235: Chapter 15 Wuyazi

On the morning of the third day, Meng Li left Canhe Village with Wang Yuyan.

Li Qingluo did not see Wang Yuyan off, claiming she had caught a cold last night. In reality, she had paid back too much of her debt to Meng Li all at once and hadn't recovered yet.

It was called paying a debt, but in Meng Li's eyes, Li Qingluo seemed more like she was collecting one.

He could understand this.

She was at an age where her appetite was like a wolf's; it was fine before the floodgates opened, but once they did, her needs were naturally immense.

This was also one of the reasons Meng Li had her under his thumb.

Having lived several lives, Meng Li had more tricks up his sleeve than that Duke Duan, and he was currently in his prime.

In just a short time, Li Qingluo couldn't help but develop a greedy infatuation.

Knowing Meng Li would be away for a long time on this trip, she wanted to settle all future debts at once, only to end up too weak to see him off.

...

There were five people in Meng Li's group for this journey.

Meng Li, Wang Yuyan, Ding Chunqiu, Kang Guangling, and Xue Muhua.

Xue Muhua had arrived yesterday.

He happened to be practicing medicine in the Suzhou area recently. Upon receiving news from Kang Guangling, he came to Suzhou, intending to return to the Xiaoyao Sect with the others.

Meng Li was happy to see this happen.

Xue Muhua held the title of Divine Physician in the Jianghu and had extensive connections; with him joining, this trip would likely be much smoother.

And indeed, that was the case.

Along the way, wherever there were Jianghu forces entrenched, Xue Muhua could basically get a word in.

Meng Li and the others didn't have to worry about food or lodging at all.

Even if they encountered mountain bandits on the road, Xue Muhua could strike up a conversation by revealing his network, leading to a peaceful resolution.

Meng Li was happy to let it be and did not interfere.

He only took action when they encountered those who wouldn't cooperate or were simply ignorant.

Such people were in the minority, so by the time they reached the foot of Leigu Mountain, the number of times Meng Li had to act could be counted on one hand.

At the foot of Leigu Mountain, Meng Li and the others met the remaining six of the Hangu Eight Friends.

"Chess Demon" Fan Bailing, "Bookworm" Gou Du, "Painting Madman" Wu Lingjun, "Skilled Artisan" Feng Asan, "Flower Obsessive" Shi Qinglu, and "Opera Fan" Li Puppet.

After Kang Guangling and Xue Muhua greeted Fan Bailing and the others, they acted as intermediaries, introducing Meng Li and Wang Yuyan to them.

Meng Li exchanged pleasantries with the six of them, and they became acquainted.

Next, seeing Ding Chunqiu, the six couldn't help but launch into a barrage of criticism.

Kang Guangling and Xue Muhua had done this before; at first, Ding Chunqiu would fight back with words, but later he became numb and didn't bother to respond.

Then, with Meng Li leading Wang Yuyan and the Hangu Eight Friends escorting Ding Chunqiu, they ascended the mountain together.

Before long, the group arrived at Su Xinghe's secluded residence.

The first thing to catch their eyes was a massive stone wall intended for the Zhenlong Chess Match, but the plot hadn't started yet; let alone the match, even the board hadn't been drawn yet.

Beside the stone wall were pine trees, and beneath them were stone tables and benches with signs of use, though no one was visible at the moment.

Kang Guangling and the others immediately began shouting in all directions.

"Master! Master!"

"Where are you?"

"Master, your Disciples have returned, and we've brought that villain Ding Chunqiu!"

After shouting for a short while, an old man wearing plain clothes, with a thin frame and messy hair, came running from the other side of the stone wall.

This old man was none other than Su Xinghe.

When the eight members of the Hangu Eight Friends saw him, they hurriedly knelt to pay their respects, calling out "Master" in unison.

Su Xinghe didn't respond but scanned the scene, his gaze fixing on Ding Chunqiu.

Seeing that Ding Chunqiu's state was clearly wrong, he hurriedly walked over to inspect him.

After confirming that Ding Chunqiu had lost all his Martial Arts, Su Xinghe grinned and said in a raw, raspy voice, "Ding Chunqiu, so you have a day like this too?"

"Truly, the heavens have eyes! The heavens have eyes!"

Ding Chunqiu glanced at him and didn't respond.

He had heard this the whole way, and knowing that barring any accidents, he couldn't escape the word 'death', he didn't bother speaking.

Because everything he wanted to say and all the wailing he needed to do had already been finished while he was imprisoned at Canhe Village.

After venting his emotions, Su Xinghe noticed Meng Li and Wang Yuyan nearby.

Seeing this, Kang Guangling stepped forward to explain the situation.

Once the story was told, Su Xinghe bowed deeply to Meng Li: "Thank you, Young Master, for capturing this villain Ding Chunqiu!"

Meng Li raised his hand to support him slightly, saying politely, "Senior Su is too kind; I simply happened to be at the right place at the right time."

"I came here primarily to verify my cousin's identity..."

As he spoke, he paused slightly, pointed to Wang Yuyan beside him, and continued, "I wonder if Senior Su knows the inside story?"

Su Xinghe looked closely at Wang Yuyan and then thought back carefully, but could not reach a conclusion.

As Wu Ya Zi's eldest Disciple, he had naturally seen Li Qiu Shui.

However, Li Qiu Shui was already fully grown then, whereas Wang Yuyan was still young and hadn't fully matured. As the saying goes, a girl changes eighteen times as she grows; even if the setting dictated that Li Qiu Shui and Wang Yuyan looked alike, Su Xinghe found it difficult to match their faces at this moment.

Besides, he found it difficult to speak of Wu Ya Zi's affairs from back then.

Ultimately, Su Xinghe could only say, "I am not very clear about the events of those years."

"If the Young Master wishes to know something, you may take this young lady with me to meet my Master."

"However, before that, please allow me to first clean up our sect's mess."

Meng Li had no objection.

Su Xinghe didn't waste words either, directly killing Ding Chunqiu with a single palm strike.

Afterward, he bowed to Meng Li and Wang Yuyan, saying, "Please wait a moment, I will go and inform my Master first."

Meng Li nodded.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Su Xinghe returned and made a gesture of invitation to Meng Li and Wang Yuyan: "Please, after you."

With that, he began to lead the way.

Wu Ya Zi's hiding place was protected by a Qimen Dunjia formation set up by Su Xinghe, which ordinary people could not enter.

One of the reasons Ding Chunqiu hadn't completely eradicated them back then was that he was helpless against this Qimen Dunjia.

In the original story, because Ding Chunqiu was present, Su Xinghe did not lead the way for Xu Zhu, but instead had him enter through a stone wall marked with the words 'Xiaoyao'. Xu Zhu had no choice and only managed to break through the stone wall and pass through a special passage to reach the cave where Wu Ya Zi was located with the help of Duan Yanqing.

After Xu Zhu finished receiving the transmission of power, Su Xinghe and the Hangu Eight Friends were able to enter the cave where Wu Ya Zi was located freely.

It was evident that there was more than one entrance to Wu Ya Zi's residence.

The path Su Xinghe was taking now was another one besides the stone wall.

After a series of twists and turns, the three of them arrived before two heavy iron doors.

Su Xinghe stopped immediately and said with a smile to Meng Li and Wang Yuyan, "My Master is inside; you two may enter on your own."

With that, he turned and left.

Meng Li did not hesitate; he reached out, pushed the doors open with force, and led Wang Yuyan inside.

Once inside, the two surveyed their surroundings and found it to be a cave that let in light and water. Curtains hung in the cave, candlesticks were set up, and there were some daily necessities. Towards the inner part, there was a high platform with steps, and seated on it was a person in white with their back to the light source.

Meng Li and Wang Yuyan exchanged a glance and walked together to the front of the platform.

Sensing someone approaching, the person in white slowly turned around, revealing their true face and opening their eyes.

Though the person had an aged face and white hair, they possessed an immortal, transcendent air.

It was indeed Wu Ya Zi.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Wu Ya Zi was captivated by Wang Yuyan and couldn't help but murmur, "So alike! Truly so alike!"

As he spoke, he stood up directly and walked down from the platform.

Meng Li: "..."