Young Master Tang's clothes were torn by the edges and corners of the boat, scratched by the reefs, and bitten by the fish. Everything on him had fallen off, and even his long saber had sunk to the bottom of the water. Mengqi did not find anything valuable.
The pale moonlight shone on Young Master Tang's face, making the sincerity and unwillingness in his eyes very obvious. Two lines of tears had evaporated and were mottled.
"Eh?" Mengqi's Eye Apertures had long been opened. Under the changing light and shadow, he found something wrong with the tears. It was not the tears, but the skin.
His left hand groped on Young Master Tang's face and gradually slowed down. Suddenly, he pinched a layer of skin from the corner of his ear and peeled it off.
It was a human skin mask!
Holding the mask, Mengqi looked at Young Master Tang's face and was surprised again.
It was not because Young Master Tang had become another person, but because the real appearance under the human skin mask was the same as the one wearing the human skin mask. The only difference was that his real face was full of crisscrossed wounds. Although they were not new wounds, they were very deep and difficult to fade. After the scars and wrinkles, he looked more ferocious and horrible.
"The reason he wore this human skin mask should be to cover his disfigured face." Mengqi looked at the thin mask in his hand and speculated.
This mask was exquisitely made. If Young Master Tang had not shed tears before his death, he would not have found it.
"There are so many wounds on his face. They were not caused by fighting. It seems that he was tortured like this …" Mengqi judged.
If it was caused by fighting, there would only be one or two deep wounds. But now, the crisscrossed wounds were so dense that it made people shudder. It was obvious that someone had done it deliberately.
Thinking of Young Master Tang's slightly fearful and vigilant expression when he mentioned going out for adventure, and his experience of being killed by another assassin and jumping into the river while watching Shan Xiumei fight with Joy Devilman and Iron Hand Devilman, Mengqi was sure that it was not a simple matter. Young Master Tang might have offended someone he should not have offended or known something he should not have known, so he was cruelly tortured and stabbed to death by an assassin.
After thinking for a while, Mengqi picked up the human skin mask, found a heavy object, tied it to Young Master Tang, and threw him into the river for a water burial.
"It's not clear. I can't get involved in this mess." Meng Qi sighed and erased the traces. He walked back to the cabin. He planned to use the human skin mask in the World of Samsara. If he encountered a Group-rivaling task, the enemy could only seek revenge on Childe Tang who had been missing for a long time.
In the next few days, the ship passed the "winter" and sailed into the "summer". The mountains on both sides of the "summer". Mountain peaks on both sides of the sky were of the mountains.
After passing through the steep mountain terrain, the ship entered a plain. Thousands of miles of fertile land and houses crisscrossed each other.
Meng Qi had been staying in the cabin. With the help of the thunderbolt mark, he had officially mastered the rudiments of "Purple Thunder Force". He could now begin practicing "Violent Thunder Shocking the Sky" of the Purple Thunder Bladesmanship.
Since the killing of Iron Hand Devilman was too eye-catching, no one came to harass Mengqi these days. After arriving at Yi City, he left the rest of the money in the cabin and left at night, so no one knew where he got off the ship.
Since killing the Iron Hand Devilman was too eye-catching, no one came to disturb him during this time. After arriving in Yi City, he left the rest of the money in his room and left at night, so that no one knew where he got off the ship.
Carrying a bag, Mengqi looked like a scholar going to visit his relatives. At dawn, he paid the entrance tax and stepped into the small but prosperous Yi City.
It was easy to find Qi Zhengyan. He asked a man who looked like a hero in Jianghu where Manager Qi of Huanhua Swords Sect was. Then, Mengqi got the place he wanted. He wandered there leisurely, looking around and buying a stick of sugar-coated haws from time to time.
The horizontal board of "Flower-washing Rice Shop" came into view. Mengqi adjusted his hat and clothes and walked in with a smile.
It was early in the morning. Qi Zhengyan was dressed in a cyan robe and was giving instructions to the shopkeeper and waiters without any expression on his face. Suddenly, he saw a handsome boy coming in through the door. His expression changed slightly, and his surprise was evident on his face.
The shopkeeper and the waiters rarely saw any expression on Manager Qi's deadpan face. They all turned to look at Meng Qi and saw him smiling brightly. He said enthusiastically, "Cousin, I've come to seek refuge with you!"
The corner of Qi Zhengyan's mouth twitched. His expression returned to normal and he said like an elder brother, "Follow me."
He turned around and walked to the backyard. Although Mengqi always told him that he would come to seek shelter with him, he didn't expect that he would come so suddenly.
The shopkeeper and waiters were surprised to see that it was Manager Qi's cousin. They even forgot to greet him, which made Mengqi feel a little confused.
After entering the room in the backyard, Qi Zhengyan closed the door and poured a cup of tea for Mengqi. "Junior Brother Meng, aren't you still in Xuanwu?"
During the previous exchange, Mengqi mentioned that he freeloaded Zhang Yuanshan's food in Xuanwu.
"Senior Brother Zhang, a tall tree attracts the wind. I quit while I'm ahead. I'm here to seek shelter with Senior Brother Qi. Don't you welcome me?" Mengqi deliberately said in a teasing tone, "By the way, we call each other cousin. We can't let the cat out of the bag."
Qi Zhengyan's face twitched. "It's not that I don't welcome you. But you should come to see me secretly and discuss what to say."
"Well, what's the problem, cousin?" Mengqi once asked Qi Zhengyan. He bought property for his parents in his hometown, but he didn't take him with him. After all, the position of Manager was not fixed. He might be sent to other places to guard the property outside the sect at any time.
Since his parents were not here, it should be no problem for him to pretend to be his cousin.
Qi Zhengyan shook his head. "My cousin came to seek shelter before, but he got into trouble. Suddenly another cousin came. It's always eye-catching."
"No wonder the shopkeeper and waiters looked strange." Mengqi suddenly understood. "Last time we met, I saw that you had something on your mind. Is it because of my cousin?"
He took the opportunity to complete Jiang Zhiwei's entrustment.
Qi Zhengyan looked a lot gloomy. "It's a long story."
"Then tell me slowly." Mengqi stared at Qi Zhengyan's eyes.
Qi Zhengyan knocked on the table. "Our sect has two Managers in Yi City. One is the Manager, and the other is the Deputy."
"I know. You're the assistant, and the one in charge is your Martial Uncle," Meng Qi said.
Qi Zhengyan clasped his hands. "When I first came here, Martial Uncle was very guarded against me. Later, he saw that I was quiet and honest, and often stayed in the hospital. Gradually, he handed over the rice shop and part of the farmlands to me."
The Huanhua Swords Sect owned vast fields, many farmsteads and shops in Yi City. It was not a big deal for a big sect, but for ordinary disciples in the enlightenment period, they could live a rich life with a little bit of it. They were no longer short of resources.
Therefore, the Martial Uncle of the Huanhua Swords Sect was initially wary of Qi Zhengyan grabbing hold of his weakness and plotting for his position. However, as time went by, he found that Qi Zhengyan was a man of few words and liked to practice martial arts behind closed doors. He was quite honest, so he shared some of the less important power with Qi Zhengyan in case he couldn't stay any longer and applied to return to the mountain.
"Cousin, you don't care about these things. Just treat the extra profit as an unexpected windfall. You can eat and drink well." Meng Qi emphasized the way he addressed him so that he would not call him by the wrong name when he was outside.
Qi Zhengyan shook his head. "I am very satisfied with the current situation. I have extra money to buy houses for my parents and brothers. But the situation in Yi City has changed."
"What?" Mengqi probably understood Qi Zhengyan's concern. He was afraid that he would lose his stable life in the main world and could not focus on practicing Kung Fu and improving himself to deal with the task in the World of Samsara and make a name for himself in the future.
"Although Yi City is small, it is backed by Yedu. There are many merchants coming and going. It is prosperous and lively. There are four aristocratic families, Tang, Ye, Ling and Wan. The Ye and Ling families are dependent on the Wang family from Zhou County. They want to suppress us and encroach on our industry here. The Tang family and the Wan family are close to our sect. They advance and retreat together to maintain the balance in Yi City."
Qi Zhengyan's worry was hidden in his heart for a long time. Finally, Mengqi asked, "A month ago, the old master of the Tang family was seriously ill and could not manage the affairs. Several sons could not settle the dispute. Some wanted to attach themselves to the Wang family, and some wanted to ask us to help. People were anxious and the undercurrent was turbulent."
"From then on, the people of the Wan family gradually alienated us. I don't know what happened in between."
Mengqi slightly frowned, "Your Huanhua Swords Sect can express its attitude and fully support one person. Is there anything to worry about?"
"This is the intention of the sect. But if I want to support, I have to fight. I'm not afraid of most masters in Yi City, but my Kung Fu is special. I can't use my full strength in broad daylight, or I will be suspected." Qi Zhengyan showed a trace of worry.
"Book of the Chaos" was the Peerless Godly Kung Fu on the first page of the Exchange List of the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms. It was comprehensive and powerful, different from most of the Kung Fu. Although Qi Zhengyan had only completed Four Apertures and was close to opening Nose Aperture, he was confident that he could defeat most masters who had opened Seven Apertures or even Eight Apertures, not to mention ordinary Six Apertures.
Meng Qi laughed and said, "It's a piece of cake. In the future, I'll handle the battles on your behalf. If you and your Uncle Master can't defeat a strong enemy, you can ask for more help from within the sect."
"Okay." Qi Zhengyan nodded slowly. Now that Mengqi was here, he didn't have to worry about most of his concerns.
"What's the matter with your cousin?" Meng Qi asked.
Qi Zhengyan showed a rare annoyance, "Half a month ago, my cousin came to Yi City to seek shelter. But one night, the Foreign Official of the Ye family, 'Ghost Shadow Sword' Li Sui, broke the tendons of his hands and feet. Although we had witnesses and material evidence, the Ye family said that we deliberately framed him and found someone close to them to give false testimony to protect Li Sui. Uncle Master was afraid that it would cause a conflict between the Ye family and our sect and lead to the Wang family's intervention. He advised me to cure my cousin first and wait until the Tang family's matter was settled."
Mengqi slightly frowned, "What's the attitude of your Huanhua Swords Sect?"
"Uncle Master didn't report it." Qi Zhengyan looked gloomy, "I sent my cousin back to his hometown to recuperate. Even if his broken tendons were healed, he would have no hope for Kung Fu in the future."
Mengqi nodded and asked, "What about the strength of the Tang, Ye, Ling, and Wan families?"
"They have a long history and all have Precious Weapons to suppress their families. But for many years, there hasn't been a Half-step Exterior Scenery master. Their power has shrunk and they don't go out of Yi City." Qi Zhengyan simply said, "But they are, after all, aristocratic families. They don't lack resources and have many masters of Eight and Nine Apertures."
Mengqi gently nodded and smiled, "Let's not talk about unhappy things first. Cousin, you have to treat me to dinner!"
"I'll get a jar of Osmanthus Wine." Qi Zhengyan said with a dull expression.
Mengqi smiled, "Okay. What delicious food is there in Yi City? I'll buy it to go with the wine."
"There's a Wufeng Restaurant nearby. Pig head meat and soy sauce beef are very good." Qi Zhengyan thought for a while and said.
Mengqi walked out of the backyard and stepped on the street under the gaze of the shopkeeper and waiters. He stopped a passer-by and asked,
"Brother, how can I get to the Ye family?"
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