Chapter 175: Chapter 169: Tragic News (Part 2)
Yan Province was a border region, so horses were relatively cheap. However, he didn’t buy a nag for pulling carts, but rather a retired post horse skilled at running, which cost two to three times as much.
Ying Province lay southwest of Yan Province. Zhao Lin rode hard the entire way. Whenever a horse became too tired to run, he would find a place to sell it for a low price and buy a new one to continue his journey.
He couldn’t worry about money when he was racing against time.
A person’s lingering scent typically lasted for three to five days. Under special circumstances, it could persist for more than ten days, or even longer.
Zhao Lin was unsure of his master’s cause of death. If he had to track down the killer, he might need to use his sense of smell, so the sooner he reached the scene, the better.
In mid-March, outside the walls of Qinghe County, the grass grew long and orioles took flight.
A tall young man appeared on the main road leading to the west gate, his face etched with the dust and fatigue of a long journey.
"To think I’d be back here after more than half a year."
Zhao Lin murmured to himself with a sigh as he gazed at the familiar city gate.
The journey from Ying Province to Yan Province had originally taken him a month. The return trip, however, took only ten days. Aside from eating and sleeping, he spent most of his time on the road, traveling day and night.
Despite his hurry to return, Zhao Lin didn’t go straight to the Liuhe Sect. Instead, he stopped by a tailor’s shop and bought a set of coarse cloth garments and a white sweat towel.
Afterward, he bought some dark pearl powder from a cosmetics shop and applied it to his face, making his complexion appear dark and swarthy. Only then did he head for Qingchun Street, where the Liuhe Sect was located.
With his clothes changed and the towel draped over his shoulder, any ordinary person would mistake him for a dockhand.
Zhao Lin didn’t want anyone to know he was back—at least, not until he had uncovered the truth.
The Liuhe Sect was much quieter than it used to be. In the courtyard, only a few apprentices were practicing their forms listlessly.
Watching in secret from across the street, Zhao Lin frowned slightly.
With his current level of hearing, he could pick up sounds from all over the street.
He had been listening for a while and found that there were pitifully few people inside the Liuhe Sect. None of his senior brothers were there, either.
’Did something happen to my senior brothers, too?’ A flicker of worry crossed his mind.
"Xiaofan, look at my ’Drawing the Bow Left and Right.’ Am I doing it right? It always feels awkward when I perform this move."
"Brother Huang, I joined the sect after you. Why are you asking me?"
"Well, all the senior brothers have gone out of the city to offer condolences. Who else can I ask...?"
Zhao Lin breathed a sigh of relief. ’Looks like I was overthinking things.’ He settled in to wait for his senior brothers to return.
Approaching noon, a group of three men and one woman came striding quickly down the street.
All four were dressed in hemp mourning clothes, with white cloths wrapped around their heads. Their expressions were solemn, and they kept their heads down as they walked.
Leading the group was First Senior Brother Gao Yuan, followed by Second Senior Brother Fu Guangming, Fourth Senior Sister Zhang Ying, and Sixth Junior Brother Qian Chengfei.
’Where are Third Senior Brother Yuan Cheng and Fifth Senior Brother Chu Liu?’
Zhao Lin wondered, but he didn’t approach them directly. He simply watched as they passed by.
’Until the truth is revealed, no one is above suspicion.’
"First Senior Brother, has Senior Yuan heard anything about Fifth Senior Brother?"
Qian Chengfei suddenly asked.
Before Gao Yuan could answer, Fu Guangming’s face darkened. "Fifth Senior Brother?" he said coldly. "That animal Chu Liu doesn’t deserve the title..."
Gao Yuan turned and stopped him. "Let’s talk about this when we get back. Don’t let outsiders hear and laugh at us."
"Yes."
Fu Guangming and Qian Chengfei replied in unison.
The four of them hurried into the Liuhe Sect, and the main gate slammed shut with a BANG.
Zhao Lin stood frozen for a long moment.
The information revealed in those few short sentences was enough for him to piece together a general idea of what had happened.
’Master’s death is related to Fifth Senior Brother... Ptooey, to Chu Liu!’
A surge of anger rose in Zhao Lin’s heart.
Master had been endlessly patient and benevolent toward Chu Liu, unwilling to give up on him no matter what mistakes he made.
With Chu Liu’s frivolous, lecherous, and unrepentant nature, he wouldn’t have lasted in any other sect.
"Master, your disciple has failed you. I still haven’t caught that villain Chu Liu..."
Gao Yuan went to Zhu Huaishan’s study alone, lit a stick of incense, and kowtowed before the memorial tablet.
’So the killer is Chu Liu. It has nothing to do with First Senior Brother.’
Understanding dawned on Zhao Lin. He called over a child playing by the street, took out a few copper coins from his robe, and said gently, "Little brother, help me deliver something, and this money is yours..."
The child gleefully took the money and ran to the Liuhe Sect’s gate, pounding on it with all his might.
"Who are you looking for?"
An apprentice opened the door. Seeing a child of about ten, he assumed it was a prank and spoke with some annoyance.
"Give this to Senior Brother Gao."
The child handed over a letter.
The apprentice took it and glanced at the envelope. On it were written four words: "For Gao Yuan, Personal."
"Who gave this to you?"
The apprentice asked, but the child was already gone, having run off somewhere.
"Strange..."
The apprentice muttered, walked to the rear courtyard, and happened to run into Gao Yuan coming out of the study. He handed the letter over. "First Senior Brother, someone from outside sent you a letter."
"Who was it?"
Gao Yuan asked casually as he took the letter.
"A kid. He ran off as soon as he delivered it."
Gao Yuan opened the letter, glanced at it, and his expression changed instantly.
...
In a teahouse on Qingchun Street, Gao Yuan and Zhao Lin sat facing each other.
"When did you break through to the Second Layer of the Qi Realm?"
Gao Yuan couldn’t hide the shock in his eyes.
He had no idea that Zhao Lin had been hiding his true strength. He only remembered that Zhao Lin was still in the Power Realm when he left. To reach the same cultivation level as him in just over half a year was a speed that defied his imagination.
"Now is not the time to discuss that."
Zhao Lin waved his hand dismissively and stared at Gao Yuan. "Master didn’t die from a sudden illness. Why didn’t you tell me the truth?"
Gao Yuan sighed. "Yan Province is thousands of miles away, and your cultivation at the Xingyun Sect is not easy. I wanted to wait until everything was settled before telling you the truth."
Zhao Lin grabbed his teacup and downed it in one gulp. "Tell me. How did Master die?"
Gao Yuan lowered his eyes. "Ever since you left, Chu Liu kept pestering me about your whereabouts."
A trace of regret appeared on his face as he spoke. "It’s my fault. I couldn’t stand his nagging and told him that Master had sent you to the Xingyun Sect. I suppose that’s when he started holding a grudge against Master."
"I thought he would surely cause a huge scene when Master returned. But he acted as if he knew nothing about it and was well-behaved for a long time, so I let my guard down..."
Zhao Lin twirled the empty cup in his hand, silently listening as Gao Yuan recounted the events.
It turned out that on the second day of the second lunar month, Zhu Huaishan had summoned Chu Liu to the study for a scolding over some matter.
"Have you ever put in any real effort? Forget your senior and junior brothers—even the apprentices in the front yard work harder than you!"
"That little bit of talent you have might count for something in Qinghe County, but where do you rank in all of Ying Province?"
"If this kind of nonsense happens again, don’t even bother coming back..."
A short while later, Chu Liu’s voice could also be heard from inside.
"What do you mean, I don’t put in the effort? I already mastered everything you taught! You’re just playing favorites!"
"Why are you so good to that mud-legged Zhao? I’m already at the Second Layer of the Qi Realm! Why didn’t you send me to the Xingyun Sect?"
"What exactly is it about me that you don’t like? Why won’t you give me a chance...?"
The two had a huge argument. Gao Yuan and Yuan Cheng were stunned that Chu Liu dared to talk back to their master. They rushed into the study to calm their master down while reprimanding Chu Liu.
"Hurry up and apologize to Master!"
Chu Liu didn’t listen at all. He stormed out, shouting that he wouldn’t stay in the Liuhe Sect a moment longer.
Zhu Huaishan was trembling with rage. He was about to rewrite the "family registry" on the spot and expel Chu Liu from the sect.
Who would have thought that Chu Liu would return that very afternoon? Not only did he admit his mistake, but he also knelt outside the study and refused to get up.
He knelt there for the entire afternoon. In the end, Zhu Huaishan’s heart softened. His anger dissipated, and he told him to come inside.
Chu Liu entered the study and emerged a short while later, beaming.
Gao Yuan thought the master and disciple had reconciled and went up to ask, "Fifth Brother, did Master forgive you?"
Chu Liu smiled and hummed in agreement. "Don’t worry," he said. "Master is a little tired. You all should let him rest." With that, he left on his own.
The disciples believed him and continued their training in the rear courtyard. But they waited until dusk, and Zhu Huaishan still hadn’t come out.
Now they felt something was wrong. They entered the study together, only to find that Zhu Huaishan had been dead for a long time, a sharp blade plunged into his heart.
