Heaven's Silence

Chapter 63 – A tree in the courtyard

In the afternoon, Wen Chaoshen returned and began a game of chess with Lü Zhiming.

The two went back and forth, with Wen Chaoshen playing white and going second, much like before. Lü Zhiming's chess skills were exceptional, and even though his mind wasn't fully on the game, Wen Chaoshen found it difficult to gain any advantage.

As the game progressed, Lü Zhiming took longer and longer to make each move.

Wen Chaoshen wasn't in a hurry. When Lü Zhiming furrowed his brows in thought, he would exchange glances with the loquat tree nearby, even if it was one-sided, but Wen Chaoshen still found it quite enjoyable.

He discovered that he could always see something new on this tree.

"Mr. Lü, it's your turn."

After a long pause without a move, Wen Chaoshen reminded Lü Zhiming, who snapped out of his daze and then chuckled awkwardly:

"Sorry... It's an old habit of mine. Whenever I play chess, I tend to think of past events."

Wen Chaoshen poured him a cup of hot tea, and the steam immediately swirled around the table.

"I thought that someone like you, Mr. Lü, with such achievements in cultivation, would have a clear mind and nothing to trouble you."

Lü Zhiming shook his head with a wry smile:

"Worldly matters are the most troubling."

"If everything in the world were as simple as cultivation, that would be nice."

Hearing Lü Zhiming's words, Wen Chaoshen choked on his tea.

"Cultivation... simple?"

Lü Zhiming looked at Wen Chaoshen with a smile, saying nothing.

Wen Chaoshen was taken aback by his gaze and then remembered the question A Shui had asked him on the street not long ago, causing him to shiver momentarily.

Up until now, he had just been chopping wood, looking at trees, drinking tea, and suddenly he could unleash a strike that even martial artists in the Light Feather Realm might not be able to.

In this light, it seemed like cultivation... really was simple?

While he was lost in thought, Lü Zhiming took a sip of tea and spoke again:

"Of course, cultivation isn't simple either. Some leap and bound, some walk and pause. Chaoshen, your journey is still long, and you'll come to understand."

Wen Chaoshen seemed to vaguely understand something and decided not to ask the questions he had in mind, letting them remain ambiguous.

After a moment, he looked at Lü Zhiming and asked with a smile:

"So, what exactly is it that troubles you, Mr. Lü?"

Lü Zhiming didn't avoid the question and said:

"Sometimes, I feel like this courtyard, this small county, has trapped me and my wife."

"We've lived here for thirty years, and like the tree in this courtyard, we've slowly taken root."

Wen Chaoshen looked at the loquat tree and asked:

"Are you not happy living here, Mr. Lü?"

Lü Zhiming replied:

"I'm happy, but life has become too comfortable, and inevitably a bit dull."

Wen Chaoshen was puzzled.

"Someone like you, if you wanted, couldn't you easily travel the world?"

Lü Zhiming laughed:

"It's not that simple, Chaoshen."

"When I was young, I came down from the mountain full of ambition, carrying a loquat branch from the mountain, determined to become the best in the world. But after coming down, I met a woman, and with the spring breeze, I forgot my ambitions."

"We agreed to leave the martial world and live as ordinary people, no longer getting involved in any martial disputes."

"And so, thirty years passed."

"Later, when I wanted to pick up the promise I made when I came down the mountain, I found I couldn't, no matter what."

"The young man in my dreams has long gone. Occasionally, he scolds me, blaming me for not keeping the promise I made to him back then. I lament to him, saying I'm old now, and even though my skills have surpassed those of my youth, I no longer have the same spirit."

"Two years ago, during the Double Ninth Festival, I sent a letter to my master, asking if he remembered my vow to become the best in the world. The reply came from my master's wife, who told me that my master had passed away six winters ago, still thinking of me and keeping the snowy peak where I often meditated reserved for me, not giving it to anyone else."

"At some point, I no longer knew what I truly wanted."

"I don't want to be the best in the world, nor do I want this martial world to remember someone as insignificant as me, but I also don't want to break the promise I made to my younger self..."

He recounted a long story to Wen Chaoshen, who, drawing on his experience from two lifetimes, rambled:

"As I mentioned before, Mr. Lü, most people know countless truths in their lives, yet still can't live well. Besides the difficulty of aligning knowledge and action, they face countless choices..."

"With choices, naturally, there will be regrets."

Lü Zhiming laughed heartily after hearing this and patted Wen Chaoshen on the shoulder:

"You, young man, not even twenty, yet you speak with such maturity... But I like it, I like it, hahaha!"

"Ah, I'm going out for a walk. It seems like it might snow tonight, so don't wander too far."

After sharing his inner turmoil with Wen Chaoshen, Lü Zhiming seemed to feel lighter and left his courtyard, swaying slightly as he walked.

Wen Chaoshen looked at the loquat tree beside him, thoughtfully using his finger to trace a large character for 'trapped' on the table...

...

In the evening, Wen Chaoshen and A Shui arrived at the County Office.

Chun Qiong had already instructed the constables at the entrance, so they didn't face any difficulties and were led to the room where Liu Jinshi's body was kept.

Wu Xie's body, which had been decapitated by A Shui, had already been buried by Chun Qiong. The room was lit with a hundred candles, some placed in wall sconces, illuminating the room as bright as day.

Chun Qiong stood beside Liu Jinshi's body and said to the two:

"I've arranged for a professional corpse stitcher. Tonight, you can freely examine Liu Jinshi, but you can't take any of his body parts."

A Shui glanced at Wen Chaoshen and asked:

"Need a hand with the knife?"

Wen Chaoshen hesitated for a moment, then nodded:

"Alright, you do it."

A Shui picked up a sharp knife from the tools Chun Qiong had prepared and asked:

"Where should I cut?"

Wen Chaoshen carefully examined the body. The chest and abdomen had been opened before. He approached, touching Liu Jinshi's body, feeling every part from head to toe.

"There aren't many places on a body to hide secrets. Liu Jinshi knew he would be autopsied after death, so the secret he wanted to hide couldn't leave any marks..."

"A Shui, start with his buttocks. After that, open his mouth and nose... and throat."

...