UGB Chapter 153 Then I'll ask you
Chapter 153 Then I'll ask you
The next morning, Ma Liangcai had already made all the necessary arrangements for Yue Feng and the others. Ma Liangcai, along with the members of the White Horse Escort Agency, and Fang Xiu and her son Fang Bao'er, accompanied Yue Feng and the others all the way to the outskirts of Hanzhong City before reluctantly bidding them farewell.
Yue Feng and the others hadn't gone far when they saw two figures, an old man and a young man, standing in front of a large rock by the roadside. It was Luo Yonghuai and his apprentice Luo Jing. Yue Feng had specifically told Ma Liangcai not to disturb the Luo family, but he hadn't expected them to come and see him off anyway.
Everyone dismounted. Luo Jing carried a wine jar in his one arm, while Luo Yonghuai held a stack of wine bowls. Luo Jing stepped forward and smiled at Yue Feng, "Brother Yue! You left Hanzhong without even saying goodbye to us, father and son. You really don't treat us like friends."
Yue Feng sighed and said, "It is precisely because I consider you friends that I do not wish to disturb you further. The martial world is currently in a turbulent period, a time for figures like Chief Constable Luo and Brother Luo to display their talents. How could I, Yue Feng, dare to abandon righteousness for the sake of petty courtesy?"
Luo Jing smiled and nodded, "Brother Yue is right. But, since we're already here, you can't escape this bowl of wine, haha!" With a flick of his arm, the mud seal on the wine jar flew off. Luo Jing poured wine into the bowls, and Luo Yonghuai personally distributed the bowls to everyone.
After finishing their drinks, everyone bid each other farewell. Yue Feng and the others mounted their horses and galloped westward. After passing Dingjun Mountain, they turned south and entered Baoning Prefecture.
Yue Feng instructed Lin Pingzhi in martial arts throughout the journey, teaching him everything from internal energy cultivation to lightness skills and swordsmanship. He didn't teach specific moves, but rather the principles of martial arts. He never hid from Xie Tianqing and the others when teaching Lin Pingzhi.
Xie Tianqing and the others were initially a little embarrassed, but they gradually became immersed in Yue Feng's profound words and ideas. Sometimes they even forgot about the changes in their sect and just hoped that the journey would be longer and last longer.
They arrived at Jiange that day. Li Bai's poem "The Road to Shu is Hard" says, "Jiange is lofty and precipitous," referring to this very place.
Yue Feng and his companions wanted to enter Sichuan from Jiange, but they had to pass through Jianmen Pass first. However, the gates of Jianmen Pass were tightly shut, and there was no one in front of it. Yue Feng and his companions were completely bewildered. Since the gates wouldn't open and it was getting late, they had no choice but to retreat to the nearest village to stay for the night.
There was only one inn in the village, which was dilapidated and small, and it was already crowded with travelers like Yue Feng and his companions who had come with high hopes but left disappointed.
Fortunately, Yue Feng had money to pave the way and easily found the home of a wealthy man surnamed Hu. The wealthy man Hu was already quite rich, but he couldn't withstand Yue Feng's offer of over a hundred taels of silver.
Seeing that Yue Feng was young, wealthy, and dashing, Madam Hu kept pestering him about his hometown and whether he was married. Yue Feng told her that he was already married, and Madam Hu let him go, turning her attention to Lin Pingzhi instead.
After entertaining Yue Feng and his companions with dinner, Master Hu invited Yue Feng, Lin Pingzhi, and Xie Tianqing to the living room for tea. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Yue Feng asked Master Hu, "What happened at Jianmen Pass? Why did it suddenly close for seclusion?"
Master Hu slapped his thigh and said, "Oh, don't even mention it. I don't know which audacious thief stole General Wang's luminous pearl from the city gate. I heard that the pearl came from the East Sea, is as big as a child's fist, and is extremely valuable!"
"General Wang flew into a rage and immediately shut the gates, vowing not to give up until he caught that thief. But five days have passed, and the gates still haven't been opened. I suppose the thief is still not caught."
Xie Tianqing frowned and said, "Jianmen Pass is a vital passage into Sichuan, with so many merchants passing through. This General Wang dares to close the pass just because his own belongings were stolen? That's too much..."
Master Hu hurriedly waved his hands, interrupting Xie Tianqing: "Oh dear, young brother, you can't say things like that! General Wang has guarded Jianmen Pass for many years. Even if he hasn't made any great contributions, he has certainly worked hard, hasn't he? That thief dared to steal from him, so he is naturally extremely despicable..."
"Ah—a thief! A thief is stealing things!"
A sharp scream suddenly rang out from the depths of the inner courtyard. Master Hu's words abruptly ceased, his face turning ashen. He stammered to Yue Feng, "Please, young hero, intervene...please...send him away..."
Yue Feng gave Lin Pingzhi a wink, and Lin Pingzhi nodded slightly, then drew his sword and rushed into the inner courtyard. Master Hu, now somewhat calmer, could speak more clearly: "That thief even managed to steal General Wang's treasures, this young brother surnamed Lin…"
Yue Feng asked him, "How did you know that the thief in your residence was from Jianmen Pass?"
Master Hu was taken aback and said, "Besides the thieves from Jianmen Pass, who else would dare to commit a crime at this critical juncture?"
Yue Feng smiled but said nothing more. Lin Pingzhi rushed into the inner courtyard and soon dragged someone out. He pulled the man straight to Master Hu and shoved him to the ground. Master Hu saw it clearly and exclaimed, "Steward Liang?"
Butler Liang groaned, clutching his waist, and said, "Master, I'm innocent! This young hero arrived a step too late; the thief escaped, but he dragged me here without saying a word. Master, I definitely saw someone stealing!"
With a clang, Lin Pingzhi drew his longsword and placed it against Steward Liang's neck. Steward Liang trembled, and Master Hu shrank back into his chair. Lin Pingzhi sneered:
"You say there's a thief? Then let me ask you, is the thief's martial arts skill higher or lower than mine? If lower, he can't escape; if higher, he doesn't need to run. Are you trying to tell me that the thief's martial arts skill is neither higher nor lower than mine, or to put it more bluntly, that the thief is actually me?"
"This...this..." Butler Liang stammered for a long time, "Young hero, you are quick-witted, I can't argue with you. But why did you drag me here? You don't think I'm stealing from you, do you?"
Although Lin Pingzhi had a gut feeling that Steward Liang was up to something, he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Seeing that he only frowned and remained silent, Steward Liang grew even angrier:
"My master treated you kindly, and what you did was not only fail to catch the thief, but also framed his men. Humph, what kind of heroes are you!"
Suppressing his dissatisfaction with Lin Pingzhi, Master Hu whispered to Yue Feng, "Young brother, look at this..."
Yue Feng ignored Master Hu and instead said to Lin Pingzhi, "Pingzhi, I'll teach you another lesson today: when you can't see the truth clearly, it's best to play the long game; however, once you do see the truth..."
Yue Feng gently raised his hand, as if to shoo away a fly. A bright purple light shot out from between his fingers, piercing through the roof with a speed too fast for the naked eye to see.
A piercing scream echoed from the rooftop, and Steward Liang's face turned extremely grim. He tried to move, but Lin Pingzhi's longsword held firmly to his neck, rendering him immobile.
At the same time, Xie Tianqing gracefully left his seat, went out through the window, climbed onto the roof, and soon returned with a man dressed in black.