I Was Scared Too

"What was my senior brother still hesitating about?"

Shen Gongbao asked in confusion, "This method neither takes lives nor is particularly difficult. Why are you still hesitating?"

He was genuinely puzzled.

Jiang Ziya not using the first method didn't surprise him. Jiang Ziya had always struck him as an honest, straightforward man. But he couldn't understand why he wouldn't use the second method.

"Junior Brother, what's your second-best plan?"

Jiang Ziya answered with a question instead.

"Your second-best plan... Well, I'd have to go to some trouble and play peacemaker for you two."

Shen Gongbao spread his hands. "But judging by what you just told me, Senior Brother... I'm honestly a little apprehensive. I'm not sure I can get you two to make up."

Jiang Ziya thought it over. His expression shifted several times before he finally let out a long breath, clasped his hands, and bowed to Shen Gongbao. "Then I'll trouble you to make the trip, Junior Brother."

"Senior Brother, why put yourself through this?"

Shen Gongbao shook his head. "All you need is a letter of divorce to escape this misery and be free of this torment. But you..."

"However you look at it, a day as husband and wife means a hundred days of affection. She married me. She may be fierce, but she's never wronged me."

Jiang Ziya shook his head too and said solemnly, "I, Jiang Shang, can't be heartless and ungrateful enough to divorce her and wrong her. Just look at how old we are now..."

He gave a wry smile and continued, "I'm seventy-two this year, and she's sixty-eight. If I hand her a divorce letter now, her life will be ruined."

"Senior Brother, you're truly a man of great kindness!"

Shen Gongbao nodded in admiration, then asked, "So how will you go on living with such a... formidable sister-in-law?"

"To tell you the truth, after chatting with you, Junior Brother, and hearing your three plans, all my anger suddenly vanished."

Jiang Ziya shook his head again with a smile. "A man ought to be as accommodating as he can. Since we were able to marry, we must have been fated to meet in this life. So let things take their natural course!"

"Good, good! Let things take their natural course. For the sake of your open-mindedness and broad heart..."

Shen Gongbao smiled. "I'll make the trip for you, then. Come along, Senior Brother, and wait outside the courtyard for good news!"

"Good!"

Jiang Ziya replied with a smile. The two entered the Song residence and soon reached the courtyard where Jiang Ziya lived.

A woman in coarse clothes sat in the main hall, making shoes. She wasn't pretty, but her features were still fairly regular. After all, she was no longer young.

"Senior Brother, wait here for my good news!"

Shen Gongbao smiled faintly. Jiang Ziya crouched by the doorway and nodded repeatedly.

He had tremendous confidence in his junior brother's gift of the gab.

Shen Gongbao walked calmly into the courtyard and deliberately called out, "May I ask if sister-in-law is here?"

Ma, who was inside the hall, stood and looked over. "Who is the Daoist priest in my courtyard?"

"I'm Jiang Shang's junior brother, Shen Gongbao. We studied together on Kunlun. It's a pleasure to meet you, sister-in-law," Shen Gongbao said with a smile.

Ma looked him up and down. Seeing that he was dressed plainly, she replied coolly, "May I ask what brings Daoist Shen here? If you're looking for your senior brother, he isn't here. He went to Chaoge early this morning."

"No, no. I came especially to see you, sister-in-law," Shen Gongbao said with a smile.

Ma looked surprised. "You and I are complete strangers. Why are you looking for me?"

"I opened a shop in Chaoge. Your husband happened to come into the city this morning, and he told me what's been going on between you."

Shen Gongbao smiled. "I heard you and my senior brother had a falling-out, so I came to play peacemaker for you..."

"What? He actually has the nerve to complain to someone? That useless man must've been badmouthing me behind my back again!"

At that, Ma flew into a rage. She strode down from the steps into the courtyard, cutting him off, and glared at Shen Gongbao with a cold smile. "Are you his hired muscle? Did he bring you here to avenge him?"

"N-no... No, no, that's not it..."

Shen Gongbao froze, then stammered.

That had indeed been the plan at first, but would he dare admit it?

With Ma glaring at him so murderously, that brief moment of hesitation was all it took for him to feel he'd already lost by a mile.

"You're not? Hmph. As if I'd believe you."

Ma sneered. "For all I know, you've been making up stories about me and cursing me behind my back. Junior Brother Shen, haven't you heard that other people's family affairs are none of your business?"

"This..."

Shen Gongbao was at a loss for words.

He felt as if he'd met his match—and a damn formidable one at that.

Outside the courtyard.

When Shen Gongbao went in, Jiang Ziya had crouched by the door, full of hope, waiting for his junior brother to return in triumph.

But before long, he saw sweat beading on his junior brother's forehead.

A little later...

"Sister-in-law, it isn't right to look down on my senior brother like this."

Shen Gongbao felt he couldn't let her keep him on the back foot. If he did, he was sure to lose. "You can't judge a person by appearances, any more than you can measure the sea with a bushel. My senior brother is a learned master of Kunlun, skilled in martial arts and profound in the Dao. How can you talk about him that way?"

"Martial arts? That man knows martial arts?"

Ma looked as if she'd just heard the biggest joke in the world. "If he counts as a master of martial arts, then I must be invincible!"

"You... Sister-in-law, my senior brother was holding back, you know?"

Shen Gongbao was getting annoyed. "With his abilities, do you think you could even touch a single hair on his head?"

"Abilities? Ha! Can his abilities put food on the table? Can they earn money to spend? Can they keep his family clothed and fed?"

Ma sneered. "I don't expect him to be especially capable, but shouldn't he at least be able to support his family? Instead, he's mooching off other people, eating and drinking for free. Isn't that humiliating? You have no idea how the servants talk about him..."

The more she spoke, the more worked up she became—and the nastier her words got.

"Sister-in-law, let's be reasonable. Surely you've heard of a tiger fallen onto the plains, or a dragon trapped in a shallow stream? When my senior brother's fortunes turn, you'll enjoy riches beyond your dreams."

Shen Gongbao took a deep breath and forced a smile. "And even if we take the worst-case scenario and my senior brother really has no ability, a woman follows her husband wherever he goes. You can't start hitting him just because you're angry, especially not so hard. That's going too far."

"Too far? Ha! There's the fox's tail. I knew you came to stand up for him."

Ma sneered, then suddenly threw her head back and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Jiang Ziya, you spineless coward! You actually got someone to bully your own wife! Can't you show even a little backbone?"

Then she plopped down on the ground and began wailing and yelling. "What did I do to deserve such a miserable life? Everyone, come and see! Jiang Ziya brought someone here to bully his own wife!"

"I..."

Shen Gongbao's smile froze. As he watched Ma fall to the ground and make a scene, crying and howling while accusing him of wrongdoing, he could only think what an unreasonable shrew she was.

His head suddenly began to ache. He felt that this time he had been so, so, so... foolish—like water had gotten into his brain. How could he try to reason with a woman, especially a shrew like this?

She'd already started making a scene after only a few words. How was he supposed to talk to her?

The worst part was that, because of his relationship with Jiang Ziya, he couldn't hit her or curse her out, let alone use magic. It was infuriating.

"That's enough! That's a woman's narrow-minded view. With my senior brother's abilities, forget supporting your family—"

Shen Gongbao bellowed, cutting her off. "If he makes it big one day and earns money, you wouldn't be able to spend it all in several lifetimes.

"And you, you tigress! Have I even laid a finger on you?"

His shout made Ma freeze. A moment later, she came to her senses and flew into a rage. She scrambled up from the ground, spitting venom as she rose. "You filthy Daoist! You dare call me a tigress? I'll teach you to say that!"

She was on her feet now, both hands clawing fiercely toward Shen Gongbao's face.

In an instant,

a figure shot out of the courtyard like a gust of wind, sleeves raised to shield his face. Spotting Jiang Ziya by the gate, he shouted, "Senior Brother, let's go!"

With that, he twisted around and transformed into a streak of light, soaring away in the blink of an eye.

"Filthy Daoist! Don't you dare run! I'm not finished with you!"

Her furious curses and pounding footsteps came from inside the courtyard.

At the sound of her voice, Jiang Ziya felt his scalp about to split. He hastily grabbed a handful of dirt and tossed it into the air, formed a hand seal, chanted an incantation, and transformed into a streak of light that shot skyward.

He had barely taken off when Ma rushed out to the courtyard gate.

Dust swirled at the entrance, but not a person was in sight. Ma spat on the ground and snorted, "They sure ran fast."

She brushed the dirt off her clothes, then strutted back into the courtyard like a rooster that had won the fight.

At the gate,

the two senior and junior brothers stood facing each other, each bracing himself against the wall. Their chests heaved as they gasped for breath.

"Junior Brother, why are you still covering your face?"

Jiang Ziya asked Shen Gongbao, who still had one sleeve over his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.

"Terrifying. Truly terrifying. Senior Brother, I'd rather face a hundred monsters," Shen Gongbao said with a bitter smile. "I really don't want to run into a shrew and tigress like that again. Senior Brother, I'm scared of your sister-in-law too. Divorce her! I'm serious."

Jiang Ziya: "..."

Then Shen Gongbao lowered the arm shielding his face, revealing three bloody scratches across it.