Chapter 815: The Sentimental Swordsman's Afei and Shangguan Xian'er

A small country tavern.

A few customers sat sparsely inside the shop.

He sat at the table by the window.

There was wine on the table, and a wine cup too.

Yet he did not even touch them.

Only when his gaze fell upon this pot of wine would his indifferent eyes reveal a glimmer of light, a complex mixture of warmth, reverence, hatred, and countless other emotions, before it vanished, returning to a water-like calm.

He wore a very ordinary coarse cloth garment, washed very clean.

Tucked casually into a belt of the same color as his clothes was a short stick; it was a very ordinary outfit.

But he was by no means ordinary.

He was not only very handsome, but also appeared to be very young.

Moreover, his eyes were very bright, exceptionally bright, brighter than anyone else's. Whoever was looked at by these eyes felt as if all the Darkness and secrets in the depths of their heart were about to be seen through.

The waiter brought over two bowls of noodles.

He had already begun to eat the noodles, eating very slowly, chewing very carefully, as if this bowl of noodles were the most delicious he had ever eaten in his life, or as if it were the last bowl he would ever be able to eat.

He was not sitting at the table alone; beside him was a little girl.

So the other bowl of noodles was placed beside the little girl.

The little girl was only eight or nine years old, her skin white with a rosy tint, her eyes bright and round, and as her thick, fan-like eyelashes fluttered, she appeared indescribably innocent and cute.

She held a cloth Wawa in her arms, sitting on the bench, her little legs swinging back and forth, humming a nursery rhyme from time to time, her voice crisp, cute, and charming.

Looking at the plain noodles served, the little girl pouted high: "Baby doesn't want to eat noodles, Baby wants to eat candied haws."

The man in coarse clothes furrowed his brow, but still said with great patience: "Eat the noodles, and I will buy you candied haws this afternoon."

"Uncle, pinky swear, no going back on your word." The little girl stretched out her small hand, her sparkling eyes looking at the man.

"Mm, no going back on my word." The man in coarse clothes indeed stretched out his hand and pinky-swore with the little girl.

If anyone who knew this man in coarse clothes were to see this scene, they would likely be so shocked their jaws would drop.

Because this man was the 'Flying Swordsman' Afei, who in years past had the fastest and most ruthless sword in the Edo.

A cold man like Afei, actually pinky-swearing with a little girl?!

Having obtained Afei's promise, the little girl then began to eat her noodles reluctantly.

A moment later, a man in black walked in from outside the door.

"A bowl of plain noodles."

The man greeted the waiter, then took two or three steps and sat at the table by the window, sharing the table with Afei and the little girl.

"Afei, it has been many years."

The man in black looked at Afei, who was eating noodles, and grinned.

His smile was mysterious and warm, like a spring breeze blowing through the bitter cold, melting the ice and snow.

Afei's hand, which was eating noodles, suddenly paused, then he slowly raised his head to see this man dressed in black, his face full of smiles.

And so, he also smiled.

His smile was still as moving as it had been in the past.

The little girl tilted her head.

She knew that Uncle Afei rarely smiled.

His smile was rarer than the first plum blossom to bloom in winter.

Afei looked at the man in black, looking at him face to face, and only after a long while did he say: "You finally came back after all."

The man in black said: "I finally came back after all."

Afei said: "I knew you would definitely come back."

The man in black smiled slightly: "No matter what, I still had to come back to see my friend."

Afei lowered his head, chewing on the word 'friend', appearing as if he were entranced.

He had once been this person's shadow.

Wherever the master was, the shadow would follow.

Sometimes, he thought that their relationship during that time was less like master and shadow, and more like hunter and the most loyal hunting dog.

But they were not hunting dog and hunter after all, nor were they master and shadow.

They were friends.

The man in black's gaze turned to the wooden stick at Afei's waist and suddenly asked: "Where is your sword?"

Afei said: "I no longer use a sword."

The man in black said: "Oh? Why?"

Afei said: "The sword is a weapon of death; once drawn, it must kill. Killing is not an interesting thing, and being killed is even less interesting."

The man in black smiled: "What's more, for you, there is no longer much difference between a wooden stick and a sword."

Afei did not answer, but there was a smile on the corner of his mouth again.

In this smile, there was absolute self-confidence.

The man in black turned his gaze toward the little girl.

The little girl had also been secretly looking at the man in black.

When the man in black's gaze fell upon her, the little girl still stared at him blankly, and a smile suddenly appeared on her young, cute face—a very bright smile—as she giggled: "Uncle, you look so good."

"Truly an honest child."

Yu Liancheng rubbed the little girl's head and looked toward Afei: "Is this your child?"

Afei answered irrelevantly: "Her name is Shangguan Xian'er."

"Shangguan Xian'er, Shangguan Xian'er." After Yu Liancheng lowered his head and recited the name twice, he suddenly looked up and said, "Is she the daughter of Lin Xian'er and Shangguan Jinhong?"

Afei nodded.

Yu Liancheng said again, "If I am not mistaken, Lin Xian'er has left for good. And the only person she trusted most in her life was you, which is why she left the little girl for you to take care of."

Afei nodded again.

Afei cast his gaze toward Shangguan Xian'er, his expression filled with pity.

He was not afraid of letting Shangguan Xian'er hear this, because there was something wrong with her mind; she had the intelligence of a three-year-old at most.

Sure enough, Shangguan Xian'er was still giggling, looking dazed and silly.

Afei sighed softly, his gaze suddenly shifting to Yu Liancheng: "I beg one thing of you."

Yu Liancheng said, "Regarding Shangguan Xian'er."

"Yes," Afei said. "I have wandered my whole life, a drifter who cannot even take care of himself. So..."

"So you want to entrust her to me and have me take care of her on your behalf."

"Correct."

Yu Liancheng sighed and said, "She may not necessarily need someone else to take care of her, and you may not necessarily need to entrust her to me."

Afei smiled again.

Only this time, it was a bitter smile.

"She inherited her mother's beauty; when she reaches sixteen or seventeen..."

"I know what you mean." Yu Liancheng suddenly revealed a meaningful smile. "But she not only inherited Lin Xian'er's beauty, she also inherited her mother's poisonous heart and her father's decisiveness and dominance. If you are going to worry about her, you might as well worry about the martial arts talents of her generation. Tsk tsk, I can already imagine a group of people being played in circles by her like dogs."

Afei was startled: "What do you mean by that?"

Yu Liancheng smiled as he looked at Shangguan Xian'er: "I suddenly have the idea of taking on an apprentice. This apprentice had best be a bit clever, a bit pretty... and of course, the most important point, she must not try to be clever in front of me."

Clutching a cloth doll in her arms, Shangguan Xian'er bowed gracefully: "Shangguan Xian'er greets Master."