Chapter 52: The Enigma

  And so, Master Hui Chong encountered a martial arts expert in the forest. In the end, Duan Hongde was kidnapped by a person wearing a black cloak and disappeared without a trace. Master Hui Chong feared that those people who had surrounded the San Jue Zhuang would follow and give chase, so he hastily picked up Duan Fenglan and used his lightness skill to head towards Biyuan Temple.

  He returned to Biyuan Temple and came to the abbot's room of Hui Ren, telling him about the events of Hunyuan Shengshou Duan Guitu. Abbot Hui Ren sighed endlessly.

  "Junior brother, you said that the government troops besieged the Three Absolute Manor of the Green Snake Sect. Then, is Feng Renhao, who is currently serving as the Security Commander in the government of Cangmen City, one of the participants? Is it possible that Feng Renhao wants to exterminate the people of the Green Snake Sect? But Duan Ke and Feng Renhao are fellow disciples and brothers, how could they hate each other to the point of extinction? Junior brother, do you think this is possible?" Hui Ren Fangzhang said thoughtfully.

  "Logically speaking, it can't be. But the fact that the three absolute sects were destroyed by real armed security guards is indeed a real puzzle. How did the two people become enemies? And who was the black-cloaked figure I met in the forest? Why didn't he dare to show his true face and instead covered his face with a black veil? His martial arts skills are extremely high, but who is he? From his martial arts moves, it's also impossible to tell which school or sect he comes from. Why did he abduct Duan Hongde? Where did he take him?" Master Hui Chong was full of questions.

  "Isn't it clear yet? If I'm not mistaken, this black-robed man is the accomplice of Feng Renhe. His goal is to kidnap Duan Hongde, the son of Duan Ke. He has kidnapped Duan Hongde and gone to report his merit to Feng Renhe." said Master Hui Ren.

  "Yes, Shixiong's analysis is not unreasonable. His goal is to abduct Duan Hongde. Ah, on Duan Hongde's body, there is a mark of the Qing She Gang leader, a green snake pattern. Hunyuan Saint Hand told me that this green snake pattern is not only a symbol of the Qing She Gang leader but also a treasure map. However, this map can only be seen clearly when Duan Hongde turns 18 years old. Feng Renhe snatching away Duan Hongde must be for the treasure map on his body." said Hui Chong Master.

  "This is right, people die for wealth, birds perish for food, it should be the treasure map on this child's body that triggered the fierce fight. But where did this piece of jade's treasure come from?" Master Hui Ren said while rolling the Buddhist beads in his hand.

  People in the Jianghu said that Duan Ke's grandfather was a eunuch in the imperial palace, and during the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance, he sneaked into the palace, stole a large number of treasures, and transported them back to Sanjue Village. When it came to Duan Ke's father's generation, they were afraid that these treasures would be robbed, so they hid them in batches. No one knew where they were hidden. It is said that the location of the treasure was drawn on a map, but no one had seen the map. Now that Duan Ke has been exterminated, it has been revealed that the Green Snake Diagram is actually a treasure map. Whether there really is a treasure or whether the Green Snake Diagram is indeed a treasure map, as Duan Ke said, is unknown. However, Feng Renhe's motive for destroying the Green Snake Gang is now clear.

  "Hmm, no wind can make waves. I think these rumors can explain everything that's happening now. However, my junior brother, I must remind you that you're already involved in this vendetta case, and for the sake of Bisheng Temple's safety, you must seal off all information about Duan Ke's orphan, to prevent disaster from befalling Bisheng Temple." said Master Hui Ren.

  "My brother is right. The baby girl I brought back cannot be surnamed Duan anymore, let her have the same surname as me, and let her be named Yao Fenglan. Let him call me Dad, and I will be her father. As for the missing Duan Hongde, I will go down the mountain to investigate and see where this child has fallen. A child who has lost his parents and been kidnapped is really pitiful. Moreover, I have accepted someone's entrustment and must fulfill my responsibility. A great man's word is like a promise, I cannot betray the trust of Hunyuan Saint Hand towards me, I must find Duan Hongde back!" Master Hui Chong said resolutely.

  "Good, good. I know what kind of person you are, my junior brother. This matter, I also know that I won't be able to persuade you. However, when you go down the mountain to gather information about Duan Hongde, you absolutely must not reveal your true identity as a monk from Biyuan Temple." said Master Hui Ren.

  "Elder brother can rest assured, this time when I went to the Three Extremes Manor, I disguised myself as an ordinary old villager going down the mountain. Nobody recognized me, not even Duan Cui almost didn't recognize me." After finishing speaking, Master Hui Chong went to the back room and soon returned with a towel wrapped around his head, wearing cloth shoes, dressed as a woodcutter standing in front of Abbot Hui Ren. "Elder brother, how is it? Does this disguise still look like Hui Chong from Biyuan Temple?"

  "Hmm, with this disguise, it's really hard to tell. I hope that Brother Hui will hurry down the mountain and investigate the news as soon as possible, and return early. All things must be prioritized, when you return, I will convene a meeting of all the monks in the temple, I have an important matter to announce publicly." Master Hui Ren said, no longer looking at Master Hui Chong, and closed his eyes.

  Seeing Wisdom Benevolent close his eyes, Master Wisdom Reverence knew that his senior brother, Wisdom Benevolent, had nothing more to say to him. He bowed deeply to Wisdom Benevolent and floated down the mountain.

  Master Hui Chong first went to the Three Extremes Manor. The Azure Snake Gang's headquarters in the Three Extremes Manor had already become a ruin. When he asked people about Huàn Yuán Shèng, they shook their heads and remained silent; when he asked who had annihilated the Azure Snake Gang, they became even more flustered and hastily retreated. Master Hui Chong investigated at the Three Extremes Manor for over ten days but couldn't gather any information. People refused to discuss the Azure Snake Gang as if it never existed in this world.

  A kind-hearted person privately told Master Hui Chong, "Brother Chai, I think you're a good person, so I advise you not to ask about the Green Snake Gang anymore. Whoever asks about the Green Snake Gang and anyone related to them will be caught by the security team of Cangmen City and killed immediately. Several villagers were discussing the Green Snake Gang and the White Tiger Gang casually, but they were caught and shot dead. I advise you to leave here quickly, lest you invite disaster upon yourself." Master Hui Chong thanked him hastily.

  So, Master Hui Chong decided to leave San Jue Zhuang and try his luck in Cang Men City.

  The city of Cangmen was still prosperous. There were many people calling out to buy and sell in the market, but there were even more people begging for food. At a street corner, a shabbily dressed woman knelt on the main street, begging passersby for alms, with a boy just over a year old in her arms, with a straw inserted into his hair, and under the boy's feet was a note that read: "Sell son to bury husband." Master Huichong immediately understood that this woman had lost her husband and lacked the ability to give him a proper burial, so she wanted to sell her own son to get some money to bury her husband.

  Master Hui Chong saw the woman's situation and walked over, pulled out the straw from the boy's head and threw it on the street, picked up the boy and said to the woman: "I have a way to help you bury your husband, please follow me."