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

The mountain path leading to Hengshan Sect is secluded and tranquil, shaded by bamboo groves, with occasional zither music carried on the breeze, creating an extremely pleasant and peaceful atmosphere, quite different from the solemn and imposing atmosphere of Songshan.

Shen An carried his bundle on his back, with Wang Xiaocao beside him. They didn't say much along the way.

He could sense the girl's disappointment, but he took it as her anxiety and unease about the unknown future and didn't think much of it.

Upon arriving at the gate of Hengshan Sect, the gatekeepers immediately recognized Shen An.

"Senior Brother Shen? What brings you here? Please come in." A disciple greeted him warmly, his attitude very familiar.

Shen An was sent to Hengyang with the mission of connecting with fellow disciples of the Five Sacred Mountains Sect. Over the past two years, he had already become quite familiar with the disciples of the Hengshan Sect.

Nowadays, at least among the second-generation disciples, the Five Mountains Sword Sect is truly united. In the original story, Linghu Chong was not the only one who was willing to risk his life to save Yilin.

"Please inform him that Shen Antong and Wang Xiaocao from Bailianfang in Songshan have come to pay their respects to Master Mo."

Shen An returned the greeting politely, specifically mentioning Bai Lian Fang, for fear that Master Mo might have forgotten.

"Senior Brother Shen, please wait a moment. The sect leader happens to be in the sect today. I will go and inform him."

"Coincidentally, it's in the sect?" Shen An was slightly surprised.

It is common knowledge in the martial arts world that Mo Daxing is elusive. I searched high and low for days but couldn't find him. How come he is sitting safely in the sect today?

Little did he know that after leaving Bailianfang that day, Mo Da had transformed into the most inconspicuous street musician in Hengyang City and the vicinity of Bailianfang.

He seemed to have nothing to do every day, but his cloudy old eyes were always keeping an eye on the movements of Bailianfang.

Since I'm just idling around anyway, I might as well keep an eye on things. If something goes wrong and my good disciple is gone, I'll have nowhere to cry.

It's important to know that at that time, the mortality rate for maids was quite high.

This morning, upon seeing Shen An take Wang Xiaocao out, heading straight for Hengshan, he was overjoyed. He immediately cut off the halfway through playing "Xiaoxiang Night Rain," took a shortcut, and rushed back to the sect. He changed into his sect leader's attire, put on an air of profound mystery, and waited for them to come to his door.

Before long, the disciple returned and led the two up the mountain, taking them to a quiet and elegant music hall.

Inside the hall, a thin, sorrowful old man sat upright, slowly tuning the strings of his erhu, seemingly unaware of their arrival. His focused expression suggested that nothing in the world was more important than the string under his fingertips.

This is the Hengshan Sect leader, Master Mo Da, also known as "Xiaoxiang Night Rain"?

Shen An thought to himself.

Just as rumored, he was unremarkable in appearance and had a reserved demeanor. If one did not see him in person, one would probably mistake him for a down-on-his-luck folk artist walking down the street.

Shen An stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Junior Shen An from Songshan greets Master Mo Da."

Wang Xiaocao nervously followed suit and bowed, saying, "Junior...Junior Wang Xiaocao pays respects to Master Mo Da."

Mo Da didn't look up, but simply spoke softly, "Have you thought it through? Are you willing to become my disciple?"

"This disciple...is willing."

As Wang Xiaocao answered, she couldn't help but glance at Shen An beside her, as if trying to etch his image deep into her heart.

After all, many years have passed, and who knows when we will meet again? Every glance is one less chance to see each other.

Little did she know that the old man, who seemed completely absorbed in playing the erhu, had seen all of this out of the corner of his eye.

"Aim left and strike right" is one of the essences of Hengshan swordsmanship.

"Hmm." Mo Da finally looked up and responded indifferently.

He already understood that the root of the "unfulfilled desire," the obsession and despair in the girl's music lay in the young man from the Songshan Sect before him.

This guy is not only heartless and ungrateful, but he even made my future apprentice do your laundry and chores!

Thinking of this, Mo Da felt a surge of protective anger rising in his heart, and his gaze towards Shen An turned colder.

He ignored Shen An, turning only to Wang Xiaocao, his tone softening slightly: "After becoming a disciple of my Hengshan sect, you must cultivate diligently and lay a solid foundation. You are not allowed to leave the mountain for at least three years. Do you still have any worldly affairs to attend to?"

Three years?!

Wang Xiaocao's heart skipped a beat.

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, Feifei can marry the young master next year!

Wouldn't I be able to become a godmother right after I go down the mountain?

With tears in her eyes, Wang Xiaocao glanced one last time at Shen An. Seeing his unobservant, encouraging smile, she finally made up her mind, bowed her head, and spoke in a trembling voice, yet with perfect clarity:

"Disciple...disciple has no such knowledge."

"Alright." Mo Da nodded, his tone still indifferent. "Later, you will come with me to the ancestral hall to meet the ancestors of Hengshan and perform the formal apprenticeship ceremony."

He paused, looked up at Shen An, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"You can leave now."

This last sentence made no attempt to conceal the intention to dismiss the guest.

Shen An felt both amused and exasperated; it seemed this Hengshan sect leader truly held a grudge against the Songshan sect. However, now that Xiaocao had found a good home, his purpose for this trip could be considered achieved.

He gently instructed Wang Xiaocao, "Cultivate yourself well and do not disappoint Master Mo's expectations," and then, under Master Mo's cold gaze, he calmly bowed and took his leave, turning and departing.

…………

It was already afternoon when we returned to the inner courtyard of Bailianfang.

After dealing with the chattering Qu Feiyan, Shen An sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard and quickly entered a state of cultivation where he was oblivious to his surroundings.

Tied to the pillar, Ji Wushi watched listlessly from midday to sunset, the boy remaining motionless like an old monk in deep meditation.

Finally, Ji Wushi could no longer contain himself and asked, "Young Master Shen, when exactly is Elder Qu Yang arriving?"

Shen An slowly finished her practice, opened her eyes, glanced at him, and knew that he was uncomfortable being tied up.

"have no idea."

"You don't know? You...you don't have any way to contact us?"

"no."

Ji Wushi was utterly speechless. Was he just supposed to wait like this? What if Qu Yang didn't come back? Was he going to be tied up for another three to five years?

His eyes darted around, an idea forming in his mind. He lowered his voice and said:

"Young Master Shen, waiting like this is not a solution. I am not very knowledgeable, but I know a few of the communication codes used within the Sun Moon Sect. These codes can be left in various places throughout Hengyang City. When Elder Qu sees them, he will naturally follow the trail."

Shen An raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a half-smile: "Oh? I don't know your code. What if you left something else?"

Ji Wushi did indeed intend to test whether Shen An was easy to fool, but he did not expect that the other party would see through his plan so easily.

However, he didn't care. He figured he could kill two birds with one stone and wouldn't lose anything by trying.