Chapter 63

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

In which Elder Hei regrets his life choices.

<hr>

Previous | Table of Contents | Next

Miracle Doctor Ji’s injury wasn’t deep, and the bleeding had already stopped, so it was fine after his young disciple helped him apply some medicine. He then went over to start directing them to carry the drugged men into Shaolin while also instructing his young disciple to feed these men a certain medicine.

Someone asked, “This is?”

Miracle Doctor Ji said, “It’ll let them sleep even more deeply.”

Everyone understood and, one after the other, went up to help, receiving the medicinal pill from the Young Miracle Doctor’s hands.

Miracle Doctor Ji looked at this great expanse of drugged men and felt somewhat amused in his heart.

The white piece had wanted to catch them off-guard by leaving with Deru, himself, and Sir Xiao, and in the end, those two youngsters had beaten these people at their own game. They not only didn’t get the people they wanted but also had to pay with an entire troop of drugged men, making it even easier for him and his disciple to formulate the antidote, so they must now be angry enough to cough up blood. The only thing was that he never imagined that the Demonic Sect’s people would actually come to lend a hand.

There were people within the crowd, especially those elders, who had long started ruminating over this matter.

But those elders were all capable of keeping their composure, while those adventurers — in particular, those who had been previously messed with by those two monsters — were utterly incapable of enduring it and asked, “What matters made the Demonic Sect Elders come to Shaolin?”

Elder Hei said, “We came to find Temple Master Xie. This incident in the righteous faction has made too much noise, so our Sect Master had us come along to look.”

Then that meant that Sect Master Ye didn’t come along?

Everyone collectively let out a breath. However, there were some who still felt uneasy and asked, in confirmation, “Then Sect Master Ye didn’t come?”

Elder Hei said, “Ah, he came.”

Everyone, “…”

Elder Hei said, “Our Sect Master heard the sound of the qin midway and so went to find Lady Tao.”

Everyone felt oppressed with worry, internally thinking that Lady Tao would definitely return, and Sect Master Ye would probably also follow along to come look at Shaolin, perhaps even deciding to stay behind like Xie Junming, so how could they live through these days now?

Having heard this, Xie Junming thought about it for a moment but felt that a certain someone most likely wouldn’t expose his identity right now. Upon seeing Elder Miao and Elder Hei walking over to him, he smiled and praised, “As always, Miaomiao’s ability with poisonous insects is still as incredible as ever.”

“…” Elder Miao looked at him expressionlessly and didn’t speak a word.

Xie Junming asked, “Your Sect Master didn’t order anything else?”

Elder Miao said, “He did. The Sect Master wanted us to follow you and also wanted me to study the drugged men a bit to see if there was any way to undo the effects.”

Elder Hei nodded on the side.

This was the order that the Sect Master had relayed in that small courtyard, and it truly was a good thing. Other than the fact that Xie Junming enjoyed tormenting the people around him, there was really nothing bad about it. The most important thing was that they were now able to use their identities as the Demonic Sect Elders to appear out in the open, and they finally didn’t have to hide among the piles of people, poking at bugs for fun.

The moment Elder Hei was happy, he couldn’t help but want to exchange pleasantries, “These next few days, us two will be staying with Temple Master Xie’s people. Please excuse the trouble, and I hope Temple Master Xie won’t take offense.”

Xie Junming laughed and said, “It’s no matter, we’re all practically family.”

Elder Hei continued to be happy. “Yes!”

Xie Junming looked at this noble, young sir-like face of his and, just like countless times before, thought that he didn’t match his identity as a shadow guard, and so carelessly threw out some teasing words, “Then tonight, you should just sleep in the same room as me.”

Elder Hei’s smiling face stiffened. “…That doesn’t seem very good.”

“I think it’s quite good. Then, it’s decided,” Xie Junming said, before standing up and walking towards Wenren Heng, wanting to be clear on what their next step was going to be.

“…” Elder Hei followed the other’s departure with his eyes before silently looking in the direction of Wuwang Temple’s people, wanting to know if their Temple Master was for real or not. Those people collectively turned their eyes up towards the sky; their Temple Master’s words have always been dependent on the mood, so maybe it was for real, and maybe it wasn’t.

Elder Miao pulled Elder Hei to the side and said, in a low voice, “See, as I said, he’s not normal. Temple Master Xie doesn’t care about who he sleeps with. Previously, Xiao-Bai said he agreed to come down the mountain precisely because, the moment he opened his eyes one day, he saw Temple Master Xie lying right next to him. Such a slow-natured person as him was even instantly frightened awake.”

Elder Hei, “…”

The scene was deathly still for a moment before Elder Hei thought back and said, “Wait, Xiao-Bai’s martial skill is that high, yet he didn’t discover that Temple Master Xie was lying next to him?”

Elder Miao said, “It seems like he was drugged by Temple Master Xie.”

Elder Hei immediately had some sympathy for Elder Bai. After all, it wasn’t just anyone on this earth that was able to withstand Xie Junming’s intentional torments, and Elder Bai was able to endure it for that many days before he finally yielded. It must’ve been truly difficult!

He hesitantly said, “Then you’re saying that I…”

Elder Miao patted his shoulder and said, “Give up on struggling now. You should just go.”

Elder Hei, “…”

 

At this time, Xie Junming had already reached Wenren Heng’s side, but before he had time to open his mouth, he saw several people run out from Shaolin Temple, noisily clamoring that they had discovered three black-clothed men tied together, hanging on a large tree, with a letter stuffed into the front lapel of the middle one. The letter said that these were the people whom the white piece had sent to assassinate Lady Tao.

The crowd immediately burst out into an uproar.

“Lady Tao? Wasn’t Lady Tao outside? Since I just heard the sound of the qin.”

“I also heard it… Hold on, I think I saw Lady Tao this evening. When did she go outside?”

“That’s right, when did she go outside?”

Wenren Heng perceived that those elders were all turning to look at him, so he walked forward and simply explained that the “Lady Tao” who had remained at Shaolin was someone else he had found to disguise as her.

Although he didn’t explain in detail, the people were able to fill in the blanks themselves, and they couldn’t help wanting to prostrate in admiration.

Some couldn’t help but ask, “Sect Master Wenren, did you two already know that the white piece was going to surround this place?”

Wenren Heng said, “Yes, my Junior Brother guessed it.”

Everyone then collectively began to venerate Sir Xiao. Upon seeing Abbot Ciyuan and the others leaving to go see those black-clothed men, they hurried, slipping and sliding, to follow. Xie Junming stood, unmoving, and looked towards Wenren Heng. “Where is he?”

Wenren Heng said, “Still outside.”

Xie Junming asked, “Is he coming back tonight?”

“Perhaps,” Wenren Heng said, “It’s also quite late. Temple Master Xie still isn’t going to rest?”

The moment he heard this, Xie Junming could tell that nothing else important was going to happen and so nodded, waving goodbye to his subordinates before deciding to go to sleep. Elder Hei was crouched at the stairs in front of the gates of Shaolin Temple, silently watching his figure moving far away, before innocently saying to his colleague, “I’ll stay outside and wait for the Sect Master tonight, so I won’t need to go find Temple Master Xie, right?”

Elder Miao considered for a moment before saying, with extreme gravity, “If he’s unhappy and thinks up an even more perverted idea, what would you do?”

“…” Elder Hei thought about Xie Junming’s temperament before then following behind them, resigned to his fate. Hugging his blanket, he dilly-dallied for a bit before finally knocking on the great Temple Master Xie’s door.

Xie Junming reached out a hand to open the door, looked him up and down, and laughed with eyebrows raised. “You actually want to sleep with me?”

“…No, I went the wrong way.” Elder Hei turned around and left.

If the heavens gave him a second chance to choose, he’d definitely give the winning stick he drew to someone else[1] — it was obviously still much more fun to poke bugs!

Elder Miao saw his colleague leave and then come back and so asked, “What happened?”

Elder Hei had a mind to give him a beating but then remembered that he had poisonous insects all over his body so simply crouched down and said, “…For now, don’t talk to me.”

 

In the empty space in front of the gates were a few torches still lying scattered about the ground, many of which still remained lit. Under the night wind, the flames swayed faintly to and fro, before then being extinguished by Shaolin disciples. The moonlight appeared to grow fuller with time, and its faint radiance followed the mountain road, spreading itself faraway, reaching its end with not a soul in sight, endlessly still and tranquil.

Manor Lord Wei and Pavilion Master Ding had taken people to chase after Ghost Gentleman, and they still had yet to return.

Abbot Ciyuan and Sect Leader Xuanyang sent Shaolin and Wudang’s people to provide support, and there were still no news as of yet.

Of the adventurers, one portion was waiting for them, and another portion wanted to know if, after going to help Lady Tao, Sect Master Ye would capture and bring back that flute player, while yet another portion had discovered that Sect Master Wenren had yet to leave and so had also stayed behind, wanting to see if something else was going to happen. Thus, there still remained many people nearby.

Wenren Heng didn’t pay attention to all the gazes on him and simply walked to where Wei Jiangyue was standing, stiff and straight. He asked, “You’re suspicious?”

Wei Jiangyue’s entire body was rigid, and he said, “What?”

“You used only one concealed weapon, and you came back without even a single strand of hair out of place. So you’re suspicious,” Wenren Heng said, “If you truly didn’t feel that anything was wrong, you’d definitely impatiently tell me that there’s nothing suspicious about your father.”

Wei Jiangyue was silent for a long while before saying, “I said exactly what you told me to say, but time was too short…”

Wenren Heng interrupted him, “There’s no need to tell me in detail.”

Wei Jiangyue also knew that, no matter how much he said, the suspicions on his father also couldn’t be washed clean, so he could only once again fall silent. He then saw Wenren Heng walking over to say a few words to those Demonic Sect Elders, before the group began heading towards the mountain road together, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Where are you going?”

Wenren Heng said, “I’m going to find my Junior Brother.”

Wei Jiangyue was worried about Sir Xiao’s safety, and he unconsciously wanted to follow, but before he could even lift a leg, he was frozen rigidly in place by an intangible force.

If… if his father truly was the white piece, then Sir Xiao’s Master was murdered personally by his father, and Sir Xiao losing his martial arts would’ve also been caused by his father.

He felt as if the surrounding moonlight had been turned into a bitter and pervasive chill, little by little soaking into his entire being, so cold that he was about to lose all feeling.

He thought, if all of this is true, then how can he ever face that person again?

 

The mountain road was still quiet.

Elder Miao and Elder Hei unhappily followed Wenren Heng and, after a few more steps, said, “The Sect Master didn’t say that we should go find him. What if other people start suspecting his identity because we followed you? What’ll we do if this ends up compromising his plans?”

Wenren Heng smiled. “My Junior Brother is with Lady Tao, while your Sect Master also went to find Lady Tao midway. I’m worried about my Junior Brother, while you’re worried about your Sect Master. We’ve simply decided to go together to look for them. What’s wrong with that?”

The two Elders internally thought that’s true, but they were still very hesitant.  “That…”

Wenren Heng considerately said, “If you’re afraid, you two can turn back right now.”

Those two Elders said, “We’re not afraid!”

Wenren Heng smiled and said, “Yes.”

Elder Miao walked a few more steps before thinking that this was an opportunity and said, “Also, don’t think that just because you believe that our Sect Master doesn’t have his memories right now that you can trick him however you please.”

Elder Hei said, “That’s right!”

Wenren Heng said, in surprise, “Since you had to have followed his instructions in order to come to Shaolin, why would you two think that I still believe that he’s missing his memories?”

Those two Elders, “…”

Ah, that’s right. They were thinking only of their desire to give Wenren Heng a beating, and they had completely forgotten about that.

Wenren Heng looked at them. “He still hasn’t told you about what’s between us?”

Those two Elders immediately got goosebumps.

Elder Miao gravely asked, “What’s between you two? Could it be that you’ve really done something to him before?”

Elder Hei said, “I’m telling you, Wenren Heng, even though my temper has always been pretty good, if you ever dare to take advantage of our Sect Master, I won’t ever forgive you!”

From start to finish, the scarred man had been following behind them, and his cold sweat had already started dripping down, layer by layer.

A part of him was thinking that Sect Master Ye actually already having regained those memories was a truly unexpected occurrence, while another part of him was thinking about how clever Sect Master Ye was, and that the other would definitely be able to see through the Sect Master’s intentions. Looking at these Demonic Sect Elders’ reactions, he wondered if they would start fighting?

Wenren Heng sized them up with a glance and said, “First of all, me and him are truly disciple-brothers.”

Those two Elders said in unison, “You’re a lying cheat!”

Previous | Table of Contents | Next

<hr>

[1] I think this is a little lost in translation, but the implication here is that the Demonic Sect Elders actually drew lots to determine who’d accompany Elder Miao and show themselves in front of Shaolin (and hence won’t have to disguise themselves as random side characters any longer). So Elder Hei is being literal here about wishing he had given his winning lottery stick to someone else, haha.

<hr>

I can’t believe Wenren Heng has to actually start explaining from the very beginning, ahaha.

Like this:Like Loading...