Chapter 69

He’s investigating me—he’s been investigating me all along!

At this moment, Liu Xiaolou’s mind kept repeating those words, leaving him utterly blank, for the man’s statement meant he had linked Liu Xiaolou to Xingde Jun’s escape. What would come next, he could not imagine at all.

But the blankness lasted only an instant; he quickly regained composure—extremely forced composure—pretending to think, his eyes rolling upward, actually avoiding direct eye contact.

“Yes, I did go to Tianmen Alley once, sealed myself off for half a month, ran out of dried rations, and had to buy some food. But I didn’t break my seclusion—I bought enough food and returned to continue my seclusion.”

“Where did you buy it?”

“Hongji Restaurant.”

“How long did you stay?”

“Ordered a full banquet, ate until very late.”

“With whom?”

“The proprietor of Hongji Restaurant. I knew him before; later he became prosperous, and whenever I had free time, I’d occasionally visit him.”

“Wei Hongqing?”

“Yes.”

“What did you talk about?”

“Just what we’d seen and heard since we last met... yes, I also told him I was crafting array discs. By the way, it was his advice that led me to Xingde Mountain—he said there was a hermit there named Xingde Jun, skilled in array disc crafting; otherwise, how would I have ever known such a person existed?”

Hou Sheng suddenly fell silent, staring at Liu Xiaolou with suspicion. Liu Xiaolou had now regained his calm, meeting his gaze steadily, his eyes filled with sincerity.

After a long while, Hou Sheng finally asked the question he most wanted to ask today: “Where is Xingde Jun?”

Liu Xiaolou widened his eyes, puzzled: “Xingde Jun? Isn’t he on Xingde Mountain?”

Hou Sheng narrowed his eyes: “Take everything out of your pockets.”

Liu Xiaolou frowned: “Master Hou, what are you doing? What have I done?”

Hou Sheng suddenly moved, seizing Liu Xiaolou’s shoulder blade, sending a surge of true qi into him. Liu Xiaolou forcibly suppressed the urge to retaliate; the true qi burrowed in, his arm feeling as if ten thousand ants gnawed his bones, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

“Where is Xingde Jun? Tell me, and you’ll earn merit—all past matters will be forgiven, and you’ll be richly rewarded. Think carefully.”

As he spoke, he reached into Liu Xiaolou’s chest, pulling out several strips of dried meat, over three taels of silver scraps, and a common soft jade. Seeing nothing else, he took off the jade pendant at Liu Xiaolou’s waist and turned it over in his hands: “Is this the array disc?”

Liu Xiaolou, unable to bear the pain, groaned: “After I left the mountain... I haven’t seen Xingde Jun. I truly don’t know... where he is. He wouldn’t tell me... Master Hou, I can’t take it anymore—my arm’s going to be ruined... I’m innocent...” Inside, he was filled with dread—thankfully, he hadn’t carried certain things with him; otherwise, today would have been his end!

Hou Sheng glared at Liu Xiaolou for a long while longer. Seeing he still wouldn’t speak, he finally withdrew his true qi and released him. Liu Xiaolou collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

“Xingde Jun committed a crime, caused great disaster. Even if he flees to the ends of the earth, the Qingyu Sect will pursue him to the death. Think carefully. If you remember anything, tell me immediately—go to the northern shore of Dongting Lake, where there’s a vast lotus pond. Beside it stands a lotus pavilion. Leave your address under the third stone slab on the left side of the pavilion entrance. No later than three days—I’ll come find you.”

He shook the array disc in his hand: “This array disc is contraband. I’m confiscating it. When you remember something, come find me—then I’ll return it to you. Understood?”

He crouched down and patted Liu Xiaolou’s cheek: “Think hard. Xingde Jun won’t escape. When they catch him, if he implicates you, you’ll be dead with no chance of survival.”

Long after Hou Sheng left, Liu Xiaolou finally recovered, leaning against the wall to walk out of Tou Tiao Alley, carefully recalling everything that had just happened, his mind racing.

He could be certain: Hou Sheng only suspected him, and not deeply—perhaps he was merely one of several leads Hou Sheng had considered. Otherwise, how could he have been let go so easily?

But how did Hou Sheng know he had been to Hongji Restaurant? Only a handful of people had seen him there that day and recognized him; only Lu Er and Zhang the manager truly knew his intentions—and both were now corpses in coffins, incapable of betraying him.

Wei Hongqing wouldn’t confess to him either. That left only the shopkeeper and the waiters—but they knew nothing of the truth. So merely knowing he had visited Hongji Restaurant proved nothing.

But regardless, now that he was on Hou Sheng’s list of suspects, it was no longer safe. In the eyes of a great sect, a minor hermit like him was no more than an ant. Once they fixated on you, actual evidence didn’t matter.

As he pondered, Liu Xiaolou went to Wuchao River, strolled two li along its bank, then suddenly plunged into the water. He clung to the underwater weeds beneath the riverbank, slowly moving a li through the water. Only when night had fully fallen did he find a hidden spot to climb ashore. After confirming no one followed, he quietly slipped back to his house in town.

Hou Sheng probably didn’t know Liu Xiaolou owned a house in Wuchao Town—if he had, a simple search would have uncovered the Purple Ultimate Gate’s Sect Master token and the Thousand Ultimate Manual left by Xingde Jun. Then his questioning wouldn’t have been so mild.

Inside the house, the white goose was gnawing a piece of cured meat in the kitchen. Seeing Liu Xiaolou return, it flapped its wings and rushed over.

Liu Xiaolou hugged its long neck for a moment, then quickly checked the house. Nothing had been disturbed. Most importantly, his bundle still lay untouched in the gap beneath the bedframe, the knots still tied as before. Opening it, he found the token, the array manual, the scripture, and five spirit stones—all intact. He exhaled slightly in relief.

He dared not light a lamp. In darkness, he sat silently, thinking of the array disc he had poured his heart into—his heart ached. Three full months, countless places traveled, materials gathered, spirit stones spent—every painstaking moment flooded his mind. The more he thought, the more unbearable it became.

After much thought, he slung his bundle over his shoulder, picked up the white goose, and returned overnight to Wulong Mountain. He hid the bundle, settled the goose, changed clothes, then immediately descended the mountain and headed straight for Tianmen Mountain’s marketplace.

At dawn, he arrived at the market, found a quiet corner, and waited. Only when the noon crowd swelled did he lower his straw hat, blending into the throng as he neared Hongji Restaurant.

Just before reaching the restaurant, about to slip inside unnoticed, someone behind him exclaimed in delight: “Brother! We meet again!”

Liu Xiaolou shuddered, slowly turning to look.

The man wore a straw hat too, his figure shabby and unseemly—it was Yan Sanfei, who had tried to sell him Yangxin Pills last winter.