Chapter 241

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Sun Yiding forced a smile and said: “Hall Master, I really couldn’t tell. I only know that his Qinggong is incredibly exquisite. Even while leaping through the air, he could change direction at will. His inner strength is profound—Young Master Zhao was like a hen in his grasp, while that wandering Jianghu man was no more than a little chick. He didn’t say a word, nor did he exchange moves with me. I suspect he’s a young disciple from a major sect out for training. It’s not that he fears being recognized, but rather that he simply doesn’t want unnecessary trouble, which is why he covered his face.”

Hall Master Zhao nodded. “What you said aligns with my own thoughts. With his level of martial skill, there’s no reason he’d be afraid of us. Moreover, for someone so young to possess such ability, he must be from a major sect. Think about it—our Evil Tiger Gang has many disciples, yet is there a single young one with such cultivation? Even you, I imagine, would not be his match.”

Sun Yiding admitted with shame: “Hall Master Zhao’s insight is keen—it’s true. I didn’t dare step forward while protecting Young Master Zhao. But even if I had, if that man did not wish to fight, just his Qinggong alone would leave me in the dust.”

Hall Master Zhao chuckled. “No need to belittle yourself. Those disciples from prestigious sects are all meticulously trained from childhood. You and I simply lack those conditions. Hmm, from your description of his qinggong, it sounds somewhat like the ‘Reed Crossing the River’ from Dalin Temple, a bit like the ‘Cloud Ladder Leap’ from the Heaven’s Way Alliance, and even has traces of ‘Night Rain Drizzle’ from the Bashan Night Rain Sect. In any case, all of them are figures our Evil Tiger Gang cannot afford to provoke. We… ahem… we must investigate thoroughly—we wouldn’t want to wrongly accuse a good person.”

Sun Yiding understood and responded: “Hall Master’s judgment is clear. I understand.”

Hall Master Zhang then smiled and said: “By the way, there’s also the matter of West Cui Mountain. What’s that bunch of hillbillies up to these past few days? Why have they all gathered in Lu Town? We need to investigate this quickly.”

Leaving aside how the two from the Evil Tiger Gang continued their discussion, let’s turn to that masked young man. He carried the medicine peddler by the arm like a chick and raced across rooftops for quite some time. The wind howled past the peddler’s ears, scaring him so much that he tightly shut his eyes and dared not move, fearing that the young man would toss him down at any moment. In contrast, the little monkey in his arms was full of curiosity. It poked its head out, looking around excitedly, and occasionally let out a series of sharp “zhi zhi” cries.

After a while, the wind stopped, and the man felt his feet land firmly on the ground. Only then did he dare to open his eyes and look around. He found himself in a secluded corner with no one else in sight. Realizing that he had escaped with his life, he immediately dropped to his knees in gratitude. Seeing this, the masked young man took a step forward and firmly supported him by the arm. His grip was like an iron clamp—even though the man exerted all his strength, he was unable to bow down. The man gave a wry smile and said: “Benefactor, you saved my life. I must at least kowtow to express my gratitude. If I don’t, I will be haunted by guilt even in my dreams.”

With that, he attempted to bow again. This time, the young man did not stop him. After he finished his bows, the man continued: “I know you have your reasons for wearing a mask. I am Qu Zhigao from Qulong Mountain. My family has long since fallen into decline. You may not have heard of me, but I ask that you at least remember my name. If fate allows, please visit my home someday.”

The young man gave a slight nod. Then, he reached into his robe and took out a pile of items, placing them in front of Qu Zhigao. Looking closely, Qu Zhigao saw that they consisted of scattered silver pieces, a stack of silver notes, and some miscellaneous belongings, including a handkerchief. These were exactly the things the young man had taken from the fat man’s pockets. Qu Zhigao had already stood up earlier and witnessed the young man rifling through the fat man’s belongings. However, he did not understand the young man’s intention at the time. Now, seeing the money and valuables placed in front of him, his eyes welled up with tears. Without hesitation, he threw himself to the ground and kowtowed forcefully, the sound of his forehead striking the ground echoing in the quiet corner. The young man was about to step forward to stop him, but it was already too late, so he simply let him be.

After finishing his bows, Qu Zhigao was not overly polite. He gathered up the money and items, tidied them, then took out a few silver notes and some jewelry, respectfully offering them to the young man. “Benefactor, I know you surely don’t lack such things, but this is just a token of my appreciation. Please accept it. This silver note is for five hundred taels—keep it well. However, I advise you not to exchange it in Lu Town. This place is full of their spies. You may not fear trouble, but avoiding it is always best. Nearby, there’s Maple Leaf Town, Bao Town, and a bit farther away, Pingyang City—those places should be safer.”

The young man nodded and accepted the silver notes.

Seeing this, Qu Zhigao was delighted. He then handed over the rest of the jewelry and said: “These are a pair of jade bangles and several gold hairpins—all of fine quality. I have no family, so keeping them would be a waste. I would eventually have to pawn them anyway. You might as well take them. They would make good gifts for your fellow disciples or martial sisters in the future.”

The young man hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted them as well, tucking everything into his robe.

Qu Zhigao, seeing that the young man was so easy to talk to, felt even more cheerful. He clasped his hands in a respectful salute and said: “The green mountains remain unchanged, and the flowing waters run long. Benefactor, please take care. Until we meet again.”

With that, he picked a direction and turned to leave. However, just as he turned, the young man swiftly stepped forward like an arrow and grabbed his arm. Qu Zhigao smiled and asked: “Benefactor, do you have any other instructions?”

The young man remained silent, merely raising a finger to point in another direction. Qu Zhigao immediately understood and changed his course. However, after taking just two steps, he hesitated, stopped, turned back to look at the masked young man, lowered his head in thought, then walked back toward him.

When he got closer, Qu Zhigao said: “Benefactor, you saved my life and even gave me silver. I am truly grateful, but I feel I owe you too much. Yet, I have nothing to repay you with. You are a man of the Jianghu and a disciple of a prestigious sect—you surely lack nothing. I, on the other hand, come from the Qulong Mountain lineage. My family has long since fallen into decline, and I now make a living by selling medicinal plasters. My plasters are of excellent quality, but they surely pale in comparison to the medicines of your sect. However, I do have a family heirloom—an old medical book. I have studied it for years but have never fully understood it. Perhaps it might be of some use to you. I hope you will accept it with a smile.”

After saying this, he took out a small bundle wrapped in an oilcloth from his robe and handed it forward. The young man hesitated, unwilling to accept it. Qu Zhigao, understanding that the young man did not wish to take something that was dear to another, simply smiled and placed the bundle in his hands. “Benefactor, just hold onto it for now. If one day you manage to decipher it, you can teach me in return. Besides, if you truly understand it, my family also has a certain mysterious place. Should the day come, I hope you will visit Qulong Mountain. Perhaps there is another opportunity waiting there.”

Seeing this, the young man finally nodded and tucked the small bundle into his robe. Qu Zhigao gave it one last, reluctant glance before cupping his fists in farewell and quickly heading in the direction he had been pointed to. As he reached the street corner, he saw a small city gate of Lu Town. He took a quick look around but dared not linger, merging into the flow of people and leaving the city.

The young man watched Qu Zhigao disappear around the corner, then glanced around carefully before moving into a secluded alley. There, he removed his outer garments, bundled them up, and carried them under his arm. Finally, he pulled off the cloth covering his face, revealing a youthful and innocent visage, wasn’t it none other than the lovable Zhang Xiaohua?

Zhang Xiaohua glanced around to ensure no one was watching, then tucked the cloth mask into his robe, secured the bundle under his arm, and strode off through the small alleys. After making several turns, he emerged to find Zhang Xiaohu waiting anxiously, holding the reins of two chestnut-colored horses. Upon seeing Zhang Xiaohua, Zhang Xiaohu immediately glanced behind him and asked: “Xiaohua, what took you so long? I thought something had happened to you.”

Zhang Xiaohua chuckled and said: “How could anything happen? Let’s leave the city first, then we can talk.”

With that, the two of them mounted their horses and rode out of Lu Town.

Once they reached a secluded place, Zhang Xiaohua recounted everything that had happened. Zhang Xiaohu laughed and said: “You were really cautious. You didn’t even say a single word?”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded: “That’s right. One must always be wary of others and never leave a single loose end, even when dealing with someone you just saved. But Qu Zhigao was rather generous—most of what I gave him, he ended up returning to me.”

With that, he took out the five-hundred-tael silver note and several pieces of jewelry. Zhang Xiaohu took them, first setting aside four silver notes for himself before examining the jewelry and handing them back to Zhang Xiaohua. Zhang Xiaohua protested unhappily: “Second Brother, I was the one who did all the work this time. Why are you taking so much?”

Zhang Xiaohu chuckled and said: “We already gave all our silver notes to Father and Mother—we should at least keep some pocket money for ourselves. As the older brother, my expenses are higher, so I won’t be polite with you. Besides, Qu Zhigao was right—we should exchange these silver notes when we reach Pingyang City. As for these ornaments, though they look valuable, we can’t let Mother or Sister-in-law wear them. If someone recognizes them, it will only bring trouble. We should pawn them in Pingyang City as well.”

Zhang Xiaohua agreed and was about to put everything away when his gaze swept over a pair of jade bangles and several gold hairpins. His eyes lingered on the jade bangles as if something about them drew his attention. A thought struck him, and he extended his divine sense. Sure enough, there was a faint fluctuation of Yuan Qi within the jade bangles! Zhang Xiaohua was overjoyed and immediately tried to probe deeper with his divine sense.

However, unlike the small stone or jade pendant he had encountered before, the jade bangles showed no reaction whatsoever. When Zhang Xiaohua increased the intensity of his divine sense, the bangles actually repelled him with a force that instantly bounced his divine sense back. Startled, Zhang Xiaohua nearly cried out in surprise. He thought to himself: “What kind of strange object is this jade bangle?”

Carefully, he tucked the jade bangles and gold hairpins into his robe before taking out the medical book that Qu Zhigao had given him. Looking at the oilcloth-wrapped bundle, he frowned slightly. Truthfully, he had been reluctant to accept someone’s family heirloom, but since he didn’t want to speak at the time, he had no choice but to take it when Qu Zhigao insisted.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohu grinned and said: “Xiaohua, your heroics have come at quite a price. Not only did you gain wealth, but you even ended up with someone’s family treasure.”

Zhang Xiaohua said in frustration: “Do you think I wanted it? Qu Zhigao kept forcing it into my hands, so I had no choice but to accept it. If you want it, I’ll just give it to you.”

Saying this, he extended the bundle toward Zhang Xiaohu.

Zhang Xiaohu quickly waved his hands and said: “Forget it, forget it! I can barely read a few characters—what would I do with this? Anyway, since you’re going back to Huanxi Villa to handle medicinal herbs, this medical book might actually be useful!”