WJ Chapter 25

Che Lin (2)

After that, the Four Directions Protector earnestly tried to persuade him for a long while. However, for some unknown reason, Yun Changliu’s attitude was terrifyingly firm—either they go together, or they return together. Other than these two options, don’t even think about it.

In the very end, Guan Wujue still couldn’t drive the Sect Leader back.

Since he couldn’t be driven back, there was no choice but to bring him along…

Fortunately, Yun Changliu had one thing right—the intervals between Fengchun Sheng relapses wouldn’t be that short. While the poison was dormant, it had no effect on the body, so just making this one trip shouldn’t actually trigger an attack.

“Speaking of which, Young Master, you…”

Outside the tavern, the sunlight was bright and beautiful. Guan Wujue leaned against Liuhuo, looked toward Yun Changliu, and put on a “very worried” smile. “…Can you still ride a horse?”

Yun Changliu: “…”

Actually, Guan Wujue wasn’t simply teasing the Sect Leader with this question. After all… Yun Changliu truly hadn’t gone out for a very, very long time, and had even fewer opportunities to gallop on horseback. That Feixue hadn’t become fat as a ball—that was really thanks to the people of Zhuyin Sect taking it out for walks every single day…

Yun Changliu didn’t speak. He shot him a cool glance, gracefully mounted his horse with fluid movements, and from his elevated position said, “What, want to compete in horsemanship?”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare…” Guan Wujue hurriedly waved his hands repeatedly. However, he also knew the Sect Leader was just joking casually, so he immediately mounted Liuhuo and slowly urged his horse forward.

The two then left Yuanlai tavern and continued southward along that dirt road.

However, after traveling for just over half a shichen, they discovered—actually, discussing horsemanship was truly unnecessary.

Because…

They were going far too slowly; the horses couldn’t even run properly!

Actually, it was quite laughable when you thought about it. These two people—normally, whichever one traveled alone wouldn’t go this slowly. But they just happened to be together—

So Guan Wujue worried about the Sect Leader’s Fengchun Sheng poison, while Yun Changliu worried about the Protector’s old whip injuries. Both feared exhausting the other into some kind of ailment.

Thus the two went slower and slower, slower and slower, slower and slower…

Until finally it reached the point where, upon seeing any inn or shop by the roadside with seats where they could rest, they would go in and browse around. They’d eat and drink and chat idly for a bit, then leisurely get back on the road. If they saw some interesting new trinket, they might even buy it and stuff it into their packs…

Where was there even half a hint of being on business? It was simply like two people going out to travel together hand in hand!

In the blink of an eye, the sun had already shifted from leaning east to leaning west. In this season, darkness came early, and the surroundings were already draped in a thin veil of dimness. The crimson sun hadn’t completely set yet, but the moon had already revealed its bright white form on the horizon.

This road wasn’t particularly smooth, but it was fairly wide. Feixue and Liuhuo walked side by side at an unhurried pace.

Guan Wujue held the reins loosely in one hand, while his other hand held a small bag of sesame candy bought from the roadside. Thinking about the day’s journey, he himself found it absurd and said to Yun Changliu, “…But Young Master, what exactly are you following this subordinate for?”

As he spoke, he put a piece of candy in his own mouth, then tossed one over to Yun Changliu from a distance, smiling. “If you just wanted to eat candy, Wujue could bring it back to the Sect for you…”

Normally, when two horses walk along a road, the people on horseback naturally bounce continuously. However, these two had both practiced martial arts to a level that ranked among the very best in the jianghu. When they tossed candy back and forth like this, they didn’t need to worry at all about poor aim causing the candy to fall on the ground.

Yun Changliu raised his hand, and the candy obediently landed between his slender fingers. The Sect Leader put it in his mouth. Actually, he found this sesame candy a bit too sticky for his hands, though the taste was good…

Suddenly a thought popped up: if only Wujue had thrown it directly to his mouth. If they were still as they once were, this sort of thing would be completely—

Wait, what exactly was he thinking?

Yun Changliu’s mind was a bit chaotic. He used his teeth to bite the candy into small pieces, thinking to himself that he’d already made up his mind at the tavern that this would be the last time, so why was he still thinking random thoughts continuously… How truly pathetic.

Setting aside all that messy entanglement and conflict about Yun Danjing and Ah Ku, just with his own body that wouldn’t last much longer, wouldn’t it be sinful to go and entangle with others again?

“Young Master…? Young Master!”

“—Sect Leader!”

“…Mm.”

After Guan Wujue called out several times in succession, Yun Changliu finally came to his senses at a certain moment and looked toward the Protector in confusion.

The latter said helplessly, “Fine, if you really don’t want to say, then forget it…”

“…It’s not that I don’t want to say.” Yun Changliu’s face was expressionless. He had just been spacing out. “I already said at the tavern—this lord is going to keep an eye on you.”

“What’s there to keep an eye on?”

Guan Wujue asked back. Seeing there was no one else on the road, he switched back to addressing Yun Changliu more casually, saying teasingly, “Could it be the Sect Leader doesn’t trust Wujue and fears Wujue will collude with outside traitors—”

Yun Changliu’s expression darkened and he was about to scold. The Protector, seeing things were going badly, hurriedly tossed another piece of sesame candy over and preemptively apologized, “Wujue spoke nonsense. Please calm your anger, Sect Leader.”

This was also because Yun Changliu had spent so much time with him that he’d grown used to this person’s habit of speaking without thinking. His anger only rose for a moment or two before dissipating again. Sect Leader Yun chose to peacefully eat his candy. The sweetness between his lips and teeth gradually intensified, but his thoughts gradually drifted far away.

Why did he personally follow along instead of choosing to only send Yin Ghosts to escort?

Naturally, it was because he deeply doubted the purpose of Guan Wujue’s trip.

As for living a hundred years—Yun Changliu naturally didn’t believe that. The best scenario would be to obtain some medicine from Wanci Manor that could suppress Fengchun Sheng—even if it only gave him one or two more years, handling his affairs would be much easier.

But the problem was—

No matter how many rare medicines and prescriptions Wanci Manor had, the Medicine Gate of Zhuyin Sect was no slouch either. Back then, to save him, Yun Guyan had tried every method he could think of and searched for every medicine he could find. Now the Medicine Gate was clearly at their wits’ end. For Guan Wujue to run to Wanci Manor at this juncture… even if he really could find useful medicine, it would definitely not be ordinary.

And Wanci Manor… they had major grievances with Zhuyin Sect. If you traced this matter back, Young Master of the Duanmu family was lost because of Yun Changliu, and now they couldn’t find him alive or dead. If they could still offer up medicine with both hands after all that—then Wanci Manor wouldn’t be called “Playing with the King of Hell,” they should rename themselves “Living Bodhisattvas”!

—So for Guan Wujue to make this trip, Yun Changliu was very uneasy… Who knew what this fellow who boasted he would make him “live a hundred years” would end up doing?

Naturally, Guan Wujue’s own safety made Yun Changliu anxious, but there was something more: what if this person dragged the entire Zhuyin Sect into the water and got into a real armed conflict with Wanci Manor—the oldest, most deeply-rooted of the three great martial families with the most connections to other jianghu forces? That would also be extremely troublesome.

What kind of crazy things wouldn’t the old Sect Leader, Wen Feng, and that group do in order to cure his Fengchun Sheng?

—The succession issue for Sect Leader within Zhuyin Sect was already riddled with hidden dangers. Internal troubles plus external worries—how could that be acceptable!

Yun Changliu couldn’t help but feel melancholy for a moment and sighed softly:

“This lord knows his numbered days are coming to an end. With Fengchun Sheng in my body, I’ve already earned these years and should be content. To cling to life further would only add more suffering… Zhuyin Sect is already chaotic enough inside. You all must not make me die with eyes that won’t close in peace.”

“…” Guan Wujue stared at the gradually darkening sky ahead, seeing a few streaks of crimson sunset clouds still hanging over the distant mountains. He smiled with some difficulty, his voice suddenly dropping low. “…Wujue understands the Sect Leader’s meaning, but these words are truly piercing to the heart.”

Yun Changliu was slightly stunned.

“I’m sorry, this lord…”

The Sect Leader was at a loss for words for a moment. Only after a long while did he say, “I know you’ve always been for my own good.”

The setting sun sank bit by bit in the tranquility.

The shadows of the two horses merged together, while the road ahead was still so long, as if it could allow them to keep walking like this forever.

Guan Wujue suddenly said in a low voice, “Sect Leader, if…”

When he said this, the corners of his lips held a faint smile. His handsome eyes and brows suddenly became soft to the point of sadness, murmuring in a low, hoarse voice:

“If Wujue, for your own good, did something that made you very sad, could you…”

Yun Changliu’s breathing stopped. His chest felt like it was being viciously squeezed tight, a numbing ache flowing through every inch of his four limbs and hundred bones.

—Was he talking about killing Yun Danjing?

Yun Changliu almost thought that in the next moment, Guan Wujue would say something like “could you not hate me” or “could you forgive me.”

However, the red-robed Protector only smiled again, turned his head from horseback to look at Yun Changliu and said, “…Could I beg you not to be so sad?”

Yun Changliu’s heart was immediately filled with mixed feelings. His eyes were clear and bright as he stared at the Protector. “You know I’ll be sad, yet you still want to do this?”

Guan Wujue stopped speaking.

He lowered his eyes, gently biting his trembling lips.

Yun Changliu’s heart instantly softened into a complete mess.

He thought, what was the point of this? He was already halfway in the grave—why was he still stabbing at him with past matters?

Enough, it was already enough.

“…Wujue?”

Guan Wujue was silent. Yun Changliu called out to the Protector once, reached out to grab Liuhuo’s reins and pulled them over, bringing the distance between them a bit closer.

The Sect Leader hesitated, deliberating over his words for a long time before softening his tone and speaking gently to coax. “Fine, then… as long as you don’t provoke me again, properly admit your fault, and don’t repeat it in the future, I will promise you to try to be less sad—is that acceptable?”

“The Sect Leader is serious?” Guan Wujue suddenly looked up at him with great delight. Though he was smiling, the corners of his eyes were slightly red. “It’s agreed?”

Yun Changliu’s heart ached with a tremor. No longer caring about anything else, he hurriedly said, “It’s agreed.”

Upon hearing this, Guan Wujue’s mood immediately became very good, and he began sharing that small bag of candy with the Sect Leader again. Yun Changliu didn’t know why such a grown person preferred these sweet little snacks, but seeing Wujue in high spirits, he was happy to go along with it.

Slowly, the shadows of the dry grass and old trees on both sides of the road gradually disappeared. As night deepened, small snow began falling from the clouds again. Guan Wujue looked up at the sky and said, “Sect Leader, when the snow gets heavier, the road will be difficult to travel. Let’s hurry—I remember there’s a small town ahead… Shall we find an inn there to stay the night?”

Yun Changliu hadn’t left Mount Shenlie for several years, and he was naturally someone who wasn’t very good at finding directions. He’d been following Guan Wujue the whole way. At this time, he naturally had no objections. With a light pull on the reins, Feixue sped up.

Guan Wujue also gave a light shout of “Hya!” and squeezed the horse’s belly with his legs. Liuhuo understood and darted ahead of Feixue to lead the way.

Both horses, one white and one red, were fine steeds. Needless to say for Guan Wujue—no matter how much the Protector teased him, Yun Changliu’s horsemanship was definitely not comparable to ordinary martial artists. Once the two picked up speed, they truly could leave even the north wind behind.

Very quickly, the outline of the small town became clear ahead.