Have You Met My Brother?[Comprehensive Martial Arts + Sword Three] Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Sightings in the Fog. Yan Bugui: What poisonous chestnuts!

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling.

The bells hanging from the eaves chimed crisply with the gusts of wind. The glazed tiles reflected a brilliant sheen under the sunlight. The beams and pillars were not only carved with patterns of waves and fish but were also inlaid with layers of large pearls and seashells. The entire courtyard was grand and imposing, yet retained a sense of splendor and nobility—the architectural style of Penglai was always this magnificent and beautiful, like a celestial realm.

In the spacious central courtyard, under the shade of a towering tree, a boy of about twelve or thirteen was wielding a wooden sword, executing each move with practiced skill. The invisible wind seemed to be sliced open by the tip of his sword, or perhaps swept along with it. As he moved, the low shrubs and flower beds where the wooden sword passed swayed noticeably more than their counterparts, yet a closer look revealed no damage.

“Little Yan.”

A clear, pleasant call sounded in his ear. Yan Bugui, the boy who had woken early to practice his sword, immediately stopped and happily turned toward the source of the voice. Upon seeing the familiar tall figure, he practically flew toward him: “Brother! You’re back!”

Yan Bugui didn’t rush into Xie Donghai’s arms but stopped steadily three inches in front of him, a distance that was neither too distant nor too close. Xie Donghai was not standing under the shade; the sunlight made his white robes even whiter, and the silver embroidery seemed to glow. The ribbon wrapped around his hair ornament slid down to his chest along with his dark hair as he lowered his head. His appearance was exquisitely beautiful and refined, unlike that of a mortal.

The Daoist Elder, who usually kept to himself in Penglai but had suddenly left two days ago and only just returned, looked at the boy before him and was suddenly overcome with a strange sense of melancholy. Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye. The small child was now gradually growing taller. Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before he truly became an adult, and then, in another flash, he would age and die like everyone else…

The non-human Dragon Scion quickly cut off his own speculation about the future. He didn’t mention where he had gone or what he had done these past two days. Instead, he took out a silk handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from the boy’s forehead, asking, “Have you ever thought about leaving Penglai?”

Yan Bugui blinked in confusion, looking puzzled. He didn’t answer directly but countered, “Is Brother taking me away from Penglai?”

“Penglai’s martial arts are not suitable for you, neither the Hegemonic Swordplay nor Fang Qian’s Ocean-Crossing Art,” Xie Donghai murmured, lowering his gaze. It seemed like an irrelevant answer, yet it also seemed to explain everything.

Yan Bugui tightened his grip on the wooden sword with his left hand, his lips pressed into a straight line. His cat-like eyes were as clear as amber in the sunlight, revealing his frustration and reluctance. “Brother, do you think I’m too slow-witted?”

“If a little rascal who manages to climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles every few days is considered slow-witted, I dare not imagine what trouble you would cause if you were any smarter.”

Xie Donghai gave Yan Bugui a light but firm rap on the head. Seeing the boy quickly cover his forehead, he abandoned the idea of delivering another one. “Martial arts and temperament are not entirely unrelated. Although one can forcefully cultivate techniques that don’t match their nature, how can that compare to the efficiency of techniques that complement one’s nature?”

Yan Bugui mumbled, “I grew up in Penglai. How can Penglai martial arts not be suitable for me?”

“If it were that simple, the Fang, Yin, and Kang families wouldn’t constantly have members running away, creating their own martial arts, and establishing new sects,” Xie Donghai chuckled softly. “Temperament is seven parts influenced by external factors, and the remaining three parts are predetermined by fate.”

Yan Bugui pouted, tugging at Xie Donghai’s long sleeve with his right hand. He looked up pitifully and asked, “Did you leave these past two days just to find a place to send me away? Do you think I’m causing you trouble and you don’t want me anymore?”

“Stop acting spoiled, be more composed.” Though he said this, Xie Donghai didn’t stop Yan Bugui’s small actions, and his narrowed eyes seemed to hold a hint of satisfaction. “If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. However, if you stay in Penglai, your achievements will likely not be very high.”

Hearing this, Yan Bugui realized that Xie Donghai wasn’t truly abandoning him but was planning for his future. The boy finally released his grip and lowered his head in thought. After a moment, he looked up and asked, “Where do you think is most suitable for me?”

Xie Donghai’s answer was concise: “The Blade Sect.”

“The Blade Sect?” Yan Bugui tilted his head.

Xie Donghai said calmly, “Six years have passed since ‘Eastern Ocean Sword Demon’ Xie Yunliu founded the Blade Sect near Wengzhou. They have managed to gain a foothold now. Didn’t you enjoy listening to his legends and stories? Why not go to Wengzhou and meet the man himself?”

Yan Bugui let out a drawn-out “Ah,” the complex meaning of which Xie Donghai couldn’t quite decipher. He continued with a half-smile, “You don’t need to worry; joining the Blade Sect won’t be difficult for you. I’m the one who should be worried. Perhaps once you go, you won’t want to come back, leaving me all alone to guard this large estate.”

Yan Bugui didn’t say anything about there being plenty of people in Penglai. Instead, he subtly moved a little closer and replied, “Brother, why do you always think about such unnecessary things? This matter hasn’t even been decided yet!”

Xie Donghai suddenly opened his silver-ribbed umbrella and sighed, “The sooner you prepare yourself for certain things, the easier it is to accept them when the time comes.”

Yan Bugui immediately tossed the wooden sword aside, wrapped his arms around Xie Donghai’s arm, and looked up with bright eyes, giving a sincere promise: “Brother, I am not that ‘Go-Not-Back’ Wild Goose—I promise that no matter where I go in the future to seek tutelage, train, or travel, I will definitely return to your side!”

.

In the pre-dawn hours, the sky was a murky gray, seeming to hold some light yet still steeped in deep darkness. The entire small town was quiet. The three-story inn, apart from the two large lanterns at the entrance, was equally dim. Inside one of the simple guest rooms, the candle on the small round table had long since gone out, and the once-molten red wax was cold.

Yan Bugui, who had removed his hair ornament before sleeping last night, opened his eyes, unsurprised by the color of the sky—after so many years in the Blade Sect, he was accustomed to waking up at this time to practice his blade. If asked to go back to sleep, he wouldn’t be able to. However, traveling and staying in an inn meant he didn’t have the space to fully stretch his limbs and practice. To complete his daily routine, he needed to be flexible.

The overly early rising blade practitioner tiptoed out of bed and put on his shoes. He used his hand as a comb to tie up his long hair. He didn’t make a sound that could alarm anyone until he unlocked and pushed open the window. He didn’t immediately jump out of the open window but observed the situation outside—

The sky today was much gloomier than yesterday. Thick, layered clouds blocked all starlight and moonlight, pressing heavily toward the earth. Scattered startled birds flew blindly. It was likely that heavy rain would arrive no later than noon. Down in the street below, the lingering night fog was pervasive, making the buildings opposite hazy and indistinct, leaving only shadowy outlines.

Given this weather, he should either quickly find the next stopping point before the rain started, or simply run out of the storm’s range; otherwise, it would be best to wait until the rain stopped before considering leaving… Yan Bugui had no intention of challenging nature. Even though, due to Xie Donghai, being rained on wouldn’t leave him soaked or cause him to catch a cold, if he could avoid the rain, he preferred not to bother.

“Hmm?” Yan Bugui, just about to close the window, suddenly smelled a very fragrant food aroma—sweet and sticky, likely a hot delicacy.

He looked down again—the street wasn’t entirely devoid of pedestrians, as there were always some breakfast vendors who had to prepare early to supply food at the right time. Thus, even though it was early, one or two common folk pushing small carts or carrying large baskets were passing by.

Just then, a thin, hunched figure appeared in the fog—she looked like an old woman, with a bamboo basket hanging from her arm. The food aroma the blade practitioner smelled came from this basket. Coincidentally, about ten vigorous martial artists were walking toward the old woman.

Despite the thick fog, Yan Bugui could infer from their accompanying carts and boxes that these people were likely escorts on a security mission, probably planning to leave the city as soon as the gates opened.

When the two groups met, a few people from the presumed escort team stepped out, stopped the old woman, and spoke a few words to her. Soon, someone took the bamboo basket that the old woman tremblingly offered, while also slipping some money into her hand. Then, the two parties separated again, continuing on their respective paths and gradually increasing the distance between them.

Yan Bugui blinked. The old woman’s figure vanished in the fog—perhaps because the night fog was too thick, or perhaps she had turned into a dark alley. He blinked again. Suddenly, someone in the distant escort team stumbled and fell. This person’s collapse seemed to trigger an ominous mechanism; the team of ten or so followed suit, one after another, none spared!

By the time the blade practitioner, raising an eyebrow, leaped down and arrived at the scene, everyone had already perished. Yan Bugui held his blade in one hand and observed them while half-crouching. After a moment, he understood that these people had all died from a potent poison, and the poison originated from the chestnuts they had been eating!

Yan Bugui merely sighed inwardly, then looked up in one direction: “Do you think their deaths were due to their own carelessness, or the poisoner’s extreme viciousness?”

Unbeknownst to him, the cold street had begun to stir with wind. The dense fog was dispersed significantly by the light gusts. The old woman, whose appearance had been obscured, was now revealed in her tattered green robes and aged face. Her skirt, swaying in the wind, could no longer conceal the pair of red embroidered shoes that were strikingly out of place with her attire—these bright red shoes were embroidered not with mandarin ducks, but with owls.

The old woman in green did not approach further. She stood still, her wrinkled face stretching into what should have been a gentle smile, and replied in a young woman’s voice, completely contrary to her disguise: “Naturally, they deserved to die.”

Since noticing someone approaching, Yan Bugui hadn’t shifted his gaze. The blade practitioner stood up, facing the “old woman,” and asked in a steady tone, “Do you have a grudge against them?”

The “old woman in green” countered, “If I say ‘yes,’ will you stop pursuing the matter? If I say ‘no,’ will you insist on meddling?”

Yan Bugui’s reply was equally ambiguous: “How you respond is your freedom. Which decision I make is my freedom.”

The “old woman in green” immediately chuckled, a melodious, gentle, and even somewhat charming sound. She replied, “Heh, actually, these fellows weren’t good people at all. Every one of them committed many despicable acts. I was merely acting on behalf of heaven and eliminating scourges for the people!”

At these words, Yan Bugui’s expression remained unchanged, but the horizontal blade in his hand was instantly drawn. In a flash, his entire body and the chilling blade light were almost upon the “old woman in green”!