The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

"Big brother, you don't look well. Are you... injured?"

A clear, caring voice rang in my ears.

"It's alright." Shen An raised his head and met her clear, bottomless eyes. Looking at her soft, delicate face, he smoothly followed up on her words, saying, "It's probably because you used up a lot of energy while practicing. You'll be fine after a rest."

"Oh..." Qu Feiyan nodded, feigning ignorance, but was interrupted by Shen An's words just as she was about to say something more:

"More worrying than that is your grandfather, isn't it? You're wandering around here all by yourself. He must be very anxious when he finds you're lost, right?"

Shen An just wanted to get rid of this little rascal as soon as possible, fearing that if he delayed any longer, the Black Blood Divine Needle would be smeared on his face. Besides, even if Qu Yang wasn't so impulsive, after careful questioning, he wouldn't be able to explain his identity as a disciple of Songshan.

"Oh, it's alright." She waved her little hand dismissively, puffed out her chest confidently, and patted the barren plain lightly, her face full of confidence. "When Grandpa and I used to go out, we often went our separate ways. I would pick some wild vegetables and mushrooms by myself, as long as we met up in the end."

As she said this, she winked slyly, thinking to herself: Grandpa won't be able to play with Uncle Liu for a long time. This guy is really interesting; she doesn't intend to let him go so soon.

"Watch your acting..." Shen An sighed helplessly. Just now, she was acting like a timid, fearful village girl perfectly fine, but now her persona has completely collapsed into a quirky and mischievous character. However, he couldn't expose her, so he could only continue acting along with her.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Shen An knew that she probably didn't want to let her go. The more she tried to get rid of her, the more determined she became.

Since that's the case, he might as well try to get on her good side first. This way, the sect's mission would have more room for maneuver, and he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally letting Qu Yang poison him to death with one needle one day. Besides... he also wanted to save her.

With this thought in mind, Shen An took the initiative to start a conversation:

"To be honest, I don't know how to address you yet. My name is Shen An, An meaning safety."

He had no intention of hiding something that could be easily investigated.

"Ah? I... I'm called Ruoyun, Yang Ruoyun." The girl didn't expect him to ask directly, but her dark eyes darted around and she quickly came up with a pseudonym.

Ruoyun, Feiyan, Yang from Quyang, right... Shen An instantly understood the origin of this name and confirmed his guess.

However, he didn't show it on his face, but casually praised, "Ruoyun, what a good name, as free and unrestrained as a cloud."

Qu Feiyan's eyes lit up. She disliked those cumbersome rules and regulations the most, but she didn't expect that the name she made up on the spot would fit her mood. Her liking for Shen An increased even more.

"Hehe, I hope it's as you say." She smiled, her eyes narrowing slightly, then steered the conversation back on track, asking curiously, "Then I'll call you Brother Shen. Brother Shen, which sect are you from? The heroes I've met in Hengyang City don't seem to have as much presence as you."

The real drama is about to begin; as expected, she wanted to find out his background. Shen An's heart skipped a beat, but he had already prepared a countermeasure.

"You can't compare them like that." Shen An smiled lightly and continued, "Most of the heroes in Hengyang City are from the Hengshan Sect. Their swordsmanship is light, graceful, and unpredictable, and they don't care much about power. I'm from the Songshan Sect, and I just happen to specialize in that aspect."

"Mount Song?" Qu Feiyan murmured the name, tilting her head, her small head filled with great confusion.

She had naturally heard of the Songshan Sect. The current leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, Zuo Lengchan, was ambitious and had been making frequent moves in the martial arts world in recent years, causing great trouble for the Divine Sect.

Can……

She looked Shen An up and down, and something just didn't seem right to her.

There's plenty of information about the Songshan Sect within the sect. It's said that Songshan disciples are all domineering and arrogant, and they're always at the forefront of the conflict with the Divine Sect, practically sworn enemies. This Brother Shen in front of me, while his swordsmanship is fierce, has a gentle demeanor, speaks wittily, and even agrees that "there are good people in the Demonic Sect." The difference in their personalities is just too stark!

"It's strange, isn't it? I'm here even though Mount Song is so far away." Shen An saw through her confusion at a glance, but he just said that as if he thought she was confused because of the distance.

"Uh-huh."

Qu Feiyan nodded vigorously, her chubby cheeks trembling. Shen An restrained the urge to pinch them and then explained, "Our Songshan Bailianfang has opened here. My master sent me here to take a look and exchange ideas with my fellow disciples from the Hengshan Sect."

"Oh... then why is Brother Shen practicing his sword outside the city so early in the morning?"

Hey, this little girl isn't stupid, she even knows to ask this.

Shen An gave a wry smile at the opportune moment and laid out the reason he had prepared beforehand: "I have some new ideas about swordsmanship and want to improve it to suit myself better. However, our Songshan Sect values ​​rules the most, and it would be inappropriate for someone with my meager skills to make a big fuss about improving the swordsmanship passed down by my master in the brothel. Besides, I did make a mess of it at first, and if my fellow disciples saw it, they would probably laugh at me."

"Pfft—"

Qu Feiyan couldn't help but laugh out loud at the boy's helpless shrug. She found Brother Shen in front of her to be incredibly amusing. He was clearly a martial arts prodigy, doing something that would shock the entire sect and even the martial arts world, yet he was worried about such trivial matters as being laughed at. This contrast was simply adorable.

"Oh, I see!" She smiled, her eyes crinkling like crescent moons. "Don't worry, Brother Shen! I'm very tight-lipped! I won't tell anyone~"

This is a lie.

I reckon she'll tell Grandpa as soon as she gets back.

Upon hearing this, Shen An returned a gentle smile. He was about to say something when he saw Qu Feiyan's gaze fall on the broken tree again, and the smile on her face gradually faded.

She hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, almost in a whisper, "Brother Shen... do you really think... there are good people in the Demonic Sect?"

The question seemed a bit abrupt, and Shen An was taken aback. The little girl in front of him seemed to have a particular obsession with this.

"Didn't I just ask that? Why are you asking again?" Shen An asked gently, guiding her to continue.

"I...I heard the old folks in the village telling stories," Qu Feiyan said, twisting the hem of her clothes, her head bowed, her voice soft. "They said there are many bad people in the martial arts world, and the higher one's martial arts skills, the worse they are. They also said...they also said that those members of the Demonic Sect are all monsters with blue faces and fangs, who will kidnap children and eat them..."

By the end, her voice was even trembling slightly.

Shen An's heart was gently touched by these words. Looking at the little girl in front of him who was pretending to be strong and using innocence to cover up her inner feelings, he knew that she was actually still very concerned about her background in the Sun Moon Cult.

He didn't answer directly, but instead sat down cross-legged and patted the grass beside him.

Qu Feiyan obediently sat down beside him.

"Ruoyun, do you think there's a difference between good and bad crops in the fields?" Shen An suddenly asked an unrelated question.

"Huh?" Qu Feiyan was taken aback by the question, but still answered honestly, "Of course there are. Those who are taken care of well will grow up well; those who are not taken care of properly will grow up crookedly."

"What about the hoe?" Shen An asked again.

"A hoe is just a hoe; there's no such thing as a good or bad one."

Shen An smiled, looking at her with clear and earnest eyes: "You're absolutely right. Martial arts are like that hoe; they're neither good nor bad in themselves. Using it to till the land and grow crops is good; using it to hurt people is bad. Therefore, a person's character shouldn't be judged by whether they know how to use a hoe, nor by which hoe they use..."

He paused deliberately, his tone softening further: "Then we should see whether he uses his strength to grow crops or to harm others."

Qu Feiyan listened in a daze, she had never heard such a novel yet incredibly apt metaphor before. Her heart, which had been suppressed for so long by her identity as a member of the "Demon Sect," seemed to be pierced by a ray of sunshine through these simple words.

She couldn't help but grasp the key point in Shen An's words, and asked in a hopeful, trembling voice, "Then... even if he's a member of the Demonic Sect... as long as he... he hasn't used martial arts to harm others, can he... be considered a good person?"

When she asked the question, she was so nervous that she almost forgot to breathe. Her big, watery eyes were fixed on Shen An, as if his answer would determine the color of her entire world.

Shen An instantly gleaned a great deal from her overly nervous expression. He understood, but his face remained impassive; he simply nodded solemnly, giving an unequivocal answer:

"certainly."

"There are hypocrites in the righteous sects, and there are also heroes with true feelings in the demonic sects. Whether a person is good or bad should never be determined by where he belongs, but by his actions."

In the distance, on a treetop, a handsome young man put down the needle he was holding.