46 Chapter 46 (Second Update) The Notorious Bandit Liu Henshui
Chapter 46 Liu Henshui, the Notorious Bandit
The name of Liu Henshui, the notorious bandit, still evokes hatred and resentment decades later.
But decades ago, it was a fearsome creature.
Wherever Liu Henshui went, everyone felt insecure.
There are many heroes in the martial arts world, but Liu Henshui was not one of them.
Liu Henshui was a notorious bandit who led a gang of thugs to commit arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of evil deeds.
Indeed, as the old man said, the evil deeds are too numerous to list.
If Liu Henshui hadn't died back then, who knows how many more tragedies would have occurred.
Therefore, Liu Henshui was never a good person.
I have never been an enlightened monk.
Deyuan clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, Benefactor Zhao, this old monk did indeed intend to conceal it, and it was also because of selfish reasons that I did not want to live again as Liu Henshui."
Zhao Tong looked at him.
Deyuan sighed softly, “People cannot choose their birth. You will become like the people around you. And you won’t feel anything is out of place, because from birth, the first half of your life’s trajectory has already been set here. What you can do, what you can think, what you can see are all the people you can become in this group according to a predetermined direction.”
I was found on the beach; I have no parents.
The person who found me was an old bandit; I grew up among bandits.
After the old bandit died, they each gave me a bite to eat, and I followed behind them, dragging their boxes and scavenging things from the pile of corpses...
The people around you are a reflection of who you want to be.
Bandits would raise many children, treating them like dogs: feeding them and making them do dirty and tiring work. When their burning, killing, and looting went smoothly, the children would get an extra bite to eat and an extra ill-fitting piece of clothing taken from the dead.
If things don't go well, or if they are targeted by other bandits, they will abandon these children and use them as human shields.
These surviving children have endured countless beatings since childhood; having seen so many children abandoned as shields, they come to understand that this is the norm in life.
Their only goal when they grew up was to become one of these bandits. So that when they went out to burn, kill, and plunder, they wouldn't have to carry boxes and pick up the leftovers for them; they wouldn't have to eat the scraps thrown to them by other bandits.
Everyone wants to be an upright person.
But you're surrounded by bandits, and nobody will tell you what a decent person should do.
All you can do then is dream of becoming a respectable bandit.
Kill more people, steal more things, make yourself stronger, and don't become a shield to be thrown out.
This is the law of survival.
The old bandit found me, and I followed him until he died.
He was blind in one eye and lame in one leg, but the bandits didn't abandon him because he had saved their leader's life.
That eye and that leg were the price to pay, but to outsiders, they were also a great achievement.
So the bandits kept him. I was lucky; he found me and didn't beat or scold me like the other bandits. But all he told me was to be loyal to the leader and serve him faithfully.
Under the old bandit's protection, I was luckier than the other children.
At least while the old bandit was still alive, I never lacked food, never went hungry, and never got beaten up.
The old bandit left me his treasured possessions.
That was something other bandits wouldn't even look at, something they threw at him. Fate is always a strange thing. Among the old bandit's tattered belongings was a copy of "The Art of Cutting the Sea and Leaving the River." The words were so blurry they were illegible; it was mostly a comic book that only children would like.
They treated it like a comic book and threw it to the old bandit, while I was the only one practicing with the "Linjiang Zhanhai Jue" (a martial arts manual).
Day after day, year after year.
Later, the old bandit fell seriously ill, and everyone else regarded him as a burden. Even the leader, out of consideration for his reputation, didn't say anything, but he stopped giving the old bandit any medicine. He didn't even have anything to eat. I had to beg for food everywhere to save for the old bandit.
Sometimes hungry, sometimes full.
When the old bandit died, I stayed by his side.
His eyes were cloudy and he could no longer see.
He couldn't even lift his hand; it was trembling.
He said he was worried about me; that bandit den was a den of cannibals, and once they started eating people, they would be gone for life.
I'll definitely find a chance to run!
Once you've run away, don't come back. Change to a more catchy name.
Back then, my name was Chu Jiu.
Because I was picked up by the old bandit on the ninth day of the month.
That was the first time I cried. I never thought the old bandit would die. He was blind and couldn't walk very far because of his lameness. He was always lying in bed.
I was young then, and I thought he had been lying down before, and he was lying down now, but that day, when he told me he was running away, I suddenly realized that he might really be going to die.
I don't know his name, and I've never called him by any elder-like title, such as grandfather, great-grandfather, or old man.
In the bandit's den, everyone called him "Old Man," so I started calling him "Old Man" too.
So until his death, I still didn't know who he was.
Bandit dens are known for their cold-bloodedness; if a bandit is injured, cannot be healed, or is otherwise useless, he will be thrown into the sea to fend for himself.
Almost no one cared about the old bandit's death.
On the contrary, many people hoped he would die, so that there would be one less burden.
He held my hand as he died, telling me to always remember to leave this place.
I held it in my palm; it was a silver medal engraved with the character "Liu".
It turns out his surname is Liu.
But in the bandit's den, nobody cared what his surname was.
I agreed to his request, but it wasn't until he was placed on the bamboo raft and pushed into the river that I wiped away my tears—I will not leave this place, because I want to be the most powerful bandit here!
Without the protection of the old bandit, those bandits who had previously disliked me began to retaliate, tripping me up or beating me up became commonplace.
I often go to piles of corpses to scavenge things, even though I'm covered in wounds.
On one occasion, when we encountered other bandits, they abandoned me and used me as a shield.
I thought I was going to die too.
I was only fifteen or sixteen years old at the time. Surrounded by those bandits, I was in a frenzy of fighting. That was the first time I used the "Linjiang Zhanhai Jue" (a martial arts technique).
I used one of their knives to kill them all.
I still remember that day. I was covered in blood, leading a bandit's horse, not knowing where I was going.
Along the way, the old bandit's voice kept echoing in my ears—"Chu Jiu, this bandit den eats people, and once they start, they eat for a lifetime. Run! Find a chance to run, and once you've run, don't come back. Get a more resounding name..."
My mind was buzzing, blank except for the old bandit's words, and it seemed as if countless thoughts were flooding into my head.
Where should I run to?
Will I be able to survive if I leave the bandit's den?
These thoughts filled my mind. As I walked, everyone who saw me was terrified and ran away in panic. I was like a monster, feared by all who saw me, as if I would devour them whole.
I glared at them fiercely.
I suddenly realized that in their eyes, bandits will always be bandits!
The old bandit just didn't understand...
I led the horse all the way back to the bandits' den.
That was the only place I was familiar with, and because of my inner fear, I didn't know where I should go.
But when I returned to the bandits' den after walking for a day and a night, everyone looked at me as if I were a madman, or a dead man, or a spy sent back by the other side...
I thought I had finally returned to a familiar place, even though they had abandoned me. I had been used to all of this since I was a child.
I never imagined, or rather, they never imagined, that the child who was abandoned as a shield could come back, covered in blood, leading a horse, and exuding a murderous aura.
They are afraid of me and don't believe that I killed everyone else and came back on my own.
They believe I am a spy released by the other side.
Later I realized that perhaps they did believe it.
But compared to the pretext of being a spy, what they feared more was that I alone killed the bandits who were besieging me.
I was raised by an old bandit, but when he died, they took everything. The last bamboo raft was something I made by cutting and chopping for three days and three nights.
They're afraid I'll retaliate.
When faced with immense fear, a person doesn't think about the environment they grew up in; they simply obey.
But as they held me down, preparing to cut off my head and throw it into the river, I remembered the old bandit's words again—find an opportunity to run, and once you've run, don't come back; change your name to something more impressive…
I suddenly regretted not listening to the old bandit.
But I want to live.
I suddenly sprang into action, killing the bandits who had pinned me down, and then stabbed the bandit leader who was trying to kill me.
All the bandits were terrified.
I held up his head and showed it to everyone.
Amidst the fear in everyone's eyes, I suddenly felt a sense of exhilaration.
From that day on, I became the new leader.
I also got a resounding name—Liu Henshui.
The old bandit's surname was Liu. He found me and raised me.
Then my surname is also Liu.
I grew up in a bandit's den by the water, but I also hate this place, so I gave myself a simple and clear name—Hate the Water.
I was only sixteen or seventeen years old at the time, arrogant and thinking I was invincible.
The old bandit's words were like a gust of wind, easily blown away.
Relying on the "Linjiang Zhanhai Jue" (a martial arts technique), I led my former bandits to burn, kill, and plunder everywhere, even more rampant than the previous bandit leaders. At that unrestrained age, I knew nothing of the world.
When martial arts sects are entrusted to eliminate evil and uphold justice, even those who merely curse the villains a couple of times usually never return.
In the past, bandits roamed around, but when they came to me, they swallowed up other bandits, and the imperial court had no choice but to send troops to suppress them.
But the commander had no intention of suppressing the bandits.
It's just a matter of the imperial court changing its military system; nobody wants to waste time here.
The court was corrupt, and so were these military officials. So they sent their clerks to tell me to give them some money so that I could continue doing business and expand my business.
At first I didn’t understand what it meant, but later I learned that there are always ways to circumvent policies.
The money used to suppress bandits was collected from local taxes.
The army chased me around to "fight" but didn't kill me. As long as I "lived on my last breath," the court would allocate more tax revenue.
I only earn small amounts of money, but the rest of the tax revenue flows into the pockets of certain people.
Compared to bandits and thugs, these invisible leeches are the real termites...
They took advantage of my youth, arrogance, and lack of cunning. They plotted step by step, shaping me into the universally hated notorious bandit Liu Henshui, while using my name to amass wealth in various places and then suppress bandits.
My advisor patiently guided me, telling me that I was still one step away from becoming a top martial arts master. Amidst the praise and encouragement around me, I steadily climbed the ladder of success, challenging countless martial arts sects in the Jiangnan region.
In those years, Liu Henshui, a notorious bandit, became a name that struck fear into the hearts of many, committing arson, murder, robbery, and all sorts of atrocities.
From a young age, I was taught how to kill, how to steal from corpses, how to burn, kill, rob, and murder, and how to kill those around me to save my own life. In my eyes at the time, human life was as worthless as grass. Therefore, I was indeed a villain with hands stained with blood.
For more than ten years, I was arrogant and disdainful of everyone, reaching the peak of my arrogance.
At the urging of my advisor, I decided to head north to challenge the Northern Snow-blowing Blade, the Eight-Sided Formation-Breaking Umbrella, and the Spirit Void Dust-Sweeping Blade.
However, it was that trip north that completely changed my fate...
At this point, Deyuan uttered a soft "Amitabha."
Just then, Bai Cen brought over the tea.
The group had just finished a fight, then struggled online for a while, and then listened to such a long passage by Liu Henshui. They were all thirsty.
People from all walks of life are not bound by trivialities.
Once the tea is brewed, you can drink it while sitting cross-legged.
As soon as the Bai Cen tea was served, the old man didn't hold it. He gulped it down in a few mouthfuls, and one cup wasn't enough, so he ordered a second, a third...
Bai Cen quickly poured him some tea.
Bai Cen does have some discernment.
The old man was satisfied.
Then came Master He. Master He would pick up his teacup, and regardless of whether he was thirsty or not, or what the situation was, he would gently lift the teacup and drink it down in three sips, unlike the old man who would chug water.
Zhao Tong frowned noticeably at first. When De Yuan was about to drink water, he reached out to stop him, shook his head, and gestured for De Yuan not to drink.
When Deyuan understood, Wang Sumo also understood.
Oh, are you afraid of being poisoned?
After all, she and Bai Cen were in cahoots with the old man and Master He.
Wang Sumo was so engrossed in listening to the commotion that he had completely forgotten about this incident.
Indeed, after both Old Master Qu and Master He drank tea, Zhao Tong withdrew his hand.
Zhao Tong glanced at Deyuan, but didn't say anything. He was probably thirsty too, so he drank it all in one gulp.
He put down his teacup and suddenly saw Wang Sumo staring at him with wide eyes.
He frowned.
Wang Sumo rested her chin on her hand, "Is it impossible for me to have poisoned the teacup?"
Zhao Tong: !!!
Suddenly, Zhao Tong reached out, one hand to press his own acupoints, and the other hand to press De Yuan's acupoints.
Wang Sumo was startled; he thought Zhao Tong had reached out and choked her!
Bai Cen was also startled. He thought he was about to pour hot water on Zhao Tong, but unexpectedly Zhao Tong started choking him and his comrades.
The old man was speechless. What was he thinking?! This was clearly just a joke, how could anyone take it seriously?
As expected, Wang Sumo sighed softly, "No, don't be nervous, I was just joking."
Zhao Tong: !!!
Zhao Tong quickly released the pressure points on himself and Deyuan.
Both of them nearly suffocated to death.
Master He: "..."
Old Master He reminded her, "Little Bai."
While inwardly grumbling, Bai Cen poured tea for the two of them, who were desperately drinking water after nearly suffocating earlier.
It's really quite funny.
What's even funnier is Wang Sumo, a typical person who enjoys watching the drama unfold.
Finally, Zhao Tong and De Yuan both caught their breath.
Zhao Tong looked at Wang Sumo speechlessly, as if he were looking at some kind of monster. After all, she was caught in a trap at first, and then she was poisoned with a teacup. She was still calm and collected. You don't know her background or how she can be so confident.
Wang Sumo looked at Bai Cen, "Where's my tea?"
Bai Cen: "..."
Wang Sumo sighed softly, "Although the people opposite are all seniors, doesn't your boss deserve to drink tea?"
Bai Cen: (⊙o⊙)…, he actually forgot about his employer!
Bai Sumo remained silent.
Bai Cen slipped away quickly, saying, "I'll go get the cup."
Wang Sumo sighed, "A guy like that would probably only poison himself if he tried to poison someone."
Old Master He couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Zhao Tong's lips twitched.
Indeed, it was a strange building called Bazhenlou, filled with strange people.
Although he couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange about it.
Because everything is strange!!
Deyuan coughed heavily twice because he was laughing and hadn't recovered from suffocating.
"Are you alright?" Wang Sumo asked.
She was just saying it casually; the old man, Master He, and Xiaobai probably didn't take it seriously, only Zhao Tong did.
Seeing how red-faced he and Deyuan had been, almost suffocating, Wang Sumo felt somewhat guilty.
Deyuan clasped his hands together again and said, "Amitabha, thank you, Benefactor Wang."
Zhao Tong didn't want to speak. He hadn't figured out this woman's background yet and didn't know what other tricks she had up her sleeve, so he simply kept quiet.
Seeing Zhao Tong's "keep away" look, Wang Sumo didn't ask any more questions. Anyway, she was listening to Liu Henshui's story, which had abruptly ended halfway through, and didn't want to hear anything else.
Beside him, the old man finished his water and spit out his own saliva as he teased, "The Northern Snow-blowing Blade, the Eight-Sided Formation-Breaking Umbrella, and the Spirit Void Dust-Sweeping Blade—you really have quite the appetite! You even went out of your way to get your reputation, aren't you afraid that these three seniors will cripple your bones!"
This time, Master He finally spoke up, "Old Qu, let him finish speaking first."
Old Master Qu: "..."
However, the old man, Master He, Zhao Tong, and Bai Cen were all curious.
When traveling the martial arts world, who wouldn't be curious about things like the Linjiang Zhanhai Jue's one-on-one duel with the Saibei Chuixue Dao, or the Bamian Pozhen Umbrella's battle with the Lingxu Futianchen?
If word had been spread back then, probably half of the martial arts world would have rushed over to watch!
But very few people knew about this, so Old Master Qu, Master He, Zhao Tong and Bai Cen all wanted to hear the rest. Of course, Wang Sumo also wanted to hear it, but Wang Sumo was only interested in the excitement of the story.
"Let this old monk have another sip of tea," Deyuan suddenly said.
Wang Sumo clearly saw the old man, Master He, Zhao Tong, and Bai Cen blink, but didn't know what to say.
Deyuan knows how to whet people's appetites.
"Back then, I thought I was invincible, the only one worthy of respect in the entire martial arts world. So I wrote letters to the Northern Snow-blowing Blade, the Eight-Sided Formation-Breaking Umbrella, and the Spirit Void Dust-Sweeping Blade, saying that I wanted to compete with them. If they didn't dare to come, they would be cowards, unworthy of their reputation, and I could announce it to the world myself..."
I arranged to meet them at Qingshan.
Neither the Northern Snow-blowing Blade nor the Eight-Sided Formation-Breaking Umbrella are masters of martial arts in the Central Plains. One is in the Northwest, and the other is near the Western Regions. I, on the other hand, come from Jiangnan and have chosen Wang Qingshan, which belongs to the Central Plains.
They also invited the Taoist priest of Lingxu Temple, Lingxu Futianchen, and Liaochen.
It was Daoist Liaochen again. Wang Sumo rested his chin on his hand in slight surprise.
I've heard many stories about Master Liaochen these past few days. From Wenque Pavilion to the Deadly Dragon Tiger Saber, Master Liaochen has always been a Taoist priest who is detached from worldly affairs, devoted to teaching and helping people.
It turns out that Lingxu Futianchen is none other than Daoist Liaochen. Daoist Liaochen has reached a transcendent level in both martial arts and cultivation, and there is probably no one in the martial arts world who can match him in the present day...
Liu Henshui should not be a match for Liaochen. Could it be that he was converted by Liaochen?
Wang Sumo was curious.
Deyuan continued, "The martial arts world of the Central Plains values both virtue and martial prowess, so most of the masters they admire are highly respected for their virtue. But the Northern Snow-blowing Saber and the Eight-Sided Formation-Breaking Umbrella are different. The Northern Snow-blowing Saber has always been feared in the Northern Frontier, and many sects dare not speak out against him; although the Eight-Sided Formation-Breaking Umbrella has a good reputation, he is not a good person either. Therefore, I thought I was being clever and felt that their martial arts skills did not have the high moral standing and prestige associated with the martial arts world of the Central Plains. If I could challenge them both, then the Spirit Void Dust-Sweeping Sword would actually be less important..."
"You've stumbled, haven't you?" the old man said irritably.
Instead of comparing themselves to those with good character, they insist on comparing themselves to those who are notoriously unethical and opportunistic...
They've probably been kicked in the head by a donkey!
Old Master He was much calmer. When a person thinks he is invincible, that is precisely when he will fall the hardest!
Although the old man didn't say "stumbled," Wang Sumo still keenly understood the implication.
But now is not the time to think about these things; we can listen to them later.
"And then what happened?" Wang Sumo asked.
She was more proactive than anyone else.
"Amitabha." Deyuan clasped his hands together and sighed softly, "This is also the lesson that has left the deepest impression on me..."
No one expected it, including myself.
The Northern Snow-blowing Blade and the Eight-Sided Formation-Breaking Umbrella had long harbored a secret plot.
While I was exchanging blows with the Northern Snow Blade, the Eight-Sided Formation-Breaking Umbrella ambushed me from behind, aiming directly for my heart and severing all the meridians in my body...
ah? ! !
ah! ! !
Everyone who arrived was stunned!
Whether it's the old man who has a clear sense of right and wrong, the gentle and reserved Master He, the deep and silent Zhao Tong, the junior Bai Cen who can't get a word in edgewise, or the outsider Wang Su Mo!
this!
No one expected this to happen.
However, in any competition, using such despicable means would be despised by the martial arts world!
How could this be?
Surprised and shocked, everyone around him stared. Anyone who could imagine themselves in that situation would...
Everyone looked at Deyuan with surprise, shock, regret, and even sympathy, even though he was also a heinous criminal.
"Amitabha." Deyuan himself was extremely calm and indifferent. "I have killed too many people, so I deserve this calamity, and I die a worthy death. But what I didn't expect was that, at the last moment when I was dying, it was the Daoist Lingxu Futianchen who arrived last. I had previously thought he was the least important. He saved me from the severed meridians and barely breathing me, even though I was wiping out my tendons and veins..."
around:"……"
[Author's Note]
Regular updates will resume starting today! [clasped hands]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com