Chapter 353: The Inexplicable Survival of the Old Master Sun
Chapter 353: The Inexplicable Survival of the Old Master Sun
The group arrived at an abandoned kiln site outside the city, where dusty cave holes were scattered everywhere.
Liufeng asked, "There are so many better places to meet in the city. Why did you choose this place?"
Gusong Jushi replied, "Because the person we're meeting is quite eccentric!"
Mudaoren added, "To be precise, it's three eccentric individuals—a rogue who has never done an honest day's work, and two old men even more peculiar than me!"
Liufeng, Zhang Yingfeng, and Mashuizhen immediately understood who they were talking about.
"The infamous Master Sun, along with Da Tong and Da Zhi?" Mashuizhen asked.
"I heard that only Master Sun can find those two, and they know everything under the sun, from the heavens above to the earth below," Zhang Yingfeng said curiously. "I wonder if that's true?"
Su Shaoying looked at the two and asked, "You know of Master Sun's reputation?"
Zhang Yingfeng replied with curiosity, "They're quite famous. Don't you know them?"
"I've heard of him," Su Shaoying sighed. "It's surprising how many people know of him. It's a miracle he's managed to stay alive for so long."
The group fell silent.
Liufeng spoke up, his tone displeased, "What are you implying?"
Su Shaoying spread his hands and said, "There are too many secrets in this world, and even more people who don't want their secrets revealed. Da Tong and Da Zhi claim to know everything. Don't you think that's a sure way to attract trouble?"
Mudaoren's eyes flickered, while Gusong Jushi laughed and said, "Da Tong and Da Zhi aren't immortals. How could they possibly know secrets that are deliberately hidden from them?"
"Unless it's a secret kept by one person, secrets shared by multiple people will always leave traces."
Su Shaoying replied calmly, "For those with sharp minds and keen eyes, piecing together clues to uncover the truth might not be as difficult as turning one's hand. It's merely a matter of time, perhaps no longer than it takes to eat a meal."
Su Shaoying gazed at the strange, hunchbacked old man riding a mule in the distance. The old man was short and thin, with a head as big as a fight, and he seemed to be drunk. Su Shaoying's voice carried as he spoke, "Therefore, if someone wants to keep their secrets hidden, the first person they must silence is Master Sun, the one who can always find Da Tong and Da Zhi."
Just then, the mule drew near, and Master Sun opened his drunk, bleary eyes to look at Su Shaoying. "Who wants to kill me?"
"Of course, it's those who fear having their secrets exposed by you," Su Shaoying replied with a smile.
"I don't know any damn secrets!" Master Sun exclaimed as he dismounted the mule, nearly falling in the process. "It's those two old bastards, Da Tong and Da Zhi, who know everything. If anyone should be killed, it's them!"
Mudaoren shook his head and laughed, "Tell me honestly, have you ever been completely sober for a single day?"
"No!" Master Sun shook his head. "In the drunken haze, the path is stable and welcoming, while other paths are treacherous... Why would I want to be sober?"
Mudaoren smiled, "You truly are a blessed man, more so than any of us."
Master Sun wobbled his head, "Because I'm smarter than all of you."
"It's a pity that clever people rarely live long," Su Shaoying said indifferently. "It's the foolish and oblivious ones who live to a ripe old age."
Liufeng couldn't help but glance at Su Shaoying, a spark of curiosity in his eyes.
However, Master Sun was too drunk to care.
Then, Gusong Jushi asked about the whereabouts of Da Tong and Da Zhi. Master Sun pointed to a cave hole, and then bent over to enter it, his large head barely fitting through the small opening.
Mudaoren tossed in fifty taels of silver and asked the first question, "In the battle between Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue, who emerged victorious?"
Answer: Neither.
Mudaoren asked the second question, "Why?"
Answer: When two tigers fight, they both sustain injuries. The winner is the hunter who waits in ambush.
A glint of appreciation flashed in Liufeng's eyes, and he couldn't help but glance at Su Shaoying again.
Mudaoren's third question was, "Has Ximen Chuixue already arrived in the capital? Where are his people?"
Answer: In a place that is hard for others to find.
Su Shaoying couldn't help but smile at this answer. While it was true, it wasn't exactly what the questioner was hoping for.
Next, Gusong Jushi asked, "Did Ye Gucheng really get hit by a hidden weapon from the Tang Clan?"
Answer: Yes!
Gusong Jushi frowned. "Are there any other ways to counter the hidden weapons of the Tang Clan?"
Answer: Yes!
With no further questions, Mudaoren turned to Liufeng and Su Shaoying, "Do you have any questions?"
Of course, Liufeng wouldn't ask about Ouyang Qing and the honest monk from the original story, as he was already aware of the inside story. However, he did have another question, one that had arisen that very morning.
"Do you know who the bodyguard following Du Tongxuan is?" Liufeng asked.
"It's..."
Before Da Tong could finish his answer, a strange sound of blowing bamboo suddenly interrupted them.
The next moment, a startled cry rang out from the cave, "Snake!"
Almost instantly, a crimson shadow darted out of the cave, leaving an afterimage as it shot towards the nearby bushes.
"Swish!"
A flash of silvery sword light disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and the crimson shadow suddenly froze at the edge of the bushes, writhing and hissing frantically.
Everyone's gaze followed the sound, and they saw a small snake, about a foot long, impaled on a sword and pinned to the ground.
The triangular snake head and the crimson body marked with black circular patterns instantly gave away its venomous nature, even to the most ignorant onlooker.
A moment later, Old Master Sun stumbled out of the cave, his head dusty and bearing bloodstains from several bumps and a nasty gash.
"Snake..."
Old Master Sun's eyes immediately fell on the pinned serpent.
"Do you know this snake?" Su Shaoying asked, stepping closer to the old man.
"Of course, I... I don't know it!" Old Master Sun patted his chest, still shaken. "Not only this venomous snake, but I can't even tell the difference between a bamboo leaf green and a branding iron head!"
"In that case, do you know the origin of the black-clad man by Du Tongxuan's side?" Su Shaoying asked with a hint of schadenfreude.
Old Master Sun's pupils contracted sharply, and he jumped in alarm, "I don't know a damn thing! I know nothing!"
"What about Da Tong and Da Zhi? Do they know?" Su Shaoying inquired.
"Those two old bastards were so scared by the snake that they told me not to look for them for half a year!" Old Master Sun exclaimed loudly.
Su Shaoying patted Old Master Sun's shoulder, "I believe you, but I'm not sure about the others."
(End of Chapter)
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