Han Changsheng yawned as he rose the next morning. By the time he left the bamboo house, it was already dawn.
The night before, he didn"t get An Yuan to help stabilize his internal power. As a result, when he rose, his limbs were heavy, and he wasn"t in good spirits.
Outside the bamboo house, An Yuan was busy practicing his sword.
Snorting with sleepiness, Han Changsheng said, "What an excellent apprentice. It"s hard to be such a great teacher."
An Yuan kept practicing as though he didn"t hear a thing.
Baring his teeth, Han Changsheng said, "Motherf.u.c.ker, you ungrateful b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I"d be better off with a piece of charred meat than you as an apprentice."
Finally, An Yuan let down his sword. Without expression, he moved towards Han Changsheng. "Sit down."
Seeing that An Yuan would help him stabilize his internal strength, Han Changsheng was afraid he would take advantage of the opportunity to make him hurt. Swallowing, he said, "Yesterday, I left the mountain to investigate something. Something to do with you."
An Yuan frowned but kept quiet as he waited for Han Changsheng to say more.
"Do you remember anything about your life?"
Stunned, An Yuan frowned deeper. Han Changsheng couldn"t see any expression on his face.
"I remember nothing." He said, finally.
Han Changsheng shrugged his shoulders. "Never mind, if you can"t remember."
His mouth curling downwards, An Yuan sat in front of Han Changsheng, ready to a.s.sist his respite.
When Han Changsheng saw his expression and felt the strength in his hand, he knew An Yuan would make him feel pain instead of comfort. Immediately, he said, "Everyone in the martial world said that Tianning Cult killed your father. As far as I know, this is untrue. Someone else murdered him!"
An Yuan was stunned, his hand frozen inches from Han Changsheng. He drew it back. "Keep talking."
Han Changsheng scratched his face. "There"s nothing to say. I only know so much."
"Who is the murderer?"
"I don"t know."
An Yuan raised his hand again, and Han Changsheng went on, "I went out to buy new underwear and I heard about a murder that happened in the nearby Mingyue Sect. Their elder Xian Yue was murdered and their secret sword script was stolen. They claimed it was someone in the Tianning Cult, but I know people in the cult!"
Taking a deep breath, he continued, "The people of the Tianning said they didn"t kill the elder Xian Yue, and they weren"t interested in the sword script at all. It was all planted and framed by someone who used them to cover up his crimes. There was a similar case in the Tianyuan villa fifteen years ago. Huangfu Tugen is your father, and the Tianning didn"t kill him."
An Yuan frowned. "You know people from the demonic cult?"
With a smile, Han Changsheng replied, "I have known them since I was a child."
Coldly, An Yuan said, "You believe what the demonic cult people have to say."
His mouth shifting discontentedly, Han Changsheng said, "They wouldn"t lie to me. There is no need to lie to me. I don"t have to lie to you about it. There"s no good in lying to you."
An Yuan was silent. Then, he asked, "There is no need to lie to me? What about the rest?"
Han Changsheng rolled his eyes. "Did you give birth to me? It"s not like I have a reason or will gain anything from lying to you."
An Yuan: "…"
Doubtful, An Yuan said, "What else did he say?"
"Your swordsmanship has improved a lot during the past couple of months," Han Changsheng said. "I don"t have many more things to teach you. I want to take you out of the mountains today, to the Tianyuan villa, to investigate this matter."
"You went out yesterday to investigate, and that"s why you came back so late?"
"Of course," Han Changsheng said, "Did you really think I was picking out underwear all day?"
An Yuan let his lips relax. After a beat, he gently pulled up Han Changsheng"s hand, and Han Changsheng could feel his real Qi beginning to flow into his body.
Lazily, An Yuan said, "Originally, this session would have made you unable to get out of bed, but I think there is a better way to make you a more comfortable."
Han Changsheng: "…"
f.u.c.k! How dare you want to make me unable to get out of bed?! Let"s see. One day, I will put you in the same position!
An hour later, An Yuan and Han Changsheng finished their practice. Han Changsheng felt refreshed. His Dantian flourishing, his steps were light. The dog lord intended to make trouble with him. If every day was like that, he was afraid that after only a month, he"d eliminate the huge ma.s.s of internal power.
They packed their things and started heading down the mountain.
The Tianyuan villa was about fifteen days from where they had set up. To prevent the unexpected, Han Changsheng prepared straw hats for both An Yuan and himself. Afterward, they went to the city to buy two horses and some dry food for their journey.
The trip took An Yuan back to the Tianyuan mountain villa, so Han Changsheng could investigate the murder from fifteen years ago. The Tianyuan mountain villa had declined since Huangfu Tugen died. Back then, An Yuan was only eight years old, the eldest child. His mother died not long after he was born, so when his father died, he had no other brothers and sisters. There was no one in the villa to take charge.
To let him go to the Yuehua Sect to practice his inner methods, the G.o.d of Destiny had to take some back roads. Yue Peng, the Sect Head of the Yuehua Sect, was one of Huangfu"s old friends. Seeing his son in a very poor state, he received An Yuan into the sect to teach him martial arts. He even wanted to marry his daughter to him as his wife. However, this was all ruined by Han Changsheng.
Although the Tianyuan villa had been defeated, Huangfu Tugen"s tomb was still there. There were always people around who were there, fifteen years ago. Han Changsheng planned to find them and ask what happened.
He had to find out why someone would dare pretend to be a part of his Tianning Cult and commit crimes under their name. He couldn"t digest the thought. There had to be a reason behind everything. It worried him that the murderer would be afraid An Yuan would seek revenge. The culprit would regard An Yuan as an enemy and cause him trouble. If that happened, Han Changsheng"s workload would doubtlessly increase.
It was three months until the Wulin conference. Now that An Yuan"s sword technique had made rapid progress, his s.p.a.ce for improvement was much smaller. He could improve steadily, therefore, he didn"t need to be shut in the mountains and forests anymore. Practicing for just a couple of hours each day would be sufficient.
Han Changsheng hoped to investigate the matter before the Wulin Conference was held, to avoid any complications.
After a few days" rides, they finally arrived at the Tiandao prefecture where the Tianyuan villa was located. Another day"s journey awaited them to reach the former site of the Tianyuan villa.
After entering the Tiandao prefecture, Han Changsheng and An Yuan were shocked by the situation.
The Tiandao prefecture, in the northwest; was not a region known for its weathl. However, it was rich in fruits and wine and had a comfortable sense of self-sufficiency. The last time Han Changsheng was there, the old master brought him when he was five. He had a faint memory but also had a general impression of the prefecture.
The scenery was beautiful, and the people were simple. They lived and worked in peace and contentment. Their fruits were sweet and their mutton and beef were delicious. Tianning only intended to pa.s.s through, but they stayed for a few days for the amazing food.
But, today"s Tiandao prefecture differed from how it was fifteen years ago.
Han Changsheng and An Yuan traveled from the southeast to the northwest. The town was dilapidated, and the fields were deserted. Few people were left, still living there. They were fierce and vicious, armed with weapons. If they didn"t agree, they fought each other. Even the teenagers were full of rage. The whole town was filled with a murderous aura, nothing like the liveliness from the past.
Several rude people lingering nearby kept their eyes fixed on Han Changsheng and An Yuan as they walked past. They gazed at them like they were two fat lambs, filling and delicious. They were dressed in clean, brocade clothes, different from the locals, who wore coa.r.s.e hemp, short and dirty. They were thin with fair skin. Though they had swords, Han Changsheng and An Yuan looked brittle to them, unlike hardened rough warriors who practiced martial arts.
"What"s the matter with this d.a.m.n place?" Han Changsheng muttered as they pa.s.sed.
Before they entered the Tiandao prefecture, they heard from a woman at a food stall that the local people were so fierce because they were bandits. The woman knew they wanted to enter the prefecture and worried about them. She tried to persuade them to change their plans, to prevent the sheep from walking right into the tiger"s mouth, but Han Changsheng didn"t believe her.
After entering the prefecture, he found her words to be true.
An Yuan walked towards a big man with a stall set up to sell silver wears.
"Is there a hostel nearby?" He asked, his voice cold.
The man looked at An Yuan in his straw hat, and his tone was impatient. "No!"
An Yuan frowned, but he said nothing. He turned around and left.
"Bang!" A cup smashed to the ground.
When An Yuan heard the sound, he saw the man with the stall jump up and grab his lapel. "You broke my silver cup. It"s been my ancestral treasure for thousands of years! Cough up the money now!"
Han Changsheng eyed the cup. The man, himself, had smashed it to the ground when An Yuan was turning away. He frowned as he considered the sound, wondering what kind of silver cup it was.
It wasn"t; It was a rough copper cup. He doubted it had been pa.s.sed down for thousands of years. Though it had rolled on the ground, it didn"t even have a dent. The big man wanted An Yuan to cough up money to pay for it when it was blackmail.
He took a step forward and would teach this greedy man a lesson. Abruptly, An Yuan stopped him, took a purse from his waist, took out a piece of silver, and threw it to the man.
"What are you doing?" Han Changsheng shouted.
An Yuan ignored him.
Seeing An Yuan so straightforward, the big man was shocked. He released him, looking at the silver in his hand. It was real.
Pulling Han Changsheng aside, An Yuan turned and walked away. Angrily, Han Changsheng said, "You just wasted my money? Why didn"t you teach him a lesson?"
"No need."
Han Changsheng rolled his white eyes. If the stingy Hua Xiaoshuang knew An Yuan wasted this money, he"d fight to the death with him.
It was getting late, and they still had a long way to go to reach the former site of the Tianyuan villa. They couldn"t reach it that night, they had to find a place to stay in the city. They wandered around the town, searching. Just like the big man had said, there hadn"t been outsiders in the d.a.m.n city for a long time. There wasn"t a single inn. There were one or two places that could have been an inn, but they looked like black market shops.
It was dark, and they finally slept under the stars. It didn"t matter. Since they had practiced martial arts and were physically strong, they could stay outside.
That evening, Han Changsheng caught a wild pheasant. An Yuan expertly plucked its feathers, removed its organs, wrapped it in salt and spices, and baked it over a fire. Its aroma made Han Changsheng"s mouth water. An Yuan"s cooking skills from their time in seclusion had vastly improved.
Han Changsheng"s limbs weren"t diligent and he couldn"t tell the basic five grains apart. He needed people to take care of everything in his life. As a result, An Yuan not only improved his martial arts but also his hand strength from kneading and making food for the cult head.
After roasting the pheasant, An Yuan tore off half of it and handed it to Han Changsheng. He didn"t care about the heat and immediately devoured it.
An Yuan, however, didn"t immediately eat his share. He watched Han Changsheng in silence.
"How much do you remember from when you were a child, apprentice?" Han Changsheng asked between the mouthfuls of food.
An Yuan was silent.
Han Changsheng didn"t know how to handle this difficult guy. An Yuan had lost his memory, but he didn"t know how much An Yuan had forgotten. He still remembered his internal mental skill from the Tianyuan mountain villa, so maybe he remembered something from when he was young? When it happened, he was probably around. If he could recall something, it might help Han Changsheng find the murderer. However, whenever he asked about the past, An Yuan wouldn"t talk.
Han Changsheng couldn"t help him. He shrugged. Eventually, one day, he would make An Yuan cry and yell, unable to shut his mouth. Hum!
Focusing his attention on the pheasant, Han Changsheng"s mouth was full of oil.
An Yuan lifted his eyes, gazing into the distance.
After eating and drinking, Han Changsheng tossed aside the chicken bone and lazily called, "All you heroes in the bushes, don"t hide; come out!"
Translator(s): Empress
TL Check: Teo
Editor(s): Nadialuxxor
Proofer(s): Dark