Chapter 302: Blind

Halfway there, Ren Yidao took the initiative to part ways with Chu Hairen; they did not stroll together arm in arm.

Chu Hairen had already stayed in the city for some time, and many people recognized his face and were clear about his identity as a member of the Chu Family.

Walking with Chu Hairen might serve to "borrow the tiger's skin to wave the banner" in other places, but here, it would likely only have the opposite effect.

As for Ren Yidao, once he put on a hood to cover his face, he became just like many other outsiders—completely inconspicuous, relaxed, and at ease.

Today is the annual festival of Wanshou City, and also the day the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was completely wiped out.

Although the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect has been extinct for over a hundred years, their descendants still preserve some of these customs.

Perhaps it is just some lingering thoughts from the older generation back then.

In the beginning, the first generation of survivors might have still harbored the idea of restoring the sect in the future, establishing this memorial day so they would not forget that tragic day, hoping to use it as a warning.

But now, over a hundred years later, the wild ambitions of the past have been completely buried in history along with the passing of that generation.

Most of the younger generation no longer remembers the meaning of this festival; they only know that on this day there will be a grand market, and they will have the chance to eat food and candies that are rarely available on ordinary days.

For children, understanding this much is already enough.

"What a pity."

The market is very lively, and Huhu likes it very much.

But the quality of the market is very average, which makes Huhu very disappointed.

In the end, Ren Yidao did not find those "rare treasures" hidden under dust among the various stalls.

This place is, after all, just a market for a bunch of survivors trapped in the city with no way to escape; even most of their food, clothing, and daily necessities rely on trade with traveling merchants, and the supplies the Kings once promised to provide stopped gradually fifty years ago.

This place is a prison, and even more so, an artificial island isolated from the world.

Those things that would make ignorant children happy naturally cannot make him, a mature adult, feel joy.

Therefore, Ren Yidao only bought a jar of sour plum soup, three skewers of candied haws, twenty lamb skewers, two sugar figurines, a steamer of small meat buns...

Eating so little wasn't because he had something on his mind; he really just ate a bite so he wouldn't be snatching food from the children!

He even bought five steamers of large meat buns to distribute to the children surrounding him, and only then did he manage to break free from the layers of encirclement.

Everything else is fine, but there is one thing he really looks down upon: the methods of the Kings.

"The children born after several generations are innocent."

Even greed must have a limit; one should not be so ruthless as to exterminate them to this extent.

"Are they worried that the children will take revenge in the future? No, they are just accustomed to their own ways of doing things."

After strolling for a while, Ren Yidao's mindset also calmed down.

When poor, cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, benefit the world.

Wanshou City will soon enter the embrace of Beigan; Li Long is not a muddled ruler and will not do the same things as the Kings of the Eastern Wasteland.

But Ren Yidao did not tell them this news in advance.

Even if they knew in advance and had something to look forward to in their future lives, it would not bring much improvement to their current situation.

But if the people from Beigan arrive too late, or if some accident happens, or if they even abandon this place, it would only make them happy for nothing, and a good thing would turn into a bad thing.

Anyway, today is a festival; better not think too much and just let go of one's body and mind to enjoy the festival.

Of course, while strolling through the market, Ren Yidao did not forget the real business for which he came here; he kept chatting with the residents, asking about "Luoyue Shangren," trying to obtain some information.

Perhaps it was his own natural affinity, or perhaps it was because his friendly actions toward the children moved some people, but their attitude toward Ren Yidao was quite good, and he actually managed to find a possible clue.

"Lao Zhangtou's family in the west of the city should have records of the events from back then; his grandfather was once a document manager for the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and privately hid some unimportant sect history books. The Kings weren't interested, so no one took them away later."

"However, his family's situation is poor; only he and his grandson are left. If you find what you want, leave him a little food."

Being able to have the people of Wanshou City, who struggle in bitter days, describe one as "poor," Ren Yidao found it hard to imagine just how difficult the other party's living conditions were.

"He should be setting up a stall in the west of the city with his grandson today, right? If you want to find him, go there and ask."

After bidding farewell to that friendly older woman, Ren Yidao did not rush over, continuing to chat and talk with people along the way.

But after he had already spoken with more than half of the people in the city, he still only obtained this one clue that seemed somewhat reliable.

However, although there was no other news about "Luoyue Shangren," it did allow him to ask for some information about Lao Zhangtou.

There is nothing much to say about Lao Zhangtou himself; he is just an old widower who is half of a "widowed, lonely, and solitary" person, unable to work due to his old age.

The one with the problem is his grandson, who has not yet reached adulthood.

A blind person.

If it were just this, it would be nothing, but he was not born blind; he suddenly went blind after climbing the city wall while playing when he was young.

The rumors are strange and varied; some say it was the backlash from his parents who died in Death Valley committing a great crime, some say he saw something dirty on the city wall, and some say he was struck by Heaven's punishment for committing a great sin...

Opinions differ, but before seeing the person himself, Ren Yidao did not want to jump to conclusions.

However, he had an intuition that the Zhang-surnamed youth might really have seen something he shouldn't have.

And judging from his past experiences, his intuition was usually accurate.

When he followed the directions of the residents and found this pair of grandfather and grandson, Ren Yidao's eyebrows raised slightly.

The situation was slightly different from his initial guess.

An old man who seemed to be asleep was wrapped in a quilt, leaning against the wall and basking in the sun, seemingly having entered a dream.

And in front of him, a youth was sitting behind a dilapidated table, constantly calling out to passersby.

"Don't miss out as you pass by! Kind sir! Would you like to have your fortune told? It's very cheap! No money if it's not accurate!"

The youth did not look ugly; although thin, he was very spirited and did not look listless at all.

And what made Ren Yidao pay the most attention was the other party's eyes, which actually looked no different from a normal person's.

The eyes were bright and would shift slightly as the speaker moved, just as if he were truly looking at the other person.

And when Ren Yidao walked closer and deliberately stepped heavily, the youth immediately turned his head to look in his direction and revealed a smile:

"Kind sir, you and I are fated!"

Ren Yidao: Oh?

Fated?

"Are you here to have your fortune told? Or are you here to find my grandfather to look at those classics?"

Ren Yidao raised an eyebrow and asked curiously:

"Why would you think I'm here to look for classics?"

The youth revealed a shy smile and pointed to his own ears:

"Because your footsteps only appeared after you got close; I couldn't hear them at all before. I assume you are an expert from outside the city, and my meager skills surely wouldn't catch your eye."

Very clever.

This youth's intelligence surprised Ren Yidao somewhat, but he only took one extra look at the youth's eyes before nodding calmly:

"I am here to browse the classics. I hope Old Mister Zhang can accommodate me."

"Regardless of whether I find the information I want, I will come to you to have my fortune told."

The youth blinked, smiled with some gratitude, and bowed in salute:

"Many thanks, my lord. Please follow my grandfather into the house to take a look."

He turned around, gently pushed the sleeping old man, and shouted loudly in his ear:

"Grandfather! Stop sleeping! Someone is here to look at your books!"

"..."

Seeing the old man had no reaction, the youth first turned back to give Ren Yidao an apologetic smile, then lowered his voice by the old man's ear and whispered:

"Grandfather, Lv Guafu is here to see you..."

"Hmm!!? Tell her I'm not here! I'm not here!"

The old man, who had been unconscious, opened his eyes with a start, wrapped in his quilt, and was about to climb over the wall to escape, but was grabbed by his grandson.

"Grandfather, a guest is here to look at your books."

"Oh! Oh, I see."

Lao Zhangtou was stunned for a moment, then smiled honestly at Ren Yidao, "Then please, my lord, follow me into the house."

"Many thanks, old man."

Ren Yidao followed the old man inside. As he passed the youth, he gently patted his shoulder, channeling a strand of Dharma Power into his body to force out the cold he had caught.

This family was truly poor to a certain degree; that tattered quilt was actually their only protection against the cold, and the youth wore only a single layer of clothing covered in patches of various colors.

"Little sir, what is your name?"

The youth felt the warm current flowing through his limbs and bones, exhaled a white mist in a daze, and hurriedly replied upon hearing the question:

"Many thanks, my lord. This humble one is Zhang Mang."

"The 'mang' of cogon grass."

"Old man, did this child change his name later?"

Ren Yidao watched the old man skillfully lift the floorboards to reveal a cellar and asked casually:

"'Mang' (cogon grass) is 'mang', but it is also 'mang' (blind). This doesn't seem like a very good name."

Lao Zhangtou's movements paused, then he sighed:

"Yes. After he went blind, this old man changed his name, hoping that this lowly name would make the child's life a bit better, so he wouldn't have to suffer so much."

A lowly name is easier to raise.

"What exactly did he see on the city wall back then?"

"... This old man doesn't know either. The child was too young at the time; he only knew how to cry and remembers nothing."

The old man seemed unwilling to discuss this topic and fell silent after entering the cellar. Ren Yidao shook his head and did not press further, following him down.

"Hmm?"

Upon entering the cellar, Ren Yidao discovered that there was a world within a world; it actually contained an Array that isolated the interior from the outside.

Hundreds of Jade Slips were neatly arranged on shelves. Apart from looking a bit old, there was no obvious dust, showing that someone wiped them often.

"There were over a thousand originally, but the valuable ones have all been taken away over the years. Only these useless sect records remain."

After finishing, the old man knelt down humbly, pressed his head to the ground, and begged in a low voice:

"Everything is here. I beg you, my lord, to be magnanimous and spare my family."

Ren Yidao did not reach out to help the kneeling old man up, but said softly:

"You don't have to be like this. I won't do anything to you."

"Besides, I came specifically for these records."

Ren Yidao stopped looking at Lao Zhangtou, raised his hand to pick up a Jade Slip from the shelf, and probed it with his divine sense.

"Listen well, junior disciples! I am Xiahou Qisheng, the nineteenth Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect! In my youth, I loved to travel across Shenzhou and contend with the heroes of the world!"

"I possess top-tier aptitude, born with..."

"After defeating all opponents in the Eastern Wasteland, I visited the other three Shenzhou..."

It seemed to be just an arrogant Sect Master boasting about his past glorious deeds in his old age, and it had been heavily embellished and fabricated.

However, one passage made Ren Yidao's brow twitch, and he narrowed his eyes.

"I once discovered an Immortal Cave Abode in the Southern Border Divine Continent, which contained Immortal treasures and an Immortal Scripture. Alas, a treacherous thief ambushed me and seized half of my Immortal Scripture!"

An Immortal Cave Abode?

If it were an ordinary person, they would probably just think that this Sect Master Xiahou had merely discovered the cave abode of an expert and fought with someone.

But Ren Yidao was different; he had truly entered an Immortal Cave Abode and knew that it was not a myth or legend.

"However, an Immortal Scripture? That person didn't pass one on to me!"

Not expecting to obtain unexpected information from the very first Jade Slip, Ren Yidao continued to perceive it:

"Although there is only the second half, it doesn't matter! This old man is a natural-born genius, and I have researched a set of operational Secret Technique on my own! I have named this method..."

"The 'Body-Severing Method'!"

"Haha! This old man will now go into seclusion, and once I emerge, I will record this Secret Technique!"

Then... there was no then; the Jade Slip ended right there.

Ren Yidao scanned the area but did not find the second half, so he had to ask the anxiously waiting old man:

"Is there a second half to the Jade Slip of Xiahou Qisheng?"

It's one thing for a novelist to leave a story unfinished, but how could this person leave a biography unfinished too?

Lao Zhangtou: "It's gone, and it wasn't taken by anyone else; this is all there is."

Ren Yidao: "... Did he have an accident?"

Lao Zhangtou scratched his head, his expression somewhat awkward, but he still slowly explained:

"Old Ancestor Xiahou Qisheng went into a death-seclusion after leaving this Jade Slip. He did not emerge for a hundred years. Finally, when someone forcibly broke into his seclusion, they discovered he had long since passed away. The cause of death might be that he had hacked himself into three pieces..."

Ren Yidao:?

Mr. Xiahou is truly a man of great talent!

As expected of a natural-born genius, it really is a genius's concept...

Outside the house, Zhang Mang was still greeting the people around him.

Suddenly, he tilted his head and revealed a smile toward his side:

"Guest? You've come out? Didn't you go with Grandpa to look for books? Why are you so..."

Zhang Mang was smiling, but after the person in front of him opened their mouth, what came out was not the gentle voice of the man from just a moment ago.

Instead, it was a female voice as crisp as a lark, carrying surprise and playfulness.

"Oh?"

She said:

"Little fellow, who did you take me for?"

Zhang Mang:!!!

This voice, Zhang Mang remembered.

Remembered it very clearly.

This was the last voice he heard when his eyes could still see.

That was the grand market ten years ago, when he had secretly climbed onto the east city wall.

That day, he saw a figure like the moon.

At that time, she said:

"Eh? You can see me?"