Cherry Blossoms Upon a Wintry Sword

Chapter 50: Truth No. 1

To receive an invitation from Kunlun, Fu Yu should naturally be a powerful swordsman, But when he saw Fu Yu, Lin Rufei did not feel any aura that belonged to the sword Qi on him. If not for the sword hanging on his waist, Lin Rufei would have thought that the Lin family’s invitation was sent to the wrong person.

However, when he saw the Fu Yu trapped in the eye of the formation in front of him, the doubts in his mind abruptly cleared up.

Fu Yu in the Fu Family Village was not the real Fu Yu. This dying man in front of him should be the powerful swordsman who was rumored to have another chance in Jianghu.

“What should we do now?” Lin Rufei sighed, “Go back to the Fu Family Village first to understand what is going on?”

Gu Xuandu nodded in agreement, “That’s the only way to go.”

If they move the formation’s eye, Fu Yu, away from the spirit gathering formation, then the formation would be irreversibly damaged and if they wanted to start it up again, it won’t be easy. Now everything was the same as seeing flowers in the fog[1], although Lin Rufei vaguely guessed what was going on, he still didn’t know the complete truth. 

After Lin Rufei and Gu Xuandu restored the place, they left the formation. They intended to go back to the village first. But before going back, Lin Rufei found a few farmers around, who had nothing to do, gave them some dry food, and then asked about the previous affairs of the Fu Family Village.

“In the past, huh? In the past, this was a poor place too.” The farmer wolfed down the food while talking with Lin Rufei about what he wanted to know, “It was saline land everywhere and all the crops planted died. We also had no more methods so we did some other work to barely survive. Although the days are hard, we were able to barely get by ……” As he said this, he let out a bitter smile, “But it was better than now.”

This was similar to what Lin Rufei guessed, he asked, “But I see that the crops around here are growing very well, ah.”

“Sigh, that’s only in recent years.” The farmer said, “The Fu family said they came up with a method to turn the saline land into good land for growing crops, we just thought they were joking at first, but who knew it would really become ……” He quickly ate his fill and looked around to make sure no one saw him. He then stuffed the rest of the dry food carefully into his clothes.

“So how come you guys still look like this now?” Lin Rufei said curiously, “Shouldn’t the days get better?”

The farmer snorted with laughter at his words, “Guest, you are too naive …… but it’s not your fault, we thought the same thing at that time, it’s just a pity that, ah …… a man who is never content is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.” He spoke in an indignant tone and continued the next story.

It turned out that before the Fu family came up with this method, they began to privately buy land from the hands of farmers. The salt-alkaline land was barren, even if they kept it, it was useless. So the farmers sold all the lands that were in their hands. However, who knew that after a period of time, they didn’t know what kind of method the Fu family used but the crops planted on the land didn’t wither. Instead, they began to grow luxuriantly.

These crops took the farmers by surprise. Originally, they wanted to go to the Fu family to riot, but when they remembered that the Fu family had a powerful sword cultivator, Fu Yu, they could only stop.

“Then the Fu family became richer and richer.” The farmer said, “That Fu Yu could originally also be considered a good person. However, after their family became rich, he became more and more outrageous. His sword skills are powerful, ah, no one dares to provoke him within a hundred miles. When people see him, they all hatefully avoid him……..” 

In the beginning, Fu Yu’s sword cultivation had a somewhat unconventional gambit feel to it. When he returned home, he challenged all the swordsmen within the hundred miles. As a result, the people were more fearful of him. 

Lin Rufei listened with a frown, he suddenly remembered something and asked: “In the Fu family, how many people are there in Fu Yu’s generation?” 

The farmer said, “How many people? A total of three.”

Lin Rufei said, “Which one is Fu Yu?”

The farmer said, “The first one, he is the eldest son of the Fu family.”

This wasn’t a problem, but the next sentence the farmer said made Lin Rufei’s eyes widen. The farmer said, “He also has a twin brother named Fu Shui, but he’s different from Fu Yu. Fu Shui also practices swords, but he really has little success.”

Lin Rufei immediately grew excited: “Fu Shui? Is he the one who likes to wear purple clothes?”

“That’s their third young master, ah.” The farmer obviously also knew the frivolous man who liked to wear purple clothes, “His temperament isn’t very good…..alas, the Fu family is like that, addicted to women. They want to marry all the nearby beautiful women into the family.”  He shook his head, full of disdain.

Lin Rufei hastily asked about the matter regarding Fu Shui and asked the farmer to give him a detailed account.

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The farmer did not understand why Lin Rufei was so interested in this Fu Shui, but still told him everything he knew. It turned out that Fu Yu and Fu Shui were twins, the elder brother was named Fu Yu, and the younger brother was named Fu Shui. Although both practice swords, because of the conditions, they weren’t that great. After all, these days, young people who could make a name for themselves either have an outstanding natural talent or are born into a wealthy family. Those like Fu Yu and Fu Shui, children of a small family with mediocre natural talent, naturally have no chance of making a name for themselves.

But fortunately, God had mercy. In an accident, Fu Yu had a strange encounter and suddenly his cultivation soared. Soon, his sword skills became much more powerful.

“These two boys were ones that I watched grow up. Fu Yu is calmer in nature and has a good temper.” The farmer said, “We are quite happy for him, but unfortunately …… later when his family became rich, he also changed.”

Lin Rufei said, “What about Fu Shui, how come I haven’t seen him?”

The farmer said, “I heard that he had a conflict with the Fu family and left on his own. He was saying that he was also going to look for a strange encounter like Fu Yu.” He scoffed twice, “This encounter is not that easy to find. He thinks that everyone has the same blessing as Fu Yu.” He also shook his head with disdain. It seems that he indeed had a very bad impression of this Fu Shui.

“Then do you know if Fu Yu has a child named Mo Mo?” Lin Rufei asked.

“Mo Mo? I don’t know.” The farmer waved his hand and said, “After the Fu family became rich, Fu Yu married a dozen wives and gave birth to a bunch of children. There were five or six of them who died prematurely, who knows which child is called what.” 

Lin Rufei remembered the group of children he saw inside the Fu family courtyard and thought it was normal for outsiders not to know which one was which.

“Does the guest have anything else to ask?” The farmer rubbed his hands, “If there’s nothing more to ask, I’ll go over there to ask for some water.”

“You go ahead.” Lin Rufei learned everything he wanted to know. 

The farmer then got up and left. Lin Rufei looked at his back and fell into deep thought, a moment later, he said, “Since Fu Shui is not Fu Yu, then if we want to prove this matter, it will be very simple, right.”

Gu Xuandu said, “It is indeed very simple—” He paused for a moment. When he noticed Lin Rufei’s eager look, he continued with a bit of helplessness, “Can you not use the shield?”

Lin Rufei said, “But the shield is very convenient.”

Gu Xuandu: “But it’s ugly.”

Lin Rufei: “It’s also very sturdy.”

Gu Xuandu: “But it’s ugly.”

Lin Rufei: “I’m very happy with it ……”

Faced with the insistent Lin Rufei, Gu Xuandu’s resentment almost turned concrete. He didn’t know how many times he cursed Mo Zhaocai in his heart before it finally turned into a sigh: “Forget it, you can use it.”

Lin Rufei nodded happily.

The weather in the afternoon was really hot. When Lin Rufei returned to the Fu family under the scorching sun, he was already covered in sweat. The good thing was that his body was naturally cold so Summer wasn’t too difficult. When he sat under the eaves for a while, the Summer heat was mostly gone.

Mo Mo cried in the morning. After he ate lunch, he then took a nap, and only now did he wake up in a daze. He sat obediently at the table drinking the Tremella soup boiled by Fu Hua. When Lin Rufei touched his head, he raised his face and gave Lin Rufei a cautious smile.

Lin Rufei saw that the sun was about to set outside and thought it was about time, so he got up and planned to go outside.

When Fu Hua saw that he was going out, she asked him what he was going to do.

“I’m going to find the Fu family’s eldest son for a chat.” Lin Rufei said, “You can have your dinner with Mo Mo, no need to wait for me.”

Yu Rui pouted, “That Fu Yu is so annoying, why is gongzi still looking for him?”

Lin Rufei smiled and didn’t say anything. He instructed Yu Rui to go inside and keep Fu Hua company.

After leaving the courtyard, Lin Rufei asked the Fu family underlings where Fu Yu lived, and then slowly and leisurely walked there. Halfway there, he saw the youngest son of the Fu family in purple sitting in the pavilion playing with the maids. It was funny because they had met several times, but Lin Rufei still didn’t know his name.

The servant who led the way was very perceptive and when Lin Rufei asked, he said that was the little gongzi of this family, named Fu Xi.

The name Fu Xi …… was quite a festive name. Lin Rufei smiled, but this name was very different from this man’s pretend suave image.

(t/n: Fu[their surname] = Pay. Yu = Fish; Shui = Water, Xi = Happiness. So, Pay Fish, Pay Water and Pay Happiness)

“Where is Lin gongzi going?” When Fu Xi saw Lin Rufei, he stopped moving his hands and came over with the same enthusiasm as before.

Lin Rufei said, “To find your brother.”

Fu Xi said, “My brother ……? What do you want to find my brother for?”

Lin Rufei said, “For a sword competition.”

Fu Xi’s expression froze, seemingly not expecting Lin Rufei to say such a sentence. He said quietly, “Why is Lin gongzi looking for my brother to compete in a sword fight?”

Lin Rufei took a look at him and said seriously, “A swordsman needs a reason to fight?”

It was true that there was no need. The rules of Jianghu were like that, especially since Lin Rufei was also a valued guest of the Fu family, so Fu Yu had no reason to refuse.

After Lin Rufei said this, he saw the expression on Fu Xi’s face change rapidly; fear, worry, horror, and then doubt. However, it finally turned into a frankness wrapped in a sigh: “It seems that the rain is about to fall.” After saying that, he smiled, balled his hand, and bowed at Lin Rufei, “Then I will wish Lin gongzi victory in a single move.”

Lin Rufei said, “Thank you for your kind words.”

The place where Fu Yu lived was in the middle of the Fu family’s ancestral house; the one that looked the most exaggerated. From the outside, the house looked like it had thirteen floors, each of which was carved and decorated with gorgeous beams. Even before entering, one could smell the strong fragrance of cosmetic powder coming from inside, which was a bit choking.

The servant asked Lin Rufei to wait outside for a moment as he went in first to report with Fu Yu. Taking advantage of this time, Lin Rufei carefully observed the building in front of him, and could not help but frown. He felt that no matter how he looked, it was an eyesore. 

Gu Xuandu looked at Lin Rufei’s serious expression and couldn’t help but laugh: “What’s with Xiao Jiu’s expression?”  

Lin Rufei said, “Don’t you think this house is ugly?”

Gu Xuandu said, “Ugly? At least it’s better than that wooden shield of yours.”

Lin Rufei: “…… The wooden shield is passable, right?”

Gu Xuandu said seriously: “Definitely not passable.”

Lin Rufei did not say anything. He knew that his senior really disliked the wooden shield, but it didn’t matter since he was the one using it anyway. 

The servant soon came out and said that Da Gongzi was waiting in the room.

Lin Rufei stepped into the room and just after entering the hall, he saw Fu Yu sitting in the middle, holding a gentle and beautiful concubine in his arms. The concubine was not embarrassed to see Lin Rufei, instead, she cast an enchanting smile and softly called out a “Lin gongzi.”

“I wonder what Lin gongzi needs?” Fu Yu looked at Lin Rufei.

Lin Rufei said, “I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

Fu Yu’s eyes lit up, thinking that Lin Rufei came to talk about Mo Mo: “Lin gongzi is leaving tomorrow? I’m sure it’s not convenient to bring Mo Mo with you. I have many children and I am not too concerned about the children, but with Lin gongzi’s reminder, I will definitely treat Mo Mo well in the future.”

Lin Rufei shook his head: “I’m not here to talk about Mo Mo.”

Originally, Fu Yu had already stood up in excitement, but when he heard Lin Rufei’s words, he sat back in his chair and said in a cold voice: “Then what is the reason for Lin gongzi’s visit?”

Lin Rufei looked at him and said it one word at a time: “I am here to find you for a sword competition.”

Fu Yu’s expression froze instantly, “Lin gongzi …… what did you say?”

Lin Rufei said, “I said, I am here to find you for a sword competition.”

This was the first time that Lin Rufei had taken the initiative to find someone to compete in a sword fight. Before that, whether it was Wang Teng or Liu Rugong, he felt a bit forced. However, at this moment, the person who proposed the sword fight became Lin Rufei.

A smile appeared on Fu Yu’s face, but it looked incredibly stiff, “Why did you say that, Lin gongzi? Is it because our Fu family’s hospitality was lacking?”

Lin Rufei said, “Yes, it’s because your Fu family’s hospitality is poor.” Since it had come to this point, he had no intention on giving face to Fu Yu. Besides, whether this person in front of him was Fu Yu or not was still another story. He slightly raised his chin, his words were cold and impersonal, “I am here to deliver the invitation to Fu Yu, Fu gongzi. Since Fu gongzi did not give face to my Lin family and directly tore the invitation, then you must have some skills. In that case, I, Lin Rufei, will represent the Lin family to witness it.”

The invitation was just a random excuse that Lin Rufei found, but this excuse was very suitable so that Fu Yu had no chance to refuse.

Fu Yu’s face turned livid and his body trembled slightly, “Why do you have to do this, Lin gongzi? Is it because the Lin family is a powerful family that they rely on power to bully others?”

Rely on power to bully others? Lin Rufei savored this sentence and abruptly laughed. He was gentle in nature and was the same to everything and everyone. After living for more than twenty years, it was the first time he heard this word from others. Not only did he not feel annoyed, but he also felt very fresh. After he laughed, he looked at Fu Yu out of the corner of his eyes and spoke slowly: “So what if I, Lin Rufei, have decided to rely on power to bully others today, what can you do to me?” Although he had a good temper, he was not a dough that could be kneaded that easily. In the Lin family, he had been spoiled as a treasure for more than twenty years. Even if he used the Lin family’s reputation to bully others outside, not only would his family’s brothers and sister not be angry, but they would be very happy.

Besides, the man in front of him was a sheep in wolf’s clothing[2], Lin Rufei couldn’t be worried. He waved at Fu Yu and said, “Fu family’s Da Gongzi, is there anything else you want to say? Say it together, lest you don’t have the chance later.”

Fu Yu’s Adam’s Apple bobbed and he forced himself to be calm, “Since Lin gongzi is so insistent, I can’t refuse anymore, but I have been physically ill recently so could it be set back a little?” 

Lin Rufei said, “Physically ill?”

Fu Yu said, “Yes.”

Lin Rufei’s eyes twinkled and he let out a faint smile, “If that’s the case, I can certainly understand.”

Fu Yu’s heart was finally slightly relieved at his words, but before his breath could fall, he heard a sentence that knocked him into the abyss.

Lin Rufei said, “I just don’t know if it is Fu Yu or Fu Shui who is sick?”

Fu Yu’s face changed greatly as if he was struck by the words “Fu Shui” that came out of Lin Rufei’s mouth. However, he reacted quickly and the next moment he put on a forced smile to cover up his disorder, “What do you mean by that, Lin gongzi? That Fu Shui is an unfilial son, our Fu family removed his name long ago ……”

Lin Rufei didn’t bother to talk to him anymore. He raised his hand and pulled out Gu Yu, pointing at the counterfeit in front of him, “If you still want to be called Fu Yu—draw your sword!”

Fu Yu lost all the color from his face. He knew that Lin Rufei would not give him a chance to delay and his trembling hand stroked the long sword at his waist with difficulty. He gripped the hilt tightly, but never pulled the blade out of the scabbard.

At this point, all the reactions Fu Yu showed, had given the answer to the question Lin Rufei wanted to know. He looked at the so-called swordsman who could not even pull out the sword, sneered, and returned Gu Yu to its sheath: “Fu Shui, you are not yet worthy of my sword.”

Fu Yu …… no, Fu Shui’s expression was instantly hideous to the extreme. He looked at Lin Rufei with resentment, “Lin Gongzi, stop talking nonsense! Who is Fu Shui? I am Fu Yu!”

Lin Rufei said, “You think you’re worthy?”

(t/n: In this case, he is referring to whether he was worthy to be Fu Yu)

These words completely enraged Fu Yu. He let out a harsh hiss and actually lunged towards Lin Rufei. Lin Rufei did not dodge and unhesitatingly took out the wooden shield from his ring. He steadily, accurately, and quickly came at Fu Shui. Fu Shui did not expect Lin Rufei’s sudden action and suddenly, like a kite with broken strings, he directly flew out and smashed heavily against the wooden chair behind him, making a loud noise.

Lin Rufei touched his shield with satisfaction, but Gu Xuandu beside him pinched the bridge of his nose with a headache—he really must think of a way to confiscate this wooden shield, otherwise, he was afraid that Lin Rufei would take a strange road of no return.

Lin Rufei was afraid of smashing Fu Shui to death, so he didn’t use much sword Qi, but Fu Shui still fainted. The concubine next to him had been scared and cowered in the corner. When she saw this scene in front of her, she let out a terrified scream, turned around, and ran out. Lin Rufei took a look at her, ignored her, and walked towards Fu Shui.

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Fu Shui was lying on the ground and he didn’t know if he was dead or alive. Lin Rufei probed his nostrils to make sure he was still alive before he let out a sigh of relief. He casually found a chair next to him and sat down, sighing: “Why is he so weak……” He had already withdrawn his strength.

Gu Xuandu said: “I told you to use the sword.”

Lin Rufei did not believe Gu Xuandu’s nonsense: “He fainted for so long when I used the shield. If I use the sword, wouldn’t he lose his life?”

Gu Xuandu thought about it, “If he dies, he dies, it’s not a big deal.”

Lin Rufei: “……” So you just don’t want me to use the shield, right?

The two of them were too loud and a lot of the Fu family members had gathered outside the room. However, these people saw Fu Shui’s miserable state from outside the door. They stuck their heads out to look around and they had an expression of wanting to enter but also didn’t dare to. 

Lin Rufei ignored them. When he saw that Fu Shui was not waking up at all, he simply got up and squatted down. He grabbed Fu Shui’s collar and slapped him a few times directly on the face. Gu Xuandu was stunned by Lin Rufei’s direct and efficient yet slightly rough action and asked Lin Rufei who he had learned this from with wide eyes.

Lin Rufei said, “My third sister.”

Gu Xuandu said, “This is not good, don’t learn it in the future.”

Lin Rufei said, “What if he doesn’t wake up?”

Gu Xuandu thought about it and rolled up his sleeves, “It’s okay, from now on you watch, I’ll do it.” This kind of rough work was better for him to do.

Lin Rufei couldn’t help but show a smile and coughed lowly a few times.

Fu Shui, who was fiercely slapped several times by him, opened his eyes in a daze. He saw Lin Rufei’s face close at hand and froze for a moment before reacting. He then reflexively turned to flee but was grabbed by Lin Rufei by the collar and pulled back.  

“Where are you going?” Lin Rufei asked indifferently.

But Fu Shui was spineless and began to beg for mercy. He no longer mentioned the matter regarding Fu Yu and only begged Lin Rufei to give face to the Fu family and spare his life.

“Where is Fu Yu?” Lin Rufei said, “Why are you impersonating him?”

“Fu Yu …… Fu Yu …… is already dead.” Fu Shui shrunk his neck. He had completely lost the arrogance from when they first met, kind of like a turtle without a shell. When he was facing Lin Rufei’s questioning, his voice was as thin as a mosquito, “I didn’t want to, but the Fu family only has one such swordsman, if he is gone, the Fu family will also suffer …… “

Lin Rufei said: “Suffer? If you have not offended anyone, will you be afraid of suffering?”

Fu Shui was speechless.

“Who set up that formation outside the village?” Lin Rufei asked the key question.

“It’s my elder brother, it’s my elder brother.” Fu Shui replied with trepidation, “After the formation was laid, he disappeared, so I pretended to be him.”

Lin Rufei raised his hand and gave him a slap. With a snap, Fu Shui’s face was slapped to the side and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. When he turned back again, his face was covered with unconcealed panic, even tears fell from his eyes. He cried, “You, what did you hit me for?”

Lin Rufei said with a gloomy expression, “Hit you? If you don’t tell the truth, not only will I beat you, I will also take this dog life of yours. If you tell me honestly what is going on with Fu Yu and the formation, I can still keep you alive, if not—” he narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “You should know that your life is not worth anything.”

As Fu Shui listened to Lin Rufei’s words, he slowly hung his head. He sobbed loudly and said, “I …… I really ……”

When he got to this point, he heard Lin Rufei softly tsk. All of a sudden, he started shaking like a sieve. He cried out, “I’ll talk, I’ll say everything, don’t kill me, don’t kill me ……”

Only then did Lin Rufei show satisfaction. He quietly cast a glance at Gu Xuandu as if to say, ‘see, I am powerful, just like this and I can make people cry in fear.’ Gu Xuandu looked at his family’s young master’s smug look and his hand clenched into a fist as he pressed it against his lips, hiding the smirk at the corner of his mouth.

********

The author has something to say:

Lin Rufei proudly puffed out his chest: I’m amazing, right? !

Gu Xuandu: Amazing, amazing.

Lin Rufei: How is senior going to reward me? 

Gu Xuandu: I’ll give you a big, big kiss!

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[1] Blurred vision 

[2] Appearing fierce while cowardly at heart