The sky over the rivers and lakes is very clear

Chapter 17

Hey! Stop right there!

He grabbed the boy's shoulder, then quickly let go. Wow! How long has it been since these clothes were washed? They're sticky to the touch.

The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear - Part One: The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear - Chapter 5 (4)

The boy slowly turned around: "What?"

"Bring out the steamed buns!"

The boy asked in surprise, "What steamed buns? Didn't you refuse to sell them?"

"I meant the steamed buns on the table!" Old Lin glared at him. Strange, where could this little beggar have hidden the buns with his hands empty? He was so thin, he couldn't possibly hide a whole plate of buns on his person—especially freshly steamed ones. Hiding them on his person would surely burn his skin!

Old Lin looked him up and down, but couldn't find the steamed buns. Finally, he gave up. "Sigh! Forget it," he thought, "even if I got them back, they'd be too dirty to eat anyway." He waved his hand dismissively, "Go away, go away, stay away from me!"

The boy gave a displeased "Oh," and calmly walked away with measured steps.

Looking at both ends of the official road, this location is about a hundred paces away from the bamboo forest tent. If we keep running along the official road, then... then... we might really get an arm or a leg chopped off by the old man in white...

He shivered, obediently returned to the bamboo forest, glanced back at the old forest, pursed his lips, found a secluded spot outside the tent, and sat down lazily.

A moment later, Hua Hua came running over with tiny, bouncy steps, a bulging blue cloth bag in her mouth.

The boy took the bag and chuckled.

He always wore this bag on his belt. Whenever he wandered around, he would sneakily stuff anything he found delicious or fun into the bag and take it with him when no one was looking. His hands and feet had long been trained to be extremely nimble, and Hua Hua had also been trained for a long time, so they cooperated very well in transferring stolen goods.

Now, in this pocket, there are not only steamed buns, but also a few salted duck eggs and tea eggs that he casually stole.

Just as he and Hua Hua were enjoying their meal, a burly man in red approached, tapped him on the face with his scabbard, and said rudely, "Get up!"

"Huh? What's wrong?" The boy stood up, puzzled.

The burly man in red looked at him with disgust. This kid was utterly shameful, even stealing steamed buns and eggs. If it weren't for the orders from above to keep a close eye on him, he would have chopped off his thieving hands!

Seeing the other man's look, the boy glanced down at the bun he'd only taken two bites of, then suddenly realized what was going on. He hurriedly offered him two tea eggs, fawningly saying, "Brother, please!" A thief had run into a robber—this guy was planning to double-cross him! Just two buns, why resort to a knife and blatant robbery!

The burly man said sternly, "Enough with the nonsense!" He grabbed the boy by the collar and shoved him to the front of the red tent. He bowed and said, "Reporting to the young master, the person has been brought here."

The red curtain of the tent was lifted, and before the boy could figure out what was happening, he was pushed inside. He staggered a few steps and fell to the ground, but fortunately, he was on a thick, long-haired carpet, so the fall didn't hurt too much.

A clear voice rang out from inside the tent: "Are you the person Xuese was talking about?"

The boy lay on the carpet, raised his head, and looked in the direction of the sound.

It was already broad daylight, and the morning sun's rays streamed through the skylight in the tent roof, making the furnishings inside clearly visible. The boy was rather ignorant and didn't know what any of it was, but he vaguely sensed that everything in the tent seemed to be quite valuable.

In the center of the tent, two people sat at a table. The one on the left was the old man in white, and the one on the right was... a beautiful woman.

This beauty had a face like jade, full lips and beautiful eyes, and a serene appearance, yet her every move exuded a masculine air of freedom and boldness. She wore a loose, scarlet long robe, tied at the waist with a silk sash, which made her look elegant, noble, and languid.

The morning sun shone on him, making his scarlet robes appear like a leaping flame, brilliant and dazzling.

What a pity! Such a beautiful woman, yet she has no hair on her head. I don't know if she was born bald or if she's a monk—oh well, let's just assume she's a monk!

The boy got up from the ground and said ingratiatingly, "Greetings, Master! Amitabha!"

The monk in scarlet robes glanced at him casually and asked, "What's your name?"

"My surname is Zhu, and my given name is Huihui."

"I heard from Xue Se that the 'No Eat, No Drink' brother who was supposed to pick up Tianshui Island was murdered last night. Did you see it?"

The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear - Part One: The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear - Chapter 5 (5)

"Replying to your question, Master, I do not know what Snow Color and Sky-Connecting Water Island are. However, if you are referring to the matter of those two fat brothers, then I have indeed seen part of it, and I have already spoken to this white-robed hero about it!" Zhu Huihui answered respectfully, thinking that he had left no room for error.

The monk in scarlet robes sneered, "Zhu Huihui, do you know that just because of what you said, I could cut out your tongue?"

Zhu Huihui was startled: "I...don't know!" She had been very careful; could she have said something wrong?

A burly man in red standing nearby kicked him: "Boy, watch your eyes! Don't think that just because Young Master Snow is kind-hearted, you can spout nonsense like that!"

The boy, clutching his backside, protested, "I really don't know him..." Suddenly, he noticed the white-robed gentleman at the head of the table looking at him with a mocking expression. A sudden inspiration struck him, and he jumped up, "Ah, great hero, are you the Snow-White Gentleman?"

The burly man in red said disdainfully, "You don't even recognize the renowned Young Master Fengxue? You call yourself a江湖 (jianghu, a martial arts world) person!"

Zhu Huihui said with a bitter face, "Actually, I've only ever wandered around outside the gates of the martial arts world; I've never even stepped inside!" He thought to himself: This big man's flattery skills are quite impressive. His sycophancy towards that white-robed old man is so subtle; he has a bright future ahead of him.

The monk in scarlet robes continued, "I heard that you have learned the 'Flowing Light and Regret' lightness skill?"

Zhu Huihui still didn't quite understand, but dared not presume to be clever any longer, and asked, "Um... what is 'The Regret of Flowing Light'?" He knew the term "lightness skill," but didn't understand its connection to him. Right, it seemed that Master Fengxuese had mentioned this before...

Seeing that his expression didn't seem fake, Feng Xuese asked, "Who taught you the light-body technique you used to escape last night?"

"Is that light-footed kung fu?" Zhu Huihui asked, somewhat bewildered. "When my mother taught me, she only said that this way I could run faster, so I wouldn't get caught stealing things and have my legs broken."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xuese and the scarlet monk exchanged a bitter smile. The world-renowned "Regret of Flowing Light" was actually used to run away while stealing chickens and dogs!

"Is your mother's surname Bai?"

"No... I don't think so?" Zhu Huihui thought for a moment, but couldn't be sure.

It turned out this seemingly clever boy was actually quite simple-minded; he didn't even know his mother's surname. The scarlet-robed monk then asked, "What's your father's name?" He was also wondering which martial arts master in the martial world had the surname Zhu.

“I don’t have a father,” Zhu Huihui said. “My mother said that because my father was a pig, I also have the surname Zhu.” So, Huahua is his only brother. Zhu Huihui and Zhu Huahua sound like brothers.

The monk in scarlet robes frowned. No wonder this kid was stupid; it turned out his mother was insane. She actually told the child his father was a pig—a typical foolish, resentful woman! He asked again, "Where is your mother?"