Chapter 366: The Tragedy on the Road

Qiu Ju laughed and said: “How would I know about that? I did ask him at the time, without knowing his name, how could I tell Qiu Tong? But that disciple said, as long as Qiu Tong reads this letter, she’ll understand. I thought that made sense, so I didn’t press further.”

“Oh, I see,” Zhang Xiaohua smiled. “Hehe, then why don’t we just take a look now and find out?”

Qiu Ju shot Zhang Xiaohua a glare and said: “Xiaohua, you’re not a little child anymore. How can you still say such thoughtless things? Never mind that this concerns Sister Qiu Tong’s privacy. Without her consent, you mustn’t open it. Besides, you know, this might very well be a final letter left by a fallen disciple. If you don’t give it to Sister Qiu Tong and open it yourself, wouldn’t that be disrespectful to the departed’s spirit?”

Zhang Xiaohua was taken aback. He straightened his expression and replied: “Sister Qiu Ju, your words are absolutely right. I was only joking just now and didn’t think it through. Don’t worry, I’ll keep these two items safe and hand them over to Sister Qiu Tong personally when I see her!”

With that, Zhang Xiaohua carefully took the envelope and the small paper box, tucking them into his clothes. “Sister Qiu Ju, it’s getting late. I’ll be off now.”

Qiu Ju smiled. “Alright, go on. Be careful on your way. If possible, come back and let me know how they’re doing.”

“Okay, Sister Qiu Ju.”

“Don’t lose those things, whatever you do.”

“I know, don’t worry.”

After speaking, Zhang Xiaohua waved goodbye and walked straight into the swirling snowflakes of the night.

Qiu Ju walked to the door, watching as Zhang Xiaohua reached the entrance of the courtyard and turned out of sight. Only then did she close the door and let out a deep sigh.

Before long, the lights in Qiu Ju’s room went out, and everything was swallowed by darkness.

After leaving Qiu Ju’s house, Zhang Xiaohua circled around the wall, first traveling underground using the Earth Escape technique for a while. Then, leaping out from beneath the ground, he used the Floating Technique to swiftly return to the inn. When he left Huanxi Villa, he made sure to scan with his divine sense, and the villa’s entrance wasn’t being watched. Perhaps, as Qiu Ju had said, on such a night, the New Year’s Eve, even the Heaven’s Way Alliance’s people had grown weary.

Returning to his small room at the inn, Zhang Xiaohua first carefully took the letter and the paper box from his chest. Then, using his divine sense, he placed them into the spatial pouch within his money bag. Only then did he sit cross-legged, taking a moment to digest the information he had just received. Drawing out a yuan stone, he began cultivating the Carefree Heart Sutra.

At dawn the next morning, Zhang Xiaohua practiced the Big Dipper Divine Fist outside, then led Huanhuan into the courtyard before returning indoors to contemplate the Dao of Heaven. He continued until daylight fully broke, and only when he heard movement from the neighboring room did he step out and gently knock on Nie Qianyu’s door.

When the door opened and Little Orange saw Zhang Xiaohua, she was delighted. “Young Master Ren, have you finished your business?”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled: “Not yet, I just went out for a stroll yesterday.”

After inviting Zhang Xiaohua inside, Nie Qianyu asked: “In that case, Big Brother Ren, are you heading out on your errand today?”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded: “Yes, Miss Nie, you are perceptive. I’ve come to bid you farewell.”

“But, do you know how many days you’ll be gone?” Nie Qianyu asked anxiously.

“Well…” Zhang Xiaohua frowned: “Things are rather complicated, and I can’t be certain. At the very least, I expect it will take ten days.”

“What? That long?” Nie Qianyu nearly cried out.

Seeing her reaction, Zhang Xiaohua gave a wry smile. “There’s nothing I can do, Miss Nie. This isn’t a trivial matter. Even ten days might be an underestimate; it could take as long as twenty. But Pingyang City is quite far from Danhe City and Mochou City. Even if those pursuing you send many people, they likely won’t chase you all the way here, unless they possess some uncanny foresight. In that case, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Hehe, even if they had uncanny foresight, wouldn’t they still end up being played in circles by you, Big Brother Ren?” Nie Qianyu said with a smile.

Zhang Xiaohua rubbed his nose. “I’m only so clever, don’t praise your brother too much.”

“Pfft!” Nie Qianyu couldn’t help but spit lightly, her cheeks flushing red.

“Young Master Ren, you can go without worry. I’ll be here to attend to Miss; nothing will go wrong.” Little Orange chimed in sensibly.

Suddenly, Zhang Xiaohua felt a strange sense of déjà vu… This-this scene seemed all too familiar, as if it were straight out of a romance novel.

Zhang Xiaohua was utterly embarrassed and quickly said, “Hehe, hehe, alright then, I’ll ride Huanhuan and get on with my business. You two be careful, and try not to go out unless you have to. Oh, I almost forgot, even if you did go out, there probably wouldn’t be much trouble anyway.”

“Why is that?” Nie Qianyu asked, looking puzzled.

“Even if you went out, the local bullies in this city wouldn’t even notice you!”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Little Orange was just as confused.

Zhang Xiaohua had no intention of explaining. “Alright, I left plenty of silver with the innkeeper yesterday, it should last for a month. Just stay put. I’m off now. By the way, how were the dumplings yesterday?”

With that, he turned and hurried out, as if afraid to linger a moment longer.

Sure enough, before he even reached the door, Little Orange muttered: “Young Master Ren really is strange. The dumplings yesterday were quite tasty, so why is he only asking about them now?”

On the other side, Nie Qianyu suddenly realized something. Her eyes widened, and her soft voice rose in pitch as she shouted: “Ren Xiaoyao, are you saying we’re not good-looking?!”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua didn’t stop walking. With a leap, he mounted his Sibu Xiang, laughing as he said: “Miss Nie, you’re wronging me, I never said that!”

Little Orange was also puzzled. “When did Young Master Ren ever say that?”

Nie Qianyu stomped her foot. “Didn’t he just say the city’s bullies wouldn’t even look at us? You silly girl, didn’t you get it?”

“Huh? Ren Xiaoyao…” At this point, even Little Orange stopped calling him ‘Young Master Ren.’ Of course, what girl wouldn’t care about her looks? Saying something like that, how could they not be upset with him?

The two girls chased him out the door, but Zhang Xiaohua had already urged his Sibu Xiang onward, leaving behind only a string of ox-like hoofprints in the thick snow. Laughter echoed from afar.

Strangely enough, neither of the two girls seemed truly upset as they stood outside. Instead, they both murmured to themselves: “Look at how this young hero acts, even his jokes have such depth. Even that laughter is so charming.”

Ah, if Zhang Xiaohua had heard that, wouldn’t he have fallen right off his Sibu Xiang in shock?

The journey from Pingyang City to Lu Town was by no means short. Although the Sibu Xiang ran swiftly, the snow blanketed the ground, making it impossible to return in less than three or four days. Zhang Xiaohua was in no rush; after all, Guo Village was just ahead, and four or five years had already passed, why hurry now?

And so, amidst the swirling snowflakes and the silent road, Zhang Xiaohua sat cross-legged atop his Sibu Xiang, eyes half-closed, cultivating as he traveled.

At this moment, what Zhang Xiaohua most wished to cultivate was the Dao of Heaven. The taste of comprehending the Way of Heaven was truly addictive, making it hard for him to let go. However, ever since he had trained the Big Dipper Divine Fist to the ninth layer, every practice brought a wave of bone-tempering energy, but after that, his cultivation seemed to have lost its direction. At the time, a sudden inspiration struck him: why not practice the forms in reverse, from end to beginning? Unlike reciting a book backwards, reversing the fist forms was not as simple as reading each move in reverse order. He had never found the time to ponder this carefully, but now, with the long journey from Pingyang City to Lu Town, he could finally make use of it.

The one hundred and eight forms of the Big Dipper Divine Fist were already deeply etched in Zhang Xiaohua’s mind. The little figure that used to demonstrate the forms had not appeared for a long time, but recalling it now was not difficult. Thus, Zhang Xiaohua began to break down all one hundred and eight forms in his mind, attempting to rearrange them. Starting with the final move, then connecting each of the other one hundred and seven moves to it one by one. Yet, after trying every combination, not a single move could be linked to the last!

Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but frown. Could it be that his idea was mistaken? Or perhaps he needed to find new moves from among the many martial arts manuals he possessed? Hmm, that was possible. Didn’t Sect Master Ou once say that the Great Celestial Cycle Star Fist had three hundred and sixty moves, while his own Big Dipper Divine Fist only had one hundred and eight? Quite a few were still missing.

But if that was the case, another problem arose. Since more moves could be extracted from the manuals, why hadn’t he found them the first time?

This really was a problem. Zhang Xiaohua unconsciously opened his eyes and rubbed his brow with his fingers.

Just then, a sudden clanging sounded from behind. A horse-drawn carriage came barreling up the road. Zhang Xiaohua glanced back and saw a small triangular flag on the carriage, bearing the characters for “Swift”. Smiling, he patted Huanhuan’s head, and Huanhuan obediently moved to the roadside, yielding the main road.

As soon as Huanhuan made way, the carriage rushed past. As it drew level with Zhang Xiaohua, the driver glanced at him and nodded slightly in greeting. Zhang Xiaohua smiled and nodded in return. But in that instant, a cat’s anguished cry came from beneath the carriage. Sweeping out with his divine sense, Zhang Xiaohua saw a filthy cat being crushed by the carriage wheels, tumbling beneath the vehicle. The driver seemed to have heard as well; his brow furrowed and he tightened the reins, about to stop. But immediately, he relaxed his grip, flicked his wrist, and with a sharp “Hyah!” urged the horses on. The carriage thundered away without pausing for even a moment.

On the snowy ground, the poor cat rolled about, then finally lay still, its dirty white belly turned upward. Its hind legs curled up, twitching spasmodically. One foreleg was pressed to its chest, the other raised high, pawing at the air as if trying to grasp something.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua quickly halted the Sibu Xiang and leapt down, a blur as he landed beside the cat. But as he crouched to take a closer look, the cat’s outstretched foreleg slowly retracted, drawing back to its chest. Its upturned eyes gradually shifted to Zhang Xiaohua, a flash of hatred shining in their clear depths. Its paw stretched out once more, then its eyes grew clouded and slowly closed. Its four legs continued to twitch, slower and slower, until finally, they stopped altogether.