Heaven-Collapsing Start [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The youth A-Heng had already become a regular guest at Ji Liang’s place. Except for not staying overnight, he was by Ji Liang’s side almost every moment.

Regarding this phenomenon, the Village Chief only stroked his chin and remained silent, which was a tacit approval. Moreover, now that A-Heng had begun practicing martial arts, staying by the teacher’s side was ultimately a good thing.

Thus, besides performing some chores for the teacher and finishing his schoolwork, he spent the rest of his time in the horse stance (Ma Bu).

Yes, the horse stance. The first step in practicing martial arts is to build a foundation. Even for someone with high talent, if the foundation is not solid, everything else is in vain.

After dinner, the youth would spontaneously go to the courtyard, crouch down, and stand firmly on the ground without moving. This situation had persisted for half a month.

At the beginning, sticking it out for fifteen minutes was already the youth’s limit. Now, he could stand steadily for two hours; perhaps it was also due to his constant practice of the internal mental cultivation method, but all in all, it was an excellent start.

A dim candlelight flickered inside the house as the sky began to darken. Ji Liang stepped out of the room. Just as the youth withdrew his stance and stood up without a single drop of sweat showing, Ji Liang’s hand suddenly rose, and an object flew from his palm toward the youth.

A-Heng, whose eyes lit up the moment he saw his teacher, didn’t even have time to speak before a shadow loomed over him. He hurriedly caught it and, looking closer, saw it was actually a wooden sword.

“Teacher!”

The youth’s face was full of pleasant surprise.

Ji Liang nodded slightly, looking at him calmly as he said, “You have been practicing for some time now. Today, I shall teach you sword techniques.”

They were merely the most ordinary chops, stabs, points, and parries. But seeing the youth’s excited and agitated appearance, it was clear he could hardly put it down. He practiced over and over with the wooden sword, his eyes remaining bright as if he knew no fatigue.

Ji Liang let him be, understanding the youth’s current state of mind, only offering occasional pointers on the side regarding the strength and posture of holding the sword.

It wasn’t until another hour had passed that Ji Liang made him stop. By this time, the youth was drenched in sweat and his muscles were aching, but his expression remained excited and bright, as if he could go on for several more hours.

“In all things, haste makes waste; you must proceed step by step.”

The youth’s excited mood finally began to settle. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, scratched the back of his head, and smiled quite bashfully.

“Yes, Teacher.”

The hour was late. A-Heng went inside to tidy up and carefully put away the wooden sword. After ensuring everything was in order, he intended to go out and inform his teacher before leaving for home.

However, just as his front foot crossed the threshold, he suddenly froze. His gaze stopped in the courtyard where, besides the tall, slender figure of his teacher in green robes, there was an extra person.

A strange face.

Gu Yun.

To him, Ji Liang was not a stranger; in the memories of the original body, Gu Yun occupied the majority of the frames.

He was not surprised that the other party had tracked him down; he had even prepared for it long ago. Therefore, when he saw the figure suddenly appearing in the courtyard and that extremely familiar face, he did not show any astonishment.

He only felt it a bit strange how the others had discovered him here. But no matter; this sort of situation wasn’t the first time it had happened in other lives.

“Big Brother…”

Words like a murmur drifted through the night sky, breaking the silence.

Ji Liang’s father, Ji Yan, had taken the other as an adopted son, and the original body was two years older than him, so it was only natural to call him that. Furthermore, long ago, before the rift occurred in their relationship, the other had called him that when they were as close as brothers. He never expected it to become a reality; fate truly makes sport for people.

Under the moon, Gu Yun looked at the figure opposite him in a daze. At such close range, it seemed as if even their breaths were clearly audible. It felt as though no moment had made him realize more clearly than now the fact that this person was still alive.

Still alive, standing vividly before him, within reach.

However, in the next moment, a voice as light as flowing water rang out in the silent night, snapping him back to reality instantly.

The tall figure in green spoke slowly, saying:

“I am not the person you know, nor am I your big brother.”

That calm gaze looked at him as if looking at a total stranger.

Gu Yun, of course, did not believe his words. He even thought the other was simply unwilling to acknowledge him. His lowered fingers couldn’t help but tighten slightly. His mind was in a whirl of chaotic thoughts, and a thousand words ultimately condensed into a single sentence:

“Big Brother, Foster Father misses you very much.”

“Miss,” of course he missed him. At the moment he learned of and saw the original body’s true face exposed, that emotion was one of fury, a desire to immediately purge the family. But eventually, with the death of the original body, that emotion settled and became a sense of loss, as if he had aged decades in an instant.

He likely couldn’t understand why the original body had grown into that sort of person, but now that everything had passed, all the “whys” seemed to become less important.

Father Ji’s missing of the original body was merely mourning the son he once had, the outstanding, god-favored son of the past.

Ji Liang laughed coldly in his heart. But just as mentioned at the very beginning, he was unwilling and had no desire to get involved in the original body’s affairs. Therefore, not even a trace of change occurred in his gaze.

“You have recognized the wrong person.”

“I will not be mistaken.”

The other party was equally stubborn, yet for some reason, he did not have the intention to strike.

“If you only wish to say these things, then please leave.”

Ultimately, Ji Liang issued an order for the guest to depart.

The night returned to silence, and a gentle breeze brought a hint of chill. The strange figure in the courtyard had quietly departed, leaving only the teacher standing peacefully under the moonlight, his robes fluttering. That thin silhouette looked as if it might drift away with the wind.

At the doorway, A-Heng hesitated for a moment before finally walking out slowly to his teacher’s side.

“Teacher, that person just now was…?”

He seemed to know the teacher, and he even called him “Big Brother”…

Just now, even though he didn’t intend to eavesdrop, intermittent voices had drifted over with the wind. This was likely the first time he had touched upon the teacher’s past. That stranger… Could he be the teacher’s brother?

At this moment, the youth was still thinking about surface-level questions and probably didn’t understand why the teacher would deny it. After all, looking at the certainty in that man’s manner, he didn’t seem to be lying.

After a long while, Ji Liang turned his head to glance at the youth, saying only:

“An irrelevant person.”

However, since the teacher was unwilling to acknowledge him, A-Heng would naturally stand on the teacher’s side, regardless of whether the other party had arrived with ill intent.

The youth thought for a moment and suddenly said, “Teacher, can I stay here for the night?”

He felt somewhat uneasy. Besides, the teacher’s health wasn’t good; it would be better to stay, wouldn’t it?

The youth’s concern and thoughts were plain and easy to see, so Ji Liang saw through them at a glance. But seeing as he had just started learning sword techniques today and his over-practiced muscles were likely still aching, and the hour was very late…

“Very well.”

He nodded slightly.

…

On the other side, on the main road three kilometers away from Pangxi Village, people had been waiting from noon until night. The sky was dotted with stars, yet there was still no sign of Alliance Leader Gu returning.

“Could it be that rebel?”

“Could Brother Li Xing have been mistaken?”

“Why hasn’t the Alliance Leader returned yet?”

At this point, only four people remained waiting on the spot. Initially, they had been discussing the issue of the traitor whether he was truly still alive but as time passed, they gradually fell into silence.

If it really was that traitor, and the Alliance Leader hadn’t returned after such a long wait, they truly had to consider the Leader’s safety and whether or not to disobey orders to go and investigate.

Fortunately, before they could lose their patience, a familiar figure suddenly appeared on the dark road. It was Alliance Leader Gu.

The four men hurried to meet him.

“Alliance Leader!”

The men hesitated, wanting to speak.

Gu Yun glanced at them. These few were brothers from the Martial Arts Alliance who had followed him since the death of the previous leader. They were dedicated and trustworthy brothers.

But at this moment, Gu Yun didn’t know how to speak. Even for him, even having seen it with his own eyes, he was still in a daze even now.

After a good while, he opened his mouth and said, “You all… go back first.”

“Alliance Leader! That traitor.”

The men suddenly grew anxious. They had waited half a day thinking Alliance Leader Gu would be able to give them a clear answer, but in the end, they didn’t even know if it was confirmed.

Gu Yun turned his head to look at them again, paused, and shook his head slightly, saying:

“I know your concerns, but… you should go back first.”

He paused again, then continued, “…In a few days, I will inform you.”

He raised his hand slightly; clearly, the matter was settled and not open for rebuttal.

“Alliance Leader, at least let me know if that traitor is still.”

The moon was high in the sky. Tonight’s moon seemed exceptionally round and bright, like a silver plate hanging in the night sky. The dark clouds were sparse, spilling down a sheet of crystalline brilliance.

The young figure, under their intense gaze, stood silhouetted in the moonlight.

After a long time, he nodded gently.

“Do not tell anyone about this for now.”

Then, he spoke again.