Chapter 348: Beginning in the Past, Returning to the Past

The storyteller glanced towards the outhouse and then at the front hall across the corridor, thinking that perhaps the previous client had gone to the front to listen to a story.

After weighing the substantial five-wen coin in his hand and stuffing it into his inner pocket, the storyteller straightened his clothes and returned to the teahouse hall with a smile.

“Oh, sir, you’re back.”

“Quickly, bring him a pot of fresh tea, and put the bill on my tab!”

“Okay!”

“What story will you be telling this time, sir?”

“Yes, tell something new!”

“Yeah, yeah, tell us something new and exciting.”

A group of tea drinkers, seeing the storyteller return, all began to tease him and urge him to tell a story.

In this society, listening to music, watching plays, and listening to stories were considered excellent forms of entertainment. Apart from these, ordinary people didn’t have many other forms of entertainment, except perhaps for couples having sex at night.

Therefore, as long as there was a storyteller of above-average skill in a teahouse, it would usually be very lively.

“Alright, alright, everyone, please be patient, I have a story to tell!”

The storyteller, holding a white paper fan, bowed to the crowd. He glanced left and right, but he couldn’t spot the memorable man in white.

However, at the entrance, an attractive older woman, supported by her servants, led two children into the teahouse. A tea server was treating them respectfully, which attracted the attention of passersby, but no one dared to overstep their bounds.

The storyteller picked up his teacup and took a sip to moisten his throat.

“Ahem… Since everyone wants to hear something new, I’ll tell you an old story from our Ji Province region. Not many people have told it these days, and the plot is relatively short, but it’s still quite exciting. If anyone travels to places like Ning’an and Baoshun, they might even find some of the people who experienced it firsthand still alive.”

Ji Yuan had always firmly believed that storytelling was an art. Every storyteller who could make a living by storytelling was no ordinary person.

For example, right now, the storyteller had already stirred up everyone’s emotions and curiosity with just a few words, without even beginning to tell the tale or even state what story he was speaking of.

“Oh, sir, please tell us quickly!”

“Yeah, so what story are you going to tell?”

“No rush, no rush, let’s begin!”

The storyteller swiftly unfolded his white paper fan, waved it in front of his chest, and began to speak in a clear and resonant voice.

“Several decades ago, on Niu Kui Mountain in Ji Province, incidents where ferocious tigers devoured the people of the province occurred frequently. In just a few years, countless people lost their lives to tigers. The people of several counties near the mountain lived in fear. Not even experienced hunters dared to easily venture up the mountain. It was truly a time when one would not cross the mountain after dark, nor enter the mountain in rainy weather…”

The tea drinkers nearby listened intently, but Luo Ningshuang, who had just sat down, suddenly froze and looked in the direction of the storyteller.

An older tea drinker nearby, who had heard the story before, lowered his voice and whispered to his companion.

“This is the story of the ‘The Nine Young Warriors,’ I haven’t heard it in years!”

“The Legend of the Nine Young Warriors?”

“Yes, you’ll understand once you listen; it’s a story from our local Ji Province.”

“Oh oh oh…”

Beside Luo Ningshuang, the two children were scrambling for tea and snacks while listening to the story. However, the two children were somewhat puzzled as they placed the tea and snacks they had grabbed by their empty seats, grinning smugly.

Luo Ningshuang, on the other hand, stared blankly at the storyteller. The latter would often wave his fan, strike the attention-stick, sometimes make gestures.

She rarely came to places like teahouses. Luo Ningshuang had heard this story before, but this was the first time in years that she had actually heard someone telling it in person.

The nine heroes in the story did not have names, and were instead referred to by surnames such as Yan, Zhao, Luo, and Du. The plot had been embellished and twisted countless times, including raising the total number of encounters with the vicious tiger to three.

“Haha…hahaha…we were all knocked down the moment we met…”

Luo Ningshuang chuckled softly, her eyes glistening slightly. Those past events gradually flooded back, and she looked at her delicate hands. The calluses from her years of martial arts training had long since disappeared; now she could say that she no longer had to lift a finger.

“I’ll leave my dream of the martial arts world to the children…”

Luo Ningshuang sighed and watching tenderly at the children scrambling for tea and snacks on the table.

A table away, Lu Shan Jun listened quietly to the storyteller’s tale with his eyes slightly closed, a smile involuntarily playing on his lips.

“This must be fate! Beginning in the past and returning to the past…”

At this point, Lu Shan Jun no longer hesitated, and stood up and walked to Luo Ningshuang’s table.

The two servants at the adjacent table stood up and looked at him warily, while Luo Ningshuang also looked at this refined gentleman with a hint of confusion.

“Sir, is there something you need?”

Lu Shan Jun smiled slightly and bowed respectfully to Luo Ningshuang.

“I was deeply impressed by your courage in taking action against the thief in the bustling marketplace despite being heavily pregnant. Moreover, you resemble an old friend of mine, so I came here to greet you!”

Upon hearing this, the two servants’ expressions softened, Luo Ningshuang smiled. The two children looked at the man with pride and great curiosity.

“Of course my mom is amazing! My uncle says she used to be even more amazing!”

“That’s right! When we grow up, I’ll travel the world with my brother. We’ll be powerful too, and become great heroes!”

Lu Shan Jun glanced at the two little kids, nodded, and said nothing.

He hadn’t intended to let Luo Ningshuang off the hook immediately, but after hearing the story in the teahouse and seeing the glimmer of tears in the woman’s eyes, he suddenly understood more about human nature.

“Oh? How did you know I was pregnant? You have a friend who looks like me? What’s her name? Can’t you find her?”

After resting for a while and regulating her breathing with her internal energy, Luo Ningshuang’s pregnancy stabilized, and she spoke with much more composure.

Lu Shan Jun straightened up.

“No, they are just an old acquaintance, not friends. In a sense, they are more like an enemy — no, rather, a debtor-creditor relationship, with me as the creditor!”

Luo Ningshuang was both amused and exasperated. She had thought it was a love story about a young man pursuing his crush, but it turned out to be a debt collection drama.

“As for that person’s name, it is the same as the woman mentioned in the storyteller’s tale, in that they are both surnamed Luo.”

These words stunned the Luo family members. What a coincidence! Luo Ningshuang even wondered if the person who looked like her and shared her surname was a cousin or perhaps a younger niece who had incurred debts.

“You only know the surname but not the full name? Tell me the name, maybe I’ll recognize it. If so, I can help you collect this debt.”

The debt was a small matter, but the reputation of Luoxia Villa was a big deal. Luo Ningshuang could not pretend she hadn’t heard these words.

Lu Shanjun smiled again, said nothing more, and turned to walk out of the teahouse.

“No need. I’ve just decided to settle this debt. From now on, let this Lady Luo live a peaceful life. Being a good wife and mother is fine, too. Who knows, she might even raise a chivalrous hero in the future.”

These words drifted over from afar, giving Luo Ningshuang a strange feeling. She sensed something was amiss, so she stood up and turned to look at the young man who had already left the teahouse and was walking away.

“Please wait, sir!”

Lu Shanjun paused, turned around and looked in the direction of the teahouse. He remained silent, simply gazing at Luo Ningshuang, and waited for her to speak.

“Sir, your words have a hidden meaning. May I ask your esteemed name? It would be best if you could also tell me the full name of that woman. If I encounter the lady-warrior Luo that you mentioned, I will relay today’s events to her.”

Lu Shan Jun raised a hand and rubbed his chin. His eyes flashed before he smiled. He then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Luo Ningshuang again.

“I am Lu Shan Jun.”

With that, Lu Shan Jun straightened from his bow, turned around, and left again, quickly disappearing into the crowd on the street.

Inside the teahouse, the storyteller’s tale was just reaching its climax: the nine heroes arrived in Ning’an County together, accepted the challenge, and headed up the mountain.

Upon hearing the name “Lu Shan Jun,” Luo Ningshuang felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her whole body jolted violently, and she stood frozen at the door for a long time, motionless.

“Lu Shan Jun… his name is Lu Shan Jun… is this a coincidence? No, it can’t be…”

The terrifying scene of facing the tiger spirit back then kept flashing through Luo Ningshuang’s mind, far clearer than her memory had previously been, and the wound on her shoulder throbbed with pain.

On Niu Kui Mountain, in front of the Mountain God Temple, a fierce tiger bowed and made a pact with the nine warriors. From inside the temple, someone spoke calmly.

“If in the future one of them does commit evil acts or brings chaos to the world, it will be up to you to bring them to justice. Whether you eat them or behead them, it will not violate the law of heaven….”

Mr. Ji’s voice echoed in her memory.

Over the years, everyone believed that it was just a temporary measure by Mr. Ji to help them escape. Little did they expect that the tiger spirit had now transformed into human form and descended the mountain to fulfill its promise…

Luo Ningshuang suddenly felt goosebumps rise all over her body, and a chill belatedly crept over her. The one who had just spoken to her and left was a terrifying tiger spirit that devoured people without even leaving any bones!

“Miss, what’s wrong? You look so pale!”

“Yes, miss, please don’t scare us!”

Seeing Luo Ningshuang’s pale face, the servants beside her panicked, thinking that her pregnancy was unstable.

“No, it’s nothing… I’m fine!”

Luo Ningshuang turned around and forced a smile at the two of them. She sat back down in her seat with her mind in turmoil. However, when she looked up, she found another person sitting opposite her, someone both familiar and a stranger.

This person was dressed in white, with a clean-shaven face. His features were handsome and clear, yet his age was indiscernible. A black jade hairpin held his hair up, but it still fell loosely at his temples, giving him a somewhat disheveled appearance.

The two servants were startled when they suddenly saw the sudden appearance of another person.

“And who are you?”

“Who told you to sit down?”

“Stand up!”

No one noticed that the two children’s expressions were rather strange. They looked at the two servants and then at Luo Ningshuang. One of them hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Mother, hasn’t this gentleman been sitting here the whole time? He even said he knows you…”

“Yeah, he’s been sitting here the whole time!”

He had been been sitting here the whole time?

Before anyone else could react, Ji Yuan spoke.

“Miss Luo, nearly twenty years have passed. How have you been? You don’t need to worry about what just happened. Being a good wife and mother is an excellent path, and it does not violate the ideal of chivalry. The promise you made back then is now in the past. Lu Shan Jun will not look for you again. Perhaps, this is the last time you will see each other in this life.”

Although Luo Ningshuang had been living in Desheng Prefecture, Ji Yuan hadn’t seen here again all these years. Perhaps, after today, he would never see her again.

“You… you are Mr. Ji?”

Luo Ningshuang finally remembered who it was and blurted it out.

Ji Yuan nodded and stood up.

“I am indeed Ji. As the saying goes, ‘all things have a beginning and an end.’ I was present when the contract was made, and I should be present when it is fulfilled. As Lu Shan Jun said, ‘beginning in the past, and returning to the past.’ Haha, take care, young warrior!”

After speaking, Ji Yuan bowed and left his seat, walking towards the exit of the teahouse. Luo Ningshuang, along with her servants and children, looked over only to see his robe gleaming dazzlingly white in the sunlight, before vanishing completely.

Luo Ningshuang stared blankly in the direction where Ji Yuan had disappeared. While relieved, she also felt a sense of profound emptiness.

T/n: forgot to say this earlier, but happy Hanukah to those who celebrate!