Volume One: Youths Meet in Humble Times Chapter Thirty-Seven: Shen Tang's Elder Brother, Shen Xun

The two of them returned to the Shen household with tacit understanding. The Daoist and Shen Lang had already come back. The two were chatting about something in the main hall, but as soon as Shen Tang and Li Yu entered, they fell silent and asked where the pair had been.

“I took my little brother to play by the Sunset River. But we ran into some unpleasant people, so we left. Then I took him up Mount Accumulated Glow, and we picked some wild fruit to bring back.”

As she spoke, she handed the fruit they’d picked to the Daoist for him to taste.

Shen Tang smiled expectantly, waiting for the Daoist’s praise. Watching Li Yu, her heart filled with warmth. Her grandmother was very good to him, but after all, he was still a child—he longed for a friend his own age to share the joys and sorrows of youth.

The Daoist glanced at Li Yu, tasted a fruit, and laughed heartily. “Delicious.”

Before long, Aunt Shen came to call Shen Tang into the kitchen to help. Shen Lang declared he would kill another chicken to nourish Li Yu. In a moment, only Li Yu and the Daoist were left alone in the hall.

The Daoist handed another fruit to Li Yu and smiled. “Sit down and tell me—why did you intervene?”

Li Yu accepted the fruit and sat by the Daoist’s side. He was momentarily speechless, a little incredulous. “You knew?”

The Daoist replied with pride, “In Tianmen Town, if there’s anything I wish to know, there’s nothing I cannot find out.”

Hearing this, Li Yu nodded in understanding, suppressing his awe and amazement. It seemed his master’s abilities were far greater than he had imagined.

“I don’t believe they ran into us by chance. How many true coincidences are there in the world? We happened to go to the river, and they just happened to get there first and take the fish. When we went to find them, they were still leisurely roasting the fish. Moreover, from their expressions and attitude, it was clear they were waiting for us. Their real aim was me—they seemed to know about me, or rather, from the moment I arrived in Tianmen Town yesterday, they’d been looking for an opportunity to approach me.”

The Daoist listened with interest. “But everything you say is just your own words—you have no real evidence to prove you’re right.”

Li Yu looked at the Daoist. “Master, I don’t think there are perfect coincidences in the world. Every seemingly plausible coincidence ultimately points to a certain outcome. And the arising of these outcomes—I’d rather call it premeditation. Whether these designs are born of human intent or fate itself depends on the other party’s purpose, position, and role. All these things together produce that one inevitable result.”

The Daoist gazed at his young disciple in astonishment. After a while, he sighed helplessly. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were some old monster in disguise.”

Li Yu spread his hands with a lighthearted, teasing air: “A gift from heaven—I can’t help it!”

Watching Li Yu’s performance, the Daoist knew this ease was feigned. All these insights were drawn from the hardships of the past five years, combined with his near-innate intelligence. If considered separately, perhaps the Daoist wouldn’t feel such pity for him; but knowing that both experiences belonged to the same child, he couldn’t help but think of the deep wounds they must have left.

Fortunately, Li Yu’s nature was good. Even after living through hell, he never forgot to yearn for paradise.

Li Yu continued, “I may not have hard proof, but I can read people’s hearts and observe their words and actions. That’s enough for me to make my decision.”

The Daoist asked, “So you hurt them deliberately in the end?”

“Yes. Whether to protect Sister Tang or to make a show of strength, for me, the only way to buy myself more time is to teach them a lesson from the start and frighten them off.”

“Time?” the Daoist inquired.

Li Yu nodded. “Yes—the time to protect myself.”

The Daoist laughed. “But if you tell me, I could step in directly and spare you a lot of trouble.”

Li Yu was taken aback, then admitted somewhat awkwardly, “But Master, I can’t always hide under your wings and rely on your protection. Before I met you, I survived on my own.”

The Daoist seemed to consider this. He looked at his young disciple, realizing he still hadn’t seen through him completely. Li Yu’s words expressed independence and strength, but beneath that, wasn’t it also a lack of trust in others? Perhaps Li Yu himself didn’t understand the inferiority and fear lurking deep within his heart, always leaving himself an escape route—a result of his past. The Daoist couldn’t tell if this was ultimately good or bad for the child, or if he should do anything about it. Though he was world-wise, his understanding of human nature wasn’t as refined as his cultivation. So he only gazed at Li Yu and said, “Little Fish, your master will always be behind you.”

The conversation didn’t continue further. Before long, a cheerful young voice called from outside, “Father! Mother! Sister! I’m back!”

His voice arrived before he did. As soon as he entered, he saw the Daoist at the table with a child beside him. Laughing, he greeted the Daoist, “Uncle Lin, you’re here! Did you not eat well outside and come here for a good meal?”

Before he finished, Aunt Shen knocked him on the head. “You rascal—no respect for your elders. You must be itching for trouble.”

The Daoist didn’t mind. “No harm done, I like his cheek. That way I don’t have to give him this copy of ‘Landscapes and Customs of the World.’”

With that, he took out a book describing places and customs.

The youth’s eyes lit up at the book. He immediately conceded, “Don’t, Uncle Lin! Punish me any other way, just don’t keep the book from me!”

The Daoist scolded him with a smile, “Rascal, take it. Just help me look after him from now on.”

He handed over the book, and then pulled Li Yu forward.

Li Yu studied the tall young man in front of him with curiosity.

The youth hugged the book to his chest like treasure and looked back at Li Yu. “Hello, you’re the child who came back yesterday with Uncle Lin, right? My name’s Shen Xun. What’s your name?”

Li Yu smiled. “My name is Li Yu.”

Shen Xun teased, “Carp? Like the fish swimming in the river?”

His mother was just bringing out dishes and, hearing her son at it again, smacked him on the head, scolding, “Rascal, don’t give people silly nicknames. Call your brother properly.”

Li Yu could tell there was no malice in Shen Xun’s teasing, just youthful exuberance, so he wasn’t offended. He smiled, “It’s fine, Aunt Shen. I know Shen Xun didn’t mean anything by it.”

Then he added, “Actually, Master also calls me Little Fish. Shen Xun, you can call me Little Fish too.”

Tianmen Town was a small place. Since the Daoist had brought Li Yu back yesterday, nearly everyone knew a newcomer had arrived. At school today, Shen Xun heard people discussing who Li Yu was. He didn’t join in, but overheard enough to be curious.

Why curiosity? Because something new had come to town, adding a bit of lively gossip to daily life. Why probe further? Because anyone brought back by the Daoist was surely remarkable. He’d overheard his parents remark that their close friend the Daoist had quite a background and unfathomable abilities.

So, what sort of temperament did a child brought back by such a powerful man have? Was he easy to get along with? Those were the questions that arose in Shen Xun’s mind as he listened to the chatter.

But today, he found Li Yu pretty agreeable. At first glance, Shen Xun felt inexplicably warm towards him. Aside from his unusual eyes—what did it matter? Clearly he could see fine, so he was no different from anyone else.

Li Yu, for his part, was happy Shen Xun was like this. He could sense Shen Xun saw him as an ordinary person, not treating him differently because of his eyes. He thought to himself, how wonderful—it seemed he’d gained another friend.

Shen’s mother called Shen Xun to help bring out the dishes and had Shen’s father come keep the Daoist company. With nothing to do, Li Yu began practicing the breathing techniques the Daoist had taught him, feeling the energy circulate within and experiencing its subtle meanings. When he finished a round, the Shen family had set all the dishes on the table.

At dinner, the Daoist recounted his travels, and everyone listened with great interest. Li Yu listened quietly, thinking that the outside world wasn’t all that wonderful—he felt far more at ease in Tianmen Town. Shen’s parents were well aware of the Daoist’s extraordinary abilities and believed all his stories. Shen Tang marveled at how vast the world was, filled with all sorts of people and things. Shen Xun was fascinated by the landscapes and customs, sensing there was something unique to be savored in each.

Throughout the meal, Shen Xun peppered the Daoist with all kinds of questions.

“Uncle Lin, are there really snakes that can eat people? People are so big, snakes so small—how does that work?”

“Can foxes really turn into people? After they change, are they still foxes? If they can become human, what’s the difference between a human and a fox?”

“Do people really eat other people? How can they bring themselves to do it? Why would they want to?”

To everyone’s surprise, the Daoist didn’t brush off his questions, but answered in detail whenever he could. As for why people would eat people, he only said, “That, I don’t understand either. Think about it yourself when you go out into the world. If you ever figure it out, come tell Uncle Lin.”

The meal was a joy for all. When it was time to leave, the Shen family packed many small dishes for Li Yu and the Daoist to take with them. Shen Tang reluctantly held Li Yu’s hand, unwilling to part. Everyone noticed and smiled knowingly.

In the end, it was Shen Xun who couldn’t stand it and pulled his sister aside. “Come on, dear sister, it’s not like you won’t see him tomorrow. If you can’t bear it, I’ll take you to play with him tomorrow.”

Shen Tang tossed her head. “Hmph, but you can’t be my little brother.”

Shen Xun shook his head helplessly. “All right, all right, I know you always wanted a brother. Now you finally have one and won’t need me for company anymore.”

Everyone laughed, and Li Yu said with a smile, “Sister Tang, Brother Shen Xun just said he’d take me out to play tomorrow—let’s go together.”

Consoled by Li Yu, Shen Tang finally let go of his hand, watching wistfully as the Daoist and Li Yu, one large and one small, walked off into the distance.