Chapter 40 : Meeting Old Enemies
40: Meeting Old Enemies
"Here. This is where you'll be living from now on. The dining hall, training grounds, and other places are all nearby. Go find them yourself. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving." The managing disciple left the room after speaking, his attitude extremely cold. Clearly, he held no fondness for Fu Peibai.
After all, they had worked hard to enter through the entrance examination, whereas Fu Peibai, though officially accepted into the sect by passing the Sect Master's test, was in their minds certainly a servant who had received special grace from the Sect Master because of the Second Young Miss.
Fu Peibai set down her bundle and surveyed the room. It was large, with two beds on either side. The overall furnishings were simple and elegant, clean and bright. The living conditions were naturally much better than the room she had lived in at Chaoquan Peak.
She took out the items from her bundle one by one and arranged them neatly. But her hand suddenly paused when it touched a white jade porcelain bottle.
It was that bottle of Jade Congealing Ointment the Peak Master had given her back then. She unconsciously traced the bottle's surface, her expression wistful.
Just then, the door opened. A young man with red lips and white teeth walked in from outside. Fu Peibai found him somewhat familiar but couldn't immediately place him. After putting away the medicine bottle, she greeted him. "Hello, I'm a new disciple. My name is Fu Peibai."
The young man pointed at her, stammering excitedly. "I, I remember you. The entrance exam, we climbed the mountain together. Do you remember me?"
With him mentioning this, Fu Peibai indeed remembered. This was the young master who had climbed the mountain with her back then, and later stepped forward to testify on her behalf.
She smiled. "So it's you. What a coincidence."
The young man also smiled shyly. "I, I'm Xie Jingming. Nice to meet you, nice to meet you."
"Your speech..."
Xie Jingming scratched his head in embarrassment. "I, I have a stutter."
"It's fine. I can understand you."
Xie Jingming had been disliked by his parents and older brothers since childhood because of this affliction, and he had no friends. Seeing that Fu Peibai didn’t mind his stutter at all, he felt much warmer toward her and took the initiative to offer to show her around.
Fu Peibai naturally agreed, so the two went out together.
"This is the, the dining hall. Three meals are provided. But, but there are many people on the peak. You need to go early for meals, go early, or you won't get any meat."
Fu Peibai nodded and continued following him forward.
"This is the bathhouse. The privy is over there."
"This is the, the training grounds. Where we practice martial arts every day."
"This is the, the schoolroom. Every three days, you need to attend, attend a lecture."
"..."
"..."
The two walked for over half an hour before covering all the places she needed to know.
It had to be said, Cangqiong Peak was indeed the largest peak on Jinyun Mountain. Its territory was more than half again as large as Chaoquan Peak.
When they returned to the room, Fu Peibai poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xie Jingming. "Thank you, Jingming."
Xie Jingming took small sips of tea and asked, "Are you older than me?"
"You look like you should be younger than me. I'm seventeen. And you?"
"Sixteen."
"Then you should call me big brother."
Xie Jingming shook his head. He had two older brothers, but they had bullied him since childhood, so he was very resistant to using the term "big brother." "C-can I call you A-Pei?"
Fu Peibai naturally didn't mind. "Of course."
"Then A-Pei, let me, let me tell you about martial arts training."
"Alright, take your time telling me."
"Heavenly Pole, Heavenly Pole Sect outer disciples are all managed by the Four Halls. Each hall manages three hundred disciples. At chen hour and a half, everyone gathers at the training grounds to practice martial arts. Midday rest, rest for one hour. Afternoon continues until you hour ends. After dinner is free time.
"Then, every, every three days, go to the schoolroom for lectures. One rest day every seven days. Every year in the sixth month there's an inner disciple examination. Those who pass can enter under the Sect Master or, or one of the other four Peak Masters to study martial arts. Those who don't pass must continue staying at Cangqiong. If you don't pass, don't pass the inner disciple examination for three years, you'll be, be driven down the mountain."
Xie Jingming spoke with great difficulty. When he finally finished, he was slightly panting and drank a large mouthful of tea to moisten his throat.
Fu Peibai thought for a moment and asked, "Does the bathhouse close at night?"
"N-no. Why?"
"I'll be doing extra training at night. Might practice quite late."
"A-Pei, you, you're so hardworking."
Fu Peibai smiled. "I have no foundation in martial arts. I'm already far behind everyone else. To catch up with others, naturally I have to give more. By the way, what about the dining hall?"
"It will, it closes. Latest until hai hour."
"Alright, I understand. Thanks, Jingming."
"No problem. We, we'll be classmates from now on. We should help each other."
"Right."
A heavy bell sounded from outside the door. Xie Jingming stood up. "A-Pei, the midday, midday rest period is over. I need to go, go to the training grounds to practice."
"Go ahead."
"If you're, if you're bored, there are books in my cabinet. You, you can take one to read."
"Alright, thanks."
After Xie Jingming left, Fu Peibai was alone in the room. She walked around once. It was indeed a bit boring, so she opened Xie Jingming's cabinet and randomly took out a storybook to read.
This booklet had both text and illustrations. After reading a few pages, she realized it was about romance between a man and woman, stories of yearning without obtaining. Thinking of herself, she suddenly found it dull and tossed the book aside. She sat on the bed and entered meditation, circulating her internal cultivation.
At you hour, Xie Jingming returned and led Fu Peibai to the dining hall for dinner.
The dining hall was indeed as Xie Jingming had said. Many people, long queues. They stood at the end of the line. Fu Peibai looked around absently and suddenly caught sight of Mo Qingyuan in the distance staring viciously at her. When enemies meet, their eyes redden with hatred. She narrowed her eyes and glared back. The two stared at each other for a while before Mo Qingyuan withdrew his gaze and coldly snorted, prompting someone beside him to ask.
"Brother Mo, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just saw a nauseating bug, that's all."
Meanwhile, just as Fu Peibai was about to reach the food counter, a tall figure suddenly squeezed in front of her. He Cong turned around with a fake smile on his face. "Young Master Fu, I trust you've been well since we last met."
Fu Peibai immediately frowned, her tone cold. "Is there something you need?"
"Nothing at all. Just heard earlier that you passed the Sect Master's test. Truly admirable. So I came to admire Young Master Fu's impressive presence."
His sarcastic tone was unpleasant to hear. Fu Peibai suppressed her annoyance, not wanting to cause trouble, and chose to yield.
"I'm quite hungry. I wonder if Young Master Fu could do me a favor and let me get my dinner first."
Fu Peibai stepped back two paces. "Go ahead."
Xie Jingming was somewhat unhappy and wanted to step forward to argue, but she pulled him back by the arm.
Then they watched as He Cong directed the old woman serving food to sweep all the remaining meat dishes from the basin onto his tray. He deliberately carried a tray laden with several full bowls past Fu Peibai and, right in front of the two of them, poured bowl after bowl of food into the swill bucket. Then he raised his eyebrows at Fu Peibai in provocation.
"H-how could he do that?!" Xie Jingming was so angry his face turned red, his fists clenched tight.
"It's fine. Don't pay attention to him." Fu Peibai said this, then looked at the remaining scraps and had the serving woman fill her bowl. She also loaded two large bowls of plain rice before finding a quiet corner to sit with Xie Jingming.
Xie Jingming picked up a plain cabbage leaf and put it in his mouth, saying indignantly, "That, that person did that on purpose. He's looking, looking for trouble with you. Simply, simply a scoundrel."
Fu Peibai smiled indifferently and picked up one of the few pieces of meat to put in Xie Jingming's bowl. "Just ignore him. He's a jumping clown. Let him entertain himself."
Xie Jingming heard this and thought it made sense. His brow relaxed. "True. Don't, don't stoop to his level."
The two ate quietly. Halfway through, a strange man suddenly sat down across from them. He looked a few years older than them, with a gentle and amiable appearance.
"Two young masters, nice to meet you."
Fu Peibai showed suspicion. "You are?"
"I am a disciple under the Four Halls, Wei Xiao. A few days ago I heard that Young Master Fu could actually withstand three palms from the Sect Master. Truly admirable. I came specially to pay my respects."
Fu Peibai didn't care for such high-sounding words and responded perfunctorily. "Nice to meet you."
Wei Xiao then said to Xie Jingming, "This young master, how should I address you?"
Xie Jingming rarely interacted with strangers and answered somewhat awkwardly, "I am, I am Xie Jingming."
"You two must have entered the sect later than me. May I address you as Junior Brother Fu and Junior Brother Xie from now on?"
Fu Peibai nodded indifferently and concentrated on eating. Xie Jingming saw that Fu Peibai had agreed, so he nodded too.
Wei Xiao's smile widened. He picked several large pieces of pork ribs from his own bowl and placed them in Fu Peibai and Xie Jingming's bowls. "Then the three of us should become better acquainted from now on."
Fu Peibai stared at the pork ribs. She understood the principle of eating someone's food and becoming indebted. She felt instinctively wary of this man's sudden enthusiasm and didn't reach for her chopsticks. Instead she asked doubtfully, "Senior Brother Wei, why do you want to befriend us?"
Wei Xiao smiled openly. "Junior Brother Fu, I know you harbor suspicions. In the martial world, having a guard up is good. But there's no need to reject all kindness. That you could rise from a servant to join the sect through your own efforts, I truly admire. Befriending you, I am indeed moved by your resilient and tenacious character. I have no other schemes. You can rest assured."
Hearing this, Fu Peibai looked again at the appetizing pork ribs in her bowl. Finally she let down her guard and said quietly, "Then thank you, Senior Brother Wei." After saying this, she picked up a rib and put it in her mouth to chew. The meat was fragrant and satisfying.
This meal was quite pleasant for Fu Peibai. Wei Xiao was a year older than her, but his speech and temperament were considerably more mature. He spoke knowledgeably about everything from the sect's history to tales of the martial world. Fu Peibai and Xie Jingming listened with continuous amazement.
After all, the two were still young and simple-natured. They quickly let down their guard against Wei Xiao completely, regarding him as a caring senior brother.
The three finished eating and parted ways in front of their residence.
But Wei Xiao didn't return to his room. After seeing Fu and Xie close their doors, he tapped his toe and flew up to the roof. Soon he arrived at the suspension bridge connecting Cangqiong Peak to Chaoquan Peak. After checking that no one was around, he moved swiftly to the entrance of Mingxi Cave.
Facing the cave entrance that exuded cold air, he spoke respectfully. "Peak Master."
After a long while, a cool female voice came from inside. "Enter."
He lifted his leg and entered the cave. The temperature dropped rapidly around him. He quickly circulated his internal energy to protect his body, but still couldn't help shivering.
After entering the deepest ice chamber of the cave, he lowered his head and reported. "Peak Master, your subordinate has befriended Fu Peibai as you instructed. He suspects nothing."
Lu Yanran slowly raised her eyes. Her gaze was like this ice cave, without warmth or spirit. When she opened her mouth, a breath of cold air came out. "Understood. If anyone causes trouble for him, you will secretly help resolve it. Don't let him discover you, and don't attract others' attention to yourself."
"Yes." After acknowledging, Wei Xiao quietly raised his eyes to glance at the woman on the ice bed, who was covered in a thin layer of frost.
Before he could look away, Lu Yanran's gaze fell upon him like an icicle. He hastily averted his eyes and bent his body even lower.
"Peak Master, the Sect Master recently sent word to me, asking me to pass this to you." Wei Xiao took out a letter from his robes and handed it over. He also produced a small wooden box and placed it on the edge of the bed.
Lu Yanran didn't even glance at the box. She lightly opened the envelope. On the letter paper was a very brief sentence. "Lu Wencheng now knows the whereabouts of two Dengling fragments. Keep close watch. Act when the time is right."
She put away the letter, and the entire envelope quickly crumbled to powder in her hand.
"You may withdraw."
After Wei Xiao left, only then did Lu Yanran open the wooden box. Inside lay a small, pitch-black pill. She narrowed her eyes, her expression growing even colder. She raised her hand and knocked over the box. The pill rolled once on the ground before sliding into a corner.