Awakening of Insects Nine: If this life could be today

Once Xinshen had calmed down, Shuishen brought some food back to his room, and the two friends had breakfast together. After eating, they headed to Yuyu's house, aware that they had already missed a significant portion of their martial arts practice time. Shuishen's house was at the end of the alley, and at the entrance, they bumped into the Jin sisters, whom they had mentioned earlier. The elder sister, Jinyu, was three years older than Shuishen, making her eleven, while her younger sister, Jinyin, was two years younger than Shuishen. Seeing the two boys approaching from a distance, Jinyin waved at them.

"Brother Chi, where are you going?" Jinyin asked, her head lowered.

"Shuishen, look at this! Is there any justice? I'm even a year older than you, and I buy sweets for this little girl all the time. But it's always 'Brother Chi,' never 'Brother Lu'! Maybe I should just leave with Sister Jinyu and stop being the third wheel. Honestly, why don't you two just get engaged in a few years, and you can join Yuyu and Wan'er. What about my love life?" Xinshen complained.

"Your love life must have been burned to ashes by the god of matchmaking. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tell Yuyu about the things you've said about him. He believes everything I say," Shuishen threatened.

"Fine, fine, you guys talk. This fat guy has no rights, not even the right to speak!" Xinshen grumbled.

Shuishen glanced at Jinyin, who was silent and looking down. He didn't know what to say. They used to chat a bit when they were younger, but as Jinyin grew older, Shuishen found himself less and less inclined to talk to her. Seeing Shuishen's awkwardness, Jinyu felt a pang of sadness for her sister.

"We're going to buy some pig and cow bones for our father. What about you? Aren't your academy classes in the afternoon? If you're going in the same direction, we can walk together," Jinyu suggested, breaking the silence.

"Yes, it's on the way. We're heading back to my house, and we'll pass by the market," Shuishen replied quickly. "Uncle Jin's noodles are truly amazing. I wonder if Sister Jinyu has inherited his skills. If so, the Jin family's noodle shop will thrive under your leadership!"

"You're too kind, Little Brother Lu. My sister and I will eventually get married, so my father's skills will have to be passed on to someone else. Besides, we don't know if our uncle will survive long enough to retire from the northern border. The noodle shop stays open as long as it can," Jinyu responded.

On the way to the market, Jinyu and Xinshen did most of the talking, while Shuishen and Jinyin remained silent. After bidding farewell at the market, Shuishen and Xinshen continued towards Yuyu's house. They knew they were almost there.

"Shuishen, do you have any feelings for Jinyin? It seems like you're becoming colder towards her," Xinshen asked.

"What kind of feelings? We've grown up together, so of course, there's some affection, but nothing more than that," Shuishen replied.

"Didn't we watch that play together? You know, the one with the love story between a man and a woman? That's the kind of feeling I'm talking about! I think Jinyin has those feelings for you!" Xinshen teased as they walked through the side gate of Yuyu's house.

"Maybe she does, but I'm just being nice to her so she won't feel bad. You know I don't reject people. We're still so young; how could we understand the love stories in those plays? But Yuyu seems to have a clear understanding of such things for some reason," Shuishen said, noticing the mischievous grin on Xinshen's face.

"Enjoy the wrath of Yuyu, Shuishen. I'm going to lift some stone locks," Xinshen said, clearly amused.

"You scheming fatso!" Shuishen retorted.

"Shuishen, you'd better worry about what you're about to face," came Yuyu's voice from the side.

Taking the sword handed to him by Yuyu, the two moved to the center of the courtyard. Yuyu's father was a martial artist, so the backyard was specifically designed for training.

After the customary bows, Yuyu swiftly charged at Shuishen. Using the momentum from his run, Yuyu aimed a powerful sword strike at Shuishen, who was prepared to defend. The two clashed, with Shuishen pushing down and Yuyu pressing upward, entering a battle of strength. Suddenly, Yuyu used his left fist to punch at Shuishen's right rib. Seizing the opportunity, Shuishen sidestepped and dodged the punch, simultaneously slashing upwards at Yuyu's chest and extended left fist. Yuyu quickly blocked the strike with his sword, but Shuishen anticipated his move. As Yuyu retracted his left fist, he punched towards Shuishen's face with even greater speed. Shuishen barely managed to block the punch with his left hand, taking a half step back.

Using the force from Yuyu's punch, Shuishen steadied himself and lunged forward. His sword, freed from the earlier clash, circled in an arc towards Yuyu's left shoulder. Instead of turning around, Yuyu dropped his sword and lunged at Shuishen, grabbing his right hand while slamming his right elbow into Shuishen's ribs. This marked the beginning of a one-sided beating.

Though Shuishen's face remained unscathed, his body was in considerable pain. The three friends sat in the courtyard, gazing at the clear blue sky.

"Shuishen, my father says you have great talent. However, there's only so much he can teach you. You need to find a true master to advance. He also wanted me to remind you that your swordplay lacks killing intent. You perform well in practice, but in real combat or life-and-death situations, you can't fully utilize your skills. I've told you this countless times. If we join the army and go to the northern border, you'll be killed by the barbarians if you don't change. Do you think you can survive on the enemy's mercy?" Yuyu admonished.

"Yuyu, we've always known that Shuishen's skills are mostly for show. He trains hard and looks impressive, but he always ends up losing badly to both you and me during sparring matches! As for you two serving in the northern border, I think my father will help you with that. He told me yesterday that he wants to take my mother and me back to our hometown in Suzhou. Why don't we all go together? The Lu family is the second largest clan in Jiangnan, right after the Wang family! In my generation, there's only me and a cousin from my uncle's family. We can study and train together, far from the harsh cold and warfare of the northern border. Wouldn't that be great?"

The three youngsters dreamt of a bright future under the blue sky. Meanwhile, far away on a high mountain...

"What a wonderful age, and what pure friendships. Before the seas turned to mulberry fields, I too had people and moments like this. But no matter how beautiful the beginning, it cannot change a predetermined end. The gifts of fate bring with them joy, anger, sorrow, and everything in between. To whom does the stubborn boy's fortune belong?" A hiss followed. "Prepare a body for me. I'm going to help it find its destiny!"

"What kind of body?" came the voice of a woman dressed in black silk from the sky.

"It should look like an old Taoist sage. Ever tranquil, ever serene. That used to be my favorite saying," the figure replied.