Chapter 136: Pretending to Be Cool? I Can Do That Too

“On the road, a swordsman wears a tassel of silk; his curved Wu blade gleams like frost and snow!”

“His silver saddle shines against his white horse, swift as a shooting star!”

“Incredible—simply incredible! What exquisite and peerless words of the Great Way, appearing at this very moment. For an instant, they give one the feeling of suddenly seeing the world open wide.

“It is as though the mist before our eyes has scattered in a single breath, revealing a broad and radiant road ahead…”

With only a few brief lines, Ye Qiu left Huai Zhu and the others utterly dazzled. They stood rooted to the spot.

In their minds, a wandering swordsman who had roamed the ends of the earth appeared and vanished by turns, free and unrestrained amid the settling of grudges and the repaying of debts.

“I shall ride the wind wherever it takes me, banishing demons between heaven and earth! My heroic spirit soars into the clouds; my loyalty and courage rise like the Kunlun Mountains… This man is unquestionably a true transcendent master. Every word he speaks contains the truth of the Great Way. He is no ordinary man who can be compared with others…”

That was Huai Zhu’s final verdict. Ye Qiu had no idea how deeply his impromptu poem had affected them.

With Cao He’s father there as well, Huai Zhu and the others somehow broke through to a new realm in a daze…

What astonished Huai Zhu even more were not the first two lines, but the two that followed.

“Within ten steps, one man slain; a thousand miles, and not a trace remains! His deed accomplished, he brushes off his robe and departs, hiding both his merit and his name!”

“Miss, what sort of realm is this? Forgetting oneself, caring nothing for fame or fortune, acting only according to one’s heart—what freedom and detachment!”

Little Huan said this from beside her, her face filled with astonishment. Her admiration for Ye Qiu grew even greater. How could he possibly utter such marvelously profound words?

She did not know that those words had not been Ye Qiu’s at all. He had stolen them.

“Heh heh. I never imagined that Li Bai’s poem about the wandering swordsman could be so perfect for showing off. If I’d known, I would have copied a few more poems…”

Ye Qiu was inwardly delighted. The poem came from Li Bai’s “The Swordsman,” and Ye Qiu had adapted and woven it into “Song of the Trampling March,” using it as the opening prelude.

At first, Ye Qiu had written it merely for amusement. He had never expected that, by accident, he would truly bring the poem to life and elevate “Song of the Trampling March” to an entirely higher level.

It felt wonderful—utterly wonderful! Before he knew it, he had put on another dazzling display. Though he had perhaps stolen some of Cao He’s thunder, Ye Qiu could hardly be bothered by that.

When the piece came to an end, Cao He slowly opened his eyes. He was just about to share with Ye Qiu what he had comprehended, when he suddenly noticed a row of fresh-faced young beauties standing behind them. He had no idea when they had arrived.

“Hm? What lovely girls. Damn, could they have been drawn here by my elegant music? Could it be that my spring has finally arrived?”

After thinking it over, Cao He abandoned his former slovenly manner. Imitating Ye Qiu, he sat upright and pretended to be profound. At first glance, he truly looked like an eminent master.

Then he slowly intoned:

“In life I cultivated no good deeds, but loved only killing and arson. Suddenly I broke the golden cord; here I tore apart the jade lock! When the tide comes rolling in upon the Qiantang River, today at last I know who I am…”

Ye Qiu: “What?”

Had this fellow taken the wrong medicine? Why had he suddenly begun reciting poetry?

Damn, this was unbelievable! The rascal was actually copying his way of showing off. He barely knew a handful of characters, yet here he was pretending to be a man of culture?

Ye Qiu was stunned and, for a moment, found himself speechless. He suddenly felt as if one of his own secret arts had been shamelessly stolen by someone—and used with remarkable skill.

No way. Surely not!

“Today at last I know who I am! Tsk… What profound insight! This man must be another peerless master…”

Sure enough, the moment Cao He finished speaking, Huai Zhu and the others were struck dumb with amazement. The scene was as though an enlightened hermit had seen through the drifting duckweed of this storm-tossed age and grasped all the helplessness of resisting the darkness.

He had withdrawn into the deep mountains, yet had never dared forget the troubles of his country!

“A master—he is absolutely a master! My heavens, I thought that with such an ordinary appearance, he could never possibly be associated with a true expert. But who would have thought… he really is a peerless master.

“Such a state of mind—even my father has never possessed it. To think that a man of such stature has been living in seclusion upon this barren hundred-mile wilderness. It is simply unbelievable…”

Huai Zhu was utterly shaken. At a glance, Cao He now seemed to possess an unfathomably lofty bearing, like a veil of mist before the eyes, impossible to see through.

His image had become like a towering mountain, insurmountable by anyone. Not a trace remained of the rustic air he had carried moments earlier.

Now that she looked again, how could he be ordinary? He was not ordinary in the slightest. Could an ordinary man ever say such things?

Cao He had no idea that this inexplicable utterance had, without his realizing it, greatly elevated his standing in the hearts of Huai Zhu and the others.

In truth, he was terribly nervous. It was his first time showing off, and he had no experience at all.

Everything he did was modeled on Ye Qiu’s previous performances. Whatever Ye Qiu did, he did as well, terrified that some part of the process might go wrong. How could he not be nervous?

“This humble girl is Huai Zhu. Greetings to the two senior masters!”

Seeing that the moment was about right, Huai Zhu immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Ye Qiu did not turn around. He was still frozen in bewilderment, utterly thrown off by Cao He’s performance.

This was the first time he had realized that the fellow was actually so clever!

Seeing that Ye Qiu gave no response, Cao He knew that his opportunity had arrived. He assumed Ye Qiu had deliberately given him a chance to shine.

While feeling grateful to Ye Qiu, he hurriedly turned around and said with an air of calm composure, “Rise. There is no need for such ceremony. We do not concern ourselves with so many tedious formalities here…”

“Thank you, Senior!”

Huai Zhu was delighted. It seemed that this senior was much as she had imagined—free-spirited, spontaneous, disdainful of worldly etiquette, a true man beyond the reach of the mundane world.

Her father had once told her that if she were ever fortunate enough to encounter such transcendent masters, she should befriend them and never make an enemy of them. Thus she behaved with great tact, afraid that she might somehow offend him.

“A moment ago, when I first heard your music, Senior, I felt my spirit become clear and joyful, and before I knew it, I was drawn here. I hope you will forgive my presumptuous visit…”

Huai Zhu spoke tentatively. Cao He remained perfectly calm. He waved his hand and said, “There is no need to apologize. As the saying goes, a friend in the four seas is as close as a neighbor at the edge of the world. Since you were able to recognize the mysteries of this piece, it must be fate. Listen as you please…”

Ye Qiu: “What?”

Was he not done yet? Was he going to steal every one of Ye Qiu’s lines?

Back when Ye Qiu had urged him to read, he had been too lazy to open a book. And now he had started stealing poetry?

Besides, did he even know what that line meant before using it? Anyone who did not know better would think it was some profound and unfathomable saying. He was really shamelessly good at pretending.

Ye Qiu said nothing. He simply continued watching Cao He put on his act, curious to see how long the man could keep it up.

As expected, Cao He continued to speak in polished, resonant phrases, every sentence striking straight into the heart. Huai Zhu listened as if intoxicated, her admiration for him growing by the moment.

“Senior, your realm of understanding is truly unfathomable. This humble girl is filled with admiration. Might I trouble you to enlighten me on one or two points?”

“Hm? Here it comes. The real show is about to begin…”

The moment he heard that she wanted an explanation, Ye Qiu grew interested. Anyone could pretend to be profound; the real question was how to keep from being exposed afterward. Ye Qiu was eager to see how much of his skill Cao He had actually learned.

What Ye Qiu did not know was that Cao He was inwardly thrilled beyond measure. He had never imagined that pretending to be profound could feel so exhilarating.

It was as though he had opened the gates to an entirely new world. He was overcome with delight and had no time to worry about anything else.

In his mind, as long as he followed Ye Qiu’s example, nothing could go wrong. He had already begun recalling all the seemingly profound things Ye Qiu had said in the past, and he had a rough plan prepared.

“Ahem. Ask whatever you wish. If there is something you do not understand, speak…”

Cao He answered with absolute confidence and effortless composure.