Chapter 404: 378 The Test

The old blind man was startled and said, "Big... Big Master, what are you doing? When my teacher died, he was dirt poor; I even had to buy his burial clothes on credit. He had only one thin garment, and after being buried in a three-inch coffin in a mound of dirt, all that was left was a small grave. Even grave robbers wouldn't bother digging it up. He had nothing at home either; for a man with no heirs like him, whatever he had when he died would just be split among everyone. But his things were truly worthless, so everyone was too lazy to take them. The only thing he left behind was this stringed instrument, the one I have here, which I have always kept by my side as a memento."

Meng Huazhou's eyes lit up and he said, "A stringed instrument? Let me see it."

The old blind man's hands tightened, ready to pull back, but Meng Huazhou didn't care whether he was willing or not and reached out to grab it. He glanced at Tang Zhao and said, "If you, sir, would not..."

Tang Zhao said, "I have no interest in taking other people's things. A gentleman does not seize what others love. If the old gentleman is unwilling, then let it be. If you must have it, I would advise you to be a bit more decent. If there is truly something you want, why not spend money to buy it?"

It remained the same principle: if Tang Zhao could not protect the old blind man for a lifetime, then letting Meng Huazhou pay enough money to take the item might be the optimal solution; this was, after all, a cruel world where the strong and weak were clearly defined.

The old blind man hurriedly said, "I dare not, I dare not. I can no longer play the stringed instrument now. This instrument... I give it to you, Big Master." Having said this, he tremblingly offered it up with both hands.

Meng Huazhou glanced at Tang Zhao and said, "Do you think I am taking advantage of you?" He reached out, took out a silver ingot, stuffed it into the old blind man's hand, and said, "I will take your instrument to examine it. If there is no result, I will return it to you as it is. If there is any damage, I will naturally compensate you with a new one." After saying this, he picked up the stringed instrument and looked at Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao looked at the old blind man and saw that although the old man looked reluctant, he was fiddling with the silver ingot in his hand and even bit it with his two remaining teeth, gradually revealing a look of happiness. He then nodded and said, "Once you have finished listening to the music, please feel free to go."

Meng Huazhou looked at Tang Zhao again, thinking: Is he truly letting me go, or does he intend to toy with me like a cat playing with a mouse before killing me?

Thinking this, he felt it didn't make sense. Although there were people in the martial arts world with such perverse tastes, Tang Zhao truly didn't look like one. Personalities are usually consistent, unless Tang Zhao had been acting through every single detail from start to finish. There was no audience here; who would he be performing for?

He looked at the old blind man again, thinking: Perhaps he didn't want to kill in front of this old fellow, as it might implicate the man's life. I wonder what relationship this person has with the old blind man, and why he cares so much? Could it be the old fellow's long-lost biological son?

Thinking this, he asked one last question: "Old gentleman, where are you from? What is your ancestral home? Which street and road do you live on?"

The old blind man blurted out, "I am from Xishan County, Yunzhou, and I live at Dajing Hutong by the outer gate."

Meng Huazhou nodded meaningfully, took one last look at Tang Zhao, and stood up to leave.

He flashed out the door, but just as he reached the courtyard, he silently climbed the wall, hid on the roof beam, and curled up his body, staying in the blind spot under the lamp.

He wanted to see if Tang Zhao was truly letting him go, or if he was playing a game of cat and mouse, and if there were any other conspiracies.

After waiting for a while, Tang Zhao did not chase after him, and no conversation like reminiscing occurred in the room.

After a while, he heard the old blind man in the room say, "I don't know which immortal you are, Big Master, why are you looking after me so much?"

He heard Tang Zhao say, "Old gentleman, there is no need to worry. I am not an immortal, just a passerby. We met by chance and have no grudges. As for the special care, it was merely a small effort for me, so why not do it? It is dawn; I will take you home. Liangzi—"

He went out to call for someone, and Teng Liang stumbled out from behind his room door. Seeing Tang Zhao standing there safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief and called out, "Zhaozi, are you alright? That..." he whispered, "has the fierce man left?"

Tang Zhao looked at the dark circles under his eyes and his listless appearance, knowing he hadn't slept all night, and said, "He has left, don't worry anymore. I will take the old gentleman back; you go and catch up on sleep."

Teng Liang completely relaxed, yawned, and said, "It's fine, I can't sleep anyway. Let's go send him off together. Damn it, we were supposed to have some wine and drink all night, but instead, you were listening to music in the main room all night, and I was keeping watch in the side room all night. Good heavens, it's truly more tiring than having a headache the day after a heavy drinking session."

Tang Zhao glanced at the courtyard and nodded, saying, "Since that's the case, come with me."

The two of them took the old blind man out and walked back along the path they had come. Tang Zhao asked, "How did it feel last night?"

Teng Liang said, "Naturally, it was bad, being on pins and needles. I was just afraid you would kill him, and then he would kill me."

Tang Zhao said, "That is exactly it. Martial arts conflicts are just this dangerous. If you continue to drift on the streets, this kind of life on pins and needles might last until your final day. Being on pins and needles psychologically is still considered good; being on pins and needles physically is not impossible."

Teng Liang said, "That's just because I am weaker than him; weak people will always be bullied. Do you think if I went to the main headquarters for advanced training, I could take down the person from today?"

Tang Zhao said directly, "No chance."

In today's situation, even if Jiao Feng came, there would be no chance.

Perhaps even if Black Widow came, she might not be able to defeat Meng Huazhou. After all, he is the Young Master of Jingzhe Villa, an existence above the Five Poisons Society. From the fact that he can already master a Dharma Artifact, his Inspiration is not bad, and he is compatible with the Jingzhe Sword. If he chose to inherit the Jingzhe Sword directly, his chances would not be small. The reason he doesn't inherit it is mostly because of his yearning for the ethereal Cloud Sword.

Black Widow should truly be grateful that Jingzhe Villa has a Young Master who pursues "poetry and distant places," otherwise she wouldn't even have the chance to participate in the competition for Manor Master.

Teng Liang said, "Is that so? Then the Five Poisons Society has delayed me..."

This sentence was purely a joke. Tang Zhao chuckled and said, "You dare to say such things without having left the Five Poisons Society; you are truly courting death."

Teng Liang made a face and immediately added, "Then I'll just have to entrust you to find me a sect where I can make progress. Can you really find one?"

Tang Zhao said, "I can. But it will take some time." He hadn't yet decided where to place Teng Liang so that he would be both safe and reliable.

He suddenly looked at Teng Liang squarely and said, "I am going to leave for a while, and I have two things to entrust to you."

Teng Liang didn't even ask what the matters were, patted his chest, and said, "With our relationship, let alone two things, even two hundred things wouldn't count as..."

Tang Zhao said, "The first thing—you must take good care of this old gentleman."

Teng Liang let out a "Huh?"

He was actually quite clever and very observant, otherwise he wouldn't have survived until now. And Tang Zhao had never hidden his attitude toward thugs, so as soon as Tang Zhao spoke, he guessed the first thing was to have him leave the Eight Legs Gang.

Regarding this, Teng Liang felt there was no difficulty; he liked adventure and bloodshed, but he didn't like the Eight Legs Gang. He had said before that sooner or later he would settle scores with his "brothers." Let alone letting him quit the Eight Legs Gang, he would even be happy to burn down the Eight Legs Gang headquarters right now.

However, Tang Zhao's words left Teng Liang dumbfounded, and he stammered, "I... how do I take care of him?"

The old blind man was also startled and was about to speak, but Tang Zhao gently pressed his shoulder, signaling the old man to be calm, and said, "It is just to buy a clean house in a quiet place, settle this old man in, and take care of his food, daily life, clothing, and meals. That is not difficult, right?"

Teng Liang opened his mouth wide and said, "This... is not difficult? Money... who spends it?"

Tang Zhao said, "The old gentleman has his own." He pointed to the ingot in the old man's hand and said, "This ingot is worth more than ten taels. It is enough to buy a house in the outer city, and the remaining money can be used for clothing and food expenses; even simple tea and plain rice will last a long time. It is only for a few months; once I find you a master, you can leave."

Teng Liang's cheek twitched as he said, "A few months... I remember you don't even know him; it was I who told you there was such a person. You are taking on so much responsibility now; are you two long-lost relatives?"

Tang Zhao said, "No, I just want to do a good deed and see it through to the end."

Teng Liang muttered, "You are saving someone, why am I the one suffering? Are you saving him for my sake?"

These words hit the nail on the head. Although Tang Zhao pitied the old blind man for being poor and weak, he wouldn't go so far as to manage his whole life for him. After all, there are many pitiful people in the world; Tang Zhao couldn't save everyone, nor could he save every one he saw.

On one hand, he was saving someone, but on the other hand, he really wanted to see if Teng Liang could still do a proper good deed, do something that involved taking care of someone, and do something purely beneficial to others.

Even if it was being asked to do so by someone else.

Even the most vicious bandits might have a sudden impulse for a good deed, and thugs can casually give money to beggars. But to have them patiently and long-term take care of an old man with whom they have no relation—for many people, that is worse than killing them.

Can Teng Liang do it?

If he can do it, regardless of whether he has a kind heart, he at least has patience. This can also be considered a commendable quality, and even a quality essential for a successful person.

"The second thing."

Tang Zhao raised a finger again, "You must withdraw from the Eight Legs Gang..."

Teng Liang breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "That is no problem."

Tang Zhao said, "After you withdraw, you must absolutely not have any contact with anyone from any gang, not even indirectly. From now on, you will disappear from their sight so that they cannot find you. Then, in your daily life, unless your life is in danger, you must not use martial arts, let alone your previous connections. Forget the experiences of these past few years and live like an ordinary person."

Teng Liang gasped and said, "I can't even see a single good brother?"

Tang Zhao asked in return, "Do you have any good brothers you can't bear to part with?"

Teng Liang thought for a moment and said, "That, I don't have."

Tang Zhao was a bit surprised; Teng Liang liked the passionate world of martial arts so much, yet he actually didn't like brotherhood, an important component of sects? Having drifted for so many years, had he not made any brothers he could entrust his life to?

Teng Liang continued, "The only good brother I had is already gone. The others aren't true brothers."

Tang Zhao continued, "That makes things convenient. You just forget about them and use a few months to take good care of this old gentleman. This is the task I am setting for you; do you dare to accept it?"

Teng Liang thought it over carefully, then suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "When I was a child, I heard you tell stories about immortal cultivation, saying that a poor boy, in order to enter an immortal sect, endured so many trials and knelt at the mountain gate for days and nights, only then earning a chance to defy the heavens and change his fate. Do I have the fate of a protagonist today? Taking care of someone isn't a life-threatening matter either. Fine, this trial, I accept it."

Tang Zhao nodded. He wanted to see, after forcibly abstaining from the "martial arts world" for a few months, living a calm life of daily necessities, and spending all his energy on taking care of an old man, what changes would occur in Teng Liang's mindset after this experience?

Would he be filled with stifled frustration, wishing he could dump the old guy as soon as possible, or would he become slightly, just slightly, calmer?

This would determine what Tang Zhao could do next.

Tang Zhao then sent Lao Xiazi to his original shack and had Teng Liang pack up the old man's things. Suddenly, he patted them and said, "I'm leaving for a moment. If you can't wait for me, go to the East Pillar of State and buy a house first."

Leaving the two, Tang Zhao's expression darkened. He turned the corner of the street and said, "Why has Your Excellency returned?"