Trouble

Sun Man had always been cold and rude. Now he was deliberately making things difficult for him. How could Jiang Shuo not realize Sun Man was hostile toward him?

"Impudent! Is that any way to speak to your martial uncle?" Sun Man flew into a rage, immediately slapping Jiang Shuo with the charge of disrespecting his elders.

"What's going on? What happened?" Feng En, who was nearby, heard the commotion and came over to ask.

Before Jiang Shuo could say a word, Sun Man turned and clasped his hands in greeting, rushing to speak first. "Senior Brother, I'm afraid I can't teach a disciple with such a rotten disposition."

"It's only been a short while. Why make it sound so serious?" Seeing Sun Man's attitude, Feng En couldn't help frowning.

"A great tree grows from a tiny sprout; a nine-story tower rises from a heap of earth. As someone who's been through it, I know how important a solid foundation is, so I wanted him to start by holding a horse stance. I'd heard about what Jiang Shishu had accomplished and knew he had a certain foundation, so just now I asked him to hold the stance for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. When he finished, he seemed completely at ease. I admired him, and wanted him to hold it for two more incense sticks to test the depth of his skill and decide where to begin teaching him. But as soon as I said that, he accused me of picking on him and refused to do it. Senior Brother, if your disciple won't even listen to me, how am I supposed to teach him?" Sun Man had put the blame on Jiang Shuo before anyone else could, pinning the whole affair on him.

Jiang Shuo stared coldly at Sun Man. From beginning to end, he had said only one thing. It had been rather impolite, but nowhere near as unforgivable as Sun Man made it sound.

Feng En narrowed his eyes slightly. In the end, he wouldn't take Sun Man's word alone, so he asked Jiang Shuo, "Jiang Shuo, is everything Junior Brother Sun just said true?"

"Yes." Jiang Shuo nodded.

From Sun Man's attitude, he could tell the man was targeting him. But without proof, saying so would only make him seem unreasonable.

He simply hadn't expected Sun Man to be so vicious beneath that burly exterior. It seemed you really couldn't judge a book by its cover.

At that, Sun Man sneaked a glance at Jiang Shuo. The corner of his mouth curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile, as if he'd won.

"Hmm?" Feng En was filled with doubt. Neither Yu Yuhan's account nor his own interactions with Jiang Shuo suggested that Jiang Shuo was this kind of person. Yet now Sun Man said it, and Jiang Shuo himself had admitted it, which meant it must have happened. Feng En was utterly baffled.

"You're lying! You must have done something to Jiang Shuo!" A furious shout rang out. Li Zicheng was pointing at Sun Man and cursing him to his face.

"Silence!" Feng En snapped, turning his head to glare at him. Li Zicheng stepped back to Feng En's side, but continued glaring at Sun Man. No matter what anyone said, he believed in Jiang Shuo.

Seeing this, warmth rose in Jiang Shuo's heart.

Insulted in public by a junior, Sun Man felt humiliated. But with Feng En present, all he could do was give a cold snort. "Birds of a feather flock together. There's certainly truth in that saying."

After silencing Li Zicheng, Feng En looked at Jiang Shuo. "The eager student honors his teacher. You may have your own ideas, but questioning and resisting so recklessly is too rash. Never mind. If you truly find it too hard to study under Junior Brother Sun, why not return to my tutelage?"

Every accusation pointed at Jiang Shuo. Even though Feng En didn't believe them, he had to reprimand him. But in the end, his heart softened, and he wanted to bring Jiang Shuo back so he could ask him what had really happened.

Sun Man raised his chin slightly, looking down at Jiang Shuo. As far as he was concerned, Jiang Shuo would surely agree rather than suffer any more grievances.

Li Zicheng watched Jiang Shuo with an expectant look.

Jiang Shuo lowered his head and thought for a moment. Then, to everyone's surprise, he shook his head and politely declined. "I misunderstood Martial Uncle Sun's intentions just now. Master, you're busy all day long. I won't trouble you."

Sun Man looked surprised, then gave a quiet snicker. Jiang Shuo really was digging his own grave.

Feng En narrowed his eyes but didn't press the matter. He cautioned him, "Since the misunderstanding has been cleared up, stay under Junior Brother Sun and continue your studies. Respecting your teacher is a great duty. Don't forget that."

"I'll heed your teachings, Master," Jiang Shuo said, cupping his hands.

"Jiang Shuo is injured. Don't push him too hard with some of the exercises." At the end, Feng En added a word of warning to Sun Man, then left with Li Zicheng.

Only after Feng En had gone far away did Jiang Shuo straighten up and look calmly at Sun Man.

Sun Man pointed at the Plum Blossom Stakes with a malicious grin. "Martial Nephew Jiang, go ahead."

Jiang Shuo said nothing more. He leaped onto the Plum Blossom Stakes and sank into a horse stance.

Seeing Jiang Shuo so docile under his discipline, Sun Man grew even more pleased. You had a chance to leave and chose not to. You brought this on yourself. He paid Jiang Shuo no more attention and went back to teaching his own disciples their fist techniques.

Meanwhile, on the Plum Blossom Stakes, Jiang Shuo's mind raced as he thought things through.

Everyone in the Hundred Flowers Sect knew of Jiang Shuo's relationship with Feng En. No matter how much Sun Man hated him, he wouldn't dare make things difficult for him openly. If Jiang Shuo caught him in the act, Sun Man would be in trouble too. Since Sun Man wouldn't dare go too far, Jiang Shuo had nothing to fear. He could simply meet force with force and stem water with earth. The main reason he'd chosen to stay was that he wanted to find out why Sun Man was targeting him. It was easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Avoiding the problem wouldn't solve it. Only by facing it head-on would he have a chance to defuse the hidden danger.