Late at night.
Just as Kaoshan Hamlet was thrown into utter chaos and everyone was frantic with worry, a villager suddenly came running back in pleasant surprise.
"They're back! Director Qin and the kid are both back!"
When the crowd rushed outside, they saw Lian Youming in the moonlight, covered in grime and carrying the unconscious Qin Yuhu on his back. Limping up to the old branch secretary, Lian Youming said hoarsely, "I'm fine. Take Uncle Qin to the hospital first."
Seeing Qin Yuhu's gruesome injuries, the old branch secretary dared not delay for a second. He hastily hitched up the mule cart, wrapped himself in a heavy padded coat, and sped toward the county town.
Lian Youming, meanwhile, was helped back into the courtyard by Doctor Liu.
Without lingering, the moment he entered the room, all the tension drained out of him, and he collapsed onto the heated kang as if completely sapped of strength.
The doors and windows were shut tight, and the stove fire burned vigorously.
Paying no mind to Lian Youming's reaction, Big Head Liu hitched up the youth's trouser legs. Seeing those legs and feet twitching uncontrollably from the long, desperate trek, the doctor hastily grabbed his medicinal liquor to rub them down.
Just then, Lian Youming held out his right hand, and before Doctor Liu's astonished, inquisitive gaze, an aged pill slipped out from between his fingers.
Doctor Liu took it with utmost care. Once the pill had completely dissolved into the liquor, he dipped both palms into the mixture and began vigorously rubbing and massaging Lian Youming's legs.
"Y-You really stole the show tonight, kid. So many folks searched that forest farm back and forth a-a dozen times, yet they weren't half as good as a single child. Carrying D-Director Qin all this way... What're you made of, iron? How about I play m-matchmaker for you? With a build like yours, anyone can see you're not afraid of h-hard labor..."
Lian Youming had neither the mind nor the energy to answer, letting the village doctor stammer on beside his ear.
Gazing up at the ceiling, illuminated brightly by the glow of the stove fire, his eyes darkened as his thoughts drifted back to the moment Xue Hen had retreated.
***
Inside the secret chamber.
Glancing at Gong Wu'er, Lian Youming did not linger for a second and hurried straight to Qin Yuhu's side.
"Uncle, how are you?"
The leaping firelight shone against Qin Yuhu's pale face.
Yet his eyes remained shut, offering no response.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed, Gong Wu'er regulated her breathing as she spoke in a slow, steady voice: "Rest assured. I already used internal force to seal the wound on his severed arm and sustained his vital essence with a ginseng rootlet. He will be fine."
Lian Youming looked closely and saw that Qin Yuhu indeed held a slender rootlet of wild ginseng in his mouth.
In an instant, the heart dangling in his chest finally settled back into place. His whole body slumped to the floor, his limbs seizing in violent, uncontrollable spasms that drew pained groans from his lips.
Hearing the noise, Gong Wu'er opened her phoenix eyes and watched him quietly. After a long moment, she asked, "Are you a disciple of the Old Man Who Guards the Mountain?"
As she spoke, she retrieved two dark-brown pills from her garments and flicked them over with a deft flick of her wrist. "These are fasting pills made from Solomon's seal, fleeceflower root, and floral essences. They will help restore your strength."
Lian Youming had sprinted all the way here without a single pause, then scaled the mountain in one breath; he had long since been running on empty. If not for his desperate concern over Qin Yuhu's safety, he would have collapsed long ago.
Catching the pills, Lian Youming sniffed them first, then tossed them into his mouth with a flick of his wrist. Chewing, he mumbled, "Is this what you masters eat? No flavor at all, bland as mud. Where's the fun in that?"
Gong Wu'er said softly, "Rich food and fine silks are merely poisons that wither one's foundation. Human nature is a mountain of blades; desire is a roaring fire; and the sea of emotion is boundless. Those who sink into them are no different from souls plunging into hell, eroding their spirit and squandering their finest years in vain. Though you have glimpsed a corner of the martial world, your heart remains tethered to secular dust. No wonder the Old Man Who Guards the Mountain never formally accepted you as a disciple, leaving you to drift among the common folk."
Lian Youming feigned an indifferent air, chewing sloppily as he caught his breath. His eyes kept darting toward the entrance, the bloodshot tinge in them still lingering.
As if reading his mind, Gong Wu'er said, "Do not worry. Though Xue Hen possesses a haughty, unyielding temperament, he has his own code. He values the martial path above life itself and would never besmirch his own conscience."
Her tone shifted slightly at the end: "Otherwise, he could have killed you just now, and perhaps killed me as well."
Swallowing the pills, Lian Youming asked offhandedly, "Then why did he leave?"
Gong Wu'er's expression remained virtually unchanged, her tone calm and steady. "Xue Hen's desire to kill you hasn't disappeared; it was merely reined in. He is utterly sincere and devoted to the martial path. Perhaps he would kill an ordinary person, but he would never strike down an unrealized martial artist who possesses great potential."
"I get it," Lian Youming said, smacking his lips over the lingering taste. "So he thinks it'll be far more satisfying to finish me off once I've grown powerful."
In just this short while, a trace of color had returned to Gong Wu'er's face. "He is a martial fanatic. His actions are not driven by mere slaughter, but by the pursuit of advancement through slaughter, all for the supreme realm of martial arts... I walk this long, arduous road as well. Were I in his place, I would not mind giving a newcomer the chance to mature either, so that they might become a rival against whom I can test a lifetime of learning!"
Lian Youming shook his head. "I don't understand."
Gong Wu'er rose to her feet. "You will in time. Once, by chance, you discovered an unknown world and birthed the desire to step inside. From that moment on, you were destined to walk the same path as Xue Hen and me. We all made that choice once... You merely lack ambition."
This beautiful woman, touched with a refined scholarly air, spoke in a measured cadence, much like a teacher guiding and enlightening a student: "In this world, the most honest pursuit is kung fu, and the fairest is also kung fu. There are never any shortcuts. If you are sincere with it, it will never fail you; if you are insincere, you will inevitably perish beneath another's fist one day."
Glancing back at the blurred writing on the wall, Gong Wu'er took a few strides forward. She hoisted Qin Yuhu with one hand and hooked the youth's arm with the other. The two combined weighed nearly three hundred jin, yet she held one in each hand, turned, and strode outside.
"I will take you two down the mountain. What happened here, I will not speak of to others. If you choose to remain among the common folk in the future, you need not worry about Xue Hen seeking you out. But if you wish to step into this jianghu, then even if you do not seek him, he will come for you. And so will I."
***
Pulling his thoughts back, Lian Youming tilted his head to the side and fell fast asleep on the bed.
He slept straight through until noon the next day.
Awakened by the village dogs barking, Lian Youming hastily dressed and rushed outside.
He had to check on Qin Yuhu's injuries.
Yet the moment he took a step, an indescribable soreness shot through his legs, making him stumble so hard he nearly sprawled flat on the ground.
The poor old branch secretary, a man in his sixties who hadn't slept a wink all night, walked in listlessly with dark circles under his eyes. "Director Qin is fine. He just lost too much blood and needs to rest for a while."
Hearing this, Lian Youming looked overjoyed and moved to head out.
Seeing his movement, the branch secretary held his pipe and shouted with a darkened face, "Hey, hey, hey! Who the hell told you you could move? You little rascal, I haven't even settled scores with you yet! Do you know what your stunt last night is called? It's called disobeying organizational discipline! Individual heroism is strictly unacceptable! From now on, once you're done helping Big Head Liu, get yourself to the east end of the village and shovel manure from the livestock pens!"
Lian Youming grimaced, forcing a dry smile. "Uncle, Uncle Qin is still lying in the hospital, and my aunt is about to give birth. You've got to let me go take a look at him."
The old branch secretary rolled his eyes. "Like it's your turn to worry? Oh, so you're the only one who can think of these things, and nobody else can?"
With that, the secretary let out a yawn. "I'm not wasting my breath on you. This is Director Qin's order. He said not to fret over him; someone will take care of things. These next few days, you stay put in the hamlet, keep your feet on the ground, and do your assigned work properly. If you dare stir up any more trouble, see if I don't rap you over the head!"
Once the secretary left the courtyard, Lian Youming narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sun hanging in the sky.
As long as the man was safe, that was enough. Though Uncle Qin had lost an arm, at least Lian Youming could face his own parents and Shen Qinghong and her daughter with a clear conscience.
Only now that the dust had settled did Lian Youming break into a cold sweat in hindsight.
He realized that he had indeed acted rashly the night before.
He had nearly thrown his own life away.
Who could have guessed that Xue Hen could dodge bullets even at close range?
That unfathomable footwork and shocking prowess had once again upended his understanding of these martial artists.
Yet Lian Youming did not regret his actions from the previous night. No matter what choices he had made, without knowing Xue Hen's true strength, one could never formulate a perfect response when confronted with an unknown, extraordinary crisis.
Though he had lived two lives, he was neither omniscient nor omnipotent. To have brought Qin Yuhu back alive was already something to thank heaven and earth for.
From now on, though, things would be different.
*In this world, the most honest pursuit is kung fu!*
Standing under the sun, Lian Youming let out a long breath, Gong Wu'er's words echoing in his mind.
*I think I understand now.*
***
For the next several days, Lian Youming was kept overwhelmingly busy.
Winter fishing wasn't over yet, and with winter chores pressing down on them, most of the village's able-bodied men left early and returned late, leaving behind only the elderly, the weak, women, and children. The few educated youths became the village's primary draft force, worked even harder than beasts of burden.
Aside from helping Big Head Liu dry and grind medicinal herbs, Lian Youming had to spend half his days milling about the cattle and sheep pens. The mules, donkeys, horses, and pigs ate voraciously and excreted just as much; their dung alone amounted to hundreds, even thousands of jin. Shoveling manure and turning compost day after day left his back so sore he could barely stand straight.
"Educated Youth Lian, someone's here to see you!"
On this day, Lian Youming was squatting in the pen with cotton stuffed up his nose, shoveling dung, when he heard a shout from outside.
He thought Qin Hongxiu had come, but when he poked his head out to look, he saw a female educated youth bundled up tightly from head to toe standing on the village threshing ground, waving in his direction.
It was none other than the descendant of that traditional Chinese medicine family.
Yan Lingyun.
Chapter 20