Chapter 185 Meeting
Chapter 185 Meeting
At first, neither Jiang Yutang nor Grandpa Weng understood.
The poison that Bai Cen was afflicted with had already caused him to lose all his internal energy. Losing all internal energy is essentially the same as having one's martial arts skills completely destroyed. Wouldn't it be better to discard all martial arts skills and learn another one?
"I want to be alone for a while," Bai Cen said apologetically as he left.
Zhao Tong patted the old man on the shoulder, then nodded to Wang Sumo and followed him.
It's good for him to be alone and have some peace and quiet, but it's also good for him to keep watch from afar.
Zhao Tong was actually very good to Bai Cen.
Inside the house, Old Master Weng asked in bewilderment, "Both my old master and I can pass on our martial arts skills to Bai Cen..."
The old man didn't speak, but looked at Wang Sumo thoughtfully.
Wang Sumo then looked at Meng Huizhou.
This matter involves the past affairs of Shuiyueting's sect. Wang Sumo had previously promised the elder Meng Huizhou not to tell anyone about this matter, so Wang Sumo kept quiet.
Jiang Yutang and Grandpa Weng exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat powerless.
Wang Sumo said gently, "This is Bai Cen's own business. Give him more time."
Fang Rushi was puzzled: "His poison can be cured! Why..."
Wang Sumo stepped forward, took Fang Rushi's arm, and led him out of the room: "Fang Rushi, listen to me, this matter is a bit complicated, and I can't tell you the specifics right now. But you must trust Bai Cen; he wants the antidote more than anyone else. He's very grateful to you, but he's facing what may be the hardest decision he's ever made..."
Fang looked at her like that.
Wang Sumo took a deep breath and said softly, "If he chooses to get rid of the poison, he will face a very easy life, but he may regret it for the rest of his life."
Fang Rushi frowned.
Wang Sumo paused, then continued in a deep voice, "But if he chooses not to use the antidote, he might..."
Wang Sumo swallowed hard, cutting off the rest of her sentence.
"Fang Rushi, is there no other way?" Wang Sumo looked at him.
Fang Rushi frowned.
Wang Sumo thought Fang Rushi would retort to her as before, but Fang Rushi was uncharacteristically gentle and said, "I'll think about it some more."
Wang Sumo was slightly surprised, then smiled.
Fang Rushi turned away without saying anything. He could sense that Bai Cen was a very important person to Wang Sumo.
He didn't want to see that girl sad...
*
It was late at night, and the journey had been delayed. Finally, just before midnight, He Lingyun and his party arrived in Meizhou City.
The Four Outstanding Men of Meizhou all had residences in the city.
There is also a large manor in the suburbs of Meizhou.
The martial arts tournament tomorrow will be held at the manor on the outskirts of the city. Sects like Qingyun Manor will stay at the manor in advance and will not need to stay at a separate inn.
But if we're delayed on the way, it wouldn't be good to bother them if we went at this hour.
There weren't many people from Qingyun Manor this time. A dozen or so people, along with He Lingyun, squeezed together in one or two rooms, plus a woodshed, to make do for the night.
The guesthouses usually reserve some high-priced rooms for these latecomers tonight.
Even rooms priced exorbitantly will find buyers.
For example, He Lingyun.
"I'll take the remaining two rooms and the woodshed," He Lingyun said, and a disciple from Qingyun Manor went to make arrangements.
Some disciples also went to check the surrounding situation.
Soon, as He Lingyun went upstairs, a disciple of Qingyun Manor caught up with him in surprise: "Second Young Master, the Eight Treasures Pavilion is here."
Bazhenlou, Wang Sumo?
"Wang Sumo is here?" He Lingyun was somewhat missing the "gentleman's friendship that is as light as water" that had asked him for a bundle of scallions, two hammocks from Uncle Huo, several thousand taels of silver from his brother, and had also taken his great-uncle with him.
"Find out where she lives," He Lingyun instructed.
The inn didn't have that many rooms, and even if Jiang Yutang wanted more, the innkeeper wouldn't give her any.
She knew perfectly well that there were vacant rooms.
But the shopkeeper's plan was clear: he wouldn't give them any more; that was all the rooms he had.
There weren't enough rooms, so everyone had to make do with whatever they could find to sleep in.
Huo Ling was still asleep. Ding Bo, the old man, Fang Rushi, and Huo Ling squeezed into one room; Zhao Tong, Bai Cen, Meng Huizhou, and Zhao Wuheng squeezed into another; Lu Wenqu, the old man, and the three white tiger cubs were together.
Wang Sumo, Jiang Yutang, and Qingwu (a girl) share a room.
A martial arts tournament will be held tomorrow at the manor of the Four Heroes in the suburbs of Meizhou. It will be a lively event. Duan Wuheng said that Huo Ling had already discussed with him about going to see it. Old Master Weng also wants to go and see what kind of trouble he is causing by colluding with the current Zhenhu Division.
She had never seen a martial arts tournament.
Jiang Yutang is very knowledgeable, so she will definitely go tomorrow.
Lu Wenqu also wanted to meet with He Lingyun privately.
Bai Cen, Senior Meng, and even the old man might find it better to go to the martial arts tournament to relax than to stay cooped up in the inn.
As for Brother Zhao, he probably isn't afraid to show his face, but he's just too lazy to do so.
During this period, Bazhenlou has been busy with various matters. Fang Rushi and Elder Meng are preoccupied with Huo Ling and Bai Cen's illnesses, and the old man also has something on his mind, so she doesn't have much energy to devote to Bazhenlou.
So I'll probably stay here for another day tomorrow, and I'll have to head to the manor in the morning.
Also, she saw Zhao Tong staring at the inn's kitchen for a long time today.
She suddenly remembered that Brother Zhao hadn't used a knife to slaughter chickens, ducks, or fish in a long time.
Bazhenlou has been closed for a long time, waiting for this period to pass...
After Qingwu and Jiang Yutang finished washing up and rested, she was also a little tired and was about to lie down when she heard a knock on the door. At this hour?
Just as Wang Sumo was about to ask, He Lingyun spoke up first: "Wang Sumo, it's me, He Lingyun."
He Lingyun?
Wang Sumo suddenly woke up from her drowsiness. Shouldn't He Lingyun go directly to the manor in the suburbs?
Today, I heard from Grandpa Weng that the Four Heroes of Meizhou have also invited them to stay there. Tomorrow is approaching, but Ding Bo doesn't want to cause any trouble because of Huo Ling's poison. The manor is full of familiar sects, so it's better to keep a low profile at the inn.
Wang Sumo pushed open the door and, sure enough, saw He Lingyun dressed in Qingyun Manor attire.
Before Wang Sumo's smile could even fully form, she subconsciously glanced behind him, wondering if he was with someone...
He Lingyun looked around in surprise: "Wang Sumo, who are you looking for?"
Wang Sumo blinked: "Did you come alone, or with your brother?"
He Lingyun looked at her strangely: "Wang Sumo, are you inquiring about He Huai'an's whereabouts?"
Wang Sumo: -_-||
She's asking about nothing!
However, Wang Sumo breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing He Lingyun's tone and closed the door behind him.
He Lingyun realized there were other women in the room, so it wasn't appropriate to speak to them at their doorstep.
"What are you doing here? With the reputation of your Bazhenlou, do you really need to come to a place like the Martial Arts Tournament to solicit business?" He Lingyun naturally knew that it wasn't a joke.
Wang Sumo straightened her clothes, wanting to answer him, but a thought first surfaced in her mind: "By the way, He Lingyun, have you met He Zhen?"
He Lingyun was a little confused: "He Zhen?"
Then He Lingyun's expression became somewhat unnatural: "Wasn't he with Huo Ling?"
That means I've never seen it before.
Wang Sumo frowned slightly. That meant He Lingyun had left Qingyun Manor first, and the two had missed each other.
"Why are you asking this?" He Lingyun realized, "You even know He Zhen? That's impressive. Wang Sumo, everyone in Qingyun Manor knows you."
Wang Sumo continued, "And what about Master Huo?"
Wang Sumo felt uneasy; she was actually worried about Master Huo.
"Huo Lianchi?" He Lingyun looked at her with increasing curiosity: "Wang Sumo, what's wrong with you today? You've been acting strangely, always asking about my brother or Huo Lianchi?"
He Lingyun isn't stupid, and it's not like she just met Wang Sumo.
Wang Sumo would rather ignore things as much as possible and go as far away as possible, like asking He Huai'an and Huo Lianchi in one day.
He Lingyun leaned closer: "Wang Sumo, are you out of your mind?"
Wang Sumo reached out and shoved someone's head away: "I'm asking you something serious."
Perhaps it was because he had such a good impression of Wang Sumo back at Qingyun Manor that He Lingyun wasn't annoyed. Although he didn't know why she was asking about his uncle, it wasn't hard to say.
"My uncle asked me to come to Meizhou for the martial arts tournament on his behalf. He didn't say what it was about, but I overheard him telling my brother that he had something to discuss with him. The two of them went back to the manor together. My boat left the dock, and I haven't seen him since." He Lingyun sighed softly, "I don't know if he'll come. It would be better if he did!"
He doesn't need to attend such occasions.
Such an occasion is only suitable for my great-uncle, Uncle Huo, and my elder brother.
He didn't know if he could sit for that long at the martial arts tournament, but if he couldn't, his brother would scold him for disgracing the Qingyun Manor.
He wished Huo Lianchi would come himself.
Just as he was about to say, "I've finished speaking, why are you asking this?", Wang Sumo spoke up: "So, when you left Qingyun Manor, Manor Lord Huo turned back, and He Zhen hadn't arrived yet."
He Lingyun: "..."
Yes, yes.
He Lingyun was increasingly confused.
Wang Sumo remained silent. He Zhen should have already met with Master Huo. Even if the journey was long, and He Lingyun left Qingyun Manor first, and those who left later didn't leave as quickly, He Zhen, or rather Master Huo, having read the letter, couldn't possibly have prevented He Zhen or someone else from delivering it…
In other words, something happened to Master Huo?
This thought sent a chill down Wang Sumo's spine.
"Are you cold, Wang Sumo? You should have said so earlier." He Lingyun took off his cloak. Indeed, Wang Sumo hadn't even put on a cloak when he came out.
He didn't take it to heart.
Wang Sumo seemed not to hear, her mind completely blank.
He Lingyun draped the cloak over her shoulders, then said with dissatisfaction, "Why don't you go back and get some sleep first? You're still half asleep. We can talk about it tomorrow. We can go to the martial arts tournament at the suburban manor together."
He Lingyun was about to turn around after speaking when Wang Sumo called out to him, "He Lingyun!"
"Hmm?" He Lingyun turned around.
Wang Sumo took a deep breath: "Someone wants to see you."
He Lingyun was completely bewildered: "..."
What's wrong with Wang Sumo today?
He Lingyun frowned.
*
He Lingyun waited in the room. Wang Sumo would bring people to see him soon. He really had no idea what Wang Sumo was up to.
But upon hearing a knock, He Lingyun opened the door.
Wang Sumo led a person wearing a black robe with a hood covering most of their face into the room.
He Lingyun looked at Wang Sumo and frowned.
Wang Sumo closed the door, and only then did the man in black robes beside her take off his hat and look up at He Lingyun.
He Lingyun looked surprised: "Lu Wenqu?"
[Author's Note]
At dawn, I went to sleep and didn't get up.
I must finish writing it tomorrow!
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