Chapter 76 Worry-Free Gate, Disguise Technique
Chapter 76 Worry-Free Gate, Disguise Technique
Weng He put down the lid of the water vat. The opening was too narrow for him to go down, and given his age and skill, he couldn't move freely in the secret passage.
It must be a child, a slender woman, or someone as agile and nimble as Cai Gen'er before.
But it doesn't matter.
He's just waiting here for his prey to come to him.
The room is full of soil; you can tell how difficult it was to dig it.
The entire garden has been used to pile up soil. In a short period of time, the amount of work to dig another exit would be too great, and time is tight. It is inevitable that we will go down from the same place and come back from the same place later.
Guarding this place is enough!
Weng leisurely found a bench in the garden, sat down, and took out a book from his sleeve to start reading.
Over the years, Zhenhu Si has gotten into the habit of carrying a booklet with him wherever he goes to pass the time.
How interesting! Passing time by waiting for something to come to you like this is just too much fun!
The thing Cai Gen'er is going to get from the casino won't be too big; if it were, it would block the entrance and he wouldn't be able to get out by himself.
This thing can't be too heavy. The entrance to the tunnel is very narrow, and there's no way to place climbing stairs. You can only rely on your own strength and the gaps of various sizes that were left beforehand to climb up. You can't climb anything that's too heavy.
Those who follow the lineage of Jin (金) and frequently visit tombs tend to adopt a minimalist approach to their journeys.
Aside from life-saving supplies and essential tools, I won't bring anything else.
Therefore, he concluded that the kid would only carry a portable shovel or something similar in order to return as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Weng He looked at the booklet in his hand with great interest, glancing at the water vat from time to time.
As I looked at it, a new idea came to me.
In a little while, we'll grab something and seal the lid of the water tank so that the guy can't climb out of the tunnel.
Then he would ask a question, and the other person would answer it.
He will release it only after the other party gives him a satisfactory answer.
There just happened to be a large water vat; we could catch a turtle in a jar.
Weng He found it funny.
Having stayed in Zhenhu Division for so long, I've come to see these martial arts sects as if they were my greatest enemies.
Everyone looked gloomy when they saw him.
Now that he's at the Eight Treasures Restaurant, he needs to find something fun to do.
Just wait and see if this guy crashes into the lid.
I wonder how things are going with Wang Sumo and Zhao Tong?
With Zhao Tong around, the Su Jin lineage all descended into tombs. They were good at dealing with the dead, but probably not so good at dealing with living people who were even more ferocious than the dead!
Zhao Tong is the most formidable among the living.
Since this person in the tunnel is using their cover to act secretly, they will definitely return before them.
Just like fishing, you never know what you'll catch from a tunnel.
*
Zhao Tong coldly swept his gaze over the group of people in front of him.
He had no interest in whether this group was seeking gold, digging for gold, or the Golden Gate; he only wanted to know about things related to "marrow cleansing," but he also knew that this process would take a long time.
At the very least, we need to resolve Zhu Weng's matter first.
But this transition is quite long.
Zhao Tong could only try to pass the time by thinking about things, and soon he remembered the stall where he had parked the carriage earlier.
The stall belongs to a vendor who sells roast duck.
The roast duck smelled very strong. He glanced at it and saw that the skin was still crispy, and the side dishes included cucumber shreds and the like.
The crispy texture is complemented by the refreshing sweetness of cucumber.
The dipping sauce also contains something similar to sweet bean sauce, but the taste should be completely different, with distinct layers of texture and different chewy textures of crispness and smoothness.
The roast duck has the aroma of fruitwood.
How is this duck roasted?
In the past, at the Rakshasa Gate, he was always irritable and never had the time or leisure to think about these things.
Later, when he met Deyuan, it seemed that the suffocating days finally had a chance to catch his breath. However, Deyuan was too noisy, and he didn't have many requirements for food. So, whether he made a plate of leftovers or suddenly had a whim and made a plate of dishes with great care, Deyuan couldn't tell the difference.
Moreover, Deyuan was a monk, so he could eat very little...
But things suddenly changed after I came to Bazhenlou.
At the Eight Treasures Restaurant, Wang Sumo was skilled in both cooking and eating. Even though he was just helping out, he had finally met someone with whom he shared common interests. Their conversations finally began to revolve around food and dishes.
It's pleasing to the eye.
Everything is pleasing to the eye.
Immersed in such an environment, one can develop the environment and desire to study food.
For example, right now, he keeps thinking about how to make a crispy, fruit-smoked roast duck.
Can he replicate it?
Suddenly, in that instant, he really wanted to kill a few of its ducks and then make roast duck!
This made him happy.
He was so pleased that he didn't find anyone particularly pleasing, and even so pleased that he didn't actually hear anything, but whether it was Elder Zhu or the group of surprised and apprehensive people opposite him, people who would have annoyed him in the past, each of them called out: "Alliance Leader Zhao?"
He could nod, meaning, "Yes, that's right."
But actually, all I can think about is roasted duck cooked over fruitwood...
Everyone in the martial arts world knows how ruthless Zhao Tong, the great demon of the Rakshasa Alliance, is. Although he has gradually disappeared from the martial arts world in recent years, no one dares to be careless.
But this kind of person would just agree with whatever Zhu Weng said.
This also made everyone around them wary.
Zhu Weng was surprised, but he attributed it more to Wang Sumo. He was sure that Miss Wang had spoken to Zhao Tong, and Zhao Tong listened to Miss Wang very much.
Wang Sumo also looked at Zhao Tong.
It was obvious that Zhao Tong hadn't heard anything, but the fact that he was standing there with his arms crossed exuded a sense of oppression, even though his mind and heart were elsewhere.
Brother Zhao was lost in thought, but not in a daze.
Moreover, he was quite happily daydreaming, and Wang Sumo was inexplicably certain that Brother Zhao was probably thinking about what delicious food to make...
Although there aren't many people in Bazhenlou, each one of them has a unique personality.
Brother Zhao has a rather cold personality, and you can only see that expression on his face when it's related to food. For example, when he was helping her make mooncakes, he was in a good mood and even talked about the master chef from a long time ago, and the fish-cleaning knife...
She's a cook too, so she understands this feeling.
So Wang Sumo didn't expose him or interrupt him.
Although the Golden Gate was a secret sect under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, the Rakshasa Alliance's reputation in the martial arts world was enough to make people tremble with fear. Finally, while Zhao Tong was fantasizing about roasted duck made from fruitwood, Old Liu's son was brought up.
His strong arms looked powerful and muscular.
To forge good ironware, especially weapons, arm strength is essential.
The other party probably still wants to win over Lao Liu.
Therefore, Old Liu's son had no injuries on his body. In fact, he seemed to be well taken care of, only looking a bit disheveled.
Judging from this, Old Liu's weapons must have been made to be of extremely high quality, which is why the Su Jin lineage was willing to bear the bitter fruit for Young Liu.
Wang Sumo didn't know his name, but since he was Old Liu's son, she would just call him Little Liu for now.
"The person is here." The other party didn't seem to care much about Xiao Liu. This was a casino, surrounded by their own people, and even if the person opposite was Zhao Tong from the Rakshasa Alliance, they couldn't just leave with their people right under their noses.
Their original goal wasn't to fight to the death; as long as they didn't clash with Zhao Tong, it wouldn't matter if they relaxed their vigilance a bit more on Xiao Liu's end.
“Uncle Zhu…” Xiao Liu frowned slightly, a hint of guilt in his eyes.
Wang Sumo didn't see any recklessness in him; in fact, she saw a sense of composure in him.
This kind of person doesn't seem like the type to secretly forge weapons behind his father's back, recklessly get discovered, and then be captured and taken hostage.
But Wang Sumo didn't ask any further questions.
Neither she nor Zhao Tong had ever met Xiao Liu. But with Old Man Zhu here, he knew the situation best.
Xiao Liu's gaze swept over her and Zhao Tong.
Wang Sumo was even more certain that the person in front of him was not reckless, but rather composed.
"Is he alright?" Old Zhu asked with concern.
Xiao Liu shook his head; he didn't seem to be a talkative person either.
Old Zhu quickly looked Xiao Liu over to make sure he wasn't missing any limbs, and then his brow relaxed: "It's good that you're alright, your father can rest assured."
Xiao Liu hadn't spoken until now because he was afraid of causing trouble by speaking up. After all, his father knew about the Su Jin lineage, but he didn't.
He was afraid that speaking rashly would cause trouble.
When Mr. Zhu brought it up himself, Xiao Liu took the opportunity to ask, "Mr. Zhu, my father..."
I want to ask, but I'm afraid it's inconvenient to ask.
Xiao Liu's composure carried an unadorned simplicity, which made Wang Sumo even more suspicious of the matter of secretly selling weapons.
Old Zhu patted him on the shoulder and said gently, "Your father is fine, don't worry."
Wang Sumo glanced at Zhu Weng. Old Liu had already severed his own palm and would never be able to forge iron again. But his son probably didn't know that.
Old Master Zhu reassured him, and he listened to Old Master Zhu.
He is calm and simple, but lacks assertiveness...
Even if he secretly made the weapons behind Lao Liu's back, it probably wasn't his own idea; someone must have instigated him.
Wang Sumo remained composed and subtly controlled the situation.
It seems there will be more twists and turns in the matter.
If Old Liu had come by himself today, with his son right in front of him and people from the Su Jin lineage on the other side, he would probably have been hampered at every turn.
With Zhu Weng involved and Brother Zhao also present, this matter is much easier to discuss.
The most important thing is to get the person out of the casino first, and then we'll find out who instigated Xiao Liu.
“Old Zhu, you know that it’s always taboo for other sects to get involved in matters within our sect. His father promised not to forge weapons anymore, and he should have kept his promise. Now that he has broken his promise first, detaining his son is already out of respect for you. Yet you’ve dragged the Rakshasa Alliance into this. What is your intention?”
The other party also made it clear that they were only refraining from making any harsh statements because of Zhao Tong's presence.
Zhu Weng said gently, "I have not broken any rules of the sect. It was the two of you who first asked about the Golden Gate. I can swear to God that you are all people who are going to the tomb, and you know that swearing to God is not empty talk."
The two looked at each other in bewilderment, but Zhu Weng had been a member of the same school before, and he wouldn't joke about something like this.
"It was you who initially harbored ambitions. You forced Lao Liu to join the Golden Gate by making him shovels and daggers, specifically to create tools for the Sujin lineage to explore tombs. Lao Liu refused and swore he would not reveal the Golden Gate, the Sujin lineage, or the matter of the Great Tomb. But you continued to press him. In the end, he promised that he would never again make any weapons or anything related to tomb exploration, and he kept his word," Old Zhu argued logically.
"What a joke! Those weapons definitely originated from Liu Village!"
Zhu Weng took a deep breath and looked at Xiao Liu: "That was made by his son. Old Liu promised you that he would not reveal anything about the Su Jin lineage to outsiders, including his own son, so Liu Che was unaware of it. He didn't even discuss making the weapons with his father, which just proves that Old Liu kept his promise. Otherwise, how could his own son not know?"
So his name was Liu Che. Wang Sumo looked at Liu Che standing to the side.
Liu Che frowned slightly; it didn't seem fake.
Wang Sumo also recalled the two or three boxes of weapons in the secret passage; they had made quite a lot...
Liu Che probably wouldn't do it unless encouraged by someone he doesn't really trust.
Does Mr. Zhu know this person?
Wang Sumo looked at Zhu Weng.
"Words are no proof." The Su Jin lineage glanced at Zhao Tong, but still didn't dare to make any harsh statements.
“Old Liu has already severed his own palm, as you have clearly seen. He can no longer be used as a weapon for you. Isn’t detaining Liu Che an act of coercion?” Zhu Weng finally said this.
Liu Che was detained when he returned to the village and was unaware of his father's situation.
"Uncle Zhu, what did you say?" Liu Che was shocked, and soon his eyes reddened, and he looked completely at a loss.
This was clearly not an act, but Liu Che was unaware of it.
The Su Jin lineage had not told him either.
Suddenly, the room fell silent.
"Old Zhu, you're lying to me, aren't you?" Liu Che was trembling all over. "My father only ever did this one thing in his life. This thing was his life. He cut off his own palm, he would..."
Liu Che suddenly choked up, and suddenly realized how much trouble he had caused his father.
"It's my fault, it's my fault..." Liu Che covered his head with both hands, slowly squatted down, and was indescribably distressed.
"Even if the Su Jin lineage doesn't mingle in the martial world, they are still martial artists. When doing martial things, they must uphold the code of honor. Today, I'm not here to make things difficult for you all, but to seek justice. I invited Alliance Leader Zhao here to uphold justice. Now that everyone has seen the facts, and Old Liu's palm has been severed, meaning he can never forge another weapon in this lifetime, can't I take Liu Che away?" Old Zhu said firmly.
Zhao Tong crossed his arms; to my recollection, this was the first time he had appeared in an event befitting his reputation…
Zhao Tong glanced at the people from the Su Jin lineage.
The other person did indeed shiver.
“No, Old Liu’s palm is ruined, but Liu Che is still here. Either Liu Che stays and makes tools for the Su Jin lineage to go into the tomb, or Liu Che also cuts off his own palm, and the Su Jin lineage will no longer pursue the matter!”
Wang Sumo: "..."
That's impressive. Taking my hand wasn't enough; he also took my son's hand.
Otherwise, you'll have to work like a slave for them.
The reason was that the other side saw that my weapons were well-made.
Wang Sumo chuckled softly.
"What are you laughing at!" The people from the Su Jin lineage looked over.
Zhao Tong might not dare to provoke him, but this girl that Old Zhu brought from who-knows-where is causing trouble here!
Wang Sumo clenched his fist and coughed lightly twice, not wanting to cause trouble, but not afraid of trouble either.
"It wasn't enough that my hand was broken; I also wanted the son's hand. It all started because my weapons were so good—like this guy who saw someone's nice house and insisted on moving in, pushing them to the brink until they said, 'I won't live in this house anymore, but I won't give it to you either.' You said, 'Fine, but don't let me know you've moved in again.' Then later, the son moved in, and you came back demanding the house, saying the other party promised he wouldn't live there, so how come his son is living there? But this house originally belonged to them..."
Wang Sumo went around in circles, and the people from Sujin followed suit, before suddenly realizing that she was making a veiled attack!
"You! Where did this filthy bitch come from..." Before the scolding could finish, the door was kicked open with a "bang".
There must have been layers upon layers of disciples from the Su Jin lineage guarding the outside. For someone to kick the door open like that, without making a sound beforehand, their skill must be extraordinary...
The entire casino suddenly fell silent.
The door slammed shut, revealing a furious old man who looked like he was about to devour someone. Compared to Zhao Tong's cold ferocity, the old man was hot-blooded!
"Who are you calling a brat!" the old man pointed at the person who had just spoken.
The man suddenly couldn't even speak straight.
Zhao Tong then spoke his first words: "This is the Cloud Piercing Mountain Breaker, Master Qu Guan Qu."
The surroundings suddenly fell silent again, and then everyone gasped.
"Who said that? Come out and I'll cut out their tongue!" The old man was really angry. There was no doubt that his tongue might not be cut out, but the Cloud Piercing Mountain Breaker would probably get a few slaps.
Everyone around swallowed hard.
"Please forgive us, Elder Qu. We spoke without thinking. Please forgive us, sir. We were dealing with matters within the sect today..."
Before he could finish speaking, the old man interrupted again: "What, is it your Golden Gate that's shamelessly trying to take advantage of others?"
The surrounding air suddenly froze!
The old man stepped forward: "Did my granddaughter say anything wrong? It wasn't enough that my hand was broken; she also wants the other man's son's hand. And the whole thing started because of the weapon I made. Fine, let's do it your way of the martial arts world! Who insulted my granddaughter just now? Come out here!"
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd once more.
The old man's granddaughter has really angered a demon!
"Come out!" the old man roared, and someone's legs immediately went weak. "I, I told you..."
The old man didn't hold back: "Fine, I won't make things difficult for you. Cut out your tongue that just spoke, chop off your hand that pointed at people, and then swear that no one present today heard it. If anyone did hear it, cut off their ears!"
this……
The old man wasn't finished: "Everyone swear to me that if I ever hear any news in the martial arts world related to today, I will cut off the ears of your sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons."
Everyone around knew that the old man was being unreasonable, but to their dismay, he was indeed using the domineering logic of the Su Jin lineage.
No one dared to utter another word immediately.
Wang Sumo blinked, as if seeing Lao Qu like this for the first time, exuding an overwhelming aura of dominance...
"Girl," the old man said.
"Grandpa," Wang Sumo replied.
"Look carefully, which ear will be cut off today?" The old man was particularly effective at scaring people, and Wang Sumo actually took it seriously and carefully looked at it. Everyone was on edge, and finally said with difficulty, "I don't know, so, old man, I'll just close my eyes and choose."
around:"!!!"
As Wang Sumo finished speaking, she was about to close her eyes when the Su Jin lineage quickly spoke up: "Young lady, you are very magnanimous. We were wrong today and hope you will forgive us. Liu Che is here. Please take him with you, young lady and Zhu Weng. The Su Jin lineage will not pursue this matter any further in the future."
Wang Sumo: (⊙o⊙)…
As expected, experience counts. The old man has been around for many years and has seen all kinds of situations.
There are ways to deal with places where all sorts of people mingle!
The Su Jin lineage didn't want to attract too much attention in the martial arts world, and provoking the old man was definitely not a good thing.
The old man used diplomacy first, then force. Zhao Tong then followed up with diplomacy: "I'll discard my knife. Old Liu and Liu Che will make me a new one. If I can't find anyone one day, I'll come to you."
Compared to the old man, Zhao Tong perfectly embodied the saying "a man who is ruthless and doesn't talk much." His cold and detached tone when threatening others was enough to make people shudder.
"Let's go, old man." Zhao Tong had already mentally reviewed the possible methods for making fruitwood-roasted duck, and he wanted to see if it was correct. Also, he didn't want to spend too much time with these people; he wanted to find out from Elder Zhu whether the marrow-cleansing method from the great tomb had been passed down.
Wang Sumo looked at Zhu Weng: "Zhu Weng, let's go."
Zhu Weng helped Liu Che up.
At this moment, Liu Che suddenly glanced at Zhu Weng, who shook his head at him.
The door had just been kicked down by the old man, and the disciples of the Su Jin lineage were lying haphazardly outside. None of them were fatally injured, but they couldn't get up.
The old man acted decisively, yet with great restraint.
The Su Jin lineage is backed by the imperial court. The court will not stand up for the Su Jin lineage over such a trivial matter. On the contrary, it does not want the Su Jin lineage to provoke these martial arts figures.
However, if the disciples of the Su Jin lineage suffer heavy casualties, affecting the tomb raiding, the imperial court will investigate.
The old man had thought things through before he acted.
Once they left the casino, the Su Jin lineage indeed did not follow them any further.
Wang Sumo walked beside the old man with her hands behind her back, saying, "Impressive, Grandpa!"
The old man looked at her and said, "I was just worried about you!"
Zhao Tong realized, "I didn't see any vegetable roots."
Wang Sumo also remembered that Cai Gen'er was also there when they came together, but Zhu Weng told Cai Gen'er to wait outside the casino, but now he couldn't see him.
"Old Zhu?" Wang Sumo was surprised, but when he turned around, he saw Old Zhu and Liu Che together. The two were so close that they didn't seem like neighbors. Moreover, there was something else in Old Zhu's eyes besides satisfaction.
Before Wang Sumo could speak, the old man said, "Let's go. Your Wuyou Sect's disguise technique won't last more than a few hours."
The Carefree Faction, the Art of Disguise?
Wang Sumo knew that the Worry-Free Sect was skilled in disguise. But looking at the person in front of him, Zhu Weng also consciously cupped his hands to the old man, saying, "Senior."
Mr. Zhu and the old man are about the same age. If Mr. Zhu is really Mr. Zhu, he wouldn't call the old man "senior".
Therefore, it really is the disguise technique of the Worry-Free School.
"Let's go back to the carriage first." The old man didn't elaborate: "I saw the carriage at the city gate, but I didn't see the old man."
Wang Sumo said, "Old Weng said he wanted to stroll around the city, so he didn't come with us."
The old man paused for a moment, then said softly, "Then there's no need to look for him anymore. He went with Cai Gen'er, and he'll bring him back."
Both Zhu Weng and Liu Che were clearly surprised, but it was not convenient to stay outside the casino for long anyway.
Once back in the carriage, the old man had already harnessed the horses to the carriage before he arrived, so they didn't need to ride back separately. Inside the carriage, Wang Sumo and Zhao Tong sat on one side, the old man sat on the other side, and Liu Che and Zhu Weng sat on the other side.
"It wasn't that I intentionally wanted to hide it from you all; I had no choice but to do it. Please forgive me." After saying this, Old Zhu slowly peeled off the human skin mask from his face.
Wang Sumo had heard of the art of disguise, especially the disguise techniques of the Worry-Free School, which were so realistic that it was difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake.
But this was the first time she had ever seen a face change so closely.
As Zhu Weng slowly peeled off the mask, revealing a face that wasn't so wrinkled, that of a middle-aged man.
Generally, the eyes are the least likely part of a disguise to fool the other party, because the eyes of the elderly are naturally cloudy; it is difficult to fake the eyes before that age, and Zhu Weng's eyes were cloudy.
But now, Zhu Weng tore off his mask and then took out a small jade bottle from his sleeve.
He reached out and picked up the jade bottle, dripping two drops of medicine into each eye, then closed his eyes to rest for a moment.
When he opened his eyes again, he was completely different from the old Zhu.
Wang Sumo and Zhao Tong both found it amazing.
Liu Che also said in a deep voice, "Father..."
It was obvious that Liu Che himself hadn't recognized him before, because the elderly man around him, the man behind the sniper tower, and the man with cloudy eyes were all different people; and it was the old man Zhu he knew.
Even Liu Che himself was finding out for the first time.
Wang Sumo and Zhao Tong then realized that the person in front of them was not only Zhu Weng, but also Lao Liu.
Liu Zhaoting cupped his hands in thanks: "My name is Liu Zhaoting. Thank you all for your help."
"Wait, if you're not Zhu Weng, nor a member of the Su Jin lineage, then who is?" Zhao Tong frowned.
Before Liu Zhaoting could speak, Wang Sumo suddenly said, "Cai Gen'er... Cai Gen'er, who is by Zhu Weng's side, is the one from the Su Jin lineage?"
Liu Zhaoting nodded: "Miss Wang is indeed clever. His name is not Cai Gen'er, but Zhu Yu. He is a disciple of the Su Jin lineage."
Wang Sumo frowned slightly: "That's not right. Then why don't the people of the Su Jin lineage recognize you? And why do they call you Old Man Zhu?"
Liu Zhaoting smiled and said, "We'll have to wait for him to tell you all."
*
Inside the small courtyard, Weng He heard a rustling sound coming from under the water vat.
The fish is finally about to take the bait.
Weng He didn't put down his book in a hurry, because the fish still needed to pupate for a while.
Sure enough, when Zhu Yu finally climbed to the top of the water tank and tried to push it open, he found that the lid was as if it were tied up and he couldn't push it open at all.
Zhu Yu looked bewildered. No, how could this be?
He tried to use force, and it was during this attempt that the lid of the water tank moved. He also realized that the lid of the water tank had been tightly bound with strips of cloth and rope.
Zhu Yu gritted his teeth: "May I ask who this gentleman is?"
Weng He said slowly, "Aren't you going to introduce yourself first?"
[Author's Note]
That's all for today.
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