Shen Yuan Shixiong AU - Part 22

Shen Yuan shixiong AU - Part 22

Letter to Ning Yingying - Helping a borderland town [Shen Yuan’s letter]

“Dear Yingying,

Thank you for your last letter, Binghe and I really enjoy reading about everything that has happened since we left. Tell the boys to behave or shixiong will make sure they get what’s coming to them when I get back.

Joking aside, it has now been almost a year since the two of us set out to travel. We were hoping to gain more hand-on experience and familiarize ourselves with the world around us. So much time has passed already… Binghe is much taller now. He suddenly shot up like bamboo and I found myself having to look up when talking to him these days. I was afraid to not be able to adapt to the change but it feels very… natural, now that I’m experiencing it. He’s also become much more mature. He was always a sweet and smart kid, but the air around him now is calmer and more confident. It is quite hard to ignore. I know that shimei might laugh at this shixiong for writing this, but I’m certain you wouldn’t expect the change to be this big. Just wait until we are back.

We are currently staying in a town very close to the borderlands of the Demon Realm. We were on our way to visit a small sect near this same town (I heard they keep very rare books about spiritual creatures in their library), but we stumbled upon many victims of demonic attacks on our way and decided to stop and help rebuild homes, also lending our strength for anything else that they might need. I say we, but embarrassingly enough, Binghe is the one doing the most work. And the townspeople love him. Especially the kids. They always surround him, asking him to do tricks and play with them. Lu Ayi* and I always need to wrestle them away from him so we can actually get some work done. Noodle is also helping in his own way, driving off undesirables from the town and sleeping the afternoon away with the men who tend the fields. Many were scared of him at first but now they all fight so they can pet him before everyone else every morning. It’s quite adorable.

[*Auntie]

Demons still attack every few days, trying to steal what little the townspeople have left. Thankfully, they never touch the food, but anything else seems fair game to them. One of them even tried to steal Lu Ayi’s donkey. Binghe and I made sure to fend them off and the frequency of the attacks have already gone down by a lot. I’ve also mentioned this in my report but we are thinking of establishing small guard stations throughout the village to help keep them safe in the future. I’ve sent recruitment letters to the nearby sects and many of them have already replied, agreeing to lend us a hand. Hopefully, it will make the lives of the people here a little easier.

I’ve sent Binghe to meet with the sects’ representatives while I stayed here to keep an eye on the border. Before this trip, I would have been extremely worried to send him out alone like this. Though I never doubted his abilities, I still thought of him as our young and inexperienced shidi. But… I find myself relying on him more and more everyday. He continues to grow stronger and more reliable on the battlefield. He’s already a very talented cultivator. I’m very proud of him.

As I’m waiting for Binghe to return, I decided to take the opportunity to write you back and send shizun a report of everything that has happened lately, plus our plans for the next month. Binghe and I will still travel a little bit, but we are thinking of coming back before the next mid-autumn festival.

Also, you probably noticed already but I was able to find a book of the martial technique you mentioned in a previous letter. After reading it, I can tell you that it’s indeed an old and outdated style, but I agree that with a few modifications, it would perfectly match the current swordstyle you are practicing. Binghe and I compiled a few pointers after trying it out ourselves and added them at the end of the book. Do send us the results in your next letter!

Take care of yourself,

Your Shixiong, Shen Yuan

(P.S.: When we received your last correspondence, I gave the second sealed letter to Binghe like you asked. It was… very thick. This shixiong wonders what words you guys are even exchanging haha)”

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 8.5 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 -Part 14 - Part 15 - Part 16 - Part 17 - Part 18 - Part 19 - Part 20 - Part 21