Chapter 28: Stunned Yang Erhu
Dark clouds hung thick as ink, obscuring the daylight.
Strong winds hurled raindrops as large as beans against the courtyard, window frames, and rooftop ridges, crackling incessantly like popping beans.
Looking up, the entire training ground in the backyard was enveloped in a heavy curtain of rain, a vast expanse of white.
Candles were lit one by one in the main hall.
The flickering light made Yang Erhu’s face appear and disappear.
Hong Yuan and Yang Erhu had both changed into clean, comfortable new clothes and sat facing each other.
Yang Erhu held a steaming bowl of tea in his hands, his thick, strong palms trembling slightly.
It wasn’t from the chill and rain, but from his agitated mind, unable to control himself.
His gaze was fixed on Hong Yuan, the shock still lingering on his face. If he hadn’t needed to maintain the reserved demeanor of a teacher, he would have been ecstatic long ago.
After taking a sip of tea, Yang Erhu slowly calmed his excited emotions and sighed, “Although I’ve long known your root bone and talent are excellent, I was still startled by you. Even now, I find it hard to believe.”
Yang Erhu was not a narrow-minded person.
In his prime, he had traveled across seven provinces, personally witnessing and even meeting many extraordinarily talented young heroes.
In fact, he himself was considered one of them.
Yang Erhu had also studied ancient texts and knew that there were some anomalies in this world, beings who could alone wield spears and charge into battle, taking on ten or a hundred enemies, ranking among the elite fierce generals, purely through their physique!
Such anomalies, once they practiced martial arts and cultivated their strength, could grasp qi and blood and enter True Force within a year or half, which was nothing out of the ordinary.
Yang Erhu originally thought Hong Yuan’s talent would be at most like that, but it turned out to be far more astonishing than he imagined.
He had only begun to temper his strength and refine his muscles and bones about ten days ago, grasped qi and blood three days ago, and today he had already entered force.
What shocked Yang Erhu the most was that he could unleash True Force three times consecutively upon entering force, and by Hong Yuan’s appearance, he still seemed to have a great deal of his strength reserved.
This control over force was perhaps only one step away from ‘freely control’!
How was this merely exceptional talent?
It was almost demonic!
But, it was a good kind of demonic!
Thinking this, Yang Erhu suppressed his excitement again and again, but it finally burst forth. The corners of his mouth turned up involuntarily, then dissolved into hearty laughter.
“Good! Excellent! My life has been mediocre for half a century, but in my old age, I have finally done one right thing: I have taken you as a disciple. With your talent, you will surely revitalize my Tiger Subduing Sect, and perhaps even… perhaps even recreate the former might of the Dragon Tiger Patriarch.”
Yang Erhu’s eyes were bright, his joy evident.
Hong Yuan, on the other hand, remained quite composed. He leisurely poured himself a cup of wine and savored it slowly. Only after Yang Erhu gradually recovered from his excitement did he speak:
“Teacher, the matter I wish to discuss now is also related to the Dragon Tiger Patriarch. I went out today and learned of a name—Dragon Subduing Sect!”
Yang Erhu’s expression turned serious: “Dragon Subduing Sect? Where did you hear that name?”
Hong Yuan did not answer directly, changing the subject: “Teacher, how much do you know about this Meng Yue?”
Yang Erhu knew Hong Yuan wouldn’t speak without reason and pondered:
“Meng Yue has been at the martial arts school for over two years. He has always been among the most diligent disciples, and his talent is also considerable. He is very respectful to me, and very diligent in his work. He has repeatedly wanted to formally become my disciple, and I have occasionally wavered. However, I always felt there was something strange about this person, and I couldn’t make up my mind. Could it be…”
Recalling Hong Yuan’s unexpected mention of the Dragon Subduing Sect, Yang Erhu’s pupils constricted.
Hong Yuan nodded, not concealing anything, and stated directly: “Meng Yue’s true identity is a disciple of the Dragon Subduing Sect, lurking in the Yang Family Martial Arts School, solely to steal the Tiger Subduing secret transmissions.”
Yang Erhu’s face turned ashen, not doubting Hong Yuan’s words. He berated, “Vile scoundrel! To use such insidious tricks, he has disgraced the Dragon Tiger Patriarch! Where is that Meng Yue? I won’t let him off!”
“Meng Yue is already dead. I killed him!”
Hong Yuan said calmly.
Yang Erhu: “…”
Before Yang Erhu could ask, Hong Yuan recounted everything: how he sensed something was amiss with Meng Yue, devised a plan to lure the snake out of its hole, secretly tracked Meng Yue, discovered his collusion with Yan Laosan, and then interrogated and beat him to death.
Of course, the minor matter of him going back on his word and being untrustworthy was not worth mentioning.
Yang Erhu listened, dumbfounded. It wasn’t until he heard Yan Laosan’s name that a sharp glint appeared in his eyes: “Yan Laosan is involved in this? Good! Very good! He dared to harm my disciple, it’s time to settle old and new scores.”
Yang Erhu’s tone was icy, filled with killing intent.
“Teacher, you have a grudge against that Yan Laosan? I interrogated Yan Laosan’s henchmen, the ruffians, and learned that a few nights ago someone broke into Yan Laosan’s lair and caused a fight. Was that you, Teacher?”
Yang Erhu nodded, then sighed, “It’s a pity the effort was in vain. In the end, Yan Laosan wasn’t even scratched.”
“What exactly is the enmity between Teacher and Yan Laosan?”
“It’s about that child Ziyue. The reason Ziyue ended up in that state was precisely because he was led astray by Yan Laosan’s gang of bandits. I even suspect they sold Ziyue into that brothel.”
“I have had a twenty-year friendship with Master Qin. Seeing my old friend in such a state, I cannot swallow this injustice.”
Hong Yuan offered no comment.
It was clear that Yang Erhu and Master Qin had a long-standing friendship, and regarded Qin Ziyue as a nephew. One’s own child, of course, was always good, even if they went bad, it was because they were led astray.
Yang Erhu clenched his fist, veins bulging on the back of his hand, and said coldly, “Sooner or later, I will take off that Yan Laosan’s dog head…”
“No need to trouble you, Teacher!” Hong Yuan waved his hand, and as Yang Erhu looked on in surprise, he said calmly, “Yan Laosan is also dead. His head was severed from his body. I killed him!”
Yang Erhu: “…”
Yang Erhu was completely stunned, reeling from the news.
He had spent the entire morning teaching at the martial arts school, and with the heavy rain, the ‘tragedy’ at the wharf had not yet reached the school. Naturally, he was unaware that Yangquan County was already singing praises of ‘Ten Steps, One Kill’.
Hong Yuan smiled again: “It’s a pity I didn’t know earlier that Teacher had a grudge against Yan Laosan, otherwise I would have brought his dog head back as well.”
Yang Erhu remained silent. What would he do with that dog’s head?
After a long pause, Yang Erhu began to inquire about the details. After listening to Hong Yuan’s account, Yang Erhu sighed with complex emotions.
He truly felt that he was getting old!
And the young disciple he had taken was indeed decisive and resolute, truly not wasting any time.
He had wanted to say why he didn’t inform him to act together, that venturing alone was too reckless, but then he thought about how he himself had stormed the lair alone, while his young disciple had disguised himself as a wandering knight to lure Yan Laosan out, strike, and quickly escape.
This…
It seemed like he himself was the one who was immature and reckless.
Moreover, with Hong Yuan’s current martial arts, even facing an encirclement of many thugs, escaping with ease would not be difficult. Bringing him along would only be a restraint.
Yang Erhu let out a wry smile.
…
