Chapter 95: Rain Drizzles Over the Qin Sect

The next day, clouds converged from all directions, accompanied by frequent chilly gusts and a gloomy sky.

Rain was imminent, and the roads were sparsely populated; most people remained huddled indoors. The Qin family blacksmith shop, however, opened its doors as usual to welcome patrons, remaining as bustling and crowded as ever, entirely unaffected by the inclement weather.

Li Dong had brought news to the Qin family the previous day: Qin Qiong was to join the garrison troops and march to Liaodong, reporting to the Commandery Assistant Zhang Xutuo in the coming days. Qin Qiong’s father had already given his consent.

There were four people in the shop. Aside from Luo Shixin, the three were preoccupied with their own thoughts, leaving the shop quiet for a time, punctuated only by the rise and fall of hammer strikes.

Qin Qiong spent less and less time in his family's shop; every passing moment was one less, every hour slipping away was a loss of another. A devoted son, Qin Qiong worked with extra vigor under this pressure, determined to help his father as much as he could before his departure.

The ringing of hammers echoed far and wide. The red-hot iron, quenched until cold as frost, sent sparks flying with every strike. Luo Shixin worked the bellows, the rhythmic *clack-clack* sound accelerating, though it seemed to beat even slower than Qin Qiong’s own heart.

Outside the shop, thunder rumbled. A sudden gale swept through, followed by a torrential downpour. Rain fell like dense threads, sharp as arrows, splashing onto the loess road with a loud *thrum* and kicking up a fine mist of dust. In the blink of an eye, small puddles formed across the uneven ground, each raindrop creating tiny, fish-tail ripples upon impact.

A large group of customers, caught outside the shop by the sudden deluge and having nowhere to take cover, were drenched to the bone in an instant.

Qin Qiong set down his tools and rushed to the entrance, ushering them inside to escape the rain. The patrons swarmed in, shaking the water from their clothes and offering their gratitude to Qin Qiong.

With the shop crowded, the work of smithing had to be suspended to prevent sparks from landing on the customers and burning holes in their garments. Qin Qiong and his father stopped their work to chat with the visitors.

Just as the conversation grew lively, two figures appeared outside. They carried no umbrellas, standing exposed in the rain. Their clothes were soaked through, clinging to their bodies and dripping with water. With expressions of deep remorse, they walked toward the shop with steady, rhythmic steps.

*Splash!*
*Splash-splash!*
*Splash-splash-splash!*

They walked side by side, their footsteps carving wide, V-shaped wakes through the streams of water on the ground.

Seeing the faces of the two men, Li Dong was inwardly startled. The man on the left was none other than Dou Jiande, the "Little Mengchang," and beside him was Liu Heita, who had caused such a scene at the Zui-Xiang Tavern the day before. Ignoring the water lashing against their faces like whips, they maintained stoic expressions, arriving heavily before the shop and bowing low.

"Li Dong of Zhangqiu, Qin Qiong, Qin Shubao—I am Liu Heita. I offended you unintentionally yesterday, and today I have come specifically to offer a formal apology with thorns upon my back!"

With that, he fell to his knees in the rainwater with a *thud*, his legs submerged. True to his word, a bundle of thin, thorny branches was bound to his back.

The many people inside the shop watched this scene in utter disbelief, their mouths agape. Who was Liu Heita? They had never heard of him, but Li Dong of Zhangqiu was a well-known name—was he really here in this blacksmith shop? And wasn't Qin Qiong just a blacksmith? Why was this man here seeking forgiveness in such a dramatic fashion? What on earth had happened?

The crowd whispered and murmured, their eyes filled with confusion, and the shop was abuzz with noise. Some of the more curious onlookers stood on tiptoe, peering around the shop in hopes of identifying Li Dong.

Li Dong and Qin Qiong exchanged a glance, both taken aback. In such terrible weather, the two men had come without umbrellas and, disregarding the crowd, had knelt straight into the water.

This event would surely be passed on by word of mouth, spreading far and wide. What man does not value his reputation? After being the subject of such gossip, they would surely lose face.

The two men pushed through the crowd and hurried to Liu Heita, attempting to help him up.

Liu Heita was stubborn; he insisted on remaining on his knees. "I am deeply unsettled by my unintentional offense yesterday. Please, Li Dong, do not hold the past against me. Forgive me, and please, strike me with these thorns!"

He bowed his head into the water again, refusing to rise, the thorns on his back looking particularly jarring.

"Brother Liu, there is no need to torture yourself like this. We are all brothers; your actions only make me feel very uneasy. Please, get up!" Li Dong gripped his arms, pulling hard, trying to lift him from the water.

But Liu Heita was determined to stay, and Li Dong’s efforts only caused him to sway. Seeing this, Qin Qiong rushed over to help. Together, they braced his arms and managed to haul him up from the ground.

Dou Jiande, who had been silent, spoke up: "Before we came, Brother Heita told me that he would only feel at ease if you struck him with these thorns."

Li Dong shook his head. In these times, "seeking forgiveness with thorns" was merely a formal gesture, not meant to be carried out literally. Why was Liu Heita so persistent about being whipped? It put them in such a difficult position.

Qin Qiong said to Li Dong, "Second Brother, just strike him—a symbolic gesture will suffice. Otherwise, it will not satisfy Brother Heita’s sincerity. If we drag this out, he will catch a chill from kneeling in the water."

Li Dong hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "How can I... how can I do this... but very well, Brother Heita, I must follow your wishes. Please forgive me!" He drew the thorny branch from Liu Heita’s back and brushed it against him twice, lightly.

With Qin Qiong still holding his arms, Li Dong pulled Liu Heita completely out of the water once the gesture was finished. They discarded the thorns and helped him steady himself.

The rain continued, and the shop remained cramped. It was not a suitable place to linger.

Qin Qiong thought for a moment and said, "Why not come to my home? We brothers can enjoy a jar of fine wine to help Brother Liu Heita recover from his distress."

Li Dong nodded and asked Dou Jiande, "What do you think, Brother Dou?"

Dou Jiande pondered for a moment, his brow furrowing before relaxing. "This... I am already uneasy about the offense yesterday; how could I impose upon your home? Why don't we find a tavern to continue yesterday’s feast? It would allow Heita to show his sincerity to you both. What do you think?"

Upon hearing about wine and food, Luo Shixin pushed his way out of the shop, shouting, "Great! I didn't get enough to eat yesterday, and now it's time to feast! Let's go, why are you all standing around like fools?"

With the formal apology complete, they felt it would be wrong to let Dou Jiande spend more money, but under Luo Shixin’s urging and persuasion, Li Dong and Qin Qiong finally consented.

The five of them set off into the storm without umbrellas, bidding farewell to Qin Qiong’s father, and disappeared into the curtain of rain.

After they left, the people in the shop asked Qin Qiong’s father what it was all about. Qin Ai was just as bewildered, but seeing the conduct of Dou Jiande and Liu Heita, he sensed no malice. He smiled and said, "The young brothers are just playing around. It’s nothing, nothing at all."

A while later, the wind died down and the rain ceased. The patrons went on their way, and the shop returned to its usual quiet.