Past grievances and old resentments

  Zhong Bo is actually an old man of the Gui He faction. He has been following the old leader He Qing Song since he was a child, and his feelings for him are very deep, like brothers. However, more than ten years ago, everything changed. He Qing Song was murdered, and his most favored disciple Lu Shuang Xing also disappeared without a trace. Zhong Bo struggled to maintain stability, and finally helped Wang Jing Chuan stabilize the entire Gui He faction.

  However, after that great change, Wang Jingchuan also lost the heart to stay in the Guihe faction for a long time. In just a few years, he passed on the position of leader to his junior fellow apprentice Lu Lingge. Zhongbo, unable to bear the sorrow of recalling the past, followed Wang Jingchuan to live in Chang'an.

  As for the tragic event of that year, both Zhongbo and Wang Jingchuan actually had a lingering grievance. It's just that so many years have passed since then, and it was impossible to investigate the truth at the time, let alone now.

  However, half a month ago, Zhongbo met someone on the way to the market who claimed to know the truth of that year. At first, Zhongbo did not believe him, but the man's account of some old events was exactly the same as his memory, even including the scene of the tragic event at the time and the details of how the old master was killed.

  That bloody scene appeared in Zhongbo's mind again, hatred was rekindled.

  Zhongbo met with that person three times, and each time he became more convinced that he really knew the truth. It wasn't until he actually said the name of the murderer that Zhongbo realized how great the cost of pursuing the truth was.

  He told Zhongbo that Wang Jingchuan had personally killed his own master.

  That man said he wanted to avenge the old master, so he came to find Zhongbo, just wanting to ask Zhongbo for help. It's just a small favor, and it doesn't require Zhongbo to take action himself.

  By this time, Wang Min was thoroughly shocked. The fact that his father was the murderer of He QingSong was even more difficult for him to accept than the fact that Zhong Bo was an accomplice.

  "How is that possible?! How could my father kill Tai Shifu?! That person spoke so clearly, what if he himself was the murderer?!"

  Wang Min was emotionally agitated, and Yan Sanbai gently pressed his shoulder to comfort him. He didn't let Guan Ying say the speculation that came out of her mouth, but Wang Min finally knew it anyway.

  "Because the person who came to find you, Zhong Bo, claimed to be Lu Shuang Xing, right?" said Yan San Bai.

  "Yes, among all the disciples of the old master, he and Shuang Xing had the best relationship, they were extremely close, and Shuang Xing did not disappoint his expectations, mastering the last eight moves of the Gui He thirteen forms. It was no surprise that Shuang Xing would be the next master of the Gui He sect. Therefore, he is the least likely person to have killed the old master. Moreover... at the time of the tragic event, Lao Ye had just had a disagreement with the master."

  It was during the war, the head of the family had to be loyal to the imperial court and the orthodox, but Master said that the emperor was tyrannical and wanted to support the current emperor's rebellion. The two men quarreled loudly in the library, I still remember it now."

  "You... actually support Old Master Wang, don't you?" Yan Sanbai asked, sensing his tone.

  Zhongbo nodded, "Not bad, the leader is indeed foolishly loyal. Although I couldn't persuade him, in my heart I supported Master. So later on, I didn't suspect him at all. I thought that someone who was so devoted to justice and the people would never do something as heinous as murdering his master. And after he rebuilt the Guihe faction, he retreated from the world and didn't crave power at all, which made me even less suspicious of him. But who could have expected..."

  "No, it can't be! My dad couldn't possibly be the murderer!" Wang Min looked at Lu Lingge, hoping to get confirmation from him, but Lu Lingge remained silent.

  But it was Yan San who spoke up, "I also think that Old Master Wang is not the murderer. Zhong Bo, you said that person was Lu Shuang Xing, did you take a good look?"

  Zhongbo was very certain, "That night in front of Jing Tang, I actually saw the person's face clearly, although it has been many years, but I won't recognize wrongly."

  "What about those times before? Didn't you see his face?"

  "Before that, he was very careful and wore a bamboo hat when we met, but I could still sense his voice and some habits, it should be him."

  Seeing Zhongbo being so certain, Yan Sanbai didn't ask further and said: "Then what does he want you to help him with?"

  "A while back, the roof of the quiet hall was leaking, and Master ordered me to find someone to fix it. The craftsman who came was arranged by Shuang Xing. I have served Master for many years, so doing this makes my heart uneasy...” Zhongbo said, his eyes closed in some pain, “I didn't go to see it myself.”

  Plop, Wang Min's tears splashed onto Zhong Bo's hand, and this stubborn young man finally couldn't hold back his tears. "Then why do you still want to go? What can you ask my dad face-to-face? Why..."

  "Young master, you don't understand." Zhongbo slowly shook his head, his tone filled with a sense of desolation. "It's been over a decade now, and every day and night I've thought about avenging our leader, but I couldn't even see the shadow of my enemy, powerless and hateful. But then one day, someone told me that the real killer was actually the person I had been serving with all my heart, and that I had been doing things for my enemy all along... I owe an apology to our leader, and also to you..."

  Zhongbo's heart was entangled with so much distress, which outsiders couldn't fully comprehend. Perhaps it was the immense emotional impact that made him believe in that person's words, thus tacitly approving of an action that could lead to Wang Jingchuan's death.

  But Yan Sanbai could see that even if Zhongbo did this, he still had deep feelings for the Wang Jingchuan family. It was precisely because of these feelings that he would eventually be unable to bear the pain and take his own life. Because for him, avenging He Qing's death might mean that he himself no longer had any reason to live in this world.

  Wang Min was choked with tears, her mind in a state of shock, and she didn't know what to do.

  Lu Lingge walked over to comfort him, embracing him in her arms. Yan Sanbai saw it and Wang Min's shoulders were trembling.

  Yan Sanbai let out a sigh and said, "Let's go to the main hall to talk, Ah Fu, you stay here and take care of Zhongbo."

  Yan Sanbai originally wanted Wang Min to go back and rest, calm down his emotions, but Wang Min insisted on following them together. He still didn't believe what Zhongbo said, he wanted to find out the truth himself. Yan Sanbai no longer opposed it, Wang Min looked stronger than he thought.

  Three people and Lu Ling's two disciples came to the main hall, as soon as they sat down, Wang Min asked eagerly: "Master Lu, what was the case about back then?"

  If possible, Lu Lingge would also be unwilling to recall that past event, but now that even his senior brother is dead, he can no longer remain silent.

  "Alas, I had originally thought that the events of those years were best left unmentioned, but now that things have come to this pass, I am compelled to speak. Very well, since you want to know, I shall tell you."

  That year... I was only twelve years old, and many things were not very clear to me. That day was no different from usual, except that the relationship between my eldest brother and Master had become very tense due to their differing ambitions. My eldest brother began gathering his disciples to follow him in serving the current Emperor, while Master spent every day in the library, with only Second Brother Lu Shuangxing able to see him.

  I remember it was almost dinner time, I went to deliver food to my master, and coincidentally saw the eldest senior brother coming out of the library, he looked like his face wasn't very good, and directly returned to his room. Then I went to knock on the door, but Master didn't respond for a while, during that period Master's temper had become very violent, I didn't dare disturb him, so I just put the food at the door and left.

  But the next day, a bloody smell wafted out of the library, and when fellow disciples rushed in to take a look, they found that their master had died inside the library the night before. We hastily went to find two senior brothers, at which time the eldest senior brother was still sleeping, while the second senior brother...

  Lu Ling also couldn't help but sigh, "We've never found another person like him again."

  "Did you suspect him at the time?" asked Yan Sanbai.

  Lu Ling nodded and shook her head, "Indeed, Second Brother is the most suspicious. The murderer used our sect's swordsmanship, and from the situation in the pavilion, Master was killed without even putting up a fight, it can be seen that Master had no defense against the murderer at all. But Master was stabbed multiple times, his entire chest was bloody and mangled, we don't want to believe that Second Brother would do such a thing."

  No wonder, Yan Sanbai thought to herself, after Lu Lingge saw Wang Jingchuan come out of the library with a strange expression, she then discovered He Qingsong dead inside. It seems that Wang Jingchuan indeed has suspicion. Wang Min probably also thought of this point, tightly clenching her fists, her face not looking too good.

  "It seems that this matter can only be clarified by finding Lu Shuangxing."

  Upon hearing this, Lu Lingge hesitated for a moment, as if she had made up her mind about something, and said: "Actually, it was around half a month ago that I saw Second Brother."

  "What?! " Wang Min suddenly raised his head, "Master Uncle, are you telling the truth?"

  "Not bad, Second Brother is here at the Mountain Gate to look for me. Most of the disciples inside the gate no longer recognize him, but that face, how can I forget?"

  Yan Sanbai thought carefully for a moment and suddenly understood, "He's come to ask you about what happened back then?"

  Ling Ge nodded, then turned her head to look at Wang Min with a guilty expression. "Jin Zhi, it was Master Shu's mistake. I shouldn't have told him the truth about what happened back then. If I hadn't testified, he might not have been so sure that Big Brother was the murderer, and none of the later events would have occurred. It's all my fault. At the time, I should have notified Big Brother immediately, but something urgent came up in Jiangzhou, and I rushed over overnight. By the time I returned... it was already too late."

  Wang Min wanted to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat. His throat was very dry and rough, and his eyes were also rough from crying just now. Who could he blame? No matter who he blamed, his father would not be able to come back to life again.

  He clenched his fists tightly and tried his best to calm himself down.

  Suddenly, a white figure appeared before his eyes, and when he looked up, he saw Yan Sanbai looking at him with a warm smile.

  "Time is of the essence, I'm going outside to look for the real crime scene, want to come with me?"

  Yan Sanbai's words were undoubtedly a redemption for Wang Min, he almost nodded hastily and followed him.

  Lu Lingge sighed behind him and didn't say anything.

  When they reached the entrance, the two of them saw Li Ye standing in the middle of the gate with a green-clad attendant and the black cat, and the two of them glared at each other again.

  The black cat arched its back and puffed out its fur, meowing angrily. Li Yan held a folding fan behind his back, looking down at the scene with an air of superiority.

  "Prince Wang?" Yan Sanbai called out to him.

  "Ah, you're out! " Li Yan turned his head and asked, "Where are we going?"

  Yan Sanbai roughly told him what had just happened, and Li Yan glanced at Wang Min, who was lowering his head in silence. He clapped his hands and said, "Let's go have a bowl of wontons first. It's early morning, and we'll have the energy to work after eating our fill."

  Yan Sanbai couldn't help but think of a very serious problem - he hadn't received his salary yet, and now he was penniless, afraid that even a bowl of wontons was unaffordable.

  Yan Sanbai couldn't help but touch his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. In fact, he hadn't eaten anything since having a roasted sweet potato from Li Ya yesterday morning. This was one of his bad habits, which had been formed during the difficult times when he often went hungry and intentionally forgot about meal times, leaving some lingering symptoms behind. Whenever he got busy, he would neglect to eat, without even realizing it himself.

  Let there be many corpses on the streets, just for a moment.

  Li Yan looked at him with some curiosity, but didn't know what he was thinking when he suddenly became serious.

  With the presence of Prince Luoyang, it's natural that he wouldn't need to pay out of his own pocket. So, Yan Sanbai decided to put on a thick face and scrounge for a meal, then silently told himself in his heart - once he received his salary, he would definitely repay it.

  Li Yan took them to a roadside stall in a remote location that was hard to find.

  Li Yan was very familiar with the streets and alleys of Chang'an City, even more so than in the imperial palace's backyard. He was also an old acquaintance of the vendors, who would smile upon seeing him.

  "Oh dear, Master Wang is back!"

  "Uncle Cai, good morning!" Li Yan smiled and greeted, "Give me four bowls of wontons. It's been a long time since I've tasted your craftsmanship. You've made me sleepless in Luoyang."

  Tsai was so delighted that his mouth couldn't close, and he hastily invited them to sit down.

  Yan Sanbai watched with a curious expression, and everyone said that Wang of Luoyang was a man who did things unconventionally. Today, he finally realized it was true. Not only was he familiar with the owner of the wonton stall, but even his followers, Ling Ding, could sit opposite him without any distinction between superior and inferior, which was also a rare sight to behold.

  Before long, the dumplings arrived, each one plump and full, with a shiny appearance that made people's fingers move with desire.

  Yan Sanbai only felt extremely hungry at this moment, scooped up a wonton and sent it to his mouth, but did not expect the wonton to be too hot, and his own cat-like tongue was useless, suddenly scalded to the point where he couldn't speak, and hurriedly fanned himself with his hand.

  Li Yan laughed and couldn't help but open his folding fan with a whoosh, leaning in to fan out the cool breeze for him. "Are you okay?"

  Yan Sanbai shook his head, his face calm, but his ears were red, probably also feeling that this was too embarrassing. However, seeing Wang Min seemed to have smiled, he felt somewhat comforted.

  Tsai rushed over with a tray of iced tea. Yen San-pai took a sip, and the scorching sensation on his tongue subsided slightly.

  As the saying goes, once bitten by a snake, one fears the rope for ten years. Yan Sanbai stared at the wontons in his bowl and worried.

  Li Yan leisurely fanned himself with the new fan he had just written last night, and a faint scent of ink wafted out.

  Yan Sanbai felt even more helpless, what did the smile at the corner of Li Yan's mouth represent? Was it mocking me? Or was it still mocking me?

  Wang Min thought he should say something, "Yan Ge, don't worry for now, it'll be fine in a while."

  Yan San Bai: "......"

  Li Yan suddenly pushed his own bowl over and exchanged it with Yan Sanbai's, "Eat mine instead, it's already cooled down a bit, the temperature should be just right now."

  He just... was fanning me?

  Yan Sanbai touched his nose, hesitated for a moment, then softly said "thank you", scooped up a dumpling and put it in his mouth, with the flavor of ink.

  Li Yan blinked his eyes, thinking he had just experienced an auditory hallucination.

  Cai Da Shu's dumplings are really delicious, Zero Ding alone ate three bowls, Li Yan looked at him with disdain - how can you eat more than the master.

  Wang Min's stomach was full, and his mood seemed a bit better than before. At least his eyebrows were not as tightly furrowed.

  Yan Sanbai, who was the hungriest, only had one bowl. He originally wanted to order another bowl, but his stomach wasn't good, and after being very hungry, it's not suitable to eat too much, or else it would get worse. So he could only reluctantly lick his lips, his eyes shining brightly as he stared at the pot of wontons, a feast for his eyes.

  Li Yan curiously sized him up and found it extremely interesting.

  Just then, there was a strange noise above his head.

  Li Yan and Yan Sanbai almost simultaneously raised their heads, only to see two corners of clothes flying over their heads, while outside the alley came the excited cries of onlookers - "Quickly look! Someone is fighting!"

  "Ah, it's the Dali Temple!"

  Luoyang King: I am a man who is loved by all, wherever I go flowers bloom, and my good name spreads across the four seas. Do you like me? Why did you catch me then?

  Black cat: Scram! Foolish two-legged beast! That white-clothed one is more pleasing to the eye than you!

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