Encountering a Snake - Chapter 9

For three consecutive days, the manor bustled with activity once again, all because the eldest son of the Shen family had returned from the brink of death.

 

Amidst the clamor, Shen Qingxuan remained calm and composed. Dressed in a light crescent-white robe, he sat in his chair with a smile, graciously accepting the words of concern from all sides. He nodded and listened, humble and polite, embodying the very essence of elegance and grace.

 

This stirred up another round of pitying sighs from those around him. They lamented how such a fine young man was so cruelly toyed with by fate.

 

Shen Qingxuan, having long become impervious to such sympathetic remarks, heard them without any emotional impact. However, they struck a chord with Shen’s mother, who shed tears several times. She feared that her son would notice and become even more upset, so she quickly turned away to wipe her tears.

 

Her actions, however, did not escape Shen Qingxuan’s sharp eyes. Yet, understanding the bond between mother and child, he knew what she was thinking, so he pretended not to notice and shifted his gaze to others.

 

When the banquet was about to begin, Shen Qingxuan had the maid push him away from the table. Everyone knew that Shen Qingxuan had a frail constitution and was not good with alcohol, especially since he had just recovered from a severe illness. They all advised him to rest well, and after he left, they raised their cups and drank heartily.

 

Back in his room, Shen Qingxuan listened to the noise outside through the window lattice, silently mocking them. Such banquets had been held countless times, and who knew how many more would follow in the future? Who could say?

 

Even though Yi Mo had helped him recover to a point where he would be no different from an ordinary person in a year, who knew what other hardships he might face in the future?

 

The wheel of fortune turns, and life is unpredictable.

 

It was only after being rescued from the ice pit that Shen Qingxuan truly understood the meaning of the eight words his father often recited: *The wheel of fortune turns, and life is unpredictable.*

 

Who could have guessed that the gentle, shy young woman, who had married into the Shen family three years ago and always treated him with care—the second wife—would almost take his life?

 

It was unthinkable.

 

Even now, after so many years, thinking back still brought a feeling of deep betrayal from someone so close.

 

As he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps in the courtyard. The steps were light and quick, filled with urgency, and had the distinct weight of official boots. Shen Qingxuan’s dark eyes brightened slightly, and the smile that had always been on his face finally revealed a hint of genuine emotion.

 

“Brother!” The door was suddenly flung open, stirring up some dust. As sunlight streamed in from outside, the dancing specks illuminated a face with clear and bright features. Because of the reunion with his brother, that energetic face showed a bit of childish recklessness.

 

Seeing his elder brother sitting in the chair, smiling at him, the young man was momentarily embarrassed. He quickly withdrew his hand and regained some composure before bowing and saying, “Brother.”

 

Shen Qingxuan waved him over, took his hand, and pulled his tall frame down. He habitually flicked the young man’s forehead with his fingers and silently mouthed, *I thought you had matured a bit, but you’re still so reckless.*

 

Shen Zhen, who had understood his brother’s lip movements since childhood, quickly rubbed his forehead, which didn’t really hurt, and muttered, “I wanted to be more reserved, but I was afraid you’d be so startled that you wouldn’t recognize me as your younger brother.”

 

Shen Qingxuan chuckled at this and patted his neatly tied hair. He asked, *Why did you have time to come see me today?*

 

“How could I not come when my brother has just recovered from a serious illness?” Shen Zhen replied as he crouched beside his brother, resting one hand on Shen Qingxuan’s leg, leaning close to him and playfully acting spoiled, just as he had when he was a child. His eyes were full of trust and affection that only close family could share. Shen Qingxuan looked at the face that resembled their second mother so much and felt a deep calm in his heart. He couldn’t muster any hatred toward the person beside him.

 

Even though he knew full well that he had ended up in his current state entirely because of this person.

 

That year, Shen Zhen had just turned one, the second son of the Shen family.

 

Shen’s father had once held his eldest son with one arm and cradled his youngest son, who was still sucking his thumb in swaddling clothes, in the other. Before his two wives, he had proudly said, “In the future, my eldest son will bring honor to the Shen family, becoming a high-ranking official. When we grow old, this little one will take care of us in our retirement. With that, the Shen family will be complete.”

 

The hopes and expectations in his words all fell on the seven-year-old Shen Qingxuan.

 

He only saw the eldest son’s intelligence and considered how the Shen family name would be honored, but he failed to notice the fleeting smiles on the faces of the two women in front of him. One of those smiles hid a great deal of resentment and grievance.

 

Why was it that just because he was the second son, he was destined for a life of obscurity, confined at home?

 

Women are often narrow-minded, and at the time, she did not consider that everyone has their own destiny. If her son had truly been promising, how could Shen’s father have ignored his future? It was just a casual remark made in a moment of joy. But she took it seriously, developed malicious thoughts, and ruined Shen Qingxuan’s life.

 

By the time she realized the gravity of her mistake, it was too late.

 

Shen Qingxuan patted the back of the young man leaning on his knee and said, *Now that you’ve joined the ranks, have you laid down your swords and spears?*

 

Shen Zhen quickly shook his head. “No way, brother. If you don’t believe me, let’s go to the courtyard, and I’ll show you.”

 

Shen Qingxuan smiled and nodded, and Shen Zhen hurriedly helped push him out. The two brothers stopped in the open space in the middle of the courtyard.

 

Shen Zhen picked up a long staff, performed a flourish, and said, “Watch closely, brother. Your little brother is going to play with a stick for you.”

 

Shen Qingxuan continued to smile, a genuine and happy smile.

 

Seeing this, Shen Zhen grinned as well. The wooden staff in his hand seemed to come to life, moving like a snake. As he twirled it, the wind whistled, dust flew up, light and shadow intertwined, and when the staff struck the ground, it made a dull thud, leaving a deep mark in the yellow earth—a show of incredible strength.

 

Shen Qingxuan watched intently. When the set of staff techniques was finished, he clapped his hands, his approval evident.

 

Pleased by his brother’s praise, Shen Zhen became even more spirited. He tossed aside the staff and picked up a long spear, showing off a set of spear techniques to Shen Qingxuan. Though slightly inferior to the staff technique, it was still powerful and imposing.

 

The two brothers spent the afternoon in the courtyard, one performing while the other watched, until the setting sun turned red. Only then did Shen Qingxuan signal for him to stop and called for wet towels and hot tea to be brought out.

 

Shen Zhen gulped down a cup of tea and wiped his face with the towel before moving closer to Shen Qingxuan, asking, “Brother, do you have any advice?”

 

Shen Qingxuan gave him a sideways glance: *What could I possibly advise you on?*

 

Shen Zhen laughed sheepishly. “Come on, brother, don’t play coy. Father said that when you were young, you loved playing with weapons. You even took the martial arts master’s halberd to poke at a bird’s nest once and got a real scolding. Do you dare deny it?”

 

Shen Qingxuan recalled his words, vaguely remembering some of it, but he couldn’t recall the exact details.

 

These old stories wouldn’t have come to Shen Qingxuan’s mind if Shen Zhen hadn’t mentioned them. Even as he did now, they still felt distant.

 

Occasional fragments floated through his mind, but it was hard to believe they had actually happened to him.

 

Those past events felt like they belonged to a previous life or even further back. The passing of time had turned them into a fragile, yellowed piece of paper, ready to crumble at the slightest touch.

 

Incomplete and fragmented.

 

Shen Qingxuan’s expression darkened slightly.

 

Shen Zhen realized he had misspoken and quickly changed the subject. He grabbed Shen Qingxuan’s hand, which was resting on his knee, and said excitedly, “Brother, it’s rare for me to come up the mountain. I’m already exhausted after just half a day. Why don’t you play a game of chess with me?”

 

Shen Qingxuan perked up and asked, “What if I lose?”

 

Shen Zhen rubbed his temples and leaned in close to his brother’s ear, whispering, “The usual?”

 

Shen Qingxuan, now cheerful, nodded in agreement, and the two returned to the room.

 

They had the servants bring in tea and snacks, preparing everything in the room. After ensuring that all the doors and windows were tightly closed, Shen Zhen, with an expression of nervous guilt, checked again to make sure everything was secure, as if he feared someone might discover something. This made Shen Qingxuan chuckle quietly.

 

They spread a soft mat on the couch and sat facing each other. Shen Qingxuan wiped the chessboard again, took out the black and white pieces, and asked, “The usual?”

 

Shen Zhen quickly nodded, afraid his brother would change his mind. He grabbed the black pieces and quickly placed three of them on the board.

 

The game had just started, and Shen Zhen, having taken the black pieces, made the first three moves.

 

Shen Qingxuan raised an eyebrow and stared at him for a while before silently scolding, “You haven’t improved at all.”

 

Shen Zhen immediately retorted, “You’re my elder brother, seven years older than me. You should let me have seven moves. Now it’s just three, and that’s already a significant improvement.”

 

Shen Qingxuan ignored him and placed a white piece on the board.

 

Shen Zhen quieted down as well, focusing intently on the game.

 

At first, Shen Zhen had the advantage. Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the game had become unpredictable and full of twists, with Shen Zhen encircling a section of Shen Qingxuan’s white pieces, feeling quite pleased with himself.

 

But Shen Qingxuan kept his head down and continued to play. After two incense sticks of time, he had methodically eliminated all of Shen Zhen’s sharp moves, leaving the white pieces coiled like a dragon, ready to strike. At any moment, they could seize control of the board.

 

“Brother,” Shen Zhen wiped the sweat from his forehead and hurriedly said, “Brother, your moves are measured and ruthless, and your play is grand. If you were to enter the court, where would there be any place left for your younger brother…”

 

Shen Qingxuan smiled faintly, reached for the brush beside him, dipped it in ink, and said slowly, “Enough with the flattery. Raise your face.”

 

Shen Zhen immediately shut his mouth and reluctantly offered his face.

 

Moments later, a large, crawling turtle appeared on his handsome face.

 

Shen Zhen jumped off the couch, grabbed a mirror, and sighed, “The more I flatter you, the more lifelike this turtle becomes. It seems flattery is still necessary, especially when it comes to you, brother.”

 

Impatient, Shen Qingxuan tapped the chessboard and said, “Let’s go again.”

 

Shen Zhen had no choice but to sit down again, carefully checking the windows to ensure there were no gaps that might allow anyone to see inside. That would be mortifying.

 

By the time dinner came, the two were still holed up inside, with the doors and windows tightly shut. The servants waiting outside, unable to set the table, finally alerted Old Master Shen.

 

When Old Master Shen heard that his sons were refusing to eat, he hurried over, standing outside the door and asking, “What’s going on with you two?”

 

After a moment, Shen Zhen’s voice came from inside, “Father, I’m playing chess with brother.”

 

Old Master Shen was momentarily stunned, then a peculiar expression crept onto his face. After a moment, he waved the servants away, saying, “You may go now. Keep the food warm and bring it in an hour.”

 

Once the servants had left, Old Master Shen leaned against the door and said in a low voice, “Xuan’er, let your father in to take a look.”

 

Immediately, a commotion of panic and disorder erupted inside. Old Master Shen waited patiently, and as expected, the younger son couldn’t resist the older one. Shen Qingxuan wheeled himself to the door and opened it.

 

After entering, Old Master Shen glanced around and walked towards the screen, still speaking in a gentle tone, “Come out and let your father have a look.”

 

Not a sound came from behind the screen.

 

“Don’t act like a shy young lady. Come out and let your father see,” Old Master Shen coaxed.

 

Shen Zhen stubbornly refused to come out.

 

Shen Qingxuan closed the door again and then went over and knocked down the screen. Shen Zhen hadn’t expected his brother to do this and couldn’t avoid it in time. Instinctively, he reached out to catch the falling screen and was exposed.

 

In that instant, Old Master Shen saw exactly what he wanted to see, and quickly stifled a laugh, his beard trembling.

 

Shen Qingxuan, too, lowered his head, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably, clearly struggling to hold back his laughter.

 

Shen Zhen stood there with his face covered in turtles—some crawling, some standing, some rolling—his ears not spared either, with a small turtle on each earlobe, stretching their necks and kicking their legs.

 

Old Master Shen held his stomach, his hand trembling as he pointed at Shen Qingxuan, unable to form a complete sentence. “You… you… this brother of yours… really is… too much.”

 

Shen Qingxuan immediately lifted his head, his bright black eyes staring unblinkingly at his father.

 

The father and son locked eyes for a moment before abruptly turning away, each stifling their laughter—one silently laughing, the other nearly out of breath from laughing.

 

At first, Shen Zhen was angry, shouting at them to stop laughing. But when he saw that they couldn’t stop, bending over and clutching their chests, gasping for breath, he was so alarmed that he forgot about his own embarrassment and quickly ran over, patting each of them on the back to help them catch their breath, afraid they might laugh themselves sick.

 

Little did he know that his brother and father, upon seeing his worried, turtle-covered face, couldn’t stop even if they wanted to.

 

Shen Qingxuan, several times, nearly burst out laughing aloud, only managing to swallow the sound back down by biting his tongue.

 

Even their joy was exhausting.

 

In nearly twenty years, there hadn’t been a time when it wasn’t.