TDSDE 39

The Sect Leader’s Troubles [extra]

The sect leader had been a little troubled lately.

No, perhaps “troubled” wasn’t quite the right word. It was more like–

“Sect Leader.”

The sect leader sighed inwardly. Here we go.

A young man in light blue robes was approaching, holding two parcels of oiled paper and a bamboo canister looped over his wrist. The sun was blazing, and his face was flushed bright red, his wide smile giving him a somewhat goofy appearance.

He walked over quickly, almost too quickly, the sect leader could hear his hurried panting from quite a distance.

“Sect Leader, this is the new roast duck from Wuling Lane, with a marinade that includes orange peel. I thought you might like to try it. And this, this is the steamed beef from Shuncui House, fresh from this morning. Still hot.”

His voice was low, not at all irritating to listen to.

As he spoke, he opened the bamboo canister and held it out, looking slightly nervous. “This is Jiuyou Dream… The clerk said each person only gets one ladleful, no matter how much you pay.”

The sect leader replied, “Thank you.”

It was just a polite response, but the young man immediately beamed with joy. “It was no trouble at all!”

The sect leader’s mouth suddenly felt dry.

Under that expectant gaze, he took the canister, raised it to his lips, and took a sip.

The liquor was crisp and smooth, its aftertaste lingering gently. As it slid down his throat, it left behind a faint floral fragrance, not strong, but subtle, like stumbling upon a white wildflower on the roadside after rain. Refreshing, soft.

“Good wine.”

The young man’s clenched fists slowly relaxed. “I’m glad you like it.”

The sect leader glanced at the sweat on his forehead and the damp collar of his shirt. He raised his hand and lightly tapped the grass nearby with two fingers.

The young man’s face lit up so much it was practically glowing. He looked like he was about to float. “Thank you, Sect Leader!”

He promptly sat down in the spot the sect leader had indicated. But when he looked up again, the sect leader was already resting his chin on one hand, leisurely chewing the beef.

Just as the young man’s shoulders slumped a little, a breeze swept in from the left, washing away the summer heat clinging to him.

He turned his head, curious. After looking around, he realized this was a wind gap.

More precisely, about three to five meters behind the sect leader, the vegetation thinned out into a clearing where the breeze funneled through. Behind the forest was a cold spring, said to be the place where the Left Protector trained his Ice Palm technique.

Whether the rumor was true or not didn’t matter. The important part was how cold that spring was.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that only the sect leader and a few high-ranking members could stay here for long. Anyone with weaker internal strength would be chilled to the bone, let alone someone with no martial arts at all.

Right now, the sect leader was sitting to his left, his tall figure blocking most of the cold wind, letting through just enough to cool the air.

Was it intentional? Or purely by chance?

The young man didn’t know.

But he didn’t need to know. All he cared about was that the sect leader liked today’s Jiuyou Dream. That was enough.

The young man had been picked up by the sect leader three years ago, on the night of the Lantern Festival.

The sect leader wasn’t Han Chinese. He only observed Han customs when they amused him, otherwise ignoring them completely. Coincidentally, the Lantern Festival was one he did like.

It wasn’t because he enjoyed crowded gatherings. What he liked was how all the food stalls stayed open late into the night.

He would wander around, sampling every strange and exotic delicacy he could find. Once, the day after the festival, he had even cooked up a batch of candied grasshoppers and scorpions, handing out one piece to every sect member, making sure they all suffered equally.

The festival three years ago was no different.

The sect leader’s appearance was too striking. He didn’t care what others thought, but he hated being stared at.

So when he said he was going to browse the night market, what he actually did was sit on obscure rooftops or teahouse balconies, using his superhuman internal energy to scout the crowd.

That night, he saw something interesting.

A young man, moved by righteousness, had given away all his money to help someone. Only to find out in the end, the two “quarreling” parties were actually working together.

In that situation, most people would either demand justice or quietly accept the loss. The first required some skill, the second was the unfortunate majority’s fate.

But this poor fool, who couldn’t fight at all, insisted on getting his money back.

Idiot.

That was the sect leader’s assessment.

Sure enough, the fool got beaten black and blue. They even stripped the gold-embroidered robe off his back.

And then it happened again the next day.

On the festival night itself, the sect leader spotted the young man again in the same place.

Out of idle curiosity, he followed him.

This time, the gang tricked him into entering an inn.

But the sect leader knew that “inn” was fake. The massive courtyard behind it was full of hidden rooms, a gambling den.

Just as the youth was about to be beaten again, the sect leader appeared like a phantom.

Those street thugs who had been so fierce before were no match for him. Even the gambling house enforcers dared not move once they realized who he was.

The sect leader’s temper depended on his mood. That night, he had missed out on a lotus-leaf chicken he was craving. He was in a bad mood, ready to kill every last thug there.

But just as he began, the youth blocked his way.

“Please, spare them. They’re my friends. They only did this out of desperation.”

The sect leader immediately understood.

He wasn’t just stupid. He was naïve. Naïve and soft-hearted.

To the sect leader, there were only two words for people like him: beyond saving.

But later that night, while drinking on a rooftop, he heard shouting again. Sure enough, it was the same guy.

He was standing in front of two sword-wielding women, gesturing animatedly.

The sisters, clearly seasoned fighters, took down the gambling den’s guards in less than the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, even capturing the boss posing as the innkeeper.

One of them said, “He’s scum. Let’s kill him.”

The young man said, “No, wait! What about the money?”

The other sister snapped, “It’s just two hundred silver! Why are you always like this? Fine, I’ll give you the money myself. I’m still killing him.”

The young man replied, “Who said it was only two hundred?”

Both sisters: “Didn’t you?! You said those fake merchants tricked you, borrowed from your bank, and turned out to be from the gambling den. Are you saying… you lied!?”

He quickly explained, “No, it’s true! But I never said they only took two hundred. I was swindled! At the very least, I want half of it back!”

The sword sisters: …

“…What?”

Private gambling dens were illegal in the Dajing Empire. One hidden this well had powerful backing. He wanted half the money? Was he insane? Did he want to get his whole bank shut down?

The young man simply said, “Worst case, I’ll join the Sanxing Sect. I heard the Protectors cleaned out a bandit den recently. Real heroes, I admire that.”

He said “Sanxing Sect,” not the “Demonic Sect” everyone else feared.

The sect leader, watching silently all this time, suddenly found him interesting.

The sword sisters used half the money to help the poor. The young man returned to his bank.

Trouble soon followed.

His bank had guards, but they were no match for the thugs sent after him.

Just as the leader of the group declared they’d slaughter the entire bank and use the young man’s head as a chamber pot, a flash of light appeared, and all their heads rolled to the ground.

Blood spurted everywhere. A few servants even fainted.

The sect leader had thought someone so naïvely soft-hearted would be terrified. But the youth just looked at the bloody ground, then at himself, and said, “Good thing it didn’t get on me. I just washed these clothes.”

The sect leader’s mood immediately improved. He brought him home.

Soon after, the Left and Right Protectors returned to Yunhua Mountain.

Bai Yuanxiu, hearing the story, blurted out, “I thought you ran a bank, but turns out your surname is actually Qian?”

Qian Yi replied, “No, my bank really is a bank.”

Bai Yuanxiu laughed, “Your name is more interesting than the Sect Leader’s.” (Qian Yi’s name sounds like “money” – the character 钱 means “money,”)

Qian Yi’s eyes lit up. “Oh? The Sect Leader’s name?”

Bai Yuanxiu dragged him to a corner and whispered, “Our Sect Leader’s Han name is Bo Luochun.”

Qian Yi: “…Like the tea?” (type of tea in Chinese, Biluochun, 碧螺春)

Bai Yuanxiu nodded seriously. “Exactly, that Bo Luochun.”

The next day, the Azure Dragon Hall Leader, while grinding medicine, looked up just in time to see two men flying sideways through the door.

They crashed through the wall, each landing neatly on a sickbed. Quite the precise throw.

Qian Yi clutched his head. “Right Protector, you tricked me! The Sect Leader is just the Sect Leader, not Bo Luochun!”

Bai Yuanxiu: “Are you stupid? Who would call him Bo Luochun to his face!?”

Qian Yi: “But you said so, so I believed it!”

Bai Yuanxiu: “…This guy really might be an idiot.”

After that, Bai Yuanxiu’s credibility with Qian Yi plummeted. But strangely, even after being beaten up, Qian Yi didn’t hold a grudge. When he saw the Sect Leader again, his attitude was just as it had been at the start.

When asked about it, Qian Yi simply said, “Even if it was a joke, if the Sect Leader was unhappy, then I was wrong. He hit me, I got what I deserved. Now we’re even.”

Bai Yuanxiu had no response to this absurd logic.

Qian Yi’s bank was temporarily affiliated with the Sect. Anyone could see it was for protection, not because he handed over everything.

But rumors soon spread that the Sect was absorbing resources to make a play for power.

With tensions rising, Qian Yi made a swift decision: he would leave.

He truly had friends across the land. Even if Dajing was no longer safe, there were many places he could go.

But the sect members weren’t like him.

Qian Yi simply regretted that he hadn’t gotten to speak with that person one last time.

It wasn’t some dramatic farewell. That person was just napping.

If he got close, someone that skilled would immediately wake. But the Sect Leader had a good temper, he wouldn’t be angry.

Still, Qian Yi couldn’t bring himself to do it.

But just as he stepped down the first stair, a voice called from behind him.

“If you like it here, then stay.”

The sect leader leaned against the giant tiger and yawned lazily. “I’d like to see who dares lay a finger on someone under the protection of my Sanxing Sect.”

The setting sun spilled golden-red light like blood over the sect leader. His features, deeper and sharper than those of the Han people, blocked the slanting light, casting half his face into shadow.

It was probably from that moment on that something began to change.

Qian Yi’s affection was sincere, but the sect leader began to feel strangely resistant, even going so far as to avoid him.

As years went by, even Bai Yuanxiu, who loved meddling, found it painful to watch.

But Qian Yi said, “Liking him is my own business. Because I like him, I’ll do everything I can to treat him well. I chose this, I’m not suffering.”

“It’s just…” The always sunny young man now wore a desolate smile. “If he truly hates me, if he says so… then I’ll never bother him again.”

“So, Sect Leader, what exactly are you thinking?” Bai Yuanxiu spun an empty wine jug on his fingertip. “That guy’s expression back then… he looked like he might cry.”

The sect leader lay on the giant tiger, eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

A long moment passed before a voice like a murmured dream finally answered, “I plan to turn him down.”

“Huh?” Bai Yuanxiu, tongue thick from drinking, slurred, “Why? But Sect Leader, you care about him too, don’t you?”

He mumbled on, “Weren’t you the one who told me, ‘If you like someone, tie them up and keep them’? Why is it different now that it’s you?”

The sect leader didn’t respond. Bai Yuanxiu didn’t mind and kept mumbling.

“You’re worried something will happen to him? Then bring the whole Qian clan into the sect. Enemies? I’ll deal with them. The crabs are fat this time of year anyway, I’ll go for a stroll with Ah Qing.”

Drunken and dazed, Bai Yuanxiu looked over to see if the sect leader had fallen asleep again, only to find him staring blankly ahead, as if at the seashell wind chime he’d hung recently, or maybe at nothing at all.

The sky gradually brightened. As the first light of dawn pierced the darkness, the sect leader flinched, slowly closing his eyes as though the light had stung him.

“He’s not like me. I’ve killed too many people. My hands are stained with too much blood.

“He’s different.”

And so, Bai Yuanxiu could no longer joke, even half-seriously, “Sect Leader, don’t tell me you can’t bear to let him go.”

One was drunk, the other absent-minded. Despite being top experts, neither noticed the edge of blue fabric peeking out from a nearby corner.

The sect leader looked easygoing, but he was stubborn. Unfortunately, he had met someone even more stubborn than him, leaving no room to retreat.

That afternoon, the sect leader was preparing to talk to someone when he suddenly heard a panicked voice calling out, “Sect Leader! Sect Leader! Something’s wrong!”

He didn’t even wait for the explanation and dashed off, practically smashing through the door of the Black Tortoise Hall.

But he was still too late.

Qian Yi stood there holding a blade, his pale blue robe soaked with blood.

When he saw the sect leader, his face lit up in a radiant smile. “Sect Leader.”

The prisoners in the Black Tortoise Hall were all significant threats, and the one now lying with a gaping wound in his neck was a sworn enemy of the cult. According to plan, it was supposed to be the hall leader who carried out the execution. But the hall leader now sat slumped in a chair, unconscious.

Qian Yi spoke solemnly, word by word. “Sect Leader, please don’t blame Hall Leader Gongsun. I drugged him. Otherwise, he never would’ve let me in.”

“And don’t worry, it was the best kind of drug. He’ll only sleep for a while. There won’t be any harm.”

Qian Yi explained everything clearly. But when he reached, “Now my hands are stained with blood too, just like yours,” he was suddenly pulled into an embrace.

The sect leader didn’t say a word, but he didn’t let go either.

Qian Yi wasn’t really a fool. Being held by the one he liked made him overjoyed. He carefully wrapped his arms around the other man, and when the sect leader didn’t resist, he leaned his head in little by little.

Only when his cheek was pressed fully against the man’s chest did he finally let out a contented sigh.

This was their first embrace since they’d met. Listening to that steady heartbeat, Qian Yi felt like no one in the world could be happier than he was.

Even if he were to die now, he’d be willing.

What happened that day became a secret. Qian Yi even went to the sect’s two Protectors and four Hall Masters to ask what it all meant, until an exasperated Bai Yuanxiu grabbed him by the collar and tossed him straight into the sect leader’s arms.

The sect leader had been napping and nearly choked from the impact.

Bai Yuanxiu grumbled, “You can dodge a cow’s-hair needle, but you didn’t dodge this. Sect Leader, you did that on purpose.” The next second, the sect leader smacked him on the head. “Alright, enough.”

After Bai Yuanxiu left, the sect leader turned around and found Qian Yi looking straight at him.

Immediately, he remembered all those things about “lovers getting jealous,” and “how to make it up when your partner’s mad.” But to his surprise, Qian Yi had no reaction at all.

The sect leader didn’t feel like playing guessing games, so he asked directly, “You’re not thinking anything? Like, aren’t you jealous that I’m close with Yuanxiu or something?”

Qian Yi replied, “Why would I be jealous? The person you like is me.”

The sect leader could only surrender. “Yes, yes, I like you.”

Just then, the orange-striped tiger lying nearby slowly rolled over, exposing its snowy-white belly to them.

The sect leader immediately pounced with affection. “Baby, you’re so good!”

Meanwhile, Qian Yi solemnly began rubbing the tiger’s head, kneading its paws, and stroking its belly.

The tiger purred with pleasure. Qian Yi turned his head slightly to peek, and saw the sect leader watching him too.

Inside, tea simmered and wine warmed. Outside, red leaves covered the mountains. It was the perfect season.

Thank you for reading until the end. I’d really appreciate it if you could rate the novel on NU.