"A lone boat, a straw-cloaked old man, fishing alone in the cold river snow..."
In the main hall, in front of Li Jianye and Wang Kun, Zhuge Ming slowly recited the line relayed by Uncle Quan, his voice carrying a slight, imperceptible tremor. He held the painting "Lone Angler on a Cold River," the scroll half-open, revealing the vast river and a solitary boat. The brushwork was sharp, the mood desolate, and an air of lofty arrogance assailed the senses.
His gaze first fell on the painting, then turned to the jade box holding the "Blood Jade Ginseng" in the servant's hands. Finally, he looked up at the two men opposite him, their expressions varied, and forced a smile that was uglier than crying.
"This... this... Xuan'er, he... alas!"
He sighed heavily, looking both exasperated and heartbroken, as if disappointed in a son who wouldn't live up to expectations. He handed both the scroll and the jade box to the deacon beside him and said with deep sorrow, "This child, still so stubborn! His meridians are completely severed, it's beyond saving, yet he's still spouting nonsense like 'not worth mentioning'! Brother Li, this generous gift of yours... our Zhuge Clan is truly ashamed to accept it, ashamed to accept it!"
His performance was, one might say, masterful. It expressed his helplessness towards Zhuge Xuan's "ingratitude," indirectly confirmed the severity of his injuries and the ineffectiveness of medicine, and at the same time, expressed immense gratitude and shame for Li Jianye's gift, his posture extremely low.
Li Jianye still wore a gentle smile, but in the depths of his profound eyes, waves were churning.
What a Zhuge Xuan!
What a line, "fishing alone in the cold river snow"!
How could these be the stubborn words of a young man? This was clearly a declaration filled with pride and confidence!
A lone boat, a straw-cloaked old man. In this world of snow and wind, with the river frozen over, not only did he not feel the cold, but he was at ease, fishing alone. What he was fishing for was not just fish, but a state of mind that transcended the material world, a solitary pride that refused to associate with the secular.
And the line "A true man stands between heaven and earth and should rely on the 3-foot blade in his hand" was even more revealing of his sharp edge! This was him telling Li Jianye: the future of me, Zhuge Xuan, has never relied on external objects, only on the sword in my own hand!
The final line, "ask for a game of Go," was the finishing touch.
Everything today, from the Wang family's visit to humiliate them, to his Li family's visit to show goodwill, in Zhuge Xuan's eyes, was nothing more than a game of chess. And not only had he seen through the game, but he was also inviting him, Li Jianye, who fancied himself a player, to a proper game... after his injuries had healed!
This spirit, this courage, this insight...
For the first time, a doubt about the rumor that "Zhuge Xuan is crippled" arose in Li Jianye's heart.
A truly broken man, whose spirit was lost, could absolutely not say or think of such words. In these words, there was not a hint of blaming fate, not a trace of self-abandonment. There was only a confidence that bordered on contempt, as if the current setback was not even worth mentioning in his eyes.
Could it be... that his injuries could still be healed?
This thought flashed through Li Jianye's mind like a bolt of lightning, making his heart shudder.
If Zhuge Xuan was not crippled, then the nature of everything today changed completely. The Zhuge Clan's forbearance today was not cowardice, but a terrifying state of dormancy.
He looked again at Zhuge Ming's face, full of "sincerity" and "helplessness," and suddenly found it hard to see through. Was this Zhuge Clan putting on an act, or had they really reached a dead end?
As for Wang Kun at the side, his face was a mixture of sunny and overcast, changing like the sky in March.
Although he did not think as deeply as Li Jianye, he could also hear the arrogance in Zhuge Xuan's words. A guy he had personally crippled, instead of gratefully accepting the holy medicine for healing, was spouting such arrogant nonsense here. This was simply the greatest humiliation to him!
"Hmph! Such big words!" Wang Kun could no longer hold back. He sneered and said sarcastically, "With meridians severed, even an immortal would be hard-pressed to save him. Could it be that his body was injured, and his brain got muddled along with it? Still thinking of brandishing swords and asking for a game of Go? I think it's more practical to first learn how to use chopsticks to eat!"
These words were extremely harsh. Even Li Jianye felt they went a bit too far.
Hearing this, Zhuge Ming's face flushed "shua," he turned his head sharply and glared at Wang Kun like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shouting sternly, "Wang Kun! Don't you push it too far! No matter how bad Xuan'er is, he is still the qilin-child of my Zhuge Clan. How dare you humiliate him here at will!"
This sudden outburst stunned everyone.
Even Wang Kun himself was taken aback by the aura that erupted from him in that instant. He hadn't expected that Zhuge Ming, who had been obsequious and spineless from start to finish, would fall out with him on the spot over a single sentence from Zhuge Xuan.
A gleam of light flashed in Li Jianye's eyes. He watched the scene before him with great interest, the smile on his lips deepening.
Interesting, truly interesting.
The waters of this Zhuge Clan were much murkier... than he had imagined.
"I... I was just telling the truth!" Wang Kun came to his senses and said stubbornly with his neck stiff, "Don't tell me I was wrong?"
"You..." Zhuge Ming trembled with anger, pointing at Wang Kun, unable to speak for a long time. Finally, he flung his sleeve fiercely, turned to Li Jianye, and cupped his hands, "Brother Li, the house is in a mess today, and our hospitality has been poor. On another day, I will personally visit to apologize! Someone, see the guests out!"
He had actually issued an order to see off the people from both the Wang and Li families at the same time!
This was a sudden turn of events.
Wang Kun's face turned pale and then green. He hadn't expected that a single sentence from him would provoke such a fierce reaction. His mission today was to humiliate the Zhuge Clan, not to escalate the conflict or even push the Zhuge Clan to side with the Li family.
As for Li Jianye, he laughed heartily and stood up with the flow.
"Fifth Elder overstates it," he patted Zhuge Ming's shoulder and said earnestly, "I can understand your feelings. Nephew Xuan has always been proud. After suffering such a major setback, it is only human for his words and actions to be a bit extreme. As his elders, we should be more tolerant. Deacon Wang is also just straightforward and has no ill intentions. Don't take it to heart."
These words of his were again smoothing things over, not offending either side, and completely absolving himself.
Then, he turned to Wang Kun and said with a smile, "Deacon Wang, I think we should end today's matter here. The apology gift has been delivered, and the sentiment has been expressed. If we stay any longer, we will only make things difficult for the Fifth Elder. How about we take our leave now?"
Wang Kun was in a difficult position. Li Jianye had given him a way out, and he could only take it. He snorted coldly, said nothing, turned, and walked out the door.
Li Jianye then cupped his hands at Zhuge Ming again before following unhurriedly.
A confrontation fraught with undercurrents thus ended abruptly in a way no one had expected.
It wasn't until the carriages of both families had driven away from the street in front of the Zhuge estate that the heavy atmosphere in the hall eased slightly.
The young deacon who had been reprimanded by Zhuge Ming earlier stepped forward, a trace of satisfaction and admiration on his face, and said in a low voice, "Fifth Elder, you were... truly impressive just now!"
However, what answered him was Zhuge Ming suddenly turning around, his eyes icy and bone-chilling.
"Impressive?" he sneered, his voice terrifyingly low. "What do you know!"
The young deacon felt a chill in his heart from his gaze and stammered, not daring to speak further.
Zhuge Ming ignored him and strode to the deacon holding the scroll and jade box, snatching both items from him.
He looked at the "Lone Angler on a Cold River" in his hand, his expression extremely complicated. There was anger, there was fear, and there was also a trace of... terror that even he himself had not noticed.
"You've got guts, Zhuge Xuan..." he squeezed this sentence out from between his teeth. "You think the stage I set for you isn't high enough, and you want to add more fuel to the fire yourself?!"
He suddenly turned his head and asked Uncle Quan sternly, "Were those really the words Xuan'er asked you to relay? Not a single word was wrong?"
Uncle Quan still had that placid expression, as if looking into an old well. He bowed slightly and said, "Replying to the Fifth Elder, those were the Young Master's exact words. This subordinate did not dare to add or subtract a single word."
"Good... good... good!" Zhuge Ming said "good" three times in a row, the muscles on his face twitching with anger.
He violently threw the scroll and jade box in his hand towards the main seat at the back of the hall!
Bang!
The jade box shattered on impact. The priceless 1000-year-old "Blood Jade Ginseng" rolled onto the floor. The scroll also unfurled, spreading a desolate scene of a cold river in snow over the tiger-skin chair that symbolized the Clan Head's authority.
"Insolent child! Not worth scheming with!"
He left this furious sentence behind, and without another look at the dumbfounded crowd in the hall, he swept his sleeves and left. His retreating figure even carried a hint of wretchedness and panic.
The hall was deathly silent.
Everyone was frightened by the Fifth Elder's sudden thunderous rage. They couldn't understand why the Fifth Elder, who had just been standing up for Zhuge Xuan and arguing with Wang Kun, would fly into such a rage after the guests had left.
Only Uncle Quan, under his lowered eyelids, had an extremely subtle glint of light flash past.
He slowly stepped forward, bent down, and carefully picked up the "Blood Jade Ginseng" that was now stained with a bit of dust. He then solemnly rolled up the "Lone Angler on a Cold River."
He looked in the direction the Fifth Elder had left and thought silently to himself:
"Young Master, this second stone of yours... has landed with what can only be called... an earth-shattering impact."