Stranger Danger

“Are you… trying to recruit me, mountain lord?” Ye Qing asked calmly. Again, he wasn’t surprised to hear this.

“Yes, I am!”

Yu Longzi admitted without any reservations whatsoever. “You possess a bright and limitless future. It would be our greatest honor to have you.”

This was a decision he made after serious consideration. He was speaking from the bottom of his heart.

“I see. And what can you offer me, mountain lord?” Ye Qing asked.

“How does one Dragonrider Mountain sound?” Yu Longzi declared without hesitation.

“One Dragonrider Mountain?” This time, Ye Qing was surprised. “The mountain or the name?”

“Both!” Yu Longzi answered. “If you agree to join Dragonrider Mountain, I am willing to surrender my position to you immediately. Everyone in Dragonrider Mountain including myself will answer to you and you alone.”

“You will become the new master of Dragonrider Mountain in both power and name. Your word and your word alone will decide our fate.”

“I can’t say I’m not impressed by your generosity, mountain lord!” Ye Qing sighed. “But is this what everyone wants, or just you?”

“It is what I want,” Yu Longzi answered, “but it makes no difference, as my want is the same as everyone’s want.”

“And why do you want me at the helm?” Ye Qing asked.

“For the prosperity of Dragonrider Mountain!” Yu Longzi answered.

“Is that all?” Ye Qing pressed.

“That is all!” Yu Longzi declared.

“I can tell you have a very high opinion of me. But are you sure you haven’t misjudged me?” Ye Qing chuckled. “What if I turned out to be the one who led Dragonrider Mountain to destruction instead?”

Yu Longzi answered, “No, because I believe in my own judgment, and I believe in you. I am sure that Dragonrider Mountain will regain its former glory under your leadership.”

Before, Yu Longzi was impressed by Ye Qing’s talent, and that was all. But after Ye Qing achieved enlightenment while reading the “Dragons Memoir”, he came to the realization that there was real hope for Ye Qing to rejuvenate Dragonrider Mountain.

Yu Longzi was an orphan who lost his parents from a young age. It was the previous mountain lord who took him to Dragonrider Mountain and raised him to adulthood.

The previous mountain lord was named Qiao Shi, and he was as honest, kind, and good-hearted as his name implied. His talent was ordinary, and his business acumen was even more ordinary. He was the definition of an average person be it as a warrior or a businessman. However, he was an extraordinarily good-hearted man who spared no effort in cultivating Dragonrider Mountain. He cared for every disciple like they were his own children, and he gave them every bit of knowledge and experience he had to offer. He was less of a mountain lord and more or father to everyone.

Unfortunately, not only did Qiao Shi achieve his dreams, Dragonrider Mountain only got worse despite his ceaseless efforts. To Yu Longzi, Qiao Shi was a man whose stature and animosity was rivaled but no one, but not even the greatest man in the world could not resist the merciless march of time; the sickness and death that were set in stone in everyone’s lives.

He could still remember that it was a cold winter. The old man had fallen ill, and unlike the previous times, he did not recover. In less than half a month, he had grown so ill that his once gigantic back now resembled a stick caricature, and his breathing had become shallower than even an ordinary human. Anyone could tell that he could pass to the other side at any moment.

During his final moments, Qiao Shi passed the mountain lord’s position to him and gave him many, many last words. He had grabbed his hand with both hands and told him to take care of himself, take care of his junior brothers and sisters, make sure he didn’t overwork himself, make sure he didn’t provoke a powerful enemy, so on and so forth. It reminded him of better times where the old man told them to wear more clothes when the weather was cold, to be careful when they were heading out, and more.

Qiao Shi had told him many, many things. It was so long that his hand hurt a little due to how thin and bony the old man’s hands were. However, the one thing he never told Yu Longzi to do was to rejuvenate Dragonrider Mountain.

Did Qiao Shi not dream of a better, brighter future for Dragonrider Mountain? Of course not. He just knew better. The burden was too heavy, and the path was too thorny for anyone to tread. He had toiled and suffered his whole life, and he wanted it to end with his generation. From the bottom of his heart, he did not want his disciple, his junior, his son to suffer pain and burden as he had.

All he wanted for him was an easy, happy life.

That was why he didn’t say anything. He did not so much as breathe the word “rejuvenate” until he drew his last breath.

But of course, Yu Longzi knew his wish even though he never said a thing. He knew that, even during his final moments, Qiao Shi still dreamed of making Dragonrider Mountain great again.

That was why he chose to take on the dream the old man had avoided mentioning during his final moments. He took on the dream of rejuvenating Dragonrider Mountain.

To this end, Yu Longzi did everything. Everything. He had done good things, he had done bad things; he had committed righteous acts, he had committed evil acts; he had conducted himself honestly, and he had conducted himself despicably.

Unfortunately, Dragonrider Mountain remained an average sect despite over a century of tireless effort. It was fairly famous in Bei Mo, but beyond that, the sect’s reputation was akin to throwing a stone into a large river—it could not elicit even the slightest splash.

The key to a sect’s rise was the people, and out of all of them, no one carried more weight than a champion.

Yu Longzi knew his worth well. Even if he could now scale that impossible wall and become a Grandmaster thanks to this unexpected opportunity, he knew very well that this was as far as he, and by extension Dragonrider Mountain, could go.

But Ye Qing was different. He looked barely older than a teenager, and yet he was already a Half-Step Grandmaster on the verge of becoming a Grandmaster. He was a rare breed even if you searched the entire jianghu for someone like him, and he was already on par with the geniuses of the world’s greatest sects such as the Five Profound Sects and the Nine Demonic Ways.

For someone like Ye Qing, Grandmaster was just the starting line. His finish line lay high, high up in the heavens, if he had a finishing line at all.

Yu Longzi recognized that Ye Qing was exactly the kind of person who could carry Dragonrider Mountain to greater heights. More importantly, Ye Qing had proved via his behavior and conduct that he was ruthless, but not unjust; impulsive, but not foolish. He was also loyal, passionate, righteous, brave and resourceful. If even someone like him couldn’t rejuvenate a sect, then who could?

That was why Yu Longzi was willing to give up everything to earn Ye Qing’s loyalty. Everything.

“Okay. But you will be giving up everything to me, and this is quite sudden for me, much less you. Don’t you feel any reluctance at all?” Ye Qing asked while staring into Yu Longzi’s eyes. His pure, bright eyes seemed capable of reading someone’s mind.

“I would be lying if I say I don’t feel any reluctance,” Yu Longzi replied honestly. “But this is my choice. My lifelong wish. I will not waver from it.”

“You won’t waver from your choice, huh? You truly are an impressive man, mountain lord.” Ye Qing paid Yu Longzi a compliment before saying, “Unfortunately, I must decline your generous offer.”

“But why?” Yu Longzi wasn’t expecting this. “Is Dragonrider Mountain not enough? Or should I say, is Dragonrider Mountain too small for you?”

“You misunderstand me, mountain lord.” Ye Qing explained, “In this world, there are men who envy those who are drowning in wine and gold, and then there are those who envy those who are free and unfettered. It so happens that I am someone who enjoys freedom and guard it very, very zealously.”

“I can see that,” Yu Longzi saluted Ye Qing, “but we will not fetter you even if you join us. I will handle all matters in Dragonrider Mountain so that you can wander the jianghu as you wish. Besides, you have no master or sect to your name, do you? Even the freest bird must rest its legs or take shelter under a roof sometimes. I personally think that Dragonrider Mountain isn’t the worst sect in the world, so why don’t you consider our offer?”

“Thank you, but I don’t enjoy receiving from others without giving anything in return, and I’m a believer that there are no free lunches in this world.”

Ye Qing shook his head. “Also, you are right that even the freest bird must rest its legs or take shelter under a roof sometimes, but the world is a big place, isn’t it? Surely I can find a place that suits my needs at the moment.”

“If all else fails, then there is still the world itself. The mountains and rivers will shield me, the floating clouds will shelter me, the sun and moon will light my path, and the books and wine will become my friends. That is the definition of freedom, no?”

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