Makeup Chapter 14
Meng Shizhuang was pondering the candle in front of her.
From him to the last disciple in the banquet hall, everyone sat on the floor below. Beyond that, a series of carefully constructed steps, covered with a dazzling carpet, led up to a raised platform and extended to the feet of Manor Master Fan. Candles were placed on the steps, two on each step, one on each side, framing the colorful carpet.
This is probably the scene on Master Fan’s first day in office.
Meng Shizhuang knew only a little about the interactions between these sects. He was full of hatred for Sujian Mountain and did not want to guess whether the solitary mountain that buried so much filth really had such a reputation in the world. He just wanted the owner of Fan Manor to be a good person.
The candles on the steps were burning, and wax was dripping from the white shafts and sliding down to the next step.
Just by looking at it, the sound of dripping wax seemed to have penetrated the noisy room and reached his ears.
Meng Shizhuang thought of the mechanism for going down the mountain.
There are twelve doors leading down the mountain, each with a corresponding mechanism room, each with two doors. Unlocking the mechanism will unlock the back door of the current mechanism room and the front door of the next one. Only the twelfth mechanism room has no back door, and at the same time, the main door next to it will also open.
This time when they went down the mountain, they took the road to the engine room because they felt the door opened too slowly and wasted time.
Entering the control room, Meng Shizhuang didn't dare to look too boldly, only sizing it up with his peripheral vision. The twelve control rooms all had the same layout: a small, square room with two doors and two palm-sized ventilation holes.
Two disciples were guarding the room, with tables and chairs scattered about. The valve of the unlocked mechanism was clearly visible, along with a leaking leak. It was practically on full view.
However, Meng Shizhuang guessed that there should be a secret compartment in the house for hiding things, but the size was not certain.
Because when he followed the team into some machine rooms, he smelled fruity and fishy smells, but saw only tilted tables and chairs.
He was very familiar with the fruity aroma. There was a kind of wild fruit in the back mountain that grew wildly in spring and summer, but he didn't often pick it and bring it back to eat with Lao Ju. It was too sour, and the hungrier he was, the more it burned his stomach. The fishy smell might have come from birds shot down in the mountains, and it smelled cold and fishy.
The scene of wax dripping in front of him reminded him of the dripping water in the mechanism room.
The mechanism room is so simple, this drip is definitely not redundant...
Meng Shizhuang was lost in thought, his gaze slowly extending from the candle to meet the eyes of the disciple opposite him, who frowned and pouted at him. Meng Shizhuang also frowned, and when he looked up, everyone was staring at him.
His heart skipped a beat. His ears, which had been shut shut, finally opened. The voice that had been lingering outside for a long time could be heard. He heard the approachable Master Fan at the top of the table repeatedly asking with concern: "Little friend Meng? Little friend Meng...are you feeling unwell?"
Meng Shizhuang's attention had been wandering—in reality, this was his first time "getting along" with so many people, not counting the beatings he'd received on Sujian Mountain. He'd never been to a school, attended morning classes, or been subjected to group training like the average disciple. He didn't realize how this situation, seemingly unrelated to him, required him to be incredibly alert.
Fan Ji and his confidants took turns to comment on the major events in the world, and then talked about Sujian Mountain in a roundabout way. First, they praised it endlessly, and then got to the point, removing the compliments. In one sentence, they said, "The first two juniors in the competition today are very powerful. Are they the rarity of your mountain, or are there so many outstanding people that you only selected these two people?"
People are like this. It is difficult for them to fully believe what they hear.
Luo Shun said "the best," but who knew if that was just a deception? Even though the doctor who had treated the Sujian Mountain disciples before the banquet had hinted to Fan Ji that the current generation of Sujian Mountain disciples were not to be feared, he himself felt that swordsmanship alone didn't determine success or failure. But after some of his men encouraged him, he couldn't help but overthink it.
After his father's death, he wore mourning clothes and knelt before the coffin, crying several times. With this, he easily won over his father's former subordinates in the village. To make the play more complete, he had to put on an irreconcilable feud. Whether it was investigation or undercover, he was defeated by the leader of Sujian Mountain's Qianji Hall.
It was not until this person passed away that a small corner of the iron barrel was finally pried open.
But he couldn't get what he wanted. The information he received was mixed, and he pieced together the secrets his subordinates had heard from these inconsistent statements.
Fan Ji smiled and glanced at Luo Shun inconspicuously.
He thought it best to refrain from any rash actions before clarifying Sujian Mountain's true strength and avoiding unnecessary losses. He raised his glass and offered a distant toast to Meng Shizhuang and Ke Congzhou, two young men sitting far apart from each other. "...There are so many talented people emerging. I, Fan, am deeply pleased to have such outstanding young men like you in our martial arts world."
Ke Congzhou felt that the owner of Fan Manor was too polite, but he naturally did not say anything. He also raised the wine cup, performed a disciple's salute, and drank the wine neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Fan Ji laughed and looked at Meng Shizhuang with a glance.
Meng Shizhuang watched Ke Congzhou's smooth movements, and looked at Fan Ji's smiling face. His dark eyes slowly turned around and fell on the wine cup in front of him, then he lowered his head.
Motionless.
Fan Ji's hand holding the wine cup stopped in mid-air, and the smile on his face froze.
What does this mean?
Even if he was a hypocrite who loved to act like a showman, after all, he had been able to call the shots in the village for so many years, and he couldn't suppress his anger when being ignored like this.
The disciples who were whispering to each other just now fell silent, and no one wanted to remind Meng Shizhuang in public. The hall masters watched closely, waiting for others to speak first. Lao Hu wanted to speak, but he usually scolded Meng Shizhuang when he communicated with him. However, no one had ever taught Meng Shizhuang how to respond in such an occasion. Wouldn't it be unreasonable to scold him directly?
So he was about to move, but never opened his mouth.
As for Luo Shun, he was still staring at the smile on Fan Ji's face leisurely.
Fan Ji's cheeks puffed up, and he was already sneering in his heart, thinking about how he would humiliate these people one by one when he took over Sujian Mountain one day.
Someone under his command slammed the table and stood up. Before he could say anything, Luo Shunjin said, "Brother Fan, please forgive me. This disciple of mine is ill and can neither hear nor speak."
The man who slammed the table had a stern look on his face, a look of surprise and doubt: "Is this... pitiful?"
Fan Ji glared at him secretly, then smiled again: "I see, it's my fault for being rude."
After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and sat down.
The atmosphere at the banquet suddenly turned cold, and the disciples felt very uncomfortable.
Luo Shun seemed oblivious to the situation. He whispered to Fan Ji, apologized, and left the table alone. He walked to the left, and as he passed Ke Congzhou, he patted his shoulder. He took a few more steps and casually pointed at a disciple who was covering his mouth and hiccuping. "Come here, do something for me."
Meng Shizhuang was still looking at the empty wine cup when he felt two or three people passing by behind him.
After a while, a disciple came out from outside and called him, "Meng Shizhuang, the master invites you over."
Meng Shizhuang recognized that this was the person who followed Luo Shun. He glanced around the table and found that Luo Shun's seat was still empty.
The sky outside was gloomy and dark, which was a bit scary.
A feeling of uneasiness lingered in Meng Shizhuang's heart.
Luo Shun looking for him, maybe it has something to do with the competition?
Meng Shizhuang walked out dragging Su Jian.
Having his disciple lead the way, Meng Shizhuang followed a few steps, raised his sword, and rested it on his elbow, so he could draw it at any time. He followed quietly, and when he passed the arena, he paused slightly. "Are we there yet?"
The disciple calmly turned around and raised his hands to indicate that he posed no threat to him. He replied, "We need to move forward."
Meng Shizhuang held his sword tightly and paid attention to his surroundings.
He was taken to the place where the disciples of Fanli Village practiced martial arts. There were many wooden stakes, but it was clear and no one could hide. There were only two small houses on the east side. The aisle between the houses was very narrow and there were no torches.
The disciple brought the man here and was about to go back: "Just wait here."
Seeing Meng Shizhuang's defensive posture, he said meaningfully: "Don't worry, other people's territory can't harm you."
Meng Shizhuang didn't relax.
As he was nervous, he thought of the mechanism on the mountain.
When he went up the mountain, he had another chance to enter the mechanism room.
If you know the key, why put your life in the hands of others?
He looked up. It was a crescent moon tonight, and clouds were floating in, covering the already unattractive moon.
Meng Shizhuang looked around and didn't see a single person.
He held the sword and decided to wait a little longer.
At this time, the sound of fighting came into my ears.
He looked around and found the corridor between the two rooms.
This is a place for practicing martial arts, and the small house built is probably for disciples to store weapons.
It's so late, is anyone still using it?
Why not come to the woodpile?
Meng Shizhuang's heartbeat began to quicken.
He understood.
This is what Luo Shun wanted him to see.
Meng Shizhuang didn't want to know. He clutched his sword and turned back. Not far away, clusters of torches lit up, and the alarmed patrol disciples, armed and sharp, rushed over. Further away, the people in the banquet hall were also alarmed and rushed over one after another.
He observed the whole way as he came here and realized that there was no way to avoid it. He could only be blocked on the road by the people coming here.
Meng Shizhuang took a deep breath and decided to continue forward, pretending to join the people he met. Just as he was thinking, the sounds of fighting in the corridor had died down, and someone rushed out in panic.
The huge fire was getting closer and closer. Meng Shizhuang saw the blood on the sword of the person who came through the fire.
Following people's footsteps, drops of water stumbled over.
It was a dagger, and also a broken sword.
At this moment, Meng Shizhuang's heart jumped out of her throat.
He shouted, "Don't come over here!"
Patrol disciples rushed over after hearing the noise, surrounding them in three layers. Meng Shizhuang and Ke Congzhou stood facing each other, the blood on the dagger frighteningly thick. In a few breaths, he circled from Ke Congzhou's feet to Meng Shizhuang's feet.
The firelight reflected Ke Congzhou's panicked face.
Meng Shizhuang hugged Su Jian tightly.
The encirclement was broken open. Fan Ji's face turned grim. Luo Shun beside him still had that smile on his face. He asked in surprise, "What happened?"
This smile made Meng Shizhuang realize that the trap he had anticipated had come.
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