Chapter 349: Beginning and Returning to the Past

The storyteller looked towards the outhouse, then towards the front hall across the corridor, thinking that the gentleman who had just left might have gone there to prepare for the storytelling.

He weighed the substantial "Dang Wu Tong Bao" coin in his hand, tucked it into an inner pocket, straightened his clothes, and returned to the teahouse's main hall with a smile.

"Oh, the storyteller is back!" "Quick, get the storyteller a fresh pot of tea, put it on my tab!"

"Alright!"

"What will the storyteller tell us this time?" "Yes, tell us something new!"

"That's right, something fresh and exciting!"

A group of tea drinkers started calling out excitedly when they saw the storyteller return.

In this society, listening to music, watching plays, and listening to stories were considered excellent forms of entertainment. Besides these, ordinary people had few other recreational activities, perhaps only the intimate moments between couples at night.

Therefore, a teahouse with a storyteller of decent quality was usually very lively.

"Alright, alright, everyone, please calm down. I have a story to tell!"

The storyteller bowed to the crowd, fanning himself with a white paper fan. His eyes scanned left and right, but he couldn't find the impressive gentleman in white robes.

At the entrance, a beautiful woman, still graceful, was being assisted by her servants as she entered the teahouse with two children. A tea attendant was diligently serving them, drawing more than a few glances from others, though no one dared to intrude.

The storyteller picked up his teacup and took a sip to moisten his throat.

"Ahem, since you all want to hear something new, I'll tell an old story from our Jizhou. Not many people have told it in recent years, and the plot is relatively short, but it's quite exciting. If anyone travels far to Ning'an, Baoshun, or other places, they might even find some of the original participants still alive."

Storytelling was an art, as Ji Yuan had always believed. Every storyteller who managed to make a living from it was extraordinary.

For instance, at this moment, with just a few sentences, before even beginning or stating the topic, the storyteller had already piqued everyone's interest and curiosity.

"Oh, storyteller, please begin!"

"Yes, what story are you going to tell?"

"No need to rush, I'm starting now!"

With a flourish, the storyteller opened his white paper fan, waved it in front of his chest, and began to speak with clear enunciation.

"Legend has it that decades ago, on Niu Kui Mountain in our Jizhou, incidents of ferocious tigers devouring people were frequent. In just a few years, countless lives were lost to these beasts. The people in the surrounding counties lived in constant fear; even seasoned hunters dared not ascend the mountain lightly. Indeed, no one would cross the ridge after dark or enter the mountain in gloomy rain..."

The tea drinkers beside them listened intently, while Luo Ningshuang, who had just sat down, suddenly froze, looking in the storyteller's direction.

An older tea drinker nearby, who had heard this story before, leaned in and whispered to his companion.

"This is 'The Legend of the Nine Swordsmen'. I haven't heard it in years!"

"The Legend of the Nine Swordsmen?"

"Yes, just listen, and you'll know. It's a local story from our Jizhou."

"Oh, oh, oh..."

Beside Luo Ningshuang, two children were scrambling for pastries, listening to the story. Strangely, they each proudly and gleefully placed two of the pastries they'd managed to grab onto an empty seat.

Luo Ningshuang, however, watched the storyteller, somewhat lost in thought, as he waved or folded his fan, tapped his clapper, and made various gestures.

She rarely frequented teahouses or similar establishments. While Luo Ningshuang had heard of this story, this was the first time in years she had actually heard someone tell it live.

The nine swordsmen in the story had no given names, only surnames like Yan, Zhao, Luo, Du, and so on. The plot had been romanticized and twisted countless times, even including three encounters with the ferocious tiger.

"Haha... hahaha... We were all on the ground after the first encounter..." Luo Ningshuang murmured with a laugh. Her eyes glistened slightly as she chuckled to herself. Memories of the past slowly returned. She looked at her fair, delicate hands; the calluses from her arduous martial arts training had long since disappeared. Now, she was accustomed to a life of ease, her hands never touching rough work.

"My dream of the Jianghu... I'll leave it to my children..."

Luo Ningshuang sighed, looking tenderly at the children at the table, who were still vying for pastries.

A table away, Lu Shan Jun listened quietly to the storyteller with his eyes slightly closed, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"This is fate indeed! What began in the past returns to the past..."

At this, Lu Shan Jun no longer hesitated. He stood up and walked to Luo Ningshuang's table.

The two servants at a nearby table stood up, watching him warily. Luo Ningshuang also looked at the refined gentleman with slight confusion.

"May I help you, sir?"

Lu Shan Jun smiled slightly and bowed to Luo Ningshuang.

"I saw the lady hero earlier in the bustling market, fearlessly and decisively confronting the villain despite her pregnancy. I am truly impressed. Furthermore, the lady hero greatly resembles an old acquaintance of mine, so I specially came to pay my respects and admire your presence!"

Hearing this, the two servants' expressions softened. Luo Ningshuang also smiled, and the two children, filled with pride, looked at the man with great curiosity.

"Of course, my mother is amazing! Uncle said she used to be even more incredible!"

"Exactly! When we grow up, we'll venture into the Jianghu with our elder brother, and then we'll be amazing too, we'll be great heroes!"

Lu Shan Jun looked at the two young children, nodded, but said nothing.

Originally, he wouldn't have let Luo Ningshuang off so easily, but hearing the story in the teahouse and seeing the slight glistening in her eyes, he suddenly understood a deeper aspect of human sentiment.

"Oh? How did you know I was pregnant? This friend of yours resembles me? What's her name? Have you lost track of her?"

After resting for a while, and with her internal energy regulated, Luo Ningshuang's pregnancy qi had stabilized, and she spoke much more calmly.

Lu Shan Jun straightened up.

"Not exactly. An old acquaintance, not a friend. Or, in a sense, more like an adversary. No, more like a debtor-creditor relationship. I am the creditor!"

Luo Ningshuang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She had thought it was a young man pursuing a girl, but it turned out he was a debt collector.

"As for her name, she has the same surname, Luo, as the woman mentioned in the storyteller's tale."

This made the Luo family members pause in surprise. What a coincidence! Luo Ningshuang even wondered if it could be a cousin or a younger niece who resembled her and shared her surname, who had incurred debts outside.

"You only know her surname, not her full name? Tell me her name; perhaps I know her. If what you say is true, I can help you collect this debt."

A small debt was minor, but the reputation of Luoxia Villa was paramount. Luo Ningshuang couldn't pretend she hadn't heard this.

Lu Shan Jun smiled again, said nothing more, and turned to walk out of the teahouse.

"No need. I've just decided to cancel this debt. Let this Lady Luo live her life in peace from now on. Marrying and raising children is also quite good; who knows, she might even raise a true hero in the future."

His words drifted back from a distance, giving Luo Ningshuang a strange feeling; something didn't seem right. She stood up and turned to look at the young man who had already left the teahouse and was walking away.

"Sir, wait!"

Lu Shan Jun paused, turned to look back at the teahouse, and remained silent, watching Luo Ningshuang and waiting for her to speak.

"Your words imply something. May I ask your esteemed name, and it would be best if you also tell me that woman's full name. If I encounter the Lady Luo you speak of, I will convey today's matter to her."

Lu Shan Jun raised a hand and rubbed his chin. After a flicker in his eyes, he smiled and bowed to Luo Ningshuang again, his hands clasped in salute.

"My name is Lu Shan Jun."

With that, Lu Shan Jun lowered his hands, turned to leave once more, and quickly disappeared into the bustling street.

Inside the teahouse, the storyteller's tale was just entering its climax: the nine heroes had arrived together in Ning'an County and, after seeing the posted announcement, ascended the mountain as a group.

"Lu Shan Jun... his name is Lu Shan Jun... Is it a coincidence? No, it can't be..."

The terrifying scene from years ago, before the tiger demon, flashed repeatedly through Luo Ningshuang's mind, far clearer than her recent memories. The wound on her shoulder throbbed faintly.

On Niu Kui Mountain, before the Mountain God Temple, the fierce tiger bowed and made a pact with the nine individuals. Inside the temple, someone spoke calmly.

"In the future, if any of these nine individuals commit evil or cause chaos, destroying lives, you shall bring them to justice again, whether by devouring or by slaying, neither will violate the Way of Heaven..."

For years, everyone had believed that it was a mere expedient for Master Ji to help them escape. Little did they know, the fierce tiger demon had now transformed into human form and descended the mountain to fulfill that very promise...

Luo Ningshuang suddenly felt goosebumps all over her body. A chilling realization dawned on her: the person who had just spoken to her and then departed was a terrifying tiger demon, one who devoured people whole!

"Miss, what's wrong? You look so pale!"

"Yes, Miss, don't scare us!"

Seeing Luo Ningshuang's pale face, the servants beside her became anxious again, thinking her pregnancy might be unstable.

"No, nothing... I'm fine!"

Luo Ningshuang turned back and forced a smile at them. Her mind unsettled, she sat down. But when she looked up, she found another person already sitting opposite her—someone who was both unfamiliar and vaguely familiar.

This person wore a white robe, with a clean, beardless face and refined, clear features. His age was indiscernible. A dark jade hairpin held his hair in place, yet strands still fell forward and behind, giving him a somewhat unkempt appearance.

The two servants were startled again to suddenly see an extra person.

"Who are you?" "Who told you to sit down?"

"Stand up now!"

No one noticed the children's strange expressions. They looked at the two servants, then at Luo Ningshuang. One of them hesitated before speaking.

"Mom, wasn't this gentleman sitting here all along? He even said he knows you..."

"Yes, he's been sitting here the whole time!"

Sitting here the whole time?

Before anyone else could react, Ji Yuan spoke.

"Lady Luo, nearly twenty years have passed. I trust you've been well? You needn't worry about what just happened. Being a wife and raising children is also a righteous path, and it doesn't betray chivalry. As for that pact from years ago, for you, it is now over. Lu Shan Jun will not seek you out again. Perhaps, this is the last time you will see each other in this life."

Although Luo Ningshuang was in Desheng Prefecture, Ji Yuan hadn't seen her for many years. Perhaps after today, they would never meet again.

"You... you are Master Ji?"

Luo Ningshuang finally remembered who he was and blurted out in astonishment.

Ji Yuan nodded and stood up.

"Indeed, it is I, Ji. As the saying goes, 'what begins must end.' I was present when the pact was made, and so I should be when it is fulfilled. As Lu Shan Jun said, 'what began in the past returns to the past.' Haha, take care, Lady Hero!"

After saying this and bowing, Ji Yuan also left his seat and walked out of the teahouse. Luo Ningshuang, her servants, and children watched him go, only to see the white robe appear dazzlingly bright in the sunlight, and upon closer inspection, it had vanished.

Luo Ningshuang stared blankly in the direction where Ji Yuan had disappeared. While her heart felt at peace, she also felt a sense of emptiness.