Guía sobre viento y humo

Capítulo 2

"...It seems you'd better stay home as much as possible..."

"Hmm, what?"

"It's nothing, I was just talking to myself..."

Chapter Three

Ah Di bought a large bag of medicinal herbs at the pharmacy. The shopkeeper thoughtfully helped him put the herbs on his cart. He was also taken aback when he saw the brocade next to the cart. "Ah Di, is this your lady? Is she feeling much better now?"

Zhijin nodded slightly and replied, "Yes, thank you for your concern, shopkeeper." Although she was of a reserved nature, she never neglected proper etiquette.

"Ah Di is so lucky, no wonder he's so considerate to the lady..."

Even without being explicitly stated, it was easy to understand what he meant. Adi smiled sheepishly, thinking to himself: It seems I should pick a less conspicuous woman... But is there really a choice in this kind of thing?

Zhijin helped him organize the medicinal herbs in the cart. It wasn't hard to understand the shopkeeper's thoughtfulness—Adi had bought only expensive herbs for her injury. These herbs were far beyond the reach of ordinary people, and in this small town, how could the shopkeeper not be polite to such a wealthy patron? She knew that the little money Adi earned daily dispensing medicine for the villagers wasn't enough to buy even a single packet. When it came to buying medicinal herbs, he was practically "spending money like water." Possessing superb medical skills and seemingly endless amounts of silver, yet he worked tirelessly every day going up the mountain to collect and prepare medicine, acting as a small-town pharmacist… Adi was truly a strange person.

"Brocade? What are you thinking about?"

"No...where do we go next?"

"Let's go to the market. We still have some things to buy for the house. You'd also like to see some little trinkets that women like, right...?"

Zhijin remained silent, offering no response. She simply did as he instructed.

"Hey, isn't this Brother Adi? Oh, is Madam all better now?" The waiter at the inn's entrance greeted them with a smile. Adi replied, "Yes, thank you for your concern, Brother Adi." The innkeeper, who had overheard their conversation, also came out and nodded to Adi.

Zhi Jin glanced at him indifferently, and he looked back at her curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Can you tell me if there are any people in this town you don't know?"

Adi scratched his head and smiled, "It's not that exaggerated. I just come to town often, so everyone knows each other... That waiter has seen you before. When I first brought you to town, we stayed at this inn. I caused him a lot of trouble back then, so he probably remembers me well."

Hearing this, I vaguely remembered brocade.

However, she really had to admit that this person still had a great deal of affability.

As the two of them walked through the market, they certainly attracted many people who turned their heads to look at them.

If it were just Ah Di, naturally no one would turn around. Ah Di was also a handsome man, but there are some people who are like chameleons. When they wear ordinary coarse clothes and dress like commoners, even their temperament is assimilated, and you can't tell the difference between them and the other people on the street.

If she wanted to, she could have made brocade. But Adi didn't ask her to, so she didn't bother. Thus, even in simple clothes and plain hairpins, she was still a woman so beautiful that one could not take their eyes off her.

In this market, whether you know Adi or not, you will probably remember from today onwards that the village pharmacist Adi had a fairy-like wife.

Did he do something wrong again?

But does that mean he has to buy a straw hat to cover up his brocade before going shopping?

"Zhijin, could you... make your appearance a little more ordinary?"

This statement sounds baffling to anyone. Is appearance something you're born with, or can it be changed?

But Zhijin simply replied, "Okay."

Fortunately... this way we don't need to buy straw hats to cover the brocade up completely.

Zhi Jin looked at him indifferently. There were some things she shouldn't ask, but since she was with him now, she should at least understand their positions.

"Adi, are you hiding from someone?"

"Yes." She seemed to be a very perceptive person.

"...If that's the case, why save me? Wouldn't that just be adding to your burden?" She stopped and stared at Adi. Adi seemed unconcerned and slowly said, "Perhaps it's just my stubbornness. I don't like seeing others not cherish their lives. When I saw you had no will to live, I just wanted to save you—I really wanted to see what that lifeless woman would look like when she genuinely smiled."

Zhi Jin paused slightly, unsure how to answer… Indeed, she wouldn't have cared if she had died at that moment, but this person had saved her. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful… he saved her, she should thank him, but… she really couldn't. She could smile, but she didn't know how to make a truly “genuine” smile.

"Are you tired? Let's find a place to rest first. Your legs can't walk for too long."

They entered a tavern, and as soon as they stepped inside, they were greeted by a loud commotion. Inside, several burly江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) figures sat around a table laden with food and wine, their boisterous conversation utterly oblivious to the others. In such a small town,江湖 figures were particularly conspicuous, and the other patrons, fearing trouble, quickly paid their bill and left.

Zhi Jin paused slightly. Although she wasn't afraid, she had never liked associating with these roughnecks. However, A Di didn't seem to mind. He tightened his grip on her arm to indicate that she was alright, and continued walking into the shop, not paying any attention to those people.

"—Did you know that Cangming Water Pavilion is now divided in two? Xiao Wuqing actually willingly handed over his power to someone else. Some people are saying that the new master of Northern Cangming is a ruthless and iron-fisted person—"

“I’ve also heard that even the renowned ‘Cangming Siyue’ under Xiao Wuqing’s command has split into two factions. Doesn’t that mean the position of ‘Number One Swordsman of the Demonic Path’ is now vacant?”

"What 'suspended in mid-air'? Since the split of Cangming, the Cangming Ranking has disappeared from the martial world. This time, the Cangming Ranking can no longer compete with the Qingzun Ranking..."

"Cangzhou is probably going to be in chaos again..."

Upon hearing their words, Zhijin paused slightly.

Cangming Water Pavilion, Qingzun Tower. I never expected to hear these two names in this peaceful and tranquil place. In the martial arts world, probably no one is unaware of these two places; they have practically become landmarks in both the legitimate and illegitimate worlds.

However, all of this seems too far away from her now...

Before her eyes, the bloody scenes seemed to still be vivid, but she never imagined that one day she would become someone unrelated to the martial arts world, listening to it all indifferently.

Yes, she was a useless person, and from then on, she had nothing to do with the world.

"Brocade? What's wrong?"

Zhijin shook her head slightly, realizing she had simply been a little distracted...

At the table to the side, as everyone was talking, they suddenly noticed someone staring straight ahead, not even bothering to reply.

"Hey! What are you looking at..." The others turned their heads in the direction of his gaze—and the woman sitting by the window stunned them as well.

Vague and ethereal, like smoke and mist.

If the woman here were a beautiful woman in fine clothes, they might hesitate, their greedy eyes perhaps concealing their intentions. But here is a woman in coarse cloth, of lowly status, yet possessing a captivating beauty unbecoming of her station. Such a woman might very well be the very one tempting others to commit crimes.

The group exchanged glances, then completely ignored the seemingly gentle and honest young man beside the woman, and stood up and walked over.

Chapter Four

From the moment someone stood up at that table, Zhijin had already noticed. She sighed inwardly, wondering why there were always some people and some things that made her feel a vague sense of disgust.

However, she no longer had the resources to ignore these troubles. Since she couldn't afford to offend them, she could only avoid them. "Adi, let's go."

"Have you rested enough?" Adi seemed oblivious to the approaching group of people, not even glancing at them, and simply asked Zhijin with a smile.

Zhijin had no idea how powerful Adi was. Was he simply oblivious, or did he disregard him? His gentle and sincere face was impossible to read. She simply nodded, deciding it was better to avoid trouble, and urged Adi to leave.

Before they could leave, several people blocked their way.

"This young lady, seeing us coming, hurriedly walked away. Could it be that she mistook us brothers for wolves and tigers?"

Zhi Jin's face remained expressionless, not even her eyebrows twitching.

Ah Di seemed to only notice these people now, and smiled politely but not humbly, "Excuse me, gentlemen."

Enraged, someone brandished his knife, but before he could even utter a shout, he saw a blur before his eyes and was sprawled on the ground, unable to recover.

"If it's just a momentary lapse of judgment, that's fine, but if someone doesn't know what's good for them, then they'll be disliked." Adi remained polite, and after saying that, he helped Zhijin out of the tavern.

The men behind him reacted, finally realizing that it was this seemingly ordinary, honest villager who had done it. Shocked and utterly displeased, they drew their knives, taking advantage of their numbers, and swung them at him.

"Kid, don't go!"

Adi released Zhijin and turned around. Almost no one saw what he did, and the shed in front of the tavern collapsed with a crash, burying several burly men underneath. The tavern owner was at a loss. Adi stepped forward and stuffed a silver note into his hand, saying, "I'm sorry, I've disturbed your business." After saying that, he helped Zhijin away quickly before the men could get out from under the shed.

The tavern owner was stunned after just one glance at the silver notes in his hand. That money wasn't just for repairing a shed; it could probably buy his entire tavern. Looking up again, the young couple was nowhere to be seen in the street.

From the moment they walked out of the tavern, Zhijin had been watching. Just because others couldn't see what Adi did didn't mean she couldn't. Adi unleashed two palm strikes, one using only hand force to push down the person who approached, and the other using internal force to collapse the shed. However, these two strikes were so fast that from the moment he struck to the moment he withdrew, it was as if it were just a blur. The moves were simple, without any unnecessary flourishes. It was definitely not your average flashy martial arts; rather, it resembled a school of kung fu that emphasized practicality… However, Zhijin couldn't reconcile the gentle man before her with that kind of person.

Adi, supporting the brocade weaver, moved with incredible speed. His hand seemed to be merely giving her a light tug, but he actually used most of the brocade's strength to carry her effortlessly, almost without her feet touching the ground. She had long sensed Adi's extraordinary abilities, and she didn't doubt it, but she couldn't understand why someone with such skills would be content to be an ordinary citizen.

"Looks like we can't go sightseeing today." After walking quite a distance, Adi stopped and smiled regretfully at Zhijin. "But luckily, those people weren't from town. They were just passing through and probably won't stay long. Let's go home first; they won't be able to find us. I'll bring you out again after they've left in a few days."

Ah Di seemed relaxed, thankful that he had entrusted the oxcart to the pharmacy for convenience while shopping at the market; all he had to do was go back and drive home.

Zhijin had caused trouble and felt somewhat apologetic, but Adi seemed completely unconcerned, continuing to laugh and chat. He seemed to be gradually enveloping Zhijin with his smiles and kindness, shielding her from the outside world's bloodshed and the dark past. She didn't understand why someone could be so kind to a complete stranger they'd taken in. Just as she didn't know how to be kind to others, she didn't know how to respond to kindness from others.

Adi drove the oxcart, trying to hum a mountain song he'd heard in the mountains, but the tune was off. Zhijin then discovered another weakness of his, besides cooking: his sense of pitch was truly terrible. No one is perfect, that's for sure.

He tried several times, but couldn't find the right melody, yet he persisted. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Zhijin sang along with him, correcting him in a low voice. The singing was like mist, soft and gentle, like a quiet morning in a secluded valley. A smile slowly bloomed on Adi's face, and he gradually lowered his voice, letting Zhijin sing alone.

Jade Mountain surrounds a ten-mile-long lake. Water, clouds, and sky blend into a distant expanse, where two ducks play.

Jinpingpu, Huaxian County, Heyang. People never grow old; their days are long and peaceful.

A smile followed by hesitation.

They will ride on the tail of a winnowing basket to ascend to the cloud-covered path.

It is extremely rich and beautiful.

Don't be afraid to get drunk; someone will help you up when you're drunk.

The singing was low and far-reaching, drifting away. Adi looked up at the back of the carport and laughed, "Zhijin, I never knew you could sing such a tune."

This sentence seemed to touch upon an issue that the two had tacitly avoided.

He didn't know, because she neither spoke nor sang. But... he must have been able to see it. A woman like her, severely punished, her martial arts crippled, and abandoned in the wilderness—how could her origins be simple? Putting aside the music, it was indeed rare for her to sing such an ordinary tune.

He didn't know that there were probably few other women in the world who understood what she didn't... She knew everything other women knew, whether they were courtesans, ladies of high society, maids, or ordinary servants... She knew so much, and she needed to spend all her time learning and doing things, always rushing around with no time for boredom or idleness... Yet, her heart remained empty. She didn't know what she truly wanted to do.

Even now, having severed ties with the past... she no longer needs to do her "duties," yet she doesn't know what she should do. A faint loneliness, a sense of nowhere to go, pervades her. She doesn't know how much longer she can follow Adi... When her wounds heal, where will Adi go, and where should she go...?

The smoke rises high, revealing even the finest details. Clouds surge among the mountains, while beyond them, the sea roars.

Looking back at the Central Plains, where is it now? The sky is like a curtain, surrounded by azure. Cornelian cherry blossoms are in full bloom, chrysanthemum buds are just opening. Leaning to the left, I drink wine; holding a crab claw to the right.

Do not let idle worries cause you unnecessary mental anguish.

The music had lost its previous leisurely charm.

Adi slowly stopped smiling and turned her head slightly to look at the carport behind her...

He probably understood her songs.

She appeared perfectly normal, yet deep down, she remained the same woman with empty, desolate eyes she had been when she was first found.

Chapter 5

"We're home!" That shout startled Zhijin, bringing her back to her senses... The word "home" evoked a slightly strange feeling in her heart.

Adi jumped off the oxcart and helped Zhijin down, laughing, "I'll have to stay home for now. I still need to go up the mountain to gather herbs. If you get bored, ask the landlord's children to keep you company."

Zhijin's expression changed slightly. She wasn't afraid of being bored, but what about the children...?