Chapter 79: Seemingly Having a Reliance

Zhao Ti's gaze fell upon the object in the old woman's hand; he frowned, for this Yan Pozi was no kind soul.

Seeing no one answer, the old woman's eyes flashed with evil light, two sharp canine teeth bared as if she meant to bite, and she let out a strange cackle: "Are you from Canhe Zhuang? Here to save those two little hussies, A Zhu and A Bi?"

Zhao Ti stepped forward and jerked his chin; Wang Chengzong beside him immediately rushed over.

This Wang Chengzong was the master of the Golden Blade Sect, whom Zhou Dong said was to bring all his disciples to defect; Zhou Dong had stated his skill was excellent, the highest among the martial artists recruited from the Jianghu.

Seeing him now dart forth, the Golden Blade appeared in his palm; amidst a flash of cold light, a single move of Furious Tide sweeping horizontally beheaded the old woman, then he retreated, his breath steady and his steps firm.

Zhao Ti nodded slightly; this Wang Chengzong not only wielded his blade skillfully but also possessed substantial internal strength; Zhou Dong's Wu Gong was slightly inferior to that of the South Sea Crocodile God, and Wang Chengzong was on that same level.

Yet both belonged to the type who built steadily, with great room for improvement; Zhou Dong's character was good, his Wu Gong path slow but correct, and Wang Chengzong was the same.

Duan Yu was startled, then exclaimed with approval: "Brother Zhao, although I dislike killing, this old woman deserves death; she is ten times more vicious than that foreign monk Jiu Ji Mo Zhi. They say one can become a Buddha the moment one lays down the butcher's knife, yet even if she laid down her knife, she would never become a Buddha."

Zhao Ti nodded: "Brother Duan, come with me."

Duan Yu was just about to reply when hurried footsteps came from outside the flower bed; a few breaths later, the gate guard Su Da entered, saying: "Young Master, soldiers on the shore sent a message; the master of the manor has returned."

Li Qingluo has returned? Zhao Ti smiled slightly: "Go to the shore to take a look; Brother Duan, come along."

Duan Yu said: "Brother Zhao, if you truly do not know Lady Wang and her daughter, why did you mention Suzhou in the first place?"

Zhao Ti said: "Since you say I deceived you, you must have already gone and asked; why do you still dwell on it?"

Duan Yu's face flushed red: "I not only asked that Lady, but I even asked her daughter; otherwise, how could I have ended up in such a plight?"

Zhao Ti, hands clasped behind his back, walked and said: "How so?"

"How else could it be? Brother Zhao, you tricked me!" Duan Yu said angrily: "Originally, that Lady Wang thought I understood camellias and kept asking for my advice; seeing her cruel methods, forcing men to kill their wives and marry others, I could not help but speak a few words. She became enraged, so I said Brother Zhao was not at home and how could such madness be allowed; she instantly flew into a rage and sent me to the flower garden."

Zhao Ti said: "This has nothing to do with me; it was you who exposed her evil deeds, causing her to be angry and ashamed."

Duan Yu said mournfully: "Later I saw that Miss Wang; I called her Sister-in-law and asked when Brother Zhao would return so I could be released. Miss Wang looked puzzled and said I was talking nonsense; then I was beaten by Yan Pozi and chained inside the flower house, nearly having my hands and feet chopped off."

"Oh." Zhao Ti's lips curled slightly: "So they didn't chop them off in the end? Where did that monk Jiu Ji Mo Zhi go?"

Duan Yu scratched his head: "The monk covets my Duan family's Six Meridian Divine Swords; I fear he has not gone far and is still circling by this lake. But that Lady Wang seems unafraid of the monk; when she invited me to a banquet before we fell out, I said enemies were pursuing me. She sneered and said something like 'even if experts come, I fear them not.' I saw she was extremely arrogant and must have some reliance; I just do not know who that reliance is."

Hearing this, Zhao Ti's steps slowed; Li Qingluo's reliance was naturally Ding Chunqiu. Could it be that Ding Chunqiu has arrived? (The following settings are from the new edition of Tian Long; please refer to the latest version of Tian Long.)

Originally, Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui lived in seclusion on Wuliang Mountain. After Li Qiushui gave birth to Li Qingluo, Wu Yazi began to neglect her, turning instead to become obsessed with the jade statue he had carved. Li Qiushui tried every means to win him back but failed, becoming greatly enraged. She found many handsome men for pleasure to anger Wu Yazi and even seduced Ding Chunqiu.

After Wu Yazi learned of their affair, he intended to kill both, but they struck first, ambushing Wu Yazi and knocking him off a cliff. He was saved by his eldest disciple Su Xinghe but was left completely paralyzed.

Afterwards, Ding and Li brought the martial arts stored in the Langhuan Jade Cave and Li Qingluo to Suzhou. To avoid suspicion, Li Qiushui ordered Li Qingluo to call Ding Chunqiu "Father"; Li Qingluo had grown accustomed to this address from childhood and never changed it even in adulthood.

Later, Li Qiushui grew weary of Ding Chunqiu, abandoned Li Qingluo, and fled alone to Western Xia. Relying on her beauty and seductive arts, she became a concubine of Western Xia's Jingzong, Li Yuanhao. Thus, Li Qingluo was actually raised by Ding Chunqiu. Ding Chunqiu loved Li Qiushui deeply; out of love for her, he doted greatly on Li Qingluo as his adopted daughter.

However, Ding Chunqiu rarely showed his face, appearing only around the time Li Qingluo married into the Wang family. Even afterwards, when he came to Mantuo Manor, he did not contact outsiders or juniors. Not only the servants and maids in the manor, but even Wang Yuyan did not know of his existence.

Zhao Ti now silently calculated the time. According to logic, Ding Chunqiu should have visited Mantuo Manor around this time last year. Could it be that he comes once a year and has arrived just now?

If Jiu Ji Mo Zhi had arrived at Taihu last year, then after losing Duan Yu, in his search for him, he happened by chance to see Li Qingluo. He then followed Li Qingluo to Mantuo Manor, overheard Li Qingluo and Ding Chunqiu speaking, learned of the Langhuan Jade Cave and the Minor Formless Art, infiltrated the Langhuan Jade Cave, and stole the manual of the Minor Formless Art left behind by Li Qiushui that year.

The Minor Formless Art manual originally had eight volumes, but before Jiu Ji Mo Zhi stole the scriptures, Ding Chunqiu had taken the seventh volume, the "Geng" volume. Thus, the "Minor Formless Art" practiced by Jiu Ji Mo Zhi was incomplete. As for Ding Chunqiu and Li Qingluo's Minor Formless Art, Ding Chunqiu had not mastered even a few levels and found it difficult to use, while Li Qingluo, due to her aptitude, had not learned it at all.

Zhao Ti pondered; he did not know if the original events had occurred, whether Jiu Ji Mo Zhi had come to Mantuo Manor to steal the Cultivation Technique. Thinking of this, he could not help but quicken his pace, heading toward the shore.

Arriving at the shore, he saw a colorful wooden boat painted with camellias moored there. On the boat stood nine pairs of women dressed as maids in green robes, each holding a long sword.

Among the maids stood a middle-aged beautiful woman wearing a goose-yellow silk shirt. Except for the difference in age and the traces of wind and frost on her face, she bore a faint five or six-tenths resemblance to the jade statue in the Wuliang Mountain Cave in Dali.

This middle-aged beautiful woman's expression was frosty; she stood motionless at the bow of the boat. The sword-wielding maids beside her were the same. If one got close enough, one could see sweat beads rolling down their foreheads.

Hundreds of soldiers on the shore held short crossbows aimed at the bow; if anyone on the boat moved even a fraction, the crossbow bolts would fire simultaneously, piercing and killing them in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Zhao Ti approach, Sun Tong hurried forward to pay respects: "Your Highness, the women on that boat are the masters of Mantuo Manor. When they first arrived, they were quite arrogant and domineering, but once the crossbows were aimed, they dared not speak further."

Zhao Ti nodded and smiled, then clapped his hands and walked forward: "Is Lady Wang present?"

The middle-aged beautiful woman at the bow was indeed Lady Wang, Li Qingluo. Her eyes showed coldness, her expression full of caution: "Who are you? Do you know that Mantuo Manor is the Wang family's property in Suzhou? Even the government officials cannot arbitrarily investigate."

"Even government officials cannot investigate?" Zhao Ti glanced at her and smiled slightly: "What is the Wang family? When did they become so bold!"