Chapter 174 Water Pavilion
Chapter 174 Water Pavilion
Wang Sumo blinked and looked at Bai Cen with a look of surprise.
Although Senior Meng had been referring to Bai Cen's senior brother Si Nan, who is also He Huai'an, he was actually talking about one thing throughout the entire text—
The Silver Dragon Jade Belt and the Ninefold True Qi are internal and external martial arts techniques that He Huai'an has always wanted to learn, but for some reason, he has never been able to master them.
Moreover, according to what Old Master Meng said, He Huai'an had actually been away from Shuiyue Pavilion for some time at that time.
There are so many martial arts techniques in the world, as vast as the stars in the sky, it's truly astonishing.
Given He Huai'an's abilities, he could probably control the vast majority of people.
Since that's the case, even if he couldn't master just one or two obscure and unique skills, he shouldn't be so fixated on them and hold such a grudge...
When He Huai'an obtained the Kunlun Ring from the Kunlun Sect, he immediately abandoned his status as a junior uncle who lived a life of seclusion.
This shows that He Huai'an is a person who knows very well what he wants to do and knows how to make choices.
Even though his identity as the junior master of Kunlun was only beneficial to him at the time, he did not hesitate at all.
He was constantly undergoing a transformation, and also continuously learning martial arts from all over the world under new identities, while winning over people in the court and the army...
He Huai'an is an extremely shrewd and cautious person.
Master He once said that there are countless masters in the martial arts world, but there are even more hidden masters outside the martial arts world.
For example, the Worry-Free Sword that Master He was apprenticed to back then.
The Silver Dragon Jade Belt and the Ninefold True Qi may have been treasures of the martial arts world at that time, but there were countless hidden secret manuals.
He Huai'an would not waste his time on such a tasteless cultivation method.
Most importantly, He Huai'an is back.
He abandoned his status as a junior master in the Kunlun Sect without hesitation, but He Huai'an returned after Bai Cen became a disciple.
It was during that trip back that he administered a poison to Bai Cen that remains uncured to this day!
Even when Fang Rushi and Senior Meng joined forces, they were at a loss.
What deep-seated hatred could this be?
Is it meant to be used on Bai Cen?
In her view, it was more like a fit of pique.
The idea was strange, yet deeply ingrained.
Why would He Huai'an, a man of great cunning, use such potent poison on Bai Cen, who was just a child at the time, if he wasn't acting out of spite?
Could it be that Bai Cen knows the Silver Dragon Jade Belt, but he can't learn how to use it?
Also, because Old Master Meng knows the Ninefold True Qi, while he doesn't.
So he poisoned Bai Cen and had Old Master Meng transfer all nine layers of his true energy to Bai Cen, thus killing two birds with one stone.
It makes sense, yet it doesn't quite make sense...
He Huai'an is cautious and meticulous, knows how to make choices, and would not do anything pointless without a reason.
He returned to the Water Pavilion, which could only mean—
Wang Sumo suddenly stopped, as if enlightened.
He's scared!
He Huai'an was afraid...
This idea seemed unbelievable to Wang Sumo, but eliminating the impossible makes the possible possible.
He Huai'an was afraid.
Are you afraid of a martial art, whether internal or external, that he can't learn?
Or is there another reason?
Wang Sumo recalled the old man's recollections of the Kunlun past, in which He Huai'an was always gentle and calm, taking things one step at a time, and showing no fear even when facing the elders' hall full of Kunlun masters.
But he was particularly afraid of the Silver Dragon Jade Belt and the Ninefold True Qi of the Water Pavilion.
The Silver Dragon Jade Belt and the Ninefold True Qi concealed something fatal to He Huai'an.
Why didn't He Huai'an kill Bai Cen and Meng Huizhou?
Wang Sumo felt as if many questions were colliding in his mind. But perhaps only Senior Meng could provide the answer.
Bai Cen chimed in from the side.
“I was young at the time. My master happened to see me practicing swordsmanship with a tree branch. He was very curious and came up to talk to me. I didn’t understand the hidden meaning in my master’s words, but he told me to practice with him.”
“My master was very surprised at the time and asked me where I was taught. I said my father taught me. Later, my master and my father had a sword fight. They were both very happy and felt like old friends. My father was mostly in the officialdom and had no choice in his own life; my master was in the martial arts world and had a wide-open life. That night, I fell asleep and heard my father tell my master that he did not want me to be involved in the officialdom in the future.”
"The next day, my father made me become a disciple of my master. From then on, I spent most of the year at Shuiyue Pavilion and the other half at home. At that time, my father was successful in his career and was trusted by the emperor, but he was also slandered by his political enemies in the court. His greatest joy every day was hearing me talk about practicing martial arts at Shuiyue Pavilion."
"I think I'm gradually realizing that my father's expectations for me don't lie in the halls of power."
"There were very few people in my sect. At that time, I only knew my master, my senior uncle, and me. Because I was still young, I couldn't comprehend the Ninefold True Qi so early. So my master taught me external skills, including the Silver Dragon Jade Belt, while my senior uncle taught me internal skills, specifically the first level of the Ninefold True Qi, which is just ordinary internal skills."
“Back then, I was taught by my master one day and by my senior uncle the next, but each master and senior uncle only taught me for half a day. The other half of the day I was left to practice on my own in front of the waterfall at Shuiyue Pavilion. When I was little, I liked to slack off. My senior uncle noticed, but he didn’t tell my master. Instead, he took me into the water to catch fish and climb trees to catch birds…”
Bai Cen recounted joyful memories, lost in them.
Wang Sumo couldn't help but look at Senior Meng. It was really hard to imagine how agile and round-faced Senior Meng could take Bai Cen, who was a child, to catch fish in the river and birds in the trees.
But Elder Meng must have accompanied Bai Cen through a childhood filled with laughter and joy.
That's why Elder Meng said that Bai Cen was someone he watched grow up.
An old rascal, with a little rascal by his side.
He secretly neglected his martial arts training, hiding it from his junior brother and master...
Senior Meng and Bai Cen must have had a very good relationship.
So for several years after Bai Cen was poisoned, Senior Meng tried every possible way to detoxify him; in the end, when he found that there was no cure for this poison, he spared no effort to exhaust the ninefold true qi he had cultivated for a lifetime to suppress the poison for Bai Cen.
Without Senior Meng, I don't know what would have become of Bai Cen.
But one thing is certain: Bai Cen could never run all over the mountains with the old man, getting blasted by the old man's Cloud-Piercing Mountain-Splitting Hand every day and still be alive and kicking, while also cracking jokes...
"What about Master?" Wang Sumo was more curious about this question.
If Bai Cen was taken care of by Senior Meng for most of his time in the sect, then where did Bai Cen's master go?
Moreover, it seems that Bai Cen's master has never shown up so far; even when Bai Cen was poisoned later, it was Senior Meng who transferred nine layers of true qi to him, and there has been no news of Bai Cen's master during this time.
Could it be?
Wang Sumo had a bad feeling, especially after getting involved with He Huai'an.
Sure enough, at this point, both Bai Cen and Meng Huizhou looked at him, and both fell silent for a moment, their eyes filled with unspoken words.
Finally, Bai Cen spoke up: "My master has passed away."
Wang Sumo: "..."
However, Wang Sumo felt a pang of regret. Bai Cen had said long ago that his parents and master were gone, so it was no wonder that it was Senior Meng who was taking care of Bai Cen.
Wang Sumo didn't know if Bai Cen's master's death was also related to He Huai'an.
But now, perhaps, is not the time to ask...
Bai Cen knew what she wanted to ask.
Actually, he wanted to know too.
His senior brother had not told him about his master's death because he was concerned about it.
Therefore, he knew that he could only proceed step by step. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Bai Cen continued in a deep voice: "At that time, Master spent half of his time teaching me the martial arts of our sect, and the other half of his time immersing himself in various books and ancient texts. When I was a child, I did not know what Master was looking for in the books and ancient texts every day. Later I learned that Master was looking for a way for my senior brother to learn the Silver Dragon Jade Belt and the Ninefold True Qi."
I see.
Wang Sumo was surprised, but also expected, yet it was also reasonable.
Bai Cen's master was actually a man of great loyalty and righteousness.
He Huai'an had no way to cultivate the Silver Dragon Jade Belt and the Ninefold True Qi, but even with Bai Cen as his disciple, he never gave up on He Huai'an.
"Did he finally find it?" Wang Sumo wondered anxiously.
Bai Cen knew that Wang Sumo was uneasy.
Bai Cen was unaware of this, but Wang Sumo understood, and the two of them looked at Meng Huizhou together.
It must have been Bai Cen's words that brought him back to that memory. Meng Huizhou took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Back then, my junior brother told Si Nan to go out and clear his head. Actually, my junior brother hadn't given up, but Si Nan had disappeared from the martial world for several years without a trace. Persistence pays off, and finally, my junior brother found a possible turning point. He entrusted Bai Cen to me and went into the martial world alone to find Si Nan's whereabouts..."
Wang Sumo: "..."
Bai Cen: "..."
The two exchanged a glance. Had their master still found them?
Both of them felt a sudden sinking feeling in their hearts.
He Huai'an, who was previously rejected by the Silver Dragon Jade Belt and the Ninefold True Qi, still got what he wanted.
Wang Sumo felt a chill run down her spine.
"So, the time I saw my senior brother earlier was after Master had found him?" Bai Cen asked.
Meng Huizhou nodded.
Wang Sumo's gaze darkened slightly. If she hadn't miscalculated, she wondered what He Huai'an had done after leaving Shuiyue Pavilion, which explained why he later sported a strange red face and frequently went down into tombs with the Su Jin lineage.
He Huai'an has been in the martial arts world for a long enough time.
He grew up to know many unknown secrets in the martial arts world.
Based on the timeline, after being repelled by the Silver Dragon Jade Belt and the Ninefold True Qi at the Water Pavilion, He Huai'an should have gone to the Su Jin lineage to search for the things hidden in the great tomb.
The white armor, which was acquired later, was also obtained at that time.
The Silver Dragon Jade Belt and the Ninefold True Qi did not disappear because of the White Armor; they will truly disappear from He Huai'an's body...
Wang Sumo swallowed softly.
He Huai'an tried to learn the things he was afraid of by becoming a disciple of Shuiyue Pavilion, but in the end he found that he still could not control this internal and external martial arts. However, he still left behind Bai Cen's master and senior uncle.
That is—
Wang Sumo was surprised; there were still things he wanted to obtain from the Silver Dragon Jade Belt and the Ninefold True Qi.
There are still things here that he wants, but hasn't gotten yet!
So he simply went elsewhere temporarily, not abandoning that identity as he did at the Kunlun Sect, but waiting for another opportunity.
At this time, Bai Cen's master went to find him...
Wang Sumo's fingertips paused slightly, and her back felt as if something had been teasing her, sending a chill down her spine.
That's terrifying.
He even had a keen eye for human nature, knowing that Bai Cen's master wouldn't give up, so he left behind this pawn who was still working for him...
Perhaps the junior apprentice uncle still had some genuine feelings for the old man.
But in front of Master Bai Cen, Si Nan accurately grasped Master Bai Cen's guilt, appreciation for talent, pity, and love.
She had always found it strange that, even though He Huai'an, also known as Si Nan, was the one who poisoned Bai Cen, Senior Meng and Bai Cen before they met Fang Rushi still referred to him as Senior Brother Bai Cen.
In other words, even at the very end, everyone still felt a sense of guilt and pity towards Sinan, which is what makes him so terrifying.
Or perhaps, Wang Sumo clenched her fists.
Just like before, He Huai'an didn't get what he wanted from Master Bai Cen, so he left himself a way out...
Wang Sumo's mind was in complete chaos.
Undoubtedly, Bai Cen's entanglement with Shuiyue Pavilion is deeper than that with Qingyun Manor and Kunlun Sect.
Wang Sumo also had a premonition that he might learn about He Huai'an's origins at the Shuiyue Pavilion.
Even more so, Wang Sumo's pupils dilated slightly; perhaps He Huai'an had appeared at the Water Pavilion before...
[Author's Note]
Just got home, will continue writing the next chapter soon, please wait...
This one also includes a holiday red envelope! (* ￣3)(ε￣ *)
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