Chapter 77 The God of Wealth! The God of Wealth!
Chapter 077
"When did the rules of this martial arts world become asking for someone's name first, and then introducing yourself?" Weng He slowly put down his book and looked in the direction of the water vat.
Inside the water tank, Zhu Yu frowned slightly.
They were at the very last step when they were caught.
He did feel like someone was following him, but he should have shaken them off by now.
Time was of the essence, and he didn't have time to think it through.
With Zhao Tong of the Rakshasa Alliance present, the Su Jin lineage shouldn't have had time to pay attention to him here; so who exactly discovered him? And why was this only entrance and exit so tightly bound?
Zhu Yu gritted his teeth.
A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle, so Zhu Yu said apologetically, "I'm just a thief who's just taking some things from the city."
Weng He smiled, but still wouldn't behave.
Weng He stood up, flicked his sleeves, and slowly strolled to the mouth of the water vat.
Zhu Yu could clearly hear the commotion outside from inside the water tank. Although the opening of the tank was tied shut, it wasn't completely opaque.
He could still see the figure in the blue brocade robe through the gap in the water tank lid.
The blue brocade robe did not resemble the attire of martial arts practitioners, nor did it belong to the Su Jin lineage.
Zhu Yu breathed a sigh of relief for no apparent reason.
But the other party only gave him a glimpse of the corner of their clothes.
“A thief on the roof, digging such a long tunnel, that’s rare!” Weng He exposed.
Zhu Yu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that since the other party had gone to so much trouble to seal off the water vat, the woodshed and several other houses in the garden must have already been scouted.
Since he wasn't from the Su Jin lineage, Zhu Yu felt a little relieved and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, senior, I didn't tell the truth just now. I dug a secret passage in the city to retrieve something. Even thieves have their code of honor; I took what was rightfully mine."
Weng He then slowly squatted down, and Zhu Yu finally saw that face through the crack in the water tank.
He was a senior figure, but his face was unfamiliar.
"Please, senior, release me," Zhu Yu pleaded.
Weng He looked at him and said, "I'll let you out, but first tell me the truth."
Zhu Yu frowned as he looked at him.
He gave way to one side of the view and said with a smile, "See that stove over there? I've put a pot of hot water in it. If you say anything unclear, I'll pour it down the seam of the water tank, and maybe it'll be cooked."
Zhu Yu: "..."
Zhu Yu was helpless.
Weng He continued, "Or you can climb back through the secret passage; you don't necessarily have to come out from here."
Zhu Yu was upset.
The secret passage leads to a casino, a gathering place for the Su Jin lineage near the city. It's heavily guarded. Just now, because everyone in the casino was focused on Zhao Tong and his group, he took advantage of the chaos and knocked them out.
But by this time, the person who was taken down should be done, and the other party should also be about to discover the secret passage and will soon follow.
Even if he gets stuck here, he'll easily be caught up.
The old man outside the water tank was clearly aware of his predicament.
If he's not from the Su Jin lineage, then he is...
However, Zhu Yu looked at Old Master Weng in surprise. He was from the Eight Treasures Pavilion.
As Zhu Yu hesitated, biting his lip, Grandpa Weng actually took the kettle and poured boiling water into the water vat.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Zhu Yu exclaimed in surprise!
They actually poured boiling water in there!
Zhu Yu was completely taken aback. Wait, wasn't this old man from the Eight Treasures Pavilion? This…
Zhu Yu was in a chaotic mess inside the water tank, unable to escape in time.
However, the old man only poured hot water into the water tank along the edge, avoiding his head and body. But there were no stairs in the secret passage, so he could only climb to the entrance by supporting himself with his hands and legs.
Now that the boiling water has come out, he has been scalded to some extent.
Only then did I believe that the old man truly meant what he said!
"Stop! Stop! Senior, don't fall! Don't fall! You'll fall!" Zhu Yu cried out, still shaken. He was already in a sorry state; the chaos and panic had left him breathless. It was more dangerous than descending into a large tomb—at least outside, no one was scalding him with boiling water!
Grandpa Weng stopped, continuing to squat as he leisurely asked, "Let's get to the point. Someone should be coming through the secret passage in a bit."
Zhu Yu sighed softly; the old man was indeed fully aware of the situation.
Zhu Yu knew he couldn't get away with it: "Senior, where should I begin..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the old man poured boiling water down on him again.
"Tell me! Tell me now!" Zhu Yu was utterly impressed!
"The Eight Treasures Pavilion has Master Qu and Lord Weng. And you, senior, are you?" Since the other party didn't answer, he had to ask first.
As a result of this question, the boiling water came out again.
Zhu Yu was speechless.
"No questions allowed here, or I'll burn you if you waste any more time!" Weng He said with a slight smirk.
Zhu Yu was exasperated: "Fine, fine! I'll go first. If you don't understand something, senior, just interrupt me."
Weng He raised the kettle again, and Zhu Yu quickly said, "Senior, please, my name is Zhu Yu. I used to be the one in charge of digging tunnels for the Su Jin lineage. The secret tunnel under Liu Village that Miss Wang and Young Master Bai went to yesterday was dug by me."
"Oh? Isn't it Elder Zhu?" Weng He squinted at him: "You're much younger than Elder Zhu..."
Zhu Yu sighed softly: "Old Zhu was my grandfather. He has passed away, but the Su Jin lineage does not know this. They believe that my grandfather is still alive, so there is indeed such a person as my grandfather. But the one who appeared in the Su Jin lineage today was disguised using the art of disguise."
"Disguise technique," Weng clicked his tongue twice, then exclaimed, "The disguise technique of the Wuyou Sect is unparalleled in the world. It can fool the eyes of these people. The person you found is from the Wuyou Sect?"
Zhu Yu nodded.
Weng He hissed softly, "Since you are from the Golden Gate's lineage of Tracing Gold, how did you get involved with the Worry-Free Gate? You risked being discovered by the Tracing Gold lineage to cover for you, pretending to be your grandfather. That's a life-or-death friendship. Hey, young man, tell me. The secret passage from this casino isn't that long."
Zhu Yu had already lost his temper: "That's Uncle Liu."
The surname was Liu. Weng paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered the man who made knives and got entangled with the Su Jin family, and whose son was taken hostage.
Zhu Yu said helplessly, "Previously, the Su Jin lineage saw that Uncle Liu was incredibly skilled at forging weapons and tomb-raiding tools, so they tried to win him over. When that failed, they resorted to threats and inducements. Later, because of my grandfather, they temporarily gave up, but they still made things difficult for him, forcing Uncle Liu to promise that he would never make any weapons or tomb-raiding tools in his life. If they found out, they would hold him accountable."
"At the time, Uncle Liu didn't want to get entangled with them, and for the safety of the villagers, he had no choice but to agree. But it was obvious that the Su Jin clan was abusing their power. My grandfather was indignant, but the Su Jin clan were government officials, and reporting it to the authorities would be useless. This matter became an insurmountable obstacle in my grandfather's heart. If it weren't for Uncle Liu helping him, he wouldn't have been implicated. Last month, my grandfather fell seriously ill and knew that he didn't have long to live, but he was still worried about Uncle Liu. If he died, even if the Su Jin clan would keep their promise at first, they would definitely be tempted by their own interests later, and perhaps, they would even implicate the villagers. My grandfather wanted to put on a show for the Su Jin clan before he died to pull Uncle Liu out of the mire."
Oh, Weng He became interested: "Continue."
Zhu Yu continued, "Nothing can be established without destruction. If we want Uncle Liu to extricate himself from this situation, we must break the previous stalemate and actively force out the Su Jin lineage."
Weng He's eyes lit up. "So, you made those weapons and then showed them to the Su Jin lineage?"
Zhu Yu nodded: "Yes, but it wasn't Uncle Liu. Uncle Liu was unaware of it. It was my grandfather and I who instigated Liu Che. Liu Che is Uncle Liu's son, and he did it with us."
interesting!
Weng He couldn't help but laugh: "How did you manage to set a trap for the Su Jin lineage?"
Zhu Yu said in a deep voice, "We secretly made two large boxes of weapons and hid them in the secret passage. We were afraid that if Uncle Liu didn't want to take the risk, he would have no choice but to join us, since we had these two boxes of weapons and he would be unable to clear his name no matter what."
"You acted first and reported later. Your grandfather was bold, and you two are bold too!"
Zhu Yu said softly, "Liu Che is calm and reliable. Uncle Liu told him not to touch weapons, and he has always listened to Uncle Liu. So, in the beginning, my grandfather and I worked on him for a long time, including telling him about the Su Jin lineage's fickleness and that even if Uncle Liu makes concessions again and again, the Su Jin lineage will eventually press him step by step."
"Finally, because my grandfather was seriously ill, Liu Che finally agreed to forge weapons and tomb-raiding tools as my grandfather had instructed. I delivered these weapons to the Sujin lineage. My grandfather told Liu Che that if the Sujin lineage knew about it but did not pursue the matter, that would be a good thing; but if they could not restrain themselves, a final reckoning would be necessary sooner or later. The old master should know what happened afterward."
As a precaution, Zhu Weng still took precautions for Liu Zhaoting before the time came.
"But there's one thing," Weng He asked slowly, "How do you know that Bazhenlou will pass by? What if Bazhenlou doesn't? Or what if Zhao Tong and Lao Qu refuse to go? And even if we take a step back, why do you trust Bai Xiaotong so much?"
Weng He finally put down the kettle in his hand. "Without the intervention of Bazhenlou, your plan would not have been meticulous and would have been easy to expose. Moreover, you would not have been able to sneak in while everyone was in the hall, take the things, and then sneak away without anyone noticing."
Weng He got to the heart of the matter.
Zhu Yu frowned slightly, probably weighing his options internally.
Weng He, who had finally put down the kettle, picked it up again and deliberately shook it at the gap in the water tank opening. Zhu Yu could hear the sound of half a tank of water inside.
Zhu Yu said in a deep voice, "Grandfather knows Bai Xiaotong, and she advises him. Although there are many sects in the martial arts world, they all have their own interests and are not necessarily upright. Rather than trying to avoid one wolf and ending up in another tiger's den, it would be better to find upright people from the beginning, such as the people of Bazhenlou, with whom there is no conflict of interest."
That old man guessed correctly.
The "know-it-all" of the martial arts world is the one who ultimately brings all these things together.
But a well-informed person wouldn't help someone so easily; there must be some connection between them.
Bai Xiaosheng was a chivalrous man who died at the border while saving Fang Rushi.
But Bai Xiaotong was not Bai Xiaosheng, and he had never met him. Seeing is believing, and he did not trust people he had never met.
In particular, so far, Bai Xiaotong has mostly been involved in making money in the martial arts world, unlike Bai Xiaosheng in the past, who mostly performed chivalrous deeds.
Therefore, he doesn't trust him.
There's always a reason for everything. Although it's because of Zhu Weng, it's still a bit odd that Bai Xiaotong is keeping such a close eye on Bazhenlou...
Zhu Yu spoke up at the right moment: "Senior Weng, it was Bai Xiaotong who revealed the news about Bazhenlou to us, but we did not force anyone in Bazhenlou to do anything. All of these things were done on exchange terms. Whether it is Old Master Qu, Alliance Leader Zhao, or Miss Wang, I will definitely keep my promise to them. Please let us go, Senior."
"Uncle Liu and Liu Che should have already left the casino and are probably with Miss Wang and the others. Could we talk about this together? Since the Su Jin lineage is skilled in tomb exploration, they are naturally familiar with these secret passages; they'll find this place soon..."
He spoke fairly sincerely.
The old man said slowly, "One last question."
"Please speak, senior."
"What is the relationship between Bai Xiaotong and your grandfather? Why is he willing to help you?" Weng He's eyes were sharp, as if he could see through him if he uttered even the slightest lie.
Zhu Yu said in a deep voice: "Actually, Bai Xiaotong is not a single person."
"Hmm." That's the truth.
Weng He actually had a pretty good impression of this kid.
Zhu Yu continued, "Senior Weng, she is my sister. She is a child that my grandfather found. We grew up together when we were little."
Weng He: "..."
"A woman?" Weng asked in surprise.
Zhu Yu said in a deep voice, "The martial world is vast, and there are countless masters. Although women are rare, there has never been a shortage of people who can amaze others. Why must the 'All-Knowing One' be a man based on stereotypes?"
Weng He: "..."
Weng He scoffed lightly, "Interesting!"
This was the first time in all his years in Zhenhu Division that he had been "taught a lesson".
"Where is she?" Weng asked with a smile.
Zhu Yu had barely answered all the previous questions, but this time, he bit his lip.
"Aren't you afraid of being scalded by boiling water? Or aren't you afraid of being chased by the people in the secret passage?" Weng He looked at him.
Zhu Yu gritted his teeth, but remained silent. Finally, he whispered, "Senior Weng, I won't tell."
Zhu Yu couldn't tell her Bai Xiaotong's whereabouts; he didn't want her to be in danger, especially not in front of the Zhenhu Division's Ghost-Seeing Sorrow...
"Oh~ now you're being stubborn?" Weng laughed, then clapped his hands as he wished, got up, and turned to leave.
Zhu Yu's eyes showed disappointment.
But more than being trapped in this secret passage, he wanted her to be safe.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Zhu Yu felt somewhat dejected in the secret passage. He had almost failed; he was just a hair's breadth away from a perfect escape for everyone!
Hearing the garden gate creak open, it meant the other party was leaving.
Zhu Yu heard the voice: "The Su Jin lineage, do they not even bring tools when going down the secret passage? The lid on the water vat is sealed, but their brains shouldn't be dead! What is the water vat made of? When they actually go down into the tomb, if they get trapped by something, they can't even break it?"
Zhu Yu froze. Hit, smash it?
When he finally realized what was happening, Zhu Yu couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He had been lying there for so long, how come he hadn't thought of this at all?
The gate slammed shut with a creak, and Zhu Yu took out tools from his straps and smashed the water vat with a loud crack.
As the water vat shattered, he scrambled out of the secret passage, groaning, "Wow..."
I was about to call out "Senior Weng" when I realized it was inappropriate, so I quickly caught up with him.
*
Inside the carriage, Liu Zhaoting was talking with Elder Weng and Wang Sumo about the whole story of how he left Wuyoumen.
Zhao Tong didn't like listening to noise, and besides, the fruitwood-roasted duck was right outside. Just now, when Liu Zhaoting was speaking, he smelled the aroma of freshly roasted fruitwood-roasted duck wafting in through the car window.
He had already imagined it in his mind while he was at the casino.
He preferred to hear the story of Liu Zhaoting's time at Wuyoumen rather than the whole story of the fruitwood-roasted duck.
Moreover, for some inexplicable reason, he wanted to make a roast duck for the people at Bazhenlou, Wang Sumo, Bai Cen, Old Master Qu, and Old Master Weng to try. This was the joy of being a chef.
It seems that, subconsciously, he has become a part of the Eight Treasures Pavilion...
"Look, objectively speaking, this is how you fill the duck's belly for fruitwood roasting..." The shopkeeper accepted a gold ingot. Good heavens! A gold ingot!!
Their objective requirement is to see a fruitwood-roasted duck, they'd be happy to roast a whole truckload!
The shopkeeper enthusiastically demonstrated his roast duck skills, showing no hesitation whatsoever, holding nothing back in front of the God of Wealth! Absolutely!!
Zhao Tong was very satisfied.
This is the biggest gain from this trip to the fortress!
You can buy a kitchen knife anywhere, but this fruitwood-roasted duck was a pleasant surprise.
"Shopkeeper, do you have any live ducks or fruit trees here? I'd like to take some home and try them out?"
After Zhao Tong finished speaking, the shopkeeper quickly told the shop assistant to pack it up: "Yes, yes, yes!"
The God of Wealth could have any shop he wanted, he could have it all! What's more, two ducks and fruit trees?
"Sir, would you like some cucumber? And some sauce?" The shopkeeper asked, attending to every detail.
Zhao Tong smiled gently, a rare occurrence for him: "Thank you!"
"You're welcome! It's my pleasure!" The shopkeeper turned and shouted inside, "Hurry up!"
Zhao Tong felt that the people here were all very kind...
[Author's Note]
There's a high chance we'll have roasted duck with fruitwood tonight! If not, then tomorrow!
There will be another update tonight!
I've been working so hard lately that it's almost unlike myself!
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