Let Us Wander Together [Wenzhou]

Chapter 2

"Master..." Gu Xiang said, pouting slightly as he pulled her by the whip towards himself, folding it into loops as he did so. From behind, the beggar – or not – peered curiously, leaning forwards with a mischievous and slightly smug smirk as he berated Gu Xiang, "A'Xiang, your martial arts are poor, don't tell me you have poor taste as well?"

Following that, Wen Kexing turned to face the beggar whilst cupping his hands in apology, and said with a charming smile, "I apologise for my maid's rudeness," then inclined his head. The beggar chuckled sheepishly, raising the wine jug in a shabby imitation of his greeting, and said, "Ah... I don't deserve this, I should apologise instead."

Letting his smile grow, he stood up straight and snapped open his fan, adding, "There's no need to be impolite, why not I treat you to a meal?" Looking down in embarrassment, the beggar's face was hidden for a moment before he stuttered, "Young Master, there's –" but Wen Kexing quickly interrupted, "Then its decided! Let's see, a location... how about the forest near the border of Kunzhou? We can admire the greenery while getting to know each other! There's no need to call me 'young master', my surname is Wen. Wen Kexing."

The beggar could only stare, open-mouthed as he continued rattling on the time, "You're free at the wei hour tomorrow, yes? Right, its settled then! See you there!" And with one last confident grin, he spun on his heels and left, Gu Xiang in tow.

A/N: wei hour is 1pm-3pm

(*)(*)(*)

"Master, that beggar looks like he's going to die any moment, why bother with him? He only beat me because I was going easy on him, didn't you see, I could've hit him with that last shot if I wanted!" Gu Xiang asked as they got off the carriage once it arrived at the edge of the forest.

"A'Xiang, you're still too inexperienced in matters of the world, that beggar's martial arts are clearly higher than yours. About that last attack, you're completely off the mark. He let you hit him, not the other way round," He chided whilst paying the carriage driver.

Pouting slightly, Gu Xiang defended, "Huh! I can still tell that he'll die soon, and that there's no point in meeting with him!" To that, Wen Kexing kept quiet. It was partially true; he would die, but there was value in meeting with him. The moment the beggar had used his lightness skills to evade Gu Xiang's whip, he had thought it seemed familiar, and the moves used when jumping out from under the umbrella had solved the mystery.

Swift Moving Steps, from the Four Seasons Manor. For so long, Wen Kexing had not heard any news about the once mighty Four Seasons Manor that he had wandered if it, just like most parts of his childhood seemed, was just a dream, figments of some hopeful parts of his imagination. And so, his knowledge about it soon faded, his mind occupied with other matters.

But today, it had resurfaced again, in the form of a beggar with martial arts too good for his state. He certainly did not belong to the beggar sect; there would've been some news if such a strong player had emerged. Gu Xiang's claim that she had went easy on him was laughable. Even Wen Kexing wasn't sure if he could beat that beggar in a fair fight. But you never fight fairly... so what's there to worry about?

His memory, however, had been tarnished by age and the Meng Po soup he had been forced to drink when he entered the Ghost Valley. This meeting was to find out his identity – for the person surely was not a beggar – and determine his martial arts. If he could, find out the man's purpose for coming here, and his past.

For now, Wen Kexing fanned himself leisurely, chatting with Gu Xiang about everyday events. There was no doubt in his mind that the beggar would come. As much as he wanted to practice his martial arts now, or train Gu Xiang, he couldn't ignore the possibility of travellers catching sight of them, or the beggar coming to scout the area before meeting him. It would be too much of a hassle to dispose of them. And he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched... You're just paranoid that your revenge plan will be interrupted, he tried to convince himself.