WJ Chapter 5

On the Mountain Grow Catalpa Saplings (1)

On the mountain grow the young catalpas,

In the lowlands bloom the lotus flowers.

I do not see fair Zidu,

Instead I meet Kuangju.

****

Before the black-clothed young guard couldn’t bear to watch any longer and reported to Wen Feng, Guan Wujue had already been kneeling for two hours.

The sky above had changed from bright to dusk and then to darkness. He knelt motionlessly, holding Ah Ku’s hand, never once interrupting the transfer of his internal energy. Guan Wujue’s expression remained relaxed and composed throughout, methodically explaining all the rules of the Zhuyin Sect to Ah Ku from beginning to end once again. Only the gradually fading color from his lips revealed his extremely poor condition.

“Guan Wujue, haven’t you gone mad enough!” Xiao Donghe had been pacing anxiously nearby. “I’m telling you, at this rate of torment, in at most another hour, you’ll exhaust yourself into unconsciousness! By then, when your protective internal energy is completely drained, it won’t take long to die of cold in this snowy ground…”

Guan Wujue couldn’t help but laugh aloud. He didn’t seem to care at all, and still had the mood to joke with Xiao Donghe. “With you here, I don’t think dying would be such an easy matter.”

Ah Ku bit his lip uneasily. He had already been standing until his waist ached and legs hurt, and only after hearing Xiao Donghe’s words did he vaguely realize that perhaps Guan Wujue was suffering even more than him. He hurriedly tried to pull back the hand that Guan Wujue was gripping, “Protector Daren, you… you should rest a while. Ah Ku can endure for a bit.”

Guan Wujue glanced at him and rebuked indifferently, “Shut up. It’s not your place to speak here.”

Ah Ku looked pleadingly toward Xiao Donghe, who sighed in distress and softened his tone to persuade. “I really don’t understand… what are you trying to achieve? Do you think this will force the Sect Leader to come out of seclusion to see you? Wake up! The Sect Leader may have treated you well before, but things are different now. No matter how worthless Young Master Danjing was, he was still the Sect Leader’s half-brother by blood, Miss Chanjuan’s biological older brother. It’s only been a year since he died by your hand—”

Perhaps because the Red-Robed Protector’s completely unmoved expression was too infuriating, Xiao Donghe’s voice couldn’t help but rise again as he spoke:

“Protector Daren, Master Guan, I’ll call you ancestor! It’s only been one year! One year ago, the Sect Leader sparing your life was already a great mercy. Instead of being sensible and obedient early on, you dare to provoke the Sect Leader here? Returning to the sect without permission, disregarding orders, disrespecting the Miss… You know all the sect’s rules. With such treasonous crimes turned into punishment, how many lashes of the Bone-Crushing Whip do you think your body, which has already been beaten by it, can withstand?! Hmm?”

“Left Envoy Xiao is meddling too much. I still have a clear understanding in my heart of how the Sect Leader treats me. At most, he’ll give me another twenty or thirty lashes of bone-crushing,” Guan Wujue said leisurely. “The emperor isn’t anxious, but the eunuch is. I’m not afraid, so what are you shouting about?”

“—Moreover,” his expression suddenly turned cold, and killing intent became almost tangible, “that white-eyed wolf Yun Danjing deserved to die!”

Xiao Donghe pointed at him, trembling with anger. “You…! You really are—ungrateful!”

The Left Envoy really couldn’t understand how this person could still be so carefree at this point.

Thinking back to that night a year ago still made him feel terrified. The usually cold and steady Sect Leader had lost control in rage and nearly whipped Guan Wujue to death on the spot in front of Young Master Danjing’s corpse. The person involved, however, after being driven away for a year, came back acting as if nothing had happened, with the same temperament as before!

His blood boiling, Left Envoy Xiao roared, “I’ll bet you that if the Sect Leader still has half a bit of pity tonight and summons you inside—I, Xiao Donghe, am a dog! A dog, do you hear?!”

Wen Feng, dressed in white robes, came around the bend from the pine path and happened to hear Xiao Donghe’s words.

“…” Attendant Wen used amazing willpower to suppress his urge to burst into laughter. With a completely straight face, he walked before the three people and said in a steady voice, “The Sect Leader commands that Four Directions Protector Guan Wujue be summoned for audience.”

Xiao Donghe was dumbstruck.

Ah Ku awkwardly averted his eyes.

Guan Wujue laughed heartily. He supported himself on his knees to stand up, and with a surge of internal energy, the accumulated snow on his red robes scattered in all directions. When he straightened his legs, he shivered from the pain, but still didn’t forget to spit out a single word toward Xiao Donghe with considerable satisfaction. “Dog.”

“I…!”

Xiao Donghe raised his fists in grief and indignation, ready to fight desperately.

Wen Feng hurriedly stepped between them to stop the fight, earnestly mediating, “Alright, alright, Left Envoy Xiao, the Sect Leader is still waiting for the Protector… come on, calm down…” Besides, every time you actually fight, you can’t beat the Protector anyway, so why bother?

…..

Having enjoyed his mockery, Guan Wujue ignored Xiao Donghe’s murderous glare and gracefully took Ah Ku’s hand, about to leave.

Then Wen Feng pointed at the green-clothed medicine man with puzzlement. “Eh? Who is this person?”

“Oh, him…”

Guan Wujue looked deeply at Ah Ku and slowly smiled, his handsome features showing a moment of relaxation. He pushed the medicine man forward, “Attendant Wen, you know him too. This is Ah Ku.”

“What?!”

Unexpectedly, just this one sentence made Wen Feng’s pupils contract sharply.

The white-clothed attendant, who usually showed no emotion and had an extremely mild temperament, looked up at Guan Wujue in disbelief. His face changed repeatedly as he pointed at Ah Ku and asked, “You… what did you say? What’s his name?”

Guan Wujue patted Wen Feng’s hand, “He’s the medicine man Ah Ku from back then. Surprising? He’s still alive. I only found him by chance… The Sect Leader will be very happy.”

Unexpectedly, this explanation made Wen Feng even more agitated. He actually began to speak incoherently, grabbing Guan Wujue’s sleeve, his lips trembling. “Guan Wujue, you’ve gone mad… have you gone mad… what nonsense are you spouting? Do you even know what you’re saying?!”

“What’s going on?” Xiao Donghe’s face also darkened, his gaze sharp as he looked toward Ah Ku. “This medicine man… who exactly is he?”

Ah Ku’s expression flickered evasively. He lowered his head, silently wringing his hands tightly. His fluttering eyelashes lightly covered his dark, clear eyes. His slender Adam’s apple moved as he spoke in a small but clear voice. “I am… someone who must die for the Sect Leader.”

“—Attendant Wen, calm down. You heard what he said.” Guan Wujue was obviously very satisfied with Ah Ku’s answer. He said gently to Wen Feng, “I haven’t gone mad, nor will I go mad. I’ve just understood some things clearly. Wen Feng, I know you’re on my side, but the Sect Leader cannot do without him now—I mean, not only can the Sect Leader’s heart not do without him, but the Sect Leader’s condition also absolutely requires this medicine man’s blood—do you understand?”

Wen Feng was stunned for a moment, his expression shifting uncertainly as he gritted his teeth. Over there, Xiao Donghe exclaimed “Ah!” and opened his mouth wide. “Wait, could he be the Sect Leader’s, that person the Sect Leader has always been thinking about—”

He swallowed the words “youthful love” that almost came out, and his gaze toward Guan Wujue suddenly became strange. The deeper meaning was very difficult to describe—if one had to say, it was like watching…a young lady out hunting for admirers on behalf of her lover.

Guan Wujue pretended not to see and turned to Ah Ku again, pushing him. “This is the Sect Leader’s personal attendant, Wen Feng. In the future, when you serve the Sect Leader, you should ask him for guidance. Why don’t you pay your respects?”

The green-clothed medicine man lowered his eyelashes and stepped forward to bow. “Ah Ku… greets Attendant Wen. In the future, please provide much guidance and instruction, Attendant Wen.”

Unexpectedly, Wen Feng’s face turned iron-blue. He glared furiously at Ah Ku and cursed. “How dare you! You shameless wretch, you still dare to play clever before me!”

Before his words finished, killing intent erupted in Wen Feng’s eyes. One palm, sweeping up wind and snow, struck toward Ah Ku’s heart.

Guan Wujue never imagined that the usually gentle and humble Wen Feng would become so angry as to directly attack, and with such merciless moves meant to take a life. It was too late to intercept from the front. Guan Wujue decisively struck the side of Wen Feng’s wrist bone, just managing to deflect Wen Feng’s attack before that shocking palm could touch Ah Ku’s chest.

Only a loud “bang” was heard as Wen Feng’s palm struck a pine tree nearby, directly breaking off a branch as thick as a bowl.

Ah Ku was frightened pale, and Xiao Donghe was also quite startled by this scene. But at this moment, he didn’t make a sound—everyone in the Zhuyin Sect knew what kind of temperament Wen Feng had. For this white-clothed attendant who had served by the Sect Leader’s side since childhood to show such killing intent, there couldn’t be no reason.

Instead, it was Guan Wujue who became furious, grabbing Wen Feng by the collar and growling. “Wen Feng! I’ve made my decision, and I’ll bear all the consequences. If you dare touch him again, don’t blame me for being impolite!”

Strangely, at this moment, the roles seemed to have switched. The previously calm and composed Protector Guan was now furious, while Attendant Wen, who had just been ready to kill, lost his temper. He silently covered his wrist and took on a sorrowful expression: “Guan Wujue… Protector… must you really be so cruel? Why must it be him? Isn’t there really any other way?”

“That’s right,” Guan Wujue’s face was ice-cold, each word bitten out heavily, sounding full of resolute malice. “Only this way.”

He no longer paid attention to Wen Feng and tightly grabbed Ah Ku’s wrist, speaking in a solemn and undeniable tone. “Come, follow me to see the Sect Leader.”

“Wait! Guan Wujue, stop…”

Xiao Donghe, who had been confused throughout, finally came to his senses and hurriedly called out. Unfortunately, given Guan Wujue’s temperament, when his temper flared, he wouldn’t give face to even the Heavenly Emperor. He completely ignored Xiao Donghe, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. The Wolong Platform was forbidden ground—entering without the Sect Leader’s order was a grave crime. Left Envoy Xiao could only watch that red figure disappear into the distance and curse.

Then he heard another dull sound beside him. This time it was Wen Feng angrily punching a nearby tree with his fist, making the branches tremble incessantly as accumulated snow crashed down. Xiao Donghe was so frightened that he quickly grabbed him—Wen Feng’s right hand was already bloody.

Xiao Donghe felt like he was going crazy. “Wen Feng!”

“What on earth is going on with you people?!”

The white-clothed attendant closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “…No comment.”

Xiao Donghe’s heart suddenly sank.

He let go of Wen Feng and watched as Wen Feng disappeared with heavy steps into the depths of the pine path leading to Wolong Platform. He always felt that there seemed to be something he had overlooked in the conversation between Guan Wujue and Wen Feng.