Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Who Is It?

Thinking back to his younger days, Qian Gui’s expression showed a trace of longing.

He allowed himself a moment of indulgence, sinking into his thoughts for a brief while. When he snapped back to reality, Bai and Mei were still deep in contemplation.

Qian Gui smiled and said, “People in the martial world are full of grand ambitions and aspirations, no wonder they don’t understand these things.”

Bai and Mei exchanged a glance, speechless.

What Qian Gui didn’t know was that they still hadn’t figured out the mess of feelings between them, had they?

As for the swordsman, he had already known that Fu Ming had lingering feelings for Gu Miao. But he also thought everyone was like him—once they decided to start a new relationship, they should let go of the past. Therefore, even though Fu Ming and Gu Miao flirted openly in front of him later, Bai Zhengliu only sighed in silence, resolving to better himself.

As for the swordsman’s younger brother, he had always been lively and playful since childhood. After entering the martial world, he made many friends. Besides Fu Ming, Gu Miao had also shared drinks and laughter with other “friends.” When the mood was right, it wasn’t uncommon for them to link arms or sit on each other’s laps.

What had Gu Miao said back then? “Senior Brother, we’re just friends. Don’t misunderstand!”

Alright, Mei Yinghan didn’t misunderstand. He simply thought today’s younger generation was too carefree and passionate—perhaps it was just that he himself was too old-fashioned and dull.

To his surprise, later on, when Gu Miao brought up these things again, she accused him of being clueless about romance, not jealous or teasing her. Clearly, he didn’t care about her, was indifferent to her, and simply saw her as his younger sister.

Mei Yinghan felt a headache coming on.

Just then, as Qian Gui turned to speak to others, Bai Zhengliu, unsure if he was trying to comfort Mei Yinghan or merely speaking to himself, quietly said, “The past is gone. What Fu Ming and Gu Miao do from now on has nothing to do with me.”

Mei Yinghan glanced at the swordsman. “...Yes, it’s all in the past.”

Right now, the main focus was to figure out who the “Old Master Chang” of the Tan family really was.

On this matter, each of them had their own thoughts.

Qian Gui thought it was Tan Junqiu, reasoning, “If I truly knew someone was coveting my wife, I’d definitely do something about it.”

The group looked at him, and Bai Zhengliu dryly remarked, “Brother Qian, you have such idealistic thoughts.”

Qian Gui coughed. “Ahem, ahem. Don’t misunderstand, everyone! I’m just a simple merchant. Even if I hold a grudge against that person, the most I’d do is pass a message to his family.”

The group: “Oh—”Bai Zhengliu: "Then, Brother Qian, what do you think of Meng Family's cousin's treatment of Meng Yuniang?"

Qian Gui hesitated for a moment. "During meals, like everyone else in the Meng family, he occasionally steals a glance at his cousin. But whether there's any hidden affection behind that, I cannot say for sure."

Bai Zhengliu nodded, while Junyang said, "I still think Tan Yuanwai is the most suspicious. Leaving everything aside, it's always him who holds onto Brother Qian and represents the Tan family in matters."

Jun Tao, however, had a different opinion: "Did you not hear what Ma Er said? Meng Yuniang has always been the subject of gossip. Her husband shows her no warmth. Now that she has a child, this should be the happiest time, but Brother Bai and Brother Mei have both said that she seems to be unsettled."

Everyone fell into deep thought, and Jun Tao pressed on.

"Furthermore, according to Ma Er, Meng Yuniang might not have married willingly at first. She was an orphan, and for some unknown reason, she married a sickly man. They hadn’t met before the marriage. How could she possibly be happy?… Don’t be fooled by how warmly the Meng family treats her now; if they truly felt any pity for the orphan, they wouldn’t have remained indifferent when Tan Yuanwai brought her back."

Bai Zhengliu: "That makes sense."

Mei Yinghan turned his gaze towards Nie Qing’e and Lu Qing.

Nie Qing’e didn't initially notice the swordsman's gaze. It was only when Mei Yinghan actively spoke up and asked, "What do Senior Nie and Senior Lu think?" that she snapped out of her thoughts, realizing, "What you all said makes sense, but I’m not sure who is the most suspicious."

Everyone sighed in unison.

Among the collective sighs, Bai and Mei exchanged looks again.

Bai Zhengliu: "Brother Mei, what do you think?"

Mei Yinghan: "I’ll just try… seems like there’s no result."

Bai Zhengliu furrowed his brows slightly.

Just as he was about to speak, Jun Tao suddenly had an idea: "We’ve been discussing the same three adults all this time. Do you think we might have overlooked the most problematic one?"

Everyone: "…Huh?"

Jun Tao lowered his voice, speaking ominously, "Have any of you heard? Before a child turns seven, they’ve opened their ‘heavenly eyes!’ The younger they are, the more spiritual they are. This Wen Ge’er, only a month old, was taken by the mountain bandits—his resentment is deep!—Ah, Brother, what are you doing?!"

Junyang withdrew his hand from tapping his younger brother’s head and said, speechless, "We’re talking about serious matters here, stop causing trouble."Jun Tao rubbed his head and muttered softly, "How is it causing trouble? Before I mentioned it, none of you even thought in this direction. What’s that called? 'The darkest place is under the lamp!'"

Junyang looked at his younger brother, who was speaking so confidently, and felt a slight itch in his hand.

Bai Zhengliu, on the other hand, felt that broadening their thinking wasn’t a bad idea. The problem was, "Even if ‘Old Master Chang’ is really that child, what we need to do is make him take revenge on his grudges and avenge his enemies. So, in this case, the one we need to find isn’t ‘Old Master Chang’, but rather ‘Lady Liu’."

Jun Tao begrudgingly nodded, "This... Brother Bai is right."

Bai Zhengliu then asked Nie Qing’e and Lu Qing: "Senior Nie, Senior Lu, last night you mentioned that the mountain bandits were numerous and quite fierce, but didn’t say anything about their martial skills, and whether we could handle them."

Nie Qing’e thought for a moment and replied, "Last night we didn’t engage with them, so I didn’t mention it. Since tonight is different, I’ll explain."

"My skills with Lu Lang are not extraordinary, but we can handle ordinary bandits without much trouble. At first, we thought the same. Until that night, when we wanted to protect Meng Yuniang and Wen Ge’er, we had to fight the mountain bandits. That’s when we realized, these weren’t just ordinary mountain bandits! With their skills, let alone me and Lu Lang—if there were more of them, even Master would struggle to match them!"

"According to reason, people with such skills wouldn’t remain nameless in the martial world. But if they were famous, why would they become bandits? So, looking back, we think they’re not alive, and thus, cannot be judged by the common logic."

"Without involving the Tan family, the bandits pose no real threat to us. But if they intervene with the Tan family’s affairs, they will certainly make blood flow!"

Bai Zhengliu listened, gripping the hilt of his "Twenty-Eight Generals" sword tightly.

The words of the man with the horse face echoed in his ears again. The sword was a good sword, but it was just a sword. The most important thing was still the one wielding it.

Bai Zhengliu: "Seniors, have you ever tried, before, to move the Tan family and Meng family out of here, to hide in the forest?"

Nie Qing’e smiled bitterly. "How could we not try? But it was completely useless! Even if we took people out to hide, they seemed to know exactly where the two families went and immediately followed us there!"

"I see," Bai Zhengliu nodded. "Then tonight, it will be the same as last night..."

Jun Tao hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Brother Bai, I will fight alongside you!"

Junyang glanced at his younger brother, furrowing his brow.

Jun Tao explained, "Based on last night’s situation, the bandits wouldn’t come to the shelter! If they do, I will definitely return and guard it. But before that, with Senior Sister, Senior Brother, Brother Bai, and Brother Mei, the four of you—how will you be able to handle over twenty bandits? With me, it will be much easier for all of you!"

Junyang took a deep breath, as if he wanted to say something. To his surprise, Qian Gui also gritted his teeth and spoke up: "Great Jun Hero, Little Jun Hero, what Little Jun Hero says is right. The mountain bandits outside are the most dangerous. If you stay here guarding me, it’s just a waste of manpower. Tonight, I will hide alone. You all go out to face the enemy—I will definitely not slow you down!"

Jun Tao’s eyes lit up with hope, "Brother—"Junyang's temple twitched. "You all..."

"That’s not possible," Mei Yinghan said.

Jun Tao, Junyang, and Qian Gui all froze, staring at him.

Mei Yinghan’s tone was calm, but his words sent a chill down their spines: "Didn't Brother Bai and I already mention it to you two, Junior Brothers Jun? In Guang’an Prefecture's 'Chang Residence,' there was also a Brother Hu who walked into the mist alone. When he reappeared, he was no longer alive. Yet, he could still laugh, still be afraid, and remained lurking among us."

These words were the first time anyone other than the Jun brothers had heard them. The others broke out in cold sweat. "This...!"

Mei Yinghan emphasized, "No matter the situation, at least two people should be together—Junior Brother Junyang, Junior Brother Jun Tao. You can leave one here, but you must ensure someone is with Brother Qian."

Jun Tao's face twitched, a conflicted expression crossing his face. At this moment, Junyang spoke.

"I understand," he said. "I’ll go with Brother Bai, Brother Mei, and Senior Sister and Brother."

Jun Tao: "Eh? Brother!"

He wanted to protest, but Junyang shot him a stern look, leaving no room for argument. "It's settled. Jun Tao, you stay here and guard Brother Qian."

Jun Tao: "Brother, you—"

Junyang had already turned to the others and asked, "Tonight, do we really act on what Senior Sister said and proactively save them?"

Bai Zhengliu glanced at Jun Tao, who was still looking unhappy, but he chose not to get involved in the matter between the two brothers. He spoke simply: "Saving them is one thing. The most important thing is to capture the mountain bandits alive and figure out where they came from."

Mei Yinghan added, "When did they start targeting the Tan family, and why did they decide to act tonight?"

Bai Zhengliu: "When they came, they mentioned only needing to look at the main house and the eastern wing. They also broke into the western wing but only took a cursory glance. As for the back shelter, they didn’t even bother to visit. From this, it’s clear they know something about the Tan family… Hmm, could they be the same people from earlier in the day?"

Bai Zhengliu recalled his earlier sudden thought. However, he didn’t delve further into this issue.

Whether or not it was them, they’d know in another hour or two.

As the night deepened, the group began to close their eyes and rest, silently waiting for the arrival of the mountain bandits.

In this quiet stillness, time flowed little by little. Finally, footsteps echoed from the front yard!Bai Zhengliu suddenly opened his eyes, a cold gleam flashing in his gaze.

He grabbed the "Twenty-Eight Generals" sword, his movements sharp and swift. In the blink of an eye, his figure was already at the door.

"Move!"

Author’s Note:

Clue Sorting Chapter

Little Bai: I know all of you have suspicious points. No worries, let’s just get to the main focus.