I just want to repair a flute [Martial Arts]

The old man walked slowly along the path beside the lotus pond in the middle of the garden, his hands behind his back. Yun Chuxiu followed him, unfolding the scroll with interest, pointing to a tea tree next to Xiao Donglou in the painting and saying, "Is this the Eighteenth Scholar?"

The old man said gently, "Yes, your master particularly liked this camellia because it would bloom beautiful purple flowers, which are very rare. It followed me from outside the Great Wall to Jiangnan, and it had been growing well and blooming every year. Unfortunately, one winter, for some reason, the tea tree died overnight. After that, I never planted this kind of flower again."

He seemed a little sad, perhaps because the flowers reminded him of his long separation from Xiao Donglou. Yun Chuxiu didn't feel anything, but comforted him, "It's okay, my master doesn't like flowers, he must have said that to cater to your hobbies, in fact, he can't tell the difference between camellia and peony!"

Old man: “…” There’s no need to say that.

"Yes, he has never been interested in growing flowers, he only likes playing chess." After a moment of silence, he asked. "After so many years, his hobbies haven't changed?"

"Not only has it not changed, it has become even worse. So don't look at me like this, I'm not bad at chess." Yun Chuxiu curled his lips. Now that he has accepted the reality, he speaks more directly. "Because before, he had many hobbies, but now, apart from playing chess, he only has traveling around. So, old man, did you make any promise with him back then?"

"How did you know?"

"I guessed it! Because, a lot of things happened back then. Do you know about the duel he had with someone?"

The old man exhaled slowly: "I know." He reached out and patted Yun Chuxiu's shoulder. "Back then, we each had to face the most terrifying enemy in our lives, and neither of us knew if we could survive, so before leaving, I wrote the first line of the poem on the painting."

——I was about to tell you the date of my return, but my face turned pale before I could say a word.

Hearing this, Yun Chuxiu paused, realizing that at the beginning, they were actually prepared to never see each other again. But it was obvious that the old man won the final victory. Perhaps, that was the battle that made him famous when he was young. It was because of his victory that the Sun family had the grand occasion today!
However, although he won, not every duel can get the desired result. This is the helplessness of the world. Although in Yun Chuxiu's memory, Xiao Donglou has always been confident and calm, as if no storm in the world can defeat him, but when he was first injured and disabled, what kind of complicated feelings did he have that prompted him to make an agreement with Jiuyou Hou to take in and teach the twins to complete their unfinished duel?

"...Master, he and his opponent fell off a cliff together, and all the bones in his back were broken." He gestured on the painting, from Xiao Donglou's chest to his waist. The straight back like a green pine tree no longer exists. "Although he was saved by the help of a master, he has been unable to move freely since then."

"..." The old man was silent for a long time before he asked in a deep voice, "His enemy is not dead either?"

"Yes. In the past, they would meet every year to see if the other was dead, but then something happened and they refused to meet again. It has been almost ten years now." Yun Chuxiu said. "He is a weird old man, always gloomy and scary! However, I have never dealt with him, but I heard from my senior brother that although he is arrogant, he respects the master very much."

"Oh, an undecided enemy is like a stone pressing on my heart. I can't let it go, I can't forget it. How can I not take it seriously?" The old man smiled coldly. As he said this, his heart, which seemed as calm as a stone sculpture, suddenly cracked into clear cracks, just like a strong wind blowing across a calm lake, suddenly rolling up waves to hit the shore.

Yun Chuxiu looked at him curiously, and he felt relieved, and his heart became more confident. He said with some intimacy: "But perhaps, it was because of his presence that my master's fighting spirit was aroused. He refused to admit defeat, and naturally could not die before Dizang, so he could hold on until now!"

After all, a person's will can often affect his physical condition. A person like Xiao Donglou can still enjoy his life freely, which is what Yun Chuxiu admires most about his master.

The old man thought for a moment, then turned his head and asked him, "So, you are learning medicine to cure his illness?"

"Of course, but I really can't find a way to open up a person's back and replace all the bones." Yun Chuxiu said helplessly. "Not to mention that they are not complete bones, but broken bones. A single move can affect the entire body. How can a person survive until the bone replacement is completed... If there is a slight chance, I will try it. Unfortunately, I don't have even the slightest confidence."

He sighed. The old man said softly, "Do you remember what I said just now? People like us have nothing else to worry about except life and death. Your master's affairs are not your responsibility. If you can cure him, it is naturally a good thing. If you can't, it's no big deal. I know he will not regret it."

Yun Chuxiu said: "My master always said that at least I don't have any problem. But I can't just pretend that his and my senior brother's illnesses don't exist!"

Therefore, although he was not very passionate about martial arts, he was still quite willing to study medical books.

When he said this, the old man was silent for a long time, and then he slowly said: "Speaking of which, I still owe you an unfulfilled promise."

"Ah?" Yun Chuxiu was stunned for a moment before he remembered that they had an agreement that as long as he helped Lu Xiangchuan, the old man would send him away from Yuan Suiyun. However, although not much time had passed, for him, it seemed like a very long time ago.

"Wow, if you hadn't told me, I would have forgotten about it." Yun Chuxiu shrugged and replied calmly. "But I'm not going to leave without saying goodbye now."

"Oh?" "Because Lao Yuan is not like you, who just wrote two lines of poetry on the painting and left. If I dare to sneak away, this matter will definitely not end. If he wants to do something, it will be too terrible." Yun Chuxiu said casually. "But I roughly know what he is thinking, and I will talk to him properly."

The old man shook his head: "Do you really believe that he will let you go back?"

"Who knows? It depends on whether he has confidence. Even a bird that has flown out of a cage will voluntarily come back for him. But you know Lao Yuan. He lacks confidence, no matter what." Yun Chuxiu thought about it and felt that his answer was not very friendly to his master, so he quickly added, "I think that Master must not want you to see him like this, so he didn't come back!"

The old man stared at him for a long time in silence before he slowly said, "Haven't you ever thought that maybe he just can't return from where he came from?"

Yun Chuxiu shook his head: "Why do you think so? After all, I'm standing right here!"

The old man said, "Didn't you notice? I noticed it when I knew you were using the Snow Condensation Technique. Clouds leave the mountains without any intention, and birds fly back home when they are tired... Child, why is your name derived from the poem "Returning Home"?"

Yun Chuxiu: "..."

Yun Chuxiu felt unwell.

*
"Why is it "Returning Home?"

Yuan Suiyun put down the book in his hand and looked at his bedside. Yun Chuxiu was kneeling beside the bed, holding his chin with both hands, his eyes wide open, as if he was still in shock. "Don't you even know why your master gave you this name?"

"I always thought that my name was just after my senior brother!" Yun Chuxiu scratched his hair and said to him. "His name is Yun Wuxin, so I am naturally called Yun Chuxiu. Anyway, after my master picked me up, he didn't plan to let me use my original name - but they do call me by my nickname, A Tu."

"A Tu?" It was the first time that Yuan Suiyun heard him mention his nickname, and he couldn't help but lift his chin with his hand. "So you are a little tiger."

If it were any other time, Yun Chuxiu would have pretended to be a tiger and pounced on him to play a joke, but he really wasn't in the mood at the moment, so he just nodded randomly: "My mother gave it to me, hoping that I would grow stronger. Master thinks her kindness can bless me, so she barks occasionally."

"A Tu..." Yuan Suiyun asked him softly. "Then why is your senior brother called Yun Wuxin?"

"Because, when my master picked him up, he also fell off the cliff. I don't know if he slipped or something, but luckily he hung on a pine tree by the cliff and saved his life." Yun Chuxiu said. "My master himself suffered because of this, so he was moved and picked him up. Who knew that when he woke up, he didn't remember anything about the past, so my master had to give him a name now."

Because he has forgotten his past, he is "heartless". On the other hand, he was born with a heart disease, which is also an incurable disease. Yun Chuxiu always feels that Xiao Donglou's naming is also a reminder for himself to always be prepared to send off the young.

As for Meng Chen, who entered the sect before them, he and his brother Meng Jiao already had names, and unlike him, they did not need to leave their past behind, so naturally there was no need for the masters to do anything unnecessary.

He leaned over and lay on Yuan Suiyun's legs to analyze the situation with him, and he also felt that it made sense. Yuan Suiyun was more direct: "Whether it was you who said it or the old man, it's actually just your own understanding. Maybe the truth of the matter is not that complicated at all. It's just that your master was watching Return to the Past those few days."

Yun Chuxiu was choked by him, and after thinking about it, he did not rule out this possibility. He tilted his head and said, "So, if I want to know the answer, I can only go back to find my master?"

"Hmm?" Yuan Suiyun was very sensitive to other people's wishes. He understood the deep meaning of his words almost instantly and narrowed his eyes slowly. "You mean... you want to go back?"

"I've been away from home for a long time. I was angry at first, but so many things have happened during this period, and I've calmed down a long time ago." Yun Chuxiu grabbed his hand and said seriously. "Lao Yuan, let's have a discussion!"

"Mr. Yun, you have to pay a price to talk business with me." Yuan Suiyun smiled, but he didn't pull his hand out of his. Yun Chuxiu quickly struck while the iron was hot and said, "Then, come back with me! I've already accompanied you back here, it's only natural for you to go back with me to see the master!"

(End of this chapter)