Chapter 42 - Feigning Weakness

The girls squeeze together to share the few available seats in the carriage, trying hard not to giggle as they admire their work of art. The target of their admiration are the young Zhou prince and the Blossom Mountain disciple. The two boys lay snugly across the seats on each side of the cabin, sleeping through the occasionally turbulent ride. Dan, annoyed by Wei nodding off onto his shoulder earlier, at some point decided to give up his napping spot and lay on the cabin floor. Their blissful nap is disrupted as the carriage comes to a sudden halt, causing Wei to roll forwards and fall flat on the floor next to Dan.

"Students, we're here." Sun's voice calls out from the roof of the carriage.

He picks himself up before stepping off the roof and gently landing in front of the carriage door. The girls, realizing that they simply can't contain their admiration, decide that it's best to exit the cart and hide their devious grins as soon as possible. As Sun reaches to open the door, his hand jerks back as the four girls come tumbling out all at once. Seeing his students flying out the door, Sun steps off to the side and swiftly waves his hand, causing his sleeve to flutter. A sudden gust of wind rushes through the path where his hand had traveled, pushing the girls upwards past his waist level as it veers towards the sky. The girls catch themselves in mid-air before gently floating back onto the ground. Sun stretches his arms outwards, catching Yuyu by the waist before pulling her close to his chest.

"Careful, students." With Yuyu safe in his arms, Sun turns to advise the girls. "Yuyu doesn't study any martial arts."

"Sorry, Instructor Sun!" The girls bow and apologize in unison. "We were careless!"

"We're here?" Dan asks as he steps out of the carriage with Wei right behind him.

"This coachman!" Wei complains as rubs his forehead. "Hey! What was that? You don't know how to sl-"

Before Wei could fully voice his complaints, an arm wraps around his shoulders and neck, yanking him backwards. Chunhua, with his sash hanging around his neck, upper robe draped on his shoulders, and sword under his armpit, yawns before turning towards his junior. Upon seeing Wei's face, Chunhua chokes as he fights back the urge to laugh. He glances at the girls snickering discreetly behind their hands, realizing that they're the culprit behind the cat whisker markings on Wei's face. He takes a deep breath, hoping to regain control of his facial expression and tone so as to not diminish the lesson he was about to teach Wei.

"Weiwei, that's a strange way to wake me up." Although his voice is calm, Wei realizes that his senior must have overheard him. "What were you yelling about just now? Something about the coachman?"

"Uh- I- I was j-ju- I was just thanking the coachman for his hard work- and a-and how he doesn't know how to s- sl- slack off?"

Once again, Chunhua barely manages to stifle his laughter upon hearing Wei's ridiculous excuse. Wei, feeling the physical jolts from Chunhua's attempt to control his laughter, turns to look at his senior. Upon seeing Chunhua's face, Wei's chest also starts jumping as he tries to choke down his urge to laugh. Wei takes a quick glance at the other students. Seeing the girls avoid his eyes, Wei realizes that his senior is the victim of their little prank.

"Mmm, mmmmmm. Gooooood. Gooood." Chunhua stretches his words, trying to buy time to collect himself. "That's the respect I was talking about. Mhmmm. The coachman worked hard while we napped. His profession is a respectable one. Make sure you thank him properly, Weiwei."

"Mmmm… Th-Thank you for your hard work."

The coachman, unfazed by Wei's minor outbursts after years of dealing with rich and prideful kids, turns back to receive their gratitude. He observes their faces before glancing at the girls standing next to the instructor. He chuckles as the girls motion a finger in front of their pouting lips, begging for him not to say anything.

"Wei, Chunhua…" Sun calls out to the two boys bowing towards the coachman. "What's on your fa-"

Yuyu, still in Sun's arms, stabs her toes into his hip to get his attention. The little girl gives Sun the same look that she gave Lia after botching Sun's haircut. Sun, seeing the round pleading eyes on Yuyu's and the girls' faces, decides that it would be fine to let them have their fun.

"Looks like we're a bit early, Instructor Sun." Dan comments as he squints towards the sky, estimating that it's still early in the afternoon. "The valley won't be cleared out for at least another hour."

"Perfect. Anyone else hungry?" Chunhua asks.

He releases Wei from under his arm before pulling the upper robe off his shoulders. Setting his sword between his knees, Chunhua slides his arms through the blossom-adorned sleeves before wrapping the sash around his waist. The others watch with raised brows, confused as to why the Blossom Mountain disciple is fastening the sheath of his sword to his sash.

"What?" Chunhua, noticing their stares, asks as he tugs the ends of his sash. "Something on my face?"

"Why are you bringing your sword?" Maoyi answers him with another question, trying hard not to laugh at the second part of Chunhua's question. "We're gathering herbs, not hunting beasts."

"Who's gonna scratch my back if it gets itchy?" Chunhua jokes, shrugging off Maoyi's questions, as he makes his way to the front of the group. "Hopefully there's a bun shop here. Weiwei would be thrilled.

***

"Thank you for keeping me company, grandpa Piao." Lia says as she bows towards grandpa Piao and his friends. "I have to get going now."

"Come by again whenever." One of grandpa Piao's friends says as he strokes his patchy-bearded chin. "It was a pleasure watching you play."

Lia bows towards the elders one last time before making her way towards the intersection by the bridge entrance. As her figure disappears into the enlivened afternoon traffic, the elderly men lift their eyes from the table before giving each other a look.

"Old Piao, you've gotten rusty." One of them comments as he pats grandpa Piao's back.

Grandpa Piao, still replaying the match in his head, ignores the comment. After a moment of silence, he straightens his back and pushes his hanging white eyebrows out of view. He turns to look towards the direction that Lia had left, seeing nothing but the afternoon hustle and bustle. Grandpa Piao looks back at the stone table to examine the state of the board.

"Old Piao, that last set of moves…"

"Yǐn Dí Shēn Rù…" Grandpa Piao mutters. "Luring the enemy in the deep…"

Upon hearing his confirmation, the group of old friends turn to look at each other before chuckling lightly.

"Committing her pieces aggressively to feign vulnerability… Only to entrap me when I strike. Kyugugugu!" Grandpa Piao comments on the last set of moves before breaking into a hearty laugh. "When was the last time I… Ah, yes. Him. She's just as good as that boy."

"You mean…"

Grandpa Piao nods as he leans back into his seat, staring up at the thin beams of light passing through the leaves of the banyan tree.

"Blessed by the Heavens…" He pauses, releasing a heavy sigh before continuing. "...Condemned by kin."