The east wind blows the rain painfully cold, begrudgingly withholding spring’s brightness.
Ten thousand flowers remain unseen, idle worries occupy too many thoughts.
Ren Zhongqing really disliked rainy days, especially this continuous spring rain that made everything feel damp and gloomy, the sky obscured by gray. But he loved reciting poems, especially those well-written yet obscure ones, seldom read by others.
In the fairy tales he read as a child, those immortal masters always liked to recite a poem upon their entrance, as if that was the only way to match their profound status.
Since the age of eighteen, his favorite line was, "Even Master Xuan feared the youth, a man should not underestimate a young man."
Whenever he recited it in his heart, he felt more in tune with its aning, which was essentially, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate a poor young man," but this plain phrase had beco too common.
He also liked another poem, "Laughing skyward, I stride through the door, how can we be common folk?" This poem was excellent, but it was too famous, and too many people recited it.
Although he disliked the continuous spring rain, he had to admit that it was probably this rain that veiled his escape, so none of the stewards from the Magic Sect had found him yet.
He admitted he was impulsive, killing Golden Heron Wave in a mont’s heat.
He had thought his divine skills had reached great success, and that he could finally cleanse the Ren Family’s past humiliation, yet he was still no match for Jinlu Garden, not only suffering a round of humiliation but also having the matter reported to the Magic Sect.
He was scolded by his master, who represented the sect, telling him that if he sought trouble with Jinlu Garden again, at least he’d be expelled, at worst have his cultivation abolished!
His resentnt had nowhere to vent, hidden for ten years, thinking he could finally express his heart, only to be struck again, with Jinlu Garden unexpectedly breaking through to Tier Four—truly the heavens were blind.
Was there really no way for him to get revenge? Actually, maybe not... even if Jinlu Garden was formidable, it was rely his own cultivation that was exceptional, so Ren Zhongqing changed his target for revenge to Golden Heron Wave.
At that mont, he was quite calm, carefully studying Golden Heron Wave’s routine, and choosing an inconspicuous ti, so no one present noticed any flaws.
Was this matter done impulsively or calmly? Even he couldn’t tell.
He assud the police couldn’t do anything to him, but with a technique like Vein-Cutting Hand, Jinlu Garden should be able to figure it out... even if they suspected it was him, so what? Did they have evidence?
Even though he thought this way, the calm Ren Zhongqing still felt fear, so he inford his master he was going into seclusion and quietly hid away.
He planned to wait for the situation to pass, as long as there was no evidence, the matter would remain a mystery, and at worst, he’d relocate to cultivate, avoiding his hotown and connections with Jinlu Garden.
But the matter escalated, and the Ancestral Hall sent three stewards to investigate, even issuing a Jianghu Order!
The so-called Jianghu Order was an order issued to all Magic Sect disciples, where everyone was obligated to assist the Ancestral Hall, either by capturing Ren Zhongqing directly or by providing his whereabouts. Those daring enough to hide or harbor him would also face punishnt from the Ancestral Hall.
This was a vast net!
A Tier Three Traveler of the Heart Plate Sect, of course, was a master of wilderness survival, able to lurk for a long ti in deserted hills and skilled in hiding within bustling cities, also making it hard for others to detect.
However, the investigation this ti involved three Tier Five Sorcerers, among them a Tier Five Martial Artist from the Heart Plate Sect, who quickly discovered his hiding place... Ren Zhongqing had no choice but to start fleeing.
But he didn’t know where he should flee to; as the saying goes, "A bird leaves traces," the more hastily he acted, the greater the chance of being tracked, so would he hide indefinitely in the depths of abandoned mountains?
Even if that were the case, he feared he would be found sooner or later... just then, he inexplicably received a Divine Thought, so senior master secretly instructed him to go to Qi Yuan to find soone, perhaps there was still a glimr of hope.
...
This year’s spring drought made even the mountain peach blossoms bloom sowhat embarrassingly, if the rain did not fall soon, it might affect the spring plowing.
A spring without rain, in the past agrarian tis, could an a disaster ahead. Fortunately, it finally rained, the fine rain falling continuously for several days, reminding He Kao of the two lines of poetry his grandfather loved to recite: "A good rain knows the right season, it cos in spring when it is needed."
Although He Kao’s father ran a renovation company, he passed away early; his grandfather was a carpenter, but also a village farr, and in his childhood, the family had also been allotted land.
Even today, with technological progress, farming still relied on the right weather, rain was crucial, artificial irrigation was not only limited by water source conditions but also quite costly, sotis even cultivating a few acres of vegetables wouldn’t earn enough hard-earned money to cover costs.
That day, extraordinarily leaving work on ti, with the day still young, He Kao walked back to the Sesa Apartnt under the continuous rain, which served as a transit point for him, always trying to avoid revealing any flaws.
Because it wasn’t far, He Kao didn’t bother with an umbrella, nor did he use any technique to part the rain strands; he quite enjoyed this feeling. The flowering plum trees planted in the greenbelt by the road, with leaves just sprouting, were in full bloom, the raindrops on them making them appear particularly delicate.
There is an ancient poem that said—
When the mountains and rivers change their garb, beneath the plum trees beauty and allure flourish.
The orchid boat had not yet unknotted its crimson strings, hidden sorrow was hard to dismiss, and it was reluctant to let go of the phoenix hairpin.
He Kao hadn’t read this poem, at this mont he recalled another poem he learned as a child—
In a splendid day seeking beauty by the banks of the Si River, boundless sceneries renewed in a mont.
Casually recognizing the face of the east wind, the myriad blooms always represent spring.
After the spring rain, many new bamboo shoots might spring up in the mountains; you could gather so over the weekend to cook... as he was thinking this, ah, he saw soone approaching from the front, and he was startled!
Because of the Divine Thought Heart Seal left by Old Man Jiang, He Kao imdiately recognized him. This person was Ren Zhongqing, whom the Ancestral Hall had issued a Jianghu Order to pursue publicly.
Why did he run here? Could it be that he’s coming for ? What should I do? Should I make a move? The opponent is skilled in Vein-Cutting Hand and the most adept Traveler in Magical Combat, I’m not necessarily a match for him, not to ntion this is a bustling area...
The Magic Sect strictly forbids using techniques to fight in crowded areas, as it not only exposes the secrets of the techniques but also easily affects the innocent.
He Kao was very nervous but saw Ren Zhongqing stop in his tracks and gesture with his hands, saying, "May I ask if you are He Kao?"
He really is looking for , He Kao replied, "I am He Kao, who are you?"
Ren Zhongqing: "An outcast from the Jianghu, I co presumptuously to ask for your help."
He Kao: "Ask for my help, what can I do for you?"
Ren Zhongqing: "I heard that the Micro Sect disciple Wu Yanjun was once falsely accused and wronged, slandered to have violated the Joint Punishnt Order, and you saved him and also cleared his na. You must be a person who is anxious for justice..."
He Kao frowned and said, "Stop, stop, I don’t understand what you’re talking about!"
This was very strange because Elder Gu had instructed to remove He Kao from Wu Yanjun’s incident, and those in the know—Li Xiuyuan, Xiao Guangnian, Qian Guran, and Wu Yanjun—all promised not to speak.
Moreover, this matter has not been announced to the public, how would the wanted Ren Zhongqing know?
Ren Zhongqing: "Since Junior Brother does not want to admit it, I won’t say more."
He Kao: "What Senior Brother, Junior Brother, who told you all this? Greet with hands on the roadside, say these inexplicable words, which play are you watching, reciting lines?"
Ren Zhongqing: "A senior sent a ssage through Divine Thought, guiding to find you. I am facing a life-or-death crisis; that senior told that only by seeking your help would there be a glimr of hope."
This seed even stranger, as a senior who mastered Divine Thought must at least possess Tier Six Cultivation, an Elder-level figure. What sort of senior would share this with Ren Zhongqing, directing him to seek "help"?
Ren Zhongqing was being pursued by the Ancestral Hall, could there be more to it, is he being wronged?
But even if Ren Zhongqing was wronged, such a senior could investigate thoroughly and then inform the Ancestral Hall, is it necessary to have him seek out He Kao?
He Kao knew his ins and outs, this matter was simply enigmatic! Even if he himself encountered Wu Yanjun’s case, he would firstly seek help from the Elders.
What’s more suspicious is that the senior even ntioned Wu Yanjun’s incident to Ren Zhongqing. The only ones aware of He Kao’s identity are Jiang Daozhen, Li Xiuyuan, and Gu Chun, and they had no reason to do so.
Could it be another senior from the Magic Sect, intentionally testing through Ren Zhongqing?
He Kao: "Who? Told you what? I can’t understand a word!"
Ren Zhongqing: "Let’s not stand in the rain by the road, could we speak sowhere more private?"
He Kao glanced at him: "Alright, follow then! I originally had a dinner appointnt, I’ll just let them know I can’t make it."
He took out his phone on the spot and sent Qian Guran a voice ssage: "Sothing’s co up, I’m heading back to Guanliu District, a friend from Jianghu ca by, I have to entertain him.
I won’t make it to the dinner, please also inform Xiaowei, Old Li, apologies!"
He Kao called a car and took Ren Zhongqing to Guanliu District, planning to steady him there first. He had no actual dinner plan with Qian Guran today, he believed Old Qian would be able to react to the ssage.
Sesa Apartnt and the old residence in Pugang Town weren’t suitable places; Guanliu District had a low residential density, adjacent to the Great River, and beside Guanyin Mountain Park, so it was chosen in haste.
As for Ren Zhongqing, seeing that He Kao, though feigning ignorance in public, was nevertheless willing to speak privately, he couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased, it seed that the senior’s guidance was indeed correct.
It was said that He Kao was a secret disciple of an Elder, with connections reaching high places, maybe he really did have a way to help him.
After entering, He Kao only wanted to buy ti, so he ordered fish online and said to Ren Zhongqing: "If you don’t want to say who you are, I won’t ask. Whatever you can say, just say what it is.
You haven’t eaten, right? I haven’t eaten either, let’s prepare so fish slices, we can talk while we eat..."
The so-called fish slices is a delicate dish, where fish at is deboned and sliced thinly, traditionally eaten raw by the ancients. Modern people, like He Kao, slightly improved it by boiling it in a clear soup hot pot and dipping it in sauces.
The reason for eating this was its intricacy, as the dipping sauce was personally mixed by He Kao.
After setting up a small table in the big living room, finally getting to eat, Ren Zhongqing sighed, "Junior Brother has great skills, I haven’t had a decent al in days!"
He Kao: "I’m not your Junior Brother, nor do I know you, if you have sothing to say, say it." anwhile, he inwardly sighed, too bad there was no chance to use a sedative.
Who carries a sedative to work, and he couldn’t fetch from elsewhere, if soone wanted to test, He Kao couldn’t use the Invisibility Ability in such a mont.
Even if there were a sedative, he didn’t know the depths of Ren Zhongqing. The opponent also mastered Divine Sense and was a Tier Three Sorcerer, possibly having studied similar techniques to Poison Detection Skill, it was too risky to drug him directly.
Fortunately, Ren Zhongqing didn’t wait for He Kao to ask further but spoke up about his unfortunate encounters.
**
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