WJ Chapter 12

Making Plans (1)

What night is this tonight, to meet such a fine person?

Oh beloved, oh beloved, what shall I do with such a fine person?

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When Guan Wujue returned to the Medicine Gate from Yanyun Palace, the night had nearly passed.

Xifeng City was built on a high mountain, far from the dust and smoke of the mortal world yet close to the heavens. At night, one could look up and see countless tiny stars embedded in the sky, like silver sand scattered across black cloth.

Guan Wujue gazed at the stars and suddenly felt too lazy to return to sleep. He simply wandered around the medicinal fields, breathing in the slightly bitter fragrance of the herbs while contemplating his next plans. Delicate insect chirping rose and fell, one call after another, like sorrowful, tinkling strings, intoxicating as wine.

These were strange insects called “Winter Listeners” raised in the Medicine Gate, with extremely short lifespans. They preferred cold, living only one winter and chirping only on winter nights.

Years ago, when the old Sect Leader had searched everywhere for methods to detoxify and save Yun Changliu’s life, these small insects that were born in winter and died in spring had habits that perfectly opposed the “Fengchun Sheng” poison. Yun Guyan had ordered people to catch several and raise them in the Medicine Gate. In the blink of an eye, over twenty years had passed. Now in the Medicine Gate, every winter brought the fine chirping of Winter Listeners in the cold nights.

After a while longer, the insect chirping gradually ceased, and Guan Wujue knew dawn was breaking.

Sure enough, the sky slowly began to brighten.

The white light of dawn gradually dispersed the darkness of night. The surrounding grass leaves slowly cast shadows on the soil, swaying in great waves when the wind blew.

When the wind stopped, Guan Wujue heard an extremely familiar sound of footsteps.

He saw Yun Changliu leading Ah Ku by the hand, walking toward him through the small path between the medicinal fields.

Since that incident at Wolong Platform, Guan Wujue had been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding Yun Changliu, but this time they ran into each other head-on. There was no helping it now. Guan Wujue casually straightened his robes, took a few steps forward, and bowed his head slightly in greeting. “Sect Leader.”

Upon seeing him, Yun Changliu was obviously startled, and his fingers loosened their grip on Ah Ku’s wrist.

Ah Ku’s face looked very fair and clean in the morning light. He had already changed clothes—though still in green, it was no longer the medicine person’s thin cloth shirt but fine silk fabric instead. However, he was still just as obedient, respectfully bending his knees forward, about to perform the medicine person’s ritual greeting to Guan Wujue. “This slave greets Protector Daren.”

“No need.” Guan Wujue reached out a hand to help him up.

His hand had just extended when Yun Changliu had already pulled Ah Ku back behind him first, saying coolly, “What did this lord tell you? From now on, you are not to use ‘slave’ to refer to yourself, nor are you to perform kneeling rituals carelessly. Don’t you remember?”

Ah Ku was startled, not knowing how to respond, afraid of embarrassing Guan Wujue and making him angry. However, the Protector very naturally withdrew his hand, tilted his head, and laughed with a “heh” sound, saying, “The Sect Leader is so good at cherishing people.”

Yun Changliu’s lips moved, but he said nothing, only staring coldly at Guan Wujue.

He felt somewhat vexed and confused by this laughing remark, yet didn’t know where this irritation came from.

The Sect Leader slightly knitted his brow, thinking with displeasure: Didn’t this lord cherish you before?

It was clearly you who did such things, making it so we could no longer be as before, forcing me to be unable to cherish you properly… Why do you still say such things now?

The morning sun had completely risen, and the three people’s shadows were stretched long and thin. The heavy snowstorm from several days ago had passed, and it had gradually warmed up these past few days. The snow in the medicinal fields had mostly melted.

After a long moment, Yun Changliu still hadn’t responded. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak—he couldn’t. He truly didn’t know how he should talk to Guan Wujue nowadays.

He had this stifled feeling: as if his mouth was no longer his own. The moment he opened it, what came out would definitely not be what was in his heart.

So he could only maintain a cold demeanor while facing off with Guan Wujue, waiting for the other to speak first.

Sure enough, the Four Directions Protector would never let his Sect Leader be embarrassed in this regard. Before the atmosphere could develop into awkwardness, Guan Wujue spoke up, asking very casually, “The Sect Leader must be here to see the Hundred Medicines Elder?”

Yun Changliu quietly breathed a sigh of relief—at least this was something he could respond to. He glanced at Ah Ku and nodded. “To administer acupuncture to treat his injuries. It will take a full day.”

Guan Wujue’s eyes lit up as he sighed. “The Sect Leader is actually going to stay for a full day? How rare. To be able to have the Sect Leader devote such care, this medicine person can truly be said to have weathered hardship to find happiness.”

Yun Changliu was stunned again.

He had simply had nothing to do this morning, so he had chatted with Ah Ku while bringing him to the Medicine Gate. How had it become staying for a full day?

“Ah?” Ah Ku was also confused and hastily waved his hands in alarm. “Ah Ku wouldn’t dare. The Sect Leader was only escorting—”

“You needn’t be overly self-deprecating either,” Guan Wujue smiled, very forcefully interrupting the young medicine person’s explanation, looking at Ah Ku with considerable meaning. “Medicine people were originally slaves as lowly as mud. It’s because the Sect Leader is benevolent by nature and remembers past affections, not disdaining your humble origins and even laboring so much for you. This favor and love is something tens of thousands of people couldn’t obtain even if they begged for it. You must be worthy of receiving it.”

…The Four Directions Protector’s tongue was truly venomous. With these few sentences, he had completely blocked off Sect Leader Yun’s retreat—at this point, if Yun Changliu were to say something like “this lord was just escorting him,” wouldn’t that be slapping Ah Ku in the face?

Yun Changliu’s expression immediately changed. Though he wasn’t skilled with words, he wasn’t slow-witted either. He almost instantly realized that Guan Wujue was deliberately setting him up.

But the problem was, though he wasn’t slow-witted, he truly wasn’t skilled with words—even knowing he’d been trapped, there was nothing he could do but become a mute with a cheek full of bitter herbs.

This taste was definitely not pleasant. Even someone as cool-tempered as Sect Leader Yun felt a surge of stifled anger.

Actually, he had never truly fallen out with the Protector before—this was the first time. He knew this person was silver-tongued, but he’d never imagined that one day these skills would be used against him, even dragging Ah Ku into it and so brazenly mocking his humble origins.

The more Yun Changliu thought about it, the more annoyed he became. With a sweep of his sleeve, he protected Ah Ku behind him and said coldly to Guan Wujue, “Ah Ku has shown this lord kindness and affection, so naturally this lord should care for him. Rather than having the leisure to meddle in these matters, the Protector would be better off reflecting properly on his own crime of rebellion.”

…Actually, the moment these words left his mouth, Yun Changliu’s heart jumped—he knew he’d spoken too harshly.

However, words once spoken were like water spilled—how could they be taken back?

“……”

Guan Wujue lowered his eyes.

He slowly retreated a step and said, “This subordinate has overstepped. May the Sect Leader forgive me.”

Yun Changliu felt as if he’d been doused from head to toe with a bucket of crushed ice, cold penetrating to his very heart and bones.

He had let his anger cloud his judgment. Guan Wujue had followed him for five years. Though unrestrained in temperament, he had always been cautious and measured in major matters, never vague and never overstepping, risking life and limb for the Zhuyin Sect, severely wounded and bloodied countless times. Even when he committed that great crime a year ago, his original intention had only been to protect him, the Sect Leader.

No matter what, the words “crime of rebellion” should never be carelessly placed on Guan Wujue’s head.

Moreover, this was in front of an outsider like Ah Ku. He couldn’t bear to let Ah Ku lose face, but he didn’t want to push Wujue out as the price either…

Yun Changliu immediately regretted it terribly, wishing he could slap himself. But the words were already out, and no amount of urgency could help. He could only force himself to remain calm:

“Last night, Ah Ku’s medicine slave registration was removed. From now on, he is no longer a medicine person of the sect’s Medicine Gate, nor does he fall under the command of you, the Four Directions Protector. Everything will be according to this lord’s wishes alone.”

“Those who don’t know are not guilty. This time, let it pass. As for Ah Ku’s matters… the Protector need not trouble himself in the future.”

Yun Changliu thought he had already softened his tone, but Guan Wujue was shocked by what he heard.

First, he was surprised that the Sect Leader, who usually saved words whenever possible, had actually explained at such length for Ah Ku’s sake. Second, according to what the Sect Leader said, Ah Ku was no longer a sect member under the Medicine Gate, yet he followed the Sect Leader without being an attendant, and only needed to follow the Sect Leader’s wishes…

Didn’t this mean he was placing Ah Ku directly into the inner chambers!

This significance was completely different. If he spoke those words to a medicine person, it could still be considered a superior’s reprimand and instruction to a subordinate. But if Ah Ku had status in the Sect Leader’s household, then for him to dare interfere in the Sect Leader’s private chamber affairs would be committing the crime of disrespecting the Sect Leader and overstepping his bounds!

He had only wanted to push these two people together, but hadn’t expected to end up implicating himself. Protector Guan immediately and decisively chose to lower his head and beg forgiveness, “I wouldn’t dare. This subordinate has offended the Sect Leader and is willing to accept punishment.”

Yun Changliu’s expression became even more cold and inscrutable: Why couldn’t he explain this clearly! He had clearly wanted to explain…

The palms hidden beneath his sleeves were slightly sweating. “Let this matter pass. Don’t mention it again.”

But immediately after, Yun Changliu still felt this wasn’t right, and continued, “Since you’ve returned to the sect, you should observe the rules. In this way, this lord won’t make things difficult for you…”

“If you still don’t reform, this lord will certainly not let you off lightly…”

Guan Wujue silently looked at Yun Changliu, only answering with an affirmative after a long moment.

Even Ah Ku couldn’t listen anymore and quietly tugged at the Sect Leader’s sleeve.

Yun Changliu suddenly realized: Something’s wrong. What exactly am I saying?

He said he would let it pass, so why was he threatening him?

If it was meant to be a reprimand, why say he wouldn’t make things difficult?

In an instant, Yun Changliu felt that whatever he said was wrong. He simply didn’t want to continue this topic anymore and squeezed out an extremely stiff and abrupt sentence. “It’s getting late. This lord should go.”

Guan Wujue’s face showed no emotion.

He had truly followed Yun Changliu for too long, and therefore was not unable to hear that the Sect Leader’s confused words at this moment stemmed only from regret over that verbal slip.

If this were before, he would have already taken the initiative to coax the Sect Leader. However, now he only very respectfully bowed to Yun Changliu and said, “Respectfully seeing off the Sect Leader.”

Yun Changliu panicked and blurted out. “Wait!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the Sect Leader couldn’t help but berate himself inwardly.

Why did I call him back? What should I say now?

Hearing this, Guan Wujue stopped and turned his head slightly.

“……” Yun Changliu could only force himself to open his mouth and speak. He closed his long eyes slightly and chose to ask a question that had been weighing on his heart these past few days.

“This lord heard the Protector has been lodging at the Medicine Gate these past few days?”

Counting through all of Xifeng City, the Protector’s Qingjue Residence was closest to Yangxin Hall, while the Medicine Gate was very far away. What Yun Changliu really wanted to ask was: You clearly came back on your own, so why do you want to avoid me so much?

Guan Wujue showed an appropriately understanding expression.

His gaze swept between Yun Changliu and Ah Ku as he sighed. “The Sect Leader needn’t say more. Wujue will leave now and not disturb the Sect Leader and…”

He glanced at Ah Ku and, thinking of what Yun Changliu had just said, somewhat awkwardly changed his form of address. “Young Master… Ah Ku.”

Having said this, he bowed once more to Yun Changliu and bid farewell. Then without hesitation, without looking back, he turned and walked away.