Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

At 8:40 a.m. on May 17, the Nancheng City Gymnasium gradually filled with voices. On the day of the finals, the stands were packed with spectators from all over the province, and colorful flags fluttered in the wind blowing through the ventilation vents.

Cang Tianci stood in the corner of the rest area, making his final preparations. He flexed his wrists, stretched his legs, and took deep breaths—each movement was methodical, just like his countless pre-competition warm-ups. But his gaze kept drifting towards the entrance to the athletes' tunnel.

The figure he wanted to see had not yet appeared there.

"A gift from heaven!"

A familiar voice came from the other end of the passage. Cang Tianci turned his head and saw Cang Xiangyang and Cang Xiaohua walking quickly towards him.

"You've arrived." Cang Tianci greeted them with a smile.

Cang Xiangyang walked up to his younger brother, trying to make his smile look natural. He patted Tianci on the shoulder and said, "Tianci, your brother told us to go first. He had some urgent business at the construction site, but he'll come over as soon as he's done."

In that instant, Cang Tianci's heart felt as if it had been gently tugged by something, sinking half an inch.

Disappointed. But he didn't let that disappointment show on his face.

He nodded and forced a smile, "Yeah, I know. My brother's busy, I'm fine here."

He turned around and introduced the two people beside him to his older siblings: "This is Principal Zhou, my mentor. This is my senior brother, Chen Gang."

Zhou Zhenhua stepped forward and sized up the brother and sister before him. Cang Xiangyang was tall and thin, with a resemblance to Cang Lifeng in his features; Cang Xiaohua was quiet and reserved, with a slight limp, but her eyes were clear. He nodded to the siblings and asked, "Where's your older brother? Why didn't he come?"

Cang Xiangyang explained it again.

Chen Gang smiled and nodded at the brother and sister from the side.

At 8:55, footsteps could be heard again at the entrance of the passage.

Lin Wei walked at the front, followed by two elderly men.

Zhou Zhenhua's eyes lit up when he saw Zhou Qingfeng behind Lin Wei. He quickly walked up to Zhou Qingfeng, warmly grasped his hands, and exclaimed, "Master Zhou, what brings you here?"

Zhou Qingfeng laughed and scolded, "You brat, you brought your disciple to the provincial capital for the competition without even telling me. Although you haven't studied under me for very long, I can still be considered your half-master!"

"Master, you're too kind. Although I've only studied under you for three months, those three months are enough for me to benefit from for a lifetime. You will always be my master. It's just that I'm not very talented, and I'm embarrassed to report these achievements to you, for fear of disturbing you," Zhou Zhenhua explained with a smile.

"Haha, as expected of the head of a university, you really know how to talk. By the way," he turned to Shen Moyuan beside him and introduced, "this is Professor Shen Moyuan, the honorary dean of the School of History and Museology at Nanjing University. Professor Shen is an expert of our province's Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee and has spent his whole life dealing with cultural relics."

Zhou Zhenhua stepped forward, extended both hands, and grasped Shen Moyuan's hands, saying, "Hello, Elder Shen!"

Zhou Qingfeng then pointed to Lin Wei and introduced her, "This beautiful lady is Lin, a reporter from Nancheng Daily, and a good friend of Lifeng." He emphasized the words "good friend."

Lin Wei blushed slightly, but quickly recovered and shook hands with Zhou Zhenhua in a graceful manner.

Afterwards, Lin Wei warmly greeted Xiang Yang and Xiao Hua.

She looked at Cang Tianci standing to the side and asked with a smile, "You must be Cang Tianci?"

Cang Tianci nodded, then looked at Cang Xiangyang with a puzzled expression.

Cang Xiangyang hurriedly said, "Tianci, she's the reporter Lin who covered our brother's story. She took good care of him during his injury. Quickly call her Sister Lin Wei."

"Hello, Sister Lin Wei!" Cang Tianci called out.

Lin Wei smiled and nodded, carefully examining the younger brother whom Cang Lifeng had praised so highly.

The boy before me stood tall and straight, his shoulders relaxed. Though just over fourteen, the impetuousness often seen in his peers had already faded from his brow. He stood there, neither flinching nor hesitant, simply standing naturally, yet exuding a sense of stability rooted to the ground.

However, what struck her most were his eyes—clear, focused, and as calm as a deep mountain pool. Lin Wei had seen too many eyes—eyes dulled by life, burning with desire, and clouded by fear. But this boy's eyes were clean and clear, as if one could see right through them, or as if something unfathomable lay hidden beneath. She remembered what Li Feng had said about her younger brother: "That kid has a light in his heart." At this moment, she seemed to vaguely see that light—not dazzling, not intense, just shining steadily.

His features were well-proportioned, not the kind of striking beauty that immediately captivates, but rather enduringly pleasing to the eye. His nose was straight, and his lips were slightly pursed, carrying a hint of youthful earnestness. His skin was a lighter shade than in the photos, a healthy, pale tan. The lines of his jaw were beginning to show the sharp transition from adolescence to adulthood, but his cheeks still retained a touch of youthful roundness—the last vestiges of a fourteen-year-old's innocence.

Lin Wei's gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds, and a thought suddenly occurred to her:

This child will grow up to be a very good-looking person.

"Hello, Tianci. Your older brother often mentions you to me. Keep up the good work, I wish you every success!"

"Thank you, Sister Lin Wei!" Cang Tianci bowed slightly.

Lin Wei turned to Shen Moyuan and introduced him to the Cang siblings: "Did you know that this Professor Shen is your great-grandfather's disciple?"

Shen Moyuan looked lovingly at his master's descendants, pointing to each one and calling out, "You are Cang Xiangyang. You are Cang Xiaohua. You are Cang Tianci. Good...good..." As he spoke, his hand rested on Cang Tianci's shoulder, but he suddenly stopped. He gazed at the stubbornness in Cang Tianci's eyes, so much like the person deep in his memory—the one who, forty-eight years ago in Beiping, risked his life to open a path to survival for him. He opened his mouth, but something seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he couldn't speak for a moment. After several seconds, he took a deep breath, his breath trembling slightly, almost imperceptibly, "Good young man!"

He patted Cang Xiaohua's shoulder lightly again and said, "What a pretty girl!"

Finally, he gazed at the Cang siblings, tears welling in his eyes, and said, "From now on, I am your grandfather, and my home at Nanjing University is your home. You must come and visit this old man often."

"Yes, Grandpa Shen." The three siblings nodded in unison, feeling an inexplicable sense of closeness to this white-haired old man.

"Good! Good! Good! Hahaha..." Shen Moyuan's hearty laughter infected those around him, making everyone feel comfortable and happy without even realizing it.

Just as Lin Wei was about to introduce Zhou Qingfeng, Zhou Qingfeng took the initiative to say to Cang Tianci and Cang Xiangyang, "I am your eldest brother's master. I heard from your eldest brother that he taught you martial arts for a year. Not bad, not bad." He paused for a moment, then looked at Cang Xiaohua and said, "From now on, you three siblings can call me Master Zhou. Welcome to visit Nancheng Martial Arts School."

"Yes, Master Zhou." The Cang siblings nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Zhou Zhenhua said, "Professor Shen, Master Zhou, Reporter Lin, you two chat, I'll take them out for some exercise."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "Go quickly, don't delay the competition."

Zhou Zhenhua nodded and left with Chen Gang and Cang Tianci.

Everyone then sat down in the audience.

Lin Wei's gaze searched through the crowd and the passageway, but she couldn't find the person she longed to see. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Xiangyang, where's your older brother? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

This was also the question in Shen Moyuan's and Zhou Qingfeng's minds. They both focused their attention on Cang Xiangyang's face.

Cang Xiangyang's face stiffened, but he still forced a smile and said, "Something came up urgently at the construction site. I'll be there as soon as I'm done."

Cang Xiaohua lowered her head sadly.

Lin Wei keenly sensed something was amiss and was about to ask when the announcement came over the loudspeaker: "All participants in the boys' junior group finals, please proceed to the check-in area."

Lin Wei suppressed the shadow in her heart, adjusted her camera, and looked in the direction of Cang Tianci. She raised the camera, the lens following the boy walking towards the check-in area, but the evasive look and the hasty words Xiang Yang had spoken earlier flashed through her mind. That look made her feel vaguely uneasy, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. She thought, if Cang Lifeng didn't see it, I'll capture it with my camera.