"What happened?"
The swordsman across from him hung his tachi back at his waist, his face showing some interest as he looked at this boy with an exquisite and peculiar aura.
Especially the other's eyes—he had never seen such... comfortable eyes. They were like a lake so clear that you couldn't see the water, making the emotions and thoughts in the other's heart clearly visible.
The sorrow remaining at the bottom of the lake like pebbles and the calm surface of the lake were completely exposed—a pure child without the slightest concealment. And this lack of concealment could satisfy people's certain desires and obsessions.
As well as an indescribable sense of security. A pure soul made one want to draw closer to the other, wanting to... taint it with something. No one wants to look at a blank sheet of paper without writing something on it.
This was what the swordsman immediately thought of upon seeing this boy.
"Someone invaded the village and killed everyone."
Mei spoke in his usual tranquil voice.
"What about you?"
"My brother saved me."
Hearing Mei's words, the swordsman nodded and looked around. Everywhere were ruins that had been smashed, and there were many traces of fires. If not for last night's heavy rain, perhaps this place would have already turned to ash.
After looking around, he turned his gaze back to the boy before him and asked again.
"What about you?"
Mei lifted his head to look at the moon in the sky. After hesitating for a while, he said.
"I don't know."
Hearing his answer, the swordsman suddenly laughed aloud.
"Is that so... I see you're also holding a sword. Since you have nowhere to go now, then, would you like to learn the sword from me?"
Hearing the swordsman's invitation, Mei looked at him for a while, then suddenly said.
"I seem... unable to see the sun."
The swordsman was momentarily taken aback, but then showed an inexplicable smile.
"Good, I also like sleeping during the day. Otherwise, you wouldn't have encountered me in the middle of the night."
Having said this, the swordsman walked a few steps forward to stand before Mei and asked his name.
"What's your name?"
Mei was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Mei."
The swordsman looked into his eyes.
"No surname?"
"Just call me Mei..."
Hearing this mismatched answer, the swordsman nodded. He took the tachi from his hand and drew the blade. The blade reflected cold light under the moonlight, and the bloodstains on it were clearly visible.
"You have a brother who loved you."
The swordsman suddenly spoke while looking at the tachi in his hand. Then he sheathed the blade and returned it to Mei.
"Follow me. Let's find a place to talk about your situation."
Having said this, the swordsman walked toward a relatively intact shop not far away.
Mei followed behind him.
Upon entering the shop, they first smelled some wine fragrance. It seemed to be a wine-selling establishment. Various jars and containers were scattered across the wooden floor.
The swordsman paid no mind and found a wine jar from the back courtyard. It looked very heavy, but he lifted it with one hand.
In the messy shop, he found two chairs and righted the table. Right at the entrance, borrowing the moonlight for illumination, he placed the wine jar on the table. Without any disdain, he picked up an unbroken bowl from the ground, filled it full, had Mei sit across from him, then tilted his head back and drank the bowl of wine in one gulp.
Mei watched the swordsman, blinked his eyes, and his nose twitched slightly, seemingly also catching the wine's fragrance. However, he didn't show any expression of dislike.
Seeing his expression, the swordsman used the sword in his hand to spin a cup that hadn't yet fallen from the nearby counter, steadily catching it on his sword sheath before presenting it to Mei.
He casually filled it.
"Want to try too?"
Though he asked this, he had already presented the wine to Mei.
Mei looked at the cup of wine before him, blinked his eyes again, took it, and gently took a sip. His eyes brightened slightly, and he gently took another sip.
This action made the swordsman unable to help but smile. He picked up the bowl before him and took a big gulp.
"You... seem a bit different from other people?"
Mei slowly drank the wine in his cup while looking at the swordsman before him and spoke.
The swordsman took another gulp from his bowl and looked toward the street outside.
"Of course I'm different, because my father came from the Tang Dynasty. As for me, I'm also half Tang, I suppose."
Mei heard this name that was familiar from books, nodded, and asked nothing more. Instead, he drank wine while talking about himself.
The swordsman, after saying that sentence, said nothing more. He simply silently drank the wine in his bowl while listening to his account, even taking out some roasted beans from his breast. This boy's voice was very soft, but it was also very quiet here.
After Mei finished speaking about his situation, the swordsman's brow furrowed. He scrutinized the boy before him again. For a moment, the shop fell silent once more.
After a long while, the swordsman slowly spoke.
"Strange symptoms. I don't care about the rest, but there's one thing—from now on, you're not allowed to eat people..."
He paused slightly at this point before continuing.
"At least you can't eat people who died because of you. Do you understand what I mean?"
Mei blinked but said nothing.
Seeing his expression, the swordsman drank half the wine in his bowl and ate a few roasted beans before continuing.
"I'm not a good person either, and I'm not speaking for others, but since I'm letting you follow me, and you are following me, then at least you need to be human. It doesn't matter if you don't understand—you just need to obey."
Hearing the swordsman's solemn words, Mei nodded.
Seeing him nod, the swordsman's furrowed brow relaxed. He took out half a flatbread from his breast and handed it to Mei.
"Good, then from today on, you are my disciple!"
Mei's action of drinking wine paused with this sentence. Then he stood up from his seat and directly knelt down beside him, kowtowing once to the swordsman.
This action also made the swordsman freeze for a moment, but upon recovering, he burst into laughter. His laughter seemed to echo throughout this quiet village.
After finishing laughing, he had Mei sit back down.
"Mm, your master is called You Weijiang. I took my father's surname—that is, I use the Tang Dynasty surname and name."
After a simple self-introduction, he took down a gourd from his waist.
"Consider this your apprenticeship gift. It was custom-made in the last town. I originally planned to replace it, but now it's perfect for you." Having said this, he handed the gourd to Mei. Taking the gourd, Mei touched it and spoke softly.
"Thank you, Master."
As midnight fell, You Weijiang left the village with Mei. He had come here on important business and wasn't suitable to stay long.