Let Spring Leave. Autumn Keeps One.
The fragrance of the new tea Boss poured into my cup was appetising, but I couldnât feel any excitement to try it as I watched it the liquid fill the cup.
âWhatâs the matter? Not to your liking? This is a gift from Uncle.â
âN-no, itâs nice. Maybe itâs too hotâŠâ
The only way I could describe my mood was returning empty handed after diving deep into the mountains for a treasure.
Did I lose something so valuable without realising it?!
I followed the trajectory of my cup that was stolen from me, raising my head to see Boss holding it carefully in her hands to blow it.
âHere.â Boss tenderly placed the cup in my hand and smiled. âItâs okay now.â
I blankly stared at the cup in my hand for a moment before swooping down for a nip. The moment the warm tea passed down my throat, all of my disappoint vanished.
When did Boss learn this magic spell?
I greedily, yet slowly, finished my drink, then giddily passed it back to Boss for a refill. She gave me a playful glare, then refilled my cup whilst saying, âUncle wants you to teach them.â
I thought about that possibility, but I couldnât comprehend the full scope of His Majestyâs thinking. He hadnât minded that previous attempts to recruit Mount Daluo didnât bear fruit, and he was probably just riding the wave this time, too. Based on Bossâ logic, though, he didnât care too much about whether or not we supported a Prince.
âIâve mentioned supporting the Princes already. Thatâs not Uncleâs true aim, so you can take it in stride. If it works out, great. If not, so be it. Uncle wonât take issue with it. Iâm quite confident his main goal is to have you mentor them.â
âThatâs the most perplexing part. What would he want me to mentor a Prince for? Does he want them to be worse than they already are?â
How would it make any sense to accept missing out Mount Daluo and choosing me? There were only two possible reasons I could think of. Firstly, he wanted to use me as a lever to control Mount Daluo, so thereâd be hope even if we didnât align with a Prince. I thought this was the most probable explanation until hearing Bossâ opinion. She had started to convince me that he didnât have high hopes for recruiting Mount Daluo. Otherwise, he wouldnât have passed up so many opportunities to discuss it with me after we returned from Nanjiang. The second possible reason was that he saw through my weakling façade. It didnât seem probable after the act I put on with Zero.
There mightâve been more possible explanations; however, I couldnât think of any plausible ones. If it was the second one, I shouldâve been packing my luggage and running. Even if he knew my true skills, he shouldnât have discovered I was Lord San Shen yet, which wasnât to say that he wouldnât start questioning everything related to me prior to his discovery. Therefore, my days in the imperial courtâs employment would be in peril.
âWhy canât you accept that perhaps Uncle genuinely values you more than Mount Daluo?â
âI guess itâs acceptable to say that heâs confident in recruiting me but not Mount Daluo, albeit pushing it. After all, heâs never interacted with Shifu, while he has gone through some rough stuff with me. That being said, Iâm not a deviant, but neither am I prim and proper. His Majesty thinks so highly of me?âđđČđđ§đŒđđČđč.đŒđ«đŽ
âFirst, thereâs no proof that he hasnât interacted with your shifu before. Second, why canât you accept that Uncle doesnât think highly of Mount Daluoâs mighty successor, but simple Ming Feizhen?â
For some reason, it sounded as though Boss had an answer for my query ready for a long time already.
âMe? For?â
âYou want to know?â
âYeah.â
Boss suddenly went silent, probably to decide whether to answer the question or not, but she blushed for some reason as if it was something embarrassing to say. She poked my forehead and said, âProbably your stupidity.â
I suddenly had a déjà vu moment. The last time I remembered this happening was also at Liu Shan Men, but the girl that day had changed.
âThereâs this guy whoâs stronger than a monster, done so many unbelieve things that many would consider him a hero, yet he chooses to work as a low-income constable at Liu Shan Men. He told me he sticks by my side because Iâm stupid, but Iâd argue heâs stupider. Heâs the strongest martial artist Iâve met, yet he desires neither power nor authority. Instead, he only cares for food and wine. Heâs done lots of things people would be considered a waste of time. Heâs ordinary. He looks ordinary, speaks in an ordinary manner, likes ordinary things, and everything following him is ordinary. His hobbies are also ordinary. There are so many things out there that he could take as long as he wanted to, but he isnât interested in them. Still, heâs always clear on whatâs most important to him. I can understand the things he cares about.â
I had no clue how to react when Boss removed her finger from my forehead, but I saw her smile with a tinge of embarrassment.
âHeâs an idiot, but he knows whatâs most important in life. Though he possesses supreme might, he remembers to eat, sleep, make friends, live, and he knows how to live as a human being. Many who acquired his might forget, or perhaps they stopped caring, but heâs continued to care.â
I was sure those were words I shouldâve said. Her eyes, the upward curve at her lips, they gave me the impression that she was pouring out her heart, but I couldnât focus on anything besides what my eyes saw. I felt she had been avoiding me today, trying to hide something from me, and I now realised there was a tinge of gentleness in her eyes that justified shyness.
âWhat?â
âN-nothing, just, uh⊠just shocked.â
âY-yeah?â
Whatever came to Bossâ mind next led her gaze underneath my nose a tad, and then she coughed.
âBack on topic. Based on my understanding of Uncle, Iâm 80% sure I know why he holds you in high regard.â
Reflecting on big events, I had confidence in Bossâ confidence.
âEach Prince had his temperament and strengths. However, they grew up sheltered and treated as special people, so they donât understand the peopleâs hardships. Or rather⊠theyâre indifferent. I believe Uncle wants them to learn to sympathise with the people.â
âThe peopleâs hardships, huh?â
I was an expert on that field and definitely overqualified to teach the subject, butâŠ
âI still canât take them under my wing.â
âWhy?â
I explained my woes and the unacceptable risk of bringing them into Mount Daluoâs direct disciple line. It wasnât a risk I could overlook. Even if their family was blessed, even if his sons werenât ambitious in the wrong way â although that sounded so ridiculous to me â even if his sons didnât want to be involved with Six Evils, even if they were too cowardly, or even if they feared Mount Daluo, who couldâve continued guaranteeing that remained true in the future? It took one precedence to trigger an avalanche. Humans had a limited lifespan; Six Evils didnât. Who couldâve foreseen whatâd happen once Grandmaster, Shifu and I were gone? If I let one of them through our doors, how would I know if a future patriarch of Mount Daluo would have the balls to stand up against pressure and refuse another member of the imperial family through our doors if I was struggling already?
Even if the Prince I took under my wing swore to not sabotage our sect if he didnât ascend to the throne, I still had to seek approval from Grandmaster and Shifu. It wasnât something I could haphazardly agree to. In this day and age, people would eat and then righteously walk out the front door without paying the bill. Ask them to pay, and theyâll deny it until you give up, let alone obtaining the authority to rule the world. What if they agreed to my terms and then dishonoured it a few years down the track?
âThatâs what you were worried about? Not all teachers require people to become an official disciple to teach them literacy, martial arts or recite wisdom from sages, right, Canât-fight Head Constable Ming?â
I⊠I⊠Thatâs⊠a good point.