Whether one was an extraordinary talent or a formidable hero, living in this world meant always having to experience someone who held one back.
Qiu Si stared expressionlessly at the messenger who came to report the news. The latter felt cold all over and barely managed to remain calm as he said, “The Young Master took advantage of the matter of holding Pili Hall accountable and returned to the main stronghold. Daoist Baiyu and others were all taken down. Old Liang and the others were still following Commandant Cheng. The Young Master had always been quite prestigious, and now he had not clearly shown that he intended to oppose…oppose you. Naturally, our people could not say anything and could only stand by and watch, but this would not work in the long run, so I had to come and ask Mr. Qiu for guidance.”
Over the years, Qiu Si had raised many people who were absolutely devoted to him.
Here, “absolutely devoted” did not refer to loyalty, but to a blind trust in him.
Whether for fame or profit, whether one had ambition or aspiration, whether one was a Jianghu person or an official…after so many years, they had all become accustomed to believing in Qiu Si, believing that any trouble that reached his hands could be resolved effortlessly.
This caused them to subconsciously think of Qiu Si whenever they encountered a thorny problem, because the other party could casually provide a comprehensive solution they could never match, and could even gain benefits from these solutions, turning a bad situation into a good one.
Even the most cautious and steady person, after being indulged like this for so many years, developed a terrible inertia.
——There was a more convenient, more effortless way to earn money right in front of them, so why bother racking their own brains?
No one in this world was born able to plan everything flawlessly. To achieve this, apart from having a huge force, one had to make people willingly offer themselves up, unconsciously becoming chess pieces.
One only needed to provide ample benefits the first time, continuing until the eleventh time. Even without benefits, the other party still firmly believed without doubt.
This kind of addiction to dependence was no less harmful than opium.
Qiu Si’s “help” naturally was not given for free. In fact, the troubles the other party encountered might have been caused by him borrowing another party’s hand, so that his own people could infiltrate various forces in Ningtai and become an inseparable part, and then he could further control and divide them.
In this way, he indirectly controlled both the officialdom and Jianghu.
With just a casual flick of his finger, he could stir up a storm in Ningtai.
This invisible yet enormous advantage was the key to Qiu Si’s confidence and also his final trump card.
However, there were no perfectly satisfactory affairs in the world, and no one could have everything go according to their wishes, not even someone as powerful as Qiu Si.
——That group of people from Pili Hall suddenly emerged as an obstacle that held him back.
Someone had hidden the Pili Hall people behind Qiu Si’s back, thinking they were a secret weapon, but a fool was a fool, and they ruined his good plan.
If not for them, Qiu Jing would never have so easily re-established her dominance over Fengxing Pavilion.
This blow not only left those Fengxing Pavilion elders dizzy, but also spoiled Qiu Si’s layout.
Qiu Si originally intended to leave Qiu Jing isolated and helpless, to make her see that the general trend could not be reversed, forcing Qiu Jing and a small group of people to flee far away to Jingzhou.
Now that Qiu Jing stayed, Cheng Jingchuan would not obediently comply, and together with Meng Qi, who “caught the right timing,” how could the situation not fluctuate? Someone as controlling as Qiu Si probably felt the urge to kill those fools from Pili Hall.
The Jianghu man who brought the news, a boxer of some renown in Jiangnan, had survived several life-and-death struggles. At that moment, he instinctively felt a murderous aura. A coldness surged up, and he felt as if he were immersed in cold water, freezing his brain stiff.
“Mr. Qiu…”
He looked at Qiu Si in terror. It was not so much that Qiu Si had no expression, but rather that he had lost the disguised human mask, revealing a skinless demon who treated people as if choosing chickens, ducks, or fish to eat.
At this moment, a bowl of steaming hot medicine was brought over by a servant.
“Excuse me, Boxer Zheng, please step aside for a moment. It is time for Mr. Qiu to take his medicine.”
The bitter scent of the steam blurred his vision. With this interruption, when the boxer looked up again, Qiu Si had already picked up the medicine bowl and gently swirled it, anger lingering between his brows. Everything before seemed like an illusion.
However, the cold sweat on his back still flowed, and the goosebumps on his body had not subsided.
Boxer Zheng felt a chill and wished he could get up and take his leave immediately.
But Qiu Si’s two attendants were staring at him, and their positions just happened to block the window and the door.
“Y-Yes……”
Boxer Zheng forced a stiff smile, and the cold sweat on his back intensified.
Others might not know, but Boxer Zheng, who often came here to report (seek) news (help), knew very well that these attendants possessed very high martial arts skills. Just that one named Yuheng alone had learned two sword techniques long lost to the martial world.
It was said these people were all from bitter backgrounds and were utterly loyal to Mr. Qiu, having gone through countless trials.
Of course, the most remarkable among them was Cheng Jingchuan, who had long since shed the status of an attendant and appeared as Mr. Qiu’s disciple and heir.
Qiu Si was no ordinary man, and those attendants he “taught” were no exceptions. Although Boxer Zheng did not know where Mr. Qiu got the lost martial arts manuals, he had never doubted Qiu Si’s capabilities.
Now Boxer Zheng felt that Qiu Si was far more terrifying than they had imagined. He shuddered violently and lowered his head even further.
It seemed something was roaring in his heart, clearing his muddled mind. His hand at his side instinctively clenched tight.
Yuheng lowered his head and glanced at him, then raised his hands calmly to prepare to receive the medicine bowl.
Qiu Si handed the bowl over casually, but his finger gently tapped the vital point at his attendant’s wrist.
Yuheng understood and bowed before retreating.
Qiu Si rinsed his mouth with a fragrant leaf, and said indifferently, “Who sheltered the people of Pili Hall, and who gave them the idea? They even tried to kill Meng Qi in the streets of Ningtai City. When they failed to find Meng Qi and only encountered Doctor Mo, and now the situation could not be resolved nicely, they came to think of me?”
Boxer Zheng smiled dryly and said: “Immortal Baiyu and the others most likely did this matter. Those little gadgets from Pili Hall were always handy, but no one expected those turtle grandsons would actually side with the Tianshou King, and even helped take down Xuanchuan Pass…… As for Baiyu Zhenren’s character, Mr. Qiu should have known it. He could not possibly have colluded with the Tianshou King. Today, the Young Master forced a crime onto their heads, and tomorrow, he might cause trouble for Commandant Cheng. With the uprising imminent, if our own backyard had turned chaotic, how could we have dealt with the King of Jing, the King of Wu, or even the Tianshou King?”
“Indeed, but unfortunately, those who could have seen this truth were truly few.” Qiu Si sighed softly.
As the coldness receded, that familiar rhythm of conversation gradually brought Boxer Zheng back to his senses. He smiled companionably and said: “I did not dare accept Mr. Qiu’s praise, and I still asked Mr. Qiu to provide a plan.”
Qiu Si glanced at him indifferently and said casually: “Pili Hall harbored ill intentions, deceived Immortal Baiyu, and secretly stirred up internal strife in Fengxing Pavilion. Was this not obvious? Since they had been taken down, what else was there to investigate? The top priority should have been dealing with the Tianshou King’s army, which was about to arrive at Jingzhou.”
Boxer Zheng’s eyes lit up, and he quickly nodded in agreement.
The situation could be reversed if they did not let Qiu Jing use this as a pretext to shake the positions of those Fengxing Pavilion elders.
He took his leave respectfully and humbly.
Before a cup of tea had cooled completely, Yuheng came in to report: “The person was dealt with, and the corpse was thrown at Sanlipu outside the city. The fatal wound imitated the move commonly used by that disciple of Old Ancestor Qingwu under the Tianshou King.”
Qiu Si neither affirmed nor denied. He raised his hand and said: “Pack up and leave Ningtai City with me immediately.”
All the attendants, including Yuheng, were taken aback.
“This…… could it be that those Pili Hall fellows had done something else? Why does Mr. Qiu have to leave?”
Ningtai was where Qiu Si had invested many years of painstaking effort. Only in this city could Qiu Si have exerted his greatest advantage.
Yuheng and the others racked their brains but did not discover any trouble that could have forced Qiu Si to leave.
According to Qiu Si’s intention, he had no mood to explain in detail. However, he had trained and taught these attendants for many years, so he had to appease them somewhat. Thus he said coldly: “When Qiu Jing found free time, she would have brought Meng Qi and come knocking on our door.”
Although this was not the Qiu residence, many in Fengxing Pavilion still knew of this place.
“The Young Master truly was…… sigh.”
To the attendants, Qiu Si’s words meant that he did not wish to fall out completely and become enemies with Qiu Jing face to face. Thus, they could not help complaining about Qiu Jing a few times and hurriedly began packing their things.
Qiu Si watched them busy themselves without uttering a word.
There were originally not many letters stored in the study, and Qiu Si knew them all thoroughly. He took a stack and handed them to Yuheng.
He first soaked the letters in water until they turned mushy and the writing could no longer be seen, then threw them into the brazier. No matter how hastily he burned them, remnants would remain, and by raking through the ashes, others could still find scattered fragments.
This house always had luggage prepared year-round, with no shortage of water, dry food, and tinder. By the time the carriage was ready, only two quarters of an hour had passed.
Yuheng took a cloak and fastened it on Qiu Si. As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, the Four Seasons Flowers in full bloom suddenly swayed violently.
A sudden wind arose, and the petals drifted down.
Qiu Si stopped and looked up: “They have arrived.”
“Mr. Qiu?”
Yuheng was startled and drew his sword, and the other attendants immediately surrounded Qiu Si tightly.
At some unknown time, a figure had already stood atop the wall.
Three dwarf pines were planted in the courtyard, but their branches and leaves were not yet lush. That person walked step by step, as if treading on pine branches to enter the courtyard.
His robe sleeves rose slightly, a fierce gust of wind swept everything clean, and several mechanisms in the corners of the wall were triggered, firing a few sparse arrows.
Although Yuheng stood in front of Qiu Si in time, that merciless hidden force still nearly caused Qiu Si to fall to the ground.
“Ha.”
The newcomer sneered. Yuheng was about to retreat toward the courtyard gate, but suddenly discovered that another person had also appeared there silently.
Clad in green robes, with black hair, graceful like a jade tree in the wind, he held a simple, unadorned knife.
Such a knife could have been forged by any blacksmith shop in Ningtai City, because it was a letter-opening knife, short and narrow, simple in style, with no decoration.
However, when held in that person’s hand, it was as if a gifted scholar held a brush or a performer stroked a zither. In the next moment, endless elegant prose or moving melodies would have appeared.
“……”
Yuheng’s pupils contracted, and his breathing unconsciously grew heavy, while bean-sized beads of sweat emerged on his forehead.
The other attendants also suppressed their fright with ferocity. Even before making a move, they had sensed the enemy’s terrifying nature.
Only Qiu Si calmly supported himself against the wall and stood firmly, then laughed: “Bright and clear like willows in the spring moon, solemn like the wind beneath the pines. The two appearances seen the other day were not your true forms, truly a pity. It seemed that today Master Meng specially took off that borrowed armor and brought Doctor Mo to pay a visit. I, Qiu, felt overwhelmed by such unexpected favor.”
Author’s Note:
[Bright and clear like willows in the spring moon] and [Solemn like the wind beneath the pines] both originated from Shishuo Xinyu.
Yes, it was from the source where the term “panshu hongyun,” no, “xuanran xiaju” came from.
These two sentences, taken literally, meant as graceful and beautiful as willow branches in spring, with a gentle and lovely appearance. Like the sound of wind among pines, lofty and distant, this described one’s temperament.
