Chapter 32: 032: Conversation

Based on Qi Shan's understanding of Shen Tang, he knew well that the young Master Shen was not one to stay settled in one place. Fearing that some trouble might brew, he hurried to finish his business and rushed back as quickly as possible. As it turned out—

Where was he?

Where was the great young Master Shen?

Qi Shan stood frozen in place, his face turning slightly pale.

Just as he was wondering whether Shen Tang had been kidnapped by child traffickers or if he had kidnapped the traffickers himself, a strange, steady male voice sounded in his ear.

"Is this Master Qi Shan, Young Master Qi?"

"Greetings, Elder. I am indeed Qi Shan."

Qi Shan suppressed his anxiety and offered a formal salute to the newcomer.

After finishing the salute, he straightened up and carefully observed the man's appearance—his hair was graying, his face was aged and weathered, looking to be about forty or fifty years old. He wore a faded, yellowish coarse tunic and straw sandals. These details alone were not enough to pique Qi Shan's curiosity, but what surprised him was the man's temperament: he was refined and elegant, with a calm and upright countenance. His dark eyes were excessively clear, not at all what one would expect from someone of that age.

He lowered his gaze, his eyes falling upon the man's hands.

They were rough, aged hands marked with frostbite, currently holding several bundles of meat wrapped in lotus leaves. The owner was likely someone who had performed heavy manual labor for a long time and came from a poor background. A flurry of analysis raced through his mind, gradually settling into clarity.

He asked nonchalantly, "How does Elder know my name?"

The man smiled kindly. "The young master surnamed Shen mentioned it."

Upon hearing "the young master surnamed Shen," Qi Shan knew exactly who it was.

The worry bottled up in his chest dissipated completely with this news. He asked again, "Did that young master leave any word?"

"Yes. He said, 'Going out of town on business, returning shortly.'"

Qi Shan was at a loss for words. Young Master Shen didn't even know his way around, and he had never been to Xiaocheng before. What business could he possibly have out of town?

Qi Shan asked again, "Did he say what the business was?"

The man replied, "To uphold justice and punish evil."

Qi Shan: "...???"

He looked suspicious. No, that didn't sound right—it sounded more like the mystical, nonsensical doctrines of a cult spoken by a mob.

The man continued, "Master Shen was worried you wouldn't find him upon your return, so he specifically asked me to wait here to prevent you from worrying."

Qi Shan sighed in exasperation, "Why would I worry about him? If I were to worry, it would be about the petty criminals he might provoke..."

The man's lips pursed unnaturally as he suppressed a knowing smile.

It had to be said, the assessment was quite accurate.

As Qi Shan listened to the man recount Shen Tang's "exciting" experiences over the past hour, his composure momentarily slipped—he had only been gone for a little over an hour, and yet the young Master Shen was already this much of a magnet for trouble? But since the events had already transpired, there was no use in saying anything more.

Qi Shan chatted idly while waiting for Shen Tang to return.

While he maintained a calm exterior, his mind was filled with doubts.

This elder was dressed as a poor commoner, yet his speech, mannerisms, and overall aura were more like someone raised in a wealthy, high-ranking household, accustomed to the scent of incense. Even in his faded, yellowish tunic and with hands marked by heavy labor, his refined temperament remained unchanged.

As they spoke, Qi Shan brought up "Word Spirits."

He had recently been studying military formation Word Spirits—"Walking into a Trap" and "A Cornered Beast Fights." The former was used for troop deployment to lure enemy forces, while the latter was used to boost morale when one's side was at a disadvantage, serving as a final struggle. If an opportunity was seized, it could lead to a turnaround.

Hearing Qi Shan speak eloquently, the elder seemed to drift off for a moment, as if lost in thought. He said, "Walking into a trap, seeking one's own destruction... Is the Word Spirit Master Qi uses 'The sparrow is not seen within the hedge, yet the hawk plunges into the net'? That is not very good."

Qi Shan was inwardly startled and asked, "Why is it not good?"

"It is easy to be countered. If the enemy's strategist possesses a stronger Literary Heart than yours, they need only 'Draw the sword to break the net, and the oriole flies free' to break your formation."

If the net is torn open by a sharp sword, can it still trap the bird?

Naturally, the bird would fly free in the vast sky, and the danger would be endless.

"Then, in Elder's view, what would be better?"

"It would be better to say, 'Sinking into water and fire, seeking one's own destruction.'"

Qi Shan: "..."

If "Walking into a Trap" left a sliver of hope for one to "break the net," the Word Spirit the elder suggested was a lethal strike intended to kill the enemy outright, brimming with murderous intent. Qi Shan looked at the elder in surprise; this man looked kind, yet he spoke of death so readily.

"Then—in Elder's view, what about 'A Cornered Beast Fights'?"

The elder showed little interest, his expression indifferent, yet his words were startling: "On the battlefield, it is a matter of life and death. If one acts with the mindset of 'a cornered beast fighting,' leaving room for mercy, one will find it difficult to achieve a lasting victory."

Qi Shan: "..."

Appearances can be deceiving; that was truly the case.

He thought his own methods were unconventional, but he hadn't expected to encounter someone even more extreme. However, before Qi Shan could think further, Shen Tang came trotting up on that mule, *da-da-da*. He leaped down and laughed, "Yuanliang, sorry to keep you waiting."

Qi Shan set aside his wandering thoughts and inspected Shen Tang's clothes and hands. They were clean. Had there been no bloodshed?

"You said 'upholding justice and punishing evil.' Where is the 'evil'?"

Leaning against the motorcycle, Shen Tang said animatedly, "Them? They have fast legs; by now, they've probably reached Meng Po to ask for a bowl of soup."

Qi Shan: "..."

So the "evil" was indeed plural.

This young Master Shen had quite a fierce streak in him.

Seeing the two reunite, the elder took his leave.

Qi Shan hurriedly asked where the elder lived, hoping to play a few games of Go with him when the opportunity arose, but the elder politely declined.

Watching the elder walk away carrying the lotus-leaf bundles, Qi Shan frowned deeply until Shen Tang waved a hand in front of his eyes, snapping him back to reality.

"What are you doing?"

Qi Shan irritably swatted Shen Tang's hand away.

Shen Tang said, "Even if you keep staring, he won't turn around."

Qi Shan murmured, "What a pity."

Shen Tang popped two pieces of malt candy into his mouth and jogged to catch up with Qi Shan's pace, asking curiously, "What's a pity?"

Qi Shan said, "That man is not simple."

Shen Tang thought he was going to say something profound, but even a blind person could see that. She replied, "Someone who can be picked out of a vast crowd at a single glance is obviously not simple. Judging by his temperament, he doesn't seem like an ordinary person. I wonder if his family fell from grace or if there was some other upheaval."

It wasn't that she hadn't suspected the elder was a hermit living "in the city or the wild," but even hermits had their own level of prestige. No matter how poor one's life was, one wouldn't eat offal that even commoners shunned, wear such shabby clothes, and perform such heavy manual labor.

Qi Shan did not answer, so Shen Tang asked again, "You two seemed to be chatting quite happily, like old friends meeting after a long time. What were you talking about?"

"Word Spirits."

"Does he have a Literary Heart?"

Qi Shan lowered his eyes. "Perhaps. He once did."

Shen Tang: "???"

"Once did" meant he didn't anymore?

Since even a fellow like Qi Shan took notice of him, the two must have "shared interests." Shen Tang couldn't help but wonder—why had the elder lost his Literary Heart? Was it like the Gong family's confiscation of property and exile, where the Dantian was forcibly destroyed and the Literary Heart crushed?

As Qi Shan walked, he realized the footsteps behind him had vanished.

Turning his head, he saw Shen Tang had run over to a meat stall that was packing up, asking the butcher something, and had run back a moment later.