Chapter 59

The next stretch of road brought more and more martial artists from all sides, but Jiang Sishui had no mind to pay them any attention.

Following the principle of "leaving well enough alone," the escort caravan soon arrived at Leigu Mountain.

This was the last day the Central Plains Escort Agency would be protecting Jiang Sishui.

Seeing the sun about to set, Zhao Qiying went out to help set up a pot and start a fire for cooking, while Jiang Sishui in the carriage began writing today's diary ahead of time.

【The last day heading to Leigu Mountain. As we near our destination, martial artists also heading to the 'Zhenlongqi Society' are like a hundred streams returning to the sea, visible from time to time.】

【Today I ran into Rong'er's father, Huang Yaoshi.】

【Huang Yaoshi has always been aloof and proud, yet he was willing to serve as a coachman and drive the carriage. This made me intensely curious about the person inside the carriage.】

【The first person I thought of was Rong'er, because only she would have that qualification.】

【But Rong'er is naturally restless and unrestrained, so it's unlikely she'd sit obediently in the carriage.】

【I couldn't figure it out, so I stared at the carriage for a few more glances.】

【But Huang Yaoshi's senses were sharp—he noticed quickly and even threatened me not to look around, or he'd gouge out my eyes.】

【I knew he wasn't bluffing—he really would do it, because my "Chán Jué" was triggered.】

"What? He met Father? And Father was going to make a move on him?"

Beside a bonfire, Huang Rong's face shifted slightly.

Although Huang Yaoshi threatening Jiang Sishui was something that had already happened, and Jiang Sishui should be fine now, she still couldn't help feeling a little worried.

Without hesitation, she rose at once and Unleashed Lightness Skill to leave.

"Hey hey, Sister Huang! You're leaving just like that? The fire's all set up, and we've caught two pheasants—we were just waiting for you to show off your skills!"

Hu Hu Tiehua licked his lips and shouted unhappily from behind.

But Huang Rong turned a deaf ear, with no intention of stopping. After a few twists and turns, she quickly vanished into the deepening dusk.

Hu Hu Tiehua's hand, reaching out to hold her back, froze in midair, his face full of disappointment and gloom.

Gao Yanan watched Huang Rong's retreating back, her eyes flickering.

Then she shot him an annoyed glare: "Look at you—no ambition. She left and you're going to starve to death?"

Hu Hu Tiehua shouted: "That's not the same! Old Stinkbug says Sister Huang's cooking is unrivaled under heaven—wouldn't it be a shame not to witness it? Right, Old Stinkbug?"

Chu Chu Liuxiang lightly scratched the bridge of his nose with one finger and smiled: "Indeed so."

"You've eaten it before?" Gao Yanan asked.

Chu Chu Liuxiang gave a slight nod: "I visited Taohuadao as a guest before, thanks to my Master."

Hu Hu Tiehua immediately drooled with envy: "Good for you, Old Stinkbug, what a lucky mouth you have. But Sister Huang owes you a meal—next time she pays the debt, don't forget to call me along!"

Chu Chu Liuxiang shook his head helplessly: "Fine, I'll definitely bring you along, if I have time to let you know."

"Good, then it's a deal." Only then was Hu Hu Tiehua satisfied, and he began plucking the pheasants.

Gao Yanan, meanwhile, summoned a diary invisible to the two of them and continued reading what came after.

【Normally, at this point all I had to do was back down—after all, "a wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him." I'm still no match for Huang Yaoshi right now.】

【But I deliberately did the opposite.】

【Not only did I talk back, I used Huang Yaoshi's own freshly spoken words to shut his mouth—turning his spear against his own shield.】

【Of course, this wasn't because I was tired of living or just showing off—it's because Huang Yaoshi is a rather special person.】

【In 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes,' Huang Yaoshi's nickname is 'Eastern Heretic,' with an eccentric, unorthodox personality, wildly arrogant and unrestrained.】

【If I had backed down then, he would surely have looked down on me. But using his own logic to argue back, he wouldn't get angry—instead he'd treat me as a 'kindred spirit.'】

【And as it turned out, I guessed right.】

【Of course, the reason I dared do this was also because Zhao Tianhao was by my side—otherwise I wouldn't have taken this risk.】

【After all, nothing in this world is certain. If I'd guessed wrong, I'd have become a blind man—the price would be far too great, completely unaffordable.】

"So that's how it is."

Seeing this, the doubt that had long been buried in Zhao Qiying's heart was suddenly resolved.

He had originally assumed Jiang Sishui was acting out of wounded pride, unwilling to bow his head, which was why he talked back to Huang Yaoshi. He hadn't expected it was "prescribing the right medicine, treating people according to their tastes."

……

"Eastern Heretic?"

The real Huang Yaoshi didn't have this nickname. Hearing it suddenly, Huang Rong found it rather interesting.

Especially the word "Heretic"—it fit her father's personality quite well.

But she also knew her father couldn't bear the weight of it.

Because this "nickname" was too grand. With the prefix "Eastern," anyone who didn't know better would think Huang Yaoshi was the number one master of the Eastern Region of the Central Domain!

If this got out, it would surely invite endless trouble, and even Taohuadao would face the danger of collapse.

"It's fine as long as he's okay. Hopefully he won't hold a grudge against Father."

【Huang Yaoshi took a liking to me and said he wanted to teach me a martial art.】

【To be honest, although Taohuadao has many martial arts, their quality is rather ordinary—far inferior to Xiaoyao Sect's martial arts—so I don't think much of them.】

【But to avoid offending this future father-in-law, I gladly accepted—and without ceremony, I proposed that I wanted to learn his strongest technique, 'Flickering Finger Divine Skill.'】

【Huang Yaoshi said I had no internal energy, so I couldn't learn it.】

【Well then, I'll just wait until tomorrow to learn it.】

"Xiaoyao Sect? What is the Xiaoyao Sect? Is it very Powerful martial arts?"

Seeing Jiang Sishui look down on Taohuadao martial arts, Huang Rong immediately bristled with indignation: "Father's strongest martial art is 'Great Wave Washing Flowers'—how did it become 'Flickering Finger Divine Skill'?"

"Ah, right, he's talking about the Father in the book. Seems like the Father in the book isn't all that impressive either."

"No, no! No matter how weak the Father in the book is, he still has the name 'Eastern Heretic.' Looks like the overall ceiling of martial arts in the whole 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' is rather low."

A flash of realization appeared in Huang Rong's eyes.

【At the same time, I finally learned who was in the carriage—it was Huang Yaoshi's wife, Feng Heng. She wasn't dead!】

【And what's more, the two of them actually knew the "Bandit Commander" Chu Liuxiang】

【This plot is really a tangled mess.】

064 Wife and Disciple—Who Does Huang Yaoshi Love?

"What do you mean? Is my mother supposed to be dead at this point in the book?"

Huang Rong's delicate brows knit slightly; she felt both uneasy and a little nervous.

Although she knew reality and a novel couldn't be equated, anyone who heard their own mother "perish like a flower shattering jade" in a story would find it inauspicious.

At the same time, because the story Jiang Sishui was telling was very special and overlapped with reality in large stretches, his words also put Huang Rong on her guard.

She feared the tragedy in the story wasn't impossible—it just hadn't happened yet.

If that were the case, as a daughter, she absolutely had to be on her guard.

【Feng Heng is Rong'er's birth mother, yet in the book she's a tragic figure】

【And speaking of her, one inevitably has to mention Huang Yaoshi's disciple, Mei Chaofeng】

【In my past life, many people have debated whether Huang Yaoshi truly loved his wife Feng Heng or his disciple Mei Chaofeng】

【There's no definitive answer—everyone has their own say】

"My father likes Senior Sister Mei? Nonsense! Of course my father loves my mother the most! He treats her so well—how could he be fickle?"

Huang Rong was so furious she could have bitten Jiang Sishui, just to stop him from talking nonsense.

"No definitive answer? Hmph, let's just see what you come up with!"

【Those who support Feng Heng argue that after her death, Huang Yaoshi never remarried, and that if he hadn't had to raise Rong'er to adulthood, he would have long since committed suicide to follow her in death】

【This reasoning does seem pretty solid】

【But those who support Mei Chaofeng have also found plenty of strong evidence from the details in the book】

"Here it comes!"

Huang Rong focused her gaze and gathered her attention—she was determined to see what grounds Jiang Sishui had for saying so.

At the same time, the women had also developed a keen interest in this ethical-emotional drama of a "master-disciple romance."

【The two first met at Jiang Family Manor. At the time, Huang Yaoshi was wandering the jianghu and happened to come across a pitiful little maidservant being bullied by her masters】

【The little girl's pitiful appearance stirred the compassion of this martial arts master, who was then one of the "Five Absolutes of the World"】

【So he decisively stepped in to save her, and afterward took her into his household as a disciple】

【The little girl was called Mei Ruohua. After Huang Yaoshi took her as a disciple, he renamed her Mei Chaofeng】

【Mei Chaofeng was only twelve at the time, at an age of innocent cheerfulness. After being brought to Taohuadao, she quickly became the darling of all her senior and junior brothers】

【They say "a girl changes eighteen times as she grows." A few years later, Mei Chaofeng gradually grew up, blossoming into a beauty both elegant and striking, stirring the hearts of many men on the island】

Even Huang Yaoshi, who had seen his share of beauties, gradually fell for her, falling in love with this female disciple through their daily interactions.