Xia Lan: From Meeting a Martial Arts Girl

Chapter 1 The Legend After the New Year

The June sun was scorching, causing the leaves of the old locust tree at the village entrance to curl up.

Under the shade of the trees, several old men were fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans and chatting idly.

On the innermost stone stool sat a bald old man, his legs crossed, fanning himself the most enthusiastically with a palm-leaf fan, and speaking the loudest.

"I'm telling you, it's all true!" The bald old man leaned forward. "Back in my great-great-grandfather's generation, there was a Xia Lan who came from the back mountain of our village."

"Back then, when the 'zero o'clock' incident occurred, all the cattle and sheep in the village suffered. It was that Xia Lan who intervened, waving his hands like that."

He made a gesture.

"With a whoosh, a purple light appeared, and all the zeros vanished!"

The old man in the white vest next to him scoffed, "Old bald guy, you're always talking about Xia Lan, have you ever even seen one?"

"My grandfather has met him!"

"Your grandfather saw it, so it's true? I could say my grandfather saw the Jade Emperor."

Another old man chimed in, "That's right, that's right, what era are we living in? Still talking about Xia Lan?"

"Now that mobile phones can make video calls, what's with the purple light? I think it's more like the phone's flash."

The bald old man grew impatient, standing up and then squatting down again, pointing at his old friends with his palm-leaf fan: "You young people, you don't understand anything!"

"Young people?" The old man in the white vest chuckled. "The three of us combined are over two hundred years old. You call us young?"

They burst into laughter under the shade of the tree.

The bald old man's face turned red with anger, and he was about to retort when he heard a voice behind him.

"Maybe it really is."

The group turned around and saw a boy in a white T-shirt walking over with a suitcase.

The boy was quite tall, with a tanned complexion from years of sun exposure. He had regular features, but he didn't smile much and seemed a bit dull.

"Hey, young Lu!" The bald old man perked up. "Look at you, young people really know their stuff! Let me tell you, my great-great-grandfather..."

"Grandpa Guang, I'm off to catch the train." Lu Siye nodded to the old men without stopping, "I'm off now."

"Oh, they're leaving already? Isn't school still two months away from starting?"

"Let's go for a look around beforehand."

As Lu Siye spoke, he had already walked seven or eight steps away.

He's a man of few words; everyone in the village knows that.

The bald old man watched his retreating figure, then glanced at the old suitcase in his hand, and sighed, "That poor kid, Lu, his life is so hard. His parents died early, leaving only his grandmother to raise him. He finally managed to get into university..."

"Getting accepted is a good thing," said the old man in the white vest. "I heard it's a good school in the provincial capital?"

"That's right, he's the only one at the entrance of our village."

As they were talking, they heard footsteps coming from the village, followed by a clear voice calling out, "Lu Siyue! Wait for me!"

A girl hurriedly caught up with them.

She had her hair tied in a ponytail and wore a floral dress; the hem of her dress swayed as she ran.

Tang Yuan ran to Lu Siye's side, still catching her breath, and began to complain, "We agreed to walk together, why didn't you wait for me?"

"I've been waiting for you," Lu Siye said.

"Why did you leave first while I was waiting?"

"You made me wait."

Tang Yuan choked, wanting to retort but unable to find the words. Finally, she glared at him and reached out to snatch the suitcase from his hand: "Give me one!"

"Need not."

"Give me!"

Lu Siye glanced at her and released her grip.

Tang Yuan took the suitcase, dragged it forward, her ponytail swinging back and forth, muttering, "Silent type, it'll kill you to say something..."

Several old men under the shade of the tree laughed as they watched this scene.

The bald old man waved his palm-leaf fan and said, "Alright, now I have someone to keep me company."

"Isn't that Old Tang's daughter? They grew up together, one took the provincial exam and the other took the provincial exam, what a coincidence."

"What's so coincidental? I heard from Old Tang's wife that when that girl was filling out her college application, she specifically asked Xiao Lu which university he applied to."

"Yo..."

The old men exchanged a meaningful glance.

A dilapidated minibus was parked at the entrance of the village, with a white sign on the door that read "County Town - Qingshan Village" in red lettering.

The driver, who was dozing off with his head resting on the steering wheel, opened his eyes slightly when he heard the noise. Seeing that it was two young people, he waved his hand and said, "Move to the back; there are seats there."

There weren't many people on the bus; only a few villagers carrying snakeskin bags were scattered around.

Lu Siye and Tang Yuan found a seat side by side in the back row, and the car started moving slowly.

The fields outside the window receded one by one, with rolling green hills in the distance.

Tang Yuan peered out the window for a while, then suddenly turned her head and asked, "Lu Siyue, what's the provincial capital like?"

"have no idea."

"How come you don't know anything?"

"Never been there."

Tang Yuan was speechless, and angrily turned back to look out the window.

After a few seconds, she couldn't help but speak again: "My second uncle told me that the provincial capital is huge, with skyscrapers that are over ten stories high, and those... those elevators where you just stand in and whoosh, you're up there!"

Lu Siye hummed in agreement.

"And also, the schools in the provincial capital are much bigger than the high school I went to. My second uncle said their school has a lake with swans in it!"

Lu Siye hummed in agreement again.

Tang Yuan finally couldn't hold back any longer and pinched his arm: "Could you say just a couple more words?"

Lu Siye thought for a moment and said, "Swans bite."

"..."

Tang Yuan laughed in exasperation and pinched him again.

The minibus bumped along for over an hour before finally entering the county town.

The two got off the train at the station and walked into the street, dragging their suitcases.

Tang Yuan's second uncle ran a small restaurant in the county town, and they agreed to have a meal there before transferring to the train.

The county town was much more lively than the village, with people coming and going on the streets and stalls lining the roadside.

The shouts of vendors selling fruit, clothes, and snacks rose and fell in a continuous stream.

Tang Yuan pulled Lu Siye along, looking around and finding everything new and interesting.

"Lu Siye, look! That candied hawthorn is huge!"

"Lu Siye, look! That balloon glows!"

"Lu Siye, you..."

She suddenly stopped.

Lu Siye followed her gaze and saw a fortune teller's stall squatting on the street corner.

A worn-out wooden table, with a yellowish white cloth covering the surface, on which were drawn some incomprehensible symbols in ink.

An old man sat behind the table, wearing a drab gray long gown, his head down and eyes closed, it was hard to tell if he was asleep.

Tang Yuan became interested and tugged at Lu Siye's sleeve: "Hey, shall we go calculate it?"

"Not really."

Why?

"Feudal superstition"

"You're really boring." Tang Yuan let go of him and walked towards the stall. "I'm going to calculate it. You wait here."

Helpless, Lu Siye had no choice but to drag his two suitcases and follow.

Tang Yuan squatted down in front of the stall and called out to the old man, "Sir?"

The old man didn't move.

"Old sir?"

Still nothing.

Tang Yuan waved her hand in front of him, and the old man suddenly spoke up: "It doesn't count as marriage, it doesn't count as fortune, it doesn't count as future prospects."

His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

Tang Yuan paused for a moment, then awkwardly withdrew her hand: "Then... what does that mean?"

The old man slowly raised his head.

His eyes were covered with a layer of grayish-white, as if veiled by a layer of mist.

Tang Yuan then noticed that he was blind.

"What do you want to calculate?" the old man asked.

Tang Yuan thought for a moment, her face flushing slightly, and whispered, "Is marriage... possible?"

The old man didn't speak, but stretched out his thin, dry hand.

Tang Yuan understood and handed over her wrist.

The old man grasped her wrist, pressed his thumb against her palm, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Your perfect match is near; there's no need to seek further."

"Huh?" Tang Yuan didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

The old man had released his grip and stopped talking.

Tang Yuan paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, turned around and waved to Lu Siye: "You should have your fortune told too!"

Lu Siye shook his head: "That doesn't count."

"Come on, come on!"

"I have no money."

Just as Tang Yuan was about to say, "I'll treat you," the old man suddenly spoke up again: "Come here, I'll do your fortune telling."

Lu Siye frowned: "I have no money."

"It's free."

Tang Yuan's eyes lit up, and she pushed Lu Siye forward, saying, "Quick, quick, it's free!"

Lu Siye was pushed to the stall by her and stood there without moving. The old man raised his gray eyes, glanced in his direction, and then held out his hand: "Hand."

Lu Siye hesitated for a moment before extending his right hand.

The old man grasped his wrist.

That hand was dry and cold, like tree bark in winter.

He pressed his thumb against the palm of his hand, then pressed it again, and then suddenly stopped.

After a few seconds, the old man released his grip, picked up a calligraphy brush from the table, and dipped it in ink.

"hand."

Lu Siye stretched out his right hand again.

The old man held his hand and began to draw on his palm with a calligraphy brush.

Lu Siye looked down, but could only see some crooked lines and couldn't tell what they were.

After finishing the drawing, the old man released his grip and said, "Wait half an hour."

"What?"

"Take another test in half an hour."

Lu Siye frowned as he looked at the ink stain in his palm.

The ink wasn't dry yet, and it seeped along the lines of my palm, making it impossible to discern anything.

Just as he was about to ask a question, he saw the old man slump onto the table and fall asleep.

"..."

Tang Yuan leaned closer, looking curiously at his palm: "What did he draw?"

"have no idea."

"Is it some kind of talisman?"

"have no idea."

Tang Yuan reached out to touch him, but Lu Siye pulled his hand back.

Tang Yuan glared at him: "You're stingy."

The two stood in front of the stall for a while, but the old man was sleeping soundly and showed no sign of waking up.

Tang Yuan glanced at her watch, then at Lu Siye: "How about... we go eat first? My second uncle is waiting."

"Wait a little longer."

Ten more minutes passed, but the old man still didn't wake up.

Lu Siye looked down at the ink stains on his palm; the lines seemed to have faded a little.

He stared at it for a while, and suddenly felt a faint stinging pain in his palm, as if he had been pricked by a needle.

"What's wrong?" Tang Yuan asked.

"fine."

About ten minutes later, the old man finally moved and slowly raised his head.

He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and then said to Lu Siyue, "Come here."

Lu Siye walked over and extended his right hand.

The ink on my palm had faded so much that it was almost invisible, leaving only faint traces.

The old man held his hand, pressed his thumb against his palm, and remained silent for a long time.

After a long pause, Tang Yuan began to feel uneasy, before he finally spoke slowly: "You and this young lady..."

He paused.

There is a story of love, hate, and grudges.

Lu Siye: "..."

Tang Yuan's face flushed red.

The old man let go of her hand, slumped onto the table, and went back to sleep.

Lu Siye stood there, looking at his empty palms, then at Tang Yuan's flushed face, and remained silent for three seconds.

"Let's go," he said.

Tang Yuan said "Oh," and followed behind him with her head down. After walking a dozen steps, she muttered under her breath, "What love and hate... It's like someone has a grudge against you..."

Lu Siye did not respond.

He looked down at his right hand.

There was nothing left in my palm, only a faint stinging sensation.

He rubbed it, and the stinging sensation was still there.

I rubbed it again, and it was still there.

"What's wrong?" Tang Yuan asked.

"fine."

Lu Siye put his right hand into his pocket and walked towards the station.

The train was in the evening.

The old-fashioned green train had hard seats, and it took all night to reach the provincial capital.

The carriage wasn't crowded; it was mostly filled with migrant workers carrying large and small bags.

Lu Siye and Tang Yuan found a seat by the window, which was empty opposite them.

It was completely dark when the train started moving.

The lights outside the window receded one by one, gradually turning into twinkling fireflies.

Tang Yuan leaned against the window for a while, then turned her head and began to ramble on about her second uncle's restaurant, how delicious her aunt's braised pork was, and how naughty her cousin was.

Lu Siye listened, occasionally humming in agreement.

His right hand remained in his pocket.

The stinging sensation was still there, faint and lingering, as if something was reminding him of its presence.

He took a peek at his hand while Tang Yuan wasn't looking.

The lights in the carriage were dim and yellowish, shining on my palm, so I couldn't see anything.

He put his hand back in his pocket.

"...Then my cousin said, 'Brother, there's a bug in your bowl!' My second uncle looked down and saw there was no bug at all. My cousin had mistaken the sesame seeds for bugs, hahaha."

Tang Yuan laughed so hard she almost fell over. After laughing for a while and realizing Lu Siye wasn't reacting, she waved her hand in front of him: "Hey, are you listening to me?"

"I heard it."

"So what did I just say?"

"You said your cousin mistook the sesame seeds in your second uncle's bowl for worms."

Tang Yuan blinked and smiled: "You actually listened to that."

Lu Siye remained silent.

Tang Yuan looked at him and suddenly leaned closer: "Are you tired?"

"A little."

"Then you should take a nap. I'll wake you up when we get there."

Lu Siye nodded, leaned his head back in the chair, and closed his eyes.

The stinging sensation is still there.

It was faint, like an extremely fine needle slowly moving across the palm of your hand.

He vaguely wondered what the old blind man had drawn on his hand...

As I thought about it, my consciousness became blurred.

He was awakened by a burst of laughter after an unknown amount of time.

I opened my eyes to find the lights in the carriage still dim and the night outside the window still heavy.

He turned his head and found someone sitting opposite him.

It's a boy.

He was fair-skinned, wore thin-rimmed glasses, and a light blue shirt, and looked very refined.

He was talking to Tang Yuan, whose eyes curved into two crescent moons as she smiled.

"Really?" Tang Yuan asked.

"real."

The boy said with a smile.

"The lake at our school is full of swans in the spring. They're really fierce; they chase after the students."

"One year, a senior student didn't believe in the superstition and insisted on taking a close-up photo with the swans. As a result, he was chased by the swans and ran around the lake."

"Ha ha ha ha"

Tang Yuan laughed so hard she slapped her thigh. After laughing, she looked up and saw Lu Siye was awake. She immediately tugged at his sleeve: "Lu Siye, you're awake! This is He Chutian, he's also from our school, a junior, a senior!"

He Chutian nodded to Lu Siye: "Hello."

Lu Siye nodded: "Hello."

"Senior He is amazing! He studies computer science and can even write code!" Tang Yuan said. "He said their school is huge, with a lake and swans in it. The swan I told you about that bites is real!"

"Hmm," Lu Siye said.

"And also, he said the school cafeteria has more than thirty cafeterias, offering all kinds of cuisines, including dishes from our hometown!"

"Um."

He also said

"Tang Yuan," Lu Siye interrupted her.

"what?"

"Let them rest for a while."

Tang Yuan paused for a moment, her face flushed slightly, and she said awkwardly, "Oh...right, senior, would you like some water? I have some in my bag."

He Chutian smiled and waved his hand, "No need, no need, I'm not thirsty."

In the following time, Tang Yuan continued to talk to He Chutian from time to time.

He Chutian has a good temper and answers every question. Occasionally, he will also tell a few interesting stories about school.

Tang Yuan listened with great interest, her eyes shining.

Lu Siye leaned back in his chair, looking out the window.

The night outside the window was still dark. Occasionally, as we passed a small station, we could see the lights on the platform and a few figures.

He took his right hand out of his pocket and laid it out on his knee.

The lights were dim, and you couldn't see anything.

But the stinging sensation persists.

The train arrived at the station the next morning.

The three of them got off the train together and dragged their luggage toward the exit.

Lu Siye walked on the far side, Tang Yuan was in the middle, and He Chutian was on the other side.

Tang Yuan was still talking to He Chutian, chattering away like a little sparrow.

"...So, senior, is your dorm far from ours?"

"It's alright, a ten-minute walk."

"What about the cafeteria? Which cafeteria has the best food?"

"The braised pork at the third canteen is pretty good, you guys should try it sometime..."

Lu Siye lowered his head and stared at his toes.

We've arrived at the exit.

The sunlight streaming in from outside was so bright it made my eyes sting.

Lu Siye narrowed his eyes and was about to walk forward when he suddenly felt someone tug at his sleeve.

He turned his head, and Tang Yuan leaned close to his ear and whispered:

"When we get to school, let's go to my uncle's place and play badminton together, okay?"

A warm breath brushed against my ear, carrying a hint of shampoo scent.

Lu Siye was stunned for a moment, looking at her.

Her eyes were bright, filled with a mix of anticipation, shyness, and a tentative, cautious look.

Lu Siye nodded.

"it is good."

Tang Yuan smiled, loosened his sleeve, and continued walking forward.

The sunlight shone on her, causing the hem of her floral dress to sway gently.

Lu Siye followed behind, and his right hand, which was hanging by his side, suddenly stung again.