Chapter 176: The Gu Master Who Cultivated the Young Hero
For safety reasons, Lin Zhi transferred a strand of his internal energy into Qi He's body and circulated it once.
The meridians are unobstructed, without any blockage or stagnation, and there seems to be no problem.
Lin Zhi withdrew his hand, watched Qi He rest, and asked 01 to keep an eye on him and wake him up if anything happened.
At dawn, Lin Zhi was awakened by 01.
He opened his eyes and saw Qi He sitting cross-legged in meditation.
Qi He was closing his eyes and circulating his internal energy. He frowned slightly and seemed to be in discomfort, with red earlobes.
In early summer, clothes are thin and light, and you can see the outlines of the fabric being pushed up.
Lin Zhi was silent for a moment and lay down again.
He really worried for nothing last night, it turned out that this was the kind of thing that went wrong.
However, Lin Zhi did not have the habit of serving as a teenager's enlightenment teacher. He would be happy if Qi He grew up two more years. At his current age, Lin Zhi had no idea at all.
Whether Qi He really doesn't know or is pretending not to know, it's fine this way. Just let him control it by meditation.
Even if he is not practicing virgin kung fu, there is no benefit in doing such things.
Lin Zhi frowned a little in annoyance. It was just a quick glance but he had an estimate in his mind. He thought it probably still had a lot to grow. Why did it have to grow so long? It was always difficult to get used to it at the beginning.
Qi He keenly noticed the change in his master's breath. The air was silent. Qi He did not speak. He waited until the reaction subsided, then got up and washed.
He was ignorant about such things, he knew something about it but not clearly.
Don't be impatient, Qi He warned himself in his heart.
Different from the bustle of last night, the merchant ships were very quiet in the early morning. The river breeze brought moisture, blowing the corners of people's clothes.
Qi He asked a passing maid how long it would take to reach Yicheng. After getting the answer, he was about to return to his room when he suddenly heard some movement in the next room, as if something had fallen to the ground.
This was the room that Qu Ziheng and the other two shared. Qi He pushed open the door without thinking much.
"Mmmmm."
Qu Ziheng, with his hands and feet tied and his mouth blocked, sent out a signal for help. Although Qi He couldn't see it, he could sense something was going on.
He stepped forward and took off the handkerchief stuffed in Qu Ziheng's mouth. Qu Ziheng immediately asked him to help untie the restraints on his hands.
Qi He cut the rope with his sword, freed Qu Ziheng's hands and feet, and went to wake up the other two companions and help untie them.
Qi He: "What happened?"
Qing Xun rubbed his aching forehead and said, "I just remember that Miss Liu Fufu came to see us last night... and then I fainted."
Qu Ziheng had already started looking through his luggage and said with an unpleasant expression, "The Snake Cloud Grass is gone."
"What?"
Qing Xun exclaimed, and Jiang Yan immediately ran over to check. The box was carefully sealed by Qing Xun, but now the contents were gone.
Lin Zhi heard the noise while washing up and rushed over immediately.
The tables and chairs in the guest room were out of place, and the incense in the stove in the corner had burned out, but a sweet aroma still lingered.
Despite such a big commotion, Yan Yixiuan hadn't come out to check the situation. Lin Zhi immediately went to Yan Yixiuan's room.
After knocking on the door for a while, Yan Yixiuan rubbed her eyes and opened the door. When she heard Lin Zhi's words, her yawn got stuck in her throat and she quickly ran to Qu Ziheng and their room.
After knowing that her baby was missing, Yan Yixiuan was a little emotionally broken.
"We spent so much time and effort on this, but the things were still stolen. I wonder if we didn't leak any information along the way. Let's go find Liu Fufu!"
Although they knew the person might have run away long ago, they still wanted to look for him.
Ignoring the maid's obstruction, Yan Yixiuan kicked open Liu Fufu's door and found the tied and shivering beauty behind the screen.
According to Liu Fufu, after she finished dancing last night, she spent some time intimately with the most generous customer. When she returned to the room to take a bath, she was knocked unconscious and was just rescued.
Jiang Yan asked: "About what time did you come back?"
Liu Fufu told the approximate time, and Yan Yixuan asked, "Why did you come back from the guest room and not stay there overnight?"
Liu Fufu covered her lips and smiled charmingly, saying, "My time is calculated by silver. If we spend a night together, that will be a different price."
Lin Zhi glanced at the bruises on Liu Fufu's wrists and legs, and they were indeed the result of being tied up for a period of time.
Yan Yixuan returned to Qu Ziheng's room angrily and couldn't help but say, "You lustful guys, you let someone in when she wanted to? Now look what happened, you let a female thief in and you all got knocked unconscious, you are so useless!"
Several people were scolded so much that they dared not look up. Qu Ziheng said guiltily, "It's my fault. I heard a knock on the door last night. The person wearing Liu Fufu's clothes and a veil said she had something to tell us. She said that since we are Jianghu young heroes, she has clues about the Demon Cult to tell us."
"We let her in. She was talking about the Akabane Clan. Then I felt something was wrong and I couldn't use my internal energy. Then she walked up to me and I lost consciousness."
Several of them looked annoyed. They had just started out in the world and had suffered such a huge setback.
Yan Yixuan asked in confusion: "Can't you see that they are not the same person?"
Jiang Yan shook her head and said, "With the veil on, she looks quite similar."
Lin Zhi's eyes swept across several people and paused for a moment on Jiang Yan.
"Brother Qu, don't blame yourself too much. That person came prepared. He must have been eyeing us when we got on the boat. And we who slept next to you last night didn't hear any noise, which is also very strange."
Lin Zhi had been in the martial arts world for so long and had never heard of a medicine that could quickly make several martial artists unable to use their internal energy. Perhaps it was the effect of a mixture of several things. The food and wine at the river fish banquet and the incense everywhere could all be the triggers.
Qi He suddenly asked, "Did you hear the sound of the flute last night?"
Everyone looked at Qi He and asked him to explain in detail.
Qi He: "I have always had good hearing. I vaguely heard a flute last night, but I didn't think much of it. Instead, I slept even more soundly. This is a bit unusual."
Jiang Yan immediately asked, "Flute? Could it be related to Chen Buyu?"
Chen Buyu is the elder brother of City Lord Chen of Qinhe Valley, and is nicknamed the Immortal in the Flute by people in the martial arts world.
He is proficient in music, especially the flute. The sound of the flute carries his internal force and can kill people with sound waves.
This happened not long after they came out of Qinhe Valley.
Yan Yixuan subconsciously said, "Impossible, Uncle Chen is not such a person. If he wants our things, why not just do it in Qinhe Valley? Besides, he is not in Qinhe Valley at all. City Lord Chen also lost his treasure."
Lin Zhi thought it was a coincidence. Just as Bilu Hantian disappeared from Qinhe Valley, the Snake Cloud Grass they brought with them disappeared too.
The other party very deliberately chose this ship to attack, making it impossible to track them. Now the ship is about to reach Yicheng, who knows why the thieves left the ship and where they went.
Lin Zhi didn't expect that he would fall into the trap. The world is dangerous and hard to guard against.
His eyes fell on Jiang Yan, who sensed something and looked back at him with a frown.
The atmosphere in the room became a little depressing. Without the Snake Cloud Grass, there was no point in them going to Yicheng.
Several young warriors were a little discouraged, like eggplants hit by frost.
"Although it may not be found, there will definitely be a mark on the hand that opens the box. I applied powder on the box. If it weren't for my special potion, the powder would soak into the skin and leave a blue mark."
Qingxun looked at the empty box and spoke to his companions.
In order to avoid the common traces of red, purple, black and blue, Qingxun specially made it blue.
Qu Ziheng's eyes lit up: "Xun, you are so smart!"
But soon he drooped his brows again: "But we can't find the person, we only know there is this trace but there is nothing we can do."
Lin Zhi looked at their gloomy expressions and asked, "What are you going to do now?"
The master and his disciple were the ones who joined the group halfway through, and they had agreed to go together to kill Jing Weisong. But now without the Snake Cloud Grass, it would be difficult to get close to Jing Weisong. By then, let alone killing someone, it would be difficult for them to escape. After all, Yicheng was the territory of the Chiyu Sect, and there were many Chiyu Sect disciples.
Qu Ziheng scratched his messy hair and said, "We haven't made up our mind yet, but we are about to arrive in Yicheng. We can go and see if Jing Weisong has got the Snake Cloud Grass."
The others nodded. It seemed that this was the only way now.
The theft of the Snake Cloud Grass dealt a direct blow to the morale of Qu Ziheng and his colleagues. This unfavorable situation made them sigh in the room.
They thought that the underworld was all about fighting and killing, and that everyone was willing to show their knives to each other without saying anything in secret. However, they didn't expect that the world was so treacherous and full of intrigue, and they didn't even know who was the mastermind behind the scenes when they were tricked.
Lin Zhi and Qi He returned to the room. Qi He sighed rarely, and there was a hint of confusion in his voice.
"Master, I thought things were starting to get better, but it seems to be getting more and more chaotic. I don't know when we were targeted, and I didn't even notice it."
"Perhaps this was a trap from the beginning, and we just walked into it. This trip was not in vain. Although we didn't find your grandfather, we still gained something. At least the Bilu Hantian and Snake Cloud Grass have appeared."
Lin Zhi stood in front of the window, looking at the river view with birds catching fish.
Qi He nodded: "Indeed, there are still five things that have not surfaced."
The bird holding the fish in its mouth on the river was suddenly shot and fell straight down. Someone on the boat used his martial arts skills to catch both the bird and the fish.
This scene made Lin Zhi slightly raise his lips, and said in a casual tone: "The mantis stalks the cicada, and the red bird is behind. It is still unknown who will be the final winner."
"It took your parents so many years to collect these seven items. It doesn't make sense for others to collect them all in a few months. Besides, there are more than one group of people working hard behind the scenes."
Lin Zhi has already found out the backgrounds of these people. Just as they showed, Qu Ziheng was a disciple of the second elder of the Seven Stars Sect, Qingxun was a doctor at Biyuan Villa, Yan Yixiuan was a disciple of the Qingying Sect, her father was the former head, and the eldest senior brother was the current head, while Jiang Yan's information was very vague.
The information shows that he was born into a wealthy merchant family and practiced martial arts since childhood. However, upon further investigation, it was found that this identity did not match Jiang Yan. At least the son of the wealthy merchant used a sword instead of a fan blade.
Lin Zhi observed Jiang Yan's reaction to the theft of Bilu Hantian. He was surprised, but he really didn't know what Bilu Hantian was.
But this time, the matter of the Snake Cloud Grass was entirely his doing.
Qinhe Valley, Chiyu Gate, Jiang Yan, the masked man who made a deal with Bai Youqiu, the female thief pretending to be Liu Fufu, the sound of the flute in the middle of the night... These things revolve around the truth behind the tragic deaths of several lives in the Qi Mansion many years ago. There is definitely more than one force involved.
Lin Zhi closed the window and chuckled, "There's still a lot of drama to go on. We can just watch it."
Qi He nodded. He liked the way his master would never panic no matter what happened. With his master around, he could always feel at ease.
The ship docked at the port and we arrived at Yicheng.
Lin Zhi and the others followed the crowd down the boat. Although this was the territory of the Demon Cult, it looked no different from any other place.
It’s just that there are signs of Akabanemon in many places, and most of the people here also believe in the red bird totem of Akabanemon.
Lin Zhi and his friends stayed in an inn, trying to find out the situation there while asking about matters related to the Snake Cloud Grass.
Qu Ziheng smiled bitterly and said, "I haven't heard of Snake Cloud Grass, but many people have recommended snake wine to me."
The situation was similar for others, who gained nothing.
Lin Zhi was not busy with this matter, but was busy studying how to place hidden stakes here.
Yicheng does not quite match its name. The Akabane Clan has always advocated the survival of the fittest, so there are many martial arts arenas here. These are not places for just a few moves, but are similar to underground boxing rings in later generations.
Many men would choose this method to earn money to support their families, but death is common. There are a lot of orphans and beggars here. They are very cunning and fierce at a young age. The good embryos will be selected to be trained in the Akabane Sect.
Children who come out of such places probably don't have much kindness, and even if they receive a favor, they may not think about repaying it.
But Lin Zhi was not worried about this matter. He was not a good person, but a Gu Master.
Silver can be used for many things. It is life-saving money for food and medicine. Even if the children know that what he gives is a bug, there are children who will grab it and swallow it without hesitation.
The boy disappeared into the dark alley. Lin Zhi looked at the boy holding the sword and said with a smile, "You were so small back then, and you've grown up so big in the blink of an eye."
Qi He responded, naturally shook the master's hand and said, "I just passed by there and found that they sell a kind of spicy food called blood curd. Your appetite is always not very good in summer, and spicy food can stimulate your appetite. I have reserved a table, and now is a good time to go."
Qi He did not mention the passage of time, but echoed Lin Zhi's words word for word.
The time spent collecting information and waiting was both short and long, and in a blink of an eye, they had been in Yicheng for nearly half a month.
They did not receive any news about Jing Weisong obtaining the Snake Cloud Grass, but they did hear a lot about the infighting among the several halls of the Chiyu Sect and various rumors and scandals.
However, they couldn't stay here any longer. Before deciding where to go, Yan Yixiuan said goodbye.
Yan Yixuan's face was filled with reluctance. She looked at everyone and said, "My senior brother has written several letters asking me to go back. Now I can't delay any longer. Ziheng, Jiang Yan, Axun, Brother Lin, Xiaohe, I really don't want to leave you, but I have to say goodbye."
After Yan Yixuan finished speaking, Qingxun hesitated for a while and said, "I'm afraid I have to go too. This time I'm going out for the villa assessment. I have to collect medicinal materials and medical records, and I have to travel to many places."
Jiang Yan said nothing and looked at Qu Ziheng.
Qu Ziheng slammed the table, and when everyone thought he was going to be angry, he suddenly laughed.
"Alright, alright, why are you so sad? It's not like we won't see each other again in the future. Although this trip wasn't very successful and we didn't accomplish anything that would make us famous, one day we will all be great heroes among great heroes. Now we'll go back to our own homes and see you again someday!"
Qu Ziheng spoke in a casual manner, and Yan Yixiuan and the others also started laughing.
Qu Ziheng eagerly invited Lin Zhi: "Brother Lin, how about you two come with me to do justice?"
Qi He said softly: "Master, we haven't been back to see Xiaotang for a long time."
Qi He didn't want to see Lin Tang either, but it was better than being with Qu Ziheng.
Qi He didn't like Qu Ziheng's enthusiasm for his master when he didn't know his feelings, and he disliked it even more after he knew it.
Lin Zhi nodded: "It's been a long time since I went back, Brother Qu, I'm afraid we can't go with you."
"It's okay. If you have the chance to come to my hometown someday, I'll host you."
Yan Yixuan: "What about us?"
Qu Ziheng waved his hand and said, "Everyone who listens will have a share!"
Standing beside the horses on the official road in front of the city gate, Yan Yixiuan was the first to wave goodbye.
In May, clusters of Deutzia bloomed on the roadside, swaying in the wind.
"See you at the Jianghu Martial Arts Tournament in three years!"
Yan Yixiuan whipped the horse, her red dress fluttering, and her voice was carried in the wind, expressing the farewell.
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