Master and Disciple Reunion
LUO FAN
From Qushan, we went northeastward. It had taken a week before we arrived in the quiet town of Suyang, but from there, we could no longer use the carriage, so we had to walk through narrow pathways towards a desolate place.
Along the way, we met just two people and they had no idea about a hermit living in that area, until the third person, a woodcutter, pointed in a certain direction and told us to keep going until we saw a lone cabin.
For five hours, we climbed a series of hills and crossed three streams, until finally, Ruan Yanjun spotted the cabin.
My chest suddenly tightened.
I had prepared myself for this encounter, mentally and emotionally, but the closer we got to the cabin, the more anxious I became. Different emotions stirred within me.
I wasn't sure how to react once I stood face-to-face with my master. With this much resentment inside me, I was afraid I would break down the moment I saw him, but part of me might be glad to finally be relieved of this guilt that had been weighing me down for so long.
When we made it to the door, Ruan Yanjun knocked.
"I don't accept visitors," the voice from the inside said. "Please leave."
I was dumbfounded. That voice. It was indeed my master.
He is alive!
My heartbeat pounded against my chest even more frantically.
"I've traveled for months, from South to here," Ruan Yanjun replied in a threatening tone. "And you're telling me to leave? Are you certain that's what you want?"
The voice was silent for a moment. "Sect Leader Ruan, or shall I say… His Majesty of Xianru and Wun," Wei Yusheng returned in a sarcastic tone. "Why does this old hermit deserve a visit from the world's most venerable immortal?"
Ruan Yanjun smirked. "I got bored and had nothing else to do, so I thought I might try being a hermit, and so I came for your advice."
The hermit chuckled. "Build your cabin somewhere else. This hill belongs to me."
Ruan Yanjun sighed. "Prince Wei Yusheng, stop the crap. I have something to show you. Are you going to open this door or should I break it down and make a fire out of it inside your cabin?"
The voice was again silent. A moment later, the door opened.
My lips parted open when the familiar frame of my master emerged from the door. My eyes didn't blink. My fingers trembled.
My heart stopped.
At first, my master regarded Ruan Yanjun who was standing like a wall before him, until his head turned in my direction.
I wasn't sure about his reaction at the sight of me. I wished I could see. I wished to know if he felt even a little bit of regret over his deception.
"Wei Fan?" he uttered.
Tears welled in my eyes but I held them back. I could not decide whether to get down on my knees and pay him respect or yell out all my anger at him. All I felt was the irresistible urge to break down and sob.
But I suppressed all of that. It would upset my master if I showed weakness in front of him. Even if he had betrayed me, I still valued his teachings, otherwise, my twenty years of discipleship under him would have been for nothing.
After the initial shock, my master let us in and we all sat by the tea table. Just like before, Ruan Yanjun refused to drink the tea that Wei Yusheng had offered. He did not let me drink anything either.
Ruan Yanjun started by talking about Han Bao, and about everything that the monk had confessed.
"Were you aware that the drug you've taken in was a paralyzing drug?" Ruan Yanjun asked.
"… I was."
"Did you take it in voluntarily?"
"I did."
"In other words, you were a part of the grand scheme to frame your disciple for murdering you."
For a long time, Wei Yusheng was silent as if he was pondering if he should confess.
With a deep sigh, he started talking. "The plan that was conveyed to me was to frame up Wei Fan for attempting to murder his master to have a reason to banish him from the empire. That was what I had agreed on."
"You did not agree that he'd be poisoned, his martial arts be nullified and he'd be escorted all the way to the remote town of Panmen in Wun Empire to be executed?"
I turned to look at Ruan Yanjun. I was surprised that he knew the details of my ordeal. He had never even asked me about it.
Wei Yusheng shook his head. "Wei Fan is practically my son. I raised him from the age of five. I had changed his name to protect him, to keep him alive. How could I allow such a thing to happen to him? I admit I had lost face when he became a grandmaster, but I'd rather hide away in shame than have him die over it."
"Are you saying that you are also a victim of this conspiracy?" Ruan Yanjun's tone had a hint of sarcasm.
"The plan was simple. I'd take the drug while drinking tea with my disciple and collapse. Wei Fan will get the blame and be banished out of the empire. And then I'll wake up and everything will resume as it was. But when I woke up, things had happened differently and I was told to remain dead. That was why I came here, so I could remain dead and atone for my sins."
Ruan Yanjun chortled. "If you really wanted to atone for your sins, all you had to do was come out and tell the truth. But you've chosen to hide instead. Didn't you pity your disciple for what he'd been through because of you? If you indeed see him as your son, you should have done something and not hide your tail in between your legs and bury yourself in this desolate place."
"Lord Ruan, things have become complicated. The supposed-to-be simple scheme has gotten out of hand and my own family is responsible. Not only are they my blood relatives, but they are also the authority in this empire. I still have my family and relatives on the maternal side. If I exposed the conspiracy, my innocent maternal relatives would be wiped out."
"Wei Yusheng, you are a master cultivator, and you have the whole Ethereal Frost Sect at your disposal. Although you've been replaced as the Chief, your disciples are still loyal to you and will obey you nonetheless. Unless the emperor sends a battalion of soldiers to wipe out your relatives, you are very much capable of protecting them."
"…It's not as simple as it seems."
Ruan Yanjun smirked. "Let me guess. Some other sects are involved, and they threatened to wipe out your entire sect should you try anything."
My master did not respond, which meant that Ruan Yanjun must have guessed the truth.