The sky over the rivers and lakes is very clear

Chapter 174

"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?"

Zhu Huihui frowned and said, "I don't know. The neighbors said they saw her elope with a carpenter from out of town, so Huahua and I went out to look for her, but we still haven't found her."

Listening to this kid talk is exhausting! Feng Xuese frowned and asked, "Where do you live?"

If what Zhu Huihui said is true, then his mother is really strange. A woman with the martial arts skill "Lingering Regret" not only teaches her child to steal, but also casually elopes with a carpenter. This is really interesting!

"Misty Valley".

Where exactly is it?

Zhu Huihui replied, "Then I don't know."

He genuinely didn't know which prefecture, county, or township the place where he and his mother had lived since childhood belonged to. He only knew that it was a very secluded place, nestled in the embrace of the mountains, and had a beautiful name: "Wuluo Creek".

Although he grew up in a remote mountain village, Zhu Huihui was anything but "simple and honest." This was because his mother had a truly peculiar temper. While other parents feared their children would go astray, she seemed to fear they wouldn't. From childhood, if Zhu Huihui suffered a loss outside and his mother found out, he would receive a severe beating. However, if Zhu Huihui bullied someone or took advantage of them, she would reward him with a delicious meal with a beaming smile.

The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear - Part One: The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear - Chapter 5 (6)

The more Zhu Huihui misbehaved, stole, bullied, and did bad things, the happier she was. To make her child thrive on his bad behavior and become even more outrageous, she taught him a lot of strange and unusual knowledge. However, if Zhu Huihui was lazy and didn't study hard, she would just smile and let him be, never forcing him to do anything.

Under her twisted educational methods, Zhu Huihui grew increasingly wicked, transforming into a spineless, immoral, and incompetent hooligan. Despite his young age, he bullied men and women, stole chickens and dogs, and did nothing productive in the countryside, making him universally hated. Even so, this guy was full of insidious and vicious schemes, making him someone the villagers dared not mess with, so they avoided him like the plague.

Zhu Huihui's mother often disappeared suddenly for ten days or half a month, and then inexplicably returned. But this time she was gone for a long time, more than two months without a trace. So the neighbors told him that they saw his mother elope with a carpenter from another town.

Under his mother's years of upbringing, Zhu Huihui's moral values are quite unique. He not only doesn't care about his mother's elopement, but is actually quite happy—without his mother's discipline, he finally has the opportunity to wander around that place called Jianghu!

From a young age, whenever his mother was in a good mood, she would tell him wondrous tales of the martial arts world, filling his young heart with a longing for that place. Therefore, he had already made up his mind that this time, under the pretext of leaving home to visit his mother, he would definitely take the opportunity to see that martial arts world.

When they heard that Zhu Huihui was leaving home for a long journey, the peaceful countryside erupted in excitement. Everyone immediately pooled together some travel money and tearfully told him that good boy should have lofty ambitions and that someone as important as him should not return to this small place in the future, as it would be a waste of his talents!

Amidst the joyous farewell of firecrackers from the neighbors, Zhu Huihui locked the gate, took the only living creature in the family—"Zhu Huahua," whom she had raised since childhood—and left her hometown village to embark on a vast and uncertain journey through the world.

He had no idea where the martial arts world actually was.

Along the way, although the outside world was vast and dazzling, Zhu Huihui, thanks to the foundation laid by her mother since childhood, had never suffered any losses, until she unfortunately encountered this old man in white—what was his name again? Oh, right, Maple Snow Color…

Zhu Huihui rarely spoke the truth, but unfortunately, Feng Xuese and the scarlet monk did not believe her.

The monk in scarlet robes tapped the table with his finger: "Zhu Huihui, I'm asking you a question, and you'd better answer truthfully. For every lie you tell, I'll take one of your fingers!"

Zhu Huihui felt incredibly wronged: "I've always been telling the truth!"

Two burly men in red came over and, without a word, threw Zhu Huihui to the ground. One of them pulled out his left arm and stepped on it, while the other drew his waist knife, the sharp blade hovering above his fingers, ready to chop them off at any moment.

Zhu Huihui was so frightened that sweat beaded on his forehead: "Hey, hey, hey, you two are supposed to be a great hero and a master, yet you're always killing people and chopping off hands!"

The monk in scarlet robes glanced at him sideways: "Are you scared?"

"Of course I'm scared!" That's obvious! The steel knife was less than three inches from my fingers; who wouldn't be scared? "Hey, brother, please hold the knife steady! Don't let your hand shake!"

Feng Xuese smiled slightly. She had known all along that although this guy was cunning and treacherous, he was also cowardly and afraid of death. He would confess anything if she threatened him.

"Do you recognize the man in black who killed the 'Eat No, Drink No' brother last night?"

“How would I know them… Ouch… Brother, please step on my arm gently, I’ll tell you the truth! Actually, I’ve seen some men in black before, and they all dressed similarly, so I don’t know if they’re all in the same group.”

Feng Xuese raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

Zhu Huihui wiped the sweat from his forehead with his right hand, thinking: Although those men in black are very fierce, this hero and master are not to be trifled with either. With the situation urgent, I should get through this first.