“Stop!” If Professor Xie, who had to leave his relaxing calligraphy session, was a little bit later, the two would’ve torn down the place.
As martial arts families, Wang and Xie Clan members were all capable of holding their own in fights. Therefore, he continued to write the last character in “Roaming the Eastern Fields”, written by Southern Qi poet Xie Tiao of the Yongming Reign, when he was told about the scuffle.
“Goodness me! Put the fire out!” was the first thing Professor Xie yelled upon arriving at the scene.
The flower garden was half destroyed. The roof and pond were broken here and there.
“Hold it! Hold it! Not hold your posture! Hold the pillars! The corridor is about to collapse! You two, stop!” Professor Xie led a group of Confucianists to get the two off each other.
“Confucianists” was the term for adepts of Confucianism donning black robes in charge of maintaining order at the academy. Getting heated and having plenty of energy to do something about it was normal for young people; just because they read Confucius texts, didn’t mean they were emotionless. Consider it Huang Yuzao’s small selfish strategy to keep the business running smoothly.
Tang Ye ceased once the Confucianists pulled them apart, face as straight as usual. Xun Feng, on the other hand, spat blood out of his mouth and aggressively raised his head to scream, “Let’s go! I’ll write my name backwards if I back down! Come over here!”
Tang Ye took the towel passed to him from his side, soaked it in the basin of water, then wiped the blood and dirt off his face.
“What exactly happened?!” brayed Professor Xie, standing between the two combatants. “Where do you think you are?! Why are you fighting?! I mean, why are you vandalising the place?!”
They say a skilled teacher makes a skilled disciple. Under the tutelage of a certain mentor, Tang Ye, although not to the same degree as Shen Yiren, drastically improved his combat prowess via maturing mentally. As per his mentor’s instructions, he completed jobs in one go wherever possible. Tang Ye set down his towel and answered, “He started it.”
Xun Feng would’ve bitten Tang Ye’s face off if he could. “Spout tripe one more time! Come over here!”
“Xun Feng, is that how a monk ought to behave?” Professor Xie turned back to Tang Ye. “Did he really start it?’
Tang Ye nodded.
“You son of a b-”
“Shut up! You attack someone and then curse them? I’ll be sure to send a letter to Cold Mountain Temple to have you dealt with. Carry him away to Principal Huang! Was your name Tang Ye? Get treated for your injuries, and then come see us later.”
“I’ll settle this score with you sooner or later!” Xun Feng blustered.
Watching eight people carry Xun Feng off, Tang Ye waited for them to disappear before lamenting, “Buddhism and Confucianism really don’t mesh…”
***
Following a long silence, Song Chi said, “I happened to be out when you came home a few months ago, so I missed the opportunity to catch up.”
“There’s no need to say that when we’re brothers.” Song Ou wasn’t awkward because he didn’t expect his brother to visit. He was purely unsure how to receive his guest since he was unprepared. “Why didn’t you inform me beforehand that you would be coming? How long are you staying this time? Do you have lodging yet? I can sort it out for you. I have quite the influence in the capital.”
“I will be staying at Daren Academy for the meantime.”
“Right, right, you’ve always been independent.” Song Ou trained his eyes on the table below to hide his tension. “Did Dad say anything before you left?”
Song Chi was quick on his feet; however, he never lied to his family. His silence was a blade straight through Song Ou’s heart.
“Ahaha, never mind, never mind. Dad is a busy man. I wasn’t expecting anything, hahaha.”
It wasn’t hard to imagine what sort of life Song Ou led in Yangzhou. While sending him to the capital appeared to be a promotion, it was no different to denying his existence.
Feeling sorry for his brother, Song Chi tapped the broadsword at his sash and beamed. “Things don’t always go our way in life. We carve our paths. Don’t let it get you down, Brother. Even in the capital, everyone knows my brother is Liu Shan Men’s captain.”
Song Ou forced a smile to show appreciation for the consolation.
Knowing his brother’s personality, Song Chi decided to switch the topic. “The office is now decorated with lots of verdant plants unlike years ago. Domestic work doesn’t seem like something you would do, though. Is Sister-in-Law taking care of the office for you?”
Song Ou smiled bitterly. “As if. Yiren spends her days tackling work. Even if she had the will to, she wouldn’t have time for it. It’s all Shen Kuang’s credit. He’s attentive and meticulous. Yiren isn’t mistreating me or anything. This office is her ancestor’s office. After her home was destroyed, she let me stay here despite it being her ancestors’ residence. To be honest, the two of them treat me quite well.”
Song Chi let out a relieved smile, then lifted his teacup for a drink.
“Ever since that plague came here, though, I’ve never had a good day.”
Song Chi nearly spat his tea out. “That plague?”
“The ruffian from Mount Daluo – Ming Feizhen. Ever since he came here, Yiren is always glued to him and ignoring me. Even His Majesty is holding him in high regard because of his background, for crying out loud.”
“Mount Daluo has remained independent for the most part, seldom being part of any alliance. Our founding Emperor allied with Hero Shenzhou due to his earlier exploits to protect the peace, so he wasn’t someone who was open for recruitment. In this generation, Mount Daluo’s famous members are Hong Jiu and Lian Zhuiyue. Ming Feizhen… I have never heard of him. Perhaps Mount Daluo hid his existence because they harbour some ambition.”
“Even you’re saying that? Long Zaitian and I both thought the same thing. W-”
Song Chi raised an open hand. “Predictions not predicated on evidence will only confuse oneself.”
Song Ou cast his gaze downward whilst drawing circles on the table.
“Having said that, I cannot ignore someone if they are bullying you.”
Song Ou sprung to life. “Of course not!”
“The plan for this trip always was to foment as much as possible.” Song Chi hiked up a corner of his lips. “How about we start with him?”
Glossary
Confucianist – This is a made up word. Technically, it should be translated as “Black Robes”. Problem is, we already have Black Robe Brotherhood, so I want to circumvent any chances of terminology clashing. The characters used for “black robes” for each instance here is different, but there’s no equivalent for the Confucianism version in English – correct me if I’m wrong.
