Chapter 65: Calming the Waves

Very quickly.

Following the address left on the cloth, Xi Beichen stumbled through the cold wind and darkness until he arrived before a house.

After confirming repeatedly that he had the right place, he did not knock, but instead circled to the side and, enduring his pain, vaulted into the courtyard.

And almost the moment he vaulted in.

Although the noise he made was not loud, Lin Xingchao, who had been unable to sleep all night inside the house, suddenly opened his eyes and immediately grabbed the long sword by his side before rolling off the bed.

He pushed the door open and caught sight of the figure in the corner of the backyard wall, immediately shouting in a stern voice:

"Who!"

Hearing this familiar voice, Xi Beichen stood up with difficulty, suppressing his excitement and joy:

"Master, it's me."

Also hearing the incomparably familiar voice, Lin Xingchao's movements suddenly stiffened, and he stepped forward twice in disbelief to identify the person carefully.

Under the dim starlight and moonlight, although the person before him was covered in blood and his face was as pale as paper, who else could it be but his disciple?

Lin Xingchao, who had spent the entire night calculating how to rescue Xi Beichen, could not believe his eyes; he took a step to reach the other person and reached out to support him, saying excitedly:

"Beichen, how can it be you? How did you escape from the Jingwu Division?"

At the same time, in the other two rooms, Gu Yourong and Lu Yuan, having heard the commotion, also walked out one after another, and upon rushing over, they were all shocked:

"Senior Brother Xi!?"

Gu Yourong, in particular, blinked hard first, and after confirming it was not a hallucination, she flew forward in wild joy, too excited to speak:

"Senior Brother, how are you here? Did Uncle-Master save you?"

Xi Beichen's sudden appearance was too bizarre, and since only Li Junxian and the others knew of their hideout, she subconsciously assumed that this Uncle-Master had used some unknown method to rescue Xi Beichen.

The events that had happened to him were too inconceivable, so Xi Beichen shook his head weakly and smiled:

"Not Uncle-Master, it was Qingyike."

"What?"

Lu Yuan, standing to the side, was 'greatly startled':

"Qingyike? He actually took action?"

Although he was anxious to know what had happened, Lin Xingchao did not lose his basic vigilance and said immediately:

"Outside is not the place to talk; let us go inside to speak!"

As he spoke, he and Gu Yourong supported Xi Beichen and went into the house.

Lu Yuan naturally followed along.

Once inside, they lit a candle. Lin Xingchao could not wait to ask questions and hurriedly checked Xi Beichen's injuries, while Gu Yourong brought a medicine box and poured a cup of hot tea, asking urgently:

"Senior Brother, how did Qingyike save you?"

Xi Beichen drank the cup of hot tea in one breath, then wiped his mouth, panting as he smiled bitterly:

"To tell you the truth, I don't know either. Because at that time, I had been tortured into unconsciousness by those lackeys in the Criminal Chamber of the Jingwu Division. When I woke up, I was already near here. From beginning to end, I never saw Qingyike; I only had this extra thing on me."

He took out the piece of cloth with writing on it and unfolded it. Lin Xingchao immediately took it to look, then said in shock:

"So this person had already known of our existence?"

The information left by Qingyike pointed out his relationship with Xi Beichen; clearly, the hints they had left previously had taken effect, causing the other party to have already investigated their existence, though he had not appeared to meet them.

However, that Qingyike even knew clearly about their hideout, where they had stayed for less than a day—this point was far too eerie!

Xi Beichen said, feeling both awe and regret:

"Indeed, this senior must have known about us for a long time, but for some reason, he was unwilling to make contact with us. It is only a pity that when he rescued me, I was in a state of unconsciousness from start to finish, and I didn't even have the chance to thank him."

Lin Xingchao took a deep breath:

"The guard at the Jingwu Division dungeon must be extremely strict. For him to be able to rescue you unscathed, such methods are truly worthy of a celestial being!"

Fengyang Prefecture is, after all, the capital of a province; the experts in the Jingwu Division here might not be as numerous as in Jinjin or Tianjing, but it can definitely be called a dragon's den and a tiger's lair.

Now that firearms are on the rise, martial arts experts no longer have their former advantages. Although he had previously made up his mind to break into the prison to save his disciple, in reality, he had almost less than a thirty percent chance of success.

Yet Qingyike, alone, was able to rescue Xi Beichen so easily; such ability can be called unfathomable.

"It is more than that."

Xi Beichen hesitated for a moment, then said:

"I will not hide it from you, Master. When I was being tortured in the prison, a Jin dog severed my hand and foot tendons, and I became a cripple on the spot. But when I just woke up, I discovered that the severed hand and foot tendons had actually been reconnected."

"What!?"

Lin Xingchao and Gu Yourong were both shocked and immediately checked Xi Beichen's hands and feet.

After just a few glances, Lin Xingchao, who was proficient in medicine, showed an expression of extreme shock:

"How is it possible... how did he do it..."

Whether it was the medical arts he had learned or the Western medicine that had spread through the Coastal cities in recent years, both included techniques for reconnecting severed tendons.

But a broken mirror is hard to mend.

For injuries involving tendons like this, no matter how brilliant the reconnection technique, it could not be perfectly joined, and it would leave traces while also causing a huge impact on a martial artist's future.

But at this moment, through the unhealed wounds on Xi Beichen's hands and feet, he saw tendons that had been joined almost perfectly; if one did not examine them carefully, one could not even see a trace of the rupture!

If all went well, after resting peacefully for a few days, the severed tendons would certainly grow back completely, and it would basically not affect the progress of his future Martial Arts.

Such medical skill could be called earth-shattering and heaven-defying; it was unheard of.

Gu Yourong did not know these things and asked worriedly:

"Master, how are the injuries on Senior Brother's hands and feet? Will it affect his future?"

"Rest assured, this kind of perfect tendon-reconnection technique is the only one I have ever seen in my life; it is like a miracle. As long as he rests for a few months, it will not cause any impact on Beichen's future."

There had been too many shocks today, and Lin Xingchao muttered to himself:

"A divine person, Qingyike is truly a divine person of this age..."

Hearing this, Xi Beichen immediately felt relieved and smiled happily, while Gu Yourong was even more excited, wishing she could jump up on the spot.

As for Lu Yuan,

although he hadn't interjected a single word from beginning to end, he had also made various expressions quite appropriately to go along with them.

After all, this was a world without immortals or gods; no matter how outrageous the situation was, as long as they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, Lin Xingchao and the others had absolutely no reason to associate it with Dharma Technique.

In fact, even if he were slightly exposed, it wouldn't matter; at worst, he could just discard the identity of Qingyike.

After all, it was Qingyike who had displayed Dharma Technique, what did that have to do with him, Lu Yuan?

Soon, after the joy of the reunion of the master and his two disciples passed.

Lin Xingchao finally remembered to let Lu Yuan go back and quickly notify Li Junxian.

Lu Yuan returned to Boxiyuan through the tunnel without a sound, found Li Junxian who was also still awake, and informed him of the situation.

Li Junxian was naturally overjoyed as well, and personally went to the villa through the tunnel to meet Lin Xingchao and his disciples.

After a detailed understanding, he was also deeply shocked, and his evaluation of Qingyike in his heart rose once again, regarding him as a peerless expert who might have already reached the pinnacle of Daoist Arts.

After all, with his knowledge, even a high-ranking Dharma master of the Sixth Realm who only practiced Daoist Arts would likely be unable to possess such various astonishing means.

Especially the next day.

Early in the morning, Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu also learned the news and were greatly shocked.

Then, under Li Junxian's assignment, they went out to gather intelligence, and after spending most of the day, they finally found out about the situation at the Jingwu Division last night, learning that Qingyike had not only rescued Xi Beichen but also killed a Duyuan-level expert and seven or eight prison guards.

What was even more unbelievable was that throughout this entire process, no one had ever seen Qingyike!

Such strange and bizarre means were completely worthy of the title of a peerless expert.

At this point.

With the help of Qingyike, Xi Beichen had returned safely, and Lin Xingchao and Li Junxian no longer needed to take a desperate risk; the crisis was mostly resolved, and it could be said that both sides were very happy.

And if one had to name the only loser, it was naturally the Jingwu Division.

Having a high-profile prisoner rescued by Qingyike right under their noses was a huge humiliation; the Commander Suo Helie was furious and issued a strict order for everyone who knew about it that night to keep their mouths shut and not let a single word leak out.

The strict order did indeed have an effect; if it weren't for Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu spending dozens of Silver Yuan on bribes the next day, they really wouldn't have been able to find out anything at all.

Because the news was blocked tightly enough, no one knew about such a big blunder, and the Jingwu Division went all out the next day to intensify the search throughout the city, intending to find the whereabouts of Xi Beichen and even Lin Xingchao.

However, with a large place like Fengyang Prefecture and a local snake like Li Junxian providing cover, their search was naturally completely ineffective.

And by the third day.

The Jingwu Division, having gained nothing, had no other choice but to drag a scapegoat with a build similar to Xi Beichen out of the prison, beat him until he was bruised and unrecognizable, and then take him to Caishikou to be beheaded as a public display.

On this day, tens of thousands of commoners came to watch, blocking Caishikou until it was impassable.

This included Lu Yuan, Xu Dahu, and Xu Erhu, who also went to join in the excitement.

The beheaded prisoner was beaten beyond recognition, and being far away, the commoners couldn't tell the real one from the fake one at all.

When the scapegoat prisoner was publicly beheaded, some ignorant and foolish commoners cheered and applauded, and even held up steamed buns and rushed forward, wanting to soak them in the blood;

while most of the commoners felt sympathy, unbearable pity, and indignation, cursing Heaven for being blind in their hearts.

They only knew that ever since Qingyike appeared, one corrupt official and local tyrant after another who broke the law had been executed, and the foul atmosphere in the East City area and even most of Fengyang Prefecture had taken on a new look; they all had more or less reverence and gratitude for this mysterious chivalrous hero in their hearts.

Seeing his helper captured and beheaded by the government, there was naturally nothing to be happy about.

And in such a grand scene with ten thousand people watching.

Lu Yuan considered in the crowd whether he should take the opportunity to pull off a big stunt of manifesting his power before the masses to earn a wave of Qi Luck.

Although he had broken into the prison alone to rescue Xi Beichen two days ago, he had earned almost no Qi Luck because the news was blocked and no one knew about it, only a pitiful two or three units.

But with thousands of people around the execution ground, the impact and the Qi Luck brought about by pulling off a big stunt under the eyes of the public would inevitably be huge.

But after weighing it, Lu Yuan still chose to give up.

After all, the Jingwu Division had been tortured enough by him during this period, and pulling off a stunt under the eyes of so many people was truly too arrogant; if the influence expanded and attracted the attention of the entire Jin Dynasty, it wouldn't be a good thing for him right now.

Just like that, the storm gradually passed.

Fengyang Prefecture was, after all, the capital of a province; not two days after the farce of the beheading at the vegetable market, the Jingwu Division could no longer withstand the pressure and had to lift the city gate blockade and resume entry and exit.

However, because their injuries were not light, Lin Xingchao and the others did not take the opportunity to leave, but continued to recuperate in the villa.

Lu Yuan lived with the three of them as a cover, while also being responsible for providing food, drink, and medicinal herbs; during this period, government runners had come to inquire, but he had easily dealt with them.

As time passed.

The search by the Jingwu Division and even the yamen gradually became all thunder and no rain, and in less than ten days, there was no movement at all, as if they knew they couldn't catch the few people and had given up completely.

Just like that, nearly two months passed in the blink of an eye.

This evening.

Li Junxian, who had come to the villa, looked at Lin Xingchao and his disciples: "Are you preparing to leave?"

"My and Beichen's injuries have already healed, and having troubled you for so long, Senior Brother, it is time to return."

Lin Xingchao sighed:

"It is only a pity that that Qingyike never appeared from beginning to end; he treated Beichen with the kindness of a second birth, yet I, as his master, didn't even have the chance to thank him."

Xi Beichen, who no longer showed any signs of injury, was particularly unwilling and regretful: "Senior Uncle, has that Qingyike never made a move again during these days?"

Li Junxian nodded: "Indeed, I have not heard any news of him making a move in these two months."

Xi Beichen sighed at length: "This senior has treated me with great kindness, and I don't know if I will have the chance to thank him in this lifetime."

Two months had passed, and his injuries had completely healed, including the tendons in his limbs which had basically recovered as before, without any impact on his future practice of Martial Arts.

All of this was thanks to Qingyike, yet he didn't even have the chance to thank him in person for such great kindness and virtue, which he had to regard as a great regret.

Seeing Xi Beichen brooding, Lu Yuan, who was on the side, smiled:

"Those seniors are reclusive experts; I presume they would not care for worldly formalities. Senior Brother Xi only needs to keep the gratitude in your heart, there is no need to be so concerned."

"That is all I can do..."

Xi Beichen suddenly pulled Gu Yourong to bow to Li Junxian and Lu Yuan respectively:

"Many thanks to Martial Uncle and Junior Martial Brother Lu for your protection and care over these days; Beichen is deeply grateful. If you and Martial Uncle have any leisure time in the future, you must come to Jinjin so that my master and I can fulfill our duties as hosts."

"Why must Senior Martial Brother Xi be so polite!"

Lu Yuan hurriedly stepped aside.

Li Junxian, however, glanced at Lin Xingchao and sighed softly:

"In the future... certainly."

"Why must Senior Martial Brother look at me with that kind of gaze? Our plan will take at least a year or so, and it is not certain that I will perish in it."

Lin Xingchao gave a bitter smile, looked at Lu Yuan again, and then took a book from his bosom and handed it over:

"I have been in Fengyang Prefecture for so long and have not even given A Yuan and the others a greeting gift; this elder is truly quite incompetent. This 'Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword' is something I obtained by chance in my early years, and it is a first-class Martial Arts sword manual in the pugilistic world. A Yuan, take it; you can study it together with Dahu and Erhu."

Lu Yuan was slightly startled and looked hesitantly at Li Junxian, only to see the other party remain silent for a moment before saying:

"The Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword is the true-transmission Martial Arts of the Wind Thunder Sect from the previous dynasty and is a top-tier Sword Technique of the current age. Since it is a gift from your Martial Uncle, just accept it."

Lu Yuan followed the advice, accepted it immediately, and then bowed: "Many thanks, Martial Uncle!"

Lin Xingchao nodded and looked at Li Junxian again:

"Tomorrow morning, we will disguise ourselves and leave the city separately. After this parting, I do not know when we will be able to meet again. Senior Martial Brother, please take care."

After two months, the Martial Peace Bureau had basically given up on the search and arrest, and the inspections at the city gates were just for show; leaving the city was not difficult.

Li Junxian gazed at this junior martial brother, knowing that this might be the last time the two would meet, and said slowly:

"I also wish you a smooth journey and success."

(End of chapter)