Thousand Autumns

—“YOU’VE NEVER HAD IT BEFORE, SO HOW COULD YOU KNOW THAT IT’S YU CONGRONG?” Yan Wushi said, astonished. “Clearly it’s poison.”

Though Shen Qiao had suffered internal injury and hardly had the strength to even speak, he could certainly tell the difference between poison and medicine.

“Yu congrong can only be used on physical wounds…it won’t help me much…”

One of Shen Qiao’s ribs was broken after he was struck by Xueting. Now, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed sent an unceasing stab of pain throughout him. But for those who practiced wugong, this sort of physical wound was fairly routine. Especially after Shen Qiao had battled Kunye, the wounds he suffered became too many to count. A broken bone was hardly anything to mention. The more troublesome thing was an internal wound.

“Then just cough it back up again,” Yan Wushi said, almost lazily.

He’d already swallowed that thing down to his stomach. How could he possibly just cough it back up again?

The truth was that bickering with Yan Wushi would be completely useless. Shen Qiao simply shut his mouth, and then fell into a deep sleep.

He didn’t sleep for very long; the truth was that, even though he had closed his eyes, his body felt as though he were in a constant state of alert, drifting in and out of a dream. When he came to, it was already noon. When he looked around, he noticed that Yan Wushi had disappeared.

Yan Wushi left on his own. This was the first thought to come from Shen Qiao’s mind.

He made an effort to sit up, resting his back against the stone walls in such a way that he would not further irritate his wounds. The moist vines from above hung over him. Droplets of dew rolled down his forehead, bringing an ice-cold sensation.

The pain in his chest from earlier had become a dull pain. It was clear that the yu congrong had some effect on him. Shen Qiao sat down cross-legged, circulating qi throughout his body to heal it. After one full revolution, the true qi in his body flowed through every part of him carrying a warm, numbing sensation to each of his limbs. Even the internal injury he had sustained earlier had improved somewhat as a result.

Just as he opened his eyes, he could hear footsteps against the narrow road by the mouth of the cave.

Shen Qiao didn’t stand, because he could already determine the person’s identity from the sound and rhythm of each step. Ever since his vision had been damaged, he had intentionally put more effort into training his hearing, even going as far as to recognize the subtle differences in the steps of each person. With each passing day, his hearing had become decently sharper than that of those who practiced wugong.

Sure enough, Yan Wushi came into view with a skewer of sparrows.

“You went out?” Shen Qiao asked.

Yan Wushi responded with an en: “Lend me your Shanhe Tongbei sword for a second.”

Shen Qiao naturally did not think that Yan Wushi was going to kill him with his own sword, so he handed over the sword that he had always kept close to him, asking: “Did you run into Xueting outside?”

The moment he said this, he noticed that the man had taken his sword and begun to use the sword to shave off the feathers of the sparrows.

“What are you doing?!” Shen Qiao shouted furiously.

Yan Wushi was somewhat taken aback.

“Do you eat sparrows with their feathers on or something?”

Blood rushed through Shen Qiao. He had nearly coughed up another mouthful of blood as he said: “That’s the Shanhe Tongbei sword that shizun gave me!”

Yan Wushi was completely calm in the face of Shen Qiao’s rage.

“Ah-qiao, what are you getting so anxious over? Careful, you’ll cough up blood again. Qi Fengge is practically a god in your eyes, but the man had to eat food too, you know. If he had used his sword to shave or something, you wouldn’t even know, would you?”

In the moment that he said all of this, the sparrows had been shaved clean of their feathers. It should have been difficult for Yan Wushi to use a longsword to do this, yet he handled it with ease, having used it as he would a dagger.

He took the sword and washed it in the stream, clearing away the sparrow’s feathers that dirtied the surface, before sheathing it and giving it back to Shen Qiao. He used his cold hands to pat the other man’s cheek: “All right, all right. Qi Fengge’s been dead for so long, anyway. Even if you’d really used it to shave, it’s not like he could suddenly show up and yell at you. The real sword is in your mind, not the one by your side. But only you would treasure it the way you do! Just look at Yu Ai. I destroyed his “Junzi Buqi '' sword, and he didn’t say a word before getting a new one. I didn’t see him run to Qi Fengge’s grave wailing and crying.”

Shen Qiao was already so angry that he did not wish to speak to him any longer. Luckily enough he had circulated his qi throughout his body earlier, else he really would have coughed up blood again.

Yan Wushi, on the other hand, seemed to be in a pretty good mood. He found a dry place, put some dead leaves and twigs together, and then lit a huozhezi before roasting the skewer of sparrows over it.

Soon after, a charred fragrance began to fill the area.

He turned and gave another look at Shen Qiao. The other man had closed his eyes so as to circulate his qi again. The sight of his profile was like that of white jade, taking on a warm and gentle radiance under the sunlight. The teal collar of his robes covered the graceful contour of his neck. His cool and ascetic indifference betrayed a slight, nearly undetectable warmth.

Yan Wushi had seen countless beauties in his life. Among them, there were no lack of those who were as pure and untouchable as a flower growing upon the tallest mountains; yet he had never seen any that were like the man before him—resembling that of a god with his eyes closed, yet filled with the great tenderness of humanity with his eyes opened.[45]

Just as he thought this, Shen Qiao opened his eyes: “Once night has fallen, I will return to check on Wu-bo and Ah-qing.”

Yan Wushi removed each sparrow from the skewer with perfect collectedness: “I’d already said it before. Xueting has to maintain the glorious image of Buddhism, so he cannot possibly lay his hands upon them out in the open like that. Since Xueting showed up, that residence has already been compromised. Wu Mi will know exactly how to deal with this himself.”

He was naturally a cold and distant person, who rarely took to heart the lives and deaths of others. To him, Wu Mi belonged to Huanyue Sect. To die for Huanyue Sect as Wu Mi’s final task was only proper. Yan Wushi would certainly not have the slightest compassion for even Ah-qing; however, he knew very well what sort of person Shen Qiao was. It was very likely that if he said something like this, the other man would immediately return to see how they were.

Had this been before, Yan Wushi would have looked on as he did. But today, at this moment, he had instead dispelled Shen Qiao’s suspicions.

“Do you know why I brought back six sparrows?” Yan Wushi asked.

Shen Qiao stared blankly. He did not understand why Yan Wushi had suddenly asked him such a thing, nor did he understand what other meaning it had. He tilted his head to the side, as though earnestly thinking of an answer.

Seemingly from out of nowhere, Yan Wushi pulled out a piece of tree bark and placed the roasted sparrows on its surface.

As Shen Qiao watched, he almost could not help but feel the corners of his lips twitch.

Upon this sheet of bark, the six sparrows were laid out very neatly, with one in the center and five placed around it.

“This dish is called ‘plum blossom sparrows.’”

Shen Qiao was silent. Did you come up with that name?

“You have to eat the one in the middle before you can eat the ones on the sides,” Yan Wushi said.

“...why?” Shen Qiao asked.

“Because that way it can still look nice. If you eat the ones on the side, then the ‘plum blossom’ won’t be whole anymore,” Yan Wushi said.  

Shen Qiao had nothing to say. He suspected that Yan Wushi’s illness was flaring up again, and could not help but look at him for a good long time.

But Yan Wushi’s expression was completely calm and at ease. He even laughed at Shen Qiao’s reaction and said, in a gentle voice: “Ah-qiao. Do you really have the heart to waste this act of kindness of mine?”

Shen Qiao had never expected the other man to thank him in any way for risking his life to save him. But this act of thanks...it’s just too weird, isn’t it?

But with the way that Yan Wushi did things, Shen Qiao once more thought that if, next time, he made some sort of ‘pear blossom sparrow’ or ‘peach blossom sparrow’, it wouldn’t be especially surprising either.

After all, most people didn’t exactly stack up every single soybean on their plates when they ordered some at a restaurant when they were bored.

He hesitated for a second, before finally taking the sparrow in the middle and taking a bite out of it.

Except for the fact that it wasn’t salted, the taste was not bad.

“How are your wounds?” Shen Qiao asked.

Yan Wushi smiled somewhat. “Wouldn’t you be able to figure that out on your own?”

Once he said this, he extended his hand towards Shen Qiao without the slightest hesitation.

The acupoint of the wrist was one of the mingmen; it didn’t matter how powerful your wugong was. If someone were to take hold of it, then it wouldn’t be something you could take lightly. Had it been ‘Xie Ling’ who had done this sort of action, then Shen Qiao would have found it strange; but Shen Qiao knew very well that this was not him.

Shen Qiao repressed the peculiar feeling in his heart, before taking Yan Wushi’s pulse. After a moment, he murmured: “There are some internal wounds, but they aren’t serious. After resting for one or two days, you’ll be all right. Within this mountain, it is cold and damp. It’s unsuitable to stay in. Perhaps we will be all right for a day or two, but we can’t remain here for long. Do you have any other plans?”

“We’ll first go to Hanzhong,” Yan Wushi said, “and then head to Chang’an.”

Shen Qiao was taken aback. That way, it would just be just walking themselves in a circle.

“I had assumed you would go directly to Chang’an. Once you’ve entered Chang’an, you will have Huanyue Sect’s power and the Emperor of Zhou’s protection. Xueting would not dare to take action against you.”

“If Xueting caught news that I’m still alive,” Yan Wushi said, “then if others haven’t, they surely will in a few days time. If you make the decision to return to Chang’an, others will also be able to predict it as well. There is only one road from here to Chang’an. If we were to take it, we would certainly run into countless obstacles and ambushes.”

Shen Qiao responded with an en. He had thought of this matter already as well.

Yan Wushi sneered. “Did you really think that Xueting and the rest only mean to kill me?”

“Their true target is most likely the Emperor of Zhou,” Shen Qiao said.

“That’s right,” Yan Wushi said. “I’d said it once before. The Buddhists want to broaden their influence, and they can only do this through the means of a ruler. As a result, they absolutely cannot stain their hands with the crime of regicide. Otherwise, even without Yuwen Yong, it wouldn’t matter who would take up the throne. They would not place the Buddhists in any important position. The same applies to Tujue, Liuhe-bang, Fajing Sect and all the rest. If they were to do such a thing, not only would their titles be illegitimately conferred, but they would run into trouble after trouble as a result. It wouldn’t be as convenient as having someone close to Yuwen Yong laying their hands on him.”

Yan Wushi’s words was like that of lightning, illuminating an area that Shen Qiao had yet to explore: “Empress Ashina-shi [46] is a person of Tujue!”

“Look at that. A student worth teaching,” Yan Wushi teased. “Ashina-shi has been left to the side by Yuwen Yong for so long, as he doesn’t trust her. Naturally she would want to help Duan Wenyang add fuel to the fire. As for the prince, he hates to work and prefers leisure. He spends his days entertaining himself and hardly thinking of progress. He too understands that if he doesn’t take advantage of the fact that his old man hasn’t yet the heart to remove him of his status and strike him down first, then there’s a high chance that he won’t be able to hold onto his title as prince.”

Shen Qiao was shocked by his words. After a moment, he said: “The prince is his son. He wouldn’t...”

He barely said half of his sentence, but could not say anymore. Shen Qiao had suddenly thought of Yu Ai, and the affection he had towards him. It couldn’t be any less than that of the prince and the emperor, could it? And yet the other man had poisoned him with xiangjianhuan without any mercy. Royal families were known for their ruthlessness. It wasn’t beyond the prince to be able to commit patricide.

Yan Wushi sighed.

“Ah-qiao, you aren’t stupid. You’re just soft-hearted, and that’s what holds you back. When you approach matters and people, you almost always consider their good points; you’re completely unable to anticipate the darkness in their hearts. Honestly, what would happen to you if I weren’t around?”

If you weren’t around, my days would go a hundred times smoother! Shen Qiao nearly blurted out.

But he was a kind man of noble character. How could he possibly say such a thing? Instead, he brought his focus back to their earlier topic at hand as a result.

If things continued like this, then the chessboard[47] was truly becoming all the more shocking with each play, each turn closely linked to one another.

As Yan Wushi had experienced such an incident, Huanyue Sect was lacking a leader. The other two demonic sects almost certainly could not help but cause trouble for Huanyue Sect, and Bian Yanmei would be busy dealing with them. He would certainly be careless in watching over the empress and the prince—Yuwen Yong’s spouse, and his flesh and blood son. Bian Yanmei was incredibly skilled. But he could not possibly stay by the emperor’s side all hours of the day. If they wanted to do something to the emperor, then it would certainly be much more convenient on their end than it would be for a wugong master to directly assassinate him.

Shen Qiao coughed twice. “Then what of Hanzhong?”

“The prince of Qi[48], Yuwen Xian, resides in Hanzhong. There are also military forces there. First, we’ll go there and see what the situation is like, before heading to Chang’an.”

Shen Qiao understood.

Yan Wushi believed that everything regarding Yuwen Yong led to disaster, so he needed to find a different way out. The prince himself followed Buddhism and did not see Huanyue Sect as being useful to him in any way. Yan Wushi also looked down on the prince as well, which was why he would rather pledge his support to the Prince of Qi, Yuwen Xian. Before this, Huanyue Sect had almost certainly put a lot of time and effort in Yuwen Xian.

Xueting believed that they would go to Chang’an; as a result, the others most likely thought so as well. It was very likely that no one would think that they would go to Hanzhong.

The way that a crafty hare has three burrows, a sly person has more than one hideout. No one could be better than Yan Wushi at this sort of crooked and dishonest practice.

Night came especially early in the mountains. As the sun set in the west, the dense foliage overhead had absorbed the last few rays of light.

Within the cave, the firewood continued to crackle with light, finally dispelling the cold of the spring night.

But Shen Qiao was not using qigong to circulate his qi; rather, he was sleeping.

After having battled Xueting, he had sustained a number of nontrivial wounds. Even though he had the true qi of the Zhuyang Ce to protect his body, he was still only human. The distance between his and Xueting’s levels was still quite great. His wounds would not be able to heal within only a day or two. That night, he even had a fever; his forehead was scalding hot, and he had drifted into a nightmare.

His dream was grotesque in shape and filled with bizarre colors. Many different people appeared one after the other; Shen Qiao was so deeply stuck within his dream that he couldn’t free himself from it.

His dearest, most admired shizun held up the Shanhe Tongbei sword, matted with bird’s feathers, and began to interrogate Shen Qiao, asking why he used the sword to shave the feathers of a bird, while Shen Qiao said, deeply indignant: “Shizun, Yan Wushi did that.”

Qi Fengge pinched Shen Qiao’s chin, and held the sword up to his face. “Do you see what else is on here?”

Shen Qiao looked on with a dumbstruck expression, and realized that the sword had dark hairs on its body. He immediately said: “Shizun, did you really use the Shanhe Tongbei sword to shave your face?”

“Nonsense!” Qi Fengge shouted, angrily. “Clearly, you took the sword your shizun gave you and caused trouble with it! You’d even gone so far as to blame another person! I had just taught you the character for ‘honest’ yesterday, yet today, you’d deliberately gone and misbehaved! Clearly you’ll have to be punished!”

“Your disciple was wrong!” Shen Qiao responded without thinking, frightened to death.

But Qi Fengge did not seem to hear him admit his wrongdoings. Instead, he had him lie down, and then took a large rock and placed it on top of him. “If you know you’ve done wrong, then you must be punished. You’ll stay here for a while. You will not be permitted to stand unless shizun tells you.”

Shen Qiao did not know where his shifu thought of such a strange punishment. He could only feel that his chest became so tight and filled with such pain from the weight that he could hardly breathe. He could only beg for mercy: “Shizun, please take the rock off of me!”

But Qi Fengge pretended as if he did not hear a thing. Instead, he turned away and left, gradually becoming further and further away, until he disappeared without a trace.

“Your disciple was wrong...shizun, please don’t go...”

Shen Qiao’s eyes were closed, with his brows knit tightly together: “My chest hurts so much...”

Yan Wushi awoke to the sound of his murmurs. He sat by him and looked down. By the light of the fire, he could see the other man’s tear-stained face. To think that he had actually cried as a result of his dream.

Yan Wushi extended one hand to brush them away. They left his fingers moist. He had thought that these tears would have had some residual warmth, but instead, they were startlingly cold.

To think that this man, showered with such love and adoration as a child, could have developed such a soft and tender heart as an adult.

Yan Wushi had wanted to say something, but he heard begin to murmur about yet another dream, and suddenly uttered two words: “Xie Ling...”

The words startled him. Suddenly, a strange mercilessness rose up from within him, as though a mask had been suddenly split open.

And—so quickly—dozens of emotions flashed across his face—some that were brutal, others disaffected, and some even gentle. It was as though countless different faces were fighting one another at the same time to take control, the sight of which would have left someone trembling in fear.

The true qi within his body had begun to surge chaotically within him. It was so much like all of those times before, when he had nearly entered qi deviation—this was but a symptom of what was to come. Yan Wushi suddenly shut his eyes!

After a long moment, he opened them. He extended one hand to slowly stroke Shen Qiao’s face, before meandering further down, so as to support the back of his neck and draw him upwards. And then, he bent down to take every word of his soft, incessant murmurs into his mouth.