Chapter 52: This Venerable One Doesn’t Even Get an Appearance

Xue Zhengyong was practicing with his sword at the northern peak

when a haitang blossom floated toward him. He uttered a curious, "eh?" and

caught it while drying his sweat with a towel and muttering to himself.

"Yuheng's messenger haitang? He can't even be bothered to come over to

talk anymore? When did he get so lazy?"

He still took the golden orb of light from the flower's center and

placed it in his ear. Out from it came the unfamiliar voice of a child. "Sect

Leader, please come to the Red Lotus Pavilion at your earliest

convenience…"

Xue Zhengyong didn't believe it at first, but when he stepped off from

his sword in front of Chu Wanning's residence, he was perfectly

dumbfounded.

A child of about five or six years stood in the pavilion by the lotus

pond with a hand held behind his back, gazing at the lotuses with a dour face.

Seen from the side, this person had a frosty expression and icy eyes to match.

Though he was draped in Chu Wanning's robes, they were way, way too big

for him. They pooled on the ground, sleeve hem and all, making him look like

a fish towing a huge sweeping tail.

Xue Zhengyong stared mutely.

The child turned around, "If you laugh, I will kill myself right here,"

practically written on his face.

Xue Zhengyong didn't try very hard to hold it in before letting out a

deafening howl of laughter.

The child slapped the table, livid. "What're you laughing at?! What's

so funny?!"

"I am definitely not lau—ah ha ha ha, oh god, I can't, Yuheng, I told

you to go to the Tanlang Elder to get that wound checked out, but you just

wouldn't listen—ha ha ha ha, I can't breathe." Xue Zhengyong roared with

laughter, holding his stomach with both hands. "I've—I've never seen a kid

with such a murderous aura, ah ha ha ha ha!"

This child was none other than Chu Wanning, who had awoken to find

himself shrunken. The vine that had pierced his shoulder at Jincheng Lake

had seemingly been enchanted with some kind of curse that transformed those

stricken into their five- or six-year-old selves. Thankfully, his spiritual

power had not also diminished, or Chu Wanning felt like he really might as

well have just died.

Xue Zhengyong went to fetch a set of uniforms sized for younger

disciples, cackling the whole way there and back.

After changing into more fitting clothes, Chu Wanning finally looked a

little less comical. He straightened out the silver-trimmed blue bracers,

looked up to shoot Xue Zhengyong a glare, then said vehemently, "If you dare

tell anyone, I will end you."

Xue Zhengyong chuckled. "I won't, I won't. But what're you gonna do

about this? I don't know anything about healing, so you're gonna have to get

someone to take a look, right? How about I ask the Tanlang Elder to come

here?"

Chu Wanning swept his sleeves angrily—but the sleeves of the

disciple uniforms were tight and form-fitting, so waving them around didn't

have remotely the same effect, which left him even grumpier. "Come here and

do what? Laugh at me?"

"Then how about I ask my wife to take a look?"

Chu Wanning pressed his lips together and said nothing, looking

aggrieved.

"I'll take that as a yes, then?"

Chu Wanning only turned his back to him. Xue Zhengyong knew he was

in a bad mood, but the sight was just too funny. He tried to hold back, but

ultimately failed and once again burst into uproarious laughter.

Tianwen appeared with a whoosh as Chu Wanning glared at him out of

the corner of his eyes. "I dare you to laugh again!"

"Okay, okay, no more laughing. I'll go call my wifey over right away,

ah ha ha ha hahhh…"

Xue Zhengyong ran off and swiftly returned with a worried Madam

Wang in tow. Madam Wang froze as soon as she saw Chu Wanning, and a

long while passed before she finally managed to say, with disbelief, "Yuheng

Elder…"

Chu Wanning did not reply.

Thankfully, unlike her husband, Madam Wang was a kind and

compassionate doctor. She asked Chu Wanning some questions while looking

him over, then softly said, "The elder's spiritual energy circulation is fine,

and there's nothing abnormal about his body either. Nothing seems to have

changed, aside from your having turned into a child."

"Does the madam know of a way to break this curse?" Chu Wanning

asked.

Madam Wang shook her head. "The elder's injury was caused by an

ancient willow vine; I'm afraid there is no other known incidence of this

ailment, so I do not know how to treat it."

Chu Wanning lowered his lashes, stunned, and said nothing for a long

while.

Madam Wang couldn't bear the sight. "Yuheng Elder," she said

hurriedly, "based on what I have seen, the most likely cause of your current

state is that, rather than a curse, the willow vines contained a self-healing

secretion that seeped into your wounds. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken so

long to take effect. You were moreover likely only tainted by a very small

amount of this secretion, and it was only able to affect your body after you

overworked yourself day after day. Why don't you take care and rest up for a

few days, then see if anything changes?"

Chu Wanning was silent for a while before he sighed. "There's nothing

else for it. Many thanks, Madam."

"You're welcome." Madam Wang gave him another careful once-over.

"With the elder's current appearance, as long as he doesn't confess, no one

will be able to tell it's him."

She wasn't wrong; even Chu Wanning had forgotten what he'd looked

like at this age. When he studied his reflection in the pond, he found he didn't

look very much like his grown-up self at all, other than some vague

similarities in facial features. Finally feeling slightly relieved, he looked up

at Xue Zhengyong. "Sect Leader, I'll be going into seclusion at the Red Lotus

Pavilion for a few days. Please look after my disciples."

"That's a matter of course. Xue-er is my son, Ran-er is my nephew,

and Shi Mei is a disciple of Sisheng Peak. I'll certainly look after them."

Xue Zhengyong grinned. "You just worry about yourself."

But three days of meditation later and Chu Wanning had yet to detect

even the slightest sign that his body was returning to normal. He couldn't

help but feel even more anxious, leaving him totally unable to "take care and

rest up" as Madam Wang had directed.

One evening, Chu Wanning could no longer handle his restlessness.

Meditation wasn't doing anything anyway, and he figured he might as well

take a stroll down the mountain to get some things off his mind.

It was after dinner and before evening classes, so Sisheng Peak's paths

and corridors were full of disciples, but no one really paid him any mind.

Chu Wanning strolled around for a bit, then went to the bamboo forest near

the Platform of Sin and Virtue.

The elders each had their own favored practice area where they

always took their disciples for cultivation and training. This bamboo forest

was Chu Wanning's.

The tranquil rustling of bamboo leaves filled the air. Chu Wanning

plucked a leaf and idly blew a melody with it, the crisp, serene notes

soothing his agitated mind. However, it wasn't long before the sound of

footsteps approached and stopped near him.

"Oi, kiddo."

Chu Wanning opened his eyes.

It was Xue Meng, long-legged and slim-waisted, standing proudly

amidst the bamboo forest, Longcheng glistening in hand as he called to him.

"I'm going to practice swordplay here. Go blow your leaf elsewhere."

The arch of Chu Wanning's eyebrow raised a bit. It was quite a strange

feeling, having Xue Meng boss him around. He thought for a moment, then

said, "I'll play my leaf and you can practice with your sword. There's plenty

of space for the both of us."

"No way," said Xue Meng. "Hurry and leave. My blade could hurt

you."

"You can't hurt me."

Xue Meng clicked his tongue, his patience running thin. "Don't say I

didn't warn you, then. If you get injured later, it's not my problem." He

unsheathed Longcheng with a powerful sound, like the hiss of a serpent

emerging from the depths of a lagoon and soaring into the skies.

Instantly, Longcheng in Xue Meng's hand became a dancing shadow

amidst the flying leaves, leaving a brilliant trail in its wake as light reflected

off the blade. One slice rendered a leaf into ten pieces, the force of its

passage plucking more leaves from the bamboo. Pierce, thrust, swipe, and

slash, every motion smooth as the glide of snow upon the wind. Even a fiftyyear-old cultivator would praise such an impressive display, to say nothing

of a five-year-old child.

Yet even after Xue Meng had gone through ten forms, that boy was still

just sitting on his rock, playing his leaf, as if there were nothing astounding

nor even noteworthy unfolding in front of him.

Xue Meng, irritated, sheathed his blade and leapt down from the upper

canopy of the bamboo forest, landing lightly before Chu Wanning. "Kid."

No response.

"Hey, kid, I'm talking to you."

Chu Wanning lowered the leaf and slowly opened his eyes to look

expressionlessly at Xue Meng. "What is it? Did your master not teach you to

be courteous when speaking to others? Don't just go, 'hey,' this, 'hey,' that. I

have a name."

"Why would I care to know your name?" Xue Meng had intended to be

nice about it, but after this thorny response, the remainder of his good humor

vanished. "Blades don't have eyes—scoot off to the side before mine cuts off

your head."

"If you can't even avoid my head, is there any point to your practice?"

Chu Wanning replied with an air of indifference.

"You!" Never in all Xue Meng's life had anyone ever talked back to

him like this—and to think it was coming from a beginner disciple who

didn't even reach his thigh! Angry and indignant, he said, "You sure are

impudent. Do you even know who I am?"

Chu Wanning glanced at him mildly. "Who are you?"

"I am the young master of Sisheng Peak." Xue Meng was about to

suffocate from indignation. "How do you not know this?"

The corners of Chu Wanning's lips quirked up slightly. The smile

would have looked terribly mocking on his original face, but on his current

childish, adorable one, it was even more infinitely disdainful. "You're just

the young master. It's not like you're the sect leader, so why would I know

you?"

"Wh—wh-wh-wh-what did you say?"

"Quit putting on airs and practice with your sword." Chu Wanning

lowered his long lashes and went back to playing his leaf, the melody

floating leisurely in the wind, the notes rising and falling.

About to die from pure fury, Xue Meng let out a roar and actually

committed to picking a fight with a little kid. But no matter how mad he was,

he wasn't going to hit a child, so he could only leap up and hack ruthlessly

away at the bamboo, which broke and fell in batches amidst the leaf's serene

song.

Xue Meng's blade was swift and vicious; after several flashes, dozens

of bamboo stalks had been carved into blunt points. If he were facing an

enemy, he would've made the points razor-sharp, but this was sufficient for

teaching a junior disciple a lesson.

Hundreds of pointed bamboo sticks hurtled directly toward Chu

Wanning and were mere inches from hitting him. Xue Meng swooped down

to move this cheeky little disciple out of the way.

He didn't actually want to hurt the kid, just scare him a bit.

Unexpectedly, in the same instant he swooped, the child stopped playing and

flicked the leaf between his fingertips. That tender bamboo leaf suddenly

turned into hundreds of fine threads.

Instantaneously and with stunning precision, the hundreds of threads

struck out toward the falling spikes.

Even the wind seemed to stop blowing.

Chu Wanning stood. Simultaneously, the hundreds of spikes

surrounding him were reduced to mere powder. Perfectly obliterated.

Xue Meng stood frozen in shock, face both pale and red, unable to

manage even half a word.

The little kid before his eyes looked up, silver-blue uniform fluttering,

and grinned at him. "You wanna go again?"

Xue Meng gaped wordlessly.

"Your strikes are vigorous but disorderly. They're far too erratic and

unsteady."

Xue Meng opened his mouth, then closed it.

Chu Wanning continued, "Start over from sparrow form. Follow my

music and go through each form in time with the segments of the tune—and no

faster than that."

Upon receiving such instruction from some little kid, Xue Meng's face

became even more overcast. He bit his lip and didn't move. Chu Wanning

didn't rush him, waiting quietly to see if Xue Meng would lay down his ego

for the sake of improvement. If he would be willing to listen to a half-grown

child.

A while passed before Xue Meng suddenly stomped his feet in

dejection, flung his sword aside, and turned to depart.

At the sight of this fit, Chu Wanning's expression darkened a little. It

was truly such a pity that Xue Meng couldn't humble himself to accept

guidance…

Before he could even finish that train of thought, he saw Xue Meng

pick up a branch from the ground and turn around. "Then—then I'll use a

branch," he said huffily. "Just in case I hit you."

Chu Wanning paused, then nodded with a smile. "All right."

Xue Meng plucked a bamboo leaf for him and wiped it clean before

handing it over. "Here, Xiao-didi, for you."

So he was "Xiao-didi" now, not "kid"? Chu Wanning threw an amused

glance at Xue Meng, accepted the leaf, and sat back down on the rock to once

again begin leisurely playing.

Xue Meng had a rash personality. One maneuver included a move

where the wielder leapt and turned in midair while unleashing six stabs

followed by a strike. Xue Meng could never get it quite right, often stabbing

over a dozen times before the strike, which led him to miss the optimum

window by a long shot.

Xue Meng messed it up five, six times in a row, his brows drawing

increasingly tighter as he grew more and more agitated.

In his agitation, he caught a glimpse of the child sitting on a rock,

playing the bamboo leaf. Despite his tender years, he was the very image of

composure, without even the slightest hint of frustration. Xue Meng couldn't

stop the sense of shame that crept into him.

So he rallied his spirits and tried several more times, slowly getting a

feel for the maneuver with the melody's rhythm. But he didn't get ahead of

himself. He kept at it until late in the night, when the moon hung high in the

sky, and he could at last perform the maneuver flawlessly.

Xue Meng wiped away the sweat on his brows. "Today was all thanks

to you," he exclaimed happily. "Which elder's disciple are you, Xiaoxiongdi? You're pretty amazing. How had I not heard about you before?"

Chu Wanning was already prepared for the question. The Xuanji Elder

had many disciples, so many that even he couldn't remember them all. He put

the leaf aside and said with a small smile, "I am the Xuanji Elder's

disciple."

Xue Meng seemed to think rather little of Xuanji. He hmphed. "Oh, the

Rubbish King, huh?"

"Rubbish King?"

"Ah, pardon me." Xue Meng misunderstood the surprise in Chu

Wanning's eyes. He assumed the child was upset because Xue Meng had

derided his shizun, so he smiled and explained, "It's just a nickname. Your

shizun accepts anyone and everyone. The rubbish part refers to those

disciples of his who are totally talentless, not the Xuanji Elder himself.

Don't mind it, Xiao-xiongdi."

Chu Wanning paused, then asked, "Do you guys often give the elders

nicknames in private?"