Dog Daoist and Zheng Youqian were not just sworn brothers in life and death; they were also… well, a mutual pursuit, only they ended up going their separate ways.
After learning about their past, Yan Shouyi, like everyone else, relaxed and stood by the side with his hands on his hips, watching the spectacle.
Long Feicheng even took out a bag of sunflower seeds from his backpack, crossed his legs, and watched the show.
Opportunities to watch elders fight were rare.
Seeing Long Feicheng’s demeanor, Yan Shouyi was immediately annoyed. He walked over to Long Feicheng and questioned him:
“Can’t you just stop? Uncle Dog and Old Qian are both injured, and you’re sitting here eating sunflower seeds?”
Long Feicheng shrunk his head, “What… what did I do wrong?”
“Why didn’t you say you had sunflower seeds earlier? Don’t you know to share with your brothers?” Yan Shouyi grabbed a handful of seeds from Long Feicheng and squatted beside him, continuing to enjoy the show.
The Dog Daoist and Zheng Youqian deliberately maintained the same combat level, fighting back and forth, a truly spectacular display.
The Dog Daoist slapped Zheng Youqian, and Zheng Youqian kicked the Dog Daoist in the butt.
Zheng Youqian pulled the Dog Daoist’s hair, and the Dog Daoist went for Zheng Youqian’s crotch.
When they fought, they were as treacherous as possible and as vulgar as possible, showing no signs of being masters. They looked more like street punks fighting, resorting to all sorts of dirty tricks.
Finally, they both grabbed each other’s vital points simultaneously, and both cried out in pain.
“Old Qian, stop, stop!” the Dog Daoist roared, “Dao Master hasn’t had kids yet!”
Zheng Youqian laughed heartily, “I already have a house full of grandchildren, so I’m not afraid!”
“Damn it!”
The Dog Daoist couldn’t take it anymore and called for Old Huang to help, but Old Huang was watching with great interest and had no intention of intervening.
“Shouyi! Shouyi! Come quickly and help your uncle!” the Dog Daoist turned to Yan Shouyi for help, “Help me kill this son of a bitch!”
Yan Shouyi hesitated, “Is that really okay?”
Zheng Youqian also roared, “You damn dog! When did elders fighting ever involve the younger generation? You’re not upholding martial ethics!”
The Dog Daoist chuckled, “Shouyi is my nephew. If you have the guts, find a nephew and have him fight him?”
Zheng Youqian had no choice but to let go. He didn’t expect the Dog Daoist to be so insidious and hold on tightly before letting go, causing Zheng Youqian to roll on the ground in pain.
Seeing this, the Dog Daoist triumphantly declared, “Hahaha, Old Qian, in the end, Dao Master still has the upper hand!”
“Hmph, I wouldn’t be so sure!”
As Zheng Youqian spoke, he threw a belt from his懷. The Dog Daoist glanced at it, and his loose pants immediately dropped to his heels.
Lan Qihuan and the other village women quickly covered their eyes in embarrassment.
The Dog Daoist’s face turned red with shame and anger. After pulling up his pants, he kicked Zheng Youqian twice, cursing, “I should have cut off your other hand too! Leaving it is just a menace!”
This contest was truly back and forth, incredibly exciting.
Li Genmiao, seeing that it was about time, signaled Pan Zhengyi with his eyes. Pan Zhengyi then stepped forward to mediate:
“Alright, you’ve fought and you’ve argued, shouldn’t you make up now? Although our positions are different now, in Taoyuan Village, we don’t talk about outside matters. We are still good brothers… How about this, let’s go to Xiao Lan’s house for lunch, and let Xiao Lan show off her skills, what do you say?”
Zheng Youqian, having been at a slight disadvantage, wanted to regain face. As he climbed up from the snow, he muttered:
“Xiao Lan rarely cooks. If it weren’t for her, I would have turned you into a unicycle today!”
The Dog Daoist grunted a few times and stopped arguing with Zheng Youqian.
Lan Qihuan, seeing that the two had finally quieted down, said softly with a hint of shyness, “I’ll go prepare… Shouyi, Aunt Xiao Lan has never hosted you before. Is there anything you’d like to eat today? Aunt Xiao Lan will make it for you.”
Yan Shouyi was stunned and looked at Lan Qihuan.
From the eyes of this beautiful woman, he saw no hostility, just the ordinary aunt next door, very much like Aunt Zheng Zhaodi he had met from Hong Kong in the past.
It seemed that in her eyes, their relationship hadn’t changed.
This made Yan Shouyi feel complicated. He wondered what attitude his father would have if he were here, responding to the kindness of these aunts and uncles.
After a fight, the Dog Daoist seemed to have slightly compromised. He patted Yan Shouyi’s shoulder and said,
“Let’s save face for Old Pan and eat a meal… No, we should eat them broke, bankrupt them, and see what they have to fight our Folk Research Association with in the future!”
Miaoji also put his palms together and nodded at Yan Shouyi.
Only then did Yan Shouyi agree.
…
In Taoyuan Village, there were no divisions of allegiance, and external affairs were not discussed.
After accepting this rule, the relationships between everyone became slightly more harmonious, except for Li Genmiao.
The Dog Daoist and Miaoji’s attitudes towards Pan Shiyi, Zheng Youqian, and the others were a bit better, but they remained very cold and hostile towards Li Genmiao.
Perhaps it was because they knew that Li Genmiao was destined to have a decisive battle with them, while Old Pan and the others still had room for maneuver. After all, they had been together for so many years, and it wasn’t as if they couldn’t maintain any goodwill.
Midway, while Miaoji went to relieve himself, Yan Shouyi followed him and asked in a low voice:
“Uncle Miaoji, Old Pan and the others were all members of the former Thirteen Protectors of Xuanshan. Don’t you find it strange?”
Miaoji looked puzzled, “What do you mean?”
Yan Shouyi raised his question, “Although the core members of the New Xuanshan Sect are the old guards of the Thirteen Protectors, the leader is Li Genmiao, who has nothing to do with the Thirteen Protectors. In that case, why did Li Genmiao insist on naming this organization the New Xuanshan Sect? What is his purpose in doing so?”
“Hmm… The question you raised is worth considering, but I don’t know the reason either,” Miaoji replied honestly.
Yan Shouyi frowned, “Isn’t it because Li Genmiao was also a member of the Thirteen Protectors?”
Miaoji shook his head firmly, “You can rest assured about this. I can confirm that Li Genmiao was not among the Thirteen Protectors.”
Although the Thirteen Protectors had long exceeded thirteen people in scale, Miaoji had deep affection for them and remembered the names and identities of each person clearly.
Li Genmiao was simply not among them.
However, getting this answer made Li Genmiao’s actions seem even more bizarre.
Since Li Genmiao had nothing to do with the New Xuanshan Sect, why insist on calling it the New Xuanshan Sect? Could it be simply to provoke his father?
Both of them pondered for a while, but without an answer, they had to let it go.
After using the outdoor toilet, their buttocks ached from the cold. At that moment, news came from Lan Qihuan that lunch was ready and everyone was urged to hurry over. The two hobbled along with the main group to Lan Qihuan’s small courtyard.