Chapter 16#

The sudden fall of the lapel clearly revealed the interaction between that hand and the touch of crimson to anyone watching. The young man seemed unaware, only biting his lip tightly, moaning hoarsely, clamping his legs together, then relaxing them again, unconsciously twisting his waist. His jet-black long hair and the half-removed ceremonial robe stuck to his body after being sticky with sweat, like a half-shed chrysalis wrapping a young butterfly being reborn naked in desire.

The young man’s face twisted slightly, seeming to moan in pain: “Nng, Father, nng, hng… Father—” He screamed loudly, slowly collapsing onto the bed, hot liquid overflowing his palm. His mind went blank, a numbing and soft sense of weakness surrounded him thoroughly. He panted lightly, seeming to still savor the last trace of the aftertaste. Then, immediately after, a slap mercilessly struck his face. He opened his eyes in astonishment, his pupils, still unable to focus, reflecting the person he had joined in the clouds and rain within that spring dream.

Hua Jinian was still somewhat dazed. He called out softly: “Father?” A crisp sound, another fierce slap landed on the other cheek. Hua Jinian finally reacted. That little bit of drunkenness vanished without a trace at this moment, leaving only bone-chilling fear and despair. The young man trembled, wanting to shrink into the bedding, but the man forcefully pulled the bedding away, ignoring the young man’s struggle of dying from shame and desperate resistance. He threw the bedding aside with great force, then looked coldly with disgust and rage at the young man’s hand still lingering in his pants, and the silk pants already soaked at one corner.

He raged: “You are actually my son, I actually have a son like you! Good-for-nothing fellow!” Hua Jinian trembled incessantly, tears flowing down his cheeks without obstruction. That hand still lingered at his crotch. The young man wanted to pull his hand out in shame, but thinking of the still warm body fluid on his hand, he finally gave up and could only curl himself up in vain. He saw it, the young man thought fearfully, his ugly and shameful appearance was seen by that person. Under the man’s angry, contemptuous, and disgusted gaze, the young man felt like he had gone through a hundred lifetimes, yet couldn’t say a single word.

The man sneered, as if collecting evidence, and pulled the young man’s trembling hand out of his pants. Milky white liquid slid down from the fingertips drop by drop onto the young man’s half-undone clothes. At this strange moment, the father and son looked at each other indifferently with their own thoughts. Hua Jinian’s sobbing voice gradually increased. He trembled and moved towards the inside of the bed—he knew the training of how to deal with men’s difficulties, how to face men’s mocking tones, how to play the role of a son who had never been presentable in front of men. Occasionally he could play dumb, occasionally complain, occasionally be respectful—the man would always give him a bit of extra… room to act crazy and stupid. Occasionally calling him father unwillingly, then feeling the weight of the man’s hand on his shoulder.

That crazy night was a secret hidden in the young man’s heart. It scarred over after revenge, only to be secretly recalled with ambiguous and hard-to-understand anger. He never thought of letting this filthy night surface, even if this hidden secret was gently blown by a trace of admiration in his green years, it began to deteriorate and sprout silently. But he didn’t expect that fate’s gift to him was always more undisguised… The evil poisonous fruit born from the soil of this admiration, which even the young man himself dared not examine, was glimpsed by the man, stained with the most frivolous desire, stripped from the chest, and exposed to others.

Hua Jinian trembled and swore that he would not touch a drop of alcohol in the flying years to come.

The man glared at him, then fiercely threw off that hand, telling the women he brought to relieve the young man’s fire to get out of the pavilion—just because of this slightly mocking kindness, he was rarely surprised once. Hua Qianjue put his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth amidst the young man’s sobbing, then suddenly stopped, kicked over the sandalwood chair, and roared at the young man: “I am thoroughly disappointed in you! Get out, take your things and get out tomorrow morning!”

Hua Jinian seemed to be suddenly awakened from the bottom of despair, crying and shouting: “No, Father, Father, I know I was wrong, Jinian won’t dare anymore… Jinian was just a little drunk!” Hua Qianjue sneered: “You are not young anymore. I actually had the idea of letting you go out to gain experience long ago. I originally planned to teach you kung fu for a few days first… I didn’t expect you to be so capable. Then, why not let you go out of the fortress to see the world right now?”

Hua Jinian looked at the man blankly, suddenly stumbled off the bed, knelt at the man’s feet, kowtowed until he bled, and cried: “I beg you, Father, I was wrong, Jinian knows he was wrong, Jinian will never dare again… I haven’t learned kung fu well yet, I still want to learn skills from Father, you said you would give me this opportunity…”

Hua Qianjue scolded grimly: “Stand up! Look at you! I said I gave birth to a son!—” He put his hands behind his back, his sword eyebrows inverted, his angry eyes staring round, seeming to want to slap him a few more times, but gritted his teeth and endured it, flicking his sleeves to leave. Hua Jinian walked on his knees, suddenly hugged Hua Qianjue’s waist tightly from behind, tears instantly wetting the man’s belt. The young man kept sobbing, tears streaming down his face, crying: “Father, don’t… don’t you abandon me too, Sister Tianxiang doesn’t want me anymore, they don’t want me either, Father don’t… don’t be angry with Jinian, Jinian knows he was wrong… Jinian…”

Hua Qianjue reached out to pull the young man’s hands away, but accidentally touched the warm liquid in that palm. Not knowing if it was anger or rage, he channeled his internal energy and bounced the young man five or six steps away. Hua Jinian felt a breath blocked in his chest, internal energy scattering uncontrollably from his sea of qi to his limbs and bones, meridians flowing in reverse, gradually showing signs of qi deviation. He looked at the man and let out a hoarse mournful cry, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and fell limply to the ground.

Hearing the sound, Hua Qianjue looked back in astonishment. After being resentful for a long time, he still gritted his teeth and picked the young man up, placing him on the bed as gently as possible. With his back to the young man, full of anger, thousands of unbearable scoldings and curses, in the end, he only squeezed out a low sentence from between his teeth: “What exactly are you thinking? Don’t you hate me looking down on you the most? Is it me who is despising you, or are you despising yourself! What exactly are you—”

The young man sobbed, staring at him with wide eyes, crying and admitting his mistake: “Father, Jinian really won’t dare anymore. Don’t drive me away. As long as Father doesn’t drive me away in this world, I will…”

Hua Qianjue looked at him for a while, still shook his head, his cold face covered with frost, and said in a low angry voice: “Do you really think you are still young? Do you know what I did at your age! Can’t you see that following me, you will never grow up.”

Hua Jinian was stunned there, his crying actually choked in his throat. The man’s few words sobered him up a lot. At this moment, he only felt full of shame and resentment. The young man lowered his head and panted for a long time, suddenly laughing low: “Okay, I’ll go. I’ve begged, I’ve knelt. Could it be that I really have to shamelessly cling to you?”

He laughed nonchalantly and carelessly began to organize his clothes, not caring about his exposed skin. Hua Qianjue slapped him again with a backhand, only the force was obviously much lighter. He looked at the young man’s face raised in disbelief and scolded grimly: “Don’t put on this look of willing self-debasement!”

Tears burst out of the young man’s eyes, followed by a sudden rise of anger as swift as thunder. He laughed with a twisted face: “Why do you control me? What right do you have to control me! Before you ignored me completely, now you just hit me—” He rushed forward, pushing the man hard, trying to push him out the door, shouting loudly: “Didn’t you want me to get out tomorrow? This is still my territory now, you go, I don’t want to see you—”

When the man was pushed by him, a trace of faint pity flashed in his eyes. Immediately after, he reached out his hand, gently brushing over the young man’s sleeping acupoint. Looking at the young man who suddenly fell quietly into his arms, he laughed self-mockingly: “I just brought a few girls over to relieve your fire—who knew we would quarrel again. What a fool, I did it all for your own good.”

Another figure in wedding clothes flashed by the door of Zhaohua Pavilion. Hua Qianjue didn’t look back, just tilted his head to examine the delicate tear-stained face of the young man in his arms, and asked in a low voice: “Why are you here?”

Tianxiang, or perhaps she should be called Cui’er, stood obliquely by the door, her face covered with ruined makeup washed by tears. She smiled softly and charmingly: “Why can’t I come? Although the Fortress Master… Husband said I was drunk, Cui’er was not drunk at all. Since Husband can make up a reason at will during the wedding night to come out and wander for pleasure, why can’t Cui’er come to this Zhaohua Pavilion?”

Hua Qianjue sneered: “I only came to care for him because I saw him drinking excessively! Isn’t it because of you that this son of mine has been spoiled to the point where he can’t withstand a little wind and rain, crying at every turn! You still have the face to come?”

Cui’er said sorrowfully: “I don’t care. No matter what mistake he made, he is still a child. How can he face the dangers of the Jianghu alone…”

Hua Qianjue looked at her askance and said word by word: “The Jianghu is a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den, full of blood and wind. I naturally know all this. Since we are people of the Jianghu, it is hard to let go of Jianghu affairs. He should have been exposed to these things. Moreover, I asked him if he was willing to give up martial arts and concentrate on enjoying the luxury of this Futu Fortress and managing this eternal prosperity—it was he himself who said he wanted to become a master. Since he made a wish in front of me, I will give him the experience and opportunity to practice martial arts! I will teach him strictly and properly on this path, without any favoritism! I will pour my heart and soul into teaching a true master!”

Cui’er said loudly: “You… but this child must have regretted it already. Just pretend you didn’t hear it at the beginning, treat him in an ordinary way. As long as you talk to him nicely and accompany him to visit famous mountains and rivers, he will definitely… After all, his martial arts practice… is just hoping to be closer to you.”

Hua Qianjue frowned and said: “Who hasn’t said dejected words about regretting and wanting to give up? How can those count? Although I still can’t figure out why he becomes so wishy-washy when he sees me, since I am his father, I naturally have to spur him on from the side, tell him how to be independent, urge him to grow, tell him he can’t rely on anyone, can’t rely on me, and even more so can’t rely on you—”

Cui’er sighed repeatedly before laughing as if crying: “I know, of course I know. You only thought of marrying me when you saw him relying on me a bit at the mountainside. But didn’t you say… you don’t understand how to be a good father? How come you suddenly realized it now?”

Hua Qianjue remained silent for a long time before answering coldly: “Whether I understand or not, didn’t you and Hongyi know long ago? It’s just that Geng Yong happened to say…”

—“At home, this humble subordinate often reunites with my son, and… and doesn’t do much, just teaches him martial arts, tells him the ways of being a human. If anyone bullies my son, no matter who the comer is, I will stand up for him. Occasionally I also drink wine with him, chatting about annoying things from all over the world…”

How to play a part of fatherly kindness and filial piety worried a hero who commanded the wind and clouds. Thus, when the young man fought for life and death, he both stood by and watched, yet stepped forward to protect; when the young man drank a thousand cups, he both watched coldly, yet followed with worry; when the young man leaned drunk on the treetop, he both ridiculed heartlessly, yet leaped up shaking his clothes—

Who can distinguish in this, how much is fickleness, how much is heartlessness? One is in the game, one is reticent. Both poured out their only mental efforts, wanting to teach him independence, yet wanting to protect his safety, but what they got in return was increasing indifference and alienation. Flowers bloom silently, which one doesn’t wither quietly? Who will understand their full bloom that is never spoken of in front of others—

Hua Qianjue shook his head and said softly: “My method of spurring him to become a master may be severe, the ways of being a human I teach him may be harsh, but I indeed want to lead him onto a broad and bright road, unwilling to watch him go more and more astray. I… indeed want what’s best for him.”

The tear stains on the young man in his arms were distinct. Hua Qianjue thought for a moment, untied the Futu Token from his waist, took out a thumb-sized jasper porcelain bottle, and stuffed them all into the young man’s bosom. He comforted in a low voice: “If you want to be a master, you must take a trip in the Jianghu. Even if I am heartless… you are my only son.”