SS CH49

Their home was situated halfway up the mountain, built from stacked blue bluestones. Unsure of how many seasons of wind and frost it had weathered, a few stones had cracked and were plugged with smaller rocks and wooden boards, bearing the mottled traces of time.

Past noon, no cooking smoke rose from the stone house. Only a girl roughly Qin Lanshang’s age was outside washing clothes. Behind the house lay a small pool filled with crystal-clear mountain spring water. However, with the late season, the water felt freezing cold. Straining to lift a bucket of water to pour into the wooden basin, she heard the thin man’s call. She looked up and caught sight of the strangers. Her grip loosened in surprise, sending the bucket crashing down and splashing water everywhere.

Seemingly unaccustomed to outsiders, she was timid. She hurried inside the house, peeking out with only her head exposed. The old man tethered his donkey to a tree stump, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and called out, “Xiuer, stop hiding and pour some hot water for the guests!”

The girl let out an “Ah” and withdrew. Before long, she emerged with a pot of hot water and several old bowls, looking timid as ever. Seeing her hands tremble as she poured the water, Ye Fusheng shot Qin Lanshang a look. Yet, the young lady merely wore a woman’s skin while possessing the mind of a boor, racking her brain only to squeeze out a blunt comfort: “Don’t be scared, we won’t eat you.”

Ye Fusheng was left speechless.

Opening her mouth meant offending people, while keeping silent meant courting death. He wondered what kind of eccentric the former Sect Master of the Baigui Sect must have been to raise a granddaughter with such a peculiar temperament.

“Do not be afraid, young lady. It is already improper for guests to disturb the host, and if we make you cry, it would be our fault entirely.” Seeing the girl on the verge of tears, Ye Fusheng sighed. He reached into his robes, pulled out a delicate red lacquer box, and offered it to her. With a curl of his lips, he smiled, “You look a bit pale, young lady. Though this rouge is crude, it can add some color so you do not waste your youth.”

In a world like this, many women living in the wild mountains could go their entire lives without touching rouge or powder. The girl’s hand trembled, but she took it nonetheless. Ye Fusheng spoke to her softly for a few more moments, then turned to share half a bowl of water with the thin man as a substitute for wine, easing the atmosphere.

Watching him banter and charm so effortlessly—not only making the two simple men beam with laughter, but also drawing occasional soft responses and shy glances from the timid girl—Qin Lanshang blinked. She suddenly felt a twinge of worry about whether her legs would be broken by her young uncle when he returned.

“The scholar is hungry,” she blurted out, secretly elbowing Lu Mingyuan behind her. The blow nearly knocked the scholar, who had just managed to stand up, back down onto the ground.

The group, deep in conversation, snapped back to reality. The thin man and the girl went inside to prepare a meal, while the old man pulled up a small stool to stay and entertain the guests. Though Ruan Feiyu was a scholar, he put on no haughty airs. He could speak eloquently about matters spanning from the northern boundaries to the southern shores, from the imperial city to rural villages, conversing in a way that neither made the ignorant feel inferior nor the knowledgeable feel bored.

Ruan Feiyu asked, “Life is hard in a place like this, and bandits run amok. Why haven’t you moved away like the others, old man?”

“Move? Where could we go?” The old man sighed. Bitterness crept onto his face alongside the marks of wind and frost, filling every deep wrinkle. “I hear travelers say that nowhere in this world is life easy. Wouldn’t it be the same wherever we go? Besides, most of my friends and family are gone, their bones buried right here. As a bag of old bones, I don’t know how many days I have left. Sooner or rate, I’ll join them, so why bother bustling about?”

Though one’s life was like drifting duckweed, one’s roots remained here; wandering to the ends of the earth would leave a person with nothing to lean on.

Ye Fusheng asked, “Then with bandits causing trouble, hasn’t the local government stepped in?”

“The officials and bandits are two sides of the same coin, why would they step in?” The old man set down his water bowl. “Setting aside how far the county town is, even the town itself isn’t peaceful. Those ruffians dare to steal and pull tricks right under the noses of the officials. Even if they get locked up, they just pay some money and come right back out to commit crimes without a scratch.”

Ruan Feiyu rubbed his fingers against the rim of his water bowl and asked, “Why not file a complaint? I heard the court revised the laws so commoners no longer need to roll on nail boards or endure beatings to sue an official; as long as a written complaint is submitted with solid evidence and witnesses, justice can be served.”

“Are you referring to the new laws, sir?” The old man raised a pair of cloudy eyes. “Though I rarely leave the mountains, I’ve heard merchants mention that someone dared to alter the ancestral laws… It seems it was implemented by… ah, Ruan Shen.”

Ruan Feiyu smiled, his expression revealing neither pride nor offense. The smile failed to reach his eyes as he asked softly, “Old man, you know of Ruan Shen as well?”

A sharp glint flashed through the old man’s cloudy eyes as he said, “I hear passersby both curse and praise him; a hundred people say a hundred different things. I haven’t seen him with my own eyes, but there are many in this world who content themselves with the status quo, and few who dare to bring about change. For him to dare alter a nation’s laws, he must be a bold man who isn’t afraid of death.”

Ruan Feiyu’s smile remained unchanged. “Judging by your speech, old man, you seem to be a learned person yourself.”

The old man coughed a few times. “I read a few books in my early years, but I wouldn’t dare pretend to be a scholar!”

“Then why didn’t you continue your studies and take the imperial examinations?”

“My family was poor, where would we get that kind of spare money?”

Lu Mingyuan suddenly interjected, “Now that the new laws are in place, those from poor families can trade labor for schooling. At the very least, learning to read and write is a good thing.”

The old man glanced at him and smiled faintly. “In my household, there’s only an incompetent son and a little granddaughter. We’ll both end up dying in these mountains anyway, so there’s no need to waste effort on such things.”

As a young woman herself, Qin Lanshang disliked it most when people looked down on women. Her face immediately darkened as she spoke, “Old man, your granddaughter is young. She will have to manage a household in the future; she can’t remain an illiterate village woman guarding an empty mountain for her whole life, can she?”

The old man merely sighed and said nothing. Seeing this, Ye Fusheng steered the conversation elsewhere: “By the way, the heavy rain only eased today. Living in the mountains, you should keep a careful eye out for natural disasters, old man.”

“Are you referring to mudslides, sir?” The old man was taken aback, then laughed. “No need to worry about that! In all this time, I’ve only heard of one mudslide happening over thirty years ago. It’s been peaceful all these years.”

Hearing this, Ye Fusheng narrowed his eyes and said, “Then I was worrying over nothing.”

Seeing Ruan Feiyu chatting pleasantly with the old man, Ye Fusheng patted Qin Lanshang’s shoulder, signaling her to walk around the area with him. Lu Mingyuan glanced at them, then looked at his master, ultimately remaining seated where he was.

Walking along the small path outside the house, they gradually put some distance between themselves and the stone dwelling. Disliking how the muddy ground dirtied her shoes, Qin Lanshang leaped onto a large bluestone, crouched down with her chin resting in her hands, and asked, “Uncle Ye, what did you want to tell me? I was enjoying listening to them!”

Knowing the girl was sharp, Ye Fusheng skipped the banter. Glancing around to ensure no one was spying on them, he unfastened the small silver flask at his waist and handed it over, saying, “Take a sip.”

“What is this?”

“Something that neutralizes poison.”

“You…” Qin Lanshang caught on instantly. She cast a swift glance back at the stone house, her face darkening. “There’s something wrong with those three?”

“The house is old, but the people are new,” Ye Fusheng said, crossing his arms. “They claim to have lived here for years, yet they don’t even know that the terrain here is unstable and prone to natural disasters. What’s more… he and that thin man both have calluses on their hands, but the girl does not.”

Qin Lanshang frowned. “Isn’t it normal for farm workers to have calluses? Besides, girls like to look nice.”

“Calluses from farm work are entirely different from those earned by martial artists. Besides, farm work… Heh, look at that vegetable patch. Which farmer would be this careless?” Ye Fusheng swept his gaze over the area. Though the small patch behind the house had been nourished by rain, the cabbage in the soil had already turned yellow and withered.

Unlike noble estates with ice houses and vast farmland, common folk harvested and stored vegetables like cabbage once autumn arrived. Looking at the state of that patch, it hadn’t been tended to for at least half a month.

Qin Lanshang’s heart skipped a beat as Ye Fusheng continued, “Girl, you were born into wealth, so you don’t know the hardships of poor families. Forget the countryside; even girls in the city markets work from a young age. Their hands are bound to be rough. Yet that girl’s fingers are long and fair, with wear only on her fingernails—those are clearly the hands of someone who plays the pipa.”

Qin Lanshang gritted her teeth. “Is this trouble brought by that old thief Ruan?”

“Watch your language at your age. But if you’re asking if they’re after him… it’s practically a certainty,” Ye Fusheng said calmly. “So, drink up.”

Qin Lanshang took a suspicious sip and nearly spat it back out. It took her a long moment to swallow the godforsaken liquid, her expression turning thoroughly hostile: “What kind of foul stuff is this?”

“Don’t be so hot-tempered; this is good stuff,” Ye Fusheng retrieved the small silver flask like a prized treasure. “It’s medicinal wine brewed with Red Heart Snow Lotus. Common poisons react to it like mice encountering a cat.”

Red Heart Snow Lotus was an extremely rare miracle medicine in the world, renowned for its incredible detoxifying and mind-clearing properties, making it scarce even within the Baigui Sect. Hearing this, Qin Lanshang said incredulously, “This tastes worse than bitter medicinal soup! You’re tricking me, aren’t you?”

Ye Fusheng rubbed his nose. In truth, he hadn’t believed it at first either, but his Shiniang was somehow able to make something inedible despite possessing an immortal-like face.

He coughed lightly and changed the subject: “Later, I’ll cover for you. Make sure Ruan Feiyu and that bookworm take a sip as well, just to be safe.”

Qin Lanshang asked in confusion, “Since we know they are suspicious, wouldn’t it be easier to just subdue them right away?”

Ye Fusheng looked at her and sighed, “Girl, did you grow a brain just to make yourself look taller?”

Qin Lanshang: “…”

“There are four of us, and we’re practically stacked with the old, weak, sick, and disabled. We don’t know what backup plans they have, so tearing off our masks prematurely will only put us at a disadvantage.”

Qin Lanshang frowned. “Then what should we do?”

With a smile on his lips, Ye Fusheng’s gaze slowly turned cold: “Wait and see; draw the snake out of its hole.”