The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

Their philosophical discussions deepened through this cycle of questioning and answering, of each other's thoughts and proofs.

The moon rises from the eastern sky to its zenith.

Just as Shen An was about to ask another question about his true self, he caught a glimpse of a familiar green hem peeking out cautiously from the corner of his eye under the pavilion.

A sudden "buzz" jolted him awake from his esoteric and profound conversation.

Oh no! I forgot about Feifei!

He slapped his forehead, his face revealing undisguised annoyance and apology. That girl had probably been feeding mosquitoes down there for half the night.

His startled movements naturally startled the scholar opposite him.

The scholar followed his gaze and glanced down at the pavilion, catching sight of the furtive little figure. He couldn't help but chuckle. Sensing Shen An's intention to leave, he spoke first:

"It's late, and I imagine you must still have other matters to attend to." He even gave a slight wink as he said this. "Today's conversation has been thoroughly enjoyable; perhaps we should call it a day?"

"It's not what you think, sir. She...she's my...my sister!"

Shen An had been misunderstood more than once or twice, and he usually didn't care much. But the misunderstanding from the person in front of him was something he really didn't want to see.

Shen An tried his best to clarify, but the scholar had an "I understand, I understand" look on his face, leaving him speechless.

After a moment of silence, Shen An asked again, "Sir, may I still come to the academy to seek your guidance in the future?"

"I'm afraid that won't work." The scholar smiled and shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of a traveler's nonchalance. "I was on my way to take up my post in Jiangxi and was passing through this place. I only stayed here for a few days because I admired the thousand-year-old splendor of Shigu Academy. Tomorrow, after watching that so-called 'Sword Testing Tournament' and experiencing the charm of the martial world, I will continue my journey."

Jiangxi, it seems, is indeed the place of that Mr. Yangming.

Upon hearing this, Shen An was certain of his guess, and his heart was filled with regret, but he quickly felt relieved.

Such people are like clouds in the sky or the moon in the river; for them to have this encounter is already a great stroke of luck.

"In that case, I will bid you farewell tomorrow after this matter is settled," he said solemnly, cupping his hands in greeting.

The scholar laughed heartily, appearing extremely generous: "Alright, be sure to bring some good wine then!"

"Of course!" Shen An readily agreed.

After descending from Hejiang Pavilion, Shen An immediately spotted Qu Feiyan crouching behind a large tree, only her large, dark eyes peeking out as she secretly watched them. The moonlight shone on her delicate nose, making her appear even more charming and adorable.

Shen An was both amused and annoyed. He stepped forward and reached out to rub her already somewhat messy head.

"Why didn't you listen? I told you to stay put and wait there."

"I...I was worried..." Qu Feiyan pouted, stood up from behind the tree, patted the dust off her dress, and said with a hint of grievance in her voice, "You've been gone for so long, I was so afraid something had happened to you...and all I saw were you two whispering to each other in that pavilion for ages. That guy, he didn't bully you, did he?"

Shen An felt a warmth in his heart, took her slightly cool hand, and said softly, "Silly girl, he's a good person. Let's go back."

On the way back, the night breeze grew cooler. Qu Feiyan yawned, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and finally couldn't help but ask curiously, "Brother An, who is he? He looks like an ordinary scholar, so why did you talk to him for so long?"

"He didn't say, but he's a very, very powerful person," Shen An replied, his tone tinged with mystery.

"Hmph, how powerful is he? Is he more powerful than my grandfather?" Qu Feiyan asked defiantly.

"Hehe, Feifei will understand when she grows up."

"You chatted with him for so long, but you forgot to ask him his name?" Qu Feiyan changed the subject, her tone full of reproach that said, "You're so absent-minded."

Shen An turned around, glanced at the Hejiang Pavilion, which had become a small black dot under the moonlight, and the slender figure still standing quietly in the pavilion, and smiled freely.

"We came with high spirits, and we left when our spirits were gone."

He silently completed the second half of the sentence in his mind.

Besides, I already know who he is.

As the two stepped out of the academy's gate and turned into a quiet alley, Shen An suddenly stopped. He pulled Qu Feiyan behind him, his eyes warily fixed on the shadows at the alley's entrance.

A figure slowly emerged from the darkness, the moonlight outlining his gaunt face.

"Elder Qu?" Shen An was somewhat surprised.

"grandfather?"

Qu Yang looked serious, quickly stepped forward, and said in a low voice, "I've finally waited for you."

"Why is Elder so cautious?" Shen An noticed something amiss from his expression.

Qu Yang made a shushing gesture, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. After confirming that no one was around, he said in a low voice, "I went to the Liu residence last night, and as soon as I came out, I noticed someone was secretly following me. The other person was quite skilled; his stealth and lightness skills were almost on par with mine. After shaking him off, I didn't dare go to the Hundred Refinements Workshop to look for you, for fear of attracting trouble. I could only wait for you to come out of the workshop."

"Are they from the Songshan Sect?"

"It's almost certainly true." Qu Yang's face was grim. "This morning, the number of your spies from Songshan around the Liu residence increased!"

"I understand." Shen An nodded.

Sure enough, he thought to himself, no wonder all of Feng Changrong's spies were transferred away this morning; the sect had indeed sent new people to handle this matter.

"Thank you for the reminder, Elder." Shen An clasped his hands in a fist salute to Qu Yang. "Elder, please take care of yourself as well. It's best if you don't meet with Uncle Liu these days."

"I understand." Qu Yang sighed, patted Qu Feiyan's head, and then his figure flickered and disappeared into the darkness again.

After this incident, the atmosphere on the way back to Bailianfang became much more somber.

While pondering the uncertainties of tomorrow, Shen An comforted Qu Feiyan, who was quite frightened.

It was nearly midnight when I returned to Bailianfang.

In the inner courtyard, Wang Xiaocao thoughtfully left a lamp on for them. The dim light swayed gently in the night breeze, illuminating the quiet courtyard. The door to the side room was ajar, and there was no sound coming from inside; they must have already gone to sleep.

"Shh, Xiaocao is asleep. Go back to your room and be quiet so you don't wake her," Shen An instructed Qu Feiyan.

"Mmm." Qu Feiyan nodded obediently, tiptoed back to her room like a kitten.

Shen An stood in the courtyard for a while. He glanced at Qu Feiyan's room, looked at the night sky, and finally turned around. Instead of going back to his room, he left the inner courtyard and went to his study.

As I pushed open the door, the familiar scent of ink and the aroma of old books wafted towards me.

He skillfully lit the oil lamp on the table, the tiny flame instantly dispelling the darkness of the room. In the warm orange glow, Shen An took a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the bookshelf, dripped a few drops of water into the inkstone, and began to concentrate on grinding the ink.

He dipped his brush in ink and began to write on the rice paper.

He didn't write about any earth-shattering martial arts techniques, but rather some of the most basic and fundamental introductory martial arts concepts.

"Qi is the source of strength. A person's internal strength is like water having a source. Beginners should calm their minds and concentrate their spirits, focusing their attention on the dantian (lower abdomen) to sense the location of Qi. At first, it is like a gossamer thread, then a trickle, and in time, it can become a river..."

He wrote down in the simplest and most straightforward language how to sense qi and how to guide internal energy through the meridians in the simplest way possible. These were the most basic pieces of knowledge he summarized by combining his own experience with the knowledge of later generations.

After writing down the methods for applying internal energy, he began writing down the techniques.

He chose the widely circulated, common weapon in the martial arts world – the Five Tigers Severing the Gate Saber.

This sword technique was the very skill that Zhao Da Kui practiced back then. The moves are simple and direct, with wide and sweeping movements, making them extremely easy to learn.

Because of its extremely low difficulty and wide popularity, this is the martial art that Shen An has the most suitable for that scholar.

There will be absolutely no mistakes.

I hope this helps that gentleman.