Shen Qiao shook his head. “Yu Ai is very careful—he left no vulnerabilities, not even with the poisoning incident. If he was confident enough to leave Xuandu Mountain for the Khaganate, he must have planned everything out ahead of time and would have no qualms about my possible return. After all, he couldn’t have done everything himself. Putting aside the majority who have been kept in the dark about his plans, there must have been people within Xuandu Mountain secretly supporting him from the very beginning. If I return now, I’ll most likely be walking into a trap. On the contrary, the people he has with him now might be the ones who intend to subvert him. Gu-shimei grew up under my watch. I still have some confidence in her.”
Yan Wushi listened seriously, then nodded and said with a smile, “Then this venerable one hopes that your wishes come true as well.”
Most days, even when his tone was soft and gentle, it would still hold a hint of mockery. It was rare to see him speak so placidly and normally, so Shen Qiao smiled too. “Many thanks.”
There was still quite some distance to Yecheng from Liang Province. The two of them stayed one more day in Liang Province, then set off northward. Once they were out of Liang Province, the closer they got to Yecheng, the more refugees they saw. Shen Qiao had already been to Yecheng, but the scene before him now was even bleaker than the last time. He had to halt and look ahead, watching the vagrants as they slowly trudged along the dry riverbed in the direction of the capital, their motions listless and eyes dull.
He could remember encountering this kind of scene countless times before. It seemed like a world completely apart from the jianghu.
In truth, most people who could carve out space for themselves in the jianghu were from families with money to spare. Some of them were even wealthy landlords, or their families ran large enterprises. Such as the Liuhe Guild, who did business by both land and sea, and whose dealings spanned all nations. They were a true example of a powerful organization. And of course, Huanyue Sect was even more impressive. They held deep ties to the Zhou imperial court, so they had many estates—not only in the capital but all over Zhou.
Even Xuandu’s Violet Palace, who insisted on withdrawing from mundane affairs, had in truth purchased all of Xuandu Mountain during its first generation, after its founder had established the sect. The fields at the foot of the mountain, cultivated by residents of Xuandu Town, were all rented from Xuandu Mountain. The successive generations of sect leaders all had kind hearts and set fair rental fees, but the combined income, taken together with what Xuandu Mountain produced itself, was plenty enough to support Xuandu Mountain’s disciples.
Only people who lived comfortable and worry-free lives could concentrate on practicing martial arts and pursuing such aspirations. How could someone who couldn’t even feed themselves, who had to worry about their next meal, be in the frame of mind to train?
As for the refugees before him now, from the time they were born, their children were forced to face both natural and man-made calamities, and were left hungry every day. Crueler still, the children might even be used as reserve rations by their parents. Even if one or two of them had the outstanding potential to be martial geniuses, it was very likely that they’d perish before discerning eyes discovered their talents.
“A-Qiao’s soft heart is acting up again!” Surprisingly, Yan Wushi didn’t mock him this time—there was a smile in his tone, but also a sigh.
Shen Qiao shook his head. “In truth, I was also an orphan. I don’t know who my parents are, but I was left abandoned in the desolate wilderness. It’s said that I was very weak after birth and almost died in my swaddling clothes. Perhaps that’s why my parents abandoned me. Or maybe they were too poor to raise me. In any case, I was fortunate to meet Shizun, who saved my life. So every time I see these people, I always regret how little I can do for them. If I’d realized this earlier, while I was on Xuandu Mountain, I could have directed the sect to reenter the secular world. Then maybe I could have taken in some poor children as disciples and saved a few more lives.”
“Life is never fair,” said Yan Wushi. “Some are the prides of heaven from birth, surrounded by riches and luxuries, while others are born without even kin to rely on and have to struggle in poverty. People like you, who can judge every person by themselves, are the rarest of rare. Most are like Chen Gong—filled with bottomless greed, constantly overestimating themselves, and believing they can always get more. If Xuandu Mountain took in a couple more disciples, it’s highly possible you’d end up with a couple more ingrates like Yu Ai.”
Shen Qiao smiled helplessly. “But it’s also possible that we’d end up with a couple more people of great promise, the kind who can aid those in crisis, who could rectify the course of the world!”
Yan Wushi disagreed. “If you want something, you must fight for it yourself instead of dreaming that someone will come and help you. A person’s life and death are a result of their own choices and have nothing to do with others.”
Shen Qiao spoke no more.
Not far in the distance, a couple walked toward them, dragging a small boy who was little more than a bag of bones. As they walked, they quarreled. Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi’s excellent ears naturally heard part of the argument.
They’d exchanged their own child for this one and were currently looking for a place to cook him—somewhere with nobody else around. This was to prevent anyone from seeing and trying to steal him from them, but they themselves had already begun fighting over how to divide the portions. The husband thought that only the legs and back of the child still had meat and wanted all of it for himself. But the wife argued that she had delivered the child they’d traded away after ten months of suffering, and so she should get first choice on the “food” they’d received. They looked like they lacked the strength to walk, yet they suddenly started to scuffle.
The child they’d traded for simply watched from the side blankly, letting them fight over the right to eat him first. His expression was numb, as if his consciousness had left him long ago.