Chapter 43: Forward

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“Are you sure you will be okay, Grandpa?”

Old Jiang smiles a grandfatherly smile that does not fit his face in the least.

“Don’t worry, young one. Little Jin and I will just go buy some herbs in a nearby town. We’ll be traveling with some merchants, so there is no need for a young lass such as yourself to worry over this.”

Unsurprisingly, Su An does not look convinced. The girl bites her lower lip in worry. For someone as important as Liu Jin to travel outside the city without an official escort is doubtlessly strange.

“It is okay,” Liu Jin tells her. “Xiao Nan already knows.”

As always, mentioning Xiao Nan seems to do the trick. Apprehension slowly fades away from Su An’s face, leaving only some slight hesitation behind.

“Well, if Senior Brother Xiao Nan knows…”

“Of course, he knows, young lass,” Old Jiang says. “Do not trouble yourself over this. We are sure to be back soon.”

Twenty minutes later, when Old Jiang and Liu Jin are walking away from Eastern Port City, Liu Jin decides to voice an important question.

“Master, why do you act that way around her?”

Watching Su An interact with his Master is a bit like watching an oblivious mouse walk up to a tiger. Su An, of course, does not know how powerful Old Jiang is. No one has any intention of telling her, and his Master is simply too good at hiding his Qi for her to ever find out on her own.

It is natural for her to approach him without fear. To Su An, Master is just a regular old man.

What’s curious is how Old Jiang has chosen to deal with her. The grandfatherly facade is one Liu Jin has seen his Master put on a few times but rarely for this long. Around Su An, Old Jiang is very much the image of a doting grandfather.

He has even allowed Su An to refer to him as such. Liu Jin choked on his food the first time that happened.

“Oh, disciple,” Old Jiang says, sounding like his usual self once more. “When you are my age, there is only one reason to do anything.”

Liu Jin waits for his Master to speak. The wrinkled corners of Old Jiang’s mouth quirk up.

“Amusement, disciple. Amusement.”

Liu Jin cocks his head to the side.

“Amusement?”

Rather than amusement, all Liu Jin can feel when watching those two interact is worry.

“That is so,” Old Jiang confirms with a nod of his head. “It amuses me to act the way I do, so I do so. It may be that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, such a thing will no longer amuse me. When that happens, I will change the way I deal with your servant. For now, this Old Jiang is content with this.”

Liu Jin frowns. “She is not my servant.”

“Underling then.” Old Jiang waves his hand dismissively. “The difference is merely semantic. Rather than fight against it, you should just accept there are now people under you.”

People under him.

It is not something Liu Jin likes to think about, but it is true. Su An may be the one who is closest to him, but she’s not the only one. Over the past year, some people, mostly Outer Disciples, have chosen to throw their lot with him, something that had gotten even worse since the news of his duel with Xiao Fang got out somehow.

According to Su An, there have been quite a few arguments regarding whether he’ll be able to last three moves against Xiao Fang or not. Liu Jin has even managed to overhear a couple of them. According to Xiao Nan, people are making bets. No matter how it goes, his duel against Xiao Fang is something that has already drawn the attention of Inner and Outer Disciples.

“What do you suggest I do, Master?”

Old Jiang hums in thought while he strokes his long beard. Only the sound of their footsteps crushing the grass under their feet is heard for a while.

“It is not wrong for you to seek wisdom from your elders, yet on this matter, you should be asking your father instead of me.”

“My Father?”

“I was never one to gather people under me,” Old Jiang admits. “Taking care of people’s ailments is easy. Taking care of people is complicated. People are far too troublesome for their own good. Even at my height, solitude suited me best. I just went wherever I pleased and did whatever I wanted.”

Liu Jiu hums. Solitude sounds nice. His Master is, without a doubt, a wise person.

Wait! If Master wants him to ask his father about this…

“Does that mean Father has experience with such things?”

“Your father will not be happy I told you this, but he was indeed someone who had many people beneath him,” Old Jiangs replies. He waves a hand as if the matter is of no importance, yet Liu Jin’s attention has been caught.

“Do you wish to know more, disciple?”

He does.

From the bottom of his heart, Liu Jin wishes to know more about his father. He has only heard bits and pieces, an incomplete puzzle he cannot hope to finish on his own. To not know the truth is sometimes maddening, an itch he cannot scratch. It is always just there, lying mere inches beyond his reach.

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Yet, the one who must take that last step is not him.

“Of course, I do, Master. From the bottom of his heart, this Liu Jin wants to know more about his Father.” Liu Jin closes his eyes and sighs. “However, I cannot possibly hear what Father does not want me to hear.”

The one who must grant that knowledge to him is his father and no one else.

“I will wait until Father is ready to tell me. To hear from Master would be a betrayal.”

To deny the knowledge is painful, yet it must be done.

Old Jiang snorts.

“You and your father are entirely too alike.”

“Thank you.”

“It was not a compliment, disciple,” Old Jiang says, his gaze staring into the distance. “You are both too stubborn for your own good. To be unyielding is usually considered a good thing. Indeed, it is often an attractive trait. However, that which cannot yield often ends up broken. Make sure to remember that, oh foolish disciple of mine.”

Broken.

Does that have to do with why his father…? Liu Jin quickly shakes his head. No, it does not bear thinking about right now.

He will know when he is ready to know and no sooner.

“It does not matter now, I suppose. Look, we have arrived.”