stjorthotic Chapter 49 Disharmony
Chapter 49 Disharmony
Nine days later, the sun fish shone again, and Meng Chen attempted to break through to the realm for the fourth time, but still failed.
Nine days later, Meng Chen attempted to break through the barrier for the fifth time, but the high wall remained, and he could not break through it.
Meng Chen felt that things should have gone smoothly, but suddenly a chasm blocked his way, and he couldn't take that final step no matter what.
It was late November, night had fallen, and the cold wind had thinned the starlight.
Seeing that Meng Chen had failed to break through to the next realm five times, the apprentices realized that he was no longer the "third time's the charmer" senior brother. Some of them gloated, while others became even more eager to improve.
Du Ren escorted Meng Chen back to his dormitory, and comforted him with a smile, "As the saying goes, sixes bring good fortune, who knows, maybe next time it will work out."
Meng Chen shook his head slightly, but remained silent.
Du Ren sighed. He noticed that in the past, even if Meng Chen failed to pass the test, his determination remained undiminished, and he even became more and more motivated. But today, Du Ren saw a hint of confusion on Meng Chen's face.
Yan Fei brought over some tea, fed Meng Chen a few sips, and comforted him, saying, "Junior brother, there's really no need to rush. It's only been two months since you completed your three trials."
Now, after Wan Dabao and Qi Miao left, and Qi Yun also left, only Meng Chen, Yan Fei, and Cui Butong remained in this small dormitory, and no new apprentices came to live in it.
Moreover, after Meng Chen's third and fourth attempts at transformation failed, Cui Butong became even more indifferent. Now, Yan Fei eats with Meng Chen every day.
Du Ren comforted Meng Chen a few more times before leaving his bedroom and going to the backyard to see Du Zhong.
A charcoal fire was burning in Du Zhong's room. Although he was a martial artist of the second realm, he was not immune to heat or cold. Moreover, he was old and his vital energy was declining, so he could not compare with young people.
"How is he?" Du Zhong asked.
"He looks like he wants to reform but can't find a way." Du Ren warmed his hands by the charcoal fire, and seeing his godfather's displeasure, he quickly changed his tune, saying, "I think he still has ambition, but he's a bit lost and doesn't know what to do."
Du Zhong nodded slightly and said, "He was very persistent before and made rapid progress. Now that he can't even pass the fourth or fifth stage, he naturally loses some confidence and composure. It's not surprising that young people are easily swayed by outside opinions."
"That's right!" Du Ren sighed. "I can hear the gossip about him in our courtyard, let alone what people are saying about him. Yan Zhao used to invite him for drinks every three to five days, but he always declined. After he failed to break through to the next realm for the third time, Yan Zhao never wrote to him again. Qi Yun, on the other hand, is more sentimental and came two or three times."
"Adding flowers to brocade, offering charcoal in the snow. You must know, most people are inclined to flatter the powerful and step on the weak, they all like to fawn over those who are doing well. The moment they see someone failing, they speak ill of them behind their back and kick them while they're down. This is absolutely not the behavior of a wise person." Du Zhong was no longer as kind as he was when he was facing his apprentice, but instead sneered, "He has only been knocking on the third level for less than two months, which is not slow anywhere. It's just that a young man has encountered a hurdle that he can't overcome for a while. How can everyone have a smooth journey like Yan Long?"
"What can we do then?" Du Ren picked up a persimmon and ate it. "He keeps talking about high walls and forced imprisonment, as if he's been jailed. It looks like he won't be able to get over this hurdle himself."
Du Zhong sighed and said, "I don't understand his problem either. How about this, you take him back to the escort agency tomorrow, maybe we'll find something."
The next morning, Meng Chen got up, practiced a set of boxing moves, and then washed up.
After my morning exercise, I was thinking of going to eat when Du Ren stopped me.
"Come on, let me take you out for a walk." Du Ren had Meng Chen change his clothes and even put a knife on him.
"What are we going to do?" Meng Chen asked.
"Let me help you cool down," Du Ren said with a grin, putting his arm around Meng Chen's shoulder.
After leaving the martial arts school, the two first drank a bowl of hot mutton soup, then bought some snacks and a jar of fine wine, and then arrived at the Longmen Escort Agency.
Du Ren was very familiar with this place. Once inside the escort agency, he greeted everyone he met as if he were at home.
Wandering into the backyard, I saw a man in a black robe standing under a peach tree.
The peach tree was bare, with a birdcage hanging on it, and a man in black robes was teasing the sparrows inside.
"That's our eldest brother's father," Du Ren whispered a reminder.
Meng Chen immediately understood that the man in black robes was Ye Qingshan, the head of the Longwei Escort Agency and Ye Jinhuan's biological father.
Speaking of which, Meng Chen had also inquired about the Longwei Escort Agency and knew that Ye Qingshan was an extraordinary person. Twenty years ago, he came to Qingshui County and, being unfamiliar with the place, boldly opened an escort agency. Moreover, he built it from scratch and never lost a single shipment or missed a single delivery in twenty years, which showed his extraordinary nature.
The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Longwei Escort Agency was actually quite young, around forty years old. He lacked the world-weariness of someone who had been through the trials of the martial world, and instead resembled a well-read scholar.
"Uncle, you can't tame a sparrow! At most, you can keep it for a day or two, and it'll definitely wag its tail!" Du Ren saw that there was a sparrow in the birdcage, so he put down the wine jar and snacks and went up to poke the sparrow with his finger.
"You know nothing!" Ye Qingshan looked refined, but his words lacked any scholarly grace. He said, "I can raise sons and daughters well, so why can't I raise a beast?"
"Can they be the same?" Du Ren retorted.
"Spit it out if you have something to say, or shut up if you have something to say!" Ye Qingshan gave Du Ren a cold look.
"This is a brother my elder brother has sworn brother to," Du Ren immediately spouted nonsense. "He's encountered some difficulties in his martial arts training, so my father asked me to bring him here so you can give him some pointers."
"Junior Meng Chen greets Senior." Meng Chen bowed very respectfully.
"I'm not a doctor, and I don't really know much about martial arts." Ye Qingshan continued to tease the bird, only glancing casually at Meng Chen before saying, "Why don't you tell me first?"
Meng Chen had nothing to hide, so he explained in detail his feelings about being behind high walls.
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingshan stopped playing with the bird and said with a smile, "You mean, your second and third breakthroughs weren't too difficult. But when it came to the crucial breakthrough, although there were signs of a breakthrough, every time you tried to step over it, it was as if a wall appeared in front of you, preventing you from advancing even an inch?"
"Yes." Meng Chen bowed and cupped his hands. "Please give me your guidance, senior."
Ye Qingshan walked around the peach tree twice with his hands behind his back, then pinched Meng Chen's head and finally took Meng Chen's pulse.
"How many people have you killed?" Ye Qingshan asked casually.
"That's a cunning old fox!" Meng Chen's expression didn't change, but his pulse quickened a few beats.
"He's still a virgin. He hasn't even touched a woman, let alone killed anyone!" Du Ren laughed heartily.
"I see." Ye Qingshan laughed heartily.
Meng Chen couldn't laugh.
"Aside from being a bit hot-tempered, there's nothing wrong with him." Ye Qingshan withdrew his hand, circled the peach tree again, and said, "He's diligent and persevering, so you should look for problems elsewhere. In the first three realms of martial arts, inner demons don't manifest, and even if they do, they're mostly tests of willpower. But in life, everyone has their likes and dislikes, so it's hard to say."
"Uncle, please explain it more clearly," Du Ren said, scratching his head.
"Some things are just a gentle breeze for some people, but for others they are insurmountable inner demons." Ye Qingshan looked at Meng Chen with a smile and said, "Of course, I'm not saying you have inner demons, but rather that you have something out of place. Right now, you're like a bucket, and your problem is that there's a hole in the bottom of the bucket. Do you think this bucket can still draw water from the well? Obviously not."
"But he broke through three levels in a row, so how come this broken bucket worked?" Du Ren asked curiously.
"What are three trials? A little water will do. But breaking through requires a full bucket of water." Ye Qingshan made a lot of sense. "Actually, your time to break through has come long ago, but you just need to fill the gap at the bottom of this bucket."
"Senior, how can we fill the gap?" Meng Chen asked sincerely.
"Filling the gap isn't difficult," Ye Qingshan said with a smile, teasing the bird. "The difficulty lies in finding that gap. Perhaps it's something you wanted to do but didn't, or some deep-seated hatred in your heart, or perhaps it's simply a source of anxiety and fear. In any case, only you know your own situation, and I can't offer much help. Go back and think about it more, look for the discord within yourself, and you'll naturally be able to move forward again."
"Disharmony..." Upon hearing this, Meng Chen couldn't help but think of the Yin-Yang symbol. The Yang fish was now lit up, but the Yin fish remained dim. Yin and Yang could not complement each other, which was precisely the disharmony.