Quotes / Qian Qiu

When people are suffering,
the nature resonates with such pain,
for plants too are alive and have spirits,
whereas the universe remains immortal for it is unfeeling.

Note: Beware of unmarked spoilers.

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Xuandu Mountain

Yan Wushi: "A cup of rice is kindness, but a picul of rice leads to enmity." Have you heard of this saying before?

Shen Qiao: That was reckless of me. There are lots of people who are suffering. It's impossible for me to save all of them by myself.

Yan Wushi: Even their father doesn't care about his children’s lives anymore, but you actually went to help him take care of them. Shen-zhangjiao sure has a heart for great love, but unfortunately, human nature and desires are a bottomless pit that can never be filled. He'll never understand your kindness. If you hadn't been able to defend yourself today, you might have been cooked into meat stew already.

Shen Qiao: If I hadn't been able to defend myself today, I wouldn't have chosen this path. I would rather take a detour and walk a little farther just to avoid places with refugees. It's human nature to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. I'm not a saint, and therefore I am no exception. It's just that I cannot find it in my heart to see people suffering.

— Chapter 16

Some people were ignorant of the malevolence in this world and blindly offered their kindness. It ultimately not only implicated the others but themselves as well. While some others were capable of seeing through the malice, yet they were still faithful to their hearts, remaining gentle and soft-hearted.

But people were born evil. Despite having experienced innumerable twists, setbacks, and all the rough and ragged paths of life, was there really someone that was still capable of holding onto their conscience?

— Chapter 22

En Route to Chang'an

Shen Qiao: It seems that things are really like what Yan-zongzhu has said. I knew little about the current situation of the world, and I was so narrow-minded yet so self-satisfied with being a stick-in-the-mud. As for what Yu Ai has done, I am responsible for it too. It's because of my ignorance that I can't even guess what they're trying to do.

Yan Wushi: Where did you get all these emo-like reflections? Absolute strength nullifies all schemes. As long as you are strong enough, it won't be a big problem even if you kill all of them. If these people dare to betray you, then they should be prepared for you to get back at them. Don't tell me that if you can understand their intentions, you'll even try to forgive them?

Shen Qiao: According to you, since Yu Ai is able to control Xuandu Mountain, all of my martial brothers and the elders in the sect must have given him acquiescence to do so. Da-shixiong, who has always been a peacemaker, also thinks that Yu-shidi is much more suitable as a sect leader than me. So should I just kill them all? These people are the pillars and cornerstones of Xuandu Mountain. How can Xuandu Mountain still be called a sect without them?

Yan Wushi: Even if you can regain your wugong in the future and you are able to take back the position of sect leader, your friendship with your martial brothers and sisters can never go back to what it once was. Their betrayal will haunt you like a fish bone stuck in your throat. You'll never be able to get over it. As for them, even if you forgive them for what they did, do you think they'll believe that you don't mind?

Shen Qiao: Everyone has evil intentions in their minds. The only difference is executing it or not. There's no need to criticize them so harshly.

— Chapter 23

Birthday Banquet at Su Manor

"You all regard me as a tiger trapped in a flat field whom anyone can bully and thus treat me however you want, as if I'm just a fly in a web. If this is the case, how can I not pull myself together? Even if I don't become the oppressor, at least I shouldn't let myself be oppressed by others!"

— Shen Qiao, Chapter 34

Escort Mission to Southern Chen

Yan Wushi: What is 'true self'’? People are inherently evil. Are you saying that following one's desire is not being true to oneself? Just think about that Chen Gong. You've done him a good deal of favors. You two traveled together and shared weal and woe. But when a crisis came, despite having a hundred ways to get out, he could only think of leading the disaster to you and dragging you down with him. With his background, no one taught him how to read and write or the proper ways to conduct himself. Don't tell me that all of his actions didn't come from his 'true self'? The reason why you're able to persist in carefully following your Daoist core and refuse to give up your so-called principles is because you still haven't experienced a situation in your life where you are so desperate that you find it absolutely intolerable, am I right?

Shen Qiao: ... Yes.

— Chapter 35

Yan Wushi vs. Ruyan Kehui

Yan Wushi: A-Qiao, having been together for such a long time, did you really fall in love with me?

Shen Qiao: I'm repaying your kindness.

Yan Wushi: Repaying my kindness? I believe I told you this a long time ago. Saving you was just a momentary impulse of mine. I want to see if you were qualified to be my rival. At the same time, I wanted to enjoy watching whether a poor soul like you, after being betrayed by everyone including your closest friends and left with nothing, would collapse or even go crazy because of these heavy blows.

Shen Qiao: Whatever your original intention was, it does not change the fact that you saved my life. Even if you decide to save me just so you can kill me, I should still be grateful for it before I am killed.

— Chapter 42

Bailong Temple

Yan Wushi: You didn't cry even when Yu Ai betrayed you, but now you are crying over someone you don't even know?

Shen Qiao: Everything I experienced, whether they were setbacks or predicaments, were things I could endure. But this little boy… He probably has never hurt anyone. The reason Heaven let him be born into this world should not be for him to suffer. Everyone has the right to live. No matter how hard life is, there should at least be hope for him to see a way out.

Yan Wushi: You are too naive. Who is responsible for giving him hope? Other people need to live too. They too need to plan for themselves. Why do they need to treat him nicely?

Shen Qiao: I'm willing to treat him nicely, but it's too late.

Yan Wushi: You can save at most one or two people by yourself. There are many people in this world in a similar state as him, yet you are blind to them. Isn't this hypocrisy?

Shen Qiao: If this chaos can come to an end one day and the world is under one person's rule again, then even if such things will not disappear completely, at least there will be a lot less of them. By that time, not only one or two people will be saved, but hundreds of thousands of people, isn't that right?

— Chapter 43

"When you are reduced to a truly desperate state, isolated and betrayed by everyone around you, will you still not harbor any grudges against others and insist on repaying people with kindness?"

— Yan Wushi, Chapter 45

Qi Fengge: A-Qiao, rigidly adhering to the rules will only limit your own thoughts and visions, and this is true for learning martial arts as well as for conducting yourself. There are many people in this world — some of them are good, and some of them are bad. But there are even more who can't be simply classified as 'good' or 'bad'. They may not think in the same way you think, or walk the same path you walk. Just like the case with Yu Ai and Yuan Ying — even the same set of sword arts looks slightly different in different people’s hands. Don't deny others just because they are different from you. Like how the ocean is capable of holding water from thousands of rivers, a person should be forgiving and tolerant to diversity, and it is the same for practicing martial arts. People who are narrow-minded can only achieve so much. Even if they do reach the summit, they cannot stay there for long.

Shen Qiao: What about me? Am I a good person or a bad person?

Qi Fengge: [smiles] My A-Qiao is the cutest person.

— Chapter 46

Bixia Sect

Shen Qiao: Shiwu, if a person puts you in the hands of a malicious evildoer which eventually causes your foundation to collapse and your Daoist core to be destroyed, will you hate him?

Shiwu: I will.

Shen Qiao: Now this person is trapped in a dangerous situation. If you watch him die, it may lead to many other innocent people losing their homes or even their lives. Will you choose to save him?

Shiwu: Shifu, you're going to save that person, aren't you? Is he the one who caused you to almost lose your life?

Shen Qiao: Yes.

Shiwu: That cruel-hearted bastard doesn’t deserve to be saved!

Shen Qiao: He's not cruel-hearted. He just doesn't have a heart for others. He treats everyone in this world equally heartlessly — he's not particularly kind to anyone. I didn't understand this at first and thought I could melt even the hardest heart of ice. I'm the one who saw him as a friend, and it is also my own wishful thinking that he should treat me the same.

Shiwu: If you think he is your friend, shouldn't he feel the same?

Shen Qiao: That's incorrect. There are many things in this world that even if you have spent time and effort on it, you still may not get anything in return. You need to be aware of this before making your investment, otherwise, you will only hurt yourself.

— Chapter 52

Shen Qiao: There are certain things in this world that a person just has to do despite being aware that it may not be possible. The result is not often what one likes, but as long as there's the slightest hope, I wouldn’t want to give up easily. Perhaps I'm just an innocent and naive person.

Zhao Chiying: You're not naive. You know all the consequences that might happen, yet you still choose to proceed with no second thoughts. You always hold righteousness above everything else. I have to admit you're better than me.

Shen Qiao: [shakes his head] I'm not as great as you think. All I wish is to meet that person one more time, to see the disappointed look on his face and let him know that he didn't succeed in planting a demonic core in me. Neither did I fall under its control — I'm still me.

— Chapter 52

Refuge in Tuyuhun

Yu Ai: A-Qiao, come back to Xuandu Mountain with me.

Shen Qiao: Yu-zhangjiao, you must be joking. Since I'm no longer a disciple of Xuandu Mountain, there isn’t any 'coming back'.

Yu Ai: I never ordered to have you expelled. You're still a disciple of Xuandu Mountain. Are you saying that you don't even want to acknowledge our Shizun anymore?

Shen Qiao: I think you've misunderstood something. I am Qi Fengge's disciple, and this will never change no matter what happens. But ever since you colluded with Kunye to poison me, plotted my defeat against him, stole the position of the sect leader and started collaborating with the Tujue people, Xuandu Mountain is no longer the place I know. Even without your order of expulsion, I will not acknowledge myself as a disciple of Xuandu Mountain anymore.

Yu Ai: (slowly getting more enraged) A-Qiao, come back with me.

Shen Qiao: (coldly) Yu Ai, everyone knows that the Tujue people are ambitious like wild wolves, yet you, for the sake of your own fame and prospects, willingly took favors from them. You even forced Xuandu Mountain onto your chariot. I can't stop you now, but it doesn't mean that I approve of this result nor that I agree to join your evil deeds.

Yu Ai: You...

Shen Qiao: Since we have come to this point, we might as well ask the people here to be our witnesses. As Qi Fengge's mantle disciple, I hereby announce this: from now on, you are no longer a disciple of Qi Fengge. We will henceforth walk our own paths and will no longer have anything to do with each other.

Yu Ai: How dare you! Shizun has already passed away. How can you speak like that in his name?!

Shen Qiao: I was the only one around Shizun when he passed away, and I am his only mantle disciple. What I say represents what he desires. The reason I have endured silently up till now is to take into consideration the interests of all —— I didn't want to see Xuandu Mountain divided by internal strife. However, you have pressed on, and you even willingly accepted the Tujue's conferment. This is against Shizun's teachings, and therefore I am obliged to expel you. Yu Ai, you listen to me. You have no right to punish me, because no forefathers of Xuandu Mountain will ever acknowledge you as the sect leader. I hope you stay responsible to yourself. If you insist on having things your way and do not repent, I will come back one day to deal with you!

— Chapter 58

"You should understand that if you and I fight, you may not be able to win, and I may not be defeated. Don't think you can hold me in the palm of your hand and have me at your disposal. Even though I am no longer the sect leader of Xuandu Mountain, I am still Shen Qiao, and I am still Qi Fengge's disciple."

— Shen Qiao, Chapter 58

Shen Qiao: Yan-zongzhu, how do you feel?

Yan Wushi: You... really surprised me. I thought Sang Jingxing would destroy you...

Shen Qiao: I'm sorry. It must be such a disappointment for Yan-zongzhu to see that I'm still alive and kicking.

Yan Wushi: No. I wasn't... disappointed... I was... pleasantly surprised. You... destroyed... the demonic core... I planted in you, didn't you?

Shen Qiao: You should know that I had no way to fight against Sang Jingxing back then. The only option I had was to destroy my own foundation and martial arts in order to take him down with me.

Yan Wushi: Yes. It was your... only choice.

Shen Qiao: Yan Wushi, I know you want to destroy me. You believe that there is no kindness in this world, that a softhearted person like me has no reason to exist. You want to open my eyes and show me the cruelty of human hearts, to make me sink and struggle in hell until I finally become a part of it.

Yan Wushi: But, I didn't expect... that you could rise up once again... even in that kind of extreme desperation.

— Chapter 59

The Underground City of Ruoqiang

A-Yan: How did you feel when you were blind before?

Shen Qiao: Nothing in particular. You eventually get used to it.

A-Yan: Why didn't you hate others because of it?

Shen Qiao: I did have complaints, but nothing to the degree of hatred. It's very tiresome when one puts too much burden on themselves. It is true that there are many malicious minds in this world, but there are also many people who are willing to lend a helping hand. I want to remember them, not the things that only bring me desperation and pain.

A-Yan: [sighs] But all I have seen during our trips are people who treat you illy. Without you, Chen Gong would not be half as well-off as he was today. Not only did he not remember the kindness you had done to him, but he even requited it with enmity, threatening you to explore Ruoqiang with him.

Shen Qiao: There are also good people. You just don't know. Back then when you handed me to Sang Jingxing and I was forced to destroy my own foundation to take him down, were it not for the little Daoist priest living in the Bailong Temple — who happened to be the young boy that we saved the other day outside Xiang Prefecture — for saving me in time, I would not be standing here and talking to you today. Afterwards, when the Hehuan Sect came looking for me, even though the abbot knew that he could save his own life by handing me over to them, he still died for me. Since people like them exist, how could I possibly dare to let myself be carried away by hatred? Shen Qiao's heart is rather small. There’s only enough room for kind people like them. As for those who aren't worthy to be remembered, I have nothing to spare, not even hatred.

A-Yan: What about Yan Wushi? Do you not hate him either?

Shen Qiao: If it isn't for the fact that your death may very likely affect the political state of Northern Zhou or even the entire world, we would not be having this conversation.

A-Yan: [laughs] So you still hate him. It's just that you're too forgiving and softhearted that even your hatred doesn’t last very long. A-Qiao, your weakness is so obvious. That's why anyone can use it against you just like Chen Gong. If you took him under control at the beginning and threatened him to hand over Banna's grandfather, it would be a much better choice than following him all the way here.

Shen Qiao: You're right. I could have done that. But then you wouldn't be able to get away from them. Are you saying I should have just left you behind?

A-Yan: No, but I do understand the reason why the former me treated you the way he did. Because he is suspicious by nature and never trusts anyone. No matter how good you are, he will always want to bring out that dark side in you. He doesn't understand that you are just you. There may be hundreds of thousands of Chen Gongs in this world, but there is only one Shen Qiao.

— Chapter 62

Chen Gong: Shen-daozhang. Forgive me for being so direct. But you did not have to bring Yan Wushi on this trip after he had sustained heavy injury from being jointly besieged by the five greatest masters in the world. However, because I said that there was a chance that there would be yu congrong here, you still decided to bring him anyway. You could have granted this act on a stranger — let us not even consider a friend — and they would be so moved that they would shed tears. However, he has already taken the yu congrong, and my sheet of silk. He didn't even take you with him. Rather, he even left you here and went on alone. Do you not feel any hatred for him? I feel great injustice in your place.

Shen Qiao: If I were the sort to perform acts of kindness for my own benefit, then how about you remind me just how much you owe my kindness? That year, in the abandoned temple. If I hadn't intervened, then how could you possibly have beaten that gang of bandits? And afterwards, at Chuyun Temple. Had it not been for me, you would have died at the hands of Murong Qin. If I weren't there, how could you possibly wind up the way that you have today, ordering them around with insufferable arrogance? But how have you repaid me? Was it by bringing Mu Tipo to my door? Or was it threatening me by taking Banna's grandfather as your hostage so that I would agree to go to the ruins of Ruoqiang City with you? You and I aren't allies. We never were, and we never will be.

Chen Gong: [laughs in cold anger] You're really unparalleled in your noble and virtuous character. But where has that gotten you? All that I have today, I achieved by relying on my own efforts. What is so shameful about that? Well, there's no harm in telling you this now. Since I was born, I've always had a highly retentive memory. I never forget anything that I hear. Back then, at Chuyun Temple, even though I was hardly literate, I was able to take all that you had read and mark it in my memory. There were many great masters there, and yet, who would have thought that some nobody could have possibly done what they could never dream of doing? Mu Tipo is a cruel and vicious man. The people he dotes on as his pets rarely ever last a month, while many others meet even more miserable ends. Yet I relied on my own abilities to be able to have him recommend me to the Ruler of Qi. This was my stepping-stone to greater power. Receiving the love and respect of the emperor of Qi was never my final goal. There is not a single man on earth who is willing to only serve another person sexually, even if he were the one taking the initiative in the affair. Once I received the love and respect of the ruler of Qi, I had him find a school teacher to teach me how to read. I am well aware that someone with my own background would never be acknowledged by those large clans and prominent old families. But I don't need them to acknowledge me. There are only two things you need to control human will, and neither of them are especially different from the other. The first are words, and the second are weapons. In this way, I knew that I had to learn as many words as I could, and read as many books as I could, in the shortest time possible. And I did just that. Shen Qiao. Did you think that Murong Qin and the rest seek shelter with me for no reason? Or simply for high position and wealth? You're wrong. Are the aristocracy, born into good fate, worthier than we? The country of Qi is doomed for decline. They know that the moment that Qi's army is beaten in total collapse, then everything else will come down with it. Following the ruler of Qi means that they will lack future prospects. It's nothing compared to following in my lead. At least I won't wind up like Qi's many rulers and noblemen, having little to no self awareness at all. And you, Shen Qiao. It's true that you're virtuous. And it's true that you're a person of noble character. To be frank, I do admire you. Because I will never, ever be able to do what you do—repay evil with good without any regret. But noble people like you can't live the way that you do with the way this world works. You can only wait until people eat you alive without sparing even your bones. Just the way that you have been left now. Yan Wushi has betrayed you one time after another, and in the end, he has left you with me, your "old friend", in this place only to wait for death. You don't think that this is a laughable circumstance?

Shen Qiao: Chen Gong. Ever since I had come to know you, I had already known that you weren't anything like the other people in your hometown. You're intelligent. You are deeply motivated, and you have such ambition. You treat yourself as you treat others— with ample ruthlessness. Born into such troubled times, you still had the capability to become such a formidable person. Therefore, I never did, and never would look down on you — not for being able to overcome the obstacle that Mu Tipo was, and being able to receive the ruler of Qi's love and respect —for this was all your own ability. The reason why you believe that I am as noble and virtuous as you say that I am is that, deep down, your conscience has yet to have left you. You know that what you have done is improper. Which is why you subconsciously compare yourself to me, and take my views to such heart. If this were not the case, then you would only care about the path you walked, the way that each person walks their own. Why else would you stop to look in another person's direction?

Chen Gong: [laughs] That's right. What you said is right! Thank you for finally bringing an answer to my questions and undoing the knots in my heart. From here on out, I will certainly scale new heights.

Shen Qiao: (dryly) Congratulations to you, then.

— Chapter 66

Heading to Weizhou

Yan Wushi: If you could do everything over again, would you still choose to let me save you at Banbu Peak?

Shen Qiao: [shakes his head] I'm afraid that such matters aren't for me to decide.

Yan Wushi: In that case, even if you knew from the beginning that you would have become hopelessly entangled with me, and that I would have personally handed you off to Sang Jingxing, you wouldn't regret it?

Shen Qiao: There is no cure for remorse. For as long as we live, we will never be able to recover that which has passed us by. Rather than clinging to such resentment and never allowing myself relief, it would be better to thank you for having taught me how to see this world and the sentiments of its people.

Yan Wushi: [softly laughs] A-Qiao, you're so foolish. When have I ever treated you well?

— Chapter 79

Huang Family Banquet

He was unwilling to admit that while he had never valued anyone in this world, the day would eventually come when someone's name would be engraved into his heart.

The human heart is full of sins and betrayal. Humans would repay kindness with evil deeds, and some would even abandon their spouses. They were willing to do anything for wealth and power. Yan Wushi had seen it happen numerous times, but he does not take it to heart for he himself is also selfish and callous. There is nothing under heaven that he particularly liked or disliked; in his eyes, there is no dividing line between what one can or cannot be done.

However, Yan Wushi had to admit that there was only one Shen Qiao, and he couldn't change him.

Although the world is vast, there is only one Shen Qiao.

— Chapter 90

Battle at Banbu Peak

Shen Qiao: What are you doing?

Yan Wushi: Tearing down flowers.

Shen Qiao: The flowers were blooming very well and I didn't offend you, so why would you harm them?

Yan Wushi: See? A-Qiao, this is exactly the biggest difference between you and me. From my perspective, those flowers had already bloomed into their best-looking appearance. If they continue to bloom, then they will only end up withering day by day. I sent them away so that their most beautiful phase could remain as an image in your heart. Isn't that nice? Many people starve for personal gain all day long and will even lose themselves over the smallest things, thus they often have trouble living a normal life. This is the sorrow of a nobody. When people of the jianghu say that there is kindness to repay kindness, and there is hatred for revenge, what they're implying is that they desire to cast off the sorrow of these nobodies. When existing in this world, if one can't even live vigorously and do as they please, then what's the point? Human beings and flowers are the same.

— Chapter 124

Yan Wushi: In the past, I used to categorize human beings into two different kinds of people.

Shen Qiao: Mn. One kind was an opponent, and the other kind was a worthless ant.

Yan Wushi: But now, I've changed my mind. A-Qiao, you are different from the vast majority of the people in this world. You have this compassionate sentiment towards humanity deep in your bones, even to the extent of sacrificing yourself for others without expecting anything in return. Back then, I've reckoned that you were no different from other people. Even if you started off with a completely untainted heart, the many vague factors in this world would eventually teach you how to change yourself. However, you have exceeded my expectations. Human affairs are just like running water, and you are exactly that huge rock that cannot shift regardless of how the water flows.

— Chapter 124

Yan Wushi: This gambling den has a good reputation. The dealer doesn't exceed a thousand and everyone will try their luck, which makes it more fun. Don't you feel that using your internal strength to listen to the dice and knowing the result in advance makes it very boring?

Shen Qiao: It does make things more fun if there is some suspense.

Yan Wushi: It's true, life is full of gambling. Reincarnation is a gamble, some people are born to a good family without having to worry about food and clothing while others are born as beggars and spend their lives in poverty. Marrying is also a gamble, just because a married couple can get along with minimal arguments doesn't mean the same can be said for the family as a whole. The Pingyong family, the Zhongming family or even the imperial family, where is it not a game?

Shen Qiao: [shakes his head in fond exasperation] Yan Wushi, you are a gambler down to your bones.

— Chapter 127

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