Five Exchanges (Part 1)
“That’s everything?” asked Shen Yiren, in a soft voice.
The estate should’ve been a lot more opulent, yet the only decoration it now had was a few bamboo trees outside.
“Yes, this one cannot think of anything worth pursuing further,” answered Xie Jizhi, after thorough thinking. “To tell the truth, this one is not good at holding his liquor, but he has never been inebriated, like this time, for an entire day before.”
Prior to Huang Yuzao’s disappearance, Xie Jizhi’s whereabouts were a subject that was questioned. Xie Jizhi had a temporary blank in his memory before the day Huang Yuzao went missing. Like a rare few other people, Shen Yiren didn’t just gloss over Xie Jizhi’s memory lapse even though he claimed he couldn’t remember anything.
“Principal Huang has gone missing.”
Xie Jizhi fossilised. The version announced to the public was that Huang Yuzao moved into the imperial palace on His Majesty’s decree, with the purpose of sorting out the imperial family’s library of books. That was why nobody told Xie Jizhi the truth when they questioned him.
Shen Yiren calmly recounted everything, to which Xie Jizhi responded, “I… had no idea that happened while I was unconscious… So, I was unconscious because…”
“You are one of Principal Huang’s most beloved disciples. If I were a betting woman, I bet there isn’t a more effective method for luring Principal Huang to a secluded location besides blackmail. Although it’s hard to imagine, Principal Huang faced an opponent even he couldn’t defeat. Whoever that happens to be, they have now made an enemy out of the imperial court and issued a challenge. I need to find this person, and any information you can provide is critical.”
Listening to Shen Yiren was the same as listening to his inner thoughts. Xie Jizhi knitted his brows tighter and tighter, but he still shook his head in the end. “This one cannot think of anything worth noting. The suspect could not have been extra cautious when they drugged him. This one imagines you would receive the same response if you asked the waiter.”
“I want you, then,” Shen Yiren immediately responded, seemingly expecting the answer given.
Xie Jizhi got up, took one step back, clasped a hand over the other in front of him and bowed to parallel. “This one is at your service.”
“Fantastic!”
Shen Yiren exited Xie Duzhi’s house once they decided when to meet up, but, as soon as she mounted her steed, she heard, “Vice-Captain, wait up!” She looked behind to see Tang Ye and Su Xiao, one in front of the other, sprinting like bats out of hell, and said, “Good timing. Saves me the trouble of running around.”
Struggling to catch his breath, Su Xiao stated, “Vice-Captain, I have something to say.”
Catching up, Tang Ye informed, “We’re being tailed.”
Shen Yiren flashed the corner of her pearly whites. “We certainly need to talk, but let me see how your qinggong is first.” And, she had galloped thousands of miles away before Su Xiao’s brain could even finish processing what he heard.
“Meow?!” Su Xiao bolted after Shen Yiren at top speed.
Without using his internal energy properly, Su Xiao would feel an immense physical burden when running at high speeds. Once he utilised it as Yijin Jing outlined, though, he would feel great whenever his internal energy was firing.
Tang Ye had used long sprints as a means of polishing his qinggong, so he had developed the stamina for the race already.
The tail Song Clan planted on the trio lost them in no time at all due to the element of surprise as well as their speed.
Shen Yiren chose to let Battle Cloud rest and have a drink at a small creek with scenery she deemed nice. She herself sat down on a big rock to sort through her thoughts. It didn’t take long for Su Xiao and then Tang Ye to arrive, neither having even broken a sweat. Had they played the same game when the two first joined Liu Shan Men, they’d feel as though their hearts would explode.
“What are your plans?” Shen Yiren asked as soon as they arrived.
Su Xiao: “Uh… Big Brother Ming gave me a task before he left, so I plan to see to it.”
Tang Ye: “Before Big Bro left, he gave me a task, as well. I shall leave the capital to complete the task.”
While Shen Yiren was aware of Su Xiao’s job and didn’t plan to stop him, she had no idea Tang Ye also had a mission. “He gave you a task? What?”
“It has nothing to do with Huang Yuzao or his disappearance. He said he was going teach me a bit just in case.”
By teach, Tang Ye meant a mental cultivation discipline. He didn’t speak explicitly simply because Su Xiao was present.
“What did he tell you to do?”
Tang Ye’s cheek twitched. “He wants me… to withstand five attacks.”
***
“Scram!” Elder Lianhua ejected energy to force her stick through Yuan Kou’s grip, clobbering him on the head.
“You old hag, my respect isn’t a ticket for you to walk all over me!” Yuan Kou blustered.
Back on his island, Yuan Kou bossed people around, was the one who cursed people and was the one who was treated as a King. He planned to leverage Jiang Chen’s influence to establish himself in the capital so that his future son had somewhere to lead a peaceful life. If it wasn’t for his son’s sake, he wouldn’t have joined the new Fiends’ Genesis.
Yuan Kou uncorked a punch at Elder Lianhua’s head. To his amazement, the elder didn’t even need her iron stick to dismantle all of his strikes using just one hand. Following dozens of exchanges, she speared him on the square chest with her stick.
“This is what you get for disrespecting your elders.” Elder Lianhua raised an open hand to slam down on Yuan Kou’s dome.
“Brother Yuan!” Yan Jiangnan leapt into the fray with every muscle fibre he could recruit. He was in no shape to be fighting. As a result, he absorbed the palm strike flush on his face and then went rolling across the ground.
The guards weren’t happy with what they saw. As they weren’t very high up on the hierarchy ladder, they weren’t close to Elder Lianhua. Instead, they were on friendly terms with Yuan Kou. They weren’t indifferent to “Wu Ping” and Yan Jiangnan’s injuries, either. Thus, seeing Elder Lianhua smack them around as if they were her servants didn’t sit well with them.
“You’ve all seen it now.” Ming Feizhen got to his feet, eyes remaining fixed on Elder Lianhua. “I’m not disrespectful to my elders. It’s her who is going overboard. Granny, if you insist on testing me, I shall indulge you in five exchanges.”
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