Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 54 Good Brother

Jiang Mingzhe feigned surprise: "I was wondering why you were standing on this cliff face, neither high nor low. So there's a cave entrance here?"

Duan Yu nodded repeatedly and reached out to hold onto the cliff face: "Brother, turn over and slowly lower your legs, then step down onto my shoulders."

Although Jiang Mingzhe did not know lightness skill, he possessed internal strength and was naturally agile. He originally wanted Duan Yu to step aside and jumped down directly, but then he thought: If I don't help him, how can I get involved in a favor?

He nodded gratefully, saying, "Good brother, thank you for your trouble."

Sure enough, he turned over, facing the cliff and with his back to the river, and slowly lowered himself down, stepping on Duan Yu's head with his first foot.

Duan Yu was a really good person. He was afraid that if he moved, Jiang Mingzhe would fall off the cliff. He held his breath and strained his neck, his face turning red.

Jiang Mingzhe stepped on Duan Yu's shoulder, and after Duan Yu regained his balance, he slowly squatted down. Only then did Jiang Mingzhe get off him, brushing off his hat and the footprints on his shoulder, and said affectionately, "Good brother, are you tired?"

Duan Yu, fearing that Jiang Mingzhe would feel guilty, patted his chest twice and said, "Don't worry, brother. My body is stronger than an ox. You could stand on my head for a whole day and I wouldn't get tired."

At this moment, Jiang Mingzhe could see clearly that there was indeed a stone cave on the cliff. It didn't look very big, just big enough to fit a person.

Seeing him looking at the cave, Duan Yu, like a child bringing a friend home for the first time, volunteered, "Big brother, don't underestimate this small cave; it's actually quite amazing inside. Come with me, and be careful not to bump your head..."

As he spoke, he crawled into the hole, waving to Jiang Mingzhe to follow.

Jiang Mingzhe followed him into the cave, where he saw narrow stone steps leading downwards, stretching as far as the eye could see. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother, the jade statue you've fallen for must truly be a fairy in disguise. How could an ordinary person have carved out such a passage!"

Duan Yu was overjoyed to hear this and said, "Brother, don't be in such a hurry to marvel. The scenery below is even more amazing. Let's hurry up."

The two descended the steps, walking more than two hundred steps. The sound of the river outside gradually faded away, and the cave was now completely dark.

Duan Yu said with concern, "Brother, please be careful where you step. Let me hold your hand."

After saying that, he reached out and took Jiang Mingzhe's hand.

Jiang Mingzhe hadn't held a man's hand since graduating from kindergarten, and instinctively wanted to pull away, but Duan Yu meant well and, being innocent by nature, he thought for a moment and held back.

However, Duan Yu only walked this road once, so how could he be considered familiar with it?
Moreover, when he came up, he was holding a candle he had found in the blessed land. Now the candle had long since burned out, and he could only grope his way down in the dark. After only a few steps, he lost his footing and tumbled down the slope with a scream.

Jiang Mingzhe suddenly felt a weight on his hand, and subconsciously gathered his inner strength to grab Duan Yu.

Duan Yu took the opportunity to stand up, his heart pounding for a moment. He said with lingering fear, "Amitabha, this is truly a case of good deeds being rewarded. I only pulled you up because I was afraid you would fall, but I didn't expect to be saved because of it."

After this incident, he dared not let go even more, holding Jiang Mingzhe's hand tightly. His hands were sweating from nervousness, which made Jiang Mingzhe feel disgusted. However, seeing Duan Yu's kindness and innocence, he forced himself to endure it.

After turning three corners and climbing more than a hundred steps, the two suddenly saw a passage leading up to an unknown destination, with a stone chamber at the far end. The light was coming from inside the chamber, and the stone steps they had come up from were next to it.

Before Jiang Mingzhe could get a good look at his surroundings, Duan Yu hurriedly pulled him into the stone chamber. In the center of the chamber stood a life-sized white jade statue, exquisitely beautiful, holding a long sword with the blade pointing forward. Even though Jiang Mingzhe was prepared, he was still startled.

He then called out, "Someone's here!"

Pulling Duan Yu back, Duan Yu held on tightly, laughing heartily, "You scared me, didn't you, brother? Haha, I was startled when I first arrived too. Look, brother, this isn't a jade statue, it's clearly a living person!"

Jiang Mingzhe had previously thought it was an exaggeration that Duan Yu mistook the statue for a living person when he saw this scene. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, he understood why Duan Yu was so surprised. The jade of the statue was exquisite, with a faint blush, just like the skin of a beautiful woman. It wore a pale yellow robe, and its eyes were carved from black gemstones, their light shimmering as if it were scrutinizing anyone who came near. Its hair was made from real hair, loosely tied into a bun, and adorned with a jade bracelet inlaid with two large, bright pearls. Anyone who saw it for the first time would surely mistake it for a living person.

Duan Yu said smugly, "Big brother, this is my fairy sister. Fairy sister, this is my eldest brother, his name is Jiang Mingzhe, the 'Mingzhe' in 'Mingzhe protects himself,' big brother, am I right?"

Seeing him earnestly introducing himself to the statue, Jiang Mingzhe was speechless and laughed, "That's right, those are the two words."

Duan Yu shook his head and said, "The Book of Songs, in the section 'Zheng Min' of the Greater Odes, says, 'Being wise and discerning, one can preserve oneself.' The idea that one can preserve oneself because one is wise and discerning is truly profound. The Buddhists say that Bodhisattvas fear the cause, while ordinary people fear the effect. Isn't this precisely because they lack wisdom and discernment? For example, if I hadn't come to watch that sword fight, how could I have fallen off the cliff? But then again, without this misfortune, I wouldn't have seen the Fairy Sister. It's clear that cause and effect are things we mortals can never truly understand..."

Duan Yu was deeply engrossed in the I Ching and Buddhist principles. Even the mere mention of Jiang Mingzhe's name stirred up a great deal of emotion in him. He talked on and on, and then asked Jiang Mingzhe, "Brother, do you think what I said makes sense?"

Jiang Mingzhe gave a thumbs up and said, "That makes perfect sense! My father chose this name for me with the same intention, but only a learned and talented person like you, my brother, could understand it so immediately."

Duan Yu was overjoyed and immediately said to the statue, "Fairy Sister, now you know why I brought my elder brother to see you, right? Although his surname is Jiang and mine is Duan, we are extremely compatible and hit it off immediately. Just as Mr. Five Willows said: 'We are brothers as soon as we are born, why must we be blood relatives?' Sister, don't you think so?"

While he was chatting with his sister, Jiang Mingzhe turned around and looked around. He saw six crystals, each the size of a tabletop, neatly inlaid on the west wall, three high and three low. Outside the crystals was a stretch of green water, with fish and shrimp swimming by from time to time, making the room very bright. He couldn't help but admire in his heart: Wu Yazi really has a good way of doing things, creating an aquarium!

On the eastern stone wall, dozens of lines of writing are engraved, with exquisite and elegant brushstrokes. They are all excerpts from Zhuangzi and are inlaid with countless bright pearls and diamonds. When the water on the western wall shimmers, they become bright and dazzling.

He couldn't help but say, "Brother, you are truly a peerless genius. These jewels on the wall are worth a fortune, yet you have not taken a single one. Such character is rare in this world."

Duan Yu glanced at the gems and suddenly became a little nervous: "Brother, if you're short of money, why don't you come back to Dali with me? I do have some wealth, and you can take whatever you want without worry. It's just that the jewels here..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Mingzhe's face was already full of "anger": "Oh dear, my good brother, even if I am poor and destitute, how could I possibly take anything from your wife's family? How dare you look down on your brother like this... Enough, enough, I have met my wife, let's part ways here!"

This tactic is a strategic retreat, which not only establishes one's upright and incorruptible image but also makes the other party feel guilty, giving one the upper hand when discussing business later.

Duan Yu felt a surge of sweetness when he heard Jiang Mingzhe repeatedly address him as "brother and sister-in-law." However, when he saw Jiang Mingzhe angrily break off their friendship and turn to leave, Duan Yu felt guilty and rushed over to hug him. But he was no match for Jiang Mingzhe's strength and could not stand still.

He pleaded repeatedly, "Brother, brother, I was wrong. It's not that I don't believe you, no, no, I was... well, anyway, anyway..."

He wanted to say that Jiang Mingzhe had misunderstood him, but being an upright gentleman, he knew that his words just now did indeed have a suspicious meaning, and he refused to deny it and deceive this newly made brother.

Jiang Mingzhe stopped, still feigning anger: "Anyway, what?"

Duan Yu said with a bitter face, "In short, you are the elder brother. Even if I say something wrong or do something wrong, as the elder brother, I should be magnanimous and forgive my younger brother."

After saying that, he stared at Jiang Mingzhe expectantly, like a little dog afraid of being abandoned by its owner.

Is this kid... trying to charm me?
Jiang Mingzhe couldn't help but shiver, struggling to break free from Duan Yu, but then couldn't help but chuckle, thinking to himself that this kid really had a good temper, no wonder he managed to pick up a bunch of girls...

Sigh, it's only in this day and age that girls still fall for the "warm guy, simp" act. If you were born in my time, you'd be cheated out of your underwear.

Seeing that he smiled, Duan Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Afraid that he would bring up the matter again, he quickly changed the subject: "Brother, you are so strong, have you learned martial arts?"

Jiang Mingzhe nodded and said, "Of course I have learned martial arts while traveling the world."

Then Duan Yu clapped his hands excitedly: "Wonderful! Brother, you know martial arts! That's wonderful! I have a huge problem here and I need your help!"

(End of this chapter)