Chapter 41
Everyday I Get up to See the Villain Stealing the Show 41
Han Changsheng yawned as he rose the next morning . By the time he left the bamboo house, it was already dawn .
The night before, he didn’t get An Yuan to help stabilize his internal power . As a result, when he rose, his limbs were heavy, and he wasn’t in good spirits .
Outside the bamboo house, An Yuan was busy practicing his sword .
Snorting with sleepiness, Han Changsheng said, “What an excellent apprentice . It’s hard to be such a great teacher . ”
An Yuan kept practicing as though he didn’t hear a thing .
Baring his teeth, Han Changsheng said, “Motherfucker, you ungrateful bastard . I’d be better off with a piece of charred meat than you as an apprentice . ”
Finally, An Yuan let down his sword . Without expression, he moved towards Han Changsheng . “Sit down . ”
Seeing that An Yuan would help him stabilize his internal strength, Han Changsheng was afraid he would take advantage of the opportunity to make him hurt . Swallowing, he said, “Yesterday, I left the mountain to investigate something . Something to do with you . ”
An Yuan frowned but kept quiet as he waited for Han Changsheng to say more .
“Do you remember anything about your life?”
Stunned, An Yuan frowned deeper . Han Changsheng couldn’t see any expression on his face .
“I remember nothing . ” He said, finally .
Han Changsheng shrugged his shoulders . “Never mind, if you can’t remember . ”
His mouth curling downwards, An Yuan sat in front of Han Changsheng, ready to assist his respite .
When Han Changsheng saw his expression and felt the strength in his hand, he knew An Yuan would make him feel pain instead of comfort . Immediately, he said, “Everyone in the martial world said that Tianning Cult killed your father . As far as I know, this is untrue . Someone else murdered him!”
An Yuan was stunned, his hand frozen inches from Han Changsheng . He drew it back . “Keep talking . ”
Sponsored Content
Han Changsheng scratched his face . “There’s nothing to say . I only know so much . ”
“Who is the murderer?”
“I don’t know . ”
An Yuan raised his hand again, and Han Changsheng went on, “I went out to buy new underwear and I heard about a murder that happened in the nearby Mingyue Sect . Their elder Xian Yue was murdered and their secret sword script was stolen . They claimed it was someone in the Tianning Cult, but I know people in the cult!”
Taking a deep breath, he continued, “The people of the Tianning said they didn’t kill the elder Xian Yue, and they weren’t interested in the sword script at all . It was all planted and framed by someone who used them to cover up his crimes . There was a similar case in the Tianyuan villa fifteen years ago . Huangfu Tugen is your father, and the Tianning didn’t kill him . ”
An Yuan frowned . “You know people from the demonic cult?”
With a smile, Han Changsheng replied, “I have known them since I was a child . ”
Coldly, An Yuan said, “You believe what the demonic cult people have to say . ”
His mouth shifting discontentedly, Han Changsheng said, “They wouldn’t lie to me . There is no need to lie to me . I don’t have to lie to you about it . There’s no good in lying to you . ”
An Yuan was silent . Then, he asked, “There is no need to lie to me? What about the rest?”
Han Changsheng rolled his eyes . “Did you give birth to me? It’s not like I have a reason or will gain anything from lying to you . ”
An Yuan: “…”
Doubtful, An Yuan said, “What else did he say?”
“Your swordsmanship has improved a lot during the past couple of months,” Han Changsheng said . “I don’t have many more things to teach you . I want to take you out of the mountains today, to the Tianyuan villa, to investigate this matter . ”
“You went out yesterday to investigate, and that’s why you came back so late?”
“Of course,” Han Changsheng said, “Did you really think I was picking out underwear all day?”
Sponsored Content
An Yuan let his lips relax . After a beat, he gently pulled up Han Changsheng’s hand, and Han Changsheng could feel his real Qi beginning to flow into his body .
Lazily, An Yuan said, “Originally, this session would have made you unable to get out of bed, but I think there is a better way to make you a more comfortable . ”
Han Changsheng: “…”
Fuck! How dare you want to make me unable to get out of bed?! Let’s see . One day, I will put you in the same position!
An hour later, An Yuan and Han Changsheng finished their practice . Han Changsheng felt refreshed . His Dantian flourishing, his steps were light . The dog lord intended to make trouble with him . If every day was like that, he was afraid that after only a month, he’d eliminate the huge mass of internal power .
They packed their things and started heading down the mountain .
The Tianyuan villa was about fifteen days from where they had set up . To prevent the unexpected, Han Changsheng prepared straw hats for both An Yuan and himself . Afterward, they went to the city to buy two horses and some dry food for their journey .
The trip took An Yuan back to the Tianyuan mountain villa, so Han Changsheng could investigate the murder from fifteen years ago . The Tianyuan mountain villa had declined since Huangfu Tugen died . Back then, An Yuan was only eight years old, the eldest child . His mother died not long after he was born, so when his father died, he had no other brothers and sisters . There was no one in the villa to take charge .
To let him go to the Yuehua Sect to practice his inner methods, the God of Destiny had to take some back roads . Yue Peng, the Sect Head of the Yuehua Sect, was one of Huangfu’s old friends . Seeing his son in a very poor state, he received An Yuan into the sect to teach him martial arts . He even wanted to marry his daughter to him as his wife . However, this was all ruined by Han Changsheng .
Although the Tianyuan villa had been defeated, Huangfu Tugen’s tomb was still there . There were always people around who were there, fifteen years ago . Han Changsheng planned to find them and ask what happened .
He had to find out why someone would dare pretend to be a part of his Tianning Cult and commit crimes under their name . He couldn’t digest the thought . There had to be a reason behind everything . It worried him that the murderer would be afraid An Yuan would seek revenge . The culprit would regard An Yuan as an enemy and cause him trouble . If that happened, Han Changsheng’s workload would doubtlessly increase .
It was three months until the Wulin conference . Now that An Yuan’s sword technique had made rapid progress, his space for improvement was much smaller . He could improve steadily, therefore, he didn’t need to be shut in the mountains and forests anymore . Practicing for just a couple of hours each day would be sufficient .
Han Changsheng hoped to investigate the matter before the Wulin Conference was held, to avoid any complications .
After a few days’ rides, they finally arrived at the Tiandao prefecture where the Tianyuan villa was located . Another day’s journey awaited them to reach the former site of the Tianyuan villa .
After entering the Tiandao prefecture, Han Changsheng and An Yuan were shocked by the situation .
The Tiandao prefecture, in the northwest; was not a region known for its weathl . However, it was rich in fruits and wine and had a comfortable sense of self-sufficiency . The last time Han Changsheng was there, the old master brought him when he was five . He had a faint memory but also had a general impression of the prefecture .
The scenery was beautiful, and the people were simple . They lived and worked in peace and contentment . Their fruits were sweet and their mutton and beef were delicious . Tianning only intended to pass through, but they stayed for a few days for the amazing food .
Sponsored Content
But, today’s Tiandao prefecture differed from how it was fifteen years ago .
Han Changsheng and An Yuan traveled from the southeast to the northwest . The town was dilapidated, and the fields were deserted . Few people were left, still living there . They were fierce and vicious, armed with weapons . If they didn’t agree, they fought each other . Even the teenagers were full of rage . The whole town was filled with a murderous aura, nothing like the liveliness from the past .
Several rude people lingering nearby kept their eyes fixed on Han Changsheng and An Yuan as they walked past . They gazed at them like they were two fat lambs, filling and delicious . They were dressed in clean, brocade clothes, different from the locals, who wore coarse hemp, short and dirty . They were thin with fair skin . Though they had swords, Han Changsheng and An Yuan looked brittle to them, unlike hardened rough warriors who practiced martial arts .
“What’s the matter with this damn place?” Han Changsheng muttered as they passed .
Before they entered the Tiandao prefecture, they heard from a woman at a food stall that the local people were so fierce because they were bandits . The woman knew they wanted to enter the prefecture and worried about them . She tried to persuade them to change their plans, to prevent the sheep from walking right into the tiger’s mouth, but Han Changsheng didn’t believe her .
After entering the prefecture, he found her words to be true .
An Yuan walked towards a big man with a stall set up to sell silver wears .
“Is there a hostel nearby?” He asked, his voice cold .
The man looked at An Yuan in his straw hat, and his tone was impatient . “No!”
An Yuan frowned, but he said nothing . He turned around and left .
“Bang!” A cup smashed to the ground .
When An Yuan heard the sound, he saw the man with the stall jump up and grab his lapel . “You broke my silver cup . It’s been my ancestral treasure for thousands of years! Cough up the money now!”
Han Changsheng eyed the cup . The man, himself, had smashed it to the ground when An Yuan was turning away . He frowned as he considered the sound, wondering what kind of silver cup it was .
It wasn’t; It was a rough copper cup . He doubted it had been passed down for thousands of years . Though it had rolled on the ground, it didn’t even have a dent . The big man wanted An Yuan to cough up money to pay for it when it was blackmail .
He took a step forward and would teach this greedy man a lesson . Abruptly, An Yuan stopped him, took a purse from his waist, took out a piece of silver, and threw it to the man .
“What are you doing?” Han Changsheng shouted .
An Yuan ignored him .
Seeing An Yuan so straightforward, the big man was shocked . He released him, looking at the silver in his hand . It was real .
Pulling Han Changsheng aside, An Yuan turned and walked away . Angrily, Han Changsheng said, “You just wasted my money? Why didn’t you teach him a lesson?”
“No need . ”
Han Changsheng rolled his white eyes . If the stingy Hua Xiaoshuang knew An Yuan wasted this money, he’d fight to the death with him .
It was getting late, and they still had a long way to go to reach the former site of the Tianyuan villa . They couldn’t reach it that night, they had to find a place to stay in the city . They wandered around the town, searching . Just like the big man had said, there hadn’t been outsiders in the damn city for a long time . There wasn’t a single inn . There were one or two places that could have been an inn, but they looked like black market shops .
It was dark, and they finally slept under the stars . It didn’t matter . Since they had practiced martial arts and were physically strong, they could stay outside .
That evening, Han Changsheng caught a wild pheasant . An Yuan expertly plucked its feathers, removed its organs, wrapped it in salt and spices, and baked it over a fire . Its aroma made Han Changsheng’s mouth water . An Yuan’s cooking skills from their time in seclusion had vastly improved .
Han Changsheng’s limbs weren’t diligent and he couldn’t tell the basic five grains apart . He needed people to take care of everything in his life . As a result, An Yuan not only improved his martial arts but also his hand strength from kneading and making food for the cult head .
After roasting the pheasant, An Yuan tore off half of it and handed it to Han Changsheng . He didn’t care about the heat and immediately devoured it .
An Yuan, however, didn’t immediately eat his share . He watched Han Changsheng in silence .
“How much do you remember from when you were a child, apprentice?” Han Changsheng asked between the mouthfuls of food .
An Yuan was silent .
Han Changsheng didn’t know how to handle this difficult guy . An Yuan had lost his memory, but he didn’t know how much An Yuan had forgotten . He still remembered his internal mental skill from the Tianyuan mountain villa, so maybe he remembered something from when he was young? When it happened, he was probably around . If he could recall something, it might help Han Changsheng find the murderer . However, whenever he asked about the past, An Yuan wouldn’t talk .
Han Changsheng couldn’t help him . He shrugged . Eventually, one day, he would make An Yuan cry and yell, unable to shut his mouth . Hum!
Focusing his attention on the pheasant, Han Changsheng’s mouth was full of oil .
An Yuan lifted his eyes, gazing into the distance .
After eating and drinking, Han Changsheng tossed aside the chicken bone and lazily called, “All you heroes in the bushes, don’t hide; come out!”