Therein lies the true meaning.
I let out a long breath and opened my eyes.
Sunlight streamed through the crevices in the rocks, stinging my eyes. Before I knew it, it was noon again.
The hanging coffin I hid in was stuck vertically in a crevice in the rock. I lay on the coffin lid and spent the night like that. You can imagine what it was like. But the most unbearable thing was not the hardship of sleeping in the wind and dew, nor the pain of detoxification, but the deep worry that weighed on my heart.
Xiao Nuo's situation is only worse than mine. I wonder how he is now, and whether those people have tortured him? The disguise technique taught by the master craftsman is not omnipotent. If they discover his true identity, then we're really doomed! Because they will never allow "Young Master Xiao" to expose their secret. Now we can only pray to God to protect him and keep him safe until I come to rescue him.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but smile bitterly. Feng Chenxi, when did you become so dependent on God?
Just as I was about to rush back to town to rescue them, I heard light footsteps on the wind. My heart skipped a beat: Could it be that Seventh Brother's men had found their way here? Although I was already on my way to find them, for now, I should observe the situation first. I immediately lay flat on the ground again, held my breath, and listened intently.
Two people arrived; the former seemed somewhat impatient, while the latter appeared more exhausted, but both possessed first-rate martial arts skills. Who could they be? Why does Brother Qi have so many hidden talents among his men?
Just then, I heard a familiar voice: "Sister! Sister—Sister—"
Xiao Nuo!
How could this be? I couldn't help but doubt my own hearing. But that clear, gentle voice, as warm as the wind and as passionate as fire, clearly belonged only to Xiao Nuo…
"Wow!"
A loud shout suddenly came close to my ear, startling me so much that I almost fell off the hanging coffin. When I looked up, I saw a smiling face winking at me, a smile that was both innocent and hateful—who else could it be but Xiao Nuo?
"You, you, you..." My voice trembled, from nervousness and excitement, and when I spoke again it was almost a sob, "Why, why did you scare me?"
"Because I kept calling you from downstairs, but you didn't answer me." He tilted his head and carefully examined my face. "Sister, are you crying?"
"Who's crying!" I was instantly embarrassed and angry, and without thinking, I slapped him, resulting in him screaming and falling down.
Oh no, I forgot we're on top of a hanging coffin! I quickly peered out and called out, "Xiao Nuo, are you...?"
The situation below was indeed dire. A man in black reached out to catch Xiao Nuo, but was knocked down by him, and the two of them fell to the ground like stacked gold ingots. I quickly jumped down and ran forward, asking, "Xiao Nuo, are you hurt?"
Xiao Nuo looked up and flashed a big smile, saying, "No, no, I feel great, it doesn't hurt!"
"Young Master, of course you don't feel pain, that's because this old servant is cushioning you down there, ouch..." the man in black groaned incessantly.
Xiao Nuo helped him up, apologizing repeatedly, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, where did you bump into? Let me see..."
I stared at the man in black, increasingly confused, and couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Nuo, he's not—"
Xiao Nuo rolled her eyes and said leisurely, "Sister, look who he is?"
Strange, why did he ask me that? This man is clearly Seventh Brother's bodyguard! But Xiao Nuo's question must have a deeper meaning. Ordinary bodyguards don't need to wear human skin masks unless he has another identity. Moreover, the man in black just called him Third Young Master and referred to himself as this old servant. Could it be... could it be...?
The more I thought about it, the more shocked I became, and I said in a trembling voice, "Could it be... that you are... Uncle Cai?"
Xiao Nuowa exclaimed, "Sister, you're so smart! You guessed it right away!"
The man in black quickly removed his mask, revealing a kind-looking face covered in wrinkles; he was indeed Uncle Cai.
I stared blankly at that face; the word "unbelievable" wouldn't even begin to describe it. "What on earth is going on?"
Uncle Cai coughed and replied, "Actually, it's like this. I don't have any other hobbies. I just like to collect some secrets of the martial arts world and private affairs of celebrities... Sigh, the city lord knows me too well. In order to satisfy my little hobby, he put me in charge of the intelligence network of Baili City."
Xiao Nuo chimed in, "Therefore, he became Noodle Zhang."
What? Zhang the Noodles is him too?
Uncle Cai coughed again, and said rather embarrassedly, "Actually, besides collecting martial arts anecdotes, I have a little hobby, which is cooking noodles..."
I suspect he has quite a few minor hobbies as well? Like making bets with others, or speaking in riddles...
I turned to Xiao Nuo and asked, "You tell me, what's going on here?"
When Uncle Cai saw that I was impatient, he immediately showed a hurt expression and went to stay to the side looking aggrieved.
Xiao Nuo smiled and said, "Although my father is gone, he still cares about this place, so he ordered Uncle Cai to keep an eye on things. Uncle Cai is on duty in the city during the day and goes to town to sell noodles and gather intelligence at night. That day, someone ambushed us outside Chunxiao Pavilion. He wanted to help, but seeing that you easily captured eight people, he left with peace of mind."
So it turns out the man in black we encountered that night was him too! This Uncle Cai really has the ability to be in multiple places at once!
"He discovered the problem with Hongxiu, the proprietress of Chunxiao Pavilion, before we did. Seeing that Hongxiu was accompanied by a bodyguard who wielded a sword, he took her place and secretly investigated the matter under his identity. After learning that Hongxiu had sent someone to pick up Mo Pingting, Uncle Cai sent people to sabotage the journey and replace her with someone else to impersonate Mo Pingting. That's why, even though I wasn't Zhang Xianfang that day, the woman still called me 'husband'."
I continued, "And the reason you were able to escape from the trap, needless to say, was because Uncle Cai saved you?"
“That’s right.” Xiao Nuo recounted the process, then said, “After I escaped, I came to find you immediately. I thought, since Black Tiger and the others couldn’t find you, it meant you weren’t in Baili Town, and you don’t know the way around Baili City, so you couldn’t have gone there either. So if I were you, where would I choose to hide?”
"So that's where you came up with this idea?"
Xiao Nuo smiled slightly and said, "Baili City has a rule that the lives of the Bo people must not be disturbed. Over the years, everyone has almost forgotten their existence. And this place is far away from the sky and the earth, so there is indeed no safer or better place to hide. Sister is indeed clever."
I glared at him and said, "You were clever enough to figure out I was hiding here, weren't you? You're just praising yourself indirectly!"
Xiao Nuo burst into laughter, a laugh that made my heart race. I was about to ask him what he was laughing at when he suddenly stopped, his expression turning serious. He stared at me intently and slowly said, "That's wonderful..."
"What?"
"It's so good to see that you're alright, sister."
Uncle Cai, who had already turned his back, interjected, "The Third Young Master was in such a hurry the whole way. I told him nothing would happen, but he wouldn't listen. He insisted on seeing it with his own eyes before he felt at ease. Sigh, he ran all this way, and my old bones are almost falling apart..."
His words, coupled with Xiao Nuoming's bright eyes, made me feel instantly embarrassed and uncomfortable. As I lowered my head, a warm feeling welled up inside me, mixed with a touch of joy—I was worried about him, and he was worried about me too, Feng Chenxi, just like me…
"Third Young Master, you've found the person. Shouldn't you decide on the next step?"
Xiao Nuo suddenly fell silent. I looked up and saw that his expression had become very strange, a mixture of disappointment and resentment. He sighed softly and said, "I don't know what to do next either."
Cai Bo was taken aback, then his expression changed to one of understanding.
Judging from their appearance, could something else have happened?
I suggested, "No matter what, standing here isn't a solution. Let's go back to Baili City first."
Xiao Nuo frowned, and after a long while, silently nodded.
I've traveled this route from the hanging coffins to Baili City many times, but this is the first time I've walked instead of taking a carriage. Xiao Nuo and the others no longer hide the route to the city from me; does this mean they consider me one of their own?
Just as I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, Uncle Cai suddenly stopped, and Xiao Nuo spoke up: "I was wondering why the journey had been so smooth, turns out you were waiting for us here all along. Come out, there's no need to hide!"
Deep in the bamboo forest, a man slowly emerged. He was tall with a full beard and a large red gourd tied around his waist.
It was him! I exclaimed in surprise, and before I could speak, the man spoke first: "Among you, which one is Feng Chenxi?"
I was taken aback, then it dawned on me. That's right, the three of us were still disguised, so this person naturally wouldn't recognize us. But how could it be him lying in ambush?
“That’s me,” I said, taking a step forward.
The man's gaze swept over my face a few times, his expression inscrutable. He simply asked in a deep voice, "I heard you're investigating Seventh Brother's matter?"
"Didn't you already know? Why ask?" Something's strange. His expression and his words are odd. Logically, he shouldn't be reacting this way.
The man slowly untied the gourd from his waist, opened the cap, and pulled out a dagger. "Let me see your martial arts."
Without a word, he struck instantly, his dagger flashing silver as it pierced straight towards my heart. The speed and power of that strike were practically perfect; I never imagined he possessed such martial arts skills!
I quickly leaped backward, flipping in mid-air to narrowly avoid the attack. I clenched my fingers, intending to flick out the poisonous smoke, but suddenly a flash of inspiration struck me, and I changed my mind. I also drew a dagger from my boot, and the two daggers clashed in mid-air, neither giving way.
You should know that my dagger was a gift from my master; it could cut a hair in an instant and was exceptionally sharp, yet his dagger was no less formidable. I was startled and became even more cautious in my next attack. His moves were strange and incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, twenty moves had already been exchanged.
Xiao Nuo suddenly spoke up: "Little Wine Immortal, what exactly do you intend to do?"
He was startled. Taking advantage of his distraction, I deflected his dagger with a flick of my sleeve, and with my left hand, I flicked his face before quickly retreating back to Xiao Nuo's side.
The Little Wine Immortal stood there, stunned, and asked in a hoarse voice, "You recognize the Little Wine Immortal?"
Xiao Nuo curled her lips into a leisurely smile: "Not only do I recognize you, but I also know that you are not actually the Little Wine Immortal."
The man squinted: "Oh?"
Why don't you touch your face?
The man suspiciously touched his face, his fingers scattering skin that cracked and fell away in the wind. He was truly stunned this time, looking at me in astonishment: "People say Feng Qiansu is the number one poison master in the martial arts world, but I never expected her disciple to have such skill. Your hand didn't even touch my face, yet you were able to destroy my mask with poison without me even noticing. Good, very good, very good."
He said "good" three times in a row, which only confused me more, so I asked, "Who are you? Why are you pretending to be the Little Wine Immortal? And why are you blocking our way?"
"I just want to see what you're capable of."
I frowned; the reason was absurd, but the expression on his face didn't seem like he was joking. "So now you see."
He nodded and said, "Indeed, you are very observant and meticulous. As for the two behind you, although I haven't fought them, I can tell that their martial arts skills are quite formidable. With that in mind, I can rest assured."
"Reassured? What are you reassured about?"
He reached up and touched his face, sighing softly, "Do you know who I am?"
I stared at the dagger in his hand, pondering as I said, "Your swordsmanship is unorthodox and different from ordinary martial arts. You must not be from the Central Plains."
“Not bad.” He raised his head and said, word by word, “I come from Changbai Mountain. I am the third in the Fortune Valley. People call me Qi Laosan.”
"What?!" Xiao Nuo, Uncle Cai, and I exclaimed at the same time. It was another huge surprise—
This mystery has come full circle, and it has somehow returned to the Valley of Fortune!
he
After the initial surprise, Xiao Nuo spoke first, asking, "You say you're from Fortune Valley, but as far as I know, no one from Fortune Valley is a skilled fighter, while your martial arts are enough to rank you among the top forty in the martial arts world today. Why is that?"
"There are no good fighters under the Fat Fortune Valley..." Old Qi muttered, repeating his words, a trace of grief and indignation appearing in his eyes. Suddenly, he asked, "Do you know where the name Fat Fortune Valley comes from?"
Before Xiao Nuo could answer, he gave the answer himself: "It's because thirty years ago, when our sect was founded, we occupied the most fertile area in the Changbai Mountains. Although that place is covered in snow and ice all year round, it is rich in ginseng and deer antlers..."
Xiao Nuo interrupted him, saying, "I'm afraid there's also Lei Jun, whom everyone in the martial arts world dreams of?"
"Yes," Qi Laosan admitted. "However, the growth of the Thunder Fungus is very slow. Our sect has been there for ten years and has only obtained ten taels. Fortunately, once it grows, it will not spoil for many years. Therefore, it has always been the sect's treasure and is not used except in major events."
Xiao Nuo and Feng Chenxi exchanged a glance, their hearts skipping a beat—if Lei Jun really did come from the Fortune Valley, then Xiao Jian's suspicions could be cleared.
After traveling far and wide and braving many dangers, they are finally about to reach the truth behind this bizarre and complicated case!
Just as he was getting excited, he suddenly heard Uncle Cai ask Qi Laosan, "Ten taels in ten years? Didn't you just say that your Fortune Valley has been established for thirty years?"
“That’s right.” Qi Laosan’s face showed that same grief and indignation again as he said, word by word, “However, because that place was too rich, the people of our sect lived a life of luxury, indulging in pleasure all day long and neglecting their martial arts training. Finally, ten years later, we attracted a powerful enemy. After a fierce battle, our sect was almost wiped out, and the enemy occupied Dingbang’s precious land. As for us, the ten of us brothers, we have been living a life of hardship for the past twenty years, desperately practicing martial arts, all for the sake of one day reclaiming our sect’s territory.”
"No wonder!" Xiao Nuo exclaimed in realization, "When you escaped, you must have brought Lei Jun with you, right?"
Seeing that he kept thinking about Lei Jun, Qi Laosan asked with slight surprise, "Why is Young Master Zhang so concerned about Lei Jun?"
Feng Chenxi laughed and said, "He doesn't care about Lei Jun at all; he's just concerned about his second brother's innocence."