Chapter 13

Dusk approached, and the twilight deepened.

It was time for the martial arts hall to close again.

Jiang Ye sat in the shadows by the door as usual, leaning against the cold door pillar, his eyelids half-drooped, watching the disciples disperse in twos and threes.

"Hu Hu Shidi, are you going to my house to eat sesame cakes today..."

Lin Xiaohe's voice was a few degrees softer than usual, almost carrying a hook, as she followed Hu Tian closely out of the martial arts hall gate.

"Okay..."

Hu Tian paused his steps, looked at Lin Xiaohe with a grin, and was just about to agree.

A clear yet naturally arrogant voice suddenly came from behind.

"Hu Hu Shidi!"

Zhang Xu, leading two or three inner-courtyard disciples, stepped over the threshold with a calm gait.

He didn't even look at Lin Xiaohe on the side, just raised his chin toward Hu Tian, his smile bright but refusing to be denied:

"Let's go, Hu Hu Shidi will take you to 'Drunken Immortal Pavilion' to see the world today!"

"Many thanks, Hu Hu Shidi!"

Hu Tian didn't even hesitate, the smile on his face instantly turning toward Zhang Xu.

He only had time to throw Lin Xiaohe a look of appeasement and perfunctoriness before turning around, placing his arm on Zhang Xu's shoulder with extreme naturalness, his posture intimate and familiar, as if he were already one of the circle.

"In a little more time, perhaps I can also mix into this circle."

Lin Xiaohe stood where she was, looking at the backs of those figures surrounded by twilight and laughter as they walked away, a glimmer of hope appearing between her brows.

If she could establish some connection with this circle, perhaps even the Wild Wolf Gang would have some reservations about her and wouldn't dare to come to her door to extort her so blatantly again.

At this thought, the slight displeasure in her heart caused by Hu Tian easily casting her aside was instantly covered by a more intense emotion—resentment toward Shi Lei, and... a cold sense of relief.

She resented him for being reckless and impulsive, not only failing to solve the trouble but bringing about even greater consequences, nearly losing her own meager family assets in the process.

She was even more relieved that she had made a decisive decision to cut ties with him completely, doing so cleanly and neatly.

What else could a person like Shi Lei bring besides his full heart of untimely honesty and his trouble-making fists?

In this world, those are the most worthless and harmful things.

"Hmph! I was... truly blind at the time..."

Lin Xiaohe cast a cold glance toward the dim martial arts arena of the hall, let out a short snort from her nose, and with no more lingering, turned and stepped into the thickening night.

Seeing Lin Xiaohe's back gradually fade away, Jiang Ye stood up slowly, his gaze thoughtful, and whispered to himself:

"There is still one person who hasn't come out."

Twilight was like gauze, shrouding the silent outer courtyard.

On the ground, equipment was scattered.

And in the corner at the very edge, closest to the wall, a figure was setting up the starting stance of the Mountain-Crushing Fist with an extremely slow frequency, even carrying an imperceptible tremor.

It was none other than Shi Lei.

The bruises on his face looked deeper in the dim light, his lips were tightly pressed, but his eyes no longer had the rock-like tenacity of the past, leaving only a vast expanse of hollow confusion, and even... a trace of distraction.

His fists were clenched, but his force seemed to have nowhere to land, and even his entire posture was somewhat wavering and absent-minded; it didn't look like he was practicing boxing, but rather like he was punishing himself.

Jiang Ye's footsteps were very light, but they were still clear in this silence.

Shi Lei was like someone startled from a dream; he turned his head abruptly, and after seeing who it was, a trace of panic and embarrassment flashed across his face, and he quickly put away his misshapen boxing stance.

He tugged at the corners of his mouth, wanting to squeeze out a smile, but only pulled at his wounds, making him look even more disheveled.

"I... I'm sorry, Old Man Jiang..." His voice was hoarse and dry, "I... I forgot the time while practicing boxing again and delayed your closing of the hall. I'll clean up right now and leave immediately."

He didn't even wait for Jiang Ye's response before turning around hastily, burying his head, and beginning to clean up the stone locks, wooden stakes, and other equipment scattered on the ground in a flustered manner.

Jiang Ye didn't speak, just sighed softly and followed along to help clean up the scattered equipment.

"Old Man Jiang, I might... not come to practice boxing anymore..."

After placing all the equipment on the ground, Shi Lei hesitated for a moment before suddenly speaking.

Hearing this, Jiang Ye looked at Shi Lei deeply, his voice low:

"You haven't even been in the martial arts hall for two months, and your boxing technique is almost at the entry level..."

"Why do you want to give up at this juncture?"

Shi Lei seemed to have been pierced in a sore spot by these words, his body swaying imperceptibly.

The remaining light in his eyes struggled violently, eventually turning into a deeper darkness.

"With my... bone structure and talent..." His voice was lower, almost muttering, every word soaked in cold self-negation. "Even if I master the boxing technique, I'm afraid I won't achieve anything."

He took a sharp breath, as if wanting to spit out the stifling, turbid air in his chest, but it got stuck in his throat:

"Hu Hu Shidi Tian... how many days has he been here? The Liu Liu Guan Zhu guides him personally, and the inner-courtyard brothers vie to befriend him. Lin... Sister Lin..."

When mentioning this name, his voice suddenly twisted, carrying pain and humiliation that could not be concealed.

"She could cling to him in the blink of an eye, attentive and thoughtful... And what about me? I risked my life practicing boxing, stood up for her, came back covered in injuries, and what I got in return..."

He choked, unable to continue, just biting his teeth hard, the veins on his forehead appearing, his eye sockets quickly turning red, but he stubbornly held his head up, refusing to let that moisture truly fall.

Jiang Ye listened quietly, his eyes showing no surprise, only a deep, pool-like understanding.

Lin Xiaohe's cold, bone-chilling "backstabbing," along with Hu Tian's appearance, had brought too much stimulation to Shi Lei.

"Sorry, Old Man Jiang, I've said too much."

Shi Lei turned his face away abruptly, his voice carrying a disheveled tremor, and turned to leave.

"Young Shi..."

Jiang Ye's voice was not high, but it was like an invisible thread that tugged at his hurried footsteps.

He looked at the young body before him, covered in scars and seemingly drained of spirit, and spoke slowly:

"I once heard the Liu Liu Guan Zhu say several times that bone structure and talent... are a meal provided by the Heavens."

"But whether you can hold this bowl steady, whether you can eat your fill, and whether it tastes sweet or bitter when you eat it... sometimes, it doesn't entirely depend on the Heavens' mood."

"Flowing water does not compete for the lead; it competes for the endless flow!"

Hearing this, Shi Lei's body shook violently, and his dim eyes instantly brightened, "Flowing water does not compete for the lead..."

"Old Man Jiang, do you think I still have a chance?!"

His eyes were burning, eager, carrying all the hope of a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood, fixed firmly on the old man's face.

Jiang Ye did not answer his question directly.

He just looked back quietly at the boy's burning eyes, his face without joy or sorrow.

Everyone has their own path; how would he know what would happen if Shi Lei continued?

Perhaps after a bitter struggle to enter, he would ultimately just be a mediocre martial artist, struggling and drifting in this chaotic world.

But he didn't need to say that.

Some fires only need a single spark.

Shi Lei did not force a definitive answer.

He stood where he was, his chest heaving violently, his mouth chewing over those eight words repeatedly.

"Flowing water does not compete for the lead... it competes for the endless flow... endless flow..."

Every time he recited it, the light in his eyes grew a fraction brighter, and his broken spine seemed to have a trace of strength seeping out from the depths of his bone marrow, slowly straightening.

A moment later, he suddenly took a step back, and toward Jiang Ye, he actually went "thump" and knelt straight down, his forehead hitting the cold ground heavily.

"Many thanks for your guidance, Old Man Jiang; I, Shi Lei, will never forget this kindness in my life!"

Shi Lei's voice was hoarse, yet decisive, carrying the force of a heavy hammer falling.

Having said this, he didn't linger, stood up abruptly, and turned to walk toward the outside of the gate with large strides.

Jiang Ye stood where he was, watching the back that had quickly disappeared into the night and become upright again, and smiled faintly:

"It seems that the first one to arrive at the martial arts hall tomorrow will be him again."

The night was already deep.

Creak—

A soft sound.

The narrow door of the gatehouse was pushed open a crack, and a black shadow slid out silently, then backhanded the door shut gently, sealing it perfectly.

The black shadow stood still for a moment in the shadows under the eaves and slowly raised his head.

His face was covered by a common, coarse black cloth, revealing only his eyes.

Those eyes, under the pitch-black night sky, showed not a trace of the day's old age and twilight; instead, they were filled with inner brilliance, deep as an ancient well or cold pool, and sharp as a thin blade about to be unsheathed.

It was none other than Jiang Ye.

A dark night with high winds.

Time to go "eat people" and make money!