Chapter 7: Shangguan Jianli

Soon, noon arrived.

Having finally endured to the break time, Su Yu immediately acted as if granted amnesty. Ignoring the puzzled looks from others in the Martial Hall, he sprawled out on the ground like a starfish, gasping for breath.

“Tsk, tsk…”

“See? What did I tell you?”

“Senior Brother Zheng is right. This half-baked guy really isn’t worth worrying about.”

Some disciples in the Martial Hall snickered when they saw Su Yu lying on the ground.

But Su Yu didn’t care what they thought. He had been practicing martial arts for a full four shichen—that was eight straight hours! They could say whatever they wanted; he was going home to eat!

“Crap, but there’s no time to go home. Half an hour is only enough for me to run there and back. No time to eat.”

When Su Yu remembered this, a helpless feeling welled up in him.

“Forget it. Resting is resting wherever you are. I’ll just buy a flatbread on the street later.”

“Anyway, let’s get out of this damn place first.”

He couldn’t waste his precious break time hanging around the Martial Hall. After recovering for a bit, Su Yu strode straight out without any hesitation.

But just as he took a few steps outside, two familiar figures blocked his path.

“Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. You, Su Yu, actually practicing martial arts in the Martial Hall,” Tong Qiqi exclaimed in astonishment.

“Old Su, did you get hit on the head or something? You can tell us; you don’t have to hurt yourself,” Ye Liang said earnestly, patting Su Yu on the shoulder.

“You think I want to practice?” Su Yu replied helplessly.

“Then could someone be forcing you?” Tong Qiqi asked.

Su Yu could only force a wry smile and stay silent. After all, how could he tell them that his schedule had become sentient and could electrocute him? Even if he did say it, they’d just think he was crazy.

“Uh… but why are you two the only ones here? Where’s Er Gou?”

After looking around left and right, Su Yu asked doubtfully.

“Er Gou went back to take care of his mother. He said he made an appointment with a doctor at noon,” Ye Liang said.

Hearing this, Su Yu hesitated for a moment. Before he had unraveled the Mystery of Rebirth, he wouldn’t have had any suspicions about this.

But now, he was very suspicious. Because a few days ago, Qian Ergou had suddenly brought up his mother’s illness and asked the three of them for money. And when they asked what specific illness she had, Er Gou had hemmed and hawed, only saying that his mother was in terrible pain, on the verge of death, suffering from a serious illness, and urgently needed money.

After hesitating for a moment, Su Yu chose not to voice his suspicions. After all, they had been brothers for five or six years. It wasn’t good to say such things without proof. He’d confirm it first before saying anything.

“So, did you guys lend money to Er Gou?” Su Yu asked.

“Yeah.” Both nodded.

“Did you get any money, Old Su? I’m worried Er Gou might not have enough. He said his mother’s illness this time is really serious… Maybe you could go to his house later and check. If the money isn’t enough, we can try to pool some more together for him,” Ye Liang said.

“Okay, I’ll go to his house later and take a look.” Su Yu nodded slightly.

Of course, that was just on the surface. If Qian Ergou’s mother really was sick, he’d naturally try to scrape together some money. If it was fake, that was another story.

“Oh, right, Old Su!” At that moment, Ye Liang suddenly remembered something and quickly said, “Your old flame came looking for us just now!”

Su Yu was taken aback. “You mean… Shangguan?”

Ye Liang nodded.

Su Yu’s expression immediately soured, as if recalling some unpleasant memories.

His so-called “old flame” in Ye Liang’s words was actually his ex-girlfriend, Shangguan Jianli.

Back before he had moved to Brook Stone Village, when he still lived with his mother in Sixi Town, hundreds of li away, Shangguan Jianli and he had been together.

She was an incredibly beautiful girl—so beautiful that even now, with his past life’s memories, Su Yu couldn’t change his assessment of her. If he had to name the one worthwhile thing he’d done in this life, it was that back when Shangguan Jianli was just a little country girl with bubble-blowing nostrils and pigtails, he hadn’t rejected the bunch of wildflowers she had given him.

Because this girl just kept getting prettier with each passing year, more radiant than the year before.

And back then, she had been pure and sincere in her feelings for him. How sincere? So sincere that after his father died and his mother had to send him to his uncle’s family in Brook Stone Village, he had thought that his relationship with Shangguan Jianli was over, that when he met her again she’d already be married to someone else. But then she had unexpectedly appeared before him again, having changed even more from the image in his memory. Dressed in a brocade skirt, her black hair cascading like a waterfall, she was utterly stunning—there were no words for it.

But if they liked each other so much, why did he call her his ex-girlfriend?

That was another bad memory. About five years ago, around the time he was tested and found to have no talent for martial arts and gave up practicing, Shangguan Jianli suddenly told him one day that she had to leave.

After that, there was no news of her.

He didn’t know why she suddenly had to leave. Had she looked down on him for lacking martial arts talent? Or had she suddenly come to her senses and realized it was just a childhood crush, so she left? He didn’t know. He only knew that it was a one-sided, cliff-drop breakup.

So now, he didn’t want to think about it anymore. He didn’t even want to bring it up.

“She… came to find you guys for what?” Though he was reluctant to even mention her name, Su Yu still found himself asking.

“She came to ask us where you went,” Ye Liang answered truthfully.

“And where is she now?”

“I don’t know. She was here just now…”

“Where?”

“Where? Finish what you’re saying! Why did you stop halfway?!”

Su Yu shook Ye Liang’s shoulders, but Ye Liang didn’t answer. He only pointed behind Su Yu with a subtle expression.

Su Yu whirled around.

A dark, elegant figure in a black brocade skirt, with crimson eyes and jet-black hair reaching her waist, carrying a long sword at her hip, was calmly staring at him.

“We’re out of here, Old Su. You two talk.” Seeing the situation was about to turn ugly, Tong Qiqi immediately made herself scarce.

“Good luck, Old Su.” Ye Liang also bolted, unwilling to linger.

For a moment, only Su Yu and Shangguan Jianli were left staring at each other.

Before Su Yu could speak, Shangguan Jianli directly drew her sword, the blade resting against Su Yu’s neck. Her voice was soft, but carried the chill of a coming storm:

“Come with me.”

Su Yu frowned. But since they were not far from the entrance of the Martial Hall, he didn’t want to argue with her here and attract onlookers.

So, he followed Shangguan Jianli into a dark, deserted alley.

Even with the blade at his neck and being backed into a corner of the alley, Su Yu wasn’t intimidated by the woman before him. In fact, a hint of impatience crept into his eyes.

After all, she was the one who had vanished for five whole years. Then, after five years, she came back, put a sword to his neck, and said “come with me.” Who was she trying to impress? She was the one who wronged him.

“Have you fallen for someone else?”

With no one else around, this girl, quiet as a ghost, actually showed a hint of anger on her pretty face. The veins on the hand gripping the sword hilt bulged clearly.

“Yeah, I have.”

Su Yu nodded casually, finding it utterly ridiculous.

“Is it that Lin Qiaoqiao from the Martial Hall?”

Seeing Su Yu admit it without any pretense, Shangguan Jianli’s expression turned icy.

Su Yu: “?”

“I asked you, is it?!”

“No, sis, how did you even come to that conclusion?”

“Otherwise, why would a person like you suddenly start practicing martial arts in the Martial Hall? Isn’t it just to get Lin Qiaoqiao’s attention?”

Su Yu: “???”