CHAPTER 39
Silverblades and Flies
LUO FAN
After four days of traveling across the desert, we made it to the province of Sindu. Ruan Yanjun ordered the coachman to stop by the market and buy some supplies, so I took the opportunity to find a temple and burn incense for the soul of the man that I had killed in the desert.
Ruan Yanjun searched for me, and when he found me kowtowing before the altar, he snickered.
"A-Fan, why must you waste your time praying for the soul of a man who had tried to kill you behind your back after you had spared his life? No matter how much incense you burn, you cannot save his soul."
I lifted my head off the floor and pretended I did not hear anything. I kept my eyes closed.
"Is that your first kill?" he asked.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
That was not my first kill. Back in Frost Mountain, I had been sent to the battlefield a few times to protect the poor villagers against the attacking barbarians. I had not killed anyone on the spot, but I had mortally wounded several men and probably half of them had perished afterwards. The fact that they did not die before my eyes made it easier for me to get over my guilt, but that man… he had died right after I executed the move that Ruan Yanjun had taught me. The image of his eyes bulging as he took his last breath had been haunting me for the last four days. This was the only way I knew to at least lessen my guilt and give my mind some peace.
"If you're finished, let's go," he said.
I did not turn to look at him, but I heard the sound of his footsteps leaving the temple until it faded away.
I sighed and kowtowed one more time before I stood up and made my way back to the carriage.
I was already exhausted, but we had to keep going for another two weeks before we reached our destination.
After my visit to the temple, I felt lighter. A few days later, the image that had been haunting me had faded away.
When we crossed the boundary of Sindu, I started counting the hours, anticipating my reunion with an uncle that I had not seen for a long time. Ruan Yanjun had laughed at my restlessness. He had compared me to a toddler who could not wait for his mother to come home because he's expecting a sweet treat.
Finally, we arrived in the Silverblade's hideout.
In Ruan Yanjun's presence, I had always been reserved and cautious, constantly on guard. But this time, I felt energized and eager. As soon as the carriage came to a stop, I leaped out to take in my surroundings.
We had traveled through endless miles of rice fields, but now my attention was drawn to a pair of massive rice mills. Next to them stood a worn-down villa with a sprawling, empty front yard. Apart from the grass, the only sign of life was an old acacia tree standing alone in the middle of the yard.
The place looked familiar to me. I might have been here before but I was too young then to remember.
As soon as we stepped through the gate, I noticed several people waiting for us. One of them, a middle-aged man with a beard, stepped forward right away, a broad smile lighting up his face.
"Fan, my nephew," he said and suddenly threw his arms around me. His body was quite large and his arms were thick he almost squeezed me.
"Uncle!" I hugged him back. He did not have to introduce himself to me to know that he was my father's younger brother, Luo Boqin, the leader of Silverblades. His stance alone had made that obvious.
He pulled away and looked at my face from side to side. "Look at you. You're so beautiful you look like your mother."
I smiled. I had not really seen my mother, not even a portrait of her. She had died when I was only a few months old. "Uncle, I would prefer that you call me handsome."
"No, handsome alone does not give you justice. I insist on the word beautiful."
"I agree," Ruan Yanjun said.
My uncle looked at the sect leader and cleared his throat as if embarrassed that he had forgotten to greet the most powerful man in the world before anything else. He cupped his hands and lowered his head. "Sect Leader Ruan, forgive my inattention. I was elated to see my nephew again after two decades I was not able to contain my excitement."
Ruan Yanjun just nodded. "As we have agreed by correspondence, I've brought your nephew all the way from Xianru, however, he shall only remain here for a few days. His master had entrusted him to me, so he shall follow me wherever I go."
My uncle looked surprised. "But we are his family. He belongs here."
Ruan Yanjun smirked and stepped closer to my uncle. "Is he really?"
Luo Boqin was unable to argue and quickly looked away. "Why don't we go inside for tea first? I'm sure you're tired from the long journey."
Ruan Yanjun did not refuse the invitation so we all went inside quietly.
The three of us settled around a table and a younger man placed a cup in front of each one of us and left a teapot in the middle.
I was briefly bothered by the flies buzzing around us. Even Ruan Yanjun's expression hardened. Being a wealthy noble, he could hardly tolerate being surrounded by such pests.
"I apologize for the flies," my uncle said. "We're farmers. Aside from the field, we also raise livestock. That's why we have a lot of those flies. You'll get used to it eventually."
"I don't mind, Uncle," I said.
"I do," Ruan Yanjun grumpily said. "You can't possibly expect us to endure this unsanitary condition for more than a day. So whatever it is that you wanted to tell my A-Fan, say it now."
I was dumbfounded. Ruan Yanjun had probably made a careless slip. He could not have possibly said that intentionally before my uncle, right?
My uncle frowned. "Your A-Fan?"
Ruan Yanjun nodded with confidence, and I realized he had indeed spoken those words deliberately. Even in front of my family, he remained utterly shameless. "I told you. Prince Yusheng, as his master and adoptive father, has entrusted him to me."
"Ahh." My uncle nodded as he quickly assumed that he had just misinterpreted things, which was good because it spared me from having to explain. "And since I am his uncle, I should also call him 'my A-Fan'. Is that alright?"
I scratched my neck. My uncle was so naïve he had no idea how malicious Ruan Wanjun's state of mind was.
My uncle picked up the teapot and poured tea into our cups. As he filled mine, a fly landed in the hot liquid, quickly sinking to the bottom of the cup.
"Ah, let's get rid of that," my uncle said, taking my cup and emptying it into a large bowl beside him. He then refilled the cup, and thankfully, no more flies met their end this time.
Next, he filled Ruan Yanjun's cup. I held my breath, silently praying to every god that no flies would land in it—who knows what the devil would do if one did.
Thankfully, the cup filled smoothly, and I let out a discreet sigh of relief.
When Uncle Luo Boqin poured his own tea, two large flies slipped in along with the liquid, visible even to my poor eyesight. I expected him to toss the tea out, as he had with mine, but he merely ignored them and set the pot down.
"A-Fan," my uncle said, turning to me as he raised his cup to his lips. "Do you remember this place?" He took a sip, and when he set the cup back down, one of the flies was missing.
I stared at the remaining fly, now swimming in the tea, my mouth hanging open.