goodbye."
She turned around and wiped away the crisscrossing water stains on her face.
Shu Jun stood under the eaves with Little Pumpkin, sheltering from the rain. When she saw her coming, Little Pumpkin waved eagerly, "Sister, sister! Come here quickly!"
Yichun walked over and sneezed loudly, rubbing her nose and muttering, "So cold!"
Shu Jun grabbed her sleeve as if to wipe her face, but she naturally took a step back and asked with a smile, "When are we going to your house? Should I prepare a gift?"
He casually lowered his sleeves: "Anytime is fine, no need to worry about gifts. But you'll have to prepare winter clothes for yourself before you go, it's extremely cold on the snowy mountain."
Yi Chun awkwardly pulled out her purse and rummaged through it haphazardly.
Her parents gave her five taels of silver for this trip. Even though she was not a big spender, after a year, she had spent less than one tael of the five taels.
Once she buys winter clothes, she'll be relying on air to survive the entire winter.
Just when things were getting awkward, an old purse was suddenly thrown at him from the other side. Yichun hurriedly grabbed it and looked closely. It was the one he used before, and the three taels of silver and several copper coins inside were still there.
Shu Jun rolled up his sleeves and raised an eyebrow: "I'm returning it to its rightful owner. Considering it's a favor, I won't charge you any storage fees or interest. Take it."
Yichun smiled with relief at first, then frowned again: "This amount of money... is still not enough. We still have to make ends meet..."
Shu Jun coughed and turned his head away: "I'm here."
She was startled: "You...you want to take 40% interest?"
Shu Jun seemed angry. He rolled his eyes and looked her up and down, saying, "I'll give you face and only charge you 20% of the profit. I'm losing money."
Finally, Yichun found ten taels of fresh silver in his purse, and his complexion brightened considerably.
As the rain stopped, she was the first to walk ahead, waving to them with a smile: "Hurry up! Before it gets dark!"