Chapter 255

Isn't that on the same level as the "Buddha Palm"!?

The treasure inside this box is really that precious?!

Duan Fei and Liu Mingluan felt a sudden pang of dread.

The Changlong Escort Agency took on such a "hot potato," no wonder He Long was willing to pay ten thousand taels of gold, and no wonder the Changlong Escort Agency was ambushed the moment they set out.

It's only because the news was kept fairly well under wraps; otherwise, the people coming wouldn't just be the ones before us now.

Lu Xiaoyu thought to himself: Had I known this earlier, I should have snatched the wooden box and run back then. Wouldn't I have become another Gu Gu Jianhun in the future?

What a pity! Missed by a hair's breadth!

Lu Xiaoyu was wallowing in regret when he suddenly thought of something—

"This hero, you said there was something inside this box originally? Originally? That means now…"

As he spoke, he cautiously glanced at Jiang Sishui's expression.

Jiang Sishui smiled faintly and opened the wooden box directly.

Everyone looked over at the first instant.

Completely empty.

It really was an empty box!

Duan Fei was stunned on the spot.

The box was actually empty—the box his master had personally handed him to safeguard was actually empty!

What he had risked his life to protect turned out to be an empty box!

Duan Fei suddenly felt that the heavens had played the cruelest joke on him.

Fortunately, his fate was great and his life was big; he had escaped danger time and again. Otherwise, to have truly lost his life over an empty box—wouldn't that be the greatest injustice?

"Senior brother, what's going on?" Liu Mingluan, at a loss, looked toward Duan Fei.

Duan Fei had no words to reply.

After a moment of silence, he explained to the woman in black: "I didn't take what's inside. I truly wanted to deliver it to Yanxia Shanzhuang!"

The woman in black looked at his sincere eyes, listened to his firm tone, and slightly nodded: "I believe you."

Then she said to Jiang Sishui: "This humble woman is Tu Xuehua of Yanxia Shanzhuang. May I ask your name?"

"Jiang Sishui."

Jiang Sishui… it really is him!

I've finally waited for him!

My sister can be saved!

A surge of deep joy welled up in Tu Xuehua's heart. She barely managed to suppress it, forcing herself to appear calm: "Does Young Master Jiang perhaps know the whereabouts of the manual inside this box?"

Jiang Sishui nodded.

"Where is it?!" Duan Fei blurted out the question instinctively.

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he had lost his manners in his urgency, and hurriedly apologized to Jiang Sishui repeatedly.

Jiang Sishui knew he hadn't done it on purpose and didn't fault him for his careless slip.

Looking at Duan Fei's eager gaze, Jiang Sishui countered: "From beginning to end, how many people's hands has this wooden box passed through?"

Duan Fei thought for a moment and said: "He Long, Master, me and junior sister, and also Brother Lu and Miss Tu."

Lu Xiaoyu immediately shouted: "Hey hey, don't frame me!"

"We became friends through a fight. Although I once snatched the wooden box, you snatched it right back from me."

"From beginning to end, the wooden box never left your sight. It definitely wasn't me who took it!"

Tu Xuehua said nothing, merely looking at Duan Fei.

She had also made a move to snatch the wooden box.

However, upon learning that Duan Fei's destination was Yanxia Shanzhuang, she dismissed the idea of forcibly taking something from an honest man.

Duan Fei looked at the two of them, then at Liu Mingluan, and muttered: "None of you took it, and neither did junior sister and I. Master…"

Duan Fei's expression changed, then he shook his head repeatedly: "No! It's impossible! There must be some misunderstanding in this!"

None of the four had taken it, and He Long was already dead, so that left only his master.

But how could Duan Fei bring himself to believe that his most revered master would steal what he was entrusted to guard?

Therefore, he denied it outright at the first instant.

"Right, although our Changlong Escort Agency is a small one, my father values faith and righteousness above all. He would never do such a thing." Liu Mingluan chimed in from the side.

Jiang Sishui didn't argue with them, only saying: "If you don't believe it, then watch. Let's see from whose hands I retrieve the 'Heavenly Remnant Kick' manual next."

Liu Mingluan blinked her bright eyes, full of curiosity: "You can find the manual and bring it back?"

Jiang Sishui nodded and directly took out the "Object-Finding Luo Pan."

Soon, the Luo Pan locked onto a direction—to the northwest.

Jiang Sishui turned back and called out to Ren Yingying: "Yingying, let's go."

Yingying?

Ren Yingying? The Holy Lady of the Sun Moon Holy Cult?

Tu Xuehua's gaze flickered, and she followed without hesitation.

"Senior brother, what should we do?" Liu Mingluan also wanted to follow, but she still stopped to ask Duan Fei's opinion.

Duan Fei's face changed several times, finally settling into resolve: "I don't believe Master would do something like that! Let's go, we'll follow and see who stole the manual!"

Having said that, he hurried to catch up.

Liu Mingluan naturally followed closely behind.

"Eunuch Wei Wei Wei! Wait for me!"

Lu Xiaoyu was a slippery sort by nature and had originally not wanted to stay together with an extremely dangerous person, but seeing that all three of his companions had followed along, he couldn't very well leave on his own.

Besides, danger and opportunity often go hand in hand; perhaps he could even strike up some sort of acquaintance with this seemingly decent-looking expert.

The group tracked the secret manual all the way.

Because Jiang Sishui's manner was modest and humble, and he didn't lord his Wu Gong over them, the few of them gradually began to relax.

In the course of conversation, they exchanged some basic information.

"Duan Fei, Liu Mingluan, Tu Xuehua, Lu Xiaoyu… not much difference from the drama."

"But this Tu Xuehua is far prettier than in the drama. Mm, the features haven't changed, just the skin has become fairer and the voice more pleasant to hear."

Jiang Sishui was comparing them silently in his heart.

As the owner of the diary copy, Tu Xuehua was even more curious about Jiang Sishui and kept casting glances at him.

Besides, she also exchanged looks with Ren Yingying.

The two of them shared a tacit understanding.

……

After about half a shichen, Jiang Sishui was the first to stop.

The five of them halted as well, then followed his gaze and saw, by the bank of a small river ahead, a pile of tattered clothing and fabric.

Ren Yingying's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she blurted out: "It's something like corpse-dissolving water."

Jiang Sishui nodded and stepped closer to look carefully.

"Ah! This is… this is…"

Liu Mingluan suddenly cried out in alarm, her pretty face instantly draining of color, not a trace of blood remaining.

Her legs went weak and she dropped to her knees on the ground; trembling, the girl stretched out her fair, delicate little hand, wanting to touch the rotten clothes on the ground that had long since been corroded full of holes.

Jiang Sishui grabbed her wrist just in time: "Don't touch it, your hand will rot off."

Liu Mingluan acted as if she hadn't heard, only staring blankly at the rotten clothes on the ground, the whole person looking rather dazed and foolish.

After a spell of absent-mindedness, her soul seeming at last to return to her body, Liu Mingluan suddenly wailed in grief: "Father!"

That cry was like floodwaters bursting a dam; two streams of hot tears instantly welled from her eyes, pouring down in a gush and soaking that exquisite, fair, delicate little face.

Father?

Tu Xuehua and Lu Xiaoyu exchanged bewildered looks.

"Master? This is Master?" Duan Fei started in alarm, hurriedly crouching down to examine the rotten clothes on the ground closely.

But the clothes were really too far gone to make anything of; he was a grown man and normally wouldn't bother learning about fabric styles and such, so after staring for a long time, he still couldn't make out anything.

He turned to look at Liu Mingluan and asked urgently: "Junior Sister! Junior Sister! Don't cry yet—how can you be sure this is Master's clothes? Could it be that you've mistaken them?"

By this point Liu Mingluan was already sobbing uncontrollably, managing in broken snatches: "N-no… I won't… I won't mistake it. Th-this… this piece of clothing was… was made by my own h-hands. Three days… just three days ago I gave it… gave it to Father…"