With a single gesture of his hand, Jun Moxie instantly noticed that the sleeves of his robe were far wider than those of ordinary people; in the very moment he raised his hand, the sleeve nearly swept the ground.
In just a brief moment, a pot of steaming tea, emitting a distant, pure fragrance, was placed before Jun Moxie. Its color was a vibrant emerald green, the tender leaves churning constantly in the water, adding an air of effortless grace to the tranquil rooftop.
“I am Chen Chen. You must be from the Dongfang family, honored brother?” The heartbroken young master, Chen Chen, smiled gracefully and asked softly, “May I know your esteemed name? Would you grant me the honor of knowing it?”
“Uh, a name is just a marker; there’s nothing to hide. My name is Dongfang Dashu, just a branch family disciple of the Dongfang clan.” Jun Moxie lifted the delicate tea bowl and drained it in one gulp. He sighed, “Truly excellent tea; the flavor is wonderfully fragrant!”
“Dongfang Dashu? Ha ha, Brother Dongfang, that name is quite unique.” A sharp light flashed in Chen Chen’s eyes as he smiled cryptically.
“Don't mind my strange name; there’s actually a story behind it.” Jun Moxie smiled, “When my mother was pregnant with me, she had a dream just before my birth: a massive, peerlessly large book shimmering with golden light. That’s why she named me Dashu. Hehe, forgive my teasing.”
“So that’s how it is. In that case, Brother Dongfang must surely be a heaven-gifted genius.” Chen Chen laughed heartily, stroking his beard.
“Not at all, Brother Chen. Since we meet by fate and take to each other instantly, why should we use formal titles that create distance? Just call me by my given name, Dashu. Wouldn't that be more intimate?” Jun Moxie said with great warmth.
Chen Chen’s mouth twitched. He thought to himself, Dashu? ... Big Uncle? ... This brat is clearly trying to take advantage of me openly. Whether I call you by your familiar name or full name, this young master will immediately be a generation below you. This fellow is truly insufferable!
Jun Moxie held his teacup, gazing at him with a smile, a long-absent pleasure of toying with others inexplicably rising within him. Facing this man felt remarkably similar to facing Li Youran back then; the thrill of manipulating an opponent was equally matched.
However, although the Li Youran of the past was dangerous, he still possessed some degree of concealed sharpness. But this current Heartbreak Young Master Chen Chen, despite his placid features and soft tone, subtly radiated an utterly savage aura from within his ease. Facing him was like confronting the most venomous viper!
“Hehe, Brother Dongfang is quite straightforward.” Chen Chen’s long, slender fingers moved slightly. He lowered his head, gazing at his fingers, seemingly intentionally, yet casually, “Brother Dongfang, this appearance you currently wear is likely not your true self, is it? Since Brother Dongfang says we are fated to meet, perhaps we could meet with our true faces? Wouldn't that be a wonderful tale of mutual honesty?”
Jun Moxie immediately smiled, “Brother Chen possesses a truly penetrating insight. But in my view, the guise Brother Chen wears now might also not be his true face? If we were to meet in our true forms, wouldn't that be an even better tale?”
Chen Chen froze. He wasn't using any disguise at the moment, yet the other person claimed he wasn't showing his true self. What did that mean? Was he deliberately playing obtuse? Or... was it a double entendre?
He hesitated for a moment, forcing a smile, “Forgive my dullness, but I do not grasp Brother Dongfang’s meaning!”
Jun Moxie sat comfortably in his chair, tapping the tabletop intermittently with his fingers, and sighed, “I’ve been using a disguise for only two or three days at most. But this mask of yours, Brother Chen, you’ve worn it for at least twenty years... Aren’t you tired?”
Chen Chen started, the expression in his eyes shifting instantly, involuntarily revealing a genuine thread of loneliness and helplessness. He let out a long sigh, lowered his head, averted his gaze, and placed both hands upon the zither strings, plucking them gently. The melody flowed out elegantly, yet carried an undertone of bewilderment—it was the tune, ‘Feeling Your Heart’.
A strand of black hair slipped down from his head, covering half his face, swaying softly in the breeze.
Outside the Tan Guan Tower, the sound of horses' hooves was heard in the distance, gradually approaching until they finally stopped before the entrance. The crowd below parted slightly, creating a path, and a group of people quietly entered the tower. It was the contingent from the Zhan family, led by that black-veiled young woman. The girl paused unconsciously upon hearing the clear, melodious zither music, listening intently.
But the two on the top floor seemed utterly unaware of the disturbance, continuing to play and listen, paying no mind to the events outside.
The piece Chen Chen had just played was very short, concluding in moments. Chen Chen did not look up, saying with regret, “Since Brother Dongfang arrived at this tower today, I, Chen Chen, felt as if a true confidant had come to meet me.
To be frank, while waiting for Brother Dongfang earlier, despite all the arrangements and plotting, I felt a deep reluctance and impatience in my heart; but the moment Brother Dongfang spoke those words, I, Chen Chen, felt that coming here today was far from a wasted journey!”
He slowly raised his head, looking at Jun Moxie with candidness, “Brother Dongfang’s discerning eye is accurate. Yes, I am indeed very tired! Truly exhausted! But... this mask can no longer be taken off... Because if I were to remove this mask, I, Chen Chen... would instantly become nothing!” Since Jun Moxie entered, Chen Chen had maintained the composed and elegant demeanor of a young master from a noble house. Though his words were placid and natural, giving the feeling of a spring breeze, beneath it all, he had been probing, his hostility subtly woven in. But the few sentences he spoke now were filled with emotion, clearly coming from the depths of his heart.
Jun Moxie smiled, a hint of sympathy in his expression, “Well said, said truthfully. No matter how hypocritical a mask is, once worn for over twenty years, hypocrisy naturally becomes an innate habit! Furthermore, this mask was already heavy to put on; taking it off is even harder! The responsibilities, the endless entanglements, the suffering associated with this mask—unless one is immersed in it, no one can truly understand. And those who wear such masks, while enjoying power and influence, must inevitably pay a considerable price. How can it be shed easily!”
Chen Chen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His expression flickered repeatedly across his face; clearly, his mood was highly unsettled. He closed his eyes, remaining silent for a long while. After a long pause, he opened his eyes and said with extreme earnestness, “Brother Dongfang, would you play a piece for me?”
His tone was laced with an undeniable yearning. Within his gaze lay an inexpressible contradiction, as if two conflicting thoughts were waging a fierce battle in his mind. Asking Jun Moxie to play seemed like a desperate attempt to prove something to himself, as if he needed to find a reason for himself!
Jun Moxie raised his eyebrows, looking at him quizzically, “Brother Chen overestimates me. I never claimed I could play the zither, did I? Brother Chen, if I said I couldn't, what would you do?”
“It is hard to find a true connoisseur! To meet one is a blessing! Concealing one's true abilities... may not serve us well in this situation!” Chen Chen smiled quietly. With a sudden sweep of his long sleeve, the zither stand before him silently rotated and then, as if floating in mid-air, slowly drifted toward Jun Moxie.
As it neared, Jun Moxie extended a hand and gently pressed down; the zither stand instantly halted before him.
Chen Chen opposite watched him with bright, focused eyes, sitting rigidly, his expression serious and yearning.
Jun Moxie sighed inwardly. By his demeanor, it was clear that this Young Master Chen’s love for music was not feigned. Although this man possessed a considerable depth of cunning, and his disposition was even more sinister and ruthless than Li Youran's, he still held a touch more genuine feeling.
He was, after all, a man of passion.
“Very well. Since we meet by fate, I shall make an exception today and play a piece for our gathering, and also for... the fact that in the Jianghu, one is not master of their own fate!”
Jun Moxie spoke with a double meaning, a surge of heroic feeling swelling in his heart! In the Jianghu, body in the Jianghu, heart in the Jianghu! Then, how could we not leave our own mark on this world’s Jianghu? The Jianghu dream of our glorious China!
Laughing proudly in the Jianghu!
A bitter nostalgia flickered across Jun Moxie’s face, and he sighed deeply. Those distant memories, those past experiences... suddenly flashed before his eyes as vividly as if they were happening now!
His hands settled on the zither strings, and with a gentle, almost unconscious pluck of two strings, the clear sound of ‘Immortal Elder’ rang out—from slow to rapid, from peaceful to intensely filled with the energy of battle. It lacked any discernible rhythm, yet from these simple touches emerged a profound atmosphere of the Jianghu!
“In the Jianghu, one is not master of their own fate!” Chen Chen murmured, a strange light suddenly blazing in his eyes. Then the brilliance vanished, replaced only by a long sigh, a look of confusion clouding his face as he mumbled, “Jianghu... what is Jianghu? What truly is... Jianghu?”
“Jianghu... is the path of no return!” Jun Moxie swept his fingers across the strings in a fluid motion; the music instantly ceased, but an aura of extreme desolation and vast righteous energy, carrying an unprecedented feeling of suppression, suddenly filled the entire Tan Guan Tower! Everyone, whether near or far, above or below, distinctly felt a heavy pressure, the sensation of a brewing storm!
As Young Master Jun’s zither music began, Chen Chen’s bewilderment abruptly broke, and a strange light shot forth from his eyes again as he stared fixedly at Jun Moxie. Just the mere prelude, created by Jun Moxie’s sudden stop, was already imbued with the grand atmosphere of a master musician!
This gave Chen Chen, who had given up hope, a sudden, inexplicable delight, like finding flowers blooming in the dark!
Jun Moxie slowly closed his eyes. In the profound silence, his ten fingers suddenly struck the zither strings heavily!
A magnificent and soaring righteous melody erupted, akin to raging tides crashing against the shore, stirring up towering, snow-white waves that instantly obscured the sun, moon, and sky! The entire world was filled with intensely passionate notes!
Iron-blood, slaughter, unrestrained freedom, sweeping power, disdain, helplessness... all these emotions were vividly expressed within the music! This piece belonged only to the Jianghu, only to the heroic vagrants!
Across a thousand mountains and ten thousand waters, I walk alone; one body, one sword, free to roam; drunk, I raise my saber and dare question Heaven, severing all romantic bonds and dreaming of fair ladies!
Amidst this intensely soaring music, Jun Moxie let out a long, hearty laugh and sang out loud: “...A laugh across the vast sea... the surging tide of both banks... Let the ebb and flow of the waves record this day...
Heaven laughs at the chaotic tide of the world; who wins and who loses, Heaven alone knows...
The Empire laughs, the misty rain stretches afar; how many worldly affairs have the surging waves washed away?
The cool breeze laughs, stirring up loneliness; only a swath of evening glow remains of my heroic spirit...
All living beings laugh, no longer lonely; the heroic spirit remains, laughing foolishly...
Yes, A Laugh Across the Vast Sea! The melody of Smiling Proud Wanderer! This was one of Jun Moxie’s favorite pieces! This performance was not for Chen Chen, nor was it born of melancholy, but rather for venting, or perhaps, for showing off!
It was to leave our mark in this world! This song belonged solely to me in this world! But I hope everyone can play it, so that I can hear it anytime, and it will feel like coming home!
Jun Moxie thought silently...
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