Chapter 44 Under One Person"money?" "I'll give you as much as you want, just don't be perfunctory." "Zuo Ruotong is Zuo Ruotong, and Sanyi is Sanyi. The latter has no favor towards you." The old man held the pipe and took a small puff, with smoke slowly coming out of his mouth and nose. His words were full of warnings and admonitions. The man in the straw raincoat, who had received the promise, replied calmly, "No need for you to remind me, I know the difference." "That's good." The old man waved his left hand, which was as thin as a withered bamboo, and said in a somewhat irritable mood: "Go ahead, I'll give you a head and a bar of gold. Send it to me before sunset the day after tomorrow." "Yes." The man in the straw raincoat bowed slightly, touched his heart with his right hand, and said goodbye in an almost respectful and admiring tone: "Then you take a rest first, I'm leaving now." "and many more!"
The old man frowned and brought up the past again: "I asked you to investigate Wu Gensheng's origins. How is the progress?" “It’s not going well.” The man in the straw raincoat sorted out his thoughts and said thoughtfully, "It is said that he was adopted by an old Taoist priest since he was a child. When I found the old site, the mud house collapsed and all the debris was burned." "Later, I asked an old friend for help and figured out the vague possibility that he had children, but since there was no trace of them, it was difficult to start." The old man was interested and asked, "What about Jianghu Inn? Have you asked around?" "I asked around, but there are no clues." "I will keep an eye on Wu Gensheng in the future. If I find his children, I will send them to you as soon as possible." "Hmm." The old man felt tired, and the noisy sounds of gamblers in his ears made him a little numb. "Go down." As soon as he finished speaking, the figure of the man in the straw raincoat gradually disappeared into the darkness, as if he had never been there. At night, the lights in the wood carving shop flicker. The elderly man sat on a low, round bench. His thin, powerful fingers grasped the carving knife and wielded it with familiarity, shaving off piece after piece of rotten sawdust. As more and more pieces of the diseased wood in his palm fell off, they gradually formed a lifelike wooden sculpture. It was Huang Laosan, the tofu seller at the street corner. A hazy drizzle was falling outside the door. A ghostly figure walked silently towards me. "Senior Zhuo, the headmaster would like to trouble you to go with me to do something." The hoarse voice did not hinder the old man's carving movements which were as smooth as a machine. He had no expression on his face and was obsessed with the object. The man in the straw raincoat slowly took off his wet straw raincoat. His hair was disheveled and his face was wild, but his eyes were as calm as dead water. An old, blunt wooden sword was hung on his waist. "despair" The wood chips fell to the ground, like cotton wool piled up in waste, submerging the old man's legs.
The rain continued outside the house at night, with thunder rumbling from time to time. The man in the straw raincoat did not say another word until the new artwork was completed. About an hour later, the old man let out a breath, feeling relieved and tired, as if his soul had been drained out, and casually put the wood carving into his arms. Seeing this, the man in the straw raincoat smiled playfully and said, "You are doing such an immoral thing. You are stealing the fortune of the rich man, the life span of the baby, and averting disasters. If the neighbors knew about this, they would be very sad." "Watch your mouth." The skinny body slowly stood up. The light of the candle illuminated the old man's weather-beaten and wrinkled face. His eyes were cloudy, his hair was gray, and he looked like he was about to die. "please--!" The streets are especially cool after the rain. The man in the straw raincoat bowed and saluted. The old man remained silent, turned off the light, and walked out of the shop. During the long night, the two crossed the streets and alleys, entering either the luxurious rich area or the filthy slums, visiting one old bone after another. The sky was dark and the dawn had not yet arrived. Seven figures of different heights and statures walked out of the city gate together. Trinity Gate. The pharmacy was brightly lit at night. Shuiyun hurried over with two bowls of freshly boiled Chinese medicine. "Brother, uncle" "Put it down. Thank you for your hard work, Shuiyun." Cheng Zhen showed a gentle smile, like the warm sunshine. He sat on the bed against the wall, reading an ancient scripture in his hand. After several days of recovery, his spirit and complexion were restored. "it is good." Shui Yun nodded softly and looked at his senior brother and uncle. Their injuries were recovering faster and faster and they were not serious. The worry in his heart had almost dissipated. Si Chong, the old man, drank the bitter Chinese medicine and asked, "Shuiyun, have any monsters attacked the mountain in the past two days?" "Reporting to Uncle Master, no." "Brother Changqing, you have been guarding outside the door and dare not slack off;" "The seniors in the back mountain and the injured junior brothers are all well under the care of Little Zhuge, please rest assured." Speaking of this, Shuiyun couldn't help but show a trace of worry between his brows, and said hesitantly: "It's just that Xiao Lu and Uncle Jiang Mo went down the mountain to fight the demons, and now there is no news. Quan Xing demons have gathered, and their methods are numerous. I am worried." "Worry?" He smiled indifferently and shook his head. When he heard his junior brother being mentioned, he felt much happier and drank the Chinese medicine in one gulp. "Let Junior Brother go and let him take Xiao Lu to his heart's content. Nothing will happen." "You, Changqing, Zhuge Yu, don't move around casually during this period. If you leave the mountain gate, it will be difficult to come back." Seeing his uncle's earnest look, Shuiyun was puzzled and asked him the reason. "Haven't you noticed recently?"
Si Chong explained: "There are more and more thunderclouds gathering above the mountain gate. That was the method your uncle arranged before he went down the mountain." "If a demon breaks into the mountain, a thunderstorm will cover the nearby mountain trails and kill them." "Really?" Shui Yun's pupils trembled suddenly, and he couldn't calm down for a long time. This incredible method of misappropriating the power of heaven and earth is extremely rare in ancient times. Facing his surprised gaze, Cheng Zhen held the medicine bowl, took a sip, and said calmly: "Well, don't worry." "Let Junior Master handle the grudge with Quan Xing." Down the mountain. Dark clouds covered the entire sky. A slender, strong figure crossed the rugged woodland and looked at the collapsed and cracked stone steps in the distance. He couldn't help but frown: "It's such a big fuss that the road is almost blocked." Several miles away from the mountain steps, Zhang Zhiwei, who had come from afar, could clearly feel that the Trinity Gate was shrouded in a solemn atmosphere. The next moment, he seemed to realize something and looked up. His penetrating, restrained eyes reflected the dark, depressing sky, with thunder and explosions echoing in the sky from time to time. "This thunder...is not normal." "Were they detained by force? Or was it artificially created?" Just as Zhang Zhiwei was about to conduct further analysis and verification, there were unusual movements in the forest on the upper right side, which caught his attention. Seven figures, the size of ants, with evil auras that they did not conceal at all, were stepping on the mountain steps, climbing up and leaping, rushing forward quickly, and rushing towards the Trinity Palace. "Ho-!" "I really caught you." Zhang Zhiwei suddenly pulled up his sleeves, smiled ostentatiously, his eyes flashed with coldness, and he looked eager to try. A golden light like a raging flame ignited around his body, and he entered a state of preparation for battle. "You all evil monsters, I will skin you alive!" (End of this chapter)