Zhan Chun - Chapter 80
Yi Chun sheathed his sword, went over and helped the old man up, asking in a low voice, "Are you alright?"
The old man shook his head, then suddenly raised his face, his gaze gentle and reserved, sweeping over her without any sign of alarm.
"Thank you for your righteous rescue, young lady." His voice was deep and extremely steady.
Yi Chun probably hadn't expected them to be so calm, making it seem like she was meddling in their rescue. Suddenly, she saw the young man who had been slapped to the ground struggling to get up. Another young man reached out and helped him up. The blanket covering his legs accidentally fell to the ground, leaving the bottom hanging empty—this man was disabled.
After the two young men thanked him, Yichun took a closer look and realized that the three of them had an extraordinary air about them, and he vaguely felt that he had seen them somewhere before.
The old man was about sixty years old, with white hair and beard, but he did not look old at all. He looked energetic and had an imposing presence. In particular, his eyes seemed to perfectly contain all his sharpness and brilliance, giving him a unique gentleness.
The disabled young man was about thirty years old and looked very similar to the old man, only slightly gloomy. After thanking her, he stopped looking at her and turned to look at the dark water, seemingly waiting for something.
The other young man was a bit younger, around twenty years old, slightly chubby, with a round face and a very friendly appearance.
He looked at Yichun with great interest and praised, "Young lady, you have excellent skills. Who is your master?"
Just as Yichun was about to speak, the old man said in a low voice, "How can you be so rude!"
He bowed to Yi Chun and said gently, "My son was rude, please don't take it to heart, young lady. My surname is Yan, may I ask your name, young lady?"
Without much thought, Yichun smiled and said, "No need for formalities, sir. My name is Ge Yichun. I was just passing by. Now that you are all well, I will take my leave."
As she turned to leave, she suddenly heard the round-faced young man exclaim in surprise, "Ge Yichun?! You're that Ge Yichun?!"
She was taken aback for a moment, then the old man shouted again, "Yu Dao!"
Yi Chun turned around and saw that the three men's expressions had changed. Even the disabled young man who had been staring at the water was now staring intently at her. The meaning behind those gazes was hard to decipher, and Yi Chun felt a chill run down her spine. She forced a smile and asked, "Is something wrong?"
The old man looked at her for a while and said gently, "Miss Ge, your chivalrous heart is truly admirable. Today you saved the lives of my father and two sons, and I will surely repay this kindness in the future."
Yichun waved her hands repeatedly: "It's nothing, just a small matter!"
The old man took the teapot from the table, poured a cup of tea, and presented it to her with both hands, saying with a smile, "The boat is simple, and we have no wine to offer, but we can only offer you a cup of fragrant tea to express our gratitude."
Yichun, suspicious of their strange attitude, longed to leave as soon as possible. However, the old man was very hospitable, and she couldn't refuse, so she accepted the teacup. Suddenly, she heard the sound of flowing water behind her, and a dozen or so black-awning fishing boats surrounded them almost instantly. The two middle-aged men at the head of the boats jumped onto the painted boats and rushed to the old man, kneeling down upright, their faces filled with fear and their voices trembling as they said, "We are late! Please punish us, Master!"
That old man was actually some kind of sect leader? Wasn't he just an ordinary rich man taking his child out for a sightseeing trip?
Yichun silently took two steps back, intending to slip away when they weren't paying attention.
The old man's voice was gentle: "Old Xu, Old Lin, stand up quickly! This was my willful act. I had heard of the amazing scenery of the Twenty-Four Bridges in Yangzhou and thought I would enjoy it alone at night. Who would have thought that I would be drugged by thieves? Otherwise, how could I have let them get close so easily?"
Upon hearing that they had been drugged, the crowd hurriedly brought out a doctor in a blue robe. The more Yichun looked at the doctor, the more familiar he seemed; she could vaguely recall where she had seen him before, but she couldn't remember.
The doctor took the pulses of the three men, then cut open their arms with a small knife and tasted the blood. He then laughed and said, "It's nothing serious, just ordinary sleeping potion. I suppose the thieves who drugged them are just ordinary outlaws."
Old Xu said anxiously, "Dr. Qiu, have you looked carefully? Is it really just ordinary sleeping potion?"
Dr. Qiu smiled and said, "Don't worry."
Upon seeing his smile, Yichun suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and realized what was going on.
Doctor Qiu! Isn't he the same doctor who removed the poisoned hidden weapon from Yan Yufei in Xiande Town back then?! He's a member of the Yan Clan! So, this old man is the leader of the Yan Clan! Yan Yufei once said that his elder brother suffered a terrible fate at the Wanhua Sect in Bashu, his leg was cut off and he was crippled ever since, and it's absolutely true!
No wonder they reacted so strangely when they heard her name, no wonder their demeanor looked so familiar; Yan Yufei had exactly that kind of temperament.
Yichun turned to jump, but then heard the old man behind him say, "Thanks to this Miss Ge for her righteous help, otherwise my father and I would have lost our lives at the hands of the thieves."
Everyone turned to look at her. Yi Chun looked embarrassed and couldn't say a word.
The round-faced young man—whose name was now known as Yan Yudao, though it was unclear whether he was the third or fourth son—said with a grin, “Oh, looks like you’ve finally realized it! We’re old enemies, Miss Ge.”
Seeing that he had laid everything out in his mind, Yichun calmed down and said in a low voice, "That's right, what are you going to do about it?"
Yan Yudao smiled, appearing kind and honest, but his eyes gleamed with a sharp light, clearly those of a typical member of the Yan Clan. He said softly, "That's a grudge between you and my second brother. Our Yan Clan always keeps things clear. He can avenge himself; it has nothing to do with us. I heard that my most powerful second brother had his wrist severed, and I thought it was some kind of formidable female warrior. I never expected it to be a girl like you. What do you think? I see great potential in you. Join my Qiufeng Clan! I guarantee you won't be treated unfairly."
Yichun didn't speak, as if she hadn't heard him.
Yan Yudao wanted to persuade her further, but the sect leader suddenly said, "Miss Ge, I suspect you won't be happy staying here. In any case, my father and I owe you some favors, so please don't stand on ceremony if you encounter any difficulties in the future. Also... there's something else I'd like to ask you."
Yi Chun nodded silently, then heard him ask, "Where is Shu Junren now?"
Her heart sank. She remembered the deep-seated hatred between Yanmen and Shujun's father. He must be planning to cause trouble for Shujun by asking her question today.
“…I don’t know,” Yichun replied curtly.
Yan Yudao clicked his tongue and shook his head: "Everyone outside says that Shu Jun and you are like the immortal couple, already a deeply loving couple. How could you not know where he is?"
Yi Chun raised an eyebrow: "I told you, I don't know!"
Having said that, he no longer wished to entangle with them, so he turned and jumped off the painted boat, landed steadily on his own small boat, pushed off with the oar, and clumsily rowed the boat away.
Chapter Thirteen
Along the way, Yichun had thought about going back to the snow mountain to find Shu Jun and tell him about the Yan Clan. After all, the idea of sons paying for their fathers' sins was too common in the martial arts world. Shu Chang had killed the young sect leader, and this debt would eventually be settled with his son.
However, she was worried that if Yan Men sent someone to secretly follow her, it would expose Shu Jun's whereabouts and cause him trouble. Secondly, she couldn't be sure if Shu Jun was still in the snow mountain. This person's whereabouts were always unpredictable; perhaps he was now enjoying himself somewhere else?
As spring drew to a close and summer approached, it was already mid-June when Yichun arrived in Jiankang City.
She had been traveling casually, occasionally begging for money from bandits and water spirits who preyed on travelers. Over the course of this time, she had saved up more than ten taels of silver, enough to live lavishly for a while.
Having been poor since childhood, his so-called extravagance was nothing more than buying two egg pancakes from a roadside stall for two coins. They were wrapped in oil paper, piping hot, oily, and fragrant when held in his hand.
This thing represents all of Yichun's childhood dreams about food. When he was hungry, he vowed that when he had money, he would eat ten egg pancakes every day until he was stuffed to death.
Fortunately, I've abandoned many dreams, but this one remains.