Minglong

Chapter 147 So fun

A silver moon hangs high in the sky over the outskirts of Luoyang.

Zhang Chu, wearing a black cloak, dismounted outside a dilapidated temple.

The dilapidated temple was nestled among a large poplar grove. There was no one around, and the light was dim. The only sound was the eerie rustling of leaves in the breeze.

He Can, walking behind, frowned upon seeing this ominous place that clearly brought bad luck:

"Are they preparing to deal with me? Executing a general in the midst of battle is not a good sign..."

Zhang Chu walked ahead, leading the way, and said coldly:

"Scared?"

He Can isn't crazy, so why wouldn't he be afraid of death? He just won't back down verbally.
"I've had enough of being messed with by you bunch of bastards. The Underworld Cult has such a big name, but it seems they're not that capable at all. They don't bother to deal with Xie Jinhuan, and all they do when trouble comes to is turn on their own people..."

"This is called 'I examine myself three times a day.' When faced with a problem, no matter how cunning the opponent is, don't we have any problems of our own?"

?

He Can opened his mouth and said, "Alright, we have a master-disciple relationship now. Before I die, I can say that I have passed on my master's mantle."

He spoke lightly, but He Can kept searching his surroundings, looking for a way out.

However, the dilapidated temple seems to have been abandoned for more than 20 years. The interior is overgrown with weeds, and some traces of swords and knives can still be seen on the bricks and stones on the ground. It is unknown what it has been through.

Zhang Chu led the way, and upon arriving at the main hall of the dilapidated temple, he raised his hand to signal:
"please."

He Can carefully stepped onto the steps and peered inside.

The investigation revealed that the roof of the main hall of the Buddhist temple was broken, with the pale moonlight scattering down, and fine cracks were visible on the collapsed Buddha statue.

In front of the Buddha statue stood a hunchbacked old man wearing a black cloak, leaning on a dragon-headed cane, looking up at the hole in the roof.

There was also a tall, upright figure standing quietly with one hand behind his back; neither of their faces could be seen.

Seeing this, He Can felt relieved and quickly stepped forward:
"Oh my gosh~ Is this Second Master? Look at his demeanor and the atmosphere he exudes upon entering. He's clearly a heretical patriarch, much more solid than my master."

The elderly man, leaning on his cane, turned slightly and asked in a hoarse voice:
"Zhang Chu called you over without telling you?"

"This bastard has a grudge against me, he's just trying to scare me..."

When He Can arrived, he noticed that the attendant standing beside him was not using black smoke to cover his face, so he quickly raised his hand to shield his eyes:
"Hey! I didn't see your faces. You should cover your faces. I know the rules. If you show your face, you'll be silenced."

"It's alright, you can take a closer look."

The figure standing nearby lifted his cloak upon hearing the sound.

He Can glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye and discovered that the man looked to be in his early twenties, and his facial features bore a striking resemblance to his own…

"Eh?"

He Can frowned, walked closer to examine it more closely, and even tried to pinch it with his hand, but was dodged. He couldn't help but wonder:

"Second Master, who is this gentleman?"

The second master, leaning on his cane, examined the collapsed Buddha statue and asked:

Do you know why you are called He Can?

He Can's eyes darted around, and suddenly he was slightly startled. He leaned closer and whispered:

"Am I actually the young master of the Underworld Cult who was lost to the world?"

"Hey~ that's overthinking it."

"..."

He Can was immediately speechless.

The second master raised his cane, gesturing towards the Buddhist hall where they were:
"参" means three, and there are several interpretations. You can understand it as three brothers.

"Twenty years ago, you and your two brothers were being hunted down and hid in this temple. Among those who were hunting you down was your master, Taishu Dan. At that time, he was a disciple of the Corpse Witch Sect and was employed by the Second Prince as a traitor."

"The situation was dangerous at the time. The guards couldn't take everyone with them, so they could only carry the two with better physical constitutions to break through. Your physical constitution was too poor, so you were abandoned here as a pawn."

"Unexpectedly, that bastard Taishu Dan is a true double-dealer, betraying everyone he meets. He took a liking to your potential and actually risked everything to secretly hide you away..."

At this point, the Second Master raised his dragon-headed cane and tapped it on He Can's forehead.

The dark red mist spiraled upwards along the cane and seeped into the skin.

Black scales, like snake scales, suddenly appeared on He Can's forehead, and his eyes instantly turned into vertical pupils before quickly returning to normal.

He Can was baffled and wiped his forehead:

"What kind of sorcery is Second Master using?"

The old man put down his dragon-headed cane:

"Tai Shudan said that he planted the 'Serpent Armor' in you from a young age, which can protect you from enemies and make you impervious to swords and spears. In reality, given Tai Shudan's personality, how could he not use such a life-saving artifact himself and leave it to his disciple?"
“This is something you were born with. If Taishu Dan hadn’t been driven to the demonic path and hadn’t survived two of Xie Jinhuan’s killing blows and crawled out of Huaijiang Bay, I really wouldn’t have known that you were still alive.”

He Can carefully analyzed these words, and after thinking for a while, his brows furrowed:
"Second Master, do you mean I'm your son?"

"No, it's just that we have some connection."

"Oh... so I'm exceptionally talented, a cultivation prodigy?"

"No, you're a piece of trash. That's why you were abandoned back then."

"?"

He Can took a light breath and spread his hands, saying:

"Second Master, if you're all going to play games with people like this, you might as well just kill me. A scholar can be killed but not humiliated. At least I'm smarter than that guy outside, right?"

The second master took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and handed them to He Can:

"The situation in this world is not right now. If we are not careful, we could face extinction."

"Your aptitude is average, your talent is mediocre, you are hesitant when it comes to evil, and timid when it comes to good. You are only suited to be an ordinary citizen. Considering our past connection, take the severance pay and go find a place to live in seclusion. Live a good life for the rest of your days."

He Can felt that this time they were really releasing the people, and after thinking for a moment, he said:
"Can I then abandon darkness and embrace the light?"

"Even the heretical sects despise you for being useless, so how could the righteous path tolerate you?"

That's not necessarily true...

He Can took the silver notes and counted them:
"If you're going to help someone out completely, how about you give me another magical artifact, Second Master? I'm afraid I won't live long if I go out unarmed." "Zhang Chu will protect you until you are safe and sound."

"With his cowardly attitude, he wants to protect my safety? Can't I walk by myself?"

"You'll have to surrender to the imperial court as soon as you leave, and confess everything you know along the way. Taishu Dan's style of doing things... well, it's universally acknowledged!"

"..."

He Can opened his mouth, but ultimately had nothing to say. He turned to the young man standing beside him and patted him on the shoulder:

"You're my brother, aren't you? Our first meeting is our last, what a pity. But you're buried in the Qian Emperor's mausoleum, which is a grand funeral. I'll burn you some extra paper money later."

The young man showed no anger; he simply gestured towards the doorway.
"My name is He Hai, don't burn the wrong person."

"He Hai... Hai belongs to the pig, are you a wild boar spirit?"

"What are you, what am I?"

"Heh~ Your little mouth is quite sharp..."

He Can patted his shoulder again, took a few steps, turned back, looked at the dilapidated Buddhist hall, and then quickly ran away...

……
-
The next day.

As dawn broke, more and more pedestrians began to appear in the county town.

At Yunling Wharf along the Huai River, ferries arrive from time to time, and travelers from all directions move about the wharf, while shouts can be heard from the streets:

"steamed stuffed bun……"

"Candied Haw Lu..."

……

Xie Jinhuan walked along the old street of the dock, a bamboo hat covering half his face, and a face mask around his neck to protect him from the wind and sand, revealing only a pair of eyes as cold as springs, watching the passersby.

Nangong Ye, dressed in a black dress with a veil covering her icy face, walked beside Xie Jinhuan in silence. Just by looking at them, one could tell they were a ruthless and taciturn couple of martial arts heroes, to the point that even passersby would give them a wide berth.

After wandering around for a while, Xie Jinhuan turned to look at the large black carriage beside him and asked:
Are we just going to keep wandering around like this?

"..."

Like a mute bride, Nangong Ye turned her veil to the other side of the street, clearly not wanting to respond.

Xie Jinhuan understood this. Yesterday afternoon at the inn, after he was tickled and his various strange drugs were confiscated.

Mu Yunhong is suffering from Yang poison, and her illness flares up from time to time. She just took some medicine and is currently in a 'soft girl' state, so she definitely won't talk to him.

Xie Jinhuan was being hammered by his older sister. Although it was somewhat humiliating, there was also a strange excitement mixed with the humiliation. He didn't learn his lesson and thought for a moment before saying:

"At least give me the antidote, okay? With my appearance, if I really encounter demonic bandits, I won't have much of a fighting spirit."

Nangong Ye slightly turned his veil, so that his face could not be seen, but the meaning was probably—isn't your voice normal?

Xie Jinhuan only took a little bit of the Yin Yang Strange Powder yesterday and recovered in about ten minutes, but the 'Laughing Mouth Powder' he was given can keep the effects going all day. At this moment, he pulled down his mask, and under his cold eyes was a sunny smile showing eight teeth!
(⊙⊙)
Coupled with his handsome appearance, he exudes an arrogant aura of "Those who offend my Great Qian, I will surely defeat them!"
? ?
Nangong Ye took a deep breath, causing his clothes to bulge, clearly trying to suppress a laugh.

There's nothing wrong with being cheerful; on the contrary, it can make you feel good.

Moreover, Xie Jinhuan was lawless and constantly teased her, so she couldn't be easily forgiven.

Nangong Ye merely gave a faint "humph," then, realizing the sound was off, quickly walked ahead.

Hearing the soft humming, Xie Jinhuan found it amusing. He pulled up his mask, reverting to his cold-blooded killer persona, and followed behind, rambling on and on with all sorts of nonsense, trying to pry open the ice-cold little mouth and provide him with emotional support.

Nangong Ye could tell that the boy was enjoying his soft, gentle words, so he would never satisfy the boy's strange quirks. He remained silent and searched for clues on his own.

After a brief struggle, the two arrived at the riverbank dock, where more than a hundred ships of various sizes were moored, mostly merchant ships that had temporarily docked on their way to Beijing.

Nangong Ye carefully examined the area but found nothing suspicious. Suddenly, the cheerful and sunny young hero beside him narrowed his eyes and looked at a merchant ship in a secluded part of the harbor. He even raised his hand slightly to remind her to be discreet.

?

Nangong Ye did not notice anything amiss. His red lips moved slightly, but he hesitated to speak, preferring to wait for the boy to take the initiative.

But after waiting for a while, Xie Jinhuan did not give an explanation, but silently reached out to touch her.

Fearing he might alert the enemy, Nangong Ye could only approach them and ask in a very low voice:
"That ship...cough...is there something wrong with it?"

Her voice was melodious and natural, carrying a delicate quality that could evoke a man's protective instincts.

That's so much fun!!

Upon hearing the soft, cute loli voice, Xie Jinhuan's smile stretched from ear to ear, transforming him into a venomous creature.

"Sorry, I misread it."

"?"

You are simply...

Nangong Ye realized she had been tricked, and a murderous glint flashed in her beautiful phoenix eyes!
But this brat was strange; she felt that even if she rode on his head and humiliated him, she wouldn't get angry. Instead, she would get even more excited. So, she took out her small cloth bag with her left hand and rummaged through it for a small medicine bottle that could punish this boy.
Like glue... Pshaw, pshaw, pshaw...

The Great Woman's Might Pill? What the hell is that...?

Dan is just being lazy and has nothing better to do!
This pill is a potent "Qi-Nourishing Pill," which greatly increases the speed of Qi cultivation. Taking one pill during a battle of attrition can prolong one's endurance. However, once the consumption stops, the Qi Sea quickly becomes full, and the medicinal properties have nowhere to dissipate, resulting in incessant hiccups. Old Zhang from the Pill Hospital tested the pill on himself and hiccuped for several days...

Nangong Ye was holding the medicine bottle, hesitating whether to give the boy a pill, when he noticed Xie Jinhuan frowning again and looking at a warehouse near the port.

Nangong Ye paused slightly, his eyes cold as frost. He wanted to speak, but fearing he might be tricked, he decided to observe first.

As a result, several horse-drawn carriages were seen parked outside the warehouse, and several figures were seen carrying goods from inside. Judging from the shape of the goods, they were all wine jars, wooden boxes, and the like.

Judging from their movements, these people all have some martial arts skills. It is indeed somewhat unusual for them to be working as laborers at the docks.

"These people are probably lackeys of the Underworld Cult..."

As they were talking, she noticed that the young swordsman beside her was twitching slightly again, and her eyes turned cold:
Are you laughing?

Xie Jinhuan shook his head and said seriously:
"I wasn't laughing at you. It's Chinese medicine now. Business comes first."

"..."

After taking a few deep breaths, Nangong Ye ignored the brat and continued to observe the situation...
-
I'll update once today. I'll finish writing the following short story as soon as possible and then add the rest. I really can't finish writing it all in one day, so I'm really sorry!

(End of this chapter)