Chapter 90:
Heartfelt Sincerity

 

SHEN QIAO WASN’T A GOOD LIAR, so he vacillated a while between the replies “yes” and “no” before finally shaking his head.

But this momentary pause was enough for Yan Wushi to know his real answer.

“Daoist Master Shen,” he said. “There is one matter that puzzles this venerable one. He asks for enlightenment.”

“…Please, go ahead.” Shen Qiao had never heard him speak in such a grave and serious tone. For a moment he was almost terrified.

“Buddhism asserts that monks must not lie. Does Daoism have a similar teaching?”

Shen Qiao didn’t understand what he was getting at, and he began pondering the question earnestly. “Daoism doesn’t have restrictions as severe as those of Buddhism, but whether it’s the three schools or just the average person, being truthful is a virtue for anyone with moral integrity.”

“Then why did you shake your head when you were clearly worried about this venerable one?” said Yan Wushi curiously. “Does this not violate your principles? Daoist Master Shen, it seems you’ve learned all sorts of cunning after spending so long in secular society. If this continues, I fear that you’ll soon be an expert at swindling and cheating others, even!”

He was messing with Shen Qiao. Seeing that he refused to respond, Yan Wushi knew he’d successfully ruffled Shen Qiao’s feathers with his teasing. Finally satisfied enough to move on to proper topics, he said, “Yuwen Xian was the only descendant of the Zhou Dynasty qualified to inherit Yuwen Yong’s mantle. If he became emperor, the Zhou Dynasty would have flourished for another twenty years. Unfortunately, Yuwen Yong was too short-sighted and didn’t heed that advice. He insisted on passing the throne to his son and brought about the situation today.”

“The father passes it to his son, and the son to the grandson,” said Shen Qiao. “This is the cycle anyone with descendants inevitably falls into. If we take a look at history, any emperor with sons never considered passing it to his brother, no matter how talented or virtuous he was.”

Yan Wushi sneered. “I used to think that Yuwen Yong was the exception, but it seems I overestimated him. With his unwillingness to pass the throne to Yuwen Xian, and Yuwen Xian’s reluctance to scheme for it, the current situation makes complete sense. All it means is that the Yuwen clan’s legacy will end here. With Yuwen Yun, the Zhou Dynasty has passed its peak and will inevitably begin to wane.”

Shen Qiao nodded. “Since that’s the case, you must have predicted this situation long beforehand and made your preparations in advance. No wonder the manor within the capital was already deserted when I arrived.”

He didn’t mind that Yan Wushi had held information from him. Instead, he was happy that there hadn’t been more losses.

“Because Bian Yanmei followed my orders and withdrew early, all that’s left for Yuwen Yun and Xieting now are a couple of abandoned estates,” said Yan Wushi. “It wasn’t worth mentioning. You were able to leave the capital safely and without trouble because he contacted his old acquaintances in the imperial court who secretly provided assistance.”

Yuwen Yun was determined to eradicate Yuwen Xian’s entire family, and Yuwen Song was a fish that’d escaped his net. The most dangerous part of Shen Qiao and Yuwen Song’s journey had been when they were just leaving the capital. The farther they got from Chang’an, the safer things became, because by that time Yuwen Yun had realized that his fish had slipped into the vast oceans—it’d be too difficult to chase them down.

Shen Qiao was no fool; after pondering to himself a moment, he understood what Yan Wushi was implying. “So, you have no more hopes for the Yuwen family. Then you must have already chosen a new candidate for emperor?”

Yan Wushi laughed. “Why didn’t you guess that this venerable one would want that position for himself?”

Shen Qiao shook his head. “You wouldn’t.”

His reply was so decisive, even Yan Wushi couldn’t resist probing him curiously. “Why not?”

Shen Qiao thought to himself, You might be mercurial and egotistical, but if you wished to become emperor, you’d have already unified the three demonic sects and infiltrated Northern Zhou, then found an opportunity to usurp the throne. Why would you have fooled around until you burned even yourself and ended up being ambushed by Xueting and the others? It was obvious that you were only acting on your whims. Even the throne means little to you.

However, if he said this aloud, Yan Wushi would certainly mock him endlessly. So, he offhandedly said, “Take a guess?”

Yan Wushi didn’t reply.

It was rare for Shen Qiao to leave Yan Wushi awkward and speechless. He couldn’t help but smile, inordinately pleased. Not a sound accompanied this smile; it came whisper-silent. When Yan Wushi saw it, the upward curve on his own lips slowly faded.

This man was far too tenderhearted, and he’d only remember kindness, not enmity. A thought suddenly surfaced within Yan Wushi’s mind: If the one who’d found Shen Qiao beneath Banbu Peak hadn’t been Yan Wushi, but Sang Jingxing or Duan Wenyang, what would have happened to him?

Yan Wushi didn’t believe that it was human nature to be kind. In the past, with the goal of toying with this man’s heart, he’d tested him again and again for the single purpose of unearthing the darkest parts of Shen Qiao’s personality. But even after all he’d been through, with his martial arts destroyed, on the brink of losing everything, and forced to start over, Shen Qiao had never changed. It was as if no matter how many trials were forced upon him, they would never crush him.

No, there were still some changes.

At the very least, he now knew how to judge the best course of action, and his understanding of people and situations had sharpened.

Or perhaps you could say that those various trials had been no more than a whetstone to Shen Qiao—they’d slowly ground away all the rock concealing the lovely jade within, and now it’d blossomed to its full glory. And this “lovely jade” was none other than Shen Qiao’s Daoist core.

Even after thousands of temperings, his Daoist core had remained the same.

Shen Qiao noticed Yan Wushi had stopped walking, and that the man was looking at him contemplatively. Confused, he asked, “What is it?”

“Nothing,” said Yan Wushi. “Just now, I finally understood something.”

“Hm?” said Shen Qiao.

Yan Wushi smiled but didn’t speak.

Before, he’d loathed “Xie Ling’s” influence, thinking that those thoughts weren’t his own. He’d tried to suppress that strange feeling numerous times, and he’d believed that the moment he repaired the flaw in the demonic core, that feeling would vanish with it. He hadn’t expected that Shen Qiao’s smile would reawaken everything.

He was unwilling to admit that he, who’d looked down upon everyone in the world, would one day find that a name had wormed its way into his heart.

Human hearts were filled with malice. Some people were traitors, turning their backs on all integrity; some were ingrates, repaying kindness with enmity. There were also those who’d abandon their spouses, who were willing to do anything for wealth and glory. Yan Wushi had seen many, and he’d thought nothing of them because he, too, was a selfish, callous human. He only categorized things based on whether they deserved his notice, and to him, there were no actions that fell beyond a line that could not be crossed.

However, now Yan Wushi was forced to admit that Shen Qiao was unique and that he couldn’t change him. Though the world was vast, there was still only one Shen Qiao.

“My venerable self suddenly thought of something amusing,” he said. “Would you like to listen?”

“No,” said Shen Qiao.

Yan Wushi turned a deaf ear and started talking anyway. “Once upon a time, there was a man who found a stone in a heap of gold and jewels.”

Shen Qiao’s mouth twitched. Didn’t he just say that he didn’t want to listen?

“But he couldn’t believe that it was only an ordinary stone. He thought that since it’d been piled together with the mass of treasures in that room, it must also be a treasure. So, he brought it everywhere with him, and even had it examined and polished by many. But every single person, without exception, told him that it was only an ordinary stone, that there was nothing special about it. Guess what happened in the end?”

Shen Qiao’s face was both lost and bewildered.

“In the end, he finally believed that it was indeed a worthless stone. But in his eyes, compared to the room full of gold and silver treasure, even if it was only a stone, it was still one of a kind—a stone out of a million.”

Shen Qiao was silent.

Why did this story sound so bizarre? It was indeed unusual to hear such a normal story from such an abnormal person.

He couldn’t help but say, “Even thousands of gold pieces cannot purchase happiness. Some people care little for wealth—they only wish to seek out things that other people find worthless. In my opinion, that man already liked that stone more than the other jewels and treasures, but he was trapped by his preconceptions and unwilling to admit it.”

Yan Wushi laughed. “That’s true, you’re very correct. Thousands of gold pieces cannot purchase happiness.”

There seemed to be a deep significance within these words.

“But why did Sect Leader Yan suddenly start telling me a story? Does it have something to do with the Yuwen clan?”

“Not at all,” said Yan Wushi. “This venerable one was bored and wanted to tease you, that’s all.”

Shen Qiao said nothing. He truly regretted his actions somewhat. He should have just let Yan Wushi ramble on by himself—why had he replied to him in good faith?

Enough time had passed during their conversation for the two of them to walk from the Huang residence all the way back to the inn. It was still the wee hours of the night, so the inn’s gates were naturally closed, and Shen Qiao returned to his room from that same window he’d left by. Only when he saw Yuwen Song still slumbering away did he finally relax.

Yan Wushi followed him. He laid eyes on Yuwen Song upon the bed and made a surprised noise. “This is my first time seeing him. Looking at the boy now, he indeed possesses an incredible talent for martial arts. His physical bases are spectacular.”

Yan Wushi’s standards were immensely high. For him to say “his physical bases are spectacular” was incredible praise.

Shen Qiao smiled. “Yes, he’s indeed a promising youth. If he turns his energies to the martial path, he will definitely achieve great things in the future.”

Yan Wushi tapped Yuwen Song’s gate of sleep, and the child fell into an even deeper slumber. Like this, their conversation would not wake him. “It’s enough that you know that Yun Fuyi has been in secret contact with the Huang family,” he said. “You need not concern yourself with it any further.”

Shen Qiao frowned. “The Huang family have dealings with the Göktürks. This means that the Liuhe Guild are also involved. Since Dou Yanshan was willing to ally with Duan Wenyang to attack you, they must have been in contact for a while?”

“That’s a separate matter,” said Yan Wushi. “Whether it’s news by land or water, the Liuhe Guild controls most of it through cargo escort and boat travel. The south is full of waterways, besides, so the Liuhe Guild has always been close to the Chen Dynasty. Unless there are mutual benefits, like when they joined hands to take care of me, Dou Yanshan would never agree to work together with the Göktürks.”

Shen Qiao understood. “So, you’re saying that there’s discord between Yun Fuyi and Dou Yanshan?”

Yan Wushi made a sound of agreement. “Ever since Yun Fuyi lost the Zhuyang Strategy scroll to me back at Chuyun Temple, Dou Yanshan has been dissatisfied with her. Yun Fuyi has noticed, and as she’s unwilling to be reduced to a figurehead, the two of them have been fighting in secret inside the guild. After all, Yun Fuyi is only the deputy leader—not many people would be willing to leave with her, so she naturally needs to secure outside support.”

“So that’s why she went to the Huang family,” said Shen Qiao. “She wishes for their help in wresting power from Dou Yanshan, and through them, she also must have spoken to the Göktürks, promising her allegiance, cooperation, and a share of benefits, things like that.”

“Correct,” said Yan Wushi. “I, too, share a grudge with Dou Yanshan—now I can sit on the mountainside and watch the tigers battle. I’ll let Yun Fuyi realize her wish. She wants to become guild leader, but even if the Göktürks support her in secret, she still needs to eliminate the guild members who are loyal to Dou Yanshan. Once she takes the leader’s seat, the Liuhe Guild will suffer from a shortage of manpower—there won’t be enough new talent to take on the work. When that time comes, I’ll give them another push. I trust that there are many people who’d leap at the chance to carve up the Liuhe Guild’s authority like they would a melon. They’ll collapse like a house of cards, all without me lifting a finger. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“But once they achieve their goals, the Göktürks might also choose to get rid of Yun Fuyi and expropriate the wealth the Liuhe Guild has accumulated over the years,” Shen Qiao pointed out.

“Indeed,” said Yan Wushi. “It’ll depend on the methods each side employs.”

Shen Qiao felt a little helpless. “Since Guang Lingsan also knows you don’t have amnesia, why did you pretend in front of him earlier during the day?”

“First, my venerable self doesn’t want Guang Lingsan to know that we’re close,” Yan Wushi replied leisurely. “This is to keep you safe, so you should thank me.”

How are you and I close? Shen Qiao thought to himself, but he played along. “I’m grateful for Sect Leader Yan’s care. What’s the second?”

“The second reason,” said Yan Wushi, “was naturally to see your dumbfounded, disbelieving, and utterly lost expression. It was quite entertaining, wasn’t it?”

Shen Qiao didn’t respond.