Chapter 183 Martial Arts Tournament

Chapter 183 Martial Arts Tournament

After a short rest, the three-horse carriage convoy continued its journey to Meizhou.

The two carriages had been somewhat worn out earlier, so when leaving Weizhou, Menghui Prefecture added an extra carriage, making it quite spacious.

Starting anew, Wang Sumo and the old man shared a horse-drawn carriage.

As the wheels rolled on, Wang Sumo recalled what Bai Cen had said earlier, unsure of where to begin.

More than half a month has passed, and the coldest days of winter are drawing ever closer.

Weizhou is near the sea and is always warm.

Meizhou is north of Weizhou and is inland, so Huo Ling put on his cloak early on.

Meng Huizhou insisted on giving Wang Sumo the white fox fur cloak from his mansion. Unable to refuse his kindness, Wang Sumo didn't intend to accept it. Bai Cen muttered from the side, "Didn't you see that my master uncle has emptied his coffers? He's panicking. If you don't accept it, he'll give it to someone else."

And so, Wang Sumo accepted it.

It was meant for Bai Cen to accept.

Unexpectedly, the further north I went, the colder it got.

In the words of Mr. Weng, this year is likely to be a harsh winter.

Wang Sumo unconsciously wrapped his fox fur cloak tighter (this is an incorrect example, a specific plot point; please protect animals and reduce harm. The note in parentheses will not increase charges), and his breath turned into mist.

In the mist, Wang Sumo reached out and pulled out the Vajra necklace around his neck to examine it.

Left hand in a compassionate palm, right hand in a demon-subduing pestle.

What exactly does the key that the old man left with her unlock? And where is the real Vajra Pestle?

Unfortunately, Meizhou is in a different direction from Kunlun and also in the opposite direction from Tianchi.

Over the past one or two hundred years, this key has been used to find the real Vajra Pestle countless times.

This is the sharpest weapon in the martial arts world, indestructible. So when the old master Chi Yu handed it over to the old man, he instructed him to give it to a trustworthy person with a kind heart.

Then the old man gave it to Geng Hongbo.

Geng Hongbo endured over two thousand knife wounds, but saved the lives of more than two thousand people in the town.

Geng Hongbo was a Buddhist monk with a compassionate heart.

Where exactly is the Vajra Pestle that Geng Hongbo didn't even activate?

Left hand in a compassionate palm, right hand in a vajra...

Are there some hidden secrets in these two sentences? Otherwise, why would the old fish-eating master have given the old man these two sentences in particular?

Wang Sumo's thoughts wandered.

"Girl, is Junior Uncle still alive?" the old man suddenly asked.

Wang Sumo was slightly taken aback, then came to her senses.

The old man said in a deep voice, "Whether he is still alive or not, do you know who he is?"

When the old man suddenly asked this question, Wang Sumo didn't know how to answer.

Actually, after Bai Cen mentioned it, she originally planned to tell the old man, but she didn't know whether to do it after Huo Ling's poison was cured. She was afraid that the old man would go to Qingyun Manor alone without saying a word.

Although there are very few people in the martial arts world today who can withstand the old man's full power when he uses the Cloud Piercing Mountain Breaking Hand, He Huai'an, or rather, Lian Xu, is different.

Both she and Bai Cen knew this.

But if we don't tell the old man, he will still be in danger if we meet one day.

Even more so, it's unclear and ambiguous.

The old man wasn't stupid; it was because his junior uncle had died in front of him earlier.

He buried it himself during the stormy night.

When the old man left Kunlun, his only hope was his junior uncle on his back.

At that time, the old man wouldn't have thought about it, much less doubted it.

But during his last meeting with Wang Sumo and Bai Cen, Wang Sumo repeatedly and subtly reminded him, forcing him to re-examine the people in his memory, every single one of them…

Those who are alive, and those who have passed away.

"Girl, didn't you ask Old He about Jinniang?" The old man's eyes were empty: "I didn't tell you back then..."

Wang Sumo was slightly surprised.

The old man gripped the reins tightly and said in a low voice, "That year when I left Kunlun, I met Jinniang and He Wenxue on the road..."

“Back then, I often wrote letters to He Wenxue. Jinniang would always make a fuss and grab the letters to read in our room. It was by chance that she remembered the name He Wenxue. After Jinniang escaped from Kunlun, she met He Wenxue by chance. She said I was in danger, and He Wenxue didn’t hesitate and set off with her to Kunlun to find me.”

“But when they arrived at Kunlun, I had already buried my junior uncle and left Kunlun Mountain. I met them on the way. I was in a sorry state, unkempt, like a walking corpse. She and He Wenxue were both startled.”

"They helped me change my clothes and shave my beard. When I parted ways with He Wenxue, I was full of vigor and confidently told him that I would definitely beat him when I came down from Kunlun Mountain. He Wenxue was such a good person. When he saw me like that, he didn't ask me anything. He was worried that something would happen to me, so he stayed with me. The three of us traveled together at that time. Those days were the happiest days of my life later."

"Together, He Wenxue mastered the final move of the Longevity Gentleman Sword, and I also comprehended the Cloud Piercing Mountain Breaking Hand from the fishing technique. Those were the most carefree and happiest days, the three of us traveling together."

"But later, I realized that He Wenxue liked Jinniang. I also knew that compared to him, no, just standing in front of him, I felt ashamed. Jinniang had been with him all along, so she must know what a good person He Wenxue is."

"Even I think he's so wonderful, so refined and elegant, like a celestial being descended to earth, how could Jinniang not like him?"

"Especially at night, with a fire burning, when the two of them talked together, they were never noisy or argumentative, their words gentle and profound, like a perfect couple. And I, sitting to the side, felt really awkward. So I pretended to be asleep, but actually I kept listening, and I kept thinking, Jinniang is such a good girl, and she's with my good brother, what do I have to be unhappy about?"

"But actually, I can't be happy..."

"Looking back, it seems I've been messing everything up – the Divine Heaven Sect, the Kunlun Sect, none of them ended well. That day, I passed through a town where they were putting on a shadow puppet show. I remembered that line, 'A person with an inauspicious destiny.' At that moment, I thought, 'I'm probably that kind of person...'"

“I grew up without parents, relying on the kindness of others for food. I caused trouble everywhere and dreamed of roaming the world, but I only ever did small-time jobs until I met He Wenxue. He knew exactly what kind of person I was, but he didn’t mind. Instead, he drank with me and gave me advice on what to do. He was my first friend and my best brother.”

"But later, when we ate fish, Fatty and Junior Uncle met with misfortune one after another. I thought I shouldn't stay with them and cause them trouble. I didn't want to see the two of them together, even though I knew they should be together."

“One night, I had an argument with her. Later that morning, I quietly left without telling either of them. Jinniang is with He Wenxue now, and I have no regrets. At that time, I felt incredibly noble, but I would occasionally think of Fu Jin, who always fought with me for letters when we were in Kunlun Mountain, and who read books with me in the Wind Pavilion…”

"The night before I left, I had an argument with her."

“Fu Jin is a very smart person. She had heard me talk about my junior uncle before, and she knew that I was still not over what happened on Kunlun Mountain at that time, so she hadn’t told me about it. After traveling together for several months, she chose a time that she felt was appropriate. She told me that she went to the sixth floor of Fengzhong Pavilion because she saw a suspicious figure.”

She was startled and wanted to find her fellow disciples on duty, but strangely, it seemed that everyone had been sent away and there was no one in the Wind Pavilion. She remembered that it was indeed the Wind Pavilion's monthly curfew that day.

"A curfew means that no disciples are allowed to enter or leave."

“She actually went yesterday, but secretly hid in the Wind Pavilion. She was engrossed in reading a book and didn’t want to stop. The curfew wouldn’t be open to disciples the next day, and Fu Jin was already thinking about it. Song Jin, who was next to her, quietly told her that he had a secret place where he could sleep without being discovered and wouldn’t be taken away at night.”

“Fu Jin said that there were disciples on duty in Fengzhong Pavilion, and they would know that he hadn’t come out. Song Jin said that since you went in and out several times in one day, with so many people around, no one would remember whether you were still there or not. Song Jin had done this before, so this was her suggestion. By a twist of fate, she ended up sleeping in Fengzhong Pavilion that night.”

"I was startled by a noise in the middle of the night, so I peeked out and saw a figure heading towards the sixth floor." If it weren't someone she knew, someone as cautious and timid as her wouldn't have followed; but that figure was so familiar, so familiar, that she recognized it at a glance as her junior uncle…

Wang Sumo reached out and covered her mouth in surprise: "Jinniang saw it..."

Even though it's all in the past, Wang Sumo still feels terrified.

So that's why Jinniang...

The old man continued, "Our junior uncle, whom we usually interact with, wouldn't do something like this, so she was surprised. What doesn't make sense is that the sixth floor is a place that even senior disciples can go to. There's no need for the junior uncle to sneak there in the dead of night, on the day the entire Wind Pavilion was under curfew! Something's definitely wrong. Moreover, after going through so much trouble to sneak in, the junior uncle wasn't going to the sixth floor, but to the top floor..."

The thought sent a chill down Fu Jin's spine, but she still followed. Because I was on good terms with my junior uncle, she wanted to know what he was doing…

"Until she saw her junior uncle go up to the top floor, Fu Jin quickly hid, but still bumped into something and made a noise. Fu Jin realized the danger and immediately ran away."

“When people are panicking, they have a terrible intuition. She remembered Fatty, and how Fatty went to Junior Uncle to get something, saying he saw a ghost in the back mountain, and then soon after he fell seriously ill. She had a feeling, but she wasn’t sure.”

"Soon, news came from the Wind Pavilion that someone had gone to the sixth floor on the day of curfew. She was terrified, wondering if she would be discovered. But if she was discovered, the elders' punishment would be one thing, and she thought of Fatty."

"The enforcement disciples still found some clues and she was caught. But when they took her to see Elder Xiao Ran, the elder wasn't there, but Junior Uncle was. If it were before, she would have thought that Junior Uncle was concerned about her and appeared immediately. But at that time, she suddenly realized something was wrong, that there might be danger. So she lied to Junior Uncle, saying that she had secretly hidden in the Wind Pavilion to read a book, and that she had fallen asleep and knocked things over..."

"That's what Elder Xiao Ran said later too. Staying in Fengzhong Pavilion on her own wasn't such a big mistake, but there was a curfew that day, and it wasn't certain whether she had gone anywhere other than the sixth floor. She was temporarily detained at Siji Cliff."

“She’s very clear-headed. If Junior Uncle finds out it’s her, he’ll definitely eliminate her completely. No matter how well she acts, Junior Uncle will probably get rid of her just like he got rid of Fatty.”

"Just then, Song Jin went to see her. She held Song Jin tightly and said she wanted to go down the mountain to escape. She wanted to tell Song Jin the truth, but Song Jin was sober-minded. He said not to tell him, so that he wouldn't know anything and wouldn't show anything unusual in front of anyone or give himself away. He wouldn't know anything, and even if the truth came out and he was questioned, he wouldn't know the ins and outs."

The old man said in a deep voice, "So later, Song Jin waited until I came back before going with me to check the Fengzhong Pavilion. Moreover, Song Jin told me not to mention that he was there to anyone. Later, we found out that Zhuang Yun's matter was all done in my name, without mentioning him, which is why Song Jin remained safe until the end."

“That night, Jinniang told me that she thought it was Junior Uncle, but I didn’t believe her. I told her that Junior Uncle was dead and that she should stop slandering him. Back in Kunlun, she often got angry with me.”

“I felt she was being unreasonable, and she acted like she always did when she was sulking, and we parted on bad terms. She probably thought I would eventually try to make up with her, and I did, but then I suddenly thought, if it were He Wenxue, she would definitely be gentle and refined, and wouldn't argue with her…”

"So I thought, I'll take advantage of this unpleasant time to leave. At that time, I secretly felt that this was a good thing."

"Later, Jinniang came to find you?" Wang Sumo asked, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at him.

The old man nodded.

Wang Sumo sighed softly: "No matter how you look at it, Jinniang likes you. It was like that when you were in Kunlun. You gave chicken legs and chicken wings to others, but chicken necks to Jinniang, and Jinniang was unhappy. When you climbed mountains with Jinniang, she was very happy. But later you brought Fatty here, and Jinniang was unhappy."

“If Jinniang didn’t like you, she wouldn’t have read your letter. She just wanted to know what kind of friend was so important to you. She also knew that you and Junior Uncle were close, so she was worried that Junior Uncle was a different person behind the scenes, which is why she followed him.”

"Jinniang has always liked you, how could you think she likes Master He?" Wang Sumo sighed.

"Feeling inferior, perhaps?" Old Master Qu said softly. "That kind of feeling of inferiority when facing Elder He, yet he really is such a good person, a peerless gentleman..."

Wang Sumo remained silent.

Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. The old man lacks confidence, so he often fails to think of things.

The old man continued, "Later, Jinniang found me and kept crying. She always liked to cry in Kunlun, and I couldn't do anything about it when she cried. She said she wouldn't talk about Junior Uncle anymore, but she couldn't just leave me like this without saying a word."

Wang Sumo sighed, "Jinniang is braver than you."

But then I suddenly remembered that the ending didn't seem so good...

The old man continued, "That day, Jinniang and I were together."

Wang Sumo: (⊙o⊙)…

The old man said in a deep voice, "I feel sorry for He Wenxue, but a man like He would not put his friends in a difficult position. He Wenxue and I had a fight, which was very satisfying. Then we made a vow with a high five, and he asked me to take good care of Jinniang. Since then, we have been separated for decades. I have never seen him again. I didn't know how to see him until he and you came to Bazhenlou."

Wang Sumo looked at him.

The old man swallowed softly: "If Jin Nian had been with him back then..."

The old man blamed himself: "Jinniang clearly told me, Junior Martial Aunt... if I had believed her back then, she wouldn't have..."

Wang Sumo was stunned, and suddenly understood why the old man was reminiscing about the past in Kunlun. When she mentioned her junior uncle, the old man reacted so strongly, saying that it couldn't be him.

So that's what it was...

Wang Sumo clenched her fists.

The old man's eyes were bloodshot: "That day, we went shopping separately. When I came back, I found her lying in a pool of blood. She looked at me, and with her fingertip, she wrote the first stroke of the character '小' in my palm. She only had time to write that one stroke. How could I not have thought of that at the time..."

Wang Sumo felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if a blunt instrument had struck her.

In the month or two since the old man and she reminisced about what happened on Kunlun Mountain and confirmed that it was Junior Uncle, the old man must have been heartbroken every day because of this scene.

"Tell me, who is he now..." Old Master Qu knew very well that a person who knew how to play the human mask would not stay the same forever.

Although the old man didn't know why he was still alive, he knew that he was still somewhere in the martial arts world.

"Girl, tell me, who is he?" Old Master Qu gritted his teeth.

Wang Sumo slowly lowered her eyes.

— He Huai'an

*

After another two days of travel, the group finally arrived in Meizhou.

The martial arts tournament was just two days away, and the entire city of Meizhou was bustling with activity, filled with martial arts practitioners.

All the inns in the city were fully booked; no inn could spare so many rooms for them. Jiang Yutang, Bai Cen, and Zhao Tong went to find places to stay, otherwise there wouldn't be a single room left.

Duan Wuheng, Wang Sumo, and Lu Wenqu stayed behind to look after the Eight Treasures Pavilion.

Everyone in the martial arts world knows about Bazhenlou. With so many martial arts figures around, Bazhenlou is very safe.

Lu Wenqu couldn't show his face, and Wang Sumo didn't want the white tiger cubs to attract attention, so they stayed behind to take care of them, also wrapped up tightly.

Duan Wuheng, who was driving the carriage, was still stunned.

This is truly a martial arts gathering! I've never seen so many martial arts figures and heroes from various factions in my life, with their flags, uniform attire, and the ubiquitous fist-and-palm salute.

Being there, Duan Wuheng felt as if he had been a part of it for a long time.

Ding Bo, along with Fang Rushi, Meng Huizhou, Old Master Qu, and Old Master Weng, took Huo Ling to see the Four Heroes of Meizhou to ask for medicine.

Wang Sumo didn't go. There were already enough experienced martial artists in the industry, and they didn't need another owner like her from Bazhenlou.

Around dusk, Bai Cen, Jiang Yutang, and Zhao Tong returned. They had found a place to stay, but it had taken a lot of effort to ask around for rooms.

If there were many disciples from the same sect, there would definitely be no room available; only individual guests, who had heard it was the Eight Treasures Pavilion, were hesitant to go through the trouble and worried that they would find there were no rooms left after changing rooms. So Bai Cen talked himself hoarse, but only two people were willing to change rooms.

Finally, Jiang Yutang had a flash of inspiration—this was Zhao Tong, the leader of the Rakshasa Alliance, and everyone immediately agreed.

Wang Sumo was left speechless, both amused and exasperated.

Then Bai Cen asked a question that was both laughable and absurd: "Has the Rakshasa Alliance arrived?"

Zhao Tong said in a serious tone, "We are not righteous, and the martial arts tournament will not invite us. Moreover, the discussions usually revolve around how to wipe us out."

Bai Cen: (⊙o⊙)…

Too.

This clearly shows that the group was terrified as soon as they heard the words "Zhao Tong, leader of the Rakshasa Alliance".

This clearly demonstrates Brother Zhao's formidable reputation!

In short, they found a good place to stay. Wang Sumo, Bai Cen, and Zhao Tong were all fine. Duan Wuheng and Lu Wenqu wrapped themselves up tightly, and also wrapped the white tiger cub and Weiwu up tightly, before carrying them into the inn.

Duan Wuheng thought for a moment, then went and led up another sheep.

The innkeeper was completely baffled, but these江湖人士 (jianghu figures) were never that strange. Just a couple of days ago, someone had come to the inn carrying something that looked like a door panel; he later learned it was that person's weapon. So, the one leading the sheep wasn't anything unusual.

A short while later, Uncle Ding and the others returned.

With the help of the Cloud-Piercing Mountain-Splitting Master, the Lake-Suppressing Ghost-Scaring Master, and the Hermit of Feathered Peace, the Cold Cicada and Ice Dew were obtained.

Fang Rushi and Meng Huizhou quickly arrived at the house. Bai Cen and Zhao Tong helped out and took the old man to stay inside in case of any emergencies.

Huo Ling was nervous, but Ding Bo comforted her, "Young Master, don't be afraid. These seniors and Doctor Fang are all here."

Huo Ling nodded.

Fang Rushi and Meng Huizhou needed to detoxify Huo Ling, so there couldn't be too many people in the house; outside, Wang Sumo, Jiang Yutang, and Duan Wuheng were also there.

Grandpa Weng and Lu Wenqu were looking after several white tiger cubs in the room. With so many people around, they had to be careful.

"Huo Ling, she'll get better, right?" Duan Wuheng was actually nervous.

Over the years, he and Huo Ling had become close friends, and he was worried about Huo Ling.

Wang Sumo reached out and patted his head: "Don't worry, with Fang Rushi and Senior Meng around, Huo Ling will be fine."

Duan Wuheng nodded, but couldn't calm down. He paced back and forth in the corridor, but didn't make a sound. He walked quietly, glancing at the door from time to time.

People gradually arrived at the inn.

Many sects had booked rooms in advance, but only announced them today; many others had gone out earlier and were only returning now.

The inn suddenly became lively.

Looking down from upstairs, Wang Sumo saw that the place was packed with people.

With so many people, friction is bound to arise, but since it was a martial arts tournament, everyone was giving each other some face, so it was relatively 'peaceful'.

In the midst of the calm, someone downstairs suddenly shouted "Good!" Wang Sumo looked in the direction of the sound, but it was too noisy to hear clearly. Jiang Yutang, being a professional, quickly returned and found out the details: "The Four Heroes of Meizhou said that everyone had come from afar and had a long and tiring journey. They sent dozens of jars of wine to each of the inns where the martial arts practitioners were staying. Everyone was saying that the Four Heroes of Meizhou were very generous."

Wang Sumo was surprised to hear this.

Jiang Yutang continued, "Then Dian Shimen said they would treat everyone to dinner at the inn tonight; Liujin Sect said they would provide the charcoal heating for each room tonight."

Wang Sumo understood that this was an excellent opportunity to enhance his sect's influence in the martial arts world!

No wonder everyone wants to come to the martial arts tournament; it's a win-win situation!

[Author's Note]

The second and third watches are put together.