Chapter 70
Han Changsheng and An Yuan were shocked when they heard the name of the Yuehua Sect . The sect only just arrived, it seemed that they had started traveling a few days later than the other sects . Generally, when all major sects attended the Wulin conference, the sect head would bring two or three powerful disciples who would make the sect proud . It worried Han Changsheng . He couldn’t guess who Yue Peng brought this time .
At the Wulin conference, Han Changsheng intended to make An Yuan appear in the limelight according to the instruction of the Black and White Impermanence deities . Yet, he did not know why something bad had happened to the old man Xuanji and Elder Lan Fang . Moreover, he and An Yuan were the ones suspected of the murders . At present, they still hadn’t figured out what happened, and they didn’t know whether the arrival of the Yuehua Sect would cause them any trouble .
Waiting for the person consulting with the gossip to leave, Han Changsheng and An Yuan stepped up . Taking out some silver, Han Changsheng threw it to him . The gossip smiled . “What do you wish to know, young guest?”
“How many sects do you know in the Jianghu?” Han Changsheng asked .
With a smile, the gossip said, “My guest, ask away . If I can’t answer, I’ll pay back the money in double . ”
Han Changsheng lifted his brows . Retreating, he drew out a knife and thought of how Liu Xiaoqi practiced his moves . As he acted them out, he drew an arc in the air .
An Yuan didn’t make a sound, just thoughtfully watched Han Changsheng .
It stunned the gossip . He thought for a moment and said, “The young hero’s knife technique, it’s very delicate . It’s like waving a whip . Few people in the existing sects in the Jianghu that participate in the Wulin conference still use knives like that . ”
“How do you know the sect who used the skill?” Han Changsheng asked .
The gossip said, “Don’t worry, young hero . I’ve been in this business for 20 years and I’ve attended the Wulin Conference for seven or eight times . I’ve seen such knife techniques . What you want to know, my guest, is about the Xiu Daomen?”
An Yuan looked at Han Changsheng in silence . Han Changsheng had been taking an indirect approach to crack down on news related to the Xiu Daomen . It seemed that it was related to the murder fifteen years ago, although Han Changsheng still had not said anything about it to An Yuan . However, looking at the sinuous knife technique and thinking about the wound on his father’s skeleton, An Yuan could guess that Han Changsheng suspected the murderer might be related to the Xiu Daomen . Even An Yuan had heard that the Xiu Daomen had been destroyed several years earlier . It wouldn’t be easy to investigate .
Han Changsheng nodded .
The gossip said, “The Xiu Daomen was destroyed seven or eight years ago . ”
“I know that, obviously,” Han Changsheng said, “Is that all of your news?”
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With a smile, the gossip said, “A sect that has disappeared from the Jianghu for so many years, just what do you want to know, young hero?”
“The people of the sect . ” Han Changsheng said .
The gossip frowned for a moment and replied, “Back then, the Xiu Daomen were killed by mountain bandits because of a conflict with them . The bandits acted ruthlessly . It was said in the Jianghu that no one in the Xiu Daomen survived . ”
Han Changsheng frowned . He thought the gossip would tell him something unusual, but he was just talking about things he himself had already found out . They were all dead, so how could he investigate the matter further?
But, the gossip suddenly said, “But, according to the news of this gossip, that year’s event was not without rumor of a survivor . ”
Han Changsheng glared at him and said, “Spill everything!”
An Yuan came back to himself and looked up at the gossip .
The gossip said, “There’s a young son of the elder of the Xiu Daomen . When the accident occurred, he was only seven or eight years old . It was said he escaped a disaster . Reckoning the age, he should be fifteen or sixteen this year . ”
Thinking of Liu Xiaoqi, Han Changsheng immediately said, “Where is he now?”
“I don’t know,” The gossip said, “The young man is still alive, but few people in the Jianghu know about it . This gossip passed by the Xiu Daomen and listened to the people at the foot of the mountain . Someone picked up the child and took care of him for a while . Before he left, he said he wanted to find out the truth, if his father and uncles died in vain . ”
“However, there are many doubts in the case of the Xiu Daomen . Even though the Xiu Daomen was weak, it was a sect of the Wulin at the best and worst of times . How could a band of bandits kill them all at will? The mountain bandits weren’t famous, either . They disappeared after they committed the crimes . What my guess is, the Xiu Daomen may have offended someone . This was a mysterious murder . ”
Han Changsheng frowned . Aged fifteen or sixteen years old, Liu Xiaoqi’s age . It should be him . He was investigating the case of the Xiu Daomen? Then, why did he sneak into the Yuehua Sect? What did staying with the Yuehua have to do with searching for news of the Xiu Daomen?
After hearing the gossip’s news, Han Changsheng and An Yuan left .
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Walking on the road, An Yuan asked Han Changsheng in a low voice, “What do you know?”
Han Changsheng hesitated . He didn’t dare tell An Yuan about Liu Xiaoqi before, because he was afraid to expose that he wasn’t the real Li Jiulong . Now that he already knew, there was no need to hide it .
So, Han Changsheng said, “Just now, the gossip said there was a child in the Xiu Daomen who escaped . I suspect that child is Liu Xiaoqi . ”
Shocked, An Yuan repeated, “Liu Xiaoqi?”
Han Changsheng nodded .
An Yuan looked at him in surprise . Before that, he had never doubted Liu Xiaoqi . The young martial brother was very timid and would not communicate with others unless he had to . Because he was submissive, he was often bullied by the younger martial sister . He told Yue Yu-er privately to stop, but she refused to change, and An Yuan couldn’t publicly brush away her face . There was no way to take her on . According to Han Changsheng, did Liu Xiaoqi have any ulterior motives when he entered the Yuehua Sect?
Han Changsheng said, “When it comes to Liu Xiaoqi, the gossip said that the Yuehua Sect arrived . I don’t know which disciples Yue Peng will have brought this time . ”
An Yuan thought for a moment and said, “The elder martial brother is gone, and I’ve been exiled . There aren’t many other disciples with outstanding qualifications . It’s hard to say who the leader would take . ”
Han Changsheng said, “I wish he brought Liu Xiaoqi, but that’s impossible!”
Just after his voice fell, a man ran out of an inn . Han Changsheng and An Yuan stared at each other at the same time . Was it not Liu Xiaoqi?!
Liu Xiaoqi didn’t notice Han Changsheng and An Yuan, both of whom had had a change in face . Liu Xiaoqi walked to a stall not far away .
Han Changsheng wondered, “Why did Yue Peng bring him? Didn’t the Yuehua want to send the best disciples who could give the sect a good face? Since Liu Xiaoqi is here, please don’t tell me Yue Peng also brought Yue Yu-er, as well . ”
Just as he finished speaking, a girl in red jumped out of the inn . She pursued Liu Xiaoqi, shouting, “Xiaoqi, wait for me!”
Han Changsheng’s eyes were almost bugging out of his head, even An Yuan was surprised . Liu Xiaoqi and Yue Yu-er were the most incompetent disciples of their generation, as far as they knew . How could Yue Peng bring them to the Wulin Assembly?
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An Yuan looked at Han Changsheng and laughed . “Who else do you think won’t come?”
“I don’t believe this evil coincidence,” Han Changsheng said, “I don’t believe… Don’t believe… . I don’t believe the Yuehua’s cat came with them!”
With that, they both stared at the inn . Fortunately, no cat came out this time .
Han Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief and was about to move on . Suddenly, hearing a meow, a yellow and white figure jumped off the roof, aiming right for Han Changsheng . Han Changsheng was quick, though, so he should’ve been able to avoid almost anything, even the nigh undodgeable . However, the cat was so unimaginably fast that he landed in Han Changsheng’s arms in an instant . Fortunately, the cat was light and agile, so it didn’t weigh much .
“Little stinky egg!”
“Cherry Snow Spirit Feather!”
Han Changsheng and An Yuan exclaimed at the same time, then looked at each other .
“What did you call it? Little stinky egg?” An Yuan’s face looked strange, as if he accidentally ate a booger .
“It’s better than Cherry Snow Spirit Feather,” Han Changsheng said .
An Yuan was angry . He looked at the cat nestled in Han Changsheng’s arms, trying to rub his head against him . The cat reached out his claws to touch his head, beckoning Han Changsheng to rub him . Obviously, he preferred the guy who called him a little stinky egg . An Yuan instantly felt the cold sting of rejection hit his face like a chilly breeze . His cat rebelled and broke his heart .
The coincidence was a bad thing . It was not very weird that the Yuehua Sect brought Liu Xiaoqi and Yue Yu-er, but the cat, as well? What were they up to?
An Yuan and Han Changsheng were thinking about something . Suddenly, Liu Xiaoqi and Yue Yu-er bought something and turned in their direction .
Opening his arms, the little stinky egg lept away, looked at him reluctantly, then turned and bolted . Yue Yu-er poked Liu Xiaoqi and pointed to it . “Look, younger martial brother, isn’t that cat like our cat on the Yuehua Mountain?”
Liu Xiaoqi looked down and said, “Well, it looks a bit like it . ”
“As similar as two peas,” Yue Yu-er said, “Did the cat come with us?”
“How could the cat follow us?” Liu Xiaoqi asked . He raised his head and saw Han Changsheng and An Yuan, but he didn’t make any sign of recognizing them .
As the four approached, Liu Xiaoqi suddenly stopped and raised his head again, staring at Han Changsheng and An Yuan . Although their faces were easy to look at, Han Changsheng knew Liu Xiaoqi could distinguish people by smell alone . He was afraid he recognized them .
“What’s the matter with you?” Yue Yu-er asked Liu Xiaoqi, “Why are you not moving?”
Returning to his senses, Liu Xiaoqi shook his head . “No, it’s nothing . ” Liu Xiaoqi took a long look at Han Changsheng and An Yuan, then left with Yue Yu-er .
Seeing An Yuan’s eyes pointed downwards, Han Changsheng asked, “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about my father . ” An Yuan looked up . “Does the Xiu Daomen’s destruction have anything to do with him?”
Han Changsheng shrugged . “Find an opportunity to ask Liu Xiaoqi . ”
An Yuan sighed and nodded . “Let’s go back first . ”
They walked to their quarters side by side, but no one noticed that in the narrow lane, a young man was staring at them . There was a flash of green in the young man’s eyes . A thoughtful smile appeared on his lips . “The immortal lord descended to earth… Interesting . ”
Translator(s): Empress
TL Check: Teo
Editor(s): Empress, Nadialuxxor
Proofer(s): Dark