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墨書 Inktalez
Only the sound of footsteps could be heard as three people chased to the village entrance. All three were dressed as Military Officers, their hands shimmering with a blue light, each wielding a saber. One shouted loudly, "You lame bastard, I've seen you! Why don't you kneel down and surrender?"
Qu San, however, remained hidden behind a tree, motionless. The three Military Officers swung their sabers, making sweeping motions as they gradually approached. Suddenly, with a whoosh, Qu San thrust his right crutch out from behind the tree, striking one of the Military Officers squarely in the chest with great force. The Military Officer let out a muffled groan and flew backward, crashing to the ground. The other two Military Officers swung their sabers at Qu San. He pushed off the ground with his right crutch and leaped to the left several feet, dodging the two sabers, then aimed his left crutch at one Military Officer's face. That Military Officer was no weakling either and raised his saber to block. Qu San did not allow the saber to touch his crutch; he withdrew his left crutch to the ground and swept his right crutch towards another Military Officer's waist. His dual crutches moved up and down rapidly; although one crutch had to support his body on the ground, he still managed to hold his own against them.
The four fought for a while, and gradually the three officers found themselves at a disadvantage. Qu San's moves became even more fierce as he aimed to eliminate all three of them in one go. Suddenly, a powerful gust of palm wind struck towards Qu San from behind. He blocked the attacks from the three officers with his right crutch and pushed off with his left crutch to leap back and evade the attack!
"Who dares to sneak attack from behind?" Qu San shouted.
A figure jumped out from the bushes, dressed in a more refined version of the Military Officer attire than the previous ones, with a gold badge hanging at his waist that had a thumb-sized piece of agate embedded in its center.
This person coldly snorted, "I am Shiyanming, a martial arts doctor appointed by the emperor and the defense commander of Zhongzhou. You thief have such audacity to sneak into the Palace to steal things! Surrender now and return with me to face justice!"
Qu San sneered, "You seem skilled; you're considered a master in the martial world yet have become a dog for the court. You truly bring shame upon us martial artists!"
Shiyanming's face turned pale with anger: "Thief! If I don't cripple you today, I won't bear the surname Shi!"
Qu San replied, "You dog official! Since you've come here today, none of you will escape!"
The two stood facing each other while the other three Military Officers exchanged glances and joined the fray. Qu San was evenly matched against Shiyanming; however, with three additional Military Officers joining in, he was no longer their match. Although his skills were profound, he had lost both legs and found movement quite inconvenient; soon he began to fall behind. As he realized he was about to lose, Qu San gritted his teeth and fought fiercely, each move aiming for mutual destruction. The Military Officers valued their lives too much to engage in such tactics and thus fell into Qu San's advantage, injuring two of them. However, Shiyanming seized an opportunity and struck directly at Qu San's chest with both palms. If it connected, Qu San's ribs and internal organs would surely be shattered.
Although this moment contradicted what was described in the original text—where both Qu San and Shiyanming died in Qu San's tavern secret room—Yi Qian intervened at that moment, striking all four Military Officers and causing them to faint!
"Thank you for your assistance!" Qu San shouted loudly. "I wonder which High Master passed by Niujia Village? Could you please show yourself so that I can express my gratitude in person?"
Yi Qian floated down lightly from the tree!
"It's you!" Qu San exclaimed in surprise. He knew that the two uncles who had recently moved to Niujia Village were not ordinary commoners; however, Yi Qian appeared refined and not particularly tall. Qu San had taken him for some noble young master or scholar fleeing trouble but did not expect him to possess skills superior to his own. "I truly misjudged you! Brother Yi, thank you for your help!"
Yi Qian said, "Brother Qu San, I saved you more for Sister-in-law Three and that Acrobatics girl (Silly Aunt's name). If you die, what will happen to them?"
A hint of guilt flashed across Qu San's face. He had never considered his wife and daughter's situation before; however, having nearly faced death today and hearing Yi Qian's words made him think of his virtuous wife and young daughter. He was their support and head of the family; if he died, what would happen to them? Moreover, if those from the government discovered him, it would inevitably implicate his wife and daughter! Alas, he had been too careless this time! Perhaps it was because previous thefts had gone too smoothly that he became complacent and lost his former caution leading to this major setback.
"Brother Yi, thank you for waking me up. This kind of thing will not happen again; I will live an ordinary life from now on!" With that said, he picked up one of the Military Officers' sabers intending to finish off all four.
Yi Qian quickly stopped Qu San. Although this boy had killed many zombies before, he was very opposed to killing humans—especially since these four were knocked out by him; he didn't want to get involved in any consequences stemming from it.
"Can you not kill them?"
Qu San sheathed his knife. "Alright, they were defeated by you, so I have no right to deal with them. Besides, I have decided to leave Niujia Village with Wife and Yun'er. Even if they live, they won't be able to find me!"
Yi Qian felt embarrassed, as if he had forced Qu San to leave.
"Um, do you have enough money? I have some silver here; let me give you some as travel expenses! Consider it a ransom for the four of them!"
Qu San smiled. Although the young person before him was highly skilled, he was truly kind-hearted and worth befriending. Unfortunately, he had to leave.
"No need, I have money!" Qu San opened the package on his back and took out two scrolls of paintings, handing them over. "These two scrolls include one painting of horses by Han Gan and another titled Junzhuang Zonghe Tu by Daojun Emperor. I give them to you as a token of gratitude!"
Yi Qian's mother came from a scholarly family with deep roots in literature, and with a master who dealt in antiques, he was not unfamiliar with Qu San's two references: Han Gan, an outstanding painter of the Tang Dynasty known for his horse paintings; and Daojun Emperor, Zhao Ji, who led the Northern Song to its downfall and created the "slender gold script." He was one of the few ancient artists who excelled in multiple fields and was later criticized for being talented in everything except ruling.
Yi Qian recalled the praise for Junzhuang Zonghe Tu in the Painting Continuation: "Whether playing in the Xilin or drinking at Taiye, the soaring phoenix and leaping dragon are depicted in their forms; raising their voices to express their thoughts, brushing feathers like clear springs to achieve purity; standing together without contention, walking alone without reliance; embodying leisure and elegance, their grace is captured on silk, each exquisite in its own right."
Qu San nodded upon hearing this. "This fellow couldn't become an emperor, but his feathered brushwork and slender gold script calligraphy are indeed exceptional."
Yi Qian remarked, "All of his wisdom and talent were devoted to art; he had no interest in managing state affairs, which allowed treacherous ministers to take power. A good country lost half of its territory because of him!"
Qu San said, "After all, a person's energy is limited. However, I do know someone who is exceptionally intelligent—proficient in literature and martial arts, skilled in painting, music, chess, mathematics, strategy, medicine, divination, astrology, and even the five elements—there's nothing he doesn't know or excel at! It's a pity I can never see him again!"
He raised his head to gaze at the waning moon and sighed deeply. Under the moonlight, Yi Qian noticed a few tears suddenly welling up at the corners of Qu San's eyes.
"Is the person you mentioned your master Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi?"
Qu San was taken aback. "You actually know my background?"
Yi Qian nodded. Unlike his own master who casually told lies, he stated plainly: "I know your name is Qu Lingfeng and that you are a disciple of Peach Blossom Island. Years ago, when Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng stole the Nine Yin Manual, Huang Yaoshi broke the legs of other disciples in anger and expelled you from Peach Blossom Island."
"You—you even know such secret matters?" Qu San was astonished! Who exactly was this young man?
"Yes, I also know that Lu Chengfeng established Returning Cloud Manor at Taihu and Feng Mofeng became a blacksmith near Xiangyang!"
After ten years, Qu San finally learned about his other senior brothers and sisters. No longer entangled with Yi Qian's background, he excitedly asked, "What about Martial Brother? Where is he?"
"To my knowledge, Wu Mianfeng may already be dead!"
"Dead?" Qu San felt a pang in his heart. "It's all my fault as the senior brother. If I had gone to find Junior Brother Wu earlier, would he still be alive?"
Yi Qian did not respond to the hypothetical question.
Qu San did not ask Yi Qian to answer either, continuing to speak to himself: "After leaving Niujia Village, I will first go to Taihu to find Lu Shidi, and then we will go together to Xiangyang to find Feng Shidi. From now on, the brothers will live close to each other and never part again!"
Yi Qian said, "Actually, you can send a letter to Peach Blossom Island expressing your determination to return to the Sect. Huang Yaoshi was angry when he drove you away, but he regretted it shortly after. He just swore not to leave the island and cannot come personally to bring you back. However, he has created a new leg technique called 'Whirlwind Leaf-Sweeping Leg', specifically for you. Practicing this technique won't cure your disability, but it will allow you to walk slowly like an ordinary person."
Hearing this, Qu San joyfully shed tears: "Master has forgiven us? He actually cares so much about us! I, I, I am so happy! I will immediately go find Lu Shidi and Feng Shidi, and then we will return to Peach Blossom Island together!"
Without saying much more to Yi Qian, he used his Lightness Skill to run back to the Wine Shop, fearing he might leave Niujia Village before dawn.
Yi Qian smiled happily; not only had he helped someone, but he had also influenced the plot, which gave him a sense of accomplishment. Although these disciples from Peach Blossom Island, like Qu San, had their legs broken by Huang Yaoshi and were expelled from their sect, they held no grievances and respected their Master. This admiration resonated with Yi Qian, as he felt the same way about his own Master. Even if his master scolded or hit him, he would never be angry but would wholeheartedly respect him. For Qu San and the others, they still had a chance to meet with Huang Yaoshi, but for him in this world, he feared there would be no opportunity for reunion.
Suddenly, Yi Qian's mood dropped; feeling frustrated, he picked up four Military Officers, used his lightness technique, rushed outside of Lin'an City, dropped them at the city gate, and then returned to the village—his strength had not yet recovered to the foundation-building stage, so he could not control flying swords. Passing by the Wine Shop, he noticed it was brightly lit inside, with Qu San excitedly urging his wife to pack their belongings. Yi Qian smiled and headed home.
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